Refrigerator Icemaker Heat Shielding for Clean Ice Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing icemakers in refrigerators face issues where heat from the heater used to detach ice is radiated into the refrigerator, overheating stored items and overloading the appliance.
Innovation Solution
An icemaker with a heater shielding unit that prevents heat generated from the heater from entering the refrigerator, combined with a splash preventing unit for the water supply hopper to minimize water splashing and freezing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a heater is provided to facilitate ice detachment, then ice separation is improved, but heat is radiated into the refrigerator causing stored items to overheat
Solution Approach 1:
A heater shielding unit is introduced as an intermediary component between the heater and the refrigerator interior. This shielding unit blocks the direct path of heat radiation from the heater to the stored items, allowing the heater to effectively detach ice while preventing excessive heating of the refrigerator contents.
Solution Approach 2:
The heater shielding unit is positioned specifically around the heater area to provide localized heat blocking. This allows heat to be contained in the specific region where ice detachment is needed, while other areas of the refrigerator maintain their proper temperature for storing items.
2Ease of operation
If a heater is provided to facilitate ice detachment, then ice separation is improved, but the refrigerator becomes overloaded
Solution Approach 1:
The heater shielding unit acts as a thermal barrier that reduces the overall heat input into the refrigerator system. By blocking heat radiation, the shielding unit prevents the heater from overloading the refrigerator's cooling capacity while still enabling effective ice detachment where needed.
3Productivity
If water supply hopper is provided without splash prevention, then ice production is maintained, but water splashing and freezing occurs
Solution Approach 1:
A splash preventing unit is provided for the water supply hopper to minimize water splashing and freezing, thereby extracting the harmful splashing effect while maintaining the ice production function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Prevents overheating of stored items, maintains refrigerator efficiency, and enhances user safety by shielding the heater and preventing water splashing, thus ensuring better ice production and appliance performance.
Implementation Method 1
a heater provided to the icemaker body to generate heat to facilitate detachment of the made ice
Implementation Method 2
a heater shielding unit provided to prevent the heat generated from the heater from being supplied to an inside of the refrigerator
Data Source
AI summary
An icemaker in a refrigerator is disclosed, by which heat generated from a heater to detach ice is prevented from being transferred to an inside of the refrigerator. The present invention includes an icemaker body provided to a prescribed position of the refrigerator to make to ice from a supplied water, a heater provided to the icemaker body to generate heat to facilitate detachment of the made ice, and a heater shielding unit provided to prevent the heat generated from the heater from being supplied to an inside of the refrigerator.