Refrigerator Icemaker Ice Stripper for Spill-Free Cube Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic icemakers on refrigerator doors face challenges with water spillage when the door is opened or closed, leading to unfrozen water escaping and resulting in reduced ice cube production and clumping in the storage bin.
Innovation Solution
An automatic icemaker design featuring an ice mold body with an ice stripper that completely covers the top opening of each ice chamber and an ice rake with a rotatable shaft and rake fingers to prevent water spillage and facilitate ice cube ejection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the door is opened or closed while water in the icemaker is not frozen, then water spills out of the ice mold body, but this results in no or smaller ice cubes and clumping in the storage bin
Solution Approach 1:
An ice stripper is introduced as an intermediary component that covers the top opening of each ice chamber. This ice stripper acts as a mediator between the ice mold body and the external environment, preventing water from spilling out when the door is opened or closed, while still allowing ice cubes to be properly ejected and stored.
2Reliability
If the ice stripper completely covers the top opening of each ice chamber, then water spillage is prevented, but ice cube ejection may be hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The ice stripper is designed with movable or adjustable characteristics that allow it to dynamically adapt between two states: covering the top opening to prevent water spillage, and retracting or opening to allow ice cube ejection. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between water containment and ice ejection.
3Ease of operation
If the frontal opening of each ice chamber is not completely covered by the ice stripper, then ice cube ejection is facilitated, but water spillage occurs when the door is opened or closed
Solution Approach 1:
The ice stripper is positioned to cover the top opening of each ice chamber in advance, before the door is opened or closed. This preliminary covering action prevents water spillage from occurring in the first place, while the system is designed to subsequently allow ice cube ejection when needed.
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 water spillage and ensures that unfrozen water is frozen into ice cubes, allowing for proper ejection and storage without clumping, enhancing ice production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an ice stripper disposed along the front side and extending over the ice chambers, the ice stripper being configured to completely cover the frontal portion of the top opening of each ice chamber
Implementation Method 2
an ice mold body having a front side, a back side, and a plurality of ice chambers for containing water therein for freezing into ice cubes
Implementation Method 3
an ice rake disposed between the front side and the back side, the ice rake including a rotatable shaft, and a plurality of rake fingers extending outward from the shaft for moving ice cubes out of the respective ice chambers
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic icemaker for a refrigerator is disclosed. The automatic icemaker includes an ice mold body having a front side, a back side, and a plurality of ice chambers for containing water therein for freezing into ice cubes, each ice chamber having a top opening having a frontal portion adjacent the front side; an ice stripper disposed along the front side and extending over the ice chambers, the ice stripper being configured to completely cover the frontal portion of the top opening of each ice chamber; and an ice rake disposed between the front side and the back side, the ice rake including a rotatable shaft, and a plurality of rake fingers extending outward from the shaft for moving ice cubes out of the respective ice chambers and onto the ice stripper.