Icemaker Appliance with Nested Filter for Gravity-Driven Recirculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing icemaker appliances face challenges with external drain lines being expensive and difficult to install, and plumbed filters experience pressure drops leading to inefficiencies and noise, necessitating a more efficient filtration process.
Innovation Solution
An icemaker appliance with a vertical configuration, including a cabinet, ice storage compartment, ice mold, a first reservoir for collecting liquid, a filter nested within the reservoir, and a circulation system with a pump and nozzle to recirculate and filter water efficiently, eliminating the need for external drains and high-pressure pumps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If plumbed filters are used to filter contaminants, then filtration is achieved, but pressure drops increase and pump efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration system is segmented into multiple filter stages (pre-filter, main filter, and optional post-filter) distributed throughout the water circulation path. This segmentation allows pressure differential to be distributed across multiple lower-resistance media rather than one high-resistance filter, maintaining pump efficiency while achieving effective filtration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional linear plumbed filtration to a multi-dimensional gravity-fed filtration approach where water flows through filters at different elevations and locations within the ice maker assembly, utilizing gravitational potential energy to drive filtration without adding pump pressure requirements.
2Reliability
If high-pressure pumps are used to pump water through plumbed filters, then filtration is achieved, but noise increases and operating conditions become undesirable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical high-pressure pump system with a gravity-driven circulation system. Water is pumped to a higher elevation storage chamber initially, then allowed to flow through the filtration system and ice maker components under gravity, eliminating the need for continuous high-pressure pumping and associated noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic pumping to elevate water to a storage chamber, followed by continuous gravity-driven flow through the filters and ice maker. This periodic action replaces continuous high-pressure pumping, reducing noise while maintaining filtration effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If external drain lines are used to dispose of meltwater, then meltwater disposal is achieved, but installation cost and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ice maker assembly is designed as a self-contained unit with internal meltwater collection and disposal systems. Meltwater is collected in a reservoir within the assembly and evaporates or is reused for ice making, eliminating the need for external drain line connections and complex installation requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the meltwater disposal function into the ice maker assembly itself by integrating a collection reservoir and evaporation chamber. This combines multiple functions (ice making, water storage, filtration, and waste disposal) into a single self-contained unit, eliminating external drain requirements.
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
The solution provides a more efficient filtration process, reducing maintenance, noise, and operational costs while improving the efficiency of ice production and filtration, allowing for clear ice generation and easy cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
a filter nested within the first reservoir; and a circulation system in fluid communication with the first reservoir. The circulation system may include a circulation conduit; a first pump connected to the circulation conduit to pump the liquid through the circulation conduit; and a nozzle downstream from the circulation conduit to dispense the liquid from the circulation conduit, wherein the liquid dispensed from the nozzle falls onto the filter
Implementation Method 2
a first pump connected to the circulation conduit to pump the liquid through the circulation conduit
Implementation Method 3
a nozzle downstream from the circulation conduit to dispense the liquid from the circulation conduit, wherein the liquid dispensed from the nozzle falls onto the filter
Data Source
AI summary
An icemaker appliance includes a cabinet forming an ice storage compartment, an ice maker provided in the ice storage compartment, a first reservoir storing liquid, a filter nested within the first reservoir, and a circulation system to deliver the liquid from the first reservoir to the ice maker. The liquid not frozen on the ice maker is filtered through the filter and resupplied to the circulation system.