Indirect air cooling for an ice maker within a refrigerator door
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators with ice makers in the fresh food compartment face inefficiencies due to unsatisfactory operational temperatures, requiring additional manufacturing steps and complexity for air ducts and insulation to direct cooled air from the freezer compartment, increasing costs and design complexity.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring an air cooling system with non-evaporative heat exchangers in both the freezer and fresh food compartments, where a fluid line circulates cooled liquid between these heat exchangers to cool air within an insulated chamber, which is then directed to the ice maker via an air duct, eliminating the need for direct air ducts from the freezer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air is directed directly from the freezer compartment to the ice maker, then the ice maker receives sufficient cooling, but additional manufacturing steps and complexity are required for air ducts and insulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary insulated chamber with non-evaporative heat exchangers that mediates between the freezer compartment and the ice maker. Cooled air from the freezer is directed to this intermediate chamber, which then distributes the cooled air to the ice maker, eliminating the need for direct ducting while maintaining cooling effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the air ducting and insulation requirements from the direct path between freezer and ice maker by introducing a separate insulated chamber system. This extraction removes the complexity of designing and installing ducts while preserving the cooling function through the intermediary chamber.
2Temperature
If air ducts and insulation materials are added to direct cooled air from freezer to ice maker, then cooling is achieved, but cost and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling function with the existing insulated chamber structure in the door assembly. By integrating the non-evaporative heat exchangers and insulated chamber into the door's existing insulation framework, the system achieves cooling without requiring separate duct installation, thereby simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the complex duct installation requirements by using the existing insulated chamber space in the door assembly. This approach eliminates the need for additional manufacturing steps to install ducts and insulation materials, as the chamber already provides the necessary insulated environment.
3Device complexity
If the fresh food compartment temperature is used for ice maker operation, then the design is simple, but the operational temperature is unsatisfactory for ice piece production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a localized cooled environment within the insulated chamber specifically for the ice maker, while the rest of the fresh food compartment maintains its higher temperature. The non-evaporative heat exchangers provide targeted cooling to the ice maker area without requiring the entire compartment to be cold.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary cooling system using non-evaporative heat exchangers that bridges the temperature gap between the fresh food compartment and the ice maker requirements. This intermediary system provides the necessary cooling to the ice maker while allowing the fresh food compartment to remain at its standard operating temperature.
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
This solution provides efficient cooling for the ice maker without the added complexity and cost of direct air ducts, maintaining optimal ice production temperatures while simplifying the refrigerator design.
Implementation Method 1
The first non-evaporative heat exchanger is provided in heat exchanging relationship with the evaporator to cool the liquid positioned in the first non-evaporative heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
The second non-evaporative heat exchanger is provided in heat exchanging relationship with the air inside the insulated chamber to cool the air therein
Implementation Method 3
an evaporator and an air cooling system that cools air inside the insulated chamber. The air cooling system includes a first non-evaporative heat exchanger positioned independent of and adjacent to the evaporator
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet defining a storage compartment therein, a door that provides selective access to the storage compartment, and an ice maker provided in the door. An air duct directs a flow of air from an insulated chamber to the ice maker. An air cooling system cools air inside the insulated chamber and comprises a first non-evaporative heat exchanger positioned independent of and adjacent to an evaporator, a second non-evaporative heat exchanger provided within the insulated chamber, and a fluid line that directs a circulation of fluid between the first and second non-evaporative heat exchangers. The first non-evaporative heat exchanger is provided in heat exchanging relationship with the evaporator to cool the fluid positioned in the first non-evaporative heat exchanger, and the second non-evaporative heat exchanger is provided in heat exchanging relationship with the air inside the insulated chamber to cool the air therein.