Refrigerator Door-Mounted Drain Assembly for Nugget Ice Melt Water
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerator appliances face issues with cloudy and hard ice due to storage at low temperatures, and existing drainage systems for melt water from nugget ice are inefficient, leading to undesirable sticking and other problems.
Innovation Solution
A drain assembly is integrated into the refrigerator, featuring a male and female connector system with ducts that allow melt water to flow from the ice container to the fresh food chamber, utilizing a check valve to control drainage based on the door's position, ensuring effective water management without active components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If ice is stored in the freezer chamber at low temperatures, then ice can be produced and stored, but the ice becomes cloudy and hard
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the storage system into two separate chambers: a freezer chamber for ice production and a fresh food chamber for ice storage. This segmentation allows ice to be produced at low temperatures while being stored at higher temperatures, resolving the contradiction between storage temperature and ice quality
Solution Approach 2:
The door assembly acts as an intermediary structure that houses both the ice maker (in the freezer chamber) and the ice storage bin (in the fresh food chamber). This intermediary structure enables the transition of ice from the freezer chamber to the fresh food chamber for optimal storage conditions
2Ease of operation
If nugget ice is stored in a container at higher temperatures, then chewable ice can be maintained, but melt water causes ice to stick together
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the melt water from the ice storage environment by providing a dedicated drain assembly that removes water from the container. This extraction prevents the harmful effect of melt water causing ice pieces to stick together while maintaining the higher temperature storage conditions needed for chewable ice
Solution Approach 2:
The drain assembly utilizes hydraulic principles to channel and remove melt water from the container through gravity-driven flow, effectively managing the liquid byproduct of ice storage at higher temperatures
3Productivity
If a drain assembly is added to manage melt water, then drainage efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drain assembly is merged with the existing door assembly structure, integrating the drainage function into the door rather than adding a separate complex drainage system. This merging achieves effective melt water removal while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The door assembly serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the refrigerator, houses the ice maker mechanism, contains the ice storage bin, and incorporates the drain assembly for melt water removal. This multi-functionality achieves comprehensive drainage capability without proportionally increasing complexity
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 drain assembly efficiently directs melt water away from the ice container, preventing sticking and maintaining ice quality by allowing drainage only when the door is closed, thus addressing the issues of cloudy and hard ice while improving overall drainage efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The check valve allows the flow of melt water therethrough when the door is in the closed position and prevents the flow of melt water therethrough when the door is in the open position
Data Source
AI summary
Refrigerator appliances are provided. A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a fresh food chamber and a freezer chamber, and a door rotatably hinged to the cabinet for accessing the fresh food chamber. The door further defines an ice box. The refrigerator appliance further includes an ice maker disposed within the ice box, and a container defining a storage volume for receipt of ice produced by the ice maker. The refrigerator appliance further includes a drain assembly for draining melt water from the container. The drain assembly includes a male connector mounted to the door for flowing melt water therethrough, and a first duct providing fluid communication between the container and the male connector. The drain assembly further includes a female connector mounted within the fresh food chamber for flowing melt water therethrough from the male connector, and a second duct providing fluid communication from the female connector.