Refrigerator and manufacturing method thereof
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators with ice making chambers face challenges in simplifying the inner case structure and enabling easy replacement and repair of components, as the ice making chamber is often integrated with the refrigerator body, making separate insulation and maintenance difficult.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a separate ice making chamber case coupled to the inner case, with a distinct insulator to isolate it from the refrigerating compartment, allowing for modular assembly and easy access for maintenance, using engagement holes, fastening holes, and a sealing member to ensure insulation and sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the ice making chamber is integrated with the refrigerator body, then the structure is compact, but the inner case structure becomes complex and components are difficult to replace
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making chamber is segmented from the refrigerator body as a separate removable case. The ice making chamber case can be detached from the inner case, allowing independent access to ice making components without disassembling the entire refrigerator structure. This segmentation simplifies the inner case structure while enabling easy component replacement and maintenance.
2Loss of energy
If the ice making chamber is integrated with the refrigerator body, then the structure is unified, but insulation efficiency decreases due to heat exchange between compartments
Solution Approach 1:
The ice making chamber is extracted as a separate removable case from the refrigerator body. This extraction creates a distinct insulated space that can be independently sealed from the refrigerating compartment. The separate case structure allows for dedicated insulation without compromising the main refrigerator insulation, preventing heat exchange between compartments while maintaining a unified appearance when assembled.
3Ease of repair
If the ice making chamber case is separate, then components are easy to replace, but the assembly structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement structure employs local quality features such as engagement holes and engagement protrusions positioned at specific locations on the inner case and ice making chamber case. These localized structural features enable simple yet effective connection and disconnection mechanisms. The local quality approach allows for easy component replacement through targeted engagement points without requiring complex assembly structures throughout the entire device.
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 design simplifies the inner case structure, facilitates easy replacement and repair of ice making chamber components, and enhances insulation efficiency by separating the ice making chamber from the refrigerating compartment, while maintaining a clean and aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Implementation Method 1
a case insulator interposed between the first ice making chamber case and the second ice making chamber case, to insulate the ice making chamber from the refrigerating compartment
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator in which an ice making chamber case including a horizontal wall, a vertical wall, a front opening and a front edge is coupled to an inside of an inner case, to form an ice making chamber. A case insulator is disposed in a wall space of the ice making chamber case. The case insulator is foamed separately from a body insulator which is foamed between inner and outer cases of a refrigerator body. Since the case insulator is foamed separately from the body insulator, it is possible to easily achieve foaming of the case insulator. It is also possible to prepare the ice making chamber case separately from molding of the inner case.