Refrigerator Ice Tray Assembly to Minimize Water Overflow

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional refrigerators with ice making devices face issues such as water overflow and leakage during ice tray mounting, contamination, and inefficient ice cube retrieval, which increase costs and user inconvenience.

Innovation Solution

A refrigerator design featuring a tray accommodation portion with a locking mechanism and ice tray pockets that prevent water overflow, combined with a tray rotation unit for easy ice cube separation and an integrated ice-cube storage container to minimize air leakage during ice cube removal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the ice tray is separated from the housing and manually mounted, then the ice tray can be removed and cleaned, but water may overflow during mounting causing contamination

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveice tray removal and cleaningVSAvoidwater overflow and contamination

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The ice tray is pre-filled with water through a water supply device before being mounted in the housing. This preliminary action ensures the ice tray is already filled to the correct level, eliminating the risk of water overflow during manual mounting and cleaning operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A water supply device acts as an intermediary between the water source and the ice tray, automatically controlling water flow and level. This intermediary mechanism prevents water overflow by regulating the filling process, while still allowing easy removal and cleaning of the ice tray.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If multiple ice trays are provided, then ice production capacity increases, but the complexity of mounting and dismounting increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveice production capacityVSAvoidmounting and dismounting process

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple ice trays are combined into a single integrated assembly that can be mounted and removed together as one unit. This merging approach maintains high ice production capacity through multiple trays while simplifying the mounting and dismounting process, eliminating the need to handle each tray separately.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of operation

If ice cubes are taken out by opening the door, then ice cubes can be accessed, but cool air leaks and power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveice cube accessVSAvoidcool air leakage and power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The ice making device is segmented into a separate accessible compartment with its own opening, distinct from the main refrigerator door. This segmentation allows users to access ice cubes through a small dedicated opening without opening the main door, minimizing cool air leakage and reducing power consumption while maintaining ease of ice cube access.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

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 design minimizes water overflow and contamination, facilitates easy ice cube separation, and reduces cool air leakage, enhancing user convenience and storage efficiency by integrating the ice making device into the refrigerator door.

Implementation Method 1

an accommodation portion coupling unit for coupling the tray accommodation portion to the case

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical Fastening: Mechanical Fastener

Implementation Method 2

a refrigerating cycle composed of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation processes for a refrigerant

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRefrigerating cycle:

Implementation Method 3

containing water to be frozen to ice cubes

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFreezing: Freezing

Data Source

PatentUS9335087B2Refrigerator having ice making device

Publication Date: 2016.05.10 LG ELECTRONICS INC

AI summary

A refrigerator having an ice making device, comprises: a case having an opening at one side thereof; a tray accommodation portion having opened upper and lower surfaces, and configured to be inserted into or withdrawn from the case through the opening; an ice tray accommodated in the tray accommodation portion, and containing water to be frozen to ice cubes; and an accommodation portion coupling unit for coupling the tray accommodation portion to the case. Water is poured onto the ice tray in a state that the ice tray has been accommodated in the tray accommodation portion, and then the ice tray is carried to be mounted to the case. This may solve the conventional problem that each ice tray has to be carried. Furthermore, since an external force such as hand trembling is transmitted to the ice tray via the tray accommodation portion, overflow of water is minimized.