Slim Refrigerator Door Ice Bin Layout for Higher Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators have a bulky design due to the thickness of the refrigerator door, which accommodates the ice bin, limiting space and efficiency in ice cube generation and dispensing processes.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a slim refrigerator door with an ice bin positioned to minimize thickness, utilizing a rotating ice maker and a mechanism of inclined guide surfaces and rotation blades to efficiently discharge ice cubes, allowing for a reduced door thickness and increased storage capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the refrigerator door is made thick to accommodate the ice bin, then the ice storage capacity is improved, but the refrigerator door thickness increases making the design bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The ice bin is nested within the refrigerator door structure, with the ice maker positioned above the ice bin. This vertical nesting arrangement allows the ice storage and production functions to be integrated within the door thickness, optimizing space utilization while maintaining a compact door profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a horizontal arrangement to a vertical arrangement within the door. The ice maker is positioned at the upper portion and the ice bin at the lower portion, utilizing the vertical dimension to accommodate both components without significantly increasing the door's thickness.
2Length of stationary object
If the refrigerator door thickness is reduced, then the design becomes slim and space-efficient, but the ice bin accommodation becomes constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The ice bin is designed as a removable tray with a shallow depth, allowing it to fit within a slim door structure. The tray configuration provides adequate ice storage capacity while maintaining a compact profile that does not require a thick door for accommodation.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice making system is segmented into two distinct components: the ice maker unit positioned in the upper portion of the door and the ice bin tray in the lower portion. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for space efficiency while maintaining overall functionality.
3Length of stationary object
If the ice bin is positioned to minimize door thickness, then the refrigerator door becomes slim, but the ice discharge mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The ice bin tray is designed to be manually removable by the user. When the user pulls the tray outward, the ice cubes are automatically discharged due to gravity and the tray's inclined bottom surface, eliminating the need for complex mechanical discharge mechanisms while maintaining a slim door profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice bin tray features an inclined bottom surface that creates a gravity-assisted discharge system. The inclination angle is optimized so that ice cubes naturally slide toward the discharge opening when the tray is pulled outward, providing automatic ice discharge without requiring additional mechanical components.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a refrigerator including a slim refrigerator door. The refrigerator includes a storage compartment; a refrigerator door (11) opening and closing the storage compartment; an ice maker (210) configured to generate ice cubes; an ice bin (300) provided at the refrigerator door to receive the ice cubes generated in the ice maker and having a discharge opening (127) through which the ice cubes are discharged; a motor provided at the refrigerator door; and at least one blade (410, 480) within the ice bin, the at least one blade being operably connected to the motor, wherein at least one ice cube generated in the ice maker directly drop onto the at least one blade, and the at least one blade (410) moves at least one ice cube stored in the ice bin to the discharge opening to discharge the at least one ice cube from the ice bin by an operation of the motor.