Valve assembly for use in a cooling appliance and cooling applicance having the valve assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Cooling appliances face challenges with frost formation and reduced door insulation due to condensation from air pressure differences, leading to inefficient defrost water drainage and vacuum balancing issues.
Innovation Solution
A valve assembly with a water-guiding body and air-guiding body, featuring one-way valves and elastic membranes, is designed to efficiently drain defrost water while preventing frost formation by controlling air and water flow, using acute and obtuse angles to direct airflow and drainage, and sealing rings to prevent leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a one-way valve assembly is provided on the drain pipe to balance vacuum pressure, then door opening becomes easier, but frost formation occurs due to condensation from pressure difference
Solution Approach 1:
The valve assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: an air-guiding body with first one-way valve for air flow control, and a water-guiding body with second one-way valve for water drainage. This segmentation allows independent optimization of air and water flow paths, preventing condensation-related frost formation while maintaining vacuum balancing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful condensation process is extracted and prevented by providing separate air and water flow paths. The air-guiding body extracts only air flow functionality, while the water-guiding body handles water drainage, preventing mixing of air and water that would cause condensation and frost formation
2Stress or pressure
If valve bodies are provided for vacuum balancing, then pressure equalization is achieved, but door insulation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The valve assembly uses flexible sealing rings instead of rigid valve bodies to achieve pressure equalization. The sealing rings maintain the insulating properties of the door structure while providing the necessary vacuum balancing function, minimizing thermal bridge effects and preserving door insulation
3Productivity
If air inlet is provided for water drainage support, then water discharge efficiency is improved, but water may escape into air-guiding body causing microorganism accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The air-guiding axis is arranged at an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the water-guiding body, creating an asymmetric configuration. This asymmetric design allows air to enter and support water discharge while preventing water from escaping into the air-guiding body, as any escaped water would flow back to the water-guiding body due to the angle arrangement
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful water escape into air-guiding body is prevented by extracting water flow control into a separate water-guiding body with its own one-way valve. This separation ensures that air and water flows remain distinct, preventing microorganism accumulation in the air-guiding body
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 solution ensures efficient defrost water drainage, prevents frost formation, and maintains a water-air balance, simplifying door opening and reducing ice formation in the evaporator area.
Implementation Method 1
The air-guiding body is provided with an embedded first one-way valve for allowing or blocking air ingress into the water-guiding body
Implementation Method 2
The drainage part is provided with an embedded second one-way valve for allowing or blocking water removal
Implementation Method 3
thanks to the angle arrangement, water is prevented from escaping into the air-guiding body as it flows, and in case it does, the angle provided between the air-guiding axis and the longitudinal axis allows the escaping water to flow back to the water-guiding body
Data Source
AI summary
A valve assembly is used in a cooling appliance. The valve assembly contains a water-guiding body for draining water to the outside of the valve assembly. The water-guiding body has a longitudinal axis extending along a first end and a second end of the water-guiding body. The valve assembly further contains at least one air-guiding body coupled to the water-guiding body so as to have a free air inlet end. The air-guiding body is provided with an embedded first one-way valve for allowing or blocking air ingress into the water-guiding body and has an air-guiding axis arranged at an acute angle with the longitudinal axis with reference to the first end of the water-guiding body.