Vertical Ice-Making Disc Assembly to Reduce Refrigerator Footprint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice-making devices with multiple trays in refrigerators suffer from reduced storage rates due to the increased plane area required for the trays, which limits the amount of ice that can be produced without compromising the refrigerator's storage capacity.
Innovation Solution
The ice-making device features multiple trays arranged vertically, with a cover guiding falling ice to the side, and includes a gas supply system with an air duct to efficiently cool the trays, allowing for increased ice production without expanding the device's footprint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple ice-making trays are arranged laterally to increase ice production, then the quantity of ice produced increases, but the occupied area in the refrigerator increases, reducing the storage rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from lateral (horizontal) arrangement of ice-making trays to vertical arrangement, utilizing the depth dimension of the refrigerator. Multiple trays are stacked vertically at different height positions, allowing simultaneous ice production from multiple trays without increasing the footprint area, thus resolving the contradiction between ice production quantity and occupied area.
2Area of stationary object
If multiple ice-making trays are arranged vertically to reduce occupied area, then the storage rate increases, but ice from upper trays may interfere with lower trays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates the ice discharge paths of upper and lower trays by providing separate storage containers for each tray. Ice from the upper tray falls into a first storage container, while ice from the lower tray falls into a second storage container, preventing interference between ices from different trays while maintaining vertical arrangement.
3Area of stationary object
If multiple ice-making trays are arranged vertically, then the occupied area is reduced, but the cooling uniformity across trays may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing separate cooling mechanisms or optimized cooling flow paths for each tray position. The cooling system is designed to deliver cool air uniformly to each tray level, ensuring that ice-making conditions are maintained consistently across vertically stacked trays despite their different positions.
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 configuration enables the production of more ice while maintaining a high storage rate in the refrigerator, as the vertical arrangement minimizes the occupied area and the gas supply system enhances cooling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a gas supply portion and an air duct, wherein the gas supply portion supplies gas to an upper space of at least one of the ice-making trays, and the air duct is provided on a side of the ice-making tray and connected between the upper space of the ice-making tray supplied with the gas from the gas supply portion and the upper space of another ice-making tray
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are an ice-making device capable of supplying more ice while suppressing a decrease in the storage rate of a refrigerator, and a refrigerator with same. The ice-making device (2) is provided with a plurality of ice-making discs (10A, 10B) that are arranged at high and low positions, and a rotating mechanism, wherein the rotating mechanism can enable the plurality of ice-making discs (10A, 10B) to rotate, and rotation between an ice-making position where a liquid can be stored and accumulated and an ice-releasing position where formed ice is enabled to be released and drop down can be achieved; and a cover (30) is provided on an upper portion of the ice-making disc (10B) located at the low position, and the cover (30) is used for guiding ice that drops from the ice-making disc (10A) located at the high position such that same drops down from a side of the ice-making disc (10B) located at the low position.