Water Purifier Cooling Tank Segmentation for Agitator Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water purifiers experience noise due to ice collision with the agitator, risk of damage from ice impact, temperature instability, and ice sticking to surfaces causing dew and freezing issues, especially with high cold water dispensing frequency.
Innovation Solution
A water purifier design featuring a partition member within the cooling water tank that separates the evaporator and cold water pipe spaces, preventing ice from contacting the agitator and tank walls, and allowing cooling water to flow between these spaces to maintain temperature stability and prevent ice formation on the cold water pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the evaporator and cooling water pipe are not spatially partitioned, then the device structure is simple, but ice floating near the evaporator collides with the agitator to generate noise
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling water tank is divided into an upper space and a lower space by a partition member. The evaporator is accommodated in the upper space while the cold water pipe is accommodated in the lower space, spatially separating the ice formation zone from the cold water circulation zone to prevent ice collision with the agitator and eliminate noise
2Device complexity
If the evaporator and cooling water pipe are not spatially partitioned, then the device structure is simple, but ice pieces may hit the agitator and cold water pipe to damage them
Solution Approach 1:
The partition member divides the cooling water tank into distinct upper and lower spaces, confining ice pieces to the upper space where they cannot contact the agitator or cold water pipe in the lower space, thereby preventing damage and improving reliability
3Productivity
If the cooling power of the evaporator is increased to increase cold water dispensing amount, then the cold water dispensing amount increases, but ice may stick to the cooling water storage container surface causing dew formation
Solution Approach 1:
The partition member creates a separate upper space for the evaporator, isolating the ice formation process from the cooling water storage container. This allows high cooling power to be applied to the evaporator without causing ice to contact and stick to the container surface, preventing dew formation while maintaining high productivity
4Productivity
If the cooling power of the evaporator is increased to increase cold water dispensing amount, then the cold water dispensing amount increases, but the cold water may freeze causing dispensing problems
Solution Approach 1:
The partition member separates the evaporator into an upper space, confining the low-temperature refrigerant and formed ice to this isolated zone. The lower space containing the cold water pipe and circulating cooling water remains at a higher temperature, preventing the cold water from freezing while allowing high cooling power to be applied to the evaporator for increased dispensing capacity
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 eliminates noise from ice collision, protects the agitator and cold water pipe from damage, maintains temperature stability, and prevents dew and freezing issues, ensuring smooth cold water dispensing.
Implementation Method 1
a cold water generating unit which generates cold water by cooling cooling water stored in a cooling water tank with an evaporator
Implementation Method 2
since the refrigerant flowing along the evaporator is maintained at about minus 18° C., ice can be formed on the surface of the evaporator and the periphery of the evaporator
Implementation Method 3
An agitator operates to promote heat exchange between the cooling water and the cold water flowing along the cold water pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A water purifier includes a cooling water tank, a partition member mounted inside the cooling water tank and partitioning an inner space of the cooling water tank into an upper space and a lower space, a cold water pipe accommodated in the lower space; an evaporator accommodated in the upper space, and an agitator penetrating the partition member and disposed in the lower space. The partition member includes a bottom portion on which the evaporator is mounted and that defines a plurality of cooling water through-holes, and an outer wall portion extending upward along an edge of the bottom portion to define an evaporator accommodating portion. The outer wall portion is spaced apart from an inner wall of the cooling water tank to prevent ice formed in the evaporator accommodating portion from contacting the inner wall of the cooling water tank.