Water supply device for a liquid and/or ice dispensing unit of a domestic refrigeration appliance, domestic refrigeration appliance having the same, and method for mounting such a water supply device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water supply devices for household refrigerators face challenges in achieving a compact structure and easy handling while protecting components from damage and preventing undesirable leaks, especially when subjected to collisions or forces during installation and operation.
Innovation Solution
A water supply device with a housing that includes a base module and a housing cover connected via a snap connection, featuring a guide element and counter-guide element for secure assembly, and a carrier that accommodates both pumping and sensing components, ensuring protection and easy access, along with a method for determining the fill level in the water tank using a single sensor unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If water supply components are left exposed without housing, then access and maintenance are easier, but components are vulnerable to damage from collisions and forces
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a removable base module and a fixed housing cover. The base module can be detached to provide access to water supply components, while the housing cover remains in place to protect components from collisions and damage. This segmentation allows the system to simultaneously achieve easy maintenance access and reliable component protection.
2Stability of the object's composition
If housing cover is permanently fixed to base module, then structural stability is improved, but access to internal components becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between housing cover and base module transitions from a permanent fixed state to a dynamic state where the base module can be reversibly removed. During normal operation, the snap connection maintains structural stability; during maintenance, the base module can be detached to access internal components, then reattached to restore stability.
3Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components are used for housing assembly, then ease of assembly is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base module integrates multiple functions into a single component: it serves as the housing base, includes snap connection elements for attaching the housing cover, and provides mounting structures for water supply components. This merging reduces the number of separate parts while maintaining ease of assembly through the snap connection mechanism.
4Ease of manufacture
If snap connection is used to connect housing cover and base module, then assembly ease is improved, but connection strength may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The snap connection system uses multiple distributed snap elements rather than a single connection point. This segmentation of the connection function across multiple locations distributes mechanical loads and provides cumulative holding strength while maintaining the ease of snap-together assembly.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 2b
AI summary
The invention relates to a water supply device (15) for a liquid and/or ice dispensing unit (11) of a household refrigeration appliance (1), comprising a housing (22) in which components (78, 85, 95, 97, 79, 80) for supplying water to the water supply device (15) are arranged, wherein the housing (22) has a housing cover (23) and a base module (24) which is arranged on the housing cover (23) by a non-destructively detachable connection (34, 35, 36, 37). Aspects also relate to a household refrigeration appliance (1) and a method.