Appliance Door Liner Lighting Assembly with Integrated Bin Support
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Kitchen appliances lack effective integrated lighting systems that provide adequate illumination to interior compartments, particularly when the appliance door is open, and fail to prevent deflection of full-width bins due to lack of structural support.
Innovation Solution
An integrated lighting system is designed for kitchen appliances, featuring a lighting assembly coupled to a medial bin divider within the appliance door, which illuminates the interior compartment and includes a medial bin support to prevent bin deflection, using a translucent outer shell for light diffusion and a control system for customizable lighting effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a lighting assembly is integrated within the interior liner of the appliance door, then illumination of the interior compartment is improved, but the structural complexity of the door assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting assembly is integrated within the interior liner of the appliance door, merging the lighting function with the existing door structure. The lighting assembly includes a housing, light source, and diffuser that are combined into a single unit that attaches to the interior liner, providing illumination without requiring separate structural modifications to the door assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The interior liner serves multiple functions: it provides the structural framework for the door, houses the insulation layer, defines bin receptacles, and supports the lighting assembly. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components and maintains structural simplicity while enabling illumination.
2Strength
If a medial bin divider is added to support full-width bins, then bin deflection is prevented, but the manufacturing complexity of the door liner increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bin divider is designed as a separate, modular component that can be independently manufactured and then integrated into the door liner assembly. This segmentation allows the bin divider to be produced using standard manufacturing processes and simplifies quality control, while still providing the necessary structural support for full-width bins.
Solution Approach 2:
The bin divider acts as an intermediary structural element between the interior liner and the bin. It provides the necessary support to prevent bin deflection while being easily attachable to the liner, thus bridging the gap between the simple liner structure and the requirement for enhanced bin support without complicating the liner's manufacturing.
3Loss of energy
If insulation layer thickness is increased in the door cavity, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but the available space for bin receptacles decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation layer is strategically positioned within the door cavity, with varying thickness in different regions. Thicker insulation is provided in areas where structural support is needed, while thinner insulation regions are maintained in areas where bin receptacle space is required. This localized variation optimizes both thermal performance and storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a two-dimensional view of the door cavity to a three-dimensional optimization where insulation and bin receptacles are arranged in different spatial zones. The insulation layer is configured to follow the contours of the door cavity, creating optimized thermal barriers in critical areas while preserving volumetric space for bins in other regions.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated lighting system for a kitchen appliance includes a refrigerated appliance having an appliance door that includes an inner door liner, an outer door wrapper and an insulation layer disposed within a cavity defined between the inner door liner and the outer door wrapper. The inner door liner defines a bin receptacle. A bin is selectively received by the bin receptacle. The bin receptacle includes a bin divider defined by the inner door liner and extends away from the outer door wrapper. The bin divider cooperates with the bin to define sub compartments of the bin. A lighting assembly is coupled to the bin divider, wherein the lighting assembly is configured to illuminate the bin and at least a portion of the interior compartment.