Refrigerator Damper and Supply Duct Heating Against Freezing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators face issues with freezing of the damper and supply duct due to condensate water, leading to increased flow resistance and potential malfunction, as existing solutions either reduce storage compartment space or require frequent heater operation.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a refrigerator design featuring a first heater in the damper assembly and a second heater in the supply duct, along with a guide rib to direct condensate water away from freezing areas, and a reverse step to prevent condensate water from freezing, combined with a controller to manage heater operation based on temperature and humidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a heater is configured to operate only by opening and closing a refrigerator door, then the heater operates simply, but when there is no opening or closing of the refrigerator door for a long time, the heater does not operate for a long time which may cause freezing in the associated parts
Solution Approach 1:
The controller monitors temperature and humidity conditions in real-time and activates the heaters based on detected freezing risks, rather than relying solely on door opening/closing events. This feedback mechanism ensures continuous protection against freezing even when the refrigerator door remains closed for extended periods, while maintaining relatively simple control logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating system becomes self-regulating by using temperature and humidity sensors to automatically determine when heating is needed. The system serves itself by detecting its own operational conditions and activating heaters only when freezing conditions are detected, eliminating the need for complex external control while ensuring continuous reliability.
2Ease of operation
If a cold air introduction hole is formed in a control box located inside a refrigerating compartment, then the control box can be positioned inside, but the space of the refrigerating compartment is reduced as much as the space of the associated control box
Solution Approach 1:
The control box is repositioned from the refrigerating compartment to the freezer compartment, utilizing the vertical or spatial dimension differently. By placing the control box in the freezer compartment and routing the cold air duct through the partition wall, the design eliminates the space occupation issue in the refrigerating compartment while maintaining functional connectivity between compartments.
3Volume of stationary object
If the damper is located in a freezer compartment and connected to the refrigerating compartment by a flow duct, then the space of the refrigerating compartment is preserved, but freezing occurs in a connection portion between the damper housing and the supply duct
Solution Approach 1:
The second heater is extracted as a separate component specifically positioned in the supply duct or at the connection portion between the damper housing and supply duct. This extracted heating element targets the specific freezing-prone connection area that would otherwise be overlooked, providing localized thermal protection without interfering with the overall space-efficient damper placement in the freezer compartment.
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
Effectively prevents freezing of the damper and supply duct, maintaining efficient airflow and minimizing power consumption by strategically placing heaters and using a guide rib to direct condensate water, thus reducing the risk of flow path closure and ensuring continuous operation.
Implementation Method 1
a first heater (600) provided in the damper assembly (500), and a second heater (700) provided in the supply duct (400)
Implementation Method 2
a guide rib (430) formed on the inner surface of the supply duct (400)
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator is proposed. Due to a first heater provided in a damper assembly, a damper assembly or the connection portion of the damper assembly with a supply duct is prevented from freezing, and due to a second heater provided in the supply duct, the connection portion of the supply duct with the damper assembly or the inside of the supply duct is prevented from freezing.