Refrigerator Drawer Assembly With Multi-Point Airtight Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerating and freezing devices have poor sealing effects due to limited pressing force between drawer and sealing barrel interfaces, leading to unreliable closure and gaps that allow external air and moisture to enter, which can cause issues with storage and damage to display control assemblies.
Innovation Solution
A split-type drawer assembly with multiple sealing members featuring deformation blocking sheets that facilitate elastic deformation, ensuring airtight sealing between the tray, drawer, and sealing barrel, and labyrinth-type sealing between the barrel body and cover, enhancing the sealing effect and facilitating manufacturing and repair.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single strip-shaped or ring-shaped sealing member is used at the interface between the front-end plate and the sealing barrel, then the structure is simple, but the sealing effect is very poor due to limited pressing force
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing structure is divided into multiple independent sealing members: a first sealing member between the head part of the tray and the drawer, a second sealing member between the head part of the tray and the front end of the bottom plate of the sealing barrel, and a third sealing member between the front end plate and the front end of the barrel cover. This segmentation allows each sealing member to independently contribute to the overall sealing effect, compensating for the limited pressing force at any single interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The drawer assembly is designed with a nested structure where the drawer is inserted into the sealing barrel, and the tray with the head part is positioned between them. The head part of the tray acts as an intermediate element that enables multiple sealing interfaces to be nested within a compact space, achieving enhanced sealing without significantly increasing the overall size.
2Reliability
If a clapboard is arranged inside the compartment to realize sealing, then the closed storage space is formed, but the sealing effect at the clapboard assembly position is very poor
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single clapboard assembly, the invention segments the sealing function into multiple dedicated sealing members positioned at different interfaces. Each sealing member is specifically designed for its location, ensuring reliable sealing without requiring a complex single-piece clapboard structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function is extracted from the clapboard structure and implemented as separate, specialized sealing members. This allows the clapboard to focus on its primary structural role while the dedicated sealing members provide reliable sealing at each interface.
3Ease of operation
If the drawer is pushed into the sealing barrel with limited pressing force, then the drawer can be easily inserted and removed, but the pressing force is not enough to enable elastic sealing member deformation, resulting in poor sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is distributed across multiple sealing members at different interfaces, so that the limited pressing force is effectively utilized at each separate location. This segmentation allows the drawer to be easily inserted and removed while still achieving reliable sealing through the cumulative effect of multiple sealing points.
Solution Approach 2:
Each sealing member is positioned at a specific local interface where sealing is needed, allowing the sealing force to be concentrated at critical locations rather than distributed uniformly. This local quality approach ensures that each sealing member receives sufficient localized pressure to deform and seal effectively, even with limited overall pressing force.
4Reliability
If no consideration is given to sealing in other positions with gaps, then the structure is simple, but a real closed space cannot be formed in the drawer
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is segmented into multiple members positioned at different interfaces and gaps within the drawer assembly. This comprehensive segmentation ensures that all potential leakage paths are addressed by dedicated sealing members, forming a complete closed space without requiring an overly complex monolithic sealing structure.
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 enhanced sealing design provides a higher sealing level, prevents moisture from entering the display control assembly, and ensures a reliable closed storage space within the drawer, meeting the requirements for higher-quality storage and maintaining the functionality of the display control assembly.
Implementation Method 1
a first sealing member arranged between the head part of the tray and the drawer, a second sealing member arranged between the head part of the tray and the front end of the bottom plate of the sealing barrel, and a third sealing member arranged between the front end plate and the front end of the barrel cover of the sealing barrel
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A refrigerating and freezing device and a drawer assembly thereof. The drawer assembly comprises: a sealed barrel (10) that has a front end opening and that comprises a barrel body (110) and a barrel lid (120); a tray (30) that is configured to be pushably inserted into a bottom part of the sealed barrel (10) by mean of the front end opening; and a drawer (20) that is carried on the tray (30) and that is configured to be pushably inserted into the sealed barrel (10) together with the tray (30), the drawer (20) having a drawer body (210) and a front end plate (220) disposed at a front side of the drawer body (210). The tray (30) has a head portion (310) that located outside of the sealed barrel (10) when the drawer (20) is in a fully closed state, and an air-tight seal is formed by means of a sealing element between the head portion (310) of the tray and the drawer (20), between the head portion (310) of the tray and a front end of a bottom plate (113) of the sealed barrel (10), between the front end plate (220) and a front end of the barrel lid (120) of the sealed barrel (10), and between the barrel body (110) and the barrel lid (120) so as to form a sealed storage space inside of the drawer (20) when the drawer (20) is in a fully closed state. The present invention not only facilitates the fabrication, maintenance, replacement or the like of various parts, but also enables a seal that has a better effect and a higher grade to be formed inside of the drawer (20).