Refrigerator Drawer Sealing Latch for Easy Access and Tight Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
In existing refrigerators, the drawer sealing apparatus is cumbersome to operate and prone to foreign substances interfering with its components, leading to issues with accessibility and sealing effectiveness in vegetable storage compartments.
Innovation Solution
A drawer sealing apparatus with a hook part and latch member configuration, where the latch member is connected to a manipulation member that rotates to seal or release the drawer, using a rolling contact member and a guide section with a thickness gradient, and a rotation pressing unit to facilitate easy operation and improved sealing performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the drawer sealing apparatus uses a component configuration where parts are operated in an exposed state outside the drawer, then the sealing function can be achieved, but the drawer becomes cumbersome to access and foreign substances may interfere with the components
Solution Approach 1:
The latch member is nested within the drawer body, with only the manipulation member exposed on the drawer surface. The hook part engages with the latch member from the case side, allowing the sealing mechanism to be hidden inside the drawer while maintaining functionality. This nesting arrangement prevents foreign substances from interfering with the mechanism and makes the drawer easier to access.
Solution Approach 2:
The vulnerable coupling region components (latch member and hook part) are extracted from the exposed external environment and placed inside the drawer and case respectively. Only the essential manipulation member remains exposed for user interaction. This extraction protects the sealing mechanism from foreign substance interference while maintaining drawer accessibility.
2Reliability
If the latch member is positioned farther from the rotation shaft to improve sealing contact, then sealing effectiveness increases, but the manipulation lever arm decreases making operation harder
Solution Approach 1:
The latch member is designed to move in a direction crossing the drawer withdrawal direction, perpendicular to the rotation shaft axis. This dimensional change allows the latch member to contact the hook part at an optimal position for sealing while the manipulation member rotates about the shaft to provide sufficient lever arm for easy operation. The slot in the latch member guides this perpendicular movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static rigid connection to a dynamic mechanism where the latch member moves along a slot path during manipulation. When the manipulation member rotates, the protrusion moves along the slot, causing the latch member to dynamically adjust its position and contact the hook part at the optimal sealing location, providing both ease of operation and effective sealing contact.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a drawer, a sealing member disposed between a case and a front part to seal the inside of the case, a manipulation member disposed on the drawer, and a sealing apparatus for closely attaching the front part to the case and maintaining the front part closely attached to the case by the manipulation of the manipulation member. The sealing apparatus includes a hook part disposed on the case and a latch member connected to the manipulation member on the front part to move according to the manipulation of the manipulation member, thereby being inserted into the hook part, the latch member being configured so that the front part moves toward the case and is closely attached to a front surface of the case according to a contact state with the hook part.