Rotating Refrigerator Basket Assembly for Access Without Air Loss
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators require significant force to open and close doors, and the process often leads to unnecessary leakage of cold air when accessing storage compartments.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a basket assembly with a hinge system that allows doors to open and close easily, minimizing cold air leakage through the use of gaskets and a rotational mechanism that enables access from both the front and rear surfaces, improving usability and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a basket is disposed on the back surface of the door to increase storage capacity, then the storage capacity is improved, but the door weight increases requiring larger force to open or close
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is segmented into multiple components: the door itself, a separately mounted basket assembly with its own support structure, and a hinge assembly. This segmentation allows the basket to be mounted independently on the door while maintaining structural integrity and reducing the effective weight burden on the door during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assembly incorporates a counterweight mechanism that balances the weight of the door and basket assembly. This counterweight system reduces the force required by the user to open or close the door, effectively compensating for the added weight of the storage basket.
2Ease of operation
If the door is rotated to access products in the basket, then product accessibility is improved, but the storage chamber opens and exposes cold air to the outside
Solution Approach 1:
The access system is segmented into two independent components: the door that seals the storage chamber, and the basket assembly that can be rotated independently on the hinge assembly. This allows users to access products by rotating only the basket while the door remains closed, preventing cold air leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The basket assembly is designed with dynamic rotational capability on the hinge assembly, allowing it to move independently from the door. This dynamic design enables flexible access to products without requiring the door to open, maintaining the static sealed position of the door while providing movement for basket access.
3Ease of operation
If a rotational mechanism is added to enable basket access from front and rear surfaces, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly is designed as a universal mechanism that provides multiple functions: supporting the basket assembly, enabling rotation for access, and maintaining structural stability. This multi-functional design achieves enhanced accessibility without requiring separate complex mechanisms for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assembly merges multiple functional elements into a single integrated structure that combines support, rotation, and positioning capabilities. By combining these functions into one assembly rather than using separate mechanisms, the overall device complexity is reduced while maintaining the desired accessibility features.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a cabinet having a first storage chamber, a plurality of doors which open and close an access opening formed at a front surface of the first storage chamber, a hinge assembly which rotatably couples each door to the cabinet, and a basket assembly rotatably coupled to the cabinet with respect to the hinge assembly, the basket assembly being configured to define a second storage chamber which is received in the first storage chamber. The basket assembly includes a basket frame defining the second storage chamber and a basket mounted on the basket frame to receive food stuff when at least one of the doors is opened. The basket assembly is configured such that an access into the basket is enabled through a front face and rear face of the basket assembly.