Refrigerator Fan-Motor Hub Assembly With Nested Motor Layout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fan-motor assemblies in refrigerators face challenges in efficiently circulating cool air due to design limitations that result in reduced motor output and increased axial length, leading to less effective cooling and more space consumption.
Innovation Solution
A fan-motor assembly design featuring a cylindrical case with a hub and blades, where coupling rods are inserted through the stator to reduce gaps and increase the motor's size, combined with a support plate and engagement portion to minimize assembly complexity and components, and a printed circuit board for controlling the rotor, enhancing air circulation and reducing vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the motor size is increased to improve air circulation efficiency, then the motor output is improved, but the axial length of the assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent places the motor inside the hub structure, nesting the motor within the existing spatial framework rather than adding it externally. This allows the motor to be integrated into the hub's internal volume, improving air circulation efficiency without extending the overall axial length of the assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing motor size along the axial dimension, the patent utilizes the radial and circumferential dimensions by positioning the motor within the hub's three-dimensional space. The coupling rods extend radially from the motor shaft to the hub perimeter, effectively using radial space to achieve the desired motor output without axial extension.
2Device complexity
If the number of components is reduced to simplify assembly, then the assembly complexity is reduced, but the structural support and coupling mechanisms become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The support plate integrates multiple functions: it provides structural support for the motor, serves as a mounting surface for the hub, and works with the coupling rods to transmit rotational force. By combining these functions into a single integrated component, the patent reduces the total number of parts while maintaining necessary structural strength and support.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling rods serve multiple purposes: they act as structural supports connecting the motor to the hub, function as rotational couplings to transmit torque, and provide positioning elements that align the motor within the hub. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components for each function, simplifying the overall assembly.
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
This design enhances air circulation efficiency, increases motor output, reduces the assembly's axial length, and minimizes vibration and noise, resulting in improved cooling performance and increased storage space within the refrigerator.
Implementation Method 1
The coupling portion includes melted portions of the second body at which end portions of the coupling rods are melted onto the second body for coupling
Implementation Method 2
a motor including a stator and a rotor, the motor located in a case, the case having a cylindrical shape and being disposed in the hub, the stator being disposed in the case, and the rotor having a rotational shaft coupled to the hub and being rotatably disposed in the stator
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator that includes a fan including a hub and a plurality of blades, the hub having a first accommodation space and the plurality of blades being disposed outside the hub; a motor including a stator and a rotor, the motor located in a case, the case having a cylindrical shape and being disposed in the hub, the stator being disposed in the case, and the rotor having a rotational shaft coupled to the hub and being rotatably disposed in the stator; and a support plate that is coupled to the case and that is configured to support the fan and the motor is disclosed.