Food Storage Container with Depth-Direction Slider Ventilation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food storage containers in household refrigeration appliances have ventilation devices that are complex to operate and require additional mechanical components, leading to cumbersome motion sequences and potential space constraints when opening and closing.
Innovation Solution
A ventilation device with a slider mounted slidably on the tray in the depth direction, allowing for simple linear movement and eliminating the need for a separate actuating device, with a snap connection for secure and precise positioning, enabling easy recognition and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pivotable flap is used in the lid for ventilation, then air exchange is enabled, but the device requires complex mechanics and additional actuating devices
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilation device is extracted from the lid and relocated to the front of the container body. This separates the ventilation function from the lid structure, eliminating the need for complex pivot mechanisms and actuating devices within the lid, while maintaining reliable air exchange functionality through a simpler slider mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The complex pivotable flap mechanism is replaced with a linear slider mechanism. The slider moves horizontally along guide ribs to open and close ventilation openings, substituting the complicated pivot-based mechanical system with a simpler linear motion system that requires no additional actuating devices
2Reliability
If a pivotable flap is used in the lid, then ventilation is achieved, but the motion sequence becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting the ventilation mechanism from the lid, the operation is simplified to a single horizontal sliding motion at the front of the container, eliminating the need for users to manipulate complex pivot sequences or coordinate multiple lid and flap movements
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot-based rotational motion is replaced with linear sliding motion. The slider simply moves back and forth along the front surface, providing an intuitive and simple operation sequence that is easier to perform than coordinating lid opening with flap pivoting
3Reliability
If the ventilation device is mounted on the lid, then air exchange is enabled, but accessibility for the user is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilation device is taken out from the lid and repositioned at the front of the container body. This relocation places the control mechanism within easy reach of the user, improving accessibility while maintaining the ventilation function through the slider-operated openings
4Reliability
If a separate actuating device is used for the flap, then ventilation control is achieved, but components and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating function is merged with the slider itself. The slider directly opens and closes the ventilation openings through its linear motion, eliminating the need for separate actuating devices. This integration reduces the number of components while maintaining reliable ventilation control
Solution Approach 2:
The slider performs the actuating function itself through its own motion. As the user moves the slider to open or close the ventilation, the slider's displacement directly controls the opening state without requiring additional actuating mechanisms, making the system self-sufficient and component-efficient
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
One aspect of the invention relates to a food storage container (8) for a household refrigerator (1), comprising a tray (10) for receiving the food, a separate lid (9) which can be placed on the tray (10) to close it, and a ventilation device (12) which allows air exchange between the environment and the interior (13) of the food storage container (8), wherein the ventilation device (12) exposes a ventilation opening (30) in an open position and closes the ventilation opening (30) in the closed position, and wherein the ventilation device (12) has a slide (14) which is slidably mounted on the tray (10) in the depth direction (z) of the food storage container (8), such that the open position is set in a first sliding position and the closed position is set in a second sliding position.One aspect also concerns a household refrigeration appliance (1).