Humidity-regulating drawer assembly for refrigerator, and refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
In air-cooled refrigerators, high humidity foods like vegetables and fruits lose moisture and nutrients due to circulating air, affecting freshness and storage time, as existing technologies fail to maintain optimal humidity levels effectively.
Innovation Solution
A humidity-regulating drawer assembly with a movable regulating baffle and switch that adjusts the opening degree of a humidity-regulating opening, allowing for customizable humidity levels within the drawer to preserve food freshness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a circulating air system is used in the refrigerator, then cooling efficiency is improved, but moisture is taken away from food leading to weight reduction and nutrient loss
Solution Approach 1:
The storage chamber is segmented into a first storage chamber with a first humidity-regulating opening and a second storage chamber with a second humidity-regulating opening. This segmentation allows different humidity levels to be maintained in different regions, preventing moisture loss from food while maintaining effective cooling through the circulated air system.
Solution Approach 2:
Different humidity-regulating openings are provided for different storage chambers, allowing each region to have customized humidity characteristics. The first humidity-regulating opening has a different opening degree from the second humidity-regulating opening, creating local quality variations that prevent moisture loss from food in high-humidity zones while maintaining cooling efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If humidity-regulating openings are provided for different storage chambers, then different humidity levels can be maintained, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
A regulating baffle is used to control the opening degree of humidity-regulating openings. The regulating baffle can be flexibly adjusted to different positions to maintain different humidity levels in different storage chambers. This flexible control mechanism achieves adaptability for different humidity requirements without requiring complex mechanical structures or multiple components.
Data Source
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AI summary
A humidity-regulating drawer assembly (1) for a refrigerator, and refrigerator. The drawer assembly comprises: a drawer main body (10) having an accommodating cavity (11); a humectant cover (20) provided at the drawer main body (10) and defining, in cooperation with the drawer main body (10), a humidity-regulating opening (12) in communication with the accommodating cavity (11); a divider shelf (30) provided on the humectant cover (20); a regulation switch (40) provided on the divider shelf (30) and movable in a left-right direction; and a regulation barrier plate (50) provided on the divider shelf (30), movable in a forward-reverse direction, and engaged with the regulation switch (40). The regulation barrier plate (50) translates a left-right movement of the regulation switch (40) into a forward-reverse movement of itself to adjust an area of the humidity-regulating opening (12).