Injection molded front frame corners for cooling appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for forming refrigerator front frames, such as thermoforming and joining plastic profiles at 45-degree angles, result in unsightly seams and visible corner pieces or oddly-shaped joining lines, compromising the sleekness and industrial design of the appliance.
Innovation Solution
The use of four profiles with different widths, joined by corner connecting pieces with horizontal and vertical receiving portions, which are designed to be hidden from view, creating a slim and minimalist design while allowing for the concealment of hinges and other components, and enabling the assembly of multiple appliances adjacent to each other.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If frame profiles are joined at 45-degree angles to form a complete front frame, then the frame can be assembled from standard profiles, but visible corner pieces or oddly-shaped joining lines are created that compromise the sleekness of the design
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into separate horizontal and vertical profile segments that are joined using corner connecting pieces. This segmentation allows for clean right-angle joints rather than 45-degree miter joints, eliminating visible corner pieces while maintaining ease of assembly. The corner connecting pieces are designed to be hidden from view, preserving the sleek appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
Corner connecting pieces serve as intermediary elements that join the horizontal and vertical frame profiles. These connectors are designed to be concealed behind the frame profiles, acting as hidden mediators that enable clean right-angle joints without compromising the sleek exterior appearance of the frame.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional exposed corner pieces are used to join frame profiles of different widths, then profiles of varying widths can be connected, but the frame becomes less sleek and slim due to eight visible pieces instead of four
Solution Approach 1:
The corner connecting pieces act as hidden intermediaries that enable the connection of frame profiles with different widths. These connectors are designed to be concealed behind the frame profiles, allowing adaptability for various profile widths while maintaining the sleek, slim appearance by keeping the connectors invisible from the front.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner connecting pieces have different receiving portion configurations to accommodate profiles of different widths at different locations. The horizontal receiving portions can accommodate wider horizontal profiles while the vertical receiving portions accommodate narrower vertical profiles, with each connector designed to be hidden from view to maintain local aesthetic quality.
3Device complexity
If visible joining lines are used to connect frame profiles of different widths, then the connection method is simple, but the joining lines are oddly-shaped and visible, compromising the aesthetic appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The corner connecting pieces serve as hidden intermediaries that join frame profiles of different widths with clean, simple joining lines. The connectors are designed to be concealed, transforming the complex task of joining different width profiles into a simple process that produces clean, aesthetic results without visible oddly-shaped joining lines.
4Ease of manufacture
If thermoforming is used to form the front frame by wrapping edges over an inner liner, then the frame can be formed as a single piece, but expensive and space-intensive equipment is required and the color is limited to the inner liner color
Solution Approach 1:
The front frame is segmented into separate horizontal and vertical extruded profiles that are manufactured independently and then assembled using corner connecting pieces. This segmentation eliminates the need for expensive and space-intensive thermoforming equipment, allowing for simpler extrusion processes and greater color flexibility through anodizing or other surface treatments.
5Device complexity
If a single wide horizontal profile is used at the top of the frame, then the frame structure is simple, but serviceable components such as hinges and door switches cannot be concealed within the frame
Solution Approach 1:
The top horizontal profile is segmented into multiple narrower profiles that create concealed chambers within the frame structure. These chambers provide hidden spaces for serviceable components such as hinges and door switches, maintaining a clean exterior appearance while improving ease of operation by concealing mechanical elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure is designed with nested chambers formed by the segmented profiles, creating hidden spaces within the frame for housing serviceable components. This nesting approach allows simple exterior profiles to conceal complex mechanical elements, maintaining aesthetic simplicity while improving functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator front frame for a refrigerator appliance, including: four profiles comprising two vertical profiles each having a first width and two horizontal profiles at least one of which has a second width, where the first width and the second width are different; and four corner connecting pieces configured to join the four profiles. Each of the four corner connecting pieces includes a horizontal receiving portion configured to receive one of the two horizontal profiles thereover and a vertical receiving portion configured to receive one of the two vertical profiles thereover. The ends of the two vertical profiles abut against sides of the two horizontal profiles or vice versa, such that a joining line between each of the two vertical profiles and each of the two horizontal profiles is either horizontal or vertical, and such that each of the four corner connecting pieces is substantially covered and hidden from view.