Motorized Refrigerator Drawer Rail for Easy Opening Without Insulation Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator designs, particularly bottom freezer types, require users to stoop and exert force to open the freezer compartment, which can be challenging for children, the elderly, and smaller users, and often result in inefficient operation and reduced insulation due to the need for motor and gear assemblies that occupy space and compromise insulation.
Innovation Solution
A drawer movement apparatus with a drive motor and pinion system that automatically withdraws and inserts the storage box based on user input, using a rail assembly and anti-wobble alignment to ensure straight movement and prevent lateral wobbling, allowing for automatic operation without a separate handle and maintaining insulation integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a motor and gear assembly is installed in the refrigerator to automatically open the freezer compartment, then user convenience is improved, but the device complexity increases and insulation effectiveness deteriorates due to space occupation and heat transfer paths
Solution Approach 1:
The motor assembly is extracted from the refrigerator's internal space and relocated to an external position. The motor is mounted on the outer surface of the refrigerator body, connected to the drawer via a transmission mechanism that passes through the wall. This extraction removes the motor from the insulated interior space, eliminating the insulation compromise while maintaining the automatic opening function.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmission mechanism is designed as a nested structure where the gear assembly is housed within a compact housing that is integrated into the refrigerator's outer shell. The pinion gear is nested within the gear housing, and the entire assembly is compactly arranged to minimize external space requirements while providing the necessary mechanical advantage for drawer movement.
2Ease of operation
If a motor and gear assembly is installed in the refrigerator to automatically open the freezer compartment, then user convenience is improved, but the loss of storage space increases due to component occupation
Solution Approach 1:
The motor assembly is extracted from the refrigerator's internal space and relocated to an external position. The motor is mounted on the outer surface of the refrigerator body, connected to the drawer via a transmission mechanism that passes through the wall. This extraction removes the motor from the insulated interior space, eliminating the insulation compromise while maintaining the automatic opening function.
3Ease of operation
If a handle is provided on the drawer for manual opening, then ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases and space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the user's own pulling action on the drawer as the triggering mechanism for automatic operation. When the user pulls the drawer, the transmission mechanism detects the movement and engages the motor to provide assisted opening force. This self-service approach eliminates the need for a separate handle while maintaining ease of operation, as the drawer's own movement initiates the automatic assistance.
4Ease of operation
If the drawer is designed to move freely without constraints, then ease of operation is improved, but lateral wobble increases reducing stability
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-wobble mechanism uses asymmetric positioning of the guide rollers relative to the drawer's centerline. The rollers are positioned at different heights and angles to create a geometric constraint that naturally prevents lateral movement. This asymmetric arrangement provides stability without adding complex active control systems, maintaining ease of operation while eliminating wobble.
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
Enhances user convenience by allowing automatic and efficient operation of the storage box, reducing the need for a handle, minimizing space usage, and maintaining insulation effectiveness, while ensuring consistent movement speed regardless of the weight of contents.
Implementation Method 1
a drive motor and a rotating member such as, for example, a gear may be connected to a shaft of the motor. As an undersurface of the storage box comes into contact with the rotating member, the storage box moves forward and rearward based on a direction of the rotation of the rotating member
Implementation Method 2
a rotating member such as, for example, a gear may be connected to a shaft of the motor. As an undersurface of the storage box comes into contact with the rotating member, the storage box moves forward and rearward based on a direction of the rotation of the rotating member
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for driving a drawer of a refrigerator are provided. This system allows a drawer to be automatically withdrawn from and/or inserted into a main body of the refrigerator. This system also allows a drawer which has been stopped during the withdrawal process to be further withdrawn from the main body so as to complete action on a withdrawal command, or to be re-inserted into the main body, so as to reduce cool air loss.