Multi-Chamber Refrigerator Layout for Full-Width Cold Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerator appliances face limitations in usable space, particularly in side-by-side configurations where width constraints hinder object placement, and in bottom-mount designs where small items can become lost or inaccessible due to difficult organization and viewing challenges, especially in freezer chambers.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator appliance design featuring a cabinet with multiple operably-independent chilled chambers, including full-width and vertically extended chambers, accessible through separate openings, and equipped with rotatable doors and intermediate drawers that can be accessed without bending, along with a dispensing assembly for ice and water at a convenient height, allowing for improved storage and viewing of items at various temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a side-by-side configuration is used with narrow chilled chambers, then the refrigerator appliance can fit within standard cabinet widths, but the usable space is limited and users cannot place certain objects within the refrigerator
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a horizontal side-by-side layout to a vertical stacked configuration with multiple tiers. The first and second chilled chambers are stacked vertically, allowing full-width shelving in each chamber. This dimensional change enables placement of larger objects while maintaining compact footprint, directly resolving the space limitation issue.
2Device complexity
If a bottom-mount configuration is used with a single freezer chamber, then the appliance structure is simplified, but small items become lost or inaccessible at the bottom and users cannot easily determine what items are within the chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single freezer chamber into multiple segmented compartments (first and second freezer chambers stacked vertically). Each compartment can be independently accessed and organized, preventing items from getting lost at the bottom. The segmentation also improves visibility and accessibility of different item types while maintaining overall structural simplicity.
3Volume of moving object
If full-width chilled chambers are implemented, then storage capacity is maximized, but the chamber width becomes constrained by the need to accommodate other chambers in conventional configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves full-width chambers by stacking them vertically rather than placing them horizontally side-by-side. The first chilled chamber extends the full width of the appliance, and the second chilled chamber is stacked above it, also extending full width. This vertical arrangement eliminates the width constraint imposed by conventional horizontal layouts, maximizing storage capacity in each chamber.
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 storage capacity and accessibility by providing separate, easily accessible chilled compartments, reducing the risk of items becoming lost and improving visibility and organization, while maintaining efficient temperature control across different chambers.
Implementation Method 1
A typical sealed system includes an evaporator and a fan, the fan generating a flow of air across the evaporator and cooling the flow of air
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator appliance is provided herein. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet extending along a lateral direction between a first side portion and a second side portion, as well as along a transverse direction from a rear portion to a front portion. The cabinet may define a plurality of operably-independent chilled chambers, including a first chilled chamber, a second chilled chamber, and a third chilled chamber.