Plastic-Encapsulated Hinge Shaft to Reduce Friction and Radial Shaking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional hinges in refrigerators face issues with corrosion, excessive fitting clearance, and excessive friction between the hinge shaft and shaft sleeve, leading to poor alignment and radial shaking of the door, and existing solutions are complex or costly to implement.
Innovation Solution
A hinge design featuring a plastic-encapsulated hinge shaft with a protrusion on the plastic encapsulating case to reduce friction and clearance, and a supporting plate with a mounting hole and rivet for secure fixation, along with a ring-shaped protrusion to enhance alignment and reduce contact area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If riveting is used to fit the hinge shaft and shaft sleeve, then the hinge can be assembled, but the perpendicularity cannot meet requirements and fitting clearance becomes excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic encapsulating case serves as an intermediary component between the hinge shaft and shaft sleeve. It absorbs dimensional errors and perpendicularity deviations through its elastic deformation capability, while the protrusion on the plastic case provides precise positioning. This mediator approach eliminates the need for high-precision riveting while maintaining proper alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from rigid metal (hinge shaft and shaft sleeve) to elastic plastic (encapsulating case). This parameter change allows the system to accommodate dimensional variations and perpendicularity errors through elastic deformation, transforming a precision-critical rigid connection into a tolerance-absorbing flexible connection.
2Reliability
If the hinge shaft and shaft sleeve are fitted together, then the hinge functions, but radial shaking occurs due to fitting clearance
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic encapsulating case with protrusion acts as an intermediary that eliminates radial shaking. The protrusion fits precisely into the shaft sleeve, providing positive positioning that prevents radial movement. The plastic material absorbs clearance issues while maintaining stable door alignment without flash clearance problems.
3Strength
If the contact area between hinge shaft and shaft sleeve is large, then the hinge is strong, but frictional force becomes excessive and damages the hinge shaft
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by concentrating the contact function at the protrusion of the plastic encapsulating case rather than across the entire hinge shaft surface. The protrusion provides localized precise contact with the shaft sleeve, reducing frictional force while maintaining structural strength through the plastic-encapsulated hinge shaft design.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The present invention provides a hinge and a refrigerator having the same. The hinge comprises a fixing plate, a supporting plate perpendicularly connected with the fixing plate, and a hinge shaft perpendicularly mounted on the supporting plate to cooperate with a shaft sleeve, wherein the outside of the hinge shaft is plastic-encapsulated with a plastic encapsulating case, the plastic encapsulating case is provided with a protrusion protruding horizontally outwards along the extension direction of the supporting plate, and the protrusion is integrally formed with the plastic encapsulating case. On one hand, the hinge of the present invention is plastic-encapsulated with a plastic encapsulating case on the hinge shaft, which can effectively prevent corrosion of the hinge shaft. On the other hand, a protrusion is provided on the plastic encapsulating case, which can reduce the fitting clearance between the hinge shaft and the shaft sleeve, avoid radial shaking of the door and reduce the contact area between the hinge shaft and the shaft sleeve to reduce the frictional force therebetween.