Plastic Front Frame Refrigerator Magnet Seal for Misalignment Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In refrigerating devices with a plastic front frame, the use of a permanent magnet behind the frame to counteract the reduced magnetic attraction due to non-ferromagnetic materials leads to misalignment issues between magnets, causing seal leakages and potential failure of the door to close firmly, especially under varying loads from storage shelves.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerating device design where the plastic front frame is backed by a first magnet with opposite poles facing the contact area and the door seal has a second magnet with unlike poles facing away, ensuring consistent magnetic attraction regardless of misalignment, particularly effective with multi-link hinges and varying loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a permanent magnet is attached behind the plastic front frame to compensate for reduced magnetic attraction, then the seal attraction force is improved, but the risk of magnet misalignment and repulsion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different magnetic pole configurations to different sections of the seal. Horizontal seal sections use antiparallel magnet arrangement (unlike poles adjacent) while vertical sections use parallel magnet arrangement (like poles adjacent). This local differentiation optimizes the magnetic interaction for each orientation, ensuring reliable sealing while minimizing repulsion risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional magnetic arrangement by using unlike poles adjacent to each other in horizontal sections instead of the traditional like-poles-adjacent configuration. This inversion ensures that opposite poles face each other across the plastic frame, maximizing attraction force and eliminating repulsion in the critical horizontal sealing sections.
2Ease of operation
If the door seal is made flexible to accommodate misalignment, then the ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision of the seal position deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the magnetic interaction parameters by selecting specific pole orientations and configurations for different seal sections. By controlling the magnetic field parameters (pole arrangement, magnet strength, spacing), the system achieves both flexibility to accommodate position variations and sufficient precision to maintain reliable sealing contact.
3Loss of energy
If a plastic front frame is used to prevent cold bridges between metal inner container and outer skin, then the heat conduction loss is reduced, but the magnetic attraction between seal and front frame is weakened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces permanent magnets as intermediary elements that mediate the magnetic interaction across the plastic frame. These magnets generate a magnetic field that penetrates the non-magnetic plastic material, enabling the flexible seal to be attracted to the magnet assembly (magnet + plastic frame) and achieve reliable sealing while maintaining the thermal insulation benefits of the plastic frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite magnetic assembly consisting of permanent magnets attached to the plastic front frame. This composite structure combines the thermal insulation properties of plastic with the magnetic properties of the permanent magnets, achieving both energy efficiency and effective sealing force in a single integrated solution.
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
This configuration ensures a tight seal along the entire circumference, preventing repulsion and maintaining door closure even under load, reducing the risk of misalignment and seal leakage, while being cost-effective by allowing smaller magnet cross-sections in certain sections.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible seal that is fitted with a magnet and which, when the door is closed, is applied tightly against the front frame towards which it is pulled by magnetic force
Implementation Method 2
the plastic front frame is owing to its poor heat-conducting properties especially expediently used in a refrigerating device having a metallic inner container and a metallic outer skin
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a refrigerating device having a cooled goods compartment and a door. The cooled goods compartment is provided with a front frame that is made of a low heat-conducting material such as plastic or similar and is backed by a first magnet. A door seal that is fitted with a second magnet seals against the front frame in the closed position of the door. Opposite first poles of the two poles of each magnet face the contact area between the seal and the front frame while second poles face away from the contact area.