Refrigerator comprising a heating apparatus

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing heating devices using electromagnetic waves for food heating suffer from electromagnetic leakage, posing health risks due to non-conductive gaps in the shielding body, which allows electromagnetic radiation to escape.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates magnetic elements and conductive connectors to ensure continuous electrical contact between the door and cylinder bodies, reducing gaps and forming a conductive shielding body, while conductive elastic sheets or adhesive strips provide additional electrical connections to prevent radiation emission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If electromagnetic waves are used for heating, then heating efficiency is improved, but electromagnetic leakage occurs causing harmful radiation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating efficiencyVSAvoidelectromagnetic radiation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful electromagnetic radiation into a beneficial shielding mechanism by using conductive materials to create a Faraday cage effect. The conductive connectors and elastic sheets transform potential leakage paths into protective shielding elements that contain the electromagnetic waves within the heating chamber while maintaining heating efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces conductive connectors and conductive elastic sheets as intermediary elements between the heating chamber and external environment. These intermediaries act as a barrier that allows the heating function to operate while blocking harmful electromagnetic radiation from escaping to surrounding areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If gaps exist in the shielding body, then ease of assembly is improved, but electromagnetic leakage increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly easeVSAvoidelectromagnetic leakage
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses conductive elastic sheets as flexible shielding elements that can deform to fill gaps between rigid components. These thin conductive films maintain electrical continuity across joint surfaces while allowing for assembly tolerances and ease of installation, preventing electromagnetic leakage without requiring precision fitting.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The conductive elastic sheets provide dynamic adaptation to gaps between shielding components. The elasticity allows the sheets to automatically adjust and maintain continuous electrical contact despite variations in assembly precision, ensuring effective electromagnetic shielding while simplifying the assembly process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If conductive connectors are added to ensure continuous contact, then electromagnetic shielding is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectromagnetic shieldingVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The conductive elastic sheets are designed to automatically perform the shielding function through their inherent elasticity and conductivity. The sheets self-adjust to maintain electrical continuity between shielding components without requiring additional control mechanisms or complex assembly procedures, thereby improving reliability while minimizing added complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the physical parameters of the shielding components by using conductive materials with specific electrical and mechanical properties. The conductive elastic sheets have optimized conductivity and elasticity parameters that enable them to provide effective electromagnetic shielding while maintaining simple integration with existing device structures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 solution effectively reduces electromagnetic leakage, enhancing safety by creating a continuous conductive shielding body that prevents electromagnetic radiation from harming humans, while simplifying the device structure and reducing costs.

Implementation Method 1

magnetic elements disposed on the door body or the cylinder body and configured to enable the door body and the cylinder body to attract each other

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetism: Magnetism

Implementation Method 2

conductive connectors disposed on the door body and configured to electrically connect the metal end plate and the cylinder body when the door body is in a closed state

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrical conduction: Conduction (electrical)

Implementation Method 3

uses electromagnetic waves to heat an object to be processed

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic heating: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP3913309B1Refrigerator comprising a heating apparatus
Publication Date: 2023.03.01 HAIER SMART HOME CO LTD
  • EP3913309B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3913309B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3913309B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

Provided are a heating device and a refrigerator. The heating device includes: a cylinder body, in which a heating cavity is defined and configured to place an object to be processed, provided with a pick-and-place opening located on a front side of the cylinder body; a door body, configured to open and close the pick-and-place opening of the cylinder body; an electromagnetic heating device, configured to generate electromagnetic waves into the heating cavity to heat the object to be processed; and magnetic elements, disposed on the door body or the cylinder body and configured to enable the door body and the cylinder body to attract each other, so that when the door body is in a closed state in which the door body seals the pick-and-place opening, the door body and the cylinder body are in close electrical contact, thereby forming a continuously conductive shielding body. By disposing the magnetic elements, on the one hand, the size of a gap between the door body and the cylinder body is reduced, and the amount of electromagnetic leakage is reduced; and on the other hand, it facilitates the door body and the cylinder body forming a continuously conductive shielding body to prevent electromagnetic waves from being emitted through the gap that may exist between the door body and the cylinder body, thereby effectively shielding the electromagnetic radiation and eliminating the harm of the electromagnetic radiation to the human body.