Refrigerator Condenser Horizontal Mounting to Maximize Storage Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators require additional space above the condenser for maintenance and assembly, which reduces the storage space due to the need for vertical movement during condenser installation and removal, leading to inefficient use of machine room space.
Innovation Solution
A design where the condenser is mounted on a base pan within the machine room, allowing for horizontal movement through the machine room opening, eliminating the need for vertical space and enabling easy assembly and maintenance without additional vertical clearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the condenser is mounted by moving downward in the vertical direction, then the condenser can be installed and removed, but additional vertical space above the condenser is required for maintenance and assembly, reducing the storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the movement direction of the condenser from vertical to horizontal. The condenser is designed to move horizontally along the front-rear direction of the machine room, allowing installation and removal through the machine room opening without requiring vertical clearance. This dimensional change resolves the contradiction by enabling ease of operation while maximizing storage space volume.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of moving the condenser downward vertically as in conventional designs, the patent inverts the approach by moving the condenser horizontally in the front-rear direction. The condenser is inserted into or removed from the machine room through horizontal movement along the opening, eliminating the need for additional vertical space while maintaining ease of installation and maintenance.
2Volume of moving object
If the machine room volume is reduced to increase storage space, then storage capacity increases, but the condenser requires additional vertical space for maintenance and assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables condenser maintenance in a compact machine room by changing the movement dimension from vertical to horizontal. The condenser can be horizontally moved along the front-rear direction to access it for maintenance without requiring additional vertical clearance, thus resolving the contradiction between minimizing machine room volume and maintaining ease of repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The condenser is designed with dynamic positioning capability, allowing it to be horizontally moved between an installed position within the machine room and a removed position at the opening. This dynamic design enables easy maintenance access while maintaining a compact machine room volume for maximum storage space.
3Ease of manufacture
If the condenser is mounted with downward movement, then assembly is possible, but a space equal to the moving distance in the vertical direction is required, resulting in loss of storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the contradiction by changing the assembly movement from vertical downward motion to horizontal front-rear motion. The condenser is assembled by moving horizontally along the machine room opening, eliminating the need for vertical clearance while maintaining ease of manufacture and assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of assembling the condenser by downward vertical movement as in conventional designs, the patent inverts the approach by assembling it through horizontal movement in the front-rear direction. This allows the condenser to be installed and assembled within the available machine room space without sacrificing storage volume.
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 design minimizes the machine room's height and volume, increasing the refrigerator's storage space while simplifying the condenser's installation and maintenance processes, ensuring efficient use of space and ease of service.
Implementation Method 1
a condenser including a pair of header posts extending in a direction crossing the base pan, a plurality of tubes extending between the header posts, and a plurality of heat exchange fins provided between adjacent tubes
Implementation Method 2
a blowing fan unit mounted on the base pan, the blowing fan unit generating an air flow in the machine room
Implementation Method 3
a blowing fan unit mounted on the base pan, the blowing fan unit generating an air flow in the machine room
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes: a cabinet for defining a storage space and a machine room; a compressor disposed in the machine room; a machine room cover for shielding a machine room opening; a base pan in the machine room; a condenser including: headers mounted on the base pan and extending to intersect the base pan; a plurality of tubes connecting the headers; and heat exchange fins disposed between adjacent tubes; and fixing parts protruding upward from the base pan and fixing the condenser by restraining a lower end of each header, wherein insertion holes opened toward the machine room opening are defined in the fixing parts, wherein the condenser is able to move to pass through the machine room opening, and wherein the lower end of each header is inserted and mounted into each insertion hole and is separated by exiting each insertion hole by the movement of the condenser.