Refrigerator Container Hinge Design to Reduce Cold Air Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators with auxiliary doors experience increased cold air loss due to multiple gaskets and dew formation issues, leading to higher energy consumption and the need for stable door-container fixation during operation.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a single gasket for the door, with a fixing device that allows the container to be stably fixed to the cabinet when the door is rotated independently, using a guide unit and push unit mechanism to prevent container rotation and reduce energy loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an auxiliary door is installed between the cabinet and the refrigerating compartment door, then consumer demands are satisfied and cold air loss is prevented, but cold air loss increases due to multiple gaskets and power consumption increases due to additional heaters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the auxiliary door structure from the refrigerator design, extracting the problematic element that caused multiple gaskets and increased energy loss. The container is instead directly coupled to the refrigerating compartment door, eliminating the intermediate auxiliary door that created the energy efficiency problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the container and the refrigerating compartment door into a single integrated structure through direct coupling. This combination eliminates the need for separate auxiliary doors and multiple gaskets, reducing cold air loss while maintaining the ability to satisfy consumer demands for flexible access.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an auxiliary door is installed between the cabinet and the refrigerating compartment door, then consumer demands are satisfied, but dew formation occurs at gasket contact regions and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the auxiliary door structure that created multiple gasket contact regions prone to dew formation. By eliminating this intermediate structure, the design reduces the surfaces where temperature differences cause condensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The integration of the container with the refrigerating compartment door creates fewer separate components and gasket interfaces, thereby reducing the contact regions where dew formation occurs due to temperature differences between interior and exterior environments.
3Ease of operation
If the freezing compartment door or refrigerating compartment door is opened independently of the auxiliary door, then flexible access is enabled, but a structure is needed to stably fix the auxiliary door to the cabinet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the auxiliary door structure that required complex fixing mechanisms to maintain stability during independent door operation. By eliminating the auxiliary door, the need for additional fixing structures is removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The direct coupling of the container to the refrigerating compartment door creates a simpler integrated system where the container serves as the fixing structure, eliminating the need for separate auxiliary door fixing mechanisms while maintaining stable attachment during independent door operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a cabinet (10) configured to define a first storage region (2) in which food is stored, a door (20) configured to open or close the first storage region, a gasket (26) provided at the door to seal the first storage region, a first hinge (40) located at the outside of a sealing region defined by the gasket, one side of the first hinge being fixed to the cabinet and the other side of the first hinge being rotatably connected to the door and a container (100) configured to define a second storage region, the container being received in the first storage region. A second hinge (200) is located inside the sealing region, one side of the second hinge being fixed to the container and the other side of the second hinge being rotatably connected to the door. A guide unit (12) is configured to protrude into the first storage region. A fixing device (500) is provided at the container, the fixing device being selectively coupled to or released from the guide unit, wherein the first hinge and the second hinge respectively include rotating shafts and the rotating shaft of the second hinge is not arranged in an extension line of the rotating shaft of the first hinge such that a coupling portion of the container and the second hinge is drawn forward when the door is rotated independently relative to the container. The fixing device includes a push unit (550) configured to be pushed by the door and a holder (510,520) configured to fix the guide unit such that the guide unit becomes a rotation center of the container while the door is rotated and releases the push unit from a pushed state.