Refrigerator Door Container Hinge Layout for Cold Air Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators with auxiliary storage compartments face issues such as increased power consumption due to cold air leakage, deformation, and sagging, especially when a single door is used to open and close both the main and auxiliary storage regions, leading to reduced storage space and interference with the cabinet's inner surface.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a pivotally rotatable container with a compact metal body, integrated horizontal and vertical members, and a second hinge member to support the container, ensuring it remains within the sealing boundary when the door is closed, thus minimizing sagging and maintaining efficient cold air retention without the need for additional gaskets or heaters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a container with auxiliary storage compartment is received within the main storage compartment with a single door, then user convenience is improved and cold air leakage is reduced, but the body volume increases reducing auxiliary storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional bulky insulator-filled body with a thin film gasket (thickness of 1-5mm) that provides the necessary sealing function. This thin film structure dramatically reduces the body volume from conventional dimensions to just enough to accommodate the hinge mechanism and sealing edge, thereby maximizing the auxiliary storage space while maintaining the single-door configuration for user convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the insulator material from the body structure, removing the bulky filling that conventional designs rely on for thermal insulation. Instead, the sealing and insulation function is achieved through the thin film gasket positioned at the interface between the container and cabinet, separating the structural support function (handled by the thin body) from the insulation function (handled by the gasket).
2Volume of moving object
If the body volume is reduced to increase auxiliary storage space, then storage capacity is improved, but the container may sag or deform under load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure where the thin film gasket material combines sealing, insulation, and structural support properties. The gasket material is specifically selected to have sufficient tensile strength and rigidity to prevent sagging of the thin body structure, while the integration of the hinge mechanism provides additional structural reinforcement at critical points, enabling the ultra-thin body design to maintain strength despite minimal material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent positions the hinge mechanism and its mounting structure to counterbalance the weight of the container body and its contents. The hinge assembly acts as a structural support element that prevents the thin body from sagging under load, effectively compensating for the reduced material thickness through strategic placement of counterbalancing structural elements.
3Device complexity
If a single door is used for both main and auxiliary storage, then device complexity is reduced, but interference may occur between the container and cabinet inner surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the interference problem by changing the rotational dimension of the container body. The container is designed to rotate on a hinge axis that is positioned and oriented such that the container's path of motion follows a three-dimensional arc that clears the cabinet inner surface. This dimensional adjustment in the hinge positioning and rotation axis orientation eliminates collisions while maintaining the single-door simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetric positioning of the hinge mechanism and asymmetric design of the container body shape to avoid interference with the cabinet inner surface. The container body is shaped with asymmetric clearance margins on different sides, and the hinge is positioned off-center, creating an asymmetric rotation path that naturally avoids collision with cabinet structures during door opening and closing operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a cabinet (10) configured to define a first storage region in which food is stored, a door (20) rotatably connected to a first rotating shaft via a first hinge member (40) to open or close the first storage region, the first rotating shaft being located at the front of the cabinet (10), a gasket provided at the door (20) and a container (100) configured to define a second storage region, the second storage region being received in the first storage region, the container (100) being rotatably connected to a second rotating shaft via a second hinge member (200), the second rotating shaft being located at the door (20).