Refrigerator Storage Box Cover With Short-Travel Airflow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In refrigerators, the existing cold air regulation systems compromise user convenience and aesthetic appeal due to increased moving distances of knobs and reduced visibility caused by connecting members across shelves, which obstruct the lower side visibility and degrade the interior aesthetics.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a cold air regulator with a cover unit, a frame, and a guide member with a guide hole, allowing the opening and closing member to move vertically along the guide hole, reducing the moving distance of the knob and maintaining visibility and aesthetics by integrating the cold air regulator along the rim of the cover member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a connecting member connecting the knob to the opening and closing member is formed across the shelf, then the opening and closing member can be actuated to control cold air flow, but the visibility of the lower side of the shelf decreases and the aesthetic of the interior is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting member is repositioned from a horizontal arrangement across the shelf to a vertical arrangement along the rim of the cover member. This dimensional change allows the connecting member to be located at the peripheral region rather than spanning the interior space, thereby preserving visibility and aesthetic appearance while maintaining the actuation function.
2Productivity
If the size of the opening is increased to supply a larger amount of cold air into the storage box, then cold air supply is improved, but the moving distance of the opening and closing member is increased which causes inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism transforms the relationship between opening size and moving distance by changing the spatial arrangement. The guide member with its inclined guide hole converts vertical movement of the opening and closing member into horizontal movement of the knob, allowing a large opening to be controlled with a limited knob travel distance.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide member acts as an intermediary mechanism between the knob and the opening and closing member. It includes a guide hole that converts the movement direction and magnitude, allowing the opening and closing member to traverse the full opening width while the knob moves only a limited distance along the rim.
3Ease of operation
If the opening and closing member moves in a vertical direction along the guide hole, then the moving distance of the knob is reduced, but the mechanism complexity increases with the guide member and inclined guide hole
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member serves multiple functions: it guides the opening and closing member along the inclined path, converts vertical to horizontal motion, and is integrated into the rim of the cover member as part of the overall structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby limiting complexity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide member is merged with the rim of the cover member, and the connecting member is integrated into this structure. The guide hole is formed directly in the guide member as part of its body, combining multiple elements into a unified structure that reduces overall complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator including a storage compartment, a storage box, and a cover assembly. The cover assembly including a cover member to cover an upper portion of the storage box, a frame provided along the cover member and configured to fix the cover member and comprising an opening provided to communicate with the discharge port to allow cold air to flow into the storage box, a knob configured to be movable and disposed on a side of the frame, a connecting member configured to slide inside the frame and connected to the knob, a guide member configured to be movable inside the frame based on a movement of the knob. The guide member comprising a guide hole, and an opening and closing member configured to open and close the opening by moving in a vertical direction along the guide hole.