Refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators with integrated electronic components, such as USB units and cameras, face challenges in hiding wires and maintaining a clean appearance due to cumbersome and poorly designed cover units that are difficult to assemble and disassemble, and often have gaps between parts.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a base frame with hinge accommodating portions and a sliding cover frame that can be easily assembled and disassembled, incorporating a hinge cover with a wire guiding part to manage wires and improve the appearance by minimizing gaps between components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If conventional cover units are used to cover electronic component space, then the appearance is improved by hiding wires, but the assembly and disassembly process becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The cover unit is divided into multiple independent modules: a cover body, a base frame with hinge accommodating portions, and snap-fit fastening elements. These segmented components can be easily assembled and disassembled through simple snap-fit connections while collectively providing complete coverage of the electronic component space and wire management.
2Shape
If conventional cover units are used, then wire hiding function is provided, but gaps appear between parts reducing appearance quality
Solution Approach 1:
The base frame integrates multiple functions into a single structure: it provides the mounting surface for electronic components, contains hinge accommodating portions for door rotation, includes wire management channels, and features integrated fastening elements. This merged design eliminates gaps between separate components while achieving complete coverage and precise positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism is nested within dedicated hinge accommodating portions of the base frame, and wire management channels are nested within the cover structure. This nested arrangement ensures tight integration without gaps while allowing independent functionality of each nested element.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the hinge position is fixed, then the door rotation is stable, but the refrigerator cannot be easily reinstalled with different door centers of rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The base frame is designed with multiple hinge accommodating portions at different positions, allowing the same base frame to support hinges at various locations. This universal design enables the refrigerator to be installed with different door centers of rotation while maintaining stable door rotation through proper hinge positioning in the selected accommodating portion.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a main body on which a hinge for rotatably supporting the door is mounted, a base frame mounted on the main body and having a first hinge accommodating portion formed at one end portion and a second hinge accommodating portion formed at the other end portion that is opposite to the one end portion, a hinge cover mounted on one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodating portion, and configured to cover the hinge, and a cover frame configured to be coupled with the base frame by sliding in a first direction or by sliding in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.