refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators lack efficient and user-friendly automatic door opening and closing mechanisms that adapt to user proximity, leading to inconvenience and potential safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator equipped with a door driver, sensors, and processors that automatically control door opening and closing based on user proximity, using designated angles and guided movement mechanisms to ensure safe and convenient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual door opening/closing is used, then the structure is simple, but user convenience and safety are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The door opening/closing system operates automatically by detecting user proximity through sensors, eliminating the need for manual operation. The system serves itself by autonomously determining when to open or close the door based on detected user presence, thereby improving convenience without requiring direct user intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical door operation with an automated system using sensors (optical or proximity sensors) and a door driver. This substitution of mechanical user action with sensing and actuation mechanisms achieves automatic door control, improving ease of operation while managing system complexity through integrated control.
2Ease of operation
If automatic door opening/closing is implemented, then user convenience is improved, but safety hazards may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors user proximity through sensors and adjusts door operation accordingly. The sensor feedback loop detects user presence and provides real-time information to the control system, enabling safe automatic door opening/closing by responding to actual user conditions rather than operating on fixed timing alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The door opening angle is dynamically adjusted based on user proximity distance. When users are far, the door opens to a larger angle for full access. When users are close, the door opens to a smaller angle for safety. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by adapting the door behavior to real-time safety requirements while maintaining automatic operation convenience.
3Adaptability or versatility
If fixed door opening angle is used, then control is simple, but adaptability to different user needs is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The door opening angle transitions from a fixed value to a dynamic variable based on user proximity. The system calculates appropriate opening angles according to detected user distance, providing larger angles for distant users (full access) and smaller angles for close users (safety). This dynamic control achieves adaptability while managing complexity through sensor-based decision logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The door opening angle parameter is changed based on user proximity conditions. The system varies this critical parameter according to sensor input, enabling the door to adapt its opening behavior to different user needs and situations. This parameter change approach provides versatility without requiring multiple physical mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a main body, a door rotatably connected to open or close the main body, a door driver configured to automatically rotate the door relative to the main body, a sensor disposed at one side of the main body or the door to face in a front direction, memory storing one or more computer programs, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the door driver, the sensor, and the memory, wherein the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the refrigerator in a closed state of the door to determine whether a sensing data value obtained by the sensor is a first threshold value or less, control the door driver to open the door relative to the main body at a first designated angle based on determining that the sensing data value is the first threshold value or less, and control the door driver to open the door relative to the main body at a second designated angle larger than the first designated angle based on determining that the sensing data value exceeds the first threshold value.