Side-open left-right-door arbitrary-opening structure of refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
In small kitchen or recreational vehicle spaces, traditional refrigerators with a single door opening direction are inconvenient for use, requiring users to stand at a fixed location to access contents.
Innovation Solution
A side-open left-right-door arbitrary-opening structure for refrigerators, featuring handle frame bars, hinge shafts, hinge shaft stoppers, springs, and transmission bodies, allowing the door to open from either side by sliding hinge shaft stoppers and releasing hinge shafts, ensuring stability and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a refrigerator has only one door opening direction, then the structure is simple, but it is inconvenient for use in small spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge shaft stoppers are designed to be movable along the hinge shafts, allowing the door to dynamically switch between locked and unlocked states. This enables the door to open from either side while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, resolving the contradiction between operational convenience and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The door opening function is segmented into multiple independent components: hinge shafts, hinge shaft stoppers, springs, and transmission bodies. Each component has a specific function, and their coordinated operation enables bidirectional opening. This segmentation allows the system to achieve complex functionality while keeping individual components simple and maintainable.
2Adaptability or versatility
If hinge shaft stoppers are made movable to enable arbitrary opening, then door opening flexibility is improved, but door stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The springs are pre-compressed between the hinge shaft stoppers to store elastic potential energy. This preliminary energy storage creates a ready-to-act force that ensures the door remains stable in the closed position while being capable of rapid opening in either direction when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmission bodies act as intermediaries between the handle frame bars and the hinge shaft stoppers. They convert the rotational motion of the handle into linear motion of the stoppers, providing a controlled mechanism that maintains stability during normal operation while enabling smooth transitions to the open state.
3Force
If springs are compressed between hinge shaft stoppers to enable opening, then opening force is improved, but risk of door falling off increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission bodies have an asymmetric design with a waist-shaped hole that fits onto a positioning shaft. This asymmetric geometry ensures unidirectional engagement and proper force transmission, preventing the door from detaching while maintaining reliable opening force. The asymmetric structure provides inherent mechanical guidance and constraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes elastic potential energy storage and release in the springs to dynamically change the force parameters. During normal closed operation, the springs are pre-compressed to maintain stability. When opening is required, the energy is released to provide sufficient opening force, while the mechanical constraints prevent excessive force that could cause detachment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables convenient access to refrigerator contents from either side, maintains door stability, and maintains a complete appearance with handles on both sides, preventing the door from falling and ensuring horizontal displacement only.
Implementation Method 1
one spring is arranged between two hinge shaft stoppers in each pair... the pulled handle frame bar simultaneously drives two hinge shaft stoppers at the corresponding sides of the upper and lower end faces of the refrigerator door to slide and separate from the corresponding opening necks
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a side-open left-right-door arbitrary-opening structure of a refrigerator. Four hinge shafts are fixedly connected at left and right sides of a refrigerator body in pairs respectively, left and right sides of upper and lower end faces of a refrigerator door are all provided with an opening neck, each hinge shaft is correspondingly placed in one opening neck, four hinge shaft stoppers are slidably arranged on the upper and lower end faces of the refrigerator door in pairs respectively, one spring is arranged between two hinge shaft stoppers in each pair, tail ends of the hinge shaft stoppers on the upper and lower end faces of the refrigerator door extend into the opening necks at the corresponding sides, and the hinge shafts at the corresponding sides are positioned in the opening necks, so that the refrigerator door is closed on the refrigerator body; and two handle frame bars are rotatably connected onto left and right end faces of the refrigerator door respectively, and the handle frame bar at each side is linked with two hinge shaft stoppers at the corresponding sides of the upper and lower end faces of the refrigerator door through two transmission bodies. The refrigerator door can be opened at two sides of the refrigerator, so that articles can be taken conveniently.