Refrigerator Door Damper with Variable Force for Smooth Pillar Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators without a pillar structure struggle to prevent cold air leakage and face issues with the door closing smoothly due to the combined forces of the damper and pillar, leading to potential damage and inadequate sealing.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design that incorporates a damper with a changing damping force and a foldable pillar, where the damping force transitions from a first to a second force as the door closes, coordinating with the pillar's unfolding to ensure smooth and secure closure without excessive impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pillar is added to block the gap between doors, then cold air leakage is prevented, but the combined force of the damper and pillar causes the door to fail to close smoothly
Solution Approach 1:
The damper's damping force is made variable rather than constant. The damping force decreases as the door approaches the closed position, allowing the door to overcome the pillar's blocking force and close smoothly. This is achieved by designing the damper with a piston and cylinder where the damping force naturally varies with the piston's position and velocity during the closing motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping force parameter is changed dynamically during the door closing process. By adjusting the damping force based on the door's position and closing speed, the system adapts to the varying resistance from the pillar, enabling smooth closure while maintaining effective sealing when closed.
2Speed
If a damper provides constant damping force, then door closing speed is controlled, but excessive impact occurs when the door closes against the pillar
Solution Approach 1:
The damper transitions from providing constant damping force to providing variable damping force that decreases as the door approaches closure. This dynamic adjustment allows the door to maintain controlled closing speed during most of the motion while reducing impact force when contacting the pillar.
Solution Approach 2:
The variable damping characteristic acts as a cushioning mechanism that prepares for the impending impact with the pillar. As the door approaches the closed position, the damping force automatically reduces, cushioning the impact before it occurs and preventing excessive force transmission to the pillar and door structure.
3Ease of operation
If the damping force is increased to control door closure, then door closing smoothness improves, but the pillar and surrounding structures are more likely to be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The damper uses dynamic damping force adjustment rather than high constant damping force. The damping force is optimized to provide smooth closure control during the majority of the motion while automatically reducing near the end to protect structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The variable damping characteristic provides beforehand cushioning that prevents excessive force from being applied to the pillar and surrounding structures. By reducing the damping force before impact occurs, the system protects structural components while still achieving smooth door closure.
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
The solution allows for effective control of the door's rotation speed, ensuring smooth closure and improved sealing, reducing the risk of damage to the door and surrounding structures while maintaining the quality feeling and performance of the storage compartment.
Implementation Method 1
the damping fluid filling the inner space of the cylinder 51 provides a damping force to the piston 60 while being pressed slowly as the piston 60 moves
Implementation Method 2
the damper may provide a damping force by using a resistant force caused by friction that is generated while a charging material such as oil or gas charging the damper passes through an orifice
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed herein is a refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises a cabinet (100) having a storage compartment; a door (31) installed at the cabinet (100) in such a way that the door (31) is rotatable in a closing direction and in an open direction, and configured to rotate in the closing direction to close the storage compartment and to rotate in the opening direction to open the storage compartment; and a damper (600) configured to provide a first damping force or a second damping force, wherein a magnitude of the second damping force is less than a magnitude of the first damping force, while providing a damping force resistance against the rotation of the door (31) in the closing direction, wherein as the door (31) rotates in the closing direction, a damping force provided by the damper (600) changes from the first damping force to the second damping force.