refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerator doors tend to automatically close due to their own weight when opened, especially when the appliance is not installed horizontally, leading to inconvenience for users.
Innovation Solution
A door closing preventer is integrated into the hinge shaft of the refrigerator door, featuring a horizontal cam that prevents automatic closure by using an elastic locking mechanism, ensuring the door remains open at a predetermined angle without external exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a door closing preventer is added to prevent automatic door closure, then the door can be kept open at a predetermined angle, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door closing preventer is integrated into the hinge shaft, merging two separate functions (hinge rotation and door closing prevention) into a single component. The horizontal cam is formed as part of the shaft structure, eliminating the need for separate preventer mechanisms while maintaining the ability to hold the door at a predetermined angle.
Solution Approach 2:
The door closing preventer features are nested within the hinge groove structure. The horizontal cam is positioned inside the hinge groove and interacts with the locking part that is also integrated into the door cap, creating a compact nested arrangement that prevents automatic closure without adding external components.
2Device complexity
If the door closing preventer is integrated into the hinge shaft, then the number of parts is reduced, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The horizontal cam is formed as an integral part of the shaft through machining operations. The shaft includes a cylindrical portion with a horizontal cam feature that is machined directly into it, eliminating the need for separate preventer components while requiring precise machining to ensure proper interaction with the locking part.
3Device complexity
If the hinge groove is opened at the lower side and the door cap is used, then the locking part can be integrated into the door, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking part is nested within the door cap structure. The door cap includes an outer wall that forms the hinge groove, and the locking part is integrated into the door cap, creating a nested arrangement where the locking mechanism is contained within the door's existing structural elements.
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
Effectively prevents the door from being automatically closed by its own weight, simplifies the structure by integrating the preventer into the hinge, and reduces the number of parts required, while maintaining smooth operation and reduced noise.
Implementation Method 1
When the door is opened and the inner protrusion comes into contact with the horizontal cam, the inner protrusion may be elastically deformed such that the inner protrusion goes over the horizontal cam. When the door is opened and the inner protrusion goes over the horizontal cam, the inner protrusion may be restored by an elastic force and caught on the horizontal cam so that the door is prevented from being automatically closed.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a main body, a storage chamber formed inside the main body, a door coupled to the main body to open and close the storage chamber, and a hinge coupled to the main body to rotatably support the door, the door includes a lower plate forming a lower surface of the door and a door cap coupled to the lower plate and having a hinge groove, the hinge includes a shaft inserted into the hinge groove, and the shaft includes a door closing preventer configured to prevent the door from being automatically closed in a state in which the door is opened.