refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators face challenges in replacing water supply hoses after the door is filled with insulating material, leading to increased material costs and reduced dispenser cleanliness due to the complexity of hose installation and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The refrigerator incorporates a hose guide system inside the door, featuring a contraction preventing portion and a dual accommodating structure for the dispenser hose, allowing easy replacement and reduction in material waste, along with a separable cock mechanism for improved cleanliness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the door is filled with insulating material, then insulation performance is improved, but hose replacement becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The door structure is segmented into multiple layers: an outer door body, an insulating material layer, and an inner door body with a hose guide. This segmentation allows the hose guide to be positioned in the inner door body, accessible from the interior side, enabling hose replacement without compromising the insulating material's integrity or thermal performance.
2Reliability
If the hose is fixed in the door, then connection stability is improved, but material cost increases due to cutting waste
Solution Approach 1:
The hose guide is pre-installed in the inner door body during door assembly, creating a prepared pathway for the hose before the final connection is made. This preliminary action eliminates the need for on-site cutting and fitting operations, preventing material waste while ensuring stable hose positioning and connection.
3Ease of operation
If the dispenser hose is long, then installation flexibility is improved, but cleanliness of dispenser deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hose guide extracts and isolates the dispenser hose from the general door structure, creating a dedicated, protected pathway. This separation allows the hose to be routed cleanly through the inner door body to the dispenser, maintaining hygiene by preventing contact with external contaminants while preserving installation flexibility.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a body provided to form a storage compartment, a door rotatably mounted on the body, a dispenser provided in the door, an ice maker located in the storage compartment, a dispenser hose provided to be connectable to the dispenser, an ice maker hose provided to be connectable to the ice maker, and a hose guide located inside the door to accommodate the dispenser hose and the ice maker hose.