Refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators with large and heavy doors require significant force to open due to negative pressure and magnetic forces, causing user inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
A door opening device is integrated into a recessed handle, featuring an operating member that rotates within the handle, assisted by a push member and elastic mechanism, hidden from view to maintain aesthetics and reinforced by a supporter for durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a door opening device is externally mounted on the door, then the door can be easily opened, but the appearance of the door is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The door opening device is nested within the handle structure. The operating member is received in a cavity of the handle, and the case is mounted on the cap decoration, creating a nested configuration where the functional mechanism is hidden inside the aesthetic handle component.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle serves as an intermediary component that mediates between the user's manual operation and the door opening mechanism. By placing the operating member within the handle, the handle becomes both the aesthetic element and the functional interface, eliminating the need for separate external mounting.
2Shape
If the operating member is made thin for aesthetic purposes, then the appearance is improved, but the strength and durability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The operating member is constructed as a composite structure combining plastic and metal materials. The plastic portion provides the thin, aesthetic profile visible from the front, while the metal supporter embedded within provides the necessary strength and structural integrity to withstand operational forces.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the operating member have different material properties optimized for their specific functions. The front visible portion uses plastic for aesthetics, while the internal supporter uses metal for strength, creating local quality variations that satisfy both appearance and durability requirements.
3Shape
If the operating member is positioned at the center of the handle, then the appearance is symmetric and pleasing, but the ease of operation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The operating member is intentionally positioned asymmetrically within the handle, forward of the center. This asymmetric placement optimizes the mechanical advantage and accessibility for user operation, allowing the user to more easily grasp and manipulate the operating member while the overall handle maintains its aesthetic symmetry.
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 device allows easy door opening with improved usability and durability, enhancing the refrigerator's appearance and user convenience without exposing the mechanism externally.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member elastically supporting the push member
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet having a storage space; a door opening and closing the storage space and filled with an insulator therein; a cap decoration forming at least a portion of a circumferential surface of the door and having a recessed handle; and a door opening device provided on the door and operated by a user to open the door, in which the door opening device includes a case mounted on the cap decoration and forming a space independent of the insulator inside the door; and an operating member operably mounted inside the case, and a handle opening communicating with the case and the handle is formed in the cap decoration, and the operating member passes through the handle opening and extends into the handle.