Refrigerator Door Opening Device Mounted on Hinge Fastening Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices with integrated opening devices often require special hinge solutions, increasing costs and being limited to retrofitting only devices with pre-installed pockets, which also compromise thermal efficiency and design aesthetics.
Innovation Solution
An opening device that can be mounted on the front end face of a refrigerator using standard door hinge fastening devices, with a telescopic ejection element and a drive system combining spring and electric motor forces to overcome locking forces without occupying additional space, allowing for easy retrofitting and integration with standard door hinges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an opening device is mounted on the top side of the refrigerator, then the door can be easily opened, but the device protrudes beyond the insulating body and compromises thermal insulation and design aesthetics
Solution Approach 1:
The opening device is mounted on the front end face of the insulating body, utilizing the same mounting location as standard door hinges. This allows the opening device to share the installation space and fastening devices already provided for hinges, eliminating the need for separate mounting structures that would protrude beyond the insulating body and compromise thermal insulation.
2Shape
If an opening device is integrated into the upper part of the refrigerator body, then the device does not protrude beyond basic dimensions, but it requires specially designed pockets and hinges, increasing device complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The opening device utilizes the same fastening devices that are already provided for mounting door hinges on the front end face of the insulating body. This universal mounting approach eliminates the need for specially designed pockets and customized hinges, thereby reducing device complexity and allowing retrofitting on standard refrigerators without modifying the insulating body.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening device is extracted from the insulating body as a separate, independently mountable unit. It can be attached to the front end face using the existing fastening devices and removed without modifying the insulating body structure, enabling easy installation and removal while maintaining the original thermal insulation integrity.
3Shape
If pockets are formed in the insulating body to accommodate the opening device, then the device does not protrude, but thermal transfer is reduced and the solution is limited to specific refrigerator models
Solution Approach 1:
The opening device is designed as an externally mountable unit that attaches to the front end face of the insulating body using the existing fastening devices. This extraction approach eliminates the need to form pockets in the insulating body, thereby maintaining the original thermal transfer efficiency and allowing the device to be installed on various refrigerator models without structural modifications.
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 and energy-efficient operation by using existing installation space, maintaining thermal insulation, and enhancing design appeal by avoiding protrusions that compromise sealing and storage space.
Implementation Method 1
The armature is held in a rest position by a spring element
Implementation Method 2
The armature disengages when the coil is energized
Implementation Method 3
the circumferential seal is typically designed as a magnetic seal that applies locking forces between the door and the body
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
The invention relates to an opening device (10) for a refrigerator (1) having a door (4) which has at least one insulated region with a peripheral seal (5), the opening device (10) having a housing (100) from which a pusher element (110) can be extended in an electrically actuated manner. The opening device (10) is characterised in that it can be mounted on a front face (3) of an insulating carcass (2) of the refrigerator (1), on fastening means (11) provided for a door hinge (9) of the refrigerator (1), and the pusher element (110) of the opening device presses against a region of the door (4) outside the seal (5). The invention also relates to a refrigerator having an opening device (10) of this type.