Refrigerator Door Panel Assembly with Segmented Display and Wire Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators face challenges in identifying stored food without opening the door, leading to increased opening times and unnecessary cold air loss, especially when the user is unsure of the food's location.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a transparent panel assembly on the door with independent display areas, allowing for the inside to be visible and information to be displayed without the need for a large-scale screen operation, while improving assembly and maintenance productivity through separate displays and wire connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a large-scale display is used to transmit information on the refrigerator door, then information transmission capability is improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is divided into multiple independent display areas (first display area, second display area, third display area) on the transparent panel assembly. Each display area can independently show different types of information (food storage status, operation states, notifications), eliminating the need for a single large-scale display while reducing overall system complexity and assembly difficulty.
2Loss of information
If a single integrated display structure is used on the refrigerator door, then information display capability is improved, but assembly productivity and maintenance performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is segmented into multiple independent display areas that can be separately assembled and maintained. The transparent panel assembly with embedded display areas can be pre-assembled as a module, improving assembly productivity. Individual display areas can be replaced or maintained independently without disassembling the entire door structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The display areas are integrated into the transparent panel assembly, which is itself a separate component from the door structure. This extraction allows the display system to be manufactured and tested independently before installation, improving both assembly productivity and maintenance performance.
3Loss of energy
If the refrigerator door is made opaque to improve insulation, then energy efficiency is improved, but visibility of stored food deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly incorporates a transparent panel assembly in specific locations where visibility is needed, while the rest of the door structure maintains opaque insulation. The transparent panel assembly allows users to view stored food without opening the door, reducing cold air loss, while the opaque portions maintain thermal insulation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent panel assembly can change its optical properties to display information (such as operation states or notifications) while maintaining transparency for food visibility. This allows the door to provide both insulation and information transmission functions without requiring the entire door to be opaque or transparent.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet and a door configured to open and close a storage space of the cabinet. The door includes an outer plate defining a plate opening, a door liner defining a liner opening, a panel assembly configured to shield the plate opening and the liner opening. The panel assembly includes a first display through which the inside thereof is visible, and a screen is output, a second display disposed at a position that is spaced apart from the first display, and a frame provided between the outer plate and the door liner. The frame includes a first mounting part that mounts the panel assembly, a second mounting part that mounts the second display, and a wire guide part that connects the first mounting part to the second mounting part and accommodates a wire connected to the second display.