Refrigerator and home appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator door panels are difficult to attach or detach, making it challenging to change the outer appearance according to consumer preferences.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator door design featuring a bracket with a buffer rib and mounting structure that allows for easy detachment and firm mounting of a panel, enhancing aesthetics, rigidity, and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a panel is firmly mounted on a door using a rigid attachment structure, then the panel's stability and structural integrity are improved, but the ease of detachment and replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure is divided into separate components: a bracket with mounting holes attached to the panel, and a door body with corresponding receiving structures. This segmentation allows the panel to be firmly mounted when assembled while enabling easy detachment by separating the components, resolving the contradiction between mounting stability and detachment ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is inserted into a receiving structure on the door body, creating a nested arrangement where the bracket fits within a recess or mounting cavity. This nesting provides firm mounting through mechanical engagement while allowing simple removal by pulling the bracket out, simultaneously achieving both stability and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If a panel is easily detachable from a door, then the ease of replacement and appearance customization is improved, but the mounting firmness and structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the mounting function into distinct components (bracket and door body receiving structure), the design achieves both easy replacement and firm mounting. The segmented structure allows simple assembly and disassembly operations while maintaining strong mechanical engagement when mounted.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket acts as an intermediary component between the panel and the door body. It provides a standardized interface that enables easy attachment and detachment operations while ensuring firm mounting through its mechanical engagement with the door body's receiving structure.
3Reliability
If a complex mounting structure is used to ensure firm panel attachment, then the mounting reliability is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure is segmented into simple, standardized components with straightforward geometries. The bracket has mounting holes for simple attachment, and the door body has a corresponding receiving structure. This segmentation simplifies manufacturing while ensuring reliable mechanical engagement, reducing device complexity without compromising attachment reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A appliance includes: a cabinet defining define a storage space, and a door configured to open and close the storage space. The door comprises a door body, a door panel defining a front surface of the door, a cap decoration defining a lower surface of the door body, and a bracket provided at a rear surface of the door panel and configured to be coupled to the cap decoration. The bracket comprises a buffer rib protruding from a first surface of the bracket and configured to, based on the bracket being coupled to the cap decoration, define a space between the bracket and the cap decoration.