Refrigerator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators with transparent or visible panels to identify internal food items often suffer from insulation performance deterioration due to the absence of insulators above the panel assembly, leading to increased energy loss and reduced serviceability.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design that includes a panel assembly with an insulator and a cable guide system to maintain insulation, allowing the cable connecting the panel assembly to the PCB to be securely routed and protected, thereby preventing damage and ensuring effective insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a panel assembly is provided on the door to allow visibility of the refrigerator interior, then the convenience of identifying stored food is improved, but the insulation performance of the door deteriorates due to the absence of insulator filling
Solution Approach 1:
The insulator is pre-installed on the door assembly before the panel assembly is mounted. This preliminary action ensures that the insulator is already in position to maintain thermal insulation, and the panel assembly is then fitted over it without requiring subsequent insulator installation, thus preserving insulation performance while enabling visibility functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The panel assembly is nested within the door structure in such a way that the insulator is positioned between the panel assembly and the door outer surface. The panel assembly includes a mounting space that accommodates the insulator, creating a nested configuration where the insulator is protected and retained by the panel assembly structure, thereby maintaining insulation without compromising the visibility function
2Ease of manufacture
If the space above the panel assembly is left empty to simplify assembly, then the assembly process is simplified, but the insulation performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The insulator is pre-installed on the door assembly before the panel assembly is mounted. This preliminary action ensures that the insulator is already in position to maintain thermal insulation, and the panel assembly is then fitted over it without requiring subsequent insulator installation, thus preserving insulation performance while enabling visibility functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The panel assembly is nested within the door structure in such a way that the insulator is positioned between the panel assembly and the door outer surface. The panel assembly includes a mounting space that accommodates the insulator, creating a nested configuration where the insulator is protected and retained by the panel assembly structure, thereby maintaining insulation without compromising the visibility function
3Device complexity
If cables are routed through the door structure without proper guidance, then the cable arrangement is simplified, but the cables are prone to damage
Solution Approach 1:
A cable guide structure is introduced as an intermediary element between the cables and the door structure. The cable guide includes guide grooves and protective channels that direct cable routing through designated paths, preventing cables from being pinched or damaged by moving parts while maintaining a relatively simple overall assembly process
Solution Approach 2:
The cable guide structure incorporates flexible protective channels or thin film coverings that envelop the cables as they pass through the door assembly. These flexible protective elements allow for cable movement and assembly adjustments while providing continuous protection against mechanical damage, thus improving cable reliability without significantly increasing assembly complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a frame on which a panel assembly is mounted in a door provided with a panel assembly of which the inside thereof is visible, and a screen is output. The frame includes a panel assembly mounting part opened so that the panel assembly is mounted; a barrier configured to partition the inside of the door into a PCB accommodating space, in a PCB is disposed, and an insulator accommodating space, in which the insulator is disposed; and a cable guide part which is connected to the panel assembly mounting part and in which a cable configured to connect the panel assembly to the PCB is disposed. A frame cover configured to connect the cable guide part to the barrier in the insulator accommodating space and to guide the cable of the cable guide part into the PCB accommodating space is mounted on the frame.