Refrigerator Door Rack Modular Frame Design for Visual Customization
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing door racks for refrigeration devices have limited equipment variants, restricting customization and manufacturing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an additional frame with a different visual appearance attached to the base frame, which can be latched without requiring additional fastening means, allowing for various color and material combinations while maintaining a simple manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an additional frame is attached to the base frame to increase equipment variants, then the number of equipment variants increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door rack is divided into modular components: a base frame and an additional frame that can be independently manufactured and then assembled. This segmentation allows different combinations of frames to create multiple equipment variants without redesigning the entire structure, thus increasing versatility while keeping individual component complexity low.
Solution Approach 2:
The base frame and additional frame are designed as universal components that can be used in different combinations. The base frame serves as a common foundation for multiple variants, and the additional frame can be attached to create different configurations, allowing one component to serve multiple functions across different equipment variants.
2Stability of the object's composition
If multiple fastening means are used to attach the additional frame to the base frame, then the attachment stability increases, but the ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism uses self-latching features where the additional frame automatically engages with the base frame through complementary geometric shapes. The components self-align and self-fasten during assembly, eliminating the need for separate fastening means like screws or clips, thus maintaining attachment stability while greatly simplifying manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment function is merged into the structural design of the frame components themselves. The base frame and additional frame incorporate integrated attachment features as part of their basic structure, combining the structural support function with the fastening function into a single unified design that requires no additional fastening components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If different materials with different thermal expansion coefficients are used for the base frame and additional frame, then the visual appearance variety increases, but material stresses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design accommodates different material parameters by incorporating expansion joints and flexible connection elements between the base frame and additional frame. These features allow each material to expand and contract at its own rate without creating excessive stress, enabling the use of diverse materials with different thermal expansion coefficients for visual variety.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary connection element is introduced between the base frame and additional frame that acts as a buffer for thermal expansion differences. This mediator component absorbs the differential expansion through its own flexibility or compliance, preventing stress transmission between the two frames while allowing different materials to be used for visual variety.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a refrigeration device comprising a door shelf (112) which comprises a base body (200) and a base frame (202) which is secured to the base body (200). According to the invention, an auxiliary frame (204) is associated with the door shelf (112).