Refrigerator
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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, as they lack efficient mechanisms for displaying internal contents without relying on large-scale displays or screen operations.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a transparent panel assembly on the door with independent display areas, including a first display for visibility and a second display for information transmission, separated from the insulator to enhance assembly and maintenance productivity, and utilizing a frame with wire guide parts to accommodate wires connected to the displays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a large-scale display is used to transmit information through the see-through area, then information transmission capability is improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is segmented into multiple independent display regions (first display region, second display region, third display region) within the see-through panel. Each region can independently display different information, allowing comprehensive information transmission without requiring a single large-scale display, thereby reducing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the see-through panel are assigned different display functions and characteristics. The first display region displays operation state information, the second displays additional information, and the third displays further information. This local differentiation allows optimized design for each region rather than requiring uniform high-performance display across the entire panel
2Ease of manufacture
If displays and wires are integrated in the same assembly area, then assembly process is simplified, but maintenance difficulty and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The wires connected to the displays are extracted from the general assembly area and guided through dedicated wire guide parts to separate routing channels. This separation allows displays to be assembled in one area while wires are routed through dedicated pathways, simplifying both initial assembly and subsequent maintenance by isolating electrical connections from mechanical assembly operations
Solution Approach 2:
Wire guide parts serve as intermediary structures that facilitate the separation of wire routing from display mounting. These guide parts provide dedicated pathways for wires to pass through, acting as mediators between the display assembly area and wire connection areas, thereby improving both assembly efficiency and maintenance accessibility
3Loss of information
If the door is opened frequently to identify stored food, then food identification accuracy is improved, but cold air loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerator door with see-through panel and multiple display regions enables the system to provide food storage information autonomously without requiring user intervention to open the door. The display regions show operation states and stored food information, allowing the refrigerator to serve the information need itself, thereby preventing cold air loss that would occur with frequent door openings
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.