Refrigerator having door with weight-sensitive storage area and method of managing items stored in weight-sensitive storage area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators face challenges in efficiently sensing the weight of items on door shelves due to reduced gaps and inefficient battery operation, and they cannot differentiate between types of items stored on storage shelves.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with weight-sensitive storage areas on door shelves, equipped with a weight transmission device, user interface, and processor to manage item information, allowing for accurate weight sensing and real-time information display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If weight-sensitive sensors are installed on door shelves to sense item weight, then weight sensing capability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The door shelf is divided into multiple independent weight-sensitive storage areas, each capable of sensing weight separately. This segmentation allows the system to sense weight at specific locations without requiring the entire door shelf structure to be complex, as each section operates independently with its own sensing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The door shelf structure is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides storage space for items while simultaneously acting as a weight-sensitive platform. The integration of weight sensing into the shelf itself eliminates the need for separate, complex sensing mechanisms, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
2Loss of information
If multiple weight-sensitive sections are provided on door shelves, then item differentiation capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door shelf is divided into multiple weight-sensitive sections (first, second, and third sections), each capable of independently sensing the weight of items placed upon it. This segmentation enables the system to differentiate between items stored in different locations, providing detailed information about item placement and weight distribution without requiring a single complex sensing system.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor acts as an intermediary that receives weight information from multiple simple weight-sensitive sections and synthesizes this data into comprehensive item management information. This approach allows complex item differentiation and management capabilities to emerge from simple, distributed sensing elements, reducing the complexity of individual components while maintaining high-level functionality.
3Measurement precision
If blocking members are added to restrict item movement between weight-sensitive sections, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking members are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing them to be dynamically adjusted based on storage needs. Users can move the blocking members to create or remove barriers between weight-sensitive sections, enabling flexible item placement while maintaining measurement precision when blocking is required. This dynamic approach balances measurement accuracy with operational ease.
4Loss of information
If weight transmission device and processor are integrated into door shelf, then information management capability is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The weight-sensitive storage system operates autonomously, with the weight transmission device automatically detecting item weight and the processor independently managing item information without requiring constant user intervention. This self-service capability enables continuous monitoring and management of stored items while minimizing energy consumption by only activating processing when weight changes occur, rather than operating continuously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables stable weight sensing of various items on door shelves, providing users with timely information through a user interface, and allowing for flexible storage of items of different sizes and types.
Implementation Method 1
a weight-sensitive storage area for sensing a weight value of an item positioned on the weight-sensitive storage area
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a refrigerator including a door, a door shelf provided on the door and including a weight-sensitive storage area for sensing a weight of an item, a weight transmission device installed on the door shelf and configured to transmit information about the sensed weight, a user interface including a display and an inputter, and a processor configured to manage item information, based on the information about the sensed weight received from the weight transmission device, and control the display to display management information about the item.