Refrigerator Door Handle-Slider Mechanism for Easy Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerator doors are difficult to open due to their heavy weight and the low air pressure in freezing chambers, leading to unsanitary conditions and aesthetic issues during inspection and replacement of components.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator door design featuring a retractable and extendable pusher mechanism in cooperation with the door handle, along with a detachable driving force transfer unit housed in a pocket within the door main body, facilitates easy opening and allows for simplified inspection and replacement without compromising the appliance's appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the door is made heavy with robust components, then the door can withstand the low air pressure in freezing chambers, but it becomes difficult to open
Solution Approach 1:
The door is divided into multiple components: door main body, door handle, slider, and driving force transfer unit. This segmentation allows the heavy door to be operated through a mechanical advantage system where the handle and slider work together to reduce the effort needed to open the door despite its weight and the opposing air pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The slider acts as an intermediary between the door handle and the door main body. When the handle is pulled, it drives the slider to protrude, which then contacts the door main body to facilitate opening. This intermediary mechanism translates the user's pulling force into effective door opening motion against the heavy weight and air pressure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If components are fixed permanently in the door, then structural integrity is maintained, but inspection and replacement become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The driving force transfer unit is designed as a separate, detachable component from the door main body. This segmentation allows the unit to be easily removed and replaced for inspection or maintenance while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the door when assembled. The detachable design enables serviceability without compromising the door's strength during normal operation.
3Ease of repair
If a receiving part with opening is formed on the door, then component inspection is facilitated, but aesthetic quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating an opening in the door for component access, the receiving part is extracted as a separate functional element that can be detached. The driving force transfer unit is removed from the door main body and housed in a separate receiving part, allowing the door to maintain its aesthetic appearance while still enabling component inspection and replacement through the detachable design.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator that includes a compartment to store foods, and a door to open and close the compartment. The door has a door main body, a door handle movably disposed on the door main body to actuate the door main body to be easily opened, a slider protruding toward the refrigerator main body in response to movement of the door handle, and a driving force transfer unit. The driving force transfer unit may be located between the door handle and slider to transfer a driving force, generated upon pulling the door handle, to the slider. The door further includes a pocket housing partially buried into the door main body and receiving therein the door handle. The slider and the driving force transfer unit may be individually detachable. This configuration facilitates opening of the refrigerator and inspection and replacement of components of the driving force transfer unit.