Refrigerator Door-In-Door Structure for Independent Small-Item Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators lack a convenient and space-efficient design for accessing food stored in doors without opening the main door, particularly for smaller items, which limits user convenience and storage capacity.
Innovation Solution
A side-by-side refrigerator design featuring a first storage chamber with a second, smaller storage chamber accessible through a second door that rotates in the same direction as the first door, utilizing a shared rotational axis and connection members for seamless operation and aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a second storage chamber is added to the first door to enable access to food stuffs without opening the main door, then user convenience is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The second door and second storage chamber are nested within the first door structure. The second door is positioned in a predetermined portion of the first door and rotates about a rotational axis that is part of the first door's hinge mechanism, allowing a smaller storage space to be accessed independently while maintaining the overall door assembly's integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The door system is segmented into two independent rotating components: the first door for main storage chamber access and the second door for second storage chamber access. Each door can operate independently, with the second door being rotatable about the same rotational axis as the first door, enabling selective access to different storage spaces.
2Shape
If the second door is made with the same width as the first door to maintain appearance, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The second door is configured with a width that is substantially identical to the first door at its location on the first door, creating visual consistency and aesthetic appearance. However, the second storage chamber itself is smaller than the first storage chamber, allowing the second door to match the first door's appearance while accommodating a reduced storage volume appropriate for its function.
3Ease of operation
If a rotational shaft and connection members are used to enable the second door to rotate about the same axis as the first door, then operational seamlessness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotational shaft mechanism is merged between the first door and second door, allowing both doors to rotate about the same rotational axis. The connection members connect the rotational shaft to both the first door and the second door, creating a unified rotational system where the second door can be opened independently or simultaneously with the first door, providing operational flexibility and seamlessness.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet configured to define an exterior boundary of the refrigerator with at least one opening therein. The refrigerator also includes a first storage chamber defined by interior walls of the cabinet and configured to store food stuffs and a first door configured to open and close the first storage chamber by rotating about a rotational axis. The refrigerator further includes a second storage chamber that is smaller than the first storage chamber defined at a side of the first door, and that is configured to enable access to food stuffs while the first door remains closed and a second door, located in a predetermined portion of the first door, and configured to open and close the second storage chamber by rotating about the rotational axis.