Refrigerator door with replaceable door panel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current refrigerators require high replacement costs and inconvenience when users want to change the appearance to match changing environments, as replacing the entire door body is necessary to alter the appearance, affecting the refrigerator's usability.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator door with a detachable decorative panel using a rotary latch and limiting members for snap-fitting connections, allowing for quick assembly and detachment without screws, enabling easy replacement of the door panel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the entire door body is replaced to change the appearance of the refrigerator, then the appearance can be updated to match changing environments, but the replacement cost becomes high and the refrigerator usage is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is segmented into a door body and a detachable decorative door panel. The decorative door panel can be independently replaced without replacing the entire door body, allowing appearance changes at lower cost and with minimal disruption to refrigerator usage. The panel includes a frame with front and rear portions, and a decorative panel disposed between them, creating a modular structure that facilitates easy replacement.
2Ease of manufacture
If the decorative door panel is detachably connected to the door body, then the replacement cost and convenience are improved, but the connection stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple connection mechanisms are merged into a unified rotary latch system that provides both locking and limiting functions. The rotary latch includes a limiting member that contacts the door body to limit panel displacement, and a locking member that engages with a locking groove to prevent panel detachment. This combined mechanism ensures stable connection while maintaining easy replaceability through a single rotary operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotary latch transitions between locked and unlocked states through a dynamic rotary motion. The latch body rotates to switch the locking member between engaged and disengaged positions relative to the locking groove. This dynamic mechanism allows the panel to be securely fixed during normal use but easily detached when needed, balancing connection stability with replacement convenience.
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
This solution allows for quick and stable assembly of the decorative panel with the door body, simplifying the replacement process and reducing costs, while maintaining the refrigerator's functionality and aesthetic appeal.
Implementation Method 1
the rotary latch and the lock post snap-fit each other to limit a displacement of the decorative door panel in an up-down direction
Implementation Method 2
the first limiting member cooperates with the second limiting member to limit a displacement of the decorative door panel in a front-rear direction
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a refrigerator door with a replaceable door panel, comprising: a door body and a decorative door panel detachably connected to the door body; a rotary latch and a limiting member are disposed on the door body; a rear side of the decorative door panel facing towards the door body comprises a second limiting member and a lock post wherein when the decorative door panel is assembled on a front side of the door body, the rotary latch and the lock post snap-fit each other to limit a displacement of the decorative door panel in an up-down direction; the first limiting member cooperates with the second limiting member to limit a displacement of the decorative door panel in a front-rear direction.