Refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator drawer-type doors are inconvenient and unsafe due to exposed elevation mechanisms, poor appearance, and difficulty in separating and installing elevation structures, leading to instability and potential damage during use.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design where the drawer-type door is elevatable, with a connection device that allows the front panel door part and drawer part to be separated and coupled without a separate mechanism, featuring a driving device and elevation device that are spaced apart and can receive power through a connection device and power transmission member, ensuring stable elevation and improved safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the drawer-type door is elevated to improve user convenience, then the basket or foods become easier to access, but the connection portion and electrical devices for elevation become exposed causing safety problems
Solution Approach 1:
The elevation mechanism is nested within the drawer-type door structure. The support member is disposed inside the drawer-type door, and the elevation device is integrated into the door structure, concealing all elevation components within the door rather than having them exposed externally. This resolves the safety issue while maintaining the elevation function.
Solution Approach 2:
A cover structure is introduced as an intermediary element that covers the exposed connection portion and electrical devices. The cover is disposed between the external environment and the elevation mechanism, preventing exposure of hazardous components while allowing the elevation function to operate normally.
2Reliability
If the support member is disposed inside the drawer-type door to prevent exposure, then safety is improved, but the structure becomes more complex and difficult to assemble
Solution Approach 1:
The support member, elevation device, and cover structure are merged into a single integrated assembly. The support member is coupled to the drawer basket, the elevation device is integrated into the door structure, and the cover unifies the entire mechanism, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The drawer-type door structure serves multiple functions: it provides the structural framework for the drawer, houses the elevation mechanism, and contains the cover structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function.
3Ease of operation
If the entire basket is elevated to improve accessibility, then user convenience is enhanced, but the basket may be severely deformed and damaged due to eccentric load
Solution Approach 1:
The support member is extracted from being the entire basket and is instead a localized structural element disposed inside the drawer-type door. Only the necessary support structure is elevated, not the entire basket, reducing the load on any single point and preventing deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevation function is applied locally at specific support points within the drawer-type door rather than elevating the entire basket uniformly. This localized approach distributes the load more effectively and prevents the eccentric loading that causes basket deformation.
4Ease of operation
If the drawer-type door is completely withdrawn to improve accessibility, then the draw-out distance is long, but the structure for elevating the basket becomes unstable and may deform or break
Solution Approach 1:
The support member and elevation device are pre-installed and secured within the drawer-type door structure before the door is withdrawn. This preliminary installation ensures that the elevation mechanism remains stable and properly positioned even when the door is completely withdrawn, preventing deformation or breakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevation mechanism is nested within the drawer-type door structure, which itself is nested within the refrigerator body. This nested arrangement provides structural stability to the elevation mechanism during the withdrawal process, as the door structure protects and supports the elevation components.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a front panel door part, a drawer part located rearward of the front panel door part, and a connection device that is located at the front panel door part, that is configured to couple the front panel door part with the drawer part, and that is configured to transmit power from the front panel door part to the drawer part. The connection device includes an exposed portion that is exposed through the rear surface of the front panel door part and that allows a user to manipulate the connection device, and the connection device is configured to, based on a manipulation of the exposed portion of the connection device by the user, decouple the front panel door part from the drawer part.