Refrigerator Drawer Door with Nested Screw-Driven Elevation Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator designs with drawer-type doors often have exposed lifting mechanisms that compromise safety, aesthetics, and storage efficiency, and may not provide sufficient force for elevating heavy objects, leading to instability and noise issues.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design where an electric device for elevation is integrated within the door part, featuring a mechanical mechanism in the drawer part with a motor assembly, screw units, and a lever system, along with an elevation detection device to ensure complete ascension or descension, preventing exposure and enhancing serviceability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the lifting mechanism is disposed inside the refrigerator, then safety and aesthetics are improved, but storage capacity is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting mechanism is nested within the door structure itself, with the driving part integrated into the door body and the support assembly positioned within the drawer part. This nesting approach hides the mechanism from external view (improving safety and aesthetics) while utilizing door space that would otherwise be wasted, minimizing the impact on storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting mechanism utilizes the vertical dimension within the door structure rather than occupying horizontal storage space. The driving part is positioned in the door body at a height that allows the support assembly to extend vertically when the drawer is pulled out, effectively using the door's height dimension to accommodate the mechanism without encroaching on the drawer's storage volume.
2Ease of operation
If the driving part is exposed to the outside, then ease of operation is improved, but noise transmission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The driving part is extracted from the drawer part and relocated to the door body, separating the noise-generating component from the storage space. This extraction allows the mechanism to operate outside the refrigerator interior while still providing functional access through the drawer structure, effectively isolating noise within the door assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The door body serves as an intermediary structure between the driving part and the external environment. The driving part is housed within the door, which acts as a barrier to noise transmission, while the support assembly extends through the drawer part to provide the lifting function, thus mediating between the need for operational access and noise isolation.
3Reliability
If the lifting mechanism is disposed inside the refrigerator, then safety is improved, but serviceability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting mechanism is segmented into two main parts: the driving part integrated into the door body and the support assembly within the drawer part. This segmentation allows the door to be separated from the drawer, providing access to the driving part for service and repair while keeping the support assembly accessible within the drawer, thus maintaining serviceability while achieving safety through internal disposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The door and drawer part are designed with dynamic separability, allowing the door to be detached from the drawer part when service is needed. This dynamic configuration enables technicians to access the driving part in the door independently, while the support assembly remains accessible in the drawer, facilitating easy maintenance while keeping the mechanism hidden during normal operation.
4Force
If a motor of larger size is used to provide sufficient force, then force is improved, but internal volume loss and noise become larger
Solution Approach 1:
A screw mechanism is used to replace a direct-drive motor system. The screw unit converts rotational motion into linear motion with mechanical advantage, providing sufficient lifting force for heavy objects while using a smaller, more compact motor. This mechanical substitution reduces the size of the driving part, minimizing volume loss in the door structure while maintaining the required force output.
Solution Approach 2:
The screw mechanism changes the operational parameters by converting high-speed, low-torque rotational motion into low-speed, high-torque linear motion. This parameter transformation allows a smaller motor to generate the necessary lifting force through the mechanical advantage of the screw threads, reducing both motor size and associated noise while maintaining sufficient force for heavy loads.
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 design improves safety, aesthetics, and storage efficiency by hiding the lifting mechanism, providing stable and convenient elevation of heavy objects, and reducing noise, while allowing for accurate detection of elevation states to prevent malfunctions.
Implementation Method 1
a screw unit including a screw that rotates by the motor assembly and a screw holder elevated along the screw
Implementation Method 2
a screw unit including a screw that rotates by the motor assembly and a screw holder elevated along the screw
Implementation Method 3
a lever configured to connect the screw holder to the elevation device, the lever rotating by the elevation of the screw holder
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet defining a storage chamber, a drawer door, a rail that slidably couples the drawer door to the cabinet, a driving device provided in the door part, an elevation device provided in the drawer part to vertically ascend or descend at least a portion of the drawer part, and an elevation detection device. The drawer door includes a drawer part configured to be inserted into and withdrawn out of the storage chamber and a door part coupled to the drawer part and configured to open and close the storage chamber. The driving device includes a motor assembly, a screw assembly having a screw and a screw holder, and a lever that couples the screw holder to the elevation device and is configured to be rotated based on the movement of the screw holder along the screw.