Refrigerator Drawer Elevation Mechanism for Accessible Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators with drawer-type doors require users to bend and strain when accessing contents, especially when they are heavy, due to the fixed position of the drawer, which can lead to inconvenience and potential injury.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design incorporating a driving device with a motor assembly, screw units, and levers that vertically elevate the drawer part, allowing it to be raised to a more accessible height, thereby reducing the need for users to bend and strain when accessing contents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the drawer-type door is disposed in a lower region of the refrigerator, then the storage chamber can be effectively divided into accessible zones, but users have to bend their back to take out baskets or foods, causing inconvenience and potential injury
Solution Approach 1:
The drawer part is transformed from a static fixed-position component to a dynamic elevatable component. The elevation device with motor assembly, screw units, and levers enables the drawer part to move vertically between a lowered storage position and an elevated access position, allowing users to easily retrieve items without bending while maintaining effective storage chamber zoning
Solution Approach 2:
The drawer part is elevated from the horizontal plane to a higher vertical position during operation. By adding the vertical dimension movement capability through the elevation mechanism, the system resolves the contradiction between maintaining lower storage configuration and enabling easy user access
2Ease of operation
If the drawer part is elevated to improve user accessibility, then users can access contents without bending, but the driving device adds structural complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional components are merged into integrated assemblies: the motor assembly combines with screw units and levers to form a compact driving device; the elevation device integrates with the drawer part structure. This merging reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall system while maintaining the elevation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical operation of lifting heavy drawers is replaced with an automated motor-driven elevation system. The motor assembly actuates screw units that convert rotational motion to linear motion through levers, automatically elevating the drawer part without requiring user physical effort
3Shape
If the driving device is housed within the door part to maintain clean exterior appearance, then the aesthetic quality is improved, but the internal space of the door part is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The driving device components are nested within the door part structure. The motor assembly, screw units, and levers are arranged in a compact configuration that fits within the available internal volume of the door part, allowing the exterior to remain clean and unobstructed while accommodating the elevation mechanism
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
The elevation mechanism enhances user convenience by allowing easy access to contents without bending, reduces the risk of injury, and maintains a clean, unobstructed exterior appearance by housing the driving device within the door part.
Implementation Method 1
a screw disposed in the housing and configured to be rotated by the motor assembly, a screw holder that receives the screw, the screw having a screw thread corresponding to the screw to thereby move along the screw based on a rotation of the screw
Implementation Method 2
a guide bar disposed parallel to the screw inside the housing, the guide bar passing through the screw holder to thereby guide the movement of the screw
Implementation Method 3
a pair of levers, each of the pair of levers being coupled to and configured to be rotated by a corresponding one of the pair of screw units, the pair of levers being coupled to and configured to elevate the elevation device
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet defining a storage chamber, a drawer door, a rail assembly that slidably couples the drawer door to the cabinet, a driving device disposed at the door part, and an elevation device disposed at the drawer part to vertically elevate at least a portion of the drawer part. The driving device includes a motor assembly, a pair of screw units, and a pair of levers, each of the pair of levers being coupled to and configured to be rotated by a corresponding one of the pair of screw units to elevate the elevation device. The drawer door includes a door part configured to open and close the storage chamber and a drawer part that is configured to be inserted into and withdrawn out of the storage chamber and defines a storage space.