Refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator designs with drawer-type doors face issues such as exposed lifting mechanisms leading to safety concerns, poor aesthetics, noise transmission, reduced storage capacity, and instability due to eccentric loads when elevating heavy bins, which complicates operation and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The integration of an electric device for elevation within the front panel door and a mechanical device outside the door, utilizing a screw assembly, guide member, and lever system to elevate the drawer part, ensuring the elevation device is concealed, reducing noise, and maintaining stability while allowing for easy assembly and serviceability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the lifting mechanism is disposed inside the refrigerator, then safety and appearance are improved, but storage capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting mechanism is nested within the door structure, specifically utilizing the space between the door panel and the drawer bin. The driving part is mounted on the inner surface of the door, while the support assembly extends into the drawer space, creating a compact integrated structure that provides elevation functionality without significantly reducing storage capacity.
2Shape
If the lifting mechanism is disposed inside the refrigerator, then appearance is improved, but noise transmission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door structure serves as an intermediary barrier between the driving part and the external environment. The door panel and its internal structure act as sound insulation, absorbing and blocking noise generated by the motor and mechanical components during elevation operation, thereby preventing noise transmission to the outside.
3Force
If the driving part increases in size to provide sufficient force, then elevation capability is improved, but internal volume loss and noise become larger
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces a direct large-motor mechanical drive with a more efficient electromechanical system. The motor is coupled to a screw assembly that converts rotational motion into linear motion, providing mechanical advantage. This substitution allows for a more compact driving part that generates sufficient elevation force while occupying less internal volume and reducing noise.
4Device complexity
If the lifting mechanism supports one side of the bin bottom, then structure simplicity is improved, but stability deteriorates due to eccentric load
Solution Approach 1:
The support assembly is designed with an asymmetric configuration where the support surface is positioned to align with the center of gravity of the drawer bin and its contents. The support surface extends across the bottom of the bin in a manner that distributes the load symmetrically, preventing eccentric loading and ensuring stable elevation operation even with heavy or unevenly distributed contents.
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 configuration enhances user safety, improves the refrigerator's appearance, minimizes noise, maintains storage capacity, and ensures stable and convenient operation of the drawer part without deflection, while allowing for efficient use and maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
a screw assembly connected to the motor assembly, in which the screw assembly includes a rotation gear that is configured to rotate about a gear shaft
Implementation Method 2
a lever that has a first end portion connected to the gear shaft of the rotation gear and that is configured to rotate about a lever rotation shaft at a second end portion of the lever
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a front panel door part, a drawer part, a driving device located in the front panel door part, and an elevation device located in the drawer part. The elevation device includes a lifting assembly including rods that elevate an object in the drawer part relative to the drawer part. The driving device includes a motor assembly that provides power to the elevation device, a screw assembly connected to the motor assembly, a guide member disposed at a side of the screw assembly and configured to guide movement of a rotation gear of the screw assembly, and a lever connected to the rotation gear and configured to, as the lever rotates about the lever rotation shaft based on the rotation gear moving along the guide member, apply force that causes the rods to rotate about rod rotation shafts to elevate the elevation device.