Refrigerator Drawer Elevation Using Nested Motor and Lever Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator designs with drawer-type doors face issues such as exposed lifting mechanisms that compromise safety and aesthetics, noise transmission, reduced storage capacity, and difficulty in servicing due to the external placement of driving units, which also lead to inefficient elevation and potential safety hazards from eccentric loads.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a driving device with a motor assembly and lever units that move the drawer unit up and down, where the motor is housed within the door unit, and the lever units are supported to rotate, allowing for compact and efficient elevation without external exposure, thus enhancing safety, reducing noise, and maintaining storage capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the lifting mechanism is disposed outside the bin, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but safety is compromised and external appearance is deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The driving unit is nested inside the drawer-type door assembly, with the motor housed within the door body and the scissor supporting assembly integrated into the door structure. This nesting approach maintains manufacturing simplicity while improving safety by enclosing the lifting mechanism within the door rather than exposing it externally.
2Device complexity
If the driving unit is operated with exposed structure, then the mechanism is simple, but noise is transmitted to the outside
Solution Approach 1:
The driving unit with motor and scissor supporting assembly is nested within the drawer-type door, which acts as an acoustic enclosure. This maintains the simplicity of the lifting mechanism while the door structure itself serves as a noise barrier, preventing noise transmission to the external environment.
3Reliability
If the lifting mechanism is fully provided in the refrigerator, then safety is improved and appearance is enhanced, but the storage capacity is remarkably decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting mechanism utilizes the vertical dimension within the drawer-type door structure rather than occupying horizontal storage space. The scissor supporting assembly folds vertically when not in use and extends only when needed for elevation, allowing the mechanism to be fully enclosed without significantly reducing the horizontal storage capacity of the refrigerator.
4Force
If the motor size is increased to provide sufficient lifting force, then lifting capability is improved, but the volume loss and noise are further increased
Solution Approach 1:
The scissor supporting assembly acts as a mechanical intermediary that multiplies the force generated by a small motor. Through the scissor mechanism's geometric configuration, a small motor force is amplified into sufficient lifting force for the basket, eliminating the need for a large motor that would increase volume loss and noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces a direct-drive motor system with a mechanical advantage system using the scissor supporting assembly. This substitution allows a small motor to generate adequate lifting force through mechanical multiplication rather than relying on motor size, thereby reducing volume loss and noise.
5Ease of operation
If the bin is fully drawn out for elevation, then elevation can be performed, but the bin interferes with the upper door and refrigerator main body
Solution Approach 1:
The elevation function is segmented from the basket and assigned to the drawer-type door assembly. The driving unit is located in the door, and the scissor supporting assembly is integrated into the door structure, allowing the door itself to perform the elevation action. This segmentation eliminates the need for the basket to be fully drawn out, as the door can elevate the basket while it remains partially inserted, avoiding interference with the upper door and refrigerator main body.
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 solution improves user safety and convenience by allowing for easy access to lower drawer contents without bending, reduces noise, and maintains storage capacity while ensuring the motor's compact size does not compromise insulation, providing stable and efficient drawer elevation.
Implementation Method 1
a motor assembly (50) including a driving motor (51)
Implementation Method 2
a pair of lever units (60a, 60b) connected to the movable unit (56) at both sides of the motor assembly (50)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A refrigerator includes: a cabinet having a storage space; a door including a door unit to open or close the storage space and a drawer unit to provide a receiving space; a driving device disposed at the door unit and configured to provide power; and an elevation device disposed at the drawer unit, connected with the driving device, and configured to move up or down, in which the driving device includes: a motor assembly including a driving motor, a screw rotated by power from the driving motor and extending in an up-down direction, and a movable unit to move up and down along the screw; and a pair of lever units connected to the movable unit at both sides of he motor assembly, and each of the pair of lever units includes: a first lever connected to the movable unit; and a second lever connected with the first lever and connected with the elevation device.