refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator drawer systems face challenges with unstable and unsafe elevation mechanisms, exposing electrical devices, and compromising safety and space efficiency due to eccentric loads and deformation issues.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring an elevation assembly with electrical devices and mechanisms concealed within the door and drawer parts, utilizing a shaft and guide rail system to elevate the support member on both sides, ensuring stable operation and minimizing space loss, while maintaining a neat appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the drawer-type door is disposed in the lower region of the refrigerator, then the refrigerator structure is compact, but the user has to turn its back to take out items which causes inconvenience and safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the storage container elevatable rather than fixed. The container can be raised to a higher position when needed, allowing users to access items without bending over, and lowered when not in use to maintain compact structure. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between user convenience and space efficiency.
2Ease of operation
If the storage container is elevated, then user convenience is improved, but electrical devices and structures for elevation may be exposed causing safety problems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the nesting principle by concealing the electrical devices and elevation structures within the door structure itself. The motor and control mechanisms are nested inside the door, with only the necessary mechanical components (rails and shafts) exposed on the inner surface. This eliminates safety hazards while maintaining the elevation function.
3Ease of operation
If force for elevation is applied to the front end of the storage container, then elevation is achieved, but eccentric load causes unstable elevation and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the elevation force application point at the center of the storage container's bottom surface rather than at the front end. This central positioning creates symmetric load distribution, preventing the eccentricity that causes tilting and deformation during elevation.
4Ease of operation
If pneumatic cylinders are disposed on both sides to elevate the basket, then elevation capability is improved, but the basket may tilt if not accurately controlled and safety issues arise from exposed cylinders
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by removing the pneumatic cylinders from the exposed outer surface and relocating them inside the door structure. Only the essential mechanical components (rails and shafts) remain visible on the inner surface, eliminating safety hazards from exposed cylinders while maintaining elevation capability through the centralized motor-driven system.
5Ease of operation
If the entire basket is elevated, then user access is improved, but the insertion and withdrawal of the basket becomes unstable requiring reinforcement structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by separating the elevation function from the entire basket structure. Only the storage container portion is elevated independently, while the basket frame remains stationary. This segmentation allows stable insertion and withdrawal of the basket without requiring complex reinforcement structures, while still providing improved item accessibility through elevation.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a cabinet in which an upper storage space and a lower storage space are defined, a door part inserted and withdrawn to open and close the lower storage space, a drawer part connected to the door part so as to be inserted into and withdrawn from the lower storage space, a support member which is provided in the drawer part and on which a food or container is seated, and an elevation device disposed on each of both side surfaces of the drawer part and coupled to each of both side ends of the support member to vertically elevate the support member in a state in which the drawer door is withdrawn.