Refrigerator Drawer Elevation Mechanism with Nested Lifting Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator drawer-type doors with lifting mechanisms for elevation are exposed, leading to safety issues, contamination, noise, and aesthetic problems due to the external placement of the lifting mechanism, and the elevation height is limited by the frame's design.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with an elevation device featuring a plate supported by a plurality of elevation modules, including driving motors, reduction gears, curved rack gears, and elevation bars, allowing the elevation plate to move vertically while maintaining a horizontal state, with the modules disposed on one edge of the plate to prevent tilting and exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the lifting mechanism is disposed outside the storage box, then the elevation function is achieved, but safety problems and contamination occur due to exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting mechanism is nested inside the storage box rather than being disposed externally. The elevation plate and associated mechanical components are contained within the storage box volume, eliminating exposure to the outside environment while maintaining the elevation function. This resolves the safety and contamination issues by hiding the mechanism within the existing structure.
2Ease of operation
If the lifting mechanism is disposed outside the storage box, then the elevation function is achieved, but noise during operation is transmitted to the outside
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the lifting mechanism inside the storage box, the noise generated during elevation operation is contained within the box structure. The box walls act as acoustic barriers, preventing noise transmission to the outside environment while the elevation function operates normally.
3Length of moving object
If the frame protrudes further upward than the door, then the elevation height is increased, but the vertical portion of the frame is exposed to the outside aesthetically deteriorating appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The frame structure is nested within the door assembly rather than protruding outward. The vertical portion of the frame is contained within the door's external boundaries, eliminating aesthetic deterioration while still providing sufficient elevation height through internal space optimization.
4Length of moving object
If the frame protrudes further upward than the door, then the elevation height is increased, but clothing or body parts may get caught to cause accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is nested within the door structure, eliminating protruding elements that could catch clothing or body parts. The elevation height is achieved through the internal geometry of the nested frame rather than external protrusion, resolving the safety hazard while maintaining functionality.
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 enhances user safety and convenience by minimizing exposure of the lifting mechanism, reducing noise, and increasing elevation height without compromising the refrigerator's appearance or storage capacity, while preventing accidents from clothing or body parts getting caught.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the elevation modules may include a driving motor, a reduction gear connected to the driving motor
Implementation Method 2
a reduction gear connected to the driving motor, a curved rack gear-connected to the driving gear
Implementation Method 3
a curved rack gear-connected to the driving gear, and a driving gear connected to the reduction gear
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet having a storage space therein, and a drawer slidably movable forward and backward from the storage space. The drawer includes a door, and a storage box provided at a rear surface of the door, an elevation plate disposed within the storage box, and an elevation device including a plurality of elevation parts which are connected to a plurality of points, respectively, at the elevation plate to allow the elevation plate to move vertically. The plurality of elevation parts include a first elevation part connected to a first point at the elevation plate, and a second elevation part connected to a second point at the elevation plate, which is spaced apart from the first point.