Refrigerator Drawer Rail Unit Design for Lower-Mounted Guide Bars
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerator designs with guide bars at the upper ends of storage container side walls reduce effective storage compartment space, leading to wasted space, which can be minimized by installing guide bars at the lower ends and using rail units integrated into the shelves or side surfaces.
Innovation Solution
The refrigerator incorporates rail units installed on the bottom surface of the storage compartment, supported by a foam insulation material without a separate coupling member, allowing for efficient use of space and easy assembly by temporarily assembling support members and blowing foam insulation between the inner and outer cases to fix the rail units in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If guide bars are installed at upper ends of storage container side walls, then the storage container structure is simplified, but the effective space of the storage compartment decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional location of guide bars from the upper ends to the lower ends of the storage container side walls. This inversion allows the guide bars to be positioned in a space that does not reduce the effective storage volume, while still providing the necessary guidance function for the storage container movement.
2Device complexity
If rail units are integrated into shelves of the storage compartment, then the device complexity is reduced, but the alignment and support reliability of the rail units deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the rail unit system into separate components: the rail units are installed on the side surfaces of the storage compartment rather than being integrated into the shelves. This segmentation allows for independent optimization of each component, ensuring proper alignment and support reliability while maintaining relatively simple device complexity.
3Reliability
If a separate coupling member is used to fix the support member, then the fixation reliability is improved, but the device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the support member fixation function with the foam insulation material. The foam insulation material serves dual purposes: providing thermal insulation and acting as the coupling medium to secure the support member to the inner case. This eliminates the need for separate coupling members, reducing device complexity while maintaining fixation reliability through the adhesive and expanding properties of the foam material.
4Ease of repair
If multiple separate components are used for the rail unit assembly, then the ease of repair is improved, but the assembly process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary action by designing the support member with pre-formed coupling protrusions that align with corresponding recesses in the inner case. The foam insulation material is applied in advance to secure these components before the rail units are assembled. This preliminary preparation simplifies the overall assembly process while maintaining the replaceability of individual components for repair purposes.
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 reduces wasted space by optimizing the placement of guide bars and rail units, enhancing storage capacity and simplifying the assembly process through the use of foam insulation for secure fixation without additional coupling components.
Implementation Method 1
a foam insulation material blown into a space between the inner case and the outer case
Implementation Method 2
The support member may be fixed by the foam insulation material
Data Source
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AI summary
A refrigerator includes a storage container configured to slide into and out of a storage compartment and a rail unit configured to guide movement of the storage container and a support member disposed in the storage compartment to support the rail unit and coupled to a bottom side of an inner case. Guide bars that guide movement of the storage containers are installed at lower ends of the storage container. Roller units are installed at the bottom surface of the storage compartment by using the foam insulation material blown into the space between the inner case and the outer case.