Refrigerator and storage system for a refrigerator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators lack an efficient mechanism to adjust the internal storage compartments' configuration within the refrigerator drawers, limiting the flexibility in organizing and maintaining optimal storage conditions for different types of food items.
Innovation Solution
The refrigerator drawer features a divider with protrusions and rollers that allow for adjustable positioning within slots on the walls, enabling the divider to maintain a substantially perpendicular alignment and allowing for flexible compartmentalization of the storage space, facilitating better organization and storage of food items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional fixed compartment structures are used in refrigerator drawers, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but storage flexibility and adaptability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The divider is designed with movable characteristics, allowing it to be repositioned along the drawer's length. The roller mechanism enables the divider to move smoothly between fixed positions while maintaining structural support, transforming a static compartment structure into a dynamic one that adapts to different storage needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The drawer interior is segmented into multiple adjustable compartments by the movable divider. This segmentation allows independent configuration of storage spaces for different food items, enabling versatile organization while keeping the overall drawer structure relatively simple.
2Ease of operation
If adjustable divider mechanisms are added to refrigerator drawers, then storage organization flexibility is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
A roller mechanism serves as an intermediary between the divider and the drawer walls. This roller acts as a mediator that enables smooth movement of the divider while distributing mechanical loads, simplifying the overall adjustment mechanism compared to direct sliding or complex rail systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller-based adjustment mechanism allows users to easily reposition the divider themselves without requiring tools or complex assembly procedures. The self-adjusting nature of the system improves ease of operation while keeping the manufacturing process relatively straightforward.
3Adaptability or versatility
If rollers are added to the divider to enable movement, then compartment adjustability is improved, but device complexity and potential reliability issues increase
Solution Approach 1:
The roller mechanism replaces more complex mechanical adjustment systems (such as threaded rods, cam mechanisms, or multi-component rail systems) with a simpler rolling contact system. This substitution maintains reliability by reducing the number of moving parts and potential failure points while achieving the desired adjustability.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator drawer includes a front wall, a rear wall, first and second opposing sides walls, an adjustable partition wall, and first and second rollers. The front and rear walls define first and second slots, respectively. The first and second opposing sides walls each extend between the front and rear walls such that the front, rear wall, and side walls define an internal storage space. The partition wall is disposed within the storage space. The partition wall has first and second ends extending outward and through the first and second slots, respectively. The first and second rollers are attached to the first and second ends on opposing sides of the front and rear walls, respectively. The first and second rollers are configured to roll along exterior surfaces of the front wall and rear wall, respectively, to adjust distances between the partition wall and the side walls.