Refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators with rotating doors for opening and closing a storage compartment often have filler guides installed on the second sidewall, which compromises the aesthetic quality of the interior and can interfere with the withdrawal of items, especially when the door without a filler is opened.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design where the filler guide is positioned on the sidewall adjacent to the door hinge, allowing the filler to rotate even when a door without a filler is opened, and incorporating a filler pusher and cam members to ensure smooth operation and prevent interference with the filler guide, thus simplifying the interior and enhancing usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the filler guide is installed on the second sidewall (conventional design), then the filler can be guided to rotate, but the aesthetic quality of the interior is impaired and items cannot be easily withdrawn when the door without filler is opened
Solution Approach 1:
The filler guide is relocated from the conventional second sidewall to the first sidewall adjacent to the door hinge. This inversion of the conventional installation position resolves the contradiction by placing the guide in a location that does not interfere with item withdrawal and does not compromise interior aesthetics, while still effectively guiding the filler rotation.
2Shape
If the filler guide is installed on the first sidewall adjacent to door hinge, then the interior is simplified and aesthetic quality is maintained, but the filler may not rotate properly when door is opened
Solution Approach 1:
A filler pusher is introduced as an intermediary component that actively pushes the filler to rotate when the door is opened. This mediator ensures reliable filler rotation even with the guide relocated to the first sidewall, resolving the contradiction between aesthetic quality and rotation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The filler pusher performs preliminary action by pushing the filler to rotate before the door opening operation is complete. This preliminary rotation ensures the filler is properly positioned and will not interfere with door operation, maintaining reliability while allowing the guide to be positioned for aesthetic purposes.
3Ease of operation
If the filler pusher and cam members are added to ensure smooth operation, then the filler rotates freely without obstruction, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filler pusher is integrated with the door structure, and the cam members are combined with existing hinge components. This merging approach ensures smooth filler operation while minimizing the increase in device complexity by utilizing and integrating with existing structural elements rather than adding completely separate components.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a refrigerator having a simplified interior. The refrigerator includes a main body, a storage compartment formed in the main body and having a front side thereof open, a first door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close a part of the storage compartment, a second door arranged below the first door and rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close a remaining part of the storage compartment, a filler rotatably provided on the first door or the second door to seal a gap between the first door and the second door in a state in which the first door and the second door are closed, a filler guide configured to guide the filler to be rotated in a first direction, and disposed on a sidewall of the storage compartment adjacent to a rotation axis of the first door and the second door, and a filler pusher configured to push the filler to be rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction.