Refrigerator having a transparent door
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators lack a convenient method for users to identify contents without opening the door, leading to unnecessary door openings and cold air loss, as existing solutions do not provide a transparent or displayable interface while maintaining the internal environment's integrity.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a transparent display assembly in the door that can be selectively transparent or opaque, powered by a display light, with a PCB and cables discreetly integrated to prevent exposure and damage, allowing users to view the interior without opening the door and providing a compact, airtight structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the door is made opaque to maintain a simple structure, then the manufacturing cost is reduced and the structure is simpler, but the user cannot identify the contents without opening the door, leading to increased door opening frequency and energy loss
Solution Approach 1:
The door panel incorporates a switchable transparency mechanism that allows it to dynamically change from opaque to transparent state. This enables the door to adapt its optical properties based on user needs, allowing content visibility when required while maintaining a simple opaque appearance at other times, thus resolving the contradiction between visibility and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The door utilizes materials or mechanisms that can change their optical transmission parameter. By altering the transparency parameter of the door panel, the system enables users to view contents without permanently complicating the door structure, as the transparency is an adjustable parameter rather than a fixed structural feature.
2Adaptability or versatility
If electronic components are exposed on the transparent door to provide functionality, then the user interface is enhanced, but the components are vulnerable to damage and the insulation is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Electronic components such as the PCB and cables are nested within recessed cavities or grooves formed in the transparent door panel. This nesting arrangement allows the components to be integrated into the door structure while remaining protected from external damage and maintaining the door's insulation properties, as the components are housed within the door's internal volume rather than being exposed on the surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent door panel itself serves as an intermediary structure that houses and protects the electronic components. Rather than mounting components directly on the external surface, the door panel provides an internal cavity system that acts as a protective intermediary, shielding components from environmental factors while still allowing electrical connections to be made through the door structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cables are used to connect electronic components in the door, then the functionality is more complete, but the cable management becomes complex and the structure is less compact
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple separate cable connections are merged into a single integrated cable assembly that passes through the door structure. This consolidation reduces the number of separate cable management tasks while maintaining connectivity to all necessary electronic components, as the combined cable assembly routes multiple signals and power lines through a unified pathway in the door panel.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable management system utilizes the thickness dimension of the door panel by routing cables through recessed grooves and cavities within the door's depth. This three-dimensional cable routing approach allows multiple cables to be organized compactly within the door's volume, reducing complexity compared to surface-level cable management while maintaining complete electronic connectivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes: a cabinet; a door; an out plate that defines an outer appearance of the door and a plate opening; a door liner that defines a rear surface of the door and a liner opening; a transparent display assembly that is located between the door liner and the out plate and that allows the storage space to be seen therethrough and a screen to be outputted; a PCB provided on the inner side of the door and connected to the transparent display assembly; a display PCB provided at the cabinet and configured to control the transparent display assembly; a cable connecting the transparent display assembly and the PCB and having a flat shape that extends along a circumference of the transparent display assembly; and a connection cable connecting the PCB and the display PCB and having a wire shape that penetrates the door.