Under-Mount Refrigerator Door Hinge for Alignment and Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerator door hinge mechanisms experience insulation issues due to poor alignment of rubber contact surfaces and are aesthetically undesirable when mounted on top, leading to disorientation and inefficient door operation.
Innovation Solution
A hinge mechanism with a hinge housing inserted under the refrigerator's upper wall, utilizing helical springs and engagement blocks to securely lock a planar hinging means, ensuring proper alignment and support, and allowing for easy removal and installation, while also accommodating cable passage for display units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hinge mechanism is mounted on top of the refrigerator, then the door can be supported and carried, but the aesthetic appearance deteriorates and insulation problems occur due to poor alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism is inverted from the conventional top-mounting position to an under-mounting position below the refrigerator door. This inversion resolves the aesthetic issue by hiding the hinge mechanism while maintaining its door support function through the vertical arrangement of the support rod and engagement blocks.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism transitions from a horizontal mounting arrangement to a vertical arrangement by positioning the support rod vertically below the door and using vertically extending engagement blocks. This dimensional change allows the mechanism to be hidden while maintaining structural integrity.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional connection elements with longitudinal shafts are used, then the hinge can be mounted, but space occurs between the hinge and shaft causing door disorientation and insulation problems
Solution Approach 1:
The problematic longitudinal shafts and intermediate connection elements are extracted from the design. The invention directly connects the support rod to the engagement blocks that engage with the door, eliminating the space gaps and misalignment issues caused by conventional shaft-based connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The support rod and engagement blocks are merged into an integrated structure where the engagement blocks are directly formed on or attached to the support rod. This merging eliminates the intermediate connection elements and ensures precise alignment between the hinge mechanism and the door.
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 mechanism provides reliable and aesthetically improved door operation by ensuring proper alignment and support, reducing insulation issues and allowing for efficient cable management within the hinge housing.
Implementation Method 1
A pair of engagement blocks (10) associated with helical springs (9) are biased to move two respective contact portions (20) in connection with the engagement blocks (10) in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction of the hinging means (22). The springs (9) are compressible to retract the engagement blocks (10) when one needs to remove the hinging means (22).
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention proposes a refrigerator (1) comprising a hinge mechanism (6) hingeably supporting and carrying the refrigerator door openable to allow access into the refrigerator (1 ), the hinge mechanism (6) having a hinge housing (4) placeable underneath an upper wall (2) of the refrigerator (1) and receiving a hinging means (22) inside the hinge housing (4) in a fixed manner such that the hinging means (22) mechanically communicates with the refrigerator door when effectuating opening and closing of the door.