Refrigerator Door Hinge Cover with Integrated Cable Guide Rib
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing hinge systems for household appliances, such as refrigerators, face challenges in allowing the door to open at a large enough angle and absorbing the forces effectively, while also requiring additional manufacturing steps and costs due to the need to route and secure electrical cables during assembly.
Innovation Solution
A cover design with a guide rib that extends parallel to the bearing bracket, incorporating a bearing bushing with a cable feedthrough aligned parallel to the pivot axis, and a lead-through area that allows the cable to be securely routed without separate guides, along with a connecting device for precise attachment to the appliance, reducing assembly complexity and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electrical cable is concealed under the cover or guided in a separate channel, then the cable is protected and organized, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cable guidance function directly into the cover structure by integrating a guide rib and cable entry area into the cover itself. This eliminates the need for separate cable channels or guides, thereby protecting the cable while simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is designed to perform multiple functions: it protects the bearing bracket, provides structural support, and simultaneously guides and protects the electrical cable through its integrated guide rib and cable entry area. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional cable management components.
2Ease of manufacture
If the cable is routed without additional securing methods, then assembly is simplified and costs are reduced, but the cable may shift during installation
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rib and cable entry area are pre-formed as integral parts of the cover structure. These features automatically guide and secure the cable in the correct position during assembly without requiring additional securing steps, thereby simplifying assembly while maintaining cable position stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rib acts as an intermediary structure between the cable and the cover body. It provides a predefined path that naturally guides and secures the cable in place during installation, eliminating the need for additional securing methods while maintaining cable stability.
3Device complexity
If the cover design includes integrated cable guidance features, then separate cable guides are eliminated, but the cover design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cable guidance function into the cover structure itself through the guide rib and cable entry area. This integration eliminates the need for separate cable guide components, reducing the total number of parts while the guide rib's simple geometric form keeps the manufacturing complexity manageable.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a household appliance (9), especially to a refrigerator, and to a cover (30) for covering a first free end (14), to a pivot pin (12), to a bearing bracket (10), which is intended for mounting a door (9a) of the household appliance (9), wherein the pivot pin (12) has a second free end (15), which is facing away from the first free end (14)) and can be slipped onto a bearing bush (20), which comprises a feed-through (22) for an electrical cable (60), which is aligned essentially parallel to the direction extending from the first free end to the second free end, wherein the cover (30) has a lateral inlet (32) for the electric cable (60) and, at its side facing the household appliance (9), has a guide rib (34) for the cable (60), the guide rib (34) preferably extending essentially parallel to the bearing bracket (10).