Refrigerator Lower Hinge Structure for Independent Door Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators face issues with door height misalignment and deflection due to manufacturing errors, leading to operational malfunctions and aesthetic issues, as existing solutions require synchronized adjustments of the body and door heights, which can result in hinge bracket deformation over time.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a lower portion hinge with a fixed and mobile bracket system, where the body and door heights can be independently adjusted using separate supporting legs, with the mobile bracket's vertical bracket and fixed bracket's accommodating portion restricting lateral and forward/backward movements, and screw mechanisms allowing for precise height adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the door height is adjusted by raising/lowering the door rotation shaft on the hinge bracket, then the door height alignment is improved, but the hinge bracket undergoes deflection due to door weight over time
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge system is divided into two separate brackets: a fixed bracket that remains stationary and a mobile bracket that can move vertically. This segmentation allows the door weight to be supported by the fixed bracket while the mobile bracket handles height adjustment, preventing deflection of the support structure.
Solution Approach 2:
A mobile bracket is introduced as an intermediary component between the fixed bracket and the door. This mobile bracket acts as a mediator that can be adjusted to different heights while the fixed bracket provides stable support, thus achieving height adjustment without compromising structural stability.
2Ease of operation
If the body and door heights are adjusted together using a synchronized mechanism, then the adjustment process is simplified, but the door height cannot be independently adjusted from the body height
Solution Approach 1:
The height adjustment system is segmented into two independent adjustment mechanisms: one for the body height and another for the door height. This allows each component to be adjusted independently while maintaining simple operation through separate control of each adjustment mechanism.
3Device complexity
If the hinge bracket supports both the body and door weights, then the structure is simplified, but deflection occurs due to the combined weight load
Solution Approach 1:
The weight support function is segmented between two brackets: the fixed bracket supports the body weight while the mobile bracket supports the door weight. This segmentation distributes the load appropriately, preventing deflection while maintaining structural simplicity through the use of two basic bracket components.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile bracket serves as an intermediary that carries the door weight separately from the fixed bracket that carries the body weight. This intermediary structure prevents the fixed bracket from undergoing deflection while maintaining a simple overall hinge system design.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator capable of adjusting the height of a body independent of the height of a door, in which a lower portion hinge connecting the body to the door includes a fixed bracket having one portion fixed to a bottom surface of the body while having the remaining portion protruded to a front side of the refrigerator, a mobile bracket coupled to the fixed bracket so as to enable a sliding movement and allowing the door to placed thereon, in which a body supporting leg and a door supporting leg are screwed to a lower portion of the fixed bracket and a lower portion of the mobile bracket, respectively, to adjust the respective heights of the fixed bracket and the mobile bracket.