Refrigerator Door Hinge Layout for Sealed Auxiliary Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators with auxiliary storage regions face issues of increased power consumption, complex structures, deflection of the auxiliary storage region due to food weight, and interference with the rotary mechanism, leading to poor thermal insulation and cold air leakage.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a second hinge member with a rotary shaft aligned vertically and linearly with the first hinge member's shaft, allowing the auxiliary storage region to rotate relative to the door instead of the cabinet, with a connection portion that bypasses the gasket to prevent interference and maintain thermal insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an auxiliary storage region is added to the refrigerator, then user convenience is improved, but the structure becomes more complex and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary storage region is nested within the door structure of the refrigerator, allowing it to be integrated without adding external complexity. The auxiliary door and storage region are embedded in the main door, creating a compact configuration that provides additional functionality while maintaining a simple overall structure.
2Reliability
If multiple gaskets are installed to seal the auxiliary storage region, then cold air leakage is prevented, but power consumption increases and dew formation risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged into a single gasket configuration where the auxiliary door seals against the main door structure. By combining the sealing boundaries and using one primary gasket instead of multiple separate gaskets, the design maintains reliable sealing while reducing the number of sealing surfaces that could cause dew formation and reducing the energy required for heating and sealing.
3Ease of operation
If a rotary mechanism is installed outside the cabinet to allow independent rotation of the auxiliary storage region, then accessibility is improved, but the hinge structure becomes complicated and weak to perpendicular loads
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of installing the rotary mechanism outside the cabinet as in conventional designs, the rotation mechanism is inverted and installed inside the cabinet structure. The auxiliary door rotates on hinges that are mounted within the cabinet interior, allowing the rotation axis to be positioned where it can better support loads and where the structural members are stronger, thereby simplifying the hinge design and improving load-bearing capacity.
4Ease of operation
If the auxiliary storage region is made rotatable relative to the cabinet, then independent access is improved, but the hinge may be deformed by loads of the auxiliary storage region
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation mechanism is repositioned in a different spatial dimension - the hinge axis is oriented vertically rather than horizontally, and the rotation occurs in a vertical plane rather than a horizontal plane. This dimensional change allows the hinge to better distribute and support the loads from the auxiliary storage region, preventing deformation while maintaining independent rotatability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed herein is a refrigerator including a cabinet (10) defining a first storage region (2) for storing food, a door (20) for opening and closing the first storage region (2), a gasket (26) which is provided on an inner surface of the door (20) and seals the first storage region (2) from outdoor air by forming a sealing boundary when the door (20) closes the first storage region (2), a first hinge member (40) which has a rotary shaft (42) and rotatably connects the door (20) to the cabinet (10) out of the sealing boundary, a container (100) which defines a second storage region for storing food and is received in the first storage region (2), and a second hinge member (200) which is fixed, at one side thereof, to the container (100) within the sealing boundary while being rotatably connected, at the other side thereof, to the door (20), the second hinge member (200) having a ratary shaft (206) which is vertically and linearly aligned with the rotary shaft (42) of the first hinge member (40).