Refrigerator Hinge Wire Routing for Variable-Center Door Movement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators with a changing door rotational center pose challenges in arranging wires from the door to the main body, leading to potential damage and external exposure of wires due to the unpredictable movement of hinge pins.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a guide member and hinge plate with a plate opening and wire hole that guide the wire through the hinge plate, ensuring it remains protected and aligned during door opening and closing, using a hinge cover to shield the wire.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple hinge pins are used to support the door top and bottom, then the door can open and close by varying its center of rotation, but the center of rotation becomes unfixed making wire arrangement difficult
Solution Approach 1:
A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the hinge pins and the door. The guide member has a guide groove that constrains the movement path of the hinge pins, thereby controlling the door's rotation center variation. This mediator allows the door to open and close flexibly while providing a predictable path for wire arrangement through the guide groove.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the door uses multiple hinge pins with varying rotation center, then door opening flexibility is improved, but wire damage and external exposure occur due to unpredictable hinge pin movement
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member acts as a mediator that controls the hinge pin movement through its guide groove. This groove provides a predetermined path that limits the range and direction of hinge pin displacement, thereby protecting wires from damage and preventing their external exposure while preserving door opening flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide groove is pre-formed in the guide member to establish the movement path of the hinge pins before the door operation begins. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that the hinge pins follow a controlled trajectory during door opening and closing, preventing unpredictable movements that could damage wires.
3Ease of operation
If wire hole is formed in the door, then wire can pass through to reach the cabinet, but the wire path becomes exposed and vulnerable during door movement
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member serves as an intermediary structure that houses the wire protection function. The guide groove in the guide member provides a protected channel through which the wire can extend from the door to the cabinet, shielding the wire from external damage while maintaining a simple routing path.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes: a cabinet having a storage space with an open front; a door configured to open and close the storage space; a hinge including a hinge plate mounted on the cabinet and a pair of hinge pins protruding from the hinge plate; and a guide member provided on the door to allow the pair of hinge pins to be inserted and forming a path along which the hinge pins move when the door is opened and closed. A plate opening is formed in the hinge plate through which a wire extending from the interior of the door passes and is guided toward the cabinet.