Refrigerator and manufacturing method thereof
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in manufacturing large-sized refrigerators efficiently without additional forming facilities and ensuring an excellent front surface exterior design, while simplifying the assembly structure and improving processing efficiency, especially when dealing with multiple inner cases and hot lines.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a coupling assembly disposed on the rear surfaces of protrusions of separate inner cases, allowing for the assembly of large-sized refrigerators without additional forming facilities, reducing the assembly line on the front surfaces, and simplifying the placement of hot lines by disposing them on the rear surfaces before coupling the cases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the entire inner case is integrally formed for a large-sized refrigerator, then the front surface exterior design is excellent, but a new vacuum forming facility such as a bigger mold is required, leading to investment in an additional facility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the inner case into multiple separate cases (first inner case and second inner case) that are formed using existing vacuum forming facilities. These separate cases are then coupled together using a coupling assembly, allowing large-sized refrigerators to be manufactured without requiring a single large vacuum forming facility, thus avoiding additional facility investment while maintaining design quality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the inner case is divided into a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, then the hot line can be disposed separately, but the positions of the hot lines need to be adjusted and arranged such that the hot lines are fixed to the integrally formed inner case at the same time, causing difficulty in disposing the hot lines and deterioration in processing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by disposing and fixing the hot lines to the separate inner cases before the coupling process. The first hot line is fixed to the first inner case and the second hot line is fixed to the second inner case independently in advance. This eliminates the need to coordinate and fix multiple hot lines simultaneously to an integrally formed case, significantly improving processing efficiency while maintaining the adaptability of separate hot line disposal.
3Ease of operation
If the hot lines are disposed on the front surface of the inner case, then the hot lines can be visible, but an additional cover member covering the hot lines needs to be disposed additionally on the front surface of the inner case
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the function of the cover member with the coupling assembly. The coupling assembly not only couples the separate inner cases together but also serves as the cover for the hot lines disposed on the front surface. This integration eliminates the need for an additional separate cover member, reducing device complexity while maintaining ease of hot line disposal.
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
This approach enables the efficient assembly of large-sized refrigerators with an excellent front surface exterior design, reducing the need for additional components and improving processing efficiency by hiding boundary lines and allowing for separate processing of hot lines, thus enhancing manufacturing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a coupling assembly (300) being coupled to rear surfaces of the first protrusion and the second protrusion and fixing the first inner case and the second inner case
Implementation Method 2
The hot line forms a flow path of refrigerants, and refrigerants passing through the hot line supply heat to the surface of the cabinet of the refrigerator to maintain the temperature of the surface of the cabinet of the refrigerator at the dew point or greater
Implementation Method 3
The inside of the vacuum case is vacuumed, and a portion of the heated resin sheet is drawn into the vacuum case
Implementation Method 4
high-pressure air is blown into the vacuum case to contact the resin sheet with the mold, such that the resin sheet is formed secondarily
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a first inner case having a first front surface defining a first portion of an exterior of a front surface of the refrigerator, a second inner case having a second front surface defining a second portion of the exterior of the front surface of the refrigerator, the second inner case being separable from the first inner case, and a coupling assembly being disposed at a rear of each of the first front surface and the second front surface, the coupling assembly being configured to fix the first inner case to the second inner case. A method for manufacturing the refrigerator is also provided.