Home appliance having a machine compartment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home appliances, particularly domestic cooling devices, face challenges in machine compartment placement due to varying door opening directions, leading to complexity and potential damage from high-temperature components.
Innovation Solution
A home appliance design featuring a separator wall that divides the machine compartment into sub-partitions, with the opening device positioned in a cooler sub-partition to avoid high-temperature components, and a movable pushing element for door opening, ensuring compatibility with both left and right-opening doors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the opening device is positioned in the machine compartment to accommodate varying door opening directions, then the appliance can support both left and right opening doors, but the placement complexity increases and the opening device is exposed to high temperatures from components like the compressor
Solution Approach 1:
The machine compartment is divided into multiple sub-compartments using a separator wall. The opening device is placed in a specific sub-compartment that is spatially separated from high-temperature components like the compressor. This segmentation allows the opening device to maintain its function for both left and right opening doors while being protected from thermal exposure, thereby reducing placement complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the opening device is positioned in the machine compartment, then it can be integrated with the door mechanism, but the high temperature from components like the compressor (reaching 90°C) adversely affects the opening device
Solution Approach 1:
The machine compartment is divided into multiple sub-compartments using a separator wall. The opening device is placed in a specific sub-compartment that is spatially separated from high-temperature components like the compressor. This segmentation allows the opening device to maintain its function for both left and right opening doors while being protected from thermal exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator wall acts as an intermediary structure that physically separates the opening device from high-temperature components. This intermediary barrier protects the temperature-sensitive opening device while allowing it to remain integrated with the door mechanism in the machine compartment.
3Volume of stationary object
If the machine compartment volume is reduced to optimize appliance size, then the overall appliance dimensions are minimized, but there is insufficient space to accommodate both the compressor and the opening device with proper spacing
Solution Approach 1:
The machine compartment is divided into multiple sub-compartments using a separator wall, creating efficient spatial organization. This segmentation allows compact arrangement of the compressor in one sub-compartment and the opening device in another, maximizing space utilization while maintaining necessary spacing between components.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator wall introduces a vertical or lateral dimension to the space organization within the machine compartment. By utilizing this additional spatial dimension, the design accommodates both the compressor and opening device in a compact volume, effectively transforming the space utilization strategy.
Data Source
AI summary
A home appliance, particularly a domestic cooling device, includes a body, a storage compartment encircled by the body for storing items, and a machine compartment separate from the storage compartment in which at least one component is provided for operating in the storage compartment. A separator wall divides the machine compartment into sub-partitions including inner spaces. A movable pushing element aids opening of a door which can move in a rotatable manner between an open position where at least partial access can be provided into the storage compartment through a front opening and a closed position where the front opening is covered. The separator wall includes a first wall part defining a pocket part at least partially receiving the opening device in the first inner space of the first sub-partition.