Refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators with moving baskets face issues of insecure basket movement due to exposed levers, interference with stored items, and difficulty in applying force for desired direction manipulation, leading to unstable and insecure operation.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a moving basket system with a lever that is accessible through an opening, a supporting unit, and a stopper mechanism, where the lever and stopper are configured to rotate and move between positions, allowing secure support and easy manipulation of the basket, with a rail system that guides the basket and is hidden from exterior view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the lever is located in an inner portion of the opening in radial direction, then the exterior design is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lever is nested within the moving frame structure, which is itself contained within the door assembly. The lever operates through the opening but is physically housed within the moving frame's internal cavity, achieving both aesthetic concealment and operational accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The moving frame acts as an intermediary structure that houses the lever while allowing its operation. The frame's opening provides access for user manipulation, while the frame itself conceals the lever from external view, mediating between aesthetic requirements and operational needs.
2Ease of operation
If the lever is projected downward and forward, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to interference with stored items
Solution Approach 1:
The lever is extracted from its traditional exposed position and relocated into the internal cavity of the moving frame. This separation removes the lever from the operational space where food items are stored, eliminating interference risks while preserving manipulative accessibility through the frame's opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The lever operation is transitioned from a three-dimensional space shared with stored items to a two-dimensional plane within the moving frame's opening. This dimensional repositioning allows user interaction without physical conflict with vertically stored food items.
3Ease of operation
If the lever is located in a lower portion of the moving basket, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to collision damage
Solution Approach 1:
The lever is extracted from the vulnerable lower portion of the moving basket and repositioned within the protected internal cavity of the moving frame. This relocation removes the lever from the collision zone where glass bottles and other items might impact it, while maintaining operational accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The moving frame structure provides beforehand protection for the lever by enclosing it within its cavity. This structural cushioning prevents direct exposure to collision risks from stored items, particularly glass bottles that might fall or shift during door operation.
4Ease of manufacture
If the rail is visible from exterior, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the shape deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rail is nested within the moving frame structure, which is itself contained within the door assembly. The rail operates vertically within the frame's internal cavity, concealed from external view, while maintaining its functional role in guiding the moving basket's vertical movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The moving frame acts as an intermediary that conceals the rail from external view while preserving its operational function. The frame's structure provides a hidden channel for the rail, mediating between aesthetic requirements for a clean exterior and manufacturing requirements for a functional rail system.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator that includes: a cabinet; a first door; a second door; a moving basket that includes: a basket, a moving frame that is arranged to have a first distance between the moving frame and the basket, and a bridge that couples the basket to the moving frame; a rail that is coupled to the first door and that is configured to guide the moving basket; a supporting unit that is projected from the bridge toward the rail and that supports the moving basket; a lever that, based on user manipulation, to moves between a first position and a second position, wherein the moving frame is configured to accommodate at least a portion of the lever; and a stopper that is coupled to the rail based on a position of the lever and that is configured to stop the moving basket is disclosed.