Refrigerator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators often fail to maintain a low-temperature environment in door-side storage spaces due to insufficient cool air distribution, leading to higher internal temperatures and reduced freshness of stored food items.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design incorporating a cool air distribution device with a multi-duct system and duct assembly that directs cool air from the storage chamber to the door-side storage space, ensuring efficient cooling without reducing the storage chamber's capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the evaporator is installed at the rear side of the rear wall and cool air is discharged through the rear wall, then the storage chamber can be cooled, but the door-side storage space cannot receive sufficient cool air due to the distance from the rear wall
Solution Approach 1:
The cool air discharge function is segmented into two separate paths: one for the storage chamber (through the rear wall) and another for the door-side storage space (through the duct assembly extending to the front). This allows each region to receive adequate cool air independently, resolving the contradiction between rear wall discharge efficiency and door-side cooling sufficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The cool air distribution is extended from a single rear wall discharge point to a three-dimensional network including both rear wall discharge holes and a front-extending duct assembly. This dimensional expansion ensures cool air reaches both the rear storage chamber and the front door-side storage space effectively.
2Reliability
If a gasket structure is disposed in the periphery of the door to improve sealing, then door sealing is improved, but cool air transmission to the door-side storage space is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The door structure is segmented into an inner door and an outer door, creating a door-side storage space between them. The gasket is positioned at the periphery of this space, sealing it from the external environment while the duct assembly penetrates through the inner door to supply cool air directly into this sealed space, thus maintaining both sealing integrity and cool air transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The duct assembly acts as an intermediary that penetrates through the inner door to deliver cool air directly into the door-side storage space, bypassing the gasket barrier. This allows the gasket to maintain sealing while the duct ensures adequate cool air supply to the door-side storage space.
3Quantity of substance
If food items are stored in the door-side storage space, then storage capacity is increased, but they become obstacles for cool air circulation causing higher internal temperature
Solution Approach 1:
Cool air is supplied to the door-side storage space in advance through the duct assembly before food items are placed or during the initial cooling phase. This preliminary cooling action ensures that even when food items are stored in the space, the cool air circulation is already established and can effectively cool the food items without allowing temperature to rise.
4Volume of stationary object
If the refrigerator is designed with deeper storage chamber and door-side storage space, then storage capacity is increased, but cool air distribution becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is segmented into the main storage chamber and the door-side storage space, each with dedicated cool air supply paths. The multi-duct system in the storage chamber and the separate duct assembly for the door-side storage space ensure that increased volume does not compromise cooling efficiency, as each region receives targeted cool air distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The cool air distribution system is extended from a two-dimensional rear wall discharge to a three-dimensional network that includes vertical multi-ducts in the storage chamber and a horizontal duct assembly extending to the door-side storage space. This dimensional expansion ensures adequate cool air reaches all regions despite increased storage volume.
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
The design effectively maintains a low-temperature environment in the door-side storage space, improving the freshness of stored food by ensuring proper cool air distribution to both the storage chamber and the door-side storage space.
Implementation Method 1
a cool air distribution device that is disposed inside the inner case and that defines a box inlet portion configured to receive cool air
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes an inner case defining a storage chamber, a door disposed at a front portion of the inner case and defining a storage space therein, a cool air distribution device disposed inside the inner case and defining a box inlet portion configured to receive cool air, a multi-duct disposed in the inner case and defining discharge holes configured to discharge a first portion of cool air in the cool air distribution device to the storage chamber, and a duct assembly that extends from the cool air distribution device toward the door and that is configured to carry a second portion of cool air in the cool air distribution device. The inner case defines a case inlet at the front portion of the inner case, and the case inlet is configured to communicate with the duct assembly and supply the second portion of cool air to the storage chamber.