Refrigerator Multi-Link Hinge Guide Device to Protect Wires and Pipes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators with multi-link hinges face interference issues with adjacent components, leading to potential damage of electric wires and water pipes due to exposure and entanglement within the hinge structure, compromising safety and aesthetics.
Innovation Solution
A guide device is integrated into the refrigerator door, featuring an electric wire guide and a pipe guide that rotate and linearly move to guide the wires and pipes internally, separate from the hinge, ensuring they are not exposed and avoiding interference with the hinge mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a multi-link hinge is used to enable compact rotation and avoid interference with adjacent objects, then the door can rotate smoothly without interference, but the electric wire and water pipe may be caught in the hinge device and damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electric wire and water pipe from the hinge mechanism by introducing a separate guide device. The guide device includes a guide hole that directs the wire and pipe from the cabinet body to the door, keeping them separate from the multi-link hinge components. This extraction eliminates the risk of the wire and pipe being caught in the hinge while preserving the hinge's rotation function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the system into distinct functional components: the multi-link hinge for rotation, the guide device for wire/pipe guidance, and the mounting bracket for structural support. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, preventing interference between the hinge mechanism and the electrical/water supply systems.
2Ease of manufacture
If the electric wire and water pipe are disposed along the hinge device to guide them to the door, then they can be connected internally, but they become exposed to the outside and create safety issues and poor appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing the electric wire and water pipe inside the guide device, which is itself mounted within the hinge cover. The hinge cover then encloses the entire assembly, creating a nested structure where the wire and pipe are protected inside multiple layers (guide device → hinge cover → door assembly), eliminating external exposure while maintaining internal connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide device serves as an intermediary structure that provides a dedicated pathway for the electric wire and water pipe. Instead of allowing the wire and pipe to be exposed or to pass directly through the hinge mechanism, the guide device mediates their routing, offering both structural support and protection while enabling clean internal routing from the cabinet body to the door.
3Volume of moving object
If the door thickness is reduced to minimize interference with adjacent components, then the refrigerator can be installed in close contact with wall or furniture, but the hinge structure becomes more complex to accommodate the rotation trajectory
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a multi-link hinge mechanism that provides dynamic adaptation to the door's rotation trajectory. The multiple links can adjust their angles and positions during rotation, enabling the door to follow a complex arc path that accommodates thin door construction while avoiding interference with adjacent walls or furniture. This dynamic structure replaces what would otherwise require a much thicker door for a simple hinge.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a mounting bracket disposed at a top surface of the cabinet, a door configured to rotate relative to the cabinet, a hinge cover that is disposed at the top surface of the cabinet and covers the mounting bracket, a hinge including a door bracket disposed at the door, a hinge bracket disposed at the mounting bracket, and a plurality of links that connect the door bracket to the hinge bracket, a guide device having a first side disposed at the door and a second side that passes through a cover opening at a front surface of the hinge cover and is disposed inside the hinge cover, and an electric wire or a water pipe disposed along an inside of the guide device.