Refrigerator Nested Container Design to Reduce Power and Sagging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators with auxiliary storage compartments face issues such as increased power consumption, deformation, and sagging due to the need for additional doors and gaskets, which reduce storage space and interfere with the main storage compartment's operation.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a single door that seals both the main and auxiliary storage compartments, using a pivotally rotatable container with integrated horizontal and vertical members formed from metal to minimize sagging and maximize storage space, and a gasket that seals the compartments without the need for additional gaskets, reducing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate auxiliary storage compartment with its own door and gasket is installed, then cold air leakage is prevented, but power consumption increases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the auxiliary storage compartment with the main refrigerator compartment by removing the separate door and gasket structure. The auxiliary compartment becomes an internal space accessible through the main door, eliminating the need for a second sealing system and associated hot wire heating, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining cold air sealing through the single main gasket.
Solution Approach 2:
The main door and gasket structure serves multiple functions: it seals both the main refrigerator compartment and the auxiliary storage compartment simultaneously. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate sealing mechanisms, reducing both device complexity and power consumption while maintaining reliable cold air containment for both storage spaces.
2Reliability
If a separate auxiliary storage compartment with door and gasket is installed, then cold air leakage is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the auxiliary storage compartment into the main refrigerator compartment structure, eliminating the need for a separate door and gasket. The auxiliary compartment is accessed through the main door, reducing the total number of sealing components from two gaskets and two doors to one gasket and one door, thereby simplifying the device structure while maintaining sealing reliability.
3Temperature
If the auxiliary storage compartment body is filled with insulator, then thermal insulation is improved, but volume of storage space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary storage compartment is nested within the main refrigerator compartment space, utilizing the existing thermal environment. This nested configuration eliminates the need for separate insulator material in the auxiliary compartment, as it shares the thermal boundary with the main compartment, thereby maximizing the available storage volume while maintaining adequate thermal insulation through the shared wall structure.
4Volume of moving object
If the auxiliary storage compartment body volume is reduced, then storage space is maximized, but sagging and deformation occur under load
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary storage compartment body is constructed using composite material structure, combining metal framework for structural strength with plastic or other materials for the body. This composite construction provides sufficient load-bearing capacity to prevent sagging and deformation while maintaining a compact volume that maximizes storage space. The metal reinforcement strategically positioned in the body structure ensures stability without requiring excessive volume.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a cabinet (10) configured to define a first storage region in which food is stored, a door (20) rotatably connected to a first rotating shaft via a first hinge member (40) to open or close the first storage region, the first rotating shaft being located at the front of the cabinet (10), a gasket provided at the door (20) and a container (100) configured to define a second storage region, the second storage region being received in the first storage region, the container (100) being rotatably connected to a second rotating shaft via a second hinge member (200), the second rotating shaft being located at the door (20).