Fridge and/or freezer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator and freezer profile arrangements suffer from dirt accumulation, material diffusion leading to visual and haptic inferiority, limited design options, and difficulty in cleaning, due to geometries that allow dirt settlement and material additives causing elastic property degradation and visual impairments.
Innovation Solution
A profile arrangement featuring a flexible polymeric material with a Shore A hardness of 50 to 95, incorporating a functional element such as a lighting element or sensor, which is at least partially transparent or translucent, allowing for versatile integration and easy cleaning, while maintaining tolerance compensation and enhancing aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional bellows or seal arrangements are used in profile arrangements, then tolerance compensation and sealing function are achieved, but dirt accumulates in the expansion folds and is difficult to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the sealing function from the traditional bellows structure and implements it through a profile arrangement that extends from the closure element. The seal profile with its specific geometry (including the sealing edge and compression mechanism) provides the necessary sealing without the enclosed folds of traditional bellows, thereby eliminating dirt accumulation zones while maintaining the sealing function.
2Strength
If traditional sealing materials with additives are used, then sealing elasticity is achieved, but additives diffuse causing visual and haptic inferiority
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a composite material structure consisting of a thermoplastic elastomer base material combined with a plasticizer. This composite formulation achieves the necessary sealing elasticity and compression set resistance without relying on traditional additives that cause diffusion. The specific material composition (thermoplastic elastomer with controlled plasticizer content) provides both the mechanical properties and visual/haptic quality required.
3Adaptability or versatility
If functional elements are integrated into the profile arrangement, then versatility and aesthetics are enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The profile arrangement is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides sealing, tolerance compensation, and serves as a mounting structure for functional elements such as lighting elements or sensors. The hollow chamber and integrated mounting features allow these additional functions to be incorporated without fundamentally changing the basic profile structure, thereby achieving versatility while controlling manufacturing complexity.
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 solution provides a visually appealing, easy-to-clean profile arrangement that maintains tolerance compensation, offers versatile functionality integration, and enhances the design and functionality of refrigerators and freezers by using transparent or translucent materials for the functional elements, such as LED strips or optical waveguides, which can be integrated during manufacturing or as upgrades.
Implementation Method 1
the functional element is designed as a lighting element
Implementation Method 2
Magnetic seal, which is equipped with a sealing head and a sealing base... the sealing head equipped with magnetic strips when the door is closed it rests on the opening edge of the housing and holds the door firmly at the opening edge
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Profile arrangement (1) for a cooling and/or freezing appliance (10) and/or a closure element (2), comprising at least one base (8), at least one fastening arrangement (2) and at least one sealing arrangement (3), which has at least one hollow chamber (30, 31, 32, 33) made of a soft elastic polymeric material with a Shore A hardness according to DIN ISO 868 of about 50 to 95, preferably 60 to 90, wherein the profile arrangement (1) has at least one functional element (100).