Refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators face issues with reduced main body stiffness due to insulation thickness reduction for increased capacity, leading to deformation and weakened insulation performance, and lack effective fire containment and space utilization for electronic components.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a reinforcement structure, including steel reinforcement plates and a cool air duct with a metal front panel and streamlined design, to maintain uniform temperature and improve stiffness, while enhancing space utilization and fire containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If insulation thickness is reduced to increase inner capacity, then inner volume increases, but main body stiffness decreases and deformation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines plastic inner casing, steel outer casing, and insulation material into a composite structure. The steel reinforcement plates are integrated into the plastic inner casing to create a composite material system that provides both the necessary stiffness and the reduced thickness for increased inner capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement structure is divided into multiple steel reinforcement plates positioned at specific locations (front surface, rear surface, and side surfaces) rather than using a single continuous reinforcement layer. This segmented approach provides targeted stiffness where needed while maintaining overall inner capacity.
2Volume of stationary object
If insulation thickness is reduced to increase inner capacity, then inner volume increases, but insulation performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite insulation system combining foam insulation material with steel reinforcement plates. The steel plates serve dual functions: reinforcing the main body structure and providing additional thermal barrier, thereby maintaining insulation performance even with reduced overall insulation thickness.
3Temperature
If main body is thermally contracted to room temperature, then temperature drops, but deformation into convex shape occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The steel reinforcement plates embedded in the plastic inner casing create a composite structure with different thermal contraction properties. The steel plates constrain the plastic material's contraction, preventing the convex deformation that would otherwise occur during thermal contraction to room temperature.
4Strength
If reinforcement structure is added to improve stiffness, then main body stiffness increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The steel reinforcement plates are integrated directly into the plastic inner casing during the molding process, merging the reinforcement function with the casing structure. This eliminates the need for separate reinforcement components and assembly steps, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining improved stiffness.
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 maintains uniform temperature and reduces deformation, improves stiffness, and prevents fire spread, while optimizing space for electronic components and enhancing insulation performance.
Implementation Method 1
an evaporator (E1) to supply cool air to the storage chamber (21)
Implementation Method 2
the insulation (15) is foamed between the inner casing (11) and the outer casing (13) so as to prevent leakage of cool air from the storage chamber
Implementation Method 3
the insulation is hardened or stiffened, and the main body is thermally contracted
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator configured to improve main body stiffness, which is decreased as thickness of an insulation material is reduced to increase inner capacity of the main body, using a reinforcement structure, resulting in reduction of deformation of the main body.Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator in which an electronic box including various electronic constituent elements needed to control the operation of the refrigerator is disposed in a hinge cover provided in a forward direction of an upper part of the main body, resulting in improved space utilization (or space occupancy).Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator in which a reinforcement plate formed of steel is contained in the electronic box, such that, although a fire breaks out in constituent elements contained in the electronic box, the refrigerator can prevent the fire from spreading to the outside of the electronic box using the steel reinforcement plate.