Refrigerator Sliding Secondary Door for Access and Cooling Loss Reduction

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Large capacity refrigerators lead to increased energy consumption and difficulty in accessing stored goods due to larger door sizes and secondary door obstructions, resulting in inefficient cooling capacity and user experience issues.

Innovation Solution

A refrigerator design featuring a main door with a secondary door that slides along a guide rail, driven by a mechanism allowing partial or full opening to reduce cooling loss and improve accessibility, while maintaining the secondary door within the same plane as the main door to avoid external space occupation and body obstruction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If a large-sized refrigerator door is used to increase storage capacity, then the refrigerator capacity is improved, but cooling capacity leakage increases and energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverefrigerator storage capacityVSAvoidcooling capacity leakage

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The refrigerator door system is segmented into a main door and a secondary door. The secondary door can be opened independently to access frequently used items stored in the storage space on the main door, avoiding the need to open the entire large-sized main door. This segmentation reduces cooling capacity leakage and energy consumption while maintaining large storage capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of energy

If a secondary door is provided on the main door to reduce cooling loss, then energy consumption is decreased, but the secondary door occupies external space and blocks the user's body

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling capacity lossVSAvoiduser accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The secondary door is designed to slide along a guide rail in a horizontal direction rather than rotating outward. This dimensional change allows the secondary door to open without occupying external space in front of the refrigerator and without blocking the user's body, while still effectively reducing cooling capacity loss when accessing items.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

A guide rail is introduced as an intermediary mechanism to enable the secondary door to slide horizontally. This intermediary structure facilitates smooth opening and closing motion while preventing the secondary door from obstructing the user's access path and avoiding occupation of external space.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If the secondary door rotates about a horizontal revolving shaft to open, then the opening can be enclosed or opened, but the angle between the secondary door and main door increases occupying more external space

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedoor opening functionVSAvoidexternal space occupation

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of rotating the secondary door outward about a horizontal revolving shaft (which increases external space occupation), the design inverts the motion direction by sliding the secondary door horizontally along a guide rail. This inversion allows the secondary door to open without increasing the external footprint of the refrigerator.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

4Quantity of substance

If the refrigerator depth is increased to provide more storage space, then storage capacity is improved, but difficulty in fetching goods increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage spaceVSAvoidgoods accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The storage space is segmented into frequently used items (accessible through the secondary door on the main door) and less frequently used items (stored deeper in the refrigerator). This segmentation allows users to access frequently used items without reaching deep into the refrigerator, improving accessibility while maintaining increased storage capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10317125B2Refrigerator

Publication Date: 2019.06.11 HISENSE RONSHEN GUANGDONG REFRIGERATOR

AI summary

The present invention discloses a refrigerator and relates to the technical field of refrigerators. The refrigerator is invented to settle problems, such as increased external space occupied by a refrigerator when its secondary door is opened, increased difficulty in fetching goods in the refrigerator, and heavy loss of cooling capacity resulted from the full opening of an opening. The inventive refrigerator comprises a main door; an opening is formed on a door body of the main door; a guide rail is provided at an edge of the opening, and a secondary door is fitted on the guide rail; and the secondary door is connected with a driving mechanism which can drive the secondary door to slide along the guide rail, and as the secondary door slides along the guide rail, the secondary door can enclose or open the opening. The refrigerator of the present invention is used for preserving and freezing foods.