Refrigerator Storage Bin Auto-Deployment for Door-Angle-Based Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users find it inconvenient to manually pull out or insert the storage guard in a refrigerator, which is often fixed to the door, hindering easy access and increasing the risk of cold air leakage and reduced energy efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring a storage guard mover mechanism that automatically pulls out or inserts the storage guard in response to the opening or closing of a secondary door, utilizing a pusher, guide, slider, gear, and elastic member to facilitate movement only when the door reaches a predetermined angle, ensuring convenient access and maintaining energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the storage guard is manually pulled out or inserted, then user access is enabled, but user convenience is reduced and manual effort is required
Solution Approach 1:
The storage guard automatically pulls out or inserts itself in response to door opening or closing, eliminating the need for manual user operation. The system serves itself by detecting door state changes and autonomously actuating the storage guard through an integrated mover mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage guard is pre-positioned in a retracted state within the door body. When the door opens, the mechanism preliminarily prepares for extraction and automatically deploys the storage guard to an extended position before the user needs to access it, ensuring readiness without manual intervention.
2Ease of operation
If the storage guard is fixed to the door, then structural simplicity is maintained, but access convenience is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The storage guard transitions from a fixed static structure to a dynamic movable structure. It can automatically extend outward when the door opens and retract when the door closes, adapting its position based on operational conditions to provide convenient access while maintaining a compact form when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage guard is separated into a movable component distinct from the door body, connected through a specialized mover mechanism. This segmentation allows the storage guard to independently move relative to the door, enabling extended access functionality without compromising the overall door structure.
3Reliability
If the storage guard is manually operated, then device complexity is reduced, but cold air leakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback from door opening/closing actions to automatically control the storage guard's movement. When the door opens, the mechanism detects this state change and triggers the storage guard to extend; when the door closes, it triggers retraction. This feedback loop ensures the storage guard is only extended when necessary, minimizing cold air leakage while maintaining energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical operation of pulling or pushing the storage guard is replaced with an automated mechanical system that responds to door state changes. This substitution eliminates the need for user intervention while maintaining reliable operation and reducing energy loss by ensuring the storage guard is only extended when the door is open.
4Productivity
If the guide is moved at any door angle, then storage guard responsiveness is improved, but precision of movement control is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The guide is designed with a specific geometric profile that changes its effective engagement parameters based on door opening angle. At small door angles, the guide geometry prevents movement; as the door angle reaches a predetermined threshold, the guide geometry changes to enable controlled movement. This parameter change based on door angle provides both responsiveness and precise control over when and how the storage guard moves.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide incorporates a curved contact surface with a specific arc radius that corresponds to the pusher's rotation radius. This curvature is designed so that during initial door opening, the pusher rotates along the curved surface without causing guide movement. Once the door angle reaches the predetermined value, the geometry changes to allow the guide to move, providing precise angular-based control.
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 automatic movement of the storage guard enhances user convenience, reduces cold air leakage, and improves energy efficiency by ensuring the storage guard is only accessed when necessary, minimizing manual effort and maintaining optimal refrigeration conditions.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member configured to accumulate an elastic force when the second door is closed, and configured to provide the elastic force to move the slider when the second door is opened at the predetermined angle or more
Data Source
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AI summary
A refrigerator (1) capable of allowing a storage bin (50) to be automatically pulled out when a door (40) is opened. The refrigerator (1) includes a body (10), a first door (30) arranged in front of the body (10) including an opening, and a second door (40) arranged in front of the first door (30), configured to open and close the opening of the first door (30). The refrigerator includes a storage bin (50) configured to be pulled out in front of the first door (30) and inserted into the rear of the first door (30), and mounted to the first door (30), and a storage bin mover (100) configured to pull out the storage bin (50) to the front of the first door (30) in response to opening of the second door (40) at a predetermined angle or more, and to insert the storage bin (50) into the rear of the first door (30) in response to opening of the second door (40) less than the predetermined angle.