Refrigerator Storage Guard Auto-Deployment for Door-Linked Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users find it inconvenient to manually pull out or insert storage guards in refrigerators, as it interferes with the opening and closing of doors and can lead to cold air leakage and reduced energy efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with a storage guard mover system that automatically pulls out or inserts the storage guard in response to the opening and closing of the door, using a pusher, guide, slider, gear, and elastic member to move the storage guard at predetermined angles, ensuring seamless door operation without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the storage guard is manually pulled out after opening the door, then the user can access the storage guard, but it interferes with door operation and causes cold air leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The storage guard is automatically pulled out in advance when the door opens to a predetermined angle, before the user needs to access it. This preliminary action eliminates the need for manual pulling and prevents cold air leakage by coordinating the guard's movement with door opening, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of access and energy loss.
2Ease of operation
If the storage guard is manually pulled out, then the user can access food, but it requires manual effort and interferes with door closing
Solution Approach 1:
The storage guard mover system performs the pulling out and inserting actions automatically without requiring user intervention. The system uses the door's own movement as the driving force, making the storage guard serve itself through automatic deployment and retraction, thereby eliminating manual effort while maintaining simple overall system operation.
3Productivity
If the guide moves during small door angles, then the storage guard moves early, but it interferes with door opening and closing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the threshold parameter for guide movement by setting a predetermined door opening angle (e.g., 45 degrees or more) as the trigger condition. This parameter change ensures that the storage guard only moves when the door is sufficiently open, preventing interference with normal door operations while maintaining efficient response when access is actually needed.
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
Enhances user convenience by automating the storage guard's movement, reducing cold air leakage, and improving energy efficiency by allowing access to the storage guard without manual effort and maintaining door functionality.
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
AI summary
A refrigerator capable of allowing a storage guard to be automatically pulled out when a door is opened. The refrigerator includes a body, a first door arranged in front of the body including an opening, and a second door arranged in front of the first door, configured to open and close the opening of the first door. The refrigerator includes a storage guard configured to be pulled out in front of the first door and inserted into the rear of the first door, and mounted to the first door, and a storage guard mover configured to pull out the storage guard to the front of the first door in response to opening of the second door at a predetermined angle or more, and to insert the storage guard into the rear of the first door in response to opening of the second door less than the predetermined angle.