Refrigerator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In refrigerators, the inner diameter of the hinge shaft is restricted by the door thickness, making it difficult to guide multiple electric wires through, which can lead to exposure and damage when the door is open, causing interference and severe problems.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a sub-door with a sub-hinge cover that shields both the main and sub-hinge shafts, allowing wires to pass through internally and preventing exposure, using a sub-cover and wire entrance structure to manage wires without changing their length or causing interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the door thickness is reduced, then the refrigerator design becomes more compact and modern, but the inner diameter of the hinge shaft is restricted, making it impossible to guide multiple electric wires through
Solution Approach 1:
The patent guides wires through the hinge shaft in a multi-dimensional path rather than a straight line. The wires enter through the door, pass through the hinge shaft, and exit to the main body, utilizing the three-dimensional space within the hinge assembly to accommodate wire routing despite limited linear distance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent nests multiple wires within the confined space of the hinge shaft by arranging them in a bundled configuration. The wires are guided through the same structural pathway (the hinge shaft), effectively nesting multiple conductors within a single protective channel that is integrated into the hinge assembly
2Reliability
If multiple electric wires are guided through the hinge shaft, then wire protection is improved, but the inner diameter requirement increases, conflicting with thin door design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple wire guidance functions into a single structural element - the hinge shaft. Instead of providing separate protective channels for each wire, the design combines all wire routing functions within the existing hinge shaft structure, eliminating the need for additional diameter while maintaining protection
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge shaft is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the rotational pivot for the door and as a protective conduit for multiple electric wires. This multi-functionality allows the same structural element to fulfill both mechanical and electrical protection roles without requiring additional space
3Ease of manufacture
If electric wires are not guided through the hinge shaft, then wire installation is simpler, but the exposed wires may be moved, interfere with other elements, be damaged or disconnected when the door is open
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge shaft serves as an intermediary structure that mediates between the door and main body while providing wire protection. The wires pass through this intermediate element, which absorbs the mechanical complexity of door movement while keeping the wire routing simple and protected
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a control unit provided in the cabinet and controlling an operation of the refrigerator, a main door that opens or closes the cabinet and has an opening formed therein, a main hinge that couples the cabinet to the main door and allows the main door to be pivotably mounted, a sub-door that is formed on a front surface of the refrigerator and opens or closes the opening, a sub-hinge that couples the main door to the sub-door and allows the sub-door to be pivotably mounted, a sub-hinge cover that simultaneously shield a main hinge shaft of the main hinge and a sub-hinge shaft of the sub-hinge, and a wire disposed to extend from an inside of the sub-door, to be connected with the control unit, and to sequentially pass through the sub-hinge shaft and the main hinge shaft along an inside of the sub-hinge cover.