Refrigerator Sub-Door Latch and Side-Mounted Operation Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerator sub-doors often have operation buttons that are inconveniently located, making them difficult to use and limiting the design aesthetics, as they are typically positioned where they interfere with the locking mechanism and can be pressed in a direction opposite to the door's opening direction.
Innovation Solution
A design that includes an operation member for opening the sub-door, a latch member for releasing the door constraint, and a connection member with a protrusion to prevent movement in unwanted directions, allowing the operation member to be positioned for easy user access while maintaining a clean front appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the operation button is exposed at the front of the sub-door, then the operation is easily accessible, but the appearance of the refrigerator door is deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The operation button is extracted from the front surface of the sub-door and relocated to the side surface. This removes the visual element that deteriorates the appearance while preserving the operational function through the side-accessible button and connection member mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
A connection member is introduced as an intermediary element that transmits the operating force from the button on the side surface to the locking unit. This allows the button to be positioned away from the front surface while still effectively actuating the latch hook and latch cam
2Device complexity
If the operation button is located at the position of the locking unit, then the structure is compact, but the operation structure is limited and operation is inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The operation button is relocated from the front surface (two-dimensional plane) to the side surface of the sub-door, utilizing a different spatial dimension. This provides better ergonomic access while the connection member maintains the mechanical linkage to the locking unit
3Reliability
If the operation button is pressed in a direction opposite to the opening direction, then the locking unit can be actuated, but user convenience is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of pressing the button in the direction opposite to door opening, the button is now pressed in the same direction as door opening (or naturally convenient direction). The connection member is designed to transmit this force effectively to actuate the latch hook and latch cam, inverting the original operational direction for improved convenience
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet that defines a storage space, a main door having an opening, and a sub-door configured to, based on rotating in the rotation directions of the main door relative to the main door, open and close the opening of the main door. The sub-door further includes an operation unit disposed at a lower side of the sub-door and configured to be operated by a user, a latch unit disposed vertically above the operation unit and configured to catch a portion of the main door, and a connection unit that connects between the operation unit and the latch unit. The connection unit includes a connection member that extends from an upper end in contact with the latch unit to a lower end in contact with the operation unit, and a connection member case defining a connection member accommodating portion that receives the connection member.