Refrigerator Sub-Door Hinge Structure for Gap Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Refrigerators with sub-doors smaller than the main door experience gaps that degrade appearance and allow cold air leakage, and have complex latch devices that can also leak air due to the sub-door's insufficient pivot angle and embedded mounting structure.

Innovation Solution

A sub-door design with a hinge having a bent structure at its intermediate portion to increase the opening angle without interfering with the main door, and a latch device mounted outside the sub-door to simplify the structure and prevent cold air leakage, while the sub-door's side surfaces are inclined to minimize visible gaps and enhance thermal insulation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the sub-door is smaller than the main door to provide auxiliary storage access, then the user can access the auxiliary storage compartment without opening the main door, but a gap is formed between the sub-door edge and the opening edge that degrades appearance and allows cold air leakage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess to auxiliary storage compartmentVSAvoidcold air leakage through gap

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A sealing member is introduced as an intermediary element between the sub-door and the opening edge. This sealing member fills the gap formed by the size difference, preventing cold air leakage while allowing the sub-door to remain smaller than the main door for convenient auxiliary storage access.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing member is implemented as a flexible gasket or seal that can deform to accommodate the gap between the sub-door and opening edge. This flexible sealing structure effectively blocks cold air leakage while maintaining the aesthetic appearance by covering the gap.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Shape

If the sub-door is embedded in the opening to reduce visible gaps, then appearance beauty is improved, but the pivot angle of the sub-door becomes insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveappearance beautyVSAvoidpivot angle

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The hinge structure is designed with a bent configuration that utilizes three-dimensional space efficiently. By bending the hinge at an intermediate portion, the sub-door achieves a larger pivot angle while remaining embedded in the opening, thus maintaining appearance beauty while improving operability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the latch device is mounted after passing through the sub-door to couple the sub-door to the main door, then the coupling function is achieved, but cold air may leak through the mounting portion of the latch device

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoupling function of latch deviceVSAvoidcold air leakage through latch mounting portion

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The latch device is extracted from the traditional through-mounting configuration and repositioned to be mounted on the outer surface of the sub-door. This eliminates the need to pass the latch through the sub-door, thereby preventing cold air leakage through the mounting portion while maintaining the coupling function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Adaptability or versatility

If the sub-door is embedded in the opening with a complex latch device structure, then the coupling function is achieved, but the structure becomes complex and manufacturing difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoupling functionVSAvoidstructural complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of mounting the latch device through the sub-door from the inside, the mounting approach is inverted to attach the latch device on the outer surface of the sub-door. This simplifies the overall structure, reduces manufacturing complexity, and eliminates cold air leakage paths while maintaining the coupling functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS9441872B2Refrigerator

Publication Date: 2016.09.13 LG ELECTRONICS INC

AI summary

A refrigerator includes a cabinet having a storage chamber, a main door pivotably mounted to the cabinet while including an opening provided at an inside of the main door, and a stepped portion provided around the opening, a sub-storage chamber mounted at the inside of the main door, a sub-door mounted to the main door, to allow a user to have access to the sub-storage chamber, the sub-door having opposite side surfaces with front portions protruding forwards of a front surface of the main door while having a greater width than the opening and stepped portion between the front portions of the side surfaces, to cover the stepped portion by the side surfaces, and a hinge pivotably mounted to the main door and coupled to the sub-door while being bent at an intermediate portion thereof, to pivotably support the sub-door with respect to the main door.