Refrigerator Sub-Door Hinge and Seal Structure for Cold Air Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators with sub-doors smaller than the main door suffer from 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
The design includes a sub-door with side surfaces that protrude forward to cover the stepped portion of the main door, a hinge with a bent structure for increased pivot angle, and a latch device mounted outside the sub-door to simplify the structure and prevent cold air leakage, using a magnetic gasket for enhanced sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sub-door is made smaller than the main door to provide auxiliary storage access, then the ease of operation is improved, but a gap is formed that degrades appearance and allows cold air leakage
Solution Approach 1:
A magnetic gasket is introduced as an intermediary element between the sub-door and main door. The magnetic gasket fills the gap created by the size difference, preventing cold air leakage while maintaining the aesthetic appearance. The magnetic attraction force ensures continuous sealing contact without requiring mechanical fasteners that could create leakage paths.
2Device complexity
If the sub-door is embedded in the opening to simplify mounting, then the device complexity is reduced, but the pivot angle becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge connection is repositioned from a two-dimensional embedded mounting within the door plane to a three-dimensional configuration where the hinge extends outward. This dimensional change allows the sub-door to pivot through a larger angle while maintaining a relatively simple hinge structure that attaches to both the sub-door and main door.
3Ease of manufacture
If the latch device is mounted after passing through the sub-door, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but cold air may leak through the mounting portion
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical latch mounting system that requires passing through the sub-door is replaced with a magnetic mounting system. The magnetic latch device attaches to the outer surface of the sub-door, eliminating the need for penetration mounting. This substitution maintains ease of manufacture while completely preventing cold air leakage through the mounting portion, as the magnetic field provides continuous sealing contact.
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
This configuration minimizes cold air leakage while maintaining appearance beauty by hiding the gap between the sub-door and main door, allowing a larger opening angle for the sub-door and simplifying the latch device operation.
Implementation Method 1
using a magnetic gasket for enhanced sealing
Data Source
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.