Refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators require opening the door to confirm the storage of food, leading to unnecessary leakage of cool air and increased power consumption, as the interior is not visible unless the door is opened.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with a transparent door section that can be selectively made transparent or opaque, equipped with a transparent display assembly that allows viewing the interior without opening the door, while maintaining insulation performance and preventing power loss through a sealed gas insulation system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the door is made opaque for insulation, then insulation performance is improved, but the ability to see the inside of the refrigerator deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The door panel incorporates a transparent display assembly that can dynamically change between opaque and transparent states. This dynamic property allows the door to adapt its transparency based on user needs, resolving the contradiction between maintaining insulation (opaque state) and viewing the interior (transparent state).
Solution Approach 2:
The optical parameter (transparency) of the door panel is made changeable through the transparent display assembly. By controlling the transparency parameter of the display assembly, the system can switch between providing good insulation (low transparency) and good visibility (high transparency), thus resolving the technical contradiction.
2Loss of information
If a transparent display assembly is added to the door, then visibility of the inside is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent display assembly serves multiple functions: it provides visibility of the refrigerator interior, displays information (such as storage status, expiration dates), and maintains insulation when in opaque state. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering multiple benefits from a single integrated component.
3Length of stationary object
If the transparent display assembly is made thinner to maintain door thickness, then insulation performance is improved, but the insulation capability of the assembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly uses a composite structure combining the transparent display assembly with additional insulation materials and reflective layers. This composite approach allows the system to achieve the required insulation performance even when the display assembly itself is thin, as the other layers compensate for the reduced thickness of the display component.
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
Enables users to verify stored food without opening the door, reducing cool air leakage and power consumption, while maintaining the door's thickness and insulation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an inert gas is injected between the front panel and the light guide plate through an injection hole of the outer spacer to provide an insulation layer
Data Source
AI summary
A method to control a refrigerator includes changing a transparent display assembly to be in a first or transparent state allowing an inner space of the refrigerator to be visible through the transparent assembly, a second or opaque state so as to conceal the inner space, and a third or a display state to display information on a display of the transparent assembly. The transparent display assembly includes a front panel, a rear panel, an outer spacer configured to maintain a first distance between the front panel and the rear panel, a display provided on a rear surface of the front panel, a light guide plate spaced apart from the display, and a first spacer configured to support the light guide plate and to maintain a second distance between the display and the light guide plate.