Refrigerator with inner door
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Solution Overview
Problem
The inner door cover in refrigerators with a home bar feature is inconvenient to use due to its sliding or rotational mechanism, which can lead to interference with other components and potential damage, especially in French-type refrigerators, and the transparent material used for visibility has low strength.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design featuring an inner door cover that opens inwardly via a longitudinal rotational shaft, with a latch device and elastic member to maintain an open position, preventing interference and damage, and using a combination of opaque and transparent materials for strength and visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the inner door cover is made of transparent material to facilitate recognition of foods, then visibility is improved, but the strength and durability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The inner door cover is constructed using composite materials, specifically transparent plastic resin that combines visibility with enhanced strength. This composite material approach allows the door cover to maintain transparency for food recognition while achieving sufficient structural strength to prevent easy destruction, directly resolving the contradiction between visibility and strength
2Ease of operation
If the inner door cover is coupled to slide or rotate vertically to enable access to stored foods, then ease of operation is improved, but interference with other components and potential damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of the conventional vertical sliding or rotating mechanism that moves the inner door cover up and down, this invention inverts the movement direction to horizontal motion. The inner door cover now slides left and right along the longitudinal rotational shaft, which eliminates interference with cold air leakage preventing members and other components disposed in the vertical direction, while still enabling easy access to stored foods
3Volume of moving object
If the inner door cover is made larger to provide adequate storage space, then volume is improved, but the risk of destruction increases due to low strength of transparent material
Solution Approach 1:
The use of composite transparent plastic resin materials enables the inner door cover to be manufactured in larger sizes with adequate storage volume while maintaining sufficient strength and durability. The composite material structure provides the necessary structural integrity to prevent easy destruction even when the door cover dimensions are increased for greater storage capacity
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
The design enhances user convenience by allowing easy access without holding the door, prevents damage from accidental closure, and maintains visibility while improving the inner door cover's strength and durability.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member to apply an elastic force in a direction in which the inner door cover is open
Implementation Method 2
an inner door cover that is able to be opened inwardly based on a longitudinal rotational shaft
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet having at least one storage chamber, upper and lower hinges disposed at the cabinet, an inner door coupled to the upper and lower hinges to selectively open or close the storage chamber, an outer door disposed at the front of the inner door to selectively open or close an inner space of the inner door, a basket installation unit mounted onto an inner wall of the inner door, an inner door cover able to be inwardly open or closed based on a longitudinal rotational shaft disposed at the basket installation unit, a latch device to fix the inner door cover to the basket installation unit, and an opening member disposed at one side of the basket installation unit to rotate the inner door cover when the latch device is released.