A cooling device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling devices with door-activated illumination systems occupy additional space in the cooling volume when the door is closed, as the lamps and their mechanisms take up volume within the interior.
Innovation Solution
An illumination element is integrated into the side wall housing of the cooling device, which is pushed into the housing by the door when closed and extends out to illuminate the volume when the door is opened, using a retainer with a rotational axis and biasing means to maintain even lighting without protruding into the interior space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If lamps and on-off mechanisms are secured on the body to illuminate the cooling volume, then the cooling volume is illuminated when the door is opened, but the lamps and mechanisms occupy additional space in the cooling volume when the door is closed
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination element is designed to be movable rather than fixed, transitioning between an extended position (when door is open) and a retracted position (when door is closed). This dynamic positioning allows the illumination system to provide light when needed while minimizing space occupation when not in use, directly resolving the contradiction between illumination effectiveness and space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination element is nested within a housing structure that is integrated into the door assembly. When the door closes, the illumination element is contained within the housing, effectively hiding it and preventing it from protruding into the cooling volume. This nesting approach allows the illumination system to be present without occupying valuable storage space.
2Illumination intensity
If the illumination element is extended to illuminate the cooling volume from front to rear, then homogeneous illumination is achieved, but the mechanism requires additional space and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination element is integrated with the door structure and housing, merging multiple functions into a single assembly. The housing serves both as a protective enclosure and as the mounting structure for the illumination element. This consolidation reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall mechanism while maintaining the ability to provide homogeneous illumination.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination element is designed to automatically extend and retract based on door position without requiring separate control mechanisms. The door's own movement serves to actuate the illumination system, eliminating the need for additional sensors, motors, or control circuits that would increase device complexity.
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 solution ensures homogeneous illumination of the cooling volume without occupying additional space when the door is closed, providing effective lighting from the front to the rear as the door opens, thus enhancing visibility without compromising storage space.
Implementation Method 1
An illumination element (5) which is pushed into the housing (4) by the bearing against of the door (3) part that enters into the body (2) while the door (3) is closed, and comes outside of the housing (4)
Implementation Method 2
The retainer (6) is mounted inside the housing (4) rotatable around an axis by means of pins
Implementation Method 3
the other surfaces have reflective features for directing the beams emanating from the illumination element towards the cooling volume
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The cooling device (1) comprises an illumination element (5) that illuminates the environment when the door (3) is opened so that the user can see easily the interior of the cooling volume.