Sensor-Activated Refrigerator Door Opening for Built-In Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Built-in refrigeration devices lack a door-opening aid due to their installation constraints, where the door is often handle-less and covered by furniture décor panels, making it difficult for users to open the door without manual effort, especially when the door is sealed by a vacuum formed after cooling.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration device equipped with a sensor to detect door movement and a control circuit that activates a drive element to assist in opening the door, allowing users to open it with minimal effort, even when their hands are full, by detecting changes in pressure or movement using various sensor technologies such as pressure sensors, magnetic sensors, or optical sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a door-opening aid with manual handle is provided, then the door can be opened easily in freestanding devices, but it cannot be integrated into built-in devices due to installation constraints and furniture décor panel coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical handle system with an automated drive element actuated by a motor. The drive element mechanically assists door opening without requiring manual handle operation, thereby eliminating the conflict between ease of operation and adaptability to built-in devices with furniture décor panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The door-opening aid operates autonomously by detecting door closing force through a sensor and automatically activating the drive element to assist opening. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual handle operation, making the system adaptable to both freestanding and built-in devices without requiring external handles.
2Loss of energy
If the seal maintains strong sealing contact to prevent vacuum formation, then energy efficiency is improved, but the door becomes difficult to open when vacuum forms inside
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor detects when the user applies force to open the door before the door actually opens, and the drive element is activated in advance to assist the opening action. This preliminary action allows the seal to maintain strong sealing contact during normal operation while providing assisted opening when needed, resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor provides feedback about user interaction with the door, detecting when opening force is applied. This feedback triggers the drive element to activate and assist door opening, allowing the system to maintain strong sealing during normal operation while providing assistance when the user needs to open the door against vacuum pressure.
3Extent of automation
If a switch on the door handle is provided to control the drive element, then the door-opening aid can be activated, but it requires handle adaptation that is not feasible for built-in devices
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor automatically detects when the user attempts to open the door and triggers the drive element without requiring manual switch operation. This self-service approach maintains high automation while eliminating the need for complex handle structures with switches, making the system adaptable to built-in devices with furniture décor panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical switch-on-handle system with a sensor-based detection system. The sensor detects door opening attempts through mechanical or pressure-based sensing, eliminating the need for electrical switches and complex handle structures while maintaining automated door-opening assistance.
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 easy and intuitive operation of the door-opening mechanism, allowing users to open the door without adapting the existing door handle, effectively addressing the challenge of vacuum-sealed doors in built-in refrigeration devices.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the interior can be provided as the sensor. If the seal touches the other component of the housing to seal against it, both pulling on the door and pushing the door against the carcass leads to a change in pressure in the interior, which is able to be detected by the pressure sensor.
Implementation Method 2
the seal is elastically expandable to allow the movement of the door away from the carcass before release of the contact between the seal and the other housing component
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigeration device is provided that includes two housing parts in the form of a body and a door that together delimit an interior. A seal is fastened to one of the housing parts and sealingly contacts the other housing part when the door is closed and a drive element is arranged to drive the door from the closed position into an open position. A sensor detects a movement of the door and a control circuit coupled to the sensor activates the drive element when a movement of the door is detected.