Refrigerator Shelf Assembly With Integrated Power Contact for Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shelf assemblies for refrigerators and freezers lack efficient methods for establishing electrical connections between holding elements and electrical consumers, which complicates power supply and assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
The use of an electrically conducting element projecting into a cutout in the holding element, establishing contact through various methods such as bolt members, wire members, or angled sheet-metal parts, allows for reliable electrical conduction and assembly, enabling the shelf assembly to be mounted and removed as a structural unit with integrated electrical consumers like lighting modules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an electrically conducting element is inserted into a cutout in the holding element to establish electrical contact, then reliable power supply to electrical consumers is achieved, but the device complexity increases due to additional components and assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The electrically conducting element is inserted into a cutout in the holding element, with the electrical consumer nested within the shelf assembly structure. This nesting approach integrates multiple components (holding element, conducting element, consumer) into a compact unit, achieving reliable electrical contact while maintaining a space-efficient design.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrically conducting element acts as an intermediary between the holding element and the electrical consumer. It establishes the electrical connection path through the cutout, mediating the power supply from the holding element to the consumer without requiring direct contact between the holding element and consumer terminals.
2Ease of operation
If the shelf assembly is designed as a structural unit with integrated electrical consumers, then ease of operation is improved for installation and removal, but manufacturing complexity increases due to integrated assembly requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The holding arrangement, receiving plate, and electrical consumer are merged into a single structural unit that can be installed and removed as one assembly. This combining of components simplifies operation during installation and maintenance, while the modular design allows for standardized manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The shelf assembly is segmented into distinct functional components (holding element, receiving plate, electrical consumer) that are designed to work together as a structural unit. This segmentation enables independent manufacturing of each component followed by standardized assembly, balancing manufacturing complexity with operational simplicity.
3Ease of manufacture
If a metallic holding element is used for power conduction, then ease of manufacture is improved through simple material selection, but electrical contact establishment becomes more difficult due to the need to remove insulating coatings
Solution Approach 1:
An insulating coating is locally removed from the holding element at the cutout region to expose the electrically conducting metal material. This extraction of the insulating layer only where needed creates the electrical contact point, maintaining the protective coating elsewhere while enabling power conduction through the metallic holding element.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding element exhibits different properties at different locations: the majority surface maintains insulating coating for protection and insulation, while the cutout region exposes the metallic material for electrical conduction. This local differentiation of material properties enables both protective insulation and electrical conductivity in the same 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
This solution facilitates cost-effective and efficient production by allowing for inexpensive mass production methods, such as drilling or punching pre-products, and ensures reliable power supply to electrical consumers within the shelf assembly, enhancing usability and assembly efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The electrically conducting element projects into a cutout in the holding element and is there in electrically conducting contact with the holding element
Data Source
AI summary
A shelf assembly for a refrigerator or freezer includes a receiving plate for receiving objects, a holding arrangement which is joined to the receiving plate to form a structural unit and by means of which the shelf assembly can be mounted in a cooling or freezing space of the refrigerator or freezer on delimiting walls of the cooling or freezing space, and an electrical consumer such as a lighting module. The holding arrangement has a holding element which is arranged in the region of a side edge of the receiving plate, extends along the side edge and is made at least in part of an electrically conducting metal material. The shelf assembly forms a power supply path via the metal material where the power supply path includes an electrically conducting element that extends into a cutout in the holding element and in electrically conducting contact with the holding element.