Refrigerator Sub-Door Hinge Wiring for Protected Wire Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators face challenges in guiding and shielding electric wires extending from the door to the main body, leading to exposure, interference, and damage when the door is opened, due to restricted hinge shaft diameters and increased wire thickness or quantity.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design incorporating a sub-door with a sub-hinge and sub-hinge cover that shields both the main and sub-hinge shafts, allowing wires to pass through a hollow structure without exposure, using a connector system that restricts wire movement and interference, and includes a cover connection part to manage wire thickness and length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the door thickness is reduced, then the refrigerator design becomes more compact and modern, but the hinge shaft inner diameter is restricted, preventing multiple or thick electric wires from passing through
Solution Approach 1:
The wire guidance function is segmented from the hinge shaft to a dedicated wire guide structure. The wire guide is positioned separately from the hinge shaft, allowing wires to be guided through a dedicated path rather than through the restricted hinge shaft, thus resolving the conflict between thin door design and wire guidance capability
Solution Approach 2:
A wire guide structure acts as an intermediary between the hinge shaft and the external environment. This wire guide provides a dedicated passage for wires, mediating the conflict between the thin door/hinge shaft structure and the need to guide multiple or thick wires without exposing them externally
2Ease of manufacture
If electric wires are not guided through the hinge shaft, then wire installation becomes easier, but wires become exposed, may move, interfere with other elements, or be damaged when the door opens
Solution Approach 1:
The wire guide structure serves as an intermediary that provides a protected pathway for wires. Wires pass through this dedicated guide structure rather than being exposed externally, maintaining protection and preventing interference while simplifying installation compared to routing through the constrained hinge shaft
Solution Approach 2:
The wire guide structure provides a protective enclosure for the wires, similar to a flexible shell, that allows the wires to be guided safely through the door structure without exposure to external damage or interference while maintaining ease of installation
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple electronic parts are provided in the door, then the refrigerator becomes more functional, but the number and thickness of power supply and communication wires increase, exceeding the hinge shaft capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The wire management system is segmented into a dedicated wire guide structure separate from the hinge shaft. This allows multiple power supply and communication wires for various electronic parts to be organized and guided through a dedicated path, reducing complexity compared to routing all wires through the constrained hinge shaft
Solution Approach 2:
The wire guide structure acts as an intermediary that manages the increased number and thickness of wires required for multiple electronic parts. It provides a dedicated pathway that accommodates these wires without the constraints of the hinge shaft, enabling enhanced electronic functionality while managing wire complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a control unit provided in the cabinet and controlling an operation of the refrigerator, a main door that opens or closes the cabinet and has an opening formed therein, a main hinge that couples the cabinet to the main door and allows the main door to be pivotably mounted, a sub-door that is formed on a front surface of the refrigerator and opens or closes the opening, a sub-hinge that couples the main door to the sub-door and allows the sub-door to be pivotably mounted, a sub-hinge cover that simultaneously shield a main hinge shaft of the main hinge and a sub-hinge shaft of the sub-hinge, and a wire disposed to extend from an inside of the sub-door, to be connected with the control unit, and to sequentially pass through the sub-hinge shaft and the main hinge shaft along an inside of the sub-hinge cover.