Transparent Display Assembly Refrigerator Door Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators face limitations in allowing users to confirm the contents without opening the door, leading to increased door opening times and unnecessary cool air leakage, especially with transparent or partially transparent designs.
Innovation Solution
A transparent display assembly is integrated into the refrigerator door, allowing selective transparency or opacity, with insulation features to maintain temperature and reduce power consumption, featuring a front and rear panel, spacers, and inert gas injection for enhanced insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the refrigerator door is made transparent or partially transparent to allow viewing of contents, then user convenience is improved by eliminating the need to open the door, but insulation performance deteriorates leading to increased power consumption and cool air loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-layered door structure where transparent panels are nested between opaque insulation layers. The door consists of an outer transparent panel, middle opaque insulation layer, and inner transparent panel, creating a nested configuration that allows viewing functionality while maintaining thermal insulation through the opaque intermediate layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerator door employs composite material construction combining transparent materials (glass or transparent plastic) with opaque insulation materials (foam or air gap structures). This composite approach enables the door to simultaneously provide visual transparency for viewing contents and thermal insulation to prevent energy loss.
2Ease of operation
If a transparent display assembly is integrated into the door to enable viewing, then user convenience is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components like PCB and cables
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the display functionality directly into the transparent door panels by embedding PCB circuits and cables within the door structure itself. This merging of display components with the door assembly eliminates the need for separate display units and reduces overall system complexity while maintaining the viewing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent door panels serve multiple functions: they provide structural integrity as door components, enable visual viewing of refrigerator contents, and integrate display functionality through embedded PCB and cable systems. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall device architecture.
3Loss of energy
If the door is made thicker to improve insulation, then insulation performance is improved, but the thickness of the door increases which may affect aesthetics and space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces air gaps as intermediary insulation layers between the transparent panels and opaque insulation layers. These air gaps act as thermal barriers that provide insulation effectiveness without requiring significant thickness, as air is a poor conductor of heat. The air gaps are created by spacing structures that maintain optimal distances between layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation strategy transitions from relying solely on increasing thickness in one dimension to utilizing multiple dimensions through layered construction. The door employs a multi-layered structure with transparent panels, opaque insulation layers, and air gaps arranged in sequence, providing insulation through dimensional distribution rather than单纯 thickness increase.
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 users to view the refrigerator contents without opening the door, while maintaining insulation and reducing cool air loss, thus improving user convenience and energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an inert gas is injected between the front panel and the light guide plate through an injection hole of the outer spacer to provide an insulation layer
Data Source
AI summary
A method to control a refrigerator includes changing a transparent display assembly to be in a first or transparent state allowing an inner space of the refrigerator to be visible through the transparent assembly, a second or opaque state so as to conceal the inner space, and a third or a display state to display information on a display of the transparent assembly. The transparent display assembly includes a front panel, a rear panel, an outer spacer configured to maintain a first distance between the front panel and the rear panel, a display provided on a rear surface of the front panel, a light guide plate spaced apart from the display, and a first spacer configured to support the light guide plate and to maintain a second distance between the display and the light guide plate.