Transparent Refrigerator Door Assembly for Interior Viewing Without Air Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators require opening the door to confirm the presence and location of stored food, leading to unnecessary cool air leakage and increased operational time due to frequent door openings.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with a selectively transparent door that allows users to view the interior without opening it, featuring a transparent display assembly with a light guide plate supported by spacers to maintain thermal insulation and prevent deformation, while minimizing thermal deformation and scratches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the door is made opaque to maintain thermal insulation, then thermal loss is reduced, but the user cannot see the inside of the refrigerator without opening the door
Solution Approach 1:
The door panel incorporates a transparent display assembly that can dynamically change between opaque and transparent states. The light guide plate redirects light to create a transparent effect when activated, allowing the door to adapt its transparency based on user needs while maintaining thermal insulation when opaque.
Solution Approach 2:
The display assembly uses light emission and light guiding principles to change the optical properties of the door panel. By emitting light through the light guide plate, the door transitions from an opaque state to a transparent state, enabling users to see stored food without physically opening the door.
2Device complexity
If the light guide plate is placed close to the display for compact design, then device complexity is reduced, but thermal deformation and scratches occur
Solution Approach 1:
A spacer is introduced as an intermediary component between the display and the light guide plate. This spacer maintains an optimal distance that prevents direct thermal contact and physical damage while preserving the compact overall design. The spacer acts as a protective mediator that isolates the light guide plate from harmful thermal and mechanical influences.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer provides beforehand cushioning by pre-establishing a protective distance between the display and the light guide plate. This preventive measure protects the light guide plate from thermal deformation and scratches before they can occur, ensuring long-term reliability without compromising the compact design.
3Loss of information
If the door is made fully transparent to see the inside, then visibility is improved, but thermal insulation performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire door transparent, only a specific local region is equipped with the transparent display assembly. This allows selective transparency in the area where food visibility is needed, while the rest of the door maintains its opaque, thermally insulating properties. The local quality approach minimizes thermal loss while providing targeted visibility.
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 verify stored items without opening the door, reducing cool air leakage and power consumption, while maintaining thermal insulation and preventing damage to the light guide plate.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide plate disposed to be spaced apart from the display inside the sealed space; a display light emitting light to an end of the light guide plate
Implementation Method 2
a first spacer mounted on the rear surface of the front panel to support the light guide plate so as to allow the light guide plate to be maintained at a predetermined distance from the front panel
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a refrigerator including a cabinet defining a storage space, a door opening and closing the cabinet, and a transparent display assembly (60) which covers an opening of the door and through which an inner space of the refrigerator is seen. The transparent display assembly (60) includes a front panel (61) defining at least a portion of a front surface of the door, a rear panel (65) defining at least a portion of a rear surface of the door, an outer spacer (67) defining a circumferential surface of the transparent display assembly and having both ends coming into contact with the front panel and the rear panel to provide a sealed space between the front panel and the rear panel, a display (62) disposed inside the sealed space, a light guide plate (64) disposed to be spaced apart from the display inside the sealed space, a display light (68) emitting light to an end of the light guide plate, and a first spacer (63) mounted on the rear surface of the front panel to support the light guide plate (64) so as to allow the light guide plate to be maintained at a predetermined distance from the front panel (61).