Refrigerator door and manufacturing method of the same

• US 10,281,192 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2018
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hyunki, Kim, Minchel, Park, Seungje, Park, Kihyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Han, Jason M
• Application Number:
  US16/110,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20180363972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 257 Days
• Field of Search: 362 92- 94
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/02 Doors; Covers F25D23/08 takes precedence locks or fastenings E05B65/0042
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/18 Aesthetic features
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/005 Mounting of control devices

Abstract

A refrigerator door and a manufacturing method of the same are disclosed. The refrigerator door includes a front panel that includes a first through hole and an input unit, a door liner, an upper cap decoration unit configured to seal an upper side of a first space defined between the front panel and the door liner, a frame attached to an inside of the front panel and defining a second space, a display assembly provided between the frame and the front panel and configured to emit light through the first through hole, and a touch sensor assembly provided between the frame and the front panel, the touch sensor assembly being fixed to a rear of the front panel at a position that corresponds to a location of the input unit. The upper cap decoration unit includes a communication hole for communicating with the second space and includes a cap cover.

Claims

1. A refrigerator door comprising:

a front panel made of a steel material, the front panel being located at a front of the refrigerator door and defining a front appearance of the refrigerator door, the front panel including a first through-hole and an input unit;

a door liner that defines a rear appearance of the refrigerator door, wherein a first space is defined between the front panel and the door liner;

a frame that is attached to a rear surface of the front panel and that defines a second space that is separated from the first space;

a display assembly that is received in the second space and that comprises at least one light emitting source configured to emit light through the first through-hole;

a touch sensor assembly having a front surface that is in contact with the rear surface of the front panel at a position that corresponds to a location of the input unit, the touch sensor assembly including a sensor unit;

a cover display having a front surface that is fixed to the rear surface of the front panel by an adhesive, the cover display including;

a receiving unit that is recessed rearward and that receives the touch sensor assembly, and

a second through-hole defined at a position laterally apart from the receiving unit and behind the first through-hole, the second through-hole being configured to transmit light from the light emitting source to a user via the first through-hole; and

a frame display slidably coupled to the cover display.

2. The refrigerator door according to claim 1, wherein the display assembly further comprises:

a printed circuit board (PCB) on which the light emitting source is mounted; and

a reflector that is coupled to the PCB and that defines a third through-hole at a position right behind the second through-hole to transmit light from the light emitting source to the user via the second through-hole and the first through-hole.

3. The refrigerator door according to claim 1, wherein the cover display further comprises at least one elastic member located in the receiving unit and configured to elastically support the touch sensor assembly when the input unit is pressed by the user.

4. The refrigerator door according to claim 3, wherein the elastic member is defined by a portion of the cover display that is cut from the receiving unit, the elastic member having a long extension bar shape configured to be bent in one or more directions.

5. The refrigerator door according to claim 2, wherein the cover display defines a cover through-hole at the receiving unit, and

wherein the PCB and the sensor unit is electrically connected to each other by an electric wire passing through the cover through-hole.

6. The refrigerator door according to claim 1, wherein the cover display has guide rails located at both side edges of the cover display and configured to guide a sliding insertion of side edges of the frame display, and

wherein each of the guide rails has a first portion that is bent rearward from one of the side edges of the cover display and a second portion that extends from the first portion and that is bent toward a center of the cover display.

7. The refrigerator door according to claim 6, wherein the frame display includes:

a location piece at which the display assembly is located; and

a bar that extends from an upper end of the location piece,

wherein both side edges of the location piece are inserted in the guide rails.

8. The refrigerator door according to claim 7, wherein each of the guide rails includes a guide member that protrudes forward to push the side edges of the location piece towards the front panel.

9. The refrigerator door according to claim 7, wherein the location piece includes a protrusion that protrudes from a rear surface of each of the both side edges of the location piece.

10. The refrigerator door according to claim 9, wherein the protrusion has a hemispherical shape.

11. The refrigerator door according to claim 1, wherein the display assembly is received in a space defined by the cover display and the frame display.