Refrigerator

• US 10,378,815 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Ikkyu, Woo, Dongrim
• Primary Examiner(s): Lopez Cruz, Dimary S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wright, Ingrid D
• Application Number:
  US15/818,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20180149420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/023 Door in door constructions
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/024 Door hinges
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/18 Aesthetic features
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/36 Visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/40 Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 27/005 combined with control means
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/005 Mounting of control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0083 Details of electrical connections of light sources to drivers, circuit boards, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0088 of the light guide or other optical sheets in the package
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/009 of the light source in the package G02B6/0021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0091 of the light source relative to the light guide G02B6/0021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1427 Housings

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator in which a transparent display assembly and electric modules, which are disposed in a door to see through a storage space and output a screen, are easily connected to a control unit provided in a cabinet and guided through a narrow door hinge.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet defining a storage space;

a control unit disposed on an upper portion of the cabinet;

a door rotatably coupled to the cabinet by a hinge and configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage space, the door defining an opening and at least a portion of the opening facing toward the storage space; and

a transparent display assembly covering the opening and being configured to provide at least one of a see-through view of the storage space or an output of an image,

wherein the transparent display assembly comprises;

a plurality of electric modules,

a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed inside the door and electrically connected to a first portion of the plurality of electric modules, and

a docking PCB disposed adjacent to the PCB, the docking PCB being connected to a second portion of the plurality of electric modules and to the PCB,

wherein the docking PCB comprises;

first connectors connected to the PCB through cables, and

second connectors connected to the control unit through a connection cable that is guided to an outside of the door,

wherein a number of the second connectors is less than a number of the first connectors,

wherein the plurality of electric modules and the PCB are connected to the control unit through the docking PCB and the connection cable, and

wherein the control unit is configured to transmit a control signal to the PCB through the docking PCB to control the plurality of electric modules.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the cables comprises a flexible flat cable, and

wherein the connection cable comprises a wire type cable.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door comprises a cap decoration that defines a top surface of the door and that defines a wire hole through which the connection cable is guided to the outside of the door.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door comprises a hinge shaft disposed at an upper end of the door, and

wherein the connection cable is guided to the outside of the door by passing through the hinge shaft.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electric modules comprises:

a display configured to output a screen;

a touch sensor configured to receive a touch input on the display; and

a display light configured to illuminate a light guide plate disposed at a rear side of the display.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the display comprises a source PCB disposed on one end of a pair of ends of the display, and

wherein the source PCB is disposed inside the transparent display assembly and oriented in a direction in which a surface of the source PCB is perpendicular to a surface of the display.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, further comprising a flat type display cable connecting the source PCB to the PCB,

wherein the flat type display cable is bent and arranged along a circumferential surface of the transparent display assembly.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, further comprising a flat type touch cable connecting the touch sensor to the PCB,

wherein the flat type touch cable is arranged inside the transparent display assembly, and a portion of the flat type touch cable penetrates the circumferential surface of the transparent display assembly to connect to the PCB.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 5, further comprising a flat type display light cable connecting the display light to the PCB,

wherein the flat type display light cable is arranged along a protrusion that protrudes from a front surface of the transparent display assembly or from a rear surface of the transparent display assembly.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of electric modules comprises a door light disposed on a rear surface of the door and configured to illuminate a rear space of the door.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the PCB comprises:

a touch PCB electrically connected to the touch sensor; and

a timing controller (T-CON) board electrically connected to the display, and

wherein at least one of the touch PCB and the T-CON board is connected to the docking PCB.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door defines a cap opening at a circumference of the door,

wherein the PCB inserts into the cap opening, and the cables connected to the PCB are exposed to the cap opening, and

wherein an insulation material is filled around the door except for a space between the cap opening and the transparent display assembly.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the door comprises:

a cap decoration defining a top or bottom surface of the door, the cap decoration defining the cap opening;

a decoration cover being disposed on the cap decoration and covering the cap opening; and

a PCB mounting part extending from the decoration cover toward the cap opening and being configured to seat the PCB and the docking PCB.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the connection cable comprises:

a first connection cable configured to transmit power; and

a second connection cable configured to transmit the control signal.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the connection cable comprises:

a first connection cable connected to a first electric module and configured to supply a high voltage to the first electric module; and

a second connection cable connected to a second electric module and configured to supply a low voltage to the second electric module, the high voltage exceeding the low voltage.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the connection cable comprises:

a first connection cable configured to supply power; and

a second connection cable configured to supply power based on an operation signal.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door comprises:

a main door rotatably coupled to the cabinet and configured to open and close a first storage space within the cabinet, the main door defining a second storage space;

a main hinge about which the main door is configured to rotate with respect to the cabinet;

a sub door rotatably coupled to the main door and disposed on a front side of the main door, the sub door being configured to open and close the second storage space; and

a sub hinge about which the sub door is configured to rotate with respect to the main door, and

wherein the opening of the door is defined at a position corresponding to the second storage space.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 17, wherein the sub hinge includes a hinge shaft, and the main hinge includes a rotation shaft,

wherein an inner diameter of the hinge shaft of the sub hinge is less than an inner diameter of the rotation shaft of the main hinge, and

wherein the connection cable is guided to the outside of the door by passing through the hinge shaft of the sub hinge.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 18, wherein the hinge shaft of the sub hinge communicates with a space defined in the sub door, the docking PCB being mounted in the space.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 18, wherein the connection cable comprises a plurality of wires and a binding member that bundles the plurality of wires, and

wherein the plurality of wires bundled by the binding member pass through the hinge shaft of the sub hinge.