Refrigerator

• US 10,544,983 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2017
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jeong Hyun, Lee, Seang Won, Gu, Yang-Yeol, Yoon, Seok Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Hanh V
• Application Number:
  US15/857,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20180202706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/0081 for transmitting energy, e.g. electrical cable routing
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 2005/102 Pins
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/02 with one pin
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/31 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/025 Secondary closures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/024 Door hinges
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/36 Visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/40 Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/005 Mounting of control devices

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a main body having a storage compartment; an inner door rotatably provided at the main body; and an outer door configured to open and close the storage compartment together with the inner door and rotatably provided at the inner door, wherein the inner door includes a connector seating portion disposed at an upper portion of the inner door and configured to connect a first electric wire extending from the main body to the inner door to a second electric wire extending from the outer door to the inner door. Connections between the electric wires are improved so as not to be influenced by the inner and outer doors such that durability of the electric wires can be improved.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body having a storage compartment;

an inner door rotatably provided at the main body; and

an outer door configured to open and close the storage compartment together with the inner door, and rotatably provided at the inner door,

wherein the inner door includes;

a connector seating portion disposed at an upper portion of the inner door and configured to connect a first electric wire, which is separably connected to a main body electric wire of the main body, and passes through the inner door, to a second electric wire extending from the outer door to the inner door.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the inner door and the outer door move between;

an open state for opening the storage compartment,

a closed state for sealing the storage compartment, and

a partially open state in which the outer door is opened from the inner door, and

when the inner door and the outer door move between the open state, the closed state, and the partially open state, lengths of the first and second electric wires from the main body and the outer door to the connector seating portion are kept constant.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the connector seating portion forms a seating space in which a first connector of the first electric wire and a second connector of the second electric wire are separably coupled.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the outer door is provided in a manner that the first and second connectors separate from each other in the connector seating portion in a manner that the outer door becomes electrically disconnected from the inner door.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the inner door further includes a hinge assembly connected to the connector seating portion and configured to form a center of rotation of the outer door.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the hinge assembly is configured to guide the second electric wire from the center of rotation of the outer door to the connector seating portion.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the hinge assembly is configured to form a guide space from the center of rotation of the outer door to the connector seating portion so as to prevent the second electric wire from being exposed to the outside.

8. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the hinge assembly is configured to space apart the center of rotation of the outer door from the inner door.

9. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the outer door includes an assembly insertion portion formed at a surface facing the inner door and provided to allow the hinge assembly to be inserted thereinto so as not to interfere with a rotation of the inner door.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the first electric wire disconnects from either the main body electric wire or the second electric wire in a manner that the inner door or the outer door is configured to be selectively separable.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein:

the outer door is provided to be separable from the inner door together with the second electric wire, and

the inner door is provided to be separable from the main body together with the first electric wire.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the outer door further includes a display device provided at a front surface thereof and configured to output an image, and

the second electric wire is coupled to the display device.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the outer door is provided to cover a front surface of the inner door.

14. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body having a storage compartment;

an inner door rotatably installed at the main body and having an inner electric wire connected to a main body electric wire of the main body and configured to pass through the inner door; and

an outer door connected to an electric device of the outer door configured to open and close the storage compartment together with the inner door, having an outer electric wire provided to extend from the outer door to the inner door and be separable from the inner electric wire, and rotatably provided at the inner door,

wherein the inner electric wire is disconnected from either the main body electric wire or the outer electric wire in a manner that the inner door or the outer door is configured to be selectively separable.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein:

the outer door is provided to be separable from the inner door together with the outer electric wire, and

the inner door is provided to be separable from the main body together with the inner electric wire.

16. The refrigerator of claim 14, further comprising a connector seating portion formed at an upper portion of the inner door to form a space in which a first connector of the outer electric wire and a second connector of the inner electric wire are coupled.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein:

the inner door and the outer door move between;

an open state for opening the storage compartment,

a closed state for sealing the storage compartment, and

a partially open state in which the outer door is opened from the inner door, and

when the inner door and the outer door move between the open state, the closed state, and the partially open state, lengths of the inner electric wire and the outer electric wire from the main body and the outer door to the connector seating portion are kept constant.

18. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the connector seating portion forms a seating space in which a first connector of the inner electric wire and a second connector of the outer electric wire are separably coupled.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein the outer door is provided in a manner that the first and second connectors separate from each other in the connector seating portion in a manner that the outer door becomes electrically disconnected from the inner door.

20. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the outer door further includes a hinge assembly having a guide space extending from a center of rotation of the outer door to the connector seating portion so as to prevent the outer electric wire from being exposed to the outside, connected to the connector seating portion, and configured to form the center of rotation of the outer door.