Refrigerator

• US 10,619,909 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2017
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Sangmyung, Kwon, Hyuk, Kim, Junghwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Frost, Anthony J
• Application Number:
  US15/837,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20180164026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2220/0077 Lighting for furniture, e.g. cupboards and racks
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/00 Show cases or show cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0434 Glass or transparent panels
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/00 Functional layers of liquid crystal optical display excluding electroactive liquid crystal layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/03 Viewing layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/00 Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/02 Doors; Covers F25D23/08 takes precedence locks or fastenings E05B65/0042
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/025 Secondary closures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 27/005 combined with control means
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/005 Mounting of control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133 Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements arrangements or circuits for control of liquid crystal elements in a matrix, not structurally associated with these elements G09G3/36

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet defining a storage space, a door opening and closing the cabinet, and a transparent display assembly which covers an opening of the door and through which an inner space of the refrigerator is seen. The transparent display assembly includes a front panel defining at least a portion of a front surface of the door, a touch sensor disposed on a rear surface of the front panel, a rear panel defining at least a portion of a rear surface of the door, an insulation coating layer provided on a surface of the rear panel, an outer spacer disposed between the front panel and the rear panel, a display disposed in the sealed space, a light guide plate spaced apart from the display, and a spacer supporting the light guide plate and maintaining a distance between the display and the light guide plate.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet defining a storage space;

a door configured to open and close the cabinet, the door including an outer plate that defines an opening;

a light device provided in the cabinet or the door; and

a transparent display assembly that covers the opening of the door and through which an inner space of the refrigerator is seen,

wherein the transparent display assembly comprises;

a front panel defining a portion of a front surface of the door,

a touch sensor provided on a rear surface of the front panel and configured to recognize touch manipulation on the front panel,

a rear panel defining a portion of a rear surface of the door,

an insulation coating layer provided on a surface of the rear panel,

an outer spacer provided between the front panel and the rear panel to provide a sealed space between the front panel and the rear panel,

a display provided in the sealed space,

a back light provided behind the display,

a light guide plate spaced apart from the display and configured to guide light emitted from the back light to the display,

an insulation panel provided between the light guide plate and the rear panel, and

a first spacer provided on a rear surface of the insulation panel, the first spacer separating the insulation panel apart from the rear panel,

wherein the light guide plate, the first spacer, and the insulation panel are provided in the sealed space between the front panel and the rear panel,

wherein the first spacer is adhered to the insulation panel and the rear panel, and the insulation panel, the rear panel, and the first spacer defines an insulation space that is in a sealed state, and

wherein the transparent display assembly is configured to have any one of a plurality of states, the plurality of states comprising;

a transparent mode state in which the light device is turned on to allow the inner space of the refrigerator to be visible through the transparent display assembly, the display being configured to not operate based on the transparent display assembly being in the transparent mode state,

an opaque mode state in which the light device is turned off to make the inner space of the refrigerator invisible through the transparent display assembly, the display being configured to not operate based on the transparent display assembly being in the opaque mode state, and

a display mode state in which the light device is turned off and the back light is turned on, the display being configured to, based on the transparent display assembly being in the display mode state, operate and output a screen through the transparent display assembly.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein each of the front panel and the rear panel is made of blue glass, and

the insulation coating layer is provided on a front surface of the rear panel.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the insulation coating layer is provided on each of both surfaces of the rear panel.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the insulation coating layer comes into contact with an inner surface of the sealed space.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the insulation coating layer is made of a metal oxide, and

wherein the insulation coating layer is made of tin oxide (SnO₂) on the surface of the rear panel through chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the insulation coating layer is made of a metal oxide, and

wherein the insulation coating layer is provided by attaching a film made of tin oxide (SnO₂) to the surface of the rear panel.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the insulation coating layer is made of a metal oxide,

wherein an injection hole through which an inert gas for thermal insulation is injected is defined in the outer spacer, and

an insulation layer into which the inert gas is injected is disposed between the front panel and the rear panel.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein a first insulation layer into which the inert gas is injected and which communicates with the sealed space inside the outer spacer is provided between the front panel and the light guide plate.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 7, further comprising:

a second spacer supporting the light guide plate and maintaining a distance between the display and the light guide plate; and

a third spacer disposed along a circumference of the insulation panel and coming into contact with the light guide plate to define a closed space between the light guide plate and the insulation panel,

wherein the first spacer is provided along the circumference of the insulation panel and coming into contact with the rear panel to define a closed space between the insulation panel and the rear panel.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the closed space defined by the third spacer and the first spacer communicates with the sealed space inside the outer spacer to provide a third insulation layer and a fourth insulation layer, into which the inert gas is injected.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein an insulation coating layer for blocking external heat is further provided on a surface of the insulation panel by the metal oxide.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the insulation coating layer provided on the insulation panel is made of tin oxide (SnO₂) and provided on each of both surfaces of the insulation panel.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the insulation coating layer provided on the insulation panel is made of tin oxide (SnO₂) and provided on one surface of both surfaces of the insulation panel.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein a first circuit board passing between the front panel and the second spacer to extend to an outside of the second spacer is provided on one end of the display.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the first circuit board is provided in a space defined by the second spacer and the outer spacer.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein a display cable connecting the first circuit board to a T-CON board provided outside the transparent display assembly passes between the outer spacer and the front panel.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the touch sensor is connected to a second circuit board provided outside the transparent display assembly through a touch cable.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein a display light emitting light toward an end of the light guide plate is provided on each of inner ends facing each other of the outer spacer, and

a display light cable connecting the display light to the display light to a second circuit board outside the transparent display assembly passes between the outer spacer and the rear panel.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a cable provided along a circumference of the transparent display assembly and connected to electronic components, the cable having a flexible film shape.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein a sealant is applied to an outer surface of the outer spacer, and

the injection hole is covered by the sealant.

21. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the insulation coating layer is made of a metal oxide.

22. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second spacer supporting the light guide plate and maintaining a distance between the display and the light guide plate; and

adhesion members provided on the second spacer and configured to attach the first spacer to the insulation panel and the rear panel.