Refrigerator

• US 10,704,826 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2017
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• 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, Kang, Chanuk, Woo, Dongrim
• Primary Examiner(s): Atkisson, Jianying C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Diaz, Miguel A
• Application Number:
  US15/838,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20180164031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0434 Glass or transparent panels
• 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 23/028 Details
• 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

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a door, an outer plate defining a plate opening, a door liner defining a liner opening, a frame disposed along a circumference of the plate opening, a transparent display assembly seated on the frame and configured to cover at least a portion of the plate opening and the liner opening, a decoration cap defining a top surface of the door, an insulation material filled in at least a portion of the door along a circumference of the transparent display assembly, a PCB configured to control operation of the transparent display assembly, and a barrier that contacts the outer plate and that defines a first space configured to receive the insulation material and a second space configured to accommodate the PCB.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet defining a storage space;

a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the cabinet, the door including;

an outer plate that defines a front surface of the door and a plate opening, and

a door liner that defines a rear surface of the door and a liner opening;

a transparent display assembly located between the plate opening and the liner opening, the transparent display assembly including;

a front panel and a rear panel that are spaced apart from each other,

an outer spacer disposed between the front panel and the rear panel, wherein the outer spacer, the front panel, and the rear panel define a sealing space, and

a display disposed within the sealing space between the front panel and the rear panel, the storage space being configured to be visible through the transparent display assembly;

an inner frame disposed along a circumference of the plate opening, the inner frame including;

a plate support part configured to support the outer plate,

a panel support part configured to support the transparent display assembly, and

a barrier that extends upwards towards an upper portion of the door, the barrier being configured to partition a space between the outer plate and the door liner into a first space and a second space;

an insulation material disposed at the upper portion of the door and disposed along a circumference of the transparent display assembly, the first space being filled with the insulation material; and

a docking printed circuit board (PCB) disposed within the second space and configured to transfer an electric signal to the transparent display assembly,

wherein the docking PCB and the second space are disposed above the transparent display assembly, and

wherein the display is connected with the docking PCB by a cable.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the barrier extends in a horizontal direction and defines the first space in front of the second space.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door includes an upper hinge coupled to an upper end of the door, and

wherein the second space communicates with the upper hinge.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the transparent display assembly is in communication with the second space.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein the front panel includes a plate body and a protrusion that protrudes from the plate body, the protrusion being disposed at an outside of the outer spacer and defining a circumference of the front panel.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the inner frame includes a front panel support part configured to seat the protrusion of the front panel, the front panel support part including a stepped portion, and

wherein the front panel and the outer plate are disposed on a same plane based on the front panel support part seating the protrusion of the front panel on the stepped portion.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first space comprises a first portion disposed at a first side of the outer plate and a second portion disposed at a second side of the outer plate, and

wherein the second space is defined between the first and second portions of the first space.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the second space is configured to receive a PCB insulation material,

wherein a thickness of the PCB insulation material in the second space is less than a thickness of the insulation material in the first space, and

wherein the PCB insulation material is located between the docking PCB and a front plate of the transparent display assembly.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the PCB insulation material is configured to attach to a rear surface of the front plate of the transparent display assembly, and comprises a vacuum insulation material or a foaming material that has a planar shape.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a decoration cap that defines a top surface of the door,

wherein the decoration cap defines a decoration opening configured to communicate with the second space, and includes a decoration cover configured to open and close the decoration opening.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the decoration cap includes a barrier coupling part disposed on an inner surface of the decoration cap and configured to accommodate an upper end of the barrier, and

wherein the barrier is configured to partition a space between the decoration cap and the transparent display assembly into front and rear spaces based on coupling to the barrier coupling part.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the decoration cap comprises a PCB mounting plate that extends downward and that is configured to mount the docking PCB, and

wherein the second space is configured to receive the docking PCB in a state in which the docking PCB is mounted on the PCB mounting plate.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the door includes a PCB mounting plate that extends downward from a bottom surface of the decoration cover, the PCB mounting plate being configured to mount the docking PCB.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein the docking PCB is configured to, based on the decoration cover closing the decoration opening, insert into the second space in a state in which the docking PCB is mounted on the PCB mounting plate.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the door includes:

a flexible flat cable (FFC) connected to a first side of the docking PCB and configured to connect to electronic components disposed within the door; and

a wire cable connected to a second side of the docking PCB and configured to connect to a control unit provided in the cabinet, the wire cable passing through the decoration cap and the control unit, and

wherein the control unit includes an adapter configured to convert power supplied to the transparent display assembly.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the FFC is bent along a circumferential surface of the transparent display assembly.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 15,

wherein the FFC is exposed to an outside through the decoration opening.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the transparent display assembly further includes:

a light guide plate located between the front panel and the rear panel,

wherein the electronic components comprise;

a touch sensor disposed on the front panel of the transparent display assembly,

the display, and

a display light disposed at an end of the light guide plate at a rear side of the display, and configured to emit light to the light guide plate.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 18, further comprising:

a touch PCB connected to the touch sensor by the FFC; and

a timing controller (T-CON) board connected to the display by the FFC,

wherein the docking PCB is connected to at least one of the touch PCB or the T-CON board and configured to transmit a signal from the FFC to the wire cable, the docking PCB connecting to, by the wire cable, a display PCB provided in the cabinet.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 19, wherein the wire cable is guided to an outside of the transparent display assembly through a space between the outer spacer and the front panel or through a space between the outer spacer and the rear panel.

21. The refrigerator according to claim 19, wherein the door includes an adhesion member that couples the outer spacer to at least one of the front panel or the rear panel, and

wherein the wire cable passes the adhesion member and is guided to an outside of the transparent display assembly through the adhesion member.