REFRIGERATOR

• US 20200132357A1
• Filed: 12/23/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 11,009,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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 including a storage compartment;

an inner door rotatably provided at the main body;

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

a connector positioned in the inner door and configured to connect a first electric wire, which is connected to a main body electric wire of the main body, with a second electric wire extending from the outer door to the inner door.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the connector includes a first connector formed at an end of the first electric wire and a second connector formed at an end of the second electric wire.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the inner door includes a connector seating portion disposed at an upper portion of the inner door and including a seating space, and

the first connector and the second connector are separably coupled to each other in the seating space.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein:

the inner door and the outer door move between;

an open state for opening the storage compartment,

a closed state for closing the storage compartment, and

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

while the inner door and the outer door are moving among the open state, the closed state, and the partially opened state, a first length of the first electric wire extending from the main body to the connector seating portion is kept constant and a second length of the second electric wire extending from the outer door to the connector seating portion is kept constant.

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

6. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the inner door further includes a hinge assembly connected to the connector seating portion at one side thereof and configured to form a rotation center of the outer door at another side thereof.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, 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.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7, 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 to prevent the second electric wire from being exposed to the outside.

9. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the hinge assembly includes:

a hinge bracket fixed to the inner door and forming the rotation center of the outer door separated from the inner door; and

a hinge cover configured to cover the hinge bracket and extending from the outer door to the connector seating portion.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the first electric wire is separably connected to the main body electric wire and separably connected to at least one of a controller or a power supply device.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the second electric wire is configured to be connected to a display device installed at the outer door.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the first electric wire is configured to transfer power supplied from the power supply device to the second electric wire, and

the second electric wire is configured to supply power transferred from the first electric wire to the display device.

13. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the first electric wire is configured to transmit information between the controller and the second electric wire, and

the second electric wire is configured to transmit information between the first electric wire and the display device.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the first electric wire is configured to disconnect from at least one of the main body electric wire or the second electric wire so 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 second electric wire, and

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

16. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body including a storage compartment;

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

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

a connector positioned in the inner door and configured to connect the inner electric wire with the outer electric wire.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, 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.

18. The refrigerator of claim 16, further comprising a connector seating portion formed at an upper portion of the inner door to form a space,

wherein:

the connector comprises a first connecting portion formed at an end of the outer electric wire and a second connecting portion formed at an end of the inner electric wire, and

the first connection portion and the second connection portion are coupled in the space.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein:

the inner door and the outer door move between;

an open state for opening the storage compartment,

a closed state for closing the storage compartment, and

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

while the inner door and the outer door are moving among the open state, the closed state, and the partially opened state, a first length of the inner electric wire extending from the main body to the connector seating portion is kept constant and a second length of the outer electric wire extending from the outer door to the connector seating portion is kept constant.

20. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein the outer door further includes a hinge assembly including 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, wherein the hinge assembly is connected to the connector seating portion and configured to form the center of rotation of the outer door.