Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10330375-B2
Application number	US-201615548148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2016
Priority date	Jul 15, 2015
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed is refrigerator including a holder terminal unit provided in a main body of the refrigerator; and a shelf terminal unit provided in a shelf installed in the main body, wherein the holder terminal unit includes a holder installed at an inner rear wall of the main body and having an opening which is opened toward a front side of the refrigerator; a holder side terminal provided to correspond to a shelf side terminal of the shelf terminal unit and movable in forward and backward directions within the holder; and an elastic member provided between the holder and the holder side terminal and configured to elastically support the holder side terminal, and wherein the holder side terminal is pressurized by the shelf side terminal which is inserted into the holder through the opening and moved backwardly, while maintaining an elastic contact with the shelf side terminal by the elastic member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a holder terminal unit provided in a main body of the refrigerator; and
a shelf terminal unit provided in a shelf installed in the main body,
wherein the holder terminal unit includes:
a holder installed at an inner rear wall of the refrigerator main body and having an opening which is opened toward a front side of the refrigerator;
a holder side terminal provided to correspond to a shelf side terminal of the shelf terminal unit and provided to be movable in forward and backward directions within the holder, wherein the shelf side terminal includes a first shelf side terminal at an upper side of the shelf side terminal and a second shelf side terminal at a lower side of the shelf side terminal, and wherein the holder side terminal includes a first holder side terminal corresponding to the first shelf side terminal and a second holder side terminal corresponding to the second shelf side holder; and
an elastic member provided between the holder and the holder side terminal and configured to elastically support the holder side terminal,
wherein the holder side terminal is pressurized by the shelf side terminal which is inserted into the holder through the opening and moved rearwardly when the shelf is installed to the refrigerator main body, while maintaining an elastic contact with the shelf side terminal by the elastic member, and
wherein the holder includes an insulation jaw disposed between the first holder side terminal and the second holder side terminal for insulation therebetween.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the holder terminal unit is provided at the inner rear wall of the refrigerator main body so that the holder side terminal faces a front side, and
wherein the shelf side terminal is provided at a rear side of the shelf which faces the rear wall so as to face the holder side terminal.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a pair of guide ribs are extended in front and rear directions at both inner sides of the holder, and
wherein the holder side terminal is accommodated between the guide ribs so as to be guided in the front and rear directions.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the holder terminal unit is mounted to the holder so as to cover the opening, and further includes a cover having a cutout portion through which the shelf side terminal passes.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the cutout portion includes:
a main cutout portion which is cutout vertically in a lengthwise direction of the cover; and
a first sub-cutout portion and a second sub-cutout portion each provided at both ends of the main cutout portion and extended toward both sides of the main cutout portion.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the holder terminal unit further includes a bridge configured to elastically support both sides of a rear surface of the holder side terminal to compensate for an eccentric pressure generated by pressing one side of the holder side terminal.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the bridge is formed of a metallic material and configured to electrically connect a power supply unit to the holder side terminal.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7 , wherein the bridge includes:
a support part extended from a rear surface of the holder side terminal in a lengthwise direction and configured to support both sides of the holder side terminal; and
a connection part extended in a crossing direction of the lengthwise direction and elastically supported by the holder, and electrically connected to the power supply unit.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the support part is formed to be bent plural times to support both ends of the holder side terminal without contacting a central portion of the holder side terminal, and
wherein the elastic member is located at a central portion of the support part.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the shelf terminal unit further includes a shelf terminal housing, to which first and second shelf side terminals are mounted, respectively, disposed at a rear side of the shelf, and
wherein the shelf terminal housing is hooked by the insulation jaw when the shelf is inserted into the refrigerator main body more than a predetermined depth.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the holder terminal unit further includes a bridge including a support part extended in a lengthwise direction on a rear surface of the holder side terminal and configured to support both sides of the holder side terminal, and a connection part extended to cross the lengthwise direction from the support part so as to be elastically supported by the holder and electrically connected to a power supply unit, and
wherein the bridge includes a first bridge corresponding to the first holder side terminal provided at an upper side; and
a second bridge corresponding to the second holder side terminal provided at a lower side, and
wherein the connection part of the first bridge is upwardly extended, and the connection part of the second bridge is downwardly extended.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the holder terminal unit further includes:
a power supply terminal electrically connected to a power supply unit; and
a connection member connected to the power supply terminal and configured to elastically support a rear surface of the holder side terminal, and formed of a metallic material to electrically connect the power supply terminal to the holder side terminal.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the elastic member is connected to one end of the connection member which elastically supports a rear surface of the holder side terminal and the power supply terminal, respectively.

14. A refrigerator comprising:
a holder terminal unit provided in a main body of the refrigerator; and
a shelf terminal unit provided in a shelf installed in the main body,
wherein the holder terminal unit includes:
a holder installed at an inner rear wall of the refrigerator main body and having an opening which is opened toward a front side of the refrigerator;
a holder side terminal provided to correspond to a shelf side terminal of the shelf terminal unit and provided to be movable in forward and backward directions within the holder;
an elastic member provided between the holder and the holder side terminal and configured to elastically support the holder side terminal; and
a bridge (i) configured to elastically support both sides of a rear surface of the holder side terminal to compensate for an eccentric pressure generated by pressing one side of the holder side terminal, (ii) formed of a metallic material and configured to electrically connect the power supply unit to the holder side terminal, and (iii) including (a) a support part extended from a rear surface of the holder side terminal in a lengthwise direction and configured to support both sides of the holder side terminal and (b) a connection part extended in a crossing direction of the lengthwise direction and elastically supported by the holder, and electrically connected to a power supply unit,
wherein the holder side terminal is pressurized by the shelf side terminal which is inserted into the holder through the opening and moved rearwardly when the shelf is installed to the refrigerator main body, while maintaining an elastic contact with the shelf side terminal by the elastic member.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein the support part is formed to be bent plural times to support both ends of the holder side terminal without contacting a central portion of the holder side terminal, and
wherein the elastic member is

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Seungho

Classifications

• H01H9/085

  contact separation effected by removing contact carrying element · CPC title

• H01H3/16

  adapted for actuation at a limit or other predetermined position in the path of a body, the relative movement of switch and body being primarily for a purpose other than the actuation of the switch, e.g. for a door switch, a limit switch, a floor-levelling switch of a lift · CPC title

• H01H1/24

  with resilient mounting · CPC title

• F25D2400/40

  Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring · CPC title

• F25D27/00

  Lighting arrangements (in general F21) · CPC title