Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10670329-B2
Application number	US-201715838642-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2017
Priority date	Mar 24, 2017
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cabinet, a door configured to open/close the cabinet, an outer plate defining a front surface of the door and having an opening formed therein to pass through the door, a door liner defining a rear surface of the door, lighting members configured to illuminate storage spaces of the door and the cabinet, a transparent panel assembly mounted to shield the opening and allowing the storage spaces to be selectively seen according to an ON/OFF state of the lighting members, an insulator filled between the outer plate and the door liner, and a blocking part arranged inside the door along a periphery of the transparent panel assembly and detachably coupled to a peripheral surface of the transparent panel assembly to fix the transparent panel assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet defining a storage space;
a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage space, the door comprising:
an outer plate defining a front surface of the door and an opening that passes through the door, and
a door liner defining a rear surface of the door;

a lighting member configured to illuminate the storage space;
a transparent panel assembly covering the opening and being configured to allow the storage space to be selectively visible based on the lighting member being activated;
an insulator filled between the outer plate and the door liner; and
a support frame disposed inside the door,
wherein the transparent panel assembly comprises a front panel, a rear panel, a spacer connecting the front panel and the rear panel, and a display provided in an insulation space defined between the front panel and the rear panel,
wherein the support frame comprises:
a plate support disposed at a rear surface of the outer plate,
a panel support disposed at an inside of the opening and configured to support a periphery of the front panel, and
a blocking part that extends from the panel support to the door liner and that is disposed at a peripheral surface of the transparent panel assembly, and

wherein the blocking part is disposed between the insulator and the transparent panel assembly to thereby prevent the insulator from contacting the transparent panel assembly.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the front panel defines a portion of the front surface of the door that is exposed to an outside of the door through the opening;
the rear panel is spaced apart from the front panel and defines a portion of the rear surface of the door; and
the spacer is disposed between the front panel and the rear panel and defines the peripheral surface that connects the front panel and the rear panel, the spacer defining a sealed space between the front panel and the rear panel.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the transparent panel assembly further comprises coupling members that are disposed inside the door and that pass through the blocking part to couple to the spacer.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the transparent panel assembly further comprises:
a spacer protrusion that protrudes from the spacer toward the blocking part by a distance of the rear panel extending toward the blocking part, that extends along an outer surface of the spacer, and that is configured to receive the coupling members; and
a sealant filled in a first space that is defined by the spacer, the blocking part, the spacer protrusion, and the rear panel and in a second space that is defined by the spacer, the blocking part, the spacer protrusion, and the front panel,
wherein a thickness of the sealant filled in the first and second spaces corresponds to the distance by which the spacer protrusion protrudes toward the blocking part.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein:
the display is provided on a rear surface of the front panel and configured to output a screen; and
the transparent panel assembly further comprises a cable connected to the display and arranged along a periphery of the spacer, the cable passing through the sealant.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the transparent panel assembly further comprises a shielding member that is disposed inside the door between the blocking part and the rear panel, that connects the blocking part and the rear panel, and that is configured to prevent foam liquid injected to form the insulator from permeating to the peripheral surface of the transparent panel assembly.

7. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the spacer comprises:
an outer spacer connecting the front panel and the rear panel, coupling to the blocking part, and defining the sealed space; and
an inner spacer provided inside the sealed space defined by the outer spacer and configured to support an additional panel between the front panel and the rear panel, and
wherein the transparent panel assembly further comprises a source board connected to the display and to the cable, the source board being arranged between the outer spacer and the inner spacer.

8. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the transparent panel assembly further comprises:
a panel provided between the front panel and the rear panel; and
a plurality of spacers that maintain the front panel, the panel, and the rear panel spaced apart from each other and that support the front panel, the panel, and the rear panel.

9. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the front panel extends outward farther than the rear panel,
wherein the rear panel is configured to insert through the opening from a front side of the door by having a size that is smaller than a size of the opening, and
wherein the transparent panel assembly further comprises a bezel that is disposed on a rear surface of the front panel, that is printed along a periphery of the front panel, and that covers the spacer behind the bezel.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 ,
wherein the blocking part extends from an end of the panel support toward the rear panel.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the transparent panel assembly further comprises a heater configured to heat the periphery of the front panel, and
wherein the panel support defines a heater accommodating groove configured to receive the heater.

12. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the panel support is stepped from the plate support by a distance corresponding to a thickness of the front panel.

13. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the outer plate comprises a bent plate part that is inwardly bent to define the opening, and
wherein the support frame defines a plate accommodating groove between the plate support and the panel support, the plate accommodating groove being configured to receive the bent plate part.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the support frame further comprises a guide rib that is disposed in the plate accommodating groove and that protrudes toward the panel support, and
wherein the guide rib, based on the bent plate part inserting into the plate accommodating groove, is configured to contact the bent plate part and to guide the bent plate part to a position in which the bent plate part contacts an end of the front panel.

15. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the support frame has a rectangular frame shape and is arranged along a periphery of the opening,
wherein an area defined by an outer end of the support frame is greater than an area of the opening, and
wherein an area defined by an inner end of the support frame is less than an area of the front panel.

16. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the outer plate comprises:
a front surface part defining an outer appearance of the front surface of the door; and
a mounting part stepped from an end of the front surface part and configured to seat the front panel, and
wherein the blocking part extends from an end of the mounting part toward the rear panel.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the mounting part is stepped from the end of the front surface part by a distance corresponding to a thickness of the front panel, and
wherein the front surface part and a front surface of the front panel are arranged on a plane based on the mounting part seating the front panel.

18. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein a size of the front panel corresponds to a size of the opening and is less than a size of the rear panel,
wherein the door liner defines a liner ope

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kang Chanuk
• Kwon Hyuk
• Lee Sangmyung

Classifications

• F25D2400/361

  Interactive visual displays · CPC title

• F25D2201/10

  with respect to heat · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• F25D23/025

  Secondary closures · CPC title

• F25D23/02

  Doors; Covers (F25D23/08 takes precedence {locks or fastenings E05B65/0042}) · CPC title