Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022333847-A1
Application number	US-202217684837-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 2, 2022
Priority date	Apr 15, 2021
Publication date	Oct 20, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A refrigerator including: a main body having a storage room; a door opening and closing the storage room; an electric box to accommodate a printed circuit board; and a guide case to accommodate the electric box, provided on a top surface of the main body, and including a guide rail formed to extend along a front-rear direction of the guide case to guide a movement of the electric box along the front-rear direction of the guide case.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A refrigerator, comprising:
a main body having a storage room; a door provided to open and close the storage room; an electric box provided to accommodate a printed circuit board; and a guide case provided to accommodate the electric box and disposed on a top surface of the main body, the guide case comprising a guide rail formed to extend along a front-rear direction of the guide case to guide a movement of the electric box along the front-rear direction of the guide case.

2 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the guide case comprises a lower case to be coupled to the top surface of the main body in which the electric box is to be accommodated, and the lower case is formed to cover both sides of the electric box.

3 . The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the guide rail is formed to protrude from an inner side surface of the lower case toward a side surface of the electric box.

4 . The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the electric box comprises a sliding rail formed to protrude from the side surface of the electric box to be positioned along the guide rail.

5 . The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the guide rail is a first rail and the guide case comprises:
a second rail provided above the first rail such that the sliding rail is positioned between the first rail and the second rail, wherein a portion of the second rail is inclined upward toward a front direction.

6 . The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the first rail is formed to include a hole penetrating the first rail, and
the electric box comprises a stopper formed to protrude downward from a bottom of the sliding rail and insertable in the hole to thereby couple the electric box to the guide case.

7 . The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the stopper is formed to be separable from the hole as the electric box is moved upward.

8 . The refrigerator of claim 7 , wherein the guide case comprises:
a third rail spaced from the first rail, behind the first rail and formed to extend along the front-rear direction of the guide case, a fourth rail spaced from the second rail, behind the second rail, formed to extend along the front-rear direction of the guide case and above the third rail; and a rail stopper between a rear end of the third rail and a rear end of the fourth rail.

9 . The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the guide case comprises:
an insertion space between the third rail and the fourth rail such that a rear portion of the sliding rail is insertable into the insertion space, and a front portion of the third rail is inclined downward toward the front direction and a front portion of the fourth rail is inclined upward toward the front direction such that the insertion space is widened toward the front direction.

10 . The refrigerator of claim 2 , further comprising:
a wire hole through which a wire electrically connected to the printed circuit board passes, the wire hole being formed behind the electric box and the lower case at the top surface of the main body.

11 . The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the guide case comprises:
an upper case positioned above the lower case and the wire hole and covering the lower case and the wire hole.

12 . The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the upper case comprises:
a cover plate formed to extend along the front-rear direction of the guide case and above the guide case and the wire hole; and a case rib formed to protrude upward from a front end of the cover plate.

13 . The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the electric box comprises:
an external wall forming an outer appearance of the electric box; an inner wall forming an accommodating space in which the printed circuit board is accommodated inside the electric box; a first guide protrusion formed to protrude from at least one of an outer surface of the inner wall or an inner surface of the outer wall, and guide a location of the wire inside the electric box; a second guide protrusion formed to protrude toward a rear direction of the electric box from a rear plate of the outer wall; a guide hole through which the wire passes, the guide hole being formed in the rear plate of the outer wall; and a buffer positioned behind the printed circuit board inside the electric box, and provided to surround the wire.

14 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a hinge to rotatably couple the door to the main body; and a hinge mounting plate positioned at a front portion of the top surface of the main body, and to couple the hinge to the main body, wherein the guide case comprises:
a lower case to be coupled to the top surface of the main body to accommodate the electric box,
an insertion protrusion to be inserted in the top surface of the main body and formed in a rear end of the lower case, and
a coupling portion comprising a coupling hole screw-coupled with the hinge mounting plate, the coupling portion being provided in a front end of the lower case.

15 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a display to display operation information of the refrigerator, and formed to extend along a left-right direction to cover front sides of the electric box and the guide case.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoo Joosang
• Choi Seungyong
• Oh Jonghoon

Classifications

• F25D2400/36

  Visual displays · CPC title

• F25D2400/40

  Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring · CPC title

• F25D29/005 Primary

  Mounting of control devices · CPC title

• F25D23/10

  Arrangements for mounting in particular locations, e.g. for built-in type, for corner type · CPC title

• F25D23/006

  for mounting refrigerating machinery components · CPC title