Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025044018-A1
Application number	US-202418762712-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 3, 2024
Priority date	Aug 2, 2023
Publication date	Feb 6, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cabinet forming a storage space; and a door configured to open and close the storage space, in which the door includes a door liner forming a rear of the door and having a liner opening; a gasket mounted at a mounting groove recessed in the door liner; a panel assembly forming a front surface of the door, disposed to cover the liner opening, and configured to see through a space behind the door; and an insulating material filled inside the door excluding the panel assembly, the panel assembly includes a plurality of insulating layers formed by a plurality of transparent panels spaced apart in the front and rear direction, and one of the plurality of insulating layers extends further toward an outer end of the door with respect to the mounting groove.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet that forms a storage space; and a door configured to open and close the storage space such that a rear of the door faces the storage space and a front of the door faces away from the storage space when the door is closed relative to the storage space, and a first direction is from the front of the door toward the rear of the door, wherein the door includes:
a door liner disposed at the rear of the door and having a liner opening, and the door liner includes a mounting groove recessed into a rear of the door liner;
a gasket disposed at the mounting groove of the door liner;
a panel assembly disposed at the front of the door to cover the liner opening; and
an insulating material disposed between the front of the door and a rear of the door liner,
wherein the panel assembly includes a plurality of transparent panels spaced apart in the first direction, and the panel assembly includes a plurality of insulating layers, and
wherein an end of a first one of the plurality of insulating layers extends further toward an outer end of the door as compared to an end of other ones of the plurality of insulating layers.

2 . The refrigerator of claim 1 ,
wherein an end of a second one of the plurality of insulating layers is closer to a center of the panel assembly as compared to the mounting groove.

3 . The refrigerator of claim 2 ,
wherein a peripheral end of each of the plurality of insulating layers forms a stepped structure.

4 . The refrigerator of claim 1 ,
wherein the first one of the insulating layer is disposed close to the front of the door and extends further outside with respect to the mounting groove as compared to the end of other ones of the plurality of insulating layers, and the end of the other ones of the insulating layers disposed further away from the front of the door is to end inward with respect to the mounting groove.

5 . The refrigerator of claim 1 ,
wherein one of the plurality of insulating layers is a vacuum insulating layer, wherein another one of the plurality of insulating layers is an insulating layer to be injected with insulating gas, and wherein a thickness of the vacuum insulating layer in the first direction is less than a thickness of other ones of the insulating layers in the first direction.

6 . The refrigerator of claim 5 ,
wherein the vacuum insulating layer extends further outward than the mounting groove.

7 . The refrigerator of claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of transparent panels includes:
a first panel that forms a front surface of the door;
a second panel spaced apart from the first panel in the first direction; and
a third panel spaced apart from the second panel in the first direction such that the second panel is between the first panel and the third panel, and the third panel covering the liner opening of the door liner.

8 . The refrigerator of claim 7 ,
wherein the panel assembly further includes:
a first spacer disposed between the first panel and the second panel; and
a second spacer disposed between the second panel and the third panel, and
wherein the first spacer is disposed further away from a center of the panel assembly than the second spacer.

9 . The refrigerator of claim 7 ,
wherein an end of the second panel is closer to an end of the door than an end of the third panel, and the end of the third panel is closer to a center of the panel assembly than the end of the second panel.

10 . The refrigerator of claim 9 ,
wherein the third panel is disposed further rear in the first direction than an end of the mounting groove.

11 . The refrigerator of claim 9 ,
wherein the door includes a door light disposed on the door liner and configured to illuminate a rear of the door, and wherein the end of the third panel is disposed between the liner opening and the door light in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

12 . The refrigerator of claim 7 ,
wherein an end of the mounting groove is recessed forward to a space between the second panel and the third panel.

13 . The refrigerator of claim 7 ,
wherein the plurality of insulating layers includes:
a first insulating layer disposed between the first panel and the second panel, and
a second insulating layer disposed between the second panel and the third panel,
wherein one of the first and second insulating layers is a vacuum insulating layer, and the other one of the first and second insulating layers is a thicker insulating layer than the vacuum insulating layer.

14 . The refrigerator of claim 13 ,
wherein the first insulating layer is the vacuum insulating layer, and wherein the first panel extends from an upper end of the door to a lower end of the door, and the second panel extends from the upper end of the door to the lower end of the door.

15 . The refrigerator of claim 14 ,
wherein the second insulating layer is an insulating layer injected with insulating gas and extends outward between the liner opening and the mounting groove.

16 . The refrigerator of claim 13 ,
wherein the second insulating layer is the vacuum insulating layer, and wherein the second panel and the third panel are smaller than the first panel and extend outward until a portion between the mounting groove and an outer end of the door.

17 . The refrigerator of claim 16 ,
wherein the first insulating layer is an insulating layer injected with insulating gas and an end of the first insulating layer extends between the liner opening and the mounting groove.

18 . The refrigerator of claim 1 ,
wherein the door includes:
a main door configured to open and close the storage space, and the main door having an opening; and
a sub door provided in front of the main door and configured to open and close relative to the opening of the main door, and
wherein the panel assembly is disposed at the sub door.

19 . The refrigerator of claim 18 ,
wherein when the sub door is closed relative to the storage space, the gasket is to contact the main door.

20 . A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet that forms a storage space; a first door to open and close relative to the storage space, the first door having an opening; and a second door configured to open and close relative to the opening of the first door such that a rear of the second door faces the first door when the first and second doors are closed relative to the storage space and a front of the second door faces away from the first door when the first and second doors are closed relative to the storage space, and a first direction is from the front of the second door toward the rear of the second door, wherein the second door includes:
a door liner having a liner opening, and the door liner includes a mounting groove recessed into a rear of the door liner;
a panel assembly disposed at the front of the second door, wherein the panel assembly includes:
a plurality of transparent panels spaced apart in the first direction,
a first insulating layer disposed between a first one of the transparent panels and a second one of the transparent panels, and
a second insulation layer disposed between the second one of the transparent panels and a third one of the transparent panels,

wherein one of the first and second insulating layers extends further outward from a center of the panel assembly than the other one of the first and second insulating layers.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Song Seongmin
• Park Yoomin
• Chung Myungjin
• Cha Kyunghun

Classifications

• F25D23/025

  Secondary closures · CPC title

• F25D23/087 Primary

  Sealing strips · CPC title

• F25D2201/12

  using an insulating packing material · CPC title

• F25D2323/02

  Details of doors or covers not otherwise covered · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title