Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9696085-B2
Application number	US-201414784340-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2014
Priority date	Apr 26, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

There is disclosed a refrigerator including a case having a storage chamber provided therein; a lighting device provided in the storage chamber to light an inner space of the storage chamber, a first door rotatably coupled to the case to open and close the storage chamber, an auxiliary storage chamber ( 50 ) provided in the first door to define a storage space, the auxiliary storage chamber ( 50 ) accessible through an opening formed in the first door, a second door ( 30 ) rotatably coupled to the first door in the same direction as the first door, a front panel attached to a front surface of the second door ( 30 ), the front panel formed of a transparent material, an evaporation treatment unit evaporated on an overall back surface of the front panel to transmit lights partially, a variable transparency film ( 120 ) attached to a back surface of the evaporation treatment unit provided in the front panel to get transparent when the power is supplied, a frame unit of the second door ( 30 ) on which the front panel is mounted, with an opening having a corresponding size to an opening provided in the first door, an insulation panel provided in the frame unit of the second door ( 30 ), distant from the front panel, a power supply unit for supplying an electric power to the variable transparency film ( 120 ) and the lighting device, a proximity sensor provided in the second door ( 30 ) to sense a user's approaching, and a control unit for controlling the power supply unit to simultaneously operate the variable transparency film ( 120 ) and the lighting device based on a sensing signal of the proximity sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a case having a storage chamber provided therein;
a door that is rotatably coupled to the case to open and close the storage chamber and has a hole penetrating the door, the door comprising:
a front panel configured to form a front appearance of the door and to be selectively transparent;
an insulation panel formed of a transparent material and provided in the hole and behind the front panel; and
an insulation space provided between the front panel and the insulation panel;

a lighting device to light an inner space of the storage chamber; and
a control unit configured to control the lighting device to enable a user to see an inside of the storage chamber selectively through the hole due to transmitting of the light inside the storage chamber through the insulation panel and the front panel,
wherein the front panel is configured to cover all the front surface of the door, and the front panel is larger than the insulation panel,
wherein the door includes an outer case forming a front frame of the door and having the hole formed in a central portion of the outer case, the front panel is provided on a front surface of the outer case and the insulation panel is provided inside the hole to seal the hole, and
wherein the insulation panel comprises a first glass panel and a second glass panel, and an insulation space is provided between the first glass panel and the second glass panel.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the front panel has a convex shape in a direction of right and left.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising a door switch to sense whether the door is opened or not,
wherein the control unit operates the lighting device when the door switch senses the door is opened.

4. A refrigerator comprising:
a case having a storage chamber provided therein;
a door that is rotatably coupled to the case to open and close the storage chamber and has a hole penetrating the door, the door comprising: a front panel configured to form a front appearance of the door and to be selectively transparent, and an insulation panel formed of a transparent material and provided in the hole and behind the front panel;
a lighting device to light an inner space of the storage chamber; and
a control unit configured to control the lighting device to enable a user to see an inside of the storage chamber selectively through the hole due to transmitting of the light inside the storage chamber through the insulation panel and the front panel,
wherein the front panel is configured to cover all the front surface of the door, and the front panel is larger than the insulation panel,
wherein the refrigerator further comprises a sensor to detect whether the user is within a predetermined distance from the refrigerator, and
wherein the control unit operates the lighting device to make the user see the inside of the storage chamber selectively through the hole when the sensor senses the user within a predetermined distance from the refrigerator.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the door includes an outer case forming a front frame of the door and having the hole formed in a central portion of the outer case, the front panel is provided on a front surface of the outer case and the insulation panel is provided inside the hole to seal the hole.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , further comprising an insulation space provided between the front panel and the insulation panel.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor to detect whether user is within a predetermined distance from the refrigerator,
wherein the control unit operates the lighting device to make the user see the inside of the storage chamber selectively through the hole when the sensor senses the user within a predetermined distance from the refrigerator.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7 , the control unit controls the lighting device to have a dimming effect.

9. A refrigerator comprising:
a case having a storage chamber provided therein;
a door that is rotatably coupled to the case to open and close the storage chamber and has a hole penetrating the door, the door comprising:
a front panel configured to form a front appearance of the door and to be selectively transparent, and
an insulation panel formed of a transparent material and provided in the hole and behind the front panel;

a lighting device to light an inner space of the storage chamber;
a control unit configured to control the lighting device to enable a user to see an inside of the storage chamber selectively through the hole due to transmitting of the light inside the storage chamber through the insulation panel and the front panel; and
an evaporation treatment unit that is provided in a rear surface of the front panel to transmit light partially.

10. A refrigerator comprising:
a case having a storage chamber provided therein;
a door that is rotatably coupled to the case to open and close the storage chamber and has a hole penetrating the door, the door comprising:
a front panel configured to form a front appearance of the door and to be selectively transparent, and
an insulation panel formed of a transparent material and provided in the hole and behind the front panel;
a lighting device to light an inner space of the storage chamber;
a control unit configured to control the lighting device to enable a user to see an inside of the storage chamber selectively through the hole due to transmitting of the light inside the storage chamber through the insulation panel and the front panel; and
a variable transparency film attached to a rear surface of the front panel and configured to become transparent when power is supplied.

11. A refrigerator comprising:
a case having a storage chamber provided therein;
a first door that is rotatably coupled to the case to open and close the storage chamber, the first door having a hole penetrating the first door and an auxiliary storage chamber provided therein;
a second door that is rotatably coupled to the case or the first door to open and close the auxiliary storage chamber and has a hole penetrating the second door; the second door comprising:
a front panel that forms a front surface of the second door and is formed of transparent material, and
an insulation panel formed of a transparent material, the insulation panel being located behind the front panel and configured to seal the hole of the second door;

a lighting device to light an inner space of the auxiliary storage chamber; and
a control unit configured to control the lighting device to enable a user to see an inside of the auxiliary storage chamber selectively through the hole of the second door due to transmitting of the light inside the auxiliary storage chamber through the insulation panel and the front panel.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , further comprising a sensor to detect whether the user is within a predetermined distance from the refrigerator or an operation button to put the lighting device into operation,
wherein the control unit operates the lighting device to make the user see an inside of the storage chamber through the holes when the sensor senses the user within the predetermined distance from the refrigerator or the operation button is pushed by the user.

13. The refrigerator of claim 11 , further comprising a lighting device to light the storage chamber.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein, during the lighting device lighting the auxiliary storage chamber is in operation and the first door is closed, the lighting device lighting the auxiliary storage chamber is remained in the o

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Seo Woonkyu
• Jung Soonho
• Park Jinhee

Classifications

• F25D23/025

  Secondary closures · CPC title

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title

• F21V23/0442

  activated by means of a sensor, e.g. motion or photodetectors · CPC title

• F25D2323/021

  French doors · CPC title

• F25D2700/04

  Sensors detecting the presence of a person · CPC title