Refrigerator door panel capable of changing color along with environmental humidity

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of refrigerator door panels, in particular to a refrigerator door panel capable of changing color along with environmental humidity, which comprises a base plate and a humidity-sensing color-changing layer, the humidity-sensing color-changing layer is arranged on the surface of the base plate and used for generating color change according to the environmental humidity, and the humidity-sensing color-changing layer comprises polyester resin and an inorganic nano film. The inorganic nano-film is uniformly distributed on one side, far away from the substrate, of the polyester resin, and the inorganic nano-film is in contact with the outside to generate color change through the change of environment humidity. The problem that an existing refrigerator door panel cannot remind a user according to the relative humidity of the environment is effectively solved. The inorganic nanometer film compounded with polyester resin is adopted, the purpose that the refrigerator door panel conducts color change reminding according to the relative humidity of the environment is achieved through the characteristic that the inorganic nanometer film changes color according to the relative humidity of different environments and is reversible after color change, and the situation that the refrigerator door panel is damaged due to the fact that the environment humidity is too high is reduced. And the equipment is damaged if a user does not handle the problem in time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of refrigerator door panel technology, specifically to a refrigerator door panel that can change color with ambient humidity. Background Technology

[0002] Refrigerators are a common household appliance. In order to enhance the appearance of refrigerators during the manufacturing process, laminated panels or color-coated panels are often used to decorate the refrigerator door panel. Existing laminated panels or color-coated panels for refrigerator production are generally made of moisture-proof or moisture-proof materials to prevent damage to the refrigerator caused by excessively humid external environments.

[0003] Meanwhile, in order to alert users to the humid external environment, a hygrometer is often installed on the outside of the refrigerator to monitor the relative humidity of the environment in which the refrigerator is located. However, users need to purchase this external hygrometer separately, which increases their expenses. Furthermore, the humidity readings from this external hygrometer may deviate from the relative humidity values ​​of the environment in which the refrigerator is located, posing a risk of delayed monitoring. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of the above situation and to overcome the defects of the prior art, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a refrigerator door panel that can change color according to the ambient humidity, effectively solving the problem that the existing refrigerator door panels cannot remind users according to the relative humidity of the environment.

[0005] The technical solution provided by this utility model is a refrigerator door panel that can change color according to ambient humidity, including a substrate and a moisture-sensitive color-changing layer. The moisture-sensitive color-changing layer is disposed on the surface of the substrate to generate color changes according to ambient humidity. The moisture-sensitive color-changing layer includes polyester resin and an inorganic nanofilm. The inorganic nanofilm is uniformly distributed on the side of the polyester resin away from the substrate and is pressed onto the surface of the polyester resin by a steel roller. The inorganic nanofilm changes color when it comes into contact with the outside world and the ambient humidity changes.

[0006] Preferably, the thickness of the polyester resin wet film with the inorganic nanofilm is 10-20 μm.

[0007] Preferably, the inorganic nanofilm has a thickness of 145-160 μm.

[0008] Preferably, it also includes a colored polyester primer layer, which is disposed between the substrate and the moisture-sensitive color-changing layer to enhance the substrate's corrosion resistance and appearance.

[0009] Preferably, the wet film thickness of the colored polyester primer layer is 5-10 μm.

[0010] Preferably, it also includes a back coating layer and a protective layer. The back coating layer is disposed on the side of the substrate near the inside of the refrigerator to enhance the substrate's corrosion resistance, and the protective layer is disposed on the outside of the inorganic nanofilm to protect the substrate during transport.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0012] This invention utilizes an inorganic nanofilm composited with polyester resin. By leveraging the reversible color-changing properties of the inorganic nanofilm in response to varying relative humidity levels, the refrigerator door panel can be adjusted to reflect the ambient relative humidity. This reduces the risk of damage to the equipment caused by excessively high humidity and the user's failure to address it promptly. Furthermore, it helps remind users of the relative humidity of their environment, allowing them to adjust accordingly.

[0013] This invention uses an inorganic nanofilm with a thickness of 150μm. At this thickness, the inorganic nanofilm still has a certain degree of light transmittance when it changes color, which can display the color or pattern of the colored polyester primer layer on the substrate. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolded three-dimensional layered structure of this utility model;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional front view schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0016] In the figure, 1-substrate; 2-polyester resin; 3-inorganic nanofilm; 4-colored polyester primer layer; 5-back coating layer; 6-protective layer; 7-chemical coating. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The specific embodiments of this utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Refer to the instruction manual appendix Figure 1-2 A refrigerator door panel that changes color according to ambient humidity includes a substrate 1 and a moisture-sensitive color-changing layer. The substrate 1 is generally made of metal, and the moisture-sensitive color-changing layer is disposed on the surface of the substrate 1 to generate color changes by sensing the humidity of the environment.

[0019] When the relative humidity is 20%, the moisture-sensitive color-changing layer appears purple; when the relative humidity is 33%, it appears green; when the relative humidity is 55%, it appears yellow; and when the relative humidity is greater than or equal to 75%, it appears red. Therefore, the color of the refrigerator door panel can be used to intuitively determine the current range of ambient humidity.

[0020] The moisture-sensitive color-changing layer is composed of polyester resin 2 and inorganic nanofilm 3. Polyester resin 2 is the bottom layer, and inorganic nanofilm 3 is covered on polyester resin 2 and pressed together. Inorganic nanofilm 3 is a prior art. Inorganic nanofilm 3 is a film prepared by cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) composite with polyethylene glycol (refer to Journal of Zhejiang A&F University, 2024, 41(1): 169–175). As the relative humidity of the environment increases, water vapor can enter the CNC liquid crystal film, and the color gradually shifts to red. As the relative humidity of the environment decreases, the water vapor that has entered the CNC liquid crystal film is re-evaporated, and the color gradually returns to the original state.

[0021] The thickness of the polyester resin 2 with the inorganic nanofilm 3 is 10-20 μm when wet, while the thickness of the inorganic nanofilm 3 is 145-160 μm, with 150 μm being a suitable thickness. At this thickness, the inorganic nanofilm 3 can change color, and it can also have a certain degree of light transmittance, so that the preset pattern or color on the substrate 1 can be displayed. The pressing force when the inorganic nanofilm 3 is bonded to the polyester resin 2 film is 0.5-0.8 MPa.

[0022] In addition to the moisture-sensitive color-changing layer, the substrate 1 also includes a colored polyester primer layer 4. The colored polyester primer layer 4 is located between the moisture-sensitive color-changing layer and the substrate 1. The wet film thickness of the colored polyester primer layer 4 is 5-10 μm. The colored polyester primer layer 4 provides the substrate 1 with a suitable color and pattern, and at the same time, it can also provide strong adhesion to the polyester resin 2. Furthermore, the colored polyester primer layer 4 can enhance the corrosion resistance of the substrate 1.

[0023] A back coating layer 5 is also provided on the substrate 1. The back coating layer 5 is located on the side of the substrate 1 that is close to the inside of the refrigerator. The back coating layer 5 can improve the corrosion resistance of the side of the substrate 1 that is close to the inside of the refrigerator under high temperature and high humidity conditions.

[0024] A protective layer 6 is also provided on the outside of the inorganic nanofilm 3. The protective layer 6 is generally made of PE film. The protective layer 6 prevents the inorganic nanofilm 3 on the substrate 1 from being damaged during transportation. When the refrigerator with the substrate 1 is put into use, the protective film can be peeled off, allowing the inorganic nanofilm 3 to come into contact with the environment and achieve the purpose of changing color with the ambient humidity.

[0025] A chemical coating layer 7 is provided between the substrate 1 and the back coating layer 5 or the colored polyester primer layer 4. The chemical coating layer 7 is used to passivate the cleaned substrate 1. The chemical coating layer 7 is applied using a chromium-free chemical coating solution.

[0026] In the production process of this invention, a substrate 1 of suitable material is selected, and the surface of the substrate 1 is cleaned and dried. After cleaning and drying both sides of the substrate 1, a layer of chromium-free coating solution is applied to both sides simultaneously and then dried. Then, a three-roller or two-roller feeding belt is used to simultaneously apply the colored polyester primer layer 4 and the back paint layer 5 to the corresponding surfaces of the substrate 1. The colored polyester primer layer 4 and the back paint layer 5 are dried in a drying tunnel (the drying temperature of the board surface is 200-232℃). After exiting the drying tunnel, they are cooled with water. After cooling to room temperature and drying, polyester resin 2 is applied to the colored polyester primer layer 4. After drying in a drying tunnel (board surface temperature is 210-242℃), inorganic nanofilm 3 is immediately bonded. After bonding, it is cooled to room temperature by water. Polyester resin 2 is bonded to the colored polyester primer layer 4 and inorganic nanofilm 3 is bonded. It is dried in a drying tunnel at a drying temperature of 210-242℃. After cooling to room temperature, a protective layer 6 is bonded to the outside of inorganic nanofilm 3. Finally, the above substrate 1 is made into a refrigerator door panel for refrigerator use.

[0027] This invention employs an inorganic nanofilm 3 composited with polyester resin 2. Utilizing the reversible color-changing properties of the inorganic nanofilm 3 based on varying relative humidity levels, the refrigerator door panel can be color-changing to indicate ambient relative humidity. This reduces the risk of damage to the equipment due to excessively high humidity and the user's failure to address the issue promptly. Furthermore, it helps remind users of the relative humidity of their environment, allowing them to adjust accordingly.

[0028] This invention uses an inorganic nanofilm 3 with a thickness of 150μm. At this thickness, the inorganic nanofilm 3 still has a certain degree of light transmittance when it changes color, which can display the color or pattern of the colored polyester primer layer 4 on the substrate 1.

Claims

1. A refrigerator door panel that changes color according to ambient humidity, characterized in that, The material includes a substrate (1) and a moisture-sensitive color-changing layer. The moisture-sensitive color-changing layer is disposed on the surface of the substrate (1) and is used to generate color changes according to the ambient humidity. The moisture-sensitive color-changing layer includes a polyester resin (2) and an inorganic nanofilm (3). The inorganic nanofilm (3) is uniformly distributed on the side of the polyester resin (2) away from the substrate (1) and is pressed onto the surface of the polyester resin (2) by a steel roller. The inorganic nanofilm (3) generates color changes when it comes into contact with the outside world and the ambient humidity changes.

2. The refrigerator door panel that changes color with ambient humidity according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the wet film of the polyester resin (2) with the inorganic nanofilm (3) is 10-20 μm.

3. A refrigerator door panel that changes color with ambient humidity according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inorganic nanofilm (3) has a thickness of 145-160 μm.

4. A refrigerator door panel that changes color with ambient humidity according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a colored polyester primer layer (4), which is disposed between the substrate (1) and the moisture-sensitive color-changing layer to enhance the substrate (1)'s corrosion resistance and appearance decoration effect.

5. A refrigerator door panel that changes color with ambient humidity according to claim 4, characterized in that: The wet film thickness of the colored polyester primer layer (4) is 5-10 μm.

6. A refrigerator door panel that changes color with ambient humidity according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a back coating layer (5) and a protective layer (6). The back coating layer (5) is disposed on the side of the substrate (1) near the inside of the refrigerator to enhance the corrosion resistance of the substrate (1). The protective layer (6) is disposed on the outside of the inorganic nanofilm (3) to protect the substrate (1) during the transport process.

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