Refrigerator door with external monitor and refrigerator

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, and provides a refrigerator door with an external display control device and a refrigerator. The refrigerator door comprises a front panel provided with through holes; a display control assembly comprising a plurality of electronic elements; and the display control assembly is assembled to the front panel, so that the plurality of electronic elements are exposed to the outside through the plurality of through holes, and the hole edges of each through hole are provided with a sealing element, so that each electronic element is matched with the corresponding sealing element. Through the through holes formed in the front panel and only passed through by the electronic elements, a refrigerator appearance with extremely small through holes in the front panel is provided for the user, and through the pre-set sealing elements, it is ensured that the moisture and particulate matters in the atmosphere cannot penetrate into the refrigerator, so that the dry environment of the refrigerator door body and even the refrigeration / freezing chamber is maintained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of refrigeration equipment technology, and more particularly to a refrigerator door and a refrigerator with an external display controller. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most smart refrigerators on the market use an external display controller integrated into the refrigerator door, allowing users to monitor and adjust the temperature of the refrigerator / freezer compartment. The mainstream refrigerator doors are made of sheet metal. A conventional solution for integrating the external display controller involves creating a rectangular perforated flange on the door, embedding a plastic frame within the flange, and then installing the controller housing and its corresponding PCB into the plastic frame after the door is foamed. This solution creates a fragmented appearance, resulting in a piecemeal look. No matter how small the gap between the controller housing and the door, a visible gap will appear around the controller, which clashes with the minimalist aesthetics of current home appliances and negatively impacts the product's overall appeal. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application provides a refrigerator door and refrigerator with an external display controller to solve the problem in the prior art where large perforations and flanges on the door affect the water tightness of the door, and to ensure the overall appearance of the product.

[0004] According to a first aspect of this application, this application provides a refrigerator door with an external display controller, comprising:

[0005] The front panel has several through holes;

[0006] Display and control components, including several electronic components;

[0007] The display and control components are assembled onto the front panel, allowing several electronic components to be exposed to the outside world through several through holes. Each through hole has a pre-set seal on its edge, so that each electronic component can be matched with the corresponding seal.

[0008] According to the present application, a refrigerator door with an external display controller is provided, wherein the sealant is a sealing adhesive, which is applied to the edge of the hole and then cured by ultraviolet light.

[0009] According to the present application, a refrigerator door with an external display controller has a number of through holes that correspond one-to-one with a number of electronic components.

[0010] According to the present application, a refrigerator door with an external display controller includes several electronic components, including at least one display unit and at least one button, and several through holes, including first type through holes, second type through holes and third type through holes. The display unit corresponds to each of the first type through holes or the second type through holes, and the button corresponds to each of the third type through holes.

[0011] According to the present application, a refrigerator door with an external display controller is provided. The display controller further includes a button main board and several elastic connectors. The number of elastic connectors is multiple times the number of buttons. Each button is elastically reset and connected to the button main board through a corresponding number of elastic connectors.

[0012] According to the present application, a refrigerator door with an external display controller is provided, wherein the elastic connector is a U-shaped spring, and each button is elastically and resettled to the button main board through a pair of elastic connectors arranged on its two lateral sides.

[0013] According to the present application, a refrigerator door with an external display controller is provided. Each button includes a button base and a protrusion. The button base and the protrusion are fixedly connected to each other or integrally formed. When each button is in a non-pressed state, the protrusion protrudes to the outside from a portion of a plurality of through holes, and the button base is in contact with the inner surface of the front panel.

[0014] According to the present application, a refrigerator door with an external display controller is provided, wherein the protrusion of each button is elongated and the extension direction of the protrusion is parallel to the extension direction of multiple elastic connectors.

[0015] According to the present application, a refrigerator door with an external display controller is provided, the front panel including a flange located on the side that is hinged to the refrigerator body, and the flange is provided with a door-side grounding interface.

[0016] According to the present application, a refrigerator door with an external display controller also includes a foam body, which fixes the display controller to the front panel after the display controller is assembled onto the front panel.

[0017] According to a second aspect of this application, this application also provides a refrigerator, including a refrigerator body and a refrigerator door with an external display controller as described in the first aspect of this application, wherein the refrigerator door with the external display controller is hinged to the refrigerator body on the side where its flange is located.

[0018] According to the refrigerator provided in this application, a main body grounding interface is provided at the corner of the top of the refrigerator body near the hinge side, and the main body grounding interface is electrically connected to the door side grounding interface of the refrigerator door with an external display controller through an internal grounding wire.

[0019] The refrigerator door with an external display controller provided in this application provides users with a refrigerator appearance with tiny through holes on the front panel by forming through holes through which only electronic components pass. At the same time, before the display controller is assembled, the edges of the through holes are pre-sealed to ensure that moisture and particulate matter in the atmosphere do not penetrate into the refrigerator through these through holes, thereby maintaining a dry environment for the refrigerator door and even the refrigerator / freezer compartment. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the front panel of the refrigerator door with an external display controller provided in this application.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the refrigerator door with an external display controller provided in this application.

[0023] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The image shows a top cross-sectional view of the refrigerator door with an external display controller.

[0024] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified view of detail A shown.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the display and control components provided in this application.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a front view of the refrigerator provided in this application.

[0027] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A magnified view of detail B shown.

[0028] Figure 8 yes Figure 6 The image shown is a 3D view of the refrigerator.

[0029] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 A magnified view of detail C shown.

[0030] Figure label:

[0031] 101. Front panel; 102. Through hole; 110. Display and control assembly; 111. Button mainboard; 112. Flexible connector; 113. Button; 114. Button base; 115. Protrusion; 116. Display unit; 120. Flanged edge; 121. Door side grounding interface; 200. Refrigerator body; 221. Body side grounding interface. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate this application, but should not be used to limit the scope of this application.

[0033] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of this application. In addition, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0034] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections or detachable connections, wherein a fixed connection can include an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0036] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the embodiments of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0037] The following is combined with Figures 1 to 9 This application describes a refrigerator door with an external display controller and a refrigerator.

[0038] like Figure 1 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the front panel 101 of the refrigerator door with an external display controller provided in this application. Figure 6 This is a front view of the refrigerator provided in this application. Figure 7 yes Figure 6 The enlarged view at detail B shows that the refrigerator door with an external display controller includes a front panel 101 and a display control assembly 110. The front panel 101 has several through holes 102, including, for example, first-type, second-type, and third-type through holes. The display control assembly 110 includes several electronic components, such as at least one button 113 and at least one display unit 116. These electronic components can have a one-to-one correspondence with the through holes 102, so that each electronic component is exposed to the outside through its corresponding single through hole 102. Of course, in other embodiments, these electronic components can have different correspondences with the through holes 102. In this embodiment, the display unit 116 includes a strip display unit and a dot display unit, but it can also include other forms of display units 116. Thus, the strip-shaped display units correspond one-to-one with the first type of through holes in terms of shape and spatial layout, and the dot-shaped display units also correspond one-to-one with the second type of through holes in terms of shape and spatial layout; furthermore, the buttons 113 correspond one-to-one with the third type of through holes in terms of cross-sectional shape and spatial layout. When the display control assembly 110 is assembled onto the front panel 101, the strip-shaped display units are exposed to the outside through the first type of through holes, the dot-shaped display units are exposed to the outside through the second type of through holes, and the buttons 113 protrude to the outside from the third type of through holes.

[0039] Both strip-shaped and dot-shaped display units can use LEDs. Strip-shaped LEDs are arranged in an array capable of displaying any single digit, such as the common figure-eight array, or a "-" sign to indicate sub-zero temperatures. Dot-shaped display units only need to be exposed; the state they represent can be indicated on the front panel through etching, stickers, or spraying. Compared to common full-screen displays, the display unit 116 of this application does not require a large display / emission area, resulting in a simpler appearance and energy savings. Of course, the display unit 116 can also use other forms of light-emitting electronic components.

[0040] Each through-hole 102 has a pre-set seal at its edge, allowing several buttons 113 and several display units 116 to engage with their corresponding seals. Specifically, the seals include, but are not limited to, a sealant adhesive. Before assembly, the sealant adhesive is applied to the edge of the hole and then cured using ultraviolet (UV) light. When the display control assembly 110 is assembled to the front panel 101, several buttons 113 are movably engaged with the sealant adhesive, while several display units 116 are statically engaged with the sealant adhesive. Thus, through the engagement of the buttons 113 and display units 116 with the seals, the front panel 101 is essentially sealed, preventing atmospheric moisture and particulate matter from entering the refrigerator door. This means that the dry environment of the refrigerator door and even the refrigerator / freezer compartment is maintained, and the electronic components of the display control assembly 110 will not fail due to the accumulation of moisture and particulate matter, thus preventing creepage distance failure relative to the front panel 101 or the user's finger.

[0041] like Figure 3-5 As shown, Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The diagram shown is a top cross-sectional view of the refrigerator door with an external display controller. Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The enlarged view of detail A shown. Figure 5This is a perspective view of the display control component 110 provided in this application. The display control component 110 includes a button mainboard 111 and a plurality of elastic connectors 112, wherein the number of elastic connectors 112 is a multiple of the number of buttons 113, for example, 2 times, 4 times, or more. Each button 113 is elastically and resiliently connected to the button mainboard 111 via a corresponding plurality of elastic connectors 112. For example, the elastic connectors 112 can be U-shaped springs, and each button 113 is elastically and resiliently connected to the button mainboard 111 via pairs of U-shaped springs on its two lateral sides. That is, when the number of U-shaped springs is twice the number of buttons 113, the two lateral sides of each button 113 are elastically and resiliently connected to the button mainboard 111 via a single U-shaped spring; when the number of U-shaped springs is four times the number of buttons 113, the two lateral sides of each button 113 are elastically and resiliently connected to the button mainboard 111 via two U-shaped springs; and so on. The advantage of using a U-shaped spring here is that the U-shaped spring has a relatively small dimension in the thickness direction of the refrigerator door. Therefore, the total thickness change of the display and control component 110 caused by using a U-shaped spring on the button mainboard 111 is also relatively small. This means that the display and control component 110 will not occupy a large amount of the assembly space on the inside of the refrigerator door (relative to the outside) due to the presence of the elastic connector 112. As a result, the button 113 is maintained in a raised state (from the third type of through hole) by means of multiple elastic connectors 112; when the user presses a specific button 113, the button 113 is recessed inward; and when the user releases the button 113, the button 113 springs back to the initial (raised) state by means of multiple elastic connectors 112.

[0042] Furthermore, each button 113 includes a button base 114 and a protrusion 115, wherein the button base 114 and the protrusion 115 are fixedly connected to each other or integrally formed. When each button 113 is in a non-pressed state, as described above, the button 113 is in its initial state under the action of the multi-elastic connector 112. At this time, the protrusion 115 protrudes outward from the third type of through hole, and the button base 114 is in contact with the inner surface of the front panel 101. The contact between the button base 114 and the front panel 101 further ensures the basic sealing state of the front panel 101, thereby further maintaining a dry and clean environment for the refrigerator door and even the refrigerator / freezer compartment.

[0043] Furthermore, the protrusion 115 of each button 113 is elongated, and the extension direction of the protrusion 115 is parallel to the extension direction of the multiple elastic connectors 112. It is conceivable that when a user presses the button 113, the point of force application of the finger may not be precisely aligned with the geometric center of the protrusion 115. This results in the protrusion 115, and even the button 113, tilting due to an eccentric external force. In this case, regardless of whether the point of force application of the finger is closer to either of the two lateral sides of the button 113, one or more (preferably two) elastic connectors 112 on that side correspondingly bear most of the force applied by the finger, while one or more (preferably two) elastic connectors 112 on the other lateral side, relatively far from the point of force application of the finger, do not need to bear the same amount of force applied by the finger. This configuration optimizes the force distribution of the button 113 and provides a more targeted hardware configuration basis for the transition of the button 113 from the tilted state to its initial state.

[0044] The refrigerator door also includes a foam body (not shown in the figure). After the display and control assembly 110 and the corresponding PCB are assembled onto the front panel 101, the foam body fixes the display and control assembly 110 onto the front panel 101. It is conceivable that the display and control assembly 110, especially each button 113, also includes a microswitch (not shown in the figure). These microswitches are each electrically connected to the corresponding PCB, thereby effectively converting the user's pressing operation of the button 113 into the corresponding state change of the refrigerator.

[0045] Alternatively or additionally, the front panel 101 is provided with several screw holes (not shown in the figure), and the display and control assembly 110 and the corresponding PCB are provided with several mounting holes (not shown in the figure). When the display and control assembly 110 and the corresponding PCB are respectively assembled onto the front panel 101, these screw holes are aligned with the mounting holes one by one, so that the mounting bolts / screws pass through these mounting holes and screw holes in sequence, thereby pre-fixing the display and control assembly 110 and the corresponding PCB to the front panel 101. Then, foam is added to the front panel 101 so that the foam further holds the display and control assembly 110 and the corresponding PCB in place, ultimately forming the desired refrigerator door. On the one hand, the foam can act as a filler for the refrigerator door body, and using such a material to fill the refrigerator door body can effectively reduce the manufacturing cost of the refrigerator door; on the other hand, the foam is a material with excellent performance in terms of heat transfer insulation and moisture penetration, and using it as a filler for the refrigerator door body can prevent most of the external environmental heat and moisture from entering the refrigerator, which is also consistent with the basic function of the refrigerator.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the refrigerator door with an external display controller provided in this application, such as... Figure 2As shown, the front panel 101 also includes a flange 120 located on the side that is hinged to the refrigerator body 200, and the flange 120 is provided with a door-side grounding interface 121. Figure 8 yes Figure 6 The refrigerator shown is a 3D diagram. Figure 9 yes Figure 8 The enlarged view of detail C shown is as follows: Figure 9 As shown, a body-side grounding interface 221 is provided at the top of the refrigerator body 200, near the corner of the hinge connection point. The body-side grounding interface 221 is electrically connected to the door-side grounding interface 121 of the refrigerator door via an internal grounding wire (not shown in the figure). It is well known that corresponding PCBs are installed in the refrigerator door body. After prolonged use, the creepage distance between these PCBs and the user's fingers may fail. Furthermore, frequent contact and release of the button 113 by the user's fingers can promote the generation and discharge of static electricity. In this application, the front panel 101 is machined from sheet metal, allowing any potential discharge from the PCB to be transferred to the front panel 101. Subsequently, the internal grounding wire transfers the static charge from the PCB discharge and the static electricity caused by frequent release to the front panel 101 and back to the refrigerator body 200, preventing the user from suffering an electric shock when pressing the button 113.

[0047] This application also provides a refrigerator, including a refrigerator body 200 and a refrigerator door with an external display and control as described above. The refrigerator body 200 is provided with a hinge, thereby hinged to the side of the refrigerator door where the door flange 120 is located, realizing a refrigerator door that can be opened from one side.

[0048] As described above, the main body-side grounding interface 221 and the door-side grounding interface 121 of the refrigerator door are electrically connected via an internal grounding wire. Furthermore, at least a portion of the side panels of the refrigerator body 200, such as the side panel near the hinge connection point, including metal plates or sheet metal components, acts as conductors, transferring the charge from the door-side grounding interface 121 to the refrigerator compressor. Ultimately, any static electricity or potential leakage current in the entire refrigerator is grounded through the main wiring harness grounding wire at the compressor, thereby ensuring electrical safety for the user during refrigerator use.

[0049] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A refrigerator door with an external display controller, characterized in that, include: The front panel has several through holes; Display and control components, including several electronic components; The display and control assembly is mounted on the front panel, such that several electronic components are exposed to the outside through several through holes, and each through hole has a pre-set seal at its edge, so that each electronic component cooperates with the corresponding seal.

2. The refrigerator door with external display and control according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealant is a sealing adhesive, which is applied to the edge of the hole and then cured using ultraviolet light.

3. The refrigerator door with an external display controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The aforementioned through holes correspond one-to-one with the aforementioned electronic components.

4. The refrigerator door with an external display controller according to claim 3, characterized in that, The electronic components include at least one display unit and at least one button, and the through holes include first type through holes, second type through holes and third type through holes. The display unit corresponds to the first type through hole or the second type through hole one by one, and the button corresponds to the third type through hole one by one.

5. The refrigerator door with an external display controller according to claim 4, characterized in that, The display and control component includes a button motherboard and several elastic connectors. The number of elastic connectors is multiple times the number of buttons. Each button is elastically and repositionably connected to the button motherboard through a corresponding plurality of elastic connectors.

6. The refrigerator door with an external display controller according to claim 5, characterized in that, The elastic connector is a U-shaped spring, and each button is elastically and repositionably connected to the button motherboard via pairs of elastic connectors arranged on its two lateral sides.

7. The refrigerator door with an external display controller according to claim 6, characterized in that, Each of the buttons includes a button base and a protrusion, the button base and the protrusion being fixedly connected to each other or integrally formed. When each of the buttons is in a non-pressed state, the protrusion protrudes outward from a portion of the plurality of through holes, and the button base is in contact with the inner surface of the front panel.

8. The refrigerator door with an external display controller according to claim 7, characterized in that, The protrusion of each button is elongated and the extending direction of the protrusion is parallel to the extending direction of the plurality of elastic connectors.

9. The refrigerator door with an external display controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front panel includes a flange located on the side that is hinged to the refrigerator body, and the flange is provided with a door-side grounding interface.

10. The refrigerator door with an external display controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a foam body, which secures the display and control assembly to the front panel after the display and control assembly is assembled thereon.

11. A refrigerator, characterized in that, The refrigerator includes a refrigerator body and a refrigerator door with an external display controller according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the refrigerator door with the external display controller is hinged to the refrigerator body on the side where its flange is located.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, characterized in that, The refrigerator body has a main body-side grounding interface at the corner near the hinge on its top. The main body-side grounding interface is electrically connected to the door-side grounding interface of the refrigerator door with external display controller through an internal grounding wire.

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