DOOR BODY FOR REFRIGERATOR, REFRIGERATOR AND METHOD FOR MAKING A DOOR BODY

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of household appliance and in particular to a door for a refrigerator, a refrigerator and a method of manufacturing the door.BACKGROUND

[0002] Usually, a foaming material of a door is polyurethane, and a foaming process is divided into 3 stages: a cream time stage, a gelation stage, and a curing stage. In addition, after foaming, air inside the door needs to be discharged. For example, the Chinese utility model patent CN205300095U as granted and announced on June 8, 2016 discloses a door for a refrigerating device, comprising a door front panel and a door liner opposed to each other, and door end covers between the door front panel and the door liner, wherein a cavity for injecting the foaming material is formed between the door front panel, the door liner and the door end covers; a material-injecting hole is disposed on one of the door end covers opposed to each other, and an air discharge hole adapted for inserting an air discharge pipe is disposed on the other of the door end covers; during air discharge, the foaming material in the gelation state will be discharged through the air discharge hole out of the door end covers and needs to be manually cleaned. As such, not only the man power is wasted and the manufacturing cost is increased, but also the foaming material cannot be cleaned thoroughly, thereby affecting the quality of the products of the door.

[0003] EP 0602373 A1 discloses a heat-insulating wall constructed from individual layers arranged one above the other, wherein the layer which contributes to the heat insulation is arranged between exterior covering layers, enclosing an inner space. A heat insulation material can be introduced, in the form of liquid starting components, into the inner space via an opening. The air displaced by the heat insulation can escape via at least one outlet opening which is equipped with means preventing the heat-insulation material from escaping.

[0004] EP 0388279 A1 discloses a venting device for refrigerators or freezers, which comprises a sheath and a sleeve. Between the sheath and the sleeve there are constituted at least one zone of compaction and a zone of expansion of a foam. The device enables air to be removed but prevents the foam from escaping outside.

[0005] US 9435579 B1 discloses door for a refrigerator. The door includes a polygonal shell having corners and defining at least part of a cavity therein and a hinge bearing mounted to the polygonal shell adjacent one of the corners. The hinge bearing extends into the cavity and defines a generally cylindrical passage to receive and journal a hinge pin of the refrigerator appliance. A reinforcement tube is secured to the hinge bearing and extends a distance within the cavity. The reinforcement tube includes a sidewall that defines a hollow interior, and at least one hole extends through the sidewall to provide communication between the cavity and the hollow interior. Insulation is foamed in place that substantially fills the cavity including the corner, and the insulation penetrates into the hollow interior of the reinforcement tube via the at least one hole.SUMMARY

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a door for a refrigerator, a refrigerator and a method of manufacturing the door, which makes the manufacturing cost lower and the quality of products of the door higher.

[0007] To achieve one of the above objects of the present invention, there are provided a door for a refrigerator, a refrigerator, and a method of manufacturing a door for a refrigerator, according to the appended set of claims.

[0008] As compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantageous effects: with the technical solutions being employed, the material overflow preventing assembly comprises the receiving cavity communicated with the air discharge hole, and the material discharging passage communicated with the receiving cavity, the air discharge hole is communicated with the external, and the material discharging passage is communicated with the receiving space. Therefore, the foaming material is in a gelation state upon passing through the material discharging passage, and gathers in the receiving cavity after passing through the material discharging passage. When the foaming material advances forward into the receiving cavity under a pressure, the foaming material will transition from the gelation state to a cured state and the foaming fluidity is very poor, so the foaming material will not overflow through the air discharge hole out of the door frame, and the air in the receiving space after foaming will be discharged through the air discharge hole. To sum up, no foaming material outside the door frame need be manually cleaned additionally, thereby substantially reducing the manufacturing cost and improving the quality of products.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a door for a refrigerator in a specific embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of the door of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a front view of the door of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of position B of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is an enlarged left view of the door of FIG. 3; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an upper molding strip of the door of FIG. 1, whereupon a cap is removed; FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of positon C of FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an upper molding strip of FIG. 7, whereupon the cap is mounted; FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of positon D of FIG. 9; FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the upper molding strip of FIG. 7; FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view of positon E of FIG. 11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments shown in the figures. However, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention. Variations in structures, methods or functions made by those having ordinary skill in the art according to these embodiments are all comprised in the extent of protection of the present invention.

[0011] In the depictions of the specific embodiments of the present invention, directional or positional relationship as indicted by terms such as "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "bottom", "in" and "out" is based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the figures usually with reference to the normal in-use state of the refrigerator, and does not indicate that the designated position or element must be in a specific direction.

[0012] Moreover, it should be appreciated that although the terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various elements or structures herein, the described objects should not be limited by the above terms. The above terms are only used to distinguish the described objects from each other. For example, a first side plate may also be referred to as a second side plate, and also the second side plate may also be referred to as the first side plate, which does not depart from the extent of protection of the present invention.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator comprising a cabinet (not shown) and a door 10 connected to the cabinet, wherein the cabinet defines a storage space, and the door 10 is operable to open or close at least part of the storage space. The storage space may comprise a plurality of storage components whose number and structural forms may be configured according to different needs. The storage components usually comprise a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber.

[0014] Further referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 5, the door 10 comprises a door frame 12 enclosed at the periphery, and a first side plate 14 and a second side plate 16 located on two opposed sides of the door frame 12, the door frame 12, the first side plate 14 and the second side plate 16 forming a receiving space 23 for receiving a foaming material. The door frame 12 is provided with at least one material overflow preventing assembly which comprises an air discharge hole 18 disposed on the door frame 12, a receiving cavity 20 communicated with the air discharge hole 18, and a material discharging passage 22 communicated with the receiving cavity 20, the air discharge hole 18 is communicated with the external, and the material discharging passage 22 is communicated with the receiving space 23.

[0015] In the present preferred embodiment, the material overflow preventing assembly comprises the receiving cavity 20 communicated with the air discharge hole 18, and the material discharging passage 22 communicated with the receiving cavity 20, the air discharge hole 18 is communicated with the external, and the material discharging passage 22 is communicated with the receiving space 23. Therefore, the foaming material is in a gelation state upon passing through the material discharging passage 22, and gathers in the receiving cavity 20 after passing through the material discharging passage 22. When the foaming material advances forward into the receiving cavity 20 under a pressure, the foaming material will transition from the gelation state to a cured state and the foaming fluidity is very poor, so the foaming material will not overflow through the air discharge hole 18 out of the door frame 12, and the air in the receiving space 23 after foaming will be discharged through the air discharge hole 18. As such, no foaming material outside the door frame 12 need be manually cleaned additionally, thereby substantially reducing the manufacturing cost and improving the quality of products.

[0016] Specifically, the air discharge hole 18 extends along an extension axis 24, a plane perpendicular to the extension axis 24 is defined as a first plane, a projection area of the receiving cavity 20 on the first plane is greater than a projection area of the air discharge hole 18 on the first plane, and the projection area of the receiving cavity 20 on the first plane is greater than the projection area of the material discharging passage 22 on the first plane. It is further ensured that the foaming material reaches a cured state after passing through the narrow material discharging passage 22, and then entering the wide receiving cavity 20 under a certain pressure, thereby gathering in the receiving cavity 20 and preventing the overflow of the foaming material.

[0017] Further referring to FIG. 6 through FIG. 12, each material overflow preventing assembly comprises a plurality of air discharge holes 18, and projections of the plurality of air discharge holes 18 on the first plane are all located in a range of the projection of the receiving cavity 20 on the first plane. In the present preferred embodiment, four air discharge holes 18 are provided, the four air discharge holes 18 are uniformly distributed in the receiving cavity 20, and the four air discharge holes 18 are all set the same so that they can be processed and manufactured conveniently. Certainly, the air discharge holes 18 may be set in another number, and the air discharge holes 18 may also set partially the same and partially different. It is also possible to set all the air discharge holes 18 different from one another.

[0018] Furthermore, the projection of the material discharging passage 22 on the first plane is located out of the range of the projection of the receiving cavity 20 on the first plane. One, two or more material overflow preventing assemblies may also be provided.

[0019] Specifically, the material overflow preventing assembly comprises a protrusion 26 formed on the door frame 12 and forming the receiving cavity 20, and a cap 28 disposed at the outer circumference of the protrusion 26 and covering the receiving cavity 20; the protrusion 26 extends from the door frame 12 inward the receiving cavity 23, and the material discharging passage 22 is defined between the protrusion 26 and the cap 28.

[0020] In the present embodiment, the material discharging passage 22 comprises a longitudinal through slot 30 disposed on the outer circumference of the protrusion 26 and extending in an extension direction of the protrusion 26, the longitudinal through slot 30 is communicated with the receiving space 23, and remaining outer circumference of the protrusion 26 except for the longitudinal through slot 30 abuts against an inner side of the cap 28. Such an arrangement makes the structure simple and easy to manufacture. A plurality of longitudinal through slots 30 are provided and evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the protrusion 26. Certainly, the plurality of longitudinal through slots 30 may not be evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the protrusion 26. In the present embodiment, four longitudinal through slots 30 are provided, and may also be set in another number. The protrusion 26 is set in a cylindrical shape, and certainly may also be set in another shape. The four longitudinal through slots 30 are evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the protrusion 26. Certainly, the four longitudinal through slots 30 may also be set to be arranged unevenly. In addition, the four longitudinal through slots 30 are set to be the same so that they can be processed and manufactured conveniently. Likewise, the four longitudinal through slots 30 may also be set partially the same and partially different. Certainly, the four longitudinal through slots 30 may also be set different from one another.

[0021] In addition, the material discharging passage 22 may also be set in other structural forms in addition to the longitudinal through slot 30, so long as a passage is formed between the protrusion 26 and the cap 28 to communicate the receiving space 23 with the receiving cavity 20. For example, the longitudinal through slot 30 is not disposed on the outer circumference of the protrusion 26, and a certain gap is ensured between the outer circumference of the protrusion 26 and the cap 28 to form the material discharging passage 22 to allow the foaming material and air to pass therethrough.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 1, the door frame 12 comprises an upper molding strip 32, a lower molding strip 34 opposed to the upper molding strip 32, a left side rim 36 and a right side rim 38 opposed to the left side rim 36, the left side rim 36 and right side rim 38 are connected to the upper molding strip 32 and lower molding strip 34, and the material overflow preventing assembly is disposed on the upper molding strip 32 and / or lower molding strip 34. In the present embodiment, both the upper molding strip 32 and lower molding strip 34 are provided with the material overflow preventing assembly. The material overflow preventing assemblies on the upper molding strip 32 and lower molding strip 34 may be set to be symmetrical with each other. Certainly, the material overflow preventing assemblies on the upper molding strip 32 and lower molding strip 34 may also be set asymmetrical. In addition, the structural forms of the material overflow preventing assemblies on the upper molding strip 32 and lower molding strip 34 may be set completely the same. Likewise, the structural forms of the material overflow preventing assemblies on the upper molding strip 32 and lower molding strip 34 may also be set not completely the same.

[0023] The air discharge hole 18 comprises a conical hole portion communicated with the receiving cavity 20 and a round hole portion connected with the conical hole portion, the round hole portion being connected with the external. Such an arrangement enables a better air-discharging performance and better prevents the overflow of the material.

[0024] Furthermore, the cap 28 comprises an edge portion 40 abutting against the door frame 12 and a bottom portion 42 opposed to the edge portion 40, the bottom portion 42 is used to enclose the receiving cavity 20, the material discharging passage 22 further comprises a groove 44 disposed on the door frame 12 and communicated with the longitudinal through slot 30, and an extension direction of the groove 44 is perpendicular to the extension direction of the longitudinal through slot 30. Each longitudinal through slot 30 is communicated with the groove 44 so that the foaming material and air enter the longitudinal through slot 30 through the groove 44 and then enter the receiving cavity 20.

[0025] The present invention further provides a method of manufacturing a door 10 for a refrigerator, wherein the method comprises: providing a door frame 12 enclosed at a periphery; providing a first side plate 14 attached to a side of the door frame 12; injecting a foaming material into a receiving space 23 formed by the door frame 12 and the first side plate 14; providing a second side plate 16 attached to the other side of the door frame 12 to enclose the receiving space 23; the door frame 12 is provided with at least one material overflow preventing assembly which comprises an air discharge hole 18 disposed on the door frame 12, a receiving cavity 20 communicated with the air discharge hole 18, and a material discharging passage 22 communicated with the receiving cavity 20, wherein the air discharge hole 18 is communicated with the external, and the material discharging passage 22 is communicated with the receiving space 23. After the foaming material flows into the receiving cavity 20 through the material discharging passage 22, the foaming material is in a gelation state upon passing through the material discharging passage 22 and gets cured upon reaching the interior of the receiving cavity 20, and air in the receiving space 23 is discharged out through the air discharge hole 18 after foaming.

[0026] In the present preferred embodiment, the first side plate 14 is a front panel forming the front of the door 10, and the second side plate 16 is a door liner forming the rear of the door 10. Certainly, the first side plate 14 may also set as the door liner forming the rear of the door 10, and correspondingly, the second side plate 16 is set as the front panel forming the front of the door 10. In the manufacturing process, a mold is used to attach the first side plate 14 to the door frame 12, then the foaming material is injected, then the mold is used to mount the second side plate 16, and finally the foaming material foams and expands. Partial foaming material enters the receiving space 23 as air is pushed and pressed, and gets cured in the receiving space 23, and air is discharged out through the air discharge port 18, thereby preventing the overflow of the foaming material so that no foaming material need be manually cleaned, reducing the processing and manufacturing cost, making the door 10 pleasant in appearance and improving the quality of products.

[0027] It should be understood that although the description is described according to the embodiments, not every embodiment only comprises one independent technical solution, that such a description manner is only for the sake of clarity, that those skilled in the art should take the description as an integral part, and that the technical solutions in the embodiments may be suitably combined to form other embodiments understandable by those skilled in the art.

[0028] The detailed descriptions set forth above are merely specific illustrations of feasible embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All embodiments or modifications should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A door (10) for a refrigerator, the door (10) comprising a door frame (12) enclosed at a periphery, and a first side plate (14) and a second side plate (16) located on two opposed sides of the door frame (12) , the door frame (12) , the first side plate (14) and the second side plate (16) forming a receiving space (23) for receiving a foaming material, wherein the door frame (12) is provided with at least one material overflow preventing assembly which comprises an air discharge hole (18) disposed on the door frame (12), characterized in that the at least one material overflow preventing assembly further comprises a receiving cavity (20) communicated with the air discharge hole (18) , a hollow protrusion(26) formed on the door frame (12) and forming the receiving cavity (20) , a cap (28) disposed at an outer circumference of the protrusion (26) and covering the receiving cavity (20) , and a material discharging passage (22) communicated with the receiving cavity (20) , the air discharge hole (18) is communicated with the external, a cap (28) disposed at an outer circumference of the protrusion (26) and covering the receiving cavity (20) , and the material discharging passage (22) is communicated with the receiving space and is defined between the protrusion (26) and the cap (28) ; the air discharge hole (18) extends along an extension axis (24) , a plane perpendicular to the extension axis (24) is defined as a first plane, a projection area of the receiving cavity (20) on the first plane is greater than a projection area of the air discharge hole (18) on the first plane, and the projection area of the receiving cavity (20) on the first plane is greater than the projection area of the material discharging passage (22) on the first plane.

2. The door (10) according to claim 1, wherein each material overflow preventing assembly comprises a plurality of air discharge holes (18) , and projections of the plurality of air discharge holes (18) on the first plane are all located in a range of the projection of the receiving cavity (20) on the first plane.

3. The door (10) according to claim 1, wherein the projection of the material discharging passage (22) on the first plane is located out of the range of the projection of the receiving cavity (20) on the first plane.

4. The door (10) according to claim 1, wherein the material discharging passage (22) comprises a longitudinal through slot (30) disposed on the outer circumference of the protrusion (26) and extending in an extension direction of the protrusion (26) , the longitudinal through slot (30) is communicated with the receiving space, and remaining outer circumference of the protrusion (26) except for the longitudinal through slot (30) abuts against an inner side of the cap (28) .

5. The door (10) according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of longitudinal through slots (30) are provided and evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the protrusion (26) .

6. The door (10) according to claim 4, wherein the cap (28) comprises an edge portion (40) abutting against the door frame (12) and a bottom portion (42) opposed to the edge portion (40) , the material discharging passage (22) further comprises a groove (44) disposed on the door frame (12) and communicated with the longitudinal through slot (30) , and an extension direction of the groove (44) is perpendicular to the extension direction of the longitudinal through slot (30).

7. The door (10) according to claim 1, wherein the door frame (12) comprises an upper molding strip (32) , a lower molding strip (34) opposed to the upper molding strip (32) , a left side rim (36) and a right side rim (38) opposed to the left side rim (36) , the left side rim (36) and right side rim (38) are connected to the upper molding strip (32) and lower molding strip (34) , and the material overflow preventing assembly is disposed on the upper molding strip (32) and / or lower molding strip (34) .

8. The door (10) according to claim 1, wherein the air discharge hole (18) comprises a conical hole portion communicated with the receiving cavity and a round hole portion connected with the conical hole portion, the round hole portion being connected with the external.

9. A refrigerator, comprising a cabinet a defining a storage space, and a door (10) connected to the cabinet to open or close at least part of the storage space, wherein the door (10) is set as the door according to any of claims 1-8.

10. A method of manufacturing a door (10) for a refrigerator, wherein the method comprises: providing a door frame (12) enclosed at a periphery; providing a first side plate (14) attached to a side of the door frame (12) ; injecting a foaming material into a receiving space (23) formed by the door frame (12) and the first side plate (14) ; providing a second side plate (16) attached to the other side of the door frame (12) to enclose the receiving space (23) ; the door frame (12) is provided with at least one material overflow preventing assembly which comprises an air discharge hole (18) disposed on the door frame (12) , characterized in that the at least one material overflow preventing assembly further comprises a receiving cavity (20) communicated with the air discharge hole (18) , a hollow protrusion(26) formed on the door frame (12) and forming the receiving cavity (20) , a cap (28) disposed at an outer circumference of the protrusion (26) and covering the receiving cavity (20) and a material discharging passage (22) communicated with the receiving cavity (20) ; the air discharge hole (18) is communicated with the external, a cap (28) disposed at an outer circumference of the protrusion (26) and covering the receiving cavity (20) and the material discharging passage (22) is communicated with the receiving space and is defined between the protrusion (26) and the cap (28) ; the air discharge hole (18) extends along an extension axis (24) , a plane perpendicular to the extension axis (24) is defined as a first plane, a projection area of the receiving cavity (20) on the first plane is greater than a projection area of the air discharge hole (18) on the first plane, and the projection area of the receiving cavity (20) on the first plane is greater than the projection area of the material discharging passage (22) on the first plane; after the foaming material flows into the receiving cavity (20) through the material discharging passage (22)), the foaming material is in a gelation state upon passing through the material discharging passage (22) and gets cured upon reaching the interior of the receiving cavity (20) , and air in the receiving space (23) is discharged out through the air discharge hole (18) after foaming.