CN101726143A

CN101726143A - Refrigeration appliance and manufacturing method for door of refrigeration appliance

Info

Publication number: CN101726143A
Application number: CN 200810155100
Authority: CN
Inventors: 柏玉发; 马敬东; 赵世勇; 任晓光
Original assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd
Current assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd
Priority date: 2008-11-03
Filing date: 2008-11-03
Publication date: 2010-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2028-11-03
Also published as: EP2347202A2; RU2011118228A; CN101726143B; RU2505761C2; WO2010060726A3; WO2010060726A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigeration appliance and a manufacturing method for the door of the refrigeration appliance. The refrigeration appliance (1) comprises the door (3), wherein the door (3) comprises a door main body (4) and a front panel (5) connected with the door main body (4); at least part of the front surface of the door (3) is formed by the front panel (5), wherein the door body (4) comprises a first wall (6), a second wall (7) and a heat insulating layer (8), wherein the first wall (6) forms the back surface of the door (3); the first wall (6) and the second wall (7) are separated for a preset distance; and the heat insulating layer (8) is contained between the first wall (6) and the second wall (7). According to the proposal of the invention, the refrigerating appliance (1) also comprises an adhesive device (9) positioned between the door body (4) and the front panel (5), and the front panel (5) is adhered on the door body (4) through the adhesive device (9).

Description

Refrigeration device and method for manufacturing door of refrigeration device

[ technical field ]

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a method for manufacturing a door of the refrigerator, and more particularly, to a household or commercial refrigerator having a door and a method for manufacturing a door of the refrigerator.

[ background art ]

The door of a refrigeration appliance is one of the important factors whether the appearance of the refrigeration appliance is popular. Due to the nature of the glass material, refrigeration appliances with glass panels as front panels are currently on the market. In this known refrigerator, the side edge frame of the door is provided with grooves extending in the longitudinal direction for fixing the glass panels. The two longitudinal edges of the glass plate are inserted into the corresponding grooves respectively, thereby fixing the glass plate and other parts of the door together.

The disadvantages of such a door for a refrigerator are: at least both side edges of the glass plate are covered by the side walls of the groove of the frame, and the side walls of the groove are inevitably exposed to the front surface of the door. Thus, the front face of the door is discontinuous and visually there are lines of separation between the glass panel and the jamb.

In addition, this structure is also not easy to assemble. For example, when the glass panel is installed after the both side frames of the door have been fixed, the glass panel must be inserted between the both side frames in a predetermined direction alignment, which requires high assembly and requires a certain margin between the glass panel and the both side frames and allows the insertion of the glass panel. Alternatively, the side frames may be attached to both sides of the glass panel simultaneously or sequentially before the relative positions of the two side frames are determined, in which case the glass panel also typically needs to participate in the foaming process. The glass panel may be scratched during foaming or the manufacturer needs to take additional measures to prevent the glass panel from being scratched.

[ summary of the invention ]

In order to overcome at least one of the above technical problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigeration appliance which is manufactured and which makes it possible to make the appearance more compact.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a door for a refrigeration appliance.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention pertains to a refrigeration appliance. The refrigeration appliance comprises a storage chamber and a door for opening or closing at least a part of the storage chamber, wherein the door comprises a door main body and a front panel connected to the door main body, the front surface of the door is at least partially formed by the front panel, the door main body comprises a first wall forming the rear surface of the door, a second wall separated from the first wall by a preset distance, and a thermal insulation layer accommodated between the first wall and the second wall, and the refrigeration appliance is characterized by further comprising an adhesive device positioned between the door main body and the front panel, and the front panel is adhered to the door main body through the adhesive device.

Since the front panel can be adhered to the front surface of the door main body by the adhesive means, it is not necessary to additionally provide a groove for fixing the front panel. This makes it possible, on the one hand, to make the assembly of the door more flexible and to make the fixing of the front panel to the door body more reliable, and, on the other hand, the corresponding edge portion of the front panel can therefore be completely exposed, so that it is desirable to obtain a door with a continuous front surface to make the appearance of the refrigeration appliance more pleasant. In addition, the refrigeration device according to the invention offers the possibility of: the front panel is not involved in the foaming process of the door, but is assembled to the door body after the door is completely foamed. The front panel can be prevented from being scratched in the foaming process, and the design of the foaming process is facilitated.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention, individually or in combination with other features, are set forth in the following appended claims.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the adhesive means comprises adhesive strips distributed along the lateral edge portions and/or the longitudinal edge portions of the front panel.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the adhesive strips are arranged along the lateral edge portions and the longitudinal edge portions of the front panel and form a closed loop frame.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, said adhesive means is an adhesive tape, although it is also possible to use other adhesive means, such as glue.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the lateral edge portion and/or the longitudinal edge portion of the front panel constitutes a part of the front surface of the door.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the second wall is formed by a one-piece sheet.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the door main body includes a door edge cover constituting a side wall plate of an outer side surface of the door and an edge strip bent from a front end of the side wall plate to be parallel to an inner surface of the front panel, the edge strip constituting a part of the second wall.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second wall comprises a door panel constituting a major part of the second wall, the edge strip being located at one side of the door panel.

Particularly preferably, the door panel and the surface of the edge strip facing the front panel are located on the same plane.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the edge strip and the door panel have different thicknesses, the door panel forming a step on which the edge strip is laid.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the edge strip is provided with the adhesive means on a side facing the front panel.

In order to make the adhesion between the front panel and the door body more reliable and tight, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the surface of said second wall facing said front panel is flat. The second wall is preferably made of metal.

The invention is particularly suitable for use in refrigeration appliances having a door with a glass front panel.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a door of a refrigeration appliance, the method comprising:

a) providing a door body including a first wall constituting a rear surface of the door, a second wall spaced a predetermined distance from the first wall, and a thermal insulation layer between the first wall and the second wall;

b) distributing bonding means on a front surface of the door body; c) providing a front panel; and d) pressing a front panel against the door body, the front panel constituting at least a part of a front surface of the door.

Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a door of a refrigeration appliance, the method comprising:

a) providing a door body including a first wall constituting an inner surface of the door, a second wall spaced a predetermined distance from the first wall, and a thermal insulation layer between the first wall and the second wall;

b) providing a front panel; c) distributing bonding devices on the rear side of the front panel; and d) pressing a front panel against the door body, the front panel constituting at least a part of a front surface of the door.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, the front panel is mounted on the door body after the foaming process of the door is completed, so that the occurrence of the front panel being scratched during the manufacturing process can be reduced, and the foaming process can be simplified because the related measures taken to worry about the front panel being scratched can be eliminated.

The construction of the present invention and other objects and advantages thereof will be more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[ description of the drawings ]

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Wherein,

fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigeration appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded schematic view of a door according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic lateral sectional view of a door according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic partial enlarged view of a portion a in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the distribution of the bonding apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[ description of the preferred embodiments ]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigeration appliance 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The refrigeration appliance 1 comprises a cabinet 2, in this embodiment the cabinet 2 defines a plurality of storage compartments (not shown), including a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, distributed side by side and separated by a partition (not shown).

The refrigeration appliance 1 comprises two doors 3 corresponding to respective storage compartments. The doors 3 are pivotally connected to one side of the cabinet 2, respectively, and can rotate about a rotation axis parallel to the longitudinal axis. In a normal case, the door 3 is closed to prevent the cool air from leaving the storage compartment. When necessary, the user may open the corresponding door 3 to perform an operation of taking out food from the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber or storing food into the corresponding storage chamber, for example. The user can perform opening and closing motions of the door 3 by the handle 19.

One door 3 makes the corresponding storage room fully open or fully closed in this embodiment. It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto but that other embodiments are possible. For example, in an alternative implementation, one storage compartment is opened or closed by two doors 3, that is, one door 3 opens or closes only a portion of such a storage compartment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective exploded view of a door 3 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a door according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3 in conjunction with fig. 1, the door 3 includes a door main body 4 and a front panel 5 connected to the door main body 4, the front panel 5 constituting a front surface of the door 3. The front panel 5 is provided with a mounting opening 23 for mounting the handle 19. In the present embodiment, the front panel 5 is made of glass.

The door main body 4 includes a first wall 6 forming a rear surface of the door 3. The first wall 6 faces the respective storage compartment when the door 3 is closed, and may also be referred to as a lining. The first wall 6 is preferably made of a thermally poor material, such as plastic.

The door main body 4 includes a second wall 7 spaced a predetermined distance from the first wall 6 and facing the front panel 5. The second wall 7 constitutes a front wall of the door main body 4.

The door main body 4 further includes a lateral side wall 20 connecting lateral edges of the first wall 6 and the second wall 7 and a longitudinal side wall 21 connecting longitudinal edges of the first wall 6 and the second wall 7. The lateral side walls 20 and the longitudinal side walls 21 form upper, lower, left, and right side surfaces of the door main body 4, respectively.

The first wall 6, the second wall 7, the lateral side walls 20 and the longitudinal side walls 21 together define an enclosed space 22. The thermal insulation layer 8 is housed within the space 22 to prevent the storage compartment from exchanging heat with air outside the refrigeration appliance 1. The thermal insulation layer 8 is formed by foaming an insulating foaming agent. Through the foaming process, the thermal insulation layer 8 is in close contact with the first wall 6, the second wall 7, the lateral side walls 20, and the longitudinal side walls 21.

The second wall 7 comprises a door panel 16 which constitutes the main part of the second wall 7. In the present embodiment, the door panel 16 extends over the entire height of the door main body 4, but at a distance from the side wall 13 of the door main body 4 (as shown in fig. 2). The door panel 16 is preferably made of sheet metal.

The door main body 4 includes a door edge cover 13 extending over the entire height of the door 3. The door edge cover 13 is preferably made of an aluminum alloy, preferably of one-piece construction. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the door edge cover 13 includes a side wall plate 14 constituting a longitudinal side wall 21 of the door 3, and an edge strip 15 bent from a front end of the side wall plate 14 and extending toward the door panel 16. In this embodiment, the side wall panel 14 forms a 90 degree angle with the edge strip 15. The edge strip 15 is parallel to the inner surface of the front panel 5 and ends in connection with the door panel 16, thus forming part of the second wall 7. In particular, the edge strip 15 constitutes an edge portion of the second wall 7.

In this embodiment, the door panel 16 and the edge strip 15 have different thicknesses, so that the door panel 16 forms an inwardly concave step 17, and the edge strip 15 overlaps the step 17. In the present embodiment, the height of the step 17 is substantially equal to the thickness of the door panel 16 and the edge strip 15, so that the surfaces of the door panel 16 and the edge strip 15 facing the front panel 5 are located on the same plane.

The door edge cover 13 includes a first abutting portion 23 connected to the inner side of the edge strip 15 and extending into the space 22. Accordingly, the door panel 16 includes a second retaining portion 24 that extends from the step 17 and is bent inward into the space 22. The first abutting portion 23 and the second abutting portion 24 are parallel to each other, and the second abutting portion 24 abuts on the first abutting portion 23, thereby connecting the door panel 16 and the door edge cover 13.

According to the invention, the front panel 5 is glued to the second wall 7 of the door body 4 by means of gluing means 9. The adhesive means 9 in this embodiment comprises a plurality of adhesive strips 10, the adhesive strips 10 preferably being adhesive tapes, for example double-sided adhesive tapes with strong adhesive force. As shown in fig. 2, 4 and 5, the adhesive strips 10 are distributed along the lateral edge portions 11 as well as the longitudinal edge portions 12 of the front panel 5. In the present embodiment, the longitudinal edge portion 12 corresponds to the edge strip 15 of the second wall 7, that is to say the edge strip 15 has adhesive strips 10 distributed thereon.

The adhesive strips 10 distributed over the

edge portions

11, 12 are connected to each other to form a closed-loop adhesive frame, which is advantageous in preventing foreign substances such as dust from entering between the front panel 5 and the door main body 4. Preferably, a plurality of adhesive strips 10 are distributed in the adhesive frame to increase the adhesion between the front panel 5 and the door main body 4. In order to obtain a good gluing effect, the surface of the second wall 7 facing the front panel 5 and the inner surface of the front panel 5 are preferably flat.

In the above embodiment, the second wall 7 is formed by joining the door panel 16 and the edge bar 15 of the door edge cover 13, which are separately provided. However, in other embodiments, the door panel 16 may be provided to extend over the entire width of the door main body 4 to form the second wall 7 alone. At this time, the second wall 7 is formed of an integral thin plate.

As can be seen from fig. 1, 3 and 4, the lateral edge portion 11 and the longitudinal edge portion 12 of the front panel 5 are exposed to the outside, thus constituting a part of the front surface of the door 3. In the present embodiment, the entire front panel 5 is exposed. The entire outer surface of the door 3 is formed by the front panel 5.

A preferred embodiment of the method for manufacturing the door 3 of the refrigeration apparatus 1 will be described below.

First, the door main body 4 is provided. The step of providing the door main body 4 preferably includes:

1) providing a door panel 16, the door panel 16 preferably being formed from sheet metal;

2) the left door side cover 13, the right door side cover 13, the upper side cover and the lower side cover are respectively fixed on four edges of the door panel 16, so that the door panel 16, the door side cover 13, the upper side cover and the lower side cover form accommodating grooves for accommodating foaming agents, and in an alternative embodiment, the door side cover 13 and/or the upper side cover and the lower side cover can also be formed by bending the door panel 16 backwards;

3) injecting a thermal insulation foaming agent into the accommodating groove;

4) the receiving groove is covered with a door lining, which forms a first wall 6 of the door body 3.

Then, the adhesive means 9 is distributed on the front surface of the door main body 4. The adhesive means 9 comprise adhesive strips 10 distributed along the edge regions of the door body 4, which adhesive strips 10 are preferably connected to one another and form a closed adhesive frame. Additional adhesive strips 10 may also be disposed within the adhesive frame. In the present embodiment, the adhesive tape 10 is a double-sided tape.

In an alternative embodiment, an adhesive tape is attached to the inner surface of the front panel 5. The adhesive tape comprises an adhesive frame distributed along the transverse edge portion 11 and the longitudinal edge portion 12 of the front panel 5 and forming a closure, as shown in fig. 5.

Then, the front panel 5 is pressed toward the door main body 4. The front panel 5 is preferably pressed against the door main body 4 for a predetermined time, for example, 1 minute, so that the front panel 5 is well connected to the door main body 4.

As described above, since the front panel 5 can be adhered to the front surface of the door main body 4 by the adhesive means 9, it is not necessary to additionally provide a groove for fixing the front panel 5, so that the edge of the front panel 5 can be exposed to the outside. It is thus possible to obtain a door with a continuous front surface to make the appearance of the refrigeration appliance more popular. In addition, according to the present invention, the front panel 5 may not be involved in the foaming process of the door 3 any more, but may be assembled to the door main body 4 after the foaming of the door 3 is completed, and thus the occurrence of the front panel 5 being scratched during the manufacturing process may be reduced. Meanwhile, since the related measures used in the foaming process may not be taken because there is a fear that the front surface of the front panel 5 is scratched, the foaming process may be simplified. This advantage is particularly evident when the front panel 5 is a glass panel.

Claims

1. A refrigeration appliance (1) comprising a storage compartment and a door (3) to open or close at least a portion of the storage compartment, the door (3) includes a door main body (4) and a front panel (5) connected to the door main body (4), the front surface of the door (3) is at least partially formed by the front panel (5), wherein the door main body (4) includes a first wall (6) constituting a rear surface of the door (3), a second wall (7) spaced apart from the first wall (6) by a predetermined distance, and a thermal insulation layer (8) received between the first wall (6) and the second wall (7), characterized in that it further comprises adhesive means (9) between said door body (4) and said front panel (5), the front panel (5) is adhered to the door body (4) by the adhesive means (9).

2. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive means (9) comprises an adhesive strip (10), said adhesive strip (10) being distributed along a transverse edge portion (11) and/or a longitudinal edge portion (12) of the front panel (5).

3. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 2, wherein said adhesive strip (10) is arranged along a transverse edge portion (11) and a longitudinal edge portion (12) of said front panel (5) and forms a closed loop frame.

4. A refrigerator appliance (1) as in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the adhesive means (9) being an adhesive tape.

5. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lateral edge portion (11) and/or the longitudinal edge portion (12) of the front panel (5) constitute a part of the front surface of the door (3).

6. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the door body (4) comprises a door edge cover (13), the door edge cover (13) constituting a side wall panel (14) of the outer side surface of the door (3) and an edge strip (15) bent from the front end of the side wall panel (14) parallel to the inner surface of the front panel (5), the edge strip (15) constituting a part of the second wall (7).

7. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 6, wherein the second wall (7) comprises a door panel (16) constituting a major part of the second wall (7), the edge strip (15) being located at one side of the door panel (16).

8. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 7, wherein the door panel (16) and the surface of the edge strip (15) facing the front panel (5) are located on the same plane.

9. The refrigerating appliance (1) according to claim 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that the edge strip (15) is provided with the adhesive means (9) on the side facing the front panel (5).

10. The refrigeration device (1) as claimed in claim 7, 8 or 9, characterized in that the edge strip (15) and the door panel (16) have different thicknesses, the door panel (16) forming a step (17), the edge strip (15) resting on the step (17).

11. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the second wall (7) is composed of a one-piece sheet metal.

12. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the surface of the second wall (7) facing the front panel (5) is flat.

13. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said second wall (7) is made of metal.

14. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said front panel (5) is made of glass.

15. A method of manufacturing a door (3) of a refrigeration appliance (1), the method comprising:

a) providing a door body (4), the door body (4) comprising a first wall (6) constituting a rear surface of the door (3), a second wall (7) spaced apart from the first wall (6) by a predetermined distance, and a thermal insulation layer (8) between the first wall (6) and the second wall (7);

b) -distributing adhesive means (9) on the front surface of said door body (4);

c) providing a front panel (5); and

d) pressing a front panel (5) against the door body (4), the front panel (5) constituting at least a part of a front surface of the door (3).

16. A method of manufacturing a door (3) of a refrigeration appliance (1), the method comprising:

a) providing a door body (4), said door body (4) comprising a first wall (6) constituting an inner surface of said door (3), a second wall (7) spaced from said first wall (6) by a predetermined distance and a thermal insulation layer (8) located between said first wall (6) and said second wall (7);

b) providing a front panel (5);

c) distributing bonding devices (9) on the rear side of the front panel (5); and

17. A manufacturing method as claimed in claim 15 or 16, characterized in that said adhesive means (9) comprise an adhesive tape.

18. A manufacturing method as claimed in claim 15, 16 or 17, characterized in that said adhesive means (9) are arranged along the transverse edge portions (11) and the longitudinal edge portions (12) of said front panel (5) and form a closed-loop frame.