CN102109265B

CN102109265B - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: CN102109265B
Application number: CN200910216880.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 柏玉发; 马敬东; 郝井朋
Original assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd
Current assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd
Priority date: 2009-12-29
Filing date: 2009-12-29
Publication date: 2014-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 2029-12-29
Also published as: CN102109265A; WO2011080654A3; WO2011080654A2

Abstract

The invention discloses a refrigerator (1) which comprises an insulating shell (2), a reinforcing element (6) and a load element (10), wherein the shell (2) comprises an outer shell (3), a lining (4), an insulating layer between the outer shell (3) and the lining (4), the reinforcing element (6) is fixed on the lining (4), and the load element (10) is fixed on the reinforcing element (6). According to the invention, the lining (4) is provided with at least one positioning hole (7); the reinforcing element (6) is provided with a positioning bulge (8) inserted into the positioning hole (7); and by virtue of the coordination between the positioning bulge (8) and the positioning hole (7), the reinforcing element (6) is positioned on the lining (4).

Description

Refrigerator with a door

[ technical field ]

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a household or commercial refrigerator in which a reinforcing member is provided on an inner liner of an insulated casing.

[ background art ]

In order to reduce heat exchange inside and outside the refrigerator, the case of the refrigerator is generally provided to be thermally insulated. A conventional insulated shell includes an outer shell and an inner liner positioned within and at a distance from the outer shell. In the foaming process, a thermal insulation foaming agent is injected between the inner liner and the outer case to form a thermal insulation layer, thereby achieving a reduction in heat exchange between the inside and the outside of the refrigerator. The liner may be made of plastic, such as ABS, and may be relatively thin and strong. When mounting relatively heavy elements on the lining (e.g. telescopic rails in a storage compartment; frames for carrying drawers, etc. mounted on the inside of a door), it is known to mount reinforcing elements on the lining for increasing the load-bearing strength and then to fix the relevant load-bearing element to the lining by fixing it to the reinforcing element.

In order to position the reinforcing element on the liner, it is known to form projections on the liner and the reinforcing element, respectively, and to position the reinforcing element by the cooperation of these projections. However, the dimensions of the projections are not easily controlled by the formation of the lining, which leads to inaccuracies in positioning during assembly and consequently to deviations in the mounting between the load-bearing element and the reinforcing element. For drawers that are supported to the liner by telescoping rails, this can affect the levelness of the drawer and the ease of withdrawal.

[ summary of the invention ]

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator whereby it is possible to improve the accuracy of positioning between a reinforcing member and an inner liner.

Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes: an insulated housing comprising an outer shell, an inner liner, and a layer of insulation between the outer shell and the inner liner; a reinforcing element secured to the liner; and a load member fixed to the reinforcing member; the lining is characterized by comprising at least one positioning hole, the reinforcing element is provided with a positioning bulge inserted into the positioning hole, and the reinforcing element is positioned on the lining through the matching of the positioning bulge and the positioning hole.

By aligning the positioning projections with the positioning holes, the reinforcing member can be accurately positioned on the liner. More importantly, the positioning holes can be punched on the lining after the lining is formed, so that the size, the shape and the position of the positioning holes can be accurately controlled, and the positioning of the reinforcing element on the lining is facilitated, and the positioning accuracy and the installation reliability of the load element are improved.

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 lining comprises at least one pair of positioning holes, the reinforcing element having a number of positioning projections equal to the number of positioning holes. The positioning stability of the reinforcing element and the lining is remarkably improved by more than two positioning points, so that the positioning holes and the positioning bulges can be arranged to be smaller, and the influence of the positioning holes possibly exposed in the storage room on the internal appearance of the refrigerator is reduced.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reinforcing member includes a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in a longitudinal axis direction of the reinforcing member, and the first end and the second end are respectively provided with at least one fixing hole to fix the load member. By fixing the load element to the same reinforcing element, the position of the load element can be controlled more easily, thereby improving its smoothness.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reinforcement element comprises at least three fixation holes forming at least two fixation hole groups, wherein each fixation hole group comprises a number of fixation holes being smaller than the total number of fixation holes, and the load element is fixed to the reinforcement element by one of the groups of fixation holes. Thus, for load elements having different sizes, configurations and/or mounting locations, the load element may be mounted by forming a via hole in the liner corresponding to the load element and one of the fixed hole sets. For example, load elements having longer dimensions may be installed with fixed sets of holes having larger hole spacings, while load elements having smaller dimensions may be installed with fixed sets of holes having smaller hole spacings. Obviously, this significantly increases the versatility of the reinforcing element, and it is therefore also desirable to reduce the manufacturing and management costs for the refrigerator manufacturer.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the fixing hole is threaded. The load element can thus be fixed to the reinforcing element by means of conventional fixing elements, such as screws.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the positioning projection is arranged on the stiffening element symmetrically to the longitudinal axis of the stiffening element. This facilitates the positioning of the reinforcing element.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reinforcement element comprises a through hole, the positioning projection being arranged around the through hole. Particularly preferably, the positioning projection is formed by a flange surrounding the through hole.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the positioning projection is stamped and formed with a projection height greater than the wall thickness of the reinforcing element and less than 1.5 mm. Most preferably, the height of the positioning protrusion is between 1.3 and 1.4 mm. Thus, the positioning projection can be reliably positioned on the liner, and the positioning projection only slightly protrudes out of the liner or can be retained in the liner after being inserted into the positioning hole, reducing the influence on the storage chamber.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reinforcement element comprises a main portion arranged against the liner and a fold portion bent from the main portion and extending away from the liner. Thereby, the contact area of the thermally insulating foam and the reinforcing element is increased, and the reinforcing element is more tightly fixed to the inner liner after the foaming process is completed.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a sealing element is included, which at least isolates the positioning hole from the thermally insulating layer. Thus, the possibility of leakage of the thermal insulation foaming agent from the positioning hole at the time of foaming is reduced.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing element covers all areas of the side of the reinforcing element facing the outer shell and the gap between the reinforcing element and the inner lining. Particularly preferably, the sealing element comprises an adhesive tape.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the load element comprises a telescopic rail connected to the liner.

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 schematic partially exploded view of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic partial perspective view of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which an outer case and an insulation layer are not shown.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the direction of I-I of fig. 2.

[ detailed description of the invention ]

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 3, the cabinet 2 of the refrigerator 1 includes a cabinet 20 defining a storage chamber 19 having an open front end, and a refrigerator door (not shown) connected to the cabinet 20 to selectively close the storage chamber 19. The cabinet 20 and the refrigerator door are provided with a heat insulating material so that the case 2 is heat insulated.

The tank 20 includes an outer shell 3 and an inner liner 4. The outer shell 3 and the inner liner 4 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance to form a space therebetween in which the insulating layer 5 can be housed.

The inner liner 4 may be made of a thin sheet of plastic, sheet metal or any other suitable material, in this embodiment the inner liner 4 is made of an ABS material. The housing 3 may be made of sheet metal, plastic sheet or any other suitable material, in this embodiment the housing 3 is formed of sheet metal.

During the foaming process, a thermally insulating foaming agent is injected into the space between the liner 4 and the shell 3. After the foaming process is completed, the outer shell 3 and the inner liner 4 are tightly fixed together by the insulating layer 5 cured by the thermal insulating foaming agent.

A pair of retractable rails 10 for supporting storage devices (not shown) such as drawers and shelves are provided in the storage chamber 19. The retractable guide rail 10 includes a fixed rail 21 fixed to the inner liner 4 and a slide rail 22 fixed to the storage device. The telescopic guide rail 10 may further include an intermediate rail 23 connected between the fixed rail 21 and the sliding rail 22. A sliding unit (not shown) may be provided between the respective rails.

In order to prevent the lining 4 from deforming due to high forces, the lining 4 is fixed with a reinforcing element 6 at the location of the connecting telescopic rail 10. The telescopic guide 10 is fixed to the lining 4 by being connected to the reinforcing element 6. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a reinforcing element 6 is attached to the side of the inner lining 4 facing the insulation 5. Of course, in an alternative embodiment, it is also possible for the reinforcing element 6 to be attached to the side of the inner lining 4 facing the storage compartment 19.

The reinforcing member 6 is substantially elongated, has a longitudinal axis a extending in the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 1, and is preferably made of metal. The reinforcing element 6 comprises a body portion 15 which is arranged substantially plate-like against the liner 6. The body 15 is hollowed out to form an opening 24. The thickness of the body portion 15 is approximately 1.2 mm.

In order to position the reinforcing element 6 accurately on the lining 4, the refrigerator 1 is provided with a positioning structure. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the positioning structure comprises a pair of positioning holes 7 formed in the lining 4 and a pair of positioning projections 8 provided on the reinforcing member 6 to be engaged with the positioning holes 7. By aligning the positioning projections 8 into the positioning holes 7, the reinforcing member 6 can be accurately positioned on the liner 4. In addition, the positioning holes 7 can be punched after the liner 4 is formed, which is particularly advantageous for controlling the size, shape and position of the positioning holes 7 and, thus, for positioning the reinforcing element 6 on the liner 4.

Preferably, the reinforcing element 6 comprises a through hole 14, the positioning projection 8 being arranged around the through hole 14. The positioning projection 8 is formed by a flange surrounding the through hole 14. The height of the positioning protrusion 8 is preferably greater than the wall thickness of the main body 15, but less than 1.5 mm, and the height of the positioning protrusion 8 is preferably between 1.3 mm and 1.4 mm. With such a configuration and dimensions, the positioning projections 8 are preferably obtained by means of stamping.

The positioning hole 7 is preferably circular and the positioning protrusion 8 preferably has a corresponding cylindrical outer surface. The positioning hole 7 and the positioning projection 8 are sized such that the positioning projection 8 can be just inserted into the positioning hole 7. The positioning hole 7 and the positioning protrusion 8 may have a certain interference fit therebetween.

The pair of positioning projections 8 is arranged on the reinforcing member 6 symmetrically to the longitudinal axis a of the reinforcing member 6. One of the positioning projections 8 is located above the longitudinal axis a, and the other is located below the longitudinal axis a. As shown in fig. 1, two positioning projections 8 are arranged in diagonal regions of the opening 24, respectively.

After positioning the reinforcing element 6 in the inner lining 4, a thermally insulating foam is injected into the space between the outer shell 3 and the inner lining 4 and forms the insulating layer 5 in one foaming process. The insulation layer 5 tightly fixes the reinforcing element 6 to the inner lining 4.

In a preferred embodiment, the reinforcing element 6 may further comprise a bent portion 16 bent from the main body portion 15 and extending away from the outer shell 3. This increases the contact area of the reinforcing element 6 and the insulation layer 5, thereby facilitating the fixing of the reinforcing element 6. In a particularly easy to implement embodiment, the fold 16 is formed by a flap folded from the edge (e.g. upper and lower edges) of the body 15.

Although in the above embodiment, the positioning structure includes the pair of positioning holes 7 and the pair of positioning projections 8. However, this is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention should not be limited thereto. For example, the positioning structure may also be provided with only one positioning hole and one corresponding positioning projection, or with more than two positioning holes and corresponding positioning projections.

The following describes the structure relating to the fixing of the telescopic guide 10 to the reinforcing element 6.

The reinforcing element 6 comprises a first end 11 close to the opening of the storage compartment 19 and a second end 12 opposite to the first end 11 in the longitudinal direction. The first end 11 and the second end 12 form a protrusion 9 protruding toward the housing 3, respectively. Each projection 9 is provided with two fixing holes 13a, 13b, 13c, 13 d. In the present embodiment, the fixing holes 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d have threads therein, and extend toward the housing 3 by a certain length protruding from the protrusion 9. The fixing holes 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d preferably have the same structure and size.

Accordingly, the liner 4 is formed with a through hole 25 at the corresponding first end 11 and second end 12, respectively. The size of the passage hole 25 may be slightly larger than the fixing holes 13a, 13b, 13c, 13 d. After the reinforcing element 6 has been fixed to the lining 4, one fixing hole 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d is associated with each passage hole 25.

During installation, a pair of screws 26 are respectively inserted through the corresponding mounting holes 27 of the fixing rail 21, then through the through holes 25 of the liner 4, and finally are rotatably fixed on the fixing holes 13a and 13d of the reinforcing member 6. Thereby, the fixed rail 21 is fixed to the liner 4.

In the above embodiment, since the reinforcing member 6 is provided with the four fixing holes 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d and two fixing hole groups 13a, 13d composed of two fixing holes and having different hole pitches are formed, respectively; 13b, 13 c; the stiffening element 6 can thus be adapted to at least two kinds of telescopic guides 10.

It is easily understood that the fixing holes 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d can be selectively used by reasonably distributing the holes 25 depending on the distribution pattern of the mounting holes 27. As shown in fig. 2, for the reinforcing member 6 located above, fixing hole groups 13a, 13d having a larger pitch are used. For the reinforcing element 6 located below, fixing hole groups 13b, 13c having a smaller pitch are used.

However, the invention should not be limited thereto, but other embodiments are possible. For example, the reinforcement element 6 may comprise N (N is greater than or equal to 3) fixing holes to form N-1 fixing hole groups, wherein each fixing hole comprises M (M < N) fixing holes, and one of the fixing hole groups is selected by appropriately setting the positions of the holes to fix the telescopic rail. This significantly enhances the versatility of the stiffening element 6.

In order to prevent the heat insulating foaming agent from leaking through the positioning holes 7, the through holes 14, the fixing holes 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, and the through holes 25 during the foaming process, these holes are preferably isolated from the space to be filled with the heat insulating foaming agent after the reinforcing member 6 is positioned in the inner liner 4.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, after the reinforcing element 6 has been positioned in the inner lining 4, a tape 17 is applied to the side of the reinforcing element 6 facing the outer shell 3. The adhesive tape 17 preferably covers the entire area of the reinforcing element 6 and extends beyond the reinforcing element 6, so that not only all holes in the reinforcing element 6 and the inner lining 4 are closed, but also the gap between the reinforcing element 6 and the inner lining 4 is closed, so that blisters are effectively prevented. In addition, an additional advantage of using the adhesive tape 17 as a sealing element is that the reinforcing element 6 can be more reliably fixed to the inner lining 4 after positioning and before the foaming process. It will be appreciated that it is also possible to use other forms of sealing elements to prevent the thermal insulating foam from leaking out of the apertures in the reinforcing element 6 and the inner liner 4.

In the above embodiments, the reinforcing element 6 is used to connect the telescopic rail 10. It will be appreciated that the invention is equally applicable to the positioning between a reinforcing element and a liner to which other load elements are connected. Such load elements are, for example, frames which are fixed to the inner lining of a drawer type refrigerator door for supporting the drawer.

Claims

1. A refrigerator (1) comprising:

a thermally insulated casing (2), the casing (2) comprising an outer shell (3), an inner liner (4) and a layer of thermal insulation (5) between the outer shell (3) and the inner liner (4);

-a reinforcing element (6) fixed to the lining (4); and

a load element (10) fixed to the reinforcing element (6);

characterized in that the lining (4) has at least one positioning hole (7), the reinforcing element (6) has a positioning projection (8) inserted into the positioning hole (7), and the reinforcing element (6) is positioned on the lining (4) by the cooperation of the positioning projection (8) and the positioning hole (7).

2. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the liner (4) comprising at least one pair of positioning holes (7), the reinforcing element (6) having a number of positioning projections (8) equal to the number of positioning holes (7).

3. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the reinforcement element (6) comprising a first end (11) and a second end (12) opposite to the first end (11) in the direction of the longitudinal axis (a) of the reinforcement element (6), the first end (11) and the second end (12) being provided with at least one fixing hole (13a, 13b, 13c, 13d) respectively for fixing the load element (10).

4. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 2, characterized by the reinforcement element (6) comprising a first end (11) and a second end (12) opposite to the first end (11) in the direction of the longitudinal axis (a) of the reinforcement element (6), the first end (11) and the second end (12) being provided with at least one fixing hole (13a, 13b, 13c, 13d) respectively for fixing the load element (10).

5. A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the reinforcement element (6) comprising at least three fixation holes (13a, 13b, 13c, 13d) forming at least two fixation hole groups (13a, 13 d; 13b, 13c), wherein each fixation hole group (13a, 13 d; 13b, 13c) comprises a number of fixation holes (13a, 13b, 13c, 13d) being smaller than the total number of fixation holes, and wherein the load element (10) is fixed to the reinforcement element (6) by one of the fixation holes (13a, 13 d).

6. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 3, characterized by the fixing holes (13a, 13b, 13c, 13d) being threaded.

7. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 5, characterized by the fixing holes (13a, 13b, 13c, 13d) being threaded.

8. A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized by the positioning projection (8) being arranged on the reinforcing element (6) symmetrically to the longitudinal axis (A) of the reinforcing element (6).

9. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 5, characterized by the positioning projection (8) arranged on the reinforcing element (6) symmetrically to the longitudinal axis (A) of the reinforcing element (6).

10. A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the above claims 1 to 4, characterized by the reinforcement element (6) comprising a through hole (14), the positioning projection (8) being arranged around the through hole (14).

11. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 7, characterized by the reinforcement element (6) comprising a through hole (14), the positioning projection (8) being arranged around the through hole (14).

12. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 9, characterized by the reinforcement element (6) comprising a through hole (14), the positioning projection (8) being arranged around the through hole (14).

13. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 10, characterized by the positioning projection (8) being formed by a flanging that surrounds the through hole (14).

14. A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the above claims 1 to 4, characterized by the fact that the positioning projections (8) are stamped and formed with a projection height greater than the wall thickness of the reinforcing element (6) and less than 1.5 mm.

15. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 14, characterized by the positioning protrusion (8) having a protrusion height of between 1.3 and 1.4 mm.

16. A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the above claims 1 to 4, characterized by the reinforcement element (6) comprising a main portion (15) disposed against the inner liner (4) and a bent portion (16) bent from the main portion (15) and extending away from the inner liner (4).

17. A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized by comprising a sealing element (17), said sealing element (17) isolating at least said positioning hole (7) and said insulating layer (5).

18. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 17, characterized by the sealing element (17) covering all areas of the side of the reinforcing element (6) facing the outer shell (3) and the gap between the reinforcing element (6) and the inner liner (4).

19. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 18, characterized by the sealing element (17) comprising an adhesive tape.

20. A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized by the load element (10) comprising a telescopic rail connected to the inner lining (4).