EP2643647B1

EP2643647B1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: EP2643647B1
Application number: EP11788427.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bin Jia; Songtao Lu; Peng Cheng Mao; Gang Yu
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2010-11-26
Filing date: 2011-11-22
Publication date: 2021-01-06
Anticipated expiration: 2031-11-22
Also published as: WO2012069439A2; WO2012069439A3; EP2643647A2

Description

Technical Field

The invention relates to a refrigerator and, in particular, to a household refrigerator having several storage compartments.

Background Art

A refrigerator generally comprises several storage compartments for providing different storage environments (such as temperatures, humidities or the like). For example, Chinese invention patent application publication CN1928471A discloses a household refrigerator having multi-doors. The refrigerator comprises a refrigerating compartment in its upper section, a vegetable storage compartment in its lower section and a freezing compartment in its middle section, wherein the freezing compartment is further divided into upper and lower sub-compartments and is closed and opened by means of a pair of hinged French type doors, while the freezing compartment and the vegetable storage compartment are closed and opened by means of drawer type doors.
However, for a user who is relatively short, it is difficult to open a drawer type door at a high position and then take out items from a container behind the drawer type door precisely or put items to be cooled to desired positions.
JP 2007 024405 relates to a refrigerator with a cold storage which can be opened and closed by left and right side-by-side doors and wherein two or more plate-like shelves are arranged within the cold storage. An lowermost goods storage zone is divided into a right and a left specific stockroom by a partion wall.
US 2 258 959 A discloses a refrigerator comprising a cabinet, having a first storage compartment, a second storage compartment under the first storage compartment and a thermally insulative separation wall containing a thermal insulation material inside, and configured for separating the first and second storage compartments from each other, and a first door hinged to the right side of the cabinet for closing and opening the first storage compartment, wherein the second storage compartment is also closed or opened by means of the first door.

Summary of the Invention

An object of the invention is to solve the above technical problem by providing a refrigerator which is convenient to use. The object is solved by a refrigerator comprising the features of the independent claim.
For this end, the invention relates to a refrigerator which comprises: a cabinet having a first storage compartment, a second storage compartment under the first storage compartment and a thermally insulative separation wall configured for separating the first and second storage compartments from each other, and a first door and a second door hinged to the left side and the right side of the cabinet respectively for closing and opening the first storage compartment, wherein the second storage compartment is also closed or opened by means of the first door and the second door.
According to the invention, when the first door and the second door are closed, a front end face of the separation wall at least partly contacts the back sides of the first door and the second door.
According to an embodiment of the invention the separation wall is not detachable from the cabinet.
The cabinet may have an inner shell, an outer shell and a thermal insulation material between the inner shell and the outer shell, wherein the inner shell defines the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment
By closing or opening two independent storage compartments by means of a common pair of French type doors, the inner condition of the second storage compartment, which is arranged in a relatively high position, can be seen easily even by a user who is relatively short, and thus the convenience in using of the refrigerator is greatly improved. Further, when comparing with the solution in which the second storage compartment is closed by one or more additional doors, energy saving effect can be obtained by closing or opening two independent storage compartments by means of a common pair of French type doors.
According to the invention, the refrigerator further comprises a first covering structure for covering a gap between opposing side surfaces of the first door and the second door at the first storage compartment and a second covering structure for covering a gap between opposing side surfaces of the first door and the second door at the second storage compartment, the first and second covering structures being formed separately from each other or integrally with each other.
According to a first alternative of the invention, the first covering structure and/or the second covering structure are each formed by a longitudinal bar connected to the first door or the second door.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the longitudinal bar is rotatably or pivotably connected to the first door or the second door.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first covering structure is formed by the longitudinal bar which has a length substantially corresponding to the height of the first storage compartment.
According to a second alternative of the invention, the first covering structure and/or the second covering structure are each formed by a vertical covering wall exposed to a front end of a corresponding one of the compartments.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second covering structure is formed by the covering wall which has a height substantially corresponding to that of the second storage compartment.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first door and the second door each comprise a sealing gasket at its backside, the sealing gasket comprising at least one continuous longitudinal segment which has a length larger than the sum of the heights of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing gasket extends along periphery edges of a corresponding one of the doors.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first door and the second door each comprise a sealing gasket at its backside, the sealing gasket comprising a transverse strip which is configured to abut against the separation wall.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the refrigerator further comprises a sealing device between opposing side surfaces of the first door and the second door, the sealing device extending across the whole heights of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second storage compartment comprises a first storage chamber and a second storage chamber, which are arranged side by side and are separated from each other, and which correspond to the first door and the second door respectively.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a front end face of a middle separation plate, which divides the second storage compartment into the storage chambers, forms a second covering structure for covering a gap between opposing side surfaces of the first door and the second door at the second storage compartment.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are in fluid communication with each other, but have different humidities.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the refrigerator further comprises a third storage compartment under the second storage compartment, the third storage compartment being closed or opened by means of at least one drawer type door.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first storage compartment is a refrigerating compartment disposed in a top section of the refrigerator.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second storage compartment has a temperature in the range of approximate to or higher than zero-degree Celsius.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first storage compartment is a refrigerating compartment, and the second storage compartment is a zero-degree compartment.
The structural details and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more comprehensively understood by reading the description to preferred embodiments below with reference to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The drawings, which form a portion of the specification and provide further understanding to the invention, show some preferred embodiments of the invention and disclose the principle of the invention together with the detailed description, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein a first door and a second door are opened;
Figure 2 is a partial schematic perspective view of a refrigerator according to another preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein a first door and a second door are opened;
Figure 3 is a partial sectional perspective view of a first door and a second door of a refrigerator according to an embodiment not belonging to the invention, wherein the first door and the second door are in closed positions; and
Figure 4 is a partial sectional perspective view of a refrigerator according to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein a first door and a second door are opened.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

With reference to the drawings, especially with reference to Figure 1 first, a refrigerator 1 comprises a heat insulation cabinet 2 which comprises an inner shell 10, an outer shell 11 and a thermal insulation material (not shown) between the inner shell 10 and the outer shell 11. The thermal insulation material can be formed in a foaming process in which a foamable material in injected into the space between the inner shell 10 and the outer shell 11. After the foaming process, the inner shell 10 and the outer shell 11 are fixed together by the hardened thermal insulation foam material.
The cabinet 2 comprises a top wall 20, right and left side walls 21, a back wall 22, a bottom wall 23 and a plurality of horizontal separation walls, including a first separation wall 6 and a second separation wall 8, between the top wall 20 and the bottom wall 23. All of these walls are thermally insulative because they each contain a thermal insulation material inside.
In the present embodiment, the inner shell 10 has several box-like structures for defining corresponding storage compartments 4, 5 and 9 (to be described in details below). Thus, upper and lower surfaces of the first and second separation walls 6 and 8 for separating these storage compartments are all formed by portions of the inner shell 10. The first and second separation walls 6 and 8 are formed together with other enclosing walls (the top wall 20, the right and left side walls 21, the back wall 22, and the bottom wall 23) of the cabinet 2 in the foaming process of the cabinet 2, and thus are inseparable portions of the cabinet 2.
In an alternative embodiment, the first and second separation walls 6 and 8 may be formed independently outside the foaming process of the cabinet 2. In other words, after the foaming process of the cabinet 2 is completed, separate first and second separation walls 6 and 8 and formed and then fixed to the right and left side walls 21 and back wall 22 in an undetachable way so as to form integral portions of the cabinet 2.
By means of the first and second separation walls 6 and 8, the cabinet 2 is divided into the first storage compartment 4 in its upper section, the second storage compartment 5 directly under the first storage compartment 4 and the third storage compartment 9 in the lower section of the cabinet 2.
The first storage compartment 4 is enclosed by the top wall 20, the right and left side walls 21, the back wall 22 and the first separation wall 6, and has a first access 4a at its front end.
The second storage compartment 5 is enclosed by the first separation wall 6, the right and left side walls 21, the back wall 22 and the second separation wall 8, and has a second access 4b at its front end. The first and second accesses 4a and 4b are co-planar.
The third storage compartment 9 is enclosed by the second separation wall 8, the right and left side walls 21, the back wall 22 and the bottom wall 23, and has a third access (not shown) at its front end. The third access can be closed by a drawer type door 24. In the present embodiment, the third access is closed by two drawer type doors 24 arranged one on above the other.
The first, second and third storage compartments 4, 5 and 9 are thermally insulated from each other by corresponding separation walls and are not in fluid communication with each other. The storage parameters inside the first, second and third storage compartments 4, 5 and 9, such as temperatures, are separately and independently controlled by a control system of the refrigerator. The refrigerator 1 may comprise evaporators (not shown) corresponding to the first, second and third storage compartments 4, 5 and 9 respectively.
In the present embodiment, the first storage compartment 4 is a refrigerating compartment. The second storage compartment 5 may be a zero-degree compartment, the temperature of which may be maintained at zero-degree or very near to zero-degree Celsius (such as slightly higher than zero-degree Celsius), so that the second storage compartment can also be called as a chill compartment. The third storage compartment 9 may be a freezing compartment.
The second storage compartment 5 may be provided with a middle separation plate 52 for dividing the second storage compartment 5 into a first storage chamber 50 and a second storage chamber 51, which are disposed side by side. In the present embodiment, the middle separation plate 50 is formed with a plurality of through holes (not shown) which establish fluid communication between the first and second storage chambers 50 and 51, so that the first storage chamber 50 and the second storage chamber 51 may be maintained at the same storage temperature. A moisture retention unit, which is particularly suitable for storing vegetables, fruits or similar foods, may be disposed in the second storage chamber 51 (for example, attached to an upper end of the second storage chamber 51).
The front end face 54 of the middle separation plate 50 is coplanar with the front end faces of the first separation wall 6 and the second separation wall 8.
The refrigerator 1 comprises a pair of side-by-side doors, i.e., a first door 3a and a second door 3b, which are hinged to the left side and the right side of the cabinet 2 respectively and are able to be rotated around corresponding vertical axes for selectively closing and opening the first storage compartment 4. The first door 3a and the second door 3b are also called as French type doors.
The first door 3a and the second door 3b each comprise a hinged side 30 hinged to the cabinet 2 and a free side 31 opposite to the hinged side 30. In the present embodiment, the first door 3a and the second door 3b have the same width. In an alternative embodiment, it is possible that the first door 3a and the second door 3b have different widths.
The first door 3a and the second door 3b extend from the top wall 20 to the second separation wall 8 and cover both the first access 4a and the second access 4b from top to bottom, so that the second storage compartment 5 is also closed and opened by means of the French type first door 3a and second door 3b.
The first door 3a and the second door 3b are each provided with a sealing gasket 25 at its back side for sealingly engaging a front end face of the cabinet 2 at the first storage compartment 4 and the second storage compartment 5.
In the present embodiment, each sealing gasket 25 is arranged along periphery edges of a correspond one of the doors 3a and 3b, and comprises longitudinal segments or strips 25a extending in a longitudinal direction along the hinged side 30 and the free side 31 of the first door 3a or the second door 3b respectively and transverse segments or strips 25b extending in a transverse direction along upper and lower sides of the first door 3a or the second door 3b respectively. The longitudinal strips 25a each have a height larger than the sum of the heights of the first storage compartment 4 and the second storage compartment 5. The longitudinal strips 25a and the transverse strips 25b are contiguous to each other to form a continuous sealing frame.
When the first door 3a and the second door 3b are both in their closed positions, the sealing gaskets 25 tightly abut against the front end of the cabinet 2 to suppress heat exchange between the first and second storage compartments 4 and 5 and outside. In this state, the longitudinal strips 25a on the free sides 31 of the first door 3a and the second door 3b abut against a front end face 7 of the first separation wall 6 tightly.
The first door 3a and the second door 3b each comprise an upper protruded frame 60 and a lower protruded frame 61 on its backside. The upper protruded frame 60 and the lower protruded frame 61 are separated from each other in the longitudinal direction by a distance, and are each located within a boundary delimited by a corresponding one of the sealing gaskets 25. When the first door 3a and the second door 3b are closed, the upper protruded frame 60 and the lower protruded frame 61 protrude into the first and second storage compartments 4 and 5 respectively. Respective portions of the upper protruded frame 60 abut against the top wall 20, the right and left side walls 21 and the first separation wall 6 respectively, and respective portions of the lower protruded frame 61 abut against the right and left side walls 21, the first separation wall 6 and the second separation wall 8 respectively, so that heat exchange between the first and second storage compartments 4 and 5 and outside can be further suppressed.
When the first door 3a and the second door 3b are both closed, side surfaces 26a and 26b on the free sides 31 of the first door 3a and the second door 3b face each other with a gap formed therebetween. The gap extends across the whole heights of the first door 3a and the second door 3b.
In the present embodiment, the first door 3a comprises a longitudinal bar 27, connected to its free side 31, for sealing a portion of the gap which corresponds to the first storage compartment 4.
The longitudinal bar 27 has a plate-like structure and is hinged to the first door 3a so that it is able to rotate or pivot around a vertical axis. In the present embodiment, the longitudinal bar 27 is connected to the upper protruded frame 60. When the first door 3a and the second door 3b are in their closed positions, the longitudinal bar 27 has been rotated to an orientation parallel to the first door 3a, with the longitudinal segments 25a of the sealing gaskets 25 of the first door 3a and the second door 3b being pressed against the front surface of the longitudinal bar 27 respectively. In this way, the longitudinal bar 27 forms a first covering structure which covers the gap between opposing side surfaces 26a and 26b of the first door 3a and the second door 3b in a location corresponding to the first storage compartment 4.
When the first door 3a and the second door 3b are in their closed positions, if a user pulls the first door 3a outwards, the longitudinal bar 27 is rotated to an orientation substantially parallel to the side surface 26a of the first door 3a, so that the abutting state between the longitudinal bar 27 and the second door 3b is removed. Thus, the first door 3a can be opened individually while the second door 3b is kept in its closed state.
During a closing stage of the second door 3b, with the first door 3a being in its closed position, the second door 3b, as approaching its closed position, applies a pressing force by its free side 31 to the longitudinal bar 27 which is at its withdrawn position, so that the longitudinal bar is forced to rotate to an orientation substantially parallel to the first door 3a. Ultimately, the sealing gaskets 25 of the first door 3a and the second door 3b abut tightly against the front surface of the longitudinal bar 27.
By connecting the longitudinal bar 27 rotatably or pivotably to the first door 3a, it does not need to open or close both the first door 3a and the second door 3b in sequence each time. Rather, it is possible to open one door when the other door is kept closed.
In the above embodiments, the longitudinal bar is attached to the first door 3a. In an alternative embodiment, however, it is possible to attach the longitudinal bar 27 to the free side of the second door 3b.
In an alternative embodiment, the gap at the first storage compartment 4 can be sealed even if the longitudinal bar is unrotatably fixed to the first door or the second door. In this condition, however, the door with the longitudinal bar should always be closed before the door without the longitudinal bar is closed, and the door with the longitudinal bar can be opened only after the door without the longitudinal bar has been opened.
When the first door 3a and the second door 3b are closed, the gap between the first door 3a and the second door 3b at the second storage compartment 5 is covered by the front end face 54 of the middle separation plate 52, and the longitudinal strips 25a of the sealing gaskets 25 abut against the front end face 54 tightly, so that any fluid communication in the second storage compartment 5 through a possibly existed interfacing gap between the front end face 54 and the first and second doors 3a and 3b is prevented. In this way, the front end face 54 of the middle separation plate 52 in the cabinet 2 forms a second covering structure which covers the gap between the opposing side surfaces 26a and 26b of the first door 3a and the second door 3b at the second storage compartment 5. The middle separation plate 52 may comprise a thermal insulation material at a portion near the front end face 54 to suppress cooling energy loss of the second storage compartment 5 in this position.
In an alternative embodiment, the gap between the first door 3a and the second door 3b at a position corresponding to the second storage compartment 5 is also covered by a longitudinal bar connected to the first door 3a or the second door 3b.
Figure 2 shows a partial schematic perspective view of a refrigerator 1' according to another embodiment of the invention. The embodiment shown in Figure 2 is mainly different from that of Figure 1 in that the second storage compartment 5 is not provided with a middle separation plate for dividing the second storage compartment 5; rather, the front end of the second storage chamber 5 is provided with a vertical covering plate 55. The covering plate 55 has a height substantially corresponding to that of the second storage compartment 5. The covering plate 55 has a plate-like shape having a front surface that is coplanar with the front end faces of the first and second separation walls 6 and 8. When the French type first door 3a and second door 3b are closed, the sealing gaskets 25 on the backsides of the first door 3a and the second door 3b abut against the front surface of the covering plate 55, so that any fluid communication inside the second storage compartment 5 through a space between the first and second doors 3a and 3b and the covering plate 55 is prevented. The covering plate 55 contains a thermal insulation material inside to suppress cooling energy loss of the second storage compartment 5 in this position.
Further, it can be seen from Figure 2 that the sealing gaskets on the back sides of the first door 3a and the second door 3b each further comprise a transverse strip 25c extending in a transverse direction and corresponding to the first separation wall 6.
The transverse strip 25c may be formed integrally with other portions of the sealing gasket. For example, a sealing gasket may comprise a first the sealing gasket frame corresponding to the first storage compartment 4 and a second the sealing gasket frame corresponding to the second storage compartment 5, the first the sealing gasket frame and the second the sealing gasket frame sharing a common transverse strip 25c or having their own transverse strips respectively. In addition, it is possible to construct the transverse strip 25c independently with respect to the longitudinal segments 25a. For example, a sealing gasket may comprise a continuous sealing gasket frame formed along periphery edges of the first door 3a or the second door 3b as shown in Figure 1 and a transverse strip formed independently with respect to the continuous sealing gasket frame between the upper protruded frame 60 and the lower protruded frame 61.
In the above embodiments, the first covering structure for covering the gap between the first door and the second door at the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment for covering the gap between the first door and the second door at the second covering structure are provided separately with respect to each other. However, the invention is not limited thereto. In an alternative embodiment, the gaps between the first door and the second door at the first and second storage compartments can be covered by an integral covering structure. For example, the longitudinal bar 27 shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 can extend across the whole heights of the first storage compartment 4 and the second storage compartment 5. In this embodiment, at least one of the first separation wall 6 and the longitudinal bar 27 may comprise a portion that is recessed away from the other of them for accommodating the other of them.
Further, Figure 3 shows an embodiment not belonging to the invention in which a first sealing device 40a and a second sealing device 40b are provided on the side surfaces 26a and 26b on the free sides of the first door 3a and the second door 3b respectively, the first and second sealing devices extending across the whole heights of the first storage compartment 4 and the second storage compartment 5 and engaging with each other.
The first the sealing device 40a and the second the sealing device 40b may comprise magnetic members 41a and 41b, which attract each other, respectively. At least one of the first the sealing device 40a and the second the sealing device 40b comprises a deformable portion 42. In this way, when the first door 3a and the second door 3b are closed, the first the sealing device 40a and the second the sealing device 40b attract each other and are engaged with each other tightly after deformation, so that a gap G is closed and sealed.
Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the second storage compartment and the first storage compartment has the same width, and are closed by both the first door 3a and the second door 3b. In another embodiment as shown in Figure 4, two side-by-side second storage compartments 5' and 5" are arranged under the first storage compartment 4. The two second storage compartments 5' and 5" are divided from each other by means of a thermally insulative vertical separation wall 56, so that the inner temperatures of them can be controlled independently from each other by a control system. Each of the two second storage compartments 5' and 5" is closed and opened by means of a corresponding one of the doors 3a and 3b which close the first storage compartment 4 cooperatively.

Claims

A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet (2) having a first storage compartment (4), a second storage compartment (5, 5', 5") under the first storage compartment (4) and a thermally insulative separation wall (6) configured for separating the first and second storage compartments (4, 5, 5', 5") from each other, and

a first door (3a) and a second door (3b) hinged to the left side and the right side of the cabinet (2) respectively for closing and opening the first storage compartment (4),

wherein the second storage compartment (5, 5', 5") is also closed or opened by means of the first door (3a) and the second door (3b), wherein the thermally insulative separation wall (6) contains a thermal insulation material inside, and

further comprising a first covering structure for covering a gap between opposing side surfaces (26a, 26b) of the first door (3a) and the second door (3b) at the first storage compartment (4) and a second covering structure for covering a gap between opposing side surfaces (26a, 26b) of the first door (3a) and the second door (3b) at the second storage compartment (5), the first and second covering structures being formed separately from each other or integrally with each other, wherein, when the first door (3a) and the second door (3b) are closed, a front end face (7) of the separation wall (6) contacts the back sides of the first door (3a) and the second door (3b) and wherein either i) the first covering structure and/or the second covering structure are each formed by a longitudinal bar (27) connected to the first door (3a) or the second door (3b) or ii) wherein the first covering structure and/or the second covering structure are each formed by a vertical covering wall (52, 55) exposed to a front end of a corresponding one of the compartments (4, 5).
The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the separation wall (6) being not detachable from the cabinet (2).
The refrigerator of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first covering structure is formed by the longitudinal bar (27) which has a length substantially corresponding to the height of the first storage compartment (4).
The refrigerator of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second covering structure is formed by the covering wall (52, 55) which has a height substantially corresponding to that of the second storage compartment (5).
The refrigerator of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first door (3a) and the second door (3b) each comprise a sealing gasket (25) at its backside, the sealing gasket (25) comprising at least one continuous longitudinal segment (26a) which has a length larger than the sum of the heights of the first storage compartment (4) and the second storage compartment (5, 5', 5").
The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the sealing gasket (25) extends along periphery edges of a corresponding one of the doors.
The refrigerator of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first door (3a) and the second door (3b) each comprise a sealing gasket (25) at its backside, the sealing gasket (25) comprising a transverse strip (25c) which is configured to abut against the separation wall (6).
The refrigerator of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second storage compartment (5) comprises a first storage chamber (50) and a second storage chamber (51), which are arranged side by side and are separated from each other, and which correspond to the first door (3a) and the second door (3b) respectively.
The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein a front end face (54) of a middle separation plate (52), which divides the second storage compartment (5) into the storage chambers, forms a second covering structure for covering a gap between opposing side surfaces (26a, 26b) of the first door (3a) and the second door (3b) at the second storage compartment (5).
The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the first storage chamber (50) and the second storage chamber (51) are in fluid communication with each other, but have different humidities.
The refrigerator of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a third storage compartment (9) under the second storage compartment (5), the third storage compartment (9) being closed or opened by means of at least one drawer type door (24).
The refrigerator of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first storage compartment (4) is a refrigerating compartment disposed in a top section of the refrigerator.
The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein the second storage compartment (5) has a temperature in the range of approximate to or higher than zero-degree Celsius.