EP3903052B1

EP3903052B1 - A refrigerator

Info

Publication number: EP3903052B1
Application number: EP19904116.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gokmen PEKER; Tolga Nurettin AYNUR; Erkan KARAKAYA; Vasi Kadir Ertis; Mehmet MUTLUDOGAN
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2018-12-26
Filing date: 2019-05-22
Publication date: 2024-02-07
Anticipated expiration: 2039-05-22
Also published as: EP3903052A1; EP3903052A4; WO2020139220A1

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator wherein the door is prevented from opening automatically if the door gasket loses its function.
In refrigerators, the fresh food and freezing compartments must be isolated from the outer environment as best as possible. The door gasket on the surfaces of the door which align with the refrigerator frame in the closed position of the refrigerator door prevents the outer environment air from leaking therein. The door gaskets may lose their function in long-term use, which results in the automatic opening of the door and spoiling of the foodstuffs stored in the refrigerator. In some embodiments as a measure against the door gasket losing its function and the automatic opening of the door, vertical side barriers of the inner liner of the door which are disposed on the inner liner of the door, which support the door shelves and which protrude into the compartment are used. Said vertical side barriers of the inner liner of the door are called "door dike". The door dikes extend into the body to bear against the inner walls of the body and enable the door to be squeezed on the body between the inner surfaces of the body and thus to be kept in the closed position, preventing the door from automatically opening in case the door gasket wears down and loses its function. In order to completely prevent the door from opening the door dike must be designed to be close to the inner walls of the body, which in turn causes friction and difficulty in opening/closing the door. A gap is left between the door dike and the body side wall to facilitate the opening of the door; however, in case the door gasket breaks down, air leaks into the compartment through this gap.
In the Patent Applications No. EP3190367 (A1 ), EP3244148 (A1 ) and US5322366 (A ), fixed door dikes which are provided on the inner liner of the refrigerator are disclosed. A further refrigerator door including a door dike is disclosed in US2005-269923 .
The aim of the present invention is the realization of a refrigerator wherein the door is kept in the closed position and leak-proofing is provided by means of the door dikes in case the door gasket loses its function.
In the refrigerator realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, in case the door gasket loses its function due to long-term use, the door dikes are used to keep the door closed and to provide leak-proofing. The door dikes are barriers which extend from top to bottom in the vertical direction on the inner liner of the door, which support the door shelves and which protrude into the compartment when the door is closed. In the embodiment of the present invention, the door dikes are movable. The door dikes can be moved outwards so as to move away from the door shelf and inwards so as to get close to the door shelf on the inner liner of the door by means of a movement mechanism which is triggered by means of a control button or a sensor provided on the handle.
The movement mechanism brings the door dike to the active position when the door is closed and moves the same in the horizontal direction towards the side wall of the body so as to move away from the door central vertical axis, thus enabling the outer surface of the door dike to be longitudinally in planar contact with the inner surface of the side wall of the body.
In various embodiments of the present invention, the door dikes are moved by means of movement mechanism such as crankshaft-piston rod mechanism, electromagnetic locking mechanism, linear solenoid actuator, etc.
The refrigerator realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

Figure 1 - is the perspective view of the refrigerator when one door thereof is in the open position.
Figure 2 - is the top view of the refrigerator when one door thereof is in the open position.
Figure 3 - is the front view of the refrigerator when the doors thereof are in the closed position.
Figure 4 - is the view of the cross-section A-A in Figure 3 when the door dikes are in the passive position.
Figure 5 - is the view of the cross-section A-A in Figure 3 when the door dikes are in the active position.
Figure 6 - is the schematic view of the door dike in the locking position and the free position, which is moved forwards-backwards by means of the movement mechanism comprising a motor and a ball screw.
Figure 7 - is the schematic view of the door dike in the locking position and the free position, which is moved forwards-backwards by means of a linear solenoid actuator.
Figure 8 - is the schematic view of the door dike in the locking position and the free position, which is moved forwards-backwards by means of a crankshaft-piston rod mechanism.
Figure 9 - is the schematic view of the door dike in the locking position and the free position, which is moved forwards-backwards by means of an electromagnetic locking mechanism.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Refrigerator
2. Body
3. Compartment
4. Door
5. Inner liner
6. Door gasket
7. Door shelf
8. Door dike
9. Control button
10. Movement mechanism
11. Locking protrusion
12. Locking recess
13. Handle
E: Axis

The refrigerator (1) comprises a body (2); at least one fresh food or freezing compartment (3) wherein foodstuffs and beverages are placed; at least one door (4) which is pivotably mounted to the opposite right or left vertical edges of the front side of the body (2) by means of hinges and which provides access into the compartment (3); a handle (13) which enables the door (4) to be opened/closed by the user; a plastic inner liner (5) which covers the inner surface of the door (4) facing the compartment (3); a door gasket (6) which is mounted circumferentially onto the inner liner (5), which presses on the body (2) around the compartment (3) in the closed position of the door (4) and which provides leak-proofing between the outer environment and the compartment (3); at least one door shelf (7) which is positioned on the inner liner (5) of the door (4), and two door dikes (8) which extend on the inner liner (5) in the vertical direction at both sides of the door shelves (7) and which protrude from the door (4) into the compartment (3).
The refrigerator (1) of the present invention comprises at least one movable door dike (8) which can be moved outwards so as to move away from the door shelf (7) and inwards so as to get close to the door shelf (7) on the inner liner (5) of the door (4) by means of a movement mechanism (10) which is triggered by means of a control button (9) or a sensor (not shown in figures).
The movement mechanism (10) brings the door dike (8) to the active position when the door (4) is closed and moves the same in the horizontal direction towards the side wall of the body (2) so as to move away from the door (4) central vertical axis (E), thus enabling the outer surface of the door dike (8) to be longitudinally in planar contact (to overlap) with the inner surface of the side wall of the body (2) and enabling the door (4) to be locked onto the body (2).
When the door (4) is desired to be opened the movement mechanism (10) separates the door dike (8) from the body (2) side wall and moves the same in the horizontal direction towards the door (4) central vertical axis (E), thus enabling the contact between the outer surface of the door dike (8) with the inner surface of the side wall of the body (2) to be interrupted and enabling the door (4) to get free and allowing the door (4) to be opened.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator (1) comprises a locking protrusion (11) which extends along the edge of the door dike (8) in contact with the inner surface of the body (2) side wall and a locking recess (12) which is arranged on the inner surface of the body (2) side wall and which longitudinally receives the locking protrusion (11) when the door dike (8) is in the active position (locking position).
When the door (4) is closed at least one door dike (8) moves towards the inner surface of the body (2) side wall by means of the movement mechanism (10) actuated with the control button (9) or the sensor, and the outer-side surface of the door dike (8) gets in planar contact with the inner surface of the body (2) side wall. Moreover, the locking protrusion (11) disposed on the inner edge of the door dike (8) fits into the locking recess (12) arranged on the inner surface of the body (2) side wall and thus a complete leak-proofing is provided between the outer environment and the inner volume of the compartment (3) when the door (4) is closed.
When the door (4) is desired to be opened by the user, the door dike (8) moves inwards, that is towards the door shelf (7) by means of the movement mechanism (10) actuated with the control button (9) or the sensor. The door dike (8) moves away from the inner surface of the body (2) side wall and at the same time the locking protrusion (11) leaves the locking recess (12). Thus, the door (4) is released and can be easily opened.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the movement mechanism (10) comprises a ball screw which pushes and pulls the door dike (8) in the horizontal direction with a motor connected to the door (4) (Figure 6).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the movement mechanism (10) is a linear solenoid actuator which is connected to the door (4) and which pushes and pulls the door dike (8) in the horizontal direction (Figure 7).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the movement mechanism (10) is a crankshaft-piston rod mechanism which is composed of a crankshaft making rotational movement with a motor and a connecting rod connected to the door dike (8) (Figure 8).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the movement mechanism (10) is an electromagnetic locking mechanism which is composed of an electromagnet fixed to the door (4) and an armature plate fixed to the door dike (8) (Figure 9).
In an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator (1) comprises the capacitive or inductive or push in-pop out type control button (9) which enables the user to control the movement mechanism (10) in order to open/close the door dikes (8) and which is provided on the handle (13).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator (1) comprises a contact detection sensor such as proximity sensor or capacitive sensor which enables the user to control the movement mechanism (10) in order to open/close the door dikes (8), which is disposed on the handle (13) and which detects the contact of the user to the handle (13).
In the refrigerator (1) of the present invention, the door dikes (8) can be moved by means of a movement mechanism (10) by benefiting from the gap between the body (2) side walls. Especially if the user will not use the refrigerator (1) for a long time, he/she activates the door dikes (8) and enables the same to be pressed onto the body (2) side walls from inside and thus the door (4) is locked in the closed position, providing a complete leak-proofing between the inner volume of the compartment (3) and the outer environment. In case the door gasket (6) wears down, the door (4) is prevented from automatically opening.

Claims

- A refrigerator (1) comprising a body (2); at least one fresh food or freezing compartment (3) wherein foodstuffs and beverages are placed; at least one door (4) which is pivotably mounted to the opposite right or left vertical edges of the front side of the body (2) by means of hinges and which provides access into the compartment (3); a handle (13) which enables the door (4) to be opened/closed by the user; a plastic inner liner (5) which covers the inner surface of the door (4) facing the compartment (3); a door gasket (6) which provides leak-proofing between the outer environment and the compartment (3); at least one door shelf (7) which is positioned on the inner liner (5) of the door (4), and two door dikes (8) which extend on the inner liner (5) in the vertical direction at both sides of the door shelves (7) and which protrude from the door (4) into the compartment (3),
characterized by at least one movable door dike (8) which can be moved outwards so as to move away from the door shelf (7) and inwards so as to get close to the door shelf (7) on the inner liner (5) of the door (4) by means of a movement mechanism (10) which is triggered by means of a control button (9) or a sensor.
- A refrigerator (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the movement mechanism (10) which brings the door dike (8) to the active position when the door (4) is closed and moves the same in the horizontal direction towards the side wall of the body (2) so as to move away from the door (4) central vertical axis (E), thus enabling the outer surface of the door dike (8) to be longitudinally in planar contact with the inner surface of the side wall of the body (2).
- A refrigerator (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the movement mechanism (10) which, when the door (4) is desired to be opened, separates the door dike (8) from the body (2) side wall and moves the same in the horizontal direction towards the door (4) central vertical axis (E), thus enabling the contact between the outer surface of the door dike (8) with the inner surface of the side wall of the body (2) to be interrupted and enabling the door (4) to get free.
- A refrigerator (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by a locking protrusion (11) which extends along the edge of the door dike (8) in contact with the inner surface of the body (2) side wall and a locking recess (12) which is arranged on the inner surface of the body (2) side wall and which longitudinally receives the locking protrusion (11) when the door dike (8) is in the active position.
- A refrigerator (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the movement mechanism (10) which comprises a ball screw which pushes and pulls the door dike (8) in the horizontal direction with a motor connected to the door (4).
- A refrigerator (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the movement mechanism (10) which is a linear solenoid actuator which is connected to the door (4) and which pushes and pulls the door dike (8) in the horizontal direction.
- A refrigerator (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the movement mechanism (10) which is a crankshaft-piston rod mechanism which is composed of a crankshaft making rotational movement with a motor and a connecting rod connected to the door dike (8).
- A refrigerator (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the movement mechanism (10) which is an electromagnetic locking mechanism which is composed of an electromagnet fixed to the door (4) and an armature plate fixed to the door dike (8).
- A refrigerator (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the capacitive or inductive or push in-pop out type control button (9) which enables the user to control the movement mechanism (10) in order to open/close the door dikes (8) and which is provided on the handle (13).
- A refrigerator (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by a contact detection sensor such as proximity sensor or capacitive sensor which enables the user to control the movement mechanism (10) in order to open/close the door dikes (8), which is disposed on the handle (13) and which detects the contact of the user to the handle (13).