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The present application is based on a Chinese patent application with application number
202310799782.9, filed on June 30, 2023 , and claims the priority of the Chinese patent application, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
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The present application relates to a field of refrigeration, and particularly relates to a refrigerator.
BACKGROUND
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Currently, for most built-in refrigerators, a control system assembly for controlling an operation of refrigerator electrical components is integrated at a top of a refrigerator, either by opening a hole at a top of a housing and adding a plastic box to accommodate the control system assembly; or by opening a hole on a front side of the housing and installing a control board bracket into the refrigerator, and then assembling a display mask or a decorative cover on an outside for covering. An operation is complex, time-consuming and labor-intensive, and inconvenient for subsequent disassembly and maintenance.
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Any related art mentioned in the description does not indicate confirmation or suggestion that the related art constitutes part of common knowledge in any jurisdiction, or that the related art can be reasonably expected to be understood, regarded as relevant and/or combined with other related art by those skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
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An object of the present application is to provide a refrigerator to solve the technical problem of a complex control system assembly in the related art.
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To achieve one of the above objects, an embodiment of the present application provides a refrigerator, comprising a cabinet and a door for opening or closing the cabinet, wherein the cabinet comprises a housing and an inner liner; the refrigerator further comprises a mounting box disposed between the housing and the inner liner and a control module disposed in the mounting box, wherein the control module comprises a main control component and a display control component, and the main control component and the display control component are assembled together into the mounting box after positioning engagement.
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Compared with the related art, the beneficial effects of the present application are: the control module and the mounting box are disposed in the cabinet of the refrigerator, the control module comprises the display control component and the main control component, and the control module is assembled together into the mounting box after completion of assembly, which optimizes insertion steps and saves labor and time; the control module is disassembled together from the mounting box, which facilitates subsequent disassembly and maintenance.
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The term "comprise" used herein and variations of the term, such as "comprises", "comprised", "comprising", "including", "containing", do not exclude other features, components, elements or steps unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator with the control module removed in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mounting box and control module removed from the refrigerator in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of disassembling the control module from the refrigerator with a screwdriver in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the structure within the circle in FIG. 4.
- FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the mounting box and control module in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the structure within the circle in FIG. 6.
- FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the control module in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of another angle shown in FIG. 8.
- FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the main control board bracket, the main control circuit board, the display control circuit board and the wireless communication module shown in FIG. 8.
- FIG. 11 is an exploded view of partial structures of the display control component in an embodiment of the present application.
- FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of another angle shown in FIG. 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
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The present application will be described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments shown in the drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present application, and structural, methodological or functional variations made by those of ordinary skill in the art based on these embodiments are all included within the protection scope of the present application.
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Terms such as "on", "above", "under", "below" and the like used herein to indicate spatial relative positions are used for convenience of description to describe the relationship of one unit or feature to another unit or feature as shown in the drawings. Spatial relative position terms may be intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation shown in the drawings. For example, if the device in the drawings is turned over, units described as being "below" or "under" other units or features would then be "above" the other units or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both orientations of above and below. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
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Please refer to FIGs. 1-3, which are schematic diagrams of a refrigerator 100 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The refrigerator 100 comprises a cabinet 10 and a door for opening or closing the cabinet 10, wherein the cabinet 10 comprises a housing 11 and an inner liner 12.
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Preferably, the refrigerator 100 further comprises a mounting box 20 disposed between the housing 11 and the inner liner 12 and a control module 30 disposed in the mounting box 20. A foam cavity is formed between the housing 11 and the inner liner 12. In this embodiment, the mounting box 20 is disposed at a front side of the foam cavity and close to a top wall of the housing 11, increasing a distance between a bottom of the mounting box 20 and the inner liner 12, thereby increasing a thermal insulation thickness between the two, further reducing an influence of a temperature inside the cabinet on the control module 30. Moreover, heat generated when the control module 30 operates can also be conducted out through the metal housing 11, enhancing a heat dissipation effect.
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More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the mounting box 20 is pre-embedded in the cabinet 10 for the control module 30 to be inserted. The mounting box 20 comprises an upper box body 22 and a lower box body 23, and an assembly space 201 for accommodating the control module 30 is provided between the upper box body 22 and the lower box body 23. The upper box body 22 is disposed against the top wall of the housing 11, and the lower box body 23 is spaced downward from the inner liner 12 by a certain distance to ensure a thermal insulation effect of the mounting box 20.
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Preferably, the control module 30 comprises a main control component 40 and a display control component 50, and the main control component 40 and the display control component 50 are assembled together into the mounting box 20 after positioning engagement. The control module 30 is assembled into the refrigerator 100 as an integral unit, simplifying installation steps, saving time and labor, and can be disassembled as an integral unit for convenient subsequent maintenance. The main control component 40 is used for electrical control of various electronic devices of the refrigerator 100 and/or control of LEDs, display panels, etc. The display control component 50 is used for electronic control of light-emitting LEDs, display panels, etc.
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As shown in FIGs. 8-10, the main control component 40 comprises a main control circuit board 41 and a main control board bracket 43 for supporting the main control circuit board 41. The display control component 50 comprises a display control circuit board 51 and a display control board bracket 53 for supporting the display control circuit board 51.
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Preferably, the main control circuit board 41 is connected to the display control circuit board 51 through a flexible flat cable, and the two circuit boards do not need to be engaged through connectors, optimizing insertion steps and making assembly more convenient and labor-saving. Alternatively, the display control circuit board 51 and the main control circuit board 41 are integrated into one circuit board, saving costs.
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Specifically, the main control board bracket 43 has a first bottom wall 431, a first end wall 432 and a first rear wall 433, wherein the first bottom wall 431, the first end wall 432 and the first rear wall 433 surround to form an accommodation space 430, the main control circuit board 41 is installed in the accommodation space 430, and the main control board bracket 43 further defines another installation space 4301 near the first end wall 432.
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Preferably, the refrigerator 100 comprises a wireless communication module 60 disposed on the main control board bracket 43, and the wireless communication module 60 is separately disposed on one side of the main control circuit board 41 and the display control circuit board 51 in a lateral direction. Specifically, the wireless communication module 60 is installed in the another installation space 4301, the wireless communication module 60 does not overlap with the main control circuit board 41 and the display control circuit board 51 in the lateral direction, and the main control circuit board 41 and the display control circuit board 51 do not block the wireless communication module 60 in a front-rear direction, not affecting communication.
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Specifically, the refrigerator 100 integrates the wireless communication module 60 into the main control board bracket 43. Because PCB circuit boards obstruct wireless communication signal propagation, in this case, no circuit board is disposed in a front area of the wireless communication module 60, and only plastic structures are provided in the front area, enabling wireless communication signals to propagate outward. In addition, after a fully built-in refrigerator is fixed to a cabinet, it is difficult to pull out the entire unit, and a series of mounting components need to be removed before the refrigerator can be pulled out. In the prior art refrigerators, the wireless communication module 60 was placed at the top, and once damaged, the entire refrigerator needed to be pulled out before maintenance could be performed. However, the present application integrates the wireless communication module 60 into the main control board bracket 43, so that once damaged, even when the refrigerator is in the cabinet, maintenance and replacement of the wireless communication module 60 can be achieved, making after-sales maintenance more convenient and efficient, saving time and labor.
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Preferably, the display control board bracket 53 opens rearward, and the display control board bracket 53 comprises a second front wall 531, a second end wall 532, a second top wall 533 and a second bottom wall 534; the second front wall 531, the second end wall 532, the second top wall 533 and the second bottom wall 534 surround to form an installation space 530 that opens rearward. The display control component 50 comprises a display color film 54 and a display mask 55 disposed on the second front wall 531, the flexible flat cable reserves a certain length such that the display control circuit board 51 can extend a certain distance and be installed in parallel from rear to front into the display control board bracket 53.
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As shown in FIGs. 11-12, the main control circuit board 41 and the display control circuit board 51 are connected through a flexible flat cable, and the main control circuit board 41 is first installed on the main control board bracket 43, then the display control circuit board is extended forward a certain distance and installed in the installation space 530. The second front wall 531 extends into the installation space 530 with a plurality of positioning posts 5311, and the display control circuit board 51 is correspondingly provided with a plurality of positioning slots that engage with the positioning posts. The second top wall 533 and the second bottom wall 534 extend into the installation space 530 with a plurality of positioning protrusions 5331, and the positioning protrusions 5331 retain an upper edge and a lower edge of the display control circuit board 51. Thus, a combination of the display control circuit board 51 and the display control board bracket 53 is more stable.
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Preferably, the second front wall 531 is provided with a groove 5312 for accommodating the display color film, the display color film 54 does not protrude from the second front wall 531, and the display mask 55 is snap-fitted to the display control board bracket 53 and completely covers the display control board bracket 53; the display color film 54 is provided with a light-transmitting character area, and a light-transmitting area provided on the display mask 55 covers a character area, enabling characters to be displayed through the display mask 55.
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Specifically, referring to FIGs. 11-12, the display mask 55 is an in-mold injection molding component, transparent overall with a front film coating, wherein indication character display positions can transmit light to form the light-transmitting area while other positions cannot transmit light. The display color film 54 is attached in a corresponding groove 5312 of the display control board bracket 53, wherein generally the characters are set as the light-transmitting area while the rest is a non-light-transmitting area. When the display mask 55 and the display control board bracket 53 are snap-fitted and assembled together, the light-transmitting area of the display mask 55 exactly covers character positions of the display color film 54. After lights are turned on, display characters will be synchronously lit, and of course if different modes are selected for the refrigerator, different characters will be lit.
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Preferably, the display control component 50 further comprises a magnetic switch 57 and/or an ambient temperature sensor 56 installed in front of the display control circuit board 53.
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Specifically, the magnetic switch 57 and/or the ambient temperature sensor 56 are disposed near the second end wall 532 for convenient wiring. The magnetic switch 57 is snap-fitted into a corresponding groove of the display control board bracket 53, and the magnetic switch 57 is mainly used to control an operation and a shutdown of electrical components inside the refrigerator 100 after a door of the refrigerator 100 is opened or closed. An ambient humidity sensor 56 can also be integrated onto the display control board bracket 53, eliminating a cost of separately opening an installation pre-embedded box for the humidity sensor 56 at a top of the cabinet. At the same time, fully built-in refrigerators currently on the market have not yet used this type of ambient humidity sensor 56, so a design of the present application has an additional function compared to fully built-in refrigerators. The ambient humidity sensor 56 is similarly pre-installed into a corresponding slot of the display control board bracket 53, and the ambient humidity sensor 56 is mainly used to sense changes in humidity and temperature outside the refrigerator 100 to better control an operation of the refrigerator 100.
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An assembly method of the control module 30 of the present application is as follows: the display color film 54 is attached in the groove 5312 of the display control board bracket 53, and the display mask 55 covers the display color film 54 and is snap-fitted to a front of the display control board bracket 53; the magnetic switch 57 and/or the ambient temperature sensor 56 are assembled into the display control board bracket 53 from rear to front; the main control circuit board 41 and the display control circuit board 51 connected as an integral unit through the flexible flat cable are prepared, wherein the main control circuit board 41 and the display control circuit board 51 are perpendicular to each other, the main control circuit board 41 is horizontally supported on the main control board bracket 43, and the display control circuit board 51 is vertically positioned in the accommodation space 430; the wireless communication module 60 is installed in the another accommodation space; the display control circuit board 51 is extended forward to be fixed on the display control board bracket 53; cables of the magnetic switch 57 and/or cables of the ambient humidity sensor 56 are organized so that the cables pass through a gap at the second end wall 532 and are routed into the main control board bracket 43 for convenient cable connection during subsequent assembly of the refrigerator 100; finally, the display control board bracket 53 and the main control board bracket 43 are snap-fitted together.
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Thus, the control module 30 completes assembly and is supplied as a component assembly to a factory division. When installed on the refrigerator, it only needs to connect cables properly and then push it horizontally into the mounting box 20, where it can be fixed through relevant snap-fit connections. Compared to conventional solutions, this saves operation steps and is time and labor-saving. Similarly, when disassembly is needed, the control module 30 can be entirely disassembled simultaneously for convenient maintenance. The following will detail a snap-fit connection between the display control board bracket 53 and the main control board bracket 43, as well as a snap-fit connection between the display control board bracket 53 and the mounting box 20, with reference to FIGs. 7-9.
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Preferably, the second end wall 532 of the display control board bracket 53 is provided with a snap groove 5321, an end portion of the main control board bracket 43 is provided with a first elastic arm 4321 corresponding to the snap groove 5321, and the first elastic arm 4321 and the snap groove 5321 perform snap positioning to prevent the display control board bracket 53 from detaching rearward. A front edge of the first end wall 432 is bent rearward in a reverse direction to form the first elastic arm 4321, and a clearance space exists between the first elastic arm 4321 and the first end wall 432 for the first elastic arm 4321 to deform and yield.
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Preferably, the first elastic arm 4321 abuts rearward against the mounting box 20, and when the control module 30 is assembled into the mounting box 20, prevents the control module 30 from being excessively installed rearward; the first elastic arm 4321 is provided with a guide block 4322 and a fixing block 4323, the guide block 4322 guides and abuts against the second end wall 532 of the display control board bracket, and the fixing block 4323 abuts against an inner wall surface of the snap groove 5321 for positioning. The guide block 4322 is positioned in front of the fixing block 4323. When the display control board bracket 53 and the main control board bracket 43 are snap-fitted, the second end wall 532 abuts against the guide block 4322, causing the second end wall 532 to deform inward and yield, finally passing over the fixing block 4323, and the fixing block 4323 abuts rearward against the inner wall surface of the snap groove 5321, preventing the display control board bracket 53 from releasing from the main control board bracket 43.
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Preferably, the first end wall 432 of the main control board bracket is further provided with an abutting arm 4320, and the abutting arm abuts against the mounting box 20 in a lateral direction. Specifically, an inner wall of the mounting box 20 is provided with a protrusion 202. After the main control board bracket 43 is assembled into the mounting box 20, the abutting arm 4320 abuts against the protrusion 202, facilitating lateral positioning of the main control board bracket 43 in the mounting box 20.
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Preferably, the second end wall 532 of the display control board bracket 53 is provided with a second elastic arm 5322, and the second elastic arm 5322 is arranged in parallel with the snap groove 5321 in a vertical direction; the second elastic arm 5322 protrudes toward the mounting box 20 with a step portion 5323; and the mounting box 20 is provided with a retaining portion 21 that engages with the step portion 5323.
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Specifically, the control module 30 is assembled as an integral unit. The main control board bracket 43 engages with the display control board bracket 53 through the first elastic arm 4321, and simultaneously engages with the mounting box 20 through the abutting arm. The display control board bracket 53 engages with the mounting box 20 through the second elastic arm 5322. Specifically, the retaining portion 21 abuts rearward against the step portion 5323, and an arrangement of the step portion 5323 prevents the retaining portion 21 from easily sliding over, ensuring a stability of positioning between the display control board bracket 53 and the mounting box 20.
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Specifically, as shown in FIGs. 4-5, the display mask 55 is removed for observation, but in actual operation, the display mask 55 is snap-connected to the display control board bracket 53 and would not be separately disassembled first. In actual operation, the display mask 55 has an accommodation groove 550 formed on a bottom surface corresponding to the second end wall 532 of the display control board bracket 53 for a tool (such as a screwdriver) to enter. The screwdriver can be inserted and a screwdriver head used to actuate the second elastic arm 5322, causing the second elastic arm 5322 to deform inward. The retaining portion 21 can gradually slide over the step portion 5323, and the retaining portion 21 is released from the step portion 5323, releasing a positioning between the display control board bracket 53 and the mounting box 20. At this time, by pulling the display mask 55, both the display control component 50 and the main control component 40 can be removed from the mounting box 20, facilitating subsequent maintenance work. Obviously, by operating the screwdriver to actuate the second elastic arm 5322, the control module 30 can be entirely disassembled, facilitating subsequent maintenance.
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The beneficial effects of the present application are: after the display control component 50 and the main control component 40 complete assembly, they are installed together into the mounting box 20, optimizing insertion steps and saving labor and time; the second elastic arm 5322 can be actuated with a screwdriver, the second elastic arm 5322 can release positioning with the mounting box 20, and the display control component 50 and the main control component 40 can be disassembled together from the mounting box 20, facilitating subsequent maintenance; the main control circuit board 41 is connected to the display control circuit board 51 through a flexible flat cable without requiring connection terminals, facilitating assembly; the main control board bracket 43 has the wireless communication module 60 disposed on one side of the main control circuit board 41 and the display control circuit board 51, not affecting wireless signal propagation of the wireless communication module 60; the display control board bracket integrates the magnetic switch 57 and/or the ambient temperature sensor 56, providing multiple functions and enhancing customer experience.
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It should be understood that although this specification is described according to embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative manner of the specification is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in various embodiments may also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.
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The series of detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific descriptions of feasible embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent embodiments or modifications made without departing from the technical spirit of the present application should be included within the protection scope of the present application.