WO2014023606A1

WO2014023606A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2014023606A1
Application number: PCT/EP2013/065956
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wentao Diao; Benhe Dou; Pingan Li; Songtao Lu
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2012-08-07
Filing date: 2013-07-30
Publication date: 2014-02-13
Also published as: CN103575052B; CN103575052A

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a storage chamber (11), a door (13) used for closing or opening the storage chamber (11), and at least one light emitting diode (21) mounted in the front of a top wall (12) of the storage chamber (11). An optical axis (X) of the light emitting diode (21) slants toward the direction of the door (13) and intersects the door (13).

Description

REFRIGERATOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and in particular, to a refrigerator having a light emitting diode used for illuminating a storage chamber.

Related Art

In order to place objects to be cooled, a storage chamber of a refrigerator usually includes a storage device that can be at least partially pulled out of the storage chamber, for example, a drawer. A traditional refrigerator illumination device is used for illuminating the interior of the storage chamber, and when the drawer is pulled out of the storage chamber, illumination of the drawer mainly depends on ambient brightness. When the ambient brightness is low, it is not convenient for a user to clearly see objects in the drawer due to poor brightness in the pulled drawer.

A document with the number JP 10-300338 A discloses an illumination mechanism that is provided at a lower portion of an uppermost rotary door of a refrigerator and is used for illuminating a withdrawable storage section below the rotary door. The illumination mechanism on the door obviously may greatly increase the complexity of the wiring on the door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator favorable for improving a lighting condition. The objective can be achieved through the characteristic in the independent claim.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are subject matters of the accompanying drawings, the specification and the dependent claims. Therefore, in one aspect, the present invention relates to a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a storage chamber, a door used for selectively closing or opening the storage chamber, and at least one light emitting diode mounted in the front of a top wall of the storage chamber. The refrigerator is characterized in that, in a direction from the top to the bottom, an optical axis of the light emitting diode slants toward the direction of the door and intersects the door.

Thus, after the door is opened, a main beam of the light emitting diode, especially the beam in the central area, can be irradiated toward the outside of the storage chamber, and when a user pulls out the drawer in the storage chamber, at least a part of the pulled drawer can be illuminated by the main beam of the light emitting diode, thereby improving the lighting condition of the refrigerator. Compared with the solution of providing an illuminating lamp at the bottom of the above door, this solution has higher cost effectiveness.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the optical axis of the light emitting diode intersects the door at a lower half part of the door. When a drawer is provided at a lower half part of the storage chamber, the drawer at such a position may also be illuminated when being pulled out.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator includes a withdrawable drawer mounted in the storage chamber. An opaque portion close to the top wall is provided at a front end of the drawer, and the optical axis and the opaque portion do not intersect. This is favorable for avoiding the situation that the light emitted by the light emitting diode is blocked by the opaque portion to affect the illumination in the storage chamber when the drawer is in the storage chamber. When the opaque portion and the light emitting diode are not overlapped in a vertical direction, it is more favorable for achieving that the light emitting diode and the opaque portion do not intersect, and it is also favorable for a better illumination effect.

According to a particular exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an angle between the optical axis of the light emitting diode and a front opening ranges from 20 degrees to 30 degrees. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator includes a circuit board located in the top wall. The light emitting diode is fixed on the circuit board, and in a direction from the back to the front, the circuit board slants upward, so that the beam of the light emitting diode can be very effectively irradiated toward the direction of the door. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator includes an illumination shell. The illumination shell includes a mounting portion used for being mounted on an inner container of the storage chamber and an accommodating slot used for accommodating the circuit board, and an included angle is formed between the mounting portion and the accommodating slot. This is favorable for mounting the circuit board on the inner container at a predetermined angle relative to the door, so that the optical axis of the light emitting diode intersects the door and the main beam can be irradiated out of the storage chamber.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in an area of the top wall close to the front opening, the inner container of the storage chamber includes a slant wall segment slanting downward and a horizontal segment connected to a front end of the slant wall segment, and the light emitting diode is mounted on the slant wall segment. When an opaque portion is provided at a front end of a storage device in the storage chamber, this solution is particularly favorable for increasing the distance between the light emitting diode and the opaque portion, and is favorable for reducing the influence of the opaque portion on the illumination of the light emitting diode in the storage chamber.

The structure and other invention objectives as well as beneficial effects of the present invention will be more comprehensible with reference to the accompanying drawings and description of the exemplary embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As a part of the specification and for facilitating further comprehension of the present invention, the following accompanying drawings illustrate specific implementation manners of the present invention, and describe the principle of the present invention together with the specification, where FIG. 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a refrigerator before foaming according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a refrigerator 1 includes a heat-insulating storage chamber 11 having a front opening 10. The front opening 10 of the storage chamber 11 can be selectively closed or opened by a heat-insulating door 13.

The storage chamber 11 can be defined by a box-like inner container 14, and a heat-insulating layer 15 is provided at an outer side of the inner container 14.

The storage chamber 11 is provided therein with a withdrawable upper drawer 3 and a lower drawer 4 below the upper drawer 3. Opaque portions 31 and 41 are provided in the fronts of the upper drawer 3 and the lower drawer 4. The opaque portion 31 of the upper drawer 3 is close to a top wall 12 of the storage chamber 11. In this embodiment, the opaque portions 31 and 41 are respectively located at upper ends of front walls of the upper drawer 3 and the lower drawer 4, and are, for example, handles and/or decoration areas.

The refrigerator 1 includes an illumination assembly 2 mounted on the top wall 12. The illumination assembly 2 includes at least one light emitting diode 21 and a circuit board 22. The light emitting diode 21 may be a surface-mounting type and has a restricted lighting angle, that is, light intensity is basically distributed in a limited range. In this embodiment, the lighting angle of the light emitting diode 21 is 40 degrees, and the lighting range is 80 degrees. Generally, light intensity in an area close to an optical axis X is greatest, for example, light intensity in an area forming an angle of 15 degrees with the optical axis X is greatest.

It should be understood that the light emitting diode 21 may also have different lighting angles according to a requirement, such as angles of 45 degrees, 60 degrees and 30 degrees. The light emitting diode 21 is fixed on the circuit board 22. In a direction from the back to the front, the circuit board 22 slants upward. The optical axis X of the light emitting diode 21 is perpendicular to the circuit board 22, and thus the optical axis X of the light emitting diode 21 slants (outward) toward the direction of the door 3 in a direction from the top to the bottom, so that a main beam of the light emitting diode 21 is irradiated toward the door 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the optical axis X of the light emitting diode 21 intersects the door 13 and the front opening 10. In this embodiment, an angle a between the optical axis X and the door 13 ranges from 20 degrees to 30 degrees, for example, 27degrees to 28 degrees. An included angle between the circuit board 22 and the door 13 is equal to 90-a. Preferably, the optical axis X of the light emitting diode 21 intersects the door 13 at a lower half part of the door 13.

The light emitting diode 21 and the upper drawer 3 are overlapped in a longitudinal direction. However, as shown in FIG. 1, the optical axis X and the opaque portion 31 do not intersect. As shown in FIG. 2, an area between dotted lines Nl and N2 is a coverage range of the opaque portion 31 in a vertical direction, but the light emitting diode 21 is located outside the area between dotted lines Nl and N2. That is to say, the light emitting diode 21 and the opaque portion 31 are not overlapped in the vertical direction.

The inner container 14 includes a first horizontal segment 142 and a second horizontal segment 143 parallel to each other in a portion corresponding to the top wall 12. The first horizontal segment 142 covers most of the storage chamber 11, and the second horizontal segment 143 is located at a front end of the storage chamber 11. The first horizontal segment 142 is higher than the second horizontal segment 143. The first horizontal segment 142 and the second horizontal segment 143 are connected by a slant wall segment 141 close to the front opening 10. In a direction from the back to the front, the slant wall segment 141 slants downward.

The illumination assembly 2 is mounted on the slant wall segment 141. The slant wall segment 141 has a mounting opening 1411 used for mounting the illumination assembly 2. The illumination assembly 2 has a translucent lampshade 24 used for sealing the mounting opening 1411. The illumination assembly 2 includes an illumination shell 23 used for fixing the circuit board 22. Before a foaming process of the refrigerator 1, the illumination shell 23 is fixed on the slant wall segment 141 (as shown in FIG. 2), and upon completion of the foaming process, the illumination shell 23 is closely bonded to the heat-insulating layer 15 (as shown in FIG. 1).

The illumination shell 23 includes a mounting portion 231 fixed on the slant wall segment 141 and an accommodating slot 232 used for accommodating the circuit board 22. The mounting portion 231 is approximately parallel to the slant wall segment 141, and an angle between the accommodating slot 232 and the mounting portion 231 is approximately equal to the angel (90-a) between the circuit board 22 and the slant wall segment 141. Therefore, an included angle is formed between the mounting portion 231 and the accommodating slot 232.

Various embodiments of individual parts described in combination with FIG. 1 to FIG. 2 can be combined in any given manner, so as to achieve the advantages of the present invention. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and generally, other means except the illustrated means may also be used as long as the means can achieve the same effect.

Claims

1. A refrigerator (1), comprising a storage chamber (11), a door (13) used for closing or opening the storage chamber (11), and at least one light emitting diode (21) mounted in the front of a top wall (12) of the storage chamber (11), characterized in that an optical axis (X) of the light emitting diode (21) slants toward the direction of the door (13) and intersects the door (13).

2. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the optical axis (X) of the light emitting diode (21) intersects the door (13) at a lower half part of the door (13).

3. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1, characterized by comprising a withdrawable drawer (3) mounted in the storage chamber (11), wherein an opaque portion (31) close to the top wall (12) is provided at a front end of the drawer (3), and the optical axis (X) and the opaque portion (31) do not intersect.

4. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the opaque portion (31) and the light emitting diode (21) are not overlapped in a vertical direction.

5. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that an angle (a) between the optical axis (X) of the light emitting diode (21) and the door (13) ranges from 20 degrees to 30 degrees.

6. The refrigerator (1) according to any one of the above claims, characterized by comprising a circuit board (22) located in the top wall (12), wherein the light emitting diode (21) is fixed on the circuit board (22), and in a direction from the back to the front, the circuit board (22) slants upward.

7. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 6, characterized by comprising an illumination shell (23), wherein the illumination shell (23) comprises a mounting portion (231) used for being mounted on an inner container (14) of the storage chamber (11) and an accommodating slot (232) used for accommodating the circuit board (22), and an included angle is formed between the mounting portion (231) and the accommodating slot (232).

8. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, in an area of the top wall (12) close to a front opening (10), an inner container (14) of the storage chamber (11) comprises a slant wall segment (141) slanting downward and a horizontal segment (143) connected to a front end of the slant wall segment (141), and the light emitting diode (21) is mounted on the slant wall segment (141).