WO2016155819A1

WO2016155819A1 - Protective casing assembly for refrigerator a display

Info

Publication number: WO2016155819A1
Application number: PCT/EP2015/057223
Authority: WO
Inventors: Semih Erol; Gursel BOZ; Bahadir AKTAS; Ugur EGILMEZBAS; Murat Ozden
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2015-04-01
Filing date: 2015-04-01
Publication date: 2016-10-06
Also published as: EP3278044B1; PL3278044T3; EP3278044A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a protective casing assembly (1) for use in a refrigerator (2) comprising a display unit (3), a panel (4), an aperture (5) on the panel (4) for receiving the display unit (2) and a releasable connector (6) with cables (7). The protective casing assembly (1) comprises a cover (8) for at least partly enclosing the display unit (2) and an attachment means for attaching the protective casing (8) to the display unit (2). The cover (8) comprises a throughlet (9) for the insertion of the connector (6) with its cables (7) into the cover (8).

Description

PROTECTIVE CASING ASSEMBLY FOR REFRIGERATOR A DISPLAY

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, in particular to a domestic refrigerator. The present invention more particularly relates to a panel-mounted display unit of the refrigeration appliance.

Refrigeration appliances such as domestic refrigerators are commonly known in the art. For the convenience of the users, domestic refrigerators are generally provided with panel-mounted display units for viewing/setting the temperature of the refrigeration compartments. Thereby, the user is enabled to control the domestic refrigerator directly from the panel, in particular from the door panel. In order to increase the energy efficiency of the domestic refrigerator, the rear side of the panel, in particular the cavity between the inner lining and the panel is generally filled with a thermally insulating foam material, such as polyurethane. The panel-mounted display unit must be protected from the foam material, in particular at the stage of injecting the foam material into the cavity. In a commonly known domestic refrigerator, the display unit is enclosed at least from the rear side by a cover which can be attached onto the inner side of the panel and to the display unit. The display unit is generally installed into an aperture on the panel. In order to establish the electrical connection with the display unit, the cover is generally provided with a throughlet for the insertion of a releasable connector with its cables whereby the display unit can be connected to the control unit of the refrigerator. The throughlet is commonly sealed with a sponge material and/or an adhesive tape so as to prevent the intrusion of the curing foam material into the cover and therefrom to the display unit.

The utility model number of CN202993743 (U) discloses a control panel structure of a refrigerator door.

A problem with the above-mentioned prior art domestic refrigerator is that the sponge material and the adhesive tape increase the production costs both in material and labor. In particular, the assemblage of the cover with the releasable connector and the cables is inconvenient and takes an unnecessary amount of time of the assembly operator. Another problem with the prior art domestic refrigerator is that the sponge material and the adhesive tape are not sufficiently reliable as they are vulnerable to deformation and may give rise to leakage, in particular when the size of the throughlet is kept comparatively large so as to admit a correspondingly large connector with a plurality of cables. In case of leakage, the display unit receives damages and the refrigerator door becomes junk and thus the overall production costs increase further.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a protective casing assembly for use with a panel-mounted display unit of a refrigeration appliance, in particular a domestic refrigerator which solves the aforementioned problems of the prior art in a cost effective way and which enables an easy, quick and reliable assemblage of the display unit.

This objective has been achieved by the protective casing assembly as defined in Claim 1 and the refrigerator as defined in Claim 14. Further achievements have been attained by the subject-matters respectively defined in the dependent claims.

The protective casing assembly of the present invention further comprises grooves for respectively receiving and aligning the cables which are inserted through the respective throughlet into the cover, wherein the grooves match the cables respectively; one or more lids each for opening/closing the respective throughlet and for securing the cables into the respective grooves and one or more locking means each for locking the respective lid in the closed position.

A major advantageous effect of the present invention is that the releasable connector and the respective cables of the display unit can be easily, quickly and reliably assembled with the protective casing assembly particularly by virtue of the alignment grooves and the lockable lid. Thereby, the need for using the aforementioned sponge material and the adhesive tapes has been obviated and thus the production costs can be reduced. Another major advantageous effect of the present invention is that the intrusion of the foam material into the cover can be prevented in a reliable and cost-effective way particularly by virtue of the alignment grooves and the lockable lid.

In an embodiment, the locking means has a retainer which locks the lid to the closed position. This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the lid can be safely locked in the closed position so as to prevent intrusion of the foam material. The retainer may be provided with either one of a snap connection, a clamp connection, interlock connection, a fit connection, a screw connection and an adhesive connection. Other type of connections known to those skilled in the art can be alternatively used. The retainer may be provided as a separate member that cooperates with lid and the casing. Alternatively, the retainer may be provided integrally with the lid and/or the casing.

According to the present invention, the number of grooves may be provided in excess of the number of cables. Thereby, various connectors with different pin numbers can be flexibly used in accordance with the requirements of the panel-mounted display unit. Therefore, in another embodiment, in order to prevent the foam material from intruding the empty grooves, the protective casing assembly has been provided with one or more plug-like protrusions for blocking the empty grooves against intrusion of the foam material. This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the empty grooves can be safely blocked by the plug-like protrusions. The plug like protrusions may be provided as separate members. Alternatively, the plug-like protrusions may be provided removably on either one of the retainer, the lid and the casing. The protrusions may be aligned and positioned into the grooves by a guide. The guide may be provided on either one of the retainer, the lid and the casing. The guide may be further provided in form of holes which match the plug-like protrusions and open into the grooves. The plug-like protrusions may be rendered removable by manual breaking off. The plug-like protrusions may be further provided with a cut for facilitating the breaking off. Alternatively the protrusions may be provided with a detachable connection for their removal.

In another embodiment, the lids are hinged to the cover. This embodiment is particularly advantageous as it facilitates opening/closing of the throughlets. The hinges may be provided integrally with the lid and the cover.

In another embodiment, the cover has two opposing throughlets for the insertion of two connectors with the associated cables respectively. This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the two set of cables can be installed into the fixed passages in the left hinge assembly and the right hinge assembly of the door respectively so as to allow the change of the swing direction of the door.

In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the grooves may be formed onto the cover in various different structures. These structures may be level with the side wall of the cover or protrude inwardly and/or outwardly from the rear wall of the cover. In another embodiment, the grooves are formed into a cantilever structure such as a tongue which is located in close proximity to the respective throughlet. These embodiments are particularly advantageous as the cables can be orderly aligned and received by the matching grooves during the insertion of the connector.

Additional advantageous effects of the protective casing assembly and the refrigerator of the present invention will become more apparent with the detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 – is a schematic perspective view of a protective casing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 – is a schematic front view of a refrigerator which has the protective casing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 – is a schematic sectional view of the refrigerator of Fig. 2, taken along the line A-A;

Figure 4 – is a schematic perspective view of the refrigerator of Fig. 2, when the door is open;

Figure 5 – is a schematic partially exploded perspective view of the refrigerator of Fig. 2, wherein the foam material in the cavity between the inner lining and the door panel has been omitted;

Figure 6 – is a schematic enlarged view of the detail B of Fig. 5;

Figure 7 – is another schematic partially exploded perspective view of the detail B of Fig. 5;

Figure 8 – is another schematic partially exploded perspective view of the detail B of Fig. 5;

Figure 9 – is another schematic partially exploded perspective view of the detail B of Fig. 5;

Figure 10 – is a schematic partial rear view of the detail B of Fig. 5;

Figure 11 – is a schematic sectional view of the detail B of Fig. 5, taken along the line C-C as shown in Fig. 10.

The reference signs appearing on the drawings relate to the following technical features.

Protective casing assembly
Refrigerator
Display unit
Panel
Aperture
Connector
Cable
Cover
Throughlet
Groove
Lid
Locking means
Retainer

13a. Body

14. Hook

15. Catch

16. Protrusion (Plug)

16a. Cut

17. Foam

18. Guide

19. Hole

20. Hinge

21. Pin

22. Bearing

23. Rear wall

24. Sidewall

25. Sidewall

26. Tongue

27. Flange

28. Compartment

29. Door

30. Input means

31. Lining

32. Cavity

The protective casing assembly (1) is suitable for use in a refrigeration appliance (2), in particular a domestic refrigerator (2).

The refrigerator (2) comprises a compartment (28) for refrigerating food products; a door (29) for opening/closing the compartment (28), wherein the door (29) has a panel (4); a display unit (3) and an aperture (5) on the panel (4) for receiving the display unit (2). The display unit (3) comprises one more releasable connectors (6) each with respective cables (7) and an input means (30) for allowing a user to set the temperature of the compartment (28).

The protective casing assembly (1) comprises a cover (8) for enclosing at least the rear side of the display unit (3) and an attachment means (not shown) for attaching the cover (8) onto the inner side of the panel (4) and to the display unit (3). The cover (8) comprises one or more throughlets (9) each for the insertion of the respective connector (6) with its cables (7).

The protective casing assembly (1) according to the present invention further comprises a plurality of grooves (10) for respectively receiving and aligning the cables (7) which are inserted through the respective throughlet (9) into the cover (8), wherein the grooves (10) match the cables (7) respectively; one or more than one lid (11) each for opening/closing the respective throughlet (9) and for securing the cables (7) into the respective grooves (10) and one or more locking means (12) each for locking the respective lid (11) in the closed position.

The refrigerator (2) according to the present invention further comprises the protective casing assembly (1).

In an embodiment, the locking means (12) comprises a retainer (13) which comprises one or more snap hooks (14). In this embodiment, the cover (8) comprises one or more catches (15) which cooperate with the one or more snap hooks (14) respectively.

In another embodiment, the protective casing assembly (1) further comprises one or more plug-like protrusions (16) each for blocking a respective empty groove (10) against intrusion of foam material (17).

In another embodiment, the protrusions (16) are removably disposed onto the retainer (13). In this embodiment, the lid (11) comprises a guide (18) for aligning and positioning the plug-like protrusions (16) into the grooves (10) respectively. The guide (18) cooperates with the plug-like protrusions (16).

In another embodiment, the guide (18) comprises through holes (19) which are disposed onto the lid (11) for receiving the plug-like protrusions (16) respectively. The through holes (19) match the plug-like protrusions (16) respectively. The through holes (19) cooperate with the plug-like protrusions (16).

In another embodiment, each plug-like protrusion (16) is adapted for removal from the retainer (13) through manually breaking off from the body (13a) of the retainer (13).

In another embodiment, each plug-like protrusion (16) has a narrow cut (16a) which facilitates the manual breaking off.

In another embodiment, the protective casing assembly (1) further comprises one or more than one hinge (20) each for pivotably supporting the respective lid (11).

In another embodiment, each hinge (20) comprises two trunnion pins (21) which are disposed onto the lid (11) and two respective trunnion bearings (22) which are disposed onto the cover (8).

In another embodiment, the cover (8) comprises a rear wall (23) and four sidewalls (24, 25). In this embodiment, the opposing lateral sidewalls (25) each has one throughlet (9) for the insertion of the respective connector (6) with its cables (7).

In another embodiment, the protective casing assembly (1) comprises one or more than one tongue (26) each disposed in close proximity to the respective throughlet (9). In this embodiment, the grooves (10) are disposed into the tongues (26) respectively. In a version of this embodiment, the catches (15) are also formed onto the respective tongue (26).

In another embodiment, the cover (8) comprises a flange (27) for abutting from the inside onto the periphery of the aperture (5) in the panel (4).

In another embodiment, the attachment means comprises a screw-connection (not shown) and/or a snap-connection (not shown) for attaching the cover (8) to the display unit (3) and onto the inner side of the panel (4).

In another embodiment, the refrigerator (2) further comprises an inner lining (31) for the attachment onto the inner side of the door (29). The protective casing assembly (1) is enclosed by a thermal insulating foam material (17) which fills at least part of the cavity (32) between the inner lining (31) and the panel (4).

In the subsequent description, the assemblage of the display unit (3) with the protective casing assembly (1) will be briefly explained by way of example.

First, the releasable connector (6) and the respective cables (7) are inserted through the respective throughlet (9) into the cover (8). The same procedure is repeated for the other releasable connectors (6) and the respective cables (7), where available. The cables (7) are aligned into the respective grooves (10) and the respective lid (12) is locked in the closed position to the cover (8) through the locking means (12). For instance, the lid (11) may be optionally locked in the closed position to the cover (8) through the respective retainer (13). If there are any empty grooves (10), these are blocked with the respective plug-like protrusions (16) against the intrusion of the foam material (17). Then, display unit (3) is connected with each releasable connector (6) and placed onto the aperture (5) of the panel (4). Then, the cover (8) is attached through the attachment means onto the inner side of the panel (4) and to the display unit (2). Then, the foam material (17) is injected into the cavity (32) between the inner lining (31) and the panel (4) of the door (29) as the latter is maintained in the horizontal position.

A major advantageous effect of the present invention is that the releasable connector (6) and the respective cables (7) of the display unit (3) can be easily, quickly and reliably assembled with the protective casing assembly (1), particularly by virtue of the lockable lid (11) and the grooves (10). Thereby, the need for using the sponge material (not shown) and the adhesive tapes (not shown) have been obviated and thus the production costs can be reduced. Another major advantageous effect of the present invention is that the intrusion of the foam material (17) into the cover (8) can be prevented in a reliable and cost-effective way, particularly by virtue of the lockable lid (11) and the grooves (10). Other additional advantageous effects of the present invention can be taken from the aforementioned embodiments.

Claims

A protective casing assembly (1) for use in a refrigerator (2) comprising a display unit (3), a panel (4), an aperture (5) on the panel (4) for receiving the display unit (3), one more releasable connectors (6) each with respective cables (7); the protective casing assembly (1) comprising a cover (8) for enclosing at least the rear side of the display unit (3) and an attachment means for attaching the cover (8) onto the inner side of the panel (4) and to the display unit (3), wherein the cover (8) comprises one or more throughlets (9) each for the insertion of the respective connector (6) with its cables (7) into the cover (8) and characterized in that a plurality of grooves (10) for respectively receiving and aligning the cables (7) which are inserted through the respective throughlet (9) into the cover (8), wherein the grooves (10) match the cables (7) respectively, one or more lids (11) each for opening/closing the respective throughlet (9) and securing the cables (7) into the respective grooves (10) and one or more locking means (12) each for locking the respective lid (11) in the closed position.
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the locking means (12) comprising a retainer (13) which has one or more snap hooks (14) and the cover (8) comprising one or more catches (15) which cooperate with the one or more snap hooks (14) respectively.
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one or more plug-like protrusions (16) each for blocking a respective empty groove (10) against intrusion of foam material (17).
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 3, characterized in that the plug-like protrusions (16) are removably disposed onto each retainer (13) and the lid (11) comprises a guide (18) for aligning and plug-like positioning the protrusions (16) into the grooves (10) respectively.
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 4, characterized in that the guide (18) comprises through holes (19) which are disposed onto the lid (11) for receiving the plug-like protrusions (16) respectively, wherein the through holes (19) match the plug-like protrusions (16) respectively.
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 4 or 5, characterized in that each plug-like protrusion (16) is removable from the retainer (13) through manually breaking off from the body (13a) of the retainer (13).
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 6, characterized in that each plug-like protrusion (16) has a narrow cut (16a) which facilitates the manual breaking off.
The protective casing assembly (1) according Claim 1, characterized in that one or more hinges (20) each for pivotably supporting the respective lid (11).
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 8, characterized in that each hinge (20) comprises two trunnion pins (21) which are disposed onto the lid (11) and two respective trunnion bearings (21) which are disposed onto the cover (8).
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cover (8) comprising a rear wall (23) and four sidewalls (24, 25), wherein the opposing lateral sidewalls (25) each has one throughlet (9) for the insertion of the respective releasable connector (6) with its cables (7).
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that one or more tongues (26) each disposed in close proximity to the respective throughlet (9), wherein the grooves (10) are disposed into the tongues (26).
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cover (8) comprising a flange (27) for abutting from the inside onto the periphery of the aperture (5) in the panel (4).
The protective casing assembly (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the attachment means comprises a screw-connection and/or a snap-connection for attaching the cover (8) to the display unit (2) and onto the inner side of the panel (4).
A refrigerator (2) comprising a compartment (28) for refrigerating food products, a door (29) for opening/closing the compartment (28), wherein the door (29) has a panel (4), a display unit (3) which comprises one more releasable connectors (6) each with respective cables (7) and an input means (30) for allowing a user to set the temperature of the compartment (28) and an aperture (5) on the panel (4) for receiving a display unit (3), characterized in that the protective casing assembly (1) as defined in Claim 1.
The refrigerator (2) according to Claim 14, characterized in that an inner lining (31) for the attachment onto the inner side of the door (29), wherein the protective casing assembly (1) is enclosed by a thermal insulating foam material (17) which fills at least part of the cavity (32) between the inner lining (31) and the panel (4).