Patent Publication Number: US-2023152029-A1

Title: Home appliance

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C, 119 and 35 U.S.C. 365 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0158030, filed on Nov. 16, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to a home appliance. 
     In general, home appliances are disposed in an indoor space and may be disposed to be harmonized with the surrounding space. In addition, to further improve the appearance of the home appliance, a panel defining an outer appearance on a front surface of the home appliance may be provided. 
     Typically, structures that variously modify the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator so as to be harmonized with environments in which the refrigerator is placed, surrounding furniture, or other home appliances are being developed, and this trend is being made throughout the home appliances. 
     U.S. Patent Application No. 8789900 discloses a structure in which a decoration panel defining an outer appearance is installed on a door front of a refrigerator, and here, the outer appearance of the door front is defined according to a user&#39;s preference by detachably configuring the decoration panel. 
     However, the refrigerator having this structure has a problem in that, when a user wants to change the outer appearance, the entire decoration panel needs to be removed and replaced, and it is not possible to use the decoration panel before replacement any longer. 
     To solve this limitation, Chinese Patent Application No. 103250018 discloses a refrigerator in which a reflective layer and a transparent panel are disposed on a door front and colored light emitting members are mounted on both side ends of the reflective layer to cause the transparent panel to shine with set color. 
     However, in such a structure, there is a limitation in that a structure, which is firmly coupled while being easily mounted between a door and a panel, is not provided. In particular, when the panel is mounted on the door, frequent opening and closing of the door and a repeated impact are applied, and thus, a firmly coupling structure between the door and the panel is required. 
     In addition, since the panel is made of a heavy material such as glass, the panel itself is heavy, or in home appliances such as a refrigerator having a long vertical length, this limitation is more serious. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments provide a home appliance in which all of upper and lower ends and left and right ends of a panel assembly are fixed to a door body so as to be maintained in a stable state. 
     Embodiments also provide a home appliance having a structure, in which a door body and a panel assembly are firmly coupled to each other, to prevent the panel assembly from moving. 
     Embodiments also provide a home appliance in which lifting between a door body and both ends of a panel assembly is prevented from occurring to improve quality of an outer appearance thereof. 
     Embodiments also provide a home appliance in which a panel holder for mounting a panel assembly is more firmly mounted. 
     In one embodiment, a home appliance includes a cabinet in which a storage space is defined and a door configured to open and close the storage space, wherein the door includes: a door body connected to the cabinet; and a panel assembly mounted on a front surface of the door body, wherein the panel assembly includes: a panel which is configured to define a front surface of the door and through which light is transmitted; a light guide plate disposed behind the panel to irradiate light toward the panel; a lighting device configured to irradiate light toward an end of the light guide plate and allow the panel to shine with a set color; a mounting member coupled to both left and right ends of the light guide plate to fix the light guide plate; a back cover configured to define a rear surface of the panel assembly; and a panel holder provided along both left and right ends of a rear surface of the panel assembly and coupled to the door body, wherein the panel holder is coupled to the mounting member inside the panel assembly and protrudes backward to pass through the back cover so as to be restricted on the door body. 
     The panel assembly may include: a base inserted into and fixed in the mounting member; and a holder protrusion protruding backward from the base and inserted into the door body. 
     The base may have at least one surface having a planar shape parallel to the light guide plate and supported on a rear surface of the light guide plate. 
     The holder protrusion may include a holder extension portion extending vertically; and a holder hook portion having a thickness greater than that of the extension portion at a protruding end of the holder extension portion so as to be hooked and restricted inside the door body. 
     A boss may be disposed on each of upper and lower portions of the base with respect to the holder protrusion, and a screw passing through the back cover may be coupled to the boss to restrict the panel holder. 
     The base may include: a base insertion portion inserted into the mounting member; and a base exposed portion which is exposed to the outside of the mounting member and on which the holder protrusion is disposed. 
     A base stepped portion protruding in a stepped shape may be disposed on an end of the base exposed portion that is in contact with the base insertion portion, and the base stepped portion may be in close contact with an end of the mounting member when the panel holder is mounted. 
     A holder restriction groove recessed in a direction crossing the extension direction of the mounting member may be defined in the end of the mounting member, and a holder restriction protrusion protruding from the base stepped portion so as to be coupled to the holder restriction groove when the panel holder is inserted into the mounting member may be provided. 
     The mounting member may be made of a light-transmittable material and may include a front surface portion which is configured to divide the panel and the light guide plate into each other and on which the panel is mounted on a front surface thereof; and a side surface portion a side surface portion extending backward from each of both ends of the front surface portion so as to be coupled to each of both ends of the light guide plate. 
     The side surface portion may include: a first part extending backward from an end of the front surface portion and configured to define at least a portion of an outer surface of the panel assembly; and a second part which extends inward from an end of the first part and on which the light guide plate and the panel holder are mounted. 
     A third part that is stepped is disposed between the first part and the second part, a first insertion space into which the light guide plate is inserted may be defined between the front surface portion and the third part, and a second insertion space into which the panel holder is inserted in the state in which the light guide plate is inserted into the first insertion space may be defined between the front surface portion and the second part. 
     The panel assembly may further include: an upper bracket configured to define a top surface thereof; and a lower bracket configured to define a bottom surface thereof, wherein the second insertion space may have upper and lower ends, which are opened, so that the upper bracket and the lower bracket are inserted and mounted. 
     The panel holder may be provided in plurality between the upper bracket and the lower bracket along the side surface portion. 
     The door body may have a plate opening, into which the panel holder is inserted when the panel assembly is mounted, in a front surface thereof, and a holder case to which an end of the panel holder inserted through the plate opening is restricted may be provided inside the door body. 
     The holder case may include: a case body fixed and mounted so that a front surface of the holder case is in contact with the door body; a holder accommodation portion recessed in the case body; and a case restriction portion protruding from the inside of the case restriction portion, wherein the case restriction portion may be provided in a pair, which are spaced apart from each other, and the holder protrusion may be inserted and restricted between the pair of case restriction portions. 
     The extending end of the case restriction portion and the extending end of the holder protrusion may be in contact with each other when the panel assembly is detached and may have inclined or rounded shapes. 
     The door body may include: a body plate configured to define a front surface of the door body facing the panel assembly; and a side decoration configured to define both left and right surfaces of the door body, wherein a decoration supporting portion protruding inward and coupled to an end of the body plate may be disposed at one side that is away from a front end of the side decoration, and the holder case may have one end supported on the body plate and the other end supported on the decoration supporting portion. 
     The back cover may include: a cover protrusion disposed at a position including a central portion of the back cover and protruding forward to support the light guide plate at a rear side; and a cover circumferential portion extending up to the end of the back cover along a circumference of the cover protrusion, wherein the panel holder may protrudes backward by passing through the cover circumferential portion, and both ends of the cover circumferential portion may be supported by the mounting member. 
     The panel assembly may include an upper bracket configured to define a top surface of the panel assembly; and a lower bracket which is configured to define a bottom surface of the panel assembly and in which the lighting device is mounted, wherein the upper and lower ends of the back cover may be coupled to the upper bracket and the lower bracket, respectively. 
     An upper protrusion protruding backward and inserted into the front surface of the door body may be disposed on the upper bracket, and a lower protrusion coupled to a bottom surface of the lower bracket and protruding backward to be coupled to the door body may be disposed on the lower bracket, wherein a screw may be coupled to the lower protrusion so that a lower end of the panel door and a lower end of the door body are coupled to each other. 
     In another embodiment, a panel assembly for a home appliance includes: a panel which is configured to define a front surface of the door and through which light is transmitted; a light guide plate disposed behind the panel to irradiate light toward the panel; a lighting device configured to irradiate light toward an end of the light guide plate and allow the panel to shine with a set color; a mounting member coupled to both left and right ends of the light guide plate to fix the light guide plate; a back cover configured to define a rear surface of the panel assembly; and a panel holder provided along both left and right ends of a rear surface of the panel assembly and coupled to the door body, wherein the panel holder is coupled to the mounting member inside the panel assembly and protrudes backward to pass through the back cover so as to be restricted on the door body. 
     The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a front view illustrating a state in which a door of the refrigerator is opened, 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of the door. 
         FIG.  4    is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which a panel assembly and a door body, which are components of the door, are separated from each other. 
         FIG.  5    is a rear perspective view of the panel assembly. 
         FIG.  6    is an exploded perspective view of the panel assembly. 
         FIG.  7    is a rear perspective view illustrating the mounting member that is a component of the panel assembly. 
         FIG.  8    is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structure of the mounting member, the upper bracket, and the back cover, which constitute the panel assembly. 
         FIG.  9    is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structure of the mounting member, the lower bracket, and the back cover, which constitute the panel assembly. 
         FIG.  10    is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structure of the lower bracket and a lighting device. 
         FIG.  11    is a perspective view illustrating the panel holder according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  12    is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the panel holder is mounted to the mounting member. 
         FIG.  13    is a cutaway perspective view taken along line XIII-XIII′ of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  14    is a cutaway perspective view taken along line XIV-XIV′ of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  15    is a front perspective view illustrating the holder case according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  16    is a rear perspective view illustrating the holder case. 
         FIG.  17    is a cutaway perspective view illustrating a state before the panel assembly and the door body are coupled to each other. 
         FIG.  18    is a cutaway perspective view illustrating a state after the panel assembly and the door body are coupled to each other. 
         FIG.  19    is a cutaway perspective view taken along line XIX-XIX′ of  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  20    is a block diagram illustrating a flow of a control signal of the refrigerator. 
         FIG.  21    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an emission state of the panel assembly. 
         FIG.  22    is a view illustrating an example of adjusting colors of home appliances to which the panel assembly using a remote device is applied. 
         FIG.  23    is a front view illustrating an outer appearance of a front surface of the refrigerator that is in a state in which the lighting device is turned off. 
         FIG.  24    is a front view illustrating an outer appearance of a front surface of the refrigerator that is in a state in which the lighting device is turned on. 
         FIG.  25    is a front view illustrating an outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator in which the lighting device is changed in color. 
         FIG.  26    is a front view illustrating an outer appearance of  11 te front surface of the refrigerator in a state in which a portion of a plurality of doors emits light. 
         FIG.  27    is a front view illustrating the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator in a state in which each of a refrigerating compartment door and a freezing compartment door of the doors emits light. 
         FIG.  28    is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to another embodiment. 
         FIG.  29    is a front view of a front appearance of a refrigerator in the state in which a lighting device of the refrigerator is turned on. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE :EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, detailed embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is limited to the embodiments in which the spirit of the present invention is proposed, and other degenerate idea or other embodiments included in the scope of the present invention may be easily proposed by addition, changes, deletions, etc. of other elements. 
     Prior to a description, directions are defined. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a direction toward a door is defined as a front direction with respect to a cabinet shown in  FIGS.  2  and  2   , a direction toward the cabinet with respect to the door is defined as a rear direction, a direction toward a bottom on which a refrigerator is installed is defined as a downward direction, and a direction away from the bottom is defined as an upward direction. 
       FIG.  1    is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. Also,  FIG.  2    is a front view illustrating a state in which a door of the refrigerator is opened. 
     As illustrated in the drawings, an outer appearance of a refrigerator  1  according to an embodiment may be defined by a cabinet  10  in which a storage space is defined, and a door  20  for opening and closing the storage space of the cabinet  10 . 
     For example, the cabinet  10  may define the storage space partitioned in a vertical direction Here, a refrigerating compartment  11  may be defined at an upper portion of the cabinet  10 , and a freezing compartment  12  may be defined at a lower portion of the cabinet  10 . The refrigerating compartment  11  may be referred to as an upper storage space, and the freezing compartment  12  may be referred to as a lower storage space. In addition, the freezing compartment  12  may be divided into left and tight sides to define a left freezing chamber  12   a  and a right freezing chamber  12   b . The left freezing compartment  12   a  may be referred to as a left lower storage space, and the right freezing compartment  12   b  may be referred to as a right lower storage space. 
     The door  20  may be configured to open and close each of the refrigerating compartment  11  and the freezing compartment  12 . For example, the door  20  may be rotatably mounted to the cabinet  10 , and each of the refrigerating compartment  11  and the freezing compartment  12  may be opened and closed by the rotation. Of course, the door  20  may also be withdrawn to open and close each of the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment. 
     The door  20  may include a refrigerating compartment door  201  that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment  11  and a freezing compartment door  202  that opens and closes the freezing compartment  12 . The refrigerating compartment door  201  may be referred to as an upper door, and the freezing compartment door  202  may be referred to as a lower door. 
     The refrigerating compartment door  201  may include a pair of a left refrigerating compartment door and a right refrigerating compartment door, which are arranged side by side. The left refrigerating compartment door  201   a  and the right refrigerating compartment door  201   b  may be disposed adjacent to each other and may have the same size. In addition, the left refrigerating compartment door  201   a  and the right refrigerating compartment door  20  lb may independently rotate to open and close the refrigerating compartment  11 . 
     Upper and lower ends of the refrigerating compartment door  201   a  and the refrigerating compartment door  201   b  may be coupled to the cabinet  10  by hinge devices  205 , respectively. The hinge device  205  may include an upper hinge  205  and a lower hinge  205 , and the refrigerator compartment door  201   a  and the refrigerating compartment door  201   b  may be rotatably mounted thereon. 
     In addition, the freezing compartment door  202  may include a pair of a left freezing compartment door  202   a  and a right freezing compartment door  202   b , which are arranged side by side. In addition, the left freezing compartment door  202   a  and the right freezing compartment door  202   b  may independently rotate to open and close the freezing compartment. The left freezing compartment door  202   a  and the right freezing compartment door  202   b  may be disposed adjacent to each other and may have the same size. 
     Of course, although the refrigerator having a structure in which a refrigerating compartment  11  is disposed at an upper side, and a freezing compartment  12  is disposed at a lower side is described as an example in the embodiment, the present disclosure may be applied to all types of refrigerators equipped with a door without being limited to types of refrigerators. 
     An outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1  may be defined in the state in which the door  20  is closed and may define the out appearance of the refrigerator  1  viewed from the front in the state in which the refrigerator  1  is installed. 
     The door  20  may have a structure in which a front surface selectively emits light and may be configured to shine with set color or brightness. Thus, a user may change front color or brightness of the door  20  without separating or disassembling the door  20  and may change the overall outer appearance of the refrigerator  1 . 
     Hereinafter, the structure of the door  20  will be described in detail with reference to drawings. In addition, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the left refrigerating compartment door  201   a , and other doors  201   b ,  202   a , and  202   b  may also have the same structure. 
       FIG.  3    is a perspective view of the door. In addition,  FIG.  4    is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which a panel assembly and a door body, which are components of the door, are separated from each other. Also,  FIG.  5    is a rear perspective view of the panel assembly. 
     As illustrated in the drawings, the door  20  may include a door body  21  defining the overall shape of the door  20 , and a panel assembly  30  defining an outer appearance of a front surface of the door  20 . That is, the door  20  may be configured so that the panel assembly  30  is mounted on a front surface of the door body  40 . 
     The door body  40  may include a body plate  41  defining a front surface and a door liner  42  defining a rear surface. The body plate  41  may be made of a metal material and disposed to face a rear surface of the panel assembly  30 . The door liner  42  may be made of a plastic material and may form a bottom shape of the door  20 . 
     The door body  40  may include a side decoration  44  defining right and left side surfaces of the door body  21 . The side decoration  44  may connect both right and left ends of the body plate  41  and both right and left ends of the door liner  42 . 
     The door body  40  may include an upper cap decoration  43  and a lower cap decoration  45  that form top and bottom surfaces of the door body  40 . The upper cap decoration  43  may be connected to an upper end of the side decoration  44 , an upper end of the body plate  41 , and an upper end of the door liner  42 . The lower cap decoration  45  may be connected to a lower end of the side decoration  44 , a lower end of the body plate  41 , and a lower end of the door liner  42 . 
     An outer appearance of the door body  40  may be defined by the body plate  41 , the door liner  42 , the side decoration  44 , the upper cap decoration  43 , and the lower cap decoration  45 . In addition, an insulator may be filled in an internal space of the door body  40 , which is defined by coupling the body plate  41 , the door liner  42 , the side decoration  44 , the upper cap decoration  43 , and the lower cap decoration  45 . 
     The panel assembly  30  may be inserted into and mounted on the front surface of the door body  40 . For example, the side decoration  44  may further protrude forward and may be in contact with both ends of the panel assembly  30 . In addition, a top surface of the panel assembly  30  may define the same plane as the upper cap decoration  43  to define the top surface of the door  20 , and the bottom surface of the panel assembly  30  has the lower cap decoration  45  to define the same plane as the bottom surface of the door  20 . 
     The panel assembly  30  may be provided in a plate shape and may define an outer appearance of the front surface of the door  20  while being mounted on the front surface of the door body  40 . Since the panel assembly  30  may form the outer appearance of the front surface of the door  20 , the panel assembly  30  may be referred to as a door panel, and since the panel assembly  30  may form the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1 , the panel assembly  30  may also be referred to as an exterior panel. 
     The panel assembly  30  may be detachably mounted on the door body  40 . An upper protrusion  343  and a lower protrusion  473 , which protrude backward, may be disposed on upper and lower ends of the rear surface of the panel assembly  30 , respectively. In addition, an upper mounting portion  431  into which the upper protrusion  343  is inserted and mounted may be opened at an upper end of the front surface of the door body  40 . In addition, although not shown in detail, the upper protrusion  343  may be restricted by an upper cover  46  mounted on an opened top surface of the upper cap decoration  43 . 
     The panel assembly  30  may include a lower decoration  47 . The lower decoration  47  may define an outer appearance of the lower end of the panel assembly  30 , and the lower end of the panel assembly  30  may be fixed to the door body  40 . 
     The lower decoration  47  may be made of a plastic material and may be coupled under the lower bracket  35  to shield the lower bracket  35 . That is, in the state in which the panel assembly  30  is mounted on the door body  40 , the lower bracket  35  may not be exposed by the lower decoration  47  and be coupled to the door body  40 . 
     The lower decoration  47  may be provided with a lower protrusion  473  to which a screw (reference numeral  475  of  FIG.  21   ) for restricting the lower end of the panel assembly  30  is coupled, and the lower protrusion  473  may be firmly mounted on the lower mounting portion  451  of the lower end of the door body  40 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG.  21   , a rear end of the lower decoration  47  may be seated on the lower cap decoration  45  of the lower end of the door body  40 , and the screw  475  may be coupled to pass through the lower cap decoration  45  and the lower protrusion  473 , and thus, the lower end of the panel assembly  30  may be firmly fixed to the door body  40 . 
     Since the panel assembly  30  moves in the forward and backward direction, the upper protrusion  343  and the lower protrusion  473  may be coupled to the upper mounting portion  431  and the lower mounting portion  451  of the door body  40 , and thus, the upper and lower ends of the panel assembly  30  may be fixed. 
     In addition, a panel holder  38  may be further provided on the rear surface of the panel assembly  30 . The panel holder  38  may protrude backward from each of both left and right ends of the rear surface of the panel assembly  30 . The panel holder  38  may be provided in plurality in the vertical direction. For example, two pairs of panel holders  38  may be respectively provided at both the left and right sides of the rear surface of the panel assembly  30  and may be disposed at regular intervals. 
     The panel holder  38  may protrude through the back cover  39  defining the rear surface of the panel assembly  30 . That is, a portion of the panel holder  38  may be fixed inside the panel assembly  30 , and the remaining portion may protrude. 
     In addition, a holder case  48  coupled to the panel holder  38  may be disposed on the front surface of the door body  40 , which corresponds to the panel holder  38 . The holder case  48  may be provided inside the door body  40 , and the holder case  48  may be fixedly mounted in a case fixing hole  412  defined in the body plate  41 . In addition, at least a portion of the holder case  48  may be exposed through a plate opening  411  defined in the body plate  41 . 
     A vertical length L 1  of the plate opening  411  may be greater than a vertical length L 3  of the holder protrusion  384  to be described below. In addition, the vertical length L 1  of the plate opening  411  may be greater than a vertical distance L 2  up to an end of each of the holder mounting portions  396  disposed at upper and lower portions of the cover opening  394 . Thus, when the panel assembly  30  is mounted to the door body  40 , the holder protrusion  384  and the holder mounting portion  396  may be inserted inside the plate opening  411 , and thus, the panel assembly  30  may be mounted to be in close contact with the front surface of the door body  40 . 
     In addition, the panel assembly  30  may move backward to mount the panel assembly  30  so as to be coupled to the door body  40 . That is, when the panel assembly  30  moves backward, the panel holder  38  may pass through the plate opening  411  so as to be coupled to the holder case  48 . The panel holder  38  and the holder case  48  may be coupled to each other so that both the left and right ends of the panel assembly  30  are firmly fixed and coupled to the door body  40 . 
     As described above, the upper and lower ends and both the left and right ends of the panel assembly  30  may be fixed to the door body  40  through a single process in which the panel assembly  30  moves backward toward the front surface of the door body  40 . In addition, the panel assembly  30  may move forward so as to be separated from the door body  40  while the panel assembly  30  is mounted on the door body  40 . Thus, the panel assembly  30  may be easily separated from and mounted on the door body  40  for services and maintenance. 
     The structures of the panel holder  38  and the holder case  48  for fixing the left and right side ends of the panel assembly  30  will be described in more detail below. 
     A front surface of the panel assembly  30  may be exposed forward in the state in which the panel assembly  30  is mounted on the door body  40 , and the panel assembly  30  may substantially form the outer appearance of the front surface of the door  20 . That is, a color of the outer appearance of the front surface of the door  20  may be determined by a color of the front surface of the panel assembly  30 . In addition, the entire front surface of the panel assembly  30  may be configured to shine in a color specified by the user and may be changed to various colors selected by the user to express the color of the front surface of the door  20  in various manners. 
     Hereinafter, the structure of the panel assembly  30  will be described in more detail with reference to drawings. 
       FIG.  6    is an exploded perspective view of the panel assembly. 
     As illustrated in the drawings, the panel assembly  30  may further include a panel  31  defining an outer appearance of the front surface, a lighting device  36  emitting light to allow the panel  31  to shine, a back cover defining a rear surface of the panel assembly  30 , and a panel holder  38  that fixes the door body  40  to the panel assembly  30 . 
     In addition, the panel assembly  30  may include a light guide plate  33  that guides light irradiated from the lighting device  36  and a mounting member  32  on which both ends of the light guide plate are mounted. 
     The panel assembly  30  may include an upper bracket  34  forming a top surface of the panel assembly  30  and a lower bracket  35  forming a bottom surface of the panel assembly  30 . The lighting device  36  may be mounted on the lower bracket  35 . 
     In more detail, the panel  31  may be provided in a rectangular plate shape and may be made of a material that transmits light therethrough. For example the panel  31  may be made of a glass material such as blue glass, white glass, and vapor deposition glass or may be made of other materials for transmitting light therethrough, such as ABS, PMMA, or PC. In addition, the panel  31  may have a thickness set so as not to be easily broken due to characteristics of defining an outer appearance thereof. The panel  31  may have a thickness greater than that of the light guide plate  33 . For example, the panel  31  may have a thickness of approximately 3 mm to 5 mm. The panel  31  may be referred to as a transparent plate or an out plate. 
     The panel  31  may be transparent to allow light reflected by the light guide plate  33  to be transmitted. In this case, the transparency may be defined as a degree to which the light reflected from the light guide plate  33  is transmitted and irradiated to the outside to identify that the panel  31  shines in a specific color. 
     In addition, in all embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms “transparent” and “transmission” may be defined as a state in which the light passes to display a set color through the panel  31 . 
     In addition, the panel  31  may be provided to have a color. That is, in a state in which the lighting device  36  is turned off, a color of the front surface of the door  20  may be expressed by the color of the panel. The color of the panel may not be changed in a state in which the lighting device  36  is turned off, and the user may select and install a color desired by the user through replacement of the panel assembly. 
     For example, a specific design or pattern may be printed on the panel  31  to have specific color. A film with a specific design or pattern printed thereon may be added to the panel  31 , surface treatment such as imprinting, etching, and glass printing may be performed on the panel  31 , or a coating or deposition layer having specific color and texture may be provided to define an outer appearance of the panel  31 . 
     The front panel  31  may be configured to transmit light emitted from the lighting device  36  but components behind the front panel  31  may not be seen therethrough. That is, in the state in which the lighting device  36  is turned off, components inside the panel assembly  30  may be prevented from being seen to the outside through the panel  31  due to the color of the panel  31 . 
     Here, the panel  31  may be provided with a color layer  311  having a color. Here, in an off state, the color layer  311  may have at least color having brightness equal to or greater than 0 other than black. That is, in a state in which the refrigerator  1  is installed, the front surface of the refrigerator  1  may be displayed in a color other than black, and the color of the front surface of the refrigerator may be changed according to an operation of the lighting device  36 . 
     The panel  31  may define the outer appearance of the front surface of the panel assembly  30 , which is exposed to the outside. The panel  31  may have a size less than that of the light guide plate  33 . Thus, the light emitted from the light guide plate  33  toward the panel  31  may be evenly irradiated to the entirety including an outer end of the panel  31 , and the entire panel  31  may be brightly shine without being partially darkened. 
     In addition, a rear surface of the panel  31  may be mounted on a front surface of the mounting member  32 . Here, a horizontal width of the panel  31  may correspond to a horizontal width of the mounting member  32 . Thus, in the state in which the panel  31  is mounted, both left and right ends of the mounting member  32  and both left and right ends of the panel  31  may be disposed on the same plane and define both left and right surfaces of the panel assembly  30 . Thus, in the state in which the panel  31  is attached to the mounting member  32 , when viewed from the front, the components disposed behind the panel in addition to the mounting member  32  may not be exposed to the outside, and the outer appearance of the front surfaces of the panel assembly  30  and the door  20  may be defined. 
     The light guide plate  33  may be positioned at a rear spaced apart from the panel  31  and may be configured to guide light emitted from the lighting device  36  disposed below the light guide plate  33  forward toward the panel  31 . 
     For example, the light guide plate  33  may be made of a transparent acrylic, plastic, or transparent polymer material. The light guide plate  33  may have a diffusing agent added thereto for diffusing light entrance on the light guide plate  33  or a pattern for diffusing light may be further formed on the light guide plate  33 . Thus, light may be transferred to the panel  31  by the light guide plate  33 , and in this case, a pattern of the light guide plate  33  may be set to cause the entire front surface of the panel  31  to shine with uniform brightness. 
     For example, the light guide plate  33  may have a pattern that increases in density upward from a center of the light guide plate  33  so as to have uniform brightness as a whole, and the density of the pattern may gradually increase from the center toward both left and right sides. In addition, the pattern may not be provided at a position closest to the lighting device  36  on the lower end of the light guide plate  33 , or the density of the pattern may be provided to be relatively low. 
     The light guide plate  33  may be entirely provided in a rectangular plate shape and may be formed with a size somewhat greater than that of the panel  31 . In detail, the light guide plate may have a width less than that of a left and right width of the panel  31  and greater than a vertical length of the panel  31  so as to be mounted on the mounting member  32 . 
       1 n addition, a reflective layer (see reference numeral  331  in  FIG.  13   ) may be disposed on a rear surface of the light guide plate  33  so that light inside the light guide plate  33  is directed forward. Thus, the light moving along the light guide plate  33  may be induced to be irradiated toward the panel  31 . In addition, the reflective layer may be disposed on each of both ends and an upper end of the light guide plate  33  except for the lower side, on which the lighting device  36  is mounted, so that all the light is directed to the inside of the light guide plate  33  without leaking around the light guide plate  33 , and thus, the panel  31  may shine more brightly and uniformly. 
     The light guide plate  33  may be supported by the back cover  39  from the rear and may be fixed to be maintained at a predetermined interval from the panel  31  by the mounting member  32 . 
     The mounting member  32  may be disposed between the panel  31  and the light guide plate  33 . The mounting member  32  may be used to fixedly mount the light guide plate  33  and the panel  31 , and in particular, may maintain the light guide plate  33  at a predetermined interval from the panel  31 . 
     The mounting member  32  may have a front surface supporting the panel  31  and both left and right surfaces that restrict the light guide plate  33  disposed at a rear side thereof. The mounting member  32  may be referred to as a support member because the panel  31  and the light guide plate  33  are mounted and may also be referred to as a transparent plate because light passes therethrough. In addition, the mounting member  32  may be referred to as a main frame because the mounting member  32  has a structure including the side surface of the panel assembly  340 . 
     The mounting member  32  may be made of a material capable of transmitting light therethrough and may be provided as a whole by injection or extrusion as a single component. That is, the mounting member  32  may be made of a material having a property of allowing light to pass through and having moldability. For example, the mounting member  32  may be made of an optically transparent ABS material. In addition, the mounting member  32  may be made of various transparent plastic materials, such as polycarbonate (PC), acrylic, or the like. The light reflected from the light guide plate  33  may be transmitted to pass through the panel  31 . 
     The light transmission performance and transparency of the mounting member  32  means a degree to which light irradiated from the rear light guide plate  33  passes through the mounting member  32  to illuminate the panel  31 . 
     In addition, a light diffusing agent may be added when the mounting member  32  is molded. The light diffusing agent may diffuse the light passing through the mounting member  32  and may allow the light to be irradiated more evenly to the entire front panel  31 . 
     The upper bracket  34  may be provided at an upper end of the panel assembly  30 . The upper bracket  34  may form a top surface of the panel assembly  30 . In addition, the upper bracket  34  may be injection-molded with a plastic material, and may provide a structure coupled to the mounting member  32  and a structure coupled to the back cover  39 . 
     The upper bracket  34  may extend from an upper left end to a right end of the mounting member  32  and may shield the mounting member  32  of the panel assembly  30  and an upper end of the light guide plate  33  so as not to be exposed. In addition, the upper bracket  34  may shield at least a portion of the upper end of the panel  31 . Thus, when viewed from above, a top surface of the panel  31  may be defined by the upper bracket  34 , and other components constituting the panel assembly  30  may be prevented from being exposed upward. 
     The back cover  39  may be coupled to the rear surface of the upper bracket  34 . That is, when the back cover  39  is coupled, the upper bracket  34  may support the upper end of the light guide plate  33  at the rear side. 
     The lower bracket  35  may be provided at the lower end of the panel assembly  30 . The lower bracket  35  may form a bottom surface of the panel assembly  30 . The lower bracket  35  may be injection-molded with a plastic material and may provide a structure coupled to the mounting member  32  and a structure coupled to the back cover  39 . 
     The lighting device  36  may be mounted on the lower bracket  35 . The lighting device  36  may be provided inside the lower bracket  35  to irradiate light toward the light guide plate  33  and may be assembled and mounted with the lower bracket  35  in the state of being mounted on the lower bracket  35 . 
     The lower bracket  35  may be coupled to a lower end of the mounting member  32  and may extend from a left end to a right end of the lower end of the mounting member  32 . The back cover  39  may be coupled to the rear surface of the lower bracket  35 . When the back cover  39  is coupled, the lower bracket  35  may support the light guide plate  33  at the rear side. 
     Thus, during a process in which the panel assembly  30  is assembled, both right and left ends of the light guide plate  33  may be fixed by the mounting member  32 , and the upper and lower ends of the light guide plate  33  may be supported by the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  at the rear side. 
     The back cover  39  may form a rear surface of the panel assembly  30  and may be coupled to the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35 . The back cover  39  may be made of a metal material such as stainless or aluminum. The back cover  39  may be formed with a size corresponding to the size of the panel assembly  30  and may form an entire shape of the rear surface of the panel assembly  30 . 
     The rear surface of the light guide plate  33  may be supported by a cover protrusion  391  protruding on the center of the back cover  39 , at the rear side. Thus, the light guide plate  33  may have a plate-shaped structure having a large size, but in the state in which the back cover  39  is mounted, the light guide plate  33  may have the overall stable support structure and may be maintained in the stably mounted state. The upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  may be provided at positions corresponding to an upper end and a lower end of the back cover  39 . 
     Right and left ends of a cover circumferential portion  392 , which form a circumference of the back cover  39 . may be in contact with the side surface portion  322  of the mounting member  32 , and upper and lower ends of the cover circumferential portion  392  may be in contact with the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35 , respectively. 
     A plurality of screws  399  may be coupled to the upper and lower ends of the cover circumferential portion  392  and may be coupled to the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  through the back cover  39  to fixedly mount the back cover  39 . 
     In addition, a cover opening  394  through which the panel holder  38  passes may be defined along both left and right ends of the cover circumferential portion  392 , and each of upper and lower ends of the cover opening  394  may be provided with a holder mounting portion  396  configured to fix mount the panel holder  38  on upper and lower ends of the cover opening  394 . A plurality of cover openings  394  and holder mounting portions  396  may be disposed along both left and right ends of the back cover  39 . 
     The main components constituting the panel assembly  30  will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG.  7    is a rear perspective view illustrating the mounting member that is a component of the panel assembly. 
     As illustrated in the drawing, the mounting member  32  may be entirely made of a resin material. Also, the panel  31  may be mounted on the front surface of the mounting member  32  with respect to the mounting member  32 , and the light guide plate  33  may be disposed on the rear surface of the mounting member  32 . 
     The mounting member  32  may include a front surface portion  321  having a plate shape, and a side surface portion  322  that protrudes backward from each of both right and left ends of the front surface portion  321 . The front surface portion  321  may be disposed between the panel  31  and the light guide plate  33 , the front surface may support the panel  31 , and the rear surface may support the light guide plate  33 . In addition, the side surface portion  322  may provide a structure on which the light guide plate  33  is fixed, and the upper bracket  34 , the lower bracket  35 , and the back cover  39  are mounted. 
     In detail, the front surface portion  321  may be provided in the plate shape having a size corresponding to that of the panel  31 , and an adhesive member  313  may be applied around the front surface portion  321  so that the panel  31  adheres to the mounting member  32 . Here, the adhesive member  313  may be made of a transparent material or a material capable of transmitting light, and the panel  31  may be configured so that the entire area including an area to which the adhesive member  313  is applied shines. 
     A left and right width of the front surface portion  321  may be the same as a left and right width of the panel  31 . In addition, the upper end of the front surface portion  321  may protrude more upward than the upper end of the panel  31 , and the lower end of the front surface portion  321  may protrude more than the lower end of the panel  31 . That is, the front surface portion  321  may have a size greater than that of the panel  31 , and in particular, may have a length greater than a vertical length of the panel  31 . 
     In addition, the front surface portion  321  may have a structure connecting the side surface portions  322  respectively disposed at both the left and right sides. That is, the front surface portion  321  may be continuously disposed between the side surface portion  322  and may extend from the side surface portion  322  at one side to the side surface portion  322  at the other side. 
     In the state in which the light guide plate  33  is mounted, the rear surface of the front surface portion  321  may be maintained in the state of being in contact with the front surface of the light guide plate  33 . Thus, the light guide plate  33  may be always maintained at a constant distance from the panel  31 . Here, the front surface portion  321  may be extruded to be maintained at set flatness, and thus, when the light guide plate  33  is mounted, the front surface portion  321  may be in contact with the entire front surface of the light guide plate  33 . Thus, the molding may be performed to prevent an irregular interval or gap from occurring between the front surface portion  321  and the light guide plate  33 . 
     The side surface portion  322  may be disposed along both the left and tight ends of the light guide plate  33 . The side surface portion  322 . may be stepped with respect to upper and lower ends of the front surface portion  321  and may be provided to match side ends of the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35 . 
     The mounting member  32  may have the same cross-sectional structure in the vertical direction and thus may be simply molded by the extrusion. Simultaneously, a structure in which the panel  31  and the light guide plate  33  are mounted using the front surface portion  321  and the side surface portion  322  may be provided. In addition, the upper bracket  34 , the lower bracket  35 , and the back cover  39  may be mounted through the structure of the side surface portion  322 . 
     In detail, the side surface portion  322  may include a first part  322   a  extending backward from each of both left and right ends of the front surface portion  321  and a second part  323  bent from an end of the first part  322   a.    
     The first part  322   a  may extend perpendicular to the front surface portion  321  from each of both the left and right ends of the front surface portion  321  and may define a side surface of the panel assembly  30 . 
     The second part  322   b  may be bent inward from the extending end of the first part  322   a . That is, the pair of second parts  322   b  that are disposed on the pair of the first parts  322   a , respectively, may extend to face each other. 
     The second part  322   b  may extend perpendicular to the first part  322   a . The second part  322   b  may be configured to restrict the light guide plate  33  and simultaneously restrict both the ends of the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35 . In addition, the second part  322   b  may extend from an upper end to a lower end of the first part  322   a  and may support both left and right ends of the back cover  39 . 
     A third part  322   c  may be disposed between the first part  322   a  and the second part  322   b . The second part  322   b  and the third part  322   c  are disposed to correspond to a vertical length of the first part  322   a  and may extend from the upper end to the lower end of the first part  322   a . In addition, the third part  322   c  may protrude from a front surface of the second part  322   b , that is, a surface facing the front surface portion  321 , and the front surface of the second part  322   b  has a stepped shape. 
     Thus, a first insertion space  324  and a second insertion space  325  may be defined in the side surface portion  322  by the first part  322   a , the second part  322   b , and the third part  322   c , respectively 
     In detail, the third part  322   c  may be disposed parallel to the front surface portion  321 , and the first insertion space  324  may be defined between the front surface portion  321  and the third part  322   c , which are spaced apart from each other. Here, the third part  322   c  may extend from a rear end of the first part  322   a , and a distance between the front surface portion  321  and the third part  322   c  may be defined to correspond to a thickness of the light guide plate  33  so that the light guide plate  33  may be slidably inserted therein. Also, in the state in which the light guide plate  33  is inserted, both the left and right ends of the light guide plate  33  may be restricted to both the ends of the mounting member  32 . Here, the front surface of the light guide plate  33  may be in contact with a rear surface of the front surface portion  321 . 
     In addition, in the state in which the light guide plate  33  is inserted into the first insertion space  324 , the lower end of the light guide plate  33  may be disposed to face the lighting device  36 . In particular, the light guide plate  33  may be disposed on the same extension line as the light source  362  of the lighting device  36 , and in the state in which the light guide plate  33  is fixedly inserted into the first insertion space  324 , movement in forward and backward directions of the light guide plate  33  may be restricted. 
     That is, even if the door  20  is repeatedly opened and closed, the light guide plate  33  may be in contact with the front surface portion  321 , may be maintained at a predetermined interval from the panel  31 , and may not deviate from a position at which the light guide plate  33  is originally installed. The state in which the light guide plate  33  is disposed on the same extension line as the light source  362  included in the lighting device  36  may be maintained, and thus it may be possible to ensure that light emitted from the light source  362  is directed toward an end of the light guide plate  33 . 
     In addition, the second part  322   b  may be disposed on the extending end of the third part  322   c . The second part  322   b  may be disposed to be stepped with respect to the third part  322   c  and may be disposed more backward than the third part  322   c . That is, the third part  322   c  may be disposed to protrude more forward than the front surface of the second part  322   b.    
     The second part  322   b  may be disposed parallel to the front surface portion  321 , and one side of each of the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  may be inserted into a space between the front surface portion  321  and the second part  322   b . Particularly, the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  may be slidably inserted from upper and lower sides of the mounting member  32  while the light guide plate  33  is mounted on the side surface portion  322 . 
     Here, a height of the stepped portion between the third part  322   c  and the second part  322   b  may correspond to a portion into which the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  are inserted, that is, a thickness of the upper bracket mounting portion  344  and the lower bracket mounting portion  352   b . Thus, when the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  are mounted in the second insertion space  325  while the light guide plate  33  is mounted in the light guide plate insertion space, the upper and lower ends of the light guide plate  33  may be supported by the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35 . 
     A portion of the panel holder  38  may be inserted into the second insertion space  325  between the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  to fix the panel holder  38 . Here, a base insertion portion  381   a  to be described below may be inserted inside the second insertion space  325 . That is, a thickness of the base insertion portion  381   a  may correspond to a width of the second insertion space  325  in the forward and backward direction, and the panel holder  38  may be inserted from the side of the second part  322   b  and then be mounted on the mounting member  32 , 
     In addition, a holder restriction groove  326  in which the panel holder  38  is restricted may be defined in an extending end of the second part  322   b . The holder restriction groove  326  may be defined in the extending end of the second part  322   b  and may be provided in a shape corresponding so that the holder restriction protrusion  382 , which will be described below, is inserted. 
     The holder restriction groove  326  may be disposed at a position corresponding to the mounted position of the panel holder  38 . That is, a plurality of holder restriction grooves  326  may be arranged at a set interval along the end of the second part  322   b . For example, the holder restriction grooves  326  may be respectively defined between the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  of the side surface portion  322  disposed on each of both the left and right sides of the mounting member  32 . 
     The upper end and the lower end of the side surface portion  322  may be disposed to be stepped with respect to the upper end of the front surface portion  321 . Here, the upper end of the front surface portion  321  may protrude further upward than the upper end of the side surface portion  322 , and the lower end of the front surface portion  321  may protrude further downward than the lower end of the side surface portion  322 . 
     In detail, an upper protrusion  321   b  and a lower protrusion  321   a , which protrude further than the upper and lower ends of the side surface portion  322 , may be respectively disposed on the upper and lower ends of the front surface portion  321 . Thus, the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  mounted on the upper and lower ends of the mounting member  32  may be assembled with directionality to prevent erroneous assembly, and thus, the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  may be more firmly fixed and mounted. 
     That is, when the upper bracket  34  is mounted, both the left and right ends of the upper bracket  34  may be supported on the upper end of the side surface portion  322 , and the front end of the upper bracket  34  may be supported on the upper protrusion  321   b . Thus, the upper bracket  34  may have a structure that is supported by the side surface portion  322  and the front surface portion  321  at the same time and may have a temporary fixing structure even before the screw  399  is coupled. In addition, in a state in which the upper bracket  34  is completely mounted, the upper bracket  34  may be coupled to the front surface portion  321  and the side surface portion  322  to prevent distortion or deformation from occurring. 
     In addition, when the lower bracket  35  is mounted, both the left and right ends of the lower bracket  35  may be supported by the lower end of the side surface portion  322 , and the front end of the lower bracket  35  may be supported by the lower protrusion  321   a . Thus, the lower bracket  35  may have a structure that is supported by the side surface portion  322  and the front surface portion  321  at the same time. 
     As described above, the upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  may be inserted into the second insertion space  325  and simultaneously may be seated on the stepped portions of the upper and lower ends of the side surface portion  322  and the front surface portion  321  so as to be firmly coupled to the mounting member  32 . The upper bracket  34  and the lower bracket  35  may define top and bottom surfaces of the panel assembly  30  while being coupled to the mounting member  32 . 
       FIG.  8    is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structure of the mounting member, the upper bracket, and the back cover, which constitute the panel assembly. 
     As illustrated in the drawings, the upper bracket  34  may have a length corresponding to a length of the panel assembly  30  in a right and left direction. In addition, the upper bracket  34  may define a top surface of the panel assembly  30  in a state of being mounted on the mounting member  32 . 
     In addition, the upper bracket  34  may include an upper bracket extension portion  341  and an upper bracket top surface portion  342  as a whole. 
     The upper bracket extension portion  341  may be configured to the upper bracket  34  may be disposed in parallel with the panel  31  and the light guide plate  33  to extend in the vertical direction. 
     In addition, an upper bracket mounting portion  344  disposed to be stepped forward may be disposed on each of both left and right ends of the upper bracket extension portion  341 . The upper bracket mounting portion  344  may be disposed to be stepped with respect to the upper bracket extension portion  341  and be disposed in front of the upper bracket extension portion  341 . 
     The upper bracket mounting portion  344  may have a thickness corresponding to a width of the second insertion space  325  and may be slidably inserted upward from a lower portion of the second insertion space  325 . 
     In the state in which the upper bracket  34  is mounted on the mounting member  32 , the upper bracket mounting portion  344  may be fixed in the second insertion space  325 , and the remaining upper bracket extension portion  341  may be exposed between both the side surface portions  322  to support the upper end of the back cover  39  and to be coupled to the upper end of the back cover  39 . 
     An upper protrusion  343  protruding backward may be disposed on a rear surface of the upper bracket extension portion  341  The upper protrusion  343  may be configured to mount the panel assembly  30  and may protrude from the upper bracket extension portion  341  by a predetermined length to be coupled to an upper mounting portion  431  of the upper cap decoration  43 . 
     In addition, the upper protrusion  343  may protrude from an upper end of the rear surface of the upper bracket extension portion  341  and be provided in plurality at regular intervals along the upper bracket  34 . In addition, the upper protrusion  343  may protrude to pass through the protrusion opening  395  of the back cover  39  when the back cover  39  is mounted, 
     An upper bracket screw hole  345  to be coupled to the screw  399  may be defined in the upper bracket extension portion  341 . The upper bracket screw hole  345  may be defined at a position corresponding to the cover screw hole  397 . Thus, when the back cover  39  is mounted, the screws  399  may be coupled to sequentially pass through the cover screw hole  397  and the upper bracket screw hole  345 . 
     In addition, the cover opening  394  may be defined in the back cover  39 . The cover opening  394  may be opened at a position corresponding to the panel holder  38  and may have a size so that a portion of the panel holder  38  protruding to be coupled to the holder case  48  passes. 
     In addition, a holder mounting portion  396  may be disposed above and below the cover opening  394 , and a screw  396   a  may be coupled to the holder mounting portion  396 . The holder mounting portion  396  may be formed to protrude rearward, and thus, a boss  383  of the panel holder  38  may be accommodated therein. Thus, the screw  396   a  coupled to pass through the holder mounting portion  396  may be coupled to the boss  383  so that the panel holder  38  is firmly fixed to the back cover  39 . Thus, the panel holder  38  may have a structure that is doubly restricted with the mounting member  32  and the back cover  39  and may stably support the heavy panel holder  38 . 
     In addition, a plurality of cover openings  394  and holder mounting portions  396  may be disposed along both the left and right ends of the back cover  39 . 
     The upper bracket top surface portion  342  may be disposed on an upper end of the upper bracket extension portion  341 . The upper bracket top surface portion  342  may define the top surface of the panel assembly  30  and may extend in a direction perpendicular to the upper bracket extension portion  341 . 
     The upper bracket top surface portion  342  may extend forward from the upper end of the upper bracket extension portion  341 . The front end of the upper bracket top surface portion  342  may support the upper end of the panel  31  and completely shield the upper ends of the mounting member  32  and the light guide plate  33 . 
     Thus, the upper bracket  34  may be fixedly coupled to the upper end of the mounting member  32  and be in the state of being coupled to the back cover  39  by the screw  399  to restrain upward movement of the light guide plate  33  and define a shape of the top surface of the panel assembly  30 . 
       FIG.  9    is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structure of the mounting member, the lower bracket, and the back cover, which constitute the panel assembly. Also,  FIG.  10    is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structure of the lower bracket and a lighting device. 
     As illustrated in the drawings, the lower bracket  35  may have a corresponding to the right and left direction length of the panel assembly  30 . The lower bracket  35  may broadly include the lower bracket front surface portion  351 , a lower bracket rear surface portion  352 , a lower bracket side surface portion  353 , and a lower bracket bottom surface portion  354 . 
     The lower bracket front surface portion  351  may define a shape of the front surface of the lower bracket  35 , and a panel support portion (reference numeral  351   a  in  FIG.  18   ) may be disposed on the upper end of the lower bracket front surface portion  351  to define the lower end of the panel  31 . 
     That is, the panel support portion  351   a  may protrude more upward than an upper end of a light source of the lighting device  36  and may protrude to a set height to prevent the lighting device  36  from being exposed forward. The panel support portion  351   a  may hide an area generated due to intensive light irradiation at the lower end of the light guide plate  33  and the lower end of the panel  31 , which are disposed more adjacent to the lighting device  36 , to prevent a lighting spot from being formed on the panel  31 . 
     The lower bracket rear surface portion  352  may define a rear surface of the lower bracket  35  and may protrude more upward than the lower bracket front surface portion  351  and the lower bracket side surface portion  353  to support the light guide plate  33  at the rear side and then may be coupled to the back cover  39 . 
     A lower bracket mounting portion  352   b  that is disposed to be stepped forward may be disposed on each of both left and right ends of the lower bracket rear surface portion  352 . The lower bracket mounting portion  352   b  may be slidably inserted upward from a lower side of the second insertion space  325 . In addition, one end of the lower bracket mounting portion  352   b  may be cut off, and an end of the lower bracket mounting portion  352   b  may be provided in a hook shape so that the lower bracket mounting portion  352   b  is hooked and restricted inside the second insertion space  325  when the lower bracket  35  is mounted. 
     A lower bracket screw hole  356  to which a plurality of screws  399  are coupled may be defined in the lower bracket rear surface portion  352 . The lower bracket screw hole  356  may be defined at a position corresponding to a cover screw hole  397 , and when the back cover  39  is mounted, the screw  399  may sequentially pass through the cover screw hole  397  and the lower bracket screw hole  356  and then be coupled. 
     A bracket opening may be defined in the lower bracket rear surface portion  352 . The bracket opening  352   a  may be defined at a position facing the lower bracket front surface portion  351  and may be defined to be opened in the rear surface of an accommodation space  350  in which the lighting device  36  is mounted. In addition, the lighting device  36  may be accessible through the bracket opening  352   a . The bracket opening  352   a  may be shielded by the back cover  39 . 
     The lower bracket bottom surface portion  354  may define a bottom surface of the lower bracket  35  and may define a bottom surface of the space in which the lighting device  36  is mounted. A light guide plate support portion  355  protruding rearward may be disposed on the lower bracket front surface portion  351 . The plurality of light guide plate supports  355  may protrude backward at a constant interval along the lower bracket front surface portion  351 . 
     In this case, the light guide plate support portion  355  may extend to restrain the lighting device  36  at the upper side. The light guide plate support portion  355  and the lower bracket bottom surface portion  354  may restrain the lighting device  36  at the upper and lower sides to restrain upward and downward movement of the lighting device  36 . In addition, a top surface of the light guide plate support portion  355  may support a lower end of the light guide plate  33 . 
     The lighting device  36  may be provided within the lower bracket  35 . The lighting device  36  may include a substrate  361  and a light source  362 . The substrate  361  may be formed in a plate shape to be accommodated within the lower bracket  35  and may extend from one end of the lower bracket  35  to the other end. The plurality of light sources  362  may be arranged at a constant interval on the substrate  361 . 
     The light source  362  may be disposed to emit light toward the lower end of the light guide plate  33 . The light source  362  may be disposed to emit light toward the lower end of the light guide plate  33 . The left side end and the right side end of the substrate  361  may be in contact with the lower bracket side surface portion  353  within the lower bracket  35  and may restrain right and left movement. 
     An example of the light source  362  may include an LED. The light source  362  may include an RGB LED for emitting light with various colors under control of the controller  13 . That is, the light source  362  may emit light with various colors under control of the controller  13 , and thus the panel  31  may shine with color set by the controller  13 , According to color of the panel  31 , a color of the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1  may be determined. 
     The light source  362  may include an LED emitting light with specific color other than the RGB LED and may include a combination of a plurality of LEDs emitting light with different colors. 
     A light supporter  37  may be provided within the lower bracket  35 . The light supporter  37  may support the lighting device  36  within the lower bracket  35 . 
     In addition, the light supporter  37  may be made of a metal material to dissipate heat generated by the lighting device  36  by conduction and may be provided in a size that is enough to be accessible through the bracket opening  352   a.    
     The light supporter  37  may include a first supporting portion  372  supporting the lighting device  36  and a second supporting portion  371  that is in contact with the back cover  39 . The first supporting portion  372  may be disposed on the lower bracket bottom surface portion  354  within the lower bracket  35 . The second supporting portion  371  may extend upward from a rear end of the first supporting portion  372  and be exposed backward through the bracket opening  352   a  so that when the back cover  39  is mounted, the second supporting portion  371  is in contact with the back cover  39 . Thus, the heat generated by the lighting device  36  may be transferred to the back cover  39  through the light supporter  37  so as to be dissipated. 
     Hereinafter, a structure of the panel holder  38  will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG.  11    is a perspective view illustrating the panel holder according to an embodiment. Also,  FIG.  12    is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the panel holder is mounted to the mounting member, Also,  FIG.  13    is a cutaway perspective view taken along line XIII-XIII′ of  FIG.  4   . Also,  FIG.  14    is a cutaway perspective view taken along line XIV-XIV′ of  FIG.  4   . 
     As illustrated in the drawings, the panel holder  38  may be injection-molded as a whole using a plastic material or may be molded as a single member. Of course, the panel holder  38  may be made of a metal or other material having sufficient strength and durability. 
     In addition, the panel holder  38  may be mounted on the mounting member  32  and include a base  381  disposed inside the panel assembly  30  and a holder protrusion  384  protruding from the base  381  to pass through the back cover  39  so as to be coupled to the holder case  48 . 
     The base  381  may be in contact with the rear surface of the light guide plate  33  when the one surface (front surface when viewed in  FIG.  12   ) of the base  381  is provided in a planar surface so that the mounting member  32  is mounted thereon. In addition, the holder protrusion  384  may protrude backward from an opposite surface (rear side when viewed in  FIG.  12   ) that is in contact with the light guide plate  33 . 
     The base  381  may include a base insertion portion  381   a . The base insertion portion  381   a  may define one end of the base  381  and may be inserted into the second insertion space  325  of the mounting member  32 . The base insertion portion  381   a  may extend from an upper end to a lower end of the base  381  and may define the entire one end of the base  381 . In addition, the base insertion portion  381   a  may be disposed to be stepped with respect to other portions of the base  381  and may have a thickness corresponding to a width of the second insertion space  325  in the front and rear direction. That is, the thickness of the base insertion portion  381   a  may correspond to a distance from the rear surface of the light guide plate  33  to the second part  322   b  in the state in which the light guide plate  33  is mounted in the first insertion space  324 . 
     In addition, the holder restriction protrusion  382  may protrude from an approximately intermediate point of the base insertion portion  381   a . The holder restriction protrusion  382  may have a size corresponding to a position corresponding to the holder restriction groove  326 . Thus, when the base insertion portion  381   a  is inserted into the second insertion space  325 , the holder restriction protrusion  382  may be inserted into the holder restriction groove  326 , and the panel holder  38  may be primarily fixed at an accurate position. 
     The base  381  may include a base exposed portion  381   b . The base exposed portion  381   b  may define a portion exposed to the outside of the second part  322   b  while the panel holder  38  is mounted on the mounting member  32 . The base exposed portion  381   b  may define a remaining portion of the base  381  excluding the base insertion portion  381   a . In addition, a base stepped portion  381   c  disposed to be stepped may be disposed at a boundary between the base insertion portion  381   a  and the base exposed portion  381   b . The base stepped portion  381   c  may have a height corresponding to a thickness of the end of the second part  322   b  and may be in close contact with the end of the second part  322   b  when the panel holder  38  is mounted. 
     In addition, at least a portion from the end of the base exposed portion  381   b  that is in contact with the second part  322   b  to an outer end of the base exposed portion  38  lb may be inclined or rounded to be gradually lowered. The holder protrusion  384  and the boss  383  may be disposed on the base exposed portion  381   b.    
     In detail, a base opening  381   d  passing through a center of the base  381  may be defined in the base  381 , and the holder protrusion  384  may extend backward inside the base opening  381   d.    
     The base opening  381   d  may be configured to dispose a mold during the injection molding of the panel holder  38  and may be opened to mold a shape of the holder protrusion  384 . The panel holder  38  may be disposed inside the base opening  381   d , and the holder protrusion  384  and the inner surface of the base opening  381   d  may be connected to each other by a connection rib  384   c . The connection ribs  384   c  may be disposed on left and right surfaces of the holder protrusion  384 . 
     A vertical length L 3  of the holder protrusion  384  may be slightly less than a vertical length L 1  of each of the cover opening  394  and the plate opening  411 . In addition, the vertical length L 3  of the holder protrusion  384  may be less than a vertical length L 4  of a holder accommodation space  482   a  to be described below. Thus, when the panel assembly  30  is mounted, the holder protrusion  384  may pass through the plate opening  411  and then be inserted into the holder accommodation space  482   a.    
     In addition, the holder protrusion  384  may include a holder extension portion  384   a  extending backward and a holder hook portion  384   b  disposed on an end of the holder extension portion  384   a . The holder extension portion  384   a  may extend inside the base opening  381   d  and have a predetermined thickness. Here, the holder extension portion  384   a  may have a thickness less than a thickness D 1  of the holder hook portion  384   b . In addition, the holder extension portion  384   a  may have a thickness equal to or slightly less than an interval D 2  from a case hook portions  486   b  to be described below. In addition, a lower end of the holder extension portion  384   a  may be connected to an inner surface of the base opening  381   d  by the connection rib  384   c.    
     The holder hook portion  384   b  may be disposed on an upper end of the holder extension portion  384   a  and serve as a substantial hook restriction inside the holder case  48 . The holder hook portion  384   b  may have a circular or elliptical cross-section to facilitate the insertion into and the restriction of the holder case  48 . Here, the thickness D 1  of the thickest cross-section of the holder hook portion  384   b  may be greater than the thickness of the holder extension portion  384   a  and may be greater than a distance D 2  from the case hook portion  486   b.    
     An outer surface of the holder hook portion  384   b  may be provided in an inclined or rounded shape. In addition, a groove  384   d  may be defined at an intermediate point in the vertical direction of the holder hook portion  384   b . The groove  384   d  may be defined in the same extension line as the connection rib  384   c . The groove  384   d  may be provided to move the mold when the connection rib  384   c  and the holder protrusion  384  are molded. 
     A boss  383  may be disposed on each of upper and lower portions of the base  381 . The boss  383  may be provided above and below the holder protrusion  384  and may protrude backward from the base exposed portion  381   b . The boss  383  may be inserted into the holder mounting portion  396  and may protrude so that an inner surface of the holder mounting portion  396  is supported. In addition, a screw hole  383   a  through which a screw  396   a  passing through the holder mounting portion  396  is coupled may be defined in a rear surface of the boss  383 . 
     Referring to the coupled state of the panel holder  38  in more detail with reference to  FIGS.  13  and  14   , the panel holder  38  may be fixedly mounted on the mounting member  32 . The base insertion portion  381   a  of the panel holder  38  may be inserted into the second insertion space  325 . Here, a front surface of the base  381  may be in a state of being in close contact with the rear surface of the light guide plate  33 , and the front surface of the base  381  may be restricted by the second part  322   b  of the side surface portion  322 . That is, the panel holder  38  may be primarily fixed while being inserted into the mounting member  32  and thus may be restricted in movement in the forward and backward direction. Here, the panel holder  38  may be fixed at an accurate position by the coupling between the holder restriction protrusion  382  and the holder restriction groove  326 . 
     In addition, the panel holder  38  may be fixed to the back cover  39  by mounting the back cover  39 . When the back cover  39  is mounted, the holder protrusion  384  may protrude backward through the cover opening  394 . Here, the boss  383  may be supported on an inner surface of the holder mounting portion  396 . In this state, a screw  396   a  may pass through the holder mounting portion  396  and then be coupled to the boss  383 , and the upper and lower portions of the panel holder  38  may be firmly coupled to the back cover  39  and thus be secondarily fixed. In particular, the panel holder  38  and the back cover  39  may be coupled to each other to restrict movement of the panel holder in the forward and backward direction and in the vertical direction. 
     In addition, in the state in which the back cover  39  is coupled, the cover circumferential portion  392  of the back cover  39  may be in contact with the rear surface of the base  381  to additionally restrict the movement of the panel holder  38  in the forward and backward direction. Due to such the double fixing structure, the heavy panel assembly  30  may be firmly coupled to the door body  40 , and in particular, both the left and right ends of the panel assembly  30  may be maintained in the state of being in close contact with the door body  40  without being lifted, 
     Hereinafter, the holder case  48  will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG.  15    is a front perspective view illustrating the holder case according to an embodiment, Also,  FIG.  16    is a rear perspective view illustrating the holder case. 
     As illustrated in the drawings, the holder case  48  may be injection-molded using a plastic material, and the entire holder case  48  may be provided as a single component. Of course, if the holder case  48  has the same shape, the holder case  48  may be made of a metal or other materials. 
     The holder case  48  may be mounted on the rear surface of the body plate  41  and may be mounted at a position corresponding to the plate opening  411 . Thus, when the panel assembly  30  is mounted, the panel assembly  30  may be disposed at a position coupled to the panel holder  38 . 
     The holder case  48  may include a plate-shaped case body  481  that is in close contact with the body plate  41 . In addition, a holder accommodation space  482   a  recessed backward may be defined in a substantially central portion of the case body  481 . The holder accommodation space  482   a  may have a size that is enough to accommodate the panel holder  38  for coupling. In addition, the holder accommodation space  482   a  may be referred to as a holder accommodation portion. 
     In detail, a vertical length L 4  of the holder accommodation space  482   a  may be greater than a vertical distance L 2  up to each end of the holder mounting portion  396  disposed above and below the holder protrusion  384 . Thus, when the panel assembly  30  is mounted, the holder protrusion  384  as well as the holder mounting portion  396  disposed vertically may be inserted into the holder accommodation space  482   a . Due to such an insertion structure, the rear surface of the panel assembly  30 , that is, the back cover  39  may be in close contact with the body plate  41  to minimize an increase in volume of the door  20 . 
     In addition, the holder accommodation space  482   a  may be recessed to a depth into which the holder protrusion  384  and the holder mounting portion  396  are completely inserted. In addition, a recessed bottom surface  482  of the holder accommodation space  482   a  may be provided in a planar shape parallel to the case body  481 . In addition, a pair of case restriction portions  486  extending forward may be disposed on the bottom surface  482 . The case restriction portion  486  may be configured to so that the holder protrusion  384  is inserted and coupled, and the pair of case restriction portions  486  may be spaced apart from each other. 
     In addition, the case opening  485  may be defined in a center of the bottom surface  482 , and the case restriction portion  486  may extend along both ends of the bottom surface  482 . A protruding height of the case restriction portion  486  may not protrude more than the most front end of the holder case  48  and may be disposed behind the plate opening  411 . That is, the case restriction portion  486  may be disposed in an inner space of the door body  40 , which is filled with the insulator  400 , and the case restriction portion  486  may be exposed through the plate opening  411 . 
     The case restriction portion  486  may be disposed at a position corresponding to the plate opening  411 , and a space between the end extending to the plate opening  411  and the plate opening  411  may be exposed. 
     In addition, the case restriction portion  486  may include a case extension portion  486   a  protruding from the bottom surface  482  and a case hook portion  486   b  disposed at an end of the case extension portion  486   a . The case extension portion  486   a  may be provided in a rib shape having a predetermined thickness and may extend from an end of the case opening  485 . 
     The case hook portion  486   b  may be disposed along the end of the case extension portion  486   a  and may define a protruding front end of the case restriction portion  486 . The case hook portion  486   b  may have an inclined or rounded outer surface to facilitate the insertion of the holder protrusion  384 . For example, the case hook portion  486   b  may have a curved surface in a circular or elliptical cross-section, and a curved surface may be defined on a surface facing the pair of the case hook portions  486   b.    
     A thickness of the thickest portion of the case hook portion  486   b  may be greater than that of the case extension portion  486   a  and may protrude into a space between the case extension portions  486   a . In addition, a distance D 2  between the pair of case hook portions  486   b  may be less than a thickness D 1  of the holder hook portion  384   b . In addition, a distance D 3  between the pair of case extension portions  486   a  may be greater than the thickness Di of the holder hook portion  384   b . That is, when the panel assembly  30  is mounted, the holder hook portion  384   b  may pass while pressing the case hook portion  486   b  and may be inserted and restricted between the case extension portions  486   a.    
     A case fixing portion  484  configured to fix and mount the holder case  48  may be disposed on each of upper and lower portions of the case body  481 . The case fixing portion  484  may be disposed at a position corresponding to the case fixing hole  412  defined in the body plate  41  and have a hook-like shape so as to be hooked in the case fixing hole  412 . That is, when the holder case  48  is mounted on the rear surface of the body plate  41 , the case fixing portion  484  may be hooked by an end of the case fixing hole  412 . In addition, a fixing portion hole  483  may be defined in the case body  481  corresponding to the case fixing portion  484 . When the holder case  48  is injection-molded by the fixing portion hole  483 , the case fixing portion  484  may be molded. 
     A first case support portion  481   a  supported on the rear surface of the body plate  41  may be disposed on one end of the case body  481 . The first case support portion  481   a  may be disposed along a side end of the case body  481  and may protrude forward. That is, the first case support portion  481   a  may be disposed to be stepped on the front surface of the case body  481 . 
     In addition, second case support portions  481   b  and  481   c  may be disposed on the other end of the case body  481 , which is opposite to the first case support portion  481   a . The second case support portions  481   b  and  481   c  may be provided in a multi-stage bent shape and may be in contact with one inner side surface of the door body  40 . 
     The second case support portions  481   b  and  481   c  may define one end of the case body  481  and include a front surface support portion  481   b  disposed to be stepped backward and a side surface support portion  481   c  bent backward from the extending end of the front surface support portion  481   b . The front surface support portion  481   b  and the side support portion  481   c  may be supported by the side decoration  44  inside the door body  40 . 
     Hereinafter, the coupling structure of the panel holder  38  and the holder case  48  will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG.  17    is a cutaway perspective view illustrating a state before the panel assembly and the door body are coupled to each other. Also,  FIG.  18    is a cutaway perspective view illustrating a state after the panel assembly and the door body are coupled to each other. Also,  FIG.  19    is a cutaway perspective view taken along line XIX-XIX′ of  FIG.  3   . 
     As illustrated in the drawings, before the panel assembly  30  is mounted on the door body  40 , the panel holder and the holder case  48  may be separated from each other as illustrated in  FIG.  17   . 
     Here, the panel holder  38  may be in a state in which the holder mounting portion  396  protrudes backward, and the holder case  48  may be in a state of being mounted inside the door body  40 . In addition, the case restriction portion  486  coupled to the holder protrusion  384  may be exposed through the plate opening  411 . 
     The holder case  48  may be maintained in a state of being coupled to the rear surface of the body plate  41  and may be in close contact with the body plate  41  by an insulator  400 . In addition, the case fixing portion  484  may be locked while being inserted into the case fixing hole  412 . Here, the first case support portion  481   a  may closely support the rear surface of the body plate  41 . 
     The second case support portions  481   b  and  481   c  may be supported by an inner surface of the side decoration  44 . Decoration supporting portions  441  and  441   a  protruding inward along the side surface of the side decoration  44  may be disposed on the side decoration  44 , and the ends of the decoration supporting portions  441  and  441   a  may be coupled to a side end of the body plate  41 . 
     In detail, the door body  40  may be divided into a space, which is filled with the insulator, and a space, in which the panel assembly  30  is accommodated and mounted, by the combination of the decoration supporting portions  441  and  441   a  and the body plate  41 . 
     In addition, the decoration supporting portions  441  and  441   a  may include a first supporting portion  441  extending from the inner surface of the side decoration  44  and a second supporting portion  441   a  extending in a stepped state from the first supporting portion  441 . 
     The first supporting portion  441  may support the second case support portions  481   b  and  481   c  of the holder case  48 . Here, the first supporting portion  441  may be in contact with the front surface support portion  481   b  of the second case support portions  481   b  and  481   c , and the side surface of the side decoration  44  and the side support portion  481   c  may be in contact with each other. Thus, one end of the holder case  48  may be stably supported by the side decoration  44 . 
     In addition, the second supporting portion  441   a  may support an end of the body plate  41 . Here, a bent side end of the body plate  41  may be seated on the stepped ends of the first supporting portion  441  and the second supporting portion  441   a.    
     As described above, in a state in which the holder case  48  is firmly coupled to the inside of the door body  40 , the panel assembly  30  may be mounted on the front surface of the door body  40 . Here, when the holder protrusion  384  of the panel assembly  30  moves backward to match the plate opening  411 , the holder protrusion  384  may be inserted into the pair of case restriction portions  486 . 
     Here, the front end of the case restriction portion  486 , that is, the case hook portion  486   b  may be in contact with the rear end of the holder protrusion  384 , that is, the holder hook portion  384   b , and the pair of case extension portions  486   a  may be elastically deformed outward while the holder protrusion  384  is press-fitted between the pair of case restriction portions  486 . 
     Then, when the panel assembly  30  completely moves backward toward the front surface of the door body  40 , as illustrated in  FIG.  18   , the holder protrusion  384  is completely inserted into the holder case  48 . 
     Here, the holder hook portion  384   b  may pass through the case hook portion  486   b  and then be disposed between the case extension portions  486   a , and the holder hook portion  384   b  and the case hook portion  486   b  may be in a state of being hooked with each other. In addition, not only the holder protrusion  384  but also the protruding portion of the holder mounting portion  396  may pass through the plate opening  411  and be inserted into the holder accommodation space  482   a.    
     Thus, the rear surface of the panel assembly  30 , that is, the back cover  39  may be in contact with or adjacent to the front surface of the door body  40 , that is, the front surface of the body plate  41 . In addition, the upper protrusion  343  and the lower protrusion  473  may also be coupled to the upper mounting portion  431  and the lower mounting portion  451  of the door body  40 , and thus, an entire circumference of the panel assembly  30  may be in a state of being fixed to the door body  40 . 
     In the case in which the panel assembly  30  is to be separated, when the panel assembly  30  is strongly pulled forward after releasing the screw  475  coupled to the lower protrusion  473 , the holder protrusion  384  may be separated from the holder case  48 . 
     Hereinafter, the operations of the refrigerator  1  and the panel assembly  30  having the above structures will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG.  20    is a block diagram illustrating a flow of a control signal of the refrigerator. Also,  FIG.  21    is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating an emission state of the panel assembly. Also,  FIG.  22    is a view illustrating an example of adjusting colors of home appliances to which the panel assembly using a remote device is applied. 
     As illustrated in the drawing, an outer appearance of the home appliance according to an embodiment may be defined by the panel assembly  30 , and also, a color of the outer appearance of the home appliance may be changed to a color that is set by the user according to the operation of the lighting device  36 . The panel assembly may be expressed in various colors by light irradiated from the rear side, and thus the panel assembly  30  or the panel  31  may be referred to as a screen. 
     The home appliance may be any one of a refrigerator  1 , an air conditioner  5 , a dishwasher  6 , a clothes manager  7 , a washing machine  8 , or a cooking appliance  9 , each of which has a front surface of which a color of an outer appearance is freely changed by applying the same structure as the panel assembly  30  according to an embodiment. 
     For example, in the above-described embodiment and in the refrigerator  1 , the panel assembly  30  may be provided on a front side of the door  20  that opens and closes the cabinet  10 . In addition, the panel assembly  30  may shine in a set color by user setting, and the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1  may be changed in color. 
     As another example, an indoor unit of the air conditioner  5  may have a space in which a heat exchange device and a fan are provided inside a case  51  (or cabinet) that defines an outer appearance of the indoor unit. In addition, a front surface of the case  51  may be defined by a panel assembly  511 . The panel assembly  511  may have the same structure as the panel assembly  30  of the refrigerator  1  to emit light. 
     Thus, the panel assembly  511  may shine in a set color by the user setting, and a color of the outer appearance of the front surface of the indoor unit of the air conditioner  5  may be changed into the set color. 
     As another example, in the dishwasher  6 , a space for washing dishes may be defined inside a case  61  or a cabinet that defines an outer appearance of the dishwasher  6 . In addition, the front surface of the case  61  may be opened and closed by the door  62 , and the front surface of the door  62  may be defined by the panel assembly  621 . The panel assembly  621  may have the same structure as the panel assembly  30  of the refrigerator  1  to emit light, 
     Thus, the panel assembly  621  may shine in a set color by the user setting, and a color of the outer appearance of the front surface of the dishwasher  6  may be changed into the set color. 
     As another example, in the clothes manager  7 , a space for storing clothes may be defined inside a case  71  or a cabinet that defines an outer appearance of the clothes manager  7 . In addition, the front surface of the case  71  may be opened and closed by the door  72 , and the front surface of the door  72  may be defined by the panel assembly  721 . The panel assembly  721  may have the same structure as the panel assembly  30  of the refrigerator  1  to emit light. 
     Thus, the panel assembly  721  may shine in a set color by the user setting, and a color of the outer appearance of the front surface of the clothes manager  7  may be changed into the set color. 
     As another example, in the washing machine  8  or a dryer, a space for washing or drying may be defined inside a case  81  (or cabinet) that defines an outer appearance of the washing machine  8 . In addition, a front of the case  81  may be opened and closed by the door  82 . The front surface of the case  81  may be defined by a panel assembly  811 . The panel assembly  811  may have the same structure as the panel assembly  30  of the refrigerator  1  to emit light, 
     Thus, the panel assembly  30  may shine in a set color by the user setting, and a color of the outer appearance of the front surface of the washing machine  8 , the dryer, or the air conditioner  5  may be changed into the set color. 
     As another example, in the cooking appliance  9 , a space for cooking food may be defined inside a case  91  or a cabinet that defines an outer appearance of the cooking appliance. In addition, the front surface of the case  91  may be opened and closed by the door  92 , and the front surface of the door  92  may be defined by the panel assembly  921 . The panel assembly  921  may have the same structure as the panel assembly  30  of the refrigerator  1  to emit light. 
     Thus, the panel assembly  921  may shine in a set color by the user setting, and a color of the outer appearance of the front surface of the cooking appliance  9  may be changed into the set color. 
     A process of changing the color of the panel assembly  30  will be described below. 
     In a state in which the lighting device  36  is turned off, a color of the outer appearance of the front surface may be expressed by the color of the panel  31 . A color displayed on the panel  31  in the state in which the lighting device  36  is turned off may be referred to as a first color. 
     When the lighting device  36  operates, the color of the panel  31  may be changed according to a color of light irradiated from the lighting device  36 , and a color of the outer appearance of the front surface of the door  20  may be expressed in the selected color. In this case, the color of the light irradiated from the lighting device  36  may be referred to as a second color, and the color of the panel that is changed when the lighting device  36  is turned on may be referred to as a third color. 
     The second color may be different from the third color, and the third color of the panel  31  selected by the user may be implemented by the second color corrected in consideration of the first color of the panel  31  itself. That is, the light having the second color irradiated from the lighting device  36  may be determined by the controller  13  in consideration of the first color of the panel  31  itself, and the light having the second color may pass through the panel having the first color, and thus, the panel  31  may be finally expressed in the third color that is selected by the user. 
     In detail, the color of the panel  31  may be determined by a selective operation of the lighting device  36 . For example, the lighting device  36  may also be manipulated and set through a remote device  2  spaced apart from the refrigerator  1 . The refrigerator  1  may communicate with the remote device  2  through a communicator  17  connected to a controller  13 , and the user may manipulate an operation of the lighting device  36  through the remote device  2 . 
     The communicator  17  may communicate with the remote device  2  using various methods. The communicator  17  may communicate with the remote device  2  using various methods. The remote device  2  may be various devices that are capable of communicating, such as a dedicated terminal, a mobile phone, a tablet, a portable PC, a desktop PC, a remote control, or a Bluetooth speaker. 
     The user may manipulate and set the overall operation state of the lighting device  36 , such as an operation time and an operation condition of the lighting device  36  and emission color through manipulation of the remote device  2 . For example, the lighting device  36  may be simply manipulated and set through an application or a dedicated program installed in a portable phone of the user. 
     The selection of the color change of the panel  31  through the remote device  2  will be described with reference to  FIG.  19   . The user may select a desired color of the panel  31  through a screen  2   a  of the remote device  2  such as a mobile phone or a terminal. 
     When the user manipulates the remote device  2 , the remote device first outputs a menu screen  2 h and manipulates a panel color change menu  2   b   1  through the menu screen  2   b.    
     When the user selects the panel color change menu  2   b   1 , the remote device  2  may output a color selection screen  2   c  from the menu screen  2   b , and the user may select a position of the panel  31  to be changed and the color of the panel  31  to be changed on the color selection screen. 
     In detail, a panel position selection menu  2   c   1  may be displayed on the color selection screen  2   c  to select the panel  31  mounted on the door  20  at a desired position among the plurality of doors  20 . In addition, the panel  31  of the door  20  selected by the user may be displayed on the panel position selection menu  2   c   1 . 
     After selecting the desired position of the panel  31 , the user may select and input color selection menus  2   c   2  and  2   c   3  displayed on the color selection screen  2   c , For example, in the color selection menus  2   c   2  and  2   c   3 , all of the colors to be displayed by the panel  31  may be displayed in the form of a color picker capable of confirming and extracting a color code. The color selection menus  2   c   2 . and  2   c   3  may be referred to as a palette because combinations and selection of various colors are possible. 
     The color selection menus  2   c   2  and  2   c   3  may include a circular first selection portion  2   c   2  and a bar-shaped second selection portion  2   c   3 . The first selection portion  2   c   2  may select a color, and the second selection portion  2   c   3  may select an intensity of the selected color. The color selection menus  2   c   2  and  2   c   3  may include either one of the first selection portion  2   c   2  or the second selection portion  2   c   3 . 
     As described above, the user may select the color of the panel  31 , i.e., the third color, from among various colors through the color selection menus  2   c   2  and  2   c   3 . Of course, the color selection menus  2   c   2  and  2   c   3  may be configured to be capable of being input in the form of letters, codes, and numbers. 
     In addition, according to the user&#39;s selection of the third color, the controller  13  may control the lighting device  36  to be turned on in the second color so that the panel  31  is displayed in the third color. 
     In addition, the user may input a color through a manipulation portion  14  provided in the refrigerator  1  without using the remote device  2 . 
     In addition, each of the refrigerator  1  and the remote device  2  may be connected to a server in a network state, and thus, the color of the panel  31  of the refrigerator  1  may be input through the server  3 . 
     The operation of the lighting device  36  may be performed by the manipulation of the manipulation portion  14  by the user. The manipulation portion  14  may be disposed at one side of the refrigerator  1 . and for example, may be disposed at one side of the cabinet  10 , As necessary, the manipulation portion  14  may be provided in the door  20 , or the manipulation may be input by touching and manipulating the panel  31  such as knock. That is, the user may directly manipulate the manipulation portion  14  to set an operation of the lighting device  36  and may turn on or off the lighting device  36 . 
     In addition, the lighting device  36  may also operate by a sensor. The sensor may be, for example, a user detection sensor  151  for detecting proximity of the user. For example, the user detection sensor  151  may use various devices for detecting user approaching near the refrigerator, such as an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a laser sensor. 
     The sensors  15  may be disposed at various positions for detecting proximity of the user, such as one side of the cabinet or one side of the door  20 , and may be disposed at various positions for detecting proximity of the user. A plurality of sensors may be disposed at different positions. 
     Thus, when the user approaches the refrigerator  1  by a set distance for use of the refrigerator  1 , the user detection sensor  151  may detect this and may transfer a signal to the controller  13  to turn on the lighting device  36 . When the user moves away from the refrigerator  1 , the user detection sensor  151  may detect this and may transfer a signal to the controller  13  to turn off the lighting device  36 . 
     In detail, when the user detection sensor  151  detects that the user is very close to the refrigerator  1 , the lighting device  36  may be turned off or the brightness may be gradually dimmed to prevent glare of the user. When the user moves away from the refrigerator  1  again, the lighting device  36  may be turned on again or may return to an original brightness. 
     The sensor may be an illumination sensor  152 . The illumination sensor  152  may detect illumination of an indoor space and may be disposed at the same position as a position at which the user detection sensor  151  is disposed. 
     The lighting device  36  may be operated according to a detected illumination of the illumination sensor  152 . For example, when the detected illumination of the illumination sensor  152  is equal to or less than a set illumination and the lighting device  36  is dimmed, the controller  13  may turn on the lighting device  36 , and when the detected illumination of the illumination sensor  152  is equal to or greater than the set illumination and the lighting device  36  becomes brighter, the controller  13  may turn off the lighting device  36 . 
     The sensor may include both the illumination sensor  152  and the user detection sensor  151 , and the illumination sensor  152  and the user detection sensor  151  may be operated in a complex way to cause the controller  13  to turn off the lighting device  36 . 
     The controller  13  may be connected to a microphone  18 . Thus, the LED  362  may shine with set color according to a voice signal received from the microphone  18 , and an input state of the voice signal or a setting state of a function may also be displayed through the front color of the door  20 . 
     For example, when receiving a temperature control signal of the user through the microphone  18 , the controller  13  may adjust a set temperature inside the refrigerator, and may operate the lighting device  36  to change color of the front surface of the door  20  to color corresponding to the corresponding temperature. 
     The lighting device  36  may be turned off at a time set by a timer  16 . That is, the lighting device  36  may be turned on according to a time when the user is mainly active and may be maintained off outside the set time range. The lighting device  36  may be turned off during the day and on during night irrespective of actual illumination. 
     Irrespective of an operation state of the refrigerator  1 , the brightness and color of the front surface of the door  20  may be adjusted only according to user settings. 
     The lighting device  36  may include the state in which brightness is adjusted in addition to an on state and an off state. That is, the controller  13  may control the output of the light irradiated through the lighting device  36  to change brightness of the panel  31 . In addition, the operation state of the refrigerator  1  may be indicated through the brightness of the panel  31 . 
     The operation state of the lighting device  36  operating by the controller  13  is now described. As shown in  FIG.  19   , when the lighting device  36  is turned on according to an instruction of the controller  13 , light emitted from the LED  362  may be emitted toward the lower end of the light guide plate  33 . In this case, the light emitted from the LED  362  may be irradiated with the second color selected by the controller  13 . That is, the LED  362  may be an RGB LED and irradiates the light having the second color corrected by the controller  13  so that the surface of the panel  31  may shine in the third color selected by the user. 
     The light incident through the lower end of the light guide plate  33  may be diffused and reflected along the light guide plate  33  and then may move along the light guide plate  33 . In this case, the light guided by the light guide plate  33  may be reflected forward by the reflective layer  331  to pass through the panel  31  so as to be transmitted to the outside. 
     Light directed forward through the light guide plate  33  may pass through the mounting member  32  to illuminate the panel  31 , and the front surface of the door  20  may shine with a set brightness or color. 
     Here, the light guide plate  33  may irradiate light having sufficient brightness from the entire surface forward by the  1 ,E 1 )  362  disposed at each of both ends of an LED mounting portion  361   a , and thus, the whole including both the ends of the panel  31  may shine with uniform brightness. 
     The lighting device  36  may be disposed at the lower end of the panel assembly  30  and may be fixed so as not to move inside the lower bracket  35 . In addition, the light guide plate  33  is maintained in a fixed state by the mounting member  32 . Thus, the light source  362  of the lighting device  36  and the lower end of the light guide plate  33  facing the light source  362  may be maintained to be aligned with each other to effectively irradiate the light of the light source  362  to the light guide plate  33 . 
     Particularly, even when the door  20  is repeatedly opened and closed, the lighting device  36  and the light guide plate  33  may be maintained at accurate positions, and the panel  31  may be secured to shine with a set brightness. 
     In particular, the light guide plate  33  may be supported from below by its own weight, and thus the set interval G may be maintained between the lower end of the light guide plate  33  and the upper end of the light source  362 . Thus, the light emitted from the light source  362  may be effectively incident on the lower end of the light guide plate  33 , and the brightness of the panel  31  may be ensured and the panel  31  may shine with uniform brightness. 
     The lighting device  36  may be disposed below the upper end of the lower bracket bottom surface portion  354 . Thus, viewed from the front, the lighting device  36  may be prevented from being exposed, and a lighting spot (a hot spot) may be prevented from being disposed adjacent to the light source  362 , thereby improving the quality of an outer appearance of the front surface of the door  20  and preventing glare of the user. 
     Hereinafter, a change in outer appearance of the front surface of the door  20  according to the operation of the lighting device  36  will be described with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG.  23    is a front view illustrating an outer appearance of a front surface of the refrigerator that is in a state in which the lighting device is turned off. Also,  FIG.  24    is a front view illustrating an outer appearance of a front surface of the refrigerator that is in a state in which the lighting device is turned on. Also,  FIG.  25    is a front view illustrating an outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator in which the lighting device is changed in color. Also,  FIG.  26    is a front view illustrating an outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator in a state in which a portion of a plurality of doors emits light. Also,  FIG.  27    is a front view illustrating the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator in a state in which each of a refrigerating compartment door and a freezing compartment door of the doors emits light. 
     For example, in the state in which the lighting device  36  is turned off, as illustrated in  FIG.  23   , a front surface of the door  20  may not shine, and an original color of the panel assembly  30  may appear. 
     The panel assembly  30  may have a structure that is separable from the door body  40 , and thus, the user may select a color of the first panel  31  by mounting the panel assembly  30  having a desired color. Of course, if necessary, the user may change the color of the panel  31  when the lighting device  36  is turned off by exchanging the panel assembly  30  itself. 
     The color of the front surface of the door  20  may be seen as the color of the panel  31 , and the texture and pattern provided on the panel  31  may be seen. In this case, the color of the panel  31  may be color with brightness greater than 0 and may be provided in a color other than black. 
     Thus, the front surface of the door  20  may be seen with the first color that is the color of the panel  31 . In this case, components inside the panel assembly  30  may be seen through the panel  31  and may not be seen to the outside by the color of the panel  31 . 
     In this state, the lighting device  36  may be turned on, and when the lighting device  36  is turned on, the front surface of the door  20  may shine with a color set by the user. 
     For example, as illustrated in  FIG.  24   , the controller  13  may control the front surface of the door  20  to shine with a second color different from the first color, and the lighting device  36  may cause the LED  362  to shine with the second color according to the control of the controller  13 . Here, the third color may be selected by the user, and the color of the panel  31  may be selected by the manipulation of the remote device  2  or the manipulation of the manipulation portion  14 . 
     When the LED  362  shines in the second color, the light reflected by the light guide plate  33  may pass through the front of the panel  31 , and the front of the door  20 , that is, the panel  31  may be expressed in the third color. 
     In the state in which the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1  shines with the third color, when the controller  13  instructs change in color of the front surface of the refrigerator  1 , the front surface of the panel  31  may shine with a color that is reset by the controller  13 . 
     For example, as illustrated in  FIG.  25   , the controller  13  may instruct change in color of the front surface of the panel  31  to shine with the second color different from the first color, and the lighting device  36  may irradiate light having a color different from that of the LED  362  according to the instruction of the controller  13 . 
     When the LED  362  shines in the different color, the light reflected by the light guide plate  33  may pass through the light through the panel  31 , and the front of the door  20 , that is, the panel  31  may be expressed in the fourth color. 
     Some of the plurality of doors  20  forming the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1  may emit light, or the panels  31  constituting the plurality of doors  20  may independently emit light to define the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1  with the set color. 
     For example, as illustrated in  FIG.  24   , the controller  13  may instruct change in color of the front surface of the door  2 . 0  to shine with the third color different from the first color and the second color, and the lighting device  36  may irradiate light having the different color through the lighting device  36 . 
     When the light source  362  emits light having the different color, the light reflected by the light guide plate  33  may pass through the panel  31 , and the front surface of the door  20 , that is, the panel  31  may be expressed in the third color. 
     Some of the plurality of doors  20  forming the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1  may emit light, or the panels  31  constituting the plurality of doors  20  may independently emit light to define the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1  with the set color. 
     For example, as illustrated in  FIG.  26   , the refrigerator I may operate so that some doors  20  of the plurality of doors  20  shine or shine with a specific color. That is, all the lighting devices  36  provided in the doors  20  may not operate, but instead, only some doors  201   a  of all the doors  20  may shine. For example, any one door  201   a  of the refrigerating compartment door  201  may shine. That is, the left refrigerating compartment door  201   a  among the left refrigerating compartment door  201   a  and the right refrigerating compartment door  201   b  may shine. Of course, the door  20  may be any one of the freezing compartment doors  202 . 
     As necessary, the left refrigerating compartment door  201   a  and the right refrigerating compartment door  201 h may shine with a different color. At least two of the doors  20  may be sequentially changed in color and at least two of the doors  20  may be sequentially turned on or off 
     The refrigerating compartment door  201  or the freezing compartment door  202  among the doors may be controlled to shine with the different color. 
     For example, as illustrated in  FIG.  27   , the controller  13  may control the lighting device  36  so that one pair of refrigerating compartment doors  201  are expressed in the first color. The controller  13  may control the lighting device  36  so that one pair of the refrigerating compartment doors  201  are expressed in a different color. 
     That is, the refrigerating compartment door  201  and the freezing compartment door  202  may be distinguished therebetween with colors, and according to a temperature change inside the refrigerator, the colors of the refrigerating compartment door  201  and the freezing compartment door  202  may also be changed. 
     Thus, through the front color of the door  20 , the user may intuitively recognize an operation state of each storage space as well as may distinguish between the refrigeration compartment and the freezing compartment. 
     There may be various other embodiments other than the aforementioned embodiments. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the storage space may be partitioned into right and left sides, and the door includes a refrigerating compartment door and a freezing compartment door at right and left sides. Another embodiment of the present disclosure may have the same structure as the aforementioned embodiment except for arrangement of a storage space and a door, and thus the same components as in the aforementioned embodiment use the same reference numeral, and a detailed description thereof may be omitted. 
     Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference drawings. 
       FIG.  28    is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to another embodiment. Also,  FIG.  29    is a front view of a front appearance of a refrigerator in the state in which a lighting device of the refrigerator is turned on. 
     As shown in the drawings, an outer appearance of a refrigerator  1 ′ according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may be defined by the cabinet  10  in which a storage space is defined, and the door  20  for opening and closing an open front surface of the cabinet  10 . 
     The cabinet  10  may be divided into right and left sides. Although not shown, a left space of the cabinet  10  may be configured by a freezing compartment, and a right space of the cabinet  10  may be configured by a refrigerating compartment. 
     The door  20  may include a freezing compartment door  203  for opening and closing the freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment door  204  for opening and closing the refrigerating compartment. The freezing compartment door  203  and the refrigerating compartment door  204  may be arranged in parallel to each other at right and left sides, and the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment may be configured to be opened and closed through rotation. 
     In the state in which the door  20  is closed, an outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1 ′ may be defined by the door  20 . The door  20  may include the door body  40  and the panel assembly  30 . A detailed structure of the door  20  may be the same as the aforementioned embodiment and may be different therefrom except for the size and arrangement thereof, and thus a detailed description or illustration thereof may be omitted, and unexplained reference numerals in the drawings may refer to the aforementioned embodiment. 
     Color of the panel assembly  30  may be determined by the panel  31  configuring the front surface of the panel assembly  30 . Thus, in the state in which the lighting device is turned off, the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1 ′ may be defined by color of the panel itself. 
     When the lighting device  36  is turned on under control of the controller  13 , light emitted by the lighting device  36  may be seen through the panel  31  to change the panel  31  in color or brightness. In this case, under control of the controller  13 , the lighting device  36  may emit light with various colors, and the panel  31  may be changed to various colors to shine. That is, in the state in which the door  20  is maintained to be assembled and mounted, color or brightness of the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1 ′ may be changed resulting in change in the outer appearance of the front surface. 
     As necessary, the refrigerating compartment door  204  and the freezing compartment door  203  may shine with different colors, and the refrigerating compartment door  204  and the freezing compartment door  203  may shine with color selected to harmonize with surrounding furniture or an installation environment to harmonize with a surrounding environment. When an installation or usage environment or a usage condition is change, the outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator  1 ′ may be freely changed according to the change. 
     The home appliance according to the proposed embodiments may have the following effects. 
     According to the embodiments, the panel assembly may be provided with the panel holder protruding backward from both the left and right ends of the rear surface thereof, and the holder case in which the panel holder are inserted and restricted may be disposed on the front surface of the door body. Thus, the panel assembly may move forward and backward to attach and detach the panel assembly from/to the door body, thereby improving the assembly and mounting operations. 
     In addition, the panel holder may be provided in plurality along both the left and right ends of the panel assembly, and the holder case may be provided in plurality along both the left and right ends of the door body. Thus, both the left and right ends of the panel assembly may be maintained in the state of being firmly coupled to both the sides of the door body without being lifted, thereby improving the outer appearance. In particular, when the panel assembly has the long length in the vertical direction, the more stable mounting structure may be provided, and the improvement of the quality of the outer appearance may be secured. 
     In addition, the upper protrusion and the lower protrusion, which protrude backward, may be disposed on the upper and lower ends of the panel assembly and then be fixed to the door body. Both the left and right ends of the panel assembly may be fixed to the door body by coupling the panel holder and the holder case. Thus, the entire circumference of the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the door panel assembly may be coupled to the door body, and the firm and stable mounting between the door panel assembly and the door may be secured. 
     In particular, even when the panel assembly has the heavy weight and large size, the sagging or partial lifting may be prevented from occurring, and even when the door is repeatedly opened and closed, the movement and detachment of the panel assembly may be prevented from occurring. 
     In addition, the coupling structure may be distributed at the upper, lower, left, and tight ends of the panel assembly so as to be maintained in the overall restriction state of the panel assembly, and the load of the panel assembly may be distributed, and thus, the more stable mounting state may be maintained. 
     In addition, the panel holder may have the structure which is primarily fixed by inserting one end of the panel holder into the mounting member and is secondarily fixed to the back cover through the screw, and thus, the panel holder may be more firmly fixed. In addition, there may be the advantage in that the stable mounting is corrected even when the panel assembly is heavy due to the firm fixing structure. 
     In addition, to separate and mount the panel assembly, the panel assembly may move in the forward and backward direction after the screw of the lower end is separated, and thus, the panel assembly may be easily separated from and mounted on the door body. Thus, there may be the advantage in that the assemblability is improved, and the maintenance is easy. 
     In addition, the panel holder may have the structure that is inserted and fixed through the opening of the front surface of the door body, and the rear surface of the panel assembly may be in close contact with the front surface of the door body. Thus, there may be the advantage in that the increase of the overall thickness of the door is prevented, and the coupling structure with the door is sufficiently secured while maintaining the thickness of the door, 
     Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.