Patent Publication Number: US-11022365-B2

Title: Wire harness fixing device and refrigerator including same

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0060975, filed May 29, 2018, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     An embodiment of the present invention relates to a refrigerator appliance including a wire harness fixing device and, more particularly, relates to a fixing device for affixing a wire harness that traverses a space between panels of a refrigerator door to make electrical connection with a heater unit of the refrigerator and also relates to a refrigerator appliance including the fixing device. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Generally, a refrigerator appliance has refrigeration cycle components such as a compressor, a condenser, and the like and generates cold air through actions of the refrigeration cycle to maintain the freshness of food stored therein over time. 
     Hereinafter, a “French door” style refrigerator will be described in detail. 
     In the typical French door style refrigerator, a storage chamber is divided into left and right sides, and a first door for opening and closing a refrigeration compartment is disposed on a left side, and a second door for opening and closing a freezer compartment is disposed on a right side. Further, a rotatable partition unit is included to prevent cold air from leaking through a space defined between the first and second doors. 
     In addition, since condensation occurs on an outer surface of the rotatable partition unit due to temperature differences between the inside and outside of the refrigerator, a heater unit is typically disposed inside the partition unit to remove the condensation through evaporation. 
     Accordingly, a wire harness is typically used to operate and power the heater, and a fixing device for affixing the wire harness is disposed in an inner space between an inner panel and an outer panel of the first door. The inside of the corresponding space is typically filled with an insulating foam material such as urethane, for instance. 
     Generally, a conventional fixing device has one end that is in contact with an inner surface of an outer panel of the first door. When the fixing device remains stationary over time, this causes unwanted curvature of the outside of the refrigerator, which lowers the aesthetic quality of the appliance. 
     In addition, in order to prevent this unwanted curvature, a nonwoven fabric is often applied between the fixing device and the first door. However, since the nonwoven fabric is relatively expensive, this solution adds unwanted expense to the appliance and the added installation of the fabric increases the overall manufacturing time and complexity of the appliance. This eventually causes an increase in overall product cost of the appliance. It would be advantageous to eliminate any need for the fabric installation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, in order to prevent such problems as described above, embodiments of the present invention are directed toward a wire harness fixing device, and a refrigerator appliance including the fixing device, wherein the unwanted curvature is avoided because the lower end portion of the wire harness fixing device does not contact any opening and closing unit (e.g., door) of the refrigerator. An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a wire harness fixing device having an upper plate and a protection plate for preventing an insulating foam material from filling into the fixing device during manufacturing, and embodiments are also directed toward a refrigerator appliance including such a fixing device. 
     In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wire harness fixing device capable of easily guiding and then affixing a wire harness inserted inward through a first guide groove thereof and a second guide groove. The second guide groove having a smaller radius than the first guide groove. Embodiments also include a refrigerator appliance including such a fixing device. 
     In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wire harness fixing device forming a bending part in a “U-shaped cross section” inside an opening and closing unit, e.g., a door of the refrigerator, thereby allowing an insertion portion inserted into an inner space of the bending part to be easily coupled with the door, and a refrigerator appliance including such a fixing device. 
     In addition, embodiments of the present invention are characterized in that the distance from a height of a second locking hole to a lowermost end of the fixing device is shorter than the distance from a first locking hole to an inner surface of an outer panel facing an inner panel of an opening and closing unit at one side. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wire harness fixing device that prevents a lower end portion thereof from contacting the inner surface of the outer panel of a refrigerator, thereby advantageously preventing curvature from occurring on an outer surface of the door located at one side, and a refrigerator appliance including such a fixing device. 
     In addition, it is another object of the present invention to provide a wire harness fixing device that does not require application of a high-priced nonwoven fabric used between a fixing device and the door to prevent curvature, and a refrigerator appliance including such a fixing device. 
     More specifically, embodiments of the present invention are described in summary below. 
     A wire harness fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a body part configured with a hollow portion disposed therein, thereby allowing a wire harness to be inserted therein and an opening portion being partially open at one surface thereof; a fixing part coupled to a lower portion of the body part and configured to guide insertion of the wire harness; a cover part coupled with a lower end surface of one side of the body part, thereby allowing an open lower portion of a fixing device to be opened or closed; and a coupling part configured to allow the fixing device to be affixed to one side of a refrigerator. 
     The fixing part formed on the wire harness fixing device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes: a first guide groove recessed upwardly at a side coupled with the front surface of the body part, thereby guiding insertion of the wire harness; an upper plate extending in opposite lateral directions from an end of the first guide groove; and a protection plate extending downward from an end of the upper plate, and preventing an insulating foam material from filling into the fixing device during manufacturing. 
     The cover part formed on the wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention includes: a second guide groove recessed upwardly when the cover part is fully opened, thereby forming a cylindrical guide hole together with the first guide groove; a coupling portion disposed at each of spaced opposite ends of the cover part, thereby allowing the cover part to remain closed by being coupled with one side of the fixing part; and a connection part formed in a groove along a longitudinal direction of a side of the cover part, wherein the side is coupled with the body part, thereby enabling the cover part to rotate. 
     The coupling portion disposed on the wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention is shaped in accordance with a hook. 
     The second guide groove formed on the wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention has a radius smaller than a radius of the first guide groove. 
     A refrigerator appliance including a wire harness fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: the wire harness fixing device according to any one of the above-described wire harness fixing device embodiments; a main body unit having a storage chamber therein and having a front surface thereof being open; a pair of left and right opening and closing units (e.g., doors) for selectively opening and closing the front surface of the main body unit in accordance with a rotational movement thereof; and a partition unit rotatably coupled with one of the doors and located at one side to prevent cold air from leaking along a space formed between the doors. 
     The door located at the one side disposed on a refrigerator including a wire harness fixing device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes: a bending part defining an end of an inner side wall to which inner and outer panels are connected and cause to bend, wherein the bending part includes: a first bent portion where a side adjacent to the partition unit of the inner side wall is bent; and a second bent portion bent towards an outer panel side from an end of the first bent portion and including a first locking hole, thereby being formed in a “U-shaped cross section.” 
     The coupling part formed on a refrigerator including a wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention includes: an insertion portion extending upwardly and having an upper portion inserted into an inner space of the bending part; and a second locking hole formed through an upper side of the insertion portion and allowing a locking means to be inserted therein and aligned with the first locking hole. 
     The second locking hole formed on a refrigerator including a wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention is formed such that the distance from a height of the second locking hole to a lowermost end of the fixing device is shorter than the distance from the first locking hole to an inner surface of an outer panel facing an inner panel of the opening and closing unit at the one side. 
     The coupling part formed on a refrigerator including a wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention further includes a positioning portion formed to extend upwardly on a side adjacent to the insertion portion and oriented at an acute angle with the insertion portion. 
     The positioning portion formed on a refrigerator including a wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention is formed with an upper surface shaped complementary to a lower surface of the second bent portion, thereby preventing the wire harness fixing device from shaking by allowing the upper surface of the positioning portion to contact the lower surface of the second bent portion when the first and second locking holes are aligned with each other. 
     The body part formed on a refrigerator appliance including a wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention is formed in a general hexahedral shape with a bottom surface being partially or wholly open, and is inclined wherein a distance between opposite spaced sides of the body part decreases or tapers along an upward direction. 
     A refrigerator including a wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention includes: a fixing device for fixing a wire harness that reaches a partition unit traversing through an inner space between inner and outer panels of a door located at one side; a main body unit provided with a storage chamber therein and having an open front surface thereof, a pair of left and right doors for selectively opening and closing the front surface of the main body unit in accordance with a rotational movement thereof, and a partition unit rotatably coupled with the door located at the one side to prevent cold air from leaking along a space formed between the doors, wherein the door located at the one side among the left and right doors includes a bending part formed with a first locking hole to allow locking means to be inserted in one side where an end of an inner side wall (to which inner and outer panels are connected) is forced to bend in a “U-shaped cross section.” 
     The fixing device formed on a refrigerator including a wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention includes a coupling part, wherein the coupling part includes: an insertion portion extending upwardly and having an upper portion inserted into an inner space of the bending part; and a second locking hole formed through an upper side of the insertion portion and allowing a locking means to be inserted therein when aligned with the first locking hole. 
     The fixing device formed on a refrigerator including a wire harness fixing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention has a length insufficient to contact an adjacent inner surface of the door located at the one side, when the first and second locking holes are aligned with each other and the locking means is fixed to the door located at the one side through insertion of the locking means. 
     The above described embodiments of the present invention have following advantages. 
     The upper plate and the protection plate of the present invention prevent the insulating foam material from filling into the fixing device. 
     Further, embodiments provide easy guiding and rigid fixation of the wire harness as inserted inward through the first guide groove and the second guide groove wherein the second guide groove has a smaller radius than the first guide groove. 
     Further, embodiments of the present invention form a bending part in a “U-shaped cross section” inside the door, thereby allowing the insertion portion inserted into the inner space of the bending part to be easily coupled with the door. 
     Further, an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the distance from a height of the second locking hole to a lowermost end of the fixing device is shorter than the distance from the first locking hole to an inner surface of an outer panel facing an inner panel of an opening and closing unit at one side. Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention has an advantage of preventing a lower end portion of the device from contacting the inner surface of the outer panel of a refrigerator, thereby advantageously preventing curvature from occurring on an outer surface of the door located at the one side. 
     In addition, embodiments of the present invention are advantageous in that they do not require application of a high-priced nonwoven fabric between the fixing device and the opening and closing unit to prevent curvature. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a refrigerator appliance including a wire harness fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2 and 3  are cross sectional views illustrating a configuration where a wire harness fixing device is coupled with an opening and closing unit at one side of a refrigerator appliance in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  are cross sectional views illustrating configurations in which a fixing device is coupled with a bending part in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a wire harness fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of a fixing device according to  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings in order to enable a person skilled in the art to easily carry out a technical idea of the present invention. First, in adding reference numerals to constituent elements of the drawings, it is to be noted that the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations incorporated herein may be omitted when they may obscure aspects of the present invention. 
     In addition, terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various items such as various elements and/or configurations, but the items are not limited thereby. For example, it should be noted that a second element is not necessarily based on a first element, but is merely used for convenience, and that each element is independent. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a refrigerator including a wire harness fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;  FIGS. 2 and 3  are cross sectional views illustrating the wire harness fixing device being coupled with an opening and closing unit (e.g., door) at one side of a refrigerator;  FIGS. 4 and 5  are cross sectional views illustrating a state where a fixing device is coupled with a bending part;  FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a wire harness fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and  FIG. 7  is a side view of a fixing device according to  FIG. 6 . 
     Hereinafter, a refrigerator appliance including a wire harness fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , the refrigerator appliance  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a main body unit  10  provided with a storage chamber formed therein and having a front surface thereof being open; and an opening and closing unit  30  (e.g., door) for opening and closing the front surface of the main body unit  10  in accordance with a rotational movement thereof about a hinge. 
     In addition, the main body unit  10  is preferably provided with a partition wall (not shown) that extends along a center of the storage chamber in a vertical direction, thereby dividing the storage chamber into left and right compartments, e.g., a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, for instance. In addition, the door  30  has a left door  310  and a right door  330 , e.g., one opening and closing unit for each of left and right sides thereof. Here, the left door  310  and the right door  310  are rotatable with a left side and a right side, respectively, of the front surface of the main body unit  10 , as a corresponding center. For example, each of the left and right doors  310  and  330  may be hinged to the main body unit  10 . 
     In the case of such a French door style refrigerator, there is a potential for cool air to leak along a space defined between the left door  310  and the right door  330 . Accordingly, the refrigerator  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a partition unit  50  capable of sealing the space between the left and right doors  310  and  330 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the partition unit  50  is coupled with one door of the left and right doors  310  and  330 , thereby enabling the space between both doors  310  and  330  to be sealed when both of the doors  310  and  330  are fully closed. In addition, when a door  310  or  330  (to which the partition unit  50  is coupled) is pivoted by a user pull thereof, the partition unit  50  pivots in a direction opposite to the rotating direction of the pivotal movement of door  310  or  330 , thereby allowing the pivotal movement part of  310  or  330  easily open without interference of the other door that remains closed  310  or  330 . That is, the partition unit  50  is rotatably coupled with any one of the doors  310  and  330 . 
     In addition, an individual sealing portion  70  is disposed on a side of an inner panel  311  in a space between the partition unit  50 , and the left and right doors  310  and  330  for each of the doors  310  and  330 , in order to more reliably prevent cold air leakage. 
     Hereinafter, for ease of discussion, the door to which the partition unit  50  is coupled will be described as the left door  310  or the door located at one side  310 , and the remaining door will be described as the right door  330  or the door located at the opposite side  330 . However, the partition unit  50  and/or the fixing device  90 , to be described later, may be coupled with any one of the left or right doors  310  and  330 , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, and there is no specific limitation thereto. 
     In addition, condensation may result on an outer surface of the partition unit  50  due to temperature differences between the inside and the outside of the storage chamber of the refrigerator. In order to prevent this, a heater (not shown) is disposed inside the partition unit  50 , and a wire harness is connected from outside of the refrigerator  1  to the partition unit  50  for power supply and control. 
     The wire harness is disposed along an inner space of the door at one side  310  extending from the outside of the refrigerator  1  and comes out to a side adjacent to the partition unit  50  to reach the partition unit  50 . The inner space of the door at one side  310  is an interspace defined by the inner panel  311  forming an inner wall of the storage chamber and an outer panel  313  forming an outer surface of the main body unit (See  FIG. 2 ). 
     During manufacturing, an empty space between the inner panel  311  and the outer panel  313  is filled with an insulating foam material, such as urethane for instance, and the wire harness fixing device  90  is additionally provided to protect the wire harness from the insulating foam material and to also affix the wire harness. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3 to 5 , the door at one side  310  is formed with a bending part  315   a  defining an end of the inner side wall  315  to which the inner and outer edges  311  and  313  are connected to bend. 
     More preferably, the bending part  315   a  is formed so that the side of the inner side wall  315  adjacent to the partition unit  50  is bent. In addition, the bending part  315   a  includes a first bent portion  315   a - 1  bent in a direction away from the door at opposite side  330  from the end of the inner side wall  315 ; and a second bent portion  315   a - 3  bent from an end of the first bent portion  315   a - 3  towards the outer panel  313 . That is, the bending part  315   a  is generally formed in a “U-shaped cross section” overall. In addition, a first locking hole is formed on a side of the second bent portion  315   a - 3 . 
     Hereinafter, the fixing device  90  according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3 to 7 , as described above, the wire harness fixing device  90  protects the wire harness from the insulating foam material filled between the inner and outer panels  311  and  313 , and affixes the wire harness at the same time. Here, the wire harness fixing device  90  may include: a body part  910 ; a fixing part  930 ; a cover part  950 ; and a coupling part  970 , for these purposes. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the body part  910  is configured to have a hollow portion therein to allow a wire harness to be inserted into an internal space thereof, and an opening portion  911  formed to be partially open at one surface thereof, thereby allowing an end of the wire harness (inserted inwards) to be pulled out from the fixing device  90 , and thus to be electrically connected to the heater unit inside the partition unit  50 . The body part  910  is preferably formed in a hexahedral shape and having a substantially or entirely open bottom surface and is inserted in a recessed space of a shape, defined by the inner panel  311  and/or the sealing portion  70 , and complementary to the body part  910 . 
     Further, it is more preferable that the body part  910  be inclined such that the distance between opposite spaced sides thereof reduces or tapers in an upward direction, and thus the body part  910  is easily and intuitively inserted into the recessed space. Here, “sides” refer to one surface on which the opening portion  911  is formed and another surface facing the one surface. 
     The fixing part  930  is connected to a lower portion of the body part  910  and is preferably formed integrally with the body part  910  to guide the insertion of the wire harness to the fixing device  90 . To this end, the fixing part  930  may include: a first guide groove  931 ; an upper plate  933 ; and a protection plate  935 . 
     A first guide groove  931  is configured to be recessed upwardly at a predetermined depth on a side coupled with the front surface of the body part  910  and forms (together with a second guide groove  951 , to be described later) a guide hole in a substantially cylindrical manner, thereby allowing the inserted wire harness to be rigidly affixed. For example, the recession curvature of the first guide groove  931  may be of a constant shape, but is not limited thereto. In addition, it is preferable that the first guide groove  931  is formed only on a side coupled with the front surface side of the body part  910  of the fixing device  90  since the wire harness is not drawn out to, nor introduced from, the rear side of the body part  910 . 
     The upper plate  933  is formed extending from the end of the first guide groove  931  by a predetermined length in opposite lateral directions. By the upper plate  933 , it is possible to substantially prevent the insulating foam material from filling into the fixing device  90 . For example, the upper plate  933  may extend approximately horizontally. 
     The protection plate  935  extends from the end of the fixing part  930  downwards to a predetermined depth to prevent the insulating foam material from filling into the fixing device  90 . In addition, it is preferable that the lower side of the first guide groove  931  is not formed with the protection plate  935 , and thus is open, in order to allow the wire harness to be easily inserted there into. In addition, as will be described in detail below, when the fixing device  90  is affixed, it is preferable that the protection plate  935  is of a length such that the lowermost end of the protection plate  935  does not contact the inner surface of the door at one side  310 . More specifically, it is preferable that the protection plate  935  does not contact the inner surface of the outer panel  313 . Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the outer surface of the outer panel  313  from curving over time. Accordingly, there is no need for application of any relatively high-priced nonwoven fabric disposed between the fixing device and the outer panel  313  in order to prevent the formation of such curvature. This advantageously makes maintenance of the refrigerator easier as well as reduces the overall costs associated with the appliance. 
     The cover part  950  is configured to be coupled with a lower end portion of one side of the body part  910 , thereby allowing an open lower end portion of the fixing device  90  to be opened or closed. Meanwhile, the shape of the cover part  950  may be formed as a flat surface. In addition, it is preferable that the cover part  950  closes the fixing device  90  by a rotation movement to the lower end side of the fixing device  90 . To this end, the cover part  950  may include: a second guide groove  951 ; a coupling portion  953 ; and a connection portion  955 . 
     The second guide groove  951  is recessed upwardly when the cover part  950  is fully opened and is recessed downwardly when the cover part  950  is fully closed, at a predetermined depth, to form a cylindrical guide hole together with the first guide groove  931 . It is preferable that the second guide groove  951  be formed such that it has a substantially semicircular groove similar to the first guide groove  931 . In addition, a radius of the second guide groove  951  is preferably smaller than a radius of the first guide groove  931 , thereby allowing the wire harness to be more rigidly affixed when the lower end portion of the fixing device  90  is closed by the cover part  950 . 
     It is appreciated that, the wire harness will easily insert into the first guide groove  931  because of its relatively large radial size, and then the second guide groove  951  having a small radial size affixes the wire harness more tightly. 
     The radius of the second guide groove  951  may be larger than or equal to the radius of the first guide groove  931 , but is not specifically limited thereto. 
     The coupling portion  953  is formed at each of spaced opposite ends of the cover part  950 , thereby being coupled with one side of the fixing part  930  to allow the cover part  950  to close the lower end portion of the fixing device  90 . For example, the coupling portion  953  is formed in a shape of a hook, and when the lower end portion of the fixing device  90  is closed (due to a rotation movement of the cover part  950 ) the coupling portion  953  may be coupled with, and affixed to, an upper surface of the upper plate  933 . However, it is appreciated that the scope of the present invention is not limited by the above example. 
     The connection portion  955  is a groove formed along the longitudinal direction of a side of the cover part  950 , the side coupled with the body part  910 , thereby allowing the cover part  950  to rotate to cover the lower end side of the body part  910 . Accordingly, the connection portion  955  has a thinner thickness than other components of the cover part  950 . Meanwhile, once the cover  950  covers the lower end side of the body  910 , the cover part  950  is fixed by the insulating foam material being subsequently filled. In this regard, it is unlikely that connection portion  955  will break due to repeated opening and closing of the cover part  950 . 
     The coupling part  970  is configured to fix the fixing device  90  to the door located at one side  310 . To this end, the coupling part  970  may include: an insertion portion  971 ; a second locking hole  973 ; and a positioning portion  975 . 
     The insertion portion  971  is configured to extend upwardly and the upper portion thereof is inserted into an inner space defined by the bending part  315   a  More specifically, the upper side of the insertion portion  971  is inserted inside the first bent portion  315   a - 1  and the second bent portion  315   a - 3 . In addition, the first bent portion  315   a - 1  contacts the upper end of the insertion portion  971 , thereby performing a stopper function. 
     The second locking hole  973  is formed through the upper side of the insertion portion and allows a locking means to be inserted therein when aligned with the first locking hole, thereby fixing the fixing device  90  rigidly. Here, the locking means may be any of various well known components, and, for example, may be a plain screw. 
     In addition, the distance from the height of the second locking hole  973  to the lowermost end of the fixing device  90  is shorter than the distance from the first locking hole to an inner surface of the of an outer panel  313  facing the inner panel of the door at one side  310  (See  FIG. 3 .). Accordingly, in this configuration, embodiments of the present invention advantageously prevent curvature from resulting on the side of the outer panel  313 . 
     The positioning portion  975  extends upwardly on a side adjacent to the insertion portion  971  at an acute angle with the insertion portion  971 , and has an upper surface in a shape complementary to the lower surface of the second bent portion  315   a - 3 . That is, when the upper side of the insertion portion  971  is inserted into the bending part  315   a , thereby aligning the first and second locking holes  971  and  973  with each other, the upper surface of the positioning portion  975  contacts the second bent portion  315   a - 3 , thereby preventing the fixing device  90  from shaking when the locking means is inserted inside the locking holes  971  and  973 . 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be appreciated that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.