Patent Description:
In some refrigerators, wires may be drawn from the body of the refrigerator and connected to the inside of a door to supply power to electronic devices such as a display device, a control panel, and the like of the door and transmit and receive signals to and from the electronic devices.

Since certain refrigerators provide an opening and closing function of the door by a hinge motion, a through hole is formed in the central portion of a rotary shaft and the wire is drawn from the through hole to supply the power to the door.

In certain refrigerators, however, when the door is opened and closed by using a multi-joint hinge, the door is moved simultaneously with linear motion and a rotary motion. Thereby, as the door is opened and closed, the wire can be pulled otherwise introduce friction with surrounding structures at exposed portions of the wire.

As a result, there the wire could be damaged and the sheath of the wire peeled off, and a core of the wire was exposed to the outside, which causes a risk of electric shock accident, and there was a problem in that an appearance was not good.

<CIT> relates to a refrigerator with a door mounted dispenser supply mechanism. <CIT> relates to a hinge for a household appliance. <CIT> relates to a line extender/retractor. <CIT> relates to a refrigerator/freezer. <CIT> relates to a home appliance. <CIT> relates to a refrigerator cabinet having a waterline retractor mechanism.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure overcome the above disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also, the present disclosure is not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may not overcome any of the problems described above.

To address the above-discussed deficiencies, it is a primary object to provide a built-in refrigerator including a wire cover unit capable of minimizing a damage of a wire by reducing a friction occurring at the wire.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a built-in refrigerator according to claim <NUM>. Embodiments of the invention are set out in the dependent claims.

The hinge may be a multi-joint hinge, and the fixing bracket may be connected to the door through a portion which is adjacent to the door of the multi-joint hinge.

The storing portion may include a wire fixing portion limiting a movement length of the wire.

The wire fixing portion may include a protruding member protruding on an inner surface of the storing portion.

A plurality of protruding members may be provided, and the wire may be disposed above and below the plurality of protruding members in a zigzag shape.

The sliding member may be formed of a soft material.

The body may include a coupling hole positioned in the top surface, and one end of the wire cover unit may include an inserting protrusion corresponding to a shape of the coupling hole, and the inserting protrusion and the coupling hole may be hooked to each other.

The body may be screwed to the wire cover unit in an outward direction from a centre of the body.

The body may include a body screw groove protruding from the body, the wire cover unit may include a cover screw groove in a side surface of the wire cover unit corresponding to the body screw groove, and a screw may be fastened to the body screw groove and the cover screw groove.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms "include" and "comprise", as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term "or", is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases "associated with" and "associated therewith", as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.

1A through <NUM>, discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims.

Hereinafter, diverse exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the accompanying drawings, similar components will be denoted by similar reference numerals.

Terms used in the present disclosure may be used only in order to describe specific exemplary embodiments rather than restricting the scope of other exemplary embodiments. Singular forms may include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used in the present specification including technical and scientific terms have the same meanings as those that are generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Terms defined by a general dictionary among terms used in the present disclosure may be interpreted as meaning that are the same as or similar to meanings within a context of the related art, and are not interpreted as ideal or excessively formal meaning unless clearly defined in the present disclosure. In some cases, terms may not be interpreted to exclude exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure even though they are defined in the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, a configuration of a built-in refrigerator according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<FIG> illustrates a perspective view of a built-in refrigerator including a wire cover unit according to at least one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> illustrates a plan view of a door of a built-in refrigerator <NUM> including a wire cover unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure in a closed state, and <FIG> illustrates a plan view of a door of a built-in refrigerator including a wire cover unit according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, in an opened state.

Referring to <FIG>, a built-in refrigerator <NUM> according to the present invention includes a body <NUM>, a door <NUM>, a hinge <NUM>, and a wire cover unit <NUM>.

The built-in refrigerator <NUM> may be installed on a wall surface or in a space provided between the kitchen cabinetry. The body <NUM> includes an opened one surface and includes storage space therein.

The door <NUM> is, in some embodiments, connected to one corner of the opened surface of the body <NUM> by the hinge <NUM>. The door <NUM> may include electronic devices (not shown) such as a display, a temperature control button, and the like, and a wire passing hole <NUM>. The wire for supplying power to the electronic device or transmitting and receiving signals to and from the electronic device supplies the power or transmits and receives the signals to and from the electronic device through the wire passing hole <NUM>.

The hinge <NUM> may be a multi-joint hinge. According to certain embodiments, body frame <NUM> and a door frame <NUM> of the hinge <NUM> are coupled to the body <NUM> and the door <NUM>, respectively. Since the built-in refrigerator <NUM> can be arranged on the wall surface or in the space between the kitchen cabinetry, a side surface of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> may have almost no free space. Therefore, when a rotary door hinge performing only a rotary motion is used, an outer portion of the door may strike or impinge upon the kitchen cabinetry or the wall surface.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, it may be preferable that the hinge <NUM> connecting the body <NUM> and the door <NUM> of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> be a multi-joint hinge.

The multi-joint may simultaneously perform a forward motion and a rotary motion. That is, when the door <NUM> is opened, the door <NUM> may move to a front of the body <NUM> and perform the rotary motion at the same time. Since the door <NUM> is operated to be opened while moving to the front of the body <NUM>, the outer portion of the door <NUM> may avoid the striking or otherwise impinging upon the kitchen cabinetry or the wall surface.

The wire cover unit <NUM> includes a case <NUM>, a sliding member <NUM>, and a fixing bracket <NUM>.

The case <NUM> includes a space in which the wire drawn from the body <NUM> is positioned and is coupled to a top surface of the body <NUM>. In order to couple the case <NUM> to the top surface of the body <NUM> without using separate equipment, one end of the case <NUM> is hooked to the top surface of the body <NUM>. A coupling groove <NUM> of the top surface of the body <NUM> and an inserting protrusion <NUM> of a rear surface portion of the case are hooked to each other to fix one end of the case <NUM> to the top surface of the body <NUM>.

The top surface of the body <NUM> and a side surface of the case <NUM> are connected to each other by one or more screws. It may be undesirable and/or difficult for the built-in refrigerator <NUM> to incorporate a screw which fastens to the case <NUM> from a side which is adjacent to the wall surface. The reason is because depending on the overall profile of built-in refrigerator and the installation site, the gap between the side surface of the case <NUM> and a wall surface may be very narrow. Therefore, a screw <NUM> may fastened to a body screw groove <NUM> in a direction from the centre of the body <NUM> toward the wall surface.

A portion of the wire drawn from the top surface of the body <NUM> and positioned in the case <NUM> is enclosed by a sliding member <NUM>. The sliding member <NUM> includes a space in which the wire is mounted.

The sliding member <NUM> is connected to the fixing bracket <NUM> by a rotatable hinge <NUM> (see <FIG>) at one end thereof, and includes an opening <NUM> (see <FIG>) so that the wire is drawn in a door direction. The wire drawn from the body <NUM> may be led into the other end of the sliding member <NUM> by the sliding member <NUM>.

According to some embodiments that are useful for understanding the invention, the sliding member <NUM> is coupled to the door <NUM> or according to the invention the sliding member <NUM> is coupled to the fixing bracket <NUM> attached to the door <NUM> through the hinge <NUM>. If there is no hinge <NUM> when the door <NUM> is opened from the body <NUM> and is rotated, the sliding member may be bent. In such cases, stress may be repeatedly applied to the sliding member <NUM> from the opening and closing of door <NUM>, and the sliding member <NUM> may be subject to fatigue failure. Thus, one end of the sliding member <NUM> may be hingeably coupled to the door <NUM> or, in accordance with the invention, coupled to the fixing bracket <NUM> to be rotatable. Further, since the sliding member <NUM> may be bent when the door <NUM> is fully opened, an ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin or similarly flexible material may be used.

The length of the sliding member <NUM> may be determined depending on an advancing distance of the door <NUM>. That is, according to some embodiments, the length of the sliding member <NUM> is determined to be longer than the advancing distance of the door <NUM> so that the wire is not exposed to the outside of the case <NUM>.

The fixing bracket <NUM> is coupled to the door frame <NUM> of the multi-joint hinge <NUM> and is connected to the door <NUM>. The fixing bracket <NUM> is hingeably connected to the sliding member <NUM>. Therefore, when the door <NUM> of the built-in refrigerator is opened, the sliding member <NUM> may move in conjunction with a forward motion of the door <NUM>. The fixing bracket <NUM> includes a wire guide that guides the wire drawn from the opening <NUM> of the sliding member <NUM> to a wire connection terminal <NUM> which is adjacent to the door or in other examples that are useful for understanding the invention to the wire passing hole <NUM> of the door <NUM>.

The wire may minimize its motion through the wire guide. Such a wire guide guides the wire to the wire passing hole <NUM> of the door <NUM> or, in accordance with the invention, to the wire connection terminal <NUM> which is adjacent to the door <NUM>.

The wire cover unit <NUM> includes the fixing bracket <NUM>. According to other embodiments that are useful for understanding the invention, the fixing bracket <NUM> may be omitted. In a case in which the fixing bracket <NUM> is omitted, the sliding member <NUM> may be hingeably connected to the door frame <NUM> or may be hingeably connected to the door <NUM>, and the wire passing hole <NUM> may be formed to be adjacent to the hinge.

A structure of the multi-joint hinge according to certain embodiments of this disclosure will be now described and an opening and closing operation of the door <NUM> of the built-in refrigerator will be then described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

According to certain embodiments, the multi-joint hinge <NUM> includes a plurality of links <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, the multi-joint hinge <NUM> includes a main body link <NUM>, a main door link <NUM>, a sub body link <NUM>, and a sub door link <NUM>. Further, the multi-joint hinge <NUM> further includes a body frame <NUM> attached to the body <NUM> and a door fixing frame <NUM> attached to the door <NUM>.

One end of the main body link <NUM> of the multi-joint hinge <NUM> is hingeably connected to the body frame <NUM> and the other end of the main body link <NUM> is connected to one end of the main door link <NUM>. The other end of the main door link <NUM> is hingeably connected to the door frame <NUM>. Although it is described in the drawing of the present disclosure that the other end of the main door link <NUM> is hingeably connected to the door frame <NUM>, the other end of the main door link <NUM> may be configured to slide on the door frame <NUM>.

According to certain embodiments, the multi-joint hinge may include only the main body link <NUM> and the main door link <NUM>, and can present a problem that the opening and closing path of the door is varies. According to some embodiments, the opening and closing path can be limited by attaching the sub body link <NUM> and the sub door link <NUM>. One end of the sub body link <NUM> is coupled to the body frame <NUM> of the body <NUM> and the other end of the sub body link <NUM> hingeably connected to the central portion of the sub door link <NUM>. One end of the sub door link <NUM> may be hingeably connected to the central portion of the main body link <NUM> to limit a path of the main body link <NUM>. The other end of the sub door link <NUM> is hingeably coupled to the door frame <NUM>.

As described above, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the main body link <NUM>, the main door link <NUM>, the sub body link <NUM>, and the sub door link <NUM> of the multi-joint hinge <NUM> can be organically coupled to each other to allow simultaneous forward and rotational movement along defined path(s). With the organic coupling between the respective links, the multi-joint hinge <NUM> may move the door <NUM> forward and rotate the door <NUM> at the same time while limiting a movement direction of the door <NUM> to one. By the multi-joint hinge <NUM>, it is possible for the door <NUM> to avoid interference with the wall surface or the furniture closet when the door <NUM> is opened.

Referring to the illustration of certain exemplary embodiments provided by <FIG>, when the door <NUM> closes the inside of the body <NUM>, the multi-joint hinge <NUM> is contracted with each other, and the door <NUM> and an opened one surface of the body <NUM> face each other. According to certain embodiments, in the case in which the door <NUM> is closed, an exposed length of the sliding member <NUM> may at its shortest. In this case, most of the sliding member <NUM> remains in the case <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, according to some embodiments, when the door <NUM> is opened, the links of the multi-joint hinge <NUM> are relaxed and the door <NUM> simultaneously performs the forward and rotary motions. Therefore, the distance between the hinge <NUM> of one end of the sliding member <NUM> and a portion from which the sliding member <NUM> of the case <NUM> is drawn is increased. That is, the sliding member <NUM> slides from the case <NUM> and is drawn to the outside. Since the advancing distance, a rotary direction, and a movement direction of the door <NUM> are limited by the multi-joint hinge <NUM>, the distance of the sliding member <NUM> drawn from the case <NUM> is also limited. Since, according to certain embodiments, the length of the sliding member <NUM> is determined to be larger than a distance at which the sliding member <NUM> is maximally drawn, the entirety of the sliding member <NUM> need not be drawn to the outside of the case <NUM>.

In <FIG>, a portion indicated by a dotted line illustrates a case in which the door <NUM> is opened by <NUM>° or more based on the opened surface of the body <NUM>. In this case, the sliding member <NUM> may be bent, and the sliding member <NUM> may be formed of a soft material such as ABS, a rubber, or the like to prevent the sliding member <NUM> from being damaged due to the bending.

<FIG> is a perspective view illustrating a wire cover unit <NUM> according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, according to certain embodiments, one end of the sliding member <NUM> is hingeably connected to the fixing bracket <NUM>. The opening <NUM> may be formed in a side surface of the sliding member at one end of the sliding member <NUM> and the wire <NUM> is drawn from the opening <NUM> of the sliding member <NUM>.

The fixing bracket <NUM> includes a wire guide <NUM>, and the wire guide <NUM> guides the wire drawn from the opening <NUM> to the wire connection terminal <NUM> which is adjacent to the door <NUM> or in other examples that are useful for understanding the invention to the wire passing hole <NUM> (see <FIG>) included in the door. A wire connection terminal <NUM> which is adjacent to the sliding member <NUM> and is connectable to the wire connection terminal <NUM> which is adjacent to the door <NUM> may be included. The wire connection terminals <NUM> and <NUM> may be harness connectors.

The wire guide <NUM> includes a pair of protruding pieces <NUM> and two or more fixing protrusions <NUM>.

The pair of protruding pieces <NUM> is disposed on the fixing bracket <NUM> to face each other. In this case, the wire is disposed between the pair of protruding pieces <NUM>. At least two or more fixing protrusions <NUM> fixing the wire <NUM> disposed between the pair of protruding pieces <NUM> is further disposed on the fixing bracket <NUM>.

The wire <NUM> drawn from the opening <NUM> of the sliding member <NUM> is guided to the wire connection terminal <NUM> which is adjacent to the door <NUM> or in other examples that are useful for understanding the invention to the wire passing hole <NUM> by the pair of protruding pieces <NUM>. In this case, since the wire <NUM> may be moved when the door <NUM> is opened and closed, a fixing member for fixing the wire <NUM> is required. According to certain embodiments the present disclosure, as the fixing member for fixing the wire, the fixing protrusions <NUM> may be used. A plurality of fixing protrusions <NUM> are disposed on the fixing bracket <NUM> and the wire <NUM> is disposed in a zigzag shape so as to be caught by the plurality of fixing protrusions <NUM>, thereby limiting a motion of the wire <NUM> in a planar direction.

According to certain embodiments as disclosed herein, wire guide <NUM> may have auxiliary protrusions <NUM> protruding from the protruding pieces <NUM>. The auxiliary protrusions <NUM> may limit vertical motion of the wire <NUM>. As described above, the wire guide <NUM> may have a plurality of protruding pieces <NUM>, the fixing protrusions <NUM>, and the like to fix the wire <NUM> to a top surface of the fixing bracket <NUM>. The fixing member for fixing is not limited to the protruding pieces <NUM>, the fixing protrusion <NUM>, the auxiliary protrusion <NUM>, or the like, and may include a hook capable of fitting the wire <NUM>, a through-type member attached to the fixing bracket <NUM> and enclosing the wire, and the like.

According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a length L2 of the sliding member <NUM> may be determined in consideration of an installation position of the case and the advancing distance of the door <NUM>. According to certain embodiments, it is desirable that length L2 of the sliding member <NUM> be determined to have a margin in which the wire <NUM> may move so that the wire <NUM> is not bent inside the case <NUM> at a position at which the sliding member <NUM> is retracted, such as when the door <NUM> is closed. Further, according to some embodiments, the length of the sliding member is determined to be longer than the maximum advancing distance L1 (see <FIG>) of the door <NUM> so that a portion of the sliding member <NUM> is disposed to be within the drawn portion of the case <NUM> even at the maximum advancing distance of the door <NUM>, when the door <NUM> is opened.

<FIG> illustrate cross-sectional views of an upper portion of the wire cover unit <NUM> and the body <NUM> of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> according to certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, <FIG> further illustrates, from a bottom view, part A of <FIG>, and <FIG> further illustrates, from an enlarged view, part B of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, the case <NUM> of the wire cover unit <NUM> and the top surface of the body <NUM> are coupled to each other. <FIG> illustrates an arrangement of the sliding member <NUM> and the wire <NUM> in a state in which the door <NUM> is closed and <FIG> illustrates an arrangement of the sliding member <NUM> and the wire <NUM> in a state in which the door <NUM> is opened.

According to the present disclosure, the case <NUM> includes a storing portion <NUM> and a drawing portion <NUM>. The case <NUM> may store the wire <NUM> to prevent the wire <NUM> from being exposed to the outside, and the drawing portion <NUM> has a shape corresponding to the sliding member <NUM> so that the sliding member <NUM> slides to draw the wire <NUM>.

According to the present invention, storing portion <NUM> stores the wire <NUM> drawn from the top surface of the body <NUM>. The storing portion <NUM> determines a movement position of the wire <NUM> and includes a wire fixing portion limiting a moving length of the wire <NUM>. The moving length of the wire <NUM> is limited by installing the wire fixing portion and this is to prevent the wire <NUM> from being entangled in the storing portion <NUM>. The wire fixing portion includes protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c protruding on an inner surface of the storing portion <NUM>. The protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c may be plural, and the wire fixing portion may include a wire fixing protrusion <NUM> protruding below a position corresponding to one of the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c. The wire fixing portion may have surfaces of the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c that are in contact with the wire, which are curved surfaces, to minimize friction with the wire. That is, the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c of the wire fixing portion may be formed in a cylindrical shape. Further, the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c of the wire fixing portion may include a roller (not shown) to minimize the friction even in a case in which the motion of the wire <NUM> occurs in the case <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, the wire <NUM> may be disposed in a zigzag shape above and below the plurality of protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c. First to third protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c may be sequentially disposed from a front surface. The wire <NUM> drawn from the top surface of the body <NUM> is disposed at upper ends of the first protruding member and third protruding member 115a and 115c, and may be disposed at a lower end of the second protruding member 115b. According to some embodiments wire <NUM> is drawn to the outside of the case <NUM>, since the wire <NUM> may be caught by the second protruding member 115b, it is possible to prevent the wire <NUM> from being disconnected because the wire <NUM> is drawn without any limitation and force is applied to the wire <NUM>. Even if the maintenance of the wire <NUM> is performed, the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c may prevent the wire <NUM> from being drawn by a predetermined distance or more, thereby preventing the wire <NUM> inside the body <NUM> from being damaged.

According to some embodiments, the wire fixing portion includes three protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c as illustrated in <FIG>, in which case, the maximum drawing distance of the wire <NUM> is determined by a distance L3 from the second protruding member 115b to a position at which the wire is bent when the door <NUM> is closed. The wire <NUM> may be drawn approximately twice as long as the distance L3. Therefore, when the maintenance of the wire <NUM> is required, in a case in which the wire <NUM> is separated or is not separated by a connector inside the door <NUM> or the body <NUM>, the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c may be disposed so that the drawing distance of the wire <NUM> is sufficient, and in a case in which the wire <NUM> may be separated by the connector at the middle, the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c may be disposed by taking into account only the drawing distance of the sliding member <NUM>.

In embodiments in which the wire <NUM> and the inside of the case <NUM> are in contact with each other, in order to minimize the friction between the wire <NUM> and the case <NUM>, a protruding portion <NUM> may be provided in a length direction of the case <NUM> to be linearly in contact with the wire <NUM> inside the case <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, which illustrates, through an enlarged bottom view, part A of <FIG>, an upper bottom of the case <NUM> has a comb shaped protruding portion <NUM>. According to some embodiments, the wire <NUM> is in contact with the case <NUM>, and the wire <NUM> is in contact with a tip of the protruding portion <NUM>. Therefore, a contact area is reduced and the friction between the wire <NUM> and the case <NUM> is reduced as compared to a case in which the wire <NUM> is directly in contact with the case <NUM>. Since resistance is small during the movement of the wire <NUM> due to allowing a direction of the protruding portion <NUM> of the comb-shape to coincide with a movement direction of the wire <NUM>, it may be possible to prevent the wire from being damaged due to the friction between the wire <NUM> and the case <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a coupled portion between the case <NUM> and top surface of the body <NUM> according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to <FIG>, which illustrates an enlarged view of the coupled portion according to certain embodiments, the top surface of the body <NUM> has a coupling groove <NUM> and one end of the case <NUM> has the inserting protrusion <NUM> having a shape corresponding to the coupling groove <NUM>. The inserting protrusion <NUM> of the case is hooked to the coupling groove <NUM>. One end portion of the case <NUM> is hooked to the coupling groove <NUM> as described above, and the side surface of the case <NUM> is screwed to the body as described above. A case screw groove <NUM> which is on the side surface of the case is illustrated in <FIG>. The case screw groove <NUM> is disposed at a position corresponding to the body screw groove <NUM> protruding on the top surface of the body <NUM>, and the body <NUM> and the side surface of the case <NUM> are screwed to the respective screw grooves <NUM> and <NUM> externally from the central portion of the body <NUM>.

According to the invention, the drawing portion <NUM> is utilized as a passage through which the sliding member <NUM> is drawn from and led to the outside of the case <NUM>. Even in the case in which the door <NUM> is closed, the drawing portion <NUM> may have a sufficient length so that the sliding member <NUM> is not exposed.

Hereinafter, an operation of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

According to certain embodiments, built-in refrigerator <NUM> is stored in a cabinetry or is installed in a refrigerator storage space of the wall surface. When a strictly rotary hinge, is used in the built-in refrigerator <NUM>, where door <NUM> is fully opened, interference between the wall surface or the furniture closet and a movement path of the door <NUM> occurs, thereby causing a case in which the door <NUM> is not fully opened.

Accordingly, the door <NUM> of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> may be connected to the body <NUM> by the multi-joint hinge <NUM>. Even in the case of the rotary hinge performing only a general rotary motion, there may be movement and exposure of the wire. However, to clearly illustrate features of the wire cover unit <NUM> of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the operation of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> the door <NUM> and the body <NUM> are connected to each other by the multi-joint hinge <NUM> as illustrated in the drawings.

A state in which the door <NUM> of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> is closed will be described with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>.

According to some embodiments, links <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of the multi-link hinge <NUM> are contracted to each other. The wire <NUM> drawn from the top surface of the body <NUM> of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> is stored in the storing portion <NUM> of the case <NUM>, and a portion of the stored wire <NUM> is enclosed by the sliding member <NUM> that slides on the drawing portion <NUM> of the case <NUM>. The wire <NUM> may be drawn through the opening <NUM> in a door direction of the sliding member <NUM>, and the drawn wire <NUM> is guided to the wire passing hole <NUM> of the door <NUM> along the guidance of the fixing bracket <NUM>. The wire <NUM> may be connected to an electronic device through the wire passing hole <NUM>, and may supply power to the electronic device such as a display, a light apparatus dial, a lighting of the dial, or the like which is in the door <NUM>, or transmit and receive signals according to an operation of the display or the dial with a controller (not shown).

As illustrated in <FIG>, according to some embodiments, when the door <NUM> is closed, most of the sliding member <NUM> is positioned inside the case <NUM>. The wire <NUM> is stored in the storing portion <NUM> of the case <NUM>, and the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c are provided to prevent twisting of the wire <NUM> or entangling between the wires. Since the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c limit the movement length of the wire <NUM> according to the opening and closing of the door <NUM> and only the wire <NUM> of the limited length moves, the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c may prevent the twisting or entangling of the wire <NUM>.

A process of opening the door <NUM> of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> and a state in which the door <NUM> of the built-in refrigerator <NUM> is opened, according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>.

If the door <NUM> is opened, the multi-joint hinge <NUM> starts to be relaxed. Since the multi-joint hinge <NUM> has the respective links <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> which are connected to each other, the movement path of the door <NUM> is determined as described above. That is, the door fixing frame <NUM> of the multi-joint hinge <NUM> has one movement path based on the body frame <NUM>.

According to certain embodiments, door <NUM> performs an advance movement by the multi-joint hinge <NUM> being relaxed. Since the main door link <NUM> and the sub door link <NUM> are hinge-connected to the door fixing frame <NUM>, they involve the rotary movement. Therefore, the door <NUM> simultaneously performs the advance and rotary movements.

According to some embodiments, when the door <NUM> advances, the sliding member <NUM> slides in the door direction from the wire cover unit <NUM> and is drawn by the advanced distance L1 of the door <NUM>. Since the length of the sliding member <NUM> is determined by taking account into the movement distance L1 of the door <NUM>, the wire <NUM> is not exposed between the sliding member <NUM> and the case <NUM>. Since the wire <NUM> is not exposed, friction between an external object and the wire <NUM> may be reduced, and wear and damage of the wire <NUM> may be reduced.

Further, since the storing portion of the case <NUM> keeps a sufficient length of wire <NUM> which may be moved by taking account into the drawn length of the wire <NUM>, force pulling the wire <NUM> by the opened door <NUM>, that is, tensile force applied to the wire <NUM> may be minimized. Therefore, a damage risk of the wire <NUM> may be reduced.

According to certain embodiments, when the wire <NUM> moves in the case <NUM>, the plurality of protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c have the curved surface or are configured as the cylindrical roller, thereby reducing the friction between the plurality of protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c and the wire <NUM> inside the case <NUM>.

When the door <NUM> is fully opened, in some embodiments, the door <NUM> is opened as indicated by the dotted line of <FIG>. A predominantly opened position of the door <NUM> is determined according to a movement range of the multi-joint hinge <NUM>. When the door <NUM> is fully opened and an angle between the opened surface of the body <NUM> and the door <NUM> is an obtuse angle, the sliding member <NUM> is bent. If the sliding member <NUM> is weak in softness, since sliding member <NUM> may be damaged, it is preferable that the sliding member <NUM> is formed of a soft material.

Hereinafter, an operation of mounting and separating the wire cover unit <NUM> on and from the built-in refrigerator <NUM> according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

In some embodiments, the wire cover unit <NUM> includes the case <NUM>, the sliding member <NUM>, and the fixing bracket <NUM>. The sliding member <NUM> and the fixing bracket <NUM> which are hingeably connected to each other are provided.

First, the wire <NUM> is disposed on the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c of the case <NUM> in the zigzag shape, and the margin taking account into the movement length of the wire <NUM> is stored in the storing portion <NUM>. A portion of the stored wire <NUM> is disposed to be exposed to the outside through the drawing portion <NUM>.

Thereafter, in some embodiments, the inserting protrusion <NUM> of the case <NUM> is inserted into the coupling groove <NUM> of the top surface of the body <NUM> and is hooked thereto. The body screw groove <NUM> protruding from the body <NUM> and a corresponding case screw groove <NUM> are aligned to coincide with each other, and the screw is coupled to the screw grooves <NUM> and <NUM> in an outward direction from the centre of the body <NUM>.

If the case <NUM> and the body <NUM> are fixed, the sliding member <NUM> can be installed to protect the wire <NUM> drawn from the case <NUM>.

According to certain embodiments, the wire <NUM> drawn from the case is inserted into the sliding member <NUM>, and the sliding member <NUM> slides into the case <NUM> through the drawing portion <NUM>. Thereafter, the fixing bracket <NUM> which is hingeably connected to the sliding member <NUM> is coupled to the door frame <NUM>, thereby mounting the wire cover unit <NUM> in the built-in refrigerator <NUM>. Thereafter, the wire <NUM> is connected through the wire connection terminal (harness).

An operation of disassembling the wire cover unit <NUM> may be performed in the reverse order of the mounting operation for maintenance or replacement of the wire <NUM> provided in the built-in refrigerator <NUM>.

Although the wire cover unit <NUM> according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described as being mounted in the built-in refrigerator <NUM>, the wire cover unit <NUM> may be mounted in a device such as a built-in microwave oven, a built-in styler, or the like having a door <NUM> which includes a device requiring power such as a display or including a dial button requiring transmission and reception of signals.

As described above, in some embodiments, the wire cover unit <NUM> includes the sliding member <NUM> and the case <NUM>, and the wire <NUM> may be drawn through the sliding member <NUM> in conjunction with the movement of the door <NUM> according to the motion of the multi-joint hinge <NUM>. Thereby, the external exposure of the wire <NUM> may be minimized, the damage risk due to the friction with the external object is reduced, and there is an advantage in that an appearance is good.

Further, since, according to some embodiments, the wire cover unit has the protruding members 115a, 115b, and 115c inside the case <NUM> and has the protruding portion <NUM> in the length direction of the case, the friction due to the movement of the wire <NUM> may be reduced and the damage risk due to the movement of the wire may also be reduced.

Claim 1:
A built-in refrigerator (<NUM>) comprising:
a body (<NUM>);
a door (<NUM>) configured to open and close an inside of the body (<NUM>);
a hinge (<NUM>) configured to connect the body (<NUM>) with the door (<NUM>); and
a wire cover unit (<NUM>) configured to guide a wire (<NUM>) drawn from the body (<NUM>) while a portion thereof slides according to an opening and closing of the door (<NUM>),
wherein the wire cover unit (<NUM>) includes:
a case (<NUM>) coupled to a top surface of the body (<NUM>) and configured to accommodate the wire (<NUM>) drawn from the body (<NUM>);
a sliding member (<NUM>) configured to slide linearly from an inside of the case (<NUM>) to be drawn to an outside of the case (<NUM>), and to enclose a portion of the wire (<NUM>);
a fixing bracket (<NUM>) configured to be hingeably connected to the sliding member (<NUM>) and coupled to the door (<NUM>); and
a plurality of protruding portions (<NUM>) which are linearly in contact with the wire (<NUM>) in a length direction of the wire (<NUM>),
wherein the case (<NUM>) includes:
an accommodating portion (<NUM>) formed by a space of the case (<NUM>) and configured to accommodate the wire (<NUM>); and
a drawing portion (<NUM>) having a shape corresponding to the sliding member (<NUM>) and configured to linearly guide the sliding member (<NUM>) when the sliding member (<NUM>) is drawn through the drawing portion (<NUM>) according to the opening or closing of the door (<NUM>),
wherein the drawing portion (<NUM>) is used as a passage through which the sliding member (<NUM>) is drawn into and out of the case (<NUM>),
wherein the fixing bracket (<NUM>) includes a wire guide (<NUM>) that guides the wire (<NUM>) drawn from the sliding member (<NUM>) to a wire connection terminal (<NUM>) which is adjacent to the door (<NUM>),
wherein the wire guide (<NUM>) includes:
a pair of protruding pieces (<NUM>) disposed to face each other; and
at least two or more fixing protrusions (<NUM>) configured to hold the wire (<NUM>) disposed between the pair of protruding pieces (<NUM>), and
wherein one end of the wire cover unit (<NUM>) is hooked to a top surface of the body (<NUM>), and a portion of a side surface of the wire cover unit (<NUM>) is screwed to the body (<NUM>).