EMI reducing structure in refrigerator

Details EMI reducing structure in refrigerator EMI reducing structure in refrigerator

2002-12-16

2004-05-25

Norman, Marc (Department: 3744)

Refrigeration

With indicator or tester

C062S331000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06739144

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to an electromagnetic interference (EMI) reducing structure in an Internet refrigerator for allowing electromagnetic waves generated from the refrigerator to be minimized.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1
is a front view showing an external structure of a conventional refrigerator, and
FIG. 2
is a plan view showing a top structure of the conventional refrigerator.
As shown in the figures, a storage space is defined in the refrigerator
1
, and the storage space is selectively opened and closed by doors
3
,
3
′. The doors
3
,
3
′ are provided with door handles
4
,
4
′, respectively. The doors
3
,
3
′ are opened and closed on the pivot of hinge portions
5
,
5
′, respectively. Each of the hinge portions
5
,
5
′ is connected to an upper end of each of the doors
3
,
3
′ and becomes a center of pivot upon opening and closing of each of the doors. Other hinge portions (not shown) are also provided at lower ends of the doors
3
,
3
′ so that the doors
3
,
3
′ can be supported and the pivot thereof can also be guided.
Further, a control unit
7
is provided on the top of the refrigerator
1
. An external appearance of the control unit
7
is defined by a control unit cover, and various kinds of components and circuit boards are installed within the control unit
7
. The components installed within the control unit include parts for controlling an inherent function of the refrigerator and parts for performing an Internet related function as a home networking server, For example, the components include a digital controller, LCD control related parts, TV receiving related parts, CCD camera module related parts, speakers, a microphone, and the like.
In addition, a display unit
8
is provided at the door
3
′. The display unit
8
is an LCD screen and causes a variety of information such as an Internet homepage to be displayed thereon. The display unit
8
and the control unit
7
are connected with each other through a cable
9
.
Herein, the cable
9
is connected to the board provided in the control unit
7
through an I/O connector of the board and led out through a side of the control unit cover. The cable
9
led out through the side of the control unit cover is inserted into and through the hinge portion
5
′ and then connected to the interior of the door
3
′. The cable
9
is also connected to an I/O terminal of the display unit
8
installed in the interior of the door
3
′. Reference numeral
10
denotes a dispenser.
In the conventional refrigerator constructed as such, a variety of information such as the Internet homepage are displayed on the display unit
8
so that a user can connect with the Internet and implement home networking.
However, there are the following problems in the prior art.
In addition to the parts for performing the inherent function of the refrigerator, the components required for the Internet and home networking are installed within the Internet refrigerator. Therefore, the electromagnetic waves are produced too much, and thus, electromagnetic interference (EMI) due to electromagnetic waves becomes an issue.
Nonetheless, in the conventional refrigerator, any measures for shielding the electromagnetic waves are not provided to the cable
9
that connects the control unit
7
and the display unit
8
. Thus, there is a problem in that the electromagnetic waves are fully radiated therefrom. Particularly, it is difficult to provide a structure for shielding the electromagnetic waves to the conventional configuration in which the cable
9
extends from the control unit cover to the hinge portion
5
′.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is contemplated to solve the above problems in the prior art. An object of the present invention is to minimize electromagnetic waves radiated from a refrigerator.
According to an aspect of the present invention for accomplishing the object, there is provided an EMI reducing structure in a refrigerator, which comprises a main body of the refrigerator in which a storage space is defined and doors for selectively opening and closing the storage space are installed, a control unit installed at one side of the main body of the refrigerator for controlling an operation of the refrigerator, a display unit installed at a front surface of one of the doors for displaying a variety of information thereon, a waveguide installed such that it passes through the interior of the main body of the refrigerator, its inlet communicates with the control unit, and its outlet faces a back surface of the door, a cable which passes through the interior of the waveguide to make signal connection between the control unit and the display unit, and a conductive shielding net wrapped around an entire outer surface of the cable.
Preferably, one end of the conductive shielding net is electrically connected to a grounding portion of the control unit and the other end thereof is also electrically connected to a grounding portion of the display unit.
Further, the ends of the conductive shielding net may be fully connected to come into contact with the grounding portions.
More preferably, the conductive shielding net is flexible to come into close contact with an outer surface of the cable composed of a bundle of cables.
Furthermore, the waveguide may be installed within an insulating layer of the main body of the refrigerator.
According to the EMI reducing structure in the refrigerator constructed as such, there is an advantage in that the electromagnetic waves, which are radiated from the cable used for connecting the control unit installed in the main body of the refrigerator and the display unit installed on the door, can be minimized.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5963680 (1999-10-01), Kleinerman
patent: 6566973 (2003-05-01), Schumacher

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