Refrigerator and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

A door of a refrigerator includes a front plate formed of a metallic material, a display unit having a display part disposed at a rear surface of the front plate to brighten and darken and thus to display operation information of the refrigerator, and a plurality of through-holes formed in an area of the front plate corresponding to the display part. The display unit is hidden in the door, but a user may see the information displayed on the display unit through the through-holes of the front plate.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a main body;   a storage chamber formed in the main body; and   a door configured to open and close the storage chamber,   wherein the door comprises:
 a front plate configured to form a front surface and side surfaces of the door; 
 a rear plate coupled to a rear portion of the front plate; 
 an upper cap coupled to an upper portion of the front plate; 
 a lower cap coupled to a lower portion of the front plate; 
 a foaming space defined by the front plate, the rear plate, the upper cap, and the lower cap; 
 an insulation material foamed into the foaming space; and 
 a display unit including a display part having a desired shape to be turned on and off, and disposed at a rear side of the front plate, and 
   a through-hole having a diameter larger than half of a thickness of the front plate is formed in the front plate.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the display unit comprises a printed circuit board on which a Light Emitting Diode (LED) is mounted, a guide part configured to guide the light of the LED, and a cover sheet attached to a front surface of the guide part and having the display part. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the through-hole is 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the front plate is 0.6 mm or less. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the front plate comprises a half-cut portion formed by half-cutting, and a through-hole portion in which the through-hole is formed. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 5 , wherein, when the front plate is half-cut, the diameter of the through hole is formed to be larger than or the same as the half of the thickness of the front plate. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the door further comprises a supporting member configured to support the display unit. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the door further comprises a guide member configured to press the display unit to a front side so that the display unit is in close contact with the front plate. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 8 , wherein the door further comprises a sealing member provided between the front plate and the supporting member to prevent an insulation foaming agent from permeating the display unit. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the door further comprises a filler member in the through-hole to prevent a foreign substance from permeating the through-hole. 
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator according to  claim 10 , wherein the filler member has a viscosity of 2000 centipoise (cP) or more. 
     
     
         12 . A method of manufacturing a refrigerator which comprises a main body, a storage chamber, and a door configured to open and close the storage chamber and having a front plate formed of a steel plate, comprising:
 forming a through-hole having a diameter larger than half of a thickness of the front plate in the front plate, and   filling a filler member in the through-hole to prevent a foreign substance from permeating the through-hole.   
     
     
         13 . The method of manufacturing the refrigerator according to  claim 12 , wherein the forming of the through-hole in the front plate comprises half-cutting the front plate to form a half-cut portion and a through-hole portion, and forming the through-hole having a diameter larger than or the same as the half of the thickness of the front plate in the through-hole portion. 
     
     
         14 . The method of manufacturing the refrigerator according to  claim 12 , wherein the filler member has a viscosity of 2000 centipoise (cP) or more. 
     
     
         15 . The method of manufacturing the refrigerator according to  claim 12 , wherein the filling of the filler member in the through-hole comprises attaching a protection vinyl on a front surface of the front plate, and coating an inner portion of the through-hole with the filler member through a rear surface of the front plate on which the protection vinyl is not attached. 
     
     
         16 . The method of manufacturing the refrigerator according to  claim 15 , wherein the protection vinyl is formed of a polyethylene material. 
     
     
         17 . A display apparatus for a refrigerator, the display apparatus comprising:
 a printed circuit board comprising a Light Emitting Diode (LED);   a display part;   a guide hole configured to guide the light of the LED to the display part; and   a front plate comprising a pattern of through-holes;   wherein each through-hole in the pattern of through-holes has a diameter greater than or equal to half of a thickness of the front plate, and   the pattern of through-holes has a location corresponding to the location of the guide hole for the LED.   
     
     
         18 . The display apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the front plate forms a front portion of a door of the refrigerator. 
     
     
         19 . The display apparatus according to  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a filler member in each through-hole in the pattern of through-holes.