Refrigerating device for a recreational vehicle

Abstract

The present invention is intended to provide a refrigerating device for a recreational vehicle, comprising a refrigerating chamber which is defined by side walls, an upper wall and a lower wall and a front opening, the refrigerating device further comprising a door which is configured to allow sealing of the front opening and to allow accessing the refrigerating chamber via the front opening, an input panel comprising a display, an input knob and a processing unit. The display depicts a plurality of items which correspond to a plurality of executable input methods to be triggered by a user via actuation of the input knob.

Claims

1. A refrigerating device for a recreational vehicle, comprising: a first chamber and a second chamber which are defined by side walls, one of said first or second chambers disposed above the other of the first or second chambers, an upper wall and a lower wall and a first front opening, a first door which is configured to allow sealing of the first front opening and to allow accessing the first chamber via the first front opening, a second front opening, a second door which is configured to allow sealing of the second front opening and to allow accessing the second chamber via the second front opening, an input panel extending from a forward facing side wall of the side walls, the input panel comprising a display, the input panel disposed on a front of a housing of the refrigerating device, and being stationary, between the first door and the second door, said input panel extending horizontally and disposed adjacent to the first front opening and the second front opening, an outer surface of said input panel being flush with outer surfaces of said first door and said second door, an input knob, wherein the display depicts a plurality of items which correspond to a plurality of executable input methods to be triggered by a user via rotation and pressing of the input knob.

2. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, wherein each item of the plurality of items depicted on the display corresponds to a specific executable input method selected from a list, including one of or a plurality of setting a refrigeration temperature, preparing crushed ice or ice cubes, setting a source of energy, defrosting the first chamber or the second chamber, setting an alarm, controlling ventilation of the first or the second chamber, setting light settings or adjusting the volume.

3. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, wherein the input panel is fixedly mounted to the housing of the refrigerating device.

4. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, wherein the first chamber is a freezer and the second chamber is a refrigerator.

5. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, wherein the second chamber is an oven.

6. The refrigerating device according to claim 5, wherein each item of the plurality of items depicted on the display corresponds to a specific executable input method, whereas the specific executable input methods for specifically controlling the oven include one or more methods selected from a list consisting of turning gas on and off, setting a heating temperature, setting a heating mode various time settings, controlling ventilation of the oven chamber, setting light settings or adjusting the volume.

7. The refrigerating device according to claim 5, wherein the oven is a top chamber of the first and second chambers of the refrigerating device.

8. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, wherein the input panel is at the same height as a space between the first door and the second door of the refrigerating device.

9. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, further comprising the display being operably connected with the input knob such that triggering an input method is achieved by said rotation the input knob to select at least one of the depicted items corresponding to the input method and by said pressing the input knob to execute the desired input method corresponding to the selected depicted item.

10. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, wherein the input panel further comprises a cover panel with a transparent section.

11. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, wherein the input panel constitutes an integral part of the refrigerating device.

12. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, wherein the input panel forms an even surface and the input knob is the only protruding component on the input panel.

13. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, wherein the input knob is the only controlling device on the input panel.

14. The refrigerating device according to claim 1, wherein the first door and the second door of the refrigerating device are each hinged at a left and right side of the chambers and each said first door and said second door comprises at least one handle to access the chambers.

15. The refrigerating device according to claim 6, wherein the heating mode comprises top heat, bottom heat, circulating air, rotisserie grill or combinations thereof.

16. The refrigerating device according to claim 6, wherein the various time settings comprise a starting time and a duration for the heating, and setting an alarm.

Description

(1) The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the figures showing a preferable embodiment, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a prospective view of the refrigerating device according to a first embodiment of the invention comprising a first refrigerating chamber and a second refrigerating chamber;

(3) FIG. 2 is a prospective view of an isolated input panel according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a front view of an isolated input panel according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 is section of a refrigerating device according to a first embodiment of the invention in a front view showing the input panel;

(6) FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the input panel according to the invention;

(7) FIG. 6 is a prospective sectional view of a refrigerating device according to a first embodiment of the invention; and

(8) FIG. 7 is a front view showing several embodiments of a refrigerating device 1 for a recreational vehicle.

(9) In this particular embodiment of FIG. 1 the refrigerating device 1 comprises a first refrigerating chamber 2, e.g. a freezing compartment, and a second refrigerating chamber 3, e.g. a cooling compartment. Accordingly, the first refrigerating chamber has a first door 4 and a second refrigerating chamber 3 has a second door 5. In between the first door 4 and the second door 5 on the front side of the refrigerating device 1 is provided an input panel 6 with an input knob 7 and a display 8. Each of the first door 4 and the second door 5 comprises a left handle 9 and a right handle 10 for individually and selectively opening the first door 4 and/or the second door 5 to either the left or the right side. Thereby, the input panel 6 remains stationary attached to the refrigerating device 1. The input panel is further shaped such that it follows the encompassing surface of the refrigerating device without forming protrusions or recesses. The input panel 6 is further provided in a height that corresponds with the lower wall of the first refrigerating chamber 2 and the upper wall of the second refrigerating chamber 3 in order to make use of the dead space in between the first refrigerating chamber 2 and the second refrigerating chamber 3.

(10) In FIG. 2, the input panel is shown in more detail. It is shown that the input knob has a circular shape and is provided on the right side next to a rectangular display 8 showing a plurality of items 11 which correspond to specific executable input methods and operating modes that may be selected by rotating the input knob 7 and which may be executed by pressing the input knob 7 when the desired item 11 is selected.

(11) FIG. 3 shows a front view of the isolated input panel 6 and FIG. 4 the input panel 6 as shown in FIG. 3 in combination with the refrigerating device 1. Here it is shown a plurality of items 11 consisting of symbols representing temperature, battery, power source, defrosting, volume control, ventilation and the like.

(12) The individual components of the input panel 6 are further shown in FIG. 5. The input panel 6 mainly consists of an input panel core 12, housing the processing unit (not shown), and the display 8, the input knob 7, consisting of a circumferential plate 14 and a ring 15 as well as a cover panel 16. The ring 15 is placed in between the cover panel 16 and the circumferential plate 14. The input panel 16 further comprises a transparent section 17 which aligns with the display 8 that is provided in the input panel core 12 in position and dimension. Thus, the display 8 may conveniently be observed in a mounted condition of the input panel 6, whilst being protected through the cover panel 16.

(13) FIG. 6 shows a prospective sectional view of a refrigerating device 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. It can be seen that the input panel 6 is located adjacent to the first door 4 of the first refrigerating chamber 2 and the second door 5 of the second refrigerating chamber 3. Furthermore, each of the first door 4 of the first refrigerating chamber 2 and the second door 5 of the second refrigerating chamber 3 have vertical right handles 9, 10 to open the doors 4, 5 individually and selectively either to the right side or to the left side.

(14) FIG. 7 depicts a variety of further embodiments of a refrigerating device 1 according to the invention. Accordingly, the refrigerating device 1 may either have only one refrigerating chamber, or a first refrigerating chamber 2 and a second refrigerating chamber 3. In either embodiment, the input panel 6 is fixedly provided on the front of the refrigerating device 1 above and/or below a door of the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerating device. The latter is specifically useful, since normally, this dead space would be covered by the doors or an additional blind. Here, the usually unused space is turned into a conveniently reachable space for housing the input panel 6.