WO2007054260A1

WO2007054260A1 - A refrigerator having an electronic display

Info

Publication number: WO2007054260A1
Application number: PCT/EP2006/010638
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christer Lindgren
Original assignee: Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V.
Priority date: 2005-11-11
Filing date: 2006-11-07
Publication date: 2007-05-18

Abstract

A refrigerator having a front door (10), in which there is mounted electronic equipment (11) including a flat panel display (12) for showing a message and/or an image on the display, and a heat sink for removing heat generated by the electronic equipment (11). The heat sink comprises a sheet-metal part (21, 22, 23) arranged to absorb/collect heat generated by the electronic equipment (11), and to conduct the heat to and transfer it to an exterior door panel (13) made of sheet-metal. An interior door panel (25) and the exterior door panel (13) with a cap (16) for accommodating the electronic equipment and a portion of the sheet-metal part (21, 22, 23), which projects from the cap (16), fixed by taping to the inside of the exterior panel (13) are assembled to form a refrigerator door assembly, where the two door panels (13, 25) are spaced apart, a foam forming material is injected into the space between the two door panels (13, 25) and is made to expand to form a heat insulating foam (26) between the door panels (13, 25). The foam (26) presses the cap (16) and the projecting sheet-metal part (23) against the inside of the exterior door panel (13) so as to permit transfer and dissipation of heat from the electronic equipment (11).

Description

Applicant: ELECTROLUX HOME PRODUCTS CORPORATION N.V., Belgicastraat 17, BE- 1930 Zaventem, Belgium Case P-1 1548

A REFRIGERATOR HAVING AN ELECTRONIC DISPLAY

DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a front door, in which there is mounted electronic equipment including a flat panel display for showing a message and/or an image on the display, and a heat sink for removing heat generated by the electronic equipment.

The invention also relates to a method of making a refrigerator front door having a recess for accommodating electronic equipment including a flat panel display for showing a message and/or a image on the display, and said door further having a heat sink for removing heat generated by the electronic equipment.

Description of the prior art

It has already been proposed to provide a refrigerator front door with a display of a TV receiver, vide US 2004/01777624 Al, or a computer display, vide US 2005/0097912 Al, for connection to Internet, for example. A problem with installations of displays in refrigerator doors is that the heat generated by the electronic equipment has to be removed in some manner.

In US 2004/01777624 Al it is suggested to cool the electronic equipment either by providing a fan for forced circulation of air past the heat evolving components of the equipment. It is also suggested to provide a heat transfer member for transferring heat generated from the display to a cold space at the inner side of the door, and a plurality of heat radiation fins may be provided at the end of the heat transfer member exposed to the refrigerating chamber or the freezing chamber of the refrigerator. Then, the heat released from the electronic equipment can impair the performance of the circuitry for receiving and controlling the TV image and, in addition, the heat passing into the refrigeration chamber or the freezing chamber can result in a degradation of the performance of the refrigerator.

US 2005/0097912 Al discloses a design, where there is provided what is termed "a radiation structure for releasing heat generated from the display unit". The refrigerator door is shown as having an exterior panel and an interior panel spaced apart by some heat insulating material, and the door has a recess for accommodating the display unit. The two panels are of matching shapes, so that the insulating material is of substantially constant thickness and the interior door panel has a bulge corresponding in shape to the recess. The display unit has an LCD display panel mounted in one side of a fixing plate and an electronic circuit board mounted on the other side of the plate. A shield plate covers the circuit board and prevents electromagnetic waves from passing. A fan circulates cooling air past the circuit board and discharges the heated air through a plurality of holes provided in a cover plate forming a framing between the display unit and the non-recessed portion of the door. To prevent heat radiation from the electronic circuit to pass right through an adjacent portion of the heat insulating material, a vacuum insulation member may be provided within the door, between the two door panels, at a location exposed to the highest heat,

This design may be supplemented with a plate-shaped heat conducting member, which is reported to be contacted to the display unit, particularly, to a heating portion of the circuit board and extended toward the front surface of the door and releases heat of the display unit to the outside. More precisely, the heat conducting member is shown as being mounted face to face to the fixing plate and extending to the recess wall and then along the wall up to the rim of the recess, a distance corresponding to the thickness of the LCD display panel.

In case the fan, the vacuum insulation member and the heat conducting member still do not give the desired cooling capacity, a heat pipe may be substituted for the heat conducting member. The heat pipe has a heat absorbing member for absorbing heat from a hot portion of the circuit board, a heat radiating member installed at the front surface of the door, and an interconnecting member for transferring the absorbed heat from the heat absorbing member to the heat radiating member. However, a heat pipe is an expensive solution. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having an inexpensive but nevertheless effective heat sink for a front door mounted display.

In an refrigerator having a front door comprising an exterior panel and interior panel and a heat insulating material filling the space between the panels, in which there is mounted electronic equipment including a flat panel display for showing a message and/or an image on the display, and a heat sink made of a heat conductive material for removing heat generated by the electronic equipment, said heat sink comprising an interior portion and an external portion, the interior portion having an heat absorbing area arranged to absorb/collect heat generated by the electronic equipment which heat is conducted and transferred to the external portion, the external portion having an cooling area arranged to be cooled, which cooling area is in heat conductive contact with the refrigerator door, the interior portion and the external portion being part of a same piece. Thereby the heat generated by the electronic equipment can be transferred away from the electronic equipment.

Preferably the cooling area of the external portion is in heat conductive contact with the exterior panel of the door, the exterior panel preferably being made of sheet-metal. And the heat sink is preferably a sheet-metal part. Such a heat sink will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture. It will be efficient in operation, and no fan will be necessary.

Preferably, the exterior panel has an opening and inside of the opening a cap for accommodating the electronic equipment including the flat panel display, so that the display can be viewed in the opening, the sheet metal part extending over an internal, rear portion of the cap, out through the cap wall, and projecting along an inside portion of the exterior sheet-metal panel of the door in heat transferring contact therewith. Thereby, the manufacturing costs will be reduced still more.

As in conventional refrigerators, it is suitable that the front door comprises an interior panel spaced from the exterior panel, and a foamed heat insulating material filling the space between the panels. Then, it is preferred that the foamed heat insulating material presses the cap and the projecting sheet metal part against the inside of the exterior sheet- metal panel, and so facilitates the manufacturing and makes it less expensive.

It is recommendable to fix and seal the cap and the projecting sheet-metal part by taping them onto the inside of the exterior sheet-metal panel before a foam forming material is injected into the space between the two door panels and made to expand to form the heat insulating foam. Taping not only keeps these details in their intended positions, but also prevents the foam forming material from lifting the details out of contact with the exterior sheet-metal door panel. The cap and the projecting sheet-metal part are preferably taped around their edges, sealing the edges and keeping the foam within the door panels.

It is preferred to reduce the thickness of the heat insulating material in the area behind the electronic equipment, so that the accommodation of the electronic equipment between the two door panels does not cause an adjacent portion of the interior panel to bulge into the interior of the refrigerator. Thereby, the installation of a flat panel display and associated electronic equipment in the door does not reduce the refrigerated space.

Suitably, the cap is a molded plastic cap and the interior door panel is a molded plastic panel.

The electronic equipment has at least one heat emitting component. After installation of the electronic equipment in a space enclosed in all directions but one by the cap, the sheet metal part in the internal, rear portion of the cap preferably is in heat transferring contact with said at least one heat emitting component. Thereby, the electronic equipment is maintained at a low temperature.

To ensure a large area contact between the heat transferring sheet-metal part and the exterior sheet-metal panel of the door, the external portion of the sheet metal part has an area larger than 5 cm², preferably larger than 10 cm², more preferably larger than 20 cm², even more preferred larger than 100 cm², and even more preferred larger than 200 cm²

Having a sheet-metal part as the heat sink it is preferred in order to ensure a large area contact between the heat transferring sheet-metal part and the exterior sheet-metal panel of the door, that the external portion of the sheet metal part has an area larger than half the area of the internal portion of the sheet metal part, preferably larger than the area of the internal portion and more preferred larger than twice the area of the internal portion.

In an alternative embodiment, the exterior panel has an opening and inside of the opening a cap for accommodating the electronic equipment including the flat panel display, so that the display can be viewed in the opening , where the cap is the heat sink and where preferably the cap is made of aluminum.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new method of making a refrigerator front door having a recess for accommodating electronic equipment including a flat panel display for showing a message and/or an image on the display, and said door further having a heat sink for removing heat generated by the electronic equipment.

In accordance with the present invention, this object is achieved by: providing an exterior sheet-metal door panel having an opening for mounting the electronic equipment with the flat panel display, providing a cap for accommodating the electronic equipment including the flat panel display, taping and sealing the cap and the projecting sheet-metal part onto the inside of the exterior sheet-metal panel covering the opening, providing an interior door panel, assembling the interior door panel and the exterior door panel with the cap and the projecting sheet-metal part fixed and sealed by taping to form a refrigerator door assembly, where the two door panels are spaced apart, injecting a foam forming material into the space between the two door panels, and expanding the foam forming material to form a heat insulating foam between the door panels, said foam pressing the cap and the projecting sheet-metal part against the inside of the exterior door panel, whereby the sheet-metal part can absorb/collect heat generated by the electronic equipment, conduct the heat to and transfer it to the contact surface portion of the exterior door panel. Preferably, the cap is a molded plastic cap and the interior door panel is a molded plastic panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments and the appended drawings.

FIG. 1 is a frontal view of a refrigerator in accordance with the present invention and having a front door, where electronic equipment including a display is installed.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of details of the front door of FIG. 1 and shows an external door panel, electronic equipment having a flat panel display, a cap for housing the electronic equipment, and a sheet-metal part for absorbing/collecting heat generated by the electronic equipment, conducting the heat to and transferring it to a surface portion of the exterior panel.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing on a larger scale the exterior panel with the cap and the sheet-metal part fixed thereto.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of an assembly of the cap and the sheet-metal part.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 4 with the electronic equipment mounted in the cap.

FIG. 6 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the refrigerator door, illustrating the principle of absorbing/collecting heat generated by the electronic equipment, conducting the heat to and transferring it to a surface portion of the exterior panel.

FIG. 7A-7C shows three alternative embodiments of the sheet-metal part.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a refrigerator 1 of side-by-side model having in the shown embodiment a refrigeration chamber on the right hand side and a freezer chamber on the left hand side. Of course, both of the chambers have front doors, and the refrigeration chamber front door 10 has built-in electronic equipment 11 including a flat panel display 12 for showing a message and/or an image on the display screen. A flat panel display is a computer output surface and projecting mechanism that shows text and often graphic images to the computer user, using a liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode, gas plasma, or other image projection technology. The electronic equipment may be a computer with a flat panel display or a TV receiver, and the computer may have a port for broadband connection to a data transmission network and an integrated function for receiving TV transmissions, and the display may be a touch screen. A touch screen is a computer display screen that is sensitive to human touch, allowing a user to interact with the computer by touching pictures or words on the screen.

As the electronic equipment generates heat, when in use, it has to be cooled by a heat sink in order not to impair the performance of the electronic equipment and, in addition, if heat passes into the refrigeration chamber or the freezing chamber, it can cause a degradation of the performance of the refrigerator. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the main components used in the invention. The perspective is such that it may give the impression that the horizontal dimensions of the components are far smaller than they really are. In FIG. 2 there is shown the front side of an exterior panel 13 of the refrigerator front door 10. The exterior panel 13 is made of sheet-metal, preferably of steel, and has a rectangular opening 14 for the electronic equipment 11 with the flat panel display 12 and a computer portion 15 located under the display. In a standard size refrigerator having a door width of about 0.6 m, a conventional 15" LCD display is preferred. A box-shaped plastic cap 16 is shown spaced from the rear side or inside of the exterior door panel 13 and is adapted to accommodate the electronic equipment 11. The box-shaped cap has an upper, comparatively shallow portion 17 for housing the flat panel display 12 and a lower, deeper portion 18 for housing the computer portion 15. The computer portion 15 comprises heat generating computer components such as CPU, graphic card etc. The computer portion 15 could also comprise external speakers, camera etc. On both vertical sides of the deeper portion 18, there is a lead-through 19 for required cables, such as power cord, broadband cable or antenna lead-in, etc.

FIG. 2 also shows the heat sink utilized in the present invention. The heat sink comprises a sheet-metal part 20, preferably of aluminum, arranged to absorb/collect heat generated by the electronic equipment, conduct the heat to and transfer it to a comparatively large contact surface portion of the exterior sheet-metal panel 13. In the shown embodiment, the sheet metal part 20 is in the shape of a wide strip and has a first portion 21 adapted to extend over and cover at least a main portion of the rear part or "vertical bottom" of the deeper portion 18 of the cap 16, i.e. to transfer heat from the computer portion 15, an intermediate second 22 portion extending to the rim of the cap 16, and a third portion 23 extending away from the cap 16 to form a large area contact with the exterior sheet-metal panel 13. The heat generating components of the computer portion 15 are preferably encapsulated in a metal box and the metal box is preferably in direct connection to the sheet-metal part 20, but could also utilize an indirect connection by heating the air in the deeper portion 18 of the cap 16. The area of the third portion 23 portion is preferably larger than half the area of the first portion 21, more preferably larger than the area of the first portion 21 and even more preferred larger than twice the area of the first portion 21 in order to ensure a large area contact between the heat transferring sheet-metal part 20 and the exterior sheet-metal panel 13 of the door. In order to further enhance the heat transfer from the heat generating electronic components in the deeper portion 18 of cap 16 to the first portion 21 of the sheet-metal part 20, a heat transfer pad, thermal cooling paste or the like can preferably be inserted between the back of the computer portion 15 and the first portion 21. The heat transfer pad is not shown in the figures. Of course a thermal pad, thermal cooling paste or the like could also be utilized between the third portion 23 and the inner side of the exterior sheet-metal panel 13. Further, the electronic equipment 11 has a number of protruding parts 28 at its lower end and the cap 16 has a number of corresponding pockets 29 (partly hidden in figure 2) for the protruding parts 28.

FIG.3 is a perspective view showing on a larger scale the outer side of the exterior panel 13 with the cap 16 and the sheet-metal part 20 fixed to the inner side thereof. The upper, relatively shallow cap portion 17 will house the flat panel display, and the lower, deeper cap portion 18 will house the speaker and the computer or the like. The first portion 21 of the sheet-metal part 20, which is provided for absorbing/collecting heat emitted by the heat generating components of the computer or the like, is substantially parallel to the plane of the door and extends over and covers at least a main portion of the rear part or "vertical bottom" of the deeper cap portion 18. The intermediary second portion 22 of the sheet- metal part 20 extends from the bottom of the vertical first portion and perpendicularly thereto up to the rim of the cap 16. There the sheet-metal part 20 makes another perpendicular bend, and as the third portion (hidden in FIG. 3) passes out of the cap 16 and extends downwards along and in surface contact with the inner side of the exterior sheet- metal panel 13 of the door for transferring the heat to the panel. Further two upper countersinks/bosses 24 are provided in the vertical bottom of the shallow cap portion 17 in order to provide attachment points for screws used to fix the electronic equipment 11 (see figure 2) in the cap 16. The electronic equipment 11 in can then simply be secured to the cap 16 by screws in the countersinks/bosses 24 and by the protruding parts 28 of the electronic equipment 11 (see figure 2) arranged in the corresponding pockets 29.

FIG.4 a rear perspective view of an assembly of the cap 16 and the sheet-metal part 20. This figure clearly illustrates the appreciable size of the third portion 23 of the sheet-metal part 20 that takes the heat away from the heat generating components of the computer or the like and spreads it over a considerable area of the exterior sheet-metal panel 13 of the door. It also shows a lead-through 19 for required cables, such as power cord, broadband cable or antenna lead-in, etc on each vertical side of the cap 16. Further, each countersink on the inside of the cap has a corresponding boss 24 on the outside of the cap to provide sufficient material to give the screws a desired grip in the cap 16.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 4 with the electronic equipment 11 mounted in the cap 16. The figure clearly shows that the width of the third portion 23 of the sheet-metal part 20 is almost as wide as the flat panel display 12 and that the vertical length of the third portion 23 is about 1.5 times its width. The computer portion 15 has at least one heat emitting component (not shown). After installation of the electronic equipment in a space enclosed in all directions but one by the cap 16, the first portion 23 of the sheet metal part 20 in the internal, rear portion of the cap 16 preferably is in heat transferring contact with said at least one heat emitting component. Thereby, the computer portion 15 is maintained at a low temperature.

FIG.6 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the refrigerator door 10, illustrating the principle of absorbing/collecting heat generated by the computer portion 15 (not shown), conducting the heat to and transferring it to a large surface portion of the exterior panel 12. The method of making such a door comprises several steps. First an exterior sheet-metal door panel 13 is provided, which has an opening 14 for mounting the electronic equipment (not shown) with the flat panel display. Also a cap 16 is provided for accommodating the electronic equipment 11 including the display, which cap has a sheet metal part 20 extending over an internal, rear portion of the cap 16, out through the cap wall, and projecting away from the cap. Next, the cap 16 is taped onto the inside of the exterior sheet-metal panel 13 and the projecting sheet-metal part 23 onto a surface portion of the inside of the exterior sheet-metal panel 13. Then, an interior door panel 25 is provided, and the interior door panel and the exterior door panel 13 with the cap 16 and the projecting sheet-metal part 23 fixed by taping are assembled to form a refrigerator door assembly, where the two door panels 13 and 25 are spaced apart. Thereafter, a foam forming material is injected into the space between the two door panels 13 and 25, and the foam forming material is expanded to form a heat insulating foam 26 between the door panels 13 and 25. The foam presses the cap 16 and the projecting sheet-metal part 23 against the inside of the exterior door panel 13, and the taping prevents foam forming material from entering between the exterior door panel 13 and each of the cap 16 and the projecting sheet-metal part 23. Thereby, the sheet-metal part can absorb/collect heat generated by the electronic equipment, conduct the heat to and transfer it to a large surface portion of the exterior door panel 13.

As shown in FIG. 6, the design of the door 10 preferably is such that accommodation of the electronic equipment between the two door panels 13, 25 does not cause an adjacent portion of the interior panel 25 to bulge into the interior of the refrigerator and, thus, reduce the refrigerated space. By not having a bulge into the interior of the refrigerator 1, the manufacturing of the interior panel of door 10 is simplified, since a substantially flat interior panel is easier and cheaper to produce. Furthermore a flat interior panel could then be used both in refrigerators having display as well as ordinary refrigerators without display, which of course is an advantage in a production facility. Furthermore the interior shelves of the refrigerator 1 do not need to be adapted to a bulge in the interior panel of door 10. It should be observed that figure 6 is a simplified cross-section of the refrigerator door 10; thus the size proportions of the door 10, the shallow portion 17 of cap 16 and the deeper portion 18 of cap 16 could be different. In fact the shallow portion 17 and the deeper portion 18 are in practice made very thin in comparison (for example the deeper portion 18 is preferably thinner than 5cm, more preferably thinner than 3cm) to the total thickness of the refrigerator door 10, thereby minimizing any increased heat losses from the interior of the refrigerator 1 from having thinner heat insulating foam material where the cap 16 is arranged. Further, it is also preferred that the cap is a molded plastic cap 16 and the interior door panel is a molded plastic panel 25. In FIG. 7A-7C there is shown three alternative embodiments of the sheet-metal part 20 according to the invention. Of course the cap 16 must be slightly adjusted in order to accommodate respective embodiment of the sheet-metal part 20 and likewise the sheet- metal part 20 may need to be provided with openings for cables or the like. FIG. 7A shows a sheet-metal part 20 having two external parts 23 opposite two each other having the interior part 21 in between and two intermediate parts 22 connecting the interior part 21 with the external parts 23. Utilizing this particular embodiment the external parts 23 would project out from the sidewalls of the deeper portion 18 of the cap 16. FIG. 7B shows a sheet-metal part 20 having two external parts 23 projecting downward respectively sideward having the interior part 21 in between and two intermediate parts 22 connecting the interior part 21 with the external parts 23.. FIG. 7C shows a sheet-metal part 20 having three external parts 23 two opposite parts projecting sideward and one part projecting downward having the interior part 21 in between and three intermediate parts 22 connecting the interior part 21 with the external parts 23.

As is clearly demonstrated by the foregoing description, the present invention provides a refrigerator having an inexpensive but nevertheless effective heat sink for a front door mounted display. The invention is not restricted to the embodiment described and shown in the drawings, but many modifications thereof may be conceived within the scope of the appended claims.

For instance the heat sink of the invention could be combined with an air flow to further improve cooling of the electronic equipment. Further, when taping the sheet-metal part a heat conductive tape could be used for instance an aluminum tape.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention the sheet-metal part 20 not present, instead the cap 16 is made out of a heat conductive material, preferably aluminum. In this particular embodiment the edges 30 of the cap 16 (se for example FIG. 2) are preferably made larger as to increase the contact surface to the exterior sheet-metal panel 13. Of course some design considerations must be considered making the cap 16 in aluminum. For instance the pockets 29 and the lead-through 19 are preferably redesigned. The lead- through 19 could for example be replaced by a drilled hole in a cap wall. The pockets 29 could for example be made of a separate plastic piece while the rear wall of the cap 16 has openings corresponding to the separate plastic piece.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A refrigerator (1) having a front door (10) comprising an exterior panel (13) and interior panel (25) and a heat insulating material (26) filling the space between the panels (13, 25), in which there is mounted electronic equipmenht (11) including a flat panel display (12) for showing a message and/or an image on the display (12), and a heat sink (20) made of a heat conductive material for removing heat generated by the electronic equipment (11), said heat sink comprising an interior portion (21) and an external portion (23), the interior portion (21) having an heat absorbing area arranged to absorb/collect heat generated by the electronic equipment (11) which heat is conducted and transferred to the external portion (23), the external portion (23) having an cooling area arranged to be cooled, which cooling area is in heat conductive contact with the refrigerator door (10), the interior portion (21) and the external portion (23) being part of a same piece.

2. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, in which the cooling area of the external portion (23) is larger than 5 cm², preferably larger than 10 cm², more preferably larger than 20 cm², even more preferred larger than 100 cm².

3. A refrigerator as claimed in any claim above, in which the cooling area of the external portion (23) is in heat conductive contact with the exterior panel (13) of the door (10), preferably the exterior panel (13) being made of sheet-metal.

4. A refrigerator as claimed in any claim above, in which the heat sink (20) is a sheet- metal part (21, 22, 23).

5. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 4, in which the exterior panel (13) has an opening (14) and inside of the opening a cap (16) for accommodating the electronic equipment (11) including the flat panel display (12), so that the display (12) can be viewed in the opening (14), the internal portion (21) of the sheet metal part (21, 22,

23) extending over an internal, rear portion of the cap (16), out through the cap wall, and the external portion of the sheet metal part (23) projecting along an inside portion of the exterior sheet-metal panel (13) of the door (10) in heat transferring contact therewith.

6. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, in which the external portion (23) of the sheet metal part (21, 22, 23) in heat transferring contact with the exterior sheet-metal panel (13) has an area preferably larger than half the area of the internal portion (21) of the sheet metal part (21, 22, 23), more preferably larger than the area of the internal portion (21) and even more preferred larger than twice the area of the internal portion (21).

7. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, in which the heat insulating material (26) presses the cap (16) and the projecting sheet metal part (23) against the inside of the exterior sheet-metal panel (13).

8. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, in which the cap (16) and the projecting sheet- metal part (23) are taped onto the inside of the exterior sheet-metal panel (13) before a foam forming material is injected into the space between the two door panels (13, 25) and made to expand to form the heat insulating material (26).

9. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 7, in which the accommodation of the electronic equipment (11) between the two door panels (13, 25) does not cause an adjacent portion of the interior panel (25) to bulge into the interior of the refrigerator (1).

10. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, in which the cap is a molded plastic cap (16) and the interior door panel is a molded plastic panel (25).

11. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, in which the electronic equipment (11) has at least one heat emitting component, and in which, after installation of the electronic equipment (11) in a space enclosed in all directions but one by the cap (16), the internal portion (21) of the heat sink (20) in the rear portion of the cap (16) is in heat transferring contact with said at least one heat emitting component.

12. A refrigerator as claimed in any of claim 1 to 3, in which the exterior panel (13) has an opening (14) and inside of the opening a cap (16) for accommodating the electronic equipment (11) including the flat panel display (12), so that the display (12) can be viewed in the opening (14), where the cap (16) is the heat sink and where preferably the cap (16) is made of aluminum.

13. A method of making a refrigerator front door (10) having a recess for accommodating electronic equipment (11) including a flat panel display (12) for showing a message and/or an image on the display, and said door (10) further having a heat sink for removing heat generated by the electronic equipment (11), said method comprising providing an exterior sheet-metal door panel (13) having an opening (14) for mounting the electronic equipment (11) with the flat panel display (12), providing a cap (16) for accommodating the electronic equipment (11) including the flat panel display (12), taping and sealing the cap (16) and the projecting sheet-metal part (23) onto the inside of the exterior sheet-metal panel (13)covering the opening (14), providing an interior door panel (25), assembling the interior door panel (25) and the exterior door panel (13) with the cap (16) and the projecting sheet-metal part (23) fixed and sealed by taping to form a refrigerator door assembly, where the two door panels (13, 25) are spaced apart, injecting a foam forming material into the space between the two door panels (13,

25), and expanding the foam forming material to form a heat insulating foam (26) between the door panels (13, 25), said foam (26) pressing the cap (16) and the projecting sheet-metal part (23) against the inside of the exterior door panel (13), whereby the sheet-metal part (21, 22, 23) can absorb/collect heat generated by the electronic equipment (11), conduct the heat to and transfer it to the contact surface portion of the exterior door panel (13).

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the cap is a molded plastic cap (16) and the interior door panel is a molded plastic panel (25).