Refrigerator

Abstract

The durability of the front panel of the refrigerator is improved. A refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a housing having a cooling chamber open toward the front; and a drawer which has a front panel that closes at least a portion of the opening of the cooling chamber and which can be pulled out from the housing, the front panel having: a front panel main body; a cover covering the front panel main body, the cover having an upper surface in which a recessed portion recessed downward is formed, and the upper surface including an inclined portion extending obliquely downward toward the front; and a foamed resin body filled between the front panel main body and the cover and having a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the front panel main body, the lower end edge of the cover in a side view including a portion extending rearward and obliquely upward in a region where the inclined portion is provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a front panel enclosing a cooling chamber. Background Art

[0002] The refrigerator is provided with a door for opening and closing each storage chamber. A grip is provided at either end of the door for a user to hook his hand when opening the door.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-238360 discloses a refrigerator having a drawer door such as an ice chamber door and a vegetable chamber door. A handle is provided at the upper edge of the drawer door for the user to hold when the drawer door is pulled out. The handle has a concave shape facing downward. Summary of the invention

[0004] As described above, there is known a refrigerator in which a recessed portion for hooking a hand when the door is pulled out is formed on the upper surface of a drawer-type door (also referred to as a front panel) of the refrigerator.

[0005] An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to improve the durability of a front panel of a refrigerator.

[0006] A refrigerator according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a housing having a cooling chamber opening toward the front; and a drawer having a front panel that closes at least a portion of the opening of the cooling chamber and can be pulled out from the housing. The front panel includes: a front panel body; a cover that covers the front panel body, the cover having an upper surface, the upper surface having a recessed portion that is recessed toward the bottom, and including an inclined portion that extends obliquely downward toward the front; and a foamed resin body that is filled between the front panel body and the cover and has a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the front panel body. The lower end edge of the cover when viewed from the side includes a portion that extends obliquely upward toward the rear in the area where the inclined portion is provided.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the durability of the front panel of the refrigerator can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 It is a plan view showing the structure of the front part of the refrigerator related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 It is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of a freezer door provided in the refrigerator shown. Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Side view of freezer door shown. Figure 5 It is composed Figure 3 An exploded side view of the upper cover and body of a freezer compartment door is shown. Figure 6 It is composed Figure 3 An exploded perspective view of the upper cover and main body of the freezer compartment door is shown. Figure 7 It is a top view of the upper cover constituting the freezer door. Figure 8 It is a side view of the upper cover constituting the freezer door. Fig. 9 yes Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the upper cover taken along line IX-IX is shown. Fig.10 It is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the upper side portion of the right side of the freezer compartment door. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the same components. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, their detailed description will not be repeated.

[0010] <First Embodiment> (Overall structure of refrigerator) First, the overall structure of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 1 FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the refrigerator 1 when viewed from the front. Figure 2 2 shows the appearance of the refrigerator 1 when viewed diagonally from the front.

[0011] The refrigerator 1 includes a housing 50. The housing 50 may be, for example, a heat-insulating box. The "heat-insulating box" refers to a box having a wall portion made of a heat-insulating material.

[0012] The housing 50 has a cooling chamber. The cooling chamber is a chamber for cooling items. The cooling chamber opens toward the front. In this embodiment, the housing 50 has a plurality of cooling chambers. For example, the housing 50 has three cooling chambers, namely, a refrigerating chamber, a vegetable chamber, and a freezing chamber, in order from the top.

[0013] The refrigerator 1 is provided with a housing 50 and a drawer that can be pulled out from the housing. In the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 has a plurality of drawers 10A and 10B. The drawer 10A is arranged at a middle position of the housing 50, for example, forming a vegetable compartment. The drawer 10B is arranged at a lower position of the housing 50, for example, forming a freezer compartment.

[0014] The drawer has a front panel that closes at least a portion of the opening of the cooling chamber. For example, the drawer 10A has a vegetable chamber door 12 as a front panel. In addition, the drawer 10B has a freezer chamber door 13 as a front panel. The vegetable chamber door 12 and the freezer chamber door 13 are insulated doors with insulating materials.

[0015] Furthermore, a refrigerator door 11 is provided in the uppermost cooling room (eg, refrigerator compartment) of the refrigerator 1. The refrigerator door 11 is openably and closably mounted on the housing 50. The refrigerator door 11 is preferably an insulating door having a heat insulating material.

[0016] In the present embodiment, the surface provided with the door is referred to as the front or front surface of the refrigerator. Moreover, with the front surface as a reference, the surfaces of the refrigerator 1 are set as the upper surface, the side surface, the back surface, and the bottom surface based on the position when the refrigerator 1 is set in the normal state. In addition, when the refrigerator 1 is placed on the setting surface, when the refrigerator 1 is observed from the front, the left-right direction is referred to as the left-right direction (or width direction) of the refrigerator 1 (or the vegetable compartment door 12, the freezer door 13, etc.). In addition, when the refrigerator 1 is placed on the setting surface, the up-down direction of the refrigerator 1 is referred to as the up-down direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the vegetable compartment door 12, the freezer door 13, etc.). In addition, when the refrigerator 1 is placed on the setting surface, the front-back direction of the refrigerator 1 is referred to as the front-back direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the vegetable compartment door 12, the freezer door 13, etc.). In addition, the side located on the left side when observed from the front surface side of the refrigerator 1 is referred to as the left side of the refrigerator 1, and the side located on the right side when observed from the front surface side of the refrigerator 1 is referred to as the right side of the refrigerator 1.

[0017] In this embodiment, upper covers 40 are provided at the upper ends of the drawer-type doors (such as the vegetable compartment door 12 and the freezer compartment door 13). The upper covers 40 are used as handles for the user to hook his hands when the drawers 10A and 10B are pulled out to the front.

[0018] (Front panel configuration) Next, a more detailed structure of the front panel provided in the refrigerator 1 is described. The refrigerator 1 involved in this embodiment has two front panels (specifically, a vegetable compartment door 12 and a freezer compartment door 13). The vegetable compartment door 12 and the freezer compartment door 13 have substantially the same structure. Hereinafter, the more detailed structure of the freezer compartment door 13 is described, taking the two drawer-type doors provided in the refrigerator 1 as a representative.

[0019] Figure 3 and Figure 4 The appearance of the freezer compartment door 13 is shown in FIG. Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing a state where freezer compartment door 13 is viewed from the upper side. Figure 4 14 is a side view showing the side surface of the right side of the freezing chamber door 13. Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 The state in which the upper cover 40 is removed from the main body 20 of the freezing chamber door 13 is shown.

[0020] The freezer door 13 includes a metal plate 21, a back member 22, an upper cover 40, a lower cover 23, and a heat insulating material (foamed resin body) 25. The outer shape of the freezer door 13 is formed by the metal plate 21, the back member 22, the upper cover 40, and the lower cover 23. In the present embodiment, the portion formed by the components other than the upper cover 40 among the components constituting the outer shape of the freezer door 13 is referred to as the main body (or front panel body) 20 of the door. That is, the main body 20 includes the metal plate 21, the back member 22, and the lower cover 23.

[0021] The metal plate 21 is disposed on the front surface of the door. The metal plate 21 is formed by bending each end side of a substantially rectangular steel plate, for example. The metal plate 21 has a front portion 21a and side portions 21b and 21b provided on both left and right sides.

[0022] The upper cover 40 is a cover covering the main body 20. The upper cover 40 is made of resin. The upper cover 40 is formed by molding a resin material such as ABS, PP, PS, etc. The upper cover 40 has an upper surface 42. The upper surface 42 includes an inclined portion 42a extending obliquely downward toward the front. The upper cover 40 has a recessed portion 41 recessed downward. The recessed portion 41 is formed along the length direction of the upper cover 40 (i.e., the left-right direction of the freezer door 13).

[0023] The lower cover 23 is a cover that covers the lower side of the main body 20. The lower cover 23 is formed by molding a resin material such as ABS, PP, or PS, similarly to the upper cover 40.

[0024] The back member 22 forms the back portion of the freezer compartment door 13. The back member 22 is formed by molding a resin material such as ABS, PP, or PS.

[0025] The heat insulating material 25 is provided inside the outer body of the door formed by combining the metal plate 21, the back member 22, the lower cover 23 and the upper cover 40. The heat insulating material 25 is formed by filling a foamed resin body such as foamed polyurethane into the inner part of the outer body of the door. The heat insulating material 25 has a foamed resin body having a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the main body 20 and the upper cover 40.

[0026] like Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the lower end side A of the upper cover 40 when viewed from the side includes a portion extending obliquely upward toward the rear in the region where the inclined portion 42a is provided in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the lower end side A extends obliquely upward toward the rear in the region where the inclined portion 42a is provided. More specifically, the rear end Ab of the lower end side A of the upper cover 40 is located at a higher position than the front end Af.

[0027] The heat insulating material 25 inside the freezer door 13 includes a foamed resin body having a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the outer body of the door (e.g., the upper cover 40, the metal plate 21, etc.). Therefore, the heat insulating material 25 is easily expanded or contracted by the temperature change around the refrigerator 1. If the heat insulating material 25 thermally expands, stress is generated in the outer body of the door.

[0028] Since the upper surface 42 of the upper cover 40 is inclined, the height dimension of the upper cover 40 is larger than that of the lower cover 23. In the structure in which the upper cover 40 is inclined downward toward the front, the height dimension tends to become larger particularly at the rear side of the upper cover 40.

[0029] When thermal expansion of the heat insulating material 25 occurs, stress is more likely to be concentrated on the rear end of the upper cover 40 having a large height. The stress-concentrated portion of the upper cover 40 is more likely to be deformed or damaged (cracks are generated), which causes a decrease in the durability of the door.

[0030] In addition, the overlap area with the upper end of the metal plate 21 tends to increase at a portion of the upper cover 40 with a large height dimension. If the overlap area with the upper end of the metal plate 21 increases, the load on the upper cover 40 arranged to cover the metal plate 21 further increases.

[0031] Therefore, in the freezer door 13 involved in this embodiment, the lower end side A of the upper cover 40 is formed into a shape that is inclined in the front-to-back direction to match the inclination of the inclined portion 42a of the upper surface 42. As a result, compared with a shape in which the lower end side A extends approximately horizontally in the front-to-back direction, the height dimension of the rear side of the upper cover 40 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the stress concentration on the rear part of the upper cover 40 due to the thermal expansion of the heat insulating material 25 in the freezer door 13, and it is possible to suppress deformation or damage of the upper cover 40.

[0032] (Composition of the cover) Next, a more detailed structure of the upper cover 40 will be described. Here, the structure of the upper end side and the periphery of the metal plate 21 to which the upper cover 40 is attached will also be described.

[0033] Figure 7 This is a plan view of the upper cover 40 as seen from above. Figure 8 It is a side view showing the right side surface 43 b of the upper cover 40 . Fig. 9 1 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional shape of the upper cover 40 at approximately the center in the width direction of the freezer door 13. Specifically, Fig. 9 yes Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the upper cover 40 taken along line IX-IX is shown. Fig.10 It is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the upper side surface portion of the right side of the freezing chamber door 13 is cut along the longitudinal direction.

[0034] The upper cover 40 has an upper surface 42 , a left side surface 43 a , a right side surface 43 b , a front surface 44 , a rear surface 45 , an insertion portion 46 , and the like.

[0035] The upper surface 42 forms the upper surface of the upper cover 40. An inclined portion 42a extending obliquely downward toward the front is provided on the front side of the upper surface 42. In addition, a recessed portion 41 is provided in the region of the upper surface 42 where the inclined portion 42a is provided.

[0036] The recessed portion 41 is located in front of the upper surface 42 and has a shape that is recessed downward. The recessed shape of the recessed portion 41 extends along the width direction of the freezer compartment door 13.

[0037] The side surface 43a, the side surface 43b, the front surface 44 and the rear surface 45 form the surfaces of the upper cover 40. The insertion portion 46 is provided on the inner side of each of these surfaces along the shapes of the front surface 44, the side surface 43a and the side surface 43b. The insertion portion 46 is inserted into the inner side of the metal plate 21. Thus, the upper end side of the metal plate 21 is sandwiched between the front surface 44 and the insertion portion 46.

[0038] As described above, the lower edge A of the upper cover 40 extends obliquely upward toward the rear in the region where the inclined portion 42a is provided in the front-rear direction. The upper edge B of the main body 20 (specifically, the metal plate 21) includes an inclined portion Ba extending obliquely downward toward the front, so that the upper edge B follows the shape of the lower edge A of the upper cover 40. Fig.10 As shown, the inclined portion Ba is located in the region where the inclined portion 42 a is provided in the front-rear direction of the upper cover 40 .

[0039] In this embodiment, the upper end side B of the main body 20 is slightly inclined obliquely upward toward the rear at the rear side of the region where the inclined portion 42a of the upper cover 40 is provided. The inclination angle is smaller than the inclination angle of the inclined portion 42a.

[0040] According to the above-mentioned structure, the change in the front-to-back direction of the height dimension of the overlapping portion of the upper cover 40 and the metal plate 21 at the right side of the freezer door 13 can be reduced. As a result, stress is not easily concentrated on a specific portion of the overlapping portion of the upper cover 40 and the metal plate 21, and cracks and damage caused by thermal expansion of the foamed resin body contained in the heat insulating material 25 can be more effectively suppressed.

[0041] exist Figure 8 , H represents the height dimension of the side surface 43b of the upper cover 40. Specifically, Hf represents the height dimension of the front end of the upper cover 40, and Hb represents the height dimension of the rear end of the upper cover 40. In addition, in the front-rear direction of the upper cover 40, Hm represents the height dimension of the portion where the rear end of the inclined portion 42a is located.

[0042] When comparing the height dimensions of the upper cover 40 at various positions in the front-rear direction, the height dimensions Hf and Hb of the front and rear ends of the upper cover 40 are respectively smaller than the height dimension Hm of the upper cover 40 at the portion where the rear end of the inclined portion 42a is located. That is, the height dimension Hm is the largest.

[0043] Furthermore, the height dimension Hb of the rear end of the upper cover 40 is greater than the height dimension Hf of the front end of the upper cover 40. Therefore, the relative relationship of the height dimensions is Hm>Hb>Hf.

[0044] According to the above configuration, stress applied to upper cover 40 due to thermal expansion of the foamed resin body in freezer compartment door 13 can be less likely to be concentrated on the rear end and the front end of upper cover 40 .

[0045] The bottom (lower end) 41L of the recess 41 provided in the upper cover 40 is located below the lower end side A of the upper cover 40 (see Figure 8 wait).

[0046] In the region where the recess 41 is formed in the upper cover 40, the heat insulating material 25 inside the freezer door 13 is hollowed out. Therefore, in the region where the recess 41 is formed, the thickness of the foamed resin body contained in the heat insulating material 25 in the front-rear direction can be reduced.

[0047] As described above, by positioning the bottom 41L of the recess 41 below the lower end A of the upper cover 40, the thickness of the foamed resin body in the front-rear direction of the region where the upper cover 40 is provided in the freezer door 13 can be reduced. Thus, the stress generated by the thermal expansion of the foamed resin body can be reduced.

[0048] In addition, in the present embodiment, at the center of the width direction of the upper cover 40, the distance Db along the front-to-back direction between the bottom (lowest point) 41L of the recess 41 and the rear end of the upper cover 40 is longer than the distance Da along the front-to-back direction between the bottom (lowest point) 41L of the recess 41 and the front end of the upper cover 40 (see Fig. 9 ). That is, Da<Db.

[0049] In addition, if Figure 7As shown, when viewed from above, at least one of the rear corner Rb and the front corner Rf of the upper cover 40 has a rounded shape. Specifically, the front corner Rf of the rear corner Rb and the front corner Rf has a rounded shape. More specifically, the rear corner Rb and the front corner Rf each have a circular shape. Moreover, the curvature R of the rear corner Rb is higher than the curvature R of the front corner Rf. That is, the rear corner Rf becomes a more curved shape (a shape with a greater degree of curvature). In addition, the rear corner Rb is the corner on the rear side and the outside in the width direction of the cover 40 when viewed from above. The front corner Rf is the corner on the front side and the outside in the width direction of the cover 40 when viewed from above.

[0050] Furthermore, the surface of the recessed portion 41 provided on the front side of the upper cover 40 has a continuous and smooth curved surface shape as a whole.

[0051] Thereby, the strength of the upper surface of freezer compartment door 13 can be improved. Moreover, the design property when freezer compartment door 13 is seen from the front can be improved.

[0052] Moreover, the freezing chamber door 13 has a bilaterally symmetrical structure. Therefore, the side surface on the left side of the freezing chamber door 13 also has the same structure as the side surface on the right side.

[0053] (Summarize) As described above, the refrigerator 1 includes: a housing 50 having a cooling chamber, and drawers 10A and 10B that can be pulled out from the housing 50. For example, the drawer 10B includes a front panel (e.g., a freezer door 13) that closes at least a portion of the opening of the cooling chamber. The front panel includes: a front panel body (e.g., a main body 20), a cover (e.g., an upper cover 40) covering the front panel body, and a foamed resin body (e.g., a heat insulating material 25) filled between the front panel body and the cover. The thermal expansion coefficient of the foamed resin body is higher than the thermal expansion coefficient of the front panel body.

[0054] In the front panel, the cover has an upper surface (e.g., upper surface 42) including an inclined portion (e.g., inclined portion 42a) extending obliquely downward toward the front. A concave portion (e.g., concave portion 41) recessed downward is formed on the upper surface. The lower end side (e.g., lower end side A) of the cover extends obliquely upward toward the rear in the region where the inclined portion is provided in the front-rear direction.

[0055] According to the above configuration, the height dimension of the cover at the rear side can be reduced compared to a shape in which the lower end side A extends substantially horizontally in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the stress concentration on the rear part of the cover due to the thermal expansion of the foamed resin body in the front panel can be reduced, and deformation and damage of the cover can be suppressed. Therefore, the durability of the front panel can be improved.

[0056] It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all aspects and are not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is not represented by the above description but by the claims, and is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. In addition, the configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in this specification are also included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that: include: a housing having a cooling chamber opened toward the front; as well as a drawer having a front panel closing at least a portion of the opening of the cooling chamber and being capable of being pulled out from the housing, The front panel has: Front panel body; A cover covering the front panel body, the cover having an upper surface, the upper surface being formed with a concave portion recessed downward and including an inclined portion extending obliquely downward toward the front; as well as a foamed resin body which is filled between the front panel body and the cover and has a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the front panel body, The lower end side of the cover when viewed from the side includes a portion extending obliquely upward toward the rear in a region where the inclined portion is provided.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rear end of the lower end side of the cover is located at a higher position than the front end.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The upper end side of the front panel body in a side view includes a portion which is located in a region where the inclined portion is provided in the front-rear direction and which extends obliquely downward toward the front.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The front and rear ends of the cover each have a height dimension that is smaller than a height dimension of the cover at a portion where the rear end of the inclined portion is located in the front-rear direction.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A lower end of a portion of the inclined portion where the recess is formed is located below the lower end side of the cover.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, characterized in that: At the center of the width direction of the front panel, the distance between the lowest point of the recess and the rear end of the cover along the front-back direction is longer than the distance between the lowest point of the recess and the front end of the cover along the front-back direction.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The height dimension of the rear end of the cover is greater than the height dimension of the front end of the cover.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The cover is made of resin.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: In a plan view, a rear corner of the cover located on the rear side and outside in the width direction has a higher curvature than a front corner located on the front side and outside in the width direction of the cover.

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