Refrigerator

Abstract

The utility model provides a refrigerator. Conventional refrigerators have the problem that the convenience of a user is impaired due to the change of the rotation speed when a heat insulation door is closed. The refrigerator comprises a self-closing mechanism which enables the first heat insulation door and the second heat insulation door to be automatically closed. In addition, a self-closing mechanism for automatically closing the third heat-insulating door and the fourth heat-insulating door is provided, and the self-closing mechanism includes: a catching part disposed in the heat-insulating box; a striker part which is disposed on the first heat insulation door or the like and is detachably connected to the catching part; and a soft closing part for reducing the rotation speed of the capturing part. By adopting the structure, the rotation speed of the first heat insulation door and the like is changed from the first speed to the second speed through the self-closing mechanism when the first heat insulation door and the like are closed, so that the convenience of a user can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a refrigerator, in particular to a refrigerator which can change the rotation speed from a first speed to a second speed when an insulating door is closed by a self-closing mechanism, thereby improving the convenience of users. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a conventional refrigerator. The refrigerator includes: a refrigerator body, which is used as a storage room; and an insulated door, which closes the front opening of the refrigerator body. The right end of the insulated door is rotatably supported on the refrigerator body via an upper hinge. In addition, a self-closing mechanism of the insulated door is arranged on the top surface of the refrigerator body near the upper hinge.

[0003] The self-closing mechanism mainly includes: a first mechanism, which can rotate on the same axis as the upper hinge part; a second mechanism, which is L-shaped and is rotatably mounted on the first mechanism; a permanent magnet, which is arranged on the first mechanism; a baffle part, which limits the rotation movement of the first mechanism; a first spring part, which assists the rotation movement of the first mechanism; and a position detection switch, which detects the fully closed state of the insulated door.

[0004] On the other hand, a connection part is formed inside the box of the insulating door to press the second mechanism when the insulating door is closed. The connection part enters the interior of the insulating door through the notch of the outer shell of the self-closing mechanism part in conjunction with the closing action of the insulating door. Then, the connection part rotates the first mechanism by pressing the second mechanism, and the first mechanism presses the position detection switch. The control part of the refrigerator determines the fully closed state of the insulating door according to the input signal from the position detection switch.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3953082 Utility Model Content

[0008] In conventional single-door refrigerators, compared with double-door refrigerators, the size of one door in a single-door refrigerator is larger, and the number of items stored on the door rack inside the refrigerator is also larger, and the weight of the insulated door is larger. Moreover, due to the difference in the size of the above-mentioned doors, the distance from the rotation axis (hinge axis) to the top of the insulated door in a single-door refrigerator is longer, and the centrifugal force is larger. In addition, in a single-door refrigerator, the rotation distance of the insulated door from the open state to the fully closed state is longer.

[0009] Due to the above structural differences, in a single-opening refrigerator, when the insulating door is fully closed, the collision between the insulating door and the insulating box body is strong, and there is a problem that if the user of the refrigerator gets his fingers caught between the insulating door and the insulating box body, there is a greater risk of injury. In addition, the amount of force used by the user to close the insulating door varies from person to person, and when the closing force is strong, the risk of injury is further increased.

[0010] On the other hand, the risk of injury due to pinching fingers is lower in a double-door refrigerator than in a single-door refrigerator. However, in a double-door refrigerator, the left and right insulating doors are arranged side by side in the horizontal width direction and are closed at the center of the insulating box body when fully closed, so it is difficult for the user to visually confirm the fully closed state of the insulating doors.

[0011] The utility model is completed in view of the above situation, and its purpose is to provide a refrigerator that can change the rotation speed of the insulation door from a first speed to a second speed when closing the insulation door through a self-closing mechanism, thereby improving the convenience of users.

[0012] In the first mode of the refrigerator of the utility model, it is characterized by comprising: an insulating box body, which is formed with a storage chamber; an insulating door, which closes the front opening of the storage chamber of the insulating box body in a freely openable and closable manner; and a self-closing mechanism, which makes the insulating door close automatically relative to the insulating box body, and at least during the period when the insulating door is converted from an open state to a fully closed state relative to the insulating box body, the rotation speed of the insulating door is changed from a first speed to a second speed by the self-closing mechanism. With this structure, when the insulating door is closed, the insulating door is subjected to resistance in stages by the self-closing mechanism, thereby changing the rotation speed of the insulating door from the first speed to the second speed. As a result, although the force when closing the insulating door varies depending on the user, the rotation speed of the insulating door is adjusted by the self-closing mechanism and remains constant, thereby, for example, the sound generated by the collision of the stored objects in the storage part of the insulating door can be reduced, thereby improving the convenience of the user.

[0013] In addition, in the second mode of the refrigerator of the utility model, the self-closing mechanism includes: a catch part, which is rotatably arranged on the insulating box body; a striker part, which is arranged on the insulating door, and is connected to or detached from the catch part in conjunction with the opening and closing action of the insulating door; and a rotation limiting part, which applies resistance to the catch part in stages for limiting the rotation of the catch part, and according to the resistance received by the catch part from the rotation limiting part, the rotation speed of the insulating door changes from the first speed to the second speed. With this structure, when the insulating door is closed, the catch part receives resistance from the rotation limiting part in stages, thereby changing the rotation speed of the insulating door from the first speed to the second speed. As a result, although the force applied when closing the insulating door varies depending on the user, the rotation speed of the insulating door is adjusted by the rotation limiting part and remains constant, thereby, for example, the sound generated by the collision of the storage objects in the storage part of the insulating door can be reduced, thereby improving the convenience of the user.

[0014] In addition, in a third aspect of the refrigerator of the utility model, it is characterized in that: the capture part is restricted by the plurality of rotation restricting parts having different resistances, thereby the rotation speed of the insulating door changes from the first speed to the second speed. With this structure, the capture part receives resistance from the plurality of rotation restricting parts having different resistances in stages, thereby the rotation speed of the insulating door changes from the first speed to the second speed. As a result, when the second speed is faster than the first speed, the insulating door and the insulating box body produce a collision sound when the insulating door is fully closed, thereby enabling the user to judge the fully closed state of the insulating door based on the collision sound.

[0015] In addition, in the fourth mode of the refrigerator of the utility model, it is characterized in that: the first speed is the speed of the insulating door rotating from the open state to the state where the insulating door is opened to a desired angle relative to the fully closed state, and the second speed is the speed of the insulating door rotating from the desired angle to the fully closed state, and when the insulating door is a double-opening door, the second speed is faster than the first speed. With this structure, when the insulating door is a double-opening door, the second speed is faster than the first speed. As a result, when the insulating door is fully closed, the insulating door and the insulating box body produce a collision sound, so that the user can judge the fully closed state of the insulating door based on the above-mentioned collision sound.

[0016] In addition, in the fifth mode of the refrigerator of the utility model, it is characterized in that: the first speed is the speed of the insulating door rotating from the open state to the state where the insulating door is opened by a desired angle relative to the fully closed state, and the second speed is the speed of the insulating door rotating from the desired angle to the fully closed state, and in the case where the insulating door is a single-opening door, the first speed is faster than the second speed. With this structure, in the case where the insulating door is a single-opening door, the first speed is faster than the second speed. As a result, the rotation speed slows down before the insulating door is about to be completely closed, thereby preventing injuries even when the user's fingers are caught between the insulating door and the insulating box body.

[0017] In addition, in the sixth mode of the refrigerator of the utility model, it is characterized in that: the self-closing mechanism includes: a shell part, which is fixed to the insulating box body; a capture part, which is rotatably arranged on the shell part; a first guide groove, which is formed on the shell part; a roller part, whose rotation axis is inserted in the first guide groove and is rotatably supported on the capture part; and a rotation limiting part, which applies a reaction force to the roller part to slow down the rotation speed of the capture part, and according to the reaction force received by the roller part from the rotation limiting part, the rotation speed of the insulating door changes from the first speed to the second speed. With this structure, when the insulating door is closed, the rotation speed of the insulating door changes from the first speed to the second speed by causing the capture part to receive a reaction force from the rotation limiting part in stages. As a result, the user can grasp the fully closed state of the insulating door according to the collision sound between the insulating door and the insulating box body, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

[0018] In addition, in the seventh mode of the refrigerator of the utility model, it is characterized in that: the surface of the rotation limiting portion pressed by the roller portion is formed with: a flat surface extending in the lateral width direction of the insulating box body; and an inclined surface connected to the flat surface and inclined in the depth direction of the insulating box body, and the first speed is changed to the second speed by transferring the roller portion from the flat surface to the inclined surface. With this structure, since the flat surface and the inclined surface are formed in the rotation limiting portion, the contact angle between the roller portion and the rotation limiting portion changes. As a result, the rotation speed of the insulating door is changed from the first speed to the second speed by causing the capture portion to receive a reaction force from the rotation limiting portion in stages.

[0019] In addition, in the eighth mode of the refrigerator of the utility model, it is characterized in that: the self-closing mechanism includes: a shell part, which is fixed to the insulating box body; a capture part, which is rotatably arranged on the shell part; a guide groove, which is formed on the shell part; a pressing member, which is slidably arranged on the capture part and has a guide shaft inserted in the guide groove; and a rotation limiting part, which slows down the rotation speed of the capture part, and when the insulating door is closed, the capture part is guided by the guide groove and rotates toward the front opening side, and the pressing member presses the rotation limiting part toward the depth direction of the insulating box body. With this structure, when the insulating door is closed, the rotation speed of the insulating door changes from the first speed to the second speed by causing the pressing member to receive a reaction force from the rotation limiting part in stages. As a result, the user can grasp the fully closed state of the insulating door according to the collision sound between the insulating door and the insulating box body, which can improve the convenience of the user.

[0020] In addition, in the ninth mode of the refrigerator of the utility model, it is characterized in that: the surface of the rotation limiting portion pressed by the pressing member is formed with: a flat surface extending in the lateral width direction of the insulating box body; and an inclined surface connected to the flat surface and inclined in the depth direction, and the first speed is changed to the second speed by transferring the pressing member from the flat surface to the inclined surface. With this structure, when the insulating door is closed, the contact angle between the pressing member and the rotation limiting portion changes because the flat surface and the inclined surface are formed in the rotation limiting portion. As a result, the rotation speed of the insulating door changes from the first speed to the second speed by causing the capture portion to receive a reaction force from the rotation limiting portion in stages.

[0021] In addition, in the tenth aspect of the refrigerator of the utility model, it is characterized in that: the inclined surface is inclined toward the depth side of the depth direction compared with the flat surface, and when the insulating door is a double-opening door, the second speed is faster than the first speed. With this structure, when the insulating door is a double-opening door, the second speed is faster than the first speed. As a result, when the insulating door is fully closed, the insulating door and the insulating box body produce a collision sound, and the user can judge the fully closed state of the insulating door based on the collision sound.

[0022] In addition, in the eleventh aspect of the refrigerator of the utility model, it is characterized in that: the inclined surface is inclined toward the front of the depth direction compared with the flat surface, and when the insulating door is a single-opening door, the first speed is faster than the second speed. With this structure, when the insulating door is a single-opening door, the first speed is faster than the second speed. As a result, by slowing down the rotation speed of the insulating door just before it is completely closed, it is possible to prevent injuries even when the user's fingers are caught between the insulating door and the insulating box body.

[0023] Utility Model Effect

[0024] In the refrigerator of the utility model, the rotation speed of the insulating door during closing is changed from the first speed to the second speed by the self-closing mechanism, thereby improving the convenience of the user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a perspective view for explaining the refrigerator involved in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a front view for explaining the refrigerator involved in embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 It is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the refrigerator involved in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a block diagram for explaining the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5A It is a top view for explaining the open state of the insulating door of the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator related to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5B It is a top view for explaining the fully closed state of the insulating door of the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator related to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Fig. 6A It is a top view for explaining the self-closing mechanism of the refrigerator involved in the embodiment of the present utility model.

[0032] Figure 6B It is a perspective view for explaining a capture portion of a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Fig. 7A It is a bottom view for explaining the open state of the insulating door of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator related to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 7BIt is a bottom view for explaining the fully closed state of the insulating door of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator related to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 8 It is a bottom view for explaining the self-closing mechanism of the refrigerator involved in the embodiment of the present utility model.

[0036] Fig.9A It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0037] Fig. 9B It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0038] Fig. 9C It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0039] Fig.10 It is a perspective view for explaining the refrigerator involved in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Fig.11A It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0041] Fig. 11B It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0042] Fig. 11C It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0043] Fig. 12A This is a diagram for explaining the force applied to the insulating door of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Fig. 12B It is a figure for demonstrating the rotation speed of the insulation door of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

[0045] Fig.13A This is a diagram for explaining the force applied to the insulating door of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Fig. 13B It is a figure for demonstrating the rotation speed of the insulation door of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

[0047] Fig.14A It is a perspective view for explaining the restoration part formed in the capture part of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

[0048] Fig. 14B It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the restoration part formed in the capture part of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

[0049] Fig.15 It is a perspective view for explaining a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Fig.16A It is a top view for explaining the open state of the insulating door of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator related to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Fig. 16B It is a plan view for explaining a fully closed state of an insulating door of a refrigerator compartment of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Fig.17A It is a perspective view for explaining a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Fig. 17B It is a perspective view for explaining a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Fig. 17C It is a perspective view for explaining a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Fig.18A It is a perspective view for explaining a capture portion of a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] Fig.18B It is a perspective view for explaining a capture portion of a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Fig.19A It is a bottom view for explaining a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Fig.19B It is a cross-sectional view for explaining a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] Fig. 20A It is a bottom view for explaining a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] Fig. 20B It is a bottom view for explaining a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] Fig.21AIt is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0062] Fig.21B It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0063] Fig.22A It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0064] Fig. 22B It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0065] Fig.23A It is a bottom view for explaining the open state of the insulating door of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator related to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] Fig. 23B It is a bottom view for explaining a fully closed state of an insulating door of a freezer compartment of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Fig.24A It is a perspective view for explaining a restoration portion formed in a capture portion of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] Fig. 24B It is a cross-sectional view for explaining a restoration portion formed in a capture portion of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] Fig.25 It is a perspective view for explaining a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] Fig.26A This is a diagram for explaining a force applied to an insulating door of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0071] Fig.26B This is a diagram for explaining the rotation speed of the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] Fig. 27 It is a top view for explaining the connection part of the rotation restriction part of the soft closing part of the refrigerator which concerns on another embodiment of this invention.

[0073] Fig.28A This is a diagram for explaining a force applied to an insulating door of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] Fig.28BThis is a diagram for explaining the rotation speed of the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] Fig.29 It is a top view for explaining the connection part of the rotation restriction part of the soft closing part of the refrigerator which concerns on another embodiment of this invention.

[0076] Fig. 30A This is a diagram for explaining a force applied to an insulating door of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] Fig. 30B This is a diagram for explaining the rotation speed of the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0078] Fig.31A It is a perspective view for explaining a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0079] Fig.31B It is a perspective view for explaining a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0080] Fig.31C It is a perspective view for explaining a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0081] Fig.32A It is a perspective view for explaining a capture portion of a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0082] Fig.32B It is a perspective view for explaining a capture portion of a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] Fig.32C It is a cross-sectional view for explaining a catch portion of a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0084] Fig.33A It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0085] Fig.33B It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0086] Fig.34A It is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0087] Fig.34BIt is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism when the insulating door of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention is closed.

[0088] Fig.35A It is a perspective view for explaining a capture portion of a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0089] Fig.35B It is a perspective view for explaining a capture portion of a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] Fig.35C It is a cross-sectional view for explaining a catch portion of a self-closing mechanism of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0091] Description of Reference Numerals

[0092] 10Refrigerator 11Insulation box

[0093] 11A top surface 11B front surface

[0094] 11C bottom 12 cold storage room

[0095] 13 Freezer 14 First Cool Door

[0096] 14A top surface 15 second best temperature

[0097] 16 center column 17 partition wall

[0098] 18 The third hottest 19 The fourth hottest

[0099] 20 defrost heater 21 outer box

[0100] 22 inner box 23 insulation material

[0101] 24 cooling chamber 25 cooler

[0102] 26 Equipment room 27 Compressor

[0103] 28 Blower 29 Air duct

[0104] 30 control unit 31 hinge mechanism

[0105] 31A upper hinge portion 32 storage portion

[0106] 33, 38 housing portion 34 storage rack

[0107] 35 Inner surface plate 35A protrusion

[0108] 36 Sealing pad 39 Top opening

[0109] 40 Reporting Department 37, 41 Self-isolation Institution

[0110] 42 Capturing portion 42A Engaging groove

[0111] 42B first base 42C second base

[0112] 42E Rotation shaft portion 42D Slider housing recess

[0113] 44 striker portion 44A engagement pin

[0114] 45 soft closing part 46 sensing device

[0115] 46A Mechanical switch 46B Push button

[0116] 46C wiring part 48 spring part

[0117] 48A Compression coil spring 48B Connection part

[0118] 49 first baffle portion 49A, 50A shaft portion

[0119] 49B, 50B top part 49C, 50C main body

[0120] 50 second baffle portion 52 slider portion

[0121] 61 Restoration portion 61A inclined surface

[0122] 70 Refrigerator 71 First Cool Door

[0123] 72 Second Best Room 73 Refrigerator

[0124] 73A front opening 74 freezer compartment

[0125] 75 Insulation Box 75A Top Surface

[0126] 100 Refrigerator 114 First Cool Door

[0127] 115 The second hottest spot 118 The third hottest spot

[0128] 119 Fourth hot door 139 Top opening

[0129] 141 self-closing mechanism 142 capture unit

[0130] 142A: snap-fit ​​groove 142B: first base

[0131] 142C Second base 144 Strike pin portion

[0132] 144A Locking pin 145 Soft closing part

[0133] 146 Housing portion 146A Cover portion

[0134] 147 Screw hole 151 Rotation axis

[0135] 152 first guide groove 152A longitudinal groove

[0136] 152B chute 153 rotating shaft

[0137] 154 rotation restriction portion 154A baffle portion

[0138] 154B Connecting portion 154C Flat surface

[0139] 154D inclined surface 155 rotation drive unit

[0140] 155A Compression coil spring 155B Connection part

[0141] 157 top portion 161 main body

[0142] 161A first base 161B second base

[0143] 162 protrusion 163 second guide groove

[0144] 164 roller part 165 support plate

[0145] 171 Restoration portion 171A inclined surface

[0146] 180 Refrigerator 181 First Cool Door

[0147] 182 Second Best Room 183 Refrigerator

[0148] 184 Freezer 185 Insulated Box

[0149] 200 guide shaft 201 pressing part

[0150] 202 limiting wall portion 203 guide rail portion

[0151] 204 through hole 205 main body

[0152] 207 Track recess 208A, 208B, 208C, 208D inner side

[0153] 209 pressing portion 210 insertion hole

[0154] 211 pressing member 212 roller part

[0155] 213 rotating shaft 214 insertion hole

[0156] 215 main body 216 insertion hole

[0157] 217A, 217B, 217C, 217D inner side surface 218 track recess DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0158] Hereinafter, the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment will be described in detail based on the drawings. In addition, in the following description, the up-down direction indicates the height direction of the refrigerator 10, the left-right direction indicates the width direction of the refrigerator 10 when viewed from the front, and the front-back direction indicates the depth direction of the refrigerator 10. In addition, when describing the present embodiment, in principle, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0159] Figure 1 This is a perspective view for explaining the external appearance structure of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment when viewed from the front side. Figure 2 This is a front view for explaining the internal structure of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment when viewed from the front side. Figure 3 It is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment. Figure 4 This is a block diagram for explaining control for sensing whether or not the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment is in a fully closed state.

[0160] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerator 10 includes: an insulated box body 11, and a storage room formed inside the insulated box body 11. In addition, as the storage room, a refrigerating room 12 and two freezing rooms 13 are formed from the upper side. Figure 1 The reference numerals of the storage compartments are shown in FIG.

[0161] The cold storage room 12 is an area on the upper side of the center of the insulated box body 11, and is formed by using approximately half of the internal space in the box. The front opening 12A of the cold storage room 12 is closed from approximately the center of the insulated box body 11 by a double-opening first insulated door 14 and a second insulated door 15 in a manner that can be opened and closed freely. The first insulated door 14 is a revolving door, and the upper and lower ends on the left side of the paper are axially supported on the insulated box body 11 via a hinge mechanism 31 in a manner that can be rotated freely. In addition, the second insulated door 15 is a revolving door, and the upper and lower ends on the right side of the paper are axially supported on the insulated box body 11 via a hinge mechanism 31 in a manner that can be rotated freely. In addition, the lower hinge portion of the hinge mechanism 31 on the lower end side of the first insulated door 14 and the second insulated door 15 is a well-known structure and is omitted in the figure.

[0162] A center column 16 is disposed at the end of the center side of the first insulating door 14 and inside the box of the first insulating door 14. In addition, the details will be described later, but it is connected to the catch portion 42 (see Fig. 6A) is arranged on the top surface 14A side of the first insulating door 14. Similarly, a striker portion 44 is arranged on the top surface 15A side of the second insulating door 15, corresponding to the installation position of the catch portion 42 of the self-closing mechanism 41 arranged on the insulating box body 11. In addition, the refrigerating chamber 12 is partitioned into multiple layers in the vertical direction of the paper, for example, by a partition member (not shown).

[0163] The freezer compartment 13 is an area located below the center of the insulated box body 11 and is formed by using approximately half of the internal space of the box. The freezer compartment 13 is formed by being divided in the left-right direction of the paper by a partition wall 17 which is a part of the insulated box body 11. Moreover, the third insulated door 18 is a revolving door, and the upper and lower ends on the left side of the paper are axially supported on the insulated box body 11 via a hinge mechanism 31 in a freely rotatable manner. In addition, the fourth insulated door 19 is a revolving door, and the upper and lower ends on the right side of the paper are axially supported on the insulated box body 11 via a hinge mechanism 31 in a freely rotatable manner. In addition, the upper hinge portion of the hinge mechanism 31 on the upper end side of the third and fourth insulated doors 18 and 19 is a well-known structure and is omitted in the figure.

[0164] When the freezer compartment 13 is fully closed by the double-open third and fourth insulating doors 18 and 19, the third and fourth insulating doors 18 and 19 are in contact with and magnetically engaged with the partition wall 17. Figure 8 ) of the capture portion 42 (refer to Figure 8 ) is provided on the bottom surface 18A side of the third insulating door 18, corresponding to the installation position of the self-closing mechanism 37 provided on the insulating box body 11. Similarly, a striker portion 44 is provided on the bottom surface 19A side of the fourth insulating door 19, corresponding to the installation position of the catch portion 42 of the self-closing mechanism 37 provided on the insulating box body 11. In addition, the freezer compartment 13 is divided into multiple layers in the vertical direction of the paper by, for example, pull-out storage boxes (not shown).

[0165] As shown in the figure, a gasket 36 is annularly arranged along the outer peripheral end of the inner surface plate 35 inside the box of the first insulating door 14 and the second insulating door 15. In addition, a protrusion 35A is formed inside the gasket 36 inside the box of the first insulating door 14 and the second insulating door 15. And the protrusion 35A forms a storage area on the door side by supporting the storage frame 34.

[0166] like Figure 3 As shown, the heat-insulating box body 11 mainly includes: an outer box 21, which is formed of a steel plate constituting the outer shape of the refrigerator 10; an inner box 22, which is formed of a synthetic resin plate, is box-shaped, and is formed inside the outer box 21; and a heat-insulating material 23, which is arranged between the outer box 21 and the inner box 22. As the heat-insulating material 23, for example, foamed polyurethane is used.

[0167] A cooling chamber 24 is formed at the rear of the freezing chamber 13. A cooler 25 is arranged in the cooling chamber 24. In addition, an equipment room 26 is formed at the rear of the lowermost part of the heat-insulating box body 11, and a compressor 27 and the like are arranged in the equipment room 26. The cooler 25 and the compressor 27 are connected via an expansion unit and a condenser and a refrigerant pipe not shown in the figure to form a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. In addition, the components of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle are connected to each other via a refrigerant pipe not shown here.

[0168] By operating the refrigeration cycle, the air inside the cooling chamber 24 is cooled by the cooler 25. In the cooling chamber 24, a blower 28 is arranged on the upper side of the cooler 25. The blower 28 is, for example, an axial flow blower or a centrifugal blower, and blows the cold air inside the cooling chamber 24 toward the refrigerating chamber 12 and the freezing chamber 13. And, by blowing the cold air to each storage chamber through various air passages 29, the refrigerating chamber 12 becomes a refrigerating temperature area, and the freezing chamber 13 becomes a freezing temperature area.

[0169] A defrosting heater 20 is disposed below the cooler 25 of the cooling chamber 24. As the above-mentioned refrigeration cycle is operated, thick frost is generated on the surface of the cooler 25. In this way, the control unit 30 (see Figure 4 ) performs defrosting operation, that is, the compressor 27 is stopped and the defrosting heater 20 is powered on for heating to melt and remove the frost. In addition, as the defrosting heater 20, a resistance heating heater, a sheathed heater or hot air defrosting is adopted.

[0170] like Figure 4 As shown, the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 senses the input signal from the sensing device 46 in the self-closing mechanism 41, 37 respectively arranged in the first insulation door 14 to the fourth insulation door 19, and determines the fully closed state of the first insulation door 14 to the fourth insulation door 19. Specifically, the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 senses the mechanical switch 46A (refer to Fig. 6A ) button 46B (see Fig. 6A ) is inputted by the capture portion 42 being pressed, and it is judged that the first insulating door 14 to the fourth insulating door 19 are in the fully closed state.

[0171] On the other hand, when the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 does not sense the input signal from the sensing device 46 within a certain period of time, it determines that one of the doors of the first to fourth insulating doors 14, 19 is in an open state including a half-open state. Furthermore, the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 controls the notification unit 40 to make it emit a sound, for example, to notify the user of the refrigerator 10 that one of the doors of the first to fourth insulating doors 14, 19 is in an open state. In addition, the notification unit 40 of the present embodiment is, for example, a device for emitting a sound or light to the user of the refrigerator 10.

[0172] Next, use FIG. 5A to FIG. 6B , the refrigerator compartment 12 (see Figure 2 ) side is described. In addition, in the following description, the self-closing mechanism 41 arranged on the first insulating door 14 is described, and the description of the self-closing mechanism 41 arranged on the second insulating door 15 side refers to the description on the first insulating door 14 side, and its description is omitted here.

[0173] Figure 5A It is a plan view for explaining a state in which the first insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment is opened with respect to the insulating box body 11 . Figure 5B It is a plan view for explaining a state in which the first insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment is completely closed with respect to the insulating box body 11 . Fig. 6A It is a top view for explaining the internal structure of the soft closing portion 45 of the self-closing mechanism 41 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment. Figure 6B It is a perspective view for explaining the catch portion 42 of the self-closing mechanism 41 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0174] like Figure 5A As shown, the upper and lower ends of the first insulating door 14 on the left side of the paper are axially supported on the insulating box body 11 in a rotatable manner via a hinge mechanism 31. The upper hinge portion 31A of the hinge mechanism 31 is arranged on the top surface 11A of the insulating box body 11, and its upper surface is covered by the shell portion 33. In addition, the detailed structure of the upper hinge portion 31A of the hinge mechanism 31 is not shown in the figure, but it is a well-known structure. The upper hinge portion 31A includes, for example: a main frame, which is fixed to the insulating box body 11 and extends to the side of the first insulating door 14; a hinge pin, which is arranged on the first insulating door 14 side of the main frame; and a hinge mounting hole of the first insulating door 14, etc., which is used for the hinge pin to be inserted.

[0175] The self-closing mechanism 41 mainly includes a capture portion 42, a striker portion 44, a soft closing portion 45, and a sensor 46. The self-closing mechanism 41 is a mechanism that adjusts the rotation speed of the first and second insulating heat portions 14, 15 and closes the first and second insulating heat portions 14, 15 automatically.

[0176] A portion of the self-closing mechanism 41 is adjacent to the upper hinge portion 31A of the hinge mechanism 31 and is fixedly arranged on the top surface 11A of the insulating box body 11. Moreover, a portion of the self-closing mechanism 41 is accommodated inside the shell portion 33 together with the hinge mechanism 31. As shown in the figure, the capture portion 42 of the self-closing mechanism 41 is located on the top surface 11A side of the insulating box body 11 and is rotatably supported on the soft closing portion 45 of the self-closing mechanism 41. When the first insulating door 14 is in the open state, a portion of the capture portion 42 is in a state of being led out from the shell portion 33. Moreover, a snap-in groove 42A is formed in the capture portion 42, into which the snap-in pin 44A of the striker portion 44 can enter or be disengaged.

[0177] The striker portion 44 of the self-closing mechanism 41 is located on the top surface 14A side of the first insulating door 14 and is arranged toward the inside of the box. A snap-in pin 44A that can enter the snap-in groove 42A of the capture portion 42 is arranged at the top end of the striker portion 44. The details will be described later, but when the first insulating door 14 is closed, the snap-in pin 44A enters the snap-in groove 42A, and the capture portion 42 and the striker portion 44 become connected. Then, the snap-in pin 44A presses the capture portion 42 toward the inside of the box while moving toward the root side of the capture portion 42 in the snap-in groove 42A.

[0178] like Figure 5B As shown in FIG. 1 , the capture portion 42 is rotated by being pressed by the engagement pin 44A and is accommodated in the housing portion 33. Fig. 6A As shown, the self-closing mechanism 41 is arranged in the housing 33, and a soft closing portion 45 for limiting the rotation of the catch portion 42 and a sensing device 46 for detecting the fully closed state of the first insulating door 14 are stored. The sensing device 46 has, for example, a mechanical switch 46A, and when the catch portion 42 presses a button 46B of the mechanical switch 46A, a signal generated by the pressing is sent to the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 (see Figure 4 ). In the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10, the fully closed state of the first insulating door 14 is detected based on the above signal, and various controls such as turning off the door lighting of the first insulating door 14 are executed.

[0179] On the other hand, in the first hottest 14 from Figure 5B The fully closed state shown is converted to Figure 5A During the open state shown, the engaging pin 44A moves toward the top end of the engaging groove 42A while pressing the capturing portion 42 toward the outside of the box, and then disengages from the engaging groove 42A through the top end opening 39. At this time, the capturing portion 42 rotates due to being pressed by the engaging pin 44A, and a part of the capturing portion 42 is led out toward the outside of the housing portion 33.

[0180] In addition, when the first insulating door 14 is in the open state and the catch portion 42 and the striker portion 44 are in the unconnected state, the catch portion 42 stops at a position of, for example, 20 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. Moreover, by fitting a portion of the bottom surface of the catch portion 42 with a protrusion (not shown) of the storage portion 32 of the soft closing portion 45, the above-mentioned stop state is maintained even if a force is applied by the connecting portion 48B via the spring portion 48. Moreover, when the first insulating door 14 is in the open state, the catch portion 42 can maintain the above-mentioned stop state to the extent of lightly contacting the user of the refrigerator 10.

[0181] like Fig. 6A As shown, in the housing portion 33 (refer to Figure 5A ) In the configuration area of ​​the self-closing mechanism 41 inside, a spring portion 48, a second baffle portion 50, a first baffle portion 49 and a sensing device 46 are arranged in parallel from the hinge mechanism 31 side. Moreover, the soft closing portion 45 mainly includes a spring portion 48, a first baffle portion 49 and a second baffle portion 50. In addition, the soft closing portion 45 of the present embodiment corresponds to the speed reduction mechanism of the utility model of the present application. In addition, the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50 of the present embodiment correspond to the rotation limiting portion of the utility model of the present application. In addition, the spring portion 48 of the present embodiment corresponds to the elastic portion of the utility model of the present application.

[0182] The spring portion 48 includes, for example, three compression coil springs 48A and a connecting portion 48B for fixing the top end of the compression coil spring 48A. The rear end of the compression coil spring 48A is fixed to the storage portion 32 of the soft closing portion 45. The connecting portion 48B is in contact with the rear end side of the capture portion 42.

[0183] With this structure, coupling portion 48B is pressed by catch portion 42 in conjunction with the rotation of catch portion 42 , or compression coil spring 48A expands and contracts in the direction of arrow 51 (front-rear direction in the drawing) by pressing catch portion 42 .

[0184] Specifically, in the first hot spot 14 from Figure 5A The open state shown is converted to Figure 5B During the fully closed state shown in FIG. 1 , the compression coil spring 48A is extended, and the connecting portion 48B presses the catch portion 42, thereby assisting the rotation of the catch portion 42. Figure 5B The fully closed state shown is converted to Figure 5A During the open state shown, the compression coil spring 48A is compressed by being pressed by the catch portion 42. In the present embodiment, a case where three compression coil springs 48A are used is described, but the number of the compression coil springs 48A can be arbitrarily changed in design.

[0185] The first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50 are configured to expand and contract in the direction of arrow 51, similarly to the spring portion 48. The top end 49B of the shaft portion 49A of the first baffle portion 49 can contact the slider portion 52 arranged on the side of the capture portion 42. Similarly, the top end 50B of the shaft portion 50A of the second baffle portion 50 can contact the slider portion 52 arranged on the side of the capture portion 42. Figure 5A The open state shown is converted to Figure 5B In the fully closed state shown, the first shutter portion 49 and the second shutter portion 50 are pressed by the catch portion 42 , whereby the shaft portions 49A and 50A are housed in the main body portions 49C and 50C.

[0186] Here, if Fig. 6A and Figure 6B As shown in FIG. 1 , the slider portion 52 is disposed in a slider accommodation recess 42D opened to the side of the catch portion 42. The slider portion 52 is rotatably connected to the catch portion 42 via the rotation shaft portion 42E. With this structure, the slider portion 52 is guided by the slider accommodation recess 42D in conjunction with the rotation of the catch portion 42, thereby moving in the direction of the arrow 51. As a result, the slider portion 52 can press the top ends 49B and 50B of the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50 in the direction of the arrow 51.

[0187] The details will be described later, but when the first insulating door 14 is closed, the slider 52 sequentially contacts the first baffle 49 and the second baffle 50 in conjunction with the rotation of the catch 42, thereby changing the resistance for limiting the rotation of the catch 42 in stages. With this structure, when the catch 42 and the striker 44 are in the connected state, the catch 42 rotates to the end, and the first insulating door 14 is in the fully closed state.

[0188] The sensing device 46 includes, for example, a mechanical switch 46A, which is connected to the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 (see Figure 4 ) is connected. When the capture unit 42 presses the button 46B of the mechanical switch 46A, a signal generated by the pressing is sent to the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10. When the mechanical switch 46A of the sensing device 46 is in the fully closed state, in other words, Figure 5B When the catch portion 42 is shown in a horizontal state, the button 46B is located at a position pressed by the catch portion 42 .

[0189] Next, use FIG. 7A to FIG. 8 , the freezer compartment 13 (see Figure 2) side and the self-closing mechanism 37 of the third insulating door 18 and the fourth insulating door 19 will be described. In addition, in the following description, the self-closing mechanism 37 arranged on the third insulating door 18 will be described, and the description of the self-closing mechanism 37 arranged on the fourth insulating door 19 side refers to the description on the third insulating door 18 side, and its description is omitted here. In addition, regarding the self-closing mechanism 37, the same components as the self-closing mechanism 41 are marked with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0190] Fig. 7A It is a bottom view for explaining a state in which the third insulating door 18 of the refrigerator 10 is opened with respect to the insulating box body 11 . Figure 7B It is a bottom view for explaining a state in which the third insulating door 18 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment is completely closed with respect to the insulating box body 11 . Figure 8 It is a bottom view for explaining the internal structure of the self-closing mechanism 37 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0191] Initially, such as Figure 8 As shown, the self-closing mechanism 37 is used with Fig. 6A The components of the self-closing mechanism 41 shown in the figure are the same as those of the self-closing mechanism 41, but the arrangement relationship of the components is different from that of the self-closing mechanism 41. Specifically, in the arrangement area of ​​the self-closing mechanism 37, the sensing device 46, the first baffle portion 49, the second baffle portion 50 and the spring portion 48 are arranged in parallel from the hinge mechanism 31 side. In addition, the capture portion 42 is arranged in a manner to rotate toward the hinge mechanism 31 side. In addition, the third insulating door 18 and the fourth insulating door 19 are self-closed by the self-closing mechanism 37, and the rotation direction is different, but the other actions are the same as the case of using the above-mentioned self-closing mechanism 41.

[0192] Then, if Fig. 7A As shown, the self-closing mechanism 37 is adjacent to the hinge mechanism 31 and fixedly disposed on the bottom surface 11C of the heat-insulating box 11. When the third heat-insulating door 18 is in the open state, a portion of the catch portion 42 is led out from the outer shell portion 38 of the self-closing mechanism 37.

[0193] In addition, as shown in the figure, the striker portion 44 of the self-closing mechanism 37 is located at the bottom surface 18A side of the third insulating door 18, and is disposed toward the inner side of the box. A snap-in pin 44A that can enter the snap-in groove 42A of the capture portion 42 is disposed at the top end of the striker portion 44. And, when the third insulating door 18 performs a closing action, the snap-in pin 44A enters the snap-in groove 42A, and the capture portion 42 and the striker portion 44 become a connected state. Then, the snap-in pin 44A presses the capture portion 42 toward the inner side of the box while moving toward the root side of the capture portion 42 in the snap-in groove 42A.

[0194] like Figure 7BAs shown, the catch portion 42 is pressed by the striker portion 44, and the soft closing portion 45 slows down its rotation speed while rotating to a state substantially parallel to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11. The catch portion 42 is stored in the housing portion 38. When the catch portion 42 presses the button 46B of the mechanical switch 46A, a signal generated by the pressing is sent to the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 (see Figure 4 ).

[0195] On the other hand, in the third hottest 18 from Figure 7B The fully closed state shown is converted to Fig. 7A During the open state shown, the engaging pin 44A moves toward the top end of the engaging groove 42A while pressing the capturing portion 42 toward the outside of the box, and then disengages from the engaging groove 42A through the top end opening 39. At this time, the capturing portion 42 rotates due to being pressed by the engaging pin 44A, and a part of the capturing portion 42 is led out toward the outside of the housing portion 38.

[0196] As described above, in the self-closing mechanism 37, the catch portion 42 rotates toward the hinge mechanism 31 side, so that when the third insulating door 18 is opened, the top end side of the catch portion 42 protrudes to the vicinity of the hinge mechanism 31 of the insulating box body 11. In other words, when the third insulating door 18 and the fourth insulating door 19 are opened, the pair of catch portions 42 are deployed toward the left and right sides in a manner of protruding toward the front surface 11B side of the insulating box body 11 in a manner substantially in the shape of a "ハ" in Japanese Katakana when viewed from the top surface 11A of the refrigerator 10.

[0197] With this structure, for example, when the user searches for food in the freezer compartment 13 or stores food in the freezer compartment 13, although the user approaches the freezer compartment 13, the catch portion 42 is unlikely to come into contact with the user's feet or slippers of the refrigerator 10. As a result, the catch portion 42 stays at a predetermined position, so that when the third insulating door 18 is closed, the engaging pin 44A enters the engaging groove 42A, thereby preventing the third insulating door 18 from being half-opened.

[0198] Next, use 9A to 9C , the action of the self-closing mechanism 41 when the first insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment is converted from an open state to a fully closed state is explained. In addition, in the following description, the first insulating door 14 is used for description. Moreover, the description of the actions of the second insulating door 15 to the fourth insulating door 19 refers to the description of the first insulating door 14, and the description thereof is omitted here. In addition, for the convenience of description, the positional relationship between the soft closing portion 45 and the capturing portion 42 arranged inside the outer shell portion 33 is indicated by a solid line, and the mechanical switch 46A and the button 46B of the sensing device 46 are also indicated by a solid line. In addition, in the case of the third insulating door 18 and the fourth insulating door 19, the use Figure 8 , as described above, replace the self-closing mechanism 41 with the self-closing mechanism 37 and refer to its description.

[0199] 9A to 9C It is a plan view for explaining a state in which the first insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment is switched from an open state to a fully closed state with respect to the insulating box body 11 .

[0200] exist Fig.9A , a state where the first insulating door 14 is opened 45 degrees relative to the fully closed state is shown in the middle of the transition from the open state to the fully closed state. As shown in the figure, the engaging pin 44A of the striker portion 44 disposed on the first insulating door 14 is in a state of being disengaged from the engaging groove 42A of the catch portion 42. In addition, in order to close the first insulating door 14, the user of the refrigerator 10 presses the first insulating door 14 toward the front surface 11B side of the insulating box body 11. Through the closing action of the user, the first insulating door 14 is rotated toward the front surface 11B side of the insulating box body 11 by utilizing the above-mentioned pressing force and the load of the first insulating door 14.

[0201] In the present embodiment, the capture portion 42 is, for example, a structure that is rotated about 20 degrees from the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11 toward the outside of the box. Moreover, the formation area of ​​the engaging groove 42A of the capture portion 42 is exposed to the outside from the outer shell portion 33. In addition, as described above, the capture portion 42 is arranged on the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box body 11. With this structure, when the first heat-insulating door 14 is opened, the capture portion 42 is located at a position higher than the user's line of sight, and the minimum necessary part protrudes from the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11, thereby becoming an inconspicuous structure and hardly damaging the design of the refrigerator 10.

[0202] Then, in Fig. 9B In, followed by Fig.9A , shows a state where the first insulating door 14 is halfway through transitioning from the open state to the fully closed state, for example, the first insulating door 14 is opened 3 degrees relative to the fully closed state. As shown in the figure, the engaging pin 44A of the striker portion 44 disposed on the first insulating door 14 is in a state of entering the engaging groove 42A of the catch portion 42. Moreover, the catch portion 42 and the striker portion 44 are in a connected state and operate in conjunction with each other.

[0203] Here, if Fig.9AAs shown, the capture portion 42 includes a first base portion 42B and a second base portion 42C in a manner of clamping the engaging groove 42A. Moreover, as shown by the circle mark 53, the top end portion of the second base portion 42C extends to a position closer to the center side of the box than the top end portion of the first base portion 42B. With this structure, in the engaging groove 42A, the opening width of the top end opening portion 39 is increased, and the second base portion 42C on the inside of the box becomes longer, thereby making it easy for the engaging pin 44A and the second base portion 42C to collide. Moreover, when the engaging pin 44A enters the engaging groove 42A, the engaging pin 44A collides with the second base portion 42C and is guided into the engaging groove 42A, thereby making it easy to achieve a state in which the capture portion 42 is connected to the striker portion 44.

[0204] Specifically, the first insulating door 14 is rotated toward the front surface 11B of the insulating box 11 by the force and load of the pressing (hereinafter referred to as "the load, etc."), whereby the engaging pin 44A also approaches the catch portion 42. Then, the first insulating door 14 is opened, for example, by 13 degrees relative to the fully closed state, whereby the engaging pin 44A of the striker portion 44 enters the interior from the top end opening 39 of the engaging groove 42A of the catch portion 42.

[0205] Then, if Fig. 9B As shown, the first insulating door 14 is continuously rotated toward the closing direction by the above-mentioned load, so that the engaging pin 44A presses the catch portion 42 toward the inside of the box while moving toward the root side of the catch portion 42 in the engaging groove 42A. On the other hand, the catch portion 42 rotates toward the mechanical switch 46A side of the sensing device 46 due to being pressed by the engaging pin 44A.

[0206] Here, the operation of the soft closing portion 45 will be described. As described above, in the soft closing portion 45, when the first insulating door 14 performs the closing operation, the spring portion 48 applies a rotation assist to the catch portion 42 to assist the rotation, and on the other hand, the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50 apply a resistance to restrict the rotation to the catch portion 42. In addition, in the present embodiment, by arranging the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50 in the soft closing portion 45, the resistance for restricting the rotation of the catch portion 42 is applied to the catch portion 42 in stages.

[0207] Specifically, if Fig.9A As shown, as the first stage, during a certain period of time from when the engagement pin 44A enters the engagement groove 42A to connect the striker portion 44 to the catch portion 42, the top end portion 49B of the first baffle portion 49 is in contact with the slider portion 52 of the catch portion 42. At this time, the top end portion 50B of the second baffle portion 50 is separated from the slider portion 52 of the catch portion 42.

[0208] In the first stage, resistance is applied to the capture portion 42 by the first baffle portion 49. Moreover, the resistance in the first stage can be resisted by applying the above-mentioned load and the like to the capture portion 42. Then, the state in which the engaging pin 44A enters the engaging groove 42A is maintained, whereby the engaging pin 44A is guided by the engaging groove 42A and the above-mentioned load and the like are transmitted to the capture portion 42. In addition, the resistance generated by the first baffle portion 49 is designed, for example, for the purpose of reducing the rotation speed of the first insulating door 14 when the first insulating door 14 is closed by force by the user.

[0209] Then, if Fig. 9B As shown, as the second stage, the first insulating door 14 further rotates toward the fully closed state, thereby bringing the top end 50B of the second baffle portion 50 into contact with the slider portion 52 of the catch portion 42. In this state, the top ends 49B and 50B of the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50 are in contact with the slider portion 52 of the catch portion 42.

[0210] In the second stage, resistance is applied to the catch portion 42 by the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50. In addition, the above-mentioned load and the rotation assist force generated by the spring portion 48 of the soft closing portion 45 are applied to the catch portion 42 while the striker portion 44 is connected to the catch portion 42, thereby resisting the resistance in the second stage.

[0211] Then, in Fig. 9C 2 shows the fully closed state of the first insulating door 14. As shown in the figure, the engagement pin 44A of the striker portion 44 disposed on the first insulating door 14 is in a state of being inserted into the engagement groove 42A of the catch portion 42.

[0212] As described above, in conjunction with the rotation of the first insulating door 14, the top ends 49B and 50B of the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50 come into contact with the slider portion 52 of the catch portion 42. Resistance is applied to the catch portion 42 by the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50. Moreover, although a greater resistance than that in the first stage is applied to the catch portion 42, the catch portion 42 continues to rotate to the above-mentioned horizontal state because the rotation assist force generated by the spring portion 48 of the soft closing portion 45 is also used. As a result, the catch portion 42 presses the button 46B of the mechanical switch 46A of the sensing device 46. Then, the first insulating door 14 becomes fully closed relative to the refrigerating chamber 12.

[0213] In the refrigerator 10 of this embodiment, the engagement pin 44A enters the engagement groove 42A, and the capture portion 42 is connected to the striker portion 44. In this connection state, the first insulating door 14 is fully closed relative to the refrigerating chamber 12 while the rotation speed is adjusted by the soft closing portion 45.

[0214] With this structure, even when the user presses the first insulating door 14 hard to close the first insulating door 14, the first insulating door 14 will gradually be magnetically engaged with the sealing gasket 36 on the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. As a result, the stability when the first insulating door 14 is fully closed can be improved, for example, the sound when the first insulating door 14 is fully closed or the sound generated by the storage object hitting the surrounding due to the vibration of the first insulating door 14 can be reduced, thereby improving the comfort of the user.

[0215] On the other hand, in the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, when the engagement pin 44A fails to enter the engagement groove 42A, the striker portion 44 and the catch portion 42 are in a non-connected state. In the case of such a non-connected state, for example, the catch portion 42 deviates from the standard stop position, the striker portion 44 does not contact the catch portion 42, and thus the above-mentioned load is not applied to the catch portion 42. Alternatively, the contact angle between the striker portion 44 and the catch portion 42 deviates from the desired position, thereby reducing the above-mentioned load applied to the catch portion 42. As a result, the catch portion 42 cannot resist the resistance generated by the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50, and the first insulating door 14 stops rotating in a half-open state.

[0216] In this case, it is possible to prevent the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 (see FIG. 1 ) from being in a state where the button 46B of the mechanical switch 46A is not pressed by the catch unit 42 and the first insulating door 14 is in a half-open state. Figure 4 ) mistakenly judges that the first insulating door 14 is in the fully closed state. And, as described above, the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 controls the notification unit 40 (refer to Figure 4 ) causes a warning sound to be emitted to the user of the refrigerator 10, thereby enabling the user to release the half-open state of the first insulating door 14.

[0217] Next, use 9A to 9C and FIG. 12A to FIG. 12B , the rotation speed when the first insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 of this embodiment is converted from the open state to the fully closed state is described. Figures 10 to 11C and FIG. 13A to FIG. 13B As shown, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 71 of the single-door refrigerator 70 having the self-closing mechanism 41 when it is converted from an open state to a fully closed state is also described. In addition, the rotation speed of the second to fourth insulating doors 15, 18, 19 of the double-door refrigerator 10 when they are closed is the same as the rotation speed of the first insulating door 14 described below when it is closed.

[0218] like Fig.10As shown, the single-door refrigerator 70 includes a right-opening first insulating door 71 and a second insulating door 72, which are the same as the first insulating door 14 of the double-door refrigerator 10. The first insulating door 71 is a front opening 73A (see FIG. 1 ) of the refrigerator compartment 73 in a freely openable and closable manner. Fig.11A ) is a door that closes the front opening (not shown) of the freezer compartment 74 in a manner that allows for free opening and closing. In addition, the second insulated door 72 is provided with a self-closing mechanism 37 on the bottom surface of the insulated box body 75, similarly to the third insulated door 18 described above. Moreover, the rotation speed of the second insulated door 72 when performing the closing action is the same as the rotation speed of the first insulated door 71 described below when performing the closing action.

[0219] Fig.10 This is a perspective view for explaining the external appearance structure of the refrigerator 70 according to the present embodiment when viewed from the front side. FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C It is a plan view for explaining a state in which the first insulating door 71 of the refrigerator 70 of the present embodiment is switched from an open state to a fully closed state with respect to the insulating box body 75 . Fig. 12A The diagram is for explaining the force applied to the first insulating door 14 and the opening angle of the first insulating door 14 when the first insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment is closed. Fig. 12B The diagram is for explaining the rotation speed of the first insulating door 14 and the opening angle of the first insulating door 14 when the first insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment performs a closing operation. Fig.13A The diagram is for explaining the force applied to the first insulating door 71 and the opening angle of the first insulating door 71 when the first insulating door 71 of the refrigerator 70 of the present embodiment is closed. Fig. 13B 1 is a diagram for explaining the rotation speed of the first insulating door 71 and the opening angle of the first insulating door 71 when the first insulating door 71 of the refrigerator 70 of the present embodiment is closed. Fig.10 In the figure, for the convenience of explanation, the reference numerals of the storage rooms are shown. Fig. 12A and Fig.13A In FIG. 1 , the right vertical axis represents the resistance applied to the first insulating door 14, 71, the left vertical axis represents the rotation assistance applied to the first insulating door 14, 71, and the horizontal axis represents the opening angle of the first insulating door 14, 71. Fig. 12B and Fig. 13B In FIG. 1 , the vertical axis represents the rotation speed of the first insulating door 14 , 71 , and the horizontal axis represents the opening angle of the first insulating door 14 , 71 .

[0220] First, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 will be described.

[0221] like Fig.9AAs shown, when the engagement pin 44A of the striker portion 44 and the catch portion 42 are in a non-contact state, the catch portion 42 is a structure that rotates about 20 degrees toward the outside of the box relative to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11 and stops. Fig. 9C The fully closed state shown is a state in which the engagement pin 44A is opened by 13 degrees, whereby the engagement pin 44A collides with the catch portion 42 and the engagement pin 44A enters the engagement groove 42A.

[0222] Here, as described above, in the first stage of the closing operation of the first insulating door 14, the first baffle portion 49 applies resistance to the capture portion 42. As a result, Fig. 12B As shown in FIG. 1 , the first insulating door 14 is rotated from the above-mentioned state of opening 13 degrees to Fig. 9B The closing action is continued while rotating at the first speed until the door is opened 3 degrees as shown.

[0223] Then, if Fig. 9B As shown, in the second stage when the first insulating door 14 performs the closing operation, resistance is applied to the capture portion 42 by the first shutter portion 49 and the second shutter portion 50 .

[0224] Here, if Fig. 6A As shown, in the self-closing mechanism 41, during the period when the first insulating door 14 rotates from the above 13 degrees to the above 3 degrees, the corner 42F of the catch portion 42 contacts the flat surface 48C of the connecting portion 48B of the spring portion 48. Moreover, the catch portion 42 applies a force in a direction to compress the spring portion 48. In addition, when the angle of the catch portion 42 is 20 degrees, the spring portion 48 is in a state of maximum compression.

[0225] On the other hand, during the period from the rotation of the first insulating door 14 from the above 3 degrees to the above fully closed state, the corner 42F of the catch portion 42 contacts the inclined surface 48D of the connecting portion 48B, and the flat surface 42G of the catch portion 42 contacts the flat surface 48C of the connecting portion 48B. Furthermore, the spring portion 48 is released from the state of being pressed by the catch portion 42 and expands from the compressed state, whereby the catch portion 42 is pressed by the spring portion 48, and assists the rotation toward the fully closed state.

[0226] Using this structure, Fig. 12B As shown in FIG. 1 , in the second stage of the closing operation of the first insulating door 14, the closing operation is continued while the first insulating door 14 rotates at the second speed from the above 3 degrees to the above fully closed state. Fig. 12AAs shown, the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50 apply resistance to the capture portion 42, while the spring portion 48 applies a rotation assist force in the rotation direction to the capture portion 42. In addition, in the present embodiment, the resistance applied to the first insulating door 14 by the second baffle portion 50 is set to be smaller than the resistance applied to the first insulating door 14 by the first baffle portion 49.

[0227] As a result, if Fig. 12B As shown in FIG. 1 , in the rotation speed of the first insulating door 14, the second speed is faster than the first speed. Moreover, the first insulating door 14 is closed at the central part of the insulating box body 11 when in the fully closed state, and is arranged in parallel with the second insulating door 15, so it is difficult for the user to visually confirm the fully closed state of the first insulating door 14, but based on the above-mentioned speed relationship, when the first insulating door 14 is fully closed, it makes a collision sound with the insulating box body 11, so that the user can easily judge the fully closed state of the first insulating door 14 based on the above-mentioned collision sound. In addition, the above-mentioned collision sound is set to a range that does not impair the comfort of the user of the refrigerator 10.

[0228] Next, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 71 of the refrigerator 70 will be described.

[0229] like Fig.11A As shown in the figure, the upper and lower ends of the first insulating door 71 in the left direction of the paper are axially supported on the insulating box body 75 via the hinge mechanism 31 in a rotatable manner. The upper hinge portion 31A of the hinge mechanism 31 is arranged on the top surface 75A of the insulating box body 75, and its upper surface is covered by the shell portion 33. In addition, a part of the self-closing mechanism 41 is adjacent to the upper hinge portion 31A of the hinge mechanism 31 and is fixedly arranged on the top surface 75A of the insulating box body 75. In addition, a part of the self-closing mechanism 41 is accommodated inside the shell portion 33 together with the hinge mechanism 31.

[0230] That is, the first insulating door 71 of the refrigerator 70 is similar to the first insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 described above, and is self-closing by the self-closing mechanism 41. Moreover, the self-closing mechanism 41 is disposed at the same position of the first insulating door 71 as the first insulating door 14. As a result, Fig. 11B and Fig. 11C As shown, when the first insulating door 71 is closed, the first insulating door 71 rotates at the first speed from the above-mentioned 13-degree open state to the above-mentioned 3-degree open state. Furthermore, the first insulating door 71 rotates at the second speed from the above-mentioned 3 degrees to the above-mentioned fully closed state.

[0231] On the other hand, Fig.13AAs shown, in the self-closing mechanism 41 of the first insulating door 71, the resistance applied to the first insulating door 71 by the second baffle portion 50 is set to be greater than the resistance applied to the first insulating door 71 by the first baffle portion 49. In addition, the spring portion 48 also applies a rotation assist to the first insulating door 71 in the rotation direction.

[0232] As a result, if Fig. 13B As shown, in the rotation speed of the first insulating door 71, the second speed is slower than the first speed. Moreover, in the case of the single-door refrigerator 70, the user can visually see the edge of the front opening 73A of the refrigerating chamber 73, so it is easier to visually confirm the fully closed state of the first insulating door 71 than in the double-door refrigerator 10. On the other hand, even if the user takes out food from the storage rack 34 or puts food into the storage rack 34 before the first insulating door 71 is about to be completely closed, so that the user's fingers are caught between the first insulating door 71 and the insulating box body 75, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 71 is slowed down before it is about to be completely closed, so that the collision between the first insulating door 71 and the insulating box body 75 when they are completely closed is greatly reduced, thereby preventing the user's fingers from being injured.

[0233] In addition, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 14, 71, etc. can be adjusted by the stroke length of the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50. With this structure, the change point of the rotation speed of the first insulating door 14, 71, etc. is easy to design, and its fine adjustment can also be easily handled according to the user's wishes.

[0234] For example, in the case of a structure that uses a cam mechanism to adjust the rotation speed of the insulating door, the parts that repeatedly slide in the cam mechanism will deteriorate due to friction and the like. In this case, since the resistance value changes during the sliding action, the change point of the rotation speed of the insulating door will also change or the original step-by-step change of the speed will not be achieved. In addition, depending on the material of the sliding parts of the cam mechanism, the following problems may also arise: abnormal sound due to time-dependent degradation, increased manufacturing costs, and increased weight of the cam mechanism itself.

[0235] Next, use Fig.14A and Fig. 14B , a modified example of the structure of the capture portion 42 is described. Fig.14A and Fig. 14B For explaining the state where the capture portion 42 and the striker portion 44 of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment are connected via the restoration portion 61, Fig.14A is its stereogram, Fig. 14B is its cross-sectional view.

[0236] like Fig.14AAs shown, a restoring portion 61 may be formed on the first base portion 42B outside the box in the formation area of ​​the engaging groove 42A of the catching portion 42. The restoring portion 61 is an inclined surface 61A, which is used to return the engaging pin 44A to the engaging groove 42A from the side of the catching portion 42 after the initial engaging pin 44A fails to enter the engaging groove 42A when the first insulating door 14 performs a closing operation. In addition, the restoring portion 61 may be formed on the entire first base portion 42B or partially on the first base portion 42B.

[0237] like Fig. 14B As shown, the restoring portion 61 is, for example, an inclined surface 61A, which is an inclined shape formed on the surface side of the capture portion 42, and is inclined upward from the side surface outside the box toward the engaging groove 42A side. On the other hand, the engaging pin 44A is, for example, configured as follows: it is biased by an elastic spring and can slide in the up-down direction relative to the housing portion of the striker portion 44.

[0238] Here, if Fig.9A As shown, when the first insulating door 14 is opened and the engaging pin 44A is disengaged from the engaging groove 42A, the catch portion 42 maintains the above-mentioned 20-degree angle. However, since a portion of the catch portion 42 protrudes toward the front side of the refrigerator compartment 12 and the catch portion 42 contacts the user, the angle of the catch portion 42 is sometimes smaller than the above-mentioned 20 degrees.

[0239] In this case, the catch portion 42 deviates from the standard stop position, and the engaging pin 44A cannot enter the engaging groove 42A through the top end opening 39. As a result, the engaging pin 44A collides with the inclined surface 61A of the restoring portion 61 of the catch portion 42. Then, immediately after the collision, the first insulating door 14 continues to rotate in the fully closed direction due to the load and the like, and the engaging pin 44A moves along the inclined surface 61A of the restoring portion 61.

[0240] As described above, when the engaging pin 44A contacts the inclined surface 61A of the restoring portion 61 and moves along the inclined surface 61A, it slides toward the upper side of the housing portion of the striker portion 44, thereby passing over the restoring portion 61 and entering the engaging groove 42A. As a result, the state in which the catching portion 42 and the striker portion 44 are connected can be achieved, and the first insulating door 14 can be rotated to the fully closed state.

[0241] On the other hand, as shown in the figure, the inclined surface 61A of the restoration portion 61 is a structure that is not continuous to the engaging groove 42A. With this structure, when the soft closing portion 45 performs normal operation, when the engaging pin 44A enters the engaging groove 42A from the top opening portion 39 of the engaging groove 42A, the engaging pin 44A will not be pressed upward from the top portion below, and the engaging pin 44A can be prevented from falling off from the engaging groove 42A. In addition, the action after the engaging pin 44A returns to the engaging groove 42A is as described above.

[0242] In addition, in the present embodiment, the following case is described: the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50 are the rotation limiting portion of the utility model of the present application, and the capture portion 42 and the striker portion 44 are in a connected state, and rotate to the above-mentioned horizontal state while resisting the resistance to limiting rotation generated by the first baffle portion 49 and the second baffle portion 50, but it is not limited to this case. For example, a recessed portion that fits into the protrusion of the bottom surface of the storage portion 32 of the soft closing portion 45 may be formed on the back side of the capture portion 42, and the above-mentioned resistance to limiting rotation is applied to the capture portion 42 in stages according to the shape of the protrusion. Even in the case where the above-mentioned concave-convex shape is the rotation limiting portion of the utility model of the present application, the capture portion 42 and the striker portion 44 are in a connected state, and rotate to the above-mentioned horizontal state while resisting the above-mentioned resistance, thereby obtaining the same effect as the above-mentioned effect.

[0243] In the description of the rotation speed of the first insulating body 14, 71, the angle of the catch portion 42 is shown as an example of the switching position between the first speed and the second speed, but the present invention is not limited to this. The angle of the catch portion 42 can be arbitrarily designed and changed.

[0244] In addition, the following case is described: the sensing device 46 is arranged in the self-closing mechanism 37, 41, the capture unit 42 presses the button 46B of the mechanical switch 46A, and the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 determines the fully closed state of the first insulating door 14, etc. by detecting the signal generated by pressing the above button, but it is not limited to this case. As described above, regarding the rotation speed of the first insulating door 14, etc., because the second speed is faster than the first speed, the user can use the collision sound of the first insulating door 14, etc. with the insulating box 11, 75 to determine the half-open state, and the sensing device 46 may not be arranged in the self-closing mechanism 37, 41. In addition, various changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the utility model.

[0245] Next, a refrigerator 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention is described in detail based on the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the following description, the up-down direction represents the height direction of the refrigerator 100, the left-right direction represents the horizontal width direction when the refrigerator 100 is viewed from the front, and the front-back direction represents the depth direction of the refrigerator 100. In addition, when describing this embodiment, in principle, the same components are marked with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0246] Initially, in the refrigerator 100, the structure and use of the self-closing mechanism 141 for making the first insulation door 114 to the fourth insulation door 119 perform a self-closing action Figures 1 to 14B The structure of the self-closing mechanism 41 of the refrigerator 10 described above is different. However, in the refrigerator 100, as in the above-mentioned refrigerator 10, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114 to the fourth insulating door 119 when closing the door is changed from the first speed to the second speed by the self-closing mechanism 141, thereby improving the convenience of the user of the refrigerator 100. In addition, in the refrigerator 100, the structure other than the self-closing mechanism 141 is the same as that of the above-mentioned refrigerator 10, and in principle, the same reference numerals are used for the same components, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0247] Fig.15 1 is a perspective view for explaining the appearance structure of the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. In addition, the first insulating door 114 to the fourth insulating door 119 of the refrigerator 100 are the same as the first insulating door 14 to the fourth insulating door 19 of the refrigerator 10, but different reference numerals are used for the sake of convenience. In addition, the control method, cooling method or notification method of the refrigerator 100 are similar to those of the refrigerator 100. Figures 2 to 4 The refrigerator 10 described above is the same.

[0248] like Fig.15 As shown, the refrigerator 100 includes: an insulated box body 11; and a storage chamber, which is formed inside the insulated box body 11. In addition, as a storage chamber, a refrigerator chamber 12 and two freezer chambers 13 are formed from the upper side. Moreover, the front opening 12A of the refrigerator chamber 12 is closed from the approximate center of the insulated box body 11 by a double-opening first insulated door 114 and a second insulated door 115 in a freely openable and closable manner. In addition, the front opening 13A of the freezer chamber 13 is closed from the approximate center of the insulated box body 11 by a double-opening third insulated door 118 and a fourth insulated door 119 in a freely openable and closable manner. The details will be described later, but the first insulated door 114 to the fourth insulated door 119 are opened and closed by the self-closing mechanism 141 relative to the insulated box body 11 to perform the opening and closing action.

[0249] Next, use FIG. 16A to FIG. 22B, the self-closing mechanism 141 of the first insulating door 114 and the second insulating door 115 of the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment arranged on the side of the refrigerating chamber 12 is described. In addition, in the following description, the self-closing mechanism 141 arranged on the first insulating door 114 is described, and the description of the self-closing mechanism 141 arranged on the side of the second insulating door 115 refers to the description on the side of the first insulating door 114, and its description is omitted here.

[0250] Fig.16A It is a plan view for explaining a state in which the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment is opened with respect to the insulating box body 11 . Fig. 16B It is a plan view for explaining a state in which the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment is fully closed relative to the insulating box body 11 . Fig.17A It is a perspective view for explaining the housing portion 146 and the capture portion 142 of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 17B and Fig. 17C It is a perspective view for explaining the internal mechanism of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig.18A and Fig.18B It is a perspective view for explaining the capture portion 142 of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig.19A , Fig. 20A and Fig. 20B It is a bottom view for explaining the catch portion 142 of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig.19B is a cross-sectional view for explaining the capture portion 142 of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment, showing Fig.19A The cross section is shown in the AA line direction. FIG. 21A to FIG. 22B 1 is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism 141 when the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment is closed. FIG. 21A to FIG. 22B In the description, the operation of the catch portion 142 and the soft closing portion 145 of the self-closing mechanism 141 when the first insulating door 114 is closed is mainly described.

[0251] like Fig.16A As shown, the upper and lower ends of the first insulating door 114 on the left side of the paper are axially supported on the insulating box body 11 via a hinge mechanism 31 in a rotatable manner. The upper hinge portion 31A of the hinge mechanism 31 is arranged on the top surface 11A of the insulating box body 11, and its upper surface is covered by the shell portion 33. In addition, the detailed structure of the upper hinge portion 31A of the hinge mechanism 31 is not shown in the figure, but it is a well-known structure. The upper hinge portion 31A includes, for example: a main frame, which is fixed to the insulating box body 11 and extends to the first insulating door 114 side; a hinge pin, which is arranged on the first insulating door 114 side of the main frame; and a hinge mounting hole of the first insulating door 114 for the hinge pin to be inserted.

[0252] The self-closing mechanism 141 mainly includes a capture portion 142, a striker portion 144, and a soft closing portion 145 (see Fig. 17B ), and a housing portion 146 supporting the capture portion 142 and the soft closing portion 145. The details will be described later, but the rotation of the capture portion 142 is performed by the soft closing portion 145. In addition, the self-closing mechanism 141 is a mechanism that adjusts the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114 in multiple stages while closing the first insulating door 114 automatically.

[0253] The housing portion 146 is adjacent to the upper hinge portion 31A of the hinge mechanism 31 and is fixed to the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box body 11. Moreover, the housing portion 146 is accommodated inside the housing portion 33 together with the hinge mechanism 31. As shown in the figure, the capture portion 142 is located on the top surface 11A side of the heat-insulating box body 11 and is rotatably supported by the housing portion 146. When the first insulating door 114 is in the open state, a part of the capture portion 142 is in a state of being led out from the housing portion 33. Moreover, a snap-fit ​​groove 142A is formed in the capture portion 142, and a top end opening portion 139 is formed on the top end side of the snap-fit ​​groove 142A.

[0254] The striker portion 144 is located on the top surface 114A side of the first insulating door 114 and is arranged toward the inside of the box. A locking pin 144A is arranged at the top end of the striker portion 144, and the locking pin 144A can enter the locking groove 142A of the capture portion 142. Moreover, the locking pin 144A is led out toward the lower side of the first insulating door 114. When the first insulating door 114 is closed, the locking pin 144A enters the locking groove 142A, and the capture portion 142 and the striker portion 144 are connected. Then, the locking pin 144A is pulled by the capture portion 142 and moves toward the root side of the capture portion 142 in the locking groove 142A.

[0255] In the present embodiment, the capture portion 142 is disposed on the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box body 11, and is, for example, a structure that can be rotated to about 20 degrees from the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11 toward the outside of the box. Moreover, when the first heat-insulating door 114 is in an open state, the top end side of the capture portion 142 formed with the engaging groove 142A is in a state of protruding from the front surface 11B toward the outside of the box. The details are described later, but a protrusion 162 extending toward the side thereof is formed in the capture portion 142, and at least a portion of the protrusion 162 is always located above the top surface 11A. Moreover, when the first heat-insulating door 114 is closed, the capture portion 142 collides with the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11, and the rotation of the capture portion 142 stops, thereby preventing the first heat-insulating door 114 from becoming a half-open state.

[0256] In addition, when the first insulating door 114 is in the open state, the capture portion 142 is located at a position higher than the user's line of sight and protrudes from the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11 by the minimum necessary amount, so it is an inconspicuous structure that is unlikely to damage the aesthetics of the refrigerator 100.

[0257] like Fig. 16B As shown, when the first insulating door 114 is fully closed, the catch portion 142 rotates to be substantially parallel to the front surface 11B of the insulating box 11. The catch portion 142 is housed in the housing 33 while being coupled to the striker portion 144.

[0258] On the other hand, in the first heat 114 from Fig. 16B The fully closed state shown is converted to Fig.16A During the process of the open state shown, the user operates to open the first insulating door 114 toward the outside of the box. Then, the engaging pin 144A moves toward the top end side of the engaging groove 142A while pressing the capturing portion 142 toward the outside of the box, and then disengages from the engaging groove 142A through the top end opening 139. Then, the capturing portion 142 rotates due to being pressed by the engaging pin 144A, and a part of the capturing portion 142 is led out toward the outside of the housing portion 33.

[0259] In addition, when the first insulating door 114 is in an open state and the catching portion 142 and the striker portion 144 are in a disengaged state, the catching portion 142 stops, for example, at a position of 20 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. Moreover, the recessed portion (not shown) on the bottom surface of the catching portion 142 is engaged with the protruding portion (not shown) of the shell portion 146, thereby maintaining the above-mentioned stop state. As a result, when the first insulating door 114 is in an open state, the above-mentioned stop state can be maintained to the extent that the catching portion 142 is in light contact with the user of the refrigerator 100. In addition, as described above, when the catching portion 142 is in the above-mentioned standby state, a portion of the top end side of the protrusion 162 is located above the top surface 11A.

[0260] like Fig.17A As shown, the housing 146 of the self-closing mechanism 141 is box-shaped and is screwed to the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box body 11 via a plurality of screw holes 147. The capture portion 142 is rotatably supported on the housing 146 by a rotating shaft 151. The capture portion 142 is supported by a striker portion 144 (see Fig.16A ) is pressed to start the rotation, and then the rotation drive unit 155 (refer to Fig. 17B ) is subjected to a force causing it to rotate, thereby rotating relative to the shell body 146 with the rotating shaft 151 as a rotation fulcrum.

[0261] A first guide groove 152 is formed in the cover portion 146A of the housing portion 146. The first guide groove 152 includes a longitudinal groove 152A extending linearly in the depth direction (front-rear direction of the drawing) of the heat-insulating box 11 when the housing portion 146 is fixed to the top surface 11A, and an oblique groove 152B extending linearly and inclined in the oblique depth direction of the heat-insulating box 11. In addition, a pair of first guide grooves 152 are formed on the front and back sides of the housing portion 146.

[0262] As shown in the figure, a roller portion 164 (see FIG. 1 ) which is axially supported by the capture portion 142 is inserted into the first guide groove 152. Fig.18B ) of the housing 146. A pair of the rotating shafts 153 are formed along the up-down direction of the roller portion 164, and are respectively inserted into the first guide groove 152. Moreover, the width W1 of the shorter direction of the first guide groove 152 is substantially the same as the diameter of the rotating shaft 153 or slightly larger than the diameter of the rotating shaft 153, so that the housing 146 rotatably supports the roller portion 164 through the first guide groove 152. The details will be described later, but when the roller portion 164 rotates relative to the housing portion 146 together with the capture portion 142, the rotating shaft 153 is forcibly guided by the first guide groove 152, thereby adjusting the movement trajectory of the roller portion 164.

[0263] like Fig. 17B As shown in FIG. 1 , the rotation limiting portion 154 and the rotation driving portion 155 constituting the soft closing portion 145 are accommodated in the housing portion 146. Moreover, the rotation limiting portion 154 includes, for example: two baffle portions 154A; and a connecting portion 154B that connects the shaft ends of the two baffle portions 154A. When the first insulating door 114 performs a closing action, the rotation limiting portion 154 limits the rotation of the capture portion 142. As shown by arrow 156, when the first insulating door 114 performs an opening and closing action, the connecting portion 154B is pressed or pressed by the pressing roller portion 164 in conjunction with the rotation action of the capture portion 142, thereby the baffle portion 154A is extended and retracted in the depth direction of the insulating box body 11. At this time, the connecting portion 154B reciprocates in the depth direction along the storage wall 149 of the rotation limiting portion 154, thereby the pressing force from the roller portion 164 is efficiently transmitted to the baffle portion 154A. As a result, when the first insulating door 114 is closed, a reaction force F1 (see Fig.21B ) becomes a resistance force that limits the rotational movement of the capture portion 142, and the reaction force F1 is also efficiently transmitted.

[0264] In addition, the rotation drive unit 155 includes, for example: two compression coil springs 155A; and a connecting portion 155B, which accommodates the top end side of the compression coil spring 155A. When the first insulating door 114 performs a closing action, the rotation drive unit 155 rotates the capture unit 142. As shown by the arrow 156, when the first insulating door 114 performs an opening and closing action, the connecting portion 155B presses the rear end side of the capture unit 142 or is pressed by the rear end side of the capture unit 142, thereby the compression coil spring 155A is extended and retracted in the depth direction of the insulating box body 11. At this time, the connecting portion 155B reciprocates in the depth direction along the storage wall 150 of the rotation drive unit 155, thereby the force of the connecting portion 155B pressing the capture unit 142 is efficiently transmitted to the capture unit 142.

[0265] With this structure, when the first insulating door 114 is closed, in the soft closing portion 145, the baffle portion 154A of the rotation limiting portion 154 is pressed by the roller portion 164 via the connecting portion 154B and contracts, thereby limiting the rotation of the capture portion 142 and adjusting the rotation speed of the capture portion 142. On the other hand, the compression coil spring 155A of the rotation driving portion 155 presses the rear end side of the capture portion 142 via the connecting portion 155B, thereby rotating the capture portion 142. That is, when the first insulating door 114 is closed, the rotation driving portion 155 becomes a driving source for the capture portion 42 to rotate.

[0266] like Fig. 17C As shown, the surface of the top end portion 157 of the connecting portion 154B facing the roller portion 164 is formed with: a flat surface 154C that contacts the roller portion 164; and an inclined surface 154D that is inclined toward the depth side of the depth direction of the housing portion 146 compared to the flat surface 154C. Moreover, when the housing portion 146 is fixed to the top surface 11A of the insulating box body 11, the flat surface 154C is formed to extend along the lateral width direction of the insulating box body 11 in a manner substantially parallel to the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. The details will be described later, but when the first insulating door 114 is closed, the roller portion 164 axially supported by the catch portion 142 rolls on the flat surface 154C or the inclined surface 154D while pressing the connecting portion 154B toward the baffle portion 154A side, thereby adjusting the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114. The tip portion 157 of the connecting portion 154B is inserted into a support plate 165 of the capture portion 142 that axially supports the roller portion 164 (see Fig.18B ), whereby the roller portion 164 is supported between the support plates 165 in a substantially vertical state and can roll stably on the flat surface 154C.

[0267] like Fig.18AAs shown, the capture portion 142 includes: a main body 161; an engaging groove 142A formed in the main body 161; a protrusion 162 protruding from the main body 161 in the lateral width direction; and a second guide groove 163 formed in the main body 161.

[0268] The main body 161 of the capture portion 142 is provided with a first base 161A and a second base 161B in a manner of sandwiching the engaging groove 142A. As shown by the circle mark 159, the second base 161B extends longer than the first base 161A. Moreover, the engaging groove 142A is formed as a recessed portion recessed from the surface side of the main body 161, thereby forming the first base 161A and the second base 161B as an integral structure. With this structure, the second base 161B, in particular, repeatedly collides with the engaging pin 144A when the first insulating door 114 is closed, but the rigidity required as a component can be achieved.

[0269] In addition, the second base 161B is formed with a protrusion 162 that protrudes toward the side opposite to the engagement groove 142A. In other words, when the self-closing mechanism 141 is fixed to the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box 11, the protrusion 162 protrudes toward the top surface 11A. Moreover, the protrusion 162 is formed as an integral structure with the second base 161B, for example, and has a shape that gradually narrows toward its top end.

[0270] Also like Fig.18B As shown, a second guide groove 163 is formed in the main body 161. The rotating shaft 153 of the roller 164 is inserted into the second guide groove 163, so that the roller 164 is rotated by the first guide groove 152 (refer to Fig.17A ) and the second guide groove 163. Moreover, the second guide groove 163 is a long hole formed along the length direction of the main body 161, and a pair of them are formed on the support plate 165 on the front and back sides of the main body 161. The width W2 of the second guide groove 163 in the shorter direction is substantially the same as the diameter of the rotating shaft 153 or slightly larger than the diameter of the rotating shaft 153, so that the main body 161 supports the roller 164 in a rotatable manner through the second guide groove 163.

[0271] In addition, the diameter of the roller portion 164 between the rotation shafts 153 in the vertical direction is larger than the width W2 of the second guide groove 163, and the roller portion 164 is configured to be rotatably embedded between the pair of support plates 165. With this structure, the roller portion 164 is axially supported by the main body 161 in a rotatable manner and can move in the longitudinal direction of the second guide groove 163. Furthermore, the top end portion 157 (see Fig. 17C ) is inserted between the support plates 165 and assembled, whereby the roller portion 164 can be moved along the flat surface 154C (see Fig. 17C ) scrolls steadily on the

[0272] Details Use FIG. 21A to FIG. 22B As described later, when the first insulating door 114 is closed, the capture portion 142 is connected to the striker portion 144 and rotates toward the insulating box body 11, and the roller portion 164 presses the flat surface 154C of the connecting portion 154B toward the depth direction while rolling toward the inclined surface 154D.

[0273] At this time, the roller 164 makes line contact with the flat surface 154C of the connecting portion 154B to press the connecting portion 154B, and the position of the line contact changes relative to the flat surface 154C because the roller 164 moves while rotating. With this structure, although the first insulating door 114 repeatedly opens and closes, the position of the roller 164 making line contact with the flat surface 154C changes, so the thinning amount caused by wear of the roller 164 and the flat surface 154C is greatly reduced.

[0274] As a result, the contact position between the roller portion 164 and the connecting portion 154B can be prevented from changing relative to the initially set position due to time degradation corresponding to the actual years of use. In addition, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114 can be prevented from changing relative to the initially set rotation speed according to the actual years of use due to the change in the resistance value during the above-mentioned contact between the roller portion 164 and the connecting portion 154B. As a result, the user of the refrigerator 100 can use the self-closing action of the first insulating door 114 for many years without feeling uncomfortable, which can improve convenience. In addition, the repair frequency of the self-closing mechanism 141 is reduced, so it is also possible to prevent the user's maintenance costs from increasing.

[0275] like Fig.19A and Fig.19B As shown, a protruding piece 162B is formed on the back side 162A of the protruding portion 162 along the outer peripheral end 162C of the protruding portion 162. The protruding piece 162B is formed integrally with the protruding portion 162, and protrudes downward compared to the back side 162A thereof. That is, as shown in the figure, the protruding piece 162B is formed in a substantially semicircular shape when viewed in cross section, for example, and a region R1 where the protruding piece 162B is formed is a region that protrudes compared to a region R2 where the protruding piece 162B is not formed.

[0276] With this structure, when the capture part 142 rotates, even when the protruding piece 162B is in contact with the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box body 11, the resistance value during sliding is difficult to increase because the top end of the protruding piece 162B is in contact with the top surface 11A and the area of ​​contact with the top surface 11A is reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent the rotation speed of the capture part 142 from being slower than the design value. In addition, the protruding piece 162B is in point contact with the top surface 11A based on the curved surface, so the thinning amount caused by the wear during the above sliding is also reduced, and the frequency of component replacement caused by the deterioration of the capture part 142 is reduced. In addition, it is also possible to prevent the user's maintenance costs from increasing.

[0277] like Fig. 20A As shown, the protrusion piece 162B may be formed along the outer peripheral end 162C of the protrusion 162 with the outer side of the tip side of the protrusion 162 as the center. As described above, the periphery of the tip of the protrusion 162 is within the rotation range W3 (refer to Fig.21A ) is always located on the top surface 11A and becomes the area that initially contacts the top surface 11A. Therefore, the protruding piece 162B is formed at least in the area shown in the figure, thereby reducing the contact area between the protruding piece 162B and the top surface 11A. With this structure, Fig. 20A In the structure shown, the above-mentioned Fig.19A and Fig.19B The construction shown has the same effect.

[0278] like Fig. 20B As shown, the protrusion piece 162B may be, for example, hemispherical and may be formed in a plurality of dispersed manner on the back surface 162A of the protrusion 162. In the illustrated structure, the contact area between the protrusion piece 162B and the top surface 11A can also be reduced, and the above-mentioned Fig.19A and Fig.19B The construction shown has the same effect.

[0279] In addition, although not shown in the figure, it is also possible to Fig.19A and Fig.19B The opening is provided in the region R2 where the protruding piece 162B is not formed, thereby reducing the material used and reducing the manufacturing cost. Furthermore, as long as the resistance value when the protruding piece 162B of the protruding portion 162 and the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box 11 slide is reduced, the configuration position or shape of the protruding piece 162B can be arbitrarily designed and changed.

[0280] like FIG. 21A to FIG. 22BAs shown in the figure, when the housing 146 is fixed to the top surface 11A, a part of the protrusion 162 is always located above the top surface 11A regardless of the rotation position of the capture portion 142. Moreover, at the time of initial setting, the protrusion piece 162B of the protrusion 162 is in a state of being separated from the top surface 11A. In addition, the protrusion piece 162B of the protrusion 162 may be in a state of being in contact with the top surface 11A from the time of initial setting.

[0281] There is also a case where the top end side of the catch portion 142 droops to the lower side of the heat-insulating box body 11 due to repeated opening and closing of the first insulating door 114 or time-dependent degradation of the refrigerator 100 as described above. In this case, the protruding piece 162B of the protruding portion 162 contacts the top surface 11A, and at least a part of the protruding portion 162 is supported on the top surface 11A, thereby preventing the top end side of the catch portion 142 from drooping relative to the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box body 11. Furthermore, when the first insulating door 114 is closed, the catch portion 142 collides with the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11, and its rotation stops, thereby preventing the first insulating door 114 from becoming a half-open state.

[0282] Next, use FIG. 21A to FIG. 22B , the operation of the self-closing mechanism 141 when the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment is converted from an open state to a fully closed state is described. In addition, in the following description, the first insulating door 114 is used for description. Moreover, the description of the operation of the second insulating door 115 to the fourth insulating door 119 refers to the description of the first insulating door 114, and the description thereof is omitted here. In addition, the dotted line 158 schematically shows the line of the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. In addition, for the convenience of description, the cover portion 146A (refer to Fig.17A ) is omitted for explanation, but the first guide groove 152 and its longitudinal groove 152A and oblique groove 152B formed in the cover portion 146A are shown for explanation.

[0283] Initially, the first guide groove 152 is a groove for adjusting the moving track of the roller portion 164, and the rotation axis 153 of the roller portion 164 receives a reaction force F2 from the inner side surface of the first guide groove 152 as the capture portion 142 rotates. In addition, the second guide groove 163 is a groove for applying a rotation force F3 to the roller portion 164, and the rotation axis 153 of the roller portion 164 receives a rotation force F3 from the inner side surface of the second guide groove 163 as the capture portion 142 rotates. FIG. 21A to FIG. 22B, the reaction force received by the roller portion 164 from the connecting portion 154B of the rotation limiting portion 154 is shown as F1, the reaction force received by the rotating shaft 153 from the inner side surface of the first guide groove 152 is shown as F2, and the rotation force received by the rotating shaft 153 from the inner side surface of the second guide groove 163 is shown as F3. In addition, the reaction force F1 and the reaction force F2 become resistance forces that limit the rotation of the capture portion 142.

[0284] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in order to facilitate the description of the force acting on the rotating shaft 153 of the roller portion 164, the above-mentioned reaction forces F1, F2 and the rotational force F3 are used for description, but in fact, the force for rotating the capture portion 142 is not limited to the above-mentioned rotational force F3. For example, as a force for rotating the capture portion 142, there is also a force that the capture portion 142 directly receives from the rotation drive portion 155 of the soft closing portion 145. In addition, depending on the rotation angle of the capture portion 142, the above-mentioned reaction forces F1, F2 also act as a force for rotating the capture portion 142. Moreover, the above-mentioned reaction forces F1, F2 and the rotational force F3 change according to the rotation angle of the capture portion 142, and the lengths of the above-mentioned reaction forces F1, F2 and the rotational force F3 shown in the figure are schematically shown and do not represent the actual magnitude of the force.

[0285] exist Fig.21A In the embodiment, the first insulating door 114 is in an open state, and the engaging pin 144A of the striker portion 144 is disengaged from the engaging groove 142A of the catch portion 142. The catch portion 142 is, for example, in a state of being stopped at a position of 20 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. Then, in order to close the first insulating door 114, the user of the refrigerator 100 presses the first insulating door 114 toward the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11, and applies a force to rotate the first insulating door 114. Through the closing action of the user, the first insulating door 114 is rotated toward the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11 by utilizing the above-mentioned rotational force and the load of the first insulating door 114.

[0286] As described above, the rotating shaft 153 of the roller portion 164 is inserted into the first guide groove 152 and the second guide groove 163 on the front and back sides of the housing portion 146. Moreover, the rotating shaft 153 is supported by the first guide groove 152 and the second guide groove 163 in a manner that at least the reaction force F2 and the rotation force F3 are directed in different directions. With this structure, the roller portion 164 is supported in a stable upright state in a manner that is directed in a substantially vertical direction relative to the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box body 11. In addition, the roller portion 164 is also in contact with the flat surface 154C of the connecting portion 154B and receives the reaction force F1, thereby further becoming a stable upright state.

[0287] As shown in the figure, the connecting portion 154B of the rotation restricting portion 154 is in a state of pressing the roller portion 164 toward the outside of the box with the reaction force F1, whereby the rotating shaft 153 is located at the top end side of the first guide groove 152 and contacts the inner side surface of the first guide groove 152. In addition, the rotating shaft 153 receives the reaction force F2 from the inner side surface of the first guide groove 152.

[0288] On the other hand, in the capture part 142, for example, the stop state is maintained by the engagement of the concave part (not shown) on the bottom surface thereof with the protrusion (not shown) of the housing part 146. Moreover, at the rear end side of the capture part 142, a force for rotating the capture part 142 is received from the connecting part 155B of the rotation drive part 155, but the equilibrium state is maintained due to the above-mentioned stop state. As a result, the rotation shaft 153 does not receive the rotation force F3 from the inner side surface of the second guide groove 163.

[0289] In addition, arrow W3 indicates the rotation range of the capture portion 142. Fig.21A In the embodiment, the catch portion 142 is located at the outermost position of the box within the rotation range. Moreover, a portion of the top end side of the protrusion 162 is also located above the top surface 11A when the catch portion 142 is in the above-mentioned stopped state. In addition, although not shown in the figure, a protruding piece 162B is formed on the back side 162A of the protrusion 162 located on the top surface 11A.

[0290] exist Fig.21B In the embodiment, when the first insulating door 114 is in the closing action, the engagement pin 144A of the striker portion 144 enters the engagement groove 142A of the catch portion 142, and the striker portion 144 and the catch portion 142 are in a connected state. Moreover, the catch portion 142 is, for example, in a state of being rotated 10 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. In addition, a part of the protrusion 162 is located above the top surface 11A.

[0291] Initially, in Fig.21A The capture part 142 shown is in a standby state, and the engaging pin 144A of the striker part 144 collides with the top end side of the second base part 161B as shown by the circle mark 159, thereby releasing the standby state. Then, the capture part 142 receives a force to rotate from the connecting part 155B of the rotation drive part 155, thereby starting a rotational motion.

[0292] As shown in the figure, the rotating shaft 153 receives a rotation force F3 from the inner side surface of the second guide groove 163, thereby moving toward the front surface 11B side of the heat-insulating box 11 together with the capture portion 142. On the other hand, the rotating shaft 153 contacts the inner side surface of the longitudinal groove 152A of the first guide groove 152 and the movement trajectory is adjusted. Moreover, the rotating shaft 153 receives a reaction force F2 from the inner side surface of the first guide groove 152. Furthermore, the roller portion 164 receives a reaction force F1 from the flat surface 154C of the connecting portion 154B.

[0293] With this structure, the rotating shaft 153 and the roller 164 are supported while receiving the reaction force F1, the reaction force F2 and the rotation force F3 from at least three directions. As a result, the roller 164 is supported by the capture portion 142 in a stable upright state in a manner substantially perpendicular to the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box body 11.

[0294] At this time, in conjunction with the rotation of the capture portion 142, the roller portion 164 rolls on the flat surface 154C of the connection portion 154B while pressing the connection portion 154B toward the inside of the box, thereby moving the rotation shaft 153 toward the center side of the longitudinal groove 152A of the first guide groove 152. On the other hand, the rotation shaft 153 moves from the center portion of the second guide groove 163 toward the right end. As described above, the longitudinal groove 152A of the first guide groove 152 extends linearly toward the depth direction of the insulating box body 11 (the front-back direction of the paper). As a result, the rotation shaft 153 draws a linear trajectory toward the depth direction of the insulating box body 11, thereby pressing the connection portion 154B as evenly as possible by the roller portion 164, so that the rotation speed of the capture portion 142 becomes uniform.

[0295] In this embodiment, the rotation shaft 153 is designed to move in the longitudinal groove 152A of the first guide groove 152 until the capture portion 142 is rotated to a position of 3 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11. In addition, the design is such that at this time, the flat surface 154C (refer to Fig. 17C ) contact, toward the inclined surface 154D (refer to Fig. 17C ) side. Then, the engaging pin 144A of the striker portion 144 is pulled by the first base portion 161A of the capture portion 142, and moves toward the root side thereof in the engaging groove 142A. With this structure, the rotation speed of the capture portion 142 can be made uniform, and the rotation speed of the first insulating heat element 114 can also be made uniform.

[0296] exist Fig.22A When the first insulating door 114 is in the closing action, the striker portion 144 and the catch portion 142 are in contact with Fig.21BThe state of is continuous and connected. Moreover, the capture portion 142 is, for example, in a state rotated 3 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11. In addition, the protrusion 162 is located above the top surface 11A.

[0297] As shown in the figure, the rotating shaft 153 receives a rotating force F3 from the inner side surface of the second guide groove 163, whereby the roller portion 164 and the catching portion 142 move integrally toward the front surface 11B side of the heat-insulating box 11. On the other hand, the rotating shaft 153 contacts the inner side surface of the inclined groove 152B of the first guide groove 152 and the moving trajectory is adjusted. Moreover, the rotating shaft 153 receives a reaction force F2 from the inner side surface of the first guide groove 152. Furthermore, the roller portion 164 receives a reaction force F1 from the inclined surface 154D of the connecting portion 154B.

[0298] With this structure, the rotating shaft 153 and the roller 164 are supported while receiving the reaction force F1, the reaction force F2 and the rotation force F3 from at least three directions. As a result, the roller 164 is supported in a stable upright state in a direction substantially perpendicular to the top surface 11A of the heat insulating box 11.

[0299] As shown in the figure, in conjunction with the rotation of the first insulating door 114, the area where the roller portion 164 rolls is transferred from the flat surface 154C of the connecting portion 154B to the inclined surface 154D, thereby the rotating shaft 153 moves from the longitudinal groove 152A to the inclined groove 152B of the first guide groove 152. As described above, the inclined groove 152B of the first guide groove 152 is inclined toward the oblique depth direction of the insulating box body 11 and extends in a straight line.

[0300] With this structure, the inclined surface 154D of the connecting portion 154B is inclined downward relative to the direction of travel of the roller portion 164, thereby dispersing and reducing the reaction force F1 received by the roller portion 164 from the rotation restricting portion 154. In addition, in the capture portion 142, the force received from the rotation driving portion 155 to cause the capture portion 142 to rotate is less likely to be offset by the reaction force F1, thereby Fig.21A and Fig.21B Rotate more vigorously than in the rotation state.

[0301] exist Fig. 22B In the embodiment, the first insulating door 114 is in a fully closed state. Fig.21A The state of is continuous and connected, and the capture portion 142 is, for example, in a state where it stops at a position of 0 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11. In addition, the protrusion 162 is located above the top surface 11A.

[0302] As shown in the figure, the connecting portion 155B of the rotation drive portion 155 is in a state of pressing the rear end side of the capture portion 142, whereby the rotation shaft 153 is located at the rear end side of the first guide groove 152. On the other hand, the rotation shaft 153 is located at the left end relative to the second guide groove 163. Moreover, since the rotation shaft 153 is located at the rear end of the first guide groove 152, the capture portion 142 can be restricted from rotating further toward the inside of the box. In addition, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 162 of the capture portion 142 abuts against the side surface of the housing portion 146, which can also restrict the capture portion 142 from rotating further toward the inside of the box.

[0303] In addition, Fig. 22B The first insulating door 114 shown is in a fully closed state, and the magnet built into the sealing gasket 36 of the first insulating door 114 is in contact with and magnetically engaged with the outer box 21 or the center column 16 of the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. As a result, as shown in the figure, a reaction force F2 and a rotation force F3 are applied to the rotating shaft 153, and a reaction force F1 is applied to the roller portion 164, but the magnetic engagement force of the first insulating door 114 is stronger, and the capture portion 142 maintains the above-mentioned stopped state.

[0304] As described above, in this embodiment, when the first insulating door 114 is closed, the transition surface of the connecting portion 154B on which the roller portion 164 rolls changes from the flat surface 154C to the inclined surface 154D. As a result, the reaction force F1 received by the roller portion 164 from the rotation restricting portion 154 changes, and the rotation speed of the catching portion 142 changes in at least two stages.

[0305] For example, when the first insulating door 114 is a double-opening door, in the action when the first insulating door 114 is closed, the first insulating door 114 rotates from the above-mentioned state of opening 20 degrees at the first speed to the above-mentioned state of opening 3 degrees. Then, the first insulating door 114 rotates from the above-mentioned 3 degrees at the second speed to the above-mentioned fully closed state. The first speed and the second speed will be described later, but the second speed is faster than the first speed, so that the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114 before it is completely closed is faster than the rotation speed in the middle stage. As a result, the first insulating door 114 collides with the insulating box body 11 reliably, which can prevent the first insulating door 114 from becoming half-open.

[0306] In addition, when the first insulating door 114 is a double-opening door, the first insulating door 114 is closed at the central part of the insulating box body 11 when in a fully closed state, and is arranged in parallel with the second insulating door 115. Moreover, it is difficult for the user to visually confirm the fully closed state of the first insulating door 114. However, by providing the above-mentioned staged speed difference in the capture part 142, the first insulating door 114 produces a collision sound with the insulating box body 11 when fully closed, and the user can easily judge the fully closed state of the first insulating door 114 based on the above-mentioned collision sound. In addition, the above-mentioned collision sound is set to a range that does not damage the comfort of the user of the refrigerator 100.

[0307] In addition, even when the user presses the first insulating door 114 hard to close the first insulating door 114, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114 is decelerated while the rotating shaft 153 moves in the longitudinal groove 152A of the first guide groove 152. Then, the magnet built into the sealing gasket 36 of the first insulating door 114 gradually magnetically engages with the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. As a result, the stability of the first insulating door 114 when fully closed, such as the sound of the first insulating door 114 when fully closed or the sound generated by the vibration of the first insulating door 114 causing the stored objects to touch the surroundings, is reduced, and the user's comfort can be improved.

[0308] Next, use FIG. 23A to FIG. 23B The self-closing mechanism 141 of the third insulating door 118 and the fourth insulating door 119 of the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment arranged on the freezer compartment 13 side is described. In addition, in the following description, the self-closing mechanism 141 arranged on the third insulating door 118 is described, and the description of the self-closing mechanism 141 arranged on the fourth insulating door 119 side refers to the description on the third insulating door 118 side, and its description is omitted here.

[0309] Fig.23A It is a bottom view for explaining a state in which the third insulating door 118 of the refrigerator 100 is opened relative to the insulating box body 11. Fig. 23B It is a bottom view for explaining a state in which the third insulating door 118 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment is completely closed relative to the insulating box body 11.

[0310] like Fig.23A As shown, the self-closing mechanism 141 is adjacent to the hinge mechanism 31 and is fixed to the bottom surface 11C of the heat-insulating box 11. When the third heat-insulating door 118 is in the open state, a part of the catch 142 is led out from the shell 168 of the shell 146 covering the self-closing mechanism 141.

[0311] Here, the self-closing mechanism 141 is used Fig.16A and Fig. 16BThe structure described above is fixed to the bottom surface 11C of the heat-insulating box 11, so that the catch portion 142 is rotated toward the hinge mechanism 31. The operation of the soft closing portion 145 of the self-closing mechanism 141 is described above, and its description is omitted here.

[0312] As shown in the figure, the striker portion 144 of the self-closing mechanism 141 is located on the bottom surface 118A side of the third insulating door 118 and is arranged toward the inside of the box. A locking pin 144A that can enter the locking groove 142A of the capture portion 142 is arranged at the top end of the striker portion 144. Moreover, when the third insulating door 118 is closed, the locking pin 144A enters the locking groove 142A, and the capture portion 142 and the striker portion 144 become connected. Then, the locking pin 144A is pulled by the capture portion 142 while moving in the locking groove 142A toward the root side of the capture portion 142.

[0313] Furthermore, the housing portion 146 of the self-closing mechanism 141 is fixed to the bottom surface 11C of the heat-insulating box body 11 after the upper and lower surfaces are reversed based on the fixed state on the side of the refrigerator compartment 12, so that the engaging groove 142A of the catch portion 142 is in a state facing the installation surface side of the refrigerator 100. Therefore, the engaging pin 144A of the striker portion 144 is arranged so as to be led out toward the upper side of the third heat-insulating door 118.

[0314] like Fig. 23B As shown, when the third insulating door 118 is in the fully closed state, the catch portion 142 is rotated by the soft closing portion 145. Furthermore, the catch portion 142 is housed in the housing portion 168 in a state connected to the striker portion 144.

[0315] On the other hand, in the third hottest 118 from Fig. 23B The fully closed state shown is converted to Fig.23A During the process of the open state shown in the figure, the user operates to open the third insulating door 118 toward the outside of the box. Then, the engaging pin 144A moves toward the top end side of the engaging groove 142A while pressing the capturing portion 142 toward the outside of the box, and then disengages from the engaging groove 142A through the top end opening 139. Then, the capturing portion 142 rotates due to being pressed by the engaging pin 144A, and a part of the capturing portion 142 is led out toward the outside of the housing portion 168.

[0316] As described above, in the self-closing mechanism 141, the catch portion 142 rotates toward the hinge mechanism 31 side, so that when the third insulating door 118 is in the open state, the top end side of the catch portion 142 is in a state of protruding toward the hinge mechanism 31 of the insulating box body 11. In other words, when the third insulating door 118 and the fourth insulating door 119 are in the open state, the pair of catch portions 142 protrude toward the front surface 11B side of the insulating box body 11 in a manner substantially in the shape of the Japanese katakana "ハ" when viewed from the top surface 11A side of the refrigerator 100 and spread out to the left and right sides.

[0317] With this structure, for example, when the user searches for food in the freezer compartment 13 or stores food in the freezer compartment 13, the user approaches the freezer compartment 13, but the catch portion 142 is unlikely to come into contact with the user's feet or slippers of the refrigerator 100. As a result, the catch portion 142 stays at a predetermined position, so that the engagement pin 144A enters the engagement groove 142A when the third insulating door 118 is closed.

[0318] Next, use Fig.24A and Fig. 24B The structure of the capturing portion 142 will be described. Fig.24A and Fig. 24B For explaining the state in which the capture portion 142 and the striker portion 144 of the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment are connected via the restoration portion 171, Fig.24A is its stereogram, Fig. 24B is its cross-sectional view.

[0319] like Fig.24A As shown, the capture portion 142 is provided with a first base portion 161A and a second base portion 161B in a manner of clamping the engaging groove 142A. Moreover, as shown by the circle mark 159, the top end portion of the second base portion 161B is longer than the top end portion of the first base portion 161A. With this structure, in the engaging groove 142A, the opening width of the top end opening portion 139 becomes larger, and the engaging pin 144A and the second base portion 161B are easily collided due to the elongation of the second base portion 161B on the inner side of the box. Moreover, when the engaging pin 144A enters toward the engaging groove 142A, the engaging pin 144A collides with the second base portion 161B and is guided toward the engaging groove 142A, thereby facilitating the connection state of the capture portion 142 and the striker portion 144.

[0320] In addition, the first base 161A located outside the box in the region where the engaging groove 142A is formed in the catch portion 142 may be provided with a restoring portion 171. The restoring portion 171 is an inclined surface 171A for returning the engaging pin 144A to the engaging groove 142A from the side of the catch portion 142 after the engaging pin 144A fails to enter the engaging groove 142A when the first insulating door 114 is closed. The restoring portion 171 may be formed on the entire first base 161A or partially on the first base 161A.

[0321] like Fig. 24B As shown, the restoring portion 171 is, for example, an inclined surface 171A, which is an inclined shape formed on the surface side of the capture portion 142, and is inclined upward from the side surface outside the box toward the engaging groove 142A side. On the other hand, the engaging pin 144A is biased by, for example, an elastic spring, and is a structure that can slide in the up-down direction relative to the housing portion of the striker portion 144.

[0322] Here, if Fig.16A As shown, a part of the capture part 142 protrudes toward the front side of the refrigerator compartment 12, whereby the capture part 142 contacts the user and rotates the capture part 142 alone through the soft closing part 145. Then, the capture part 142 is stored inside the housing part 33 by rotating to a fully closed state.

[0323] In this case, the catch portion 142 is not waiting at the standard stop position, so the engagement pin 144A can no longer enter the engagement groove 142A through the top end opening 139. Then, just before the first insulating door 114 is fully closed, the engagement pin 144A collides with the inclined surface 171A of the restoration portion 171 of the catch portion 142 housed in the housing portion 33, and moves along the inclined surface 171A of the restoration portion 171.

[0324] As described above, when the engaging pin 144A contacts the inclined surface 171A of the restoring portion 171 and moves along the inclined surface 171A, it slides toward the upper side of the housing portion of the striker portion 144, thereby passing over the restoring portion 171 and entering the engaging groove 142A. As a result, the catch portion 142 and the striker portion 144 are connected. Then, when the first insulating door 114 is opened and closed, the self-closing mechanism 141 is restored, which can improve the convenience of the user.

[0325] On the other hand, as shown in the figure, the inclined surface 171A of the restoration part 171 is a structure that is not continuous to the engaging groove 142A. With this structure, when the engaging pin 144A enters the engaging groove 142A from the top opening 139 of the engaging groove 142A when the soft closing part 145 operates normally, the engaging pin 144A will not be pressed upward from the top end portion below by the capture part 142, and can be prevented from falling out of the engaging groove 142A. In addition, the action of the engaging pin 144A after it is restored to the engaging groove 142A is as described above.

[0326] In the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, the front opening 12A of the refrigerating chamber 12 is closed by the double-opening first insulating door 114 and the second insulating door 115 in a freely openable and closable manner, and the front opening 13A of the freezing chamber 13 is closed by the double-opening third insulating door 118 and the fourth insulating door 119 in a freely openable and closable manner. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, Fig.25 A refrigerator 180 having a single door is shown. By configuring the self-closing mechanism 141 in the refrigerator 180, the first insulating door 181 and the second insulating door 182 of the refrigerator 180 can also realize opening and closing actions by self-closing.

[0327] like Fig.25 As shown, the single-door refrigerator 180 includes a first insulating door 181 and a second insulating door 182 of the right opening type similar to the first insulating door 114 of the double-door refrigerator 100. The first insulating door 181 is a door that closes the front opening (not shown) of the refrigerator compartment 183 in a freely openable and closable manner. The second insulating door 182 is a door that closes the front opening (not shown) of the freezer compartment 184 in a freely openable and closable manner. In addition, the second insulating door 182 has a self-closing mechanism 141 on the bottom side of the insulating box body 185 similarly to the third insulating door 118 described above.

[0328] As described above, in refrigerator 180, when first insulating door 181 is closed, first insulating door 181 rotates at a first speed until catch 142 is opened 3 degrees. Then, first insulating door 181 rotates at a second speed from 3 degrees to the fully closed state.

[0329] For example, although you will use Fig.29 As described later, by making the inclined surface 154D of the connecting portion 154B of the rotation restricting portion 154 inclined at an angle relative to Fig. 17C The inclined surface 154D shown forms an upward inclination as a reverse slope, so that the second speed is slower than the first speed. As a result, in the refrigerator 180, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 181 just before it is completely closed is slower than the rotation speed of the refrigerator 100 just before it is completely closed.

[0330] With this structure, in the case of a single-door refrigerator 180, the user can visually see the edge of the front opening of the refrigerating chamber 183, compared with the double-door refrigerator 100, so it is easy to visually confirm the fully closed state of the first insulating door 181. On the other hand, even if the user puts food into the storage rack 34 or takes food out of the storage rack 34 before the first insulating door 181 is completely closed, so that the user's fingers are caught between the first insulating door 181 and the insulating box body 185, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 181 is slowed down before it is completely closed, so the collision force between the first insulating door 181 and the insulating box body 185 when they are completely closed is greatly reduced, which can prevent the user's fingers from being injured.

[0331] Next, use FIG. 26A to FIG. 3 The rotation speed of the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 and the rotation speed of the first insulating door 181 of the refrigerator 180 will be described.

[0332] Fig.26A and Fig.28A The diagram is used to explain the force applied to the first insulating door 114 to rotate via the catch portion 142 and the opening angle of the first insulating door 114 when the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment is closed. Fig.26B and Fig.28B The diagram is for explaining the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114 and the opening angle of the first insulating door 114 when the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment performs a closing operation. Fig. 27 It is a top view for explaining the connection part 154B of the rotation restriction part 154 of the soft closing part 145 of the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment. Fig.29 It is a top view for explaining the connection part 154B of the rotation restriction part 154 of the soft closing part 145 of the refrigerator 180 of this embodiment. Fig. 30A The diagram is used to explain the force applied to the first insulating door 114 to rotate via the catch portion 142 and the opening angle of the first insulating door 181 when the first insulating door 181 of the refrigerator 180 of the present embodiment is closed. Fig. 30B The diagram is for explaining the rotation speed of the first insulating door 181 and the opening angle of the first insulating door 181 when the first insulating door 181 of the refrigerator 180 of the present embodiment performs a closing operation.

[0333] First, in Fig.26A and Fig.26B In the use Fig. 17C In the case of the connecting portion 154B of the rotation restricting portion 154 having the shape shown, the first speed and the second speed when the first insulating door 114 performs the closing operation will be described.

[0334] exist Fig.26A , the vertical axis on the left side of the paper represents the force applied to the first insulating door 114 via the capture portion 142 to rotate it, and the vertical axis on the right side of the paper represents the reaction force F1 applied to the first insulating door 114 via the capture portion 142 (refer to Fig.21B ). The horizontal axis represents the opening angle of the first insulating door 114. As described above, the reaction forces F1 and F2 are applied to the capture portion 142 via the roller portion 164 and its rotating shaft 153 as resistance for attenuating the rotation of the capture portion 142, but only the reaction force F1 is described here. Fig.28A and Fig. 30A The same is true.

[0335] As shown in the figure, the solid line represents the reaction force F1 applied to the first insulating heat sheet 114 via the capture portion 142, and the dotted line represents the force applied to the first insulating heat sheet 114 via the capture portion 142 to rotate the first insulating heat sheet 114. As described above, the capture portion 142 is directly driven by the rotation drive portion 155 (see Fig.21B ) is subjected to a force to rotate it and performs a rotational motion. Moreover, the rotation drive unit 155 includes, for example, two compression coil springs 155A. With this structure, when the first insulating door 114 is converted from the open state to the fully closed state, the compression coil spring 155A is stretched and gradually attenuated.

[0336] On the other hand, as described above, the roller portion 164 contacts the flat surface 154C or the inclined surface 154D of the connecting portion 154B of the rotation limiting portion 154, pressing the connecting portion 154B toward the inside of the box, whereby the roller portion 164 receives the reaction force F1 from the connecting portion 154B. Furthermore, the catch portion 142 absorbs the impact of the force applied by the user to rotate the first insulating door 114 when the first insulating door 114 is closed until the opening angle of the first insulating door 114 becomes 13 degrees. Then, the catch portion 142 receives the reaction force F1 from the rotation limiting portion 154 until the opening angle of the first insulating door 114 changes from 13 degrees to 3 degrees. Furthermore, the roller portion 164 rolls on the flat surface 154C, so the reaction force F1 gradually attenuates. Then, the catch portion 142 continues to receive the reaction force F1 from the rotation limiting portion 154 until the opening angle of the first insulating door 114 changes from 3 degrees to 0 degrees. However, the roller portion 164 rolls on the inclined surface 154D, so that the reaction force F1 is dispersed and greatly attenuated.

[0337] exist Fig.26B In FIG. 1 , the vertical axis on the left side of the paper represents the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114, and the horizontal axis represents the opening angle of the first insulating door 114. Fig.28A and Fig. 30A The same is true.

[0338] As shown in the figure, the first insulating door 114 rotates at a first speed until the opening angle of the first insulating door 114 changes from 13 degrees to 3 degrees. Then, the first insulating door 114 rotates at a second speed until the opening angle of the first insulating door 114 changes from 3 degrees to 0 degrees. As described above, the force for rotating the catch portion 142 and the reaction force F1 change according to the opening angle of the first insulating door 114. Fig.26A As shown in FIG. 1 , the second speed is faster than the first speed. As a result, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114 during the closing operation changes in multiple stages, and the double-door refrigerator 100 can obtain the above-mentioned effect. In addition, the second insulating door 115 to the fourth insulating door 119 of the refrigerator 100 are also the same as the first insulating door 114.

[0339] Then, if Fig. 27 As shown, in the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 154D of the connecting portion 154B of the rotation restricting portion 154 may be designed to be a steep angle such as 80 to 90 degrees.

[0340] like Fig.28A As shown, in this case, the catch portion 142 does not receive the reaction force F1 from the rotation restricting portion 154 until the opening angle of the first insulating door 114 changes from 3 degrees to 0 degrees. This is because the roller portion 164 is in a non-contact state with the inclined surface 154D by making the inclined surface 154D steep as described above.

[0341] As a result, if Fig.28B As shown, the second speed ratio of the rotation speed of the first insulating heat source 114 is Fig.26B Furthermore, by fully closing the first insulating door 114 with force, the user can easily judge the fully closed state of the first insulating door 114 based on the sound when it is fully closed.

[0342] Then, if Fig.29 As shown, in the refrigerator 180 of this embodiment, the inclined surface 154D of the connecting portion 154B of the rotation restricting portion 154 is Fig. 17C The inclined surface 154D shown is formed to be reversely inclined and to be inclined upward. Moreover, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 154D is set to a gentle angle of, for example, 80 degrees or less.

[0343] like Fig. 30AAs shown, the capture portion 142 absorbs the impact of the force applied to rotate the first insulating door 181 when the user closes the first insulating door 181 until the opening angle of the first insulating door 181 becomes 13 degrees. Then, the capture portion 142 receives the reaction force F1 from the rotation limiting portion 154 until the opening angle of the first insulating door 181 changes from 13 degrees to 3 degrees. Moreover, the roller portion 164 rolls on the flat surface 154C, so the reaction force F1 gradually decays. Then, the capture portion 142 receives the reaction force F1 from the rotation limiting portion 154 until the opening angle of the first insulating door 181 changes from 3 degrees to 0 degrees. At this time, the roller portion 164 rolls on the inclined surface 154D, but since the inclined surface 154D is inclined upward, the reaction force F1 increases. Furthermore, as shown in the figure, although the reaction force F1 increases as the first insulating door 181 approaches the fully closed state, the first insulating door 181 rotates to the fully closed state because the reaction force F1 is smaller than the force applied to the catch portion 142 to rotate it. In addition, the solid line represents the reaction force F1 applied to the first insulating door 181 via the catch portion 142, and the dotted line represents the force applied to the first insulating door 181 via the catch portion 142 to rotate it.

[0344] like Fig. 30B As shown in FIG. 1 , the first insulating heat 181 rotates at a first speed until the opening angle of the first insulating heat 181 changes from 13 degrees to 3 degrees. Then, the first insulating heat 181 rotates at a second speed until the opening angle of the first insulating heat 181 changes from 3 degrees to 0 degrees. As described above, the force causing the capture portion 142 to rotate and the reaction force F1 change according to the opening angle of the first insulating heat 181. Fig. 30A As shown in FIG. 1 , the second speed is slower than the first speed. As a result, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 181 during the closing operation changes in multiple stages, and the single-door refrigerator 180 can obtain the above-mentioned effect. In addition, the second insulating door 182 of the refrigerator 180 is the same as the first insulating door 181.

[0345] Next, use FIG. 31A to FIG. 34B The first modification of the self-closing mechanism 141 is described. In the first modification, the structure of the capture part 142 is mainly different, and the function or effect of the rotation speed of the capture part 142 changing from the first speed to the second speed in multiple stages when the first insulation door 114 is closed is the same. Therefore, in principle, the same reference numerals are used for the components with the same structure as the components used in the above-mentioned self-closing mechanism 141, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In addition, appropriate references are made to the above-mentioned Figures 1 to 30B Description.

[0346] Fig.31A It is a perspective view for explaining the housing portion 146 and the capture portion 142 of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig.31B and Fig.31C It is a perspective view for explaining the internal mechanism of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig.32A and Fig.32B It is a perspective view for explaining the capture portion 142 of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig.32C is a cross-sectional view for explaining the capture portion 142 of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment, showing Fig.32A The cross section along line BB is shown. FIG. 33A to FIG. 34B 1 is a top view for explaining the operation of the self-closing mechanism 141 when the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment is closed. FIG. 33A to FIG. 34B In the description, the operation of the catch portion 142 and the soft closing portion 145 of the self-closing mechanism 141 when the first insulating door 114 is closed is centered. FIG. 26A to FIG. 3 0, as described above, the rotation speeds of the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 and the first insulating door 181 of the refrigerator 180 are changed in multiple stages, and the same effect can be obtained.

[0347] like Fig.31A As shown, the housing portion 146 of the self-closing mechanism 141 is box-shaped and is screwed to the heat-insulating box body 11 (see Fig.16A ) of the top surface 11A (refer to Fig.16A The capture portion 142 is rotatably supported by the housing portion 146 via the rotation shaft 151. The capture portion 142 is supported by the striker portion 144 (see Fig.16A ) is pressed to start the rotation. Moreover, the capture portion 142 is directly driven by the rotation drive portion 155 (refer to Fig.31B ) is subjected to a force causing it to rotate, and rotates relative to the shell body 146 with the rotating shaft 151 as a rotation fulcrum.

[0348] A guide groove 152 is formed in the cover portion 146A of the housing portion 146. The guide groove 152 includes a longitudinal groove 152A extending linearly toward the depth direction (front-back direction of the drawing) of the heat-insulating box body 11 when the housing portion 146 is fixed to the top surface 11A, and an oblique groove 152B inclined toward the oblique depth direction of the heat-insulating box body 11 and extending linearly.

[0349] As shown in the figure, a pressing member 201 (see FIG. 1 ) supported by the capture portion 142 is inserted into the guide groove 152. Fig.31B) of the guide shaft 200. The guide shaft 200 is formed integrally with the pressing member 201 by resin molding, for example, and is formed on the upper surface side of the pressing member 201. Moreover, the width W1 of the guide groove 152 in the shorter direction is a width substantially equal to the diameter of the guide shaft 200 or a width slightly larger than the diameter of the guide shaft 200. The details will be described later, but when the pressing member 201 rotates relative to the housing portion 146 together with the capture portion 142, the guide shaft 200 is forcibly guided by the guide groove 152, thereby adjusting the movement trajectory of the pressing member 201.

[0350] like Fig.31B As shown, when the first insulating door 114 is closed, the baffle portion 154A of the rotation limiting portion 154 in the soft closing portion 145 is pressed by the pressing member 201 via the connecting portion 154B and contracts, thereby limiting the rotation of the capture portion 142 and adjusting the rotation speed of the capture portion 142. On the other hand, the compression coil spring 155A of the rotation driving portion 155 presses the rear end side of the capture portion 142 via the connecting portion 155B, thereby rotating the capture portion 142. That is, when the first insulating door 114 is closed, the rotation driving portion 155 becomes a driving source for rotating the capture portion 142.

[0351] like Fig.31C As shown, the surface of the top end portion 157 of the connecting portion 154B facing the pressing member 164 is formed with: a flat surface 154C, which contacts the pressing member 164; and an inclined surface 154D, which is inclined toward the depth side of the depth direction of the shell portion 146 compared to the flat surface 154C.

[0352] like Fig.32A As shown, the capture portion 142 includes: a main body 161; a snap-fitting groove 142A formed in the main body 161; a protrusion 162 protruding from the main body 161 toward the horizontal width direction; a pair of guide rails 203 formed on the side of the main body 161; a rotating shaft 151 (see Fig.31B ) and a through hole 204, which supports the rotating shaft 151 in a manner that allows it to rotate. In addition, the pair of guide rail portions 203 are in the shape of convex portions and are inserted into the pair of track recesses 207 in a slidable state (see Fig.32C ) in which the pair of track recesses 207 are in the pressing member 201 (refer to Fig.32C ) in the lateral width direction, inner side surfaces 208B and 208D facing each other (refer to Fig.32C )form.

[0353] like Fig.32BAs shown, the pressing member 201 includes: a main body 205 of a hollow structure; a guide shaft 200, which is formed integrally with the upper surface side of the main body 205; and a pressing portion 209, which presses the connecting portion 154B of the rotation limiting portion 154. Moreover, the main body 205 and the guide shaft 200 are formed by integral molding using, for example, a resin material. In addition, the pressing portion 209 is formed as a part of the main body 205. The pressing portion 209 is in the shape of, for example, a half side of a cylinder, and the contact area of ​​the pressing portion 209 with the connecting portion 54B is a curved surface.

[0354] The guide shaft 200 is formed on the upper surface of the pressing portion 209 and is cylindrical in shape with a diameter substantially equal to the width W1 of the guide groove 152 in the shorter direction. The details will be described later, but when the first insulating door 114 is closed, the guide shaft 200 receives a reaction force F2 (see FIG. 1 ) from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152. Fig.33B ). Then, the pressing member 201 slides in the longitudinal direction of the main body 161 of the capturing portion 142 as indicated by the arrow 206. Fig.31B As shown, the pressing member 201 slides between the limiting wall portion 202 of the main body 161 and the rotating shaft 151. That is, the pressing member 201 stops sliding by contacting the limiting wall portion 202 or the rotating shaft 151.

[0355] With this structure, the pressing member 201 rotates integrally with the catching portion 142 toward the front surface 11B of the heat insulating box body 11 while sliding relative to the main body 161 in the direction of the arrow 206. Then, the pressing portion 209 slides while pressing the connecting portion 154B of the rotation restricting portion 154, and the area of ​​the pressing portion 209 that contacts the connecting portion 154B is slightly offset by the above-mentioned rotational action and the above-mentioned sliding while sliding, so that the thinning amount caused by wear can be reduced.

[0356] As a result, the contact position between the pressing portion 209 and the connecting portion 154B can be prevented from changing relative to the initially set position due to time degradation corresponding to the actual years of use. In addition, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114 can be prevented from changing relative to the initially set rotation speed according to the actual years of use due to the change in the resistance value when the pressing portion 209 and the connecting portion 154B make the above-mentioned contact. Moreover, the user of the refrigerator 100 can use the self-closing action of the first insulating door 114 for many years without feeling uncomfortable, which can improve convenience. In addition, the repair frequency of the self-closing mechanism 141 is reduced, so it is also possible to prevent the user's maintenance costs from increasing.

[0357] like Fig.32CAs shown, the main body 205 of the pressing member 201 is formed into a hollow structure. The main body 205 is formed with an insertion hole 210 having a shape substantially the same as the outer shape of the main body 161 of the capture part 142 (see Fig.32B ) Furthermore, the pressing member 201 is slidably embedded in the main body 161 of the capturing portion 142 from the rear end side thereof.

[0358] As shown in the figure, four inner side surfaces 208A, 208B, 208C, and 208D are formed on the main body 205 in a manner of surrounding the insertion hole 210. Moreover, a pair of track recesses 207 are formed on the inner side surfaces 208B and 208D facing each other in the horizontal width direction, and the pair of track recesses 207 are used for the guide rail portion 203 of the main body 161 of the capture portion 142 to be embedded. The track recess 207 is formed in a positionally deviated manner in the up-down direction of the main body 205, for example, thereby preventing operational errors such as the guide shaft 200 being turned upside down in the up-down direction during the assembly operation of the capture portion 142. In addition, the guide rail portion 203 is also formed in the main body 161 in a positionally deviated manner in the up-down direction.

[0359] In addition, the inner side surfaces 208A and 208C facing each other in the height direction of the main body 205 are formed as substantially flat surfaces. Moreover, when the pressing member 201 is attached to the main body 161 of the capture portion 142, the inner side surfaces 208A and 208C abut against the upper surface 161C and the lower surface 161D of the main body 161. On the other hand, as described above, the track recess 207 is supported by being engaged with the guide rail portion 203, so that the inner side surfaces 208B and 208D can abut against the left and right side surfaces 161E and 161F of the main body 161 or can be slightly separated.

[0360] With this structure, the pressing member 201 is supported by the guide rail portion 203 of the main body 161, and the inner side surfaces 208A and 208C are in contact with the upper surface 161C and the lower surface 161D of the main body 161. As a result, when the pressing member 201 slides relative to the capture portion 142, it is difficult to shake relative to the capture portion 142. The pressing portion 209 is on the flat surface 154C (see Fig.31C ), so the catch part 142 is also difficult to shake. In addition, the first insulating door 114 is also difficult to shake when closing, and static stability can be achieved. The sound generated by the storage items in the first insulating door 114 hitting the surroundings is reduced, which can improve the comfort of the user.

[0361] In addition, it can also be Fig.32CAs shown in FIG. 1 , a plurality of slits 174 extending in the direction of arrow 206 are formed on the inner side surfaces 208A and 208C of the pressing member 201. In this case, the slits 174 are present in a manner extending in the sliding direction of the pressing member 201, thereby reducing the contact area between the inner side surfaces 208A and 208C and the main body 161 of the capture portion 142. Furthermore, by filling a lubricant such as grease into the area where the slits 174 are formed, the sliding resistance value between the pressing member 201 and the main body 161 is reduced. As a result, although the sliding action of the pressing member 201 and the main body 161 is repeated, the thinning amount of the two components due to wear is greatly reduced. In addition, the slits 174 extend in the sliding direction of the pressing member 201, and the lubricant is filled in the slits 174 and can be maintained for a long time, and can be supplied to almost the entire sliding surface of the two components.

[0362] Next, use FIG. 33A to FIG. 34B The operation of the self-closing mechanism 141 when the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment is converted from an open state to a fully closed state is described. In addition, in the following description, the first insulating door 114 is used for description. Moreover, the description of the operation of the second insulating door 115 to the fourth insulating door 119 refers to the description of the first insulating door 114, and the description thereof is omitted here. In addition, the dotted line 158 schematically represents the line of the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. In addition, for the convenience of description, the cover portion 146A (refer to Fig.31A ) is omitted for description, but the guide groove 52 and its longitudinal groove 52A and oblique groove 52B formed in the cover portion 146A are shown for description.

[0363] First, the guide groove 152 is a groove for adjusting the moving trajectory of the pressing member 201. The guide shaft 200 of the pressing member 201 receives a reaction force F2 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152 as the catching portion 142 rotates. In addition, the guide groove 152 is also a groove for applying a rotational force F3 to the pressing member 201. The guide shaft 200 of the pressing member 201 receives a rotational force F3 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152 as the catching portion 142 rotates. FIG. 33A to FIG. 34B In the figure, the reaction force received by the pressing portion 209 of the pressing component 201 from the connecting portion 154B of the rotation limiting portion 154 is represented as F1, the reaction force received by the guide shaft 200 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152 is represented as F2, and the rotational force received by the guide shaft 200 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152 is represented as F3.

[0364] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in order to facilitate the description of the sliding of the pressing member 201, the reaction forces F1, F2 and the rotational force F3 are used for description, but in fact, the force for rotating the capture portion 142 is not limited to the rotational force F3. For example, as a force for rotating the capture portion 142, there is also a force that the capture portion 142 directly receives from the rotation drive portion 155 of the soft closing portion 145. In addition, depending on the rotation angle of the capture portion 142, the reaction forces F1, F2 also act as a force for rotating the capture portion 142. Moreover, the reaction forces F1, F2 and the rotational force F3 change according to the rotation angle of the capture portion 142, and the lengths of the reaction forces F1, F2 and the rotational force F3 shown in the figure are schematically shown and do not represent the actual magnitude of the force.

[0365] exist Fig.33A In the embodiment, the first insulating door 114 is in the open state, and the striker portion 144 (see Fig.16A ) of the engagement pin 144A (see Fig.16A ) is disengaged from the engaging groove 142A of the catching portion 142. The catching portion 142 is, for example, stopped at a position of 20 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11. Then, in order to close the first heat-insulating door 114, the user of the refrigerator 100 presses the first heat-insulating door 114 toward the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11, and applies a force to rotate the first heat-insulating door 114. Through the closing action of the user, the first heat-insulating door 114 is rotated toward the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11 by utilizing the above-mentioned force to rotate and the load of the first heat-insulating door 114.

[0366] As described above, the guide shaft 200 of the pressing member 201 is inserted into the guide groove 152 on the surface side of the housing 146. As described above, the pressing member 201 is slidably embedded in the main body 161 of the capture portion 142, and is thus difficult to shake relative to the capture portion 142. With this structure, the pressing member 201 is supported on the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box 11 in a substantially horizontal state, similarly to the capture portion 142, and the guide shaft 200 is in a stable upright state in the vertical direction relative to the top surface 11A.

[0367] As shown in the figure, the connecting portion 154B of the rotation restricting portion 154 is in a state of pressing the pressing portion 209 of the pressing member 201 toward the outside of the box with the reaction force F1, whereby the guide shaft 200 is located at the top end side of the guide groove 152 and contacts the inner side surface of the guide groove 152. In addition, the guide shaft 200 receives a reaction force F2 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152.

[0368] On the other hand, in the capture part 142, for example, the stop state is maintained by the engagement of the concave part (not shown) on the bottom surface thereof with the protrusion (not shown) of the housing part 146. Then, at the rear end side of the capture part 142, a force for rotating the capture part 142 is received from the connecting part 155B of the rotation drive part 155, but the equilibrium state is maintained due to the above-mentioned stop state. As a result, the guide shaft 200 does not receive the rotation force F3 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152.

[0369] In addition, arrow W3 indicates the rotation range of the capture portion 142. Fig.33A In the embodiment, the catch portion 142 is located at the outermost position of the box within the rotation range. Moreover, a portion of the top end side of the protrusion 162 is also located above the top surface 11A when the catch portion 142 is in the above-mentioned stopped state. In addition, although not shown in the figure, a protruding piece 162B is formed on the back side 162A of the protrusion 162 located on the top surface 11A.

[0370] exist Fig.33B In the embodiment, when the first insulating door 114 is in the closing action, the engagement pin 144A of the striker portion 144 enters the engagement groove 142A of the catch portion 142, and the striker portion 144 and the catch portion 142 are in a connected state. Moreover, the catch portion 142 is, for example, in a state of being rotated 10 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. In addition, a part of the protrusion 162 is located above the top surface 11A.

[0371] Initially, in Fig.33A In the standby state of the capture part 142 shown in FIG. 1 , the engagement pin 144A of the striker part 144 collides with the top end side of the second base part 161B as shown by the circle mark 159, thereby releasing the standby state. Then, the capture part 142 receives a force to rotate from the connecting part 155B of the rotation drive part 155, thereby starting the rotation action. The guide shaft 200 moves toward the center side of the longitudinal groove 152A of the guide groove 152.

[0372] As shown in the figure, the guide shaft 200 receives a rotational force F3 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152, thereby moving toward the front surface 11B side of the heat-insulating box 11 together with the capture portion 142. On the other hand, the guide shaft 200 contacts the inner side surface of the longitudinal groove 152A of the guide groove 152 and the movement trajectory is adjusted. In addition, the guide shaft 200 receives a reaction force F2 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152. Furthermore, the pressing portion 209 of the pressing member 201 receives a reaction force F1 from the flat surface 154C of the connecting portion 154B.

[0373] With this structure, the pressing part 209 of the pressing member 201 slides on the flat surface 154C of the connecting part 154B in conjunction with the rotation of the catching part 142, while pressing the connecting part 154B toward the inside of the box. Furthermore, the guide shaft 200 receives the rotation force F3 and the reaction force F2 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152, and the pressing part 209 receives the reaction force F1 from the flat surface 154C. At this time, the rotation force F3 becomes the largest force, so the pressing member 201 slides relative to the main body 161 toward the limiting wall part 202 side.

[0374] As described above, the longitudinal groove 152A of the guide groove 152 extends linearly in the depth direction (front-back direction of the drawing) of the heat-insulating box 11. As a result, the guide shaft 200 draws a linear trajectory in the depth direction of the heat-insulating box 11, whereby the pressing portion 209 of the pressing member 201 presses the connecting portion 154B as evenly as possible, making the rotation speed of the capture portion 142 uniform.

[0375] In this embodiment, the guide shaft 200 is designed to move in the longitudinal groove 152A of the guide groove 152 until the capture portion 142 is rotated to a position of 3 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11. And it is designed that at this time, the flat surface 154C (refer to Fig.31C ) contact, toward the inclined surface 154D (refer to Fig.31C ) side. Then, the engaging pin 144A of the striker portion 144 is pulled by the first base portion 161A of the capture portion 142, and moves toward the root side thereof in the engaging groove 142A. With this structure, the rotation speed of the capture portion 142 can be made uniform, and the rotation speed of the first insulating heat element 114 can also be made uniform.

[0376] exist Fig.34A When the first insulating door 114 is in the closing action, the striker portion 144 and the catch portion 142 are in contact with Fig.33B The state of is continuous and connected. Moreover, the capture portion 142 is, for example, in a state rotated 3 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11. In addition, the protrusion 162 is located above the top surface 11A.

[0377] As shown in the figure, the guide shaft 200 receives a rotational force F3 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152, whereby the pressing member 201 and the catching portion 142 move integrally toward the front surface 11B side of the heat-insulating box 11. On the other hand, the guide shaft 200 contacts the inner side surface of the inclined groove 152B of the guide groove 152 and the moving trajectory is adjusted. Moreover, the guide shaft 200 receives a reaction force F2 from the inner side surface of the guide groove 152. Furthermore, the pressing portion 209 of the pressing member 201 receives a reaction force F1 from the inclined surface 154D of the connecting portion 154B.

[0378] As shown in the figure, in conjunction with the rotation of the first insulating door 114, the area where the pressing portion 209 slides is transferred from the flat surface 154C of the connecting portion 154B to the inclined surface 154D, thereby the guide shaft 200 moves from the longitudinal groove 152A to the inclined groove 152B of the guide groove 152. As described above, the inclined groove 152B of the guide groove 152 is inclined toward the oblique depth direction of the insulating box body 11 and extends in a straight line.

[0379] With this structure, the inclined surface 154D of the connecting portion 154B is inclined downward relative to the moving direction of the pressing portion 209, thereby dispersing and reducing the reaction force F1 received by the pressing portion 209 from the rotation limiting portion 154. In addition, in the capturing portion 142, the rotation force received from the rotation driving portion 155 is less likely to be offset by the reaction force F1, thereby reducing the rotation force F1 received by the capturing portion 142 and the pressing portion 209. Fig.33A and Fig.33B In addition, in conjunction with the rotation of the capture portion 142, the direction of the rotation force F3 applied to the guide shaft 200 and the direction of the reaction force F1 applied to the pressing portion 209 change, so that the pressing member 201 slides relative to the main body 161 toward the rotating shaft 151 side.

[0380] exist Fig.34B In the embodiment, the first insulating door 114 is in a fully closed state. Fig.33A The state of is continuous and connected, and the capture portion 142 is, for example, in a state where it stops at a position of 0 degrees relative to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11. In addition, the protrusion 162 is located above the top surface 11A.

[0381] As shown in the figure, the connecting portion 155B of the rotation driving portion 155 is in a state of pressing the rear end side of the capture portion 142, whereby the guide shaft 200 is located at the rear end side of the guide groove 152. Moreover, since the guide shaft 200 is located at the rear end portion of the guide groove 152, the capture portion 142 can be restricted from rotating further toward the inside of the box. In addition, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 162 of the capture portion 142 abuts against the side surface of the housing portion 146, which can also restrict the capture portion 142 from rotating further toward the inside of the box.

[0382] In addition, Fig.34B The first insulating door 114 shown is in a fully closed state, and the magnet built into the sealing gasket 36 of the first insulating door 114 is in a state of abutting and magnetically engaging with the outer box 21 or the center column 16 of the front surface 11B of the insulating box body 11. As a result, as shown in the figure, a reaction force F2 and a rotation force F3 are applied to the guide shaft 200, and a reaction force F1 is applied to the pressing portion 209, but the magnetic engagement force of the first insulating door 114 is stronger, and the catching portion 142 maintains the above-mentioned stopped state.

[0383] Next, use FIG. 35A to FIG. 35C A second modification of the self-closing mechanism 141 will be described. Compared with the first modification described above, the second modification has a structure of a pressing component 211 that is different from the structure of the pressing component 201 described above. Specifically, in the pressing component 211, the pressing portion 209 of the pressing component 201 is not provided, and a roller portion 212 is arranged in a manner that allows it to rotate in the region where the pressing portion 209 is formed. Moreover, the connecting portion 154B of the rotation limiting portion 154 is pressed by the roller portion 212. Therefore, in the following description, the description will be centered on the pressing component 211, and in principle, components having the same structure as those used in the self-closing mechanism 141 described above are marked with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions will be omitted. In addition, appropriate references will be made to the above-mentioned Figures 1 to 34B Description.

[0384] Fig.35A and Fig.35B It is a perspective view for explaining the capture portion 142 of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig.35C is a cross-sectional view for explaining the capture portion 142 of the self-closing mechanism 141 of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment, showing Fig.35A In addition, in the second variant, as shown in FIG. FIG. 26A to FIG. 3 As described above, the rotation speeds of the first insulating door 114 of the refrigerator 100 and the first insulating door 181 of the refrigerator 180 are changed in multiple stages, and the same effect can be obtained. In addition, in the pressing member 211, the same as the pressing member 201 is used. FIG. 33A to FIG. 34B The action described.

[0385] like Fig.35A As shown, the capture portion 142 includes: a main body 161; a snap-fitting groove 142A formed in the main body 161; a protrusion 162 protruding from the main body 161 toward the horizontal width direction; a pair of guide rails 203 formed on the side of the main body 161; a rotating shaft 151 (see Fig.31B ); through hole 204, which supports the rotating shaft 151 in a manner that allows it to rotate. The details will be described later, but a pressing member 211 is arranged in an interlaced manner in the main body 161. Moreover, the pressing member 211 slides relative to the main body 161 of the capture part 142. In addition, the pair of guide rail parts 203 are in the shape of convex parts, and are inserted into the pair of track recesses 218 in a slidable state (see Fig.35C ) in which the pair of track recesses 218 are located in the pressing member 211 (see Fig.35C ) in the lateral width direction, inner side surfaces 217B and 217D facing each other (see Fig.35C )form.

[0386] like Fig.35BAs shown, the pressing member 211 includes: a main body 215 of a hollow structure; a roller 212, which is axially supported on the main body 215 in a manner that allows it to rotate; and a pair of insertion holes 214, which axially support the roller 212. A pair of rotating shafts 213 extending in the up and down directions are formed in the roller 212. The roller 212 and the rotating shaft 213 are formed by integral molding using, for example, a resin material. Moreover, the rotating shaft 213 of the roller 212 is inserted into the insertion hole 214 of the main body 215, whereby the roller 212 is axially supported on the main body 215 in a manner that allows it to rotate. In addition, the inner diameter of the insertion hole 214 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 213.

[0387] In addition, the rotating shaft 213 has a guide groove 152 (see Fig.31A ) has a width W1 in the shorter direction (see Fig.31A ) are cylindrical shapes with approximately the same diameter. The details will be described later, but the rotating shaft 213 of the roller portion 212 passes through the insertion hole 214 and is inserted into the housing portion 146 (see Fig.31A ) in the guide groove 152. When the first insulating door 114 is closed, the rotating shaft 213 receives a reaction force F2 (see Fig.33B ), and is forcibly guided by the guide groove 152 to adjust the movement trajectory of the roller portion 212.

[0388] On the other hand, since the rotation shaft 213 of the pressing member 211 is subjected to the above-mentioned reaction force F2, as shown by arrow 219 (refer to Fig.35A ) as shown in the longitudinal direction of the main body 161 of the capture portion 142. Specifically, as Fig.31B As shown, the pressing member 211 slides between the limiting wall portion 202 of the main body 161 and the rotating shaft 151. That is, the pressing member 211 stops sliding by contacting the limiting wall portion 202 or the rotating shaft 151.

[0389] With this structure, the pressing member 211 rotates integrally with the catching portion 142 toward the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11 while sliding relative to the main body 161 in the direction of the arrow 219. Then, the roller portion 212 is led outward from the main body 215, thereby pressing the connecting portion 154B of the rotation restricting portion 154 while rolling on the flat surface 154C of the connecting portion 154B.

[0390] As a result, the roller 212 makes line contact with the flat surface 154C of the connecting portion 154B to press the connecting portion 154B, and the position of the line contact changes relative to the flat surface 154C because the roller 212 moves while rotating. Furthermore, although the first insulating door 114 repeatedly opens and closes, the position of the roller 212 making line contact with the flat surface 154C changes, so the amount of thinning caused by wear of the roller 212 and the flat surface 154C is greatly reduced.

[0391] Furthermore, the contact position between the roller portion 212 and the connecting portion 154B can be prevented from changing relative to the initially set position due to time degradation corresponding to the actual number of years of use. In addition, the rotation speed of the first insulating door 114 can be prevented from changing relative to the initially set rotation speed according to the actual number of years of use due to the change in the resistance value during the above-mentioned contact between the roller portion 212 and the connecting portion 154B. Moreover, the user of the refrigerator 100 can use the self-closing action of the first insulating door 114 for many years without feeling uncomfortable, which can improve convenience. In addition, the repair frequency of the self-closing mechanism 141 is reduced, so it is also possible to prevent the user's maintenance costs from increasing.

[0392] like Fig.35C As shown, the main body 215 of the pressing member 211 is formed into a hollow structure. The main body 215 is formed with an insertion hole 216 having a shape substantially the same as the outer shape of the main body 161 of the capture part 142 (see Fig.35B ) Furthermore, the pressing member 211 is slidably embedded in the main body 161 of the capturing portion 142 from the rear end side thereof.

[0393] As shown in the figure, four inner side surfaces 217A, 217B, 217C, and 217D are formed on the main body 215 in a manner of surrounding the insertion hole 216. Moreover, a pair of track recesses 218 are formed on the inner side surfaces 217B and 217D facing each other in the horizontal width direction, and the pair of track recesses 218 are used for the guide rail portion 203 of the main body 161 of the capture portion 142 to be embedded. The track recess 218 is formed in a positionally deviated manner in the up-down direction of the main body 215, for example, thereby preventing operational errors such as the insertion hole 216 being reversed in the left-right direction during the assembly operation of the capture portion 142. In addition, the guide rail portion 203 is also formed in the main body 161 in a positionally deviated manner in the up-down direction.

[0394] In addition, the inner side surfaces 217A and 217C facing each other in the height direction of the main body 215 are formed as substantially flat surfaces. Moreover, when the pressing member 211 is attached to the main body 161 of the capture portion 142, the inner side surfaces 217A and 217C abut against the upper surface 161C and the lower surface 161D of the main body 161. On the other hand, as described above, the track recess 218 is supported by being engaged with the guide rail portion 203, so that the inner side surfaces 217B and 217D can abut against the left and right side surfaces 161C and 161D of the main body 161 or can be slightly separated.

[0395] With this structure, the pressing member 211 is supported on the guide rail portion 203 of the main body 161, and the inner side surfaces 217A and 217C are in contact with the upper surface 161C and the lower surface 161D of the main body 161. As a result, when the pressing member 211 slides relative to the capture portion 142, it is difficult for it to shake relative to the capture portion 142, and thus the roller portion 212 axially supported on the pressing member 211 is also difficult to shake relative to the capture portion 142. The roller portion 212 rolls stably on the flat surface 154C, so the capture portion 142 is also difficult to shake. Moreover, the first insulating door 114 is also difficult to shake when closing, and static stability can be achieved. In addition, the sound generated by the storage items in the first insulating door 114 touching the surroundings is reduced, which can improve the comfort of the user.

[0396] In addition, if Fig.35C As shown, a plurality of slits 174 extending in the direction of arrow 219 may be formed on the inner side surfaces 217A and 217C of the pressing member 211. In this case, the slits 174 extend in the sliding direction of the pressing member 211, thereby reducing the contact area between the inner side surfaces 217A and 217C and the main body 161 of the capture portion 142. Furthermore, by filling the area where the slits 174 are formed with a lubricant such as grease, the sliding resistance value between the pressing member 211 and the main body 161 is reduced. As a result, although the sliding action of the pressing member 211 and the main body 161 is repeated, the thinning amount of the two components due to wear is greatly reduced. In addition, the slits 174 extend in the sliding direction of the pressing member 211, and the lubricant is filled in the slits 174 and can be maintained for a long time, and can be supplied to almost the entire sliding surface of the two components.

[0397] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example of an angle is shown as a conversion position of the rotation speed of the first insulating heat sheets 114 and 181, but it is not limited to this case. The above-mentioned angle of the first insulating heat sheets 114 and 181 corresponds to the change of the characteristics of the baffle portion 154A of the rotation limiting portion 154, the characteristics of the compression coil spring 155A of the rotation driving portion 155, or the shape of the first guide groove 152, and can be arbitrarily designed and changed. In addition, various changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the utility model.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that: an insulated box body, which forms a storage chamber; an insulating door that closes the front opening of the storage chamber of the insulating box in a freely openable and closable manner; and A self-closing mechanism that causes the insulating door to close automatically relative to the insulating box body, At least during the period when the insulating door is switched from the open state to the fully closed state relative to the insulating box, the rotation speed of the insulating door is changed from the first speed to the second speed by the self-closing mechanism, The self-enclosed institutions include: A shell portion, which is fixed to the thermal insulation box; a capture portion rotatably disposed on the housing portion; a guide groove formed in the housing portion; a roller portion, a rotation axis of which is inserted into the guide groove and rotatably supported by the capture portion; and a rotation limiting portion that applies a reaction force to the roller portion to reduce the rotation speed of the capture portion, The rotation speed of the insulating heat source changes from the first speed to the second speed according to the reaction force received by the roller portion from the rotation restricting portion.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the rotation restricting portion pressed by the roller portion is formed with: a flat surface extending in the lateral width direction of the heat insulating box; and an inclined surface connected to the flat surface and inclined toward the depth direction of the thermal insulation box body, By moving the roller portion from the flat surface to the inclined surface, the first speed is changed to the second speed.

3. A refrigerator, characterized in that: an insulated box body, which forms a storage chamber; an insulating door that closes the front opening of the storage chamber of the insulating box in a freely openable and closable manner; and A self-closing mechanism that causes the insulating door to close automatically relative to the insulating box body, At least during the period when the insulating door is switched from the open state to the fully closed state relative to the insulating box, the rotation speed of the insulating door is changed from the first speed to the second speed by the self-closing mechanism, The self-enclosed institutions include: A shell portion, which is fixed to the thermal insulation box; a capture portion rotatably disposed on the housing portion; a guide groove formed in the housing portion; a pressing member slidably disposed on the capturing portion and having a guide shaft inserted into the guide groove; and a rotation limiting portion that reduces the rotation speed of the capture portion, When the insulating door is closed, the catch portion is rotated toward the front opening while being guided by the guide groove, and the pressing member presses the rotation restricting portion in the depth direction of the insulating box.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The surface of the rotation restricting portion pressed by the pressing member is formed with: a flat surface extending in the lateral width direction of the heat insulating box; and an inclined surface connected to the flat surface and inclined toward the depth direction, By moving the pressing member from the flat surface to the inclined surface, the first speed is changed to the second speed.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that: The inclined surface is inclined toward the depth side in the depth direction compared to the flat surface. In the case where the insulating door is a double-opening door, the second speed is faster than the first speed.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that: The inclined surface is inclined toward the front of the depth direction compared to the flat surface. In the case where the insulating door is a single-opening door, the first speed is faster than the second speed.

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