Refrigerator

Abstract

To improve durability of a front panel of a refrigerator.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes a housing 50 having a cooling chamber, and a drawer 10B which may be drawn from the housing 50. The drawer 10B has a front panel 13 which closes at least a part of an opening of the cooling chamber. The front panel 13 has: a front panel body 20; a cap 40 attached onto the front panel body 20; and a foam resin body 25 filling a space between the front panel body 20 and the cap 40. The cap 40 has an upper surface 42 including an inclined part 42a extending to the oblique lower side toward the front. The upper surface 42 is provided with a recessed part 41 recessed downward. A lower end side A of the cap 40 in a side view includes a portion extending to the oblique upper side toward the rear in an area provided with the inclined part 42a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator having a front panel enclosing a cooling compartment. [Background technology]

[0002] A refrigerator is provided with doors for opening and closing each storage compartment. At one end of the door, a grip is provided for a user to hold when opening the door. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator equipped with drawer doors such as an ice compartment door and a vegetable compartment door. At the upper edge of the drawer door, a grip is provided for a user to grip when pulling out the door. The grip has a downwardly concave shape. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-238360 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, there are known refrigerators in which a recess is formed on the top surface of the pull-out door (also called a front panel) for a user to hold onto when pulling out the door.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to improve the durability of a front panel of a refrigerator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention includes a housing having a cooling chamber that opens toward the front, and a drawer that has a front panel that closes at least a part of the opening of the cooling chamber and can be pulled out from the housing. The front panel includes a front panel body, a cap that is placed on the front panel body and has an upper surface that is formed with a recess that is recessed toward the bottom and includes an inclined portion that extends diagonally downward toward the front, and a foamed resin body that is filled between the front panel body and the cap and has a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the front panel body. The lower end edge of the cap in a side view includes a portion that extends diagonally upward toward the rear in a region where the inclined portion is provided in the front-rear direction. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the durability of the front panel of a refrigerator. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of the front part of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 2 is a perspective view of a freezer compartment door provided in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of the freezer compartment door shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is an exploded side view of an upper cap and a main body portion constituting the freezer compartment door shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 4 is an exploded perspective view of an upper cap and a main body portion constituting the freezer compartment door shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the upper cap that constitutes the freezer compartment door. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a side view of the upper cap that constitutes the freezer compartment door. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view of the upper cap taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 7. [Figure 10] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration above the right side portion of the freezer compartment door. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0010] <First embodiment> (Overall configuration of refrigerator) First, the overall configuration of a refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 shows the external appearance of the refrigerator 1 as seen from the front. Fig. 2 shows the external appearance of the refrigerator 1 as seen obliquely from the front.

[0011] The refrigerator 1 includes a housing 50. The housing 50 may be, for example, a thermally insulated box. The term "thermal insulated box" refers to a box having walls that include a thermal insulating material.

[0012] The housing 50 has a cooling chamber. The cooling chamber is a chamber for cooling items. The cooling chamber is open toward the front. In this embodiment, the housing 50 has a plurality of cooling chambers. For example, the housing 50 has three cooling chambers, which are a refrigerator chamber, a vegetable chamber, and a freezer chamber, in that order from the top.

[0013] In addition to the housing 50, the refrigerator 1 has a drawer that can be pulled out from the housing. In this embodiment, the refrigerator 1 has a plurality of drawers 10A and 10B. The drawer 10A is disposed at a middle position of the housing 50 and forms, for example, a vegetable compartment. The drawer 10B is disposed at a lower position of the housing 50 and forms, for example, a freezer compartment.

[0014] The drawers have a front panel that closes at least a part of the opening of the cooling compartment. For example, drawer 10A has vegetable compartment door 12 as a front panel. Drawer 10B has freezer compartment door 13 as a front panel. Vegetable compartment door 12 and freezer compartment door 13 are heat-insulating doors having a heat insulating material.

[0015] The uppermost cooling compartment (for example, the refrigerator compartment) of the refrigerator 1 is provided with a refrigerator compartment door 11. The refrigerator compartment door 11 is attached to the housing 50 so that the opening of the cooling compartment can be opened and closed. The refrigerator compartment door 11 is preferably a heat-insulating door having a heat insulating material.

[0016] In this embodiment, the surface on which the door is provided is called the front or front surface of the refrigerator. Based on the front surface, the surfaces of the refrigerator 1 are called the top, side, back, and bottom surfaces based on the positions of the refrigerator 1 when the refrigerator 1 is installed in a normal state. In addition, the left and right directions when the refrigerator 1 is placed on the installation surface and viewed from the front are called the left and right directions (or width direction) of the refrigerator 1 (or the vegetable compartment door 12, the freezer compartment door 13, etc.). In addition, the up and down directions of the refrigerator 1 when the refrigerator 1 is placed on the installation surface are called the up and down directions of the refrigerator 1 (or the vegetable compartment door 12, the freezer compartment door 13, etc.). In addition, the front and back directions of the refrigerator 1 when the refrigerator 1 is placed on the installation surface are called the front and back directions of the refrigerator 1 (or the vegetable compartment door 12, the freezer compartment door 13, etc.). In addition, the side located on the left side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 1 is called the left side of the refrigerator 1, and the side located on the right side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 1 is called the right side of the refrigerator 1.

[0017] In this embodiment, each of the drawer-type doors (e.g., vegetable compartment door 12 and freezer compartment door 13) is provided at its upper end with an upper cap 40. The upper cap 40 is used as a handle for a user to grasp when pulling out drawers 10A and 10B toward themselves.

[0018] (Front panel configuration) Next, a more detailed configuration of the front panel provided in the refrigerator 1 will be described. The refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment has two front panels (specifically, a vegetable compartment door 12 and a freezer compartment door 13). The vegetable compartment door 12 and the freezer compartment door 13 have roughly the same configuration. Below, a more detailed configuration of the freezer compartment door 13 will be described as a representative of the two drawer-type doors provided in the refrigerator 1.

[0019] Figures 3 and 4 show the appearance of the freezer compartment door 13. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the freezer compartment door 13 as viewed from above. Figure 4 is a side view showing the right side of the freezer compartment door 13. Figures 5 and 6 show the freezer compartment door 13 with the upper cap 40 removed from the main body 20.

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

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

[0022] The upper cap 40 is a cap that is placed on the main body 20. The upper cap 40 is made of resin. The upper cap 40 is formed by molding a resin material such as ABS, PP, or PS. The upper cap 40 has an upper surface 42. The upper surface 42 includes an inclined portion 42a that extends diagonally downward toward the front. The upper cap 40 has a recess 41 that is recessed downward. The recess 41 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the upper cap 40 (i.e., the left-right direction of the freezer compartment door 13).

[0023] The lower cap 23 is a cap that is placed on the bottom of the main body 20. Like the upper cap 40, the lower cap 23 is formed by molding a resin material such as ABS, PP, or PS.

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

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

[0026] 4 and other figures, the lower end side A of the upper cap 40 in a side view includes a portion that extends obliquely upward toward the rear in the region where the inclined portion 42a is provided in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the lower end side A extends obliquely upward toward the rear in the region where the inclined portion 42a is provided. More specifically, the rear end Ab of the lower end side A of the upper cap 40 is located at a higher position than the front end Af.

[0027] The heat insulating material 25 inside the freezer door 13 contains a foamed resin having a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the exterior body of the door (e.g., upper cap 40, metal plate 21, etc.). Therefore, the heat insulating material 25 is prone to expand and contract due to temperature changes around the refrigerator 1. When the heat insulating material 25 expands thermally, stress is generated in the exterior body of the door.

[0028] The upper cap 40 has an inclined upper surface 42, and therefore has a greater height dimension than the lower cap 23. In a configuration inclined downward toward the front, such as the upper cap 40 of this embodiment, the height dimension tends to be greater especially on the rear side of the upper cap 40.

[0029] When thermal expansion of the insulating material 25 occurs, stress tends to concentrate more on the rear end of the upper cap 40, which has a larger height. The points of the upper cap 40 where stress is concentrated tend to be deformed or damaged (cracks) and this leads to a decrease in the durability of the door.

[0030] Furthermore, where the height dimension of the upper cap 40 is large, the overlapping area with the upper end of the metal plate 21 also tends to be large. When the overlapping area with the upper end of the metal plate 21 becomes large, the load on the upper cap 40 disposed so as to cover the metal plate 21 becomes larger.

[0031] Therefore, in the freezer compartment door 13 according to this embodiment, the lower end side A of the upper cap 40 is inclined in the front-rear direction in accordance with the inclination of the inclined portion 42a of the upper surface 42. This makes it possible to reduce the height dimension on the rear side of the upper cap 40 compared to a shape in which the lower end side A extends substantially horizontally in the front-rear direction. This reduces the concentration of stress on the rear portion of the upper cap 40 due to thermal expansion of the insulating material 25 inside the freezer compartment door 13, and makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of deformation or damage to the upper cap 40.

[0032] (Cap configuration) Next, a more detailed configuration of the upper cap 40 will be described. Here, the configuration around the upper end edge of the metal plate 21 to which the upper cap 40 is attached will also be described.

[0033] Fig. 7 is a plan view of upper cap 40 as viewed from above. Fig. 8 is a side view showing right side surface 43b of upper cap 40. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional shape of upper cap 40 at approximately the center in the width direction of freezer compartment door 13. Specifically, Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of line IX-IX of upper cap 40 shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the upper part of the right side surface of freezer compartment door 13 is cut vertically.

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

[0035] The upper surface 42 forms the upper surface of the upper cap 40. An inclined portion 42a extending diagonally downward toward the front is provided on the front side of the upper surface 42. A recess 41 is provided in the region of the upper surface 42 where the inclined portion 42a is provided.

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

[0037] The side surface 43a, the side surface 43b, the front surface 44, and the rear surface 45 form the respective surfaces of the upper cap 40. The insertion portion 46 is provided on the inside of each of the front surface 44, the side surface 43a, and the side surface 43b, following the shapes of these surfaces. The insertion portion 46 is inserted into the inside of the metal plate 21. As a result, the upper end edge of the metal plate 21 is sandwiched between the front surface 44 and the insertion portion 46.

[0038] As described above, the lower end side A of the upper cap 40 extends obliquely upward toward the rear in the region where the inclined portion 42a is provided in the front-rear direction. In accordance with the shape of the lower end side A of the upper cap 40, the upper end side B of the main body 20 (specifically, the metal plate 21) includes an inclined portion Ba that extends obliquely downward toward the front. As shown in FIG. 10, the inclined portion Ba is located in the region where the inclined portion 42a is provided in the front-rear direction of the upper cap 40.

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

[0040] According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the change in the height dimension in the front-rear direction of the overlapping portion between upper cap 40 and metal plate 21 on the right side surface of freezer compartment door 13. This makes it difficult for stress to concentrate at a specific point in the overlapping portion between upper cap 40 and metal plate 21, and makes it possible to more effectively suppress cracks and damage that may occur due to thermal expansion of the foamed resin contained in insulation material 25.

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

[0042] Comparing the height dimensions of the upper cap 40 at each position in the front-rear direction, the height dimensions Hf and Hb at the front end and rear end, respectively, of the upper cap 40 are smaller than the height dimension Hm of the upper cap 40 at the portion where the rear end of the inclined portion 42a is located. In other words, the height dimension Hm is maximum.

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

[0044] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the stress acting on the upper cap 40 due to the thermal expansion of the foamed resin inside the freezer compartment door 13 can be made less likely to be concentrated at the rear end and the front end of the upper cap 40.

[0045] Further, the bottom (lower end) 41L of the recess 41 provided in the upper cap 40 is located below the lower end side A of the upper cap 40 (see FIG. 8, etc.).

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

[0047] As described above, by positioning the bottommost portion 41L of the recess 41 below the lower end side A of the upper cap 40, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the foamed resin in the front-rear direction in the region where the upper cap 40 is provided on the freezer compartment door 13. This makes it possible to reduce stress due to thermal expansion of the foamed resin.

[0048] In this embodiment, at the center of the width of the upper cap 40, a distance Db in the front-rear direction between the bottom (lowest point) 41L of the recess 41 and the rear end of the upper cap 40 is longer than a distance Da in the front-rear direction between the bottom (lowest point) 41L of the recess 41 and the front end of the upper cap 40 (see FIG. 9). <Dbとなっている。

[0049] As shown in FIG. 7, in the upper cap 40, at least one of the rear corner Rb and the front corner Rf has a rounded shape in a plan view from above. Specifically, of the rear corner Rb and the front corner Rf, the front corner Rf has a rounded shape. More specifically, each of the rear corner Rb and the front corner Rf has a rounded shape. The curvature R of the rear corner Rb is higher than the curvature R of the front corner Rf. That is, the front corner Rf has a more curved shape (a shape with a sharper curve). The rear corner Rb is a corner on the rear side and on the outer side in the width direction of the cap 40 in a plan view. The front corner Rf is a corner on the front side and on the outer side in the width direction of the cap 40 in a plan view.

[0050] Moreover, the surface of the recess 41 provided on the front side of the upper cap 40 is a continuous, smooth curved surface as a whole.

[0051] This can improve the strength of the upper surface of the freezer compartment door 13. Also, the design of the freezer compartment door 13 when viewed from the front can be improved.

[0052] The freezer compartment door 13 has a symmetrical configuration. Therefore, the left side surface of the freezer compartment door 13 has the same configuration as the right side surface.

[0053] (summary) As described above, the refrigerator 1 includes a housing 50 having a cooling compartment, and drawers 10A and 10B that can be pulled out from the housing 50. For example, the drawer 10B has a front panel (e.g., freezer door 13) that closes at least a part of the opening of the cooling compartment. The front panel includes a front panel main body (e.g., main body 20), a cap (e.g., upper cap 40) placed on the front panel main body, and a foamed resin body (e.g., thermal insulation material 25) filled between the front panel main body and the cap. The foamed resin body has a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the front panel main body.

[0054] In the above-described front panel, the cap has an upper surface (e.g., upper surface 42) including an inclined portion (e.g., inclined portion 42a) that extends obliquely downward toward the front. A recess (e.g., recess 41) that is recessed downward is formed in the upper surface. The lower end edge (e.g., lower end edge A) of the cap extends obliquely upward toward the rear in the region where the inclined portion is provided in the front-rear direction.

[0055] According to the above configuration, the height dimension of the rear side of the cap can be made smaller than that of a shape in which the bottom edge A extends substantially horizontally in the front-rear direction. This reduces the concentration of stress on the rear portion of the cap due to thermal expansion of the foamed resin in the front panel, and suppresses deformation or damage to the cap. This improves the durability of the front panel.

[0056] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. In addition, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in this specification are also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1: Refrigerator 10A: Drawer 10B: Drawer 12: Vegetable compartment door (front panel) 13: Freezer door (front panel) 20: Main body (front panel main body) 21: Metal plate 22: Rear material 23: Lower cap 25: Insulation material (foam resin) 40: Upper cap (cap) 41: (Cap) recess 42: Top surface (of cap) 42a: (Cap) Slope A: Bottom edge of the cap B: Top edge of the front panel Rf: Front corner of the cap Rb: Rear corner of the cap

Claims

1. a housing having a cooling chamber that opens forward; a drawer having a front panel that closes at least a portion of the opening of the cooling chamber and that can be pulled out from the housing; Equipped with The front panel comprises: The front panel body, a cap placed on the front panel body, the cap having an upper surface including a downwardly recessed recess and an inclined portion extending obliquely downward toward the front; a foamed resin body filled between the front panel body and the cap and having a thermal expansion coefficient higher than that of the front panel body; having A refrigerator, wherein a lower end edge of the cap in a side view includes a portion that extends obliquely upward and toward the rear in a region where the inclined portion is provided.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a rear end of the lower edge of the cap is positioned higher than a front end of the lower edge of the cap.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an upper end edge of the front panel main body in a side view is located in an area in the front-to-rear direction where the inclined portion is provided, and includes a portion that extends diagonally downward toward the front.

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

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a lower end of the portion of the inclined portion where the recess is formed is located lower than the lower end edge of the cap.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein at the widthwise center of the front panel, the distance along the front-to-rear direction between the lowest point of the recess and the rear end of the cap is longer than the distance along the front-to-rear direction between the lowest point of the recess and the front end of the cap.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein a height dimension of the rear end of the cap is greater than a height dimension of the front end of the cap.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cap is made of resin.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, in a plan view, the curvature of a rear corner, which is a corner on the rear side and on the outer side in the width direction of the cap, is greater than the curvature of a front corner, which is a corner on the front side and on the outer side in the width direction of the cap.

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