Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator having a drawer which enables improvement of the aesthetics of a handle part and enables improvement of cleanability.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a housing having a cooling chamber which is open forward; and a drawer which is attached to the housing so as to be displaceable in a front-back direction and has a front panel configured to close an opening of the cooling chamber. The front panel has an upper surface provided with a recessed part. The recessed part has a bottom surface part. A back surface part located in an area, which is located at the rear of the recessed part, of the surface of the recessed part includes: a first back surface part; and a second back surface part located closer to the center than the first back surface part in a width direction and connected to the first back surface part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator including a drawer having a front panel. [Background technology]

[0002] A refrigerator is provided with doors for opening and closing each storage compartment. At one end of the door, a handle is provided for a user to hold when opening the door. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator provided with drawer doors such as an ice compartment door and a vegetable compartment door. At the upper edge of the drawer door, a handle is provided for a user to hold when pulling out the door. The handle 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] In recent years, in order to improve the aesthetic appearance of refrigerators, consideration has been given to providing design features to the handles provided at the ends of the doors. In addition, there is a problem that dirt and dust are likely to accumulate in the recesses of the handles, which have a downward concave shape.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator having a drawer that can improve the aesthetic appearance of the handle portion and improve cleaning ease. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A refrigerator according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a housing having a cooling chamber that opens toward the front, and a drawer having a front panel that is attached to the housing so as to be displaceable in the front-rear direction and closes the opening of the cooling chamber. The front panel has an upper surface on which a recess is formed. The recess has a bottom surface. Of the surfaces of the recess, a back surface portion located on the rear side of the bottom surface portion includes a first back surface portion and a second back surface portion located closer to the center in the width direction than the first back surface portion and connected to the first back surface portion. The bottom surface portion is inclined upward toward the outside in the width direction, and the first back surface portion extends from the center side in the width direction toward the outside toward the front side, and in a plan view, the curvature along the width direction of the first back surface portion is higher than the curvature along the width direction of the second back surface portion. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, in a refrigerator having a drawer, it is possible to improve the aesthetic appearance of the recess provided in the front panel of the drawer and to improve the ease of cleaning. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a front portion of a cooling box according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 2 is a perspective view of a drawer provided in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the upper cap of the drawer shown in FIG. 3; [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a top view of the upper cap of the drawer shown in FIG. 3; [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a front view of the upper cap of the drawer shown in FIG. 3; [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional shape of the upper cap taken along line VII-VII shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional shape of the upper cap taken along line VIII-VIII shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 9]6A to 6C are cross-sectional views of the upper cap shown in FIG. 5 taken along lines IXA-IXA, IXB-IXB, and IXC-IXC, respectively. [Figure 10] FIG. 6 is a top view showing the left portion of the upper cap shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are cross-sectional views of the upper cap shown in FIG. 10 taken along lines XIA-XIA, XIB-XIB, XIC-XIC, and XID-XID, respectively. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are given the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. In the following description, directions such as front, back, left and right refer to directions as seen by a user using the refrigerator.

[0010] In this embodiment, a refrigerator 1 having one or more cooling chambers will be described as an example. In this disclosure, the term "refrigerating chamber" refers to any device having an internal space (cooling chamber) whose temperature is lower than the outside air temperature and capable of lowering the temperature of stored items. The cooling chamber may be, for example, a refrigerator or a freezer. The cooling chamber may have only one cooling chamber or may have multiple cooling chambers. When the cooling chamber has multiple cooling chambers, the multiple cooling chambers may include at least two of a refrigerator chamber, a freezer chamber, a vegetable chamber, a chilled chamber, a partial chamber, and the like.

[0011] (Overall configuration of the cooling cabinet) First, the overall configuration of a cooling box 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 shows the exterior of the cooling box 1 as seen from the front. Fig. 2 shows the exterior of the cooling box 1 as seen obliquely from the front.

[0012] The refrigerator 1 has 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.

[0013] 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.

[0014] The refrigerator 1 includes a drawer 10 that is provided in a housing 50 so as to be able to be pulled out. In this embodiment, the refrigerator 1 has a plurality of drawers 10A and 10B. The drawer 10A is disposed in a middle position of the housing 50, and forms, for example, a vegetable compartment. The drawer 10B is disposed in a lower position of the housing 50, and forms, for example, a freezer compartment.

[0015] 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, which is an example of a front panel. Drawer 10B has freezer compartment door 13, which is an example of a front panel. Vegetable compartment door 12 and freezer compartment door 13 are heat-insulating doors that have a heat insulating material.

[0016] The uppermost cooling compartment (for example, 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 from both the left and right sides. The refrigerator compartment door 11 is preferably a heat-insulating door having a heat insulating material.

[0017] In this embodiment, the surface on which the front panel or door is provided is called the front or front surface of the cooling chamber. Based on the front surface, the surfaces of the cooling chamber 1 are called the top, side, back, and bottom surfaces based on the positions of the cooling chamber 1 when it is installed in a normal state. In addition, the left and right direction when the cooling chamber 1 is placed on the installation surface and viewed from the front is called the left and right direction (or width direction) of the cooling chamber 1 (or the vegetable chamber door 12, the freezer chamber door 13, etc.). In addition, the up and down direction of the cooling chamber 1 when it is placed on the installation surface is called the up and down direction (or height direction) of the cooling chamber 1 (or the vegetable chamber door 12, the freezer chamber door 13, etc.). In addition, the front and back direction of the cooling chamber 1 when it is placed on the installation surface is called the front and back direction (or depth direction) of the cooling chamber 1 (or the vegetable chamber door 12, the freezer chamber door 13, etc.). In addition, the side located on the left side when viewed from the front side of the cooling compartment 1 is referred to as the left side of the cooling compartment 1 (or the vegetable compartment door 12, the freezer compartment door 13, etc.), and the side located on the right side when viewed from the front side of the cooling compartment 1 is referred to as the right side of the cooling compartment 1 (or the vegetable compartment door 12, the freezer compartment door 13, etc.).

[0018] In this embodiment, the front panels of the drawers (e.g., vegetable compartment door 12 and freezer compartment door 13) are provided with upper caps 40 at their upper ends. Upper caps 40 form upper surfaces 140 of the front panels. Upper caps 40 are used as handles that a user places his or her hands on when pulling out drawers 10A and 10B toward himself or herself.

[0019] (Drawer configuration) Next, a more detailed configuration of the drawer 10 provided in the refrigerator 1 will be described. As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment has two drawers (specifically, drawers 10A and 10B). These drawers have roughly the same configuration. Therefore, in the following, drawers 10A and 10B will be described as drawer 10, representing them.

[0020] Fig. 3 shows the appearance of the drawer 10. The drawer 10 has a front panel 100 and a container 20. The front panel 100 covers at least a part of the opening of the cooling compartment. In the refrigerator 1 shown in Fig. 1 and other figures, a vegetable compartment door 12 and a freezer compartment door 13 are shown as examples of the front panel 100.

[0021] The front panel 100 is displaceable in the front-rear direction relative to the housing. The container 20 is attached to the front panel 100. The container 20 opens upward. The container 20, together with the front panel 100, is displaceable in the front-rear direction relative to the housing.

[0022] The front panel 100 has a front surface 110, a pair of side surfaces 120, 130, and an upper surface 140. In this embodiment, the front surface 110 and the pair of side surfaces 120 and 130 are formed from a single metal plate. The upper surface 140 is formed from an upper cap 40 made of resin. The upper cap 40 is attached to the upper end of the metal plate.

[0023] The front surface 110 extends along the height direction and the width direction. The front surface 110 may be configured with a flat surface, or may be configured with a curved surface having a curvature along at least one of the height direction and the width direction. The side surface 120 is connected to one side of the front surface 110 in the width direction. The side surface 120 extends from the front surface 110 toward the rear. The side surface 130 is connected to the other side of the front surface 110 in the width direction. The side surface 130 extends from the front surface 110 toward the rear.

[0024] (Front panel top configuration) Next, a more detailed description will be given of the structure of the upper surface 140 of the front panel 100. Figures 4, 5, and 6 show the external appearance of the upper cap 40 that forms the upper surface 140 of the front panel 100.

[0025] Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 respectively show the cross-sectional configuration in the width direction of the upper cap 40. Specifically, Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the upper cap 40 taken along line VII-VII shown in Fig. 5. Also, Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the upper cap 40 taken along line VIII-VIII shown in Fig. 6.

[0026] Fig. 9 shows the cross-sectional configurations in a direction intersecting the width direction of the upper cap 40. Specifically, Fig. 9 shows the cross-sectional configurations of the upper cap 40 taken along lines IXA-IXA, IXB-IXB, and IXC-IXC of the upper cap 40 shown in Fig. 5, from the left.

[0027] The upper surface 140 is provided on the upper side of the front surface 110 and the pair of side surfaces 120, 130. The upper surface 140 is connected to the upper end edge of the front surface 110 and each of the upper end edges of the pair of side surfaces 120, 130. The upper surface 140 may be configured of one flat surface portion or one curved surface portion. In this embodiment, the upper surface 140 has a flat surface portion 141 and an inclined surface 142. The flat surface portion 141 is a substantially horizontal flat surface. The inclined surface 142 is located on the front side of the flat surface portion 141. The inclined surface 142 connects the front end edge of the flat surface portion 141 and the upper end edge of the front surface 110. The inclined surface 142 extends obliquely downward toward the front side. The inclined surface 142 may be curved, but is flat in this embodiment.

[0028] A recess 200 is formed in the inclined surface 142. The recess 200 is provided over substantially the entire inclined surface 142 in the width direction. In other words, the recess 200 is provided so as to extend from one end portion of the inclined surface 142 to the other end portion in the width direction. The planar portion of the inclined surface 142 where the recess 200 is not provided is located rearward of the outer end portion of the recess 200 in the width direction.

[0029] The recess 200 has a front surface portion 210, a rear surface portion 220, a first side surface portion 230, a second side surface portion 240, and a bottom surface portion 250. The front surface portion 210 is located in front of the recess 200. The rear surface portion 220 is located in rear of the recess 200. One end portion in the width direction of the front surface portion 210 (e.g., the end portion on the left side when viewed from the front) and one end portion in the width direction of the rear surface portion 220 (e.g., the end portion on the left side when viewed from the front) are connected by the first side surface portion 230. The other end portion in the width direction of the front surface portion 210 (e.g., the end portion on the right side when viewed from the front) and the other end portion in the width direction of the rear surface portion 220 (e.g., the end portion on the right side when viewed from the front) are connected by the second side surface portion 240. The bottom surface portion 250 is located below the recess 200. The bottom surface portion 250 is connected to the lower ends of the front surface portion 210, the rear surface portion 220, the first side surface portion 230, and the second side surface portion 240.

[0030] The front surface 210 is configured with a curved surface that is convex upward toward the upper side, specifically toward the rear (see FIG. 9). The front end of the front surface 210 is approximately horizontal. The lower end of the front surface 210 extends approximately along the height direction. The curvature of the front end of the front surface 210 in a cross section along the height direction and depth direction is greater than the curvature of the lower end of the front surface 210 in the same cross section.

[0031] The rear portion 220 extends above the front portion 210, the first side portion 230, and the second side portion 240. In other words, the rear portion 220 includes a portion located above the recess 200 surrounded by the front portion 210, the rear portion 220, and the first side portion 230 and the second side portion 240. The rear portion 220 is not located at least at both ends in the width direction at the rear end of the inclined surface 142. On the other hand, the rear portion 220 is located over substantially the entire width direction at the front end of the inclined surface 142. The dimension of the rear portion 220 along the width direction gradually increases toward the front side. At the center of the inclined surface 142 in the front-rear direction, there are areas at both ends in the width direction where the rear portion 220 is not provided.

[0032] The rear portion 220 includes two first rear portions 221a and 221b and a second rear portion 222. The second rear portion 222 is located at the center in the width direction, and the two first rear portions 221a and 221b are located outside the second rear portion 222 in the width direction. The first rear portion 221a is connected to one end of the second rear portion 222 in the width direction (for example, the end on the left side when viewed from the front). One end of the first rear portion 221a in the width direction is connected to the first side portion 230, and the other end is connected to the second rear portion 222. The first rear portion 221b is connected to the other end of the second rear portion 222 in the width direction (for example, the end on the right side when viewed from the front). One end of the first rear portion 221b in the width direction is connected to the second rear portion 222, and the other end is connected to the second side portion 240.

[0033] The first rear portion 221a, 221b and the second rear portion 222 are curved surfaces having a curvature in the height direction (see FIG. 9). Therefore, in this embodiment, substantially the entire rear portion 220 is configured by a curved surface having a curvature in the height direction. The central portion 220a in the height direction of the rear portion 220 has a relatively low curvature, and the upper portion 220b and the lower portion 220c each have a relatively higher curvature than the central portion 220a (see, for example, the IXA-IXA cross section in FIG. 9). The curvatures in the height direction of the upper portion 220b and the lower portion 220c are higher than the curvature in the height direction of the central portion 220a. In this embodiment, the curvature in the height direction of the central portion 220a is substantially zero.

[0034] The first rear portions 221a, 221b extend from the center side in the width direction (the second rear portion 222 side) to the front side toward the outside in the width direction. The curvature of the first rear portions 221a, 221b in the width direction is not constant in the width direction, but increases toward the outside in the width direction. The curvature of the first rear portions 221a, 221b in the width direction is higher than the curvature of the second rear portion 222 in the width direction.

[0035] In detail, the curvature along the width direction of at least a portion of the first rear portion 221a, 221b is higher than the curvature along the width direction of the second rear portion 222 (see FIG. 8). In other words, the first rear portion 221a, 221b includes a portion having a curvature along the width direction higher than the curvature along the width direction of the second rear portion 222. In this embodiment, the curvature along the width direction of at least the outer end portion in the width direction of the first rear portion 221a, 221b is higher than the curvature along the width direction of the second rear portion 222. More specifically, in this embodiment, the second rear portion 222 does not have a curvature in the width direction substantially. That is, the second rear portion 222 is approximately flat over the entire width direction. In contrast, substantially the entire first rear portion 221a, 221b has a curvature in the width direction substantially. Therefore, the curvature of the first rear portions 221a, 221b along substantially the entire width direction is higher than the curvature of the second rear portion 222 along the width direction.

[0036] The outer end (front end) of the rear portion 220 extends substantially along the front-rear direction. The outer end (rear end) of the front portion 210 extends substantially along the front-rear direction. The outer end on each side of the width direction of the rear portion 220 and the outer end on each side of the width direction of the front portion 210 are connected by the first side portion 230 or the second side portion 240. In a plan view, the first side portion 230 and the second side portion 240 are each provided so as to become wider toward the outside in the width direction. The curvature along the width direction of the center portion in the width direction of each of the first side portion 230 and the second side portion 240 is relatively large, and the curvature along the width direction of both side portions in the width direction is relatively small. Therefore, the first side portion 230 and the second side portion 240 are each convex toward the upper side (see FIG. 7).

[0037] The bottom surface portion 250 is connected to the lower ends of the front surface portion 210, the rear surface portion 220, the first side surface portion 230, and the second side surface portion 240. The bottom surface portion 250 is configured with a concave surface that protrudes downward. In other words, the bottom surface portion 250 is inclined upward toward the outside in the width direction (see FIG. 7).

[0038] The bottom surface portion 250 is tangent to each of the front surface portion 210, the rear surface portion 220, the first side surface portion 230, and the second side surface portion 240. The bottom surface portion 250 is the portion of the surface of the recess 200 that has the largest curvature along the depth direction (see FIG. 9). Substantially the entire width of the bottom surface portion 250 has a curvature along the width direction. In a cross section including the center in the depth direction of the bottom surface portion 250 and along the width direction and height direction, substantially the entire bottom surface portion 250 has a curvature and is substantially composed of a single concave parabola protruding downward (see FIG. 7). In a cross section including the center in the width direction of the bottom surface portion 250 and along the depth direction and height direction, substantially the entire bottom surface portion 250 has a curvature and is substantially composed of a single concave parabola protruding downward (see, for example, the IXA-IXA cross section in FIG. 9).

[0039] The bottom surface portion 250 includes first bottom surface portions 251a, 251b connected to the first rear surface portions 221a, 221b, and a second bottom surface portion 252 connected to the second rear surface portion 222. Of the first bottom surface portions 251a, 251b and the second bottom surface portion 252, at least the first bottom surface portions 251a, 251b are downwardly convex.

[0040] In detail, in this embodiment, both the first bottom surface portions 251a, 251b and the second bottom surface portion 252 are convex downward. The curvature of the first bottom surface portions 251a, 251b along the width direction is higher than the curvature of the second bottom surface portion 252 along the width direction (see FIG. 7). At the boundary between the first bottom surface portion 251a and the second bottom surface portion 252, the curvature changes continuously. Similarly, at the boundary between the first bottom surface portion 251b and the second bottom surface portion 252, the curvature changes continuously. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the bottom surface portion 250 is substantially composed of one concave smooth curved surface that protrudes downward in the width direction.

[0041] Fig. 10 shows the left side of the upper cap 40. In Fig. 10, an imaginary line L is shown by a dashed line. The imaginary line L is a line connecting the lowest points P of the recesses 200 in a cross section along the front-rear and height directions of the upper cap 40. In other words, the imaginary line L can also be said to be a line indicating the valley of the recesses 200.

[0042] Fig. 11 shows a cross-sectional shape of the recess 200 along a direction perpendicular to the imaginary line L. Specifically, Fig. 11 shows, from the left, the configurations of each cross section of the upper cap 40 shown in Fig. 10 taken along lines XIA-XIA, XIB-XIB, XIC-XIC, and XID-XID.

[0043] The upper surface 140 of the upper cap 40 has a symmetrical shape. The shape of the recess 200 from the center to the right side of the upper cap 40 can be similar to that of the left side.

[0044] The first rear portion 221a, 221b and the first side portion 230 or the second side portion 240 are configured by a continuous curved surface in which the curvature along a direction perpendicular to the virtual line L, which extends forward toward the outside in the width direction in a plan view, becomes smaller toward the outside in the width direction. In other words, the first rear portion 221a, 221b and the first side portion 230 or the second side portion 240 have a virtual line L, and the curvature of the first rear portion 221a, 221b and the first side portion 230 or the second side portion 240 in a direction perpendicular to the virtual line L becomes smaller toward the outside in the width direction. In a cross section along the direction perpendicular to the virtual line L and the height direction, the portion of the first rear portion 221a, 221b and the first side portion 230 or the second side portion 240 located directly above the virtual line L is substantially horizontal.

[0045] 11, the curvature of the concave surface of the recess 200 is the largest in the cross section taken along line XID-XID shown on the right side, and the curvature of the concave surface decreases gradually toward the left. The curvature of the concave surface of the recess 200 is the smallest in the cross section taken along line XIA-XIA shown on the left side.

[0046] Also, as shown in FIG. 10, the first rear portion 221a, 221b is connected to the second rear portion 222 on the surface of the recess 200 in a plan view, and is located rearward of the lowermost portion of the bottom portion 250 located below the recess 200 (i.e., the position of the virtual line L).

[0047] The recess 200 surrounded by the front portion 210, the rear portion 220, the first side portion 230, and the second side portion 240 is located below the center in the height direction of the inclined surface 142 (see FIG. 9). The recess 200 is not located above the inclined surface 142 in the height direction, and only the rear portion 220 of the rear portion 220, the first side portion 230, and the second side portion 240 is located there.

[0048] At substantially the upper end of the recess 200, the curvature along the width direction of the rear portion 220 located at both ends in the width direction of the recess 200 is larger than the curvature along the width direction of the front portion 210. As shown in FIG. 8, at substantially the upper end of the recess 200, both ends in the width direction of the rear portion 220 are located forward of the center in the width direction, and extend toward the front side toward the outside in the width direction. At substantially the upper end of the recess 200, the outermost end in the width direction of the recess 200 is located forward of the center in the front-rear direction of the recess 200. The recess 200 is configured so that the outermost end in the width direction of the recess 200 is located rearward as it moves downward. At the very bottom end of the recess 200, the outermost end in the width direction of the recess 200 is located approximately in the center in the front-rear direction.

[0049] The lower end of the recess 200 has a shape that is substantially line-symmetrical with respect to a line L2 that passes through the center of the recess 200 in the width direction and the front-rear direction (see, for example, the IXA-IXA cross section in FIG. 9). On the other hand, the end of the recess 200 has a shape that is not line-symmetrical with respect to the line L2 (see, for example, the IXB-IXB cross section in FIG. 9). The lowest point P of the recess 200 is located forward of the center of the recess 200 in the front-rear direction at any point in the width direction (see FIG. 9).

[0050] As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment comprises a housing 50 having a cooling chamber that opens forward, and a drawer 10 having a front panel 100 that is attached to the housing 50 so as to be displaceable in the front-rear direction and covers the opening of the cooling chamber. The front panel 100 has an upper surface 140 in which a recess 200 is formed. The recess 200 is used as a handle that a user places his or her hand on when, for example, pulling the drawer 10 forward.

[0051] The recesses provided in the grips of the doors of conventional refrigerators are made up of flat walls and have an overall linear and angular shape. This shape makes it difficult to remove dirt that has accumulated in the recesses. In particular, dirt and dust tend to accumulate in the angular corners of the recesses, making it difficult to remove them.

[0052] On the other hand, the recess 200 provided in the front panel 100 of the drawer 10 of this embodiment has a bottom surface portion 250 located on the lower side. The back surface portion 220 located on the rear side of the bottom surface portion 250 among the surfaces of the recess 200 includes first back surface portions 221a, 221b and a second back surface portion 222 located closer to the center in the width direction than the first back surface portion and connected to the first back surface portions 221a, 221b. The bottom surface portion 250 is inclined upward toward the outside in the width direction. In addition, the first back surface portions 221a, 221b extend from the center side in the width direction toward the front side toward the outside, and in a plan view, the curvature along the width direction of the first back surface portions 221a, 221b is higher than the curvature along the width direction of the second back surface portion 222.

[0053] According to the above configuration, when a brush, a hand, or the like is slid laterally inside the recess 200, the brush, hand, or the like can be pulled out of the recess from either the left or right end without resistance. This makes it easy to remove dirt from inside the recess 200. This makes it easier to clean the top surface 140 of the front panel 100.

[0054] Moreover, since the surface of the recess 200 is smoothly curved as a whole, it is possible to improve the aesthetic appearance of the recess 200. As a result, it is possible to improve the design when the cooling box 1 is viewed from the front.

[0055] In addition, in the shape of the conventional handle, when the hand is slid laterally inside the recess, it hits the wall of the end, and the user feels uncomfortable when removing the hand from the recess. On the other hand, in the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the surface of the recess 200 provided on the upper surface 140 of the front panel 100 provided in the drawer 10 is smoothly curved over the entire surface. In other words, there are almost no protruding or angular parts on the surface of the recess 200. Therefore, the user can naturally remove his / her hand from the recess 200 without feeling uncomfortable.

[0056] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure 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 with each other are also included in the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1: Refrigerator 10: Drawer 20: Container 40: Upper cap 50: Housing 100: Front panel 140: Top surface (front panel) 200: Recess 210: Front part 220: Back part 221a: 1st back part 221b: 1st back part 222:Second back part 230: First side part 240: 2nd side part 250: Bottom part 251a: 1st bottom part 252b: 2nd bottom part L: Virtual line

Claims

1. a housing having a cooling chamber that opens forward; a drawer attached to the housing so as to be displaceable in a front-rear direction and having a front panel that closes an opening of the cooling chamber; Equipped with The front panel has an upper surface with a recess formed therein; The recess has a bottom surface, Among the surfaces of the recess, a rear surface portion located behind the bottom surface portion is A first back portion; a second back portion located closer to the center in the width direction than the first back portion and connected to the first back portion; Including, The bottom surface portion is inclined upward toward the outside in the width direction, A cooling cabinet, wherein the first rear portion extends from the center in the width direction toward the front and outward, and when viewed in a plane, the curvature of the first rear portion along the width direction is greater than the curvature of the second rear portion along the width direction.

2. The cooling box of claim 1, wherein the first rear portion and a side portion connected to the first rear portion and located on the outside in the width direction of the recess are curved on a virtual line extending forward toward the outside in the width direction in a plan view, such that the curvature of the concave surface along a direction perpendicular to the virtual line becomes smaller toward the outside in the width direction.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second back surface portion has no curvature along the width direction.

4. a bottom surface portion of the recess that is connected to the rear surface portion and includes a first bottom surface portion connected to the first rear surface portion and a second bottom surface portion connected to the second rear surface portion; At least the first bottom surface portion of the first bottom surface portion and the second bottom surface portion is downwardly convex, The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a curvature of the first bottom surface portion along the width direction is greater than a curvature of the second bottom surface portion along the width direction.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the second bottom surface portion is downwardly convex.

6. The cooling box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first rear portion, when viewed in a plan view, is connected to the second rear portion of the surface of the recess and is located rearward of the lowermost portion of the bottom portion located below the recess.

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