Cooling box

Abstract

To provide a cooling box that comprises a high-strength handle, and is excellent in a heat insulation property.SOLUTION: A cooling box 1 comprises: a case 52 comprising a cooling chamber 20; a plate 51c opposed to a back surface 52b of the case 52, and exposing at least a portion of an upper end part 52c of the back part 52b of the case 52; a handle 31a comprising an opposed part 41 opposed to the upper end part 52c of the back part 52b of the case 52 exposed from the plate 51c; and a foamed resin body 53 packed between the case 52 and each of the plate 51c and the handle 31a. The foamed resin body 53 bonds the case 52 and each of the plate 51c and the handle 31a. In the cooling box 1, the opposed part 41 of the handle 31a comprises an inclined part 41a inclined to the side of the case 52 upward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a refrigerator having a handle provided on the top of the casing (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4357428 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The handle of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 can be used, for example, as a handle when carrying the refrigerator. For this reason, there is a demand for improving the strength of the handle. In addition, there is a demand for suppressing a decrease in the heat insulating properties of the housing of the refrigerator by providing the handle.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is, for example, to provide a refrigerator having a high-strength handle and excellent insulation properties. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention includes a housing having a cooling chamber, a plate facing the rear surface of the housing and exposing at least a part of the upper end of the rear surface of the housing, a handle having an opposing portion facing the upper end of the rear surface of the housing exposed from the plate, and a foamed resin body filled between the housing and each of the plate and the handle and bonding the housing to each of the plate and the handle. In this refrigerator, the opposing portion of the handle has an inclined portion that inclines upward toward the housing. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator having a high-strength handle and excellent insulating properties can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a cooling box according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a rear part of the heat-insulating box of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the heat-insulating box taken along line III-III shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 2 is a perspective view showing a handle member provided in the cooling box shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 5 is a plan view of the handle member shown in FIG. 4 as seen from the rear side of the refrigerator. [Figure 6] 5 is a plan view of the handle member shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from the front side of the refrigerator. [Figure 7] 5 is a plan view of the handle member shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from the left side of the refrigerator. [Figure 8] 5 is a perspective view of the handle member shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from below the rear surface of the refrigerator. [Figure 9] 5 is a perspective view of the handle member shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from below the front of the refrigerator. [Figure 10] 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the positional relationship between the upper end of the housing and an inclined portion of a handle of the handle member. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention 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. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated. In the following description, directions such as front, back, left and right refer to directions as viewed from the rear side of the refrigerator. In other words, the rear side of the refrigerator is the front side, and the front side is the rear side.

[0010] (Overall configuration of the cooling cabinet) First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 shows the external appearance of the refrigerator 1 as seen obliquely from the rear side. Fig. 2 shows the configuration of the rear part of the heat-insulating box 50.

[0011] The refrigerator 1 includes a heat-insulating box 50. The term "heat-insulating box" refers to a box having walls that include a heat-insulating material. Heat-insulating materials include, for example, foamed materials (foamed resin bodies) with multiple pores, and members with a reduced-pressure internal space (vacuum insulation materials). Examples of foamed resin bodies include rigid urethane foam (also called rigid polyurethane foam). Rigid urethane foam is a uniform foamed resin body obtained by mixing two main raw materials with a catalyst, a foaming agent, a foaming agent, and the like, and simultaneously inducing a foaming reaction and a resinification reaction.

[0012] The heat-insulating box 50 includes an outer box 51, a housing 52, and a heat insulating material 53. The outer box 51 forms the outer peripheral surface of the heat-insulating box 50. The outer box 51 includes a top plate (upper plate) 51a, a side plate 51b, and a back plate (plate) 51c. The top plate 51a forms the top surface of the heat-insulating box 50. The side plate 51b forms the left and right side surfaces of the heat-insulating box 50, respectively. The back plate 51c forms the back surface of the heat-insulating box 50.

[0013] The back plate 51c is provided with an injection port (not shown) for injecting a foamed insulating material for forming the insulating material 53. For example, a plurality of injection ports are provided at the side end portions on both the left and right sides. The foamed insulating material injected into the inside of the insulating box 50 from the injection port flows from the space on the back side to the space on the front side while foaming and increasing in volume, and fills the inside of the insulating box 50. The foamed insulating material (foamed resin body) is then cured. As a result, each member constituting the exterior body of the insulating box 50 (for example, the housing 52, the top plate 51a, the side plate 51b, the back plate 51c, the handle member 30, etc.) is bonded to each other.

[0014] The housing 52 forms the inner peripheral surface of the heat-insulating box 50. The housing 52 has a cooling chamber 20. The cooling chamber 20 is a chamber for cooling items. The cooling chamber 20 opens toward the front. In this embodiment, the housing 52 has a plurality of cooling chambers 20 (e.g., a refrigerator chamber, a vegetable chamber, a freezer chamber, etc.).

[0015] At the front opening of the cooling compartment 20, doors (for example, a refrigerator compartment door 11, a vegetable compartment door 12, and a freezer compartment door 13) are provided.

[0016] A handle member 30 is provided on the upper back side of the insulated box 50. The handle member 30 extends in the left-right direction along the upper end of the back plate 51c of the insulated box 50. A handle 31a is provided on the left side of the handle member 30 when the cooling cabinet 1 is viewed from the back side. A handle 31b is provided on the right side of the handle member 30 when the cooling cabinet 1 is viewed from the back side. When transporting the cooling cabinet 1, an operator transports the cooling cabinet 1 by placing his or her hands on each of the handles 31a and 31b.

[0017] (Configuration of handle parts) A more specific configuration of the handle member 30 will be described below.

[0018] Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the upper back side of the heat-insulating box 50. Fig. 3 shows cross sections along the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the heat-insulating box 50. Specifically, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion where the handle 31a of the handle member 30 is provided (the portion of line III-III in Fig. 2).

[0019] Figures 4 to 9 show the external appearance of the handle member 30. Figures 4 to 9 are perspective views of the handle member 30 as viewed from various directions.

[0020] The handle member 30 is formed of a resin material such as a resin composition containing polypropylene. As shown in Fig. 5, the handle member 30 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. When the handle member 30 is attached to the insulating box 50, the handle member 30 is arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the substantially rectangular shape of the handle member 30 is aligned with the left-right direction of the insulating box 50 (see Fig. 2, etc.).

[0021] The handle member 30 has a central portion 32, a handle 31a located on the left side of the central portion 32 when viewed from the back side, and a handle 31b located on the right side of the central portion 32 when viewed from the back side. The central portion 32 forms the central portion of the handle member 30 in the longitudinal direction. The central portion 32 includes a rear surface 33. The rear surface 33 of the handle member 30 forms a part of the rear surface of the insulated box body 50 (specifically, the upper end portion of the rear surface of the insulated box body 50). In addition, the handle member 30 has a front surface 34 on the opposite side of the rear surface 33 (see FIG. 6). The front surface 34 forms a wall surface of the inside of the insulated box body 50 (the portion filled with the insulating material 53).

[0022] Handles 31a and 31b, located on the left and right end sides of central portion 32, each have gripping portions 47, 47 that an operator holds when transporting cooling box 1. As shown in FIG. 3 and other figures, gripping portion 47 is positioned at a distance from the main body portion of handle member 30 (i.e., at least one of connecting portion 42 and opposing portion 41). An insertion hole 48 is formed between gripping portion 47 and the main body portion of handle member 30 (i.e., at least one of connecting portion 42 and opposing portion 41). An operator's hand is inserted into insertion hole 48 when transporting cooling box 1.

[0023] 3, a gap is provided between the rear end of top plate 51a forming the top surface of outer box 51 and the upper end of back plate 51c forming the back surface of outer box 51. Handle member 30 is attached to outer box 51 so as to cover this gap.

[0024] The back plate 51c faces the back surface 52b of the housing 52, and at least a part of the upper end 52c of the back surface 52b of the housing 52 is exposed. The handle member 30 has a facing portion 41 that faces the upper end 52c of the back surface 52b of the housing 52 that is exposed from the back surface plate 51c. A downward insertion groove 46 that opens downward is provided at the lower end of the facing portion 41 of the handle member 30. The upper end of the back plate 51c is inserted into the downward insertion groove 46 of the handle member 30.

[0025] The top plate 51a covers at least a portion of the top surface 52a of the housing 52. The handle member 30 has a connecting portion 42 and a top surface portion 43 above the facing portion 41. The top surface portion 43 is located above the top plate 51a. The connecting portion 42 connects the facing portion 41 and the top surface portion 43. The top surface portion 43 of the handle member 30 is provided with an upper insertion groove 45 that opens forward. The rear end of the top plate 51a is inserted into the upper insertion groove 45 of the handle member 30.

[0026] A heat insulating material 53 is provided between the housing 52 and each of the top plate 51a, the back plate 51c, and the handle member 30. The heat insulating material 53 contains a foamed resin such as urethane foam. The foamed resin fills the inside of the heat-insulating box 50, and bonds the housing 52 to each of the top plate 51a, the back plate 51c, and the handle member 30.

[0027] The handles 31a and 31b of the handle member 30 have configurations that are symmetrical to each other. Therefore, in the following, a more specific configuration of the handle 31a will be described as a representative of the handles 31a and 31b.

[0028] The handle 31a has a facing portion 41, a connecting portion 42, an upper surface portion 43, a protruding portion 44, a gripping portion 47, and the like.

[0029] The facing portion 41 of the handle 31a faces an upper end portion 52c of a rear surface 52b of the housing 52 (see FIG. 3). The facing portion 41 has an inclined portion 41a that inclines upward toward the housing 52 side.

[0030] By providing such an inclined portion 41a, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the fluidity of the foam insulation material injected into the thermal insulation box 50 around the handle member 30. Therefore, the insulation material can be reliably filled between the handle 31a and the housing 52. In other words, the insulation material can be filled at a high filling rate between the handle 31a and the housing 52. This makes it possible to suppress the decrease in the insulation performance of the thermal insulation box 50. In addition, since the housing 52 and the handle 31a can be firmly fixed, it is also possible to improve the strength of the handle 31a and the attachment strength of the handle member 30 to the thermal insulation box 50.

[0031] The upper end 52c of the housing 52 extends in the width direction (left-right direction) and has a rounded shape in a cross section along the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 10, at least a part of the upper end 52c of the housing 52 is located in a region between a normal line A of the front end and a normal line B of the rear end of the inclined part 41a of the handle 31a in a cross section along the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the heat-insulating box 50. As a result, the inclined part 41a of the handle 31a is located in a position opposite the upper end 52c of the housing 52 having a rounded shape, so that the foamed insulating material can flow more smoothly from the back part to the top part of the heat-insulating box 50.

[0032] The protruding portion 44 of the handle 31a protrudes forward from the connecting portion 42. The protruding portion 44, together with the upper surface portion 43, constitutes an upper insertion groove 45 into which the upper surface plate 51a is inserted. The front end of the protruding portion 44 is flush with the upper end 41b of the inclined portion 41a in the front-rear direction (at the same position in the front-rear direction) or is located rearward of the upper end 41b of the inclined portion 41a.

[0033] This makes it possible to further reduce the possibility that the fluidity of the injected foam insulation material will decrease at the location inside the insulation box 50 where the protruding portion 44 is provided.

[0034] The connecting portion 42 of the handle 31a includes a second inclined portion 42a that is inclined upward toward the rear from the portion connected to the inclined portion 41a.

[0035] The grip portion 47 of the handle 31a is located rearward and spaced from at least one of the connecting portion 42 and the facing portion 41. An insertion hole 48 is formed between the grip portion 47 and at least one of the connecting portion 42 and the facing portion 41.

[0036] At least a portion of the second inclined portion 42a is located below the grip portion 47 (see FIG. 3).

[0037] According to the above configuration, in a cross-sectional view along the up-down and front-rear directions of the heat-insulating box body 50, the inclined portion 41a and the second inclined portion 42a form an insertion hole 48 having a "L" shape (see FIG. 10, etc.). As a result, the insertion hole 48 has a shape that conforms to the joints of the worker's fingers, and discomfort felt by the worker when the worker grips the handle 31a, etc., can be reduced.

[0038] (summary) As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes the housing 52 having a cooling chamber, the back plate 51c facing the back surface 52b of the housing 52 and exposing at least a part of the upper end 52c of the back surface 52b of the housing 52, the handle 31a having the facing portion 41 facing the upper end 52c of the back surface 52b of the housing 52 exposed from the back surface plate 51c, and the insulating material 53 including a foamed resin body filled between the housing 52 and each of the back surface plate 51c and the handle 31a. The foamed resin body bonds the housing 52 to each of the back surface plate 51c and the handle 31a. In this refrigerator 1, the facing portion 41 of the handle 31a has an inclined portion 41a that inclines upward toward the housing 52.

[0039] For example, as described in JP 2021-060131 A, a handle for carrying a refrigerator may be formed by recessing the upper end portion of the back surface of the refrigerator toward the front. In this case, the space inside the insulated box is narrowed in the portion where the handle is formed. Therefore, in the portion where the handle is formed, the fluidity of the foamed insulation material is low in the narrow space inside the insulated box, and as a result, it may be difficult to inject the insulation material with high injection efficiency.

[0040] Therefore, the thickness of the insulation material in the part where the handle is formed may be thinner than in other parts. Also, the foamed insulation material may not be sufficiently distributed around the handle, and an unfilled part of the insulation material may be formed near the handle. This may result in a decrease in the insulation properties or strength around the handle in the insulated box. Also, if there is a part in the insulated box where the thickness of the insulation material changes suddenly, a difference in thermal contraction may occur, which may cause the insulation material to crack.

[0041] As described above, in the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the opposing portion 41 of the handle 31a has an inclined portion 41a that inclines upward toward the housing 52. By providing such an inclined portion 41a, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the fluidity of the foamed insulating material injected into the insulating box 50 will decrease around the handle.

[0042] For example, if an injection port is provided in the back plate 51c of the insulating box 50, the foamed insulating material flowing in from the injection port flows from the back portion to the upper portion of the insulating box 50 as shown by the arrow in Fig. 10. By providing the inclined portion 41a on the facing portion 41 of the handle member 30 facing the upper end portion 52c of the back surface 52b of the housing 52, the width between the upper end portion 52c of the housing 52 and the facing portion 41 is expanded, thereby improving the fluidity of the foamed insulating material.

[0043] Therefore, the insulating material can be tightly filled between the handle 31a and the housing 52. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the insulating performance of the insulated box 50. In addition, since the housing 52 and the handle 31a can be firmly fixed, the strength of the handle 31a can also be improved.

[0044] The other handle 31b of the handle member 30 has a similar configuration to the handle 31a. Therefore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, it is possible to provide a refrigerator 1 having high-strength handles 31a and 31b and excellent heat insulating properties.

[0045] 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]

[0046] 1: Refrigerator 20: Cooling room 30: Handle parts 31a: Toride 31b: Toride 32: Central part 33: Rear 41: Opposing part 41a: Inclined part 41b: Upper end (of the inclined part) 42: Connection 42a: 2nd slope part 43:Top part 44:Protrusion 47: Grip part 48: Insertion hole 50: Insulated box 51: Outer box 52: Cabinet 51a: Top plate (upper plate) 51b: Side plate 51c: Back plate (plate) 52c: Rounded upper end of the housing 53: Insulation material (foam resin)

Claims

1. A housing having a cooling chamber; a plate facing the rear surface of the housing and exposing at least a portion of an upper end of the rear surface of the housing; a handle having a facing portion facing an upper end portion of the rear surface of the housing exposed from the plate; a foamed resin body that is filled between the housing and each of the plate and the handle and bonds the housing to each of the plate and the handle; Including, A cooling cabinet, wherein the opposing portion of the handle has an inclined portion that slopes upward toward the housing.

2. Further comprising an upper plate covering at least a portion of the upper surface of the housing; The handle is an upper surface portion located above the upper plate; a connection portion connecting the facing portion and the upper surface portion; a protruding portion protruding forward from the connection portion, the protruding portion forming a groove into which the upper plate is inserted together with the upper surface portion; having The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a front end of the protrusion is flush with an upper end of the inclined portion in the front-rear direction or is located rearward of the upper end of the inclined portion.

3. the housing extends in a width direction and has an upper end portion that is rounded in cross section along the up-down direction and the front-rear direction; The cooling cabinet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a portion of the upper end of the handle is located in the area between the normal to the front end of the inclined portion and the normal to the rear end of the inclined portion in a cross section along the up-down and front-to-back directions.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the connection portion includes a second inclined portion inclined upward toward the rear from a portion connected to the inclined portion.

5. The handle further includes a grip portion that is located rearward and spaced apart from at least one of the connecting portion and the opposing portion and that forms an insertion hole together with at least one of the connecting portion and the opposing portion, The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of the second inclined portion is located below the grip portion.

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