Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that has reduced a filling amount of a foam heat insulation material while securing the strength of a box body.SOLUTION: A refrigerator of the present invention includes: an outer box including a plurality of faces formed of folded steal plates, which is formed into a box shape; an inner box formed into a box shape by the molding of synthetic resin plates, whose top surface can sag by its own weight; a foam heat insulation material put by on-site foaming; a heat insulation box body having an injection port used for injecting the foam heat insulation material and a vacuum heat insulation material. On a top surface of the heat insulation box body, the vacuum heat insulation material is supported by bonding or by the foam heat insulation material. The foam heat insulation material is put in a vertical range from the top surface of the inner box in the front end of the heat insulation box body to the outer box. The inner box is bonded on the center side of the undersurface of the vacuum heat insulation material with an adhesive different from the foam heat insulation material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] In order to meet the needs of space saving and large capacity, there is known a technology for a refrigerator that reduces the wall thickness of the refrigerator and expands the internal volume. The energy-saving performance of the refrigerator mainly depends on the combined use of two heat insulating materials, a vacuum heat insulating material and a foam heat insulating material. Therefore, recently, refrigerators have been proposed in which the coverage rate and thickness of a vacuum heat insulating material with excellent heat insulating performance are improved, and the thickness of the foam heat insulating material is reduced. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator in which the area of the back heat insulating wall without the foam heat insulating material is wider than the area of the side heat insulating wall without the foam heat insulating material (Claim 1, etc.).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the conventional technologies related to refrigerators that reduce the filling amount of the foam heat insulating material, such as Patent Document 1, assume only the back surface of the heat insulating box body and do not assume the side surface, top surface, and bottom surface of the heat insulating box body. Therefore, the inventors of the present invention focused on the fact that if a portion where the influence of the foam heat insulating material on the strength of the refrigerator is small can be specified, the filling amount of the foam heat insulating material can be reduced even in these portions of the box body.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In view of the above problems, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a plurality of surfaces formed by bent steel plates, an outer box formed in a box shape, an inner box formed in a box shape by molding a synthetic resin plate and having a top surface that can sag due to its own weight, a foam heat insulating material filled by on-site foaming, an injection port used for injecting the foam heat insulating material, and a heat insulating box body having a vacuum heat insulating material. On the top surface of the heat insulating box body, the vacuum heat insulating material is supported by adhesion or the foam heat insulating material. In the vertical range from the top surface of the inner box to the outer box at the front end of the heat insulating box body, the foam heat insulating material is filled. On the central side of the lower surface of the vacuum heat insulating material, the inner box is adhered with an adhesive different from the foam heat insulating material.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

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BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

EXAMPLE

[0008] Regarding the refrigerator according to Example 1, it will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of the refrigerator 1.

[0009] <The basic structure of the refrigerator> As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment has storage compartments in the order of the refrigerating compartment 2, the ice-making compartments 3 arranged side by side left and right, the upper freezing compartment 4, the lower freezing compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6 from above. The refrigerator 1 is provided with doors for opening and closing the openings of the respective storage compartments. These doors include the rotary refrigerating compartment doors 2a and 2b divided into left and right for opening and closing the opening of the refrigerating compartment 2, and the drawer-type ice-making compartment door 3a, upper freezing compartment door 4a, lower freezing compartment door 5a, and vegetable compartment door 6a for opening and closing the openings of the ice-making compartment 3, upper freezing compartment 4, lower freezing compartment 5, and vegetable compartment 6, respectively. In this embodiment, a refrigerator having six doors is taken as an example for description, but it is not limited to a six-door refrigerator. Each of the drawer-type doors is provided with a storage container and a door-side rail extending in the front-rear direction, and is slidable, for example, on the rail on the inner box 8 side of the refrigerator 1.

[0010] The refrigerating compartment 2 is a refrigerated storage compartment with the interior of the cabinet set to an average of about 4°C in the refrigerating temperature range. The ice-making compartment 3, upper freezing compartment 4, and lower freezing compartment 5 are frozen storage compartments with the interior of the cabinet set to an average of about -18°C in the freezing temperature range. The vegetable compartment 6 is a refrigerated storage compartment with the interior of the cabinet set to an average of about 6°C in the refrigerating temperature range, and is a refrigerated storage compartment that suppresses the drying of food by indirect cooling.

[0011] The shelf ribs 13 arranged on both side surfaces of the refrigerating compartment 2 have their front ends located at a position spaced apart from the front end of the refrigerator 1, and extend rearward therefrom. Shelves on which food can be placed are placed on the shelf ribs 13, and in this embodiment, a plurality of them are arranged vertically.

[0012] A cooler for cooling the interior of each storage compartment is arranged on the rear side of the lower freezing compartment 5. Although not shown, the cooler, compressor, condenser, and capillary tube are connected to form a refrigeration cycle. And above the cooler, a blower for circulating the cold air cooled by the cooler is arranged, and a discharge port for discharging the cold air into the storage compartment is formed downstream of the blower. Note that there may be a plurality of coolers, and the arrangement is not limited to the rear side of the lower freezing compartment 5, and may be arranged on the rear side of the refrigerating compartment 2.

[0013] The rail 21 is connected to a door-side rail (not shown) connected to the drawer-type door and supports the door. A container capable of storing food is attached to the door or the door-side rail and moves together with the door.

[0014] <Basic Structure of the Heat-Insulating Box Body> Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the heat-insulating box body in the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the heat-insulating box body consists of a top surface, a bottom surface, both side surfaces, and a back surface, and has an open box shape in the front. Further, the heat-insulating box body includes a metal outer box 7 (not shown in Figure 2) and a synthetic resin inner box 8. The space inside the heat-insulating box body formed by the outer box 7 and the inner box 8 is filled with a foamed heat-insulating material 9 such as rigid urethane foam by so-called on-site foaming, insulating the storage chamber from the outside.

[0015] The outer box 7 is box-shaped and composed of a top panel formed by bending a thin steel plate into a U-shape, left and right side panels, a back panel composed of a separate member, and a bottom panel composed of a separate member. On the other hand, the inner box 8 is formed in a box shape by molding a synthetic resin plate. The top panel and the left and right side panels may be separate bodies.

[0016] Also, the refrigerating chamber 2, the ice-making chamber 3, and the upper freezing chamber 4 are separated by a heat-insulating partition 10 arranged as a substantially horizontal plane. Further, the lower freezing chamber 5 and the vegetable chamber 6 are separated by a heat-insulating partition 11 arranged as a substantially horizontal plane. These heat-insulating partitions are provided in the portions partitioning the storage chambers of different temperature zones and serve to prevent the inside of the refrigerating temperature zone chamber from being over-cooled by the cold air in the freezing temperature zone chamber.

[0017] Furthermore, between the outer box 7 and the inner box 8, in addition to the foamed heat insulating material 9, a vacuum heat insulating material 12 (not shown in FIG. 2) having a lower thermal conductivity than the foamed heat insulating material 9 is mounted, and the heat insulating performance is enhanced without reducing the food storage volume. Here, the vacuum heat insulating material 12 is configured by wrapping a core material such as glass wool with an outer wrapping material formed of a metal layer such as aluminum in order to ensure gas barrier properties. The vacuum heat insulating material 12 is attached to the inner wall surfaces of the outer box 7, that is, the inner wall surfaces of the top plate, side plates, back plate, and bottom plate, respectively, using an adhesive such as double-sided tape or hot melt on a part or the whole surface of the vacuum heat insulating material 12.

[0018] The foamed heat insulating material 9 foamed on site is inferior to the vacuum heat insulating material 12 in terms of thermal conductivity, but it can integrate the inner box 8 and the outer box 7 due to its adhesive force, so it is useful for improving the strength of the heat insulating box body. The injection method of the urethane heat insulating material that becomes the foamed heat insulating material 9 during on-site foaming is to place the refrigerator 1 in a prone position so that the back of the refrigerator 1 faces vertically upward, and through, for example, four injection ports provided on the back of the outer box 7 of the refrigerator 1, into the space between the inner box 8 and the outer box 7. The injected urethane heat insulating material drips at around the front end of the side surface inside the heat insulating box body, and foaming starts from here, climbs up the side surface, and wraps around to the back side to be filled and solidified.

[0019] That is, basically, the foamed heat insulating material 9 is injection-molded between the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and the inner box 8 and fixed to the inner box 8 to ensure the strength of the refrigerator. However, in this embodiment, for the parts that have little influence on the strength, the foamed heat insulating material 9 is unfilled or underfilled (partial urethane-free). Specifically, in this embodiment, the urethane flow thickness (the gap between the inner box 8 and the vacuum heat insulating material 12. The flowable thickness.) of the whole area or the whole circumference of the partial urethane-free is made smaller, for example, less than 6 mm. As a result, it becomes possible to deliberately provide an area of unfilled or underfilled urethane instead of an unintentional unfilled urethane (void) caused by dimensional variations of the vacuum heat insulating material 12, and consequently, the injection amount of the urethane heat insulating material for the entire refrigerator 1 can be reduced. The connection between the thick part (for example, the part of 8 mm or more) where the flow thickness for filling the foamed heat insulating material 9 is thick and the thin part where the urethane is deliberately unfilled or underfilled is, for example, made such that the inner box 8 is tapered and brought closer to the outer box 7 side so that the flow thickness changes continuously. Thereby, the concentration of stress due to the load generated by a sudden change in rigidity can be avoided. Also, in the place where the cold air flows, the pressure loss of the air passage can be reduced. On the other hand, for example, if the inner box 8 is connected in a stepped shape, the internal volume of the storage chamber can be maximized, and since the flow thickness can be ensured, the risk of unfilled urethane at the connection part can be reduced.

[0020] Note that what is embedded together with the foam heat insulating material 9 between the outer box 7 and the inner box 8 is not limited to the vacuum heat insulating material 12, and any material with a thermal conductivity λ smaller than that of the foam heat insulating material 9 may be used. For example, the vacuum heat insulating material 12 described in each embodiment may be replaced with a heat insulating structure 30 as shown in FIG. 25. The heat insulating structure 30 is formed by overlapping a first plate material 31a made of a stainless steel plate, a PCM steel plate, a glass plate, etc. with a thickness of 0.5 to 2.0 mm and a second plate material 31b so as to form an internal space 32 therebetween. It has a joint portion 33 where the outer peripheries of the first plate material 31a and the second plate material 31b are joined by welding, adhesion, etc. A plurality of spherical spacer members 34 made of glass, ceramic, etc. are arranged in the internal space 32, and the height of the internal space 32 is set to about 2 to 5 mm. The internal space 32 is evacuated from an exhaust port 35 provided in either the first plate material 31a or the second plate material 31b and sealed with a cap 36. In this way, by making the internal space 32 of the heat insulating structure 30 a vacuum atmosphere, the thermal conductivity λ can be made smaller than that of the foam heat insulating material 9.

[0021] <Outline of partial urethane - free> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the filling locations required for strength by analysis. The foam heat insulating material 9 is filled and solidified in the heat insulating space composed of the inner box 8, the outer box 7, or the vacuum heat insulating material 12, etc. to ensure the strength of the refrigerator, but it does not contribute equally as a structure in all spaces. FIG. 3 shows the result of obtaining the urethane portion contributing to the rigidity required for the refrigerator by an optimization method using the density method. In order to meet the premise of being a refrigerator, conditions are imposed where a load is applied to the shelves placed on the shelf ribs 13 and the rails 21 supporting the drawer - type storage chamber containers.

[0022] Based on the results of filling all the heat-insulating spaces, when urethane is injected at 10%, 30%, and 70% from the left, the most effective urethane injection spaces are illustrated. The spaces required with a small filling amount are mainly at the front end (opening) of the side surface and at the front and rear centers, and it has been shown that this part contributes greatly to the rigidity. As the filling amount increases, the filled part spreads backward from the vicinity of the front opening on the front side and connects to the center of the side surface. However, in the spaces at the rear of the side surface, the bottom surface, the top surface, and the back side, the filling amount does not increase and does not spread, indicating that the contribution of urethane to the rigidity in this part of the heat-insulating space is small. Even at the center of the side surface, it can be seen that the areas above the uppermost shelf rib 13 and below the lowermost rail 21 also contribute relatively little.

[0023] The result that the front end of the side surface is important is because the refrigerator 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and an opening on the front surface, and it is necessary to ensure the rigidity of the long side, especially the long side part, of the side forming the opened surface. The necessity for the relatively short side (the front ends of the top and bottom surfaces) is low. Also, when provided with a hinge part 22 for supporting the rotary door, it is necessary to fill urethane near the hinge part 22 to increase the rigidity. Therefore, it is preferable to fill urethane throughout the upper and lower regions of the front end of the side surface.

[0024] Following the long side extending vertically, especially at the front and rear central sides of the side surface, in the opening of the front surface, that is, the front end of the heat-insulating box body, the areas where the shelf rib 13 and the rail 21 are provided also have a large contribution from urethane. The result that these parts are important in terms of strength is because the rigidity in the vicinity of the shelf rib 13 and the rail 21 that receive the load of the food placed on the shelves and containers arranged on the side surface is necessary to support the food load. In this regard, if there are other parts supporting the shelf, the amount of urethane in this part can be reduced. For example, if the part supporting the shelf is at a certain location on the back surface, it can be replaced by filling more urethane in the part supporting the shelf on the back surface instead of the side surface.

[0025] Based on this analysis result, for the side surface of the heat-insulating box body (refrigerator 1) in this embodiment, the flow thickness of the foam heat-insulating material 9 at the front end of the heat-insulating box body, the shelf rib 13, and the rail 21 was increased. Specifically, at the front end of the side surface, a foam heat-insulating material 9 (front-end heat-insulating material 91) filled with a large flow thickness across the entire upper and lower regions of the refrigerator 1 was provided. In FIG. 3, the symbol 91' is attached as an image of the position of the front-end heat-insulating material. Thereby, while filling the foam heat-insulating material 9 on the front-end side, which is important for strength, the filling of the foam heat-insulating material 9 on the rear-end side of the side surface can be omitted. And for the side surface, if the position from the front end to a position a predetermined distance backward is called the front-end side (opening side), and the part from here to the rear is called the rear-end side, the flow thickness on the front-end side is made larger as a whole than that on the rear-end side. The boundary between the front end and the rear end may be different at the upper and lower positions of the side surface. For example, it is at the rear end of the front-end heat-insulating material 91 or behind it.

[0026] Specifically, as illustrated in the left side surface of FIG. 2, in the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, for a part of the region 81 above the uppermost shelf rib 13 and a part of the region 84 below the lowermost rail 21 among the side surfaces, the flow thickness was reduced and the foam heat-insulating material 9 was not filled or filled less. In addition, in the vertical range from the uppermost shelf rib 13 to the lowermost rail 21, and in the front-rear range from the front-end heat-insulating material 91 to the shelf rib 13 or the rail 21, the region 82, and the region 83 sandwiched vertically by the shelf rib 13 or the rail 21, the flow thickness can also be reduced and the foam heat-insulating material 9 can be not filled or filled less. Note that although the front end of the region 83 is drawn behind the front-rear center of the shelf rib 13 or the rail 21 in FIG. 2, it may be extended to the front end of the shelf rib 13 or the rail 21.

[0027] As the boundary between the front-end side and the rear-end side, for example, in the case of the refrigerator 1 provided with the shelf rib 13 / rail 21 as in this embodiment, it can be considered as follows.

[0028] First, regarding the vertical position where the shelf rib 13 / rail 21 is provided, it can be set in front of the front end of the shelf rib 13 / rail 21 or at the center of the front-back dimension of the shelf rib 13 / rail 21. If it is set in front of the front end of the shelf rib 13 and / or rail 21, it is preferable in that the flow thickness at a place where the strength is less affected (the front side end, a place other than the shelf rib 13 and the rail 21) can be reduced. However, in the case of the on-site foaming method in which the urethane stock solution is injected from the injection port on the back surface of the refrigerator 1, it is easy to block the foaming path from the front side end to the shelf rib 13 / rail 21, and voids are likely to occur in the shelf rib 13 / rail 21. In view of this, in this embodiment, the flow thickness of the region 82 is made as large as that of the front end heat insulating material.

[0029] On the other hand, when taking the center of the front-back dimension of the shelf rib 13 / rail 21 as the boundary, although the urethane filling amount cannot be reduced on the front side of this boundary, it is relatively easy to fill the shelf rib 13 / rail 21, which has a great influence on the strength, with the foamed heat insulating material 9. Therefore, for example, the flow thickness of the region 83 may be reduced.

[0030] Second, regarding the vertical range above the uppermost shelf rib 13 or below the lowermost rail 21, it can be set at the rear end of the above-mentioned front end heat insulating material or behind it. In this embodiment, for the part above the uppermost shelf rib 13, a region 81 with a reduced flow thickness is provided from the rear end of the front end heat insulating material 91 to the substantially rear end of the side surface. The rear end position of the region 81 is not particularly limited. Also, for the part below the lowermost rail 21, a rectangular region 84 with a reduced flow thickness is provided near the rear end of the front end heat insulating material. The rear end of the region 84 may be behind the position shown in FIG. 2.

[0031] Note that the regions 81-84 can overlap the vacuum heat insulating material 12 in the front view of the side surface, and it is preferable that they are located inside the edge of the vacuum heat insulating material 12.

[0032] Next, as the boundary between the front end side and the rear end side, in the case of a refrigerator without the shelf rib 13 and the rail 21, it can be set, for example, at the position of 1 / 3 or 1 / 2 of the front-back dimension from the front end to the back surface of the inner box.

[0033] Thus, regarding the side surface of the refrigerator 1, the ratio of the area filled with the foamed heat insulating material 9 with an increased flow thickness (for example, the area provided with the front end heat insulating material 91) to the sum of the area with a reduced flow thickness and unfilled or underfilled area is higher on the front end side of the side surface than on the rear end side of the side surface. In FIG. 2, regarding the left side surface, each of the areas 81-84 can have a reduced flow thickness, and the remaining areas have an increased flow thickness. In this embodiment, the flow thicknesses of the areas 81 and 84 are reduced, and the remaining areas have an increased flow thickness. The right side surface can be configured in the same manner as the left side surface.

[0034] Thus, on the side surface of the refrigerator 1, in addition to the front end heat insulating material 91 being provided, the urethane flow thickness is also increased within the projection planes of the shelf ribs 13 and the rails 21, and the foamed heat insulating material 9 (food support heat insulating material) is filled. By filling at least the foamed heat insulating material 9 in the projection planes of the shelf ribs 13 and the rails 21, the important parts against the food load can be ensured.

[0035] To foam the food support heat insulating material on-site, for example, the urethane flow thickness can be increased over the entire range from the uppermost shelf rib 13 to the lowermost rail 21 so that the foamed heat insulating material 9 is filled, or the flow thickness of the area sandwiched between the shelf ribs 13 and the rails 21 like the area 83 can be reduced to make the foamed heat insulating material unfilled or underfilled. In this embodiment, the former is adopted. In the latter case, the food support heat insulating material becomes in a state like being eaten away by insects.

[0036] Regarding the front-back direction of the side surface of the refrigerator 1, between the above-described front-end heat insulating material and the food support heat insulating material, foamed heat insulating material 9 may be filled so as to connect them, or the flow thickness may be made small (for example, reducing the flow thickness of part or all of region 82) to make it non-filled or less filled. When foamed heat insulating material 9 is filled between the front-end heat insulating material 91 and the food support heat insulating material (for example, region 82), in the case of on-site foaming, it is easy to fill the food support heat insulating material. When the foamed heat insulating material 9 is non-filled or less filled, the amount of urethane can be reduced while suppressing the influence on the strength (rigidity) of the refrigerator 1. When reducing the flow thickness of a part of region 82, if a plurality of spaced-apart regions with a small flow thickness are provided vertically, regions with a large flow thickness are also ensured. Since the foamed heat insulating material 9 easily flows here, it is easily filled toward the rear side. That is, it is preferable in that the generation of voids in the region that should become the food support heat insulating material can be suppressed.

[0037] In addition, if a separate part having higher rigidity than the filled and solidified foamed heat insulating material 9 is attached and reinforced to the region that should become the food support heat insulating material, the necessity of foamed filling in the region that should become the food support heat insulating material is eliminated or reduced. Therefore, the flow thickness of the entire area between the front-end heat insulating material and the food support heat insulating material such as region 82, and region 83 can be further expanded, and the flow thickness of the entire area overlapping the shelf rib 13 and the rail 21 can also be made small. The shelf rib 13 and the rail 21 are important only when considering the support of the food load. For the strength of the inner box and the outer box as a structure, the front-end heat insulating material is important, and it is allowed to perform the support of the food load by reinforcement instead of the foamed heat insulating material 9. FIG. 26 is an image diagram showing a state in which reinforcement 23 of a resin part or a metal part is provided between the inner box 8 and the vacuum heat insulating material 12 to ensure the strength of the shelf.

[0038] Details of the top and bottom surfaces will be described later. As described above, since the front end contributes more to the strength, the flow thickness is made larger on the front end side than on the rear end side. Since the top and bottom surfaces of this embodiment are not provided with shelf ribs and rails, a position, for example, 1 / 3 or 1 / 2 of the front-rear dimension of the refrigerator 1 from the front end can be used as a boundary. The front end of the top and / or bottom surface can also be filled with the foam heat insulating material 9, and in this case, it can be continuous with the front end heat insulating material 91 on the side surface. In this embodiment, the front ends of the top and bottom surfaces are also filled with the foam heat insulating material 9, and the entire front end of the heat insulating box body, that is, the rectangular region, has a large flow thickness.

[0039] As a method of reducing the urethane flow thickness, for example, it can be realized by recessing the inner box 8 toward the outer box 7 side. By doing so, the internal volume of the storage chamber can be expanded. Since the heat insulating performance of the refrigerator 1 is contributed much more by the vacuum heat insulating material 12 than by the foam heat insulating material 9, from the viewpoints of expanding the internal volume and reducing the amount of urethane, in the region where the flow thickness is reduced, it is preferable to reduce the flow thickness to such an extent that the foam heat insulating material 9 is not filled. That is, when reducing the flow thickness of the region where the vacuum heat insulating material 12 is provided (the distance where there is no structure such as the vacuum heat insulating material 12 between the outer box 7 and the inner box 8), when the vacuum heat insulating material 12 is attached to the inner box 8, the distance between the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and the outer box 7 as the flow thickness can be, for example, 6 mm or less, preferably 3 mm or less. Also, when the vacuum heat insulating material 12 is attached to the outer box 7, the distance between the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and the inner box 8 can be made the same. On the other hand, in the region where the flow thickness is increased, the distance where there is no structure between the outer box 7 and the inner box 8 as the flow thickness can be, for example, 8 mm or more, 10 mm or more, 12 mm or more, or 15 mm or more. Also, it may have substantially the same flow thickness as the front end heat insulating material 91.

[0040] Incidentally, from the viewpoint of reducing the weight of urethane, as a means of reducing the flow thickness, it may be realized by disposing some other component between the inner box 8 and the outer box 7. Further, for example, when making a non-filled or less-filled region into some figure shape, it is not always necessary to reduce the flow thickness of the inside of the figure, and only the entire edge of the figure (i.e., a closed curve) may have its flow thickness reduced. In this case, although the effect of expanding the internal volume is reduced, the reduction of the urethane amount is realized.

[0041] In addition, regarding the top surface, bottom surface, and back surface of the refrigerator 1, the filling amount of the foam heat insulating material 9 is reduced in consideration of the support and protection of the vacuum heat insulating material 12. This point will be described later.

[0042] <Details of partial urethane-less> Next, the specific structure of each part of the heat insulating box body in the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the inner box 8 of the refrigerator 1, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the refrigerator 1 as seen from above (however, the vacuum heat insulating material is shown in perspective). Further, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 5, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of FIG. 5, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D of FIG. 5.

[0043] ≪Ceiling part≫ First, the structure of the top surface (ceiling part) of the heat insulating box body will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the foam heat insulating material 9 is continuously filled on the front side and the rear side of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 in the ceiling part. Here, between the lower surface of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and the inner box 8, it is filled only in the front side region spanning from the front end to the interior light 14 and in the rear side region spanning from the rear end to the end of the corner part 20 (the rear upper inclined part connecting from the back surface to the top surface), and the foam heat insulating material 9 is not filled in the central region (between the front side region and the rear side region).

[0044] On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the foamed heat insulating material 9 is continuously filled also on the left and right sides of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 in the ceiling portion. Here, regarding the space between the lower surface of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and the inner box 8, as shown in FIG. 7, in the front region, the foamed heat insulating material 9 is continuously filled from the left end to the right end. However, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the central region, the foamed heat insulating material 9 is not filled from the left end to the right end.

[0045] In this way, by making the central region (region 85) under the vertical projection of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 in the ceiling portion urethane-free in part, the injection amount of the urethane heat insulating material can be reduced. Also, even in the case of partial urethane-freedom, the foamed heat insulating material 9 exists around the vacuum heat insulating material 12 in the ceiling portion (front, rear, left, and right side surfaces). In particular, in the front and rear regions, the foamed heat insulating material 9 supports the end portion of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 so as to hold it from the lower surface to the side surface, thus preventing the vacuum heat insulating material 12 from falling and heat bridging. At the same time, since at least the urethane heat insulating material is filled around the interior 14 disposed near the urethane-free area, the fixing strength of the components related to the interior lamp 14 can also be ensured.

[0046] Note that even if the support is provided by the foamed heat insulating material 9 so as to hold in the left and right regions of the vacuum heat insulating material 12, the same effect can be obtained, and thus it is not limited to the holding in the front and rear regions.

[0047] The partial urethane-free region (region 85) in the ceiling portion can be provided, for example, within the projection plane of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and inside the edge of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 as in this embodiment. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the width dimension of the vacuum insulation material 12 arranged on the top surface of the inner box 8 is smaller than the width dimension of the top surface of the inner box 8. Therefore, in the regions 9a between the left and right corner portions 8a of the top surface of the inner box 8 and the left and right ends of the vacuum insulation material 12, the foam insulation material 9 is filled between the outer box 7 and the inner box 8, respectively. The thickness of the foam insulation material 9 in this range is the same as that of the vacuum insulation material 12. Since the heat transfer coefficient of the foam insulation material 9 is larger than that of the vacuum insulation material 12, the heat insulation performance of this portion is small. If the heat insulation performance is insufficient, the outer box 7 is cooled more by the inside of the refrigerator, and dew condensation occurs on the outer box 7 due to the temperature difference between the outside air of the refrigerator, which is not preferable. In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the heat of the hot gas pipe (not shown) installed between the outer box 7 and the foam insulation material 9 prevents the outer box 7 from being cooled, and the temperature difference between the outer box 7 and the outside air of the refrigerator is small, and dew condensation does not occur. In this way, since the top surface of the inner box 8 (vertically projected under the vacuum insulation material 12 and the region 9a) has a substantially the same planar shape, the internal volume can be expanded not only outside the projection plane of the vacuum insulation material 12.

[0048] ≪Opening≫ Next, regarding the structure of the opening of the heat insulation box body, as described above, the urethane insulation material is placed with the back surface of the refrigerator 1 facing upward, and is injected from, for example, four injection ports provided on the back surface toward the front surface of the refrigerator 1 facing vertically downward. In this embodiment, on the front side (opening) of the refrigerator 1, not only the entire upper and lower regions of the left and right side surfaces corresponding to the long sides, but also the entire left and right regions of the top and bottom surfaces corresponding to the short sides have a large flow thickness. Therefore, in the opening of the refrigerator 1 (heat insulation box body), the foam insulation material 9 can be continuously filled over the entire circumference. In this way, the front end insulation material can be filled.

[0049] ≪Shelf rib≫ Next, regarding the structure of the portion of the heat insulation box body where the shelf rib 13 is formed, it will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. On the side surface of the refrigerator 1, above the uppermost shelf rib 13, a concave region (region 81) where the inner box 8 is recessed toward the outer box 7 side is formed, and the flow thickness is made small. The concave region (region 81) is not provided at the front end of the side surface (see FIG. 7).

[0050] The urethane heat insulating material injected from the injection port on the back surface of the refrigerator 1 is foam-in-place in a state where the back surface of the refrigerator 1 is vertically upward as described above. For example, the urethane heat insulating material starting to foam from the region forming the front end heat insulating material is then filled into the region where the flow thickness is taken large. For this reason, the inside of the inner box 8 in the range including the uppermost shelf rib 13 to the lowermost rail is filled with the foam heat insulating material 9 so as to run upward toward the back surface side of the refrigerator 1. In this way, the food support heat insulating material is filled continuously from the region of the front end heat insulating material as a whole.

[0051] On the other hand, for the side surface located above the uppermost shelf rib 13 in FIG. 8 (above when the refrigerator 1 is in use), which does not contribute to the support of the shelf rib 13, the flow thickness is taken small. In this embodiment, since the flow thickness is small to the extent that urethane cannot flow, the urethane heat insulating material does not run up at all from the front end of the refrigerator 1.

[0052] <Ceiling panel> FIG. 10 is a view when the ceiling portion of the refrigerating chamber 2 is viewed from the front, and FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing the vicinity of the interior light 14 in the ceiling portion of the refrigerating chamber 2. The interior light 14 is covered with a light-transmissive cover member. The material of the cover member is not particularly limited, but a transparent synthetic resin is desirable.

[0053] On the front side of the ceiling portion, since the interior light 14 is attached to the inner box 8, as shown in FIG. 11, the foam heat insulating material 9 is filled between the inner box 8 and the vacuum heat insulating material 12 to improve the support strength of the interior light 14. On the other hand, on the rear side of the ceiling portion, the gap between the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and the inner box 8 is small (for example, less than 1 mm), and the inner box 8 is at a high position, so the food storage space on the uppermost shelf is large. However, the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and the inner box 8 are not brought into contact, and it is better to have a little gap as a buffer material when the user hits a can or the like against the ceiling portion.

[0054] In the region where the gap between the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and the inner box 8 is small as described above, since the foamed heat insulating material 9 is not filled, the inner box 8 is not fixed to the outer box 7 or the vacuum heat insulating material 12 via the foamed heat insulating material 9. As a result, the inner box 8 sags due to its own weight, which is not preferable in terms of appearance. Therefore, in this embodiment, with a ceiling panel 16 made of synthetic resin attached below the inner box 8 in the urethane-less portion, injection molding of the urethane heat insulating material is performed, and the ceiling panel 16 forms a part of the ceiling surface of the refrigerating chamber 2.

[0055] <Support Structure of Ceiling Panel> The ceiling panel 16 has an inclined surface 16a whose front side extends downward. The ceiling panel 16 is fastened to the inclined surface 16a from the outside of the inner box 8 by screws 17 to prevent it from falling off. Therefore, the presence of the screws 17 is difficult for the user to visually recognize. In addition, since the heads of the screws 17 are finally covered with the foamed heat insulating material 9, not only is the loosening of the screws 17 suppressed, but also the user is prevented from removing the screws 17 or the screws 17 from contacting the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and being damaged.

[0056] Note that by making the front side of the ceiling panel 16 the inclined surface 16a, the cold air discharged from the rear of the refrigerating chamber 2 is guided obliquely downward, making it easier to cool the food in the door pocket. In addition, there are advantages such as being easier to take food in and out compared to a step without an inclination, and the urethane heat insulating material being easier to flow.

[0057] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the ceiling portion of the refrigerating chamber 2 as viewed from above, excluding the outer box 7, the inner box 8, and the vacuum heat insulating material 12, and FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the ceiling portion of the refrigerating chamber 2 as viewed from the front. As shown in FIG. 12, a claw portion 16b is formed at the center in the left-right direction on the rear side of the ceiling panel 16 and is locked to the inner box 8. Since this claw portion 16b is formed only on a part of the left-right width of the ceiling panel 16 having a left-right width dimension similar to that of the inner box 8, the workability of assembling the ceiling panel 16 is high.

[0058] Both the left and right ends of the ceiling panel 16 are only placed on ribs (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction from the side walls of the inner box 8, and are not restricted in the horizontal direction. Also, regarding the rear end of the ceiling panel 16, only the vertical direction is restricted by the claw portion 16b. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the ceiling panel 16 from undergoing thermal deformation due to changes in the environmental temperature or being deflected by the foaming pressure of the foam heat insulating material 9 received through the inner box 8. Note that if either the left and right ends or the front and rear ends of the ceiling panel 16 are unrestricted in the horizontal direction, the ceiling panel 16 may be supported by other methods.

[0059] Also, on the upper surface of the ceiling panel 16, a first rib 16c extending in the front-rear direction at the left and right center and a second rib 16d extending in the left-right direction at the front and rear center are formed, enhancing the rigidity of the ceiling panel 16. Note that a plurality of the first ribs 16c and the second ribs 16d may be formed. Also, since a plurality of reinforcing pieces 16e extending in the left-right direction are formed side by side in the front-rear direction at both the left and right ends of the ceiling panel 16, it is possible to suppress the ceiling panel 16 from being deformed by the foaming pressure of the foam heat insulating material 9 filled between the inner box 8 and the outer box 7 that form the left and right side surfaces.

[0060] Here, the inner box 8 and the ceiling panel 16 are not adhered, and as shown in FIG. 13, a gap is formed between the inner box 8 and the ceiling panel 16 so that no load is applied to the ceiling panel 16 even if the inner box 8 sags to some extent. Note that the first rib 16c and the second rib 16d also serve to prevent the entire surface from coming into contact with the ceiling panel 16 even if the inner box sags. Also, since the ceiling panel 16 of this embodiment is molded with 10 mass% or less of glass filler, the warpage during molding is reduced. Note that the material of the ceiling panel is not limited to synthetic resin, and a structure that is attached after the injection molding of the urethane heat insulating material may also be used.

[0061] <Wiring of the ceiling portion> FIG. 14 is a plan view of the ceiling portion of the refrigerator compartment 2 as seen from above, with the vacuum insulation material 12, the interior light 14, and the wiring (cord 15) for the interior light 14 shown in transparency. As shown in FIG. 14, the cord 15 drawn out from the interior light 14 passes through the side of the vacuum insulation material 12 and reaches the rear, and further descends on the back side and is connected to a control board (not shown).

[0062] Here, between the lower surface of the vacuum insulation material 12 in the ceiling portion and the inner box 8, as shown in FIG. 6, the foam insulation material 9 is not filled except for the front region and the rear region. If the cord 15 is arranged in the portion where the foam insulation material 9 is not filled, when the inner box 8 is pressed with a jig from the inner box 8 side during the foaming of the urethane insulation material, the inner box 8 may be pressed and leave a mark on the cord 15, or the cord 15 may damage the vacuum insulation material 12. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cord 15 is arranged in the portion where the foam insulation material 9 is filled. That is, the wiring is done only in the front region and the rear region, which are the portions where the foam insulation material 9 exists, below the vertical projection of the vacuum insulation material 12, and in the middle, the wiring is done in the portion where the foam insulation material 9 exists outside the vertical projection of the vacuum insulation material 12.

[0063] However, if an intervening member such as a pre-foamed foam is provided between the cord 15 and the inner box 8, or a space for avoiding the cord 15 is provided on the inner box 8 side or the vacuum insulation material 12 side, it is possible to wire the cord 15 even in the portion where the foam insulation material 9 is not filled.

[0064] <Heat insulation partition portion> Next, the heat insulation partition 11 that separates the lower freezer compartment 5 and the vegetable compartment 6 will be specifically described. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the heat insulation partition 11 that separates the lower freezer compartment 5 (freezing temperature zone compartment) and the vegetable compartment 6 (refrigerating temperature zone compartment). As shown in FIG. 15, the heat insulation partition 11 is configured by combining an upper case 111 and a lower case 112. Further, the heat insulation partition 11 includes, from above, a vacuum heat insulation material 12 and a heater 113 in the space surrounded by the upper case 111 and the lower case 112. When the foam heat insulation material 9 is filled in the space between the outer box 7 and the inner box 8, the urethane heat insulation material injected from the aforementioned four inlets provided on the back side of the heat insulation box body flows into the inside of the heat insulation partition 11 from the urethane inlets 11a formed on the left, right, and front sides of the heat insulation partition 11. The urethane heat insulation material that has flowed into the inside of the heat insulation partition 11 wraps around the periphery of the vacuum heat insulation material 12 and is filled, and finally, together with the upper case 111 and the lower case 112, it is fixed to the heat insulation box body.

[0065] ≪Upper Case≫ The upper case 111 faces the lower freezer compartment 5. However, as shown in FIG. 15, since it has two upper surface recesses 111a on the left and right, it is possible to increase the internal volume of the lower freezer compartment 5. Note that the front side of the upper surface recess 111a is shallower in the bottom surface compared to the rear side, corresponding to the lower surface recess 112a of the lower case 112 (see FIG. 21) and the front side of the bent portion 12a of the vacuum heat insulation material 12 located above it (see FIG. 18). Also, a bridging portion 111b having the same height as the periphery of the upper surface recess 111a is formed in the portion sandwiched between the left and right upper surface recesses 111a.

[0066] FIG. 16 is a plan view when the heat insulation partition 11 is viewed from above (the lower freezer compartment 5 side). FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along the arrow A - A in FIG. 16, FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along the arrow B - B in FIG. 16, FIG. 19 is a sectional view taken along the arrow C - C in FIG. 16, and FIG. 20 is a sectional view taken along the arrow D - D in FIG. 16.

[0067] As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, below the upper case 111, a single vacuum heat insulating material 12 having a bent portion 12a is positioned. The front-rear dimension of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 is the same as or larger than the front-rear dimension of the upper surface recess 111a. The left end of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 is the same as or to the left of the left end of the left upper surface recess 111a, and the right end of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 is the same as or to the right of the right end of the right upper surface recess 111a. Here, the portion below the portion where the upper surface recess 111a is formed (see FIG. 18) has a smaller gap (for example, less than 6 mm) between the upper case 111 and the vacuum heat insulating material 12 compared to the portion below the bridging portion 111b (see FIG. 17), which is the portion between the two upper surface recesses 111a. Therefore, the urethane heat insulating material flowing into the inside of the heat insulating partition portion 11 from the urethane inlet 11a cannot flow into the space sandwiched between the portion where the upper surface recess 111a is formed and the vacuum heat insulating material 12, and instead flows into the space sandwiched between the portion where the upper surface recess 111a is not formed and the vacuum heat insulating material 12. That is, as shown by the dotted line E in FIG. 16, the flow path of the urethane heat insulating material flows through the gaps existing below the periphery of each upper surface recess 111a, and finally, it hits the portion below the bridging portion 111b from the front and the rear.

[0068] In this way, in the vicinity of the center of the heat insulation partition portion 11, since the foamed heat insulation material is filled across the lower part of the crosslinked portion 111b of the upper case 111 in the front-rear direction, the deflection of the upper case 111 is reduced, etc., the rigidity of the heat insulation partition portion 11 is increased, and damage to the vacuum heat insulation material 12 is suppressed. Further, the urethane heat insulation material flowing in from the urethane inlet 11a branches in a plurality of directions due to the upper surface concave portion 111a. Since the branched urethane heat insulation material collides with some part (final filling part) in the heat insulation partition portion 11, there is a risk of voids. However, by providing the crosslinked portion 111b, a flow of the urethane heat insulation material can be created to the front end and the rear end below the crosslinked portion 111b. Since the urethane flowing from the front end and the rear end below the crosslinked portion 111b abuts, even if voids are generated, they can be confined within the region of the crosslinked portion 111b. Furthermore, the vacuum heat insulation material 12 exists under the vertical projection of the crosslinked portion 111b. That is, even if voids are generated, the position where the voids are generated can be confined within the region of the vacuum heat insulation material 12, so that the influence of the voids on the heat insulation performance of the heat insulation partition wall can be minimized. In addition, in this embodiment, the upper surface concave portions 111a are arranged side by side in the left-right direction and the crosslinked portion 111b is formed in the front-rear direction, but the upper surface concave portions 111a may be arranged side by side in the up-down direction and the crosslinked portion 111b may be formed in the left-right direction. Also, the height of the crosslinked portion 111b only needs to be formed at least higher than the lower surface of the upper surface concave portion 111a in order to ensure the inflow of urethane, and thus is not limited to this embodiment.

[0069] Also, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the foamed heat insulation material 9 is filled in front of and behind the vacuum heat insulation material 12, and as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the foamed heat insulation material 9 is also filled on the left and right sides of the vacuum heat insulation material 12. On the other hand, a part of the lower surface side of the vacuum heat insulation material 12 is adhered to the lower case 112 with a double-sided tape (not shown). Therefore, basically, the foamed heat insulation material 9 is not filled between the vacuum heat insulation material 12 and the lower case 112. However, as shown in FIG. 20, since a relatively large gap is generated between the vacuum heat insulation material 12 and the lower case 112 except for the region of the lower surface concave portion 112a formed on the front side of the lower case 112 below the bent portion 12a of the vacuum heat insulation material 12, the foamed heat insulation material 9 is filled.

[0070] Thus, in this embodiment, since the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 in the heat insulating partition portion 11 are partially urethane-free, there is an advantage that the filling amount of the foam heat insulating material 9 can be reduced for the entire refrigerator 1. Moreover, since the foam heat insulating material 9 is filled in front, behind, left, and right of the vacuum heat insulating material 12, the vacuum heat insulating material 12 is stably supported within the heat insulating partition portion 11, and the strength as the heat insulating partition portion 11 is ensured.

[0071] ≪Lower case≫ FIG. 21 is a perspective view when the heat insulating partition portion 11 is viewed from below (the vegetable compartment 6 side). As shown by the broken line and the dotted line in FIG. 21, there is a heater 113 above the lower case 112, and there is a vacuum heat insulating material 12 above the heater 113. Also, although not shown, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment has a structure in which a vegetable compartment cover capable of opening and closing the upper surface of the container of the vegetable compartment 6 can be installed. This vegetable compartment cover suppresses the drying of the vegetables in the container by increasing the sealing degree of the container, and is supported by a vegetable compartment cover mounting portion 112b provided on the lower case 112 of the heat insulating partition portion 11.

[0072] The lower case 112 has, on the front side, a vegetable compartment cover mounting portion 112b and a lower surface recess 112a arranged side by side in the left-right direction of the vegetable compartment cover mounting portion 112b. The lower surface recess 112a has a shape that protrudes upward behind the vegetable compartment cover mounting portion 112b, and is configured to be able to regulate the position of the vacuum heat insulating material 12. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the vacuum heat insulating material 12 from coming into contact with the vegetable compartment cover mounting portion 112b and being damaged. Also, since the opposing surface of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 on the rear side of the lower surface recess 112a is an inclined surface 112c, damage to the vacuum heat insulating material 12 due to contact with the lower surface recess 112a is also suppressed. Furthermore, a plurality of the lower surface recesses 112a are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and since the lower surface recesses 112a are not continuously formed across the entire left-right direction, the urethane heat insulating material easily flows in, and as a result, the support strength on the front side of the heat insulating partition portion 11 can be improved.

[0073] The heater 113 heats the vegetable compartment 6 facing the heat insulation partition 11 (lower case 112) to keep the inside of the vegetable compartment 6 within a predetermined temperature range. Although not shown, it is composed of a heat transfer wire, an aluminum sheet covering the heat transfer wire, and a lead wire connected to the heat transfer wire. Since the planar heater 113 used in this embodiment cannot form a bent portion 12a like the vacuum heat insulating material 12, it is difficult to extend forward to the inclined surface 112c of the lower surface concave portion 112a. However, since the vacuum heat insulating material 12 is also located above the front region that the heater 113 cannot reach, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of condensation.

[0074] In this embodiment, since there is a region where the foamed heat insulating material 9 is not filled above the lower case 112 behind the lower surface concave portion 112a, the lower case 112 may sag due to its own weight or deflection. However, since there is a pull-out container in the vegetable compartment 6 facing the lower case 112 and the lower surface of the heat insulation partition 11 is a place that is difficult for the user to visually observe, in this embodiment, while suppressing the adverse effect on the aesthetics, the filling amount of the foamed heat insulating material 9 is reduced.

[0075] As already described, the heat insulation partition 11 of this embodiment has an upper surface concave portion 111a of the upper case 111 and a lower surface concave portion 112a of the lower case 112. Here, since the temperature range of the lower freezing compartment 5 facing the upper case 111 is lower than that of the vegetable compartment 6 facing the lower case 112, it is necessary to increase the circulation flow rate of the cold air. Therefore, by making the total concave volume of the upper surface concave portion 111a larger than the total concave volume of the lower surface concave portion 112a, it is possible to preferentially secure the duct dimensions of the cold air flowing through the bottom of the lower freezing compartment 5.

[0076] ≪Code temporary storage part≫ FIG. 22 is a plan view when viewed from above (the lower freezer compartment 5 side) with the upper case 111 removed from the heat insulation partition 11, and FIG. 23 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the broken line portion F in FIG. 22. Cords passing through the heat insulation partition 11 such as the lead wires of the heater 113 need to be arranged at predetermined positions before assembling the heat insulation partition 11 to the heat insulation box body and injecting and foaming the urethane heat insulation material. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to improve the workability when assembling the heat insulation partition 11 to the heat insulation box body, a cord temporary storage portion 11b is formed on the front side portion of the lower case 112 as a concave-shaped space for temporarily storing the cords. The cords temporarily stored are taken out from the cord temporary storage portion 11b, connected to predetermined positions, and urethane heat insulation material is injected and foamed after the assembly of the heat insulation partition 11 is completed.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 23, the cord temporary storage portion 11b is partitioned by an inner wall 11b1 that prevents the cords from contacting and being damaged by the vacuum heat insulation material 12 and an outer wall 11b2 that prevents the cords from coming out. Further, a plurality of inner walls 11b1 are provided in the front-rear direction, and an inner opening 11b3 is formed therebetween, so that the urethane heat insulation material can flow in through the inner opening 11b3. On the other hand, a first outer opening 11b4 is formed on the rear side of the outer wall 11b2, and it is possible to draw the cords into the cord temporary storage portion 11b. Further, a second outer opening 11b5 is formed on the front side of the outer wall 11b2 so as to face the inner opening 11b3, so that the urethane heat insulation material injected from the urethane inlet 11a to the heat insulation partition 11 easily passes through the cord temporary storage portion 11b. Note that urethane inlets 11a are formed not only at positions facing the second outer opening 11b5 but also at positions facing the first outer opening 11b4, so that urethane heat insulation material also flows in from the first outer opening 11b4. Thus, since the cord temporary storage portion 11b is formed at a position facing the urethane inlet 11a to the heat insulation partition 11, the concave-shaped space is filled with the foamed heat insulation material 9, and heat insulation is ensured.

[0078] In addition, the inner wall 11b1 of the code temporary storage part 11b also plays a role in regulating the position of the vacuum heat insulating material 12 so that the vacuum heat insulating material 12 does not block the urethane inlet 11a. Further, although the inner wall 11b1 and the outer wall 11b2 extend upward from the lower case 112, it is desirable that they are not in contact with the upper case 111. Thereby, it becomes possible to suppress heat conduction between the storage chambers in different temperature zones above and below the heat insulation partition part 11. In this embodiment, the inner wall 11b1 and the outer wall 11b2 are formed on the lower case 112. However, even when the inner wall 11b1 and the outer wall 11b2 are formed on the upper case 111 and extended downward, heat conduction through the heat insulation partition part 11 can be suppressed by separating the lower ends of the inner wall 11b1 and the outer wall 11b2 from the lower case 112.

Embodiment

[0079] The refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 24. In this embodiment, without providing the ceiling panel 16 as in Embodiment 1, the space between the inner box 8 and the vacuum heat insulating material 12 is fixed with an adhesive 18.

[0080] As described above, in the conventional refrigerator, since the foam heat insulating material 9 is filled between the vacuum heat insulating material 12 in the ceiling part and the inner box 8, the inner box 8 is fixed to the vacuum heat insulating material 12. Therefore, even with the self - weight of the inner box 8 or the linear expansion of the inner box 8 at high temperatures, there is almost no sagging of the inner box 8. However, when the foam heat insulating material 9 is not filled between the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and the inner box 8, the inner box 8 tends to bend and sag. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, the vacuum heat insulating material 12 and the inner box 8 are fixed with an adhesive 18 such as hot melt to suppress the sagging of the inner box 8. As the adhesive 18 to be used, a material that can be elastically deformed so as to follow the bending of the inner box 8 is desirable.

[0081] Also, the adhesive 18 alone may not be able to follow the deflection of the inner box 8, and there is a possibility that the vacuum insulation material 12 and the inner box 8 may peel off. Furthermore, there are variations in the thickness, warpage, and surface irregularities of the vacuum insulation material 12, and there are inevitably variations in the thickness of the inner box 8 and the adhesive 18 as well. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to absorb the deflection of the inner box 8 and the dimensional variations of each component and keep the clearance between the vacuum insulation material 12 and the inner box 8 constant, a spacer 19 is provided between the outer box 7 and the vacuum insulation material 12. The spacer 19 is an intervening member having a certain thickness and also has a function of adhering the outer box 7 and the vacuum insulation material 12. For example, a double-sided tape formed in a sheet shape from polyethylene or the like is used. Note that if the thickness can be maintained, an adhesive such as hot melt may be used as the spacer 19. Also, it is not necessary to provide the spacer 19 over the entire upper surface of the vacuum insulation material 12, and it is desirable that it is arranged at least partially or entirely in the region of the urethane-less part.

[0082] Furthermore, the inner box 8, the foam insulation material 9, etc. are more likely to deform with respect to temperature compared to the vacuum insulation material 12. Therefore, it may be possible to cover the front, rear, left, and right of the vacuum insulation material 12 with elastic members for protection to prevent damage to the vacuum insulation material 12 due to the deformation of the inner box 8, etc. Regarding the vertical direction of the vacuum insulation material 12, the spacer 19 serves as a cushion, preventing damage to the vacuum insulation material 12 while filling the gaps with the outer box 7 and the inner box 8.

Example

[0083] As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to Example 1 and the embodiment realizes partial urethane reduction of the heat insulation box body. However, considering the strength maintenance, the front side of the heat insulation box body is filled with the foam heat insulation material 9. That is, among the top surface, side surfaces, and bottom surface of the inner box 8, the distance from the vacuum heat insulation material 12 is widened in the front region, and the distance from the vacuum heat insulation material 12 is narrowed in the central region. For this reason, there is a portion where the dimension of the inner box 8 on the rear side is wider than the dimension of the inner box 8 on the front side. Then, when mass-producing refrigerators 1 of the same model, even if a plurality of inner boxes 8 are stacked and stocked, one inner box 8 abuts against the narrow opening of the other inner box 8, making it difficult to fit them. Therefore, in this embodiment, at least the region that becomes partially urethane-free in the inner box 8, that is, the region where the dimension expands on the rear side from the front end, is formed to be deformable by a bellows structure or the like. As a result, when stacking a plurality of inner boxes 8, they can be stocked by shrinking, and when foaming the urethane heat insulation material, it can be expanded by pressing from the inside with a jig.

[0084] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, in Example 1, the ceiling panel 16 was provided below the inner box 8 of the ceiling portion. However, instead of providing the ceiling panel 16, a configuration in which the in-cabinet light cover is expanded rearward to cover the lower part of the inner box 8 may be used. Further, the above-described embodiments are exemplified for easy understanding and explanation of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Also, it is possible to add, delete, or replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

[0085] <The technical idea included in this specification> This specification includes the following technical ideas.

[0086] [Appendix 1-1] A storage chamber with an opening at the front is formed, and the region between the inner box and the outer box is filled with foam heat insulation material by foaming, and a box body having a vertical dimension larger than the horizontal dimension is provided. The left side surface and / or the right side surface of the cabinet body are as follows: It is provided at the front end with a front end heat insulating material in which the foamed heat insulating material is continuously foamed and filled in the vertical direction. It has a region where the flowable thickness of the foamed heat insulating material is smaller than that of the surrounding area. A refrigerator provided with another heat insulating material having a higher heat insulating performance than the foamed heat insulating material.

[0087] [Appendix 1-2] In Appendix 1-1, A refrigerator in which a portion where the inner box is recessed toward the outer box is provided in the region where the flowable thickness is small.

[0088] [Appendix 1-3] In Appendix 1-2, The left side surface and the right side surface are provided with shelf ribs or rails. A refrigerator having a region where the flowable thickness is small above the uppermost shelf rib or below the lowermost rail.

[0089] [Appendix 1-4] In Appendix 1-2, The left side surface and the right side surface are provided with shelf ribs or rails. A refrigerator having a region where the flowable thickness is small in front of the front end of the shelf rib or the rail at the vertical position where any of the shelf ribs or the rails is provided.

[0090] [Appendix 1-5] In Appendix 1-2, The left side surface and the right side surface are provided with shelf ribs or rails. A plurality of the shelf ribs or the rails are arranged vertically in total. A refrigerator having a region where the flowable thickness is small in the region sandwiched vertically by the shelf ribs or the rails.

[0091] [Appendix 1-6] In Appendix 1-5, A refrigerator in which each of the shelf ribs or the rails is reinforced.

[0092] [Appendix 1-7] In Appendix 1-2, the left side surface and the right side surface are provided with shelf ribs or rails, in the range from the front end of the shelf rib or the rail to the front end heat insulating material forward, the flowable thickness of the foamed heat insulating material is large, a refrigerator in which the foamed heat insulating material is filled in the area overlapping the shelf rib or the rail.

[0093] [Appendix 1-8] In Appendix 1-2, the left side surface and the right side surface are not provided with shelf ribs and rails, a refrigerator having a region with a small flowable thickness on the rear end side from the position of 1 / 3 of the front-rear dimension from the front end of each of the left side surface and the right side surface to the back surface of the inner box.

[0094] [Appendix 1-9] In Appendix 1-2, a refrigerator in which a non-filled portion of the foamed heat insulating material is provided in the region with a small flowable thickness.

[0095] [Appendix 1-10] In Appendix 1-2, a refrigerator in which the region with a small flowable thickness is formed within the projection plane of the other heat insulating material and inside the edge of the other heat insulating material.

[0096] [Appendix 1-11] In any one of Appendix 1-1 to Appendix 1-10, a refrigerator in which the front end of the top surface and / or the bottom surface of the box body is filled with a foamed heat insulating material continuously with the front end heat insulating material.

[0097] [Appendix 2-1] comprising a box body having a vacuum heat insulating material and a foamed heat insulating material between an outer box and an inner box, A refrigerator in which, on the top surface of the box body, the foam heat insulating material is located on the front, rear, left, and right side surfaces of the vacuum heat insulating material, and the foam heat insulating material is not located on at least a part of the lower surface of the vacuum heat insulating material.

[0098] [Appendix 2-2] In Appendix 2-1, A refrigerator in which the foam heat insulating material is located in the front region and the rear region of the lower surface of the vacuum heat insulating material.

[0099] [Appendix 2-3] In Appendix 2-1, The top surface has an interior light, A refrigerator in which the wiring of the interior light is provided in the region where the foam heat insulating material is foam-filled on the lower surface of the vacuum heat insulating material.

[0100] [Appendix 2-4] In Appendix 2-1, A refrigerator in which a ceiling panel is provided below the inner box in the region where the foam heat insulating material is not located on the lower surface of the vacuum heat insulating material.

[0101] [Appendix 2-5] In Appendix 2-1, A refrigerator in which the inner box is fixed with an adhesive different from the foam heat insulating material on the lower surface side of the vacuum heat insulating material.

[0102] [Appendix 2-6] In Appendix 2-5, A refrigerator in which a spacer is provided between the upper surface of the vacuum heat insulating material and the outer box.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0103] 1 Refrigerator 2 Refrigerating Chamber 3 Ice Making Chamber 4 Upper Freezing Chamber 5 Lower Freezing Chamber 6 Vegetable Chamber 7 Outer Box 8 Inner Box 9 Foam Heat Insulating Material 10, 11 Heat Insulating Partition 11a Urethane inlet 11b Temporary cord storage part 111 Upper case 111a Upper surface concave part 111b Bridging part 112 Lower case 112a Lower surface concave part 113 Heater 12 Vacuum insulation material 13 Shelf rib 14 Interior light 15 Cord 16 Ceiling panel 17 Screw 18 Adhesive 19 Spacer 21 Rail 22 Hinge part 23 Reinforcement

Claims

1. The insulation box includes an outer box formed in a box shape including a plurality of surfaces formed by bent steel plates, an inner box formed in a box shape by molding a synthetic resin plate and the top surface of which can sag under its own weight, a foam insulation material filled by on-site foaming, an injection port used for injecting the foam insulation material, and a vacuum insulation material, On the top surface of the insulating box, The vacuum insulation material is supported by adhesion or the foam insulation material, The foam insulation material is filled in the vertical range from the top surface of the inner box to the outer box at the front end of the insulation box body, The inner box is adhered to the center of the underside of the vacuum insulation material with an adhesive different from that of the foam insulation material.

2. In the refrigerator according to claim 1, On the top surface of the insulating box, The refrigerator, wherein the foam insulation material is filled in the vertical range from the inner box to the outer box around the vacuum insulation material.

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