Refrigerator

Abstract

To solve a problem of conventional refrigerator in which a work of assembly onto a heat insulation box to achieve a position accuracy of a striker part and a catcher part of an automatic-closing mechanism becomes complicated.SOLUTION: A housing part 46 of an automatic-closing mechanism 41 of a refrigerator 10 is fixed to a heat insulation box part 11 via a reinforcement panel 48. The reinforcement panel 48 is positioned with respect to a positioning part 22A of an inner box 22 of the heat insulation box part 11. With this configuration, the housing part 46 of the automatic-closing mechanism 41 is easily assembled with a good position accuracy with respect to the heat insulation box part 11 via the reinforcement panel 48. As a result, a single positioning work of the striker part 44 and the catcher part 42 becomes unnecessary, thus improving the assemblability to the heat insulation box part 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator that simplifies the assembly work of the self-closing mechanism of the heat-insulating door and improves the positioning accuracy of the self-closing mechanism to prevent the half-door of the heat-insulating door.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator body used as a storage chamber and a heat-insulating door that closes the front opening of the refrigerator body. The heat-insulating door is a double-opening type from the approximate center of the refrigerator body. The left heat-insulating door in the front view of the refrigerator is pivotally supported at its upper left end through an upper hinge portion so as to be rotatable with respect to the refrigerator body. Similarly, the right heat-insulating door in the front view of the refrigerator is pivotally supported at its upper right end through an upper hinge portion so as to be rotatable with respect to the refrigerator body. Each upper hinge portion is covered by a cover body on the top surface of the refrigerator body.

[0003] In addition, on the top surface of the refrigerator body, door opening / closing means for reducing the torque required for the opening / closing operation of the heat-insulating door is provided. The door opening / closing means is provided for each of the left and right heat-insulating doors. And a pair of door opening / closing means is arranged side by side at the approximate center of the refrigerator body.

[0004] The door opening / closing means includes a bracket having a retractable pin disposed on the heat-insulating door side, a rotating plate connected to the retractable pin disposed on the refrigerator body side, an actuator that restricts the rotation of the rotating plate in the closing direction through a connecting member, and a spring that assists the rotation of the rotating plate in the closing direction.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] As described above, in a conventional refrigerator, the upper hinge portion is disposed on one end side in the lateral width direction of the heat-insulating door, and the door opening / closing means is disposed on the other end side in the lateral width direction of the heat-insulating door. Then, during the closing operation of the heat-insulating door, in the door opening / closing means, the retraction pin on the heat-insulating door side enters into the spiral groove of the rotary plate on the refrigerator body side and becomes in a connected state. After that, in the connected state of the door opening / closing means, the heat-insulating door shifts to the fully closed state. With this structure, there is a problem that when the retraction pin cannot enter into the spiral groove of the rotary plate during the closing operation of the heat-insulating door, the heat-insulating door becomes in a half-door state.

[0007] And, in a conventional refrigerator, the upper hinge portion and the door opening / closing means are structured to be individually attached to the refrigerator main body portion, and the attachment positions of both members are separated by a length corresponding to the approximate lateral width of one heat-insulating door. Therefore, in order to prevent the half-door of the heat-insulating door, high accuracy is required for the positioning of the retraction pin of the door opening / closing means and the rotary plate during the assembly work of the refrigerator. As a result, there is a problem that the assembly work of the operator becomes complicated and depends on the skills of individual workers. And, in order to improve the yield during mass production of the refrigerator, a structure for increasing the above-mentioned positional accuracy without relying on the skills of individual workers is required.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a refrigerator that simplifies the assembly work of the self-closing mechanism of the heat-insulating door and prevents the half-door of the heat-insulating door by improving the positioning accuracy of the self-closing mechanism.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In a first aspect of the refrigerator of the present invention, there is provided a heat-insulating box body in which a storage chamber is formed, a double-opening heat-insulating door that is attached to the heat-insulating box body via a hinge mechanism and that opens and closes the front opening of the storage chamber in a freely openable and closable manner, a self-closing mechanism that self-closes the heat-insulating door with respect to the heat-insulating box body, a center pillar disposed on the heat-insulating door, a pillar guide portion that is attached to the storage chamber side of the heat-insulating box body and guides the center pillar during the closing operation of the heat-insulating door, and a reinforcing plate that is fixed to the heat-insulating box body and positions and fixes the housing portion of the self-closing mechanism. The reinforcing plate is positioned with respect to the heat-insulating box body by being fixed to an alignment portion formed in the inner box of the heat-insulating box body. With this structure, the reinforcing plate is fixed to and positioned with respect to the alignment portion of the inner box of the heat-insulating box body, so that the housing portion of the self-closing mechanism can be easily and accurately assembled to the heat-insulating box body via the reinforcing plate. As a result, the workability of assembling the self-closing mechanism to the heat-insulating box body is improved.

[0010] Further, in a second aspect of the refrigerator of the present invention, the self-closing mechanism includes a catcher portion that is disposed with respect to the housing portion and moves in the depth direction of the heat-insulating box body, and a striker portion that is disposed on the heat-insulating door and is connected to or disengaged from the catcher portion in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the heat-insulating door. During the closing operation of the heat-insulating door, an engagement pin of the striker portion penetrates into an engagement groove of the catcher portion, and the catcher portion and the striker portion are connected. With this structure, during the closing operation of the heat-insulating door, the catcher portion and the striker portion of the self-closing mechanism are in a connected state, and the striker portion rotates while being pulled by the catcher portion, thereby preventing the half door of the heat-insulating door.

[0011] Further, in a third aspect of the refrigerator of the present invention, on the top surface of the outer box of the heat insulation box body, a first fastening hole for positioning the main body frame of the hinge mechanism and a second fastening hole for positioning the reinforcing plate are formed, and the reinforcing plate is positioned with respect to the heat insulation box body through the alignment portion and the second fastening hole. According to this structure, during the assembly work of the self-closing mechanism, the operator does not need to perform the positioning work of the catcher portion alone, and the self-closing mechanism can be accurately assembled at a desired position of the heat insulation box body. As a result, the workability of assembling the self-closing mechanism to the heat insulation box body is improved.

[0012] Further, in a fourth aspect of the refrigerator of the present invention, a connecting member positioned with respect to the hinge mounting hole of the heat insulation door and a mounting plate portion disposed on the connecting member for positioning the striker portion with respect to the heat insulation door are provided, and the striker portion is positioned and fixed to the heat insulation door through the mounting plate portion. According to this structure, the striker portion is fixed to the heat insulation door through a mounting plate or the like positioned with respect to the heat insulation door via the hinge mechanism. As a result, the positioning work of the striker portion alone becomes unnecessary, and the workability of assembling the self-closing mechanism is improved.

[0013] Further, in a fifth aspect of the refrigerator of the present invention, the pillar guide portion is fixed to the reinforcing plate. According to this structure, during the closing operation of the heat insulation door, the center pillar repeatedly collides with the pillar guide portion, but the assembling strength of the pillar guide portion to the heat insulation box body is improved, and the assembling position is less likely to shift. As a result, during the closing operation of the heat insulation door, the half door of the heat insulation door is prevented.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] The refrigerator of the present invention simplifies the assembly work of the self-closing mechanism of the heat insulation door and improves the positioning accuracy of the self-closing mechanism to prevent the half door of the heat insulation door.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5A

Figure 5B

Figure 6A

Figure 6B

Figure 6C

Figure 7A

Figure 7B

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction indicates the height direction of the refrigerator 10, the left-right direction indicates the width direction of the refrigerator 10 as viewed from the front, and the front-back direction indicates the depth direction of the refrigerator 10. Also, in the description of the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same members in principle, and repeated explanations are omitted.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining the external structure of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a front view for explaining the internal structure of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the control for detecting whether the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment is in a fully closed state or not.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 10 includes a heat-insulating box body 11 and a storage chamber formed inside the heat-insulating box body 11. Further, as the storage chamber, one refrigerating chamber 12 and two freezing chambers 13 are formed from the upper side. In FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, the reference numerals of each storage chamber are shown.

[0019] The refrigerating chamber 12 is a region above the center of the heat-insulating box body 11 and is formed using approximately half of the internal space inside the chamber. The front opening 12A of the refrigerating chamber 12 is openably and closably closed by a double-opening first heat-insulating door 14 and a second heat-insulating door 15 from approximately the center of the heat-insulating box body 11. The first heat-insulating door 14 is a rotary door, and the upper and lower end portions in the left direction of the drawing are rotatably supported by the heat-insulating box body 11 via a hinge mechanism 31. Also, the second heat-insulating door 15 is a rotary door, and the upper and lower end portions in the right direction of the drawing are rotatably supported by the heat-insulating box body 11 via a hinge mechanism 31. Note that the lower hinge portions of the hinge mechanism 31 on the lower end sides of the first heat-insulating door 14 and the second heat-insulating door 15 have a known structure and are omitted in the drawing.

[0020] It is the central side end of the first heat insulation door 14. Inside the storage of the first heat insulation door 14, a center pillar 16 is arranged. Although details will be described later, corresponding to the mounting position of the catcher part 42 (see Fig. 6A) of the self-closing mechanism 41 arranged on the heat insulation box body 11, a striker part 44 is arranged on the top surface 14A side of the first heat insulation door 14. Also, inside the refrigerator compartment 12, when the first heat insulation door 14 is fully closed, a pillar guide part 37 for guiding the center pillar 16 is arranged. The pillar guide part 37 has a guide groove (not shown), and the guide wall part 16A (see Fig. 5A) of the center pillar 16 penetrates into the guide groove and moves in the guide groove. And when the first heat insulation door 14 is fully closed, the center pillar 16 is fixed in position at a desired position.

[0021] Similarly, corresponding to the mounting position of the catcher part 42 of the self-closing mechanism 41 arranged on the heat insulation box body 11, a striker part 44 is arranged on the top surface 15A side of the second heat insulation door 15. And when the second heat insulation door 15 is fully closed, the second heat insulation door 15 magnetically adheres to the center pillar 16 arranged at a predetermined position. Incidentally, the refrigerator compartment 12 is partitioned into a plurality of stages in the vertical direction of the paper surface by, for example, a partition plate member (not shown).

[0022] The freezer compartment 13 is a region below the center of the heat insulation box body 11 and is formed using approximately half of the internal space inside the storage. The freezer compartment 13 is formed by partitioning in the left-right direction of the paper surface by a partition wall 17 which is a part of the heat insulation box body 11. And the third heat insulation door 18 is a rotary door, and the upper and lower end parts in the left direction of the paper surface are rotatably supported by the heat insulation box body 11 via a hinge mechanism 31. Also, the fourth heat insulation door 19 is a rotary door, and the upper and lower end parts in the right direction of the paper surface are rotatably supported by the heat insulation box body 11 via a hinge mechanism 31. Incidentally, the upper hinge parts of the hinge mechanisms 31 on the upper end sides of the third heat insulation door 18 and the fourth heat insulation door 19 have a known structure and are omitted in the drawing.

[0023] Further, when the freezer compartment 13 is in a fully closed state by the double-opening third heat-insulating door 18 and fourth heat-insulating door 19, the third heat-insulating door 18 and the fourth heat-insulating door 19 are in a state of being in contact with and magnetically attached to the partition wall 17. Incidentally, the freezer compartment 13 is partitioned into a plurality of stages in the vertical direction of the paper surface by, for example, a drawer-type storage case (not shown).

[0024] As shown in the drawing, on the inner surface plates 35 on the inner side of the first heat-insulating door 14 and the second heat-insulating door 15, a gasket 36 is annularly disposed along the outer peripheral end portion. Further, on the inner side of the first heat-insulating door 14 and the second heat-insulating door 15, a bulging portion 35A is formed inside the gasket 36. And the bulging portion 35A supports the storage rack 34, thereby forming a storage area on the door side.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, the heat-insulating box body 11 mainly includes an outer box 21 made of a steel plate forming the outer shape of the refrigerator 10, an inner box 22 made of a box-shaped synthetic resin plate formed inside the outer box 21, and a heat-insulating material 23 disposed between the outer box 21 and the inner box 22. As the heat-insulating material 23, for example, foamed urethane is adopted.

[0026] A cooling chamber 24 is partitioned and formed behind the freezer compartment 13. A cooler 25 is disposed in the cooling chamber 24. Further, a machine room 26 is partitioned and formed at the rearmost lower part of the heat-insulating box body 11, and a compressor 27 and the like are disposed in the machine room 26. The cooler 25 and the compressor 27 are connected via an expansion means and a condenser (not shown) and a refrigerant pipe to form a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. Incidentally, each component device of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle is connected to each other via a refrigerant pipe (not shown here).

[0027] By operating the above refrigeration cycle, the air inside the cooling chamber 24 is cooled by the cooler 25. A blower 28 is disposed above the cooler 25 in the cooling chamber 24. The blower 28 is, for example, an axial flow blower or a centrifugal blower, and blows the cold air inside the cooling chamber 24 toward the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13. And by blowing the cold air to each storage chamber via various air ducts 29, the refrigerator compartment 12 becomes a refrigerated temperature zone, and the freezer compartment 13 becomes a frozen temperature zone.

[0028] Below the cooler 25 in the cooling chamber 24, a defrost heater 20 is arranged. With the operation of the refrigeration cycle, thick frost forms on the surface of the cooler 25. When this happens, the control unit 30 (see FIG. 4) stops the compressor 27 and performs a defrost operation of energizing and heating the defrost heater 20 to melt and remove the frost. Note that as the defrost heater 20, an electric resistance heating type heater, a sheathed heater, a hot gas defrost, or the like is adopted.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 30 of the refrigerator 10 detects input signals from the detection devices 38 in the hinge mechanisms 31 respectively arranged for the first heat insulation door 14 to the fourth heat insulation door 19, and determines the fully closed state of the first heat insulation door 14 to the fourth heat insulation door 19. Note that as the detection device 38, for example, a known door switch mechanism is used, and the door switch mechanism has a Hall element substrate (not shown) on the heat insulation box body 11 side and a magnet (not shown) on the first heat insulation door 14 to the fourth heat insulation door 19 side. Then, the detection device 38 detects a desired voltage using the current of the Hall element substrate and the magnetic field of the magnet, and transmits an input signal in the fully closed state of the first heat insulation door 14 to the fourth heat insulation door 19 to the control unit 30.

[0030] When the control unit 30 does not detect the above input signal from the detection device 38 for a certain period of time, it determines that any one of the first heat insulation door 14 to the fourth heat insulation door 19 is in an open state including the half-door state. Then, the control unit 30 controls the notification unit 40 to, for example, emit a sound and notify the user of the refrigerator 10 that any one of the first heat insulation door 14 to the fourth heat insulation door 19 is in an open state. The user can close any one of the first heat insulation door 14 to the fourth heat insulation door 19 again according to the above notification sound to eliminate the half-door state. Note that the notification unit 40 in the present embodiment is, for example, a device for emitting sound, light, or the like to the user of the refrigerator 10.

[0031] Next, with reference to FIGS. 5A to 11B, an automatic closing mechanism 41 provided for the first heat insulating door 14 and the second heat insulating door 15 on the refrigerating chamber 12 (see FIG. 2) side of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment will be described. In the following description, mainly, the case where the first heat insulating door 14 opens and closes via the automatic closing mechanism 41 will be described. And since the second heat insulating door 15 also opens and closes via the automatic closing mechanism 41 in the same manner as the first heat insulating door 14, the description of the above opening and closing operation of the second heat insulating door 15 refers to the description of the first heat insulating door 14, and the description thereof will be omitted here.

[0032] FIG. 5A is a top view for explaining a state in which the first heat insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment is open with respect to the heat insulating box body 11. FIG. 5B is a top view for explaining a state in which the first heat insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment is fully closed with respect to the heat insulating box body 11. FIGS. 6A to 6C are top views for explaining a housing portion 46 in which a soft close portion 45 of the automatic closing mechanism 41 of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment is housed.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5A, the upper and lower end portions of the first heat insulating door 14 in the left direction of the paper surface are rotatably supported by the heat insulating box body 11 via a hinge mechanism 31. The upper hinge portion 31A of the hinge mechanism 31 is disposed on the top surface 11A of the heat insulating box body 11, and its upper surface is covered by a cover portion 33.

[0034] The automatic closing mechanism 41 mainly includes a catcher portion 42, a striker portion 44, a soft close portion 45 (see FIG. 6), and a housing portion 46 that supports the catcher portion 42 and the soft close portion 45. And the automatic closing mechanism 41 is a mechanism that closes the first heat insulating door 14 while adjusting the rotation speed of the first heat insulating door 14. Although details will be described later, the rotation operation of the catcher portion 42 is performed by the soft close portion 45.

[0035] The housing part 46 is fixed to the central part of the top surface 11A of the heat insulation box body 11, and is disposed at a position corresponding to the striker parts 44 of both the first heat insulation door 14 and the second heat insulation door 15. As shown in the figure, the catcher part 42 is on the top surface 11A side of the heat insulation box body 11, is rotatable with respect to the housing part 46, and is supported so as to be slidable in the depth direction of the housing part 46. When the first heat insulation door 14 is in the open state, a part of the catcher part 42 is in a state of being led out from the housing part 46. And an engagement groove 42A is formed in the catcher part 42, and a tip opening 39 is formed on the tip side of the engagement groove 42A.

[0036] The striker part 44 is on the top surface 14A side of the first heat insulation door 14 and is disposed toward the inside of the storage. An engagement pin 44A that penetrates into the engagement groove 42A of the catcher part 42 is disposed at the tip of the striker part 44. And the engagement pin 44A is led out toward the lower side of the first heat insulation door 14. When the first heat insulation door 14 is in the closing operation, the engagement pin 44A penetrates into the engagement groove 42A, and the catcher part 42 and the striker part 44 are in a connected state. And the engagement pin 44A is pulled by the catcher part 42 and moves toward the back side in the depth direction of the housing part 46.

[0037] As shown in the figure, in the open state of the first heat insulation door 14, the engagement groove 42A is formed in the above-mentioned led-out part of the catcher part 42, so that the connection state with the striker part 44 is realized. Also, the catcher part 42 is at a position higher than the user's line of sight, and the minimum necessary part is led out from the front surface 11B of the heat insulation box body 11. As a result, the led-out part of the catcher part 42 has a non-conspicuous structure, and it is difficult to impair the design of the refrigerator 10.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 5B, in the fully closed state of the first heat insulating door 14, the catcher portion 42 is in a connected state with the striker portion 44. Then, while rotating laterally to the left side of the paper surface of the housing portion 46, the catcher portion 42 slides and moves toward the inner side in the depth direction of the housing portion 46. On the other hand, a guide wall portion 16A is formed on the upper end surface of the center pillar 16. And the guide wall portion 16A enters into the guide groove of the pillar guide portion 37 (see FIG. 2) immediately before the first heat insulating door 14 is fully closed.

[0039] With this structure, the center pillar 16 is guided by the guide groove and rotates from the substantially vertical state shown in FIG. 5A to the substantially horizontal state with respect to the inner panel material 35 (see FIG. 2) of the first heat insulating door 14, and is fixed in position. Then, the second heat insulating door 15 magnetically adheres to the center pillar 16 fixed in the horizontal state, and the front opening 12A of the refrigerator compartment 12 is in a fully closed state.

[0040] On the other hand, when the user performs an operation of opening the first heat insulating door 14 to the outside of the cabinet, the first heat insulating door 14 shifts from the fully closed state shown in FIG. 5B to the open state shown in FIG. 5A. Then, the engagement pin 44A moves toward the front end side of the engagement groove 42A while pushing the catcher portion 42 to the outside of the cabinet, and then disengages from the engagement groove 42A through the front end opening 39. At this time, the catcher portion 42 rotates while sliding outward with respect to the housing portion 46 by being pushed by the engagement pin 44A. As described above, in the open state of the first heat insulating door 14, the front end side of the catcher portion 42 is led out from the front surface 11B of the heat insulating cabinet 11 to the outside of the cabinet and enters a standby state.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the housing portion 46 of the self-closing mechanism 41 is a box-shaped body. And the housing portion 46 is fixed to the top surface 11A of the heat insulating cabinet 11 using a plurality of screw holes 47A (see FIG. 7A) and screws 47. Note that the housing portion 46 is not limited to being screwed, and may be fixed to the top surface 11A by screwing. Also, in FIGS. 6A and 6B, for the convenience of explaining the internal structure of the self-closing mechanism 41, the lid portion 46A (see FIG. 5A) is omitted.

[0042] The housing portion 46 houses a movement restricting portion 54 and a movement driving portion 55 that constitute the soft close portion 45. The movement restricting portion 54 has, for example, two damper portions 54A. The damper portion 54A on the left side of the drawing paper corresponds to the catcher portion 42 for the first heat insulating door 14. And the damper portion 54A is fixed to the housing portion 46 so that the shaft portion 54B of the damper portion 54A always maintains a state of being in contact with the catcher portion 42. As shown by the arrow 56, when the first heat insulating door 14 is opened and closed, the shaft portion 54B of the damper portion 54A expands and contracts in the depth direction of the heat insulating box body 11 in conjunction with the rotational movement and the sliding movement of the catcher portion 42. Incidentally, the damper portion 54A on the right side of the drawing paper corresponds to the catcher portion 42 for the second heat insulating door 15.

[0043] With this structure, when the first heat insulating door 14 is closed, the damper portion 54A contracts toward the inner side in the depth direction, so that the movement restricting portion 54 restricts the rotational movement and the sliding movement of the catcher portion 42. And by adjusting the moving speed of the catcher portion 42, the rotational speed of the first heat insulating door 14 is also adjusted.

[0044] The movement driving portion 55 has, for example, two compression coil springs 55A. The compression coil spring 55A on the left side of the drawing paper corresponds to the catcher portion 42 for the first heat insulating door 14. And the tip 55B of the compression coil spring 55A is connected to the catcher portion 42, and the rear end 55C of the compression coil spring 55A is fixed to the housing portion 46. As shown by the arrow 56, when the first heat insulating door 14 is opened and closed, the compression coil spring 55A expands and contracts in the depth direction of the heat insulating box body 11 in conjunction with the rotational movement and the sliding movement of the catcher portion 42. Incidentally, the compression coil spring 55A on the right side of the drawing paper corresponds to the catcher portion 42 for the second heat insulating door 15.

[0045] With this structure, when the first heat-insulating door 14 is closed, the compression coil spring 55A contracts toward the back side in the depth direction and pulls in the catcher portion 42, causing the catcher portion 42 to perform a rotational movement or a sliding movement. That is, when the first heat-insulating door 14 is closed, the moving drive portion 55 serves as a drive source for the catcher portion 42 to perform a rotational movement or a sliding movement.

[0046] Also, as shown in the figure, a guide pin 42B is formed on the upper surface of the catcher portion 42. On the other hand, in the housing portion 46, a pair of guide grooves 43 are formed in accordance with the arrangement region of the catcher portion 42. The guide groove 43 is formed, for example, in a substantially L shape. The guide groove 43 has a horizontal groove 43A that is substantially parallel to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11 and a vertical groove 43B that extends linearly in the depth direction of the heat-insulating box body 11.

[0047] With this structure, the catcher portion 42 is assembled to the housing portion 46 so that the guide pin 42B is inserted into the guide groove 43 of the housing portion 46. Then, the guide pin 42B moves in the guide groove 43 in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the first heat-insulating door 14. Specifically, when the guide pin 42B moves in the horizontal groove 43A, the catcher portion 42 rotates with respect to the housing portion 46. Also, when the guide pin 42B moves in the vertical groove 43B, the catcher portion 42 slides in the direction of arrow 56 with respect to the housing portion 46.

[0048] In addition, a guide pin 42C (see FIG. 13) is also formed on the upper surface of the catcher portion 42. The guide pin 42C is inserted into a guide groove (not shown) that extends linearly in the depth direction of the housing portion 46, and by operating on two axes, the catcher portion 42 rotates and slides with respect to the housing portion 46 on a stable trajectory.

[0049] Next, in FIG. 6A, the first heat-insulating door 14 is in an open state, showing the disengaged state between the catcher portion 42 and the striker portion 44. In FIG. 6B, it is the stage where the first heat-insulating door 14 shifts from the open state to the fully closed state, showing the connected state between the catcher portion 42 and the striker portion 44. In FIG. 6C, the first heat-insulating door 14 is in the fully closed state, showing the connected state between the catcher portion 42 and the striker portion 44.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6A, when the user takes in and out items in the refrigerator compartment 12 and opens the first heat-insulating door 14 to the outside of the cabinet, the engaging pin 44A of the striker portion 44 disengages from the engaging groove 42A of the catcher portion 42.

[0051] In this embodiment, when the first heat-insulating door 14 is opened more than 20 degrees with respect to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating cabinet body 11, the guide pin 42B of the catcher portion 42 is fixed in position at the tip of the lateral groove 43A of the guide groove 43. Then, the catcher portion 42 is pressed outward of the cabinet in the direction of arrow 56 by the damper portion 54A and pulled inward of the cabinet in the direction of arrow 56 by the compression coil spring 55A.

[0052] At this time, as shown in the figure, the tip side of the lateral groove 43A of the guide groove 43 is formed to be inclined from a state substantially horizontal with respect to the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating cabinet body 11 toward the inner side in the depth direction. And the catcher portion 42 is pulled inward of the cabinet in the direction of arrow 56 by the compression coil spring 55A. At this time, due to the shape of the lateral groove 43A, the guide pin 42B is maintained in a state of being caught by the tip side of the lateral groove 43A. With this structure, the rotational movement of the catcher portion 42 is restricted, and the tip side of the catcher portion 42 stops in a state led out from the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating cabinet body 11 and maintains a standby state.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 6B, when the user closes the first heat-insulating door 14, the first heat-insulating door 14 starts to rotate toward the front surface 11B side of the heat-insulating box body 11. Then, in the standby state of the catcher portion 42 shown in FIG. 6A, the engaging pin 44A of the striker portion 44 collides with the tip side of the catcher portion 42 as indicated by the circled mark 59, thereby canceling the above standby state.

[0054] Specifically, when the impact at the time of the above collision is applied to the tip side of the catcher portion 42 toward the inside of the cabinet, the guide pin 42B starts to move from the tip of the horizontal groove 43A toward the vertical groove 43B side, and the catcher portion 42 starts a rotational movement. As described above, the catcher portion 42 continues the rotational movement by receiving the shrinking force of the compression coil spring 55A of the movement driving portion 55 toward the inside of the cabinet in the direction of arrow 56, and the guide pin 42B moves to the tip of the vertical groove 43B.

[0055] At this time, the engaging pin 44A is pulled by the catcher portion 42 due to the rotational movement of the catcher portion 42 and moves toward the root side of the engaging groove 42A. On the other hand, the damper portion 54A is pressed by the catcher portion 42, and the shaft portion 54B shrinks, thereby adjusting the rotational speed of the catcher portion 42.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 6C, the catcher portion 42 continues the rotational movement by continuously receiving the shrinking force of the compression coil spring 55A. Then, the guide pin 42B moves toward the inside of the cabinet within the vertical groove 43B, and the catcher portion 42 slides toward the inside of the cabinet in the direction of arrow 56. On the other hand, the damper portion 54A is pressed by the catcher portion 42, and the shaft portion 54B shrinks, thereby adjusting the rotational speed of the catcher portion 42.

[0057] Thereafter, when the guide pin 42B moves to and reaches the rear end of the vertical groove 43B, the sliding movement of the catcher portion 42 also stops. And in this stopped state, a force that pulls the catcher portion 42 toward the inside of the cabinet in the direction of arrow 56 is applied by the compression coil spring 55A, and a force that presses the catcher portion 42 toward the outside of the cabinet in the direction of arrow 56 is applied by the damper portion 54A.

[0058] However, when the first heat-insulating door 14 is in the fully closed state, the magnet enclosed in the gasket 36 of the first heat-insulating door 14 comes into contact with and magnetically adheres to the outer box 21 of the front surface 11B of the heat-insulating box body 11. As a result, as described above, the catcher portion 42 is pressed by the damper portion 54A, but the magnetic attraction force of the first heat-insulating door 14 is stronger, and the catcher portion 42 maintains the above stop state.

[0059] In addition, when the user performs an operation of opening the first heat-insulating door 14 from the fully closed state in FIG. 6C to the outside of the storage, the engagement pin 44A moves the catcher portion 42 to the outside of the storage while pressing it, and moves toward the tip opening 39 side of the engagement groove 42A. Then, the guide pin 42B moves the vertical groove 43B of the guide groove 43 to the outside of the storage, and the catcher portion 42 rotates slightly while sliding to the outside of the storage. At this time, the shaft portion 54B of the damper portion 54A also extends to the outside of the storage following the movement of the catcher portion 42. On the other hand, the compression coil spring 55A extends by being pulled by the catcher portion 42. And during the opening operation of the first heat-insulating door 14, in the soft close portion 45 of the self-closing mechanism 41, the operation reverse to the closing operation of the first heat-insulating door 14 described above is performed.

[0060] Next, with reference to FIGS. 7A to 8, the assembly structure of the hinge mechanism 31 and the housing portion 46 of the self-closing mechanism 41 of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment to the refrigerator 10 will be described. In FIGS. 7A to 7C, for convenience of explanation, the outer box 21 of the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box body 11 is omitted and shown.

[0061] FIG. 7A is an exploded perspective view for explaining the assembly structure of the housing portion 46 of the self-closing mechanism 41 of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 7B is a perspective view for explaining the assembly structure of the housing portion 46 of the self-closing mechanism 41 of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining the assembly structure of the hinge mechanism 31 disposed on the first heat-insulating door 14 of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment to the top surface 11A of the heat-insulating box body 11.

[0062] First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the housing portion 46 of the closing mechanism 41 is fixed to the top surface 11A of the heat insulation box body 11 via a reinforcing plate 48. The reinforcing plate 48 is formed, for example, by sheet metal processing of a metal plate such as a steel plate. And the reinforcing plate 48 is formed in a stepped shape, for example, and has a main body portion 48A for fixing the housing portion 46, a positioning portion 48B for positioning the reinforcing plate 48 with respect to the inner box 22 of the heat insulation box body 11, and a connecting portion 48C for connecting the main body portion 48A and the positioning portion 48B.

[0063] The reinforcing plate 48 is disposed in the internal space 49 filled with a heat insulating material 23 (see FIG. 3) between the outer box 21 (see FIG. 3) and the inner box 22 of the heat insulation box body 11. The main body portion 48A of the reinforcing plate 48 is a member for fixing the housing portion 46 and is disposed in contact with the outer box 21. And a plurality of fastening holes 50 for fixing the housing portion 46 are formed in the main body portion 48A of the reinforcing plate 48. The fastening holes 50 are formed in alignment with the fastening holes 11E (see FIG. 8) of the outer box 21 and the screw holes 47A of the housing portion 46 because the screws 47 for fixing the housing portion 46 are inserted therethrough. Incidentally, the fastening holes of the outer box 21 are formed with high positional accuracy from the hinge mechanism 31 by sheet metal processing. Also, the fastening hole 11E of the present embodiment corresponds to the second fastening hole described in the claims.

[0064] The positioning portion 48B of the reinforcing plate 48 is formed according to the shape of the alignment portion 22A of the inner box 22 of the heat insulation box body 11. Specifically, the alignment portion 22A is formed to protrude toward the internal space 49 side of the heat insulation box body 11. And a pair of fitting plates 48D are formed on the left - right side surfaces in the drawing plane of the positioning portion 48B. With this structure, the positioning portion 48B is fixed to the alignment portion 22A so as to sandwich the alignment portion 22A of the inner box 22 between the fitting plates 48D. As a result, the reinforcing plate 48 is aligned and fixed with respect to the alignment portion 22A of the inner box 22 of the heat insulation box body 11.

[0065] In addition, the alignment portion 22A of the inner box 22 is also used as a fixing member for fixing the pillar guide portion 37 to the inner side of the refrigerating chamber 12. Therefore, a pair of fastening holes 22B are formed in the alignment portion 22A. On the other hand, a pair of fastening holes 51 aligned with the fastening holes 22B are formed in the position fixing portion 48B of the reinforcing plate 48 by sheet metal working. Then, the pillar guide portion 37 is fixed to the reinforcing plate 48, so that the assembling strength of the pillar guide portion 37 to the heat insulating box body 11 is improved. With this structure, during the closing operation of the first heat insulating door 14, the center pillar 16 repeatedly collides with the pillar guide portion 37, but it is difficult for the assembling position of the pillar guide portion 37 to shift. As a result, it is possible to prevent the guide wall portion 16A of the center pillar 16 from entering the guide groove of the pillar guide portion 37, and the half door of the first heat insulating door 14 is prevented during the closing operation of the first heat insulating door 14.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 7B, the main body portion 48A of the reinforcing plate 48 is disposed in contact with the outer box 21 from the inner space 49 side of the heat insulating box body 11. Then, the housing portion 46 is fixed to the main body portion 48A of the reinforcing plate 48 so as to sandwich the outer box 21 between the reinforcing plate 48. In addition, the housing portion 46 is screwed and fixed via four fastening holes 50 (see FIG. 7A) and screws 47 (see FIG. 7A) of the main body portion 48A, and the claw portion 48E of the main body portion 48A is inserted into a small hole (not shown) formed in the outer box 21, whereby the reinforcing plate 48 is fixed to the heat insulating box body 11.

[0067] Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the hinge mechanism 31 includes an upper hinge portion 31A that rotatably supports the upper end portion of the first heat insulating door 14, and a lower hinge portion (not shown) that rotatably supports the lower end portion of the first heat insulating door 14. The upper hinge portion 31A mainly includes a main body frame 71, a hinge pin 72 formed integrally with the main body frame 71, a hinge collar 73 into which the hinge pin 72 is inserted, and a reinforcing plate 74 that supports the main body frame 71. Note that the hinge collar 73 is disposed with respect to the hinge mounting hole 14B of the first heat insulating door 14. In addition, the reinforcing plate 74 is formed by sheet metal working a metal plate such as a steel plate, for example, corresponding to the disposition region of the upper hinge portion 31A in the same manner as the conventional structure.

[0068] The main body frame 71 is formed by, for example, sheet metal working of a metal plate such as a steel plate. The main body frame 71 is disposed on the top surface 11A of the heat insulation box body 11, and its tip side extends toward the first heat insulation door 14 side. Then, the hinge pin 72 formed at the tip of the main body frame 71 is inserted into the hinge mounting hole 14B, so that the main body frame 71 rotatably supports the first heat insulation door 14.

[0069] Similar to the conventional structure, the main body frame 71 is fixed by bolt fastening at a desired position on the top surface 11A of the heat insulation box body 11 by using the fastening holes 11C formed in the outer box 21 in advance. At this time, the main body frame 71 is fixed to the heat insulation box body 11 so as to sandwich the outer box 21 (see FIG. 3) of the heat insulation box body 11 between the reinforcing plate 74. Then, the main body frame 71 is also fixed to the reinforcing plate 74, so that a desired strength as the upper hinge portion 31A is realized. In addition, the claw portion 74A of the reinforcing plate 74 is inserted into the small hole 11D formed in the top surface 11A, so that the reinforcing plate 74 is also fixed in position with respect to the heat insulation box body 11. Note that the fastening hole 11C of the present embodiment corresponds to the first fastening hole described in the claims.

[0070] As described above, in the self-closing mechanism 41, in order to prevent the half-door of the first heat insulation door 14, the positioning accuracy between the engagement groove 42A of the catcher portion 42 and the engagement pin 44A of the striker portion 44 disposed on the first heat insulation door 14 becomes very important.

[0071] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the reinforcing plates 48 and 74, the main body frame 71, and the outer box 21 of the heat insulation box body 11 are each formed with good processing accuracy by sheet metal working. In addition, the alignment portion 22A of the inner box 22 is also formed with good processing accuracy by die molding using a resin material. Then, the reinforcing plate 48 is fixed to the alignment portion 22A with good positional accuracy, and the housing portion 46 is fixed to the reinforcing plate 48 with the above-described positional accuracy adjusted with good positional accuracy.

[0072] That is, as described above with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6C, the catcher portion 42 is structured to be assembled to the housing portion 46 with high positional accuracy in advance using a guide pin 42B, a guide groove 43, and the like. During the assembly work of the self-closing mechanism 41, an operator only needs to fix the housing portion 46 to the heat insulation box body 11 via the reinforcing plate 48. Thus, the positioning work for the catcher portion 42 alone becomes unnecessary, simplifying the work process. Furthermore, the positioning work of the catcher portion 42 is not affected by the skills of individual operators, preventing variations in the assembly accuracy of the self-closing mechanism 41. As a result, the above-described positioning accuracy between the catcher portion 42 and the striker portion 44 is achieved through simple assembly work, improving the yield during mass production of the refrigerator 10.

[0073] Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12, the assembly structure of the hinge mechanism 31 and the striker portion 44 of the self-closing mechanism 41 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment to the refrigerator 10 will be described. In the following description, the hinge mechanism 31 and the striker portion 44 on the side of the first heat insulation door 14 will be described. The description of the hinge mechanism 31 and the striker portion 44 on the side of the second heat insulation door 15 may be referred to the description of the first heat insulation door 14 side, and thus will be omitted here.

[0074] FIGS. 9 and 10 are perspective views for explaining the assembly structure of the striker portion 44 of the self-closing mechanism 41 disposed on the first heat insulation door 14 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 shows a state of viewing the first heat insulation door 14 from above inside the cabinet, and FIG. 10 shows a state of viewing the first heat insulation door 14 from below inside the cabinet. FIGS. 11 and 12 are perspective views for explaining the structure of the striker portion 44 of the self-closing mechanism 41 disposed on the first heat insulation door 14 of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a state of viewing the striker portion 44 from the rear, and FIG. 12 shows a state of viewing the striker portion 44 from the front. For convenience of explanation, FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the striker portion 44 with the inner panel 35 omitted.

[0075] First, the first insulated door 14 side to which the striker portion 44 of the self-closing mechanism 41 is attached will be described with reference to Figs. 9 and 10. The first insulated door 14 has an outer plate material 66 forming a design surface of the refrigerator 10, an inner plate material 35 (see Fig. 2) disposed on the inside of the outer plate material 66, and cap portions 67 disposed at the upper and lower ends of the outer plate material 66 and the inner plate material 35. An internal space 68 surrounded by the outer plate material 66, the inner plate material 35, and the cap portion 67 is filled with a heat insulating material (not shown). The outer plate material 66 is formed by processing a steel plate, for example, and the inner plate material 35 and the cap portion 67 are formed from a resin member, and urethane foam is used as the heat insulating material.

[0076] As shown in the figure, a hinge mounting hole 14B is formed in the top surface 14A of the first insulated door 14. As described above with reference to FIG. 8, a hinge pin 72 formed in the main frame 71 of the hinge mechanism 31 is inserted into the hinge mounting hole 14B. A pair of through holes 14D for fixing the mounting plate portion 69 and the striker portion 44 to the first insulated door 14 is formed in the installation surface 14C of the first insulated door 14. The through holes 14D are formed corresponding to a pair of reference holes 69A formed in the mounting plate portion 69. The shapes of the through holes 14D and the reference holes 69A are formed to match the shapes of the screws 65 serving as fixing members.

[0077] The hinge mounting hole 14B is formed integrally with the cap portion 67 by, for example, resin molding. The hinge mounting hole 14B is formed inside the cylindrical portion 64 extending into the internal space 68. A hinge collar 73 is inserted into the hinge mounting hole 14B. A hinge pin 72 is inserted into the hinge collar 73, so that the first insulated door 14 is axially supported to be freely rotatable with respect to the insulated box body 11.

[0078] In this embodiment, the mounting plate portion 69 is disposed on the distal end side of the connecting member 70, and the positioning hole 63 is formed on the rear end side of the connecting member 70. As shown in the drawing, the mounting plate portion 69 and the connecting member 70 are integrally formed by, for example, sheet metal working a metal plate such as a steel plate. Then, the positioning hole 63 of the connecting member 70 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 64 of the hinge mounting hole 14B from the inner space 68 side. Also, the length of the connecting member 70 is accurately adjusted by sheet metal working so that the striker portion 44 is disposed at the initial setting position of the installation surface 14C during the assembly work of the refrigerator 10.

[0079] With this structure, in the internal space 68, the positioning hole 63 of the connecting member 70 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 64 of the hinge mounting hole 14B, and the mounting plate portion 69 is brought into contact with the installation surface 14C, so that the reference hole 69A of the mounting plate portion 69 is positioned at a desired location with respect to the hinge mounting hole 14B. Then, the mounting plate portion 69 is disposed in contact with the inner surface of the cap portion 67 that becomes the installation surface 14C of the first heat insulating door 14. At this time, the striker portion 44 and the mounting plate portion 69 are fixed to the first heat insulating door 14 so that the cap portion 67 is sandwiched between the striker portion 44 and the mounting plate portion 69, and the mounting plate portion 69 also functions as a reinforcing plate.

[0080] Next, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the striker portion 44 mainly includes a base portion 44B, an engagement pin 44A formed on the distal end portion side of the base portion 44B, and a pair of long holes 44C formed in the base portion 44B. The engagement pin 44A is biased by, for example, an elastic spring (not shown) and is configured to be slidable in the height direction (vertical direction in the drawing) of the base portion 44B of the striker portion 44. The striker portion 44 is fixed to the first heat insulating door 14 using, for example, screws 65 as fixing members and the mounting plate portion 69.

[0081] As described above, the position of the reference hole 69A of the mounting plate portion 69 is formed with good machining accuracy from the center of the hinge mounting hole 14B by sheet metal working. Then, when the operator assembles the striker portion 44 of the self-closing mechanism 41 to the first heat insulating door 14, the positioning hole 63 of the connecting member 70 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 64, and the mounting plate portion 69 is brought into contact with the installation surface 14C, so that the reference hole 69A is positioned at a desired mounting location. Thereafter, the operator aligns the reference hole 69A of the mounting plate portion 69 with the through hole 14D of the installation surface 14C, and fixes the striker portion 44 to the first heat insulating door 14 using screws 65. Incidentally, the through hole 14D may be formed during the resin molding of the cap portion 67, or may be formed during the installation work of the striker portion 44.

[0082] By this assembling work, the striker portion 44 is fixed to the first heat insulating door 14 with good positional accuracy. Then, the operator measures and positions the fixing position of the mounting plate portion 69 during the above assembling work, and the positioning work becomes unnecessary. As a result, the assembling work of the self-closing mechanism 41 is simplified, and the assembling accuracy of the self-closing mechanism 41 is improved without depending on the skill of individual operators.

[0083] That is, in the present embodiment, as described above with reference to FIGS. 7A to 8, during the assembling work of the self-closing mechanism 41, the positioning work of the catcher portion 42 alone becomes unnecessary, and the positioning work of the striker portion 44 alone also becomes unnecessary, and the work process is simplified. Then, by performing the assembling work of the self-closing mechanism 41 by the mechanical working accuracy by sheet metal working without depending on the skill of the operator, high positioning accuracy between the engaging groove 42A of the catcher portion 42 and the engaging pin 44A of the striker portion 44 is realized.

[0084] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, a pair of long holes 44C are formed in the base portion 44B of the striker portion 44 corresponding to the position of the reference hole 69A of the mounting plate portion 69. When the operator fixes the striker portion 44 to the initial setting position of the installation surface 14C, for example, the operator positions the striker portion 44 such that the center position in the lateral width direction of the first heat insulating door 14 of the long hole 44C coincides with the reference hole 69A of the mounting plate portion 69.

[0085] Here, in the refrigerator 10, due to component failures of the soft close portion 45 caused by aging or the like, a serviceman may perform a replacement operation to a new soft close portion 45. In this case, since only the soft close portion 45 becomes new, the catcher portion 42 and the striker portion 44 may be displaced, and when the first heat insulating door 14 is closed, the engaging pin 44A of the striker portion 44 may be difficult to stably enter the engaging groove 42A of the catcher portion 42.

[0086] In that case, the serviceman can use the play portion in the lateral width direction of the long hole 44C to slightly move the fixing position of the striker portion 44 in the lateral width direction of the first heat insulating door 14. By the above adjustment work by the serviceman, again, when the first heat insulating door 14 is closed, the engaging pin 44A of the striker portion 44 can stably enter the engaging groove 42A of the catcher portion 42. When the striker portion 44 and the catcher portion 42 are in a connected state, the self-closing mechanism 41 operates normally and the first heat insulating door 14 can be self-closed.

[0087] The initial setting position of the present invention refers to the position where, after the refrigerator 10 is assembled at the factory and at the time of factory shipment, due to the mechanical accuracy of the above sheet metal processing, the engagement pin 44A of the striker portion 44 stably enters the engagement groove 42A of the catcher portion 42. Further, the reference structure 77 formed on the mounting plate portion 69 of the present invention is not limited to the above reference hole 69A. For example, a stud bolt may be formed on the mounting plate portion 69 as the reference structure 77. In this case, the stud bolt may be inserted into the through hole 14D and the long hole 44C, and the striker portion 44 may be fixed to the first heat insulation door 14 using a nut as a fixing member.

[0088] Next, with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, the structure of the catcher portion 42 will be described. FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate a situation where the catcher portion 42 and the striker portion 44 of the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment are connected via the restoration portion 81. FIG. 13 is a perspective view thereof, and FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view thereof.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 13, the catcher portion 42 has a base portion 82 (see FIG. 13) in which an engagement groove 42A is formed. And, as indicated by the circle 83, the tip portion of the base portion 82 on the inner side of the cabinet is longer than the tip portion of the base portion 82 on the outer side of the cabinet. With this structure, in the engagement groove 42A, the opening width of the tip opening portion 39 becomes wider, and the base portion 82 on the inner side of the cabinet becomes longer, so that the engagement pin 44A and the base portion 82 are likely to collide. Then, when the engagement pin 44A enters the engagement groove 42A, the engagement pin 44A collides with the base portion 82 and is guided into the engagement groove 42A, making it easier to realize the connection state between the catcher portion 42 and the striker portion 44.

[0090] Further, a restoration portion 81 may be formed on the base portion 82 on the outer side of the cabinet, which is the formation region of the engagement groove 42A of the catcher portion 42. The restoration portion 81 is an inclined surface 81A for the engagement pin 44A to return from the side of the catcher portion 42 to the engagement groove 42A after the engagement pin 44A first fails to enter the engagement groove 42A during the closing operation of the first heat insulation door 14.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 14, the restoration portion 81 has, for example, an inclined shape formed on the surface side of the catcher portion 42, and becomes an inclined surface 81A that slopes upward from the outer side surface of the cabinet toward the engagement groove 42A side. On the other hand, the engagement pin 44A is biased by, for example, an elastic spring and has a structure that is slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the housing portion of the striker portion 44.

[0092] Here, as shown in FIG. 5A, a part of the catcher portion 42 is led out toward the front side of the refrigerator compartment 12. When the catcher portion 42 comes into contact with the user, the catcher portion 42 rotates independently via the soft close portion 45. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, when the catcher portion 42 rotates to the fully closed state, the engagement groove 42A is on the top surface 11A of the heat insulation box body 11 and moves toward the back side of the housing portion 46.

[0093] In this case, since the catcher portion 42 is not waiting at the normal stop position, the engagement pin 44A cannot enter the engagement groove 42A through the tip opening 39. Then, immediately before the first heat insulation door 14 reaches the fully closed state, the engagement pin 44A collides with the inclined surface 81A of the restoration portion 81 of the catcher portion 42 and moves along the inclined surface 81A of the restoration portion 81.

[0094] As described above, when the engagement pin 44A contacts the inclined surface 81A of the restoration portion 81 and moves along the inclined surface 81A, it slides upward with respect to the housing portion of the striker portion 44, gets over the restoration portion 81, and enters the engagement groove 42A. As a result, the connection state between the catcher portion 42 and the striker portion 44 is realized. In addition, when the engagement pin 44A returns into the engagement groove 42A, next, when the first heat insulation door 14 performs the opening and closing operation, the self-closing mechanism 41 is restored, and the convenience for the user is improved.

[0095] Further, in the present embodiment, although the case where the front opening 12A of the refrigerating chamber 12 is opened and closed by the first heat insulating door 14 and the second heat insulating door 15, and the center pillar 16 is disposed on the first heat insulating door 14 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, with respect to the third heat insulating door 18 and the fourth heat insulating door 19 that open and close the front opening 13A of the freezing chamber 13, the structure of the self-closing mechanism 41 described above is adopted, and the center pillar 16 is disposed on the third heat insulating door 18, thereby obtaining the same effects as those of the first and second heat insulating doors 14 and 15. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0096] 10 Refrigerator 11 Heat-insulating box body 11A Top surface 11B Front surface 11C Fastening hole 11D Small hole 12 Refrigerating chamber 12A Front opening 13 Freezing chamber 13A Front opening 14 First heat insulating door 14A Top surface 14B Hinge mounting hole 14C Installation surface 14D Through hole 15 Second heat insulating door 15A Top surface 16 Center pillar 16A Guide wall portion 17 Partition wall 18 Third heat insulating door 19 Fourth heat insulating door 20 Defrost heater 21 Outer box 22 Inner box 22A Alignment portion 22B Fastening hole 23 Heat insulating material 24 Cooling chamber 25 Cooler 26 Machine room 27 Compressor 28 Blower 29 Air passage 30 Control unit 31 Hinge mechanism 31A Upper hinge part 34 Storage rack 35 Inner panel material 35A Bulging part 36 Gasket 37 Pillar guide part 38 Detection device 39 Tip opening 40 Notification part 41 Self - closing mechanism 42 Catcher part 42A Engagement groove 42B Guide pin 42C Guide pin 43 Guide groove 43A Horizontal groove 43B Vertical groove 44 Striker part 44A Engagement pin 44B Base part 44C Long hole 45 Soft - close part 46 Housing part 46A Cover part 47 Screw 47A Screw hole 48 Reinforcing plate 48A Main body part 48B Position - fixing part 48C Connecting part 49 Internal space 50 Fastening hole 51 Fastening hole 54 Movement - restricting part 54A Damper part 54B Shaft part 55 Movement - driving part 55A Compression coil spring 55B Tip 55C Rear end 63 Positioning hole 64 Cylindrical part 65 Screw 66 Outer panel material 67 Cap part 68 Internal space 69 Mounting plate part 69A Reference hole 70 Connecting member 71 Body frame 72 Hinge pin 73 Hinge collar 74 Reinforcing plate 77 Reference structure 81 Restoration part 81A Inclined surface 82 Base part

Claims

1. A heat-insulating box body in which a storage chamber is formed, A double-opening heat-insulating door that is attached to the heat-insulating box body via a hinge mechanism and closes the front opening of the storage chamber in an openable and closable manner, A self-closing mechanism for self-closing the heat-insulating door with respect to the heat-insulating box body, A center pillar disposed on the heat-insulating door, A pillar guide portion that is attached to the storage chamber side of the heat-insulating box body and guides the center pillar during the closing operation of the heat-insulating door, A reinforcing plate that is fixed to the heat-insulating box body and positions and fixes the housing portion of the self-closing mechanism, The refrigerator is characterized in that the reinforcing plate is positioned with respect to the heat-insulating box body by being fixed to an alignment portion formed in the inner box of the heat-insulating box body.

2. The self-closing mechanism is A catcher portion that is disposed with respect to the housing portion and moves in the depth direction of the heat-insulating box body, A striker portion that is disposed on the heat-insulating door, is connected to the catcher portion in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the heat-insulating door, or disengages from the catcher portion, During the closing operation of the heat-insulating door, the engaging pin of the striker portion penetrates into the engaging groove of the catcher portion, and the refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the catcher portion and the striker portion are connected.

3. On the top surface of the outer box of the heat-insulating box body, a first fastening hole for positioning the main body frame of the hinge mechanism and a second fastening hole for positioning the reinforcing plate are formed, The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing plate is positioned with respect to the heat-insulating box body via the alignment portion and the second fastening hole.

4. A connecting member that is positioned with respect to the hinge mounting hole of the heat-insulating door, An attachment plate portion that is disposed on the connecting member and positions the striker portion with respect to the heat-insulating door, The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the striker portion is positioned and fixed to the heat insulation door via the mounting plate portion.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the pillar guide portion is fixed to the reinforcing plate.

Images