Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of thinning an illuminating device using a light emitting body and a light guide plate, and providing it in a refrigerator.SOLUTION: An illuminating device 50 of a refrigerator 10 comprises a light guide plate 54 for transmitting light, and a light source device 53 for making the light incident on the light guide plate 54 from a light receiving surface provided in a side surface of the light guide plate 54. The light source device 53 comprises: a light source board 57 arranged so as to be opposed to the light receiving surface 54a; a plurality of light emitting elements 56 provided on the light source board 57, and emitting the light by receiving the supply of electric power; a first power supply line 61 provided on the light source board 57, and connecting the plurality of light emitting elements 56 adjacent to each other; and a second power supply line 68 provided separately from the light source board 57, and connected to the first power supply line 61 from between the plurality of light emitting elements 56.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] Refrigerators are provided with internal lighting for illuminating the interior of the compartment. As a lighting device for the internal lighting, for example, an LED light-emitting component is housed in a recess formed in the ceiling or the like, and the recess is covered with a translucent cover called a shade (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The LED is arranged to irradiate light downward toward the stored items. When the LED emits light in such a structure, it passes through the shade and travels downward, illuminating the stored items.

[0003] In addition, it has also been proposed to use in a refrigerator a so-called surface lighting device that emits light in such a manner that light from an LED is introduced from the side surface of a light guide plate and the light diffused inside the light guide plate is irradiated outside the light guide plate (see, for example, Patent Document 2). By using such surface lighting, the lighting device can be made thinner, so that when the lighting device is embedded in the recess in the ceiling as described above, the recess can be made shallower, and the degree of freedom in arranging the lighting device can be improved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in recent refrigerators, an increase in the internal capacity of the compartment has been increasingly demanded, and further thinning of the lighting device has been required.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that enables a lighting device using a light emitter such as an LED and a light guide plate to be made thinner and provided in a refrigerator.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a refrigerator body having a storage chamber provided therein, and a lighting device provided in the storage chamber. The lighting device includes a light guide plate that transmits light, and a light source device that emits light into the light guide plate from a light receiving surface provided on a side surface of the light guide plate. The light source device includes a light source substrate arranged to face the light receiving surface, a plurality of light emitters provided on the light source substrate that emit light upon receiving electrical supply, a first power line provided on the light source substrate that connects the plurality of adjacent light emitters to each other, and a second power line provided separately from the light source substrate and connected to the first power line between the plurality of light emitters.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 7

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Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are illustrative, and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto. The following embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The following embodiments and their modifications are included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

[0010] In the following description, the left - right direction, the front - rear direction, and the up - down direction indicate the directions when the refrigerator is viewed from the front. The left - right direction corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator. Also, right, left, up, down, back, rear, and front indicate the position, side, etc. when the refrigerator is viewed from the front unless otherwise specified. Further, in the inner box 13 of the refrigerator 10, the side facing the storage chamber is the inside of the cabinet, and the side facing the outer box 3 through the heat - insulating material is the heat - insulating space side.

[0011] (1) Configuration of the refrigerator 10 First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 10 will be described. FIG. 1 shows the refrigerator 10 of the embodiment. The refrigerator body 11 of the refrigerator 10 is formed by combining an outer box 12 that forms the outer shell of the refrigerator 10 and an inner box 13 in which a storage chamber is formed. Heat - insulating materials such as a foamed heat - insulating material 18 and a vacuum heat - insulating panel 19 are provided between the outer box 12 and the inner box 13.

[0012] The inside of the refrigerator body 11 is vertically partitioned by a heat - insulating partition wall 15. The upper side of the heat - insulating partition wall 15 is a refrigerating space. The refrigerating space is maintained at a refrigerating temperature suitable for refrigerated storage. Also, the lower side of the heat - insulating partition wall 15 is a freezing space. The freezing space is maintained at a freezing temperature suitable for frozen storage. A plurality of storage chambers for storing food are provided in each of the refrigerating space and the freezing space. Each storage chamber has an opening at the front, and the user can take food in and out through the opening.

[0013] The refrigeration space is provided with a refrigerator compartment 20 and a vegetable compartment 22 as storage compartments from top to bottom. The interior of the refrigerator compartment 20 is maintained within a refrigeration temperature range, for example, at 2 to 5°C, and the interior of the vegetable compartment 22 is maintained within a refrigeration temperature range, for example, at 4 to 7°C. The refrigerator compartment 20 is provided with a plurality of storage shelves 24. Below the lowest storage shelf 24 is a chilled compartment that is maintained at an especially low temperature within the refrigerator compartment 20. The vegetable compartment 22 also contains two drawer-type containers, one above the other.

[0014] The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 20 is opened and closed by a pair of left and right refrigerator compartment doors 21 in a French style (double door style). Although not shown, the refrigerator compartment door 21 is provided with an operation panel 45 (see FIG. 2). Also, a door sensor 44 (see FIG. 2) that detects whether the refrigerator compartment door 21 is open or closed is provided.

[0015] A lighting device 50 for illuminating the inside of the refrigerator compartment 20 is provided on the ceiling wall of the refrigerator body 11 which forms the ceiling surface of the refrigerator compartment 20.

[0016] The front opening of the vegetable compartment 22 is opened and closed by a drawer-type vegetable compartment door 23. The above-mentioned drawer-type container is attached to the inside of the vegetable compartment door 23. Therefore, when a user opens the vegetable compartment door 23, the drawer-type container is pulled out together with the vegetable compartment door 23.

[0017] An ice-making compartment and small freezing compartment 26 are provided as storage compartments in the upper part of the freezing space, and a freezing compartment 28 is provided as a storage compartment in the lower part of the freezing space. The insides of the ice-making compartment and freezing compartment 28 are maintained within the freezing temperature range, for example, at -20 to -18°C. The inside of small freezing compartment 26 is also maintained within the freezing temperature range, for example, at -18 to -16°C. Drawer-type storage containers are housed in small freezing compartment 26 and freezing compartment 28, respectively.

[0018] The front opening of the small freezer compartment 26 is opened and closed by a drawer-type storage compartment door 27. The above-mentioned storage container is fixed to the inner surface of the storage compartment door 27 facing the inside of the compartment. Also, the front opening of the freezer compartment 28 is opened and closed by a drawer-type freezer compartment door 29. The above-mentioned storage container is fixed to the inner surface of the freezer compartment door 29 facing the inside of the compartment. Also, the front opening of the ice-making compartment is opened and closed by a drawer-type ice-making compartment door (not shown).

[0019] At the rear of the refrigerating space (refrigerator compartment 20 and vegetable compartment 22), a first cooler chamber 30 and a first duct 31 are formed. In the first cooler chamber 30, a first cooler 32 and a first fan 33 are provided, and the first fan 33 introduces the air in the first cooler chamber 30 cooled by the first cooler 32 into the first duct 31.

[0020] The first duct 31 is provided in a space sandwiched between the back plate 13a of the inner box 13 and a duct member 34. When the cold air cooled by the first cooler 32 is introduced from the first cooler chamber 30 by the rotation of the first fan 33, it flows from below to above and blows out into the refrigerator compartment 20 from the air outlet 35. The cold air blown into the refrigerator compartment 20 circulates in the refrigerator compartment 20 and the vegetable compartment 22, and then is sucked from the suction port 36 toward the first cooler chamber 30 and cooled again by the first cooler 32.

[0021] The duct member 34 forming the first duct 31 is, for example, a substantially flat plate-shaped member formed by injection molding synthetic resin. The duct member 34 is fixed at a distance forward with respect to the back plate 13a of the inner box 13 by engaging with a fixture (not shown) provided on the back plate 13a of the inner box 13.

[0022] Also, at the rear of the freezing space (ice-making compartment, small freezer compartment 26, and freezer compartment 28), a second cooler chamber 39 is provided for housing a second cooler 37 and a second fan 38 for circulating the cold air generated by the second cooler 37. The cold air generated by the second cooler 37 blows out from the air outlet 40 formed on the back surface of the freezing space into the freezing space, circulates through the freezing space, and then is sucked from the suction port 41 formed at the lower part of the back surface of the freezing space toward the second cooler 37 and cooled again by the second cooler 37.

[0023] A machine room 16 is provided at the lower rear of the refrigerator 10. The machine room 16 houses a compressor 17, a condenser (not shown), etc. The compressor 17, the condenser, the first cooler 32, the second cooler 37, etc. constitute a well-known refrigeration cycle device. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 17 alternately flows through the first cooler 32 and the second cooler 37, and cold air is generated by each cooler when the refrigerant flows through it.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 10 is provided with a control unit 43. Various sensors such as a door sensor 44, various devices such as a lighting device 50, a compressor 17, a first fan 33, and a second fan 38 are connected to the control unit 43 in addition to an operation panel 45. The control unit 43 controls various devices based on instructions from the operation panel 45 and detection signals from various sensors. When the door sensor 44 detects that the refrigerator compartment door 21 is opened, the control unit 43 turns on the lighting device 50, and when the door sensor 44 detects that the refrigerator compartment door 21 is closed, the control unit 43 turns off the lighting device 50.

[0025] (2) Refrigerator main body 11 Next, the configuration of the refrigerator main body 11 will be described.

[0026] The inner box 13 is made of a synthetic resin molded body integrally molded by a vacuum forming machine, and has a box shape with an opening on the front surface having a left side surface, a right side surface, an upper surface 13b, a bottom surface, and a back plate 13a.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the upper surface 13b of the inner box includes a front portion 13b1 of the upper surface of the inner box and a rear portion 13c2 of the upper surface of the inner box located on the rear side of the front portion 13b1 of the upper surface of the inner box, and partitions the ceiling surface of the refrigerating chamber 20. Both the front portion 13b1 of the upper surface of the inner box and the rear portion 13b2 of the upper surface of the inner box are gently inclined so as to go upward as going forward, but are inclined so that the angle of the front portion 13b1 of the upper surface of the inner box with respect to the horizontal direction is larger than the angle of the rear portion 13b2 of the upper surface of the inner box with respect to the horizontal direction. An attachment opening 13b3 for attaching the lighting device 50 is provided at the front portion of the rear portion 13b2 of the upper surface of the inner box. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the center C1 in the left-right direction of the attachment opening 13b3 is provided at a position closer to one side in the left-right direction where the light source device 53 of the lighting device 50 described later is provided than the center C2 in the left-right direction of the refrigerating chamber 20.

[0028] The outer box 12 made of a steel plate that constitutes the outer shell of the refrigerator body 11 is a box shape that opens in the front having an outer box left side surface, an outer box right side surface, an outer box upper surface, an outer box bottom surface, and an outer box rear surface that face the left side surface, the right side surface, the upper surface 13b of the inner box, the bottom surface, and the back plate 13a of the inner box, respectively. The outer box left side surface, the outer box right side surface, and the outer box upper surface are formed by bending a single long steel plate into a substantially U shape. The outer box bottom surface and the outer box rear surface are members provided separately from the outer box left side surface, the outer box right side surface, and the outer box upper surface. A stepped portion for forming the machine room 16 is bent and formed on the outer box bottom surface.

[0029] A flat vacuum insulation panel 19 fixed to the outer box 12 is provided in the heat insulation space formed between the outer box 12 and the inner box 13. Further, in the heat insulation space of the refrigerator body 2, in a location where the vacuum insulation panel 19 does not exist, a refrigerant pipe such as a pipe connecting the coolers 32, 37 and the compressor 17, and a foamed heat insulating material 18 such as foamed urethane are provided together with a lead wire that electrically connects an electrical component provided inside or outside the refrigerator body 2 and a control board.

[0030] (3) Lighting device 50 Next, the configuration of the lighting device 50 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

[0031] The lighting device 50 is housed in a space formed between a lighting storage part 51 provided on the heat insulation space side (upper side) of the mounting opening 13b3 on the upper surface of the inner box and a lighting cover 52 provided on the lower side of the mounting opening 13b3, and illuminates the inside of the refrigerator compartment 20 from above when the refrigerator compartment door 21 is opened.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lighting storage part 51 is composed of a flat dish-shaped member that opens downward, and a flange part 55 protrudes outward from the periphery of the opening. The lighting storage part 51 is attached to the heat insulation space side of the upper surface 13b of the inner box so that the opening of the lighting storage part 51 overlaps with the mounting opening 13b3 provided in the rear part 13b2 of the upper surface of the inner box. Thereby, the flange part 55 contacts the heat insulation space 5 side of the peripheral part of the mounting opening 13b3, and the lower part of the lighting storage part 51 is opened through the mounting opening 13b3, and a space formed by cutting out a part of the foamed heat insulating material 18 from the refrigerator compartment 20 side is formed in the ceiling wall of the refrigerator main body 11. In the present embodiment, a vacuum heat insulation panel 19 is provided so as to cover the entire lighting storage part 51 from above.

[0033] The lighting cover 52 is a molded body such as a highly transparent acrylic resin, and closes the mounting opening 13b3 on the upper surface 13b of the inner box in a state where the lighting device 50 is housed in the lighting storage part 51. The lighting cover 52 diffuses the light emitted from the lighting device 50 while protecting the lighting device 50 and irradiates the inside of the refrigerator compartment 20.

[0034] The lighting device 50 performs surface illumination, and as shown in FIG. 6, includes a light source device 53 that emits light and a light guide plate 54 that receives the light emitted from the light source device 53. In the present embodiment, the optical axes L of the plurality of LEDs 56 are parallel to each other along the light guide plate 54. The plurality of LEDs 56 emit light when supplied with power and correspond to the "plurality of light emitters" of the present invention.

[0035] The light source device 53 includes a plurality of LEDs 56, an LED substrate 57 on which these LEDs 56 are mounted, a wiring substrate 67, and a substrate fixture 58. The LED substrate 57 is disposed to face the light-receiving surface of the light guide plate 54 and corresponds to the "light source substrate" of the present invention. In the present embodiment, one of the left and right side end faces, which is the short-side end face of the rectangular light guide plate 54, is defined as the light-receiving surface 54a, and the light source device 53 is fixed to one of the left and right side ends of the light guide plate 54 (the left side in FIG. 5).

[0036] The substrate fixture 58 is formed by bending a metal plate such as aluminum so as to have a flat box shape with an opening 58a.

[0037] The substrate fixture 58 is fixed to the side end of the light guide plate 54 by inserting the light-receiving surface 54a of the light guide plate 54 through the opening 58a, and arranges the plurality of LEDs 56 attached to the LED substrate 57 to face the light-receiving surface 54a.

[0038] Such a substrate fixture 58 covers the entire periphery of the LED 56 and the light-receiving surface 54a, preventing the light emitted from the LED 56 from leaking between the LED 56 and the light-receiving surface 54a.

[0039] The LED substrate 57 is made of an aluminum substrate, is rectangular as shown in FIG. 8, and has substantially the same size as the light-receiving surface 54a of the short-side end face of the rectangular light guide plate 54. The long-side direction of the LED substrate 57 corresponds to the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 10, and the short-side direction corresponds to the up-down direction.

[0040] On this rectangular LED substrate 57, a plurality (for example, 12) of LEDs 56 are attached at predetermined intervals along the long side direction (front-rear direction), and irradiate light toward the opening 58a of the substrate fixture. Note that the 12 LEDs 56 are attached almost evenly from the front to the rear of the LED substrate 57 in order to irradiate light evenly in the front-rear direction. For this purpose, 24 metal first connection portions 66 each formed of a land or a pad are provided at predetermined intervals along the long side direction (front-rear direction) of the LED substrate 57 corresponding to the light receiving surface 54a side, and the anode terminals and cathode terminals of the LEDs 56 are respectively attached on these first connection portions 66.

[0041] In the present embodiment, among the 12 LEDs 56, 3 LEDs 56 are connected in series to form one set, and 4 sets are configured. For that connection, a first power line 61 is wired between the first connection portions 66, 66 of adjacent LED substrates 57. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the first power line 61 connects the first connection portion 66 of the cathode terminal of the first LED 56 (the leftmost LED 56 in FIG. 8) among the 3 LEDs 56 and the first connection portion 66 of the anode terminal of the second LED 56 (the second LED 56 from the left in FIG. 8), and the next first power line 61 connects the first connection portion 66 of the cathode terminal of the second LED 56 and the first connection portion 66 of the anode terminal of the third LED 56 (the third LED 56 from the left in FIG. 8). Note that in the present embodiment, 3 LEDs 56 are connected in series as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and 2 or more LEDs 56 may be connected in series.

[0042] Since there are 4 sets of 3 LEDs 56 connected in series, as described above, the LEDs 56 in each set are arranged side by side along the long side direction of the LED substrate 57.

[0043] On the LED substrate 57 between these sets of LEDs 56, a metal second connection portion 68 formed of a land or a pad for connection to a power source is provided. This second connection portion 68 is connected to the first connection portion 66 of the cathode terminal of the third LED 56 adjacent thereto by the first power line 61.

[0044] The dimension of the LED substrate 57 in the short side direction has a dimension slightly larger than that of the chip-shaped LED 56. The dimensions of the first connection portion 66 and the second connection portion 68 in the short side direction are formed smaller than the dimension of the chip-shaped LED 56 in the short side direction. The width (dimension in the short side direction) of the first power line 61 is formed smaller than the dimension of the chip-shaped LED 56 in the short side direction, and the LED 56 and the first power line 61 are provided at positions overlapping in the short side direction of the LED substrate 57. That is, when the LED substrate 57 is viewed from the front, the LED 56 and the first power line 61 overlap, and the first power line 61 is hidden by the LED 56 and cannot be seen.

[0045] Next, the wiring substrate 67 will be described. The wiring substrate 67 is provided separately from the LED substrate 57 (i.e., the light source substrate), and is arranged such that the plate thickness direction of the substrate intersects with that of the wiring substrate 67 and the LED substrate 57. The wiring substrate 67 has a plus-side second power line (hereinafter simply referred to as the "plus line") 62 and a minus-side second power line (hereinafter simply referred to as the "minus line") 63 wired for supplying power to each LED 56 of the LED substrate 57, and the plus line 62 and the minus line 63 are connected to the DC power supply unit of the control unit 43. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the wiring substrate 67 is arranged above the LED substrate 57, and is arranged such that the plate thickness direction of the substrate intersects at a right angle between the wiring substrate 67 and the LED substrate 57, and the second power line 63 is connected at a surface where the wiring substrate 67 and the LED substrate 57 face each other obliquely.

[0046] The wiring board 67 is rectangular, and the dimensions in the long side direction and the short side direction are approximately the same size as the LED board 57. Along the long side direction of the wiring board 67, the positive line 62 and the negative line 63 are wired in parallel at a predetermined interval. Four first connection lines 64 branch off from the positive line 62 at a predetermined interval, and each first connection line 64 is connected to a first connection portion 66 at the anode terminal of the first LED 56 in each set of LEDs 56. Four second connection lines 65 branch off from the negative line 63 at a predetermined interval, and each second connection line 65 is connected to a second connection portion 68 between each set of LEDs 56. The first connection line 64 and the second connection portion 68 serve the role of jumper wires.

[0047] When the wiring states of the above-mentioned LED board 57 and the wiring board 67 are shown in a circuit diagram, it is as shown in FIG. 9. Three LEDs 56 are connected in series, and these three series-connected LEDs 56 form a set, and there are four sets. These four sets are connected in parallel. Note that the resistor 71 is an internal resistor. And the anode terminal of the first LED 56 in each set is connected to the positive line 62 via the first connection line 64, and the cathode terminal of the third LED 56 is connected to the negative line 63 via the second connection line 65. For example, a voltage of +14V is applied to the positive line 62, and the negative line 63 is grounded.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 7, the LED board 57 is fixed with an adhesive tape 69 along the left side surface inside the opening 58a of the board fixture 58. Also, the wiring board 67 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the LED board 57 and is fixed with an adhesive tape 70 on the upper surface inside the opening 58a of the board fixture 58 so as to be orthogonal. When fixing the light guide plate 54 to the opening 58a of the board fixture 58, it is inserted and fixed up to the position of the right end portion of the wiring board 67. Since the board fixture 58 is made of a metal such as aluminum, it serves as a heat dissipation portion of the LED board 57 made of an aluminum substrate fixed with the adhesive tape 69. Also, the first connection line 64 and the second connection portion 68 are bridged between the orthogonal wiring board 67 and the LED board 57.

[0049] The light guide plate 54 is a plate-shaped member formed of a transmissive member that transmits light, such as glass or a resin having transparency (e.g., acrylic resin, etc.). For example, the light guide plate 54 is a rectangular plate-shaped member having a length in the left-right direction of 400 mm to 500 mm, a length in the front-rear direction of 250 mm to 350 mm, and a thickness of about 5 to 20 mm.

[0050] A film-shaped reflective material 59 that reflects light is disposed on the upper surface facing the heat insulation space side and on three side surfaces excluding the light receiving surface 54a on which the light source device 53 is disposed of the light guide plate 54. Further, the lower surface of the light guide plate 54 is a surface that functions as an emission surface 54b through which the light taken in from the light receiving surface 54a is emitted to the refrigerating chamber 20, and a sheet-shaped light diffusing material 60 is provided.

[0051] Thereby, the light emitted from the LED 56 of the light source device 53 enters the light guide plate 54 from the light receiving surface 54a, is reflected by the reflective material 59, and then is emitted from the emission surface 54b of the light guide plate 54. The light emitted from the emission surface 54b of the light guide plate 54 is diffused and made uniform by the light diffusing material 60 and then irradiated onto the refrigerating chamber 20.

[0052] Note that an orientation pattern such as a light reflection dot or a laser processing mark may be provided on the upper surface of the light guide plate 54. The density of the orientation pattern provided is adjusted according to the distance from the LED 56 so that the light incident from the light receiving surface 54a is uniformly reflected and diffused over the entire emission surface 54b by the orientation pattern.

[0053] In the present embodiment, the lighting device 50 is disposed in the lighting housing portion 51 such that the emission surface 54b of the light guide plate 54 is horizontal, and the entire lighting device 50 is disposed so as to be housed in the lighting housing portion 51 so as not to protrude downward from the periphery of the mounting opening portion 13b3 of the inner box 13 (that is, the rear portion 13b2 of the upper surface of the inner box). Further, the lighting device 50 is disposed such that the center C3 in the left-right direction of the lighting device 50 is shifted toward one side in the left-right direction where the light source device 53 and the light receiving surface 54a are provided from the center C2 in the left-right direction of the refrigerating chamber 20 so that the center C4 in the left-right direction of the light guide plate 54 coincides with the center C2 in the left-right direction of the refrigerating chamber 20.

[0054] (4) Effects According to this embodiment, since the positive line 62 and the negative line 63 are provided independently of the LED substrate 57 on which the LED 56 is provided, the dimension of the LED substrate 57 in the short side direction can be made substantially the same as the dimension of the LED 56, and the dimension of the LED substrate 57 in the short side direction can be suppressed. Since the dimension of the LED substrate 57 in the short side direction corresponds to the thickness of the light guide plate 54 in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 7, the thickness T of the light guide plate 54 in the vertical direction can be reduced, and thus the thickness of the lighting device 50 which is surface illumination can be reduced. Therefore, the utilization space in the refrigerator compartment 20 can be improved and the influence on heat insulation can be suppressed.

[0055] In addition, since the wiring board 67 having the positive line 62 and the negative line 63 is provided independently of the LED substrate 57, the number of wirings can be reduced and space can be saved as compared with connecting power lines to each LED 56 respectively.

[0056] In addition, since the LED substrate 57 and the wiring board 67 are arranged along the long side direction and the wiring board 67 and the LED substrate 57 are orthogonal to each other, space can be saved in the component arrangement in the substrate fixture 58, and the first connection line 64 and the second connection line 65 can be shortened. Further, in the state where the lighting device 50 is installed, since the first connection line 64 and the second connection line 65 are arranged inside the substrate fixture 58, it is difficult to interfere with other components and disconnection can be suppressed.

[0057] In addition, since a set in which three LEDs 56 are connected in series is connected in parallel in four sets, it is only necessary to connect one first connection line 64 and one second connection line 65 to each set respectively, and the number of the first connection line 64 and the second connection line 65 can be reduced. Therefore, the manufacture of the lighting device 50 can be simplified.

[0058] The LED substrate 57 is made of an aluminum substrate. By attaching the LED substrate 57 and the substrate fixture 58 which also serves as a radiation part made of aluminum with the adhesive tape 69, the heat generated by the LED substrate 57 when the LED 56 is lit can be released to the substrate fixture 58 side, and the heat generation of the lighting device 50 can be suppressed.

[0059] (5) Modification Examples Next, modification examples of the present invention will be described. <Modification Example 1> In the above-described embodiment, one of the left and right side surfaces of the light guide plate 54 is used as the light receiving surface 54a. However, the light source device 53 may be provided at both the left and right side end portions of the light guide plate 54, and both the left and right side surfaces of the light guide plate 54 may be used as the light receiving surface 54a. Further, the light source device 53 may be provided at one or both of the front and rear side end portions of the light guide plate 54, and one or both of the front and rear side surfaces of the light guide plate 54 may be used as the light receiving surface.

[0060] By providing the light source device 53 on both the left and right sides or both the front and rear sides of the light guide plate 54, a sufficient amount of light can be ensured even for a large light guide plate 54. In this case, since it is easy to secure a space for providing a plurality of LEDs 56, it is preferable to provide the light source device 53 at both end portions on the long side of the light guide plate 54 and use both end surfaces on the long side as the light receiving surfaces.

[0061] Further, by providing the light source device 53 in front of the light guide plate 54, light can be easily irradiated to the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 20 where light from outside the compartment hardly reaches, improving the usability. Further, by providing the light source device 53 in front of the light guide plate 54, the granularity of the light source can be alleviated and the aesthetic appearance can be improved.

[0062] Note that other configurations and operational effects are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. <Modification Example 2> In the above embodiment, the lighting device 50 is provided on the ceiling surface of the refrigerator compartment 20. Instead, a recess may be provided on the left side surface or the right side surface, and the lighting device 50 may be provided vertically inside the recess. Further, it may be provided on the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 20.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0063] 10…Refrigerator, 11…Refrigerator body, 12…Outer box, 13…Inner box, 15…Heat insulation partition wall, 16…Machine room, 17…Compressor, 18…Foamed heat insulation material, 19…Vacuum heat insulation panel, 20…Refrigerating compartment, 21…Refrigerating compartment door, 34…Duct member, 50…Lighting device, 51…Lighting storage part, 52…Lighting cover, 53…Light source device, 54…Light guide plate, 54a…Light receiving surface, 54b…Light emitting surface, 56…LED, 57…LED substrate, 58…Substrate fixture, 59…Reflective material, 60…Light diffusing material, 61…First power line, 62…Positive side second power line, 63…Negative side second power line, 64…First connection line, 65…Second connection line, 66…First connection part, 67…Wiring board, 68…Second connection part

Claims

1. In a refrigerator comprising a refrigerator body provided with a storage chamber therein and a lighting device provided in the storage chamber, the lighting device includes a light guide plate that transmits light, and a light source device that emits light into the light guide plate from a light receiving surface provided on a side surface of the light guide plate, the light source device includes a light source substrate arranged to face the light receiving surface, a plurality of light emitters provided on the light source substrate that receive power supply and emit light, a first power line provided on the light source substrate that connects the plurality of adjacent light emitters to each other, and a second power line provided separately from the light source substrate and connected to the first power line between the plurality of light emitters, a refrigerator having the above.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the second power line is provided on a wiring substrate independent of the light source substrate. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

3. The wiring substrate and the light source substrate are arranged such that the plate thickness directions of the substrates intersect each other, and the second power line is connected on a surface where the wiring substrate and the light source substrate face each other obliquely. The refrigerator according to claim 2.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the light emitters are connected in series by the first power line. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

5. A heat dissipation part is attached to a surface of the light source substrate opposite to the light receiving surface side. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

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