Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that reduces the possibility that moisture or liquid adheres to a terminal part inside a refrigerating chamber.SOLUTION: A refrigerator comprises: a refrigerating chamber comprising an opening part on the front side; a door capable of opening and closing the opening part, and comprising a door inside surface facing the inside of the refrigerating chamber when it is closed; a placement part provided in the refrigerating chamber, and configured for placing an object to be refrigerated; and a protruding structure that is a structure protruding from an inner surface of the refrigerating chamber or the door inside surface below the placement part, and comprising a terminal part provided in a lower surface part on the side opposite to the side where the placement part is present.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator capable of connecting an external device. An external device connection part for connecting an external device is provided on the upper surface of the refrigerator body. The external device of Patent Document 1 is a device used outside the refrigerating chamber. Therefore, an external device connection part, for example, a USB connector, is provided so as to be exposed outside the refrigerator body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to enhance the functionality of a refrigerator, electronic components such as a camera, an ion generator, and a weight detection sensor may be added to the refrigerator. When adding electronic components retroactively, if a battery is built into the electronic component, the performance of the battery deteriorates in a low-temperature environment, resulting in a shortened battery life or unstable operation of the electronic component. Therefore, in order to operate the electronic component stably, it is preferable to provide a terminal part inside the refrigerating chamber, connect the retrofitted electronic component to the terminal part, and supply electricity from the refrigerator body to the electronic component.

[0005] However, when the door of the refrigerator is opened, outside air containing moisture enters the inside of the refrigerator, and when this outside air is cooled, condensation occurs inside the refrigerator. If moisture generated by condensation adheres to the terminal part and an attempt is made to connect the connector of the electronic component to the terminal part, leakage may occur due to the moisture, which may cause abnormal operation or failure of the electronic component. In addition, liquids such as beverages and seasonings are stored in the refrigerator. If these liquids spill and adhere to the terminal part, it may cause leakage. The present disclosure provides a refrigerator that reduces the possibility of moisture and liquid adhering to the terminal part provided inside the refrigerator.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The refrigerator according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a refrigerating chamber having an opening at the front, a door that can open and close the opening and has an inner door surface facing the inside of the refrigerating chamber when closed, a placing portion provided inside the refrigerating chamber for placing an object to be refrigerated, and a protruding structure that protrudes from the inner surface of the refrigerating chamber or the inner door surface below the placing portion and has a terminal portion provided on the lower surface portion on the side opposite to the side where the placing portion is located.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0008] The embodiments and modifications described below are merely examples of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and modifications. Even outside of these embodiments and modifications, various changes can be made according to the design and the like as long as the technical idea of the present disclosure is not deviated from.

[0009] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a refrigerator with the door closed according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the refrigerator 101 with the door open according to Embodiment 1. The refrigerator 101 includes a box-shaped housing 103. In FIG. 1, the lower surface of the housing 103 is the installation surface. In the following description, the grounded side of the housing 103 is referred to as the lower side, the opposite side is referred to as the upper side, and the direction from the upper side to the lower side is referred to as the vertical direction. Also, the vertical direction may be referred to as the height direction.

[0010] <Structure of the refrigerator> The housing 103 includes a plurality of storage chambers for storing contents at a low temperature. The plurality of storage chambers are arranged in the vertical direction. For example, in FIG. 1, the housing 103 includes three storage chambers arranged in the vertical direction. In FIG. 1, the first-stage storage chamber from the top of the housing 103 is the refrigerating chamber 201 for storing contents in refrigeration. In addition to the refrigerating chamber 201, the housing 103 may include a freezing chamber, a vegetable chamber, and the like.

[0011] <Structure of the refrigerating chamber> The refrigerator compartment 201 has an opening 211 with one side open. In FIG. 2, the side where the opening 211 of the refrigerator compartment 201 is located is referred to as the front side, the opposite side is referred to as the rear side, and the direction from the front side to the rear side is referred to as the front-rear direction. Therefore, the opening 211 is provided in the front of the refrigerator compartment 201.

[0012] A door 301 capable of opening and closing the opening 211 is connected to the front side of the refrigerator compartment 201. When the door 301 is closed, the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 201 is maintained at about 4°C, for example. In the present embodiment, in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, the door 301 has a structure in which a pair of left and right doors open like a double leaf door. The door 301 may be a single door that can open in one direction. The door 301 has a door inner surface 303 that faces the side of the internal space of the refrigerator compartment 201 when the door 301 is closed.

[0013] The refrigerator compartment 201 has a box shape with an opening 211 provided in one surface of a hexahedron. The internal space of the refrigerator compartment 201 is surrounded by an inner surface portion 203 including a ceiling portion 205, a bottom portion 207, and three side walls 209.

[0014] <Protrusion structure of the refrigerator compartment> FIG. 3 is a front view of the refrigerator compartment 201 seen from the side of the opening 211. In the present embodiment, a protrusion structure 401 that protrudes from the inner surface facing the inside of the refrigerator compartment 201 is provided on the side wall 209 of the inner surface portion 203 of the refrigerator compartment 201.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the vicinity of the protrusion structure 401 seen obliquely from below. The protrusion structure 401 is, for example, a terrace-like structure that protrudes at the same height in the vertical direction from each of the two side walls 209 on the left and right as seen from the side of the opening 211. The protrusion structure 401 has an upper surface portion 411 that is the upper surface and a lower surface portion 413 that is the opposite side and the lower surface. As will be described later, the protrusion structure 401 supports a placement portion 601 for placing an object to be refrigerated from below by placing the placement portion 601 on the upper surface portion 411. In the present embodiment, the placement portion 601 is a shelf board 603.

[0016] The protruding structure 401 may include, for example, a plurality of protrusions 403. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the protruding structure 401 is, for example, a two-stage protrusion 403 arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction. The upper stage is the first protrusion 4031, and the lower stage is the second protrusion 4033. In this way, by forming the protruding structure 401 with a plurality of protrusions 403 arranged vertically at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction of the refrigerator compartment 201, a protrusion 403 at an arbitrary height can be selected from the plurality of protrusions 403 to install the shelf board 603. Thereby, the height at which the shelf board 603 is installed can be adjusted. In this embodiment, for example, the shelf board 603 is placed on the upper surface portion 411 of the second protrusion 4033.

[0017] <Terminal portion> As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal portion 501 is provided on the lower surface portion 413 of the protruding structure 401. Specifically, it is provided such that the connection port of the terminal portion 501 is exposed on the lower surface portion 413 of the protruding structure 401. The terminal portion 501 is a connection terminal for supplying electricity to the electronic component 901 described later by wire.

[0018] The terminal portion 501 is detachable from the connector 903 of the electronic component 901 installed inside the refrigerator compartment 201, and can supply electricity to the electronic component 901 when the connector 903 is attached. The connector 903 and the terminal portion 501 have the relationship of a male and a female of a general connector. For example, if the terminal portion 501 is a female USB socket, the connector 903 is a male USB plug. When only supplying electricity without transmitting and receiving data to the electronic component 901 connected to the terminal portion 501, the connector 903 may be a DC plug and the terminal portion 501 may be a DC socket. Inside the terminal portion 501, although not shown, there are provided contacts for electrically connecting to the connector 903 and a fixing base for fixing the contacts.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic component 901 includes a connector 903, a cable 905 having one end connected to the connector 903, and an electronic component body 907 having the other end of the cable 905 connected thereto. The connector 903 can be connected to the connection port of the terminal portion 501. The electronic component body 907 can be installed at any location inside the refrigerating chamber 201. For example, it can be fixed to the shelf board 603.

[0020] Although not shown, electricity is supplied to the terminal portion 501 through electrical wiring that is passed from the power circuit of the refrigerator 101 to the inside of the side wall 209 or the like. Electricity is supplied to the electronic component body 907 by wire via the cable 905 from the connector 903 connected to the terminal portion 501. As the electronic component body 907, for example, a camera for monitoring the inside of the refrigerating chamber 201, an ion generator, or the like can be installed. In this way, by making the electronic component 901 a wired connection, it becomes unnecessary to incorporate a wireless communication function, a battery, etc. into the electronic component body 907, and the size of the electronic component body 907 can be reduced, relatively increasing the storage capacity of the refrigerating chamber 201.

[0021] <Protrusion Structure and Structure of Terminal Portion> Since the terminal portion 501 is provided on the lower surface portion 413 of the protrusion structure 401, when water droplets generated by condensation on the inner surface portion 203 of the refrigerating chamber 201 flow downward due to gravity, the flow of the water droplets is blocked by the shelf board 603 and the protrusion structure 401, suppressing the water droplets from hitting the terminal portion 501. Thereby, the occurrence of electric leakage at the terminal portion 501 is suppressed. Also, even when the object to be refrigerated placed on the shelf board 603 is a liquid and the object to be refrigerated spills, it is possible to suppress the object to be refrigerated from hitting the terminal portion 501. Further, the cable 905 extending from the connector 903 connected to the terminal portion 501 can be wired in the immediate vicinity of the inner surface portion 203 and below the shelf board 603, preventing the cable 905 from being entangled by the object to be refrigerated.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the terminal portion 501 is provided downward in the vertical direction of the refrigerating chamber 201. Specifically, the terminal portion 501 is provided such that the connection port of the terminal portion 501 is exposed on the lower surface portion 413. Thereby, it becomes more difficult for water droplets and the object to be refrigerated to adhere to the terminal portion 501, and the occurrence of electric leakage can be further suppressed. Further, since the connection port of the terminal portion 501 faces downward, the connector 903 can be connected from below the protruding structure 401 upward. Therefore, when attaching the electronic component 901, the connector 903 can be connected to the terminal portion 501 in the state where the shelf board 603 is not removed, and the attachment of the electronic component 901 can be easily performed.

[0023] In the first embodiment, the protruding structure 401 is exemplified as having an upper surface portion 411 for supporting the shelf board 603. However, the protruding structure 401 may not have the upper surface portion 411 for supporting the shelf board 603 and may simply protrude from the side wall 209 below the shelf board 603. For example, depending on the dimensions of the shelf board 603, the weight of the object to be refrigerated placed thereon increases. Then, the structure for supporting the shelf board 603 needs to be a structure with enhanced strength such as being filled with urethane inside, and it is difficult to provide the terminal portion 501 inside in terms of strength. On the other hand, when trying to provide the terminal portion 501 inside while ensuring the strength of the structure for supporting the shelf board 603, there is a problem that the dimensions of the protruding structure 401 increase and the storage capacity of the refrigerating chamber 201 decreases. By making the protruding structure 401 a structure different from the structure for supporting the shelf board 603, it is possible to suppress an increase in the dimensions of the protruding structure 401 while ensuring the strength of the structure for supporting the shelf board 603. In this case, for example, it is preferable to arrange the protruding structure 401 provided with the terminal portion 501 at a different height from the structure for supporting the shelf board 603, and not to arrange protruding structures at the same height as the protruding structure 401 provided with the terminal portion 501 in the front, rear, left, and right directions, so that the shelf board 603 is not accidentally placed on the upper part of the protruding structure 401 provided with the terminal portion 501.

[0024] A downwardly extending rib may be provided so as to surround the periphery of the terminal portion 501. Thereby, when water droplets or the like are transmitted to the lower surface portion 413, the rib allows the water droplets to escape downward, thereby suppressing the intrusion of water droplets into the terminal portion 501. Further, by surrounding the periphery of the gripping portion of the connector 903 between the male plug of the connector 903 and the cable 905 with the rib, the intrusion of water droplets or the like into the terminal portion 501 can be more effectively prevented.

[0025] <Position Limitation of Terminal Portion> As shown in FIG. 4, when the protruding structure 401 includes a plurality of protruding portions 403 arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction, the terminal portion 501 is preferably provided on the lowermost protruding portion 403 among the plurality of protruding portions 403. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the protruding structure 401 has, for example, two stages of protruding portions 403, the terminal portion 501 is provided on the lower surface portion 413 of the second protruding portion 4033 which is the lower stage among the first protruding portion 4031 and the second protruding portion 4033 arranged in two stages in the vertical direction. Thereby, regardless of the height at which the shelf board 603 is installed in the vertical direction, when attaching the electronic component 901, the connector 903 can be connected to the terminal portion 501 in the state where the shelf board 603 is not removed, and the attachment of the electronic component 901 can be easily performed.

[0026] <Modification Example of Protruding Structure> The protruding structure 401 includes, for example, two or more protruding portions 403, and in the front-rear direction of the refrigerating chamber 201, the two or more protruding portions 403 can be arranged in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the second protruding portion 4033, which is the lower stage of the protruding structure 401, is composed of two protruding portions 403 arranged in the front-rear direction. The front side is the third protruding portion 4035, and the rear side is the fourth protruding portion 4037. The third protruding portion 4035 and the fourth protruding portion 4037 are provided at the same height. In this way, when two or more protruding portions 403 are arranged in the front-rear direction, the terminal portion 501 may be provided on the rearmost protruding portion 403. In FIG. 4, for example, the terminal portion 501 is also provided on the lower surface portion 413 of the rear fourth protruding portion 403. In this way, by positioning the terminal portion 501 at the rear of the refrigerating chamber 201, it is possible to suppress the excess length of the cable 905 from bending, and it is possible to prevent the cable 905 from being entangled with the object to be refrigerated.

[0027] <Embodiment 2> Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure is different from Embodiment 1 in that the terminal portion 501 is provided on the door 301. Hereinafter, for matters common to Embodiment 1, the same reference numerals are given, and unnecessary explanations will not be repeated.

[0028] <Structure of the inner surface of the door> FIG. 5 is a front view of the door 301 according to Embodiment 2 as viewed from the side of the inner surface 303 of the door. The inner surface 303 of the door faces the inner space of the refrigerating chamber 201 when the door 301 is closed. The inner surface 303 of the door can be formed of, for example, a plate member made of a resin material. Hereinafter, in Embodiment 2, the left-right direction in FIG. 5 is referred to as the left-right direction.

[0029] <Storage pocket and bottle pocket> On the inner side surface 303 of the door, as a placement part 601, a storage pocket 605 and a bottle pocket 607 are attached. The storage pocket 605 is a pocket capable of storing refrigerated items such as seasonings and eggs. The bottle pocket 607 is a pocket with a relatively large depth for storing tall refrigerated items such as milk cartons and PET bottle beverages. The storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 can be formed of, for example, hard plastic or the like.

[0030] <Door Protrusion Structure> FIG. 6 is a front view of the inner side surface 303 of the door with the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 removed from the inner side surface 303 of the door. FIG. 7 is a schematic exploded view of the vicinity of the storage pocket 605 according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the vicinity of the protruding structure 401 for supporting the storage pocket 605 as seen obliquely from below. FIG. 8 is a schematic exploded view of the vicinity of the bottle pocket 607 according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the vicinity of the protruding structure 401 for supporting the bottle pocket 607 as seen obliquely from below.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, on the inner side surface 303 of the door, a protruding wall 305 protruding toward the side of the refrigerating chamber 201 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the protruding wall 305 is formed, for example, along the outer periphery of the door 301. Hereinafter, in Embodiment 2, when the door 301 is closed, the side where the internal space of the refrigerating chamber 201 is located with respect to the inner side surface 303 of the door is referred to as the front side, the opposite side is referred to as the back side, and the direction from the front side to the back side is referred to as the depth direction.

[0032] On the protruding wall 305, in the left - right direction, a protruding structure 401 that protrudes in the direction of the region surrounded by the protruding wall 305 is provided. The protruding structure 401 is, for example, a terrace - like structure that protrudes at the same height in the up - down direction from each of the two protruding walls 305 provided at both ends in the left - right direction of the inner surface 303 of the door. The protruding structure 401 has an upper surface portion 411 which is the upper side surface and a lower surface portion 413 which is the opposite side and the lower side surface. As will be described later, the protruding structure 401 supports the placement portion 601 for placing the object to be refrigerated from below by placing the placement portion 601 on the upper surface portion 411. In the present embodiment, the placement portion 601 is the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607.

[0033] <Details of the storage pocket and the bottle pocket> As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each of the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 has a pocket bottom 611 for placing the object to be refrigerated and a pocket side wall 613 that extends upward from the periphery of the pocket bottom 611. The space surrounded by the pocket bottom 611 and the pocket side wall 613 becomes the internal space of the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 for accommodating the object to be refrigerated. Also, each of the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 has a pocket protruding portion 615 that protrudes from the upper end of the pocket side wall 613 toward the external direction on the opposite side of the internal space with respect to the pocket side wall 613.

[0034] <Fixing structure of the storage pocket and the bottle pocket> FIG. 9 is a cross - sectional view of the IX - IX cross - section in FIG. 5. FIG. 10 is a cross - sectional view of the X - X cross - section in FIG. 5. More specifically, FIG. 9 is a cross - sectional view for showing the fixing structure between the door 301 and the storage pocket 605 according to Embodiment 2, and FIG. 10 is a cross - sectional view for showing the fixing structure between the door 301 and the bottle pocket 607 according to Embodiment 2.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the lower surfaces of the pocket protruding portions 615 of the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 are placed on the upper surface portion 411 of the protruding structure 401 from above. Thereby, the protruding structure 401 supports the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 from below. In order to accommodate more refrigerated items, it is preferable that the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 be as large as possible. Therefore, in the fixing structure of FIGS. 9 and 10, it is preferable to make the lateral width of the protruding structure 401 as small as possible while ensuring a strength sufficient to withstand the assumed weight of the refrigerated items stored in the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607. Further, in order to prevent the pocket bottom portion 611 and the outer side surface of the pocket side wall 613 from being caught by the protruding structure 401 when attaching the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 from above, at least at the position passing through the protruding structure 401 when looking down from above, the outer side surfaces of the pocket bottom portion 611 and the pocket side wall 613 need to be separated from the end surface of the protruding structure 401 in the direction in which the protruding structure 401 protrudes from the protruding wall 305. Then, between the outer surfaces of the pocket bottom portion 611 and the pocket side wall 613 and the protruding wall 305, at least below the protruding structure 401, a small gap corresponding to the lateral width of the protruding structure 401 is formed up to the lower surfaces of the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607. The gap is outside the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 and becomes a dead space that cannot be used for storing refrigerated items.

[0036] <Terminal portion> As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the terminal portion 501 is provided on the lower surface portion 413 of the protruding structure 401. Specifically, the connection port of the terminal portion 501 is provided so as to be exposed on the lower surface portion 413 of the protruding structure 401. Similar to Embodiment 1, the terminal portion 501 is a connection terminal for supplying electricity to the electronic component 901 by wire.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the electronic component 901 includes a connector 903, a cable 905 having one end connected to the connector 903, and an electronic component body 907 having the other end of the cable 905 connected thereto. The connector 903 can be connected to the connection port of the terminal portion 501. The electronic component body 907 can be installed at any location inside the refrigerating chamber 201.

[0038] Although not shown, electricity is supplied to the terminal portion 501 from the power circuit of the refrigerator 101 via electrical wiring passed through the side wall 209, the door 301, etc. Electricity is supplied to the electronic component body 907 by wire from the connector 903 connected to the terminal portion 501 via the cable 905. In this way, by making the electronic component 901 a wired connection, it becomes unnecessary to incorporate functions such as wireless communication and a battery into the electronic component body 907, the size of the electronic component body 907 can be reduced, and the storage capacity of the refrigerating chamber 201 can be relatively increased.

[0039] As an example, in FIG. 7, it is a camera unit for photographing the inside of the refrigerating chamber 201 where the electronic component body 907 is placed in the storage pocket 605, and the camera unit is fixed at an arbitrary location such as the inner surface 303 of the door, the storage pocket 605, the bottle pocket 607, etc. The connector 903 at the tip of the cable 905 extending from the camera unit is connected to the terminal portion 501, and electricity is supplied to the camera unit by wire from the terminal portion 501. Also, as another example, in FIG. 8, the electronic component body 907 is a weight detection unit for inventory management by detecting the weight of the object to be refrigerated placed in the bottle pocket 607, and is fixed to the pocket bottom 611 of the bottle pocket 607. The connector 903 is connected to the terminal portion 501 via the cable 905 extending from the weight detection unit, and electricity is supplied to the weight detection unit by wire from the terminal portion 501.

[0040] <Protrusion structure and structure of terminal portion> When the terminal portion 501 is provided on the lower surface portion 413 of the protruding structure 401, when water droplets generated by condensation on the inner surface 303 of the door flow downward due to gravity, the flow of the water droplets is blocked by the pocket overhang portion 615 and the protruding structure 401, and it is possible to suppress the water droplets from hitting the terminal portion 501. Thereby, the occurrence of electric leakage in the terminal portion 501 is suppressed. Further, even when the refrigerated items stored in the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 are liquid and the refrigerated items spill, it is possible to suppress the refrigerated items from hitting the terminal portion 501. In addition, the cable 905 extending from the connector 903 connected to the terminal portion 501 can be wired in the dead space between the outer surface of the pocket side wall 613 and the protruding wall 305, and the cable 905 can be arranged without affecting the capacity of the stored items, and the cable 905 can be prevented from being entangled with the refrigerated items.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, in the present embodiment, the terminal portion 501 is provided downward in the vertical direction of the door 301. Specifically, the terminal portion 501 is provided such that the connection port of the terminal portion 501 is exposed on the lower surface portion 413. Thereby, it becomes more difficult for water droplets and refrigerated items to hit the terminal portion 501, and the occurrence of electric leakage can be further suppressed. Further, since the connection port of the terminal portion 501 faces downward, the connector 903 can be connected upward from below the protruding structure 401. As described above, below the protruding structure 401, a small gap corresponding to the width of the left and right structures of the protruding structure 401 is formed as a dead space as a passage leading to the lower surfaces of the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607. Therefore, by connecting the connector 903 to the terminal portion 501 from below through the passage, when attaching the electronic component 901, it is possible to easily attach the electronic component 901 without removing the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607.

[0042] In the second embodiment, the protruding structure 401 is exemplified as having an upper surface portion 411 for supporting the storage pocket 605 or the bottle pocket 607. However, the protruding structure 401 may not have the upper surface portion 411 for supporting the storage pocket 605 or the bottle pocket 607, and may simply protrude from the protruding wall 305 below the storage pocket 605 or the bottle pocket 607. For example, depending on the dimensions of the storage pocket 605 or the bottle pocket 607, the weight of the refrigerated object to be placed thereon increases. Then, the structure for supporting the storage pocket 605 or the bottle pocket 607 needs to be a structure with enhanced strength such as being filled with urethane inside, and it is difficult to provide the terminal portion 501 inside in terms of strength. On the other hand, if an attempt is made to provide the terminal portion 501 inside while ensuring the strength of the structure for supporting the storage pocket 605 or the bottle pocket 607, there is a problem that the dimensions of the protruding structure 401 increase and the storage capacity of the refrigerating chamber 201 decreases. By making the protruding structure 401 a structure different from the structure for supporting the storage pocket 605 or the bottle pocket 607, it is possible to suppress an increase in the dimensions of the protruding structure 401 while ensuring the strength of the structure for supporting the storage pocket 605 or the bottle pocket 607. Further, by providing the protruding structure 401 having the terminal portion 501 below the structure for supporting the pocket protruding portion 615, the position of the terminal portion 501 can be lowered to a position near the bottom of the pocket 611, and the connector 903 can be easily attached to and detached from the terminal portion 501.

[0043] Similar to Embodiment 1, in Embodiment 2, the protruding structure 401 may include a plurality of protruding portions 403. As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 9, in this embodiment, the protruding structure 401 for supporting the storage pocket 605 is, for example, a two-stage protruding portion 403 arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction. The upper stage is the first protruding portion 4031, and the lower stage is the second protruding portion 4033. In this way, by forming the protruding structure 401 into a structure in which a plurality of protruding portions 403 are arranged vertically at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction of the door 301, a protruding portion 403 at an arbitrary height can be selected from these plurality of protruding portions 403 to install the storage pocket 605. Thereby, the height at which the storage pocket 605 is installed can be adjusted. As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, for example, the storage pocket 605 is placed on the upper surface portion 411 of the second protruding portion 4033.

[0044] When the protruding structure 401 includes a plurality of protruding portions 403 arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction, it is preferable that the terminal portion 501 is provided on the lowermost protruding portion 403 among the plurality of protruding portions 403. For example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, when the protruding structure 401 is, for example, a two-stage protruding portion 403, the terminal portion 501 is provided on the lower surface portion 413 of the second protruding portion 4033, which is the lower stage, among the first protruding portion 4031 and the second protruding portion 4033 arranged in two stages in the vertical direction. Thereby, no matter at what height the storage pocket 605 is installed in the vertical direction, when attaching the electronic component 901, the connector 903 can be connected to the terminal portion 501 with the storage pocket 605 left in place without being removed, and the attachment of the electronic component 901 can be easily performed.

[0045] In addition, the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 are preferably formed of a translucent material. Thereby, the protruding portion 403 can be seen through the pocket side wall 613 from the inside of the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607, and the position of the terminal portion 501 can be visually recognized in a state where the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 are placed. As a result, even in a state where the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 are placed, the connector 903 can be surely connected to the terminal portion 501. Further, in the protruding portion 403 where the terminal portion 501 is provided, a display indicating the position of the terminal portion 501, the direction in which the connection port of the terminal portion 501 faces, etc. may be described at a location where the user can easily view it.

[0046] <Insertion portion> As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each of the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 may be formed with a fitting portion 609, which is a portion protruding outward from the main surface on the outer side of the pocket side wall 613, below the pocket protruding portion 615. The fitting portion 609 has dimensions that allow it to be fitted into the gap between the third protruding portion 4035 and the fourth protruding portion 4037 in the depth direction.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the protruding structure 401 may include, for example, two or more protruding portions 403, and in the depth direction of the door 301, the two or more protruding portions 403 may be arranged in the depth direction. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in the present embodiment, the protruding structure 401 includes two protruding portions 403 arranged in the depth direction, with the front side being the third protruding portion 4035 and the rear side being the fourth protruding portion 4037. In the depth direction, a predetermined gap where no protruding portion 403 is provided is provided between the third protruding portion 4035 and the fourth protruding portion 4037. By fitting the fitting portion 609 into the gap from above, the movement of the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 in the depth direction is restricted, and the storage pocket 605 and the bottle pocket 607 can be firmly fixed.

[0048] <Connection location of the connector> In the present disclosure, according to the location of the terminal portion 501 to which the connector 903 is connected, the refrigerator 101 may automatically identify the internal position of the refrigerating chamber 201 where the electronic component body 907 is installed. Specifically, when the connector 903 is connected to a predetermined terminal portion 501, a signal indicating the connection is transmitted to the control unit of the refrigerator 101, and the control unit that has received the signal may read from the storage unit the internal position of the refrigerating chamber 201 where the electronic component body 907 pre-associated and stored with the predetermined terminal portion 501 is installed. Thereby, it becomes unnecessary for the user to manually set the position where the electronic component body 907 is installed in the refrigerator 101, and the installation of the electronic component 901 can be facilitated.

[0049] Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments and modified examples, and may be replaced with a configuration that is substantially the same as the configurations shown in the above-described embodiments and modified examples, a configuration that exhibits the same operational effects, or a configuration that can achieve the same purpose.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0050] 101: Refrigerator 103: Housing 201: Refrigerating Chamber 203: Inner Surface Portion 205: Ceiling Portion 207: Bottom Portion 209: Side Wall 211: Opening 301: Door 303: Inner Side Surface of Door 305: Protruding Wall 401: Protrusion Structure 403: Protrusion 4031: First Protrusion 4033: Second Protrusion 4035: Third Protrusion 4037: Fourth Protrusion 411: Upper Surface Portion 413: Lower Surface Portion 501: Terminal Portion 601: Mounting Portion 603: Shelf Board 605: Storage Pocket 607: Bottle Pocket 609: Insertion part 611: Pocket bottom 613: Pocket side wall 615: Pocket protruding part 901: Electronic component 903: Connector 905: Cable 907: Electronic component body

Claims

1. A refrigerator compartment having an opening at the front, a door that can open and close the opening and has an inner door surface facing the inside of the refrigerator compartment when closed, a placement portion provided in the refrigerator compartment for placing objects to be refrigerated, a protruding structure that protrudes from the inner surface of the refrigerator compartment or the inner door surface below the placement portion and has a terminal portion provided on the lower surface portion on the side opposite to the side where the placement portion is located.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the protruding structure has an upper surface portion for supporting the placement portion on the side opposite to the lower surface portion.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the terminal portion is provided downward in the vertical direction of the refrigerator compartment.

4. The protruding structure includes a plurality of protruding portions, in the vertical direction of the refrigerator compartment, the plurality of protruding portions are arranged in the vertical direction, The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the terminal portion is provided on the lowermost protruding portion among the plurality of protruding portions.

5. The protruding structure is a structure that protrudes from the inner door surface, The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the placement portion is a storage pocket or a bottle pocket.

6. The protruding structure includes two or more protruding portions, in the front-rear direction of the refrigerator compartment, the two or more protruding portions are arranged in the front-rear direction, The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the storage pocket or the bottle pocket has a fitting portion that is fitted between the two or more protruding portions.

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