Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator which can effectively keep a small cold room at low temperature and constant temperature.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 10 includes: a cold room 12; a cooling room 115 in which air blown to the cold room 12 is cooled by a cooler; a chilled room 20 defined in the cold room 12; a vegetable room 30 which is defined in the cold room 12 and arranged below the chilled room 20; and a partition wall 21 which partitions the chilled room 20 from the vegetable room 30. The partition wall 21 has: a return air channel 22 in which air which has cooled the cold room 12 returns to the cooling room 115; and a heat insulation layer 23 disposed between the return air channel 22 and the chilled room 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator having a small refrigerator compartment inside a refrigerator compartment.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a refrigerator in which a storage container is arranged inside a refrigerator compartment, as described in Patent Document 1, is known. Here, a chilled container is stored at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment. The air blown by the blower is supplied to the refrigerator compartment via an air duct formed on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment. On the other hand, a part of the air blown into the air duct is blown to the chilled container without passing through the refrigerator compartment, and cold air is directly supplied to the stored items such as meat. By doing so, the temperature inside the chilled container is made lower than the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment, for example, about 0°C. Thereby, foods such as meat stored in the chilled container can be preserved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, there is room for improvement from the viewpoints of lowering the temperature and maintaining a constant temperature in the small refrigerator compartment.

[0005] Specifically, the small refrigerator compartment is cooled by the inflow of air cooled by the cooling chamber. Further, the air that has cooled the small refrigerator compartment passes through the vicinity of the small refrigerator compartment and returns to the cooling chamber. On the other hand, when the high-temperature air that has cooled the entire refrigerator compartment returns to the cooling chamber and passes through the vicinity of the small refrigerator compartment, the small refrigerator compartment is heated by the returning air. As a result, there has been a problem that the lowering of the temperature and the maintenance of a constant temperature in the small refrigerator compartment are hindered.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a refrigerator that can effectively achieve low temperature and constant temperature in a small refrigerating chamber.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a refrigerating chamber, a cooling chamber that cools the air blown into the refrigerating chamber by a cooler, a first small refrigerating chamber partitioned inside the refrigerating chamber, a second small refrigerating chamber partitioned inside the refrigerating chamber and disposed below the first small refrigerating chamber, and a partition wall that partitions the first small refrigerating chamber and the second small refrigerating chamber. The partition wall has an upper plate member, a lower plate member, a heat insulating layer sandwiched between the upper plate member and the lower plate member, and a return air passage through which the air that has cooled the refrigerating chamber in the partition wall returns to the cooling chamber. The return air passage has a vertical air passage extending along the vertical direction and a horizontal air passage extending along the horizontal direction, and a part of the vertical air passage is formed in a notch portion on one side of the heat insulating layer.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the refrigerator according to the present embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can effectively achieve low temperature and constant temperature in a small refrigerating chamber.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 5

Figure 6A

Figure 6B

Mode for carrying out the invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the refrigerator 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are generally used for the same members, and repeated descriptions are omitted. Further, in the following description, the respective directions of up, down, front, rear, left, and right are used for the description, but the left and right mean the left and right when the refrigerator 10 is viewed from the front.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 10.

[0012] The heat insulation box body 11 which comprises the main body part of the refrigerator 10 has an outer box 111, an inner box 112, and a heat insulating material 113. The outer box 111 is made of a steel plate which was bent and processed into a predetermined shape. The inner box 112 is made of a synthetic resin plate which was arrange | positioned inside apart from the outer box 111. The heat insulating material 113 consists of foamed urethane resin etc. which were filled between the outer box 111 and the inner box 112.

[0013] The storage chamber inside the heat-insulating box 11 is partitioned into a refrigerating chamber 12 and a freezing chamber 13 from above. The refrigerating chamber 12 and the freezing chamber 13 are partitioned by a heat-insulating wall 17 having the same heat-insulating structure as the heat-insulating box 11. Also, the front opening of the refrigerating chamber 12 is closed by a heat-insulating door 18, and the front opening of the freezing chamber 13 is closed by a heat-insulating door 19. The temperature inside the refrigerating chamber 12 is, for example, 2°C or more and 5°C or less, and the temperature inside the freezing chamber 13 is, for example, -20°C or more and -18°C or less. Further, a partition shelf 16 is arranged inside the refrigerating chamber 12.

[0014] The chilled chamber 20 is a first small refrigerating chamber partitioned inside the refrigerating chamber 12. The chilled chamber 20 is cooled to a lower temperature than other areas of the refrigerating chamber 12, and for example, its interior is cooled to -4°C or more and -2°C or less. The chilled chamber 20 is formed inside a storage container 29. The storage container 29 is a synthetic resin container having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open top, and is made to be pullable in the front-rear direction. Also, the chilled chamber 20 has an air introduction part 41 and a storage part 42. The air introduction part 41 is an area where air is blown through an air duct 118 and an air outlet 37, and the storage part 42 is an area where stored items such as meat are stored.

[0015] The vegetable chamber 30 is a second small refrigerating chamber partitioned inside the refrigerating chamber 12, and is formed below the chilled chamber 20. The vegetable chamber 30 is formed inside a storage container 33 which is a vegetable chamber storage container. The storage container 33 is a synthetic resin container having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open top, and is made to be pullable in the front-rear direction. The upper surface opening of the storage container 33 is covered by a partition wall 21. The interior of the vegetable chamber 30 is cooled to, for example, 3°C or more and 7°C or less.

[0016] At the rear side of the freezer compartment 13, a cooling chamber 115 is formed. Inside the cooling chamber 115, an evaporator 116, which is a cooler, is disposed. Also, a machine room 14 is partitioned and formed at the lower rear side of the refrigerator 10, and a compressor 15 is arranged in the machine room 14. The evaporator 116 and the compressor 15, together with a condenser and expansion means (not shown here), form a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. By operating the vapor compression refrigeration cycle, the air inside the cooling chamber 115 is cooled by the evaporator 116, and by blowing this air into each storage compartment, the temperature inside each storage compartment becomes within a predetermined cooling temperature range.

[0017] Inside the cooling chamber 115, a blower 39 is arranged above the evaporator 116. The blower 39 is an axial flow blower or a centrifugal blower, and blows the air inside the evaporator 116 cooled by the evaporator 116 toward the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13.

[0018] Inside the evaporator 116, a defrost heater 117 is arranged below the evaporator 116. Along with the operation of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle, thick frost forms on the surface of the evaporator 116. When this happens, control means (not shown) stops the compressor 15, closes the cooling chamber 115, and energizes the defrost heater 117 to perform a defrost operation to melt and remove the frost by heating. Also, although not shown here, a shielding device for appropriately closing the air passage is arranged near the blower 39.

[0019] An air passage 118 is formed upward from the cooling chamber 115. At the upper part of the air passage 118, an air outlet 32, which is an opening for blowing air into the refrigerator compartment 12, is formed.

[0020] A damper 31 is installed in the air passage 118. The damper 31 is a multi - damper that can individually open and close the air passage 118 connected to the refrigerator compartment 12 and the air passage 118 connected to the chilled compartment 20.

[0021] The cooling operation in the refrigerator 10 will be described. First, based on the instructions of an arithmetic control unit (not shown here), the compressor 15 of the refrigeration cycle is operated, and the air inside the cooling chamber 115 is cooled by the evaporator 116. The cooled air is blown into the refrigerating chamber 12 via the air duct 118 and the air outlet 32 by the blower 39 blowing the air inside the cooling chamber 115. Also, a part of the cooled air is supplied to the chilled chamber 20 via the air duct 118 and the air outlet 37. Furthermore, a part of the cooled air is also supplied to the freezer compartment 13.

[0022] The air that has cooled the refrigerating chamber 12 returns to the cooling chamber 115 via the vegetable compartment 30. Also, the air that has cooled the chilled chamber 20 and the freezer compartment 13 also returns to the cooling chamber 115.

[0023] Figure 2A is a perspective view showing the box-shaped storage part 43, and Figure 2B is a perspective view showing each side surface part constituting the box-shaped storage part 43. Here, the box-shaped storage part 43 is arranged inside the chilled chamber 20 shown in Figure 1 and is a member that insulates the interior of the chilled chamber 20 from other areas of the refrigerating chamber 12.

[0024] Referring to Figure 2A, heat insulating materials made of a substantially plate-shaped foamed resin or the like, which will be described later, are arranged on the upper surface, left and right side surfaces, and rear side surface of the box-shaped storage part 43.

[0025] Referring to Figure 2B, the above-described box-shaped storage part 43 incorporates a left wall part 431, a right wall part 432, an upper surface part 433, and a rear surface part 434 made of a heat insulating material such as foamed resin. The left wall part 431 is incorporated in the left side surface of the box-shaped storage part 43. The right wall part 432 is incorporated in the right side surface of the box-shaped storage part 43. The upper surface part 433 is incorporated in the upper surface of the box-shaped storage part 43. The rear surface part 434 is stored in the rear side surface of the box-shaped storage part 43. Specifically, when the box-shaped storage part 43 is injection-molded, the left wall part 431, the right wall part 432, the upper surface part 433, and the rear surface part 434 are insert-molded. Also, the upper surface part 433 is arranged above the air introduction part 41 with reference to Figure 1.

[0026] In this way, by arranging the left wall portion 431, the right wall portion 432, the upper surface portion 433, and the rear surface portion 434 inside the box-shaped storage portion 43, the heat insulation effect of the storage portion 42 described above can be improved.

[0027] Here, referring to FIG. 2B, a part of the box-shaped storage portion 43 can also be replaced by other parts of the refrigerator 10. Specifically, the rear surface portion 434 of the box-shaped storage portion 43 can be constituted by a multi-duct cover not shown here. Further, the right wall portion 432 of the box-shaped storage portion 43 can also be constituted by an inner box 112 not shown here.

[0028] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the chilled chamber 20 as seen from the front right side, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the chilled chamber 20 as seen from the front left side. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the air path is indicated by a dashed arrow.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3A, an air outlet 44 is formed at the left end side of the ceiling surface of the box-shaped storage portion 43. The air outlet 44 is a through hole that communicates the air introduction portion 41 shown in FIG. 1 and the storage portion 42. Also, as shown in FIG. 3B, an air outlet 44 is also formed at the right end side of the ceiling surface of the box-shaped storage portion 43. By forming the air outlet 44 on the right side and the left side of the ceiling surface of the box-shaped storage portion 43, more air can be blown from the air introduction portion 41 shown in FIG. 1 to the storage portion 42.

[0030] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the partition wall 21 as seen from the front upper side. FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the partition wall 21 as seen from the front lower side. The partition wall 21 is a wall-like member that vertically partitions the chilled chamber 20 and the vegetable chamber 30 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4A, the upper surface opening 35 is an opening formed on the upper surface of the partition wall 21. The upper surface opening 35 is an opening formed in a substantially rectangular shape and is formed in the middle portion of the partition wall 21 in the front-rear direction. A plurality of upper surface openings 35 are formed along the left-right direction. As will be described later, the upper surface opening 35 is an opening into which the return air from the refrigerating chamber 12 is taken in.

[0032] The front portion 34 constitutes the front part of the partition wall 21 and presents a flat surface.

[0033] The transparent plate 40 is made of a glass plate or the like fitted into the front part of the partition wall 21. By providing the transparent plate 40, referring to FIG. 1, when the heat insulation door 18 is in the open state, the user can visually recognize stored items such as vegetables stored in the vegetable compartment 30 through the front part of the partition wall 21. That is, the user can visually recognize the inside of the vegetable compartment 30 without pulling out the vegetable compartment 30 forward.

[0034] Here, referring to FIG. 3A, the rear side surface part of the chilled compartment 20 can be constituted by a multi-duct cover (not shown here). Further, the right side surface part of the chilled compartment 20 can also be constituted by an inner box 112 (not shown here).

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4B, the lower surface opening 36 is a part where the rear part of the lower surface of the partition wall 21 is opened. The lower surface opening 36 is disposed at the rear end portion of the partition wall 21. Also, a plurality of lower surface openings 36 are formed along the left-right direction. As will be described later, the lower surface opening 36 is a part where air is ejected toward the vegetable compartment 30.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the chilled compartment 20 and its vicinity.

[0037] The rear part of the partition wall 21 has a return air passage 22 through which the air that has cooled the refrigerating compartment 12 returns to the cooling chamber 115, and a heat insulation layer 23 disposed between the return air passage 22 and the chilled compartment 20.

[0038] The return air passage 22 has a vertical air passage 24 extending along the vertical direction and a horizontal air passage 25 extending along the horizontal direction. The upper end of the vertical air passage 24 is exposed to the refrigerating chamber 12, and the lower end thereof is connected to the horizontal air passage 25. The vertical air passage 24 is formed below the front end side of the chilled chamber 20. Also, the upper end of the vertical air passage 24 is the upper surface opening 35 shown in FIG. 4A. The horizontal air passage 25 is a cavity formed below the heat insulating layer 23 and continues to the rear end of the partition wall 21. The rear end of the return air passage 22 is the lower surface opening 36 shown in FIG. 4B. Also, the lower surface opening 36 is formed on the rear side of the rear surface of the storage container 33.

[0039] The corner portion 26 of the connection portion where the lower end portion of the vertical air passage 24 and the front end portion of the horizontal air passage 25 are connected presents a curved surface. By doing so, when the air blown from the refrigerating chamber 12 to the vegetable chamber 30 flows from the vertical air passage 24 to the horizontal air passage 25, it is well guided by the corner portion 26 which is a curved surface.

[0040] The heat insulating layer 23 is made of, for example, foamed urethane resin or the like and forms the upper portion of the heat insulating layer 23. In other words, the heat insulating layer 23 is disposed between the return air passage 22 and the chilled chamber 20 and suppresses the heat exchange between the return air passage 22 and the chilled chamber 20. Furthermore, the heat insulating layer 23 is disposed between the chilled chamber 20 and the vegetable chamber 30 and also suppresses the heat exchange between the chilled chamber 20 and the vegetable chamber 30.

[0041] On the rear side of the partition wall 21, a chilled chamber return air passage 38 is formed for the air that has cooled the chilled chamber 20 to return to the cooling chamber 115. The air that has cooled the chilled chamber 20 is blown to the vegetable chamber 30 after passing through the chilled chamber return air passage 38.

[0042] In the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, the air blown to the refrigerating chamber 12 via the air passage 118 returns to the aforementioned cooling chamber 115 after passing through the vegetable chamber 30. Specifically, the air that has cooled the refrigerating chamber 12 passes through the return air passage 22 formed inside the partition wall 21 and is introduced into the vegetable chamber 30, and the air that has cooled the vegetable chamber 30 returns to the aforementioned cooling chamber 115.

[0043] Here, the temperature of the air flowing inside the return air duct 22 is, for example, about 4°C. On the other hand, the temperature inside the chilled chamber 20 disposed directly above the return air duct 22 is, for example, -3°C. Therefore, there is a risk that the chilled chamber 20 may be inadvertently heated by the return air flowing inside the return air duct 22, and the freshness of the stored items such as meat stored in the chilled chamber 20 may deteriorate.

[0044] In this embodiment, a heat insulation layer 23 is disposed between the return air duct 22 and the chilled chamber 20. Therefore, it is possible to regulate the inadvertent heat exchange between the high-temperature return air flowing inside the return air duct 22 and the low-temperature air inside the chilled chamber 20, and suppress the rise in the temperature inside the chilled chamber 20.

[0045] Also, the lower surface opening 36, which is an air outlet where air blows out from the partition wall 21 into the vegetable chamber 30, is formed on the rear side of the rear end portion of the storage container 33. Therefore, the air blown out from the lower surface opening 36 into the vegetable chamber 30 is not directly introduced into the inside of the storage container 33, but cools the storage container 33 from the surroundings. Therefore, vegetables and the like stored inside the storage container 33 can be suitably stored.

[0046] With reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the configuration of the partition wall 21 will be described in further detail. FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view seen from below the partition wall 21, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view seen from above the lower plate member 272.

[0047] The partition wall 21 includes an upper plate member 271, a heat insulation layer 23, and a lower plate member 272. In other words, the partition wall 21 has a configuration in which the heat insulation layer 23 is sandwiched between the upper plate member 271 and the lower plate member 272.

[0048] The upper plate member 271 is made of a synthetic resin plate and covers the heat insulation layer 23 from above.

[0049] The heat insulation layer 23 is a substantially plate-shaped member made of a foamed urethane resin or the like. A convex portion 28 is formed on the lower surface of the heat insulation layer 23. A plurality of convex portions 28 are formed in a matrix on the lower surface of the heat insulation layer 23.

[0050] The lower plate member 272 is made of a synthetic resin plate and covers the heat insulation layer 23 from below. The return air duct 22 shown in FIG. 5 is formed as a gap between the heat insulation layer 23 and the lower plate member 272.

[0051] When the lower surface of the convex portion 28 abuts against the upper surface of the lower plate member 272, the thickness of the return air duct 22 formed between the lower surface of the heat insulation layer 23 and the upper surface of the lower plate member 272 is determined.

[0052] Further, the cross-sectional shape of the convex portion 28 exhibits a substantially boat shape along the air flow inside the return air duct 22. Here, the boat shape means a shape in which the front and rear in the longitudinal direction rise thinly like the bows of a boat. By the convex portion 28 exhibiting a substantially boat shape, it is possible to prevent the air flow from being obstructed by the convex portion 28. Furthermore, by the convex portion 28 exhibiting a substantially boat shape, it is also possible to rectify the air flowing through the lateral air duct 25.

[0053] The above is the description of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment. According to the present embodiment, the following main effects can be achieved.

[0054] Specifically, referring to FIG. 5, by providing the heat insulation layer 23 between the return air duct 22 through which the air that has cooled the refrigerating chamber 12 returns and the chilled chamber 20, it is possible to suppress the temperature inside the chilled chamber 20 from rising due to the return air passing through the return air duct 22. Therefore, the freshness of fish and meat stored in the chilled chamber 20 can be maintained for, for example, 10 days or more. Also, since a partition plate is not required below the chilled chamber 20, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 10 can be simplified.

[0055] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 5, by making the corner portion 26 of the connection portion where the vertical air duct 24 and the lateral air duct 25 of the return air duct 22 are connected into a curved surface, the air duct resistance inside the return air duct 22 can be reduced. Therefore, air can be circulated well and the vegetable chamber 30 can be efficiently cooled.

[0056] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 6, by forming the convex portion 28 formed in the return air passage 22 into a boat shape, it is possible to prevent the convex portion 28 from obstructing the air flow.

[0057] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 5, by blowing the relatively high-temperature air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment 12 into the vegetable compartment 30, the temperature of the vegetable compartment 30 can be maintained at an appropriate temperature. On the other hand, the air that has cooled the chilled compartment 20 is separately blown into the vegetable compartment 30, thereby preventing the vegetable compartment 30 from being excessively cooled.

[0058] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 5, by arranging the rear end of the return air passage 22 on the rear side of the rear end of the storage container 33, it is possible to suppress the direct inflow of air from the refrigerator 10 into the storage container 33 and prevent the inside of the storage container 33 from being excessively cooled.

[0059] The present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Also, the above-described embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0060] The invention grasped from the foregoing embodiments will be described below together with its effects.

[0061] The refrigerator of the present invention includes a refrigerator compartment, a cooling compartment that cools the air blown into the refrigerator compartment with a cooler, a first small refrigerator compartment partitioned inside the refrigerator compartment, a second small refrigerator compartment partitioned inside the refrigerator compartment and disposed below the first small refrigerator compartment, and a partition wall that partitions the first small refrigerator compartment and the second small refrigerator compartment. The partition wall has a return air passage through which the air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment returns to the cooling compartment, and a heat insulating layer disposed between the return air passage and the first small refrigerator compartment. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, it is possible to effectively achieve low temperature and constant temperature of the first small refrigerator compartment. Specifically, by providing a heat insulating layer between the return air passage through which the air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment returns and the first small refrigerator compartment, it is possible to suppress the temperature inside the first small refrigerator compartment from rising due to the return air passing through the return air passage.

[0062] In addition, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the return air duct has a vertical air duct extending along the vertical direction and a horizontal air duct extending along the horizontal direction. The upper end of the vertical air duct is exposed to the refrigerating chamber, and the lower end is connected to the horizontal air duct. The corner of the connection part where the vertical air duct and the horizontal air duct are connected presents a curved surface. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, by making the corner of the connection part where the vertical air duct and the horizontal air duct of the return air duct connect into a curved surface, the air duct resistance inside the return air duct can be reduced. Therefore, air can be circulated well, and the refrigerating chamber can be cooled efficiently.

[0063] In addition, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the return air duct is formed as a gap between the heat insulation layer and the plate member. The convex part protruding from the main surface of the heat insulation layer abuts against the plate member, and the convex part is characterized in that its cross section presents a substantially boat shape. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, by making the convex part formed in the return air duct into a boat shape, it is possible to prevent the air flow from being obstructed by the convex part.

[0064] In addition, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the first small refrigerating chamber is a chiller chamber, the second small refrigerating chamber is a vegetable chamber, the air that has passed through the return air duct is blown into the vegetable chamber, and the air that has cooled the chiller chamber returns to the cooling chamber. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, by blowing the relatively high-temperature air that has cooled the refrigerating chamber into the vegetable chamber, the vegetable chamber can be maintained at an appropriate temperature. On the other hand, the air that has cooled the chiller chamber is blown into the vegetable chamber separately from the refrigerating chamber, so that the vegetable chamber can be prevented from being excessively cooled.

[0065] In the refrigerator of the present invention, the first small refrigerating chamber is a chilled chamber, the second small refrigerating chamber is a vegetable chamber, and the refrigerator further includes a vegetable chamber storage container disposed inside the vegetable chamber. The heat insulation layer is disposed between the chilled chamber and the vegetable chamber, and the rear end of the return air duct is disposed on the rear side of the rear end of the vegetable chamber storage container. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, since the rear end of the return air duct is disposed on the rear side of the rear end of the vegetable chamber storage container, it is possible to suppress the direct inflow of air from the refrigerator into the vegetable chamber storage container, and to suppress the excessive cooling of the inside of the vegetable chamber storage container.

Explanation of Signs

[0066] 10 Refrigerator 11 Heat insulation box body 111 Outer box 112 Inner box 113 Heat insulating material 115 Cooling chamber 116 Evaporator 117 Defrosting heater 118 Air duct 12 Refrigerating chamber 13 Freezing chamber 14 Machine room 15 Compressor 16 Partition shelf 17 Heat insulation wall 18 Heat insulation door 19 Heat insulation door 20 Chilled chamber 21 Partition wall 22 Return air duct 23 Heat insulation layer 24 Vertical air duct 25 Horizontal air duct 26 Corner 271 Upper plate member 272 Lower plate member 28 Convex portion 29 Storage container 30 Vegetable chamber 31 Damper 32 Air outlet 33 Storage container 34 Front portion 35 Upper opening 36 Lower opening 37 Air outlet 38 Chilled chamber return air duct 39 Blower 40 Transparent plate 41 Air inlet section 42 Storage section 43 Box-shaped storage section 431 Left wall section 432 Right wall section 433 Top surface section 434 Rear surface section 44 Air supply opening

Claims

1. A refrigerator compartment, A cooling compartment that cools the air blown into the refrigerator compartment with a cooler, A first small refrigerator compartment partitioned inside the refrigerator compartment, A second small refrigerator compartment partitioned inside the refrigerator compartment and disposed below the first small refrigerator compartment, A partition wall that partitions the first small refrigerator compartment and the second small refrigerator compartment, and comprises: The partition wall has an upper plate member, a lower plate member, a heat insulating layer sandwiched between the upper plate member and the lower plate member, and a return air duct through which the air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment within the partition wall returns to the cooling compartment, The return air duct has a vertical air duct extending along the vertical direction and a horizontal air duct extending along the horizontal direction, A refrigerator, characterized in that a part of the vertical air duct is formed in a notch on one side of the heat insulating layer.

2. An upper surface opening is formed in the upper plate member to allow the air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment to flow in, The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper surface opening is disposed above the notch of the heat insulating layer.

3. The horizontal air duct is formed as a gap between the lower surface of the heat insulating layer and the lower plate member, The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that the air in the horizontal air duct returns to the cooling compartment through a lower surface opening formed in the lower plate member.

4. The horizontal air duct is formed as a gap between the lower surface of the heat insulating layer and the lower plate member, The first small refrigerator compartment is a chilled compartment, The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that the second small refrigerator compartment is a vegetable compartment.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that a chilled compartment return air duct is formed behind the partition wall for the air that has cooled the chilled compartment to return to the cooling compartment.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, characterized in that the temperature inside the chilled compartment is -2°C or lower.

Images