Refrigerator

Abstract

To reduce self-closing force of a door that is generated from torsion occurring in a lead wire when the door is open.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a housing 70 having an opening on a front side; a door 2a for opening and closing the opening; a hinge 31 for the door 2a; an elastic body 34 disposed on an inside of the hinge 31 and partially fixed to the door 2a; and a torsion body 32 inserted into the inside of the elastic body 34 and twisting in accordance with opening and closing of the door 2a. The elastic body 34 is disposed so as to have a slight torsion amount or be free from any torsion amount to be subjected to in accordance with a torsion amount of the torsion body 32 or to solve the torsion while the door 2a is on an open side rather than a full-closed state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 focuses on the risk of lead wires being twisted and broken as the door is opened and closed.

[0003] Conventionally, "as shown in Figure 3, a space is provided by the lead wire cover so that the lead wire can rotate freely for a certain length after entering the door, and this space absorbs twisting of the lead wire" (0002).

[0004] It is presumed that Patent Document 1 attempts to mitigate the strength of twisting and reduce the risk of lead wire 1 breaking due to twisting by ensuring that a portion extending within the space of lead wire cover 4 is secured as a portion not fixed by the foam insulation within door 7. In this regard, as shown in Figure 2 of Patent Document 1, by compressing and tightly fitting soft foam material 6 between lead wire cover 4 and protective tube 5, it is possible to prevent the foam insulation from entering the space within lead wire cover 4 when filling the interior of door 7, thereby ensuring the free extension length of lead wire 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 05-87477 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The refrigerator in Patent Document 1 takes into consideration ensuring a length dimension that allows lead wire 1 to twist, but does not disclose in detail the mechanism by which twisting occurs, so it is not entirely clear.However, although lead wire 1 is inside protective tube 5, it is stated that "this space absorbs the twisting of the lead wire," so it can be inferred that protective tube 5 outside lead wire cover 4 is soft enough to be crushed by the foaming pressure of the foam insulation, and that lead wire 1 outside lead wire cover 4 is ultimately fixed together with protective tube 5 and cannot rotate freely, and that lead wire cover 4 has a certain degree of hardness.

[0007] In this case, the twist generated in the lead wire 1 can be transmitted to the lead wire cover 4, which is fitted and fixed on the outside of the insertion portion 3, via the protective tube 5 and soft foam material 6, which are in close contact with the lead wire 1. Since the lead wire cover 4 is presumably required to have a certain degree of hardness, if a torsional force from the lead wire 1 is applied to the lower end of the lead wire cover 4, which is in close contact with the lead wire 1, the twist cannot be released at the upper end, which is fitted and fixed, and a twist may also occur in the lead wire cover 4. Then, if the user does not hold the door 7 with their hands and the door 7 becomes free, the energy accumulated by the twist caused by the opening operation may be released, causing the door 7 to move on its own. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In view of the above circumstances, the refrigerator of the present invention is A housing having an opening at the front, a door for opening and closing the opening; a hinge for the door; an elastic body disposed inside the hinge and partially fixed to the door; a twisting body that is inserted inside the elastic body and twists in response to opening and closing of the door, The elastic body is The amount of torsion received by the torsion body is small or nonexistent, or The door is arranged so that twisting is eliminated when the door is on the open side rather than when fully closed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a refrigerator according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along the vertical direction of a refrigerator according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the upper hinge of the left refrigerator compartment door, taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a top view showing the vicinity of the upper hinge of the left refrigerator compartment door, as seen from the direction of arrow IV in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the electrical wiring in FIG. 4 is fixed to a flat plate portion of the upper hinge by an electrical wiring fixing member. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the upper hinge 31 of the left refrigerator compartment door 2a according to a comparative example of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a first step in assembling electrical wiring according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 illustrates a second step in assembling electrical wiring according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a third step of assembling electrical wiring according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the dimensional relationship of the refrigerator compartment door. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment and each drawing, common and similar components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of refrigerator 1 according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along the vertical direction of refrigerator 1 according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of refrigerator 1 as seen from the right side. The up-down direction, front-rear direction, and left-right direction are defined as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The up-down direction corresponds to the vertical direction when refrigerator 1 is installed on a horizontal surface. The front-rear direction is parallel to the horizontal plane, and is the direction connecting the front side and the rear side (direction perpendicular to the front and rear sides), with the side where refrigerator compartment doors 2a, 2b, etc. are installed being the front side and the opposite side being the rear side (rear side). The left-right direction is parallel to the horizontal plane, and is the direction connecting the left side and right side (direction perpendicular to the left and right sides) when looking from the front side to the rear side. The front-rear direction is sometimes called the depth direction. The left-right direction also corresponds to the width direction of refrigerator 1.

[0012] Refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment has storage compartments arranged in this order from above: refrigerator compartment 2, ice-making compartment 3, upper freezer compartment 4, lower freezer compartment 5, and vegetable compartment 6, which are arranged side by side on the left and right. Refrigerator 1 is equipped with doors that open and close the openings of each storage compartment. These doors consist of rotating refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b divided into left and right sections that open and close the opening of refrigerator compartment 2, and drawer-type ice-making compartment door 3a, upper freezer compartment door 4a, lower freezer compartment door 5a, and vegetable compartment door 6a that open and close the openings of ice-making compartment 3, upper freezer compartment 4, lower freezer compartment 5, and vegetable compartment 6, respectively.

[0013] The refrigerator 1 has an insulated box (housing) 70. The insulated box 70 has a box-like shape with an open front, and includes a metal outer box 71 and a synthetic resin inner box 72. The internal space of the insulated box 70 formed by the outer box 71 and the inner box 72 is filled with foam insulation material 73 such as rigid urethane foam by a so-called foam-in-place method. The insulated box 70 insulates the storage compartment from the outside.

[0014] In addition to foam insulation 73, vacuum insulation 74, which has a lower thermal conductivity than foam insulation 73, is installed between outer box 71 and inner box 72, improving insulation performance without reducing food storage capacity. In this embodiment, vacuum insulation 74 is provided on the back and bottom of refrigerator 1, refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b, lower freezer compartment door 5a, and vegetable compartment door 6a.

[0015] As described above, the refrigerator compartment 2 is provided with rotating refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b that open and close the opening on the front side. The structure of the support part 30 (see FIG. 3) of the refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b will be described in one embodiment according to the present invention with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9.

[0016] [Example 1] Fig. 3 is a view showing the vicinity of upper hinge 31 of left refrigerator compartment door 2a, and is a cross-sectional view showing the III-III cross section in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view showing the vicinity of upper hinge 31 of left refrigerator compartment door 2a, and is a top view seen from the direction of arrow IV in Fig. 3. Note that Fig. 3 illustrates a state in which hinge cover 24 (see Fig. 1) and electrical wiring fixing member 38 described in Fig. 5 have been removed.

[0017] When electrical wiring 32 is provided on both the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 2a, 2b, their support parts 30 are configured in the same way. In the following explanation, the support part of the left refrigerator compartment door 2a will be described, assuming that the support parts 30 of the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 2a, 2b are both provided with electrical wiring 32 and configured in the same way. The support parts 30 of the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 2a, 2b do not need to be configured in the same way, and either the support part of the right refrigerator compartment door 2b or the left refrigerator compartment door 2a may be configured so that electrical wiring 31 is not provided.

[0018] The left refrigerator compartment door 2a (hereinafter referred to as refrigerator compartment door 2a) is supported on the insulated box body of the refrigerator 1 by hinges 31 arranged above and below the refrigerator compartment door 2a so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 31x along the vertical direction. The hinge 31 shown in Figures 3 and 4 is an upper hinge arranged on the upper side of the refrigerator compartment door 2a. Hereinafter, the refrigerator compartment door 2a may be simply referred to as the "door" in the following description.

[0019] The upper hinge 31 has a flat plate portion 31a at one end and a cylindrical portion 31b at the other end. The flat plate portion 31a at one end is fixed to the top surface 70a of the insulating box 70 with screws 33 or the like. The cylindrical portion 31b at the other end is fixed to the refrigerator compartment door 2a. The refrigerator compartment door 2a is configured to be rotatable about the rotation axis 31x, as the cylindrical portion (upper hinge pin) 31b of the upper hinge 31 is provided so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis 31x relative to the flat plate portion 31a. Hereinafter, the upper hinge 31 may be simply referred to as the "hinge" in the following description.

[0020] Refrigerator compartment door 2a has a resin frame 21 that serves as a frame member, a plate-shaped outer surface member 22 provided on the outer surface side, and a plate-shaped inner surface member 23 provided on the inner surface side, with foam insulation 73 filled between outer surface member 22 and inner surface member 23. Resin frame 21 is provided with a cylindrical portion 21a, and cylindrical portion 31b of upper hinge 31 is inserted into and fixed to cylindrical portion 21a of resin frame 21. Cylindrical portion 21a has high rigidity, and therefore does not accumulate energy due to twisting, even if a torsional force is applied to it via closing member 37, which will be described later.

[0021] Electrical wiring 32 is passed through the inside of cylindrical portion 31b of upper hinge 31 and drawn into the interior of refrigerator compartment door 2a from the main body (insulated box) side of refrigerator 1. Electrical wiring 32 transmits input signals from various setting buttons provided on refrigerator compartment door 2a to a control device provided on the main body side of refrigerator 1, and supplies power to a heater provided on refrigerator compartment door 2a.

[0022] A protective tube 34 made of, for example, polyvinyl chloride is disposed inside the refrigerator compartment door 2a. One end (upper end) of the protective tube 34 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 31b of the upper hinge 31, which is inserted into the cylindrical portion 21a of the resin frame 21. The cylindrical portion 31b and the protective tube 34 are spaced apart. The electrical wiring 32 is inserted from one end of the protective tube 34 into the inside of the protective tube 34, inside the cylindrical portion 31b of the upper hinge 31. The electrical wiring 32 and the protective tube 34 are spaced apart at least above the closing member 37 (outside the door), and preferably over the entire area.

[0023] The protective tube 34 is hollow and cylindrical, and is a separate member from the electrical wiring 32 inserted therein. The protective tube 34 is thicker than the electrical wiring 32 inserted into the cylindrical portion 31b of the upper hinge 31, and thus stores more energy with each twist than the electrical wiring 32. The protective tube 34 is preferably made of an elastic material, such as polyvinyl chloride. The material for the protective tube 34 is not limited to polyvinyl chloride, but may be a material more flexible than the electrical wiring 32 and flexible enough to deform in response to the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment door 2a. The surface coating of the electrical wiring 32 is often vinyl-based. Therefore, if the protective tube 34 is made of vinyl, the two materials are similar and prone to generating noise during friction. Therefore, it is preferable to use different materials, such as a cloth-based surface coating (upper layer member 36) and a vinyl-based protective tube 34. This reduces noise during friction between the protective tube 34 and the electrical wiring 32. Hereinafter, the protective tube 34 may be referred to simply as an "elastic material."

[0024] The electrical wiring 32 has a curved portion 32a formed at a portion that is inserted into the cylindrical portion 31b of the upper hinge 31. A tape made of acetate fiber (lower layer tape or lower layer member) 35 is wound around the front and back of the curved portion 32a, including the curved portion 32a, and a vinyl tape or fiber-based tape (e.g., acetate cloth tape) (upper layer tape or upper layer member) 36 is wound on top of that (upper layer). For the reasons described above, the upper layer member 36 is preferably a fiber-based tape, such as acetate cloth tape. By covering the front and back of the curved portion 32a, including the curved portion 32a, with the lower layer member 35 and upper layer member 36, the front and back of the curved portion 32a, including the curved portion 32a, are protected. Note that the lower layer member 35 and upper layer member 36 are not limited to vinyl tape or acetate fiber tape.

[0025] The protective tube 34, the lower layer member 35, and the upper layer member 36 all function as protective members for the electrical wiring 32. For this reason, the protective tube 34, the lower layer member 35, and the upper layer member 36 can be referred to as a first protective member, a second protective member, and a third protective member, respectively.

[0026] The lower end of the cylindrical portion 21a of the resin frame 21 is closed with a closing member (sealing member) 37 made of polyurethane resin. The closing member 37 closes the gap between the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 21a of the resin frame 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the protective tube 34, preventing the foam insulation material 73 from penetrating into the cylindrical portion 21a of the resin frame 21 when the foam insulation material 73 is filled between the outer surface member 22 and the inner surface member 23 of the refrigerator compartment door 2a. At this time, it is preferable that the insertion of the closing member 37 maintains a gap between the protective tube 34 and the electrical wiring 32. This can be easily achieved, for example, by increasing the hardness of the protective tube 34 or by arranging the resin frame 21 in contact with the outer diameter side of the closing member 37 so as to be less susceptible to the foaming pressure of the foam insulation material 73.

[0027] The protective tube 34 is fixed to the resin frame 21, i.e., the refrigerator compartment door 2a, via the closing member 37. The protective tube 34 is also fixed to the refrigerator compartment door 2a by foam insulation 73 filled between the outer surface member 22 and the inner surface member 23 of the refrigerator compartment door 2a. The foaming pressure of the foam insulation 73 applies force to the protective tube 34 in the inward radial direction, but it is also preferable that the portion of the protective tube 34 that is crushed by the foaming pressure be separated from the electrical wiring 32.

[0028] In this embodiment, the protective tube 34 and the electrical wiring 32 are configured to suppress transmission of the rotational force of the refrigerator compartment door 2a to the protective tube 34 when the refrigerator compartment door 2a is opened or closed. In this case, a gap G1 is formed between the electrical wiring 32 and upper layer member 36 and the inner surface (inner circumferential surface) of the protective tube 34, preferably over the entire area, to separate the electrical wiring 32 and upper layer member 36 from the protective tube 34. It is preferable to provide a sufficiently large gap G1 between the electrical wiring 32 and the inner surface (inner circumferential surface) of the protective tube 34 when filling the space between the outer surface member 22 and the inner surface member 23 of the refrigerator compartment door 2a with foam insulation 73 so that the foam insulation 73 does not compress the protective tube 34 and come into close contact with the electrical wiring 32. If the protective tube 34 and the electrical wiring (upper layer member 36) come into contact or are in close contact with each other without leaving any gaps, the electrical wiring 32 is fixed to the refrigerator body side above the refrigerator door 2, and therefore, from the viewpoint of ensuring the free length of the electrical wiring 32, it is preferable that the blocking member 37 and the foam insulation material 73 come into contact or are in close contact with each other.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the electrical wiring 32 of FIG. 4 is fixed to the flat plate portion 31a of the upper hinge 31 by an electrical wiring fixing member .

[0030] The electrical wiring 32 drawn out from the cylindrical portion 31b of the upper hinge 31 is fixed to the refrigerator body, i.e., to the flat plate portion 31a of the upper hinge 31, by an electrical wiring fixing member 38. The electrical wiring fixing member 38 in this embodiment is made of adhesive tape. The flat plate portion 31a of the upper hinge 31, the electrical wiring 32 fixed to the flat plate portion 31a, and the electrical wiring fixing member 38 are covered with a hinge cover 24.

[0031] The structure of a support part 30' of a comparative example to the support part 30 of the refrigerator compartment door 2a of this embodiment will be described using Figure 6. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the upper hinge 31 of the left refrigerator compartment door 2a according to a comparative example to the present invention, and shows a cross section similar to that of Figure 3.

[0032] In this example, the lower layer member 35 and upper layer member 36, which are wound around the electrical wiring 32, are wrapped around one end (top end) of the protective tube 34. In this case, the protective tube 34 is in close contact with the electrical wiring 32 at its top end (toward the refrigerator body, on the outside of the refrigerator door). Therefore, when the refrigerator compartment door 2a is opened, the torsional force of the electrical wiring 32 acts on the protective tube 34, twisting it. When the refrigerator compartment door 2a is opened, a rotational force acts on the refrigerator door 2a due to the twist of the electrical wiring 32 as well as the protective tube 34, which tends to store more energy than the electrical wiring 32. In this case, the refrigerator compartment door 2a moves against the user's will, making the refrigerator less user-friendly. For example, if the amount of twist of the protective tube 34 is zero when the refrigerator door 2a is closed, a self-closing force (self-closing force) will be generated.

[0033] Hereinafter, the electrical wiring 32 may be referred to as a "twisted body."

[0034] Referring back to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the explanation will be continued. In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the lower layer member 35 and the upper layer member 36 wound around the electrical wiring 32 are not wound around one end (upper end) of the protective tube 34. Therefore, the electrical wiring 32 is not fixed to the protective tube 34, and the protective tube 34 and the electrical wiring 32 are configured to suppress transmission of the rotational force of the refrigerator compartment door 2a to the protective tube 34 when the refrigerator compartment door 2a is opened or closed.

[0035] In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the protective tube 34 fixed to the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 31b of the upper hinge 31 is not in close contact with or fixed to a structural portion (e.g., the electrical wiring 32) that twists in response to the rotation of the refrigerator compartment door 2a. As a result, the twisting of the electrical wiring 32 when the refrigerator compartment door 2a is opened or closed is not transmitted to the protective tube 34, and potential does not accumulate in the protective tube 34. In other words, in the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, only the electrical wiring 32 increases or decreases in potential energy in response to the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 2a, and the protective tube 34, which experiences a larger increase or decrease in energy due to twisting (has a larger elastic modulus for torsion) than the electrical wiring 32, does not twist. This makes it less likely that the refrigerator compartment door 2a will close against the user's intention, improving the usability of the refrigerator 1.

[0036] Furthermore, the electrical wiring 32 is fixed to the insulating box body 70, i.e., to the flat plate portion 31a of the upper hinge 31. This fixing portion of the electrical wiring 32 is disposed near the protective tube 34, and is close to the fixing portion of the electrical wiring 32 to the refrigerator compartment door 2a. As a result, the torque becomes stronger when twisting occurs in the electrical wiring 32, making the necessity of this embodiment more apparent.

[0037] [Example 2] A second embodiment (embodiment 2) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the protective tube 34 and the electrical wiring 32 are configured to be twisted in the direction in which a force acts in the opening direction when the refrigerator compartment door 2a is fully closed, so that when the refrigerator compartment door 2a is opened, a rotational force in the closing direction is less likely to be applied to the refrigerator compartment door 2a. In this embodiment, the electrical wiring 32 and the protective tube 34 are configured to be in close contact at their upper ends, as shown in Figure 6.

[0038] For this reason, the electrical wiring 32 is rotated in the same direction as the refrigerator compartment door 2a rotates when the refrigerator compartment door 2a is opened, and is assembled to the refrigerator compartment door 2a and the insulating box body 70 with a twist θ0° applied in advance. This corresponds to providing a twist that applies a force in the opening direction when the refrigerator compartment door 2a is closed.

[0039] FIG. 7 illustrates a first step in assembling electrical wiring 32 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The first step is a step carried out before filling the space between the outer member 22 and the inner member 23 of the refrigerator compartment door 2a with foam insulation 73, and involves marking the electrical wiring 32 with a mark 39 so that the amount of twist in the electrical wiring 32 can be determined. At this stage, the mark 39 is placed in a position that can be seen from above.

[0040] The mark 39 is preferably provided at a portion of the electrical wiring 32 that is pulled out from the cylindrical portion 31b of the upper hinge 31. This allows the amount of twist of the electrical wiring 32 to be accurately determined.

[0041] FIG. 8 illustrates a second step in assembling the electrical wiring 32 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the second step, the electrical wiring 32 is rotated in the same direction as the refrigerator compartment door 2a rotates when the refrigerator compartment door 2a is opened. This applies a twist to the electrical wiring 32. In the state shown in Figure 8, the mark 39 is turned inside out.

[0042] FIG. 9 illustrates a third step in assembling the electrical wiring 32 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the third step, the electrical wiring 32 is fixed to the flat plate portion 31a of the upper hinge 31 by the electrical wiring fixing member .

[0043] If the fully closed angle of refrigerator compartment door 2a is 0°, the fully open angle is θF°, and the twist angle of electrical wiring 32 (the angle that cancels the rotational force generated when refrigerator compartment door 2a is opened) is θ0°, then 0<θ0<2θF is set. When θ0=0, a potential of θF is applied to refrigerator compartment door 2a when fully open, causing it to rotate in the closing direction. By setting 0<θ0<2θF, the rotational force acting on refrigerator compartment door 2a when fully open can be made smaller than when θ0=0.

[0044] By making θ0 = θF, it is possible to completely eliminate the rotational force that occurs when refrigerator compartment door 2a is opened. By making 0 < θ0 < θF, it is possible to reduce the force that tries to open refrigerator compartment door 2a when it is fully closed, which is acting on refrigerator compartment door 2a due to the twisting of electrical wiring 32. When refrigerator compartment door 2a is fully closed, there is a potential in the closing direction due to the magnet, so it is preferable to preferentially eliminate the force that tries to close refrigerator compartment door 2a over the force that tries to open it.

[0045] [Example 3] A third embodiment (Embodiment 3) of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the dimensional relationship of the refrigerator compartment door 2a.

[0046] The dimensions of the refrigerator compartment door 2a, the upper hinge 31 and the lower hinge 31 are defined as follows.

[0047] Refrigerator door long side: A Refrigerator door short side: B Refrigerator door weight: W Upper hinge pin 31b diameter: φu Lower hinge pin 31c diameter: φb Lower hinge bearing surface 31d diameter: ω1 Lower hinge bearing surface 31d inner diameter: ω2 Horizontal force applied to hinge pin: Wa=W×(B / 2) / A Hinge pin normal friction coefficient: μv Hinge pin vertical holding force: Wv = Wa × μv × 2 Door normal force: W'=W-Wv Upper hinge pin 31b friction coefficient: μu Lower hinge pin 31c friction coefficient: μb Radial friction torque of upper and lower hinge pins 31b and 31c: Tφ Tφ=Wa×μu×φu / 2+Wa×μb×φb / 2 Lower hinge bearing surface 31d friction coefficient: μω Lower hinge bearing surface 31d friction torque: Tω Tω=2×W'×μω×((ω1 / 2)^3-(ω2 / 2)^3) / (3×((ω1 / 2)^2-(ω2 / 2)^2))) The power to stop autism: Tφ+Tω Self-closing force (torque of electrical wiring 32): Tc In this embodiment, the dimensions and weight of the refrigerator compartment door 2a, the dimensions of the upper and lower hinges 31, and the electrical wiring 32 are selected so as to satisfy Tφ+Tω>Tc. This makes it possible to prevent or suppress the refrigerator compartment door 2a from closing by itself.

[0048] In the first embodiment, the protective tube 34 is structured to accumulate potential more easily than, for example, the power supply wiring 32, and therefore the protective tube 34 is spaced apart to prevent potential from accumulating in the protective tube 34. However, instead of this, for example, the protective tube 34 may be structured to make it difficult for potential to accumulate. Specifically, when the power supply wiring 32 and the protective tube 34 are in close contact with each other at the upper end as shown in Fig. 6, the protective tube 34 may be formed as a tube having flexibility or the like that prevents the refrigerator door 2a from closing by itself even if the protective tube 34 is twisted by the full-open angle θF of the second embodiment, within a range that does not impede protection of the power supply wiring 32.

[0049] The refrigerator according to the present invention described above has the following features. (1) a housing 70 having an opening at the front; a door 2a for opening and closing the opening; Hinge 31 of door 2a, An elastic body 34 is disposed inside the hinge 31 and is partially fixed to the door 2a; a twisting body 32 that is inserted inside the elastic body 34 and twists in response to the opening and closing of the door 2a; The elastic body 34 is The amount of torsion received by the torsion body 32 is small or non-existent, or The torsion is released when the door 2a is in the open position rather than when it is fully closed. When the door 2a is opened or closed, the amount of torsion of the elastic body 34 received by the torsion of the torsion body 32 is less than the amount of torsion of the torsion body 32, or is zero.

[0050] (2) A part of the elastic body 34 is fixed to the structural part 31b that rotates together with the door 2a of the hinge 31a, and the other part is not fixed to the structural part that rotates relative to the door 2a, so that there is no twisting amount due to the twisting amount of the twisting body 32.

[0051] (3) The elastic body 34 accumulates a larger amount of energy due to twisting than the torsion body 32 inserted inside the hinge 31.

[0052] (4) The door 2a includes a resin frame 21a that faces the elastic body 34 via the closing member 37.

[0053] (5) The elastic body 34 is entirely separated from the torsion body 32 .

[0054] (6) The elastic body 34 is arranged so that when the door 2a is fully closed, it is in a twisted state, and when it is on the open side rather than the fully closed state, the twist is released.

[0055] (7) When the fully closed angle of the door 2a is 0, the fully open angle is θF, and the torsion angle of the torsion body 32 when fully closed is θ0, θ0 satisfies the relationship 0<θ0<2θF.

[0056] (8) θ0 has the relationship 0<θ0<θF.

[0057] (9) The hinge 31 has an upper hinge disposed on the upper side of the door 2a and a lower hinge disposed on the lower side of the door 2a, If the radial friction torque of each hinge pin of the upper hinge and the lower hinge is Tφ, the friction torque of the seat surface of the lower hinge is Tω, and the torque of the twisting body 32 that self-closes the door 2a is Tc, the dimensions and weight of the door 2a, the dimensions of the upper hinge and the lower hinge, and the twisting body 32 are selected so that Tφ, Tω, and Tc have the relationship Tφ+Tω>Tc.

[0058] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 2a...door (refrigerator compartment door), 31...hinge, 31b...cylindrical portion of hinge 31, 32...torsion body (electrical wiring), 34...elastic body (protective tube), 70...casing, Tc...torque of torsion body 32 that self-closes door 2a, Tφ...radial friction torque of each hinge pin of the upper hinge and lower hinge, Tω...friction torque of the seat surface of the lower hinge, θ0...torsion angle of torsion body 32, θF...full-open angle of door 2a.

Claims

1. A housing with an opening at the front, a door for opening and closing the opening, a hinge of the door, an elastic body disposed inside the hinge and partially fixed to the door, a twisting body inserted inside the elastic body and twisted according to the opening and closing of the door, comprising: The elastic body is such that the amount of twist received by the amount of twist of the twisting body is small or non-existent, or a refrigerator arranged so that the twist is eliminated in a state where the door is on the open side rather than when it is fully closed.

2. In the refrigerator according to Claim 1, a part of the elastic body is fixed to a structural part that rotates together with the door of the hinge, and the other part is not fixed to a structural part that rotates relative to the door, so that the amount of twist received by the amount of twist of the twisting body is non-existent.

3. In the refrigerator according to Claim 1, a refrigerator in which the elastic body has a larger amount of energy accumulation associated with twist than the twisting body inserted inside the hinge.

4. In the refrigerator according to Claim 1, the door includes a resin frame facing the elastic body via a closing member.

5. In the refrigerator according to Claim 1, a refrigerator in which the elastic body is entirely separated from the twisting body.

6. In the refrigerator according to Claim 1, a refrigerator in which the elastic body is arranged so that the twist is eliminated in a state where the door is on the open side rather than when it is fully closed, in a state where the elastic body is twisted when the door is fully closed.

7. In the refrigerator according to Claim 6, when the fully closed angle of the door is 0, the fully open angle is θF, and the torsional angle of the twisting body when the door is fully closed is θ0, θ0 has a relationship of 0 < θ0 < 2θF.

8. In the refrigerator according to Claim 7, a refrigerator in which θ0 has a relationship of 0 < θ0 < θF.

9. In the refrigerator according to Claim 1, the hinge has an upper hinge disposed on the upper side of the door and a lower hinge disposed on the lower side of the door, when the radial frictional torque of each hinge pin of the upper hinge and the lower hinge is Tφ, the frictional torque of the seating surface of the lower hinge is Tω, and the torque of the twisting body for automatically closing the door is Tc, the dimensions and weight of the door, the dimensions of each of the upper hinge and the lower hinge 31, and the twisting body are selected so that Tφ, Tω, and Tc have a relationship of Tφ + Tω > Tc.

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