Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that can suppress generation of a step between an inner box of a refrigerator body and a heat insulation partition wall and suppress generation of a gap between the inner box and the heat insulation partition wall.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a refrigerator body comprising an outer box and an inner box; a plurality of rooms to be cooled that is provided inside the refrigerator body and is a space for a cooling target; and a heat insulation partition wall for partitioning the rooms to be cooled. Both ends of the heat insulation partition wall are supported while entering the insides of support recesses formed in the inner box.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator including a refrigerator body in which a heat insulating material is provided in a heat insulating space provided between an outer box and an inner box, a storage space that is provided inside the inner box and opens forward, and a partition member fixed to the inner box. In the refrigerator in which the partition member vertically partitions the storage space into a first storage chamber and a second storage chamber disposed below the first storage chamber, the inner box includes recesses recessed outward in the width direction on both left and right side walls, and the partition member includes a bottom plate constituting the bottom surface of the first storage chamber and vertical walls protruding upward from both left and right end edges of the bottom plate. The vertical walls are housed in the recesses and screwed to the inner box.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a refrigerator capable of suppressing the occurrence of a step between an inner box of a refrigerator body and a heat insulating partition wall and suppressing the occurrence of a gap between the inner box and the heat insulating partition wall.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The refrigerator in the present disclosure includes a refrigerator body including an outer box and an inner box, a plurality of cooled chambers that are provided inside the refrigerator body and are spaces to be cooled, and a heat insulating partition wall that partitions the plurality of cooled chambers. Both end portions of the heat insulating partition wall enter inside support recesses formed in the inner box and are supported.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] In the refrigerator according to the present disclosure, both ends of the heat insulating partition wall are inserted into and supported inside the support recesses formed in the inner box, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of steps or the like due to variations in flatness of the heat insulating partition wall or the inner box, and the support recesses can make variations in flatness of the heat insulating partition wall less noticeable. Therefore, it is possible to improve the appearance quality at the boundary between the heat insulating partition wall and the inner box, and to suppress the generation of a gap between the heat insulating partition wall and the inner box.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] (Findings and the like on which the present disclosure is based) When the inventors arrived at the present disclosure, a technique was available in which recesses recessed outward in the width direction were provided on the left and right side walls of the inner box of the refrigerator body, and the partition member was composed of a bottom plate constituting the bottom surface of the first storage chamber and standing walls protruding upward from the left and right end edges of the bottom plate, and the standing walls were screwed to the inner box in a state of being housed in the recesses. However, in the conventional technique, variations in flatness of the partition member and the inner box may occur due to variations during manufacturing or the like. In this case, when the partition member is fixed to the recesses in the inner box, due to variations in flatness, the side surface of the inner box and the standing wall may not become substantially flat, and steps may occur. When a step is formed between the inner box and the partition member in this way, there is a problem that the appearance quality deteriorates. Furthermore, the inventors have discovered that when a step is formed between the inner box and the partition member, there is a risk of a gap forming between the partition member and the inner box. In order to solve this problem, the inventors have arrived at the subject matter of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a refrigerator capable of suppressing the generation of a step between the inner box of the refrigerator body and the heat insulating partition wall, and suppressing the generation of a gap between the inner box and the heat insulating partition wall.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, there may be cases where a more detailed description than necessary is omitted. For example, there may be cases where a detailed description of well-known matters or a redundant description of substantially the same configuration is omitted. Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. [1-1. Configuration] [1-1-1. Overall Configuration of Refrigerator] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the internal structure of a refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1. In the figure, reference numeral X indicates the right side of the refrigerator 1, reference numeral Y indicates the front of the refrigerator 1, and reference numeral Z indicates the upper side. Here, the right side of the refrigerator 1 refers to the right side for a person when the person views the refrigerator 1 from the front side.

[0011] The refrigerator 1 includes a box-shaped refrigerator body 2 that opens forward. The refrigerator body 2 is composed of a metal outer box 3, a rigid resin inner box 4, and a foamed heat insulating material 5 that is foam-filled between the outer box 3 and the inner box 4. The inside of the refrigerator body 2 is partitioned into a plurality of chambers 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 by heat insulating partition walls 6, 6A, 7, 8.

[0012] At the uppermost part inside the refrigerator body 2, a refrigerating chamber 11 is formed. In the refrigerating chamber 11, a plurality of shelf boards 12 are provided, and a partial chamber 11a is provided at the lower part. The refrigerating chamber 11 is a chamber for refrigerated storage, and is set and cooled to a low temperature that does not freeze, specifically, usually 1 to 5°C. The partial chamber 11a provided in the refrigerating chamber 11 is set and cooled to a temperature of about -3°C, which is lower than that of the refrigerating chamber 11.

[0013] Inside the refrigerator body 2, below the refrigerating chamber 11, an ice-making chamber 13 and a switching chamber 15 are formed side by side. The ice-making chamber 13 located on the left side is a chamber for freezing water to generate ice, and is set to a refrigerating temperature zone. The switching chamber 15 located on the right side of the ice-making chamber 13 can widely switch the cooling temperature from a refrigerating temperature zone set to, for example, -22 to -18°C and cooled to a refrigerating temperature zone set to, for example, 1 to 5°C and cooled. The ice-making chamber 13 and the switching chamber 15 constitute the second refrigerating chamber of the present disclosure.

[0014] Inside the refrigerator body 2, below the ice-making chamber 13 and the switching chamber 15, a vegetable chamber 17 is formed. The vegetable chamber 17 is a chamber set to the same temperature as or slightly higher than that of the refrigerating chamber 11, specifically, 2 to 7°C and cooled. Since this vegetable chamber 17 becomes high humidity due to moisture emitted from stored foods such as vegetables, it may condense if it gets too cold locally. Therefore, by setting it to a relatively high temperature, the cooling amount is reduced, and the occurrence of condensation due to excessive local cooling is suppressed.

[0015] Inside the refrigerator body 2, below the vegetable chamber 17, a freezing chamber 19 is formed. The freezing chamber 19 is a chamber set to a freezing temperature zone, specifically, usually set and cooled to -22 to -18°C, but for improving the frozen storage state, it is set and cooled to a low temperature such as -30°C or -25°C.

[0016] Each of the chambers 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 can be opened and closed by a rotary door or a drawer-type door 15a, 17a, 19a (see FIG. 2) that adopts the same heat insulation structure as the refrigerator body 2.

[0017] At approximately the center in the vertical direction inside the refrigerator body 2, a horizontal plate-shaped first heat insulation partition wall 6 is provided. The first heat insulation partition wall 6 vertically partitions the refrigerator compartment 11 and the ice making compartment 13 and the switching compartment 15.

[0018] The switching compartment 15 and the ice making compartment 13 are partitioned by a fourth heat insulation partition wall 6A extending downward from the first heat insulation partition wall 6. Further, the lower end of the fourth heat insulation partition wall 6A is connected to a horizontal plate-shaped second heat insulation partition wall 7. The second heat insulation partition wall 7 partitions the switching compartment 15 and the ice making compartment 13 from the vegetable compartment 17.

[0019] Inside the refrigerator body 2, below the second heat insulation partition wall 7, a horizontal plate-shaped third heat insulation partition wall 8 is formed. The third heat insulation partition wall 8 partitions the vegetable compartment 17 and the freezer compartment 19.

[0020] Hereinafter, in the refrigerator 1, the space to be cooled combining the refrigerator compartment 11, the ice making compartment 13, the switching compartment 15, the vegetable compartment 17, and the freezer compartment 19 is referred to as the chamber to be cooled S.

[0021] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the II-II section of Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, a cooling chamber 20 is provided behind the vegetable compartment 17, that is, behind the chamber to be cooled S. The cooling chamber 20 is a space partitioned by a resin-made cooler cover 24. Inside the cooling chamber 20, a cooler 21 is disposed. The cooler 21 is a fin-tube type heat exchanger, which is a part of the refrigeration circuit provided in the refrigerator 1 and functions as an evaporator. Therefore, when the refrigeration circuit of the refrigerator 1 operates, the surrounding air is cooled.

[0022] In the cooling chamber 20, a cooling fan 23 is provided at a position above the cooler 21. The cooling fan 23 is disposed so as to be fitted into an opening 24a of the cooler cover 24. The opening 24a communicates the inside and outside of the cooling chamber 20 in the front-rear direction, and the cooling fan 23 blows the air inside the cooling chamber 20 forward through the opening 24a. Each compartment 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 of the refrigerator 1 is cooled by the air inside the cooling chamber 20 blown by the cooling fan 23.

[0023] Further, a tray-shaped water receiving tray 25 is provided at the lower end of the cooling chamber 20. The water receiving tray 25 is located below the cooler 21 and receives the defrost water generated on the surface of the cooler 21 due to the operation of the heater 27. The heater 27 is a heating device that defrosts the cooler 21 by its operation. The heater 27 is disposed between the water receiving tray 25 and the cooler 21. In the present embodiment, the heater 27 is an electric glass heater.

[0024] The switching chamber 15 and the ice making chamber 13 are partitioned by a fourth heat insulating partition wall 6A extending downward from the first heat insulating partition wall 6. Further, the lower end of the fourth heat insulating partition wall 6A is connected to a horizontal plate-shaped second heat insulating partition wall 7. The second heat insulating partition wall 7 partitions the switching chamber 15 and the ice making chamber 13 from the vegetable chamber 17.

[0025] [1-1-2. Structure of the First Heat Insulating Partition Wall] Next, the structure of the first heat insulating partition wall 6 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator body according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the circled A portion in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first heat insulating partition wall 6 and the side wall 40. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the first heat insulating partition wall 6 that partitions the refrigerating chamber 11 from the switching chamber 15 and the ice making chamber 13 includes a bottom member 30 that constitutes the bottom surface of the refrigerating chamber 11 and a top member 31 that constitutes the top surfaces of the switching chamber 15 and the ice making chamber. The bottom member 30 and the top member 31 are formed of, for example, a resin material. The top member 31 includes a top surface portion 32. Support protrusions 33 protruding downward from the top surface portion 32 are formed at both ends of the top member 31. The upper end portion 34 of the portion constituting the end of the support protrusion 33 is located at substantially the same height as the top surface portion 32.

[0026] Further, the bottom member 30 includes a substantially planar bottom surface portion 35. End surface portions 36 extending in a direction substantially orthogonal downward are provided at both ends of the bottom surface portion 35. The lower end portion of the end surface portion 36 is located outside the upper end portion 34 of the top surface portion 32, and the lower end portion of the end surface portion 36 is joined to the upper end portion 34 of the support protrusion 33 of the top member 31. As a result, the interior of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 is kept in a sealed state. The interior of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 is filled with a heat insulating material 37.

[0027] The side wall 40 constituting the outer box 3 is composed of an inner box 4 constituting the inner surface of the refrigerating chamber 11 and an outer box 3 constituting the outer surface of the refrigerator body. A vacuum heat insulating material 41 is disposed on the outside between the outer box 3 and the inner box 4, and a heat insulating material 42 is encapsulated on the inside. Thus, it is configured to achieve heat insulation between the outside and the inside of the side wall 40. At a location corresponding to the installation position of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 of the inner box 4, a support recess 43 recessed outward is formed. At the lower end portion of the support recess 43, a support portion 44 protruding inward from the upper end portion of the support recess 43 is formed. The height dimension of the support recess 43 is configured to be substantially the same as the height dimension between the bottom surface portion 35 of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 and the support protrusion 33 of the top surface portion 32. Both end portions of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 are supported by being fitted into the support recess 43.

[0028] [1-2. Operation] Next, the operation of the refrigerator in the first embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the first heat insulation partition wall 6 is supported by engaging both end portions thereof with the support recess 43. In a state where the first heat insulation partition wall 6 is supported by the support recess 43, the support protrusion 33 of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 is placed on the support portion 44 of the support recess 43, and the end surface portion 36 of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 is supported along the inner surface of the support recess 43. In this state, both ends of the bottom surface portion 35 of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 enter inside the support recess 43, and at the boundary portion between the bottom surface portion 35 of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 and the upper end edge of the support recess 43, only the upper end edge of the support recess 43 is visible in appearance.

[0029] And, for example, when variations occur in the manufacturing of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 or in the manufacturing of the inner surface of the inner box 4, resulting in variations in the flatness of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 or the inner box 4, since both ends of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 enter and are supported inside the support recess 43, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of steps or the like due to the variations.

[0030] In the conventional technology, since vertical walls are formed at both ends of the heat insulation partition wall, when variations occur in the flatness of the heat insulation partition wall or the inner box 4, a step is generated between the upper edge of the vertical wall and the inner box 4, and the variations in flatness are conspicuous in terms of appearance. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the variations in the flatness of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 can be made inconspicuous by the upper edge of the support recess 43. Also, since both ends of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 enter and are supported inside the support recess 43, it is possible to suppress the generation of a gap between the first heat insulation partition wall 6 and the inner box 4.

[0031] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, the refrigerator of the present embodiment includes a refrigerator body composed of an outer box 3 and an inner box 4, a plurality of cooled chambers which are spaces to be cooled provided inside the refrigerator body, and a first heat insulation partition wall 6 (heat insulation partition wall) that partitions the plurality of cooled chambers. Both ends of the heat insulation partition wall enter and are supported inside a support recess 43 formed in the inner box 4. Thereby, since both ends of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 enter and are supported inside the support recess 43 formed in the inner box 4, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of steps or the like due to variations in the flatness of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 or the inner box 4, and the variations in the flatness of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 can be made inconspicuous by the support recess 43. Therefore, it is possible to improve the appearance quality at the boundary portion between the first heat insulation partition wall 6 and the inner box 4. Also, since both ends of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 enter and are supported inside the support recess 43, it is possible to suppress the generation of a gap between the first heat insulation partition wall 6 and the inner box 4.

[0032] Further, in the refrigerator of the present embodiment, the first heat insulation partition wall 6 (heat insulation partition wall) includes a bottom member 30 that constitutes the bottom surface of the cooled chamber and a top member 31 that constitutes the top surface of another cooled chamber. The bottom member 30 includes a substantially flat bottom portion 35 and end surface portions 36 provided at both ends of the bottom portion 35 and engaged with the support recesses 43. The bottom portion 35 and the end surface portions 36 extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the downward direction from both ends of the bottom portion 35. Thereby, the bottom portion 35 and the end surface portions 36 are made substantially orthogonal, and no standing wall is provided. When both ends of the bottom member 30 enter and are supported by the support recesses 43, only the upper edge of the support recesses 43 can be visually recognized at the boundary portion between the first heat insulation partition wall 6 and the support recesses 43 in terms of appearance. Therefore, the variation in flatness of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 can be made less noticeable by the support recesses 43, and the appearance quality at the boundary portion between the first heat insulation partition wall 6 and the inner box 4 can be improved. Also, since both ends of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 enter and are supported inside the support recesses 43, the generation of a gap between the first heat insulation partition wall 6 and the inner box 4 can be suppressed.

[0033] Further, in the refrigerator of the present embodiment, the support recesses 43 are formed by recessing the inner surface of the inner box 4 outward, and a support portion 44 that protrudes inward from the upper end portion of the support recesses 43 is formed at the lower end portion of the support recesses 43. Thereby, the first heat insulation partition wall 6 can be supported by the support portion 44 of the support recesses 43.

[0034] Further, in the refrigerator of the present embodiment, support protrusions 33 that protrude downward from the top surface portion 32 and are placed on the support portion 44 are formed at both ends of the top member 31. Thereby, by supporting the support protrusions 33 of the first heat insulation partition wall 6 by the support portion 44 of the support recesses 43, the first heat insulation partition wall 6 can be supported by the support recesses 43.

[0035] (Other embodiments) Note that, as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application, Embodiment 1 has been described. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and can also be applied to embodiments in which changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. are made.

[0036] (Supplementary Note) From the description of the above embodiments, the following technologies are disclosed.

[0037] (Technology 1) A refrigerator comprising a refrigerator body composed of an outer box and an inner box, a plurality of cooled chambers which are spaces to be cooled provided inside the refrigerator body, and a heat insulation partition wall partitioning the plurality of cooled chambers, wherein both ends of the heat insulation partition wall are inserted into and supported inside support recesses formed in the inner box. With this configuration, since both ends of the heat insulation partition wall are inserted into and supported inside the support recesses formed in the inner box, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of steps or the like due to variations in flatness of the heat insulation partition wall or the inner box, and it is possible to make variations in flatness of the heat insulation partition wall less noticeable by the support recesses. Therefore, the appearance quality at the boundary portion between the heat insulation partition wall and the inner box can be improved. Also, since both ends of the heat insulation partition wall are inserted into and supported inside the support recesses, the generation of a gap between the heat insulation partition wall and the inner box can be suppressed.

[0038] (Technology 2) The heat insulation partition wall includes a bottom member constituting the bottom surface of the cooled chamber and a top member constituting the top surface of the other cooled chamber, the bottom member includes a substantially flat bottom portion and end portions provided at both ends of the bottom portion and engaged with the support recesses, and the bottom portion and the end portions extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the downward direction from both ends of the bottom portion. The refrigerator according to Technology 1. With this configuration, since the bottom portion and the end portions are made substantially orthogonal and no standing wall is provided, when both ends of the bottom member are inserted into and supported by the support recesses, at the boundary portion between the heat insulation partition wall and the support recesses, only the upper edge of the support recess can be visually recognized in terms of appearance. Therefore, it is possible to make variations in flatness of the heat insulation partition wall less noticeable by the support recesses, and the appearance quality at the boundary portion between the heat insulation partition wall and the inner box can be improved. Also, since both ends of the heat insulation partition wall are inserted into and supported inside the support recesses, the generation of a gap between the heat insulation partition wall and the inner box can be suppressed.

[0039] Refrigerator according to Technology 1 or Technology 2, wherein the support recess is formed by recessing the inner surface of the inner box outward, and a support portion protruding inward from the upper end portion of the support recess is formed at the lower end portion of the support recess. With this configuration, the heat insulation partition wall can be supported by the support portion of the support recess.

[0040] Refrigerator according to Technology 3, wherein support protrusions protruding downward from the top surface and placed on the support portion are formed at both end portions of the top surface member. With this configuration, by supporting the support protrusion of the heat insulation partition wall by the support portion of the support recess, the heat insulation partition wall can be supported by the support recess.

Industrial Applicability

[0041] As described above, the present disclosure is suitably applicable to a refrigerator capable of suppressing the generation of a step between the inner box of the refrigerator body and the heat insulation partition wall and suppressing the generation of a gap between the inner box and the heat insulation partition wall.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0042] 1 Refrigerator 2 Refrigerator body 3 Outer box 4 Inner box 6 First heat insulation partition wall 6A Fourth heat insulation partition wall 7 Second heat insulation partition wall 8 Third heat insulation partition wall 11 Refrigerating compartment 13 Ice making compartment 15 Switching compartment 17 Vegetable compartment 19 Freezing compartment 20 Cooling compartment 21 Cooler 23 Cooling fan 24 Cooler cover 27 Heater 30 Bottom surface member 31 Top surface member 32 Top surface 33 Support protrusion 34 Upper end part 35 Bottom face part 36 End face part 37 Heat insulating material 40 Side wall 41 Vacuum heat insulating material 42 Heat insulating material 43 Support recess 44 Support part S Cooled chamber

Claims

1. A refrigerator body comprising an outer box and an inner box, a plurality of cooled chambers provided inside the refrigerator body and being spaces to be cooled, and a heat insulating partition wall partitioning the plurality of cooled chambers, wherein both ends of the heat insulating partition wall enter inside support recesses formed in the inner box and are supported. Refrigerator.

2. The heat insulating partition wall includes a bottom member constituting the bottom surface of the cooled chamber and a top member constituting the top surface of the other cooled chamber, the bottom member includes a substantially flat bottom portion and end portions provided at both ends of the bottom portion and engaged with the support recesses, and the bottom portion and the end portions extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to each other downward from both ends of the bottom portion. The refrigerator according to Claim 1.

3. The support recesses are formed by recessing the inner surface of the inner box outward, and a support portion protruding inward from the upper end portion of the support recess is formed at the lower end portion of the support recess. The refrigerator according to Claim 2.

4. Support protrusions protruding downward from the top surface and placed on the support portions are formed at both ends of the top member. The refrigerator according to Claim 3.

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