Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that is superior in energy-saving performance.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 100 comprises: biparting left door 6 and right door for opening and closing an opening of a storage chamber; a partition body 8 which is fitted to the door, and can rotate to close a gap between the left door 6 and the right door when the opening is closed; a guide component 40 which allows the partition body 8 to rotate when opening and closing the doors fitted with the partition body 8; a gasket 11a which comes into contact with the partition body 8 when the doors are closed; and a heating part which heats the partition body 8. The guide component 40 has: a projection part 40a which abuts on the partition body 8 when the doors are opened and closed; and a support part 40b which supports the projection part 40a and is fitted to an inner wall surface 101c of an inner box 101b. The partition body 8 has a heat transfer part 25b, coming into contact with the gasket 11a when the doors are closed, at an upper part. The heat transfer part 25b extends to between the gasket 11a and the support part 40b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to refrigerators. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the storage compartment doors located on the top shelf of large household refrigerators have mostly been of the double-door type, which open to the left and right, and in order to seal the joint between the left and right doors, a rotating partition is often placed on the inside of one of the doors. Flexible gaskets are placed between the refrigerator body and the door, and between the partition and the door, and are attached with magnets to improve the airtightness of the storage compartment.

[0003] When the temperature inside the storage compartment drops, the refrigerator's outer casing, partition, and gasket are cooled from the inside. Condensation occurs when the temperature of the surface in contact with the outside air drops below the dew point of the refrigerator's surrounding environment. Furthermore, condensation is more likely to occur in gaps, such as the top and bottom of the partition. Conventionally, a method of preventing condensation involves installing a heater inside the partition to heat it and raise the temperature of the partition and gasket. However, increasing the heater power for heating increases the refrigerator's power consumption. Patent Document 1, for example, discloses a technology for reducing power consumption by preventing condensation and reducing the power consumption of the heater by preventing cold air from reaching the top of the partition from inside the refrigerator. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2012-037182 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology in Patent Document 1 controls the flow of cold air near the top of the partition by providing a structure that hangs downward from the top of the storage chamber. However, there is a gap between the top of the partition and the storage chamber, and it is not possible to completely prevent cold air from entering the gap. As a result, the gasket comes into direct contact with the cold air inside the storage chamber, which tends to lower the temperature of the gasket. This poses a problem in that power consumption tends to increase due to the need to turn on the heater to heat the gasket.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a refrigerator with excellent energy-saving performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The refrigerator according to the present disclosure includes a storage compartment formed by an outer box and an inner box disposed inside the outer box, left and right doors that open like hinged doors for opening and closing an opening of the storage compartment, a rotatable partition attached to one of the left and right doors for closing a gap between the left and right doors when the opening is closed, a guide member that rotates the partition when the door to which the partition is attached is opened or closed, gaskets attached to the left and right doors and contacting the partition when the door is closed, and a heating unit attached to the partition and heating the partition. The guide member has a protrusion that contacts the partition when the door is opened or closed and a support member that supports the protrusion and is attached to an inner wall surface of the inner box. The partition has a heat transfer member at an upper portion that contacts the gasket when the door is closed, and the heat transfer member extends between the gasket and the support member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, the heat transfer portion provided on the upper portion of the partition extends to the space between the gasket and the support portion. This increases the contact area between the gasket and the partition, allowing heat from the heating portion to be efficiently transferred to the gasket and suppressing condensation. This increases the heat transfer efficiency of the heating portion, making it possible to reduce the input power of the heating portion, thereby providing a refrigerator with excellent energy-saving performance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the front of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] Enlarged view of part B in Figure 1 [Figure 3] A perspective view of part B in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a partition provided in a refrigerator according to a first embodiment; [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view taken along section line CC in Figure 2 [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram of a left door of a storage compartment provided in a refrigerator according to a first embodiment, viewed from the storage compartment side; [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line EE in Figure 2 [Figure 8] 8(a) and 8(b) are schematic diagrams showing a rotation guide provided in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment, in which (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a front view seen from the direction of the arrow b in FIG. 8(a), and (c) is a bottom view seen from the direction of the arrow c in FIG. 8(a). [Figure 9] 9(a) and 9(b) are schematic diagrams showing an upper portion of a partition provided in a refrigerator according to the first embodiment, in which (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a plan view seen from the direction of arrow b in FIG. 9(a), and (c) is a side view seen from the direction of arrow c in FIG. 9(a). [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view taken along the section line FF in Figure 2 [Figure 11] 10 is an enlarged view corresponding to FIG. 2 of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 3; [Figure 13]13(a) and 13(b) are diagrams showing a rotation guide provided in a refrigerator according to a second embodiment, in which (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a front view seen from the direction of an arrow b in FIG. 13(a), and (c) is a bottom view seen from the direction of an arrow c in FIG. 13(a). [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a rotation guide provided in a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] Cross-sectional view taken along the section line H-H in Figure 11 [Figure 16] 16(a) and 16(b) are schematic diagrams showing an upper portion of a partition provided in a refrigerator according to a third embodiment, in which (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a plan view seen from the direction of arrow b in FIG. 16(a), and (c) is a side view seen from the direction of arrow c in FIG. 16(a). [Figure 17] 11 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 10 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (Embodiment 1) A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, the front direction in FIG. 1 , i.e., the direction in which a user standing in front of refrigerator 100 is located, will be referred to as the front of refrigerator 100, and the opposite direction will be referred to as the rear of refrigerator 100, and the up, down, left, and right directions when viewed from the front of refrigerator 100 will be referred to as the up, down, left, and right directions of refrigerator 100. Note that in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the right storage compartment door 7 is shown open to illustrate the interior of storage compartment 1 and partition 8.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, refrigerator 100 has multiple storage compartments. Storage compartment 1 is located on the top shelf of refrigerator 100. An opening 1a facing forward of storage compartment 1 is opened and closed by a left storage compartment door 6 and a right storage compartment door 7, which are double doors. A gap A is provided in the left-right direction between the left storage compartment door 6 and the right storage compartment door 7 to enable smooth opening and closing of the doors in the double door style.

[0012] Ice making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, and freezer compartment 5, located below storage compartment 1, are opened and closed by drawer doors. By pulling out each drawer door forward, ice making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, and freezer compartment 5 are pulled out toward the user. However, the arrangement and function of each storage compartment are not limited to this configuration, as long as it is equipped with double doors.

[0013] The storage compartment left door 6 and the storage compartment right door 7 are rotatably attached to the left and right ends of the front surface of the refrigerator housing 101, respectively. As a result, the storage compartment left door 6 and the storage compartment right door 7 are opened and closed like double doors. A partition 8 is provided between the storage compartment left door 6 and the storage compartment right door 7, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in order to close the gap A in the left-right direction described above. The partition 8 extends in the up-down direction of the storage compartment 1. A rotation guide 40 serving as a guide component is also attached to the refrigerator housing 101. The rotation guide 40 is combined with an upper cover member 25 of the partition 8 to rotate the partition 8.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 4, the heat insulating material 30 of the partition body 8 is arranged in a state sandwiched between the support frame 24 and the back member 31. The front panel 21 is attached to the support frame 24. The upper cover member 25 and the lower cover member 26 are fixed to the support frame 24 with screws 27. That is, the upper cover member 25 and the lower cover member 26 sandwich and hold the vertically extending members, such as the front panel 21, the support frame 24, and the back member 31, from above and below. In addition, a heater unit 22 serving as a heating section is attached to the inner surface of the front panel 21 with adhesive tape or glue. The heater unit 22 functions as a heating section that heats the partition body 8.

[0015] An upper hinge member 28 and a lower hinge member 29 are attached to the support frame 24. The upper hinge member 28 and the lower hinge member 29 are rotatable when their respective shafts are inserted into bearing portions provided in the support frame 24. The bearing portions in the support frame 24 into which the upper hinge member 28 and the lower hinge member 29 are inserted are on the same axis. Note that, in this configuration, an example is shown in which the upper hinge member 28 and the lower hinge member 29 are attached to the support frame 24, but they may also be attached to other components of the partition body 8.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line CC in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 also shows the right storage compartment door 7, which was omitted in FIG. 2. The positions of the upper hinge member 28 and the lower hinge member 29 are indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 5. The upper hinge member 28 and the lower hinge member 29 of the partition body 8 are fixed to the left storage compartment door 6. When attached to the left storage compartment door 6, the partition body 8 is rotatable about the axis of a bearing portion provided in the support frame 24. The partition body 8 is rotatable counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 5 until the back member 31 abuts against the left storage compartment door 6.

[0017] The back member 31 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and is combined with the support frame 24 to form an internal storage space for the heat insulating material 30. The back member 31 defines the rear side of the storage space for the heat insulating material 30 formed inside the partition body 8.

[0018] 5, the front panel 21 has upright portions 21a and 21b that stand rearward from the left and right edges, and has a channel-shaped cross section when cut in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. The front panel 21 is fitted into the front opening 24a of the support frame 24. The front surfaces of the support frame 24 and the front panel 21 are flush with each other.

[0019] As described above, partition 8 is installed to close gap A shown in Figures 1 and 5. Partition 8 is located inside storage chamber 1 relative to storage chamber left door 6 and storage chamber right door 7. Gasket 11a is located between partition 8 and storage chamber left door 6, with a portion of gasket 11a fitted into groove 53 provided in storage chamber left door 6. Furthermore, gasket 11b is located between partition 8 and storage chamber right door 7, with a portion of gasket 11b fitted into groove 54 provided in storage chamber right door 7.

[0020] Gaskets 11a and 11b are made of a flexible material such as silicone rubber and extend vertically. Magnets 16a and 16b, made of a flexible resin material as their base material, are arranged inside gaskets 11a and 11b along the direction of extension of the gaskets. Magnets 16a and 16b contact front panel 21 of partition 8 via the thin surfaces of gaskets 11a and 11b.

[0021] As described with reference to FIG. 5, gasket 11a is attached to the surface of storage compartment left door 6 facing storage compartment 1. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, gaskets 13, 14, and 15 are attached to the three sides other than the side to which gasket 11a is attached. In other words, gaskets 11a, 13, 14, and 15 are attached to close the entire periphery of storage compartment left door 6. Like the material of gasket 11a, gaskets 13, 14, and 15 are made of a flexible material such as silicone rubber. At the four vertices of storage compartment left door 6 in FIG. 6, the gaskets on the four sides are in contact with each other and joined to each other by welding or the like.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 7 , magnet 16c made of a flexible resin material is disposed inside gasket 13 disposed on the upper side of storage-compartment left door 6 along the extending direction of gasket 13. Refrigerator housing 101 also has outer box 101a forming the outer shell and inner box 101b having inner wall surface 101c that defines part of storage space 100a of the storage compartment. Magnet 16c contacts outer box 101a via the thin surface of gasket 13. Gaskets 14 and 15 shown in FIG. 6 have the same configuration as gasket 13 described with reference to FIG. 7 . Gaskets 11a, 13, 14, and 15 provided on storage-compartment left door 6 have been described, but a gasket is also provided on storage-compartment right door 7 in a manner that closes the entire periphery.

[0023] The front panel 21 of the partition body 8 in FIG. 5 and the outer box 101a in FIG. 7 are made of magnetic metal such as steel, and are attracted to each other by a magnet and magnetic force, thereby preventing the cold air inside the storage compartment 1 from being exchanged with the ambient air of the refrigerator 100.

[0024] The relative positions of left and right storage compartment doors 6 and 7 and refrigerator housing 101 vary between different units due to distortion of the parts themselves, dimensional variations, and variations in assembly precision. Furthermore, even within the same unit, changes occur over time due to deformation of parts caused by temperature differences. In refrigerator 100 of this embodiment, the flexible gasket absorbs the differences in relative positions and deformation of parts, thereby improving the airtightness of the storage compartments.

[0025] Refrigerator 100 is generally placed indoors, such as in a kitchen, and the air inside storage compartment 1 is kept at a low temperature regardless of the ambient temperature. When storage compartment 1 functions as a refrigeration compartment, the temperature is low, around 0°C to 5°C. Here, the representative temperature of the inside air is assumed to be 2°C. The insides of refrigerator casing 101, left storage compartment door 6, and right storage compartment door 7, which come into contact with the cold air from storage compartment 1, lose heat through convective heat transfer and their temperatures drop. Therefore, the outer surfaces of refrigerator casing 101, left storage compartment door 6, and right storage compartment door 7 are also cooled by heat conduction. The temperature difference between the ambient temperature and the inside of storage compartment 1 becomes large in the summer when the temperature is highest; for example, in an environment with an ambient temperature of 30°C, the temperature difference is 28°C.

[0026] When the temperature of the exterior of a refrigerator falls below the dew point, condensation will form on its surface. For example, in an environment with a temperature of 30°C and a relative humidity of 70%, the dew point at that atmospheric pressure is 23.9°C, so it is necessary to ensure that the exterior temperature of the refrigerator does not fall below 23.9°C when the internal air temperature of the storage compartment is 2°C.

[0027] To prevent a drop in the temperature of the exterior of refrigerator 100, vacuum insulation material 17 is placed inside storage compartment left door 6 and storage compartment right door 7 in FIG. 5, and urethane foam is filled in the space. Also, in FIG. 7, vacuum insulation material 102 is placed between outer box 101a and inner box 101b of refrigerator housing 101, and urethane foam is filled in the space. These vacuum insulation materials 17, 102 and urethane foam suppress a drop in temperature caused by heat conduction to the exterior surface of refrigerator 100.

[0028] However, because partition 8 shown in Fig. 5 rotates using a rotation mechanism, its size is limited, making it difficult to increase the space required to incorporate thermal insulation material 30. Therefore, it is difficult to provide partition 8 with the same thermal insulation performance as the housing and each storage compartment door of refrigerator 100, and the temperature of front panel 21, which is the outer surface of partition 8, is likely to decrease. Furthermore, the temperature of gaskets 11a and 11b is also likely to decrease because they are in contact with front panel 21.

[0029] Heater unit 22 attached to the rear surface of front panel 21 aims to suppress the occurrence of condensation, and heats front panel 21 and gaskets 11a, 11b by passing electricity through heater unit 22. Reducing the power input to heater unit 22 is important for suppressing the power consumption of refrigerator 100. An outside air temperature sensor and a humidity sensor provided in refrigerator 100 control the power input to heater unit 22 so as to suppress condensation sufficiently in the installation environment.

[0030] Next, the operation of the partition body 8 when the door is opened and closed will be described. When opening the left storage compartment door 6 from the state shown in FIG. 5, if the partition body 8 attached to the left storage compartment door 6 does not rotate, it will hit the right storage compartment door 7. If the partition body 8 that hits the right storage compartment door 7 pushes the right storage compartment door 7 from the inside, the right storage compartment door 7 will open unintentionally by the user. Furthermore, when opening the left storage compartment door 6, extra force is required to push the right storage compartment door 7. Furthermore, if the left storage compartment door 6 is closed while the right storage compartment door 7 is closed, the partition body 8 will hit the right storage compartment door 7 and will not close unless the partition body 8 rotates. The upper hinge member 28 and lower hinge member 29 provided on the partition body 8 described above, and the rotation guide 40 described next, are provided to address these problems.

[0031] FIG. 8 shows the rotation guide 40, where (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a bottom view. The rotation guide 40 is provided on the upper inner surface of the inner box 101b, at the entrance to the opening 1a. The rotation guide 40 as a guide component has a rotation guide protrusion 40a as a protrusion and a rotation guide support 40b as a support portion that supports the protrusion. As shown in each drawing in FIG. 8, the rotation guide support 40b has a flat portion on which the rotation guide protrusion 40a is formed. The rotation guide support 40b is fixed to the inner wall surface 101c of the inner box 101b by being screwed to the inner box 101b. The rotation guide support 40b has a recess 40c that recesses from the front edge toward the rear and from the bottom surface toward the top.

[0032] FIG. 9 shows the upper part of the partition body 8, with (a) being a perspective view, (b) being a top view, and (c) being a front view. The front, rear, left, and right directions in FIG. 9, which illustrates the pivoting partition body 8, refer to the directions when the storage chamber left door 6 closes the storage chamber 1. The upper cover member 25 is provided on the upper part of the partition body 8. As shown in FIG. 9(a), the upper cover member 25 has a bottomed groove 25a formed downward from the upper surface 25c, and a screw insertion hole 25d also formed downward from the upper surface 25c for inserting a screw (FIG. 4). The groove 25a is formed inward from the right side surface of the upper cover member 25. The pivot guide protrusion 40a shown in each of FIGS. 8 is inserted into the groove 25a from the right side.

[0033] The upper cover member 25 has a flat heat transfer portion 25b that protrudes upward from the upper surface 25c. The heat transfer portion 25b is rectangular and is formed at the front end of the upper cover member 25. That is, the heat transfer portion 25b forms part of the front surface of the upper cover member 25, and the front surfaces of the heat transfer portion 25b and the upper cover member 25 are flush with each other. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9(c), the front surface of the upper cover member 25 has a notch 25e cut out from the lower end toward the top. The front panel 21 and a part of the support frame 24 that supports the front panel are fitted into this notch 25e. That is, the heat transfer portion 25b is disposed above the front panel 21 on the front surface of the partition body 8.

[0034] Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line FF in Figure 2. In Figure 10, the space formed by the recess 40c is indicated by a dashed line. When the storage compartment left door 6 is closed, the heat transfer portion 25b, whose front surface is flush with the upper cover member 25, comes into contact with the gasket 11a. At this time, the heat transfer portion 25b extends to a position above the lower surface 40d of the rotation guide support portion 40b, where the recess 40c is formed.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 10 , the rotation guide protrusion 40a of the rotation guide 40 is inserted into the groove 25a of the upper cover member 25. When the storage compartment left door 6 is opened, the partition body 8 rotates due to the sliding of the rotation guide protrusion 40a and the groove 25a. This allows the storage compartment left door 6 to be opened without the partition body 8 hitting the storage compartment right door 7. When the storage compartment left door 6 is open, the back member 31 ( FIG. 5 ) of the partition body 8 is in contact with the storage compartment left door 6. Therefore, when the storage compartment left door 6 is closed, the partition body 8 does not hit the storage compartment right door 7. Then, the rotation guide protrusion 40a is inserted into the groove 25a and slides within the groove 25a, causing the partition body 8 to rotate to the position shown in FIG. 5 . This maintains the storage compartment 1 in a sealed state.

[0036] As shown in each of Fig. 9, heat transfer portion 25b of partition body 8 protrudes upward from upper surface 25c. Recess 40c of rotation guide support portion 40b shown in Figs. 8 and 10 is provided to prevent interference between heat transfer portion 25b and rotation guide support portion 40b when partition body 8 rotates. Therefore, when partition body 8 rotates, heat transfer portion 25b passes through recess 40c. When storage compartment left door 6 is closed, heat transfer portion 25b is located in front of recess 40c, as shown in Fig. 10.

[0037] To allow partition 8 to rotate smoothly, gap D in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 10 is provided between upper surface 25c of upper cover member 25 and rotation guide support portion 40b. Fin portion 12 of gasket 11a as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is disposed in front of the gap D. Fin portion 12 is a wide portion formed at a part of the upper portion of gasket 11a and protrudes laterally. Fin portion 12 straddles gap D and comes into contact with refrigerator housing 101 and partition 8. Gasket 11a also has fin portion 18 at its lower portion as shown in FIG. 6. Although not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a similar fin portion is also formed on the gasket provided on storage-compartment right door 7.

[0038] According to this embodiment, the heat transfer portion 25b of the partition 8 extends between the pivot guide support portion 40b and the gasket 11a. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 , the heat transfer portion 25b extends forward of the pivot guide support portion 40b and is sandwiched between the pivot guide support portion 40b and the gasket 11a. The heat transfer portion 25b, which extends upward in this manner, can come into contact with the gasket 11a when the door is closed, thereby increasing the contact area between the gasket 11a, including the fin portion 12, and the partition 8. The partition 8 is also provided with a heater unit 22. By energizing the heater unit 22, the gasket 11a can be efficiently heated via the upper cover member 25, which contacts the front panel 21, and the heat transfer portion 25b extending upward. In particular, extending the heat transfer portion 25b upward increases the contact area with the gasket 11a, thereby efficiently heating the gasket 11a and suppressing condensation. Furthermore, since the heat transfer efficiency of heater unit 22 is improved, it is possible to reduce the amount of power input to heater unit 22, and a refrigerator with excellent energy-saving performance can be provided.

[0039] Furthermore, vertical gap D formed between rotation guide support portion 40b and upper surface 25c of upper cover member 25 can be covered from the front by heat transfer portion 25b extending upward. That is, when viewed from the front, heat transfer portion 25b overlaps gap D. This prevents cold air from inside storage compartment 1 that has passed through gap D from being blown onto gasket 11a including fin portions 12. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the temperature of gasket 11a, reduce the power input to heater unit 22, and provide a refrigerator with excellent energy-saving performance.

[0040] (Embodiment 2) Next, refrigerator 200 according to embodiment 2 will be described. Hereinafter, explanations of components having the same functions and actions as refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 will be omitted. In above-mentioned embodiment 1, rotation guide 40 was provided on the inner surface of inner box 101b, but in this embodiment, as shown in each drawing of FIG. 13, rotation guide 140 is provided inside refrigerator casing 201. In this way, the attachment mode of rotation guide 140 is different from embodiment 1.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 14, inner box 201b is formed with protrusion insertion hole 202 for passing rotation guide protrusion 140a therethrough, and recess 203 for avoiding interference with rotating partition body 8 (Fig. 12). Protrusion insertion hole 202 is formed to be approximately the same size as or slightly larger than rotation guide protrusion 140a. Recess 203 is formed at the intersection of front surface 204 of inner box 201b and inner wall surface 201c, by hollowing out a semicircular shape from front surface 204.

[0042] 14, the rotation guide 140 has a rotation guide protrusion 140a and a rotation guide support portion 140b. The rotation guide support portion 140b has a flat portion on which the rotation guide protrusion 140a is formed. The rotation guide 140 is provided in a space surrounded by the outer box 201a and the inner box 201b, and is fixed to the inner box 201b via a rotation guide holder 141.

[0043] The rotation guide holder 141 has a top plate portion 141a, vertical portions 141b bent downward from both ends of the top plate portion 141a, and a ground portion 141c bent horizontally from the vertical portion 141b. Two screw insertion holes 141d are formed in the top plate portion 141a. Screws 143 passed through the screw insertion holes 141d are fastened to the rotation guide support portion 140b. A screw hole 141e is formed in the ground portion 141c. Screws 142 passed through the screw insertion holes 201d of the inner box 201b are fastened to the screw holes 141e, thereby fixing the rotation guide 140 to the inner box 201b. In other words, the rotation guide support portion 140b is attached to the back surface of the inner wall surface 201c of the inner box 201b. At this time, the rotation guide protrusions 140a are passed through the protrusion insertion holes 202. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the rotation guide protrusion 140a protrudes from the inner box 101b.

[0044] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line HH in FIG. 11. As in the first embodiment, the partition body 8 is provided with a rotation mechanism. To allow the partition body 8 to rotate smoothly, a gap L is provided in the vertical direction between the upper surface 25c of the upper cover member 25 and the inner box 201b. The heat transfer section 25b extends to a position above the inner wall surface 201c of the inner box 201b in which the recess 203 is formed. When the left storage compartment door 6 is closed, the heat transfer section 25b is located in front of the recess 203. In this state, the heat transfer section 25b, whose front surface is flush with the upper cover member 25, comes into contact with the gasket 11a.

[0045] Here, the gap D shown in Figure 10 of embodiment 1 and the gap L shown in Figure 15 of embodiment 2 are both set to be approximately the same size, as they are provided to allow the partition body 8 to operate smoothly.

[0046] According to the present embodiment, the rotation guide support portion 140b is disposed between the outer box 201a and the inner box 201b and is attached to the back side of the inner wall surface 201c of the inner box 201b. Unlike the first embodiment, the rotation guide support portion 140b is not attached to the inner wall surface 201c of the inner box 201b. This allows the partition 8 to be extended further upward, bringing the upper surface 25c closer to the inner wall surface 201c of the inner box 101b. In this way, the contact area between the partition 8 and the gasket 11a, including the fin portion 12, can be increased accordingly. This further improves the efficiency of heat conduction from the heater unit 22 to the gasket 11a, thereby improving energy conservation.

[0047] Furthermore, heat transfer portion 25b of partition 8 extends upward to a position where it is sandwiched horizontally between inner box 201b and gasket 11a. Furthermore, upwardly extending heat transfer portion 25b can cover from the front a vertical gap L formed between inner wall surface 201c of inner box 201b and upper surface 25c of upper cover member 25. These effects are similar to those described in the first embodiment.

[0048] (Embodiment 3) Next, a refrigerator according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing an upper portion of a partition of a refrigerator according to the third embodiment, including a perspective view, a plan view, and a side view. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9(c), the front panel 21 does not reach the upper end of the partition 8, and the heat transfer portion 25b is formed above the front panel 21. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the front panel 121 extends to the upper end of the partition 108, and a portion of the heat transfer portion 125b protruding upward from the upper surface 125c of the upper cover member 125 is formed by the front panel 121. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0049] As shown in each drawing of Fig. 16, an opening 125a extending in the vertical direction is formed in the front surface of the upper cover member 125, into which the front plate 121 is fitted. As a result, a heat transfer section 125b protruding upward from the top surface 125c is formed by the upper cover member 125 and the front plate 121. Note that the front surface of the front plate 121 is flush with the front surface of the upper cover member 125, as shown in Fig. 16(b). As a result, when the door is closed, the front plate 121, which forms part of the heat transfer section 125b, comes into contact with a gasket provided on the door.

[0050] Here, upper cover member 125 is made of a resin material, and front panel 121 is made of a metal material. While the thermal conductivity of resin materials is generally around 3 W / m·K, the thermal conductivity of steel, a common metal structural material, is 53 W / m·K, which is more than 10 times higher. Therefore, compared to a case where the heat transfer section is entirely made of resin, heat from heater unit 22 (FIG. 5) can be transferred to gasket 11a more efficiently, reducing heater power consumption and providing a refrigerator with excellent energy-saving performance. Front panel 21 can be made of any metal material, such as stainless steel, steel, or copper.

[0051] (Fourth embodiment) Next, refrigerator 300 according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17. In this embodiment, a gap M is provided between rotation support portion 240b and gasket 11a. That is, gap M is provided between rotation guide 240 and gasket 11a, preventing heat conduction therebetween.

[0052] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent gasket 11a from being cooled by cold air in the storage compartment via rotation guide 240, and it is possible to reduce the power consumed by heater unit 22 for heating gasket 11a. As a result, it is possible to provide refrigerator 300 with excellent energy-saving performance.

[0053] This disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible. In the above embodiment, the partition 8 is provided on the storage compartment left door 6, but the partition 8 may also be provided on the storage compartment right door 7. In this way, when the partition 8 is provided on the storage compartment right door 7, it is only necessary to make the configuration symmetrical between the left and right sides, and there is no need to change the basic configuration of the partition 8.

[0054] 16, an embodiment in which part of heat transfer section 125b is formed from front plate 121 has been described, but the entire heat transfer section may be formed from the front plate. The width of the front plate does not need to be constant in the height direction, and may be configured to gradually increase in width toward the top, or vice versa, with the width gradually decreasing toward the top.

[0055] Furthermore, although it has been explained that the recess 40c formed in the rotary guide support portion 40b and the recess 203 formed in the inner box 201b are hollowed out in a semicircular shape, they are not limited to a semicircular shape and can be any shape as long as they can prevent interference with the heat transfer portion.

[0056] In addition, in the second embodiment, the rotation guide support part 140b is described as being attached to the rear surface of the inner wall surface 201c of the inner box 201b, but the specific attachment position is not limited as long as it is provided between the outer box 201a and the inner box 201b. For example, it may be attached to the inner surface of the outer box 201a.

[0057] The present disclosure, which has been described in detail using the above embodiments, is illustrative in all respects and is not limited thereto. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated can be envisioned without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, within the scope of this disclosure, each embodiment can be freely combined, modified, or omitted as appropriate. For example, the configuration of embodiment 3 may be applied to the configuration of embodiment 1 or embodiment 2. Furthermore, the configuration of embodiment 4 may be applied to a configuration in which embodiment 1 and embodiment 3 are combined.

[0058] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0059] (Appendix 1) a storage chamber formed by an outer box and an inner box provided inside the outer box; a left door and a right door that open and close the opening of the storage chamber; a rotatable partition body attached to one of the left door and the right door and configured to close a gap between the left door and the right door when the opening is closed; a guide component that rotates the partition body when opening or closing a door to which the partition body is attached; a gasket provided on each of the left door and the right door, the gasket contacting the partition when the door is closed; a heating unit provided on the partition body and configured to heat the partition body, the guide component has a protrusion that comes into contact with the partition body when the door is opened or closed, and a support portion that supports the protrusion and is attached to the inner wall surface of the inner box, The partition has a heat transfer portion at an upper portion thereof that comes into contact with the gasket when the door is closed, The heat transfer portion extends to a position between the gasket and the support portion. refrigerator. (Appendix 2) a storage chamber formed by an outer box and an inner box provided inside the outer box; a left door and a right door that open and close the opening of the storage chamber; a rotatable partition body attached to one of the left door and the right door and configured to close a gap between the left door and the right door when the opening is closed; a guide component that rotates the partition body when opening or closing a door to which the partition body is attached; a gasket provided on each of the left door and the right door, the gasket contacting the partition when the door is closed; a heating unit provided on the partition body and configured to heat the partition body, the guide component has a protrusion that comes into contact with the partition body when the door is opened or closed, and a support portion that supports the protrusion and is attached between the outer box and the inner box, The partition has a heat transfer portion at an upper portion thereof that comes into contact with the gasket when the door is closed, The heat transfer portion extends to a space between the gasket and the inner box. refrigerator. (Appendix 3) The support portion has a recess formed therein to prevent interference with the heat transfer portion when the partition body rotates. Refrigerators as described in Appendix 1. (Appendix 4) The inner box has a recess formed therein to prevent interference with the heat transfer section when the partition body rotates. Refrigerators as described in Appendix 2. (Appendix 5) The heat transfer portion is formed to protrude upward from the upper surface of the partition body. 10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first and second dimensions are the same as those of the first and second dimensions. (Appendix 6) the heat transfer portion protrudes upward from the upper surface of the partition, a gap is formed in the vertical direction between the lower surface of the support portion and the upper surface of the partition body, When the door is closed, the heat transfer portion covers the gap from the front. Refrigerators as described in Appendix 1 or 3. (Appendix 7) the heat transfer portion protrudes upward from the upper surface of the partition, a gap is formed between the inner box and the upper surface of the partition body in the vertical direction, When the door is closed, the heat transfer portion covers the gap from the front. Refrigerators as described in Appendix 2 or 4. (Appendix 8) A gap is provided between the guide part and the gasket. 10. A refrigerator as described in Appendix 1, 3 or 6. (Appendix 9) The partition body has a metal front panel facing the closed door, The front plate forms at least a part of the heat transfer portion. 10. The refrigerator according to any one of appendices 1 to 8. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1...storage compartment, 1a...opening, 2...ice making compartment, 3...switching compartment, 4...vegetable compartment, 5...freezer compartment, 6...left storage compartment door, 7...right storage compartment door, 8...partition body, 11a, 11b...gasket, 12...fin portion, 13, 14, 15...gasket, 16a, 16b, 16c...magnet, 17...vacuum insulation material, 18...fin portion, 21...front panel, 21a, 21b...standing portion, 22...heater unit, 24...support frame, 24a...front opening , 25...upper cover member, 25a...groove portion, 25b...heat transfer portion, 25c...upper surface, 25d...screw insertion hole, 25e...notch, 26...lower cover member, 27...screw, 28...upper hinge member, 29...lower hinge member, 30...heat insulating material, 31...back member, 40...rotating guide (guide part), 40a...rotating guide protrusion portion (protrusion portion), 40b...rotating guide support portion (support portion), 40c...recess, 40d...lower surface, 53, 54...groove portion, 100...refrigerator, 100a...storage space, 101...refrigerator housing, 101a...outer box, 101b...inner box, 101c...inner wall surface, 102...vacuum insulation material, 108...partition body, 121...front panel, 125...upper cover member, 125a...opening, 125b...heat transfer portion, 125c...upper surface, 140a...rotation guide protrusion portion (protrusion portion), 140b...rotation guide support portion (support portion), 141...rotation guide holder, 1 41a...top plate portion, 141b...vertical portion, 141c...grounding portion, 141d...screw insertion hole, 141e...screw hole, 142, 143...screw, 200...refrigerator, 201...refrigerator housing, 201a...outer box, 201b...inner box, 201c...inner wall surface, 201d...screw insertion hole, 202...protrusion insertion hole, 203...recess, 204...front surface, 240...rotation guide, 240b...rotation support portion, 300...refrigerator, A, D, L, M...gaps.

Claims

1. a storage chamber formed by an outer box and an inner box provided inside the outer box; a left door and a right door that open and close the opening of the storage chamber; a rotatable partition body attached to one of the left door and the right door and configured to close a gap between the left door and the right door when the opening is closed; a guide component that rotates the partition body when opening or closing a door to which the partition body is attached; a gasket provided on each of the left door and the right door, the gasket contacting the partition when the door is closed; a heating unit provided on the partition body and configured to heat the partition body, the guide component has a protrusion that comes into contact with the partition body when the door is opened or closed, and a support portion that supports the protrusion and is attached to the inner wall surface of the inner box, The partition has a heat transfer portion at an upper portion thereof that comes into contact with the gasket when the door is closed, The heat transfer portion extends to a position between the gasket and the support portion. refrigerator.

2. a storage chamber formed by an outer box and an inner box provided inside the outer box; a left door and a right door that open and close the opening of the storage chamber; a rotatable partition body attached to one of the left door and the right door and configured to close a gap between the left door and the right door when the opening is closed; a guide component that rotates the partition body when opening or closing a door to which the partition body is attached; a gasket provided on each of the left door and the right door, the gasket contacting the partition when the door is closed; a heating unit provided on the partition body and configured to heat the partition body, the guide component has a protrusion that comes into contact with the partition body when the door is opened or closed, and a support portion that supports the protrusion and is attached between the outer box and the inner box, The partition has a heat transfer portion at an upper portion thereof that comes into contact with the gasket when the door is closed, The heat transfer portion extends to a space between the gasket and the inner box. refrigerator.

3. The support portion has a recess formed therein to prevent interference with the heat transfer portion when the partition body rotates. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

4. The inner box has a recess formed therein to prevent interference with the heat transfer section when the partition body rotates. The refrigerator according to claim 2.

5. The heat transfer portion is formed to protrude upward from the upper surface of the partition body. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the heat transfer portion protrudes upward from the upper surface of the partition, a gap is formed in the vertical direction between the lower surface of the support portion and the upper surface of the partition body, When the door is closed, the heat transfer portion covers the gap from the front. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

7. the heat transfer portion protrudes upward from the upper surface of the partition, a gap is formed between the inner box and the upper surface of the partition body in the vertical direction, When the door is closed, the heat transfer portion covers the gap from the front. The refrigerator according to claim 2.

8. A gap is provided between the guide part and the gasket.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, 3 or 6.

9. The partition body has a metal front panel facing the closed door, The front plate forms at least a part of the heat transfer portion.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 7.

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