Refrigerator

Abstract

To increase rigidity while securing heat insulation property on a refrigerator that is configured using a plurality of heat insulation panels which are formed into an individual pieces.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a body member having a rectangular parallelepiped shape forming a storage room and including a rectangular opening in a front surface; and a plurality of heat insulation panels fitted to each surface of the body member. At least two side parts of the body member forming the opening are joined integrally with side parts of the heat insulation panels via a junction structure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A typical refrigerator comprises an inner box that forms a storage compartment and an outer case that covers the outer surface of the inner box. After the outer case is attached to the inner box, the space between the inner box and the outer case is foam-filled with an insulating material such as rigid urethane foam, thereby ensuring both thermal insulation and rigidity.

[0003] However, foam filling of insulation material requires large-scale equipment. Therefore, in recent years, there have been refrigerators that are assembled using a plurality of pre-formed plate-shaped insulation panels (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By using such pre-formed insulation panels, the foaming equipment itself can be eliminated if the insulation material is made of, for example, vacuum insulation material, which has a lower thermal conductivity than urethane foam. Furthermore, even if the insulation material is made of urethane foam, large-scale equipment for foam filling is not required, and small-scale foam filling equipment can be used. Furthermore, it is possible to produce only the insulation panels in an area with low processing costs and produce refrigerators near the consumption area, which also leads to cost reduction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-113220 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, refrigerators assembled using multiple insulation panels as described above have the problem that the insulation material is divided between the insulation panels, which inevitably results in lower overall rigidity compared to types in which urethane foam is foam-filled throughout the space between the inner box and outer case.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main objective is to increase the rigidity while maintaining insulation properties in a refrigerator constructed using multiple individual insulation panels. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] That is, the refrigerator of the present invention is a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped refrigerator that forms a storage compartment, and is characterized in that it comprises a main body member having a rectangular opening on its front surface, and a plurality of insulating panels attached to each surface of the main body member, and at least two sides of the main body member that form the opening are integrally joined to sides of the insulating panels via a joining structure.

[0008] With this configuration, at least two of the multiple edges that form the opening of the main body member, which are most likely to become distorted when the door is opened and closed, are reinforced by being integrally joined to the edges of the insulation panel, thereby effectively increasing the rigidity of the insulation panel while still ensuring its insulation properties.

[0009] A specific embodiment of the joining structure is one that has a first hook portion provided on the edge of the insulation panel, a second hook portion provided on the edge of the main body member that forms the opening, and a plate-shaped member having an approximately U-shaped cross-section, and is configured to integrally join the edge of the main body member and the edge of the insulation panel by embracing the first hook portion and the second hook portion with the inward surface of the plate-shaped member. In this embodiment, the first hooks provided on the sides of the insulation panel and the second hooks provided on the sides of the opening of the main body member are integrally embraced by the U-shaped plate member, so that the insulation panel can be firmly joined to the opening of the main body member, thereby further increasing rigidity. In this case, if the plate member is made of steel plate, the rigidity can be further increased.

[0010] In the refrigerator, it is preferable that the first hook portion is provided along a side portion of the insulation panel, and the second hook portion is provided along a side portion of the main body member that forms the opening. In this way, the heat insulating panel can be joined along the sides of the opening, making the reinforced portion longer, thereby further increasing rigidity.

[0011] It is preferable that the refrigerator further includes a heat source embraced by the inward surface of the plate-like member together with the first and second hook portions. A specific example of the heat source is a heat radiation pipe extending along a side of the opening. When the plate-like members of the joining structure are made of steel plates, if the steel plates are brought close to the storage chamber, the temperature of the steel plates may drop and condensation may form on the surface. Therefore, if the inward surface of the steel plate is configured to embrace the first hook portion, the second hook portion, and the heat source, the temperature drop of the steel plate can be suppressed, and condensation can be suppressed.

[0012] It is preferable that the refrigerator has a reinforcing plate joined to the remaining edge portion of the main body portion that forms the opening, and the plate-like members of the joining structure and the reinforcing plate are connected to each other to form a ring-shaped skeleton. In this way, the entire opening is reinforced by a plurality of plates forming the annular framework, thereby dramatically improving rigidity.

[0013] In the refrigerator, it is preferable that one or more notches are provided on the side of the heat insulating panel. In this way, by providing the cutout portion, the path along which heat travels becomes longer, and the amount of heat transferred from outside the refrigerator to the storage compartment can be reduced. In this case, by providing the cutout portion on the edge of the heat insulating panel on the inside of the refrigerator, the amount of heat transferred from outside the refrigerator to the storage compartment can be more effectively reduced. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention configured in this manner, in a refrigerator constructed using a plurality of individual insulating panels, it is possible to increase rigidity while ensuring thermal insulation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the assembled structure of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a structure of the refrigerator before assembly in the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a heat insulating panel in the same embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a joining structure in the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the periphery of a side portion of the heat insulating panel in the embodiment. [Figure 6] 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating the configuration of a plate-shaped member according to the embodiment; [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a joining structure at a corner of an opening in the embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cutout portion formed in the heat insulating panel of the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a joint structure according to another embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a joint structure according to another embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a joint structure according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] A refrigerator 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0017] 1 and 2, the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment is a modular type configured by attaching a plurality of pre-modularized insulation panels 2 to the outer surface of a main body member 1 that forms a storage compartment S. Specifically, this refrigerator 100 includes a box-shaped main body member 1 that forms one or more storage compartments S, a plurality of insulation panels 2 attached to each surface of the main body member 1, and a plurality of exterior panels 3 that cover each insulation panel 2.

[0018] The main body member 1 is made of resin and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a rectangular opening 1x on its front surface. This opening 1x is formed by the front edges of each of the four surfaces (i.e., both left and right side surfaces, top surface, and bottom surface) adjacent to the front surface of the main body member 1.

[0019] The heat insulating panels 2 have heat insulating properties and are filled with heat insulating material 21 made of a low thermal conductivity material such as urethane or vacuum insulation material (VIP), and a plurality of panels are prepared in advance to fit the shapes and sizes of each surface (specifically, both left and right side surfaces, top surface, back surface, and bottom surface) of the main body member 1. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, the heat insulating panels 2 are made up of a substantially plate-shaped heat insulating material 21 and two substantially plate-shaped cases (an inner case 22 and an outer case 23) that sandwich the heat insulating material 21 from both sides in the thickness direction, and are attached one by one to cover each surface of the main body member 1 without any gaps, with the inner case 22 facing the storage chamber S.

[0020] The exterior panels 3 are plate-shaped and are attached to each surface of the main body member 1, covering each of the heat insulating panels 2 so that they are not exposed.

[0021] In this refrigerator 100, at least two sides that form the opening 1x of the main body member 1 are integrally joined to sides (specifically, front sides) of the heat insulating panel 2 via a joining structure 4. In this embodiment, the sides on both the left and right side surfaces that form the opening 1x of the main body member 1 are integrally joined to the sides of the heat insulating panel 2.

[0022] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, this joining structure 4 has a first hook portion 42 provided on a side portion (front side portion) of the insulation panel 2, a second hook portion 43 provided on a side portion (front side portion) of the main body member 1 that forms the opening 1x, and a plate-like member 41 having a substantially U-shaped cross section. The joining structure 4 is configured so that the inward surface of the plate-like member 41 embraces the first hook portion 42 and the second hook portion 43, thereby integrally joining the side portion of the main body member 1 and the side portion of the insulation panel 2.

[0023] 5, the first hook portions 42 are provided to protrude forward from the front edge portion (which is also the front end face) of the insulation panel 2. The first hook portions 42 have an elongated shape extending in the vertical direction along the front edge portion, and are connected to the front side surface of the insulation panel 2 via bridging portions 42a provided intermittently along the front edge portion. In this embodiment, the first hook portions 42 and the bridging portions 42a are integrally connected to the outer case 23, and more specifically, are part of the outer case 23.

[0024] The second hook portions 43 are provided so as to protrude outward (specifically, toward the side where the heat insulating panel 2 is attached) in a front view from the front edge portions of the main body member 1 that form the opening 1x. The second hook portions 43 have an elongated shape that extends in the vertical direction along the front edge portions, and are part of the main body member 1 in this embodiment.

[0025] The first hook portion 42 and the second hook portion 43 are formed so as to overlap each other in the front-rear direction on each front edge portion that forms the opening 1x, and are formed so as to be in surface contact with each other.

[0026] The plate-shaped member 41 is a steel plate having at least a portion thereof with a substantially U-shaped cross section, and in this embodiment, is a U-shaped steel plate formed by bending the plate-shaped member 41 so that the entire plate-shaped member 41 has a U-shaped cross section. The plate-shaped member 41 is arranged so that the opposing inward surfaces sandwich the first hook portion 42 and the second hook portion 43 from the overlapping direction (here, the front-rear direction). The length between the opposing inward surfaces of the plate-shaped member 41 is substantially the same as the total length of the first hook portion 42 and the second hook portion 43 in the overlapping direction.

[0027] 6, notches 41c are provided intermittently along the longitudinal direction (here, the vertical direction) of the plate-like member 41. These notches 41c are formed at positions and with sizes corresponding to bridging portions 42a provided on the front edge of the insulation panel 2, so that a piece of the plate-like member 41 can be inserted between the insulation panel 2 and the first hook portion 42.

[0028] In the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, reinforcing plates 5, 6 made of steel plates are joined to the front edges of the upper and lower insulating panels 2, respectively. These reinforcing plates 5, 6 have surfaces extending along at least the front edges, and are joined directly or indirectly to the edges that form the opening 1x of the main body member 1. In this embodiment, two plate-like members 41 that join the edges on both the left and right side surfaces that form the opening 1x of the main body member 1, and two reinforcing plates 5, 6 that join the edges on the upper and lower surfaces are connected to each other via fastening mechanisms such as bolts to form a ring-shaped framework.

[0029] Furthermore, the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment is provided with a heat source 7 for preventing condensation near the joint structure 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the heat source 7 of this embodiment is embraced by the inward surface of the plate-like member 41 together with the first hook portion 42 and the second hook portion 43. This heat source 7 is for preventing condensation, and specifically, is a heat dissipation pipe extending along the side portions that form the opening 1x. In this embodiment, the heat source 7 is disposed near each side portion that forms the opening 1x.

[0030] Furthermore, in the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, one or more cutouts 24 for blocking heat transfer paths from the outside are provided on each side of the insulating panel 2 attached to the surface adjacent to the front of the main body member 1. These cutouts 24 are formed by cutting out a corner of the inner case 22 or the outer case 23 of the insulating panel 2, and are provided on the side of each insulating panel 2 facing the storage compartment S. Similarly, cutouts 24 are also provided on the side of the insulating panel 2 attached to the back of the main body member 1.

[0031] According to the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment configured in this manner, at least two of the multiple sides forming the opening 1x of the main body member 1, which are most likely to be distorted when the door is opened and closed, are reinforced by being integrally joined to the sides of the insulating panel 2, thereby effectively increasing the rigidity of the insulating panel 2 while ensuring its thermal insulation properties.

[0032] Furthermore, by integrally holding the first hook portions 42 provided on the sides of the insulation panel 2 and the second hook portions 43 provided on the sides of the opening 1x of the main body member 1 with a U-shaped plate-like member 41 made of steel plate, the insulation panel 2 can be firmly joined at the opening 1x of the main body member 1, thereby further increasing rigidity. Moreover, the plate-like members 41 provided on the side surfaces of the opening 1x and the reinforcing plates 5, 6 provided on the upper and lower surfaces are connected to each other to form a ring-shaped framework, which reinforces the entire opening 1x and dramatically improves rigidity.

[0033] Moreover, if the inward surface of the steel plate embraces the first hook portion 42, the second hook portion 43, and the heat source 7, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the steel plate from decreasing and prevent condensation.

[0034] Furthermore, by providing cutouts 24 on the sides of the heat insulating panel 2 to form gap areas with low heat transfer coefficients, the amount of heat transferred from outside the refrigerator 100 to the storage compartment S can be reduced.

[0035] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0036] For example, in the above embodiment, the edges on both the left and right side surfaces that form the opening 1x of the main body member 1 are integrally joined to the edges of the insulating panel 2 via the joining structure 4, but this is not limited to this. In other embodiments, of the multiple edges that form the opening 1x of the main body member 1, regardless of the edges on both the left and right side surfaces, the other two edges may be integrally joined to the edges of the insulating panel 2. For example, the edges on the upper surface and the lower surface that form the opening 1x of the main body member 1 may be integrally joined to the edges of the insulating panel 2, or the edges on one side surface and the upper surface that form the opening 1x may be integrally joined to the edges of the insulating panel 2. Without being limited to this, three or more edges that form the opening 1x of the main body member 1 may be joined to the edges of the insulating panel 2, or all four edges that form the opening 1x of the main body member 1 may be joined to the edges of the insulating panel 2.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the two plate-like members 41 and the two adjacent reinforcing plates 5, 6 of the joint structure 4 are connected to each other to form a ring-shaped skeleton, but this is not limiting. In other embodiments, the plate-like members 41 and the reinforcing plates 5, 6 may not be connected to each other and may not form a ring-shaped skeleton.

[0038] In addition, in the refrigerator 100 of another embodiment, the heat source 7 provided near the joint structure 4 does not have to be configured by a heat dissipation pipe, and the heat source 7 itself may not be provided.

[0039] In another embodiment, the cutout portion 24 formed in the heat insulating panel 2 may be provided on the side opposite to the storage chamber S. Also, the heat insulating panel 2 does not necessarily have to have the cutout portion 24 formed therein.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the first hook portion 42 constituting the joint structure 4 is integrally connected to the outer case 23 of the heat insulating panel 2, and specifically is a part of the outer case 23, but this is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the first hook portion 42 constituting the joint structure 4 is integrally connected to the inner case 22 of the heat insulating panel 2, and may be a part of the inner case 22, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the first hook portion 42 and the second hook portion 43 are formed to overlap each other in the front-rear direction on each front edge portion that forms the opening 1x, but this is not limited to this. In other embodiments, as shown in Fig. 10, the first hook portion 42 and the second hook portion 43 may be formed to overlap each other in a direction that intersects with the front-rear direction. In this case, the plate-like member 41 may be arranged so that the opposing inward surfaces thereof sandwich the first hook portion 42 and the second hook portion 43 in a direction that intersects with the front-rear direction, such as the left-right direction or the up-down direction.

[0042] In still another embodiment, the insulating panel 2 does not have to have the insulating material 21 sandwiched between multiple cases 22, 23. In another embodiment, the insulating panel 2 may be made up of the insulating material 21 and one case that is open on one side (for example, the outside), and may be made up of the insulating material 21 and an inner case 22, for example, as shown in Figure 11. Even in this case, by connecting the first hook portion 42 to the inner case 22, the side of the main body member 1 and the side of the insulating panel 2 can be joined together via the joining structure 4.

[0043] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 100... Refrigerator 1. Main body member S...storage room 2. Insulation panel 3. Exterior panel 4...Joining structure

Claims

1. a main body member having a rectangular parallelepiped shape that forms a storage chamber and has a rectangular opening on its front surface; a plurality of insulating panels attached to each side of the body member; A refrigerator in which at least two side portions of the main body member that form the opening are integrally joined to side portions of the insulation panel via a joining structure.

2. The joining structure is A first hook portion provided on a side portion of the heat insulating panel; a second hook portion provided on a side portion of the main body member that forms the opening; a plate-like member having a substantially U-shaped cross section; The refrigerator described in claim 1, wherein the inward surface of the plate-like member embraces the first hook portion and the second hook portion, thereby integrally joining the side portion of the main body member and the side portion of the insulation panel.

3. The first hook portion is provided along a side portion of the insulation panel, The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the second hook portion is provided along a side portion of the main body member that forms the opening.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , further comprising a heat source embraced by the inward surface of the plate-like member together with the first hook portion and the second hook portion.

5. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the heat source is a heat radiation pipe extending along a side of the opening.

6. a reinforcing plate member is joined to the remaining side of the main body portion that forms the opening, The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the plate-like members of the joint structure and the reinforcing plate members are connected to each other to form a ring-shaped framework.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein one or more notches are provided on the side of the heat insulating panel.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the cutout portion is provided on a side portion of the heat insulating panel on the inside of the refrigerator.

Images