Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator capable of forming an air passage in a heat insulating partition wall and suppressing deformation or the like of an inner box.SOLUTION: In the refrigerator 10, a storage compartment includes a freezing compartment 13 which is a first storage compartment, and a vegetable compartment 14 which is a second storage compartment disposed below the freezing compartment 13. The inner box 20 includes a freezer inner box 22 and a vegetable inner box 23. A heat insulating member 40 is disposed between the freezing chamber box 22 and the vegetable chamber box 23. A return air duct 24 connected to the vegetable chamber 14 is formed inside the heat insulating member 40. A filling heat insulating member 32 is filled between a filling recessed part 42 formed by recessing a part of the heat insulating member 40 and the freezing chamber 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator in which storage compartments are insulated from each other by a substantially plate-shaped insulating material. [Background technology]

[0002] In a typical refrigerator, a storage compartment is formed inside an insulated box, and a front opening of the storage compartment is closed by an insulated door that can be opened and closed. The insulated box is composed of an outer box made of steel plate, an inner box made of synthetic resin plate placed inside the outer box, and insulating material filled between the outer box and the inner box. A cooling compartment is defined at the back of the storage compartment to cool the air sent to the storage compartment. An evaporator, a blower, and a defrost heater are disposed inside the cooling compartment. The evaporator cools the air inside the cooling compartment. The blower blows the cooled air toward each storage compartment. The defrost heater is disposed below the evaporator inside the cooling compartment and generates heat when powered on to melt frost on the evaporator. A refrigerator with such a configuration is described, for example, in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The refrigerator is also formed with a plurality of storage compartments, which are insulated from each other by insulating partition walls. For example, since the temperatures of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment are significantly different, the insulating partition walls have the same insulating structure as the insulating box. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-100798 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, there is room for improvement in the refrigerator equipped with the above-described heat-insulating partition wall.

[0006] Specifically, if a sheet of polystyrene foam or the like is used as the insulating partition wall, it is easy to form an air passage inside the insulating partition wall because polystyrene foam is an easy-to-process material. However, with such a configuration, it becomes difficult to ensure adhesion between the polystyrene foam insulating partition wall and the inner box. Therefore, during the foaming and forming process of the insulating material in the manufacturing process, the polystyrene foam insulating partition wall and the inner box may separate, which could cause localized deformation of the inner box.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a refrigerator that can form an air passage in an insulating partition wall and can prevent deformation of the inner box, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an insulated box and a storage compartment formed inside the insulated box, the insulated box including an outer box, an inner box, and an insulating section disposed between the outer box and the inner box, the storage compartment including a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment disposed below the first storage compartment, the inner box including a first inner box defining the first storage compartment and a second inner box defining the second storage compartment, the insulating section including an insulating member disposed between the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment and a filling insulating member filled between the outer box and the inner box, an air passage connecting to the storage compartment is formed inside the insulating member, and the filling insulating member is filled between the inner box and a filling recess formed by recessing a portion of the insulating member. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, by forming the air passage in the insulating member, it is possible to partially eliminate a dedicated duct member for the air passage. Furthermore, the insulating filler filled in the recessed filling portion of the insulating member functions like an adhesive to bond the insulating member to the inner box, thereby preventing deformation of the inner box during the manufacturing process and use.

[0009] In addition, in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, the air passage is an air tunnel surrounded by an air passage recess formed by recessing the lower surface of the heat insulating member and an upper surface of the second storage compartment. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, the air passage is formed by the air passage recess of the heat insulating member and the upper surface of the second storage compartment, so that the air passage can be formed with a simple configuration.

[0010] In addition, in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the filling recess is a portion formed by recessing the upper surface of the insulating member downward, the air passage is a recess formed by recessing the lower surface of the insulating member upward, and the filling recess and the air passage recess do not overlap when the insulating member is viewed from above. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, since the filling recess and the air passage recess do not overlap, filling pressure can be prevented from acting on the air passage recess when the filling insulating member is filled into the filling recess in the filling foaming step of the manufacturing process. Therefore, deformation of the air passage recess can be prevented during the filling foaming step.

[0011] In addition, in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, a partition wall is disposed between the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment, the heat insulating member is disposed inside the partition wall, a refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant flows is disposed at a front end of the partition wall, and the vicinity of the front end of the partition wall is filled with the insulating filling member. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, by filling the vicinity of the front end of the partition wall with the insulating filling member, each storage compartment and the refrigerant pipe can be insulated from each other. Therefore, the refrigerant pipe can effectively heat the front end of the partition wall and suppress condensation at the front end of the partition wall.

[0012] In addition, in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, the heat insulating member has an upper abutment portion that protrudes upward and abuts against the underside of the first inner box near the filling recess. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, the presence of the upper abutment portion near the filling recess can prevent the filling recess from being crushed during the filling process.

[0013] In addition, in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, the heat insulating member has a lower abutment portion configured to abut against the top surface and side surface of the second storage compartment. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, the lower abutment portion abuts against the top surface and side surface of the second storage compartment, thereby accurately defining the relative position of the heat insulating member and the second storage compartment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the refrigerator of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which an air passage is formed in the heat-insulating partition wall and deformation of the inner box, etc., can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the freezer compartment box, the heat insulating member, and the vegetable compartment box separated from each other in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the freezer compartment box, the heat insulating member, and the vegetable compartment box separated from each other and viewed from another angle in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a heat insulating member in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a heat insulating member in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from above. [Figure 6B] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a heat insulating member in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from diagonally below. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view showing a heat insulating member in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8A] 2 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing a heat insulating member and its surrounding area in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8B]FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of a heat insulating member and its surrounding area in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] A refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the up-down direction refers to the height direction of the refrigerator 10, the left-right direction refers to the width direction of the refrigerator 10, and the front-rear direction refers to the depth direction of the refrigerator 10. In addition, when describing this embodiment, the same reference numerals are generally used for the same components, and repeated description will be omitted.

[0017] Here, an example of the first inner box recited in the claims is the freezer compartment box 22 recited in the embodiment. An example of the second inner box recited in the claims is the vegetable compartment box 23 recited in the embodiment. An example of the first storage compartment recited in the claims is the freezer compartment 13 recited in the embodiment. An example of the second storage compartment recited in the claims is the vegetable compartment 14 recited in the embodiment. An example of the air duct recited in the claims is the return air duct 24 recited in the embodiment. An example of the partition wall recited in the claims is the second partition wall 34 recited in the embodiment.

[0018] The external configuration of the refrigerator 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the refrigerator 10.

[0019] Refrigerator 10 is a device that stores food, drinking water, etc. by cooling them to a refrigeration temperature range or a freezing temperature range. Refrigerator 10 mainly comprises an insulated box body 11 and an insulated door 15. Inside insulated box body 11, storage compartments are formed, from top to bottom, as a refrigeration compartment 12, a freezer compartment 13, and a vegetable compartment 14.

[0020] The insulating door 15 includes a first insulating door 151, a second insulating door 152, a third insulating door 153, and a fourth insulating door 154. The first insulating door 151 closes the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12. The second insulating door 152 and the third insulating door 153 close the front opening of the freezer compartment 13. The fourth insulating door 154 closes the front opening of the vegetable compartment 14. The right end of the first insulating door 151 is rotatably connected to the insulating box body 11. The second insulating door 152, the third insulating door 153, and the fourth insulating door 154 are provided so as to be retractable relative to the insulating box body 11. Here, the first insulating door 151 to the fourth insulating door 154 may be rotating doors or retractable doors.

[0021] Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the refrigerator 10. Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken along the AA cross-section line in Fig. 1. The AA cross-section is a cross-section including the up-down direction and the front-rear direction.

[0022] The insulated box body 11 of the refrigerator 10 is composed of an outer box 19 made of steel plates that forms the exterior shape of the refrigerator 10, an inner box 20 made of box-shaped synthetic resin plates formed inside the outer box 19, and an insulating section 25 filled between the outer box 19 and the inner box 20. As the insulating section 25, either or a combination of urethane foam and vacuum insulation material is used. As described below, in this embodiment, the insulating section 25 is composed of a combination of a filling insulating member 32 and an insulating member 40.

[0023] The inner box 20 has, from above, a refrigerator compartment box 21, a freezer compartment box 22, and a vegetable compartment box 23. The refrigerator compartment 12 is formed inside the refrigerator compartment box 21. The freezer compartment 13 is formed inside the freezer compartment box 22. The vegetable compartment 14 is formed inside the vegetable compartment box 23.

[0024] The first compartment wall 33 is a wall-like portion disposed between the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13. The first compartment wall 33 has a filling insulating member 32 filled between the bottom surface of the refrigerator compartment box 21 and the top surface of the freezer compartment box 22. With this configuration, the first compartment wall 33 insulates the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13 from each other.

[0025] The second partition wall 34 is a wall-like portion disposed between the freezer compartment 13 and the vegetable compartment 14. The second partition wall 34 has a heat insulating member 40 disposed between the lower surface of the freezer compartment inner box 22 and the upper surface of the vegetable compartment inner box 23. With this configuration, the second partition wall 34 insulates the freezer compartment 13 from the vegetable compartment 14. The configuration of the heat insulating member 40 will be described later.

[0026] A return air passage 24 is formed inside second partition wall 34. Return air passage 24 is an air tunnel connecting vegetable compartment 14 and cooling compartment 27. The front end portion of return air passage 24 opens toward vegetable compartment 14, and the rear end portion of return air passage 24 opens toward cooling compartment 27. Air returning from vegetable compartment 14 to cooling compartment 27 circulates through return air passage 24.

[0027] The partition 35 is configured so that the second insulating door 152 and the third insulating door 153 come into contact with each other. Specifically, the lower end portion of the second insulating door 152 and the upper end portion of the third insulating door 153 come into contact with the partition 35. The partition 35 is disposed at the front end portion inside the freezer compartment 13. The partition 35 is also disposed at approximately the center in the up-down direction inside the freezer compartment 13. The partition 35 is a substantially rod-shaped member that extends from the left end to the right end portion of the freezer compartment inner box 22.

[0028] The cooling compartment 27 is a space formed behind the freezer compartment 13. The cooling compartment 27 and the freezer compartment 13 are separated by a partition plate 17 made of a resin plate. In the cooling compartment 27, from above, a blower 28, an evaporator 26, and a defrost heater 30 are arranged. The blower 28 blows air cooled inside the cooling compartment 27 to the refrigerator compartment 12, the freezer compartment 13, and the vegetable compartment 14. The defrost heater 30 is a defrosting means arranged below the evaporator 26 inside the cooling compartment 27. The defrost heater 30 is, for example, an electric heater that generates heat when electricity is applied.

[0029] A machine room 16 is defined at the rear of the bottom of the insulating box 11, and a compressor 29 and other components are housed in the machine room 16. Inside the machine room 16, an evaporator tray 18 is located adjacent to the top of the compressor 29. Defrosted water generated by melting frost on the evaporator 26 is transferred to the evaporator tray 18 via a pipe (not shown).

[0030] The evaporator 26 and the compressor 29 are connected to an expansion means and a condenser (not shown) via refrigerant pipes (not shown) to form a refrigeration cycle 37. The compressor 29 compresses low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant vapor to a high-temperature, high-pressure state. The condenser (not shown) exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outside atmosphere, thereby removing heat from the refrigerant and condensing it. The expansion means (not shown) throttles and expands the refrigerant. The evaporator 26 exchanges heat between the air inside the cooling chamber 27 and the refrigerant, thereby cooling the air inside the cooling chamber 27. The refrigerant used in the refrigeration cycle 37 is, for example, isobutane (R600a).

[0031] The air duct 111 is an air duct that extends upward from the cooling compartment 27. The air duct 111 is an air duct formed on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 12, and has multiple air outlets formed therein for blowing air into the refrigerator compartment 12. A damper 31 is interposed in the middle of the air duct 111. A control device (not shown) controls the opening and closing of the damper 31 based on the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 12. This adjusts the flow of air into the refrigerator compartment 12, and keeps the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 12 constant. The connecting air duct 112 is an air duct that connects the rear end of the bottom surface of the refrigerator compartment 12 with the vegetable compartment 14. The connecting air duct 112 is a duct that is embedded in the insulation part 25 on the rear side of the inner box 20.

[0032] The following describes the air flow when cooling each storage compartment in refrigerator 10. First, the air inside cooling compartment 27 blown by blower 28 is sent to refrigerator compartment 12 via air flow path 111. Here, if a chilled compartment is formed inside refrigerator compartment 12, air is supplied to the chilled compartment from air flow path 111. As a result, refrigerator compartment 12 is cooled to a refrigeration temperature range.

[0033] The air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment 12 is sent to the vegetable compartment 14 via the connecting air duct 112. The air that has cooled the vegetable compartment 14 is returned to the cooling compartment 27 via the return air duct 24. As a result, the vegetable compartment 14 is cooled to a refrigeration temperature range that is higher than the room temperature of the refrigerator compartment 12.

[0034] A portion of the air blown by blower 28 is also supplied to freezing compartment 13. The air that has cooled freezing compartment 13 returns to cooling compartment 27 via a return port (not shown) formed at the rear end of the bottom surface of freezing compartment 13. This causes freezing compartment 13 to be cooled to the freezing temperature range.

[0035] In this embodiment, the heat insulating section 25 is made up of a heat insulating member 40 and a filling heat insulating member 32. The heat insulating member 40 is a plate-shaped member made of, for example, polystyrene foam, and is disposed between the vegetable compartment box 23 and the freezer compartment box 22. As described above, the filling heat insulating member 32 is made of urethane foam that is injected between the outer box 19 and the inner box 20 and then foamed.

[0036] Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view from above showing freezer compartment box 22, heat insulating member 40, and vegetable compartment box 23 separated from each other. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view from below showing freezer compartment box 22, heat insulating member 40, and vegetable compartment box 23 separated from each other. Here, freezer compartment 13 is formed inside freezer compartment box 22, and vegetable compartment 14 is formed inside vegetable compartment box 23.

[0037] 3 and 4, heat insulating member 40 is disposed between freezer compartment box 22 and vegetable compartment box 23, and functions as a heat insulating member for insulating freezer compartment 13 from vegetable compartment 14.

[0038] Specifically, freezer compartment box 22 has freezer compartment upper surface 221, freezer compartment lower surface 222, freezer compartment left surface 223, freezer compartment right surface 224, and freezer compartment rear surface 225. Crisper compartment box 23 has crisper upper surface 231, crisper lower surface 232, crisper left surface 233, crisper right surface 234, and crisper rear surface 235. An opening 39 is formed by opening the front end portion of crisper upper surface 231. Multiple openings 39 are arranged along the front edge of crisper upper surface 231.

[0039] The heat insulating member 40 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the freezer compartment lower surface 222 of the freezer compartment inner box 22 and the vegetable compartment upper surface 231 of the vegetable compartment inner box 23. In other words, the heat insulating member 40 is a member that performs the heat insulating function of the second partition wall 34 shown in FIG.

[0040] 3, the heat insulating member 40 has a heat insulating main body 41. The heat insulating main body 41 is a substantially plate-shaped member made of polystyrene foam or the like. As will be described later, the return air passage 24 is formed inside the heat insulating main body 41. In other words, the heat insulating member 40 also serves as a duct member that forms the return air passage 24.

[0041] The upper surface of the heat insulating body 41 is formed with a filling recess 42, an upper contact portion 44, and a dew receiving portion 46.

[0042] The filling recess 42 is a portion of the upper surface of the insulation body 41 that is recessed downward. The filling recess 42 includes a first filling recess 421 and a second filling recess 422. The first filling recess 421 is a portion of the upper surface of the insulation body 41 that is recessed at the front left end. The second filling recess 422 is a portion of the upper surface of the insulation body 41 that is recessed at the front right end. Gaps are formed between the first filling recess 421 and the second filling recess 422 and the freezer compartment bottom surface 222 of the freezer compartment box 22. As described below, a filling insulation member 32 is filled into this gap. The filled filling insulation member 32 functions like an adhesive, firmly bonding the upper surface of the insulation member 40 to the freezer compartment bottom surface 222 of the freezer compartment box 22. This prevents deformation of the freezer compartment bottom surface 222. Freezer compartment bottom surface 222 is a sliding surface along which a storage container (not shown) slides. Therefore, by suppressing deformation of freezer compartment bottom surface 222, the storage container (not shown) can slide smoothly. In addition, freezer compartment bottom surface 222 of freezer compartment inner box 22 is also a part that is likely to catch the eye of a user using refrigerator 10. Therefore, by suppressing deformation of freezer compartment bottom surface 222, the aesthetic appeal of refrigerator 10 can be improved.

[0043] The upper abutment portion 44 is a portion of the heat insulating main body 41 that protrudes upward. The upper abutment portion 44 has a first upper abutment portion 441 and a second upper abutment portion 442. When viewed from above, the first upper abutment portion 441 is formed inside the first filled recessed portion 421, and the second upper abutment portion 442 is formed inside the second filled recessed portion 422. The first upper abutment portion 441 and the second upper abutment portion 442 protrude upward beyond the top surface of the heat insulating main body 41. The right side surface of the first upper abutment portion 441 is a curved surface that fits closely to the corner where the freezer compartment left side surface 223 and the freezer compartment bottom side surface 222 of the freezer compartment inner box 22 are connected. The left side surface of the second upper abutment portion 442 is a curved surface that fits closely to the corner where the freezer compartment right side surface 224 and the freezer compartment bottom surface 222 of the freezer compartment box 22 join. When the first and second upper abutment portions 441 and 442 abut against the freezer compartment bottom surface 222 of the freezer compartment box 22, a gap of a predetermined thickness is formed between the first and second filling recesses 421 and 422 and the freezer compartment bottom surface 222 of the freezer compartment box 22. This allows the filling insulation member 32 to be reliably filled in this gap. As described above, the filled filling insulation member 32 bonds the freezer compartment bottom surface 222 of the freezer compartment box 22 to the insulation main body 41.

[0044] The dew receiving storage section 46 is a portion formed by recessing the upper surface of the rear end of the heat insulating body 41 downward. A dew receiving section (not shown) for temporarily storing defrost water is formed in the dew receiving storage section 46.

[0045] The configuration of the lower surface of the heat insulating member 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. On the lower surface of the heat insulating main body 41, an air passage recess 43, a first rib 47, and a lower contact portion 45 are formed.

[0046] Air passage recess 43 is a portion formed by partially recessing the lower surface of heat insulating main body 41 upward. Air passage recess 43 is formed in the front portion of heat insulating main body 41. The front portion of return air passage 24 described above is formed as a gap between crisper upper surface 231 of crisper box 23 and air passage recess 43.

[0047] As described above, a plurality of openings 39 are formed at the front end of the vegetable compartment upper surface portion 231. When viewed from above, the air passage recessed portion 43 and the openings 39 overlap each other.

[0048] The first rib 47 is formed in the center of the air passage recess 43 in the left-right direction and is a portion that protrudes downward further than the air passage recess 43. The air passage recess 43 is a portion that extends in an approximately linear, elongated shape along the front-to-rear direction at approximately the center of the insulation main body 41 in the left-to-right direction. The first rib 47 abuts against the upper surface of the vegetable compartment upper surface portion 231. With this configuration, the first rib 47 supports the foaming pressure during manufacturing, preventing the gaps in the air passage recess 43 from collapsing.

[0049] The lower abutment portion 45 is a portion that protrudes downward near the left and right edges of the underside of the insulation main body 41. The lower abutment portion 45 has a first lower abutment portion 451 and a second lower abutment portion 452. The first lower abutment portion 451 is a portion that protrudes downward from the left edge of the insulation main body 41. The right side of the first lower abutment portion 451 is a curved surface that fits tightly against the corner where the crisper left side 233 and the crisper upper side 231 of the crisper box 23 join. The second lower abutment portion 452 is a portion that protrudes downward from the right edge of the insulation main body 41. The left side of the second lower abutment portion 452 is a curved surface that fits tightly against the corner where the crisper upper side 231 and the crisper right side 234 of the crisper box 23 join. This allows the positions of the insulation member 40 and the crisper box 23 to be determined in the left-right direction.

[0050] Fig. 5 is a top view showing the heat insulating member 40. In Fig. 5, the areas where the filling recessed portion 42 and the air passage recessed portion 43 are formed are colored.

[0051] As described above, the filling recess 42, i.e., the first filling recess 421 and the second filling recess 422, are formed by recessing the upper surface of the heat insulating body 41 upward. In addition, the air passage recess 43 is formed by recessing the upper surface of the heat insulating body 41 downward.

[0052] When the heat insulating member 40 is viewed from above, the filling recess 42 and the air passage recess 43 do not overlap. Specifically, the air passage recess 43 is formed in approximately the center in the left-right direction. Meanwhile, the filling recess 42 has a first filling recess 421 and a second filling recess 422 formed at both ends in the left-right direction. That is, the first filling recess 421 is formed to the left of the air passage recess 43. The second filling recess 422 is formed to the right of the air passage recess 43. This prevents a large filling pressure from acting on the air passage recess 43 when the filling insulation member 32 is filled into the filling recess 42 during the manufacturing process. This prevents deformation of the air passage recess 43 due to the filling pressure of the filling insulation member 32.

[0053] Furthermore, the width of the front end of the air passage recess 43 is made wide to increase the amount of air that flows in through the opening 39 shown in Fig. 4. On the other hand, the width of the front end of the filling recess 42 is made narrow to avoid the air passage recess 43.

[0054] Fig. 6A is an exploded perspective view of the heat insulating member 40 as seen obliquely from above. Fig. 6B is an exploded perspective view of the heat insulating member 40 as seen obliquely from below. Fig. 7 is a cutaway perspective view showing the heat insulating member 40.

[0055] 6A and 6B, a top surface recess 48 is formed by recessing a portion of the rear portion of the top surface of the insulation body 41. Inside the insulation body 41, the front end of the top surface recess 48 is connected to the rear end of the air passage recess 43. A lid-shaped portion 49 is fitted into the top surface recess 48. The lid-shaped portion 49 is made of polystyrene foam, just like the insulation body 41, and has a plate shape substantially similar to the top surface recess 48. By fitting the lid-shaped portion 49 into the top surface recess 48, a return air passage 24 is formed below the lid-shaped portion 49. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6B, a second rib 50 is formed on the underside of the lid-shaped portion 49. The second rib 50 is a portion that protrudes downward in a substantially linear manner from the underside of the lid-shaped portion 49. The second rib 50 abuts against the underside of the top surface recess 48 shown in FIG. 6A. This ensures a gap within the upper surface recess 48 where the return airflow path 24 is formed.

[0056] 7, the front portion of return air passage 24 is formed as an air tunnel between air passage recess 43 and vegetable compartment upper surface 231 shown in FIG. 4. The rear portion of return air passage 24 is formed as an air tunnel between insulating main body 41 and opening 39. In other words, the front portion of return air passage 24 is formed as part of the underside of insulating main body 41. This ensures that insulating main body 41 is sufficiently thick, and can provide good insulation between freezer compartment 13 formed above insulating main body 41 and vegetable compartment 14 formed below insulating main body 41. Meanwhile, the rear portion of return air passage 24 is formed inside insulating main body 41 in the thickness direction.

[0057] The effects of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B, while describing the cross-sectional configuration of heat insulating member 40 and its vicinity.

[0058] 8A is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of insulating member 40 and its surrounding area. As described above, freezer compartment 13 and vegetable compartment 14 are separated by second partition wall 34. Return air duct 24 is an air duct formed inside insulating member 40. The front end of return air duct 24 opens to the vegetable compartment 14 side, thereby forming opening 39. The rear end of return air duct 24 forms air outlet 38 that opens to cooling compartment 27. Return air duct 24 allows air returning from vegetable compartment 14 to cooling compartment 27 to circulate.

[0059] A refrigerant pipe 36, through which a high-temperature refrigerant flows, is disposed on the inner surface of the front portion of the second partition wall 34. The refrigerant pipe 36 heats the front portion of the second partition wall 34 and prevents condensation from forming on the front surface of the second partition wall 34. As described above, most of the second partition wall 34 is made of the insulating member 40. However, the insulating member 40 is not present near the front end of the insulating member 40, and instead is filled with a filling insulating member 32, such as urethane foam. The urethane foam that constitutes the filling insulating member 32 has better insulating properties than the polystyrene foam that constitutes the insulating member 40. Therefore, by filling the front end of the second partition wall 34 near where the refrigerant pipe 36 is disposed with the filling insulating member 32, the refrigerant pipe 36 can be effectively insulated. This prevents heat exchange between the freezer compartment 13 and the vegetable compartment 14 and the refrigerant pipe 36. As a result, the refrigerant pipe 36 effectively heats the front surface of the second partition wall 34 and prevents condensation from forming on the front surface of the second partition wall 34.

[0060] As described above, the front portion of return air passage 24 is a gap formed between crisper upper surface portion 231 and air passage recess 43. The rear portion of return air passage 24 is an air channel formed in the middle portion of heat insulating member 40 in the thickness direction.

[0061] Figure 8B is an enlarged front cross-sectional view of heat insulating member 40 and its surrounding area. Heat insulating member 40 has a filling recess 42 and an air passage recess 43 formed therein. Figure 8B is a cross section taken along the line BB in Figure 2. The BB cross section is a cross section including the up-down direction and the left-right direction.

[0062] The first filling recess 421 and the second filling recess 422 are regions where the upper surface of the heat insulating member 40 is partially recessed downward. A filling insulating member 32 made of urethane foam is filled between the lower surface of the freezer compartment box 22 and the filling recess 42. As a result, the filling insulating member 32 filled in the first filling recess 421 and the second filling recess 422 functions as an adhesive that bonds the heat insulating member 40 and the freezer compartment box 22. This strengthens the bond between the heat insulating member 40 and the freezer compartment box 22. This prevents deformation of the freezer compartment lower surface 222, etc.

[0063] The air passage recess 43 is a portion of the lower surface of the heat insulating member 40 that is partially recessed into the upper surface. The aforementioned return air passage 24 is formed as a gap between the upper surface of the crisper box 23 and the air passage recess 43. As described above, the air passage recess 43 and the filling recess 42 do not overlap, so excessive pressure is not applied to the air passage recess 43 during the foaming process. Therefore, the air passage recess 43 maintains a shape that allows it to function as the return air passage 24.

[0064] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the above-described embodiments can be combined with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10. Refrigerator 11 Insulated box 111 Air duct 112 Connection air duct 12 Refrigerator 13 Freezer 14 Vegetable compartment 15 Insulated Door 151 First Insulated Door 152 Second Insulated Door 153 Third Insulated Door 154 4th Insulated Door 16 Machine room 17 Partition board 18 Evaporating dish 19 Outer box 20 Inner box 21 Refrigerated Indoor Box 22 Freezer Indoor Box 221 Top part of freezer compartment 222 Lower part of freezer compartment 223 Freezer compartment left side 224 Freezer compartment right side 225 Rear section of freezer compartment 23 Vegetable storage box 231 Top part of vegetable compartment 232 Lower part of vegetable compartment 233 Vegetable compartment left side 234 Vegetable compartment right side 235 Vegetable compartment rear part 24 Return Air Path 25 Insulation section 26 Evaporator 27 Cooling room 28 Blower 29 Compressor 30 Defrost heater 31 Damper 32 Filling insulation material 33 First Compartment Wall 34 Second Compartment Wall 35 Compartment 36 Refrigerant pipe 37 Refrigeration Cycle 38 Air outlet 39 Opening 40 Heat insulating materials 41 Insulated main body 42 Filling recess 421 First filling recess 422 Second filling recess 43 Air passage recess 44 Upper contact part 441 1st upper contact part 442 2nd upper contact part 45 Lower contact part 451 First lower abutment 452 Second lower abutment 46 Dew tray storage section 47 First Rib 48 Top concave part 49 Cap-shaped part 50 Second Rib

Claims

1. The storage device includes a heat-insulating box and a storage chamber formed inside the heat-insulating box. The heat-insulating box body includes an outer box, an inner box, and a heat-insulating section disposed between the outer box and the inner box, The storage chamber includes a first storage chamber and a second storage chamber disposed below the first storage chamber, The inner box includes a first inner box that forms the first storage chamber and a second inner box that forms the second storage chamber, the heat insulating section includes a heat insulating member disposed between the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, and a filling heat insulating member formed by filling a space between the outer box and the inner box, An air passage connected to the storage chamber is formed inside the heat insulating member, The refrigerator is characterized in that the insulating filling member is filled between the inner box and a filling recess formed by recessing a part of the insulating member.

2. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the air passage is an air tunnel surrounded by an air passage recess formed by recessing the lower surface of the heat insulating member and an upper surface of the second storage compartment.

3. The filling recess is a portion of the upper surface of the heat insulating member that is recessed downward, the air passage is an air passage recess formed by recessing the lower surface of the heat insulating member upward, 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the filling recess and the air passage recess do not overlap when the heat insulating member is viewed from above.

4. a partition wall is disposed between the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, The heat insulating member is disposed inside the partition wall, a refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant flows is disposed at a front end of the partition wall; 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the insulating filler material is filled in the vicinity of the front end of the partition wall.

5. The heat insulating member has an upper abutment portion, The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the upper contact portion is configured to protrude upward and contact a lower surface of the first inner box in the vicinity of the filling recess.

6. The heat insulating member has a lower abutment portion, The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lower contact portion is configured to contact the upper surface and the side surface of the second storage compartment.

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