Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator improved in design.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes a housing, a door, and a door opening operation part. The housing includes a storage chamber having an opening. The door is attached so as to be able to open and close the opening. The door opening operation unit is provided on the door. The door includes a door front surface member forming a front surface of the door. The door opening operation part has a contact part exposed to the front face side from an opening part of the door front face material, and a detection part. The door front face material and the contact part include metal, and coating is applied to the front face side. The detection portion is electrically connected to an attachment portion that protrudes from the contact portion toward a rear surface side of the door, and is configured to detect a contact operation on the contact portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional refrigerator includes a door-opening operation unit provided on the door and a door-opening device that can open the door based on the detection result of the door-opening operation unit. The door-opening operation unit has, for example, a capacitance sensor that can detect a change in capacitance when a user touches the surface of the door.

[0003] In the refrigerators described above, if the door-opening operation part protrudes from the surface of the door or if the parts forming the door-opening operation part and the parts forming the door surface are made of different materials, the sense of unity between the door and the door-opening operation part may be lost, resulting in poor design. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-304077 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigerator with improved design. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A refrigerator according to an embodiment has a housing, a door, and a door-opening operation unit. The housing includes a storage compartment having an opening. The door is attached so as to be able to open and close the opening. The door-opening operation unit is provided on the door. The door has a door front member that forms the front surface of the door. The door-opening operation unit has a contact portion exposed on the front surface side from an opening in the door front member, and a detection unit. The door front member and the contact portion include metal, and the front surface side is painted. The detection unit is electrically connected to an attachment portion that protrudes from the contact portion on the rear surface side of the door, and is capable of detecting a touch operation on the contact portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F2-F2 in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a ceiling part of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a door opening operation unit of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a door opening operation unit of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a door opening operation unit of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Duplicate descriptions of those components may be omitted.

[0009] In this embodiment, the vertical direction in refrigerator 1 is defined as the "up-down direction V," the vertically upward direction as the "upper UP" in the vertical direction V, and the vertically downward direction as the "lower LO" in the vertical direction V. Furthermore, the left-right direction when viewed from a user standing in front of refrigerator 1 is defined as the "width direction W," the leftward direction as the "leftward LT" in the width direction W, and the rightward direction as the "rightward RT" in the width direction W. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction V and the width direction W is defined as the "depth direction D," the direction closer to the user standing in front of refrigerator 1 as viewed from the refrigerator 1 is defined as the "forward FR" in the depth direction D, and the direction further away from the user is defined as the "rearward RR" in the depth direction D.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F2-F2 in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the ceiling of the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment. The overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described below. Note that the refrigerator 1 does not need to have all of the configurations described below, and some of the configurations may be omitted as appropriate.

[0011] The refrigerator 1 includes, for example, a refrigerator body 5 and a plurality of doors 11.

[0012] The refrigerator body 5 includes a housing 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the housing 10 includes, for example, an inner box 10a, an outer box 10b, and a foam insulation material 10c.

[0013] The inner box 10a is a member that forms the inner surface of the housing 10, and is made of, for example, synthetic resin.

[0014] The outer box 10b is a member that forms the outer surface of the housing 10, and is made of, for example, metal. The outer box 10b is formed to be slightly larger than the inner box 10a, and is disposed outside the inner box 10a.

[0015] The outer box 10b is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped that forms the outer surface excluding the front FR (front face) of the housing 10. However, a recess is formed in the rear RR of the end (lower end) of the lower LO of the outer box 10b to form a machine chamber 26, which will be described later.

[0016] The foam insulation material 10c is a heat insulating material made of a foam such as urethane foam, and is filled between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 10 has an upper wall 21, a lower wall 22, a left side wall 23, a right side wall 24, and a rear wall 25.

[0018] The upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 extend substantially horizontally. The left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 rise upward from the left and right ends (left LT and right RT) of the lower wall 22 and are connected to the left and right ends of the upper wall 21.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the rear wall 25 stands upward UP from the rear end (rear end) of the lower wall 22 at the rear RR, and is connected to the rear end of the upper wall .

[0020] 1 and 2, a plurality of storage compartments 27 are formed inside housing 10. The plurality of storage compartments 27 include, for example, refrigerator compartment 27A, vegetable compartment 27B, ice making compartment 27C, small freezer compartment 27D, and main freezer compartment 27E.

[0021] In this embodiment, among the multiple storage compartments 27, refrigerator compartment 27A is located at the uppermost position UP (top). Vegetable compartment 27B is located below refrigerator compartment 27A at LO. Ice making compartment 27C and small freezer compartment 27D are located below vegetable compartment 27B at LO. Main freezer compartment 27E is located below ice making compartment 27C and small freezer compartment 27D at LO. Small freezer compartment 27D is located to the right RT of ice making compartment 27C.

[0022] The housing 10 has an opening at the front FR of each storage chamber 27, which allows ingredients and the like to be put in and taken out of each storage chamber 27.

[0023] The housing 10 has a first partition 28 and a second partition 29. The first partition 28 and the second partition 29 are, for example, partition walls that extend in a substantially horizontal direction.

[0024] First partition 28 is located between refrigerator compartment 27A and vegetable compartment 27B, and separates refrigerator compartment 27A from vegetable compartment 27B.

[0025] Second partition 29 is located between vegetable compartment 27B and ice making compartment 27C and small freezer compartment 27D, and separates vegetable compartment 27B from ice making compartment 27C and small freezer compartment 27D.

[0026] The temperature inside vegetable compartment 27B is maintained higher than that inside refrigerator compartment 27A. Inside vegetable compartment 27B, for example, a vegetable compartment container for storing stored items such as vegetables and a guide rail for moving the vegetable compartment container in the depth direction D are provided.

[0027] The temperatures inside ice-making compartment 27C, small freezer compartment 27D, and main freezer compartment 27E are maintained at temperatures at which stored items can be frozen. Inside ice-making compartment 27C, small freezer compartment 27D, and main freezer compartment 27E, for example, storage containers for accommodating stored items to be frozen and guide rails for moving the storage containers in the depth direction D are provided.

[0028] The openings of the storage compartments 27 are openably and closably covered by a plurality of doors 11. As shown in Fig. 1, the doors 11 include, for example, a left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa, a right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab, a vegetable compartment door 11B, an ice maker door 11C, a small freezer compartment door 11D, and a main freezer compartment door 11E.

[0029] Left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab are attached so that the opening of refrigerator compartment 27A can be opened and closed. Vegetable compartment door 11B is attached so that the opening of vegetable compartment 27B can be opened and closed. Ice making compartment door 11C is attached so that the opening of ice making compartment 27C can be opened and closed. Small freezer compartment door 11D is attached so that the opening of small freezer compartment 27D can be opened and closed. Main freezer compartment door 11E is attached so that the opening of main freezer compartment 27E can be opened and closed.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 3, the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab are supported on the casing 10 via hinges 6 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis O. The left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa is supported rotatable about a rotation axis Oa via a left-side hinge 6A provided on the left side LT of the casing 10. The right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab is supported rotatable about a rotation axis Ob via a right-side hinge 6B provided on the right side RT of the casing 10.

[0031] A revolving door that swings left and right, such as the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab, is also called, for example, a double door or a French door.

[0032] The dimensions of the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab in the width direction W may be the same or different. In the example shown in Figures 1 and 3, the dimensions of the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa in the width direction W are different, with the dimension of the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa being smaller than the dimension of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab.

[0033] 2, door containers 18A and 18B that are provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction V, and a door container 19 that is provided on the lower side LO are detachably attached to the rear side RR of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. Similarly, multiple door containers may be attached to the rear side RR of the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa.

[0034] Vegetable compartment door 11B, ice compartment door 11C, small freezer compartment door 11D and main freezer compartment door 11E are, for example, drawer-type doors.

[0035] A vegetable compartment container is connected to the rear RR surface of vegetable compartment door 11B. A storage container is connected to each rear RR surface of ice compartment door 11C, small freezer compartment door 11D, and main freezer compartment door 11E.

[0036] Each of the doors 11 contains an appropriate insulating material inside. The appropriate insulating material may include a foam insulating material similar to the foam insulating material 10c described above, a sheet insulating material, a vacuum insulating material, and the like.

[0037] At the rear RR of the housing 10, various members are arranged which, together with the housing 10, form a refrigerator body 5. Examples of members which form the refrigerator body 5 include pipes (not shown) through which a refrigerant circulates, cooling units 15A and 15B, flow path forming members 14A and 14B, and cooling fans 16A and 16B.

[0038] At the rear RR of the housing 10, at the lower LO, there is provided a machine room 26 in which, for example, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporating dish, etc. are arranged.

[0039] The cooling unit 15A is disposed behind the refrigerator compartment 27A RR, and cools the refrigerator compartment 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B.

[0040] Cooling unit 15B is disposed behind ice making compartment 27C or small freezing compartment 27D RR, and cools ice making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E.

[0041] Flow path forming member 14A forms a flow path through which cold air supplied from cooling unit 15A flows to refrigerator compartment 27A and vegetable compartment 27B.

[0042] Flow path forming member 14B forms a flow path through which cold air supplied from cooling unit 15B flows to ice making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E.

[0043] Cooling fan 16A blows the cool air formed by cooling unit 15A into the flow path surrounded by flow path forming member 14A, and forms a flow of cool air that circulates inside refrigerator compartment 27A and vegetable compartment 27B.

[0044] Cooling fan 16B blows the cold air formed by cooling unit 15B into a flow path surrounded by flow path forming member 14B, forming a flow of cold air that circulates inside ice making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E.

[0045] 2 and 3, a first power supply board 70 and a second power supply board 80 are provided in power supply board housing section 2 in the ceiling section of housing 10. Here, the ceiling section refers to the upward UP surface of top wall 21.

[0046] The power supply substrate accommodating section 2 has a rectangular container shape with an open upper side UP, and is covered from the upper side UP by a power supply substrate accommodating section lid 2A. The power supply substrate accommodating section lid 2A is detachably attached to the power supply substrate accommodating section 2.

[0047] The first power supply board 70 is a power supply board that receives power from an external commercial power supply PS via a power cord 7 and supplies power necessary for the cooling operation of the refrigerator 1 to various parts. The first power supply board 70 supplies power to, for example, the cooling units 15A and 15B and a door opening device 41 (described later).

[0048] The first power supply board 70 includes a control unit 70a configured with a computer such as a microcomputer, and the control unit 70a of the first power supply board 70 controls the refrigerator 1 as a whole.

[0049] The second power supply board 80 is connected to the first power supply board 70 via a power supply line 8, and is supplied with power from an external commercial power source PS through the first power supply board 70. The second power supply board 80 supplies power to, for example, the door opening operation unit 50, which will be described later, etc.

[0050] The second power supply board 80 may be provided with a control unit configured by a computer such as a microcomputer, and may control part or all of the refrigerator 1. Furthermore, the control unit 70a that controls the refrigerator 1 may be provided on a control board or the like other than the first power supply board 70 or the second power supply board 80.

[0051] In the space between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b of the housing 10, a wiring bundle 12 drawn from the first power supply board 70 and a wiring bundle 13 drawn from the second power supply board 80 are laid.

[0052] The wiring bundle 12 includes control lines connected to the first power supply board 70, the cooling units 15A, 15B, and the door opening device 41, and transmits control signals from the first power supply board 70 to the cooling units 15A, 15B and the door opening device 41.

[0053] The wiring bundle 13 is a power supply line that supplies power to the door opening operation unit 50, etc. The wiring bundle 12 may also include a power supply line that supplies power from the first power supply board 70 to the door opening operation unit 50, etc.

[0054] The first power supply board 70 and the second power supply board 80 do not have to be two independent power supply boards, but may be a single power supply board. Furthermore, the first power supply board 70 and the second power supply board 80 may be provided on the rear wall 25 of the housing 10.

[0055] A door opening device 41 is provided on the ceiling of the housing 10. The door opening device 41 is covered from above UP by a cover member 3 that is detachably attached to the top wall 21 of the housing 10. The door opening device 41 is a device that automatically opens the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. For example, the door opening device 41 includes a left door opening device 41A and a right door opening device 41B.

[0056] The left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B have, for example, a drive device for opening the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab, and other components such as a housing member for housing the drive device.

[0057] In this embodiment, the drive device uses a solenoid system that has, for example, a movable iron core that is pushed forward FR when an electromagnet is excited, and a cylindrical coil (not shown) arranged around the movable iron core, and moves the movable iron core arranged inside the cylindrical coil by electromagnetic force obtained by passing current through the cylindrical coil.

[0058] The left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B use the solenoid-based drive device to move the movable iron core in a straight line using electromagnetic force generated when current is passed through a cylindrical coil, thereby opening the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. Drive devices that use the solenoid system are sometimes called solenoid actuators.

[0059] With this type of drive device, the movable iron core inside the cylindrical coil moves forward with force due to electromagnetic force, thereby forcing the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa or the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab in the opening direction. Note that the power from the movable iron core is transmitted to the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa or the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab only while the movable iron core is in contact with the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa or the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab.

[0060] The left and right refrigerator compartment doors 11Aa and 11Ab open due to the pushing force of the movable iron core, and then rotate to a predetermined angle due to the inertia caused by the pushing force. As the inertia weakens, the opening speed of the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 11Aa and 11Ab slows down. In this way, the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 11Aa and 11Ab are opened to a certain extent.

[0061] The left door opening device 41A is disposed behind the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa (RR). The left door opening device 41A has a plunger 41P as the movable iron core that is pushed forward (FR) when an electromagnet is excited, and the cylindrical coil (not shown) provided around the plunger 41P.

[0062] The right door opening device 41B is disposed behind the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab (RR). The right door opening device 41B has a plunger 41P as the movable iron core that is pushed forward (FR) when an electromagnet is excited, and the cylindrical coil (not shown) provided around the plunger 41P.

[0063] The cylindrical coil is formed by tightly winding a copper wire, for example, in a spiral shape. The plunger 41P is a movable iron core disposed inside the cylindrical coil and moves linearly using electromagnetic force generated when a current flows through the cylindrical coil. The direction of the linear movement of the plunger 41P coincides with the depth direction D.

[0064] The door opening device 41 is controlled by the control unit 70a of the first power supply board 70, and pushes the plunger 41P forward FR to forcibly open the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 1, the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab have a door-opening operation unit 50 on the surface of the front FR that can detect an input operation from a user. When the door-opening operation unit 50 receives an operation from the user, the control unit 70a operates the door-opening device 41.

[0066] The door-opening operation unit 50 has a left-door-opening operation unit 50a provided on the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and a right-door-opening operation unit 50b provided on the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. The control unit 70a operates the left-door opening device 41A when an operation to the left-door-opening operation unit 50a is received, and operates the right-door-opening device 41B when an operation to the right-door-opening operation unit 50b is received.

[0067] 4, 5, and 6 are cross-sectional views showing the door-opening operation unit 50. Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are cross-sectional views taken along the vertical direction V and the depth direction D. Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an upper portion UP of the door-opening operation unit 50 shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the width direction W and the depth direction D.

[0068] The door 11 shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is a left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa or a right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab.

[0069] 4, 5, and 6 are cross-sectional views of the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa or the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab when closed. Here, in the closed left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa or right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab, the depth direction D is also referred to as the "thickness direction," the front FR as the "front side," and the rear RR as the "rear side."

[0070] The door-opening operation unit 50 includes a contact unit 51, a main body 52, a detection unit 53, and a fixing device 54. Note that in the door-opening operation unit 50 shown in Figure 6, components other than the contact unit 51 are omitted.

[0071] The door opening operation unit 50 is provided in the opening 11h of the door front member 111. The door front member 111 is a member that forms the front surface of the door 11, and is, for example, a plate-like member that extends in the vertical direction V and the width direction W.

[0072] The door front member 111 is made of metal. A front surface 11s of the door front member 111 is painted. The opening 11h is an opening that penetrates the door front member 111 in the thickness direction.

[0073] The contact portion 51 is a plate-like member that is exposed to the front side from the opening 11h of the door front member 111 and forms approximately the same surface as the door front member 111 inside the opening 11h of the door front member 111.

[0074] The contact portion 51 is made of metal. A front surface 51s of the contact portion 51 is painted.

[0075] A unified paint is applied to the front surface 11s of the door front surface material 111 and the front surface 51s of the contact portion 51. The unified paint refers to paints that are the same or similar in color and texture, for example.

[0076] The front surface 11s of the door front member 111 and the front surface 51s of the contact portion 51 are painted to have a sense of unity, so that the refrigerator 1 has an excellent design.

[0077] The main body 52 is provided on the rear side of the contact portion 51. The main body 52 is, for example, a plate-like member that fits along the rear surface of the contact portion 51, and is made of resin.

[0078] The detection unit 53 is a sensor that is electrically connected to the contact unit 51 and can detect a contact operation (touch operation) on the contact unit 51. In this embodiment, the detection unit 53 is a capacitance sensor.

[0079] The detection unit 53 uses the electrically connected contact unit 51 as an electrode (touch electrode) and is capable of detecting a change in capacitance at the contact unit 51. When a user touches the contact unit 51 with a finger or the like and a touch operation is input to the contact unit 51, the detection unit 53 detects this touch operation.

[0080] The detection unit 53 is connected via wiring to the first power supply board 70 or the second power supply board 80. The control unit 70a controls the door opening device 41 based on the contact operation detected by the detection unit 53, and opens the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa or the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab.

[0081] The detecting portion 53 is connected to the attachment portion 510 of the contact portion 51. Specifically, the detecting portion 53 is connected to the attachment portion 510 by fixing an attachment portion 53a of the detecting portion 53 to the attachment portion 510 with a fixing device 54. The attachment portion 53a is made of metal.

[0082] The attachment portion 510 is a portion that protrudes rearward from the contact portion 51. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the attachment portion 510 is formed by bending a member that forms the front surface 51s of the contact portion 51 rearward.

[0083] The mounting portion 510 has a mounting main body portion 51a and an extension portion 51b.

[0084] The mounting body 51a is a plate-like portion extending rearward from the contact portion 51. As shown in Fig. 5, the mounting body 51a has a mounting hole 51h formed therein, which penetrates the mounting body 51a.

[0085] 5, the mounting hole 51h penetrates the mounting main body 51a in the direction in which the axis O1 of the mounting hole 51h extends (penetration direction). The penetration direction in which the mounting hole 51h penetrates the mounting main body 51a is a direction along the door front surface material 111.

[0086] In this embodiment, the axis O1 extends in the vertical direction V, but the direction in which the axis O1 extends is not limited to this.

[0087] The extension 51b is a cylindrical portion that extends from the edge of the mounting hole 51h in the penetrating direction. The extension 51b is formed, for example, by subjecting the mounting body 51a to burring.

[0088] The extension portion 51b extends on the side opposite to the side where the detection portion 53 is arranged with respect to the mounting portion 510. In this embodiment, the mounted portion 53a is arranged opposite the mounting main body portion 51a in the penetration direction on the lower side LO of the mounting portion 510. The extension portion 51b extends upward UP from the edge of the mounting hole 51h.

[0089] 5, the mounting portion 53a has a mounting hole 53h formed therein, which penetrates the mounting portion 53a. The mounting hole 53h penetrates the mounting portion 53a in the direction in which the axis O1 extends (the penetration direction). The mounting hole 51h and the mounting hole 53h are arranged so as to at least partially overlap in a direction perpendicular to the penetration direction.

[0090] The fixing device 54 is provided in the mounting hole 51h and the mounting hole 53h. The fixing device 54 is, for example, a fastening member such as a screw provided so as to pass through the mounting hole 51h and the mounting hole 53h in the penetration direction.

[0091] When the fixing device 54 is a screw, a threaded portion having a screw thread is provided in the mounting hole 51h and the mounting hole 53h of the fixing device 54. In addition, a groove that can be screwed onto the threaded portion of the fixing device 54 is formed on the inner surface of the extension portion 51b.

[0092] The detecting portion 53 can be fixed to the contact portion 51 by passing the fixing device 54 through the mounting hole 53h and the mounting hole 51h from the side where the detecting portion 53 is arranged and screwing the fixing device 54 into the extending portion 51b.

[0093] Since the contact portion 51, the attached portion 53a, and the fixture 54 are made of metal, the contact portion 51 and the detection portion 53 are electrically connected via the fixture 54.

[0094] The contact portion 51 and the detection portion 53 are electrically connected, so that the detection portion 53 can detect a change in the capacitance of the contact portion 51.

[0095] 5 and 6, a gap S is provided between the contact portion 51 provided at the opening 11h of the door front surface material 111 and the door front surface material 111. Therefore, the contact portion 51 and the door front surface material 111 are not electrically connected.

[0096] 6, the contact portion 51 has a contact bent portion 51f that bends from the periphery of the contact portion 51 toward the rear side. The contact bent portion 51f may be provided on at least a part of the periphery of the contact portion 51, for example, on the left side LT and the right side RT of the contact portion 51. The contact bent portion 51f may also be provided on the upper side UP and the lower side LO of the contact portion 51.

[0097] The door front surface material 111 has a door bent portion 11f that bends rearward from the edge of the opening 11h.

[0098] The gap S is formed between the contact bending portion 51f and the door bending portion 11f. The contact bending portion 51f and the door bending portion 11f are provided facing each other in a direction along the front surface 51s of the contact portion 51.

[0099] In the following description, the direction along the front surface 51s of the contact portion 51 is also referred to as the “surface direction.” The surface direction is, for example, a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction described above.

[0100] 6, the tip of the contact bending portion 51f is bent in a direction away from the door bending portion 11f in the surface direction, and has a substantially U-shaped cross section. The contact bending portion 51f may not have a substantially U-shaped cross section and may extend straight toward the rear side.

[0101] Here, the area of ​​the facing region 51r of the contact bending portion 51f facing the door bending portion 11f is 100 mm 2 Over 500mm 2 The area of ​​the facing region 51r indicates the area when viewed from the above-mentioned plane direction where the contact bending portion 51f and the door bending portion 11f face each other.

[0102] The facing region 51r indicates a region of the contact bending portion 51f that is arranged to overlap with the door bending portion 11f in the thickness direction.

[0103] For example, when the tip of the door bending portion 11f is located rearward of the tip of the contact bending portion 51f, the facing region 51r indicates the entire region of the contact bending portion 51f in the thickness direction.

[0104] When the tip of the door bending portion 11f is located closer to the front side than the tip of the contact bending portion 51f, the facing region 51r indicates only the region of the contact bending portion 51f that overlaps with the door bending portion 11f in the thickness direction.

[0105] The area of ​​the facing region 51r is 100 mm 2 As a result, the side surface of contact portion 51 can be sufficiently formed by contact bent portion 51f, preventing the end face of contact portion 51 from being visible through gap S and improving the design of refrigerator 1. Furthermore, when door-opening operation unit 50 is attached to door 11, the end portion of contact portion 51 can be prevented from contacting and damaging door front surface material 111.

[0106] The door-opening operation unit 50 is attached to the door 11 by an attachment structure such as a snap-fit ​​structure. The attachment structure for attaching the door-opening operation unit 50 to the door 11 is omitted in Figures 4, 5 and 6.

[0107] For example, the door-opening operation unit 50 includes a fixing member having an attachment structure for attaching the door-opening operation unit 50 to the door 11. The fixing member is connected to the rear side of the main body 52 and has a claw that fits into an opening or the like provided in the door 11. The attachment structure for attaching the door-opening operation unit 50 to the door 11 may be provided in the main body 52.

[0108] The area of ​​the facing region 51r is 500 mm 2 If it is larger than , even if the contact portion 51 and the door front material 111 are not in contact, when the user's finger or the like comes into contact with the door front material 111, it is considered that the capacitance has changed through the air layer between the contact portion 51 and the door front material 111, and the detection portion 53 may make a false detection.

[0109] The area of ​​the opposing region 51r is 500 mm 2 By setting the following, it is possible to suppress false detection by the detection unit 53, and it is possible to stabilize the detection of the contact operation by the detection unit 53.

[0110] The thickness of the main body 52 in the thickness direction of the door 11 is preferably greater than the dimension (thickness) of the contact bent portion 51f in the thickness direction of the door 11.

[0111] By reducing the dimension of the contact bent portion 51f in the thickness direction of the door 11, the area of ​​the facing region 51r can be reduced, and false detection by the detection portion 53 can be suppressed.

[0112] By providing the main body 52, which has a plate thickness greater than the thickness of the contact bending portion 51f, on the rear side of the contact portion 51, the strength of the contact portion 51 can be improved by the main body 52, so that the thickness of the contact bending portion 51f can be made smaller while maintaining the strength of the contact portion 51.

[0113] Since the main body 52 is formed of a non-metallic material such as resin, when a user's finger or the like comes into contact with the door front material 111, the change in capacitance is not detected by the detection unit 53 through the air layer between the main body 52 and the door front material 111.

[0114] Therefore, by providing the main body 52, which has a plate thickness greater than the thickness of the contact bent portion 51f, on the rear side of the contact portion 51, false detection by the detection portion 53 can be suppressed and the strength of the contact portion 51 can be improved.

[0115] In this embodiment, the refrigerator 1 comprises a housing 10 including a storage compartment 27 having an opening, a door 11 attached so as to be able to open and close the opening of the storage compartment 27, and a door opening operation unit 50 provided on the door 11.

[0116] The door 11 has a door front member 111 that forms the front surface of the door 11. The door-opening operation unit 50 has a contact portion 51 exposed on the front side from an opening 11h of the door front member 111, and a detection portion 53. The door front member 111 and the contact portion 51 contain metal, and the front side is painted.

[0117] The detection unit 53 is electrically connected to a mounting portion 510 that protrudes from the contact portion 51 toward the rear side of the door 11, and is capable of detecting a contact operation on the contact portion 51.

[0118] According to this configuration, the paint can give a sense of unity to the front door material 111 and the contact portion 51, improving the design of the refrigerator 1. Furthermore, since the detection portion 53 is electrically connected to the attachment portion 510 that protrudes rearward from the contact portion 51, even if the front surface 51s of the contact portion 51 is painted, the contact portion 51 can be given the function as a touch electrode.

[0119] As a result, it is possible to provide a refrigerator 1 with improved design.

[0120] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, a gap S is provided between the door front surface material 111 and the contact portion 51, but a sealing member made of silicon or the like may be provided in the gap S.

[0121] At the opening 11h of the door front surface member 111, the sealing member comes into contact with, for example, the edge of the opening 11h and the periphery of the contact portion 51, thereby sealing the gap S.

[0122] By sealing the gap S with the sealing member, liquid such as water droplets adhering to the front surface 11s of the door front material 111 can be prevented from entering the inside of the door 11 through the gap S along the front surface 11s of the door front material 111.

[0123] By using the sealing member to prevent liquid from entering the interior of the door 11, it is possible to prevent malfunction of the detection unit 53 and the like due to the liquid that has entered.

[0124] Furthermore, by forming the sealing member from a material other than metal, it is possible to prevent the door front surface material 111 and the contact portion 51 from being electrically connected via the sealing member, and to prevent erroneous detection by the detection portion 53.

[0125] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, the detector 53 is disposed below the mounting portion 510 at LO, but the embodiment of the detector is not limited to this. The detector may be disposed above UP, left LT, or right RT relative to the mounting portion.

[0126] The mounted portion of the detecting portion and the mounting portion of the contacting portion have appropriate shapes that match the arrangement of the detecting portion and the mounting portion.

[0127] (Variation 3) In the above embodiment, the door-opening operation unit 50 is provided on the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab, but the embodiment of the door-opening operation unit is not limited to this.

[0128] The door opening operation unit may be provided on the vegetable compartment door, the ice compartment door, the small freezer compartment door, and the main freezer compartment door. The refrigerator may also be provided with a door opening device that can open the vegetable compartment door, the ice compartment door, the small freezer compartment door, and the main freezer compartment door.

[0129] In this case, the control unit drives the door opening device corresponding to the door opening operation unit that detected the contact operation based on the contact operation detected by the door opening operation unit provided on the vegetable compartment door, ice maker compartment door, small freezer compartment door, and main freezer compartment door, and opens the door.

[0130] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0131] 1...refrigerator, 10...casing, 11...door, 111...door front material, 11h...opening of door front material, 11f...door bending portion, 27...storage compartment, 50...door opening operation portion, 51...contact portion, 510...mounting portion, 51a...mounting main body portion, 51b...extension portion, 51h...mounting hole, 51f...contact bending portion, 51r...facing area, 52...main body portion, 53...detection portion, 54...fixing device, S...gap

Claims

1. a housing including a storage chamber having an opening; a door attached so as to be able to open and close the opening; a door opening operation unit provided on the door; Equipped with The door has a door front member that forms a front surface of the door, The door opening operation unit has a contact portion exposed to the front side through an opening in the door front member and a detection portion, The door front surface material and the contact portion include metal, and the front surface side is painted, The detection unit The contact portion is electrically connected to a mounting portion that protrudes from the contact portion toward the rear surface of the door, A touch operation on the contact portion can be detected. refrigerator.

2. The mounting portion has a plate-shaped mounting body portion extending from the contact portion to the rear surface side, and a mounting hole penetrating the mounting body portion in a penetrating direction along the door front material, the detection unit is fixed to the mounting unit by a fastener provided in the mounting hole, The contact portion and the detection portion are electrically connected via the fixing device. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

3. the mounting portion has a cylindrical extension portion extending from an edge of the mounting hole in the penetration direction, The fastener is connected to an inner surface of the extension portion. The refrigerator according to claim 2.

4. At the opening of the door front member, a gap is provided between the door front member and the contact portion, The contact portion has a contact bent portion that is bent from a peripheral edge of the contact portion toward the rear surface. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The door front member has a door bent portion that bends from the edge of the opening toward the rear surface, The area of ​​the contact bending portion facing the door bending portion is 100 mm ２ More than 500 mm ２ Below is the The refrigerator according to claim 4.

6. A sealing member made of a material other than metal is provided in the gap between the door front material and the contact portion. The refrigerator according to claim 4.

7. The door opening operation unit has a main body portion formed of a material other than metal and provided along the rear surface of the contact portion, In the thickness direction of the door, the thickness of the main body portion is greater than the thickness of the contact bending portion. The refrigerator according to claim 4.

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