refrigerator

Abstract

When bonding components together with adhesive, the aim is to suppress the occurrence of unbonded areas (gaps) between the components being bonded. [Solution] The inner box 12 is filled with foamed urethane 51 and has a mounting opening 12a formed in the inner box 12 for attaching the operation panel 30. The control panel 30 is attached to the outside of the inner box 12 and includes a control panel case 31 that houses the control board 32, and a control panel film 33 that is mounted on the control panel case 31 and covers the control board 32. An adhesive portion 31a is formed on the outer periphery of the control panel case 31 facing the inner box 12, where adhesive 40 is applied along the circumferential direction. The width W1 of the adhesive portion 31a where the start and end points 40b of the adhesive 40 are located is wider than the width W2 of the adhesive portion where the start and end points 40a and 40b are not located.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] A plurality of storage chambers with an open front are formed in the housing of the refrigerator. The opening is covered by a door that can be opened and closed. The door is composed of a door frame, a transparent plate material covering the front surface of the door frame, and an inner plate material covering the rear surface of the frame body, and the internal space is filled with a foamed heat insulating material. In front of the door frame, a flat adhesive surface portion for adhering the transparent plate material, a protruding portion on the outer peripheral side of the adhesive surface portion and protruding forward from the adhesive surface portion, and a groove portion on the outer peripheral side of the protruding portion and recessed more than the adhesive surface portion are formed.

[0003] When adhering the transparent plate material to the door frame, the adhesive is continuously applied using the nozzle of the coating device so as to draw a rectangle on the upper surface of the adhesive surface portion, and the transparent plate material is placed on the upper surface of the door frame to which the adhesive has been applied and crimped. By crimping the transparent plate material, the adhesive spreads, and the adhesive that has spread to the outside is caused to flow into the groove portion and be stored. This prevents the adhesive from flowing out to the outside. As such a technique, for example, there is Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In Patent Document 1, adhesive is continuously applied to the upper surface of the bonding area in a rectangular pattern using the nozzle of a coating device. When adhesive is applied so that the start and end points of the adhesive are in contact, the thickness of the adhesive at the contact point between the start and end points becomes thicker than in other areas. As a result, when a transparent plate material is placed on the upper surface of the door frame and pressed down, the transparent plate material may lift up at the contact point between the start and end points of the adhesive, potentially creating an unbonded area (gap) between the transparent plate material and the door frame.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a refrigerator that suppresses the occurrence of unbonded portions (gaps) between members when bonding members together with an adhesive. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a plurality of space-forming members that form a space filled with a fluid thermal insulation material, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of space-forming members is composed of a first member having an opening and a second member that adheres to the first member and covers the opening, and an adhesive portion is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the second member facing the first member, wherein the adhesive portion is characterized in that the width of the portion where the start and end of the adhesive is located is wider than the width of the portion where the start and end of the adhesive is not located. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that suppresses the occurrence of unbonded portions (gaps) between members when bonding them together with an adhesive. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is an external perspective view of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an external perspective view of the refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, with each door removed. [Figure 3]This is an exploded perspective view of the control panel 30. [Figure 4] This is a front view of the control panel case 31. [Figure 5] This is a rear view of the control panel case 31. [Figure 6] This is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a portion of the inner box 12 with the control panel case 31 glued to it. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in Figure 2. [Figure 8] This is a front view of the operation panel case 31 when it is equipped with an application guide 31f. [Figure 9] This is a front view of the operation panel case 31 when equipped with a leak suppression unit 31g. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In principle, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals in all the drawings. Furthermore, parts having the same function will not be described. It should be noted that the configurations described below are merely embodiments, and it is not intended that the embodiments of the present invention are limited to the following specific embodiments. In each of the embodiments shown below, from the perspective of a user standing in front of the refrigerator 100, the upper side will be referred to as "up," the lower side as "down," the left side as "left," the right side as "right," the user's side as "front," and the side behind the user as "rear."

[0011] Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1, the refrigerator doors 211 and 212 are shown in the open position. Figure 2 is an external perspective view of the refrigerator 100 with each door removed, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The refrigerator 100 (storage unit) is equipped with an insulated box body 1 that forms the outer casing, and openable and closable refrigerator doors 211, 212, etc., positioned on the left and right sides to cover the opening of the refrigerator compartment 21. The insulated box body 1 consists of an outer box 11 made of steel plate, an inner box 12 made of resin, and a fluid insulating material such as vacuum insulation material or foamed urethane (see Figures 6 and 7) filled between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12. In other words, the outer box 11 and the inner box 12 function as part of a plurality of space-forming members that form a space filled with the fluid insulating material. The insulated box body 1 is also open at the front, and multiple storage compartments are provided inside. In the example in Figure 1, the multiple storage compartments are, from top to bottom, the refrigerator compartment 21, the ice-making compartments 22 and upper freezer compartment 23 arranged on the left and right, the lower freezer compartment 24, and the vegetable compartment 25.

[0013] Furthermore, the refrigerator 100 is equipped with multiple doors corresponding to each storage compartment, including refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212, an ice-making compartment door 221, an upper freezer compartment door 231, a lower freezer compartment door 241, and a vegetable compartment door 251. Glass or painted steel plates are used for the decorative surfaces of the doors. The refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 are a pair of left and right French-style doors that form the refrigerator compartment 21 by closing the opening on the front side of the insulated box body 1.

[0014] The left refrigerator door 211 is rotatable around the axis of the hinge 211a at the left end. The right refrigerator door 212 is rotatable around the axis of the hinge 212a at the right end.

[0015] The refrigerator doors 211 and 212 are first doors that are installed to open and close at the opening of the insulated box 1 and define the first storage compartment (refrigerator compartment 21) within the insulated box 1. The ice-making compartment door 221, the upper freezer compartment door 231, the lower freezer compartment door 241, and the vegetable compartment door 251 are located below the first doors, are movable toward and away from the edge of the opening of the insulated box 1, and are pull-out type second doors that close the opening on the front side of the insulated box 1.

[0016] The ice-making chamber door 221, the upper freezer door 231, the lower freezer door 241, and the vegetable compartment door 251 are each pull-out doors. These pull-out doors are positioned lower in height than the refrigerator doors 211, 212. In other words, the French doors of the refrigerator doors 211, 212 are higher in height than the plurality of pull-out doors.

[0017] The refrigerator 100 includes a compressor, a radiator (condenser), a capillary tube (throttling mechanism), and a cooler (evaporator). Refrigerant circulates sequentially through the compressor, radiator, capillary tube, and cooler, and the air in each storage compartment is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing through the cooler.

[0018] An operation panel 30 is provided inside the refrigerator compartment 21. The operation panel 30 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons, and the temperature of each storage compartment is adjusted by operating the operation buttons.

[0019] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the operation panel 30. In FIG. 3, a part of the inner box 12 is shown enlarged. FIG. 4 is a front view of the operation panel case 31. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the operation panel case 31. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a part of the state where the operation panel case 31 is adhered to the inner box 12. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 2. FIG. 8 is a front view of the operation panel case 31 when provided with the application mark 31f. FIG. 9 is a front view of the operation panel case 31 when provided with the leakage prevention portion 31g.

[0020] A mounting opening 12a for attaching the operation panel 30 is formed in a part of the inner box 12. The mounting opening 12a penetrates the inner box 12 and is rectangular in shape. Furthermore, an operation panel case 31, which constitutes part of the operation panel 30, is positioned and bonded to the outer circumference of the mounting opening 12a of the inner box 12. The operation panel case 31 functions as part of a plurality of space-forming members. In other words, of the plurality of space-forming members (outer box 11, inner box 12, operation panel case 31), at least a portion is composed of a first member (inner box 12) having an opening (mounting opening 12a) and a second member (operation panel case 31) that is bonded to this first member and covers the opening.

[0021] The control panel case 31 has an adhesive portion 31a facing the outside of the inner box 12, for bonding by applying adhesive 40, and a circuit board storage portion 31b recessed outward (towards the back) from the adhesive portion 31a for housing the control board 32. The adhesive portion 31a is formed to cover the outer circumference of the circuit board storage portion 31b. In other words, the adhesive portion 31a of the control panel case 31 is formed on the outer circumference facing the inner box 12. The circuit board storage portion 31b also has a communication portion 31c for passing wiring that electrically connects the control board 32 and the control unit (not shown) of the refrigerator 100. Furthermore, an insertion hole 31d is formed in the opening of the control panel case 31 for inserting the fixing claws 33c of the control panel film 33 and fixing the control panel film 33. On the back surface of the control panel case 31, a plurality of ribs 31e are formed to reinforce the connection portion between the adhesive portion 31a and the circuit board storage portion 31b.

[0022] The control panel film 33 is mounted on the control panel case 31 and covers the control board 32. The front portion 33a of the control panel film 33 is equipped with control buttons 33b for adjusting the temperature of each storage chamber. The outer periphery of the control panel film 33 is equipped with fixing claws 33c that protrude outward.

[0023] The control panel case 31 is aligned with the mounting opening 12a of the inner box 12 and bonded to the outside of the inner box 12. Adhesive 40 is used for bonding.

[0024] When adhesive is continuously applied in an annular or rectangular shape to the upper surface of the bonding area, and the adhesive is applied so that the start and end points of the adhesive are in contact, the thickness of the adhesive at the contact point between the start and end points becomes thicker than in other areas. As a result, the members to be bonded may lift up at the contact point, potentially creating unbonded areas (gaps) between the members. Means to suppress this will be described. In this embodiment, the direction in which the adhesive 40 is applied is the circumferential direction, and the direction crossing the circumferential direction is the radial direction.

[0025] In this embodiment, when bonding the operation panel case 31 to the outside of the inner box 12, adhesive 40 is applied to the bonding portion 31a of the operation panel case 31 along the circumferential direction. To apply the adhesive 40, for example, an application device is used, and the adhesive 40 is discharged from the nozzle of the application device. The adhesive 40 is applied continuously along the circumferential direction, drawing a rectangle on the upper surface of the bonding portion 31a from the starting end 40a to the ending end 40b, and covering the outer circumference of the substrate housing portion 31b. For example, a hot melt adhesive is used as the adhesive 40.

[0026] In this embodiment, the starting end 40a and ending end 40b of the adhesive 40 are kept in a non-contact state, and the starting end 40a and ending end 40b do not overlap in the opposing direction. Furthermore, the circumferential and radial positions of the starting end 40a and ending end 40b of the adhesive 40 are offset from each other. In this embodiment, the circumferential position of the ending end 40b of the adhesive 40 extends beyond the circumferential position of the starting end 40a. However, because the ending end 40b of the adhesive 40 is positioned radially inward (on the inner circumference side) than the starting end 40a, and the radial positions of the starting end 40a and ending end 40b of the adhesive 40 are offset, the starting end 40a and ending end 40b of the adhesive 40 do not come into contact. The ending end 40b side of the adhesive 40 is positioned radially inward (on the inner circumference side) than the starting end 40a, and a separation portion S is formed between the starting end 40a and ending end 40b at a predetermined distance. The adhesive 40 is positioned such that it overlaps at a predetermined distance from its starting end 40a and at a predetermined distance from its ending end 40b when viewed radially. In other words, the adhesive portion between the inner box 12 and the control panel case 31 is designed so that there are no unadhered portions (gaps) when viewed radially.

[0027] In this embodiment, a separation section S is formed between the starting end 40a and the ending end 40b at a predetermined distance. However, the fluid insulating material filled between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12 has viscosity, and this viscosity prevents the fluid insulating material from passing through the separation section S. The separation section S is appropriately set according to the viscosity of the fluid insulating material filled between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12 to prevent the filled fluid insulating material from passing through this separation section S. In this embodiment, the separation section S is set to 0.2 mm or less when the operation panel case 31 and the inner box 12 are bonded together.

[0028] If the separation portion S is narrow, the starting end 40a and ending end 40b of the adhesive 40 may come into contact. Therefore, in this embodiment, the width W1 of the portion where the starting end 40a and ending end 40b of the adhesive 40 are located is made wider than the width W2 of the portion where the starting end 40a and ending end 40b of the adhesive 40 are not located. This ensures that when the operation panel case 31 and the inner box 12 are bonded together, an area is secured to allow the spread adhesive 40 to escape.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the operation panel case 31 is bonded to the mounting opening 12a of the inner box 12 from the outside after adhesive 40 is applied to the bonding portion 31a. Since the outer diameter of the bonding portion 31a is larger than that of the mounting opening 12a, the bonding portion 31a is bonded to the outside of the mounting opening 12a of the inner box 12 (see Figure 6). When the operation panel case 31 is pressed against the outside of the inner box 12, the adhesive 40 applied to the bonding portion 31a spreads.

[0030] After the operation panel case 31 is bonded to the inner box 12, the outer box 11 is placed on the outside of the inner box 12, and a fluid insulating material such as vacuum insulating material 50 or foamed urethane 51 is filled between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12 to form the insulated box body 1. When filling the space between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12 with fluid insulating material, foam inserts are placed inside the inner box 12 to suppress deformation of the inner box 12.

[0031] When a fluid insulating material such as foamed urethane 51 is filled between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12, the filled fluid insulating material reaches the control panel case 31, and pressure is applied to the control panel case 31 from the radially outer side to the radially inner side.

[0032] If there is an unbonded area between the inner box 12 and the control panel case 31, creating a radial gap, the fluid insulating material may pass through this unbonded area and flow into the circuit board storage section 31b of the control panel case 31.

[0033] In this embodiment, the starting end 40a and ending end 40b of the adhesive 40 are offset radially to create a non-contact state, and the starting end 40a and ending end 40b do not overlap in the opposing direction. This allows for a uniform thickness of the adhesive 40, suppressing the occurrence of radial gaps due to unbonded portions when the operation panel case 31 is bonded to the inner box 12. As a result, when the fluid heat insulating material is filled between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12, it is possible to suppress the fluid heat insulating material from flowing into the substrate storage portion 31b of the operation panel case 31. As mentioned above, the fluid heat insulating material cannot pass through the separated portion S between the starting end 40a and ending end 40b due to its viscosity.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, in this explanation, the starting end 40a of the adhesive 40 is located on the outside of the adhesive portion 31a (on the foamed urethane 51 side), and the ending end 40b is located on the inside of the adhesive portion 31a (on the substrate housing portion 31b side), but this is not limited to this. If the adhesive portion 31a of the starting end 40a is applied on the inside, the adhesive on the ending end 40b side, which is applied on the outside, is blocked by the adhesive on the starting end 40a side, which has been applied earlier and has begun to harden, thereby preventing the adhesive from leaking to the substrate housing portion 31b side.

[0035] After filling the space between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12 with foamed urethane 51, the control board 32 is inserted into the circuit board storage section 31b through the mounting opening 12a of the inner box 12 and electrically connected to a connector extending from the control unit (not shown). Then, the control board 32 is fixed in the circuit board storage section 31b.

[0036] After fixing the control board 32 to the board housing section 31b, the fixing claws 33c of the control panel film 33 are inserted into the insertion holes 31d of the control panel case 31, thereby fixing the control panel film 33 to the control panel case 31. The outer diameter of the control panel film 33 is formed to be larger than the mounting opening 12a of the inner box 12, so that the control panel film 33 is located inside the inner box 12. In other words, the outer periphery of the mounting opening 12a of the inner box 12 is sandwiched between the control panel case 31 and the control panel film 33, as shown in Figure 7. As a result, the control panel 30 is firmly fixed to the mounting opening 12a of the inner box 12.

[0037] In this embodiment, the adhesive 40 is applied to the adhesive portion 31a of the operation panel case 31 in an annular shape, but the adhesive 40 may also be applied to the outside of the inner box 12. In other words, the adhesive 40 only needs to be applied in a circumferential direction to either the opposing portion of the operation panel case 31 or the inner box.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, when applying adhesive 40 to the upper surface of the adhesive portion 31a formed on the outer circumference of the operation panel case 31, an application guide 31f may be provided to position the adhesive so that the starting end 40a and ending end 40b are not too close to each other. The application guide 31f can take any form that is visible, such as a ruled line or a raised portion.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, when applying adhesive 40 in an annular or rectangular shape continuously to the upper surface of the adhesive portion 31a formed on the outer circumference of the operation panel case 31, a leak suppression portion 31g may be provided partially or continuously to prevent the adhesive 40 from leaking to the substrate storage portion 31b. The leak suppression portion 31g may, for example, be a convex shape that protrudes from the upper surface of the adhesive portion 31a toward the inner box 12, with the top of the convex shape close to the inner box 12 to block the adhesive 40. Alternatively, it may be a concave shape that is recessed toward the outer box 11 toward the upper surface of the adhesive portion 31a, allowing the adhesive 40 to flow into the interior of the concave shape.

[0040] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail for the purpose of explaining the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace parts of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add configurations from other embodiments to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1...Insulated box body, 11...Outer box, 12...Inner box, 12a...Mounting opening, 21...Refrigerator compartment, 22...Ice-making compartment, 23...Upper freezer compartment, 24...Lower freezer compartment, 25...Vegetable compartment, 30...Control panel, 31...Control panel case, 31a...Adhesive part, 31b...Circuit board storage part, 31c...Communication part, 31d...Insertion hole, 31e...Rib, 31f...Coating mark, 31g...Leak suppression part, 32...Control circuit board, 33...Control panel case Film, 33a...Front section, 33b...Operation button, 33c...Fixing claw, 40...Adhesive, 40a...Starting end, 40b...Ending end, 50...Vacuum insulation material, 51...Polyurethane foam, 100...Refrigerator, 211...Refrigerator door, 211a...Hinge, 212...Refrigerator door, 212a...Hinge, 221...Ice maker door, 231...Upper freezer door, 241...Lower freezer door, 251...Vegetable compartment door, S...Separation section

Claims

1. It comprises multiple space-forming members that form spaces into which a fluid insulating material is filled, Of the plurality of space-forming members, at least a portion is composed of a first member having an opening and a second member that is bonded to the first member and covers the opening. An adhesive portion is formed on the outer circumferential portion of the second member facing the first member, where adhesive is applied along the circumferential direction. The refrigerator is characterized in that the adhesive portion has a width greater in the portion where the start and end of the adhesive is located than in the portion where the start and end of the adhesive is not located.

2. It comprises multiple space-forming members that form spaces into which a fluid insulating material is filled, Of the plurality of space-forming members, at least a portion is composed of a first member having an opening and a second member that is bonded to the first member and covers the opening. Adhesive is applied to the opposing portions of the first member and the second member along the circumferential direction. A refrigerator characterized in that the starting and ending ends of the adhesive do not overlap in opposing directions.

3. In the refrigerator according to claim 2, A refrigerator characterized in that the radial positions of the starting and ending points of the adhesive are offset.

4. In the refrigerator according to claim 3, A refrigerator characterized in that the circumferential position of the end of the adhesive exceeds the circumferential position of the start of the adhesive.

5. In the refrigerator according to claim 4, A refrigerator characterized in that the end of the adhesive is located radially inward from the beginning of the adhesive.

6. In the refrigerator according to claim 2, The refrigerator is characterized in that the fluid insulating material is polyurethane foam.

7. A fluid insulating material is filled between the outer box and the inner box, The inner box is provided with a mounting opening for attaching an operation panel, The control panel comprises a control panel case that is attached to the outside of the inner box and houses the control board, and a control panel film that is mounted on the control panel case and covers the control board. The control panel case is provided with an adhesive portion facing the outside of the inner box, to which adhesive is applied along the circumferential direction. A refrigerator characterized in that the starting and ending ends of the adhesive do not overlap in opposing directions.

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