refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator which enables improvement of rigidity of a housing while inhibiting deterioration of heat insulation effect.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a housing having an outer box and an inner box; a first heat insulation material filling an internal space between the outer box and the inner box; and a second heat insulation material provided between the outer box and the inner box on a rear wall of the housing and has heat insulation performance higher than that of the first heat insulation material. A first end as seen in a width direction of the second heat insulation material is located at the inner side as seen in the width direction relative to a second end as seen in the width direction of an inner box recessed part recessed rearward on a back surface of the inner box. First ends located at both sides as seen in the width direction of the second heat insulation material are located at the inner side as seen in the width direction relative to second ends at both sides of the inner box recessed part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] There is known a refrigerator having a foam insulation material between an outer box and an inner box that constitute the refrigerator body. In such a refrigerator, in order to further enhance the insulation effect, the width direction length of the rear vacuum insulation material provided between the inner box and the outer box in the rear wall of the refrigerator body is set to be larger than the width direction length of the inner box recess formed in the inner box in the rear wall and also larger than the width direction length of the flow path forming member in the refrigerator so as to maximize the width direction length of the rear vacuum insulation material, and the width direction end of the rear vacuum insulation material is set to a size that extends to an injection port of the foam insulation material (urethane) formed in the outer box. However, by increasing the width dimension of the rear vacuum insulation material, the amount of urethane in the foam insulation material decreases, which may reduce the rigidity of the housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-53472 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of increasing the rigidity of the housing while suppressing a decrease in the heat insulating effect. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The refrigerator of the embodiment comprises a housing having an outer box and an inner box, a first insulating material filled in the internal space between the outer box and the inner box, and a second insulating material provided between the outer box and the inner box on the rear wall of the housing and having higher insulating performance than the first insulating material, wherein a first end in the width direction of the second insulating material is positioned inward in the width direction than a second end in the width direction of an inner box recess that is recessed rearward into the back surface of the inner box. The first end of the second insulating material is located more inward in the width direction than an end in the width direction of a flow path forming member that forms a flow path inside the inner box recess. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] A cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in Figure 1 taken along line F2-F2. [Diagram 3] 3 is a view taken along the line F1-F1 shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] A horizontal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in Figure 2 taken along line F3-F3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of part F4 shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. [Figure 7] An enlarged view of part F5 shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of an end portion of a vacuum heat insulating material and a flow path forming member in a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment, which corresponds to FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] 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 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, duplicate descriptions of those components may be omitted.

[0008] In this specification, left and right are defined based on the direction in which the refrigerator is viewed from a user standing in front of the refrigerator. Additionally, the side closer to the user standing in front of the refrigerator as viewed from the refrigerator is defined as the "front," and the side furthest from the user is defined as the "rear." In this specification, "width direction" means the left and right direction as defined above. In this specification, "depth direction" means the front and back direction as defined above. In this specification, "width direction" means the left and right direction as defined above. In this specification, "depth direction" means the front and back direction as defined above. "Up and down direction" means the height direction of the refrigerator.

[0009] (First embodiment) [Overall configuration of refrigerator] A refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. First, an overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described. However, the refrigerator 1 does not need to have all of the components described below, and some components may be omitted as appropriate.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a front view of refrigerator 1. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F2-F2 of refrigerator 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view taken along line F1-F1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a portion of the refrigerator taken along line F3-F3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of part F4 shown in Fig. 4.

[0011] 1, refrigerator 1 has, for example, a refrigerator body 5 and a plurality of doors 11. Refrigerator body 5 includes a housing 10. As shown in FIG. 2, housing 10 includes, for example, an inner box 10a, an outer box 10b, and a heat insulating section 53.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 2, the inner box 10a is a member that forms the inner surface of the housing 10 and is made of, for example, synthetic resin. 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. The outer box 10b is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped that forms the outer wall surface of the housing 10 except for the front surface. However, a recess for disposing the machine chamber 26 is formed on the rear side of the lower end of the outer box 10b.

[0013] The heat insulating section 53 is provided between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, and improves the heat insulating properties of the housing 10. The heat insulating section 53 includes, for example, a foam heat insulating material 10c (first heat insulating material), a plurality of vacuum heat insulating materials 30 (second heat insulating materials), and a plurality of thin heat insulating materials 40.

[0014] The foam insulation material 10c is a foamed insulation material such as urethane foam, and is filled into the internal space formed between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b. Specifically, the foam insulation material 10c is injected in a fluid liquid state into the space formed between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, and then foams to form the material.

[0015] The vacuum insulation panel 30 (VIP: Vacuum Insulation Panel) has a higher degree of insulation than the foam insulation panel 10c. Each of the vacuum insulation panels 30 has, for example, a core material having a gap therein and an outer packaging material forming a bag that seals and contains the core material under a reduced pressure compared to atmospheric pressure. The core material is, for example, a fiber material such as glass wool, or a porous material such as a foam. The vacuum insulation panels 30 are arranged in the internal space formed between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b.

[0016] The thin thermal insulation materials 40 each include, for example, aerogel, xerogel, or cryogel, and are formed in a sheet shape having flexibility. Each thin thermal insulation material 40 is deformed to conform to the inner surface shape of the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, and is attached along the inner surface of the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, respectively.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, 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 (see FIG. 2). The left side wall 23, the right side wall 24, and the rear wall 25 extend vertically. The rear wall 25 connects the rear ends of the left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 to each other. The left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 rise upward from the left and right ends of the lower wall 22 and connect to the left and right ends of the upper wall 21. The upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 face each other in the vertical direction and extend approximately horizontally. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear wall 25 rises upward from the rear end of the lower wall 22 and connects to the rear end of the upper wall 21.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, a plurality of storage compartments 27 are formed inside the housing 10. The plurality of storage compartments 27 include, for example, a refrigerator compartment 27A, a vegetable compartment 27B, an ice making compartment 27C (see Fig. 1), a small freezer compartment 27D, and a main freezer compartment 27E. In this embodiment, the refrigerator compartment 27A is arranged at the top, the vegetable compartment 27B is arranged below the refrigerator compartment 27A, the ice making compartment 27C and the small freezer compartment 27D are arranged below the vegetable compartment 27B, and the main freezer compartment 27E is arranged below the ice making compartment 27C and the small freezer compartment 27D.

[0019] However, the arrangement of the multiple storage compartments 27 is not limited to the above example, and for example, the arrangement of the vegetable compartment 27B and the main freezer compartment 27E may be reversed. The housing 10 has an opening on the front side of each storage compartment 27 that allows food to be put in and taken out of each storage compartment 27.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2, 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 are substantially horizontal. The first partition 28 is located between the refrigerator compartment 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B, and separates the refrigerator compartment 27A from the vegetable compartment 27B. The first partition 28 forms the bottom wall of the refrigerator compartment 27A and forms the ceiling wall of the vegetable compartment 27B.

[0021] Second partition 29 is located between vegetable compartment 27B and ice-making compartment 27C (see FIG. 1) and small freezer compartment 27D, and separates vegetable compartment 27B from ice-making compartment 27C (see FIG. 1) and small freezer compartment 27D. Second partition 29 forms the bottom wall of vegetable compartment 27B and also forms the ceiling wall of ice-making compartment 27C (see FIG. 1) and small freezer compartment 27D.

[0022] 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-making compartment door 11C, a small freezer compartment door 11D, and a main freezer compartment door 11E. The left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab close the opening of refrigerator compartment 27A. The vegetable compartment door 11B closes the opening of vegetable compartment 27B. The ice-making compartment door 11C closes the opening of ice-making compartment 27C. The small freezer compartment door 11D closes the opening of small freezer compartment 27D. The main freezer compartment door 11E closes the opening of main freezer compartment 27E. The left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab, which are provided adjacent to each other on the left and right, are a pair of doors that open like double doors. Vegetable compartment door 11B, ice compartment door 11C (see FIG. 1), small freezer compartment door 11D, and main freezer compartment door 11E are, for example, drawer-type doors.

[0023] Each of the doors 11 includes an appropriate insulating material therein. The appropriate insulating material may include at least one of the foam insulating material 10c, the thin insulating material 40, and the vacuum insulating material 30 described above. For example, when the vacuum insulating material 30 is included, the position of the vacuum insulating material 30 in the front view and thickness direction of each door 11 is not particularly limited.

[0024] Various members that form refrigerator body 5 together with housing 10 are arranged on the rear side (rear wall 25) of housing 10. Examples of the members that form refrigerator body 5 include pipes through which the refrigerant circulates, flow path forming member 14, cooling unit 15, cooling fan 16, and control board 17. In the refrigerator body 5, a machine room 26 in which, for example, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporating dish, etc. are arranged is provided at the lower part on the rear side of the housing 10.

[0025] Cooling unit 15A is disposed behind refrigerator compartment 27A, and cools refrigerator compartment 27A and vegetable compartment 27B. Cooling unit 15B is disposed behind main freezing compartment 27E, and cools ice making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E. The flow path forming member 14A forms a flow path through which the cold air supplied from the cooling unit 15A flows to the refrigerator compartment 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B. 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.

[0026] Cooling fan 16A blows the cold air formed by cooling unit 15A through a flow path surrounded by flow path forming member 14A, forming a flow of cold air that circulates inside vegetable compartment 27B and refrigerator compartment 27A. Cooling fan 16B blows the cold air formed by cooling unit 15B through a flow path surrounded by flow path forming member 14B, forming a flow of cold air that circulates inside ice making compartment 27C, small freezer compartment 27D, and main freezer compartment 27E.

[0027] The control board 17 performs overall control of the refrigerator 1. For example, the control board 17 controls the operations of the cooling units 15A, 15B, the cooling fans 16A, 16B, the compressor, etc., based on the detection results of temperature sensors 110 (see FIG. 3) provided in the multiple storage compartments 27. The control board 17 is preferably placed in a location that can avoid moisture. In this embodiment, the control board 17 is placed on the rear outer box 10b above the refrigeration compartment 27A.

[0028] [Thermal insulation structure of the left and right side walls of the housing 10] Next, we will explain the thermal insulation structure of the left and right side walls 23, 24 and the rear wall 25 of the refrigerator 1. Note that the thermal insulation structure of the top wall 21 and bottom wall 22 of the refrigerator 1 is almost the same as that of the side walls 23, 24 described below, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 4, the left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 of the housing 10 include the inner wall surfaces 23a, 24a of the inner box 10a and the inner wall surfaces 23b, 24b of the outer box 10b. The inner wall surfaces 23a, 24a of the inner box 10a are inclined in a direction away from each other in the width direction toward the tip side. Therefore, the left-right width of the storage chamber 27 formed inside the inner box 10a is slightly wider on the opening side than on the back side.

[0030] The left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 have the same heat insulating structure. As shown in FIG. 4, three vacuum insulation materials 30 are arranged vertically between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b that constitute the left side wall 23 of the housing 10. These vacuum insulation materials 30 cover almost the entire inner wall surface 23b of the left side wall 23. The outer shape and the number of the vacuum insulation materials 30 are not particularly limited as long as they can cover almost the entire inner wall surface 23b of the left side wall 23.

[0031] The vacuum insulation material 30 has a rectangular shape in side view from the right side of the refrigerator 1. The vacuum insulation material 30 is fixed onto the left inner wall surface 23b of the left side wall 23 with its outer contour extending in the depth direction and the up-down direction. The length of the vacuum insulation material 30 in the depth direction is slightly shorter than the length of the inner wall surface 23b in the depth direction. Two sheets of the vacuum insulation material 30 are arranged adjacent to each other in the up-down direction.

[0032] In the left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24, the foam insulation material 10c is filled almost without gaps in each internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, except for the vacuum insulation material 30. This provides the left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 with thermal insulation properties.

[0033] In this embodiment, the vacuum insulation material 30 is used, but is not limited to this. For example, aerogel, polystyrene foam, or the like may be used.

[0034] [Flow path forming member 14] The flow path forming member 14 includes both of the flow path forming members 14A and 14B described above. The flow path forming member 14 includes a resin insulating plate member 141 accommodated in the inner box recess 10A, and a metal-coated plate 142 made of a metal material that covers the entire range in the height direction and the entire range in the width direction of the outer surface 141a facing the inside of the insulating plate member 141 (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the metal-coated plate 142 is attached to the outer surface 141a of the insulating plate member 141 via a holding plate 143. Note that, in FIG. 3, the metal-coated plate 142 is arranged so as to cover the entire range in the height direction, but the metal-coated plate 142 may be arranged so as to cover at least a part of the outer surface 141a and the entire range in the width direction.

[0035] The heat insulating plate member 141 is formed in a concave shape that opens rearward when viewed from above, and the concave portion forms the flow path 14C. The heat insulating plate member 141 is formed from expanded polystyrene (EPS) or the like. The heat insulating plate member 141 includes a plate-shaped wall 141A located at the center in the width direction, and a pair of side wall portions 141B (141Ba, 141Bb) located on both the left and right sides of the plate-shaped wall 141A. The side wall portion 141Ba located on the left side when viewed from above has a greater widthwise length than the side wall portion 141Bb located on the right side. That is, the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 is provided at a position shifted to one side in the width direction (right side). The depth direction length of the flow path 14C (the height of the side wall portion 141B extending rearward from the plate-shaped wall 141A) is set to a dimension such that the flow path 14C is located inside the inner box recess 10A when the flow path forming member 14 is attached to the inner box recess 10A. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned temperature sensor 110 is embedded in the left side wall portion 141Ba, which has a large width direction length, as shown in Fig. 3. As a result, the temperature sensor 110 is outside the flow path 14C through which cool air flows, and is covered by the vacuum insulation material 34 so that the temperature sensor 110 is unlikely to pick up the temperature of the outside air.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 5, the holding plate 143 includes a thin plate body 143A covering the outer surface 141a of the heat insulating plate member 141, and support walls 143B that protrude rearward on both sides in the width direction of the plate body 143A and are disposed inside the inner box recess 10A. The heat insulating plate member 141 is supported by being sandwiched between the pair of support walls 143B. The plate body 143A protrudes on both the left and right sides in the width direction beyond the heat insulating plate member 141. These protruding portions are referred to as protruding ends 14D. The holding plate 143 is formed from a material such as polypropylene (PP).

[0037] 3, the metal-clad plate 142 is fixed by a fixing means such as an adhesive so as to cover at least a part of the outer surface 143a of the plate body 143A of the holding plate 143. Therefore, the metal-clad plate 142, together with the holding plate 143, protrudes outward from the end of the heat insulating plate member 141 on both sides in the width direction. The end 142a of the metal-clad plate 142 forms a curled portion 142b that wraps around the end 143b of the plate body 143A. The metal-clad plate 142 is made of a metal material formed by aluminum, hot stamping, plating, or the like.

[0038] [Thermal insulation structure of rear wall 25 of housing 10] As shown in Fig. 2, when viewed from the side, the rear wall 25 of the housing 10 includes inner wall surfaces 25a and 25b of the inner box 10a and an inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b. The rear wall 25 extends vertically from above to below. In the inner box 10a, the inner wall surface 25a is located behind the refrigeration chamber 27A, and the inner wall surface 25b is located behind the small freezer chamber 27D and the main freezer chamber 27E.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, when viewed from above, the inner wall surface 25a of the rear wall 25 has a first surface 25aa that is closest to the outer box 10b in the depth direction within the inner wall surface 25a, a pair of second surfaces 25ab that are located on both the left and right sides of the first surface 25aa and are further forward from the outer box 10b than the first surface 25aa, and a pair of third surfaces 25ac that connect the left and right ends of the first surface 25aa to each of the second surfaces 25ab in the depth direction.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the thin heat insulating material 10e is provided in the inner box 10a constituting the rear wall 25 so as to cover substantially the entire inner wall surface 25a. The thin heat insulating material 10e is attached by an adhesive member or the like in a deformed state along the inner wall surface 25a of the rear wall 25. In the internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b constituting the rear wall 25 of the housing 10, a discharge pipe section 44 is disposed for guiding the defrosted water generated in the cooling unit 15B to the evaporating dish 18. Therefore, the thin heat insulating material 10e is provided so as to cover the inner wall surface 25a of the inner box 10a constituting the rear wall 25, except for at least the area where the discharge pipe section 44 is disposed.

[0041] Similarly, a thin thermal insulation material 10f is attached to an inner wall surface 25c of an outer box 10b that constitutes the rear wall 25 of the housing 10. The thin thermal insulation material 10f is attached so as to cover substantially the entire inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b that constitutes the rear wall 25.

[0042] The foamed insulation material 10c is tightly filled in the internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b constituting the rear wall 25, except for the thin insulation materials 10e and 10f. This provides thermal insulation to the rear wall 25. The foamed insulation material 10c is disposed to cover the periphery of the exhaust pipe portion 44 disposed between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b constituting the rear wall 25.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 10 is formed with a plurality of injection ports 60 for injecting the liquid foam insulation material 10c before foaming into the internal space K between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a. For example, four injection ports 60 are formed in the rear wall 25 of the outer box 10b. A pair of injection ports 60a is arranged on both sides in the left-right direction and has the same height in the up-down direction. The pair of injection ports 60a is arranged on the upper end side of the rear wall 25 close to the upper wall 21. The remaining pair of injection ports 60b is also arranged on both sides in the width direction and has the same height in the up-down direction. These pairs of injection ports 60b are arranged on the lower end side of the rear wall 25 close to the lower wall 22 and are located directly below the pair of injection ports 60a.

[0044] When viewed from above, the injection ports 60 face the boundary portion 51 of the inner box 10a in the depth direction. Each injection port 60 is provided with a plurality of thin lid members 61 capable of closing the injection port 60 individually.

[0045] [Vacuum insulation material] As shown in FIG. 4, a vacuum insulation material 34 is disposed between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b that constitute the rear wall 25 of the housing 10. The vacuum insulation material 34 is provided so as to partially fill the internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b. The vacuum insulation material 34 is formed so that both end portions 34b in the left-right direction (width direction) are thinner than the thickness of the central portion 34a that fills the gap between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b. The gap between each end portion 34b and the inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b is filled with the foam insulation material 10c. The vacuum insulation material 34 is fixed to the inner wall surface 25a of the inner box 10a and the inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b by an adhesive member or the like.

[0046] In this embodiment, the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 34 is different between the center portion 34a and both left and right end portions 34b, but the thickness may be constant in the left and right direction. For example, when the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 34 is narrower than the depth dimension of the internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, the foam insulation material 10c is filled in the gap formed between the vacuum insulation material 34 and the inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b by pasting the front surface of the vacuum insulation material 34 to the inner wall surface 25a of the inner box 10a. Conversely, when the rear surface of the vacuum insulation material 34 is pasted to the inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b, the foam insulation material 10c is filled in the gap formed between the vacuum insulation material 34 and the inner wall surface 25a of the inner box 10a. Furthermore, when the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 34 is the same as the depth dimension of the internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, no foam insulation material 10c is filled between the vacuum insulation material 34 and the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the first end 34c on both sides in the width direction of the vacuum insulation material 34 provided on the rear wall 25 of the housing 10 is located on the inner side in the width direction of the second end 10d on both sides in the width direction of the inner box recess 10A recessed toward the rear on the back surface of the inner box 10a, and is located on the inner side in the width direction of the end 141b of the insulation plate member 141 of the flow path forming member 14. In other words, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located on the inner side in the width direction of the support wall 143B. In addition, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 overlaps in the front-rear direction with the asymmetric side wall portions 141Ba and 141Bb that form the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14.

[0048] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the widthwise length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34 is substantially constant throughout the height direction. The widthwise length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34 is shorter than the widthwise length L11 of the inner box recess 10A. The first ends 34c on both sides of the widthwise direction of the vacuum insulation material 34 are located inside the above-mentioned injection port 60 and are separated from the injection port 60. The distance between the first ends 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 and the center line of the injection port 60 is greater than the distance between the third surface 25ac of the inner wall surface 25a of the inner box 10a and the center line of the injection port 60.

[0049] Next, the operation and function of the refrigerator 1 will be described.

[0050] The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment comprises a housing 10 having an outer box 10b and an inner box 10a, a foam insulation material 10c filled in the internal space K between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a, and a vacuum insulation material 34 provided between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a on the rear wall 25 of the housing 10, and a first widthwise end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located widthwise inward of a second widthwise end 10d of an inner box recess 10A that is recessed rearward into the back surface of the inner box 10a.

[0051] In this embodiment, even if the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located inside the second end 10d of the inner box recess 10A in the width direction, the inner box recess 10A can be arranged in a range that can be sufficiently insulated in the internal space K between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a, and a thermal insulation effect equivalent to that of the conventional one can be obtained. That is, in this embodiment in which the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 of the refrigerator 1 is arranged in the inner box recess 10A, the fluid (cold air) in the flow path 14C of the vacuum insulation material 34 can be efficiently insulated.

[0052] In addition, in this embodiment, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located inside the second end 10d of the inner box recess 10A in the width direction, so the length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34 in the width direction is smaller than the length L11 of the inner box recess 10A. Therefore, the area of ​​the gap excluding the vacuum insulation material 34 in the internal space K in the rear wall 25 in a cross-sectional view can be increased. In other words, the amount of foam insulation material 10c made of foamed urethane that fills the gap in the internal space K can be increased. This can increase the rigidity of the housing 10 including the rear wall 25.

[0053] According to the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the first ends 34c located on both sides in the width direction of the vacuum insulation material 34 are located inside the second ends 10d on both sides of the inner box recess 10A in the width direction. In this case, the length L10 in the width direction of the vacuum insulation material 34 can be made shorter than the length L11 of the inner box recess 10A, compared to a case in which only the first end 34c on one side of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located inside the second end 10d on one side of the inner box recess 10A in the width direction. This makes it possible to increase the amount of foam insulation material 10c filled in the internal space K, and to increase the rigidity of the housing 10.

[0054] According to the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located on the inside in the width direction of the end in the width direction of the flow path forming member 14 that forms the flow path 14C inside the inner box recess 10A. This allows the vacuum insulation material 34 to be arranged at a position facing the flow path 14C formed in the flow path forming member 14, and the vacuum insulation material 34 can reliably insulate the cold air in the flow path 14C. Since there is no flow path 14C in the portion located on the outside in the width direction relative to the flow path 14C and the insulation effect is relatively low, for example, when the protruding end 14D of the flow path forming member 14 is made of metal (aluminum) as in this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of condensation due to the insulation of the metallic protruding end 14D.

[0055] In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the entire outer surface of the flow path forming member 14 on the side of the internal space K is covered with a metal material. When the protruding end 14D of the flow path forming member 14 is made of metal, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of condensation due to the thermal insulation of the metallic protruding end 14D as described above.

[0056] According to the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the flow path forming member 14 has a resin insulating plate member 141 accommodated in the inner box recess 10A, and a metal covering plate 142 made of a metal material covering the outer surface of the insulating plate member 141 facing the internal space K side. The metal covering plate 142 is provided to protrude from the insulating plate member 141 on both sides in the width direction, and the first end 34c of the vacuum insulating material 34 is located inside the outer end of the insulating plate member 141 in the width direction. This allows the insulating plate member 141 to be disposed in an area where it can be sufficiently insulated by the vacuum insulating material 34. This allows the insulating effect of the protruding portion (corresponding to the protruding end 14D) of the metal covering plate 142 protruding outward in the width direction of the insulating plate member 141 to be reduced, and the occurrence of condensation at the protruding end 14D of the metal covering plate 142 to be suppressed.

[0057] In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the metal-clad plate 142 is made of aluminum. In this case, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located more inward in the width direction than the second end 10d of the inner box recess 10A, and the protruding end 14D of the flow path forming member 14 is made of aluminum, so that the occurrence of condensation due to the insulation of the protruding end 14D can be more reliably suppressed.

[0058] According to the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the metal cladding plate 142 has support walls 143B on both sides in the width direction, which protrude backward and are interposed inside the inner box recess 10A. The heat insulating plate member 141 is supported by being sandwiched between the pair of support walls 143B, 143B, and the first end 34c of the vacuum heat insulating material 34 is located inside the support walls 143B, 143B. This allows the heat insulating plate member 141 located inside the support walls 143B, 143B in the width direction to be disposed in an area where the vacuum heat insulating material 34 can sufficiently insulate the heat insulating plate member 141. This reduces the heat insulating effect of the protruding portion (corresponding to the protruding end 14D) of the metal cladding plate 142 protruding outward in the width direction of the support walls 143B, 143B, and suppresses the occurrence of condensation on the protruding end 14D of the metal cladding plate 142.

[0059] In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 is provided at a position shifted to one side in the width direction (right side in the left-right direction), and the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 overlaps in the front-rear direction with the asymmetric side wall portion 141B that forms the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14. In this case, even if the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 is arranged to be asymmetric as in this embodiment, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 overlaps the side wall portions 141B on both sides, so that the vacuum insulation material 34 can be arranged to cover the area of ​​the flow path 14C, and the cold air of the flow path 14C can be reliably insulated.

[0060] According to the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the outer box 10b has an injection port 60 for injecting the foamed insulation material 10c before foaming into the internal space K. As a result, since the position of the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located inside the second end 10d of the inner box recess 10A as described above, the injection port 60 for injecting the foamed insulation material 10c can be spaced farther from the vacuum insulation material 34 in the width direction. Therefore, a sufficient flow area for the foamed insulation material 10c injected from the injection port 60 can be secured, and the filling efficiency can be improved. That is, the foamed insulation material 10c can be filled more reliably without gaps in the internal space K between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a in the rear wall 25, and the decrease in rigidity of the housing 10 can be suppressed.

[0061] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can increase the rigidity of the housing while suppressing a decrease in the heat insulating effect.

[0062] Second embodiment Next, a refrigerator 1A according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. In the refrigerator 1A, a flow path forming member 14E has a shape different from that of the flow path forming member 14 of the first embodiment. That is, in the flow path forming member 14E of the second embodiment, the left and right side wall portions 141B (141Ba, 141Bb) have the same widthwise length. An end portion of the plate-shaped wall 141A is located on the outer side of the side wall portion 141B in the widthwise direction. That is, the pair of side wall portions 141Ba, 141Bb are located on the inner side in the widthwise direction compared to the first embodiment, and therefore the width dimension of the flow path 14C is also smaller.

[0063] In the refrigerator 1A of the second embodiment, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is coincident with the widthwise end 141b of the insulation plate member 141 of the flow path forming member 14E and is located widthwise further outboard than the end 141b of the side wall portion 141B.

[0064] In the second embodiment, the vacuum insulation material 34 is disposed inside the inner box recess 10A near the outer portion in the width direction of the flow path 14C or in part of this outer portion. Therefore, the vacuum insulation material 34 can provide a heat insulating effect also in this outer portion.

[0065] Third embodiment Next, refrigerator 1B according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Refrigerator 1B has a configuration in which curled portion 142b (see Fig. 5) formed on end portion 142a of metal-clad plate 142 of flow path forming member 14 of refrigerator 1 according to the above-mentioned first embodiment is omitted.

[0066] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a refrigerator 1C according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The refrigerator 1C has a configuration in which the position of the first end 34c of the vacuum heat insulating material 34 of the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment described above is changed. That is, in the refrigerator 1C, the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 is provided at a position shifted to one side in the width direction (right side in the left-right direction), and the first end 34c of the vacuum heat insulating material 34 overlaps in the front-rear direction with different overlap lengths L12, L13 in accordance with the left-right asymmetric side wall portions 141Ba, 141Bb that form the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14. Specifically, the vacuum heat insulating material 34 has an overlap length L13 of the right side wall portion 141Bb that is shorter in the width direction than an overlap length L12 of the left side wall portion 141Ba that is longer in the width direction.

[0067] In the fourth embodiment, even if the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 is arranged so as to be asymmetrical from left to right, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 overlaps with the side wall portions on both sides, so that the vacuum insulation material 34 can be arranged to cover the area of ​​the flow path 14C, and the cold air in the flow path 14C can be reliably insulated.

[0068] In addition, in this embodiment, the overlap length of the vacuum insulation material 34 is different for each of the asymmetric side wall portions, so the width dimension of the vacuum insulation material 34 can be shortened by the amount of the shift in the width direction of the flow path 14C. Therefore, the width direction length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34 can be shortened, and the amount of foam insulation material 10c filled in the internal space K can be increased, thereby improving the rigidity of the housing 10.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the overlap length of the vacuum insulation material 34 is greater on the side wall portion with a shorter widthwise length, so the longer overlap length can be set to match the overlap length of the first end portion 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 with the shorter side wall portion. This makes it possible to further shorten the widthwise length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34, making it possible to increase the amount of foam insulation material 10c filled in the internal space K, and thus to increase the rigidity of the housing 10.

[0070] Although some 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 in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0071] In the present embodiment, the refrigerator doors are described as being of a double-door type, but the vacuum insulation material of each of the above embodiments may be used in refrigerators that do not have double-door doors.

[0072] In this embodiment, the vacuum insulation material 30 (34) having a core material made of glass wool or a porous material is used as the second insulation material having higher insulation performance than the foam insulation material 10c (first insulation material), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second insulation material may be an insulation material containing aerogel, xerogel, or cryogel.

[0073] In this embodiment, the foam insulation material 10c is used as the first insulation material filled in the internal space between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a, but other insulation materials can also be used. For example, a vacuum insulation material containing aerogel, xerogel, or cryogel, as listed above as the second insulation material, may be used.

[0074] Furthermore, the number of injection ports 60 provided in the refrigerator 1 is not limited to four. For example, the number may be appropriately set depending on the capacity of the refrigerator 1, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C...refrigerator, 10...casing, 10A...inner box recess, 10a...inner box, 10b...outer box, 10c...foamed insulation material (first insulation material), 10d...second end, 14, 14E...flow path forming member, 14C...flow path, 14D...projecting end, 25...rear wall, 34...vacuum insulation material (second insulation material), 34c...first end, 60...inlet, 141...insulating plate member, 142...metal-coated plate, 143B...support wall, K...internal space

Claims

1. A housing having an outer box and an inner box; A first insulating material filled in an internal space between the outer box and the inner box; a second insulating material provided between the outer box and the inner box on a rear wall of the housing and having a higher insulating performance than the first insulating material; A first end portion in a width direction of the second insulating material is located on the inner side in the width direction of a second end portion in a width direction of an inner box recess that is recessed rearward in a back surface of the inner box, A refrigerator in which the first end of the second insulating material is located widthwise inward of the widthwise end of a flow path forming member that forms a flow path inside the inner box recess.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first ends located on both sides in the width direction of the second insulating material are located more inward in the width direction than the second ends on both sides of the inner box recess.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein an outer surface of the flow passage forming member on the inside of the inner box is covered with a metal material over at least a portion of a height direction and over an entire width direction.

4. The flow path forming member has a resin insulating plate member accommodated in the inner box recess, and a metal-coated plate made of the metal material that covers an outer surface of the insulating plate member facing the inside of the chamber, The metal-coated plate is provided so as to protrude beyond the heat-insulating plate member on both sides in the width direction, The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the first end of the second insulating material is located inside an outer end of the insulating plate member in the width direction.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the metal-clad plate is made of an aluminum material.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the first end of the second insulating material is located at the same position as an end in a width direction of the insulating plate member or at an outer side in the width direction.

7. The metal-clad plate has support walls on both sides in the width direction thereof, the support walls protruding rearward and interposed inside the inner box recess, The heat insulating plate member is supported by being sandwiched between the pair of support walls, The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the first end of the second insulating material is located inside the support wall.

8. The flow passage of the flow passage forming member is provided at a position shifted to one side in a width direction, The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the first end portion of the second insulating material overlaps in a front-rear direction with asymmetric side wall portions that form the flow path of the flow path forming member.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the second insulating material has different overlap lengths corresponding to the asymmetric side wall portions.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the overlap length of the second insulating material is greater on a side of the side wall portion that has a shorter widthwise length.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the outer box has an injection port for injecting the first insulating material into the internal space.

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