refrigerator

Abstract

To improve design of a refrigerator comprising a water supply tank.SOLUTION: A refrigerator according to the present invention comprises a water supply tank 30 for storing water to be supplied to an ice making tray 33, in a storage chamber 6. The water supply tank 30 comprises: a container body 36 comprising an opening in an upper surface; a lid body 38 for closing the upper surface of the container body 36; a front side container locking part 41 provided in a front peripheral wall of the container body 36; a front side fixing member 51 comprising a front side lid locking part 56 provided in the lid body 38, and locked in the front side container locking part 41, and an operating part 57 for receiving operation of a user, and moving the front side lid locking part 56; and a front protruding part 40 for covering the front side fixing member 51 from a front side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention is a refrigerated In the warehouse This is related to. [Background technology]

[0002] In refrigerators equipped with an automatic ice-making function, a water tank is installed in the refrigerator compartment, and water from the water tank is supplied to an ice tray to make ice. In such refrigerators, the water tank may be attached or detached in a tilted state depending on the arrangement in the refrigerator compartment, so conventionally, the lid is attached to the container body using a fixing member that compresses a sealing material provided between the container body and the lid to prevent water from leaking out from the container body (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).

[0003] Water tanks are often placed on the bottom of the refrigerator compartment, and in the case of a water tank in which the lid is attached to the container body using a fixing member as described above, the fixing member is placed in a conspicuous position inside the refrigerator. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-189193 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to improve the design of a refrigerator equipped with a water tank in which a lid is attached to a container body using a fixing member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one embodiment, a refrigerator includes: A refrigerator having a water supply tank in a storage compartment for storing water to supply to ice trays, the water supply tank comprising: a container body having an open top; a lid body closing the top of the container body; a front container locking portion provided on the front side of the container body; a front fixing member provided on the lid body and having a front lid locking portion that locks to the front container locking portion; and a front protrusion that covers the front fixing member from the front; and a rear fixing member is provided on a rear portion of the lid body and is locked to the container body by rotating it from above to below;The front protrusion includes a handle portion, and a connection portion between the front protrusion and the container body is located above the handle portion, and a portion of the front protrusion above the connection portion covers the front fixing member from the front. 、 It is something. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the main part of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. [Diagram 3] Cross section AA of Figure 2 [Figure 4] Perspective view of the water tank [Diagram 5] Perspective view of the water tank [Figure 6] Exploded perspective view of the water tank [Figure 7] Cross-section of the water tank [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a main part of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] Cross section B-B of Figure 8 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, a refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] (1) Configuration of Refrigerator 1 As shown in Fig. 1, refrigerator 1 includes refrigerator body 2 that opens at the front. Refrigerator body 2 is configured with insulation material such as vacuum insulation material or foam insulation material in insulation space 5 formed between outer box 3 made of steel plate and inner box 4 made of synthetic resin. Refrigerator body 2 has a plurality of storage spaces provided inside inner box 4, and specifically, from the top, refrigerator compartment 6 and vegetable compartment 7 are provided, below which are ice-making compartment 8 and small freezer compartment (not shown) arranged side by side on the left and right, and below these, freezer compartment 10 is provided.

[0010] The refrigerator compartment 6 and the vegetable compartment 7 are both storage compartments that are cooled to a refrigeration temperature range (for example, 1 to 4°C), and are divided into upper and lower compartments by a partition plate 11 made of synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 2, the space divided into upper and lower compartments by the partition plate 11 and the lowest shelf board 12 is divided in the refrigerator width direction by a vertical partition wall 13 arranged close to one side wall (left side wall) of the refrigerator compartment 6. A water supply tank 30 and a water supply device 31 are provided in the space (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a tank room) sandwiched between the left side wall of the refrigerator compartment 6 and the vertical partition wall 13. The water supply tank 30 is stored at a predetermined position in the front-rear direction by a positioning part (not shown) provided on the partition plate 11. A storage container 14 is stored in the space (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a chilled room) sandwiched between the vertical partition wall 13 and the other side wall (right side wall) of the refrigerator compartment 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical partition wall 13 is disposed so as to be hidden behind the front portion of the storage container 14.

[0011] Ice making compartment 8, small freezing compartment and freezing compartment 10 are all storage compartments that are cooled to a freezing temperature range (for example, -10 to -20°C). Ice making compartment 8 is equipped with ice making device 32 including ice making tray 33 and ice releasing mechanism 34, and ice storage box 9 for storing ice made by ice making device 32. Ice making device 32, together with water supply tank 30 and water supply device 31 provided in refrigerator compartment 6, constitutes an automatic ice making device, and water from water supply tank 30 drawn up by water supply device 31 is supplied to ice making tray 33.

[0012] A refrigeration cooler 20 for cooling the storage compartments for the refrigeration temperature range (refrigeration compartment 6 and vegetable compartment 7) is provided at the back of the storage compartments for the refrigeration temperature range of the refrigerator body 2. A refrigeration fan 21 for blowing the cold air generated by the refrigeration cooler 20 into the refrigeration space is provided above the refrigeration cooler 20.

[0013] A freezer cooler 22 for cooling the freezer temperature range storage compartments (ice-making compartment 8, small freezer compartment, freezer compartment 10) of the refrigerator body 2 is provided at the back of the freezer temperature range storage compartments. A freezer fan 23 for blowing the cold air generated by the freezer cooler 22 into the refrigerated space is provided above the freezer cooler 22.

[0014] The refrigeration cooler 20 and the freezer cooler 22 constitute a refrigeration cycle together with a compressor 25 and a condenser housed in a machine room 24 formed in the lower back part of the refrigerator body 2, and are cooled by the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 25.

[0015] (2) Storage Container 14 As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the storage container 14 stored in the chilled compartment sandwiched between the vertical partition wall 13 and the right side wall of the refrigerator compartment 6 comprises a pull-out upper container 70 and a lower container 71 stacked one on top of the other, and a lid body 72 rotatably attached to the front end of the lowest shelf 12.

[0016] The upper container 70 is made of a synthetic resin and has a generally rectangular planar shape with an open top surface, and has a storage space formed therein for storing food and other stored items.

[0017] A front wall 73 is provided at the front end of the upper container 70, rising upward from the bottom surface of the upper container 70 and defining the front end of the storage space. A container front portion 74 is provided in front of the front wall 73, spaced a predetermined distance apart, across the entire width of the upper container 70.

[0018] The front wall 73 is recessed rearward in the center in the width direction, forming an upper hand handle 75 with a wider front-to-rear distance from the container front part 74. The upper hand handle 75 functions as a handle for the user's fingers to be inserted from below when inserting or removing the upper container 70.

[0019] The upper end of the container front portion 74 is connected to the upper end of the front wall 73. The lower end of the container front portion 74 terminates at the same height as the bottom surface of the upper container 70 except in front of the upper hanging portion 75, and terminates above the bottom surface of the upper container 70 in front of the upper hanging portion 75. As a result, the container front portion 74 is provided with a notch 76 that opens the front of the upper hanging portion 75.

[0020] In addition, a band-shaped second emphasized portion 74a is provided across the entire width of the upper container 70 between the upper end of the container front portion 74 and the upper end of the cutout portion 76. The second emphasized portion 74a is an area that can be visually distinguished from other portions of the container front portion 74, and is, for example, an area that is made of a different material, color, pattern, material thickness, etc. This second emphasized portion 74a is preferably an area that is less transparent than other portions by coloring, surface treatment, metal deposition, etc.

[0021] An opening is formed above the container front portion 74 of the upper container 70 and between it and the underside of the shelf 12, and the opening is closed by the lid 72. As shown in Fig. 3, when the lid 72 closes the opening formed by the shelf 12 and the container front portion 74, it is preferable that the upper end of the container front portion 74 is located on an extension of the center line of the lid 72 in the thickness direction in a side view.

[0022] When such an upper container 70 is stored in the chilled compartment, it is pulled forward by sliding it along rails (not shown) while pushing up the lid body 72, and stored items such as food can be placed in and removed from the top opening of the upper container 70.

[0023] The lower container 71 is a synthetic resin container that has a generally rectangular planar shape and an opening at the top, and has a storage space formed therein for storing food and other stored items. When the lower container 71 is stored in the chilled compartment, the opening at the top is closed by the bottom of the upper container 70 provided above. The front end of the lower container 71 is formed with a lower handle portion 78 that is recessed downward and allows hands to be inserted from above.

[0024] (3) Water tank 30 4 to 7, the water supply tank 30 includes a container body 36 that opens at the top, and a lid 38 that closes the top opening of the container body 36. The water supply tank 30 stores water (ice-making water) in the container body 36 to be supplied to the ice tray 33 via the water supply device 31, and the lid 38 prevents the ice-making water from spilling out of the container body 36.

[0025] The container body 36 is a synthetic resin container having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction and in which the distance between the front peripheral wall 36a and the rear peripheral wall 36b is larger than the distance between the left and right peripheral walls. The container body 36 includes a front protruding portion 40 that is provided over substantially the entire width of the container body 36 so as to protrude forward and upward from the upper end of the front peripheral wall 36a, a front container locking portion 41 that is provided on the front peripheral wall 36a, a rear container locking portion 42 that is provided on the rear peripheral wall 36b, and a packing abutment portion 44 that protrudes outward from the periphery of the upper opening (see FIG. 6).

[0026] The front protrusion 40 comprises a tank front portion 46 spaced apart in front of the front peripheral wall 36a, and a peripheral portion 47 provided on both left and right ends of the tank front portion 46 and from the upper end to the rear, and the lower end of the peripheral portion 47 is connected to both sides of the upper end of the container body 36.

[0027] The front protrusion 40 has a tank handle 49 formed between the tank front portion 46 and the front peripheral wall 36a, which opens downward (see FIG. 7). The tank handle 49 functions as a handle for inserting the user's fingers from below when inserting or removing the water tank 30.

[0028] The tank front portion 46 constitutes the front portion of the water supply tank 30. The tank front portion 46 is inclined rearward as it goes upward, and the inclination angle is substantially the same as the inclination angle of the lid body 72 constituting the front portion of the storage container 14 and the container front portion 74 of the upper container 70, as shown in FIG.

[0029] A first emphasis portion 46a is provided at the lower end of the tank front portion 46 as a strip extending in the left-right direction and having a constant vertical dimension. The first emphasis portion 46a is an area that can be visually distinguished from other parts of the tank front portion 46, and is, for example, an area that is made of a different material, color, pattern, material thickness, etc. This first emphasis portion 46a is preferably an area that is less transparent than other parts by coloring, surface treatment, metal deposition, etc.

[0030] The lower end 46b of the first emphasized portion 46a is located at the lower end of the tank front portion 46, and is located at the same height as the lower end 74b of the second emphasized portion 74a of the upper container 70 stored in the chilled compartment. In addition, the upper end 46c of the first emphasized portion 46a is located at the same height as the upper end 74c of the second emphasized portion 74a of the upper container 70 stored in the chilled compartment.

[0031] In addition, a rear opening 48 is provided on the rear surface of the front protrusion 40 above the gasket abutment portion 44 of the container body 36, and is connected to a hollow tank handle portion 49 partitioned by the tank front portion 46, the peripheral portion 47, and the front peripheral wall 35a of the container body 36.

[0032] It is preferable that the front protrusion 40 has a tapered shape in which the dimension in the width direction (left-right direction) of the tank front part 46 decreases the further upward. It is also preferable that the tank handle part 49 and the periphery of the rear opening 48 provided on the front protrusion 40 have an arc-shaped cross section, and it is preferable that the radius of curvature of the periphery of the tank handle part 49 is larger than the radius of curvature of the periphery of the rear opening 48.

[0033] The packing abutment portion 44 is a flange-shaped portion that protrudes outward from the periphery of the upper opening of the container body 36. The upper surface of the packing abutment portion 44 abuts against a packing 61 provided on the lid body 38. A front container locking portion 41 that protrudes downward is provided on the lower surface of the packing abutment portion 44 that protrudes forward from the upper end of the front peripheral wall 36a. A rear container locking portion 42 that protrudes downward is provided on the lower surface of the packing abutment portion 44 that protrudes rearward from the upper end of the rear peripheral wall 36b.

[0034] The lid body 38 is a synthetic resin molded body comprising a lid body 50 covering the top opening of the container body 36, a front fixing member 51 provided at the front end of the lid body 50, a rear fixing member 52 provided at the rear end of the lid body 50, and hanging walls 53, 54 provided on the lower peripheral portion of the lid body 50.

[0035] The front fixing member 51 is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 55 extending in the width direction provided at the front end of the lid main body 50. The front fixing member 51 includes a front lid locking portion 56 protruding below the rotating shaft 55 toward the front peripheral wall 36a, and an operating portion 57 extending upward from the rotating shaft 55.

[0036] When the user presses the front fixing member 51 forward to stand the operating part 57, the front lid locking part 56 locks with the front container locking part 41 as shown in Fig. 7, and the front side of the lid body 38 is fixed to the container body 36. With the front lid locking part 56 fixing the front side of the lid body 38 to the container body 36 in this manner, the upper end (tip) of the operating part 57 is located lower than the upper end of the front protrusion 40 provided on the container body 36. In other words, when the lid body 38 is fixed to the container body 36, the front protrusion 40 provided on the container body 36 covers and hides the entire front fixing member 51 from the front.

[0037] In addition, when the front fixing member 51 presses the operating part 57 rearward from a state in which the front lid locking part 56 is locked to the front container locking part 41, the front lid locking part 56 disengages from the front container locking part 41, and the front side of the lid body 38 is released from the locking of the container body 36. At that time, the operating part 57 falls into a recess 62 provided in the front end part of the lid body 38.

[0038] The rear fixing member 52 has a similar structure to the front fixing member 51, except that the operating portion 60 is disposed below the rotating shaft 58 and the rear lid locking portion 59. That is, the rear fixing member 52 is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 58 extending in the width direction provided at the rear end of the lid main body 50, the rear lid locking portion 59 protrudes below the rotating shaft 58 toward the rear peripheral wall 36b, and the operating portion 60 is provided further below the rear lid locking portion 59. When the user rotates the operating portion 60 so as to approach the rear peripheral wall 36b, the rear lid locking portion 59 engages with the rear container locking portion 42 to fix the rear side of the lid body 38 to the container main body 36, and when the user rotates the operating portion 60 so as to move away from the rear peripheral wall 36b, the rear lid locking portion 59 disengages from the rear container locking portion 42 to release the fixation of the rear side of the lid body 38 to the container main body 36.

[0039] The hanging walls 53, 54 are annular members extending downward from the peripheral edge of the lid body 50. The hanging wall 53 is provided radially inward of the hanging wall 54 with a gap therebetween, and extends downward longer than the hanging wall 54. An annular packing 61 is provided between the hanging walls 53, 54.

[0040] Gasket 61 is disposed between hanging walls 53, 54 and protrudes downward from outer hanging wall 53, and when front fixing member 51 and rear fixing member 52 are operated to fix lid body 38 to container body 36, front lid locking portion 56 and rear lid locking portion 59 lock with front container locking portion 41 and rear container locking portion 42 while applying pressure to gasket 61, thereby sealing the space between container body 36 and lid body 38.

[0041] When such a water supply tank 30 is stored in the tank chamber sandwiched between the left side wall of the refrigerator compartment 6 and the vertical partition wall 13 as shown in Figure 2, the front portion of the water supply tank 30 and the front portion of the storage container 14 stored in the chilled compartment overlap in the left-right direction (the width direction of the refrigerator).

[0042] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when the water supply tank 30 and the upper container 70 are stored in the tank chamber and the chilled chamber, respectively, the front-to-back positions of the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the lid body 72 coincide, and the front-to-back positions of the first highlighting portion 46a provided on the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the second highlighting portion 74a provided on the container front portion 74 of the upper container 70 coincide.

[0043] The tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 has approximately the same inclination angle as the lid body 72 of the storage container 14 and the container front portion 74 of the upper container 70, so that the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 overlaps in the left-right direction with the lid body 72 and container front portion 74 of the storage container 14 provided in the chilled compartment.

[0044] In addition, since the lower end 46b and upper end 46c of the first emphasis portion 46a on the water supply tank 30 are arranged to coincide in the height direction with the lower end 74b and upper end 74c of the second emphasis portion 74a on the storage container 14, the first emphasis portion 46a overlaps with the second emphasis portion 74a in the left-right direction, forming a continuous, continuous pattern in the left-right direction.

[0045] (4) Effects In the present embodiment as described above, the front protrusion 40 constituting the front portion of the water supply tank 30 covers from the front the front fixing member 51 which fixes the lid body 38 to the container body 36, making the fixing member less noticeable inside the refrigerator and improving the design of the refrigerator.

[0046] In this embodiment, since the front protruding portion 40 protrudes upward from the container body 36, the entire front fixing member 51 is easily covered and hidden.

[0047] In this embodiment, a handle portion 49 is provided on the front protrusion 40, so that the front protrusion 40 can be effectively utilized and the user can support the container body 36 when inserting or removing the water supply tank 30, thereby preventing the lid body 38 from coming off inadvertently.

[0048] In this embodiment, since the operating portion 57 of the front fixing member 51 extends upward from the front lid locking portion 56, the front fixing member 51 can be operated from above the container body 36, providing excellent operability.

[0049] In this embodiment, the front protrusion 40 protrudes upward and forward from the container body 36, and a rear opening 48 is provided on the rear surface of the front protrusion 40, so that operation of the front fixing member 51 can be smoothly operated without being hindered by the front protrusion 40.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the peripheral edge of the rear opening 48 has an arc-shaped cross section, it is possible to prevent the user from touching the peripheral edge of the rear opening 48 and from being injured, and it is also possible to prevent the peripheral edge of the rear opening 48 from being chipped.

[0051] In this embodiment, the tank handle 49 provided on the front protrusion 40 communicates with the rear opening 48, so the front protrusion 40 does not block the flow of cold air circulating in the refrigerator compartment 6. Moreover, since the tank handle 49 communicates with the rear opening 48, the front protrusion 40 of the container body 36 can be molded using a slide core structure, so that the risk of mold damage can be reduced even if the front protrusion 40 has a hollow portion that is recessed in the vertical direction inside.

[0052] In addition, in this embodiment, the tank front portion 46 that constitutes the front portion of the water supply tank 30 overlaps in the left-right direction with the lid body 72 that constitutes the front portion of the storage container 14 and the container front portion 74 of the upper container 70, so that the designs of the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 14 are unified, improving the aesthetic appeal of the refrigerator.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first emphasis portion 46a provided on the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the second emphasis portion 74a provided on the container front portion 74 of the storage container 14 overlap in the left-right direction, forming a continuous, continuous pattern in the left-right direction, which emphasizes the unity in design between the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 14, further improving the design of the refrigerator.

[0054] In addition, in this embodiment, in order to enhance the sense of unity in design between the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 14, it is preferable that the distance between the front protrusion 40 of the water supply tank 30 and the lid 72 and container front portion 74 of the storage container 14, which are arranged to overlap it in the left-right direction, and the distance between the front protrusion 40 and the shelf 12, are small; for example, it is preferable that the respective distances be 4 mm or less.

[0055] In addition, in this embodiment, the front protrusion 40 is provided in a tapered shape in which the dimension of the tank front portion 46 in the width direction (left and right direction) decreases toward the top, which provides the following effects.

[0056] That is, when the storage items are stored in the storage container 14 arranged to the side of the water supply tank 30, the partition plate 11 supports the weight of the storage items, and the partition plate 11 deforms so that the center in the left-right direction is slightly recessed. Due to this deformation, the upper end of the water supply tank 30 placed on the partition plate 11 tilts slightly toward the center in the width direction of the refrigerator, and the distance between the upper end of the front protrusion 40 and the lid body 72 becomes smaller than the lower end of the front protrusion 40, which may cause a user to feel uncomfortable. Also, depending on the weight of the storage items stored in the storage container 14, the deformation of the partition plate 11 may become so large that the water supply tank 30 and the lid body 72 may come into contact with each other at their upper ends.

[0057] In this embodiment, by making the front protrusion 40 tapered toward the top, the gap between the upper end of the front protrusion 40 and the lid body 72 is less likely to become narrow, which reduces contact between the water supply tank 30 and the lid body 72 and camouflages the tilt of the water supply tank 30, thereby reducing the sense of discomfort felt by the user.

[0058] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9, focusing on differences from the above-mentioned embodiment. Elements that are the same as or correspond to those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0059] In the first embodiment described above, the storage container 14 stored in the chilled compartment is described as consisting of an upper container 70, a lower container 71, and a lid body 72. However, in this embodiment, a single-tiered storage container 114 that is not divided into upper and lower parts is stored in the chilled compartment.

[0060] The storage container 114 is a generally rectangular parallelepiped container that is open on the top and has a front wall 114a, a rear wall, left and right side walls, and a bottom surface.

[0061] A container protrusion 115 that protrudes forward and upward from the front wall 114a is provided at the upper end of the front wall 114a. As shown in Fig. 9, the container protrusion 115 includes a container front surface portion 116 provided in front of the front wall 114a of the storage container 114 with a gap therebetween, a connecting portion 117 that extends in the left-right direction and connects the container front surface portion 116 to the front wall 114a, and a side surface portion 118 that connects the left and right side portions of the container front surface portion 116 and the connecting portion 117 to the front wall 114a.

[0062] The connecting part 117 protrudes substantially horizontally forward from the upper part of the front wall 114a, and is connected to the lower part of the container front part 116. A container handle part 119 that opens downward is formed between the container front part 116 and the front wall 114a below the connecting part 117. The container handle part 119 functions as a handle when the user inserts his / her fingers from below to insert or remove the storage container 114.

[0063] The container front portion 116 is extended across the entire width of the storage container 114 in the left-right direction and extends from the same height as the lower end of the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 to the same height as the upper end of the tank front portion 46 in the up-down direction, blocking the gap formed between the shelf 12 and the front end of the top opening of the storage container 114 from the front.

[0064] The container front portion 116 is provided approximately parallel to the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30. In this embodiment, the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the container front portion 116 are inclined very slightly backward as they go upward from the vertical direction.

[0065] A container inclined portion 116d that inclines rearward as it goes upward is formed at the upper end of the container front portion 116. In this embodiment, a tank inclined portion 46d that inclines rearward as it goes upward is also formed at the upper end of the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 approximately parallel to the container inclined portion 116d and at the same height.

[0066] A band-like second emphasis portion 116a extending in the left-right direction with a constant vertical dimension is provided at the lower end of the container front portion 116. The second emphasis portion 116a is an area that can be visually distinguished from other parts of the container front portion 116, and is an area that is different in material, color, pattern, material thickness, etc., for example.

[0067] The lower end 116b of the second emphasis portion 116a is located at the lower end of the container front portion 116 and is positioned at the same height as the lower end 46b of the first emphasis portion 46a provided on the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30, and the upper end 116c of the second emphasis portion 116a is located in front of the connecting portion 117 and is positioned at the same height as the upper end 46c of the first emphasis portion 46a.

[0068] In the present embodiment as described above, when the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 114 are stored in the tank compartment and the chilled compartment, respectively, the tank front surface 46 constituting the front surface of the water supply tank 30 and the container front surface 116 constituting the front surface of the storage container 114 overlap in the left-right direction as shown in Fig. 9. Therefore, the designs of the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 114 are unified, and the design of the refrigerator can be improved.

[0069] In particular, the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the container front portion 116 of the storage container 114 overlap in the left-right direction forward of the front peripheral wall 36a of the container body 36 and the front wall 114a of the storage container 114, which emphasizes the unity of the design and improves the aesthetic appeal of the refrigerator.

[0070] In addition, in this embodiment, the upper and lower end positions of the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the container front portion 116 of the storage container 114 are at the same height, and the tank inclined portion 46d and the container inclined portion 116d provided at the upper ends of the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the container front portion 116 of the storage container 114 overlap in the left-right direction, and the first emphasis portion 46a overlaps with the second emphasis portion 116a in the left-right direction to form a continuous, continuous pattern in the left-right direction. This makes it easier to emphasize the unity of the design, and improves the design of the refrigerator.

[0071] In this embodiment, the tank front portion 46 constituting the upper front portion of the water supply tank 30 as the front portion of the water supply tank 30 and the container front portion 116 constituting the upper front portion of the storage container 114 as the front portion of the storage container 114 are described as overlapping in the left-right direction. However, a portion of the front portion of the water supply tank 30 and a portion of the front portion of the storage container 114 may overlap in the left-right direction, such as the lower front portion of the water supply tank 30 and the lower front portion of the storage container 114 overlapping in the left-right direction.

[0072] 9, the front peripheral wall 36a of the water supply tank 30 and the front wall 114a of the storage container 114 may be formed approximately parallel, and when the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 114 are stored in the tank chamber and the chilled chamber, respectively, the tank front portion 46 and the container front portion 116 overlap in the left-right direction, and the front peripheral wall 36a and the front wall 114a overlap in the left-right direction, so that the entire front portion of the water supply tank 30 and the entire front portion of the storage container 114 overlap in the left-right direction. When the entire front portion of the water supply tank 30 and the entire front portion of the storage container 114 overlap in the left-right direction, the designs of the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 114 are unified, and the design quality of the refrigerator can be further improved. (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, 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 gist of the invention.

[0073] For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, accentuated portions 46a, 74a, 116a were provided on the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the container front portion 74, 116 of the storage container 14, 114, respectively. However, an accentuated portion may be provided on one of the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the container front portion 74, 116 of the storage container 14, 114, and no accentuated portion may be provided on the other, or an accentuated portion may be provided on one, and a striped pattern extending in the left-right direction at the same height as the upper end of the accentuated portion provided on one may be provided on the other.

[0074] In addition, in the first and second embodiments described above, the first emphasis portion 46a and the second emphasis portion 74a, 116a, which are continuous in the left-right direction, may be made of the same material, color, pattern, etc., or may be made of different materials, colors, patterns, etc.

[0075] In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, a front container locking portion 41 is provided on the front peripheral wall 36a of the container body 36 of the water supply tank 30. However, a front container locking portion may be provided on the front side of the container body 36, such as on the left or right side wall of the container body 36, and a front lid locking portion may be provided on the lid body 38 so as to lock with the front container locking portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1...refrigerator, 6...refrigerating compartment, 11...partition plate, 12...shelf plate, 14...storage container, 30...water supply tank, 36...container body, 36a...front peripheral wall, 36b...rear peripheral wall, 38...lid body, 40...front protrusion, 41...front container locking portion, 42...rear container locking portion, 44...packing abutment portion, 46...front portion, 46a...first accentuated portion, 46b...lower end of first accentuated portion, 46c...upper end of first accentuated portion, 47...peripheral surface portion, 48...rear opening, 49...tank handle portion, 50...lid body, 51...front fixing member, 5 2...rear fixing member, 56...front lid engaging portion, 57...operating portion, 59...rear lid engaging portion, 60...operating portion, 61...packing, 62...recess, 70...upper container, 71...lower container, 72...lid body, 74...container front portion, 74a...second accent portion, 75...hand hanging portion, 114...storage container, 115...container protruding portion, 116...front portion, 116a...first accent portion, 116b...lower end of first accent portion, 116c...upper end of first accent portion, 116d...tank inclined portion, 117...connecting portion, 118...container handle portion

Claims

1. In a refrigerator having a water supply tank in a storage compartment for storing water to be supplied to ice trays, The water supply tank, A container body having an open top; A lid that closes the upper surface of the container body; A front container locking portion provided on a front side of the container body; a front fixing member provided on the lid body and having a front lid engaging portion that engages with the front container engaging portion; a front protrusion that covers the front fixing member from the front, a rear fixing member that is pivoted downwardly to be engaged with the container body is provided at a rear portion of the lid; The front protrusion includes a handle portion, A connection portion between the front protrusion and the container body is located above the handle, and a portion of the front protrusion above the connection portion covers the front fixing member from the front.

2. In a refrigerator having a water supply tank in a storage compartment for storing water to be supplied to ice trays, The water supply tank, A container body having an open top; A lid that closes the upper surface of the container body; A front container locking portion provided on a front side of the container body; a front fixing member provided on the lid body and having a front lid engaging portion that engages with the front container engaging portion; a front protrusion that covers the front fixing member from the front, a rear fixing member that is pivoted downwardly to be engaged with the container body is provided at a rear portion of the lid; A refrigerator, wherein the front fixing member extends upward from the front lid engaging portion and includes an operating portion that moves the front lid engaging portion in response to operation by a user.

3. In a refrigerator having a water supply tank in a storage compartment for storing water to be supplied to ice trays, The water supply tank, A container body having an open top; A lid that closes the upper surface of the container body; A front container locking portion provided on a front side of the container body; a front fixing member provided on the lid body and having a front lid engaging portion that engages with the front container engaging portion; a front protrusion that covers the front fixing member from the front, a rear fixing member that is pivoted downwardly to be engaged with the container body is provided at a rear portion of the lid; The front protrusion protrudes upward and forward from the container body, and an opening portion that opens toward the rear is provided on a rear surface of the front protrusion portion above the container body, The periphery of the opening provided on the back surface of the front protrusion has an arc-shaped cross section, The front protrusion includes a handle having a circumferential edge that is arc-shaped in cross section, A refrigerator, wherein a radius of curvature of a periphery of the handle portion is larger than a radius of curvature of a periphery of the opening portion.

4. In a refrigerator having a water supply tank in a storage compartment for storing water to be supplied to ice trays, The water supply tank, A container body having an open top; A lid that closes the upper surface of the container body; A front container locking portion provided on a front side of the container body; a front fixing member provided on the lid body and having a front lid engaging portion that engages with the front container engaging portion; a front protrusion that covers the front fixing member from the front, a rear fixing member that is pivoted downwardly to be engaged with the container body is provided at a rear portion of the lid; The front protrusion protrudes upward and forward from the container body, and an opening portion that opens toward the rear is provided on a rear surface of the front protrusion portion above the container body, The front protrusion includes a handle portion, The handle portion and the opening portion are in communication with each other.

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