Refrigerator connection structure and refrigerator connection method

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator connection structure in which an upper refrigerator and a lower refrigerator can be appropriately stacked, and a refrigerator connection method.SOLUTION: A refrigerator connection structure comprises an upper refrigerator 10A and a lower refrigerator 10B, and comprises connection plates 6 interposed between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B. A gap is provided by the connection plates 6 between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B. The connection plates 6 are fixed to lower end side support members 14 of the upper refrigerator 10A, and are fixed to upper end side support members 11 of the lower refrigerator 10B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connecting structure for a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] Regarding refrigerators, for example, Patent Document 1 describes that "in a combined refrigerator, the table plate of a storage compartment connected to a lower part is made detachable, and legs of the storage compartment connected to an upper part are arranged so as to be retractable in a space defined by the table frame of the storage compartment connected to the lower part." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 52-157062 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, an upper storage unit is installed within the table frame of a lower storage unit, but the upper and lower storage units are not fixed to each other, and there is room for further improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The refrigerator connection structure according to the present disclosure includes an upper refrigerator and a lower refrigerator, and a connection plate member interposed between the upper refrigerator and the lower refrigerator, and a gap is provided between the upper refrigerator and the lower refrigerator by the connection plate member. The connecting plate material is fixed to an upper end support member provided near the upper end of the lower refrigerator with a predetermined fixing device, and is fixed to a lower end support member provided near the lower end of the upper refrigerator with another fixing device, and has a lower support part extending along an edge of the upper surface of the lower refrigerator, an upper support part extending along an edge of the lower surface of the upper refrigerator, and a planar connecting part connecting the lower support part and the upper support part which are spaced apart in the vertical direction, the lower support part has a first through hole through which the predetermined fixing device is inserted, and the upper support part has a second through hole through which the other fixing device is inserted, the first through hole and the second through hole are each drilled in the vertical direction, and the connecting part is arranged closer to the edge of the upper surface of the lower refrigerator than the first through hole, and is arranged closer to the edge of the lower surface of the upper refrigerator than the second through hole. It was decided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is an oblique view of a refrigerator that is a component of a refrigerator connection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2]1 is an oblique view of a connecting structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment, in which a top plate is removed from the refrigerator. FIG. [Diagram 3] This is an oblique view of a state in which a connecting plate is installed in a lower refrigerator and an upper refrigerator is placed above it in a refrigerator connecting structure according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] This is an oblique view of a state in which an upper refrigerator is stacked on a lower refrigerator via a connecting plate in a refrigerator connecting structure according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] An oblique view showing a state in which a cover is installed between an upper refrigerator and a lower refrigerator in a refrigerator connection structure according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] This is an oblique view showing a state in which a cover is installed between an upper refrigerator and a lower refrigerator in a refrigerator connection structure according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator frame which is a component of a refrigerator connection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] 1 is an oblique view of a refrigerator connection structure according to an embodiment, showing a state in which a top panel is installed on a refrigerator frame. FIG. [Figure 9] An oblique view of the left connecting plate member provided in the connecting structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] This is an oblique view showing a state in which an upper refrigerator is stacked on a lower refrigerator via a connecting plate in a connecting structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment, as a framework. [Figure 11] This is an oblique view of the upper refrigerator and the connecting plate material in the connecting structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment, viewed from diagonally forward right. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of air through the machine compartment of the upper refrigerator in the refrigerator connection structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view including an exhaust port of an upper refrigerator in a connecting structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 14A] This is an oblique view of the cover when viewed diagonally down from the front right in the connecting structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. [Figure 14B] This is an oblique view of the cover when viewed from diagonally rear right in the connecting structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] 11 is an oblique view of a left connecting plate used in a connecting structure of a refrigerator according to a modified example. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] <Embodiment> <Refrigerator configuration> FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator 10 which is a component of a connecting structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. The refrigerator 10 is a device for cooling food and the like, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in the example of Fig. 1. The refrigerator 10 shown in Fig. 1 can be used alone, or a plurality of refrigerators 10 can be stacked or arranged horizontally for use. Refrigerators 10 that can be used in such a stacked manner are also called modular refrigerators.

[0008] In this embodiment, as an example, a case where two refrigerators 10 are stacked vertically will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of refrigerators 10 can be arranged in a matrix shape vertically and horizontally. In addition, the refrigerator 10 can be used as a built-in type refrigerator, or the refrigerator 10 can be changed using a changeable cover (not shown) or the like, and various other use cases can be accommodated.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigerator 10 includes a housing 1, a door 2, and a plurality of legs 3. One or a plurality of storage compartments (not shown) are provided inside the housing 1. The storage compartment may be a refrigerator compartment or a freezer compartment. The housing 1 is configured such that a thermal insulating material (not shown) such as urethane foam is filled between a resin inner box (not shown) forming the storage compartment and a steel outer box 1a. An opening (not shown) for the storage compartment is provided on the front side (front face side) of the housing 1.

[0010] The refrigerator 10 includes a door 2 that, together with the housing 1, forms a storage compartment. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the door 2 is a single-leaf door that can open and close the opening of the storage compartment, and can rotate around the axis of a door hinge (not shown). A door pocket (not shown) and a shelf (not shown) are appropriately provided on the inside of the door 2.

[0011] The legs 3 support the housing 1. In the example of FIG. 1, the legs 3 are provided at each of the four corners of the housing 1, which has a rectangular shape when viewed from below. That is, a pair of legs 3 is provided near both the left and right ends of the front side, and a pair of legs (not shown) is also provided near both the left and right ends of the rear side. These legs 3 are, for example, screwed into a female screw portion (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the housing 1, and the height position of the housing 1 is adjusted by the depth of the screwing (that is, they function as an adjuster). Each leg 3 is detachable from the housing 1.

[0012] The refrigerator 10 includes a refrigeration cycle including a compressor 31 (see FIG. 12), a radiator 32 (see FIG. 12), a capillary tube (not shown), and a cooler (not shown). A refrigerant circulates through the compressor 31, the radiator 32, the capillary tube, and the cooler in this order. This allows heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the cooler and the air in the storage compartment, thereby cooling food and the like in the storage compartment.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the intake port 4 and the exhaust port 5 are provided on the lower end side of the housing 1, at the front side (front face side). More specifically, the intake port 4 and the exhaust port 5 are provided side by side below an opening (opening of a storage compartment: not shown) that is closed by the door 2. In addition, the housing 1 or the door 2 is located immediately above the exhaust port 5. When the intake port 4 and the exhaust port 5 are provided on the front side as in this embodiment, if they are provided behind the opening, they are easily hidden by the housing 1 directly above the intake port 4 and the exhaust port 5 even when the opening is opened by the door 2, and are not easily noticeable. In addition, when the opening is closed by the door 2, the intake port 4 and the exhaust port 5 are easily hidden by the door 2, which is preferable in terms of appearance. The intake port 4 is an opening that guides air into the machine room 8 (see FIG. 12) of the refrigerator 10. The exhaust port 5 is an opening for exhausting air from the machine room 8 (see FIG. 12). Since the intake port 4 and the exhaust port 5 are arranged in such a position, they can be made less noticeable in appearance than if the intake port 4 and the exhaust port 5 were arranged on the side or back of the housing 1.

[0014] In Fig. 1, the air flow toward the intake port 4 and the air flow exhausted through the exhaust port 5 are indicated by white arrows, but the direction of the exhaust changes when a cover 7 (see Fig. 5) is attached or detached, as described below. The forward exhaust shown in Fig. 1 is when the cover 7 is removed.

[0015] For example, when refrigerator 10 is used as a built-in type, refrigerator 10 is fitted into a recess (not shown) provided in a wall of a room. In this state, if the air intake and exhaust ports were provided on a side other than the front of refrigerator 10 (on the side or back), the gap between refrigerator 10 and the wall would be narrow, which may make it difficult to intake and exhaust air. Therefore, in this embodiment, taking into consideration the possibility that refrigerator 10 may be used as a built-in type, air intake and exhaust ports 4 and 5 are provided on the front side of refrigerator 10. Next, a procedure for stacking two refrigerators 10 vertically will be briefly described with reference to Figs. 2 to 6 in sequence.

[0016] <Refrigerator stacking procedure> FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator 10 with the top plate 1b removed. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 1 of the refrigerator 10 includes a detachable top plate 1b. The top plate 1b is a thin resin plate provided on the upper surface of the housing 1 and has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The top plate 1b is subjected to a predetermined surface treatment so that dirt on the surface can be easily removed and to enhance the design. The top plate 1b may be attached and detached using screws or other suitable means. As shown in FIG. 2, when the top plate 1b is removed, the top panel 1c of the housing 1 is exposed.

[0017] Top panel 1c is a surface on which connecting plate members 6 (see FIG. 3) are placed when multiple refrigerators 10 are stacked vertically. In the example of FIG. 2, top panel 1c has three through holes 1d (connecting portions) near each of the right and left ends. The three through holes 1d near the right end are holes used for connecting the connecting plate member 6 (see FIG. 3) on the right side. The three through holes 1d near the left end are holes used for connecting the connecting plate member 6 (see FIG. 3) on the left side.

[0018] The positions of these through holes 1d correspond to the positions of female screw portion 11a (connecting portion) of upper-end support member 11 (see FIG. 7) which is a framework of refrigerator 10. In other words, when top plate 1b is removed, female screw portion 11a (see FIG. 7) is visible from above through through hole 1d. When stacking a plurality of refrigerators 10 in the vertical direction, first, an "exposure step" is performed in which an operator or user (referred to as an operator or the like) removes top plate 1b of a lower refrigerator 10 (lower refrigerator) to expose a connecting portion (through hole 1d and female screw portion 11a) with connecting plate material 6 (see FIG. 3).

[0019] Hereinafter, when two refrigerators 10 are stacked, the lower refrigerator is referred to as lower refrigerator 10B (see FIG. 3) and the upper refrigerator is referred to as upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 3). Note that the lower refrigerator 10B and the upper refrigerator 10A are denoted by different reference numerals, but have the same configuration as the above-described refrigerator 10 (see FIG. 1).

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which connecting plate material 6 is installed in lower refrigerator 10B and upper refrigerator 10A is placed above it. Although not shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that an operator or the like actually lifts up upper refrigerator 10A. After the above-mentioned "exposing step", a "lower fixing step" is performed in which connecting plate material 6 is fixed to lower refrigerator 10B. That is, a pair of right and left connecting plate materials 6 are fastened with screws or bolts via through holes 1d (see FIG. 2) in top panel 1c of lower refrigerator 10B.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, multiple legs 3 are installed on lower refrigerator 10B placed on the floor surface, while each of legs 3 of upper refrigerator 10A is removed.

[0022] The pair of connecting plate materials 6 also function as spacers for providing a predetermined gap 82 (see FIG. 13) between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B. In addition, the pair of connecting plate materials 6 also have a function of forming an exhaust air passage by the cutout portion 63 thereof and a function of applying the load of the upper refrigerator 10A to the lower refrigerator 10B. The pair of connecting plate members 6 are symmetrical to each other with respect to a predetermined plane (not shown) parallel to the front-rear and up-down directions, and therefore will be described using the same reference numerals.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which upper refrigerator 10A is stacked on lower refrigerator 10B via connecting plate material 6. After the above-described "lower fixing step", a "stacking step" is performed in which upper refrigerator 10A is stacked on lower refrigerator 10B via connecting plate material 6. In the example of Fig. 4, upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B are stacked so that their doors 2 are located on the front side. In this "stacking step", an operator or the like moves upper refrigerator 10A downward from the state in Fig. 3 to the state in Fig. 4.

[0024] For example, when two workers or the like lift and move upper refrigerator 10A, they often support the corner between the side and bottom surface of upper refrigerator 10A with their hands. Here, when the worker or the like places upper refrigerator 10A on the connecting plate material 6, the worker or the like fits his or her fingers into notch portion 63 of the connecting plate material 6. This makes it possible to prevent the fingers of the worker or the like from being pinched between upper refrigerator 10A and the connecting plate material 6, making the installation work easier.

[0025] After the "stacking step", an "upper fixing step" is performed in which the connecting plate material 6 is fixed to the upper refrigerator 10A. That is, a pair of connecting plate materials 6 are fixed to the upper refrigerator 10A from which the legs 3 are removed. Then, the connecting plate material 6 is fastened to the lower surface of the upper refrigerator 10A with screws or bolts. In this state, the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B are mechanically substantially integrated through the pair of connecting plate materials 6. The upper refrigerator 10A and the connecting plate material 6 can be fixed to each other with screws or bolts. For the upper refrigerator 10A, holes formed by removing the legs 3 may be used for this fastening. The screws and bolts for fixing the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B to the connecting plate material 6 are inserted in the vertical direction as described later. This makes the screws and bolts less noticeable, which is preferable in terms of appearance. Also, if the upper refrigerator 10A is placed on the lower refrigerator 10B by the legs 3, the load is concentrated in the area of ​​the legs 3 of the lower refrigerator 10B. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the two are connected by a metal connecting plate material 6, and the load is transmitted to a support member of the lower refrigerator 10B, which will be described later. Since the legs 3 are detached from the upper refrigerator 10A, the load is not applied to the top panel 1c of the lower refrigerator 10B. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk of the top panel 1c of the lower refrigerator 10B being dented. Even if the legs 3 are not detached from the upper refrigerator 10A, the upper refrigerator 10A is supported by the connecting plate material 6, so the legs 3 may be designed to be separated from the top panel 1c in that state.

[0026] In addition, in the state of Fig. 4, the lower surface of upper refrigerator 10A is separated from top panel 1c of lower refrigerator 10B. In other words, a predetermined gap 82 (see Fig. 13) is provided between upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B by connecting plate material 6. Also, notch portion 63 of connecting plate material 6 communicates with gap 82 (see Fig. 13) between upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B.

[0027] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state when cover 7 is installed between upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B. The cover 7 shown in Fig. 5 is a plate-like member for preventing exhaust air from being blown out to the front side through the exhaust port 5 of the upper refrigerator 10A. The cover 7 also has a function of enhancing the design (a function of giving a sense of unity between the top and bottom) by hiding a gap 82 (see Fig. 13) between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B. The cover 7 is detachable from the housing 1 of the upper refrigerator 10A, and is formed by, for example, injection molding of resin.

[0028] The cover 7 is attached so as to face the intake port 4 and the exhaust port 5 of the upper refrigerator 10A. In other words, the cover 7 is attached to the upstream side of the intake port 4 of the upper refrigerator 10A and is attached to the downstream side of the exhaust port 5. The cover 7 includes a narrow rectangular covering portion 7a having a length substantially equal to the lateral length of the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B, and a pair of extension portions 7b extending rearward from both ends of the covering portion 7a. The covering portion 7a is a portion that covers a gap 82 (see FIG. 13) between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B from the front side.

[0029] In cover 7, slit 7c is provided at a position corresponding to intake port 4 of machine room 8 (see FIG. 12) of upper refrigerator 10A, but no slit is particularly provided at a position corresponding to exhaust port 5. This is to prevent air flowing out through exhaust port 5 of upper refrigerator 10A from directly hitting a user who is standing in front of the refrigerator with door 2 open. Although details will be described later, air guided to machine room 8 (see FIG. 12) of upper refrigerator 10A through intake port 4 is exhausted to the side through notch 63 of connecting plate material 6.

[0030] The extension portion 7b shown in Fig. 5 has a function of fixing the cover 7 to the connecting plate 6. Specifically, a claw portion 7g (see Fig. 14B) is provided on the inside of the extension portion 7b. The claw portion 7g (see Fig. 14B) is hooked onto the hook portion 64a (see Fig. 9) of the connecting plate 6. Therefore, there is no need to use a tool such as a screwdriver when installing the cover 7, and workers can easily install the cover 7 on the connecting plate 6.

[0031] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which cover 7 is installed between upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B. After the "upper fixing step", a "cover mounting step" is performed in which the cover 7 is mounted so as to face the intake port 4 (see FIG. 5) and the exhaust port 5 (see FIG. 5) of the upper refrigerator 10A. As shown in FIG. 6, when the cover 7 is mounted, the surface of the extension portion 7b and the surface of the connecting plate material 6 are substantially flush with each other. Moreover, since the exhaust port 5 and the like (see FIG. 5) of the upper refrigerator 10A are covered with the cover 7, it is possible to prevent exhaust air from directly hitting the user, and the overall appearance (design) is improved.

[0032] In the example of FIG. 6, the “refrigerator connection structure” is configured to include upper refrigerator 10A, lower refrigerator 10B, and a pair of connection plate members 6.

[0033] <Configuration regarding load action> In a state in which upper refrigerator 10A is stacked on lower refrigerator 10B via connecting plate member 6 shown in Fig. 6, a particularly large load is applied to lower refrigerator 10B. Examples of such load include a mass load and an external force. The mass load acting on lower refrigerator 10B includes the mass load of upper refrigerator 10A, the mass load of foods and the like stored in upper refrigerator 10A, and the mass load of articles placed on top plate 1b of upper refrigerator 10A.

[0034] Moreover, the main external forces include a load in the door-opening direction when a user tries to open the door 2 of the upper refrigerator 10A etc. beyond the allowable limit, and a load in the door-lowering direction when a heavy object is placed on the end of the open door 2 or a child or the like hangs from the end of the door 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, the following configuration is adopted so that the load of the upper refrigerator 10A acts appropriately on the lower refrigerator 10B and so that the lower refrigerator 10B can withstand a large load.

[0035] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the framework of the refrigerator 10. As shown in FIG. In addition, in Fig. 7, the upper refrigerator 10A (see Fig. 6) and the lower refrigerator 10B (see Fig. 6) are shown as a common refrigerator 10. As shown in Fig. 7, the refrigerator 10 includes an upper end support member 11, an upper end connection member 12, a vertical support member 13, a lower end support member 14, and a lower end connection member 15, as well as a bottom plate 16 and a machine room support member 17.

[0036] The pair of upper end support members 11 are metal members provided near the upper end of the refrigerator 10. To explain in more detail, the upper end support members 11 are provided near the ridge between the top panel 1c (see FIG. 8) and the side surface of the housing 1, and extend in the front-rear direction. Each of the upper end support members 11 has a plurality of female screw portions 11a used for screwing the connecting plate material 6 (see FIG. 3) near both the left and right ends.

[0037] The upper end connection member 12 is a metal member provided near the ridge between the top panel 1c (see FIG. 8) and the front surface of the housing 1, and extends in the left-right direction. Both ends of the upper end connection member 12 are fixed near the front ends of the pair of upper end support members 11. Note that another upper end connection member (not shown) fixed near the rear ends of the pair of upper end support members 11 may be further provided.

[0038] The four vertical support members 13 are metal members that allow the load acting through the upper end support members 11 to act on the lower end support members 14 through themselves. These vertical support members 13 are provided near the ridges between adjacent side surfaces of the housing 1 (see FIG. 1) and extend in the up-down direction. The vertical support members 13 are fixed near their upper ends to the upper end support members 11 and near their lower ends to the lower end support members 14. In other words, when the framework of the refrigerator 10 (upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B: see FIG. 10) is viewed from the side, the upper end support members 11, the vertical support members 13, and the lower end support members 14 are mechanically and substantially integrated to form a rectangular frame shape.

[0039] When refrigerators 10 (upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B: see FIG. 10) are stacked, a pair of connecting plate members 6 (see FIG. 10) are fixed to upper-end support member 11 of lower refrigerator 10B (see FIG. 10) with a predetermined fastener (not shown) and are also fixed to lower-end support member 14 of upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 10) with another fastener (not shown). For example, screws are used to fix such connecting plate members 6.

[0040] A pair of lower end support members 14 shown in FIG. 7 are metal members that receive a load applied through upper end support member 11 and vertical support member 13 in this order, and are provided near the lower end of refrigerator 10. To explain in more detail, lower end support members 14 are provided near a ridge between the bottom and side surfaces of housing 1, and extend in the front-rear direction. Lower end support members 14 are provided with female threaded portions (not shown) into which front and rear legs 3 (adjusters) are screwed. When refrigerator 10 is upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 10), the female threaded portion (not shown) corresponding to front leg 3 is also used for fixing connecting plate 6 (see FIG. 10) as described above.

[0041] The pair of lower end connecting members 15 are metal members connected to the lower end supporting members 14, and extend in the left-right direction. The bottom plate 16 is a metal plate that separates the machine room 8 (see FIG. 12) from the rest. In the example of FIG. 7, the bottom plate 16 has a crank shape in vertical cross section and is fixed to the lower end support member 14 and the rear vertical support member 13. The bottom plate 16 may be formed of multiple members. 8, the machine room support member 17 is an L-shaped metal member having a vertical portion 171 along the vertical surface of the bottom plate 16, and a horizontal portion 172 along the horizontal surface of the bottom plate 16 which forms the top surface of the machine room 8 located behind it. The upper horizontal surface of the bottom plate 16 (i.e., the horizontal surface on the rear side of the vertical surface) and the lower horizontal surface (i.e., the horizontal surface on the front side of the vertical surface) each support the mass load of the inner box, the insulation material, or the goods housed in the storage chamber. The lateral portion 172 does not necessarily need to support the upper horizontal surface of the bottom plate 16, but may be provided above that surface and capable of supporting a load applied to the upper horizontal surface of the bottom plate 16. For example, the lateral portion 172 may be provided along an inner box located above the upper horizontal surface of the bottom plate 16 and support the load of the inner box.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the refrigerator 10 with the top panel 1c installed on the framework. In addition, in Fig. 8, the bottom plate 16 (see Fig. 7) and the rear lower end connecting member 15 (see Fig. 7) are omitted. As described above, the top panel 1c has three through holes 1d on each of the left and right sides used for screwing the connecting plate material 6 (see Fig. 10). Such a top panel 1c is installed above the upper end support member 11 and the upper end connecting member 12.

[0043] <Configuration of connecting plate material> FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the left connecting plate 6. FIG. As described above, the connecting plate material 6 is a metal member interposed between the upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 3) and the lower refrigerator 10B (see FIG. 3), and has a ⊂ shape in vertical cross section. The connecting plate material 6 is formed by subjecting a steel material (Steel Plate Cold Commercial: SPCC material) having a plate thickness of 2 mm to a predetermined punching process or bending process. Note that the plate thickness of the connecting plate material 6 is determined based on the allowable value of stress associated with a load in a usage state, and is not limited to 2 mm.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 9, the connecting plate material 6 includes a lower support part 61, an upper support part 62, a notch part 63, a connection part 64, and a rising part 65, which are integrally formed. The lower support part 61 is a part fixed to the upper end support member 11 (see Fig. 10) through the through hole 1d (see Fig. 8) of the top panel 1c of the lower refrigerator 10B, and extends in an elongated manner in the front-rear direction.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 9, the lower support portion 61 is provided with three through holes 61a spaced apart by a predetermined distance. These through holes 61a are holes used for screwing the connecting plate material 6 to the lower refrigerator 10B (see FIG. 10). That is, a male screw (not shown) is screwed into the female screw portion 11a (see FIG. 10) of the upper end support member 11 through the through hole 61a of the lower support portion 61 and the through hole 1d (see FIG. 8) of the top panel 1c of the lower refrigerator 10B in this order. Note that a hexagonal socket bolt using a hexagonal wrench may be used for the screwing described above.

[0046] The upper support part 62 is a part fixed to the lower end support member 14 (see FIG. 10) of the upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 10). The upper support part 62 extends elongatedly in the front-rear direction so that the plate surface of the upper support part 62 is parallel to the plate surface of the lower support part 61. As shown in FIG. 9, a through hole 62a is provided near the front end of the upper support part 62. This through hole 62a is a hole used for screwing the connecting plate material 6 and the upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 10). That is, a male screw (not shown) is screwed from below into a female screw portion (not shown) of the lower end support member 14 (see FIG. 10) of the upper refrigerator 10A through the through hole 62a of the upper support part 62.

[0047] As described above, in the upper refrigerator 10A, at least one of the multiple female screw portions (not shown) used for screwing the legs 3 (see FIG. 1) may be used for fixing the connecting plate material 6. In the present embodiment, the female screw portions (not shown) used for adjusting the height of the front pair of legs 3 (see FIG. 1) are used for fixing the connecting plate material 6. This eliminates the need to provide many female screw portions unnecessarily in the lower-end support member 14, etc., and thus reduces the number of steps during manufacturing. 9, the through hole 62a is provided in a portion extending further forward than the front end of the lower support part 61. Therefore, there is no risk of a tool such as a hexagonal wrench or a screwdriver interfering with the lower support part 61 when fastening a screw through the through hole 62a.

[0048] Moreover, the upper support part 62 is provided with three recessed recesses 62b on the left side. These recesses 62b are provided to prevent the connecting plate material 6 from interfering with the heads of the screws (not shown) installed on the bottom surface of the upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 10). The recesses 62b also have a function of preventing a tool such as a hexagonal wrench or a screwdriver from interfering with the upper support part 62 when the screws are fastened through the through holes 61a of the lower support part 61.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 9, a predetermined step 62c is provided in the upper support part 62. The front side of the step 62c is lower in height than the rear side of the step 62c, and the distance between the front side and the lower support part 62 is shorter. This part (the front side of the step 62c) comes into contact with the lower door hinge 21 (see Fig. 11) of the upper refrigerator 10A and receives the load from the door hinge 21. As shown in Fig. 9, the upper support portion 62 has parts of different heights (steps 62c) depending on the position, which are connected by smooth rounds and slopes. These rounds and slopes may be omitted, and the parts of different heights may be formed intermittently. In this way, when forming the connecting plate material 6, it is only necessary to bend the plate for each part of different height, which has the effect of eliminating the need to prepare a dedicated mold.

[0050] Cutout portion 63 shown in Fig. 9 is configured such that a part of an upper edge of connecting plate material 6 is cut downward. Since such cutout portion 63 is provided near the center in the front-rear direction, as described above, a worker or the like can place upper refrigerator 10A (see Fig. 3) on connecting plate material 6 with fingers inserted in cutout portion 63. In other words, a gap into which a worker or the like can insert his / her fingers can be provided between upper refrigerator 10A and connecting plate material 6, making installation work easier. The depth of the cutout portion 63 may be, for example, 28 mm, and it is preferable that the cutout portion has a length (for example, 15 mm or more) large enough for a person's finger to enter. This makes it easier to perform the above-mentioned installation work.

[0051] The connecting part 64 shown in FIG. 9 is a part that applies a load acting on the upper support part 62 from the upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 10) to the lower support part 61 through the connecting part 64. As shown in FIG. 9, the connecting part 64 is a planar part that is connected to the left end of the upper support part 62 and the left end of the lower support part 61 and extends in the up-down and front-rear directions. In the example of FIG. 9, the connecting part 64 and the lower support part 61 have plate surfaces that are perpendicular to each other, and the connecting part 64 and the upper support part 62 also have plate surfaces that are perpendicular to each other. The connecting part 64 includes a hook part 64a that is cut out backward from its front end. As described above, the hook part 64a is a part to which the claw part 7g (see FIG. 14B) provided on the inside of the cover 7 (see FIG. 14B) is hooked.

[0052] The rising portion 65 shown in FIG. 9 is a portion rising upward from the rear end of the lower support portion 61. A through hole 65a is provided in the rising portion 65 at a portion higher in height than the upper support portion 62. This through hole 65a is a hole used for screwing to the rear side of the upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 10). That is, a male screw (not shown) is screwed forward from the rear side of the upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 10) through the through hole 65a of the rising portion 65. In this way, the male screw and the female screw are screwed in the lateral direction, so that there is no risk that a tool such as a hexagonal wrench or a screwdriver will interfere with the upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 10) or the like when the screw is fastened. When the design of the rear side of the refrigerator 10 is prioritized, the through hole 65a may not be provided.

[0053] The height dimension of connecting plate material 6 is appropriately determined based on the set value of the vertical distance between upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B. Specifically, the height dimension of connecting plate material 6 is determined so that a predetermined flow rate of air flowing through gap 82 (see FIG. 13) between upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B is ensured, and so that the work of fastening the screws of connecting plate material 6 is easily performed. Note that the right connecting plate material 6 (see FIG. 3) has a shape symmetrical to the left connecting plate material 6, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which upper refrigerator 10A is stacked on lower refrigerator 10B via connecting plate material 6, as a framework. As described above, the pair of connecting plate materials 6 are screwed to the upper end side support member 11 of the lower refrigerator 10B and are screwed to the lower end side support member 14 of the upper refrigerator 10A. Therefore, the load of the upper refrigerator 10A acts on the pair of connecting plate materials 6 via the lower end side support member 14, and further acts on the upper end side support member 11 of the lower refrigerator 10B.

[0055] Moreover, upper end support member 11, vertical support member 13, and lower end support member 14 of lower refrigerator 10B are mechanically and substantially integrated by screw fastening. Therefore, a load acting on upper end support member 11 of lower refrigerator 10B via a pair of connecting plate members 6 acts on the floor surface successively via vertical support member 13, lower end support member 14, and four legs 3. Note that upper end support member 11, vertical support member 13, and lower end support member 14 are all made of metal with high rigidity, and the stress falls within an allowable range, so there is almost no risk of breakage.

[0056] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the upper refrigerator 10A and the connecting plate material 6 viewed from diagonally forward right. As described above, the door 2 of the upper refrigerator 10A includes a pair of upper and lower door hinges 21. The lower door hinge 21 is formed of thick metal and is elongated in the front-rear direction. The lower door hinge 21 is fixed to the base plate 9 of the upper refrigerator 10A. The door hinge 21 is provided with a through hole 21a through which the front leg 3 (see FIG. 1) is inserted at a location corresponding to the through hole 62a (see FIG. 9) of the connecting plate 6. The through hole 21a communicates with a female screw portion (not shown) of the lower end support member 14 (see FIG. 10) of the upper refrigerator 10A.

[0057] A male screw (not shown) is inserted from below through the through hole 62a of the connecting plate 6 into the through hole 21a of the door hinge 21 with the front leg 3 removed, and is further screwed into the female screw portion (not shown) of the lower end support member 14 (see FIG. 10). By such screw fastening, the upper support portion 62 (the portion in front of the step 62c: see FIG. 9) of the connecting plate 6 comes into contact with the door hinge 21. To explain in more detail, the connecting plate 6 is fixed to the upper refrigerator 10A in a state where it is partially overlapped with the door hinge 21 of the door 2 of the upper refrigerator 10A. In particular, a large load is applied to the door hinge 21 of the upper refrigerator 10A, and this load is made to act on the lower refrigerator 10B via the connecting plate 6. As for the rear side of the upper refrigerator 10A, as described above, the connecting plate material 6 is fastened with a screw via the through hole 65a (see FIG. 9).

[0058] <Air flow> FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of air through the machine room 8 of the upper refrigerator 10A. In addition, the main air flow direction is indicated by arrows in Fig. 12. Fig. 12 also illustrates the cover 7 (see also Fig. 5) and the connecting plate material 6 (see also Fig. 5), as well as a simplified illustration of the fin-tube type heat sink 32. As shown in Fig. 12, a compressor 31, a radiator 32, a fan 33, and an evaporation dish 34 (also called a dew tray) are installed in the machine room 8 below the bottom plate 16. The compressor 31 is a device that compresses the refrigerant. The radiator 32 is a heat exchanger that radiates heat (condenses) the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 31. The fan 33 is a device that generates a predetermined air flow in the machine room 8, and a centrifugal fan is used here. The evaporation dish 34 is a dish for evaporating condensed water generated in a cooler (not shown) or the like.

[0059] In the example of FIG. 12, the radiator 32 and the compressor 31 are provided in this order from the intake port 4 toward the rear. Also, the evaporator tray 34 and the fan 33 are provided in this order from the exhaust port 5 toward the rear. The air introduced into the machine room 8 through the intake port 4 passes through the radiator 32, the compressor 31, the fan 33, and the evaporator tray 34 in this order, and heads toward the exhaust port 5. In the example of FIG. 12, the fan 33 is disposed so as to discharge air toward the evaporator tray 34. That is, the discharge direction of the fan 33 is a direction in which the air is blown down toward the evaporator tray 34. Specifically, the discharge direction of the fan 33 is provided forward and downward, and the air that has passed through the compressor 31 is sucked into the fan 33 and is discharged so as to be blown down toward the upper side of the evaporator tray 34. That is, the air that has absorbed heat from the radiator 32 and the compressor 31 and has increased in temperature passes over the upper side of the evaporator tray 34, so that the evaporation of the condensed water on the evaporator tray 34 is promoted. The discharge direction of the fan 33 may be downward.

[0060] A partition wall 18 is provided between the radiator 32 and the evaporation tray 34. The partition wall 18 is a wall that separates the area where the radiator 32 is provided (upstream side of the air) from the area where the evaporator tray 34 is provided (downstream side of the air), and extends in the front-rear direction. Since such a partition wall 18 is provided, it is possible to prevent the air that has exchanged heat in the radiator 32 from being guided to the evaporator tray 34 without passing through the compressor 31.

[0061] In the example of FIG. 12, the partition wall 18 extends between the compressor 31 and the fan 33, but the vertical surface of the bottom plate 16 is disposed in front of the compressor 31 and the fan 33, preferably behind the radiator 32 and the evaporator dish 34. That is, the height dimension of the machine room 8 increases behind the vertical surface. Therefore, there is no particular risk that the flow of air that has absorbed heat from the compressor 31 will be blocked by the partition wall 18 when it moves toward the fan 33. That is, the air that has absorbed heat from the compressor 31 is guided to the evaporator dish 34 via the blowing side of the fan 33. The arrangement of the devices shown in FIG. 12 is an example, and is not limited thereto.

[0062] For example, when the cover 7 is not attached, the air heading toward the machine room 8 through the intake port 4 is exhausted to the front side through the radiator 32, the compressor 31, the fan 33, the evaporation tray 34, and the exhaust port 5 in this order. Therefore, when the cover 7 is not attached, there is a possibility that the exhaust air may hit the user through the exhaust port 5 of the upper refrigerator 10A.

[0063] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 12, a cover 7 is attached to the front side of the intake port 4 and the exhaust port 5. When the cover 7 is attached, air is guided into the machine chamber 8 through the slits 7c of the cover 7 and the intake port 4 in this order. The air flow in the machine chamber 8 is the same as when the cover 7 is not attached. Then, the air that has passed above the evaporation tray 34 flows toward the cover 7 through the exhaust port 5.

[0064] Here, the path of the air moving straight forward is blocked by the cover 7, and the air is guided downward through a gap between the wall surface around the exhaust port 5 and the cover 7. Then, the air hits the top panel 1c (see FIG. 13) of the lower refrigerator 10B, and is guided to the gap 82 (see FIG. 13) between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B. That is, when the cover 7 is attached to the front side (downstream side) of the exhaust port 5 of the upper refrigerator 10A, the air flowing out through the exhaust port 5 moves so as to bend back in a U-shape by the cover 7, and is guided to the gap 82 (see FIG. 13). Then, the air is guided backward through the gap 82 between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B, and is further exhausted to the side through the cutout portion 63 (see FIG. 12) of the pair of connecting plate members 6.

[0065] In this manner, in this embodiment, the exhaust direction is changed by attaching the cover 7 to the downstream side (front side) of the exhaust port 5. More specifically, when the cover 7 is attached, the exhaust direction is changed from forward exhaust through the exhaust port 5 (exhaust in the exhaust direction of the exhaust port 5) to lateral exhaust through the cutout portion 63 (air passage) (exhaust in a direction other than the exhaust direction of the exhaust port 5). In other words, the cutout portion 63 functions as an "air passage" that guides the exhaust to the side of the housing 1 (see FIG. 11). Furthermore, as the cover 7 is attached, the proportion of at least one of the amount of exhaust air flowing sideways through the cutouts 63 and the amount of exhaust air flowing rearward through the gap between the pair of connecting plate members 6 to the total exhaust amount increases. In this way, the change in the proportion of the amount of exhaust air flowing through the cutouts 63 etc. to the total exhaust amount is also included in the "change in exhaust direction" that accompanies the attachment and detachment of the cover 7. Also, the amount of exhaust air flowing through the gap 82 (see FIG. 13) may be increased or decreased depending on whether the cover 7 is attached or detached. Specifically, the amount of exhaust air flowing through the gap 82 may be increased when the cover 7 is attached compared to when the cover 7 is removed. In this way, by increasing the amount of exhaust air flowing through the gap 82 as the cover 7 is attached, it is possible to appropriately exhaust air from the machine room 8.

[0066] In addition, when a gap is provided between the back surface of upper refrigerator 10A and the wall of the room in which upper refrigerator 10A is installed, a part of the air flowing through gap 82 (see FIG. 13) between upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B is exhausted laterally via notch 63 (see FIG. 12), and the remainder is exhausted from the rear. In addition, for example, when upper refrigerator 10A or lower refrigerator 10B is used as a built-in type (embedded in the wall of the room), the rear side is blocked by the wall, so that most of the air flowing through gap 82 is exhausted laterally via notch 63. In addition, in consideration of an environment in which the back surface of upper refrigerator 10A is easily visible, such as when upper refrigerator 10A is installed in the center of the room, a cover (not shown) that blocks the rear of gap 82 may be separately prepared.

[0067] FIG. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view including the exhaust port 5 of the upper refrigerator 10A. In addition, the dotted area 41 shown in Fig. 13 typically indicates an area where an outer box, an inner box, a heat insulating material, or a storage chamber is provided. In addition, in Fig. 13, a front portion including an evaporation dish 34 of the upper refrigerator 10A is illustrated, and a rear portion is not illustrated. As shown in Fig. 13, an air flow path 81 is provided between bottom plate 16 of upper refrigerator 10A and evaporation dish 34. In addition, a gap 82 is provided between upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B by connecting plate member 6. Gap 82 is a space between top plate 1c of lower refrigerator 10B and base plate 9 of upper refrigerator 10A.

[0068] The evaporating dish 34 has an edge 34a extending upward from its bottom surface. On the lower surface of the bottom plate 16, directly above the edge 34a of the evaporating dish 34, a curved portion 16a that is concave upward is provided. In other words, on the ceiling surface of the machine chamber 8 (the lower surface of the bottom plate 16), a position corresponding to the edge 34a of the evaporating dish 34 is curved so as to be concave upward.

[0069] If the lower surface of the bottom plate 16 were flat, the distance between the edge 34a of the evaporating dish 34 and the bottom plate 16 would be narrow, resulting in a large pressure loss when the air flows through. In contrast, in this embodiment, the bottom plate 16 has the curved portion 16a, so the pressure loss of the air flowing above the edge 34a can be reduced. As a result, even if the rotation speed of the fan 33 (see FIG. 12) is reduced to a certain extent, the air can be passed through at a predetermined flow rate.

[0070] 13, a part of the base plate 9 forming the lower surface of the upper refrigerator 10A functions as an evaporation dish 34. Note that the evaporation dish 34 may be placed on the upper surface of the base plate 9. Moreover, the base plate 9 includes a convex portion 9a protruding downward. When the upper refrigerator 10A is installed on the floor surface, the convex portion 9a is a portion that supports the upper refrigerator 10A together with the multiple legs 3 (see FIG. 1) and the rear convex portion 9b (see FIG. 11). Note that the base plate 9 may be configured to include the convex portion 9a, or the convex portion 9a may be installed on the base plate 9 as a separate member. In either case, the convex portion 9a is included in the matter of protruding downward from the base plate 9. At least one of the convex portions 9a is provided on a path along which the air flowing out from the exhaust port 5 flows when the course of the air is changed by the cover 7.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 13, when the upper refrigerator 10A is installed on the connecting plate 6, a gap 82 is also provided between the convex portion 9a of the base plate 9 in the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B. Note that the vertical distance H1 between the convex portion 9a of the upper refrigerator 10A and the top plate 1c of the lower refrigerator 10B is preferably, for example, 7 mm or more. This allows air to easily flow through the gap 82. Also, the distance H1 is preferably 50 mm or less. This makes it possible to prevent the distance between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B from becoming too long. Note that the convex portions 9a and 9b may be protruding adjusters as with the legs 3, as long as they are structured to be grounded when the refrigerator 10 is installed on the floor surface.

[0072] In addition, with cover 7 attached, the rear surface of cover 7 is preferably located rearward (toward machine room 8) of opening 91 (the opening closed by door 2) of the storage compartment of upper refrigerator 10A or lower refrigerator 10B. This makes it possible to prevent a part of the warm air moving from flow path 81 toward gap 82 from entering the storage compartment when door 2 of upper refrigerator 10A or lower refrigerator 10B is opened.

[0073] FIG. 14A is a perspective view of the cover 7 as viewed diagonally downward from the front right. As shown in Fig. 14A, the cover 7 includes the above-mentioned covering portion 7a, the extension portion 7b, and the slit 7c, as well as an opening 7d, an inclined portion 7e, a rib 7f, a claw portion 7g (see Fig. 14B), and an air guide plate 7h (see Fig. 14B). The opening 7d is a narrow and elongated opening in the horizontal direction, and is provided at a position facing the air intake 4 (see Fig. 12) of the upper refrigerator 10A.

[0074] The inclined portion 7e has a function of making the slit 7c less visible to the user, thereby improving the design. The inclined portion 7e is provided above the opening 7d and is inclined downward toward the rear. The gap between the lower edge of the opening 7d and the lower end of the inclined portion 7e forms the slit 7c.

[0075] FIG. 14B is a perspective view of the cover 7 as viewed from diagonally rear right. Rib 7f shown in Fig. 14B is intended to prevent a part of the air flowing out from exhaust port 5 (see Fig. 12) of upper refrigerator 10A from being sucked toward intake port 4. Rib 7f protrudes rearward (toward housing 1 of upper refrigerator 10A: see Fig. 12) from the inner surface of cover 7 and extends in the vertical direction. In addition, when cover 7 is attached to connecting plate material 6 (see Fig. 12), rib 7f is located between intake port 4 and exhaust port 5 of machine room 8 (see Fig. 12) of upper refrigerator 10A.

[0076] It is preferable that the distance in the front-rear direction between the rib 7f and the housing 1 (see FIG. 6) of the upper refrigerator 10A is shorter than the length in the up-down direction of the gap 82 (see FIG. 13) between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B. This effectively prevents a part of the air heading toward the exhaust port 5 (see FIG. 12) from being sucked toward the intake port 4 (see FIG. 12). This prevents a temperature rise of the air heading toward the radiator 32 (see FIG. 12), and thus prevents a decrease in the cooling efficiency of the upper refrigerator 10A.

[0077] Furthermore, claw portions 7g are provided on the inner sides of the pair of left and right extending portions 7b of the cover 7. As described above, these claw portions 7g are portions that are hooked onto the hooking portions 64a (see FIG. 5) of the connecting plate material 6. The air guide plate 7h changes the flow direction of the air flowing in through the slits 7c. The air guide plate 7h protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the covering portion 7a and extends in the left-right direction below the slits 7c. By providing such an air guide plate 7h, the air flow that flows diagonally downward through the inclined portion 7e becomes closer to the horizontal direction, so that the air can be easily guided to the heat sink 32 (see FIG. 12).

[0078] According to this embodiment, the air flowing out through the exhaust port 5 of the upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 13) is guided to the gap 82 (see FIG. 13), and is further exhausted to the side through the notch 63 (see FIG. 12) of the connecting plate 6. That is, even when the cover 7 (see FIG. 12) is attached, the air guided to the machine room 8 (see FIG. 12) through the intake port 4 (see FIG. 12) is guided to the exhaust port 5 through the radiator 32, the compressor 31, the fan 33, and the evaporating dish 34 in this order. This allows the air to flow thoroughly through the radiator 32, the compressor 31, and the evaporating dish 34, thereby suppressing a so-called shortcut. As a result, the cooling of the compressor 31 and the radiator 32 is promoted, and the evaporation of condensed water in the evaporating dish 34 is promoted.

[0079] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, when the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B are stacked, it is possible to prevent the exhaust air from the upper refrigerator 10A from directly hitting the user. Therefore, the user can comfortably use the upper refrigerator 10A or the lower refrigerator 10B. Furthermore, connecting plate material 6 is provided with cutout portion 63 (see FIG. 3) having a shape recessed downward near the center of the upper edge. Therefore, when a worker or the like lifts upper refrigerator 10A and places it on connecting plate material 6, the worker can prevent the fingers from being pinched between upper refrigerator 10A and connecting plate material 6 by aligning the position of the fingers with cutout portion 63. This makes it easier to place upper refrigerator 10A on connecting plate material 6. Further, according to the present embodiment, various use cases can be accommodated, such as using upper refrigerator 10A stacked on lower refrigerator 10B.

[0080] <<Variations>> Although the connection structure of the refrigerator 10 according to the present disclosure has been described in the above embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to these descriptions and may be modified in various ways. For example, the embodiment has been described with respect to a configuration in which a pair of connection plate members 6 (see FIG. 3) is provided between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. That is, a connection plate member 6C having a configuration shown in FIG. 15 may be used.

[0081] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a left connecting plate 6C used in a connecting structure of a refrigerator according to a modified example. In the modification shown in FIG. 15, the connecting plate material 6C is composed of two members, a first member 66 and a second member 67. The first member 66 is provided with through holes 61a, 62a used for screw fastening and a relief portion 62b. The second member 67 is provided with through holes 61a, 65a used for screw fastening and a relief portion 62b. The first member 66 and the second member 67 are installed with a predetermined gap in the front-rear direction. Note that the space 68 between the first member 66 and the second member 67 not only functions as an exhaust flow path (air passage) like the notch portion 63 (see FIG. 3) described in the embodiment, but also contributes to improving workability. That is, a plurality of connecting plate materials 66, 67 are provided adjacent to each other via the space 68, and the space 68 is in communication with the gap 82 (see FIG. 13) between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B. In addition, by attaching the cover 7 (see FIG. 4), the proportion of at least one of the exhaust volume through the space 68 and the exhaust volume of air flowing rearward through the gap between the pair of connecting plates 6C to the total exhaust volume increases. In this way, the change in the proportion of the exhaust volume through the space 68 etc. to the total exhaust volume is also included in the "change in exhaust direction" that accompanies the attachment and detachment of the cover 7.

[0082] Furthermore, with regard to screwing of connecting plate material 6 (see FIG. 3) in the embodiment, the following configuration can also be applied. That is, a female screw portion (not shown) used for screwing upper refrigerator 10A and connecting plate material 6 may be provided at a position that can be reached by inserting a tool laterally inside notch portion 63 (see FIG. 3). Note that the screwing direction of a male screw (not shown) that is the counterpart of the female screw portion (not shown) is the horizontal direction. With such a configuration, a worker or the like can screw upper refrigerator 10A and connecting plate material 6 from the side, making the screwing work easier.

[0083] Moreover, the screws used for screwing lower refrigerator 10B (see FIG. 3) to connecting plate material 6 and for screwing upper refrigerator 10A to connecting plate material 6 are not limited to hexagon socket bolts. That is, they may be cross bolts or the like that can be screwed. Moreover, it is also possible to use a predetermined fixing method other than screw fastening.

[0084] In addition, in the embodiment, a case where two refrigerators 10 (upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B) are stacked in the vertical direction has been described, but this is not limited thereto. For example, three or more refrigerators 10 may be stacked in the vertical direction. In this case, depending on how it is viewed, one refrigerator 10 may be the "upper refrigerator 10A" or the "lower refrigerator 10B." For example, when three refrigerators 10 are stacked, the middle refrigerator 10 is the "upper refrigerator 10A" in relation to the refrigerators 10 arranged below it, but is the "lower refrigerator 10B" in relation to the other refrigerators 10 arranged above it.

[0085] Also, for example, a plurality of refrigerators 10 may be arranged horizontally, or a plurality of refrigerators 10 may be arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix in the vertical and horizontal directions. In this case, it is desirable to provide a predetermined gap between adjacent refrigerators 10 in the horizontal direction. Air flowing out laterally through the cutout portion 63 (see FIG. 6) of the connecting plate material 6 is exhausted into the gap between the adjacent refrigerators 10.

[0086] Also, for example, the refrigerator 10 described in the embodiment may be used as a base unit, and decorative or functional processing may be applied to the surface of the refrigerator 10 depending on the use case. In this case, a predetermined base unit and other units may be mixed among the multiple refrigerators 10 arranged vertically or horizontally.

[0087] In addition, when refrigerator 10 is installed at a position higher than the floor surface and used alone, connecting plate material 6 (see FIG. 12) and cover 7 (see FIG. 12) may be provided under refrigerator 10. In this case, a predetermined member (not shown) used to fix connecting plate material 6 may be provided under connecting plate material 6.

[0088] Also, in the embodiment, a case has been described in which legs 3 of upper refrigerator 10A are removed when stacking on lower refrigerator 10B (see FIG. 3), but this is not limiting. That is, in a state in which legs 3 are installed on upper refrigerator 10A, upper refrigerator 10A may be placed on lower refrigerator 10B via connecting plate material 6. In this case, legs 3 of upper refrigerator 10A may be in contact with top panel 1c (see FIG. 3) of lower refrigerator 10B, or may be separated from top panel 1c. In addition, for example, a plurality of fitting portions (not shown) that fit onto legs 3 of upper refrigerator 10A may be provided on an upper portion of lower refrigerator 10B.

[0089] In the embodiment, the cutouts 63 are provided in the pair of left and right connecting plate members 6 (see FIG. 3), but one or both of the cutouts 63 may be omitted. For example, when the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B are not used as built-in refrigerators, the cutouts 63 may be omitted. This is because, even in such a configuration, air passing through the gap 82 (see FIG. 13) between the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B is exhausted to the rear as it is. In this case, an opening (not shown) between the rear ends of the pair of left and right connecting plate members 6 functions as an "air passage" that guides exhaust air to the rear of the housing 1. When the cover 7 is attached, the direction of exhaust air changes from exhaust air forward through the exhaust port 5 (exhaust air in the exhaust direction of the exhaust port 5) to exhaust air backward through the exhaust port 5 and the "air passage" in sequence (exhaust air in a direction other than the exhaust direction of the exhaust port 5).

[0090] In the embodiment, the case where a pair of left and right connecting plates 6 (see FIG. 3) are provided has been described, but the following may also be used. That is, another connecting plate (not shown) may be provided near the rear end of the pair of left and right connecting plates 6 to support the rear side of the upper refrigerator 10A and the lower refrigerator 10B. In this case, the left and right connecting plates 6 and the rear connecting plate (not shown) may be connected, or these three members may be integrally formed. Also, a notch (air passage) may be provided in the rear connecting plate (not shown), and air may be exhausted rearward through this notch. In such a configuration, when the cover 7 (see FIG. 5) is attached, the proportion of the exhaust amount through the notch 63 of the left and right connecting plates 6 and the exhaust amount through the notch (not shown) of the rear connecting plate (not shown) to the total exhaust amount also becomes large. Such a change in the proportion of the exhaust amount is also included in the "change in the direction of exhaust" that accompanies the attachment and detachment of the cover 7.

[0091] In the embodiment, the intake port 4 and the exhaust port 5 are provided on the front side of the refrigerator 10 (see FIG. 1 ), but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the intake port and the exhaust port may be provided on the side (including the back) of the refrigerator. In this case, the intake port and the exhaust port may be provided on the lower end side of the refrigerator 10, and the housing 1 of the refrigerator 10 may be located immediately above the intake port and the exhaust port. In this way, the intake port and the exhaust port can be prevented from being conspicuous because a user usually observes the refrigerator from a higher position than the intake port and the exhaust port. In this case, when the side of the refrigerator is close to a wall, a cover (not shown) may be provided to change the exhaust direction to the front or rear. In this case, a pair of connecting plate members 6 may be provided on the front side and the back side of the refrigerator.

[0092] In the embodiment, the refrigerator 10 is described as having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the embodiment can be applied to a refrigerator having a polyhedral shape other than a rectangular parallelepiped (not shown) or a refrigerator including a curved surface (not shown). The shape of the connecting plate member 6 (see FIG. 9) may be appropriately changed according to the shape of the refrigerator.

[0093] In the embodiment, the case where the cover 7 is attached between the upper refrigerator 10A (see FIG. 3) and the lower refrigerator 10B has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the user does not want to attach the cover 7, there is no particular need to attach the cover 7. Also, in the embodiment, as a procedure (refrigerator connecting method) of stacking upper refrigerator 10A and lower refrigerator 10B via connecting plate material 6, as described above, the "exposing step" (see FIG. 2), the "lower fixing step" (see FIG. 3), the "stacking step" (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 4), the "upper fixing step" (see FIG. 4), and the "cover mounting step" (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) are sequentially performed. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other words, when there is no particular need to mount cover 7, the "cover mounting step" may be omitted.

[0094] In addition, each embodiment has been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of an embodiment with other configurations. Furthermore, the above-mentioned mechanisms and configurations are those considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all mechanisms and configurations of the product.

[0095] This specification includes the following technical ideas. [Appendix 1-1] a housing having an opening for the storage chamber provided on a front side; A cover that is detachable from the housing; A door that can open and close the opening; an exhaust port for the machine room; The housing or the door is located immediately above the exhaust port, The exhaust structure of a refrigerator in which the direction of exhaust air is changed by attaching the cover downstream of the exhaust port. [Appendix 1-2] a duct provided at a lower end side of the housing for guiding exhaust air in a direction other than the exhaust direction of the exhaust port, When the cover is attached, the direction of the exhaust air changes from the exhaust direction of the exhaust port to the exhaust direction other than the exhaust direction of the exhaust port through the air passage. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to claim 1-1. [Appendix 1-3] An upper refrigerator and a lower refrigerator are provided, and a connecting plate member is provided between the upper refrigerator and the lower refrigerator. A gap is provided between the upper refrigerator and the lower refrigerator by the connecting plate material, The amount of exhaust gas flowing through the gap increases or decreases depending on whether the cover is attached or detached. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to claim 1-1. [Appendix 1-4] The cover is attached to the downstream side of the exhaust port of the upper refrigerator, The connecting plate is provided with a notch communicating with the gap. Or, A plurality of the connecting plates are provided adjacent to each other with a space therebetween, and the space communicates with the gap. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to claim 1-3. [Appendix 1-5] The change in the direction of the exhaust includes a change in the ratio of the amount of exhaust air passing through the notch or the space to the total amount of exhaust air. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to claim 1-4. [Appendix 1-6] The cutout portion is provided, The cutout portion is configured by cutting a part of the upper edge of the connecting plate material downward. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to claim 1-4. [Appendix 1-7] When the cover is attached to the downstream side of the exhaust port of the upper refrigerator, the air flowing out through the exhaust port moves in a U-shape by the cover and is guided to the gap. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to any one of Supplementary Note 1-3 to Supplementary Note 1-6, [Appendix 1-8] At least an evaporation tray is installed in the machine room, The evaporating dish has an edge extending upward from its bottom surface, The ceiling surface of the machine room is curved so that the position corresponding to the edge is concave upward. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to any one of Supplementary Note 1-1 to Supplementary Note 1-7, [Appendix 1-9] The exhaust port is provided on the front side of the housing, When the cover is attached, the rear surface of the cover is located rearward of the opening of the storage chamber. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to any one of Supplementary Note 1-1 to Supplementary Note 1-8, [Appendix 1-10] The cover is provided with a slit at a location corresponding to the intake port of the machine room, but is not provided with a slit at a location corresponding to the exhaust port. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to any one of Supplementary Note 1-1 to Supplementary Note 1-9, [Appendix 1-11] the cover includes a rib protruding from an inner surface of the cover toward the housing, The rib is located between the intake port and the exhaust port of the machine room when the cover is attached. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to claim 1-3. [Appendix 1-12] A distance in a front-rear direction between the rib and the housing of the upper refrigerator is shorter than a length of the gap in a vertical direction. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to claim 1-11. [Appendix 1-13] The cover has a claw portion that is hooked onto the connecting plate. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to claim 1-3. [Appendix 1-14] The machine room is provided with at least an evaporation tray and a fan that blows air toward the evaporation tray, The fan blows air downward toward the evaporating tray. The exhaust structure of a refrigerator according to any one of Supplementary Note 1-1 to Supplementary Note 1-13, [Appendix 2-1] An upper refrigerator and a lower refrigerator are provided, and a connecting plate member is provided between the upper refrigerator and the lower refrigerator. A refrigerator connection structure in which a gap is provided between the upper refrigerator and the lower refrigerator by the connection plate material. [Appendix 2-2] The connecting plate is fixed to an upper end support member provided near the upper end of the lower refrigerator by a predetermined fastener, and is fixed to a lower end support member provided near the lower end of the upper refrigerator by another fastener. The refrigerator connection structure according to claim 2-1, [Appendix 2-3] The lower refrigerator includes the upper end support member, a vertical support member extending in a vertical direction, and a lower end support member provided near a lower end, The vicinity of the upper end of the vertical support member is fixed to the upper end side support member of the lower refrigerator, The vicinity of the lower end of the vertical support member is fixed to the lower end side support member of the lower refrigerator. The refrigerator connection structure according to claim 2-2, [Appendix 2-4] The lower refrigerator includes a removable top plate provided on an upper surface thereof, When the top plate is removed, the connection portion with the connecting plate is exposed. The refrigerator connection structure according to any one of Supplementary Note 2-1 to Supplementary Note 2-3, [Appendix 2-5] The connecting plate is fixed to the upper refrigerator in a state where it is partially overlapped with a door hinge of the upper refrigerator. The refrigerator connection structure according to any one of Supplementary Note 2-1 to Supplementary Note 2-4, [Appendix 2-6] The upper refrigerator includes removable legs, The connecting plate is fixed to the upper refrigerator with the legs removed. The refrigerator connection structure according to any one of Supplementary Note 2-1 to Supplementary Note 2-5, [Appendix 2-7] In the upper refrigerator, a female screw portion used for screwing the leg is used for fixing the connecting plate. The refrigerator connection structure according to claim 2-6, [Appendix 2-8] The upper refrigerator includes a base plate forming a lower surface thereof; A protrusion protruding downward from the base plate, The gap is also provided between the protrusion of the upper refrigerator and the lower refrigerator. The refrigerator connection structure according to any one of Supplementary Note 2-1 to Supplementary Note 2-7, [Appendix 2-9] An exposure process of removing a top plate of a lower refrigerator to expose a connection portion with a connecting plate material; a lower fixing step of fixing the connecting plate to the lower refrigerator; a stacking process of stacking an upper refrigerator on the lower refrigerator via the connecting plate member; and an upper fixing step of fixing the connecting plate to the upper refrigerator. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1 Case 1a Outer box 1b Top plate 1c Top plate 1d Through hole (connection part) 2 Doors 3 legs 4 Air Intake 5. Exhaust port 6,6C connection plate material 61 Lower support part 61a Through hole (1st through hole) 62 Upper support part 62a Through hole (second through hole) 63 Notch 64 Connection 68 Space 7 Cover 7c Slit 7f Rib 7g Claw part 8 Machine room 9 Base Plate 9a Convex part 10. Refrigerator 10A Upper refrigerator 10B Lower refrigerator 11 Upper end support member 11a Female thread part (connection part) 13 Vertical support member 14 Lower end support member 16a Curved section 21 Door hinge 34 Evaporation dish 34a Edge 82 Gap 91 Aperture

Claims

1. An upper refrigerator and a lower refrigerator are provided, and a connecting plate member is provided between the upper refrigerator and the lower refrigerator. A gap is provided between the upper refrigerator and the lower refrigerator by the connecting plate material, The connecting plate material is The lower refrigerator is fixed to an upper end side support member provided near an upper end of the lower refrigerator by a predetermined fastener, and is fixed to a lower end side support member provided near a lower end of the upper refrigerator by another fastener, A lower support portion extending along an edge of an upper surface of the lower refrigerator; An upper support portion extending along an edge of the lower surface of the upper refrigerator; a planar connection portion that connects the lower support portion and the upper support portion that are vertically spaced apart from each other; the lower support portion has a first through hole through which the predetermined fastener is inserted, The upper support portion has a second through hole through which the other fastener is inserted, The first through hole and the second through hole are each drilled in the up-down direction, A refrigerator connecting structure, wherein the connection portion is arranged closer to the edge of the upper surface of the lower refrigerator than the first through hole and closer to the edge of the lower surface of the upper refrigerator than the second through hole.

2. The connecting plate is fixed to a door hinge of the door of the upper refrigerator, but is not fixed to a portion of the door hinge of the door of the lower refrigerator that protrudes outward beyond the housing of the lower refrigerator. The connecting structure of a refrigerator according to claim 1 .

3. The lower refrigerator includes the upper end support member, a vertical support member extending in a vertical direction, and a lower end support member provided near a lower end, The vicinity of the upper end of the vertical support member is fixed to the upper end side support member of the lower refrigerator, The vicinity of the lower end of the vertical support member is fixed to the lower end side support member of the lower refrigerator. The connecting structure of a refrigerator according to claim 1 .

4. The lower refrigerator includes a removable top plate provided on an upper surface thereof, When the top plate is removed, the connection portion with the connecting plate is exposed. The connecting structure of a refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The connecting plate is fixed to the upper refrigerator in a state where it is partially overlapped with a door hinge of the upper refrigerator. The connecting structure of a refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The upper refrigerator includes removable legs, The connecting plate is fixed to the upper refrigerator with the legs removed. The connecting structure of a refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. In the upper refrigerator, a female screw portion used for screwing the leg is used for fixing the connecting plate. The connecting structure of a refrigerator according to claim 6.

8. The upper refrigerator includes a base plate forming a lower surface thereof; A protrusion protruding downward from the base plate, The gap is also provided between the protrusion of the upper refrigerator and the lower refrigerator. The connecting structure of a refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An exposure process of removing a top plate of a lower refrigerator to expose a connection portion with a connecting plate material; a lower fixing step of fixing the connecting plate to the lower refrigerator; a stacking process of stacking an upper refrigerator on the lower refrigerator via the connecting plate member; and an upper fixing step of fixing the connecting plate member to the upper refrigerator. The connecting plate material is The lower refrigerator is fixed to an upper end side support member provided near an upper end of the lower refrigerator by a predetermined fastener, and is fixed to a lower end side support member provided near a lower end of the upper refrigerator by another fastener, A lower support portion extending along an edge of an upper surface of the lower refrigerator; An upper support portion extending along an edge of the lower surface of the upper refrigerator; a planar connection portion that connects the lower support portion and the upper support portion that are vertically spaced apart from each other; the lower support portion has a first through hole through which the predetermined fastener is inserted, The upper support portion has a second through hole through which the other fastener is inserted, The first through hole and the second through hole are each drilled in the up-down direction, A method for connecting refrigerators, wherein the connection portion is arranged closer to the edge of the upper surface of the lower refrigerator than the first through hole and closer to the edge of the lower surface of the upper refrigerator than the second through hole.

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