Insulated box and refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a constitution which allows a foam thermal insulation material to be more easily filled within a heat insulation box in injecting the foam thermal insulation material into the heat insulation box.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes a heat insulation box 50. The heat insulation box 50 has an inner box 70 and an outer box 60. In the heat insulation box 50, a vacuum heat insulation material 51 is arranged. Within the heat insulation box 50, a foam heat insulation material 52 is filled. In a side surface part 50b of the heat insulation box 50, an area in which a thickness T2 of the foam heat insulation material 52 facing the vacuum heat insulation material 51 is less than a thickness T1 of the vacuum heat insulation material 51 is larger than an area in which it is equal to or more than the thickness T1 of the vacuum heat insulation material 51. In a back surface part 50c of the heat insulation box 50, a thickness T8 of the foam heat insulation material facing the vacuum heat insulation material 51 is larger than the thickness T2 of the foam heat insulation material in the area facing the vacuum heat insulation material 51 in the side surface part 50b of the heat insulation box 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat-insulating box provided in a refrigerator or the like, and to a refrigerator provided with this heat-insulating box. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to insulate the refrigerator from the surroundings, an insulating box is provided to cover the outer periphery of the storage space. The insulating box is composed of an outer box, an inner box, and an insulating material filled between them. For example, a foam insulating material such as a rigid foam urethane insulating material is used as the insulating material.

[0003] In recent years, it has been proposed to place a vacuum insulator inside an insulated box in order to further improve thermal insulation performance. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator having a vacuum insulator and a foam insulator inside an insulated wall, in which the volume ratio of the vacuum insulator to the total volume of the insulated wall is set to a predetermined value or more. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-183896 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The use of vacuum insulation panels improves the insulation performance and allows the thickness of the insulation box to be reduced. However, as the thickness of the insulation box is reduced, the space within the insulation box through which the foam insulation material flows becomes narrower, making it more difficult for the foam insulation material to flow, which can result in voids (gaps) that are not filled with the foam insulation material after the insulation material has foamed.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a configuration that makes it easier to fill the foam insulation material inside the insulation box when injecting the foam insulation material into the insulation box. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, an insulated box includes an inner box and an outer box. The insulated box includes a vacuum insulation material disposed within the insulated box, a foam insulation material filled inside the insulated box, and at least one injection port disposed on the rear surface of the insulated box for injecting the foam insulation material. In the side portion of the insulated box, a region where the thickness of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is less than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material is greater than a region where the thickness is equal to or greater than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material, and in the rear portion of the insulated box, the thickness of the foam insulation material in the region facing the vacuum insulation material is greater than the thickness of the foam insulation material in the region facing the vacuum insulation material on the side portion of the insulated box. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to an aspect of the present invention, the insulating box can be more easily filled with the foam insulating material when the foam insulating material is injected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the interior of a heat-insulating box of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the heat-insulating box shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are a cross-sectional view and a partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the heat-insulating box body taken along line AA in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a heat insulating material is poured into the heat insulating box shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the heat-insulating box body shown in FIG. 3 along the line BB. [Figure 7] 3 is a front view showing the configuration of an inner box that forms the heat-insulating box body shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 8]FIG. 7 is a front view showing a state in which a duct member is attached to the inner box shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 9] 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the back part of the outer box is removed from the heat-insulating box shown in FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of foamed insulating material inside the insulating box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of the components are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0011] First Embodiment (Overall configuration of the refrigerator) First, the overall configuration of a refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, refrigerator 1 has refrigerator compartment 11 on the upper level, vegetable compartment 12 on the middle level, and freezer compartment 13 on the lower level. Refrigerator compartment 11 is provided with refrigerator compartment door 11a. Vegetable compartment 12 is provided with vegetable compartment door 12a. Freezer compartment 13 is provided with freezer compartment door 13a.

[0013] As described above, refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment is divided into an upper section, a middle section, and a lower section, and each storage space is provided. Partitions are provided between each storage space. More specifically, a first partition 54 is provided between upper refrigerator compartment 11 and middle vegetable compartment 12. Furthermore, a second partition (divider) 55 is provided between middle vegetable compartment 12 and lower freezer compartment 13. However, the arrangement of each storage space is not limited to this.

[0014] In this embodiment, the surface on which the door is provided is referred to as the front or front face of the refrigerator. Then, based on the front face, the respective faces of the refrigerator 1 are referred to as the top, side, back, and bottom faces based on the positions where the refrigerator 1 would be when installed in a normal state. Furthermore, the up-down direction of the refrigerator 1 when placed on the installation surface is referred to as the up-down direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the insulated box 50, etc.). Furthermore, the front-to-back direction when viewed from the front of the refrigerator 1 when placed on the installation surface is referred to as the front-to-back direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the insulated box 50, etc.).

[0015] A refrigeration cycle is provided inside the refrigerator 1. The refrigeration cycle is configured by connecting a compressor 31, a condenser (not shown), an expander (not shown), and a cooler 32 via a refrigerant pipe (refrigerant flow path) through which a refrigerant flows.

[0016] A control unit (not shown) is also provided inside the refrigerator 1. This control unit controls the operation of the refrigeration cycle. That is, the control unit drives the compressor 31, thereby starting the operation of the refrigeration cycle and causing the refrigerant to circulate through the cycle. As shown in FIG. 1, the compressor 31 is disposed in a machine room 30 provided on the rear side of the bottom of the refrigerator 1.

[0017] The cooler 32 is disposed in a cooling compartment 35 provided on the rear side of the refrigerator 1. In addition to the cooler 32, the cooling compartment 35 is also provided with a cooling fan 33 and other components. The cooling fan 33 is provided to circulate air between the cooling compartment 35 and each storage space. The cooling compartment 35 is in communication with a cold air duct 41. The cold air duct 41 serves as a cold air passageway for supplying the cold air generated in the cooling compartment 35 to the refrigerator compartment 11 and other compartments.

[0018] (Configuration of the insulated box) The refrigerator 1 is provided with an insulating box 50 as an insulating structure for insulating each storage space from the surroundings. FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the insulating box 50 as seen from the front side (frontage 50e side). The insulating box 50 is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the refrigerator 1. The insulating box 50 is mainly composed of a top surface, side surfaces 50b, a back surface 50c, and a bottom surface. The front side of the insulating box 50 forms an open frontage 50e.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the insulating box body 50 mainly comprises an outer box 60, an inner box 70, a vacuum insulating material 51, a foam insulating material 52, and at least one partition (e.g., a first partition 54 and a second partition 55).

[0020] The outer box 60 forms the outer peripheral surface of the insulated box body 50. The outer box 60 is mainly composed of a top surface, a side surface 60b, a back surface 60c, and a bottom surface (see FIG. 3). The inner box 70 forms the inner peripheral surface of the insulated box body 50. The inner box 70 is mainly composed of a top surface, a side surface 70b, a back surface 70c, and a bottom surface 70d (see FIG. 2). The inner box 70 forms the inner walls of the storage spaces (e.g., the refrigerator compartment 11, the vegetable compartment 12, and the freezer compartment 13) and the rear wall of the cooling compartment 35.

[0021] The interior of the insulated box 50 formed by the inner box 70 is divided into multiple spaces by at least one partition. In this embodiment, two partitions, a first partition 54 and a second partition 55, are provided. The first partition 54 is disposed between the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12. The second partition 55 is disposed between the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13.

[0022] A space for arranging the machine room 30 is formed on the rear side of the bottom of the insulated box body 50. The machine room 30 is arranged outside the insulated box body 50 because the temperature inside the machine room 30 rises when the compressor 31 is operated. The machine room 30 is mainly defined by a bottom plate 62 that forms the bottom portion of the outer box 60.

[0023] In this way, the machine compartment 30 and the freezer compartment 13 are isolated by the heat-insulating box body 50. Therefore, the heat generated in the machine compartment 30 can be prevented from flowing into the freezer compartment 13.

[0024] Vacuum insulation material 51 and foam insulation material 52 are provided in the space between outer box 60 and inner box 70. Vacuum insulation material 51, also known as VIP, is a thin sheet-like or plate-like insulation material. Vacuum insulation material 51 is arranged, for example, on the side, top, bottom, and back of refrigerator 1. In FIG. 1, the vacuum insulation material arranged on the bottom of refrigerator 1 is not shown. As shown in FIG. 1 and other figures, vacuum insulation material 51 is arranged on the outer box 60 side within insulated box body 50.

[0025] The foam insulation material 52 can be formed of, for example, foamed polyurethane (also called rigid urethane foam). The foam insulation material 52 is also filled inside the second partition 55 that separates the vegetable compartment 12, which is a refrigerated storage space, from the freezer compartment 13, which is a freezer storage space. In this embodiment, the inside of the first partition 54 that separates the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12, which are both refrigerated storage spaces, is not filled with the foam insulation material 52. An insulation material different from the foam insulation material 52 may be placed inside the first partition 54. In another embodiment, the inside of the first partition 54 may also be filled with the foam insulation material 52.

[0026] The foam insulation material 52 is filled into the insulating box 50 by injecting a liquid urethane foam material (also called the foam insulation material or insulating material) into the insulating box 50 and allowing the material to foam inside the insulating box 50. Injection ports 58 for injecting the insulating material are provided on the rear surface 60c of the outer box 60 (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, two injection ports 58 are provided near the left end of the rear surface 60c and two injection ports 58 are provided near the right end of the rear surface 60c, for a total of four injection ports 58. However, the number of injection ports 58 is not limited to this.

[0027] Figure 2 shows the insulating box 50 when a urethane foam material is being injected into the insulating box 50. When injecting the urethane foam material into the insulating box 50, only the second partition 55 is attached to the interior of the insulating box 50, as shown in Figure 2. As a result, when the foam insulating material is injected through the injection port 58, the foam insulating material 52 is also filled into the interior of the second partition 55 through the urethane inlet provided between the inner box 70 and the second partition 55.

[0028] (Regarding the thickness of the side walls of the insulated box and the thickness of the vacuum insulation material) In recent refrigerators, there is a demand for thinner side walls of the heat-insulating box 50 in order to ensure a larger interior space, etc. Therefore, in this embodiment, the walls of each surface (for example, the side surface portion 50b) of the heat-insulating box 50 are made thinner.

[0029] Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the configuration inside the side wall of the heat-insulating box 50. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heat-insulating box 50 taken along line AA in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 also shows an enlarged view of a portion of the heat-insulating box 50 (the portion surrounded by a dashed line frame).

[0030] The average thickness of the side portion 50b of the insulating box 50 according to this embodiment is, for example, 25 mm or more and 35 mm or less. In the side portion 50b of the insulating box 50, the area where the thickness T2 of the foam insulating material 52 facing the vacuum insulating material 51 is less than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulating material 51 is more than the area where the thickness T2 is equal to or greater than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulating material 51.

[0031] The thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on the side surface portion 50b is substantially constant over the entire area of ​​one vacuum insulation material. In one example, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 is set to 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less, preferably 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less.

[0032] On the other hand, the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 on the side surface portion 50b varies depending on the external shape of the insulated box body 50 (particularly the shape of the inner box 70). As described above, in the side surface portion 50b of the insulated box body 50, the thickness T1 is greater than the thickness T2 in most, at least half or more, of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present. Therefore, the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present on the side surface portion 50b is set to, for example, 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less, preferably 8 mm or more and 13 mm or less.

[0033] In one example, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 can be approximately twice the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52. In this way, by increasing the proportion of the vacuum insulation material 51 in the side surface portion 50b, the thickness of the side surface portion 50b as a whole can be made smaller.

[0034] The thickness of the vacuum insulation material arranged on the surfaces (i.e., the top and bottom surfaces) other than the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50 may be the same as or different from the thickness T1. Furthermore, the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 on the surfaces (i.e., the top and bottom surfaces) other than the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50 may be greater than or equal to the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on those surfaces.

[0035] The rear surface 50c of the insulated box 50 tends to accommodate piping and electrical wiring for the refrigeration cycle connected to the cooler 32, and it is necessary to secure these piping and wiring and ensure thermal insulation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 arranged on the rear surface 50c is equal to or greater than the thickness T7 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on the rear surface 50c (see FIG. 6). In this embodiment, the thickness T7 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on the rear surface 50c of the insulated box 50 is equal to or smaller than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on the side surface 50b. In one example, the thickness T7 is approximately half the thickness T1 (for example, 5 mm to 15 mm).

[0036] (Method of manufacturing a heat-insulating box) Next, a description will be given of a manufacturing method of the heat insulating box 50. Fig. 5 shows how the heat insulating material is poured into the heat insulating box 50.

[0037] First, components such as vacuum insulation material 51 and heat dissipation pipes (not shown) are attached to predetermined positions on the inner surface of each surface (specifically, the top surface, side surface 60b, and back surface 60c) of outer box 60. Also, components such as an internal electrical unit and various wiring are attached to predetermined positions on inner box 70.

[0038] Next, each surface of the outer box 60 is attached so as to cover the outer periphery of the inner box 70. In this way, the outer shape of the heat-insulating box body 50 is formed.

[0039] Thereafter, with the back portion 50c of the insulating box 50 facing up, liquid foam insulating material (urethane foam material) is injected through the injection port 58 formed in the back portion 60c of the outer box 60. At this time, an injection nozzle 91 of an insulating material injection device is inserted into the injection port 58 (see FIG. 5). The foam insulating material discharged from the injection nozzle 91 into the insulating box 50 foams in sequence from the front side (front opening 50e side) to the back side in the space between the outer box 60 and the inner box 70, filling the space while increasing in volume. The foamed insulating material then hardens.

[0040] In other words, when insulating material is injected through each injection port 58 with the back portion 60c of the insulated box body 50 facing up, the insulating material flows down due to gravity through the side portions 50b and top portion of the insulated box body 50 toward the front portion 50e located at the bottom.

[0041] As described above, in this embodiment, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material over most of the area of ​​the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50. As the thickness of the side wall of the insulating box 50 becomes thinner, the space within the side wall through which the insulating material flows becomes narrower, making it more difficult for the insulating material to flow. When the vacuum insulation material 51 is provided inside the insulating box 50, the flow space for the insulating material becomes even narrower. This increases the possibility of voids (gaps) occurring within the insulating box 50 that are not filled with the foam insulation material after the injected insulating material has foamed.

[0042] For example, if the liquid foaming insulation material hits the wall surface inside the insulated box 50 when it is injected, it may start to foam partially at that point, and later, when the insulation material is foamed and filled from the front side of the insulated box 50, this partially foamed area may become an obstacle, causing uneven filling. Also, the foaming insulation material may not be filled in the back part 50c of the insulated box 50, which is the last part that the insulation material reaches, and voids may easily occur.

[0043] (Configuration of the rear part of the insulated box) Therefore, in this embodiment, a measure is taken to promote the flow of the foamed insulating material into the back surface portion 50c of the insulating box 50. The following describes the structure of this measure.

[0044] FIG. 6 shows a schematic horizontal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator compartment 11 of the insulated box 50. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the line BB in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 also shows an enlarged view of part of the side portion 50b and the back portion 50c of the insulated box 50 (portions surrounded by dashed lines). FIG. 7 shows the external configuration of the inner box 70 as seen from the front. FIG. 8 shows the state in which the duct member 42 has been attached to the back of the refrigerator compartment 11 of the inner box 70 shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 shows the internal configuration of the back portion 50c of the insulated box 50. FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of the injected foam insulation material spreading inside the insulated box 50.

[0045] In the heat-insulating box 50 according to this embodiment, the average thickness of the rear surface 50c is greater than the average thickness of the side surface 50b. In one example, the average thickness of the rear surface 50c is 35 mm or more and 40 mm or less.

[0046] Furthermore, at the rear surface 50c of the insulating box 50, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 in the side surface 50b. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the thickness T7 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged at the rear surface 50c of the insulating box 50 is smaller than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged at the side surface 50b.

[0047] In one example, thickness T7 is approximately half of thickness T1 (for example, 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less), and in another example, thickness T8 is at least twice as thick as thickness T2 (for example, 15 mm or more and 40 mm or less).

[0048] Furthermore, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 arranged on the rear surface portion 50c is equal to or greater than the thickness T7 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on the rear surface portion 50c.

[0049] In this way, the relative thickness of the foam insulation material 52 is higher at the back surface 50c of the insulating box 50 compared to the side surface 50b and the like.

[0050] During the process of forming the foam insulation 52, the insulating material is injected as shown in FIG. 5, so the timing of the insulating material flowing into the rear portion 50c of the insulated box 50 tends to be delayed compared to the side portion 50b, etc. The foam insulation material injected through the inlet 58 first flows into the side portion 50b located directly below, and then flows upward from the front portion 50e while expanding, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 10. The foam insulation material then flows into the rear portion 50c from the side closest to the side portion 50b toward the center while expanding. The injected foam insulation material increases in viscosity over time. Therefore, the viscosity of the insulating material is higher when it flows into the rear portion 50c.

[0051] In this embodiment, the volume into which the insulating material flows (i.e., the area other than the area occupied by the vacuum insulating material 51) is relatively large at the rear portion 50c of the insulating box body 50, so that even insulating materials with higher viscosity can easily flow into the space.

[0052] Therefore, the above configuration can reduce the occurrence of unfilled portions (voids) of the foam insulation material in the back surface portion 50c of the insulating box body 50. Furthermore, by increasing the proportion of the foam insulation material 52 in the back surface portion 50c, the strength of the insulating box body 50 can be improved.

[0053] Furthermore, a recess 48 extending vertically is provided in the approximate center in the left-right direction on the back surface 70c of the inner box 70. In this embodiment, the recess 48 is provided inside the refrigerator compartment 11, and is recessed in a direction that expands the internal volume (see FIG. 6).

[0054] The thickness T8b of the foam insulation 52 in the region corresponding to the recess 48 is smaller than the thickness T8 of the foam insulation 52 in the remaining region of the back surface portion 50c. In one example, the thickness T8b is 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less.

[0055] The recess 48 corresponds to the final destination area of ​​the injected foamed insulating material. Therefore, by providing the recess 48 and narrowing the space in the back surface portion 50c, the amount of foamed insulating material to be filled can be reduced, and the occurrence of unfilled areas (voids) can be reduced.

[0056] It is preferable to ensure a thickness that allows the foamed insulating material to flow even in the recess 48. Therefore, the thickness T8b is preferably larger than the thickness T2, and is preferably, for example, 15 mm or more.

[0057] It is preferable that the recess 48 be provided with at least one vent hole (hole) 49. When the insulating material is injected into the insulated box 50 and expands while foaming inside, the air present in the insulated box 50 can be released through the vent hole 49. This prevents the pressure inside the insulated box 50 from increasing and promotes the flow of the foamed insulating material into the recess 48. In this embodiment, a vent hole 49 is also provided in the back surface 70c of the inner box 70 in addition to the recess 48 (see Figure 7, etc.). In Figure 7, a portion of the vent hole 49 formed in the back surface 70c of the inner box 70 is shown enlarged to make the location of the vent hole easier to understand.

[0058] Furthermore, a duct member (duct forming member) 42 is arranged on the inside wall of the back portion 70c of the inner box 70 so as to cover the recessed portion 48 (see FIG. 8). By arranging the duct member 42 in the recessed portion 48, an area for a cool air duct can be secured in the recessed portion. This allows the internal volume of the refrigerator to be expanded. Furthermore, the gas vent hole 49 formed in the recessed portion 48 can be covered and hidden by the duct member 42.

[0059] Duct member 42 is fixed to rear surface portion 70c of inner box 70 using screws or the like. Recess 48 of inner box 70 is provided with screw-fastened portion 42A into which the screws are inserted. In this embodiment, a relatively large number of gas vent holes 49A are formed around screw-fastened portion 42A (see FIG. 7, etc.). This allows the foam insulation material to flow preferentially into screw-fastened portion 42A, improving the strength of screw-fastened portion 42A.

[0060] When forming the gas vent holes 49 in the inner box 70, it is preferable to drill the holes from the inside of the storage compartment toward the inside of the insulated box body. This allows air to escape from the inside of the insulated box body 50 through the gas vent holes 49, but makes it difficult for the foamed insulating material inside the insulated box body 50 to leak.

[0061] On the inner box 70 side inside the back portion 50c of the insulating box 50, a polystyrene foam (insulating structure) 69 is provided in the approximate center in the left-right and up-down directions (see FIG. 9). The polystyrene foam 69 is attached to the inside of the insulating box 50 before the foam insulating material is injected.

[0062] The approximate center in the left-right and up-down directions within the rear portion 50c of the insulating box 50 corresponds to the final destination area of ​​the foamed insulating material injected through each injection port 58 (see FIG. 10). This area is more difficult to fill with the foamed insulating material than other areas, and is more likely to become an unfilled area (void). Therefore, for example, by placing an insulating structure such as a rectangular parallelepiped polystyrene foam 69 in this area beforehand, the occurrence of voids can be suppressed.

[0063] The above describes the specific configuration of the back surface 50c in the upper section (i.e., the refrigerator compartment 11 side) of the insulated box 50. A detailed description of the configuration of the back surface 50c in the middle section (i.e., the vegetable compartment 12 side) and the lower section (i.e., the freezer compartment 13 side) of the insulated box 50 will be omitted, but a configuration similar to that of the upper section can be applied. That is, even in the back surface 50c in the middle and lower sections of the insulated box 50, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 in more than half of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in the side surface 50b.

[0064] (Summary of the first embodiment) As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes an insulated box 50. The insulated box 50 has an inner box 70 and an outer box 60. A vacuum insulation material 51 is disposed on the outer box side of the insulated box 50. The inside of the insulated box 50 is filled with foam insulation material 52. At least one injection port 58 for injecting foam insulation material is provided on the back surface of the insulated box 50.

[0065] On the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50, there are more areas where the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 facing the vacuum insulation material 51 is less than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 than there are areas where the thickness T2 is equal to or greater than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51. Also, on the back surface 50c of the insulating box 50, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 on the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50.

[0066] According to the above configuration, the volume into which the insulating material flows (i.e., the area other than the area occupied by the vacuum insulating material 51) is relatively large at the back surface 50c of the insulating box 50, so even insulating materials with higher viscosity can easily flow into the space. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of unfilled areas (voids) of the foam insulating material at the back surface 50c of the insulating box 50.

[0067] As described above, the insulating box 50 according to this embodiment can be configured to allow the foam insulating material to flow more easily inside the insulating box when it is injected. This makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the side surfaces of the insulating box 50 and reduce the possibility of areas inside the insulating box 50 not being filled with the foam insulating material.

[0068] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described, focusing on the configuration that differs from the first embodiment.

[0069] In the first embodiment, a specific configuration of the back surface portion 50c in the upper section (i.e., the refrigerator compartment 11 side) of the insulated box body 50 is described. In the present embodiment, a specific configuration of the back surface portion 50c in the middle section (i.e., the vegetable compartment 12 side) and the lower section (i.e., the freezer compartment 13 side) of the insulated box body 50 is described.

[0070] As with the upper section of the insulated box body 50, in the back section 50c of the middle and lower sections of the insulated box body 50, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 in the side section 50b.

[0071] In one example, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 in the middle section of the back surface 50c is, for example, 15 mm or more and 30 mm or less. Because the temperature inside the vegetable compartment 12 located in the middle section tends to be slightly higher than that inside the refrigerator compartment 11, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 in the middle section of the back surface 50c may be smaller than the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 in the upper section. This allows the internal volume of the vegetable compartment 12 to be increased.

[0072] In one example, thickness T8 of foam insulation 52 in the lower portion of back surface 50c is, for example, 15 mm or more and 45 mm or less. Because the temperature in freezer compartment 13 located in the lower portion is lower than that in refrigerator compartment 11, thickness T8 of foam insulation 52 in the lower portion of back surface 50c is preferably greater than the thickness of foam insulation 52 in the upper portion.

[0073] (summary) An insulating box (e.g., insulating box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention has an inner box (e.g., inner box 70) and an outer box (e.g., outer box 60). This insulating box is equipped with a vacuum insulating material (e.g., vacuum insulating material 51) disposed within the insulating box, a foam insulating material (e.g., foam insulating material 52) filled inside the insulating box, and at least one injection port (e.g., injection port 58) disposed on the back surface of the insulating box for injecting material for the foam insulating material. On the side portion (e.g., side portion 50b) of the insulated box, there are more areas where the thickness (e.g., thickness T2) of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is less than the thickness (e.g., thickness T1) of the vacuum insulation material than there are areas where the thickness (e.g., thickness T1) of the vacuum insulation material is greater than or equal to the thickness of the vacuum insulation material, and on the back portion (e.g., back portion 50c) of the insulated box, the thickness (e.g., thickness T8) of the foam insulation material in the area facing the vacuum insulation material is greater than the thickness (e.g., thickness T2) of the foam insulation material in the area facing the vacuum insulation material on the side portion of the insulated box.

[0074] In the insulated box (e.g., insulated box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention described above, the injection port (e.g., injection port 58) is located at the left-right end of the back surface, and the back surface of the inner box (e.g., inner box 70) may be provided with a recess (e.g., recess 48) extending vertically at approximately the center in the left-right direction.

[0075] In the heat-insulating box according to one aspect of the present invention (for example, heat-insulating box 50), the recess (for example, recess 48) may be provided with at least one hole (for example, gas vent hole 49).

[0076] In the insulated box (e.g., insulated box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention described above, a duct-forming member (e.g., duct member 42) may be provided on the inner wall of the back surface of the inner box (e.g., inner box 70) so as to cover the recess (e.g., recess 48).

[0077] In the insulated box (e.g., insulated box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention described above, an insulating structure (e.g., polystyrene foam 69) may be provided in the rear portion (e.g., rear portion 50c) of the insulated box on the side of the inner box (e.g., inner box 70) approximately in the center in the left-right and up-down directions.

[0078] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator (for example, refrigerator 1). This refrigerator includes an insulating box (for example, insulating box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0079] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. Furthermore, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in this specification are also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1: Refrigerator 41: Cool air duct 42: Duct components (duct forming components) 42A: Screw fastening part 48: Recess 49: Gas vent hole 50: Insulated box 50b: Side portion (of the heat-insulating box) 50c: Rear part (of the insulated box) 51: Vacuum insulation material 52: Foam insulation 54: First partition 55: Second partition 58: Inlet 60: Outer box 69: Styrofoam (thermal insulation structure) 70: Inner box 70b: Side part (of inner box) 70c: (inner box) back T1: Thickness of the vacuum insulation material on the side of the insulation box T2: Thickness of foam insulation on the side of the insulated box T7: Thickness of the vacuum insulation material at the back of the insulation box T8: Thickness of foam insulation at the back of the insulated box

Claims

1. A heat-insulating box having an inner box and an outer box, A vacuum insulation material disposed in the insulation box; A foam insulation material filled inside the insulation box; At least a pair of injection ports arranged at the left and right ends of the rear surface of the insulating box body, for injecting the foam insulating material; Equipped with In the side portion of the insulation box, a region where the thickness of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is less than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material is more than a region where the thickness is equal to or greater than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material, a thickness of the foam insulation material in a region facing the vacuum insulation material at the rear surface of the insulation box body is greater than a thickness of the foam insulation material in a region facing the vacuum insulation material at the side surface of the insulation box body; A recess extending vertically is provided in the rear surface of the inner box at approximately the center in the left-right direction, The heat-insulating box has at least one hole formed in the recess, and a heat-insulating structure provided at a position different from the hole.

2. An insulated box as described in Claim 1, wherein the insulating structure is positioned further from the injection port in the vertical direction than the hole.

3. 3. The insulated box according to claim 1, wherein a duct forming member is provided on the inner wall of the back surface of the inner box, the duct forming member being fixed to a screw fastening portion provided in the recess using a screw, and the holes are provided in plurality around the screw fastening portion.

4. A refrigerator comprising the heat-insulating box according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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