refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator including a support section which can sufficiently exert a function for rotatably supporting a door and guide a rotation angle of the door to a prescribed angle range.SOLUTION: A support section which rotatably supports a door in a refrigerator includes: a columnar section which is provided in a refrigerator body section, extends along a vertical direction of the refrigerator body section and becomes a rotation center of the door; and a cylindrical section which is provided in the door and rotates around the columnar section accompanying the rotation of the door. Contact strength given to a side face of the columnar section by the cylindrical section is changed according to a rotation angle of the door by changing a positional relation between a columnar section side special shape in which a first direction of a prescribed length provided in a cross section in a direction crossing an extension direction of the columnar section crosses a second direction different from the first direction in length and a cylindrical section side special shape in which a first direction of a prescribed length provided in a cross section in a direction crossing an extension direction of the cylindrical section crosses a second direction different from the first direction in length.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Refrigerators with a pivotable door that opens and closes a storage compartment are known. However, refrigerators with such pivotable doors have a problem in that the door, when opened to open the storage compartment, may unintentionally close due to its own weight, or may unintentionally open further. Therefore, attempts have been made to improve the door to prevent it from opening and closing unintentionally.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a support part that supports a door rotatably relative to an opening of a storage compartment, as follows: A configuration including a hinge pin and a fitting portion through which the hinge pin is inserted is disclosed. Patent Document 1 also discloses that the hinge pin has a prismatic portion along a portion of its axial direction. The fitting portion has an opening with a different shape from the prismatic portion and is configured to be elastically deformable. With this configuration, as the door rotates, the prismatic portion of the hinge pin rotates within the fitting portion, which has a different shape from the prismatic portion, thereby guiding the rotation angle of the door to a predetermined angle, in this case, 0 degrees and 90 degrees. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-9693 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the conventional configuration, it is difficult to determine the position of the hinge pin within the fitting portion, and in the first place, it is difficult to make it function as a support portion that rotatably supports the door.

[0006] Therefore, this embodiment provides a refrigerator equipped with a support part that can fully perform the function of supporting the door so that it can rotate, and can guide the rotation angle of the door within a predetermined angle range. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A refrigerator according to this embodiment includes a refrigerator main body having a storage compartment, a door that opens and closes an opening of the storage compartment, and a support part that rotatably supports the door. The support part includes a columnar part that is provided on the refrigerator main body and extends in the up-and-down direction of the refrigerator main body and serves as a rotation center of the door, and a cylindrical part that is provided on the door and rotates around the columnar part as the door rotates. The cross-sectional shape of the columnar part in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the columnar part has a columnar part-side special shape in which a first direction of a predetermined length and a second direction of a length different from the first direction intersect, and the cross-sectional shape of the columnar part in the direction intersecting the extension direction of the cylindrical part has a cylindrical part-side special shape in which the first direction of a predetermined length and the second direction of a length different from the first direction intersect, and the positional relationship between the columnar part-side special shape and the cylindrical part-side special shape changes depending on the rotation angle of the door, thereby changing the contact strength that the cylindrical part exerts on a side surface of the columnar part. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view schematically illustrating a configuration example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional side view schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of an upper support portion according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional side view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a lower support portion according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a lower support portion according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a lower support member according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view schematically showing an example of a cross-sectional shape in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the columnar portion according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a lower supported member according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of an intermediate member according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of an intermediate member according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view schematically illustrating an example of a state of a main part of a lower support part when the refrigerator compartment door according to the embodiment is in a closed state in which the front opening of the refrigerator compartment is closed. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view (part 1) schematically illustrating an example of a state of a main part of a lower support part when the refrigerator compartment door according to the present embodiment is in an open state with the front opening of the refrigerator compartment open. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view (part 2) schematically illustrating an example of a state of a main part of a lower support part when the refrigerator compartment door according to the present embodiment is in an open state with the front opening of the refrigerator compartment open. [Figure 13] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view (part 3) schematically illustrating an example of a state of a main part of a lower support part when the refrigerator compartment door according to the present embodiment is in an open state with the front opening of the refrigerator compartment open. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view (part 4) schematically illustrating an example of a state of a main part of a lower support part when the refrigerator compartment door according to the present embodiment is in an open state with the front opening of the refrigerator compartment open. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of a refrigerator will be described below with reference to the drawings. Refrigerator 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a rectangular insulated box 11 that forms the outer shell of refrigerator 10. Various items, such as food, can be stored inside storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. While not shown in detail, insulated box 11 includes a thermal insulator between an inner box and an outer box. Various thermal insulators, such as vacuum insulation panels, urethane foam, and thermally insulated molded bodies made of insulating materials, can be used as the thermal insulator for insulated box 11. Insulated box 11 is an example of a refrigerator main body.

[0010] In this case, storage compartment 12 is a refrigerator compartment maintained in the refrigerator temperature range. Hereinafter, storage compartment 12 may be referred to as "refrigerator compartment 12." In this case, storage compartment 13 is a vegetable compartment maintained in the refrigerator temperature range. Hereinafter, storage compartment 13 may be referred to as "vegetable compartment 13." In this case, storage compartment 14 is an ice making compartment maintained in the freezing temperature range. Hereinafter, storage compartment 14 may be referred to as "ice making compartment 14." In this case, storage compartment 15 is a small freezing compartment maintained in the freezing temperature range. Hereinafter, storage compartment 15 may be referred to as "small freezing compartment 15." In this case, storage compartment 16 is a large freezing compartment maintained in the freezing temperature range. Hereinafter, storage compartment 16 may be referred to as "large freezing compartment 16."

[0011] Refrigerating compartment 12 is the uppermost storage compartment among multiple storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 provided in refrigerator 10. Vegetable compartment 13 is provided below refrigerating compartment 12 and is located approximately in the center of insulated box body 11 in the vertical direction. Ice making compartment 14 and small freezing compartment 15 are provided below vegetable compartment 13 and are lined up along the horizontal direction of refrigerator 10 within insulated box body 11. Large freezing compartment 16 is provided below ice making compartment 14 and small freezing compartment 15 within insulated box body 11. Large freezing compartment 16 is the lowermost storage compartment among multiple storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 provided in refrigerator 10.

[0012] The front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is opened and closed by two so-called double-door refrigerator compartment doors 12D[L], 12D[R] that can rotate left and right. The front opening of vegetable compartment 13 is opened and closed by drawer-type vegetable compartment door 13D that can move back and forth. The front opening of ice making compartment 14 is opened and closed by drawer-type ice making compartment door 14D that can move back and forth. The front opening of small freezer compartment 15 is opened and closed by drawer-type small freezer compartment door 15D that can move back and forth. The front opening of large freezer compartment 16 is opened and closed by drawer-type large freezer compartment door 16D that can move back and forth.

[0013] The refrigerator compartment door 12D[L] is supported by an upper support portion 20[L] and a lower support portion 21[L] so as to be rotatable in the left-right direction relative to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12. In addition, the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is supported by an upper support portion 20[R] and a lower support portion 21[R] so as to be rotatable in the left-right direction relative to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12. Next, configuration examples of the upper support portions 20[L], 20[R] and the lower support portions 21[L], 21[R] will be described in more detail.

[0014] The upper support portion 20[L] has the same configuration as the upper support portion 20[R], and these upper support portion 20[L] and upper support portion 20[R] are provided symmetrically in the refrigerator 10. The lower support portion 21[L] has the same configuration as the lower support portion 21[R], and these lower support portion 21[L] and lower support portion 21[R] are provided symmetrically in the refrigerator 10. Therefore, in this disclosure, exemplary configurations of the upper support portion 20[R] and the lower support portion 21[R] will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, and detailed description of the exemplary configurations of the upper support portion 20[L] and the lower support portion 21[L] will be omitted because they are symmetrical to the exemplary configurations of the upper support portion 20[R] and the lower support portion 21[R].

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the upper support section 20[R] includes an upper support member 31. The upper support member 31 is attached to the top of the insulating box 11. In this case, the upper support member 31 is attached to the right end of the front part of the top surface of the insulating box 11. In addition, a pillar-shaped portion 32 is provided at the tip end of the upper support member 31, in this case the front end. The pillar-shaped portion 32 extends downward from the front end of the upper support member 31 along the up-down direction of the insulating box 11.

[0016] On the other hand, the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is provided with an upper supported member 33. In this case, the upper supported member 33 is attached to the right end of the upper part of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R]. The upper supported member 33 also has a cylindrical portion 34 extending in the up-and-down direction of the insulating box body 11. The above-mentioned pillar portion 32 is inserted into and held in the cylindrical portion 34 from above. An intermediate member (not shown) can be provided between the outer surface of the pillar portion 32 and the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 34.

[0017] In the upper support part 20[R] configured in this manner, the pillar part 32 serves as the rotation center when the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] rotates. Furthermore, the cylindrical part 34 rotates around the pillar part 32 as the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] rotates.

[0018] 3, the lower support section 21[R] includes a lower supporting member 100, a lower supported member 200, and an intermediate member 300. The lower supporting member 100 is made of, for example, a metal material. The lower supported member 200 and the intermediate member 300 are made of, for example, a resin material.

[0019] The lower support member 100 is attached to the insulated box body 11. In this case, the lower support member 100 is attached to the right end of the front surface of the partition wall that separates the refrigerator compartment 12 and the vegetable compartment 13 in the insulated box body 11.

[0020] Meanwhile, the lower supported member 200 and the intermediate member 300 are attached to the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R]. In this case, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the lower supported member 200 is attached to the right end of the lower surface of a frame member 400 that constitutes the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R]. Furthermore, the intermediate member 300 is attached to the frame member 400 via the lower supported member 200. The lower supported member 200 is an example of a first member. Furthermore, the intermediate member 300 is an example of a second member.

[0021] 5, the lower support member 100 has an extension portion 101 that extends forward. A columnar portion 102 is provided at the front end of this extension portion 101. The columnar portion 102 extends upward from the front end of the extension portion 101 along the up-down direction of the heat-insulating box 11. In addition, a protruding piece 103 that protrudes along the left-right direction of the heat-insulating box 11 is provided at the side of the extension portion 101.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 6, the cross-sectional shape of the columnar portion 102 in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the columnar portion 102 (in this case, the perpendicular direction) is a shape in which a first direction D1 of a predetermined length intersects with a second direction D2 of a different length from the first direction D1. In this case, the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 intersect at a center of the cross-sectional shape of the columnar portion 102. Furthermore, the first direction D1 is shorter than the second direction D2. Such a cross-sectional shape of the columnar portion 102 is an example of a columnar portion-side special shape that is generally elliptical or approximates an elliptical shape, and is a shape that is different from a circular shape.

[0023] As illustrated in Fig. 7, the lower supported member 200 has a cylindrical portion 201 that protrudes upward. The cylindrical portion 201 is provided at the right end of the lower supported member 200. The upper surface of the cylindrical portion 201 is closed. The outer surface of the cylindrical portion 201 is provided with a plurality of ribs 202 that extend in the vertical direction. The ribs 202 have an inclined shape such that the amount of protrusion from the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 201 increases from the upper end side to the lower end side of the cylindrical portion 201.

[0024] As illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, the intermediate member 300 has a curved portion 301 and a cylindrical portion 302. The curved portion 301 is provided at the left end of the intermediate member 300. The curved portion 301 extends from the front to the rear of the left part of the intermediate member 300, and then bends to extend from left to right. On the other hand, the cylindrical portion 302 is provided at the right end of the intermediate member 300. The cylindrical portion 302 protrudes upward at the right end of the intermediate member 300. The upper surface of the cylindrical portion 302 is closed.

[0025] Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the tubular portion 302 in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the tubular portion 302 (in this case, the orthogonal direction) is a shape in which a first direction of a predetermined length intersects with a second direction of a different length from the first direction. In this case, the first direction and the second direction intersect at a center of the cross-sectional shape of the tubular portion 302. Furthermore, the first direction is shorter than the second direction. Such a cross-sectional shape of the tubular portion 302 is an example of a generally elliptical shape or a special shape of the tubular portion that is similar to an elliptical shape, and is a shape that is different from a circular shape.

[0026] A notch 303 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the side of the cylindrical portion 302. Furthermore, notch 304 extending along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 302 is provided at the lower end and slightly lower than the upper end of notch 303. Notch 304 is continuous with notch 303, thereby forming a portion on the side of the cylindrical portion 302 that is surrounded by notch 303 and notch 304. The portion surrounded by notch 303 and notch 304 functions as a plate-shaped protrusion 305 that is elastically deformable in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion 302. In this manner, the lower support portion 21[R] is configured to have notch 303 and notch 304 around protrusion 305. Furthermore, the cylindrical portion 302 having protrusion 305 is configured to be provided on an intermediate member 300, which is an example of a second member.

[0027] 10, the tip of the protrusion 305 protrudes slightly into the cylindrical portion 302. The columnar portion 102 of the lower supporting member 100 is inserted from below into the cylindrical portion 302 of the intermediate member 300 and held therein. The cylindrical portion 302 of the intermediate member 300 is inserted from below into the cylindrical portion 201 of the lower supported member 200 and held therein.

[0028] Most of the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 201 of the lower supported member 200 is in contact with the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 302 of the intermediate member 300. However, a space K is partially formed between the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 201 of the lower supported member 200 and the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 302 of the intermediate member 300. This space K is formed on the outer surface side of the protrusion 305. Therefore, the outer surface of the part of the cylindrical portion 302 of the intermediate member 300 that forms the protrusion 305 is not in contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 201 of the lower supported member 200 but is separated therefrom.

[0029] In the lower support portion 21[R] configured in this manner, the columnar portion 102 serves as the rotation center when the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] rotates. Furthermore, the cylindrical portion 302 rotates around the columnar portion 102 as the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] rotates.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 6, the outer surface of the columnar portion 102 has a curved shape whose curvature changes along the rotation direction R of the tubular portion 302 relative to the columnar portion 102. More specifically, the outer surface of the columnar portion 102 has a pair of long side surfaces 102L and a pair of short side surfaces 102S. The pair of long side surfaces 102L face each other in a first direction D1. The pair of short side surfaces 102S face each other in a second direction D2. The long side surfaces 102L and the short side surfaces 102S are alternately arranged on the outer surface of the columnar portion 102. The long side surfaces 102L and the short side surfaces 102S form a smoothly continuous curved surface on the outer surface of the columnar portion 102. In addition, the broken line shown between the long side surface portion 102L and the short side surface portion 102S in FIG. 6 is shown for the convenience of explanation and does not clearly indicate the boundary between the long side surface portion 102L and the short side surface portion 102S.

[0031] Although not shown in detail, the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 302 has a curved shape whose curvature changes along the rotation direction R of the cylindrical portion 302 relative to the columnar portion 102. Explaining in more detail, the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 302 has a pair of long side surfaces and a pair of short side surfaces. The pair of long side surfaces face each other in a first direction. The pair of short side surfaces face each other in a second direction. Furthermore, on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 302, the long side surfaces and the short side surfaces are alternately arranged. Furthermore, on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 302, the long side surfaces and the short side surfaces form a smoothly continuous curved surface.

[0032] As described above, the tip of the protrusion 305 protrudes slightly into the cylindrical portion 302. Therefore, the protrusion 305 can contact the side surface of the columnar portion 102 inserted into the cylindrical portion 302. According to the present disclosure, the protrusion 305 can elastically deform in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion 302 in response to the application of an external force. According to the present disclosure, the columnar portion 102 has a special cross-sectional shape and side surface shape that are different from the circular shape described above. Therefore, the positional relationship between the special shape on the columnar portion 102 side and the special shape on the cylindrical portion 302 side changes depending on the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R], thereby changing the contact strength that the protrusion 305 provided on the cylindrical portion 302 exerts on the side surface of the columnar portion 102.

[0033] Next, the matter that the contact strength that the protrusion 305 exerts on the side surface of the columnar part 102 changes depending on the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] will be described in more detail.

[0034] 10 illustrates a closed state in which refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] closes the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12, that is, a state in which the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is almost or completely "0 degrees." In this state, the contact state of protrusion 305 with the side surface of columnar portion 102 is as follows.

[0035] That is, the protrusion 305 is slightly spaced apart from the side surface of the columnar portion 102 without contacting it. At this time, the distance G1a between the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 302 and the long side surface 102L of the columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.03 mm to 0.25 mm. Also, the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 302 is slightly spaced apart from the side surface of the columnar portion 102 without contacting it. At this time, the distance G1b between the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 302 and the short side surface 102S of the columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.01 mm to 0.05 mm.

[0036] Furthermore, when the protrusion 305 is separated from the side surface of the columnar portion 102, the protrusion 305 does not elastically deform and maintains its steady state shape. Therefore, the contact strength that the non-elastically deformed protrusion 305 exerts on the side surface of the columnar portion 102 is "0 (zero)."

[0037] 11 illustrates an example of a state in which refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is in an open state with the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 open, and the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or completely "70 degrees." In this state, the contact state of protrusion 305 with the side surface of columnar portion 102 is as follows.

[0038] That is, the protrusion 305 is in contact with the short side surface portion 102S of the side surface of the columnar portion 102. At this time, assuming that the protrusion 305 is not elastically deformed in the radial direction, the tip of the protrusion 305 is located inside the side surface of the columnar portion 102, and the overlap amount R2 of the protrusion 305 with the side surface of the columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.07 mm to 0.50 mm. Therefore, the protrusion 305 is pushed outward in the radial direction by the side surface of the columnar portion 102, and as a result, the protrusion 305 elastically deforms outward in the radial direction. Then, as the protrusion 305 elastically deforms outward in the radial direction, a contact strength is generated between the protrusion 305 and the side surface of the columnar portion 102. This prevents the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] from rotating in the opening and closing directions, and maintains the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 at approximately or exactly 70 degrees.

[0039] Furthermore, when the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or exactly "70 degrees," the inner surface of cylindrical portion 302 is not in contact with, but slightly spaced from, the side surface of columnar portion 102. At this time, the separation distance G2 between the inner surface of cylindrical portion 302 and the side surface of columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.15 mm to 1.00 mm.

[0040] 12 illustrates an example of a state in which refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is in an open state with the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 open, and the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or completely "90 degrees." In this state, the contact state of protrusion 305 with the side surface of columnar portion 102 is as follows.

[0041] That is, the protrusion 305 is in contact with the short side surface portion 102S of the side surface of the columnar portion 102. At this time, assuming that the protrusion 305 is not elastically deformed in the radial direction, the tip of the protrusion 305 is located inside the side surface of the columnar portion 102, and the overlap amount R3 of the protrusion 305 with the side surface of the columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.10 mm to 0.55 mm. Therefore, the protrusion 305 is pushed further outward in the radial direction by the side surface of the columnar portion 102, and as a result, the protrusion 305 is elastically deformed further outward in the radial direction. Then, as the protrusion 305 elastically deforms in the radial direction outward in this manner, the contact strength that the protrusion 305 exerts on the side surface of the columnar portion 102 is further increased. This prevents the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] from rotating in the opening and closing directions, maintaining the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] at approximately or exactly 90 degrees relative to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12.

[0042] Furthermore, when the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or exactly 90 degrees, the inner surface of cylindrical portion 302 is not in contact with but slightly spaced from the side surface of columnar portion 102. At this time, the separation distance G3 between the inner surface of cylindrical portion 302 and the side surface of columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.15 mm to 1.00 mm.

[0043] 13 illustrates an example of a state in which refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is in an open state with the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 open, and the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or completely "120 degrees." In this state, the contact state of protrusion 305 with the side surface of columnar portion 102 is as follows.

[0044] That is, the protrusion 305 is in contact with the short side surface portion 102S of the side surface of the columnar portion 102. At this time, assuming that the protrusion 305 is not elastically deformed in the radial direction, the tip of the protrusion 305 is located inside the side surface of the columnar portion 102, and the overlap amount R4 of the protrusion 305 with the side surface of the columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.07 mm to 0.50 mm. Therefore, the protrusion 305 is pushed outward in the radial direction by the side surface of the columnar portion 102, and as a result, the protrusion 305 elastically deforms outward in the radial direction. Then, as the protrusion 305 elastically deforms outward in the radial direction, a contact strength is generated between the protrusion 305 and the side surface of the columnar portion 102. This prevents the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] from rotating in the opening and closing directions, and maintains the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 at approximately or exactly 120 degrees.

[0045] Furthermore, when the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or exactly "120 degrees," the inner surface of cylindrical portion 302 is not in contact with, but slightly spaced from, the side surface of columnar portion 102. At this time, the separation distance G4 between the inner surface of cylindrical portion 302 and the side surface of columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.15 mm to 1.00 mm.

[0046] 14 illustrates an example of a state in which refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is in an open state with the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 open, and the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or completely "145 degrees." In this state, the contact state of protrusion 305 with the side surface of columnar portion 102 is as follows.

[0047] That is, the protrusion 305 is in contact with the short side surface portion 102S of the side surface of the columnar portion 102. At this time, assuming that the protrusion 305 is not elastically deformed in the radial direction, the tip of the protrusion 305 is located inside the side surface of the columnar portion 102, and the overlap amount R5 of the protrusion 305 with the side surface of the columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.03 mm to 0.25 mm. Therefore, the protrusion 305 is pushed outward in the radial direction by the side surface of the columnar portion 102, and as a result, the protrusion 305 elastically deforms outward in the radial direction. Then, as the protrusion 305 elastically deforms outward in the radial direction, a contact strength is generated between the protrusion 305 and the side surface of the columnar portion 102. This prevents the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] from rotating in the opening and closing directions, and maintains the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 at approximately or exactly 145 degrees.

[0048] Furthermore, when the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or exactly "145 degrees," the inner surface of cylindrical portion 302 is not in contact with, but slightly spaced from, the side surface of columnar portion 102. At this time, the separation distance G5 between the inner surface of cylindrical portion 302 and the side surface of columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.15 mm to 1.00 mm.

[0049] As described above, in the refrigerator 10, when the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is in the closed state closing the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12, the protruding portion 305 is configured to be separated from the side surface of the columnar portion 102. And when the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] rotates from the closed state closing the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 and the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] with respect to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 becomes a predetermined angle or more, in this case, at least 60 degrees or more, the protruding portion 305 comes into contact with the short side surface portion 102S of the side surface of the columnar portion 102. The protruding portion 305 elastically deforms radially outward by contacting the short side surface portion 102S of the side surface of the columnar portion 102. Thereby, the contact strength that the protruding portion 305 gives to the side surface of the columnar portion 102 is generated. Also, according to the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R], the amount of elastic deformation of the protruding portion 305 changes, and accordingly, the contact strength that the protruding portion 305 gives to the side surface of the columnar portion 102 changes.

[0050] And the contact strength that the protruding portion 305 gives to the side surface of the columnar portion 102 is configured to be maximum when the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] with respect to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 is within a predetermined range. In the present disclosure, when the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] with respect to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or completely "90 degrees", the amount of elastic deformation of the protruding portion 305 becomes maximum, and thereby, the contact strength that the protruding portion 305 gives to the side surface of the columnar portion 102 is configured to be maximum.

[0051] Also, in the opening and closing operation of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 14, the separation distances G1b, G2, G3, G4, G5 between the inner side surface of the cylindrical portion 302 and the outer side surface of the columnar portion 102 are, for example, from 0.01 mm to 0.05 mm in the closed state, but are approximately or completely constant at, for example, 0.15 to 1.00 mm in the open state. That is, the magnitude relationship of G1b < G2, G3, G4, G5 holds. Note that the separation distances G2, G3, G4, G5 do not necessarily have to be the same size.

[0052] Furthermore, when refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is in the open position, the overlapping amount of protrusion 305 with the side portion of columnar portion 102 is, for example, 0.07 mm to 0.50 mm when the rotation angle is approximately or completely 70 degrees or 120 degrees, for example, 0.10 mm to 0.55 mm when the rotation angle is approximately or completely 90 degrees, and for example, 0.03 mm to 0.25 mm when the rotation angle is approximately or completely 145 degrees. In other words, the overlapping amount of protrusion 305 with the side portion of columnar portion 102 is greatest when the rotation angle is approximately or completely 90 degrees.

[0053] The rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] at which the contact strength between protrusion 305 and the side surface of columnar portion 102 is maximized can be appropriately changed and set within a predetermined range, in this case, for example, a range from 70 degrees to 120 degrees. That is, by appropriately changing, for example, the cross-sectional shape and outer surface shape of columnar portion 102, the cross-sectional shape and inner surface shape of cylindrical portion 302, the protrusion amount of protrusion 305, etc., it is possible to appropriately adjust the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] at which the contact strength between protrusion 305 and the side surface of columnar portion 102 is maximized.

[0054] Furthermore, the lower support portion 21[R] is configured to have an automatic door-closing function that utilizes the restoring force of the elastically deformed protrusion 305 to automatically rotate the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] in the direction to close the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12. That is, when the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R], which is in the open state with the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 open, rotates in the closing direction and the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined angle, for example, 60 degrees or less, the protrusion 305 does not come into contact with the short side surface portion 102S of the side surface of the columnar portion 102, and as a result, the elastically deformed protrusion 305 attempts to return to its steady-state shape. As the protrusion 305 returns to its normal shape and slides on the side surface of the columnar portion 102, in this case particularly on the long side surface portion 102L, a force tending to rotate the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] in the closing direction is applied to the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] from the protrusion 305. This force acts on the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R], thereby achieving the effect of automatically rotating the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] in the closing direction.

[0055] In the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment described above, the lower support portion 21[R] is configured to fully function to rotatably support the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R]. The lower support portion 21[R] is also configured to be able to guide the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] within a predetermined angle range, in this case, for example, an angle within a range of 70 degrees to 120 degrees. Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a refrigerator 10 equipped with a lower support portion 21[R] that fully functions to rotatably support the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] and can guide the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] within a predetermined angle range.

[0056] Furthermore, according to refrigerator 10, the contact strength that protrusion 305 exerts on the side surface of columnar portion 102 is maximized when the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or exactly 90 degrees. In other words, refrigerator 10 is configured to easily maintain the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 at approximately or exactly 90 degrees.

[0057] Here, when the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is less than 90 degrees, the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 cannot be opened wide enough, and therefore, it is difficult for the user to put items in and take items out of refrigerator compartment 12. On the other hand, when the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is greater than 90 degrees, the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 opens wider than necessary, and therefore, the temperature inside refrigerator compartment 12 rises.

[0058] In contrast, when the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 is approximately or completely 90 degrees, the user can easily put items in and take items out of refrigerator compartment 12, and the temperature inside refrigerator compartment 12 can be prevented from rising. Therefore, according to refrigerator 10 according to this embodiment, which makes it easier to maintain the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 at approximately or completely 90 degrees, it is possible to maintain a rotation state of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] that makes it easy to put items in and take items out of refrigerator compartment 12, and that prevents the temperature inside refrigerator compartment 12 from rising.

[0059] The rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] at which the contact strength that the protrusion 305 exerts on the side surface of the columnar portion 102 is greatest is not limited to approximately or exactly "90 degrees," but can be changed as appropriate within a predetermined range, for example, within the range from "70 degrees" to "120 degrees."

[0060] Furthermore, in refrigerator 10, lower support portion 21[R] has notches 303, 304 around protrusion 305. This makes it easier to form elastically deformable protrusion 305. Furthermore, protrusion 305 configured to be elastically deformable can prevent protrusion 305 from wearing out or being damaged when refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] rotates.

[0061] Furthermore, in refrigerator 10, most of the inner surface of cylindrical portion 201 of lower supported member 200 is in contact with the outer surface of cylindrical portion 302 of intermediate member 300. This configuration example can suppress rattle between lower supported member 200 and intermediate member 300, and ultimately suppress rattle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] as a whole.

[0062] Furthermore, in refrigerator 10, a space K is partially formed between the inner surface of tubular portion 201 of lower supported member 200 and the outer surface of tubular portion 302 of intermediate member 300. This space K is formed on the outer surface side of protrusion 305. According to this configuration example, protrusion 305 can elastically deform within this space K, and while realizing a configuration in which the inner surface of tubular portion 201 of lower supported member 200 contacts the outer surface of tubular portion 302 of intermediate member 300, that is, a configuration in which rattle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] can be suppressed, elastic deformation of protrusion 305 can be sufficiently tolerated.

[0063] Furthermore, according to the refrigerator 10, the lower support portion 21[R] has an automatic door-closing function that utilizes the restoring force of the elastically deformed protrusion 305 to automatically rotate the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] in a direction to close the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12. According to this configuration example, the automatic door-closing function can assist the closing operation of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R], and can prevent the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 from being left half-open.

[0064] Furthermore, according to refrigerator 10, when refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is in the closed state with the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 closed, protrusion 305 is configured to move away from the side surface of columnar portion 102. According to this configuration example, when refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is in the closed state with the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 closed, the contact strength that protrusion 305 exerts on the side surface of columnar portion 102 can be set to "0 (zero)." This allows the user to easily open refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] from the closed state without using a great deal of force.

[0065] Furthermore, when refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is in the closed state where it closes the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12, protrusion 305 does not elastically deform, so it is possible to prevent protrusion 305 from remaining in an elastically deformed state for a long period of time. This makes it possible to prevent the elastic deformation performance of protrusion 305 from deteriorating.

[0066] Furthermore, according to refrigerator 10, when refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] rotates from a closed state in which it closes the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12, and the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 reaches a predetermined angle, for example, 60 degrees or more, protrusion 305 comes into contact with the side surface of columnar portion 102. According to this configuration example, until the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of refrigerator compartment 12 reaches the predetermined angle, the contact strength that protrusion 305 imparts to the side surface of columnar portion 102 can be set to "0 (zero)" or as weak as possible, and refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] can be opened and closed easily without requiring a large force. Furthermore, when the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] relative to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 exceeds a predetermined angle, the contact strength exerted by the protrusion 305 on the side of the columnar portion 102 is generated, and the rotation angle of the refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] can be guided and maintained within a predetermined angle range.

[0067] Furthermore, in refrigerator 10, lower support portion 21[R] is provided at the bottom of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R]. Here, lower support portion 21[R] is configured such that pillar portion 102 of lower supporting member 100 is inserted from below into cylindrical portion 302 of intermediate member 300, and cylindrical portion 302 of this intermediate member 300 is inserted from below into cylindrical portion 201 of lower supported member 200. Therefore, by providing lower support portion 21[R] configured in this manner at the bottom of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R], the weight of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] can be utilized to insert pillar portion 102 of lower supporting member 100 from below into cylindrical portion 302 of intermediate member 300, and also to insert cylindrical portion 302 of this intermediate member 300 into cylindrical portion 201 of lower supported member 200 from below. This makes it possible to prevent the insertion amount of the columnar portion 102 into the cylindrical portion 302 and the insertion amount of the cylindrical portion 302 into the cylindrical portion 201 from becoming insufficient.

[0068] Furthermore, the lower support member 100, which is located at the bottom of the lower support portion 21[R], is made of a highly rigid material such as a metal material. Therefore, the lower support member 100 can stably support the lower supported member 200 and the intermediate member 300 from below, and therefore can stably support the entire refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] from below.

[0069] Furthermore, in refrigerator 10, the cross-sectional shape of columnar portion 102 is generally elliptical or a shape approximating an ellipse. With this configuration example, the contact strength that protrusion 305 exerts on the side surface of columnar portion 102 can be changed smoothly and continuously, rather than stepwise, according to the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R]. This makes it possible to guide and maintain the rotation angle of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] within a predetermined angle range, without creating a sensation that the rotation of refrigerator compartment door 12D[R] is suddenly restricted.

[0070] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and extensions can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the columnar portion 102 in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the columnar portion 102 may be a shape in which the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 intersect at least in the portion of the columnar portion 102 that is held within the cylindrical portion 201. The cross-sectional shape of the columnar portion 102 in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the columnar portion 102 may also be a shape in which the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 intersect in the portion of the columnar portion 102 other than the portion that is held within the cylindrical portion 201.

[0071] Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the columnar portion 102 in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the columnar portion 102 is not limited to the shape described above, and can be appropriately modified as long as it is a shape other than a circular shape.

[0072] In addition, this embodiment can also be applied to support parts other than the support parts that rotatably support the refrigerator compartment doors 12D[L], 12D[R] that open and close the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12, as long as the support parts support the pivotable storage compartment doors that open and close the front opening of the storage compartment.

[0073] Furthermore, cylindrical portion 302 may be configured without protrusion 305. In other words, refrigerator 10 may be configured so that the contact strength that cylindrical portion 302 exerts on the side surface of columnar portion 102 changes without relying on protrusion 305, by changing the positional relationship between the columnar-side special shape and the columnar-side special shape.

[0074] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented merely as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, etc. can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The present embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] In the drawings, 10 indicates a refrigerator, 11 indicates an insulated box (refrigerator main body), 12 indicates a refrigerator compartment (storage compartment), 12D[L] and 12D[R] indicate refrigerator compartment doors (doors), 21[L] and 21[R] indicate lower support parts (support parts), 102 indicates a columnar part, 200 indicates a lower supported member (first member), 300 indicates an intermediate member (second member), 302 indicates a cylindrical part, 303 and 304 indicate cutout parts, and 305 indicates a protrusion.

Claims

1. a refrigerator body having a storage compartment; a door for opening and closing the opening of the storage chamber; a support portion that rotatably supports the door; Equipped with The support portion is A pillar-shaped portion that is provided in the refrigerator main body, extends along the up-and-down direction of the refrigerator main body, and serves as a rotation center of the door; a cylindrical portion provided on the door and rotating around the column portion as the door rotates; a first member attached to a frame member of the door; a second member attached to the door frame member via the first member; It is equipped with a cross-sectional shape of the columnar portion in a direction intersecting with an extension direction of the columnar portion has a columnar portion-side special shape in which a first direction having a predetermined length and a second direction having a length different from the first direction intersect, A cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical portion in a direction intersecting with an extension direction of the cylindrical portion has a cylindrical portion-side special shape in which a first direction having a predetermined length and a second direction having a length different from the first direction intersect, a protrusion protruding from the inside of the cylindrical portion; the cylindrical portion having the protrusion is provided on the second member, an inner surface of the first member contacting an outer surface of the second member; The positional relationship between the column-side special shape and the cylindrical-side special shape changes depending on the rotation angle of the door, thereby changing the contact strength that the protrusion exerts on the side surface of the column-side special shape, A refrigerator in which the contact strength applied by the protrusion to the side surface of the columnar portion is maximum when the rotation angle of the door relative to the opening of the storage compartment is within a predetermined range.

2. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined range is from 70 degrees to 120 degrees.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the support portion has a notch portion around the protrusion portion.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a space is formed between the inner surface of the first member and the outer surface of the second member.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the space is formed on an outer surface side of the protrusion.

6. The protrusion is configured to be elastically deformable, 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the support portion has an automatic door-closing function for rotating the door in a direction to close the opening of the storage compartment by a restoring force of the elastically deformed protrusion portion.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is spaced apart from the side surface of the pillar when the door is in a closed state in which the door closes the opening of the storage compartment.

8. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein when the door rotates from a closed state in which the door closes the opening of the storage compartment to a rotation angle of 60 degrees or more of the door relative to the opening of the storage compartment, the protrusion comes into contact with a side surface of the pillar-shaped portion.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the support portion is provided at a lower portion of the door.

10. the columnar portion is held within the cylindrical portion, The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the columnar portion in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the columnar portion at a portion of the columnar portion held within the cylindrical portion is a special shape on the columnar portion side.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the side surface of the pillar portion has a curved shape with a curvature that changes along a rotation direction of the cylindrical portion relative to the pillar portion.

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