refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator in which a storage chamber door closes even in a state where a lock of a lid constituting a closed space provided in a storage chamber is released.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a container installed in a storage chamber, and including an opening on the front side; a lid moving in the frontward / backward direction, and for opening / closing with respect to the opening of the container; and a holding part for holding a contact state of the lid and the container. The container includes a part to be engaged having a shape being slender in the vertical direction on the outside side surface in the left-to-right direction. The holding part includes: a gripping part extended in the left-to-right direction in front of the lid; a support part which is connected to the side surface in the left-to-right direction of the lid so as to rotate around a shaft in the left-to-right direction, and in which one end is connected to the gripping part; and an engagement part provided on the other end of the support part, and engaged with the rear side of the part to be engaged. In the case where the lid is moved backward in a state where the gripping part is lowered, in the holding part, the engagement part comes into contact with the front side of the part to be engaged. In the case where the engagement part is in contact with the front side of the part to be engaged, a storage chamber door closes without coming into contact with the gripping part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] A refrigerator may have a storage compartment provided with a closed space used as a chilled compartment, a decompression compartment, or the like. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a refrigerator having this configuration. Paragraph 0014 and Figure 4 of the document state, "The decompression chamber 13 has an outer peripheral wall formed by a flat, approximately rectangular parallelepiped outer shell 14 having openings on the top and front, a glass plate G made of transparent tempered glass that closes the top, and a decompression chamber lid 16 that is rotatably supported around a horizontal support shaft 24S below the front opening and that opens and closes forward and backward to allow the storage contents to be taken in and out. When the decompression chamber lid 16 is opened, it is pulled forward by a link mechanism (described later) and moves upright a predetermined distance, e.g., 10 mm, and then the upper part of the lid moves forward and opens. When the decompression chamber lid 16 is closed, it is pushed backward, and the upper part of the lid moves backward while rotating, and then the lid moves upright a predetermined distance to close."

[0003] Furthermore, paragraph 0034 of the same document states, "As shown in Figure 8, the opening / closing handle 26 is supported rotatably around the support shafts 16s, 16s on the left and right sides of the decompression chamber lid 16, and when the rod body 27 is positioned at the bottom of the rotation locus around the left and right support shafts 16s, 16s, the decompression chamber lid 16 is closed and locked by the opening / closing handle 26. On the other hand, when the rod body 27 is positioned above the rotation locus around the left and right support shafts 16s, 16s, as shown in Figure 9, the decompression chamber lid 16 is unlocked by the opening / closing handle 26. Guide rollers 28r, 29r on the left and right support parts 28, 29 of the opening / closing handle 26 are fitted into corresponding lid lock guide groove members 30, 30 provided on the side walls 14a, 14b on both sides of the decompression chamber 13, and the opening / closing handle 26 locks the decompression chamber lid 16." Furthermore, paragraph 0035 of the same document states, "Figure 19 is a diagram showing the decompression chamber lid 16 in an unlocked state using the opening / closing handle 26, Figure 21 is a diagram showing the decompression chamber lid 16 in a locked state using the opening / closing handle 26, and Figure 20 is a diagram showing the state just before locking in Figure 21."

[0004] Furthermore, paragraph 0046 of the same document states, "As shown in Figure 28, when the opening / closing handle 26 is rotated upward from the neutral spring force position shown in Figure 27, the length of the arm from the support shaft 16s of the rotation fulcrum of the opening / closing handle 26 to the biasing force represented by the white arrow of the torsion coil spring 32 becomes u2, and the upward biasing force of the torsion coil spring 32 acts on the opening / closing handle 26, and an upward moment is applied by the biasing force. Here, the biasing force of the coil spring 32 to rotate the opening / closing handle 26 upward exceeds the weight of the opening / closing handle 26, and the opening / closing handle 26 is configured to rotate upward by the biasing force of the coil spring 32 even when the user releases their hand from the opening / closing handle 26." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-36430 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] That is, in the document, as shown in Figure 9, when the decompression chamber 13 is in an unlocked state, the decompression chamber lid 16 protrudes forward, and the opening / closing handle 26 rotates upward and stops at an upper position due to the biasing force of the coil spring 32. As shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the document, the right-side refrigerator compartment door 6b has a pocket-shaped translucent resin-molded door storage 6b1 for storing drinks and the like protruding from the inside, so when the decompression chamber 13 is in an unlocked state, the decompression chamber lid 16 and the door storage 6b1 collide, causing the refrigerator compartment door 6b to fail to close.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator in which the storage compartment door can be closed even when the lid that forms a closed space within the storage compartment is unlocked. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the refrigerator of the present invention is, for example, a refrigerator with a storage compartment door that opens and closes relative to an opening provided on the front side of a storage compartment, and includes: a container that is placed in the storage compartment and has an opening on the front side; a lid that moves in a front-to-back direction to open and close relative to the opening of the container; and a holding part that maintains contact between the lid and the container, the container having an engageable part that is elongated in the vertical direction on an outer left-to-right side surface, and the holding part includes: a gripping part that extends in the left-to-right direction in front of the lid; a support part that is connected to the left-to-right side surface of the lid so as to be rotatable about an axis in the left-to-right direction and has one end that connects to the gripping part; and an engaging part that is provided at the other end of the support part and engages with a rear side of the engageable part, and when the gripping part is lowered and the lid is moved rearward, the engaging part of the holding part comes into contact with a front side of the engageable part, and when the engaging part is in contact with the front side of the engageable part, the storage compartment door closes without coming into contact with the gripping part. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which the storage compartment door can be closed even when the lid that forms the closed space provided in the storage compartment is unlocked. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of components forming a closed space in a storage compartment of a refrigerator. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a right side view of the lid and the holder. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the engaging portion is engaged with the rear side of the engaged portion. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the handle is lifted up while the lid and the container are in contact with each other. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a state in which the contact state between the lid and the container is maintained by a holding portion. [Figure 12] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which an engaging portion is in contact with the front side of an engaged portion. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 14, showing the cover together. [Figure 16] 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the grip portion and the storage chamber door when the engaging portion is engaged with the rear side of the engaged portion. FIG. [Figure 17] 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the grip portion and the storage chamber door when the engaging portion is in contact with the front side of the engaged portion. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. These embodiments are merely illustrative, and the present invention can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Furthermore, in the drawings used in the following description, the same reference numerals are used to designate common devices and equipment, and descriptions of devices, equipment, and operations that have already been described may be omitted.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating components that form a closed space in a storage compartment of a refrigerator. The closed space in the storage compartment of a refrigerator is used, for example, as a chilled compartment. Note that the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction shown in Fig. 1 correspond to the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction when the refrigerator is viewed from the front.

[0013] The refrigerator according to this embodiment includes a storage compartment door that opens and closes relative to an opening provided at the front of the storage compartment. The refrigerator according to this embodiment is installed in the storage compartment having an opening at the front, and includes a container 1 having an opening at the front, a lid 2 that moves in the front-rear direction to open and close relative to the opening of the container 1, and a holder 3 that maintains contact between the lid 2 and the container 1.

[0014] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the right side of the container 1. The container 1 has an I-shaped engaged portion 1a that is elongated in the vertical direction on the outer side surface in the left-right direction. The container 1 may also have a reinforcing portion 1b on the left-right side surface that is integrated with the engaged portion 1a to form a T-shape. The reinforcing portion 1b increases the strength of the engaged portion 1a when a force is applied to the engaged portion 1a in the front-to-rear direction. Note that since the container 1 is symmetrical, only the outer side surface on the right side of the container 1 will be described in this example.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the lid. The lid 2 has a flat edge portion 2a on the front surface. The portion 2b on the front surface of the lid 2 that is inward from the edge portion 2a is recessed toward the rear and has a curved U-shape when viewed from both the left and right sides. The lid 2 has side surfaces 2c on both the left and right sides to which the support portion 31 is connected. The lid 2 has protrusions 2d on each of the left and right side surfaces 2c. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the lid. As shown in FIG. 4, the protrusions 2d protrude outward in the left-right direction from the side surfaces 2c.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a right side view of the lid 2 and the holding unit 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the holding unit 3 includes a gripping portion 30 extending in the left-right direction in front of the lid 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the holding unit 3 is connected to the left-right side of the lid 2 so as to be rotatable around a left-right axis, and includes a support portion 31, one end of which is connected to the gripping portion 30. As shown in FIG. 5, the support portion 31 in this embodiment is connected to the left-right side 2c of the lid 2 with a screw B, allowing it to rotate around the screw B as an axis. The support portion 31 also includes an S-shaped leaf spring 31b below the screw B. The leaf spring 31b has a sliding portion whose radius of rotation increases from the front to the rear, and the bottom surface of the sliding portion contacts the protrusion 2d of the lid 2. Because the right-side and left-side holding units 3 are symmetrical, only the right-side holding unit 3 will be described in this embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the support portion 31. FIG. 7 is a left side view of the support portion 31. FIG. 8 is a top view of the support portion 31. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the refrigerator according to this embodiment includes an engaging portion 31a at the other end of the support portion 31, that is, at the rear end of the support portion 31 opposite to the one end of the support portion 31 connected to the grip portion 30, which engages with the rear side of the engaged portion 1a of the container 1. Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the engaging portion 31a protrudes toward the side facing the container 1 (the left side in FIG. 8) in order to engage with the engaged portion 1a of the container 1. FIG. 9 shows the engaging portion engaging with the rear side of the engaged portion. Note that FIG. 9 is a view of the right support portion as seen from the left side. Also, to facilitate understanding of the description, FIG. 9 illustrates only the front portion of the container 1 that comes into contact with the lid 2. As shown in FIG. 9, the engaging portion 31a engages with the rear side of the engaged portion 1a. This locks the lid 2. Fig. 16 shows the positional relationship between the grip portion 30 and the storage compartment door when the engaging portion 31a is engaged with the rear side of the engaged portion 1a. As shown in Fig. 16, when the engaging portion 31a is engaged with the rear side of the engaged portion 1a, the grip portion 30 does not come into contact with the door bucket B provided on the inside of the storage compartment door. Therefore, when the engaging portion 31a is engaged with the rear side of the engaged portion 1a, the storage compartment door closes without coming into contact with the grip portion 30.

[0018] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the gripping portion 30 is lifted while the lid 2 and the container 1 are in contact with each other. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the contact state between the lid 2 and the container 1 is maintained by the holding portion 3. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , when the gripping portion 30 is lifted, the rear end of the support portion 31 lowers, and when the gripping portion 30 is lowered, the rear end of the support portion rises. Therefore, the engaging portion 31a formed at the rear end of the support portion 31 is formed so as to be located below the engaged portion 1a when the gripping portion 30 is lifted, and to be located at the same height as the engaged portion 1a when the gripping portion 30 is lowered. With this configuration, when the lid 2 is closed with the gripping portion 30 lifted, the engaging portion 31a can pass under the engaged portion 1a and move to the rear of the engaged portion 1a. Then, when the lid 2 is closed with the gripping portion 30 raised, and after the lid 2 and the container 1 come into contact with each other, the gripping portion 30 is lowered, whereby the engaging portion 31a engages with the rear side of the engaged portion 1a, as shown in Fig. 9. Note that the front portion of the engaging portion 31a is semicircular, for example, as shown in Fig. 7, in order to smoothly engage with the engaged portion 1a of the container 1. This reduces the contact area of ​​the engaging portion 31a when the engaging portion 31a engages with the rear side of the engaged portion 1a, thereby reducing frictional force and enabling smooth engagement.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 10 , when the gripping portion 30 is raised, the rear portion of the sliding portion of the leaf spring 31b, which has a larger radius of rotation, contacts the protrusion 2d. At this time, the leaf spring 31b is compressed, generating a restoring force that causes the leaf spring 31b to return to its original position. This restoring force causes the sliding portion of the leaf spring 31b to slide rearward relative to the protrusion 2d. As a result, the gripping portion 30 returns to its lowered state. That is, the holding unit 3 uses the leaf spring 31b to automatically return the raised gripping portion 30 to its lowered state. With this configuration, when the lid 2 is unlocked and the gripping portion 30 is not being gripped, the gripping portion 30 is in its lowered state. Note that, although the present embodiment has been described with reference to an example in which the leaf spring 31b is provided, the gripping portion 30 may be returned to its lowered state by its own weight, or by both the weight of the gripping portion 30 and the leaf spring 31b.

[0020] FIG. 12 illustrates the state in which the engaging portion contacts the front side of the engaged portion. When the gripping portion 30 is lowered and the lid 2 is moved rearward, the engaging portion 31a moves rearward at the same height as the engaged portion 1a, causing the engaging portion 31a to contact the front side of the engaged portion 1a. When the engaging portion 31a contacts the front side of the engaged portion 1a, the lid 2 cannot move rearward any further, preventing the lid 2 from contacting the container 1. In other words, in this case, the lid 2 cannot be closed. However, in this embodiment, the engaged portion 1a has an elongated I-shape, which reduces the amount of forward protrusion of the lid 2 when the engaging portion 31a contacts the front side of the engaged portion 1a. FIG. 17 illustrates the positional relationship between the gripping portion 30 and the storage compartment door when the engaging portion 31a contacts the front side of the engaged portion 1a. Note that in FIG. 17, there is a small gap between the door bucket B and the gripping portion 30, and they do not contact each other. As shown in FIG. 17 , when the engaging portion 31a contacts the front side of the engaged portion 1a, the door bucket B provided on the inside of the closed storage compartment door does not contact the gripping portion 30. Therefore, the storage compartment door closes even when the engaging portion 31a contacts the front side of the engaged portion 1a. By reducing the gap between the door bucket B provided on the inside of the closed storage compartment door and the gripping portion 30, the depth dimensions of the container 1 and the door basket B can be increased as much as possible, thereby increasing the storage space. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17 , even when the engaging portion 31a contacts the front side of the engaged portion 1a, the door bucket B provided on the inside of the closed storage compartment door does not contact the gripping portion 30, so damage to the door bucket B, container 1, lid 2, and holding portion 3 caused by opening and closing the storage compartment door can be prevented.

[0021] FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view of the grip portion 30. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 1, the grip portion 30 extends in the left-right direction. When the grip portion 30 is lowered, the engaging portions 31a of the support portion 31 connected to both left-right ends of the grip portion 30 engage with the engaged portions 1a provided on both left-right sides of the container 1. Therefore, when the grip portion 30 is lowered, it is desirable that the force applied by the user to the grip portion 30 be applied equally to both sides. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the grip portion 30 of this embodiment is internally provided with a reinforcing member 30a extending in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the reinforcing member 30a is exemplified as a metal fitting having a rectangular cylindrical shape in a side view in the left-right direction, but is not limited thereto. By providing the reinforcing member 30a internally in the grip portion 30, the rigidity of the grip portion 30 is improved, and the force applied by the user to the grip portion 30 is more easily transmitted to both left and right ends.

[0022] 14, the rear surface of the central portion 30m in the left-right direction of the grip portion 30 has a curved or flat shape that is positioned closer to the front as it goes down. Meanwhile, the rear surfaces of both side portions 30n in the left-right direction of the central portion 30m have a flat shape that is more vertical than the central portion 30m. With this configuration, a recess can be formed behind the central portion 30m of the grip portion 30, as shown in FIG.

[0023] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 14 , showing the lid 2 together. As shown in FIG. 15 , by forming a recess on the rear side of the central portion 30m, a pocket can be formed between the rear surface of the central portion 30m of the grip 30 and the front surface of the lid 2 when the grip 30 is lowered. The pocket is a space into which a user can insert their hand when gripping the grip 30. By making the rear surface of the central portion 30m curved or flat so that it is positioned more forward as it goes downward, a space is created between the underside of the rear surface of the central portion 30m and the front surface of the lid 2, thereby forming a pocket. Furthermore, because the side portions 30n of the grip 30 have a planar shape that is more vertical than the central portion 30m, no pocket is formed between the rear surfaces of the side portions 30n and the front surface of the lid 2. This configuration can guide a user to grip the central portion 30m of the grip 30 when attempting to lift or lower the grip 30. Since there is not much difference in the distance from the central portion 30m to the left and right support portions 31, when the central portion 30m of the gripping portion 30 is gripped and force is applied with the above configuration, the force is transmitted evenly to the left and right support portions 31.

[0024] As described above in detail, according to this embodiment, a refrigerator can be provided in which the storage compartment door can be closed even when the lid that forms the closed space within the storage compartment is unlocked. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1: Container 1a: Engaged part 1b: Reinforcement part 2: Lid 2a: Front edge 2b: Front inner part 2c: Side 2d: Protrusion 3: Holding part 30: Grip part 30a: Reinforcing member 30m: central part 30n: Both sides of the central part 31: Support part 31a: Engagement part 31b: Leaf spring B: Screw

Claims

1. A refrigerator having a storage compartment door that opens and closes relative to an opening provided on the front side of the storage compartment, a container disposed in the storage chamber and having an opening on its front side; a lid that moves back and forth and opens and closes the opening of the container; a holding portion that holds the lid and the container in contact with each other, The container has an engagement portion on an outer side surface in the left-right direction, the engagement portion having a vertically elongated shape, The holding portion is a grip portion extending in the left-right direction in front of the lid; a support portion connected to a side surface of the lid in the left-right direction so as to be rotatable around an axis in the left-right direction, and one end of the support portion connected to the grip portion; an engaging portion that engages with a rear side of the engaged portion is provided at the other end of the support portion; When the lid is moved rearward with the gripping portion lowered, the engaging portion of the holding portion comes into contact with the front side of the engaged portion, When the engaging portion is in contact with the front side of the engaged portion, the storage compartment door closes without contacting the grip portion. A refrigerator characterized by:

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, The lid is closed with the gripping portion raised, and after the lid and the container are in contact with each other, the gripping portion is lowered, causing the engaging portion to engage with the rear side of the engaged portion. A refrigerator characterized by:

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, The container further includes reinforcing portions on the left and right side surfaces that are integral with the engaged portions to form a T-shape. A refrigerator characterized by:

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, The grip portion includes a reinforcing member extending in the left-right direction. A refrigerator characterized by:

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, the grip portion has a curved or flat shape such that a rear surface of a central portion in the left-right direction is positioned toward the front as it goes downward, The rear surface of the central portion and the front surface of the lid form a pocket when the handle is lowered. A refrigerator characterized by:

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