refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator which enables improvement of convenience.SOLUTION: A refrigerator according to an embodiment includes a housing, a door, and a sound output part. The housing includes a storage chamber which is open forward. The door is provided at the front of the housing, has a rotary shaft supported by one end in the width direction of the housing, and may rotate around the rotary shaft relative to the housing. The sound output part is provided at the housing and may output sound. The door has, in an area facing the sound output part, an inclined surface which inclines upward in a direction away from the sound output part to the front side. The sound output part is disposed close to the one side in the housing. The inclined surface is disposed at a position spaced away from the end at the open side opposite to the rotary shaft side of the door toward the rotary shaft side in the width direction of the door.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Refrigerators equipped with speakers are known, and it is possible to notify users of refrigerator information through the speakers.

[0003] In some refrigerators, a speaker is mounted on the refrigerator compartment door along with the display. In this case, a small speaker that can be housed inside the refrigerator compartment door is used, which raises concerns about low sound quality. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-038856 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-201990 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can improve convenience by improving the sound quality of the speaker. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A refrigerator according to an embodiment has a housing, a door, and a sound output unit. The housing includes a storage compartment that opens to the front. The door is provided at the front of the housing, has a rotation shaft supported at one end of the housing in the width direction, and is rotatable relative to the housing around the rotation shaft as a center of rotation. The sound output unit is provided in the housing and is capable of outputting sound. The door has, in a region facing the sound output unit, an inclined surface that slopes upward as it moves away from the sound output unit toward the front. The sound output unit is disposed closer to the one side of the housing. The inclined surface is disposed at a position in the width direction of the door away from the end of the open side opposite the rotation shaft of the door, toward the rotation shaft. , and is provided extending from the area facing the sound output portion toward the end on the open side. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 taken along line F3-F3. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a ceiling part of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a wiring structure inside the upper wall of the housing. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a speaker unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of an area F shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the covering structural member shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the inner structure of the covering structural member. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the speaker fixture as seen from the rear side of the bottom wall. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the refrigerator seen from diagonally above. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A refrigerator according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals. Duplicate descriptions of these components may be omitted. In this specification, left and right are defined based on the direction in which the refrigerator is viewed from a user standing in front of the refrigerator. The side closer to the user standing in front of the refrigerator is defined as the "front," and the side further away from the refrigerator is defined as the "rear." The up-down direction of the refrigerator 1 is the vertical direction relative to the direction of gravity when the refrigerator 1 is installed on the floor in the orientation shown in FIG. 1. The left-right direction of the refrigerator 1 when viewed from the front of the refrigerator 1 in FIG. 1 is defined as the left-right direction of the refrigerator 1.

[0009] <One embodiment> [1. Overall structure of the refrigerator] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator 1 according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 1 shown in Fig. 1 taken along line F3-F3. Hereinafter, a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. The refrigerator 1 is configured to have a plurality of storage compartments 11 inside a refrigerator body MB that is, for example, a vertically long rectangular box with an open front.

[0011] The refrigerator main body MB is mainly composed of a housing 10 having an open front face, and a plurality of doors 20 attached to the opening side of the housing 10 so as to be able to open and close.

[0012] The housing 10 includes a cooling unit 30 (see FIG. 2), a door opening device 41, an operation unit 42, a display device 51, a speaker unit (speaker unit) 52, an in-fridge camera 53 (see FIG. 2), an external connection terminal 54, a wired wireless communication module (communication module) 61, a first power supply board 70, and a second power supply board 80.

[0013] The housing 10 has an upper wall 10a, a lower wall 10b, a left side wall 10c, a right side wall 10d, and a rear wall 10e. The upper wall 10a and the lower wall 10b are substantially horizontal and face each other. The left side wall 10c and the right side wall 10d rise upward from the left and right ends of the lower wall 10b and are connected to the left and right ends of the upper wall 10a. The rear wall 10e rises upward from the rear end of the lower wall 10b and is connected to the rear end of the upper wall 10a.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 10 includes an inner box 10i that forms the inner surface of the housing 10, an outer box 10j that is located outside the inner box 10i and forms the outer surface of the housing 10, and a foam insulation material 10k such as foamed urethane that is provided between the inner box 10i and the outer box 10j, and has thermal insulation properties.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the multiple storage compartments 11 include, for example, refrigerator compartment 11A, chilled compartment 11Aa (see FIG. 2), vegetable compartment 11B, ice-making compartment 11C, small freezer compartment 11D, and main freezer compartment 11E. In this embodiment, refrigerator compartment 11A is located at the top, vegetable compartment 11B is located below refrigerator compartment 11A, ice-making compartment 11C and small freezer compartment 11D are located below vegetable compartment 11B, and main freezer compartment 11E is located below ice-making compartment 11C and small freezer compartment 11D. However, the arrangement of storage compartments 11 is not limited to the above example. Housing 10 has an opening on the front side of each storage compartment 11 that allows food ingredients to be put in and taken out of each storage compartment 11.

[0016] 1 and 2, multiple doors 20 openably and closably close storage compartment 11. The multiple doors 20 include, for example, left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa and right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab that close the opening of refrigerator compartment 11A, vegetable compartment door 20B that closes the opening of vegetable compartment 11B, ice making compartment door 20C that closes the opening of ice making compartment 11C, small freezer compartment door 20D that closes the opening of small freezer compartment 11D, and main freezer compartment door 20E that closes the opening of main freezer compartment 11E.

[0017] Of the plurality of doors 20, the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab are supported on the housing 10 via a left hinge 6A (FIG. 3) and a right hinge 6B (FIG. 3), respectively. The left hinge 6A is located above the outer end of the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa and, together with another left hinge (not shown) provided below the outer end of the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa, rotatably supports the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa. The right hinge 6B is located above the outer end of the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab and, together with another right hinge (not shown) provided below the outer end of the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab, rotatably supports the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling unit 30 includes a compressor 31, a refrigeration cooler 32, a refrigeration fan 33, a freezer cooler 34, and a freezer fan 35. The compressor 31 compresses the refrigerant and supplies the compressed refrigerant to the cold storage cooler 32 and the freezing cooler 34 via a condenser, a capillary tube, and the like.

[0019] The refrigerating cooler 32 is disposed in a first duct space D1 provided at the rear of the refrigerating compartment 11A, and uses the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 31 to cool the air flowing through the first duct space D1.

[0020] The refrigeration fan 33 circulates the air (cold air) cooled by the refrigeration cooler 32 between the refrigeration temperature zone compartments (refrigeration compartment 11A, chilled compartment 11Aa, and vegetable compartment 11B) and the first duct space D1, thereby cooling the refrigeration compartment 11A, chilled compartment 11Aa, and vegetable compartment 11B.

[0021] The freezing cooler 34 is disposed in the second duct space D2 provided behind the main freezing compartment 11E, and uses the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 31 to cool the air flowing through the second duct space D2.

[0022] Freezing fan 35 circulates the air (cold air) cooled by freezing cooler 34 between the freezing temperature zone compartments (ice-making compartment 11C, small freezing compartment 11D, and main freezing compartment 11E) and second duct space D2, thereby cooling ice-making compartment 11C, small freezing compartment 11D, and main freezing compartment 11E.

[0023] It should be noted that the "cooling unit" referred to in this specification is not limited to the above configuration, but may also include heating devices such as a heater for defrosting or a heater for preventing condensation.

[0024] 1, the door opening device 41 is a device that automatically opens the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. For example, the door opening device 41 has a first door opening device 41A and a second door opening device 41B.

[0025] The first door-opening device 41A is disposed behind the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa. The first door-opening device 41A has a plunger 41P that is pushed forward when an electromagnet is excited. The first door-opening device 41A is controlled by a control unit of the first power supply board 70 (described later), and by pushing the plunger 41P forward, the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa is forcibly opened.

[0026] The second door opening device 41B is disposed behind the right-hand refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. The second door opening device 41B has a plunger 41P that is pushed forward when an electromagnet is excited. The second door opening device 41B is controlled by the control unit of the first power supply board 70, and by pushing the plunger 41P forward, it forcibly opens the right-hand refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. However, the type of the door opening device 41 is not limited to the above example.

[0027] The operation unit 42 receives an operation by a user to operate the door opening device 41 . For example, the operation unit 42 has a first operation unit 42A that accepts a user's operation to operate the first door opening device 41A, and a second operation unit 42B that accepts a user's operation to operate the second door opening device 41B.

[0028] The first operation unit 42A is provided on the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa and has a sensor that can detect a touch operation by a user touching the surface of the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa. When the first operation unit 42A receives an operation from the user, the control unit of the first power supply board 70 activates the first door-opening device 41A.

[0029] The second operation unit 42B is provided on the right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab and has a sensor that can detect a touch operation by a user touching the surface of the right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. When the second operation unit 42B receives a user operation, the control unit of the first power supply board 70 operates the second door-opening device 41B.

[0030] The sensor provided in the first operation unit 42A or the second operation unit 42B detects, for example, a change in capacitance to detect a touch operation of a user touching the surface of the door 20. However, the sensor provided in the first operation unit 42A or the second operation unit 42B may be a sensor that can detect an operation of a user simply bringing their hand close to the surface of the door 20.

[0031] The display device 51 is provided, for example, on the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. The display device 51 has, for example, a display panel 51a, a touch sensor (touch panel) 51b, and a display control unit. The display panel 51a is an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, a micro light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display, etc. The display panel 51a has a display screen 51aa on which images and videos are displayed. The display screen 51aa displays images or videos relating to, for example, recipes, cooking procedures, food ingredient management (refrigerator inventory management), settings of the refrigerator 1 (for example, set temperature), music (for example, live video), or weather forecasts.

[0032] The touch sensor 51b of the display device 51 is provided over the display screen 51aa. The touch sensor 51b is, for example, a capacitance sensor, and is capable of receiving an input operation by a user on the display screen 51aa. The display control unit controls the display panel 51a. For example, the display control unit switches the content to be displayed on the display screen 51aa of the display panel 51a based on a user's operation on the touch sensor 51b.

[0033] 2 is provided in one or more storage compartments 11 among refrigerator compartment 11A, chilled compartment 11Aa, vegetable compartment 11B, small freezer compartment 11D, and main freezer compartment 11E. In-storage camera 53 has a camera body 53a and a camera control unit 53b. The camera body 53a takes an image of the stored items (food ingredients) contained in the storage compartment 11. Camera control unit 53b controls camera main body 53a. For example, camera control unit 53b operates camera main body 53a at a predetermined cycle to capture images of the inside of storage room 11. Camera control unit 53b transmits image data captured by camera main body 53a to the control unit of first power supply board 70.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 1, the external connection terminal 54 is provided on, for example, the right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. The external connection terminal 54 is, for example, a female connector that complies with the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard. A user of the refrigerator 1 can charge the terminal device TD or another device by connecting a charging cable to the external connection terminal 54.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 1, the first power supply board 70 is provided on, for example, the top wall 10a of the housing 10. The first power supply board 70 is supplied with power from an external commercial power supply PS (Fig. 3) via a power cord 7, and supplies the power required for the cooling operation of the refrigerator 1 to various components. For example, the first power supply board 70 supplies power to the cooling unit 30, the door opening device 41, the operation unit 42, the wired wireless communication module 61, the display device 51, the in-fridge camera 53, and the external connection terminal 54.

[0036] 1, the second power supply board 80 is provided on the top wall 10a of the housing 10 together with the above-mentioned first power supply board 70. The second power supply board 80 is located behind the first power supply board 70 and is provided independently of the first power supply board 70. The second power supply board 80 is a power supply board that functions as the main power supply for the speaker unit 52 that can output sound. The second power supply board 80 is connected to the first power supply board 70 via a power supply line 8 (FIG. 3). The second power supply board 80 supplies power, which is supplied from an external commercial power supply PS (FIG. 3) via the first power supply board 70, to the speaker unit 52.

[0037] The wired wireless communication module 61 is provided, for example, on the top wall 10a of the housing 10. The wired wireless communication module 61 is disposed on the top wall 10a, forward of the first power supply board 70 and the second power supply board 80, on the left side in the width direction of the housing 10. The wired wireless communication module 61 is capable of long-distance communication with an external terminal device, and can communicate wirelessly or via a wired connection with a router R installed in the same residence as the refrigerator 1. The wired wireless communication module 61 can communicate with an external server device SD (e.g., a cloud server) via the router R, a modem (not shown), and an external network NW such as the Internet. The wired wireless communication module 61 transmits information indicating the status of the refrigerator 1 to the server device SD. The wired wireless communication module 61 also receives control signals for remotely operating the refrigerator 1 from the server device SD.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 1, the speaker unit 52 is provided on the top wall 10a. The speaker unit 52 is located on the top wall 10a, in front of the first power supply board 70 and the second power supply board 80, and on the right side in the width direction of the housing 10. By placing the speaker unit 52 away from the wired wireless communication module 61, it is possible to prevent interference between the two communications, resulting in noise and other adverse effects. The speaker unit 52 outputs audio to people around the refrigerator 1 and can transmit information about the refrigerator 1.

[0039] [2. Top wall of the housing] [2.1 Upper wall (front side)] Next, a detailed description will be given of the structure of the top wall 10a of the housing 10 in a plan view seen from above (front side). Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the ceiling part of the refrigerator according to one embodiment. 3, the first power supply board 70 and the second power supply board 80 are housed in a power supply board housing 2 that is installed so that a portion of the power supply board housing 2 is embedded in the ceiling portion (upper wall 10a) of the housing 10. The power supply board housing 2 has a rectangular container shape that is open on the upper side, and the opening side is closed by a power supply board housing lid member 2A. The power supply board housing lid member 2A is detachably attached to the opening side of the power supply board housing 2.

[0040] The wired wireless communication module 61, the door opening device 41, and the speaker unit 52 are installed on the upper wall 10a of the housing 10 (outer box 10j). The wired wireless communication module 61 is installed behind the left hinge 6A, which supports the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa, so as to be adjacent to the left hinge 6A in the front-to-rear direction. The speaker unit 52 is disposed to the left of the right hinge 6B that supports the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. The door opening devices 41 are disposed at a predetermined distance from each other near the center of the housing 10, between the wired wireless communication module 61 and the speaker unit 52. The first door opening device 41A faces the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa, and the second door opening device 41B faces the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. The wired wireless communication module 61, the door opening device 41, and the speaker unit 52 are covered by a covering structural member 3 attached to the upper wall 10a of the housing 10. The configuration of the covering structural member 3 will be described later.

[0041] [2.2 Upper wall (rear side)] Next, the structure of the top wall 10a of the housing 10 in a plan view as viewed from below (back side) will be described in detail. Fig. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing the wiring structure inside the top wall 10a of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 4, in the space between the outer box 10j and the inner box 10i that form the top wall 10a of the housing 10, a plurality of control lines 12 drawn from a first power supply board 70 and a power supply line 13 drawn from a second power supply board 80, which are installed on the top wall 10a (top surface 10ja) side of the housing 10, are routed.

[0042] The plurality of control lines 12 are respectively connected to the first power supply board 70, the wired wireless communication module 61, the door opening device 41, and the speaker unit 52. The plurality of control lines 12 transmit control signals from the first power supply board 70 to the wired wireless communication module 61, the door opening device 41, and the speaker unit 52, respectively.

[0043] The power supply line 13 is connected to at least the second power supply board 80 and the speaker unit 52. The power supply line 13 supplies power from the second power supply board 80 to the speaker unit 52. The power supply line 13 and the control line 12 for the speaker unit are drawn out from a through-hole 10jb that penetrates the outer casing 10j to the top surface 10ja side of the outer casing 10j and connected to the speaker unit 52.

[0044] [3. Speaker unit] First, the structure of the speaker unit 52 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a perspective view that schematically shows the configuration of the speaker unit 52. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the speaker unit 52 of this embodiment includes a speaker 52a, a speaker control board 52b, a speaker connection cable 52c, and a speaker fixture 52d.

[0045] [3.1 speakers] The speaker 52a is a thin speaker that is rectangular in plan view and generates sound on the front sound-emitting surface 52ab. The speaker 52a is larger in plan view than the area of ​​a speaker control board 52b, which will be described later. The size of the speaker 52a is set appropriately depending on the sound quality required for the refrigerator 1. In this embodiment, the speaker 52a is installed on the top wall 10a of the housing 10, which has the advantage of ensuring sufficient installation space compared to when the speaker 52a is installed inside the refrigerator compartment door 20 and is less subject to restrictions on the size of the speaker 52a in plan view.

[0046] [3.2 Speaker connection cable] 5, the speaker connection cable 52c is made up of a power supply line and a control line that connect the speaker 52a and the speaker control board 52b. The speaker connection cable 52c supplies power from the speaker control board 52b to the speaker 52a and transmits control signals.

[0047] [3.3 Speaker control board] The speaker control board 52b has a circuit board 90a shown in Fig. 2 and a plurality of electrical components 90b mounted on the circuit board 90a. The circuit board 90a and the plurality of electrical components 90b shown in Fig. 2 implement a speaker control unit and a speaker storage unit. The speaker control board 52b controls the speaker 52a by the speaker control unit. The speaker control board 52b controls, for example, the music and / or voice output from the speaker 52a. The speaker control board 52b is connected to the speaker 52a via a speaker connection cable 52c. A wireless communication antenna 52e is mounted on the speaker control board 52b. The speaker control board 52b controls the wireless communication antenna 52e that is capable of communicating with the terminal device TD.

[0048] The wireless communication antenna 52e is capable of wireless communication with an external terminal device TD. For example, the wireless communication antenna 52e is capable of wirelessly and directly communicating with a terminal device TD located within a predetermined range of the refrigerator 1 (for example, at least a part of the space in the same residence as the refrigerator 1). The wireless communication antenna 52e is a short-range wireless communication module that complies with standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0049] The terminal device TD is a terminal device owned by the user of the refrigerator 1, and is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like. The terminal device TD can communicate with the server device SD via an external network NW. A predetermined application program (for example, a program for remotely controlling the refrigerator 1) is pre-installed in the terminal device TD, and predetermined functions are realized by executing this program by a processor mounted on the terminal device. For example, when the terminal device TD receives status history information from the refrigerator 1, it transfers the received status history information to the server device SD.

[0050] The speaker control board 52b supplies the power supplied from the second power supply board 80 to the speaker 52a and the wireless communication antenna 52e through the speaker connection cable 52c, thereby enabling the speaker 52a and the wireless communication antenna 52e to operate.

[0051] The speaker control board 52b plays music data and / or audio data based on a control signal received from the terminal device TD via the wireless communication antenna 52e, and outputs the played music and / or audio from the speaker 52a to the outside of the refrigerator 1. This not only notifies the user of necessary information about the refrigerator 1, but also allows the user to listen to the music and / or audio selected by the user at a desired timing.

[0052] 4, the speaker control board 52b can communicate with the first power supply board 70. The speaker control board 52b is connected to the first power supply board 70 via a control line 12. One method of communication with the first power supply board 70 is to use a communication interface such as a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transceiver: a transceiver circuit for asynchronous serial communication).

[0053] The speaker control board 52b communicates with the first power supply board 70 to acquire predetermined information about the refrigerator 1 stored in the memory unit (such as status history information, information for use in case of a malfunction, and inventory information) and stores the information in the speaker memory unit. The speaker memory unit stores the predetermined information about the refrigerator 1 acquired from the first power supply board 70 (such as status history information, information for use in case of a malfunction, and inventory information) and music data and / or audio data based on this information.

[0054] The speaker control board 52b plays music data and / or audio data based on, for example, predetermined information about the refrigerator 1 (such as status history information, information for use in case of a malfunction, and inventory information) stored in the speaker storage unit, and outputs the played music and / or audio from the speaker 52a to the outside of the refrigerator 1.

[0055] Speaker 52a outputs voice notifications such as "The door is open," "The refrigerator compartment has been changed to high mode," and "The refrigerator has been set to rapid ice-making mode." This allows users around refrigerator 1 to hear and learn necessary information about refrigerator 1 without having to look at display screen 51aa of refrigerator 1.

[0056] Furthermore, the speaker control board 52b transmits, for example, via the wireless communication antenna 52e, to the terminal device TD a music data signal and / or a voice data signal based on predetermined information (status history information, information for use in case of breakdown, inventory information, etc.) of the refrigerator 1 stored in the speaker memory unit. This allows the user to check the necessary information about the refrigerator 1 on the terminal device TD at hand.

[0057] [3.4 Speaker Fixture] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of region F shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the speaker fixture 52d accommodates the speaker 52a, the speaker control board 52b, and the speaker connection bundle 52c, and fixes them to the upper wall 10a of the housing 10 as shown in FIG. The speaker fixture 52d is a frame that is open upward. The speaker fixture 52d has a length in the depth direction, and is formed with a speaker housing portion 52da for housing the speaker 52a on the front side and a board housing portion (housing portion) 52db for housing the speaker control board 52b on the rear side, arranged side by side.

[0058] The speaker enclosure 52da has an opening groove 52dm on the front side that exposes the front sound-emitting surface 52ab of the speaker 52a. The opening groove 52dm is large enough to expose almost the entire front sound-emitting surface 52ab. If the side wall of the speaker enclosure 52da were located in front of the diaphragm 52ab of the speaker 52a, the sound from the speaker 52a would be reflected back, restricting the sound spread and degrading the sound quality. However, by providing the opening groove 52dm, the sound spread of the speaker 52a is not obstructed by the speaker fixing device 52d, thereby improving the sound quality.

[0059] The board housing portion 52db is provided with a plurality of first ribs 52dj arranged in accordance with the size of the speaker control board 52b in a plan view. The plurality of first ribs 52dj extend perpendicular (up and down) to the top wall 10a of the housing 10 and partially support the outer periphery of the speaker control board 52b. The plurality of first ribs 52dj are provided in positions of the board housing portion 52db slightly rearward of the speaker housing portion 52da. By positioning the speaker control board 52b away from the speaker 52a in this way, a space is formed between the speaker control board 52b and the speaker 52a, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the speaker control board 52b.

[0060] The board accommodating portion 52db is also provided with a plurality of second ribs 52dk that are lower in height than the plurality of first ribs 52dj. The plurality of second ribs 52dk extend perpendicular (up and down) to the top wall 10a of the housing 10. The plurality of second ribs 52dk are provided in positions directly below the speaker control board 52b and support the speaker control board 52b from below. The plurality of second ribs 52dk hold the speaker control board 52b at a predetermined height from the bottom 52dn of the speaker fixture 52d. By positioning the speaker control board 52b in a state where it is raised above the bottom 52dn of the speaker fixture 52d, a space is created directly below the speaker control board 52b, improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the speaker control board 52b.

[0061] In addition, the multiple second ribs 52dk position the speaker control board 52b at a position above and away from the bottom of the speaker fixture 52d (the upper wall 10a of the housing 10), making the speaker control board 52b less susceptible to the effects of chatter vibrations of the speaker 52a.

[0062] The speaker connection cable 52c is routed from the left side of the speaker housing portion 52da to the front of the board housing portion 52db.

[0063] Furthermore, a wiring collection section 52dd for collecting multiple wirings is formed to the right of the boundary between the speaker housing section 52da and the board housing section 52db. A through hole 52de is formed in the center of the bottom of the wiring collection section 52dd, and a pair of gripping claws 52df extend from both sides of the through hole 52de.

[0064] The through hole 52de communicates with a through hole 10jb (FIG. 3) formed in the top wall 10a of the housing 10. This allows the control wires 12 and the power supply wires 13 routed in the space between the outer box 10j and the inner box 10i that make up the top wall 10a to be drawn through the through hole 52de into the speaker fixture 52d, as shown in FIG. 4. The control wires 12 and the power supply wires 13 drawn from the through hole 52de are gathered at the pair of gripping claws 52df described above.

[0065] The speaker fixture 52d is formed with a plurality of bosses 55. These bosses 55 are higher than the speaker 52a and are formed with the same dimensions. The plurality of bosses 55 serve to ensure a space between the covering structural member 3 and the speaker 52a so that the speaker 52a does not interfere with the covering structural member 3, which will be described later.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 6, a convex portion 52ds is formed at the front end of the bottom 52dn of the speaker fixture 52d, protruding upward from the mounting surface 52dt on which the speaker 52a is mounted. The convex portion 52ds is formed across the entire width of the bottom 52dn of the speaker fixture 52d. In the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 6, the convex portion 52ds has an upper end surface 52du and an inclined surface 52dv. The upper end surface 52du of the convex portion 52ds forms the bottom of the opening groove 52dm. The inclined surface 52dv of the convex portion 52ds connects the upper end surface 52du of the convex portion 52ds to the mounting surface 52dt, forming a step between them. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the position of the opening groove 52dm of the speaker fixture 52d is slightly spaced upward from the upper wall 10a (upper surface 10ja) of the housing 10.

[0067] By having the above-mentioned convex portion 52ds on the front side of the speaker fixing device 52d, even if water penetrates inside the covering structural member 3, it is possible to prevent further water from penetrating through the opening groove 52dm of the speaker fixing device 52d into the speaker accommodating portion 52da in which the speaker 52a is mounted.

[0068] Furthermore, it is preferable that the height of the convex portion 52ds is a height that does not block the sound of the speaker 52a and that does not face the front sound emission surface 52ab of the speaker 52a or the sound emission hole group 4 of the covering structural member 3. This makes it possible to prevent water from entering while ensuring the opening area of ​​the opening groove 52dm and maintaining the spread of the sound of the speaker 52a.

[0069] The speaker fixture 52d is fixed to the housing 10 by a fixing screw (not shown).

[0070] [4. Covering structural members] Next, the covering structural member will be described. 3 and 6, the covering structural member 3 attached to the top wall 10a of the housing 10 collectively covers the wired wireless communication module 61, the door opening device 41, and the speaker unit 52. The covering structural member 3 has a length in the left-right direction along the front edge of the top wall 10a, and is formed with a width dimension that is approximately the same as the left-right width of the refrigerator 1 (housing 10).

[0071] The covering structural member 3 has an upper wall 3d and four side walls 3c extending downward from the periphery of the upper wall 3d. The covering structural member 3 has a rectangular concave shape that opens downward. The opening side of the covering structural member 3 is closed by the upper wall 10a of the housing 10.

[0072] The height dimension of the covering structural member 3 is set so that the upper wall 3d does not interfere with the wired wireless communication module 61, the door opening device 41, and the speaker unit 52, and the height position of the upper wall 3d is preferably approximately the same as the height position of the upper surfaces 20b of the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab. In other words, when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front with the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab closed, the covering structural member 3 is not visible to the user, so the aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator 1 can be maintained.

[0073] As shown in Fig. 3, the covering structural member 3 of this embodiment has a left hinge covering portion 3A and a right hinge covering portion 3B. The left hinge covering portion 3A is a portion that covers from above the left hinge 6A that rotatably supports the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa. The right hinge covering portion 3B is a portion that covers from above the right hinge 6B that rotatably supports the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. The left hinge covering portion 3A and the right hinge covering portion 3B are formed to protrude toward the front of the refrigerator 1 from both the left and right sides of the front wall (front surface) 3c1.

[0074] In the front wall 3c1 of the covering structural member 3 of this embodiment, a pair of insertion grooves 5 are formed for inserting the plungers 41P of the first door opening device 41A and the second door opening device 41B.

[0075] In this way, the covering structural member 3 of this embodiment is large enough to accommodate the speaker unit 52, the wired wireless communication module 61, and the door opening device 41, and has a configuration that integrates multiple storage sections that previously housed each of these separately. In this embodiment, the left hinge covering portion 3A and the right hinge covering portion 3B are further integrated, thereby reducing the number of storage portions to be installed on the ceiling portion (upper wall 10a) of the refrigerator 1. This makes it easier to attach them to the housing 10 and gives the refrigerator 1 a sense of unity as a whole.

[0076] Speaker 52a can have a larger area in a plan view than when it is housed in refrigerator compartment door 20, and has sufficient performance (sound quality) to notify users around refrigerator 1.

[0077] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the covering structural member 3 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the covering structural member 3 of this embodiment has a sound output hole group 4 for emitting (discharging) music and / or voice output from a speaker 52a housed inside to the outside. The sound output hole group 4 is made up of a plurality of sound output holes 4a formed through the front wall 3c1. The sound output hole group 4 is formed at a position on the front wall 3c1 facing the speaker 52a. This allows the music and / or voice output from the speaker 52a housed inside to be emitted to the outside (the front side of the refrigerator 1) through the sound output hole group 4. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the speaker 52a is disposed on the front side of the top wall 10a of the refrigerator 1, so that sound can be efficiently emitted to the front side of the refrigerator 1.

[0078] The sound emission holes 4a have approximately the same diameter. Each sound emission hole 4a is sized to prevent the intrusion of dust and the like. This makes it possible to prevent, for example, dust from causing a short circuit in the speaker connection cable 52c.

[0079] 3, the power supply board housing 2, the power supply board housing lid 2A, and the covering structural member 3 are made of a waterproof and flame-retardant material, such as a metal plate or a flame-retardant resin. Therefore, the internal spaces of the power supply board housing 2 and the covering structural member 3 are areas that prevent water leakage and fire spread. Therefore, even if water flows into the power supply board housing 2 or the covering structural member 3, the water is prevented from leaking into the housing 10. Furthermore, even if a fire breaks out inside the power supply board housing 2, the fire is prevented from spreading to the housing 10.

[0080] [5. Vibration isolation structure for speaker unit] Next, several vibration isolation structures for the speaker unit 52 in this embodiment will be described.

[0081] [5.1 First vibration-isolating member] 5, the speaker connection cable 52c connecting the speaker 52a and the speaker control board 52b is easily affected by vibrations of the speaker 52a. Therefore, the speaker connection cable 52c of this embodiment is provided with a first vibration-isolating member 56 to prevent interference with the speaker fixture 52d.

[0082] The first vibration-isolating member 56 may be, for example, a sponge-like cushioning material, and can be easily attached by wrapping it around the speaker connection bundled wires 52c. The first vibration-isolating member 56 is provided on at least a portion of the speaker connection bundled wires 52c. In this embodiment, the first vibration-isolating member 56 is preferably provided on a region of the speaker connection bundled wires 52c that includes the portion of the speaker connection bundled wires 52c that is gripped by the wiring gripping portion 52dg. The first vibration-isolating member 56 prevents the speaker connection bundled wires 52c from directly contacting (interfering with) the speaker fixing device 52d, and the cushioning properties of the first vibration-isolating member 56 reduce the effects of vibrations from the speaker 52a, making it possible to suppress noise generation.

[0083] [5.2 Second vibration-isolating member] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the inner structure of the covering structural member 3. As shown in FIG. 6 and 8, the covering structural member 3 is provided with a second vibration-isolating member 57 that is rectangular in plan view on the back surface 3a side of the upper wall 3d. As shown in Fig. 6, the second vibration-isolating member 57 is provided on the upper wall 3d at a position facing the speaker control board 52b. The second vibration-isolating member 57 has an area larger than the opening area of ​​the board accommodating portion 52db of the speaker fixture 52d that accommodates the speaker control board 52b, and closes the opening side of the board accommodating portion 52db.

[0084] The second vibration-isolating member 57 is made of a sponge-like cushioning material and is attached to the rear surface 3a of the upper wall 3d via an adhesive (not shown). The second vibration-isolating member 57 is sandwiched between the covering structural member 3 and the speaker fixing device 52d, and is pressed against at least the open end (upper end) of the peripheral wall portion 52dh that defines the board accommodating portion 52db in a rectangular frame shape, thereby being partially compressed and deformed.

[0085] This makes it possible to keep the board accommodating section 52db, which accommodates the speaker control board 52b, in a substantially sealed state, thereby preventing dust, water, oil, etc. from entering the board accommodating section 52db through the gap between the speaker fixing device 52d and the covering structural member 3. Furthermore, since the second vibration-isolating member 57 absorbs chatter noise from the speaker 52a, it is possible to suppress the influence of noise on the speaker control board 52b.

[0086] The configuration is not limited to the above, and for example, a second vibration-isolating member 57 may also be provided on the rear surface 3a of the covering structural member 3 at a position facing the speaker 52a. By providing the second vibration-isolating member 57 so as to be in contact with the speaker 52a, it is possible to further suppress chatter noise from the speaker 52a. Alternatively, the second vibration-isolating member 57 may be provided on the entire rear surface 3a of the covering structural member 3.

[0087] [5.3 Third vibration-isolating member] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the speaker fixture 52d seen from the back side of the bottom portion 52dn. As shown in FIG. 9 , the speaker fixture 52d includes a plurality of third vibration-isolating members 58, each having an elongated rectangular shape in plan view, on the rear side of the bottom 52dn. In this embodiment, a pair of third vibration-isolating members 58 is provided along the width direction and spaced apart from each other in the front-to-rear direction of the bottom 52dn. The pair of third vibration-isolating members 58 is made of, for example, a sponge-like cushioning material having a thickness of approximately 3 mm. Each third vibration-isolating member 58 is attached to the rear side of the bottom 52dn of the speaker fixture 52d via an adhesive (not shown). By providing the pair of third vibration-isolating members 58 on the rear side of the bottom 52dn of the speaker fixture 52d, vibrations of the speaker 52a can be absorbed by the third vibration-isolating members 58 located between the speaker unit 52 and the top wall 10a of the housing 10, preventing vibrations of the speaker 52a from vibrating the top wall 10a of the housing 10 and generating chatter noise.

[0088] The configuration is not limited to the above, and three or more third vibration-isolating members 58 may be arranged. Also, for example, a large-area third vibration-isolating member 58 may be provided over the entire back surface of the bottom 52dn. Large third vibration-isolating members 58 are easy to manufacture because the work of bonding the vibration-isolating members can be completed in one go.

[0089] [6. Right-side refrigerator door] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the refrigerator 1 seen obliquely from above. As shown in Fig. 10, of the multiple doors 20 (Fig. 1), left-side refrigerator compartment door 20Aa and right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab are attached to the uppermost part of housing 10. Of these, right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab has an inclined surface 21 formed by cutting out a portion of the rear side of top surface 20b at a position facing at least front sound emission surface 52ab of speaker 52a. Because speaker 52a is located inside covering structural member 3, sound emission hole group 4 of covering structural member 3 actually faces inclined surface 21. The width dimension of inclined surface 21 is preferably equal to or greater than the width dimension of speaker 52a.

[0090] The inclined surface 21 is an inclined surface that slopes upward as it moves away from the front of the speaker 52a (front sound-emitting surface 52ab) toward the front. The upper end of the inclined surface 21 is connected to the upper surface 20b of the right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab, and the lower end of the inclined surface 21 is connected to the inner surface 20c of the refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. The upper end of the inclined surface 21 is located forward of the center in the depth direction of the right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. The lower end of the inclined surface 21 is located above the upper wall 10a of the housing 10.

[0091] The inclination angle θ (FIG. 6) of the inclined surface 21 relative to the top surface 20b of the right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab is set appropriately taking into consideration the spread of sound from the speaker 52a, the strength of the right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab, and the like.

[0092] The sound generated by speaker 52a travels forward from front sound-emitting surface 52ab. Therefore, if the inner surface of right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab facing speaker 52a were perpendicular to the direction of sound travel, the sound would bounce backwards off the inner surface, resulting in a deterioration in sound quality. In this embodiment, by providing inclined surface 21, which is an inclined surface, on a portion of right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab facing speaker 52a, sound from speaker 52a flows along inclined surface 21 toward the front of refrigerator 1. Because right-side refrigerator compartment door 20Ab does not get in the way, deterioration in sound quality is reduced, and high-quality sound can be provided.

[0093] The upper end side of refrigerator compartment door 20 may be configured with a structure called a door cap. The inclined surface 21 may be formed on this door cap.

[0094] The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment includes a second power supply board 80 that supplies power only to the speaker unit 52, in addition to a first power supply board 70 that supplies power to the cooling unit 30, information function unit, etc. This configuration allows the function of the first power supply board 70 to be maintained even if the speaker unit 52 malfunctions. Therefore, for example, even if the speaker unit 52 malfunctions, the cooling function of the refrigerator 1 can be maintained, and the user can view information on the refrigerator 1 for use in case of malfunction or inventory information on the display screen 51aa or the screen of an external terminal device TD via an information function unit (e.g., display device 51, wired wireless communication module 61) connected to the first power supply board 70. Alternatively, the user can check specific information stored in the memory of the first power supply board 70 by operating the terminal device TD. Furthermore, since it is only necessary to replace the broken speaker unit 52, it is possible to reduce the time and cost, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0095] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] REFRIGERATOR, 3...COVERING STRUCTURAL MEMBER, 3c1...Front wall (front surface) of covering structural member, 3d...Upper wall of covering structural member, 10a...Upper wall of housing, 4...Sound emission hole group, 4a...Sound emission hole, 70...First power supply board, 10...Housing, 11...Storage compartment, 20...Door, 21...Sloped surface of refrigerator compartment door, 52dv...Sloped surface of convex strip portion, 30...Cooling unit, 52...Speaker unit, 52a...Speaker, 52b...Speaker control board, 52c...Speaker connecting cable, 52d...Speaker fixing device, 52ds...Convex portion, 52dt...Mounting surface, 56...First vibration-isolating member, 57...Second vibration-isolating member, 58...Third vibration-isolating member, 61...Wired wireless communication module (communication module), 80...Second power supply board, TD...Terminal device

Claims

1. a housing including a storage chamber that opens forward; a door provided at the front of the housing, having a rotation shaft supported at one end of the housing in a width direction, the door being rotatable relative to the housing around the rotation shaft; a sound output unit provided in the housing and capable of outputting sound; Equipped with the door has an inclined surface inclined upward as it moves away from the sound output unit in the forward direction in a region facing the sound output unit, the sound output unit is disposed on the one side of the housing, the inclined surface is disposed at a position in the width direction of the door away from an end of the door on an open side opposite to a rotation shaft side toward the rotation shaft side, and is provided to extend from a region facing the sound output unit toward the end of the open side. refrigerator.

2. A housing including a storage chamber that opens forward; a door provided at the front of the housing, having a rotation shaft supported at one end of the housing in a width direction, the door being rotatable relative to the housing around the rotation shaft; a sound output unit provided in the housing and capable of outputting sound; a covering structural member provided in front of the sound output unit and having a group of sound emission holes for emitting the sound output from the sound output unit; Equipped with the door has an inclined surface inclined upward as it moves away from the sound output unit in the forward direction in a region facing the sound output unit, the sound output unit is disposed on the one side of the housing, The inclined surface is disposed at a position away from an end of the door on an open side opposite to the rotation shaft side in the width direction of the door, toward the rotation shaft side, a dimension of the inclined surface facing the sound output hole group in the width direction of the housing is larger than a dimension of the sound output hole group, a distance in the width direction of the housing between a sound output hole located at the other end of the sound output hole group opposite to the one end in the width direction of the housing and the other end of the inclined surface facing the sound output hole group is greater than a distance in the width direction of the housing between a sound output hole located at the one end of the sound output hole group and the one end of the inclined surface facing the sound output hole group, refrigerator.

3. the covering structural member has a rotation shaft covering portion that is provided forward of the sound emission hole group and covers the rotation shaft of the door from above, The inclined surface is disposed closer to the opening side than the rotation shaft covering portion in the width direction of the door. The refrigerator according to claim 2.

4. The inclined surface is a first inclined surface that inclines upward as it moves away from the sound output portion toward the front; a second inclined surface that inclines upward as it moves away from the sound output portion toward the front and that inclines upward as it moves away from the first inclined surface toward the opening side in the width direction of the door; Including, The refrigerator according to claim 1.

5. a door opening device provided in the housing and disposed on the other side of the housing opposite to the one side in the width direction of the housing relative to the sound output unit; The door opening device opens the door by pushing forward a region of the door that is closer to the opening than the inclined surface in the width direction of the door. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

6. A covering structural member is provided in front of the sound output unit and has a group of sound emission holes for emitting the sound output from the sound output unit, The covering structural member covers the sound output unit and the door opening device from the front, and has an insertion groove through which at least a part of the door opening device can be inserted in the front-rear direction. The refrigerator according to claim 5.

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