refrigerator

Abstract

This refrigerator comprises: a housing which includes an opening on the front surface thereof, and which includes therein a storage chamber for storing foodstuff; a door which is provided to the front surface of the housing and which opens and closes the storage chamber; a lighting unit which is provided inside the storage chamber and which comprises a lighting device and a cover; and an opening / closing detection device which includes a detection unit for detecting the opening / closing of the door. The lighting device and the detection unit are integrated.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator equipped with an open / close detection device that detects whether a door is open or closed, and an illumination device that illuminates the interior of the refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, refrigerators are provided with an open / close detection device for detecting whether the door is open or closed, and a lighting device for illuminating the interior of the refrigerator. The open / close detection device detects that the refrigerator door has been opened and transmits an electric signal to a control device that controls the refrigerator. The control device then transmits a command to the lighting device to turn on the light, and the lighting device turns on upon receiving the command. For example, a magnetic sensor is used as the open / close detection device, and for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is used as the light source of the lighting device.

[0003] Various positions and methods have been proposed for arranging the open / close detection device and the lighting device inside a refrigerator. For example, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, the open / close detection device is arranged on a part of the partition wall that separates each storage compartment, facing the door, and the lighting device is arranged on the ceiling surface of the storage compartment. In addition, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 2, the open / close detection device and the lighting device are stored in a storage case and arranged on the partition wall that separates the storage compartment. In addition, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 3, the open / close detection device and the lighting device are stored in a box and arranged on the top of the refrigerator. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5082778 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-20122 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-239452 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, when the open / close detection device and the lighting device are disposed separately as separate entities as in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, the elements, board, and wiring of the open / close detection device and the light-emitting element, board, cover, and wiring of the lighting device are each attached to the refrigerator as separate entities. In this case, the number of work steps and costs required to attach the open / close detection device and the lighting device increase, which has been a problem.

[0006] In addition, as in the refrigerators described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, by disposing the open / close detection device on the partition wall of the storage compartment, it is necessary to provide a space for disposing the open / close detection unit inside the partition wall. Furthermore, in the refrigerators described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the open / close detection device and the lighting device, which are separate units, are housed in a storage case or box, so the open / close detection device and the lighting device must be individually assembled to the box or wiring. In these cases, too, the increase in labor hours and costs during manufacturing has been a problem.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-described problems, and aims to provide a refrigerator that can reduce the number of manufacturing steps and costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The refrigerator according to the present disclosure includes a housing having an opening on the front side and a storage compartment for storing food therein, and a locking mechanism provided on the front side of the housing for opening and closing the storage compartment. A storage room with two double doors The door and a rotating partition body provided on one of the two doors to close a gap formed between the two doors when the storage chamber door is closed; a guide pin provided in the storage chamber to guide the rotation direction of the rotating partition body; Located in the storage room, Located on the back side of the guide pin a lighting unit including a lighting device and a cover; storage room Detector that detects whether the door is open or closed A magnetic sensor and, a magnet that is provided on the rotary partition and serves as an actuation unit that actuates the detection unit; The lighting device and the detection unit are integrally configured. The opening and closing of the storage compartment door is detected by the movement of the operating part toward or away from the detecting part. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the refrigerator of the present disclosure, the lighting device and the detection unit or the opening / closing detection device are configured as an integrated unit, which makes it possible to standardize the parts that were previously used in the lighting device and the opening / closing detection device, and to simplify the installation work, thereby reducing the labor hours and costs during manufacturing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating a first configuration example of a lighting unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a second configuration example of the lighting unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a third configuration example of the lighting unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a fourth configuration example of the lighting unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a fifth configuration example of the lighting unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a sixth configuration example of the lighting unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a refrigerator according to a comparative example. [Figure 11] 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the tilt angle of the optical axis L of the LED in the lighting unit around the x-axis. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the tilt angle of the optical axis L of the LED in the lighting unit around the z axis. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the tilt angle of the optical axis L of the LED in the lighting unit around the y axis. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is an example of a circuit diagram of a lighting unit and a control device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16] 10 is another example of a circuit diagram of the lighting unit and the control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram of a lighting unit and a control device according to a comparative example. [Figure 18] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the vertical arrangement of lighting units according to the third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 19] 10 is a diagram showing another example of the vertical arrangement of lighting units according to the third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the vertical arrangement of lighting units according to a first comparative example. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the vertical arrangement of lighting units according to a second comparative example. [Figure 22] 6 is a diagram showing the same configuration as FIG. 5, but showing the positions of the illumination unit and the operating section according to the third embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement of lighting units in the front-rear direction according to a comparative example. [Figure 24] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of lighting units in the front-rear direction according to the third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement of lighting units in the left-right direction according to a comparative example. [Figure 26] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of lighting units in the left-right direction according to the third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a refrigerating compartment according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first example of arrangement of lighting units according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of the first arrangement example of the lighting unit according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 30] 10 is a diagram showing the positions of the lighting unit, guide pins, rotary partition body, and operating section according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of arrangement of lighting units according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 32]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of the second arrangement example of the lighting unit according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 33] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a refrigerator compartment according to Modification 1 as seen from above. [Figure 34] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a refrigerator compartment according to Modification 2, as viewed from above. [Figure 35] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a refrigerator compartment according to Modification 3, as seen from above. [Figure 36] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a refrigerator compartment according to Modification 4, as seen from above. [Figure 37] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement relationship between the lighting unit and the storage shelf according to the fourth modification. [Figure 38] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another arrangement relationship between the lighting unit and the storage shelf according to the fourth modification. [Figure 39] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement relationship between the lighting unit and the storage shelf according to the comparative example. [Figure 40] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the brightness of the lighting unit. [Figure 41] 10 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the duty ratio of a lighting control signal of a lighting unit and illuminance. [Figure 42] 10 is a graph showing an example of a lighting control signal when the duty ratio is 50%. [Figure 43] 10 is a graph showing an example of a lighting control signal when the duty ratio is 75%. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, refrigerators according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings used in the following description, the size relationships between components may differ from the actual size relationships. Furthermore, the configurations of components shown in the entire specification are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0012] Embodiment 1 [Configuration of refrigerator 100] FIG. 1 is a front view of refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the internal structure of refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view of refrigerator 100 shown in FIG. 1 cut along line AA and viewed from the direction of the arrow. In the following description, the front side of refrigerator 100 when installed in a usable state will be referred to as the "front side," and the right and left sides of the front side will be referred to as the "right side" and "left side." That is, the "right side" corresponds to the right side of the paper in FIG. 1, and the "left side" corresponds to the left side of the paper in FIG. 1. In the following description, the direction from the left side to the right side (left-right direction) will be referred to as the x-direction, the direction from the front side to the back side (front-rear direction) as the y-direction, and the direction from the top side to the bottom side (up-down direction) as the z-direction.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, refrigerator 100 includes housing 101 that forms the exterior shell. Housing 101 is an insulated box body that includes outer box 102, inner box 103 that is partitioned into multiple storage compartments by partition walls 6 and fitted into outer box 102 through an opening in outer box 102, and insulating material 210 that fills the space between outer box 102 and inner box 103. Refrigerator 100 includes, as storage compartments, refrigerator compartment 1 located on the top shelf, ice-making compartment 2 and switchable compartment 3 that are arranged side by side in the left-right direction below refrigerator compartment 1, vegetable compartment 4 located below ice-making compartment 2 and switchable compartment 3, and freezer compartment 5 located below vegetable compartment 4. Switchable compartment 3 can switch its cold storage temperature range to various temperature ranges, such as a freezing temperature range (e.g., about -18°C), a refrigerating temperature range (e.g., about 3°C), a chilled temperature range (e.g., about 0°C), and a soft freezing temperature range (e.g., about -7°C).

[0014] Each storage compartment has an opening on its front. A door is provided at the opening of each storage compartment. Specifically, refrigerator compartment door 1A is provided on the front of refrigerator compartment 1, which opens and closes in a rotational direction around a hinge (not shown). Refrigerator compartment door 1A is, for example, a pair of double-hinged doors with different widths on the left and right. Ice making compartment 2 is provided with a drawer-type ice making compartment door 2A that opens and closes in the front-to-back direction. Similarly, selectable compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, and freezer compartment 5 are provided with drawer-type selectable compartment door 3A, vegetable compartment door 4A, and freezer compartment door 5A, respectively.

[0015] Rails extending in the front-to-back direction are provided on the inner side surfaces of ice making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, and freezer compartment 5, and frames are provided on the sides of ice making compartment door 2A, switchable compartment door 3A, vegetable compartment door 4A, and freezer compartment door 5A. The frames of each door slide along the rails of each storage compartment, opening and closing each door, and ice making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, and freezer compartment 5 move in the depth direction of refrigerator 100, that is, in the front-to-back direction (y direction).

[0016] An operation unit 104 for operating and displaying settings such as the cold storage temperature and quick freezing settings for each storage compartment is provided on the outer wall surface of refrigerator compartment door 1A, which is the front surface of refrigerator 100. Operation unit 104 is, for example, a touch panel. Note that operation unit 104 is not limited to the example in FIG. 1 and may be arranged on the inner wall surface of refrigerator compartment 1, for example.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, each storage compartment, i.e., refrigerator compartment 1, ice-making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, and freezer compartment 5, is separated by a partition wall 6 that blocks heat transfer between adjacent storage compartments.

[0018] The refrigerator compartment 1 is provided with a plurality of storage shelves 1a in the vertical direction (z direction) for storing food F. The storage shelves 1a are formed, for example, from a permeable material. Furthermore, a plurality of door pockets 1b for storing food F are provided on the refrigerator compartment 1 side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. The door pockets 1b are provided on the inner wall surface of the refrigerator compartment door 1A so that food F of a predetermined height can be stored therein.

[0019] The size of storage shelf 1a is made as large as possible without coming into contact with door pocket 1b in order to increase the storage capacity of food F as much as possible. Therefore, there is almost no space between door pocket 1b and storage shelf 1a. Furthermore, the number of storage shelf 1a and door pocket 1b may be one, or storage shelf 1a and door pocket 1b may be omitted.

[0020] Furthermore, an illumination unit 7 is provided on the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1. The illumination unit 7 is provided so as to protrude downward from the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1. The illumination unit 7 includes an illumination device 71 that irradiates light into the refrigerator compartment 1, a connector 72, a board 73 (including a printed circuit board), and a cover 74. The illumination device 71 has, for example, at least one LED as a light source. The illumination device 71 is mounted on the underside of the board 73 to irradiate light into the refrigerator compartment 1. The connector 72 connects the board 73 and the control device 12 via wiring 130.

[0021] Cover 74 is configured to cover lighting device 71. Cover 74 may be textured to reduce the glare of the emitted LEDs, or may be formed into a shape that diffuses light. Cover 74 is attached directly to ceiling surface 103a of refrigerator compartment 1 with nails or the like, or is attached to a screw plate and is attached to ceiling surface 103a of refrigerator compartment 1 via the screw plate. In addition, the back surface of lighting unit 7 may be covered with a sealant, for example, to prevent moisture from entering.

[0022] Ice making compartment 2 houses storage case 201, which can store made ice, and is retractable. Storage case 201 is supported by the frame of ice making compartment door 2A and slides back and forth in conjunction with the opening and closing of ice making compartment door 2A. Similar to ice making compartment 2, vegetable compartment 4 and freezer compartment 5 house storage case 401 and storage case 501, respectively, which can store items to be cooled and are retractable, and slide back and forth in conjunction with the opening and closing of vegetable compartment door 4A and freezer compartment door 5A. Although not shown in FIG. 2, switchable compartment 3 also houses a storage case, which can store items to be cooled, and is retractable, and slides back and forth in conjunction with the opening and closing of switchable compartment door 3A.

[0023] The number of storage cases provided in each storage compartment may be one, or may be two or more if this improves organization and the like, taking into consideration the overall capacity of refrigerator 100. Alternatively, the storage cases in each storage compartment may be omitted.

[0024] Although not shown in Fig. 2, each storage compartment is provided with a temperature sensor 9 (Fig. 3) that measures the temperature inside the storage compartment. The temperature sensor 9 is, for example, a thermistor. The temperature measured by the temperature sensor 9 is output to the control device 12.

[0025] Each storage compartment is provided with an opening / closing detection device 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8E that detects the opening and closing of the door of the corresponding storage compartment. The opening / closing detection device 8A detects the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A of the refrigerator compartment 1. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the opening / closing detection device 8A is provided integrally with the lighting device 71 in the lighting unit 7. In other words, the opening / closing detection device 8A is provided integrally with the lighting device 71 via the board 73 (mounted on the board 73) in the lighting unit 7. The configuration of the opening / closing detection device 8A will be described in detail later.

[0026] Open / close detection device 8B detects the opening and closing of ice making compartment door 2A of ice making compartment 2. Open / close detection device 8C detects the opening and closing of switchable compartment door 3A of switchable compartment 3. Open / close detection device 8D detects the opening and closing of vegetable compartment door 4A of vegetable compartment 4. Open / close detection device 8E detects the opening and closing of freezer compartment door 5A of freezer compartment 5. Open / close detection devices 8B to 8E are each connected to control device 12 via lead wires or the like (not shown). In the following description, open / close detection devices 8A to 8E may be collectively referred to as open / close detection device 8.

[0027] The open / close detection devices 8B to 8E are, for example, configured with a push button switch, or a magnetic sensor such as a reed switch or a low-current Hall IC that operates at 48 V or less, and a magnet. In the example of Fig. 2, the open / close detection devices 8 are provided in all storage compartments, but this is not limitative, and the open / close detection devices 8 may be provided only in storage compartments that require detection of the door opening / closing.

[0028] A cooling mechanism for cooling each storage compartment and a control device 12 for controlling the cooling mechanism are provided on the rear side of the refrigerator 100. The cooling mechanism includes a compressor 111, a condenser (not shown), a capillary tube (not shown) as a pressure reducing device, a cooler 112, a blower fan 113, an air passage 114, and a damper 115 (FIG. 3). In the refrigerator 100, the compressor 111, the condenser, the capillary tube, and the cooler 112 are connected by piping or the like, and a refrigerant circulates inside to form a refrigerant circuit. Each component of the refrigerant circuit operates under the control of the control device 12, generating cold air to be supplied to each storage compartment.

[0029] Compressor 111 compresses the refrigerant circulating within the refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant compressed by compressor 111 is condensed in a condenser. The condensed refrigerant is decompressed through a capillary tube. The decompressed refrigerant evaporates in cooler 112 and cools the surrounding air through the heat absorption effect of evaporation. Blower fan 113 is disposed near cooler 112 and blows the cooled air cooled by cooler 112 into freezer compartment 5, selectable compartment 3, ice making compartment 2, and refrigerator compartment 1. This cools refrigerator compartment 1, ice making compartment 2, selectable compartment 3, and freezer compartment 5. Returning cold air discharged from refrigerator compartment 1 circulates through a refrigerator compartment return air duct (not shown) to cool vegetable compartment 4, and then returns to cooler 112 through a vegetable compartment return air duct (not shown). Although not shown in Figure 2, a damper 115 (Figure 3) is provided between the air passage 114 and each storage compartment, and the opening of the damper 115 is controlled by the control device 12 to adjust the amount of airflow to each storage compartment.

[0030] Control device 12 controls the overall operation of refrigerator 100. Specifically, control device 12 controls the opening of damper 115 installed in air passage 114, the output of compressor 111, and the air flow rate of blower fan 113 so that the temperature of each storage compartment becomes a preset temperature. Control device 12 is a microcomputer or processor equipped with a CPU that executes a program.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, signals are input to control device 12 from operation unit 104, temperature sensor 9, and open / close detection device 8. Control device 12 also outputs signals to compressor 111, blower fan 113, damper 115, and lighting device 71. Control device 12 includes acquisition unit 121, calculation unit 122, determination unit 123, drive unit 124, and storage unit 125. Acquisition unit 121, calculation unit 122, determination unit 123, and drive unit 124 are functional units realized by control device 12 executing a program. Alternatively, at least one of acquisition unit 121, calculation unit 122, determination unit 123, and drive unit 124 may be configured by a dedicated processing circuit.

[0032] The acquisition unit 121 acquires from the operation unit 104 an operation signal corresponding to the operation content, a signal indicating the temperature of each storage compartment measured by the temperature sensor 9, and a signal indicating the opening and closing of each door detected by the open / close detection device 8. The calculation unit 122 performs various calculation processes on each signal acquired by the acquisition unit 121. The determination unit 123 makes various determinations, such as comparison with thresholds, based on the calculation results of the calculation unit 122. In the various determinations, the drive unit 124 outputs drive signals to each unit so as to drive the compressor 111, the blower fan 113, the damper 115, and the lighting device 71, based on the determination results of the determination unit 123.

[0033] The storage unit 125 is a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or EEPROM, and stores various information, parameters, and programs used by each unit of the control device 12.

[0034] [Configuration of open / close detection device 8A] Next, the configuration of the open / close detection device 8A of this embodiment will be described. The open / close detection device 8A may be configured as a single unit or as a combination of a detection unit and an actuator. When the open / close detection device 8A is configured as a single unit, the open / close detection device 8A is, for example, a push button switch. When the open / close detection device 8A is configured as a detection unit 8A1 and an actuator 8A2, the detection unit 8A1 is, for example, a magnetic sensor such as a reed switch or a low-current Hall IC that operates at 48 V or less. The actuator 8A2 is, for example, a magnet, and activates the detection unit 8A1 when brought close to the detection unit 8A1.

[0035] When the open / close detection device 8A is configured as a single unit, the open / close detection device 8A is mounted on the same board 73 as the lighting device 71 and configured as an integral unit. When the open / close detection device 8A is configured with a detection unit 8A1 and an operation unit 8A2, the detection unit 8A1 of the open / close detection device 8A is mounted on the same board 73 as the lighting device 71 and configured as an integral unit in the lighting unit 7, and the operation unit 8A2 is provided on the refrigerator compartment door 1A.

[0036] The open / close detection device 8A (single unit), the detection unit 8A1, and the lighting device 71 are low-voltage elements that operate at 48V or less, more specifically, low-voltage elements that operate at a voltage of 5V to 12V. By making the lighting device 71, the open / close detection device 8A (single unit), and the detection unit 8A1 low-voltage elements, it is possible to mount them on the same board. The open / close detection device 8A (single unit) or the detection unit 8A1, and the lighting device 71 are connected to the control device 12 via a connector 72 and wiring 130.

[0037] When a reed switch is used as the detection unit 8A1 of the open / close detection device 8A, the size of the reed switch is, for example, 20 mm × 2 mm × 2 mm. When a Hall IC is used as the detection unit 8A1 of the open / close detection device 8A, the Hall IC is sized to fit within a volume with each side being 5 mm wide. By making the detection unit 8A1 of the open / close detection device 8A this size, the width in the front-to-rear direction of the board 73 on which the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are mounted can be made approximately 25 mm. This allows the lighting unit 7 to be more compact than when the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are configured using elements driven by 100 V.

[0038] 4 to 8, configuration examples in which the open / close detection device 8A is composed of a detection unit 8A1 and an actuation unit 8A2, and the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are mounted on a substrate 73 and configured as an integrated unit will be described. In the first to fifth configuration examples shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the detection unit 8A1 of the open / close detection device 8A is a magnetic sensor, and the actuation unit 8A2 is a magnet. Note that, for the sake of simplicity, the connector 72 of the lighting unit 7 is not shown in FIGS. 4 to 8. Furthermore, in the following description, the description of the case in which the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are mounted on a substrate 73 and configured as an integrated unit will be applied to the case in which the open / close detection device 8A (single unit) and the lighting device 71 are integrated.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first configuration example of the lighting unit 7 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, in the first configuration example, the operating unit 8A2 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. The detection unit 8A1 is provided on the front side of the refrigerator compartment 1, i.e., near the operating unit 8A2. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the operating unit 8A2 of the refrigerator compartment door 1A approaches or moves away from the detection unit 8A1, thereby detecting the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. In addition, in the first configuration example, the detection unit 8A1 is mounted on the surface of the board 73 opposite the surface on which the lighting device 71 is mounted. More specifically, the detection unit 8A1 is disposed on the upper surface of the board 73, and the lighting device 71 is mounted on the lower surface of the board 73. In addition, in the first configuration example, the lighting device 71 is disposed to irradiate light obliquely to brightly illuminate the food F in the refrigerator compartment 1. In the example of FIG. 4, the board 73 is disposed so that the front side is inclined toward the rear side.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second configuration example of the lighting unit 7 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, in the second configuration example, the operating unit 8A2 is also provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. The detection unit 8A1 is mounted on the surface of the board 73 opposite to the surface on which the lighting device 71 is mounted. Specifically, the detection unit 8A1 is disposed on the upper surface of the board 73, and the lighting device 71 is mounted on the lower surface of the board 73. The detection unit 8A1 is disposed closer to the front side than the center of the board 73, i.e., closer to the operating unit 8A2. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A is detected by the operation unit 8A2 of the refrigerator compartment door 1A approaching or moving away from the detection unit 8A1. In the second configuration example, the lighting device 71 is disposed so that light is emitted vertically downward to brightly illuminate the area around the user's hands.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a third configuration example of the lighting unit 7 according to the first embodiment. In the third configuration example shown in FIG. 6, the refrigerator compartment door 1A has a protrusion 11A that protrudes rearward so as to cover the front side of the top surface of the housing 101 from above. An operating unit 8A2 is provided on the protrusion 11A of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. That is, in the third configuration example, the operating unit 8A2 is disposed on the top of the housing 101. The operating unit 8A2 is disposed within the protrusion 11A on the top surface of the housing 101, i.e., near the detection unit 8A1. The detection unit 8A1 is mounted on the surface of the board 73 opposite to the surface on which the lighting device 71 is mounted. More specifically, the detection unit 8A1 is disposed on the top surface of the board 73, and the lighting device 71 is mounted on the bottom surface of the board 73. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A is detected by the operation of the operating unit 8A2 of the refrigerator compartment door 1A moving toward or away from the detection unit 8A1. In the third configuration example, the lighting device 71 is arranged to irradiate light vertically downward in order to brightly illuminate the area around the user's hands.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a fourth configuration example of the lighting unit 7 according to the first embodiment. In the fourth configuration example shown in FIG. 7, the operating unit 8A2 is provided on the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. The detection unit 8A1 is mounted on the same surface of the board 73 on which the lighting device 71 is mounted. Specifically, the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are mounted on the underside of the board 73. The detection unit 8A1 is mounted on the front side of the board 73 rather than the center, i.e., on the side closer to the operating unit 8A2. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A is detected by the operation unit 8A2 of the refrigerator compartment door 1A moving toward or away from the detection unit 8A1. In the fourth configuration example, the lighting device 71 is positioned so that light is emitted vertically downward to brightly illuminate the area around the user's hands.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a fifth configuration example of the lighting unit 7 according to the first embodiment. In the fifth configuration example shown in FIG. 8, an operating unit 8A2 is provided in a door pocket 1b attached to the refrigerator compartment door 1A. Furthermore, in the fifth configuration example, a detection unit 8A1 is mounted on the same surface of the substrate 73 as the surface on which the lighting device 71 is mounted. Specifically, the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are mounted on the underside of the substrate 73. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the operating unit 8A2 of the door pocket 1b moves toward or away from the detection unit 8A1, thereby detecting whether the refrigerator compartment door 1A is open or closed. Furthermore, in the fifth configuration example, the lighting device 71 is positioned so that light is emitted vertically downward to brightly illuminate the area around the user's hands.

[0044] An example of a configuration in which the open / close detection device 8A is configured as a single unit and the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 are integrally mounted on a substrate 73 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 . Note that, in FIG. 9 , the connector 72 of the lighting unit 7 is not shown for simplicity of explanation. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a sixth example of a configuration of the lighting unit 7 according to Embodiment 1. In the sixth example of a configuration shown in FIG. 9 , the open / close detection device 8A is a push button switch. The open / close detection device 8A is mounted on the same surface of the substrate 73 as the lighting device 71. More specifically, the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 are mounted on the underside of the substrate 73. The open / close detection device 8A is disposed on the front side of the refrigerator compartment 1 so that the push button switch is pressed when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed. In the sixth example of a configuration, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the push button switch is pressed or returned by the refrigerator compartment door 1A, thereby detecting whether the refrigerator compartment door 1A is open or closed. In the sixth configuration example, the lighting device 71 is disposed so as to irradiate light vertically downward to brightly illuminate the area around the user's hands. In the sixth configuration example, the cover 74 covers only the lighting device 71.

[0045] The effects of this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of refrigerator 10 according to a comparative example. In refrigerator 10 of the comparative example, opening / closing detection device 80A, which detects the opening / closing of refrigerator compartment door 1A, is provided inside partition wall 6 between refrigerator compartment 1 and ice-making compartment 2. In this case, it is not possible to provide a thermal insulating material in the space inside partition wall 6 where opening / closing detection device 80A is provided and around it. Therefore, in refrigerator 10 of the comparative example, it is necessary to provide partition wall 6 with a certain thickness to maintain thermal insulation performance, which results in a smaller storage space for food F within refrigerator 10.

[0046] Furthermore, it is necessary to provide an opening for inserting and removing the open / close detection device 80A and a lid to close the opening on the refrigerator compartment door 1A side (front side) of the partition wall 6, which results in lines where parts are joined on the front side of the partition wall 6, degrading the design. Also, if the open / close detection device 80A is a magnetic sensor, it is necessary to form a downward protrusion on the refrigerator compartment door 1A as a part to attach a magnet, degrading the design.

[0047] In contrast, in the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, the open / close detection device 8A (standalone) or the detection unit 8A1 is not disposed on the partition wall 6, and therefore, space for disposing the open / close detection device 8A (standalone) or the detection unit 8A1 is not required on the partition wall 6. This allows the space in the partition wall 6 to be filled with heat insulating material, and the thickness of the partition wall 6 can be reduced. Furthermore, the partition wall 6 can be provided with no lines at the joints between parts, improving the design.

[0048] In addition, in refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, lighting device 71 and open / close detection device 8A (single unit) or detection unit 8A1 are mounted on the same board and configured as an integrated unit. This allows open / close detection device 8A (single unit) or detection unit 8A1 and lighting device 71 to share components such as board 73, cover 74, and wiring 130. Furthermore, by installing one board 73, open / close detection device 8A (single unit) or detection unit 8A1 and lighting device 71 can be easily installed in refrigerator compartment 1. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which open / close detection device 80A is arranged away from lighting unit 7 and a configuration in which open / close detection device 8A and lighting device 71 are stored separately in a box or the like, as in the comparative example, the number of steps and cost of installation work in refrigerator 100 can be reduced.

[0049] The light irradiation angle of the lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 1 is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 4 to 9. The light irradiation angle of the lighting unit 7 according to a modification of embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 13. The lighting unit 7 according to this modification is installed so that the optical axis L of the LED, which is the light source of the lighting device 71, is tilted at a preset angle around the x-axis, which is the left-right direction, the y-axis, which is the front-back direction, and the z-axis, which is the up-down direction.

[0050] A surface-mounted LED, for example, is used as the light source for the lighting device 71 in the lighting unit 7. A surface-mounted LED is an LED mounted on a substrate 73 with metal terminals formed thereon, and connected to the metal terminals with bonding wires. In this case, the beam angle θ of the LED is often around 120°, allowing the interior of the refrigerator to be brightly illuminated over a wide area. Furthermore, by presetting the angle of the substrate 73 of the lighting unit 7, the lighting unit 7 can illuminate food F placed in various locations within the refrigerator and can also illuminate every corner of the refrigerator interior.

[0051] (Tilt angle of optical axis L around the x-axis) Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the inclination angle of the optical axis L of the LED in the lighting unit 7 about the x-axis. Fig. 11 shows the refrigerator compartment 1 as viewed from the side, with the refrigerator compartment door 1A of the refrigerator compartment 1 open. As shown in Fig. 11, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that the optical axis L of the LED is inclined by an angle α about the x-axis toward the back side (y-direction) of the refrigerator compartment 1, with the vertical direction (z-direction) as the reference. In this case, the angle α is preferably 0 to 90°.

[0052] (Tilt angle of optical axis L around the z-axis) FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating the inclination angle of the optical axis L of the LEDs in the lighting unit 7 about the z-axis. FIG. 12 shows the refrigerator compartment 1 as viewed from above, with the refrigerator compartment door 1A of the refrigerator compartment 1 open. In FIG. 12, the top surface of the housing 101 of the refrigerator 100 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 12, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that the optical axis L of the LEDs is inclined in the left-right direction (x-direction) by an angle β about the z-axis with the front-to-rear direction (y-direction) as the reference. As an example, the angle β is determined so that the optical axis L of the LEDs passes through the center of the depth direction and the center of the left-to-right direction of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from above. Alternatively, the angle β is determined so that the optical axis L of the LEDs passes through the center of the left-to-right direction of the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from above. Alternatively, the angle β is determined so that the optical axis L of the LED passes through the center of the depth direction and the center of the left and right direction of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from above, to the center of the left and right direction of the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0053] (Tilt angle of optical axis L around the y-axis) FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the inclination angle of the optical axis L of the LEDs in the lighting unit 7 about the y-axis. FIG. 13 shows the refrigerator compartment 1 as viewed from the front side with the refrigerator compartment door 1A of the refrigerator compartment 1 open. The refrigerator compartment door 1A is omitted from FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 13, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that the optical axis L of the LEDs is inclined in the left-right direction (x-direction) by an angle γ about the y-axis with respect to the vertical direction (z-direction). As an example, the angle γ is determined so that the optical axis L of the LEDs passes through the center in the up-down direction and the center in the left-right direction of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from the front. Alternatively, the angle γ is determined so that the optical axis L of the LEDs passes through the center in the left-right direction of the floor of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from the front. Alternatively, the angle γ is determined so that the optical axis L of the LED passes from the vertical center and horizontal center of the refrigerator compartment 1 to the horizontal center of the floor of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from the front.

[0054] When the angles α, β, and γ of the LED optical axis L are set in this way, the LED optical axis L is directed toward the center of the refrigerator interior, so the lighting unit 7 can illuminate the entire front of the food F from the front side of the refrigerator compartment 1 and from the center when viewed from the front. This improves the visibility of the food F stored in the refrigerator compartment 1. Also, because light is irradiated onto the side and rear walls of the refrigerator compartment 1, the interior of the refrigerator compartment 1 appears brighter, improving the sense of cleanliness. Furthermore, because the LED optical axis L is directed toward the rear side, when a user opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks inside the refrigerator compartment 1, the LED optical axis L is less likely to enter the user's line of sight. This reduces glare for the user.

[0055] The tilt angles β and γ of the LED optical axis L about the z-axis and y-axis, respectively, are preferably set when the pair of refrigerator compartment doors 1A have different widths in the left-right direction (x-direction). When the pair of refrigerator compartment doors 1A have different widths in the left-right direction (x-direction), the lighting unit 7 is installed at a position offset from the center when viewed from the front side due to the different widths of the pair of refrigerator compartment doors 1A. In this case, by setting the angles β and γ of the LED optical axis L, the LED optical axis L faces toward the center, thereby illuminating the entire interior of the refrigerator compartment 1. Furthermore, since the interior of the refrigerator compartment 1 can be illuminated more uniformly, the visibility of the food F stored in the refrigerator compartment 1 can be improved.

[0056] The angle of light emitted by the lighting unit 7 does not have to be preset, but may be arbitrarily changed by the user. This allows the light emission state to be appropriately set according to the state of storage of food F in the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0057] Embodiment 2 A second embodiment will be described. Fig. 14 is a functional block diagram of a refrigerator 100 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 14, the refrigerator 100 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the lighting device 71 and the open / close detection device 8 are not connected to the control device 12. In the second embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0058] Fig. 15 is an example of a circuit diagram of the lighting unit 7 and the control device 12 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 15, the control device 12 is mounted on a control board 126. In addition to the control device 12, the control board 126 also has mounted thereon a connector 127 and an internal power supply 128 that converts a 100V AC power supply to 5V by a power supply circuit. The connector 127 of the control board 126 is connected to the connector 72 of the board 73 by a wiring 130. As a result, power is supplied from the internal power supply 128 to the board 73.

[0059] Furthermore, an open / close detection device 8A, an illumination device 71, a connector 72, and a resistor 75 are mounted on a board 73 in the lighting unit 7 of this embodiment. The illumination device 71 and the open / close detection device 8A are connected in parallel on the circuit. In the example of Fig. 15, when the refrigerator door 1A is open, the switch of the open / close detection device 8A is open, and when the refrigerator door 1A is closed, the switch of the open / close detection device 8A is closed.

[0060] In this case, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed, a current flows to the open / close detection device 8A but not to the lighting device 71, and when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is open, a current flows to the lighting device 71. This allows the lighting device 71 to be turned on only when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened. That is, in this embodiment, there is no need to transmit a detection signal from the open / close detection device 8A to the control device 12, and there is no need for the lighting device 71 to receive a drive signal from the control device 12. Therefore, there is no need to connect the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 to the control device 12, and the number of wirings 130 connected to the control board 126 can be reduced to just two for supplying power.

[0061] Fig. 16 is another example of a circuit diagram of the lighting unit 7 and the control device 12 according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 16, the lighting device 71 and the open / close detection device 8A may be connected in series on the circuit. Note that, unlike the example of Fig. 15, in the example of Fig. 16, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is open, the switch of the open / close detection device 8A is closed, and when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed, the switch of the open / close detection device 8A is opened.

[0062] In this case, a mechanism can be adopted in which current flows through the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is open, and current does not flow through the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed. This makes it possible to turn on the lighting device 71 only when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened. Therefore, even in the example of Figure 16, there is no need to connect the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 to the control device 12, and only two wires 130 can be connected to the control board 126.

[0063] 17 is a circuit diagram of a lighting unit 70 and a control device 12 according to a comparative example. In the comparative example, the control device 12 receives a detection signal from the open / close detection device 8A and transmits a drive signal based on the detection signal to the lighting device 71. Therefore, the lighting device 71 and the open / close detection device 8A must each be connected to the control device 12. Therefore, in the comparative example, three or more wires 130 are required to connect the board 73 of the lighting unit 70 and the control board 126.

[0064] As described above, in this embodiment, the open / close detection device 8 and the lighting device 71 are configured to be independent from the control device 12, thereby reducing the number of connection wires to the control board 126. This makes it possible to reduce the material cost of the wires 130 and the processing cost for passing the wires 130 inside the heat insulating member 210 of the housing 101.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control device 12 is not connected to the open / close detection device 8 and the lighting device 71, so it is possible to reduce the number of ports used in the microcomputer used as the control device 12. As a result, in this embodiment, an inexpensive microcomputer with a relatively small number of ports can be used as the control device 12.

[0066] Embodiment 3 A description will be given of embodiment 3. Embodiment 3 specifies the arrangement of the lighting unit 7 in the refrigerator compartment 1. In embodiment 3, the same parts as those in embodiments 1 and 2 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] [Location of lighting unit 7] The arrangement of the lighting units 7 in the present embodiment and the comparative example will be described with reference to Figs. 18 to 26. Here, the arrangement of the lighting units 7 in the up-down direction (z direction) of the refrigerator compartment 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 18 to 22, and the arrangement of the lighting units 7 in the front-to-back direction (y direction) of the refrigerator compartment 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 23 and 24. Furthermore, the arrangement of the lighting units 7 in the left-to-right direction (x direction) of the refrigerator compartment 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 25 and 26.

[0068] First, with regard to the arrangement of the lighting unit 7 in the vertical direction of the refrigeration compartment 1, in the first embodiment, the entire lighting unit 7 was configured to protrude downward from the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigeration compartment 1. In contrast, in the present embodiment, a portion of the lighting unit 7 is provided so as to be embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigeration compartment 1. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the vertical arrangement of the lighting unit 7 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18, the lighting unit 7 is attached to the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigeration compartment 1 via a screw plate 76. At this time, the lighting unit 7 is attached so that a portion of the lighting unit 7 is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a in the vertical direction (z direction) of the refrigeration compartment 1. In other words, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that at least a portion of the lighting unit 7 protrudes downward from the ceiling surface 103a in the vertical direction (z direction) of the refrigeration compartment 1.

[0069] 18, the lighting unit 7 is installed so that only the underside of the cover 74 protrudes from the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1 in the vertical direction (z direction), and the lighting device 71 is positioned above the ceiling surface 103a. Even when the lighting unit 7 is installed in this manner, by making the side width of the recess wider with respect to the beam angle θ120° of the lighting device 71, the light from the lighting device 71 is irradiated onto the front side of the storage shelf 1a, thereby improving the visibility inside the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0070] 18, a heat insulating member 210 is provided between outer box 102 and ceiling surface 103a of refrigerating compartment 1, which constitute housing 101 of refrigerator 100. Heat insulating member 210 is made of, for example, one or both of vacuum insulation material 211 and urethane 212, and insulates refrigerating compartment 1 by preventing heat from entering from outside refrigerator 100. In this embodiment, heat insulating member 210 has vacuum insulation material 211 on the upper side and urethane 212 on the lower side. In this case, heat insulating member 210 is formed by pouring urethane 212 into the gap between vacuum insulation material 211 and inner box 103, and foaming it to fill the gap without any gaps.

[0071] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing another example of the vertical arrangement of lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 3. In the example of arrangement in Fig. 19, the height in the vertical direction (z direction) of lighting unit 7 embedded in ceiling surface 103a of refrigerator compartment 1 is lower than in the example of arrangement in Fig. 18. In this case, heat insulating member 210 is arranged so that vacuum heat insulating material 211, which has higher heat insulating performance than urethane 212, is thicker than in the example of Fig. 18.

[0072] Here, as a comparative example of the arrangement of the lighting units 7 according to the present embodiment, consider a case where the lighting units 7 are arranged so that they are all embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing the vertical arrangement of the lighting units 7 according to a first comparative example. In the first comparative example shown in Fig. 20, the lighting units 7 are attached to the ceiling surface 103a so that they are all embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0073] In the first comparative example, the entire lighting unit 7 is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a, so the thickness in the vertical direction (z direction) of the urethane 212 arranged along the recess where the lighting unit 7 is attached is thick, while the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating material 211 is thin. Therefore, compared to the arrangement example shown in Fig. 18, the heat insulating performance is deteriorated.

[0074] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing the vertical arrangement of the lighting unit 7 according to the second comparative example. In the second comparative example shown in Fig. 21, similar to the first comparative example shown in Fig. 20, the lighting unit 7 is attached to the ceiling surface 103a so that the entire lighting unit 7 is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1. Furthermore, in the second comparative example, the vacuum heat insulating material 211 is also processed along the recess that is the mounting portion of the lighting unit 7.

[0075] In the second comparative example, the vacuum heat insulating material 211 is processed, so that the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating material 211 in the vertical direction (z direction) can be made substantially the same as the thickness in the arrangement example shown in Fig. 18. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in heat insulating performance compared to the arrangement example shown in Fig. 18.

[0076] However, in the second comparative example, since the vacuum heat insulating material 211 is processed, the cost of the refrigerator 100 increases due to the additional processing costs, and the additional processing steps also increase the manufacturing time. Furthermore, at the position where the lighting unit 7 is attached, the vacuum heat insulating material 211 is processed along the recess that is the attachment portion of the lighting unit 7, so the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating material 211 in the up-down direction (z direction) becomes thin. Therefore, the heat insulating performance deteriorates at the attachment position of the lighting unit 7.

[0077] 21, the flow path for the urethane 212 becomes narrower near the mounting position of the lighting unit 7, so there is a possibility that the urethane 212 will not flow properly and will not be able to fill the space sufficiently. In this case, the heat insulating performance will deteriorate.

[0078] Therefore, in this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is not disposed so that the entire lighting unit 7 is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1, but is disposed so that at least a portion of it protrudes downward from the ceiling surface 103a. In this case, although the thickness of the heat insulating member 210 in the vertical direction (z direction) at the installation position of the lighting unit 7 is thin as shown in Fig. 18, since there is no need to process the vacuum heat insulating material 211, it is possible to suppress a decrease in heat insulating performance. Also, as shown in Fig. 19, by lowering the height in the vertical direction (z direction) at which the lighting unit 7 is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a, it is possible to increase the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating material 211, which has higher heat insulating performance than the urethane 212, and suppress a decrease in heat insulating performance.

[0079] Furthermore, in the case where refrigerator compartment door 1A has protrusion 11A that protrudes rearward so as to cover the front side of the top surface of housing 101 from above, as shown in Fig. 6, and actuator 8A2 of open / close detection device 8A is provided on protrusion 11A, the configuration of Fig. 18 or 19 reduces the distance between detector 8A1 and actuator 8A2 compared to the configuration of Fig. 6. Therefore, the size of actuator 8A2 can be made smaller compared to the configuration of Fig. 6. Alternatively, if actuator 8A2 in Fig. 6 is a magnet, a magnet of the same size but with lower magnetic force can be used.

[0080] Furthermore, in the case of a configuration in which the operating unit 8A2 is provided on the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A as shown in FIG. 5, by using the configuration of FIG. 18 or FIG. 19, the detection unit 8A1 is positioned above the ceiling surface 103a, so that the operating unit 8A2 can be positioned above the position shown in FIG. 5.

[0081] 18 or 19, the operating unit 8A2 can be provided in a position facing the front surface 102a of the outer box 102 when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed. FIG. 22 shows the same configuration as FIG. 5, but illustrating the positions of the lighting unit 7 and operating unit 8A2 according to embodiment 3. The operating unit 8A2 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A and is in contact with the front surface 102a to separate the air inside the refrigerator compartment 1 from the outside. By providing the operating unit 8A2 in a position overlapping the packing 90, when a user opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks at the rear side, the bulge on the rear side caused by the operating unit 8A2 or a cover covering the operating unit 8A2 is hidden by the packing 90. This improves the design of the refrigerator compartment door 1A compared to the structure of FIG. 5.

[0082] 18 to 21, the thickness ratio between the vacuum heat insulating material 211 and the urethane 212 is an example. Increasing the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating material 211 as much as possible can improve the heat insulating performance, and increasing the thickness of the urethane 212 as much as possible can reduce costs.

[0083] Fig. 23 is a diagram showing the arrangement of lighting units 7 in the front-rear direction according to a comparative example. Fig. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of lighting units 7 in the front-rear direction according to embodiment 3. Figs. 23 and 24 are side views of the refrigerator compartment 1 with the refrigerator compartment door 1A open.

[0084] In the comparative example shown in FIG. 23, the lighting unit 7 is disposed above the storage shelf 1a, and at least a portion of the lighting unit 7 overlaps with the storage shelf 1a when the refrigerator 100 is viewed from above. The optical axis L of the LED of the lighting unit 7 is set so that light is emitted from the upper surface of the storage shelf 1a. In this case, when food F is placed on the front side of the storage shelf 1a, the light from the lighting unit 7 is blocked by the food F. As a result, the light from the lighting unit 7 is not irradiated onto the front of some of the food F, and visibility of the inside of the refrigerator compartment 1 is reduced when a user U opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks inside the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0085] In contrast, in the arrangement example of this embodiment shown in Fig. 24, the lighting unit 7 is placed closer to the front than the storage shelf 1a. In other words, the lighting unit 7 is placed in a position where it does not overlap with the storage shelf 1a when the refrigerator 100 is viewed from above. The optical axis L of the LED of the lighting unit 7 is set so that light is irradiated onto the front side of the storage shelf 1a. In this case, even if food F is placed on the front side of the storage shelf 1a, the amount of light blocked by the food F is reduced. As a result, light is irradiated onto the front of all the food F, improving visibility when the user U opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks inside the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0086] Thus, the visibility inside the refrigerator compartment 1 varies greatly depending on the position of the lighting unit 7 inside the refrigerator compartment 1, and it is more effective to position the lighting unit 7 as close to the front of the refrigerator compartment 1 (refrigerator 100) as possible in order to improve the visibility of the food F. Therefore, in the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is provided closer to the front than the storage shelf 1a so as to improve the visibility inside the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0087] It is possible to place the lighting unit 7 between the door pocket 1b and the storage shelf 1a to prevent the door pocket 1b and the food F stored in the door pocket 1b from coming into contact with the lighting unit 7. However, in this case, the storage shelf 1a or the door pocket 1b would need to be made smaller, which would reduce the amount of food that can be stored. Therefore, the lighting unit 7 is placed in front of the storage shelf 1a in the y-axis direction, in a position that overlaps vertically with the door pocket 1b.

[0088] Next, we will explain the arrangement of the lighting unit 7 in the left-right direction (x direction) of the refrigerator compartment 1. In Fig. 2, when the refrigerator 100 is viewed from the side, the lighting unit 7 and the food F placed in the door pocket 1b are arranged at points where they collide, but the positional relationship between the lighting unit 7 and the food F in the left-right direction (x direction) is not shown. Therefore, here we will consider the relationship between the lighting unit 7 and the food F placed in the door pocket 1b in the left-right direction (x direction).

[0089] As described above, door pocket 1b of refrigerator compartment door 1A in refrigerator compartment 1 is designed to store food F of a predetermined height, such as 350 ml cans. If lighting unit 7 is provided closer to the front than storage shelf 1a and overlaps door pocket 1b in the z direction, depending on the position of lighting unit 7, there is a possibility that lighting unit 7 will collide with food F stored in door pocket 1b when refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed.

[0090] Fig. 25 is a diagram showing the left-right arrangement of lighting units 7 according to a comparative example. Fig. 26 is a diagram showing an example of the left-right arrangement of lighting units 7 according to embodiment 3. Figs. 25 and 26 are views of refrigerator 100 as seen from above, with the top surface of housing 101 omitted.

[0091] As shown in Fig. 25, in the comparative example, the lighting unit 7 is provided at a position overlapping the door pocket 1b when viewed from above. In this case, when projected from the top of the refrigerator 100, depending on the height of the food F stored in the door pocket 1b, the lighting unit 7 may collide with the food F. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 26, in this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is provided at a position not overlapping the door pocket 1b when viewed from above. In this case, the lighting unit 7 is outside the range of movement of the door pocket 1b when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed. This prevents the lighting unit 7 from colliding with the food F.

[0092] That is, as shown in Fig. 26, the lighting unit 7 in this embodiment is provided in a position where it will not collide with the door pocket 1b and the food F stored in the door pocket 1b when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed in the rotational direction (the direction of the dotted arrow in Fig. 26). In other words, the lighting unit 7 in this embodiment is provided in a position where it will not overlap with the opening and closing trajectory of the door pocket 1b that rotates together with the refrigerator compartment door 1A.

[0093] As described above, in the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is arranged outside the range of movement of the door pocket 1b, which rotates together with the refrigerator compartment door 1A when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed. This prevents the lighting unit 7 from colliding with the door pocket 1b and the food F stored in the door pocket 1b. Therefore, there is no need to impose a height restriction on the food F stored in the door pocket 1b to prevent it from coming into contact with the lighting unit 7. The lighting unit 7 is also arranged in a location that is neither above the storage shelf 1a nor within the range of movement of the door pocket 1b, and where food F cannot be placed. Therefore, the lighting unit 7 can be arranged without reducing the amount of food F stored in the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0094] 20 and 21, the lighting unit 7 is not disposed so that the entire unit is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a, but is attached to a recess (attachment portion) in the ceiling surface 103a as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, and is disposed so that at least a portion of the lighting unit 7 protrudes into the refrigerator compartment 1. As a result, the lighting unit 7 is disposed without reducing the heat insulating member 210 that constitutes the housing 101 of the refrigerator 100, and therefore the visibility inside the refrigerator compartment 1 can be improved while suppressing deterioration in the heat insulating properties of the refrigerator 100.

[0095] In refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, when projected from the top of refrigerator 100, lighting unit 7 is positioned closer to the front than storage shelf 1a, and optical axis L of the LEDs is set so that light is directed toward food F stored in storage shelf 1a. As a result, even when food F is stored in storage shelf 1a, light is directed toward the entire front of storage shelf 1a. This improves visibility inside refrigeration compartment 1.

[0096] Furthermore, in the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is arranged so that the optical axis L of the lighting device 71 (LED) is inclined around an axis indicating the left-right direction. Moreover, the lighting unit 7 is arranged so that the optical axis L of the lighting device 71 is inclined around an axis indicating the up-down direction. Moreover, the lighting unit 7 is arranged so that the optical axis L of the lighting device 71 is inclined around an axis indicating the front-rear direction.

[0097] As a result, the lighting unit 7 can illuminate the entire front of the food F from the front side of the refrigerator compartment 1 toward the center of the refrigerator compartment 1 in the width direction. This improves the visibility of the food F stored in the refrigerator compartment 1. Also, because light is irradiated onto the side walls and back wall of the refrigerator compartment 1, the inside of the refrigerator compartment 1 appears brighter, improving the feeling of cleanliness. Furthermore, because the optical axis L of the lighting device 71 is directed toward the back wall, when a user opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks inside the refrigerator compartment 1, the optical axis L of the lighting device 71 is less likely to enter the user's line of sight, reducing glare for the user.

[0098] Furthermore, in this embodiment, only the arrangement of the lighting unit 7 is changed, and no additional parts or work steps are required due to the change in arrangement. Therefore, the above-mentioned effects can be obtained while suppressing an increase in costs.

[0099] Embodiment 4 Embodiment 4 will be described. Embodiment 4 differs from embodiment 1 in that a lighting unit 7 is disposed behind a guide pin 20 that guides the rotation direction of a rotating partition body 1c provided on a refrigerator compartment door 1A. In embodiment 4, parts that are common to embodiments 1 to 3 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0100] Fig. 27 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a refrigerator compartment 1 according to embodiment 4. Fig. 27 shows a side cross section of the refrigerator compartment 1 with refrigerator compartment door 1A open. As shown in Fig. 27, a guide pin 20 is provided on ceiling surface 103a of refrigerator compartment 1 in this embodiment. Generally, when refrigerator compartment door 1A of refrigerator 100 is a double-hinged type, one of the pair of doors constituting refrigerator compartment door 1A is provided with a rotating partition 1c (not shown) (see Fig. 26) for closing a gap between the pair of doors that is formed when refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed.

[0101] Guide pin 20 is provided to guide the rotation direction of rotating partition body 1c provided on refrigerator compartment door 1A. Guide pin 20 is provided on ceiling surface 103a at a position facing refrigerator compartment door 1A.

[0102] FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a first arrangement example of lighting units 7 according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 28, guide pins 20 are provided closer to the front of refrigerator 100 than lighting units 7 arranged on ceiling surface 103a. That is, lighting units 7 are provided closer to the rear of refrigerator 100 than guide pins 20. Guide pins 20 and lighting units 7 are provided at the same position in the left-right direction. A rear portion 20a that protrudes downward is provided at the tip of the rear side of guide pin 20. The height (vertical length) of rear portion 20a is greater than the height of lighting units 7.

[0103] When the lighting unit 7 is arranged in this manner, as shown in FIG. 27 , when a user U opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks inside the refrigerator compartment 1 from the front, the lighting unit 7 is hidden from the user U's field of vision by the guide pin 20 and is arranged so that the user U does not notice it. Furthermore, while the light emitted from the lighting unit 7 brightens the inside of the refrigerator compartment 1, the light directly irradiated from the lighting unit 7 toward the user U is blocked by the back surface 20a of the guide pin 20. This makes it possible to reduce the unpleasant glare that the user U experiences due to the direct light from the lighting unit 7. Furthermore, when light is irradiated from the lighting unit 7 as described above, the entire inside of the refrigerator compartment 1 is brightened, thereby improving the uniformity of brightness inside the refrigerator compartment 1 and further improving visibility and the sense of cleanliness.

[0104] Furthermore, since the lighting unit 7 is not visible to the user U, the inside of the refrigerator compartment 1 appears relatively bright to the user U. Furthermore, since the lighting unit 7 is not visible to the user U, the lighting unit 7 serves as indirect lighting, thereby improving the design of the refrigerator 100. Furthermore, since the guide pin 20 is provided in a conventional refrigerator having the refrigerator compartment door 1A, when changing the design of the conventional refrigerator to the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment, the number of parts does not increase, and the design change can be made inexpensively.

[0105] Fig. 29 is a diagram showing a modification of the first arrangement example of the lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 4. As shown in Fig. 29, the rear surface portion 20a of the guide pin 20 may be formed to extend toward the rear side so as to overlap with a part of the lighting unit 7 when projected from the top surface of the refrigerator 100. This causes the lower part of the cover 74 of the lighting unit 7 to be covered by the rear surface portion 20a of the guide pin 20. This makes it even more difficult for the user U to notice the lighting unit 7.

[0106] 30 is a diagram showing the positions of the lighting unit 7, guide pin 20, rotating partition 1c, and operating part 8A2 according to embodiment 4. In embodiment 4, the guide pin 20 and the lighting unit 7 are provided in the same position in the left-right direction, so that the operating part 8A2 that activates the detection part 8A1 can be provided not on the refrigerator compartment door 1A but on the rotating partition 1c attached to the refrigerator compartment door 1A. By providing the operating part 8A2 on the rotating partition 1c, deformation of the surface of the refrigerator compartment door 1A when the operating part 8A2 is installed on the refrigerator compartment door 1A is eliminated, a cover for covering the operating part 8A2 provided on the refrigerator compartment door 1A can be omitted, and the design of the refrigerator compartment door 1A is improved.

[0107] In the examples shown in Figures 27 to 29, the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20 are described as being configured separately, but this is not limited to this, and for example, the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20 may be formed integrally.

[0108] Fig. 31 is a diagram showing a second arrangement example of the lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 4. As shown in Fig. 31, the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20 are connected to each other and formed integrally. In addition, the back surface 20a of the guide pin 20 is used as the front surface of the cover 74 of the lighting unit 7.

[0109] Fig. 32 is a diagram showing a modified example of the second arrangement example of the lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 4. As shown in Fig. 32, rear surface portion 20a of guide pin 20 may be formed to extend toward the rear side so as to overlap with part of lighting unit 7 when projected from the top surface of the refrigerator. This causes the rear surface portion 20a of guide pin 20 to cover a part of the underside of cover 74 of lighting unit 7. This makes it possible to make lighting unit 7 even more difficult for user U to notice.

[0110] 31 and 32 , by integrally forming the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20, the number of parts can be reduced, and the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20 can be assembled at one time, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps for the refrigerator 100. Therefore, the refrigerator 100 can be manufactured inexpensively and in a short time.

[0111] Furthermore, when attaching lighting unit 7 and guide pin 20, it is no longer necessary to use screws to attach each of them to refrigerator compartment 1, which reduces the number of screws required. This reduces the work time required for screwing and the cost due to the number of screws used. This also allows refrigerator 100 to be manufactured more cheaply and in a shorter time.

[0112] Furthermore, by substituting a part of the cover 74 of the lighting unit 7 with the guide pin 20, the cover 74 can be made smaller, and the lighting unit 7 can be manufactured at low cost. Furthermore, since the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20 are integrally formed, the lighting unit 7 is less noticeable to the user U compared to the examples shown in FIGS. 27 to 29. This further enhances the role of the lighting unit 7 as indirect lighting, and further improves the design.

[0113] As described above, in the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is disposed on the rear side of the guide pin 20. As a result, the lighting unit 7 is disposed so as not to be noticed by the user U, and therefore, the unpleasant glare felt by the user U can be reduced and the inside of the refrigerator compartment 1 can be made to appear relatively bright.

[0114] Furthermore, in refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment, lighting unit 7 and guide pin 20 are integrally formed, thereby reducing the manufacturing process, manufacturing costs, and the like, and refrigerator 100 can be manufactured inexpensively and in a short time.

[0115] Although the first to fourth embodiments have been described above, the refrigerator 100 is not limited to the first to fourth embodiments described above, and various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Modifications of the refrigerator 100 will now be described.

[0116] (Variation 1) In the first to fourth embodiments, a double-swing door consisting of a pair of doors has been described as an example of refrigerator compartment door 1A for refrigerator compartment 1, which is a storage compartment, but refrigerator compartment door 1A may also be a single-swing door consisting of a single door. Fig. 33 is an internal structural diagram of refrigerator compartment 1 according to Modification 1, as seen from above. As shown in Fig. 33, refrigerator compartment door 1B of refrigerator compartment 1 in this modification is a single-swing door formed by a single door that opens and closes in a rotational direction around a hinge (not shown). Single-swing refrigerator compartment door 1B is provided with one or more door pockets 1b, just like double-swing refrigerator compartment door 1A.

[0117] In this case, as in the third and fourth embodiments, the lighting unit 7 is provided in a position where it will not collide with the door pocket 1b or the food F stored in the door pocket 1b when the refrigerator compartment door 1B is opened or closed in the rotational direction (the direction of the dotted arrow in FIG. 33). In other words, the lighting unit 7 may be provided in a position that is outside the range of movement of the door pocket 1b, which moves in conjunction with the refrigerator compartment door 1B, when viewed from above.

[0118] (Variation 2) Fig. 34 is a diagram of the internal structure of refrigerator compartment 1 according to Modification 2, as seen from above. While Fig. 33 above shows a case where one door pocket 1b is provided on the surface of refrigerator compartment door 1B facing the refrigerator compartment 1, Fig. 34 shows that door pocket 1b is divided. That is, in this modification, multiple door pockets 1b are provided on the surface of refrigerator compartment door 1B facing the refrigerator compartment 1. Even when multiple door pockets 1b are provided on refrigerator compartment door 1B in this way, lighting unit 7 only needs to be provided in a position outside the range of movement of door pocket 1b, which moves in conjunction with refrigerator compartment door 1B, when viewed from above, as in the example shown in Fig. 33.

[0119] (Variation 3) Fig. 35 is a diagram of the internal structure of refrigerator compartment 1 according to Modification 3 as seen from above. Fig. 35 shows an example in which single-swing refrigerator compartment door 1B opens to the left. Figs. 33 and 34 show the case in which refrigerator compartment door 1B opens to the right when viewed from the front of refrigerator 100, but this is not limiting, and refrigerator compartment door 1B may also be designed to open to the left, as shown in Fig. 35.

[0120] In addition, when it is desired to prevent the lighting unit 7 from being recognized by the user U, as in the fourth embodiment, a component replacing the guide pin 20 of the fourth embodiment may be disposed on the front side of the lighting unit 7. In this case, it is preferable that the height of the component disposed on the front side of the lighting unit 7 is greater than the height of the lighting unit 7.

[0121] Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, it has been explained that arranging the lighting unit 7 as close to the front of the refrigerator 100 as possible is effective in improving the visibility of the food F. However, if the guide pin 20 is provided in the refrigerator 100, the lighting unit 7 may be arranged as close to the guide pin 20 as possible. Alternatively, the lighting unit 7 may be formed integrally with the guide pin 20, as described above. Furthermore, in models that do not use the guide pin 20, such as a refrigerator 100 provided with a single-wing refrigerator compartment door 1B, the lighting unit 7 may be arranged as close to the front as possible without coming into contact with the refrigerator compartment door 1B.

[0122] (Variation 4) Furthermore, the number of boards 73 on which LEDs are mounted in the lighting unit 7 is not limited to one, and may be, for example, multiple. In this case, by mounting an LED on each of the multiple boards 73 and varying the optical axis L of the LED for each board 73, it is possible to illuminate a wider area inside the refrigerator compartment 1, thereby making the brightness inside the refrigerator uniform and improving visibility inside the refrigerator.

[0123] In addition, in the third and fourth embodiments, the case where the front-to-rear direction (y direction) of the lighting unit 7 does not overlap with the storage shelf 1a when the refrigerator compartment 1 is viewed from above has been described, but this is not limiting. For example, the lighting unit 7 may be formed to extend in the front-to-rear direction (y direction) until it overlaps with the storage shelf 1a.

[0124] Figure 36 is a diagram of the internal structure of refrigerator compartment 1 according to Modification 4 as viewed from above. As shown in Figure 36, lighting unit 7 is formed so that a portion of the front side overlaps with door pocket 1b in the left-right direction (x direction) when refrigerator compartment 1 is viewed from the side, and a portion of the rear side overlaps with storage shelf 1a in the front-to-back direction (y direction) when refrigerator compartment 1 is viewed from above. In this way, by overlapping lighting unit 7 with storage shelf 1a in the front-to-back direction (y direction), storage shelf 1a is brightly illuminated, thereby improving the visibility of food F stored in storage shelf 1a.

[0125] FIG. 37 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a lighting unit 7 and a storage shelf 1a according to Modification 4. As shown in FIG. 37, the lighting unit 7 of this modification has two boards 73a and 73b. Illumination devices 71a and 71b are mounted on the boards 73a and 73b, respectively. The boards 73a and 73b are arranged at different angles so that the directions of the optical axes L of the illumination devices 71a and 71b are different. Furthermore, of the two boards 73a and 73b, the board 73a on the front side is mounted with an open / close detection device 8A.

[0126] When the refrigeration compartment 1 is viewed from above, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that at least a portion of the first portion 7a, which overlaps with the storage shelf 1a in the front-to-rear direction (y direction), is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigeration compartment 1. In this case, the lighting unit 7 does not occupy a portion of the storage space in the height direction (z direction) of the storage shelf 1a. Therefore, in the second example, the visibility of the food F stored in the storage shelf 1a can be improved while improving the storage capacity of the food F. Note that "at least a portion of the first portion 7a is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a" includes the case where most of the first portion 7a is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a. The height to which the first portion 7a is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a can be determined appropriately, for example, by more than half or more than two-thirds, taking into consideration the relative positions of the lighting unit 7 and the storage shelf 1a, the dimensions of the lighting unit 7, and the like.

[0127] FIG. 38 is a diagram showing another arrangement relationship between the lighting unit 7 and the storage shelf 1a according to Modification 4. In the alternative arrangement shown in FIG. 38, when the refrigerator compartment 1 is viewed from above, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that at least a portion of the first portion 7a that overlaps with the storage shelf 1a in the front-to-rear direction (y direction) is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1, as in the second example. In addition, in the third example, the lighting unit 7 is formed with an inclination such that the second portion 7b, which is closer to the front of the refrigerator than the first portion 7a, approaches the ceiling surface 103a toward the back. This reduces the protruding area of ​​the lighting unit 7 on the front side of the refrigerator compared to the first and second examples, thereby further improving the storage efficiency of food F in the storage shelf 1a. Note that "at least a portion of the first portion 7a is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a" includes the case where most of the first portion 7a is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a, as in the example shown in FIG. 37. In addition, the height at which the first portion 7a is embedded into the ceiling surface 103a can be determined appropriately, for example, to be more than half, or more than two-thirds, taking into consideration the relative positioning of the lighting unit 7 and the storage shelf 1a, the dimensions of the lighting unit 7, etc.

[0128] Fig. 39 is a diagram showing the relative positions of a lighting unit 7 and storage shelf 1a according to a comparative example. In the comparative example shown in Fig. 39, when the refrigerator compartment 1 is viewed from above, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that a first portion 7a that overlaps with the storage shelf 1a in the front-to-rear direction (y direction) protrudes downward (z direction) from the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1. In this case, part of the storage space in the height direction (z direction) of the storage shelf 1a is occupied by the lighting unit 7, thereby reducing the storage space. Therefore, in the central portion of the refrigerator compartment 1 in the width direction (y direction) where the lighting unit 7 is arranged, there is a possibility that the lighting unit 7 and food F will come into contact when the food F is stored in the storage shelf 1a.

[0129] As described above, in this modification, by providing at least a portion of the lighting unit 7 so that it is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1, the lighting unit 7 can be placed without interfering with the food F placed on the storage shelf 1a. This makes it possible to provide the lighting unit 7 with multiple boards 73a and 73b.

[0130] The lighting unit 7 may not only be controlled to be turned on or off, but also, for example, the brightness when turned on may be controlled. Fig. 40 is a schematic diagram for explaining the brightness of the lighting unit 7. The signal shown in Fig. 40 shows one cycle of the lighting control signal supplied from the control device 12 to the lighting unit 7 when turning on the lighting unit 7. The lighting unit 7 normally turns on and off repeatedly in a short cycle of about several kHz. At this time, due to an optical illusion, the user does not see the lighting unit 7 as flashing, but rather as if it is continuously lit.

[0131] When lighting of the lighting unit 7 is controlled in this way, the illuminance of the illumination light from the lighting unit 7 is determined according to the duty ratio (= lighting time / cycle), which is the ratio of the lighting time during one cycle. Here, the cycle is the sum of the lighting time and the extinguishing time. In other words, the illuminance of the illumination light from the lighting unit 7 is determined by the ratio of the lighting time to the extinguishing time per cycle.

[0132] Fig. 41 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the duty ratio of the lighting control signal of the lighting unit 7 and the illuminance. In Fig. 41, the horizontal axis represents the duty ratio of the lighting control signal, and the vertical axis represents a relative value with the illuminance when the duty ratio is "1" as a reference. As shown in Fig. 41, the illuminance of the lighting unit 7 increases as the duty ratio increases and decreases as the duty ratio decreases. In other words, the illuminance of the lighting unit 7 increases as the lighting time per cycle increases and decreases as the lighting time per cycle decreases.

[0133] Fig. 42 is a graph showing an example of a lighting control signal when the duty ratio is 50%. Fig. 43 is a graph showing an example of a lighting control signal when the duty ratio is 75%. As shown in Fig. 42, when the duty ratio is 50%, the ratio between the on time and the off time of the LEDs of the lighting unit 7 is "1:1". Also, as shown in Fig. 43, when the duty ratio is 75%, the ratio between the on time and the off time of the LEDs of the lighting unit 7 is "3:1".

[0134] As described above, when the duty ratio is 75%, the lighting time per cycle is longer than when the duty ratio is 50%, so the illuminance of the lighting unit 7 is higher when the duty ratio is 75%. Therefore, if you want to increase the illuminance of the lighting unit 7, you increase the duty ratio of the LED lighting control signal, and if you want to decrease the illuminance, you decrease the duty ratio of the lighting control signal. In this case, the current flowing through the LED remains constant even if the duty ratio is changed.

[0135] Note that the change in illuminance of the lighting unit 7 is not limited to the above example. For example, the illuminance of the lighting unit 7 may be changed by changing the value of the current supplied to the LED of the lighting unit 7. Specifically, a plurality of resistors with different resistance values ​​are provided in a circuit that supplies current to the LED. Then, the resistor through which the current flows is switched depending on the set illuminance. At this time, the duty ratio of the lighting control signal is constant.

[0136] Furthermore, as in the first to fourth embodiments, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is a double-door, two open / close detection devices 8A may be provided to detect the open / close states of the two double-doors (the right door and the left door), respectively. In this case, the two open / close detection devices 8A (single units) or the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are mounted on the same board 73 and integrated into one unit. The control device 12 may optimally adjust the lighting pattern or brightness of the lighting device 71 according to the open / close state of each of the two doors.

[0137] For example, the control device 12 sets the brightness of the lighting device 71 to 100% when both doors are open, and sets the brightness of the lighting device 71 to 50% when only one door is open (when only the right door is open or only the left door is open). This allows the food F to be illuminated with the necessary brightness, preventing glare, further extending the life of the lighting device 71, and reducing power consumption.

[0138] Furthermore, when lighting device 71 is equipped with multiple LEDs, control device 12 may turn on some of the multiple LEDs when only one door is open so that light is irradiated onto the area of ​​refrigerator compartment 1 that corresponds to the open door. For example, when the right door of refrigerator compartment door 1A is open, control device 12 turns on the LED located on the right side of the multiple LEDs so that light is irradiated onto the right side of refrigerator compartment 1. This can further extend the life of lighting device 71 and reduce power consumption.

[0139] Furthermore, when refrigerator compartment door 1A remains open for a certain period of time, control device 12 may blink lighting device 71 to notify the user that the door is open. Alternatively, control device 12 may change the number of times or duration of blinking of lighting device 71 depending on whether only one of refrigerator compartment doors 1A is open or both doors are open.

[0140] Furthermore, the storage compartments in Embodiments 1 to 4 are merely examples, and the arrangement, number, and type of each storage compartment are not limited to the examples shown in Figures 1 and 2. For example, refrigerator 100 may be configured without ice making compartment 2 and switchable compartment 3. Furthermore, in refrigerator 100, the positions of vegetable compartment 4 and freezer compartment 5 may be reversed. Furthermore, refrigerator 100 may be configured without ice making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, and vegetable compartment 4. Furthermore, refrigerator 100 may be configured without ice making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, and vegetable compartment 4, and may be provided with a second freezer compartment instead of refrigerator compartment 1.

[0141] Furthermore, in the first to fourth embodiments, the case where an LED is used as the light source of the lighting unit 7 has been described, but this is not limiting, and other light-emitting components such as an incandescent light bulb may be used as the light source. For example, when an incandescent light bulb is used as the light source of the lighting unit 7, the cost of the light-emitting component can be reduced compared to when an LED is used, and therefore the cost of the entire lighting unit 7 can be reduced. Furthermore, the open / close detection device 8A (single unit) or the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 do not have to be low-current elements.

[0142] The number of LEDs used as the light source of the lighting unit 7 is not limited to one, but may be multiple. By using multiple LEDs, it is possible to reduce unevenness in the light irradiated into the refrigerator compartment 1. Furthermore, when multiple LEDs are used, increasing the number of LEDs can further reduce unevenness in the light.

[0143] In the configuration of embodiment 4, the size of the lighting unit 7 in the width direction (x direction) is preferably approximately the same as the width of the guide pin 20, taking design into consideration. However, the larger the size of the lighting unit 7 in the width direction (x direction), the more LEDs can be installed in the lighting unit 7. In this case, the interior of the refrigerator can be brightened, thereby improving the visibility of the stored food F. Furthermore, when more LEDs are installed, the lighting unit 7 can easily diffuse light using the cover 74, so the interior of the refrigerator compartment 1 can be brightly illuminated over a wide area.

[0144] Furthermore, lighting unit 7 is not limited to being placed on ceiling surface 103a of refrigerator compartment 1, and may be placed on the floor or side surface, for example. For example, if guide pin 20 is provided on the floor surface of refrigerator compartment 1, lighting unit 7 may also be provided on the floor surface. In this case, lighting unit 7 is also placed on the back side of guide pin 20. In this case, back surface portion 20a forming the refrigerator back side of guide pin 20 is formed higher than the height of lighting unit 7 when viewed from the front, thereby reducing the unpleasant glare that a user may experience due to direct light from lighting unit 7.

[0145] Note that Modification 4 can also be applied to the case where the lighting unit 7 is provided on the floor surface. That is, when the lighting unit 7 is provided on the floor surface and the refrigeration compartment 1 is viewed from above, the lighting unit 7 may be provided so that the first portion 7a that overlaps with the storage shelf 1a in the front-to-rear direction (y direction) is embedded in the floor surface of the refrigeration compartment 1.

[0146] Furthermore, the lighting unit 7 and the open / close detection device 8A in the above-described embodiment and modified examples are not limited to those arranged in the refrigerator compartment 1. The lighting unit 7 and the open / close detection device 8A in the above-described embodiment and modified examples may be arranged in at least one of the refrigerator compartment 1, the ice-making compartment 2, the switchable compartment 3, the vegetable compartment 4, and the freezer compartment 5. [Explanation of symbols]

[0147] 1 Refrigerator compartment, 1A, 1B refrigerator compartment door, 1a storage shelf, 1b door pocket, 1c rotating partition body, 2 ice making compartment, 2A ice making compartment door, 3 switching compartment, 3A switching compartment door, 4 vegetable compartment, 4A vegetable compartment door, 5 freezer compartment, 5A freezer compartment door, 6 partition wall, 7, 70 lighting unit, 7a first part, 7b second part, 8, 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, 80A opening and closing detection device, 8A1 detection part, 8A2 operating part, 9 temperature sensor, 11A protrusion, 12 control device, 20 guide pin, 20a rear part, 71, 71a, 71b lighting device, 72 connector, 73 board, 73a, 73b board, 74 cover, 75 resistor, 76 screw plate, 90 packing, 10, 100 Refrigerator, 101 housing, 102 outer box, 103 inner box, 103a ceiling surface, 104 operation unit, 111 compressor, 112 cooler, 113 blower fan, 114 air duct, 115 damper, 121 acquisition unit, 122 calculation unit, 123 determination unit, 124 drive unit, 125 memory unit, 126 control board, 127 connector, 128 internal power supply, 130 wiring, 201 storage case, 210 heat insulating material, 211 vacuum heat insulating material, 212 urethane, 401 storage case, 501 storage case.

Claims

1. a housing having an opening on the front surface and a storage chamber therein for storing food; a storage compartment door provided on the front surface of the housing and including two double-hinged doors for opening and closing the storage compartment; a rotating partition member provided on one of the two doors and configured to close a gap between the two doors that is formed when the storage chamber door is closed; a guide pin provided in the storage chamber for guiding the rotation direction of the rotary partition body; an illumination unit provided in the storage chamber and including an illumination device and a cover disposed on the rear side of the guide pin; a magnetic sensor that is a detection unit that detects whether the storage compartment door is open or closed; a magnet that is provided on the rotary partition and serves as an actuation unit that activates the detection unit; Equipped with The lighting device and the detection unit are integrally configured, The refrigerator detects whether the storage compartment door is open or closed when the operating unit approaches or moves away from the detecting unit.

2. A refrigerator as described in claim 1, wherein the guide pin and the lighting unit are arranged at the same position in the left-right direction when the front surface of the housing is viewed as the front.

3. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device and the detection unit are low-voltage elements and are integrally configured by being mounted on the same substrate.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lighting device and the detection unit are connected in parallel.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lighting device and the detection unit are connected in series.

6. a door pocket provided on the storage compartment door for storing the food; The lighting unit comprises: The storage compartment is provided so as to protrude downward from the ceiling surface thereof, The door pocket is located at a position overlapping the door pocket in the front-rear direction.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door pocket is disposed at a position not overlapping with a path of opening and closing the door pocket in the left-right direction.

7. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit is provided so that at least a portion of the lighting unit protrudes upward from a floor surface of the storage compartment.

8. The food storage system further includes a storage shelf provided in the storage compartment for storing the food.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device has an optical axis set so as to irradiate light onto the food stored in the storage shelf.

9. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device is disposed around an axis indicating the left-right direction of the storage compartment so that the optical axis is inclined with respect to the up-down direction.

10. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device is disposed around an axis indicating the up-down direction of the storage compartment so that the optical axis is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction.

11. The lighting device includes:

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis is inclined with respect to the left-right direction around an axis indicating the front-rear direction of the storage compartment.

12. The guide pin has a back surface, The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the height of the rear surface portion is greater than the height of the lighting unit.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the rear portion is formed to extend toward the rear side so as to overlap a part of the lighting unit.

14. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit and the guide pin are integrally formed.

15. The food storage system further includes a storage shelf provided in the storage compartment for storing the food. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lighting unit is arranged at a position where at least a part of the lighting unit overlaps with the storage shelf in the front-rear direction.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein at least the portion of the lighting unit that overlaps the storage shelf is embedded in a ceiling surface or a floor surface of the storage compartment.

Images