refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a technology that can more readily discharge trash accumulated in a container of a refrigerator.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a body; a container capable of being put in and out from the body; a discharge port provided in a bottom part of the container; and a lid configured so as to be capable of attaching to and detaching from the discharge port to open and close the discharge port. The discharge port is provided in the bottom part at the lowest part of a placement surface on which an object to be stored in the container is placed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a refrigerator that includes a main body and a container that can be inserted and removed from the main body. The container has a drain outlet at the bottom. The drain outlet is covered with a lid that opens and closes the drain outlet. By opening the drain outlet, garbage accumulated in the container can be discharged. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-39601 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] This specification provides a technology that allows for easier removal of waste accumulated in a refrigerator container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The refrigerator disclosed in this specification includes a main body, a container that can be inserted into and removed from the main body, a drain outlet provided at the bottom of the container, and a lid that is detachable from the drain outlet and opens and closes the drain outlet. The drain outlet is provided at a portion of the bottom that is located at the lowest position on a placement surface on which items to be stored in the container are placed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a top view of a vegetable compartment container of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3 . [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] A view of the area indicated by dashed line VI in Figure 3 from the opposite side. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] (Example) A refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 10 includes a main body 12. The main body 12 includes an outer box made up of outer side panels and an inner box made up of inner side panels. A heat insulating material is disposed between the outer box and the inner box, and the main body 12 has heat insulating properties. A plurality of storage compartments are provided inside the main body 12. In the drawings, the X-axis direction indicates the left-right direction of the refrigerator 10, the Y-axis direction indicates the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 10, and the Z-axis direction indicates the up-down direction of the refrigerator 10.

[0008] 1 and 2, the main body 12 is provided with the following storage compartments: a refrigerator compartment 14, a vegetable compartment 16, an ice-making compartment 18, a small freezer compartment 20, and a main freezer compartment 22. The refrigerator compartment 14 and the vegetable compartment 16 are storage compartments in the refrigerator temperature range, while the ice-making compartment 18, the small freezer compartment 20, and the main freezer compartment 22 are storage compartments in the freezer temperature range.

[0009] Left and right doors 14a, 14b are provided on the front of the refrigerator compartment 14 to open and close the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 14. The left and right doors 14a, 14b are double doors, and the left end of door 14a and the right end of door 14b are attached to the main body 12 by hinges (not shown) so as to be rotatable. Stored goods are placed in the refrigerator compartment 14 through the front opening.

[0010] The fronts of the crisper 16, ice maker 18, small freezer 20, and main freezer 22 are provided with drawer-type doors 16a, 18a, 20a, and 22a, respectively, to open and close the respective front openings. For example, by pulling out door 16a, crisper container 24 is pulled out from crisper 16. In FIG. 2, the doors 16a, 20a, and 22a are shown in their pulled-out state by dashed lines. The double-door doors 14a and 14b and the drawer-type doors 16a, 18a, 20a, and 22a are each provided with an insulating material (e.g., polyurethane) inside for thermal insulation. The front (outer) surface of each door 14a, 14b, 16a, 18a, 20a, and 22a is covered with a front panel (not shown) made of, for example, a translucent glass plate.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 2, a door 16a is fixed to the front of the vegetable compartment container 24 (hereinafter simply referred to as the container 24). As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the container 24 has a circular outlet 228 provided in its bottom 224, and a circular lid 40 that is detachable from the outlet 228 and opens and closes the outlet 228. Note that the door 16a is not shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a top view of the container 24. As shown in FIG. 3, the space inside the main body 12 is divided into a first space S1 and a second space S2. The first space S1 is a space for mainly storing vegetables and the like. The second space S2 is a space for mainly storing seasonings, beverage cans, and the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the first space S1 and the second space S2 are adjacent to each other and communicate with each other. In other words, no partition plate or the like is provided between the first space S1 and the second space S2 to separate the two spaces S1 and S2.

[0013] 4, of the bottom 224 of the container 24, the bottom 224a in the first space S1 is located lower than the bottom 224b in the second space S2. That is, the depth of the first space S1 of the container 24 is deeper than the depth of the second space S2 of the container 24.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 4, a recess 226 is formed in a bottom portion 224a of the first space S1 of the bottom portion 224 of the container 24. The recess 226 is located forward of the center of the bottom portion 224. The recess 226 is located to the right of the center of the bottom portion 224 (i.e., on the positive X-axis direction side). A discharge outlet 228 is formed in the bottom surface of the recess 226. The discharge outlet 228 is a hole for discharging waste accumulated in the bottom portion 224 of the container 24 (e.g., waste from vegetables contained in the container 24) to the outside of the container 24. The discharge outlet 228 is provided in a portion of the bottom portion 224 that is located at the lowest position of a placement surface 225 (the area indicated by hatching in FIG. 3) on which items to be contained in the container 24 (e.g., vegetables, seasonings, etc.) are placed. In this specification, the placement surface refers to a surface intended for placing items to be stored, and does not include, for example, grooves or the like provided along the periphery of the container for collecting debris. Furthermore, when container 24 is pulled out, outlet 228 is configured to be located forward of front surface 12a (see FIG. 2) of main body 12.

[0015] Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the container 24. As shown in Fig. 5, a plurality of ribs 240 extending in the front-rear direction are provided on the bottom surface of the container 24. Each rib 240 is provided in a range of the bottom surface of the container 24 that corresponds to the first space S1. No rib 240 is provided in a range that corresponds to the second space S2. In other words, the discharge port 228 is formed in the bottom 224 of the container 24 in a range where the ribs 240 are provided. In the vicinity of the discharge port 228, the ribs 240 are provided so as to go around the periphery of the discharge port 228.

[0016] 6, a pair of grooves 229 that are recessed radially outward and face each other are formed on the inner surface of the outlet 228. The pair of grooves 229 are aligned along a direction rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise from the front-rear direction of the main body 12 (Y-axis direction).

[0017] 6, on the underside of the container 24, locking portions 230, 232 are formed on the inner periphery of a rib 240 that surrounds the periphery of the discharge port 228. Each locking portion 230, 232 extends radially from the inner periphery of the rib 240 to the periphery of the discharge port 228. Each locking portion 230, 232 restricts movement of a claw portion 44 (described below) provided on the lid 40.

[0018] Next, the lid 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. As shown in FIG. 7, the lid 40 has a disk shape and opens and closes the discharge outlet 228. The lid 40 is attached to and detached from the discharge outlet 228 from the inside of the container 24 (i.e., the side that accesses the spaces S1 and S2 within the container 24). The lid 40 includes a knob 42 and a claw 44 (see FIG. 6). The knob 42 is a portion for gripping the lid 40. The shape of the knob 42 will be described later. As shown in FIG. 8, the knob 42 is configured to be located inside the container 24 (on the first space S1 side) when the lid 40 is attached to the discharge outlet 228. That is, when the lid 40 is attached to the discharge outlet 228, the knob 42 faces upward. Furthermore, when the lid 40 is attached to the discharge outlet 228, the upper end of the knob 42 is approximately flush with the bottom 224a.

[0019] The knob 42 passes through the axis A of the lid 40 and extends to connect the peripheral edge 46 of the opposing lid 40. The upper end of the knob 42 is at approximately the same height as the peripheral edge 46 of the lid 40. The upper end of the knob 42 is slightly curved. A curved surface C is formed around the periphery of the knob 42, recessed from the peripheral edge 46 of the lid 40 toward the center. The lower end of the knob 42 is provided with a portion 48 that extends approximately straight. The upper end of the knob 42 does not have to be curved and may be, for example, a flat surface.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 6, the claws 44 are provided on the surface of the lid 40 opposite the knob 42. Hereinafter, the surface on which the knob 42 is provided will be referred to as the upper surface of the lid 40, and the surface on which the claws 44 are provided will be referred to as the lower surface of the lid 40. The claws 44 are a pair of members that protrude radially outward from the lower surface of the lid 40 and face each other. The protruding direction of the pair of claws 44 coincides with the extending direction of the knob 42. As shown in FIG. 8, the outer peripheral edge of the claws 44 is located inside the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface of the lid 40. The claws 44 secure the lid 40 to the discharge port 228 by engaging with the periphery of the discharge port 228 (i.e., the lower surface of the recess 226).

[0021] The user attaches the lid 40 to the discharge outlet 228 in the following procedure. First, the user positions the claws 44 of the lid 40 at an angular position that matches the grooves 229 of the discharge outlet 228, and passes the claws 44 through the grooves 229. Then, the user rotates the lid 40 clockwise around the axis A of the discharge outlet 228. This moves the claws 44 to an angular position where the grooves 229 are not formed. This causes the claws 44 to engage with the periphery of the discharge outlet 228 (i.e., the lower surface of the recess 226). Here, as shown in FIG. 8 , a pair of protrusions 234 facing each other is formed on the lower surface of the recess 226. The pair of protrusions 234 are aligned along the front-rear direction of the main body 12 (i.e., the Y-axis direction). Meanwhile, a pair of recesses 44a is formed on the upper surface of the claws 44. When the lid 40 is rotated around the axis of the discharge outlet 228, the claws 44 move away from the grooves 229 and approach the pair of protrusions 234. Then, the claws 44 move over the pair of protrusions 234, and the pair of protrusions 234 are housed inside the pair of recesses 44a of the claws 44. This restricts the rotation of the claws 44, and the claws 44 are fixed to the discharge outlet 228. That is, the lid 40 is fixed to the discharge outlet 228 at an angular position where the claws 44 extend along the front-to-rear direction. Note that, as described above, the locking portions 232 are provided on the underside of the container 24. Therefore, when the claws 44 are fixed at an angular position, the locking portions 232 restrict the lid 40 from rotating beyond that angular position.

[0022] When removing the lid 40 from the discharge port 228, the user rotates the lid 40 counterclockwise around the axis A of the discharge port 228. This causes the pair of recesses 44a that housed the pair of protrusions 234 to move, and the claws 44 climb over the protrusions 234. Then, at an angular position where the claws 44 and the grooves 229 are aligned, the counterclockwise rotation of the lid 40 is restricted by the locking portions 230 provided on the underside of the container 24. Thereafter, the user can remove the lid 40 from the discharge port 228 by pulling the lid 40 upward at that angular position.

[0023] (effect) In refrigerator 10 of this embodiment, discharge outlet 228 is provided in the portion of bottom 224 of container 24 that is located lowest on placement surface 225 (i.e., bottom 224a of first space S1). Therefore, waste generated on bottom 224 can be easily guided to discharge outlet 228. For example, waste on bottom 224b of second space S2 can be easily collected on bottom 224a, which is located lower than bottom 224b, and the waste on bottoms 224a and 224b can be discharged together from discharge outlet 228 to the outside of container 24.

[0024] Furthermore, there is no partition between the first space S1 and the second space S2 to separate the two spaces S1 and S2. Therefore, the trash can be collected on the bottom 224a by simply sliding the trash on the bottom 224b onto the bottom 224a.

[0025] Furthermore, as described above, when container 24 is pulled out, discharge opening 228 is located forward of front surface 12a of main body 12. Therefore, by placing a trash can below container 24 while container 24 is pulled out, trash can be directly thrown into the trash can through discharge opening 228.

[0026] Furthermore, as described above, the lid 40 is fixed to the discharge outlet 228 by rotating the lid 40 around the axis of the discharge outlet 228. Therefore, the lid 40 can be fixed more easily than in a method of fixing the lid 40 to the discharge outlet 228 using a member such as a screw.

[0027] Furthermore, as described above, the rotation angle from the angular position where the claws 44 of the lid 40 pass through the grooves 229 to the angular position where the lid 40 is fixed is relatively small. Therefore, the lid 40 can be easily attached and detached.

[0028] Furthermore, as described above, the lid 40 is fixed to the outlet 228 with the knob 42 extending along the front-to-rear direction (Y-axis direction) of the main body 12. This improves the user's accessibility to the knob 42 compared to when the knob 42 is fixed at another angular position.

[0029] As described above, the bottom surface of the container 24 is provided with locking portions 230, 232 that restrict movement of the claw portion 44. The provision of locking portion 230 prevents the user from rotating the lid 40 in the direction opposite to the attachment direction (i.e., clockwise) when attaching the lid 40, or from rotating it beyond the removal position (i.e., the position where the claw portion 44 and the groove portion 229 are aligned) when removing the lid 40. The provision of locking portion 232 also prevents the user from rotating the lid 40 in the direction opposite to the removal direction (i.e., counterclockwise) when removing the lid 40, or from rotating it beyond the fixed position (i.e., the position where the protrusion 234 is accommodated in the recess 44a) when attaching the lid 40.

[0030] As described above, when attaching the lid 40 to the outlet 228, the claw 44 passes over the protrusion 234, which is then received in the recess 44a. Therefore, when attaching the lid 40, a sound is generated when the lid 40 reaches an angular position where it is fixed, due to the collision between the protrusion 234 and the recess 44a. On the other hand, when removing the lid 40 from the outlet 228, the locking portion 230 restricts rotation at an angular position where the claw 44 and the groove 229 are aligned. Therefore, when removing the lid 40, a sound is unlikely to be generated when the lid 40 reaches an angular position where its rotation is restricted. In this way, the user can easily determine the direction in which the lid 40 was rotated (i.e., whether the lid 40 was rotated in the direction for attachment or removal) by whether or not a sound is generated when the rotation of the lid 40 is restricted. The user can also determine the rotation direction of the lid 40 by whether or not they feel the sensation of the lid 40 climbing over an object when the rotation of the lid 40 is restricted.

[0031] As described above, a curved surface C is provided around the periphery of knob 42, recessed below knob 42, and a portion 48 extending substantially straight is provided at the lower end of knob 42. This makes it easier for the user to grip knob 42, improving the operability of rotating lid 40.

[0032] As described above, the discharge outlet 228 is formed in the range where the rib 240 is provided on the bottom 224 of the container 24. By adopting such a configuration, even if the discharge outlet 228 is formed, a decrease in the strength of the bottom 224 of the container 24 is suppressed.

[0033] (Correspondence) The vegetable compartment container 24 is an example of a "container." The angular position where the claw portion 44 coincides with the groove portion 229 and the angular position where the claw portion 44 extends along the front-to-rear direction are examples of a "first angular position" and a "second angular position," respectively. The locking portion 230 and the locking portion 232 are examples of a "first locking portion" and a "second locking portion," respectively.

[0034] (Variation) Modifications of the above-described embodiment are described below. In the above-described embodiment, the lid 40 is fixed to the discharge opening 228 with the knob 42 extending along the front-rear direction of the main body 12. However, for example, the lid 40 may be fixed to the discharge opening 228 with the knob 42 extending along the left-right direction of the main body 12.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, the lid 40 is fixed to the outlet 228 in such a manner that the claws 44 engage with the lower surface of the recess 226 (i.e., the container 24). However, a member separate from the container 24 may be disposed on the lower surface of the recess 226, and the claws 44 may engage with that member.

[0036] Furthermore, the shape of the lid 40 and the outlet 228 is not limited to a circle, and may be, for example, a polygonal shape such as a square, an oval, etc. The configuration of the knob 42 is also not particularly limited. The knob 42 may have a shape that can be gripped by the user.

[0037] Furthermore, the locking portions 230 and 232 do not necessarily have to be provided.

[0038] A partition may be provided between the first space S1 and the second space S2 to separate the two spaces. The container 24 does not need to have multiple spaces with different heights of the mounting surface 225. In other words, the entire mounting surface 225 in the container 24 may be at approximately the same height.

[0039] Furthermore, the configuration of the above-described embodiment is not limited to vegetable compartment containers, but may also be employed, for example, for containers in the small freezer compartment 20, containers that are stored in the refrigerator compartment 14 so as to be removable, etc.

[0040] These embodiments and their variations are intended to be included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10: Refrigerator 12: Main body 14: Refrigerator 16: Vegetable compartment 18: Ice making room 20: Small freezer 22: Main freezer 24: Vegetable compartment container 40: Lid 42: Knob 44: Claw part 44a: Recess 46: Periphery 224, 224a, 224b: bottom 225: Placement surface 226: Depression 228: Outlet 229: Groove 230, 232: locking portion 240: Rib

Claims

1. The main body and a container that can be inserted into and removed from the main body; a discharge port provided at the bottom of the container; a lid configured to be detachable from the discharge port and to open and close the discharge port; It is equipped with The discharge outlet is provided in a portion of the bottom that is located at the lowest position on a placement surface on which the items to be contained in the container are placed, The outlet has a circular shape and is provided to the right of the center of the main body in the left-right direction of the main body, the lid is fixed to the discharge outlet by rotating around the axis of the discharge outlet while closing the discharge outlet; the lid is configured to be rotatable about the axis from a first angular position at which the lid can be attached to and detached from the discharge outlet with the discharge outlet closed to a second angular position at which the lid can be fixed to the discharge outlet, the lid is detachable from the inside of the container with respect to the outlet, and includes a knob that is positioned inside the container when attached to the outlet; the second angular position is an angular position in which the knob portion extends along the front-rear direction of the main body, the first angular position is an angular position rotated counterclockwise by an angle of less than 90 degrees from the second angular position, The mounting surface is provided with a plurality of protrusions extending along the front-rear direction of the main body and protruding upward from the bottom portion, The inner surface of the discharge port is provided with a groove portion that is recessed radially outward, the lid has a claw portion for fixing the lid to the discharge port, the claw portion engaging with a periphery of the discharge port, The lid is fixed to the discharge outlet by rotating around the axis of the discharge outlet with the claw portion passing through the groove portion, the lid is configured to be rotatable about the axis from the first angular position at which the claw portion can pass through the groove portion to the second angular position at which the lid is fixed to the discharge port, with the claw portion passing through the groove portion; a convex portion is provided on the lower surface of the periphery of the outlet, A recess capable of accommodating the protrusion is formed on the upper surface of the claw portion, when the cover is rotated from the first angular position to the second angular position with the claw portion passing through the groove portion, the convex portion is accommodated in the concave portion at the second angular position, a first locking portion that restricts rotation of the lid from the first angular position to a side opposite to the second angular position, The first engaging portion restricts the movement of the claw portion to the opposite side when the lid is positioned at the first angular position, thereby restricting the rotation of the lid.

2. A refrigerator as described in claim 1, wherein the exhaust outlet is provided on an extension line of at least one of the plurality of protrusions.

3. A plurality of ribs extending along the front-to-rear direction of the main body are provided on the underside of the bottom of the container to reinforce the bottom, The discharge port is formed in a range where the rib is provided, The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the interval between adjacent ribs is narrower than the interval between adjacent protrusions.

4. A refrigerator as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second locking portion that regulates rotation of the lid from the second angular position to the opposite side of the first angular position.

5. It also has a retractable door, The container is configured to be pulled out from the main body by pulling out the door, The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the outlet is located forward of a front surface of the main body when the container is pulled out.

6. The knob portion extends through an axis of the lid so as to connect the peripheral edges of the opposing lids, The upper end of the knob is at approximately the same height as the peripheral edge of the lid, The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a curved surface recessed from the periphery of the lid toward the center is formed around the knob.

7. The container has a plurality of spaces having different heights of the placement surface, The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the container is not provided with any partitions for dividing the plurality of spaces.

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