Gasket and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

To provide a gasket with high heat insulation capacity.SOLUTION: A gasket 123 is attached to a door 121 of a refrigerator 101 and seals a gap between the door 121 and a refrigerator body 103 when the door 121 is closed. In a cross-sectional view, a root portion 135 attached to a groove 125 formed at the door 121, a fin portion 137 extending from the root portion 135 along a space between the door 121 and the refrigerator body 103, a hollow part 133 attached to the root portion 135, and a plate-like bag portion 131 which is located adjacent to the hollow part 133 and contacts with the refrigerator body 103 and in which a magnet 132 is inserted are integrally formed. A resin bag 139, in which a particulate heat insulation material is enclosed, is inserted into the hollow part 133.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gasket for sealing the door and storage compartment of a refrigerator, a refrigerator-freezer, or a freezer, and a method for manufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a demand for the development of next-generation, high-performance insulation materials. Conventionally, refrigerators have used gaskets attached to their doors to seal the door and storage compartment and insulate the interior from the outside. Gaskets have a hollow space, and insulating performance is improved by filling this space with air. However, from the perspective of energy conservation, there has been a demand for refrigerators with even better insulating performance.

[0003] Patent Document 1 further describes the use of a gasket having a first bag portion that holds granular heat insulating material and a hollow second bag portion to improve the heat insulating performance of the gasket.The document also describes the use of a gasket containing heat insulating beads and magnetic powder as the heat insulating material, a gasket in which the heat insulating material is mainly composed of beads with the magnetic powder being 1 to 30 volume percent, and the use of an insulated box having a gasket between a main body portion and a door portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-205597 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the gasket had the problem that when the first bag portion was damaged, the granular insulating material and magnetic powder spilled out, making cleanup difficult. Also, the gasket had the problem that if the first bag portion was not completely filled with the granular insulating material and magnetic powder, the insulating material would become uneven, making it impossible to provide uniform insulation.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a gasket with good thermal insulation properties, a gasket that makes it easy to handle granular thermal insulation materials, and a gasket that provides uniform thermal insulation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The gasket of the present invention is A gasket that is attached to a refrigerator door and seals a gap between the door and a refrigerator body when the door is closed, In cross section, a root portion attached to a groove formed in the door; a fin portion extending from the root portion along a space between the door and the refrigerator body; a hollow portion attached to the root portion; a flat, bag-shaped portion adjacent to the hollow portion, in contact with the refrigerator body, and into which a magnet is inserted; are integrally formed, This gasket has a resin bag filled with particulate insulating material inserted into the hollow portion.

[0008] According to the present invention, a gasket having good heat insulating properties can be obtained. According to the present invention, a gasket that makes it easy to handle granular heat insulating material can be obtained.

[0009] The gasket of the present invention is also characterized in that the bag is composed of a plurality of heat insulating material-enclosed areas separated by heat-sealed portions.

[0010] According to the present invention, the particulate heat insulating material is not unevenly distributed within the bag, and heat insulation can be achieved uniformly.

[0011] The gasket of the present invention is characterized in that the material of the resin bag includes polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polystyrene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, acrylonitrile-styrene, acrylic, polybutylene terephthalate, or polyethylene terephthalate.

[0012] The present invention allows for the formation of multiple insulating material encapsulated regions using a thermoplastic resin that is easily heat-sealed.

[0013] The gasket of the present invention is characterized in that the particulate heat insulating material includes silica aerogel, carbon aerogel, polymer aerogel, or metal aerogel.

[0014] According to the present invention, by using aerogel, which has better heat insulating properties than air, it is possible to improve heat insulating properties more than by putting air into the hollow portion.

[0015] The method for producing a gasket of the present invention includes the steps of: A resin sheet is heat-sealed, with the portion to be heat-sealed in a later process masked, to form a bag having an opening; a predetermined amount of particulate insulating material is inserted into the bag through the opening of the formed bag, and then the resin sheet is heat-sealed to form an insulating material-encapsulated area in which the particulate insulating material is encapsulated; and This is a method for manufacturing a gasket, in which after a predetermined number of the insulating material-enclosed regions are formed, the openings are heat-sealed.

[0016] The present invention, particularly by using masking, prevents the particulate insulating material from adhering to the heat-sealed portion due to static electricity. Preventing the particulate insulating material from adhering to the heat-sealed portion avoids the insulating properties of the particles from impeding heat transfer to the heat-sealed portion, making the heat-sealing easier. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, a gasket with good thermal insulation properties is provided. According to the present invention, a gasket that facilitates handling of granular thermal insulation material is provided. According to the present invention, a gasket that provides uniform thermal insulation is provided. According to the present invention, a method for manufacturing a gasket using granular thermal insulation material is provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a refrigerator body according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a refrigerator door according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are schematic exploded perspective views of a door of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 4A shows the door from which a gasket has been removed, and FIG. 4B shows the gasket. [Figure 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention taken along line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the refrigerator body, door, and gasket of FIG. 5 according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a gasket according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a gasket according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing a gasket according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Various embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the gaskets described below are intended to embody the technical ideas of the present disclosure, and unless otherwise specified, the present disclosure is not limited to the following. For convenience, the same reference numerals are used in different drawings to facilitate explanation and understanding of the main points. In particular, similar actions and effects resulting from similar configurations will not be mentioned sequentially in each embodiment or example. The size and positional relationship of components shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for clarity of explanation.

[0020] (Overall configuration of the refrigerator) Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of refrigerator 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of refrigerator body 103 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The overall configuration of refrigerator 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, refrigerator 101 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes refrigerator body 103 capable of storing food and the like therein, and door 105. Refrigerator body 103 has an opening at the front. Door 105 opens and closes the opening of refrigerator body 103.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, refrigerator body 103 is box-shaped, with heat insulating materials arranged on five sides except for the front opening: the top, bottom, back, right-hand side, and left-hand side of refrigerator body 103. This entire inner box forms storage compartment 113. Storage compartment 113 includes multiple shelves 115a, 115b, 115c, 115d, and 115e. Multiple items of food and the like can be stored on each of these shelves 115a, 115b, 115c, 115d, and 115e. This allows the space in storage compartment 113 to be used effectively.

[0023] Flange portion 111a on the opening side of the top surface, flange portion 111b on the opening side of the bottom surface, flange portion 111c on the opening side of the right side surface, and flange portion 111d on the opening side of the left side surface form a quadrangle. When door 105 closes refrigerator body 103, flange portion 111a on the opening side of the top surface, flange portion 111b on the opening side of the bottom surface, flange portion 111c on the opening side of the right side surface, and flange portion 111d on the opening side of the left side surface come into close contact with gasket 123, which will be illustrated later. The refrigerator does not have to be a rectangular parallelepiped, but a rectangular parallelepiped is preferable for installation stability. While a one-door refrigerator is illustrated in this embodiment, a two-door, three-door, four-door, five-door, or six-door refrigerator may also be used. Furthermore, although a refrigerator is illustrated in this embodiment, a freezer or a refrigerator-freezer may also be used.

[0024] (Door and gasket explanation) Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of door 105 of refrigerator 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view of door 105 of refrigerator 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 4(a) is a diagram showing door 121 with gasket 123 removed, and Fig. 4(b) is a diagram showing gasket 123. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of refrigerator 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention taken along line AA in Fig. 1. Door 121 and gasket 123 of refrigerator 101 will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5.

[0025] 3, door 105 has a substantially rectangular shape to fit flanges 111a, 111b, 111c, and 111d on the opening side of refrigerator body 103. In this embodiment, door 105 has a rectangular shape, but may have a circular, elliptical, square, or other shape to fit the opening of refrigerator body 103.

[0026] The inner surface of door 105 may be provided with shelves having a storage function. Door 105 has a certain thickness and is thermally insulating. As will be described later, refrigerator 101 is provided with heat retention properties by blocking outside air with gasket 123. The outer surface of door 105 is flat as shown in FIG. 1.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 4, the door 105 can be separated into a door exterior member 121 shown in Fig. 4(a) and a gasket 123 shown in Fig. 4(b). The door exterior member 121 accounts for the majority of the door's exterior shape and function, and will hereinafter be referred to as the door without distinction.

[0028] Flange portions 111a, 111b, 111c, and 111d on the opening side of refrigerator body 103 are formed of painted steel plates and are suction portions for tightly contacting gaskets attached to door 105. Gasket 123 is disposed at positions corresponding to the suction portions. Therefore, gasket 123 is provided around the entire periphery of door 121 corresponding to the suction portions on these four sides. As will be illustrated later, groove 125 is formed around the entire periphery of door 121. Gasket 123 is attached to door 121 by inserting root portion 135, which is a part of gasket 123, into groove 125.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5, door 121 closes the opening of refrigerator body 103. Gaskets 123 are arranged on both the left and right sides of door 121, between refrigerator body 103 and door 121. Refrigerator body 103 and door 121 form storage chamber 113, which is a closed space.

[0030] When door 121 is closed, gasket 123 seals the interior by blocking the air inside refrigerator body 103 from the air outside door 121. By sealing the interior, the air inside the refrigerator is separated from the outside air and cooled, lowering the temperature.

[0031] (Gasket explanation) Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of refrigerator body 103, door 121, and gasket 123 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 5. Gasket 123 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to Fig. 6.

[0032] Rubbers such as urethane rubber, silicone rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, and chloroprene rubber, polyethylene resin, polyvinyl chloride, etc. may be used for the gasket 123. These materials may be selected taking into consideration weather resistance, chemical resistance, etc.

[0033] Gasket 123 made of the above material has elastic deformability. That is, gasket 123 is easily compressed and deformed in correspondence with the suction portion of refrigerator body 103 when door 121 is closed, and returns to its original shape when door 121 is opened and gasket 123 is separated from refrigerator body 103. This allows the inside of storage chamber 113 to be sealed.

[0034] 6, gasket 123 has a root portion 135 that is attached to groove 125 formed in door 121. Groove 125 with a circular cross section is formed around the entire periphery of door 121, and root portion 135 that is attached to groove 125 of gasket 123 has a stopper with an arrow-shaped cross section at the end of its body that fits closely into groove 125. As described above, due to the elastic deformability of gasket 123, gasket 123 can be attached by being compressed and fitted into door 121 and then returning to its original shape.

[0035] Root portion 135 attached to groove 125 has a body that fits tightly into groove 125, thereby preventing air from passing between door 121 and gasket 123. In addition, due to the stopper having the cross section indicated by the arrow described above, when door 121 is opened, the adhesive force between refrigerator body 103 and gasket 123 overcomes the connecting force between gasket 123 and door 121, preventing gasket 123 from coming off.

[0036] Gasket 123 also has fin portion 137 that extends from root portion 135 along the gap between door 121 and refrigerator body 103. When door 121 is closed, fin portion 137 of gasket 123 elastically deforms and comes into close contact with the flat portion around groove 125, thereby further sealing refrigerator body 103 and door 121.

[0037] Gasket 123 also has hollow portion 133 attached to root portion 135. Hollow portion 133 normally has a function of insulating the outside and inside of refrigerator 101. Hollow portion 133 also deforms elastically to correspond to the suction portion of refrigerator body 103.

[0038] Gasket 123 also has a flat, pouch-shaped portion 131 adjacent to hollow portion 133 and into which magnet 132 is inserted. Flat, pouch-shaped portion 131 comes into contact with refrigerator body 103. Because refrigerator body 103 is made of a material containing a ferromagnetic material such as iron, nickel, or cobalt, inserted magnet 132 adheres closely to refrigerator body 103. Gasket 123 is capable of attracting door 121 to refrigerator body 103 because root portion 135 that attaches to groove 125, fin portion 137, hollow portion 133, and flat, pouch-shaped portion 131 into which magnet 132 is inserted are integrated. When door 121 is closed, gasket 123 adheres closely to the attraction portion of refrigerator body 103 via flat, pouch-shaped portion 131 into which magnet 132 is inserted.

[0039] (Explanation of gaskets containing granular insulating material) Fig. 7 is a front cross-sectional view of gasket 123 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of gasket 123 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Gasket 123 containing particulate insulating material according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8.

[0040] 7, in a cross-sectional front view, gasket 123 is integrally formed with root portion 135 to be attached to groove 125, fin portion 137, hollow portion 133, and flat bag-shaped portion 131 into which magnet 132 is inserted. A resin bag 139 containing granular heat insulating material is inserted into hollow portion 133.

[0041] The particulate insulating material is a material with higher insulating properties than air, such as silica aerogel, carbon aerogel, polymer aerogel, or metal aerogel. Furthermore, the particulate insulating material is preferably fine particles of approximately 100 μm or less. This is because such particles are easily deformed and can follow the elastic deformation of the gasket 123 as described above. Furthermore, such fine particles have better insulating properties than larger particles. By using a particulate insulating material with higher insulating properties than air, a gasket 123 with good insulating properties can be provided.

[0042] The material of the resin bag 139 is preferably formed from a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, acrylonitrile styrene, acrylic, polybutylene terephthalate, or polyethylene terephthalate. This is because the resin bag 139 is heat-sealed, as described below. By sealing the granular insulating material in the resin bag 139 in this way, a gasket 123 can be provided that makes it easy to handle the granular insulating material.

[0043] As shown in Figure 8, resin bag 139 is placed between root portion 135 attached to groove 125 and flat bag-shaped portion 131 into which magnet 132 is inserted. Resin bag 139 is made up of multiple insulating material-enclosed areas 143 separated by multiple heat-sealed portions 141. A predetermined amount of particulate insulating material is enclosed in each of the multiple insulating material-enclosed areas 143. This prevents the particulate insulating material from accumulating at the bottom of refrigerator 101 due to gravity, and provides gasket 123 that provides uniform insulation.

[0044] (Method of manufacturing a gasket according to the present embodiment) 9A and 9B are diagrams showing a method for manufacturing a gasket according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 9A and 9B, a method for manufacturing a gasket according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0045] As shown in Figure 9, first, a resin sheet for forming the resin bag 139 is prepared. Next, the resin sheet is masked in the areas that will be heat-sealed in a later process. If particulate insulating material adheres to the areas that will be heat-sealed, the areas will be insulated, making the heat-sealing process difficult. Therefore, masking is performed to prevent the particulate insulating material from adhering to the areas that will be heat-sealed due to static electricity.

[0046] The masking is performed by applying a solution of a surfactant, particularly an anionic surfactant such as a phosphate ester salt or a cationic surfactant, to the resin sheet in water, ethanol, or isopropyl alcohol.The masked resin sheet is then heat-sealed to form a bag with an opening.

[0047] Next, a predetermined amount of particulate insulating material is inserted into the resin bag 139 through the opening of the formed bag. After that, a resin sheet is heat-sealed to divide the resin bag 139 into multiple sections, forming insulating material-enclosed areas 143 in which the particulate insulating material is enclosed, and this process is repeated multiple times.

[0048] Next, after forming a predetermined number of heat insulating material enclosed areas 143, the opening of the resin bag 139 is heat sealed and closed.

[0049] Resin bag 139 having a plurality of heat insulating material encapsulated regions 143 formed therein is pulled and inserted into the opening of the hollow portion of gasket 123 on the opposite side to the opening through which the gasket is inserted.

[0050] According to the present invention, a gasket 123 with good thermal insulation properties is provided. Also according to the present invention, a gasket 123 that makes it easy to handle granular thermal insulation material is provided. Also according to the present invention, a gasket 123 that provides uniform thermal insulation is provided. Also according to the present invention, a method for manufacturing a gasket 123 using a granular thermal insulation material is provided.

[0051] The above-described embodiments are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. Variations and modifications are possible for those skilled in the art. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above-described embodiments but by the claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention includes modifications from the embodiments within the scope of the claims and their equivalents. [Industrial Applicability]

[0052] By using the gasket 123 provided by the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator 101 with excellent heat insulation properties. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 101 Refrigerator 103 Refrigerator body 105 Door 111a Flange portion on the opening side of the upper surface 111b Flange portion on the opening side of the lower surface 111c Flange part on the opening side of the right side part 111d Flange on the opening side of the left side 113 Storage Room 115a Shelf 115b shelf 115c shelf 115d shelf 115e Shelf 121 Door 123 Gasket 125 Groove 131 Flat bag-shaped part 132 Magnet 133 Hollow part 135 Root part 137 Fin part 139 Resin Bag 141 Heat welding part 143 Insulating material enclosed area

Claims

1. A gasket that is attached to a refrigerator door and seals a gap between the door and a refrigerator body when the door is closed, In cross section, a root portion attached to a groove formed in the door; a fin portion extending from the root portion along a space between the door and the refrigerator body; a hollow portion attached to the root portion; a flat, bag-shaped portion adjacent to the hollow portion, in contact with the refrigerator body, and into which a magnet is inserted; are integrally formed, A resin bag containing granular heat insulating material is inserted into the hollow portion, The bag is composed of a plurality of insulating material-enclosed areas separated by heat-sealed portions, The gasket is partitioned by the heat-sealed portion so that the enclosed particulate insulating material does not accumulate below the door due to gravity when the gasket is attached to the door.

2. A gasket as described in claim 1, wherein the heat-welded portion extends in a direction transverse to the extension direction of the gasket.

3. 3. The gasket according to claim 1, wherein the material of the resin bag includes polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, acrylonitrile styrene, acrylic, polybutylene terephthalate, or polyethylene terephthalate.

4. The gasket of claim 1 , wherein the particulate insulating material comprises silica aerogel, carbon aerogel, polymer aerogel, or metal aerogel.

5. A method for manufacturing a gasket that is attached to a refrigerator door and seals the gap between the door and the refrigerator body when the door is closed, comprising the steps of integrally molding, in a cross-sectional view, a root portion that is attached to a groove formed in the door, a fin portion that extends from the root portion along the gap between the door and the refrigerator body, a hollow portion that is attached to the root portion, and a flat bag-shaped portion that is adjacent to the hollow portion, contacts the refrigerator body, and into which a magnet is inserted, to form a gasket body; a resin sheet having a masked portion to be an opening is heat-sealed to form a bag body having the opening; a predetermined amount of particulate insulating material is inserted into the bag body through the opening of the formed bag body, and then the resin sheet is heat-sealed to form an insulating material-encapsulated area in which the particulate insulating material is encapsulated; After forming a predetermined number of the insulating material encapsulated regions, the opening is heat-sealed. forming a bag; inserting the formed bag into the hollow portion of the gasket body; Including, When the manufactured gasket is attached to the door, the enclosed granular insulating material is partitioned by the heat-sealed portion so that it does not accumulate under the door due to gravity. A method for manufacturing gaskets.

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