refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator which can protect an outer panel from an impact applied from the outside and inhibit expansion of a cleaning range and deterioration of efficiency of cleaning.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a cold room 11 and / or refrigeration rooms 12 to 14; and heat insulation doors 1 to 6 respectively provided at the cold room and / or the refrigeration rooms. The heat insulation doors 1 to 6 include at least a rectangular outer panel 71 provided on an outer surface, and at least a door frame including a lower frame member 74b in which a side wall part 80be enclosing an outer peripheral side surface of the outer panel from the lower side of the outer panel 71 is formed. The lower frame member 74b at the lower side of the door frame is formed in a shape in which the side wall part 80be is recessed relative to a front surface of the outer panel at the end side of the lower frame member 74b and the side wall part protrudes relative to the front surface of the outer panel at the center side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator for storing food and beverages in a refrigerated and / or frozen state. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent refrigerators, glass plates are placed on the exterior-facing design surfaces of insulated doors such as pivoting doors (double doors) and drawer doors to enhance their design. Furthermore, a vacuum insulation material containing inorganic fibers such as glass fiber is placed on the back surface of the glass plate as the insulation material provided in the insulated door.

[0003] For example, Patent Publication No. 2019-29120 (Patent Document 1) shows an insulated door that includes a glass plate provided on the outer surface of the insulated door, frame members (top, bottom, left, and right frame members) provided on the four sides of the outer periphery of the glass plate, and vacuum insulation material placed on the back of the glass plate, and the outer peripheral edge on the back of the glass plate and the frame member are adhered using an adhesive such as double-sided adhesive tape.

[0004] In a thermally insulated door with a large area of ​​exposed glass as in Patent Document 1, protecting the outer periphery of the glass plate is an issue. For example, if an object accidentally hits the outer periphery of the glass plate and an impact (external force) acts on the glass plate, there is a concern that the glass plate may break at that point.

[0005] For this reason, in Patent Document 1, a protrusion (side wall) that surrounds the side of the glass plate is provided on the frame member, and this protrusion protrudes forward from an extension of the front surface of the glass plate (hereinafter referred to as the front surface). As a result, even when an object hits the outer edge of the glass plate from diagonally forward and an impact is applied, the protrusion protruding from the glass plate acts as a protective material, making the glass plate relatively resistant to breaking. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-29120 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1, the bottom frame member also has a protruding portion that protrudes forward from the extension of the front surface of the glass plate over the entire width of the lower edge of the glass plate. This makes it easy for dust and water droplets to accumulate and adhere to the protruding portion of the bottom frame member of the insulating door.

[0008] Therefore, the lower frame member is required to be extremely easy to clean. However, if the protrusions extend across the entire width of the lower frame member, i.e., to the left and right ends of the lower frame member, a large amount of dust and water will accumulate and adhere across the entire width of the lower frame member, widening the area that needs to be cleaned. In addition, because the corners of the lower frame member are located forward of the front surface of the glass plate, cleaning cloths and the like can get caught on these corners, making cleaning difficult and reducing the efficiency of the cleaning work.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can protect an outer panel from external impact and can suppress an increase in the cleaning range and a decrease in the efficiency of cleaning work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a refrigerator compartment and / or a freezer compartment and an insulated door provided in each of the refrigerator compartment and / or the freezer compartment, wherein the insulated door has a rectangular outer panel provided on the outer surface and a door frame having at least a lower frame member on which a side wall portion is formed that surrounds the outer peripheral side of the outer panel from the lower side of the outer panel, and the side wall portion of the lower frame member has a recessed portion on the end side of the lower frame member where the tip of the side wall portion is recessed from the extended surface of the front surface of the outer panel, and a protruding portion on the central side of the lower frame member where the tip of the side wall portion protrudes from the extended surface of the front surface of the outer panel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to protect the outer panel from external impacts and to suppress an increase in the cleaning range and a decrease in the efficiency of the cleaning work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a vertical section of an insulating door for a refrigerator compartment. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion P of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section BB of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the CC cross section of FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the underside of the ice making compartment and the upper freezer compartment as seen from the direction of the arrow D shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 9] 3 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a lower frame member of the upper freezer compartment as seen from the direction of arrow E in FIG. 2. [Figure 10] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the underside of the upper freezer compartment on the right side as viewed in the direction of the arrow F shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 11] 3 is an explanatory view showing the underside of the right-hand refrigerator compartment as seen from the direction of the arrow G shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 12] 3 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the heat insulating door on the right side of the refrigerator compartment as viewed from the direction of the arrow H shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and various modifications and application examples within the technical concept of the present invention are also included within its scope.

[0014] First, the configuration of a refrigerator to which the present invention is applied will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator 100 shown in Fig. 1.

[0015] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a box body 20 and an insulated door 10 attached to the box body 20. In this embodiment, the insulated door 10 is made up of a plurality of insulated doors 1 to 6. That is, the insulated door 10 is used as a general term for the insulated doors 1 to 6. An outer box 21 includes a top panel 22, a back panel (see Fig. 3), a bottom panel (see Fig. 3), a left side panel (not shown), and a right side panel 25. The insulated doors 1 and 2 are rotatably supported by hinges 36.

[0016] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the AA cross section of the refrigerator shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 3, refrigerator 100 has, from top to bottom, refrigerator compartment 11, ice-making compartment 12, upper freezer compartment 13, lower freezer compartment 14, and vegetable compartment 15 as storage compartments. Insulated doors 1 to 6 are doors that open and close openings formed in the front of each storage compartment.

[0017] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the insulating doors 1 and 2 are pivotable insulating doors that pivot around hinges 36, and the insulating doors 3 to 6 are drawer-type insulating doors. When the drawer-type insulating doors 3 to 6 are pulled out, the containers that form the respective chambers are pulled out together with the insulating doors.

[0018] Insulated doors 1 and 2 are insulated doors for refrigerator compartment 11, insulated door 3 is an insulated door for ice-making compartment 12, insulated door 4 is an insulated door for upper freezer compartment 13, insulated door 5 is an insulated door for lower freezer compartment 14, and insulated door 6 is an insulated door for vegetable compartment 15. Here, ice-making compartment 12 can be said to be a freezer compartment arranged alongside upper freezer compartment 13.

[0019] The insulating doors 1 and 2 are pivoting doors, and the insulating doors 3 to 6 are drawer doors. Each of the insulating doors 1 to 6 is provided with a packing 37 (see FIG. 3) for sealing the refrigerator 100. The packing 37 is attached to the outer peripheral edge of each of the insulating doors 1 to 6 on the indoor side.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, each of the insulating doors 1 to 6 has a design surface portion 31 facing the outside and an inner wall portion 32 facing the inside of the room. In this embodiment, inside each of the insulating doors 1 to 6, i.e., between the design surface portion 31 and the inner wall portion 32, there is disposed a vacuum insulating material 50 as an insulating material, which includes a core material made of inorganic fiber (e.g., glass fiber) and an outer wrapping material that covers the core material, and the inside of which has been reduced in pressure by vacuuming.

[0021] Furthermore, the space inside each of the insulating doors 1 to 6 other than the space surrounded by the vacuum insulating material 50 is filled with a foam insulating material 33 such as a hard urethane foam.

[0022] Furthermore, a partitioning heat wall 16 is provided to separate and insulate refrigerator compartment 11 from ice-making compartment 12 and upper freezer compartment 13. Because the temperature zones between ice-making compartment 12, upper freezer compartment 13, and lower freezer compartment 14 are the same, partition member 17, which forms a receiving surface for packing 37, is provided instead of a partitioning heat wall to separate and insulate refrigerator compartment 11 from ice-making compartment 12 and upper freezer compartment 13.

[0023] A partition heat insulating wall 18 is provided between the lower freezer compartment 14 and the vegetable compartment 15 to separate and insulate the compartments. The arrangement of the storage compartments within the box body 20 is not limited to the arrangement described above. Also, with regard to the heat insulating doors 1 to 6, there are no particular limitations on whether they are opened and closed by rotating or by drawing, or on the number of divisions of the heat insulating doors.

[0024] Box 20 comprises outer box 21 made of steel plate and inner box 27 made of synthetic resin, and an insulating layer is provided in the space formed by outer box 21 and inner box 27 to insulate each storage compartment in box 20 from the outside. Outer box 21 comprises top panel 22, back panel 23, bottom panel 24, left side panel (not shown), and right side panel 25 (see FIG. 1).

[0025] A vacuum insulation material 50 is placed in the space between the outer box 21 and the inner box 27, and the space other than the vacuum insulation material 50 is filled with a foam insulation material 34 such as rigid urethane foam. Furthermore, the partition insulation walls 16, 18 are made of expanded polystyrene 35 and vacuum insulation material 50, but are not limited to this and may be filled with a foam insulation material such as rigid urethane foam.

[0026] A cooler 44 for cooling each storage compartment of the refrigerator 100 to a predetermined temperature is provided on the back side of the lower freezer compartment 14. This cooler 44, a compressor 45, a condenser 46, and a capillary tube (not shown) are connected to form a refrigeration cycle. A blower 43 is provided above the cooler 44 to circulate the cold air cooled by the cooler 44 inside the refrigerator 100 to maintain a predetermined low temperature.

[0027] A recess 40 for accommodating electrical components 41 such as a board for controlling the operation of the refrigerator 100 and a power supply board is formed at the rear part of the top panel 22 of the box body 20, and a cover 42 for covering the electrical components 41 is provided. The height of the cover 42 is set to be approximately the same height as the top surface of the outer box 21, taking into consideration the external design and ensuring the internal volume.

[0028] Next, the general configuration between the design surface portion 31 and the vacuum insulation material 50 in the insulated door will be briefly explained using Fig. 4. The cross section of the insulated door shown in Fig. 4 shows a vertical cross section of a pivoting insulated door 2 that opens and closes the refrigerator compartment 11.

[0029] In Figure 4, the insulated door 2 is configured to include a rectangular outer panel (hereinafter referred to as glass panel) 60, for example made of glass, provided on the surface of the decorative surface of the insulated door 2, a door frame 61 (composed of four frame members on the top, bottom, left and right, corresponding to each side of the glass panel) provided on the outer edge of the glass panel 60, vacuum insulation material 50 arranged on the back surface of the glass panel 60, foam insulation material 33 (see Figure 3) filled in a storage space surrounded on the front and sides by the glass panel 60 and door frame 61, with the vacuum insulation material 50 interposed therebetween, and an inner wall portion (not shown, see Figure 3) provided on the back surface (rear side) of the door frame 61 and covering the rear of the storage space.

[0030] The door frame 61 is made of, for example, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer) resin or PP (polypropylene) resin. An upper frame member 61u and a lower frame member 61b are shown in the drawing.

[0031] The material of the vacuum insulation material 50 is not particularly limited, but as an example, it is made of an insulation material in which a core material such as glass fiber is vacuum-packed in a laminate film and the inside is reduced in pressure and sealed, and has excellent insulation performance. The vacuum insulation material 50 is formed into a flat plate and is adhered to the back side of the glass plate 60.

[0032] The glass plate 60 is formed from a rectangular flat glass plate that forms the outer wall (outer shell, design surface) on the surface (front) side of the insulated door 2. An outer peripheral side surface 60s of the glass plate 60 is surrounded by side wall portions (corresponding to protrusions) 65u, 65b formed on the upper frame member 61u and the lower frame member 61b. In this example, the length of the side wall portions 65u, 65b along the outer peripheral side surface 60s is set to a length that reaches the front surface 60f of the glass plate 60. Although not described here, the left and right frame members also have a similar configuration.

[0033] Furthermore, the glass plate 60 is preferably a flat plate made of tempered glass, but a flat plate material such as plastic or ceramic may be used instead of glass. Therefore, the term "outer plate" may be used instead of glass plate.

[0034] Although not shown, a paint layer is provided on the rear surface of the glass plate 60, and a shatterproof film is provided on the rear surface of the paint layer.

[0035] Each of the frame members 61u and 61b has a plate-shaped main body 62 extending toward the inner wall 32 (see FIG. 3), and a flange 63 extending from the main body 62 substantially parallel to the surface of the glass plate 60 and substantially perpendicular to the main body 62. The flange 63 is located at the approximate end of the front side (glass plate side) of each of the frame members 61u and 61b. A double-sided adhesive tape 64 is interposed between the flange 63 and the outer periphery of the glass plate 60, and the flange 63 and the glass plate 60 are firmly bonded together by the double-sided adhesive tape 64.

[0036] The configuration of the heat insulating door 2 shown in FIG. 4 is a general configuration, and other configurations may also be used, but in any case, the configurations are basically similar.

[0037] In a refrigerator having such a configuration, as described above, the side wall portion 65b of the lower frame member 61b protrudes forward from the front surface 60f of the glass plate 60 as shown by the dashed line (indicated by reference number 65p) over the entire width of the lower side of the glass plate 60. Therefore, dust and water droplets tend to accumulate and adhere to the side wall portion 65p protruding from the front surface of the glass plate 60 of the insulating door.

[0038] Therefore, if the protrusions 65p extend to the left and right ends of the lower frame member 61b, a large amount of dust and water will accumulate across the entire width of the lower frame member 61b, widening the area to be cleaned. Also, because the corners at the ends of the lower frame member 61b are located forward of the glass plate 60, cleaning cloths or the like will get caught on these corners, causing problems such as reduced efficiency of the cleaning work. [Example]

[0039] In order to solve this problem, the present embodiment proposes a lower frame member in which the tips of the side walls at the ends of the lower frame member are recessed from the extension of the front surface of the outer plate, and the tips of the side walls at the center are protruded from the extension of the front surface of the outer plate.

[0040] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the lower frame member of the heat insulating door 4 for the upper freezer compartment 13 has the above-described configuration.

[0041] Figure 5 is a drawing of part P in Figure 2, showing the insulated door 3 for ice making compartment 12, the insulated door 4 for upper freezer compartment 13, and the insulated door 5 for lower freezer compartment 14. Each of the insulated doors 3, 4, and 5 is a drawer-type insulated door, and a glass plate 70 for the ice making compartment, a glass plate 71 for the upper freezer compartment, and a glass plate 72 for the lower freezer compartment are attached to the respective design surfaces.

[0042] Furthermore, a lower frame member 73b for the ice-making compartment is attached to the underside of glass plate 70 for the ice-making compartment, and a lower frame member 74b for the upper freezer compartment is attached to the underside of glass plate 71 for the upper freezer compartment. Although not shown, a lower frame member for the lower freezer compartment is also attached to the underside of glass plate 72 for the lower freezer compartment.

[0043] An electric door operating unit 75 is disposed between the insulated door 3 for the ice making compartment 12, the insulated door 4 for the upper freezer compartment 13, and the insulated door 5 for the lower freezer compartment 14, and when this electric door operating unit 75 is operated, the drawer-type insulated door 5 for the lower freezer compartment 14 is automatically pulled out. These configurations are already well known, so further explanation will be omitted.

[0044] Next, the configuration of the lower frame member in this embodiment will be described. In the following, the explanation will be given using the lower frame member 74b for the upper freezer compartment, which is arranged below the glass plate 71 for the upper freezer compartment, as a representative example.

[0045] Fig. 6 shows a cross section taken along line BB in Fig. 5. This cross section BB is taken at a position closer to the left end of the lower frame member 74b. Fig. 7 shows a cross section taken along line CC in Fig. 5. This cross section CC is taken at a position closer to the center of the lower frame member 74b.

[0046] In Figure 6 (BB cross section), the upper figure shows a cross section of the glass plate 71 side of the insulating door 4 of the upper freezer compartment 13, and the lower figure shows a cross section of the glass plate 72 side of the insulating door 5 of the lower freezer compartment 14.

[0047] First, in the heat-insulating door 5 of the lower freezer compartment 14, a double-sided adhesive tape 79u is attached to a flange portion 78u formed on an upper frame member 77u. A glass plate 72 is attached to the front side of the flange 78u with the double-sided adhesive tape 79u. This bonds the glass plate 72 to the upper frame member 77u.

[0048] An electric door operating unit 75 is disposed on the upper level of the upper frame member 77u and is configured to be movable relative to the upper frame member 77u. When the user presses the electric door operating unit 75, the lower freezer compartment 14 and the insulated door 5 move forward.

[0049] Next, in the insulating door 4 of the upper freezer compartment 13, double-sided adhesive tape (not shown) is attached to the flange portion 76b formed on the lower frame member 74b. Note that the B-B cross section in Figure 5 is not the position where the double-sided adhesive tape would be attached, so the double-sided adhesive tape is not shown in the figure. In addition, a glass plate 71 is attached to the front side of the flange portion 76b, also with double-sided adhesive tape (not shown).

[0050] A side wall portion 80be is formed on the distal end side (glass plate side) of the flange portion 76b of the lower frame member 74b so as to surround the side surface 71s of the outer peripheral edge of the glass plate 71. The side wall portion 80be is formed parallel to the side surface 71s of the outer peripheral edge of the glass plate 71 and extends toward an extension plane of the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71.

[0051] However, the tip 80bt of this side wall portion 80be does not exceed the extension plane of the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71, but extends only to a position that is set back by a length -Lr from the extension plane of the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71. Therefore, the tip 80bt of the side wall portion 80be is formed in a position hidden from the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71. For this reason, dust and water are less likely to accumulate or adhere to the area hidden by the glass plate 71.

[0052] Next, in Figure 7 (CC cross section), the upper figure shows a cross section of the glass plate 71 side of the insulated door 4 of the upper freezer compartment 13, and the lower figure shows a cross section of the glass plate 72 side of the insulated door 5 of the lower freezer compartment 14.

[0053] First, in the heat-insulating door 5 of the lower freezer compartment 14, a double-sided adhesive tape 79 is attached to a flange portion 78u formed on an upper frame member 77u. In addition, a glass plate 72 is attached to the front side of the flange portion 78u with a double-sided adhesive tape 79u.

[0054] Next, in the heat-insulating door 4 of the upper freezer compartment 13, a double-sided adhesive tape 79b is attached to a flange portion 76b formed on a lower frame member 74b. A glass plate 71 is attached to the front side of the flange portion 76b with the double-sided adhesive tape 79b.

[0055] A side wall portion 80be is formed on the distal end side (glass plate side) of the flange portion 76b of the lower frame member 74b so as to surround the side surface 71s of the outer peripheral edge of the glass plate 71. The side wall portion 80be is formed parallel to the side surface 71s of the outer peripheral edge of the glass plate 71 and extends toward an extension plane of the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71.

[0056] However, the tip 80bt of this side wall portion 80be extends beyond the extension plane of the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71, and extends to a position protruding by a length +Lp from the extension plane of the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71. Therefore, the tip 80bt of the side wall portion 80be is formed at a position protruding from the front surface 70f of the glass plate 71. For this reason, even if an impact due to an external force acts on the side surface of the glass plate 71, the protruding side wall 80be protects the glass plate 71, thereby reducing the risk of the glass plate 71 breaking.

[0057] The example described above is an example of bottom frame member 74b of heat insulating door 4 of upper freezer compartment 13, but the bottom frame member of heat insulating door 3 of ice making compartment 12 also has a similar configuration.

[0058] FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the bottom frame members of heat insulating doors 3 and 4 of ice making compartment 12 and upper freezer compartment 13, respectively, as viewed from below (arrow D in FIG. 2).

[0059] In Figure 8, the side wall portion 80be of the lower frame member 74b is formed from a recessed portion 80br, which is an area where the tip portion 80bt is recessed rearward from the extension surface of the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71, and a protruding portion 80bp, which is an area where the tip portion 80bt protrudes forward from the extension surface of the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71.

[0060] The recessed portions 80br are formed on the left and right end sides of the lower frame member 74b, and the protruding portion 80bp is formed near the center of the lower frame member 74b. The recessed portions 80br are formed in an inclined shape such that the protruding length gradually increases from the end 74be of the lower frame member 74b to the most protruding portion of the protruding portion 80bp.

[0061] 8 and 10 described later, the protruding portion 80bp is determined to have a linear shape so as to be parallel to the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71, and the receding portion 80br is determined to have an inclined shape so as to be inclined with respect to the side surface of the glass plate 71. As can be seen from the figure, the portion of the protruding portion 80bp that is connected to the linear portion of the protruding portion 80bp and the inclined portion of the receding portion 80br is also formed in an inclined shape.

[0062] Here, the end 74be side of the recessed portion 80br is formed in an arc shape Ca, which is a shape that reduces the chance of getting caught on a cloth, etc. This shape is the same in the embodiments described below.

[0063] Similarly, the configuration of bottom frame member 81b of insulated door 3 of ice making compartment 12 is the same shape as bottom frame member 74b of insulated door 4 of upper freezer compartment 13. Therefore, side wall portion 83be in front of flange portion 82b of bottom frame member 81b of insulated door 3 of ice making compartment 12 is formed from receding portion 83br, which is the area where tip portion 83bt is receded rearward from the extension of front surface 70f of glass plate 70, and protruding portion 83bp, which is the area where tip portion 83bt protrudes forward from the extension of front surface 70f of glass plate 70.

[0064] The recessed portion 83br is formed in an inclined shape such that the protruding length gradually increases from the end 81be of the lower frame member 81b to the most protruding portion of the protruding portion 83bp. Here, too, the side of the end 81be of the recessed portion 83br is formed in an arc shape Ca, which is a shape that reduces the possibility of it getting caught on cloths or the like.

[0065] Figure 9 shows an oblique view of the lower frame member 74b of the insulated door 4 of the upper freezer compartment 13, viewed diagonally from above (arrow E in Figure 2), and Figure 10 is a bottom view of the right end of the lower frame member 74b of the insulated door 4 of the upper freezer compartment 13, viewed from below (arrow F in Figure 2).

[0066] In Figure 9, a lower frame member 74b is arranged below the heat-insulating door 4 of the upper freezer compartment 13, and a glass plate 71 is placed on this lower frame member 74b. The configurations of the glass plate 71 and the lower frame member 74b are as already explained in Figures 6 to 8.

[0067] As can be seen in Figure 9, the lower frame member 74b has a linear protrusion 80bp formed near the center that extends perpendicular to the depth direction of the upper freezer compartment 13, and also has linear recessed portions 80br formed near the left and right ends that extend at an angle in the depth direction of the upper freezer compartment 13.

[0068] 10, the tip 80bt of the right side wall portion 80be of the lower frame member 74b is formed from a recessed portion 80br, which is a region recessed rearward from the extension of the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71, and a protruding portion 80bp, which is a region protruding forward from the extension of the front surface 71f of the glass plate 71. This is as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8.

[0069] The recessed portion 80br is formed in an inclined shape such that the protruding length gradually increases from the end 74be of the lower frame member 74b to the most protruding portion of the protruding portion 80bp, but it can also be formed in an inclined shape by an arc other than a straight line. Also, the end 74be side of the recessed portion 80br is formed in an arc shape Ca, which is a shape that is less likely to catch on cloths, etc.

[0070] With this configuration, the central sidewall of the lower frame member protrudes beyond the extension of the front surface of the glass plate, so even if external force is applied to the side of the glass plate, the protruding sidewall protects it from the external force. Also, because the end sides of the lower frame member are set back from the extension of the front surface of the glass plate, the area where dust and water can accumulate and adhere is reduced, making it possible to reduce the cleaning area. Furthermore, because the end sides of the lower frame member do not protrude beyond the front surface of the glass plate, it is prevented from getting caught on cloths, etc., and this prevents a decrease in the efficiency of the cleaning work.

[0071] In this embodiment, only the bottom frame member of the drawer-type insulated door has the above-mentioned protruding portion and recessed portion, and the other frame members, the top frame member, left frame member, and right frame member, which surround the glass plate, have side walls located on the sides of the glass plate that are recessed from the extension of the front surface of the glass plate, thereby improving the design of each insulated door. [Example]

[0072] In the second embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the bottom frame member of the right pivotable insulating door 2 for the refrigerator compartment 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment. Fig. 11 is a bottom view of the bottom frame member of the right insulating door 2 for the refrigerator compartment 11 as seen from below (in the direction of arrow G in Fig. 2).

[0073] The left-side pivoting insulated door 1 has the same structure, so a description thereof will be omitted. Also, the structure of the bottom frame member of the insulated door 2 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, so the first embodiment can also be used as a reference.

[0074] In Figure 11, the side wall portion 91be of the lower frame member 90b is formed from a recessed portion 91br, which is an area where the tip portion 91bt is recessed rearward from the extension surface of the front surface 92f of the glass plate 92, and a protruding portion 91bp, which is an area where the tip portion 91bt protrudes forward from the extension surface of the front surface 91f of the glass plate 91.

[0075] The recessed portion 91br is formed as an inclined portion whose protruding length gradually increases from the end 90be of the lower frame member 90b to the most protruding portion of the protruding portion 91bp. The end 90be side of the recessed portion 91br is formed in an arc shape Ca, which is a shape that reduces the possibility of it getting caught on a cloth or the like.

[0076] In this way, in the insulated door 2, the side wall portion 91be in front of the flange portion 93b of the lower frame member 90b of the insulated door 2 is formed from a recessed portion 91br, which is an area recessed rearward from the extension surface of the front surface 92f of the glass plate 92, and a protruding portion 91bp, which is an area protruding forward from the extension surface of the front surface 92f of the glass plate 92.

[0077] In this embodiment, the insulating door 2 is a pivoting door, so the side wall of the right frame member on the hinge 36 side is set back from the extension of the front surface of the glass plate.

[0078] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 12 (arrow H in Fig. 2), the side wall extending across the entire width of the left frame member 90l on the opposite side has a protruding portion 91lp that protrudes forward from the extension of the front surface of the glass plate 92, and no recessed portion is formed. The reason for this is that external forces are more likely to act on the left frame member 90l side. For the same reason, as shown in Fig. 12, no recessed portion is formed on the left end of the bottom frame member 90b, and a protruding portion 91bp is formed continuously.

[0079] In this embodiment, the central sidewall of the lower frame member protrudes beyond the front surface of the glass plate, so that even if an external force is applied to the side of the glass plate, the protruding sidewall protects the glass plate from the external force. Furthermore, because the end of the lower frame member is recessed from the front surface of the glass plate, the area where dust and water can accumulate and adhere is reduced, thereby reducing the cleaning area. Furthermore, because the end of the lower frame member does not protrude beyond the front surface of the glass plate, it is prevented from getting caught on cloths or the like, and a decrease in the efficiency of the cleaning work can be prevented.

[0080] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modifications. The above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. It is also possible to add, delete, or replace other configurations with respect to the configuration of each embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 71...outer panel (glass panel), 71s...side surface, 71f...front surface, 74b...lower frame member, 76b...flange portion, 79b...double-sided adhesive tape, 80be...side wall portion, 80br...setback portion, 80bp...protruding portion, 80bt...tip portion.

Claims

1. A refrigerator having a refrigerator compartment and / or a freezer compartment and a heat-insulating door provided in each of the refrigerator compartment and / or the freezer compartment, The insulated door has a rectangular outer plate provided on the outer surface, and a door frame including a lower frame member having a side wall portion formed on the lower side of the outer plate and surrounding the outer peripheral side of the outer plate, The side wall portion of the lower frame member has a recessed portion where the tip end portion of the side wall portion is recessed from the extension surface of the front surface of the outer plate on the end side of the lower frame member, and a protruding portion where the tip end portion of the side wall portion protrudes from the extension surface of the front surface of the outer plate on the central side of the lower frame member. A refrigerator characterized by:

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, The outer panel is a plate-shaped glass panel. A refrigerator characterized by:

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, The tip of the protruding portion is formed in a straight line parallel to the front surface of the glass plate, and the tip of the recessed portion is formed in a straight line inclined with respect to the side surface of the glass plate. A refrigerator characterized by:

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, The heat insulating door is a drawer-type heat insulating door provided in the freezing compartment, The glass plate is surrounded by an upper frame member, a left frame member, and a right frame member in addition to the lower frame member, The tip ends of the side walls of the upper frame member, the left frame member, and the right frame member are formed in a shape that is recessed rearward from the extension plane of the front surface of the glass plate. A refrigerator characterized by:

5. The refrigerator according to claim 3, The heat insulating doors are two drawer-type heat insulating doors provided in two of the freezing compartments arranged adjacent to each other, The glass pane of each of the insulating doors is surrounded by an upper frame member, a left frame member, and a right frame member in addition to the lower frame member, The tip end of each of the side wall portions of the upper frame member, the left frame member, and the right frame member is formed in a shape that is recessed rearward from an extension plane of the front surface of the glass plate. A refrigerator characterized by:

6. The refrigerator according to claim 3, The heat-insulating door is provided in the refrigeration compartment and is a pivotable heat-insulating door that pivots about a hinge, The glass plate of the insulating door is surrounded by an upper frame member, a left frame member, and a right frame member in addition to the lower frame member, the tip end of the side wall portion of the left frame member or the right frame member on the hinge side is formed in a shape that is recessed rearward from an extension plane of the front surface of the glass plate, the tip end of the side wall portion of the right frame member or the left frame member opposite the hinge is formed in a shape that protrudes forward beyond an extension plane of the front surface of the glass plate, the tip end of the side wall portion of the lower frame member on the hinge side is formed in a shape that is recessed rearward from an extension plane of the front surface of the glass plate, The tip of the side wall of the lower frame member on the opposite side of the hinge is formed in a shape that protrudes forward beyond an extension of the front surface of the glass plate. A refrigerator characterized by:

Images