refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a constitution which allows a foam thermal insulation material to be more easily filled within a heat insulation box in injecting the foam thermal insulation material into the heat insulation box.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes a heat insulation box 50. The heat insulation box 50 has an inner box 70 and an outer box 60. In the heat insulation box 50, a vacuum heat insulation material 51 is arranged. Within the heat insulation box 50, a foam heat insulation material 52 is filled. In a side surface part 50b of the heat insulation box 50, an area in which a thickness T2 of the foam heat insulation material 52 facing the vacuum heat insulation material 51 is less than a thickness T1 of the vacuum heat insulation material 51 is larger than an area in which it is equal to or more than the thickness T1 of the vacuum heat insulation material 51. In a side wall of the inner box 70, there are provided support parts 71, 72, 73 supporting a structure provided in a storage. An upper and lower portions of the support parts are wide portions in which the thickness of the heat insulation material is expanded.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat-insulating box provided in a refrigerator or the like, and to a refrigerator provided with this heat-insulating box. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to insulate the refrigerator from the surroundings, an insulating box is provided to cover the outer periphery of the storage space. The insulating box is composed of an outer box, an inner box, and an insulating material filled between them. For example, a foam insulating material such as a rigid foam urethane insulating material is used as the insulating material.

[0003] In recent years, it has been proposed to place a vacuum insulator inside an insulated box in order to further improve thermal insulation performance. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator having a vacuum insulator and a foam insulator inside an insulated wall, in which the volume ratio of the vacuum insulator to the total volume of the insulated wall is set to a predetermined value or more. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-183896 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The use of vacuum insulation panels improves the insulation performance and allows the thickness of the insulation box to be reduced. However, as the thickness of the insulation box is reduced, the space within the insulation box through which the foam insulation material flows becomes narrower, making it more difficult for the foam insulation material to flow, which can result in voids (gaps) that are not filled with the foam insulation material after the insulation material has foamed.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a configuration that makes it easier to fill the foam insulation material inside the insulation box when injecting the foam insulation material into the insulation box. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, an insulated box includes an inner box and an outer box. The insulated box includes a vacuum insulation material disposed within the insulated box, a foam insulation material filled inside the insulated box, and at least one injection port disposed on the rear surface of the insulated box for injecting the foam insulation material. In the side portion of the insulated box, the area where the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is thinner than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material is greater than the area where the foam insulation material is thicker or thicker. The side wall of the inner box is provided with a support portion for supporting a structure to be placed inside the storage compartment, and the upper and lower portions of the support portion are wide portions that increase the thickness of the foam insulation material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to an aspect of the present invention, the insulating box can be more easily filled with the foam insulating material when the foam insulating material is injected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the interior of a heat-insulating box of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the heat-insulating box shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are a cross-sectional view and a partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the heat-insulating box body taken along line AA in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a heat insulating material is poured into the heat insulating box shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part (portion A) of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8]FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part (part B) of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 9] 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the insulating box shown in FIG. 2 at the position where the second partition section is disposed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of the components are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0011] First Embodiment (Overall configuration of the refrigerator) First, the overall configuration of a refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, refrigerator 1 has refrigerator compartment 11 on the upper level, vegetable compartment 12 on the middle level, and freezer compartment 13 on the lower level. Refrigerator compartment 11 is provided with refrigerator compartment door 11a. Vegetable compartment 12 is provided with vegetable compartment door 12a. Freezer compartment 13 is provided with freezer compartment door 13a.

[0013] As described above, refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment is divided into an upper section, a middle section, and a lower section, and each storage space is provided. Partitions are provided between each storage space. More specifically, a first partition 54 is provided between upper refrigerator compartment 11 and middle vegetable compartment 12. Furthermore, a second partition 55 is provided between middle vegetable compartment 12 and lower freezer compartment 13. However, the arrangement of each storage space is not limited to this.

[0014] In this embodiment, the surface on which the door is provided is referred to as the front or front face of the refrigerator. Then, based on the front face, the respective faces of the refrigerator 1 are referred to as the top, side, back, and bottom faces based on the positions where the refrigerator 1 would be when installed in a normal state. Furthermore, the up-down direction of the refrigerator 1 when placed on the installation surface is referred to as the up-down direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the insulated box 50, etc.). Furthermore, the front-to-back direction when viewed from the front of the refrigerator 1 when placed on the installation surface is referred to as the front-to-back direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the insulated box 50, etc.).

[0015] A refrigeration cycle is provided inside the refrigerator 1. The refrigeration cycle is configured by connecting a compressor 31, a condenser (not shown), an expander (not shown), and a cooler 32 via a refrigerant pipe (refrigerant flow path) through which a refrigerant flows.

[0016] A control unit (not shown) is also provided inside the refrigerator 1. This control unit controls the operation of the refrigeration cycle. That is, the control unit drives the compressor 31, thereby starting the operation of the refrigeration cycle and causing the refrigerant to circulate through the cycle. As shown in FIG. 1, the compressor 31 is disposed in a machine room 30 provided on the rear side of the bottom of the refrigerator 1.

[0017] The cooler 32 is disposed in a cooling compartment 35 provided on the rear side of the refrigerator 1. In addition to the cooler 32, the cooling compartment 35 is also provided with a cooling fan 33 and other components. The cooling fan 33 is provided to circulate air between the cooling compartment 35 and each storage space. The cooling compartment 35 is in communication with a cold air duct 41. The cold air duct 41 serves as a cold air passageway for supplying the cold air generated in the cooling compartment 35 to the refrigerator compartment 11 and other compartments.

[0018] (Configuration of the insulated box) The refrigerator 1 is provided with an insulating box 50 as an insulating structure for insulating each storage space from the surroundings. FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the insulating box 50 as seen from the front side (frontage 50e side). The insulating box 50 is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the refrigerator 1. The insulating box 50 is mainly composed of a top surface, side surfaces 50b, a back surface 50c, and a bottom surface. The front side of the insulating box 50 forms an open frontage 50e.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the insulating box body 50 mainly comprises an outer box 60, an inner box 70, a vacuum insulating material 51, a foam insulating material 52, and at least one partition (e.g., a first partition 54 and a second partition 55).

[0020] The outer box 60 forms the outer peripheral surface of the insulated box body 50. The outer box 60 is mainly composed of a top surface, a side surface 60b, a back surface 60c, and a bottom surface (see FIG. 3). The inner box 70 forms the inner peripheral surface of the insulated box body 50. The inner box 70 is mainly composed of a top surface, a side surface 70b, a back surface 70c, and a bottom surface 70d (see FIG. 2). The inner box 70 forms the inner walls of the storage spaces (e.g., the refrigerator compartment 11, the vegetable compartment 12, and the freezer compartment 13) and the rear wall of the cooling compartment 35.

[0021] The interior of the insulated box 50 formed by the inner box 70 is divided into multiple spaces by at least one partition. In this embodiment, two partitions, a first partition 54 and a second partition 55, are provided. The first partition 54 is disposed between the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12. The second partition 55 is disposed between the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13.

[0022] A space for arranging the machine room 30 is formed on the rear side of the bottom of the insulated box body 50. The machine room 30 is arranged outside the insulated box body 50 because the temperature inside the machine room 30 rises when the compressor 31 is operated. The machine room 30 is mainly defined by a bottom plate 62 that forms the bottom portion of the outer box 60.

[0023] In this way, the machine compartment 30 and the freezer compartment 13 are isolated by the heat-insulating box body 50. Therefore, the heat generated in the machine compartment 30 can be prevented from flowing into the freezer compartment 13.

[0024] Vacuum insulation material 51 and foam insulation material 52 are provided in the space between outer box 60 and inner box 70. Vacuum insulation material 51, also known as VIP, is a thin sheet-like or plate-like insulation material. Vacuum insulation material 51 is arranged, for example, on the side, top, bottom, and back of refrigerator 1. In FIG. 1, the vacuum insulation material arranged on the bottom of refrigerator 1 is not shown. As shown in FIG. 1 and other figures, vacuum insulation material 51 is arranged on the outer box 60 side within insulated box body 50.

[0025] The foam insulation material 52 can be formed of, for example, foamed polyurethane (also called rigid urethane foam). The foam insulation material 52 is also filled inside the second partition 55 that separates the vegetable compartment 12, which is a refrigerated storage space, from the freezer compartment 13, which is a freezer storage space. In this embodiment, the inside of the first partition 54 that separates the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12, which are both refrigerated storage spaces, is not filled with the foam insulation material 52. An insulation material different from the foam insulation material 52 may be placed inside the first partition 54. In another embodiment, the inside of the first partition 54 may also be filled with the foam insulation material 52.

[0026] The foam insulation material 52 is filled into the insulating box 50 by injecting a liquid urethane foam material (also called the foam insulation material or insulating material) into the insulating box 50 and allowing the material to foam inside the insulating box 50. Injection ports 58 for injecting the insulating material are provided on the rear surface 60c of the outer box 60 (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, two injection ports 58 are provided near the left end of the rear surface 60c and two injection ports 58 are provided near the right end of the rear surface 60c, for a total of four injection ports 58. However, the number of injection ports 58 is not limited to this.

[0027] Figure 2 shows the insulating box 50 when a urethane foam material is being injected into the insulating box 50. When injecting the urethane foam material into the insulating box 50, only the second partition 55 is attached to the interior of the insulating box 50, as shown in Figure 2. As a result, when the foam insulating material is injected through the injection port 58, the foam insulating material 52 is also filled into the interior of the second partition 55 through the urethane inlet provided between the inner box 70 and the second partition 55.

[0028] (Regarding the thickness of the side walls of the insulated box and the thickness of the vacuum insulation material) In recent refrigerators, there is a demand for thinner side walls of the heat-insulating box 50 in order to ensure a larger interior space, etc. Therefore, in this embodiment, the walls of each surface (for example, the side surface portion 50b) of the heat-insulating box 50 are made thinner.

[0029] Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the configuration inside the side wall of the heat-insulating box 50. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heat-insulating box 50 taken along line AA in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 also shows an enlarged view of a portion of the heat-insulating box 50 (the portion surrounded by a dashed line frame).

[0030] The average thickness of the side portion 50b of the insulating box 50 according to this embodiment is, for example, 25 mm or more and 35 mm or less. In the side portion 50b of the insulating box 50, the area where the thickness T2 of the foam insulating material 52 facing the vacuum insulating material 51 is less than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulating material 51 is more than the area where the thickness T2 is equal to or greater than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulating material 51.

[0031] The thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 disposed on the side surface portion 50b is substantially constant over the entire area of ​​the vacuum insulation material. In one example, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 is set to 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less, preferably 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less.

[0032] On the other hand, thickness T2 of foam insulation material 52 varies in each portion depending on the external shape of insulated box body 50 (particularly the shape of inner box 70). As described above, in most, at least half or more of the area on side surface 50b of insulated box body 50 where vacuum insulation material 51 is present, thickness T1 is greater than T2. ​​Therefore, thickness T2 of foam insulation material 52 in most of the area on side surface 50b where vacuum insulation material 51 is present is set to, for example, 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less, preferably 8 mm or more and 13 mm or less.

[0033] In one example, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 can be approximately twice the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52. In this way, by increasing the proportion of the vacuum insulation material 51 in the side portion 50b, the thickness of the side portion 50b as a whole can be made smaller.

[0034] The thickness of the vacuum insulation material arranged on the surfaces other than the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50 (i.e., the top surface, the back surface 50c, and the bottom surface) may be the same as or different from the thickness T1. Furthermore, the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 on the surfaces other than the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50 (i.e., the top surface, the back surface 50c, and the bottom surface) may be greater than or equal to the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on those surfaces.

[0035] For example, in the rear portion 50c, the thickness of the foam insulation 52 disposed in the rear portion 50c may be equal to or greater than the thickness of the vacuum insulation 51 disposed in the rear portion 50c. The rear portion tends to house refrigeration cycle piping and electrical wiring connected to the cooler 32, and in order to secure these piping and wiring and ensure thermal insulation, it is preferable that the foam insulation 52 disposed in the rear portion 50c have a certain thickness or greater. Furthermore, the rear portion 50c is often the last portion to be filled with the foam insulation 52, and it is thought that the insulating material has hardened more than in other portions. However, by increasing the thickness of the foam insulation 52 disposed in the rear portion 50c, it becomes easier to ensure the fluidity of the insulating material.

[0036] (Method of manufacturing a heat-insulating box) Next, a description will be given of a manufacturing method of the heat insulating box 50. Fig. 5 shows how the heat insulating material is poured into the heat insulating box 50.

[0037] First, components such as vacuum insulation material 51 and heat dissipation pipes (not shown) are attached to predetermined positions on the inner surface of each surface (specifically, the top surface, side surface 60b, and back surface 60c) of outer box 60. Also, components such as an internal electrical unit and various wiring are attached to predetermined positions on inner box 70.

[0038] Next, each surface of the outer box 60 is attached so as to cover the outer periphery of the inner box 70. In this way, the outer shape of the heat-insulating box body 50 is formed.

[0039] Thereafter, with the back portion 50c of the insulating box 50 facing up, liquid foam insulating material (urethane foam material) is injected through the injection port 58 formed in the back portion 60c of the outer box 60. At this time, an injection nozzle 91 of an insulating material injection device is inserted into the injection port 58 (see FIG. 5). The foam insulating material discharged from the injection nozzle 91 into the insulating box 50 foams in sequence from the front side (front opening 50e side) to the back side in the space between the outer box 60 and the inner box 70, filling the space while increasing in volume. The foamed insulating material then hardens.

[0040] In other words, when insulating material is injected through each injection port 58 with the back portion 60c of the insulated box body 50 facing up, the insulating material flows down due to gravity through the side portions 50b and top portion of the insulated box body 50 toward the front portion 50e located at the bottom.

[0041] As described above, in this embodiment, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material over most of the area of ​​the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50. As the thickness of the side wall of the insulating box 50 becomes thinner, the space within the side wall through which the insulating material flows becomes narrower, making it more difficult for the insulating material to flow. When the vacuum insulation material 51 is provided inside the insulating box 50, the flow space for the insulating material becomes even narrower. This increases the possibility of voids (gaps) occurring within the insulating box 50 that are not filled with the foam insulation material after the injected insulating material has foamed.

[0042] For example, if the liquid foaming insulation material hits a wall surface inside the insulated box 50 when being injected, it may start to foam partially at that point, and later, when the insulation material is being filled while foaming from the front side of the insulated box 50, this partially foamed area may become an obstacle, causing uneven filling. In particular, areas not filled with foaming insulation material are likely to occur on the side surface 50b, which is thinner than the other surface parts.

[0043] (Configuration of structural support part of side wall of insulated box) Therefore, in this embodiment, a device is provided to promote the inflow of the foamed insulating material into the side surface portion 70b of the inner box 70, which forms the inner wall of the side surface portion 50b of the insulating box body 50. The configuration thereof will be described below.

[0044] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion (a portion surrounded by a solid line frame on the right side surface portion 50b) of the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a portion (a portion indicated by A) of the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a portion (a portion indicated by B) of the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 6.

[0045] Fig. 9 shows a schematic horizontal cross section of the inside of the vegetable compartment 12 of the insulated box body 50 as viewed from above. Fig. 9 also shows an enlarged view of a portion (the portion surrounded by a dashed line frame) of the insulated box body 50. In the overall cross section of Fig. 9, the vacuum insulation material 51 is not shown.

[0046] As shown in Figure 2 and other figures, the interior walls of the refrigerator formed by the inner box 70 are primarily composed of a top surface, side surfaces 70b, a back surface 70c, and a bottom surface 70d. The side surfaces 70b have portions that partially bulge toward the interior of the refrigerator. Examples of such portions include support portions for supporting structures such as partitions and storage containers placed inside the refrigerator.

[0047] For example, a plurality of shelf support portions are provided as support portions for supporting the structure in the upper portion of side surface portion 70b that forms the interior of refrigerator compartment 11. The shelf support portions hold shelves (not shown) that divide the interior of refrigerator compartment 11. In this embodiment, a plurality of shelf support portions, such as first shelf support portion 21a and second shelf support portion 21b, are provided in this order from the upper side of refrigerator compartment 11. The shelf support portions are arranged symmetrically on the left and right side surfaces 70b and 70b, respectively.

[0048] Furthermore, a holder attachment part 71 is provided as a support part for supporting the structure in the lower part of side part 70b that forms the interior of refrigeration compartment 11. A storage container holder 28 for holding a storage container (not shown) such as a chilled case that is placed below refrigeration compartment 11 is attached to holder attachment part 71. Storage container holder 28 is provided with rails 28a that hold the storage container in a state that allows it to slide back and forth.

[0049] Holding the storage container by the storage container holder 28 allows for a design that can withstand the load even when the weight of the storage container increases. Also, since there is no need to form a structure for directly holding the storage container on the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50, the structure of the inner wall of the side surface 50b can be simplified.

[0050] In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, a water tank (not shown) is disposed on the lower left side of the refrigerating compartment 11. Therefore, the holder attachment portion 71 and the storage container holder 28 are provided only on the right side surface portion 70b when viewed from the front. In another embodiment, the holder attachment portion 71 may be disposed symmetrically on both the left and right side surfaces 70b.

[0051] A partition mounting portion 72 is provided as a support portion for supporting the structure on the side surface portion 70b around the boundary between the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12. The first partition portion 54 is attached to the partition mounting portion 72. The partition mounting portions 72 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right side surface portions 70b, respectively.

[0052] A partition mounting portion 73 is provided as a support portion for supporting the structure on the side surface portion 70b around the boundary between the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13. The second partition portion 55 is attached to the partition mounting portion 73. The partition mounting portions 73 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right side surface portions 70b, respectively.

[0053] Of the support parts that support the structure, holder attachment part 71 has protrusion 71a on its upper side and protrusion 71b on its lower side. That is, storage container holder 28 held by holder attachment part 71 is sandwiched between protrusion 71a and protrusion 71b.

[0054] The protrusions 71 a and 71 b are wide portions that increase the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 inside the insulation box 50 .

[0055] That is, the thickness T2A of the foam insulation material 52 at the position where the protrusion 71a is arranged is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of ​​the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see FIG. 7). The thickness T2A is set, for example, to 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less, preferably 17 mm or more and 23 mm or less.

[0056] Furthermore, the thickness T2C of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 71b is arranged is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of ​​the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see FIG. 7). The thickness T2C is set, for example, to 15 mm or more and 35 mm or less, preferably 20 mm or more and 30 mm or less.

[0057] The thickness T2b of the foam insulation material 52 between the protrusions 71a and 71b (i.e., the region where the storage container holder 28 is arranged) is slightly larger than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in most of the region where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present on the side surface portion 50b (see FIG. 7). However, the thickness T2b of the foam insulation material 52 is smaller than the thickness T2A of the protrusions 71a and the thickness T2C of the protrusions 71b. The thickness T2b is set, for example, to be equal to or greater than 10 mm and equal to or less than 20 mm.

[0058] This provides a configuration that makes it easier to fill the inside of the insulating box with the foamed insulating material when injecting the foamed insulating material into the insulating box 50. More specifically, the fluidity of the foamed insulating material can be improved at the location of the storage container holder 28 on the side surface portion 50b of the insulating box 50.

[0059] Of the support parts that support the structure, partition mounting part 72 has a protrusion 72a on its upper side and a protrusion 72b on its lower side. That is, first partition part 54 attached to partition mounting part 72 is sandwiched between protrusions 72a and 72b.

[0060] The protrusions 72 a and 72 b are wide portions that increase the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 inside the insulation box 50 .

[0061] That is, the thickness T2C of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 72a is arranged is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of ​​the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see FIG. 7). The thickness T2C is set, for example, in the range of 15 mm to 35 mm, preferably 20 mm to 30 mm.

[0062] Furthermore, the thickness T2E of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 72b is arranged is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of ​​the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see FIG. 7). The thickness T2E is set, for example, to 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less, preferably 17 mm or more and 23 mm or less.

[0063] The thickness T2d of the foam insulation material 52 between the protrusions 72a and 72b (i.e., the area where the first partition 54 is arranged) is the same as or slightly smaller than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present on the side surface portion 50b (see FIG. 7). The thickness T2d is set, for example, to be equal to or greater than 5 mm and equal to or less than 13 mm.

[0064] Thus, the area through which the foamed insulating material can pass tends to be narrower in the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50 where the first partition 54 is located. Therefore, by providing protrusions 72a and 72b above and below the first partition 54 so as to increase the thickness of the foamed insulating material 52 inside the insulating box 50, the fluidity of the foamed insulating material can be improved in the area where the first partition 54 is located. This provides a configuration that makes it easier to fill the insulating box with the foamed insulating material when injecting it into the insulating box 50.

[0065] In this embodiment, the storage container holder 28 and the first partition 54 are arranged close to each other in the vertical direction (for example, the distance between them is approximately 10 cm or less). In such a configuration, the protrusion 71b (or 72b) located between the storage container holder 28 and the first partition 54 can be formed with a common structure. The thickness T2C of the foam insulation material 52 located between the storage container holder 28 and the first partition 54 is made larger than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in most of the area of ​​the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present.

[0066] This improves the fluidity of the foamed insulating material from the location where the storage container holder 28 is located to the location where the first partition 54 is located, thereby providing a configuration that makes it easier to fill the foamed insulating material inside the insulating box 50 when injecting it into the insulating box 50. It also improves the strength of the insulating box 50 from the location where the storage container holder 28 is located to the location where the first partition 54 is located.

[0067] Of the support parts that support the structure, partition mounting part 73 has a protrusion 73a on its upper side and a protrusion 73b on its lower side. That is, second partition part 55 attached to partition mounting part 73 is sandwiched between protrusions 73a and 73b.

[0068] The protrusions 73 a and 73 b are wide portions that increase the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 inside the insulation box 50 .

[0069] That is, the thickness T2F of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 73a is arranged is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of ​​the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see FIG. 8). The thickness T2F is set, for example, in the range of 15 mm to 25 mm, preferably 17 mm to 23 mm.

[0070] Furthermore, the thickness T2H of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 73b is arranged is larger than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of ​​the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see FIG. 8). The thickness T2H is set, for example, to 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less, preferably 17 mm or more and 23 mm or less.

[0071] The thickness T2g of the foam insulation material 52 between the protrusions 73a and 73b (i.e., the area where the second partition 55 is arranged) is the same as or slightly smaller than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present on the side surface portion 50b (see FIG. 8). The thickness T2g is set, for example, to be equal to or greater than 5 mm and equal to or less than 13 mm.

[0072] The area of ​​the side surface 50b where the dividers 54 and 55 are located does not directly face the interior of the storage compartment, and because dividers 54 and 55 are filled with insulating material, even if the foam insulation T2 on the inner box side is thin, it has little effect on the insulation of the storage compartment. Furthermore, by providing a large step between the dividers 54 and 55 and the protrusions on the top and bottom, the dividers 54 and 55 can be more reliably fitted between the protrusions, allowing the dividers extending from left to right to function as a structural member. For this reason, the thicknesses T2d and T2g of the dividers 54 and 55 may be equal to or less than the thickness T2.

[0073] Furthermore, since the back side of storage container holder 28 faces the storage compartment, it is desirable to ensure thermal insulation. The strength of storage container holder 28, which supports the storage containers in refrigerator compartment 11, may be lower than the area where dividers 54 and 55 are located. For this reason, thickness T2b of the back side of storage container holder 28 is preferably equal to or greater than thickness T2. In this way, the thickness of the foam insulation between the protrusions may be set according to the strength and thermal insulation requirements.

[0074] Thus, the area through which the foamed insulating material can pass tends to be narrower in the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50 where the second partition 55 is located. Therefore, by providing protrusions 73a and 73b above and below the second partition 55 to increase the thickness of the foamed insulating material 52 inside the insulating box 50, the fluidity of the foamed insulating material can be improved where the second partition 55 is located. This provides a configuration that makes it easier to fill the insulating box with the foamed insulating material when injecting it into the insulating box 50.

[0075] Meanwhile, on the lower back side of vegetable compartment 12 where second partition 55 is arranged, various structures are formed, such as vegetable compartment cool air duct member 43 that forms cool air duct 41, water supply pipe installation section 67A that installs a water supply pipe that supplies water to the ice maker, and cool air return port 47 (see FIG. 9). In this embodiment, vegetable compartment cool air duct member 43 is arranged in the center in the left-right direction, water supply pipe installation section 67A is arranged on the left side thereof, and return port 47 is arranged on the right side thereof.

[0076] As described above, such structures disposed on the back surface of second partition 55 can become obstacles that may impede the flow of the foam insulation. For example, narrow portion 59a, which is close to each other, exists between crisper cool air duct member 43 and water supply pipe installation section 67A (see FIG. 9). Also, narrow portion 59b, which is close to each other, exists between crisper cool air duct member 43 and return port 47 (see FIG. 9).

[0077] The presence of these narrow portions 59a and 59b creates areas within second partition 55 where the inflow of insulating material is restricted when the foam insulating material is filled in. This may result in the formation of voids (spaces) within second partition 55 that are not filled with foam insulating material.

[0078] Therefore, in this embodiment, the thickness of the side surface portion 50b of the insulating box 50 at the position of the second partition portion 55 is set so that the thickness on the back side is greater than the thickness on the front side. Specifically, a step portion 56 is provided between the back side and the front side of the side surface portion 50b of the insulating box 50 at the position of the second partition portion 55 (see FIG. 9). The step portion 56 is provided on the side surface portion 70b of the inner box 70.

[0079] As a result, the thickness T3 on the back side of the side surface 50b at the position where the second partition 55 is arranged is greater than the thickness T4 on the front side. In one example, the thickness T3 is set to be 30 mm or more and 55 mm or less, preferably 35 mm or more and 45 mm or less, and the thickness T4 is set to be 15 mm or more and 45 mm or less, preferably 25 mm or more and 35 mm or less.

[0080] When thicknesses T3 and T4 are set as described above, thickness T2 of foam insulation 52 on the front side of step 56 can be, for example, 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less (preferably, 8 mm or more and 13 mm or less). In contrast, thickness T2a (see FIG. 9) of foam insulation 52 on the rear side of step 56 can be, for example, 10 mm or more and 35 mm or less (preferably, 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less).

[0081] This provides a configuration that makes it easier to fill the inside of the insulating box with the foamed insulating material when injecting the foamed insulating material into the insulating box 50. More specifically, it is possible to promote the flow of the foamed insulating material into the back portion of the second partition 55.

[0082] (Summary of the first embodiment) As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes an insulated box 50. The insulated box 50 has an inner box 70 and an outer box 60. A vacuum insulation material 51 is disposed on the outer box side of the insulated box 50. The inside of the insulated box 50 is filled with foam insulation material 52. At least one injection port 58 for injecting foam insulation material is provided on the back surface of the insulated box 50.

[0083] In the side portion 50b of the insulating box 50, in most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present, at least half or more, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52. The side wall of the inner box 70 is provided with support portions (specifically, holding portion mounting portion 71, partition mounting portion 72, partition mounting portion 73) that support the structure to be placed inside the storage compartment, and the above and below the support portions are wide portions that expand the thickness of the foam insulation material.

[0084] That is, the holder mounting portion 71 has a protrusion 71a above it and a protrusion 71b below it. The partition mounting portion 72 has a protrusion 72a above it and a protrusion 72b below it. The partition mounting portion 73 has a protrusion 73a above it and a protrusion 73b below it.

[0085] The above configuration makes it easier to fill the insulating box with the foamed insulating material when injecting the foamed insulating material into the insulating box 50. More specifically, the fluidity of the foamed insulating material can be improved at the locations where the storage container holder 28, the first partition 54, and the second partition 55 are arranged.

[0086] As described above, the insulating box 50 according to this embodiment can be configured to allow the foam insulating material to flow more easily inside the insulating box when it is injected. This makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the side surfaces of the insulating box 50 and reduce the possibility of areas inside the insulating box 50 not being filled with the foam insulating material.

[0087] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, an example has been given in which the storage container holder 28 and the first partition 54 are disposed close to each other in the vertical direction. However, the storage container holder 28 may be disposed at a position separated from the first partition 54.

[0088] In the heat-insulating box 50 according to the second embodiment, the storage container holder 28 is disposed higher up. Therefore, the distance between the storage container holder 28 and the first partition 54 is, for example, 20 cm or more.

[0089] In this configuration, the protrusion 71b below the storage container holder 28 and the protrusion 72a above the first partition 54 are separate from each other. The thickness of the foam insulation material 52 located between the protrusions 71b and 72a is approximately the same as the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in most, or at least half of, the area of ​​the side surface 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is located. This allows the internal volume of the insulated box 50 to be increased.

[0090] <Third embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment and the like described above, storage containers and dividers have been used as examples of structures to be placed inside the refrigerator. However, the structures to be placed inside the refrigerator are not limited to these.

[0091] In the heat-insulating box 50 according to the third embodiment, protrusions are provided above and below the support sections that support the shelves, water tanks, and other structures disposed inside the storage compartment. Each protrusion serves as a wide section that increases the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 inside the heat-insulating box 50.

[0092] The insulating box 50 according to this embodiment can be configured to allow the foam insulating material to flow more easily inside the insulating box when it is injected. This allows the side surfaces of the insulating box 50 to be made thinner, while reducing the possibility of areas inside the insulating box 50 not being filled with the foam insulating material.

[0093] (summary) An insulating box (e.g., insulating box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention has an inner box (e.g., inner box 70) and an outer box (e.g., outer box 60). This insulating box is equipped with a vacuum insulating material (e.g., vacuum insulating material 51) disposed within the insulating box, a foam insulating material (e.g., foam insulating material 52) filled inside the insulating box, and at least one injection port (e.g., injection port 58) disposed on the back surface of the insulating box for injecting material for the foam insulating material. In the side portion (e.g., side portion 50b) of the insulated box body, there are more areas where the thickness (e.g., thickness T2) of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is less than the thickness (e.g., thickness T1) of the vacuum insulation material than areas where the thickness is equal to or greater than the thickness (e.g., thickness T1) of the vacuum insulation material, and the side wall (e.g., side portion 70b) of the inner box is provided with support portions (e.g., holder mounting portion 71, partition mounting portion 72, partition mounting portion 73) that support structures (e.g., storage container holder 28, first partition portion 54, second partition portion 55) to be placed inside the cabinet, and above and below the support portions are wide portions (e.g., protrusions 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b, 73a, and 73b) that expand the thickness of the foam insulation material.

[0094] In the insulated box according to one aspect of the present invention described above (for example, insulated box 50), the structure disposed inside the storage compartment may be a partition (for example, first partition 54, second partition 55) that separates the storage compartment.

[0095] In the insulated box according to one aspect of the present invention described above (e.g., insulated box 50), the structure placed inside the refrigerator may be a holder (e.g., storage container holder 28) that holds a storage container placed inside the refrigerator.

[0096] In the heat insulating box (e.g., heat insulating box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention, in a location where the partition (e.g., first partition portion 54, second partition portion 55) and the holder (e.g., storage container holder 28) are close to each other, the thickness (e.g., thickness T2C) of the foam insulation material located between the partition and the holder is foam insulationIt may be larger than the thickness (for example, thickness T2).

[0097] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator (for example, refrigerator 1). This refrigerator includes an insulating box (for example, insulating box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0098] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. Furthermore, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in this specification are also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1: Refrigerator 21a: First shelf support part 21b: Second shelf support part 28: Storage container holder (structure) 50: Insulated box 50b: Side portion (of the heat-insulating box) 50c: Rear part (of the insulated box) 51: Vacuum insulation material 52: Foam insulation 54: First partition (structure) 55: Second partition (structure) 58: Inlet 60: Outer box 70: Inner box 70b: Side part (of inner box) 70c: (inner box) back 71: Retaining part mounting part (support part) 71a: Protrusion (wide part) 71b: Protrusion (wide part) 72: Partition mounting part (support part) 72a: Protrusion (wide part) 72b: Protrusion (wide part) 73: Partition mounting part (support part) 73a: Protrusion (wide part) 73b: Protrusion (wide part) T1: Thickness of the vacuum insulation material on the side of the insulation box T2: Thickness of foam insulation on the side of the insulated box T2A: Thickness of foam insulation in the wide portion 71a T2b: Thickness of the foam insulation material in the area where the container holder 28 is located T2C: Thickness of foam insulation in the wide portions 71b and 72a T2d: Thickness of the foam insulation material in the area where the first partition 54 is located T2E: Thickness of the foam insulation in the wide portion 72b T2F: Thickness of foam insulation in the wide portion 73a T2g: Thickness of the foam insulation material in the area where the second partition 55 is located T2H: Thickness of the foam insulation material in the wide portion 73b

Claims

1. A refrigerator having a heat-insulating box body having an inner box and an outer box, The heat-insulating box body is A vacuum insulation material arranged on the outer box side inside the insulation box; A foam insulation material filled inside the insulation box; at least one injection port for injecting the foam insulation material into a space between the inner box and the vacuum insulation material within the insulation box; Equipped with In the side portion of the insulating box, the area where the thickness of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is less than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material is more than the area where the thickness is equal to or greater than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material, A storage container holder is provided on a side wall of the inner box to hold a storage container to be placed inside the cabinet in a state where the storage container can slide back and forth, The upper and lower portions of the container holder are widened portions that increase the thickness of the foam insulation material, The storage container holder is fixed in a state where it is sandwiched between the wide portions, A refrigerator in which the thickness of the foam insulation material between the wide portions is greater than the thickness of the majority of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material on the side portions of the insulated box body, and is smaller than the thickness of the wide portions.

2. The heat-insulating box has a partition below the storage container holder that separates the interior of the storage space into upper and lower sections, a second wide portion for expanding the thickness of the foam insulation material formed below the partition, and the partition is fixed in a sandwiched state between the second wide portion and the second wide portion provided below the storage container holder; the thickness of the wide portion provided below the storage container holder is greater than the thickness of the wide portion provided above the storage container holder; The refrigerator according to claim 1.

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