Insulated door and refrigerator using the same

Abstract

To provide a heat insulating door out of which a foam heat insulation material foamed in situ hardly flows.SOLUTION: A heat insulating door comprises an integral design surface material extending to a side surface via a left or right curved surface from a front surface, and a frame member attached to an upper edge or a lower edge of the design surface material, and comprising an opposed surface opposed to back sides of the front surface, the curved surface, and the side surface, and is filled with a foam heat insulation material foamed in situ. The design surface material comprises an insertion part extending to the inside of the heat insulating door, in the upper edge or the lower edge. The frame member comprises an insertion receiving part into which the insertion part is inserted, on an outer peripheral side in a vertical direction of the opposed surface. A horizontal dimension of the insertion part formed in the side surface on a side close to the curved surface is shorter than that on a side far from the curved surface. A vertical dimension of the insertion receiving part formed on the outer peripheral side of the opposed surface opposed to the back side of the side surface on the side close to the curved surface is larger than that on the side far from the curved surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat-insulating door and a refrigerator using the same.

Background Art

[0002] The door for opening and closing the storage compartment of a refrigerator is generally constituted by filling a foamed heat-insulating material between a decorative surface material, a frame member attached to the edge of the decorative surface material, and an inner plate provided on the back side of the decorative surface material. Patent Document 1 discloses a heat-insulating door in which the upper end surface of the decorative surface material (outer plate) is bent in the depth direction and the bent portion is fitted into an engaging groove of the frame member (upper surface frame). Further, Patent Document 1 also discloses that since the fitting region between the decorative surface material and the frame member is provided in the depth direction instead of the outer surface of the decorative surface material in the front view, the frame member becomes less conspicuous (paragraph 0047).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses that, also on the right side of the door, the end surface of the decorative surface material is bent in the depth direction, but it does not disclose how to fit the upper and lower edges of the bent portion with the frame member. If the upper and lower edges of the side surface of the decorative surface material are further bent to the left and an engaging groove is formed and fitted to the right end portion of the frame member, in the vicinity of the front curved surface, compared with the rear, the bent portion cannot be made large and the fitting margin is small, so the foamed heat-insulating material for in-situ foaming is likely to flow out.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention, made in view of the above circumstances, is an insulated door filled with a foamed insulation material that is foamed in place, comprising: an integral design surface material extending from the front through a left or right curved surface to the side; and a frame member attached to the upper or lower edge of the design surface material and having an opposing surface facing the front, the curved surface, and the back side of the side; wherein the design surface material has an insertion portion at its upper or lower edge that extends inward to the inside of the insulated door; the frame member has an insertion portion on the outer peripheral side in the vertical direction of the opposing surface into which the insertion portion is inserted; the left-right dimension of the insertion portion formed on the side is shorter on the side closer to the curved surface than on the side further from the curved surface; and the vertical dimension of the insertion portion formed on the outer peripheral side of the opposing surface facing the back side of the side is larger on the side closer to the curved surface than on the side further from the curved surface. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] Front view of refrigerator 1. [Figure 2] Figure 1A is a perspective view of the right front ceiling area as seen from the front. [Figure 3] A perspective view of the insulated door of the refrigerator compartment, seen from the front. [Figure 4] Figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the insulated door. [Figure 5] A perspective view of the upper right edge of the decorative panel, seen from the front. [Figure 6] A perspective view of the right side of the upper frame, seen from the front. [Figure 7] A horizontal cross-sectional view of the front right portion of the refrigerator compartment, shown as B in Figure 1. [Figure 8A] A perspective view of the upper right portion of the insulated door in the comparative example, seen from the front. [Figure 8B] A cross-sectional view as seen from the direction of arrow C in Figure 8A. [Figure 9A] A perspective view of the upper right portion of the insulated door in the embodiment, seen from the front. [Figure 9B] A cross-sectional view as seen from the direction of arrow E in Figure 9A. [Figure 10] A horizontal cross-sectional view of the gasket extending vertically along the right side of an insulated door. [Figure 11] A horizontal cross-sectional view of the right side of the refrigerator compartment when the insulated door is open. [Figure 12] A perspective view of the upper right edge of the decorative panel, seen from the rear. [Figure 13] A perspective view of the upper right edge of the top frame, seen from the rear. [Figure 14] Figure 13 shows a cross-sectional view as seen from the direction of arrow G. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the left and right directions refer to the left and right when viewed from the front by the user.

[0008] ≪Refrigerator≫ First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a front view of the refrigerator 1. As shown in Figure 1, the refrigerator 1 is equipped with storage compartments in the following order from top to bottom: a refrigerator compartment 2, an ice-making compartment 3 and an upper freezer compartment 4, a lower freezer compartment 5 and a vegetable compartment 6. The insulated doors 2a and 2b that open and close the refrigerator compartment 2 are of the pivot type, rotating around a hinge, while the insulated door 3a that opens and closes the ice-making compartment 3, the insulated door 4a that opens and closes the upper freezer compartment 4, the insulated door 5a that opens and closes the lower freezer compartment 5 and the insulated door 6a that opens and closes the vegetable compartment 6 are of the pull-out type. Furthermore, the arrangement and number of each storage compartment and its insulated door are not limited to the example in Figure 1.

[0009] The insulated box of refrigerator 1 comprises an outer box made of steel plate and an inner box made of resin. Foamed insulation material such as rigid polyurethane foam that is foamed on-site, or vacuum insulation material such as glass wool, is placed in the space formed by the outer box and the inner box, insulating each storage compartment inside the insulated box from the outside.

[0010] ≪Hinge≫ On the left and right sides of the top surface of the top panel, which forms part of the outer box, hinges are fixed for rotating the insulated doors 2a and 2b, respectively. In the following explanation, we will use the right-hand insulated door 2b, one of the rotating doors that open and close the refrigerator compartment 2, as an example.

[0011] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the upper right front ceiling portion shown at A in Figure 1 as seen from the front. As shown in Figure 2, a hinge cover 8 is attached from the upper right part of the heat insulation door 2b to the upper right front part of the top plate 7a. Although not shown, the hinge includes a mounting portion for fixing to the top plate 7a, and a hinge shaft (hinge pin) that extends downward and serves as the rotation center of the door (heat insulation door 2b). Also, behind the hinge, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the outside air, a humidity sensor for measuring the humidity of the outside air, etc. are provided. And the hinge and each sensor are covered with the hinge cover 8 so as not to be visible to the user.

[0012] ≪Heat insulation door≫ Figure 3 is a perspective view of the heat insulation door of the refrigerator as seen from the front, and Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the heat insulation door of Figure 2.

[0013] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the heat insulation door 2b includes a design surface material 21 (outer plate) provided on the front side (front) to form a design surface, an upper frame 22 which is a frame member attached to the upper edge of the design surface material 21, a lower frame 23 which is a frame member attached to the lower edge of the design surface material 21, and an inner plate 24 (liner) provided on the back side (rear) of the design surface material 21. Although omitted in Figures 3 and 4, the heat insulation door 2b has, in the space surrounded by the design surface material 21, the upper frame 22, the lower frame 23, and the inner plate 24, in addition to a vacuum heat insulation material, a foam heat insulation material that is filled by on-site foaming.

[0014] (Design surface material) The decorative panel 21 is constructed by bending a steel plate so that it extends from the front surface 211 through the left and right curved surfaces 212 to the side surface 213. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the upper right edge of the decorative panel as seen from the front. The upper edge of the decorative panel 21 has an insertion portion that extends inward into the insulated door 2b. Specifically, the upper edge of the front surface 211 has a front insertion portion 211a that extends backward, and the upper edge of the side surface 213 has a side insertion portion 213a that extends to the left. These insertion portions are inserted into the insertion portions formed in the upper frame 22, which will be described later, when the decorative panel 21 is attached to the upper frame 22. In addition, the front surface 211, the curved surface 212, and the front portion of the side surface 213 that is closer to the curved surface 212 (front side surface) extend upward compared to the rear portion of the side surface 213 that is further away from the curved surface 212 (rear side surface).

[0015] (Frame member) The frame members, the upper frame 22 and the lower frame 23, are made of resin material and extend from the left end to the right end of the insulated door 2b. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the right side of the upper frame from the front. As shown in Figure 6, the upper frame 22 includes a front facing surface 221 that faces the back surface of the front surface 211 of the design surface material 21, a curved facing surface 222 that faces the back surface of the curved surface 212 of the design surface material 21, and a side facing surface 223 that faces the back surface of the side surface 213 of the design surface material 21. The upper frame 22 also has a front insertion part 221a on the upper side of the front facing surface 221 (the outer periphery side of the insulated door 2b) into which the front insertion part 211a is inserted, and a side insertion part 223a on the upper side of the side facing surface 223 (the outer periphery side of the insulated door 2b) into which the side insertion part 213a is inserted. Furthermore, the upper frame 22 is provided with a cylindrical hinge shaft housing portion 224 that protrudes downward and accommodates the hinge shaft. Note that each opposing surface, each insertion portion, and the hinge shaft housing portion 224 are integrally formed. The lower frame 23 can also be constructed in the same manner as the upper frame 22 described above.

[0016] Here, with respect to the upper frame 22, as shown in Figure 6, the front opposing surface 221 extends higher than the rear side opposing surface 223, and the position of the front insertion portion 221a is higher than the position of the rear side insertion portion 223a. Therefore, it is possible to attach the aforementioned decorative surface material 21, in which the front surface 211 etc. extends higher than the rear side surface, to the upper frame 22. As a result, as shown in Figure 2, at least a part of the hinge cover 8 that covers the hinge including the hinge axis is located within the rear projection of the decorative surface material 21, so that the hinge cover 8 is less visible to the user, improving the aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator.

[0017] (inner plate) The inner panel 24, positioned on the rear surface of the insulated door 2b, is made of resin material and is fixed to the rear sides of the left and right sides 213 of the decorative surface material 21. Figure 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the front right portion of the refrigerator compartment shown as B in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 7, the rear surface of the inner panel 24 has a ridge portion 241 on all four sides (top, bottom, left, and right) that protrudes toward the refrigerator compartment 2 inside the box and prevents cold air from flowing toward the edge of the insulated door 2b. In addition, a recess 242 is provided on the outer periphery of the inner panel 24 beyond the ridge portion 241, surrounding the top, bottom, left, and right sides, and a packing 25 is inserted into this recess 242. A hollow magnet storage section is formed on the rear side of the packing 25, and a magnet 251 (magnetic material) is embedded inside this magnet storage section.

[0018] On the other hand, the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2 (the front of the side wall of the box body) is formed by an outer box 7 made of steel plate. Therefore, when the insulated door 2b is closed, the steel plate outer box 7 located at the front opening and the magnet 251 embedded in the packing 25 are attracted to each other by magnetic force, and the magnet housing is pulled towards the box body. At this time, the packing 25 elastically deforms, and the rear surface of the magnet housing comes into close contact with the surface of the front opening, thus sealing the space between the insulated door 2b and the box body and preventing leakage of cold air.

[0019] ≪Mounting structure between decorative panel and upper frame≫ Next, the mounting structure between the design surface material 21 and the upper frame 22 will be explained based on comparative examples and examples.

[0020] (Comparative example) Figure 8A is a perspective view of the upper right portion of the comparative example's insulated door, seen from the front, and Figure 8B is a cross-sectional view as seen in Figure 8A, as indicated by arrow C. Note that the hinge is not shown in Figures 8A and 8B. The comparative example has a structure in which the design panel 21 is slid upward relative to the upper frame 22, and the upper end of the side surface 213 of the design panel 21 is inserted into a downwardly opening insertion part formed in the upper frame 22. In other words, in the comparative example, a portion of the surface of the side surface 213 of the design panel 21, near the upper end, is covered by the upper frame 22.

[0021] (Examples) Figure 9A is a perspective view of the upper right portion of the insulated door of the embodiment, viewed from the front, and Figure 9B is a cross-sectional view as seen in Figure 9A, as indicated by arrow E. Note that the hinge is not shown in Figures 9A and 9B. The embodiment has a structure in which a side insertion portion 213a formed on the upper edge of the side surface 213 of the decorative surface material 21 is inserted to the left into a side insertion portion 223a formed on the upper frame 22 that opens to the right. In other words, in the embodiment, the surface of the side surface 213 of the decorative surface material 21 is not covered by the upper frame 22 and is exposed up to near the upper end, so the decorative surface material 21 appears large and has a high aesthetic appeal.

[0022] The mounting structure between the design surface material 21 and the upper frame 22 in the embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0023] As shown in Figure 9B, the upper edge of the side surface 213 of the decorative panel 21 is bent inward into the insulated door 2b, forming a side insertion portion 213a that extends to the left. On the other hand, the side insertion portion 223a of the upper frame 22 has an outer protrusion formed on the outer circumference (upper side) in the vertical direction and an inner protrusion formed on the inner circumference (lower side) in the vertical direction. The outer circumference (upper surface) of the side insertion portion 213a of the decorative panel 21 abuts against the inner circumference (lower surface) of the outer protrusion of the side insertion portion 223a of the upper frame 22, thereby supporting the decorative panel 21 on the upper frame 22. Furthermore, the side-facing surface 223 that extends downward continuously from the right end of the inner protrusion extends in the front-to-back direction to approximately the same length as the front-to-back dimension of the side surface 213 of the decorative panel 21, making it possible to support the side surface 213 over a relatively wide area.

[0024] When foam insulation is filled with the decorative surface material 21 etc. attached to the upper frame 22, the foam insulation flows in as shown by arrow F in Figure 9B. The foam insulation that flows between the hinge shaft housing portion 224 of the upper frame 22 and the side surface 213 of the decorative surface material 21 is basically blocked by the opposing side surface 223. At this time, some of the foam insulation may go over the opposing side surface 223 and flow into the insertion space partitioned by the side insertion portion 223a of the upper frame 22 and the side surface 213 of the decorative surface material 21. However, even if the foam insulation flows into the insertion space, the side insertion portion 213a of the decorative surface material 21 and the outer protrusion of the side insertion portion 223a of the upper frame 22 are in contact, making it difficult for the foam insulation to flow out of the insertion space. Furthermore, the presence of the foamed insulation material, including the insertion space, between the hinge shaft housing portion 224 of the upper frame 22 and the side surface 213 of the decorative surface material 21 is expected to improve the rigidity and thermal insulation performance of the insulated door 2b.

[0025] Since the side insertion portion 213a of the design surface material 21 extends toward the inside (left side) of the insulated door 2b, the side insertion portion 223a (especially the outward protrusion) of the upper frame 22 also needs to extend in the left-right direction to provide a contact area. For this reason, in this embodiment, the position of the hinge shaft housing portion 224, which is formed integrally with the side insertion portion 223a, is moved toward the inside (left side) of the insulated door 2b. Note that the dashed line D in Figure 9B indicates the center position of the hinge shaft in the comparative example.

[0026] Here, it is also conceivable to create a configuration in which, without moving the position of the hinge shaft housing portion 224, a through hole is provided in a part of the vertical wall surface forming the hinge shaft housing portion 224, and the side insertion portion 213a of the design surface material 21 is inserted into this through hole. However, in such a configuration, there is a possibility that the foam insulation material that has flowed into the insertion space may flow out through the through hole. In contrast, in the configuration of the embodiment, the wall surface of the hinge shaft housing portion 224 is located on the imaginary extension line of the side insertion portion 213a, and the insertion space and the housing space of the hinge shaft housing portion 224 are separated, so the outflow of the foam insulation material can be prevented.

[0027] However, when the hinge axis moves to the inside (left side) of the insulated door 2b, the gasket 25 provided on the peripheral edge of the rear surface of the inner panel 24 will come even closer to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2 when the insulated door 2b is opened. Therefore, in this embodiment, the gasket 25 is configured as follows.

[0028] <<Packing structure>> Figure 10 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the gasket extending vertically on the right side of the insulated door, and Figure 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the right side of the refrigerator compartment when the insulated door is open. As shown in Figure 10, the rear surface of the gasket 25 extending vertically on the right side, which is the pivot point of the insulated door 2b, has its outer circumference (right side) in the left-right direction positioned further forward than its inner circumference (left side). Therefore, as shown in Figure 11, even when the insulated door 2b is open, the outer circumference (right side) of the gasket 25 can avoid contact with the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2, or the degree of contact can be reduced, thereby suppressing deterioration of the gasket 25 due to wear.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the gasket 25 is provided with a partition portion 252 that extends in the front-to-back direction and divides the internal space into left and right sections. If the partition portion 252 were absent, the gasket 25 would be prone to deformation when it came into contact with the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2. This deformation and deterioration could reduce the contact width between the gasket 25 and the surface of the front opening when the door is closed, as shown in Figure 7. In contrast, with the partition portion 252 present, even if a left-to-right force, as indicated by arrow M in Figure 11, is applied to the gasket 25 when it comes into contact with the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2, the gasket 25 is less likely to deform, thus preventing deformation and deterioration.

[0030] Furthermore, when the insulated door 2b is closed, as shown in Figure 7, the magnet 251 embedded in the packing 25 causes the packing 25 to elastically deform and adhere tightly to the surface of the front opening, so that no gap is created on the outer circumference (right side) of the packing 25.

[0031] ≪Dimensional relationship between the insertion part and the part to be inserted≫ Figure 12 is a perspective view of the upper right edge of the decorative panel, seen from the rear. As mentioned above, the side insertion portion 213a of the decorative panel 21 abuts against the outer protrusion of the side insertion portion 223a of the upper frame 22, making it difficult for the foam insulation material that has flowed into the insertion space to flow out. However, since the decorative panel 21 is formed by pressing and bending from the front surface 211 to the side surface 213, it is difficult to increase the amount that the insertion portion extends inward into the insulated door 2b near the curved surface 212. In other words, the left-right dimension of the side insertion portion 213a is inevitably shorter on the side closer to the curved surface 212 (front side) compared to the side further from the curved surface 212 (rear side). Therefore, on the front side, the contact area between the side insertion portion 213a and the side insertion portion 223a is small, making it easy for the foam insulation material that has flowed into the insertion space to flow out.

[0032] Therefore, in this embodiment, the front insertion space is made longer in the vertical direction compared to the rear side, making it easier for the foam insulation material to remain in the insertion space. Figure 13 is a perspective view of the upper right edge of the upper frame seen from the rear. As can be seen from Figure 13, in this embodiment, the vertical opening dimensions of the side insertion portion 223a of the upper frame 22 are larger on the side closer to the curved surface 212 (dashed line J) than on the side further from the curved surface 212 (dashed line H).

[0033] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view as seen in Figure 13, as indicated by arrow G. When foam insulation is introduced as indicated by arrow K in Figure 14, some of the foam insulation may flow over the opposing side surface 223 and into the insertion space partitioned by the side insertion portion 223a of the upper frame 22 and the side surface 213 of the decorative surface material 21. However, as shown in Figure 14, since the insertion space is wide in the vertical direction, even if the contact area between the outer protrusion of the side insertion portion 223a and the side insertion portion 213a is small, the foam insulation is unlikely to flow out of the insertion space.

[0034] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, in the embodiments described above, the decorative surface material 21 was formed from a steel plate, but the decorative surface material 21 may be formed from resin. Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the case of a double-hinged door (French door) was used as an example for the insulated door of the refrigerator compartment 2, but a single door may also be used. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 1...Refrigerator, 2...Refrigerator compartment, 2a,2b...Insulated door (of the refrigerator compartment), 3...Ice maker compartment, 3a...Insulated door (of the ice maker compartment), 4...Upper freezer compartment, 4a...Insulated door (of the upper freezer compartment), 5...Lower freezer compartment, 5a...Insulated door (of the lower freezer compartment), 6...Vegetable compartment, 6a...Insulated door (of the vegetable compartment), 7...Outer box, 7a...Top panel, 8...Hinge cover, 21...Decorative panel, 211...Front (of the decorative panel), 211a...Front Insertion part, 212...Curved surface (of the design surface material), 213...Side (of the design surface material), 213a...Side insertion part, 22...Upper frame, 221...Front opposing surface, 221a...Front insertion part, 222...Curved opposing surface, 223...Side opposing surface, 223a...Side insertion part, 224...Hinge shaft housing part, 23...Lower frame, 24...Inner plate, 241...Embankment part, 242...Recess, 25...Packing, 251...Magnet, 252...Partition part

Claims

1. A single design surface material extending from the front through the left and right curved surfaces to the left and right sides, A frame member attached to the upper edge of the design surface material, having a front facing surface facing the back side of the front surface, a curved facing surface facing the back side of the left or right curved surface, and a side facing surface facing the back side of the left or right side surface, An insulated door equipped with and filled with foamed insulation material that is foamed on-site, The aforementioned design surface material has, at its upper edge, a front insertion portion extending from the front to the rear of the insulated door, and a side insertion portion extending from the side to the left and right inner sides of the insulated door. The frame member has a front insertion portion on the upper side of the front facing surface into which the front insertion portion is inserted in the front-rear direction, The upper side of the aforementioned opposing side surface has a side insertion portion into which the side insertion portion is inserted, The aforementioned side insertion portion includes an edge that extends vertically on the side surface, The aforementioned edge includes the upper edge of the curved surface, The left-right dimension of the side insertion portion formed on the side surface is shorter on the edge than on the portion behind the edge and in front of the rear surface. The side insertion portion on the side furthest from the curved surface is located below the front insertion portion and in a range where it partially overlaps with the curved opposing surface when viewed in the front-to-back direction, when inserted into the side insertion portion. The vertical dimension of the side insertion portion formed on the outer circumference of the side facing surface opposite to the back side of the side is larger on the side closer to the curved surface than on the side further from the curved surface. Insulated door.

2. In claim 1, The aforementioned design surface material has a front surface, a curved surface, and a side surface that is closer to the curved surface, which extends upward compared to the side surface that is further away from the curved surface. The upper frame, which is the frame member attached to the upper edge of the design surface material, has a hinge shaft housing portion that houses the hinge shaft which serves as the pivot point of the insulated door. An insulated door in which at least a portion of a hinge cover that covers a hinge including the hinge axis is located within the rear projection of the design surface material.

3. In claim 2, An insulated door in which the foamed insulation material is present in an insertion space partitioned by the side surface of the design surface material and the side insertion portion.

4. In claim 3, An insulated door in which the insertion space and the storage space in which the hinge shaft is housed are separated.

5. In claim 1, The aforementioned side insertion portion has an outer protrusion formed on the outer circumference in the vertical direction and an inner protrusion formed on the inner circumference in the vertical direction. An insulating door in which the outer peripheral surface of the side insertion portion of the design surface material abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the outer protrusion.

6. A refrigerator equipped with an insulated door as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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