Refrigerator

Abstract

This refrigerator comprises: a housing which includes an opening on the front surface thereof, and which includes therein a storage chamber for storing foodstuff; a door which is provided to the front surface of the housing and which opens and closes the storage chamber; a lighting unit which is provided inside the storage chamber and which comprises a lighting device and a cover; and an opening / closing detection device which includes a detection unit for detecting the opening / closing of the door. The lighting device and the detection unit are integrated.

Description

refrigerator

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator equipped with an open / close detection device that detects whether a door is open or closed, and an illumination device that illuminates the interior of the refrigerator.

[0002] Conventionally, refrigerators are provided with an open / close detection device for detecting whether the door is open or closed, and a lighting device for illuminating the interior of the refrigerator. The open / close detection device detects that the refrigerator door has been opened and transmits an electric signal to a control device that controls the refrigerator. The control device then transmits a command to the lighting device to turn on the light, and the lighting device turns on upon receiving the command. For example, a magnetic sensor is used as the open / close detection device, and for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is used as the light source of the lighting device.

[0003] Various positions and methods have been proposed for arranging the open / close detection device and the lighting device inside a refrigerator. For example, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, the open / close detection device is arranged on a portion of a partition wall that separates each storage compartment, facing the door, and the lighting device is arranged on the ceiling surface of the storage compartment. In addition, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 2, the open / close detection device and the lighting device are housed in a storage case and arranged on the partition wall that separates the storage compartment. In addition, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 3, the open / close detection device and the lighting device are housed in a box and arranged on the top of the refrigerator.

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 5082778 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-20122 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-239452

[0005] Here, when the open / close detection device and the lighting device are disposed separately as separate entities as in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, the elements, board, and wiring of the open / close detection device and the light-emitting element, board, cover, and wiring of the lighting device are each attached to the refrigerator as separate entities, which poses a problem of increased labor and costs involved in attaching the open / close detection device and the lighting device.

[0006] In addition, as in the refrigerators described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, by disposing the open / close detection device on the partition wall of the storage compartment, it is necessary to provide a space for disposing the open / close detection unit inside the partition wall. Furthermore, in the refrigerators described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the open / close detection device and the lighting device, which are separate units, are housed in a storage case or box, so it is necessary to assemble the open / close detection device and the lighting device separately to the box or wiring. In these cases, too, there have been problems with increased man-hours and costs during manufacturing.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-described problems, and aims to provide a refrigerator that can reduce the number of manufacturing steps and costs.

[0008] A refrigerator according to the present disclosure includes a housing having an opening on its front side and having a storage compartment therein for storing food, a door provided on the front side of the housing for opening and closing the storage compartment, a lighting unit provided in the storage compartment and having a lighting device and a cover, and an open / close detection device having a detection unit for detecting whether the door is open or closed, the lighting device and the detection unit being integrally configured. Also, a refrigerator according to the present disclosure includes a housing having an opening on its front side and having a storage compartment therein for storing food, a door provided on the front side of the housing for opening and closing the storage compartment, a lighting unit provided in the storage compartment and having a lighting device and a cover, and an open / close detection device for detecting whether the door is open or closed, the lighting device and the open / close detection device being integrally configured.

[0009] According to the refrigerator of the present disclosure, the lighting device and the detection unit or the opening / closing detection device are configured as an integrated unit, which makes it possible to standardize the parts that were previously used in the lighting device and the opening / closing detection device, and to simplify the installation work, thereby reducing the labor hours and costs during manufacturing.

[0010] 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the refrigerator according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the refrigerator according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first configuration example of a lighting unit according to embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second configuration example of a lighting unit according to embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a third configuration example of a lighting unit according to embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a fourth configuration example of a lighting unit according to embodiment 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a fifth configuration example of a lighting unit according to embodiment 1. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a refrigerator according to embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the tilt angle of the optical axis L of the LEDs in the lighting unit about the x-axis. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the tilt angle of the optical axis L of the LEDs in the lighting unit about the z-axis. FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of a refrigerator according to embodiment 2. FIG. 13 is an example of a circuit diagram of a lighting unit and a control device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 14 is another example of a circuit diagram of a lighting unit and a control device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram of a lighting unit and a control device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of lighting units in the up-down direction according to embodiment 3. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the up-down arrangement of lighting units according to embodiment 3. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the up-down arrangement of lighting units according to a first comparative example. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the up-down arrangement of lighting units according to a second comparative example. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the positions of lighting units and operating units according to embodiment 3, with the same configuration as FIG. 5 . FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the front-rear arrangement of lighting units according to a comparative example. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the front-rear arrangement of lighting units according to embodiment 3. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the left-right arrangement of lighting units according to a comparative example. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the left-right arrangement of lighting units according to embodiment 3. A schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a refrigerator compartment according to embodiment 4. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a first example of arrangement of lighting units according to embodiment 4. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a modified example of the first example of arrangement of lighting units according to embodiment 4. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the positions of lighting units, guide pins, a rotating partition body, and an operating unit according to embodiment 4. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a second example of arrangement of lighting units according to embodiment 4.1 is a diagram showing a modified example of a second arrangement example of the lighting unit according to embodiment 4. FIG. 2 is an internal structural diagram of a refrigerator compartment according to modified example 1 when viewed from above. FIG. 3 is an internal structural diagram of a refrigerator compartment according to modified example 2 when viewed from above. FIG. 4 is an internal structural diagram of a refrigerator compartment according to modified example 3 when viewed from above. FIG. 5 is an internal structural diagram of a refrigerator compartment according to modified example 4 when viewed from above. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the arrangement relationship between the lighting unit and a storage shelf according to modified example 4. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another arrangement relationship between the lighting unit and a storage shelf according to modified example 4. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the arrangement relationship between the lighting unit and a storage shelf according to a comparative example. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the brightness of the lighting unit. FIG. 10 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the duty ratio and illuminance of a lighting control signal for a lighting unit. FIG. 11 is a graph showing an example of a lighting control signal when the duty ratio is 50%. FIG. 12 is a graph showing an example of a lighting control signal when the duty ratio is 75%.

[0011] Hereinafter, refrigerators according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings used in the following description, the size relationships between components may differ from the actual size relationships. Furthermore, the configurations of components shown in the entire specification are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0012] Embodiment 1. [Configuration of Refrigerator 100] FIG. 1 is a front view of refrigerator 100 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the internal structure of refrigerator 100 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a view of refrigerator 100 shown in FIG. 1 cut along line A-A and viewed from the direction of the arrow. In the following description, the front of refrigerator 100 when installed in a usable state is referred to as the "front," and the right and left sides of the front are referred to as the "right" and "left." That is, the "right" corresponds to the right side of the paper in FIG. 1, and the "left" corresponds to the left side of the paper in FIG. 1. In the following description, the direction from left to right (horizontal direction) is referred to as the x-direction, the direction from front to back (front-rear direction) is referred to as the y-direction, and the direction from top to bottom (vertical direction) is referred to as the z-direction.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , refrigerator 100 includes a housing 101 that forms an outer shell. Housing 101 is an insulated box body that includes an outer box 102, an inner box 103 that is partitioned into multiple storage compartments by partition walls 6 and fitted into outer box 102 through an opening in outer box 102, and an insulating member 210 that fills the space between outer box 102 and inner box 103. Refrigerator 100 includes, as storage compartments, refrigerator compartment 1 located on the top shelf, ice-making compartment 2 and switchable compartment 3 that are arranged side by side in the left-right direction below refrigerator compartment 1, vegetable compartment 4 located below ice-making compartment 2 and switchable compartment 3, and freezer compartment 5 located below vegetable compartment 4. Switchable compartment 3 can switch its cold storage temperature range to various temperature ranges, such as a freezing temperature range (e.g., approximately −18°C), a refrigerating temperature range (e.g., approximately 3°C), a chilled temperature range (e.g., approximately 0°C), and a soft freezing temperature range (e.g., approximately −7°C).

[0014] Each storage compartment has an opening on its front. A door is provided at each opening of the storage compartment. Specifically, a refrigerator compartment door 1A is provided on the front of refrigerator compartment 1, which opens and closes in a rotational direction around a hinge (not shown). Refrigerator compartment door 1A is, for example, a pair of double-hinged doors with different widths on the left and right. Ice making compartment 2 is provided with a drawer-type ice making compartment door 2A that opens and closes in the front-to-back direction. Similarly, selectable compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, and freezer compartment 5 are provided with a drawer-type selectable compartment door 3A, vegetable compartment door 4A, and freezer compartment door 5A, respectively.

[0015] Rails extending in the front-to-back direction are provided on the inner side surfaces of ice making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, and freezer compartment 5, and frames are provided on the side surfaces of ice making compartment door 2A, switchable compartment door 3A, vegetable compartment door 4A, and freezer compartment door 5A. The frames of each door slide along the rails of each storage compartment, thereby opening and closing each door, and ice making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, and freezer compartment 5 move in the depth direction of refrigerator 100, i.e., the front-to-back direction (y direction).

[0016] An operation unit 104 for operating and displaying the settings for the refrigeration temperature and quick freezing of each storage compartment is provided on the outer wall surface of the refrigerator compartment door 1A, which is the front surface of the refrigerator 100. The operation unit 104 is, for example, a touch panel. Note that the operation unit 104 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1 and may be arranged on the inner wall surface of the refrigerator compartment 1, for example.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, each storage compartment, i.e., refrigerator compartment 1, ice-making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, and freezer compartment 5, is separated by a partition wall 6 that blocks heat transfer between adjacent storage compartments.

[0018] The refrigerator compartment 1 is provided with a plurality of storage shelves 1a arranged in the vertical direction (z direction) for storing food F. The storage shelves 1a are formed of, for example, a permeable material. In addition, a plurality of door pockets 1b for storing food F are provided on the refrigerator compartment 1 side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. The door pockets 1b are provided on the inner wall surface of the refrigerator compartment door 1A so that food F of a predetermined height can be stored therein.

[0019] The size of the storage shelf 1a is made as large as possible without coming into contact with the door pocket 1b in order to maximize the storage capacity of food F. Therefore, there is almost no space between the door pocket 1b and the storage shelf 1a. The number of storage shelves 1a and door pockets 1b may be one, or the storage shelf 1a and door pocket 1b may be omitted.

[0020] Furthermore, an illumination unit 7 is provided on the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1. The illumination unit 7 is provided so as to protrude downward from the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1. The illumination unit 7 includes an illumination device 71 that irradiates light into the refrigerator compartment 1, a connector 72, a board 73 (including a printed circuit board), and a cover 74. The illumination device 71 has, for example, at least one LED as a light source. The illumination device 71 is mounted on the underside of the board 73 to irradiate light into the refrigerator compartment 1. The connector 72 connects the board 73 and the control device 12 via wiring 130.

[0021] Cover 74 is configured to cover lighting device 71. Cover 74 may be textured to reduce the glare of the emitted LEDs, or may be formed into a shape that diffuses light. Cover 74 is attached directly to ceiling surface 103a of refrigerator compartment 1 with nails or the like, or is attached to a screw plate and is attached to ceiling surface 103a of refrigerator compartment 1 via the screw plate. In addition, the back surface of lighting unit 7 may be covered with a sealant, for example, to prevent moisture from entering.

[0022] Ice-making compartment 2 houses a storage case 201 that can be freely pulled out and used to store ice. Storage case 201 is supported by the frame of ice-making compartment door 2A and slides back and forth in conjunction with the opening and closing of ice-making compartment door 2A. Vegetable compartment 4 and freezer compartment 5 house storage cases 401 and 501, respectively, that can store items to be cooled, and are also pulled out and used to slide back and forth in conjunction with the opening and closing of vegetable compartment door 4A and freezer compartment door 5A, respectively. Although not shown in FIG. 2 , switchable compartment 3 also houses a storage case that can be freely pulled out and used to store items to be cooled, and is also pulled out and used to slide back and forth in conjunction with the opening and closing of switchable compartment door 3A.

[0023] The number of storage cases provided in each storage compartment may be one, or may be two or more if this improves organization and the like, taking into consideration the overall capacity of refrigerator 100. Alternatively, the storage cases in each storage compartment may be omitted.

[0024] Although not shown in Fig. 2, each storage compartment is provided with a temperature sensor 9 (Fig. 3) that measures the temperature inside the storage compartment. The temperature sensor 9 is, for example, a thermistor. The temperature measured by the temperature sensor 9 is output to the control device 12.

[0025] Each storage compartment is provided with an opening / closing detection device 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8E that detects the opening and closing of the door of the corresponding storage compartment. The opening / closing detection device 8A detects the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A of the refrigerator compartment 1. As shown in FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the opening / closing detection device 8A is provided integrally with the lighting device 71 in the lighting unit 7. In other words, the opening / closing detection device 8A is provided integrally with the lighting device 71 via the board 73 (mounted on the board 73) in the lighting unit 7. The configuration of the opening / closing detection device 8A will be described in detail later.

[0026] Open / close detection device 8B detects the opening and closing of ice making compartment door 2A of ice making compartment 2. Open / close detection device 8C detects the opening and closing of switchable compartment door 3A of switchable compartment 3. Open / close detection device 8D detects the opening and closing of vegetable compartment door 4A of vegetable compartment 4. Open / close detection device 8E detects the opening and closing of freezer compartment door 5A of freezer compartment 5. Open / close detection devices 8B to 8E are each connected to control device 12 via lead wires or the like (not shown). In the following description, open / close detection devices 8A to 8E may be collectively referred to as open / close detection device 8.

[0027] The open / close detection devices 8B to 8E are, for example, configured with a push button switch, or a magnetic sensor such as a reed switch or a low-current Hall IC that operates at 48 V or less, and a magnet. In the example of Fig. 2, the open / close detection devices 8 are provided in all storage compartments, but this is not limitative, and the open / close detection devices 8 may be provided only in storage compartments that require detection of the door open / close state.

[0028] A cooling mechanism for cooling each storage compartment and a control device 12 for controlling the cooling mechanism are provided on the rear side of the refrigerator 100. The cooling mechanism includes a compressor 111, a condenser (not shown), a capillary tube (not shown) serving as a pressure reducing device, a cooler 112, a blower fan 113, an air passage 114, and a damper 115 ( FIG. 3 ). In the refrigerator 100, the compressor 111, the condenser, the capillary tube, and the cooler 112 are connected by piping or the like, and a refrigerant circulates inside the refrigerator, thereby forming a refrigerant circuit. The components of the refrigerant circuit operate under the control of the control device 12, generating cold air to be supplied to each storage compartment.

[0029] The compressor 111 compresses the refrigerant circulating within the refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 111 is condensed in the condenser. The condensed refrigerant is decompressed through a capillary tube. The decompressed refrigerant evaporates in the cooler 112 and cools the surrounding air through the heat absorption effect of evaporation. The blower fan 113 is disposed near the cooler 112 and blows the cooled air cooled by the cooler 112 into the freezer compartment 5, the selectable compartment 3, the ice-making compartment 2, and the refrigerator compartment 1. This cools the refrigerator compartment 1, the ice-making compartment 2, the selectable compartment 3, and the freezer compartment 5. The return cold air discharged from the refrigerator compartment 1 circulates through a refrigerator compartment return air duct (not shown) to cool the vegetable compartment 4, and then returns to the cooler 112 through a vegetable compartment return air duct (not shown). Although not shown in Figure 2, a damper 115 (Figure 3) is provided between the air passage 114 and each storage compartment, and the opening of the damper 115 is controlled by the control device 12 to adjust the amount of air flowing into each storage compartment.

[0030] Control device 12 controls the overall operation of refrigerator 100. Specifically, control device 12 controls the opening degree of damper 115 installed in air passage 114, the output of compressor 111, and the air flow rate of blower fan 113 so that the temperature of each storage compartment becomes a preset temperature. Control device 12 is a microcomputer or processor equipped with a CPU that executes a program.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, signals are input to control device 12 from operation unit 104, temperature sensor 9, and open / close detection device 8. Control device 12 also outputs signals to compressor 111, blower fan 113, damper 115, and lighting device 71. Control device 12 includes acquisition unit 121, calculation unit 122, determination unit 123, drive unit 124, and storage unit 125. Acquisition unit 121, calculation unit 122, determination unit 123, and drive unit 124 are functional units realized by control device 12 executing a program. Alternatively, at least one of acquisition unit 121, calculation unit 122, determination unit 123, and drive unit 124 may be configured by a dedicated processing circuit.

[0032] The acquisition unit 121 acquires from the operation unit 104 an operation signal corresponding to the operation content, a signal indicating the temperature of each storage compartment measured by the temperature sensor 9, and a signal indicating the opening and closing of each door detected by the open / close detection device 8. The calculation unit 122 performs various calculation processes on the signals acquired by the acquisition unit 121. The determination unit 123 makes various determinations, such as comparison with thresholds, based on the calculation results of the calculation unit 122. In the various determinations, the drive unit 124 outputs drive signals to each unit to drive the compressor 111, the blower fan 113, the damper 115, and the lighting device 71, based on the determination results of the determination unit 123.

[0033] The storage unit 125 is a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or EEPROM, and stores various information, parameters, and programs used by each part of the control device 12.

[0034] [Configuration of Open / Close Detector 8A] Next, the configuration of the open / close detector 8A of this embodiment will be described. The open / close detector 8A may be configured as a single unit or may be configured as a detector and an actuator. When the open / close detector 8A is configured as a single unit, the open / close detector 8A may be, for example, a push button switch. When the open / close detector 8A is configured as a detector 8A1 and an actuator 8A2, the detector 8A1 may be, for example, a magnetic sensor such as a reed switch or a low-current Hall IC that operates at 48 V or less. The actuator 8A2 may be, for example, a magnet, and activates the detector 8A1 when brought close to the detector 8A1.

[0035] When the open / close detection device 8A is configured as a single unit, the open / close detection device 8A is mounted on the same board 73 as the lighting device 71 and configured as an integral unit. When the open / close detection device 8A is configured with a detection unit 8A1 and an operation unit 8A2, the detection unit 8A1 of the open / close detection device 8A is mounted on the same board 73 as the lighting device 71 and configured as an integral unit in the lighting unit 7, and the operation unit 8A2 is provided on the refrigerator compartment door 1A.

[0036] The open / close detection device 8A (single unit), the detection unit 8A1, and the lighting device 71 are low-voltage elements that operate at 48 V or less, more specifically, low-voltage elements that operate at a voltage of 5 V to 12 V. By using the lighting device 71, the open / close detection device 8A (single unit), and the detection unit 8A1 as low-voltage elements, they can be mounted on the same board. The open / close detection device 8A (single unit) or the detection unit 8A1, and the lighting device 71 are connected to the control device 12 via a connector 72 and wiring 130.

[0037] When a reed switch is used as the detection unit 8A1 of the open / close detection device 8A, the size of the reed switch is, for example, 20 mm x 2 mm x 2 mm. When a Hall IC is used as the detection unit 8A1 of the open / close detection device 8A, the Hall IC is sized to fit within a volume with each side having a width of 5 mm. By making the detection unit 8A1 of the open / close detection device 8A this size, the width in the front-to-rear direction of the board 73 on which the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are mounted can be approximately 25 mm. This allows the lighting unit 7 to be more compact than when the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are configured using elements driven by 100 V.

[0038] Configuration examples in which the open / close detection device 8A is composed of a detection unit 8A1 and an actuator 8A2, and the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are integrally mounted on a substrate 73, will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. In the first to fifth configuration examples shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the detection unit 8A1 of the open / close detection device 8A is a magnetic sensor, and the actuator 8A2 is a magnet. Note that, for simplicity of explanation, the connector 72 of the lighting unit 7 is not shown in FIGS. 4 to 8. Furthermore, in the following description, the description of the case in which the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are integrally mounted on a substrate 73 applies to the case in which the open / close detection device 8A (single unit) and the lighting device 71 are integrally mounted.

[0039] FIG. 4 illustrates a first exemplary configuration of the lighting unit 7 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4 , in the first exemplary configuration, the operating unit 8A2 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. The detecting unit 8A1 is provided on the front side of the refrigerator compartment 1A, i.e., near the operating unit 8A2. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the operating unit 8A2 of the refrigerator compartment door 1A approaches or moves away from the detecting unit 8A1, thereby detecting the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. In the first exemplary configuration, the detecting unit 8A1 is mounted on the surface of the circuit board 73 opposite the surface on which the lighting device 71 is mounted. Specifically, the detecting unit 8A1 is disposed on the upper surface of the circuit board 73, and the lighting device 71 is mounted on the lower surface of the circuit board 73. In the first exemplary configuration, the lighting device 71 is positioned to irradiate light at an angle to brightly illuminate food F in the refrigerator compartment 1. In the example of FIG. 4 , the front side of the circuit board 73 is tilted toward the rear side.

[0040] FIG. 5 illustrates a second configuration example of the lighting unit 7 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5 , in the second configuration example, the operating unit 8A2 is also provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. The detecting unit 8A1 is mounted on the surface of the board 73 opposite to the surface on which the lighting device 71 is mounted. Specifically, the detecting unit 8A1 is disposed on the upper surface of the board 73, and the lighting device 71 is mounted on the lower surface of the board 73. The detecting unit 8A1 is disposed closer to the front side than the center of the board 73, i.e., closer to the operating unit 8A2. Thus, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A is detected by the operating unit 8A2 of the refrigerator compartment door 1A approaching or moving away from the detecting unit 8A1. In the second configuration example, the lighting device 71 is disposed so that light is emitted vertically downward to brightly illuminate the user's hands.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a third configuration example of the lighting unit 7 according to the first embodiment. In the third configuration example shown in FIG. 6, the refrigerator compartment door 1A has a protrusion 11A that protrudes rearward to cover the front side of the top surface of the housing 101 from above. The protrusion 11A of the refrigerator compartment door 1A is provided with an actuator 8A2. That is, in the third configuration example, the actuator 8A2 is disposed on the top surface of the housing 101. The actuator 8A2 is disposed within the protrusion 11A on the top surface of the housing 101, i.e., near the detector 8A1. The detector 8A1 is mounted on the surface of the circuit board 73 opposite to the surface on which the lighting device 71 is mounted. More specifically, the detector 8A1 is disposed on the top surface of the circuit board 73, and the lighting device 71 is mounted on the bottom surface of the circuit board 73. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the actuator 8A2 of the refrigerator compartment door 1A approaches or moves away from the detector 8A1, thereby detecting the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. In the third configuration example, the lighting device 71 is arranged to irradiate light vertically downward to brightly illuminate the area around the user's hands.

[0042] FIG. 7 illustrates a fourth configuration example of the lighting unit 7 according to the first embodiment. In the fourth configuration example shown in FIG. 7 , the operating unit 8A2 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. The detection unit 8A1 is mounted on the same surface of the board 73 as the lighting device 71. Specifically, the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are mounted on the underside of the board 73. The detection unit 8A1 is mounted closer to the front than the center of the board 73, i.e., closer to the operating unit 8A2. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A is detected by the operation unit 8A2 of the refrigerator compartment door 1A moving toward or away from the detection unit 8A1. In addition, in the fourth configuration example, the lighting device 71 is positioned to emit light vertically downward to brightly illuminate the user's hands.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a fifth configuration example of the lighting unit 7 according to the first embodiment. In the fifth configuration example shown in FIG. 8, an operating unit 8A2 is provided in a door pocket 1b attached to the refrigerator compartment door 1A. Furthermore, in the fifth configuration example, the detection unit 8A1 is mounted on the same surface of the substrate 73 as the surface on which the lighting device 71 is mounted. Specifically, the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are mounted on the underside of the substrate 73. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the operating unit 8A2 of the door pocket 1b approaches or moves away from the detection unit 8A1, thereby detecting the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. Furthermore, in the fifth configuration example, the lighting device 71 is positioned so that light is emitted vertically downward to brightly illuminate the area around the user's hands.

[0044] A configuration example in which the open / close detection device 8A is configured as a single unit and the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 are integrally mounted on a substrate 73 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 . Note that, for simplicity of description, the connector 72 of the lighting unit 7 is not shown in FIG. 9 . FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a sixth configuration example of the lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 1. In the sixth configuration example shown in FIG. 9 , the open / close detection device 8A is a push-button switch. The open / close detection device 8A is mounted on the same surface of the substrate 73 on which the lighting device 71 is mounted. More specifically, the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 are mounted on the underside of the substrate 73. The open / close detection device 8A is disposed on the front side of the refrigerator compartment 1 so that the push-button switch is pressed when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed. In the sixth configuration example, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed, the push-button switch is pressed or returned by the refrigerator compartment door 1A, thereby detecting the opening or closing of the refrigerator compartment door 1A. In the sixth configuration example, the lighting device 71 is disposed so as to irradiate light vertically downward to brightly illuminate the area around the user's hands. In the sixth configuration example, the cover 74 covers only the lighting device 71.

[0045] The effects of this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the internal structure of refrigerator 10 according to a comparative example. In refrigerator 10 of the comparative example, opening / closing detection device 80A, which detects the opening / closing of refrigerator compartment door 1A, is provided inside partition wall 6 between refrigerator compartment 1 and ice-making compartment 2. In this case, it is not possible to provide thermal insulation material in the space inside partition wall 6 for installing opening / closing detection device 80A or in the surrounding area. Therefore, in refrigerator 10 of the comparative example, in order to maintain thermal insulation performance, it is necessary to provide partition wall 6 with a certain thickness, which results in a reduced storage space for food F within refrigerator 10.

[0046] Furthermore, an opening for inserting and removing the open / close detection device 80A, as well as a lid to close the opening, must be provided on the refrigerator compartment door 1A side (front side) of the partition wall 6, which results in lines where parts are joined on the front side of the partition wall 6, degrading the design. Also, if the open / close detection device 80A is a magnetic sensor, a downward protrusion must be formed on the refrigerator compartment door 1A as a part to attach a magnet, degrading the design.

[0047] In contrast, in the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, the open / close detection device 8A (standalone) or the detection unit 8A1 is not disposed on the partition wall 6, and therefore, a space for disposing the open / close detection device 8A (standalone) or the detection unit 8A1 is not required on the partition wall 6. This allows the space in the partition wall 6 to be filled with a heat insulating material, and the thickness of the partition wall 6 can be reduced. Furthermore, the partition wall 6 can have no lines at the joints between parts, which improves the design.

[0048] Furthermore, in refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, lighting device 71 and open / close detection device 8A (single unit) or detection unit 8A1 are mounted on the same board and configured as an integrated unit. This allows open / close detection device 8A (single unit) or detection unit 8A1 and lighting device 71 to share components such as board 73, cover 74, and wiring 130. Furthermore, by installing one board 73, open / close detection device 8A (single unit) or detection unit 8A1 and lighting device 71 can be easily installed in refrigerator compartment 1. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which open / close detection device 80A is disposed away from lighting unit 7 and a configuration in which open / close detection device 8A and lighting device 71 are stored separately in a box or the like, as in the comparative example, the number of steps and cost of the installation work in refrigerator 100 can be reduced.

[0049] The light irradiation angle of the lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 1 is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 4 to 9. The light irradiation angle of the lighting unit 7 according to a modification of embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 13. The lighting unit 7 according to this modification is installed so that the optical axis L of the LED, which is the light source of the lighting device 71, is tilted at a preset angle around the x-axis, which is the left-right direction, the y-axis, which is the front-back direction, and the z-axis, which is the up-down direction.

[0050] The light source for the lighting device 71 in the lighting unit 7 is, for example, a surface-mounted LED. A surface-mounted LED is an LED mounted on a substrate 73 with metal terminals formed thereon, and the LED is connected to the metal terminals with bonding wires. In this case, the beam angle θ of the LED is often around 120°, allowing the interior of the refrigerator to be brightly illuminated over a wide area. Furthermore, by presetting the angle of the substrate 73 of the lighting unit 7, the lighting unit 7 can illuminate food F placed in various locations within the refrigerator and can also illuminate every corner of the refrigerator interior.

[0051] (Tilt angle of optical axis L about the x-axis) Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the tilt angle of optical axis L of the LEDs in lighting unit 7 about the x-axis. Fig. 11 shows the refrigerator compartment 1 as viewed from the side, with refrigerator compartment door 1A of the refrigerator compartment 1 open. As shown in Fig. 11, lighting unit 7 is provided so that the optical axis L of the LEDs is tilted by an angle α about the x-axis toward the back side (y-direction) of refrigerator compartment 1, with the vertical direction (z-direction) as the reference. In this case, angle α is preferably 0 to 90°.

[0052] (Tilt Angle of Optical Axis L About the Z-Axis) FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating the tilt angle of the optical axis L of the LEDs in the lighting unit 7 about the z-axis. FIG. 12 illustrates the refrigerator compartment 1 as viewed from above, with the refrigerator compartment door 1A of the refrigerator compartment 1 open. The top surface of the housing 101 of the refrigerator 100 is omitted from FIG. 12 . As shown in FIG. 12 , the lighting unit 7 is provided such that the optical axis L of the LEDs is tilted in the left-right direction (x direction) by an angle β about the z-axis, with the front-to-back direction (y direction) as the reference. As an example, the angle β is determined so that the optical axis L of the LEDs passes through the center of the depth direction and the center of the left-to-right direction of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from above. Alternatively, the angle β is determined so that the optical axis L of the LEDs passes through the center of the left-to-right direction of the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from above. Alternatively, the angle β is determined so that the optical axis L of the LED passes through the distance between the center of the depth direction and the center of the left and right direction of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from above, to the center of the left and right direction of the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0053] (Tilt Angle of Optical Axis L Around the y-Axis) FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the tilt angle of the optical axis L of the LEDs in the lighting unit 7 around the y-axis. FIG. 13 shows the refrigerator compartment 1 as viewed from the front, with the refrigerator compartment door 1A of the refrigerator compartment 1 open. The refrigerator compartment door 1A is omitted from FIG. 13 . As shown in FIG. 13 , the lighting unit 7 is provided such that the optical axis L of the LEDs is tilted in the left-right direction (x-direction) by an angle γ around the y-axis with respect to the vertical direction (z-direction). As an example, the angle γ is determined so that the optical axis L of the LEDs passes through the center in the up-down direction and the center in the left-right direction of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from the front. Alternatively, the angle γ is determined so that the optical axis L of the LEDs passes through the center in the left-right direction of the floor of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from the front. Alternatively, the angle γ is determined so that the optical axis L of the LED passes through the vertical center and horizontal center of the refrigerator compartment 1 to the horizontal center of the floor of the refrigerator compartment 1 when viewed from the front.

[0054] When the angles α, β, and γ of the optical axis L of the LEDs are set in this way, the optical axis L of the LEDs is directed toward the center of the refrigerator interior, so the lighting unit 7 can illuminate the entire front of the food F from the front side of the refrigerator compartment 1 and from the center when viewed from the front. This improves the visibility of the food F stored in the refrigerator compartment 1. In addition, because light is irradiated onto the side and rear walls of the refrigerator compartment 1, the interior of the refrigerator compartment 1 appears brighter, improving the sense of cleanliness. Furthermore, because the optical axis L of the LEDs is directed toward the rear side, when a user opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks inside the refrigerator compartment 1, the optical axis L of the LEDs is less likely to enter the user's line of sight. This reduces glare for the user.

[0055] The inclination angles β and γ of the LED optical axis L about the z-axis and the y-axis, respectively, are preferably set when the pair of refrigerator compartment doors 1A have different widths in the left-right direction (x-direction). When the pair of refrigerator compartment doors 1A have different widths in the left-right direction (x-direction), the lighting unit 7 is installed at a position offset from the center when viewed from the front side due to the different widths of the pair of refrigerator compartment doors 1A. In this case, by setting the angles β and γ of the LED optical axis L, the LED optical axis L faces toward the center, thereby illuminating the entire interior of the refrigerator compartment 1. Furthermore, the interior of the refrigerator compartment 1 can be illuminated more uniformly, improving the visibility of the food F stored in the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0056] The angle of light emitted by the lighting unit 7 does not have to be preset, but may be arbitrarily changed by the user, for example. This allows the light emission state to be appropriately set according to the state of storage of food F in the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0057] Embodiment 2. Embodiment 2 will be described. Fig. 14 is a functional block diagram of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 14, refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 2 differs from embodiment 1 in that lighting device 71 and open / close detection device 8 are not connected to control device 12. In embodiment 2, parts common to embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0058] Fig. 15 is an example of a circuit diagram of the lighting unit 7 and the control device 12 according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 15, the control device 12 is mounted on a control board 126. In addition to the control device 12, the control board 126 also has mounted thereon a connector 127 and an internal power supply 128 that converts a 100V AC power supply to 5V by a power supply circuit. The connector 127 of the control board 126 is connected to the connector 72 of the board 73 by a wiring 130. As a result, power is supplied from the internal power supply 128 to the board 73.

[0059] Furthermore, an open / close detection device 8A, an illumination device 71, a connector 72, and a resistor 75 are mounted on the board 73 of the lighting unit 7 of this embodiment. The illumination device 71 and the open / close detection device 8A are connected in parallel on the circuit. In the example of Figure 15, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is open, the switch of the open / close detection device 8A is open, and when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed, the switch of the open / close detection device 8A is closed.

[0060] In this case, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed, current flows to the open / close detection device 8A but not to the lighting device 71, and when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is open, current flows to the lighting device 71. This allows the lighting device 71 to be turned on only when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened. That is, in this embodiment, there is no need to transmit a detection signal from the open / close detection device 8A to the control device 12, and there is no need for the lighting device 71 to receive a drive signal from the control device 12. Therefore, there is no need to connect the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 to the control device 12, and the number of wirings 130 connected to the control board 126 can be reduced to just two for supplying power.

[0061] Fig. 16 is another example of a circuit diagram of the lighting unit 7 and the control device 12 according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 16, the lighting device 71 and the open / close detection device 8A may be connected in series on the circuit. Note that, unlike the example of Fig. 15, in the example of Fig. 16, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is open, the switch of the open / close detection device 8A is closed, and when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed, the switch of the open / close detection device 8A is opened.

[0062] In this case, a mechanism can be adopted in which current flows through the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is open, and current does not flow through the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed. This allows the lighting device 71 to be turned on only when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened. Therefore, even in the example of Figure 16, there is no need to connect the open / close detection device 8A and the lighting device 71 to the control device 12, and only two wires 130 can be connected to the control board 126.

[0063] 17 is a circuit diagram of a lighting unit 70 and a control device 12 according to a comparative example. In the comparative example, the control device 12 receives a detection signal from the open / close detection device 8A and transmits a drive signal based on the detection signal to the lighting device 71. Therefore, the lighting device 71 and the open / close detection device 8A must each be connected to the control device 12. Therefore, in the comparative example, three or more wires 130 are required to connect the board 73 of the lighting unit 70 and the control board 126.

[0064] As described above, in this embodiment, the open / close detection device 8 and the lighting device 71 are configured to be independent from the control device 12, thereby reducing the number of connection wires to the control board 126. This makes it possible to reduce the material cost of the wires 130 and the processing cost for passing the wires 130 inside the heat insulating member 210 of the housing 101.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control device 12 is not connected to the open / close detection device 8 and the lighting device 71, so it is possible to reduce the number of ports used in the microcomputer used as the control device 12. As a result, in this embodiment, an inexpensive microcomputer with a relatively small number of ports can be used as the control device 12.

[0066] Embodiment 3. Embodiment 3 will be described. Embodiment 3 specifies the arrangement of the lighting unit 7 in the refrigerator compartment 1. In Embodiment 3, parts common to Embodiments 1 and 2 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] [Arrangement of lighting units 7] The arrangement of lighting units 7 in the present embodiment and comparative example will be described with reference to Figs. 18 to 26. Here, the arrangement of lighting units 7 in the up-down direction (z direction) of refrigerator compartment 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 18 to 22, and the arrangement of lighting units 7 in the front-to-back direction (y direction) of refrigerator compartment 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 23 and 24. Furthermore, the arrangement of lighting units 7 in the left-to-right direction (x direction) of refrigerator compartment 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 25 and 26.

[0068] First, with regard to the arrangement of the lighting unit 7 in the vertical direction of the refrigeration compartment 1, in the first embodiment, the entire lighting unit 7 was configured to protrude downward from the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigeration compartment 1. In contrast, in the present embodiment, a portion of the lighting unit 7 is provided so as to be embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigeration compartment 1. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the vertical arrangement of the lighting unit 7 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18 , the lighting unit 7 is attached to the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigeration compartment 1 via a screw plate 76. In this case, the lighting unit 7 is attached so that a portion of the lighting unit 7 is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a in the vertical direction (z direction) of the refrigeration compartment 1. In other words, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that at least a portion of the lighting unit 7 protrudes downward from the ceiling surface 103a in the vertical direction (z direction) of the refrigeration compartment 1.

[0069] 18, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that only the lower surface of the cover 74 protrudes from the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1 in the vertical direction (z direction), and the lighting device 71 is positioned above the ceiling surface 103a. Even when the lighting unit 7 is provided in this manner, by making the side width of the recess wider with respect to the beam angle θ of the lighting device 71 of 120°, the light from the lighting device 71 is irradiated onto the front side of the storage shelf 1a, thereby improving visibility inside the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0070] 18 , a heat insulating member 210 is provided between outer box 102 and ceiling surface 103a of refrigerating compartment 1, which constitute housing 101 of refrigerator 100. Heat insulating member 210 is made of, for example, one or both of vacuum insulation material 211 and urethane 212, and insulates refrigerating compartment 1 by preventing heat from entering from outside refrigerator 100. In this embodiment, heat insulating member 210 has vacuum insulation material 211 on the upper side and urethane 212 on the lower side. In this case, heat insulating member 210 is formed by pouring urethane 212 into the gap between vacuum insulation material 211 and inner box 103, and foaming it to fill the gap without any gaps.

[0071] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing another example of the vertical arrangement of lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 3. In the arrangement example of Fig. 19, the height in the vertical direction (z direction) of lighting unit 7 embedded in ceiling surface 103a of refrigerator compartment 1 is lower than in the arrangement example of Fig. 18. In this case, heat insulating member 210 is arranged so that vacuum heat insulating material 211, which has higher heat insulating performance than urethane 212, is thicker than in the example of Fig. 18.

[0072] Here, as a comparative example of the arrangement of the lighting units 7 according to the present embodiment, consider a case where the lighting units 7 are arranged so that they are all embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing the vertical arrangement of the lighting units 7 according to a first comparative example. In the first comparative example shown in Fig. 20, the lighting units 7 are attached to the ceiling surface 103a so that they are all embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0073] In the first comparative example, the entire lighting unit 7 is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a, so the thickness in the vertical direction (z direction) of the urethane 212 arranged along the recess that is the mounting portion of the lighting unit 7 is thick, while the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating material 211 is thin. Therefore, compared to the arrangement example shown in Fig. 18 , the heat insulating performance is deteriorated.

[0074] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing the vertical arrangement of the lighting unit 7 according to the second comparative example. In the second comparative example shown in Fig. 21, similar to the first comparative example shown in Fig. 20, the lighting unit 7 is attached to the ceiling surface 103a so that the entire lighting unit 7 is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1. In addition, in the second comparative example, the vacuum heat insulating material 211 is also processed along the recess that is the mounting portion of the lighting unit 7.

[0075] In the second comparative example, the vacuum insulation material 211 is processed, so that the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 211 in the vertical direction (z direction) can be made substantially the same as the thickness in the arrangement example shown in Fig. 18. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in insulation performance compared to the arrangement example shown in Fig. 18.

[0076] However, in the second comparative example, because the vacuum insulation material 211 is processed, additional processing costs are added, increasing the cost of the refrigerator 100, and the additional processing steps also increase the manufacturing time. Furthermore, at the position where the lighting unit 7 is attached, the vacuum insulation material 211 is processed to conform to the recess that is the attachment portion of the lighting unit 7, so the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 211 in the vertical direction (z direction) becomes thin. Therefore, the insulation performance at the attachment position of the lighting unit 7 deteriorates.

[0077] 21, the flow path for the urethane 212 narrows near the mounting position of the lighting unit 7, so there is a possibility that the urethane 212 will not flow properly and will not be able to fill the space sufficiently. In this case, the heat insulating performance will deteriorate.

[0078] Therefore, in this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is not disposed so that it is entirely embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1, but is disposed so that at least a portion of it protrudes downward from the ceiling surface 103a. In this case, although the thickness of the heat insulating member 210 in the vertical direction (z direction) at the installation position of the lighting unit 7 is reduced as shown in Fig. 18, since there is no need to process the vacuum heat insulating material 211, deterioration in heat insulating performance can be suppressed. Also, as shown in Fig. 19, by reducing the height in the vertical direction (z direction) at which the lighting unit 7 is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a, the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating material 211, which has higher heat insulating performance than the urethane 212, can be increased, thereby suppressing deterioration in heat insulating performance.

[0079] Furthermore, in the case where refrigerator compartment door 1A has protrusion 11A that protrudes rearward so as to cover the front side of the top surface of housing 101 from above, as shown in Fig. 6, and actuator 8A2 of open / close detection device 8A is provided on protrusion 11A, the configuration of Fig. 18 or 19 reduces the distance between detector 8A1 and actuator 8A2 compared to the configuration of Fig. 6. Therefore, the size of actuator 8A2 can be made smaller compared to the configuration of Fig. 6. Alternatively, if actuator 8A2 in Fig. 6 is a magnet, a magnet of the same size but with lower magnetic force can be used.

[0080] Furthermore, in the case of a configuration in which the operating unit 8A2 is provided on the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A as shown in FIG. 5, by using the configuration shown in FIG. 18 or 19, the detection unit 8A1 is positioned above the ceiling surface 103a, so the operating unit 8A2 can be positioned above the position shown in FIG. 5.

[0081] 18 or 19, the operating unit 8A2 can be provided in a position facing the front surface 102a of the outer box 102 when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed. FIG. 22 shows the same configuration as FIG. 5, but illustrating the positions of the lighting unit 7 and operating unit 8A2 according to embodiment 3. The operating unit 8A2 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment door 1A and is in contact with the front surface 102a, separating the air inside the refrigerator compartment 1 from the outside. By providing the operating unit 8A2 in a position overlapping the packing 90, when a user opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks at the rear side, the bulge on the rear side caused by the operating unit 8A2 or a cover covering the operating unit 8A2 is hidden by the packing 90. This improves the design of the refrigerator compartment door 1A compared to the structure of FIG. 5.

[0082] 18 to 21, the thickness ratio between the vacuum heat insulating material 211 and the urethane 212 is an example. Increasing the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating material 211 as much as possible can improve the heat insulating performance, and increasing the thickness of the urethane 212 as much as possible can reduce costs.

[0083] Fig. 23 is a diagram showing the arrangement of lighting units 7 in the front-rear direction according to a comparative example. Fig. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of lighting units 7 in the front-rear direction according to embodiment 3. Figs. 23 and 24 are side views of the refrigerator compartment 1 with the refrigerator compartment door 1A open.

[0084] 23 , the lighting unit 7 is disposed above the storage shelf 1a, and at least a portion of the lighting unit 7 overlaps with the storage shelf 1a when the refrigerator 100 is viewed from above. The optical axis L of the LEDs of the lighting unit 7 is set so that light is emitted from the upper surface of the storage shelf 1a. In this case, when food F is placed on the front side of the storage shelf 1a, the light from the lighting unit 7 is blocked by the food F. As a result, the light from the lighting unit 7 is not irradiated onto the front of some of the food F, and visibility of the interior of the refrigerator compartment 1 is reduced when a user U opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks inside the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0085] In contrast, in the arrangement example of this embodiment shown in Figure 24, the lighting unit 7 is placed closer to the front than the storage shelf 1a. In other words, the lighting unit 7 is placed in a position that does not overlap with the storage shelf 1a when the refrigerator 100 is viewed from above. The optical axis L of the LED of the lighting unit 7 is set so that light is irradiated onto the front side of the storage shelf 1a. In this case, even if food items F are placed on the front side of the storage shelf 1a, the amount of light blocked by the food items F is reduced. As a result, light is irradiated onto the front of all the food items F, improving visibility when the user U opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks inside the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0086] Thus, the visibility inside the refrigerator compartment 1 varies greatly depending on the position of the lighting unit 7 inside the refrigerator compartment 1, and it is more effective to position the lighting unit 7 as close to the front of the refrigerator compartment 1 (refrigerator 100) as possible in order to improve the visibility of the food F. Therefore, in the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is provided closer to the front than the storage shelf 1a so as to improve the visibility inside the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0087] It is possible to place the lighting unit 7 between the door pocket 1b and the storage shelf 1a to prevent contact between the door pocket 1b and the food F stored in the door pocket 1b and the lighting unit 7. However, in this case, the storage shelf 1a or the door pocket 1b would need to be made smaller, which would reduce the amount of food that can be stored. Therefore, the lighting unit 7 is provided in front of the storage shelf 1a in the y-axis direction, in a position that overlaps vertically with the door pocket 1b.

[0088] Next, we will explain the arrangement of the lighting unit 7 in the left-right direction (x direction) of the refrigerator compartment 1. In Fig. 2, when the refrigerator 100 is viewed from the side, the lighting unit 7 and the food F placed in the door pocket 1b are arranged at points where they collide, but the positional relationship between the lighting unit 7 and the food F in the left-right direction (x direction) is not shown. Therefore, here we will consider the relationship between the lighting unit 7 and the food F placed in the door pocket 1b in the left-right direction (x direction).

[0089] As described above, the door pocket 1b of the refrigerator compartment door 1A in the refrigerator compartment 1 is designed to store food F of a predetermined height, such as 350 ml cans. If the lighting unit 7 is provided closer to the front than the storage shelf 1a and overlaps with the door pocket 1b in the z direction, depending on the position of the lighting unit 7, there is a possibility that the lighting unit 7 will collide with the food F stored in the door pocket 1b when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed.

[0090] Fig. 25 is a diagram showing the left-right arrangement of lighting units 7 according to a comparative example. Fig. 26 is a diagram showing an example of the left-right arrangement of lighting units 7 according to embodiment 3. Figs. 25 and 26 are views of refrigerator 100 as seen from above, with the top surface of housing 101 omitted.

[0091] As shown in Fig. 25, in the comparative example, the lighting unit 7 is positioned so as to overlap the door pocket 1b when viewed from above. In this case, when projected from the top of the refrigerator 100, depending on the height of the food F stored in the door pocket 1b, there is a possibility that the lighting unit 7 will collide with the food F. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 26, in this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is positioned so as not to overlap the door pocket 1b when viewed from above. In this case, the lighting unit 7 is outside the range of movement of the door pocket 1b when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed. This prevents the lighting unit 7 from colliding with the food F.

[0092] That is, as shown in Fig. 26, the lighting unit 7 in this embodiment is provided in a position where it will not collide with the door pocket 1b and the food F stored in the door pocket 1b when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed in the rotational direction (the direction of the dotted arrow in Fig. 26). In other words, the lighting unit 7 in this embodiment is provided in a position where it will not overlap with the opening and closing trajectory of the door pocket 1b that rotates together with the refrigerator compartment door 1A.

[0093] As described above, in the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is disposed outside the range of movement of the door pocket 1b, which rotates together with the refrigerator compartment door 1A when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is opened or closed. This prevents the lighting unit 7 from colliding with the door pocket 1b and the food F stored in the door pocket 1b. Therefore, there is no need to impose height restrictions on the food F stored in the door pocket 1b to prevent it from coming into contact with the lighting unit 7. The lighting unit 7 is disposed in a location that is neither above the storage shelf 1a nor within the range of movement of the door pocket 1b, and where food F cannot be placed. Therefore, the lighting unit 7 can be disposed without reducing the amount of food F that can be stored in the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0094] 20 and 21 , the lighting unit 7 is not disposed so that it is entirely embedded in the ceiling surface 103a, but is attached to a recess (attachment portion) in the ceiling surface 103a as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 , and is disposed so that at least a portion of it protrudes into the refrigerator compartment 1. As a result, the lighting unit 7 is disposed without reducing the amount of heat insulating member 210 that constitutes the housing 101 of the refrigerator 100, and therefore the visibility inside the refrigerator compartment 1 can be improved while suppressing deterioration in the heat insulating properties of the refrigerator 100.

[0095] In the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, when projected from the top of the refrigerator 100, the lighting unit 7 is positioned closer to the front than the storage shelf 1a, and the optical axis L of the LEDs is set so that the light is directed toward the food F stored in the storage shelf 1a. As a result, even when food F is stored in the storage shelf 1a, the light is directed toward the entire front of the storage shelf 1a. This improves the visibility of the inside of the refrigeration compartment 1.

[0096] Furthermore, in the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is arranged so that the optical axis L of the lighting device 71 (LED) is inclined around an axis indicating the left-right direction. Also, the lighting unit 7 is arranged so that the optical axis L of the lighting device 71 is inclined around an axis indicating the up-down direction. Also, the lighting unit 7 is arranged so that the optical axis L of the lighting device 71 is inclined around an axis indicating the front-rear direction.

[0097] As a result, the lighting unit 7 can illuminate the entire front of the food F from the front side of the refrigerator compartment 1 toward the center of the refrigerator compartment 1 in the width direction. This improves the visibility of the food F stored in the refrigerator compartment 1. Also, because light is irradiated onto the side walls and back wall of the refrigerator compartment 1, the interior of the refrigerator compartment 1 appears brighter, improving the sense of cleanliness. Furthermore, because the optical axis L of the lighting device 71 is directed toward the back wall, when a user opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks inside the refrigerator compartment 1, the optical axis L of the lighting device 71 is less likely to enter the user's line of sight, reducing glare for the user.

[0098] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the only change required is the arrangement of the lighting unit 7, and no additional parts or work steps are required due to the change in arrangement, so the above-mentioned effects can be obtained while suppressing increases in costs.

[0099] Embodiment 4. Embodiment 4 will be described. Embodiment 4 differs from embodiment 1 in that the lighting unit 7 is disposed behind the guide pin 20 that guides the rotation direction of the rotating partition body 1c provided on the refrigerator compartment door 1A. In embodiment 4, parts that are common to embodiments 1 to 3 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0100] Fig. 27 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of refrigerator compartment 1 according to embodiment 4. Fig. 27 shows a side cross section of refrigerator compartment 1 with refrigerator compartment door 1A open. As shown in Fig. 27, a guide pin 20 is provided on ceiling surface 103a of refrigerator compartment 1 in this embodiment. Generally, when refrigerator compartment door 1A of refrigerator 100 is a double-hinged type, one of the pair of doors constituting refrigerator compartment door 1A is provided with a rotating partition 1c (not shown) (see Fig. 26) for closing a gap between the pair of doors that is formed when refrigerator compartment door 1A is closed.

[0101] The guide pin 20 is provided to guide the rotation direction of the rotating partition body 1c provided on the refrigerator compartment door 1A. The guide pin 20 is provided on the ceiling surface 103a at a position facing the refrigerator compartment door 1A.

[0102] Fig. 28 is a diagram showing a first arrangement example of lighting units 7 according to embodiment 4. As shown in Fig. 28, guide pins 20 are provided closer to the front of refrigerator 100 than lighting units 7 arranged on ceiling surface 103a. That is, lighting units 7 are provided closer to the rear of refrigerator 100 than guide pins 20. Guide pins 20 and lighting units 7 are provided at the same position in the left-right direction. A rear surface portion 20a that protrudes downward is provided at the tip of the rear side of guide pin 20. The height (vertical length) of rear surface portion 20a is greater than the height of lighting units 7.

[0103] When the lighting unit 7 is arranged in this manner, as shown in Fig. 27 , when a user U opens the refrigerator compartment door 1A and looks inside the refrigerator compartment 1 from the front, the lighting unit 7 is hidden from the user U's field of vision by the guide pin 20 and is arranged so that the user U does not notice it. Furthermore, while the light emitted from the lighting unit 7 brightens the inside of the refrigerator compartment 1, the light directly irradiated from the lighting unit 7 toward the user U is blocked by the back surface 20a of the guide pin 20. This makes it possible to reduce the unpleasant glare that the user U experiences due to direct light from the lighting unit 7. Furthermore, when light is irradiated from the lighting unit 7 as described above, the entire inside of the refrigerator compartment 1 is brightened, thereby improving the uniformity of brightness inside the refrigerator compartment 1 and further improving visibility and the sense of cleanliness.

[0104] Furthermore, because the lighting unit 7 is not visible to the user U, the inside of the refrigerator compartment 1 appears relatively bright to the user U. Furthermore, because the lighting unit 7 is not visible to the user U, the lighting unit 7 serves as indirect lighting, thereby enhancing the design of the refrigerator 100. Furthermore, because the guide pin 20 is provided in a conventional refrigerator having the refrigerator compartment door 1A, when changing the design of the conventional refrigerator to the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment, the number of parts does not increase, and the design change can be made inexpensively.

[0105] Fig. 29 is a diagram showing a modification of the first arrangement example of the lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 4. As shown in Fig. 29, the rear surface portion 20a of the guide pin 20 may be formed to extend toward the rear side so as to overlap with a part of the lighting unit 7 when projected from the top surface of the refrigerator 100. This causes the lower part of the cover 74 of the lighting unit 7 to be covered by the rear surface portion 20a of the guide pin 20. This makes it even more difficult for the user U to notice the lighting unit 7.

[0106] 30 is a diagram showing the positions of the lighting unit 7, guide pin 20, rotating partition 1c, and operating unit 8A2 according to embodiment 4. In embodiment 4, the guide pin 20 and the lighting unit 7 are provided at the same position in the left-right direction, so that the operating unit 8A2 that activates the detection unit 8A1 can be provided not on the refrigerator compartment door 1A but on the rotating partition 1c attached to the refrigerator compartment door 1A. By providing the operating unit 8A2 on the rotating partition 1c, deformation of the surface of the refrigerator compartment door 1A when the operating unit 8A2 is installed on the refrigerator compartment door 1A is eliminated, a cover for covering the operating unit 8A2 provided on the refrigerator compartment door 1A can be omitted, and the design of the refrigerator compartment door 1A is improved.

[0107] In the examples shown in Figures 27 to 29, the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20 are described as being configured separately, but this is not limited to this, and for example, the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20 may be formed integrally.

[0108] 31 is a diagram showing a second arrangement example of the lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 4. As shown in Fig. 31, the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20 are connected to each other and formed integrally. The back surface 20a of the guide pin 20 is used as the front surface of the cover 74 of the lighting unit 7.

[0109] Fig. 32 is a diagram showing a modification of the second arrangement example of the lighting unit 7 according to embodiment 4. As shown in Fig. 32 , the back surface 20a of the guide pin 20 may be formed to extend toward the back side so as to overlap with part of the lighting unit 7 when projected from the top surface of the refrigerator. This causes the back surface 20a of the guide pin 20 to cover a part of the underside of the cover 74 of the lighting unit 7. This makes it even more difficult for the user U to notice the lighting unit 7.

[0110] 31 and 32 , by integrally forming the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20, the number of parts can be reduced, and the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20 can be assembled at one time, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps for the refrigerator 100. Therefore, the refrigerator 100 can be manufactured inexpensively and in a short time.

[0111] Furthermore, when attaching the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20, it is no longer necessary to use screws to attach each of them to the inside of the refrigerator compartment 1, thereby reducing the number of screws required. This reduces the work time required for screwing and the cost due to the number of screws used. This also allows the refrigerator 100 to be manufactured more cheaply and in a shorter time.

[0112] Furthermore, by substituting a portion of the cover 74 of the lighting unit 7 with the guide pin 20, the cover 74 can be made smaller, and the lighting unit 7 can be manufactured at low cost. Furthermore, since the lighting unit 7 and the guide pin 20 are integrally formed, the lighting unit 7 is less noticeable to the user U compared to the examples shown in Figures 27 to 29. This further enhances the role of the lighting unit 7 as indirect lighting, and further improves the design.

[0113] As described above, in the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, the lighting unit 7 is disposed on the rear side of the guide pin 20. As a result, the lighting unit 7 is disposed so as not to be noticed by the user U, and therefore, the unpleasant glare felt by the user U can be reduced and the inside of the refrigerator compartment 1 can be made to appear relatively bright.

[0114] Furthermore, in refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment, lighting unit 7 and guide pin 20 are integrally formed, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps and manufacturing costs, and allowing refrigerator 100 to be manufactured inexpensively and in a short time.

[0115] Although the first to fourth embodiments have been described above, the refrigerator 100 is not limited to the first to fourth embodiments described above, and various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Modifications of the refrigerator 100 will now be described.

[0116] (Variation 1) In the first to fourth embodiments, the refrigerator compartment door 1A of the refrigerator compartment 1, which is a storage compartment, is a double-swing door made up of a pair of doors. However, the refrigerator compartment door 1A may be a single-swing door made up of a single door. Fig. 33 is an internal structural diagram of the refrigerator compartment 1 according to Variation 1 as seen from above. As shown in Fig. 33, the refrigerator compartment door 1B of the refrigerator compartment 1 of this variation is a single-swing door formed by a single door that opens and closes in a rotational direction around a hinge (not shown). The single-swing refrigerator compartment door 1B is provided with one or more door pockets 1b, similar to the double-swing refrigerator compartment door 1A.

[0117] In this case, as in the third and fourth embodiments, the lighting unit 7 is provided in a position where it will not collide with the door pocket 1b or the food F stored in the door pocket 1b when the refrigerator compartment door 1B is opened or closed in the rotational direction (the direction of the dotted arrow in FIG. 33). In other words, the lighting unit 7 may be provided in a position that is outside the range of movement of the door pocket 1b, which moves in conjunction with the refrigerator compartment door 1B, when viewed from above.

[0118] (Variation 2) Fig. 34 is a diagram of the internal structure of a refrigerator compartment 1 according to Variation 2, as seen from above. While Fig. 33 above shows a case where one door pocket 1b is provided on the surface of a single-swing refrigerator compartment door 1B facing the refrigerator compartment 1, Fig. 34 shows that the door pocket 1b is divided. That is, in this variation, multiple door pockets 1b are provided on the surface of the refrigerator compartment door 1B facing the refrigerator compartment 1. Even when multiple door pockets 1b are provided on the refrigerator compartment door 1B in this way, the lighting unit 7 only needs to be provided in a position outside the range of movement of the door pocket 1b, which moves in conjunction with the refrigerator compartment door 1B, as in the example shown in Fig. 33, when viewed from above.

[0119] (Variation 3) Fig. 35 is a diagram of the internal structure of refrigerator compartment 1 according to Variation 3 as seen from above. Fig. 35 shows an example in which single-swing refrigerator compartment door 1B opens to the left. Figs. 33 and 34 show the case in which refrigerator compartment door 1B opens to the right when viewed from the front of refrigerator 100, but this is not limiting, and refrigerator compartment door 1B may also be designed to open to the left, as shown in Fig. 35.

[0120] In addition, when the lighting unit 7 is to be made invisible to the user U as in the fourth embodiment, a component replacing the guide pin 20 of the fourth embodiment may be disposed on the front side of the lighting unit 7. In this case, it is preferable that the height of the component disposed on the front side of the lighting unit 7 is greater than the height of the lighting unit 7.

[0121] Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, it has been explained that locating the lighting unit 7 as close to the front of the refrigerator 100 as possible is effective in improving the visibility of the food F, but if the guide pin 20 is provided in the refrigerator 100, the lighting unit 7 may be located as close to the guide pin 20 as possible. Alternatively, as described above, the lighting unit 7 may be formed integrally with the guide pin 20. Furthermore, in a model that does not use the guide pin 20, such as a refrigerator 100 that is provided with a single-wing refrigerator compartment door 1B, the lighting unit 7 may be located as close to the front as possible without coming into contact with the refrigerator compartment door 1B.

[0122] (Variation 4) Furthermore, the number of boards 73 on which LEDs are mounted in the lighting unit 7 is not limited to one, but may be, for example, multiple. In this case, by mounting an LED on each of the multiple boards 73 and varying the optical axis L of the LED for each board 73, it is possible to illuminate a wider area inside the refrigerator compartment 1, thereby making the brightness inside the refrigerator uniform and improving visibility inside the refrigerator.

[0123] In addition, in the third and fourth embodiments, the case where the lighting unit 7 does not overlap with the storage shelf 1a in the front-to-rear direction (y direction) when the refrigerator compartment 1 is viewed from above has been described, but this is not limiting. For example, the lighting unit 7 may be formed to extend in the front-to-rear direction (y direction) until it overlaps with the storage shelf 1a.

[0124] Fig. 36 is a diagram showing the internal structure of refrigerator compartment 1 according to Modification 4 as viewed from above. As shown in Fig. 36, lighting unit 7 is formed so that a portion of the front side overlaps with door pocket 1b in the left-right direction (x direction) when refrigerator compartment 1 is viewed from the side, and a portion of the rear side overlaps with storage shelf 1a in the front-to-back direction (y direction) when refrigerator compartment 1 is viewed from above. In this way, overlapping of lighting unit 7 with storage shelf 1a in the front-to-back direction (y direction) brightly illuminates storage shelf 1a, thereby improving the visibility of food F stored in storage shelf 1a.

[0125] Fig. 37 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the lighting unit 7 and the storage shelf 1a according to Modification 4. As shown in Fig. 37, the lighting unit 7 of this modification has two boards 73a and 73b. Illumination devices 71a and 71b are mounted on the boards 73a and 73b, respectively. The boards 73a and 73b are arranged at different angles so that the directions of the optical axes L of the illumination devices 71a and 71b are different. Furthermore, of the two boards 73a and 73b, the board 73a on the front side is mounted with an open / close detection device 8A.

[0126] When the refrigeration compartment 1 is viewed from above, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that at least a portion of the first portion 7a, which overlaps with the storage shelf 1a in the front-to-rear direction (y direction), is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigeration compartment 1. In this case, the lighting unit 7 does not occupy a portion of the storage space in the height direction (z direction) of the storage shelf 1a. Therefore, in the second example, the visibility of the food F stored in the storage shelf 1a can be improved while improving the storage capacity of the food F. Note that "at least a portion of the first portion 7a is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a" includes the case where most of the first portion 7a is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a. The height at which the first portion 7a is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a can be determined appropriately, for example, by more than half or more than two-thirds, taking into consideration the relative positioning of the lighting unit 7 and the storage shelf 1a, the dimensions of the lighting unit 7, and the like.

[0127] FIG. 38 is a diagram showing another arrangement of the lighting unit 7 and the storage shelf 1a according to Modification 4. In the alternative arrangement shown in FIG. 38, when the refrigerator compartment 1 is viewed from above, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that at least a portion of the first portion 7a, which overlaps with the storage shelf 1a in the front-to-rear direction (y direction), is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1, as in the second example. In addition, in the third example, the lighting unit 7 is formed with an inclination such that the second portion 7b, which is closer to the front of the refrigerator than the first portion 7a, approaches the ceiling surface 103a as it moves toward the back. This reduces the protruding area of ​​the lighting unit 7 on the front side of the refrigerator compared to the first and second examples, thereby further improving the storage capacity of food F in the storage shelf 1a. Note that "at least a portion of the first portion 7a is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a" includes the case where most of the first portion 7a is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a, as in the example shown in FIG. 37. In addition, the height at which the first part 7a is embedded into the ceiling surface 103a can be determined appropriately, for example, to be more than half or more than two-thirds, taking into consideration the relative positioning of the lighting unit 7 and the storage shelf 1a and the dimensions of the lighting unit 7, etc.

[0128] Fig. 39 is a diagram showing the relative positions of the lighting unit 7 and the storage shelf 1a according to a comparative example. In the comparative example shown in Fig. 39, when the refrigerator compartment 1 is viewed from above, the lighting unit 7 is provided so that a first portion 7a that overlaps with the storage shelf 1a in the front-to-rear direction (y direction) protrudes downward (z direction) from the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1. In this case, part of the storage space in the height direction (z direction) of the storage shelf 1a is occupied by the lighting unit 7, thereby reducing the storage space. Therefore, in the central portion of the refrigerator compartment 1 in the width direction (y direction) where the lighting unit 7 is located, there is a possibility that the lighting unit 7 will come into contact with the food F when the food F is stored in the storage shelf 1a.

[0129] As described above, in this modification, by providing at least a portion of the lighting unit 7 so that it is embedded in the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1, the lighting unit 7 can be placed without interfering with the food F placed on the storage shelf 1a. This makes it possible to provide the lighting unit 7 with a plurality of boards 73a and 73b.

[0130] The lighting unit 7 may not only be controlled to be turned on or off, but also, for example, its brightness when turned on may be controlled. Fig. 40 is a schematic diagram for explaining the brightness of the lighting unit 7. The signal shown in Fig. 40 shows one cycle of a lighting control signal supplied from the control device 12 to the lighting unit 7 when turning on the lighting unit 7. The lighting unit 7 normally turns on and off repeatedly at short cycles of about several kHz. At this time, due to an optical illusion, the user does not see the lighting unit 7 as flashing, but rather as continuously lit.

[0131] When lighting of the lighting unit 7 is controlled in this manner, the illuminance of the illumination light from the lighting unit 7 is determined according to the duty ratio (= lighting time / cycle), which is the ratio of the lighting time during one cycle. Here, the cycle is the sum of the lighting time and the extinguishing time. In other words, the illuminance of the illumination light from the lighting unit 7 is determined by the ratio of the lighting time to the extinguishing time per cycle.

[0132] Fig. 41 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the duty ratio of the lighting control signal of the lighting unit 7 and the illuminance. In Fig. 41, the horizontal axis represents the duty ratio of the lighting control signal, and the vertical axis represents a relative value with the illuminance when the duty ratio is "1" as a reference. As shown in Fig. 41, the illuminance of the lighting unit 7 increases as the duty ratio increases and decreases as the duty ratio decreases. In other words, the illuminance of the lighting unit 7 increases as the lighting time per cycle is increased and decreases as the lighting time per cycle is decreased.

[0133] Fig. 42 is a graph showing an example of a lighting control signal when the duty ratio is 50%. Fig. 43 is a graph showing an example of a lighting control signal when the duty ratio is 75%. As shown in Fig. 42, when the duty ratio is 50%, the ratio between the on time and the off time of the LEDs of the lighting unit 7 is "1:1". Also, as shown in Fig. 43, when the duty ratio is 75%, the ratio between the on time and the off time of the LEDs of the lighting unit 7 is "3:1".

[0134] As described above, when the duty ratio is 75%, the lighting time per cycle is longer than when the duty ratio is 50%, and therefore the illuminance of the lighting unit 7 is higher when the duty ratio is 75%. Therefore, if you want to increase the illuminance of the lighting unit 7, you increase the duty ratio of the LED lighting control signal, and if you want to decrease the illuminance, you decrease the duty ratio of the lighting control signal. In this case, even if the duty ratio is changed, the current flowing through the LED remains constant.

[0135] Note that the change in illuminance of the lighting unit 7 is not limited to the above example. For example, the illuminance of the lighting unit 7 may be changed by changing the value of the current supplied to the LED of the lighting unit 7. Specifically, a plurality of resistors with different resistance values ​​are provided in a circuit that supplies current to the LED. Then, the resistor through which the current flows is switched depending on the set illuminance. At this time, the duty ratio of the lighting control signal is constant.

[0136] Furthermore, when the refrigerator compartment door 1A is a double-door door as in the first to fourth embodiments, two open / close detection devices 8A may be provided to detect the open / close states of the two double-door doors (the right door and the left door), respectively. In this case, the two open / close detection devices 8A (single units) or the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 are mounted on the same circuit board 73 and integrated into one unit. The control device 12 may optimally adjust the lighting pattern or brightness of the lighting device 71 depending on the open / close state of each of the two doors.

[0137] For example, the control device 12 sets the brightness of the lighting device 71 to 100% when both doors are open, and sets the brightness of the lighting device 71 to 50% when only one door is open (when only the right door is open or only the left door is open). This allows the food F to be illuminated with the necessary brightness, preventing glare, further extending the life of the lighting device 71, and reducing power consumption.

[0138] Furthermore, when the lighting device 71 includes a plurality of LEDs, the control device 12 may turn on some of the plurality of LEDs when only one door is open so that light is irradiated onto an area of ​​the refrigerator compartment 1 that corresponds to the open door. For example, when the right door of the refrigerator compartment door 1A is open, the control device 12 turns on the LED located on the right side of the plurality of LEDs so that light is irradiated onto the right side of the refrigerator compartment 1. This further extends the life of the lighting device 71 and reduces power consumption.

[0139] Furthermore, when refrigerator compartment door 1A remains open for a certain period of time, control device 12 may blink lighting device 71 to notify the user that the door is open. Alternatively, control device 12 may change the number of times or duration of blinking of lighting device 71 depending on whether only one of refrigerator compartment doors 1A is open or both doors are open.

[0140] Furthermore, the storage compartments in Embodiments 1 to 4 are merely examples, and the arrangement, number, and type of each storage compartment are not limited to the examples shown in Figures 1 and 2. For example, refrigerator 100 may be configured without ice making compartment 2 and switchable compartment 3. Furthermore, in refrigerator 100, the positions of vegetable compartment 4 and freezer compartment 5 may be reversed. Furthermore, refrigerator 100 may be configured without ice making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, and vegetable compartment 4. Furthermore, refrigerator 100 may be configured without ice making compartment 2, switchable compartment 3, and vegetable compartment 4, and may be provided with a second freezer compartment instead of refrigerator compartment 1.

[0141] Furthermore, in the first to fourth embodiments, the case where an LED is used as the light source of the lighting unit 7 has been described, but this is not limiting, and other light-emitting components such as an incandescent bulb may be used as the light source. For example, when an incandescent bulb is used as the light-emitting source of the lighting unit 7, the cost of the light-emitting component can be reduced compared to when an LED is used, and therefore the cost of the entire lighting unit 7 can be reduced. Furthermore, the open / close detection device 8A (single unit) or the detection unit 8A1 and the lighting device 71 do not have to be low-current elements.

[0142] The number of LEDs serving as the light source of the lighting unit 7 is not limited to one, but may be multiple. By using multiple LEDs, it is possible to reduce unevenness in the light irradiated into the refrigerator compartment 1. Furthermore, when multiple LEDs are used, increasing the number of LEDs can further reduce unevenness in the light.

[0143] In the configuration of embodiment 4, the size of the lighting unit 7 in the width direction (x direction) is preferably approximately the same as the width of the guide pin 20, taking design into consideration. However, the larger the size of the lighting unit 7 in the width direction (x direction), the more LEDs can be installed in the lighting unit 7. In this case, the interior of the refrigerator can be brightened, improving the visibility of the stored food F. Furthermore, when more LEDs are installed, the lighting unit 7 can easily diffuse light using the cover 74, allowing the interior of the refrigerator compartment 1 to be brightly illuminated over a wide area.

[0144] Furthermore, the lighting unit 7 does not necessarily have to be arranged on the ceiling surface 103a of the refrigerator compartment 1, but may also be arranged on the floor surface or side surface, for example. For example, if the guide pin 20 is provided on the floor surface of the refrigerator compartment 1, the lighting unit 7 may also be provided on the floor surface. In this case, the lighting unit 7 is also arranged on the rear side of the guide pin 20. In this case, the rear surface portion 20a that forms the rear side of the refrigerator of the guide pin 20 is formed higher than the height of the lighting unit 7 when viewed from the front, thereby making it possible to reduce the unpleasant glare that the user may experience due to direct light from the lighting unit 7.

[0145] Note that Modification 4 can also be applied to a case where the lighting unit 7 is provided on the floor surface. That is, when the lighting unit 7 is provided on the floor surface and the refrigeration compartment 1 is viewed from above, the lighting unit 7 may be provided so that the first portion 7a that overlaps with the storage shelf 1a in the front-to-rear direction (y direction) is embedded in the floor surface of the refrigeration compartment 1.

[0146] Furthermore, the lighting unit 7 and the open / close detection device 8A in the above-described embodiment and modified examples are not limited to those arranged in the refrigerator compartment 1. The lighting unit 7 and the open / close detection device 8A in the above-described embodiment and modified examples may be arranged in at least one of the refrigerator compartment 1, the ice-making compartment 2, the switchable compartment 3, the vegetable compartment 4, and the freezer compartment 5.

[0147] 1 Refrigerator compartment, 1A, 1B Refrigerator compartment door, 1a Storage shelf, 1b Door pocket, 1c Rotating partition body, 2 Ice making compartment, 2A Ice making compartment door, 3 Switching compartment, 3A Switching compartment door, 4 Vegetable compartment, 4A Vegetable compartment door, 5 Freezer compartment, 5A Freezer compartment door, 6 Partition wall, 7, 70 Lighting unit, 7a First part, 7b Second part, 8, 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, 80A Opening and closing detection device, 8A1 Detection unit, 8A2 Operating unit, 9 Temperature sensor, 11A Protrusion, 12 Control device, 20 Guide pin, 20a Back part, 71, 71a, 71b Lighting device, 72 Connector, 73 Board, 73a, 73b Board, 74 Cover, 75 Resistor, 76 Screw plate, 90 Gasket, 10, 100 Refrigerator, 101 Housing, 102 Outer box, 103 Inner box, 103a Ceiling surface, 104 Operation unit, 111 Compressor, 112 Cooler, 113 Blower fan, 114 Air duct, 115 Damper, 121 Acquisition unit, 122 Calculation unit, 123 Determination unit, 124 Drive unit, 125 Memory unit, 126 Control board, 127 Connector, 128 Internal power supply, 130 Wiring, 201 Storage case, 210 Heat insulating member, 211 Vacuum heat insulating material, 212 Urethane, 401 Storage case, 501 Storage case.

Claims

1. A housing having an opening on a front surface and a storage chamber therein for storing food; a storage chamber door provided on the front surface of the housing and including two double-hinged doors for opening and closing the storage chamber; a rotating partition body provided on one of the two doors and configured to close a gap between the two doors that is formed when the storage chamber door is closed; A guide pin provided in the storage chamber for guiding the rotation direction of the rotating partition body; an illumination unit provided in the storage chamber and including an illumination device and a cover disposed on a rear side of the guide pin; a magnetic sensor that is a detection unit that detects whether the storage compartment door is open or closed; A magnet that is provided on the rotating partition and serves as an actuator that activates the detector; Equipped with The lighting device and the detection unit are integrally configured, A refrigerator in which opening and closing of the storage compartment door is detected by the operation unit approaching or moving away from the detection unit.

2. A refrigerator as described in claim 1, wherein the guide pin and the lighting unit are arranged at the same position in the left-right direction when the front face of the housing is viewed as the front.

3. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device and the detection unit are low-current elements and are integrally configured by being mounted on a single substrate.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lighting device and the detection unit are connected in parallel.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lighting device and the detection unit are connected in series.

6. A door pocket is provided on the storage compartment door and stores the food. The lighting unit includes: The storage chamber is provided so as to protrude downward from a ceiling surface thereof, A position overlapping with the door pocket in the front-rear direction, 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door pocket is disposed at a position not overlapping with a path of opening and closing the door pocket in the left-right direction.

7. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit is provided so that at least a portion of the lighting unit protrudes upward from a floor surface of the storage compartment.

8. The food storage device further includes a storage shelf provided in the storage compartment for storing the food.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device has an optical axis set so as to irradiate light onto the food stored in the storage shelf.

9. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device is disposed so that an optical axis of the lighting device is inclined with respect to a vertical direction around an axis indicating a horizontal direction of the storage compartment.

10. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device is disposed so that an optical axis of the lighting device is inclined with respect to a front-rear direction about an axis indicating a vertical direction of the storage compartment.

11. The lighting device includes:

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an optical axis is inclined with respect to a left-right direction about an axis indicating a front-rear direction of the storage compartment.

12. The guide pin has a back portion, The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the height of the rear portion is greater than the height of the lighting unit.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the rear portion is formed to extend toward the rear side so as to overlap a part of the lighting unit.

14. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit and the guide pin are integrally formed.

15. The food storage device further includes a storage shelf provided in the storage compartment for storing the food. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lighting unit is disposed at a position where at least a portion of the lighting unit overlaps with the storage shelf in a front-rear direction.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein at least the portion of the lighting unit that overlaps with the storage shelf is embedded in a ceiling surface or a floor surface of the storage compartment.