Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator according to the present disclosure comprises: a refrigerator body; a partition that demarcates a first storage chamber and a second storage chamber; a door that is installed on the front surface of the refrigerator body and opens / closes the first storage chamber; a drawer-type storage container that is stored in the second storage chamber; a lighting device that is provided at the lower part of the door; and an optical device that is provided so as to cover the lower side of the lighting device and diffuses the light emitted from the lighting device to the lower side. The storage container has a bottom surface portion and a side wall portion having an opening on the top side thereof, and a plurality of prisms extending along the lower end edge of the door is formed in the optical device. A first prism located closest to the front surface side among the plurality of prisms is formed so as to refract the light emitted to the front side of the lighting device to the rear side of the refrigerator body, and a second prism located rearmost among the plurality of prisms is formed so as to refract the light emitted to the rear side of the lighting device to the front side.

Description

refrigerator

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator having an interior light at the bottom of the door.

[0002] Conventionally, refrigerators have been equipped with drawer-type storage cases. To increase storage capacity, drawer-type storage cases are often designed to provide storage space extending from the rear of the door to the rear of the storage compartment when the door is closed. In such refrigerators, lighting devices are sometimes installed on the ceiling of the refrigerator body or on partitions of the storage compartment to improve visibility of the stored items in the storage compartment. However, when such a drawer-type storage case is installed directly below the lighting device, it becomes difficult for light to reach the stored items when the storage case is pulled out toward the front.

[0003] In such refrigerators, if the room in which the refrigerator is placed is dark or if the inside of the case is dark due to the user's shadow, the user will spend more time searching for the stored item they want to take out and will have to open the door longer than if there is sufficient light from the lighting device. If the door is left open for a long time, the cool air inside the refrigerator will escape, reducing energy efficiency and increasing the temperature inside the refrigerator, which could make food more susceptible to spoilage. Furthermore, the inflow of outside air when the door is open could cause frost to form on the cooler, reducing cooling performance.

[0004] Therefore, a refrigerator is known in which a light source is located at the bottom end of a revolving door in the upper storage compartment so that the inside of a drawer-type storage container located at the bottom of the refrigerator can be illuminated when the storage container is pulled out (see Patent Document 1).

[0005] JP 2013-113467 A

[0006] The refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a light source located at the bottom edge of the door of an upper storage compartment located above a drawer-type storage compartment, and irradiates light onto a storage container located below. The refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1 also has a structure in which an interior light located at the bottom edge of the door moves depending on the opening and closing angle of the door, so that the illumination area changes depending on the opening and closing angle. However, in such a refrigerator, the light cannot be irradiated to the desired location unless the door is opened and closed. To achieve the desired illumination area, the user must manually adjust the opening and closing angle of the door while removing items from the storage container.

[0007] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a refrigerator that can irradiate an appropriate amount of light into a drawer-type storage container when the door of the storage compartment above the storage container is closed.

[0008] The refrigerator of the present disclosure includes a refrigerator main body having a plurality of storage compartments including a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment located below the first storage compartment; a partition separating the first storage compartment from the second storage compartment; a door installed on the front of the refrigerator main body for opening and closing the first storage compartment; a drawer-type storage container stored in the second storage compartment; a lighting device installed below the door; and an optical device installed to cover a portion below the lighting device and diffusing light emitted downward from the lighting device, wherein the storage container has a bottom surface and an optical device erected above the bottom surface and forming a storage space of the storage container together with the bottom surface. and a side wall portion having an opening on the upper side, the optical device being arranged in the direction in which light is irradiated and having an incident surface through which light is incident and an exit surface through which light that has passed through the optical device is emitted, the incident surface or the exit surface having a plurality of prisms formed thereon extending along the lower edge of the door, the first prism of the plurality of prisms being located on the front side being formed so as to refract light that has been emitted in front of the lighting device towards the rear side of the refrigerator body, and the second prism of the plurality of prisms being located at the rear side being formed so as to refract light that has been emitted behind the lighting device towards the front side.

[0009] In the refrigerator disclosed herein, the optical device installed under the front door of the storage compartment is provided with multiple prisms, and the light from the lighting device is refracted by the multiple prisms, so that the appropriate amount of light can be irradiated onto the stored items in the storage space of the storage container, making it easier for the user to find the stored items.

[0010] 7 is a front view of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1. FIG. 9 is a front view of main body 101 of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1. FIG. 10 is a front view of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 with lower freezer compartment door 4 open and upper case 13 pulled out to the outside of the refrigerator to the maximum extent. FIG. 11 is a partial enlarged view of a cross section taken along X-X in FIG. 4. FIG. 12 is a partial enlarged view of a cross section taken along Y-Y in FIG. 4. FIG. 13 is a top view of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 with LED board 18 housed in LED cover 19 attached to upper freezer compartment door 3. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along Z-Z in FIG. 7. FIG. 15 is a partial enlarged view of LED 20 and LED cover 19 shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 17 is an explanatory view of a cross-sectional structure of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 with middle case 14 pulled out to the maximum extent.

[0011] An embodiment of a refrigerator according to the present disclosure will be described below. Note that the drawings are merely examples and do not limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, components with the same reference numerals in the drawings are identical or equivalent, and this is common throughout the specification. Furthermore, the size relationships between components in the drawings may differ from those in reality.

[0012] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a front view of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1. The configuration of the refrigerator according to embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, terms indicating directions, such as "up," "down," "right," "left," "front," and "rear," are used as appropriate to facilitate understanding, but these terms are for explanatory purposes and do not limit the embodiments. In the embodiment, terms such as "up," "down," "right," "left," "front," and "rear" are used when viewing the refrigerator from the front.

[0013] In this disclosure, a two-door refrigerator 100 having a single partition separating two upper and lower storage compartments and a light attached to the bottom of the door is described as an example, but the configuration of this disclosure can also be applied to refrigerators with three or more doors. Furthermore, the refrigerator 100 of this disclosure is described as a freezer compartment (freezer) in which all of the multiple storage compartments are set to the freezing temperature range, but this is not limited to this. At least some of the multiple storage compartments 60 may include compartments in other temperature ranges, such as a refrigeration temperature range. Specifically, in addition to the freezer compartment, the main body 101 may be provided with compartments with temperature ranges other than those described in the embodiment, such as a refrigerator compartment, ice maker compartment, and vegetable compartment.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2, refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 includes main body 101 that forms an outer shell. Inside main body 101, multiple storage compartments 60 are provided. Multiple storage compartments 60 are separated into upper freezer compartment 1 and lower freezer compartment 2 by partition 8. Upper freezer compartment 1 is provided above lower freezer compartment 2. Upper freezer compartment 1 may be referred to as a first storage compartment. Also, lower freezer compartment 2 may be referred to as a second storage compartment.

[0015] The front opening 1a (see FIG. 3) of the upper freezer compartment 1 is closed by an upper freezer compartment door 3 so as to be freely opened and closed. The front opening 2a (see FIG. 3) of the lower freezer compartment 2 is closed by a lower freezer compartment door 4 so as to be freely opened and closed. In the first embodiment, the upper freezer compartment door 3 and the lower freezer compartment door 4 are revolving doors that can be opened and closed around a rotation axis installed at either the left or right end when viewed from the front of the main body 101. The upper freezer compartment door 3 may be referred to as a first door, and the lower freezer compartment door 4 may be referred to as a second door. Note that, although the first door and the second door have been described as revolving doors in the embodiment, they may also be drawer doors instead of revolving doors.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a front view of the main body 101 of the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment. The main body 101 is formed by combining an inner box 5 and an outer box 6 to form an insulated box having front openings 1a and 2a on the front side. The space between the inner box 5 and the outer box 6 is filled with urethane foam. The inner box 5 has inner box side surfaces 9, an inner box ceiling surface 10, an inner box floor surface 11, and inner box corners 12. The inner box side surfaces 9 form the left and right side surfaces of the multiple storage compartments 60. The inner box ceiling surface 10 forms the ceiling surface of the uppermost storage compartment 60 among the multiple storage compartments 60. The inner box floor surface 11 forms the bottom surface of the lowermost storage compartment 60 among the multiple storage compartments 60. The inner box corners 12 are portions that connect the inner box side surfaces 9 to the inner box ceiling surface 10 or the inner box floor surface 11, and are surfaces that slope left and right when viewed from the front. The inner box 5 is divided by a partition 8 into an upper freezing compartment 1 and a lower freezing compartment 2.

[0017] 4 is a front view of refrigerator 100 according to Embodiment 1 with freezer compartment lower door 4 open and upper case 13 pulled out to the maximum extent possible. Lower freezer compartment 2 of refrigerator 100 contains, from top to bottom, upper case 13 as a first storage container, middle case 14 as a second storage container, and lower case 15 as a third storage container.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-section of the X-X portion shown in FIG. 4 . FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-section of the Y-Y portion shown in FIG. 4 . FIGS. 5 and 6 are enlarged cross-sections of the refrigerator body 101, centered on the upper case 13, and show the cross-sectional structures of the upper case 13, which is the first storage container, the front opening 2a of the lower freezer compartment 2, the lower end of the upper freezer compartment door 3, and the partition 8. FIG. 5 shows a side view of the upper case 13. FIG. 6 shows the internal structure of the upper case 13. The upper case 13, which is the first storage container, has a bottom 24 and sidewalls 23 with an opening on the upper side, which together with the bottom 24 form a storage space 25 of the first storage container. The upper case 13 has flanges 26 protruding outward on the left and right sides of the sidewalls 23.

[0019] 5, the upper surface of the flange portion 26 has an inclined surface 26a behind the upper case 13 (rear side of the main body 101) and a flat surface 26b in front of the inclined surface 26a that is substantially horizontal when the upper case 13 is stored. The inclined surface 26a is inclined relative to the flat surface 26b and is an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the rear side of the main body 101.

[0020] The underside of flange portion 26 has a support surface 26c in the front portion, which is substantially horizontal when upper case 13 is stored therein, and a locking portion 27 that protrudes downward behind support surface 26c. In other words, a step is formed in the rear portion of the underside of flange portion 26.

[0021] When the upper case 13 is pulled out, stoppers 16 installed on the left and right side walls of the inner box 5, i.e., the inner box side surface 9, engage with the locking portions 27, determining the maximum pullout distance. Furthermore, when the locking portions 27 of the upper case 13 are engaged with the stoppers 16, the upper case 13 is configured to rotate around the stoppers 16 so that its front end drops downward, allowing it to tilt. At this time, the inclined surface 26a on the upper surface of the flange portion 26 abuts against the rail 17 formed on the inner box side surface 9 of the inner box 5, maintaining the inclined state of the upper case 13. In the first embodiment, the front side of the upper case 13 is inclined downward by 7°. The inclined surface 26a is provided over an area behind the locking portions 27 in the front-to-rear direction of the refrigerator 100, and limits the angle of tilt of the upper case 13 when it is pulled out to the maximum. The inclination angle of the upper case 13 is an example, and the inclination angle can be set appropriately depending on the shape of the rail 17 and the inclined surface 26a of the flange portion 26 of the upper case 13. For example, an inclined surface of 0° or 9° can also be used.

[0022] The freezer compartment upper door 3 has a space 42 recessed from the door lower surface 3a toward the interior (upward) of the door, in the left-right center of the door lower surface 3a. An LED board 18 is installed in this space. An LED 20 is installed on the LED board 18. There may be one LED 20, or multiple LEDs 20 arranged in parallel in the left-right direction of the refrigerator 100. The space 42 is covered from below by an LED cover 19, and the LED 20 and the LED cover 19 are positioned so as to overlap in the vertical direction.

[0023] (Regarding the Optical Device) FIG. 7 is a top view of the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment, with the LED board 18 housed in the LED cover 19 attached to the upper freezer door 3. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the Z-Z section in FIG. 7. The LED cover 19 includes a main body 19a constituting a part of the door underside 3a of the upper freezer door 3, and a cylindrical storage section 21 protruding upward from the main body 19a. The LED board 18 is disposed inside the storage section 21 and is surrounded and held from the front, back, left, and right. The LED board 18 has a connector 18a on its upper surface, for example, and the connector 18a is connected to the main body to supply power. Ribs 19c are provided on the side surfaces of the storage section 21, and the LED board 18 is placed on the ribs 19c for support. The bottom 19b of the storage section 21 is an optical device that covers the LED board 18 from below and diffuses light emitted from the LEDs 20, which are light-emitting devices. The LED 20 is installed in the space 42 below the upper freezer compartment door 3. The structure of the LED cover 19 is not limited to that shown in Figures 7 and 8, and the storage section 21 may be formed as a separate member from the main body 19a and the bottom 19b. The light emitting device may be substituted with a light source other than the LED 20.

[0024] The bottom 19b of the LED cover 19 allows light emitted from the LEDs 20 to pass through. The bottom 19b has two main surfaces 40 and 41 that face each other. The main surface 40 that faces the LED board 18 is called the first main surface 40, and is the surface onto which light from the LEDs 20 is incident. The main surface 41 that forms part of the door lower surface 3a of the upper freezer compartment door 3 is called the second main surface 41, and is the surface onto which light that enters from the first main surface 40 and passes through the bottom 19b is emitted.

[0025] The first main surface 40 includes a plurality of prisms 30 for refracting light. However, the LED cover 19 may also include a plurality of prisms 30 on the second main surface 41. The plurality of prisms 30 includes a prism 30a disposed most forward. The prism 30a is also referred to as the first prism 30a. The plurality of prisms 30 includes a prism 30b disposed most rearward. The prism 30b is also referred to as the second prism 30b. The plurality of prisms also includes a third prism 30c disposed behind the first prism.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 8, the LED 20 emits light with a directivity angle of 60° in the front-to-rear direction of the refrigerator 100, for example. The maximum spread angle α1 on the rear side of the light emitted from the LED 20 and emitted toward the inside of the refrigerator (rear side) after passing through the second prism 30b and the LED cover 19 will be described. The maximum spread angle α1 on the rear side of the light that passes through the second prism 30b and is emitted from the LED cover 19 is set so that the light is not blocked by the partition 8. In other words, as shown in Fig. 6, the maximum spread angle α1 on the rear side is the angle that passes through the lower end 8a1 of the front surface 8a of the partition 8.

[0027] The spread angles α1, α2, β1, and β2 will be explained based on an example. The spread angles α1, α2, β1, and β2 are calculated based on actual values, but are not limited to this example. Here, for convenience, the LEDs 20 on the LED substrate 18 are considered as points.

[0028] Light emitted from LED 20 is refracted by second prism 30b and emitted from LED cover 19 without being blocked by lower edge 8a1 of the front surface of partition 8. LED 20 is provided 8.2 mm above the bottom surface of upper freezer compartment door 3. Partition 8, which separates the storage compartment into upper and lower compartments, is provided in refrigerator body 101, and the bottom surface of partition 8 (ceiling surface of the first storage compartment) is provided 34.7 mm below door bottom surface 3a of upper freezer compartment door 3. In other words, vertical distance B from LED 20 to the bottom surface of partition 8 is 42.9 mm.

[0029] The LED 20 is provided 34.6 mm outside (front side) from the back surface of the freezer compartment upper door 3. As an example, the back surface of the freezer compartment upper door 3 is provided 9.5 mm forward from the front surface of the partition 8. In other words, the distance A from the LED 20 to the front surface 8a of the partition 8 is 44.1 mm.

[0030] In the above example, the spread angle α1 formed by the line L passing through the LED 20 and extending downward and the line passing through the LED 20 and the lower end 8a1 of the front surface 8a of the partition 8 is α1 = 45.8°. Here, as shown in Figure 6, the spread angle α1 is calculated by the inverse trigonometric function tan －１ Substituting this into (A / B), we obtain α1 = 45.8°.

[0031] That is, in the above embodiment, the light emitted from the LED 20 and refracted by the second prism 30b is refracted by the LED cover 19 so that the maximum divergence angle α1 inside the refrigerator is 45.8°, thereby preventing the light from being blocked by the partition 8. This allows the light from the LED 20 to be efficiently irradiated into the storage space 25 of the upper case 13, which is the first storage container. Note that this divergence angle α1 is just an example, and other values ​​can be used by changing the positions of the partition 8 and the LED 20.

[0032] 6 is set by the second prism 30b as follows: Light emitted rearward from the LED 20 at the directivity angle is refracted by the second prism 30b to an angle (the angle α2 in FIG. 6) at which the light can irradiate the lower end 23b1 of the rear side wall 23b that forms the rear surface of the side wall 23 of the upper case 13, which serves as the first storage container, when the upper case 13 is pulled out of the lower freezer compartment 2 and fully open. In other words, the light refracted by the second prism 30b is set to be irradiated between the divergence angles α1 and α2.

[0033] Next, the conditions for the spread angle β on the front side of the light emitted from the LED 20 and emitted toward the inside of the refrigerator (front side) after passing through the first prism 30a and the LED cover 19 will be described.

[0034] The light emitted forward from the LED 20 is preferably set to a spread angle that illuminates the storage space 25 of the upper case 13, which is the first storage container when it is pulled out from the lower freezer compartment 2 and fully open, and does not illuminate unnecessary areas on the front side of the upper case 13. As an example in this disclosure, the actual value of the spread angle β1 is calculated assuming that the desired position to be illuminated is the irradiation point 13b (upper front end of the storage space 25) of the upper case 13 pulled out to the limit outside the freezer.

[0035] If the LED 20 is considered to be a point for convenience, the distance from the LED 20 to the irradiation point 13b on the upper case 13 pulled out to the limit outside the refrigerator is defined as a distance C in the front-to-rear direction and a distance D in the up-to-down direction, as shown in Figure 6. As an example, the distance C is 170.2 mm and the distance D is 109.1 mm.

[0036] In this case, the spread angle β1 formed by the perpendicular line L passing through the LED 20 and extending downward and the straight line passing through the LED 20 and the irradiation point 13b is calculated by the inverse trigonometric function tan －１ Substituting this into (C / D), we get 57.3°.

[0037] By setting the spread angle β1 of the light from the LED 20 that has passed through the first prism 30a outside the storage compartment to 57.3°, it is possible to suppress the irradiation of light onto areas that do not need to be irradiated, and to efficiently irradiate the light into the storage space 25. Note that this spread angle β1 is one example, and is determined by the size of the upper case 13, the relative position of the upper case 13 with respect to the LED 20, and the position of the irradiation point 13b, so it is not limited to this value only.

[0038] Furthermore, first prism 30a may be configured to irradiate a wider range of light emitted forward at the directivity angle from LED 20. In other words, first prism 30a may be configured to refract light so as to irradiate an area between an angle at which it irradiates front end 22a of the upper surface of upper case 13 when upper case 13 is fully opened after being pulled out from lower freezer compartment 2 (angle β2 in FIG. 6 ) and an angle at which it irradiates lower end 23a1 of front side wall 23a that forms the front surface of side wall 23 (angle β3 in FIG. 6 ).

[0039] In the above calculations, the approximate values ​​are obtained assuming that the LED 20 is a point light source and that the light emitted from the LED 20 is directly irradiated downward at divergence angles α and β.

[0040] In refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1, the first prism 30a, which is the frontmost of the multiple prisms 30, refracts light emitted forward from LED 20 at a directional angle between an angle at which the light illuminates front end 22a of the upper surface of upper case 13 when pulled out from lower freezer compartment 2 and fully open (angle β2 in FIG. 6 ) and an angle at which the light illuminates lower end 23a1 of front side wall 23a that forms the front surface of side wall 23 (angle β3 in FIG. 6 ) (the range indicated by straight line L1 in FIG. 6 ).

[0041] Furthermore, in refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1, the second prism 30b, which is the rearmost of the multiple prisms 30, refracts light emitted rearward from LED 20 at a directivity angle between the angle at which the light passes through the lower end 8a1 of front portion 8a of partition 8 (angle α1 in FIG. 6) and the angle at which the light irradiates the lower end 23b1 of rear side wall portion 23b that forms the rear surface of side wall portion 23 of upper case 13 when pulled out from lower freezer compartment 2 and fully open (angle α2 in FIG. 6) (the range indicated by straight line L2 in FIG. 6).

[0042] Furthermore, when a handle 22 is provided on the front side of the upper end of the front side wall portion 23a that forms the front portion of the upper case 13, the maximum spread angle β2 of the light outside the cabinet from the LED 20 can be set to an angle that irradiates the front end 24a of the upper surface of the handle 22, thereby suppressing light from being irradiated onto the area forward of the front end of the upper case 13, while making it possible to illuminate the area around the user's hands that are holding the handle 22.

[0043] 7 and 8, the LED board 18 is held by an LED cover 19. The multiple prisms 30 of the LED cover 19 are formed as multiple triangular steps with different inclinations. The multiple prisms 30 include a second prism 30b located at the rearmost position and a first prism 30a located at the frontmost position. The first prism 30a and the second prism 30b are configured to refract light emitted from the LEDs 20 and emit the light at a desired angle.

[0044] The first prism 30a and the second prism 30b of the LED cover 19 are described below, with spread angles α1, α2, β1, β2, and β3. The light emitted from the LED 20 is strongest in the downward direction (the direction of the perpendicular line L) and becomes weaker as the angle widens. If the luminous intensity in the downward direction is 1, in the first embodiment, the allowable range of luminous intensity is an attenuation value of up to 0.5. The LED 20 has a luminous intensity of 0.5 at an angle of 60°. If no optical device is used, the range of illumination that the LED 20 can provide is a range of 0° to 60° in the front, rear, left, and right directions. In this case, the directivity angle of the LED 20 is 60°. The range of illumination that the LED 20 can provide varies depending on the light source, and is not limited to this numerical value.

[0045] In the embodiment described above, by setting the inclination angle of second prism 30b to 9.2°, light at an angle of 60° irradiated toward the interior side (the rear side of refrigerator 100) is refracted by the prism action. The inclination angle of prism 30 is the angle with respect to main surface 40 or 41 facing LED 20, and is essentially the angle with respect to the first plane passing through the lower end of upper freezer compartment door 3. Light irradiated from LED 20 at a spread angle α = 60° is refracted by second prism 30b and irradiated toward the interior side as light with a spread angle α1 = 45.8°.

[0046] Furthermore, by setting the inclination angle of the first prism 30a to 1.7°, light with a spread angle β = 60° that is irradiated to the outside of the storage compartment (forward, front side) is refracted by the prism action, and is irradiated to the outside of the storage compartment as light with a spread angle β = 57.3°.

[0047] Figure 9 is a partial enlarged view of the LED 20 and LED cover 19 shown in Figure 8. The function of the second prism 30b will be described with reference to Figure 9. For light irradiated from the LED toward the inside of the refrigerator at an angle of 60°, the angle of incidence of the light irradiated from the LED 20 to the LED cover 19 is P and the angle of refraction is Q. Furthermore, the angle of incidence of light directed from the LED cover 19 toward the inside of the refrigerator is R and the angle of refraction is S. Since the inclination of the second prism 30b is 9.2°, the angle of incidence P = 60° + 9.2° = 69.2°. The material of the LED cover 19 is PS (polystyrene), and the refractive index is 1.59. According to Snell's law, sinP = 1.59 sinQ, and therefore the angle of refraction Q = sin －１ (sinP / 1.59), and when a specific value of P is substituted, Q=36.0°.

[0048] Since the second prism 30b has an inclination angle of 9.2°, the incident angle R is R = 36.0° - 9.2° = 26.8°. According to Snell's law, 1.59 sin R = sin S, and therefore the refraction angle S is S = sin －１ (1.59 sinR), and substituting a specific value for R, gives R = 45.8°. In other words, by setting the inclination angle of second prism 30b to 9.2°, light irradiated from LED 20 toward the inside of the refrigerator with an angle of α = 60° is refracted by the prism action, and is irradiated toward the inside of the refrigerator with a spread angle of α1 = 45.8°.

[0049] Similarly, the spread angle α2 of the light irradiated to the outside of the refrigerator by the first prism 30a can be calculated as 57.3° if the inclination of the first prism 30a is 1.7°. In addition, by providing multiple prisms 30 separately on the LED cover 19, it is possible to irradiate light irradiated from the LED 20 at each angle to any desired position.

[0050] As described above, the refrigerator 100 according to the embodiment includes a refrigerator body 101 having a plurality of storage compartments, including a first storage compartment (upper freezer compartment 1) and a second storage compartment (lower freezer compartment 2) located below the first storage compartment, a partition 8 separating the first storage compartment from the second storage compartment, a door (upper freezer compartment door 3) installed on the front of the refrigerator body 101 for opening and closing the first storage compartment (upper freezer compartment 1), a drawer-type storage container (upper case 13) housed in the second storage compartment, a lighting device (LED 20) installed below the door, and an optical device (bottom 19b of LED cover 19) installed to cover the lower side of the lighting device and diffuse light emitted downward from the lighting device. The storage container includes a bottom surface 24 and a sidewall portion 23 extending upward from the bottom surface 24, which together with the bottom surface 24 forms a storage space 25 of the storage container and has an opening at its upper side. The optical device is disposed in the direction in which light is emitted, and includes an incident surface (first main surface 40) through which light enters, and an exit surface (second main surface 41) through which light transmitted through the optical device exits. A plurality of prisms 30 extending along the lower edge of the door are formed on the incident surface or the exit surface. Of the plurality of prisms 30, first prism 30a, which is located on the front side, is formed so as to refract light that is emitted in front of the lighting device toward the rear side of refrigerator body 101. Of the plurality of prisms 30, second prism 30b, which is located at the rearmost side, is formed so as to refract light that is emitted behind the lighting device toward the front side.

[0051] By configuring the refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 as described above, it is possible to suppress the irradiation of light onto areas in front of the upper case 13 where light does not need to be irradiated and onto the front surface 8a of the partition 8 other than the upper case 13, thereby enabling light to be efficiently irradiated onto the inside of the upper case 13 (storage space 25).

[0052] Furthermore, first prism 30a of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 includes first refractive surface 30aa that is inclined with respect to a first plane perpendicular to the irradiation direction of light from the lighting device in a cross section parallel to the front-rear and up-down directions of refrigerator body 101. Second prism 30b includes second refractive surface 30ba that is inclined with respect to the first plane perpendicular to the irradiation direction of light from the lighting device in a cross section parallel to the front-rear and up-down directions of refrigerator body 101. First refractive surface 30aa is formed so that its front side is lower in the front-rear direction. Second refractive surface 30ba is formed so that its rear side is lower in the front-rear direction.

[0053] The first prism 30a refracts light emitted in front of the lighting device so that the angle is narrower than the angle at which the light illuminates the front end 22a of the upper surface of the storage container (upper case 13) when it is fully opened after being pulled out of the second storage compartment (lower freezer compartment 2). The second prism 30b refracts light emitted behind the lighting device so that the angle is narrower than the angle at which the light passes through the lower end of the end face of the partition 8.

[0054] In addition, the first prism 30a refracts light emitted forward from the lighting device in a direction that spreads further forward than the lower end 23a1 of the front side wall 23a located in front of the storage container (upper case 13) when it is pulled out of the second storage chamber (lower freezer chamber 2) and fully open, and the second prism 30b refracts light emitted rearward from the lighting device in a direction that spreads further rearward than the angle that illuminates the lower end 23b1 of the rear side wall 23b, which is the rear side wall 23 of the storage container when it is pulled out of the second storage chamber (lower freezer chamber 2) and fully open.

[0055] With this configuration, when the storage container (upper case 13) is fully opened by being pulled out from the second storage compartment (lower freezer compartment 2), light passing through the optical device (LED cover 19) is refracted in a direction that illuminates the center of the storage space 25 of the storage container. The light illuminates the center of the storage space 25, and when the upper case 13 is pulled out about two-thirds of the way from the second storage compartment (lower freezer compartment 2), it illuminates the user's hands and the front of the storage space 25 of the storage container. Therefore, light can be efficiently irradiated onto the inside of the upper case 13 (storage space 25) depending on how the upper case 13 is pulled out.

[0056] (Regarding third prism 30c) As shown in Fig. 8, the multiple prisms 30 of LED cover 19, which is an optical device, include third prism 30c. Third prism 30c is provided adjacent to and behind first prism 30a. Similar to first prism 30a, third prism 30c is configured to refract incident light toward the rear side of refrigerator body 101. Third refractive surface 30ca of third prism 30c has a larger inclination angle than first refractive surface 30aa of first prism 30a.

[0057] In the first embodiment, the first prism 30a has a width in the front-to-rear direction set so as to refract light irradiated from the LED 20 with a spread angle of 50° to 60°. The third prism 30c, installed adjacent to the rear side of the first prism 30a, is a prism for refracting light irradiated from the LED 20 with a spread angle smaller than 50°. It is desirable that the irradiation range of the light refracted by the first prism 30a and the irradiation range of the light refracted by the third prism 30c do not overlap. For example, in the example, the first prism 30a refracts light irradiated from the LED 20 with a spread angle β = 50° to 60° and converts it into light with a spread angle β = 48.0° to 57.3°. Therefore, the third prism 30c is set so as to convert light irradiated from the LED 20 with a spread angle smaller than β = 50° into light with a spread angle smaller than β = 48.0°. In other words, it is preferable that the inclination of the third refractive surface 30ca of the third prism 30c is set to be at least equal to or greater than the inclination of the first refractive surface.

[0058] The LED cover 19 according to the first embodiment may be provided with a plurality of prisms 30 behind the third prism 30c and extending to a position directly below the LED 20, which is the light source. In the region in front of the LED 20, the plurality of prisms 30 are configured so that, for example, light having a spread angle β from the LED 20 is refracted by a different prism 30 every 10°. However, the interval width of the plurality of prisms 30 is not limited to this and may be set in smaller intervals or larger intervals.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 8 , the LED cover 19, which is an optical device, may also include multiple prisms 30 in a region behind the LED 20. In the LED cover 19 according to the first embodiment, a prism 30d is provided in front of the second prism 30b, which is the rearmost prism. Like the second prism 30b, the prism 30d is configured to refract light emitted from the LED 20 forward. That is, the refracting surface 30da of the prism 30d is a sloped surface with a lower rearward angle, similar to the second refracting surface 30ba of the second prism 30b. Furthermore, the light refracted by the refracting surface 30da is configured so that its illumination range does not overlap with that of the light refracted by the second refracting surface 30ba when it is emitted from the LED cover 19. In this example, the second prism 30b converts light emitted from the LED 20 with an angle of α = 50° to 60° into light with an illumination range of α = 39.3° to 45.8°. Therefore, it is preferable that the angle of the refractive surface 30da be set to an angle equal to or greater than that of the second refractive surface 30ba so that light having a spread angle smaller than α = 50° incident on the prism 30d is converted to light having a spread angle smaller than at least 39.3°. However, the refractive surface 30da may be inclined at an angle smaller than that of the second refractive surface 30ba. Of the multiple prisms 30 of the LED cover 19 according to embodiment 1, the prism 30 located behind the LED 20 is set so as not to be blocked by the partition 8. In this case, considering that the light refracted by the second prism 30b and the light refracted by the prism 30d may overlap, the inclination angle of the refractive surface 30da of the prism 30d may be set to 3.6° or greater, and may be smaller than that of the second refractive surface 30ba.

[0060] The number of prisms 30 is not limited to that shown in the first embodiment, and more may be provided. However, as the number of prisms 30 increases, more light is scattered at the boundaries between adjacent prisms, resulting in a loss of light illuminating the storage space 25. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the number of prisms 30 while controlling the range of light irradiated into the storage space 25.

[0061] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment, with the middle case 14 fully extended. FIG. 10 illustrates the relative positions of the LED 20 and the middle case 14. The LED 20 installed on the upper freezer compartment door 3 is configured to illuminate multiple storage containers located in the lower freezer compartment 2, which is located below the upper freezer compartment 1. The illumination range for the upper case 13 is controlled by the first prism 30a, which is the frontmost of the multiple prisms 30 provided on the LED cover 19, which is an optical device. This illumination range also allows illumination for the lower middle case 14. However, when attempting to illuminate the middle case 14 with the LED 20, the light is attenuated due to the large vertical distance from the LED 20, resulting in a reduced illuminance of the middle case 14. Therefore, the third refractive surface 30ca of the third prism 30c of the multiple prisms 30 provided on the LED cover 19 may be configured to match the middle case 14.

[0062] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 10 , if the upper end of the front sidewall portion 23a of the middle case 14 is set as the irradiation point 13b, the light emitted from the LED cover 19 can irradiate the irradiation point 13b if the divergence angle β4 is 30.2°. Therefore, the third refractive surface 30ca may be configured so that light irradiated from the LED 20 with a divergence angle smaller than β = 50° can be irradiated to a range including the irradiation point 13b in Fig. 10. Note that the prism 30 installed behind the third prism 30c may be used to irradiate the irradiation point 13b of the middle case 14.

[0063] As described above, refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment may be configured as follows. Refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment further includes a drawer-type second storage container (middle case 14) that is stored below a storage container (upper case 13) of a second storage compartment (lower freezer compartment 2). The second storage container has second bottom surface 24 and second sidewall 23 that has an opening on the upper side and that, together with second bottom surface 24, forms storage space 25 of the second storage container. The plurality of prisms 30 includes third prism 30c that is disposed adjacent to and behind first prism 30a. Third prism 30c is configured to refract light that is emitted forward of lighting device (LED 20) toward the rear side of refrigerator body 101.

[0064] Furthermore, third prism 30c includes third refraction surface 30ca that is inclined with respect to a first plane that is perpendicular to the irradiation direction of light from lighting device 20, in a cross section parallel to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction of refrigerator body 101. Third refraction surface 30ca is formed so that the front side is lower in the front-rear direction, and has a larger inclination angle than first refraction surface 30aa.

[0065] In addition, the third prism 30c is configured to refract the light incident from the lighting device (LED 20) between an angle at which it illuminates the front end 22a of the upper surface of the second storage container (middle case 14) when it is pulled out of the second storage chamber (lower freezer chamber 2) and fully open, and an angle at which it illuminates the lower end 23a1 of the second front side wall portion 23a that forms the front surface of the second side wall portion 23.

[0066] With the above-described configuration, it is possible to suppress the irradiation of light to areas of the middle case 14 that do not need to be irradiated with light and that are closer to the middle case 14 when it is fully pulled out, and therefore light can be efficiently irradiated to the storage space 25 inside the middle case 14 below the upper case 13.

[0067] It is also possible to provide another prism 30 behind the third prism 30c, and refract light toward a storage container located below in the same manner as the third prism 30c. In other words, the light may be refracted and irradiated toward the lower case 15, which is located below the middle case 14, using the prism 30 behind the third prism 30c.

[0068] Furthermore, the optical device (LED 20) of refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 is divided into a first region 50 in front of a second plane (straight line L in FIG. 8 ) that includes the central axis of the lighting device and is parallel to the left-right direction of refrigerator body 101, and a second region 51 behind the second plane. The plurality of prisms 30 provided in first region 50 have a narrower pitch than the plurality of prisms 30 provided in second region 51.

[0069] With this configuration, the LED cover 19 can suppress scattering of light caused by installing many prisms 30, and can efficiently irradiate the storage container with light.

[0070] Although the present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments. For example, the structure supporting the LED board 18 of the refrigerator 100 can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, the lighting device on the upper freezer door 3 can be applied to other storage compartments. In short, we would like to emphasize that the gist (technical scope) of the present disclosure also includes various modifications, applications, and uses that may be made by those skilled in the art as needed.

[0071] 1 Upper freezer compartment, 1a Front opening, 2 Lower freezer compartment, 2a Front opening, 3 Freezer compartment upper door, 3a Door bottom, 4 Freezer compartment lower door, 5 Inner box, 6 Outer box, 8 Partition, 8a Front portion, 8a1 Lower end, 9 Inner box side, 10 Inner box ceiling surface, 11 Inner box floor surface, 12 Inner box corner, 13 Upper case, 13b Irradiation point, 14 Middle case, 15 Lower case, 16 Stopper, 17 Rail, 18 LED board, 18a Connector, 19 LED cover, 19a Main body, 19b Bottom, 19c Rib, 20 LED, 21 Storage section, 22 Handle, 22a Upper front end, 23 Side wall portion, 23a Front side wall portion, 23a1 Lower end, 23b Rear side wall portion, 23b1 Lower end, 24 bottom surface portion, 24a upper front end, 25 storage space, 26 flange portion, 26a inclined surface, 26b flat surface, 26c support surface, 27 locking portion, 30 prism, 30a first prism, 30aa first refractive surface, 30b second prism, 30ba second refractive surface, 30c third prism, 30ca third refractive surface, 30d prism, 30da refractive surface, 40 first main surface, 41 second main surface, 42 space, 50 first region, 51 second region, 60 storage compartment, 100 refrigerator, 101 refrigerator body.

Claims

1. a refrigerator body having a plurality of storage compartments including a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment located below the first storage compartment; a partition separating the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber; a door installed on the front surface of the refrigerator body for opening and closing the first storage compartment; a drawer-type storage container stored in the second storage chamber; a lighting device provided at the bottom of the door; an optical device provided to cover a lower portion of the lighting device and diffusing light emitted downward from the lighting device, The storage container includes: A bottom portion; a sidewall portion extending upward from the bottom surface portion, forming a storage space of the storage container together with the bottom surface portion, and having an opening on an upper side; The optical device comprises: The optical device is disposed in a direction in which light is irradiated, and includes an incident surface on which the light is incident and an exit surface from which the light transmitted through the optical device is emitted, The entrance surface or the exit surface is A plurality of prisms are formed extending along the bottom edge of the door; Among the plurality of prisms, a first prism located on the front side is The light source is formed so as to refract light emitted forward of the lighting device toward the rear side of the refrigerator body, The second prism, which is the rearmost prism among the plurality of prisms, The refrigerator is configured to refract light emitted rearward from the lighting device toward the front.

2. The first prism comprises: a first refractive surface inclined with respect to a first plane perpendicular to an irradiation direction of light from the lighting device in a cross section parallel to a front-rear direction and a top-bottom direction of the refrigerator body; The second prism comprises: A second refracting surface is provided inclined with respect to the first plane in a cross section parallel to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction of the refrigerator body, The first refractive surface is The front side is formed low in the front-to-rear direction, The second refractive surface is The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the rear side is formed lower in the front-to-rear direction.

3. The first prism comprises: the light emitted forward of the lighting device is refracted in a direction narrower than the angle at which the light illuminates the front end of the upper surface of the storage container when the storage container is fully opened by being pulled out of the second storage chamber; The second prism comprises: The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light emitted rearward from the lighting device is refracted in a direction narrower than the angle passing through a lower end of the end face of the partition.

4. The first prism comprises: the light emitted from the lighting device toward the front side is refracted in a direction spreading forward beyond a lower end of a front side wall portion disposed at the front side of the storage container in a state where the storage container is pulled out from the second storage chamber and fully opened, The second prism comprises:

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the light emitted rearward from the lighting device is refracted in a direction spreading rearward beyond an angle at which the light illuminates a lower end of a rear side wall portion that is the rear side wall portion of the storage container when the storage container is fully opened by being pulled out of the second storage compartment.

5. The device further includes a second storage container of a drawer type that is stored below the storage container in the second storage chamber, The second storage container includes: a second bottom surface portion; and a second side wall portion which forms a storage space of the second storage container together with the second bottom surface portion and has an opening on an upper side; The plurality of prisms are a third prism disposed adjacent to the rear side of the first prism; The third prism is The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lighting device is configured to refract light emitted forward of the lighting device toward the rear of the refrigerator body.

6. The device further comprises a second storage container of a drawer type that is stored below the storage container in the second storage chamber; The second storage container includes: a second bottom surface portion; and a second side wall portion which forms a storage space of the second storage container together with the second bottom surface portion and has an opening on an upper side; The plurality of prisms are a third prism disposed adjacent to the rear side of the first prism; The third prism is The light source is formed so as to refract light emitted forward of the lighting device toward the rear side of the refrigerator body, The third prism is a third refraction surface inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the irradiation direction of light from the lighting device in a cross section parallel to a front-rear direction and a top-bottom direction of the refrigerator body; The third refractive surface is The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the front side is formed lower in the front-rear direction and has a larger inclination angle than the first refracting surface.

7. The third prism is 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the light incident from the lighting device is refracted between an angle at which the light illuminates a front end of an upper surface of the second storage container when the second storage container is fully opened by being pulled out of the second storage compartment and an angle at which the light illuminates a lower end of a second front side wall portion that forms a front surface of the second side wall portion.

8. The optical device comprises: a second plane including a central axis of the lighting device and parallel to a left-right direction of the refrigerator body divides the refrigerator into a first region in front of the second plane and a second region in rear of the second plane, The plurality of prisms provided in the first region include: The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pitch of the prisms is narrower than that of the plurality of prisms provided in the second region.

9. a second door for opening and closing the second storage chamber; 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the second door is a revolving door.

10. a second door for opening and closing the second storage chamber; The second door is It is a pull-out door, The storage container includes: The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second door is attached to the refrigerator and is pulled out together with the second door.

11. The optical device comprises: The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower end surface of the door is formed as a part of the lower end surface.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lighting device is an LED.