JP7440055B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

A heat insulating door provided for opening and closing a storage compartment of a refrigerator includes a door frame shaped into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped and a heat insulating material filled in the door frame. Further, in order to cover the ends (upper end and lower end) of the door frame, a long resin member called a door cap is attached to the end of the door frame (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below). ).

First, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, an example of a door cap section that has been commonly used will be described. FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of a refrigerator with a conventional door cap portion 60 and a heat insulating door 40 in an open state. Moreover, FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the conventional door cap part 60 seen from the back wall side.

The heat insulating door 40 shown in FIG. 5 is a type of door that opens and closes the storage room by rotating around one end 40A. As shown in FIG. 5, the door cap part 60 is attached to the door frame part 50 of the heat insulating door 40, and covers the upper end 50U. A concave space 61 that is recessed forward from the back wall 60R of the door cap section 60 is provided at a position on the one end 40A side of the door cap section 60.

In this concave space 61, the rotating shaft portion 14 of the heat insulating door 40 is arranged. The rotating shaft portion 14 is connected to one end side of a hinge member 12 that connects the refrigerator main body and the heat insulation door 40. When the heat insulating door 40 is in the closed state, the entire hinge member 12 is accommodated in the concave space 61 (hereinafter, the concave space is referred to as the "hinge member accommodation space").

As shown in FIG. 6 (for example, FIG. 6(a)), the upper end 50U of the door frame portion 50 is open. The door cap portion 60 fits into the opening at the upper end 50U of the door frame portion. Here, the side wall 60S of the door cap part 60 includes an upper side wall 60S1 formed on the upper side, and a lower side wall 60S2 formed on the lower side and recessed in a step shape inward in the width direction with respect to the upper side wall 60S1. Equipped with. When the door cap part 60 is fitted into the door frame part 50, the bottom edge 60S3 of the upper wall 60S1 of the door cap part 60 contacts the side surface upper end 50SU of the door frame part 50. Thereby, the upper wall 60S1 of the door cap portion 60 is exposed to the outside while being supported by the side surface upper end 50SU of the door frame portion 50.

On the other hand, the upper back end 50R1 of the upper end 50U of the door frame portion is formed at a lower position than the upper end 50SU of the side surface. As a result, when the door cap part 60 is fitted into the door frame part 50, the back wall bottom edge 60R1 of the door cap part 60 comes into contact with the back upper end 50R1 of the door frame part 50, and substantially the entire surface of the back wall 60R is exposed to the outside.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-138094 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-106696

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the hinge member housing space 61 is provided in a state that is largely offset to one side of the door cap portion 60. Therefore, the hinge member accommodating space 61 and the door are arranged so that the rear end side edge 61R2 of the hinge member accommodating space 61 overlaps with the rear corner 60C corresponding to the intersection between the side wall 60S and the back wall 60R of the door cap part 60. The side wall 60S of the cap portion 60 is close to each other.

On the other hand, the front surface 50F, side surface 50S, and back side portion 50RS bent from the side surface 50S toward the back surface 50R side of the door frame portion 50 are formed by bending a single steel plate. However, as described above, the upper back end 50R1 of the door frame 50 is formed at a lower position than the upper end 50SU of the side surface, so the upper side area 50S1 of the door frame 50 is not connected to the back surface 50R of the door frame 50.

If the upper side area 50S1 were to extend to the rear end 50S2 of the side surface, in order to bring the door frame 50 into close contact with the door cap 60 fitted therein, the upper area 50S1 would extend from the rear end 50S2 of the side surface to the back surface 50R side. A curved corner portion that bends and reaches the rear end side edge 61R2 of the hinge member storage space 61 must be provided.

However, since the hinge member housing space 61 is largely offset to one side of the door cap portion 60, the curved corner portion becomes narrow. It is technically difficult to form such a narrow portion by bending. Therefore, in order to avoid forming a curved corner, as shown in FIG. An extended portion 60S4 is provided to close this notch area.

On the other hand, when using such a notch region closing structure, the bottom edge 60S3 cannot be formed into a flat shape because the extension portion 60S4 is provided on the upper wall 60S1 of the door cap portion 60. As described above, the upper wall 60S1 of the door cap portion 60 is a surface exposed to the outside when the door cap portion 60 is fitted into the door frame portion 50. That is, the shape of the bottom edge 60S3 is also exposed to the outside. Therefore, when the notch region closure structure is used, the non-flat bottom edge 60S3 is visible, which may impair the aesthetic appearance of the heat insulating door 40 when viewed from the side.

In order to reduce aesthetic problems caused by the extended portion 60S4, it is conceivable to shorten the extended portion 60S4, as shown in FIG. 6(b). In this case, the height position of the bottom edge 60S3 of the upper wall 60S1 decreases as the extension portion 60S4 is shortened. However, if the volume (height) of the hinge member accommodation space 61 is changed, it is expected that accommodation of the hinge member 12 will be hindered, so the position of the upper edge 60S5 of the upper side wall 60S1 cannot be changed. Therefore, when the extension portion 60S4 is shortened, the height of the upper wall 60S1 of the door cap portion 60 increases, resulting in an increase in the volume of the door cap portion 60 exposed to the outside.

Differently from this, in order to ensure a good aesthetic appearance, it may be possible to planarize the bottom edge 60S3 and provide a separate member to bring the door frame portion 50 and the door cap portion 60 into close contact. The use of separate members increases the cost of the heat insulating door 40.

In view of these problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator equipped with a heat insulating door that ensures good aesthetics while suppressing a rise in product costs.

In order to solve the above problems, the refrigerator according to the present invention has the following features:
A refrigerator body including a storage room,
an insulating door that rotates around one end to open and close the storage chamber;
a hinge member connecting the refrigerator main body and the rotating shaft of the heat insulating door;
The insulation door is
A door frame and
a door cap portion that covers the upper end of the door frame portion;
The door frame portion is
An exterior part formed by bending a steel plate and forming the front surface and the upper end of the door frame part,
The door cap portion is
a hinge member storage space recessed from the back wall toward the front side;
a corner-side back wall extending from a side edge on the one end side of the back end of the hinge member storage space to a back corner of the door cap portion opposite to the side edge;
a side wall that is connected to the corner back wall via the back corner and has a flat bottom edge that comes into contact with the upper end of the door frame, and is integrally configured;
The upper end of the door frame portion is open and formed horizontally and flatly,
The door cap part fits into the opening,
The side wall of the door cap portion is
an upper wall exposed to the outside when the door cap part is fitted into the opening;
a lower wall formed on the lower side of the upper wall and recessed inward in the width direction with respect to the upper wall;
the flat bottom edge corresponds to the bottom edge of the upper wall;
The bottom edge of the corner side back wall is flatly connected to the flat bottom edge in the same horizontal plane.
It is characterized by

Moreover, in the refrigerator according to the present invention,
A space is formed between the side surface of the one end side of the hinge member housing space and the side wall of the door cap part,
A reinforcing material for the door cap portion is filled in the space.
It is characterized by

The door cap portion of the present invention includes a corner side back wall extending from one side edge of the rear end of the hinge member storage space to a rear corner portion of the door cap portion opposite to this side edge. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a corner side back wall that extends over the side and back sides of the door frame section and comes into contact with the corner side back wall of the door cap section. The bottom edge extending from the front end to the back end can be formed into a flat shape. As a result, when the door cap section is attached to the door frame section, the boundary shape between the two ends can be flattened, so that a good aesthetic appearance can be ensured. Moreover, a flat boundary shape between the door cap part and the door frame part is realized only by changing the back wall structure of the door cap part. Therefore, according to the present invention, a good aesthetic appearance can be ensured without using a separate member, and therefore an increase in the cost of the heat insulating door can be suppressed.

Further, in the present invention, a space is formed between the side surface of one end of the hinge member housing space and the side wall of the door cap part, and the reinforcing material of the door cap part is filled in this space. Therefore, according to the present invention, the strength of the heat insulating door can be further increased.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the door cap part is fitted into the opening at the upper end of the door frame part, and the side wall of the door cap part is exposed to the outside when the door cap part is fitted into the opening. It includes an upper wall and a lower wall recessed inward in the width direction with respect to the upper wall, and the flat bottom edge of the upper wall contacts the upper end of the door frame. Further, the bottom edge of the corner side back wall is continuous with the flat bottom edge of the upper side wall. Therefore, according to the present invention, when the door cap part is fitted into the door frame part, the height of the door cap part exposed to the outside from the door frame part can be adjusted to, for example, the height of the upper side wall of the door cap part. It can be suppressed. This can prevent the door cap portion exposed to the outside from becoming bulky.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. The exploded perspective view of the heat insulation door in this embodiment. The partial perspective view of the door cap part in this embodiment seen from the back wall side. FIG. 3 is a partial rear view of the door cap portion in this embodiment. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a refrigerator in which a heat insulating door including a conventional door cap portion is in an open state. The partial perspective view of the conventional door cap part seen from the back wall side.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in describing the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment, the "vertical" direction corresponds to the height direction of the refrigerator 1, the "horizontal" direction corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator 1, and the "front-back" direction corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator 1. , corresponds to the depth direction of the refrigerator 1. Further, each direction of the heat insulating door is defined based on the state in which the heat insulating door closes the storage room. That is, the height direction (vertical direction) of the heat insulating door corresponds to the height direction of the refrigerator 1, the width direction (horizontal direction) of the heat insulating door corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator 1, and the depth direction ( (front-back direction) corresponds to the depth direction of the refrigerator 1.

With reference to FIG. 1, the overall configuration of a refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes a heat insulating box body 2 corresponding to a refrigerator main body. The heat insulating box body 2 includes an outer box made of a steel plate, an inner box made of synthetic resin, and a heat insulating material made of foamed polyurethane filled in the gap formed between the outer box and the inner box.

A heat insulating partition wall is provided inside the heat insulating box 2 to partition a refrigerator compartment 3 and a freezer compartment 4. The refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of storage compartments corresponding to a refrigerator compartment 3 and a freezing compartment 4 in order from the top. However, the arrangement order of the refrigerator compartment 3 and the freezer compartment 4 is not limited to this. Further, the number of storage compartments is not limited to this, and a vegetable compartment or the like may be separately provided within the heat insulating box 2.

The front side of each storage chamber provided in the heat insulating box body 2 is open. Insulating doors 10 and 11 are provided to open and close each of these openings. First, the heat insulating door 10 is rotatably supported around one end 10A by a pair of upper and lower hinge members 12 and 13 attached to the right end of the refrigerator 1 when viewed from the front, for example.

More specifically, one end of the hinge members 12 and 13 is connected to each shaft portion on the one end 10A side of the heat insulating door 10 (the hinge member 12 is arranged above the heat insulating door 10, and has one end biased towards the 10A side). It is connected to the cylindrical body 14. The hinge member 13 is also connected to a small cylindrical body (not shown) which is disposed on the lower side of the heat insulating door 10 and is also biased towards one end 10A. Thereby, the heat insulation door 10 rotates on the front side of the refrigerator compartment 3 to open and close the opening. The heat insulating door 11 is disposed so as to be able to be pulled out in the front and rear directions relative to the heat insulating box 2 and closes the front opening of the freezer compartment 4.

The heat insulating door 10 includes a door frame portion 20 and a heat insulating material filled in the door frame portion 20. The heat insulating door 10 further includes a door cap portion 30 that is a member that covers the upper end 20U of the door frame portion 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the door cap portion 30 in this embodiment is a long resin member that covers the entire upper end 20U. However, the outer shape and constituent material of the door cap portion 30 are not limited to these.

Further, the door cap portion 30 has a small cylinder 14 disposed therein that corresponds to the rotation axis, and also includes a hinge member housing space 31 that accommodates the hinge member 12 when the heat insulating door 10 is in the closed state. The hinge member accommodation space 31 is a space recessed toward the front side from the back wall 30R of the door cap portion 30, and one end is biased toward the 10A side.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the heat insulating door 10 (mainly the structure of the door frame portion 20) will be described. Here, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the heat insulation door 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the door frame portion 20 of the heat insulating door 10 includes an exterior portion 20E made of a steel plate, an interior panel portion 20R made of resin, and a frame 20P attached to the outer periphery of the interior panel portion 20R. The exterior part 20E is a member that has a front surface, both side surfaces, and a bottom surface, and is open at the top surface and the back surface. The interior panel section 20R is fitted into the opening back area of the exterior section 20E via the frame 20P.

The door frame portion 20 has a box-like shape with a hollow interior due to the exterior portion 20E, the interior panel portion 20R, and the frame body 20P. This space inside the box is filled with a heat insulating material. In addition, in the following description, the front surface of the exterior part 20E is called the front surface 20F of the door frame part 20. Similarly, the side surface of the exterior portion 20E is referred to as the side surface 20S of the door frame portion 20, and the bottom surface of the exterior portion 20E is referred to as the bottom surface 20B of the door frame portion 20. Furthermore, the interior panel portion 20R is referred to as the back surface 20R of the door frame portion 20.

Next, details of the door cap portion 30 will be explained with reference to FIG. 3. Here, FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the door cap portion in this embodiment viewed from the back wall side. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper end 20U of the door frame 20 in this embodiment has an opening 20U1. The door cap portion 30 fits into this opening 20U1.

The hinge member accommodation space 31 is arranged a predetermined distance away from the back corner 30C corresponding to the intersection between the back wall 30R and the side wall 30S of the door cap part 30. That is, the side edge 31R2 at the back end 31R1 (the opening in the back wall 30R) of the hinge member housing space 31 is spaced apart from the back corner 30C. A corner side back wall 30R1 is formed in this spaced region and extends over the hinge member housing space 31 and the back corner 30C. When the door cap part 30 is fitted into the door frame part 20, the bottom edge 30R2 of the corner side back wall 30R1 contacts and is supported by the upper back end (corner side back wall 20R1) of the door frame part 20. .

Next, the side wall 30S on one side end side of the door cap portion 30 includes an upper wall 30S1 located on the upper side and a lower wall 30S2 located on the lower side. When the door cap portion 30 is fitted into the door frame portion 20, the bottom edge 30S3 of the upper wall 30S1 contacts and is supported by the side surface upper end 20SU of the door frame portion 20. As a result, in the door cap portion 30 fitted into the door frame portion 20, the upper wall 30S1 is exposed to the outside.

As described above, the door cap portion 30 in this embodiment includes the corner side back wall 30R1. As a result, a corner side back surface 20R1 of a predetermined width that supports the corner side back wall 30R1 is formed from the upper end of the back corner portion 20C corresponding to the intersection of the side surface 20S and the back surface 20R of the door frame 20 toward the back surface 20R side. This can be formed by bending. Therefore, even if the bottom edge 30S3 of the upper wall 30S1 is formed flat from the front end to the back end, the door cap portion 30 and the door frame portion 20 can be brought into close contact.

Thereby, the boundary shape between the side wall 30S (upper side wall 30S1) of the door cap part 30 and the side surface upper end 20SU of the door frame part 20 can be flattened, and a good aesthetic appearance can be ensured. Moreover, according to the door cap part 30 according to the present embodiment, the boundary shape can be flattened without using a separate member, so that it is possible to suppress an increase in the cost of the product.

Next, the lower wall 30S2 is recessed inward in the width direction in a stepped manner with respect to the upper wall 30S1. When the door cap section 30 is fitted into the door frame section 20, the lower wall 30S2 is inserted into the door frame section 20 and overlapped with the side surface 20S of the door frame section 20. As a result, the lower wall 30S2 is shielded by the side surface 20S and is therefore not visible from the outside.

In this way, by making the side wall 30S of the door cap part 30 have a two-tiered structure including the upper wall 30S1 and the lower wall 30S2, the height of the door cap part 30 exposed to the outside from the door frame part 20 can be reduced, for example. The height can be suppressed to the height of the upper wall 30S1 of the door cap portion 30. Thereby, the door cap portion 30 exposed to the outside can be prevented from becoming bulky. However, the form of the side wall 30S is not limited to this. For example, the side wall 30S may not be divided into an upper wall 30S1 and a lower wall 30S2, but may have a flat wall extending from the upper side to the lower side of the door cap portion 30.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the hinge member housing space 31 in the door cap portion 30 and its surrounding structure will be described. Here, FIG. 4 is a partial rear view showing the state of one side (one end 10A side) of the door cap part 30.

As described above, the corner back wall 30R1 is provided between the back corner 30C of the door cap portion 30 and the side edge 31R2 of the hinge member accommodation space 31. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the side surface 31S of the hinge member storage space 31 located on one side and the side wall 30S of the door cap portion 30 facing this side surface 31S are arranged at a predetermined distance apart. .

In this embodiment, a region formed between the side surface 31S of the hinge member storage space 31 and the side wall 30S of the door cap section 30 is a hollow space, and this space 32 is filled with the reinforcing material of the door cap section 30. . In this manner, by providing the space 32 inside the side wall of the door cap portion 30 and filling the inside with reinforcing material, the strength of the heat insulating door 10 can be further increased.

Note that the reinforcing material is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a heat insulating material similar to that filled in the heat insulating box 2 or the heat insulating door 10 of the refrigerator 1. If the space 32 is filled with such a heat insulating material, there is no need to separately prepare a reinforcing material. As a result, it is possible to increase the strength of the heat insulating door 10 while suppressing an increase in product cost.

In addition, a space surrounded by the side surface 31S of the hinge member housing space 31 and the side wall 30S of the door cap portion 30 is created by using a mold for molding the door cap portion that includes a mold portion disposed in a region corresponding to the space 32. 32 is formed. As shown in FIG. 4, since a suitable width (for example, symbol W) is secured in the space 32, a wide mold portion can be used. Thereby, the strength of the mold part can be increased, and more door cap parts 30 can be molded with one mold.

The embodiments according to the present invention have been described above in detail. However, the above description is provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may include modifications and improvements that may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The present invention also includes equivalents thereof.

1...Refrigerator 10...Insulated door 10A...One end of the insulated door 12...Hinge member 20...Door frame 20U...Upper end of door frame 20R...Back side of door frame 20S...Side side of door frame 30...Door cap 30R... Back wall of door cap part 30R1... Corner side back wall of door cap part 30S... Side wall of door cap part 31... Hinge member accommodation space 32... Filling space for reinforcing material

Claims (2)

A refrigerator body including a storage room,
an insulating door that rotates around one end to open and close the storage chamber;
a hinge member connecting the refrigerator main body and the rotating shaft of the heat insulating door;
The insulation door is
A door frame and
a door cap portion that covers the upper end of the door frame portion;
The door frame portion is
An exterior part formed by bending a steel plate and forming the front surface and the upper end of the door frame part,
The door cap portion is
a hinge member storage space recessed from the back wall toward the front side;
a corner-side back wall extending from a side edge on the one end side of the back end of the hinge member storage space to a back corner of the door cap portion opposite to the side edge;
a side wall that is connected to the corner back wall via the back corner and has a flat bottom edge that comes into contact with the upper end of the door frame, and is integrally configured;
The upper end of the door frame portion is open and formed horizontally and flatly,
The door cap part fits into the opening,
The side wall of the door cap portion is
an upper wall exposed to the outside when the door cap part is fitted into the opening;
a lower wall formed on the lower side of the upper wall and recessed inward in the width direction with respect to the upper wall;
the flat bottom edge corresponds to the bottom edge of the upper wall;
The bottom edge of the corner side back wall is flatly connected to the flat bottom edge in the same horizontal plane.
A refrigerator characterized by: A space is formed between the side surface of the one end side of the hinge member housing space and the side wall of the door cap part,
A reinforcing material for the door cap portion is filled in the space.
The refrigerator according to claim 1.

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