JP7623825B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a refrigerator.

There are known refrigerators that are equipped with speakers and can output sound. However, there are cases where it is preferable for refrigerators to have a high degree of freedom in design.

JP 2018-21731 A

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a refrigerator that can output audio with a high degree of design freedom.

A refrigerator of an embodiment has a housing including a storage compartment, a door that closes the storage compartment in an openable and closable manner, a vibrator that is attached to a front panel of the door and surrounded by insulation material, and outputs vibrations based on an input acoustic signal, and a vacuum insulation material that is positioned inside the door behind the front panel and has a notch at an end, the notch being positioned at a position that overlaps with the vibrator when viewed from the thickness direction of the door , the vibrator and the vacuum insulation material are positioned at a distance when viewed from the height direction of the door, and the vibrator and the vacuum insulation material are positioned at a distance when viewed from the width direction of the door, and foam insulation material is filled between the front panel and the vacuum insulation material in the thickness direction of the door, and the vibrator is surrounded by the foam insulation material.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator taken along line F2-F2 in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F5-F5 of the right refrigerator compartment door shown in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a modified example of the vibrator of the right refrigerator compartment door. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a right refrigerator compartment door of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment. A cross-sectional view taken along line F6-F6 of the refrigerator shown in Figure 12. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment. A cross-sectional view taken along line F7-F7 of the refrigerator shown in Figure 15. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing pipe members such as a heat radiation pipe and a dew prevention pipe.

The refrigerator according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions will be given the same reference numerals. Furthermore, duplicate descriptions of those components may be omitted.

In this specification, left and right are defined based on the direction in which the refrigerator is viewed from a user standing in front of the refrigerator. Additionally, the side closer to the user standing in front of the refrigerator as viewed from the refrigerator is defined as the "front", and the side further away is defined as the "rear". In this specification, the "width direction" refers to the left-right direction as defined above. In this specification, the "depth direction" refers to the front-to-rear direction as defined above. In the drawings, the +X direction is the right direction, the -X direction is the left direction, the +Y direction is the rear direction, the -Y direction is the front direction, the +Z direction is the up direction, and the -Z direction is the down direction.

First Embodiment
[Overall configuration of refrigerator]
A refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 7. First, an overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described. However, the refrigerator 1 does not need to have all of the components described below, and some components may be omitted as appropriate.

Figure 1 is a front view of refrigerator 1. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of refrigerator 1 taken along line F2-F2 in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, refrigerator 1 has, for example, a housing 10, multiple doors 11, multiple shelves 12, multiple containers 13, flow path forming parts 14, a cooling unit 15, a control board 16, and a vibrator 30 (see Figures 4 and 5). In this embodiment, refrigerator body 5 is formed by the above components other than the multiple doors 11.

The housing 10 includes, for example, an inner box 10a, an outer box 10b, and a foam insulation material 10c. The inner box 10a is a member that forms the inner surface of the housing 10, and is made of, for example, synthetic resin. The outer box 10b is a member that forms the outer surface of the housing 10, and is made of, for example, metal. The outer box 10b is formed to be slightly larger than the inner box 10a, and is disposed outside the inner box 10a. The foam insulation material 10c is a foam insulation material, such as urethane foam, and is filled between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b. This gives the housing 10 thermal insulation properties.

The housing 10 has an upper wall 21, a lower wall 22, left and right side walls 23, 24, and a rear wall 25. The upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 extend approximately horizontally. The left and right side walls 23, 24 rise upward from the left and right ends of the lower wall 22 and connect to the left and right ends of the upper wall 21. The rear wall 25 rises upward from the rear end of the lower wall 22 and connects to the rear end of the upper wall 21.

A plurality of storage chambers 27 are provided inside the housing 10. The plurality of storage chambers 27 include, for example, a refrigerator chamber 27A, a vegetable chamber 27B, an ice-making chamber 27C, a small freezer chamber 27D, and a main freezer chamber 27E. In this embodiment, the refrigerator chamber 27A is arranged at the top, the vegetable chamber 27B is arranged below the refrigerator chamber 27A, the ice-making chamber 27C and the small freezer chamber 27D are arranged below the vegetable chamber 27B, and the main freezer chamber 27E is arranged below the ice-making chamber 27C and the small freezer chamber 27D. However, the arrangement of the storage chambers 27 is not limited to the above example, and for example, the ice-making chamber 27C and the small freezer chamber 27D may be arranged below the refrigerator chamber 27A, the main freezer chamber 27E may be arranged below the ice-making chamber 27C and the small freezer chamber 27D, and the vegetable chamber 27B may be arranged below the main freezer chamber 27E. The housing 10 has an opening on the front side of each storage chamber 27 that allows food to be put in and taken out of each storage chamber 27.

The openings of the multiple storage compartments 27 are closed by multiple doors 11 in an openable and closable manner. The multiple doors 11 include, for example, left and right refrigerator compartment doors 11Aa and 11Ab that close the opening of the refrigerator compartment 27A, a vegetable compartment door 11B that closes the opening of the vegetable compartment 27B, an ice-making compartment door 11C that closes the opening of the ice-making compartment 27C, a small freezer compartment door 11D that closes the opening of the small freezer compartment 27D, and a main freezer compartment door 11E that closes the opening of the main freezer compartment 27E.

The left and right refrigerator compartment doors 11Aa, 11Ab are, for example, double-door doors. The left and right refrigerator compartment doors 11Aa, 11Ab are rotatably supported on the housing 10 by hinges 10h. In this embodiment, the width of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab in the horizontal direction is greater than the width of the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa in the horizontal direction.

On the other hand, the vegetable compartment door 11B, the ice compartment door 11C, the small freezer compartment door 11D, and the main freezer compartment door 11E are, for example, pull-out doors. The vegetable compartment door 11B, the ice compartment door 11C, the small freezer compartment door 11D, and the main freezer compartment door 11E are supported by rails so that they can be pulled out relative to the housing 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 10 has first and second partitions 28, 29. The first and second partitions 28, 29 are, for example, partition walls that are approximately horizontal. The first partition 28 is located between the refrigerator compartment 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B, and separates the refrigerator compartment 27A from the vegetable compartment 27B. On the other hand, the second partition 29 is located between the vegetable compartment 27B and the ice making compartment 27C and the small freezer compartment 27D, and separates the vegetable compartment 27B from the ice making compartment 27C and the small freezer compartment 27D. Note that no partition wall is provided between the ice making compartment 27C and the small freezer compartment 27D and the main freezer compartment 27E.

A plurality of shelves 12 are arranged in the refrigeration compartment 27A.
The multiple containers 13 include a refrigerator compartment container 13A (e.g., a chilled compartment container) arranged in the refrigerator compartment 27A, first and second vegetable compartment containers 13Ba, 13Bb arranged in the vegetable compartment 27B, an ice compartment container (not shown) arranged in the ice compartment 27C, a small freezer container 13D arranged in the small freezer compartment 27D, and first and second main freezer containers 13Ea, 13Eb arranged in the main freezer compartment 27E.

The flow path forming part 14 is arranged in the housing 10. The flow path forming part 14 includes, for example, a first duct part 14A and a second duct part 14B. The first duct part 14A is provided along the rear wall 25 of the housing 10 and extends vertically. The first duct part 14A forms a flow path that flows the cold air supplied from the cooling unit 15 to the refrigerator compartment 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B. The second duct part 14B is provided along the rear wall 25 of the housing 10 and extends vertically. The second duct part 14B forms a flow path that flows the cold air supplied from the cooling unit 15 to the ice making compartment 27C, the small freezer compartment 27D, and the main freezer compartment 27E.

The cooling unit 15 includes a first cooling unit 15A, a second cooling unit 15B, and a compressor 45. The first cooling unit 15A includes a first cooler 41 and a first fan 42 arranged in the flow path formed by the first duct part 14A, for example. The second cooling unit 15B includes a second cooler 43 and a second fan 44 arranged in the flow path formed by the second duct part 14B, for example.

The compressor 45 is provided, for example, in the machine room 26 at the bottom of the refrigerator 1. The compressor 45 compresses the refrigerant gas used to cool the storage room 27. The refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 45 is sent to the first cooler 41 and the second cooler 43 via a suction pipe or the like.

The control board 16 controls the entire refrigerator 1. For example, the control board 16 controls the operation of the first fan 42, the second fan 44, the compressor 45, etc. based on the detection results of temperature sensors installed in the refrigerator compartment 27A and the main freezer compartment 27E, etc. As shown in FIG. 2, the control board 16 is attached to the top wall 21 of the housing 10 together with the cover 17.

[Configuration of right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab]
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. Although not shown in Fig. 4, as shown in Fig. 3, door containers 18A and 18B whose height positions can be changed and a door container 19 fixed to the lower part are detachably attached to the rear side of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab.

The right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab includes, for example, an outer casing member 50 and a gasket 55. The outer casing member 50 is formed in a box shape. In this specification, "box shape" also includes a flat box shape. The outer casing member 50 includes, for example, a frame body 51, a front panel 52, and a rear member 53.

The frame body 51 is formed in a rectangular frame shape. The frame body 51 includes an upper side member 51a, a lower side member 51b, a left side member 51c, and a right side member 51d. The upper side member 51a is a plate-like member extending in the width direction and the depth direction, and forms the upper surface of the right refrigerator door 11Ab. The lower side member 51b is a plate-like member extending in the width direction and the depth direction, and forms the lower surface of the right refrigerator door 11Ab. The left side member 51c is a plate-like member extending in the vertical direction and the depth direction, and forms the left side surface of the right refrigerator door 11Ab. The right side member 51d is a plate-like member extending in the vertical direction and the depth direction, and forms the right side surface of the right refrigerator door 11Ab. The upper side member 51a, the lower side member 51b, the left side member 51c, and the right side member 51d are combined with each other to form the frame body 51. The frame 51 is made of, for example, synthetic resin.

The front panel 52 is attached to the frame 51 and is located at the front end of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. The front panel 52 is a plate member that extends in the vertical and horizontal directions, and forms the front surface of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. The front panel 52 is, for example, a glass plate. However, the front panel 52 is not limited to a glass plate, and may be made of synthetic resin or other materials.

The rear member 53 is attached to the frame 51 from the side opposite the front panel 52, and is located at the rear end of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. The rear member 53 forms the rear surface of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. The rear member 53 is made of, for example, synthetic resin.

The rear member 53 has a rib 61 that protrudes rearward. The rib 61 protrudes from the rear member 53 toward the refrigerator compartment 27A (storage compartment) when the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab is closed relative to the housing 10. Note that in this specification, the term "rib" is used for the sake of convenience and broadly refers to the part that protrudes rearward from the rear member 53, and is not limited to a specific shape or function.

The rib 61 is formed, for example, in a ring shape that is one size smaller than the outer shape of the frame body 51. In this specification, "ring shape" is not limited to a completely continuous circumference, but also includes a case where a portion of the circumference is interrupted by a notch or the like.

The rear member 53 has a protrusion 62 that protrudes in the rear direction (+Y direction) at the center. The protrusion 62 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the front-rear direction (±Y direction, thickness direction). As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 62 is provided on the underside of the door container 18B attached to the lowest level in the attachment position. For example, when a container such as a large PET bottle is stored in the door container 19, the upper side of the container such as a PET bottle is often narrow, so the protrusion 62 is unlikely to come into contact with the container such as a PET bottle. In other words, the protrusion 62 is provided in a dead space in the storage and is unlikely to get in the way of the user.

The gasket 55 is attached to the rear member 53. More specifically, the rear member 53 has a throat 63, which is a recess that is recessed toward the inside of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. For example, the throat 63 is formed in a ring shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the rib 61. The gasket 55 is attached to the throat 63 by being inserted into the inside of the throat 63 provided in the rear member 53 of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. In this way, the gasket 55 is fixed to the rear member 53.

The configurations of the left refrigerator door 11Aa, vegetable door 11B, ice-making door 11C, small freezer door 11D, and main freezer door 11E are the same as the configuration of the right refrigerator door 11Ab described above. In other words, the configurations of the left refrigerator door 11Aa, vegetable door 11B, ice-making door 11C, small freezer door 11D, and main freezer door 11E can be understood by replacing "right refrigerator door 11Ab" with "left refrigerator door 11Aa," "vegetable door 11B," "ice-making door 11C," "small freezer door 11D," or "main freezer door 11E" in the description of the right refrigerator door 11Ab described above.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F5-F5 shown in FIG.
Next, the internal structure of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab will be described. A vibrator 30 and a foam insulation material 80 are arranged inside the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vibrator 30. As shown in FIG.
The vibrator 30 is attached to the front plate 52 inside the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. The vibrator 30 outputs vibration based on a supplied acoustic signal (including a voice signal). The vibrator 30 vibrates the front plate 52. The acoustic signal is supplied to the vibrator 30 via an electric signal line (not shown) connected to the control board 16. The vibrator 30 has a vibration plate 31 and a vibration member 32.

The vibration plate 31 is formed in a plate shape and is a member that vibrates the vibration target. As shown in FIG. 5, the vibration plate 31 is provided in contact with approximately the center of the back surface (rear surface) of the front plate 52. The vibration plate 31 is attached to the front plate 52 with screws, adhesive tape, etc.

The vibration member 32 generates a drive signal based on the supplied acoustic signal and vibrates the vibration plate 31. The vibration member 32 generates vibrations using an acoustic vibration member, such as a voice coil or a piezoelectric element. The generated vibrations are transmitted to the back surface of the front plate 52 via the vibration plate 31.

The vibrator 30 vibrates the entire front plate 52 by vibrating the back surface of the front plate 52. As a result, sound is emitted from the front surface of the front plate 52 as a sound emitting surface. Note that the vibrator 30 is not limited to the above configuration, and any suitable vibrator selected from known vibrators may be used.

The internal space S1 surrounded by the frame body 51, the front panel 52, and the rear member 53 is filled with foam insulation material 80. The foam insulation material 80 is an insulation material made of a foam such as urethane foam. The foam insulation material 80 may be made of the same material as the foam insulation material 10c.

The vibrator 30 is surrounded by foam insulation material 80. Specifically, the vibrator 30 is embedded in the foam insulation material 80. A space that is not filled with foam insulation material 80 is provided around the vibrator 30 to allow for the vibration of the vibrator 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, the protrusion 62 on the rear member 53 is positioned so as to overlap the vibrator 30 when viewed from the front-rear direction (±Y direction, thickness direction). The internal space S2 of the protrusion 62 is also filled with foam insulation material 80. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in insulation caused by the vibrator 30 being provided in an area that was previously filled with foam insulation material 80.

Next, the operation and function of the refrigerator 1 will be described.
By detecting a touch operation on an operation panel (not shown) by the user, the control board 16 changes, for example, the temperature of the storage chamber 27 or the operation mode. The control board 16 generates a guide voice in accordance with the touch operation on the operation panel (not shown) by the user, using the front plate 52 as a sound emitting surface, by vibrating the front plate 52 with the vibrator 30. Since the guide voice is emitted from the front plate 52 of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab, a user standing in front of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab can easily hear the guide voice.

The sound generated from the front panel 52 as a sound emitting surface is not limited to a guide voice. If the refrigerator 1 has an Internet connection function, the control board 16 may generate, for example, the sound of a video or music from the front panel 52 as a sound emitting surface.

According to the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, sound is emitted from the entire front panel 52 arranged in front of the refrigerator 1 as a sound emitting surface. The refrigerator 1 can emit sounds such as guide voices without having to have a separate speaker. The vibrator 30 is provided in approximately the center of the front panel 52, and can vibrate the entire front panel 52 in a balanced manner to generate high-quality sound.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the protrusion 62 is disposed at a position overlapping with the vibrator 30 when viewed from the front-rear direction (±Y direction, thickness direction). This prevents a decrease in insulation caused by the vibrator 30 being disposed in an area that was previously filled with foam insulation material 80. In addition, the protrusion 62 is disposed on the underside of the door container 18B, making it less likely to come into contact with the contents.

(Variation 1-1)
In the above embodiment, the vibrator 30 is attached to the front panel 52 of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. However, the manner of attachment of the vibrator 30 is not limited to this. The vibrator 30 may be attached to the front panels of the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa, the vegetable compartment door 11B, the ice-making compartment door 11C, the small freezer compartment door 11D, and the main freezer compartment door 11E. From the viewpoint of generating a loud sound, it is desirable to attach the vibrator 30 to a large front panel.

(Variation 1-2)
In the above embodiment, the vibrator 30 is attached to approximately the center of the front panel 52 of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. However, the manner of attachment of the vibrator 30 is not limited to this. The vibrator 30 may be provided at an end in the width direction (±X direction) or an end in the height direction (±Z direction) of the front panel 52. The protrusion 62 is unlikely to be an obstacle to the user.

The vibrator 30 may be provided at the upper end of the front panel 52 on the right side (+X direction) as shown in FIG. 7, for example. In this case, the protrusion 62 is provided at a position overlapping with the vibrator 30 when viewed from the front-rear direction (±Y direction, thickness direction).

The modified example shown in FIG. 7 is disadvantageous in that it vibrates the entire front plate 52 in a balanced manner compared to the case where the vibrator 30 is provided in the center of the front plate 52, but is advantageous in that the protrusions 62 are less likely to be a hindrance to the user.

In the modified example shown in FIG. 7, the protrusion 62 does not have to be provided. The upper right end (+X direction) of the front panel 52 to which the vibrator 30 is attached is a relatively hot part in the refrigerator compartment 27A. Therefore, it is easy to ensure sufficient insulation in the part to which the vibrator 30 is attached without providing the protrusion 62.

In the modified example shown in FIG. 7, the vibrator 30 is attached to the right end (+X direction) on the hinge 10h side (see FIG. 1). Because the vibrator 30 is positioned close to the hinge 10h that supports the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab, when the vibrator 30 vibrates the front panel 52, unintended vibration of the front panel 52 is easily suppressed.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the right refrigerator compartment door. The configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the configurations that are common to those already described, and duplicated description will be omitted.

Refrigerator 1B of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. Refrigerator 1B of the second embodiment is the same as refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, except that it has right refrigerator compartment door 11Ac instead of right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ac of the refrigerator 1B according to the second embodiment.
The right refrigerator compartment door 11Ac is equipped with, for example, an outer casing member 50 and a gasket 55, similar to the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ac.
A vibrator 30, a foam insulation material 80, and a vacuum insulation material 81 are arranged inside the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ac.

The vacuum insulation material 81 is also called a VIP (Vacuum Insulation Panel), and is, for example, an insulation material that includes an exterior body and a core material housed in the exterior body, and in which the inside of the exterior body is depressurized. The core material is, for example, a fibrous material such as glass wool, or a porous material such as a foam. In this embodiment, the vacuum insulation material 81 is formed in a plate shape.

In the internal space S1 surrounded by the frame body 51, the front panel 52, and the rear member 53, the vacuum insulation material 81 is disposed on the rear side (+Y direction side). The foam insulation material 80 is filled in the internal space S1 so as to surround the vacuum insulation material 81.

As shown in FIG. 9, the portion of the right refrigerator door 11Ab where the vibrator 30 is attached is insulated by two types of insulation material in the thickness direction (±Y direction) of the right refrigerator door 11Ab. This prevents a decrease in insulation performance due to the vibrator 30 being installed in an area that was previously filled with foam insulation material 80.

In the refrigerator 1B according to this embodiment, the foam insulation material 80 has a high insulating effect, so the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ac does not require additional insulating space like the protrusion 62 in the first embodiment.

(Variation 2-1)
In the above embodiment, the vibrator 30 is attached to the center of the front panel 52 of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ac. However, the manner of attachment of the vibrator 30 is not limited to this. The vibrator 30 may be provided at an end of the front panel 52 in the width direction (±X direction) or at an end of the front panel 52 in the height direction (±Z direction).

The vibrator 30 may be provided at the upper part of the front panel 52, at the end on the right side (+X direction), as in variant example 1-2, as shown in FIG. 10, for example.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a modified example of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ac shown in FIG.
In the modified example shown in Fig. 10, the vacuum insulation material 81 has a notch 41a at its end. As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the notch 41a is arranged at a position overlapping with the vibrator 30 when viewed from the front-to-rear direction (±Y direction, thickness direction). It is easier to form the notch 41a at the end of the plate-shaped vacuum insulation material 81 than at the center. Therefore, by arranging the vibrator 30 at the end of the front panel 52, it is easier to arrange the vibrator 30 and the vacuum insulation material 81 in combination.

(Variation 2-2)
In the above embodiment, the portion of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab to which the vibrator 30 is attached is insulated by two types of insulating materials in the thickness direction (±Y direction) of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. However, the portion of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab to which the vibrator 30 is attached may be insulated in the thickness direction (±Y direction) of the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab by including, for example, a specific insulating material.

A "specific insulating material" is an insulating material that includes aerogel, xerogel, or cryogel, and is an example of an "insulating member." Note that "including aerogel, xerogel, or cryogel" is used to mean "including one or more of aerogel, xerogel, or cryogel." Aerogel, xerogel, and cryogel are each low-density structures (dried gels). An "aerogel" is, for example, a porous material in which the solvent contained in the gel is replaced with gas by supercritical drying. A "xerogel" is a porous material in which the solvent contained in the gel is replaced with gas by evaporation drying. A "cryogel" is a porous material in which the solvent contained in the gel is replaced with gas by freeze-drying.

Third Embodiment
Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment differs from the other embodiments in the location where the vibrator 30 is provided. The configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the configurations that are common to those already described, and duplicated description will be omitted.

Refrigerator 1C of the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 12 to 14. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing refrigerator 1C. As shown in Fig. 12, refrigerator 1C has, for example, a housing 10, multiple doors 11, multiple shelves 12, multiple containers 13, a flow path forming part 14, a cooling unit 15, a control board 16, and a vibrator 30.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F6-F6 of refrigerator 1C shown in FIG.
The vibrator 30 is attached to the upper wall 21 between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b of the housing 10. The vibrator 30 vibrates the upper wall 21. The vibrator 30 is surrounded by the foam insulation material 10c. Specifically, the vibrator 30 is embedded in the foam insulation material 10c.

The control board 16 generates audio guidance and the like using the upper wall 21 as a sound emitting surface by vibrating the upper wall 21 using the vibrator 30. Because the audio guidance is emitted from the upper wall 21, it easily spreads throughout the room.

According to the refrigerator 1C of this embodiment, sound is emitted from the entire top wall 21 of the refrigerator 1C as a sound emitting surface. The refrigerator 1C can emit sounds such as guide voices without having to be equipped with a separate speaker.

(Variation 3-1)
In the above embodiment, the vibrator 30 is attached to the upper wall 21. However, the manner of attachment of the vibrator 30 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 14, the vibrator 30 may be attached to the left side wall 23 between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b of the housing 10. The vibrator 30 may also be attached to the right side wall 24, the bottom wall 22, or the rear wall 25 between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b of the housing 10.

(Variation 3-2)
In the above embodiment, the vibrator 30 is surrounded by the foam insulation material 10c. However, the mounting manner of the vibrator 30 is not limited to this. The portion of the upper wall 21 to which the vibrator 30 is mounted may be insulated in the thickness direction (±Z direction) of the upper wall 21 by a plurality of insulation materials including the vacuum insulation material 81 and a specific insulation material.

Fourth Embodiment
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The fourth embodiment differs from the other embodiments in the location where the vibrator 30 is provided. The configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the configurations that are common to those already described, and duplicated description will be omitted.

Refrigerator 1D of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 15 to 19. Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing refrigerator 1D. As shown in Fig. 15, refrigerator 1D has, for example, a housing 10, multiple doors 11, multiple shelves 12, multiple containers 13, a flow path forming part 14, a cooling unit 15, a control board 16, and a vibrator 30.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F7-F7 of refrigerator 1D shown in FIG.
The vibrator 30 is attached to the upper wall 21 on the outside of the housing 10. The vibrator 30 vibrates the upper wall 21. The vibrator 30 is disposed inside a box-shaped cover 36 provided on the outside of the housing 10.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of refrigerator 1D seen from above in the vertical direction (±Z direction).
The vibrator 30 is disposed in a position on the upper wall 21 away from a position where pipe members such as a heat dissipation pipe 46 and a dew prevention pipe 47 disposed inside the housing 10 pass. Specifically, the vibrator 30 is disposed in a position where it does not overlap with the pipe members when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the upper wall 21. This can suitably prevent the pipe members from vibrating when the vibrator 30 vibrates the upper wall 21.

The control board 16 generates guidance audio and the like using the upper wall 21 as a sound emitting surface by vibrating the upper wall 21 with the vibrator 30. The vibrator 30 can also vibrate the upper wall 21 from outside the housing 10 to generate guidance audio and the like using the upper wall 21 as a sound emitting surface.

According to the refrigerator 1D of this embodiment, even if the vibrator 30 is not placed in a place where the insulating material is placed, the upper wall 21 can be used as a sound emitting surface to emit sounds such as a guide voice.

(Modification 4-1)
In the above embodiment, the vibrator 30 is attached to the upper wall 21. However, the manner of attachment of the vibrator 30 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 18, the vibrator 30 may be attached to the left side wall 23 outside the housing 10. The vibrator 30 may also be attached to the right side wall 24, the bottom wall 22, or the rear wall 25 outside the housing 10. It is desirable to place the vibrator 30 at a position outside the housing 10 away from a position through which pipe members such as a heat dissipation pipe 46 and a dew prevention pipe 47 pass as shown in Fig. 19.

According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of outputting audio with a high degree of design freedom.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims, as well as the scope and gist of the invention.

1, 1B, 1C, 1D...refrigerator, 5...refrigerator body, 10...casing, 10h...hinge, 11...door, 11Aa...left refrigerator compartment door, 11Ab, 11Ac...right refrigerator compartment door, 16...control board, 21...upper wall, 22...lower wall, 23...left side wall, 24...right side wall, 25...rear wall, 27...storage compartment, 27A...refrigerator compartment, 30...vibrator, 52...front panel

Claims (7)

a housing including a storage chamber;
A door for opening and closing the storage chamber;
a vibrator attached to a front panel of the door and surrounded by a thermal insulating material, the vibrator outputting vibrations based on an input acoustic signal;
A vacuum insulation material is arranged inside the door behind the front panel and has a notch at an end;
Equipped with
the notch is disposed at a position overlapping with the vibrator when viewed in a thickness direction of the door,
When viewed from the height direction of the door, the vibrator and the vacuum insulation material are disposed apart from each other,
When viewed from the width direction of the door, the vibrator and the vacuum insulation material are disposed apart from each other,
In the thickness direction of the door, a foam insulation material is filled between the front panel and the vacuum insulation material,
The vibrator is surrounded by the foam insulation material.
refrigerator. The vibrator is embedded in the thermal insulation material.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1. The vibrator vibrates the front panel.
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2. The portion where the vibrator is provided is insulated by a plurality of insulating materials in the thickness direction of the door.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The vibrator is attached to an end portion of the door in a width direction.
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The door is rotatably supported on the housing by a hinge,
The vibrator is attached to the hinge side.
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The vibrator is attached to an end portion of the door in a height direction.
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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