JP7623926B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a refrigerator.

There is known a refrigerator having a foam insulation material between an outer box and an inner box that constitute the refrigerator body. In such a refrigerator, in order to further enhance the insulation effect, the width direction length of the rear vacuum insulation material provided between the inner box and the outer box in the rear wall of the refrigerator body is set to be larger than the width direction length of the inner box recess formed in the inner box in the rear wall and also larger than the width direction length of the flow path forming member in the refrigerator, so that the width direction end of the rear vacuum insulation material is set to a size that extends to an injection port of the foam insulation material (urethane) formed in the outer box.
However, by increasing the width dimension of the rear vacuum insulation material, the amount of urethane in the foam insulation material decreases, which may reduce the rigidity of the housing.

JP 2016-53472 A

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a refrigerator that can increase the rigidity of the housing while minimizing the deterioration of the insulation effect.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment includes a housing having an outer box and an inner box, a first insulating material filled in an internal space between the outer box and the inner box, and a second insulating material provided on a rear wall of the housing between the outer box and the inner box and having higher insulating performance than the first insulating material, wherein a first end in a width direction of the second insulating material is located on the inner side of a second end in a width direction of an inner box recess that is recessed rearward in a rear surface of the inner box , and the first end of the second insulating material is located on the inner side of an end in the width direction of a flow path forming member that forms a flow path inside the inner box recess.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 taken along line F2-F2. 3 is a view taken along the line F1-F1 shown in FIG. 2 . 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 2 taken along line F3-F3. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion F4 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 4 . FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion F5 shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of an end portion of a vacuum insulation material and a flow path forming member in a third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment, corresponding to FIG.

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 is defined as the "front," and the side furthest from the user is defined as the "rear." In this specification, "width direction" means the left and right direction as defined above. In this specification, "depth direction" means the front and back direction as defined above. In this specification, "width direction" means the left and right direction as defined above. In this specification, "depth direction" means the front and back direction as defined above. "Up and down direction" means the height direction of the refrigerator.

First Embodiment
[Overall configuration of refrigerator]
A refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. 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. Figure 3 is a view taken along line F1-F1 in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a portion of refrigerator 1 taken along line F3-F3 in Figure 2. Figure 5 is an enlarged view of portion F4 in Figure 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 has, for example, a refrigerator body 5 and a plurality of doors 11. The refrigerator body 5 includes a housing 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 10 includes, for example, an inner box 10a, an outer box 10b, and a heat insulating section 53.

As shown in FIG. 2, 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 outer box 10b is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped that forms the outer wall surface of the housing 10 excluding the front surface. However, a recess is formed on the rear side of the lower end of the outer box 10b in order to place the machine chamber 26.

The insulating section 53 is provided between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, and enhances the thermal insulation of the housing 10. The insulating section 53 includes, for example, a foam insulating material 10c (first insulating material), a plurality of vacuum insulating materials 30 (second insulating materials), and a plurality of thin insulating materials 40.

The foam insulation material 10c is a foamed insulation material such as urethane foam, and is filled into the internal space formed between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b. Specifically, the foam insulation material 10c is injected in a fluid liquid state into the space formed between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, and then foams to form the material.

The vacuum insulation panel 30 (VIP: Vacuum Insulation Panel) has a higher degree of insulation than the foam insulation panel 10c. Each of the multiple vacuum insulation panels 30 has, for example, a core material with gaps inside, and an outer packaging material that forms a bag that seals and contains the core material under a reduced pressure compared to atmospheric pressure. The core material is, for example, a fibrous material such as glass wool, or a porous material such as a foam. Such multiple vacuum insulation panels 30 are arranged in the internal space formed between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b.

The multiple thin insulation materials 40 include, for example, aerogel, xerogel, or cryogel, and are each formed into a flexible sheet. Each thin insulation material 40 is deformed to conform to the inner surface shape of the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, and is attached along the inner surface of the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, respectively.

1, the housing 10 has an upper wall 21, a lower wall 22, a left side wall 23, a right side wall 24, and a rear wall 25 (see FIG. 2). The left side wall 23, the right side wall 24, and the rear wall 25 extend vertically. The rear wall 25 connects the rear ends of the left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24. The left side wall 23 and the right side wall 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 upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 face each other in the vertical direction and extend approximately horizontally. As shown in FIG. 2, 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.

As shown in FIG. 2, multiple storage compartments 27 are formed inside the housing 10. The multiple storage compartments 27 include, for example, a refrigerator compartment 27A, a vegetable compartment 27B, an ice-making compartment 27C (see FIG. 1), a small freezer compartment 27D, and a main freezer compartment 27E. In this embodiment, the refrigerator compartment 27A is located at the top, the vegetable compartment 27B is located below the refrigerator compartment 27A, the ice-making compartment 27C and the small freezer compartment 27D are located below the vegetable compartment 27B, and the main freezer compartment 27E is located below the ice-making compartment 27C and the small freezer compartment 27D.

However, the arrangement of the multiple storage compartments 27 is not limited to the above example, and for example, the arrangement of the vegetable compartment 27B and the main freezer compartment 27E may be reversed. The housing 10 has an opening on the front side of each storage compartment 27 that allows food to be put in and taken out of each storage compartment 27.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 10 has a first partition 28 and a second partition 29. The first partition 28 and the second partition 29 are, for example, partition walls that are each substantially 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. The first partition 28 forms the bottom wall of the refrigerator compartment 27A and also forms the ceiling wall of the vegetable compartment 27B.

The second partition 29 is located between the vegetable compartment 27B and the ice-making compartment 27C (see FIG. 1) and the small freezer compartment 27D, and separates the vegetable compartment 27B from the ice-making compartment 27C (see FIG. 1) and the small freezer compartment 27D. The second partition 29 forms the bottom wall of the vegetable compartment 27B and also forms the ceiling wall of the ice-making compartment 27C (see FIG. 1) and the small freezer compartment 27D.

The openings of the storage compartments 27 are openably and closably covered by a plurality of doors 11. As shown in Fig. 1, the plurality of doors 11 include, for example, a left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa, a right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab, a vegetable compartment door 11B, an ice-making compartment door 11C, a small freezer compartment door 11D, and a main freezer compartment door 11E.
The left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab close the opening of refrigerator compartment 27A. The vegetable compartment door 11B closes the opening of vegetable compartment 27B. The ice-making compartment door 11C closes the opening of ice-making compartment 27C. The small freezer compartment door 11D closes the opening of small freezer compartment 27D. The main freezer compartment door 11E closes the opening of main freezer compartment 27E.
The left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab, which are provided adjacent to each other on the left and right, are a pair of doors that open like double doors.
The vegetable compartment door 11B, the ice-making compartment door 11C (see FIG. 1), the small freezer compartment door 11D, and the main freezer compartment door 11E are, for example, drawer-type doors.

The multiple doors 11 each contain an appropriate insulating material inside. The appropriate insulating material may include at least one of the foam insulating material 10c, the thin insulating material 40, and the vacuum insulating material 30 described above. For example, when the vacuum insulating material 30 is included, the position of the vacuum insulating material 30 in the front view and thickness direction of each door 11 is not particularly limited.

Various members that form refrigerator body 5 together with housing 10 are arranged on the rear side (rear wall 25) of housing 10. Examples of the members that form refrigerator body 5 include pipes through which the refrigerant circulates, flow path forming member 14, cooling unit 15, cooling fan 16, and control board 17.
In the refrigerator body 5, a machine room 26 in which, for example, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporating dish, etc. are arranged is provided at the lower rear side of the housing 10.

The cooling unit 15A is disposed behind the refrigerator compartment 27A, and cools the refrigerator compartment 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B.
Cooling unit 15B is disposed behind main freezing compartment 27E and cools ice making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E.
The flow path forming member 14A forms a flow path through which the cold air supplied from the cooling unit 15A flows to the refrigerator compartment 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B.
Flow path forming member 14B forms a flow path through which cold air supplied from cooling unit 15B flows to ice making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E.

The cooling fan 16A blows the cold air formed by the cooling unit 15A through a flow path surrounded by the flow path forming member 14A, forming a flow of cold air that circulates inside the vegetable compartment 27B and the refrigerator compartment 27A. The cooling fan 16B blows the cold air formed by the cooling unit 15B through a flow path surrounded by the flow path forming member 14B, forming a flow of cold air that circulates inside the ice making compartment 27C, the small freezer compartment 27D, and the main freezer compartment 27E.

The control board 17 performs overall control of the entire refrigerator 1. For example, the control board 17 controls the operation of the cooling units 15A, 15B, the cooling fans 16A, 16B, the compressor, etc. based on the detection results of temperature sensors 110 (see FIG. 3) provided in the multiple storage compartments 27. The control board 17 is preferably placed in a location that can avoid moisture. In this embodiment, it is placed on the rear outer box 10b above the refrigerator compartment 27A.

[Thermal insulation structure of the left and right side walls of the housing 10]
Next, a description will be given of the thermal insulation structures of the left and right side walls 23, 24 and the rear wall 25 of the refrigerator 1. Note that the thermal insulation structures of the top wall 21 and bottom wall 22 of the refrigerator 1 are almost the same as those of the side walls 23, 24 described below, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

As shown in FIG. 4, the left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 of the housing 10 include the inner wall surfaces 23a, 24a of the inner box 10a and the inner wall surfaces 23b, 24b of the outer box 10b. The inner wall surfaces 23a, 24a of the inner box 10a are inclined in a direction away from each other in the width direction toward the tip side. Therefore, the left-right width of the storage chamber 27 formed inside the inner box 10a is slightly wider at the opening side than at the back side.

The left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 have the same insulating structure. As shown in FIG. 4, three vacuum insulation materials 30 are arranged vertically between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b that constitute the left side wall 23 of the housing 10. These vacuum insulation materials 30 cover almost the entire inner wall surface 23b of the left side wall 23. The outer shape and number of the vacuum insulation materials 30 are not particularly limited as long as they can cover almost the entire inner wall surface 23b of the left side wall 23.

The vacuum insulation material 30 has a rectangular shape in side view from the right side of the refrigerator 1. The vacuum insulation material 30 is fixed to the left inner wall surface 23b of the left side wall 23 with its outline extending in the depth direction and the vertical direction. The depth direction length of the vacuum insulation material 30 is slightly shorter than the depth direction length of the inner wall surface 23b. Two sheets of vacuum insulation material 30 are arranged adjacent to each other in the vertical direction.

In the left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24, the foam insulation material 10c is filled almost completely into each internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, except for the vacuum insulation material 30. This provides the left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 with thermal insulation properties.

In this embodiment, vacuum insulation material 30 is used, but this is not limited to this. For example, aerogel, polystyrene foam, etc. may also be used.

[Flow path forming member 14]
The flow path forming member 14 includes both of the flow path forming members 14A and 14B described above. The flow path forming member 14 includes a resin insulating plate member 141 accommodated in the inner box recess 10A, and a metal covering plate 142 made of a metal material that covers the entire range in the height direction and the entire range in the width direction of the outer surface 141a facing the inside of the insulating plate member 141 (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the metal covering plate 142 is attached to the outer surface 141a of the insulating plate member 141 via a holding plate 143. In FIG. 3, the metal covering plate 142 is arranged to cover the entire range in the height direction, but the metal covering plate 142 may be arranged to cover at least a part of the outer surface 141a and the entire range in the width direction.

The insulating plate member 141 is formed in a concave shape that opens to the rear when viewed from above, and the concave portion forms the flow path 14C. The insulating plate member 141 is formed from expanded polystyrene (EPS) or the like. The insulating plate member 141 has a plate-shaped wall 141A located in the center in the width direction, and a pair of side wall portions 141B (141Ba, 141Bb) located on both the left and right sides of the plate-shaped wall 141A. The side wall portion 141Ba located on the left side when viewed from above has a greater widthwise length than the side wall portion 141Bb located on the right side. In other words, the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 is provided at a position shifted to one side in the width direction (the right side). The depth direction length of the flow path 14C (the height of the side wall 141B extending rearward from the plate-like wall 141A) is set to a dimension such that the flow path 14C is located inside the inner box recess 10A when the flow path forming member 14 is attached to the inner box recess 10A. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the above-mentioned temperature sensor 110 is embedded in the left side wall 141Ba, which has a larger width direction length. As a result, the temperature sensor 110 is outside the flow path 14C through which cold air flows, and is covered by the vacuum insulation material 34 so that it is less likely to pick up the temperature of the outside air.

As shown in FIG. 5, the retaining plate 143 comprises a thin plate body 143A that covers the outer surface 141a of the insulating plate member 141, and support walls 143B that protrude rearward on both sides of the plate body 143A in the width direction and are interposed inside the inner box recess 10A. The insulating plate member 141 is supported by being sandwiched between the pair of support walls 143B. The plate body 143A protrudes on both the left and right sides of the insulating plate member 141 in the width direction. This protruding portion is called the protruding end 14D. The retaining plate 143 is formed from a material such as polypropylene (PP).

As shown in FIG. 3, the metal-clad plate 142 is fixed by a fixing means such as an adhesive so as to cover at least a portion of the outer surface 143a of the plate body 143A of the holding plate 143. Therefore, the metal-clad plate 142 protrudes outward from the end of the heat insulating plate member 141 together with the holding plate 143 on both sides in the width direction. The end 142a of the metal-clad plate 142 forms a curled portion 142b that wraps around the end 143b of the plate body 143A. The metal-clad plate 142 is made of a metal material formed by aluminum material, hot stamping, plating, etc.

[Thermal insulation structure of the rear wall 25 of the housing 10]
2, when viewed from the side, the rear wall 25 of the housing 10 includes inner wall surfaces 25a and 25b of the inner box 10a and an inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b. The rear wall 25 extends vertically from above to below. In the inner box 10a, the inner wall surface 25a is located behind the refrigeration chamber 27A, and the inner wall surface 25b is located behind the small freezer chamber 27D and the main freezer chamber 27E.

As shown in FIG. 4, when viewed from above, the inner wall surface 25a of the rear wall 25 has a first surface 25aa that is closest to the outer box 10b in the depth direction within the inner wall surface 25a, a pair of second surfaces 25ab that are located on both the left and right sides of the first surface 25aa and are further forward from the outer box 10b than the first surface 25aa, and a pair of third surfaces 25ac that connect the left and right ends of the first surface 25aa to each of the second surfaces 25ab in the depth direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inner box 10a constituting the rear wall 25 is provided with a thin insulation material 10e so as to cover almost the entire inner wall surface 25a. The thin insulation material 10e is attached by an adhesive material or the like in a deformed state along the inner wall surface 25a of the rear wall 25. In the internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b constituting the rear wall 25 of the housing 10, a discharge pipe section 44 is arranged to guide the defrosted water generated in the cooling unit 15B to the evaporation dish 18. Therefore, the thin insulation material 10e is provided so as to cover the inner wall surface 25a of the inner box 10a constituting the rear wall 25, at least the area where the discharge pipe section 44 is installed.

Similarly, thin insulation material 10f is attached to the inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b that constitutes the rear wall 25 of the housing 10. The thin insulation material 10f is attached so as to cover substantially the entire inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b that constitutes the rear wall 25.

The internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b that make up the rear wall 25, excluding the thin insulation materials 10e and 10f, is filled with foam insulation material 10c without any gaps. This gives the rear wall 25 thermal insulation properties. The foam insulation material 10c is arranged to cover the periphery of the exhaust pipe section 44 that is arranged between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b that make up the rear wall 25.

As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 10 has a plurality of injection ports 60 for injecting the liquid foam insulation material 10c before foaming into the internal space K between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a. For example, four injection ports 60 are formed in the rear wall 25 of the outer box 10b. A pair of injection ports 60a are arranged on both sides in the left-right direction and are at the same height in the up-down direction. The pair of injection ports 60a are arranged on the upper end side of the rear wall 25 close to the upper wall 21. The remaining pair of injection ports 60b are also arranged on both sides in the width direction and are at the same height in the up-down direction. These pairs of injection ports 60b are arranged on the lower end side of the rear wall 25 close to the lower wall 22 and are located directly below the pair of injection ports 60a.

When viewed from above, the injection ports 60 face the boundary portion 51 of the inner box 10a in the depth direction. Each injection port 60 is provided with a plurality of thin lid members 61 that can individually close each injection port 60.

[Vacuum insulation material]
As shown in FIG. 4, a vacuum insulation material 34 is disposed between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b that constitute the rear wall 25 of the housing 10. The vacuum insulation material 34 is provided so as to partially fill the internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b. The vacuum insulation material 34 is formed so that both ends 34b in the left-right direction (width direction) are thinner than the thickness of the central portion 34a that fills the gap between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b. The gap between each end 34b and the inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b is filled with the foam insulation material 10c. The vacuum insulation material 34 is fixed to the inner wall surface 25a of the inner box 10a and the inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b by an adhesive member or the like.

In this embodiment, the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 34 is different between the center 34a and both left and right ends 34b, but it may have a constant thickness in the left-right direction. For example, if the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 34 is narrower than the depth dimension of the internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, the front surface of the vacuum insulation material 34 is attached to the inner wall surface 25a of the inner box 10a, and the foam insulation material 10c is filled in the gap formed between the vacuum insulation material 34 and the inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b. Conversely, if the rear surface of the vacuum insulation material 34 is attached to the inner wall surface 25c of the outer box 10b, the foam insulation material 10c is filled in the gap formed between the vacuum insulation material 34 and the inner wall surface 25a of the inner box 10a. Furthermore, if the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 34 is the same as the depth dimension of the internal space K between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, the foam insulation material 10c is not filled between the vacuum insulation material 34 and the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the first end 34c on both sides in the width direction of the vacuum insulation material 34 provided on the rear wall 25 of the housing 10 is located widthwise more inward than the second end 10d on both sides in the width direction of the inner box recess 10A that is recessed rearward on the back surface of the inner box 10a, and is located widthwise more inward than the end 141b of the insulation plate member 141 of the flow path forming member 14. In other words, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located widthwise more inward than the support wall 143B. In addition, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 overlaps in the front-rear direction with the asymmetric side wall portions 141Ba and 141Bb that form the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the widthwise length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34 is substantially constant throughout the height direction. Furthermore, the widthwise length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34 is shorter than the widthwise length L11 of the inner box recess 10A. The first ends 34c on both sides of the widthwise direction of the vacuum insulation material 34 are located inside the injection port 60 described above and are separated from the injection port 60. The distance between the first ends 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 and the center line of the injection port 60 is greater than the distance between the third surface 25ac of the inner wall surface 25a of the inner box 10a and the center line of the injection port 60.

Next, we will explain the operation and function of refrigerator 1.

The refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes a housing 10 having an outer box 10b and an inner box 10a, a foam insulation material 10c filled in the internal space K between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a, and a vacuum insulation material 34 provided between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a on the rear wall 25 of the housing 10, and the first end 34c in the width direction of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located widthwise inward of the second end 10d in the width direction of the inner box recess 10A that is recessed rearward on the back surface of the inner box 10a.

In this embodiment, even if the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located widthwise inside the second end 10d of the inner box recess 10A, the inner box recess 10A can be positioned in a range that can be sufficiently insulated in the internal space K between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a, and the same insulating effect as the conventional one can be obtained. That is, in this embodiment, in which the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 of the refrigerator 1 is positioned in the inner box recess 10A, the fluid (cold air) in the flow path 14C of the vacuum insulation material 34 can be efficiently insulated.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located widthwise further inward than the second end 10d of the inner box recess 10A, so the widthwise length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34 is smaller than the length L11 of the inner box recess 10A. Therefore, the area of the gap excluding the vacuum insulation material 34 in the internal space K in the rear wall 25 in a cross-sectional view can be increased. In other words, the amount of foam insulation material 10c made of foamed urethane that fills the gap in the internal space K can be increased. This can increase the rigidity of the housing 10 including the rear wall 25.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the first ends 34c located on both sides of the width of the vacuum insulation material 34 are located widthwise inward of the second ends 10d on both sides of the inner box recess 10A. In this case, the widthwise length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34 can be made shorter than the length L11 of the inner box recess 10A, compared to when only the first end 34c on one side of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located widthwise inward of the second end 10d on one side of the inner box recess 10A. This allows the amount of foam insulation material 10c filled into the internal space K to be increased, and the rigidity of the housing 10 to be increased.

According to the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located inside the width direction of the end of the flow path forming member 14 that forms the flow path 14C inside the inner box recess 10A. This allows the vacuum insulation material 34 to be placed at a position facing the flow path 14C formed in the flow path forming member 14, and the vacuum insulation material 34 can reliably insulate the cold air in the flow path 14C. In addition, since there is no flow path 14C in the part located outside the width direction relative to the flow path 14C, and the insulation effect is relatively low, for example, when the protruding end 14D of the flow path forming member 14 is made of metal (aluminum) as in this embodiment, the occurrence of condensation due to the insulation of the metallic protruding end 14D can be suppressed.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the entire outer surface of the flow path forming member 14 on the side of the internal space K is covered with a metal material. If the protruding end 14D of the flow path forming member 14 is made of metal, the occurrence of condensation due to the insulation of the metallic protruding end 14D can be suppressed as described above.

According to the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the flow path forming member 14 has a resin insulating plate member 141 accommodated in the inner box recess 10A, and a metal covering plate 142 made of a metal material that covers the outer surface of the insulating plate member 141 facing the internal space K side. The metal covering plate 142 is provided to protrude from the insulating plate member 141 on both sides in the width direction, and the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located inside the outer end of the insulating plate member 141 in the width direction. This allows the insulating plate member 141 to be placed in an area where it can be sufficiently insulated by the vacuum insulation material 34. The insulating effect of the protruding portion (corresponding to the protruding end 14D) of the metal covering plate 142 protruding outward in the width direction of the insulating plate member 141 can be reduced, and condensation on the protruding end 14D of the metal covering plate 142 can be suppressed.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the metal cladding plate 142 is made of aluminum. In this case, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located widthwise inward of the second end 10d of the inner box recess 10A, and the protruding end 14D of the flow path forming member 14 is made of aluminum material, so that the occurrence of condensation due to the insulation of the protruding end 14D can be more reliably suppressed.

According to the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the metal covering plate 142 has support walls 143B on both sides in the width direction, which protrude backward and are interposed inside the inner box recess 10A. The insulating plate member 141 is supported by being sandwiched between the pair of support walls 143B, 143B, and the first end 34c of the vacuum insulating material 34 is located inside the support walls 143B, 143B. This allows the insulating plate member 141 located inside the support walls 143B, 143B in the width direction to be placed in an area where it can be sufficiently insulated by the vacuum insulating material 34. The insulating effect of the protruding portion (corresponding to the protruding end 14D) of the metal covering plate 142 that protrudes outward in the width direction of the support walls 143B, 143B can be reduced, and condensation on the protruding end 14D of the metal covering plate 142 can be suppressed.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 is provided at a position shifted to one side in the width direction (right side in the left-right direction), and the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 overlaps in the front-rear direction with the asymmetric side wall portion 141B that forms the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14. In this case, even if the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 is arranged to be asymmetric as in this embodiment, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 overlaps the side wall portion 141B on both sides, so the vacuum insulation material 34 can be arranged to cover the area of the flow path 14C, and the cold air of the flow path 14C can be reliably insulated.

According to the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the outer box 10b has an injection port 60 for injecting the foam insulation material 10c before foaming into the internal space K. As a result, since the position of the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is located inside the second end 10d of the inner box recess 10A as described above, the injection port 60 for injecting the foam insulation material 10c can be spaced farther in the width direction from the vacuum insulation material 34. Therefore, the flow area of the foam insulation material 10c injected from the injection port 60 can be sufficiently secured, and the filling efficiency can be improved. In other words, the foam insulation material 10c can be filled reliably without gaps in the internal space K between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a in the rear wall 25, and the decrease in the rigidity of the housing 10 can be suppressed.

According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can increase the rigidity of the housing while suppressing a decrease in the insulation effect.

Second Embodiment
Next, a refrigerator 1A according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. In the refrigerator 1A, the shape of a flow path forming member 14E is different from that of the flow path forming member 14 of the first embodiment. That is, in the flow path forming member 14E of the second embodiment, the left and right side wall portions 141B (141Ba, 141Bb) have the same widthwise length. The end portion of the plate-like wall 141A is located on the outer side of the side wall portion 141B in the widthwise direction. That is, the pair of side wall portions 141Ba, 141Bb are located on the inner side in the widthwise direction compared to the first embodiment, and therefore the width dimension of the flow path 14C is also smaller.

In the refrigerator 1A of the second embodiment, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 is the same as the end 141b in the width direction of the insulation plate member 141 of the flow path forming member 14E, and is located on the outer side in the width direction than the end 141b of the side wall portion 141B.

In the second embodiment, the vacuum insulation material 34 is disposed inside the inner box recess 10A near the outer portion of the width direction of the flow path 14C or in part of this outer portion. Therefore, the vacuum insulation material 34 can provide an insulating effect even in this outer portion.

Third Embodiment
Next, a refrigerator 1B according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The refrigerator 1B has a configuration in which the curled portion 142b (see Fig. 5) formed on the end portion 142a of the metal-clad plate 142 of the flow path forming member 14 of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment described above is omitted.

Fourth Embodiment
Next, a refrigerator 1C according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The refrigerator 1C has a configuration in which the position of the first end 34c of the vacuum heat insulating material 34 of the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment described above is changed. That is, in the refrigerator 1C, the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 is provided at a position shifted to one side in the width direction (the right side in the left-right direction), and the first end 34c of the vacuum heat insulating material 34 overlaps in the front-rear direction with different overlap lengths L12, L13 corresponding to the asymmetric side wall portions 141Ba, 141Bb that form the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14. Specifically, the overlap length L13 of the right side wall portion 141Bb, which has a shorter width direction length, is longer than the overlap length L12 of the left side wall portion 141Ba, which has a longer width direction length.

In the fourth embodiment, even if the flow path 14C of the flow path forming member 14 is arranged so as to be asymmetrical, the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 overlaps the side wall portions on both sides, so that the vacuum insulation material 34 can be arranged to cover the area of the flow path 14C, and the cold air in the flow path 14C can be reliably insulated.

In addition, in this embodiment, the overlap length of the vacuum insulation material 34 is different for each of the asymmetric side wall portions, so the widthwise length dimension of the vacuum insulation material 34 can be shortened by the amount of shift in the widthwise direction of the flow path 14C. This makes it possible to further shorten the widthwise length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34, making it possible to increase the amount of foam insulation material 10c filled into the internal space K, and thus improving the rigidity of the housing 10.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the overlap length of the vacuum insulation material 34 is greater on the side wall portion with a shorter widthwise length, so the overlap length of the longer side can be set to match the overlap length of the first end 34c of the vacuum insulation material 34 with the shorter side wall portion. This allows the widthwise length L10 of the vacuum insulation material 34 to be made shorter, making it possible to increase the amount of foam insulation material 10c filled into the internal space K, and improving the rigidity of the housing 10.

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.

In this embodiment, the refrigerator doors are described as having double doors, but the vacuum insulation materials of the above embodiments may be used in refrigerators that do not have double doors.

In addition, in this embodiment, a vacuum insulation material 30 (34) having a core material made of, for example, glass wool or a porous material is used as a second insulation material having higher insulation performance than the foam insulation material 10c (first insulation material), but this is not limited to this. For example, an insulation material containing aerogel, xerogel, or cryogel may be used as the second insulation material.

In addition, in this embodiment, foam insulation material 10c is used as the first insulation material filled in the internal space between the outer box 10b and the inner box 10a, but it is also possible to use other insulation materials. For example, a vacuum insulation material containing aerogel, xerogel, or cryogel, as listed above as the second insulation material, may be used.

The number of injection ports 60 provided in the refrigerator 1 is not limited to four. For example, the number may be set appropriately depending on the capacity of the refrigerator 1, etc.

1, 1A, 1B, 1C...refrigerator, 10...casing, 10A...inner box recess, 10a...inner box, 10b...outer box, 10c...foamed insulation material (first insulation material), 10d...second end, 14, 14E...flow path forming member, 14C...flow path, 14D...projecting end, 25...rear wall, 34...vacuum insulation material (second insulation material), 34c...first end, 60...inlet, 141...insulating plate member, 142...metal-coated plate, 143B...support wall, K...internal space

Claims (11)

A housing having an outer box and an inner box;
A first insulating material filled in an internal space between the outer box and the inner box;
a second insulating material provided between the outer box and the inner box on a rear wall of the housing and having a higher insulating performance than the first insulating material;
A first end portion in a width direction of the second insulating material is located on the inner side in the width direction of a second end portion in a width direction of an inner box recess that is recessed rearward in a back surface of the inner box,
A refrigerator in which the first end of the second insulating material is located widthwise inward of the widthwise end of a flow path forming member that forms a flow path inside the inner box recess . The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first ends of the second insulating material on both sides in the width direction are located inside the second ends on both sides of the inner box recess in the width direction. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein an outer surface of the flow passage forming member on the inside of the inner box is covered with a metal material over at least a portion of a height direction and over an entire width direction. The flow path forming member has a resin insulating plate member accommodated in the inner box recess, and a metal-coated plate made of the metal material that covers an outer surface of the insulating plate member facing the inside of the chamber,
The metal-coated plate is provided so as to protrude beyond the heat-insulating plate member on both sides in the width direction,
The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the first end of the second insulating material is located inside an outer end of the insulating plate member in the width direction. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the metal-clad plate is made of an aluminum material. The refrigerator according to claim 4 or 5 , wherein the first end of the second insulating material is located at the same position as an end in a width direction of the insulating plate member or at an outer side in the width direction. The metal-clad plate has support walls on both sides in the width direction thereof, the support walls protruding rearward and interposed inside the inner box recess,
The heat insulating plate member is supported by being sandwiched between the pair of support walls,
The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the first end of the second insulating material is located inside the support wall. The flow passage of the flow passage forming member is provided at a position shifted to one side in a width direction,
The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the first end portion of the second insulating material overlaps in a front-rear direction with asymmetric side wall portions that form the flow path of the flow path forming member. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the second insulating material has different overlap lengths corresponding to the asymmetric side wall portions. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the overlap length of the second insulating material is greater on a side of the side wall portion that has a shorter widthwise length. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the outer box has an injection port for injecting the first insulating material into the internal space.

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