JP7629829B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Refrigerators with multiple removable containers are known as freezer compartments. In such refrigerators, the desired container is pulled out from among the multiple containers, and so all containers except the bottommost one must be pulled out from a fully closed state. When the container is fully closed, it is difficult to grab the handle at the front, and the container must be pulled out once to check the internal condition of the contents inside, so a user-friendly refrigerator was required.

JP 2020-29972 A

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a refrigerator that is easy to use.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment includes at least four stages of containers that are provided in a storage chamber and can be pulled out in the front-rear direction, and when two of the containers that are stacked vertically are pulled out, a lower first container and an upper second container of the two containers are pulled out in conjunction with each other, and a front part of a third container provided directly above the second container is pulled out in conjunction with the second container. A fourth container provided directly above the third container is provided so as to be capable of being moved in conjunction with the third container within a range of movement smaller than the range of movement of the interlocking operation in which the third container is pulled out in conjunction with the second container, or to be movable separately and independently from the third container. The fourth container is provided so as to be independently pulled out separately from the third container. An inner surface of a side wall of the storage chamber has a guide portion that moves each of the first container, the second container, the third container, and the fourth container so as to be able to be pulled out. The outer ends of sliding support portions that protrude outward in the left-right direction from the side surfaces of each container in the order of being stacked vertically are engaged with the guide portions at positions that are alternately shifted in the left-right direction.

FIG. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the freezer compartment shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the front. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the freezing chamber shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a partially broken perspective view of the freezer compartment as seen diagonally from the front. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the freezer compartment door in FIG. 4 when fully opened. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the freezing compartment shown in FIG. 5 as seen obliquely from the front. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the freezing chamber shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the configuration of each container and a sliding portion shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view of the freezer with the third container pulled out. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a fourth container. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a main part of the rear end portion of the fourth container. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the configuration of each container and a sliding portion. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an attachment structure of a first guide member. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the guide member fixing portion before a reinforcing member is attached thereto. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the reinforcing member as viewed from the front-rear direction. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of the reinforcing member. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a guide member fixing portion. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a freezer compartment above a vegetable compartment according to a first modified example, seen from the side. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a vegetable compartment above a freezer according to a second modified example, seen from the side. FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the configuration of each container and a sliding portion according to a third modified example. FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the configuration of each container and a sliding portion according to a fourth modified example.

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. The side closer to the user standing in front of the refrigerator is defined as the "front" and the side further away is defined as the "rear". In this specification, the "width direction" means the left-right direction as defined above. In this specification, the "depth direction" means the front-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 upward direction, and the -Z direction is the downward direction. In addition, in a refrigerator, the side facing the interior (storage compartment, freezer compartment, etc.) in the thickness direction of the wall described below is defined as the "inside", and the side facing the outside of the refrigerator opposite the inside across the wall is defined as the "outside".

[Overall configuration of refrigerator]
A refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 10. 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. As shown in Figure 1, refrigerator 1 has a wall having wall 10 and door 11. Refrigerator 1 has, for example, wall 10, multiple doors 11, multiple shelves, multiple containers (reference numerals 21 to 24 in Figure 2 and the like, which are provided in freezer 15E described later), a cooling unit, and a control board. In this embodiment, the refrigerator body is formed by the above components other than the multiple doors 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wall body 10 includes, for example, an inner box 3, an outer box 4, and a foam insulation material 5. The inner box 3 is a member that forms the inner surface of the wall body 10, and is made of, for example, synthetic resin. The outer box 4 is a member that forms the outer surface of the wall body 10, and is made of, for example, metal such as a steel plate. The outer box 4 is formed to be slightly larger than the inner box 3, and is disposed outside the inner box 3. The foam insulation material 5 is a foam insulation material such as urethane foam, and is filled between the inner box 3 and the outer box 4. This gives the wall body 10 thermal insulation properties.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wall body 10 has an upper wall 12, a lower wall 13, left and right side walls 14, 14, and a rear wall. The upper wall 12 and the lower wall 13 extend approximately horizontally. The left and right side walls 14, 14 rise upward from the left and right ends of the lower wall 13 and connect to the left and right ends of the upper wall 12. The rear wall rises upward from the rear end of the lower wall 13 and connects to the rear end of the upper wall 12.

A plurality of storage compartments 15 are provided inside the wall body 10. The plurality of storage compartments 15 include, for example, a refrigerator compartment 15A, a vegetable compartment 15B, an ice-making compartment 15C, a small freezer compartment 15D, and a main freezer compartment 15E (hereinafter simply referred to as a freezer compartment 15E). In this embodiment, the refrigerator compartment 15A is located at the top, the vegetable compartment 15B is located below the refrigerator compartment 15A, the ice-making compartment 15C and the small freezer compartment 15D are located below the vegetable compartment 15B, and the main freezer compartment 15E is located below the ice-making compartment 15C and the small freezer compartment 15D. However, the arrangement of the storage compartments 15 is not limited to the above example. The wall body 10 has an opening on the front side of each storage compartment 15 that allows food to be put in and taken out of each storage compartment 15.

The openings of the multiple storage compartments 15 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 15A, a vegetable compartment door 11B that closes the opening of the vegetable compartment 15B, an ice-making compartment door 11C that closes the opening of the ice-making compartment 15C, a small freezer compartment door 11D that closes the opening of the small freezer compartment 15D, and a main freezer compartment door 11E that closes the opening of the main freezer compartment 15E.

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 wall body 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 guide members 6A and 6B, which will be described later, so that they can be pulled out relative to the wall body 10.

The wall body 10 has multiple (here, two) partitions (not shown) that divide the interior of the wall body 10. These partitions are, for example, partition walls that are approximately horizontal. One partition is located between the refrigerator compartment 15A and the vegetable compartment 15B, and separates the refrigerator compartment 15A from the vegetable compartment 15B. On the other hand, the other partition is located between the vegetable compartment 15B and the ice making compartment 15C and the small freezer compartment 15D, and separates the vegetable compartment 15B from the ice making compartment 15C and the small freezer compartment 15D. Note that no partition wall is provided between the ice making compartment 15C and the small freezer compartment 15D and the main freezer compartment 15E.

The multiple shelves are arranged in the refrigerator compartment 15A. The multiple containers include a refrigerator compartment container (e.g., a chilled compartment container) arranged in the refrigerator compartment 15A, a vegetable compartment container arranged in the vegetable compartment 15B, an ice compartment container arranged in the ice compartment 15C, a small freezer container arranged in the small freezer compartment 15D, and four tiers of containers 21-24 arranged in the freezer compartment 15E.

The cooling unit includes a compressor. The cooling unit includes, for example, a cooler and a fan arranged in a cooling air passage formed by duct parts. The compressor is provided, for example, in a machine room at the bottom of the refrigerator 1, and compresses the refrigerant gas used to cool the storage compartment 15. The refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor is sent to the cooler via a suction pipe or the like.

The control board controls the entire refrigerator 1. For example, the control board controls the operation of the above-mentioned fan, compressor, etc. based on the detection results of temperature sensors installed in the refrigerator compartment 15A and the freezer compartment 15E, etc. The control board is attached, for example, to the top wall 12 of the wall body 10.

In the cooling unit, the cold air cooled by the cooler flows into the cooling air duct by the rotation of the fan. The cold air that flows into the cooling air duct flows from the bottom to the top and is blown out into the refrigerator compartment 15A and the vegetable compartment 15B from the air outlet (not shown) formed in the flow path forming part.

A door container whose height can be changed and a door container fixed to the bottom are detachably attached to the rear side of the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa.

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

[Configuration of freezer compartment]
Next, the specific structure of the freezer compartment 15E will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 2 to 7, the freezer compartment 15E has a retractable main freezer compartment door 11E. The freezer compartment 15E is structured so that the main freezer compartment door 11E moves forward from the opening 15a in the wall body 10 and away from the opening 15a to open the freezer compartment 15E, and moves rearward so that the main freezer compartment door 11E is positioned to block the opening 15a to close the freezer compartment 15E. Note that in some of the figures, the main freezer compartment door 11E is omitted for ease of viewing, if necessary.

In the freezer compartment 15E, four tiers of containers 21-24, each of which contains an item to be stored, are arranged vertically. In the following description of this embodiment, the container in the first tier from the bottom of the four tiers of containers 21-24 will be referred to as the first container 21, the container in the second tier from the bottom as the second container 22, the container in the third tier from the bottom as the third container 23, and the container in the fourth tier from the bottom as the fourth container 24. That is, the container 20 is arranged in order from bottom to top, followed by the first container 21, the second container 22, the third container 23, and the fourth container 24.

The thickness (height) of each container 21 to 24 is, in descending order of thickness, the first container 21, the second container 22, the fourth container 24, and the third container 23. The third container 23 is formed to be the thinnest.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first container 21 has door fixing plates 211 fixed to both the left and right sides of the front surface 21A, and the main freezer door 11E (see FIG. 3 to FIG. 5) is fixed to the front surface of these door fixing plates 211. As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the upper front ends of the second container 22, the third container 23, and the fourth container 24 respectively have handles 221, 231, and 241 that allow the containers to be pulled out by hand.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the containers 21 to 24 is guided by a sliding portion (a first guide member 6A, a second guide member 6B, and a guide groove 31 described later) provided on the inner side surface 3a of the inner box 3, and is movable in the front-rear direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the second container 22 is placed on the upper edge portion 212 of the lower first container 21, and is also guided by the upper edge portion 212 and is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the first container 21. FIG. 3 shows the state when the main freezer door 11E is fully closed. As shown in FIG. 3, the length dimensions in the front-rear direction of each of the containers 21 to 24 are different. Specifically, the first container 21 and the fourth container 24 are the longest, followed by the third container 23 and the second container 22, which are the shortest.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the first container 21 is a deep, roughly rectangular container with an open top. The first container 21 is composed of a front surface 21A, a rear surface 21B, both side surfaces 21C, and a bottom surface 21D. As shown in Figure 2, the upper edges of the left and right side surfaces 21C are provided with first sliding support parts that protrude outward in the left-right direction like flanges. The first sliding support parts are placed on the top surface 6b of the first guide member 6A, and are moved in the front-rear direction along this top surface 6b so as to be retractable.

As shown in Figures 3 and 7, the height of the upper end of the rear surface 21B is lower than the front surface 21A and both side surfaces 21C, 21C. The height of the rear surface 21B is set to a height that allows the second container 22, which is placed on top of the first container 21, to pass over the rear surface 21B in the front-to-rear direction.

The door fixing plate 211 fixed to the front surface 21A extends from the front surface 21A along the side surface 21C and bends into an L-shape, as shown in FIG. 6. The tip 63a of the first guide member 6A is fixed to the portion (side piece 211a) of the door fixing plate 211 located on the side surface 21C side.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the second container 22 is a shallow, roughly rectangular container with an open top. The second container 22 is composed of a front surface 22A, a rear surface 22B, both side surfaces 22C, and a bottom surface 22D. As shown in Fig. 2, the upper edges of the left and right side surfaces 22C are provided with second sliding support parts 223 that protrude outward in the left-right direction like a brim. The second sliding support part 223 (see Fig. 9) is placed on the lower surface 31a of a guide groove 31 formed on the inner surface 3a of the inner box 3 of the refrigerator 1 and extending in the front-rear direction, and is moved in the front-rear direction along this lower surface 31a so as to be removable.

2, the second container 22 is placed with the lower half 22a of the second container 22 fitted inside the first container 21. That is, the second container 22 is provided in a state where it overlaps the first container 21, and is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the first container 21. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, when the main freezer door 11E is opened and the first container 21 is pulled out, the second container 22 is pulled forward while being placed on the first container 21. That is, at the maximum pull-out position P1 of the first container 21, the second container 22 is pulled out in conjunction with the first container 21. Since the second container 22 can be moved in the front-rear direction with respect to the first container 21, for example, when putting in or taking out an object from the back (rear) of the first container 21, the opening of the first container 21 can be opened by moving only the second container 22 backward and placing it in the freezer chamber 15E.

As shown in Figures 4, 5 and 8, the third container 23 is a shallowest, approximately rectangular container with an open top. The third container 23 is composed of a front surface 23A, a rear surface 23B, both side surfaces 23C, and a bottom surface 23D. As shown in Figures 2 and 9, the upper edges of the left and right side surfaces 23C are provided with third sliding support parts 231 that protrude outward in the left-right direction like a brim. The third sliding support part 231 is guided by the second sliding part 67 of the second guide member 6B and moves in the front-rear direction so that the third container 23 can be pulled out. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the third container 23 is placed on the second container 22 from above halfway when it is pulled out, and slides in the front-rear direction along the upper edge 222 of the second container 22.

As shown in FIG. 8, a towing piece 235 that protrudes downward is provided at the front of the bottom surface 23D of the third container 23 to engage with the rear surface 22B of the second container 22 from the front (see FIG. 6). The towing pieces 235 are provided on both the left and right sides of the bottom surface 23D. When the second container 22 is pulled out, as the rear surface 22B of the second container 22 moves forward, the towing piece 235 moves forward by hooking onto the rear surface 22B from the front. As a result, the front portion of the third container 23 is pulled out in conjunction with the second container 22. As shown in FIG. 10, the third container 23 is provided so that it can be pulled out forward of the second container 22.

As shown in Figures 7, 8 and 10, the third container 23 is provided with a protruding projection 234 that protrudes rearward from the rear end of the rear surface 23B. The protruding projections 234 are provided on both the left and right ends of the rear surface 23B. When the third container 23 is pulled out to the frontmost portion, at least a portion of the protruding projection 234 overlaps the lower portion of the fourth container 24 when viewed from above.

As shown in Figures 4, 5 and 11, the fourth container 24 is a shallow, approximately rectangular container with an open top. The fourth container 24 is composed of a front surface 24A, a rear surface 24B, both side surfaces 24C, and a bottom surface 24D. As shown in Figures 9 and 11, a fourth sliding support portion 243 that protrudes outward in the left-right direction is provided in the approximately vertical center of the left and right side surfaces 24C. As shown in Figure 9, the fourth sliding support portion 243 is guided by the first sliding portion 66 of the second guide member 6B and moved in the front-rear direction so as to be able to be pulled out.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, a pair of protruding projections 244 that protrude rearward are provided on both the left and right ends of the rear surface 24B of the fourth container 24. The fourth sliding support portion 243 is provided so as to extend from the front surface 24A to the tip of the protruding projection 244.

A substantially cylindrical stopper 245 that protrudes downward at least further than the fourth sliding support portion 243 is provided at the rear end of the fourth sliding support portion 243. As shown in FIG. 13, the stopper 245 slides on the lower surface 66a of the first sliding portion 66 when the fourth container 24 moves in the front-rear direction. When the fourth container 24 is fully pulled out, the stopper 245 engages with a pulley 68 provided on the first sliding portion 66 of the second guide member 6B (described later) from the rear, thereby stopping the movement of the fourth container 24 when it is fully pulled out. Note that by further pulling out the fourth container 24 from the fully pulled out position, the stopper 245 climbs over the pulley 68, and the fourth container 24 can be removed from the first sliding portion 66.

As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the inner box 3 has a recess 33 formed on the rear surface of the freezer compartment 15E at a position facing the protruding protrusion 244 in the front-to-rear direction, into which the protruding protrusion 244 enters when the fourth container 24 is fully closed.

14 and 15, the first guide member 6A, which supports the first container 21 shown in FIG. 2 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, is made of a steel plate and is fixed to both inner sides 3a of the inner box 3 forming the freezer compartment 15E so as to extend in the front-rear direction. The first guide member 6A includes a fixed rail 61 fixed to the inner box 3, an intermediate rail 62 slidably supported so as to protrude forward from the fixed rail 61, and a movable rail 63 slidably supported so as to protrude forward from the intermediate rail 62. That is, the first guide member 6A is pulled forward in two stages by the intermediate rail 62 and the movable rail 63. The tip 63a of the movable rail 63 is fixed to the side piece 211a of the door fixing plate 211 provided at the front end of the first container 21. The fixed rail 61, the intermediate rail 62, and the movable rail 63 each have a cross section that is approximately U-shaped.

As shown in FIG. 14, the fixed rail 61 has a first plate-shaped portion 611, a pair of upper and lower first flange portions 612 extending inward in the left-right direction from the upper and lower ends of the first plate-shaped portion 611, and a first guide portion 613 extending in the front-rear direction from the upper and lower central portion of the inner surface 611a of the first plate-shaped portion 611.

The intermediate rail 62 has a second plate-shaped portion 621 guided by the first guide portion 613, a pair of upper and lower second flange portions 622 extending inward in the left-right direction from the upper and lower ends of the second plate-shaped portion 621, and a second guide portion 623 extending in the front-rear direction at the upper and lower central portion of the inner surface 621a of the second plate-shaped portion 621. The second plate-shaped portion 621 has a plate width (length in the up-down direction) smaller than that of the first plate-shaped portion 611. The intermediate rail 62 is arranged so as to be interposed inside the pair of upper and lower first flange portions 612, 612 of the fixed rail 61. A first ball bearing 64 is interposed between the first flange portion 612 and the second flange portion 622 at the upper and lower parts, and the intermediate rail 62 is substantially integrated in a state in which it is slidably held relative to the fixed rail 61.

The movable rail 63 has a third plate-shaped portion 631 guided by the second guide portion 623, and a pair of upper and lower third flanges 632 extending outward in the left-right direction from the upper and lower ends of the third plate-shaped portion 631. The third plate-shaped portion 631 has a plate width (length in the up-down direction) smaller than that of the second plate-shaped portion 621. The movable rail 63 is disposed so as to be interposed between the upper and lower pair of second flanges 622, 6122 of the intermediate rail 62. Second ball bearings 65 are inserted between the upper and lower second flanges 622 and the third flanges 632, respectively, and the movable rail 63 is substantially integrated with the intermediate rail 62 in a state in which it is slidably held.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the first guide member 6A is pulled out from the freezer compartment 15E together with the main freezer compartment door 11E by the door opening operation, the first container 21 fixed to the movable rail 63 via the door fixing plate 211 is pulled out far forward from the front opening. When each rail 61, 62, 63 is pulled out far, the space between the fixed rail 61 and the intermediate rail 62, and between the intermediate rail 62 and the movable rail 63 are held in the pulled out position by a holding mechanism (not shown) so as not to come apart.

In this way, the first guide member 6A supports the first container 21 at approximately the middle portion in the vertical direction by the movable rail 63. As shown in FIG. 9, the first flange 213 of the first container 21 is placed on the upper surface 6b of the first guide member 6A, and the first flange 213 slides forward on the upper surface 6b as the first guide member 6A is pulled out.

As shown in FIG. 9, the second guide member 6B, which supports the third container 23 and the fourth container 24 so that they can move in the front-rear direction, is made of a resin member and is fixed to both inner sides 3a of the inner box 3 that forms the freezer compartment 15E so as to extend in the front-rear direction at a position above the first guide member 6A. The second guide member 6B has a first sliding portion 66 that guides the fourth container 24, and a second sliding portion 67 that is disposed adjacent to the lower side of the first sliding portion 66 and guides the third container 23. The first sliding portion 66 is located outboard of the second sliding portion 67 in the left-right direction.

The first sliding part 66 has a groove extending in the front-rear direction on the inside. The fourth sliding support part 243 of the fourth container 24 is fitted to the first sliding part 66 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 13, a pulley 68 is provided in the front part of the first sliding part 66 to support the fourth sliding support part 243 from below. The fourth sliding support part 243 smoothly slides on the first sliding part 66 by the rotation of the pulley 68. The pulley 68 is provided at a height such that the fourth sliding support part 243 of the fourth container 24 supported by the first sliding part 66 is horizontal. The lower end 245a of the stopper 245 is located below the upper end 68a of the pulley 68. Therefore, when the fourth container 24 is pulled out to its maximum extent, the stopper 245 engages the pulley 68 from the rear, restricting its movement, thereby preventing the fourth container 24 from slipping out of the first sliding portion 66.

Like the first sliding part 66, the second sliding part 67 also has a groove formed on the inside that extends in the front-rear direction. The third flange 233 of the third container 23 is fitted into the second sliding part 67 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

In this embodiment, the second guide member 6B is provided integrally with the first sliding portion 66 and the second sliding portion 67, and the fourth container 24 and the third container 23 share the second guide member 6B, but this is not limited to the configuration. In other words, the second guide member 6B may be provided with the first sliding portion 66 and the second sliding portion 67 provided independently.

As shown in Figures 16 to 20, the first guide member 6A and the second guide member 6B are each fixed to a reinforcing member 7 attached to the outside (foam insulation material 5 side) of the inner box 3. The reinforcing member 7 provided on the first guide member 6A side will be described in detail. Note that the reinforcing member provided on the second guide member 6B side has the same configuration as the reinforcing member 7 on the first guide member 6A side, so a detailed description will be omitted here.

As shown in FIG. 6, the reinforcing member 7 is provided to fix the first guide member 6A, which guides the first container 21 so that it can be pulled out, to the inner surface 3a of the inner box 3, and is attached to the outer surface 3b of the inner box 3 (the surface on the foam insulation material 5 side). That is, the reinforcing member 7 is a member made of steel plate that is attached to the outer surface 3b of the inner box 3 corresponding to the first guide member 6A and has a height dimension and a front-to-rear dimension (in this embodiment, the reinforcing member 7 is set shorter than the first guide member 6A) that almost covers the first guide member 6A. The reinforcing member 7 is disposed between the inner box 3 and the outer box 4, embedded in the foam insulation material 5, and fixed in a state where it is pressed against the outer surface 3b of the inner box 3 by the urethane foam of the foam insulation material 5.

Here, the inner side surface 3a of the inner box 3 has a guide member fixing portion 32 that is convex from the inside to the outside and to which the first guide member 6A (specifically, the fixed rail 61) is fixed on the inner side surface 3a side. The guide member fixing portion 32 is a region extending in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 16, a positioning convex portion 321 that is convex on the outer surface 32b side of the guide member fixing portion 32 is formed. That is, a concave portion 322 is formed on the inner surface of the guide member fixing portion 32 of the positioning convex portion 321. Also, as shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the rear portion of the guide member fixing portion 32 has a non-reinforced region 323 to which the reinforcing member 7 is not attached. That is, in this embodiment, the length dimension in the front-rear direction of the reinforcing member 7 is shorter than the length dimension of the first guide member 6A.

The guide member fixing portion 32 is formed with a rectangular engagement hole 324 that penetrates the inner box 3 in the thickness direction, and a screw hole 325 for fixing the first guide member 6A directly to the reinforcing member 7 with a screw 75 as shown in FIG. 19. A hook 73 (FIGS. 17 and 18) of the reinforcing member 7 described later is inserted from the outside into the engagement hole 324 and hooked from one side in the front-to-rear direction (the front in this case) to engage it.

As shown in Figs. 17 to 19, the reinforcing member 7 has a positioning recess 71 that fits into the positioning protrusion 321, a lower end support portion 72 that bends from the lower end of the plate-shaped reinforcing plate main body 70 toward the inner box 3 and abuts from below against the lower surface 32c of the guide member fixing portion 32, and a hook 73 provided on the inner surface side of the reinforcing plate main body 70. The hook 73 is positioned by engaging with an engagement hole 324 formed in the guide member fixing portion 32 of the inner box 3. In addition, the reinforcing plate main body 70 of the reinforcing member 7 has screw holes 76 at multiple locations (two locations in this case) in the longitudinal direction. A reinforcing ridge portion 74 extending linearly is formed on at least a portion of the outer periphery of the reinforcing plate main body 70.

When attaching the reinforcing member 7, the lower end support portion 72 is brought into contact with the lower surface 32c of the guide member fixing portion 32 to position it in the up-down direction, and the reinforcing member 7 is then slid backward to engage the hook 73 on the reinforcing plate body 70 with the engagement hole 324 formed in the inner box 3, and the positioning recess 71 is fitted into the positioning protrusion 321 of the inner box 3 to position it.

Then, the first guide member 6A is fixed from the inside of the freezer compartment 15E with screws 75. After that, the gap between the inner box 3 and the outer box 4 is filled with foam insulation material 5 such as urethane foam, so that the reinforcing member 7 is embedded in the foam insulation material 5, and is firmly fixed to the inner box 3 as the foam insulation material 5 hardens. In addition, because a reinforcing ridge portion 74 is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the reinforcing plate main body 70, warping and deformation of the reinforcing plate main body 70 is suppressed even when the foam insulation material 5 is foamed and filled.

By fixing the fixed rail 61 to the reinforcing member 7 at two points, one at the front and one at the back, with screws 75, the fixed rail 61, intermediate rail 62, and movable rail 63 can be fixed to the inner surface 3a of the inner box 3 as an integrated first guide member 6A in an overlapping state.

21, the non-reinforced region 323 of the guide member fixing portion 32 in the inner box 3 has a bulging protrusion 326 that bulges outward from the inside. The bulging protrusion 326 is provided to prevent the non-reinforced region 323 of the inner box 3 from deforming and bulging toward the freezer 15E by filling the gap between the inner box 3 and the outer box 4 with foam insulation material 5 such as urethane foam. In other words, if the non-reinforced region 323 bulges toward the freezer 15E, the first guide member 6A cannot be fixed in close contact with the guide member fixing portion 32, a gap is generated between the guide member fixing portion 32, and the first guide member 6A is prevented from being fixed in a shifted or tilted state.

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

The refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment is provided in the freezer compartment 15E of the storage compartment 15 and has at least four tiers of containers 21-24 that can be pulled out in the front-to-rear direction. When two of the containers 21-24 that are stacked vertically (here, the first container 21 and the second container 22) are pulled out, the lower first container 21 and the upper second container 22 of the two containers 21, 22 are pulled out in conjunction with each other, and the front part of the third container 23 provided directly above the second container 22 is pulled out in conjunction with the second container 22.

In this way, when the door of the freezer compartment 15E is pulled out to pull out the first container 21, the second container 22 is pulled out in conjunction with the first container 21, and further the front portion of the third container 23 is pulled out in conjunction with the second container 22. In this way, when the main freezer compartment door 11E of the freezer compartment 15E is opened, not only the first container 21 but also at least the front portions of the second container 22 and the third container 23 are pulled out from the freezer compartment 15E, which reduces the effort required to pull them out. Moreover, since the front portion of the third container 23 is also pulled out, it is easier to place your hand on the handle portion 231 provided on the front portion, and there is an advantage that the items stored in the front portion of the third container 23 can be easily seen.

According to the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the fourth container 24 provided directly above the third container 23 is provided so that it can be moved in a range smaller than the range of movement of the interlocking operation in which the third container 23 is pulled out in interlocking with the second container 22, or can be moved separately and independently from the third container 23. This allows the fourth container 24 to be moved independently by an operation separate from the other containers 21, 22, and 23, or is interlocked with the third container 23 in a range smaller than the range of movement of the interlocking operation, so that it is possible to prevent the door from being left half-open when no contents are being put in or taken out of the fourth container 24. This makes the fourth container 24 suitable as a container for storing hard-to-melt items such as quick-frozen items.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the fourth container 24 is provided separately from the third container 23 so that it can be pulled out independently. This allows the fourth container 24 to be operated independently and separately from the other containers 21, 22, and 23, and prevents the door from being left half-open when no contents are being put into or taken out of the fourth container 24. This makes the fourth container 24 suitable as a container for storing items that are difficult to melt, such as items that are flash-frozen.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the inner surface of the side wall of the storage compartment (freezer compartment 15E in this embodiment) is provided with a first guide member 6A for moving two containers (first container 21 and second container 22) so that they can be pulled out, and a second guide member 6B for moving fourth container 24 so that it can be pulled out. This makes it possible to reduce the height of freezer compartment 15E, and to install small containers with reduced height.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the second guide member 6B has a first sliding portion 66 that slides the fourth container 24 and a second sliding portion 67 that slides the third container 23, and the first sliding portion 66 and the second sliding portion 67 are provided integrally. As a result, the second guide member 6B is configured with the two sliding portions 66, 67 integrated into a single part, so that the vertical gap between the first sliding portion 66 and the second sliding portion 67 can be narrowed, and the height of the freezer compartment 15E can be reduced.

According to the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the third container 23 moves forward while being guided by the second sliding portion 67 at the beginning of the pull-out, and slides together with the second container 22 while riding on the second container 22 midway through the pull-out. This allows the length of the second sliding portion 67 that guides the third container 23 to be shortened, which reduces the load that the third container 23 bears, resulting in a simpler configuration and easier integration with the first sliding portion 66.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the first container 21, the second container 22, the third container 23, and the fourth container 24 are engaged with either the first guide member 6A or the second guide member 6B at positions where the left and right sides are alternately shifted in the left-right direction in the order in which they are stacked in the vertical direction. This allows the vertical arrangement interval (height) of the guide members to be reduced, and the height of the freezer compartment 15E to be reduced.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the thickness of the containers can be made smaller in the order of the first container 21, the second container 22, the fourth container 24, and the third container 23.

According to the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, a towing piece 235 that protrudes downward is provided on the front of the underside of the third container 23, and the third container 23 moves forward in conjunction with the second container 22 as the towing piece 235 engages with the second container 22 moving forward. As a result, when the second container 22 is pulled out, the towing piece 235 of the third container 23 engages with the second container 22, allowing the third container 23 to be linked in a towing state.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the storage compartment 15 is the freezer compartment 15E. This makes the freezer compartment 15E easy to use, and provides a user-friendly refrigerator.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the freezer compartment 15E is located at the bottom of the multiple storage compartments. This makes it easy to use even if the less frequently used freezer compartment 15E is located at the bottom where it is difficult to remove the contents.

According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can be easily used as a refrigerator.

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 invention is applied to the freezer compartment 15E, and is applied to a refrigerator 1 in which the freezer compartment 15E is arranged as the lowest storage compartment 15 in the refrigerator, but is not limited to this. In other words, the configuration of this embodiment is not limited to the freezer compartment 15E, and may be applied to the vegetable compartment 15B. For example, the invention of the present application can be applied to the freezer compartment 15E in a case in which the vegetable compartment 15B is at the bottom and the freezer compartment 15E is arranged in the middle above the vegetable compartment 15B.

In the storage compartment 15 of the refrigerator 1A according to the first modified example shown in FIG. 22, the vegetable compartment 15B is located at the bottom, and the freezer compartment 15E is located above the vegetable compartment 15B. The containers 21-24 and guide members 6A, 6B of the present invention are applied to the freezer compartment 15E, which is located in the center in the vertical direction. It is of course also possible to apply the containers 21-24 and guide members 6A, 6B of the present invention to the lower vegetable compartment 15B.

In the storage compartment 15 of the refrigerator 1B according to the second modification shown in FIG. 23, the freezer compartment 15E is located at the bottom, and the vegetable compartment 15B is located above the freezer compartment 15E. The containers 21-24 and guide members 6A and 6B of the present invention are applied to the vegetable compartment 15B, which is located in the center in the vertical direction.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first guide member 6A and the second guide member 6B are provided at different positions in the left-right direction, i.e., in this embodiment, the first guide member 6A is located more inward than the second guide member 6B, but this is not limited to this. For example, the first guide member 6A and the first guide member 6B may be positioned in the same position in the left-right direction.

For example, in a refrigerator 1C according to a third modified example shown in FIG. 24, the first sliding portion 66 and the second sliding portion 67 of the second guide member 6B are aligned at the same position in the left-right direction, and the first guide member 6A is positioned further inward in the left-right direction than the second guide member 6B. This makes it possible to prevent interference between the portions of the containers 21 to 24 that engage with the guide members 6A and 6B in the vertically arranged containers.

In a refrigerator 1D according to a fourth modified example shown in FIG. 25, the first sliding portion 66 and the second sliding portion 67 of the second guide member 6B are aligned at the same position in the left-right direction, and the second guide member 6B is positioned further inward in the left-right direction than the first guide member 6A. This makes it possible to prevent interference between the portions of the containers 21 to 24 that engage with the guide members 6A and 6B in the vertically arranged containers.

In addition, in this embodiment, an example of a freezer compartment 15E (storage compartment) equipped with four tiers of containers 21 to 24 is used, but the number of containers is not limited to four, and any storage compartment having at least four tiers may be used. In other words, the present invention is applicable to a storage compartment having five or more tiers of containers.

1, 1A-1D...refrigerator, 3...inner box, 4...outer box, 5...foam insulation material, 6A...first guide member, 6B...second guide member, 7...reinforcement member, 10...wall, 11E...main freezer door, 15B...vegetable compartment, 15E...freezer, 21...first container, 21B...rear, 22...second container, 23...third container, 24...fourth container, 3...inner box, 3a...inner surface, 3b...outer surface, 32...guide member fixing portion, 33...recess, 234...projection protrusion, 243...fourth sliding support portion, 244...projection protrusion, 321...positioning protrusion, 322...recess, 323...non-reinforced area, 326...bulging protrusion

Claims (9)

The storage chamber includes at least four stages of containers that can be pulled out in the front-rear direction;
When two of the containers that are stacked vertically are pulled out, the lower first container and the upper second container are pulled out in conjunction with each other,
A front portion of a third container provided directly above the second container is pulled out in conjunction with the second container,
The fourth container provided directly above the third container is interlocked with the third container within a smaller range of movement than the range of movement of the interlocking operation in which the third container is pulled out in conjunction with the second container, or is provided separately and independently movable from the third container;
The fourth container is provided separately from the third container so as to be independently removable,
a guide portion provided on an inner side wall of the storage chamber for moving the first container, the second container, the third container, and the fourth container so that the first container, the second container, the third container, and the fourth container can be pulled out,
The first container, the second container, the third container, and the fourth container are
A refrigerator in which the outer ends of the sliding support parts which protrude outward in the left-right direction from the side faces of each container in the order in which they are stacked in the vertical direction are engaged with the guide parts at positions which are alternately shifted in the left-right direction . The guide portion is
A first guide member for moving the two containers so that they can be pulled out;
a second guide member for moving the fourth container so that the fourth container can be pulled out;
The second guide member has a first sliding portion that slides the fourth container and a second sliding portion that slides the third container,
The first sliding portion and the second sliding portion are integrally provided.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 . The third container moves forward while being guided by the second sliding portion at the beginning of the drawing out, and slides together with the second container while riding on the second container from the middle of the drawing out.
3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 . The first guide member is disposed on the inner side in the left-right direction than the second guide member.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3 . The second guide member is disposed on the inner side in the left-right direction than the first guide member.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3 . The container thickness decreases in the order of the first container, the second container, the fourth container, and the third container.
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . A pulling piece protruding downward is provided on the front of the lower surface of the third container,
The third container moves forward in conjunction with the second container by the towing piece being engaged with the second container moving forward.
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . The storage compartment is a freezer compartment.
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . The freezing chamber is disposed at the lowest of the plurality of storage chambers.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 .

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