JP7745475B2 - Insulated box and refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an insulated box provided in a refrigerator or the like, and a refrigerator provided with this insulated box.

Refrigerators are provided with an insulated box that covers the periphery of the storage space to insulate it from the surroundings. The insulated box is composed of an outer box, an inner box, and insulating material filled between them. For example, foam insulating material such as rigid foam urethane insulating material is used as the insulating material.

In recent years, it has been proposed to place vacuum insulation material inside the insulated box in order to further improve insulation performance. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator that has vacuum insulation material and foam insulation material inside its insulated walls, in which the volume ratio of the vacuum insulation material to the total volume of the insulated walls is set to a predetermined value or higher.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-183896

Using vacuum insulation improves insulation performance and allows the thickness of the insulated box to be reduced. However, as the thickness of the insulated box is reduced, the space within the insulated box through which the foamed insulation material can flow becomes narrower, making it more difficult for the foamed insulation material to flow, which can result in voids (gaps) being created that are not filled with the foamed insulation material after the insulation material has foamed.

The present invention therefore aims to provide a configuration that makes it easier to fill the foam insulation material inside the insulation box when injecting the foam insulation material into the insulation box.

An insulated box according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an inner box and an outer box. The insulated box comprises vacuum insulation material disposed within the insulated box, foam insulation material filled inside the insulated box, and at least one injection port disposed on the rear surface of the insulated box for injecting the foam insulation material. At the side surface of the insulated box, there are more areas where the thickness of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is less than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material than areas where the thickness is equal to or greater than the vacuum insulation material, and at the rear surface of the insulated box, the thickness of the foam insulation material in the area facing the vacuum insulation material is greater than the thickness of the foam insulation material in the area facing the vacuum insulation material on the side surface of the insulated box.

The insulating box according to one aspect of the present invention makes it easier to fill the insulating foam material inside the insulating box when injecting the foam insulating material.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an interior of a heat-insulating box of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the heat-insulating box shown in FIG. 2 . 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views and partial cross-sectional views showing the configuration of the heat-insulating box body shown in FIG. 3 along line AA. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box shown in FIG. 2 . 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the heat-insulating box body shown in FIG. 3 along the line BB. 3 is a front view showing the configuration of an inner box that forms the heat-insulating box body shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 7 is a front view showing a state in which a duct member is attached to the inner box shown in FIG. 6 . 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a rear portion of an outer box is removed from the heat-insulating box shown in FIG. 5. [0023] FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of foamed insulating material inside the insulating box.

Each embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, identical components are designated by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions of them will not be repeated.

First Embodiment
(Overall configuration of the refrigerator)
First, the overall configuration of a refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 shows the internal configuration of the refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 has a refrigerator compartment 11 on the upper level, a vegetable compartment 12 on the middle level, and a freezer compartment 13 on the lower level. The refrigerator compartment 11 is provided with a refrigerator compartment door 11a. The vegetable compartment 12 is provided with a vegetable compartment door 12a. The freezer compartment 13 is provided with a freezer compartment door 13a.

As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment is divided into an upper section, a middle section, and a lower section, with each storage space provided. Partitions are provided between each storage space. More specifically, a first partition 54 is provided between the upper refrigerator compartment 11 and the middle vegetable compartment 12. Furthermore, a second partition (divider) 55 is provided between the middle vegetable compartment 12 and the lower freezer compartment 13. However, the location of each storage space is not limited to this.

In this embodiment, the surface on which the door is located is referred to as the front or front face of the refrigerator. Using the front face as a reference, the various faces of the refrigerator 1 are referred to as the top, side, back, and bottom faces based on the positions where the refrigerator 1 would be when installed in its normal state. Furthermore, the up-and-down direction of the refrigerator 1 when placed on the installation surface is referred to as the up-and-down direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the insulated box 50, etc.). Furthermore, the front-to-back direction of the refrigerator 1 when viewed from the front when placed on the installation surface is referred to as the front-to-back direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the insulated box 50, etc.).

A refrigeration cycle is installed inside the refrigerator 1. The refrigeration cycle is composed of a compressor 31, a condenser (not shown), an expander (not shown), and a cooler 32 connected via a refrigerant pipe (refrigerant flow path) through which the refrigerant flows.

A control unit (not shown) is also provided inside the refrigerator 1. This control unit controls the operation of the refrigeration cycle. That is, when the control unit drives the compressor 31, the refrigeration cycle begins operation and refrigerant circulates through the cycle. As shown in Figure 1, the compressor 31 is located in a machine compartment 30 provided on the rear side of the bottom of the refrigerator 1.

The cooler 32 is located in a cooling compartment 35 located on the rear side of the refrigerator 1. In addition to the cooler 32, the cooling compartment 35 is also equipped with a cooling fan 33 and other components. The cooling fan 33 is provided to circulate air between the cooling compartment 35 and each storage space. The cooling compartment 35 is connected to a cold air duct 41. The cold air duct 41 serves as a cold air passageway for supplying the cold air generated in the cooling compartment 35 to the refrigerator compartment 11 and other compartments.

(Configuration of the insulated box)
The refrigerator 1 is provided with an insulating box 50 as an insulating structure for insulating each storage space from the surroundings. Fig. 2 shows the appearance of the insulating box 50 as seen from the front side (frontage 50e side). The insulating box 50 is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the refrigerator 1. The insulating box 50 is mainly composed of a top surface, side surfaces 50b, a back surface 50c, and a bottom surface. The front side of the insulating box 50 is an open frontage 50e.

As shown in FIG. 1, the insulating box 50 mainly comprises an outer box 60, an inner box 70, a vacuum insulation material 51, a foam insulation material 52, and at least one partition (e.g., a first partition 54 and a second partition 55).

The outer box 60 forms the outer peripheral surface of the insulated box body 50. The outer box 60 is mainly composed of a top surface, side surfaces 60b, a back surface 60c, and a bottom surface (see Figure 3). The inner box 70 forms the inner peripheral surface of the insulated box body 50. The inner box 70 is mainly composed of a top surface, side surfaces 70b, a back surface 70c, and a bottom surface 70d (see Figure 2). The inner box 70 forms the inner walls of the storage spaces (e.g., refrigerator compartment 11, vegetable compartment 12, freezer compartment 13) and the rear wall of the cooling compartment 35.

The interior of the insulated box 50, formed by the inner box 70, is divided into multiple spaces by at least one partition. In this embodiment, two partitions are provided: a first partition 54 and a second partition 55. The first partition 54 is located between the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12. The second partition 55 is located between the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13.

A space for arranging the machine room 30 is formed on the rear side of the bottom of the insulated box 50. The machine room 30 is located outside the insulated box 50. This is because the temperature inside the machine room 30 rises when the compressor 31 is operating. The machine room 30 is primarily defined by the bottom plate 62 that forms the bottom portion of the outer box 60.

In this way, the machine compartment 30 and the freezer compartment 13 are isolated by the insulated box 50. This prevents heat generated in the machine compartment 30 from flowing into the freezer compartment 13.

The vacuum insulation material 51 and the foam insulation material 52 are provided in the space between the outer box 60 and the inner box 70. The vacuum insulation material 51, also known as a VIP, is a thin sheet or plate-shaped insulation material. The vacuum insulation material 51 is arranged, for example, on the sides, top, bottom, and back of the refrigerator 1. In Figure 1, the vacuum insulation material arranged on the bottom of the refrigerator 1 is not shown. As shown in Figure 1 and other figures, the vacuum insulation material 51 is arranged on the outer box 60 side within the insulated box body 50.

The foam insulation 52 can be made of, for example, foamed polyurethane (also known as rigid urethane foam). The foam insulation 52 is also filled inside the second partition 55, which separates the vegetable compartment 12, which is a refrigerated storage space, from the freezer compartment 13, which is a freezer storage space. In this embodiment, the inside of the first partition 54, which separates the refrigerator compartment 11 and vegetable compartment 12, both of which are refrigerated storage spaces, is not filled with the foam insulation 52. An insulation material other than the foam insulation 52 may be placed inside the first partition 54. In another embodiment, the inside of the first partition 54 may also be filled with the foam insulation 52.

The foam insulation 52 is filled into the insulating box 50 by injecting liquid urethane foam material (also called foam insulation material or insulating material) into the insulating box 50 and allowing the material to foam inside the insulating box 50. The rear surface 60c of the outer box 60 has injection ports 58 for injecting the insulating material (see Figure 5). In this embodiment, two injection ports 58 are provided near the left end of the rear surface 60c and two injection ports 58 are provided near the right end of the rear surface 60c, for a total of four injection ports 58. However, the number of injection ports 58 is not limited to this.

Figure 2 shows the insulating box 50 when urethane foam material is being injected into the insulating box 50. When injecting urethane foam material into the insulating box 50, as shown in Figure 2, only the second partition 55 is attached to the interior of the insulating box 50. As a result, when the foam insulating material is injected through the injection port 58, the foam insulating material 52 is also filled into the interior of the second partition 55 through the urethane inlet provided between the inner box 70 and the second partition 55.

(Regarding the thickness of the side walls of the insulated box and the thickness of the vacuum insulation material)
In recent refrigerators, in order to ensure a larger interior space, it is desirable to reduce the thickness of the side walls of the insulating box 50. Therefore, in this embodiment, the walls of each surface (for example, the side surface portion 50b) of the insulating box 50 are reduced in thickness.

Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the side wall of the insulated box 50. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the insulated box 50 taken along line A-A in Figure 3. Figure 4 also shows an enlarged view of a portion of the insulated box 50 (the area surrounded by the dashed line frame).

The average thickness of the side portion 50b of the insulated box 50 in this embodiment is, for example, 25 mm or more and 35 mm or less. Furthermore, on the side portion 50b of the insulated box 50, there are more areas where the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 facing the vacuum insulation material 51 is less than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 than there are areas where the thickness T2 is equal to or greater than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51.

The thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on the side portion 50b is approximately constant across the entire area of one vacuum insulation material. In one example, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 is set to be 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less, preferably 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less.

On the other hand, the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 on the side surface 50b varies depending on the external shape of the insulated box 50 (particularly the shape of the inner box 70). As described above, in the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50, the thickness T1 is greater than the thickness T2 in most, or at least half, of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present. Therefore, the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present on the side surface 50b is set to, for example, 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less, preferably 8 mm or more and 13 mm or less.

In one example, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 can be approximately twice the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52. In this way, by increasing the proportion of vacuum insulation material 51 in the side portion 50b, the overall thickness of the side portion 50b can be made smaller.

The thickness of the vacuum insulation material placed on surfaces other than the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50 (i.e., the top and bottom surfaces) may be the same as or different from thickness T1. Furthermore, the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 on surfaces other than the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50 (i.e., the top and bottom surfaces) may be greater than or equal to the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 51 placed on those surfaces, or may be less than or equal to the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 51.

The rear surface 50c of the insulated box 50 tends to house refrigeration cycle piping and electrical wiring connected to the cooler 32, and it is necessary to secure these piping and wiring and ensure further thermal insulation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 arranged on the rear surface 50c is equal to or greater than the thickness T7 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on the rear surface 50c (see Figure 6). Also, in this embodiment, the thickness T7 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on the rear surface 50c of the insulated box 50 is equal to or smaller than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on the side surface 50b. In one example, the thickness T7 is approximately half the thickness T1 (for example, 5 mm to 15 mm).

(Method for manufacturing the insulated box)
Next, a description will be given of a manufacturing method of the heat insulating box 50. Fig. 5 shows how the heat insulating material is poured into the heat insulating box 50.

First, components such as vacuum insulation material 51 and heat dissipation pipes (not shown) are attached to predetermined positions on the inside surfaces of each surface of the outer box 60 (specifically, the top surface, side surface 60b, and back surface 60c, etc.). Additionally, components such as the internal electrical unit and various wiring are attached to predetermined positions on the inner box 70.

Next, each surface of the outer box 60 is attached so as to cover the outer periphery of the inner box 70. This forms the outer shape of the insulated box body 50.

Then, with the back portion 50c of the insulating box 50 facing up, liquid foam insulation material (urethane foam material) is injected through the injection port 58 formed in the back portion 60c of the outer box 60. At this time, an injection nozzle 91 of an insulating material injection device is inserted into the injection port 58 (see Figure 5). The foam insulation material dispensed from the injection nozzle 91 into the insulating box 50 expands and fills the space between the outer box 60 and inner box 70 from the front side (front opening 50e side) to the back side, increasing its volume. The expanded insulation material then hardens.

In other words, when insulating material is injected through each injection port 58 with the back surface 60c of the insulating box 50 facing up, the insulating material flows down due to gravity through the side surface 50b and top surface of the insulating box 50 toward the front opening 50e, which is located at the bottom.

As described above, in this embodiment, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material over most of the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50. By reducing the thickness of the side wall of the insulating box 50, the space within the side wall through which the insulating material flows becomes narrower, making it more difficult for the insulating material to flow. When vacuum insulation material 51 is provided inside the insulating box 50, the space within which the insulating material flows becomes even narrower. This increases the likelihood of voids (gaps) occurring within the insulating box 50 that are not filled with foam insulation material after the injected insulating material has foamed.

For example, if the liquid foam insulation material hits the wall of the insulated box 50 when it is injected, it may begin to foam partially at that point. Later, when the insulation material is foamed and filled from the front side of the insulated box 50, this partially foamed area may become an obstacle, causing uneven filling. Furthermore, the foam insulation material may not be filled in the back part 50c of the insulated box 50, which is the last part the insulation material reaches, and voids may easily occur.

(Configuration of rear part of heat-insulating box)
Therefore, in this embodiment, a measure is taken to promote the flow of the foamed insulating material into the back surface portion 50c of the insulating box 50. The structure will be described below.

Figure 6 shows a schematic horizontal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator compartment 11 of the insulated box 50. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the B-B line in Figure 3. Figure 6 also shows an enlarged view of part of the side portion 50b and rear portion 50c of the insulated box 50 (areas surrounded by dashed lines). Figure 7 shows the external configuration of the inner box 70 as viewed from the front. Figure 8 shows the duct member 42 attached to the rear of the refrigerator compartment 11 of the inner box 70 shown in Figure 7. Figure 9 shows the internal configuration of the rear portion 50c of the insulated box 50. Figure 10 shows a schematic view of the injected foam insulation material spreading within the insulated box 50.

In the insulating box 50 of this embodiment, the average thickness of the rear portion 50c is greater than the average thickness of the side portion 50b. In one example, the average thickness of the rear portion 50c is 35 mm or more and 40 mm or less.

Furthermore, at the rear portion 50c of the insulated box 50, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 at the side portion 50b. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the thickness T7 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged at the rear portion 50c of the insulated box 50 is smaller than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged at the side portion 50b.

In one example, thickness T7 is approximately half of thickness T1 (e.g., 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less). In another example, thickness T8 is more than twice thickness T2 (e.g., 15 mm or more and 40 mm or less).

Furthermore, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 placed on the rear surface 50c is equal to or greater than the thickness T7 of the vacuum insulation material 51 placed on the rear surface 50c.

In this way, the relative thickness of the foam insulation material 52 is higher on the back surface 50c of the insulating box 50 compared to the side surface 50b, etc.

During the process of forming the foam insulation 52, the insulating material is injected as shown in Figure 5, so the timing of the insulating material flowing into the back portion 50c of the insulated box 50 tends to be delayed compared to the side portion 50b, etc. The foam insulation material injected through the inlet 58 first flows into the side portion 50b located directly below, and then flows upward from the front portion 50e while expanding, as shown by the arrow in Figure 10. The foam insulation material then flows into the back portion 50c from the side closest to the side portion 50b toward the center, expanding as it flows. The injected foam insulation material increases in viscosity over time. Therefore, by the time the insulating material flows into the back portion 50c, its viscosity is higher.

In this embodiment, the volume into which the insulating material flows (i.e., the area other than the area occupied by the vacuum insulation material 51) is relatively large at the back surface 50c of the insulating box 50, making it easier for even insulating materials with higher viscosity to flow into the space.

Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of unfilled areas (voids) of foam insulation in the rear portion 50c of the insulated box body 50. Furthermore, by increasing the proportion of foam insulation 52 in the rear portion 50c, it is possible to improve the strength of the insulated box body 50.

The rear surface 70c of the inner box 70 has a recess 48 extending vertically in the approximate center in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the recess 48 is located inside the refrigerator compartment 11 and is recessed in a direction that expands the internal volume (see Figure 6).

The thickness T8b of the foam insulation 52 in the area corresponding to the recess 48 is smaller than the thickness T8 of the foam insulation 52 in the remaining area of the back surface 50c. In one example, the thickness T8b is between 10 mm and 30 mm.

The recess 48 corresponds to the final destination area of the injected foam insulation material. Therefore, by providing the recess 48 and narrowing the space within the back surface portion 50c, the amount of foam insulation material filled can be reduced, minimizing the occurrence of unfilled areas (voids).

It is also preferable to ensure that the recess 48 is thick enough to allow the foam insulation material to flow. Therefore, it is preferable that thickness T8b be greater than thickness T2, for example, 15 mm or more.

It is preferable that the recess 48 be provided with at least one vent hole (hole) 49. When the insulating material is injected into the insulating box 50 and expands while foaming inside, the air present inside the insulating box 50 can be released through the vent hole 49. This prevents the pressure inside the insulating box 50 from increasing and promotes the flow of the foamed insulating material into the recess 48. In this embodiment, a vent hole 49 is also provided on the back surface 70c of the inner box 70 in addition to the recess 48 (see Figure 7, etc.). In Figure 7, a portion of the vent hole 49 formed on the back surface 70c of the inner box 70 is shown enlarged to make the location of the vent hole easier to understand.

In addition, a duct member (duct-forming member) 42 is arranged on the inside wall of the back portion 70c of the inner box 70 so as to cover the recess 48 (see Figure 8). By arranging the duct member 42 in the recess 48, an area for a cold air duct can be secured in the recess. This allows the internal volume to be expanded. The gas vent hole 49 formed in the recess 48 can also be covered and concealed by the duct member 42.

The duct member 42 is fixed to the back surface 70c of the inner box 70 using screws or the like. The recess 48 of the inner box 70 is provided with a screw-fastened portion 42A into which the screw is inserted. In this embodiment, a relatively large number of gas vent holes 49A are formed around this screw-fastened portion 42A (see Figure 7, etc.). This allows the foam insulation material to flow preferentially into the screw-fastened portion 42A, improving the strength of the screw-fastened portion 42A.

When forming the gas vent holes 49 in the inner box 70, it is preferable to drill them from the inside of the storage compartment toward the interior of the insulated box body. This allows air to escape from the inside of the insulated box body 50 through the gas vent holes 49, but makes it difficult for the foam insulation material inside the insulated box body 50 to leak.

A polystyrene foam (insulating structure) 69 is provided in the rear portion 50c of the insulating box 50, on the inner box 70 side, approximately in the center in the left-right and up-down directions (see Figure 9). The polystyrene foam 69 is attached to the inside of the insulating box 50 before the foam insulating material is injected.

The approximate center in the left-right and up-down directions within the rear portion 50c of the insulating box 50 corresponds to the final destination area of the foamed insulating material injected through each injection port 58 (see Figure 10). This area is more difficult to fill with foamed insulating material than other areas, and is more likely to become an unfilled area (void). Therefore, the occurrence of voids can be suppressed by placing an insulating structure, such as a rectangular shaped polystyrene foam 69, in this area beforehand.

The above describes the specific configuration of the back surface 50c in the upper section (i.e., the refrigerator compartment 11 side) of the insulated box 50. A detailed description of the configuration of the back surface 50c in the middle section (i.e., the vegetable compartment 12 side) and the lower section (i.e., the freezer compartment 13 side) of the insulated box 50 will be omitted, but a configuration similar to that of the upper section can be applied. That is, even in the back surface 50c in the middle and lower sections of the insulated box 50, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 in more than half of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in the side surface 50b.

(Summary of the first embodiment)
As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes an insulated box 50. The insulated box 50 has an inner box 70 and an outer box 60. A vacuum insulation material 51 is disposed on the outer box side of the insulated box 50. The inside of the insulated box 50 is filled with foam insulation material 52. At least one injection port 58 is provided on the back surface of the insulated box 50 for injecting the foam insulation material.

On the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50, there are more areas where the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 facing the vacuum insulation material 51 is less than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 than there are areas where the thickness is equal to or greater than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51. Also, on the back surface 50c of the insulated box 50, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 on the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50.

With the above configuration, the volume into which the insulating material flows (i.e., the area other than the area occupied by the vacuum insulation material 51) is relatively large at the rear portion 50c of the insulating box 50, making it easier for even higher viscosity insulating materials to flow into the space. This reduces the occurrence of unfilled areas (voids) of foam insulation at the rear portion 50c of the insulating box 50.

As described above, the insulating box 50 of this embodiment can be configured to make it easier for the foam insulating material to flow inside the insulating box when it is injected. This allows the side surfaces of the insulating box 50 to be made thinner, while reducing the possibility of areas inside the insulating box 50 not being filled with foam insulating material.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described, focusing on the configuration different from the first embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the specific configuration of the back surface 50c in the upper section (i.e., the refrigerator compartment 11 side) of the insulated box 50 was described. In this embodiment, the specific configuration of the back surface 50c in the middle section (i.e., the vegetable compartment 12 side) and the lower section (i.e., the freezer compartment 13 side) of the insulated box 50 will be described.

As with the upper section of the insulated box 50, on the back surface 50c of the middle and lower sections of the insulated box 50, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation material 52 in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in the area facing the vacuum insulation material 51 on the side surface 50b.

In one example, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation 52 in the middle section of the back surface 50c is, for example, 15 mm or more and 30 mm or less. Because the temperature inside the vegetable compartment 12 located in the middle section tends to be slightly higher than that inside the refrigerator compartment 11, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation 52 in the middle section of the back surface 50c may be smaller than the thickness of the foam insulation 52 in the upper section. This allows the internal volume of the vegetable compartment 12 to be increased.

In one example, the thickness T8 of the foam insulation 52 in the lower section of the rear surface 50c is, for example, 15 mm or more and 45 mm or less. Because the temperature in the freezer compartment 13 located in the lower section is lower than that in the refrigerator compartment 11, it is preferable that the thickness T8 of the foam insulation 52 in the lower section of the rear surface 50c be greater than the thickness of the foam insulation 52 in the upper section.

(summary)
An insulating box (e.g., insulating box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention has an inner box (e.g., inner box 70) and an outer box (e.g., outer box 60). This insulating box is equipped with a vacuum insulating material (e.g., vacuum insulating material 51) disposed within the insulating box, a foam insulating material (e.g., foam insulating material 52) filled inside the insulating box, and at least one injection port (e.g., injection port 58) disposed on the back surface of the insulating box for injecting the foam insulating material. On the side portion (e.g., side portion 50b) of the insulated box, there are more areas where the thickness (e.g., thickness T2) of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is less than the thickness (e.g., thickness T1) of the vacuum insulation material than there are areas where the thickness (e.g., thickness T1) of the vacuum insulation material is greater than or equal to the thickness of the vacuum insulation material, and on the back portion (e.g., back portion 50c) of the insulated box, the thickness (e.g., thickness T8) of the foam insulation material in the area facing the vacuum insulation material is greater than the thickness (e.g., thickness T2) of the foam insulation material in the area facing the vacuum insulation material on the side portion of the insulated box.

In the insulated box (e.g., insulated box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention described above, the injection port (e.g., injection port 58) may be located at the left-right end of the back surface, and the back surface of the inner box (e.g., inner box 70) may have a recess (e.g., recess 48) extending vertically in approximately the center in the left-right direction.

In the insulating box according to one aspect of the present invention (e.g., insulating box 50), the recess (e.g., recess 48) may be provided with at least one hole (e.g., vent hole 49).

In the insulated box (e.g., insulated box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention described above, a duct-forming member (e.g., duct member 42) may be provided on the back wall of the inner box (e.g., inner box 70) facing the interior of the compartment, and the duct-forming member is arranged to cover the recess (e.g., recess 48).

In the insulated box (e.g., insulated box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention described above, an insulating structure (e.g., polystyrene foam 69) may be provided in the rear portion (e.g., rear portion 50c) of the insulated box on the side of the inner box (e.g., inner box 70) approximately in the center in the left-right and up-down directions.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator (e.g., refrigerator 1). This refrigerator is equipped with an insulated box (e.g., insulated box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications that are equivalent in meaning to and within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in this specification are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1: Refrigerator 41: Cold air duct 42: Duct member (duct forming member)
42A: Screw fastening portion 48: Recess 49: Gas vent hole (hole)
50: Insulated box body 50b: Side portion (of the insulated box body) 50c: Back portion (of the insulated box body) 51: Vacuum insulation material 52: Foam insulation material 54: First partition portion 55: Second partition portion 58: Inlet 60: Outer box 69: Styrofoam (insulating structure)
70: Inner box 70b: Side portion (of inner box) 70c: Back portion (of inner box) T1: Thickness of vacuum insulation material on the side portion of the insulated box body T2: Thickness of foam insulation material on the side portion of the insulated box body T7: Thickness of vacuum insulation material on the back portion of the insulated box body T8: Thickness of foam insulation material on the back portion of the insulated box body

Claims (4)

A heat-insulating box having an inner box and an outer box,
A vacuum insulation material disposed in the insulation box;
A foam insulation material filled inside the insulation box;
and at least one pair of injection ports disposed at the left and right ends of the rear surface of the insulating box for injecting the foam insulation material.
In the side portion of the insulation box, a region where the thickness of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is less than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material is more than a region where the thickness is equal to or greater than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material,
a thickness of the foam insulation material in a region facing the vacuum insulation material at the rear surface of the insulation box body is greater than a thickness of the foam insulation material in a region facing the vacuum insulation material at the side surface of the insulation box body ;
A recess extending vertically is provided in the rear surface of the inner box at approximately the center in the left-right direction,
The heat-insulating box has at least one hole formed in the recess, and a heat-insulating structure provided at a position different from the hole . The heat-insulating box according to claim 1 , wherein the heat-insulating structure is provided at a position farther from the injection port than the hole is from the heat-insulating structure in the vertical direction . 3. The insulated box according to claim 1, wherein a duct forming member is provided on the inner wall of the back surface of the inner box, the duct forming member being fixed to a screw fastening portion provided in the recess using a screw , and the holes are provided in plurality around the screw fastening portion . A refrigerator comprising the heat-insulating box according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .