JP7764022B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a manufacturing method thereof, and in particular to a refrigerator equipped with plate-shaped insulation as the insulation material and a manufacturing method thereof.

In a typical refrigerator, a storage compartment is formed inside an insulated box, and the front opening of this storage compartment is closed by an insulated door that can be opened and closed. The insulated box consists of an outer box made of steel plate, an inner box made of synthetic resin plate placed inside the outer box, and insulating material filled between the outer and inner boxes.

Urethane foam is generally used as the insulating material filled into the insulated box of a refrigerator. However, in order to further reduce the energy consumption of refrigerators, an insulating material with higher insulating properties than urethane foam is preferable.

As a result, plate-shaped insulation, such as vacuum insulation, is sometimes used as the insulation material built into the insulated box. Vacuum insulation is made by vacuum-packing fibrous inorganic materials such as glass wool, and has an insulating effect more than ten times that of urethane foam. This configuration allows the vacuum insulation to effectively insulate the storage compartment from the outside, reducing the energy required for the refrigerator's cooling operation. Such a refrigerator is described, for example, in Patent Document 1.

The configuration of a refrigerator 100 that uses vacuum insulation will be described with reference to Figure 11. Figure 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 100.

The refrigerator 100 has an outer box 101 and an inner box 102, with a storage compartment 107 formed inside the inner box 102. Between the outer box 101 and the inner box 102, foam insulation 103 and plate insulation 104 are arranged as heat insulating materials. The plate insulation 104 is attached to the inner surface of the outer box 101. A pipe 106 through which a refrigerant flows is arranged on the inner surface of the outer box 101.

A groove 105 is formed in the plate insulation 104. The groove 105 is a recessed portion on the outer surface of the plate insulation 104 in the width direction. A pipe 106 is housed in the groove 105. This configuration reduces the amount of protrusion of the pipe 106 in the width direction, and prevents the outer box 101 from deforming along the pipe 106 during the process of foaming the foam insulation 103.

In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses that the aforementioned groove 105 is connected to the outside by a pipe-shaped connecting member. This effectively releases the air inside the groove 105 to the outside, thereby enhancing the effect of suppressing deformation of the outer box 101.

Patent No. 4111096 Patent No. 5578266

However, the aforementioned refrigerator left room for improvement in terms of its configuration and manufacturing method.

Specifically, the communicating member in Patent Document 2 mentioned above is a separate member from the refrigerant pipe and is placed between the outer casing 101 and the plate-shaped insulating material 104. Furthermore, in order to effectively release the air inside the groove 105 to the outside, the communicating member needs to be accurately positioned in a predetermined location. For this reason, using a communicating member increases the number of parts in the refrigerator and complicates the manufacturing process, which is an issue.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a refrigerator and a manufacturing method thereof that can simplify the configuration of components to prevent deterioration of the appearance.

The refrigerator of the present invention comprises an insulated box having a storage compartment formed therein, a refrigeration cycle that cools the storage compartment, and a communicating pipe, wherein the insulated box has an outer box that forms the outer surface of the insulated box, an inner box that is disposed inside the outer box, and a heat insulating material that is disposed between the outer box and the inner box, and the heat insulating material has a plate-shaped heat insulating material that is disposed near the outer surface of the inner box, and a foam heat insulating material that is foam-filled between the outer box and the inner box, and the refrigeration cycle has a refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant flows, and the plate-shaped heat insulating material that faces the inner box A groove is formed on the side of the thermal insulation material in the portion where the refrigerant pipe is arranged, and the refrigerant pipe is arranged between the outer box and the plate-shaped insulation material, and the communicating pipe connects the groove of the plate-shaped insulation material with the outside of the insulated box and is fixed to the refrigerant pipe, and the refrigerant pipe has a serpentine portion arranged in a serpentine manner and an external extension portion extending toward the outside of the insulated box, and the internal end side of the communicating pipe is fixed to the serpentine portion and the external end side of the communicating pipe is fixed to the external extension portion .

According to the refrigerator of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which the configuration of members for preventing deterioration of the appearance can be simplified.

1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing an outer box of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an enlarged perspective view showing an outer box of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an outer box of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerant pipe of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a refrigerant pipe and a side plate-shaped insulating material of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a method for manufacturing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a method for manufacturing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a method for manufacturing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a refrigerator according to the background art.

A refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the up-down direction refers to the height direction of the refrigerator 10, the left-right direction refers to the width direction of the refrigerator 10, and the front-rear direction refers to the depth direction of the refrigerator 10. In addition, the same reference numbers are generally used for the same components, and repeated description will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator 10. The refrigerator 10 has a storage compartment formed inside an insulated box 11, with a refrigerator compartment 12 and a freezer compartment 13. The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 is closed by an insulated door 34, and the front opening of the freezer compartment 13 is closed by an insulated door 35. The insulated doors 34 and 35 are, for example, rotating doors whose right ends are rotatably connected to the insulated box 11. Drawer-type doors may also be used as the insulated doors 34 and 35.

Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 10. As shown in Figure 2, a cooling compartment 27 is defined behind the freezer compartment 13, and the cooling compartment 27 houses the evaporator 26. A machine compartment 14 is defined behind the bottom of the insulated box 11, and the machine compartment 14 houses a compressor 29. The evaporator 26 and compressor 29 are connected to an expansion means and a condenser (not shown), forming a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The components of the refrigeration cycle are interconnected by refrigerant pipes 38, which will be described later. The refrigerant used in the refrigeration cycle flows through the refrigerant pipes 38, which will be described later. The refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13 are defined by an insulated partition wall 33. The insulated partition wall 33 has the same insulating structure as the insulated box 11.

A blower 28 is disposed above the cooling compartment 27. The blower 28 blows the air from the cooling compartment 27, cooled by the evaporator 26, into the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13. A damper 19 is installed in the air path to the refrigerator compartment 12. A control device (not shown) detects the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment and controls the opening and closing of the damper 19. This adjusts the flow of cold air into the refrigerator compartment 12, maintaining a constant temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 12. Therefore, the refrigerator compartment 12 is cooled to the refrigerator temperature range, and the freezer compartment 13 is cooled to the freezer temperature range. The cold air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13 returns to the cooling compartment 27. In Figure 2, the flow of cold air is indicated by arrows. A defrost heater 20 is disposed below the evaporator 26 to melt frost on the evaporator 26.

The insulated box body 11 is composed of an outer box 15 made of steel plate that forms the exterior of the refrigerator 10, an inner box 16 made of a box-shaped synthetic resin plate formed inside the outer box 15, and an insulating material 17 arranged between the outer box 15 and the inner box 16.

The insulation material 17 includes a rear plate-shaped insulation material 25 that is adhered to the inside surface of the outer box 15 via an adhesive layer 31 (described below), and a filler insulation material 23, which is a foam insulation material that fills the space between the outer box 15 and the inner box 16. The rear plate-shaped insulation material 25 is a bag containing a collection of fibers such as glass, with the inside of the bag evacuated. The filler insulation material 23 is typically made of urethane foam. The rear plate-shaped insulation material 25, which has an extremely high insulating effect, is used as part of the insulation material 17, thereby providing excellent insulation between the refrigerator compartment 12 and freezer compartment 13 and the external atmosphere, and reducing the power consumption of the refrigerator 10. Here, the rear plate-shaped insulation material 25 is also referred to as a vacuum insulation material.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the outer box 15 of the refrigerator 10. The outer box 15 is made by bending a thin steel plate approximately 0.5 mm thick, and has an outer box rear panel 151 (see Figure 2), outer box side panels 152 extending forward from the left and right ends of the outer box rear panel 151, and an outer box top panel 153 extending forward from the upper end of the outer box rear panel 151.

A side plate-shaped insulation material 22 is attached to the inner surface of the outer box side panel 152. The side plate-shaped insulation material 22 covers most of the outer box side panel 152, except for the lower rear end portion of the outer box side panel 152. In this way, the insulating effect of the side plate-shaped insulation material 22 can effectively keep each storage compartment formed inside the outer box 15 warm. The side plate-shaped insulation material 22 is attached to the inner surface of the outer box side panel 152 by an adhesive layer 31, which will be described later. The configuration of the side plate-shaped insulation material 22 is the same as the rear plate-shaped insulation material 25 described above. Here, the side plate-shaped insulation material 22 attached to the inner widthwise surface of the outer box side panel 152 on the left side is shown by a dotted line.

A top plate-shaped insulation material 24 is attached to the underside of the outer box top plate 153. The configuration of the top plate-shaped insulation material 24 is the same as that of the rear plate-shaped insulation material 25 described above.

A refrigerant pipe 38 is formed in a serpentine pattern along the inner surface of the outer box side panel 152. Here, most of the refrigerant pipe 38 is hidden from view by the side plate-shaped insulation material 22. High-temperature refrigerant, which is compressed by the compressor 29, flows through the refrigerant pipe 38. The refrigerant pipe 38 is also called a crest pipe. A communication pipe 30 extends from the lower rear side of the side plate-shaped insulation material 22. The communication pipe 30 is a path for venting air present between the side plate-shaped insulation material 22 and the outer box side panel 152 to the outside during the foaming process when manufacturing the refrigerator 10.

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the relative configuration of the refrigerant pipe 38, the communication pipe 30, and the side plate-shaped insulation material 22.

A groove 39 is formed by partially recessing the right side of the side plate insulation material 22. The groove 39 has a refrigerant pipe groove 391 and a communicating pipe groove 392. The refrigerant pipe groove 391 is a groove for accommodating the refrigerant pipe 38. The communicating pipe groove 392 is a groove for accommodating the communicating pipe 30.

The refrigerant pipe 38 is pulled downward from the end of the refrigerant pipe groove 391. As mentioned above, the refrigerant pipe 38 connects the devices that make up the refrigeration cycle.

The communicating pipe 30 is pulled downward from the end of the communicating pipe groove 392. Specifically, the upper end of the communicating pipe 30 is positioned inside the refrigerant pipe groove 391. Meanwhile, the lower end of the communicating pipe 30 is led out to the outside. This allows the refrigerant pipe groove 391 to communicate with the outside via the communicating pipe 30. Therefore, during the foam filling process described below, air present inside the refrigerant pipe groove 391 can be released to the outside via the communicating pipe 30.

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the outer box side panel 152, refrigerant pipe 38, and side panel insulation material 22 separated in the width direction.

As mentioned above, the refrigerant pipe 38 and the communication pipe 30 are arranged between the outer box side panel 152 and the side plate-shaped insulation material 22. The side plate-shaped insulation material 22 is attached to the outer box side panel 152 by an adhesive layer 31. The adhesive layer 31 is a layer formed from a thermoplastic adhesive, also known as a hot melt adhesive.

The refrigerant pipe 38 and the communication pipe 30 are arranged as an integrated component between the side plate-shaped insulation material 22 and the outer box side panel 152. By doing so, even when the communication pipe 30 is used in the assembly process of the refrigerator 10, an increase in the number of parts handled in the assembly process can be suppressed.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the refrigerant pipe 38 and the communication pipe 30.

The refrigerant pipe 38 has a serpentine portion 381, an inclined portion 388, and an externally extending portion 387. The refrigerant pipe 38 is a steel pipe made of a metal such as iron.

Serpentine portion 381 is the portion of refrigerant pipe 38 that is formed in a serpentine shape, and includes vertically extending portion 384, horizontally extending portion 385, vertically extending portion 383, horizontally extending portion 386, and vertically extending portion 382. Vertically extending portion 384, vertically extending portion 383, and vertically extending portion 382 are portions where refrigerant pipe 38 extends linearly in the up-down direction. Horizontally extending portion 385 and horizontally extending portion 386 are portions where refrigerant pipe 38 extends linearly in the front-to-back direction. Forming serpentine portion 381 increases the contact area between outer box side panel 152 and refrigerant pipe 38, allowing for active heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing inside refrigerant pipe 38 and outer box side panel 152, and effectively cooling the high-temperature refrigerant flowing inside refrigerant pipe 38.

The external extension portion 387 connects the equipment that makes up the refrigeration cycle to the serpentine portion 381.

The inclined portion 388 connects the end of the serpentine portion 381 to the external extension portion 387, and is inclined downward and forward. As described below, the inclined portion 388 allows the communication pipe 30 to be more firmly fixed to the refrigerant pipe 38.

The communicating pipe 30 is a pipe-shaped member made of, for example, synthetic resin. The upper end of the communicating pipe 30 extends approximately parallel to the vertically extending portion 383 of the serpentine portion 381, and the lower end of the communicating pipe 30 extends approximately parallel to the externally extending portion 387. The middle portion of the communicating pipe 30 is inclined upward and forward. The upper end of the communicating pipe 30 is fixed to the vertically extending portion 383 by fixing point 40, and the lower end of the communicating pipe 30 is fixed to the externally extending portion 387 by fixing point 41. The portions of the communicating pipe 30 near the upper and lower ends extend approximately linearly in the vertical direction.

The fixing points 40 are the locations where the upper end portion of the communicating pipe 30 is fastened to the vertically extending portion 383. Specifically, the fixing points 40 fasten the upper end portion of the communicating pipe 30 to the vertically extending portion 383 using aluminum tape or the like. For example, two fixing points 40 are formed. In this way, the upper end portion of the communicating pipe 30 can be firmly fixed to the vertically extending portion 383.

The fixing point 41 is a portion that connects the lower end portion of the communicating pipe 30 and the external extension portion 387. The configuration of the fixing point 41 is the same as that of the fixing point 40. For example, two fixing points 41 are formed. In this way, the middle portion of the communicating pipe 30 can be firmly fixed to the external extension portion 387.

As mentioned above, an inclined portion 388 is formed between the external extension portion 387 and the vertical extension portion 382 of the refrigerant pipe 38. The inclined portion 388 slopes downward and forward. This configuration allows the lower end of the vertical extension portion 383 to be closer to the external extension portion 387. This allows the fixing points 40 and 41 to be closer together, which allows the connecting pipe 30 to be more firmly fixed to the serpentine portion 381. This allows the position of the connecting pipe 30 to be accurately determined.

Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the outer box side panel 152, refrigerant pipe 38, and side panel insulation material 22 separated.

As mentioned above, a groove 39 is formed on the widthwise outer surface, i.e., the right side, of the side plate insulation material 22. The groove 39 has a refrigerant pipe groove 391 and a communication pipe groove 392.

The refrigerant pipe groove 391 has a shape that conforms to the serpentine portion 381 of the refrigerant pipe 38. The depth of the refrigerant pipe groove 391 is approximately the same as the outer shape of the serpentine portion 381. Therefore, the serpentine portion 381 can be stored in the refrigerant pipe groove 391, reducing the amount of protrusion of the serpentine portion 381 outward in the width direction.

The communicating pipe groove 392 has a shape that conforms to the sloped portion in the middle of the communicating pipe 30. This reduces the pressure applied to the communicating pipe 30 by the foam filling process, preventing the communicating pipe 30 from becoming clogged.

Based on Figures 8 to 10, and also with reference to the aforementioned figures, a method for manufacturing the refrigerator 10 will be described.

First, referring to Figure 8, the outer box 15 is prepared. As mentioned above, the outer box 15 is made of a metal plate bent into a predetermined shape, and has an outer box top panel 153 and outer box side panels 152. The inner box 16 shown in Figure 2 and other components are prepared separately. Furthermore, an adhesive layer 31 shown in Figure 5 is formed on the inner side of the outer box side panel 152 in order to secure the side panel insulation material 22 in a later process.

Next, referring to Figure 9, the refrigerant pipe 38 is assembled into the outer box side panel 152. The refrigerant pipe 38 is fixed to the outer box side panel 152, for example, by adhering the refrigerant pipe 38 at multiple locations with adhesive tape or the like. As mentioned above, the refrigerant pipe 38 is prepared with the connecting pipe 30 already fixed. Therefore, the process of installing the refrigerant pipe 38 on the outer box side panel 152 also serves as the process of installing the connecting pipe 30 on the outer box side panel 152.

10, the side plate insulation material 22 is attached to the outer box side panel 152. As mentioned above, the adhesive layer 31 shown in FIG. 5 is formed on the inner surface of the outer box side panel 152. Therefore, by attaching the side plate insulation material 22 to a predetermined position on the inner widthwise surface of the outer box side panel 152, the outer box side panel 152 can be easily fixed. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the side plate insulation material 22 has a refrigerant pipe groove 391 and a communicating pipe groove 392. Therefore, by attaching the side plate insulation material 22 to a predetermined position, the serpentine portion 381 of the refrigerant pipe 38 and the communicating pipe 30 can be accommodated in the refrigerant pipe groove 391 and the communicating pipe groove 392 of the side plate insulation material 22.

Once the above steps are completed, the inner box 16 and outer box rear panel 151 shown in Figure 2 are fitted into the outer box 15, and the filling insulation material 23 is filled in. For example, urethane foam can be used as the filling insulation material 23. During the foaming process to foam the filling insulation material 23, a large pressure is applied to the side plate insulation material 22 from the inside in the width direction.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, the serpentine portion 381 of the refrigerant pipe 38 is housed in the refrigerant pipe groove 391 of the side plate-shaped insulation material 22. Furthermore, the refrigerant pipe groove 391 is connected to the outside by the communication pipe 30. More specifically, the space surrounded by the refrigerant pipe groove 391 and the outer box side plate 152 is connected to the outside via the communication pipe 30.

As a result, even if a large pressure acts on the side plate-shaped insulation material 22, the air inside the refrigerant pipe groove 391 is released to the outside through the communication pipe 30. This prevents the outer box side panel 152 from deforming in accordance with the shape of the serpentine section 381 housed in the refrigerant pipe groove 391.

This embodiment can achieve the following main effects:

Referring to Figure 6, by fixing the communication pipe 30 to the refrigerant pipe 38, the position of the communication pipe 30 can be easily and firmly fixed. This allows the communication pipe 30 to be positioned as designed, and the communication pipe 30 can reliably connect the groove 39 shown in Figure 7 to the outside.

Referring to Figure 6, by fixing the inner end of the communicating pipe 30 to the serpentine portion 381, the inner end of the communicating pipe 30 can be reliably positioned in the groove portion 39. Furthermore, by fixing the outer end of the communicating pipe 30 to the external extension portion 387, the outer end of the communicating pipe 30 can be reliably extended to the outside.

Referring to Figure 6, by extending the inner end of the communicating pipe 30 approximately parallel to the vertically extending portion 383 of the serpentine portion 381, the inner end of the communicating pipe 30 can be reliably positioned inside the groove portion 39 shown in Figure 7.

Referring to Figure 6, the formation of the inclined portion 388 brings the external extension portion 387 and the serpentine portion 381 closer together, thereby more firmly supporting the communication pipe 30.

Refrigerant pipes 38 with connecting pipes 30 attached can be attached to the outer casing side panel 152 of the outer casing 15, as shown in Figure 9. This eliminates the need to individually attach connecting pipes 30 to the outer casing 15, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the refrigerator 10.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, the above-described embodiments can be combined with each other.
The invention that can be understood from the above-described embodiment will be described below together with its effects.
A refrigerator according to the present invention includes an insulated box having a storage compartment formed therein, a refrigeration cycle for cooling the storage compartment, and a communicating pipe, wherein the insulated box includes an outer box forming the outer surface of the insulated box, an inner box disposed inside the outer box, and a thermal insulator disposed between the outer box and the inner box, the thermal insulator including a plate-shaped thermal insulator disposed near the outer surface of the inner box and a foamed thermal insulator foam filled between the outer box and the inner box, the refrigeration cycle includes a refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant flows, a groove is formed on a side of the plate-shaped thermal insulator facing the inner box where the refrigerant pipe is disposed, the refrigerant pipe is disposed between the outer box and the plate-shaped thermal insulator, and the communicating pipe connects the groove of the plate-shaped thermal insulator to the outside of the insulated box and is fixed to the refrigerant pipe. Therefore, the communication pipe can be accurately positioned in the location as designed, and the communication pipe can reliably connect the groove portion to the outside.
In the refrigerator of the present invention, the refrigerant pipe has a serpentine portion disposed in a serpentine shape and an external extension portion extending toward the outside of the insulated box, and an internal end of the communicating pipe is fixed to the serpentine portion and an external end of the communicating pipe is fixed to the external extension portion. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, the internal end of the communicating pipe is fixed to the serpentine portion, thereby enabling the internal end of the communicating pipe to be reliably positioned in the groove portion. Furthermore, the external end of the communicating pipe is fixed to the external extension portion, thereby enabling the external end of the communicating pipe to be reliably extended to the outside.
In the refrigerator of the present invention, the inner end side of the communicating pipe extends substantially parallel to the serpentine portion, and the outer end side of the communicating pipe extends substantially parallel to the outer extending portion. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, by extending the inner end side of the communicating pipe substantially parallel to the serpentine portion, the inner end side of the communicating pipe can be reliably positioned inside the groove portion.
In the refrigerator of the present invention, the refrigerant pipe has an inclined portion that is inclined toward the serpentine portion near the external extension portion. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, by bringing the external extension portion and the serpentine portion close to each other, the communicating pipe can be more firmly supported.
Furthermore, a method for manufacturing a refrigerator according to the present invention includes the steps of preparing an outer box, an inner box, plate-shaped insulation, and a refrigerant pipe with a connecting pipe attached, attaching the refrigerant pipe with the connecting pipe fixed to the outer box, attaching the plate-shaped insulation to the outer box, and filling a space formed between the outer box and the inner box with foam insulation. According to the method for manufacturing a refrigerator according to the present invention, the refrigerant pipe with the connecting pipe attached can be attached to the outer box. In other words, the step of attaching the connecting pipe to the outer box can be omitted, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the refrigerator.

10 Refrigerator 11 Insulated box body 12 Refrigerating compartment 13 Freezer compartment 14 Machine compartment 15 Outer box 151 Outer box rear panel 152 Outer box side panel 153 Outer box top panel 16 Inner box 17 Insulating material 19 Damper 20 Defrost heater 22 Side plate-shaped insulating material 23 Filling insulating material 24 Top plate-shaped insulating material 25 Rear plate-shaped insulating material 26 Evaporator 27 Cooling compartment 28 Fan 29 Compressor 30 Connecting pipe 31 Adhesive layer 33 Insulated partition wall 34 Insulated door 35 Insulated door 38 Refrigerant pipe 381 Serpentine portion 382 Vertically extending portion 383 Vertically extending portion 384 Vertically extending portion 385 Horizontally extending portion 386 Horizontally extending portion 387 Externally extending portion 388 Inclined portion 39 Groove portion 391 Refrigerant pipe groove 392, communicating pipe groove 40, fixing point 41, fixing point 100, refrigerator 101, outer box 102, inner box 103, foam insulation material 104, plate-shaped insulation material 105, groove 106, pipe 107, storage compartment

Claims (3)

The storage unit includes a heat-insulating box body having a storage chamber formed therein, a refrigeration cycle for cooling the storage chamber, and a communication pipe,
The heat-insulating box includes an outer box that forms an outer surface of the heat-insulating box, an inner box that is disposed inside the outer box, and a heat-insulating material that is disposed between the outer box and the inner box,
the heat insulating material includes a plate-shaped heat insulating material disposed near the outer surface of the inner box, and a foam heat insulating material foam-filled between the outer box and the inner box,
The refrigeration cycle has a refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant flows,
a groove is formed in a side surface of the plate-shaped insulation material facing the inner box, in a portion where the refrigerant pipe is disposed;
The refrigerant pipe is disposed between the outer box and the plate-shaped insulation material,
the communication pipe communicates the groove of the plate-shaped insulation material with the outside of the insulation box, and is fixed to the refrigerant pipe;
The refrigerant pipe has a serpentine portion disposed in a serpentine manner and an external extension portion extending toward the outside of the insulating box,
The refrigerator, wherein an inner end side of the communication pipe is fixed to the serpentine portion, and an outer end side of the communication pipe is fixed to the outer extension portion . the inner end of the communication pipe extends substantially parallel to the serpentine portion,
The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the outer end of the communication pipe extends substantially parallel to the outer extension portion. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant pipe has an inclined portion inclined toward the serpentine portion near the externally extending portion.