CN116608640A - Heat insulation box and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The refrigerator is provided with a heat insulation box body. The heat insulation box body is provided with an inner box and an outer box. A vacuum heat insulator is disposed in the heat insulating box. The inside of the heat insulating box is filled with a foamed heat insulating material. In the side surface of the heat-insulating box, the thickness of the foam heat insulator facing the vacuum heat insulator is smaller than that of the vacuum heat insulator, and is larger than that of the vacuum heat insulator. The side wall of the inner box is provided with a supporting part for supporting the structural body arranged in the box, and the upper and lower parts of the supporting part are wide parts for expanding the thickness of the foaming heat insulation material.

Description

Heat insulation box and refrigerator

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a heat-insulating box provided in a refrigerator or the like, and a refrigerator provided with the heat-insulating box.

Background

In the refrigerator, a heat insulation box is provided to insulate heat from the surroundings so as to cover the outer periphery of the storage space. The heat insulating box body is composed of an outer box, an inner box and a heat insulating member filled between them. As the heat insulator, for example, a foamed heat insulator such as a hard foamed polyurethane heat insulator is used.

In recent years, in order to further improve the heat insulating performance, it has been proposed to dispose a vacuum heat insulator in a heat insulating box.

For example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2006-183896 discloses the following refrigerator: in a refrigerator having a vacuum heat insulator and a foam heat insulator in a heat insulating wall, the ratio of the volume of the vacuum heat insulator to the volume of the whole heat insulating wall is set to a predetermined value or more.

Disclosure of Invention

By using the vacuum heat insulating member, heat insulating performance is improved, and the thickness of the heat insulating box body is reduced. However, since the thickness of the heat insulating box is reduced, the space in the heat insulating box where the foamed heat insulating material flows is narrowed, and the foamed heat insulating material becomes difficult to flow, there is a possibility that voids (void) may be generated after the foaming of the heat insulating material, which are not filled with the foamed heat insulating material.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a structure in which a foamed heat insulating material can be more easily filled in a heat insulating box when the foamed heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box.

An aspect of the invention relates to a thermally insulated box having an inner box and an outer box. The heat insulation box has: a vacuum heat insulator disposed in the heat insulating box; a foam heat insulator filled in the heat insulation box; and at least one injection port disposed on the back surface of the heat insulation box, into which the material of the foamed heat insulating material is injected. In the side surface portion of the heat insulating box, a region where the thickness of the foamed heat insulator facing the vacuum heat insulator is smaller than the thickness of the vacuum heat insulator is larger than a region where the thickness of the vacuum heat insulator is equal to or larger than the thickness of the vacuum heat insulator, a support portion for supporting a structure disposed in the box is provided on a side wall of the inner box, and a wide portion for expanding the thickness of the foamed heat insulator is provided above and below the support portion.

According to the heat insulating box of one aspect of the present invention, the foamed heat insulating material can be filled into the heat insulating box more easily when the foamed heat insulating material is injected.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure in a refrigerator heat insulation box according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the insulated box shown in FIG. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view and a partial sectional view showing the structure of an A-A line portion of the heat insulation box shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing a part of the sectional view shown in fig. 4 in an enlarged manner.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing a part (a portion) of the sectional view shown in fig. 6 in an enlarged manner.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing a part (part B) of the sectional view shown in fig. 6 in an enlarged manner.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the arrangement position of the second partition of the heat insulation box shown in fig. 2.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same components. Their names and functions are also identical. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof are not repeated.

< first embodiment >

(integral construction of refrigerator)

First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 shows an internal structure of a refrigerator 1.

As shown in fig. 1, the refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerating chamber 11 at an upper layer, a vegetable chamber 12 at a middle layer, a freezing chamber 13 at a lower layer, and the like. A refrigerating chamber door 11a is provided in the refrigerating chamber 11. The vegetable room 12 is provided therein with a vegetable room door 12a. A freezing chamber door 13a is provided in the freezing chamber 13.

As described above, the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment is divided into the upper layer portion, the middle layer portion, and the lower layer portion, and each storage space is provided. A partition is provided between the storage spaces. More specifically, a first partition 54 is provided between the upper refrigerating compartment 11 and the middle vegetable compartment 12. Further, a second partition 55 is provided between the vegetable compartment 12 of the middle layer and the lower layer and the freezing compartment 13. The arrangement position of each storage space is not limited to this.

In the present embodiment, the face provided with the door is referred to as a front face or a front surface of the refrigerator. Based on the front surface, the respective surfaces of the refrigerator 1 are set as the upper surface, the side surfaces, the back surface, and the bottom surface based on the positions existing when the refrigerator 1 is installed in a normal state. In a state where the refrigerator 1 is placed on the installation surface, the vertical direction of the refrigerator 1 is referred to as the vertical direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the heat insulation box 50, etc.). In a state where the refrigerator 1 is placed on the installation surface, a direction in which the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front is referred to as a front-rear direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the heat insulation box 50 or the like).

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

A control unit (not shown) is provided in the refrigerator 1. The control unit controls the operation of the refrigeration cycle. That is, the control unit drives the compressor 31 to start the operation of the refrigeration cycle, and the refrigerant flows through the cycle. As shown in fig. 1, the compressor 31 is disposed in a machine room 30 provided on the back side of the bottom of the refrigerator 1.

The cooler 32 is disposed in a cooling chamber 35 provided on the back side of the refrigerator 1. The cooling chamber 35 includes a cooling fan 33 and the like in addition to the cooler 32. The cooling fan 33 is provided to circulate air between the cooling chamber 35 and each storage space. The cooling chamber 35 communicates with the cold air duct 41. The cold air duct 41 serves as a cold air duct for supplying cold air generated in the cooling chamber 35 to the refrigerator compartment 11 and the like.

(constitution of heat insulation Box)

In the refrigerator 1, a heat insulation box 50 is provided as a heat insulation structure for insulating each storage space from the surroundings. Fig. 2 shows an appearance of the heat insulating box 50 when viewed from the front side (the opening 50e side). The heat insulating box 50 is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the refrigerator 1. The heat insulating box 50 is mainly composed of an upper surface portion, a side surface portion 50b, a rear surface portion 50c, and a bottom surface portion. The front side of the heat insulating box 50 is an opening 50e.

As shown in fig. 1, the heat insulation box 50 mainly includes an outer box 60, an inner box 70, a vacuum heat insulator 51, a foamed heat insulator 52, and at least one partition (e.g., a first partition 54 and a second partition 55).

The outer case 60 forms an outer peripheral surface of the heat insulation case 50. The outer case 60 is mainly composed of an upper surface portion 60a, a side surface portion 60b, a rear surface portion 60c, and a bottom surface portion (see fig. 3). The inner box 70 forms an inner peripheral surface of the heat insulation box 50. The inner case 70 is mainly composed of an upper surface portion, a side surface portion 70b, a rear surface portion 70c, and a bottom surface portion 70d (see fig. 2). The inner case 70 forms an inner wall of a storage space (e.g., the refrigerating chamber 11, the vegetable chamber 12, the freezing chamber 13) and a rear wall of the cooling chamber 35.

The inside of the heat insulation box 50 formed by the inner box 70 is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by at least one partition. In the present embodiment, two partitions, that is, a first partition 54 and a second partition 55 are provided. The first partition 54 is disposed between the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12. The second partition 55 is disposed between the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezing compartment 13.

A space for disposing the machine chamber 30 is formed on the back surface side of the bottom of the heat insulating box 50. The machine room 30 is disposed outside the heat-insulating box 50. This is due to the operation of the compressor 31, and the temperature in the machine chamber 30 increases. The machine chamber 30 is mainly partitioned by a bottom plate 62 constituting a bottom surface portion of the outer case 60.

In this way, the machine room 30 is isolated from the freezing room 13 by the heat insulation box 50. Therefore, the heat generated in the machine room 30 can be suppressed from flowing into the freezing chamber 13.

The vacuum insulation member 51 and the foamed insulation member 52 are disposed in the space between the outer case 60 and the inner case 70. The vacuum insulation panel 51, also referred to as VIP, is a thin sheet-like or plate-like insulation panel. The vacuum heat insulators 51 are disposed on the side surfaces, upper surfaces, bottom surfaces, back surfaces, and the like of the refrigerator 1, for example. In fig. 1, a vacuum heat insulator disposed on the bottom surface of the refrigerator 1 is not shown. As shown in fig. 1 and the like, the vacuum heat insulator 51 is disposed on the outer box 60 side in the heat insulating box 50.

The foamed heat insulator 52 may be formed of, for example, foamed polyurethane (also referred to as rigid polyurethane foam) or the like. The foamed heat insulator 52 is also filled in the second partition 55 that partitions the vegetable compartment 12 as a refrigerating storage space and the freezing compartment 13 as a freezing storage space. In the present embodiment, the inside of the first partition 54 that partitions the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12, which are both refrigerating storage spaces, is not filled with the foamed heat insulator 52. A heat insulator different from the foamed heat insulator 52 may be disposed inside the first partition 54. In other embodiments, the foam heat insulator 52 may be filled in the first partition 54.

The foamed heat insulator 52 is filled in the heat insulating box 50 by injecting a liquid foamed urethane material (also referred to as a foamed heat insulator material or a heat insulating material) into the heat insulating box 50, and foaming the material in the heat insulating box 50. The back surface 60c of the outer case 60 is provided with an inlet 58 (see fig. 5) into which the heat insulating material is injected. In the present embodiment, 2 injection ports 58 are provided near the left end of the back surface 60c, 2 injection ports 58 are provided near the right end of the back surface 60c, and a total of 4 injection ports 58 are provided. However, the number of injection ports 58 is not limited thereto.

Fig. 2 shows the heat insulation box 50 when the foamed urethane material is injected into the heat insulation box 50. When the polyurethane foam is injected into the heat-insulating box 50, only the second partition 55 is mounted in the box of the heat-insulating box 50, as shown in fig. 2. Thus, if the foam insulation material is injected from the injection port 58, the foam insulation material 52 is also filled into the second partition 55 through the urethane inflow port provided between the inner case 70 and the second partition 55.

(regarding the thickness of the side wall of the heat insulating box and the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating member)

In recent years, in order to secure a larger space in a refrigerator, etc., a reduction in the thickness of the side wall of the heat-insulating box 50 is desired. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the wall of each surface (for example, the side surface portion 50 b) of the heat insulation box 50 is thinned.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a structure in the side wall of the heat insulating box 50. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the portion A-A of the insulated box 50 shown in FIG. 3. In fig. 4, a part (a part surrounded by a broken line frame) of the heat insulating box 50 is enlarged.

The average thickness of the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50 according to the present embodiment is, for example, 25mm to 35 mm. In the side surface 50b of the heat insulating box 50, the thickness T2 of the foam heat insulator 52 facing the vacuum heat insulator 51 is smaller than the thickness T1 of the vacuum heat insulator 51, and is larger than the thickness T1 of the vacuum heat insulator 51.

The thickness T1 of the vacuum insulator 51 disposed on the side surface 50b is substantially constant over the entire region of the vacuum insulator. In one example, the thickness T1 of the vacuum heat insulator 51 is set to 10mm or more and 30mm or less, preferably 15mm or more and 25mm or less.

On the other hand, the thickness T2 of the foamed heat insulating material 52 differs in each portion according to the outer shape of the heat insulating box 50 (particularly, the shape of the inner box 70). As described above, in the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50, the thickness T1 is greater than the thickness T2 in most, at least half or more of the region where the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present. Accordingly, the thickness T2 of the foamed heat insulator 52 in the large part of the area where the vacuum heat insulator 51 of the side surface portion 50b exists is set to be, for example, 5mm to 15mm, preferably 8mm to 13 mm.

In one example, the thickness T1 of the vacuum heat insulator 51 can be set to about 2 times the thickness T2 of the foam heat insulator 52. In this way, by increasing the proportion of the vacuum heat insulator 51 in the side surface portion 50b, the thickness of the entire side surface portion 50b can be further reduced.

The thickness of the vacuum heat insulator disposed on the surface portions (i.e., the upper surface portion, the rear surface portion 50c, and the bottom surface portion) other than the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50 may be the same as or different from the thickness T1. The thickness of the foamed heat insulator 52 on the surface portion (i.e., the upper surface portion, the rear surface portion 50c, and the bottom surface portion) other than the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50 may be equal to or greater than the thickness of the vacuum heat insulator 51 disposed on the surface portion, or equal to or less than the thickness of the vacuum heat insulator 51.

For example, in the back surface portion 50c, the thickness of the foam heat insulator 52 disposed on the back surface portion 50c may be equal to or greater than the thickness of the vacuum heat insulator 51 disposed on the back surface portion 50 c. The back surface portion has a tendency to pass through pipes, electric wires, and the like of the refrigeration cycle connected to the cooler 32, and in order to fix the pipes, wires, and the like and secure heat insulation, it is preferable that the foamed heat insulator 52 disposed on the back surface portion 50c has a thickness equal to or greater than a certain thickness. Further, although the back surface portion 50c is mostly filled with the foamed heat insulator 52, it is considered that curing of the heat insulator is proceeding as compared with other positions, it is easy to secure fluidity of the heat insulator by thickening the thickness of the foamed heat insulator 52 disposed on the back surface portion 50 c.

(method for producing Heat insulation Box)

Next, a method for manufacturing the heat insulating box 50 will be described. Fig. 5 shows a case where a heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box 50.

First, members such as a vacuum insulator 51 and a heat radiation pipe (not shown) are attached to predetermined positions on the inner side surfaces of the respective surfaces (specifically, the upper surface portion 60a, the side surface portion 60b, the rear surface portion 60c, etc.) of the outer case 60. Further, components such as in-box electrical components and various wiring are mounted at predetermined positions of the inner box 70.

Next, the respective faces of the outer case 60 are attached so as to cover the outer periphery of the inner case 70. Thereby, the outer shape of the heat insulation box 50 is formed.

Then, in a state where the rear surface portion 50c of the heat insulating box 50 is raised, a material (foamed urethane material) of the liquid foamed heat insulating material is injected through the injection port 58 formed in the rear surface portion 60c of the outer box 60. At this time, an injection nozzle 91 (see fig. 5) of an injection device for the heat insulating material is inserted into the injection port 58. The material of the foamed heat insulator discharged from the injection nozzle 91 into the heat insulating box 50 is foamed in order from the front surface side (the opening 50e side) to the rear surface side in the space between the outer box 60 and the inner box 70, and is filled while increasing the volume. The foamed insulation is then cured.

That is, when the heat insulating material is injected from each injection port 58 in a state where the rear surface 60c of the heat insulating box 50 is raised, the heat insulating material flows down toward the opening 50e located at the lowermost position by gravity through the side surface 50b, the upper surface, and the like in the heat insulating box 50.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the thickness T1 of the vacuum heat insulator 51 is larger than the thickness T2 of the foamed heat insulator in most areas of the side surface portions 50b of the heat insulating box 50. The thickness of the side wall of the heat insulating box 50 becomes thin, so that the space in the side wall where the heat insulating material flows becomes narrow, and the heat insulating material becomes difficult to flow. If the vacuum heat insulator 51 is provided inside the heat insulating box 50, the flow space of the heat insulating material becomes narrower. As a result, after the injected heat insulating material is foamed in the heat insulating box 50, the possibility of void (void) of the unfilled foamed heat insulating material increases.

For example, when the liquid foamed heat insulating material is injected, if the foamed heat insulating material collides with the wall surface in the heat insulating box 50, foaming may locally start at the portion, and then when the heat insulating material is filled while foaming from the front surface side of the heat insulating box 50, the partially foamed portion may become an obstacle, and the filling may become uneven. In particular, in the side surface portion 50b thinner than the other surface portions, unfilled portions of the foamed heat insulating material are likely to occur.

(construction of Structure supporting portion of side wall of Heat insulation Box)

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a method for promoting the inflow of the foamed heat insulating material is performed to the side surface portion 70b of the inner box 70 forming the inner wall of the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50. The following describes the structure thereof.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a part of the sectional view shown in fig. 4 (a portion surrounded by a solid line frame of the right side surface portion 50 b). Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a portion (a portion indicated by a) of the cross-sectional view indicated by fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a portion (a portion indicated by B) of the cross-sectional view indicated by fig. 6.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a horizontal cross section of the inside of the vegetable compartment 12 of the heat-insulating box 50 when viewed from above. In fig. 9, a part (a part surrounded by a broken line frame) of the heat insulating box 50 is enlarged. In the entire cross-sectional view of fig. 9, the vacuum heat insulator 51 is omitted.

As shown in fig. 2 and the like, the inner wall of the box formed by the inner box 70 is mainly composed of an upper surface portion, a side surface portion 70b, a back surface portion 70c, and a bottom surface portion 70 d. The side surface 70b has a portion that partially bulges toward the inside of the case. Examples of such a portion include a partition disposed in the case and a support portion for supporting a structure such as a storage container.

For example, a plurality of shelf support portions are provided as support portions for supporting the structural body in an upper portion of the side surface portion 70b in the box forming the refrigerating chamber 11. The shelf support portion holds a shelf (not shown) for partitioning the inside of the refrigerator compartment 11. In the present embodiment, a plurality of shelf support portions such as the first shelf support portion 21a and the second shelf support portion 21b are provided in order from the upper side of the refrigerating chamber 11. The shelf support portions are disposed symmetrically on the left side surface portion 70b and the right side surface portion 70b.

Further, a holding portion mounting portion 71 is provided as a support portion for supporting the structure in a lower portion of a side surface portion 70b of the refrigerator compartment 11 forming the inside of the compartment. A container holder 28 is attached to the holder attachment portion 71, and the container holder 28 holds a container (not shown) such as a quench box disposed below the refrigerator compartment 11. The container holder 28 is provided with a rail 28a for holding the container in a slidable manner in the front-rear direction.

By holding the storage container by the storage container holding body 28, even when the weight of the storage container increases, the storage container can be designed to be capable of receiving a load. Further, since it is not necessary to form a structure for directly holding the storage container in the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50, the structure of the inner wall of the side surface portion 50b can be simplified.

In the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, a water supply tank (not shown) is disposed on the left side below the refrigerating chamber 11. Therefore, the holding portion mounting portion 71 and the storage container holding body 28 are provided only on the side surface portion 70b located on the right side when viewed from the front. In other embodiments, the holding portion mounting portions 71 may be disposed symmetrically on the left side surface portion 70b and the right side surface portion 70b, respectively.

A partition attachment portion 72 is provided as a support portion for supporting the structure on a side surface portion 70b of the boundary periphery between the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12. The first partition 54 is mounted on the partition mounting portion 72. The spacer mounting portions 72 are arranged symmetrically on the left side surface portion 70b and the right side surface portion 70b.

A partition attachment portion 73 is provided as a support portion for supporting the structure on a side surface portion 70b of the boundary periphery between the vegetable chamber 12 and the freezing chamber 13. The second partitioning portion 55 is attached to the partitioning member attaching portion 73. The spacer mounting portions 73 are disposed on the left side surface portion 70b and the right side surface portion 70b, respectively, in bilateral symmetry.

The holding portion mounting portion 71 of each support portion of the support structure is provided with a projection 71a above and a projection 71b below. That is, the storage container holding body 28 held by the holding portion mounting portion 71 is sandwiched between the projection 71a and the projection 71b.

The projections 71a and 71b are wide portions that expand the thickness of the foamed heat insulator 52 in the heat insulating box 50.

That is, the thickness T2A of the foamed heat insulator 52 at the position where the protrusion 71a is arranged is larger than the thickness T2 of at least half or more of the foamed heat insulator 52 in most of the region of the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present (see fig. 7). The thickness T2A is set to, for example, 15mm to 25mm, preferably 17mm to 23 mm.

The thickness T2C of the foamed heat insulator 52 at the position where the protrusion 71b is arranged is larger than the thickness T2 of at least half or more of the foamed heat insulator 52 in most of the region of the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present (see fig. 7). The thickness T2C is set to, for example, 15mm to 35mm, preferably 20mm to 30 mm.

The thickness T2b of the foamed heat insulator 52 between the protrusion 71a and the protrusion 71b (i.e., the region where the container holding body 28 is disposed) is slightly larger than the thickness T2 of the foamed heat insulator 52 of the side surface portion 50b in which the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present (see fig. 7). However, the thickness T2b of the foamed heat insulator 52 is smaller than the thicknesses T2A and T2C of the projections 71a and 71b. The thickness T2b is set to, for example, 10mm to 20 mm.

This makes it possible to obtain a structure in which the foamed heat insulating material can be more easily filled into the heat insulating box body 50 when the foamed heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box body. More specifically, the fluidity of the foamed heat insulating material can be improved at the position where the container holder 28 of the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50 is disposed.

The spacer mounting portion 72 of each support portion of the support structure is provided with a projection 72a above and a projection 72b below. That is, the first partition portion 54 attached to the partition attaching portion 72 is sandwiched between the protrusion 72a and the protrusion 72b.

The protrusions 72a and 72b are wide portions that expand the thickness of the foamed heat insulator 52 in the heat insulating box 50.

That is, the thickness T2C of the foamed heat insulator 52 at the position where the protrusion 72a is arranged is larger than the thickness T2 of at least half or more of the foamed heat insulator 52 in most of the region of the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present (see fig. 7). The thickness T2C is set to, for example, 15mm to 35mm, preferably 20mm to 30 mm.

The thickness T2E of the foamed heat insulator 52 at the position where the protrusion 72b is arranged is larger than the thickness T2 of at least half or more of the foamed heat insulator 52 in most of the region of the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present (see fig. 7). The thickness T2E is set to, for example, 15mm to 25mm, preferably 17mm to 23 mm.

The thickness T2d of the foamed heat insulator 52 between the protrusion 72a and the protrusion 72b (i.e., the region where the first partition 54 is arranged) is the same as or slightly smaller than the thickness T2 of the foamed heat insulator 52 of the side surface portion 50b in most of the region where the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present (see fig. 7). The thickness T2d is set to, for example, 5mm to 13 mm.

In this way, in the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50 in the region where the first partition 54 is disposed, the region through which the foamed heat insulating material can pass tends to be narrower. Therefore, by providing the protrusions 72a and 72b that expand the thickness of the foamed heat insulating material 52 in the heat insulating box 50 above and below the first partition 54, the fluidity of the foamed heat insulating material can be improved at the position where the first partition 54 is disposed. This makes it possible to easily fill the heat insulating box with the foamed heat insulating material when the foamed heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box 50.

In the present embodiment, the storage container holder 28 and the first partition 54 are arranged in a state of being close to each other in the vertical direction (for example, in a state where the distance between them is about 10cm or less). In the case of such a configuration, the protrusion 71b (or 72 b) located between the container holding body 28 and the first partition 54 can be formed in a common structure. Further, the thickness T2C of the foamed heat insulator 52 located between the storage container holding body 28 and the first partition portion 54 is made larger than the thickness T2 of the foamed heat insulator 52 in most of the region of the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present.

Accordingly, the fluidity of the foamed heat insulating material can be improved from the arrangement position of the storage container holder 28 to the arrangement position of the first partition 54, and the foamed heat insulating material can be filled into the heat insulating box body 50 more easily when the foamed heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box body. Further, the strength of the heat insulating box 50 from the arrangement position of the storage container holding body 28 to the arrangement position of the first partition 54 can be improved.

The spacer mounting portion 73 of each support portion of the support structure is provided with a projection 73a above and a projection 73b below. That is, the second partition portion 55 attached to the partition attaching portion 73 is sandwiched between the projection 73a and the projection 73b.

The protrusions 73a and 73b are wide portions that expand the thickness of the foamed heat insulator 52 in the heat insulating box 50.

That is, the thickness T2F of the foamed heat insulator 52 at the position where the protrusion 73a is arranged is larger than the thickness T2 of at least half or more of the foamed heat insulator 52 in most of the region where the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present in the side surface portion 50b (see fig. 8). The thickness T2F is set to, for example, 15mm to 25mm, preferably 17mm to 23 mm.

The thickness T2H of the foamed heat insulator 52 at the position where the protrusion 73b is arranged is larger than the thickness T2 of at least half or more of the foamed heat insulator 52 in most of the region of the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present (see fig. 8). The thickness T2H is set to, for example, 15mm to 25mm, preferably 17mm to 23 mm.

The thickness T2g of the foamed heat insulator 52 between the protrusion 73a and the protrusion 73b (i.e., the region where the second partition 55 is arranged) is the same as or slightly smaller than the thickness T2 of the foamed heat insulator 52 in most of the region where the vacuum heat insulator 51 exists in the side surface portion 50b (see fig. 8). The thickness T2g is set to, for example, 5mm to 13 mm.

The region of the side surface portion 50b where the partition portions 54 and 55 are arranged is a portion that does not directly face the storage compartment, and since the partition portions 54 and 55 are provided with the heat insulating material, even if the foamed heat insulating material T2 on the inner box side is thin, the influence on the heat insulating property of the storage compartment is small. Further, by providing a large step with the projections provided on the upper and lower sides of the partitions 54 and 55, the partitions 54 and 55 can be more reliably fitted between the projections, and the partitions extending laterally can be made to function as a structure. For this reason, the thicknesses T2d and T2g of the partitions 54 and 55 may be equal to or less than the thickness T2.

Further, since the inner side of the storage container holder 28 is a portion facing the storage chamber, it is desirable to ensure heat insulation. Further, the strength of the container holder 28 that supports the container in the refrigerator compartment 11 may be lower than that of the region where the partitions 54 and 55 are provided. Accordingly, the thickness T2b of the rear side of the storage container holder 28 is preferably equal to or greater than the thickness T2. In this way, the thickness of the foamed heat insulator between the protrusions can be set according to the necessity of strength and heat insulation.

In this way, in the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50 in the region where the second partition portion 55 is arranged, the region through which the foamed heat insulating material can pass tends to be narrower. Accordingly, by providing the protrusions 73a and 73b that expand the thickness of the foamed heat insulator 52 in the heat insulating box 50 above and below the second partition 55, the fluidity of the foamed heat insulator can be improved at the position where the second partition 55 is disposed. This makes it possible to easily fill the heat insulating box with the foamed heat insulating material when the foamed heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box 50.

However, on the rear surface side of the lower side of the vegetable room 12 where the second partition 55 is disposed, various structures such as a vegetable room cold air duct member 43 forming the cold air duct 41, a water supply pipe installation portion 67A where a water supply pipe for supplying water to the ice maker is installed, and a cold air return port 47 are formed (see fig. 9). In the present embodiment, the vegetable room cold air duct member 43 is disposed in the center in the left-right direction, the water supply pipe installation portion 67A is disposed on the left side, and the return port 47 is disposed on the right side.

As described above, such a structure disposed on the rear surface of the second partition 55 may be an obstacle that may obstruct the flow of the foamed heat insulator. For example, a narrow portion 59a (see fig. 9) is provided between the vegetable room cold air duct member 43 and the water supply pipe installation portion 67A, which is close to each other. Further, a narrow portion 59b (see fig. 9) is provided between the vegetable room cold air duct member 43 and the return port 47, the distance between which is close to each other.

Since such narrow portions 59a and 59b are present, a portion in which inflow of the heat insulating material is suppressed when the foamed heat insulating material is filled is formed in the second partition portion 55. As a result, voids (void) may be generated in the second partition 55, which are not filled with the foamed heat insulating material.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the thickness of the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50 at the position where the second partition portion 55 is arranged is set to be larger on the rear surface side than on the door surface side. Specifically, a step 56 is provided between the rear surface side and the door surface side of the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50 at the position where the second partition 55 is disposed (see fig. 9). The stepped portion 56 is provided at a side surface portion 70b of the inner case 70.

Thus, the thickness T3 of the rear surface side is larger than the thickness T4 of the door surface side at the side surface portion 50b at the position where the second partition portion 55 is arranged. In one example, the thickness T3 is set to 30mm to 55mm, preferably 35mm to 45mm, and the thickness T4 is set to 15mm to 45mm, preferably 25mm to 35 mm.

When the thicknesses T3 and T4 are set as described above, the thickness T2 of the foamed heat insulator 52 may be, for example, 5mm to 15mm (preferably 8mm to 13 mm). In contrast, the thickness T2a (see fig. 9) of the foam insulating material 52 may be, for example, 10mm to 35mm (preferably 15mm to 25 mm).

This makes it possible to obtain a structure in which the foamed heat insulating material can be more easily filled into the heat insulating box body 50 when the foamed heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box body. More specifically, the inflow of the foamed heat insulating material into the rear surface portion in the second partition 55 can be promoted.

(summary of the first embodiment)

As described above, the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment includes the heat insulation box 50. The heat insulating box 50 has an inner box 70 and an outer box 60. A vacuum heat insulator 51 is disposed on the outer box side in the heat insulating box 50. The heat insulating box 50 is internally filled with a foamed heat insulator 52. At least one inlet 58 for injecting a material of the foamed heat insulating material is provided on the back surface of the heat insulating box 50.

In the side surface portion 50b of the heat insulating box 50, the thickness T1 of the vacuum heat insulator 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foamed heat insulator 52 in most, at least half or more of the region where the vacuum heat insulator 51 is present. The side wall of the inner box 70 is provided with support portions (specifically, a holding portion mounting portion 71, a spacer mounting portion 72, and a spacer mounting portion 73) for supporting the structural body disposed in the box, and the upper and lower portions of the support portions are wide portions for expanding the thickness of the foamed heat insulating material.

That is, the holding portion mounting portion 71 has a projection 71a provided above and a projection 71b provided below. The spacer mounting portion 72 is provided with a protrusion 72a above and a protrusion 72b below. The spacer mounting portion 73 is provided with a projection 73a above and a projection 73b below.

According to the above configuration, when the foamed heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box 50, the foamed heat insulating material can be more easily filled into the heat insulating box. More specifically, the fluidity of the foamed heat insulating material can be improved at the arrangement positions of the storage container holding body 28, the first partition 54, and the second partition 55.

As described above, according to the heat insulating box 50 of the present embodiment, the foamed heat insulating material can be made to flow more easily in the heat insulating box when the foamed heat insulating material is injected. This can reduce the thickness of the side surface portion of the heat insulating box 50, and can reduce the possibility of an unfilled portion of the foamed heat insulating material being generated inside the heat insulating box 50.

< second embodiment >

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the configuration in which the storage container holding body 28 and the first partition 54 are arranged in a state of being close to each other in the vertical direction is exemplified. However, the storage container holder 28 may be provided at a position separated from the first partition 54.

In the heat insulating box 50 according to the second embodiment, the storage container holder 28 is disposed above. Therefore, the distance between the container holding body 28 and the first partition 54 is separated by, for example, 20cm or more.

With such a configuration, the lower protrusion 71b of the container holding body 28 and the upper protrusion 72a of the first partition 54 are separately provided. The thickness of the foam insulator 52 located between the protrusion 71b and the protrusion 72a is as small as the thickness T2 of at least half or more of the foam insulator 52 in most of the region of the side surface portion 50b where the vacuum insulator 51 is present. This can increase the internal volume of the heat insulation box 50.

< third embodiment >

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment and the like, the storage container and the partition are described as examples of the structure disposed in the case. However, the structure disposed in the case is not limited to these.

In the heat insulating box 50 according to the third embodiment, a support portion for supporting a shelf placed in the box and a structure such as a water supply box is provided with protrusions above and below the support portion. Each of the protrusions is a wide portion that expands the thickness of the foamed heat insulator 52 in the heat insulating box 50.

According to the heat insulating box 50 of the present embodiment, the foamed heat insulating material can be made to flow in the heat insulating box more easily when the foamed heat insulating material is injected. This can reduce the thickness of the side surface portion of the heat insulating box 50, and can reduce the possibility of an unfilled portion of the foamed heat insulating material being generated inside the heat insulating box 50.

(summary)

The heat-insulating box (e.g., heat-insulating box 50) according to one embodiment of the present invention has an inner box (e.g., inner box 70) and an outer box (e.g., outer box 60). The heat insulation box has: a vacuum heat insulator (for example, vacuum heat insulator 51) disposed in the heat insulating box; a foamed heat insulator (e.g., foamed heat insulator 52) that fills the inside of the heat-insulating box; and at least one injection port (for example, injection port 58) disposed on the back surface of the heat insulation box, into which the material of the foamed heat insulation material is injected. In the side surface portion (e.g., the side surface portion 50 b) of the heat insulating box, a region where the thickness (e.g., the thickness T2) of the foamed heat insulating material facing the vacuum heat insulating material is smaller than the thickness (e.g., the thickness T1) of the vacuum heat insulating material is larger than a region where the thickness (e.g., the thickness T1) of the vacuum heat insulating material is equal to or larger than the thickness (e.g., the thickness T1) of the vacuum heat insulating material, a support portion (e.g., a holding portion mounting portion 71, a spacer mounting portion 72, a spacer mounting portion 73) that supports a structure (e.g., the storage container holding body 28, the first spacer 54, the second spacer 55) disposed in the box is provided on the side wall (e.g., the side surface portion 70 b) of the inner box, and wide portions (e.g., protrusions 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b, 73a, and 73 b) that expand the thickness of the foamed heat insulating material are provided above and below the support portion.

In the heat-insulating box (e.g., the heat-insulating box 50) according to the above aspect of the present invention, the structure disposed in the box is a partition (e.g., the first partition 54 and the second partition 55) that partitions the box.

In the heat-insulating box (e.g., the heat-insulating box 50) according to the above-described one aspect of the present invention, the structure disposed in the box is a holder (e.g., the container holder 28) for holding the container disposed in the box.

In the heat insulating box (for example, the heat insulating box 50) according to the above-described aspect of the present invention, the thickness (for example, the thickness T2C) of the foamed heat insulator between the separator and the holder may be larger than the thickness (for example, the thickness T2) of the vacuum heat insulator at a portion where the (for example, the first separator 54 and the second separator 55) and the holder (for example, the container holder 28) approach each other.

Further, another aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator (e.g., refrigerator 1). The refrigerator includes an insulated box (e.g., insulated box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention.

The presently disclosed embodiments are considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein. The present invention is also intended to include a configuration in which the configurations of the different embodiments described in the present specification are combined with each other.

Claims (5)

1. An insulated box having an inner box and an outer box, the insulated box comprising:

a vacuum heat insulator disposed in the heat insulating box;

a foam heat insulator filled in the heat insulation box; and

at least one injection port disposed on the back surface of the heat insulation box, into which the material of the foamed heat insulating material is injected,

in the side surface of the heat insulating box, the thickness of the foaming heat insulating material opposite to the vacuum heat insulating material is smaller than that of the vacuum heat insulating material, more than that of the vacuum heat insulating material,

a support part is arranged on the side wall of the inner box and supports the structural body arranged in the box,

the upper and lower parts of the supporting part are wide parts for expanding the thickness of the foaming heat insulation material.

2. The heat insulation box according to claim 1, wherein,

the structure disposed in the tank is a partition member that partitions the tank.

3. An insulated box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the structure disposed in the case is a holder for holding a storage container disposed in the case.

4. An insulated box according to claim 2 or 3, wherein,

the thickness of the foam heat insulating member between the separator and the holding body is larger than the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating member at a position where the separator is close to the holding body.

5. A refrigerator having the heat insulation box according to any one of claims 1 to 4.