EP3315882A1

EP3315882A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: EP3315882A1
Application number: EP16817422.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mitoko Ishita; Tomohiro Fujita; Shuhei Sugimoto
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2015-06-29
Filing date: 2016-06-13
Publication date: 2018-05-02
Also published as: CN107735635B; CN107735635A; JP6515334B2; WO2017002310A1; JP2017015272A; EP3315882A4

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator where an uneven portion is formed on a wall surface of one of an inner box and an outer box which constitute a body of the refrigerator, spacer member (21) is disposed on an inner surface side of machine compartment (111), vacuum heat insulating material (55) is disposed on a surface of the spacer member having a substantially planar shape on a side opposite to a surface of the spacer member which follows uneven portion (18), and foamed heat insulating material (44) is filled between the inner box and the outer box.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a heat insulating constitution of a body.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, a body of a refrigerator is formed of an inner box and an outer box, and a foamed heat insulating material is filled between the inner box and the outer box. Recently, a vacuum heat insulating material is disposed between the inner box and the outer box so that heat insulating property is enhanced. Further, a machine compartment is disposed at a suitable position of the body, for example, behind an upper portion of the body. In the inside of the machine compartment, a compressor, a condenser, and the like which are components of a refrigeration cycle which cools a refrigerating compartment and the like in the body are incorporated (see PTL 1, for example).
FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B show refrigerator 555 described in PTL 1. Refrigerator 555 includes refrigerating compartment 501, freezing compartment 502, vegetable compartment 503, and the like in the inside of body 500. Machine compartment 504 is disposed behind the upper portion of body 500. In the inside of machine compartment 504, compressor 505, a condenser, and the like which are components of a refrigeration cycle which cools refrigerating compartment 501, freezing compartment 502, vegetable compartment 503, and the like are disposed.
Body 500 is configured such that vacuum heat insulating material 508 is disposed between inner box 506 and outer box 507, and foamed heat insulating material 509 made of a foamed urethane or the like is filled between inner box 506 and outer box 507. Accordingly, body 500 has high heat insulating property.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional refrigerator, an uneven portion is formed on a wall surface of the machine compartment for disposing a compressor, a condenser, and the like. Due to the formation of such an uneven portion, there exists a drawback that mounting of the vacuum heat insulating material is difficult. That is, in the case where the uneven portion is formed on a portion where the vacuum heat insulating material is disposed, the uneven portion is brought into contact with the vacuum heat insulating material thus giving rise to a drawback that an outer covering bag of the vacuum heat insulating material breaks. Further, even when the vacuum heat insulating material is disposed, heat insulating property which the vacuum heat insulating material originally has cannot be acquired thus giving rise to a drawback that reliability of the vacuum heat insulating material becomes poor.
The portion of the body where the uneven portion exists has a heat insulating constitution only by a foamed heat insulating material. Accordingly, heat easily enters the body from the outside and hence, such a portion becomes one of obstacles in enhancing energy saving property by efficiently suppressing the invasion of heat into the body.
To reduce an amount of heat invasion from the machine compartment, the configuration may be considered where a thickness of the foamed heat insulating material filled between the inner box and the outer box in the uneven portion, that is, a wall thickness of the uneven portion becomes larger than wall thicknesses of other portions and the like. However, when the wall thickness is increased, this brings about a result that a volume in the inside of the body is reduced by an amount corresponding to the increase of the wall thickness and the like.
The place where the above-mentioned problem occurs is not limited to the machine compartment. There is a possibility that substantially the same problem occurs also in portions where various parts such as a control unit, for example, are disposed provided that an uneven portion is formed in such places. Particularly, in the case of a machine compartment housing a part such as a compressor or a condenser which requires an uneven portion for disposing the part and generates heat of a relatively large generated heat quantity, the influence of the heat is large thus becoming a large obstacle in the enhancement of energy saving property and the ensuring of the volume of the refrigerator.

Citation List

Patent Literature

PTL 1: Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-50267

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator where a vacuum heat insulating material can be arranged without lowering reliability of the refrigerator even when an uneven portion is formed on a wall surface of a body of the refrigerator so that the refrigerator can increase heat insulating property, can exhibit high energy saving property, and can also ensure a volume in the inside of the refrigerator.
To be more specific, a refrigerator according to an example of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a body having an inner box and an outer box; a vacuum heat insulating material disposed between the inner box and the outer box; and a foamed heat insulating material filled between the inner box and the outer box. An uneven portion is formed on a wall surface of the inner box or the outer box. The body further includes a spacer member having a surface which follows a shape of the uneven portion. The spacer member has a surface having a substantially planar shape, on a side opposite to the surface which follows the shape of the uneven portion, and the vacuum heat insulating material is disposed on the surface having the substantially planar shape.
With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a case where an outer covering bag of the vacuum heat insulating material is broken by the uneven portion formed on the wall surface of the inner box or the outer box which forms the body. Accordingly, a vacuum heat insulating material can be disposed also on the portion where the uneven portion is formed. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a refrigerator which can enhance heat insulating property without lowering reliability of the refrigerator, can reduce a wall thickness of the uneven portion compared to a conventional refrigerator, can exhibit high energy saving property, and can also ensure a volume in the inside of the refrigerator.
The refrigerator according to an example of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that the body further includes a machine compartment, an uneven portion is formed on a wall surface of the machine compartment, and a heat generating part which forms a refrigeration cycle may be disposed in the uneven portion.
With such a configuration, even when the heat generating part is disposed in the uneven portion, it is possible to enhance heat insulating property of the refrigerator by the vacuum heat insulating material disposed in a portion where the uneven portion is disposed without lowering reliability of the refrigerator. Even when the uneven portion is formed on the wall surface of the inner box or the outer box, a wall thickness can be reduced and hence, it is possible to enhance energy saving property and an indoor volume enlarging effect of the refrigerator.
In the refrigerator according to an example of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the machine compartment may be disposed behind an upper portion of the body.
With such a configuration, even when a compressor, a condenser, and the like which form a refrigeration cycle and have a relatively high temperature are disposed in the inside of the machine compartment, heat from the machine compartment can be efficiently insulated so that it is possible to provide the refrigerator which exhibits high energy saving property and a high indoor volume enlarging effect.
In the refrigerator according to an example of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the machine compartment may be disposed such that a machine compartment case is mounted on a notched portion formed on an upper portion of the outer box. Further, the spacer member and the vacuum heat insulating material may be mounted on the uneven portion formed on the machine compartment case, these parts may be integrally formed with the machine compartment case, and the integrally formed parts may be formed as a unit.
With such a configuration, by merely mounting the machine compartment case on the outer box, the spacer member and the vacuum heat insulating material can be disposed on the outer box. That is, compared to a case where the machine compartment case is independently mounted on the outer box and, thereafter, the spacer member and the vacuum heat insulating material are mounted on the machine compartment case, the spacer member and the vacuum heat insulating material can be rapidly and easily disposed on the outer box and hence, productivity can be enhanced. Further, the production cost is suppressed and hence, it is possible to provide the refrigerator at a low cost.
In the refrigerator according to an example of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the spacer member may be made of polystyrene foam.
With such a configuration, even when the uneven portion on a body side has a complicated shape, the spacer member can be easily manufactured into a shape which follows the shape of the uneven portion by molding. At the same time, it is possible to impart heat insulating property to the spacer member itself and hence, it is possible to make the spacer member exhibit higher heat insulating property in combination with heat insulating effects of the vacuum heat insulating material and the foamed heat insulating material. Accordingly, the refrigerator can realize energy saving property and an indoor volume enlarging effect at a higher level while realizing the reduction of a manufacturing cost.
In the refrigerator according to an example of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the uneven portion of the machine compartment may be formed with a part mounting portion, and a foamed heat insulating material passage which leads to the part mounting portion may be disposed between the uneven portion of the machine compartment and the spacer member.
With such a configuration, even when the spacer member is interposed between the uneven portion and the foamed heat insulating material, the part mounting portion formed on the uneven portion can increase its strength by the foamed heat insulating material. Accordingly, even when the part mounted on the part mounting portion has a heavy weight and generates vibrations like a compressor or a condenser, the part can be surely and firmly mounted on and fixed to the part mounting portion, and it is possible to suppress a phenomenon that vibrations propagate to the body so that noise occurs. As a result, it is possible to eliminate a concern of lowering strength of the uneven portion which may arise due to the provision of the spacer member. Accordingly, it is possible to enhance reliability of the refrigerator by ensuring part mounting strength while enhancing heat insulating property.
In the refrigerator according to an example of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a projecting portion may be formed on an outer peripheral portion of a surface of the spacer member having a substantially planar shape on which the vacuum heat insulating material is disposed, and may restrict the position of the vacuum heat insulating material.
With such a configuration, it is possible prevent the occurrence of a case where the vacuum heat insulating material disposed on the spacer member is positionally displaced or damaged due to the flow or the foaming of a foamed heat insulating material filled between the outer box and the inner box. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent damaging and breaking of a bag of the vacuum heat insulating material with more certainty and hence, vacuum heat insulating material can exhibits high heat insulating property thus further enhancing reliability of the refrigerator.
In the refrigerator according to an example of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the projecting portion is formed annularly on the spacer member, a height of the projecting portion which projects outward from a surface of the planar portion of the spacer member may be set substantially equal to a height (thickness) of the vacuum heat insulating material.
With such a configuration, a foamed heat insulating material which flows on the planar portion of the vacuum heat insulating material smoothly flows. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the formation of voids or the like which is liable to occur when there is a stepped portion between the planar portion of the vacuum heat insulating material and the annular projecting portion, and which is caused by lowering of fluidity of a material. Accordingly, the vacuum heat insulating material can ensure high heat insulating property as designed so that heat insulating performance of the refrigerator can be made stable.
In the refrigerator according to an example of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the machine compartment may have at least two walls that are formed so as to face at least two walls of a storage compartment formed in the body, and the vacuum heat insulating material may be formed in a shape where the vacuum heat insulating material is bent substantially in an L shape so as to follow the at least two wall surfaces of the machine compartment.
With such a configuration, compared to a case where vacuum heat insulating materials which are separate from each other are disposed on the at least two walls of the machine compartment respectively, productivity can be enhanced, a production cost can be reduced, and it is possible to provide the refrigerator at a low cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a back-surface perspective view of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a machine compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a back-surface perspective view of an inner box and a machine compartment case of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a view of a machine compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a back surface side.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing the machine compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the machine compartment of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the machine compartment of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 7.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the machine compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 7.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the machine compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 7.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a machine compartment case unit of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing the machine compartment case unit of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14A is an exploded perspective view of the machine compartment case unit of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a side of the machine compartment case unit.
FIG. 14B is an exploded perspective view of the machine compartment case unit according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a side opposite to a side in FIG. 14A.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a spacer member and a vacuum heat insulating material of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16A is a transverse cross-sectional view of the conventional refrigerator.
FIG. 16B is a front cross-sectional view of the conventional refrigerator.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, one example of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings. In the following exemplary embodiment, the description is made by taking a machine compartment disposed behind an upper portion of a body as one example of a part accommodating portion. However, the present invention is not limited by such an example.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a back-surface perspective view of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a machine compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a back-surface perspective view showing an inner box and a machine compartment case of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 2, body 1 of refrigerator 200 includes outer box 2 which is made by mainly using steel plate, and inner box 3 which is formed by molding using a hard resin such as ABS. Foamed heat insulating material 4 such as hard foamed urethane is filled between outer box 2 and inner box 3. Between outer box 2 and inner box 3 of body 1, to be more specific, on side surfaces, back surfaces, ceiling surfaces between outer box 2 and inner box 3, vacuum heat insulating material 5 is disposed.
In the inside of body 1, a plurality of storage compartments such as refrigerating compartment 6, freezing compartment 7, and vegetable compartment 8 are provided, and openable and closable door 9 is disposed on respective opening portions of the plurality of storage compartments. In body 1, a duct for supplying cool air to refrigerating compartment 6, freezing compartment 7, vegetable compartment 8, and the like is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, duct member 6a for supplying cool air to refrigerating compartment 6 is provided along a back-side inner surface of inner box 3, and an upper portion of duct member 6a is fixed to inner box 3 by locking screws 6b (see FIG. 5). Locking screws 6b are formed in a projecting manner on a portion facing a vertical wall of a machine compartment described later thus forming uneven portions on an inner box 3 side.
As shown in FIG. 4, uneven portion 18 is formed on the wall of body 1. Notched portion 2a is formed on a rear portion of an upper portion of outer box 2 which constitutes body 1, and machine compartment case 110 having substantially an L shape is mounted by being fitted in notched portion 2a, and machine compartment 111 is formed into a recessed shape. The substantially L shape means that, as shown in FIG. 4, a cross-sectional shape of body 1 as viewed from a side of body 1 is formed in an L shape so as to follow a vertical wall surface and a bottom surface of notched portion 2a which is formed by cutting a portion of outer box 2 in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction of outer box 2. Machine compartment case 110 may be disposed so as to constitute a portion of outer box 2. An upper portion and a back portion of machine compartment 111 are covered by machine compartment cover 111a, and intake hole 12 and exhaust hole 13 are formed in machine compartment cover 111a.
Condenser 15, cooling fan 16, compressor 17 which are parts for constituting a refrigeration cycle are disposed in machine compartment 111 in this order from a windward (intake hole 12) side, and condenser 15 and compressor 17 are cooled by air by driving cooling fan 16.
FIG. 6 is a view of a machine compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a back surface side, FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing the machine compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the machine compartment of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the machine compartment of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 7, FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the machine compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 7, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the machine compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 7. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a machine compartment case unit of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing the machine compartment case unit of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14A is an exploded perspective view of the machine compartment case unit of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 14B is an exploded perspective view of the machine compartment case unit according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a side opposite to a side in FIG. 14A, and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a spacer member and a vacuum heat insulating material of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, in machine compartment case 110 which constitutes machine compartment 111, uneven portion 18 having a plurality of projection and recessed portions is formed on wall surfaces of the at least two walls of machine compartment case 110, for example, respective surfaces of a longitudinal wall and a lateral wall of machine compartment case 110 (respective wall surfaces of walls perpendicular to and parallel to a planar surface on which body 1 is disposed), and condenser 15, cooling fan 16, compressor 17, and the like are mounted on and fixed to machine compartment case 110 by making use of uneven portion 18. To be more specific, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a portion of the uneven portion existing on the bottom surface is constituted as part mounting portion 19, and compressor 17 is fixed to part mounting portion 19 by screwing with rubber bush 20 interposed between compressor 17 and part mounting portion 19.
As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, between the at least two walls (a vertical wall and a lateral wall) of machine compartment case 110 and the vertical wall and the lateral wall of inner box 3 which respectively face two walls of machine compartment case 110, vacuum heat insulating material 55 is disposed by way of spacer member 21 and foamed heat insulating material 44 is filled thus providing the heat insulating structure.
Spacer member 21 is formed by molding polystyrene foam, and as shown in FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B, spacer member 21 has surface 22a which follows the shape of uneven portion 18. That is, surface 22a of spacer member 21 on a side where spacer member 21 is in contact with uneven portion 18 of machine compartment case 110 is formed in a shape which follows the shape of uneven portion 18. Spacer member 21 is mounted by fitting on a back surface of machine compartment case 110 on which uneven portion 18 is formed.
Spacer member 21 is configured such that surface 22b on a side opposite to surface 22a on a side where spacer member 21 is in contact with uneven portion 18 of machine compartment case 110 has a substantially planar shape. Projecting portion 23 is annularly formed on an outer peripheral portion of surface 22b, and vacuum heat insulating material 55 is disposed on a planar portion of surface 22b surrounded by projecting portion 23. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 15, projecting portion 23 is formed such that a height of projecting portion 23 (a height of a portion of spacer member 21 which projects outward from a surface of the planar portion surrounded by projecting portion 23) is set substantially equal to a height (thickness) of vacuum heat insulating material 55.
As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, vacuum heat insulating material 55 disposed on surface 22b of spacer member 21 is configured such that one sheet of vacuum heat insulating material is bent in a substantially L shape, and vacuum heat insulating material 55 is bonded to machine compartment case 110 by adhesive tape 24 in a state where spacer member 21 is sandwiched between vacuum heat insulating material 55 and machine compartment case 110 thus forming one unit part.
As shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 14A, and FIG. 14B, spacer member 21 forms foamed heat insulating material passage 25 which leads to part mounting portion 19 of compressor 17 between spacer member 21 and a back surface of uneven portion 18 of machine compartment case 110. In this exemplary embodiment, as indicated by arrow X in FIG. 8 and FIG. 13, the refrigerator is configured such that foamed heat insulating material 44 is made to flow in foamed heat insulating material passage 25 from between a front end of machine compartment case 110 and a front end surface of spacer member 21. Foamed heat insulating material 44 flows to part mounting portion 19 through foamed heat insulating material passage 25, and as shown in FIG. 10, is disposed between the back surface of part mounting portion 19 and surface 22a of spacer member 21 in a foamed and solidified manner.
The manner of operation of refrigerator 200 having the above-mentioned configuration according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described hereinafter.
In refrigerator 200 exemplified in this exemplary embodiment, compressor 17 and condenser 15 are disposed in machine compartment 111 which is disposed behind an upper portion of body 1, and these compressor 17 and condenser 15 generate heat and hence, such a heat tends to enter refrigerating compartment 6 in the inside of body 1 through the vertical wall and the lateral wall of machine compartment 111.
However, in refrigerator 200 of this exemplary embodiment, vacuum heat insulating material 55 is disposed between the vertical and lateral walls of machine compartment 111 and the vertical and lateral walls of refrigerating compartment 6 and hence, a heat insulating effect attributed to vacuum heat insulating material 55 can be acquired therebetween in addition to heat insulation due to foamed heat insulating material 44 thus insulating heat from compressor 17 and condenser 15 with more certainly.
With such a configuration, an elevation of a temperature in the inside of refrigerating compartment 6 due to invasion of heat from machine compartment 111 can be largely suppressed compared to the conventional heat insulation only by a foamed heat insulating material and hence, an operation of compressor 17, that is, a frequency of a cooling operation can be suppressed by an amount of the suppression of the temperature elevation thus enhancing energy saving property.
With the above-mentioned configuration, since vacuum heat insulating material 55 is provided, the heat insulating property of machine compartment 111 can be remarkably enhanced, and a wall thickness between the vertical and lateral walls of machine compartment 111 and the vertical and lateral walls of inner box 3 can be decreased. Accordingly, an indoor volume of refrigerating compartment 6 can be increased without increasing an outer shape of body 1 by an amount of the decrease of the wall thickness.
Vacuum heat insulating material 55 is configured such that spacer member 21 is arranged in uneven portion 18 which is formed on the wall surface of machine compartment 111, and surface 22b on a side opposite to surface 22a of spacer member 21 which follows the shape of uneven portion 18 has a substantially planar shape. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent breaking of an outer bag of vacuum heat insulating material 55 attributed to uneven portion 18 existing on the wall surface of machine compartment 111.
Accordingly, vacuum heat insulating material 55 can be disposed also on a portion where uneven portion 18 exists and, at the same time, a high heat insulating property which vacuum heat insulating material 55 originally has can be continuously acquired thus ensuring reliability in heat insulation.
Machine compartment 111 is configured such that machine compartment case 110 is mounted on notched portion 2a which is disposed behind an upper portion of outer box 2. Spacer member 21 and vacuum heat insulating material 55 are mounted on machine compartment case 110 and, thereafter, these components are formed as a unit. With such a configuration, productivity can be enhanced and hence, it is possible to provide refrigerator 200 at a low cost.
That is, in this exemplary embodiment, machine compartment case 110, spacer member 21, and vacuum heat insulating material 55 are integrally formed as a unit and hence, by merely mounting machine compartment case 110 in notched portion 2a of outer box 2, spacer member 21 and vacuum heat insulating material 55 can be disposed. Further, compared to a case where machine compartment case 110 is mounted on outer box 2 and, thereafter, spacer member 21 and vacuum heat insulating material 55 are mounted on machine compartment case 110, machine compartment case 110 can be easily disposed on outer box 2 in a short time. Further, the productivity is enhanced and hence, it is possible to provide refrigerator 200 at a low cost.
In this exemplary embodiment, spacer member 21 is made of polystyrene foam and hence, even when the uneven portion on a machine compartment 111 side has a complicated shape, spacer member 21 can be easily formed into a shape which follows the shape of uneven portion 18 by molding thus realizing the reduction of cost.
Simultaneously, spacer member 21 itself has a heat insulating property and hence, it is possible to make spacer member 21 exhibit higher heat insulating property in combination with heat insulating effects of vacuum heat insulating material 55 and foamed heat insulating material 44.
Accordingly, the refrigerator can realize energy saving property and an indoor volume enlarging effect while realizing the reduction of a manufacturing cost.
Spacer member 21 may be configured such that projecting portion 23 is formed on an outer peripheral portion of surface 22b on which vacuum heat insulating material 55 is disposed. In this case, vacuum heat insulating material 55 is disposed on a planar portion of surface 22b surrounded by projecting portion 23. With such a configuration, it is possible prevent the occurrence of a case where vacuum heat insulating material 55 disposed on spacer member 21 is positionally displaced or damaged due to the flow or the foaming of foamed heat insulating material 44 filled between outer box 2 and inner box 3. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent damaging and breaking of a bag of vacuum heat insulating material 55 with more certainty and hence, vacuum heat insulating material 55 can exhibit high heat insulating property thus further enhancing reliability of vacuum heat insulating material 55.
Further, projecting portion 23 is formed annularly on spacer member 21, a height of projecting portion 23 which projects outward from the surface of the planar portion of spacer member 21 surrounded by projecting portion 23 is set substantially equal to the height (thickness) of vacuum heat insulating material 55. With such a configuration, foamed heat insulating material 44 can be made to flow smoothly between inner box 3 and vacuum heat insulating material 55. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the formation of voids or the like which is liable to occur when there is a stepped portion or the like between the planar surface of vacuum heat insulating material 55 and projecting portion 23 which is formed annularly on spacer member 21 and when projecting portions 23 are formed along an outer periphery of spacer member 21 in a divided manner into a plurality of projecting portions, and which is caused by lowering of fluidity of a material. With such a configuration, the vacuum heat insulating material can ensure high heat insulating property as designed so that heat insulating performance of the refrigerator can be made stable.
Vacuum heat insulating material 55 is mounted on spacer member 21 while having a shape which is bent in substantially an L shape so as to follow at least two walls (vertical wall and lateral wall) of machine compartment 111. With such a configuration, compared to a case where vacuum heat insulating materials which are separate from each other are disposed on two wall surfaces of the vertical wall and the lateral wall of machine compartment 111 respectively, productivity can be enhanced, a production cost can be suppressed, and it is possible to provide refrigerator 200 at a low cost.
On the other hand, compressor 17 disposed in machine compartment 111 vibrates simultaneously with the generation of heat. However, in refrigerator 200 according to this exemplary embodiment, foamed heat insulating material 44 is filled and solidified on the back surface of part mounting portion 19 on which compressor 17 is mounted and fixed and hence, a strength of part mounting portion 19 can be increased by foamed heat insulating material 44 so that compressor 17 can be certainly and firmly mounted and fixed without rattling.
That is, in the case where vacuum heat insulating material 55 is disposed on uneven portion 18 on which part mounting portion 19 is formed with spacer member 21 interposed between uneven portion 18 and vacuum heat insulating material 55 and, thereafter, foamed heat insulating material 44 is filled and solidified therebetween directly, part mounting portion 19 is eventually supported by spacer member 21. Accordingly, there is a concern about the strength of part mounting portion 19. However, according to the configuration of this exemplary embodiment, foamed heat insulating material 44 is made to flow between part mounting portion 19 and spacer member 21 and is foamed and solidified therebetween so that part mounting portion 19 and spacer member 21 are supported by foamed heat insulating material 44 and hence, spacer member 21 can acquire sufficient strength.
Accordingly, even compressor 17 which has a heavy weight and generates vibrations can be certainly and firmly mounted and fixed. Simultaneously, it is possible to suppress the generation of noise due to propagation of vibrations to body 1 and the like. That is, it is possible to eliminate a concern of lowering strength of the uneven portion which may arise due to the provision of spacer member 21. Accordingly, it is possible to enhance reliability of the refrigerator by ensuring part mounting strength while enhancing heat insulating property.
The present invention has been described with respect to refrigerator 200 which is one example of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention heretofore. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment and can be modified in various manners within the scope where the object of the present invention can be achieved.
For example, in the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment, the description is made by taking machine compartment 111 disposed on the upper portion of body 1 as an example of a portion where uneven portion 18 exists. However, uneven portion 18 may be provided to a storage compartment for a control unit and the like which is disposed on the back surface and a ceiling surface of body 1 (for example, a portion indicated by symbol Y in FIG. 2). That is, the present invention is applicable to any portion provided that the portion exists in the storage compartment for parts such as compressor 17, condenser 15, and the control unit, and has an uneven portion for mounting the parts.
The configuration for increasing a strength of part mounting portion 19 described in the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment is described with reference to part mounting portion 19 on which compressor 17 is mounted. However, such a configuration for increasing a strength part mounting portion 19 may be provided to any part such as condenser 15 or cooling fan 16, and it is particularly effective when such a configuration is applied to a part which has a heavy weight and generates vibrations.
Further, spacer member 21 is described by exemplifying the spacer member which is disposed on an outer box 2 side of body 1, that is, a machine compartment case 110 side which constitutes a part of outer box 2. However, spacer member 21 may be disposed on inner box 3 side where an uneven portion is formed by providing locking screws 6b for fixing the duct member in a projecting manner.
As described above, it must be construed that the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment is illustrative and is not limitative in all aspects. That is, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the description of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment and is intended to include all modifications which are described by claims and fall within the meaning and the scope equivalent to claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As has been described heretofore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator which can enhance heat insulating property of a portion where an uneven portion exists without lowering reliability of the refrigerator and, further, without increasing a wall thickness of the uneven portion, can exhibit high energy saving property, and can also ensure an enlarged volume in the inside of the refrigerator. Accordingly, the present invention can be widely applicable to household-use and business-use refrigerators, and other freezing and refrigerating application products such as an automatic vending machine.

REFERENCE MARKS IN THE DRAWINGS

1: body
2: outer box
2a: notched portion
3: inner box
4, 44: foamed heat insulating material
5, 55: vacuum heat insulating material
6: refrigerating compartment
6a: duct member
6b: locking screw
7: freezing compartment
8: vegetable compartment
9: door
110: machine compartment case
111: machine compartment
12: intake hole
13: exhaust hole
15: condenser
16: cooling fan
17: compressor
18: uneven portion
19: part mounting portion
20: rubber bush
21: spacer member
22a, 22b: surface
23: projecting portion
24: tape
25: foamed heat insulating material passage

Claims

A refrigerator comprising:
a body having an inner box and an outer box;

a vacuum heat insulating material disposed between the inner box and the outer box; and

a foamed heat insulating material filled between the inner box and the outer box,
wherein

the body has a wall surface formed with an uneven portion,

the body further includes a spacer member having a surface which follows a shape of the uneven portion,

the spacer member has a surface having a substantially planar shape, on a side opposite to the surface which follows the shape of the uneven portion, and

the vacuum heat insulating material is disposed on the surface having the substantially planar shape.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein
the body further includes a machine compartment,
the uneven portion is formed on a wall surface of the machine compartment, and
a heat generating part which forms a refrigeration cycle is disposed in the uneven portion.
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the machine compartment is disposed behind an upper portion of the body.
The refrigerator according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein
the machine compartment includes a machine compartment case,
the uneven portion is formed on the machine compartment case,
the machine compartment is disposed on the body by disposing the machine compartment case in a notched portion formed on an upper portion of the outer box, and
the machine compartment case is integrally formed with the spacer member and the vacuum heat insulating material such that the spacer member is arranged in the uneven portion, and the vacuum heat insulating material is mounted on the surface, which has the substantially planar shape, of the spacer member.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the spacer member is made of polystyrene foam.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein
the uneven portion of the machine compartment is formed with a part mounting portion, and
a foamed heat insulating material passage which leads to the part mounting portion is disposed between the uneven portion of the machine compartment and the spacer member.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein
a projecting portion is formed on an outer peripheral portion of the surface, which has the substantially planar shape, of the spacer member, and
the vacuum heat insulating material is positionally restricted by the projecting portion.
The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein
the projecting portion is formed annularly on the spacer member, and
the projecting portion has a height substantially equal to a height of the vacuum heat insulating material.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein
the machine compartment has at least two walls that are formed so as to face walls of a storage compartment formed in the body, and
the vacuum heat insulating material is formed in a shape where the vacuum heat insulating material is bent substantially in an L shape so as to follow the at least two walls of the machine compartment.