JP2001050655A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To dispose an operating board near a door outer plate, to limit an area for reducing an inside depth of the door of a board containing case to an inside and a thickness of a heat insulator to a necessary minimum limit and to improve reliability by disposing a board side connector on a surface of the board to an opposite side to a pushbutton or the like disposed on the board. SOLUTION: A board side connector 17 is provided at an intermediate part of an operating board 14 in a vertical direction, and lead pins of the connector 17 are electrically connected to a circuit of a pattern surface of the board 14 through the pattern surface. The connector 17 is connected to a lead wire side connector 11 of a door side connected to a control board of a refrigerator body through a punched hole of an outer plate 1a of a door to contain the board. Accordingly, an insulation surface can be mounted directly on the surface of the outer plate of the door. A hole provided at a door plate made of an iron plate can be relatively reduced as compared with a size of the board to reduce an area for generating a rust and to prevent a distortion of the door plate made of the iron plate due to an insufficient strength when a heat insulator is foamed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure in which an operation panel for operation control or the like is attached to a door surface of a refrigerator or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some conventional refrigerators have an operation panel having operation buttons and the like for controlling the temperature of a plurality of storage rooms formed inside the refrigerator, which is mounted on the door surface of the refrigerator. . An example of such a conventional technique is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. Sho 62-5.
No. 5086 discloses this.

In this prior art, the refrigerator compartment door is provided with a steel door outer plate and resin end pieces which are respectively placed on the upper and lower portions thereof, and the refrigerator compartment door is filled with a heat insulating material such as urethane foam. It is configured. In the upper right part of the refrigerator compartment door, an opening of an iron plate door plate is formed, and in this opening, a decorative cover for adjusting the temperature of each compartment is provided.
The decorative cover has a plurality of operation push buttons facing the front, and an operation board is arranged on the back side of the decorative cover.The control board and the operation board of the refrigerator are provided inside the door of the circuit pattern surface of the operation board. Connecting connectors, switches, lead wires, and the like are provided.

Further, a resin substrate storage case is provided inside the door of the operation board to prevent the heat insulating material from contacting the operation board and the inside of the refrigerator compartment door.

[0005]

However, such a conventional technique has the following problems. That is, the thickness of the heat insulating material inside the door is reduced by the height of the substrate storage case in the door thickness direction. For this reason, the heat insulation performance of the door in this part is reduced and heat leakage is increased,
The problem of increased power consumption was not considered.

Further, when the substrate storage case 36 is deeper on the side of the heat insulating material, when filling the foamed heat insulating material between the door outer plate and the door inner plate, the substrate storage case becomes an obstacle and the filling of the foamed heat insulating material is not possible. This has not taken into account the problem that defects such as wrinkles and distortions are likely to occur on the surface of the door and increase the production cost.

Further, a circuit pattern for connecting a switch or a lead wire is formed on a surface inside the door (panel side) inside the door of the operation board. A connecting rod for connecting the button and the switch on the board side is required, and no consideration has been given to the point that the number of components increases and the cost increases.

In order to solve this problem, if the case is eliminated and the substrate is provided outside the door outside the door, the front end of the operation panel on the door outside side protrudes from the surface of the door outside. As the height increases, not only does the refrigerator design decrease, but if the door collides with the wall, furniture or furniture around the refrigerator when the door opens and closes, the operation panel will collide first, The refrigerator is susceptible to damage and reduces the reliability of the refrigerator.

Further, since the pattern is formed on the inner side surface of the door of the operation board, when the board is mounted on the outer plate side of the door, an opening larger than the size of the board needs to be insulated from the door outer board. Needed to be formed. For this reason, the periphery of the opening of the door outer plate is easily rusted, and no consideration has been given to the point that the reliability of the refrigerator is reduced in this regard.

In addition, the area of the opening is large and the size of the case for storing the substrate is also large. When the portion facing the case is filled with the heat insulating material, the foamed heat insulating material affects the door outer plate, causing problems such as distortion of the door outer plate. It was not considered that it would increase the production cost.

Further, when the capacity of the storage portion of the substrate is increased, the thickness of the above-mentioned door heat insulating material on the projection surface of the operation substrate is reduced, which also contributes to an increase in heat leakage from outside the refrigerator. . Therefore, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of power saving of the refrigerator.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having high reliability.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator according to the present invention comprises a door having an inner plate, an outer plate made of a steel plate, and a heat insulating material disposed between the door and the door. A refrigerator provided with operating means provided on the top and operable by a user, wherein the operating means is disposed on the refrigerator front side of an opening formed on the outer plate and covers the opening; and An electric component provided on the surface of the substrate on the front side of the refrigerator, and means provided on the surface of the substrate on the front side of the refrigerator and energizing the electric component are provided. Further, the door outer plate facing the refrigerator rear side surface of the substrate is provided.

[0014] Further, a control means for adjusting the operation of the refrigerator and a connector portion for energizing the electric components are provided inside the opening and provided on the surface of the substrate on the rear side of the refrigerator. It is. Furthermore, a space is provided between the substrate and the door outer plate, and a member is provided between the substrate and the outside of the door to insulate them.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 1 is a front view showing a door removed state in the overall configuration of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a refrigerator showing the overall configuration of the present embodiment. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a refrigerator body.
The outer box, the inner box, and the space thereof are made of a heat insulating material such as urethane foam, and a refrigeration cycle and a mechanism for supplying cool air to each chamber are incorporated in the main body. In the refrigerator main body 10, a refrigerator room 2, a chilled room 3, a vegetable room 5, and freezing rooms 7, 9 are provided in this order from the top.

A refrigerating compartment door 1 to be described later is provided on a front portion of the refrigerating compartment 2 so as to be opened and closed via a hinge (not shown). The doors of the vegetable compartment 5 and the freezer compartments 7 and 9 are of a drawer type, and are installed so as to be able to be pulled out from the vegetable compartment door 4 and the freezer compartment doors 6 and 8 in order from the top. The refrigerating room storage container and the freezing room storage container are connected to each other.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of the operation panel section of the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a front view of the main part of the operation panel section of the refrigerator compartment door as viewed from the front. The refrigerator compartment door 1 has a thin steel plate door outer plate 1a on the front side, a door inner plate 21 on the inside of the refrigerator, and a resin door cover (not shown) fitted to the door outer plate 1a on the upper and lower sides. It is assembled and filled with a heat insulating material such as urethane foam. The door inner plate 21
A plurality of door pockets are provided up and down in the inside of the refrigerator. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a handle 19 is provided on the door outer plate 1a near the left side of the refrigerator compartment door 1, and the handle 19
The operation panel 15 is disposed so as to be connected to the upper part of the operation panel 15. The height of the operation panel 15 protruding from the surface of the door outer plate 1a is formed so that the height of the handle 19 protruding from the surface of the door outer plate 1a is lower than the portion where the height is greatest, that is, the top of the handle. Have been.

The operation panel 15 will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a main part of the operation panel 15 of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the operation panel 15. As for the components around the operation panel 15, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation board 14 has the operation push buttons 12, the surface mounting components such as switches, the connection solder and the like on the pattern surface 13 side. In order to attach the operation board 14 to the door outer plate surface 1a, the pattern surface 1
3 so as to enclose the board mounting cover 20 so as to enclose the board mounting cover 20 with a holding rib or the like, and to provide a gap between the operation board 14 and the door outer plate 1a. did. The substrate mounting cover 20 covers the pattern surface 13 of the operation substrate 14 and is preferably made of an insulating material such as resin. Further, the above-described decorative cover 22 is configured to be mounted so as to cover the board mounting cover 20 which is mounted on the door outer plate surface 1a with screws or the like. In addition, it is desirable that the mounting be in a relationship in which the hooks of the board mounting cover 20 and the decorative cover 22 are fitted. Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the decorative cover 22 has a good external design because it is connected directly above the vertical handle 19 attached to the door outer plate surface 1a.

The pattern surface 13 of the operation board 14
The makeup cover 22 is provided with push buttons 12 for quick freezing, rapid cooling, etc., which correspond to the switches provided on the pattern surface 13 of the operation board 14, respectively. Then, by pressing the push button 12 provided on the decorative cover 22 to turn the switch on and off, it is possible to perform control capable of responding to customer requests.

Further, the insulating surface on the back side of the substrate pattern surface 13 will be described. A board-side connector 17 is provided at an intermediate portion of the operation board 14 in the vertical direction, and the lead pins of the board-side connector 17 are connected to the operation board 14. Pattern surface 13
And is electrically connected to the circuit on the pattern surface 13. The board side connector 17 is a door outer plate 1 described later.
The lead-side connector 11 on the door side connected to the control board of the refrigerator main body 10 is connected through a hole for accommodating the board a.

Next, a description will be given of a structure of attaching the decorative cover 22 and the operation board 14 and the board attachment cover 20 to the door outer plate 1a. First, a size capable of storing the lead wires of the board connector 17 and the lead wire connector 11 provided on the insulating surface on the back side of the pattern surface of the operation board 14 at a position above the handle 19 on the left side of the door outer plate 1a. A hole is provided, and a board storage case 16 for protecting the board-side connector 17, the lead wire, the operation board 14, and the like is provided on the heat insulating material side in the door outer plate 1a.

Further, a lead wire side connector 11 for connecting to the board side in the board storage case 16 extends from above the board storage case 16. The lead wire side connector 11 is electrically connected to the refrigerator main body 10 via an upper hinge portion (not shown) of the refrigerator compartment door 1. The push button 12 provided on the decorative cover 22 is connected to the customer. By operating the refrigerator, each room of the refrigerator can be controlled as desired. The substrate storage case 16 is desirably made of resin because it stores lead wires and the like.

In this embodiment, the pattern surface 13 of the operation board 14 has mounted parts such as switches, and
The insulating surface on the back side of the connector 3 is almost in the middle,
It is arranged only.

Therefore, it is possible to attach the insulating surface directly to the door outer plate surface 1a. However, it is conceivable that moisture adheres to the operation board 14 due to moisture condensation on the door outer plate surface 1a.
Further, a gap is provided between the surface of the door outer plate 1a and the insulating surface on the back side of the pattern surface 13 of the operation board 14 in order to ensure insulation from the surface of the iron door outer plate 1a. The gap is about 1 to 2 mm, and the gap dimension can be secured by the operation board 14 fixing rib provided on the board mounting cover 20 as described above.

The size of the board storage case 16 buried in the heat insulating material is set to a size that allows the connector board side connector 17 and the connecting lead wire and the lead wire side connector 11 to be inserted (1/2 of the board size). In the following, the hole provided in the door plate 1a made of an iron plate can be reduced accordingly, so that the rust countermeasure of the door plate 1a which has conventionally been a problem in this type of door or the door plate 1a is partially Deterioration and distortion of the door outer panel 1a during heat insulation foaming can be minimized.

That is, in the present embodiment, the board side connector 17 is arranged on the surface opposite to the push buttons 12 and the switches arranged on the board 14, and in this embodiment, the pattern surface Reference numeral 13 is formed on the side of the push button 12 or the switch.

With such a configuration, it is not necessary to bury the case for accommodating the entire operation board 14 in the heat insulating material inside the door as in the related art, and the operation board can be arranged near the door outer plate.
The region where the depth of the substrate storage case to the inside of the door and the region where the thickness of the heat insulating material is reduced can be minimized.

For this reason, when the size of the substrate storage case provided in the door heat insulating material is reduced and the foam heat insulating material is filled between the door outer plate and the door inner plate, the foam heat insulating material spreads inside the door,
The occurrence of defective products due to defective filling is reduced, the manufacturing cost of the refrigerator is reduced, and the reliability is also improved. .
Further, by reducing the size of the substrate storage case, the thickness of the door heat insulating material can be sufficiently ensured, the amount of heat leakage from outside the refrigerator decreases, and the power saving effect of the refrigerator can be expected.

If the connector and the push button 12 or the switch are on the same surface on the same substrate and the pattern surface is formed on the opposite side, it is necessary to insulate the pattern surface from the insulating material such as resin. It is necessary to cover the substrate with a case, and a predetermined gap is required between the case and the pattern surface of the substrate. Furthermore, as described above, if the connectors and buttons protrude above the door surface, the reliability tends to be impaired. Therefore, it is necessary to bury the case and the heat insulating material inside the door together. For this reason, the thickness of the heat insulating material of the door on which the substrate storage case 16 is disposed is greatly reduced.

Next, an embodiment in which the insulating property between the operation board 14 and the door outer plate 1a is further improved will be described. In order to increase the insulation between the iron door outer plate surface 1a and the insulating surface on the back side of the pattern surface of the operation board 14, a structure in which an insulating material is previously provided on the back side of the pattern surface 13 of the operation board 14 is the best method. is there. FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which an insulating material is provided. In the present embodiment, an insulating sheet 23 made of polyethylene terephthalate as an insulating material is inserted between the surface of the door outer plate 1a and the insulating surface on the back side of the pattern surface 13 of the operation kiln 14 to insulate from the surface of the iron door outer plate 1a. It is a thing that secured the nature.

As apparent from the above description, the present embodiment has the following effects.

That is, a surface-mounted component is mounted on the pattern surface of the substrate, a substrate-side connector is provided on the insulating surface on the back side of the pattern surface, and the lead wires of the substrate-side connector 17 penetrate the substrate on the pattern surface side. Is arranged on the side of the decorative cover attached to the door surface, and the board-side connector is located in the storage case, so that the thickness of the decorative cover can be reduced.

Further, since the holes provided in the iron plate door plate can be made smaller than the size of the substrate, the area in which rust is generated is reduced, and it is easy to take measures against the rust of the door plate. This can prevent the door plate made of iron plate from being distorted due to insufficient strength at the time.

Further, the connecting rod for connecting the push button and the switch, which is conventionally provided on the operation panel side, can be eliminated, which leads to a reduction in the number of parts and a reduction in cost. The height of the operation panel 15 protruding from the surface of the door outer panel 1a is lower than the portion of the handle 19 protruding from the surface of the door outer panel 1a, that is, the top of the handle. When the door collides with the wall, furniture and furniture around the refrigerator when opening and closing the door, the handle part is used first to prevent damage to the panel and prevent damage to the panel. Reliability can be increased.

Further, by reducing the size of the substrate storage case, the thickness of the door heat insulating material can be sufficiently ensured, the amount of heat leakage from outside the refrigerator can be reduced, and the power saving effect of the refrigerator can be expected.

Further, since the solder surface of the substrate disposed outside the door plate surface is covered with a decorative cover, the assembly structure on the door plate surface is simplified, and the assembly process on the door plate surface is simplified. Can also be significantly reduced.

Further, a decorative cover for covering the pattern surface of the substrate is provided in connection with the handle, and a push button for rapid cooling, quick freezing, etc. is provided on the decorative cover, and the push buttons correspond to the switches arranged on the substrate. Since the switch is turned on and off by pressing the push button provided on the cover, the operation of the customer can be easily performed by the operation push button connected directly above the handle, and the design is improved.

Further, since a gap is provided between the back side of the pattern surface of the substrate and the surface of the door outer plate, the insulating performance between the substrate and the surface of the door outer plate is improved, and water adhering to the surface of the door outer plate is also improved. Can be prevented from contacting the substrate, and a highly reliable refrigerator can be provided.

Further, by adding an insulating member between the back surface of the pattern surface of the substrate and the door outer plate, it is possible to further improve the insulating performance.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, a highly reliable refrigerator can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the entire configuration of a refrigerator according to the present invention with a door removed.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of an operation panel unit of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a main part front view of the operation panel of the present invention as viewed from the front.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a main part of a door of the operation panel according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the operation panel of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a main part of an operation board mounting portion provided with the insulating material of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... refrigerator room door, 1a ... door outer plate, 2 ... refrigerator room, 3 ... chilled room, 4 ... vegetable room door, 5 ...
・ Vegetable room, 6 ・ ・ ・ Freezer compartment door, 7 ・ ・ ・ Freezer compartment 8 ・ ・ ・ Freezer compartment door, 9 ・ ・ ・ Freezer compartment, 10 ・ ・ ・ Refrigerator body, 11 ・ ・ ・ Connector housing, 12 ・ ・・ Push button, 13 ・ ・ ・ Pattern surface, 14 ・ ・ ・ Operation board, 15
... Operation panel, 16 ... Substrate storage case, 17.
..Posts, 18 ... lead wires, 19 ... handles, 20 ... board mounting covers, 21 ... door inner plates, 2
2 ... decorative cover, 23 ... insulating sheet, 30 ...
・ Refrigerator compartment door, 31 ・ ・ ・ Door outer plate, 32 ・ ・ ・ Push button, 3
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Handle, 34 ... Operation board, 35 ... Makeup cover, 36 ... Board storage case, 37 ... Post, 38 ... Lead wire, 39 ... Vegetable room door, 40・
..Freezer doors, 41 ... Freezer doors

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator comprising: a door having an inner plate, an outer plate made of a steel plate, and a heat insulating material disposed therebetween, and operating means provided on the outer plate and operable by a user. The operating means is disposed on the refrigerator front side of an opening formed on the outer plate and covers the opening; an electric component provided on the refrigerator front side surface of the substrate; Means provided on a surface of the substrate on the front side of the refrigerator and for energizing the electric component. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising the door outer plate facing a surface of the substrate on a rear side of the refrigerator. 3. A control means for adjusting the operation of the refrigerator and a connector portion for supplying electricity to the electric components, the control means being arranged inside the opening on the surface of the substrate on the rear side of the refrigerator. A refrigerator according to claim 1. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a space is provided between the substrate and the door outer plate. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 3, further comprising a member between the substrate and the outside of the door for insulating them.