JP2009036500A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of securing a food storage volume of a storage compartment and storing food for a long time with an inexpensive structure. <P>SOLUTION: In this refrigerator comprising a refrigerator main body provided with a plurality of storage compartments including a refrigerating compartment, doors for opening and closing front openings of the storage compartments, a low pressure compartment disposed in the refrigerating compartment, and a pressure reducing means for reducing a pressure in the low pressure compartment, the low pressure compartment has a low pressure compartment main body 40 having an opening portion, and a low pressure compartment door for opening and closing the opening portion. The low pressure compartment main body comprises a box-shaped resin framework provided with the opening portion at its front face, a metallic plate-shaped member having both side walls, a bottom wall and a back wall corresponding to both side walls, a bottom wall and a back wall of the framework, projecting portions disposed on both side walls and the back wall of the framework, and locking portions disposed on the both side walls and the back wall of the plate-shaped member and locked on the projecting portions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  A conventional refrigerator is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-218924 (Patent Document 1). This refrigerator is provided with a reduced pressure storage space in the storage chamber independently for long-term preservation of food by controlling the air atmosphere of the food storage chamber to a low oxygen state and maintaining freshness, and in the reduced pressure storage space. A vacuum pump for exhausting air is installed in the corner of the storage room. The specific configuration will be described below.

  And this decompression storage space is formed in the low pressure chamber comprised by the storage container and lid | cover which store and store the food provided in the temperature switching chamber. The storage container is placed between a pair of left and right support frames extending in the back direction on the inner surface side of the temperature switching chamber door, and can be pulled out of the cabinet together with the door. The lid is disposed so as to cover the upper surface opening of the storage container, and is usually suspended so as to have a gap with respect to the opening of the storage container by the urging force of a tension spring attached to the indoor ceiling surface. A seal packing is fixed to the lower peripheral edge of the lid corresponding to the upper portion of the storage container. When the cover covers the opening of the storage container, the seal container eliminates a gap and seals the inside of the storage container.

  The vacuum pump is arranged at the back of the storage container, and one end of the suction pipe of the vacuum pump is opened so as to be positioned in the storage container through the lid, and the other end of the suction pipe is downward from the rear along the upper part of the cover It is extended to. The vacuum pump is driven by instructing operation manually or automatically according to the necessity of storing food under reduced pressure, and is driven after a predetermined time has elapsed after the temperature switching chamber door is closed. The air in the storage container sealed through the suction pipe is sucked to act to depressurize the storage container. When the pressure in the storage container is within the range of the predetermined value, the vacuum pump is controlled to stop driving, and the pressure in the storage container becomes higher than the predetermined value due to the storage or removal of food in the storage container. The air is again sucked in and reduced in pressure until the pressure becomes a predetermined value or less by driving the vacuum pump.

  A lid opening / closing mechanism is provided in front of the top of the lid. This lid opening / closing mechanism is composed of a rod-like body, one end is supported and engaged with the upper part of the temperature switching chamber door, the other end is freely rotatable up and down, is extended to the indoor side, and a lid pressing portion is provided at the tip. Then, the lid pressing portion is moved up and down by engagement movement at the time of opening / closing door operation with a guide provided on the ceiling portion. The lid opening / closing mechanism is pulled out of the cabinet together with the temperature switching chamber door when the door is opened. By rotating the handle of the temperature switching chamber door, the leak valve provided on the lid is mechanically or electrically interlocked to open a communication hole with the outside. By pulling out the temperature switching chamber door, the lid remains in the room, and only the storage container is pulled out of the cabinet with the upper surface opened. When the storage container is moved to the back of the room by the closing operation, the opening of the storage container is closed by the front end pressing portion pressing the upper surface of the cover as the cover opening / closing mechanism moves in the back direction. .

JP 2004-218924 A

  In the refrigerator of Patent Document 1 described above, since the decompression storage space constituted by the storage container and the lid is decompressed by driving the vacuum pump, the storage container and the lid need to have high rigidity to withstand the decompression force. In particular, since the storage container has a large area for receiving a decompression force, the amount of deformation at the opening of the storage container increases.

  The objective of this invention is providing the refrigerator which can aim at the long-term preservation | save of the foodstuff by a low pressure chamber, ensuring the food storage volume of a low pressure chamber.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a refrigerator according to the present invention is disposed in a refrigerator body in which a plurality of storage chambers including a refrigerator compartment are formed, a door that opens and closes a front opening of each reservoir compartment, and the refrigerator compartment. In the refrigerator including a low pressure chamber and a decompression means for decompressing the low pressure chamber, the low pressure chamber includes a low pressure chamber main body having an opening and a low pressure chamber door for opening and closing the opening, and the low pressure chamber The main body is a metal plate-shaped member having a box-shaped resin outer shell in which the opening is formed on the front surface, and both side walls, a bottom wall and a back wall corresponding to both side walls, a bottom wall and a back wall of the outer shell. A protrusion provided on the both side walls and the back wall of the outer shell, and a locking portion provided on the both side walls and the back wall of the plate-like member and locked to the protrusion. It is characterized by having.

  Moreover, the upper surface of the low-pressure chamber main body has an upper surface opening, and the upper surface opening includes a glass plate provided via a packing.

  Further, the back side of the low-pressure chamber door has a support portion protruding to the lower side of the glass plate and protruding to the upper side of the plate-like member.

  The gap between the upper surface of the glass plate and the shelf that partitions the refrigerator compartment is a cold air passage that guides cold air forward.

  According to the refrigerator of the present invention having such a configuration, food can be stored for a long period of time while ensuring the food storage capacity of the storage room.

  Hereinafter, the refrigerator of one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using figures.

  First, the whole refrigerator will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the refrigerator body of FIG.

  The refrigerator includes a refrigerator body 1 and doors 6 to 10. The refrigerator body 1 includes a urethane foam heat insulating material 13 and a vacuum heat insulating material (not shown) between a steel plate outer box 11 and a resin inner box 12. A plurality of storage rooms are provided in the order of the rooms 3 and 4 and the vegetable room 5. In other words, the refrigerator compartment 2 is arranged at the uppermost stage, and the vegetable compartment 5 is arranged at the lowermost stage, and between the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5, the two rooms are insulated from each other. Partitioned freezer compartments 3 and 4 are provided. The refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 are storage compartments in a refrigeration temperature zone, and the freezer compartments 3 and 4 are storage compartments in a freezing temperature zone of 0 ° C. or less (for example, a temperature zone of about −20 ° C. to −18 ° C.). is there. The freezer compartment 3 is divided into an ice making chamber 3a and a quick freezer compartment 3b. These storage chambers 2 to 5 are partitioned by partition walls 33, 34, and 35.

  On the front surface of the refrigerator main body 1, doors 6 to 10 that close the front opening portions of the storage chambers 2 to 5 are provided. The refrigerator compartment door 6 closes the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2, the ice making compartment door 7 closes the front opening of the ice making compartment 3a, and the quick freezing compartment door 8 closes the front opening of the quick freezing compartment 3b. The freezing room door 9 is a door that closes the front opening of the freezing room 4, and the vegetable room door 10 is a door that closes the front opening of the vegetable room 5. The refrigerator compartment door 6 is constituted by a double door with double doors, and the ice making chamber 3a, the quick freezing compartment 3b, the freezing compartment 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 are constituted by a drawer type door, and a container in the storage room is pulled out together with the drawer door. It is.

  The refrigerator body 1 is provided with a refrigeration cycle. This refrigeration cycle is configured by connecting a compressor 14, a condenser (not shown), a capillary tube (not shown) and an evaporator 15, and then the compressor 14 again. The compressor 14 and the condenser are installed in a machine room provided at the lower back of the refrigerator body 1. The evaporator 15 is installed in a cooler room provided behind the freezing rooms 3 and 4, and a blower fan 16 is installed above the evaporator 15 in the cooler room.

  The cold air cooled by the evaporator 15 is sent by the blower fan 16 to the storage rooms of the refrigerator compartment 2, the ice making compartment 3 a, the quick freeze compartment 3 b, the freezer compartment 4 and the vegetable compartment 5. Specifically, a part of the cool air sent by the blower fan 16 is sent to a storage room in the refrigerator temperature zone of the refrigerator room 2 and the vegetable room 5 through a damper device that can be opened and closed, and the other part. Are sent to the ice making room 3a, the quick freezing room 3b, and the freezing room 4 storage room.

  The cool air sent to the storage rooms of the refrigerator compartment 2, the ice making room 3a, the quick freezing room 3b, the freezing room 4 and the vegetable room 5 by the blower fan 16 is cooled through the cold air return passage after cooling each storage room. Returned to the chamber. Thus, the refrigerator of this embodiment has a cold air circulation structure, and maintains each of the storage chambers 2 to 5 at an appropriate temperature.

  A plurality of shelves 17 to 20 made of a transparent resin plate are detachably installed in the refrigerator compartment 2. The lowermost shelf 20 is installed in contact with the back surface and both side surfaces of the inner box 12, and divides the lowermost space 21, which is the lower space, from the upper space. Further, a plurality of door pockets 25 to 27 are installed inside each refrigerator compartment door 6, and these door pockets 25 to 27 protrude into the refrigerator compartment 2 with the refrigerator compartment door 6 closed. Is provided.

  Next, the arrangement of devices in the lowermost space 21 of the refrigerator compartment 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a front view of the refrigerator compartment portion of the refrigerator main body of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the lowermost space portion of the refrigerator compartment of FIG.

  In the lowermost space 21, in order from the left, an ice making water tank 22 for supplying ice making water to the ice making tray of the ice making room 3a, a storage case 23 for storing food such as dessert, and the inside of the room are decompressed to store food. A low pressure chamber 24 for maintaining freshness and storing for a long period of time is installed. The low pressure chamber 24 refers to a storage chamber configured to reduce the pressure from atmospheric pressure to atmospheric pressure by a decompression means (such as a vacuum pump). The low-pressure chamber 24 has a width that is narrower than the width of the refrigerator compartment 2, and is disposed adjacent to the side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2.

  Thus, since the low-pressure chamber 24 is arranged in the lowermost space 21 of the refrigerator compartment 2 arranged on the freezer compartments 3 and 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 of the refrigerator, the usability is good.

  The ice making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 are disposed behind the left refrigerator compartment door 6. Thereby, the ice making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 can be pulled out only by opening the left refrigerator compartment door 6. The low pressure chamber 24 is disposed behind the right refrigeration chamber door 6. Thereby, the food tray 60 (see FIG. 6) of the low pressure chamber 24 can be pulled out only by opening the right refrigerator compartment door 6. The ice making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 are located behind the lowermost door pocket 27 of the left refrigerator compartment door 6, and the low pressure chamber 24 is located in the lowermost door pocket 27 of the right refrigerator compartment door 6. It will be located behind.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an ice making water pump 28 is installed behind the ice making water tank 22. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a vacuum pump 29, which is an example of a decompression unit for decompressing the low pressure chamber 24, is disposed in the space behind the storage case 23 and on the rear side of the low pressure chamber 24. Yes. Thereby, the vacuum pump 29 can easily connect the conduit 29a (see FIG. 9) to the pump connection portion 42i (see FIG. 14) provided on the side surface of the low-pressure chamber 24, and take out the storage case 23. This allows easy maintenance from the front.

  Next, a basic configuration of the low-pressure chamber 24 and a cooling method thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the lowermost space portion of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. 4, FIG. 7 is a front view of the back panel of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. 4, and FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vicinity of the low-pressure chamber of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the low-pressure chamber of the refrigerator compartment of FIG.

  The low-pressure chamber 24 includes a box-shaped low-pressure chamber main body 40 having an opening for food access, a low-pressure chamber door 50 that opens and closes the food access opening of the low-pressure chamber main body 40, and stores the food in the low-pressure chamber door 50. And a food tray 60 to be taken in and out. By closing the food loading / unloading opening 42 a of the low pressure chamber door 50 with the low pressure chamber body 40, the space surrounded by the low pressure chamber door 50 and the food tray 60 is formed as a low pressure space 41 in which the pressure is reduced. The food tray 60 is attached to the back side of the low-pressure chamber door 50 and can move back and forth as the low-pressure chamber door 50 moves.

  The low-pressure chamber body 40 is made of a resin outer shell 42 excellent in chemical resistance, impact resistance and moldability, a glass plate 43 (for example, tempered glass) made of transparent tempered glass, and a metal plate such as a steel plate. A plate-like member 44 and a resin door engaging member 48 are provided.

  The outer shell 42 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped basic shape. A food loading / unloading opening 42a is formed on the front surface, and a glass plate mounting opening 42b is formed on the upper surface. On the outer surfaces of the side wall 42c, the bottom wall 42d, and the back wall 42e constituting the outer shell 42, outer shell reinforcing ribs 42f are formed to protrude in order to increase the strength of the outer shell 42.

  The glass plate 43 is airtightly placed on the glass plate placement opening 42 b via the annular packing 45, and forms the upper wall of the low-pressure chamber body 40. The glass plate 43 has a strength to prevent the glass plate mounting opening 42b from being deformed inward by a decompression force. Further, by providing the transparent glass plate 43 on the upper surface of the outer shell 42, the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 can be seen through.

  The plate-like member 44 extends along both the side walls 42c, the bottom wall 42d, and the back wall 42e of the outer shell 42 in order to prevent deformation of the side walls 42c, the bottom wall 42d, and the back wall 42e of the outer shell 42 due to the decompression force. ,is set up.

  The low-pressure chamber body 40 has a box-shaped resin outer shell 42 with a food in / out opening 42a formed on the front surface, and a metal plate-like member 44 extending along both side walls 42c, the bottom wall 42d and the back wall 42e of the outer shell 42. Therefore, the structure can be made cheaper than when the entire outer shell 42 is formed of a metal plate. Further, since the outer shell 42 can be made of resin, the mounting structure and the like can be simplified.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 27, the door engaging member 48 is installed on the upper surface of the food in / out opening 42 a. Door engaging members 48 has a U-shaped portion 48a which is accommodated in the recess 42a ₁ formed in the upper surface of the food out opening 42a, and the door engaging claw portion 48b extending forward from the U-shaped portion 48a Is integrally molded. The door engaging claw portion 48b is provided with substantially the same width as that of the door handle 52, and is engaged between the upper portion of the door handle 52 and the front / rear positioning upper end 51e. And it is comprised so that engagement may be disengaged by rotating the door handle 52 centering on the hinge part 52a.

  A back panel 30 that forms a passage through which the cool air supplied from the blower fan 16 passes is provided on the back of the refrigerator compartment 2. The rear panel 30 has a cold air discharge port (first cold air discharge port) 31 for supplying cold air to the cold room 2 and a low pressure chamber for supplying cold air to the lowermost space 21 of the cold room 2. A cold air discharge port (second cold air discharge port) 32 and a cold air return port 33 are provided. The cold air return port 33 is provided on the back side of the low pressure chamber 24 and on the side close to the side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2.

  The cold air discharge port 32 is provided toward the gap between the upper surface of the low pressure chamber 24 and the lower surface of the shelf 20. The cold air discharged from the cold air discharge port 32 flows through the gap between the upper surface of the low pressure chamber 24 and the lower surface of the shelf 20 as a cold air passage 37, and cools the low pressure chamber 24 from the upper surface. Therefore, the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 is indirectly cooled.

  Here, the low pressure chamber 24 is disposed close to the right side surface of the refrigerating chamber 2 to eliminate the gap on the right side of the low pressure chamber 24, and a shelf (partition wall) (not shown) is provided at the left end of the upper surface of the low pressure chamber 24. ) And the gap on the left side of the low pressure chamber 24 is eliminated, so that the cold air discharged from the cold air discharge port 32 flows on the upper surface of the low pressure chamber 24 without being diverted to the left and right sides of the low pressure chamber 24. As a result, the amount of cool air that cools the upper surface of the low-pressure chamber 24 can be increased, and the inside of the low-pressure chamber 24 can be cooled quickly. The cold air that has cooled the upper surface of the low pressure chamber 24 is sucked into the cold air return port 33 from the front of the low pressure chamber 24 through the left side surface of the low pressure chamber 24 and returned to the cooler chamber through the cold air return passage. Since the cold air return port 33 is provided on the rear side of the low pressure chamber 24 and on the side close to the side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2, the cold air comes into contact with the rear surface and the left side surface of the low pressure chamber 24 to cool it.

  In this way, the low pressure chamber 24 is indirectly cooled by the cold air passing outside. The cool air that has cooled the entire refrigerator compartment 2 is also sucked into the cool air return port 33.

  The cold air return port 33 is formed in the portion of the back panel 30 that faces the back wall 42 e of the outer shell 42. The back wall 42e is formed so as to be inclined so that the bottom wall side is forward. Thereby, a sufficient return air path can be secured between the back wall 42e and the back panel 30. Further, the back panel 30 has a portion that protrudes inclined corresponding to the inclination of the back wall 42e, and a cold air return port 33 is formed in this portion. Thereby, a sufficient ventilation area of the cold air return port 33 can be secured.

  Next, the outer shell 42 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14. 10 is a perspective view of the outer shell of the low-pressure chamber of FIG. 6 viewed from the upper right, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the outer shell of FIG. 10 viewed from below, FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the outer shell of FIG. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the outer shell of FIG. 10 viewed from the upper left.

  The outer shell 42 includes assembling claws 42g provided at the four corners of the lower surface of the bottom wall 42d, locking protrusions 42h provided on the side walls 42c and the back wall 42e, a pump connection portion 42i provided on the side wall 42c, and pressure. And a switch connection portion 42j.

  The pump connection portion 42i has a passage that communicates the inside and the outside of the outer shell 42, and is connected to the vacuum pump 29 via a conduit 29a (see FIG. 9). The inside of the outer shell 42 is depressurized by the vacuum pump 29 through the pump connection portion 42i. A pump connection portion 42 i is provided at the rear portion of the side wall of the outer shell 42 so as to open facing the plate-like member 44. A gap is provided between the pump connecting portion 42 i and the plate-like member 44 so that the pressure inside the outer shell 42 can be easily reduced.

  The pressure switch connection portion 42j has a passage that communicates the inside and the outside of the outer shell 42, and is connected to the pressure switch. The pressure inside the outer shell 42 is detected by the pressure switch through the pressure switch connection 42j.

  Next, the glass plate 43 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing the glass plate 43 and the annular packing 45 forming the upper wall of the low-pressure chamber body 40 of FIG.

  The glass plate 43 is formed of a transparent rectangular flat plate and has sufficient rigidity and strength. The annular packing 45 has a concave groove 45a for inserting the glass plate 43 on the inner peripheral surface, and has elasticity suitable for maintaining an airtightness between the glass plate 43 and the glass plate mounting opening 42b. ing.

  Next, the plate-like member 44 and its incorporation will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 16 is a perspective view of the plate-like member of the low-pressure chamber of FIG. 6, FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the plate-like member of FIG. 16 incorporated in the outer shell, and FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional perspective view of FIG.

  The plate-like member 44 has side walls 44a, a bottom wall 44b and a back wall 44c corresponding to the side walls 42c, the bottom wall 42d and the back wall 42e of the outer shell 42. Both side walls 44a of the plate-like member 44 are formed to have a slight arc shape and extend upward from an arcuate corner with the bottom wall 44b. Further, the bottom wall 44b of the plate-like member 44 is formed so as to have a slight arc shape and extend to the center portion from the arcuate corners with both side walls 44a. As a result, the rigidity of the side walls 44a and the bottom wall 44b can be increased, and sufficient strength can be obtained even if the plate thickness of the plate member 44 is reduced, and the plate member 44 can be made inexpensive. Therefore, the amount of accommodation can be increased.

  Further, the plate-like member 44 has a convex portion 44d extending left and right across both side walls 44a and the bottom wall 44b, a convex portion 44e extending forward and backward on the bottom wall 44b, and a convex portion 44f provided on the back wall 44c. I have. By combining these plural types of convex portions 44d to 44e, the rigidity of the side walls 44a, the bottom wall 44b and the back wall 44c is increased, and sufficient strength can be obtained even if the plate member 44 is thin. Therefore, the plate member 44 can be made inexpensive.

  Locking portions 44g corresponding to the locking protrusions 42h provided on the both side walls 42c and the back wall 42e of the outer shell 42 are formed at the upper ends of the side walls 44a and the back wall 44c of the plate-like member 44.

  In order to incorporate the plate-like member 44 into the outer shell 42, the plate-like member 44 is inserted into the outer shell 42 through the food loading / unloading opening 42a or the glass plate mounting opening 42b, and each locking portion 44g of the plate-like member 44 is inserted. Is locked to each locking projection 42 h of the outer shell 42. Since the plate member 44 is incorporated in the outer shell 42 and the upward movement of the side walls 44a and the back wall 44c is restricted, both the side walls 42c and the bottom wall of the outer shell 42 formed of resin by receiving a decompression force. Even if 42d and the back wall 42e try to deform inward, the deformation can be suppressed by the side wall 44a, the bottom wall 44b and the back wall 44c of the plate-like member 44.

  In addition, as shown in FIGS. 19 to 22, a rail 46 for smoothly taking in and out the food tray 60 may be installed on the convex portion 44e. At that time, an engaging portion corresponding to the rail 46 is provided on the lower surface of the food tray 60. Further, the gap cover 47 may be provided so as to cover the gap between the side walls 44a of the plate-like member 44 and the side wall 44c of the outer shell 42, the locking portion between the locking portion 44g and the locking projection 42h, and the like. good. 19 is a perspective view showing a modification of FIG. 16 in which a rail is attached to a plate-like member, FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a state in which the plate-like member of FIG. FIG. 22 is a sectional front view of FIG. 20.

  Next, the low-pressure chamber door 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9, and 23 to 30. 23 is a perspective view of the low-pressure chamber door of FIG. 9, FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the low-pressure chamber door with the handle 52 of FIG. 23 removed, FIG. 25 is a rear perspective view of the low-pressure chamber door of FIG. FIG. 27 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper corner of the low pressure chamber of FIG. 26, FIG. 28 is an enlarged sectional view of the lower corner of the low pressure chamber of FIG. 26, and FIG. FIG. 30 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the indicator portion of FIG. 23.

  The low-pressure chamber door 50 includes a resin door main body 51, a resin door handle 52, a pressure release valve 53, a rubber indicator 54, and a rubber gasket 55. Note that the low-pressure chamber door 50 is connected to the link mechanism 70 and can be rotated and moved back and forth.

  The door main body 51 has substantially the same outer shape as the front outer shape of the outer shell 42, and includes a handle recess 51a, a door reinforcing rib 51b constituting a reinforcing protrusion, a handle hinge receiver 51c (see FIGS. 23 to 27), and a link mechanism connecting portion. 51d, a front / rear positioning upper end 51e, a front / rear positioning lower end 51f, and the like.

  The handle recess 51a is formed by denting the center upper portion of the door body 51 to the back side. The handle recess 51a has a function of allowing a finger to be placed on the door handle 52 even when the door handle 52 is disposed without protruding forward from the door body 51, and a function of increasing the strength of the handle mounting portion of the door body 51. Etc.

The door reinforcing rib 51b is formed to protrude from the back surface at the center of the back surface of the door main body 51, and includes an outer frame rib 51b _{1 including} an upper side rib, a lower side rib, and both side ribs (vertical ribs), and a plurality of vertical ribs 51b ₂ . It is composed of The door reinforcing rib 51b has a height dimension set slightly smaller than the opening height dimension of the food loading / unloading opening 42a, and in a state where the door main body 51 is closed, the door reinforcing rib 51b is formed at the center in the food loading / unloading opening 42a. Inserted. When the low pressure chamber door 50 is closed and the pressure in the low pressure chamber 24 is reduced by the door reinforcing rib 51b, deformation of the food loading / unloading opening 42a can be suppressed. That is, the door reinforcing rib 51b functions as a support column for the food in / out opening 42a. In particular, in the vicinity of the side wall 42c of the food loading / unloading opening 42a, the side wall 42c plays a role of reinforcement, so that deformation during decompression can be suppressed. However, since the reinforcement is not provided in the substantially central portion of the food loading / unloading opening 42a, the amount of deformation may increase during the decompression operation. Therefore, when the low-pressure chamber door 50 is closed, the upper and lower ribs of the outer frame rib 51b ₁ provided so as to protrude from the rear central portion of the door body 51 are within a predetermined range of the central portion of the food loading / unloading opening 42a. A support part is comprised so that it may support over. As a result, the deformation of the food loading / unloading opening 42a can be suppressed, and the decompression force of the low pressure chamber 24 can be increased.

The lower rib 51b ₃ in the lower portion of the door reinforcement ribs 51b extends to the top of the front end portion of the plate-shaped member 44 and supports directly or indirectly the plate member. When the overlap margin is increased, the storage capacity of the low pressure chamber 24 is decreased, which is not preferable. Therefore, the specific overlap margin is about 5.0 mm. Further, the upper end rib 51b ₁ at the upper end portion of the door reinforcing rib 51b extends below the glass plate 43 and supports the glass plate 43 directly or indirectly. For the same reason as described above, when the overlap margin is increased, the storage capacity of the low pressure chamber 24 is decreased, which is not preferable. Therefore, the specific overlap margin is about 5.0 mm. Thereby, not only the deformation | transformation of the opening part 42a for food taking in / out, but the deformation | transformation of the low voltage | pressure chamber 24 whole can be suppressed with the door reinforcement rib 51b.

  Specifically, when the low-pressure chamber 24 is depressurized, the plate-like member 44 may float and the amount of deformation of the low-pressure chamber body 40 may increase, or the amount of deformation of the glass plate 43 may increase. Therefore, the door reinforcing rib 51b is located above the plate member 44 and below the glass plate 43, thereby preventing the plate member 44 from floating and preventing the glass plate 43 from being deformed. Can do.

  In FIG. 27, the handle hinge receiver 51c is provided so as to protrude from both sides of the upper surface in the handle recess 51a, and is composed of a pair of left and right. A hinge portion 52a of the door handle 52 is rotatably engaged with the handle hinge receiver 51c.

The link mechanism connecting portions 51d ₁ and 51d ₂ are provided in a pair of upper and lower at one end of the door body 51 (the end closer to the side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2), and the upper and lower link sides 70a, 70b is rotatably connected. The portion of the door body 51 located between the upper and lower link mechanism connecting portions 51 d ₁ and 51 d ₂ constitutes the front link side 70 c of the link mechanism 70. The door main body 51 can be rotated back and forth around the lower link mechanism connecting portion 51d ₂ and the rail connecting portion 51d ₃ as the rotation center. Incidentally, a rail 71 shown in FIG. 31 is rotatably connected to the rail connecting portion 51d ₃ , and the rail 71 is configured to be able to be drawn back and forth like the link 70b.

  The gasket 55 is a door outer periphery sealing member that keeps the low-pressure chamber door 50 and the low-pressure chamber main body 40 hermetically sealed. The gasket 55 is annularly installed on the back surface of the door main body 51, and surrounds the food access opening 42 a of the outer shell 42. Abutted over.

Front and rear positioning the upper end portion 51e is rotatable back and forth a link mechanism connecting portions 51d ₂ and the rail connecting portion 51d ₃ below as the pivot center. When closing the low pressure chamber door 50, the front / rear positioning upper end 51e protrudes to the upper front of the food loading / unloading opening 42a by rotating rearward and upward with the lower link mechanism connecting portion 51d as the rotation center. The door engaging member 48 (see FIG. 31) is elastically deformed and locked.

On the other hand, the front and rear positioning the lower end portion 51f is rotatable back and forth a link mechanism connecting portions 51d ₂ and the rail connecting portion 51d ₃ below as the pivot center. The front and rear positioning the lower end portion 51f, when closing the low-pressure chamber door 50, by rotating forward the lower link mechanism connecting portions 51d ₂ and the rail connecting portion 51d ₃ below as the pivot center, the upper surface of the partition wall 34 It is inserted into the front / rear positioning groove 34a (see FIG. 34) and locked.

  By positioning the front / rear positioning upper end 51e and the front / rear positioning lower end 51f, the gasket 55 is pressed and brought into close contact with the front surface of the food loading / unloading opening 42a, and the airtightness between the outer shell 42 and the door body 51 is secured. And the pressure inside the low pressure chamber 24 is reduced, so that the low pressure chamber door 50 is adsorbed to the low pressure chamber main body 40.

  The door handle 52 is for performing an opening / closing operation of the low-pressure chamber door 50, an operation of inserting / removing the food tray 60, an operation of the pressure release valve 53, and the like, and is installed at the upper center of the door body 51. The door handle 52 is disposed so as to cover the upper portion of the handle recess 51a, and is attached to the door main body 51 so as to be able to rotate back and forth. Specifically, the door handle 52 is held by the door main body 51 by a hinge portion 52a provided on the back surface of the door handle 52 being rotatably engaged with a handle hinge receiver 51c.

  The pressure release valve 53 is for releasing the decompressed state inside the low pressure chamber 24, is located near the right end of the door handle 52, and is installed on the back side of the door handle 52. As shown in FIG. 29, the pressure release valve 53 includes a rubber valve seat 53a attached to the through hole 51g of the door body 51, and a valve integrally formed on the back surface of the door handle 52 to open and close the valve seat 53a. It is comprised from the body 53b. The pressure release valve 53 is surrounded by a cover 51j. For this reason, liquid leakage of food to the pressure release valve 53 can be suppressed. Further, a roof 51i having a notch in the lower part is provided on the low pressure chamber side of the through hole 51g to prevent liquid from entering the through hole.

  When the low-pressure chamber door 50 is closed, by pushing the upper part of the door handle 52, as shown in FIG. 29 (a), the valve body 53b can be brought into close contact with the valve seat 53a to close the valve seat 53a. When the low pressure chamber door 50 is opened, the lower portion of the door handle 52 is pulled to rotate the valve body 53b with the upper end of the door handle 52 as a fulcrum as shown in FIG. Can be opened. As described above, the pressure reduction state in the low pressure chamber 24 can be released or the low pressure chamber 24 can be sealed by a simple operation of operating the door handle 52.

  The indicator 54 is for displaying the internal pressure state of the low-pressure chamber 24. As shown in FIG. 9, the indicator 54 is located in the vicinity of the left end of the door handle 52 and is installed on the door body 51 so as to be visible from the front. Has been. As shown in FIG. 30, the indicator 54 is constituted by a cap having elasticity, and is attached to the door main body 51 so as to cover the through hole 51 h of the door main body 51 from the front, and is inserted into the through hole 52 b of the door handle 52. The head of the indicator 54 is visible from the front. The internal space of the indicator 54 communicates with the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 through the through hole 51h.

  When the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 is not depressurized, as shown in FIG. 30A, the head of the indicator 54 protrudes in a round shape, so it can be confirmed that the depressurization of the low pressure chamber 24 is released. Further, when the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 is depressurized, as shown in FIG. 30B, the head of the indicator 54 is recessed, so that it can be confirmed that the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 is depressurized. Thus, the reduced pressure state of the low pressure chamber 24 can be confirmed with a simple structure, and can be easily confirmed when the door handle 52 is operated.

  The low-pressure chamber door 50 is detachably connected to the link mechanism 70, and the low-pressure chamber door 50 with the gasket 55 and the valve body 53b attached thereto can be detached from the link mechanism 70 and serviced together with the low-pressure chamber door 50.

  Next, the link mechanism 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the low pressure chamber door of FIG.

  The link mechanism 70 is disposed between the side surface of the adjacent refrigerating chamber 2 and the side surface of the low-pressure chamber body 40, and is configured by rotatably connecting the four link sides 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d. . The link mechanism 70 holds the low-pressure chamber door 50 so as to rotate to a predetermined angle when the door 50 is pulled forward. Even if the low pressure chamber door 50 is open when the refrigerator compartment door 6 is closed, the predetermined angle is such that the low pressure chamber door 50 is rotated by the door pocket 27 of the refrigerator compartment door 6 to approach the low pressure chamber main body 40. In practice, the angle is preferably 30 degrees or more with respect to the horizontal, and most preferably around 40 degrees. In addition, since the food is rotated to a predetermined angle, the food in the low-pressure chamber 24 can be easily seen by the user as compared with the case where it does not rotate. The position of the door pocket 27 may be determined such that the low pressure chamber door 50 is rotated by the door pocket 27 to close the low pressure chamber main body 40.

As described above, the upper link side 70a and the lower link side 70b are rotatably connected to the two upper and lower link mechanism connection portions 51d ₁ and 51d ₂ of the door body 51, respectively. The front link side 70c is connected to the parts 51d ₁ and 51d ₂ . The structure of the link mechanism 70 is simplified by the portion of the door main body 51 also serving as the front link side 70c. The door main body 51 and the front link side 70c are configured to be detachable, and maintenance such as cleaning can be performed by removing the door main body 51 from the link mechanism 70. Further, in the four link sides 70a to 70d, the upper link side 70a and the lower link side 70b have the same length, and the front link side 70c and the rear link side 70d have the same length.

  A link upper support portion 42k and a link lower support portion 42l are formed on both side surfaces of the outer shell 42, respectively. The link upper support portion 42k is configured by a groove that fits and slides the connecting portion between the upper link side 70a and the rear link side 70d back and forth. The link lower support portion 42l is configured by a groove that fits and slides the connecting portion between the lower link side 70b and the rear link side 70d back and forth. The link lower support portion 42l is positioned below the link upper support portion 42k and extends back and forth along the link upper support portion 42k. The link upper support portion 42k has an inclined portion that is lowered forward from the rear end portion and a linear portion that follows the inclined portion. With this configuration, when pulling out the low-pressure chamber door 50, the upper link side 70a is inclined forward with respect to the lower link side 70b, and as a result, the low-pressure chamber door 50 is inclined and fixed. In this state, the low pressure chamber door 50 is pulled out in the front-rear direction. By this inclined portion, the vertical distance between the link upper support portion 42k and the link lower support portion 42l becomes narrower toward the front.

  Next, the food tray 60 and a method for incorporating the same will be described with reference to FIGS. 32 is a perspective view of the food tray 60 of FIG. 8, and FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the food tray 60 of FIG. 32 incorporated in the low-pressure chamber body.

  As shown in FIG. 32, the food tray 60 has a bottom wall 60a, both side walls 60b, a front wall 60c, and a back wall 60d. A recess 60e that avoids the door reinforcing rib 51b is formed in the front wall 60c. The strength of the food tray 60 can be secured by the recess 60e. As shown in FIG. 25, door fitting claws 60f that are locked to the protrusions 51g on the back side of the door main body 51 are formed at the lower ends on both sides of the recess 60e. The locking portion 60f is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape with an open bottom surface.

  As shown in FIG. 33, the food tray 60 is inserted into the low-pressure chamber main body 40 through the food loading / unloading opening 42 a and is disposed on the plate-like member 44.

  33, the low-pressure chamber door 50 is disposed in front of the food loading / unloading opening 42a, and the protrusion 51g formed at the lower end of the door body 51 is fitted into the door fitting claw 60f of the food tray 60. Match. As a result, the food tray 60 can move together with the door body 51.

  Next, a method for incorporating the low pressure chamber 24 into the partition wall 34 will be described with reference to FIGS. 34 to 37. 34 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the partition wall 34 where the low-pressure chamber 24 is not installed, FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the partition wall 34 where the low-pressure chamber 24 is installed, and FIG. FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional front view of a state in which the low-pressure chamber 24 is incorporated in the partition wall 34 immediately before the low-pressure chamber 24 is incorporated in FIG. In FIG. 36, the plate member 44 is omitted.

  A front and rear positioning groove 34a and a low-pressure chamber fitting claw 34b are formed on the upper surface of the partition wall 34. The front / rear positioning groove 34a is for positioning the door body 51 in the front / rear direction, and is formed to extend straight from side to side from the boundary of the portion where the storage case 23 is disposed. The low-pressure chamber fitting claws 34 b are for positioning the outer shell 42 in the front-rear and left-right directions, and are formed at four locations on the upper surface of the partition wall 34 so as to correspond to the mounting claws 42 g of the outer shell 42.

  First, as shown in FIG. 36, the low pressure chamber 24 assembled as shown in FIG. 9 is placed on the partition wall 34 so as to be located immediately to the left of the low pressure chamber fitting claw 34b. Next, the low pressure chamber 24 is moved to the right side, and as shown in FIG. 37, the incorporating claw 42g is inserted into the low pressure chamber fitting claw 34b, and the front and rear, right and left positioning of the outer shell 42 of the low pressure chamber 24 is performed. As described above, since the low-pressure chamber 24 is placed on the partition wall 34 and moved sideways, the front-rear and left-right positioning can be performed. Further, the partition wall 34 is made of a urethane heat insulating material to increase the strength.

  The reason why the low-pressure chamber 24 is moved from the left to the right is to determine the position in the front-rear direction so that the front-rear positioning lower end 51f of the door body 51 in FIG. 23 fits the front-rear positioning groove 34a. It is necessary to decide on. As a result, the positioning in the front-rear direction is firmly determined. Accordingly, the upper portion of the door body 51 is engaged with the door engaging member 48 of FIG. 9, and the lower portion is positioned by the front / rear positioning lower end portion 51 f and the front / rear positioning groove 34 a, and the door body 51 is firmly closed in the low pressure chamber 24. You can

  Next, a vacuum pump 29 is installed at the rear side of the low-pressure chamber 24, and the conduit 29 a of the vacuum pump 29 is connected to the pump connection part 42 i of the low-pressure chamber 24, thereby enabling the low-pressure chamber 24 to be decompressed. In addition, the exhaust port of the vacuum pump 29 is arrange | positioned so that it may exhaust | emit to the cold return port 33 in a refrigerator compartment. Thus, since the drain dripped from the evaporator 15 is discharged in the flowing direction, even if impurities are mixed in the air from the exhaust port, the drain is discharged toward the drain.

  Next, an ice making water pump 28 and an ice making water tank 22 are installed, and a storage case 23 is installed between the ice making water tank 22 and the low pressure chamber 24. In this state, the shelf 20 is installed to form the lowest space 21. The storage case 23 may be installed after the shelf 20 is installed.

  Next, the operation of the low pressure chamber 24 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When opening the door body 51, in the state shown in FIG. 9, a finger is put into the handle recess 51a and the lower portion of the door handle 52 is pulled, so that the pressure release valve 54 shown in FIGS. The decompressed state of the chamber 24 is released. Therefore, the decompressed state of the low-pressure chamber 24 can be released at the beginning of the opening operation of the door body 51 without the user being particularly conscious.

  Further, by pulling the door handle 52, the upper link side 70a is pulled forward through the door body 51, and the connecting portion between the upper link side 70a and the rear link side 70d follows the inclination of the upper support portion 42k for the link. Thus, the door body 51 is inclined and moved forward and downward. Accordingly, the front / rear positioning lower end 51f of the door main body 51 of FIG. 23 is released from the front / rear positioning groove 34a of the partition wall 34 of FIG. 34, and the door main body 51 can be pulled forward.

  Further, by pulling the door handle 52, the upper link side 70a is pulled forward via the door main body 51. Therefore, the door link 52 is disposed close to the upper link side 70a and detects the open / closed state of the door main body 51 in the low-pressure chamber 24. The door switch 83 detects the open state of the door main body 51 of the low pressure chamber 24.

  Further, by pulling the door handle 52, the door body 51 is moved forward together with the link mechanism 70 and the food tray 60 in a state where the door main body 51 is inclined, and these are pulled out as shown in FIG. 31, and the upper surface of the food tray 60 is opened. The

  These operations may be a single operation of pulling the door handle 52, and a series of operations of each device can be performed, which is convenient.

  When the door body 51 is closed, the upper part of the door handle 52 is pushed in the state shown in FIG. 31 to perform the reverse operation of the opening operation described above, and the door switch 83 is operated by the door main body 51 of the low-pressure chamber 24. The closed state is detected.

  Next, the control device 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 38 is a diagram for explaining input / output between the microcomputer, which is the control device 80 in this embodiment, and each device, FIG. 39 is a flowchart for explaining the control operation of the control device in FIG. 38, and FIG. 40 is a diagram of the operation in FIG. It is a time chart figure.

  As shown in FIG. 38, the control device 80 includes an operation switch 81 disposed on the front face of the refrigerator compartment door 6 and operated by a user, a refrigerator compartment door switch 82 for detecting the open / closed state of the refrigerator compartment door 6, and a low pressure chamber. In response to an operation / detection signal of a door switch 83 for detecting the open / closed state of the door body 51, a pressure switch 84 for detecting the internal pressure of the low pressure chamber 24, and a refrigerator temperature sensor 85 for detecting the temperature of the refrigerator 2 The vacuum pump 29 is controlled based on the result.

  As shown in FIG. 39, when the operation of the refrigerator is started (step S1), the first predetermined time (A time) and the second predetermined time (B time) are cleared (step S2). Is set to 1.0 (atmospheric pressure) (step S3). Here, time A is a standby time for determining that the low pressure chamber 24 has not been operated for a predetermined time, and time B is a standby time until the operation of the vacuum pump 29 is started after the pressure switch 84 is turned off. It is.

  It is determined whether the pressure value P is 1.0 or 0.7 (step S4). Here, the pressure value P of 0.7 means the pressure when the low pressure chamber 24 is depressurized to a predetermined pressure.

  If it is determined in step S4 that the pressure value P is 1.0, it is assumed that the low-pressure chamber 24 is at atmospheric pressure, and the process proceeds to a process in which the low-pressure chamber 24 is decompressed.

  In the process for the decompression operation, first, the low pressure chamber door switch 83 determines the open / closed state of the low pressure chamber door 50 (step S11). If it is determined in step S11 that the low-pressure chamber door 50 is in the open state, it is not necessary to start the pressure-reducing operation of the low-pressure chamber 24. The determination of the open / close state of 50 is continued, and the low pressure chamber door 50 is waited for to be closed. Here, the time A is a standby time for determining that the low pressure chamber 24 is not operated to some extent.

  If it is determined in step S11 that the low pressure chamber door 50 is in the closed state, the process waits until time A has elapsed (step S13). In the first place, the purpose of making the low-pressure chamber 24 in a decompressed state is to maintain the freshness of food and to store it for a long time. For example, each time the user repeatedly opens and closes the low-pressure chamber door 50 within a short period of time to prepare food It is not necessary to perform the decompression operation, and it is effective to provide the time A in order to avoid frequent operations and keep the life of the vacuum pump 29 long.

  And when A time passes, the open / close state of the low pressure chamber door 50 is determined by the low pressure chamber door switch 83 (step S14). If it is determined in step S14 that the low pressure chamber door 50 is in the open state, it is not necessary to start the pressure reducing operation of the low pressure chamber 24, so the process returns to step S12 and waits for the low pressure chamber door 50 to be closed.

  When it is determined in step S14 that the low-pressure chamber door 50 is closed, the open / close state of the refrigerator compartment door 6 is determined by the refrigerator compartment door switch 82 (step S15). When it is determined in step S15 that the refrigerator compartment door 6 is in the open state, the operation of the vacuum pump 29 is stopped (step S16), and the process returns to step S14.

  If it is determined in step S15 that the refrigerator compartment door 6 is closed, the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 85 determines whether the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 is high (eg, 8 ° C. or higher) or low (eg, 8). Is determined (step S17). If it is determined in step S17 that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 is high, the process returns to step S16. That is, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 is high, the pressure reducing operation by the vacuum pump 29 cannot be started.

  When it is determined in step S17 that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 is low, the vacuum pump 29 is operated (step S19). Thus, before starting the operation of the vacuum pump 29, each state of the low pressure chamber door 50, the refrigerator compartment door 6 and the refrigerator compartment 2 is detected, and the operation of the vacuum pump 29 is started based on the result. Therefore, the vacuum pump 29 can be operated only when it is necessary to decompress the low pressure chamber 24.

  When the operation of the vacuum pump 29 is started in step S18, whether the pressure in the low pressure chamber 24 is a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.8 atmospheric pressure or more) or less than the predetermined pressure (for example, 0.8. Whether it is less than 8 atm) is determined (step S19). This predetermined pressure (0.8 atm) is a pressure between the upper pressure (1.0 atm (atmospheric pressure)) and the lower pressure (0.7 atm) used for the determination with the pressure value P, The pressure is close to the lower pressure.

  If it is determined in step S19 that the pressure in the low pressure chamber 24 is 0.8 atmospheric pressure or higher, the integrated value of the operation time (d hours) of the vacuum pump 29 is cleared (step S20), and the process returns to step S14. The operation of the vacuum pump 29 is continued.

  If it is determined in step S19 that the pressure in the low pressure chamber 24 is less than 0.8 atm, the operation of the vacuum pump 29 is continued, and the d time that is the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 is integrated and the integrated value is obtained. Store (step S21). Next, it is determined whether the integrated value of d time is greater than or equal to a third predetermined time (D time) or less than D time (step S22). If it is determined in step S22 that the integrated value of d time is less than D time, the process returns to step S14, and the vacuum pump is monitored while monitoring the states of the low pressure chamber door 50, the refrigerator compartment door 6, and the refrigerator compartment 2. 29 operation is continued.

  If it is determined in step S22 that the integrated value of d time is equal to or longer than D time, the operation of the vacuum pump 29 is stopped (step S23), the pressure value P is set to 0.7 atm, and step S4. Return to.

  When it is determined in step S4 that the pressure value P is 0.7 atm, the low pressure chamber door switch 83 determines whether the low pressure chamber door 50 is open or closed (step S31). If it is determined in step S31 that the low pressure chamber door 50 is in the open state, the process proceeds to step S35.

  If it is determined in step S31 that the low-pressure chamber door 50 is closed, whether the pressure in the low-pressure chamber 24 is a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.8 atmospheric pressure or more) by the pressure switch 84 or less than the predetermined pressure. (For example, whether it is less than 0.8 atmospheric pressure) is determined (step S32). If it is determined in step S32 that the pressure in the low pressure chamber 24 is less than 0.8 atm, the time B is cleared (step S33), and the process returns to step S31.

  If it is determined in step S32 that the pressure in the low pressure chamber 24 is 0.8 atmospheric pressure or higher, it is determined whether or not the B time has elapsed (step S34). If it is determined in step S34 that the B time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S31.

  If it is determined in step S34 that the B time has elapsed, the B time is cleared (step S35), the pressure value P is set to 1.0 (step S36), and the process returns to step S4.

  An example of the operation of the control device 80 is shown in a time chart as shown in FIG.

  Further, FIG. 41 and FIG. 42 show the control operation of the control device 80 when the pressure switch 84 is not used. In this control process, the determination is made using the operation time z of the vacuum pump 29 instead of the detected value of the pressure switch 84, and the other processes are the same. FIG. 41 is a flow chart for explaining the control operation of the control device when no pressure switch is used, and FIG. 42 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of FIG.

It is a front view of the refrigerator of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator of FIG. It is a front view of the refrigerator main body of FIG. It is a front view of the refrigerator compartment part of the refrigerator main body of FIG. It is a top view of the lowest space part of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the lowermost space part of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. It is a front view of the back panel of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view near the low pressure chamber of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. It is a perspective view of the low pressure chamber of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the outline of the low-pressure chamber of FIG. 6 from the upper right. It is the perspective view which looked at the outline of FIG. 10 from the downward direction. It is sectional drawing of the outline of FIG. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the outline of FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the outline of FIG. 10 from the upper left. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the reinforcement glass plate and annular packing of the low pressure chamber of FIG. It is a perspective view of the plate-shaped member of the low pressure chamber of FIG. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a state in which the plate-like member of FIG. 16 is incorporated into the outer shell. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of FIG. 16 which attached the rail to the plate-shaped member. FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a state in which the plate-like member of FIG. 19 is assembled into the outer shell and a gap cover is attached. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of FIG. It is a cross-sectional front view of FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the low pressure chamber door of FIG. 9. It is a perspective view in the state where the handle of Drawing 23 was removed. FIG. 24 is a rear perspective view of the low pressure chamber door of FIG. 23. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the low pressure chamber of FIG. 9. It is an expanded sectional view of the upper corner of the low pressure chamber of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the lower corner part of the low pressure chamber of FIG. It is a cross-sectional enlarged view of the decompression release valve part of FIG. It is a cross-sectional enlarged view of the indicator part of FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a state in which the low-pressure chamber door of FIG. 9 is pulled forward. It is a perspective view of the food tray of FIG. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the state which integrated the food tray of FIG. 32 in the low pressure chamber main body. It is a section perspective view in the state where the low pressure room of the part of the partition wall in this embodiment is not installed. It is a section perspective view in the state where the low pressure room of the part of the partition wall in this embodiment was installed. It is a section front view just before incorporating a low-pressure chamber in the partition wall in this embodiment. It is a section front view in the state where the low pressure room was built in the partition wall in this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the input-output with the control apparatus and each apparatus in this embodiment. It is a flowchart figure explaining control operation of the control device of FIG. FIG. 40 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of FIG. 39. It is a flowchart figure explaining control operation of a control device when there is no pressure switch concerning this embodiment. FIG. 42 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of FIG. 41.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator body 2 Refrigeration room 3, 4 Freezing room 3a Ice making room 3b Quick freezing room 5 Vegetable room 6 Refrigeration room door 7 Ice making room door 8 Quick freezing room door 9 Freezing room door 10 Vegetable room door 11 Outer box 12 Inner box 13 Foaming Insulating material 14 Compressor 15 Evaporator 16 Blowers 17-20 Shelf 21 Lowermost space 22 Ice making water tank 23 Storage case 24 Low pressure chamber 25-27 Door pocket 28 Ice making water pump 29 Vacuum pump 29a Conduit 30 Rear panels 31, 32 Cold air Discharge port 33 Cold air return port 34-36 Partition wall 34a Front / rear positioning groove 34b Low pressure chamber fitting claw 37 Cold air passage 40 Low pressure chamber body 41 Low pressure space 42 Outer wall 42a Food loading / unloading opening 42b Glass plate mounting opening 42c, 44a , 60b Side wall 42d, 44b, 60a Bottom wall 42e, 44c, 60d Back wall 42f Outer reinforcement rib 42g Assembling claw 42h Locking protrusion 42i Pump connection part 42j Pressure switch connection part 42k Link upper support part 42l Link lower support part 43 Glass plate 44 Plate-like members 44d to 44f Projection part 44g Locking part 45 Annular packing 45a Groove 46 Rail 47 Gap cover 48 Door Engaging member 48a U-shaped portion 48b Door locking claw portion 50 Low-pressure chamber door 51 Door main body 51a Handle recess 51b Door reinforcing rib (reinforcing means, reinforcing protrusion)
51c Handle hinge receiver 51d Link mechanism connecting portion 51e Front / rear positioning upper end 51f Front / rear positioning lower end 51g, 51h, 52b Through hole 52 Door handle 52a Hinge 53 Pressure release valve 53a Valve seat 53b Valve body 54 Indicator 55 Gasket 60 Food tray 60c Front wall 60e Recess 60f Door fitting claw 70 Link mechanism 70a to 70d Link side 80 Control device 81 Operation switch 82 Cold room door switch 83 Low pressure room door switch 84 Pressure switch 85 Cold room temperature sensor

Claims (4)

A refrigerator body having a plurality of storage rooms including a refrigerator compartment;
A door that opens and closes the front opening of each storage room;
A low-pressure chamber disposed in the refrigerator compartment;
In a refrigerator comprising a decompression means for decompressing the low-pressure chamber,
The low-pressure chamber has a low-pressure chamber main body having an opening, and a low-pressure chamber door that opens and closes the opening,
The low-pressure chamber main body is a box-shaped resin outer shell formed with the opening on the front surface,
Metal plate-like members having both side walls, bottom wall and back wall corresponding to both side walls, bottom wall and back wall of the outer shell,
Protrusions provided on the both side walls and the back wall of the outer shell,
A locking portion provided on the both side walls and the back wall of the plate-like member and locked to the protrusion,
A refrigerator characterized by comprising:   2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising: a glass plate having an upper surface opening on the upper surface of the main body of the low-pressure chamber and provided on the upper surface opening via a packing.   3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, further comprising: a support portion that protrudes to a lower side of the glass plate and protrudes to an upper side of the plate-like member on a back side of the low-pressure chamber door.   3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein a gap between the upper surface of the glass plate and a shelf partitioning the refrigerated room is a cold air passage that guides cold air forward.

Images