JP2011012834A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator with a water cooler, which prevents damage on an opening and closing member for opening and closing a water injection port of a water tank.SOLUTION: The refrigerator 1 includes the water cooler 10 which includes the water tank 13 provided at an upper portion of the back surface of a door 3a for opening and closing a storage chamber 3 and having the water injection port 17 opened on the upper surface, the injection port 17 being opened and closed by the opening and closing member 18, and a water intake part 11 provided on the front surface of the door 3a and connected to the water tank 13 to take water in the water tank 13. The opening and closing member 18 is slid to open and close the water injection port 17, and is detachable at a predetermined position where the injection port 17 is opened.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with a water cooler.

  A conventional refrigerator is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The refrigerator includes a water cooler that takes water from the front of the door that opens and closes the storage chamber. The chiller has a water tank arranged at the upper back of the door and a water intake part recessed in the front of the door, and a water intake provided at the upper part of the water intake part is connected to the water tank by a water supply pipe penetrating the door. Has been.

  The water tank has a water inlet opening on the upper surface, and the water inlet is opened and closed by an opening / closing member provided in the water tank. The opening / closing member is pivotally supported on the upper surface of the water tank, and the water inlet is opened by lifting the tip upward. The water supply pipe is provided with a water stop valve, and a button for opening and closing the water stop valve is provided on the back surface of the water intake section.

  When the opening / closing member is opened and water is poured into the water tank, the opening / closing member is closed and the door is closed, whereby the water in the water tank is cooled. When the user installs a container such as a cup below the water intake and presses the button, the water stop valve is opened. Thereby, the cold water in a water tank can be taken in in a container via a water intake. When the container is released from the button, the water stop valve is closed.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-153366 (page 3 to page 6, FIG. 1)

  However, according to the conventional refrigerator, when the user forgets to close the opening / closing member of the water tank, when the door is closed, the opening / closing member whose tip is arranged upward collides with the upper wall of the storage chamber. Accordingly, there is a problem that the opening / closing member is damaged.

  An object of this invention is to provide the refrigerator provided with the water cooler which can prevent the damage of the opening-and-closing member which opens and closes the water inlet of a water tank.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a water tank that is provided on an upper surface of a door that opens and closes a storage chamber and opens and closes by an opening and closing member, and is provided on the front surface of the door. A refrigerator having a water intake unit that is connected to a water tank and takes water in the water tank; and the opening and closing member slides to open and close the water inlet and open the water inlet. It is characterized by being detachable at a predetermined position.

  According to this configuration, the opening / closing member is slid and opened, and water is poured into the water tank from the water inlet. When water is poured into the water tank and the opening / closing member is closed and the door is closed, the water in the water tank is cooled. A container such as a cup is placed in the intake section, and cold water in the water tank is taken in. The opening / closing member is mounted by placing and sliding the water injection port at a predetermined position. Further, the opening / closing member is detached and cleaned at the predetermined position.

  In the refrigerator having the above-described configuration, the water tank includes a lid portion that opens the water filling port, and a water storage portion that has its upper surface closed by the lid portion and stores water poured from the water filling port. And a groove part extending left and right on the door side and the storage chamber side of the lid part, and the opening / closing member has a protrusion part protruding from the inner surface in the front-rear direction to engage with the groove part, the groove part and the protrusion part The depth of engagement with the portion is shallower than the position where the water injection port is closed at the predetermined position.

  According to this configuration, the water tank closes the upper surface of the water storage unit with the lid, and the water inlet is opened in the lid. The protrusion of the opening / closing member engages with the groove provided on the door side and the storage chamber side of the lid, and the opening / closing member slides in the left-right direction. The opening / closing member is formed with a shallow engagement depth between the groove and the protrusion at a predetermined position where the water inlet is opened, and can be easily attached and detached at this position.

  In the refrigerator having the above-described configuration, the upper surface of the water tank has an inclined surface that opens the water injection port and lowers the storage chamber side. According to this configuration, since the water inlet has a lower front side and a higher rear side, water can be easily poured into the water inlet without spilling water.

  In the refrigerator having the above-described configuration, the door is pivotally supported at one end in the left-right direction of the storage chamber, and the opening / closing member is separated from the pivot side of the door rather than a position where the position for closing the water inlet is opened. It is characterized by that. According to this configuration, the centrifugal force of the rotating door is applied in the direction of closing the opening / closing member. For this reason, even if the opening and closing of the water inlet is repeated and the fitting between the opening and closing member and the water tank becomes loose due to wear, the opening and closing of the opening and closing member is prevented.

  According to the present invention, the opening and closing member slides to open and close the water inlet, and the water inlet is opened and detached at a predetermined position. Therefore, even when the user forgets to close the water tank opening and closing member, the opening and closing member is stored. Collisions with the upper wall of the chamber are avoided. Therefore, damage to the opening / closing member can be prevented. Moreover, since the opening / closing member can be easily attached and detached, the number of assembling steps of the water tank can be reduced and the opening / closing member can be cleaned.

The front view which shows the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention The perspective view which shows the state which opened the door of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention The disassembled perspective view which shows the water tank of the water cooler of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the water tank of the water cooler of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the door of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the water intake part of the water cooler of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the bottom part of the water intake part of the water cooler of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the removal | desorption state of the water receiving tray of the water cooler of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention Side surface sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of water intake of the water intake part of the water cooler of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment. The refrigerator 1 is provided with a freezer compartment 2 at the top and a refrigerator compartment 3 below the freezer compartment 2. The front surfaces of the freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3 are opened and closed by doors 2a and 3a pivoted at one end in the left-right direction, respectively. A water intake portion 11 of the water cooler 10 is recessed in the front surface of the door 3 a of the refrigerator compartment 3.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the doors 2a and 3a of the refrigerator 1 are opened. A plurality of door pockets 4 are provided on the back side of the door 3a of the refrigerator compartment 3, and a water tank 13 of the water cooler 10 is disposed on the upper stage.

  3 and 4 show an exploded perspective view and a side sectional view of the water tank 13. The water tank 13 has a water storage unit 14 that opens the upper surface and stores water, and a detachable lid 15 that covers the upper surface of the water storage unit 14 via a packing 16. The water reservoir 14 can be cleaned by removing the lid 15.

  At the center in the left-right direction of the lid portion 15, a protruding portion 15 a is provided that protrudes upward while being biased toward the inside of the refrigerator compartment 3. The protruding portion 15a is formed such that the back side (the door 3a side) is high and the front side (the refrigerator compartment 3 side) is low, and the upper surface of the protruding portion 15a is formed as an inclined surface 15b where the refrigerator compartment 3 side is lowered. The water injection port 17 that opens to the protruding portion 15 a is formed in a funnel shape having a wide upper portion and a narrow lower portion, and water is injected into the water storage portion 14 through the water injection port 17.

  An opening / closing member 18 that opens and closes the water injection port 17 is attached to the protruding portion 15a. Grooves 15c extending in the left-right direction are formed on the rear and front surfaces of the protrusion 15a. The opening / closing member 18 is formed in a cross-sectional arch shape along the protruding portion 15a, and the wall surface on the back side is higher than the near side.

  On the inner surface of the opening / closing member 18, projections 18 a that engage with the groove portions 15 c are provided to project in the front-rear direction at the left and right ends of the front and rear inner surfaces, respectively. The protrusion 18a is engaged with the groove 15c, and the opening / closing member 18 is provided to be slidable left and right. At this time, the opening / closing member 18 slides away from the pivotal support side of the door 3a rather than the position where the water inlet 17 is closed.

  Since the opening / closing member 18 slides left and right, it is possible to avoid a collision with the upper wall 3f (see FIG. 5) of the refrigerator compartment 3 when forgetting to close it. In addition, the upper surface of the water tank 13 and the upper wall 3f of the refrigerator compartment 3 are close to each other by the protruding portion 15a, and dust accumulation on the water tank 13 can be reduced.

  Further, the centrifugal force of the rotating door 3a is applied in the direction in which the opening / closing member 18 is closed. For this reason, even if the water inlet 17 is repeatedly opened and closed and the fitting between the opening and closing member 18 and the lid portion 15 becomes loose due to wear, the opening and closing of the opening and closing member 18 is prevented. Therefore, water leakage from the water inlet 17 when the door 3a is opened and closed is prevented, and the refrigerator 1 with high long-term reliability is obtained.

  Since the water injection port 17 is formed in the inclined surface 15b and opens wide at the top, water can be easily injected. Moreover, since the opening area of the lower part of the water inlet 17 was made narrow, when the opening / closing member 18 is forgotten to close, the jumping out of the water from the water storage part 14 can be reduced.

  Further, the upper surface of the water tank 13 protruding inside the refrigerator compartment 3 is lowered on the refrigerator compartment 3 side by the inclined surface 15b. As a result, the opening surface of the water injection port 17 has a lower front side (refrigerating chamber 3 side) toward the water tank 13 and a higher rear side (door 3a side), making it easier for water to not spill into the back side of the water injection port 17. Can be poured into. In addition, it is possible to avoid collision between the water tank 13 and the upper wall 3f of the refrigerating chamber 3 (see FIG. 5) due to dimensional variations of the water tank 13 when the water tank 13 is assembled and mounted.

  A vertical groove 15d, which is shallower than the groove 15c at a position away from the water injection port 17, is formed in the protrusion 15a at the same interval as the protrusion 18a. For this reason, the engagement depth between the groove 15c and the protrusion 18a is shallower than the position where the water inlet 17 is closed at the position of the longitudinal groove 15d.

  A protrusion 18 a is arranged at the position of the vertical groove 15 d for attaching and detaching the opening / closing member 18. Then, fingers are arranged on the wall surface on the back side of the opening / closing member 18 and the back-side protrusion 18a is rotated along the vertical groove 15d around the protrusion 18a on the front side. Thereby, the opening-and-closing member 18 can be attached or detached easily. For this reason, the water tank 13 can be easily assembled and the opening / closing member 18 can be cleaned.

  FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the main part of the door 3a. The door 3a is formed by filling a foam heat insulating material 3d between a decorative plate 3b arranged on the front surface and a back plate 3c arranged on the back surface. The water intake portion 11 of the water cooler 10 has an outer frame formed by a box-shaped frame portion 21 of a resin molded product having an open front surface. The frame portion 21 is fixed by filling the foam heat insulating material 3d in a state where the frame portion 21 is arranged in the opening provided in the decorative plate 3b.

  A water supply port 14 a is provided on the bottom surface of the water storage part 14 of the water tank 13 of the water cooler 10. A nozzle 30 that opens a water intake 30 a is provided at the upper portion of the water intake unit 11. The nozzle 30 is disposed at the tip of the valve 32 held by the valve holding portion 24 and is supported by an arm 35 (see FIG. 6) described later. The valve holding part 24 is provided with a pipe part 24a that protrudes rearward and penetrates the door 3a. The water supply port 14a of the water tank 13 and the pipe part 24a are connected by the water supply pipe 12, and the water tank 13 is connected to the water intake port 30a.

  A pipe cover 19 that covers the water supply pipe 12 is provided on the back surface of the door 3a. The water supply pipe 12 is concealed by the pipe cover 19 to improve the beauty in the refrigerator compartment 3, and the water supply pipe 12 is prevented from falling off due to the collision of food taken out from the refrigerator compartment 3.

  FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing details of the water intake section 11 of the water cooler 10. A frame 22 made of a resin molded product is fixed to the front surface of the frame portion 21 by engagement with an engagement claw (not shown). The frame 22 forms the back wall 11 b of the water intake unit 11. The upper portion of the frame 22 is opened, and the lever holding portion 23 is screwed to the frame portion 21. The lever holding part 23 pivotally supports a lever 34 having a shaft part 34a at the upper part. As will be described later, the lever 34 extends downward and rotates when pressed. Concave portions 21b and 22a for avoiding interference with the lever 34 rotated rearward are provided at the center of the frame portion 21 and the frame 22 in the left-right direction.

  The lever holding portion 23 pivotally supports the arm 35 above the shaft portion 34 a of the lever 34. The arm 35 is formed in an L-shaped cross section with the rear end bent downward, and the rear end surface abuts the upper portion of the shaft portion 34 a of the lever 34. The front portion of the arm 35 is formed in a U shape in plan view with an opening at the front, and engages with an engagement protrusion (not shown) protruding from the peripheral surface of the nozzle 30.

  A valve holding part 24 is screwed to the upper part of the lever holding part 23 from the front. The pipe portion 24a on the back surface of the valve holding portion 24 is inserted through the insertion holes 23a and 21a provided in the lever holding portion 23 and the frame portion 21, and passes through the door 3a as described above. The front portion of the valve holding portion 24 is bent downward, and a sleeve 25 is screwed to the opening surface at the tip via an O-ring 26.

  The lower portion of the sleeve 25 has a reduced diameter portion 25a which is reduced in diameter below the valve holding portion 24, and the valve 32 is inserted into the reduced diameter portion 25a. The valve 32 forms radial passages between the ribs in the reduced diameter portion 25a by radial ribs (not shown), and a flange portion 32a having an enlarged diameter is formed at the upper end. A compression spring 33 is provided between the upper end surface of the valve 32 and the inner surface of the valve holding portion 24, and the valve 32 is urged downward. Thereby, the collar part 32a contacts the upper end surface of the reduced diameter part 25a via the O-ring 31, and the water from the water tank 13 is stopped.

  When the lower portion of the lever 34 is pressed rearward, the arm 35 that contacts the upper portion of the lever 34 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing. As a result, the nozzle 30 in contact with the arm 35 is pushed upward together with the valve 32 against the urging force of the compression spring 33, and the water from the water tank 13 flows out from the water intake 30 a of the nozzle 30.

  The opening surface of the water intake 30a of the nozzle 30 is inclined so that the rear side is lowered. For this reason, the water remaining in the nozzle 30 or the like when the water is stopped is dripped from the rear end of the water intake 30a. Further, the valve holder 24 can be removed integrally with the valve 32 and the nozzle 30 by removing the screw from the front. Thereby, it is possible to remove dust between the valve 32 and the sleeve 25 and replace the O-rings 26 and 31.

  A front cover 27 attached to the frame 22 is disposed on the front upper portion of the water intake unit 11. The front cover 27 covers the front surfaces of the valve holding unit 24 and the nozzles 30 and covers the lower part of the nozzles 30 to conceal them, thereby improving the aesthetics of the water intake unit 11. In addition, an opening 27 a that faces the water intake port 30 a is formed on the lower surface of the front cover 27.

  The back portion of the frame 22 forming the back wall 11b of the water intake portion 11 has an inclined surface 22b whose horizontal cross section is an arc shape and whose lower portion is inclined forward. The inclined surface 22 b extends upward from the bottom of the water intake unit 11 and is formed to the vicinity of the nozzle 30. The frame portion 21 is formed to be inclined along the inclined surface 22b. For this reason, the thickness of the foam heat insulating material 3d on the back side of the water intake unit 11 can be increased, and the amount of protrusion on the back side of the door 3a can be reduced to ensure the heat insulation thickness. Therefore, the volumetric efficiency of the refrigerator 1 can be improved.

  Moreover, the lower end of the inclined surface 22b and the lower end of the lever 34 are arranged behind the vertical line A passing through the rear end of the water intake 30a. Thereby, it is possible to prevent water droplets dripping from the rear end of the water intake port 30a from splashing back at the inclined surface 22b or the lever 34 and scattering forward from the water intake portion 11. Therefore, the floor surface can be prevented from being flooded.

  A water tray 40 is disposed at the bottom of the frame 22. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing details of the bottom of the water intake section 11. On the front surface of the water tray 40, a grip portion 40a that is gripped by the user is formed. The frame 22 has a recess 22c that is recessed backward from the lower end of the inclined surface 22b. At the front end of the recess 22c, an engagement protrusion 22d having a lower end surface inclined so as to rise rearward from the lower end of the inclined surface 22b is formed.

  The water receiving tray 40 is attached to the frame 22 by the back wall 40b engaging with the engaging protrusion 22d and entering the recess 22c. At this time, the back wall 40b of the water tray 40 is arranged behind the lower end of the inclined surface 22b. As shown in FIG. 8, when the handle portion 40a is gripped and rotated upward, the water tray 40 is released from the engagement with the engagement protrusion 22d.

  In the refrigerator 1 having the above-described configuration, the opening / closing member 18 is opened and water is injected from the water injection port 17 into the water storage unit 14, and the opening / closing member 18 is closed. When the door 3a is closed, the water in the water reservoir 14 is cooled. As shown in FIG. 9, when the user presses the lever 34 with a container C such as a cup disposed in the water intake section 11, the valve 32 rises together with the nozzle 30. Thereby, the cold water W in the water tank 13 is supplied to the container C from the water intake 30 a of the nozzle 30.

  When the container C is separated from the lever 34, the valve 32 is lowered to stop water. At this time, water remaining in the nozzle 30 and the like is dripped from the water intake 30a. Water drops dripping from the water intake 30a are guided to the water receiving tray 40 without colliding with the inclined surface 22b on the back surface of the water intake section 11 or the lever 34.

  Further, when water droplets bounced off the water receiving tray 40 adhere to the inclined surface 22b, the water drops flow down on the inclined surface 22b and are collected in the water receiving tray 40. At this time, the back wall 40b of the water receiving tray 40 attached to the recess 22c is arranged behind the lower end of the inclined surface 22b. For this reason, the water droplets flowing down the inclined surface 22b are prevented from entering the gap between the frame 22 and the water tray 40. Moreover, since the lower end surface of the engagement protrusion 22d is inclined so that the rear side is raised, water drops flowing down the inclined surface 22b can be drained and reliably dropped onto the water tray 40. The water collected in the water tray 40 is drained by removing the water tray 40.

  According to the present embodiment, the opening / closing member 18 slides on the water tank 13 to open and close the water injection port 17, and the water injection port 17 is opened and detached at a predetermined position. Even when it is forgotten to close 18, the collision between the opening / closing member 18 and the upper wall 3f of the refrigerator compartment 3 is avoided. Therefore, damage to the opening / closing member 18 can be prevented. Further, since the opening / closing member 18 can be easily attached and detached, the number of assembling steps of the water tank 13 can be reduced and the opening / closing member 18 can be cleaned.

  In addition, the engagement depth between the groove 15c extending left and right on the door 3a side and the refrigerator compartment 3 side of the lid 15 and the protrusion 18a protruding in the front-rear direction from the inner surface of the opening / closing member 18 is a predetermined position (the length of the vertical groove 15d). Since the water inlet 17 is shallower than the position where the water injection port 17 is closed at the position), the opening / closing member 18 can be easily attached and detached by disposing the protrusion 18a at the position of the vertical groove 15d.

  Moreover, since the upper surface of the water tank 13 has the inclined surface 15b which opens the water injection port 17 and the refrigerator compartment 3 side falls, water injection can be performed easily. Further, when the water tank 13 is assembled and mounted, a collision between the water tank 13 and the upper wall 3f of the refrigerating chamber 3 (see FIG. 5) due to dimensional variations of the water tank 13 can be avoided. Therefore, the assembly man-hour of the water tank 13 can be further reduced.

  Further, since the opening / closing member 18 is farther from the pivot side of the door than the position at which the water inlet 17 is closed, the centrifugal force of the rotating door 3a is applied in the direction in which the opening / closing member 18 is closed. For this reason, opening of the opening and closing member 18 when the door 3a is opened and closed is prevented, and water leakage from the water inlet 17 is prevented, and the refrigerator 1 with high long-term reliability is obtained.

  Further, since the opening surface of the water intake 30a is inclined so that the rear side is lowered, water droplets drip from the rear end of the water intake 30a. For this reason, it is possible to reduce scattering of water droplets forward of the water intake unit 11 due to reflection of water droplets dropped on the water receiving tray 40. Moreover, the protrusion amount to the front of the door 3a of the water tray 40 which forms the bottom face of the water intake part 11 can be made small. Thereby, while the water receiving tray 40 does not become a user's obstruction and can improve the usability of the refrigerator 1, the packaging of the refrigerator 1 can be made easy.

  In addition, it is more desirable to incline the bottom face of the water receiving tray 40 so that the rear is lowered. Thereby, the water drop dripped on the water receiving tray 40 can be reflected toward the back surface of the water intake part 11, and the splash of the water drop ahead of the water intake part 11 can be more reliably prevented.

  According to this invention, it can utilize for the refrigerator provided with the water cooler.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Freezing room 2a, 3a Door 3 Refrigeration room 3d Foam heat insulating material 3f Upper wall 10 Water cooler 11 Water intake part 12 Water supply pipe 13 Water tank 14 Water storage part 15 Cover part 15b Inclined surface 15c Groove part 18 Opening / closing member 18a Protrusion part 19 Pipe Cover 21 Frame portion 21b, 22a, 22c Recessed portion 22 Frame 22b Inclined surface 22d Engaging projection 23 Lever holding portion 24 Valve holding portion 25 Sleeve 26, 31 O-ring 27 Front cover 30 Nozzle 30a Water intake port 32 Valve 33 Compression spring 34 Lever 35 Arm 40 water tray

Claims (4)

  A water tank provided on the upper surface of the back of the door that opens and closes the storage chamber and opens and closes by an opening and closing member, and a water tank provided on the front surface of the door and connected to the water tank and connected to the water tank. In a refrigerator including a water cooler having a water intake section for taking water, the opening and closing member slides to open and close the water inlet, and is detachable at a predetermined position where the water inlet is opened. Refrigerator.   The water tank includes a lid portion that opens the water inlet, and a water storage portion that has an upper surface closed by the lid portion and stores water injected from the water inlet, the door side of the lid portion and the storage A groove portion extending in the left-right direction is formed on the chamber side, and the opening / closing member has a protrusion that protrudes in the front-rear direction from the inner surface and engages with the groove, and the engagement depth between the groove and the protrusion is the predetermined position. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator is shallower than a position where the water inlet is closed.   3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the water tank has an inclined surface that opens the water injection port and lowers the storage chamber side. 4.   The door is pivotally supported at one end in the left-right direction of the storage chamber, and the opening / closing member is further away from the pivot side of the door than a position where the water inlet is closed. The refrigerator in any one of Claim 3.

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