JP2011038712A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a refrigerator with an operation part improved in operability and cleanability. <P>SOLUTION: The refrigerator includes a storage chamber arranged in a refrigerator body, a storage chamber door opening/closing the front opening of the storage chamber, a door front surface plate with translucency which is arranged on the front surface of the storage chamber door, the operation part arranged on the front surface of the door front surface plate, a detection part arranged in the rear of the operating part and in contact with or in the vicinity of the rear surface of the door front surface plate, and detecting a change in capacitance, a display part displaying an operation result of the operation part, a lighting means irradiating the display part from the rear, a control part controlling the lighting means based on a detection value of the detection part, a substrate with the detection part and the lighting means, and an insertion part arranged in the edge of the storage chamber door and storing the substrate in the storage chamber door. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  As a conventional refrigerator, a configuration is known in which an operation part (for example, a push button) is provided on the front part of the door, and by operating the operation part, various functions such as quick freezing, quick refrigeration, and automatic ice making device are operated. Yes. As the operation unit, a mechanical switch such as a micro switch is known.

  Furthermore, some recent home appliances use a capacitive touch switch. An example of a refrigerator provided with a touch switch is described in Patent Document 1.

  In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, a touch switch having a touch electrode and a counter electrode portion is provided on the front surface of the door. Further, the front surface portion of the touch electrode protrudes to the front side of the operation panel. The counter electrode part includes a double-sided printed board corresponding to an insulator and a pair of electrodes. In this configuration, when the user's hand or finger touches the touch electrode, the capacitance between the electrodes changes. This change in capacitance is taken out as a switch on / off signal.

JP 2006-304077 A

  However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, since the touch electrode protrudes to the front side of the operation panel, when the user operates the touch switch with a wet hand or finger, moisture is a gap between the portions where the touch switch is provided. There is a risk of damage to electrical components and the like from the inside.

  Further, when the surface of the door is to be wiped and cleaned, since it is not a flat surface, cleaning around the touch switch is complicated, and forcibly wiping and cleaning may cause malfunction or failure of the switch.

  Moreover, when a user operates a touch electrode with the hand and finger | toe to which oil and fat adhered, there exists a possibility that a touch electrode may corrode and may deteriorate early.

  In view of the said subject, this invention aims at obtaining the refrigerator provided with the operation part which the operativity and cleaning property improved.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention has a storage chamber provided in a refrigerator body, a storage chamber door that opens and closes a front opening of the storage chamber, and a light-transmitting property provided in front of the storage chamber door. A door front plate, an operation unit provided on the front surface of the door front plate, a detection unit provided behind or in contact with the rear surface of the door front plate and detecting a change in capacitance. A display unit that displays an operation result of the operation unit, an illumination unit that irradiates the display unit from behind, a control unit that controls the illumination unit based on a detection value of the detection unit, the detection unit, and the It is characterized by comprising: a substrate provided with illumination means; and an insertion portion provided at an edge portion of the storage chamber door and storing the substrate in the storage chamber door.

  In addition, a storage room provided in the refrigerator body, a storage room door that opens and closes the front opening of the storage room, a foam insulation material filled in the storage room door, and a flat surface on the front surface of the storage room door An insulating and translucent glass member provided, a case cover provided so as to form a recess from the front surface of the storage chamber door to the foam heat insulating material side, and provided at an edge of the storage chamber door A film having an insertion portion communicating with the concave portion, an operation portion provided in the same plane on the front surface of the glass member, and a display portion for displaying an operation result of the operation portion on the front surface of the glass plate, Based on a light emitting diode that irradiates the display portion of the film from the rear toward the front surface of the glass plate, a detection portion that is provided behind the operation portion and detects a change in capacitance, and a detection value of the detection portion A control unit for controlling the illumination means; A substrate provided with a diode and the detection unit; and a substrate case housing the substrate and having a front surface covered with the film, the substrate case being inserted into the case cover from the insertion unit, The film is provided so as to be in contact with or close to the rear surface of the glass member, and the detection unit is provided so as to be in contact with or close to the rear surface of the film.

  A guide groove provided in the case cover; and a slide member provided in the substrate case. The substrate case is inserted from the insertion portion, and the slide member is inserted into the guide member by the guide member. In a state of being guided along the groove and inserted into the case cover, the film is provided so as to contact or approach the rear surface of the glass member, and the detection unit contacts or approaches the rear surface of the film. It is provided as follows.

  In addition, when the board case is inserted into the case cover, the latching part is provided with an elastic force when the board case is inserted into the case cover. It is characterized by being locked to the stopper after getting over the stopper against it.

  The insertion portion may be covered with an edge of the storage chamber door and a flat lid.

  The insertion portion may be provided on any one of a side surface, a bottom surface, and an upper surface of the storage chamber door, and the connector of the board may be connected to a cable line side connector drawn into the case cover.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the refrigerator provided with the operation part with improved operativity and cleanability can be obtained.

It is a front view of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure of the display part and operation part which are shown to the P section of FIG. It is a figure of the anti-hinge side surface of the door shown in FIG. It is AA sectional drawing of the door shown in FIG. It is a top view of the board | substrate assembly which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is BB sectional drawing of the door shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the substrate case which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the board | substrate assembly which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is BB sectional drawing of the door shown in FIG. 1, Comprising: It is detail drawing of an LED light emission part. It is a door which concerns on embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the example which provided the insertion part in the bottom face.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, Example 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the display unit and the operation unit shown in the P part of FIG. FIG. 3 is a view of the anti-hinge side surface of the door shown in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the door shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, 1 is a refrigerator main body. The refrigerator main body 1 has a refrigerator compartment 2d, a freezer compartment 4d1, a vegetable compartment 5d, etc. in order from the top. A quick freezing room 4d2 is provided between the refrigerator compartment 2d and the freezing room 4d1, and an ice making room 4d3 is provided next to the quick freezing room 4d2.

  Moreover, the door which opens and closes this front opening is provided in the front opening of each store room. That is, a left refrigerator compartment door 2a and a right refrigerator compartment door 2b are provided at the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2d, and the respective front openings of the freezer compartment 4d1, the quick freeze compartment 4d2, the ice making compartment 4d3, and the vegetable compartment 5d are A freezer compartment door 4b, a quick freeze compartment door 4c, an ice making compartment door 4a, and a vegetable compartment door 5 are provided.

  The left refrigerator compartment door 2a and the right refrigerator compartment door 2b are rotatably supported by upper hinges 3 (left hinge 3a, right hinge 3b) provided on the upper part of the refrigerator main body 1, respectively. That is, what is called a French door comprised by the double-spread type is comprised.

  Moreover, the freezer compartment door 4b, the quick freeze compartment door 4c, the ice making compartment door 4a, and the vegetable compartment door 5 are each a drawer-type door, and can be pulled out together with the containers of the respective storage compartments.

  And the left refrigerator compartment door 2a and the right refrigerator compartment door 2b, the freezer compartment door 4b, the quick freeze compartment door 4c, the ice making compartment door 4a, and the vegetable compartment door 5 are provided with the glass plate 6a with transparency on the outer surface. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the foam heat insulating material 7 is filled and foamed between the door front plate 6 made of the glass plate 6 a and the door inner plate 8. The plate thickness of the glass plate 6a which is the door front plate 6 is 2 mm to 3.5 mm in this embodiment. This plate thickness is a dimension in which the glass plate 6a is not broken or cracked by an impact generated when the refrigerator is assembled, when the refrigerator is transferred, and when the refrigerator is used.

  Further, when further securing the strength or reducing the plate thickness, the glass plate 6a may be subjected to a heat strengthening process, a chemical strengthening process, or the like. The glass plate 6a is an insulator.

  Next, in FIG.1 and FIG.2, 9 is an operation part. The operation unit 9 is operated by the user from the outside to set the room temperature of each storage room such as the refrigerating room 2d and the freezing room 4d1, rapidly cooling the refrigerating room 2d and the freezing room 4d1, Set the size. Also, it is provided in the refrigerator compartment 2d, and the storage space is depressurized or hypoxic to adjust the temperature of the storage chamber (not shown) for maintaining the freshness of stored foods and suppressing oxidative degradation, or reducing the pressure or reducing oxygen. Or set to turn off the function. That is, when the user operates the operation unit 9, various functions of the refrigerator can be set.

  Reference numeral 10 denotes a display unit. The display unit 10 displays the input result from the operation unit 9 on the outside of the refrigerator body 1. Thereby, it is possible to confirm the operation performed by the user on the operation unit 9 or to confirm the states of various functions set in advance.

  The operation unit 9 and the display unit 10 are not provided with a special panel, but are provided on the glass plate 6a. That is, the glass plate 6a provided in the left refrigerator compartment door 2a is provided so that it may become a plane over the whole outer surface of this left refrigerator compartment door 2a including the operation part 9 and the display part 10. FIG.

  In other words, the operation unit 9 and the display unit 10 are directly provided on the door front plate 6 which is the glass plate 6a. For this reason, the conventional operation panel is omitted.

  Further, a colored paint is applied to the back surface of the glass plate 6a except for the display unit 10. Thereby, the foam heat insulating material 7 is processed so as not to be seen from the front side, and the display unit 10 is clearly visually recognized, so that a door having excellent appearance is configured.

  Next, the operation unit 9 and the display unit 10 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the display of the character part (characters of freezing, refrigeration, ice making, rapid cooling, and vacuum chilling) surrounded by a broken line is represented by direct printing or the like on the back surface of the glass plate 6a. On the other hand, the operation unit 9 refers to the front surface (front surface of the glass plate 6a which is the door front plate 6) at a position facing the back surface on which the character portion is printed. In addition, as a means for providing an operation display (the character portion) on the back surface of the glass plate 6a, etching, inlaying, and the like can be given in addition to printing.

  Further, in FIG. 2, a part surrounded by a solid line is a display unit 10 that indicates a setting state of various functions in accordance with an input by the operation of the operation unit 9 described above. And this character display ("strong (low temperature), medium, weak", "strong (chilled), medium, weak", "large, standard, stop", "quick refrigeration, quick freezing", "vacuum ice temperature, vacuum "Chilled, cut (ice temperature)") is expressed by printing or the like on the film surface described later.

  The said film is attached to the back surface of the glass plate 6a which is the door front plate 6 so that the adhesion or the gap is very slight. Therefore, the character display can be clearly confirmed from the front of the left refrigerator compartment door 2a through the glass plate 6a. In other words, the door has an excellent appearance and has a high visibility and an outer surface made of a flat glass plate.

  The operation unit 9 and the display unit 10 are provided side by side as shown in FIG. The display unit 10 is configured to display, as a function of the refrigerator body 1, that quick refrigeration or quick freezing is in operation.

  Furthermore, the character display of the display unit 10 is configured to be illuminated by an LED (light emitting diode) or the like on a substrate to be described later, and to project to the front surface of the glass plate 6a so as to be lifted up.

  Next, in FIG. 3, 11 is a lid provided on the side surface of the left refrigerator compartment door 2a. The lid 11 is provided on the opposite hinge side of the left refrigerator compartment door 2a, and is provided between the adjacent right refrigerator compartment door 2b. In this configuration, when the left refrigerator compartment door 2a and the right refrigerator compartment door 2b are closed, the lid 11 is not visible from the user.

  Next, in FIG. 4, 2a is a left refrigerator compartment door, 6 is a door front board, 7 is a foam heat insulating material, 8 is a door inner board, 12 is a board | substrate assembly. The board assembly 12 includes an LED light emitting unit 13 that illuminates the display unit 10, a detection unit 14 that detects a change in capacitance, a determination unit (not shown), an automatic control unit (not shown) including a microcomputer, and the like. A substrate 15, a film 16 on which display characters are printed, a substrate case 17, and the like.

  The substrate 15 (including the detection unit 14) has one surface on the front side of the substrate 15 covered with a film 16 and the other surface covered with a substrate case 17. The film 16 is in close contact with the detection unit 14. Moreover, the film 16 is the structure which permeate | transmits the light of the LED light emission part 13 from the back surface to the surface, and permeate | transmits it to the glass plate 6a side.

  The detection unit 14 is paired with the operation unit 9 when incorporated in the left refrigerator compartment door 2a. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation unit 9 is provided so as to overlap the front side and the detection unit 14 on the back side through the glass plate 6 a and the film 16 that are insulators.

  A determination unit (not shown) detects a change in capacitance between the operation unit 9 and the detection unit 14 in the substrate 15. When there is a change in the capacitance, an oscillation circuit that oscillates and changes in amplitude according to the change in the capacitance is included. As a result, the automatic control unit that has extracted the switch signal and the on / off signal output from the determination unit drives the load. Note that the switch signal output by the determination unit may be turned on / off depending on the operation of the user simply passing in front of the operation unit 9 or the user wiping the front of the refrigerator (the left refrigerator door 2a) for cleaning. The configuration is such that no signal is output.

  That is, the glass plate 6a constituting the door front plate 6 of the refrigerator is an insulator and a light-transmitting plate material. And the operation content of the operation part 9 is displayed by the character represented by printing etc. on the back surface of the operation part 9 of the glass plate 6a so that the front surface of the glass plate 6a may be the operation part 9.

  On the back surface of the glass plate 6 a facing the operation unit 9, a detection unit 14 provided on the substrate 15 and connected to the determination unit is provided so as to be close to each other through the film 16. Character display on the display unit 10 or the like provided along with the operation unit 9 is represented by printing or the like on the surface of the film 16 covering the surface of the substrate 15.

  And the character display of the display part 10 is clearly illuminated by the LED light emission part 13 provided on the board | substrate 15 from the back surface. Further, when a hand or a finger touches the operation unit 9, the detection unit 14 on the substrate 15 senses a change in capacitance with the glass plate 6 a and notifies the determination unit on the substrate 15. And if a determination part detects an input, a load will be operated via an automatic control part.

  Here, in the case of rapid cooling, the load operated via the automatic control unit is forced continuous operation of a refrigeration cycle, forced continuous operation of a cold air circulation fan (not shown), or forced damper for controlling the amount of cold air supplied. For example, open control. By controlling these loads, the refrigerator compartment 2d is rapidly refrigerated or the freezer compartment 4d1 is rapidly frozen.

  When the detection unit 14 for detecting the change in capacitance is provided on the substrate 15 and the determination unit determines the change in capacitance, the buzzer provided on the substrate 15 emits a notification sound and changes in the control contents. As a result, the notification sound is scaled.

  The above will be specifically described with reference to FIG. When adjusting the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2d or the freezer compartment 4d1 to the setting of “strong, medium, weak”, in this embodiment, the notification sound is scaled in the following cycle.

“Weak (bass“ Do ”) → Medium (Medium“ Mi ”) → Strong (High“ So ”) → Weak (Low“ Do ”) →
... "
Thus, even when a user who cannot visually recognize characters performs an operation, the temperature setting can be confirmed by the difference in the scale.

  Moreover, the selection additional function such as quick freezing and quick refrigeration changes the scale and the number of notifications to the notification sound in the following cycle when input.

“Rapid freezing (bass“ do ”) → rapid refrigeration (medium“ mi ”) → rapid freezing and rapid refrigeration (treble“ so ”) → stop (twice“ la, la ”) → rapid freezing (bass“ do ”) ") ..."
In particular, when no additional function (stop) is selected, the user can easily confirm the settings by hearing, even if they do not recognize it visually, by setting the number of notification sounds to multiple times as described above. Can do.

  Next, in FIG. 4, 18 is a case cover. The case cover 18 serves to isolate the substrate assembly 12 from the foam insulation 7. In addition, the substrate assembly 12 is held in the case cover 18 so that the film 16 on the surface of the substrate 15 is in close contact with or close to the glass plate 6a which is the door front plate 6.

  Reference numeral 19 denotes a colored paint surface applied to the back surface of the glass plate 6a. The colored paint surface 19 is provided over the entire back surface of the glass plate 6 a except for the display unit 10.

  19a is a protective film. The protective film 19a protects the glass plate 6a from being scattered around even when a large impact is applied to the glass plate 6a and the glass is broken or cracked. Moreover, this protective film 19a is affixed on the same surface as the colored paint surface. This prevents the foam heat insulating material 7 from seeing through from the front side of the door, thereby preventing the appearance from being impaired.

  Moreover, the short direction of the board | substrate assembly 12 and the short direction of the glass plate 6a are arrange | positioned so that it may cross | intersect. This is based on the property that when heat treatment is applied to the glass plate 6a, the distortion of the glass plate 6a tends to appear in the longitudinal direction. That is, in view of this property, the substrate assembly 12 is configured to suppress the influence of distortion of the glass plate 6a.

  Here, when the substrate assembly 12 is incorporated so that the longitudinal direction of the glass plate 6 a is along the longitudinal direction of the glass plate 6 a, the glass plate 6 a is affected by the distortion, and between the glass plate 6 a and the detection unit 14 on the substrate 15. It becomes easy to produce a gap in. Thereby, the subject that the input content from the operation part 9 is not transmitted well to the detection part 14 arises.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the substrate assembly 12 is arranged in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the glass plate.

  Moreover, manufacturing cost can be reduced by making the door surface of a refrigerator into the glass plate 6a of 1 sheet. In addition, the clearance gap between the glass plate 6a and the detection part 14 needs to be 0.2 mm or less including the distortion of the glass plate 6a. It has been found by a test etc. of the present inventors that when the gap of 0.2 mm or more occurs, there arises a problem that the input content from the operation unit 9 is not transmitted well to the detection unit 14.

  Moreover, the board | substrate assembly 12 is provided in the door of the refrigerator compartment 2d provided in the uppermost part of the refrigerator main body 1, ie, the left refrigerator compartment door 2a. This height position is a position out of reach of small children. In addition, the position is easy to see and operate for the user.

  Furthermore, in the case of this embodiment, the operation part 9 and the display part 10 do not protrude from the door front plate 6 as in the prior art. Thereby, it is difficult for a small child to recognize that the operation unit 9 and the display unit 10 are present. That is, mischievous operations by children can be reduced.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a top view of the substrate assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the door shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the substrate case according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8A is an exploded perspective view of the board assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the door shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line B-B and is a detailed view of the LED light emitting unit. FIG. 8C is a detailed cross-sectional view of a conventional LED light emitting unit.

  In the figure, 2a is a left refrigerator door, 6 is a door front plate, 7 is a foam insulation, 8 is a door inner plate, 11 is a lid, 12 is a substrate assembly, 16 is a film, and 17 is a substrate case.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the substrate assembly 12 is a combination of a substrate case 17, an LED light emitting unit 13, a substrate 15, and a film 16 in that order.

  On the back surface of the display unit 10, an LED light emitting unit 13 that illuminates the display unit 10 later is located. That is, the substrate 15 positioned on the back surface of the display unit 10 has a shape in which a part thereof is cut out, and is provided so that the LED light emitting unit 13 faces the cutout part.

  On the back surface of the operation unit 9, a detection unit 14 that detects a change in capacitance is located. The substrate 15 includes a detection unit 14, a determination unit (not shown), an automatic control unit (not shown) including a microcomputer, and the like.

  One side of the substrate 15 is covered with a film 16 and the other side is covered with a substrate case 17. The film 16 is in close contact with the detection unit 14. Further, the light from the LED light emitting unit 13 is transmitted.

  The detection unit 14 is paired with the operation unit 9 on the glass plate 6a side when being incorporated into the left refrigerator door 2a. That is, the operation unit 9 is provided on the front side of the glass plate 6a and the film 16 which are insulators, and the detection unit 14 is provided so as to overlap as shown in FIG. 4 so as to be on the back side (substrate 15 side through the film 16). Yes.

  Next, 20 is a slide member. As shown in FIG. 8A, the slide members 20 are provided at the four corners of the substrate case 17, respectively.

  Reference numeral 21 denotes a recess for accommodating the substrate 15. The recess 21 is provided in the substrate case 17 and has a depth in which a microcomputer or the like included in the substrate 15 is accommodated.

  22 is a connector for connecting between the board | substrate 15 and another board | substrate (not shown) provided in the refrigerator main body 1 side. The connector 22 is provided at the end of the substrate case 17 as shown in FIG.

  Reference numeral 23 denotes a locking portion provided on the bottom surface of the substrate case 17. The locking portion 23 is provided integrally with the resin substrate case 17. It has elasticity and is formed to be variable in the direction of arrow Q.

  Reference numeral 24 denotes an insertion portion (see FIG. 7). The insertion portion 24 is provided on the side surface of the door frame 2c of the left refrigerator compartment door 2a as shown in the figure. The insertion portion 24 is provided integrally with the case cover 18. In other words, the entrance portion of the space formed by the case cover 18 is configured by the insertion portion 24.

  11 is a lid for detachably closing the insertion portion 24. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lid 11 is provided so as to form a plane with the door frame 2 c. Thereby, even if a user opens the left refrigerator compartment door 2a, the boundary of the lid | cover 11 and the door frame 2c is not conspicuous, and designability is not impaired. Moreover, it contributes not to impair design property by making the lid | cover 11 and the door frame 2c into the same color.

  Reference numeral 25 denotes a guide groove provided in the case cover 18. The guide groove 25 guides the substrate assembly 12 inserted from the insertion portion 24 by sliding it into the case cover 18. That is, the slide member 20 provided in the substrate case 17 is slid in the guide groove 25 to incorporate the substrate assembly 12 in the case cover 18.

  At this time, the dimension between the surface side of the substrate 15 and the glass plate 6a is varied in the vicinity of the terminal end portion 25a of the guide groove 25. That is, the guide groove 25 has a structure in which the end portion 25a guides the slide member 20 so that the detection portion 14 on the substrate 15 is in close contact with or close to the glass plate 6a. In other words, when the board assembly 12 is inserted into the insertion portion 24, the inlet 25b of the guide groove 25 slides the detection unit 14 at a position away from the glass plate 6a in consideration of the ease of incorporation of the board assembly 12. Thus, the end portion 25a is configured to rise so that the detection portion 14 is in close contact with or close to the glass plate 6a at the position where the assembly is completed.

  The substrate case 17 has a horizontally long rectangular shape. Then, only the slide member 20 as described above may cause the vicinity of the center of the substrate case 17 to bend, and the detection unit 14 on the substrate 15 may be separated from the glass plate 6a.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, convex portions 17 b are provided on the upper and lower ends from the center of the back surface of the substrate case 17. Thereby, when the substrate case 17 is incorporated in the case cover 18, the convex portion 17b acts to correct the curvature of the substrate case. Therefore, the detection part 14 on the board | substrate 15 can be provided so that it may contact | adhere or adjoin to the glass plate 6a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of ribs 18 a are provided on the back surface of the case cover 18. That is, a plurality of ribs 18 a are provided on the side in contact with the foam heat insulating material 7.

  When the foam heat insulating material 7 is filled and foamed, the foaming pressure acts on the case cover 18. In this case, deformation of the case cover 18 due to foaming pressure can be suppressed by the plurality of ribs 18a. Further, the rib 18a guides the foam heat insulating material 7 to flow along the rib 18a, and thus acts so as not to inhibit the filling foam. Furthermore, since the foam heat insulating material 7 is uniformly filled so as to surround the rib 18a and hardened, the case cover 18 can be securely fixed.

  As described above, since the case cover 18 can be prevented from being deformed or displaced by filling and foaming of the foam heat insulating material 7, when the substrate assembly 12 is assembled in the case cover 18, the guide groove 25 and the slide member The positional deviation with respect to 20 can be suppressed. That is, the detection unit 14 on the substrate 15 can be provided so as to be in close contact with or close to the glass plate 6a.

  Next, the case where the board assembly 12 is assembled in the space 26 formed by the glass plate 6a and the case cover 18 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The slide member 20 on the inlet portion 25b side is lightly pushed along the guide groove 25 while being positioned at the inlet portion 25b of the guide groove 25. Then, the slide member 20 on the end portion 25a side reaches the end portion 25a of the guide groove 25, and the detection portion 14 (see FIG. 4) of the substrate assembly 12 is in close contact with or close to the glass plate 6a via the film 16. .

  As shown in FIG. 6, the slide member 20 on the inlet portion 25 b side rides on the guide portion 25 c from the inlet portion 25 b, and the locking portion 23 provided on the board case 17 gets over the stopper 27 against the elastic force. Then, it is locked to the stopper 27. Thereby, the board | substrate assembly 12 is fixed in the state which the detection part 14 contact | adhered or adjoined to the glass plate 6a which is the door front plate 6 via the film 16. FIG.

  Next, the board side connector 22 is located on the insertion portion 24 side. As shown in FIG. 7, a cable line 28 such as a power cord is drawn out into the case cover 18 in advance. Then, the cable line side connector 29 that is the tip of the cable line 28 is inserted into the board side connector 22. Thereby, the cable wires 28 can be collected in the space 26. In this state, the lid 11 is attached and the assembling work is completed. In addition, when removing the board | substrate assembly 12 at the time of inspection and repair, what is necessary is just to perform operation reverse to the above.

  The cable wire 28 is drawn out to the space 26 from the foamed heat insulating material 7 side of the door 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the outlet 30 to the space 26 is provided near the lid 11. Thereby, the work of grouping the cable wires 28 becomes efficient.

  Further, the drawer opening 30 is positioned above the space 26 when the left refrigerator compartment door 2a is incorporated in the refrigerator main body 1. Thereby, the dew condensation water attached to the space 26 can be prevented from entering the foam heat insulating material 7 from the outlet 30.

  In addition, when it is set as the structure which forms the display part 10 by printing etc. directly on the back surface of the glass plate 6a, and removes the film 16, the following subject arises. In the step of filling the foam heat insulating material 7, the display unit 10 and the case cover 18 provided on the glass plate 6a are displaced by about 1 to 2 mm due to the foaming pressure. That is, since the substrate assembly 12 is positioned by the guide groove 25 provided in the case cover 18, a positional deviation occurs between the LED light emitting unit 13 provided on the substrate 15 and the display unit 10. For this reason, uneven illumination occurs in the display unit 10, which is not preferable in appearance. In addition, it is not preferable in view of appearance to enlarge the character display portion in consideration of the positional deviation.

  That is, the substrate assembly 12 includes the substrate case 17, the substrate 15, the film 16, and the like, so that the illumination of the display unit 10 can be performed even when the case cover 18 is displaced in the process of filling the foamed heat insulating material 7. This configuration is less likely to cause unevenness.

  In the present embodiment, the structure in which the substrate assembly 12 is brought into close contact with the glass plate 6a in relation to the four pieces of slide members 20 provided in the substrate case 17 and the guide grooves 25 provided in the case cover 18 has been described. However, this is an example for making the detection part 14 contact | adhere to the glass plate 6a, and is not limited to this structure. Further, the position where the insertion portion 24 is provided is not limited to the door side surface described above, and may be the door bottom surface, top surface, or back surface (foaming heat insulating material side).

  Next, in FIG. 8A, the board assembly 12 includes a board case 17, an LED light emitting unit 13, a board 15, a film 16, and the like. Then, the substrate 15 is accommodated in the recess 21 of the substrate case 17. The surface 15 a of the substrate 15 is stored so as to be flush with the flange portion 17 a provided on the substrate case (substrate storage member) 17. In this state, the adhesive-attached film 16 is tightly fixed to the surface 15 a of the substrate 15 and the flange portion 17 a of the substrate case 17.

  Accordingly, there is no space portion between the detection portion 14 on the substrate 15 and the film 16 or the proximity thereof.

  Next, the configuration of the LED light emitting unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 8B. The LED 13b is disposed on the opposite surface of the detection unit 14 of the substrate 15. A hole 15b is provided in the vicinity of the LED 13b. An LED translucent portion 13a is installed in the hole portion 15b. The film 16 is disposed on the opposing surface of the hole 15b.

  Thereby, when the LED 13b is turned on, the light is incident on the root 13c of the LED translucent portion 13a disposed on the opposite surface of the LED 13b. The LED translucent part 13a is injection-molded with a polystyrene transparent resin or an acrylic transparent resin material. Therefore, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 8B, the LED translucent portion 13a is refracted and translucent to light the surface 13d of the LED translucent portion 13a. Thereby, the display character of the film 16 is illuminated.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, it is necessary to illuminate all the characters corresponding to display characters such as quick refrigeration and quick freezing printed on the film 16. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, a plurality of hole portions 15b and LEDs 13b are provided in the substrate 15, and a plurality of LED light transmitting portions 13a are provided so as to correspond to the plurality of hole portions.

  According to this configuration, the thickness of the substrate case 17 containing the substrate 15 can be minimized, and the thickness of the foam heat insulating material 7 can be sufficiently ensured.

  Although not shown, when a lighting instruction is given from the automatic control unit, the display unit 10 is illuminated from the back side of the film 16 and is lit up through the glass plate 6a to make the characters easier to see.

  In other words, the LED light emitting unit 13 in this embodiment is lit only when the detecting unit 14 detects the capacitance. Then, in an actual use state, it is difficult for a small child to recognize that the glass plate 6 a itself is the operation unit 9. Therefore, mischief and the like can be prevented.

  In addition, the character represented by printing etc. on the film 16 can be visually recognized by the user through the glass plate 6a.

  The LED light emitting unit 13 is turned on as follows. That is, when the user touches the operation portion 9 of the character portion that is visible on the front surface through the glass plate 6a, the detection unit 14 detects this. Then, a determination part and an automatic control part operate | move, for example, when quick refrigeration is instruct | indicated, it will light to illuminate the character part of "rapid refrigeration" of the display part 10. FIG.

  Next, an example in which the insertion portion 24 is provided on the bottom surface of the door will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, the insertion part 24 is provided in the bottom face of the left refrigerator compartment door 2a, and the cover 11 covers the insertion part 24. Here, in consideration of operability and visibility, the display unit 10 is provided beside the handle 1a that opens and closes the left refrigerator door 2a. Therefore, the insertion part 24 is used as the bottom surface of the left refrigerator compartment door 2a.

  In addition, how to provide the display unit 10 and the operation unit 9 (not shown), how to incorporate the board assembly into the left refrigerator door 2a, and the like are the same as described above.

  In this case, the lid 11 can be made even less noticeable by being below the user's line of sight.

  Moreover, although not shown in figure, when the whole height of the refrigerator main body 1 is low, it is convenient to arrange | position the display part 10 to the upper part of a refrigerator compartment door. That is, the structure which provided the insertion part 24 in the door upper surface is also possible. In this case, the board assembly is assembled in the same manner as described above.

  Since the present invention has the configuration of each embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  That is, the door front plate of the refrigerator is a glass member having insulation and translucency. Then, the front surface of the glass member is used as a planar operation portion, and a character display portion printed on the back surface of the glass member is provided behind the operation portion. Further, on the back surface of the glass member facing the operation unit, a detection unit connected to the determination unit on the substrate is provided in contact with or close to the operation unit, and a character display such as a display unit for displaying the operation result is provided in the vicinity of the operation unit. . Moreover, the character display of this display part is irradiated from back by the light emitting diode etc. which were provided in the board | substrate.

  When the detection unit detects a change in capacitance, the automatic control unit operates the load via the determination unit on the substrate to control the on / off of the LED.

  Thereby, since the door front plate becomes an insulator and is made of a translucent glass plate, the operation unit that hits the touch electrode becomes the glass front, and an operation panel is unnecessary. Further, when the front surface of the glass is soiled with moisture, oil or the like, the front surface of the glass is flat and can be easily wiped off. Moreover, the mischief of a child can be suppressed. Moreover, even if the user touches the operation unit with a hand or finger with moisture or oil and fat on it, the operation unit is a glass member itself, so that corrosion and deterioration of the electrical product can be suppressed. Moreover, since the door surface is a flat surface, wiping and cleaning are easy.

  Further, the display unit provided along with the operation unit is illuminated from behind by an LED or the like according to an instruction from the automatic control unit on the substrate, and is displayed on the surface of the glass member.

  As a result, the user can confirm the contents input by the user by displaying the door surface without opening and closing the door, thereby preventing erroneous input and unnecessary opening and closing of the door.

  The substrate also includes an LED light emitting unit that illuminates the display unit, a detection unit that detects a change in capacitance, a determination unit, an automatic control unit including a microcomputer, and the like. The substrate is covered with a film and a substrate case, and is provided so that the film is in contact with or close to the detection unit, and the detection unit is in contact with or close to the glass plate via the film.

  As a result, the positional relationship between the operation unit and the determination unit is kept constant, and the microcomputer and the like are protected by the film and the substrate case to reduce the possibility of damage. Further, when the substrate case is attached, there is no possibility that the back surface of the glass member is damaged by the substrate case.

  In addition, the substrate case containing the substrate is housed in a case cover isolated from the foam insulation, and the film in contact with or close to the detector provided on the surface of the substrate is in contact with or close to the back surface of the glass member. It is attached to do.

  Thereby, it can prevent that the board | substrate incorporated in the board | substrate case fails by the penetration | invasion of the foaming heat insulating material with which it fills.

  In addition, a colored paint is provided on the rear surface of the glass member other than the display unit.

  Thereby, the transparency of a display part is maintained and the glass protective material, the foam heat insulating material, etc. which were affixed on the glass back surface cannot be seen from the door front, and shall be favorable on an external appearance.

  The board also includes an LED that illuminates the display unit, a detection unit that detects a change in capacitance, an automatic control unit including a determination unit and a microcomputer, and the detection unit is arranged on the substrate surface on the door surface side. Then, an LED for illuminating the display unit is arranged on the opposite surface of the substrate on which the detection unit is arranged. Moreover, a square hole is provided around the board | substrate which has arrange | positioned LED, and a display part is provided in the opposing surface of the said square hole.

  Thereby, the thickness of the board | substrate case which incorporated the board | substrate can be reduced, and the thickness of a foam heat insulating material can fully be ensured.

  Further, the glass member has a planar shape that is long in the height direction, the substrate is in a horizontally long shape, and the longitudinal direction of the substrate is disposed so as to intersect the height direction of the glass member. The thickness of the glass member is 2 mm to 3.5 mm.

  Thereby, it can prevent that a glass plate breaks or a crack enters at the time of foaming heat insulating material filling, the time of refrigerator use, the time of refrigerator assembly, etc. Moreover, the influence of the thermal deformation etc. of glass itself can be suppressed to the minimum. In addition, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The reason why the thickness of the glass member is changed from 2 mm to 3.5 mm is as follows. That is, the impact received by the glass member, which is the door front plate, is taken into account when the foam insulation material is filled, the refrigerator is used, the refrigerator is assembled, and the refrigerator is transported. Specifically, when a 1 kg copper ball is dropped from a height of 1 m above the door, the strength is ensured that the glass member is not broken.

  Moreover, in order to ensure the further intensity | strength, you may add a heat strengthening process or a chemical strengthening process to a glass member. Moreover, in order to reduce the mass of the refrigerator itself, it is preferable that the thickness of the glass member is thinner as long as the strength can be secured.

  In the case of the present embodiment, as described above, a protective material is pasted on the back surface of the glass member so that fragments are not scattered even if the glass member is broken. Furthermore, when a tempering process is added, the broken glass becomes smaller and safety can be improved.

  Moreover, the thickness dimension of a glass member, a film, and a protective film is thickness which can detect the change of the electrostatic capacitance by operation of an operation part in a detection part.

  In addition, a detection unit that detects a change in capacitance is provided on the substrate, and when the determination unit determines the change in capacitance, a buzzer that is notification means provided on the substrate emits a notification sound. Note that the notification sound is provided with a scale or the number of notification sounds is changed in accordance with the change in the control content.

  Thereby, when a user performs operation, the content inputted by sound can be confirmed by the scale of the notification sound and the number of notification sounds. Since the door surface plate of the refrigerator is made of a glass member without unevenness and is provided with a planar operation portion, it is important that the contents can be confirmed with sound.

  In addition, when the board assembly is assembled into the case cover from the insertion part provided on the door, the surface of the board assembly is related to the guide groove and terminal part provided on the case cover and the slide member provided on the board cover. Contact or approach the back of the glass plate.

  As a result, the substrate assembly can be accommodated without damaging the determination unit and the rear surface of the glass plate. Also, the substrate assembly can be attached and detached with a small force.

  Further, the substrate is detachably mounted in the case cover from the insertion portion provided on the side surface, top surface, or bottom surface of the door, and the insertion portion is closed with a lid.

  Thereby, it is hard for a user to visually recognize an insertion part, and it can be set as the design excellent in design. In addition, the service of the board assembly can be checked by opening and closing the lid without separating the door from the refrigerator body.

  In addition, the board is removably attached to the case cover from the door edge, that is, the insertion portion provided on the side, top, or bottom, and the cable wire connector is drawn into the case cover after the board is attached. To the board side connector.

  Thereby, connection / storage work of a cable line becomes easy.

  Further, the locking portion formed integrally with the resin substrate case has elasticity, and the locking portion is locked to a stopper on the case cover side using the elasticity, and the substrate case is placed inside the case cover. Secure to.

  Accordingly, when an impact is applied to the refrigerator main body, the position of the board assembly mounted in the case cover is prevented from shifting, and the detection unit is prevented from being unable to detect a change in capacitance.

2a Left refrigerator compartment door 2c Door frame 6 Door front plate 6a Glass plate 7 Foam insulation 8 Door inner plate 9 Operation unit 10 Display unit 11 Lid 12 Substrate assembly 13 LED light emitting unit 14 Detection unit 15 Substrate 15a Surface 15b Hole 16 Film 17 Substrate case 17a Flange part 18 Case cover 19 Colored paint surface 19a Protective film 20 Slide member 21 Recess 22 Connector 23 Locking part 24 Insertion part 25 Guide groove 25a Terminal part 25b Inlet part 25c Guide part 26 Space 27 Stopper
28 Cable line 29 Cable line side connector 30 Drawer port

Claims (6)

A storage room provided in the refrigerator body;
A storage room door for opening and closing the front opening of the storage room;
A door front plate that is provided in front of the storage room door and has translucency;
An operation unit provided on the front surface of the door front plate;
A detection unit that is provided behind or behind the operation unit and in contact with or close to the rear surface of the door front plate;
A display unit for displaying an operation result of the operation unit;
Illuminating means for irradiating the display unit from behind;
A control unit for controlling the illumination means based on a detection value of the detection unit;
A substrate provided with the detector and the illumination means;
An insertion portion provided at an edge of the storage chamber door and storing the substrate in the storage chamber door;
A refrigerator, comprising: A storage room provided in the refrigerator body;
A storage room door for opening and closing the front opening of the storage room;
A foam insulation filled in the storage compartment door;
A glass member having insulation and translucency provided in a planar shape on the front surface of the storage room door;
A case cover provided so as to form a recess on the foam insulation side from the front surface of the storage chamber door;
An insertion portion provided at an edge of the storage chamber door and communicating with the recess;
An operation unit provided in the same plane on the front surface of the glass member;
A film having a display unit for displaying the operation result of the operation unit on the front surface of the glass plate;
A light emitting diode that irradiates the display portion of the film from the rear toward the front surface of the glass plate;
A detection unit provided behind the operation unit to detect a change in capacitance;
A control unit that controls the illumination unit based on a detection value of the detection unit;
A substrate provided with the light emitting diode and the detection unit;
A substrate case that houses the substrate and has a front surface covered with the film;
The substrate case is inserted into the case cover from the insertion portion, and is provided so that the film is in contact with or close to the rear surface of the glass member, and the detection portion is in contact with or close to the rear surface of the film. The refrigerator characterized by being provided in the. In claim 2,
A guide groove provided in the case cover;
A slide member provided on the substrate case,
The substrate case is inserted from the insertion portion, and the substrate case is in contact with the rear surface of the glass member with the slide member guided along the guide groove and inserted into the case cover. Or the refrigerator provided so that it might adjoin and the said detection part was provided so that it might contact or adjoin to the rear surface of the said film. In claim 1 or 2,
A locking portion provided in the substrate case;
A stopper provided on the case cover,
When the substrate case is inserted into the case cover, the locking portion climbs over the stopper against elastic force and then locks to the stopper.   The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the insertion portion is covered with an edge portion of the storage chamber door and a flat lid.   3. The insertion portion according to claim 1, wherein the insertion portion is provided on any one of a side surface, a bottom surface, and an upper surface of the storage chamber door, and the connector of the board is connected to the cable line side connector drawn into the case cover. A refrigerator characterized by.

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