JP2014037922A - Shelf structure for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shelf structure for a refrigerator, in which the layout of shelves in a storage compartment can be changed and the layout change can be performed quietly by a simple operation.SOLUTION: In the storage compartment 10 of a refrigerator 1, a shelf unit 30 is accommodated on a shelf 20. The shelf unit 30 is divided at a partition 40, and the divided one becomes a swing shelf 31. One side edge of the swing shelf 31 becomes the turning center of the swing shelf 31 and is turnably supported on the inner wall of the storage compartment 10 by a bearing portion 42. The other side edge of the swing shelf 31 becomes a free end 31a. The free end 31a is supported by a support 43 disposed at the partition 40, is released by the action of the support 43, and can be moved downward. For the swing shaft 31, there is provided a deceleration device for decelerating a moving speed when the swing shelf 31 takes an attitude along the inner wall of the storage compartment 10.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator shelf structure.

  In a storage room of a refrigerator, particularly a storage room used as a refrigeration room, shelves for placing food and food containers are usually provided in a plurality of stages. An example of such a shelf structure can be seen in US Pat.

  In the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, the first shelf and the second shelf are arranged side by side. The first shelf has side plates on the left and right sides of the shelf surface, and the side plates serve as legs. The second shelf also has side plates on the left and right sides, but this side plate is lower in height than the side plates of the first shelf. The second shelf can be placed with its side plate as a leg portion, or can be inverted and supported by a support portion formed on the inner side surface of the storage chamber and the side plate of the first shelf. . By inverting the top and bottom of the second shelf or changing the support height, the layout of the shelf in the storage chamber can be changed variously.

Japanese Patent No. 3887998

  It is an object of the present invention to change the layout of shelves in a storage room in the same manner as the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, and to change the layout quietly with a simple operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator shelf structure according to the present invention includes a swing shelf having one side edge rotatably supported by a bearing portion on the inner wall of a storage chamber and the other side edge as a free end. The swing shelf is supported substantially horizontally with the free end supported by a support provided in the storage chamber, and the free end is released by the operation of the support and can be moved downward. And a reduction device for reducing the moving speed when the swing shelf is in a posture along the inner wall of the storage chamber.

  In the refrigerator shelf structure having the above-described configuration, the speed reduction device includes a guide track formed inside the storage chamber, and a braking member that is provided at a free end of the swing shelf and moves along the guide track. It is preferable.

  In the refrigerator shelf structure having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the braking member includes a roller that rolls along the guide track, and a resistance device that gives resistance to the rotation is attached to the roller.

  In the refrigerator shelf structure having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the braking member includes a roller that rolls along the guide track, and an end portion of the guide track has a braking curve that decelerates the roller.

  In the refrigerator shelf structure configured as described above, it is preferable that the speed reducer is configured by a shock absorber that receives the swing shelf.

  In the refrigerator shelf structure configured as described above, it is preferable that the speed reducer is configured by a resistance device that provides resistance to rotation of the swing shelf at the bearing portion.

  According to the present invention, the swing shelf swings downward by moving the support and releasing the free end of the swing shelf, and the swing shelf is changed in posture along the inner wall of the storage chamber. Changing the layout of indoor shelves can be performed easily and speedily. Also, since the swing shelf is equipped with a speed reducer that decelerates the moving speed when it becomes a posture along the inner wall of the storage room, the swing shelf is quietly stopped at a low speed and moved at a high speed Unpleasant vibrations and sounds that inevitably occur when an object is suddenly stopped can be avoided, and the quality of the refrigerator is improved.

It is a front view of the refrigerator which removes and shows the door of a store room. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale similar to FIG. 2, and shows a different state. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the support tool of the upper part of a partition. It is the same figure as FIG. 4, and shows a different state. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the bearing part of a swing shelf. It is a figure similar to FIG. 6, and shows a different state. It is a figure explaining the deceleration of a swing shelf.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a refrigerator. The left side and the right side in FIG. 1 are expressed as “left” and “right” in the following description.

  The refrigerator 1 has a total of five storage rooms 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14. The uppermost storage room 10 has a large volume and is used as a refrigerator room. Two storage chambers 11 and 12 that are arranged side by side have a small volume and are used as an ice making chamber or a multipurpose storage chamber. The lower storage room 13 is used as a freezing room, and the lowermost storage room 14 is used as a vegetable room. In addition, such use division of the storage room is only an example, and does not limit the invention.

  The front opening of the storage chamber 10 is closed by a double door that is not shown. Each of the storage chambers 11, 12, 13, and 14 is configured as a drawer, and is drawn together with a door portion on the front side.

  There are a total of four shelves in the storage chamber 10. That is, the shelf 20, the shelf unit 30, the shelf 21, and the shelf 22 in order from the bottom. The lowermost shelf 20 also serves as a ceiling portion of the storage compartment 23 formed therebelow. The storage compartment 23 is configured as a drawer and is used as a chilled chamber.

  In this embodiment, the shelf 20 is a “lower shelf” and the shelf unit 30 is an “upper shelf”. The shelf unit 30 has a complicated structure different from other shelves, and the name “unit” is used for that purpose. Hereinafter, the structure and function of the shelf unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The shelf unit 30 is divided into left and right. The right divided part is wider than the left divided part when viewed from the front. The partition 40 is placed on the upper surface of the shelf 20 so as to align the position with the division location of the shelf unit 30. The partition 40 crosses the shelf 20 back and forth. Here, “front” means the near side when facing the storage chamber 10, and “rear” means the back side of the storage chamber 10.

  The right divided portion of the shelf unit 30 is held horizontally by a right side edge supported by a shelf receiving portion 41 formed on the inner wall of the storage chamber 10 and a left side edge supported by a partition 40. The left divided portion of the shelf unit 30 is a swing shelf 31 that is supported on the left side edge by a bearing portion 42 provided on the inner wall of the storage chamber 10 and is rotatable around the left side edge. The right side edge of the swing shelf 31 is a free end 31a and is received and supported by a support 43 provided at the upper end of the partition 40.

  The support tool 43 has the configuration shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. That is, the support tool 43 has a horizontal shaft 43a extending in the front-rear direction, and is rotatable about the shaft 43a. A knob 43b is fixed to the front end of the shaft 43a. A stopper 43c is fixed to the side surface of the shaft 43a. In the state of FIG. 4, the stopper 43 c protrudes toward the swing shelf 31 and interferes with the rotation locus of the free end 31 a of the swing shelf 31. That is, the support tool 43 can receive the free end 31a of the swing shelf 31 on the upper surface of the stopper 43c in the posture of FIG.

  Although the support tool 43 is rotatable, it cannot be rotated counterclockwise beyond the posture shown in FIG. 4, that is, the posture in which the knob 43 b hangs vertically in a form parallel to the partition 40 and the stopper 43 c protrudes horizontally. The posture in FIG. 4 is the limit of counterclockwise rotation. Accordingly, the support 43 having the free end 31 a of the swing shelf 31 placed on the stopper 43 c in the posture of FIG. 4 withstands the load applied from the swing shelf 31 and continues to hold the swing shelf 31. Since the bearing portion 42 supports the other end of the swing shelf 31, the swing shelf 31 is held horizontally.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the knob 43b is rotated clockwise, the stopper 43c lifts the free end 31a of the swing shelf 31 slightly, and then comes off from the free end 31a. As a result, the swing shelf 31 is released from the support member 43, and the free end 31a can be moved downward. Thereafter, the swing shelf 31 rotates clockwise around the left side edge.

  The bearing portion 42 has the configuration shown in FIGS. That is, the bearing portion 42 includes a bearing body 42 a that is fixed to the inner wall of the storage chamber 10. A vertical groove 42b is formed in the bearing body 42a, and a shaft 42c is held in the groove 42b so as to be vertically movable. The left side edge of the swing shelf 31 is fixed to the shaft 42 c, and the shaft 42 c is the rotation center of the swing shelf 31.

  FIG. 6 shows a state in which the shaft 42c has come to the lower end of the groove 42b. At this time, the bearing portion 42 supports the swing shelf 31 together with the support tool 43 of the partition 40 horizontally. The shaft 42c can be raised in the groove 42b from the position shown in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG.

  A roller 44 is attached to the free end 31 a of the swing shelf 31 at a location facing the inner wall at the back of the storage chamber 10. The roller 44 is rotatable about a horizontal axis, and engages with a guide track 45 provided on the front side of the inner wall at the back of the storage chamber 10. A guide track 45 is formed by fixing the vertical plate 46 to the front side of the inner wall at the back of the storage chamber 10 and forming the upper edge of the vertical plate 46 in a predetermined curve. The guide track 45 has the highest point in contact with the partition 40 and has a curve that decreases toward the inner wall on the left side of the storage chamber 10.

  The usage of the shelf unit 30 is as follows. In the state of FIG. 2, the swing shelf 31 is horizontally supported by the bearing portion 42 and the support tool 43, and the entire shelf unit 30 can be used as one horizontal shelf.

  The front width fits in the space between the inner wall on the left side of the storage chamber 10 and the partition 40, but it is necessary to put food and food containers in the storage chamber 10 such that the height exceeds the vertical distance between the shelf 20 and the shelf unit 30. When the food or food container on the swing shelf 31 is removed, the knob 43b of the support tool 43 is rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. When turned to a certain angle, the stopper 43c of the support tool 43 is disengaged from the free end 31a of the swing shelf 31, and the free end 31a is released. If the free end 31 a is pushed down, the swing shelf 31 swings downward from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture while rolling the roller 44 on the guide track 45.

  The front width of the swing shelf 31 is wider than the vertical distance between the shelf 20 and the shelf unit 30. Therefore, if it is a normal structure, when the free end 31a of the swing shelf 31 hits the upper surface of the shelf 20, the swing shelf 31 stops in an oblique posture that does not reach the vertical posture. However, since the left side edge of the swing shelf 31 is fixed to the shaft 42c that can move up and down in the groove 42b of the bearing portion 42, the roller 44 rolls on the guide track 45, and the inner wall on the left side of the storage chamber 10 As the position approaches, the rotation center of the swing shelf 31 also rises, and the swing shelf 31 assumes a vertical posture. Thus, the dimensional difference between the front width of the swing shelf 31 and the vertical distance between the shelf 20 and the shelf unit 30 is absorbed by the shaft 42c ascending in the bearing portion 42.

  Eventually, the movement of the swing shelf 31 stops when the roller 44 hits the left inner wall of the storage chamber 10. The swing shelf 31 has a shape along the left inner wall of the storage chamber 10, that is, a vertical posture. As a result, the section from the left inner wall of the storage chamber 10 to the partition 40 becomes a blow-off space from the shelf 20 to the shelf 21, and thus the back of the shelf 20 and the shelf unit 30 that could not be placed in the vertical space. High food and food containers can be placed here.

  The swing shelf 31 in a substantially vertical posture maintains its posture by gravity. Instead of relying on gravity, a spring provided on the bearing portion 42 applies a clockwise rotational biasing force to the swing shelf 31 such that the swing shelf 31 is maintained along the inner wall of the storage chamber 10 by the rotational biasing force. Also good. If it does in this way, it can avoid that resonance arises in the swing shelf 31 by the vibration of the compressor of the refrigerator 1. FIG.

  When it is desired to return the swing shelf 31 to the horizontal position, the stopper 43c is set to the angle shown in FIG. As a result, the stopper 43c does not interfere with the rotation trajectory of the free end 31a of the swing shelf 31, so that the swing shelf 31 is lifted until the free end 31a exceeds the height of the stopper 43c. If the hand is released from the knob 43b to return the stopper 43c to the angle shown in FIG. 4, the swing shelf 31 is lowered and the free end 31a is placed on the stopper 43c, the swing shelf 31 is again moved by the bearing portion 42 and the support tool 43. Holds horizontally.

  A feature of the present invention is that a speed reduction device is provided for the swing shelf 31 to reduce the moving speed when the swing shelf 31 is in a posture along the inner wall of the storage chamber 10. In the first embodiment, the guide track 45 and the braking member that is provided at the free end of the swing shelf 31 and moves along the guide track 45 constitutes a reduction gear. Here, the roller 44 is a braking member.

  A resistance device is attached to the roller 44 so that the roller 44 functions as a braking member. The resistance device can be configured by combining a damper (such as an oil damper) with the shaft portion of the roller 44, for example.

  By attaching the resistance device as described above to the roller 44, the rotation when the roller 44 rolls on the guide track 45 becomes slow. When the roller 44 hits the inner wall of the storage chamber 10, the swing shelf 31 stops in a posture along the inner wall of the storage chamber 10. If the resistance by the resistance device is set so that the roller 44 hits the inner wall of the storage chamber 10 at such a low speed that no unpleasant vibration or sound is generated, the swing shelf 31 can be stopped silently. The quality of 1 is improved.

Second Embodiment
The guide track 45 of the first embodiment has drawn one concave curve from the highest position to the lowest position. In the second embodiment, the guide track 45 is modified so as to draw a braking curve for decelerating the roller 44 at the end as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 8, a braking curve is an uphill 45 a formed before the end point of the guide track 45. A short downhill 45b is formed from the top of the uphill 45a to the end point of the guide track 45.

  In the guide track 45 of the second embodiment, the roller 44 that has rolled while accelerating rides on the uphill 45 a just before the inner wall of the storage chamber 10. Thereby, the swing shelf 31 decelerates. The swing shelf 31 is gently stopped when the roller 44 gets over the top of the uphill 45a and enters the downhill 45b.

  In the second embodiment, even when no resistance device is attached to the roller 44, the roller 44 is sufficiently decelerated, and when the roller 44 hits the inner wall of the storage chamber 10, the roller 44 hits at a low speed that does not cause unpleasant vibration or sound. Can be set as follows.

<Third Embodiment>
In the third embodiment, a shock absorber that receives the swing shelf 31 is provided as a reduction device that reduces the moving speed when the swing shelf 31 is in a posture along the inner wall of the storage chamber 10. The shock absorber may receive the main body of the swing shelf 31 or may receive the roller 44.

  If the shock absorber as described above is provided, the accelerated swing shelf 31 can be received softly and stopped in a posture along the inner wall of the storage chamber 10. Therefore, the swing shelf 31 can be stopped silently, and the quality of the refrigerator 1 is improved.

<Fourth embodiment>
In the fourth embodiment, a resistance device that provides resistance to rotation of the swing shelf 31 is provided in the bearing portion 42 as a reduction device that reduces the moving speed when the swing shelf 31 is in a posture along the inner wall of the storage chamber 10. is there. For example, the resistance device can be configured by combining a damper (such as an oil damper) with the shaft 42c.

  By providing the above-described resistance device in the bearing portion 42, the rotation of the swing shelf 31 becomes slow. If the resistance by the resistance device is set so that the swing shelf 31 hits the inner wall of the storage chamber 10 at a low speed that does not cause unpleasant vibration or sound, the swing shelf 31 can be stopped silently, The quality of the refrigerator 1 is improved.

  The reduction gears from the first embodiment to the fourth embodiment are not mutually exclusive. It is also possible to use them in combination.

<Others>
A separate vertical plate 46 is not necessarily used to form the guide track 45 that has been an essential component in the first and second embodiments. The shape of the guide track 45 may be formed on a member also called an inner box or a food liner of the refrigerator 1.

  In the embodiment using the roller 44, apart from the first embodiment, a sliding member made of a material having a low friction coefficient may be attached to the swing shelf 31 instead of the roller 44.

  So far, the description has been made assuming that the swing shelf 31 swings downward around the side edge supported by the bearing portion 42. On the contrary, it is also possible to configure the swing shelf 31 to swing upward. Even in this way, the swing shelf 31 can be moved to the side to obtain a blow-by space.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  The present invention is widely applicable to refrigerator shelf structures.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 10 Storage room 20 Shelf 21, 22 Shelf 30 Shelf unit 31 Swing shelf 31a Free end 40 Partition 42 Bearing part 43 Support part 44 Roller 45 Guide track

Claims (6)

One side edge is rotatably supported by a bearing portion on the inner wall of the storage chamber, and the other side edge includes a swing shelf with a free end,
The swing shelf is supported substantially horizontally with the free end supported by a support provided in the storage chamber, and the free end is released by the operation of the support and can be moved downward. ,
A refrigerator shelf structure, characterized in that a reduction device is provided for reducing the moving speed when the swing shelf is in a posture along the inner wall of the storage chamber.   2. The speed reducing device includes a guide track formed inside the storage chamber, and a braking member that is provided at a free end of the swing shelf and moves along the guide track. The refrigerator shelf device as described in 1.   3. The refrigerator shelf structure according to claim 2, wherein the braking member includes a roller that rolls along the guide track, and a resistance device that gives resistance to the rotation is attached to the roller.   The refrigerator shelf structure according to claim 2, wherein the braking member includes a roller that rolls along the guide track, and an end portion of the guide track has a braking curve that decelerates the roller. .   2. The refrigerator shelf structure according to claim 1, wherein the speed reducer includes a shock absorber that receives the swing shelf.   2. The refrigerator shelf structure according to claim 1, wherein the speed reduction device is configured by a resistance device that provides resistance to rotation of the swing shelf at the bearing portion.

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