JP2021085606A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of improving user's convenience, in a refrigerant including drawer-type storage portions stacked in multiple stages.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes a main body, and a drawer-type storage portion movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to the main body. The storage portion has a lower-stage container having a first opening at an upper portion, an upper-stage container stacked on the lower-stage container and having a second opening at an upper portion, in which an area of the second opening is smaller than an area of the first opening, and an attached container attachable/detachable to a plurality of parts on a side surface extended upward from a bottom surface of the upper-stage container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The techniques disclosed herein relate to refrigerators.

Refrigerators with a main body and a pull-out storage unit that can move in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body are known. In this type of refrigerator, the space in the storage unit can be efficiently used by using a plurality of containers stacked in multiple stages. As a plurality of containers, a form in which the area of the openings provided in the upper part of each container is the same, a form in which the areas of the openings are different, and the like are known.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-27650

The present specification provides a technique capable of improving user convenience in a refrigerator provided with a multi-stage drawer type storage unit.

The refrigerator disclosed in the present specification includes a main body and a pull-out type storage unit that can move in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body. The storage unit is a lower container having a first opening at the upper part and an upper container which is provided so as to be stacked on the lower container and has a second opening at the upper part, and the area of the second opening is the said. It has an upper container that is smaller than the area of the first opening, and a mounting container that can be attached to and detached from a plurality of side surfaces extending upward from the bottom surface of the upper container.

The front view which shows the refrigerator which concerns on Example 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the front-rear direction of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. The perspective view of the storage container of the refrigerator which concerns on Example 1. FIG. The rear view exploded perspective view of the storage container of the refrigerator which concerns on Example 1. FIG. The perspective view which shows the state which attached the attachment container to the outside of the upper container of the refrigerator which concerns on Example 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. The perspective view which shows the state which attached the attachment container inside the upper container of the refrigerator which concerns on Example 1. FIG. The perspective view which shows the other state which attached the attachment container inside the upper container of the refrigerator which concerns on Example 1. FIG. The perspective view which shows the state which attached the attachment container to the upper container of the refrigerator which concerns on Example 2. FIG. The perspective view which shows the other state which attached the attachment container to the upper container of the refrigerator which concerns on Example 2. FIG. The rear perspective view of the storage container of the refrigerator which concerns on Example 3. FIG. An enlarged view of the broken line 200 in FIG. The perspective view which shows the upper container of the modification.

(Example 1)
The refrigerator 10 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 10 includes a main body 12. The main body 12 has an outer box made of an outer side plate and an inner box made of an inner side plate. A heat insulating material is arranged between the outer box and the inner box, and the main body 12 has a heat insulating property. A plurality of storage chambers are provided inside the main body 12. Hereinafter, in the front-rear direction (depth direction) of the refrigerator 10, the front side of the main body 12 is referred to as "front", and the back side of the main body 12 is referred to as "rear".

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main body 12 is provided with a refrigerating room 14, a vegetable room 16, an ice making room 18, a small freezing room 20, and a main freezing room 22 as storage rooms. The refrigerating room 14 and the vegetable room 16 are storage rooms in the refrigerating temperature zone, and the ice making room 18, the small freezing room 20 and the main freezing room 22 are storage rooms in the freezing temperature zone.

Left and right doors 14a and 14b for opening and closing the front opening of the refrigerating chamber 14 are provided on the front surface of the refrigerating chamber 14. The left and right doors 14a and 14b are double doors, and the left end of the door 14a and the right end of the door 14b are rotatably attached to the main body 12 by hinges (not shown). The refrigerating chamber 14 houses the stored items through the front opening. As shown in FIG. 2, a chilled chamber 24 is provided in the lower part of the refrigerating chamber 14.

Drawer-type doors 16a, 18a, 20a, 22a for opening and closing each front opening are provided in each of the front surfaces of the vegetable compartment 16, the ice making chamber 18, the small freezing chamber 20, and the main freezing chamber 22. The double doors 14a and 14b and the pull-out doors 16a, 18a, 20a and 22a are each provided with a heat insulating material (for example, polyurethane) and have heat insulating properties. The front surface (outer surface) portion of each of the doors 14a, 14b, 16a, 18a, 20a, and 22a is covered with a front plate (not shown) made of, for example, a translucent glass plate.

As shown in FIG. 2, a machine room 25 in which a compressor 26 and the like are arranged is provided behind the main freezing room 22. A refrigerating chamber fan 30 and a refrigerating chamber cooler 31 are arranged behind the vegetable compartment 16. By driving a fan motor (not shown), the refrigerator compartment fan 30 rotates, and air is sent to the refrigerator compartment 14 and the vegetable compartment 16. A freezing room fan 40 and a freezing room cooler 41 are arranged behind the ice making room 18, the small freezing room 20, and the main freezing room 22. The freezing chamber fan 40 is rotated by driving a fan motor (not shown), and air is sent to the ice making chamber 18, the small freezing chamber 20, and the main freezing chamber 22. The refrigerator compartment cooler 31 and the freezer compartment cooler 41 are cooled by the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 26.

A storage container 17 is provided in the vegetable compartment 16. A storage container 21 is provided in the small freezing chamber 20. By pulling out the doors 16a and 20a in the front-rear direction, the storage containers 17 and 21 are accommodated so that they can be taken in and out. A storage container 23 is provided in the main freezing chamber 22. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the storage container 23 of the main freezing chamber 22 has a lower container 50, an upper container 52, and a mounting container 54. The lower container 50 is fixed to the door 22a, and by pulling out the door 22a in the front-rear direction, the lower container 50 moves integrally with the door 22a. Hereinafter, the storage container 23 of the main freezing chamber 22 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper container 52 is used so as to be stacked on the lower container 50. The lower container 50 has a front surface 50a, a rear surface 50b (see FIG. 4), two side surfaces 50c connecting the front surface 50a and the rear surface 50b, and a bottom surface 50d. An opening 51 (only a part of which is shown in the figure) is defined in the upper part of the lower container 50 by the front surface 50a, the rear surface 50b, and the side surface 50c. The upper container 52 has a front surface 52a, a rear surface 52b, two side surfaces 52c connecting the front surface 52a and the rear surface 52b, and a bottom surface 52d. An opening 53 is defined in the upper part of the upper container 52 by a front surface 52a, a rear surface 52b, and a side surface 52c. The area of the opening 53 of the upper container 52 is smaller than the area of the opening 51 of the lower container 50. Therefore, when the upper container 52 is stacked on the lower container 50, a part of the opening 51 of the lower container 50 is opened. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the rear side of the opening 51 is covered with the upper container 52, and the front side of the opening 51 is opened.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the mounting container 54 is configured to be removable from the upper container 52. As shown in FIG. 4, a hook 60 is provided on one side surface of the mounting container 54. The hook 60 is provided along the upper end of one side surface of the mounting container 54. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the surface on which the hook 60 is provided is referred to as a rear surface 54b, the surface facing the rear surface 54b is referred to as a front surface 54a, and the two surfaces connecting the front surface 54a and the rear surface 54b are referred to as a side surface 54c. The width of the hook 60 in the left-right direction is shorter than the width of the rear surface 54b in the left-right direction. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the mounting container 54 can be attached to the upper container 52 by engaging the hook 60 so as to be hooked on one side surface of the upper container 52 (front surface 52a in FIGS. 5 and 6). it can. A step portion 52e corresponding to the width of the hook 60 in the left-right direction (slightly wider than the width) is provided at the upper end of the front surface 52a of the upper container 52. Therefore, by engaging the hook 60 with the stepped portion 52e, the displacement of the mounting container 54 with respect to the upper container 52 is suppressed. A recess 54e that curves downward from the upper end of the front surface 54a is provided in the upper part of the center of the front surface 54a of the mounting container 54. The recess 54e can be used, for example, as a handle for the user to operate the container. Further, in the upper part of the mounting container 54, an opening 55 is defined by a front surface 54a, a rear surface 54b, and two side surfaces 54c.

5 and 6 show a state in which the hook 60 is engaged with the stepped portion 52e of the front surface 52a of the upper container 52 to attach the mounting container 54 to the upper container 52. In this way, when the mounting container 54 is mounted on the outside of the upper container 52, one side of the rear surface 54b side of the opening 55 of the mounting container 54 is shared with one side of the front surface 52a side of the opening 53 of the upper container 52. Therefore, when the mounting container 54 is mounted on the outside of the upper container 52, the upper container 52 and the mounting container 54 can be used as one container in which the shared side functions like a partition. Further, in this embodiment, when the mounting container 54 is mounted on the outside of the upper container 52, the upper container 52 and the mounting container 54 cover substantially the entire opening 51 of the lower container 50. In other words, in this embodiment, the sum of the area of the opening 53 of the upper container 52 and the area of the opening 55 of the mounting container 54 is substantially equal to the area of the opening 51 of the lower container 50.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the mounting container 54 can also be mounted inside the upper container 52. In other words, the mounting container 54 can be mounted in the accommodation space of the upper container 52. In the state shown in FIG. 7, the hook 60 is engaged with the stepped portion 52e of the front surface 52a of the upper container 52. The length from one side surface 54c of the mounting container 54 to the other side surface 54c is slightly shorter than the length from one side surface 52c of the upper container 52 to the other side surface 52c. In the state shown in FIG. 7, one side of the opening 55 of the mounting container 54 on the rear surface 54b side is shared with one side of the opening 53 of the upper container 52 on the front surface 52a side. Further, both sides of the opening 55 of the mounting container 54 on the side surface 52c side are shared with a part of both sides of the opening 53 of the upper container 52 on the side surface 52c side. Further, in the state shown in FIG. 8, the hook 60 is engaged with the upper end of the rear surface 52b of the upper container 52, and one side of the mounting container 54 on the rear surface 54b side of the opening 55 is the rear surface 52b of the opening 53 of the upper container 52. Shared with one side of the side. Further, both sides of the opening 55 of the mounting container 54 on the side surface 52c side are shared with a part of both sides of the opening 53 of the upper container 52 on the side surface 52c side. As described above, the mounting container 54 of the present embodiment is configured to share at least the side on the rear surface 54b side where the hook 60 is provided with the upper container 52 among the sides defining the opening 55. In the state where the mounting container 54 is mounted inside the upper container 52, the opening 55 of the mounting container 54 and a part of the opening 53 of the upper container 52 overlap. That is, when the mounting container 54 is mounted inside the upper container 52, the front surface 54a functions like a partition portion for partitioning the storage space of the upper container 52. The upper end of the rear surface 52b of the upper container 52 is not provided with a configuration corresponding to the stepped portion 52e of the front surface 52a. However, in the state shown in FIG. 8, since the mounting container 54 is mounted inside the upper container 52, it is not necessary to consider the displacement of the mounting container 54 with respect to the upper container 52 so much. However, a step portion similar to the step portion 52e may be provided at the upper end of the rear surface 52b.

(effect)
In the refrigerator 10 of this embodiment, a mounting container 54 that can be attached to and detached from the upper container 52 provided in the main freezing chamber 22 is provided. Therefore, by attaching or detaching the attachment container 54, it becomes possible to use the container according to the frequency of use and the purpose of use of the user, and the convenience of the user is improved. For example, when the mounting container 54 is removed, a part of the opening 51 of the lower container 50 is opened, and the space in the height direction of the lower container 50 is expanded. Therefore, it is highly convenient when it is desired to store a stored item having a relatively large height. Further, for example, when the mounting container 54 is mounted on the outside of the upper container 52, the storage area of the upper tier of the storage container 23 is expanded. Therefore, the stored items can be efficiently stored.

Further, the mounting container 54 of this embodiment can be mounted inside the upper container 52. Therefore, when it is not necessary to mount the mounting container 54 on the outside of the upper container 52, it is not necessary to separately store the mounting container 54, which improves user convenience. Further, by mounting the mounting container 54 inside the upper container 52, the side surface of the mounting container 54 (front surface 54a in this embodiment) can be used as a partition portion of the upper container 52.

(Example 2)
Subsequently, the refrigerator of Example 2 will be described. In the following, only the configurations different from those of the first embodiment will be described, and the same configurations as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The same applies to Example 3 described later. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, two mounting containers 154 are provided with respect to the upper container 52.

Each mounting container 154 is provided with a hook 160 along the upper end of the rear surface 154b, as in the first embodiment. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the mounting container 154 is mounted inside the upper container 52. The length from one side surface 154c of the mounting container 154 to the other side surface 154c is slightly shorter than the length from the front surface 52a to the rear surface 52b of the upper container 52. In the state shown in FIG. 9, each hook 160 is engaged with the upper end of each side surface 52c of the upper container 52. In this state, one side of the opening 155 of the mounting container 154 on the rear surface 154b side is shared with one side of the opening 53 of the upper container 52 on the side surface 52c side. Further, both sides of the opening 155 of the mounting container 154 on the side surface 154c side are shared with a part of each side of the opening 53 of the upper container 52 on the front surface 52a side and the rear surface 52b side, respectively. In the state shown in FIG. 9, each of the openings 155 of the mounting container 154 overlaps with a part of the opening 53 of the upper container 52. Therefore, in a state where the two mounting containers 154 are mounted inside the upper container 52, the upper container 52 can be used like one container divided into three storage spaces.

Similar to the first embodiment, the mounting container 154 can be mounted on the outside of the upper container 52. In this embodiment, when one mounting container 154 is mounted on the outside of the upper container 52 (the state shown in FIG. 10), a part of the opening 51 of the lower container 50 remains open. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, when the hook 160 of one mounting container 154 is engaged with the left end of the step portion 52e, the front left side of the opening 51 is covered by the mounting container 154, and the opening 51 The front right side is opened. Further, when both of the two mounting containers 154 are mounted on the outside of the upper container 52, the upper container 52 and the two mounting containers 154 are configured to cover substantially the entire opening 51.

In this embodiment, a plurality of mounting containers 154 having a smaller storage space than the mounting container 54 of the first embodiment are provided. Therefore, the user can make finer adjustments to the accommodation space in the use of the inside of the main freezing chamber 22.

(Example 3)
Subsequently, the refrigerator of Example 3 will be described. Unlike the mounting container 54 of the first embodiment, the mounting container 254 of the third embodiment is not provided with a hook on the rear surface 254b. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the mounting container 254 has two extending portions 262 and two protruding portions 260. Each extending portion 262 extends rearward (in the direction from the front surface 254a to the rear surface 254b) from the upper end of the side surface 254c of the mounting container 254. Each protrusion 260 extends downward from the center of the lower surface of each extension 262. Further, wall portions 262a extending downward are provided from the left end and the right end of the extending portion 262, respectively. A protrusion 260 extends downward between the two wall portions 262a.

The upper container 252 has two insertion holes 270. Each insertion hole 270 is provided at the upper end of the range where the front surface 252a and the side surface 252c of the upper container 252 intersect. More specifically, the insertion hole 270 is provided inside the corner formed by the front surface 252a and the side surface 252c. The insertion hole 270 is configured so that the protrusion 260 can be inserted.

In this embodiment, the mounting container 254 is mounted on the upper container 252 by inserting each protrusion 260 into the corresponding insertion hole 270. When the mounting container 254 is attached to the upper container 252, each protrusion 260 is inserted into the corresponding insertion hole 270, and the circumference of the insertion hole 270 is covered by the extending portion 262 and the wall portion 262a. .. In this embodiment, each protrusion 260 is provided in the vicinity of the range where the rear surface 254b and the side surface 254c of the mounting container 254 intersect. Further, each insertion hole 270 is provided at the upper end of the range where the front surface 252a and the side surface 252c of the upper container 252 intersect. That is, each protrusion 260 and each insertion hole 270 are provided in a range where the strength is relatively high. Further, in this embodiment, when the mounting container 254 is attached to the upper container 252, the mounting container 254 is fixed to the upper container 252 at two places. Therefore, for example, when the user applies a force in the direction of pulling out the mounting container 254, the force applied to the connecting portion between the mounting container 254 and the upper container 252 is dispersed. As described above, in this embodiment, the force applied to the mounting container 254 and the upper container 252 is dispersed, and the dispersed force is applied to the relatively high-strength portion, so that the mounting container 254 and the upper container 252 are deformed. It is suppressed, and the user can easily pull out the mounting container 254 and the like. Further, when the mounting container 254 is mounted on the upper container 252, the connecting portion between the protruding portion 260 and the insertion hole 270 is covered by the extending portion 262 and the wall portion 262a, so that the aesthetic appearance is suppressed.

(Correspondence)
The opening 51, the opening 53, and the opening 55 are examples of the “first opening”, the “second opening”, and the “third opening”, respectively. Hooks 60 and 160 are examples of "engagement portions". The protruding portion 260 and the insertion hole 270 are examples of the "first fitting portion" and the "second fitting portion", respectively.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

In each of the above-described examples, the opening of the upper container had a rectangular shape. However, the shape of the upper container is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the upper container 352 may have a notch 360 at a corner on the front surface 352a side. A pocket-type mounting container that closes the opening 51 of the lower container 50 may be detachably configured with respect to the upper container 352 having such a shape. The position of the notch 360 is not particularly limited. For example, it may be provided at a corner portion on the rear surface 352b side of the upper container 352, or may be provided at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, one side of the opening 55 of the mounting container 54 is shared with one side of the opening 53 of the upper container 52 by engaging the hook 60 and the stepped portion 52e. However, the mounting container 54 may be detachable from any side surface of the upper container 52 or the side defining the opening 53, and a space may be provided between the opening 53 and the opening 55. That is, when the mounting container 54 is mounted on the upper container 52, the side defining the opening 55 does not have to be shared with the side defining the opening 53.

Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the position and number of the protrusions 260 and the insertion holes 270 are not particularly limited. Further, in the second embodiment, the mounting container 254 is attached to the upper container 252 by inserting the protruding portion 260 provided in the mounting container 254 into the insertion hole 270 provided in the upper container 252. However, for example, the mounting container is provided by providing an upward projecting portion at a position where the insertion hole 270 of the upper container 252 is provided and providing an insertion hole at a position where the protruding portion 260 of the mounting container 254 is provided. The 254 may be attached to the upper container 252.

Further, in each of the above-described examples, the storage container 23 was configured in two stages, that is, the lower container 50 and the upper containers 52 and 252. However, the storage container 23 may be configured in three or more stages by using the upper containers stacked in multiple stages. Then, the mounting container disclosed in the present specification may be provided for the upper container (for example, the uppermost container).

Further, the technique disclosed in the present specification may be adopted for a pull-out storage container other than the main freezing chamber 22. For example, the storage container 17 or the like of the vegetable compartment 16 may be configured in multiple stages by a plurality of containers, and a detachable attachment container may be provided for the container located in the upper stage. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the storage chamber (main freezing chamber 22) in which a part of the storage container is pulled out integrally with the door has been described as an example. However, the techniques disclosed herein may be applied to storage chambers having storage containers that are not linked to the opening and closing of doors. For example, the storage container of the chilled chamber 24 (that is, the storage chamber that does not interlock with the opening and closing of the door 14a) provided in the refrigerating chamber 14 is configured in multiple stages by a plurality of containers, and is removable from the container located in the upper stage. A mounting container may be provided.

These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, as well as in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

10: Refrigerator, 12: Main body, 14: Refrigerator room, 16: Vegetable room, 17: Storage container, 18: Ice making room, 20: Small freezer room, 22: Main freezer room, 23: Storage container, 24: Chilled room, 50: Lower container, 51: Opening, 52: Upper container, 52a: Front, 52b: Rear, 52c: Side, 52d: Bottom, 53: Open, 54: Mounting container, 54a: Front, 54b: Rear, 54c: Side , 55: Opening, 60: Hook, 154: Mounting container, 160: Hook, 252: Upper container, 254: Mounting container, 260: Protruding part, 270: Insert hole, 352: Upper container, 360: Notch

Claims (9)

With the main body
A drawer-type storage unit that can move in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body,
Is equipped with
The storage unit
A lower container with a first opening at the top,
An upper container which is provided so as to be stacked on the lower container and has a second opening at the upper portion, and the area of the second opening is smaller than the area of the first opening.
It has a mounting container that can be attached to and detached from a plurality of side surfaces extending upward from the bottom surface of the upper container.
refrigerator. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein when the mounting container is mounted on the upper container, a part of the mounting container is in contact with at least one side of the second opening or the side surface of the upper container. The mounting container has a third opening at the top.
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein when the mounting container is mounted on the upper container, at least one side of the third opening is shared with at least one side of the second opening. Any of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the mounting container is mounted on the outside of the upper container, the upper container and the mounting container are configured to cover the first opening of the lower container. The refrigerator described in item 1. 1. The upper container and the attachment container are configured to open a part of the first opening of the lower container when the attachment container is attached to the outside of the upper container. The refrigerator according to any one of 3 to 3. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the mounting container is detachably configured inside the upper container. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the storage unit has a plurality of the mounting containers. An engaging portion is provided on the side surface of the mounting container.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the mounting container is configured to be mounted on the upper container by engaging the engaging portion with the upper portion of the side surface of the upper container. .. A first fitting portion is provided on the side surface of the mounting container.
A second fitting portion that can be fitted with the first fitting portion is provided on the side surface of the upper container.
The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the mounting container is configured to be mounted on the upper container by fitting the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion. Refrigerator.

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