JP2021116949A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that allows an interior to be visually recognized without opening a door even if it does not comprise a camera.SOLUTION: A refrigerator according to an embodiment comprises a refrigerator body and a door. The refrigerator body includes a storage chamber. The door openably/closably closes the storage chamber. The door comprises a transparent heat insulating material, a first plate member, a second plate member, an outer frame member, and a gasket. The transparent heat insulating material includes a transparent porous body. The first plate member covers the transparent heat insulating material from the side of an outer surface of the door, and is provided so as to be capable of transmitting visible light. The second plate member covers the transparent heat insulating material from the side of an inner surface of the door, and is provided so as to be capable of transmitting visible light. The outer frame member covers at least outer peripheral parts of the first plate member and the second plate member. The outer frame member seals the transparent heat insulating material between the first plate member and the second plate member. The gasket is provided in the outer frame member on the side of the outer surface of the door.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to refrigerators.

The refrigerator door is made of opaque material. It is known to install a camera in the refrigerator to check the contents of the refrigerator without opening the door.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-124053

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of visually recognizing the inside of a refrigerator without opening a door without having a camera.

The refrigerator of the embodiment has a refrigerator body and a door. The refrigerator body includes a storage room. The door closes the storage room so that it can be opened and closed. The door has a transparent heat insulating material, a first plate member, a second plate member, an outer frame member, and a gasket. The transparent insulating material includes a transparent porous body. The first plate member covers a transparent heat insulating material from the outer surface side of the door and is provided so that visible light can be transmitted. The second plate member covers a transparent heat insulating material from the inner surface side of the door and is provided so that visible light can be transmitted. The outer frame member covers at least the outer peripheral portions of the first plate member and the second plate member. The outer frame member seals a transparent heat insulating material between the first plate member and the second plate member. The gasket is provided on the outer frame member on the outer surface side of the door.

The front view which shows the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F2-F2 in FIG. The perspective view which shows the right refrigerating room door in 1st Embodiment. The rear view which shows the right refrigerating room door in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F5-F5 in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F6-F6 in FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the example of the composite heat insulating material in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a perspective view schematically showing an example of a composite heat insulating material according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F9-F9 in FIG. The perspective view which shows the right refrigerating room door in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F11-F11 in FIG. The front view which shows the refrigerator of the 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F13-F13 of the right refrigerator door shown in FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the example of the formation range of the light transmission region of the right refrigerating chamber door in 3rd Embodiment. The front view which shows the refrigerator of 4th Embodiment. The front view which shows the inside of the refrigerator of 4th Embodiment. The front view which shows the refrigerator of the 5th Embodiment. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F18-F18 in FIG. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F19-F19 in FIG. The front view which shows the refrigerator of 6th Embodiment. A side view seen from the F21 direction in FIG. 20. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F22-F22 in FIG.

Hereinafter, the refrigerator of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, configurations having the same or similar functions are designated by the same reference numerals. Then, the duplicate description of those configurations may be omitted.
Unless otherwise specified, the present specification defines left and right based on the direction in which the user standing in front of the refrigerator sees the refrigerator. In addition, the side closer to the user standing in front of the refrigerator when viewed from the refrigerator is defined as "front", and the side far from the refrigerator is defined as "rear". In the present specification, the "width direction" means the left-right direction in the above definition. In the present specification, the "depth direction" means the front-back direction in the above definition. "Vertical direction" means the height direction of the refrigerator.
The + X direction is the right direction, the −X direction is the left direction, the + Y direction is the rear direction, the −Y direction is the front direction, the + Z direction is the upward direction, and the −Z direction is the downward direction, which are indicated by arrow lines in the figure.

(First Embodiment)
The overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described. However, the refrigerator 1 does not have to have all of the configurations described below, and some configurations may be omitted as appropriate.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing the refrigerator 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F2-F2 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 has, for example, a housing 10 (refrigerator body) and a plurality of doors 11.
As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 1 has a plurality of shelves 12, a plurality of containers 13, a flow path forming component 14, a first cooling unit 15, a second cooling unit 16, a compressor 17, an evaporating dish 18, and the like. And a circuit board 19.

The housing 10 has an upper wall 21, a lower wall 22, a left side wall 23 (see FIG. 1), a right side wall 24 (see FIG. 1), and a rear wall 25.
The upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 extend substantially horizontally. The left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 stand upward from the left end portion and the right end portion of the lower wall 22, respectively. The left side wall 23 and the right side wall 24 are connected to the left end portion and the right end portion of the upper wall 21, respectively. The rear wall 25 stands upward from the rear end of the lower wall 22 and is connected to the rear end of the upper wall 21.

A plurality of storage chambers 27 are formed inside the housing 10. The plurality of storage chambers 27 include, for example, a refrigerator compartment 27A, a vegetable compartment 27B, an ice making chamber 27C (see FIG. 1), a small freezer compartment 27D, and a main freezer compartment 27E. In the present embodiment, the refrigerating chamber 27A is arranged at the uppermost part, the vegetable compartment 27B is arranged below the refrigerating chamber 27A, the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D are arranged below the vegetable chamber 27B, and the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D are arranged. The main freezer compartment 27E is arranged below the small freezer compartment 27D. However, the arrangement of the storage chamber 27 is not limited to the above example, and the arrangement of the vegetable chamber 27B and the main freezing chamber 27E may be reversed, for example. The housing 10 has an opening on the front side of each storage chamber 27 (left side in the drawing of FIG. 2) that allows food to be taken in and out of each storage chamber 27.

Inside the refrigerating room 27A, a plurality of interior lights 35 for illuminating the inside of the refrigerating room 27A are provided. The number and arrangement positions of the plurality of interior lights 35 are not particularly limited as long as the inside of the refrigerator compartment 27A can be easily seen. For example, FIG. 2 shows one of a plurality of interior lights 35 embedded in the left wall 23. The plurality of interior lights 35 may be provided, for example, on the right side wall 24, the upper wall 21, the first duct component 31, which will be described later, and the like.

The housing 10 has a first partition 28 and a second partition 29. The first partition 28 and the second partition 29 are, for example, partition walls that are substantially horizontal to each other. The first partition 28 is located between the refrigerator compartment 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B, and partitions the refrigerator compartment 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B. For example, the first partition 28 forms the bottom wall of the refrigerator compartment 27A and the ceiling wall of the vegetable compartment 27B. On the other hand, the second partition 29 is located between the vegetable compartment 27B and the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D, and partitions the vegetable compartment 27B from the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D. .. For example, the second partition 29 forms the bottom wall of the vegetable compartment 27B and the ceiling walls of the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D.

The openings of the plurality of storage chambers 27 are closed by a plurality of doors 11 so as to be openable and closable. As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of doors 11 include, for example, a left refrigerating room door 11Aa, a right refrigerating room door 11Ab, a vegetable room door 11B, an ice making room door 11C, a small freezing room door 11D, and a main freezing room door 11E. include. The vegetable compartment door 11B closes the opening of the vegetable compartment 27B. The ice making chamber door 11C closes the opening of the ice making chamber 27C. The small freezer door 11D closes the opening of the small freezer 27D. The main freezing chamber door 11E closes the opening of the main freezing chamber 27E.

As shown in FIG. 1, the left refrigerating room door 11Aa and the right refrigerating room door 11Ab provided adjacent to each other on the left and right are, for example, double doors. The left refrigerating room door 11Aa and the right refrigerating room door 11Ab are each rotatably supported by the housing 10 by, for example, a hinge 30.
Each hinge 30 includes an upper hinge 30a and a lower hinge 30b.
An upper hinge 30a is connected to the upper side of the left end and a lower hinge 30b is connected to the lower side of the left end of the left refrigerator door 11Aa. Similarly, the upper hinge 30a is connected to the upper side of the right end and the lower hinge 30b is connected to the lower side of the right end of the right refrigerator door 11Ab.
The width of the left refrigerating room door 11Aa and the right refrigerating room door in the lateral width direction is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, the width of the right refrigerating room door 11Ab in the horizontal width direction is larger than the width of the left refrigerating room door 11Aa in the horizontal width direction.

An operation / display area of the operation panel unit may be provided on at least one surface of the left refrigerating room door 11Aa and the right refrigerating room door 11Ab.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, the operation panel 34 is arranged at the lower part of the front surface of the right refrigerating room door 11Ab. In this embodiment, the operation panel 34 is a touch panel. Therefore, the operation panel 34 has a touch sensor, and a plurality of operation buttons 34a are displayed in the detection area of the touch sensor.
The operation panel 34 is electrically connected to a circuit board 19 described later through wiring (not shown). The wiring (not shown) is arranged so as to straddle the right refrigerating room door 11Ab and the housing 10 via the hinge 30, for example. Therefore, the operation panel 34 maintains an electrical connection with the circuit board 19 both when the right refrigerating chamber door 11Ab is opened and when it is closed.
When the user touches the detection area of the touch sensor, the operation panel 34 sends an input signal corresponding to the touch position to the circuit board 19. The transmitted input signal is analyzed by the control circuit board of the circuit board 19 described later. The control circuit board sends a predetermined control signal according to the type of the input signal to the electric component to be controlled.
In this way, the user can change the operation of the refrigerator 1 as needed by operating the operation panel 34.
For example, according to the operation panel 34, it is possible to turn on or off the plurality of interior lights 35 of the refrigerator 1.
The detailed configuration of the left refrigerating room door 11Aa and the right refrigerating room door 11Ab will be described later.

The vegetable room door 11B, the ice making room door 11C, the small freezing room door 11D, and the main freezing room door 11E are, for example, pull-out doors. The vegetable room door 11B, the ice making room door 11C, the small freezing room door 11D, and the main freezing room door 11E are supported with respect to the housing 10 by a rail (not shown) provided between the vegetable room door 11B and the main freezing room door 11E. ing.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of shelves 12 are provided in the refrigerator compartment 27A.
The plurality of containers 13 include a refrigerating room container 13A, a first vegetable room container 13Ba, a second vegetable room container 13Bb, an ice making room container (not shown), a small freezing room container 13D, a first main freezing room container 13Ea, and a second. Includes main freezer container 13Eb.
The refrigerating chamber container 13A is provided in the refrigerating chamber 27A, and is, for example, a chilled chamber container. The refrigerator compartment container 13A has a box shape that opens upward. Above the refrigerating chamber container 13A, a partition plate 13Aa covering the opening of the refrigerating chamber container 13A is arranged. The refrigerating chamber container 13A is housed so as to be movable in the front-rear direction in the space between the partition plate 13Aa and the first partition portion 28 described later.
The first vegetable compartment container 13Ba and the second vegetable compartment container 13Bb are provided in the vegetable compartment 27B. The ice making chamber container (not shown) is provided in the ice making chamber 27C. The small freezer container 13D is provided in the small freezer 27D. The first main freezing chamber container 13Ea and the second main freezing chamber container 13Eb are provided in the main freezing chamber 27E.

The flow path forming component 14 is arranged in the housing 10. The flow path forming component 14 includes a first duct component 31, a second duct component 32, and a return flow path cover 33.

The first duct component 31 is provided along the rear wall 25 of the housing 10 and extends in the vertical direction. The first duct component 31 extends from the rear of the lower end of the vegetable compartment 27B to the rear of the upper end of the refrigerator compartment 27A, for example. A first duct space D1, which is a passage through which cold air (air) flows, is formed between the first duct component 31 and the rear wall 25 of the housing 10. The first duct component 31 has a plurality of cold air outlets 31a and a cold air return port 31b. The plurality of cold air outlets 31a are provided at a plurality of height positions in the refrigerating chamber 27A. The cold air return port 31b is provided at the lower end of the first duct component 31 and is located behind the vegetable compartment 27B.

The second duct component 32 is provided along the rear wall 25 of the housing 10 and extends in the vertical direction. The second duct component 32 extends from the rear of the main freezing chamber 27E to the rear of the upper ends of the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D, for example. A second duct space D2, which is a passage through which cold air (air) flows, is formed between the second duct component 32 and the rear wall 25 of the housing 10. The second duct component 32 has a cold air outlet 32a and a cold air return port 32b. The cold air outlet 32a is provided at the upper end of the second duct component 32 and is located behind the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D. The cold air return port 32b is provided at the lower end of the second duct component 32 and is located behind the main freezing chamber 27E.

The return flow path cover 33 is arranged in, for example, the main freezing chamber 27E. The return flow path cover 33 is provided at the rear portion in the housing 10. The return flow path cover 33 includes a wall portion 33a located at a height between the cold air outlet 32a and the cold air return port 32b of the second duct component 32 in the vertical direction of the refrigerator 1. The return flow path cover 33 divides the rear portion of the housing 10 into a cold air flow path f1 and a return flow path f2 behind the main freezing chamber 27E.
The cold air flow path f1 communicates with the cold air outlet 32a of the second duct component 32 at the rear portion of the housing 10. The cold air flow path f1 is a flow path through which the cold air cooled by the second cooler 46 described later and blown out from the cold air outlet 32a passes. For example, the cold air flow path f1 is a flow path through which cold air passes from the cold air outlet 32a toward the main freezing chamber 27E.
The return flow path f2 communicates with the cold air return port 32b of the second duct component 32 at the rear portion of the housing 10. The return flow path f2 is a flow path in which cold air that has passed through one or more of the ice making chamber 27C, the small freezing chamber 27D, and the main freezing chamber 27E returns to the second cooler 46. At least a part of the return flow path f2 is located below the cold air flow path f1.
In the return flow path cover 33, cold air flows in opposite directions on the first surface side facing the cold air flow path f1 and the second surface side facing the return flow path f2.

The first cooling unit 15 is a cooling unit that cools the refrigerator compartment 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B. The first cooling unit 15 includes, for example, a first cooler 41, a first defrost water receiver 42, and a first fan 43.

The first cooler 41 is arranged in the first duct space D1. The first cooler 41 is arranged at a height corresponding to the lower end portion of the refrigerating chamber 27A, for example. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 17, which will be described later, is supplied to the first cooler 41. The first cooler 41 cools the cold air flowing through the first duct space D1.

The first defrost water receiver 42 is arranged in the first duct space D1 and is provided below the first cooler 41. The first defrost water receiver 42 receives the defrost water generated by the first cooler 41 (the defrost water dripping from the first cooler 41). The defrost water received by the first defrost water receiver 42 is guided to the evaporating dish 18 via the drain pipe portion 44 provided on the rear wall 25 of the housing 10.

The first fan 43 is provided, for example, at the cold air return port 31b of the first duct component 31. When the first fan 43 is driven, the air in the vegetable compartment 27B flows into the first duct space D1 from the cold air return port 31b. The air that has flowed into the first duct space D1 flows upward in the first duct space D1 and is cooled by the first cooler 41. The cold air cooled by the first cooler 41 is blown out to the refrigerating chamber 27A from the plurality of cold air outlets 31a. The cold air blown out to the refrigerating chamber 27A flows through the refrigerating chamber 27A, passes through the vegetable compartment 27B, and returns to the cold air return port 31b again. As a result, the cold air flowing through the refrigerating chamber 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B is circulated in the refrigerator 1, and the refrigerating chamber 27A and the vegetable compartment 27B are cooled.

The second cooling unit 16 is a cooling unit that cools the ice making chamber 27C, the small freezing chamber 27D, and the vegetable compartment 27B. The second cooling unit 16 includes, for example, a second cooler 46, a second defrost water receiver 47, and a second fan 48.

The second cooler 46 is arranged in the second duct space D2. The second cooler 46 is arranged at a height corresponding to, for example, the small freezer chamber 27D. A refrigerant compressed by a compressor 17, which will be described later, is supplied to the second cooler 46. The second cooler 46 cools the cold air flowing through the second duct space D2.

The second defrost water receiver 47 is arranged in the second duct space D2 and is provided below the second cooler 46. The second defrost water receiver 47 receives the defrost water generated by the second cooler 46 (the defrost water dropped from the second cooler 46). The defrost water received by the second defrost water receiver 47 is guided to the evaporating dish 18 via the drain pipe portion 44 provided on the rear wall 25 of the housing 10.

The second fan 48 is provided, for example, at the cold air return port 32b of the second duct component 32. When the second fan 48 is driven, the air in the main freezing chamber 27E flows into the second duct space D2 from the cold air return port 32b. The air that has flowed into the second duct space D2 flows upward in the second duct space D2 and is cooled by the second cooler 46. The cold air cooled by the second cooler 46 flows into the ice making chamber 27C, the small freezing chamber 27D, and the main freezing chamber 27E from the cold air outlet 32a. The cold air that has flowed into the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D flows through the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D, and then returns to the cold air return port 32b via the main freezing chamber 27E. As a result, the cold air flowing in the ice making chamber 27C, the small freezing chamber 27D, and the main freezing chamber 27E is circulated in the refrigerator 1, and the ice making chamber 27C, the small freezing chamber 27D, and the main freezing chamber 27E are cooled.

The compressor 17 is provided, for example, in the machine room at the bottom of the refrigerator 1. The compressor 17 compresses the refrigerant gas used for cooling the storage chamber 27. The refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 17 is sent to the first cooler 41 and the second cooler 46 via a heat radiating pipe (not shown) or the like.

The evaporating dish 18 is provided, for example, in the machine room at the bottom of the refrigerator 1. The evaporating dish 18 is heated by, for example, the heat generated by the compressor 17 to evaporate the defrosted water led from the first defrosted water receiver 42 and the second defrosted water receiver 47 to the evaporating dish 18.

The circuit board 19 includes a power supply circuit board and a control circuit board.
The power supply circuit board is electrically connected to a commercial power source (AC 100V) which is an external power source. The power supply circuit board converts the electric power supplied from the commercial power source into DC electric power having a voltage suitable for driving each electric component contained in the refrigerator 1. The power supply circuit board supplies the converted DC power to each electric component of the refrigerator 1. The power supply circuit board is an example of a heat-generating component that generates a large amount of heat in the refrigerator 1.
The control circuit board controls the entire refrigerator 1 in an integrated manner. The control circuit board is electrically connected to the power supply circuit board and each electric component in the refrigerator 1 via wiring (not shown).
For example, the control circuit board controls the drive of the first fan 43, the second fan 48, and the compressor 17 based on the detection results of the temperature sensors provided in the refrigerating chamber 27A, the main freezing chamber 27E, and the like.
For example, the control circuit board controls the operation of the refrigerator 1 in response to an operation input through an operation panel 34 provided on the right refrigerating room door 11Ab.

The circuit board 19 is provided on, for example, the upper wall 21 of the housing 10. In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the upper wall 21 of the housing 10 has a recess 84 recessed downward. The circuit board 19 is arranged in the recess 84.
A circuit accommodating component 85 and a cover 86 are arranged on the recess 84.
The circuit accommodating component 85 is formed in a bowl shape along the recess 84. The circuit accommodating component 85 is fixed to the outer box 52 by a fastening member (not shown).
The cover 86 covers the circuit board 19 housed in the circuit housing component 85 from above.

Next, the detailed configuration of the housing 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 10 has, for example, an inner box 51, an outer box 52, and a heat insulating portion 53.

The inner box 51 is a member that forms the inner surface of the housing 10, and is made of, for example, a synthetic resin. The inner box 51 may form the entire inner surface of the housing 10, or may form only a part of the inner surface. The inner box 51 is a member exposed to the storage chamber 27 (refrigerator chamber 27A, vegetable compartment 27B, ice making chamber 27C, small freezer compartment 27D, and main freezer compartment 27E).

The outer box 52 is a member that forms the outer surface of the housing 10, and is made of metal, for example. The outer box 52 may form the entire outer surface of the housing 10, or may form only a part of the outer box 52. The outer box 52 is formed to be one size larger than the inner box 51, and is arranged outside the inner box 51. The outer box 52 is a member exposed to the outside of the refrigerator 1. Between the inner box 51 and the outer box 52, there is a space provided with a heat insulating portion 53, which will be described later.

The heat insulating portion 53 is provided between the inner box 51 and the outer box 52 to enhance the heat insulating property of the housing 10. The configuration of the heat insulating portion 53 is not particularly limited.
For example, the heat insulating portion 53 includes a vacuum heat insulating material (VIP: Vacuum Insulation Panel) 61, a foam heat insulating material 62, and a sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63.

The vacuum heat insulating material 61 is, for example, a heat insulating material containing an exterior body and a core material housed in the exterior body, and the inside of the exterior body is decompressed. The core material is, for example, a fiber material such as glass wool or a porous body such as foam.

The foamed heat insulating material 62 is a foamed heat insulating material such as urethane foam. The foamed heat insulating material 62 is formed by being injected between the inner box 51 and the outer box 52 in a fluid state, being injected between the inner box 51 and the outer box 52, and then foaming.

The sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 contains a dry gel formed of a fine porous body, and is a heat insulating material formed in a sheet shape. In the present embodiment, it is formed of the same material as the transparent heat insulating material 73 described later used for the left refrigerating chamber door 11Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 11Ab. However, the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 does not have to be transparent.
Since the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 is particularly excellent in heat insulating properties as described later, it has the same heat insulating performance as the vacuum heat insulating material 61 and the foam heat insulating material 62 even if the layer thickness is thinner than that of the vacuum heat insulating material 61 and the foam heat insulating material 62.

Next, the arrangement of the vacuum heat insulating material 61, the foam heat insulating material 62, and the plurality of sheet-shaped heat insulating materials 63 will be described with an example of the upper wall 21. However, the configuration of the upper wall 21 described below may be applied to any wall portion of the housing 10. That is, the configuration of the upper wall 21 may be applied to the lower wall 22, the left side wall 23, the right side wall 24, and the rear wall 25, which will be described later.

The outer shape of the upper wall 21 in the vertical direction is formed by the upper surface portion 51a of the inner box 51 and the upper surface portion 52a of the outer box 52.
The front surface portion 51b forming the front surface of the upper wall 21 forms a part of the front surface of the housing 10 surrounding the opening of the refrigerating chamber 27A.
The upper surface portion 51a of the inner box 51 extends in the + Y direction as a whole from the lower end of the front surface portion 51b extending in the + Z direction at the end portion of the upper wall 21 in the −Y direction. However, the upper surface portion 51a is bent stepwise in the intermediate portion in the depth direction. Therefore, in the upper surface portion 51a, the first inner wall portion 51a1, the inclined inner wall portion 51a2, and the second inner wall portion 51a3 are connected in this order from the end portion in the −Y direction. The inclined inner wall portion 51a2 is inclined downward from the end portion of the first inner wall portion 51a1 in the + Y direction in the + Y direction. The second inner wall portion 51a3 extends horizontally from the end portion of the inclined inner wall portion 51a2 in the + Y direction.

The upper surface portion 52a of the outer box 52b extends in the + Y direction as a whole from the upper end of the front surface portion 51b. However, the upper surface portion 52a is bent stepwise in the intermediate portion closer to the + Y direction than the inclined inner wall portion 51a2 in the depth direction. Therefore, in the upper surface portion 52a, the first outer wall portion 52a1, the inclined outer wall portion 52a2, and the second outer wall portion 52a3 are connected in this order from the end portion in the −Y direction.
The end portion of the first outer wall portion 52a1 in the + Y direction extends further in the + Y direction than the inclined inner wall portion 51a2. Therefore, when viewed from above, the first outer wall portion 52a1 covers a part of the first inner wall portion 51a1, the inclined inner wall portion 51a2, and the second inner wall portion 51a3.
The inclined outer wall portion 52a2 has the same inclination and depth direction width as the inclined inner wall portion 51a2. The second outer wall portion 52a3 extends horizontally from the end portion of the inclined outer wall portion 52a2 in the + Y direction.
With such a configuration, the inclined outer wall portion 52a2 and the second outer wall portion 52a3 of the upper surface portion 52a are lower than the first outer wall portion 52a1. The recess 84 described above is formed on the inclined outer wall portion 52a2 and the second outer wall portion 52a3.

The vacuum heat insulating material 61, the foam heat insulating material 62, and the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 are all arranged between the upper surface portion 51a of the inner box 51 and the upper surface portion 52a of the outer box 52.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the vacuum heat insulating material 61 is arranged along the lower surface of the first outer wall portion 52a1. The method of fixing the vacuum heat insulating material 61 to the first outer wall portion 52a is not particularly limited. For example, the vacuum heat insulating material 61 may be fixed to the lower surface of the first outer wall portion 52a1 by an adhesive layer containing an adhesive or an adhesive tape. For example, the vacuum heat insulating material 61 may be fixed to the first outer wall portion 52a1 by a fastening member or a support structure (not shown).

In the example shown in FIG. 2, at least a part of the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 is arranged between the vacuum heat insulating material 61 and the upper surface portion 51a of the inner box 51. The sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 is arranged along the upper surface of the upper surface portion 51a and the lower surfaces of the inclined outer wall portion 52a2 and the second outer wall portion 52a3 on the upper surface portion 52a. The sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 may be fixed to the upper surface of the upper surface portion 51a, the inclined outer wall portion 52a2, and the lower surface of the second outer wall portion 52a3 by, for example, an adhesive layer containing an adhesive or an adhesive tape.
As described above, the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 is arranged along the wall surface shape having a bent portion such as a step, for example.
When the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 has a hardness such that it cannot be deformed along the wall surface shape, for example, the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 may be fixed to the wall surface in a state of being divided into flat sheets.
When the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 has a hardness that cannot be deformed along the wall surface shape, for example, the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 has a shape along the wall surface shape on which the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 is arranged, for example, by press working. May be preformed in. In this case, since the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 has a shape that matches the shape of the wall surface to be arranged, the position of the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 is unlikely to shift during assembly. Therefore, the workability of assembling the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 can be improved.

For example, the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 may be formed of a material having flexibility (flexibility) capable of following the shape of the bent portion. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 is formed of a flexible material, and is deformed into a shape that follows the shape of a wall surface having bent portions of the upper surface portion 51a and the upper surface portion 52a. ing.
In this case, the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 is not limited to one sheet, and may be formed by laminating a plurality of flexible sheets.
For example, when the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 is composed of a laminated body of a plurality of sheets, the number of sheets to be laminated may be increased in a portion requiring higher heat insulation than in other portions.

In the upper wall 21, the foam heat insulating material 62 is filled in the space inside the upper wall 21 except for the vacuum heat insulating material 61 and the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63. For example, at least a part of the foam heat insulating material 62 is filled between the vacuum heat insulating material 61 and the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63. In the region where the vacuum heat insulating material 61 is not arranged, the foam heat insulating material 62 is filled between the sheet-shaped heat insulating materials 63 facing each other, or between the lower surface of the upper surface portion 52a and the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63. ..

As described above, the example in which the vacuum heat insulating material 61, the foam heat insulating material 62, and the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 are arranged inside the upper wall 21 has been described. However, if the heat insulating performance required for the upper wall 21 is obtained, any one or two of the vacuum heat insulating material 61, the foam heat insulating material 62, and the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 may not be arranged.

The sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 may be attached to an appropriate member that preferably has heat insulating performance. For example, the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 may be used as a part of the flow path forming component 14. In the example shown in FIG. 2, for example, the first duct component 31 is arranged on the surface facing the first duct space D1, the return flow path cover 33 is arranged on the surface facing the cold air flow path f1 and the like. In this case, the sheet-like heat insulating material 63 may be fixed to each surface by including, for example, an adhesive layer containing an adhesive or an adhesive tape.

Next, the detailed configuration of the left refrigerating room door 11Aa and the right refrigerating room door 11Ab will be described based on the example of the right refrigerating room door 11Ab.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the right refrigerating room door in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the right refrigerating room door in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the right refrigerating room door 11Ab includes a door body 70 and an outer frame member 80. The outer shape of the door body 70 is rectangular when viewed from the + Y direction.
The outer frame member 80 is a frame body that covers the outer peripheral portion of the door body 70. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the outer frame member 80 covers the outer edges of the front and rear surfaces of the door body 70 and each side surface of the door body 70. The outer frame member 80 has an upper frame 80U, a lower frame 80D, a left frame 80L, and a right frame 80R.
The upper frame 80U covers the upper side portion of the door body 70, that is, the end portion in the + Z direction, and extends in the lateral width direction. A hinge mounting portion 80e for mounting the upper hinge 30a is provided at the rear end portion on the right side of the upper surface of the upper frame 80U.
The lower frame 80D covers the lower side portion of the door body 70, that is, the end portion in the −Z direction, and extends in the lateral width direction. A hinge mounting portion 80e (see FIG. 4) for mounting the lower hinge 30b is provided at the rear end on the right side of the lower surface of the lower frame 80D.
The left frame 80L covers the left side portion of the door body 70, that is, the end portion in the −X direction, and extends in the vertical direction between the upper frame 80U and the lower frame 80D.
The right frame 80R covers the right side portion of the door body 70, that is, the end portion in the + X direction, and extends in the vertical direction between the upper frame 80U and the lower frame 80D.
Therefore, the outer frame member 80 is a rectangular frame body that covers the outer circumference of the door body 70 when viewed from the + Y direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the front surface 70a (see FIG. 3) and the rear surface 70b (see FIG. 4) of the door body 70 excluding the outer peripheral portion of the door body 70 are rectangular at the inner peripheral portion of the outer frame member 80, respectively. It is exposed to the shape.

As shown in FIG. 4, a gasket 55 arranged in a substantially rectangular shape along the inner edge of the outer frame member 80 is fixed to the rear surface of the outer frame member 80.
The gasket 55 abuts on the front surfaces of the upper wall 21, the left side wall 23, the right side wall 24, and the first partition 28, and the rotary partition plate (not shown) of the left refrigerating chamber door 11Aa, and is inside the refrigerating chamber 27A. Prevent the leakage of cold air.
The cross-sectional configuration of the outer frame member 80 and the gasket 55 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the door body 70 inside the outer frame member 80 is divided into a light transmission region 70A and a shade region 70B when viewed in the + Y direction from the front side.
The light transmission region 70A can transmit visible light in the thickness direction of the door body 70. Therefore, even when the right refrigerating room door 11Ab is closed, the inside of the refrigerating room 27A can be seen when the inside of the refrigerating room 27A is illuminated by, for example, the light of the internal light 35 or the outside light.
The transmittance of the door body 70 in the light transmitting region 70A is not particularly limited as long as the contents inside the refrigerating chamber 27A can be discerned.

The shade area 70B obscures the inside of the refrigerator compartment 27A. The shade area 70B is an opaque area as a whole. In the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the degree of invisibleness in the term opacity includes a light-shielded state that is completely invisible, a display of internal collections that can be seen to some extent, a blurred outline, and an invisible boundary line. Including translucent state such as. That is, the term opaque includes either or both of the amount of light transmitted is small and the optical path is disturbed so as not to form a clear image even if light is transmitted. ..
The configuration of the shade area 70B is not particularly limited as long as it is difficult to see the inside as required. For example, the shade region 70B may include any one of a light-shielding member, a reflective member, a half mirror, a light-attenuating member, and a light-scattering member (hereinafter collectively referred to as a light-regulating member), or any combination thereof. For example, the shade region 70B may have a light regulation pattern such as a grid pattern or a halftone dot shape in which any of the light regulation members is arranged on the transparent member with an appropriate gap.
In this embodiment, the operation panel 34 is an opaque member and is included in the shade area 70B. At least a part of the operation panel 34 functions as a light regulating member in the shade region 70B.
The arrangement position of the light regulating member in the shade region 70B in the thickness direction of the door body 70 is not particularly limited. For example, the shade region 70B may be entirely formed of a light regulating member, or a part thereof may be formed of a light regulating member. For example, the light regulating member may be arranged in a layer on a part of the door body 70 in the thickness direction.

The positions and sizes of the light transmission region 70A and the shade region 70B are not particularly limited. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the light transmission region 70A and the shade region 70B are formed with the light transmission region 70A on the upper side and the shade region 70B on the lower side with the position of the upper end portion of the refrigerating chamber container 13A or the chilled chamber as a boundary. ing. Therefore, both the light transmission region 70A and the shade region 70B have a rectangular shape.

Next, the cross-sectional configuration of the right refrigerating chamber door 11Ab will be described.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F5-F5 in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F6-F6 in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the door body 70 has a first plate member 71, a second plate member 72, and a transparent heat insulating material 73.
The first plate member 71 is a rectangular plate that transmits visible light. The outer shape of the first plate member 71 matches the outer shape of the door body 70. The transmittance of the first plate member 71 is not particularly limited as long as it is equal to or higher than the transmittance of the door body 70 in the light transmitting region 70A.
For example, the first plate member 71 may be colored or polarized as long as the internal storage of the refrigerating chamber 27A can be visually recognized.
As the material of the first plate member 71, glass, resin, or a composite thereof may be used. The types of glass and resin are not particularly limited.
For example, when glass is used, float glass, tempered glass, laminated glass and the like may be used. The tempered glass may be air-cooled tempered glass or chemically tempered glass. When glass is used as the material of the first plate member 71, it has advantages that it is not easily scratched, has a high transmittance, and is easy to clean, as compared with resin.
For example, when a resin is used, an acrylic resin, a polycarbonate resin, an ABS resin, or the like may be used. For example, when resin is used as the material of the first plate member 71, it has advantages that it is lighter, cheaper, easier to mold, and has lower thermal conductivity than glass.

The first plate member 71 may be a flat plate or a curved plate. If necessary, a concave-convex shape may be formed on the surface of the first plate member 71. For example, when a fine uneven shape having a height, width, arrangement pitch, etc. of about 1 mm or more is formed in a region overlapping the shade region 70B, the transmittance of the material of the first plate member 71 is high. Also, the transparency in the shade region 70B can be reduced. When the concave-convex shape is formed on the first plate member 71, the design of the first plate member 71 can be improved by the pattern of the concave-convex shape.
However, it is more preferable that the first plate member 71 that overlaps with the light transmission region 70A is not provided with a locally uneven shape that disturbs the optical path and causes image distortion and blurring. That is, the first plate member 71 that overlaps the light transmitting region 70A may be made of a flat plate or a curved plate that does not have a locally uneven shape. For example, the front surface and the rear surface of the first plate member 71 may be formed of a flat surface or a curved surface having no local uneven shape at least in a range overlapping with the light transmission region 70A. For example, as an example of a curved surface having no locally uneven shape, a smooth curved surface that is convex in one direction in the thickness direction can be mentioned.
In the examples shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first plate member 71 is entirely composed of a flat plate, and both the front surface and the rear surface are flat surfaces.

An appropriate coat layer may be provided on the surface of the first plate member 71. For example, as a coating layer, a coating layer, a protective film layer, an antistatic layer, an antireflection film layer, a reflective film layer, a half mirror film layer, a visible light shading layer, an infrared shading layer, an ultraviolet shading layer, a polarizing film layer and the like are provided. May be done. However, instead of the coat layer, a sheet having the same function as described above may be used. For example, the sheet may be attached to the surface of the plate material constituting the main body of the first plate member 71 via an adhesive, an adhesive material, or the like.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, a coating layer 74A that regulates the transmission of visible light is formed on the rear surface of the first plate member 71 that overlaps the shade region 70B. For example, the coating layer 74A is colored in the same color as any or all of the other doors 11 such as the vegetable compartment door 11B, the ice making chamber door 11C, the small freezer compartment door 11D, and the main freezer compartment door 11E. May be good.
The coating layer 74A covers the shade area 70B excluding the operation panel 34. In the door body 70, the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A cannot be seen because the coating layer 74A is formed on the first plate member 71. Therefore, the coating layer 74A is an example of the light regulating member in the door body 70.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second plate member 72 has the same outer shape as the first plate member 71. The second plate member 72 is arranged so as to face the first plate member 71 in the thickness direction of the door body 70. A transparent heat insulating material 73, which will be described later, is arranged between the second plate member 72 and the first plate member 71.
The second plate member 72 is a rectangular plate that transmits visible light. The transmittance of the second plate member 72 is not particularly limited as long as it is equal to or higher than the transmittance of the door body 70 in the light transmitting region 70A.
For example, like the first plate member 71, the second plate member 72 may be colored or polarized as long as the internal storage of the refrigerating chamber 27A can be visually recognized. The second plate member 72 may have an uneven shape like the first plate member 71.
As the material of the second plate member 72, glass, resin, or a composite thereof may be used. The material of the second plate member 72 may be selected from the materials that can be used for the first plate member 71 described above. However, the material of the second plate member 72 may be the same material as that of the first plate member 71, or may be a material different from that of the first plate member 71. For example, the material of the second plate member 72 may contain glass or resin when the first plate member 71 contains glass. For example, the material of the second plate member 72 may contain glass or resin when the first plate member 71 contains resin.

Like the first plate member 71, the second plate member 72 may be a flat plate or a curved plate.
For example, when resin is contained as the material of the second plate member 72, it may have a concavo-convex shape including an appropriate convex shape extending inside the refrigerating chamber 27A as long as it overlaps the shade region 70B.
However, as in the case of the first plate member 71, it is more preferable not to provide a locally uneven shape that causes distortion or blurring of the image by disturbing the optical path in the range overlapping with the light transmission region 70A.
However, in the examples shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second plate member 72 is entirely composed of a flat plate, and both the front surface and the rear surface are flat surfaces.

The surface of the second plate member 72 may be provided with a coat layer similar to that of the first plate member 71, or a sheet in place of the coat layer.
In the second plate member 72, the above-mentioned light regulation member may be arranged in a range overlapping the shade region 70B. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, a coating layer 74B that regulates the transmission of visible light is formed on the front surface of the second plate member 72 in a range that overlaps with the shade region 70B. For example, the coating layer 74B may be appropriately colored so that the back surface of the operation panel 34 cannot be seen from the rear surface of the door body 70. For example, the coating layer 74B may include a white layer, a reflection layer, a light scattering layer, and the like. In this case, since the light inside the refrigerator 1 can be reflected toward the inside, the visibility inside the refrigerator can be improved.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the transparent heat insulating material 73 is sandwiched between the first plate member 71 and the second plate member 72.
The transparent heat insulating material 73 in the present embodiment is formed of a heat insulating material G containing aerogel, xerogel, or cryogel (hereinafter, referred to as “specific heat insulating material G” for convenience of explanation).
Here, "including one or more of airgel, xerogel, or cryogel" is used to mean "including one or more of airgel, xerogel, or cryogel". Airgel, xerogel, and cryogel are low-density structures (dry gels), respectively. The "airgel" is, for example, a porous substance (porous body) in which the solvent contained in the gel is replaced with a gas by supercritical drying. The "xerogel" is a porous substance in which the solvent contained in the gel is replaced with a gas by evaporation drying. The "cryogel" is a porous substance in which the solvent contained in the gel is replaced with a gas by freeze-drying.

It should be noted that some airgels can be dried without using supercritical drying by introducing, for example, a specific element. The term "airgel" as used herein also includes such an airgel. That is, the term "airgel" as used herein is not limited to those manufactured using supercritical drying, and broadly means various materials distributed as "airgel". As an airgel that does not require supercritical drying, for example, an organic-inorganic hybrid airgel in which an organic chain such as a methyl group is introduced into a molecular network of silicon dioxide is known, such as PMSQ (CH ₃ SiO _1.5 ) airgel. There is. However, these are just examples.

Airgel, xerogel, and cryogel are ultra-low density dry porous bodies having a large number of fine pores (voids) and an extremely high porosity (porosity of 90% or more, preferably 95% or more). The density of the dry porous body is, for example, 150 mg / cm ³ or less. Airgels, xerogels, and cryogels have, for example, a structure in which silicon dioxide and the like are bonded in a bead shape, and have a large number of nanometer-level (for example, 100 nm or less, preferably 2 nm to 50 nm) voids. Since it has nanometer-level pores and a lattice structure in this way, the mean free path of gas molecules can be reduced, the heat conduction between gas molecules is very small even at normal pressure, and the thermal conductivity is very small. It is a thing. For example, airgels, xerogels, and cryogels have fine voids that are smaller than the mean free path of air.

The airgel, xerogel, and cryogel may be an inorganic aerogel composed of metal oxides such as silicon, aluminum, iron, copper, zirconium, hafnium, magnesium, and yttrium, an inorganic xerogel, or an inorganic cryogel, for example, a silica airgel containing silicon dioxide. , Silica xerogel, or silica cryogel. For example, silica-based dry gels such as silica airgel, silica xerogel, and silica cryogel _{have a structure in which silica (SiO 2} ) fine particles having a diameter of 10 nm to 20 nm are connected, and have pores having a width of several tens of nm. Silica-based dry gel has a very low thermal conductivity (0.012 W / (m ·) because the heat conduction of the solid part is extremely small due to its low density and the movement of air inside the pores is restricted. K) to 0.02 W / (m · K)). Further, the silica-based dry gel has high light transmittance because the silica fine particles and pores are smaller than the wavelength of visible light and do not scatter visible light.
For example, the material constituting the airgel, the xerogel, and the cryogel may be carbon or the like.

In airgels, xerogels, and cryogels, by selecting a material, it is possible to give appropriate properties (for example, elasticity, flexibility, etc.) according to the material. For example, by using a resin such as polypropylene as a material for airgel, xerogel, and cryogel, the aerogel, xerogel, and cryogel can be provided with high elasticity or flexibility.

The airgel, xerogel, and cryogel may each form the specific heat insulating material G by themselves.
Airgel, xerogel, and cryogel may each form a specific heat insulating material G which is a composite heat insulating material by immersing another material (for example, a fiber structure) in the state of a precursor. In this case, the fibrous structure functions as a reinforcing material for reinforcing the dry gel or a support for supporting the dry gel.
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the configuration of such a composite heat insulating material. In the transparent heat insulating material 73 shown in FIG. 7, a dry gel g containing airgel, xerogel, or cryogel is formed in the gaps between the fiber structures 73a.
As the fiber structure 73a, a flexible woven fabric, knitted fabric, non-woven fabric or the like is used in order to obtain a flexible composite heat insulating material, and more preferably felt or blanket (soft brushed material) is used. As the material of the fiber structure 73a, a transparent fiber material is used. For example, as the fiber structure 73a, organic fibers such as polyester fibers, inorganic fibers such as glass fibers, organic and inorganic composite fibers and the like can be used.
The fiber structure 73a is an example of a transparent reinforcing material that reinforces the transparent heat insulating material.

The fiber structure may be, for example, a natural polymer chitosan. In this case, the specific heat insulating material G contains a three-dimensional network structure of hydrophobicized fine chitosan fibers and has an ultra-high porosity (96 to 97% of the volume is void). Such a specific heat insulating material G has water repellency because the moisture resistance, which is a problem of a material made of polysaccharide nanofibers, is enhanced while maintaining a homogeneous nanostructure of hydrophilic chitosan airgel by hydrophobization.

Since the dried gel g has a high porosity, it is fragile to an external force. Therefore, the support made of the fiber structure 73a as described above is formed in a plate shape or a sheet shape, so that the strength against an external force is improved.
Since the transparent heat insulating material 73 is sandwiched between the first plate member 71 and the second plate member 72, the strength of the transparent heat insulating material 73 alone is such that it is not damaged by the external force received in the assembly work of the door body 70. good. Therefore, the reinforcing material in the transparent heat insulating material 73 does not have to have a dense structure like the fiber structure 73a.
FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of a perspective view schematically showing an example of a composite heat insulating material. As shown in FIG. 8, the transparent heat insulating material 73 may include a reinforcing net 73b and a dry gel g.
The reinforcing net 73b is, for example, a lattice formed of a rod-shaped body thinner than the thickness of the transparent heat insulating material 73. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the reinforcing net 73b is drawn in a rectangular grid shape made of round bars, but the shape of the reinforcing net 73b is not limited to this. For example, the grid shape of the reinforcing net 73b may be a hexagonal grid shape, a mesh shape, or the like. For example, the rod-shaped body of the reinforcing net 73b may be a square rod-shaped body or a linear body. For example, the reinforcing net 73b may have a net shape woven with a transparent linear body. For example, the reinforcing net 73b may be a sheet having a large number of through holes.

The material of the reinforcing net 73b is not particularly limited as long as it has a high visible light transmittance and the interface with the specific heat insulating material G is difficult to see. For example, as the material of the reinforcing net 73b, a transparent resin, glass, or the like may be used.
For example, as the material of the reinforcing net 73b, the same material as the material of the dried gel g may be used. In this case, the visibility of the boundary due to the difference in refractive index between the reinforcing net 73b and the dried gel g is suppressed.
However, the reinforcing net 73b and the dried gel g may have a transmittance difference or a refractive index difference to the extent that the interface between the reinforcing net 73b and the dried gel g can be seen, as long as the inside of the refrigerator 1 is not too difficult to see through the light transmitting region 70A. .. In this case, since the pattern corresponding to the shape of the reinforcing net 73b can be seen, the design of the door body 70 can be improved.
The reinforcing net 73b may be arranged in one layer in the thickness direction of the transparent heat insulating material 73, or may be arranged in two or more layers.
The reinforcing net 73b is an example of a transparent reinforcing material that reinforces the transparent heat insulating material.

The specific heat insulating material G may be, for example, a heat insulating material in which one or more dry gels selected from the group consisting of silica airgel, xerogel, and cryogel and a polypropylene foam are composited.

The thermal conductivity of the specific heat insulating material G is higher than the thermal conductivity of the vacuum heat insulating material 61 (an example of a general vacuum heat insulating material), but the thermal conductivity of the foam heat insulating material 62 (an example of a general foam heat insulating material). Lower than the rate. That is, the heat insulating property of the specific heat insulating material G is not as good as the heat insulating property of the vacuum heat insulating material 61, but is superior to the heat insulating property of the foam heat insulating material 62. The thermal conductivity of the specific heat insulating material G is, for example, 0.010 W / (m · K) to 0.015 W / (m · K). The thermal conductivity of the vacuum heat insulating material 61 is, for example, 0.003 W / (m · K) to 0.005 W / (m · K). The thermal conductivity of the foamed heat insulating material 62 is, for example, 0.020 W / (m · K) to 0.022 W / (m · K). However, these numerical values are merely examples.

When the specific heat insulating material G has flexibility, the flexibility (bendability) of the specific heat insulating material G is higher than, for example, the flexibility of the vacuum heat insulating material 61 and higher than the flexibility of the foam heat insulating material 62. Further, when the specific heat insulating material G has elasticity, the elasticity of the specific heat insulating material G is higher than, for example, the elasticity of the vacuum heat insulating material 61 (substantially close to inelasticity), and the elasticity of the foamed heat insulating material 62 (substantially). (Close to inelastic) higher than.

Any of the configurations of the specific heat insulating material G described above can be applied to the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 described above. However, since the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 63 does not have to be transparent, the reinforcing material may be opaque when, for example, a reinforcing material such as a fiber structure 73a or a reinforcing net 73b is included.

Next, the cross-sectional configuration of the outer frame member 80 and the gasket 55 will be described.
Since the cross-sectional configurations of the upper frame 80U, the lower frame 80D, the left frame 80L, and the right frame 80R are all the same, the upper frame 80U will be mainly described below.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper frame 80U includes a side frame portion 80a, a front frame portion 80b, and a rear surface frame portion 80c.
The side frame portion 80a covers the side surface 70c of the door body 70. In the case of the side frame portion 80a of the upper frame 80U, the side frame portion 80a covers the side surface 70c of the door body 70 in the + Z direction from the side over the entire width direction. The end portion of the side frame portion 80a in the + Y direction protrudes from the rear surface frame portion 80c in the + Y direction.
The front frame portion 80b covers the outer peripheral portion of the front surface 70a of the door body 70. In the case of the front frame portion 80b in the upper frame 80U, the front frame portion 80b projects from the end portion of the side frame portion 80a in the −Y direction along the front surface 70a in the −Z direction. The front frame portion 80b covers the outer peripheral portion of the front surface 70a in the + Z direction from the front side over the entire width direction.
The rear frame portion 80c covers the outer peripheral portion of the rear surface 70b of the door body 70. In the case of the rear surface frame portion 80c in the upper frame 80U, the rear surface frame portion 80c protrudes from the side surface frame portion 80a along the rear surface 70b in the −Z direction. The rear frame portion 80c covers the outer peripheral portion of the rear surface 70b in the + Z direction from the rear side over the entire width direction.

A gasket holder 81 (gasket holding portion) is fixed to the rear surface of the rear surface frame portion 80c. The shape of the gasket holder 81 is not particularly limited as long as it can hold the gasket 55.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, the gasket 55 has a gasket body 55a and a gasket mounting portion 55b. The gasket body 55a abuts on the front surfaces of the upper wall 21, the left side wall 23, the right side wall 24, and the first partition 28, and the rotary partition plate (not shown) of the left refrigerating chamber door 11Aa, and is inside the refrigerating chamber 27A. It is a soft part that prevents the leakage of cold air.
The gasket mounting portion 55b is a locking projection having elasticity protruding from the front surface of the gasket 55. The gasket mounting portion 55b is attached to the throat 81a by being inserted into the throat 81a described later provided in the gasket holder 81. As a result, the gasket 55 is fixed to the gasket holder 81.
The gasket holder 81 is a plate-shaped member having an outer shape similar to that of the rear surface of the rear surface frame portion 80c. The plate thickness of the gasket holder 81 is equal to the protruding height of the side frame portion 80a in the + Y direction from the rear frame portion 80c.
On the rear surface of the gasket holder 81, a groove-shaped throat 81a for fixing the gasket 55 is formed so as to extend in the lateral width direction.
The front surface of the gasket holder 81 is fixed to the rear surface of the rear surface frame portion 80c via the adhesive material 82.
In the present embodiment, the gasket 55 and the gasket holder 81 are arranged so as to overlap the inside of the rear frame portion 80c when viewed from the + Y direction. Therefore, the gasket 55 and the gasket holder 81 are arranged outside the light transmitting region 70A when viewed from the + Y direction.

The upper frame 80U is fixed to the door body 70 in a state where the upper side portion of the door body 70 is inserted into the square groove formed by the front frame portion 80b, the side frame portion 80a, and the rear surface frame portion 80c. The method of fixing the upper frame 80U is not particularly limited. For example, the upper frame 80U is fixed to the door body 70 by an adhesive, an adhesive, or the like arranged inside the square groove.

The lower frame 80D is formed in the same manner as the upper frame 80U except that it is attached to the lower side of the door body 70. That is, the lower frame 80D is the same as the upper frame 80U except that the lower frame 80D is arranged symmetrically with respect to the horizontal plane passing through the center line in the vertical direction of the door body 70, and the side frame portion 80a, the front frame portion 80b, and the front frame portion 80b. A rear frame portion 80c is provided. A gasket holder 81 similar to that attached to the upper frame 80U is also fixed to the rear surface of the rear frame portion 80c of the lower frame 80D.

As shown in FIG. 6, the left frame 80L and the right frame 80R are formed in the same manner as the upper frame 80U except that they are attached to the left side portion and the right side portion of the door body 70, respectively. That is, the left frame 80L and the right frame 80R have the same side frame portions 80a as the upper frame 80U except that the lengths in the vertical direction differ according to the difference in length between the left frame 80L and the right frame 80R and the upper side portion. , A front frame portion 80b, and a rear frame portion 80c. The left frame 80L and the right frame 80R have shapes that are plane-symmetrical with respect to the vertical plane passing through the center line in the lateral width direction of the door body 70.
Gasket holders 81, which are different in length from those attached to the upper frame 80U, are fixed to the rear surfaces of the rear frame portions 80c of the left frame 80L and the right frame 80R.

With such a configuration, the outer frame member 80 covers the outer peripheral portion of the door body 70 in a rectangular shape. The front surface 70a and the rear surface 70b excluding the outer peripheral portion are exposed inside each side frame portion 80a of the outer frame member 80 and inside each rear surface frame portion 80c, respectively.
Each throat 81a of each gasket holder 81 communicates in a rectangular shape when viewed from the −Y direction. As a result, all the gasket mounting portions 55b of the gasket 55 can be fixed.

Since the upper side portion of the door body 70 is covered by the upper frame 80U, for example, the side surface of the upper side portion of the door body 70 is covered with the upper frame 80U and cannot be seen from the outside. Therefore, an appropriate opaque member can be arranged on the side surface of the door body 70.
For example, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 5, an opaque end face member 75 that covers the end portion of the transparent heat insulating material 73 may be arranged between the first plate member 71 and the second plate member 72.
For example, the end face member 75 may be a spacer that keeps the distance between the first plate member 71 and the second plate member 72 constant.
For example, the end face member 75 may be composed of a sealing material that covers the transparent heat insulating material 73 from the side and seals it between the first plate member 71 and the second plate member 72. The sealing material may be a plate-shaped frame, a sheet material, an adhesive, a sealing material, or the like.
By covering the transparent heat insulating material 73 with the sealing material, even if an external force acts on the side of the door body 70, it is difficult to transmit the external force to the transparent heat insulating material 73, so that the transparent heat insulating material 73 is suppressed from being damaged.
For example, the end face member 75 may be a cushioning material capable of absorbing an impact by elastic deformation. Examples of the cushioning material include foamed elastomers and the like.
It is more preferable that the end face member 75 is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity. For example, as the end face member 75, a heat insulating material similar to the foamed heat insulating material 62 may be used.

Although the right refrigerating room door 11Ab has been described above, as shown in FIG. 1, the left refrigerating room door 11Aa has the same configuration as the right refrigerating room door 11Ab except that the left side of the refrigerating room 27A is closed. However, since the left refrigerating room door 11Aa has a smaller width in the lateral width direction than the right refrigerating room door 11Ab, the widths of the door body 70, the upper frame 80U, and the lower frame 80D are smaller than the right refrigerating room door 11Ab.
Like the right refrigerator door 11Ab, it has a light transmission region 70A and a shade region 70B. The boundary between the light transmitting region 70A and the shade region 70B in the left refrigerating chamber door 11Aa may be different from that in the right refrigerating chamber door 11Ab, but in the example shown in FIG. 1, it is the same as the right refrigerating chamber door 11Ab. However, if the operation panel 34 has sufficient operation functions, the left refrigerating room door 11Aa may not be provided with the operation panel. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the coating layer 74A is visible through the transparent first plate member 71 in the shade region 70B when viewed from the front side.

According to the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, each door body 70 of the left refrigerating room door 11Aa and the right refrigerating room door 11Ab transmits visible light to the first plate member 71, the transparent heat insulating material 73, and the second plate member 72. have. As a result, the left refrigerating chamber door 11Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 11Ab have a light transmission region 70A through which visible light is transmitted in the thickness direction.
The user can observe the inside of the refrigerator compartment 27A through each light transmission region 70A without opening the left refrigerator compartment door 11Aa and the right refrigerator compartment door 11Ab. For example, the user can know the type and remaining amount of the foodstuff stored in the refrigerating room 27A without opening the left refrigerating room door 11Aa and the right refrigerating room door 11Ab. That is, even if the refrigerator compartment 27A does not have a camera, the inside of the refrigerator can be visually recognized without opening the door.
As a result, the number of times the user opens and closes the left refrigerating room door 11Aa and the right refrigerating room door 11Ab is reduced, so that the leakage of cold air is reduced. As a result, the power consumption of the refrigerator 1 can be reduced.

Since the operation panel 34 can operate the lighting and extinguishing of the interior light 35, the user can turn on the interior light 35 through the operation panel 34 when it is necessary to look inside the refrigerator compartment 27A. As a result, the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A is illuminated, so that the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A can be more easily seen from the outside.
When it is not necessary to look inside the refrigerator compartment 27A, the refrigerator compartment 27A can be obscured by turning off the interior light 35. For example, if a colored layer, a half mirror film, or the like is provided on at least one of the first plate member 71 and the second plate member 72, the refrigerating chamber 27A becomes more difficult to see when the interior light 35 is turned off.
For example, the refrigerator 1 may be provided with a human body detection sensor that detects the approach of a human body, a hand, or the like. In this case, when the human body detection sensor detects the approach of the human body, the hand, etc., the internal light 35 is automatically turned on, and when the human body detection sensor does not detect the approach of the human body, the hand, etc., the internal light 35 Can be turned off automatically. In this case, it is convenient because the inside of the refrigerator 1 can be seen without the user operating the operation panel 34. Further, since the interior light 35 can be turned off when no one is looking at the refrigerator 1, the lighting time is reduced and energy saving is possible.

In the door body 70 of the left refrigerating chamber door 11Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 11Ab in the present embodiment, the transparent heat insulating material 73 is sandwiched between the first plate member 71 and the second plate member 72.
Since the transparent heat insulating material 73 is a porous body containing airgel, xerogel, or cryogel, it has a porosity of, for example, 90% or more as described above. As a result, the thermal conductivity is lower than that of the heat insulating materials such as the vacuum heat insulating material 61 and the foam heat insulating material 62. As a result, the door body 70 has a high heat insulating property, and the heat insulating property of the refrigerator 1 can be improved.
Further, by having such a transparent heat insulating material 73, it is possible to reduce the thickness and weight of the left refrigerating chamber door 11Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 11Ab.

In the present embodiment, the gasket holder 81 is fixed to the rear surface of each rear surface frame portion 80c along the outer peripheral portion of the door body 70. Therefore, the gasket 55 faces the outer peripheral portion of the door body 70 with the gasket holder 81 sandwiched between them. The door body 70 has high heat insulating performance by including the transparent heat insulating material 73. Therefore, since the front side of the gasket 55 is covered with the outer peripheral portion of the door body 70 having higher heat insulating performance, the temperature rise from the front side of the gasket 55 is suppressed. As a result, the heat shielding performance of the left refrigerating chamber door 11Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 11Ab is improved.
Further, in the present embodiment, the gasket 55 and the gasket holder 81 are arranged outside the light transmitting region 70A when viewed from the front side (+ Y direction). Therefore, when the user looks at the inside of the refrigerator from the front side of the refrigerator 1 through the light transmitting region 70A, the gasket 55 and the gasket holder 81 are difficult to see.

(Second embodiment)
Next, the second embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1A of the second embodiment replaces the right refrigerating room door 11Ab, the refrigerating room container 13A, and the partition plate 13Aa of the first embodiment with the right refrigerating room door 91 and the refrigerating room container. It has 93 (see FIG. 9) and a partition plate 93Aa (see FIG. 9). Unless otherwise specified, the configurations other than those described below are the same as those in the first embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F9-F9 in FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the right refrigerating room door in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F11-F11 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, the right refrigerating chamber door 91 has a door main body 90 instead of the door main body 70 in the left refrigerating chamber door 11Aa. Further, the door container 94 is detachably fixed to the door body 90.
As shown in FIG. 10, the door body 90 has a second plate member 92 instead of the second plate member 72 of the door body 70.
The second plate member 92 is made of a flat plate portion 92a except that the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL are formed at the lower end portion overlapping the shade region 70B. The second plate member 92 is made of a transparent resin, and is manufactured by, for example, injection molding. As the type of resin, the same material as that of the second plate member 72 can be used.
As shown in FIG. 11, the door body 90 has a first plate member 71 and a transparent heat insulating material 73, similarly to the door body 70. Like the door body 70, the first plate member 71 of the door body 90 may be made of glass or resin, but in the example shown in FIG. 11, it is made of transparent glass.
A coating layer 74A similar to that of the first embodiment is provided between the first plate member 71 and the transparent heat insulating material 73. A coating layer 74B similar to that of the first embodiment is provided between the second plate member 92 and the transparent heat insulating material 73.

As shown in FIG. 9, the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL are protrusions for detachably fixing the door container 94, which will be described later, on the door body 90. Since the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL have shapes that are plane-symmetrical with respect to the vertical plane passing through the center line in the lateral width direction of the second plate member 92, they will be described below with the example of the container mounting ribs 92aR unless otherwise specified. do.
As shown in FIG. 10, the container mounting rib 92bR protrudes from the plate portion 92a at a position adjacent to the gasket 55 fixed to the right frame 80R in the −X direction. The container mounting rib 92bR extends in the vertical direction within the range of the shade region 70B. A locking groove 92c for locking the door container 94, which will be described later, is provided on the surface of the container mounting rib 92bR in the −X direction. The locking groove 92c is also provided on the surface of the container mounting rib 92bL in the + X direction.
The shape of each locking groove 92c is not particularly limited as long as the locking projection 94f of the door container 94 described later can be locked. As shown in FIG. 10 as an example of the container mounting rib 92bL, each locking groove 92c is a U-shaped groove that opens upward when viewed in the lateral width direction. The locking groove 92c may be a U-shaped groove recessed from the surface of the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL. However, in the example shown in FIG. 10, it is formed inside the ridges 92g protruding from the surfaces of the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL.

As shown in FIG. 11, the container mounting rib 92bR has a substantially V-shaped cross section that is surrounded by the outer surface portion 92d, the tip surface portion 92e, and the inner side surface portion 92f and opens in the −Y direction. Here, the tip surface portion 92e forms the tip portion of the container mounting rib 92bR in the projecting direction from the plate portion 92a.
The surface of the container mounting rib 92bR in the −Y direction forms a groove recessed in the + Y direction from the surface of the plate portion 92a in the −Y direction. The groove is filled with a heat insulating material 95.
The type of the heat insulating material 95 is not particularly limited. For example, the heat insulating material 95 may be formed of the same material as the foamed heat insulating material 62 and the transparent heat insulating material 73. However, since the heat insulating material 95 is arranged in the shade region 70B, it does not need to be particularly transparent.
The ridge 92g protrudes in the −X direction from the inner side surface portion 92f in the intermediate portion of the container mounting rib 92bR in the protruding direction.

As shown in FIG. 10, the door container 94 has a substantially rectangular bottom surface portion 94a when viewed from the −Z direction, a rear wall portion 94b extending upward from the outer peripheral portion of the bottom surface portion 94a, a front wall portion 94c, and a right wall portion. It is a box-shaped container having 94d and a left wall portion 94e.
As shown in FIG. 9, the rear wall portion 94b has a flat plate shape extending substantially parallel to the plate portion 92a of the right refrigerating chamber door 91. On the other hand, the front wall portion 94c is inclined so that the distance from the rear wall portion 94b increases from the lower end to the upper end.
As shown in FIG. 10, locking projections 94f that can be inserted into the locking grooves 92c of the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL project to the outside of the right wall portion 94d and the left wall portion 94e of the door container 94, respectively. ing. In the example shown in FIG. 10, each locking projection 94f has a width smaller than the groove width of each locking groove 92c, and is composed of protrusions extending in the vertical direction.
When each locking projection 94f is inserted into each locking groove 92c from above, the door container 94 is locked to the bottom of each locking groove 92c and fixed to the second plate member 92.

The refrigerating chamber container 93 has a different length in the depth direction from the refrigerating chamber container 13A in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the length of the refrigerating chamber container 93 in the depth direction is such that the front wall portion 94c of the door container 94 and the front surface of the refrigerating chamber container 93 do not interfere with each other when the right refrigerating chamber door 91 is closed. It is said to be.
The partition plate 93Aa is configured in the same manner as the partition plate 13Aa in the first embodiment, except that the length in the depth direction is different. Therefore, the opening at the upper end of the refrigerating chamber container 93 is covered from above by the partition plate 93Aa when the refrigerating chamber container 93 is accommodated in the space below the partition plate 93Aa.

According to the refrigerator 1A of the present embodiment, the first plate member 71, the transparent heat insulating material 73, and the plate portion 92a of the second plate member 92 form a light transmission region 70A through which visible light is transmitted in the right refrigerating chamber door 91. Will be done. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the user can observe the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A through each light transmission region 70A without opening the left refrigerating chamber door 11Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 91. .. That is, even if the refrigerator compartment 27A does not have a camera, the inside of the refrigerator can be visually recognized without opening the door.
Further, according to the refrigerator 1A of the present embodiment, since the second plate member 92 has the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL, the door container 94 can be fixed to the inside (rear side) of the refrigerator compartment container 93. Therefore, the storability of the right refrigerating room door 91 is improved.
The container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL have a locally uneven shape. Therefore, when observing through the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL, the observation target may appear distorted or a part may be blurred. However, since the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL are formed in the shade region 70B, the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL cannot be seen from the outside through the shade region 70B.
On the other hand, since the container mounting ribs 92bR and 92bL do not overlap the light transmitting region 70A, they do not affect the optical path of visible light transmitted through the light transmitting region 70A in the plate thickness direction of the door body 90. Therefore, the visibility inside the refrigerator compartment 27A through the light transmission region 70A is equivalent to that of the refrigerator 1.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described.
FIG. 12 is a front view showing the refrigerator of the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F13-F13 of the right refrigerating chamber door shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, the refrigerator 1B of the third embodiment has the right refrigerating room door 101Ab and the left refrigerating room door 101Aa instead of the right refrigerating room door 11Ab and the left refrigerating room door 11Aa of the first embodiment. Have. Unless otherwise specified, the configurations other than those described below are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The right refrigerating room door 101Ab and the left refrigerating room door 101Aa each have a door body 100 instead of the door body 70. Unlike the door body 70, the door body 100 is not provided with a fixed light transmission region 70A and a shade region 70B. Specifically, in the door body 100, the coating layers 74A and 74B are omitted. In the door body 100, the entire window region W not covered by the outer frame member 80 when viewed from the front side can be changed to the light transmission region 70A or the shade region 70B.
Like the right refrigerating room door 11Ab and the left refrigerating room door 11Aa, the right refrigerating room door 101Ab and the left refrigerating room door 101Aa have substantially the same configuration as each other except for the difference in dimensions in the lateral width direction. Therefore, in the following, the right refrigerating room door 101Ab will be mainly described. Unless otherwise specified, the configuration of the right refrigerating room door 101Ab also applies to the left refrigerating room door 101Aa.

As shown in FIG. 13, the door body 100 of the left refrigerating room door 101Aa has a first plate member 71, a dimming sheet 102 (dimming member, transmissive display), a transparent heat insulating material 73, and a second plate in the + Y direction. The members 72 are laminated in this order. That is, the door body 100 has a configuration in which a dimming sheet 102 is added between the first plate member 71 of the door body 70 and the transparent heat insulating material 73 in the first embodiment. However, as will be described later, in the right refrigerating room door 101Ab, the function of the operation panel 34 can be replaced by the dimming sheet 102, so that the operation panel 34 is not provided.

The light control sheet 102 is a sheet member capable of switching between a light transmission state and a transmission regulation state at least inside the window region W. In the translucent state of the light control sheet 102, visible light that allows the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A to be seen from the outside can be transmitted. In the transmission restricted state of the light control sheet 102, at least one of the transmitted light amount and the transmitted range of visible light is regulated so that the refrigerating chamber 27A is less visible than in the light transmitting state.
For example, the amount of transmitted light may be regulated by the overall change in the transmittance of visible light in the thickness direction of the dimming sheet 102.
For example, when the light control sheet 102 has a configuration having a plurality of pixels that can be switched between a low transmittance state and a high transmittance state, the transmittance range is set to the low transmittance state and the high transmittance state of each pixel. It can be regulated by switching accordingly. In this case, when the pixel size is small to some extent, the amount of transmitted light per unit area can be changed by forming a halftone dot pattern by combining pixels in a low transmittance state. Here, the pixel means a unit capable of switching between a low transmittance state and a high transmittance state. Therefore, the pixels may be regularly arranged in a uniform shape, but may be provided in an appropriate shape and size as needed.
For example, when the dimming sheet 102 has a configuration having a plurality of pixels whose transmittance can be changed, visible light can be regulated by appropriately combining regulation of the amount of transmitted light and regulation of the transmission range.

For example, as the light control sheet 102, an appropriate light control member used for light control glass is used. That is, the first plate member 71 and the dimming sheet 102 may be replaced with dimming glass.
For example, the dimming sheet 102 may be a transmissive display having one or more pixels. Examples of the transmissive display include a transmissive liquid crystal panel and a transmissive organic EL panel. The display in the low transmittance state on the transmissive display may be monochrome or color.
For example, when a transmissive display is used as the light control sheet 102, the smaller the pixel size, the more preferable, and the larger the number of pixels, the more preferable.

For example, when a transmissive display is used for the dimming sheet 102, the touch sensor T may be provided in the window area W on the front side of the transmissive display. The touch sensor T may be provided in an area that overlaps the entire surface of the window area W, or may be provided in an area that overlaps a part of the window area W. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the touch sensor T is provided in a rectangular region that overlaps the lower end portion of the window region W.
The type of the touch sensor T is not particularly limited.
The arrangement position of the touch sensor T is an appropriate position suitable for the sensor method. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 13, the touch sensor T is arranged between the first plate member 71 and the dimming sheet 102.

When the dimming sheet 102 includes the touch sensor T, the detection output of the touch position detected by the touch sensor T is used as the operation input by displaying an operation image such as an operation button on the transmissive display at an appropriate timing. Can be used. In this case, the combination of the touch sensor T and the transmissive display can replace the function of the operation panel 34.
For example, when the dimming sheet 102 displays an operation image, the operation image may be displayed in an area having a low transmittance. In this case, since the operation image does not overlap the region in the high transmittance state, the visibility of the refrigerating chamber 27A is improved.
For example, in the dimming sheet 102, when the touch sensor T detects a touch, the high transmittance state and the low transmittance state are switched each time the touch is touched in the area related to the touch position in advance. You may. For example, the window area W may be divided into a plurality of partial areas in advance, and the partial area to which the touch position belongs may be switched between a high transmittance state and a low transmittance state each time the touch position is touched.
In this case, since it is not necessary to display the operation image in which at least a part of the window region W is in the high transmittance state, the transmissive display and its control circuit can be simplified.

In the example shown in FIG. 13, the dimming sheet 102 is composed of a liquid crystal panel having a large number of pixels and having a touch sensor T provided in a part of the window region W.
A well-known configuration can be adopted for the liquid crystal panel. For example, a polarizing plate, a color filter, a transparent electrode (common electrode), a liquid crystal layer, a transparent electrode (pixel electroscope), and a polarizing plate are laminated in this order from the front surface 102a to the rear surface 102b of the light control sheet 102. Used. If color display is not required, the color filter is omitted.
Each transparent electrode of the liquid crystal panel and the transparent electrode of the touch sensor T are electrically connected to the control board 104 that controls the light control sheet 102 on the circuit board 19 through the wiring C. Similar to the wiring of the operation panel 34 in the first embodiment, the wiring C is arranged so as to straddle the right refrigerating room door 101Ab and the housing 10 via the hinge 30.

Next, the operation of the refrigerator 1B will be described focusing on the operation of the dimming sheet 102.
FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing an example of the formation range of the light transmission region of the right refrigerating chamber door in the third embodiment.
Hereinafter, an example of the operation of switching between the low transmittance state and the high transmittance state of the dimming sheet 102 will be described, but the operation of the dimming sheet 102 is not limited to this.
For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the dimming sheet 102 expands the range of the window region W from top to bottom into three regions of the first window region W1, the second window region W2, and the third window region W3. It is possible to switch between the low transmittance state and the high transmittance state separately. The first window region W1, the second window region W2, and the third window region W3 are formed in an appropriate shape and range so that the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A can be easily observed through each of the first window region W1, the second window region W2, and the third window region W3. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 14, the first window area W1 corresponds to the area above the second shelf 12 from the top, and the second window area W2 corresponds to the second shelf 12 from the top and the partition plate 13Aa. The third window area W3 corresponds to the area where the refrigerating chamber container 13A is arranged.
Although not particularly shown, the window area W of the left refrigerating room door 101Aa is also formed with the same first window area W1, second window area W2, and third window area W3. The first window area W1, the second window area W2, and the third window area W3 of the left refrigerating room door 101Aa are the first window area W1, the second window area W2, and the third window area W3 of the right refrigerating room door 101Ab. And independently, the low transmittance state and the high transmittance state may be switched.
However, in the present embodiment, the dimming sheet 102 in the left refrigerating room door 101Aa receives the same control from the control board 104 as the dimming sheet 102 in the right refrigerating room door 101Ab. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the transmittance states of the first window region W1, the second window region W2, and the third window region W3 are synchronized with each other.

The dimming sheet 102 that overlaps the third window area W3 of the right refrigerating room door 101Ab can display an operation image, and includes an operation panel area O that overlaps with the touch sensor T when viewed from the front side. For example, on the dimming sheet 102 in the operation panel area O, images of the operation buttons 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, and 105e for operating the dimming sheet 102 are displayed.
For example, the operation buttons 105a, 105b, and 105c independently switch between the low transmittance state and the high transmittance state for the first window region W1, the second window region W2, and the third window region W3, respectively.
For example, when the operation button 105a is touched once, the detection output of the touch sensor T is sent to the control board 104. In this case, the control substrate 104 of the dimming sheet 102 is in a high transmittance state when the first window region W1 is in a low transmittance state, and is in a low transmittance state when the first window region W1 is in a rear transmittance state. The voltage applied to the pixel electrodes of the liquid crystal panel is switched.
That is, when the first window region W1 is in a high transmittance state, the first window region W1 is a light transmitting region, and when the first window region W1 is in a low transmittance state, it is a shade region.
The operation button 105d brings the first window region W1, the second window region W2, and the third window region W3 into a high transmittance state (light transmittance region).
The operation button 105e puts the first window area W1, the second window area W2, and the third window area W3 into a low transmittance state (shade area).
Therefore, by touching any of the operation buttons 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, and 105e, the user illuminates any or all of the first window area W1, the second window area W2, and the third window area W3. The inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A can be observed in the permeation region. Further, after the observation is completed, the user sets any or all of the first window area W1, the second window area W2, and the third window area W3 as a shade area so that part or all of the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A is difficult to see. Can be.

As described above, according to the refrigerator 1B, by touching the operation buttons 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, a part or all of the window area W is covered with a light transmission area and a shade area as required by the user. You can switch to and.
The user can observe the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A through the light transmitting region formed according to the user operation without opening the left refrigerating chamber door 101Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 101Ab. For example, the user can know the type and remaining amount of the foodstuff stored in the refrigerating room 27A without opening the left refrigerating room door 101Aa and the right refrigerating room door 101Ab. That is, even if the refrigerator compartment 27A does not have a camera, the inside of the refrigerator can be visually recognized without opening the door.
As a result, the number of times the user opens and closes the left refrigerating room door 101Aa and the right refrigerating room door 101Ab is reduced, so that the leakage of cold air is reduced. As a result, the power consumption of the refrigerator 1 can be reduced.

(Fourth Embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 15 is a front view showing the refrigerator of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a front view showing the inside of the refrigerator of the fourth embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15, the refrigerator 1C of the fourth embodiment has a right refrigerating room door 111Ab and a left refrigerating room instead of the right refrigerating room door 101Ab and the left refrigerating room door 101Aa in the refrigerator 1B of the third embodiment. It has a door 111Aa.
Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the refrigerator 1C does not have the vegetable compartment 27B, the ice making chamber 27C is arranged in the lower left of the refrigerating chamber 27A, and the small freezing chamber is located below the refrigerating chamber 27A and the ice making chamber 27C. The 27D is arranged, and the main freezing chamber 27E is arranged below the small freezing chamber 27D. The bottom surfaces of the refrigerating chamber 27A and the ice making chamber 27C are arranged in a substantially horizontal direction. The opening of the housing 10 in the ice making chamber 27C is closed by the left refrigerating chamber door 111Aa.
Unless otherwise specified, the configurations other than those described below are the same as those in the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15, the right refrigerating chamber door 111Ab and the left refrigerating chamber door 111Aa each have a door main body 110 instead of the door main body 100. The door body 110 is different from the door body 100 in that the touch sensor T is provided in the entire window area W. Hereinafter, the touch sensor T of the left refrigerating room door 111Aa will be referred to as a touch sensor Ta, and the touch sensor T of the right refrigerating room door 111Ab will be referred to as a touch sensor Tb.

As shown in FIG. 16, a second partition 29 is used instead of the first partition 28 in the refrigerator 1B. The second partition 29 in the present embodiment is located between the refrigerating chamber 27A and the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D, and is a partition wall that separates the refrigerating chamber 27A and the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D. be. The second partition portion 29 is a partition wall along a substantially horizontal direction.
A first partition 28A having a cross-sectional structure similar to that of the second partition 29 is arranged between the refrigerating chamber 27A and the ice making chamber 27C. The first partition 28A is located between the refrigerating chamber 27A and the ice making chamber 27C. The first partition portion 28A is a partition wall that bends in a substantially L shape.
A part of the first partition 28A is connected to the second partition 29. The ice making chamber 27C is surrounded by a first partition 28A, a second partition 29, and a left wall 23. The first partition 28A and the second partition 29 have a heat insulating property.

Inside the ice making chamber 27C, an ice making chamber container 113, which is an example of a plurality of containers 13, is arranged. The ice making chamber container 113 is a transparent container for storing the ice made in the ice making chamber 27C.

As shown in FIG. 15, each of the door main bodies 110 of the left refrigerating room door 111Aa and the right refrigerating room door 111Ab is a door except that the touch sensors Ta and Tb are provided in the entire window area W when viewed from the front side. It has the same configuration as the main body 100.
Therefore, each window region W is divided into a plurality of window regions that can switch between the low transmittance state and the high transmittance state, as in the third embodiment. For example, the window area W of the left refrigerating room door 111Aa corresponds to the first window area W1, the second window area W2, and the third window area W3 in the third embodiment, respectively, from the upper side to the lower side. , The first window area W1a, the second window area W2a, and the third window area W3a. In particular, the third window region W3a is arranged in the region covering the opening of the ice making chamber 27C.
Similarly, the window area W of the right refrigerating room door 111Ab is divided into a first window area W1b, a second window area W2b, and a third window area W3b from the upper side to the lower side.
In the present embodiment, the first window area W1a, the second window area W2a, the third window area W3a, the first window area W1b, the second window area W2b, and the third window area W3b (hereinafter collectively, the divided window area Wd). (Sometimes referred to as) can switch between a low transmittance state and a high transmittance state independently of each other.

Switching between the low transmittance state and the high transmittance state is executed based on the operation of the user touching the surface of the door body 110.
For example, when a detection signal for detecting that the user touches (tap) once on each divided window area Wd is sent to the control board 104 (not shown), the touched divided window area Wd is transmitted to the control board 104. The voltage applied to the pixel electrodes of the liquid crystal panel of the light control sheet 102 is switched so that the light transmittance is high in the low transmittance state and the low transmittance state is in the high transmittance state.
For example, a batch operation for a plurality of divided window areas Wd is defined by various touch operations. For example, by performing the operation (flick) of continuously moving the touch position from the upper side to the lower side, the three divided window areas Wd arranged in the vertical direction are set as the light transmission area, and similarly, by flicking from the lower side to the upper side. , Three divided window areas Wd arranged in the vertical direction may be used as a shade area. For example, in an operation of drawing and touching a V-shaped locus on an arbitrary divided window area Wd, each divided window area Wd is set as a light transmitting region, and similarly, an operation of drawing and touching an inverted V-shaped locus is performed. Each divided window area Wd may be used as a shade area.

As described above, according to the refrigerator 1C, the touch sensors Ta and Tb are provided in each window area W, respectively. Therefore, by touch operation, a part or all of each window area W can be used as required by the user. It is possible to switch between the light transmission area and the shade area.
The user can observe the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A through the light transmitting region formed according to the user operation without opening the left refrigerating chamber door 111Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 111Ab. For example, the user can know the type and remaining amount of the foodstuff stored in the refrigerating room 27A without opening the left refrigerating room door 111Aa and the right refrigerating room door 111Ab. That is, even if the refrigerator compartment 27A does not have a camera, the inside of the refrigerator can be visually recognized without opening the door.
As a result, the number of times the user opens and closes the left refrigerating chamber door 111Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 111Ab is reduced, so that the leakage of cold air is reduced. As a result, the power consumption of the refrigerator 1C can be reduced.

In particular, according to the present embodiment, since the operation panel and the operation image for switching the divided window area Wd into the light transmission area and the shade area are not required, the visibility inside the refrigerator 1C can be further improved.
In particular, according to the present embodiment, the third window region W3a is provided on the front side of the ice making chamber 27C. In the ice making chamber 27C, when the left refrigerating chamber door 111Aa is opened to check the remaining amount, the temperature tends to rise and frost easily adheres to the ice. Therefore, the shape of the ice may deteriorate and the transparency of the ice may decrease. However, in the present embodiment, the remaining amount of ice in the ice making chamber 27C can be easily observed without opening the left refrigerating chamber door 111Aa, so that good ice making becomes possible.

(Fifth Embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 17 is a front view showing the refrigerator of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F18-F18 in FIG. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F19-F19 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 17, the refrigerator 1D of the fifth embodiment has a right refrigerating room door 121Ab and a left refrigerating room door 121Ab instead of the right refrigerating room door 11Ab and the left refrigerating room door 11Aa in the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment. It has a door 121Aa. The right refrigerating room door 121Ab and the left refrigerating room door 121Aa each have a door body 120 instead of the door body 70.
Unless otherwise specified, the configurations other than those described below are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The left refrigerating chamber door 121Aa has the same configuration as the right refrigerating chamber door 121Ab except that the left side of the refrigerating chamber 27A is closed. However, since the left refrigerating room door 121Aa has a smaller width in the lateral width direction than the right refrigerating room door 121Ab, the width of the door body 120, the upper frame 80U and the lower frame 80D is smaller than the right refrigerating room door 121Ab.
Below, it is shown in FIGS. 18 and 19. The right refrigerating room door 121Ab will be described as an example. The configuration of the right refrigerating room door 121Ab is similarly applied to the left refrigerating room door 121Aa.

As shown in FIG. 18, in the outer frame member 80 of the present embodiment, between the front frame portions 80b and the rear surface frame portions 80c facing each other in the front-rear direction, the front plate 76 and the shutter mechanism 126 in the + Y direction. The first plate member 71, the transparent heat insulating material 73, and the second plate member 72 are arranged in this order.

The front plate 76 forms the front surface 70a of the door body 120. In the door body 120, a window region W is formed inside the tip portion of each front frame portion 80b.
The front plate 76 is a rectangular plate that transmits visible light. As the front plate 76, a plate material similar to that of the first plate member 71 may be used.

The first plate member 71, the transparent heat insulating material 73, and the second plate member 72 are laminated in the same manner as the door body 70 in the first embodiment to form the light transmitting plate 170. An end face member 75 similar to that of the first embodiment may be arranged on the side surface of the light transmitting plate 170.
However, the thickness of the light transmitting plate 170 is thinner than the gap between the front frame portion 80b and the rear frame portion 80c. In order to obtain such a thickness, at least one of the first plate member 71, the transparent heat insulating material 73, and the second plate member 72 may be thinner than that of the first embodiment.
However, the light transmitting plate 170 may have the same thickness as the door body 70, and the gap between the front frame portion 80b and the rear frame portion 80c may be wider than that of the first embodiment.

A gap R1 for accommodating the shutter mechanism 126, which will be described later, is provided between the front plate 76 and the first plate member 71. The front plate 76 and the first plate member 71 are separated from each other by a spacer 129. The spacer 129 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the front plate 76 and the first plate member 71 that overlap the front frame portion 80b when viewed in the + Y direction. However, the spacer 129 is not arranged in the range of the lower frame 80D facing the window area W. Therefore, the gap R1 opens downward in the range of the lower frame 80D facing the window region W.
The spacer 129 may be a frame body along the outer peripheral portions of the front plate 76 and the first plate member 71, or may be composed of a plurality of members arranged apart from each other in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 19, the shutter mechanism 126 includes a plurality of light-shielding plates 127 (light regulating members) and a drive bar 128.
Each of the plurality of light-shielding plates 127 has a strip-shaped light-shielding plate main body 127a that is long in the vertical direction, and a rotation shaft 127b that protrudes from the longitudinal end of the light-shielding plate main body 127b in the + Z direction and the −Z direction. As long as the rotating shafts 127b are coaxial with each other, they may protrude from any position in the lateral direction of the light-shielding plate main body 127a. In the example shown in FIG. 19, each rotating shaft 127b projects from the center of the light-shielding plate main body 127a in the lateral direction.
The width of the light-shielding plate main body 127a in the lateral direction is narrower than the thickness of the gap R1 (distance between the first plate member 71 and the front plate 76). The material of the light-shielding plate main body 127a is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that suppresses the transmission of visible light to the extent that the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A is difficult to see. For example, an opaque resin material may be used as the material of the light-shielding plate main body 127a.
The rotating shaft 127b is rotatably supported around the vertical axis by bearing members (not shown) arranged on or near each side frame portion 80a along the upper frame 80U and the lower frame 80D.
At the lower end of the light-shielding plate main body 127a, an engaging pin 127c that protrudes downward from a position separated from the rotating shaft 127b is provided.
The plurality of light-shielding plates 127 are arranged at equal intervals in the horizontal width direction at a pitch shorter than the width of the light-shielding plate main body 127a in the lateral direction.

The drive bar 128 has a strip-like shape or a rod-like shape that is long in the lateral width direction in the gap R1. The drive bar 128 is slidably supported in the lateral width direction by a guide member (not shown).
The drive bar 128 is formed at the same pitch as each rotation shaft 127b of the plurality of light-shielding plates 127, and is formed with an engagement hole 128a to which the engagement pin 127c at the lower end of each light-shielding plate 127 can be engaged. .. For example, the engaging hole 128a has an elongated hole shape extending in the + Y direction when viewed from the + Z direction. Therefore, the engaging hole 128a engages the engaging pin 127c so as to be movable in the + Y direction.
When the drive bar 128 moves in the lateral width direction (see the straight line arrow in the figure), each engaging pin 127c of the plurality of light-shielding plates 127 moves in the same direction as the drive bar 128. As a result, each light-shielding plate main body 127a rotates around each rotation axis 127b (see the circle arrow in the figure).
The drive bar 128 can be moved, for example, by an appropriate drive means such as a motor, solenoid, or manually by the user. For example, FIG. 19 shows an example in which the drive bar 128 is manually operated. That is, the connecting rod 128b extends in the −Y direction from the end of the drive bar 128 in the + X direction, and the slider 128c is joined to the tip of the connecting rod 128b.
The connecting rod 128b is inserted through a through hole 76a formed in the front plate 76 and a through hole 80g formed in the front frame portion 80b of the lower frame 80D.
The slider 128c is accommodated in a guide hole 80f provided on the front surface of the front frame portion 80b so as to be movable in the lateral width direction. The guide hole 80f is a concave hole recessed in the + Y direction from the front surface of the front frame portion 80b around the through hole 80g, and extends in the lateral width direction.

According to the shutter mechanism 126 shown in FIG. 19, when the user moves the slider 128c on the front side of the refrigerator 1D in the horizontal direction, the drive bar 128 moves in the horizontal direction in conjunction with the slider 128c. Therefore, the light-shielding plate main body 127a rotates around the rotation shaft 127b according to the amount of movement of the slider 128c. The light-shielding plate main bodies 127a rotate while maintaining parallelism with each other, but the orientation direction of each light-shielding plate main body 127a in the horizontal plane and the size of the gap between the light-shielding plate main bodies 127a change depending on the rotation angle. Here, the orientation direction is a direction along the lateral direction of each light-shielding plate main body 127a in the horizontal plane.
For example, each light-shielding plate main body 127a is oriented in the + Y direction as shown by the solid line in FIG. 18, and is oriented in the + Y direction as shown by the alternate long and short dash line.
When a gap is formed between the light-shielding plate main bodies 127a, the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A can be seen when viewed from the orientation direction. Therefore, when viewed from the orientation direction, the entire window region W is a light transmission region.
However, when viewed from a direction different from the orientation direction, the gap between the light-shielding plate main bodies 127a becomes narrower or disappears than when viewed from the orientation direction. Therefore, by rotating each light-shielding plate main body 127a in an orientation direction different from the user's observation direction, the entire window region W becomes a shade region in which the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A is difficult to see depending on the degree of the gap. In particular, if the orientation direction is such that the gaps between the light-shielding plate main bodies 127a are eliminated, the entire window region W can be made into a shade region in which the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A cannot be seen.

As described above, according to the refrigerator 1D, since the shutter mechanism 126 is provided in each door body 120, the entire window area W is transmitted by the shutter mechanism 126 according to the observation direction of the user. You can switch between the area and the shade area.
The user can observe the inside of the refrigerating chamber 27A through the light transmitting region formed by the shutter mechanism 126 without opening the left refrigerating chamber door 121Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 121Ab. For example, the user can know the type and remaining amount of the foodstuff stored in the refrigerating room 27A without opening the left refrigerating room door 121Aa and the right refrigerating room door 121Ab. That is, even if the refrigerator compartment 27A does not have a camera, the inside of the refrigerator can be visually recognized without opening the door.
As a result, the number of times the user opens and closes the left refrigerating room door 121Aa and the right refrigerating room door 121Ab is reduced, so that the leakage of cold air is reduced. As a result, the power consumption of the refrigerator 1D can be reduced.

In particular, according to the refrigerator 1D, since the shutter mechanism 126 is arranged in front of the light transmitting plate 170 including the transparent heat insulating material 73, the shutter mechanism 126 is not affected by the cold air of the refrigerating chamber 27A. Therefore, for example, as a component material of the shutter mechanism 126, a material that easily deteriorates or changes at low temperature and low humidity can also be used.
According to the refrigerator 1D, since the gap R1 is formed on the front side of the light transmitting plate 170, an air heat insulating layer is formed in the gap R1. In this respect as well, the heat insulating properties of the left refrigerating chamber door 121Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 121Ab can be improved.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the design of the refrigerator 1D can be improved by coloring the light-shielding plate main body 127a of the refrigerator 1D in an appropriate color or forming a pattern.

In this embodiment, the configuration of the shutter mechanism 126 is an example. For example, the mechanism for rotationally driving the light-shielding plate 127 is not limited to the drive bar 128. For example, instead of the shutter mechanism 126, for example, a string, a wire, or the like may be used.
Further, the plurality of light-shielding plates 127 may each have a configuration such as a blind curtain provided so as to be movable in the lateral width direction.

(Sixth Embodiment)
Next, the sixth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 20 is a front view showing the refrigerator of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 21 is a side view of FIG. 20 as viewed from the F21 direction. FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F22-F22 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 20, the refrigerator 1E of the sixth embodiment has a right refrigerating room door 131Ab and a left refrigerating room door 131Ab instead of the right refrigerating room door 121Ab and the left refrigerating room door 121Aa in the refrigerator 1D of the fifth embodiment. It has a door 131Aa.
Unless otherwise specified, the configurations other than those described below are the same as those in the fifth embodiment.

The right refrigerating room door 131Ab has a right frame 180R and a door body 130 instead of the right frame 80R and the door body 70.
The left refrigerator compartment door 131Aa has a left frame 180L and a door body 130 instead of the left frame 80L and the door body 70.
The left refrigerating chamber door 131Aa has the same configuration as the right refrigerating chamber door 131Ab except that the left side of the refrigerating chamber 27A is closed. However, since the left refrigerating room door 131Aa has a smaller width in the lateral width direction than the right refrigerating room door 131Ab, the width of the door body 130, the upper frame 80U and the lower frame 80D is smaller than the right refrigerating room door 131Ab. The left frame 180L is the same member as the right frame 180R except that the mounting direction is different.
Below, it is shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. The right refrigerating room door 131Ab will be described as an example. The configuration of the right refrigerating room door 131Ab is similarly applied to the left refrigerating room door 131Aa.

As shown in FIG. 21, the right frame 180R in the present embodiment is different from the right frame 80R in that a slit 180a extending in the vertical direction and opening in the + X direction is formed in the side frame portion 80a.
The slit 180a communicates with the gap R2 described later.

As shown in FIG. 22, the right refrigerating chamber door 131Ab is different from the right refrigerating chamber door 121Ab in that it has a gap R2 instead of the gap R1 and does not have the shutter mechanism 126. Therefore, the lower frame 80D is the same as the lower frame 80D in the first embodiment.
Like the gap R1, the gap R2 is a space sandwiched between the first plate member 71 and the front plate 76. The thickness of the gap R2 is formed so that a light-shielding sheet 132 (light regulating member), which will be described later, can be inserted.

As shown in FIG. 20, the light-shielding sheet 132 has a substantially rectangular outer shape capable of covering the window area W. The outer shape and thickness of the light-shielding sheet 132 are large enough to be inserted into the gap R2 through the slit 180a. A holding portion 132a that can be held by a user when the light-shielding sheet 132 is taken in and out of the slit 180a is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the light-shielding sheet 132.
The light-shielding sheet 132 regulates at least one of the transmitted light amount and the transmitted range of visible light so that the refrigerating chamber 27A is difficult to see. The material of the light-shielding sheet 132 is not particularly limited as long as the visible light can be regulated so that the refrigerating chamber 27A is difficult to see.
For example, as the material of the light-shielding sheet 132, a material that is colored in a color that limits the transmittance, or is imparted with reflectivity, polarization, scattering property, or the like may be used. For example, as the type of material of the light-shielding sheet 132, pulp paper, synthetic paper, resin sheet, foamed resin sheet, non-woven fabric, metal plate, wood plate, or a composite material thereof may be used.
The material of the light-shielding sheet 132 is more preferably a material excellent in heat insulation.
For example, the light-shielding sheet 132 may be provided with an appropriate coat layer on an appropriate surface that regulates visible light. For example, as the coat layer, a coating layer, a protective film layer, a reflective film layer, a visible light light-shielding layer, an infrared light-shielding layer, an ultraviolet light-shielding layer, a polarizing film layer, a light scattering layer, and the like may be provided.
For example, the light-shielding sheet 132 may be formed with an opening such that a part of the light-shielding sheet 132 becomes a light-transmitting region even when it is inserted into the right refrigerating room door 131Ab.
For example, the light-shielding sheet 132 may be provided with a large number of small through holes so that the refrigerating chamber 27A is difficult to see.
For example, the light-shielding sheet 132 may be made of a material that can be written and erased by the user, for example, by using an appropriate writing tool.

According to the refrigerator 1E having such a configuration, when the light-shielding sheet 132 is inserted into each gap R2 of the right refrigerating room door 131Ab and the left refrigerating room door 131Aa, a part or all of each window area W can be made into a shade area. can. By pulling out a part or all of the inserted light-shielding sheet 132 from the gap R2, a part or all of each window area W can be made into a light transmitting region.
The user does not have to open the left refrigerating chamber door 131Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 131Ab, but can pass through the light transmitting region formed on the light shielding sheet 132 or the light transmitting region formed by appropriately pulling out the light shielding sheet 132 to pass through the refrigerating chamber. The inside of 27A can be observed. For example, the user can know the type and remaining amount of the foodstuff stored in the refrigerating room 27A without opening the left refrigerating room door 131Aa and the right refrigerating room door 131Ab. That is, even if the refrigerator compartment 27A does not have a camera, the inside of the refrigerator can be visually recognized without opening the door.
As a result, the number of times the user opens and closes the left refrigerating chamber door 131Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 131Ab is reduced, so that the leakage of cold air is reduced. As a result, the power consumption of the refrigerator 1E can be reduced.

In particular, according to the refrigerator 1E, since the gap R2 is formed on the front side of the light transmitting plate 170 as in the fifth embodiment, an air heat insulating layer is formed in the gap R2. In this respect as well, the heat insulating properties of the left refrigerating chamber door 131Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 131Ab can be improved.
When a material having heat insulating properties is used as the light-shielding sheet 132, the heat insulating properties of the left refrigerating room door 131Aa and the right refrigerating room door 131Ab can be further improved when the light-shielding sheet 132 is attached.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the design of the refrigerator 1E can be improved by coloring the light-shielding sheet 132 in an appropriate color or forming a pattern. In particular, when the surface of the light-shielding sheet 132 contains a writable and erasable material, the light-shielding sheet 132 can also be used for a message board or the like.

So far, some embodiments have been described. However, the embodiment is not limited to the above example. The embodiments described above can be implemented in combination with each other.
For example, as for the configuration of the left refrigerating room door and the right refrigerating room door in each embodiment, the configurations of other embodiments may be used independently for the left refrigerating room door and the right refrigerating room door.
For example, in the refrigerators of the third to sixth embodiments, the coating layers 74A and 74B may be formed so as to overlap a part of the window region W as in the first embodiment.
For example, the configuration of the main part of the left refrigerating room door and the right refrigerating room door in each embodiment is applied to the pull-out type vegetable room door 11B, the ice making room door 11C, the small freezing room door 11D, the main freezing room door 11E, and the like. May be done.

According to at least one embodiment described above, the refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body including a storage chamber and a door that opens and closes the storage chamber, the door being a transparent heat insulating material containing a transparent porous body. A first plate member that covers the transparent heat insulating material from the outer surface side of the door and is provided so that visible light can be transmitted, and a second plate member that covers the transparent heat insulating material from the inner surface side of the door and is provided so that visible light can be transmitted. An outer frame member that covers at least the outer peripheral portions of the first plate member and the second plate member and seals a transparent heat insulating material between the first plate member and the second plate member, and an outer frame on the outer surface side of the door. It includes a gasket provided on the member. With such a configuration, it is possible to visually recognize the inside of the refrigerator without opening the door without having a camera.

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. 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.

1,1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E ... Refrigerator, 10 ... Housing (refrigerator body), 11 ... Multiple doors, 11Aa, 101Aa, 111Aa, 121Aa, 131Aa ... Left refrigerator compartment door, 11Ab, 91, 101Ab, 111Ab, 121Ab, 131Ab ... Right refrigerator door, 13 ... Multiple containers, 13A ... Refrigerator container, 19 ... Circuit board, 27 ... Multiple storage rooms, 27A ... Refrigerator room 27C ... Ice making room, 34 ... Operation panel, 35 ... Refrigerator light, 55 ... Gasket, 70, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130 ... Door body, 70A ... Light transmission area, 70B ... Shade area 71 ... First plate member, 72, 92 ... Second plate member, 73 ... Transparent heat insulating material, 73a ... Fiber structure (reinforcing material), 73b ... Reinforcing net (reinforcing material), 74A, 74B ... Painted layer, 75 ... End face member, 76 ... Front plate, 80 ... Outer frame member, 80a ... Side frame, 80b ... Front frame, 80c ... Rear frame, 82 ... Adhesive, 92aR, 92bL ... Container mounting ribs, 94 ... Door container, 102 ... Dimming sheet (dimming member, transmissive display), 104 ... Control board, 126 ... Shutter mechanism, 127 ... Shading plate (light regulating member), 128 ... Drive bar, 132 ... Shading sheet (light regulating member)
170 ... light transmission plate, 180a ... slit, g ... dry gel, G ... specific heat insulating material, O ... operation panel area, R1, R2 ... gap, T, Ta, Tb ... touch sensor, W ... window area

Claims (14)

Refrigerator body including storage room and
A door that opens and closes the storage room and
With
The door is
A transparent heat insulating material containing a transparent porous body and
A first plate member that covers the transparent heat insulating material from the outer surface side of the door and is provided so that visible light can be transmitted.
A second plate member that covers the transparent heat insulating material from the inner surface side of the door and is provided so that visible light can pass through.
An outer frame member that covers at least the outer peripheral portion of the first plate member and the second plate member and seals the transparent heat insulating material between the first plate member and the second plate member.
A gasket provided on the outer frame member on the outer surface side of the door, and
To prepare
refrigerator. The porous body comprises a dry gel containing an airgel, a xerogel, or a cryogel.
The refrigerator according to claim 1. The first plate member includes a glass plate, and the first plate member includes a glass plate.
The second plate member contains a transparent resin.
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2. The door has a light transmitting region through which visible light can be transmitted in the thickness direction.
Each surface of the first plate member and the second plate member is formed of a curved surface having no flat surface or locally uneven shape in the light transmitting region.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A transparent reinforcing material for reinforcing the transparent heat insulating material is arranged between the first plate member and the second plate member.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The reinforcing material includes rod-shaped bodies arranged in a grid pattern.
The refrigerator according to claim 5. At least one of the first plate member and the second plate member contains tempered glass.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The outer frame member is
A front frame portion that covers the outer peripheral portion of the first plate member from the front surface side, and
A rear frame portion that covers the outer peripheral portion of the second plate member from the rear surface side, and
A side frame portion that is connected to the front frame portion and the rear surface frame portion and covers the first plate member and the second plate member from the side.
To prepare
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The rear frame portion includes a gasket holding portion that holds the gasket.
The refrigerator according to claim 8. The gasket holding portion is fixed to the rear frame portion via an adhesive material.
The refrigerator according to claim 9. The door has a light transmitting region through which visible light can be transmitted in the thickness direction.
A dimming member which is arranged on the outer surface side of the transparent heat insulating material in the door and can regulate at least one of the transmitted light amount and the transmitted range of the visible light in the light transmitting region.
Further prepare,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The dimming member includes a transmissive display capable of displaying an image.
The refrigerator according to claim 11. A touch sensor for detecting a touch position on the first plate member is further provided.
The refrigerator according to claim 12. The door has a light transmitting region through which visible light can be transmitted in the thickness direction.
Light that is arranged between the transparent heat insulating material and the first plate member in a range that overlaps with at least a part of the light transmitting region in the thickness direction and regulates visible light in at least a part of the light transmitting region. Further equipped with regulatory members,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

Images