JP2021127856A - Refrigerator and water supply tank - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve design of a refrigerator comprising a water supply tank.SOLUTION: A refrigerator according to the present invention comprises a water supply tank 30 for storing water to be supplied to an ice making tray 33, in a storage chamber 6. The water supply tank 30 comprises: a container body 36 comprising an opening in an upper surface; a lid body 38 for closing the upper surface of the container body 36; a front side container locking part 41 provided in a front peripheral wall of the container body 36; a front side fixing member 51 comprising a front side lid locking part 56 provided in the lid body 38, and locked in the front side container locking part 41, and an operating part 57 for receiving operation of a user, and moving the front side lid locking part 56; and a front protruding part 40 for covering the front side fixing member 51 from a front side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to refrigerators and water tanks.

In a refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice making function, a water supply tank is installed in the refrigerator compartment, and the water in the water supply tank is supplied to an ice tray to make ice. In such a refrigerator, the water supply tank may be attached and detached in an inclined state depending on the arrangement in the refrigerator chamber. Therefore, conventionally, a fixing member provided between the container body and the lid for compressing the sealing material is used. The lid may be attached to the container body so that the water in the container body does not leak (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

The water supply tank is often placed on the bottom surface of the refrigerator compartment, and in the case of a water supply tank in which the lid is attached to the container body using the fixing member as described above, the fixing member is arranged in a conspicuous position in the refrigerator. The Rukoto.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-189193

An embodiment of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to improve the design of a refrigerator provided with a water supply tank for which a lid body is attached to a container body by using a fixing member.

The refrigerator of one embodiment is a refrigerator provided in a storage chamber with a water supply tank for storing water for supplying water to an ice tray. The water supply tank has a container body having an open upper surface and a lid for closing the upper surface of the container body. A front side fixing member having a body, a front side container locking portion provided on the front peripheral wall of the container body, a front side lid locking portion provided on the lid body and locking to the front side container locking portion, and the front side. It is provided with a front protruding portion that covers the fixing member from the front.

A vertical sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Front view showing the main part of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. AA cross-sectional view of FIG. Perspective view of water tank Perspective view of water tank An exploded perspective view of the water supply tank Cross section of water supply tank Front view showing the main part of the refrigerator of the second embodiment of the present invention. BB sectional view of FIG.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(1) Configuration of Refrigerator 1 As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerator main body 2 that opens to the front. The refrigerator main body 2 is configured to have a heat insulating material such as a vacuum heat insulating material or a foam heat insulating material in a heat insulating space 5 formed between an outer box 3 made of a steel plate and an inner box 4 made of a synthetic resin. The refrigerator main body 2 is provided with a plurality of storage spaces inside the inner box 4. Specifically, a refrigerating room 6 and a vegetable room 7 are provided in order from the top, and an ice making room 8 and a small freezing room are provided below the refrigerator body 2. (Not shown) are provided side by side, and a freezing chamber 10 is provided below them.

The refrigerating room 6 and the vegetable room 7 are both storage rooms that are cooled to a refrigerating temperature range (for example, 1 to 4 ° C.), and are partitioned above and below by a partition plate 11 made of synthetic resin. .. As shown in FIG. 2, the space partitioned vertically by the partition plate 11 and the lowermost shelf plate 12 is a refrigerator by a vertical partition wall 13 arranged close to one side wall (left side wall) of the refrigerator compartment 6. It is partitioned in the width direction. A water supply tank 30 and a water supply device 31 are provided in a space (hereinafter, also referred to as a tank room) sandwiched between the left side wall of the refrigerator compartment 6 and the vertical partition wall 13. The water supply tank 30 is housed at a predetermined position in the front-rear direction by a positioning portion (not shown) provided on the partition plate 11. A storage container 14 is stored in a space (hereinafter, also referred to as a chilled room) sandwiched between the vertical partition wall 13 and the other side wall (right side wall) of the refrigerator compartment 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical partition wall 13 is arranged so as to be hidden behind the front portion of the storage container 14.

The ice making chamber 8, the small freezing chamber, and the freezing chamber 10 are all storage chambers that are cooled to a freezing temperature range (for example, −10 to −20 ° C.). In the ice making chamber 8, an ice making device 32 including an ice making tray 33 and an ice removing mechanism 34, and an ice storage box 9 for storing ice produced by the ice making device 32 are installed. The ice making device 32 constitutes an automatic ice making device together with the water supply tank 30 and the water supply device 31 provided in the refrigerating chamber 6, and the water of the water supply tank 30 sucked up by the water supply device 31 is supplied to the ice tray 33. ing.

A refrigerating cooler 20 for cooling the storage chamber in the refrigerating temperature zone is provided in the inner part of the storage chamber (refrigerating chamber 6 and the vegetable compartment 7) in the refrigerating temperature zone of the refrigerator main body 2. Above the refrigerating cooler 20, a refrigerating fan 21 for blowing the cold air generated by the refrigerating cooler 20 into the refrigerating space is provided.

A refrigerating cooler 22 for cooling the storage chamber in the freezing temperature zone is provided in the inner part of the storage chamber (ice making chamber 8, small freezing chamber, freezing chamber 10) in the freezing temperature zone of the refrigerator main body 2. Above the freezing cooler 22, a freezing fan 23 that blows the cold air generated by the freezing cooler 22 into the refrigerating space is provided.

The refrigerating cooler 20 and the refrigerating cooler 22 form a refrigerating cycle together with the compressor 25 and the condenser housed in the machine room 24 formed in the lower part of the back surface of the refrigerator main body 2, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 25 constitutes the refrigerating cycle. Be cooled.

(2) Storage container 14
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the storage container 14 housed in the chilled chamber sandwiched between the vertical partition wall 13 and the right wall of the refrigerating chamber 6 is a drawer-type upper container 70 and a vertically stacked upper container 70. A lower container 71 and a lid 72 rotatably provided at the front end of the lowermost shelf plate 12 are provided.

The upper container 70 is made of a synthetic resin container that opens on the upper surface having a substantially rectangular planar shape, and a storage space for storing food or other storage is formed inside.

At the front end of the upper container 70, a front wall 73 that rises upward from the bottom surface of the upper container 70 and partitions the front end of the storage space is provided. In front of the front wall 73, container front portions 74 arranged at predetermined intervals are provided over the entire width of the upper container 70.

The front wall 73 is recessed rearward in the central portion in the width direction, and forms an upper handle portion 75 having a wide space in the front-rear direction from the front portion 74 of the container. The upper handle portion 75 functions as a handle when the user's finger is inserted from below and the upper container 70 is taken in and out.

The upper end of the container front portion 74 is connected to the upper end of the front wall 73. The lower end of the container front portion 74 is terminated at the same height as the bottom surface of the upper container 70 except for the front of the upper handle portion 75, and is terminated above the bottom surface of the upper container 70 in front of the upper handle portion 75. As a result, the container front portion 74 is provided with a notch portion 76 that opens the front of the upper handle portion 75.

Further, a band-shaped second emphasis portion 74a is provided between the upper end of the container front portion 74 and the upper end of the notch portion 76 over the entire width of the upper container 70. The second emphasized portion 74a is a region that is visually distinguishable from other portions of the container front portion 74, and is, for example, a region in which the material, color, pattern, member thickness, and the like are different. The second emphasized portion 74a is preferably a portion having a lower transparency than other portions due to coloring, surface processing, metal deposition, or the like.

An opening is formed above the container front portion 74 of the upper container 70 with the lower surface of the shelf plate 12, and the opening is closed by the lid 72. As shown in FIG. 3, when the opening formed by the shelf plate 12 and the front surface portion 74 of the container is closed, the lid body 72 extends the front surface of the container on the extension of the center line in the thickness direction of the lid body 72 in the side view. It is preferable that the upper end portion of the portion 74 is located.

Such an upper container 70 is pulled out forward while pushing up the lid 72 by sliding a rail (not shown) from the state of being stored in the chilled chamber, and stored items such as food can be stored from the upper opening of the upper container 70. It is designed to be taken in and out.

The lower container 71 is made of a synthetic resin container that opens on the upper surface having a substantially rectangular planar shape, and a storage space for storing food or other storage is formed inside. The lower container 71 is closed by the bottom surface of the upper container 70 provided with an opening on the upper surface in a state of being housed in the chilled chamber. At the front end portion of the lower container 71, a lower handle portion 78 that is depressed downward and a hand can be inserted from above is formed.

(3) Water supply tank 30
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the water supply tank 30 includes a container body 36 that opens on the upper surface and a lid 38 that closes the upper surface opening of the container body 36. The water supply tank 30 stores water (ice making water) for supplying water to the ice tray 33 via the water supply device 31 in the container main body 36, and prevents the ice making water from spilling from the container main body 36 by the lid 38.

The container body 36 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped synthetic resin container in which the distance between the front peripheral wall 36a and the rear peripheral wall 36b is large compared to the distance between the left and right peripheral walls and is long in the front-rear direction. The container body 36 includes a front projecting portion 40 provided over substantially the entire width of the container body 36 so as to project forward and upward from the upper end portion of the front peripheral wall 36a, and a front container locking portion 41 provided on the front peripheral wall 36a. A rear container locking portion 42 provided on the rear peripheral wall 36b and a packing contact portion 44 protruding outward from the peripheral edge portion of the upper surface opening are provided (see FIG. 6).

The front protruding portion 40 includes a tank front portion 46 provided in front of the front peripheral wall 36a at intervals, and a peripheral surface portion 47 provided rearward from both the left and right ends of the tank front portion 46 and the upper end, and the peripheral surface portion 47. The lower end of the container body 36 is connected to both upper and lower ends of the container body 36.

The front protrusion 40 is formed with a tank handle 49 that opens downward between the tank front surface 46 and the front peripheral wall 36a (see FIG. 7). The tank handle 49 functions as a handle when the user's finger is inserted from below and the water supply tank 30 is taken in and out.

The tank front portion 46 constitutes the front portion of the water supply tank 30. The tank front portion 46 is inclined rearward as it goes upward, and the inclination angle is such that the lid 72 constituting the front portion of the storage container 14 and the container front portion 74 of the upper container 70 are inclined as shown in FIG. It has almost the same inclination angle as.

At the lower end of the tank front portion 46, a band-shaped first emphasis portion 46a extending in the left-right direction is provided with a constant vertical dimension. The first emphasized portion 46a is a region that is visually distinguishable from other portions of the tank front portion 46, and is, for example, a region in which the material, color, pattern, member thickness, and the like are different. The first emphasized portion 46a is preferably a portion having a lower transparency than other portions due to coloring, surface processing, metal deposition, or the like.

The lower end 46b of the first emphasis portion 46a is located at the lower end of the tank front portion 46 and is located at the same height as the lower end 74b of the second emphasis portion 74a of the upper container 70 housed in the chilled chamber. Further, the upper end 46c of the first emphasis portion 46a is located at the same height as the upper end 74c of the second emphasis portion 74a of the upper container 70 housed in the chilled chamber.

Further, the back surface of the front protrusion 40 is provided with a back opening 48 above the packing contact portion 44 of the container body 36, and is partitioned by the tank front portion 46, the peripheral surface portion 47, and the front peripheral wall 35a of the container body 36. It communicates with the hollow tank handle 49.

It is preferable that the front protruding portion 40 has a tapered shape in which the dimension in the width direction (left-right direction) of the tank front portion 46 becomes smaller toward the upper side. Further, the peripheral edges of the tank handle 49 and the back opening 48 provided in the front protrusion 40 preferably have an arcuate cross section, and the radius of curvature of the peripheral edge of the tank handle 49 is the back opening 48. It is preferably larger than the radius of curvature of the periphery.

The packing contact portion 44 is a flange-shaped portion that protrudes outward from the peripheral edge portion of the upper surface opening of the container body 36. The packing 61 provided on the lid 38 comes into contact with the upper surface of the packing contact portion 44. A front container locking portion 41 projecting downward is provided on the lower surface of the packing contact portion 44 projecting forward from the upper end of the front peripheral wall 36a. A rear container locking portion 42 projecting downward is provided on the lower surface of the packing contact portion 44 projecting rearward from the upper end of the rear peripheral wall 36b.

The lid body 38 includes a lid main body 50 that covers the upper surface opening of the container main body 36, a front side fixing member 51 provided at the front end portion of the lid main body 50, and a rear side fixing member 52 provided at the rear end portion of the lid main body 50. It is a synthetic resin molded body including the hanging walls 53 and 54 provided on the lower peripheral edge of the lid main body 50.

The front fixing member 51 is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 55 extending in the width direction provided at the front end portion of the lid main body 50. The front fixing member 51 includes a front lid locking portion 56 that projects below the rotating shaft 55 toward the front peripheral wall 36a, and an operating portion 57 that extends upward from the rotating shaft 55.

The front side fixing member 51 is pressed forward so that the user raises the operation portion 57, so that the front side lid locking portion 56 is locked to the front side container locking portion 41 as shown in FIG. 7, and the lid body 38 The front side of the container is fixed to the container body 36. With the front lid locking portion 56 fixing the front side of the lid 38 to the container body 36 in this way, the upper end (tip) of the operating portion 57 is below the upper end of the front protruding portion 40 provided on the container body 36. Located in. That is, when the lid 38 is fixed to the container body 36, the front protruding portion 40 provided on the container body 36 covers the entire front fixing member 51 from the front.

Further, in the front fixing member 51, the front lid locking portion 56 is locked to the front container locking portion 41, and the operation portion 57 is pressed backward from the state where the front lid locking portion 56 is locked to the front container locking portion 41. It comes off from 41 and releases the front side fixing of the lid 38 to the container body 36. At that time, the operating portion 57 collapses into the recess 62 provided at the front end portion of the lid 38.

The rear fixing member 52 has a structure similar to that of the front fixing member 51 except that the operating portion 60 is arranged below the rotating shaft 58 and the rear lid locking portion 59. That is, the rear fixing member 52 is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 58 extending in the width direction provided at the rear end of the lid main body 50, and is rearward toward the rear peripheral wall 36b below the rotation shaft 58. The side lid locking portion 59 protrudes, and an operating portion 60 is provided further below the rear side lid locking portion 59. When the user rotates the operation unit 60 so as to approach the rear peripheral wall 36b, the rear lid locking portion 59 is locked to the rear container locking portion 42, and the rear side of the lid 38 is the container body. By fixing to 36 and rotating the operation unit 60 so as to be separated from the rear peripheral wall 36b, the rear lid locking portion 59 is disengaged from the rear container locking portion 42, and the rear side of the lid 38 with respect to the container body 36. Release the lock.

The hanging walls 53 and 54 are annular members extending downward from the peripheral edge of the lid body 50. The hanging walls 53 are provided at intervals inside the hanging wall 54 in the radial direction, and extend downward longer than the hanging wall 54. An annular packing 61 is provided between the hanging walls 53 and 54.

The packing 61 projects downward from the outer hanging wall 53 in a state of being provided between the hanging walls 53 and 54, and operates the front fixing member 51 and the rear fixing member 52 to attach the lid 38 to the container body 36. When fixed, the front lid locking portion 56 and the rear lid locking portion 59 are locked to the front container locking portion 41 and the rear container locking portion 42 while pressurizing the packing 61, and the container body 36 and the lid body are locked. Seal between 38.

As shown in FIG. 2, such a water supply tank 30 is stored in the front portion of the water supply tank 30 and the chilled room when it is stored in the tank room sandwiched between the left side wall of the refrigerator compartment 6 and the vertical partition wall 13. The front surface of the storage container 14 overlaps in the left-right direction (refrigerator width direction).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when the water supply tank 30 and the upper container 70 are stored in the tank chamber and the chilled chamber, respectively, the front-rear positions of the tank front portion 46 and the lid 72 of the water supply tank 30 coincide with each other. At the same time, the positions of the first emphasized portion 46a provided on the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the second emphasized portion 74a provided on the container front portion 74 of the upper container 70 coincide with each other in the front-rear direction.

Since the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 has substantially the same inclination angle as the lid 72 of the storage container 14 and the container front portion 74 of the upper container 70, the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 has a tank front portion 46. It overlaps the lid 72 of the storage container 14 provided in the chilled chamber and the front portion 74 of the container in the left-right direction.

Further, the lower end 46b and the upper end 46c of the first emphasis portion 46a provided in the water supply tank 30 are provided so as to coincide with the lower end 74b and the upper end 74c of the second emphasis portion 74a provided in the storage container 14 in the height direction. Therefore, the first emphasized portion 46a overlaps with the second emphasized portion 74a in the left-right direction to form a continuous pattern continuous in the left-right direction.

(4) Effect In the above embodiment, the front protruding portion 40 constituting the front portion of the water supply tank 30 covers the front fixing member 51 for fixing the lid 38 to the container body 36 from the front. Therefore, the fixing member becomes inconspicuous in the refrigerator, and the design of the refrigerator can be improved.

In the present embodiment, since the front projecting portion 40 projects upward from the container body 36, it becomes easy to cover the entire front fixing member 51.

In the present embodiment, since the handle portion 49 is provided on the front protrusion 40, the front protrusion 40 can be effectively used, and the user supports the container body 36 when the water supply tank 30 is taken in and out. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lid 38 from being inadvertently removed.

In the present embodiment, since the operating portion 57 of the front fixing member 51 extends upward from the front lid locking portion 56, the front fixing member 51 can be operated on the upper side of the container body 36, which is excellent in operability. ..

In the present embodiment, the front protrusion 40 protrudes upward and forward from the container body 36, and the back opening 48 is provided on the back surface of the front protrusion 40. Therefore, the operation of the front fixing member 51 is performed on the front protrusion 40. The front fixing member 51 can be operated smoothly without being hindered.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the peripheral edge of the back opening 48 has an arcuate cross section, it is possible to prevent the user from touching the peripheral edge of the back opening 48 and being injured, and the peripheral edge of the back opening 48. Can be prevented from chipping.

In the present embodiment, since the tank handle 49 provided in the front protrusion 40 and the back opening 48 communicate with each other, the front protrusion 40 does not block the flow of cold air circulating in the refrigerating chamber 6. Moreover, since the tank handle portion 49 and the back opening portion 48 communicate with each other, the front protruding portion 40 of the container body 36 can be molded by adopting the slide core structure, so that the front protruding portion 40 is moved in the vertical direction inward. The risk of mold breakage can be reduced even when the hollow portion is deep in the mold.

Further, in the present embodiment, the tank front portion 46 constituting the front surface portion of the water supply tank 30 overlaps the lid body 72 forming the front surface portion of the storage container 14 and the container front portion 74 of the upper container 70 in the left-right direction. The design of the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 14 is unified, and the design of the refrigerator can be improved.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the first emphasis portion 46a provided on the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the second emphasis portion 74a provided on the container front portion 74 of the storage container 14 overlap in the left-right direction. , A continuous pattern continuous in the left-right direction is formed, the sense of unity in the design of the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 14 is emphasized, and the design of the refrigerator can be further improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, in order to enhance the design sense of unity between the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 14, the front protruding portion 40 of the water supply tank 30 and the lid of the storage container 14 provided so as to overlap with the front protruding portion 40 in the left-right direction. The distance between the body 72 and the front portion 74 of the container and the distance between the front protrusion 40 and the shelf plate 12 are preferably small, and for example, the distance between them is preferably 4 mm or less.

Further, in the present embodiment, by providing the front protruding portion 40 in a tapered shape in which the dimension in the width direction (left-right direction) of the tank front portion 46 becomes smaller toward the upper side, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, when the stored items are stored in the storage container 14 arranged on the side of the water supply tank 30, the partition plate 11 supports the weight of the stored items, so that the central portion of the partition plate 11 in the left-right direction is slightly recessed. Deform. Due to this deformation, the upper end of the water supply tank 30 mounted on the partition plate 11 is slightly tilted toward the center in the width direction of the refrigerator, and the distance between the upper end of the front protruding portion 40 and the lid 72 protrudes forward. It is smaller than the lower end of the portion 40, which may give a sense of discomfort to the user. Further, depending on the weight of the stored items stored in the storage container 14, the partition plate 11 may be greatly deformed and the water supply tank 30 and the lid 72 may come into contact with each other at the upper end portion.

In the present embodiment, by forming the front protruding portion 40 into a tapered shape that narrows upward, the distance between the upper end of the front protruding portion 40 and the lid 72 is unlikely to be narrowed, and the water supply tank 30 and the lid 72 It is possible to suppress the contact with the water tank 30 and to camouflage the inclination of the water supply tank 30 to suppress the discomfort given to the user.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on parts different from the above-described embodiments based on FIGS. 8 and 9. The same or corresponding elements as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

In the first embodiment described above, the case where the storage container 14 housed in the chilled chamber is composed of the upper container 70, the lower container 71, and the lid 72 has been described, but in the present embodiment, the storage container 14 is divided into upper and lower parts. The one-stage storage container 114, which is not used, is stored in the chilled chamber.

The storage container 114 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped container having a front wall 114a, a rear wall, left and right side walls, and a bottom surface and is open to the upper surface.

At the upper end of the front wall 114a, a container projecting portion 115 projecting forward and upward of the front wall 114a is provided. As shown in FIG. 9, the container projecting portion 115 is a container front portion 116 provided in front of the front wall 114a of the storage container 114 at intervals, and a left-right direction connecting the container front portion 116 and the front wall 114a. The container front portion 116 and the side surface portion 118 for connecting the left and right side portions of the connecting portion 117 and the front wall 114a are provided.

The connecting portion 117 projects substantially horizontally from the upper portion of the front wall 114a to the front and is connected to the lower portion of the container front portion 116. Below the connecting portion 117, a container handle portion 119 that opens downward is formed between the container front portion 116 and the front wall 114a. The container handle portion 119 functions as a handle when the user's finger is inserted from below and the storage container 114 is taken in and out.

The container front portion 116 is provided in the left-right direction over the entire width of the storage container 114, and is provided in the vertical direction from the same height as the lower end of the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 to the same height as the upper end of the tank front portion 46. , The gap formed between the shelf plate 12 and the front end of the upper surface opening of the storage container 114 is closed from the front.

The container front portion 116 is provided substantially parallel to the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30. In the present embodiment, the tank front portion 46 and the container front portion 116 of the water supply tank 30 are slightly inclined rearward as they go upward from the vertical direction.

At the upper end of the container front portion 116, a container inclined portion 116d that inclines rearward as it goes upward is formed. In the present embodiment, a tank inclined portion 46d that inclines rearward toward the upper end of the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 is formed substantially parallel to the same height as the container inclined portion 116d.

At the lower end of the container front portion 116, a band-shaped second emphasis portion 116a extending in the left-right direction is provided with a constant vertical dimension. The second emphasized portion 116a is a region that is visually distinguishable from other portions of the container front portion 116, and is, for example, a region in which the material, color, pattern, member thickness, and the like are different.

The lower end 116b of the second emphasis portion 116a is located at the lower end of the container front portion 116, is arranged at the same height as the lower end 46b of the first emphasis portion 46a provided on the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30, and is the second. The upper end 116c of the emphasis portion 116a is located in front of the connecting portion 117 and is arranged at the same height as the upper end 46c of the first emphasis portion 46a.

In the present embodiment as described above, as shown in FIG. 9, when the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 114 are stored in the tank chamber and the chilled chamber, respectively, the tank front portion 46 constituting the front portion of the water supply tank 30 , The container front portion 116 constituting the front portion of the storage container 114 overlaps in the left-right direction. Therefore, the design of the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 114 can be unified, and the design of the refrigerator can be improved.

In particular, the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the container front portion 116 of the storage container 114 overlap in the left-right direction in front of the front peripheral wall 36a of the container body 36 and the front wall 114a of the storage container 114, so that a sense of unity in design is achieved. It becomes easier to emphasize, and the design of the refrigerator can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the upper end position and the lower end position of the container front portion 116 of the storage container 114 are at the same height, respectively, and are stored with the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30. The tank inclined portion 46d provided at the upper end of the container front portion 116 of the container 114 and the container inclined portion 116d overlap in the left-right direction, or the first emphasized portion 46a overlaps the second emphasized portion 116a in the left-right direction and is continuous in the left-right direction. Since a continuous pattern is formed, the sense of unity of the design is easily emphasized, and the design of the container can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the tank front portion 46 which constitutes the front upper portion of the water supply tank 30 as the front portion of the water supply tank 30, and the container front portion 116 which constitutes the front upper portion of the storage container 114 as the front portion of the storage container 114. Although the case of overlapping in the left-right direction has been described, a part of the front surface of the water supply tank 30 and a part of the front surface of the storage container 114 are overlapped with each other, such as the lower front portion of the water supply tank 30 and the lower front portion of the storage container 114 overlapping in the left-right direction. It may overlap in the left-right direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the front peripheral wall 36a of the water supply tank 30 and the front wall 114a of the storage container 114 are formed substantially in parallel, and the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 114 are stored in the tank chamber and the chilled chamber, respectively. Then, the tank front portion 46 and the container front portion 116 overlap in the left-right direction, the front peripheral wall 36a and the front wall 114a overlap in the left-right direction, and the entire front portion of the water supply tank 30 and the entire front portion of the storage container 114 are in the left-right direction. May overlap with. When the entire front surface of the water supply tank 30 and the entire front surface of the storage container 114 are overlapped in the left-right direction, the designs of the water supply tank 30 and the storage container 114 are unified, and the design of the refrigerator can be further improved. ..
(Other embodiments)
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, 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 embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit 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.

For example, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the emphasis portions 46a, 74a, 116a are provided on the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the container front portions 74, 116 of the storage containers 14, 114, respectively. However, one of the tank front portion 46 of the water supply tank 30 and the container front portions 74 and 116 of the storage containers 14 and 114 is provided with an emphasis portion, and the other is not provided with an emphasis portion, or one is provided with an emphasis portion. A streak pattern extending in the left-right direction may be provided on the other side at the same height as the upper end of the emphasis portion provided in the above.

Further, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the first emphasized portion 46a and the second emphasized portions 74a, 116a that are continuous in the left-right direction may be made of the same material, color, pattern, or the like, but may be made of different materials. It may be a color or a pattern.

Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the front container locking portion 41 is provided on the front peripheral wall 36a of the container body 36 of the water supply tank 30 has been described, but the container body such as the left and right side walls of the container body 36 has been described. A front container locking portion may be provided on the front side of the 36, and a front lid locking portion may be provided on the lid 38 so as to lock the front container locking portion.

1 ... Refrigerator, 6 ... Refrigerating room, 11 ... Partition plate, 12 ... Shelf plate, 14 ... Storage container, 30 ... Water supply tank, 36 ... Container body, 36a ... Front peripheral wall, 36b ... Rear peripheral wall, 38 ... Lid, 40 ... front protruding portion, 41 ... front container locking portion, 42 ... rear container locking portion, 44 ... packing contact portion, 46 ... front portion, 46a ... first emphasized portion, 46b ... lower end of first emphasized portion, 46c ... Upper end of the first emphasis portion, 47 ... Peripheral surface portion, 48 ... Back opening, 49 ... Tank handle, 50 ... Lid body, 51 ... Front fixing member, 52 ... Rear fixing member, 56 ... Front lid locking Part, 57 ... Operation part, 59 ... Rear lid locking part, 60 ... Operation part, 61 ... Packing, 62 ... Recession, 70 ... Upper container, 71 ... Lower container, 72 ... Lid body, 74 ... Container front part, 74a ... 2nd emphasis part, 75 ... good handle part, 114 ... storage container, 115 ... container protrusion, 116 ... front part, 116a ... 1st emphasis part, 116b ... lower end of 1st emphasis part, 116c ... 1st emphasis Upper end of the part, 116d ... Tank inclined part, 117 ... Connecting part, 118 ... Container handle part

Claims (11)

In a refrigerator equipped with a water supply tank in the storage room that stores water for supplying water to the ice tray.
The water supply tank
The container body with an open top surface and
A lid that closes the upper surface of the container body and
With the front container locking portion provided on the front side of the container body,
A front fixing member provided on the lid and having a front lid locking portion for locking to the front container locking portion, and a front fixing member.
A refrigerator provided with a front protrusion that covers the front fixing member from the front. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the front protruding portion projects upward from the container body to cover the front fixing member from the front. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the front protruding portion includes a handle portion. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fixing member extends upward from the front lid locking portion and includes an operating portion for moving the front lid locking portion in response to an operation by a user. .. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the front protrusion protrudes upward and forward from the container body, and an opening is provided above the container body on the back surface of the front protrusion. .. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the peripheral edge of the opening provided on the back surface of the front protrusion has an arcuate cross section. The front projecting portion includes a handle portion whose peripheral edge has an arcuate cross section.
The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the radius of curvature of the peripheral edge of the handle is larger than the radius of curvature of the peripheral edge of the opening. The front protruding portion includes a handle portion and has a handle portion.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the handle portion and the opening portion communicate with each other. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the front protruding portion has a dimension in the width direction that becomes smaller as it goes upward. A storage container arranged on the side in the width direction of the water supply tank is provided.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the front protrusion and the upper front surface of the storage container overlap in the left-right direction. In a water supply tank having a container body having an open upper surface and a lid body that closes the upper surface of the container body and storing water for supplying water to an ice tray.
With the front container locking portion provided on the front peripheral wall of the container body,
A fixing member having a front lid locking portion provided on the lid body and locking to the front container locking portion, and an operating portion for moving the lid locking portion in response to an operation by a user.
A water supply tank including a front protrusion that covers the fixing member from the front.

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