JP2023095128A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator which prevents deterioration of heat insulation performance of a heat insulation door and excessive increase of cost when a dispenser is provided.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes: a storage room 3; a heat insulation door 10 which is disposed at a front side of the storage room 3 and opens or closes the storage room 3; and a dispenser 30 which is provided at a rear surface side of the heat insulation door 10, connected with a lip of a beverage container, and discharges drinking water in the beverage container. When the storage room 3 is closed by the heat insulation door 10, the dispenser 30 is housed in a space defined by the heat insulation door 10 and the storage room 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to refrigerators.

Refrigerators are provided that are provided with a dispenser that stores drinking water in a water storage portion provided in a storage chamber and discharges the stored drinking water to the outside through user's operation. A refrigerator equipped with such a dispenser is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 below.

JP 2016-114253 A

The drinking water outlet of the dispenser disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided on the surface side of the heat insulating door that opens and closes the storage chamber (outside the heat insulating door when the heat insulating door closes the storage chamber). That is, in the refrigerator of Patent Document 1, the flow path from the water reservoir to the drinking water discharge port is formed inside the heat insulating door, and the drinking water discharge port is exposed to the outside from the surface side of the heat insulating door. As a result, the storage chamber communicates with the outside through the flow path and the drinking water outlet, resulting in a decrease in the heat insulating properties of the heat insulating door.

In addition, it is necessary to lower the temperature of the cold air circulating inside the refrigerator due to the deterioration of the heat insulating properties of the heat insulating door. As a result, the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1 also has a problem from the viewpoint of energy saving. Furthermore, in the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to separately provide a structure for exposing the drinking water outlet to the outside. Therefore, the manufacturing cost increases as compared with a refrigerator having a general heat insulating door.

In view of these problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator in which the heat insulating properties of the heat insulating door are not deteriorated and the cost is not excessively increased when the dispenser is provided.

In order to solve the above problems, the refrigerator according to the present invention includes:
a storage room;
a heat insulating door disposed on the front side of the storage chamber for opening and closing the storage chamber;
a dispenser provided on the back side of the heat insulating door, connected to the mouth of the beverage container, and discharging drinking water in the beverage container;
with
The dispenser is housed in a space defined by the heat insulating door and the store room when the store room is closed by the heat insulating door.

Moreover, in the refrigerator according to the present invention,
The dispenser is
a container connection module that is connected to the beverage container and has a flow path through which the drinking water of the beverage container passes;
a lever rotatably supported at a predetermined position for controlling opening and closing of the channel of the container connection module;
with
Furthermore, it is characterized by satisfying at least one of the following conditions 1 and 2.
[Condition 1]
A stopper is further provided for restricting rotation of the lever when the storage chamber is closed by the heat insulation door.
[Condition 2]
The container connection module further has a drinking water discharge port for discharging the drinking water that has passed through the flow path, and the lever has a drinking water receiving portion for receiving drinking water falling from the drinking water discharge port. .

Furthermore, in the refrigerator according to the present invention,
The dispenser is
a first cover portion that accommodates the container connection module and the lever;
a second cover part that covers the first cover part and is attached to the first cover part in a vertically movable state;
is further provided.

Furthermore, in the refrigerator according to the present invention,
The dispenser further comprises a housing portion,
The first cover part and the second cover part are detachably attached to the housing part.

Furthermore, in the refrigerator according to the present invention,
The dispenser is detachably attached to the heat insulating door.

The dispenser of the present invention is housed in the space defined by the insulating door and the reservoir when the reservoir is closed by the insulating door. Therefore, according to the present invention, when providing the dispenser, no region communicating with the outside of the refrigerator is formed. As a result, the heat insulating property of the heat insulating door is not degraded, and an excessive increase in cost is not caused.

Further, when the storage compartment is closed by the heat insulating door, the rotation of the lever of the dispenser is restricted by the stopper. Therefore, according to the present invention, for example, when the heat insulating door closes the storage chamber, the lever of the dispenser comes into contact with the portion provided on the storage chamber side, and drinking water is unintentionally discharged from the dispenser. You can prevent situations like this.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the lever of the dispenser is provided with a drinking water receiver for receiving drinking water falling from the drinking water outlet. Therefore, for example, water droplets (drinking water) adhering to the drinking water discharge port do not fall inside the storage chamber. Further, for example, when the user presses a cup against the lever to rotate the lever, the drinking water receiver also rotates. Therefore, when the user operates to supply water, the drinking water receiving portion is not located in the water supply area immediately below the drinking water discharge port. Thereby, the user's smooth water supply operation is not hindered.

Furthermore, the second cover portion of the dispenser is attached to the first cover portion so as to be vertically movable. Therefore, for example, when the beverage container is set on the dispenser, the second cover portion can be lowered to set the beverage container on the dispenser. As a result, the operation of setting the beverage container on the dispenser can be performed smoothly.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the first cover portion and the second cover portion of the dispenser can be detached from the housing portion. Therefore, in the housing portion, the opening area formed after the first cover portion and the second cover portion are detached can be utilized as a storage space for the object to be stored.

Further, according to the present invention, the dispenser (e.g., housing portion) can be attached and detached from the insulating door. This allows the dispenser (housing portion) to be removed from the heat insulating door when the dispenser is not in use. Further, in the heat-insulating door, a storage rack or the like for storing objects to be stored can be attached to a region from which the dispenser (housing portion) is removed. Therefore, according to the present invention, the dispenser can be attached and detached from the heat insulating door according to the user's intention, and the space after the dispenser has been removed can be used as a storage space for the objects to be stored.

The whole refrigerator perspective view which concerns on this embodiment. The enlarged view of the heat insulation door containing the dispenser of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the dispenser of this embodiment; FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the dispenser of this embodiment; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the refrigerator with the heat insulating door open; FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the refrigerator with the heat insulating door closed; FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dispenser when the second cover part of the embodiment is at the reference position; FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dispenser when the second cover part of the embodiment is in the upper position; The perspective view for demonstrating that the 1st cover part and 2nd cover part of this embodiment can be attached or detached from a housing part.

A refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In describing the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment, the "up and down" direction corresponds to the height direction of the refrigerator 1, the "left and right" direction corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator 1, and the "front and back" direction , correspond to the depth direction of the refrigerator 1 . Moreover, each direction of the heat insulating door is defined based on the state in which the heat insulating door closes the storage chamber. That is, the height direction (vertical direction) of the heat insulating door corresponds to the height direction of the refrigerator 1, the width direction (horizontal direction) of the heat insulating door corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator 1, and the depth direction of the heat insulating door ( front-rear direction) corresponds to the depth direction of the refrigerator 1 .

The overall configuration of a refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the refrigerator 1. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes a heat insulating box body 2 corresponding to a refrigerator body. The heat insulating box body 2 includes an outer box made of steel plate, an inner box made of synthetic resin, and a heat insulating material made of polyurethane foam filled in a gap formed between the outer box and the inner box.

A heat-insulating partition wall is arranged inside the heat-insulating box 2 to partition a plurality of storage compartments such as a refrigerating compartment 3 and a freezing compartment 4, for example. A refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of storage compartments corresponding to a refrigerating compartment 3 and a freezing compartment 4 from above. However, the arrangement order of each storage room is not limited to this. Also, the number of storage chambers is not limited to this.

Moreover, the front surface of each storage chamber provided in the heat insulation box 2 is opened. A heat insulating door is provided for closing each of these openings in an openable and closable manner. The heat-insulating door 10 is rotatably supported by the heat-insulating box body 2 by means of hinge members 5 at, for example, upper and lower left end portions of the refrigerator 1 when viewed from the front, and closes (closes) the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 3 .

The heat insulating door 10 shown in FIG. and includes a frame 13 for sealing the inside of the exterior part 11 with the interior panel part 12 mounted thereon. The heat insulating door 10 is filled with a heat insulating material.

In addition, long projecting walls 121a and 121b project from both side regions of the interior panel portion 12 toward the inside of the refrigerating chamber 3 (rear side of the heat insulating door 10) (when the heat insulating door 10 closes the refrigerating chamber 3). is provided. These projecting walls 121a and 121b support a storage rack 20 for storing objects to be stored. Further, a dispenser 30 is provided at the bottom of the heat insulating door 10 on the back side.

Since the dispenser 30 is provided on the back side of the heat insulation door 10 in this way, when the refrigerator compartment 3 is closed by the heat insulation door 10 , the dispenser 30 is placed in the space defined by the heat insulation door 10 and the refrigerator compartment 3 . (the space inside the refrigerator 1). According to this embodiment, since the dispenser 30 is located in the space inside the refrigerator 1 , when the dispenser 30 is provided, a region that communicates with the outside of the refrigerator 1 from the heat insulating door 10 is not formed. Therefore, the heat insulating property of the heat insulating door 10 is not deteriorated, and an excessive increase in cost is not caused.

Next, the dispenser 30 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. Here, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the heat insulating door 10 including the dispenser 30. As shown in FIG. 3 and 4 are vertical cross-sectional views of the dispenser 30 (cross-sectional views taken along line AA in FIG. 2). Note that the dispenser 30 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to a state in which the channel of the container connection module 31, which will be described later, is closed. Also, the dispenser 30 shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to a state in which the channel of the container connection module 31 is open.

The dispenser 30 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, covers the container connection module 31, the lever 32, the first cover portion 33 housing the container connection module 31 and the lever 32, and the first cover portion 33. A second cover portion 34 and a housing portion 35 that accommodates the first cover portion 33 and the second cover portion 34 are provided. As illustrated, a beverage container 40 (for example, a PET bottle or the like) is attached to the container connection module 31 of the dispenser 30 in a downward facing state (with the drinking spout 41 facing the dispenser 30 side).

As shown in FIG. 3, the container connection module 31 includes a base 311, a container connection portion 312 connected to the mouthpiece 41 of the beverage container 40, and a fixed tubular shape provided inside the container connection portion 312 in the radial direction. A portion 313 , a movable tubular portion 314 provided radially inside the fixed tubular portion 313 , and a drinking water discharge port portion 315 connected to the fixed tubular portion 313 and the bottom end of the movable tubular portion 314 . Further, a check valve 316 is attached to the movable tubular portion 314 .

Drinking water supplied from the beverage container 40 to the container connection module 31 passes through the interior of the fixed cylindrical portion 313 and is discharged to the outside from the drinking water discharge port portion 315 . That is, in the container connection module 31 of the present embodiment, the area including the inside of the fixed tubular portion 313 corresponds to the drinking water flow path.

Next, the lever 32 contacts, for example, a rotating shaft portion 321 when the lever 32 rotates in the direction of arrow B, an operation portion 322 where the lever 32 is rotated, and a drinking water discharge port portion 315 when the lever 32 rotates. A discharge port contact portion 323 is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 3 , the lever 32 of this embodiment is attached at a predetermined position inside the first cover portion 33 so as to face the container connection module 31 .

The movable tubular portion 314 is provided so as to be vertically movable with respect to the fixed tubular portion 313 . As shown in FIG. 3 , when the movable tubular portion 314 is in the initial position, the check valve 316 attached to the movable tubular portion 314 contacts the upper end of the fixed tubular portion 313 . As a result, the flow path of the container connection module 31 is closed, and the drinking water that faces the container connection portion 312 from the mouthpiece 41 of the beverage container 40 is stopped at the upper end of the fixed cylindrical portion 313 .

On the other hand, for example, when the cup held by the user is pressed against the operation portion 322 of the lever 32 and the lever 32 rotates in the direction of the arrow B, as shown in FIG. pushes up the drinking water discharge port 315 of the container connection module 31 . Along with this, the movable tubular portion 314 rises.

As a result, the check valve 316 rises in conjunction with the operation of the movable tubular portion 314, and the check valve 316 and the fixed tubular portion 313 are separated from each other. As a result, the flow path of the container connection module 31 is opened, and the drinking water in the beverage container 40 flows into the fixed tubular portion 313 .

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, lever 32 preferably has a drinking water receiving portion 324 for receiving drinking water falling from drinking water outlet portion 315 . The drinking water receiving portion 324 of this embodiment has a bottom wall extending substantially horizontally from the front surface of the bottom portion of the operation portion 322 and side walls rising upward from the bottom wall. The area surrounded by the bottom wall and side walls of the drinking water receiving portion 324 receives the dropped drinking water.

By providing the drinking water receiving portion 324 of such a mode, for example, water droplets (drinking water) adhering to the drinking water discharge port portion 315 do not drop into the refrigerator compartment 3 . Further, since the drinking water receiving portion 324 is a portion provided in the operation portion 322 of the lever 32, the drinking water receiving portion 324 also rotates as the lever 32 is rotated by the user's operation. Therefore, the drinking water receiving portion 324 is not located in the water supply region immediately below the drinking water discharge port portion 315 when the user performs the water supply operation. Accordingly, even if the drinking water receiving portion 324 is provided separately, the user's smooth water supply operation is not hindered.

Next, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the stopper 36 that restricts the rotation of the lever 32 when the refrigerator compartment 3 (storage compartment) is closed by the heat insulation door 10 will be described. Here, FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the refrigerator 1 with the heat insulating door 10 opened. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 1 with the heat insulating door 10 closed (a vertical cross-sectional view enlarging a region including the dispenser 30 and the stopper 36).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the stopper 36 of this embodiment is provided on the refrigerator compartment 3 side. Also, the stopper 36 extends substantially horizontally from a predetermined position in the refrigerator compartment 3 (for example, the front end of the shelf facing the dispenser 30, the front wall of the chilled compartment, etc.) to the inside of the first cover portion 33 of the dispenser 30. do. As a result, the stopper 36 and the other end portion 325 of the lever 32 (the end portion on the side opposite to the operation portion 322) face each other, and further rotation of the lever 32 is restricted.

By providing such a stopper 36, for example, in the process of closing the refrigerator compartment 3 by the heat insulating door 10, the lever 32 of the dispenser 30 is moved to a predetermined position in the refrigerator compartment 3 (for example, the dispenser 30 and the dispenser 30 It is possible to prevent accidental rotation of the lever 32 due to contact with the opposing portion). As a result, it is possible to prevent the drinking water from being unintentionally discharged from the dispenser 30 .

Next, details of the first cover portion 33 and the second cover portion 34 of the dispenser 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 9. FIG. Here, FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the dispenser 30 when the second cover portion 34 is in the reference position. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the dispenser 30 when the second cover portion 34 is above the reference position. Furthermore, FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining that the first cover portion 33 and the second cover portion 34 are detachable from the housing portion 35. As shown in FIG.

The second cover portion 34 is attached to the first cover portion 33 in a vertically movable state. As shown in FIG. 7 , when the second cover portion 34 is in the reference position, the top wall 341 of the second cover portion 34 is positioned near the top wall 331 of the first cover portion 33 . When the first cover portion 33 and the second cover portion 34 are in this positional relationship, the container connection module 31 in which the beverage container 40 is set is set on the first cover portion 33 .

After the container connection module 31 is set on the first cover portion 33, the user can slide the second cover portion 34 upward from the reference position, as shown in FIG. At this time, the projection 342 projecting inward from the inner wall of the second cover portion 34 fits into the recess 332 provided in the side wall of the first cover portion 33 . As a result, the second cover portion 34 is locked at the upper position after the sliding movement.

Thus, when the container connecting module 31 is set on the first cover portion 33 , the second cover portion 34 does not interfere with the beverage container 40 because the second cover portion 34 is at the reference position. Further, since the second cover portion 34 is at the reference position, the user can easily visually recognize the container connection module 31 . Therefore, the operation of setting the container connection module 31 in which the beverage container 40 is set to the first cover portion 33 can be performed smoothly. Furthermore, since the second cover portion 34 is in the lowered position (reference position), it is possible to prevent erroneous operations such as erroneous rotation of the lever 32 during work.

Furthermore, by raising the second cover part 34 after the container connection module 31 is set on the first cover part 33 , the area of the beverage container 40 surrounded by the second cover part 34 increases, and the beverage container 40 is set on the dispenser 30 . The beverage container 40 can be maintained in a predetermined posture.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9 , the first cover portion 33 and the second cover portion 34 may be detachably attached to the housing portion 35 . In this case, the housing part 35 preferably has a plate-like member 352 that closes an opening area 351 formed by detaching the first cover part 33 and the second cover part 34 . The plate member 352 attached to the housing portion 35 functions as part of the side wall of the housing portion 35 .

According to the housing part 35 of such a mode, the opening area 351 formed after the first cover part 33 and the second cover part 34 are detached can be utilized as a storage space for objects to be stored.

Moreover, it is preferable that the housing part 35 is detachably attached to the heat insulating door 10 . In this case, the housing part 35 preferably has a form similar to that of the storage rack 20 provided on the back side of the heat insulating door 10 .

According to this aspect of the housing portion 35, for example, a storage rack or the like for storing objects to be stored can be attached to the area from which the housing portion 35 is removed. Therefore, according to the user's intention, the housing part 35 (dispenser 30) can be attached and detached from the heat insulating door 10, and the space after the housing part 35 is removed can be utilized as a storage space for the stored items.

The embodiments according to the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the above description is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may include things that can be changed and improved without departing from its spirit. The present invention also includes equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Refrigerator 2... Heat insulation box body 3... Cold storage 10... Heat insulation door 30... Dispenser 31... Container connection module 311... Base part 312... Container connection part 313... Fixed cylindrical part 314... Movable cylindrical part 315... Drinking water discharge port Part 316... Check valve 32... Lever 324... Beverage receiving part 33... First cover part 34... Second cover part 35... Housing part 36... Stopper 40... Beverage container 41... Mouth of beverage container

Claims (5)

a storage room;
a heat insulating door disposed on the front side of the storage chamber for opening and closing the storage chamber;
a dispenser provided on the back side of the heat insulating door, connected to the mouth of the beverage container, and discharging drinking water in the beverage container;
with
A refrigerator, wherein when the storage compartment is closed by the heat insulating door, the dispenser is housed in a space defined by the heat insulating door and the storage compartment. The dispenser is
a container connection module that is connected to the beverage container and has a flow path through which the drinking water of the beverage container passes;
a lever rotatably supported at a predetermined position for controlling opening and closing of the channel of the container connection module;
with
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further satisfying at least one of the following conditions (1) and (2).
[Condition 1]
A stopper is further provided for restricting rotation of the lever when the storage chamber is closed by the heat insulating door.
[Condition 2]
The container connection module further has a drinking water discharge port for discharging the drinking water that has passed through the flow path, and the lever has a drinking water receiving portion for receiving drinking water falling from the drinking water discharge port. . The dispenser is
a first cover portion that accommodates the container connection module and the lever;
a second cover part that covers the first cover part and is attached to the first cover part in a vertically movable state;
3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, further comprising: The dispenser further comprises a housing portion,
The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the first cover part and the second cover part are detachably attached to the housing part. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the dispenser is detachably attached to the heat insulating door.

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