JP3422918B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator having an operation panel mounted on one side of a door.

[0002]

In the refrigerator door, a heat insulating material is housed between the front plate and the rear plate, and upper end portions of the front plate and the rear plate are covered with upper caps so that the lower ends of the front plate and the rear plate are covered. There is a structure in which a lower cap is covered on the part. In this configuration, the operation handle is attached to the lower end of the door, and the handle cover is placed on the front of the operation handle.When the operation handle is gripped and the door is rotated, the front opening of the storage chamber opens and closes. To be done.

In the above structure, a panel cover is rotatably mounted on the front surface of the operation panel, and the operation panel is covered by the panel cover from the front side. For this reason, a gap or a step is likely to occur between the handle cover and the panel cover due to a manufacturing error or an assembly error of the operation panel.
There is a concern that the appearance (the sense of unity of the panel cover) may deteriorate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that has a high sense of unity with the panel cover and has a good appearance.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a door for opening and closing a front opening of a storage chamber, a door being covered with a cap, and an operation panel attached to the one side of the door. , A panel cover for opening and closing the front surface of the operation panel, a cap cover attached to the cap at one side of the panel cover, and an operation attached to the door at the other side of the panel cover It is characterized by including a handle and a handle cover that covers the front surface of the operation handle, and both ends of the panel cover are attached to the cap cover and the handle cover. According to the above means, since both ends of the panel cover are attached to the cap cover and the handle cover, the panel cover will not be displaced due to the manufacturing error or the assembly error of the operation panel. For this reason, a gap or a step is less likely to be formed between the handle cover and the panel cover and between the panel cover and the cap cover, so that the panel cover is more integrated and the appearance is improved.

The refrigerator according to claim 2 is characterized in that both end portions of the panel cover are rotatably mounted on the cap cover and the handle cover. According to the above means, since the panel cover can be turned only by inserting the shaft portion into the hole, the configuration is simple as compared with the case where both end portions of the panel cover are slidably mounted on the handle cover and the cap cover. Be converted.

The refrigerator according to claim 3 is characterized in that the handle cover is provided with an engaging portion to be engaged with the operation panel, and the engaging portion pulls the operation panel toward the handle cover to bring it into contact with the cap. have. According to the above means, the operation panel is positioned so as to be in contact with the cap. For this reason, the positional relationship between the operation panel and the panel cover is stable, so that it is possible to prevent the panel cover from interfering with the operation panel during operation and to prevent an excessive gap between the panel cover and the operation panel.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, in FIG. 5, the refrigerator body 1
Has a rectangular box shape with an open front surface, and is formed by filling a foaming heat insulating material 4 such as urethane foam between an inner box 2 made of plastic and an outer box 3 made of steel plate. .

In the refrigerator body 1, a refrigerating room 5, an ice making room 6, a specification switching room 7, a freezing room 8, a vegetable room 9 corresponding to a storage room.
Are sectioned. The refrigerator body 1 has doors 7a, 8 corresponding to the specification switching room 7, the freezing room 8, and the vegetable room 9.
a and 9a are mounted so as to be slidable in the front-back direction,
The front opening portions of the specification switching chamber 7, the freezing chamber 8 and the vegetable chamber 9 are opened / closed in accordance with the sliding operation of the doors 7a, 8a, 9a. Further, a door (not shown) corresponding to the ice making chamber 6 is mounted on the refrigerator body 1 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction, and the front opening of the ice making chamber 6 is opened / closed in accordance with the sliding operation of the door. .

A compressor 10 and an evaporator 11 of a refrigeration cycle are arranged in the refrigerator body 1. A control device (not shown) mainly composed of a microcomputer is provided in the refrigerator body 1, and the control device controls the compressor 10 to drive the ice making chamber 6 and the freezing chamber 8. The amount of cold air supplied is adjusted to maintain the inside of the ice making chamber 6 and the freezing chamber 8 at the set temperature.

In the refrigerator body 1, damper devices (not shown) are individually arranged corresponding to the refrigerating room 5, the specification switching room 7, and the vegetable room 9, and the control device individually controls each damper device. In accordance with the drive control, the opening amounts of the cold air supply ports of the refrigerating compartment 5, the specification switching compartment 7, and the vegetable compartment 9 are adjusted. This allows
The amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerating compartment 5, the specification switching compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 9 is adjusted to maintain the interior of the refrigerating compartment 5, the specification switching compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 9 at the set temperature. In addition, the specification switching chamber 7 has a partial freezing chamber, a chilled chamber, a
It is used selectively as a vegetable room.

Hinge fittings (not shown) are attached to the right end of the refrigerator body 1 at the upper and lower ends of the refrigerating compartment 5, and a door 12 is rotatably attached to both hinge fittings. . Hereinafter, the door 12 will be described in detail. The front plate 13 is made of a steel plate, and as shown in FIG. 4, flange portions 13a having a substantially L shape are bent and formed on both left and right sides of the front plate 13. A plastic rear plate 14 is attached to both of the flange portions 13 a, and the rear surface of the front plate 13 is covered with the rear plate 14.

The lower end of the front plate 13 and the lower end of the rear plate 14 are covered with a lower cap 15 made of plastic, and the lower cap 15 covers the gap between the front plate 13 and the rear plate 14 from below. ing. An upper cap (not shown) made of plastic is covered on the upper end of the front plate 13 and the upper end of the rear plate 14. The upper cap covers a gap between the front plate 13 and the rear plate 14 from above, and urethane or the like is provided in a closed space surrounded by the front plate 13, the rear plate 14, the lower cap 15, and the upper cap. Insulation 16
Is stored. The door 12 is configured as described above.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front plate 13 is formed with two through holes 13b located on the left side. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower cap 15 is integrally formed with two boss portions 15a located on the left side (1
Each of the boss portions 15a faces the through hole 13b of the front plate 13.

On the front surface of the front plate 13, as shown in FIG.
An operation handle 17 made of plastic and a reinforcing plate 18 made of steel plate are mounted in an overlapping manner. These operation handles 1
As shown in FIG. 4, the 7 and the reinforcing plate 18 are fixed by tightening the screw 19 into each boss portion 15a through the operating handle 17 and the reinforcing plate 18, and the operation handle 17 is gripped and operated. Then, the door 12 rotates around both hinge fittings, and the front surface of the refrigerator compartment 5 is opened and closed.

Note that reference numerals 13c and 15b in FIG. 2 indicate recesses formed in the front plate 13 and the lower cap 15, and these recesses 13c and 15b are inserted when the operation handle 17 is gripped. It is for doing.

A panel mounting portion 15c is formed on the lower cap 15. As shown in FIG. 1B, the panel mounting portion 15c has a concave shape that is recessed upward, and the operation panel 20 is mounted in the panel mounting portion 15c. The operation panel 20 includes a horizontal bottom plate portion 20a.
And a vertical plate-shaped LED mounting portion 20b (see a in FIG. 1)
And a vertical plate-shaped key mounting portion 20c (see FIG. 1a)
And a U-shaped connecting portion 20d (see a in FIG. 1) that connects the LED mounting portion 20b and the key mounting portion 20c, and the bottom surface of the panel mounting portion 15c is the bottom plate portion 2c.
It is covered with 0a from below.

A plurality of LEDs 21 are mounted on the LED mounting portion 20b of the operation panel 20, as shown in FIG. The lower cap 15 has LEDs 2
1 is formed with a through hole 15d in front thereof, and each of the through holes 15d has a protrusion 2 behind the LED cover 22.
2a is inserted. The LED cover 22 is made of transparent plastic, and the LED cover 22 is located in front of each of the protrusions 22a and has a protrusion 22b.
Are integrally formed.

On the key mounting portion 20c of the operation panel 20,
A plurality of keys 23 are mounted on the front surface, and the control device switches the specification switching chamber 7 to a partial freezing chamber, a chilled chamber or the like according to the operation content of the plurality of keys 23. Along with this, L depending on the operation contents of the plurality of keys 23
As the ED21 is selectively turned on, the LED21
The light from the through hole 15d, the projection 22 of the LED cover 22
Light is projected forward through a and 22b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface of the reinforcing plate 18 is covered with a handle cover 24. The handle cover 24 is made of colored plastic, and the operation handle 17, the reinforcing plate 18, and the two screws 19 are covered from the front by the handle cover 24. Further, a plurality of through holes 24a are formed on the right side portion of the handle cover 24. As shown in FIG. 1A, the front protrusions 22b of the LED cover 22 are inserted into the through holes 24a, and the light from the protrusions 22b passes through the through holes 24a to the front. Is projected to.

A support plate portion 24b protruding rearward is integrally formed at the right end portion of the handle cover 24, and the support plate portion 24b is housed in the connecting portion 20d of the operation panel 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the operation panel 20 has an L-shaped hooked portion 20e located inside the connecting portion 20d.
Is integrally formed, and the support plate portion 24b of the handle cover 24 is formed.
A hooking portion 24c that projects downward is integrally formed therewith. The hook portion 24c corresponds to the engaging portion,
As the hooked portion 20e of the operation panel 20 is hooked, the operation panel 20 is attracted to the front handle cover 24 side and held in a fixed position in contact with the lower cap 15.

At the lower end of the lower cap 15, as shown in FIG. 2, a notch 15e is formed at the right side. A cap cover 25 is mounted in the cutout 15e, and the cutout 15e is covered from the front by the cap cover 25 as shown in FIG.
The cap cover 25 is made of colored plastic, and the left and right end portions of the cap cover 25 have support plate portions 25 protruding rearward as shown in FIG.
a is integrally formed.

The support plate 25 on the left side of the cap cover 25
As shown in FIG. 1A, the shaft portions 25b and 24d are integrally formed on the support plate portion 24b of the handle cover 24 and the shaft portion 25b and 24d. 26a are rotatably inserted. The panel cover 26 is made of colored plastic, and plate portions 26b, 26b projecting rearward are integrally formed at both left and right ends of the panel cover 26, and each through hole 26a is formed in the plate portion 26b. Has been formed.

According to the above-described embodiment, when the panel cover 26 is rotated in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1B, the plurality of keys 23 are covered by the panel cover 26 from the front and are disabled. There is. When the panel cover 26 is operated in the direction opposite to the arrow A in this state, the panel cover 26 is moved to the shaft portion 24.
Since the plurality of keys 23 are exposed on the front side by rotating about d and 25b, they can be operated.

In this case, since the left and right ends of the panel cover 26 are attached to the handle cover 24 and the cap cover 25, the panel cover 26 will not be displaced due to the manufacturing error or the assembly error of the operation panel 20. For this reason, a gap in the left-right direction or a step in the front-rear direction is less likely to occur between the handle cover 24 and the panel cover 26 and between the panel cover 26 and the cap cover 25, so that the panel cover 26 has a greater sense of unity. , The appearance will be improved.

The left and right ends of the panel cover 26 are rotatably attached to the handle cover 24 and the cap cover 25. Therefore, the shaft portion 24 of the handle cover 24
Since it is only necessary to insert d and the shaft portion 25b of the cap cover 25 into the through holes 26a of the panel cover 26, respectively,
The configuration is simplified as compared with the case where the left and right ends of the panel cover 26 are slidably mounted on the handle cover 24 and the cap cover 25.

Further, the hook portion 24c of the handle cover 24
When the operation panel 20 was hooked on the hooked portion 20e of the operation panel 20, the operation panel 20 was pulled toward the handle cover 24 and brought into contact with the lower cap 15. Therefore, the operation panel 2
0 and the panel cover 26 have a stable positional relationship in the front-rear direction, so that the panel cover 26 is operated when the operation panel 20 is operated.
It is possible to prevent interference between the panel cover 26 and the operation panel 20.

In the above embodiment, the shaft portion 24d of the handle cover 24 and the shaft portion 2 of the cap cover 25 are provided.
5b is rotatably inserted into the panel cover 26, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, shaft portions are provided at both left and right end portions of the panel cover 26, and both shaft portions are attached to the handle cover 24.
It may be rotatably inserted in the cap cover 25. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the panel cover 26 is rotatably attached to the handle cover 24 and the cap cover 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be slidably attached, for example.

In the above embodiment, the operation panel 20 is attached to the lower cap 15. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the operation panel 20 is attached to the upper cap, and the operation handle 17, the handle cover 24, and the cap cover 25 are attached. The panel cover 26 and the like may be attached to the upper cap side in alignment with the operation panel 20. Further, in the above embodiment,
The upper and lower ends of the front plate 13 and the rear plate 14 are opened and the upper and lower caps are covered with the upper cap and the lower cap 15. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the left and right side parts of the front plate 13 and the rear plate 14 are not limited thereto. May be opened and the left and right sides may be covered with a left cap and a right cap. In the case of this configuration, the operation panel 2
It is preferable that 0 is attached to the left cap, and the operation handle 17, the handle cover 24, the cap cover 25, the panel cover 26, etc. are attached to the left cap side in alignment with the operation panel 20.

In the above embodiment, the door 12 is rotated about the right end, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the door 12 may be rotated about the left end. In this case, if the left and right side portions of the front plate 13 and the rear plate 14 are covered with the left cap and the right cap, the operation panel 20 is attached to the right cap, and the operation handle 17, the handle cover 24, the cap cover 25, and the panel cover. 26 and the like may be fitted to the operation panel 20 and mounted on the right cap side. Further, although the present invention is applied to the door 12 of the refrigerator compartment 5 in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the door of the ice making chamber 6, the door 7a of the specification switching chamber 7, the freezing chamber 8
It may be applied to the door 8a of the above and the door 9a of the vegetable compartment 9.

[0031]

As is apparent from the above description, the refrigerator of the present invention has the following effects. According to the means described in claim 1, since both ends of the panel cover are attached to the handle cover and the cap cover, the panel cover is prevented from being displaced due to the manufacturing error or the assembly error of the operation panel. For this reason, a gap or a step is less likely to occur between the handle cover and the panel cover and between the cap cover and the panel cover, so that the panel cover has a greater sense of unity.
The appearance will be improved.

According to the second aspect, both end portions of the panel cover are rotatably attached to the cap cover and the handle cover. For this reason, the structure can be simplified because it can be dealt with only by inserting the shaft portion into the hole. According to the third aspect of the invention, the operation panel is attracted to the handle cover side and brought into contact with the cap when the engagement portion of the handle cover is engaged with the operation panel. For this reason, the positional relationship between the operation panel and the panel cover is stable, so that it is possible to prevent the panel cover from interfering with the operation panel during operation and prevent an excessive gap from being formed between the panel cover and the operation panel.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of the present invention (a is a sectional view taken along line XX, b is a sectional view taken along line X1-X1 and c is X2-
(Cross section along the X2 line)

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a door

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a hook portion of a handle cover.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a door.

5A is a front view showing the entire structure in a state where a door is removed, and FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along line XX.

[Explanation of symbols]

5 is a refrigerating room (storage room), 12 is a door, 15 is a lower cap (cap), 17 is an operation handle, 20 is an operation panel, 24 is a handle cover, 24c is a hooking part (engaging part), and 25 is a cap cover. , 26 are panel covers.

Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-8-296949 (JP, A) JP-A-4-143578 (JP, A) JP-A-2-101371 (JP, A) JP-A-9-79736 (JP , A) Actual Kaihei 1-109783 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F25D 29/00 F25D 23/08

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cap is placed on one side of the opening,
A door that opens and closes the front opening of the storage chamber, an operation panel attached to one side of the door, a panel cover that opens and closes the front surface of the operation panel, and the cap that is located on one side of the panel cover. A cap cover attached to the door, an operation handle attached to the door on the other side of the panel cover, and a handle cover placed on the front surface of the operation handle, and both ends of the panel cover are A refrigerator mounted on the cap cover and the handle cover. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the panel cover are rotatably attached to the cap cover and the handle cover. 3. The handle cover is provided with an engaging portion to be engaged with the operation panel, and the engaging portion attracts the operation panel to the handle cover side to bring it into contact with the cap. The refrigerator according to Item 1.