JP4324635B1 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

【Task】
An object of the present invention is to obtain a refrigerator including a storage room such as a gas control room that is inexpensive and lightweight while maintaining strength with a simple configuration.
[Solution]
The refrigerator main body 1 according to the present invention includes an outer member 14 having an opening 14r for taking in and out stored items, a lid member 16 for opening and closing the opening 14r of the outer member 14, and an opening 14r of the lid member 16 and the outer member 14 In the refrigerator including a storage chamber provided between the lid member 16 and the seal member 16p for suppressing gas movement between the lid member 16 and the opening 14r of the outer member 14, the opening 14r of the outer member 14 is It is a rectangular shape having a round shape that is longer in the width direction than the height direction and has a central portion that is higher than the end portion. It is characterized by a curved surface.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  The refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 includes a refrigerator compartment, a vegetable compartment, a temperature switching compartment and an ice making compartment, which are arranged in the left and right order, in order from the top of the storage space inside the refrigerator body, which is a heat insulating box. The freezer compartment is independently arranged at the bottom.

  The temperature switching chamber is provided with a decompression storage container for storing and storing food under reduced pressure. A pair of left and right support frames extending in the back direction are attached to the inner surface of the temperature switching chamber door, and the decompression storage container is mounted between the support frames. By placing and holding, the decompression storage container of the temperature switching chamber can be pulled out to the outside together with the door.

JP 2004-218924 A (paragraph 0049, FIG. 3 etc.)

  In Patent Document 1 described above, it is disclosed that the decompression storage container is made of a steel plate or the like and has rigidity to withstand a load caused by decompression, but there is a problem that the container becomes heavy.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has an object to obtain a refrigerator having a simple structure and maintaining a strength and having a storage room such as a gas control room that is inexpensive and lightweight.

In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes an outer member having an opening for taking in and out stored items, a lid member for opening and closing the opening of the outer member, and between the lid member and the opening of the outer member. A refrigerator having a storage chamber having a seal member that suppresses gas movement between the lid member and the opening of the outer shell member, and a decompression unit that depressurizes the storage chamber. The opening is a rectangular shape having a roundness that is longer in the width direction than the height direction and higher in the center than the end, and the outer member is integrally formed in a box shape, and the upper surface and the bottom surface are formed from the side surface and the rear surface. Each having a large area, and the top surface and the bottom surface have a first inclination from the opening side, a second inclination having a larger inclination angle than the first inclination, and an inclination angle larger than the second inclination, respectively. A large third slope, and said opening side Characterized in that provided so as to close toward the Luo rear.

Further, the outer member is integrally formed of resin and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the back .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, intensity | strength can be maintained with a simple structure, and the refrigerator provided with storage rooms, such as an inexpensive and lightweight gas control room, can be obtained.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Drawing 1 is a perspective view which looked at refrigerator main part 1 of an embodiment to which the present invention was applied from the front. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional conceptual diagram taken along line AA in FIG.

<Overall configuration of refrigerator body 1>
As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigerator main body 1 to which the present invention is applied is a refrigerating room 2 which is a refrigerating room having a refrigerating temperature zone of about 6 ° C. at the top and a refrigerating room having a refrigerating temperature zone of about 6 ° C. at the bottom. A certain vegetable room 5 is arranged. Between the refrigerating room 2 and the vegetable room 5, a freezing room having a freezing temperature zone of 0 ° C. or less (for example, a temperature zone of about −20 ° C. to −18 ° C.) that is adiabatically partitioned from both the rooms. An ice making room 3a, a quick freezing room 3b, and a freezing room 4 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 2, each storage room is partitioned and arranged by partition walls k1, k2, and k3.

  The front openings of the storage chambers 2 to 5 are respectively provided with doors 6 to 10 having a heat insulating structure for closing the openings. The outer casing except for the doors 6 to 10 includes a urethane foam heat insulating material and a vacuum heat insulating material (not shown) for heat insulation from the outside air between the steel outer box 11 and the resin inner box. It is configured.

  The refrigerator compartment door 6 (6a, 6b) that closes the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2 is a so-called double door with a double door. On the other hand, an ice making room door 7 for closing the front opening of the ice making room 3a, a quick freezing room door 8 for closing the front opening of the quick freezing room 3b, a freezing room door 9 for closing the front opening of the freezing room 4, and a vegetable room The vegetable compartment door 10 which closes the front opening of 5 is comprised by the drawer-type door from which the container in a storage chamber is pulled out.

  The refrigeration cycle for refrigeration and refrigeration is connected to the refrigerator main body 1 in the order of the compressor, the condenser, the capillary tube, the evaporator that removes the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant, and the compressor again. (Not shown).

  The evaporator serving as a cooling source is installed behind the ice making chamber 3a, the quick freezing chamber 3b, and the freezing chamber 4, and the cool air of the evaporator is cooled by the blower fan to the ice making chamber 3a, the quick freezing chamber 3b, and the freezing chamber 4 Sent to. Moreover, it sends to each storage room of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 through the damper apparatus which can be opened and closed when it becomes below refrigeration temperature. In addition, after the cool air is blown to each of the storage chambers 2 to 5, it has a circulation structure that is cooled again by the evaporator and blown. Each of the storage chambers 2 to 5 is maintained at a predetermined temperature by temperature control by a control device using a temperature sensor.

  A cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. The refrigerator compartment door 6a is supported rotatably about the support shaft S1. The refrigerator compartment door 6a is provided with a pocket-like and semi-transparent resin-molded door storage 6a1 that protrudes on the inner side. On the back surface of the refrigerator compartment door 6a, there is provided a rotary partition 6a2 configured to be swingable by a biasing force of a torsion coil spring and a guide.

  The rotating partition 6a2 prevents cold air from leaking between the refrigerator compartment doors 6a and 6b at a position along the refrigerator compartment door 6a on the left side when the refrigerator compartment doors 6a and 6b are closed (see FIG. 1). On the other hand, when the refrigerator compartment door 6a is opened, the refrigerator compartment door 6a is configured to swing in the thickness direction (indicated by a two-dot chain line) so as not to disturb the user.

  Further, the right refrigerator compartment door 6b is supported so as to be swingable about the support shaft S2, and a pocket-like semi-transparent resin-molded door storage 6b1 is provided on the inner side so as to store a drink or the like. .

<Configuration of decompression chamber 13 which is a gas control chamber>
The decompression chamber 13 shown in FIG. 3 is a gas regulation chamber in which the internal air is sucked by the vacuum pump 12 and decompressed to an atmospheric pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, for example, 0.8 atmospheric pressure (80 kPa). That is, the decompression chamber 13 creates a special air atmosphere for preventing oxidation of food, maintaining the freshness of vegetables, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the decompression chamber 13 is provided with ribs 14s as protrusions on the upper surface. Thereby, it is the structure supported in the state which provided the moderate clearance gap between the decompression chamber 13 and the shelf 18 immediately above it. A cold air inlet 19 of the refrigerator compartment 2 is provided at the rear of the decompression chamber 13, and the decompression chamber 13 is indirectly cooled by sucking air around the decompression chamber 13 and flowing the cool air as shown by an arrow.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the refrigerator compartment door 6b is closed, a predetermined space is formed between the door storage 6b1 of the refrigerator compartment door 6b and the lid member 16 of the decompression chamber 13 so as not to contact each other. Has been.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the configuration of the decompression chamber 13 as viewed obliquely from above. The decompression chamber 13 has an opening 14r on the front surface (see FIG. 7), and is formed by a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer member 14 that is flat at the back and a lid member 16 that moves forward and backward to open and close the opening 14r. An outer peripheral wall is formed. In other words, the outer member 14 is integrally formed in a box shape.

  That is, a lid member 16 that opens and closes is provided in order to put a stored product into and out of the decompression chamber 13. Furthermore, on the outer surface of the outer member 14, reinforcing ribs that increase the section modulus and improve the strength are erected in a straight line shape or a lattice shape. The shape of the reinforcing rib is not limited thereto, and any shape may be used as long as the section modulus of the outer member 14 is increased to improve the strength.

<Shape of outer member 14>
The shape of the outer member 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a simplified perspective view of the outer member as seen from the front upper side. 6 is a view in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line KK of FIG. 5 to 7 are schematic views of only the virtual outer member 14 from which reinforcing ribs are removed in order to make the shape of the outer member 14 easier to understand.

  The outer member 14 is resin-molded using ABS (resin containing acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene), AS (resin containing acrylonitrile, styrene), etc., and has side walls 14a, 14b, a bottom wall 14c, a rear wall 14d, and an upper surface. The front surface having the wall 14e is formed in an open shape.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a pump connection portion 14 i of an insertion hole, which is a connection portion with the vacuum pump 12, is provided behind the outer surface of the left side wall 14 a of the outer member 14.

  When the inside of the decompression chamber 13 is decompressed by the vacuum pump 12, a load from the atmosphere is uniformly applied to the entire surface of the outer member 14 due to the differential pressure between the external atmospheric pressure and the internal low pressure. Since the inside of the decompression chamber 13 is at a low pressure, this load is applied in such a direction as to squeeze the entire outer member 14 from the outside to the inside, and the size thereof is, for example, the upper surface wall 14e of the outer member 14 is 300 mm square, and the differential pressure is 0 If the pressure is .2 atm, a large load of about 180 kgf (about 1800 N) is obtained.

  For this reason, it is necessary to increase the sectional modulus of each outer surface of the side wall 14a, 14b, the bottom wall 14c, the rear wall 14d, and the top wall 14e of the outer member 14 to improve the strength. Therefore, each surface of the outer member 14 is not a flat surface, but has a substantially dome-shaped curved surface that is curved outwardly. Furthermore, as conceptually shown by a broken line in FIG. 5, it is preferable that the outer surface wall of the outer member 14 has a shape curved outward in both the depth direction and the left-right direction.

  The outer member 14 has a shape in which the opening 14r is longer in the width direction than in the height direction. Moreover, it is substantially circular arc shape which has height toward both sides from a center part. That is, the outer member 14 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long and flat in the back. Thereby, the bottom wall 14c and the top wall 14e have a larger area than the other side walls 14a, 14b and the rear wall 14d. Since the load generated by the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure when the inside is depressurized is proportional to the area, it is particularly necessary to ensure the strength of the bottom wall 14c and the top wall 14e. Since the load at this time is a load in a direction in which the outer member 14 is compressed and crushed from the outside, the strength is enhanced by a shape in which the surface receiving the load is convex outward, for example, a spherical shell forming a part of a sphere.

  6 is a view in the direction of arrow C in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the opening 14r has a shape along its periphery along the side walls 14a and 14b, the bottom wall 14c, and the top wall 14e. Each wall surface of the outer member 14 has an arc shape protruding outward, and has a shape in which corner portions of the walls are connected by a smooth arc.

  When a lid member 16, which will be described later, is closed, the packing 16p provided on the lid member 16 comes into pressure contact with the packing contact surface 14k, which is a convex portion provided along the edge of the opening 14r, and performs a hermetic seal. That is, the packing 16p is provided as a seal member that suppresses the movement of gas between the lid member 16 and the opening 14r of the outer member 14.

  7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line KK of FIG. That is, a cross section in the longitudinal direction of the outer member 14 is shown, and the height dimension of the inner surface is described. The outer member 14 is an integral part molded by resin using ABS, AS or the like. Molds for molding are roughly classified into an outer mold that forms the outer shape of the outer member 14 and an inner mold that forms the inner surface. After the resin is injected into the mold and cooled, the inner mold The outer mold member 14 is taken out from the mold by pulling out the mold from the opening 14r. Since the mold has such a configuration, in order to smoothly pull out the inner mold toward the opening 14r, the top wall 14e and the bottom wall 14c gradually approach each other from the opening 14r toward the rear wall 14d, and uniformly. It is necessary to provide a so-called draft taper that narrows the rear wall 14d side. Therefore, the shape of the inner surface of the outer member 14 is the widest opening 14r, and its height is 14y1. The height of the inner surface in the vicinity of the rear wall 14d is 14y2 shown in FIG. 7, and 14y1> 14y2.

  Further, the same applies to the lateral width direction of the outer member 14 in the horizontal cross section as shown in FIG. 20, and the lateral width dimension 14x1 in the opening 14r and the lateral width dimension in the vicinity of the rear wall 14d are 14x1> 14x2.

  In order to improve the drawing from the mold, it is preferable to increase the angle of the drawing taper. However, when the angle is increased, the height 14y2 of the inner surface is further reduced and the storage volume is reduced.

  Further, as described above, in order to ensure the strength of the outer member 14, the side walls 14a, 14b, the bottom wall 14c, and the top wall 14e are not straight, but the center protrudes to form a part of a sphere. It is desirable to have a curved shape.

  Next, a preferable shape in the depth direction of the outer member 14 facing the rear wall 14d from the opening 14r will be described with reference to FIG.

  The minimum value of the punch taper necessary for reliably removing the outer member 14 from the mold during the injection molding is defined as an angle θ1. This θ1 is set to 1 ° as an example, although it varies depending on the material of the outer member 14 and resin molding conditions. Here, if the bottom wall 14c and the top wall 14e are connected by an imaginary straight line inclined from the opening 14r to the vicinity of the rear wall 14d with a minimum taper angle θ1, the height 14y2 of the rear wall 14d is the maximum dimension and the internal volume is maximum. become. However, the bottom wall 14c and the top wall 14e are straight and are closer to a plane than the dome-shaped curved surface, which is a desirable shape, and cannot have a desired strength.

  Therefore, the range from the opening 14r to the predetermined length D1 is the minimum draft taper of the angle θ1. A second taper having a larger angle than the minimum punching taper is provided until reaching the rear surface wall 14d in the back side. Thereby, the bottom wall 14c and the top wall 14e are each configured to have a plurality of inclinations. That is, the bottom wall 14c and the top wall 14e can be approximated to a spherical curved shape, and the height 14y2 of the rear wall 14d can be increased, so that both strength and internal volume can be achieved.

  The second taper may be a curved surface, but the shape of the mold is simplified by approximating with a plurality of virtual straight lines. That is, the range of D2 is larger than the angle θ1, for example, a draft taper of an angle θ2 of 2 °, and the range of D3 is a draft taper of an angle θ3 of 3 ° larger than the angle θ2, for example, from the opening 14r to the rear wall 14d. The range up to is approximated by these three virtual straight lines. Furthermore, if D1, D2, and D3 are set to approximately the same length, the bottom wall 14c and the top wall 14e can be curved surfaces that approximate a spherical surface, and both strength and internal volume can be achieved.

  Furthermore, the ridgelines that are the intersection lines of the side walls 14a and 14b, the bottom wall 14c, the top wall 14e, and the rear wall 14d are all connected by curved surfaces. Further, by setting the radius to 20 mm or more, for example, it is possible to prevent stress concentration from occurring in the intersecting line portion.

  Next, still another shape of the outer member 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG. 8 is a simplified perspective view showing another configuration of the outer member. FIG. 9 is a front view of the outer member as viewed from the front. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line KK of FIG.

  The configuration different from the shapes in FIGS. 5 to 7 is such that the bottom wall 14c and the top wall 14e protrude inward from the top wall 14e and the bottom wall 14c at the center from the front opening 14r side to the rear wall 14d. This is a point having an upper surface reinforcing portion 14f and a bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g. In other words, the upper surface wall 14e and the bottom wall 14c of the outer member 14 are opposed to each other so as to extend from the opening 14r toward the rear wall 14d, and are opposed to each other inwardly by the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g. Is provided. Thereby, the section modulus can be increased and the strength can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 9, and FIG. 10, inside the opening 14r of the outer shell member 14, the bottom surface wall 14c and the top surface reinforcing portion 14f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g protruding inward from the top surface wall 14e It is provided from the opening 14r to the rear wall 14d. At the edge of the opening 14r, there is a packing contact surface 14k, the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f is connected to the inclined surface 14m, and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g is connected to the inclined surface 14n. The ridge lines that intersect the slopes 14m, 14n, the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f, and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g are the upper surface top portion 14h and the lower surface top portion 14j. The portions of the top surface reinforcing portion 14f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g have shallow U-shaped cross sections that protrude inward from the top surface wall 14e and the bottom surface wall 14c, respectively. As a result, the bending rigidity in the front-rear direction of the bottom surface and the top surface of the outer member 14 becomes larger than the shape shown in FIGS.

<Relationship between lid member 16 and opening 14r>
Next, the relationship between the lid member 16 and the opening 14r will be described. In FIG. 11, the lid member 16 is closed, and a reinforcing support portion H (shown by an alternate long and short dash line) provided on the lid member 16 is inserted between the upper surface reinforcing portion 14 f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14 g of the outer member 14. Indicates the state. The distance between the top surface reinforcing portion 14f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g, that is, the height dimension of the opening 14r is slightly larger than the height size of the reinforcing support portion H. Thereby, the reinforcement support part H is inserted smoothly.

  Here, when the inside of the decompression chamber 13 is decompressed and a load due to a pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure is applied to the outer surface of the outer member 14, the outer member 14 is compressed and the gap is eliminated. Then, the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g abut on the upper and lower sides of the reinforcing support portion H, respectively. Thereby, since it is not compressed any more, the deformation of the opening 14r can be prevented.

  On the other hand, in the contact portion, the outer member 14 is compressed by the atmospheric pressure from the outside and is in contact with the reinforcing support portion H while being bent inward. That is, it does not contact uniformly, but comes into contact with the outer member 14 at the left and right ends of the reinforcing support H, and a reaction force F1 is generated between the outer member 14 and the outer member 14. Here, the width of the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f is approximately L2, and the width of the upper surface wall 14e is approximately L1. Then, it is desirable that L1 and L2 are configured to be substantially equal. By doing in this way, the load by the differential pressure added to the range of the upper surface reinforcement part 14f and the range of the upper surface wall 14e becomes respectively substantially equal and equal. Therefore, no load is intensively applied to a specific portion, the stresses generated on the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f and the upper surface wall 14e are substantially equal, and the damage due to the repeated load is prevented, thereby extending the life and reliability. I can plan.

  The widths of the bottom wall 14c and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g are also preferably the same size and shape as the relationship between the top surface reinforcing portion 14f and the top surface wall 14e.

  Next, still another effect obtained by providing the top surface reinforcing portion 14f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 24 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a cross section in the vicinity of the packing 16p when the lid member 16 is closed.

In FIG. 24, the edge of the opening 14r of the outer member 14 and the packing 16p abut on the packing abutting surface 14k. The outer peripheral surface 16p2 of the packing is outside the opening 14r (upper side in the drawing) than the packing contact surface 14k, while the inner peripheral surface 16p1 of the packing is inside (lower side in the drawing) of the opening 14r than the packing contact surface 14k. To position. The reinforcing support portion H is arranged at a position further away from the inner peripheral surface 16p1 of the packing by a distance ph on the inner side (lower side in the drawing) of the opening 14r. By arranging in this way, even if a deviation occurs due to a positional error between the packing 16p and the packing contact surface 14k, mutual contact can be ensured. Further, even if the reinforcing support portion H and the upper surface wall 14f are brought into pressure contact with each other by a load due to a differential pressure to generate a reaction force F1, the sealing by the packing 16p is not affected. Moreover, since it is the above structure, the upper surface reinforcement part 14f is arrange | positioned only the distance ph from the packing contact surface 14k in the edge of the opening 14r (lower side in the figure).
Here, if the slope from the packing contact surface 14k to the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f is 14m, it is more convenient because the reinforcing support portion H is smoothly inserted.

  Similarly, on the bottom surface side of the outer member 14, the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g is disposed on the inner side by a distance ph from the packing contact surface 14k at the edge of the opening 14r.

  As described above, the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f is protruded inward from the upper surface wall 14e, and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g is protruded inward from the bottom wall 14c. Thereby, the strength of the outer member 14 is improved and the reliability is improved. Further, the sealing by the packing 16p is also reliable, and the reaction force due to the differential pressure is supported in cooperation with the reinforcing support portion H, so that the deformation of the opening 14r of the outer member 14 can be prevented.

  Next, the shape in the depth direction from the opening 14r to the rear wall 14d will be described with reference to FIG. The upper surface reinforcing portion 14f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g also require a draft taper of an angle θ4 from the opening 14r toward the rear wall 14d, and θ4 ≧ θ1. Here, in order to maximize the internal volume, it is desirable that the draft taper is as small as possible. Therefore, it is desirable that θ4 = θ1. Since the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g have a substantially U-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 11, they are reinforcing members having a large bending rigidity. At the same time, it is configured to suppress the deflection of the opening 14r due to the differential pressure by contacting the reinforcing support H. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the strength can be ensured even in the direction from the opening 14r toward the rear wall 14d even if it has a straight shape with a draft taper θ1. Here, if the height in the vicinity of the rear wall 14d of the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g is 14y2, and the height in the vicinity of the rear wall 14d of the bottom wall 14c and the upper surface wall 14e is equal to the height of the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f, The shape of the bottom reinforcing portion 14g, the bottom wall 14c, and the top wall 14e is preferable because it can secure both a minimum draft taper or a larger draft taper, and further achieve both strength and internal volume. .

  As described above, in addition to the shape of the outer member 14, the outer walls of the side walls 14a and 14b, the bottom wall 14c, the rear wall 14d, the top wall 14e, the top surface reinforcing portion 14f, and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g are further provided. Reinforcing ribs that increase the section modulus and improve the strength are erected in a straight line shape, a lattice shape, and the like, so that further strength against deformation due to differential pressure is secured.

  Since the outer member 14 has the shape as described above and is integrally molded with resin, the decompression chamber 13 can be simplified and reduced in weight, and can be configured at low cost.

<Relationship between shelf 18 and decompression chamber 13>
The structure and function of the rib 14s will be described with reference to FIG. 25 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a DD cross section of the decompression chamber 13 and the shelf 18 in FIG.

  The outer member 14 is provided with a rib 14s upright. Thereby, it is the structure which supports in the state which provided the predetermined clearance gap between the decompression chamber 13 and the shelf 18 immediately above it. That is, when food is placed on the shelf 18 immediately above the decompression chamber 13, the shelf 18 bends, but the upper surface of the rib 14 s and the lower surface of the shelf 18 come into contact with each other when the food is bent. The decompression chamber 13 is configured to have a large rigidity and not bend by the reinforcing support portion H provided on the outer member 14 and the lid member 16, so that even when a heavy object is placed on the shelf 18, the shelf 18 can be suppressed, and the rigidity of the shelf 18 may be small, so that no special reinforcement or the like is required.

  Further, a predetermined gap is always formed between the upper surface wall 14e of the outer shell member 14 and the lower surface of the shelf 18 by the ribs 14s. Accordingly, it is preferable that the cooling air is passed through the gap as indicated by an arrow and the inside of the decompression chamber 13 is cooled via the wall surface of the outer member 14. By providing the ribs on the outer surface of the outer member 14, the surface area of the outer member 14 including the ribs is increased, and the cooling efficiency of the decompression chamber 13 is improved.

  Here, it is assumed that the cool air flows along the ribs in the front-rear direction of the outer member 14 (the direction from the opening 14r to the rear wall 14d). As a result, the ribs are arranged orthogonally in the vertical and horizontal directions, so that the cooling air winds over the ribs orthogonal to the flow and then swirls and flows along the surface of the outer member 14, and the surfaces of the ribs and the top wall 14f It is convenient that the cooling efficiency is improved and the cooling efficiency is further improved.

<Overall configuration of decompression chamber 13>
Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the decompression chamber 13 including the outer member 14 described above will be described in detail. FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram of the decompression chamber 13 shown in FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 14, guide members 24 and 25 are provided on the outer surfaces of the side walls 14a and 14b of the outer member 14, respectively, and the guide grooves 20b and 20b are formed on the side walls 14a and 14b of the outer member. It is provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction. Further, it is covered with a protective plate 19. As a result, the lid member 16 is guided in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 4 and the vertical direction in FIG. 14).

16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 12 and shows a closed state of the lid member 16 of the decompression chamber 13.
FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the decompression chamber 13 showing a process in which the lid member 16 is fully opened. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the fully open state of the lid member 16 as in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 18, a pair of guide members 24 and 25 are provided on the left and right sides of the decompression chamber 13 as members for moving the lid member 16 in the front-rear direction (left-right direction on the paper surface).

<Configuration of lid member 16>
As shown in FIG. 4, the lid member 16 supported by the guide members 24 and 25 has an opening / closing handle 26 rotatably supported around a support shaft 16s provided on both sides thereof. The lid member 16 includes a differential pressure release valve V shown in FIGS.

  The user holds the opening / closing handle 26, and the lid member 16 is opened / closed and the lid member 16 is locked when the lid member 16 is closed, and the differential pressure relief valve V is opened / closed.

  When the decompression chamber 13 is decompressed by the vacuum pump 12, the load applied to the lid member 16 increases due to the differential pressure between the atmospheric pressure outside the decompression chamber 13 and the decompressed pressure inside the decompression chamber 13. Thus, in order to directly open the lid member 16, the user needs a considerable force.

  Therefore, by opening the differential pressure relief valve V, the inside and outside space of the lid member 16 is inserted, the inside / outside pressure difference is eliminated, the load due to the differential pressure is eliminated, and the lid member 16 can be easily opened.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the lid member 16 is provided with an elastic packing 16 p on the inner peripheral edge thereof that comes into contact with the outer member 14 when closed. The packing 16p provides a seal between the outer member 14 and the lid member 16.

As shown in FIG. 17, the packing 16 p is formed in an annular shape having a recess 16 p 1 in which the center of the outer periphery of the cross section is recessed on the inner side. Even when the lid 16 is slightly tilted and closed with respect to the outer shell 14, the packing 16 p is elastically deformed in the recess 16 p 1 to absorb the deviation, and between the outer member 14 and the outer lid 16. Can be reliably sealed.
The packing 16p can be provided on the outer member 14 side without being provided on the lid member 16.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lid member 16 is formed of a resin such as ABS whose left and right end portions 16 h are opaque, and a transparent portion such as a transparent AS so that the central portion 16 c 2 can visually recognize food stored in the decompression chamber 13. Molded with resin.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the side portions 16 c 1 and 16 c 1 of the center portion 16 c 2 of the lid member 16 have a space between the opening and closing handle 26 and the lid member 16 when the opening and closing handle 26 is rotated with respect to the lid member 16. The rod body 27 of the opening / closing handle 26 is moved so that the distance between the rotation trajectory of the rod body 27 of the lid member 16 on both side portions 16c1, 16c1 and the opening / closing handle 26 is less than a predetermined value, for example, 7 mm or less. It is formed in a shape protruding outward substantially along the arcuate locus.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the central portion 16 c 2 of the lid member 16 has a shape that is recessed on the inner side so that the outer surface of the lid member 16 has a space for the user's hand and the handle operating portion 36 of the opening / closing handle 26 occupies. Is formed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13, a reinforcing support portion H that is an upper and lower support portion of a front opening having a shape protruding inward is formed on the inner side of the center portion 16 c 2 of the lid member 16.

  FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the lid member 16 when the lid member 16 shown in FIG. The outer member is shown with broken lines, and the food tray 17 is shown with two-dot chain lines omitted. 20 is a horizontal sectional view in the GG direction in FIG.

  The reinforcing support portion H of the lid member 16 is provided from the center of the back surface of the lid member 16 as shown in FIG. The reinforcing support portion H is formed by continuously forming an outer peripheral upper wall surface H1, an outer peripheral lower wall surface H2, and both side wall surfaces H3 standing on the inner side, and a plurality of reinforcements are provided between the outer peripheral upper wall surface H1 and the outer peripheral lower wall surface H2. Ribs hr are formed extending in the vertical direction.

  Further, columnar protrusions 16g and 16g for interlocking the food tray 17 with the opening / closing operation of the lid member 16 are formed on the outer surfaces of both side wall surfaces H3 of the reinforcing support portion H of the lid member 16.

  A pair of attachment claws 17t and 17t (see FIG. 19) of the food tray 17 are engaged with the protrusions 16g and 16g, and the food tray 17 is pulled out to the outside in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the lid member 16. The food in the food tray 17 is configured so that it can be easily seen and taken out.

  As described above, when the outer shell member 14 is depressurized by the vacuum pump 12, a large load is applied due to a differential pressure between the external atmospheric pressure and the internal low pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the lid member 16 is closed, the reinforcing support portion H on the inner side of the lid member 16 has an upper surface top portion 14 h and a bottom surface provided on the upper surface reinforcing portion 14 f of the outer member 14 in the decompression chamber 13. Due to the pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure outside the decompression chamber 13 and the low pressure inside the decompression chamber 13, the top surface wall 14e of the outer member 14 and the top reinforcement portion 14f from above are brought into contact with the bottom surface top portion 14j provided on the reinforcement portion 14g. The load applied and the load caused by the differential pressure applied to the bottom wall 14c and the bottom reinforcing portion 14g of the outer member 14 from below are supported, and the deformation of the decompression chamber 13 is suppressed by these loads.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the central portion 16 c 2 of the lid member 16 is provided with a differential pressure relief hole 16 a that is inserted into the decompression chamber 13 of the differential pressure relief valve V.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the lid member 16 is provided with a valve opening / closing member 35 having a valve body 35t made of rubber having elastic properties and flexibility for opening / closing the differential pressure release valve V around the support shaft 35s. It is provided in a freely rotatable manner.

  Here, the support shaft 35s on which the valve opening / closing member 35 rotates and the support shaft 16s (see FIGS. 4 and 17) on which the opening / closing handle 26 rotates are configured concentrically. The valve opening / closing member 35 is linked to the opening / closing operation of the valve body 35t.

<Configuration of the opening / closing handle 26>
As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 13, FIG. 17, FIG. Supporting parts 28 and 29 made of metal, and a handle operating part 36 through which a rod body 27 is inserted and used for handle operation are provided at the center.

  The left and right support portions 28 and 29 of the opening / closing handle 26 are supported at their center portions so as to be rotatable around the left and right support shafts 16s and 16s of the lid member 16, respectively. 29r is rotatably supported.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the opening / closing handle 26 is rotatably supported around the support shafts 16s, 16s on the left and right side portions of the lid member 16, and the rod 27 is rotated around the left and right support shafts 16s, 16s. When it is positioned at the lowermost part of the movement locus, the lid member 16 is closed and locked by the opening / closing handle 26. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16, the rod 27 is moved around the left and right support shafts 16s, 16s. When it is positioned above the rotation locus, the lid member 16 is unlocked by the opening / closing handle 26.

  The guide rollers 28r and 29r of the left and right support portions 28 and 29 of the opening / closing handle 26 are fitted into lid lock guide groove members 30 and 30 provided on the side walls 14a and 14b on both sides of the decompression chamber 13 so as to open and close. The lid member 16 is locked by the handle 26.

  21, 22, and 23 are enlarged views showing a process of locking the lid member 16 of the decompression chamber 13, the support portion 28 of the opening / closing handle 26, and the opening / closing handle 26 around the lid lock guide groove member 30 shown in FIG. 16. is there.

  21 is a view showing the unlocked state of the lid member 16 by the opening / closing handle 26, FIG. 23 is a view showing the locked state of the lid member 16 by the opening / closing handle 26, and FIG. It is the figure which showed the state before the lock | rock of 23. FIG.

  Since the left lid lock guide groove member 30 has the same configuration as the right lid lock guide groove member 30, the right lid lock guide groove member 30 will be described, and the left lid lock guide groove member 30 will be described. Description is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 21, 22, and 23, the lid lock guide groove member 30 is, for example, a resin molded member, and guides the guide roller 28r by contacting the curved inner wall guide 30a in a side view. To do.

  The inner wall guide 30a of the lid lock guide groove member 30 is formed in the following shape in a side view.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 21, the dimension between the intersection 30a1 of the straight inner wall guide 30a connecting the support shaft 16s and the shaft center of the guide roller 28r when the lid member 16 is unlocked by the opening / closing handle 26 and the support shaft 16s. Is c. Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the dimension between the intersection 30a2 of the straight inner wall guide 30a connecting the support shaft 16s before the lid member 16 is locked by the opening / closing handle 26 and the axis of the guide roller 28r and the support shaft 16s is set. b. Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the dimension between the intersection 30a3 of the straight inner wall guide 30a connecting the support shaft 16s and the shaft center of the guide roller 28r when the lid member 16 is locked by the opening / closing handle 26 and the support shaft 16s is set. a.

Between a, b and c,
b (state before locking (FIG. 22))> a (locking state (FIG. 23))> c (unlocking state (FIG. 21))
The shape of the inner wall guide 30a shown in FIGS. 21, 22, and 23 is formed in a side view.

  Due to the shape of the inner wall guide 30a of the lid lock guide groove member 30, the inner side of the straight line connecting the support shaft 16s and the axis of the guide roller 28r in the state before the lid member 16 is locked by the opening / closing handle 26 shown in FIG. The dimension between the intersection 30a2 with the wall guide 30a and the support shaft 16s is the largest, b. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 22, the guide roller 28 r of the support portion 28 strongly abuts on the inner wall guide 30 a of the lid lock guide groove member 30, or a twist occurs. Therefore, the user who opens and closes the opening / closing handle 26 supported by the support portion 28 is given a feeling that the lid member 16 is locked. That is, the inner wall guide 30a is formed so as to lock after giving a click feeling.

That is, the user grasps the handle operating portion 36 of the opening / closing handle 26 and pushes down the handle operating portion 36 of the opening / closing handle 26 downward from the state before the locking shown in FIG. 22 to reach the locked state shown in FIG. If
b (state before locking (FIG. 22))> a (locking state (FIG. 23))
From this relationship, the degree to which the guide roller 28r of the support portion 28 in the neutral state squeezes the inner wall guide 30a of the lid lock guide groove member 30, that is, strongly contacts is eased. Thereby, in the transition operation of the user to the lock of the opening / closing handle 26, the opening / closing handle 26 is configured to give a feeling of being pulled from the state before the lock to the locked state.

  When the lid member 16 is opened, the user grasps the handle operating portion 36 of the opening / closing handle 26 and passes through the state before the locking shown in FIG. The rod body 27 is lifted upward to reach the unlocked state shown in FIG. In this case, the dimension between the intersection of the straight inner wall guide 30a connecting the support shaft 16s and the shaft center of the guide roller 28r and the support shaft 16s is c, the state before the lock (see FIG. 22), the lock state (see FIG. 23). As a result, although it passes once through the heavy touch portion before the lock, the guide roller 28r of the support portion 28 is guided by the inner wall guide 30a of the lid lock guide groove member 30 during the period from the state of FIG. 22 to the open state of FIG. The inner wall guide 30a is formed so that the opening / closing handle 26 can be operated with a gentle feel without contacting the door.

  A handle operating portion 36 (see FIGS. 13 and 16) in the opening / closing handle 26 has a function of a grip portion when a user operates the opening / closing handle 26 and a function of guiding opening / closing of the differential pressure relief valve V. ing. That is, the opening / closing operation by the rotation of the opening / closing handle 26 is linked to the opening / closing valve operation of the valve body 35t via the valve opening / closing member 35. When the opening / closing handle 26 is closed as shown in FIG. 13, the valve body 35t is closed, and when the opening / closing handle 26 is turned upward and opened as shown in FIG. 16, the valve body 35t is opened.

  When the valve is opened, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 16, the difference between the pressure applied to the lid member 16 when the lid member 16 is opened as the outside air enters the decompression chamber 13 decompressed due to the pressure difference and the pressure difference is eliminated. The load due to pressure is eliminated, and the lid member 16 can be opened smoothly.

  After the lid member 16 is closed, for example, the user presses an operation switch (not shown), or the refrigerator door 6b is closed and a door switch (not shown) is turned on, and then the operation of the vacuum pump 12 is started. The air in the decompression chamber 13 is sucked and decompression is started.

  When the pressure reduction is started, the lid member 16 is pressed from the outside by the differential pressure between the atmospheric pressure and the internal low pressure, and the packing 16p is pressed against the outer member 14 by a pressure greater than the force locked by the handle. The recess 16p1 of the packing 16p is brought into close contact with the state shown in FIG. 13, and the packing 16p is crushed due to a large load due to the differential pressure between the atmospheric pressure and the internal low pressure, resulting in a large surface pressure. Thus, the internal negative pressure can be maintained.

  With the above configuration, by driving the vacuum pump 12 to reduce the pressure, the inside of the decompression chamber 13 can be set to a negative pressure and the negative pressure can be maintained. Here, the outer member 14 of the decompression chamber 13 can be formed at a low cost by being formed by integral molding of a plastic material. Further, since the parts other than the opening 14r on the front surface are integrated and sealed, only the gap between the lid member 16 and the opening 14r is sealed with the packing 16p, so that the entire hermeticity can be kept good.

  Next, the food tray 17 arranged in the outer member 14 is a transparent resin molded product such as AS. As shown in FIGS. 13 to 20, both side walls 17 a and 17 b, a bottom wall 17 c, a rear wall 17 d and a front wall 17 e are provided.

  The front wall 17e of the food tray 17 is formed with a recess 17f for placing a reinforcement support H described later. Further, as shown in FIG. 19, a pair of attachment claws for attaching the food tray 17 to the lid member 16 and interlocking with the opening / closing operation of the lid member 16 at the lower ends of both side surfaces of the front wall 17e forming the recess 17f. 17t and 17t are formed, and a pair of protrusions 17g and 17g are formed in the vicinity of the rear surface wall 17d of the lower surface of the bottom wall 17c.

  The mounting claws 17t and 17t are formed in a semi-cylindrical shape with an opening at the bottom, and the protrusions 17g and 17g of the food tray 17 are placed on the bottom wall 14c of the outer member 14 and the protrusions on the back side of the lid member 16 Engages with the portions 16g and 16g (see FIG. 19). Thus, the food tray 17 is attached to the lid member 16 and interlocked with the opening / closing operation of the lid member 16.

  Therefore, the user can easily take out the food in the food tray 17 by visually recognizing the inside of the food tray 17 that is pulled out as the lid member 16 opens and closes.

  Next, the support of the food tray 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20, 13, and 15. The food tray 17 is attached to the lid member 16, and a pair of attachment claws 17t and 17t for interlocking with the opening / closing operation of the lid member 16 are formed. A pair of protrusions 17g and 17g are formed in the vicinity of the rear surface wall 17d of the bottom surface of the bottom wall 17c and in the vicinity of the side walls 17a and 17b. Then, as shown in FIG. 15, it is placed on the bottom wall 14c of the outer member 14, and when the lid member 16 is closed, it is between the lower surface of the bottom wall 17c and the bottom reinforcing portion 14g as shown in FIG. A predetermined gap gap is formed.

  Here, when the vacuum pump 12 is started and the inside of the decompression chamber 13 becomes a negative pressure, the outer member 14 is sucked inward by the atmospheric pressure and deformed. In particular, the top wall 14e and bottom wall 14c, which have a large area, bend inward along with the top reinforcement 14f and bottom reinforcement 14g. The amount of this deflection is maximized at the central portion of the upper surface reinforcing portion 14f and the bottom surface reinforcing portion 14g. However, since food is stored in the food tray 17, the upper wall 14e is formed on the food when the outer shell member 14 is largely bent. The food is further compressed from above and below when the food tray 17 is lifted.

  That is, when the bottom reinforcing portion 14g bends and comes into contact with the lower surface of the bottom wall 17c of the food tray 17, the central portion of the food tray 17 is lifted. As a result, the entire food tray 17 is lifted and becomes unstable, and the corners of the food tray 17 are largely lifted.

  Here, the lid member 16 side, which is the front side of the food tray 17, is attached to the lid member 16 via a pair of attachment claws 17t and 17t. Thereby, even if the outer member 14 bends inward due to the differential pressure, the lid member 16 does not bend, so that the positions of the mounting claws 17t and 17t do not change. Further, on the back side of the food tray 17, a pair of protrusions 17g and 17g provided in the vicinity of both side walls 17a and 17b are placed on the bottom wall 14c of the outer member 14. That is, the protrusions 17 g and 17 g are provided as legs on the rear side of the bottom surface of the food tray 17. Thereby, when the opening 14r of the outer shell member 14 is closed by the lid member 16, there is a gap between the bottom wall 14c of the outer shell member 14 and the food tray 17. Further, since the projections 17g and 17g are provided in the vicinity of the side wall, even when the bottom wall 14c of the outer member 14 is bent upward due to the differential pressure, the deflection is maximum at the center portion and almost in the vicinity of both side walls. Since the pair of protrusions 17g and 17g of the food tray 17 is hardly moved, the food tray 17 is not lifted.

  Here, the gap gap provided between the lower surface of the bottom wall 17c of the food tray and the bottom reinforcing portion 14g is set to be larger than the deflection amount of the bottom reinforcing portion 14g due to negative pressure. Accordingly, even if the bottom reinforcing portion 14g is bent, it does not come into contact with the bottom surface of the bottom wall 17c of the food tray 17, and therefore the whole food tray 17 is not lifted up.

  In addition, the material of the outer member 14 is rigid in order to obtain a strength that can withstand the load caused by the differential pressure when the inside is decompressed, and to reduce the amount of deflection during decompression and not compress the food stored inside. High material is desirable. As an example, as a fibrous reinforcing filler, an ABS material reinforced by mixing glass fibers or carbon fibers can be used. As a result, the bending strength is increased and the Young's modulus (elastic coefficient) is increased, so that the outer member 14 can be suitably used.

  As described above, the outer member 14 is integrally formed with resin, so that the decompression chamber 13 can be simplified and reduced in weight, and can be configured at low cost.

It is the perspective view which looked at the refrigerator main body in embodiment of this invention from the front. FIG. 2 is a conceptual cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the structure of the decompression chamber from diagonally forward upper. It is the simple perspective view which looked at the outline member from the front upper direction. It is the front view seen from the C direction of FIG. It is the KK sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a simple perspective view which shows the other structure of an outer shell member. It is the front view which looked at the outline member from the front. It is the KK sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the EE sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a C direction arrow conceptual diagram of the decompression chamber shown in FIG. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the EE sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the FF sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 12, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the fully open state of the cover member of a decompression chamber. It is the perspective view which looked at the structure of the decompression chamber from diagonally front upper, and is a figure which shows the fully open state of a cover member. It is the perspective view which looked at the structure of the decompression chamber from diagonally upward, and is a figure which shows the fully open state of a cover member. It is the GG sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the figure which showed the unlocking state of the cover member by the cover member of the decompression chamber shown in FIG. 16, the support part of an opening / closing handle, and the opening / closing handle around a cover lock guide groove member. It is the figure which showed the state before the lock | rock around the cover part of a decompression chamber shown in FIG. 16, the support part of an opening-and-closing handle, and a cover lock guide groove member. It is the figure which showed the cover member locked state by the opening / closing handle around the cover part of the decompression chamber shown in FIG. It is an enlarged view which shows the detail of packing vicinity. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 12, Comprising: It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the flow of the air of a decompression chamber upper surface.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator main body 13 Decompression chamber 14 Outer member 16 Cover member 16p Packing 17 Food tray 18 Shelf 24, 25 Guide member 26 Opening / closing handle 30 Cover lock guide groove member

Claims (2)

An outer member having an opening for taking in and out stored items; a lid member for opening and closing the opening of the outer member; and the lid member and an opening of the outer member provided between the lid member and the opening of the outer member. In a refrigerator provided with a storage chamber having a seal member that suppresses the movement of gas between, and a decompression means for decompressing the storage chamber,
The opening of the outer member is a rectangular shape having a roundness that is longer in the width direction than the height direction and higher in the center than the end portion,
The outer member is integrally formed in a box shape, and the upper surface and the bottom surface are larger in area than the side surface and the rear surface , respectively, and the upper surface and the bottom surface are respectively formed from the first inclination and the first inclination from the opening side. Also having a second inclination having a larger inclination angle and a third inclination having a larger inclination angle than the second inclination, and is provided so as to approach rearward from the opening side. Refrigerator. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the outer member is integrally formed of resin and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the back .

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