JP4587146B1 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator capable of improving the visibility of stored items is provided.
SOLUTION: A storage chamber 2 for storing stored items, a plurality of LEDs 3 arranged at the front of both side walls 8 of the storage chamber 2 and arranged vertically, and along both side walls 8 of the storage chamber 2. A light guide plate 20 that guides the emitted light of the LED 3 to the rear part of the storage chamber 2 and a metal panel 13 that covers the back of the storage chamber 2. The light guide plate 20 has a surface behind the storage chamber 2 on the storage chamber 2 side. The step 25 is formed, the light guide plate 20 is guided, and the interior of the storage chamber 2 is illuminated by light emitted from the light guide plate 20.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator that illuminates a storage room with LEDs.

  Conventional refrigerators are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. This refrigerator has a plurality of LEDs for illuminating a storage room for storing stored items. The LEDs are arranged in front of both side walls of the storage room side by side.

  FIG. 6 is a top sectional view showing the front part of the side wall of the storage chamber. The side wall 8 of the storage chamber 2 is filled with a heat insulating material, and the illumination chamber 4 extending up and down facing the storage chamber 2 is recessed. The wall surface of the illumination chamber 4 is formed by a frame portion 5 made of a resin molded product integrated with the side wall 8. A mounting substrate 7 on which the LEDs 3 are mounted is attached to the frame portion 5. A lamp cover 6 made of a transparent resin is disposed in front of the illumination chamber 4. The lamp cover 6 is locked by engaging the claw portion 6 a with the hole portion 5 a provided in the frame portion 5.

  When the door of the storage chamber 2 is opened, the LED 3 is energized, and the emitted light emitted from the LED 3 passes through the lamp cover 6. Thereby, the inside of the storage chamber 2 is illuminated from the front.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-187363 (page 3 to page 6, FIG. 2) JP 2008-89277 A (pages 4 to 6, FIG. 2)

  However, according to the conventional refrigerator, since the emitted light of the LED 3 is emitted from the front part of the storage chamber 2, a shadow of the stored item illuminated from the front is formed behind the stored item. For this reason, there existed a problem that the visibility of the stored thing distribute | arranged to a rear part was bad.

  An object of this invention is to provide the refrigerator which can improve the visibility of stored goods.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a storage chamber for storing a stored item, a plurality of LEDs arranged in front of both side walls of the storage chamber and arranged vertically, and along both side walls of the storage chamber. And a light guide plate that guides the emitted light of the LED to the rear of the storage chamber, and a metal panel that covers the back of the storage chamber, the storage chamber side of the light guide plate of the storage chamber A stepped portion facing rearward is formed, the light guide plate is guided, and the storage chamber is illuminated by light emitted from the light guide plate.

  According to this configuration, the light guide plate having a step portion along the side wall is disposed in the storage chamber, and the LED is disposed in the front portion of the storage chamber. Light emitted from the LED enters the light guide plate, is reflected by the surface of the light guide plate, and is guided to the rear of the storage chamber. Light that is guided through the light guide plate and reaches the surface of the light guide plate at an incident angle smaller than the critical angle is emitted from the light guide plate toward the storage chamber or the side wall of the storage chamber. The light emitted in the direction of the side wall of the storage room is reflected by the side wall and is emitted into the storage room through the light guide plate. The light guided through the light guide plate is emitted backward from the stepped portion and reflected by a metal panel disposed on the back surface of the storage chamber.

  Moreover, the present invention is characterized in that, in the refrigerator configured as described above, the step portion is provided in a front portion of the light guide plate.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the refrigerator configured as described above, a removable tray for placing stored items is provided in the storage chamber, and the distance between the left and right light guide plates is larger than the rear portion of the storage chamber. It is characterized by that. According to this configuration, the distance between the left and right light guide plates is large at the front portion of the storage chamber, and the collision between the stepped portion arranged at the front portion of the storage chamber and the mounting tray drawn out from the storage chamber is avoided.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the refrigerator having the above-described configuration includes a cool air passage in which cool air for cooling the storage chamber flows and whose front surface is covered with the metal panel. According to this configuration, the cold air flowing through the cold air passage is discharged into the storage chamber, and the cold heat of the cold air flowing through the cold air passage is released to the storage chamber via the metal panel.

  Moreover, the present invention is characterized in that, in the refrigerator having the above-described configuration, the light guide plate has a concavo-convex portion extending forward and backward facing the side wall. According to this configuration, the light guide plate extends back and forth, and the vertical cross section is formed with, for example, a sawtooth-shaped uneven portion facing the side wall of the storage chamber, and light emitted from the surface of the uneven portion is reflected by the side wall and reflected in the storage chamber. Illuminate.

  Moreover, this invention provides the transparent lamp cover which covers the said LED between the said LED and the said light-guide plate in the refrigerator of the said structure, and the said lamp cover reduces the visibility of the said LED ahead of the said LED. It is characterized by being processed. According to this configuration, the light emitted from the LED passes through the transparent lamp cover and enters the light guide plate. In front of the LED of the lamp cover, processing for reducing the visibility of the LED is performed by silk printing, non-glossy surface processing, or the like. Thereby, visual recognition of LED wiring etc. is prevented and the aesthetics in a storage chamber are improved.

  In the refrigerator configured as described above, a non-transparent lamp cover that covers the LED is provided between the LED and the light guide plate, and a hole through which the LED is inserted is formed in the lamp cover. It is a feature. According to this configuration, the LED is inserted into the hole of the lamp cover, and the emitted light of the LED is directly incident on the light guide plate. The lamp cover is formed to be non-transparent and prevents the visual recognition of the LED wiring and the like, thereby improving the aesthetics of the storage chamber.

  According to the present invention, in the refrigerator configured as described above, the light guide plate is made of polystyrene resin.

  According to the present invention, since the light guide plates for guiding the emitted light of the LED to the rear part of the storage room are arranged along the both side walls of the storage room, the storage items arranged at the front part and the rear part of the storage room are laterally arranged. Can be illuminated. Moreover, the storage thing distribute | arranged to the front part and rear part of a store room is illuminated from front and back. In addition, a metal panel is provided on the back of the storage room and a step portion facing rearward is provided on the light guide plate, so that the stored items are moved back and forth by light emitted backward from the step portion and light reflected by the metal panel. Illuminated from. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the visibility of the stored item behind from being deteriorated due to the shadow of the stored item, and to improve the visibility of the stored item.

The perspective view which shows the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention 1 arrow view of FIG. BB sectional view of FIG. The perspective view which shows the light-guide plate of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows the other light-guide plate of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. Top sectional view showing a side wall of a storage room of a conventional refrigerator

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the same parts as those in the conventional example shown in FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The refrigerator 1 has a storage chamber 2 defined by a heat insulating box 1a filled with a heat insulating material.

  In the front part of the left and right side walls 8 of the storage room 2, an illumination room 4 in which the LEDs 3 (see FIG. 3) are arranged extends vertically. A flat light guide plate 20 made of a transparent resin is disposed in the storage chamber 2 along the left and right side walls 8. Between the side walls 8, a placing tray 9 for placing a stored item is disposed. The loading tray 9 is bridged on support portions 11 protruding from both side walls 8 of the storage chamber 2 so that it can be inserted and removed freely. The light guide plate 20 is formed with an opening 22 through which the support portion 11 passes.

  A cool air passage 12 through which cool air flows is formed on the back surface of the storage chamber 2. The cold air flowing through the cold air passage 12 is discharged into the storage chamber 2 through a discharge port (not shown). The front surface of the cold air passage 12 is covered with a metal panel 13, and the cold heat of the cold air flowing through the cold air passage 12 is released to the storage chamber 2 through the metal panel 13. Thereby, the inside of the storage chamber 2 can be cooled uniformly.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the light guide plate 20. The lighting chamber 4 is recessed on both side walls 8 of the storage chamber 2, and the wall surface of the lighting chamber 4 is formed by a frame portion 5 made of a resin molded product integrated with the side wall 8. A lamp cover 6 made of a transparent resin is disposed in front of the illumination chamber 4. The lamp cover 6 is locked by engaging the claw portion 6 a with the hole portion 5 a provided in the frame portion 5.

  A concave portion 6 b that is bent and protrudes into the illumination chamber 4 is formed on the front side of the lamp cover 6. A mounting substrate 7 on which a plurality of chip-shaped LEDs 3 are mounted in the vertical direction is mounted substantially parallel to the side wall 8 in the illumination chamber 4 on the side of the recess 6b.

  Further, since the lamp cover 6 is made of a transparent resin, opaque silk printing is applied in front of the LED 3. Thereby, visual recognition of the inside of the illumination chamber 4 such as the mounting substrate 7 can be prevented. Instead of silk printing, the lamp cover 6 may be subjected to a non-glossy surface treatment by sandblasting or embossing. That is, it is only necessary that the lamp cover 6 be subjected to a process for reducing the visibility of the LED 3.

  The light guide plate 20 is made of polystyrene resin, and the first side surface 20a facing the storage chamber 2 and the second side surface 20b facing the side wall 8 face each other. A bent portion 24 bent outward is formed at the front portion of the light guide plate 20. The bent portion 24 extending in the left-right direction is disposed so as to enter the concave portion 6b of the lamp cover 6, and the emission surface 3a of the LED 3 faces the vertical end surface 24a via the concave portion 6b. The end of the bent portion 24 on the storage chamber 2 side is formed on a curved or flat inclined surface 23.

  A step portion 25 is provided on the first side surface 20 a of the front portion of the light guide plate 20. The step portion 25 is formed so as to face rearward and is disposed rearward of the bent portion 24. The distance between the left and right light guide plates 20 is wider at the front portion having the step portion 25 than at the rear portion of the storage chamber 2. Thereby, when pulling out the mounting tray 9, the step part 25 does not get in the way, and the collision between the mounting tray 9 and the step part 25 can be avoided.

  In addition, the second side surface 20b of the light guide plate 20 is provided with a concave-convex portion 21 having a sawtooth-like vertical section extending in the front-rear direction. As for the shape of the concavo-convex portion 21, for example, the apex angle is 90 ° and the pitch is 0.15 mm. An air layer is formed between the uneven portion 21 and the side wall 8. When the refractive index of the air layer is about 1.0 and the light guide plate 20 is made of polystyrene, the refractive index is 1.59 to 1.60, so the critical angle for total reflection is about 43 °. .

  When the door of the storage chamber 2 is opened, the LED 3 is energized, and the emitted light emitted from the LED 3 passes through the lamp cover 6 and enters the light guide plate 8 from the end face 24 a of the bent portion 24. The light incident on the light guide plate 20 is guided backward by the inclined surface 23 of the bent portion 24 and is reflected by the first and second side surfaces 20 a and 20 b to guide the light guide plate 20. Then, the light incident on the first side surface 20 a or the second side surface 20 b at an angle smaller than the critical angle is emitted from the surface of the light guide plate 20.

  The light emitted from the second side surface 20b is reflected by the reflecting surface 8a formed by the surface of the side wall 8 facing the light guide plate 20, enters the light guide plate 20 again, and is emitted from the first side surface 20a. Thus, the entire light guide plate 20 is illuminated from the front to the rear of the storage chamber 2. In addition, when the reflective surface 8a of the side wall 8 is made white, it will become easy to reflect in the storage chamber 2 side. In addition, it is more desirable to provide a reflection member such as a metal reflection film or a reflection sheet on the second side surface 20b of the light guide plate 20 or the reflection surface 8a of the side wall 8 because attenuation of light intensity can be suppressed. Further, a reflection member may be provided on the front surface of the bent portion 24 including the inclined surface 23.

  Further, the light guided through the light guide plate 20 is also emitted from the upper surface 20d, the lower surface 20e, and the back surface 20f of the light guide plate 20. Thereby, it is possible to illuminate the upper side, the lower side, and the rear side of the light guide plate 20. In addition, light guided through the light guide plate 20 is emitted backward from the step portion 25. The light emitted from the step portion 25 and the back surface 20f is reflected by the metal panel 13, and the interior of the storage chamber 2 can be illuminated from the back surface. When the stored item is not arranged above the light guide plate 20, a reflective member such as a reflective film or a reflective tape may be provided on the upper surface 20d.

  According to the present embodiment, since the light guide plate 20 that guides the emitted light of the LED 3 to the rear part of the storage room 2 is arranged along the both side walls 8 of the storage room, the storages arranged at the front part and the rear part of the storage room 2. Objects can be illuminated from the side. Moreover, the storage thing distribute | arranged to the front part and the rear part of the storage chamber 2 is illuminated from front and back. In addition, since the metal panel 13 is provided on the back surface of the storage chamber 2 and the step portion 25 facing rearward is provided on the light guide plate 20, light emitted backward from the step portion 25 and reflected by the metal panel 13 are reflected. The store is illuminated from the front and back by light. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the visibility of the stored item behind from being deteriorated due to the shadow of the stored item, and to improve the visibility of the stored item.

  Moreover, since the step part 25 is provided in the front part of the light-guide plate 20, the front surface of the stored item can be brightened from the front part to the rear part in the storage chamber 2 by the light emitted from the step part 25, and the stored item is visually recognized. The sex can be further improved.

  Further, since the distance between the left and right light guide plates 20 is larger in the front part than in the rear part of the storage chamber 20, the step part 25 does not get in the way when the placement tray 9 is pulled out, and the step part 25 and the placement tray 9 are Collisions are avoided. Therefore, the loading tray 9 can be easily taken in and out, and the convenience of the refrigerator 1 can be improved.

  Further, since the front surface of the cold air passage 12 is covered with the metal panel 13, the cold heat of the cold air can be discharged from the metal panel 13 to uniformly cool the interior of the storage chamber 2.

  In addition, the light guide plate 20 has a concavo-convex portion 21 extending in the front-rear direction facing the side wall 8 on the second side surface 20 b. The light guide of the light guide plate 20 is dispersed in various directions compared to the case where the second side surface 20b is formed as a flat surface by reflection at the concavo-convex portion 21. As a result, the incident angle of light reaching the surface of the light guide plate 20 is likely to be smaller than the critical angle, so that the light guided to the back surface 20f of the light guide plate 20 is reduced and more light is emitted to the side. . Therefore, it is possible to more reliably illuminate the interior of the storage chamber 2 from the front portion to the rear portion, thereby further improving the visibility of the stored items.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, it is more desirable to perform a non-glossy surface treatment K such as a satin pattern on the surface of the concavo-convex portion 21 by sandblasting or embossing. Thereby, the reflected light of the uneven | corrugated | grooved part 21 can be disperse | distributed more.

  Further, the lamp cover 6 is subjected to a process for reducing the visibility of the LED 3 in front of the LED 3. Thereby, the mounting board | substrate 7 and wiring inside the illumination chamber 4 can be made invisible, and the beauty in the storage chamber 2 can be improved. Moreover, the glare by the light radiate | emitted ahead from LED3 can be reduced.

  Moreover, since LED3 was arrange | positioned facing the end surface 24a of the bending part 24 which bent the front part of the light-guide plate 20, the output surface 3a of LED3 can be arrange | positioned facing the storage chamber 2. FIG. Therefore, the LED 3 is not protruded into the storage chamber 2, and the convenience of the refrigerator 1 can be improved by making it easy to take out stored items.

  In the present embodiment, the light guide plate 20 may be made of acrylic resin or glass as long as it is transparent. However, polystyrene resin has better moldability and greater light diffusion than acrylic resin and glass. Therefore, the light guide plate 20 can be easily formed, and the light guided to the back surface 20f can be reduced to increase the light emitted from the first side surface 20a and the second side surface 20b. Therefore, the visibility of the stored item can be further improved.

  Further, the illumination light may be colored by mixing a colorant into the light guide plate 20. Thereby, since the color is generated at a position away from the LED 3, it is possible to reduce the coloring material compared to coloring the lamp cover 6 close to the LED 3. For this reason, it can color by suppressing the fall of illumination intensity. Further, the color of the illumination light can be varied by replacing the light guide plate 20 according to the user's preference.

  Further, a hole for inserting the LED 3 may be provided in the lamp cover 6. Thereby, the emitted light of LED3 enters into the light-guide plate 20 directly, and the intensity | strength of light can be improved. At this time, by forming the lamp cover 6 to be non-transparent, the mounting substrate 7 and the wiring inside the illumination chamber 4 are not visible, and the aesthetic feeling in the storage chamber 2 can be improved. Moreover, the glare by the light radiate | emitted ahead from LED3 can be reduced.

  According to this invention, it can utilize for the refrigerator which illuminates the storage chamber by LED.

1 Refrigerator 2 Storage room 3 LED
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 Illumination room 5 Frame part 6 Lamp cover 7 Mounting board 8 Side wall 11 Support part 12 Cold air path 13 Metal panel 20 Light guide plate 20a 1st side surface 20b 2nd side surface 20c Front surface 21 Uneven part 22 Opening part 23 Inclined surface 24 Bending part 25 Step Part

Claims (8)

  A storage chamber for storing the storage; a plurality of LEDs arranged in front of both side walls of the storage chamber and arranged vertically; and arranged along both side walls of the storage chamber and emitting light from the LEDs A light guide plate that guides light to a rear portion of the storage chamber, and a metal panel that covers a back surface of the storage chamber, and forms a stepped portion facing the rear of the storage chamber on the storage chamber side of the light guide plate, A refrigerator having a light guide plate guided to illuminate the storage chamber with light emitted from the light guide plate.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the step portion is provided at a front portion of the light guide plate.   3. The tray according to claim 2, wherein the storage chamber is provided with a removable tray for placing stored items, and the distance between the left and right light guide plates is greater at the front than at the rear of the storage chamber. refrigerator.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a cold air passage through which cool air for cooling the storage chamber flows and whose front surface is covered by the metal panel.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light guide plate has a concavo-convex portion facing the side wall and extending in the front-rear direction.   A transparent lamp cover that covers the LED is provided between the LED and the light guide plate, and the lamp cover is subjected to a process of reducing visibility of the LED in front of the LED. The refrigerator in any one of Claims 1-5.   6. The non-transparent lamp cover that covers the LED is provided between the LED and the light guide plate, and a hole portion through which the LED is inserted is formed in the lamp cover. The refrigerator in any one.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the light guide plate is made of polystyrene resin.

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