JP5354990B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a region where illumination light does not reach by shadows of foods in a refrigerating compartment. <P>SOLUTION: In the refrigerating compartment 2, an upper lighting device 26 is provided to a ceiling face, an internal back lighting device 27 is provided to a lower internal back face, and the upper lighting device 26 is made brighter than the internal back lighting device 27. The upper lighting device 26 illuminates the refrigerating compartment 2 from above, and the internal back lighting device 27 generates light from the internal back toward the front and illuminates the inside of the refrigerating compartment 2. As such, by the two lighting devices 26, 27 for generating light from two different directions, the inside of the refrigerating compartment 2 can be illuminated so that the region in shadow inside the refrigerating compartment 2 is minimized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator that makes it easy to see the interior by illuminating the interior from a plurality of directions.

In recent refrigerators, a refrigerator compartment is enlarged, and the refrigerator compartment is divided into a plurality of compartments having different temperatures. In Patent Document 1, in a refrigerator in which a storage case is provided in the inner and lower portions of the refrigerator compartment, a light source for the refrigerator compartment is provided on the upper back surface in the refrigerator compartment, and a light source for the case is provided on the ceiling surface in the storage case. It is disclosed that the difference in temperature can be recognized at a glance by making the emission colors of both light sources different.
JP 2007-3173 A

 In the configuration of Patent Document 1, since the light source for the case is provided, it is convenient to make the inside of the storage case placed in the lower part of the refrigeration room easier to see in the recent increase in volume of the refrigeration room. However, since the light source for the refrigerator compartment that illuminates the entire interior of the refrigerator compartment is disposed in the upper back surface of the refrigerator compartment, shelves are installed in multiple stages in the refrigerator compartment, and stored foods are placed on these shelves. In consideration of this, there is a large area where the light from the light source for the refrigeration room cannot reach the front side due to the shadow of the food, or the light emitted from the light source for the refrigeration room is reflected on the surface of the refrigeration room or food. However, it is difficult to illuminate the entire refrigerator because it cannot reach the front.

  This invention is made | formed in view of said situation, The objective is to provide the refrigerator which can reduce the area | region where it becomes a shadow of food and an illumination light becomes unreachable as much as possible.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes a plurality of compartments, an upper illumination device provided on a ceiling surface of the storage compartment, a shelf provided in a plurality of upper and lower stages in the storage compartment, and the plurality of compartments. A storage case that constitutes one of the lower compartments, and a lower back surface of the storage chamber that is provided behind the storage case and below the lowest shelf of the plurality of shelves. A back lighting device that illuminates the inside of the case.
The refrigerator of the present invention includes a storage compartment divided into a plurality of compartments, a horizontal illumination device provided near the front side of the inner surface of the storage compartment, a shelf provided in the storage compartment and provided in a plurality of upper and lower stages. , a storage case constituting one section of the lower one of said plurality of compartments, under the lowermost shelf of the rear and shelves of said plurality of stages of the storage case a lower inner surface of the storage compartment And a back illumination device that illuminates the inside of the storage case.
The back lighting device includes a light emitting diode that constitutes a light source and a light-transmitting cover that covers the light emitting diode, and irradiates light into the storage case obliquely forward and downward from above the storage case. .
The cover reflects a light projecting from the back side of the front part of the cover toward the light emitting diode and guiding light of the light emitting diode to the front part of the cover, and light traveling in the front part of the cover. And an uneven portion that radiates forward from the front surface portion.

In the present invention, the upper illumination device illuminates the storage chamber from above with the upper illumination device, so that the light can reach well downward, and the light irradiated from above can be changed in the lateral direction by the storage chamber surface or food. Since the light is reflected in the vertical direction, the light from the upper illumination device can reach even if it is indirect, and it is possible to prevent the formation of a region where the light cannot reach as much as possible. Further, since the back lighting device is provided in the lower back surface of the storage chamber, the inner volume of the storage chamber is large, and the lower back where the light of the upper lighting device is difficult to reach can be illuminated.
Further, in the present invention, the horizontal lighting device illuminates the entire storage room by irradiating light from the front to the back, and the back lighting device illuminates the lower part of the storage chamber from the rear side, so that there is an area where light does not reach. It can be prevented as much as possible.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to embodiments.
[First Embodiment]
1 to 7 show a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the refrigerator in this embodiment is located in a refrigerator compartment 2 that is opened and closed by a kannon-type door 1 and arranged side by side on the lower side of the refrigerator compartment 2, and is provided by drawer-type doors 3 and 4, respectively. An ice making chamber 5 and a specification switching chamber 6 that are opened and closed, and a freezing chamber 8 that is located below the ice making chamber 5 and the specification switching chamber 6 and that is opened and closed by a drawer-type door 7 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, shelves 9 are provided in the upper half of the refrigerator compartment 2 in a plurality of stages. The front ends of these shelves 9 are located at a position far from the front end of the refrigerator compartment 2. This is because the pocket 1 a is provided in the door 1, so that the pocket 1 a does not hit the shelf 9 when the door 1 is closed.

A storage case 10 is stored in the upper half of the lower half of the refrigerator compartment 2 so that it can be taken in and out, and a water storage tank 11, an egg case 12, and a chilled case 13 for storing ice-making water are placed on the lower side. Stored side by side. The storage case 10 is mainly used for storing vegetables. The upper surface of the storage case 10 and the upper half of the front surface are open. Of the plurality of shelves 9, the lowest shelf covers the storage case 10 from above.
As described above, the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2 serving as a storage compartment is partitioned into a plurality of sections by the plurality of shelves 9 and the storage cases 10.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a refrigerating room cooling chamber 14 is formed at the back of the refrigerating room 2. Inside the refrigerating room cooling room 14, a refrigerating room cooler 15 and the refrigerating room cooling are provided. A fan device 16 for blowing the air cooled by the vessel 15 is provided. A duct panel 17 is disposed in the back of the refrigerator compartment 2. The duct panel 17 includes an upper duct panel 18 and a lower duct panel 19.

The back portion of the upper duct panel 18 is a ventilation duct 20. The air (cold air) cooled by the cooler 15 is sent out into the ventilation duct 20 by the fan device 16.
As shown in FIG. 7, the upper duct panel 18 has slit-like air outlets 21 extending vertically in the portions near the left and right ends, and the air outlets 22 that are intermittently arranged laterally in the upper end portion and the left and right sides near the upper end. The air outlet 23 is provided on both sides, and the cold air sent into the ventilation duct 20 is blown into the refrigerator compartment 2 from the air outlets 21 to 23.

  In addition, a guide duct (not shown) extending continuously downward from the ventilation duct 20 is formed in, for example, a portion from the right end of the lower duct panel 19. The lower end side of the guide duct (not shown) is a portion near the lower right end of the lower duct panel 19 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. Communicating with Therefore, a part of the cool air blown into the ventilation duct 20 is blown out from the outlet 24 through the guide duct, thereby cooling the chilled case 13 from the surroundings.

  The cold air blown into the refrigerator compartment 2 from the air outlets 21 to 24 is sucked from the suction port 25 formed near the lower end of the lower duct panel 19 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and formed on the back side of the lower duct panel 19. It is returned to the inside of the refrigerating room cooling chamber 14 through the return duct (not shown). At this time, in particular, the cold air blown from the outlets 21 to 23 flows around the storage case 10, the water storage tank 11, and the egg case 12 in the process of being sucked into the suction port 25, and cools them from the outside. For this reason, since cold air does not contact the vegetables stored especially in the storage case 10, it is useful for moisture retention of vegetables. The air returned from the suction port 25 into the refrigerating room cooling chamber 14 is circulated in such a manner that it is cooled again by the refrigerating room cooler 15 and is supplied into the ventilation duct 20 by the fan device 16.

  In addition, air cooled by a freezer cooler (not shown) is supplied into the ice making chamber 5 and the freezer chamber 8, and a refrigerator for the refrigerator compartment is set in the specification switching chamber 6 according to the set temperature. The air cooled by 15 is supplied from the ventilation duct 20, or the air cooled by a freezer cooler (not shown) is supplied.

  Now, the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2 which is a storage room is illuminated by the upper illumination device 26 and the back illumination device 27 shown in FIG. The upper illumination device 26 is provided at the center in the left-right direction near the front of the ceiling surface of the refrigerator compartment 2. The light source of the upper illumination device 26 includes, for example, two light emitting diodes 28 that emit white light and is mounted on a substrate 29 as shown in FIG. The substrate 29 on which the light-emitting diode 28 is mounted is fixed in a container holder 31 with an open bottom surface that is attached to the lighting case 30 and embedded in a portion closer to the front of the ceiling surface of the refrigerator compartment 2. And the flat cover 32 which has translucency is attached to the lower surface of the holder 31 so that attachment or detachment is possible. Such an upper lighting device 26 radiates light downward from a portion closer to the front of the ceiling surface of the refrigerator compartment 2 to illuminate the interior of the refrigerator compartment 2.

On the other hand, the back lighting device 27 is located at a position away from the cold air outlets 21 to 24, for example, at the center in the left-right direction near the upper end of the lower duct panel 19, directly below the bottom shelf 9, It is provided so as to be positioned above the rear wall, which is the rear part, and slightly in front of the rear wall. Note that the position of the back lighting device 27 in the front-rear direction may be slightly rearward of the back wall of the storage case 10.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper duct panel 18 has, at its lower end, a step 18a that protrudes forward, and a hanging portion 18b that protrudes downward from the front end of the step 18a. The upper end portion 19 a of the lower duct panel 19 is disposed at a position where it abuts on the lower surface of the step portion 18 a of the upper duct panel 18 and is located on the rear side of the hanging portion 18 b of the upper duct panel 18.

  The portion that continues immediately below the upper end portion 19a of the lower duct panel 19 is an inclined surface portion 19b that is inclined obliquely downward, that is, is inclined so as to recede downward. A case portion 33 that is recessed rearward is formed. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the light source of the back illumination device 27 is composed of, for example, one light emitting diode 34 that emits blue light, and is mounted on a substrate 35.

  The substrate 35 on which the light-emitting diode 34 is mounted is attached to the lighting case 36, and the lighting case 36 is connected to the inclined surface portion 19 b of the lower duct case 19 so as to close the case portion 33 of the lower duct panel 19. It is fixed by a well-known snap-fit engagement structure 37 and a screw 38. And since the illumination case 36 was attached to the inclined surface part 19b, the light emitting diode 34 radiates | emits light diagonally downward. The lead wire 39 extended from the substrate 35 is passed through the back side of the lower duct panel 19 and led out into the electrical component storage section 40 formed at the lower end of the lower duct case 19 as shown in FIG. It is connected to a power source and a control device (both not shown).

  The lighting case 36 is covered with a cover 42 attached to the inclined surface portion 19 b of the lower duct panel 19 by a snap-fit engagement structure 41. The cover 42 is formed of a translucent plastic material in a container shape with an open rear surface. In this case, the cover 42 is larger in the left-right direction than the illumination case 36, and the light from the light-emitting diode 34, which is a point light source, is diffused widely in the left-right direction as well as the vertical direction. ing. In order to prevent the enlarged cover 42 from being easily removed, a snap-fit engagement structure 37 is also provided at the center in the lateral direction of the cover 42, and the cover 42 is covered to the extent that food hits the side surface of the cover 42. 42 is prevented from coming off.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the attached state of the cover 42, the hanging portion 18 b at the lower end of the upper duct panel 18 is attached to the lower duct panel 19 that is the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 2 of the cover 42, that is, The cover 42 extends forward and downward from the upper end portion of the rear end peripheral portion 42a. In this way, the step portion 18 a and the hanging portion 18 b that cover the upper end portion of the rear end peripheral portion 42 a that is the attachment portion of the cover 42 function as the flange portion 43.

The cover 42 has a light guide function for diffusing light of the light emitting diode 34. For this purpose, a projecting portion 44 extending to the vicinity of the light emitting diode 34 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided at the center of the back side of the front wall 42b of the cover 42. A conical recess 45 is formed on the front side of the front portion 42b of the protruding portion. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the thickness of the front surface portion 42b of the cover 42 is formed so as to gradually become thinner from the central portion toward the left and right sides.
In addition, you may form the thickness of the front part 42b so that it may become thin gradually toward the up-and-down both sides direction from the center. Further, on the back side of the front surface portion 42b, there is formed a concavo-convex portion 46 in which concave and convex portions extending in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction are alternately adjacent to each other. Instead of the concavo-convex portion 46, a large number of pyramidal protrusions may be formed adjacent to each other in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  As described above, the light emitted from the light emitting diode 34 enters the projecting portion 44, travels in the projecting portion 44 toward the front surface portion 42 b of the cover 42, is reflected by the concave portion 45, and is reflected in the front surface portion 42 b. To move up, down, left and right. Then, the light traveling in the front, bottom, left and right directions in the front part 42b is reflected by the uneven part 46 in the process and is emitted forward from the front part 42b. In this case, since the front portion 42b of the cover 42 is inclined downward, light is emitted obliquely downward from the cover 42 and directly irradiates the inside of the storage case 10 obliquely downward from the top to the front. .

  Thus, the back lighting device 27 can illuminate the entire interior of the storage case 10 when the back lighting device 27 is above the rear part of the storage case 10 and emits light obliquely downward in the forward direction. In this case, the cover 42 of the back illumination device 27 emits blue light that is the light emission color of the light emitting diode 34. On the other hand, the storage case 10 is made of white plastic having the same color as that of the inner surface of the refrigerator compartment 2, for example, and has a glossy smooth surface that is opaque and can reflect light. For this reason, the light emitted from the cover 42 illuminates the inside of the storage case 10 and is reflected by the storage case 10 to illuminate the periphery thereof. For this reason, since the storage case 10 and the periphery thereof are tinged with the blue color associated with ultraviolet rays, the vegetables in the storage case 10 can be felt as having a fresh and clean feeling.

  By the way, the storage case 10 for mainly storing vegetables is frequently used, and therefore is disposed in the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 2 so as to be easily handled. For this reason, the arrangement position of the back illumination device 27 is also closer to the lower side in the refrigerator compartment 2. The arrangement height of the back lighting device 27 is about 110 cm when indicated by the height from the installation floor of the refrigerator. This is a height that is much lower than the position of the eyes and does not allow the light from the back lighting device 27 to directly enter the eyes of the user when the door 1 is opened while a normal adult woman is standing. be able to.

  Of course, as described above, the lighting case 36 with the light emitting diode 28 attached thereto is attached to the inclined surface portion 19b, the front portion 42b of the cover 42 is inclined downward, and so on, from the back lighting device 27 itself, Since the light is radiated obliquely downward, even if the user leans down and looks directly under the lowermost shelf 9, the light from the light emitting diode 28 is not received from the front, which helps to protect the eyes.

  Here, the light emitting diode 28 of the upper illumination device 26 and the light emitting diode 34 of the back illumination device 27 are turned on when the door 1 of the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened. That is, a door switch (not shown) that is turned on when the door 1 is opened is provided, and a control device (not shown) turns both the light emitting diodes 28 and 34 on and off by turning on and off the door switch. And while the back lighting device 27 has only one light emitting diode 34, the top lighting device 26 has two light emitting diodes 28, so that it emits light brighter than the back lighting device 27. It has become.

  According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the upper illumination device 26 emits light downward from the ceiling surface, and the rear illumination device 27 is obliquely downwardly forward from the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 2. Emits light toward. The inside of the large refrigerator compartment 2 can be moderately illuminated by light irradiation in different directions. For example, when food is placed on the shelf 9, a shaded portion is generated on the shelf 9 below the shelf 9, but the light that is reflected by the inner surface of the refrigerator compartment 2 is reflected on the shaded portion 2. Can also illuminate. Moreover, even if the light from the back of the back lighting device 27 is blocked by the vegetables in the front storage case 10 and a shadow is generated in front of the light, the shadow from the top by the top lighting device 26 is eliminated. The entire refrigerator compartment 2 can be illuminated.

  In this case, the light from the upper illumination device 26 on the ceiling surface is bright, so that it can be well illuminated between the shelves 9 and below. However, depending on the state of the food stored in the refrigerator compartment 2, light from the ceiling may not reach the large refrigerator compartment 2 particularly at the bottom. However, in this embodiment, since the emitted light of the back illumination device 27 illuminates the obliquely downward direction from the upper rear end of the storage case 10, the interior of the storage case 10 can be directly illuminated by the back illumination device 27, and the surface of the storage case 10 When the light from the back illumination device 27 reaches the periphery of the storage case 10 due to reflection from the chilled case 13 and the chilled case 13 is pulled forward, the inside of the chilled case 13 can be illuminated.

Further, since the back lighting device 27 emits light downward in the refrigerator compartment 2, the light from the back lighting device 27 may enter the eyes and feel dazzling as soon as the door 1 is opened. There is no.
In the present embodiment, the hanging portion 18b at the lower end portion of the upper duct panel 18 extends forward and downward from the upper end portion of the rear end peripheral edge 42a of the cover 42. Even if water flows out of the food or spills on the shelf 9, the water flows from the step portion 18a to the drooping portion 18b and falls down from the drooping portion 18b. It is possible to prevent the substrate 35 and the light emitting diode 34 from entering and getting wet.
Moreover, since the back illumination device 27 is provided at a position away from the cold air outlets 21 to 24, there is no fear that the cover 42 is cooled to a low temperature by the cold air and frost adheres.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a plurality of grooves 47 extending in the vertical direction are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction on the front surface of the front surface portion 42b of the cover 42. If the groove 47 extending in the vertical direction is formed on the front surface of the front surface portion 42 b of the cover 42 in this way, when the dew condensation occurs on the front surface of the front surface portion 42 b of the cover 42, the water generated by the dew condensation is quickly generated by the groove 47. Can be washed away.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, instead of the upper lighting device 26 of the first embodiment, the inner surface of the refrigerator compartment 2, in this embodiment, the front side portion of the left and right inner surfaces (the front portion of the front end of the shelf 9). Is provided with a horizontal illumination device 48. Each horizontal lighting device 48 is configured such that a light emitting diode 50 emitting white light is provided in a box-shaped fixture 49 embedded in the side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2, and the front surface of the fixture 49 is covered with a cover 49. In this case, the light from the light emitting diode 50 is radiated obliquely rearward by the reflection plate 49 a in the fixture 49. The horizontal illumination device 48 may be provided in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction, but may be provided at least in the upper part near the ceiling surface.

  In the case of such a configuration, the horizontal illumination device 48 that emits light from the front to the rear in the refrigerator compartment 2 and the back illumination device 27 that emits light in the lower portion of the refrigerator 2 toward the front obliquely downward. Since the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2 is illuminated, the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2 can be illuminated while preventing as much as possible the occurrence of a shadowed portion of light.

[Other Embodiments]
In addition to the light-emitting diode 34 that emits light when the door 1 is opened, the back lighting device 27 is provided with a light-emitting diode that emits light when the door 1 is closed, and the color of the light-emitting diode 34 that emits light when the door 1 is closed. It is good also as a structure made into orange. Orange, can be long-lasting the vegetables class.
The light sources of the illumination devices 26, 27, and 48 are not limited to light emitting diodes.
The uneven portion 46 of the cover 42 may be formed on the front side of the front surface portion 42b, or may be formed on both the front side and the back side.

Instead of the concavo-convex portion 46, grooves (concave portions) may be intermittently formed on the cover 42, or ridges (convex portions) may be intermittently formed.
The number of light emitting diodes 28 in the upper illumination device 26 may be one. In this case, the power supplied to the light emitting diode 28 of the upper illumination device 26 may be made larger than that of the light emitting diode 34 of the back illumination device 27 so that the upper illumination device 26 is brighter than the back illumination device 27.
The horizontal illumination device 48 may be provided on one of the left and right inner surfaces.

The 1st Embodiment of the present invention is shown, and a cross-sectional view of a back lighting device part Longitudinal side view of the back lighting device Perspective view of the back lighting device viewed from diagonally below Disassembled perspective view of the back lighting device Exploded perspective view of the upper lighting device Longitudinal side view of the refrigerator compartment with the door removed Front view of the refrigerator showing the refrigerator door open The disassembled perspective view of the back illuminating device which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 1 is a door, 2 is a refrigerator compartment (storage room), 9 is a shelf, 10 is a storage case, 18 is an upper duct panel, 19 is a lower duct panel, 21 to 24 are outlets, 25 is an inlet, 26 Is a top lighting device, 27 is a back lighting device, 28 is a light emitting diode, 30 is a lighting case, 32 is a cover, 33 is a case portion, 34 is a light emitting diode, 36 is a lighting case, 42 is a cover, 43 is a collar portion, 44 Is a protrusion, 45 is a concave portion, 46 is a concave and convex portion (concave portion, convex portion), 47 is a groove, 48 is a lateral illumination device, and 50 is a light emitting diode.

Claims (9)

A plurality of compartments,
An upper lighting device provided on a ceiling surface of the storage room;
A shelf provided in a plurality of upper and lower stages in the storage room;
A storage case constituting one of the lower compartments of the plurality of compartments;
A back lighting device that illuminates the inside of the storage case provided at the lower back surface of the storage chamber, below the storage case and below the lowest shelf among the plurality of shelves ,
The back illumination device includes a light emitting diode that constitutes a light source and a light-transmitting cover that covers the light emitting diode, and irradiates light into the storage case obliquely forward and downward from above the storage case. ,
The cover reflects a light projecting from the back side of the front part of the cover toward the light emitting diode and guiding light of the light emitting diode to the front part of the cover, and light traveling in the front part of the cover. And a concavo-convex portion that radiates forward from the front surface portion . Before SL on the illumination device, a refrigerator according to a bright claim 1 than the back lighting device. A plurality of compartments,
A lateral lighting device provided near the front side of the inner surface of the storage room;
A shelf provided in a plurality of upper and lower stages in the storage room;
A storage case constituting one of the lower compartments of the plurality of compartments;
A back lighting device that illuminates the inside of the storage case provided at the lower back surface of the storage chamber, below the storage case and below the lowest shelf among the plurality of shelves ,
The back illumination device includes a light emitting diode that constitutes a light source and a light-transmitting cover that covers the light emitting diode, and irradiates light into the storage case obliquely forward and downward from above the storage case. ,
The cover reflects a light projecting from the back side of the front part of the cover toward the light emitting diode and guiding light of the light emitting diode to the front part of the cover, and light traveling in the front part of the cover. And a concavo-convex portion that radiates forward from the front surface portion . The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the storage case is opaque and can reflect light . The said cover has a recessed part formed in the front side of the protrusion position of the said protrusion part, and reflecting the light guide | induced to the said protrusion part toward the horizontal direction in the said front part. The refrigerator as described in any one of . The front portion of the cover is formed so that the thickness gradually decreases from the protrusion toward the left and right sides, and a concave portion or a convex portion is formed on the front side and / or the back side of the front portion. Item 6. The refrigerator according to Item 5 . The refrigerator according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a hook part extending below and above the upper end part of the attachment part of the cover to the back face is provided on the back face of the storage chamber . The refrigerator according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein a groove extending in a vertical direction is formed on a surface of the cover . The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the back lighting device is separated from a cold air outlet that supplies cold air into the storage chamber and a cold air inlet that sucks in the cold air supplied into the storage chamber .

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