JP5677560B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  The refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an upper surface of a decompression chamber is reinforced with tempered glass and a lower surface is reinforced with an iron plate. The decompression chamber lid is supported by guide rails provided on the left and right outer sides of the decompression chamber and reciprocates back and forth, and includes rack gears provided on the guide rails, and left and right pinion gears engaged with the rack gears. By synchronizing the left and right with the synchronization means, a configuration is provided in which a smooth reciprocating linear motion is possible without tilting left and right within a horizontal plane.

JP 2009-036453 A

  In Patent Document 1, rails provided on the left and right sides of the door of the decompression chamber are connected in synchronization by a rack and pinion, but slide rails are provided on both sides of the decompression chamber, and racks are provided on the left and right rails, respectively. This is a complicated configuration in which rotatable left and right pinions meshed with each rack are connected by a shaft and synchronized.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a decompression chamber that can be opened and closed smoothly and can be easily removed for storage and removal of stored items and food trays.

To achieve the above object, the refrigerator of the present invention, a storage compartment having an opening, and a lid member for opening and closing the opening, and a food tray drawn together with the lid member, the lid member is pre Symbol A system stop rib that faces the food tray, a first protrusion that engages with the first mounting claw and fixes the food tray and the lid member, and a predetermined distance upward from the bottom surface of the second mounting claw A first protrusion that is open at the bottom, and a stopper that locks the downward movement of the lid member relative to the food tray in contact with the system stop rib. And a second attachment claw that opens upward, and when the stopper and the system stop rib are removed, the first protrusion is detached from the first attachment claw, and the second protrusion The bottom surface of the second mounting claw is supported, and the lid Wood is characterized by a pivotable around the second protrusion

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a decompression chamber that has a smooth opening and closing operation and that can be easily removed for taking in and out stored items and cleaning food trays.

It is the figure 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 BB sectional drawing of FIG. 1, and shows the state which opened both the refrigerator compartment door and the decompression chamber door. It is the perspective view which looked at the structure of the decompression chamber from diagonally forward upper direction. It is the simple perspective exploded view which looked at the outline member from the front upper part. 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 the JJ sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the arrow line view which looked at FIG. 5 from the C direction. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the FF sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the EE sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the A direction of FIG. 5 which shows the structure of a cover member and a food tray. It is the perspective view seen from the B direction of FIG. 5 which shows the structure of a cover member and a food tray. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a pinion gear. 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 GG sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows an example of the junction part of the outline member divided | segmented up and down which comprises the decompression chamber by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the other Example of the junction part of the outline member divided | segmented up and down which comprises the decompression chamber by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the further another Example of the junction part of the outline member divided | segmented up and down which comprises the decompression chamber by this invention. It is the figure which showed the unlocking state of the cover member by the cover member of the decompression chamber shown in FIG. 17, 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 member of the decompression chamber shown in FIG. 17, 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 locking state by the cover member of the decompression chamber shown in FIG. 17, the support part of an opening / closing handle, and the opening / closing handle around a cover lock guide groove member. It is a figure which shows the state which takes out a cover member and a food tray from a decompression chamber. It is a schematic plan view explaining the meshing between the rack and the pinion gear and the positional relationship between the outer shell member and the food tray. It is DD sectional drawing of FIG. 10 which shows the state in the middle of opening and closing of a cover member and a food tray. It is a fragmentary figure explaining mesh | engagement with a rack and a pinion gear. It is a fragmentary figure explaining mesh | engagement with a rack and a pinion gear. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the procedure of removal and attachment of a cover member and a food tray. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the procedure of removal and attachment of a cover member and a food tray. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the procedure of removal and attachment of a cover member and a food tray. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the procedure of removal and attachment of a cover member and a food tray. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the procedure of removal and attachment of a cover member and a food tray. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the procedure of removal and attachment of a cover member and a food tray. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the procedure of removal and attachment of a cover member and a food tray. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the procedure of removal and attachment of a cover member and a food tray. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the procedure of removal and attachment of a cover member and a food tray. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the procedure of removal and attachment of a cover member and a food tray.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator main body 1 according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. 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 includes a refrigerating room 2 that is a refrigerating temperature zone at around 6 ° C. at the top and a refrigerating temperature zone at around 6 ° C. at the bottom. A certain vegetable room 6 is arranged. Between the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 6, a freezing compartment having a freezing temperature zone of 0 ° C. or lower (for example, a temperature zone of about −20 ° C. to −18 ° C.) that is adiabatically separated from both the compartments. An ice making room 3, an upper freezer room 4, and a lower freezer room 5 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 2, each storage room is partitioned and arranged by partition walls k1, k2, and k3.

  Further, a decompression chamber 13 is provided in the refrigerator compartment 2. In this embodiment, the decompression chamber 13 is a chilled chamber, and is a storage chamber in a temperature range of about 1 ° C.

  The refrigerating room 2 includes, on the front side, refrigerating room doors 2a and 2b with double doors (so-called French type) divided into left and right. The ice making room 3, the upper freezing room 4, the lower freezing room 5, and the vegetable room 6 include a drawer type ice making room door 3a, an upper freezing room door 4a, a lower freezing room door 5a, and a vegetable room door 6a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outside of the refrigerator 1 and the inside of the refrigerator 1 are separated by a heat insulating box 10 formed by filling a foam heat insulating material (foamed polyurethane) between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b. ing.

  In the refrigerator, the upper heat insulating partition wall 28 separates the refrigerator compartment 2 from the upper freezing chamber 4 and the ice making chamber 3 (see FIG. 1, the ice making chamber 3 is not shown), and the lower heat insulating partition wall. 29 separates the lower freezer compartment 5 from the vegetable compartment 6.

  A plurality of door pockets 32 are provided inside the refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The refrigerator compartment 2 is provided with a plurality of shelves 37. The refrigerator compartment 2 is partitioned into a plurality of storage spaces in the vertical direction by the shelves 37, and a chilled chamber 13 that is a decompression chamber is provided in the lowermost storage space.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6 are respectively provided with storage containers 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b integrally with a door provided in front of each storage compartment. ing. The ice making room door 3a, the upper freezing room door 4a, the lower freezing room door 5a, and the vegetable room door 6a are each put on a handle portion (not shown) and pulled out to the front side, whereby the storage containers 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b can be pulled out.

  The decompression chamber 13 is provided with a decompression chamber door 16 that opens and closes the front opening.

  And in the state which opened the refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b, the storage container of the decompression chamber 13 can be drawn now by putting the hand on the handle part 27 of the decompression chamber door 16 and pulling out the cover member 16 to the near side. Yes. Details thereof will be described later.

  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 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, and the lower freezing chamber 5, and the blower fan cools the evaporator air to the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, and the lower freezing. Sent to chamber 5. Moreover, it sends to each storage room of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 6 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 6, it has a circulation structure that is cooled again by the evaporator and blown. Each of the storage chambers 2 to 6 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 2a is supported so as to be rotatable about the support shaft S1. The refrigerator compartment door 2a is provided with a translucent resin-molded door pocket 32 for storing drinks or the like on the inner side. On the back surface of the refrigerator door 2a, there is provided a rotary partition 2a2 configured to be swingable by a biasing force of a torsion coil spring and a guide.

  The rotating partition 2a2 prevents cold air from leaking between the refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b at the position along the left refrigerator compartment door 2a when the refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b are closed (see FIG. 1). On the other hand, when the refrigerator door 2a is opened, the refrigerator door 2a 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 2b is supported so as to be swingable about the support shaft S2, and a translucent resin-molded door pocket 32 into which a drink or the like is placed protrudes on the inner side.

<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 37 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 2b is closed, a predetermined space is formed between the door pocket 32 of the refrigerator compartment door 2b and the lid member 16 of the decompression chamber 13 so as not to contact each other. ing.

  FIG. 4 shows the door pocket 32 provided in the left refrigeration chamber door 2a with the left refrigeration chamber door 2a closed with the lid member 16 of the decompression chamber 13 opened after both the refrigeration chamber doors 2a and 2b are opened. A state in which the lid member 16 is in contact with the left end of the lid member 16 is inclined. In such a state, the lid member 16 does not move smoothly in the back surface direction, so the refrigerator compartment door 2a cannot be closed. Therefore, even when a force is applied only to the end portion of the lid member 16, it is desirable to move while keeping parallel without being inclined.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the configuration of the decompression chamber 13 as viewed obliquely from the upper front. The decompression chamber 13 has an opening 14r on the front surface (see FIG. 6). The decompression chamber 13 is a flat, long, substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shell member 14 that is divided into upper and lower parts, and moves forward and backward to open and close the opening 14r. An outer peripheral wall is formed by the lid member 16 that performs the above operation.

  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.

<Schematic shape of outer member 14>
The configuration of the outer member 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a simplified perspective view of the outer member as viewed from the front upper side. The outer member 14 has a structure in which the lower case 140 and the upper case 141 are joined to each other at the joint 142 while maintaining airtightness, and is shown as an exploded view separated in the vertical direction for easy understanding. FIG. 7 is a view in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line KK of FIG. 6 and 7 are schematic views of only the virtual outer member 14 from which the reinforcing ribs are removed in order to make the shape of the outer member 14 easier to understand.

  The lower case 140 of the outer member 14 is resin-molded using ABS (resin containing acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene), AS (resin containing acrylonitrile, styrene) or the like, and has side walls 140a and 140b, bottom wall 14c, and rear wall. 140d and the front opening 14r, the upper surface opening 140e, the upper side of the front opening 14r and the front side of the upper surface opening 140e to connect the left and right side walls 140a and 140b, and the entire periphery of the upper surface opening 140e. It is formed in a shape in which two surfaces having joint portions 142 provided seamlessly are opened.

  The upper case 141 of the outer member 14 is resin-molded using ABS (resin containing acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene), AS (resin containing acrylonitrile, styrene) or the like, and has an upper surface wall 141e, both side walls 141a, 141b, and rear wall. The upper case 141 is formed so as to cover the entire upper surface opening 140e of the lower case 140 without any gaps.

  That is, the side wall 14a is divided into a side wall 140a of the lower case 140 and a side wall 141a of the upper case 141, and the side wall 14b is divided into a side wall 140b of the lower case 140 and a side wall 141b of the upper case 141. The surface wall 14d is divided into a rear wall 140d of the lower case 140 and a rear wall 141d of the upper case 141, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, 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 a direction in which the entire outer member 14 is crushed from the outside to the inside. For example, the planar dimensions of the outer member 14 are a width of 450 mm and a depth of 300 mm. If the pressure is 0.2 atm, a large load of about 270 kgf (about 2700 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. 6, 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 as a dome-shaped spherical shell that forms a part of a sphere with the surface receiving the load protruding outward. ing.

  7 is a view in the direction of the arrow C in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the opening 14r has a shape along the periphery of the side walls 14a and 14b and the bottom wall 14c connecting portion 140f. 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.

  Further, in the vicinity of the center of the upper and lower sides of the opening 14r, there are an upper surface opening support portion 14f and a lower surface opening support portion 14g that protrude toward the inside of the opening 14r.

  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.

  8 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 lower case 140 and the upper case 141 of the outer member 14 are integral parts formed by resin molding using ABS, AS or the like. Molds for molding are roughly classified into an outer mold that forms the outer shape of each of the lower case 140 and the upper case 141 and an inner mold that forms the inner surface, and resin is injected into the mold and cooled. After that, the inner mold is pulled out to take out the lower case 140 and the upper case 141 from the mold.

<Die removal direction and shape>
In this embodiment, if the outer mold of the upper case 141 is pulled out in the direction of arrow AA and the inner mold is pulled out in the direction of arrow AB, the upper surface wall 141e has a shape that protrudes further upward than the upper end of the opening 14r, for example, a dome. It can be a shape.

  If the outer mold of the lower case 140 is provided with a side mold that pulls out the inner mold in the direction of arrow BB, the inner mold in the direction of arrow BC, and further pulls out the inside of the opening 14r toward the opening 14r (arrow BD direction). In the range of M molded by the inner mold instead of the mold, the bottom wall 14c can have a shape that protrudes further downward than the lower end of the opening 14r, for example, a dome shape, and further has a partial recess 14w. Alternatively, a protrusion such as the lower guide rail 14y can be provided.

  The inner mold of the lower case 140 further includes a slide mold (not shown) for projecting the upper guide rail 14 s inward to support the container 17 described later.

  As described above, the top wall 141e and the bottom wall 14c have a dome shape protruding outward, and the inner surface height ra of the outer shell member 14 can be made larger than the dimension rh of the opening 14r, so that the tapered shape from the opening is formed. It is not necessary to increase the inner volume of the outer shell member 14 and to increase the rigidity.

  A connecting portion 140f integrated with the lower case 140 is provided between the opening 14r and the upper surface opening 140e so that the periphery of the opening 14r and the upper surface opening 140e is seamlessly formed. The case 141 can be closed and kept airtight.

<Partition surface shape>
Next, the shape of the joint 142 between the upper case 141 and the lower case 140 will be described.

  The upper case 141 and the lower case 140 are planes inclined rearwardly downward from the connecting portion 140f near the upper end of the opening 14r toward the center in the height direction of the rear wall 14d, and the joint 142 is formed along the dividing surface. Provided. The upper case 141 constitutes a part of the outer member 14 composed of a dome-shaped upper surface 141e, side surfaces 141a, 141b, and rear surface 141d, and the portion protrudes from the joint 142 by a height 141t, The strength to support the load during decompression is obtained in cooperation with the arranged ribs.

  As shown by the alternate long and short dash line 142b in FIG. 8, if the dividing surface is a surface that has less inclination and is almost horizontal, the convex amount from the joint portion 142 becomes small and the shape of the upper case 141 approaches a flat shape, so that the rigidity is Smaller and more deformed during decompression.

  As another form, the shape of the dividing surface may be a combination of a straight line and an arc as shown by a two-dot chain line 142c in FIG. In this configuration, the convex amount of the upper case 141 is large and rigidity is easily obtained. On the other hand, if there is a dimensional error in the radius R of the arc forming the joint portion of both the upper case 141 and the lower case 140, the arc Since they do not completely match, gaps are likely to occur. Further, if the position of the upper case 141 is shifted in the right direction in FIG. 8, a gap is formed in the inclined parting surface 142 d, so that the upper case 141 and the lower case 140 are difficult to adhere to each other. That is, in order to keep the joint 142 in close contact with each other, high accuracy is required for the shape and dimensions of the surface of the joint, and the positional relationship between the upper case 141 and the lower case 140, and it is difficult to keep the airtightness. It is.

  In the present invention, as shown by the dividing surface 142a in FIG. 8, the dividing surface is gradually moved rearward from the vicinity of the upper surface of the opening 140r toward the rear so as to become a plane connecting the substantially central portion of the rear wall of the outer member 14 of the rear wall 140d. The upper case 141 does not have a thin plate shape, and the thickness 141t can be appropriately secured. Since the dividing surface 142a is an inclined plane, even if a positional deviation occurs between the upper case 141 and the lower case 140, there is no change in the close contact state. That is, since the surfaces of the joint portions are flat, accuracy is easily obtained, and airtightness is easily maintained even if the positional relationship between the upper case 141 and the lower case 140 is low.

  If it is set as said structure, since both the upper case 141 and the lower case 140 can be shape | molded with resin, there exists an effect that the outer shell member 14 can be comprised cheaply.

<Seal configuration>
Next, a configuration in which the upper case 141 and the lower case 140 are joined in an airtight manner at the joining portion 142 will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 to 24 which are enlarged views of a Q portion in FIG.

  FIG. 21 shows a first embodiment, FIG. 21 (a) shows a state where the inside of the decompression chamber 13, that is, the inside of the outer member 14, is atmospheric pressure, and FIG. 21 (b) shows a state where the pressure is reduced.

  The joint 142 between the upper case 141 and the lower case 140 sandwiches a round packing 146 formed of a flexible member such as silicon rubber formed in an annular shape with a circular cross section, and a screw boss 140g provided on the lower case 140 And a screw boss 141g provided on the upper case 141 is fastened by a screw 143. The screw boss 141g of the upper case 141 and the screw boss 140g of the lower case 140 are loosely fitted with a gap 144a, and are supported so as to be movable in the axial direction of the screw 143, that is, in the vertical direction in the figure. The screw bosses 140g and 141g are provided at approximately equal intervals along the dividing surface 142a, for example, about 10 to 15 places on the entire circumference.

  In the state of atmospheric pressure shown in FIG. 21A, the round packing 146 is sandwiched between the lower case 140 and the upper case 141, and for example, about 5% of the diameter is crushed by the fastening force of the screw 143. The airtightness is maintained by closely contacting the entire circumference of the joint 142.

  When the vacuum pump 12 is driven and the inside of the outer member 14 is depressurized, if the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the lower case 140 and the upper case 141 is 0.2 atm, as described above, it is as large as about 270 kgf (about 2700 N). A pressure is applied under load. This load is applied to the round packing 146 sandwiched between the lower case 140 and the upper case 141 to crush, for example, about 15% of the diameter, and maintain high airtightness that can maintain the pressure difference inside and outside. As the round packing 146 is crushed and deformed, the upper case 141 is close to the lower case 140 and the gap 144a is reduced to 144a ', and a gap 144b is formed between the head of the screw 143 and the boss 141g of the upper case 141. Arise.

  22A and 22B show a second embodiment. FIG. 22A shows a state where the inside of the decompression chamber 13, that is, the inside of the outer member 14, is at atmospheric pressure, and FIG. 22B shows a state where the pressure is reduced.

  The difference from the first embodiment is that, instead of the round packing 146, as shown in FIG. 22, the outer peripheral center of the transverse cross section has a concave portion 147a recessed inward, and is formed into a ring shape with a substantially square cross section. 147 is pressed between the packing abutting portion 140 h protruding from the lower case 140. Even when the lower case 140 and the upper case 141 are slightly tilted or the accuracy of the abutting surface is not good, the packing 147 is elastically deformed in the concave portion 147a and absorbs the deviation between the lower case 140 and the upper case 141. Can be securely sealed.

  When the vacuum pump 12 is driven and the inside of the outer member 14 is depressurized, the concave portion 147a of the packing 147 is crushed, and like the round packing 146, for example, about 15% of the thickness can be crushed to maintain the internal and external differential pressure. Keep the airtight.

  FIG. 23 shows a third embodiment in which a welded portion 148 that is a rib provided around the entire periphery of the upper case 141 along the joint 142 is provided without using an airtight member such as packing. The lower case 140 and the upper case 141 are pressed against each other in the direction of the arrow to apply vibration, and the welded portion 148 is melted by frictional heat so that the lower case 140 and the upper case 141 are welded together to obtain airtightness. is there. With such a configuration, packing and screws as in the first and second embodiments are unnecessary, and the outer member 14 can be realized with a simple configuration at low cost.

  In the present embodiment, since the joining portion 142 has an inclined planar shape, the distribution of the pressure contact force when the lower case 140 and the upper case 141 are pressed against each other is uniform, and the frictional heat generated when vibration is further applied. Since the generation is uniform, it can be reliably welded and sealed. In addition, the structure provided in the lower case 140 instead of the upper case 141 may be sufficient as the welding part 148. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, since the connecting portion 140f of the lower case 140 is a narrow region sandwiched between the opening 14r and the upper surface opening 140e, the strength is weak. According to the third embodiment, the connecting portion 140f is welded and integrated with the upper case 141 via the welded portion 148, so that the strength is higher than that of the connecting portion 140f alone and deformation at the time of decompression can be prevented. Is preferred. Alternatively, the outer member 14 may be configured by bonding the upper case 141 and the lower case 140 with an adhesive, for example, a silicon rubber adhesive.

<Material>
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 shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 11 and the like, on the inside of the opening 14r of the outer member 14, from the top surface opening support portion 14f and the bottom surface wall 14c projecting inward from the top surface wall 14e. An inwardly projecting lower surface opening support portion 14g is provided on the rear surface side of the front opening 14r. At the edge of the opening 14r, there is a packing contact surface 14k, the upper surface opening support portion 14f is connected to the inclined surface 14m, and the lower surface opening support portion 14g is connected to the inclined surface 14n.

<Relationship between lid member 16 and opening 14r>
Next, the relationship between the lid member 16 and the opening 14r will be described. 9 and 11, the lid member 16 is closed, and reinforcing support portions H (shown by alternate long and short dash lines) provided on the lid member 16 are upper surface opening support portions 14 f and lower surface opening support portions 14 g of the outer member 14. The state inserted between is shown. The distance between the upper surface opening support part 14f and the lower surface opening support part 14g, that is, the height dimension of the opening 14r is slightly larger than the height dimension of the reinforcing support part 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 the differential pressure of 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 opening support portion 14f and the lower surface opening support portion 14g are in contact with the upper and lower sides of the reinforcement 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 opening support portion 14f is approximately L2, and the width of the opening 14r outside the opening support portion 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, a load is not intensively applied to a specific portion, and the stress generated in the upper surface opening support portion 14f and the range of the opening outside thereof is almost equal to prevent damage due to repeated loads and increase the life. High reliability can be achieved.

  The widths of the bottom wall 14c and the lower surface opening support portion 14g are preferably similar in size and shape.

  As described above, in addition to the shape of the outer member 14, each of the side walls 14a and 14b, the bottom wall 14c, the rear wall 14d, the top wall 141e, the top opening support 14f, and the bottom opening support 14g, respectively. On the outer surface, reinforcing ribs that increase the section modulus and improve the strength are erected in a straight line shape, a lattice shape, and the like, and further strength against deformation due to differential pressure is secured.

  Guide rails 14s and 14s, which are protrusions along the depth direction, are provided on the inner surfaces of the side walls 140a and 140b of the lower case 140, and a pair of protrusions 17g and 17g provided on the food tray 17 described later are provided. The rear end side of the food tray 17 is supported.

  Since the outer member 14 is shaped as described above, and the upper case 141 and the lower case 140 molded by resin are joined by the joint 142, the outer member 14 is molded by resin and simplified. And can be constructed at low cost, and both expansion of the internal volume and increase in rigidity can be achieved.

<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. 10 is a conceptual diagram of the decompression chamber 13 shown in FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the food tray 17 and the lid member 16 removed from the outer member 14 and viewed from the direction A of FIG. 5, FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the food tray 17 viewed from the direction B of FIG. It is shown with some parts omitted by chain lines. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the pinion gear 15 provided in the outer member 14.

<Food tray>
The food tray 17 disposed in the outer member 14 is a transparent resin molded product such as AS. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 17, both side walls 17a and 17b, a bottom wall 17c, a rear wall 17d, and a front wall 17e are provided.

  The front wall 17e of the food tray 17 is formed with a concave portion 17f for arranging a reinforcing support portion H described later, and a central side wall portion 17h connecting the front wall 17e and the concave portion 17f along the reinforcing support portion H. Yes. Further, as shown in FIGS. 12, 14, and 15, the food tray 17 is attached to the lid member 16 on the central side wall portion 17 h and the side walls 17 a and 17 b, and 2 for interlocking with the opening / closing operation of the lid member 16. A pair of mounting claws 17t1 and 17t2 are formed, and a pair of left and right projections 17g and 17g are formed in the vicinity of the rear wall 17d of the side walls 17a and 17b. A stopper 17n that is a convex portion is formed on the lid member side of the concave portion 17f.

  The two pairs of mounting claws 17t1 and 17t2 are formed in a semi-cylindrical shape with the lower part opened and one side extended downward, and engage with columnar protrusions 16g1 and 16g2 provided on the lid member 16. . Thus, the food tray 17 is fixed 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.

  The food tray 17 is further provided with a guide claw 17t3 that opens upward, and the food tray 17 is provided with a cylindrical protrusion 16g3 provided corresponding to the guide claw 17t3. 17 is configured to be removable from the lid member 16 and attached. The detailed operation will be described later.

<Guide rail>
As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the food tray 17 and the lid member 16 are configured to be opened and closed integrally with each other.

  The bottom wall 17c of the food tray 17 is provided with guide ribs 17j and 17j that are elongated in the opening and closing direction. The guide ribs 17j and 17j are placed in the vicinity of the opening 14r of the bottom wall 14c of the outer member 14. Guide protrusions 14t, 14t are provided. A stopper 17m, which is a step, is provided on the rear side of the bottom surface of the food tray 17. The stopper 17m is slidably mounted on a lower guide rail 14y provided on the bottom surface of the outer member 14.

  The food tray 17 has a guide rib 17j mounted on the guide protrusion 14t on the side close to the opening 14r, that is, the lid member 16, and the upper surfaces of the protrusions 17g and 17g provided near the rear surface of the food tray 17 are guide rails 14s, Supported by the lower side of 14s. The lower guide rail 14y is provided with a stopper 14v that is a step. When the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 are opened as a unit, the stopper 17m hits the stopper 14v at the fully opened position, and is restricted from opening further.

  With the above configuration, the food tray 17 is integrated with the lid member 16 and guided in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction on the paper surface in FIG. 11 and the vertical direction on the paper surface in FIG. 13).

<Bottom rack and pinion>
On the lower surface of the bottom wall 17c of the food tray 17, that is, the side facing the bottom wall 14c of the outer shell member 14, two rows of racks 17k, which are linear gears in the front-rear direction, are symmetrically maintained at a distance from each other. .

  A pinion gear 15 shown in FIG. 16 is rotatably supported by a bottom surface recess 14w provided in the bottom wall 14c of the outer member 14 in parallel with the opening 14r. The pinion gear 15 includes a pair of left and right pinion gears 15a that are coupled to each other by a connecting shaft 15b and rotate as a unit, and a support shaft 15c that further protrudes outside the pinion gear 15a.

  The bottom surface recess 14w of the outer member 14 has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape larger than the diameter of the pinion gear 15a, and the left and right ends of the bottom surface recess 14w and the support recess 14x to which the support shaft 15c of the pinion gear 15 is rotatably fitted. It has become. Since the pinion gear 15 is simply dropped into the bottom recess 14w from above, it can be removed simply by removing the food tray 17 and picking it up with a finger and lifting it upward. For example, the bottom recess 14w and the pinion gear 15 are soiled. Can be easily removed for cleaning and washing.

  When the food tray 17 is disposed in the outer shell member 14, the rack 17 k provided in the food tray 17 and the pinion gear 15 a provided in the bottom surface recess 14 w of the outer shell member 14 are disposed in meshing positions. However, the rack 17k does not mesh with the pinion gear 15a over the entire range in which the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 are opened and closed, but the rack 17k is within the range of the distance L1 from the fully closed position of the lid member 16 and the food tray 17. Is not provided. This operation and effect will be described later.

  The pair of racks 17k are formed integrally with the food tray 17, and the pair of pinion gears 15a are configured to rotate integrally. When the food tray 17 moves in the front-rear direction, the rack and the pinion continue to engage with each other. Since it is interlocked, the lid member 16 is configured to move while being always parallel to the opening 14r. That is, even if a force is applied to the end portion of the lid member 16 instead of the center portion, the lid member 16 or the food tray 17 does not tilt left and right and can move stably while maintaining parallelism.

  According to the above configuration, it is not necessary to provide a rail member or the like in order to open and close the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 back and forth, and it is also necessary to provide a part such as a support shaft for supporting the pinion gear. The lid member 16 and the food tray 17 can be opened and closed stably with a simple configuration.

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 cross-sectional view of the decompression chamber 13 showing the fully opened state of the lid member 16.
FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the fully opened state of the lid member 16 as in FIG.

<Configuration of lid member 16>
As shown in FIG. 5, the lid member 16 has an opening / closing handle 26 rotatably supported around a support shaft 16s provided on both sides thereof. Further, the lid member 16 includes a differential pressure relief valve V shown in FIG.

  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. 11, the lid member 16 is provided with an elastic packing 16p 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 cover member 16 is closed with a slight inclination with respect to the outer shell member 14, the packing 16 p is elastically deformed in the recess 16 p 1 to absorb the deviation, and the gap between the outer member 14 and the outer cover member 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. 5, 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. 5, when the opening / closing handle 26 is rotated with respect to the lid member 16, the space between the opening / closing handle 26 and the lid member 16 is formed on both side portions 16 c 1, 16 c 1 of the center portion 16 c 2 of 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. 11, the central portion a 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. 11, 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.

  20 is a horizontal sectional view in the GG direction in FIG.

  The reinforcing support H of the lid member 16 is provided near the center of the back surface of the lid member 16 as shown in FIGS. 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.

  In addition, columnar projections 16g1, 16g2, and 16g3 for fixing the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 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 mounting claws 17t1 and 17t2 (see FIGS. 14 and 15) of the food tray 17 are engaged with the protrusions 16g1 and 16g2, and the food tray 17 is linked to the opening / closing operation of the lid member 16 and pulled out to the outside. The user can easily see and take out the food in the food tray 17.

  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. 11, when the lid member 16 is closed, the reinforcing support portion H on the inner side of the lid member 16 contacts the upper surface opening support portion 14f and the lower surface opening support portion 14g of the outer member 14 in the decompression chamber 13. In contact therewith, due to the differential pressure between the atmospheric pressure outside the decompression chamber 13 and the low pressure inside the decompression chamber 13, the load applied from above to the upper surface wall 141e of the outer member 14 and the upper surface opening support portion 14f, and the bottom wall 14c of the outer member 14 And the load due to the differential pressure applied to the lower surface opening support 14g from below, and the deformation of the decompression chamber 13 is suppressed by these loads.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a differential pressure relief hole 16 a that is inserted into the decompression chamber 13 of the differential pressure relief valve V is provided in the central portion 16 c 2 of the lid member 16.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the lid member 16 has a valve opening / closing member 35 having a valve body 35t made of rubber or the like 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 35 s on which the valve opening / closing member 35 rotates and the support shaft 16 s (see FIGS. 5 and 11) 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 FIGS. 5, 11, 17, 18, and the like, the opening / closing handle 26 includes a rod body 27 made of an aluminum rod, and a metal whose one end is fixed to the left and right ends of the rod body 27. Supporting parts 28 and 29 made of metal, and a handle operating part 36 through which a rod 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. 11, the opening / closing handle 26 is rotatably supported around the support shafts 16s, 16s on the left and right sides of the lid member 16, and the rod 27 is turned 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. 17, the rod body 27 is moved around the left and right support shafts 16s and 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.

  24, 25, and 26 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. is there.

  24 is a diagram showing the unlocked state of the lid member 16 by the opening / closing handle 26, FIG. 26 is a diagram 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 26 lock.

  Since the left lid lock guide groove member 30 has the same configuration as the right 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. Is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 24, 25, and 26, 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. 24, 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 in the unlocked state of the lid member 16 by the opening / closing handle 26 and the support shaft 16s. Is c. Further, as shown in FIG. 25, 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 shaft center of the guide roller 28r and the support shaft 16s. Let b. Further, as shown in FIG. 26, 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. 25))> a (locked state (FIG. 26))> c (unlocked state (FIG. 24))
The shape of the inner wall guide 30a shown in FIGS. 24, 25, and 26 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. As a result, as shown in FIG. 25, the guide roller 28 r of the support portion 28 abuts against the inner wall guide 30 a of the lid lock guide groove member 30, or twists. 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. 25 to reach the locked state shown in FIG. If
b (state before locking (FIG. 25))> a (locking state (FIG. 26))
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 opening the lid member 16, the user holds the handle operating portion 36 of the opening / closing handle 26, and then goes through the state before the locking shown in FIG. 25 from the locked state shown in FIG. 26 to the opening / closing handle 26. 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. 24), the lock state (see FIG. 26)). Thus, although it passes once through the heavy feeling part 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. 25 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.

  The handle operating portion 36 (see FIGS. 11 and 17) of 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. 11, the valve body 35t is closed, and when the opening / closing handle 26 is turned upward and opened as shown in FIG. 17, the valve body 35t is opened.

  When the valve is opened, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 17, 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 doors 2a and 2b are closed and the door switch (not shown) is turned on. 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. 11, 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, thereby generating 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 low cost by being formed of a plastic material. Furthermore, by adopting an upper and lower divided configuration in which the outer member 14 is joined while keeping airtightness, it is possible to expand the secondary volume and ensure the strength. Further, since the portions other than the front opening 14r are sealed, only the gap between the lid member 16 and the opening 14r is sealed with the packing 16p, so that the entire decompression chamber 13 can be kept hermetically sealed.

<Removing the food tray>
When the food tray 17 becomes dirty, the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 are removed and washed with water. Next, the attachment / detachment of the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  27 is a DD sectional view when the food tray 17 and the lid member 16 are removed, FIG. 28 is a schematic plan view for explaining the meshing between the rack and the pinion gear, and the positional relationship between the outer member and the food tray, and FIG. It is DD sectional drawing which shows the middle state of opening and closing.

  The operation when removing the food tray 17 and the lid member 16 will be described with reference to FIG. 27. As shown in FIG. 18, the food tray 17 and the lid member 16 are in the fully open position, and the front end of the lid member 16 is moved in this state. When it is lifted and tilted, the stopper 17m provided on the bottom surface of the food tray 17 is disengaged from the stopper 14v provided on the bottom surface of the outer shell member 14. Therefore, if it is moved obliquely forward (upper left in the figure in FIG. 27) as it is. The food tray 17 and the lid member 16 can be pulled out together. The rack 17k meshes with the pinion gear 15a and is closed by pushing the lid member 16 to the back side as much as it is.

  However, the meshing between the rack 17k and the pinion gear 15a may not be performed correctly during this operation, and the problem will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 28 is a simplified diagram showing the relationship among the outer shell member 14, the food tray 17, the lid member 16, the rack 17k, and the pinion gear 15a, and is a plan view similar to FIG. FIG. 28 (a) shows a state in which the food tray 17 and the lid member 16 once removed are set on the outer member 14, however, the mesh between the pair of racks 17k and the pinion gear 15a is shifted by one tooth on the left and right, for example. The state of meshing is shown. For example, if the rack or pinion gear module is 1.5, the amount of deviation is about 4.7 mm because it is one tooth pitch. When the lid member 16 is closed as shown in FIG. 28B while being shifted and meshed with each other in this manner, the lid member 16 moves while being inclined with respect to the opening 14r. Therefore, the rack 14k and the pinion gear until the lid member 16 is completely closed. If it keeps meshing with 15a, the cover member 16 will remain inclined and the opening 14r cannot be sealed.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 28 (c), the rack 17k is not provided in the full range of opening and closing, and the rack 17k is connected to the pinion gear 15a in a state where the lid member 16 is completely closed and the packing 16p is in contact with the opening 14r. If the engagement is released, the packing 16p of the lid member 16 contacts the opening 14r when fully closed regardless of the engagement between the rack 17k and the pinion gear 15a, so that the sealing can be ensured. In other words, in FIG. 28C, if the distance from the opening 14r of the outer member 14 to the pinion gear is Lp, and the distance to the rack 17k is Lr, (Lp <Lr) may be satisfied.

<Rack length>
Further, a range in which the rack 17k is provided and a method of removing the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 will be described with reference to FIG. The pinion gear 15 is provided in a bottom recess 14 w provided in the lower case 140 of the outer member 14. For example, water droplets condensed on the inner wall of the outer member 14 may accumulate and freeze in the bottom recess 14w. Since the pinion gear 15 does not rotate when frozen, there arises a problem that when the rack 17k is engaged with the pinion gear 15a, the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 are closed and cannot be opened.

  A configuration in which the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 can be opened without the pinion gear 15 rotating will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 29, as described with reference to FIG. 28, the rack 17k does not mesh with the pinion gear 15a in the vicinity of the fully closed position of the lid member 16, so that the teeth of the rack 17k contact the pinion gear 15a even if the pinion gear 15 does not rotate. The lid member 16 and the food tray 17 are opened as a unit.

  In this state, a gap gap is formed between the outer peripheral upper wall surface H1 of the reinforcing support portion H and the inclined surface 14m of the upper surface opening support portion 14f of the outer member 14. Therefore, if the gap gap is larger than the tooth meshing height hg (gap> hg), the lid member 16 and the food can be moved to the left in the figure while lifting the lid member 16 without the pinion gear 15a rotating. The tray 17 can be taken out. Thereafter, the user removes the frozen pinion gear 15a from the opening 14r, or scrapes the ice accumulated in the bottom recess 14w.

  In FIG. 29, the opening amount of the lid member 16 is (Lr-Lp) according to the notation of FIG. 28C. Therefore, the positional relationship in which gap (> hg) as shown in FIG. desirable.

<Rack meshing>
As described above, in the position where the lid member 16 is closed, the rack 17k does not mesh with the pinion gear 15a but meshes in the middle of opening. Therefore, when the lid member 16 is opened, it is necessary that the teeth of the rack and the pinion gear are not caught and smoothly meshed with each other. The configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 30 and 31. FIG.

  30 and 31 are schematic views showing the meshing between the rack 14k and the pinion gear 15a, and the rack 17k moves from the right to the left in the drawing along with the opening operation of the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 as indicated by the arrow, and the pinion gear is moved. Meshes with 15a. The tip of the pinion gear 15a has a generally pointed shape, for example, by shifting the tooth profile in the plus direction.

  FIG. 30 shows an involute tooth profile generally used for both the rack and the pinion, and the rack tooth shape is a trapezoid. FIG. 30A shows that the tip of the rack 17k contacts the tooth tip of the pinion gear 15a when the tooth angle of the pinion gear 15a is θ1. Such contact between the tips is unstable, and the pinion gear may be pushed counterclockwise by the rack 17k and may be bounced and meshed with adjacent teeth.

  Since the rack 17k is trapezoidal, the rack tooth tip surface 17k1 is a flat surface. Therefore, if the rack teeth tip surface 17k1 rides on the pinion gear 15a due to loss of meshing, the maximum amount of ride-up is the height d1 to the outer peripheral vertex of the pinion gear 15a.

  FIG. 30B shows the case where the tooth angle of the pinion gear 15a is θ2 (<θ1). In this case, the rack 14k and the pinion gear 15a are in contact at the contact point 15d2, and the pinion gear 15a is pushed by the rack 17k and rotates. The pinion gear 15a starts to rotate smoothly counterclockwise.

  FIG. 30C shows the case where the tooth angle of the pinion gear 15a is θ3 (> θ1). In this case, the rack 14k and the pinion gear 15a are in contact at a contact point 15d3, and the pinion gear 15a is pushed by the rack 17k and rotates. The pinion gear 15a starts to rotate smoothly counterclockwise.

  FIG. 31 shows the meshing in the case of the rack shape according to the present invention, in which the trapezoidal tooth part 17k0 part at the end of the rack is deleted, and the first tooth that comes into contact with the pinion gear 15a is the short triangular tooth 17k2. .

  In FIG. 31 (a), when the tooth angle of the pinion gear 15a is θ1 ′, the tip of the triangular tooth 17k2 of the rack 17k contacts the tooth tip of the pinion gear 15a. In this case as well, the tips are in contact with each other, but both the tip of the pinion gear 15a and the tip of the triangular tooth 17k2 are pointed so that they can easily escape without getting on and mesh smoothly.

  Since the triangular tooth 17k2 is short, comparing FIG. 30 (a) and FIG. 31 (a), even if the triangular tooth 17k2 rides on the pinion gear 15a, the amount of riding up to the outer peripheral vertex of the pinion gear 15a. Since the height d2 (<d1) is small, it is smooth.

  FIG. 31B shows a case where the tooth angle of the pinion gear 15a is θ2 ′ (<θ1 ′). In this case, the triangular tooth 17k2 and the pinion gear 15a are in contact at a contact point 15d2 ′, and the pinion gear 15a is a triangular tooth. The pinion gear 15a starts to rotate smoothly in the counterclockwise direction by being pressed by 17k2.

  FIG. 31C shows the case where the tooth angle of the pinion gear 15a is θ3 ′ (> θ1 ′). In this case, the triangular tooth 17k2 and the pinion gear 15a are in contact with each other at a contact point 15d3 ′, and the pinion gear 15a is a triangular tooth. The pinion gear 15a starts to rotate smoothly in the counterclockwise direction by being pressed by 17k2.

  As described above, the pair of racks 17k provided on the bottom surface of the food tray 17 and the pair of pinion gears 15a provided on the bottom surface of the outer member 14 are not meshed when fully closed, but meshed in the middle of opening. Thus, when the lid member 16 is closed, the rack and the pinion gear are not meshed with each other, and the lid member 16 closely contacts the opening 14r, so that the opening 14r is reliably sealed and kept airtight. When opening and closing, the lid member 16 can move stably while maintaining parallelism. Further, the teeth of the rack 17k that first comes into contact with the pinion gear 15a are made into the triangular teeth 17k2 having a short height, so that there is an effect that the opening and closing operation is smooth.

  Furthermore, there is an effect that the food tray 17 and the lid member 16 can be removed even when the pinion gear 15 is frozen.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 to 15, the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 are opened and closed integrally. Furthermore, since the food tray 17 can be removed from the lid member 16 as described above, the configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 32 is a partial sectional view showing a state in which the lid member 16 is attached to the food tray 17, and FIGS. 33 to 35 are partial sectional views showing an operation of removing the lid member 16 from the food tray 17. 36 to 40 are partial cross-sectional views showing the operation of attaching the lid member 16 to the food tray 17, and FIG. 41 shows a state in which the lid member 16 is attached to the food tray 17.

  In FIG. 32, as described above, the front wall 17e of the food tray 17 is connected to the concave portion 17f for arranging the reinforcing support portion H and the front wall 17e and the concave portion 17f along the reinforcing support portion H. A central side wall portion 17h is formed. Further, as shown in FIGS. 12, 14, and 15, the food tray 17 is attached to the lid member 16 on the central side wall portion 17 h and the side walls 17 a and 17 b to interlock with the opening / closing operation of the lid member 16. Two pairs of mounting claws 17t1 and 17t2 are formed.

  The two pairs of mounting claws 17t1 and 17t2 are formed in a semi-cylindrical shape with the lower part opened and one side extended downward as described above, and the columnar protrusion provided on the lid member 16 The food tray 17 is fixed to the lid member 16 by engaging with 16g1 and 16g2, and is interlocked with the opening / closing operation of the lid member 16. Further, an attachment claw 17t3 that opens upward is provided on the upper part of the attachment claw 17t2, and a columnar protrusion 16g3 is provided upward by a predetermined distance U from the bottom surface 17t4 of the attachment claw 17t3.

  A stop rib 16j extends horizontally from the central portion 16c2 of the lid member 16 toward the recess 17f of the food tray 17, and a stopper 17n extends horizontally from the recess 17f of the food tray 17 toward the lid member 16. The upper surface of the stopper 17n is in a positional relationship with the lower surface of the system stop rib 16j. Since the lid member 16 is locked so as not to move downward with respect to the food tray 17 by the fitting of the system retaining rib 16j and the stopper 17n, the food tray 17 and the lid member 16 are fixed as shown in FIGS. Is done.

  Next, the operation | movement which removes the cover member 16 from the food tray 17 is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 33, when a force is applied in the direction of the arrow 18 by placing a finger on the center upper end of the concave portion 17f of the food tray 17, the concave portion 17f is deformed and the stopper 17n and the system stop rib 16j are fitted. Come off. Then, the lid member 16 is not supported and is lowered by a distance U as indicated by an arrow 20 until the cylindrical protrusion 16g3 comes into contact with the bottom surface 17t4 of the mounting claw 17t3, and the cylindrical protrusions 16g1, 16g2 are attached to the mounting claws 17t1, 17t2. Deviate from. Here, since the protrusion 16g3 of the lid member 16 is supported by the bottom surface 17t4 of the mounting claw 17t3, the lid member 16 does not come off the food tray 17 and falls unexpectedly.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 34, when the lid member 16 is rotated clockwise as indicated by an arrow, the lid member 16 is rotated around the columnar protrusion 16g3 and is subsequently moved upward as shown in FIG. The lid member 16 can be removed from the food tray 17.

  Next, an example of the attachment procedure will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 36, the surface of the lid member 16 on which the packing 16p is attached is lowered toward the food tray 17 in a substantially horizontal state so as to face downward, and as shown in FIG. The wall surface H1 is hooked on the upper end 17f1 of the recess 17f of the food tray 17. Here, since the distance r1 from the upper end 17f1 to the protrusion 16g3 and the dimension r2 from the mounting claw 17t3 to the upper end 17f1 are substantially equal, the lid member 16 is continuously centered on the upper end 17f1 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 39, the protrusion 16g3 is introduced into the groove of the mounting claw 17t3. If the width in the vicinity of the upper surface of the mounting claw 17t3 is widened, it becomes a guide when the protrusion 16g3 is introduced, and the operation is smoother and more suitable.

  Next, FIG. 40 shows a state in which the lid member 16 is rotated around the protrusion 16g3 counterclockwise in the direction of the arrow until the lid member 16 becomes vertical. The lid member 16 has the protrusion 16g3 on the bottom surface 17t4 of the mounting claw 17t3. It is in the state of being placed. Next, as shown in FIG. 41, when the lid member 16 is moved in the direction of the arrow 21 from below, the protrusions 16g1 and 16g2 are fitted into the mounting claws 17t1 and 17t2, respectively. When the stopper inclined surface 17p is pushed by the system stop rib 16j, the concave portion 17f is once bent as indicated by a broken line 17f 'and then restored by elasticity so that the upper surface of the stopper 17n is fitted with the lower surface of the system stop rib 16j. Positional relationship. The state shown in FIG. 41 is the same as that shown in FIG. 32, and the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 are in the state shown in FIGS.

  Since it is the above configuration, only the food tray 17 can be easily detached and reattached, so that it is possible to provide an easy-to-use refrigerator in which only the food tray 17 can be easily washed, for example.

  According to the present invention, the resin molded product obtained by dividing the outer shell member 14 into upper and lower parts is hermetically sealed so that the inner volume of the outer shell member is expanded without being limited to a tapered shape from the opening. In addition, there is an effect that the strength can be secured by making the dome shape convex further outward.

  In the present invention, as shown by the dividing surface 142a in FIG. 8, the dividing surface is gradually moved rearward from the vicinity of the upper surface of the opening 140r toward the rear so as to become a plane connecting the substantially central portion of the rear wall of the outer member 14 of the rear wall 140d. If the upper case 141 is tilted so as to be lowered, the thickness 141t can be appropriately secured without being thin. Since the dividing surface 142a is an inclined plane, even if a positional deviation occurs between the upper case 141 and the lower case 140, there is no change in the close contact state. That is, since the surfaces of the joint portions are flat, accuracy is easily obtained, and airtightness is easily maintained even if the positional relationship between the upper case 141 and the lower case 140 is low.

  If it is set as said structure, since both the upper case 141 and the lower case 140 can be shape | molded with resin, there exists an effect that the outer shell member 14 can be comprised cheaply.

  Further, since the outer member 14 is formed of a resin molded product, the decompression chamber 13 can be simplified and reduced in weight, and can be configured at low cost.

  In particular, it is preferable to weld the connecting portion between the upper case and the lower case when sealing in an airtight manner, so that seal parts such as rubber packing are unnecessary, and the reliability can be improved and the structure can be further reduced. .

  Since the lid member and the food tray are fixed to each other and opened and closed, and the rack provided on the bottom surface of the food tray and the pair of pinion gears fitted in the recesses provided on the inner bottom surface of the outer shell member are engaged, In order to open and close the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 forward and backward, it is not necessary to provide a rail member or the like, and it is not necessary to provide a part such as a support shaft for supporting the pinion gear. There is an effect that the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 can be opened and closed stably while being kept parallel.

  The lid member 16 is configured such that the pair of racks 17k provided on the bottom surface of the food tray 17 and the pair of pinion gears 15a provided on the bottom surface of the outer member 14 are engaged with each other without being engaged when fully closed. When the cover is closed, the rack and the pinion gear are not meshed with each other, and the lid member 16 closely adheres to the opening 14r, so that the opening 14r is reliably sealed and kept airtight. Moreover, the lid member 16 can move stably while maintaining parallelism when opening and closing. Further, the teeth of the rack 17k that first comes into contact with the pinion gear 15a are made into the triangular teeth 17k2 having a short height, so that there is an effect that the opening and closing operation is smooth.

  Furthermore, since the rack and the pinion gear are configured not to mesh when the lid member 16 and the food tray 17 are closed, the food tray 17 and the lid member 16 can be removed even when the pinion gear 15 is frozen. .

  Furthermore, since only the food tray can be easily detached from the lid member and attached, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use refrigerator that can easily wash only the food tray, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Refrigeration room 3 Ice making room 4 Quick freezing room 5 Freezing room 6 Vegetable room 12 Vacuum pump 13 Decompression room (storage room, gas control room)
14 Outer member 15 Pinion gear 16 Decompression chamber lid (lid member)
17 Food tray 140 Lower case 141 Upper case

Claims (1)

A storage chamber having an opening;
A lid member for opening and closing the opening;
A food tray pulled out together with the lid member,
Said lid member,
And toward system stop rib before Symbol food tray,
A first protrusion that engages with the first mounting claw and fixes the food tray and the lid member;
A second protrusion located at a predetermined distance upward from the bottom surface of the second mounting claw ,
The food tray is
A stopper that locks downward movement of the lid member relative to the food tray in contact with the system stop rib;
A first mounting claw with an open bottom;
A second mounting claw that opens upward ,
When the stopper and the system stop rib are removed, the first protrusion is detached from the first attachment claw, and the bottom surface of the second attachment claw is supported by the second protrusion, and the lid member Is rotatable about the second protrusion.