JP6788452B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to refrigerators.

Conventionally, there is known a refrigerator provided with an internal storage chamber such as a so-called chilled chamber that can be set in a temperature zone different from that of the refrigerator compartment (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 5845435

However, conventionally, the storage room in the refrigerator is indirectly illuminated by the lighting that illuminates the refrigerating room, and in actual use, the foodstuffs are placed on the shelf board of the refrigerator, and the storage room in the refrigerator is stored. Since the room also contained foodstuffs, it was not possible to sufficiently illuminate the storage room inside the refrigerator.
Therefore, we provide a refrigerator that can sufficiently illuminate the storage room in the refrigerator.

The refrigerator of the embodiment has a refrigerator compartment, an internal storage chamber which is provided in the refrigerator compartment and can be set to a temperature zone different from the refrigerator compartment, and a ceiling of the internal storage chamber which is the rear side of the internal storage chamber. It is provided below the plate and includes a lighting device that illuminates the refrigerator compartment from the rear side by irradiating light toward the front.

The figure which shows typically the refrigerator of an embodiment The figure which shows typically the structure of the chilled room as the storage room in a refrigerator. The figure which shows typically the arrangement of a lighting device The figure which shows the structure of the lighting apparatus schematically The figure which shows typically the circuit board provided with LED as a light source.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.
As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 is composed of a cabinet having heat insulating properties, and a refrigerating room 2 and a vegetable room 3 are provided in this order from the top, and an ice making room 4 is provided under the vegetable room 3. And the upper freezing chamber 5 are provided side by side, and the lower freezing chamber 6 is provided at the lowermost part. Of these, the upper refrigerating chamber 2 and the vegetable compartment 3 are storage chambers in the refrigerating temperature zone, and the ice making chamber 4, the upper freezing chamber 5 and the lower freezing chamber 6 are storage chambers in the freezing temperature zone. Further, a chilled chamber 8 described later is provided at the bottom of the refrigerating chamber.

The chilled chamber 8 corresponds to an internal storage chamber that can be set in a temperature zone different from that of the refrigerator compartment 2, and has a width sufficient to hang from the right end side of the refrigerator 1 to a part of the left door 2a, and the refrigerator compartment 2 It is formed in the depth from the rear end to the front end. Further, the chilled chamber 8 is provided so as to be located below the height of a general adult's line of sight.

As is well known, the refrigerating room 2, the vegetable room 3, the ice making room 4, the upper freezing room 5 and the lower freezing room 6 have a front opening, and the front opening is opened and closed by a door. Specifically, the refrigerating chambers 2 are provided side by side, and the front opening is opened and closed by a left door 2a that rotates about the left end side and a right door 2b that rotates about the right end side. Further, the vegetable compartment 3, the ice making chamber 4, the upper freezing chamber 5 and the lower freezing chamber 6 are opened at the front by a pull-out vegetable chamber door 3a, an ice making chamber door 4a, an upper freezing chamber door 5a and a lower freezing chamber door 6a. Is opened and closed. The vegetable room door 3a, the ice making room door 4a, the upper freezing room door 5a, and the lower freezing room door 6a are provided with storage containers that are pulled out together with the doors, although not shown.

An operation panel 7 is provided on the left door 2a. The operation panel 7 functions as a display unit that displays the operating state of the refrigerator 1 and the operation mode set by the user. Further, the operation panel 7 is provided with an electrostatic touch pad (not shown), and also functions as an operation unit that receives a user's touch operation.
Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the chilled chamber 8 is arranged below the top plate 9 and the top plate 9, and is located below the upper container 10 and the upper container 10 which are storage containers that can be pulled out forward, that is, to the left side in the drawing. A lower container 11 that is arranged and can be pulled out forward is provided. Further, although not shown, a shelf board formed above the top plate 9 by a transparent member such as glass or a resin material, and for placing foodstuffs or the like to be stored in the refrigerating chamber 2 is provided. A heat insulating partition plate that separates the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 3 is provided below the lower container 11.

That is, the chilled chamber 8 is the lowermost stage in the refrigerating chamber 2, and is provided in a space surrounded by the shelf plate of the refrigerating chamber 2, the heat insulating partition plate, and the cold air chamber cover 12 described later. Further, as schematically shown in FIG. 1, the chilled chamber 8 has a width dimension longer than a height dimension and is formed to be wider in the lateral direction.

The top plate 9 of the chilled chamber 8 is formed in a plate shape, and is provided substantially horizontally so that its rear end abuts on the cold air chamber cover 12. In the case of the present embodiment, the top plate 9 is provided with a transparent portion formed of, for example, glass or a resin material, at least in a part thereof. Therefore, when foodstuffs or the like are not placed on the shelves of the refrigerating room 2 or when the amount thereof is small, for example, the interior lighting for the refrigerating room that irradiates white light illuminates the inside of the chilled room 8. The inside of the chilled chamber 8 can be visually recognized through the shelf plate and the top plate 9.

The front end of the top plate 9 is provided with a lid member 13 that is rotatable around the vicinity of the end on the top plate 9 side and opens and closes the front opening of the chilled chamber 8. In the state where the upper container 10 is housed in the chilled chamber 8, the lid member 13 opens the front opening of the chilled chamber 8 by the end portion opposite to the top plate 9 and the handle portion 10a of the upper container 10. It will be almost closed. On the other hand, when the upper container 10 is pulled out, the lid member 13 is rotated upward by the left and right wall portions of the upper container 10 which is formed so as to project upward, and does not hinder the pulling out of the upper container 10. become. The lid member 13 is set to have a width over substantially the entire width direction of the chilled chamber 8.

The upper container 10 is formed of a transparent member such as a resin material. The bottom of the upper container 10 is provided with a dish member 14 having a size that substantially covers the entire bottom. The dish member 14 is made of a metal material, for example, aluminum in the present embodiment, and is capable of reflecting light on its surface.

Further, the upper container 10 is instructed from both the left and right sides by a support portion (not shown), and can be pulled out separately from the lower container 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper container 10 is formed with a recess 10b recessed on the front side at a substantially center in the left-right direction at the rear end portion on the cold air chamber cover 12 side.
The lower container 11 is formed of a transparent member such as a resin material. Further, the lower container is supported by a support portion (not shown) so that it can be pulled out from both the left and right sides.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cold air chamber cover 12 provided behind the chilled chamber 8 is formed in a shape protruding forward, and inside the cold air chamber cover 12 for generating cold air to be supplied to the chilled chamber 8. A cold air chamber 15 is formed. The cold air generated in the cold air chamber 15 is distributed into the chilled chamber 8 from the supply port 12a provided below the top plate 9 by being distributed by a damper mechanism (not shown).

On the front surface of the cold air chamber cover 12, a lighting device 16 that lights up when at least one of the left door 2a or the right door 2b of the refrigerating chamber 2 is opened to illuminate the inside of the chilled chamber 8 is provided. The lighting device 16 is provided between the transparent upper container 10 provided in the chilled chamber 8 and the cold air chamber cover 12 and is located on the rear side of the chilled chamber 8. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the lighting device 16 is arranged in a space formed between the recess 10b formed at the rear end of the upper container 10 and the cold air chamber cover 12.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lighting device 16 is formed to have a height dimension approximately equal to the height dimension of the upper container 10, and is formed from the above space, that is, the upper container 10. The inside of the chilled chamber 8 is illuminated from the rear side from the position corresponding to the recess 10b. Since the upper container 10 is transparent, the inside of the chilled chamber 8 can be illuminated even if the lighting device 16 is provided on the rear side of the upper container 10.

The lighting device 16 is configured to illuminate the inside of the chilled chamber 8 using the LED 18 (see FIG. 4) provided on the circuit board 17 (see FIG. 2) housed therein as a light source. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the lighting device 16 is a cover member 19 formed of, for example, a resin material, and has an opening 19a formed in a flat front surface portion for irradiating light from the ED 18 to the outside. The window member 20 is made of a translucent material such as a resin material and is attached to the back surface side of the cover member 19 to close the opening 19a.

The opening 19a of the cover member 19 is formed so that the upper end is located below the upper end of the upper container 10 and the lower end is located above the lower end of the upper container 10. That is, the lighting device 16 has a structure of irradiating light from within the height dimension of the upper container 10.
The window member 20 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape having an outer shape larger than that of the opening 19a, and the upper end thin portion 20a on both the left and right sides is fitted into a fitting portion (not shown) provided on the back surface of the cover member 19, and the lower end is formed. The flange portion 20b formed so as to project rearward to the side engages with the engaging portion 19b provided on the back surface of the cover member 19, so that the opening 19a is pressed against the back surface of the cover member 19. It has a structure that closes the window.

At this time, a seal member 21 is provided between the back surface of the cover member 19 and the window member 20 to fill the space between the cover member 19 and the window member 20 in an airtight and watertight manner by plastically deforming. This makes it possible to make the inside of the lighting device 16 a closed space, prevent dew condensation on the back surface side of the LED 18 and the window member 20, ensure electrical safety, and when water droplets adhere to the back surface side. It is possible to prevent obstruction of lighting effects such as uneven lighting. Although not shown, the space between the cover member 19 and the cold air chamber cover 12 is also watertight and airtight.

Further, in the window member 20, a diffusion portion 20c for diffusing the light from the LED 18 is formed at a portion corresponding to the opening 19a. In the case of the present embodiment, the diffusion portion 20c is formed by a plurality of groove portions 20d extending in the vertical direction, and diffuses the light from the LED 18 in the horizontal direction, that is, in the width direction of the chilled chamber 8. As a result, the lighting device 16 arranged at a substantially central position on the rear side of the chilled chamber 8 can illuminate almost the entire area in the wide chilled chamber 8. The diffusion unit 20c also functions as a blindfold to prevent the user from directly viewing the LED 18.

Further, the window member 20 is attached to the back surface of the cover member 19 by the aluminum tape 22. The surface of the aluminum tape 22 has a metallic luster, and light is efficiently reflected. Therefore, the aluminum tape 22 not only functions as a fixing member for fixing the window member 20, but also functions as an internal reflection member that reflects the light of the LED 18 inside the lighting device 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, a circuit board 17 is housed inside the lighting device 16. As shown in FIG. 4, the circuit board 17 is provided with an LED 18 as a light source on the surface thereof. In the case of the present embodiment, the circuit board 17 is provided with three LEDs 18a to 18c, the LED 18a irradiates white light, the LED 18b emits blue light, and the LED 18c irradiates white light. When these LEDs 18a to 18c are turned on, cold blue light is generated. Moreover, since blue and white are mixed, light blue light is generated instead of a single color. Although not shown, the circuit board 17 is also provided with a drive circuit for the LED 18 and a connector for connecting to a control unit (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the circuit board 17 is arranged substantially horizontally with the LEDs 18a to 18c facing upward and the longitudinal direction thereof along the width direction of the chilled chamber 8. That is, the irradiation direction of the light source and the direction in which the light is emitted from the opening 19a, that is, the illumination device 16 are different from each other.
Further, the circuit board 17 is arranged so as to be located below the lower end of the opening 19a of the cover member 19. Therefore, it is suppressed that the light from the LEDs 18a to 18c is directly emitted forward, and even if the LEDs 18a to 18c generally irradiate the light having high brightness, the light is diffused by the diffusing portion 20c. At the same time, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the brightness is locally increased and the positions of the LEDs 18a to 18c are grasped by the user and the lighting effect is hindered.

Further, in the case of the present embodiment, since the interior lighting of the refrigerator compartment 2 is set to substantially white light, the lighting device 16 has a color different from the interior lighting of the refrigerator compartment 2 and is more bluish. It will irradiate the light. This makes it possible to visually indicate to the user that the chilled chamber 8 can be set to a lower temperature than the refrigerating chamber 2.

According to the refrigerator 1 described above, the following effects can be obtained.
The refrigerator 1 is provided in the refrigerating room 2 and the refrigerating room 2, and is a chilled room 8 (internal storage room) that can be set in a temperature zone different from that of the refrigerating room 2 and a rear side of the chilled room 8. A lighting device 16 is provided below the top plate 9 of the chilled chamber 8 and illuminates the inside of the chilled chamber 8 from the rear side by irradiating light toward the front.

As a result, the inside of the chilled chamber 8 can be directly illuminated, and a sufficient amount of light can be secured as compared with the conventional case where the inside of the refrigerating chamber 2 is indirectly illuminated. Further, in the past, when foodstuffs were placed on the shelves of the refrigerator compartment 2, the inside of the chilled chamber 8 could not be sufficiently illuminated, but by providing the chilled chamber 8 with a dedicated lighting device 16. It is possible to illuminate the inside of the chilled chamber 8 regardless of the amount of foodstuffs placed on the shelf board. Therefore, the inside of the chilled chamber 8 can be sufficiently illuminated, and the visibility of the foodstuffs and the like contained in the chilled chamber 8 can be enhanced.

The lighting device 16 has an LED 18 as a light source, a cover member 19 formed with an opening 19a through which light from the LED 18 passes, and a window member 20 formed of a translucent material and closing the opening 19a. In the window member 20, a diffusion portion 20c for diffusing the light from the LED 18 is formed at a portion corresponding to the opening 19a. As a result, the light from the LED 18 is diffused, and the inside of the chilled chamber 8 can be widely illuminated. In addition, it is possible to prevent light from directly reaching the eyes from the lighting device 16 located below the height of a general adult's line of sight, and it is possible to reduce glare.

The diffusion portion 20c is formed by a plurality of groove portions 20d extending in the vertical direction, and diffuses the light from the LED 18 in the horizontal direction. As a result, the inside of the chilled chamber 8 which is formed wide as in the embodiment can be widely illuminated in the lateral direction.

The lighting device 16 includes a seal member 21 that airtightly and watertightly fills the space between the cover member 19 and the window member 20. As a result, the lighting device 16 is sealed, and it is possible to prevent dew condensation on the circuit board 17 and the LED 18 housed therein, and it is possible to prevent dew condensation on the back surface side of the window member 20. Therefore, it is possible to ensure electrical safety and prevent the lighting effect from being hindered due to uneven lighting due to water droplets adhering to the back surface of the window member 20.

The lighting device 16 includes an internal reflection member that reflects light from the LED 18 inside. As a result, the light from the LED 18 is reflected inside the lighting device 16, so that the amount of light emitted to the outside of the lighting device 16, that is, the inside of the chilled chamber 8 is relatively large as compared with the case where the internal reflection member is not provided. can do.
At this time, by using the aluminum tape 22 for fixing the window member 20 as the internal reflection member, the fixing member and the internal reflection member can be used together.

The lighting device 16 is provided between the cold air chamber cover 12 provided behind the chilled chamber 8 and the chilled chamber 8. That is, the lighting device 16 is arranged between the chilled chamber 8 and the chilled chamber 8 in a state in which the irradiated light is not blocked. As a result, the inside of the chilled chamber 8 can be illuminated with a sufficient amount of light.

The upper container 10 (storage container) provided in the chilled chamber 8 is made of a translucent material, and a recess 10b recessed in the front side is formed in the center of the rear portion. The lighting device 16 is provided at a position corresponding to the recess 10b of the upper container 10. As a result, a space for arranging the lighting device 16 can be secured without reducing the storage capacity of the refrigerating chamber 2, and the lighting device 16 can be arranged in the vicinity of the upper container 10 to illuminate the inside of the chilled chamber 8. A sufficient amount of light can be secured.

In the case of the embodiment, for example, an aluminum dish member 14 is placed on the bottom plate of the upper container 10. Then, the lighting device 16 irradiates light from within the height dimension of the upper container 10. Therefore, the light emitted from the lighting device 16 is reflected on the surface of the dish member 14 in the chilled chamber 8. As a result, the inside of the chilled chamber 8 can be further illuminated. Of course, by using the metal material, it is possible to obtain the effect of improving the cooling efficiency of the food material placed on the dish member 14.

Further, the light reflected on the surface of the dish member 14 can be visually recognized through the shelf plates of the top plate 9 and the refrigerating chamber 2. At this time, even if the foodstuff is placed on the shelf board, the light can be visually recognized from the gap. As a result, the existence of the chilled chamber 8 can be appealed to the user, and by encouraging the use of the chilled chamber 8, it becomes possible to provide the foodstuff in a fresh state.

(Other embodiments)
The configuration of the refrigerator 1 illustrated in the embodiment is an example, and the number and arrangement, types, sizes, and the like of the storage chambers may be different. For example, the upper freezing chamber 5 may be a so-called multipurpose chamber whose temperature zone can be changed. Further, in the embodiment, the configuration in which the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened and closed by a double door is exemplified, but a configuration in which the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened and closed by a single door may be used.

In the embodiment, the aluminum tape 22 for fixing the window member 20 is illustrated as the internal reflection member. However, for example, by painting the back surface of the cover member 19 with a paint having a metallic luster, the back surface of the cover member 19 is used as the internal reflection member. You can also do it. Further, the aluminum tape 22 may be provided on the back surface of the cover member 19 other than the periphery of the window member 20.

In the embodiment, a plurality of groove portions 20d extending in the vertical direction are exemplified as the diffusion portion 20c, but the present invention is not limited to this. As long as the diffuser portion 20c has a shape capable of diffusing the light of the LED 18, other shapes such as a corrugated shape, a rectangle, a circle, and a sandblast finish can be adopted. In this case, it is even better if the light from the LED 18 can be diffused in the width direction of the chilled chamber 8. Further, the light source is not limited to the LED 18, and other methods such as an organic EL can be adopted.
In the embodiment, the circuit board 17 is arranged below the lower end of the opening 19a, but it can also be arranged above the upper end of the opening 19a.

An opening may be provided on the lower side of the lighting device 16 to illuminate the lower container 11 side. As a result, the visibility of the foodstuff in the lower container 11 can be improved when the dish member 14 is not placed on the upper container 10.

Each embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The present embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

In the drawing, 1 is a refrigerator, 2 is a refrigerating chamber, 8 is a chilled chamber (internal storage chamber), 10 is an upper container (storage container), 10b is a recess, 11 is a lower container (storage container), and 12 is a cold air chamber cover. , 12a is a supply port, 16 is a lighting device, 18a to 18c are LEDs (light sources), 19 is a cover member, 19a is an opening, 20 is a window member, 20c is a diffuser, 20d is a groove (diffuse), and 21 is a seal. A member, 22 indicates an aluminum tape (internal reflection member).

Claims (6)

Refrigerator room and
An internal storage room provided in the refrigerating room and set to a temperature zone different from that of the refrigerating room,
Lighting provided on the rear side of the internal storage chamber and below the top plate of the internal storage chamber, and having a light source that illuminates the internal storage chamber from the rear side by irradiating light toward the front. With equipment,
The lighting device includes an internal reflecting member that reflects light from the light source inside.
The internal reflection member is a refrigerator which is an aluminum tape for fixing a window member of the lighting device . The lighting device includes a cover member which light from the previous SL source opening passes is formed, is formed of a transparent material, and a said window member for closing the opening,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the window member has a diffusing portion for diffusing light from the light source formed in a portion corresponding to the opening. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the diffusing portion is formed by a plurality of grooves extending in the vertical direction, and diffuses light from the light source in the horizontal direction. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the lighting device includes a seal member that airtightly and watertightly fills the space between the cover member and the window member. A cold air chamber cover provided behind the internal storage chamber for generating cold air and a supply port for supplying the generated cold air to the internal storage chamber is provided.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lighting device is provided between the cold air chamber cover and the internal storage chamber. The internal storage chamber has a storage container formed of a translucent material and having a recessed portion in the center of the rear portion formed on the front side.
The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the lighting device is provided at a position corresponding to the recess of the storage container.

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