JP7371469B2 - Egg storage containers and refrigerators - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an egg storage container and a refrigerator.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology in which an egg storage plate provided in an egg storage case provided in a refrigerator is configured such that an egg storage plate having a plurality of recesses is inclined so as to become higher toward the back of the case part. There is.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-105581

In the egg storage case of Patent Document 1, after eggs are taken out from the recess on the front side that is easy to reach, when new eggs are replenished into the recess, the problem is that old eggs in the recess at the back remain forever. There is.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an egg storage container that makes it easy to take out eggs in the order in which they are replenished, and a refrigerator equipped with the egg storage container. shall be.

The egg storage container according to the present invention includes a first egg holding part in which a plurality of first recesses into which the eggs are placed are lined up in the horizontal direction, and a second recess into which the eggs are placed, which is located behind the first egg holding part, and in which a second recess into which the eggs are placed is arranged laterally. A plurality of second egg holding parts arranged side by side, an egg transport path serving as a passage for the eggs to move from the second recess to the first recess, and an egg transfer path that serves as a passage for the eggs to move from the second recess to the first recess, and an egg transfer path that serves as a passage for eggs to move from the second recess to the first recess. an egg delivery mechanism that sends out the eggs in the second recess to the egg transport path so that the eggs in the second recess move through the egg transport path to the first recess; and an elastic part that can move the movable part from bottom to top by elastic force, and the movable part has a first receiving part that receives the egg that has entered the first recess, and a first receiving part that receives the egg that has entered the second recess. a second receiving part for receiving an egg, and a connecting part for connecting the first receiving part and the second receiving part, and when an egg is contained in both the first recess and the second recess, the load of the egg is applied. When the movable part is displaced downward and the egg in the first recess is removed from the state where eggs are contained in both the first recess and the second recess, the load is reduced and the movable part When the movable part rises due to the elastic force, the second receiving part pushes up the egg in the second recess and sends it out to the egg transport path.
Moreover, the refrigerator according to the present invention is equipped with the above-mentioned egg storage container.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an egg storage container that makes it easy to take out eggs in the order in which they are replenished, and a refrigerator equipped with the egg storage container.

1 is a perspective view of an egg storage container according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a door pocket of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 2 and an egg storage container disposed in the door pocket. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the egg storage container. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the egg storage container. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the egg storage container. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the egg storage container. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the egg storage container. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an egg storage container according to a second embodiment.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Common or corresponding elements in each figure are given the same reference numerals, and common explanations are simplified or omitted. Note that each figure is a schematic diagram, and the dimensional relationships, shapes, etc. of the constituent members shown in the figures may differ from the actual ones.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an egg storage container according to a first embodiment. The egg storage container 1 of this embodiment is, for example, a container for storing chicken eggs. However, the egg storage container in the present disclosure may be adapted to store eggs from birds other than chickens. In the following description, chicken eggs and the like stored in the egg storage container 1 will be simply referred to as "eggs".

As shown in FIG. 1, the egg storage container 1 of this embodiment includes a first egg holding part 2 and a second egg holding part 3. FIG. 1 is a diagram of an egg storage container 1 viewed diagonally from the front. In the following description, a direction that is perpendicular and horizontal to the front-rear direction of the egg storage container 1 will be referred to as a "lateral direction." The first egg holding part 2 has a plurality of first recesses 4 arranged in the horizontal direction. An egg can be placed in each first recess 4. The second egg holding part 3 is located behind the first egg holding part 2. The second egg holding part 3 has a plurality of second recesses 5 arranged in the horizontal direction. An egg can be placed in each second recess 5.

In the illustrated example, the first egg holding part 2 has five first recesses 4. The second egg holding part 3 has five second recesses 5. That is, the egg storage container 1 can store a total of 10 eggs. Although the number of first recesses 4 and second recesses 5 is not limited to this, the number of second recesses 5 is the same as the number of first recesses 4. The egg storage container 1 further includes an egg transport path 6. The egg transport path 6 serves as a path for eggs to move from the second recess 5 to the first recess 4.

The egg storage container 1 has, for example, one casing, and a plurality of first recesses 4, a plurality of second recesses 5, and a plurality of egg transport paths 6 are formed on the upper surface of the casing. It's okay.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the door pocket of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 2 and the egg storage container 1 placed in the door pocket. As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment has a heat insulating box with an open front side. A space that is insulated from the outside is formed inside the insulating box. Typically, a heat insulating box body has an outer box made of metal, an inner box made of resin, and a heat insulating material filled in the space between the outer box and the inner box. The space inside the heat insulating box is partitioned by one or more partition members, thereby forming a plurality of storage chambers in which foods and the like can be stored. At the front of the refrigerator 100, doors for each storage compartment are provided. The door of each storage room may be configured to open by rotating around a hinge, or may be configured to open by pulling it out toward the front, for example. Refrigerator 100 of this embodiment includes a refrigerator compartment 101, an ice-making compartment 102, a switching compartment 103, a freezing compartment 104, and a vegetable compartment 105 as a plurality of storage compartments. Note that the type, number, arrangement, and shape of the storage chambers included in refrigerator 100 are not limited to the illustrated configuration.

The refrigerator 100 has a first door 106 and a second door 107 as doors of the refrigerator compartment 101. The first door 106 and the second door 107 are double-sided doors. FIG. 2 shows the first door 106 and the second door 107 in an open state. A plurality of door pockets 108 are installed on the inner surface of the first door 106. A plurality of door pockets 109 are installed on the inner surface of the second door 107.

As shown in FIG. 3, the egg storage container 1 is placed in one door pocket 108. In the example shown in FIG. 3, eggs E are stored in each of the first recess 4 and second recess 5 at the left end in the figure, and the other first recess 4 and second recess 5 are empty. . In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the egg storage container 1 is placed in the door pocket 108 of the refrigerator 100, but in the present disclosure, the egg storage container may be placed in other positions of the refrigerator 100. For example, the egg storage container may be placed on a shelf 110 provided inside the refrigerator compartment 101.

A cooling mechanism (not shown) is provided on the back side of the refrigerator 100 to supply cold air into each storage compartment. The cooling mechanism includes a compressor (not shown), an evaporator (not shown), a blower fan (not shown), and an air path (not shown), and the operation of these controls the overall operation of the refrigerator 100. It is controlled by a control unit (not shown). The compressor and evaporator, together with a condenser (not shown) and an expansion valve (capillary tube) (not shown), constitute a refrigeration cycle and generate cold air supplied to each storage compartment. The cold air generated by the compressor and evaporator is blown into the air passage by a blowing fan, and is supplied from the air passage to each room through a damper.

4 to 8 are cross-sectional side views of the egg storage container 1. That is, FIGS. 4 to 8 correspond to views of the egg storage container 1 cut along a plane perpendicular to the lateral direction. In FIG. 4, eggs E are contained in each of a pair of first recesses 4 and second recesses 5 that are lined up in the front-rear direction. Each of the first recess 4 and the second recess 5 has a shape into which a part of the egg E can fit.

Generally, the shape of the egg E has a central axis, a sharp end on one end of the central axis, and a blunt end on the other end of the central axis. The blunt end is the rounded end. There is an air chamber inside the blunt end. A sharp end is an end that is more pointed than a blunt end. Note that the dimensions, shape, physical characteristics, etc. of each part of the egg storage container 1 in this embodiment are adapted to, for example, an egg E having an average shape, dimension, and weight for a medium-sized chicken egg. It's okay.

The shape of each of the first recess 4 and the second recess 5 may be adapted so that the egg E is held in a posture in which the central axis of the egg E is vertical, that is, vertical. Placing the egg E with the central axis vertical is hereinafter referred to as "vertical placement."

On the other hand, each of the first recess 4 and the second recess 5 is designed to hold the egg E in a position where the central axis of the egg E is parallel to the lateral direction, that is, with the central axis of the egg E being horizontal. , its shape may be adapted. Placing the egg E with its central axis horizontal is hereinafter referred to as "horizontal placement."

When each of the first recess 4 and the second recess 5 is adapted to allow the egg E to be placed vertically, the following effects can be obtained. Due to the nature of eggs E, they can maintain their freshness longer if placed vertically than if placed horizontally. Moreover, it is easier to grasp the egg E when taking it out when it is placed vertically than when it is placed horizontally.

The freshness of the eggs E can be further maintained especially when the eggs are stored with the air chambers facing upward. Therefore, each of the first recess 4 and the second recess 5 may have a shape adapted to hold the egg E with the blunt end facing upward. By doing so, it becomes easier to store the egg E in the first recess 4 and the second recess 5 with the air chamber facing upward.

In the following, for convenience of explanation, the egg E in the first recess 4 in FIG. 4 may be referred to as "egg E1", and the egg E in the second recess 5 in FIG. 4 may be referred to as "egg E2". be. Furthermore, when there is no need to distinguish between the egg E1 and the egg E2, they are simply referred to as egg E.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the second recess 5 is located at a higher position than the first recess 4. That is, assuming that the egg E1 and the egg E2 have exactly the same shape and dimensions, the center of gravity of the egg E2 held in the second recess 5 is higher than the center of gravity of the egg E1 held in the first recess 4. Become.

In this embodiment, the second recess 5 is located at a higher position than the first recess 4, so that the following effects can be obtained. The user can easily see not only the first recess 4 and the egg E1 on the front side, but also the second recess 5 and the egg E2 on the back side. Therefore, the storage status of eggs E in the entire egg storage container 1 can be easily checked without making any mistakes.

In this embodiment, the egg E1 held in the first recess 4 has a portion above the vertical center position outside the first recess 4. Thereby, the user can easily grasp the egg E1 held in the first recess 4 by hand. The egg E2 held in the second recess 5 has a portion above the vertical center position outside the second recess 5. Thereby, the user can easily and reliably visually recognize the egg E2 held in the second recess 5.

The egg transport path 6 is formed to connect the front edge of the second recess 5 and the rear edge of the first recess 4. The egg transport path 6 has grooves or rails that guide the movement of the eggs E. In this embodiment, the egg transport path 6 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so as to become lower toward the front. Due to this inclination, the egg transport path 6 can transport the eggs E more smoothly and reliably using gravity.

The egg storage container 1 includes an egg delivery mechanism 7. The egg delivery mechanism 7 is arranged so that when the egg E1 contained in the first recess 4 is taken out, the egg E2 contained in the second recess 5 moves to the first recess 4 through the egg transport path 6. This is a mechanism for sending out the egg E2 contained in the second recess 5 to the egg transport path 6. The egg delivery mechanism 7 includes a movable part 8 that can move up and down, and an elastic part 9 that can move the movable part 8 from the bottom to the top using elastic force.

The movable part 8 includes a first receiving part 8a for receiving the egg E1 in the first recess 4, a second receiving part 8b for receiving the egg E2 in the second recess 5, and a first receiving part 8a and a second receiving part 8b for receiving the egg E2 in the second recess 5. It includes a connecting part 8c that connects the two receiving parts 8b. The first receiving portion 8a is arranged within the first recess 4. The first receiving portion 8a contacts the egg E1 from below. The contact surface of the first receiving portion 8a with respect to the egg E1 is a curved concave surface corresponding to the convex shape of the surface of the egg E1. The second receiving portion 8b is arranged within the second recess 5. The second receiving portion 8b contacts the egg E2 from below. The contact surface of the second receiving portion 8b with respect to the egg E2 is a curved concave surface corresponding to the convex shape of the surface of the egg E2.

The connecting portion 8c and the elastic portion 9 are arranged inside the housing of the egg storage container 1. The connecting portion 8c passes through a hole formed at the bottom of the first recess 4 and is connected to the first receiving portion 8a. The connecting portion 8c passes through a hole formed at the bottom of the second recess 5 and is connected to the second receiving portion 8b.

The elastic portion 9 includes, for example, a spring. In the illustrated example, the elastic part 9 has a coil spring, but the type of spring is not particularly limited. In the illustrated example, the connecting portion 8c includes a base portion connected to the elastic portion 9, a first protruding portion that protrudes upward from the base portion and connects to the first receiving portion 8a, and a second protruding portion that protrudes upward from the base portion and connects to the first receiving portion 8a. It has a second protrusion part connected to part 8b. In the state shown in FIG. 4, the elastic portion 9 is in a compressed state. The elastic force of the elastic part 9 acts in a direction to move the movable part 8 from the bottom to the top.

The first receiving part 8a, the second receiving part 8b, and the connecting part 8c of the movable part 8 move up and down together. At this time, the first receiving portion 8a moves up and down within the first recess 4. The second receiving portion 8b moves up and down within the second recess 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, when eggs E1 and E2 are contained in both the first recess 4 and the second recess 5, the loads of the two eggs E1 and E2 act on the elastic part 9. The elastic portion 9 is deformed by the load, and the movable portion 8 is displaced downward. At this time, elastic energy is stored in the elastic portion 9.

When the user takes out the egg E1 contained in the first recess 4 from the state shown in FIG. 4, the load acting on the elastic part 9 is reduced by the amount of the egg E1. As a result, the movable part 8 is raised by the elastic force of the elastic part 9. FIG. 5 shows the state at the moment the egg E1 is taken out. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the movable part 8 has been raised thereafter. As shown in FIG. 6, when the egg E1 is taken out and the movable part 8 rises, the second receiving part 8b rises, and the second receiving part 8b pushes up the egg E2 that has entered the second recessed part 5. The eggs are sent to the egg transport path 6. FIG. 7 shows a state immediately after the second receiving portion 8b sends out the egg E2 to the egg transport path 6. The depth and shape of the second recess 5 and the shape of the second receptacle 8b are adjusted so that when the second receptacle 8b rises, the egg E2 comes out of the second recess 5 and rolls into the forward egg transport path 6. has been adapted.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the egg E2 is rolling on the egg transport path 6. After passing through the egg transport path 6, the egg E2 enters the first recess 4. Since the grooves or rails of the egg transport path 6 guide the movement of the egg E2, the egg E2 is guided to the first recess 4 without coming off the egg transport path 6. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the egg E2 has entered the first recess 4.

When the egg E2 enters the first recess 4 from the egg transport path 6, the first receiving portion 8a receives the egg E2. Then, the load of the egg E2 acts on the elastic part 9 and the elastic part 9 is deformed, so that the first receiving part 8a moves downward. In this way, the first receiving part 8a is displaced by the elasticity of the elastic part 9, so that the force acting on the egg E2 when the first receiving part 8a receives the egg E2 can be reliably relaxed. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the egg E2 from breaking.

As explained above, in this embodiment, when the egg E1 in the first recess 4 is taken out, the egg E2 in the second recess 5 is automatically moved to the first recess 4. . As a result, the second recess 5 is automatically emptied. When the user takes out the egg E from the egg storage container 1 and uses it, the user takes out the egg E from the first recess 4 on the front side where it can be easily taken out. When replenishing the egg storage container 1 with eggs E, the user replenishes the empty second recess 5 with the eggs E. By doing so, the user can easily take out the eggs E in the order in which they are replenished into the egg storage container 1. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent old eggs E from remaining in the egg storage container 1.

In this embodiment, since the second recess 5 is located higher than the first recess 4, it is easy for the user to visually recognize when the second recess 5 is empty. Therefore, the user can easily replenish the second recess 5 with eggs E. The user only needs to take out the eggs E from the first recess 4 on the front side and use them, and there is no need to rearrange the eggs E in the egg storage container 1 by changing their arrangement.

In the present embodiment, the connecting portion 8d between the second receiving portion 8b and the connecting portion 8c is located at a position shifted rearward from the center of the second receiving portion 8b in the front-rear direction. This provides the following effects. As shown in FIG. 6, when the second receiving part 8b pushes up the egg E2, the second receiving part 8b pushes the egg E2 at a position closer to the rear, so the egg E2 can be rolled forward more reliably. . Therefore, the eggs E2 can be sent to the egg transport path 6 more reliably.

The egg transport path 6 may have a length such that the egg E2 rotates once when the egg E2 rolls from the second recess 5 through the egg transport path 6 and moves to the first recess 4. For example, when the egg E is placed vertically, the length of the egg transport path 6 may be set to correspond to the circumference of the egg E at a position intersecting a plane containing the central axis of the egg E. Thereby, when the egg E2 moves from the second recess 5 to the first recess 4, the egg E2 can be rotated once. In this case, the following effects can be obtained. Even after the egg E2 held in the second recess 5 with the air chamber facing upward moves to the first recess 4, the egg E2 remains in a posture with the air chamber facing upward. Therefore, the freshness of the egg E2 after moving to the first recess 4 can be maintained for a longer period of time.

In order to prevent the egg E2 from slipping when rolling on the egg transport path 6, a material with a high coefficient of friction, such as rubber, may be placed on the surface of the egg transport path 6.

The shape of each of the first recess 4 and the second recess 5 may be adapted to hold the horizontally placed egg E. When the eggs E are placed horizontally, the eggs E rotate around the central axis and roll on the egg transport path 6, so there is an advantage that the eggs E are transported more smoothly.

Embodiment 2.
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment described above. to simplify or omit common explanations. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an egg storage container according to the second embodiment.

The egg storage container 10 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 9 is placed on a shelf 110 provided inside a cold storage compartment 101 of a refrigerator 100. The egg storage container 10 further includes a third egg holding part 11 located behind the second egg holding part 3. The third egg holding part 11 has three third recesses 12 arranged in the horizontal direction. An egg can be placed in each third recess 12. The first egg holding part 2 in the egg storage container 10 has three first recesses 4. The second egg holding part 3 has three second recesses 5. That is, the egg storage container 10 can store a total of nine eggs.

The third recess 12 is located at a higher position than the second recess 5. The egg storage container 10 includes an egg transport path 13 formed between the third recess 12 and the second recess 5. The egg transport path 13 serves as a passage for eggs moving from the third recess 12 to the second recess 5.

Although not shown, the egg delivery mechanism 7 of the egg storage container 10 is configured so that when the eggs in the first recess 4 are taken out, the eggs in the second recess 5 pass through the egg transport path 6. The eggs in the second recess 5 are sent out to the egg transport path 6 so as to move to the first recess 4, and the eggs in the third recess 12 are moved to the second recess 5 through the egg transport path 13. The egg contained in the third recess 12 is sent out to the egg transport path 13 in such a manner. For example, the movable part 8 of the egg delivery mechanism 7 in the present embodiment further includes a third receiving part for receiving the egg in the third recess 12, and the third receiving part is connected to the connecting part 8c. But that's fine.

If the horizontal direction is defined as a "row direction" and the front-back direction is defined as a "column direction", eggs can be arranged in the egg storage container 10 in 3 rows x 3 columns. Moreover, the egg storage container 1 of Embodiment 1 can arrange eggs in 2 rows x 5 columns. When M and N are each arbitrary natural numbers of 2 or more, the egg storage container according to the present disclosure is configured so that eggs can be arranged in N rows x M columns depending on the location in the refrigerator 100. be able to. The egg storage container according to the present disclosure preferably has a theater-like structure in which the position of the recess becomes higher toward the rear.

Although Embodiments 1 and 2 have been described above, the egg storage container and refrigerator according to the present disclosure are not limited to the embodiments. For example, the egg transport path is not limited to being sloped downward toward the front, but may be horizontal. In this case, the eggs can roll and move along the egg transport path due to inertia when the eggs are pushed out by the egg delivery mechanism. Further, the egg delivery mechanism is not limited to one configured to be operated by an elastic portion, but may be configured to be operated electrically. For example, when the egg delivery mechanism detects that the egg on the front side has been taken out using an infrared sensor or by processing an image taken with a camera, the egg on the back side is removed using an electric actuator. It may be configured to be sent out to a conveyance path.

1 egg storage container, 2 first egg holding part, 3 second egg holding part, 4 first recessed part, 5 second recessed part, 6 egg transport path, 7 egg delivery mechanism, 8 movable part, 8a first egg receiving part, 8b second egg receiving part, 8c connecting part, 8d connecting part, 9 elastic part, 10 egg storage container, 11 third egg holding part, 12 third recessed part, 13 egg transport path, 100 refrigerator, 101 refrigerator room, 102 ice making chamber, 103 switching room, 104 freezing room, 105 vegetable compartment, 106 first door, 107 second door, 108 door pocket, 109 door pocket, 110 shelf

Claims (8)

a first egg holding part in which a plurality of first recesses into which eggs are placed are arranged horizontally;
a second egg holding part located behind the first egg holding part and having a plurality of second recesses arranged in the horizontal direction for receiving eggs;
an egg transport path that serves as a path for eggs to move from the second recess to the first recess;
The egg contained in the second recess is such that when the egg contained in the first recess is removed, the egg contained in the second recess moves to the first recess through the egg transport path. an egg delivery mechanism that sends out the egg to the egg transport path;
Equipped with
The egg delivery mechanism includes a movable part that can move up and down, and an elastic part that can move the movable part from bottom to top by elastic force,
The movable part includes a first receiving part for receiving the egg in the first recess, a second receiving part for receiving the egg in the second recess, and the first receiving part and the second receiving part. A connecting part that connects the
When an egg is contained in both the first recess and the second recess, the movable part is displaced downward by the load of the egg,
When the egg in the first recess is removed from both the first recess and the second recess, the load is reduced and the movable part is moved by the elastic force. rise,
When the movable part rises, the second receiving part pushes up the eggs in the second recess and sends them out to the egg transport path. The egg storage container according to claim 1 , wherein a connecting portion between the second receiving portion and the connecting portion is located at a position offset from the center of the second receiving portion in the front-rear direction. The egg storage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second recess is located at a higher position than the first recess. The egg storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein each of the first recess and the second recess holds the egg in a position where the central axis of the egg is vertical. The egg storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein each of the first recess and the second recess holds the egg in a position where the central axis of the egg is parallel to the lateral direction. The egg transport path has a length such that the egg makes one revolution when the egg rolls from the second recess to the first recess. The egg storage container described in item (1) above. The egg storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the egg transport path has a groove or a rail for guiding the movement of eggs. A refrigerator comprising the egg storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 7 .

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