JP7409890B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

This embodiment relates to a refrigerator.

In recent years, with the spread of smartphones and tablet terminals, people have come to use their smartphones, for example, while watching videos or music while doing housework in the kitchen. However, since viewing videos and music consumes a relatively large amount of battery, users need to be mindful of the remaining battery power of their smartphones while watching videos and music. Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes that a household refrigerator be provided with a connection part that can be connected to a mobile terminal, etc., so that the mobile terminal can be charged.

JP2016-188760A (Claim 28)

For example, a USB connector is known as an example of a connection unit to which an external device such as a smartphone can be connected. If a household refrigerator is equipped with a USB connector, by connecting a smartphone to the USB connector and receiving power, it will be possible to watch videos and music without worrying about the remaining battery power. However, when installing a connection part in a refrigerator, there is a problem as to where and how to provide the connection part appropriately. In this case, in Patent Document 1, no consideration was given to how to provide the connection portion.
Therefore, a refrigerator is provided in which a connection part to which an external device can be connected can be appropriately disposed.

The refrigerator according to the present embodiment includes a storage chamber provided in a refrigerator main body, a door for opening and closing the storage chamber, and a connecting portion provided in the refrigerator main body or the door to which an external device can be connected. The connecting portion is configured to be able to connect the external device from an oblique direction with respect to a plane forming an outer shell of the refrigerator main body or a plane forming an outer shell of the door.

A front view showing the external appearance of the refrigerator, showing the first embodiment. Vertical right side view schematically showing the overall configuration of the refrigerator Exploded perspective view showing the lower part of the right door of the refrigerator compartment Perspective view showing the lower part of the right door of the refrigerator compartment Front view of the main parts of the right door of the refrigerator compartment showing the USB plug being inserted Bottom view of the main parts of the right door of the refrigerator compartment showing the USB plug being inserted Front view of the main parts of the right door of the refrigerator compartment showing the connection status of the USB plug Bottom view of the main parts of the right door of the refrigerator compartment showing the connection status of the USB plug This shows the second embodiment, and is a front view schematically showing the right door of the refrigerator compartment. A diagram showing a third embodiment and schematically showing a vegetable compartment door. A front view schematically showing the upper half of the refrigerator, showing the fourth embodiment. A right side view schematically showing the upper half of the refrigerator, showing the fifth embodiment.

Hereinafter, some embodiments applied to household refrigerators will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the plurality of embodiments, and detailed explanations and new illustrations are omitted in the description. In the embodiment, the peripheral portion of the door includes both the peripheral portion of the door itself and the portion of the refrigerator body located around the door.

(1) First Embodiment The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. 1 and 2 schematically show the overall configuration of a main body 1 of a refrigerator according to this embodiment. The refrigerator main body 1 is constructed by providing a plurality of storage chambers within an insulating box body 2 in the shape of a vertically long rectangular box with an open front. Although not shown in detail, the heat insulating box 2 is constructed by filling a heat insulating material such as urethane foam or a vacuum heat insulating panel between an outer box made of a steel plate and an inner box made of plastic.

In this embodiment, a refrigerator compartment 3, a vegetable compartment 4, an ice-making compartment 5, and a freezing compartment 7 are provided in the insulating box 2 as the storage compartments in this order from the top. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the portion of the insulated box body 2 where the ice making compartment 5 is provided is partitioned into two left and right compartments, with the ice making compartment 5 being provided on the left side and the second freezing compartment 6 being provided on the right side. It is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, a well-known automatic ice-making device 17 is provided in the ice-making chamber 5. The refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 are both storage compartments in the refrigeration temperature range, for example, 3 to 5°C, and as shown in FIG. 2, they are vertically partitioned by a plastic partition wall 8. ing.

At the front of the refrigerator compartment 3, there are so-called rotary doors 9, 10 that are rotatably provided with respect to the refrigerator main body 1. The doors 9 and 10 have heat insulating properties. As shown in FIG. 1, these doors 9 and 10 both have a rectangular plate shape that is elongated in the vertical direction, and are of a so-called double door type that opens from the center side to the left and right, respectively. Hereinafter, when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 1, the door on the left side will be referred to as the left door of the refrigerator compartment 9, and the door on the right side will be referred to as the right door of the refrigerator compartment 10. A handle portion 10a is provided on the left side of the lower side of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment, on which the user can hold the right door 10 when opening and closing the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment. A handle portion 9a is also provided on the right side of the lower side of the left door 9 of the refrigerator compartment. A pull-out door 11 is provided at the front of the vegetable compartment 4. As shown in FIG. 2, a storage container 14 is connected to the back side of the door 11. As shown in FIG. 1, on the upper side of the door 11 of the vegetable compartment 4, a handle portion 11a for the user to put his hand in and take out the door 11 has a groove-like shape extending laterally and opening upward. It is set in. The inside of the refrigerator compartment 3 is vertically divided into a plurality of stages by a plurality of shelf boards 12, and a chilled compartment 13 is provided at the lowest part thereof, that is, at the top of the partition wall 8. The chilled chamber 13 has a temperature range of, for example, 0 to 2°C.

Further, the ice making compartment 5, the second freezing compartment 6, and the freezing compartment 7 are all storage compartments in a freezing temperature range, for example, −18° C. or lower, and as shown in FIG. 2, the vegetable compartment 4 and the ice making compartment 5 and the second freezing chamber 6 are vertically partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 15. A pull-out door 16 is provided at the front of the ice-making compartment 5, and an ice storage container 17a for receiving ice produced by the automatic ice-making device 17 is connected to the back of the door 16. As shown in FIG. 1, a pull-out door 18 to which a storage container (not shown) is connected is also provided on the front side of the second freezer compartment 6. A pull-out door 19 to which a storage container 20 is connected is also provided at the front of the freezer compartment 7.

As shown in FIG. 2, inside this refrigerator main body 1, there are a refrigerator compartment cooler 21 for cooling the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4, the ice making compartment 5, the second freezing compartment 6, and the freezing compartment 7. A refrigeration cycle including two coolers is incorporated, including a freezer compartment cooler 22 for cooling the refrigerator. Note that since the refrigeration cycle is well known, detailed illustration thereof will be omitted. A machine room 23 is provided on the back side of the lower end of the refrigerator main body 1. In this machine room 23, a compressor 24 and a condenser constituting a refrigeration cycle are disposed, as well as a cooling fan (not shown), a defrost water evaporation plate 25, etc. for cooling them. There is.

A freezer compartment cooler chamber 26 is provided on the back wall of the freezer compartment 7 in the refrigerator main body 1. In this freezer compartment cooler chamber 26, the freezer compartment cooler 22, a defrosting heater (not shown), etc. are located at the bottom, and a freezing fan 27 is located at the top. It is arranged. A cold air outlet 26a is provided in the middle of the front surface of the freezer compartment cooler chamber 26, and a return port 26b is provided in the lower end. With this, when the freezing blower fan 27 is driven, the cold air generated by the freezer compartment cooler 22 is supplied into the ice making compartment 5, the second freezing compartment 6, and the freezing compartment 7 from the cold air outlet 26a. After that, the liquid is returned to the freezer compartment cooler chamber 26 through the return port 26b.

A refrigerator compartment cooler chamber 28 that accommodates the refrigerator compartment cooler 21 is provided on the back wall of the refrigerator main body 1 . Along with this, a blowing duct 29 for supplying the cold air generated by the refrigerator compartment cooler 21 into the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4, a blower fan 30 for circulating the cold air, and the like are provided. The air outlet duct 29 is provided so as to extend upwardly from the upper end of the refrigerator compartment cooler chamber 28 to the back wall of the refrigerator compartment 3 with a constant width. A plurality of air outlets 29a are provided.

At the rear of the vegetable compartment 4, the blower fan 30 is provided, as well as a blower duct 34 and a suction duct 35. Among them, the blower duct 34 is located on the back side of the vegetable compartment 4 and extends in the vertical direction with the same width as the blower duct 29 so as to communicate with the lower end front side of the refrigerator compartment cooler chamber 28. It is being A bell mouth 34a is provided on the front side of the lower end of the air duct 34, located at the center in the left-right direction, and the air blower fan 30 is provided such that the air blower blade is located within the bell mouth 34a. . A suction duct 35 is provided on the front side of the air duct 34 so as to overlap in front and back.

The suction duct 35 is provided extending from the ceiling of the vegetable compartment 4 to a position slightly below the blower fan 30. At this time, an opening 35a is provided at the bottom of the suction duct 35. Further, the upper end of the suction duct 35 communicates with a suction port 35b formed in an oblong shape on the back side of the bottom of the refrigerator compartment 3, in this case the bottom of the chilled compartment 13. Note that a cold air supply duct 8a for guiding a part of the cold air from the refrigerator compartment 3 into the vegetable compartment 4 is provided in a partition wall 8 portion that partitions the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4.

When the blower fan 30 is driven to rotate, the air in the refrigerator compartment 3 is sucked into the suction duct 35 from the suction port 35b, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. The air in the refrigerator compartment 4 is sucked into the suction duct 35 through the opening 35a, and is guided into the refrigerator compartment cooler compartment 28 through the ventilation duct 34. Cold air is generated by the refrigerator compartment cooler 21, and the cold air is supplied into the refrigerator compartment 3 and the chilled compartment 13 from each outlet 29a of the exhaust duct 29. After the cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 3 and the chilled compartment 13 contributes to cooling the stored items, a portion of the cold air is sucked into the suction duct 35 from the suction port 35b, and the rest passes through the cold air supply duct 8a to the vegetable compartment. After contributing to the cooling of vegetables and the like, the liquid is sucked into the suction duct 35 through the opening 35a, and the cycle is repeated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator main body 1 is provided with a storage section 36 near the rear end of the upper wall of the heat insulating box 2, and a computer is mainly configured in the storage section 36. A control device 37 is provided to control the entire refrigerator. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 38 including a display section is provided on the front surface of the left door 9 of the refrigerator compartment 3. Although a detailed explanation will be omitted, by operating the operation panel 38, the user can set the temperature of each room, turn on and off functions such as quick freezing, and display the desired recipe on the display. You can do that.

The control device 37 controls the above-mentioned mechanisms, ie, the compressor 24 of the refrigeration cycle, the refrigeration blower fan 27, the blower fan 30, the automatic ice making device 17, a damper (not shown), a defrosting heater, etc., to perform cooling operation, etc. Execute. Further, each part of the refrigerator main body 1 is provided with a plurality of temperature sensors (not shown). The control device 37 is configured to receive operation signals from the operation panel 38 and detection signals from each temperature sensor. With this, the control device 37 controls the cooling operation based on the operation signal of the operation panel 38 and the detection signal of each temperature sensor, so that the refrigerator compartment 3, the vegetable compartment 4, the ice making compartment 5, the second freezing compartment 6, Each chamber of the freezer compartment 7 is maintained at a predetermined target temperature range. The control device 37 is also connected to a USB board, which will be described later, and controls communication and power supply via the connection section, which will be described below.

Now, the refrigerator main body 1 is provided with a connection part to enable connection with an external information device such as a smartphone 39 shown in FIG. 7, a mobile phone (not shown), a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. In the present embodiment, a female USB connector 40 is provided as an example of the connection section for connection using USB (Universal Serial Bus), which is one of the connection standards for computers and peripheral devices. In this case, any of USB 3.0, USB 2.0, USB 1.1, etc. can be adopted as the USB standard. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the USB connector 40 is located around the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment among the plurality of doors 9, 10, 11, 16, and 18 described above. Here, the peripheral portion of the door includes both the peripheral portion of the door itself and the portion of the refrigerator main body 1 located around the door. In this case, the USB connector 40 is arranged in a recess 41 provided in the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment. The recessed portion 41 is provided at the peripheral edge of the peripheral portion of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment, and more specifically, the recessed portion 41 is provided at the lower edge of the peripheral portion. In addition, the connection port 41a of the USB connector 40, which will be described later, is connected to the wall surface constituting the recess 41, in this case, the left side of the recess 41 when looking from the front of the refrigerator compartment right door 10 with the refrigerator compartment 3 closed. It is arranged so as to face the inside of the recess 41 from the wall surface. A USB plug 43, which is an example of an external device plug-in tool, is provided at the tip of the USB cable 42 connected to the smartphone 39, and the USB plug 43 can be inserted into and removed from the USB connector 40 diagonally. is configured to be Note that the diagonal direction here refers to a plane that forms the outer shell of the refrigerator compartment right door 10, in this case, a diagonal direction with respect to the front surface of the refrigerator compartment right door 10 when the refrigerator compartment 3 is closed. means. However, the USB connector 40 may be configured to be able to connect an external device from an oblique direction to a plane other than the front surface forming the outer shell of the refrigerator compartment right door 10, for example, the left side, right side, top surface, and bottom surface. . Further, the USB connector 40 may be configured to be connectable to an external device from an oblique direction with respect to a flat surface forming the outer shell of the refrigerator main body 1, for example, a left side surface, a right side surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface.

Hereinafter, the structure of the USB connector 40 and the recess 41 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8. That is, first, FIGS. 3 and 4 show the lower side of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment viewed from below. Although not shown in detail, the refrigerator compartment right door 10 includes a frame member 44 that is mainly made of plastic and has a rectangular frame shape as a whole, a glass front plate 45 that is placed on the front side of the frame member 44, and a back side that is placed on the back side of the frame member 44. It is provided with a member 46 and has a thin rectangular box shape as a whole from front to back. Further, although not shown, the inside thereof is filled with a heat insulating material (not shown) such as urethane foam or vacuum heat insulating material. Although not shown in detail, the back member 46 is made of, for example, plastic, and is provided with a door pocket or the like on the inside of the refrigerator.

At this time, a U-shaped notch 45 a that constitutes a front opening of the recess 41 is formed at the lower edge of the front plate 45 . The notch 45a has a slightly horizontally elongated rectangular shape with an open bottom, and is large enough to accommodate the USB plug 43 and the user's fingertip. As shown in FIG. 1, etc., this notch 45a is located at a portion of the lower edge of the front plate 45 that is slightly to the right of the center, and is located off to the right from the handle portion 10a. It is provided at a position corresponding to the upper right end of the handle portion 11a of the door 11 of the room 4. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a U-shaped plastic decorative member 47 is attached to cover the edge of the notch 45a. Although not shown, the decorative member 47 is fitted using a claw. This decorative member 47 is arranged in close contact with the front surface of the front plate 45. As a result, the edge of the notch 45a is covered by the decorative member 47, ensuring user safety. In addition, even if water adheres to the vicinity of the recess 41 of the front plate 45, the water flows down the outside of the decorative member 47, thereby preventing water from entering into the recess 41.

Of the frame member 44, a lower frame portion 44a constituting the lower edge of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment is provided with a supported portion 48 located at the right end, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. ing. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the handle portion 10a is provided in a concave shape on the left side of the lower frame portion 44a. Although not shown in detail, the right side of the refrigerator compartment right door 10 is rotatably supported with respect to the refrigerator body 1, more specifically, the heat insulating box 2, by a rotation support portion (not shown). . In this case, the right side of the refrigerator compartment right door 10 becomes the rotation base end side, and the left side of the refrigerator compartment right door 10 becomes the rotation free end side. Although not shown in the drawings, a portion through which wiring is passed is provided around the upper rotary support portion that supports the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment on the heat insulating box body 2, and a portion through which a wiring is passed is provided. Wiring led out from the refrigerator compartment right door 10 is connected to the control device 37 of the storage section 36 through the peripheral portion of the rotation support section.

A recess 41 is provided on the left side of the supported portion 48 of the lower frame portion 44a so as to face the notch 45a. The recess 41 is formed continuously from the notch 45a in a rectangular shape and is concave toward the back, and is open at the front and lower surfaces, including a left inner wall, a right inner wall, an upper wall, and a bottom at the back. It is provided in a form having a wall portion. The left inner wall part stands up vertically with its plate surface facing in the left-right direction, and is slanted so that the rear side is closer to the right than the front side. A vertically elongated connection port 41a in which the tip of the USB connector 40 is disposed is formed in the left inner wall. The bottom wall portion is provided to be perpendicular to the left inner wall portion, stands up vertically, has a plate surface facing in the front-rear direction, and has an inclined shape such that the right side is located in front of the left side. The front surface of this bottom wall portion is a guide surface 49 that serves as a diagonal guide when inserting the USB plug 43. The guide surface 49 is an example of a guide section.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower frame portion 44a is provided with a component accommodating portion 44b having an open bottom surface adjacent to the left side of the left inner wall portion of the recess 41. As shown in FIG. A USB board unit 50 can be assembled into this component housing section 44b. The USB board unit 50 includes a USB board 51 inside a substantially rectangular box-shaped case 50a with an open bottom. The USB connector 40 is mounted on the USB board 51, and, like the guide surface 49, stands up vertically within the case 50a, with the board surface facing in the front-rear direction, and with the right side facing forward rather than the left side. It is installed in a sloped shape. At this time, the USB connector 40 is also arranged in an inclined manner together with the USB board 51. The tip of the USB connector 40 is exposed to the right side of the case 50a, and thus to the connection port 41a.

By assembling this USB board unit 50 into the component accommodating portion 44b, the tip of the USB connector 40 is arranged at the connection port 41a portion of the left inner wall portion of the recess 41. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the USB plug 43 is inserted into the recess 41 from the oblique direction with respect to the front surface of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment, as shown by arrow A with respect to the USB connector 40. It is configured to be inserted. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, when viewed from the top and bottom, the USB plug 43 is aligned with an imaginary horizontal line extending obliquely to the front surface of the door 10, that is, in the left-right direction, so as to be substantially parallel to the guide surface 49. It is inserted at an acute angle. Although not shown, the USB board 51 is connected to the control device 37 by wiring. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, etc., the lower opening of the component accommodating portion 44b is closed by a lid member 52. As shown in FIGS. Furthermore, when the USB connector 40 is not in use, the connection port 41a is removably closed by a cap 53.

Next, the functions and effects of the above configuration will be described with reference also to FIGS. 5 to 8. In the refrigerator having the above configuration, the USB connector 40 is provided at a portion around the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment, in this case, at a lower portion of the periphery. As shown in FIG. 7, a smartphone 39, which is an example of an external information device, can be connected to the USB connector 40 via a USB cable 42, and the smartphone 39 can receive power from the refrigerator body 1 side. can. In a kitchen where a refrigerator is installed, the user can install the smartphone 39 on, for example, the front part of the refrigerator via a holder and receive power supply. Thereby, the user can enjoy, for example, videos and music without worrying about the remaining battery level of the smartphone 39, and can do housework while watching videos and music.

Now, when the user connects the smartphone 39, the USB plug 43 at the tip of the USB cable 42 connected to the smartphone 39 is inserted into the USB connector 40 in the recess 41. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the USB connector 40 is provided so that the USB plug 43 is inserted diagonally, that is, in the direction of arrow A. 7 and 8 show the USB plug 43 inserted into the USB connector 40. When removing the USB plug 43, it can also be removed in the opposite direction to the direction of arrow A.

This allows the user to insert and remove the USB plug 43 relatively smoothly and easily without requiring any complicated or troublesome operations. In this case, since the recess 41 and the USB connector 40 are provided on the front surface of the lower side, which is the peripheral edge of the refrigerator compartment right door 10, the user can insert and remove the USB plug 43 from the front side of the refrigerator main body 1. The connection position is easy to understand and operation is easy. Furthermore, an inclined guide surface 49 substantially parallel to the direction of arrow A is provided on the bottom wall of the recess 41 . Therefore, the user can insert and remove the USB plug 43 while using the guide surface 49 as a guide, making the operation even easier.

Further, in this case, in the refrigerator compartment right door 10 of the rotary opening/closing type, the USB plug 43 is inserted into the USB connector 40 from the right side of the refrigerator compartment right door 10, which is the rotation base end side. Generally, right-handed users hold the USB plug 43 in their right hand when inserting or removing it, but by inserting or removing it from the right side of the USB connector 40, it is smoother and less uncomfortable for the user. No operation can be done. Furthermore, even if the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment is opened and closed while the smartphone 39 is connected to the USB connector 40, the USB plug 43 and the USB cable 42 are unlikely to get in the way.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when connected to the USB connector 40, the USB plug 43 is located within the recess 41 and does not protrude to the front side of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment, or even if it protrudes, It is extremely small. Therefore, in the connected state, it is possible to prevent the user's hands or body from touching or strongly hitting the USB plug 43. Since the USB plug 43 is located within the recess 41 on the lower side of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment, the appearance does not deteriorate. Since the USB connector 40 is located deep within the recess 41, it is possible to prevent water from splashing on the USB connector, adhesion of foreign matter, and accumulation of dust to the USB connector 40.

And, since the position where the USB connector 40 is provided is not in the center of the refrigerator compartment right door 10 but in the lower frame part 44a of the lower side of the frame member 44 which is the peripheral part, when manufacturing the refrigerator compartment right door 10, the USB The connector 40, ie, the USB board unit 50, can be assembled relatively easily. Further, it is possible to provide the USB connector 40, that is, the USB board unit 50, without reducing the size of the heat insulating material, in other words, without deteriorating the heat insulation properties of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment. Furthermore, the appearance of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment can be prevented from deteriorating due to the provision of the USB connector 40. Furthermore, by making the bottom wall of the recess 41 oblique, the volume inside the recess 41 can be reduced without making the recess 41 unnecessarily large. Therefore, the space outside the recess 41 can be enlarged by that amount, and can be used effectively.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the position where the USB connector 40 to which an external device can be connected is provided is at the lower edge of the periphery of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment, so that the USB connector 40 can be arranged appropriately. I was able to do this. At this time, the connection port 41a of the USB connector 40 is arranged facing the inner wall of the recess 41, and the USB plug 43 is inserted diagonally, so that the USB connector 40 can be properly arranged. It has excellent effects.

(2) Second Embodiment FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the position of the USB connector 40, which is an example of a connection part, on the right door 61 of the refrigerator compartment. That is, in this second embodiment, the USB connector 40 is connected to a side surface facing outside of the refrigerator main body 1, in this case, a lower portion of the right side surface, instead of the lower edge of the peripheral edge of the right door 61 of the refrigerator compartment. It is located at. In this case, the position of the USB connector 40 in the front-rear direction is at the center or at the front of the right side surface of the right door 61 of the refrigerator compartment. Further, the USB connector 40 is also disposed within a recess 62 provided at the right edge of the right door 61 of the refrigerator compartment.

In this case, the recess 62 is provided in the right frame portion of the frame member 44 of the right door 61 of the refrigerator compartment. The recess 62 is open on the right side, and has a lower wall, front and rear inner walls, an upper wall, and a bottom wall on the back left. The lower wall portion is provided so that the plate surface faces diagonally upward to the right, and the USB connector 40 is disposed on the back surface thereof so as to face diagonally upward. Further, the front surface of the bottom wall portion of the recess 62 is an inclined guide surface 63. In this way, the USB plug 43 is configured to be inserted into the USB connector 40 in the diagonal direction as shown by arrow B within the recess 62 .

In this second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, by inserting the USB plug 43 into the USB connector 40 in the recess 62 from the side of the refrigerator compartment right door 61 in the direction of arrow B. , it becomes easier for the user to insert and extract the information. Therefore, in a device provided with a USB connector 40 to which an external device can be connected, an excellent effect can be achieved in that the USB connector 40 can be appropriately disposed at an appropriate position.

In addition, since the USB plug 43 is not disposed protruding from the front side of the right door 61 of the refrigerator compartment in the connected state, the effect of preventing the user's hands or body from touching the USB plug 43 can be further enhanced. I can do it. Since it will be provided at the rotation base end side of the right door 61 of the refrigerator compartment, even if the right door 61 of the refrigerator compartment is opened and closed with the smartphone 39 connected, the amount of movement of the USB plug 43 and the USB cable 42 will be small. It is small and does not get in the way of opening/closing the door or taking out and taking out stored items. Since the recess 52 and the USB connector 40 are not exposed on the front surface of the right door 61 of the refrigerator compartment, the appearance does not deteriorate.

(3) Third Embodiment FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment and the like in the following points. That is, in this embodiment, the USB connector 40, which is an example of a connection part, is provided on the vegetable compartment door 71, which is a pull-out door, among the plurality of doors. In this case, the USB connector 40 is located at the upper edge of the peripheral edge of the vegetable compartment door 71, and more specifically, the USB connector 40 is provided at a portion of the upper edge closer to the right end, that is, the handle portion 72a. It is located at the right end of the main body, and is located at the center or front side in the front-rear direction. Here, detailed illustrations and explanations are omitted, but the vegetable compartment door 71 includes a front plate made of a steel plate that constitutes the front and left and right side edges of the vegetable compartment door 71, and a plastic upper part that constitutes the upper edge. It includes a closing member 72, a lower closing member constituting the lower edge, and a back surface member, and forms a thin rectangular box in the front and back as a whole, and the inside thereof is filled with, for example, urethane foam, vacuum insulation material, etc. (not shown). Constructed by filling with insulation material.

At this time, the upper closing member 72 is provided with a handle portion 72a in the form of a groove that extends in the lateral direction and opens upward for the user to use his/her hand to put in and take out the vegetable compartment door 71. The USB connector 40 is disposed within a recess 73 provided in the handle portion 72a. The recess 73 has an open upper surface and has a left wall, front and rear inner walls, a right wall, and a bottom wall. The left wall portion is provided so that the plate surface faces slightly diagonally upward to the right, and the USB connector 40 is disposed on the back side thereof so as to face diagonally upward. Further, the front surface of the bottom wall portion of the recess 73 is an inclined guide surface 74, which is an example of a guide portion. This guide surface 74 guides the USB plug 43 within the recess 73 toward the USB connector 40 as shown by arrow C. Thereby, the USB plug 43 can be smoothly inserted into the USB connector 40 from an oblique direction with respect to the front surface of the right door 3 of the refrigerator compartment.

Also in this third embodiment, the USB connector 40 is provided at the handle portion 72a into which the user inserts his/her hand in order to take in and take out the vegetable compartment door 71, so that the user can easily insert and remove the USB connector. As in the first and second embodiments, the USB plug 43 is inserted diagonally from above in the direction of arrow C into the USB connector 40 in the recess 73, making the operation easier. Therefore, in a device provided with a USB connector 40 to which an external device can be connected, an excellent effect can be achieved in that the USB connector 40 can be appropriately disposed at an appropriate position.

Furthermore, since the USB plug 43 is not placed protruding from the front side of the vegetable compartment door 71 in the connected state, the effect of preventing the user's hands or body from touching the USB plug 43 can be enhanced. . Since the recess 73 and the USB connector 40 are not exposed on the front surface of the vegetable compartment door 71, the appearance does not deteriorate. In addition, since the recess 73 and the USB connector 40 are provided in the handle part 72a, that is, in the plastic upper closing member 72, the assembly is easy without deteriorating the heat insulation of the vegetable compartment door 71, and the structure is relatively simple. It can be done easily.

(4) Fourth and fifth embodiments and other embodiments FIG. 11 shows a fourth embodiment. The fourth embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments described above in that the USB connector 40, which is an example of a connection part, is provided in a part of the refrigerator main body 1 located around the door. be. In the gap between the refrigerator compartment right door 10 and the vegetable compartment door 11, the USB connector 40 is provided on the front part of a plastic partition wall 81 that partitions the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 in the refrigerator main body 1. ing. In this case as well, detailed explanation is omitted, but a horizontally elongated recess 82 is provided on the right side of the partition wall 81, and a USB plug 43, which is an example of a connector, is attached to the left inner wall of the recess 82, as indicated by arrow A. A USB connector 40 is provided so as to be inserted in the diagonal direction shown. The recess 82 and the USB connector 40 are located near the right end of the front surface of the partition wall 81, and are located away from the handle 10a to the right and close to the handle of the door 11 of the vegetable compartment 4. It is provided at a position corresponding to the right end portion of 11a.

The fourth embodiment also provides an excellent effect in that it is provided with a USB connector 40 to which an external device can be connected, and the USB connector 40 can be appropriately disposed at an appropriate position. Further, since the USB connector 40 and the recess 82 are provided in the plastic partition wall 81, the USB connector 40 and the recess 82 can be assembled relatively easily. Since the recess 82 is exposed at the front of the refrigerator body 1 instead of being hidden by the doors 10 and 11, the user does not lose track of the location of the USB connector 40, making it easy to find and relatively easy for the user to operate. Become.

FIG. 12 shows a fifth embodiment. In this fifth embodiment, a USB connector 40 as an example of a connection part and a vertically elongated recess are provided on the front side of the right side wall part around the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment in the heat insulating box body 2 of the refrigerator main body 1. 91 is provided. Also in this case, the USB connector 40 is provided on the lower wall of the recess 91 into which the USB plug 43, which is an example of a connector, is inserted. The USB connector 40 is provided diagonally upward to the right when viewed from the front, and the USB plug 43 is inserted diagonally, that is, in the direction of arrow D when viewed from the front and rear. In this case, the recess 91 and the USB connector 40 are located on the right side wall of the heat insulating box 2 at a height corresponding to the lower end of the right door 10 of the refrigerator compartment, and on the front end side in the front-rear direction. ing. Similarly to the first embodiment, the fifth embodiment is provided with a USB connector 40 to which an external device can be connected, and the USB connector 40 is appropriately disposed at an appropriate position. It is possible to obtain excellent effects such as:

In the fifth embodiment, the USB connector 40 is provided on the side surface of the heat insulating box 2 of the refrigerator body 1, but it is also possible to provide the connection portion on the top surface of the refrigerator body. Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the USB connector is provided around the right door of the refrigerator compartment or the door of the vegetable compartment, but it is also possible to provide a connection part around the left door of the refrigerator compartment, the freezer compartment, or the ice making compartment door. It's okay. A connecting portion may be provided at the upper edge of the door. The door of the refrigerator compartment may be a single door instead of a double-sided door, and in this case, the door can be rotated, such as to the right side if it opens to the right, or to the left if it opens to the left. It is preferable to provide a connecting portion on the side of the rotating support portion to be supported, that is, on the side of the rotating proximal end. In each of the embodiments described above, an inclined guide surface is provided on the bottom wall of the recess, but this guide surface may be provided as necessary.

In each of the above embodiments, a recess is provided around the door, and a USB connector is provided on the inner wall of the recess. A configuration may also be adopted in which a connecting portion is provided as shown in FIG. In this case as well, the desired effect can be obtained by using a configuration in which the insert on the external device side is inserted diagonally. Furthermore, if an openable/closeable or removable cover is provided on the front surface of the connecting portion, waterproofing, dustproofing, and improved appearance can be achieved. The connection part is not limited to the USB connector, and other connectors of various standards such as RS-485, DIN connector, and IEEE1394 can be used. The shape of the connector can also be variously modified, such as trapezoidal or circular.

Furthermore, the external device connected to the connection part is not limited to the smartphone 39, but may be a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, other small electronic devices, a memory device, or the like. In each of the above embodiments, a case has been described in which power is supplied from the connection part, but it is of course possible to exchange data. The connection part can be installed on either the top, bottom, left or right sides of the front of the door, on the periphery of the door, i.e. on the left and right sides or on the top and bottom, or on the top, bottom, left or right of the door in the insulation box. Various changes are possible, such as any of the surrounding parts. The position where the connecting portion is provided may be on the rotating tip side of the door. The connector, which is an example of the connection part, may be provided not on the inner wall of the recess but in a form that is exposed within the recess or protrudes from the inner wall.

The material for the front panel of the door is not limited to glass, but may be metal, synthetic resin, etc., and the decorative member may be made of metal other than synthetic resin. The door of the refrigerator compartment may be a single-opening type instead of a double-opening type. In each of the above embodiments, the refrigerator is equipped with two coolers, the cooler 21 for the refrigerator compartment and the cooler 22 for the freezer compartment. It can also be applied to a type of refrigerator that controls the flow of cold air to each room. In addition, for example, the configuration and arrangement of each chamber in the refrigerator body may be such as a vegetable compartment at the bottom, and various modifications are possible in the position of the cooler, etc., and the duct configuration. .

The embodiments described above are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

In the drawing, 1 is the refrigerator body, 2 is the insulated box body, 3 is the refrigerator compartment (storage compartment), 4 is the vegetable compartment (storage compartment), 9 is the left door of the refrigerator compartment, 10, 61 is the right door of the refrigerator compartment, 11, 71 is the vegetable compartment door, 16, 18, 19 are the doors, 39 is a smartphone (external device), 40 is a USB connector (connection part), 41, 62, 73, 82, 91 are recesses, 42 is a USB cable, 43 is USB plug (insertion tool), 44 is a frame member, 44b is a component storage part, 45 is a front plate, 45a is a notch, 47 is a decorative member, 49, 63, 74 are guide surfaces (guide parts), 50 is a USB The board unit includes a USB board 51, a lid member 52, a cap 53, an upper closing member 72, a handle portion 72a, and a partition wall 81.

Claims (3)

A storage room provided within the refrigerator body;
a door configured to have a front plate on the front and open and close the storage chamber;
a notch formed by cutting out a part of the lower edge of the front plate;
a cover member provided to cover an edge of the notch and protrudes forward from the front surface of the front plate;
a recess that is recessed rearward than the front surface of the front plate in an inner region of the notch;
a connection part provided in the recess and to which an external device can be connected;
The connection part is configured to be able to connect the external device from an oblique direction with respect to the front surface of the door ,
The front end of the portion of the cover member located on the side far from the connection portion is located on the rear side of at least a part of the area where the connection portion is extended to the opposite side of the connection direction of the external device. . The door is rotatably provided with respect to the refrigerator main body,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the external device is connectable to the connecting portion from a rotation base end side of the door. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a guide section that guides the external device toward the connection section.

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