JP7828188B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an insulated box provided in a refrigerator or the like, and a refrigerator provided with this insulated box.

Refrigerators are provided with an insulated box that covers the periphery of the storage space to insulate it from the surroundings. The insulated box is composed of an outer box, an inner box, and insulating material filled between them. For example, foam insulating material such as rigid foam urethane insulating material is used as the insulating material.

In recent years, it has been proposed to place vacuum insulation material inside the insulated box in order to further improve insulation performance. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator that has vacuum insulation material and foam insulation material inside its insulated walls, in which the volume ratio of the vacuum insulation material to the total volume of the insulated walls is set to a predetermined value or higher.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-183896

Using vacuum insulation improves insulation performance and allows the thickness of the insulated box to be reduced. However, as the thickness of the insulated box is reduced, the space within the insulated box through which the foamed insulation material can flow becomes narrower, making it more difficult for the foamed insulation material to flow, which can result in voids (gaps) being created that are not filled with the foamed insulation material after the insulation material has foamed.

The present invention therefore aims to provide a configuration that makes it easier to fill the foam insulation material inside the insulation box when injecting the foam insulation material into the insulation box.

An insulated box according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an inner box and an outer box. The insulated box comprises vacuum insulation material disposed within the insulated box, foam insulation material filled inside the insulated box, and at least one injection port disposed on the rear surface of the insulated box for injecting the foam insulation material. On the side of the insulated box, the area where the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is thinner than the vacuum insulation material is greater than the area where the foam insulation material is thicker or thicker. The side wall of the inner box is provided with a support portion for supporting a structure to be placed inside the storage compartment, and the areas above and below the support portion are wide portions that expand the thickness of the foam insulation material.

The insulating box according to one aspect of the present invention makes it easier to fill the insulating foam material inside the insulating box when injecting the foam insulating material.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an interior of a heat-insulating box of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the heat-insulating box shown in FIG. 2 . 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views and partial cross-sectional views showing the configuration of the heat-insulating box body shown in FIG. 3 along line AA. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a heat insulating material is injected into the heat insulating box shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion (portion A) of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion (portion B) of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 6. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the insulating box shown in FIG. 2 at the position where the second partition portion is disposed.

Each embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, identical components are designated by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions of them will not be repeated.

First Embodiment
(Overall configuration of the refrigerator)
First, the overall configuration of a refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 shows the internal configuration of the refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 has a refrigerator compartment 11 on the upper level, a vegetable compartment 12 on the middle level, and a freezer compartment 13 on the lower level. The refrigerator compartment 11 is provided with a refrigerator compartment door 11a. The vegetable compartment 12 is provided with a vegetable compartment door 12a. The freezer compartment 13 is provided with a freezer compartment door 13a.

As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment is divided into an upper section, a middle section, and a lower section, with each storage space provided. Partitions are provided between each storage space. More specifically, a first partition 54 is provided between the upper refrigerator compartment 11 and the middle vegetable compartment 12. A second partition 55 is provided between the middle vegetable compartment 12 and the lower freezer compartment 13. However, the location of each storage space is not limited to this.

In this embodiment, the surface on which the door is located is referred to as the front or front face of the refrigerator. Using the front face as a reference, the various faces of the refrigerator 1 are referred to as the top, side, back, and bottom faces based on the positions where the refrigerator 1 would be when installed in its normal state. Furthermore, the up-and-down direction of the refrigerator 1 when placed on the installation surface is referred to as the up-and-down direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the insulated box 50, etc.). Furthermore, the front-to-back direction of the refrigerator 1 when viewed from the front when placed on the installation surface is referred to as the front-to-back direction of the refrigerator 1 (or the insulated box 50, etc.).

A refrigeration cycle is installed inside the refrigerator 1. The refrigeration cycle is composed of a compressor 31, a condenser (not shown), an expander (not shown), and a cooler 32 connected via a refrigerant pipe (refrigerant flow path) through which the refrigerant flows.

A control unit (not shown) is also provided inside the refrigerator 1. This control unit controls the operation of the refrigeration cycle. That is, when the control unit drives the compressor 31, the refrigeration cycle begins operation and refrigerant circulates through the cycle. As shown in Figure 1, the compressor 31 is located in a machine compartment 30 provided on the rear side of the bottom of the refrigerator 1.

The cooler 32 is located in a cooling compartment 35 located on the rear side of the refrigerator 1. In addition to the cooler 32, the cooling compartment 35 is also equipped with a cooling fan 33 and other components. The cooling fan 33 is provided to circulate air between the cooling compartment 35 and each storage space. The cooling compartment 35 is connected to a cold air duct 41. The cold air duct 41 serves as a cold air passageway for supplying the cold air generated in the cooling compartment 35 to the refrigerator compartment 11 and other compartments.

(Configuration of the insulated box)
The refrigerator 1 is provided with an insulating box 50 as an insulating structure for insulating each storage space from the surroundings. Fig. 2 shows the appearance of the insulating box 50 as seen from the front side (frontage 50e side). The insulating box 50 is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the refrigerator 1. The insulating box 50 is mainly composed of a top surface, side surfaces 50b, a back surface 50c, and a bottom surface. The front side of the insulating box 50 is an open frontage 50e.

As shown in FIG. 1, the insulating box 50 mainly comprises an outer box 60, an inner box 70, a vacuum insulation material 51, a foam insulation material 52, and at least one partition (e.g., a first partition 54 and a second partition 55).

The outer box 60 forms the outer peripheral surface of the insulated box body 50. The outer box 60 is mainly composed of a top surface, side surfaces 60b, a back surface 60c, and a bottom surface (see Figure 3). The inner box 70 forms the inner peripheral surface of the insulated box body 50. The inner box 70 is mainly composed of a top surface, side surfaces 70b, a back surface 70c, and a bottom surface 70d (see Figure 2). The inner box 70 forms the inner walls of the storage spaces (e.g., refrigerator compartment 11, vegetable compartment 12, freezer compartment 13) and the rear wall of the cooling compartment 35.

The interior of the insulated box 50, formed by the inner box 70, is divided into multiple spaces by at least one partition. In this embodiment, two partitions are provided: a first partition 54 and a second partition 55. The first partition 54 is located between the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12. The second partition 55 is located between the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13.

A space for arranging the machine room 30 is formed on the rear side of the bottom of the insulated box 50. The machine room 30 is located outside the insulated box 50. This is because the temperature inside the machine room 30 rises when the compressor 31 is operating. The machine room 30 is primarily defined by the bottom plate 62 that forms the bottom portion of the outer box 60.

In this way, the machine compartment 30 and the freezer compartment 13 are isolated by the insulated box 50. This prevents heat generated in the machine compartment 30 from flowing into the freezer compartment 13.

The vacuum insulation material 51 and the foam insulation material 52 are provided in the space between the outer box 60 and the inner box 70. The vacuum insulation material 51, also known as a VIP, is a thin sheet or plate-shaped insulation material. The vacuum insulation material 51 is arranged, for example, on the sides, top, bottom, and back of the refrigerator 1. In Figure 1, the vacuum insulation material arranged on the bottom of the refrigerator 1 is not shown. As shown in Figure 1 and other figures, the vacuum insulation material 51 is arranged on the outer box 60 side within the insulated box body 50.

The foam insulation 52 can be made of, for example, foamed polyurethane (also known as rigid urethane foam). The foam insulation 52 is also filled inside the second partition 55, which separates the vegetable compartment 12, which is a refrigerated storage space, from the freezer compartment 13, which is a freezer storage space. In this embodiment, the inside of the first partition 54, which separates the refrigerator compartment 11 and vegetable compartment 12, both of which are refrigerated storage spaces, is not filled with the foam insulation 52. An insulation material other than the foam insulation 52 may be placed inside the first partition 54. In another embodiment, the inside of the first partition 54 may also be filled with the foam insulation 52.

The foam insulation 52 is filled into the insulating box 50 by injecting liquid urethane foam material (also called foam insulation material or insulating material) into the insulating box 50 and allowing the material to foam inside the insulating box 50. The rear surface 60c of the outer box 60 has injection ports 58 for injecting the insulating material (see Figure 5). In this embodiment, two injection ports 58 are provided near the left end of the rear surface 60c and two injection ports 58 are provided near the right end of the rear surface 60c, for a total of four injection ports 58. However, the number of injection ports 58 is not limited to this.

Figure 2 shows the insulating box 50 when urethane foam material is being injected into the insulating box 50. When injecting urethane foam material into the insulating box 50, as shown in Figure 2, only the second partition 55 is attached to the interior of the insulating box 50. As a result, when the foam insulating material is injected through the injection port 58, the foam insulating material 52 is also filled into the interior of the second partition 55 through the urethane inlet provided between the inner box 70 and the second partition 55.

(Regarding the thickness of the side walls of the insulated box and the thickness of the vacuum insulation material)
In recent refrigerators, in order to ensure a larger interior space, it is desirable to reduce the thickness of the side walls of the insulating box 50. Therefore, in this embodiment, the walls of each surface (for example, the side surface portion 50b) of the insulating box 50 are reduced in thickness.

Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the side wall of the insulated box 50. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the insulated box 50 taken along line A-A in Figure 3. Figure 4 also shows an enlarged view of a portion of the insulated box 50 (the area surrounded by the dashed line frame).

The average thickness of the side portion 50b of the insulated box 50 in this embodiment is, for example, 25 mm or more and 35 mm or less. Furthermore, on the side portion 50b of the insulated box 50, there are more areas where the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 facing the vacuum insulation material 51 is less than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 than there are areas where the thickness T2 is equal to or greater than the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51.

The thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 arranged on the side portion 50b is approximately constant across the entire area of the vacuum insulation material. In one example, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 is set to be 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less, preferably 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less.

On the other hand, the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 varies in each part depending on the external shape of the insulated box body 50 (particularly the shape of the inner box 70). As described above, in the side portion 50b of the insulated box body 50, the thickness T1 is greater than the thickness T2 in most, at least half, of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present. Therefore, the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present on the side portion 50b is set to, for example, 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less, preferably 8 mm or more and 13 mm or less.

In one example, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 can be approximately twice the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52. In this way, by increasing the proportion of vacuum insulation material 51 in the side portion 50b, the overall thickness of the side portion 50b can be made smaller.

The thickness of the vacuum insulation material placed on surfaces other than the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50 (i.e., the top surface, back surface 50c, and bottom surface) may be the same as or different from thickness T1. Furthermore, the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 on surfaces other than the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50 (i.e., the top surface, back surface 50c, and bottom surface) may be greater than or equal to the thickness of the vacuum insulation material 51 placed on those surfaces.

For example, in the rear portion 50c, the thickness of the foam insulation 52 placed in the rear portion 50c may be equal to or greater than the thickness of the vacuum insulation 51 placed in the rear portion 50c. The rear portion tends to house refrigeration cycle piping and electrical wiring connected to the cooler 32, and in order to secure these piping and wiring and ensure thermal insulation, it is preferable that the foam insulation 52 placed in the rear portion 50c be thicker than a certain thickness. Furthermore, the rear portion 50c is often the last area to be filled with foam insulation 52, and it is likely that the insulating material has hardened more than in other areas. However, by increasing the thickness of the foam insulation 52 placed in the rear portion 50c, it becomes easier to ensure the fluidity of the insulating material.

(Method for manufacturing the insulated box)
Next, a description will be given of a manufacturing method of the heat insulating box 50. Fig. 5 shows how the heat insulating material is poured into the heat insulating box 50.

First, components such as vacuum insulation material 51 and heat dissipation pipes (not shown) are attached to predetermined positions on the inside surfaces of each surface of the outer box 60 (specifically, the top surface, side surface 60b, and back surface 60c, etc.). Additionally, components such as the internal electrical unit and various wiring are attached to predetermined positions on the inner box 70.

Next, each surface of the outer box 60 is attached so as to cover the outer periphery of the inner box 70. This forms the outer shape of the insulated box body 50.

Then, with the back portion 50c of the insulating box 50 facing up, liquid foam insulation material (urethane foam material) is injected through the injection port 58 formed in the back portion 60c of the outer box 60. At this time, an injection nozzle 91 of an insulating material injection device is inserted into the injection port 58 (see Figure 5). The foam insulation material dispensed from the injection nozzle 91 into the insulating box 50 expands and fills the space between the outer box 60 and inner box 70 from the front side (front opening 50e side) to the back side, increasing its volume. The expanded insulation material then hardens.

In other words, when insulating material is injected through each injection port 58 with the back surface 60c of the insulating box 50 facing up, the insulating material flows down due to gravity through the side surface 50b and top surface of the insulating box 50 toward the front opening 50e, which is located at the bottom.

As described above, in this embodiment, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material over most of the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50. By reducing the thickness of the side wall of the insulating box 50, the space within the side wall through which the insulating material flows becomes narrower, making it more difficult for the insulating material to flow. When vacuum insulation material 51 is provided inside the insulating box 50, the space within which the insulating material flows becomes even narrower. This increases the likelihood of voids (gaps) occurring within the insulating box 50 that are not filled with foam insulation material after the injected insulating material has foamed.

For example, if the liquid foam insulation material hits a wall surface inside the insulated box 50 when it is injected, it may begin to foam partially at that point. Later, when the insulation material is being filled from the front side of the insulated box 50 while foaming, this partially foamed area may become an obstacle, causing uneven filling. In particular, areas not filled with foam insulation material are likely to occur on the side surface 50b, which is thinner than the other surfaces.

(Configuration of structural support portion of side wall of insulating box)
Therefore, in this embodiment, a device is provided to promote the inflow of the foam insulation material into the side surface portion 70b of the inner box 70, which forms the inner wall of the side surface portion 50b of the insulation box body 50. The configuration will be described below.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 4 (the portion surrounded by a solid line frame on the right side surface portion 50b). Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 6 (portion indicated by A). Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 6 (portion indicated by B).

Figure 9 shows a schematic horizontal cross section of the vegetable compartment 12 of the insulated box 50 as viewed from above. Figure 9 also shows an enlarged view of a portion of the insulated box 50 (the portion enclosed by the dashed line frame). The overall cross-sectional view of Figure 9 does not include the vacuum insulation material 51.

As shown in Figure 2 and other figures, the interior walls of the refrigerator formed by the inner box 70 are primarily composed of a top surface, side surfaces 70b, a back surface 70c, and a bottom surface 70d. The side surfaces 70b have portions that are raised inward toward the interior of the refrigerator. Examples of such portions include support portions for supporting structures such as partitions and storage containers placed inside the refrigerator.

For example, the upper portion of the side surface 70b that defines the interior of the refrigerator compartment 11 is provided with multiple shelf support portions as support portions for supporting the structure. The shelf support portions hold shelves (not shown) that divide the interior of the refrigerator compartment 11. In this embodiment, multiple shelf support portions, such as a first shelf support portion 21a and a second shelf support portion 21b, are provided in this order from the top of the refrigerator compartment 11. The shelf support portions are arranged symmetrically on the left and right side surfaces 70b and 70b, respectively.

Furthermore, a holder attachment portion 71 is provided at the lower portion of the side surface portion 70b that forms the interior of the refrigerator compartment 11 as a support portion for supporting the structure. A storage container holder 28 is attached to the holder attachment portion 71 to hold a storage container (not shown), such as a chilled case, that is placed below the refrigerator compartment 11. The storage container holder 28 is provided with rails 28a that hold the storage container in a state that allows it to slide back and forth.

By holding the storage container using the storage container holder 28, it is possible to design the system to withstand the load even when the storage container is heavy. Furthermore, since there is no need to form a structure on the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50 to directly hold the storage container, the structure of the inner wall of the side surface 50b can be simplified.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, a water tank (not shown) is located on the lower left side of the refrigerator compartment 11. Therefore, the holder attachment portion 71 and storage container holder 28 are provided only on the right side surface portion 70b when viewed from the front. In another embodiment, the holder attachment portion 71 may be located symmetrically on both the left and right side surfaces 70b.

A partition mounting portion 72 is provided on the side portion 70b around the boundary between the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12 as a support portion for supporting the structure. The first partition portion 54 is attached to the partition mounting portion 72. The partition mounting portions 72 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right side portions 70b, respectively.

A partition mounting portion 73 is provided on the side portion 70b around the boundary between the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13 as a support portion for supporting the structure. The second partition portion 55 is attached to the partition mounting portion 73. The partition mounting portions 73 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right side portions 70b, respectively.

Of the support parts that support the structure, the holder attachment part 71 has a protrusion 71a on its upper side and a protrusion 71b on its lower side. In other words, the storage container holder 28 held by the holder attachment part 71 is sandwiched between the protrusions 71a and 71b.

Protrusions 71a and 71b are wide sections that increase the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 inside the insulating box 50.

In other words, the thickness T2A of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 71a is located is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of the side surface 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see Figure 7). The thickness T2A is set, for example, to a range of 15 mm to 25 mm, preferably 17 mm to 23 mm.

Furthermore, the thickness T2C of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 71b is located is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of the side surface 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see Figure 7). The thickness T2C is set, for example, to between 15 mm and 35 mm, and preferably between 20 mm and 30 mm.

The thickness T2b of the foam insulation 52 between the protrusions 71a and 71b (i.e., the area where the storage container holder 28 is located) is slightly larger than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is located on the side surface 50b (see Figure 7). However, the thickness T2b of the foam insulation 52 is smaller than the thickness T2A of the protrusions 71a and the thickness T2C of the protrusions 71b. The thickness T2b is set, for example, to be greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm.

This results in a configuration that makes it easier to fill the insulating box with foamed insulating material when injecting it into the insulating box 50. More specifically, the fluidity of the foamed insulating material can be improved at the location of the storage container holder 28 on the side surface 50b of the insulating box 50.

Of the support parts that support the structure, the partition mounting part 72 has a protrusion 72a on its upper side and a protrusion 72b on its lower side. In other words, the first partition part 54 attached to the partition mounting part 72 is sandwiched between the protrusions 72a and 72b.

Protrusions 72a and 72b are wide sections that increase the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 inside the insulating box 50.

In other words, the thickness T2C of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 72a is located is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of the side surface 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see Figure 7). The thickness T2C is set, for example, to between 15 mm and 35 mm, and preferably between 20 mm and 30 mm.

Furthermore, the thickness T2E of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 72b is located is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of the side surface 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see Figure 7). The thickness T2E is set, for example, to between 15 mm and 25 mm, and preferably between 17 mm and 23 mm.

The thickness T2d of the foam insulation 52 between the protrusions 72a and 72b (i.e., the area where the first partition 54 is located) is the same as or slightly smaller than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is located on the side surface 50b (see Figure 7). The thickness T2d is set, for example, to a value between 5 mm and 13 mm.

As such, the area of the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50 where the first partition 54 is located tends to be narrower through which the foam insulation material can pass. Therefore, by providing protrusions 72a and 72b above and below the first partition 54 to expand the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 inside the insulated box 50, the fluidity of the foam insulation material can be improved where the first partition 54 is located. This results in a configuration that makes it easier to fill the insulated box with the foam insulation material when injecting it into the insulated box 50.

In this embodiment, the storage container holder 28 and the first partition 54 are arranged in close proximity in the vertical direction (for example, with a distance between them of approximately 10 cm or less). In such a configuration, the protrusion 71b (or 72b) located between the storage container holder 28 and the first partition 54 can be formed with a common structure. The thickness T2C of the foam insulation material 52 located between the storage container holder 28 and the first partition 54 is made larger than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52 in most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present on the side surface portion 50b.

This improves the fluidity of the foamed insulation material from the location where the storage container holder 28 is located to the location where the first partition 54 is located, resulting in a configuration that makes it easier to fill the insulation box with foamed insulation material when injecting it into the insulation box 50. It also improves the strength of the insulation box 50 from the location where the storage container holder 28 is located to the location where the first partition 54 is located.

Of the support parts that support the structure, the partition mounting part 73 has a protrusion 73a on its upper side and a protrusion 73b on its lower side. In other words, the second partition part 55 attached to the partition mounting part 73 is sandwiched between the protrusions 73a and 73b.

Protrusions 73a and 73b are wide sections that increase the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 inside the insulating box 50.

In other words, the thickness T2F of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 73a is located is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of the side surface 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see Figure 8). The thickness T2F is set, for example, between 15 mm and 25 mm, and preferably between 17 mm and 23 mm.

Furthermore, the thickness T2H of the foam insulation 52 at the position where the protrusion 73b is located is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of the side surface 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present (see Figure 8). The thickness T2H is set, for example, to between 15 mm and 25 mm, and preferably between 17 mm and 23 mm.

The thickness T2g of the foam insulation 52 between the protrusions 73a and 73b (i.e., the area where the second partition 55 is located) is the same as or slightly smaller than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation 52 in most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is located on the side surface 50b (see Figure 8). The thickness T2g is set, for example, to a value between 5 mm and 13 mm.

The area of side surface 50b where dividers 54 and 55 are located does not directly face the interior of the storage compartment, and because dividers 54 and 55 contain insulating material, even if the foam insulation T2 on the inner box side is thin, it has little effect on the insulation of the storage compartment. Furthermore, by providing a large step between the protrusions on the top and bottom of dividers 54 and 55, dividers 54 and 55 can be more reliably fitted between the protrusions, allowing the dividers spanning the left and right to function as a structural element. For these reasons, thicknesses T2d and T2g of dividers 54 and 55 may be less than thickness T2.

Furthermore, since the back side of the storage container holder 28 faces the storage compartment, it is desirable to ensure thermal insulation. The strength of the storage container holder 28, which supports the storage containers in the refrigerator compartment 11, may be lower than the area where the dividers 54 and 55 are located. For this reason, it is preferable that the thickness T2b of the back side of the storage container holder 28 be equal to or greater than the thickness T2. In this way, the thickness of the foam insulation between the protrusions can be set according to the strength and thermal insulation requirements.

As such, the area of the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50 where the second partition 55 is located tends to be narrower through which the foam insulation material can pass. Therefore, by providing protrusions 73a and 73b above and below the second partition 55 to expand the thickness of the foam insulation material 52 inside the insulated box 50, the fluidity of the foam insulation material can be improved where the second partition 55 is located. This results in a configuration that makes it easier to fill the insulated box with the foam insulation material when injecting it into the insulated box 50.

By the way, on the lower back side of the vegetable compartment 12 where the second partition 55 is located, various structures are formed, such as the vegetable compartment cool air duct member 43 that forms the cool air duct 41, the water supply pipe installation section 67A that installs the water supply pipe that supplies water to the ice maker, and the cool air return port 47 (see Figure 9). In this embodiment, the vegetable compartment cool air duct member 43 is located in the center in the left-right direction, the water supply pipe installation section 67A is located to the left of it, and the return port 47 is located to the right.

As described above, such structures located on the back of the second partition 55 can become obstacles that may impede the flow of foam insulation. For example, there is a narrow section 59a between the crisper cold air duct member 43 and the water supply pipe installation section 67A, where they are close to each other (see Figure 9). Furthermore, there is a narrow section 59b between the crisper cold air duct member 43 and the return port 47, where they are close to each other (see Figure 9).

The presence of these narrow portions 59a and 59b creates areas within the second partition 55 where the inflow of insulating material is restricted when filling with foam insulation. This can result in the formation of voids (gaps) within the second partition 55 that are not filled with foam insulation.

In this embodiment, the thickness of the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50 at the position where the second partition 55 is located is set so that it is thicker on the back side than on the front side. Specifically, a step 56 is provided between the back side and the front side of the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50 at the position where the second partition 55 is located (see Figure 9). The step 56 is provided on the side surface 70b of the inner box 70.

As a result, at the side surface portion 50b where the second partition portion 55 is located, the thickness T3 on the back side is greater than the thickness T4 on the front side. In one example, the thickness T3 is set to 30 mm or more and 55 mm or less, preferably 35 mm or more and 45 mm or less, and the thickness T4 is set to 15 mm or more and 45 mm or less, preferably 25 mm or more and 35 mm or less.

When thicknesses T3 and T4 are set as described above, thickness T2 of foam insulation 52 on the front side of step 56 can be, for example, 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less (preferably, 8 mm or more and 13 mm or less). In contrast, thickness T2a (see Figure 9) of foam insulation 52 on the rear side of step 56 can be, for example, 10 mm or more and 35 mm or less (preferably, 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less).

This results in a configuration that makes it easier to fill the insulating box with foamed insulating material when injecting it into the insulating box 50. More specifically, it promotes the flow of foamed insulating material into the back portion of the second partition 55.

(Summary of the first embodiment)
As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes an insulated box 50. The insulated box 50 has an inner box 70 and an outer box 60. A vacuum insulation material 51 is disposed on the outer box side of the insulated box 50. The inside of the insulated box 50 is filled with foam insulation material 52. At least one injection port 58 is provided on the back surface of the insulated box 50 for injecting the foam insulation material.

On the side surface 50b of the insulated box 50, over most of the area where the vacuum insulation material 51 is present, at least half or more, the thickness T1 of the vacuum insulation material 51 is greater than the thickness T2 of the foam insulation material 52. The side walls of the inner box 70 are provided with support parts (specifically, holding part mounting parts 71, partition mounting parts 72, partition mounting parts 73) that support the structures placed inside the storage compartment, and the areas above and below the support parts are widened to increase the thickness of the foam insulation material.

That is, the holder mounting portion 71 has a protrusion 71a above it and a protrusion 71b below it. The partition mounting portion 72 has a protrusion 72a above it and a protrusion 72b below it. The partition mounting portion 73 has a protrusion 73a above it and a protrusion 73b below it.

The above configuration makes it easier to fill the insulating box with foamed insulating material when injecting it into the insulating box 50. More specifically, the fluidity of the foamed insulating material can be improved at the locations where the container holder 28, first partition 54, and second partition 55 are located.

As described above, the insulating box 50 of this embodiment can be configured to make it easier for the foam insulating material to flow inside the insulating box when it is injected. This allows the side surfaces of the insulating box 50 to be made thinner, while reducing the possibility of areas inside the insulating box 50 not being filled with foam insulating material.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the storage container holder 28 and the first partition 54 are disposed close to each other in the vertical direction. However, the storage container holder 28 may be disposed at a position separated from the first partition 54.

In the insulating box 50 according to the second embodiment, the storage container holder 28 is positioned higher. Therefore, the distance between the storage container holder 28 and the first partition section 54 is, for example, 20 cm or more.

In this configuration, the protrusion 71b below the storage container holder 28 and the protrusion 72a above the first partition 54 are separate. The thickness of the foam insulation material 52 located between the protrusions 71b and 72a is approximately the same thickness T2 as the foam insulation material 52 in most, or at least half, of the area of the side surface 50b where the vacuum insulation material 51 is located. This allows the internal volume of the insulated box 50 to be increased.

Third Embodiment
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment and the like described above, storage containers and dividers have been used as examples of structures to be placed inside the refrigerator. However, the structures to be placed inside the refrigerator are not limited to these.

In the insulated box 50 according to the third embodiment, protrusions are provided above and below the support sections that support the shelves and structures such as the water tank placed inside the storage compartment. Each protrusion is a wide section that increases the thickness of the foam insulation 52 inside the insulated box 50.

The insulating box 50 of this embodiment can be configured to allow the foam insulating material to flow more easily within the insulating box when it is injected. This allows the side surfaces of the insulating box 50 to be made thinner, while reducing the possibility of areas inside the insulating box 50 not being filled with foam insulating material.

(summary)
An insulating box (e.g., insulating box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention has an inner box (e.g., inner box 70) and an outer box (e.g., outer box 60). This insulating box is equipped with a vacuum insulating material (e.g., vacuum insulating material 51) disposed within the insulating box, a foam insulating material (e.g., foam insulating material 52) filled inside the insulating box, and at least one injection port (e.g., injection port 58) disposed on the back surface of the insulating box for injecting the foam insulating material. In the side portion (e.g., side portion 50b) of the insulated box, there are more areas where the thickness (e.g., thickness T2) of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is less than the thickness (e.g., thickness T1) of the vacuum insulation material than areas where the thickness is equal to or greater than the thickness (e.g., thickness T1) of the vacuum insulation material, and the side wall (e.g., side portion 70b) of the inner box is provided with support portions (e.g., holder mounting portion 71, partition mounting portion 72, partition mounting portion 73) that support structures (e.g., storage container holder 28, first partition portion 54, second partition portion 55) to be placed inside the cabinet, and above and below the support portions are wide portions (e.g., protrusions 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b, 73a, and 73b) that expand the thickness of the foam insulation material.

In the insulated box according to one aspect of the present invention described above (e.g., insulated box 50), the structure disposed within the storage compartment may be a partition (e.g., first partition 54, second partition 55) that separates the storage compartment.

In the insulated box according to one aspect of the present invention described above (e.g., insulated box 50), the structure placed inside the storage compartment may be a holder (e.g., storage container holder 28) that holds a storage container placed inside the storage compartment.

In the insulated box (e.g., insulated box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention described above, in the location where the partition (e.g., first partition 54, second partition 55) and the holder (e.g., storage container holder 28) are close to each other, the thickness (e.g., thickness T2C) of the foam insulation material located between the partition and the holder may be greater than the thickness (e.g., thickness T2) of the foam insulation material .

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator (e.g., refrigerator 1). This refrigerator is equipped with an insulated box (e.g., insulated box 50) according to one aspect of the present invention.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications that are equivalent in meaning to and within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in this specification are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1: Refrigerator 21a: First shelf support portion 21b: Second shelf support portion 28: Storage container holder (structural body)
50: Insulated box body 50b: Side portion (of the insulated box body) 50c: Back portion (of the insulated box body) 51: Vacuum insulation material 52: Foam insulation material 54: First partition portion (structural body)
55: Second partition (structure)
58: Inlet 60: Outer box 70: Inner box 70b: Side portion (of inner box) 70c: Back portion (of inner box) 71: Holder attachment portion (support portion)
71a: protrusion (wide portion)
71b: protrusion (wide portion)
72: Partition mounting part (support part)
72a: protrusion (wide portion)
72b: protrusion (wide portion)
73: Partition mounting part (support part)
73a: protrusion (wide portion)
73b: protrusion (wide portion)
T1: Thickness of the vacuum insulation material on the side of the insulation box T2: Thickness of the foam insulation material on the side of the insulation box T2A: Thickness of the foam insulation material on the wide portion 71a T2b: Thickness of the foam insulation material in the portion where the storage container holder 28 is located T2C: Thickness of the foam insulation material on the wide portions 71b and 72a T2d: Thickness of the foam insulation material in the portion where the first partition 54 is located T2E: Thickness of the foam insulation material on the wide portion 72b T2F: Thickness of the foam insulation material on the wide portion 73a T2g: Thickness of the foam insulation material in the portion where the second partition 55 is located T2H: Thickness of the foam insulation material on the wide portion 73b

Claims (2)

A refrigerator having a heat-insulating box body having an inner box and an outer box,
The heat-insulating box body is
A vacuum insulation material arranged on the outer box side inside the insulation box;
A foam insulation material filled inside the insulation box;
At least one injection port is provided for injecting the foam insulation material into a space between the inner box and the vacuum insulation material within the insulation box body,
In the side portion of the insulation box, the area where the thickness of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material is less than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material is more than the area where the thickness is equal to or greater than the thickness of the vacuum insulation material,
A storage container holder is provided on a side wall of the inner box to hold a storage container to be placed inside the cabinet in a state where the storage container can slide back and forth,
The upper and lower portions of the container holder are widened portions that increase the thickness of the foam insulation material,
The storage container holder is fixed in a state where it is sandwiched between the wide portions,
A refrigerator in which the thickness of the foam insulation material between the wide portions is greater than the thickness of the majority of the foam insulation material facing the vacuum insulation material on the side portions of the insulated box body, and is smaller than the thickness of the wide portions . The heat-insulating box has a partition below the storage container holder that separates the interior of the storage space into upper and lower sections.
a second wide portion for expanding the thickness of the foam insulation material formed below the partition, and the partition is fixed in a sandwiched state between the second wide portion and the second wide portion provided below the storage container holder;
the thickness of the wide portion provided below the storage container holder is greater than the thickness of the wide portion provided above the storage container holder;
The refrigerator according to claim 1.