JP6670803B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  Patent Literature 1 describes a refrigerator having an operation panel provided on a side surface in a refrigerator. In the refrigerator described in Patent Literature 1, a cover is provided to prevent the foamed heat insulating material from entering the substrate of the operation panel.

JP 2003-176978 A

  However, if the foamed heat insulating material is interposed between the cover and the outer box as in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the cover may be deformed due to the foaming pressure when the foamed heat insulating material is filled. For this reason, it is necessary to allow a sufficient space between the cover and the substrate so that the cover does not come into contact with the substrate even when the cover is deformed.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and has as its object to provide a refrigerator capable of suppressing useless space.

The present invention provides a unit member having a front member, a circuit board provided on the back side of the front member, and a board storage portion for storing the circuit board and fixing the front member, and an inner box and an outer box. A heat insulating box body provided with at least a vacuum heat insulating material as a heat insulating material between the unit box and the unit member disposed on at least one of the left and right sides of the inner box, and a bottom surface of the substrate storage unit and the vacuum heat insulating material or In the gap between the outer box and the outer box, the foamed heat insulating material is not interposed at least near the center.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the deformation | transformation by the foaming pressure of a vacuum heat insulating material can be suppressed and the refrigerator which can save space can be provided.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. It is a front view which shows the inside of a refrigerator compartment. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a state in which a board storage unit is removed while leaving a control board from an operation panel, as viewed from the back side. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an operation panel. It is the schematic which shows the positional relationship between an operation panel and a heat insulation box, (a) is 1st Embodiment, (b) is a comparative example. It is the schematic which shows the positional relationship of the operation panel and heat insulation box of 2nd Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the positional relationship of the operation panel and heat insulation box of 3rd Embodiment. (A) is a graph showing a relationship between urethane density and foaming pressure, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing a load and a deformation amount when obtaining case rigidity. It is the schematic which shows the state which provided the interposition member between the board | substrate storage part and the vacuum heat insulating material.

  Hereinafter, refrigerators 1A, 1B, and 1C according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, description will be made with reference to the “up / down”, “left / right”, and “front / rear” directions shown in FIG. In the following, a six-door refrigerator is described as an example, but the invention is not limited to a six-door refrigerator. In each embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

(1st Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1A is configured by, for example, arranging a refrigerator compartment 2, an ice making compartment 3, an upper freezing compartment 4, a lower freezing compartment 5, and a vegetable compartment 6 from the upper side. The ice making room 3 and the upper freezing room 4 are provided side by side. The refrigerating compartment 2 is provided with two-way open refrigerating compartment doors 2a and 2b which are divided into right and left.

  In the refrigerator 1A, the outside of the refrigerator and the inside of the refrigerator are separated by a heat insulating box 10 configured by filling the inside with a foamed heat insulating material. The heat insulating box 10 includes a vacuum heat insulating material 50 (FIG. 3) in addition to the foam heat insulating material, and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 enhances heat insulation. The heat-insulating box 10 includes an outer box 11 forming an outer shell, and an inner box 12 forming each storage room for storing foods and the like in the refrigerator compartment 2, the ice making compartment 3, the upper freezing compartment 4, the lower freezing compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6. And

  Further, the refrigerator 1A includes a known refrigeration cycle including a compressor (compressor), a condenser (condenser, not shown), a capillary tube (decompression means, not shown), and a cooler (evaporator).

  The refrigerator 1 </ b> A includes an operation panel 20 (unit member) in the refrigerator 2. The operation panel 20 is provided on the left side inside the storage. The position of the operation panel 20 is not limited to the left side, but may be provided on the right side.

  The operation panel 20 includes a surface member 21 having a rectangular shape, and the surface member 21 is provided with a plurality of (six in this embodiment) press-type operation buttons 22. The operation panel 20 is located on the front side of the partition 2c provided in the refrigerator compartment 2.

  FIG. 2 is a front view showing the inside of the refrigerator compartment. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the doors 2a and 2b and the internal partition 2c are removed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outer box 11 of the heat insulating box 10 is made of a thin steel plate and constitutes a housing of the refrigerator body (the heat insulating box 10). The outer box 11 is formed by integrally forming the left and right side plates 11a, 11b and the top plate 11c from a steel strip using a forming roll or the like, and forms a bottom plate (not shown) and a rear plate 11d (FIG. 3) is assembled with screws or the like.

  The inner box 12 of the heat-insulating box 10 is formed by a vacuum forming method in which a single resin sheet is heated and stretched by applying air blow, and then placed in a mold and formed into a container. The inner box 12 is formed by integrally molding a left side wall 12a, a right side wall 12b, a back wall 12c, a top wall 12d (see FIG. 1), and a bottom wall 12e (see FIG. 1).

  FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heat-insulating box 10 is formed in a U-shape in a horizontal cross-sectional view. The side plates 11a and 11b of the outer box 11 extend in parallel in the front-rear direction.

  The side wall 12a of the inner box 12 has an inclined surface 12a1 that is gradually inclined from the back side (rear side) to the front side (front side) so as to approach the side plate 11a (outer side surface) of the outer box 11. I have. The inclined surface 12a1 is for securing the releasability from the mold, and is called a so-called draft taper. An operation panel 20 is provided on a surface (side wall 12a) on which the inclined surface 12a1 (pulling taper) is formed. The side wall 12b is also provided with an inclined surface symmetrically to the side wall 12a.

  A vacuum heat insulating material 50 is provided inside the heat insulating box 10 (inside the wall). The vacuum heat insulating material 50 is attached to the inner surface of the side plate 11 a (outer plate) of the outer box 11. Further, the vacuum heat insulating material 50 has a front end located on the front side (front side, front side) of the operation panel 20 and a rear end extending to a substantially rear end of the side plate 11a.

  In addition, the vacuum heat insulating material 50 includes a glass wool layer, an adsorbent, and the like, which are inorganic fiber aggregates forming a core material disposed in the center, in an inner bag material (not shown), and has a gas barrier property such as aluminum foil. It is vacuum-packaged with a covering material.

  As the inner bag material (not shown), a polyethylene film, a polypropylene film, a polyethylene terephthalate film, a polybutylene terephthalate film, or the like is used. That is, as the inner bag material, a material having low hygroscopicity, capable of being thermally welded, and having little outgas (gas leakage) is used.

  As the adsorbent, a physical adsorption type synthetic zeolite that captures moisture and gas molecules in pores is used. The adsorbent is not a synthetic zeolite, but may be any one that adsorbs moisture or gas.A chemically reactive adsorbent that adsorbs moisture or gas by a chemical reaction such as silica gel, calcium oxide, calcium chloride, or strontium oxide may be used. It can also be used.

  As for the jacket material, a polypropylene film having low hygroscopicity is provided as a surface layer, and an aluminum vapor-deposited layer is provided on a polyethylene terephthalate film as a moisture-proof layer. The gas barrier layer is formed by providing an aluminum vapor-deposited layer on an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer film and bonding it to the aluminum vapor-deposited layer of the moisture-proof layer.

  In the present embodiment, the panel-shaped (flat) vacuum heat insulating material 50 is attached to the inner wall surface of the side plate 11a (outer plate), and the gap between the side plate 11a (outer plate) and the side wall 12a (inner plate) is formed. Is filled with a foamed heat insulating material such as rigid urethane foam.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the operation panel 20 includes a front member 21 provided with operation buttons 22 (see FIG. 1), a control board 31 (circuit board) provided on the back side of the front member 21, and a control board 31. A substrate accommodating portion 41 for accommodating and fixing the surface member 21. The operation button 22 (see FIG. 1) is, for example, a push-operation type, and controls the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 2, the ice making compartment 3, the upper freezing compartment 4, the lower freezing compartment 5, the vegetable compartment 6 and the like. It is operated when changing.

  The surface member 21 has a panel portion 21a on which operation buttons 22 (see FIG. 1) are provided, and a rib 21b extending from the outer peripheral edge of the back surface of the panel portion 21a toward the side plate 11a of the outer box. I have. The surface member 21 is fixed to the substrate housing portion 41 by inserting a rib 21b into a rectangular mounting hole 12f formed through the side wall 12a (inclined surface 12a1). The panel portion 21a has a rectangular shape larger than the opening area of the mounting hole 12f, and is configured such that the entire outer peripheral edge 21r of the panel portion 21a contacts the entire opening edge 12g of the mounting hole 12f. I have. Accordingly, the entire mounting hole 12f is closed by the surface member 21, and the mounting hole 12f cannot be visually recognized from the outside (inside of the refrigerator).

  The front surface member 21 projects from the surface of the side wall 12a toward the inside of the refrigerator (toward the center in the width direction of the refrigerator) from the surface of the side wall 12a in consideration of the draft taper. It is configured so that it protrudes (protrudes). The surface 21a1 of the surface member 21 (panel portion 21a) is configured to be substantially parallel (or parallel) to the vacuum heat insulating material 50. The term “substantially parallel” refers to a direction including parallel and closer to parallel than the inclination formed by the surface 21a1 and the inclined surface 12a1.

  The control board 31 is formed of a square plate-shaped circuit board (hereinafter, appropriately abbreviated as “board”) on which various electric components and electronic components are mounted, and is located inside the rib 21 b of the surface member 21. In other words, the control board 31 is configured to be surrounded by the rib 21b. As the number of operation menus on the operation panel 20 increases (multiple functions are provided), the size of the board increases. A signal from the control board 31 is sent to a main board provided on the ceiling of the heat-insulating box 10, so that the temperature in the refrigerator is controlled from the main board.

  The board storage section 41 is arranged on the back side of the side wall 12 a (inside the heat insulating box 10), and extends along the back surface of the side wall 12 a from an opening edge of the recess 42 for housing the control board 31. And a flange 43.

  The concave portion 42 has a bottom surface portion 42a arranged in parallel with the control board 31 and a side surface portion 42b rising from the peripheral edge of the bottom surface portion 42a toward the side wall 12a. It is configured to open. The recess 42 is configured such that the depth H1 from the front (front) opening is smaller than the depth H2 from the rear (rear) opening (H2> H1).

  Further, the bottom surface portion 42a of the concave portion 42 is configured such that the back surface 42c on the outer box 11 side is substantially parallel (or parallel) with the vacuum heat insulating material 50. Thereby, the gap S between the back surface 42c of the bottom surface portion 42a and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 becomes uniform from the back surface to the front surface. The term “substantially parallel” refers to a direction including parallel and closer to parallel than the inclination formed by the back surface 42c and the inclined surface 12a1.

  Further, the bottom surface portion 42a of the concave portion 42 is configured such that the back surface 42c on the outer case 11 side is substantially parallel (or parallel) to the outer case 11 (side plate 11a). Accordingly, when the vacuum heat insulating material 50 is attached to the rear surface of the side plate 11a, the gap S between the rear surface 42c of the bottom surface 42a and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be made uniform from the rear side to the front side.

  FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the rib 21b of the surface member 21 has a contact portion 21d with which the outer peripheral edge of the control board 31 contacts. Thereby, the height position from the back surface of the surface member 21 can be always kept constant.

  In the concave portion 42 of the substrate housing portion 41, a reinforcing portion 41s protruding from the bottom surface portion 42a toward the surface member 21 is formed. The reinforcing portion 41s is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is formed to protrude from the center of the bottom surface portion 42a. The tip 41s1 of the reinforcing portion 41s protrudes to a position flush with the side wall 12a.

  On the contrary, if the items stored in the substrate storage portion 41 are small, the substrate storage portion 41 can be made smaller. Even if urethane (foamed heat insulating material) is filled on the back surface of the substrate storage portion 41, the substrate storage portion 41 can be reduced. Foaming pressure is small. However, when the number of operation menus increases and the substrate becomes large, the substrate may be deformed by the urethane foaming pressure. Therefore, when filling the urethane, it is necessary to apply a jig for preventing deformation of the substrate storage portion from the surface side of the side wall. By providing the reinforcing portion 41s in the substrate housing portion 41 in this manner, deformation due to the foaming pressure can be suppressed. Note that the tip 41s1 of the reinforcing portion 41s only needs to extend to a position where it abuts on the jig.

  Further, since the reinforcing portion 41 s is formed in the board storage portion 41, a through hole 31 a through which the reinforcing portion 41 s can be inserted is formed in the center of the control board 31. Thereby, even if the reinforcing portion 41s is protruded from the bottom surface portion 42a to a surface flush with the side wall 12a, the control substrate 31 can be stored in the substrate storage portion 41.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view of a state in which the board storage section is removed from the operation panel while leaving the control board, as viewed from the back side.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the control board 31 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and is arranged inside a rib 21 b formed on the back surface of the front surface member 21. The outer peripheral edge of the control board 31 is located near the rib 21b.

  Further, the control board 31 has an edge portion of the control board 31 locked by claw portions 21c, 21c, 21d, 21d formed on the back surface of the front surface member 21. Thereby, the control board 31 is securely held by the surface member 21.

  The claw portions 21c, 21c are formed above the control board 31, are formed integrally with the rib 21b, and are arranged apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The claw portion 21c is formed on a wall surface of the rib 21b on the control board 31 side. The claw portions 21d, 21d are formed so as to protrude from the back surface of the front surface member 21, and are disposed apart from each other in the front-rear direction.

  The rib 21b includes upper ribs 21e formed along the upper side 31b of the control board 31, side ribs 21f, 21g formed along the front and rear side sides 31c, 31c of the control board 31, And lower ribs 21h and 21i formed along the lower side 31d of the substrate 31 and are formed in a substantially U shape (substantially C shape) in plan view. The lower ribs 21h and 21i are formed shorter from the lower ends of the side ribs 21f and 21g in the front-rear direction facing each other. Protrusions 21h1 and 21i1 extending in the thickness direction of the surface member 21 (a direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 6) are formed on the lower surfaces of the distal ends of the lower ribs 21h and 21i.

  Drainage grooves 21j, 21j, 21k, 21k extending vertically are formed at the lower end of the front surface member 21 at the lower end. The drain grooves 21j, 21j are located on the rear side in the front-rear direction. The drains 21k, 21k are located on the front side in the front-rear direction. The drain grooves 21j and 21k are formed by cutting the back surface of the surface member 21 in a gutter shape (substantially semicircular shape). Further, the drain grooves 21j, 21j are formed at positions not overlapping the lower rib 21h in the vertical direction. The drain grooves 21k, 21k are formed at positions not overlapping the lower rib 21i in the vertical direction.

  In addition, the upper rib 21e includes an inclined path 21e1 that is inclined downward from the center in the front-rear direction (the center in the width direction in front view) toward the front (one in the width direction), and a rearward (the other side in the width direction). And an inclined path 21e2 that is inclined downward.

  FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the operation panel.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the upper rib 21 e has an inclined surface portion 21 e 3 descending from the back surface side of the front surface member 21 toward the front surface side. Thus, even if water (condensed water) or the like flows into the upper rib 21e from the gap between the operation panel 20 and the side wall 12a, it does not flow to the bottom surface 42a side of the substrate housing portion 41, so that the control substrate 31 Can be protected.

  By the way, since the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2 (the interior of the refrigerator) is in a low-temperature environment, when warm air enters the refrigerator compartment 2 by opening and closing the doors 2a and 2b, there is a possibility of dew condensation, and the control board 31 is protected from dew condensation (protection) There is a need to. Therefore, by setting the shape of the rib 21e to the shape described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the control board 31 can be protected from dew condensation. That is, as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 6, when dew condensation occurs in the refrigerator and dew water enters the back surface of the front surface member 21 from above the front surface member 21, the dew water is first received by the upper rib 21 e. be able to. At this time, since the upper rib 21e has the slopes 21e1 and 21e2, the dew water flows in the front-rear direction (left and right directions in the drawing) by the slopes 21e1 and 21e2. At this time, since the upper rib 21e has the inclined surface portion 21e3 (see FIG. 7), the dew water does not flow down to the control board 31 side.

  The dew water flowing to the front and rear ends of the upper rib 21e flows downward while contacting the outer surfaces of the side ribs 21f and 21g by surface tension. The dew water flowing to the lower ends of the side ribs 21f and 21g flows inward while contacting the lower surfaces of the lower ribs 21h and 21i by surface tension. The dew water flowing to the tips of the lower ribs 21h and 21i hits the projections 21h1 and 21i1 formed on the lower surfaces of the tips of the lower ribs 21h and 21i, and flows downward. Then, the condensed water that has flowed down flows out of the surface member 21 through the drain grooves 21j, 21j, 21k, 21k. Thus, the control board 31 can be protected from dew formation by forming the flow path of the dew condensation water.

  Next, the operation and effect of the invention will be described with reference to the first embodiment and a comparative example. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating a positional relationship between the operation panel and the heat insulating box, wherein FIG. 8A is a first embodiment, and FIG. 8B is a comparative example.

  The comparative example shown in FIG. 8B is a case of the heat insulating box 100 in which the back surface 142 c of the substrate storage portion 141 is formed following the inclined surface 12 a 1 and the front surface 121 a of the surface member 121 is formed following the inclined surface 12 a 1. It is. In the comparative example thus configured, the gap S100 formed between the back surface 142c of the substrate housing portion 141 and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 (the front surface 50s) is such that the gap on the front side is smaller than the gap on the back side. In addition, the fluidity of the foamed heat insulating material in the gap on the front side deteriorates. In addition, the vacuum heat insulating material 50 is pressed by the substrate housing portion 41, and a problem such as a leak of the vacuum heat insulating material 50 occurs.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, the back surface 42c of the substrate housing portion 41 and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 are parallel (substantially parallel). That is, with respect to the protrusion (projection amount) from the side wall 12a of the inner box 12 to the back side, the protrusion amount (dimension) a1 on the front side is smaller (smaller) than the protrusion amount (dimension) b1 on the back side. Thereby, the gap S between the back surface 42c of the substrate storage part 41 and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 (the front surface 50s) becomes uniform from the back side to the front side. As a result, the dimensions of the vacuum heat insulating material 50 and the back surface 42c of the substrate housing portion 41 (the back surface of the operation panel 20) can be reduced. Further, the thickness dimension of the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be increased, and the heat insulating property of the refrigerator 1A can be improved. Further, in the first embodiment, since the gap between the substrate storage portion 41 and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be reduced, the wall thickness of the refrigerator 1A can be reduced (the distance between the side plate 11a and the side wall 12a can be reduced). Since the wall thickness of the refrigerator 1A can be reduced, the capacity of the refrigerator 2 can be increased.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, the back surface 42c of the substrate housing portion 41 and the side plate 11a (outer box 11) are parallel (substantially parallel). Thereby, the same effect as when the back surface 42c of the substrate storage section 41 and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 are parallel (substantially parallel) can be obtained.

  In the comparative example shown in FIG. 8B, when the back surface 142c of the substrate housing portion 141 is oriented in a direction indicated by a dashed line L100 so that the back surface 142c and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 are substantially parallel to each other, the housing of the control substrate 31 is not performed. Space cannot be secured.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, the front surface member 21 is formed such that the front side protrudes from the side wall 12a (side surface) more toward the inside of the refrigerator than the back side. That is, with respect to the protrusion from the side wall 12a of the inner box 12 to the front side, the protrusion amount (dimension) a2 on the front side is larger (greater) than the protrusion amount (dimension) b2 on the rear side. Thereby, a storage space for the control substrate 31 can be secured, and the back surface 42c of the substrate storage portion 41 and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be configured substantially parallel (or substantially parallel). As a result, the dimensions of the vacuum heat insulating material 50 and the back surface 42c of the substrate housing portion 41 (the back surface of the operation panel 20) can be reduced. Further, the thickness dimension of the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be increased, and the heat insulating property of the refrigerator 1A can be improved. Further, in the first embodiment, since the gap between the substrate housing portion 41 and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be reduced, the wall thickness of the refrigerator 1A can be reduced (the distance between the side plate 11a and the side wall 12a can be shortened). Since the wall thickness of the refrigerator 1A can be reduced, the capacity of the refrigerator 2 can be increased. It should be noted that a rib extending toward the vacuum heat insulating material 50 is not provided on the back surface of the substrate housing portion 41. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the vacuum heat insulating material 50 from leaking due to the ribs coming into contact with the vacuum heat insulating material 50, and to increase the distance between the vacuum heat insulating material 50 and the substrate housing portion 41 more than necessary to prevent the leak. Eliminates the need. This is particularly effective when the operation button 22 is not a touch type but a pressing type.

  Further, in the first embodiment, a concave portion 21t (see FIG. 6) is formed on the back surface of the surface (front side) on which the surface member 21 is formed so as to protrude (the edge portion is engraved). Thus, by forming the concave portion 21t, the rear surface edge of the surface member 21 is formed in a brim shape, so that the strength of the surface member 21 can be improved. Further, the space inside the operation panel 20 can be effectively used.

  In the first embodiment, ribs (upper ribs 21e and side ribs 21f, 21g) extending downward from the upper side 31b of the control board 31 through the side 31c protrude from the rear surface of the front surface member 21. The upper rib 21e is formed and has an inclined surface portion 21e3 in which the upper surface of the upper rib 21e descends from the back surface side to the front surface side of the surface member 21 (see FIG. 7). Thereby, it is possible to prevent the dew condensation water from flowing into the control board 31, protect the control board 31, and improve the reliability of the operation panel 20.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the upper surface of the upper rib 21e has inclined paths 21e1 and 21e2 which are inclined from the center in the width direction toward both sides in a front view. Accordingly, water (droplets) that has entered from above the operation panel 20 can be guided to the side ribs 21f and 21g without remaining in the upper rib 21e, and the control board 31 can be protected.

  In the first embodiment, drain grooves 21j and 21k are formed on the lower surface of the front surface member 21 at the lower end in the vertical direction. Thus, even if water enters the substrate storage section 41, the water can be drained from the drain grooves 21j and 21k, and the reliability of the operation panel can be improved.

  In the first embodiment, the rib 21b is not formed at a position vertically overlapping the drain grooves 21j and 21k. Thus, water can be guided to the drain grooves 21j and 21k by the rib 21b.

  Further, in the first embodiment, a reinforcing portion 41 s extending from the bottom surface of the substrate housing portion 41 toward the surface member 21 is formed. Thereby, when filling the foamed heat insulating material, the deformation of the substrate housing portion 41 can be prevented.

  By the way, the inclined surface 12a1 of the side wall 12a may be slightly R-shaped (so as to be convex toward the inside of the refrigerator). In such a case, as a measure against the gap, it is preferable that the substrate storage portion 41 also has an R shape. Therefore, in the second and third embodiments described below, it is unnecessary to provide the substrate storage portions 61 and 81 with an R-shape by making the mounting portions of the storage portions 61 and 81 on the side wall 12a flat. become.

(2nd Embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the operation panel and the heat insulating box according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a refrigerator 1B according to the second embodiment has a concave step 12m formed on an inclined surface 12a1 of a side wall 12a. The stepped portion 12m has a rectangular cylinder 12m1 extending from the opening of the side wall 12a toward the side plate 11a, and an annular portion 12m2 extending inward from the tip of the cylinder 12m1. I have. The annular portion 12m2 is formed substantially parallel to the vacuum heat insulating material 50. In other words, the annular portion 12m2 is formed substantially parallel to the side plate 11a. In the step portion 12m, the protrusion amount (dimension) on the front side is smaller (smaller) than the protrusion amount (dimension) on the rear surface side in the protrusion amount on the rear surface side of the side wall 12a.

  The surface member 51 has a rib 52 protruding toward the rear surface side, and the tip of the rib 52 is in contact with the surface of the flange 12m2.

  The board housing section 61 includes a recess 62 for housing the control board 31 and a flange 63 formed at an opening edge of the recess 62. The recess 62 has a back surface 62 c formed substantially parallel to the vacuum heat insulating material 50. The flange portion 63 is in contact with the annular portion 12m2.

  In the second embodiment, since the back surface 62c of the substrate housing portion 61 and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be substantially parallel, the gap S1 between the back surface 62c and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be made uniform. Further, in the surface member 51 of the second embodiment, the front side is formed so as to protrude more from the inclined surface 12a1 of the side wall 12a toward the inside of the refrigerator than the rear side. Thereby, the gap between the vacuum heat insulating material 50 and the back surface 62c of the substrate housing portion 61 (the back surface of the operation panel 20) can be reduced. Since the gap can be reduced in this way, the thickness of the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be increased, and the heat insulation of the refrigerator 1A can be improved. Further, in the second embodiment, since the gap between the substrate housing portion 61 and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be reduced, the wall thickness of the refrigerator 1A can be reduced (the distance between the side plate 11a and the side wall 12a can be shortened). Since the wall thickness of the refrigerator 1A can be reduced, the capacity of the refrigerator 2 can be increased.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a positional relationship between an operation panel and a heat insulating box according to the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, a refrigerator 1C according to the third embodiment has a step 12p having a convex shape formed on an inclined surface 12a1 of a side wall 12a. The step portion 12p has a rectangular cylindrical body 12p1 extending from the opening of the side wall 12a toward the inside of the refrigerator, and an annular portion 12p2 extending inward from the tip of the cylindrical body 12p1. . The annular portion 12p2 is formed substantially parallel to the vacuum heat insulating material 50. In other words, the annular portion 12p2 is formed substantially parallel to the side plate 11a. In addition, the step portion 12p is such that the protrusion amount (dimension) on the front side is larger (greater) than the protrusion amount (dimension) on the back side in the protrusion amount on the surface side of the side wall 12a.

  The surface member 71 has a rib 72 protruding toward the rear surface side, and the tip of the rib 72 is in contact with the surface of the annular portion 12p2.

  The board housing section 81 includes a recess 82 for housing the control board 31 and a flange 83 formed at an opening edge of the recess 82. The concave portion 82 has a back surface 82 c formed substantially parallel to the vacuum heat insulating material 50. The collar portion 83 is in contact with the annular portion 12p2.

  In the third embodiment, the back surface 82c of the substrate housing portion 81 and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be made substantially parallel, so that the gap S2 between the back surface 82c and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be made uniform. Further, in the second embodiment, the surface member 71 is formed such that the front side protrudes from the side wall 12a to the inner side of the storage than the back side. Thereby, the same effect as in the second embodiment can be obtained.

  In the second embodiment, the side wall 12a has a concave shape, and in the third embodiment, the case where the side wall 12a has a convex shape has been described as an example. The configuration may be such that the portion is a plane.

  By the way, when the gap between the substrate storage portion 41 (hereinafter, referred to as a case) and the outer plate (side plate 11a) is reduced, urethane (urethane) is formed around the gap between the case and the vacuum heat insulating material 50. A state in which urethane does not enter near the center although foam insulating material) enters is also assumed. In addition, the multi-functional operation panel 20 increases the size of the control board 31 and the size of the case for accommodating the control board 31, making the control panel 31 more susceptible to the foaming pressure during urethane filling. The relationship between the foaming pressure and the urethane density is as shown in FIG. That is, when the gap is reduced, the urethane density increases, so that the foaming pressure increases due to the increase in the urethane density. This causes problems such as damage and deformation of parts such as the case. Then, in order to avoid such a problem, the urethane density (ρ) satisfies the following relational expression 1, and a refrigerator using urethane having a density satisfying this expression is used.

Ln (ρ) ≦ 1066.7 × K / A−17.48 (1)
ρ: urethane density (kg / mm ³ )
K: Case rigidity (N / mm)
A: Installation area (mm ² ) between the urethane and the case that entered the back of the case
As shown in FIG. 11B, the case rigidity K is such that a load F is applied to the case in a state in which all of the outer periphery of the case and the projections inside the case are supported, and (load F: N) / (deformation amount). R: mm).

In the structure as in the present embodiment, the heat insulating portion becomes thinner depending on the case, the thickness of urethane decreases, and the urethane density tends to increase. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the urethane density is 45 kg / m ³ or more.

Next, the basis of Equation 1 will be described. Based on the relationship between density (ρ: kg / mm ³ ) and foaming pressure (P: MPa), the amount of deformation due to foaming can be expressed by the left side of (Formula 2) below. According to the results of experiments conducted by the inventors, the relationship between urethane density and foaming pressure shows a tendency as shown in FIG. Further, in order to prevent damage to parts such as a case from urethane foaming pressure, it is necessary to satisfy the relationship of (Equation 2).

[Blowing pressure] × [Area] / [Case rigidity] ≦ [Permissible value] (2)
Assuming that the gap between the case and the vacuum heat insulating material is about 1.0 mm, the urethane density is generally about 500 × 10 9 kg / mm ³ . The foaming pressure (MPa) in this case was calculated from the relational expression obtained in FIG. 11A, the case rigidity K was obtained by CAE analysis, and an allowable value corresponding to the right side of (Equation 2) was determined. In addition, it is assumed that the size will be doubled due to the future multi-functional operation panel, and it is expected that the case rigidity K will be reduced to 1/4 due to material change, etc., and the allowable value is required about 8 times. Think. Therefore, the safety factor is set to 8.
(Equation 1) is derived from the relational expression obtained in FIG. 11A described above, (Equation 2), and the allowable value in consideration of the safety factor, and the conditional expression of the urethane density with respect to the damage and deformation of the case. Becomes

  When the wall thickness of the heat insulating box 10 is reduced, the gap between the case and the vacuum heat insulating material is necessarily narrowed. For example, when the gap is less than 10 mm, the urethane density is high, so that the foaming pressure is increased and the gap is easily deformed. Therefore, there is provided a refrigerator in which urethane (foam insulating material) is not interposed at least near the center between a case (substrate storing portion 41) for storing a substrate (control substrate 31) and an outer plate (or vacuum heat insulating material 50). By doing so, the deformation due to the foaming pressure can be suppressed, and the space required for providing a margin can be saved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, an intervening member 90 may be provided between the case (substrate storage section 41) and the vacuum heat insulating material 50. The intervening member 90 is a member that suppresses or prevents the penetration of the foamed heat insulating material, and a sponge-like material such as soft urethane or a polystyrene foam can be used. If the distance between the case and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 is set to a small value of 6 mm or less, it becomes difficult for the foam heat insulating material to enter between the case and the vacuum heat insulating material 50.

  In addition, since the case and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 do not come into direct contact with each other by providing the intervening member 90, leakage of the vacuum heat insulating material 50 can be prevented. In addition, the intervening member 90 may be a compressible member that closes the gap between the case and the vacuum heat insulating material 50 (one that is crushed and interposed by a member larger than the size of the original gap). Note that, as the compressible member, styrene foam and polyethylene foam can be applied. Further, it is preferable that the interposed member 90 does not penetrate the foamed heat insulating material.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the operation panel 20 is provided on the inclined surface 12a1 of the side wall 12a inside the refrigerator has been described, but the operation panel 20 may be applied to the top wall 12d provided with the interior lamp. Alternatively, the present invention may be applied to a place on the upper surface of the refrigerator where the main board is mounted. Alternatively, the present invention may be applied to a place where an IOT (Internet of Things) substrate is mounted.

1A, 1B, 1C Refrigerator 10 Insulated box 11 Outer box 12 Inner box 12a Side wall (side)
12a1 Inclined surface 12m, 12p Step 20 Operation panel (unit member)
Reference Signs List 21 surface member 21b rib 21e upper rib 21e1, 21e2 ramp 21e3 slope 21f, 21g side rib 21h, 21i lower rib 21j, 21k drain groove 21t recess 31 control board (circuit board)
31b Upper side part 31c Side side part 31d Lower side part 41 Substrate storage part 41s Reinforcement part 41s1 Tip 42c Back side (surface on the side facing the outer box)
50 Vacuum insulation

Claims (7)

A surface member, a circuit board provided on the back surface side of the surface member, and a unit member for housing the circuit board, having a board storage portion provided on the back surface side of the circuit board ;
A heat insulation box provided with at least a vacuum heat insulation material as a heat insulation material between the inner box and the outer box, and the unit member is disposed on at least one of the left and right sides of the inner box,
In the gap between the vacuum heat insulating material or the bottom surface of the substrate storage portion facing the outer box and the vacuum heat insulating material or the outer box, at least near the center, no foamed heat insulating material is interposed ,
The side surface on which the unit member is disposed has an inclined surface that is inclined from the rear side toward the front side so as to approach the side plate of the outer box,
A refrigerator in which a dimension of the unit member protruding from the side surface toward a side where the outer box is present is smaller on a front side than on a rear side . A surface member, a circuit board provided on the back surface side of the surface member, and a unit member for housing the circuit board, having a board storage portion provided on the back surface side of the circuit board ;
Provided with a foam heat insulating material and a vacuum heat insulating material between the inner box and the outer box, and a heat insulating box body in which the unit member is disposed on at least one of the left and right sides of the inner box,
In a gap between the vacuum heat insulating material or the bottom surface of the substrate storage unit facing the outer box and the vacuum heat insulating material or the outer box, the density of the foamed heat insulating material is ρ (kg / mm3). When the rigidity of the section is K (N / mm) and the contact area between the foamed heat insulating material and the substrate storage section is A (mm2),
Ln (ρ) ≦ 1066.7 × K / A-17.48
Meet the relationship,
The side surface on which the unit member is disposed has an inclined surface that is inclined from the rear side toward the front side so as to approach the side plate of the outer box,
A refrigerator in which a dimension of the unit member protruding from the side surface toward a side where the outer box is present is smaller on a front side than on a rear side . A surface member, a circuit board provided on the back surface side of the surface member, and a unit member for housing the circuit board, having a board storage portion provided on the back surface side of the circuit board ;
Provided with a foam heat insulating material and a vacuum heat insulating material between the inner box and the outer box, and a heat insulating box body in which the unit member is disposed on at least one of the left and right sides of the inner box,
Between the bottom surface of the substrate housing portion facing the vacuum heat insulating material or the outer box and the vacuum heat insulating material or the outer box , at least the center of the bottom surface of the substrate housing portion of the foamed heat insulating material to the back side. An intervening member that suppresses intrusion is provided ,
The side surface on which the unit member is disposed has an inclined surface that is inclined from the rear side toward the front side so as to approach the side plate of the outer box,
A refrigerator in which a dimension of the unit member protruding from the side surface toward a side where the outer box is present is smaller on a front side than on a rear side .   A surface member, a circuit board provided on the back surface side of the surface member, and a unit member for housing the circuit board, having a board storage portion provided on the back surface side of the circuit board;
  A heat insulation box provided with at least a vacuum heat insulation material as a heat insulation material between the inner box and the outer box, and the unit member is disposed on at least one of the left and right sides of the inner box,
  The side surface on which the unit member facing the vacuum heat insulating material or the outer box is disposed has an inclined surface that is inclined from the rear side toward the front side so as to approach the side plate of the outer box,
  A refrigerator in which a dimension of the unit member protruding from the side surface toward a side where the outer box is present is smaller on a front side than on a rear side.   A bottom surface of the substrate storage portion, a reinforcing portion protruding toward at least one of the left and right side walls of the inner box,
  The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a through-hole disposed on the control board and through which the reinforcing portion is inserted.   A surface member, a circuit board provided on the back surface side of the surface member, and a unit member for housing the circuit board, having a board storage portion provided on the back surface side of the circuit board;
  A heat insulation box provided with at least a vacuum heat insulation material as a heat insulation material between the inner box and the outer box, and the unit member is disposed on at least one of the left and right sides of the inner box,
  At least the back side near the center of the bottom surface of the substrate housing portion facing the vacuum heat insulating material or the outer box is not filled with foamed heat insulating material,
  The side surface on which the unit member is disposed has an inclined surface that is inclined from the rear side toward the front side so as to approach the side plate of the outer box,
  A refrigerator in which a dimension of the unit member protruding from the side surface toward a side where the outer box is present is smaller on a front side than on a rear side.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a width dimension of a gap existing at least from near the center on the back side of the bottom surface to the outer box side is 6 mm or less.

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