JP7465683B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a refrigerator.

In recent years, with the widespread use of mobile information terminals such as smartphones and tablets, it has become common to use a mobile information terminal while doing housework in the kitchen, for example, while watching videos or listening to music. However, because watching videos or listening to music consumes a relatively large amount of battery power, users need to be aware of the remaining battery power of the mobile information terminal while watching. For this reason, a configuration has been proposed in which a refrigerator is provided with a connection terminal to which an external device such as a mobile information terminal can be connected, and the refrigerator and the external device are electrically connected to supply power to the external device from the refrigerator.

However, for example, every time the refrigerator supplies power to an external device, the cable connecting the external device to the connection terminal must be plugged in and unplugged, and so if the refrigerator is used frequently, there is a risk that a physical load will be placed on the connection terminal. As a result, for example, if the refrigerator is used frequently over a long period of time, the connection terminal may break, making it impossible to connect an external device to the refrigerator.

JP 2016-188760 A

Therefore, we provide a refrigerator that can reduce the load on the connection terminal when connecting an external device.

The refrigerator of the embodiment includes a refrigerator body having a storage compartment, a door provided on the refrigerator body for opening and closing the storage compartment, a connection part provided on the door into which an external device can be inserted and connected, and a board on which the connection part is mounted. The connection part has a locking part that locks with the door and extends in a direction different from the insertion and removal direction of the external device.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an appearance of an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a lower portion of a right door of a refrigerator according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment with a connection unit, a holding portion, and a cover member removed from a right door of a refrigerator compartment, as viewed from below; FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment, showing a connection unit, a holding portion, and a cover member removed from a right door of a refrigerator compartment; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the storage section and the recessed section in an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment, taken along line x5-x5 in FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the periphery of a connection portion of an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a connection unit of an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment, viewed from the front. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment taken along line x8-x8 in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment taken along line x9-x9 in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment taken along line x10-x10 in FIG.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, a schematic configuration of refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, refrigerator 1 is configured to have multiple storage compartments in refrigerator body 10, which is a vertically elongated rectangular box with an open front. In the following description, the open side of refrigerator body 10 is referred to as the front side of refrigerator 1, and the opposite side to the opening is referred to as the rear side of refrigerator 1. Furthermore, the up-down direction of refrigerator 1 is the up-down direction relative to the direction of gravity when refrigerator 1 is placed on the floor in the position shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the left-right direction when refrigerator 1 in Fig. 1 is viewed from the front is referred to as the left-right direction of refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 is mainly composed of a refrigerator body 10. The refrigerator body 10 is composed of a rectangular box with an open front and insulating properties. In this case, although details are not shown, the refrigerator body 10 is composed of, for example, an inner box made of resin and an outer box made of metal with insulating material provided between them.

The refrigerator body 10 has multiple storage compartments for storing stored items, such as a refrigerator compartment 11, a vegetable compartment 12, an ice-making compartment 13, a small freezer compartment 14, and a freezer compartment 15. The refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12 are storage compartments in the refrigeration temperature range. The ice-making compartment 13, the small freezer compartment 14, and the freezer compartment 15 are storage compartments in the freezing temperature range.

The refrigerator compartment 11 is located at the top of the refrigerator body 10. The vegetable compartment 12 is located below the refrigerator compartment 11. The ice-making compartment 13 and the small freezer compartment 14 are located below the vegetable compartment 12, side by side. The freezer compartment 15 is located below the ice-making compartment 13 and the small freezer compartment 14, i.e., at the bottom of the refrigerator body 10.

The refrigerator 1 is equipped with a right-side refrigerator door 21, a left-side refrigerator door 22, a vegetable door 23, an ice-making door 24, a small freezer door 25, and a freezer door 26. The right-side refrigerator door 21 and the left-side refrigerator door 22 are, for example, hinged double doors that open and close the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 11. The width of the right-side refrigerator door 21 and the width of the left-side refrigerator door 22 may be the same or different. In this embodiment, the right-side refrigerator door 21 is configured to be wider than the left-side refrigerator door 22.

The right-side refrigerator compartment door 21 has a right-side hinge 211, and the left-side refrigerator compartment door 22 has a left-side hinge 221. Each hinge 211, 221 is provided at the upper and lower parts of the outer end of the refrigerator compartment doors 21, 22, respectively, and supports each refrigerator compartment door 21, 22 so that it can rotate. The vegetable compartment door 23, ice compartment door 24, small freezer compartment door 25, and freezer compartment door 26 are all pull-out types, and open and close the front openings of the vegetable compartment 12, ice compartment 13, small freezer compartment 14, and freezer compartment 15, respectively.

The refrigerator 1 is equipped with a power supply unit (not shown). In this embodiment, the power supply unit is embedded in the ceiling of the refrigerator body 10 toward the back.

The refrigerator 1 includes an operating device 222. The operating device 222 has a function of accepting operations from a user and changing or displaying various settings such as the operation contents of the refrigerator 1. In the present embodiment, the operating device 222 is, for example, an electrostatic touch type operating device. The operating device 222 is built into, for example, one or both of the refrigerator compartment doors 21, 22. In the present embodiment, the operating device 222 is installed on the left refrigerator compartment door 22. In this case, the user can perform an input operation on the operating device 222 by touching the area on the surface of the left refrigerator compartment door 22 where the operating device 222 is provided. Note that the operating device 222 is not limited to being an electrostatic touch type, and may be a button type.

The refrigerator 1 also includes a connection unit 30. The connection unit 30 is connected to a power supply device (not shown) via electrical wiring 70 shown in Figs. 1 and 5. As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the connection unit 30 detachably connects an external device 80 such as a smartphone or tablet directly or via a cable 81 so as to be capable of supplying power. The power supply device (not shown) supplies power to the external device 80 connected via the connection unit 30.

As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the connection unit 30 includes a board 31, a power supply side socket 32, and a connection section 33. The board 31 is a printed circuit board formed in a roughly rectangular plate shape, for example a glass epoxy board in which epoxy resin is impregnated into glass fiber. The board 31 is equipped with the power supply side socket 32 and the connection section 33. The power supply side socket 32 is a female connector, and as shown in Fig. 5, receives a power supply side connector 71, which is a male connector provided at the end of the output side of the electrical wiring 70, to supply power from the power supply device to the board 31. The connection section 33 is a female connector, and receives a connector 82, which is a male connector provided at the end of a cable 81 provided on or connected to an external device 80, to connect in a detachable manner and to supply power. The power supply side socket 32 and the connection section 33 are fixed to the board 31 by a method such as soldering. In this specification, inserting or removing the connector 82 provided on the external device 80 or the connector 82 provided on the cable 81 connected to the external device 80 into or from the connection portion 33 is sometimes referred to as inserting or removing the external device 80 into or from the connection portion 33.

In this embodiment, the connection unit 33 is, for example, a connector based on the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, and is configured, for example, as a USB female connector. Note that the connection unit 33 is not limited to a USB connector as long as it is based on a standard that allows connection to the external device 80 so as to supply power.

The connection unit 30 is provided on each door 21, 22, 23, 25, 26 or on the refrigerator body 10. In this embodiment, the connection unit 30 is provided on the right-side refrigerator compartment door 21. The connection unit 30 is provided near the lower end of the right-side refrigerator compartment door 21. In this case, the right-side refrigerator compartment door 21 has a recessed portion 212 and a storage portion 40, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The storage portion 40 stores the connection unit 30 therein.

The recess 212 is provided on the periphery of the right-side refrigerator door 21, in this case the lower end. The recess 212 is formed by recessing the surface portion of the right-side refrigerator door 21 in the thickness direction of the door 21. In other words, the recess 212 is open on the right-side refrigerator door 21 towards the user. The recess 212 allows the external device 80 or connector 82 to be connected to the connection unit 30 in a manner such that at least a portion of the external device 80 or connector 82 does not protrude forward from the door 21.

As shown in FIG. 5, the storage section 40 is a space formed inside the right-side refrigerator compartment door 21, and is provided adjacent to the periphery of the recessed portion 212. As shown in FIG. 2 etc., the storage section 40 has an opening 41, a top surface portion 42, and a side surface portion 43. The opening 41 is provided at the bottom of the storage section 40 and opens the storage section 40 downward. The top surface portion 42 is provided at the top of the storage section 40, i.e., the portion facing the opening 41, and forms the ceiling portion of the internal space of the storage section 40. The side surface portion 43 connects the opening 41 and the top surface portion 42, and forms a wall portion surrounding the internal space of the storage section 40.

In this embodiment, the storage section 40 is opened downward relative to the right-side refrigerator door 21 by the opening 41. Therefore, when attaching the connection unit 30 to the right-side refrigerator door 21, the connection unit 30 is inserted into the storage section 40 through the opening 41 from below to above the right-side refrigerator door 21. In other words, the insertion direction of the connection unit 30 into the storage section 40 is different from the insertion and removal direction of the external device 80. In this embodiment, the insertion direction of the connection unit 30 into the storage section 40 and the insertion and removal direction of the external device 80 are perpendicular to each other. In this case, the connection unit 30 is provided so as to be detachable, i.e. replaceable, from the right-side refrigerator door 21.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the storage section and the recessed section shown along x5-x5 in Figure 1 when viewed from above. As shown by the imaginary two-dot chain line in Figure 5, the top surface section 42 is provided with a drawer opening 44 for drawing out the electrical wiring 70. In this embodiment, the drawer opening 44 is provided in a part of the top surface section 42 where the connection unit 30 is not stored below. In this embodiment, the drawer opening 44 is provided on the left side of the opposite side of the connection unit 30 from the center in the left-right direction of the top surface section 42. The electrical wiring 70 connected to a power supply device (not shown) is drawn into the right-side refrigerator compartment door 21 from the hinge 211 provided at the top of the right-side refrigerator compartment door 21, for example, to the drawer opening 44, and is drawn out from the drawer opening 44 to the storage section 40.

The electrical wiring 70 drawn into the storage section 40 is stored in a slightly slackened state in the electrical wiring storage section 45, which is part of the storage section 40. In this embodiment, the electrical wiring storage section 45 constitutes a portion of the storage section 40 that is to the left of the center in the left-right direction. The electrical wiring 70 is connected to the connection unit 30 with a slack of, for example, about 5 cm to 10 cm. Therefore, for example, when a worker installs or removes the connection unit 30 from the storage section 40 during manufacturing or repair, the movement of the electrical wiring 70 is restricted, preventing the work from becoming difficult.

2 and 5, the side surface portion 43 has an inner wall 431 and a window portion 432 on the side of the recessed portion 212, in other words, on the opposite side to the electrical wiring storage portion 45, that is, on the right side in this embodiment. The inner wall 431 forms a wall portion that separates the inside of the storage portion 40 from the recessed portion 212. In this embodiment, the surface formed by the inner wall 431 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. The window portion 432 is formed by opening a part of the inner wall 431, and communicates the inside of the storage portion 40 with the recessed portion 212. The tip of the connector 82 of the external device 80 or the cable 81 is inserted into the connection unit 30 through the window portion 432. The connector 82 provided on the external device 80 or the cable 81 is inclined with respect to the left-right direction when inserted into the connection unit 30. In other words, the insertion and removal direction of the external device 80 is inclined with respect to the left-right direction.

As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the door 21 includes a holding member 50. The holding member 50 has a function of holding the connection unit 30 and is housed inside the storage section 40. The holding member 50 includes an upper portion 51 and a side portion 52. The upper portion 51 forms the upper surface portion of the holding member 50 and abuts against the top surface portion 42 of the storage section 40 when housed inside the storage section 40. The side portion 52 is connected to the upper portion 51 and forms a side surface portion of the holding member 50 continuously or discontinuously. When housed inside the storage section 40, at least a part of the side portion 52 abuts against the side surface portion 43 of the storage section 40. In the case of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, the side portion 52 has a surface facing the front side and a surface facing the rear side, and these surfaces abut against the surface facing the front side and the surface facing the rear side of the side surface portion 43 of the storage section 40, respectively. Furthermore, the surface of the side portion 52 that faces the recessed portion 212, that is, in this case, a portion of the right side surface of the side portion 52, abuts against the inner wall 431. Therefore, when the holding member 50 is housed in the housing portion 40, movement of the holding member 50 is restricted in any direction other than the up and down direction.

The side portion 52 has a cut 53 on a surface facing the recessed portion 212 of the side portion 52, i.e., a part of the surface on the right side. In this embodiment, the cut 53 is configured by cutting the side portion 52 into an inverted U-shape that opens downward. The area of the cut 53 is larger than the area of the window portion 432. The side portion 52 has a recess 54 around the cut 53. The recess 54 is formed by recessing the side portion 52 in the thickness direction around the cut 53. Therefore, in this embodiment, the recess 54 is also configured in an inverted U-shape.

The connection unit 30 is accommodated in the accommodation section 40 in a state in which the tip of the connection section 33 can be seen and touched from the side of the recessed section 212 through the cut 53 and the window section 432. As a result, the user can connect the external device 80 to the power supply device through the connection unit 30 by inserting the connector 82 provided at one end of the cable 81 connected to the external device 80 from the recessed section 212 side into the socket of the connection section 33, as shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the tip of the connection section 33 on the front side in the insertion direction of the external device 80 does not protrude from the accommodation section 40. In other words, the tip of the connection section 33 is located on the back side in the insertion direction relative to the inner wall 431, in other words, on the inside with respect to the accommodation section 40. In other embodiments, the tip of the connection section 33 may protrude toward the recessed section 212. In this case, the front side in the insertion direction refers to the direction of the recessed section 212 side with respect to the movement line of the connector 82 inserted from the recessed section 212 into the accommodation section 40. Additionally, the back side in the insertion direction refers to the direction toward the storage section 40 along the line of movement of the connector 82 inserted from the recess 212 into the storage section 40.

As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the holding member 50 further has a claw portion 56 and a fitting portion 55. The A direction in Figure 7 refers to the direction toward the rear side relative to the insertion direction of the external device 80. The B direction in Figure 7 refers to the direction toward the front side relative to the insertion direction of the external device 80. As shown in Figure 8, the claw portion 56 protrudes downward from the upper portion 51, and has a curved tip that is formed into an L-shape overall. The curved portion 561 at the tip of the claw portion 56 engages with the side portion that forms the thickness direction of the substrate 31. Therefore, the claw portion 56 restricts the movement of the substrate 31 in the up and down direction.

The engaging portion 55 protrudes downward from the upper portion 51 to form an inverted U-shape. As shown in FIG. 7, the substrate 31 has an engaged portion 311. The engaged portion 311 is formed by cutting out one longitudinal piece of the substrate 31, in this case a part of the upper side, and engages with the engaging portion 55 to restrict the movement of the substrate 31.

That is, when the connection unit 30 is attached to the holding member 50, the vertical movement of the board 31 is restricted by the engagement between the board 31 and the claw portion 56, and the movement of the board 31 in the insertion/removal direction of the connector 82 is restricted by the engagement between the mating portion 311 and the mating portion 55. In this case, when the holding member 50 and the connection unit 30 are housed in the housing portion 40, the thickness direction of the board 31 is parallel to the inner wall 431. That is, the longitudinal side and the proximal side of the board 31 are perpendicular to the inner wall 431. In this embodiment, the longitudinal side of the board 31 is parallel to the insertion/removal direction of the external device 80 and is inclined with respect to the left/right direction.

The upper portion 51, the engaging portion 55, and the claw portion 56 are formed by integrally molding synthetic resin such as plastic. Therefore, when the holding member 50 is housed in the housing portion 40, the engaging portion 55 and the claw portion 56 cannot move in either the insertion/removal direction of the external device 80 or the front-rear direction, except for bending to allow the mounting of the board 31.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the refrigerator 1 further includes a lid member 60. The lid member 60 has a lid main body 61 and a clamping portion 62. The lid main body 61 forms a plane parallel to the horizontal plane, and has the function of detachably opening and closing the opening 41 of the storage section 40. The clamping portion 62 protrudes upward from the lid main body 61 and is formed in a U-shape. The lid main body 61 and the clamping portion 62 are integrally molded from synthetic resin such as plastic.

When the opening 41 is closed by the cover member 60 while the connection unit 30 held by the holding member 50 is housed in the housing portion 40, one side of the lower side of the substrate 31 is clamped in the U-shaped groove of the clamping portion 62. This restricts movement of the substrate 31 in the thickness direction.

2, 3, and 6, the connection portion 33 is formed in a generally rectangular cylindrical shape. The connection portion 33 has a locking portion 331. In this embodiment, the connection portion 33 has a plurality of locking portions 331, in this case four locking portions 331. The locking portion 331 is formed by folding back the end of the front side of the cylindrical portion of the connection portion 33 in the insertion direction, that is, the recessed portion 212 side relative to the storage portion 40, which is the right side in this embodiment, outward. The locking portion 331 extends in a direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction of the connector 82. When the connection unit 30 is attached to the holding member 50, at least one of the multiple locking portions 331 is locked to the recess 54 of the holding member 50. In this embodiment, three locking portions 331 are locked to the recess 54. In other words, the three locking portions 331 located on the upper, front, and rear sides are locked to the upper, front, and rear parts of the recess 54, respectively. Of the four locking portions 331, the locking portion 331 located on the lower side does not lock with the recess 54 because the recess 54 is formed in an inverted U shape.

Furthermore, when the connection unit 30 and the holding member 50 are housed in the housing 40, at least one of the multiple locking portions 331 is locked to the inner wall 431 on the front side in the insertion direction of the connector 82, i.e., the recessed portion 212 side in the housing 40. In this embodiment, four locking portions 331 are locked to the inner wall 431. As described above, the locking portion 331 is locked to the recess 54 on the rear side in the insertion direction of the connector 82, i.e., the housing 40 side in the recessed portion 212. Therefore, when the connector 82 is inserted into the connection unit 30, the force in the insertion direction that the connection portion 33 receives is received by the recess 54 via the locking portion 331, and thus by the holding member 50. Also, when the connector 82 is removed from the connection unit 30, the force in the pull-out direction, i.e., the half-insertion direction, that the connection portion 33 receives is received by the inner wall 431 via the locking portion 331, and thus by the door 21.

Here, if the connection portion 33 does not have the locking portion 331, the connection portion 33 and the holding member 50, and the connection portion 33 and the inner wall 431 will not be locked. In that case, the force in the insertion/removal direction that the connection portion 33 receives when inserting and removing the connector 82 will be received by the connection portion 33. And, since the board 31 is restricted from moving in the insertion/removal direction by the engagement between the engagement portion 55 and the engaged portion 311 as described above, the force received by the connection portion 33 will be concentrated on the fixed portion between the connection portion 33 and the board 31, for example, the soldered portion. As a result, there is a risk that the board 31 and the connection portion 33 will become loose due to long-term or excessive use, the connection portion 33 will fall off from the board 31, and ultimately the connection unit 30 will malfunction.

According to the embodiment described above, the refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerator body 10 and doors 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26. The refrigerator body 10 includes storage compartments 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. Each of the doors 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26 is provided on the refrigerator body 10 and opens and closes the corresponding storage compartments 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. The refrigerator 1 includes a connection portion 33 provided on the door 21 and a board on which the connection portion 33 is mounted. The external device 80 can be inserted and connected directly or indirectly via a cable 81. The connection portion 33 has a locking portion 331 that engages with the door 21 and extends in a direction different from the insertion and removal direction of the external device 80. In this case, specifically, the connection portion 33 has a locking portion 331 that engages with the door 21 and extends perpendicular to the insertion and removal direction of the external device 80.

According to this, since the locking portion 331 is locked to the door, the board 31 is less likely to wobble when the external device 80 is inserted or removed, and the stability during use is excellent. In addition, since the locking portion 331 extends in a direction different from the insertion/removal direction of the external device 80, the force in the insertion/removal direction that the locking portion 331 receives when the external device 80 is inserted or removed can be released to the door. Specifically, since the locking portion 331 extends in a direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction of the external device 80, the force in the insertion/removal direction that the locking portion 331 receives when the external device 80 is inserted or removed can be released to the door more efficiently. Therefore, the force applied to the fixed portion between the connection portion 33 and the board 31 is suppressed, and even after a long period of use, rattling and falling off are suppressed, and the occurrence of malfunctions of the connection unit 30 can be reduced. Thus, according to this embodiment, when the external device 80 is inserted or removed from the connection portion 33 provided in the refrigerator 1, the load applied to the connection portion 33 itself and the board 31 on which the connection portion 33 is mounted can be reduced.

The locking portion 331 is located on the front side of the entire connection portion 33 in the insertion direction of the external device 80. This allows the locking portion 331 to be located at the front part in the insertion direction where force is likely to be applied when inserting or removing the external device 80, and therefore the force applied when inserting or removing the external device 80 can be more efficiently dissipated to the door 21. This further reduces the application of force to the fixed portion between the connection portion 33 and the board 31, and reduces rattling and falling off even after long periods of use, thereby reducing the occurrence of malfunctions in the connection unit 30.

Furthermore, the locking portion 331 is formed by folding back the end of the connection portion 33 on the front side in the insertion direction of the external device 80. Therefore, the locking portion 331 is formed integrally with the connection portion 33. This allows for greater strength and reduced manufacturing costs compared to when the connection portion 33 and the locking portion 331 are separate members.

The refrigerator 1 further includes a fitting portion 55 provided on the door 21. The board 31 has a fitting portion 311 provided on one of the sides around the board 31 that extends in the direction in which the external device 80 is inserted and removed, in this case on the upper side, that fits with the fitting portion 55. With this, the movement of the external device 80 in the insertion and removal direction is restricted by the fitting portion 55 fitting into the fitting portion 311. Therefore, rattling of the board 31 can be suppressed when the external device 80 is inserted or removed, and as a result, deterioration over time of the connection unit 30 can be suppressed.

Furthermore, the direction in which the board 31 is inserted into the door 21 is different from the direction in which the external device 80 is inserted and removed. In this case, the direction in which the board 31 is inserted into the door 21 is perpendicular to the direction in which the external device 80 is inserted and removed. This prevents the board 31 from moving in the insertion/removal direction when the external device 80 is inserted and removed, which would otherwise cause the board 31 to wobble.

Furthermore, the refrigerator 1 has a holding member 50 that holds the connection portion 33 and the substrate 31, a storage section 40 that has an opening 41 that communicates with the outside and that stores the substrate 31, the connection portion 33, and the holding member 50, and an inner wall 431 that at least partially blocks the storage section 40 from the outside. The locking portion 331 locks with the holding member 50 and the inner wall 431.

According to this, the locking portion 331 locks with the inner wall 431 on the front side in the insertion direction of the external device 80, and locks with the holding member 50 on the rear side in the insertion direction of the external device 80. In this case, the force applied to the connection portion 33 when the external device 80 is inserted into the connection portion 33 is transmitted from the locking portion 331 to the holding member 50. Furthermore, the force applied to the connection portion 33 when the external device 80 is removed is transmitted from the locking portion 331 to the inner wall 431. Therefore, regardless of the movement of the external device 80 in either insertion or removal direction, it is possible to prevent the force applied to the connection portion 33 from being applied to the fixed portion between the connection portion 33 and the board 31.

The door 21 has an accommodation section 40 having an opening 41 communicating with the outside and accommodating the board 31 and the connection section 33, and a lid member 60 that closes the opening 41. The lid member 60 has a clamping section 62 that clamps a part of the board 31 to restrict movement of the board 31 in the thickness direction. This restricts movement of the board 31 in the thickness direction, i.e., movement in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the external device 80. Therefore, rattling of the board 31 when the external device 80 is inserted is reduced, improving the usability.

The locking portion 331 may be configured to lock at least in one of the directions of insertion and removal of the external device 80. In other words, the locking portion 331 may be configured to lock at least to the inner wall 431, or at least to the holding member 50, for example.

Furthermore, the locking portion 331 is not limited to being provided at the end of the connection portion 33 on the front side in the insertion direction of the external device 80, but may be provided on any part of the side extending in the insertion direction of the connection portion 33. For example, the locking portion 331 may be provided on the rear side in the insertion direction of the connection portion 33, i.e., on the storage portion 40 side with respect to the recessed portion 212, or halfway between the front side and the rear side in the insertion direction of the connection portion 33. Furthermore, the locking portion 331 may be provided on some of the four faces of the cylindrical portion forming the connection portion 33, for example, on the top and bottom faces, or on either one of the top and bottom faces.

In the above embodiment, a terminal conforming to the USB standard is disclosed as an example of the connection portion 33, but the connection portion 33 is not limited to a terminal conforming to the USB standard as long as it is of a standard that allows power supply.
Furthermore, the external device 80 connected to the connection unit 30 may be a personal computer, for example, in addition to a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone or tablet.

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

1...refrigerator, 10...refrigerator body, 11...refrigerator compartment (storage compartment), 12...vegetable compartment (storage compartment), 13...ice maker compartment (storage compartment), 14...small freezer compartment (storage compartment), 15...freezer compartment (storage compartment), 21...right side refrigerator compartment door (door), 30...connection unit, 31...base plate, 311...fitting portion, 33...connection portion, 331...locking portion, 40...storage portion, 41...opening, 431...inner wall, 50...holding member, 55...fitting portion, 56...claw portion, 60...lid portion, 62...clamping portion, 80...external device

Claims (7)

A refrigerator body having a storage compartment;
A door provided in the refrigerator body for opening and closing the storage compartment;
A connection portion provided on the door into which an external device can be inserted and connected;
A substrate on which the connection portion is mounted;
A fitting portion provided on the door,
the connecting portion has a locking portion that is locked to the door and extends in a direction different from a direction in which the external device is inserted and removed,
the substrate has a mating portion provided on one of the peripheral sides of the substrate, the mating portion mating with the mating portion, the mating portion being arranged on the other peripheral side of the substrate that extends in a direction in which the external device is inserted and removed;
refrigerator. A refrigerator body having a storage compartment;
A door provided in the refrigerator body for opening and closing the storage compartment;
A connection portion provided on the door into which an external device can be inserted and connected;
a substrate on which the connection portion is mounted,
the connecting portion has a locking portion that is locked to the door and extends in a direction different from a direction in which the external device is inserted and removed,
The insertion direction of the board into the door is different from the insertion/removal direction of the external device.
refrigerator. A refrigerator body having a storage compartment;
A door provided in the refrigerator body for opening and closing the storage compartment;
A connection portion provided on the door into which an external device can be inserted and connected;
a substrate on which the connection portion is mounted,
the connecting portion has a locking portion that is locked to the door and extends in a direction different from a direction in which the external device is inserted and removed,
the door includes a holding member that holds the connection portion and the substrate, a storage portion that has an opening communicating with the outside and that houses the substrate, the connection portion, and the holding member, and an inner wall that at least partially isolates the storage portion from the outside,
The locking portion is locked to the holding member and the inner wall.
refrigerator. A refrigerator body having a storage compartment;
A door provided in the refrigerator body for opening and closing the storage compartment;
A connection portion provided on the door into which an external device can be inserted and connected;
a substrate on which the connection portion is mounted,
the connecting portion has a locking portion that is locked to the door and extends in a direction different from a direction in which the external device is inserted and removed,
The door has an accommodating portion having an opening communicating with the outside and accommodating the board and the connection portion;
a cover member that closes the opening,
The cover member has a clamping portion that clamps a portion of the substrate to restrict movement of the substrate in a thickness direction.
refrigerator. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the locking portion is located on a front side of the entire connecting portion in an insertion direction of the external device. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the locking portion is formed by folding back an end portion of the connecting portion on a front side in an insertion direction of the external device. The door further includes a fitting portion,
the substrate has a mating portion provided on one of the peripheral sides of the substrate, the mating portion mating with the mating portion, the mating portion being arranged on the other peripheral side of the substrate that extends in a direction in which the external device is inserted and removed;
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 to 4 .

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