JP7600058B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a refrigerator.

In the refrigerator housing, a vacuum insulation material is placed between an outer box that forms the exterior surface of the refrigerator and an inner box that has the interior surface of the refrigerator. In addition, foam insulation material is filled between the outer box and the inner box.

A lighting device that illuminates the interior of the refrigerator is attached to the ceiling. The lighting device is fixed to the inner box. If a vacuum insulation material is placed on top of the lighting device, foam insulation material is filled between the outer box and the vacuum insulation material, and foam insulation material is also filled between the vacuum insulation material and the lighting device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

During the refrigerator manufacturing process, the outer box, inner box, vacuum insulation material, and lighting device are assembled, and then foam insulation material is filled into the space between the outer box and the inner box through a hole formed in the outer box.

JP 2016-14484 A

However, because the gap between the vacuum insulation material and the lighting device was narrow, the foam insulation material had poor fluidity in the gap when it was filled.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator with a structure that improves the fluidity of the foam insulation material in the space between the outer box and the inner box.

In a refrigerator having a storage compartment having an opening at a front thereof, a ceiling of the storage compartment, a ceiling insulation section above the ceiling, a lighting device provided on the ceiling, a foam insulation material filled in the ceiling insulation section, and an insulation member which is a member different from the foam insulation material and provided on the ceiling insulation section, the lighting device includes a light source and a covering section located on the ceiling insulation section side from the light source, the insulation member is attached to the covering section in the ceiling insulation section, a separation section is present in front of the attachment portion of the insulation member to the covering section, where the insulation member which is the same as or different from the one attached to the covering section and the covering section are separated vertically, an exhaust hole is provided in the covering section which communicates with the separation section and a space below the covering section, and the exhaust hole communicates with an internal space of the lighting device which is formed between the covering section and a translucent member provided below the covering section .

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. Block diagram of a refrigerator. Front-to-back cross-sectional view of the ceiling insulation section. Plan view of the refrigerator compartment ceiling (view from above). Rear view of the refrigerator (view from behind). A front-to-back cross-sectional view of the ceiling insulation when foam insulation is being filled. Front view of the ceiling insulation before filling with foam insulation. A front-to-back cross-sectional view of a modified example of a ceiling insulation section. FIG. 11 is a front-to-rear cross-sectional view of another modified example of a ceiling insulation section. FIG. 11 is a front-to-rear cross-sectional view of a ceiling insulation section of yet another modified example. FIG. 11 is a front-to-rear cross-sectional view of a ceiling insulation section of yet another modified example.

The following embodiments are described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto. The following embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The following embodiments and their variations are within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

In the following explanation, the side of the door that opens and closes the storage compartment is referred to as the front, and the opposite side as the back. Also, left and right refer to the left and right as seen by a user standing in front of the refrigerator.

First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 10 will be described. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the refrigerator 10. The housing 11 of the refrigerator 10 is a combination of an outer box 12 that forms the exterior surface of the refrigerator 10 and an inner box 13 that forms the inner surface of the storage compartment. The outer box 12 covers the inner box 13 from above, below, left, right, and rear. Vacuum insulation material 46 is provided as an insulating member at key points inside the housing 11 (i.e., between the outer box 12 and the inner box 13). Furthermore, foam insulation material 47 is filled in the places inside the housing 11 where there is no vacuum insulation material 46. The vacuum insulation material 46 has higher insulation properties than the foam insulation material 47.

The vacuum insulation material 46 is made of an exterior material with a fiber core material (e.g., glass wool fiber) filled inside, and the interior of the exterior material is evacuated to create a near vacuum. The foam insulation material 47 is made of foamed synthetic resin (e.g., urethane foam).

The inside of the housing 11 is divided into upper and lower parts by an insulating partition wall 15. The upper side of the insulating partition wall 15 is the refrigerated space. The refrigerated space is maintained at a refrigeration temperature that is suitable for refrigerated storage. The lower side of the insulating partition wall 15 is the freezer space. The freezer space is maintained at a freezing temperature that is suitable for frozen storage. The refrigerated space and the freezer space each have multiple storage compartments for storing food. Each storage compartment has an opening at the front, through which users can put food in and take it out.

The refrigeration space is provided with a refrigerator compartment 20 and a vegetable compartment 22 as storage compartments from top to bottom. The interior of the refrigerator compartment 20 is maintained within the refrigeration temperature range, for example, at 2 to 5°C, and the interior of the vegetable compartment 22 is maintained within the refrigeration temperature range, for example, at 4 to 7°C. The refrigerator compartment 20 is provided with a number of storage shelves 24. Under the lowest storage shelf 24 is a chilled compartment 39, which is maintained at an especially low temperature within the refrigerator compartment 20. The vegetable compartment 22 also contains a pull-out container 40 and an upper container 41 placed on top of it.

The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 20 is opened and closed by a pair of left and right refrigerator compartment doors 21 in a French style (double door style). The refrigerator compartment doors 21 are provided with an operation panel 45 (see Figure 2). In addition, a door sensor 44 (see Figure 2) is provided to detect whether the refrigerator compartment door 21 is open or closed.

The front opening of the vegetable compartment 22 is opened and closed by a pull-out vegetable compartment door 23. The pull-out container 40 is fixed to the interior surface of the vegetable compartment door 23. Therefore, when a user opens the vegetable compartment door 23, the pull-out container 40 and the upper container 41 placed on top of the pull-out container 40 are pulled out together.

An ice-making compartment and a small freezer compartment 26 are provided in the upper part of the freezer space as storage compartments, and a freezer compartment 28 is provided in the lower part of the freezer space as storage compartment. The insides of the ice-making compartment and freezer compartment 28 are maintained within the freezing temperature range, for example, at -20 to -18°C. The inside of the small freezer compartment 26 is also maintained within the freezing temperature range, for example, at -18 to -16°C. Drawer-type storage containers 18, 19 are stored in the small freezer compartment 26 and the freezer compartment 28, respectively.

The front opening of the small freezer compartment 26 is opened and closed by a drawer-type storage compartment door 27. The above-mentioned storage container 18 is fixed to the inside surface of the storage compartment door 27. The front opening of the freezer compartment 28 is opened and closed by a drawer-type freezer compartment door 29. The above-mentioned storage container 19 is fixed to the inside surface of the freezer compartment door 29. The front opening of the ice-making compartment is opened and closed by a drawer-type ice-making compartment door (not shown).

A first cooler 30 that generates cold air and a first fan 32 that circulates the generated cold air are provided behind the refrigerated space. The cold air generated by the first cooler 30 passes through a duct 34 that extends upward from the first cooler 30 and is blown out from multiple air outlets 36 into the refrigerated space. The cold air that has circulated in the refrigerated space is sucked in from an intake port 38 toward the first cooler 30.

In addition, a second cooler 31 that generates cold air and a second fan 33 that circulates the generated cold air are provided behind the freezer space. The cold air generated by the second cooler 31 is blown out into the freezer space from an air outlet 35 formed on the rear surface of the freezer space, circulates through the freezer space, and is then sucked into the second cooler 31 from an air inlet 37 formed on the rear surface of the freezer space.

A machine room 16 is provided at the lower rear of the refrigerator 10. The machine room 16 houses a compressor 17, a condenser (not shown), etc.

A lighting device 50 is provided on the ceiling 42 of the refrigerator compartment 20. Although not shown, lighting devices are also provided in other locations within the refrigerator compartment 20, such as the back surface.

The compressor 17, condenser, first cooler 30, second cooler 31, etc. constitute a well-known refrigeration cycle device. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 17 flows alternately through the first cooler 30 and the second cooler 31, and when the refrigerant flows, cold air is generated in each of the coolers 30 and 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 10 is provided with a control unit 43. In addition to an operation panel 45, various sensors such as a door sensor 44, and various devices such as a lighting device 50, a compressor 17, a first fan 32, and a second fan 33 are connected to the control unit 43. The control unit 43 controls the various devices based on instructions from the operation panel 45 and detection signals from the various sensors. The control unit 43 turns on the lighting device 50 when the door sensor 44 detects that the refrigerator door 21 is open, and turns off the lighting device 50 when the door sensor 44 detects that the refrigerator door 21 is closed.

The control unit 43 is provided on a control board 60 (see FIG. 3). A circuit pattern (not shown) is provided on the surface of the control board 60. The control board 60 is stored in a board storage section 61 provided at the rear of the upper part of the housing 11.

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the front-to-rear direction near the ceiling 42 of the refrigerator compartment 20. The ceiling 42 is the part of the inner box 13 that forms the upper surface of the refrigerator compartment 20. The ceiling 42 is a surface consisting of a front inclined surface 42a and a horizontal surface 42b that extends from near the center in the front-to-rear direction to the rear. The inclined surface 42a is inclined so that the front is upward and the rear is downward.

A lighting device 50 is provided on the horizontal surface 42b of the ceiling 42. The lighting device 50 is fitted into an opening 58 in the ceiling 42 and fits inside the housing 11, which is above the ceiling 42. In the following description, the area between the ceiling 42, the lighting device 50, and the outer box 12 is referred to as the "ceiling insulation section 14." The portion of the lighting device 50 that fits into the ceiling insulation section 14 is convex upward relative to the surrounding surface (the back surface of the ceiling 42) in the ceiling insulation section 14. The lighting device 50 is provided in a location that includes the center of the ceiling 42 in both the front-to-back and left-to-right directions.

The lighting device 50 is composed of at least a box-shaped cover 51 that opens downwards, a number of light sources 52 arranged at the front inside the cover 51, a light guide plate 53 arranged behind the light sources 52 inside the cover 51, a substrate 55 to which the light sources 52 are connected, and a translucent member 54 that covers the opening of the cover 51 from below.

The light sources 52 are, for example, LEDs. A number of light sources 52 are lined up in the left-right direction (perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3). These light sources 52 emit light backwards, i.e., toward the light guide plate 53. The light guide plate 53 is a transparent rectangular parallelepiped made of acrylic or the like. When viewed from above, the light guide plate 53 is rectangular, with a number of light sources 52 lined up along one side of the rectangle. In addition, the board 55 has a circuit for turning the light sources 52 on and off.

The cover portion 51 is located closer to the ceiling insulation portion 14 than the light source 52 and the light guide plate 53. The cover portion 51 houses the light source 52 and the light guide plate 53. The cover portion 51 is fitted into an opening 58 formed in the ceiling 42 with the opening facing down. The upper part of the cover portion 51 is recessed above the ceiling 42. Therefore, in the ceiling insulation portion 14, the cover portion 51 protrudes above its surroundings. Part or all of the light source 52 and part or all of the light guide plate 53 are also above the ceiling 42. The translucent member 54 is translucent.

When the light source 52 emits light, the light enters the light guide plate 53, and the entire light guide plate 53 becomes bright. When the entire light guide plate 53 becomes bright, the light from the light guide plate 53 passes through the translucent member 54, which has translucency, and illuminates the inside of the refrigerator compartment 20.

The board storage section 61 is a space surrounded by a recess 62 formed in the rear part of the upper surface of the outer box 12 and a lid 63 that covers the recess 62 from above. The bottom surface of the recess 62 is horizontal. The control board 60 is arranged horizontally inside the board storage section 61.

When viewed from inside the ceiling insulation section 14, the underside of the outer box 12 (the surface facing the ceiling insulation section 14) has a storage section underside 64 that is below the board storage section 61 and a peripheral surface 65 around it. The storage section underside 64 is lower than the peripheral surface 65. In other words, the part of the outer box 12 that is below the board storage section 61 is lower than the parts other than below the board storage section 61. The storage section underside 64 is composed of a bottom surface 64a, which is the lowest part and a horizontal surface, and an inclined connecting surface 64b that connects the bottom surface 64a and the peripheral surface 65. The storage section underside 64 is the back surface of the recess 62 of the outer box 12.

The rear part of the lighting device 50 (the rear part of the lighting device 50) is disposed under the front part of the board storage section 61 (the front part of the board storage section 61). Here, there is a gap between the front part of the board storage section 61 and the rear part of the lighting device 50. The front part of the board storage section 61 and the rear part of the lighting device 50 face each other in the vertical direction. The part between the front part of the board storage section 61 and the rear part of the lighting device 50, where they face each other in the vertical direction, is the facing place 66. In the facing place 66, the bottom surface 64a of the storage section bottom surface 64 and the lighting device 50 are closest to each other. In the facing place 66, the ceiling insulation section 14 is narrower in the vertical direction than the places before and after the facing place 66. Such a facing place 66 is a narrow part in the ceiling insulation section 14.

Two vacuum insulation materials 46 are provided in the ceiling insulation section 14. The two vacuum insulation materials 46 are arranged at the front and rear. The rear portion of the front vacuum insulation material 46 (the rear portion of the vacuum insulation material 46) is placed on top of the front portion of the rear vacuum insulation material 46 (the front portion of the vacuum insulation material 46).

The rear vacuum insulation material 46 is attached to the upper surface 51c of the cover portion 51 of the lighting device 50 (this upper surface is the top of the cover portion 51). An attachment means (e.g., double-sided tape or adhesive) is used for attachment. The attachment means is provided separately from the foam insulation material 47, and is a means for attaching the vacuum insulation material 46 to the cover portion 51 of the lighting device 50, etc. Also, this attachment means is a means for attachment before filling the foam insulation material 47 into the ceiling insulation portion 14. The rear vacuum insulation material 46 is attached to the back surface of the lighting device 50 from its front end to its rear end. It can be said that the rear vacuum insulation material 46 is provided along the lighting device 50 and the light guide plate 53 inside it.

Note that "along" refers to being parallel in a close location (e.g., close enough to the thickness of one of the objects along which it is along). As for the form in which the vacuum insulation material 46 is along the light guide plate 53, in addition to the form in which another object (part of the cover portion 51) is sandwiched between the vacuum insulation material 46 and the light guide plate 53 as shown in the figure, there can also be a form in which the vacuum insulation material 46 and the light guide plate 53 are in close contact with each other, and a form in which there is a space between the vacuum insulation material 46 and the light guide plate 53. In these forms, the distance between the vacuum insulation material 46 and the light guide plate 53 (i.e., the distance in the direction perpendicular to the opposing surfaces of the vacuum insulation material 46 and the light guide plate 53) is, for example, equal to or less than the thickness of the thicker of the vacuum insulation material 46 or the light guide plate 53.

The rear vacuum insulation material 46 is located closer to the board storage section 61 than the front vacuum insulation material 46. However, the rear vacuum insulation material 46 is provided to avoid the narrow area 66 where the board storage section 61 and the lighting device 50 face each other in the vertical direction. In addition, the rear vacuum insulation material 46 is not located under the board storage section 61, and therefore is not located under the control board 60 or under the lowest surface 64a of the storage section bottom surface 64.

The rear end of the rear vacuum insulation material 46 is located in front of the rear end of the lighting device 50. And, because the front vacuum insulation material 46 is located higher than the rear vacuum insulation material 46 as described above, a staircase is formed in which the top surface of the front vacuum insulation material 46, the top surface of the rear vacuum insulation material 46, and the top surface of the lighting device 50 become gradually lower in that order.

The front vacuum insulation material 46 has the same shape and size as the rear vacuum insulation material 46. The rear portion of the front vacuum insulation material 46 is attached to the front portion of the rear vacuum insulation material 46 by an attachment means. The front end of the front vacuum insulation material 46 is on the inclined surface 42a of the ceiling 42 and is close to the inclined surface 42a. However, there is a gap between the front end of the front vacuum insulation material 46 and the inclined surface 42a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the vacuum insulation material 46, the lighting device 50, the light guide plate 53, the board storage section 61, and the control board 60 are generally rectangular when viewed from above. The width in the left-right direction is largest in the vacuum insulation material 46, followed by the lighting device 50, the light guide plate 53, the board storage section 61, and the control board 60.

As shown in FIG. 3, an exhaust hole 56 is provided in the inner box 13 in a portion in front of the cover 51 of the lighting device 50 and below the forward vacuum insulation material 46 (this portion is referred to as the "cover front insulation portion 59"). The exhaust hole 56 penetrates the inner box 13 from top to bottom, and connects the cover front insulation portion 59 to the refrigerator chamber 20. Here, communication means allowing gas to pass through.

The entire area of the ceiling insulation section 14 where there is no vacuum insulation material 46 is filled with foam insulation material 47. Injection ports 48 (see Figures 3 and 5) are provided in the outer box 12 on both the left and right sides of the upper part of the back of the refrigerator 10. A liquid that is the raw material of the foam insulation material 47 is injected from the injection ports 48. The injection ports 48 are closed with a lid (not shown). In front of the injection ports 48, the left and right walls of the housing 11 (walls that form the left and right side walls of the storage chamber) form a core.

In the manufacturing process of the housing 11, first, the lighting device 50 is attached to the inner box 13. Next, a first vacuum insulation material 46 is attached to the top surface of the lighting device 50. Next, a second vacuum insulation material 46 is attached to the front top surface of the first vacuum insulation material 46. Note that the first vacuum insulation material 46 may be attached to the lighting device 50 after the first and second vacuum insulation materials 46 have been attached. In either case, this results in the second vacuum insulation material 46 being positioned in the front and the first vacuum insulation material 46 being positioned in the rear on the lighting device 50.

At this time, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, solid foamed synthetic resin pieces 57 are placed between the front end of the front vacuum insulation material 46 and the inclined surface 42a of the ceiling 42. As shown in Figure 7, foamed synthetic resin pieces 57 that are sufficiently small compared to the vacuum insulation material 46 are placed in multiple locations (three locations in the case of Figure 7) on the left and right sides of the vacuum insulation material 46. This ensures a gap between the vacuum insulation material 46 and the inclined surface 42a before the foamed insulation material 47 is filled.

Because this gap is maintained, the liquid that is the raw material of the foamed insulation material 47 can pass between the foamed synthetic resin pieces 57. Therefore, the liquid can enter the space between the vacuum insulation material 46 and the inclined surface 42a of the ceiling 42 from in front of the vacuum insulation material 46. The liquid can also enter the space between the vacuum insulation material 46 and the inclined surface 42a of the ceiling 42 from both the left and right sides of the vacuum insulation material 46.

In addition, if the foamed synthetic resin pieces 57 are made from the same material as the foamed insulation material 47, the presence of the foamed synthetic resin pieces 57 may become invisible after the foamed insulation material 47 is filled into the ceiling insulation section 14.

Next, the outer box 12 is attached to the inner box 13, and these form the housing 11. Next, the housing 11 is positioned so that the front (the side where the storage compartment opens) is facing down and the rear (the side facing the rear of the refrigerator 10) is facing up. This causes the two injection ports 48 of the outer box 12 to face up. Next, liquid (here, this liquid and the liquid in the process of foaming are collectively referred to as "foamed synthetic resin"), which is the raw material for the foamed insulation material 47, is injected through the two injection ports 48 of the outer box 12. For example, if the foamed insulation material 47 is made of urethane foam, polyol and isocyanate, which are the raw materials for the urethane foam, are injected through the injection ports 48.

The foamed synthetic resin injected from the injection port 48 flows inside the housing 11 while foaming. The foamed synthetic resin first accumulates in the opening side of the storage chamber, which is at the bottom, and gradually rises to the rear side of the refrigerator 10. As shown by arrow A in Figure 6 (note that while the foamed synthetic resin is being injected, the left side of Figure 6 is at the bottom), in the ceiling insulation section 14, the foamed synthetic resin flows along the above-mentioned steps formed by the front vacuum insulation material 46, the rear vacuum insulation material 46, and the lighting device 50. The air in the ceiling insulation section 14 is gradually pushed up by the rising foamed synthetic resin and is discharged from the injection port 48.

As shown by arrow B in FIG. 6, the foamed synthetic resin also passes between the front end of the front vacuum insulation material 46 and the inclined surface 42a of the ceiling 42 and enters the front insulation section 59 of the cover. The air in the front insulation section 59 of the cover is exhausted from the exhaust hole 56 opened in the inner box 13. Here, since the gap between the front end of the front vacuum insulation material 46 and the inclined surface 42a of the ceiling 42 is narrow, it seems that the foamed synthetic resin would not easily enter the front insulation section 59 of the cover. However, as the exhaust air is exhausted from the exhaust hole 56, the foamed synthetic resin is guided to pass between the front end of the vacuum insulation material 46 and the inclined surface 42a of the ceiling 42, etc., and enter the front insulation section 59 of the cover.

Then, when the foamed synthetic resin fills the ceiling insulation section 14 and reaches the injection port 48 and the exhaust hole 56, the filling of the foamed insulation material 47 is completed. The injection port 48 is then closed with a lid. If there is a lid for the exhaust hole 56, the exhaust hole 56 is also closed with a lid.

After that, the equipment inside the machine room 16 is installed and the refrigerator 10 is completed.

The refrigerator 10 configured as described above has the following effects. First, the refrigerator 10 has a lighting device 50 provided on the ceiling 42 of the refrigerator compartment 20, a ceiling insulation section 14 above the ceiling 42, a vacuum insulation material 46 provided in the ceiling insulation section 14, and a foam insulation material 47 filled in the ceiling insulation section 14. The vacuum insulation material 46 is attached to the cover section 51 of the lighting device 50 in the ceiling insulation section 14.

As a result, no narrow gap that would cause poor fluidity of the foamed synthetic resin is formed between the lighting device 50 and the vacuum insulation material 46, and a large space is secured above the vacuum insulation material 46. As a result, the fluidity of the foamed synthetic resin in the ceiling insulation section 14 is good.

In addition, since the highly insulating vacuum insulation material 46 is attached to the lighting device 50, condensation on the lighting device 50 can be prevented. Here, the lighting device 50 is equipped with a light guide plate 53, and since the vacuum insulation material 46 is provided along the light guide plate 53, condensation on the light guide plate 53 can be prevented.

In addition, if the vacuum insulation material 46 is attached to the cover portion 51 of the lighting device 50 before filling the ceiling insulation portion 14 with the foam insulation material 47, the position and posture of the vacuum insulation material 46 can be stabilized, and the foam insulation material 47 can be filled into the ceiling insulation portion 14 while maintaining that stable state.

In addition, by providing multiple vacuum insulation materials 46 in the ceiling insulation section 14, it is possible to provide the vacuum insulation materials 46 over a wide area while avoiding areas where the fluidity of the foamed synthetic resin is poor. In addition, two vacuum insulation materials 46 are provided in the ceiling insulation section 14, and these two vacuum insulation materials 46 overlap above the lighting device 50, which enhances the effect of preventing condensation on the lighting device 50.

In addition, a front vacuum insulation material 46 and a rear vacuum insulation material 46 are provided as vacuum insulation materials 46, and the rear portion of the front vacuum insulation material 46 is placed on top of the front portion of the rear vacuum insulation material 46, so that the two vacuum insulation materials 46 overlap in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the rear portion of the lighting device 50 is further rearward than the rear portion of the rear vacuum insulation material 46. This forms a staircase consisting of the two vacuum insulation materials 46 and the lighting device 50 as described above, making it easier for the foamed synthetic resin to flow from the front to the rear.

The upper surface of the ceiling insulation section 14 is lower below the board storage section 61 than the surrounding areas, forming an opposing area 66 where the front part of the board storage section 61 and the rear part of the lighting device 50 face each other with a gap in the vertical direction. This opposing area 66 is a narrow area, but the vacuum insulation material 46 is installed to avoid this narrow area, so the fluidity of the foamed synthetic resin is not hindered.

Also, an exhaust hole 56 is formed in the ceiling 42, which connects the cover front insulation part 59, which is in front of the cover part 51 of the lighting device 50 under the front vacuum insulation material 46, with the refrigerator compartment 20. Therefore, when the inside of the housing 11 is filled with foamed synthetic resin, even if the air in the area surrounded by the lighting device 50, the front vacuum insulation material 46, and the inclined surface 42a of the ceiling 42 is about to stagnate in the area near the front end of the lighting device 50, it is exhausted from the exhaust hole 56. Also, since the gap between the front end of the front vacuum insulation material 46 and the inclined surface 42a of the ceiling 42 is narrow, it seems that the foamed synthetic resin is unlikely to enter the cover front insulation part 59, but the exhaust of air from the exhaust hole 56 makes it easier for the foamed synthetic resin to be guided to the cover front insulation part 59.

In addition, since the lighting device 50 has a light guide plate 53 and a light source 52 that irradiates light onto the light guide plate 53, the entire light guide plate 53 is illuminated, thereby brightening a wide area. In addition, since the light source 52 is disposed in front of the light guide plate 53 and irradiates light backward, the light source 52 is not visible to the user of the refrigerator 10, and the lighting device 50 looks good.

Next, we will explain some example modifications.

In the modified example of FIG. 8, one vacuum insulation material 46 is provided at the front and one at the rear. The front vacuum insulation material 46 is placed on top of the lighting device 50, overlapping with the lighting device 50 in the vertical direction, and is attached to the lighting device 50. Here, the front end of the front vacuum insulation material 46 is located in front of the front end of the lighting device 50. Also, the rear end of the front vacuum insulation material 46 is located in front of the rear end of the lighting device 50. The top surface of the front vacuum insulation material 46 and the top surface of the lighting device 50 form a staircase that becomes lower toward the rear.

In addition, in the modified example of FIG. 8, the rear vacuum insulation material 46 is positioned rearward of the lighting device 50. Therefore, the vacuum insulation material 46 is positioned to avoid the opposing location 66 between the board storage section 61 and the lighting device 50. The front end of the rear vacuum insulation material 46 is in contact with the rear end of the lighting device 50.

Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the number of vacuum insulation materials 46 in the ceiling insulation section 14 may be one. In the modified example of FIG. 9, the vacuum insulation material 46 is long from front to back, with its front end being forward of the front end of the lighting device 50 and its rear end being rear of the rear end of the lighting device 50. The rear portion of the vacuum insulation material 46 overlaps in the vertical direction with the board storage section 61 and the control board 60 therein. By having this overlap, even if heat is generated in the board storage section 61, that heat is insulated by the rear portion of the vacuum insulation material 46.

Although not shown, the ceiling insulation section 14 may have three or more vacuum insulation materials 46.

In addition, in FIG. 10, as in the case of FIG. 3, the upper part of the lighting device 150 is recessed into the ceiling insulation part 14. And, the part of the lighting device 150 that is recessed into the ceiling insulation part 14 is convex upward with respect to the surrounding surface in the ceiling insulation part 14.

However, unlike the case of FIG. 3, the cover 151 of the lighting device 150 is provided with a flange-shaped extension 152 that extends horizontally from the edge of the lower end of the cover 151. The cover 151 fits into the ceiling insulation 14 and is convex upward relative to the surrounding surfaces of the ceiling insulation 14. The extension 152 extends forward from the cover 151. The extension 152 overlaps with the inner box 13 in the vertical direction.

In the area where the extension 152 and the inner box 13 overlap in the vertical direction, an exhaust hole 156 is provided that penetrates the extension 152 and the inner box 13 vertically. This exhaust hole 156 is used as an exhaust hole when filling the ceiling insulation section 14 with the foam insulation material 47. Because the exhaust hole 156 is located in front of the cover section 151, air is less likely to stagnate at the lighting device 150 and is easily exhausted.

In addition, in FIG. 11, the front vacuum insulation material 46 is located on the front portion of the cover portion 251 of the lighting device 250 (specifically, the portion of the cover portion 251 that is forward of the front end of the rear vacuum insulation material 46). The front portion of the cover portion 251 and the front vacuum insulation material 46 are separated in the vertical direction, and a separation portion 255 is formed between the front portion of the cover portion 251 and the front vacuum insulation material 46. An inclined surface 251a is formed on the upper portion of the front end of the cover portion 251. An exhaust hole 256 is provided on the inclined surface 251a, which penetrates from the separation portion 255 of the ceiling insulation portion 14 to the space below the cover portion 251 (specifically, the inside of the lighting device 250).

In the modified example of FIG. 11, when the foam insulation 47 is filled into the ceiling insulation 14, the air in the ceiling insulation 14 is exhausted through the exhaust hole 256. At this time, the foam insulation 47 may leak from the exhaust hole 256 into the interior of the lighting device 250. However, unlike the interior of the refrigerator compartment 20, there is no risk of the leaked foam insulation 47 being visible to the user, so there is no need to remove the leaked foam insulation 47. In addition, because of the presence of this exhaust hole 256, air is less likely to stagnate at the location of the lighting device 250 and is easier to exhaust.

In the modified examples of Figures 8 to 10, as in Figure 11, an inclined surface may be formed at the upper front end of the cover portion 51, 151, and an exhaust hole may be provided on the inclined surface to connect the ceiling insulation portion 14 to the space below the cover portion 51, 151.

In addition, in the lighting device 50, the location of the light source 52 is not limited to in front of the light guide plate 53. The light source 52 may be provided on either end side of the light guide plate 53. However, the light source 52 is provided to avoid a location above the light guide plate 53, which is also the location between the light guide plate 53 and the vacuum insulation material 46. The light source 52 is also provided to avoid a location below the light guide plate 53.

In addition, another insulating material may be used instead of the vacuum insulating material 46. The insulating material is an insulating material other than the foam insulating material 47.

Moreover, attachment means other than a bonding means may be used to attach the vacuum insulation material 46 to the cover portion 51 of the lighting device 50. Examples of attachment means include screws and engagement shapes formed on both the cover portion 51 and the vacuum insulation material 46. By attaching the vacuum insulation material 46 to the cover portion 51 by such attachment means, the position and posture of the vacuum insulation material 46 can be stabilized before and during filling with the foam insulation material 47. Furthermore, the vacuum insulation materials 46 may also be attached to each other by attachment means other than a bonding means.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the ceiling 42 was part of the inner box 13, but the ceiling may be formed of a separate material from the inner box 13.

The positional relationship between the board storage section 61 and the lighting device 50 is not limited to that in the above embodiment. For example, the board storage section 61 may be provided in the center of the front-to-rear direction of the housing 11, and the lighting device 50 may be provided directly below the board storage section 61. In any case, if the ceiling insulation section 14 is narrower (for example, shorter in vertical length) in the area between the board storage section 61 and the lighting device 50 than in the surrounding areas, and this area is formed as a narrow area, it is preferable that the vacuum insulation material 46 be provided to avoid the narrow area.

10...refrigerator, 11...casing, 12...outer box, 13...inner box, 14...ceiling insulation section, 15...insulation partition wall, 16...machine room, 17...compressor, 18...storage container, 19...storage container, 20...refrigerator compartment, 21...refrigerator compartment door, 22...vegetable compartment, 23...vegetable compartment door, 24...mounting shelf, 26...small freezer compartment, 27...storage compartment door, 28...freezer compartment, 29...freezer compartment door, 30...first cooler, 31...second cooler, 32...first fan, 33...second fan, 34...duct, 35...air outlet, 36...air outlet, 37...inlet, 38...inlet, 39...chilled compartment, 40...pull-out container, 41...upper container, 42...ceiling, 42a...inclined surface, 42b...horizontal surface, 43...control unit, 44...door sensor, 45...operation panel, 46...vacuum insulation material, 47...foam insulation material, 48...inlet, 50...lighting device, 51...covering part, 51c...upper surface, 52...light source, 53...light guide plate, 54...translucent member, 55...substrate, 56...exhaust hole, 57...foamed synthetic resin piece, 58...opening, 59...covering part front insulation part, 60...control board, 61...substrate storage part, 62...recess, 63...lid, 64...storage part lower surface, 64a...bottom surface, 64b...connecting surface, 65...periphery surface, 66...opposing part, 150...lighting device, 151...covering part, 152...extension part, 156...exhaust hole, 250...lighting device, 251...covering part, 251a...inclined surface, 255...separation part, 256...exhaust hole

Claims (10)

A refrigerator having a storage compartment having an opening at a front side, a ceiling of the storage compartment, a ceiling insulation section above the ceiling, a lighting device provided on the ceiling, a foam insulation material filled in the ceiling insulation section, and an insulation member which is a member different from the foam insulation material and is provided on the ceiling insulation section,
The lighting device includes a light source and a cover portion located on the ceiling insulation side of the light source,
The insulation member is attached to the cover portion in the ceiling insulation portion ,
A separation portion is provided in front of the attachment portion of the heat insulating member to the cover portion, in which the heat insulating member attached to the cover portion is separated from the cover portion in the vertical direction, and an exhaust hole is provided in the cover portion to communicate the separation portion with a space below the cover portion;
The exhaust hole is formed between the cover and a light-transmitting member provided below the cover and communicates with an internal space of the lighting device.
A refrigerator characterized by: The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which a plurality of the insulation members are provided in the ceiling insulation section. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein at least two of the insulation members are provided in the ceiling insulation section, and the two insulation members have an overlap above the lighting device. As the heat insulating member, a front heat insulating member and a rear heat insulating member are provided,
The rear heat insulating member is attached to the cover portion, and a rear portion of the front heat insulating member is placed on a front portion of the rear heat insulating member, so that the front heat insulating member and the rear heat insulating member overlap in a vertical direction,
A rear end of the lighting device is located rearward of a rear end of the rear heat insulating member.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the front end of the heat insulating member is disposed forward of the front end of the lighting device, and the heat insulating member is placed on the lighting device. A substrate storage section for storing a substrate is provided above the ceiling insulation section,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a narrow portion is formed between the substrate storage section and the lighting device where the ceiling insulation section is narrowed, and the insulation member is provided to avoid the narrow portion. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which a cover-part pre-insulation part, which is a part of the ceiling insulation part in front of the cover part, is present under the insulation member that is the same as or different from the one attached to the cover part, and an exhaust hole that connects the cover-part pre-insulation part and the storage chamber is provided in the ceiling. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein an injection port for the foam insulation material into the ceiling insulation section is provided at a rear part of the refrigerator. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the lighting device includes a light guide plate and a light source that is provided on one end side of the light guide plate and irradiates light toward the light guide plate, the heat insulating member is provided along the light guide plate, and the light source is provided to avoid a gap between the heat insulating member and the light guide plate. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the light source is disposed in front of the light guide plate and irradiates light backward.

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