JP-2026075871-A - refrigerator

JP2026075871AJP 2026075871 AJP2026075871 AJP 2026075871AJP-2026075871-A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a refrigerator equipped with a shelf that functions as a light guide plate, thereby providing uniform lighting. [Solution] A refrigerator 1 is provided, comprising: a shelf board 20 that is light-transmitting and has a first main surface 21, a second main surface 22 opposite to the first main surface 21, and an outer peripheral end 23 connecting the first main surface 21 and the second main surface 22; a lighting device 30 having a plurality of light sources 31 that emit light toward the outer peripheral end 23 of the shelf board 20; and a light diffusion unit 40 that diffuses the light emitted from the plurality of light sources 31 and causes it to enter the shelf board 20. [Selection Diagram] Figure 3

Inventors

川野敬太
星野仁
田中正昭

Assignees

アクア株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260511
Application Date: 20241023

Claims (7)

A shelf board having light-transmitting properties and having a first main surface, a second main surface opposite to the first main surface, and an outer peripheral end connecting the first main surface and the second main surface, A lighting device having multiple light sources that emit light toward the outer peripheral end of the shelf board, A refrigerator comprising a light diffusing unit that diffuses light emitted from the plurality of light sources and causes it to enter the shelf.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the light-diffusing section is formed separately from the shelf and has a light-diffusing plate arranged at a distance from the shelf.
The light diffusing plate is placed between the shelf and the plurality of light sources. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the distance between the light diffusing plate and the shelf is shorter than the distance between the light diffusing plate and the plurality of light sources.
The light-diffusing section is formed integrally with the shelf board, as described in claim 1.
The aforementioned lighting device is The device comprises a substrate on which the plurality of light sources are attached, and a fixing member for fixing the substrate to the shelf board, The aforementioned fixing member is Facing the aforementioned outer peripheral end, the vertical wall on which the substrate is arranged, The system comprises an upper wall and a lower wall that extend from the vertical wall toward the shelf and sandwich the shelf from above and below, The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is made of metal.
The aforementioned lighting device is The device comprises a substrate on which the plurality of light sources are attached, and a fixing member for fixing the substrate to the shelf board, The aforementioned fixing member is Facing the aforementioned outer peripheral end, the vertical wall on which the substrate is arranged, The system comprises an upper wall and a lower wall that extend from the vertical wall toward the shelf and sandwich the shelf from above and below, The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources are arranged offset upward with respect to the central plane of the shelf in the vertical direction.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein D2 is the distance between the plurality of light sources and the light diffusing section, L is the distance between two adjacent light sources among the plurality of light sources, and θ is the half-width angle of each light source, and D2 satisfies the following equation (1).

Description

This invention relates to a refrigerator. Patent Document 1 describes a refrigerator comprising a shelf section having a light source unit that emits light and a light guide member that guides the light from the light source unit into the shelf section for surface emission. Patent Document 1 also describes that the light source unit has multiple light-emitting units arranged at equal intervals, and that each light-emitting unit can use a light-emitting diode (LED). Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-189297 Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention.Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the refrigerator shown in Figure 1, and in Figure 2, only the shelves and the structure around the shelves are shown.Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line III-III in Figure 2, which shows the area around the rear end of the shelf board 20.Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the path of light emitted from a light source, and is a schematic view of the area around the rear end of the shelf board as seen from above. The following description of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is essentially illustrative and is not intended to limit the present invention, its applications, or its uses. Furthermore, the drawings are schematic, and the proportions of the dimensions may differ from those of actual refrigerators. In the following description, in a refrigerator installed on a horizontal plane, the side with the door may be referred to as the front, and the opposite side as the rear. Also, the left side in the left-right direction when viewed from the front may simply be referred to as the left side, and the right side in the left-right direction when viewed from the front may simply be referred to as the right side. In the drawings, the propagation of light is schematically shown by dashed-dotted arrows. Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a refrigerator 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, the refrigerator 1 comprises a casing 10 and two shelves 20A and 20B arranged within the casing 10. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the two shelves 20A and 20B, one of the two shelves 20A and 20B may simply be referred to as shelf 20. Within the enclosure 10, a refrigerator compartment 10a is defined, which is a storage area for food and other items. Below the refrigerator compartment 10a, a case 11 is positioned, defining a chilled compartment 10b, which is set to a different temperature than the refrigerator compartment 10a. The enclosure 10 includes a pair of support parts for supporting the shelves 20. These support parts protrude inward from the left and right inner surfaces of the enclosure 10 that define the refrigerator compartment 10a. Note that the door for closing the refrigerator compartment 10a is omitted in Figure 1. Shelf 20 is located within the refrigerator compartment 10a. Shelf 20A is a partition that divides the refrigerator compartment 10a vertically. Shelf 20B is located directly above the chilled compartment 10b. Specifically, shelf 20B rests on the top surface of the case 11 that defines the chilled compartment 10b. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of refrigerator 1, showing only the shelf 20 and the surrounding structure. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line III-III in Figure 2, showing the area around the rear end of shelf 20. The shelf board 20 is translucent and functions as a light guide plate. That is, the shelf board 20 in this embodiment has both the function of a shelf board for placing food and other items, and the function of a light guide plate. The shelf board 20 in this embodiment is made of acrylic. Referring to Figure 2, the shelf board 20 is plate-shaped with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction, the front-back direction as the short direction, and the up-down direction as the thickness direction. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the shelf board 20 comprises a first main surface 21, a second main surface 22 opposite to the first main surface 21, and an outer peripheral end 23 connecting the first main surface 21 and the second main surface 22. The first main surface 21 is rectangular in plan view, extending in the left-right and front-back directions, and constitutes the upper surface of the shelf board 20. The second main surface 22 is rectangular in plan view, extending in the left-right and front-back directions, and constitutes the lower surface of the shelf board 20. The outer peripheral end 23 connects the edges of the first main surface 21 and the second main surface 22, forming the side surface of the shelf board 20. The outer peripheral end 23 includes a first portion 23a forming the front side surface of the shelf board 20, a second portion 23b forming the rea