Refrigerator

• US 7,905,614 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar; Stephen F
• Application Number:
  US12/676,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20100170279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 362/92, 362/94, 362/126, 362/218, 622/64, 312/116
• US Class Current: 362/92
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/305 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/02 with cooling compartments at different temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/025 Secondary closures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/06 Refrigerators with a vertical mullion
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 27/00 Lighting arrangements in general F21

Abstract

The refrigerator includes the following parts. A heat-insulating main body has openings in a front side. A divider creates a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment, by dividing inside of said heat-insulating main body into the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment arranged side by side. A lighting unit, located close to at least one of the openings of the first and second storage compartments, respectively, each of which has a light-emitting diode as a light source.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a heat-insulating main body having openings in a front side;

a divider creating a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment, by dividing inside of said heat-insulating main body into said first storage compartment and said second storage compartment arranged side by side;

a lighting unit, located close to at least one of said openings of said first and second storage compartments, which has a light-emitting diode as a light source; and

attachments, provided vertically at a plurality of positions on an internal side wall of said heat-insulating main body, each of which supports a shelf to be attached,

wherein said lighting unit is provided at the internal side wall of said heat-insulating main body, and arranged in front of said attachments to be overlapped with said attachments in a height direction.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein said lightning unit has boards on each of which a plurality of light-emitting diodes including said light-emitting diode are provided, and

said boards are arranged in a vertical line.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein said lightning unit is provided at least in said first storage compartment serving as a refrigerator compartment.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein, when said lightning unit is provided in both said first storage compartment and said second storage compartment, said lighting unit provided in said first storage compartment has a vertical length equal to a vertical length of said lighting unit provided in said second storage compartment, and is arranged at a level equal to a level of said lighting unit provided in said second storage compartment.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein said lighting unit is arranged to occupy more than a half of a width of a ceiling of said first storage compartment.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising attachments, provided vertically at a plurality of positions on said divider, each of which supports a shelf to be attached,

wherein said lighting unit is provided at a side surface of said divider, and arranged in front of said attachments to be overlapped with said attachments in a height direction.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first door opening and closing at said first storage compartment;

a second door opening and closing at said second storage compartment;

a through hole, provided in said first door, through which an item passes;

a third door opening and closing at said through hole;

a detection unit configured to detect an open state and a closed state of said third door; and

a control unit configured to cause said lighting unit provided in said first storage compartment to turn on, when said detection unit detects the open state.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7,

wherein an upper end of said lighting unit is higher than an upper end of said thorough-hole, and

a lower end of said lighting unit is lower than a lower end of said thorough-hole.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein said first storage compartment includes:

said lighting unit which is arranged at one of the internal side wall of said heat-insulating main body and said divider; and

a rear-side lighting unit which is arranged at an internal rear surface of said heat-insulating main body and has a light-emitting diode as a light source, and

said lighting unit is not overlapped with said rear-side lighting unit in a height direction.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein a color of light emitted by said lighting unit provided in said first storage compartment is different from a color of light emitted by said lighting unit provided in said second storage compartment.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein intensity of light emitted by said lighting unit provided in said first storage compartment is different from intensity of light emitted by said lighting unit provided in said second storage compartment.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein said light-emitting diode in said lighting unit has a light axis oblique towards an internal rear side of said heat-insulating main body.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising attachments, provided vertically at a plurality of positions on an internal side wall of said heat-insulating main body, each of which supports a shelf to be attached,

wherein said light-emitting diode in said lighting unit is arranged at a level corresponding to a level of a position between said attachments positioned side by side.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a drawer in said heat-insulating main body,

wherein said lighting unit is arranged in front of said drawer provided in said heat-insulating main body, and has a lower end lower than an upper end of said drawer or has an upper end higher than a lower end of said drawer.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising drawers below said shelf in said heat-insulating main body,

wherein said lightning unit is arranged in front of said shelf and lower than an upper end of a lowest one of said drawers.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 14,

wherein a front side of said drawer is made of a plate through which light passes.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein, when said lightning unit is provided in both said internal side wall and said divider, an angle of arranging a cover of said lightning unit provided in said internal side wall obliquely towards said internal side wall is greater than an angle of arranging a cover of said lightning unit provided in said divider obliquely towards said divider.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising an inner body having a tapered surface created by bending said internal side wall at a part close to said at least one of said openings,

wherein said lightning unit is provided in said tapered surface, and

a cover of said lightning unit covers the part and at least a portion of said tapered surface bending from the part.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein said lightning unit has covers each of which covers a corresponding one of boards on each of which a plurality of light-emitting diodes including said light-emitting diode are provided, and

said covers are arranged in a vertical line with ends overlapped with each other.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

wherein said lightning unit is embedded in an opening that is created by forming a board in an inner body of said refrigerator, the board being provided with a plurality of light-emitting diodes including said light-emitting diode thereon.

21. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a tapered surface created by bending said internal side wall at a part close to at least one of said openings in said first storage compartment and said second storage compartment,

wherein said lightning unit is arranged in said internal side wall behind said tapered surface and in front of attachments by each of which said shelf is attached, and arranged to have a top level higher than a top level of said attachments and have a bottom level lower than a bottom level of said attachments, said attachments being arranged in a vertical line in a plurality of stages.