CN109282567B

CN109282567B - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN109282567B
Application number: CN201810762840.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 中西裕三; 前田刚
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Priority date: 2017-07-21
Filing date: 2018-07-12
Publication date: 2020-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-12
Also published as: AU2017423650B2; AU2017423650A1; CN109282567A; SG11201910971QA; WO2019016958A1; TWI671498B; MY184098A; RU2729001C1; JP6755402B2; JPWO2019016958A1; CN208536490U; TW201908675A

Abstract

The refrigerator of the present invention comprises: a main body having an opening; a door that opens and closes an opening of the main body; a door connecting part which connects the main body and the door to be capable of opening and closing; a heat pipe disposed in the body for releasing heat; and an outside air humidity sensor disposed on an upper portion of the door connecting portion, for measuring an outside air humidity.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having an external air humidity sensor.

Background

The conventional refrigerator includes: a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the outside air, and a humidity sensor that measures the relative humidity of the outside air. The measurement value of the temperature sensor and the measurement value of the humidity sensor are used, for example, to control the energization of the dew condensation preventing heater provided in the door, the partition portion of the door, and the like. Here, a refrigerator having a humidity sensor housed in a hinge cover of a hinge connecting a main body and a door is proposed (for example, see patent document 1). In patent document 1, a humidity sensor is provided on the upper surface of a main body, and the influence of cold air from a storage room and heat radiation from a machine room on measurement is reduced by a hinge cover. In addition, the outside air can be taken in from the ventilation hole of the hinge cover, and the measurement accuracy of the outside air humidity is ensured.

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 5391250

However, in the refrigerator of patent document 1, heat pipes are provided on the side surfaces and the upper surface of the main body, and heat from the heat pipes is transmitted to the humidity sensor provided on the upper surface of the main body. There is a case where the difference between the measurement value of the humidity sensor and the actual outside air humidity is large due to the propagated heat.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of measuring the humidity of outside air with high accuracy.

The refrigerator of the present invention comprises: a main body having an opening; a door that opens and closes the opening of the main body; a door connecting part having a hinge fixed to the main body and the door, and connecting the main body and the door to be openable and closable; a heat pipe disposed in the body for releasing heat; and an outside air humidity sensor disposed on an upper portion of the door connecting portion, for measuring an outside air humidity.

Preferably, the door connecting portion includes a hinge cover disposed above the hinge, and a recess is formed in the door at a position facing the outside air humidity sensor.

Preferably, the door connecting portion includes a cover that faces the hinge cover and surrounds the outside air humidity sensor, and a gap through which outside air passes is formed between the hinge cover and the cover.

Preferably, the door connecting portion includes a cover that faces the hinge cover and surrounds the outside air humidity sensor, and the cover is formed with a vent hole having a width of 3.5mm or less.

Preferably, the vent hole is formed at a position opposed to the outside air humidity sensor, and a shortest distance from the outside air humidity sensor to the vent hole is 20mm or more.

Preferably, one or more vent holes are formed around a position facing the outside air humidity sensor, and a shortest distance from the outside air humidity sensor to the one or more vent holes is 20mm or more.

Preferably, one or more of the vent holes are formed around a position facing the outside air humidity sensor, and a flange protruding toward the hinge cover side is formed at an edge portion of the one or more vent holes and at a position on the outside air humidity sensor side.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises: an outside air temperature sensor that measures an outside air temperature; a dew condensation prevention heater for preventing dew condensation at a position where the door is opened and closed; and a control unit that controls energization of the dew condensation preventing heater based on an outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor and an outside air humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor.

According to the refrigerator of the present invention, the external air humidity sensor is disposed above the door, and thus the influence of heat from the heat pipe in the measurement of the external air humidity can be reduced as compared with the case where the external air humidity sensor is disposed on the main body as in the related art. This enables the outside air humidity to be measured with high accuracy.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front perspective view showing a state in which a hinge cover around a door connecting portion according to embodiment 1 of the present invention is opened.

Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view showing an exploded view of the periphery of the door connecting portion according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view showing the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor of the hinge cover according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a section a-a of fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a bottom view showing the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor of the hinge cover according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing a section B-B of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a bottom view showing the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor of the hinge cover according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing a section C-C of fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a partial sectional view showing the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor of the hinge cover according to embodiment 4 of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a partial sectional view showing another example of the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor of the hinge cover according to embodiment 4 of the present invention.

Description of reference numerals: 1 … a body; 1a … opening part; 2 … radiating pipe; 3 … storage compartment door; 4 … moisture condensation resistant heater; 5 … door connection; 6 … outside air temperature sensor; 7 … outside air humidity sensor; 8 … control section; 9 … a wire; 11 … two sides; 12 … upper surface; 31 … doors; 31a … recess; 31b … front edge portion; 31c … rear edge portion; 32 … drawer-type doors; a 33 … divider; 51 … hinge member; 51a … axis; 51b … first frame; 51c … shaft hole; 51d … threaded holes; 51e … second frame; 52 … hinge cover; 52a … inner surface; 52b … incision; 52c … side; 52d … latch hole; a 52v … stop; a 52w … tab; 52x … fitting flanges; 53. 153, 253, 353, 453 … caps; 53b, 153b, 253b, 353b, 453b … side; 53c, 253c, 353c … on the lower surface of the cover; 53d … jaw; 54 … gap; 91 … drawing-out port; 100 … refrigerator; 154. 254, 354, 454 … vents; 355. 455 … guide flange; 455a … flange nose; d1, D2 … distance; width of W …

Detailed Description

Embodiment 1.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. The refrigerator 100 includes: a main body 1 having an opening 1a on the front surface, a plurality of storage compartment doors 3 for opening and closing the opening 1a, and the like. The refrigerator 100 includes a plurality of storage compartments having different temperature ranges, such as a refrigerating compartment, an ice making compartment, a switching compartment, a vegetable compartment, and a freezing compartment. Further, the refrigerator 100 includes: a plurality of temperature sensors provided in the storage chambers; a blower fan for circulating cool air in the refrigerator 100; and a plurality of dampers for adjusting the amount of cold air delivered to the respective storage compartments.

Further, refrigerator 100 includes a compressor, heat radiation pipe 2, a pressure reducing device, and a cooler connected by refrigerant pipes. The compressor compresses and discharges the refrigerant, and the radiating pipe 2 condenses and liquefies the refrigerant compressed by the compressor. The pressure reducing device is constituted by, for example, a capillary tube, and reduces the pressure of the refrigerant liquefied by the heat radiating pipe 2. The cooler evaporates the refrigerant decompressed by the decompression device, and cools the ambient air by a heat absorption action. The air cooled by the cooler is sent to each storage room by the air sending fan and the plurality of dampers.

The main body 1 is formed of an outer shell, a heat insulator, and the like, and suppresses heat from entering from the outside. The heat pipe 2 is disposed on both side surfaces 11 and an upper surface 12 of the main body 1. The heat pipe 2 is embedded in the heat insulator, and heat from the heat pipe 2 is released to the outside of the refrigerator 100 through the outer contour.

The storage compartments 3 are provided for the respective storage compartments, and open and close the opening 1a to prevent cold air in the respective storage compartments from leaking to the outside of the refrigerator. Two doors 31 are provided at a front surface of a refrigerating chamber provided at the uppermost portion of the refrigerator 100 among the plurality of storage chambers. Further, a drawer door 32 is provided on the front surface of the ice making chamber, the switching chamber, the vegetable chamber, the freezing chamber, and the like.

The refrigerator 100 includes a partition 33 provided between two doors 31 of the refrigerating chamber. The partition 33 partitions the inside and outside of the refrigerator, and is provided inside one of the two doors 31. The dew condensation prevention heater 4 for preventing dew condensation is provided in the partition portion 33, and the dew condensation prevention heater 4 maintains the front surface of the partition portion 33 at a set temperature by heat generation, thereby suppressing the occurrence of dew condensation of the partition portion 33 due to heat conduction. Further, a heat insulator is filled in the partition 33 behind the dew condensation preventing heater 4, and the heat insulator suppresses a temperature rise in the refrigerator 100 by the dew condensation preventing heater 4.

The refrigerator 100 includes: a door 31 of the refrigerating compartment is openably and closably connected to a door connection portion 5 of the main body 1, an outside air temperature sensor 6, an outside air humidity sensor 7 (see fig. 2), and a control portion 8. The door connecting part 5 has a hinge 51, and the hinge 51 is fixed to an upper portion of the main body 1 and an upper portion of the door 31 of the refrigerating compartment.

The outside air temperature sensor 6 is constituted by, for example, a thermistor or the like, and measures an outside air temperature Tout. The outside air temperature sensor 6 is disposed on the front surface of the door 31. The outside air humidity sensor 7 is constituted by, for example, a humidity sensor, electrodes, a substrate, and the like, and measures the relative humidity (outside air humidity Hout) from the resistance value, capacitance, and the like between the electrodes. The outside air humidity sensor 7 is provided at the door connecting portion 5. The outside air temperature sensor 6 may be provided at any place as long as it can measure the outside air temperature Tout, or may be provided at the door connecting portion 5 together with the outside air humidity sensor 7.

The control unit 8 is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer and is incorporated in the main body 1. The controller 8 controls the frequency of the compressor and the opening and closing of each damper so that the temperature of each storage chamber becomes a set temperature. The control unit 8 controls the energization of the dew condensation preventing heater 4 based on the outside air temperature Tout measured by the outside air temperature sensor 6 and the outside air humidity Hout measured by the outside air humidity sensor 7. Specifically, the amount of heat generated by the dew condensation preventing heater 4 is controlled so that the surface temperature of the partition 33 is equal to or higher than the dew point temperature Td and equal to or lower than the outside air temperature Tout. The dew point temperature Td is calculated by a known method based on the outside air temperature Tout measured by the outside air temperature sensor 6 and the outside air humidity Hout measured by the outside air humidity sensor 7.

Fig. 2 is a front perspective view showing a state in which a hinge cover around a door connecting portion according to embodiment 1 of the present invention is opened. Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view showing an exploded view of the periphery of the door connecting portion according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a bottom view showing the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor of the hinge cover according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a section a-a of fig. 4. The door link 5 and the structure around the door link 5 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 2 to 5.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the upper surface 12 of the main body 1 is provided with a drawing port 91 for the lead wire 9 of the outside air humidity sensor 7. One of the wires 9 is connected to the control unit 8 inside the main body 1, and the other wire is drawn out through the draw-out port 91 and connected to the outside air humidity sensor 7. A recess 31a serving as an air passage is formed in an upper portion of the door 31. The recess 31a is formed in the upper portion of the door 31 from a position rearward of the front edge 31b to the rear edge 31 c. By leaving the front edge portion 31b of the door 31 in this manner, the appearance of the refrigerator 100 is not impaired even when the recess 31a is provided.

The door connecting portion 5 has: the hinge 51, the hinge cover 52 having the side surface 52c, and the cover 53 detachably attached to the hinge cover 52. The hinge 51 connects the main body 1 to the door 31 at the left and right (arrow X direction) side ends of the upper surface 12 of the main body 1. The hinge 51 is constituted to include: a first frame 51b having a shaft 51a, and a second frame 51e having a shaft hole 51c and a plurality of screw holes 51 d. The first frame 51b is rotatably connected to the second frame 51e via a shaft 51 a. The shaft 51a of the first frame 51b is inserted into and fixed to a shaft groove provided in the door 31, and the second frame 51e is fixed to the body 1 by a plurality of screws. With such a structure, the door 31 can rotate about the shaft 51a in the vertical direction (arrow Z direction) with respect to the main body 1, and open and close the opening 1a of the main body 1. Although the hinge 51 on the left side of the refrigerator 100 is described, a hinge is similarly provided on the right side of the refrigerator 100 and is fixed to the main body 1 and the door 31 on the right side.

The hinge cover 52 has a size covering the recess 31a of the door 31, the hinge 51, and the extraction opening 91 of the main body 1. The outside air humidity sensor 7 is fixed to an inner surface 52a of the hinge cover 52, and the cover 53 is attached so as to cover the outside air humidity sensor 7 from below.

As shown in fig. 5, a protruding stopper 52v and a protrusion 52w are provided on the inner surface 52a of the hinge cover 52. The stopper 52v has a bent front end to support the outside air humidity sensor 7. As for the protrusion 52w, the front end is in contact with the outside air humidity sensor 7, and a space is formed between the outside air humidity sensor 7 and the inner surface 52a of the hinge cover 52. As shown in fig. 3, in a state where the hinge cover 52 is closed, the outside air humidity sensor 7 is disposed on the concave portion 31a of the door 31.

Further, a notch 52b is formed in the hinge cover 52 at a position of the side end of the door 31. The notch 52b serves as an intake port for taking in outside air into the recess 31a of the door 31. In order to fix the cover 53, a projecting fitting flange 52x (see fig. 5) is provided on the inner surface 52a of the hinge cover 52, and a locking hole 52d (see fig. 3) is formed on the side surface 52c of the hinge cover 52.

The cover 53 is made of an insulating material such as resin, and protects the outside air humidity sensor 7 from static electricity, dew condensation water, dust, and the like. As shown in fig. 3, a claw 53d is provided on the side surface 53b of the cover 53 at a position facing the locking hole 52d of the hinge cover 52. When the cover 53 is fitted between the side surface 52c of the hinge cover 52 and the fitting flange 52x, the claw 53d of the cover 53 is locked to the locking hole 52d of the hinge cover 52, and the cover 53 is fixed to the hinge cover 52. In the upper portion of the door 31, gaps 54 through which outside air flows are formed between the one side surface 53b of the cover 53 and the side surface 52c of the hinge cover 52, and between the other side surface 53b of the cover 53 and the fitting flange 52x of the hinge cover 52. On the other hand, in the upper portion of the main body 1, the side surface 53b of the cover 53 is in contact with the hinge cover 52 without a gap, and the flow of the outside air to the extraction opening 91 of the lead wire 9 is suppressed.

Next, the flow of the outside air in the door connecting portion 5 will be described based on fig. 2 to 5. The external air is taken in from the cutout 52b of the hinge cover 52 and flows into the recess 31a of the door 31. As shown by the broken-line arrows in fig. 5, the outside air flowing into the recess 31a enters the cover 53 through the gap 54 between the side surface 53b of the cover 53 and the hinge cover 52, passes around the outside air humidity sensor 7, and flows out of the cover 53 through the gap 54. This allows ventilation of the space formed by the lower surface 53c of the cover 53 and the inner surface 52a of the hinge cover 52, and the outside air humidity sensor 7 can measure the humidity of the outside air.

However, the lead wire is generally made of a copper wire or the like, and a part of the lead wire is routed inside the main body. Therefore, when the lead wire cooled in the main body comes into contact with the outside air at the extraction port, dew condensation occurs on the lead wire. Therefore, in the conventional structure in which the outside air flows to the door side and the main body side in the hinge cover, it is necessary to prevent the measurement accuracy of the outside air humidity sensor from being lowered due to dew condensation occurring on the lead wires or to prevent water from entering the main body.

On the other hand, in the door connecting portion 5 described above, the extraction opening 91 of the wire 9 is away from the cutout 52b of the hinge cover 52. Therefore, the flow of outside air in the hinge cover 52 is suppressed in the upper portion of the main body 1, and the occurrence of dew condensation on the lead wire 9 is also suppressed. The outside air humidity sensor 7 can perform stable measurement and does not need to add a member for preventing water intrusion.

As described above, in embodiment 1, since the outside air humidity sensor 7 is disposed above the door 31 of the door connection portion 5, the position of the outside air humidity sensor 7 can be separated from the main body 1 in which the heat radiating pipe 2 is disposed, and the influence of heat from the heat radiating pipe 2 can be reduced. Thus reducing the error between the measured value of the outside air humidity sensor 7 and the actual outside air humidity.

In the refrigerator 100 including the dew condensation preventing heater 4, the amount of current flow can be set to the minimum because the current flow to the dew condensation preventing heater 4 is controlled based on the outside air humidity Hout obtained as described above. In a conventional configuration in which the outside air humidity sensor is provided on the upper surface of the main body, it is necessary to increase the amount of current supplied to the dew condensation preventing heater to compensate for an error in measuring the outside air humidity in order to reliably prevent the occurrence of dew condensation in the partition portion. On the other hand, in refrigerator 100, since outside air humidity sensor 7 is disposed above door 31, the distance from heat pipe 2 is longer than that in the related art, and the measurement error of outside air humidity Hout can be reduced. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the amount of electricity to compensate for the measurement error, and the occurrence of condensation can be prevented with the minimum power consumption, thereby obtaining a refrigerator with stable quality.

The door connecting portion 5 includes a hinge cover 52 disposed above the hinge 51, and a recess 31a is formed in the door 31 at a position facing the outside air humidity sensor 7. This can cut off external heat and supply external air to the external air humidity sensor 7, thereby improving the accuracy of measuring the external air humidity. Further, since the vent hole can be eliminated on the main body 1 side of the hinge cover 52, the occurrence of dew condensation on the lead wire 9 can be suppressed.

The door connecting portion 5 includes a cover 53, the cover 53 faces the hinge cover 52 and surrounds the outside air humidity sensor 7, and a gap 54 through which outside air passes is formed between the hinge cover 52 and the cover 53. This separates the external air humidity sensor 7 from the radiating pipe 2, and can further reduce measurement errors caused by heat from the radiating pipe 2. In addition, since the outside air flows through the gap 54 in the space between the cover 53 and the hinge cover 52, the outside air humidity sensor 7 can measure the outside air humidity with high accuracy.

Embodiment 2.

Fig. 6 is a bottom view showing the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor of the hinge cover according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing a section B-B of fig. 6. In embodiment 1, external air is taken in from the gap 54 between the cover 53 and the hinge cover 52, but in embodiment 2, external air is taken in from the vent hole 154 formed in the cover 153. In embodiment 2, the same components as those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 6, a vent hole 154 is formed in the cover 15 at a position facing the outside air humidity sensor 7. The vent hole 154 may have any shape such as a quadrangle, a circle, or an ellipse, but has a width W (for example, 3.5mm or less) to the extent that a human finger cannot pass through. The shortest distance between the vent hole 154 and the outside air humidity sensor 7 is preferably 20mm or more. With this configuration, the possibility of short-circuiting of the outside air humidity sensor 7 by static electricity can be sufficiently reduced.

Here, since ventilation to the outside air humidity sensor 7 is ensured by the vent hole 154, it is not necessary to provide the gap 54 as in embodiment 1 between the side surface 153b of the cover 153 and the hinge cover 52. One side surface 153b of the cover 153 contacts the side surface 52c of the hinge cover 52, and the other side surface 153b of the cover 153 contacts the fitting flange 52x of the hinge cover 52.

As indicated by the broken-line arrows in fig. 7, the outside air in the recess 31a enters the cover 153 through the vent holes 154 of the cover 153, passes around the outside air humidity sensor 7, and flows out of the cover 153 through the vent holes 154 again. In addition, both the gap 54 and the vent hole 154 of embodiment 1 may be provided in the cover 153 in order to facilitate taking in of outside air.

As described above, in embodiment 2, the door connecting portion 5 includes the cover 153 in which the vent hole 154 having the width W of 3.5mm or less is formed. This protects the outside air humidity sensor 7 and allows ventilation in the cover 153 with a simple structure such as the ventilation hole 154. Further, even when water is immersed in the cover 53, the water can be discharged from the vent hole 154, and thus the influence on the measurement of the outside air humidity due to the water accumulated in the cover 153 is reduced.

The vent hole 154 is formed at a position facing the outside air humidity sensor 7, and the distance D1 from the outside air humidity sensor 7 to the vent hole 154 is 20mm or more. This allows the outside air flowing into the cover 153 to efficiently flow around the outside air humidity sensor 7, and prevents static electricity and water from leaking into the outside air humidity sensor 7, thereby accurately measuring the humidity of the outside air.

Embodiment 3.

Fig. 8 is a bottom view showing the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor of the hinge cover according to embodiment 3 of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing a section C-C of fig. 8. The arrangement of the vent holes 254 formed in the cover 253 in embodiment 3 is different from that in embodiment 2. In embodiment 3, the same components as those in embodiment 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 8, a plurality of vent holes 254 are formed in the lower surface 253c of the cover 253 around positions facing the outside air humidity sensor 7. In addition, the number of the vent holes 254 may be one. In order to reduce the influence of static electricity, the distance D2 between each vent hole 254 and the outside air humidity sensor 7 is preferably 20mm or more. Here, when the distance D2 between the outside air humidity sensor 7 and each vent hole 254 is 20mm in embodiment 3, the distance from the outside air humidity sensor 7 to the lower surface 253c of the cover 253 can be reduced, as compared with the case where the distance D1 is set to 20mm in embodiment 2.

As shown by the broken-line arrows in fig. 9, the outside air of the recess 31a enters the cover 253 through the plurality of air holes 254 of the cover 253, is removed from stagnation in the cover 253, and passes through the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor 7. The outside air passing through the outside air humidity sensor 7 flows out of the cover 253 through the plurality of air holes 254.

As described above, in embodiment 3, one or more ventilation holes 254 are formed around the position facing the outside air humidity sensor 7, and the shortest distance from the outside air humidity sensor 7 to each ventilation hole 254 is 20mm or more. This can increase the number of the vent holes 254, facilitate the intake of the outside air into the cover 253, and measure the outside air humidity with high accuracy. Further, by forming the vent holes 254 around the position facing the outside air humidity sensor 7, the height (the length in the direction of the arrow Z) of the side surface 253b of the cover 253 can be reduced as compared with the case of embodiment 2 when the distance D2 of 20mm or more is secured. Therefore, it is possible to provide a refrigerator 100 which is miniaturized while preventing short-circuiting due to static electricity and water dripping to the outside air humidity sensor 7.

Embodiment 4.

Fig. 10 is a partial sectional view showing the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor of the hinge cover according to embodiment 4 of the present invention. In embodiment 4, the structure of the periphery of each vent hole 354 formed in the lower surface 353c of the cover 353 is different from that in embodiment 3. In embodiment 4, the same components as those in embodiment 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 10, a guide flange 355 protruding toward the hinge cover 52 side is formed in the cover 353 at an edge portion of each vent hole 354. Each guide flange 355 is formed at a position on the outside air humidity sensor 7 side of the edge portion so as to block a straight path between the outside air humidity sensor 7 and each vent hole 354.

As indicated by broken-line arrows in fig. 10, the outside air in the recess 31a enters the cover 353 through the plurality of vent holes 354 of the cover 353, flows along the guide flanges 355, and passes around the outside air humidity sensor 7. At this time, the path of the outside air from each vent hole 354 to the outside air humidity sensor 7 is longer than in the case where the guide flange 355 is not provided. The outside air having passed through the outside air humidity sensor 7 flows along the guide flanges 355 again, and flows out of the cover 353 through the plurality of vent holes 354. Additionally, the shape of the plurality of guide flanges 355 can be any shape.

Fig. 11 is a partial sectional view showing another example of the periphery of the outside air humidity sensor of the hinge cover according to embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the cap 453, the guide flange 455 formed at the edge of each vent hole 454 has a flange tip portion 455a that curves toward the side surface 453b of the cap 453. The outside air in the concave portion 31a enters the inside of the cover 453 through the plurality of vent holes 454, and flows along the curved guide flanges 455. Here, when the length of the outside air path from the vent hole 454 to the outside air humidity sensor 7 is set to 20mm, the height of the guide flange 455 (the length in the arrow Z direction) can be reduced in the structure in which the curved guide flange 455 is provided, as compared with the structure in which the guide flange 355 is not provided.

As described above, in embodiment 4, the guide flange (355 or 455) protruding toward the hinge cover 52 side is formed at the edge portion of the one or more vent holes (354 or 454) at the position on the outside air humidity sensor 7 side. This can reduce the distance between the vent hole and the outside air humidity sensor 7, as compared with the case where the guide flange 355 is not formed, and can prevent short-circuiting due to static electricity and water dripping to the outside air humidity sensor 7 by the shape of the guide flange. Further, since the height (the length in the arrow Z direction) of the side surface (353b or 453b) of the cover can be set low, the depth of the recess 31a of the door 31 can be reduced, the appearance can be improved, and the cost can be reduced by downsizing the components.

The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the outside air temperature sensor 6 may also be provided to the outside air humidity sensor 7 and the hinge cover 52. One or more storage compartments of refrigerator 100 may be provided, and each storage compartment may be arbitrarily disposed. In addition, the door 31 of the uppermost storage compartment may be a door.

Claims

1. A refrigerator is characterized by comprising:

a main body having an opening;

a door that opens and closes the opening of the main body;

a door connecting portion having a hinge fixed to the main body and the door, disposed above the main body and the door, and connecting the main body and the door to be openable and closable;

a heat pipe disposed in the body for releasing heat; and

and an outside air humidity sensor disposed at an upper portion of the door at the door connection portion, for measuring an outside air humidity.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

the door connecting portion includes a hinge cover disposed above the hinge, and a recess is formed in the door at a position facing the outside air humidity sensor.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2,

the door connecting portion includes a cover that faces the hinge cover and surrounds the outside air humidity sensor,

a gap through which outside air passes is formed between the hinge cover and the cover.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3,

the cover is formed with a vent hole having a width of 3.5mm or less.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4,

the vent hole is formed at a position facing the outside air humidity sensor, and a shortest distance from the outside air humidity sensor to the vent hole is 20mm or more.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4,

one or more ventilation holes are formed around a position facing the outside air humidity sensor, and a shortest distance from the outside air humidity sensor to the one or more ventilation holes is 20mm or more.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 4,

the vent hole is formed with one or more around a position opposite to the outside air humidity sensor,

a flange protruding toward the hinge cover side is formed at a position on the outside air humidity sensor side at an edge portion of the one or more vent holes.

8. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

an outside air temperature sensor that measures an outside air temperature;

a dew condensation prevention heater for preventing dew condensation at a position where the door is opened and closed; and

and a control unit that controls energization of the dew condensation preventing heater based on an outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor and an outside air humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor.