CN112781296A

CN112781296A - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN112781296A
Application number: CN202010140516.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冈留慎一郎; 河井良二; 额贺晴树; 小池畅志郎; 伊藤拳司
Original assignee: Hitachi Global Life Solutions Inc
Current assignee: Hitachi Global Life Solutions Inc
Priority date: 2019-11-01
Filing date: 2020-03-03
Publication date: 2021-05-11
Anticipated expiration: 2040-03-03
Also published as: JP7389615B2; JP2021071272A; CN112781296B

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerator, which improves the cooling efficiency when a switching chamber capable of being set to a freezing temperature zone and a refrigerating temperature zone is set to the freezing temperature zone. The refrigerator is provided with: a refrigerating storage chamber for controlling the interior of the refrigerator within a range of a refrigerating temperature band; a switching chamber capable of switching a refrigerating temperature zone and a freezing temperature zone; an evaporator; a fan for raising the pressure of the air having a low temperature by the evaporator and sending the air to the cold storage room and the switching room; a cold storage room damper that suppresses the conveyance of the air boosted by the fan to the cold storage room; and a switching room damper for suppressing the air sent by the fan from being sent to the switching room, wherein the internal volume of the cold storage room is larger than that of the switching room, and the air for cooling the cold storage room and the switching room is cooled by the same evaporator.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Background

Patent document 1 (japanese patent application laid-open No. 2015-117882) describes: "a refrigerator, characterized by having: a refrigerant circuit through which a refrigerant flows, the refrigerant circuit being connected to the compressor, the condenser, the expansion device, and the cooler by pipes; a refrigerating chamber, the temperature of the inside of which is set to a refrigerating temperature zone; a freezing chamber provided in a lower layer of the refrigerating chamber and having an internal temperature set to a freezing temperature zone lower than the refrigerating temperature zone; and a switching chamber provided in a lower layer of the freezing chamber, the temperature of the interior of the switching chamber being set so as to be switchable from the refrigerating temperature range to the freezing temperature range (claim 1 of patent document 1). Patent document 1 describes that: "further having: a blower that sends air to the refrigerating chamber, the freezing chamber, and the switching chamber; and a damper for adjusting the air volume of the blower flowing into the switching chamber to adjust the temperature of the switching chamber (claim 7 of patent document 1).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2015-117882

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

As described above, patent document 1 describes that the amount of air flowing into the switching chamber is adjusted by the damper to adjust the temperature of the switching chamber.

However, if the switching room is switched from the refrigerating temperature zone to the freezing temperature zone, the cooling load is greatly increased, but the cooling efficiency against the high load is not considered, and it is considered that the energy saving performance is low or the time required for freezing is long. Further, the larger the capacity of the switching chamber (for example, the same length in the width direction of the switching chamber as the refrigerating chamber), the larger the influence of the flow change of the air.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator which improves cooling efficiency when a switching room which can be set to a freezing temperature zone and a refrigerating temperature zone is set to the freezing temperature zone.

Means for solving the problems

In view of the above problem, the present invention provides a refrigerator including: a refrigerating storage chamber for controlling the interior of the refrigerator within a range of a refrigerating temperature band; a switching chamber capable of switching a refrigerating temperature zone and a freezing temperature zone; an evaporator; a fan for raising the pressure of the air having a low temperature by the evaporator and sending the air to the refrigerating storage room and the switching room; a cold storage room damper for suppressing the transportation of the air boosted by the fan to the cold storage room; and a switching chamber damper configured to suppress conveyance of air boosted by the fan to the switching chamber, wherein the refrigerating chamber has a larger internal volume than the switching chamber, and air for cooling the refrigerating chamber and the switching chamber is cooled by the same evaporator, and wherein when both the refrigerating chamber damper and the switching chamber damper are opened, a larger amount of air is conveyed to the switching chamber than the refrigerating chamber damper.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator which improves cooling efficiency when a switching chamber which can be set to a freezing temperature zone and a refrigerating temperature zone is set to the freezing temperature zone.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator of the embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view a-a of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a refrigeration cycle structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a front view showing an air path structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating an air path structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of measuring the air volume in the refrigerating compartment.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a single body of a switching room damper.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing the arrangement position of a vacuum heat insulator for insulating the outside and inside of the refrigerator according to the embodiment.

In the figure:

1-refrigerator, 2-refrigerating compartment, 2a, 2 b-refrigerating compartment door, 3-ice-making compartment, 3 a-ice-making compartment door, 3 b-ice-making compartment container, 3 c-ice-making dish, 4-sub switching compartment, 4 a-sub switching compartment door, 4 b-sub switching compartment container, 5-switching compartment, 5 a-switching compartment door, 5 b-switching compartment container, 6-vegetable compartment, 6 a-vegetable compartment door, 6 b-vegetable compartment container, 6 c-vegetable compartment cover, 6 d-vegetable compartment partition, 7-chilled compartment, 9-in-compartment fan, 10-heat insulating box, 10 a-outer box, 10 b-inner box, 11 a-evaporator air supply passage, 11 b-evaporator air return passage, 12-refrigerating compartment air supply passage, 12 a-refrigerating compartment discharge port, 12 b-refrigerating compartment return port, 12 c-refrigerating compartment air supply return passage, 13-refrigerating compartment air supply passage, 13 a-refrigerating compartment discharge port, 13 b-ice-making compartment return port, 13 c-ice making compartment return air passage, 14-sub switching compartment air blowing passage, 14 a-sub switching compartment discharge port, 14 b-sub switching compartment return air port, 15-switching compartment air blowing passage, 15 a-switching compartment discharge port, 15 b-switching compartment return air port, 16-vegetable compartment air blowing passage, 16 a-vegetable compartment discharge port, 16 b-vegetable compartment return air port, 16 c-vegetable compartment return air passage, 17-door hinge cover, 18-operating portion, 19-display portion, 20-evaporator, 21-radiation heater, 22-drain pipe, 24-compressor, 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d, 25 e-vacuum heat insulator, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30-heat insulating partition wall, 31-control board, 32-evaporation pan, 33-door storage box, 34-shelf lowermost layer, 37-ice making box, 39-refrigerating compartment, 40-mechanical compartment fan, 41-evaporator temperature sensor, 42-refrigerating compartment temperature sensor, 43-ice making temperature sensor, 44-sub switching chamber temperature sensor, 45-switching chamber temperature sensor, 46-vegetable chamber temperature sensor, 47-outside air temperature sensor, 48-outside air humidity sensor, 50a, 50b, 50 c-first to third radiators, 51-dryer, 52-capillary tube, 53-gas-liquid separator, 54-heat exchanging section, 55-return pipe, 102-refrigerating chamber damper, 104-sub switching chamber damper, 105-switching chamber damper, 105a damper, 200-air duct, 201-air blower, 202-orifice, 203-first differential pressure gauge, 204-second differential pressure gauge.

Detailed Description

An embodiment of a refrigerator related to the present invention will be explained. Fig. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator of the present embodiment, and fig. 2 is a sectional view a-a of fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 1, heat-insulated box 10 of refrigerator 1 includes storage compartments in the order of refrigerating compartment 2, ice making compartment 3 and sub-switching compartment 4 arranged side by side on the left and right, switching compartment 5, and vegetable compartment 6 from above. The refrigerator 1 includes doors for opening and closing openings of the storage compartments. These doors are rotary refrigerating

chamber doors

2a and 2b divided left and right to open and close an opening of refrigerating chamber 2, and drawer-type ice making chamber door 3a, sub switching chamber door 4a, switching chamber door 5a, and vegetable chamber door 6a to open and close openings of ice making chamber 3, sub switching chamber 4, switching chamber 5, and vegetable chamber 6, respectively.

The refrigerating chamber door 2a is provided with a display unit 19 indicating typical settings and states in the refrigerator. In order to fix the refrigerating

chamber doors

2a and 2b to the refrigerator 1, door hinges (not shown) are provided at upper and lower portions of the refrigerating chamber 2, and the door hinges at the upper portion are covered with a door hinge cover 17.

The refrigerating chamber 2 is a refrigerating chamber having a refrigerating temperature zone (0 ℃ or higher) in the interior thereof, for example, an average temperature of about 4 ℃. The ice making chamber 3 is a freezing storage chamber in which the interior of the chamber is a freezing temperature zone (less than 0 ℃) such that water on an ice making tray 3c (see fig. 4) is frozen and ice in an ice making chamber container 3b for storing ice produced by the ice making tray 3c is not melted, for example, the interior is at about-18 ℃. The vegetable compartment 6 is a cold storage compartment having a cold storage temperature zone in the interior thereof, for example, an average temperature of about 6 ℃. The sub-switching chamber 4 and the switching chamber 5 are switching storage chambers that can be set to a freezing temperature zone or a refrigerating temperature zone, and for example, switch between a refrigerating mode in which the temperature is set to about 4 ℃ on average and a freezing mode in which the temperature is set to about-20 ℃ on average. The refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment is further provided with a plurality of operation modes such as a strong cooling mode and a weak freezing mode in which the temperature is set between the cooling mode and the freezing mode, or a weak cooling mode in which the temperature is higher than the cooling mode and a strong freezing mode in which the temperature is lower than the freezing mode, and the user can select these operation modes by the operation unit 18 provided in the cooling chamber 2. In addition, when the refrigerator 1 is connected to a smartphone or the like through a wireless communication line, the user can set and switch the temperature zone of the storage room through the smartphone or the like.

In the present embodiment, the refrigerating chamber 2, the vegetable chamber 6, and the switching chamber 5 are storage chambers having the same length in the width direction (the left-right direction in fig. 1) and larger than the ice making chamber 3 and the sub-switching chamber 4. Specifically, the internal volume of each storage chamber in the present embodiment is: the cooling chamber 2 is 300L, the ice making chamber 3 is 25L, the sub switching chamber 4 is 40L, the switching chamber 5 is 100L, the vegetable chamber 6 is 110L (total 575L), and the cooling chamber 2 > the vegetable chamber 6 ≈ the switching chamber 5 > the sub switching chamber 4 ≈ the ice making chamber 3. The storage chambers having an internal volume ratio of 1/2-2 are set to have the same internal volume (approximately equal). Since food items stored in the refrigerating compartment 2 are likely to change, the internal volume is set to be the maximum of each storage compartment, and is set to 50% or more of the entire internal volume 575L in the present embodiment. Switching room 5 and vegetable room 6 are smaller than refrigerating room 2, but have an internal volume of 1/4 or more of refrigerating room 2, each of which occupies 15% or more of the entire internal volume of refrigerator 1, and are large storage rooms. The inner volumes of switching room 5 and vegetable room 6 are equal to each other (switching room 5 is equal to or larger than 1/2 of vegetable room 6). The sub-switching chamber 4 has a large difference in internal volume of 1/2 or less of the internal volume of the switching chamber 5, and thus the ratio of the storage chamber in the cold storage temperature range to the storage chamber in the freezing temperature range can be easily adjusted. That is, the four-stage setting can be performed in the case where both the sub switching chamber 4 and the switching chamber 5 are frozen, in the case where both are refrigerated, in the case where the sub switching chamber 4 is frozen and the switching chamber 5 is refrigerated, in the case where the sub switching chamber 4 is refrigerated and the switching chamber 5 is frozen. Therefore, the ratio of the internal volumes of the storage compartments in the refrigerating temperature zone and the freezing temperature zone can be intentionally changed, and customization can be performed in various situations.

The refrigerator 1 is configured such that the outside and the inside of the refrigerator are partitioned by an insulating box 10 formed by filling a space between an outer box 10a (made of steel plate) and an inner box 10b (made of synthetic resin) with a foam insulating material (for example, urethane foam). In the heat insulating box 10,

vacuum heat insulators

25a and 25b (see fig. 8) having a lower thermal conductivity than the foam heat insulator are attached between the outer box 10a and the inner box 10b in addition to the foam heat insulator, thereby improving the heat insulating performance without reducing the food storage capacity. Here, the vacuum heat insulator is configured by covering a core material such as glass wool or polyurethane with an outer covering material. The outer package material includes a metal layer (e.g., aluminum) in order to ensure gas barrier properties.

The refrigerating chamber 2, the ice making chamber 3, and the sub switching chamber 4 are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 27. Ice making compartment 3, sub-switching compartment 4, and switching compartment 5 are separated by heat insulating partition wall 28, and switching compartment 5 and vegetable compartment 6 are separated by heat insulating partition wall 29. Further, a heat insulating partition wall 26 is provided between the ice making compartment 3 and the sub switching compartment 4 so that the sub switching compartment 4 does not become low in temperature by the cold air of the ice making compartment 3 when the sub switching compartment 4 is set to the cold storage mode. An evaporator 20, an evaporator air supply passage 11a, and an evaporator return passage 11b, which will be described later, are provided behind the switching room 5, and a heat insulating partition wall 30 is provided between the switching room 5 and the evaporator 20 and its peripheral air passage.

Here, as shown in fig. 2, the rear surface side of the heat insulating partition wall 30 is in contact with the evaporator 20 and the low-temperature air (air of the evaporator air blowing passage 11a) immediately after passing through the evaporator 20, and the front surface side is in contact with air in the cold storage temperature range when the switching room 5 is in the cold storage mode, and therefore, heat exchange occurs due to this temperature difference. Further, if heat exchange occurs due to this temperature difference, the switching chamber 5 is cooled via the heat insulating partition wall 30, and the switching chamber 5 in the cold storage mode may be excessively cooled, so that the heat insulating partition wall 30 is formed of a foam heat insulator, and the vacuum heat insulator 25d is provided on the substantially front surface of the evaporator 20 which is particularly low in temperature. The switching chamber discharge port 15a described later is formed in a part of the foam heat insulator other than the vacuum heat insulator 25 d.

The heat insulating partition wall 28 is provided with a vacuum heat insulator 25e so that the switching chamber 5 in the cold storage mode is not excessively cooled by heat exchange between the switching chamber 5 in the cold storage mode and the ice making chamber 3 and the sub switching chamber 4 in the freezing mode via the heat insulating partition wall 28. Further, a vacuum heat insulator may be provided in the heat insulating

partition walls

26, 27, and 29 to improve the heat insulating performance of the heat insulating

partition walls

26, 27, and 29 or to reduce the heat insulating thickness.

By providing a plurality of door pockets 33 inside the refrigerating

chamber doors

2a, 2b and also providing a plurality of shelves, the inside of the refrigerating chamber 2 is divided into a plurality of storage spaces. The ice making chamber door 3a, the sub switching chamber door 4a, the switching chamber door 5a, and the vegetable chamber door 6a are provided with an ice making chamber container 3b, a sub switching chamber container 4b, a switching chamber container 5b, and a vegetable chamber container 6b, which are integrally drawn out. Further, among the drawer type storage compartments, a plurality of containers (two containers are provided in the upper and lower sides in the present embodiment) are provided in consideration of the ease of storage of the switching compartment 5 having a large internal volume, the switching compartment container 5b of the vegetable compartment 6, and the vegetable compartment container 6 b.

Refrigerating room temperature sensor 42, sub-switching room temperature sensor 44, switching room temperature sensor 45, and vegetable room temperature sensor 46 are provided on the rear side of refrigerating room 2, sub-switching room 4, switching room 5, and vegetable room 6, respectively, and evaporator temperature sensor 41 is provided on the upper portion of evaporator 20. Then, the temperatures of refrigerating room 2, sub switching room 4, switching room 5, vegetable room 6, and evaporator 20 are detected by these sensors. An outside air temperature sensor 47 and an outside air humidity sensor 48 are provided inside the door hinge cover 17 of the ceiling portion of the refrigerator 1, and detect the temperature and humidity of the outside air (outside air). Further, an ice-making tray temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the ice-making tray 3c, and door sensors (not shown) that detect the open/closed states of the refrigerating

chamber doors

2a and 2b, the ice-making chamber door 3a, the sub switching chamber door 4a, and the switching chamber door 5a, respectively, are provided.

A control board 31, which is a part of the control device and on which a memory such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, an interface circuit, and the like are mounted, is disposed on the upper portion of the refrigerator 1. The control board 31 is connected to an outside air temperature sensor 47, an outside air humidity sensor 48, a refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 42, a sub switching compartment temperature sensor 44, a switching compartment temperature sensor 45, a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 46, an evaporator temperature sensor 41, and the like via electric wiring (not shown).

The control board 31 controls the compressor 24, the in-box fan 9, the refrigerating compartment damper 102, the sub switching compartment damper 104, the switching compartment damper 105, the vegetable compartment damper 106, and the display unit 19, which will be described later, based on the output values of the sensors, the setting of the operation unit 18, the program stored in advance in the ROM, and the like.

The refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a communication base (not shown) connectable to an external device, and can provide information of the refrigerator 1 to a mobile device such as a smartphone, a personal computer, or the like, and change the setting of a mode or the like by operating the communication base in the same manner as the operation unit 18.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a structure of a freezing cycle of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. The refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment cools each storage chamber in the refrigerator 1 by circulating the cooling evaporator 20 using the refrigerant of the freezing cycle. In the present embodiment, the refrigerant is isobutane, and the amount of refrigerant is 80 g.

The refrigerant compressed and discharged by the compressor 24 flows in this order and radiates heat during this period, namely, a first radiator 50a, a second radiator 50b, and a third radiator 50c, the first radiator 50a being provided in the machine chamber 39 and radiating heat by forced convection using the machine chamber fan 40, the second radiator 50a being provided in contact with the outer box 10a and radiating heat via the outer box 10a, and the third radiator 50b being provided at the opening edge of the refrigerator 1 and suppressing dew condensation. Thereafter, the pressure is reduced by the capillary 52 via the dryer 51.

The refrigerant decompressed by the capillary tube 52 to have a low temperature and a low pressure flows into the evaporator 20, and the evaporator 20 is cooled to a low temperature. With this low-temperature evaporator 20, the in-tank air around the evaporator 20 is cooled. The refrigerant passing through the evaporator 20 flows to the gas-liquid separator 53 that separates liquid refrigerant. The gas refrigerant having passed through the gas-liquid separator 53 flows through the return pipe 55, returns to the suction side of the compressor 24, and is compressed again by the compressor 24. The return pipe 55 has a heat exchange portion 54 adjacent to the capillary tube 52 and exchanging heat with the refrigerant flowing through the capillary tube 52, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

Fig. 4 is a front view showing an air path structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment, where (a) shows air paths from the in-box fan 9 to the discharge ports, and (b) shows air paths from the return ports to the in-box fan 9. Fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating an air path structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. The air duct structure of the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 4, 5, and 2.

When the tank is cooled, the compressor 24 and the in-tank fan 9 are driven. By driving the compressor 24, the air around the evaporator 20 is cooled by the evaporator 20. The low-temperature air is pressurized by the in-box fan 9 and sent to the refrigerating compartment damper 102, the sub switching compartment damper 104, the switching compartment damper 105, the vegetable compartment damper 106, and the ice making compartment discharge port 13a via the evaporator air duct 11 a.

When the refrigerating compartment 2 is cooled, the refrigerating compartment damper 102 is opened. The low-temperature air passes through the refrigerating compartment damper 102 and is blown into the refrigerating compartment 2 through the refrigerating compartment blowing passage 12 and the refrigerating compartment discharge port 12 a. The air having cooled the refrigerating compartment 2 is returned from the refrigerating compartment return opening 12b to the evaporator 20 via the refrigerating compartment return air passage 12c and the evaporator return air passage 11b, and is cooled again.

The low-temperature air flowing into the ice making compartment 3 from the ice making compartment discharge port 13a cools the water on the ice making tray 3c in the ice making compartment 3 and the ice in the ice making compartment container 3b, and then returns to the evaporator 20 from the ice making compartment return port 13b through the ice making compartment air return passage 13c and the evaporator return passage 11b, and is cooled again. In the present embodiment, since the damper is not provided in the air blowing path to the ice making compartment 3, air is always blown into the ice making compartment 3 while the in-box fan 9 is driven.

When the sub switching chamber 4 is cooled, the sub switching chamber damper 104 is opened. The low-temperature air passing through the sub-switching chamber damper 104 is blown into the sub-switching chamber 4 through the sub-switching chamber discharge port 14 a. The air having cooled the sub switching chamber 4 flows back to the refrigerating compartment return air passage 12c from the sub switching chamber return opening 14b, returns to the evaporator 20 via the evaporator return air passage 11b, and is cooled again.

When the switching room 5 is cooled, the switching room damper 105 is opened. The low-temperature air passing through the switching chamber damper 105 is blown into the switching chamber 5 through the switching chamber blowing passage 15 and the switching chamber discharge port 15 a. The air having cooled the switching room 5 is returned to the evaporator 20 via the switching room return opening 15b and the evaporator return air passage 11b, and is cooled again.

When the vegetable room 6 is cooled, the vegetable room damper 106 is opened. The low-temperature air is blown into the vegetable compartment 6 through the vegetable compartment damper 106, the vegetable compartment blowing passage 16, and the vegetable compartment discharge port 16 a. The air having cooled the vegetable compartment 6 is returned from the vegetable compartment return opening 16b to the evaporator 20 via the evaporator return air passage 11b, and is cooled again. Here, the vegetable compartment 6 is a compartment dedicated to a refrigeration temperature, and there is a problem that the change of foods stored is not large as in a switching compartment, and foods (vegetables and the like) stored in the vegetable compartment 6 generally do not require cooling in a short time, but freshness is reduced by drying. Therefore, in the vegetable compartment 6, the low-temperature air discharged from the vegetable compartment discharge port 16a is sent to the outside of the vegetable compartment container 6b, and the food in the vegetable compartment container 6b is indirectly cooled via the vegetable compartment container 6 b. This can suppress drying of food by low-temperature and low-humidity air, and maintain a predetermined refrigeration temperature. Further, since the low-temperature air is not introduced into the vegetable compartment container 6b as described above, for example, an air inlet portion (a cutout portion provided on the upper right in the drawing) provided in the sub switching compartment container 4b and the switching compartment container 5b in fig. 5 is not required, and the manufacturing cost is suppressed. In the present embodiment, by providing the vegetable compartment cover 6c, the inside of the vegetable compartment container 6b is substantially sealed, so that the invasion of low-temperature cold air into the vegetable compartment container 6b can be further suppressed, the food can be dried more hardly, and high freshness can be maintained.

Here, in the present embodiment, when all the storage compartments are cooled, that is, when all the dampers are open, the air volume passing through switching room damper 105 (the air volume blown into switching room 5) among the air volumes passing through the dampers is maximized. Specifically, the amount of air passing through switching room damper 105 is 1.2 times or more, specifically 1.5 times, the amount of air passing through refrigerating room damper 102 (the amount of air blown into refrigerating room 2). The amount of air passing through switching room damper 105 is 3.4 times or more, specifically 4.0 times, the amount of air passing through vegetable room damper 106 (the amount of air blown into vegetable room 6). Further, switching room 5 is a storage room that can be set to a refrigerating temperature range in the same manner as refrigerating room 2 and vegetable room 6, and in the present embodiment, as described above, the internal volume of switching room 5 is smaller than refrigerating room 2 and vegetable room 6. However, since the switching room 5 can be set to the freezing temperature zone, the cooling efficiency of the freezing temperature zone can be improved by setting the amount of air blown into the switching room 5 to be increased as described above. The reason will be described below.

If the air volume is small, the temperature of the air to be sent into the tank needs to be lower so that even a small amount of air can be cooled, as compared with the case where the air volume is large, and therefore, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator 20 needs to be lower. Generally, if the refrigerant is set to a low temperature, the cooling efficiency (the amount of cooling with respect to the amount of electricity consumed by the compressor 24) decreases, and therefore the energy saving performance decreases. On the other hand, in order to increase the air volume, it is generally necessary to widen and shorten the air duct, and if the air duct to the refrigerating chamber 2 and the vegetable compartment 6 is secured to be wide so as to increase the air volume to the refrigerating chamber 2 and the vegetable compartment 6, the space required for the air duct increases. Further, since the refrigerating chamber 2 and the vegetable chamber 6 are separated from the in-box fan 9 by a long distance, the air passage is long, and the air passage needs to be wider. Therefore, in order to increase the air volume to the refrigerating chamber 2 and the vegetable chamber 6, the volume of the air duct is increased, and the internal volume for storing food is easily reduced for the volume distribution of the refrigerator. On the other hand, by preferentially ensuring the air duct of the switching chamber 5 so as to increase the air volume of the switching chamber 5, the space of the air duct with respect to the installation space of the entire refrigerator 1 can be suppressed, a large internal volume for accommodating food can be ensured, and a refrigerator having high cooling efficiency can be provided.

Here, as a specific required cooling amount, the amount of food to be replaced (taken out and stored) every day is set in proportion to the internal volume of each storage room, and it is considered that the outside air temperature T is newly stored in an amount of 10% of the internal volume_out[℃]In the case of normal temperature food. The average temperature T is the amount of cooling required (heat capacity of the food product relative to the target temperature) to cool the food product to the predetermined temperature of each storage compartment_r[℃]In the case of a refrigerated storage roomRequired cooling amount Q_rTf [ deg.C, determined by equation 1]Required cooling amount Q in the case of the freezer compartment_fThe value is obtained by equation 2. In addition, since food generally contains much moisture, each physical property and characteristic used for calculating heat capacity is according to water (H)₂O) assume that the specific heat is constant for water and ice, respectively.

[ number 1 ]

Q_r＝(ρ·V_r×10％)·Cp_w·(T_out-T_r) … (formula 1)

Number 2

Q_f＝(ρ·V_r×10％)×([Cp_w·T_out]-[Cp_ice-T_f]+ Δ h) … (formula 2)

ρ is the density at the time of introduction, V_rIs the inner volume of the cold storage chamber, V_fIs the internal volume of the freezer compartment, Cp_wIs the specific heat of water, Cp_iceIs the specific heat in the ice state, and Δ h is the latent heat. As shown in formula 2, at Tf deg.C]In the case of the freezer compartment of (3), the latent heat Δ h also needs to be taken into consideration. Here, the physical property values are: cp_w＝4.2[kJ/(kg·K)]、Cp_ice＝2.0[kJ/(kg·K)]、Δh＝335[kJ/kg]. In addition, T_outThe standard temperature is 32 ℃ C, which is a high outside temperature used in a power consumption test described in IEC 62552-3 and JIS C9801-3]，T _r4 ℃ C. as a standard of a refrigerating room]，T_fThe temperature was set to-18 ℃ as a standard of a 4-star freezing chamber]. In this case, the required cooling amount Qf/Vf per internal volume is 3.7 times Qr/Vr. In the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, the internal volume of the refrigerating compartment 2 is 3.0 times (Vr/Vf) the switching compartment 5, and therefore the ratio Qf/Qr of the required amount of heat absorption is 1.2 (3.7/3.0), and thus the amount of air passing through the switching compartment damper 105 is 1.2 times or more the amount of air passing through the refrigerating compartment damper 102. Similarly, since the internal volume ratio Vr/Vf of vegetable room 6 is 1.1 and Qf/Qr is 3.4, the air volume passing through switching room damper 105 is 3.4 times or more the air volume passing through vegetable room damper 106. Thus, the cold air with a low temperature can be blown by an appropriate amount according to the cooling amount required by each storage room, and the space of the air passage relative to the installation space can be suppressed, and the cold air storage deviceA refrigerator having high cooling efficiency. When the switching room 5 is set to the cooling temperature range, the switching room damper 105 suppresses the air blow, thereby preventing the supercooling.

As described above, the refrigerator can efficiently obtain the cooling amount necessary for the switching room 5 that can be set to the freezing temperature range by increasing the air volume of the switching room 5 with respect to the exclusive refrigerating storage rooms (refrigerating room 2 and vegetable room 6) having the refrigerating temperature range larger in internal volume than the switching room 5. In the present embodiment, when switching room damper 105 is opened, the amount of air blown into switching room 5 is always larger than that of refrigerating room 2 and vegetable room 6, but the amount of air blown into switching room 5 may be temporarily made smaller than that of refrigerating room 2 or the like.

The air volume of each chamber may be determined as follows, for example.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method for measuring the air volume in the switching room 5. The amount of air circulating in the switching chamber 5 was measured by measuring the amount of air flowing through the switching chamber return port 15 b. Note that, although not shown in the figure, the in-box fan 9 is driven to perform measurement in a state where each damper including the switching room damper 105 is opened.

Here, the air volume was measured using the air volume measuring device shown in fig. 6. Specifically, first, the switching chamber door 5a is opened, and the air duct 200 is provided so as to cover the switching chamber return port 15 b. Further, a first differential pressure gauge 203 that measures a differential pressure between the internal pressure and the external pressure (atmospheric pressure) of the duct 200, an orifice 202 that can calculate the air volume based on the differential pressure between the upstream side and the downstream side, a second differential pressure gauge 204 that measures the differential pressure between the upstream side and the downstream side of the orifice 202, and a blower 201 located on the upstream side of the orifice are provided. Then, the blower 201 is adjusted so that the differential pressure of the first differential pressure gauge 203 becomes zero, and the amount of air flowing through the switching chamber return port 15b is measured based on the second differential pressure gauge 204 at that time. The switching chamber door 5a is opened, but is adjusted so that the differential pressure of the first differential pressure gauge becomes zero, and therefore, it is considered to be in a state substantially equal to the state in which the switching chamber door 5a is closed.

Similarly, the duct 200 is provided so as to cover the refrigerating room return opening 12b when the air volume of the refrigerating room 2 is measured, the duct 200 is provided so as to cover the sub-switching room return opening 14b when the air volume of the sub-switching room 4 is measured, the duct 200 is provided so as to cover the vegetable room return opening 16b when the air volume of the vegetable room 6 is measured, and the air volume flowing through each return opening is measured.

By using these measured air volumes, the air volumes circulating in the respective storage chambers can be compared. Here, the air volume circulating in each storage chamber is measured by the air volume flowing through each return port, but the air volume circulating in each storage chamber may be measured by the air volume flowing through the discharge port. In addition, when there are a plurality of outlets for blowing air to one storage chamber, it is necessary to compare the total value of the outlets. For example, when the amount of air to be blown into the refrigerating room 2 is measured, the duct 200 is provided so as to guide the air blown from each refrigerating room discharge port 12a, the blower 201 is adjusted so that the differential pressure of the first differential pressure gauge 203 becomes zero, and the amount of air discharged from all the refrigerating room discharge ports 12a is measured based on the differential pressure of the second differential pressure gauge 204. Then, by summing up the discharge air volumes from the respective refrigerating room discharge ports 12a, it can be regarded as the air volume circulating in the refrigerating room 2. Further, although an example of the air volume measurement method by the diameter reducing mechanism is described here, the air volume may be measured by another means such as a thermal flowmeter.

As described above, the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment makes the air volume to the switching room 5 larger than that of the other storage rooms. In the present embodiment, the following structural considerations are made for this purpose.

As shown in fig. 4, in the present embodiment, the in-box fan 9 is provided on the back side within the height range of the switching chamber 5, and the length of the air passage from the in-box fan 9 to the switching chamber discharge port 15a of the switching chamber 5 is set to be shorter than the length of the air passage from the in-box fan 9 to the discharge ports of the other storage chambers (the refrigerating chamber discharge port 12a, the ice making chamber discharge port 13a, the sub-switching chamber discharge port 14a, and the vegetable chamber discharge port 16 a). That is, the coefficient of pressure loss ("pressure loss/air volume": the ease of generation of pressure loss with respect to the air volume) of the air duct of switching room 5 is suppressed to be smaller than that of the air duct of the other storage room, and the air volume is increased. Similarly, the length of the air passage from the switching room return opening 15b to the evaporator 20 is set shorter than the length of the air passage from the return opening of the other storage room (the refrigerating room return opening 12b, the ice making room return opening 13b, the sub-switching room return opening 14b, and the vegetable room return opening 16b) to the evaporator 20, and the pressure loss coefficient is suppressed to be smaller than the air passage of the other storage room, thereby increasing the air volume. Further, it is desirable that the in-box fan 9 and the evaporator 20 are disposed so as to completely converge within the height range of the switching room 5, but the horizontal projection of the in-box fan 9 and the evaporator 20 may be disposed so as to overlap at least a part of the horizontal projection of the switching room.

Further, since the switching room 5 can be set to the cooling temperature range, it is necessary to blow air through the switching room damper 105, and the switching room damper 105 is also considered. The damper for controlling the air supply to each storage chamber collects the air to be supplied to each storage chamber, and therefore, has a high flow rate and a high pressure loss.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a single switching room damper 105, (a) being a state in which the switching room damper 105 is closed, and (b) being an open state. The refrigerator of the present embodiment has the opening area of the switching room damper 105 (the area of the portion closed by the shutter 105a in fig. 7 a and opened in (b)) for controlling the air supply to the switching room 5 larger than the other dampers (the refrigerating room damper 102 and the vegetable room damper 106), and suppresses the pressure loss coefficient. Specifically, the opening area of switching room damper 105 is 1.2 times or more as large as refrigerating room damper 102 and 3.4 times or more as large as vegetable room damper 106, respectively, according to the ratio Qf/Qr.

Further, in addition to the opening area, the equivalent diameter is also considered, and the equivalent diameter of the switching chamber damper 105 is made larger than the other dampers (the refrigerating chamber damper 102, the vegetable chamber damper 106). Except for the case of transition due to laminar flow or turbulent flow, the larger the reynolds number (flow velocity × length/dynamic viscosity), the smaller the friction coefficient proportional to the pressure loss coefficient. In addition, in the flow inside the pipe, the representative length is generally expressed as an equivalent diameter ("equivalent diameter is 4 × sectional area/wet circumference length", wet circumference length is a length around the section). Therefore, by increasing the equivalent diameter, the reynolds number becomes high even at the same flow velocity, and the friction coefficient can be suppressed.

Further, in order to increase the equivalent diameter, the aspect ratio (L) of the switching chamber damper 105 opening is made large_A/L_BAnd L_B/L_AThe larger) is set to 2.5 or less. From the calculation formula of the equivalent diameter (equivalent diameter is 4 × sectional area/wet circumference length), when the sectional areas are the same, the shape with the smaller aspect ratio and the smaller wet circumference length are a perfect circle in a circle and a square in a quadrangle. Specifically, if the aspect ratio exceeds 2.5 in the quadrangle, the equivalent diameter is reduced by 10% or more with respect to the square. Therefore, the aspect ratio of the opening is set to 2.5 or less, thereby setting the equivalent diameter (4 × (L)_A·L_B)/(2×[L_A+L_B]) The friction coefficient and the pressure loss coefficient can be suppressed to be large.

With the above configuration, the amount of air flowing into switching room 5 is made larger than that in the other storage rooms, and the required cooling performance can be satisfied.

In addition, since the switching room 5 is also set to the refrigerating temperature range, the following consideration is given to supercooling of the switching room 5 in the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 2, at the time of cold storage setting of switching room 5, similarly to heat insulating partition wall 30, the back surface side of switching room damper 105 is in contact with the low temperature air (air of evaporator air passage 11a) just after passing through evaporator 20, and the front surface side of switching room damper 105 is in contact with the air in the cold storage temperature zone in switching room 5, and therefore, a temperature difference occurs before and after switching room damper 105. That is, heat exchange occurs due to a temperature difference between the air at the freezing temperature (evaporator air passage 11a) and the air in the switching room 5 via the switching room damper 105, and the switching room 5 is cooled.

Here, as the members constituting the windshield, resin (to be precise, unfoamed resin) or the like is generally used in order to maintain strength, except for the surface of the baffle 105a shown in fig. 7 where contact/non-contact occurs at the time of opening and closing. Since the heat insulating performance of resin is lower (the heat conductivity is higher) than the foam heat insulator and the vacuum heat insulator 25b constituting the heat insulating partition wall 30, if the size of the switching room damper 105 is increased, heat exchange via the damper is also increased, and there is a problem that the switching room 5 set to the refrigerating temperature zone is excessively cooled. On the other hand, as described above, if the setting to the freezing temperature is considered, it is desirable to suppress the pressure loss of the switching room damper 105 to be low.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the opening area of the switching room damper 105 is suppressed to an appropriate range by using the following index. First, the opening area of the switching chamber damper 105 is larger than the minimum air passage sectional area (the portion of the circulation air passage having the smallest sectional area) of the circulation air passage between the evaporator 20 and the switching chamber 5, specifically, the opening area of the switching chamber damper 105 is larger than the switching chamber discharge port 15 a. By making the flow path cross-sectional area larger than the minimum flow path cross-sectional area, the proportion of pressure loss occurring in the switching chamber damper 105 that closes the circulation flow path between the evaporator 20 and the switching chamber 5 can be suppressed to be small, that is, a decrease in the air volume caused by the provision of the switching chamber damper 105 during the freezing setting can be relatively suppressed.

On the other hand, the following consideration is made so as not to excessively increase the switching room damper 105 in order to suppress cooling through the switching room damper 105. The evaporator 20 and the in-box fan 9 flow air in the entire storage chamber by merging, and therefore the amount of air flowing is large. On the other hand, the air flowing through the switching room damper 105 is only branched air blown into the switching room 5, and the pressure loss generated in the switching room damper 105 is smaller than that of the evaporator 20 and the like if the pressure loss coefficient is the same, and therefore, in the present embodiment, the opening area of the switching room damper 105 is made smaller than the cross-sectional area of the portion where the air flows into the evaporator 20. The opening area of the switching chamber damper 105 is set to be equal to or smaller than the maximum air passage cross-sectional area in the portion (the switching chamber blowing passage 15, the switching chamber discharge port 15a, and the switching chamber return port 15b) of the circulation air passage between the evaporator 20 and the switching chamber 5, in which only the air supplied to the switching chamber 5 flows. That is, in the circulation air passage between the evaporator 20 and the switching chamber 5, the opening area of the switching chamber damper 105 is reduced within a range in which the rate of pressure loss of the switching chamber damper 105 does not increase. In particular, by setting the opening area of the switching room damper 105 to be equal to or smaller than the switching room return port 15b for collecting the circulating air in the switching room 5, the proportion of the pressure loss in the switching room damper 105 can be suppressed, and the switching room damper 105 does not excessively increase.

According to the above configuration, by providing the switching room damper 105 so as to be able to set the cooling temperature and by suppressing the opening area of the switching room damper 105 to an appropriate range, it is possible to suppress excessive cooling of the switching room 5 during the cooling setting, suppress pressure loss due to the provision of the switching room damper 105, and secure the air volume necessary for the freezing setting.

Further, the frame portion (portion other than the baffle 105 a) of the switching chamber damper 105 has low heat insulating performance as described above, and the switching chamber 5 may be excessively cooled by heat exchange via the portion, and therefore, it is desirable to reduce the area occupied by the frame portion. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the opening area (the area where the shutter 105a is closed) is 70% or more of the entire area of the surface of the switching chamber damper 105 exposed to the switching chamber 5. Further, by covering at least a part of the surface exposed to the switching room 5 in the frame portion of the switching room damper 105 with a heat insulator, excessive cooling of the switching room 5 can also be prevented.

Next, in the refrigerator including switching room 5, the effects of the layout of the present embodiment are shown, and particularly, the effects of providing switching room 5 below refrigerating room 2 and vegetable room 6 below switching room 5 are shown.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing the arrangement position of a vacuum heat insulator for insulating the outside and inside of the refrigerator according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the vacuum heat insulator 25a is provided on the rear surface of the heat insulating box 10, and the vacuum heat insulators 25b are provided on both sides of the heat insulating box 10, thereby improving the heat insulating performance of the refrigerator 1. Also, in the present embodiment, the vacuum heat insulator 25c is provided at the switching chamber door 5a, thereby improving the heat insulating performance of the refrigerator 1. Further, the vacuum heat insulator is difficult to form into a complicated shape, and is generally a shape of a quadrangle or a shape of which the end portion is folded back like the vacuum heat insulator 25b, and in the present embodiment, the vacuum heat insulator 25b is formed into a folded-back shape avoiding the machine chamber 39. Therefore, the ratio of the area of the side surface of vegetable compartment 6 where vacuum heat insulator 25b is not provided is greater than that of sub-switching compartment 4, switching compartment 5, and the like.

This heat insulation structure is considered for the freezing mode of the switching chamber 5. Heat Q penetrating into the tank through the wall_wThe calculation is performed by

equations

3 and 4.

[ number 3 ]

Q_w＝K·A·(T_out-T_in) K.a.Δ T … (formula 3)

[ number 4 ]

Here, K denotes a total heat transfer coefficient, λ denotes a heat transfer coefficient of the heat insulating wall, T denotes a thickness of the heat insulating wall, h denotes a heat transfer rate, a denotes a heat transfer area, T denotes a temperature, Δ T denotes a temperature difference between the outside air and the storage room, subscript out denotes the outside air, and in denotes the inside of the storage room. In the switching chamber 5 of the freezing mode, the temperature difference Δ T between the outside air and the switching chamber 5 is larger than in the refrigerating chamber 2 and the vegetable chamber 6, and the heat transfer area a in contact with the outside air is larger than in the ice making chamber 3 and the sub-switching chamber 4, and therefore, the amount of heat Q entering from the outside air_wIt is easy to change. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the

vacuum heat insulators

25b and 25c are provided on both side surfaces and the front surface (switching room door 5a) of the switching room 5 to reduce the heat conductivity λ, and the heat insulation thickness t of the side surfaces and the front surface (door 5a) is also increased as compared with the vegetable room 6 and the like to reduce the total heat transfer coefficient K, thereby suppressing the heat Q from entering_w. If heat Q invades_wMore, the energy required for cooling increases, i.e., the energy saving performance decreases. In this way, by improving the heat insulating performance around the switching room 5, which has a large influence on the energy saving performance when the refrigeration mode is set, the energy saving performance can be efficiently improved.

On the other hand, since the vegetable compartment 6 is a storage compartment dedicated to the refrigerating temperature zone and is the storage compartment having the highest temperature in the refrigerator 1, the temperature difference Δ T from the outside of the refrigerator is smaller than that of other storage compartments, particularly, storage compartments in the freezing temperature zone. Here, the lowermost layer of the refrigerator 1 is formed from two side faces and a front face togetherSince the bottom surface also exchanges heat with the outside air, the heat transfer area a becomes larger than that of the switching chamber 5 and the like. Further, since a part of the bottom surface exchanges heat with the machine chamber 39 which is higher in temperature than the periphery of the refrigerator due to heat dissipation of the compressor 24 or the like, T is set_outHigh, i.e., Δ T tends to become large. As described above, the side surface of the vegetable compartment 6 is likely to have a large K because the ratio of the area where the vacuum heat insulator 25b is not provided is large. Therefore, in the case of the storage compartment of the lowermost layer, consideration of heat intrusion of the outside air is important, but by providing T in the lower layer of the refrigerator 1_inThe high vegetable room 6 can suppress the temperature difference Δ T from the outside of the box, thereby suppressing heat intrusion and suppressing a decrease in energy saving performance. That is, the energy saving performance of the refrigerator 1 as a whole can be improved.

Further, by providing vegetable compartment 6 on the lower surface of switching room 5, the space saving and cost reduction of heat insulating partition 29 are also achieved. As described above, it is considered that the upper surface of the switching compartment 5 set to the cold storage mode is cooled by the ice making compartment 3 and the sub-switching compartment 4, and the rear surface is cooled by the evaporator 20 and the evaporator air passage 11a to become excessively low temperature. If the lower portion of switching room 5 is a storage room of freezing temperature, switching room 5 is also cooled from the lower surface and is likely to become further low in temperature, and therefore it is necessary to secure the heat insulating performance of heat insulating partition 29, that is, to increase the heat insulating thickness of heat insulating partition 29 and provide a vacuum heat insulator. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by providing the storage room dedicated to the refrigerating temperature zone which does not become the freezing temperature, and the vegetable room 6 having a high temperature therein, in the lower portion of the switching room 5, consideration of the heat insulating performance of the heat insulating partition wall 29 is reduced, that is, an increase in the thickness of the heat insulating partition wall 29 and an increase in the cost due to the vacuum heat insulator can be suppressed.

In addition, the heat insulating performance described above affects condensation on the outer surface of the refrigerator 1 in addition to the energy saving performance. The heat insulating wall is cooled by the adjacent storage compartments, the outer surface of the outer box 10a in contact with the outside air is at a low temperature, and if the temperature is lower than the dew point, dew condensation occurs on the outer surface. Outer surface temperature T based on this cooling_wall＿outThe value is obtained by equation 5.

[ number 5 ]

The switching chamber 5 needs to suppress dew condensation even in the freezing mode, in addition to the refrigerating mode, in which the temperature in the box is lower, Δ T is larger, and Q is larger_wIs more likely to become larger, and therefore, T is prevented_wall＿outThe temperature becomes low and lower than the dew point, and high heat insulation performance (t/lambda) is required. That is, the switching chamber 5 needs to be designed to have heat insulation in consideration of the freezing mode, and high heat insulation performance needs to be ensured by mounting a vacuum heat insulator, increasing the heat insulation thickness, and the like. On the other hand, Q is set for the vegetable room 6 having the highest temperature in the refrigerator 1 exclusive for the refrigerating temperature zone even if the heat insulating performance is low_wIs also difficult to become large, i.e. T_wall＿outSince the temperature is difficult to be low, use of a vacuum heat insulator is suppressed, and the heat insulation thickness is reduced as compared with the wall surface of the switching chamber 5, thereby achieving cost reduction and improvement of space saving.

The above is an example showing an embodiment of the present embodiment. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the above-described embodiments are examples explained in detail to explain the present invention easily and understandably, and are not limited to having all the configurations explained. In addition, a part of the configuration of the embodiment can be added, deleted, or replaced with another configuration.

Claims

1. A refrigerator is provided with: a refrigerating storage chamber for controlling the interior of the refrigerator within a range of a refrigerating temperature band; a switching chamber capable of switching a refrigerating temperature zone and a freezing temperature zone; an evaporator; a fan for raising the pressure of the air having a low temperature by the evaporator and sending the air to the refrigerating storage room and the switching room; a cold storage room damper for suppressing the transportation of the air boosted by the fan to the cold storage room; and a switching room damper for suppressing the transportation of the air boosted by the fan to the switching room,

the cold storage chamber has a larger internal volume than the switching chamber, and the air sent to the cold storage chamber and the switching chamber is cooled by the same evaporator,

the above-mentioned refrigerator is characterized in that,

when both the cold storage room damper and the switching room damper are opened, the amount of air to be sent to the switching room is larger than that of the cold storage room.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

the length of the switching chamber in the width direction is the same as the length of the refrigerating storage chamber in the width direction,

alternatively, in the case where a plurality of the cold storage rooms are provided, the switching room has an internal volume of 1/4 or more with respect to the maximum internal volume of the cold storage room,

alternatively, in the case where a plurality of the cold storage rooms are provided, the switching room has an internal volume of 1/2 or more with respect to the smallest internal volume of the cold storage room,

alternatively, the internal volume of the switching chamber is 15% or more of the total internal volume of all the storage chambers.

3. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 2,

the ratio of the internal volumes of the at least one cold storage chamber and the switching chamber is x: 1, the air volume of the switching chamber when both the cold storage chamber damper and the switching chamber damper are opened is 3.7/x times or more the air volume of the cold storage chamber.

4. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the switching room is provided with a higher heat insulating performance to the outside air than the cold storage room.

5. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the ratio of the internal volumes of the at least one cold storage chamber and the switching chamber is x: 1, the opening area of the damper of the switching chamber is 3.7/x times or more of the opening area of the damper of the cold storage chamber.

6. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the horizontal projection of the evaporator and the fan is at least partially overlapped with the horizontal projection of the switching chamber.

7. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the evaporator is provided on the back side within the height range of the switching chamber.

8. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the opening area of the switching chamber damper is set to be larger than the minimum air passage sectional area of the circulation air passage between the evaporator and the switching chamber.

9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the opening area of the damper for the switching chamber is set to be larger than the opening area of the discharge port for blowing air into the switching chamber.

10. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the opening area of the switching chamber damper is set to be equal to or smaller than the maximum air passage cross-sectional area of the circulation air passage between the evaporator and the switching chamber.

11. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the opening area of the switching room damper is set to be equal to or smaller than the opening area of a return port through which air that has cooled the switching room is returned.

12. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 11,

the refrigerator includes a plurality of cold storage rooms, at least one of which is a vegetable room provided with a container for storing food and for sending cold air to the outside of the container.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12,

the vegetable chamber is arranged at the lower part of the switching chamber.