CN113028707A

CN113028707A - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN113028707A
Application number: CN202010919247.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 河井良二; 冈留慎一郎; 额贺晴树; 冈田福太郎; 藤木义明; 中村浩和; 小松利广
Original assignee: Hitachi Global Life Solutions Inc
Current assignee: Hitachi Global Life Solutions Inc
Priority date: 2019-12-24
Filing date: 2020-09-04
Publication date: 2021-06-25
Also published as: JP2021101136A; WO2021131150A1; JP7364459B2

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerator with improved reliability, which comprises: a temperature switching chamber (3) which can set the indoor temperature to either one of a cold storage temperature zone and a freezing temperature zone and is configured so that the height dimension is larger than the width dimension; a freezing chamber (4) disposed beside the temperature switching chamber (3) in a front view; an evaporator (7) which is disposed on the rear side of the temperature switching chamber (3) and the freezing chamber (4) so as to straddle both the temperature switching chamber (3) and the freezing chamber (4), and which cools the temperature switching chamber (3) and the freezing chamber (4) integrally; and a front edge heat radiation pipe (50d) and an electric heater (93) which are arranged at the lower part in the temperature switching chamber (3).

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Background

A refrigerator is known which includes a storage room capable of setting an indoor temperature to either a refrigerating temperature zone or a freezing temperature zone. Patent document 1 describes a refrigerator including: a refrigerator main body; a first storage chamber provided at an upper portion of the refrigerator main body and having a first door opened in opposite directions; and a second storage room and a third storage room which are arranged below the first storage room in parallel with each other through an upper and a lower partition wall and are partitioned by a left and a right partition wall, wherein the second storage room is provided with a second door, the third storage room is provided with a third door, the height between the upper ends of the second door and the third door and the floor surface is 950 +/-50 mm, and the first door, the second door and the third door are respectively and equally divided relative to the width dimension of the refrigerator main body.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2005-274073

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The refrigerator described in patent document 1 includes a switching chamber as a third storage chamber that can be switched to a plurality of different temperature zones (see paragraph 0030 of patent document 1). The switching chamber has a height dimension greater than a width dimension (see fig. 7 thereof). Therefore, depending on the operating state of the refrigerator, air flows downward in the switching chamber by natural convection, and the temperature distribution tends to increase. As a result, supercooling is easily generated below the switching chamber, uneven cooling is generated, and reliability of the refrigerator is lowered.

The invention provides a refrigerator with improved reliability.

Means for solving the problems

The refrigerator of the present invention comprises: a first storage chamber capable of setting an indoor temperature to either a refrigerating temperature region or a freezing temperature region, the first storage chamber having a height dimension larger than a width dimension; a second storage chamber disposed beside the first storage chamber in a front view; a cooler which is disposed on the back sides of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber so as to extend over both the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, and integrally cools the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber; and a first heating mechanism disposed below the inside of the first storage chamber.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, a refrigerator with improved reliability can be provided.

Drawings

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

Fig. 2 is a front view of the inside of the refrigerator of the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a refrigeration cycle provided in the refrigerator according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a location where the condensed refrigerant pipe is disposed.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view in the horizontal direction of a heat-insulating partition wall partitioning the temperature switching chamber and the freezing chamber.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a location of the heating mechanism in the temperature switching chamber.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating the flow of air exchanged between the first, second, and third storage chambers and the cooler chamber.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of an air passage closing member provided in the temperature switching chamber air supply passage.

Fig. 11 is a front view showing an enlarged vicinity of the first fan in the cooler room.

Fig. 12 is a side view showing an enlarged vicinity of the first fan in the cooler room.

In the figure:

1-refrigerator, 10-heat-insulating box, 101a, 101 b-duct closing member, 10a, 10 b-front edge portion, 11-temperature switching chamber air feed passage, 110-refrigerating chamber air feed passage, 110 a-front edge, 111-temperature switching chamber air feed passage (second duct), 112-freezing chamber air feed passage, 115-communicating duct, 11a, 11b, 11 c-refrigerating chamber discharge port, 120-returning air passage (first duct), 12a, 12b, 12 c-temperature switching chamber discharge port (first discharge port), 13a, 13b, 13c, 13 d-freezing chamber discharge port, 14-refrigerating chamber return port (second return port), 15-temperature switching chamber return port (first return port), 16a, 16 b-freezing chamber return port, 19-second fan, 2-refrigerating chamber (third storage chamber), 21-defrosting heater, 24-compressor, 25-operation portion, 26-evaporation tray, 27-a heat insulating member, 28, 29-a heat insulating partition wall, 29 a-a steel plate, 29 b-a resin member, 2 a-a door (first door), 2 b-a door (second door), 3a, 4 a-a door, 2 c-a partition plate, 2 d-a slit, 3-a temperature switching chamber (first storage chamber), 31a, 31b, 31 c-a storage rack, 32a, 32 b-a storage container (first container), 32 c-a storage container (second container), 33-a closed container (second container), 34a, 34b, 34c, 35a, 35b, 35 c-a storage container, 37-an outside air temperature sensor, 38-an outside air humidity sensor, 4-a second storage chamber, 40-an automatic ice maker, 40 a-an ice tray, 41-a storage chamber temperature sensor, 42-a water storage tank (third container), 43-a freezing chamber temperature sensor, 44-a temperature switching chamber temperature sensor, 48-refrigeration cycle, 5-machine room, 50-condensed refrigerant piping (first heating means, refrigeration cycle), 50 a-defrosted water heating piping, 50 b-machine room radiator, 50 c-side heat dissipation piping, 50 d-front edge heat dissipation piping (first heating means), 50 e-back heat dissipation piping, 51-dryer, 53-capillary tube, 54-gas-liquid separator, 57-heat exchange section, 7-evaporator (cooler), 71 a-bending section, 72-heat insulating member, 8-evaporator chamber (cooler chamber), 80-opening, 80 a-upper end, 80 b-lower end, 81-frame, 82-opening and closing plate, 82 b-elastic plate, 83-motor storage section, 9-first fan (blower), 90-third heating means, 91-first heating means, 92-second heating means, 93-electric heater (first heating means), 9 a-the central axis, 9 b-the trailing edge.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (present embodiment) will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to the following and illustrated contents, and can be arbitrarily modified and implemented within a range not significantly impairing the effects of the present invention. The present invention can be implemented by combining different embodiments. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals in different embodiments, and redundant description thereof is omitted. Note that the same names are used for components having the same functions, and redundant description is omitted. In the cross-sectional views shown below, hatching may be omitted for simplicity of illustration.

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment. The line A-A will be described later with reference to FIG. 3, and the line B-B will be described later with reference to FIG. 4. The refrigerator 1 has external dimensions of, for example, 900mm in width, 788mm in depth and 1840mm in height, but is not limited thereto. As will be described in detail later, the refrigerator 1 includes an electric heater 93 and a front edge heat radiation pipe 50d (both of which are the first heating means 91, see fig. 8) below the temperature switching chamber 3. This makes it possible to heat the lower portion of the temperature switching chamber 3, and to suppress uneven cooling in the temperature switching chamber 3. For convenience, the overall structure of the refrigerator 1, the structure of each chamber such as the temperature switching chamber 3 and the evaporator chamber 8, and the first heating mechanism 91 disposed below the temperature switching chamber 3 will be described below.

The refrigerator 1 includes

doors

2a and 2b on the front side of the heat insulating box 10, which can expose the refrigerating chamber 2 (see fig. 2) when opened. The door 2a (first door) is fixed to one end side of the refrigerator 1 so as to be rotatable toward the front side. The door 2b (second door) is fixed to the other end side of the refrigerator 1 so as to be rotatable toward the front side. The refrigerator 1 includes a door 3a that can expose a temperature switching chamber 3 (described later) by opening and a door 4a that can expose a freezing chamber 4 (described later) by opening. The door 3a is fixed to the same side (one end side) as the door 2a so as to be rotatable toward the front side. The door 4a is fixed to the same side (the other end side) as the door 2b so as to be rotatable toward the front side. The interior of the

doors

2a, 2b, 3a, 4a is mainly filled with polyurethane foam as a foam heat insulating material.

The refrigerator 1 includes an operation unit 25 for performing an operation of setting a temperature in the refrigerator on an outer surface of the door 2 a. The indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be set by operating the operation unit 25. The height position (height from the floor surface) of the operation portion 25 is, for example, 1200mm at the lower end and 1300mm at the upper end, but is not limited thereto.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the inside of the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment. Fig. 2 corresponds to a front view of fig. 1 with the

doors

2a, 2b, 3a, and 4a removed.

Refrigerator 1 includes refrigerating compartment 2 (third storage compartment), temperature switching compartment 3 (first storage compartment) and freezing compartment 4 (second storage compartment) arranged in parallel on the left and right sides of the lower portion of refrigerating compartment 2, in the interior of heat-insulating box 10. The refrigerating compartment 2, the temperature switching compartment 3, and the freezing compartment 4 are each configured to have a height dimension larger than a width dimension. In the illustrated example, the width dimension of the temperature switching chamber 3 is the same as the width dimension of the freezing chamber 4. In addition, the height dimension of the temperature switching chamber 3 is the same as the height dimension of the freezing chamber 4. Specifically, for example, the width dimension W of each of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 is 355mm, and the height dimension H is 665mm, for example, but not limited thereto.

The refrigerating compartment 2 sets the indoor temperature at a refrigerating temperature zone. The refrigerating temperature zone set in the refrigerating chamber 2 is, for example, 0 ℃ or higher, specifically, about 4 ℃ on average, for example. The temperature switching chamber 3 can set the indoor temperature to either the refrigerating temperature zone or the freezing temperature zone. The temperature switching chamber 3 can be used as a refrigerating chamber or a freezing chamber by the selection of the user on the operation portion 25. The refrigerating temperature zone set in the temperature switching chamber 3 is, for example, the same as that of the refrigerating chamber 2, but the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 may be different from that of the refrigerating chamber 2. The freezing temperature range set in the temperature switching chamber 3 is, for example, lower than 0 ℃, specifically, about-18 ℃. The freezing chamber 4 is disposed beside the temperature switching chamber 3 in the front view, and the indoor temperature is set in the freezing temperature range. The freezing temperature zone set for the freezing chamber 4 is, for example, the same freezing temperature zone as the freezing chamber 4, but the indoor temperature of the freezing chamber 4 may be different from the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 set as the freezing temperature zone.

The refrigerating compartment 2, the temperature switching compartment 3, and the freezing compartment 4 are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 28 extending in the left-right direction. In addition, temperature switching chamber 3 and freezing chamber 4 are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 29 extending in the up-down direction. The storage space is defined by the

storage shelves

31a, 31b, and 31c at the upper part of the refrigerator compartment 2. The refrigerator 1 includes refrigerating

compartment outlets

11a, 11b, and 11c, and the

refrigerating compartment outlets

11a, 11b, and 11c blow air into storage spaces defined by the

storage shelves

31a, 31b, and 31 c.

The lower left side of the refrigerating compartment 2 is provided with two upper and lower drawer-

type storage containers

32a and 32b (first containers) that can be used by opening the door 2 a. The width (inner dimension) of the

storage containers

32a and 32b is, for example, 320 mm. Further, a drawer-type storage container 32c (second container) that can be used by opening the door 2b is provided in the upper layer on the lower right side of the refrigerating compartment 2. A closed container 33 (second container) which can be opened and closed by a lid (not shown) disposed on the front surface is provided below the storage container 32 c. The closed casing 33 is also configured to be usable by opening the door 2 b. The width (inner dimension) of the storage container 32c is, for example, 320mm, and the width (inner dimension) of the closed container 33 is, for example, 300 mm. Inside the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4, drawer-

type storage containers

34a, 34b, 34c, 35a, 35b, and 35c are provided in three levels, respectively.

Refrigerator 1 includes automatic ice maker 40 on the upper left side of freezing chamber 4. The refrigerator 1 further includes a water tank 42 (third container) for storing water for ice making. The width dimension (inner dimension) of the water storage tank 42 is 65 mm. The water tank 42 is disposed between the

storage containers

32a and 32b (first containers), the storage container 32c, and the closed container 33 (both second containers). Ice is made by supplying water in the water tank 42 to the automatic ice maker 40 by a water supply pump (not shown). The ice generated by the automatic ice maker 40 is released into the storage container 35a by the rotation of the ice tray 40a by a motor (not shown).

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 1. Storage container 36c, refrigerating compartment air duct 110, and return air duct 120 are described below with reference to fig. 4, 9, and 10, respectively. When the

doors

2a and 2b are closed, a gap 2d is formed between the

doors

2a and 2 b. Therefore, the refrigerator 1 includes the partition plate 2c, and the partition plate 2c is connected to either the door 2a or the door 2b and is arranged to close the slit 2d when the

doors

2a and 2b are closed. The partition plate 2c is disposed on the rear surfaces of the

doors

2a and 2 b. For example, when door 2a is opened, partition plate 2c is kept connected to door 2b, and door 2a is opened by separating door 2a from partition plate 2 c. For example, when door 2b is opened, partition plate 2c is kept connected to door 2a, and door 2b is opened by separating door 2b from partition plate 2 c.

The water tank 42 (third tank) is disposed on the back side of the partition plate 2 c. By disposing the water tank 42 between the

storage containers

32a and 32b and the storage container 32c and the closed container 33 and on the back side of the partition plate 2c, the water tank 42 can be disposed in a portion that is difficult to reach by hand when only one of the

doors

2a and 2b is opened. Although it is difficult to store food such as vegetables in a portion which is difficult to reach by the hand and it is easy to become a dead space, by disposing the water storage tank 42 in such a portion, the space efficiency in the refrigerator 1 can be improved. In addition, space efficiency can also be improved by providing a third container such as a container for placing small articles such as seasonings and an egg container.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 1. The refrigerating compartment air flow path 110, the second fan 19, the first fan 9, and the temperature switching compartment air flow path 111 will be described later with reference to fig. 8 and 9. The refrigerator 1 includes

storage containers

36a, 36b, and 36c inside the door 2 a. Although not shown, the storage containers are provided at the same height positions as the

storage containers

36a, 36b, and 36c on the inside of the door 2 b. The refrigerator 1 includes a storage container 34 inside the door 3 a. Although not shown, a storage container is provided at the same height position as the storage container 34 also inside the door 3 b.

Refrigerator 1 includes evaporator chamber 8 on the rear side of temperature switching chamber 3 and freezing chamber 4 so as to extend across both temperature switching chamber 3 and freezing chamber 4. The evaporator chamber 8 is disposed on the back side of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 so as to communicate with at least the temperature switching chamber 3 (in the illustrated example, both the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4). The refrigerator 1 includes an evaporator 7 inside an evaporator chamber 8. Evaporator 7 is disposed on the rear side of temperature change chamber 3 and freezing chamber 4 so as to straddle both temperature change chamber 3 and freezing chamber 4, and cools temperature change chamber 3 and freezing chamber 4 integrally from the rear side. The evaporator 7 constitutes a refrigeration cycle 48 (see fig. 5) together with the compressor 24, as will be described in detail later.

The refrigerator 1 includes a defrosting heater 21 below the evaporator 7 to melt frost grown in the evaporator 7. The liquid water generated by melting the frost is discharged to the evaporation pan 26 (see fig. 6). The refrigerator 1 includes a heat insulating member 27 between the evaporator chamber 8 and the temperature switching chamber 3. The refrigerator 1 includes a machine chamber 5 below an evaporator chamber 8, and a compressor 24 inside the machine chamber 5. The compressor 24 and the evaporator 7 together constitute a refrigeration cycle 48. The refrigeration cycle 48 will be described with reference to fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a refrigeration cycle 48 provided in the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment. The refrigeration cycle 48 includes a compressor 24, a condensed refrigerant pipe 50 as a condensing means for condensing by heat radiation, an evaporator 7, and a capillary tube 53 as a pressure reducing means. The condensation refrigerant pipe 50 includes a defrost water heating pipe 50a, a machine room radiator 50b, a side heat radiation pipe 50c, a front heat radiation pipe 50d, and a back heat radiation pipe 50 e. The condensed refrigerant pipe 50 is disposed along each end of the front surface, the side surface, and the back surface of the refrigerator 1. The location of the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 in the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a location where the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 is disposed. For simplification of the drawing, a part of the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 is not shown. The defrosting water heating pipe 50a is provided in the evaporation pan 26 in the machine chamber 5. The machine room radiator 50b is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger, and is provided in the machine room 5. The machine room radiator 50b is ventilated by a machine room fan (not shown). The side heat radiation pipe 50c is disposed inside the heat insulation box 10 forming the left side surface of the heat insulation box 10. Front edge heat radiation pipe 50d is disposed inside front edges of front edge portion 10a forming the front edge of temperature switching chamber 3, front edge portion 10b forming the front edge of freezing chamber 4, and heat insulating

partition walls

28 and 29 in heat insulating box 10. Leading edge heat radiation pipe 50d is disposed so as to surround the openings of temperature switching chamber 3 and freezing chamber 4. The back heat radiation pipe 50e is disposed inside the heat insulation box 10 forming the back surface of the heat insulation box 10. The heat insulating partition 29 including the leading edge heat radiation pipe 50d will be described with reference to fig. 7.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view in the horizontal direction of the heat-insulating partition wall 29 that divides the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4. Heat-insulating partition wall 29 includes a steel plate 29a disposed on the leading edge side and a resin member 29b disposed on the surface of each of temperature change chamber 3 and freezing chamber 4 on the chamber side. A heat insulating material 72 such as styrofoam is attached to the inside of the heat insulating partition wall 29. The front edge heat radiation pipe 50d is disposed inside the surface of the steel plate 29a so as to be substantially in contact with the steel plate 29 a. The thickness of the steel plate 29a is, for example, 0.8mm, but is not limited thereto. By making the front edge heat radiation pipe 50d substantially contact with the steel plate 29a, heat of the front edge heat radiation pipe 50d is transmitted well, and condensation in the vicinity of the front edge of the heat insulating partition 29 on the temperature switching chamber 3 side can be suppressed.

The steel plate 29a includes bent portions 71a extending from both left and right ends to the back surface side. The depth-direction dimension of the bent portion 71a is L1. L1 is, for example, 3mm to 20mm (10 mm in the illustrated example). When L1 is in this range, both suppression of condensation in the vicinity of the front edge of heat insulating partition wall 29 on the temperature switching chamber 3 side and securing of sufficient refrigerating and freezing performance of temperature switching chamber 3 can be achieved easily.

Returning to fig. 5, in the refrigeration cycle 48, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 24 is radiated and condensed by the condensation refrigerant pipe 50. At this time, for example, when the refrigerant flows through the leading edge heat radiation pipe 50d, the leading edge portion 10a (see fig. 6) including the lower portion of the temperature switching chamber 3 is heated by the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant. The refrigerant condensed by flowing through the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 is subjected to moisture removal by the dryer 51, and then is reduced in pressure by the capillary tube 53. Thereby, a low-temperature refrigerant is generated, and the generated low-temperature refrigerant flows through the evaporator. Thereby, evaporator 7 becomes low temperature, and evaporator 7 becomes low temperature to cool temperature switching room 3 and freezing room 4. The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 7 is subjected to gas-liquid separation by the gas-liquid separator 54 and heat exchange by contact with the capillary tube 53 in the heat exchange portion 57, and then returned to the compressor 24.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a location of the heating mechanism in the temperature switching chamber 3. The refrigerator 1 includes a first heating mechanism 91 in a lower portion of the temperature switching chamber 3. In the case where the indoor lower side is excessively cooled, the indoor lower side can be heated by the first heating mechanism 91, and uneven cooling can be suppressed. The first heating mechanism 91 includes at least one of the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 and the electric heater 93, for example. In the illustrated example, the first heating mechanism 91 includes both the front edge heat radiation pipe 50d as the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 and the electric heater 93 disposed in a planar shape from the bottom surface to the back surface of the temperature switching chamber 3, but may include only one of them.

The lower part of the interior of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be heated by at least one of the heat of the refrigerant flowing through the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 and the heat generated by the electric heater 93. By using the heat of the refrigerant flowing through the condensation refrigerant pipe 50, the heat generated in the refrigeration cycle 48 (see fig. 5) can be used, and the power consumption for heating can be suppressed. On the other hand, by using the electric heater 93, even when the refrigerant does not flow through the evaporator 7, that is, the operation of the evaporator 7 is stopped, heating is possible.

The electric heater 93 is disposed on the surface of the heat insulating member 27 (not shown in fig. 8) disposed below and on the rear surface side of the temperature switching chamber 3. The electric heater 93 is, for example, an aluminum foil heater in which a heater (not shown, for example, a silicon heater) and an aluminum foil are fixed to one surface of a double-sided tape, and the other surface of the double-sided tape can be bonded to the heating surface. The face provided with the aluminum foil is an effective heating face.

The first heating mechanism 91 is disposed below the lowermost temperature switching chamber discharge port 12c of the plurality of temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, and 12 c. As will be described later with reference to fig. 9 in detail, when the temperature-switching-chamber air-blowing passage 111 is closed by the air-passage closing member 101b, relatively cool air in the temperature-switching-chamber air-blowing passage 111 is discharged into the temperature switching chamber 3 through the temperature-switching-chamber discharge port 12c disposed at the lowermost portion. Therefore, by disposing the first heating mechanism 91 below the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12c disposed lowermost, it is possible to suppress supercooling at the lower side of the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12c disposed lowermost. The air discharged from the temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, and 12c into the temperature switching chamber 3 enters the return air passage 120 through the temperature switching chamber return port 15.

The refrigerator 1 includes a second heating mechanism 92 disposed on the heat-insulating partition wall 29 (partition wall) on the freezing chamber 4 side of the temperature switching chamber 3. The second heating means 92 is disposed on the surface of the heat insulating member 72 (see fig. 7) inside the heat insulating partition wall 29. By providing the second heating mechanism 92, when the temperature switching chamber 3 set as the cold storage temperature range contains a high-humidity food material such as vegetables, dew condensation caused by the high-humidity food material can be suppressed. The second heating mechanism 92 is, for example, an electric heater of the same kind as the electric heater 93.

The refrigerator 1 includes a third heating mechanism 90 at a position covering at least the evaporator 7 in a front view on the rear surface side of the temperature switching chamber 3. The second heating mechanism 92 is disposed on the surface of the heat insulating member 27 (see fig. 4). By providing the third heating mechanism 90, when the temperature switching chamber 3 set as the cold storage temperature zone contains a high-humidity food material such as vegetables, dew condensation caused by the high-humidity food material can be suppressed. The third heating mechanism 90 is, for example, the same type of electric heater as the electric heater 93.

When the temperature switching chamber 3 and the like are sufficiently cooled, the flow of the refrigerant to the evaporator 7 is stopped, and the operation of the evaporator 7 is stopped. In this case, since the evaporator 7 is kept in a cooled state, even if air is not discharged into the interior of the temperature switching chamber 3 or the like, the vicinity of the evaporator 7 is cooled in the interior of the temperature switching chamber 3, and natural convection is generated in the interior of the temperature switching chamber 3. As a result, the lower part is easily cooled particularly when the temperature is set to the refrigerating temperature region. Therefore, by heating the lower part of the temperature switching chamber 3 by the first heating mechanism 91 (particularly, the electric heater 93 during the operation stop of the evaporator 7), the cooling unevenness in the temperature switching chamber 3 can be suppressed. For example, when the temperature is excessively low at the bottom, the evaporator 7 is restarted to allow the high-temperature refrigerant to flow through the condensation refrigerant pipe 50 (particularly, the leading heat radiation pipe 50d), thereby heating the bottom of the temperature switching chamber 3.

In particular, in the refrigerator 1, the evaporator 7 is disposed across both the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4. Therefore, since the cooling of temperature switching chamber 3 is performed together with the cooling of freezing room 4, accidental cooling of temperature switching chamber 3 is more likely to occur than in a refrigerator including an evaporator (not shown) that cools only temperature switching chamber 3. Therefore, by heating the lower part of the temperature switching chamber 3 by the first heating mechanism 91, uneven cooling of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be suppressed.

In the illustrated example, the freezing chamber 4 is disposed beside the temperature switching chamber 3. For example, when the temperature switching chamber 3 is set to the cold storage temperature region, the indoor temperature of the freezing chamber 4 is lower than the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3. Therefore, when the evaporator 7 stops operating, the temperature switching chamber 3 is easily cooled further by the freezing chamber 4. As a result, the lower part is more likely to be cooled by natural convection generated inside the temperature switching chamber 3. Therefore, the first heating mechanism 91 can suppress uneven cooling of the temperature switching chamber 3.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating the air flows exchanged between the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4, and the refrigerating chamber 2 and the evaporator chamber 8. Fig. 9 shows the internal configuration of the heat-insulated box 10 in a front view, and the broken lines in fig. 9 show components (e.g., the first fan 9 and the like accommodated in the evaporator chamber 8) formed on the back sides of the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4, and the refrigerating chamber 2. In fig. 9, solid arrows indicate the air flows inside the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4, and the refrigerating chamber 2, and broken arrows indicate the air flows on the back sides of the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4, and the refrigerating chamber 2.

First, the blowing of air from the evaporator chamber 8 to the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4, and the refrigerating chamber 2 will be described. In the refrigerator 1, the evaporator chamber 8 is provided with a first fan 9 (blower) for causing air to flow into the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 in the vicinity of an inlet of the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 (described later). The first fan 9 is disposed above the evaporator 7. The first fan 9 is, for example, a turbo fan (backward fan) as a centrifugal fan.

The refrigerator 1 includes a temperature switching chamber air duct 111 (second duct) on the left of the first fan 9. The temperature switching chamber air passage 111 extends in the height direction on the back side of the temperature switching chamber 3, and causes the air in the evaporator chamber 8 to flow to the temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, and 12 c. The temperature switching chamber air passage 111 is formed between the temperature switching chamber 3 and the evaporator chamber 8 and is partitioned from the evaporator chamber 8 (see fig. 4). The lower end of the temperature-switching-chamber air passage 111 is closed, and the air flowing through the temperature-switching-chamber air passage 111 and reaching the lower end of the temperature-switching-chamber air passage 111 is discharged into the temperature switching chamber 3 through the temperature-switching-chamber discharge port 12 c.

Refrigerator 1 includes refrigerating room air flow path 110 above first fan 9 and on the rear surface side of refrigerating room 2, for sending air heat-exchanged with evaporator 7 to refrigerating room 2. Refrigerator 1 includes refrigerating

compartment outlets

11a, 11b, and 11c communicating with refrigerating compartment 2 on the front surface of refrigerating compartment air duct 110, and air having exchanged heat with evaporator 7 is supplied to refrigerating compartment 2 through refrigerating

compartment outlets

11a, 11b, and 11 c.

Refrigerator 1 includes air passage closing member 101a for controlling opening and closing of refrigerating compartment 2. The air path blocking member 101a is, for example, a shutter. The temperature of refrigerating room 2 can be adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of air path blocking member 101 a. The refrigerator 1 further includes a second fan 19 above the duct closing member 101a, i.e., on the downstream side of the air flow of the duct closing member 101 a. The second fan 19 is, for example, a propeller fan as an axial fan. The amount of air supplied to the refrigerating compartment 2 is adjusted by driving the second fan 19.

The refrigerator 1 includes a plurality of temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, and 12c (first discharge ports) on the front surface of the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 for discharging air in the evaporator chamber 8 into the temperature switching chamber 3. The temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, and 12c are formed in a row in the height direction. Specifically, the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12a is formed at the highest position. On the other hand, the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12c is formed at the lowest position. The air having exchanged heat with the evaporator 7 is supplied to the temperature switching chamber 3 through the temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, and 12 c.

The refrigerator 1 includes an air passage blocking member 101 b. The air passage blocking member 101b is disposed in the temperature switching chamber air blowing passage 111 and above the uppermost temperature switching chamber discharge port 12a of the plurality of temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, and 12 c. The air path closing member 101b is, for example, a shutter. By providing the temperature-switching-

chamber outlets

12a, 12b, and 12c, the temperature-switching-chamber air-blowing passage 111, and the air-path blocking member 101b, the supply of air passing through the temperature-switching-

chamber outlets

12a, 12b, and 12c to the temperature switching chamber 3 can be controlled.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the duct closing member 101b provided in the temperature switching chamber air duct 111. The air path blocking member 101b includes: a frame 81 forming an opening 80 through which air flows; and an opening/closing plate 82 fixed to the housing 81 so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing 81, and having an elastic plate 82b disposed on one surface. The opening/closing plate 82 is, for example, a resin plate, and the resin constituting the opening/closing plate 82 is exposed on the surface on the side where the elastic plate 82b is not disposed. The elastic plate 82b is made of a soft material such as foamed polyurethane or foamed polyethylene.

The air path blocking member 101b is configured such that the opening 80 can be blocked by the elastic plate 82b contacting the housing 81 by the rotation of the opening/closing plate 82. The opening/closing plate 82 is rotated by a stepping motor (not shown) housed in the motor housing 83. The opening area of the opening 80 of the air path sealing member 101b is, for example, 3825mm²(85 mm. times.45 mm), but is not limited thereto.

Returning to fig. 9, the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be controlled by opening and closing the air passage blocking member 101 b. For example, the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be set in the cold storage temperature range by increasing the time ratio of the closed state of the air path blocking member 101 b. On the other hand, by increasing the time ratio of the state in which the air passage blocking member 101b is opened, the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be set in the freezing temperature range.

Refrigerator 1 includes freezing chamber air-blowing duct 112 on the right side of first fan 9. The freezer air supply passage 112 extends in the height direction on the back surface side of the freezer compartment 4. Refrigerator 1 includes freezing

chamber discharge ports

13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d in the front surface of freezing chamber air duct 112. The air heat-exchanged with evaporator 7 is supplied to freezing chamber 4 through freezing

chamber discharge ports

13a, 13b, 13c, and 13 d.

Next, the return of air from the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4, and the refrigerating chamber 2 to the evaporator chamber 8 will be described. The refrigerator 1 includes a temperature switching chamber return port 15 (first return port) for returning air inside the temperature switching chamber 3 to the evaporator chamber 8. By providing the temperature switching chamber return port 15 and the evaporator chamber 8, the air inside the temperature switching chamber 3 is returned to the evaporator chamber 8, and the returned air can be cooled by the evaporator 7.

The temperature switching chamber return port 15 is formed above the evaporator 7 in a front view. In the illustrated example, the center position P1 of the opening height of the temperature switching chamber return port 15 is located above the center position P2 of the height of the evaporator 7. In the illustrated example, the upper end P3 of the evaporator 7 is disposed below the open lower end P4 of the temperature switching chamber return port 15. Further, the evaporator 7 is a fin-tube type heat exchanger, and the height dimension of the evaporator 7 can be considered as the dimension of the fin setting portion.

When refrigerating room 2, temperature switching room 3, and freezing room 4 are all sufficiently cooled, the operation of freezing cycle 48 is stopped. When the refrigeration cycle 48 is operated, the driving of the first fan 9 and the second fan 19 is also stopped. After the operation of the refrigeration cycle 48 is stopped, the evaporator 7 is temporarily kept cold, and therefore cold air can be generated by the cold evaporator 7. When such air is generated, even if cold air flows downward by natural convection, by forming the temperature switching chamber return port 15 above the evaporator 7, it is possible to suppress backflow of the cold air having passed through the temperature switching chamber return port 15 into the temperature switching chamber 3. This can suppress accidental supercooling of the temperature switching chamber 3.

The refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerating chamber return port 14 (second return port) formed in the refrigerating chamber 2 and configured to return air inside the refrigerating chamber 2 to the evaporator chamber 8. The refrigerator 1 includes a return air passage 120 (first air passage) connecting the refrigerating chamber return port 14 and the evaporator chamber 8. Refrigerating chamber return opening 14 is formed in the front surface of return air passage 120. The return air passage 120 extends in the height direction on the rear side of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the refrigerating chamber 2. The lower end of the return air passage 120 is opened, and the return air passage 120 communicates with the evaporator chamber 8. Therefore, the air flowing downward through the return air passage 120 turns back at the lower end of the evaporator chamber 8 and flows upward, and reaches the first fan 9 after contacting the evaporator 7 (see fig. 12).

Here, the temperature switching chamber return port 15 formed in the temperature switching chamber 3 is formed in the front surface of the return air passage 120. By forming the temperature switching chamber return port 15 and the refrigerating chamber return port 14 in the return air passage 120, the air passage from the temperature switching chamber return port 15 to the evaporator chamber 8 and the air passage from the refrigerating chamber return port 14 to the evaporator chamber 8 can be made common. This can save space and improve space efficiency.

Refrigerator 1 includes freezing

chamber return ports

16a and 16b for returning air that has cooled freezing chamber 4 to evaporator chamber 8, on the left and right sides of the lower portion of the back surface of freezing chamber 4. The freezing

chamber return ports

16a and 16b are formed substantially below the evaporator 7 in the front view. Therefore, the air of the freezing chamber 4 returns to the evaporator chamber 8 from below the evaporator chamber 8 through the freezing

chamber return ports

16a, 16 b. The air returned to the evaporator chamber 8 through the freezing

chamber return ports

16a and 16b flows upward and contacts the evaporator 7, and then reaches the first fan 9 (see fig. 12).

The refrigerator 1 includes a temperature sensor and a door opening/closing detection sensor, both not shown. The refrigerator 1 includes an operation control device (not shown) that performs an operation of the refrigerator 1 based on detection values of these sensors. Although not shown, the operation control device includes, for example, a cpu (central Processing unit), a ram (random Access memory), a rom (read Only memory), and an I/F (interface). The operation control device is embodied by the CPU executing a predetermined control program stored in the ROM.

Fig. 11 is a view showing the vicinity of the first fan 9 of the evaporator chamber 8 enlarged in a front view. The first fan 9 has a blade radius of L2 (in the present embodiment, L2 is 60mm), and is configured to rotate left-handed in a front view. The height L3 (in the present embodiment, L3 is 85mm) of the opening 80 (see fig. 10) of the air path blocking member 101b is equal to or greater than the radius of the first fan 9 and equal to or less than the diameter of the first fan 9. This makes it possible to facilitate the flow of air to the temperature-switching-chamber air duct 111, and to reduce the number of portions of the temperature-switching-chamber air duct 111 where air hardly flows, thereby improving space efficiency.

A dimension L4 (in the present embodiment, L4 is 135mm) from the central axis 9a of the blade of the first fan 9 to the upper end 80a of the opening 80 of the air path blocking member 101b is longer than a dimension L5 (in the present embodiment, L5 is 110mm) from the central axis 9a to the lower end 80b of the opening 80 of the air path blocking member 101 b. Accordingly, the air flowing in the left-upper direction by the rotation of the first fan 9 passes through the opening 80 and flows through the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 inclined downward to the left. The inclination angle of the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 is an angle θ with respect to the vertical direction (vertical direction), and is, for example, 6 ° or more, and in the illustrated example, 18 °. By setting the inclination angle to 6 ° or more, water can easily flow downward when adhering to the bottom surface of the temperature-switching-chamber air duct 11.

The refrigerator 1 includes a communication air passage 115 communicating the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 and the evaporator chamber 8 (see fig. 9, 12, and 11, not shown) on the downstream side of the air passage closing member 101b in the temperature switching chamber air passage 111. By providing the communication air duct 115, even if air leaks from the duct closing member 101b when the temperature switching chamber blowing path 111 is closed, air can be supplied from the high-pressure side temperature switching chamber blowing path 111 to the upstream side of the low-pressure side first fan 9. This can suppress the supply of unexpected air to the temperature switching chamber 3, and suppress the accidental supercooling of the temperature switching chamber 3.

The air passage closing member 101b is disposed in the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 such that one surface on which the elastic plate 82b is disposed on the evaporator chamber 8 side, and the other surface on the opposite side to the one surface is disposed on the temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, and 12c (see fig. 5). Even if dew condensation and frost are generated on the opening/closing plate 82 by the high-humidity air in the temperature switching chamber 3, the dew condensation and frost are generated on the side where the elastic plate 82b is not disposed. On the other hand, the low-temperature and low-humidity air dehumidified by the evaporator 7 contacts the elastic plate 82 b. Therefore, by disposing the air path blocking member 101b in this manner, dew condensation and frost are less likely to occur on the elastic plate 82b, and the sealing function by the elastic plate 82b can be ensured.

Fig. 12 is a side view showing an enlarged vicinity of the first fan 9 in the evaporator chamber 8. Refrigerator 1 includes air path closing member 101a in refrigerating compartment air-feeding passage 110. The air path sealing member 101a has the same structure as the air path sealing member 101b described above except for the size of the opening 80. The opening area of the air path sealing member 101a is 2800mm, for example²(width 100 mm. times. height 28 mm).

The air path blocking member 101a is disposed so as to open the opening/closing plate 82 downward. This can suppress the stagnation of the dew condensation water caused by the opening/closing plate 82 even if the dew condensation water generated above the air passage blocking member 101a (downstream of the air flow) flows down. Further, front edge 110a of refrigerating room air duct 110 is arranged on the back surface side of rear edge 9b of the blade of first fan 9. This can prevent water flowing down from the refrigerating compartment air duct 110 from dripping on the blades of the first fan 9.

The embodiments have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and includes various modifications. That is, the above-described embodiments are examples explained in detail to explain the present invention easily and understandably, and are not necessarily limited to having all the structures explained. In addition, as for a part of the configuration of the embodiment, addition, deletion, and replacement of other configurations may be performed.

Claims

1. A refrigerator is characterized by comprising:

a first storage chamber capable of setting an indoor temperature to either a refrigerating temperature region or a freezing temperature region, the first storage chamber having a height dimension larger than a width dimension;

a second storage chamber disposed beside the first storage chamber in a front view;

a cooler which is disposed on the back sides of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber so as to extend over both the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, and integrally cools the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber; and

and a first heating mechanism disposed below the inside of the first storage chamber.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

a refrigeration cycle including a condensation refrigerant pipe as a condensation means and the cooler as an evaporator,

the first heating means includes at least one of the condensed refrigerant pipe and an electric heater.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2,

and a second heating means disposed on a partition wall of the first storage chamber on the second storage chamber side.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising:

a cooler chamber which is disposed so as to communicate with at least the first storage chamber on a back surface side of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, and which includes the cooler therein; and

and a first return port for returning air inside the first storage chamber to the cooler chamber.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4,

the first return port is formed above the cooler in a front view.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that the refrigerator comprises:

a third storage chamber setting an indoor temperature as a refrigerating temperature region;

a second return port formed in the third storage chamber and configured to return air inside the third storage chamber to the cooler chamber; and

a first air passage connecting the second return port and the cooler chamber,

the first return port is formed in the first air passage.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that the refrigerator comprises:

a plurality of first discharge ports that discharge air in the cooler chamber to the first storage chamber;

a second air passage extending in the height direction on the back side of the first storage chamber and configured to allow air in the cooler compartment to flow to the first discharge port; and

and an air passage closing member disposed in the second air passage and above the uppermost one of the plurality of first discharge ports.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that the refrigerator comprises:

a plurality of first discharge ports that discharge air in the cooler chamber to the first storage chamber; and

a second air passage extending in the height direction on the back side of the first storage chamber and allowing air in the cooler chamber to flow to the first discharge port,

the first discharge ports are formed in a row in the height direction,

the first heating means is disposed below the first discharge port disposed at the lowermost one of the plurality of first discharge ports.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that the refrigerator comprises:

an air passage closing member disposed in the second air passage,

the air path blocking member includes a frame body forming an opening through which air flows, and an opening/closing plate rotatably fixed to the frame body and having an elastic plate disposed on one surface, and is configured such that the opening can be blocked by the elastic plate coming into contact with the frame body by rotation of the opening/closing plate,

the air passage blocking member is disposed in the second air passage such that one surface on which the elastic plate is disposed on the side of the cooler chamber and the other surface on the opposite side to the one surface is disposed on the side of the first discharge port.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that the refrigerator comprises:

an air passage closing member disposed in the second air passage,

the second duct includes a communication duct on an air flow downstream side of the duct closing member, the communication duct communicating the second duct with the cooler chamber.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that the refrigerator comprises:

a second air passage extending in the height direction on the back side of the first storage chamber and configured to allow air in the cooler compartment to flow to the first discharge port;

an air passage closing member disposed in the second air passage, including a frame forming an opening through which air flows, and an opening/closing plate rotatably fixed to the frame and having an elastic plate disposed on one surface, and configured to be capable of closing the opening by the elastic plate coming into contact with the frame by rotation of the opening/closing plate; and

a blower for causing air to flow to the second air passage is provided in the cooler chamber in the vicinity of an inlet of the second air passage,

the height of the opening of the air path sealing member is greater than or equal to the radius of the blower and less than or equal to the diameter of the blower.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2,

a third container disposed between the first container and the second container and having a rear surface side of the partition plate,

the first container is usable by opening a first door fixed to one end side so as to be rotatable toward the front side, the second container is usable by opening a second door fixed to the other end side so as to be rotatable toward the front side, and the partition plate is connected to one of the first door and the second door and is disposed so as to close a gap formed between the first door and the second door when the first door and the second door are closed.