JP2000234838A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit the exposure and take-out of a fan-motor assembly from the side of a fan grille simply and safely by a method wherein the fan grille and a bell-mouth are provided with substantially linear slits to tear or cut along the slits. SOLUTION: A fan grille 13 is provided with a rectangular slits 13f formed linearly from the left side intermediate end to the right side upper end. On the other hand, a bell-mouth 5c is provided with a rectangular slit formed from left and right upper two ends to the vicinity of the center of the same. Upon disposal deflocculation of a refrigerator, the fan grille 13 is torn along the slits 13f or cut along the slits by hammering and a fan-motor assembly 5 is pulled out as they are whereby the fan-motor assembly 5 is exposed. Then, the cutting part of the bell mouth 5c as well as the lead wires for the fan motor are cut off and the upper part of the bell mouth 5c is pulled out toward this side whereby the bell mouth 5c is torn along the slits. When the fan 5b is grasped and pulled out under this condition, the fan-motor assembly 5 can be taken out simply.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a refrigerator from which a fan motor can be easily and safely taken out.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 is an overall sectional view showing an example of a conventional refrigerator. This refrigerator 100 has an outer box 10 and an inner box 1
The refrigerator main body 1 is constituted by providing a heat insulating material 24 between the refrigerator main body 1 and the main body 1. A compressor 2 and a condenser 3 are installed at the bottom rear side of the refrigerator main body 1. Also, in the refrigerator body 1,
A refrigerating compartment 6, a vegetable compartment 7, an upper freezing compartment 8, and a lower freezing compartment 9 are provided.

The refrigerator compartment door 1 is located on the front of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator body 1.
Similarly, a vegetable compartment door 17 is provided on the front of the vegetable compartment 7, an upper freezer compartment door 18 is provided on the front of the upper freezer compartment 8,
A lower freezer compartment door 19 is provided in front of the lower freezer compartment 9. A fan motor assembly 5 is arranged behind the upper freezer compartment 8. The cooler 4 is disposed below the fan motor assembly 5. Inside the refrigerator body 1, the middle compartment 12 divides the refrigerator compartment 6 and the vegetable compartment 7, and the upper freezer compartment 8 and the lower freezer compartment 9.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a perspective configuration diagram of the refrigerator illustrated in FIG. 6. The fan motor assembly 5 has a fan motor 5a installed in a motor housing formed on a bell mouth 5c, a motor cover 5d covering the fan motor 5a, a fan 5b attached to the motor shaft, and a motor shaft. Bush 5e, 5
f. The motor cover 5d and the bell mouth 5c are fixed by screws 28.

The fan grill 13 has first air outlets 13a and 13b for blowing cool air to the upper freezing room 8, and a second air outlet 13c for blowing cool air to the lower freezing room 9.
And a suction port 13d for sucking the circulated cool air. The fan grill 13 and the bell mouth 5c are fixed by a plurality of fitting structures.

The fan grill 13 has a mounting hole 13e.
And is fixed to the refrigerator body 1. A frost receiving plate 22 is provided below the cooler 4. A drain pipe 26 extends from the bottom of the frost receiving plate 22, and a frost removing heater 25 for performing frost removal is installed on the receiving portion of the frost receiving plate 22. Below the outlet of the drain pipe 26, there is provided an evaporating dish 23 for receiving the dripped water.

The middle partition 12 has a structure in which a heat insulating material 14 such as styrene foam is filled between an upper partition plate 12a and a lower partition plate 12b. The lower partition plate 12b has a bell mouth 5c.
A hook 12c for stopping the hook rib 5ca, a fitting hole 12e into which the tip of the hook rib 5ca is fitted, and a claw 12c for positioning the fan grill 13. The middle partition 12 prevents mutual influence due to a temperature difference between the freezing compartment 6 and the vegetable compartment 7 and the upper freezing compartment 8 and the lower freezing compartment 9.

The upper freezer compartment 8 includes an upper freezer case 20,
An automatic ice maker 15 is provided. The outlet 13 a of the fan grill 13 is located above the automatic ice maker 15. The lower freezing compartment 9 has a lower freezing case 21. The outlet 13c is located above the lower freezing case 21.

As another example of a conventional refrigerator, a separate refrigerator disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-3400079 is known. In this refrigerator, after the upper body is separated from the lower body and the cooler cover is removed, a knife is inserted along the recess provided on the back surface of the inner box to separate the cooling unit.

[0010]

However, in the conventional refrigerator 100, the fan grill 13 is firmly attached to the refrigerator main body 1 or the bell mouth by a screw fixing or fitting structure. There is a problem that it is difficult to take out the motor 5a. Also, in the refrigerator disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-3400079, since the inner box is cut with a knife and the cooling unit is taken out, it takes a long time to disassemble, and injuries due to forced use of the knife. There was a problem that there is a risk of doing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator from which a fan motor can be easily and safely taken out.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator according to the present invention comprises a bell mouth partially constructed of a fan motor assembly and a fan grill fixed to the bell mouth. A substantially linear slit is provided in the fan grill so that the fan motor assembly can be exposed from the fan grill side by tearing or knocking it out, and the fan motor assembly can be separated from the bell mouth by tearing or knocking it out. In addition, a substantially linear slit is provided for the bell mouth.

By tearing or knocking the fan grill along a slit provided in the fan grill,
The fan motor assembly is exposed while being fixed to the bell mouth. Next, the fan motor assembly is separated from the bell mouth by tearing or tapping along the slit provided in the bell mouth. Thereafter, the fan motor assembly is taken out. Since the slit is provided linearly, the bell mouth and the fan grill can be continuously torn by pulling. At this time, it is not necessary to release the attachment portion between the bell mouth and the fan grill. Further, since the fan grill and the bell mouth can be torn or cut off by using pliers, a hammer or other general-purpose tools, there is no need to use a knife or other blade.

The refrigerator according to the next invention is the above-described refrigerator, further comprising a reinforcing rib provided at a portion of the fan grill to be removed by tearing. By providing the reinforcing rib at the portion to be removed by tearing, the strength of the removed portion is increased, and such a portion can be removed integrally. The shape of the reinforcing rib is free, but is specifically as shown in the embodiment.

[0015] A refrigerator according to the next invention is the above-described refrigerator, further comprising a holding portion provided on the fan grill or the bell mouth. A grip is provided on the fan grill or the bell mouth, and the grip can be pulled along the slit by pulling the grip. In this case, no tools are required.

[0016] A refrigerator according to the next invention is the above-mentioned refrigerator, which includes a fan grill and a bell mouth, and is made of the same material as a plastic molded part among the fan motor assembly components. By using the same material for the plastic molded parts of the fan motor assembly components, the time and effort for separation can be eliminated and the components can be melted collectively as they are.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the embodiment.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the fan motor assembly of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the fan motor assembly shown in FIG. In the figure, the same components as those of the above-described conventional refrigerator 100 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. The fan grill 13 has a rectangular slit 13 extending from the left middle end to the right upper end.
f is formed linearly.

The fan grill 13 is provided with reinforcing ribs 13g, 13h, 13i and 13j.
By providing the reinforcing ribs 13g, 13h, 13i, 13j, the strength of the removed portion is increased and the removed portion can be integrally removed. However, the portion K intersecting with the slit 13f
Does not have reinforcing ribs. This is so as not to impair the tearability.

Next, the bell mouth 5c and the fan grill 1
3, the bell mouth 5c and the fan grill 13 are connected to the hook hole 1 of the fan grill 13 in detail.
At 3k, it engages with the nail 5g of the bell mouth 5c, and both are firmly attached. Also, Bellmouth 5c
Is engaged with the middle partition 12 by the retaining rib 5ca, but since the mounting hole 5cd provided in the lower corner of the bell mouth 5c matches the mounting hole 13e of the fan grill 13, the bell mouth 5c and the The fan grill 13 is fixed to the refrigerator body 1 together.

On the other hand, the bell mouth 5c has a rectangular slit 5cc extending from the upper left and right ends to the vicinity of the center and avoiding the lead wire hooking rib 5cb. The fan motor lead wire 29 is fixed by a lead wire hooking rib 5cd. The fan grill 13 and the bell mouth 5c are made of, for example, polypropylene resin. The fan 5b can also be made of the same material. The shape of the slits 13f and 5cc is not limited to a rectangle.

FIG. 3 shows another slit shape. As shown in the figure, the slits 13f and 5cc may be rhombus, long hole, ellipse, circle, and triangle, and these may be formed linearly (FIG. 7A). Further, it may be formed in a thick line shape (FIG. 9B). Further, the pitch and size of the slits are not limited to the above.

Next, the operation will be described. When disposing of the used refrigerator, the recyclable fan motor assembly 5 is taken out. First, the upper freezer compartment door 18 and the lower freezer compartment door 19 are removed.
Then, the lower freezer compartment case 21 and the automatic ice maker 15 are removed. Next, while pushing up the claw 12c of the middle partition 12 by hand, the end of the fan grill 13 is grasped or hooked by a general-purpose tool such as pliers or a crowbar, and is pulled toward the user as it is.

As a result, the fan grill 13 is torn at the slit 13f and the fan motor assembly 5 is exposed. The removed portions are the reinforcing ribs 13h, 13i, 13
It is removed as a whole by the action of j. When a hammer and a rag are used, the slit 13f
The fan motor assembly 5 can be exposed if the part is cut off and pulled out as it is.

Next, the cutting portion 5h of the bell mouth 5c and the fan motor lead wire 29 are cut with pliers, rags or the like, and the upper portion of the bell mouth 5c is pulled out by these general-purpose tools. Thereby, the bell mouth 5c is torn at the slit 5cc portion. If the fan 5b or the like is grasped and pulled out in this state, the fan motor assembly 5 can be easily and safely taken out.

Bell mouth 5c, fan motor cover 5
d, the fan grill 13 and the fan 5b can be collectively processed at the time of disposal if they are made of the same molding resin. However, if the fan 5b is made of a different resin such as ABS in consideration of strength, the fan 5b is separately processed Will be. For example, when a metal ring is provided on the bearing of the fan 5b, it is necessary to perform processing after removing the metal ring.

Embodiment 2 FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the fan motor assembly of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the fan motor assembly shown in FIG. The structure of the fan motor assembly 5 is as follows.
The second embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment, except that the slit 13f is provided at a distance Z from the edge of the fan grill 13 and the edge of the bell mouth 5c.

More specifically, the fan grill 13 has a predetermined dimension Z from the left middle end and the right upper end.
In the bell mouth 5c, a rectangular slit 5cc is formed linearly toward the center of the fan with a fixed dimension Z from the upper left and right ends. Things. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted. The operation is the same as in the first embodiment.

Another embodiment. In the first embodiment,
In (2) and (2), the slit formation position is the same, but the position is not limited to this. For example, the slit 13f may pass between the outlet 13b of the fan grill 13 and the reinforcing ribs 13h, 13i, 13j, or the slit 5cc may be provided around the motor housing of the bell mouth 5c.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the slits 13f and 5cc are torn using a general-purpose tool. The slit portion may be torn by pulling a handle or a long hole (not shown). According to this configuration, the fan motor assembly 5 can be taken out without tools.

[0031]

As described above, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, the fan motor assembly can be easily and safely taken out by tearing or knocking the fan grill and the bell mouth along the slit.

In the refrigerator according to the next aspect of the present invention, the portion to be removed can be integrally removed by providing the reinforcing ribs, so that the fan motor assembly can be reliably exposed and no labor is required.

In the refrigerator according to the next aspect of the present invention, the fan grill or the bell mouth is provided with the holding portion, so that the fan motor assembly can be taken out without tools.

In the refrigerator according to the next invention, recycling is simplified by using the same material for the plastic molded parts of the fan motor assembly components.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a fan motor assembly of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an assembled state of the fan motor shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing another slit shape.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a fan motor assembly of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the fan motor assembly shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an overall sectional view showing an example of a conventional refrigerator.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

5 Fan motor assembly, 5c bell mouth, 5cc slit, 13 fan grill, 13f slit, 13
g, 13h, 13i, 13j Reinforcing ribs.

Claims (4)

[Claims] In a refrigerator having a bell mouth partly constituted by a fan motor assembly and a fan grill fixed to the bell mouth, the fan motor assembly can be exposed from the fan grill side by tearing or knocking it off. An approximately linear slit is provided in the bell mouth so that the fan motor assembly can be separated from the bell mouth by tearing or knocking it out. Refrigerator. 2. The fan grill according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing rib is provided at a portion of the fan grill to be removed by tearing.
A refrigerator according to claim 1. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a grip portion provided on the fan grill or the bell mouth. 4. Including a fan grill and a bell mouth,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plastic molded part of the fan motor assembly components is made of the same material.