JP2001174136A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate a problem of disabling to regulate a small article case in high humidity by the small diffusion of a moisture from a vegetable case to the article case when leafy vegetable having a transpiration of much moisture is contained in a deviation in the vegetable case. SOLUTION: The refrigerator comprises the drawable vegetable case 15 having an opening and provided above an independent vegetable chamber 3, the small article case 16 provided at the position including the part of the opening of the case 15, a vegetable chamber cover provided to cover the opening above the case 15 and the case 16, a moisture regulating member 31 provided at the position opposed to the case 15 of the case 16, and a ventilating part provided in the member 3 to communicate with the case 15 and the case 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a humidity control member in a vegetable room.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional refrigerator of this kind is, for example, shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the cool air discharged from the vegetable room cool air outlet (not shown) flows forward through the cool air passage above the vegetable room cover 17 and passes through the cool air passage ahead of the vegetable case 15.
It reaches the bottom and back of the vegetable case 15. Therefore, the storage inside the vegetable room is indirectly cooled by the external cool air circulation, and there is almost no convection of air inside the vegetable case.

[0003]

In the conventional refrigerator as described above, when the accessory case is provided at a position including a part of the opening of the vegetable case, the opening of the vegetable case and the upper portion of the opening of the accessory case are provided. Since the vegetable compartment cover 17 is installed without gaps, the exchange of air between the vegetable case 15 and the accessory case 16 hardly occurs.

Therefore, when leaf vegetables (spinach, cabbage, etc.) with a large amount of moisture are stored in both the vegetable case and the small case, the humidity in both the vegetable case and the small case can be adjusted to high humidity. When leaf vegetables with a large amount of transpiration are stored in a vegetable case, the diffusion of humidity from the vegetable case to the small case is small, and there is a problem that the inside of the small case cannot be adjusted to a high humidity.

[0005] Further, when leaf vegetables having a large amount of water transpiration are stored in a small case, the diffusion of humidity from the small case to the vegetable case is small, and the inside of the vegetable case cannot be adjusted to a high humidity. was there.

In addition, since the humidity control member is provided on the inner surface side of the lid closing the vegetable case, only one surface of the humidity control member communicating with the vegetable case and the accessory case is provided, and the operation efficiency of the humidity control function is low. In order to achieve a sufficient humidity control function, the area of the humidity control member must be increased, and the concave portion for storing the humidity control member impedes the flow of cool air in the cool air passage above the vegetable compartment cover.

[0007]

The refrigerator of the present invention has solved the above-mentioned problems and has an independent vegetable room.
The vegetable compartment is provided with a drawable vegetable case having an opening at the upper side, a small case at a position including a part of the opening of the vegetable case, and covering the upper opening of the vegetable case and the small case. A vegetable compartment cover is provided, a humidity control material is provided at a position of the small case facing the vegetable case, and the humidity control member is provided with a ventilation portion communicating with the vegetable case and the small case. It is.

Further, the humidity control member is provided on the front or lower part, the back or the side of the accessory case.

[0009] The opening area of the ventilation section of the humidity control member is adjustable.

Further, the humidity control member is detachable.

Furthermore, the humidity control member is characterized in that the mounting surface can be installed in a predetermined direction.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the side, and FIG. 2 is a front view of a small case showing a humidity control member according to the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the interior of the vegetable compartment in the case where the humidity control member according to the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention is provided on the front of the accessory case. FIG.
Is a perspective view of a main part of the interior of the vegetable compartment when a humidity control member showing the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention is provided at the lower part of the accessory case, and FIG. Main part perspective view of the interior of the vegetable room when provided on the back of the accessory case,
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a main part of the interior of the vegetable compartment when the humidity control member according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided on the left side surface of the accessory case, and FIG. 7 is a slit illustrating the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the humidity control member when fully closed (a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2). FIG. FIG. 9 is a top view of a main part of a small case in which a humidity control member according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated in a small case as viewed from above. .

In FIG. 1, 1 is a refrigerator main body, 2 is a refrigerator room, 3 is a vegetable room of a storage room below the refrigerator room 2, and 4 is a freezing room. 5 is an isolation room provided at the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 2, 6 is a partition provided between the refrigerator room 2 and the vegetable compartment 3, and 7 is provided between the vegetable compartment 3 and the freezer compartment 4. It is a partition.

Numeral 8 denotes an upper case which fits in the upper part of the isolation room 5, 9
Is a lower case which is accommodated in the lower part of the isolation room 5. Reference numeral 10 denotes a case shelf serving as a ceiling of the isolation room 5;
b and 10c are shelves provided in the refrigerator compartment 2, respectively.
Reference numeral 11 denotes a refrigerator compartment door, which has door pockets 13, 13a, 13b, and 13c on a door rear portion 12 of the refrigerator compartment door 11.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a vegetable compartment door, and reference numeral 15 denotes a vegetable case having an opening at the upper side, which is attached to the vegetable compartment door 14 by a door angle (not shown) and can be pulled out.
Reference numeral 16 denotes a small case, which is attached to an upper portion of the vegetable case 15. Reference numeral 17 denotes a vegetable compartment cover, which is located above the vegetable case 15 and the accessory case 16 so as to keep the vegetable case 15 and the accessory case 16 at a predetermined humidity.

Reference numerals 18 and 19 denote freezer compartment doors having freezer cases 20 and 21 each having an upper opening, which can also be pulled out.

Incidentally, 22 is a compressor, 23 is a cooler, 24
Is a blower assembly having a fan 25, and 26 is an electrical box assembly containing an electric circuit assembly 26a for operating the refrigerator and having an external lid.

The cool air cooled by the cooler 23 is
Cool air is sent into the freezer compartment 4 through a duct (not shown) by the fan 25 of the blower 24. Further, the room temperature of the refrigerator room 2 is sensed by a temperature sensor (not shown) provided in the refrigerator room 2, and when the room temperature becomes higher than a predetermined temperature, the damper 27 of the cool air distribution chamber opens, and the cool room cold air is opened. It is sent from the distribution passage 28 to the refrigeration room 2 or the isolation room 5. Thereafter, the cool air that has passed through the refrigerator compartment 2 or the isolation room 5 cools the stored material in the refrigerator room 2 or the isolation room 5, and cools the vegetable compartment cold air outlet 2 provided in the partition 6.
9 and is sent out to the vegetable room 3.

Then, a part of the cool air flowing into the vegetable compartment 3 through the vegetable compartment cold air discharge port 29 flows forward through the cool air passage formed by the partition 6 and the vegetable compartment cover 17, passes through the cool air passage section 30, After passing between the vegetable case 15 and the back of the vegetable compartment door 14, it reaches the bottom outside of the vegetable case 15. Thereafter, the cool air passes through the bottom of the vegetable case 15 and returns from the vegetable compartment 3 to a position below the cooler 23 by a duct (not shown). Therefore, the stored items inside the vegetable case 15 and the accessory case 16 in the vegetable room 3 are indirectly cooled by the external cool air circulation.

In FIG. 2, an opening is provided above the vegetable case 15, and a step 15a is provided so that the accessory case 16 can be attached to the rear of the opening. When the accessory case 16 is attached to the step 15a, the upper portions of the vegetable case 15 and the accessory case 16 are substantially flush with each other as shown in FIG.

And the vegetable room door (reference numeral 14 in FIG. 1)
Is closed, a vegetable compartment cover 17 is installed in the opening above the vegetable case 15 and the accessory case 16, and the cool air flowing from the vegetable compartment cool air discharge port (reference numeral 29 in FIG. 1) removes the cold air. It flows forward through the upper cold air passage.

The upper openings of the vegetable case 15 and the accessory case 16 are flush with each other, and the vegetable compartment cover 17 is installed without any gap above the same plane. Cool air hardly flows into the case 16. The space above the vegetable compartment cover 17 is designed to keep enough space for cool air to flow,
There is a limit to the upward protrusion of the vegetable compartment cover 17.

Further, the rear of the back wall of each of the vegetable case 15 and the accessory case 16 is provided with a space for sufficient cooling air to cool the inside of each case uniformly, and The small case 16 is attached to the upper portion of the vegetable case 15 with the back wall of the small case 16 projecting rearward from the back wall of the vegetable case 15. For this reason, the accessory case 16 and the vegetable case 15
There is a limit to the rearward projection of the rear wall of the vehicle.

The notch 1 at the front of the accessory case 16
A humidity control member 31 having a ventilation portion communicating with the vegetable case 15 and the accessory case 16 is detachably attached to 6a. Since the humidity control member 31 is provided with a ventilation section, even if vegetables are stored in the vegetable case 15 or the small case 16 in a biased manner, the vegetable case 15 and the small case 16 are always kept at an appropriate humidity, and the stored material is fresh. Can be saved. further,
The ventilation part of the humidity control member 31 has the accessory case 16 and the vegetable case 1
5, the inside of both cases can be efficiently and efficiently adjusted with a small surface area.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the interior of the vegetable compartment in which a humidity control member is provided below the accessory case 16. Even if the humidity control member 31 is installed below the accessory case 16, the same effect as in FIG. 2 can be obtained because the humidity control member 31 has the ventilation portion.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the interior of the vegetable compartment in which a humidity control member is provided on the back of the accessory case 16. Even if the humidity control member 31 is installed on the back of the accessory case 16, the same effect as in FIG. 2 can be obtained because the humidity control member 31 has the ventilation portion.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the interior of the vegetable compartment in which a humidity control member is provided on the left side surface of the accessory case 16. Accessory case 16
Even if the humidity control member 31 is provided on the left side surface of the device, the same effect as that in FIG. 2 can be obtained because the ventilation portion exists in the humidity control member 31. It is apparent that the same effect as in FIG. 2 can be obtained even when the humidity control member is provided on the right side surface of the accessory case 16.

7 and 8, the humidity control member 31 is
The outside is composed of a front cover 32 and a rear cover 33, and ventilation control plates 34 and 35 having slits 34a and 35a serving as ventilation portions are provided on the inner surface of the front cover 32 and the rear cover 33 with a humidity control material assembly 36 therebetween. The front cover 32 and the rear cover 33 are provided with slits 32a and 33a serving as ventilation portions corresponding to the slits 34a and 35a, respectively.

The ventilation adjusting plates 34 and 35 are provided with knobs 34b and 35b respectively for moving them to the left and right. Cover 32 and rear cover 33
Projecting outside. Therefore, knob 34b ・ 3
5b to the left and right, the slits 34a.
The opening area of the ventilation part can be adjusted from the fully closed state (FIG. 7) to the open state (FIG. 8) by the 35a and the slits 32a and 33a.

It should be noted that between the ventilation adjusting plates 34 and 35, the front cover 32 and the rear cover 32, there are provided ventilation adjusting plates 34 and 35.
It has a moderate frictional force to keep it moved to the left and right. Thereby, the vegetable case 15 side and the accessory case 1
The humidity control ability on the 6 side can be adjusted, and the humidity control suitable for each storage can be performed.

For example, four bundles of spinach are stored in a vegetable case, and a sheet-like humidity control member (size: 137 × 40) in which porous silica having an average pore diameter of about 100 ° is sandwiched between nonwoven fabrics.
0mm) is installed in the vegetable case, the humidity in the vegetable case is adjusted to 93%, and the humidity in the accessory case is adjusted to 87% by adjusting the vent in the accessory case in two stages.
It changed to 93%.

That is, by moving the knob 34b right and left, the opening area of the vegetable case side ventilation portion can be adjusted from fully closed to open, and the humidity in the vegetable case can be adjusted from low humidity to high humidity. Similarly, by moving the knob 35b left and right, the opening area of the accessory case side ventilation section can be adjusted from fully closed to open, and the inside of the accessory case can be adjusted from low humidity to high humidity.

Therefore, for example, in a home that stores only vegetables (spinach, cabbage, etc.) that prefer high humidity (90% or more), both the vegetable case side vent and the accessory case side vent are open, and the inside of the vegetable case and accessory case is opened. Can be adjusted to high humidity. Homes that store a large amount of vegetables and fruits (such as snow peas, oranges, and melons) that prefer small amounts of high humidity but prefer medium humidity (85% to 90%) have small items with open vent areas on the small case side. The humidity inside the case is adjusted to high humidity, and the opening area of the ventilation part on the vegetable case side is set between the fully closed and open state to adjust the diffusion of humidity from the small case to the vegetable case, and the inside of the vegetable case to medium humidity. Can be humidified.

In a home that stores a lot of vegetables that prefer high humidity and a small amount of vegetables (such as onion and garlic) that prefer low humidity (70% to 75%), open the opening area of the ventilation part on the vegetable case side. The inside of the accessory case is adjusted to high humidity, and the diffusion area from the accessory case to the vegetable case is suppressed by making the opening area of the accessory case side ventilation part fully closed, and the humidity inside the vegetable case is adjusted to low humidity. For example, it is possible to control the humidity according to the type and amount of storage at home.

In FIG. 9, the recess 16 of the accessory case 16
The protrusions 16b provided on both side surfaces of the front cover 32a are detachably attached so that the claws 32b and 33b of the front cover 32 and the rear cover 33 are sandwiched therebetween. Since the claws 32b and 33b have different shapes, the positions where the front cover 32 and the rear cover 33 are attached to the accessory case 16 do not change in the front-back direction. Therefore, the surface of the humidity control member 31 facing the vegetable case 15 side and the accessory case 16 side is always in the same direction, and even if the humidity control member 31 is removed and cleaned, and the humidity control member 31 is attached again, the adjusted humidity control capability of each surface is maintained. Will be able to keep the same.

The humidity control assembly 36 has a humidity control material 36a covered with a breathable cloth inside, and the outside is surrounded by a humidity control material cover 36b having an opening. A spacer 36c is appropriately provided on the humidity control material cover 36b,
The cool air of the vegetable case 15 and the accessory case 16
Care is taken to circulate uniformly around 6a. For this reason, the humidity control function by the humidity control material 36a works more efficiently.

A component (eg, activated carbon or palladium chloride) that absorbs or decomposes an odor component is mixed in the humidity control member 31, or a transition metal keyrate compound is fixed on the ventilation control plates 34 and 35 to reduce the odor component. When decomposed, a deodorizing effect and an effect of maintaining freshness of vegetables can be added.

The left-right direction means the left-right direction when the refrigerator is viewed from the front, and the front-rear direction means the front-back direction when the refrigerator is viewed from the front. Further, in this drawing, hatching is omitted for portions showing a thin cross section such as a plate thickness.

[0040]

According to the present invention, since the humidity control member is provided at the position of the small case facing the vegetable case, the ventilation portion of the humidity control member faces the inside of each of the small case and the vegetable case. Thus, a refrigerator having a vegetable room that can efficiently and efficiently control the humidity in both cases with a small surface area can be obtained.

Since the opening area of the ventilation portion of the humidity control member can be adjusted, the humidity control capability of the vegetable case side and the small case side can be adjusted, and the humidity control suitable for the storage can be performed.

Further, since the humidity control member is detachably provided in the accessory case, it is easy to take out the humidity control member and to easily maintain the humidity control member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from a side surface of a main body of the refrigerator.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the interior of the vegetable compartment provided with a humidity control member on the front surface of the accessory case showing the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the interior of the vegetable compartment provided with a humidity control member on the front surface of the accessory case showing the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of the interior of the vegetable compartment provided with a humidity control member at the lower part of the accessory case showing the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of the interior of the vegetable compartment provided with a humidity control member on the back surface of the accessory case showing the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a main part of the interior of the vegetable compartment provided with a humidity control member on the left side surface of the accessory case showing the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view of a main part of the humidity control member when the slit is fully closed, showing the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan sectional view of a main part of the humidity control member when the slit is opened, showing the embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a main part top view of the accessory case as viewed from above when the humidity control member according to the embodiment of the present invention is incorporated in the front of the accessory case.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of an essential part showing an example of a vegetable compartment showing an embodiment of a conventional refrigerator.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator main body 3 Vegetable room 15 Vegetable case 16 Small item case 31 Humidity control member 32 Front cover 32a Slit (vent) 33 Rear cover 33a Slit (vent) 34 Ventilation control plate 34a Slit (vent) 35 Ventilation control plate 35a Slit (Ventilation part) 36 Humidity control assembly 36a Humidity control material 36b Humidity control material cover 36c Spacer

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator having an independent vegetable compartment, wherein the vegetable compartment is provided with a drawable vegetable case having an opening upward, and a small case is provided at a position including a part of the opening of the vegetable case. A vegetable compartment cover is provided so as to cover the upper opening of the vegetable case and the accessory case, and a humidity control material is provided at a position of the accessory case facing the vegetable case, and the humidity control member is provided with the vegetable case and the accessory. A refrigerator characterized by providing a ventilation part leading to a case. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control member is provided on a front surface of the accessory case. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control member is provided below the accessory case. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control member is provided on a back surface of the accessory case. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control member is provided on a side surface of the accessory case. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the opening area of the ventilation section of the humidity control member is adjustable. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control member is detachable. 8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control member has a mounting surface that can be installed in a predetermined direction.