JP2003035486A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit to obtain stabilized electric discharge by retaining a distance between mesh type electrodes in constant when the electric discharging means for a deodorizing device is constituted of a pair of mesh type electrodes. SOLUTION: An optical catalyst assembly 29 is constituted by a method wherein a first electrode member 61, a spacer 63, an optical catalyst module 65, a spacer 64 and a second electrode member 62 are sequentially received in the receiving recess 71 of a first case 58 and, thereafter, the receiving protrusion 79 of a second case 59 is fitted into the receiving recess 71. Accordingly, the mesh type electrodes 66, 68 of the first and second electrode members 61, 62 are fixed to the first and second cases 58, 59 under a condition that they are pinched between the spacers 63, 64 and the receiving recess 71 respectively. According to this method, a distance between the mesh type electrodes 66, 68 will not be different partially and both of the mesh type electrodes 66, 68 are retained in parallel.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator in which a deodorizing device is arranged in a circulation path of cold air to deodorize the inside of a refrigerator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a refrigerator for home use,
In order to reduce various odors caused by food in the refrigerator and prevent odors from being transferred to other foods, a platinum catalyst is placed near the defrost heater. In recent years, household refrigerators have been provided with a cooler that individually cools a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment, and set the humidity in the refrigerating compartment to be higher to improve the freshness-keeping effect of food. . When the humidity in the refrigerating room is increased as described above, odors are more easily felt, and various bacteria are easily propagated in the refrigerating room. Therefore, the refrigerator has a strong deodorizing effect due to the oxidative decomposition action of ozone. A deodorizing device is installed.

However, even in the method utilizing the oxidative decomposition action of ozone, there is a method in which some odorous components are not completely oxidatively decomposed but remain as intermediate decomposition products. In addition, the method utilizing the oxidizing power of ozone cannot completely decompose ethylene, which promotes aging of fruits and vegetables.

[0004]

On the other hand, the present applicant has invented a refrigerator in which a deodorizing device combining the oxidative decomposition action of ozone and the photocatalytic action of ultraviolet rays is arranged in the refrigerator, and filed a prior application. (Japanese Patent Application 2000-18151
8). The deodorizing device is configured by arranging a space discharge mechanism, a photocatalyst module, and an ozone decomposition catalyst filter in a case arranged in a cold air circulation path in a refrigerator.

In this case, it is considered that the space discharge mechanism is composed of a pair of mesh electrodes arranged before and after the photocatalyst module. Since the photocatalyst module is sandwiched between the pair of electrodes, the photocatalyst can be efficiently excited. Further, by forming the electrodes in a mesh shape, it is possible to suppress the pressure loss in the duct as small as possible.

By the way, in order to obtain a stable discharge in the space discharge mechanism, it is necessary to keep the distance between the pair of mesh electrodes constant. However, since all the mesh-shaped electrodes are very thin and have low strength, it is difficult to fix them, and there is a possibility that the distance between the electrodes may be partially different.

Further, the photocatalyst module has a structure in which there is a large variation in thickness dimension. Therefore, if the photocatalyst module is sandwiched by a pair of mesh-shaped electrodes, it becomes difficult to keep the distance between the electrodes constant. When the distance between the electrodes is locally different as described above, a local discharge is generated and an effective deodorizing performance cannot be obtained.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a stable discharge by maintaining a constant distance between the mesh electrodes when the discharge means is composed of a pair of mesh electrodes. It is to provide a refrigerator equipped with a deodorizing device capable of obtaining.

[0009]

A refrigerator according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a deodorizing device for deodorizing the inside of a refrigerator in a circulation path of cold air. A discharge means for generating ozone and ultraviolet rays by high-voltage discharge provided with a pair of mesh-shaped electrodes arranged in parallel, and an odorous component or harmful substance contained in cold air by a photocatalytic action generated by irradiation of the ultraviolet rays. And a photocatalyst module for disassembling, and a case for accommodating the discharge means and the photocatalyst module are integrally provided, and the mesh electrode is fixed to the case. It has characteristics.

According to the above construction, it is possible to prevent the pair of mesh-shaped electrodes arranged in parallel from wobbling and the distance between the mesh-shaped electrodes from partially varying, so that stable discharge can be obtained from the discharging means. You can Further, the mesh electrode has a very small thickness dimension and is weak in strength, and the photocatalyst module is very fragile and fragile. However, according to the above configuration, the discharge means and the photocatalyst module can be installed in the photocatalyst assembled state. It can be installed in a deodorizing device. Therefore, it is possible to prevent damage to the photocatalyst module and the mesh electrode during the assembly work.

In this case, the case may be composed of a first case and a second case, and a pair of mesh-shaped electrodes may be sandwiched between the first case and the second case, respectively. invention). According to the above configuration, the pair of mesh electrodes can be reliably fixed to the case.

In addition, at least one of the first and second cases is configured to include a concave accommodating portion, and the accommodating portion includes one of the pair of mesh electrodes, the photocatalyst module, and the other mesh electrode. The photocatalyst assembly may be constructed by sequentially incorporating the other cases (the invention of claim 3).

According to the above construction, the workability of assembling the photocatalyst is improved. Further, since the photocatalyst module is sandwiched between the pair of mesh-shaped electrodes, the photocatalyst module can be efficiently irradiated with the ultraviolet rays generated by the high-voltage discharge in the discharging means.

Further, it is a good configuration to provide a buffer member between each of the pair of mesh-shaped electrodes and the photocatalyst module (the invention of claim 4). In this case, the cushioning member may be made of silicone rubber (Claim 5), foam (Claim 6), or hollow (Claim 7).

According to the above structure, the pair of mesh electrodes are fixed to the case while being pressed against the first and second cases by the cushioning members. Therefore, the distance between the mesh-shaped electrodes can be ensured by the distance between the first case and the second case. Further, the buffer member can absorb variations in the thickness of the photocatalyst module.

Further, it is also possible to form irregularities on the surface of the buffer member on the photocatalyst module side (the invention of claim 8). According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the contact portion between the buffer member and the photocatalyst module,
It is possible to prevent the photocatalytic module from being damaged when the photocatalytic module is sandwiched by the buffer member.

Then, it is preferable to provide a window portion for checking the inside of the case (the invention of claim 9). According to the above configuration, it is possible to confirm through the window whether or not the discharging means and the parts of the photocatalyst module housed in the case are missing.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, Fig. 1
[FIG. 3] is a vertical sectional side view of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a refrigerator body 1 including a heat insulating box
The inside of the compartment is partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 2 into an upper refrigerating compartment 3 and a lower refrigerating compartment 4. In the refrigerator according to the present embodiment, the refrigerating chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 are separated by the heat insulating partition wall 2, and each of them is provided with a dedicated cooler (cooling chamber cooling device 3a, freezing chamber cooling device 4a). The inside is cooled by the generated cold air. In this embodiment, the deodorizing device 5 is arranged in the cold air circulation path in the refrigerating compartment 3, and the configuration of the refrigerating compartment 3 will be mainly described below.

That is, a vegetable compartment 7 is formed by a partition plate 6 in the lower part of the refrigerating compartment 3, and a refrigerator compartment cooler compartment 9 is formed by a partition wall 8 in the inner part of the vegetable compartment 7. Has been done. In the vegetable compartment 7, a lower case 10 and an upper case 11 mounted on the lower case 10 are housed. A case cover 12 having a cold air outflow hole 12a is openably and closably attached to the upper surface of the upper case 11.
A cold air passage 13 is formed between the case cover 12 and the partition plate 6.

A chilled case 14 is arranged in the lower part of the refrigerating chamber 3, and a cool air passage 15 is formed between the chilled case 14 and the partition plate 6. Furthermore,
A cold air duct 17 is formed by a substantially L-shaped duct cover 16 inside and inside the refrigerating compartment 3. A plurality of cold air discharge holes 18 are formed in the duct cover 16.

A refrigerating compartment fan device 19 is disposed in the upper part of the cooler chamber 9. The fan device 1
Corresponding to 9, a cylindrical cold air discharge part 20 is provided on the upper part of the partition wall 8. The front end opening of the cool air discharger 20 is located inside the upper case 11. On the other hand, in the lower part of the cooler chamber 9, the cooler 3a for the refrigerating chamber is arranged. A louver-like cold air suction port 22 is provided at the lower front part of the partition wall 8.

In the lower part of the refrigerator body 1, there is a machine room 23.
Is formed, and the compressor 24 of the refrigerating cycle is arranged inside thereof. The compressor 24 is of a reciprocating type using a comp motor as a drive source.

On the other hand, the deodorizing device 5 is arranged at the right rear portion of the partition plate 6. The configuration of the deodorizing device 5 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7. The deodorizing device 5 includes a unit case 27 including a case body 25 and a cover 26 that covers an upper opening of the case body 25,
A step-up transformer 28 arranged in the case body 25,
It is composed of a photocatalyst assembly 29 and an ozone decomposition catalyst 30.

A transformer chamber 32 is formed by a partition wall 31 on the left side of the case body 25, and the booster transformer 28 is arranged inside the transformer chamber 32.

The step-up transformer 28 includes a primary coil, a 2
A secondary coil, a magnetic core, etc. (none of which are shown) are molded by a synthetic resin. The step-up transformer 28 is configured to be supplied with power from a primary side terminal (not shown) via a power supply line 33. Further, a pair of secondary side terminals 34a, 34b are projected on the right side of the step-up transformer 28 in FIG.
U-shaped enclosing portion 35a surrounding three sides of 34b,
35b is provided. Further, the step-up transformer 28
2, claws 36a and 36b are provided on the upper and lower portions of the right part of FIG.

A space other than the transformer chamber 32 in the case main body 25 is a cold air circulation chamber 37, and a protection wall 38 extending in the left-right direction is provided upright in the front portion of the bottom portion thereof. The height dimension of the protective wall 38 is set to about half the height dimension of the case body 25. Further, the photocatalyst assembly 29 is arranged in the center portion in the front-rear direction of the cold air flow chamber 37, and the photocatalyst assembly 29 is arranged in the bottom portion of the case body 25 for positioning. Ribs 39 are provided.

Further, the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 is arranged at the rearmost portion of the cold air flow chamber 37, and the lattice frame portion having a large number of rectangular ventilation holes 40a at the bottom of the arrangement portion. 40 is provided. The lattice frame portion 40
Each of the frame portions constituting the above is configured in a triangular shape in cross section so that the area in contact with the lower portion of the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 is as small as possible (see FIGS. 3 and 7).

The ozone decomposing catalyst 30 is, for example, a manganese oxide-based ceramic honeycomb (molded product) or a metal honeycomb molded into a rectangular plate shape as a core material.
It is configured by fixing the catalyst component. With such a honeycomb structure, a larger contact area between the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 and ozone or odorous components is secured, and the decomposition efficiency is improved. The ozone decomposition catalyst 30
Are arranged on the lattice frame portion 40 such that the ventilation direction of the honeycomb shape is the vertical direction.

The core material of the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 is very brittle and may be damaged if it is touched carelessly during assembly work. Therefore, in this embodiment, the soft tape 30a is wrapped around the outer peripheral portion of the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 to prevent damage to the assembly work. Further, the portion of the case body 25 where the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 is arranged is the lattice frame portion 40. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 assembled in the case main body 25 (unit case 27) from being accidentally touched, and the catalyst component from being attached to or damaged by fingers.

On the other hand, the cover 30 has a boss portion 41 which is provided upright on the lower surface of the cover 30 and a hole portion 4 formed in the case body 25.
It is configured to be attached to the case main body 25 by inserting the screw 43 into the case main body 25. A louver 44 extending downward is integrally provided at the front portion of the cover 30, and when the cover 30 is attached to the case body 25, the lower end portion of the louver 44 is attached to the case body 2.
It is configured so as to come into contact with the front end portion of 5 from above.
The louver 44 prevents foreign matter from entering the unit case 27.

On the lower surface of the cover 30, just behind the louver 44, a protection wall 4 extending fully in the left-right direction is provided.
5 are provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the protective wall 4
5 and the protective wall 38 on the case body 25 side are arranged in the unit case 27 with an offset in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the foreign matter is prevented from entering without obstructing the circulation of the cold air in the cold air circulation chamber 37. Further, three ozone diffusion members 46 extending downward are provided in a portion of the lower surface of the cover 30 which is located above the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 when the cover 30 is attached to the case body 25. Furthermore, the cover 30
The rear portion is provided with a rib 47 extending downward,
A hole 48 is provided at the center of the rib 47 in the left-right direction.

Next, the structure of the partition plate 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. A rectangular container-shaped mounting concave portion 49 for assembling the deodorizing device 5 is formed in the right rear portion of the partition plate 6. On both sides of the mounting recess 49 of the partition plate 6, a circulation port 50 is provided for allowing the circulating cold air in the refrigerator to directly flow into the vegetable compartment 7 from the refrigerating compartment 3 without passing through the deodorizing device 5. The unit case 27 is configured to be installed in the rear half of the mounting recess 49, and a circular drainage hole 51 and a rectangular opening 52 are provided in the bottom thereof. The opening 52 is located under the lattice frame portion 40 when the unit case 27 is arranged.

An inclined surface 53 is provided at the front of the mounting recess 49. Further, an oval drainage hole 54 is formed in the front portion of the bottom of the mounting recess 49 where the louver 44 of the unit case 27 is located.
The drain hole 54 is provided to prevent the water or the like from entering the unit case 27 when the user accidentally spills the water or the like into the refrigerator. Further, a rib 55 is formed on the peripheral edge of the rear half of the mounting recess 49. The rib 55 is also for preventing water and the like from entering the unit case 27 from the peripheral portion.

The unit case 27 has the cover 3
The unit case 27 is attached to the mounting recess 4 by inserting the fastener 57 from above so that the hole 48 of 0 is aligned with the hole (not shown) provided on the rear side of the mounting recess 49.
It is attached to 9.

Next, the structure of the photocatalyst assembly 29 will be described. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the photocatalyst assembly 29, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the photocatalyst assembly 29 and the step-up transformer 28 connected to each other. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the photocatalyst assembly 29 is the first case. And a second case 59, a first and second electrode members 61 and 62 serving as discharging means, spacers 63 and 64 serving as cushioning members, and a photocatalyst module 65 housed in the case 60. There is. The first electrode member 61 has a rectangular frame 66.
The mesh-shaped electrode 66 bordered by a and the rectangular frame 66a
8 and a terminal plate 67 provided in the upper left portion of FIG. The second electrode member 62 is composed of a mesh-shaped electrode 68 bordered by a rectangular frame 68a and having a coarser mesh than the mesh-shaped electrode 66, and a terminal plate 69 provided in the lower left part of the rectangular frame 68a in FIG. Has been done.

The spacers 63 and 64 are both made of flame-retardant silicone rubber, and are arranged side by side.
It is configured in a frame shape having rectangular window portions 63a and 64a. The spacers 63 and 64 are colored black so as to be easily distinguished from the white photocatalyst module 65. Of the spacers 63 and 64, the window portions 63a and 6
The portion excluding the portion that divides 4a is configured to have substantially the same shape as the rectangular frames 61a and 62a of the first and second electrode members 61 and 62. A large number of convex portions 70 (only the convex portion 70 of the spacer 63 is shown in FIG. 8) are provided on the surface of the spacers 63 and 64 on the photocatalyst module 65 side.

In the photocatalyst module 65, a photocatalyst material such as titanium oxide is applied to the surface of a rectangular plate-shaped core material made of porous ceramic (alumina, silica, etc.), and dried or sintered to be fixed. It is composed by. The mesh-shaped electrodes 66 and 68, the spacers 63 and 64, and the photocatalytic module 65 of the first and second electrode members 61 and 62 are set to have substantially the same length in the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

The first case 58 has a housing recess 71 opening upward, and a pair of recessed terminal arranging parts 72, 73 provided on the left side of the housing recess 71 in FIG. ing. The accommodating recess 71 has a first electrode member 61.
The mesh-shaped electrode 66, the spacer 63, the photocatalyst module 65, the spacer 64, and the mesh-shaped electrode 68 of the second electrode member 62 are configured to be housed in order. In addition, the terminal placement portions 72 and 73 include the first electrode member 61.
And the terminal plates 67 and 69 of the second electrode member 62 are arranged respectively. In FIG. 8, the lower surface portion of the accommodation recess 71 is provided with substantially rectangular window portions 71a corresponding to the window portions 63a and 64a of the spacers 63 and 64 side by side.

Further, a positioning recess 74 and a pair of fitting portions 75 are provided on the front and rear sides of the housing recess 71 in FIG. 8 of the first case 58 (in FIG. Only the positioning recess 74 is shown). Further, a positioning recess 76 is provided on the right side in FIG. 8 of the housing recess 71 of the first case 58. The fitting portion 75 is provided with notches 75a on its left and right portions and is elastically deformable.

Further, fitting portions 77 and 78 are provided at the left end portions of the front and rear side portions of the terminal placement portions 72 and 73 of the first case 58 in FIG. The fitting part 7
The notches 77a and 78a are provided on the right side of the members 7 and 78, respectively, and are configured to be elastically deformable.

The second case 59 is constructed so as to be fitted into the first case 58 from above in FIG. 8, and accommodates the accommodation recess 71 and accommodates the accommodation protrusion 79 which is convex downward, and each terminal arrangement. Corresponding to the parts 72, 73, it is composed of terminal arrangement parts 80, 81 which are convex downward. The housing convex portion 79
8, rectangular windows 79a facing the window 71a are provided side by side in the left-right direction. Further, in the second case 59, positioning projections 82 and 83 corresponding to the positioning recesses 74 and 76 are provided on the front and rear sides and the right side of the housing projection 79 in FIG.
Further, in the front and rear side portions of the housing convex portion 79 in FIG. 8 of the second case 59 and the front and rear side portions of the terminal placement portions 80 and 81, the claw portions 84- 86 is provided. Notches 84a to 86a are provided on the left and right portions of the claws 84 to 86, respectively, and are elastically deformable.

Now, the terminal arrangement portion 7 of the first case 58.
2, the terminal plate 67 of the first electrode member 61 is arranged, and the mesh-shaped electrode 66 of the first electrode member 61 is placed in the accommodation recess 71.
Spacer 63, photocatalyst module 65, spacer 64,
The mesh electrodes 68 of the second electrode member 62 are sequentially arranged,
Further, after arranging the terminal plate 69 of the second electrode member 62 in the terminal arrangement portion 73, the second case 59 is fitted in the first case 58, and the claw portions 84 to 86 are fitted in the fitting portions 75, 77, 78, respectively. By doing so, the photocatalyst assembly 29 is configured.

At this time, the inside of the case 60 can be seen through the fitting portion 75.
Therefore, even after the photocatalyst assembly 29 is assembled, it is possible to easily confirm the presence or absence of the missing item.

Further, the positioning projections 82 and 83 are engaged with the positioning recesses 74 and 76, whereby the accommodation recess 71 is formed.
A predetermined space is secured between the container and the housing protrusion 79. The space is set to be substantially the same as the thickness dimension of the mesh-shaped electrode 66, the spacer 63, the photocatalyst module 65, the spacer 64, and the mesh-shaped electrode 68, which results in the mesh-shaped electrode 66, the spacer 63, and the photocatalyst. The module 65, the spacer 64, and the mesh electrode 68 are fixed while being sandwiched between the first and second cases 58 and 59 without being overcompressed. With the above configuration, the photocatalyst module 65 that is extremely brittle and easily broken is provided in the second case 59.
It is possible to prevent as much as possible from being damaged when the is fitted into the first case 58.

FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing a portion of the photocatalyst assembly 29 which is sandwiched between the accommodation concave portion 71 and the accommodation convex portion 79. As shown in this FIG.
The photocatalyst module 65 is positioned between the mesh-shaped electrodes 66 and 68 arranged in parallel in the space between the housing convex portion 79 and the housing convex portion 79. Since the space is set to the above-mentioned size, the mesh electrodes 66, 68 are pressed against the first and second cases 58, 59 by the spacers 63, 64, respectively. Therefore, the mesh-shaped electrodes 66 and 68 are held in parallel without the distance between them being partially different.

By the way, the photocatalyst module 65 has a large variation in thickness due to its structure. However, in the present embodiment, the photocatalyst module 6 of the spacers 63 and 64 is
Since the convex portion 70 is provided on the surface in contact with 5, it is possible to absorb the variation in the thickness dimension of the photocatalyst module 65,
Also from this point, it is possible to prevent the distance between the mesh electrodes 66 and 68 from being partially different.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 9, a pair of terminal placement portions 72 and 80 and terminal placement portions 73 and 81 are fitted on the left side of the photocatalyst assembly 29, respectively. The terminal portions 87 and 88 of At this time,
The step-up transformer 2 is attached to the tips of the terminal portions 87 and 88.
8 secondary side terminals 34a and 34b are inserted to form terminal insertion openings (not shown) connected to the terminal plates 67 and 69 of the first and second electrode members 61 and 62.

Therefore, by inserting the secondary side terminals 34a, 34b of the step-up transformer 28 into the terminal insertion openings and fitting the enclosing portions 35a, 35b into the terminal portions 87, 88, the secondary side terminals 34a, 34b 34b and terminal boards 67, 69
The step-up transformer 28 and the photocatalyst assembly 29 are connected to each other in a state where they are connected to each other. At this time, the claw portions 36a and 36b of the boosting transformer 28 are configured to be engaged with the notches 77a and 78a located outside the terminal portions 87 and 88 of the photocatalyst assembly 29.

Step-up transformer 28 and photocatalyst assembly 29
Are arranged in the transformer chamber 32 and the cold air circulation chamber 37 so that the first case 58 is located in the front portion in the connected state. At this time, the photocatalyst assembly 2 in the cold air flow chamber 37 is
A bypass 89 (see FIG. 4) is formed on the right side of 9 for directing cool air to the rear without passing through the photocatalyst assembly 29.

The photocatalyst assembly 29 arranged in the cold air flow chamber 37 has a fitting portion 75 located above it. Therefore, even after the photocatalyst assembly 29 is installed in the cold air circulation chamber 37, it is possible to check again whether or not there is a missing item in the case 60.

Then, a high voltage is applied between the mesh-shaped electrodes through the step-up transformer 28 to cause discharge, whereby ultraviolet rays (wavelength of 380 nm or less) and ozone are generated.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 7. In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the refrigerating chamber 3 is controlled by a control device (not shown).
Related temperature setting information and temperature information, temperature information of the refrigerating cooler 3a, temperature setting information and temperature information regarding the freezer compartment 4,
The operations of the compressor 24, the deodorizing device 5, and the like are controlled based on the temperature information of the freezing cooler 4a and the like. When it is determined that the cooling operation of the refrigerating chamber 3 is performed, the control device supplies the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 24 to the refrigerating cooler 3a, and the refrigerating fan device 19 and the deodorizing device. Start the operation of 5.

Then, a part of the cool air in the cooler chamber 9 flows from the cool air discharge portion 20 to the upper case 1 as shown by the arrow in FIG.
1 is discharged into the cold air outlet hole 12a and passes through the cold air passage 13
Is released into. The cool air discharged into the cool air passage 13 flows along the front surface and the lower surface of the lower case 10, and the cool air suction port 2
It is returned to the inside of the cooler chamber 9 through 2.

On the other hand, the rest of the cool air in the cooler chamber 9 rises through the cool air duct 17 and is discharged into the cold storage chamber 3 from the cool air discharge holes 18 and the upper ends of the cool air duct 17. The cold air discharged into the refrigerating chamber 3 is stored in the chilled case 14
Most of the cold air passes through the cold air passage 15 below, and directly flows into the vegetable compartment 7 through the flow port 50 and the drain hole 51 formed in the partition plate 6. Then, the rest of the cool air passing through the cool air passage 15 flows into the cool air circulation chamber 37 of the deodorizing device 5 via the louver 44.

A part of the cold air flowing into the cold air distribution chamber 37 is
After passing through the photocatalyst assembly 29, the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 is reached. The rest of the cool air that has flowed into the cool air circulation chamber 37 reaches the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 through the bypass 89.

In the photocatalyst assembly 29, a high voltage is applied between the mesh-shaped electrodes 66 and 68 through the step-up transformer 28 to cause discharge, whereby ultraviolet rays (wavelength 3
(80 nm or less) and ozone are generated. When the photocatalyst module 65 is irradiated with the ultraviolet rays, titanium oxide receives the light energy of the ultraviolet rays and becomes active to perform a photocatalytic action, and decomposes odorous components such as ammonia and ethylene gas contained in cold air. . Particularly, in this embodiment, since the photocatalyst module 65 is arranged between the mesh-shaped electrodes 66 and 68, the non-directional ultraviolet light is applied to the photocatalyst module 65.
Can be effectively acted on.

The ozone generated by the high voltage discharge reaches the ozone decomposition catalyst 30 together with the cold air passing through the photocatalyst assembly 29 and the cold air passing through the bypass 89. At this time, the photocatalyst assembly 29 has a smaller width dimension than the ozone decomposition catalyst 30, but the ozone diffusion member 46 provided on the lower surface of the cover 26 causes the ozone generated in the photocatalyst assembly 29 to be distributed to the entire ozone decomposition catalyst 30. Diffused. In the ozone decomposition catalyst 30, ozone is decomposed to generate active oxygen,
Oxidizing components such as amine and ammonia contained in cold air are oxidatively decomposed by the oxidizing power of the active oxygen. That is, ethylene gas in the cold air is decomposed in the photocatalyst module 65, and odorous components such as amine and ammonia are decomposed in both the photocatalyst module 65 and the ozone decomposition catalyst 30.

By the way, in this embodiment, the cold air circulation chamber 37
A bypass 89 is provided inside so that only a part of the cold air passing through the cold air flow chamber 37 passes through the photocatalyst assembly 29. This is because if the photocatalyst assembly 29 is provided so as to block the entire inside of the cold air flow chamber 37, the photocatalyst module 65 can be made larger, but the pressure loss in the cold air flow chamber 37 increases and the air volume decreases, This is because the overall deodorizing performance is reduced. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the bypass 89 is provided to increase the air volume in the cold air circulation chamber 37, the deodorizing performance of the deodorizing device 5 can be improved.

The cool air deodorized in the deodorizing device 5 flows into the vegetable compartment 7 through the ventilation holes 40a and the openings 52 of the lattice frame portion 40. Then, after passing through the cool air passage 13 and along the front surface and the lower surface of the lower case 10, the cool air suction port 22
Is returned to the cooler chamber 9 via.

According to this embodiment having such a structure, the pair of mesh-shaped electrodes 66 and 68 are fixed by the spacers 63 and 64 so as to be pressed against the first and second cases 58 and 59. It is possible to avoid fluctuations in the distance between the electrodes 66 and 68 due to the fluctuations of the electrodes 66 and 68. Therefore, the mesh electrodes 66, 68
Since a stable discharge can be obtained from the above, the deodorizing performance and the oxidative decomposition performance can be improved.

By the way, when the mesh-shaped electrodes 66 and 68 come close to each other locally, a local discharge occurs at that portion, and a partial abrasion occurs. According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent such local discharge from occurring,
Long-term reliability can be improved.

The silicon rubber, which is the material of the spacers 63 and 64, has the property of becoming harder when the level of flame retardancy is increased, but in this embodiment, the convex portions 70 are provided on the spacers 63 and 64 to make the spacers 63, 64 The contact area between 64 and the photocatalyst module 65 was suppressed to be small. Therefore, when the photocatalyst module 65 and the like are incorporated in the case 60, it is difficult to apply a large force to the photocatalyst module 65 as a whole, so that the photocatalyst module 65 can be prevented from being damaged.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first case 58 is provided with the accommodating recess 71, and the accommodating recess 71 has a mesh electrode 66, a spacer 63, a photocatalyst module 65, a spacer 64, a mesh electrode 68, and a second case. The photocatalyst assembly 29 was constructed by sequentially incorporating the accommodating convex portions 79 of 59. Therefore, the assembly workability of the photocatalyst assembly 29 can be improved.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the deodorizing device 5 is constructed by disposing the step-up transformer 28 and the photocatalyst assembly 29 in the transformer chamber 32 and the cold air circulation chamber 37 in the unit case 27, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to take out the unit case 27 from the refrigerator main body 1 and perform work such as repair and inspection of the deodorizing device 5, thus improving workability.

The photocatalyst assembly 29 is arranged upstream of the ozone decomposing catalyst 30 in the cold air flow chamber 37, and the ozone decomposing catalyst 30 closes the ventilation hole 40a through which cold air flows out of the cold air flow chamber 37. . Therefore, all the ozone generated in the photocatalyst assembly 29 can be efficiently decomposed toward the ozone decomposing catalyst 30, so that the ozone can be prevented from flowing out of the deodorizing device 5 into the warehouse as much as possible.

The step-up transformer 28 was formed by molding. Therefore, the ozone generated in the photocatalyst assembly 29 does not corrode the parts of the step-up transformer 28. Therefore, the step-up transformer 28 and the photocatalyst assembly 29 can be arranged close to each other, and the deodorizing device 5 can be downsized accordingly. Further, the inside of the deodorizing device 5 was divided into a transformer chamber 32 and a cold air circulation chamber 37, and the booster transformer 28 was arranged in the transformer chamber 32. Therefore, the power supply line 33 extending from the step-up transformer 28 is connected to the cold air circulation chamber 37.
It can be separated from the ozone flowing in the inside. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the power supply line 33 from being corroded by ozone and deteriorated as much as possible.

Further, protective walls 38 and 45 arranged offset in the unit case 27 are provided. Therefore, for example, even if the wire-shaped foreign substance A as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3 is inserted into the unit case 27, the foreign substance A reaches the mesh electrodes 66 and 68 of the photocatalyst assembly 29 and is electrocuted. This can be prevented as much as possible.

In particular, in the deodorizing device 5, the counter electrode (low potential side) of the discharge means is provided on the user side (air flow inflow side), and the discharge electrode is not directly touched by the user (air flow outlet side).
With this configuration, it is possible to prevent electric shock if the user touches the hand (insertion of wire).

11 to 14 show some other embodiments of the present invention, and these embodiments are different from the first embodiment in the structure of the spacers. That is, FIG.
In the second embodiment shown in (1), the spacer 91 is configured to include a ridge 92 extending over the entire surface of the photocatalyst module 65 side. Further, in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the spacer 101 is the photocatalyst module 6
The surface on the fifth side is provided with a large number of recesses 102.

Since the contact area with the photocatalyst module 65 can be reduced even in the spacers 91 and 101 having the projections 92 and the recesses 102, when the photocatalyst module 65 and the like are incorporated in the case 60, It is possible to prevent the entire photocatalyst module 65 from being damaged by being applied with a large force.

In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the spacer 111 is hollow. In this case, the spacer 111 may be the mesh electrodes 66 and 68.
The rectangular frames 66a and 68a have substantially the same shape. According to the above configuration, the elasticity of the spacer 111 can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to compensate for the increase in hardness due to the increased level of flame retardancy of the silicone rubber.

The hollow spacer 111 has a structure shown in FIG.
(A) to (c) of which the cross-sectional shape is partially open are also included. In this case, the photocatalyst module 65 is arranged on the upper part of FIGS.

That is, for example, in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the opening portion of the spacer 111 is closed by the rectangular frames 66a and 68a of the mesh electrodes 66 and 68 located in the lower part of the spacer 111 in the figure. The fourth state
The same action and effect as those of the embodiment can be obtained. In addition, FIG.
In (c), since the opening portion of the pacer 111 is closed by the housing recess 71 of the first case 58 located on the side of the spacer 111, the same action and effect as those of the fourth embodiment are obtained. Is obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings, and the following modifications and expansions are possible. The shapes of the first and second cases are not limited to those illustrated. For example, the first and second
One of the cases may be provided with a concave accommodating portion and the other may be a flat plate-shaped cover. The location of the deodorizing device is not limited to the partition plate 6 below the refrigerating compartment 3, and can be changed as appropriate. Alternatively, it may be provided in the cold air circulation path in the freezing compartment.

The ozone decomposition catalyst may be constructed so as to block a part of the cold air passage in the duct. That is, even if the ozone generated by the discharging means flows out into the chamber outside the duct, there is no safety problem as long as it is an appropriate amount. Further, according to such a configuration, the ozone diffused in the refrigerator exhibits an antibacterial action on the food in the refrigerator, which is effective in maintaining the freshness of the food.

As is clear from the above description, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, when cold air circulates in the refrigerator and flows into the deodorizing device, the cold air passes through the photocatalyst assembly, so that high voltage discharge is performed. The ethylene and odorous components are decomposed by the photocatalytic action of the ultraviolet rays generated by the. Further, since ozone is also generated by the high voltage discharge, the odor component is decomposed by the oxidizing power of the active oxygen generated by the decomposition of ozone. At this time, the mesh-shaped electrode forming the discharging means is fixed to the case of the photocatalyst assembly, and the distance between the mesh-shaped electrodes is kept constant, so that a stable discharge can be obtained from the discharging means and deodorization can be performed. Performance and oxidative decomposition performance can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing the overall configuration of a refrigerator showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a partition plate and a deodorizing device.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view of a part of the partition plate around the deodorizing device.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the deodorizing device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the deodorizing device with the cover removed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cover.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional front view of the deodorizing device taken along line X1-X1 in FIG.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the photocatalyst assembly.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a step-up transformer and a photocatalyst assembly connected to each other.

FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the accommodating concave portion and the peripheral portion of the accommodating convex portion in the photocatalyst assembly.

FIG. 11 is a plan view (a) of a spacer showing a second embodiment of the present invention and a sectional view (b) taken along line X2-X2.

FIG. 12 is a plan view (a) of a spacer showing a third embodiment of the present invention and a sectional view (b) taken along line X3-X3.

FIG. 13 is a plan view (a) of a spacer showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention and a sectional view (b) taken along line X4-X4.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a spacer showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the figure, 5 is a deodorizer, 13 is a cold air passage (cold air circulation path), 28 is a step-up transformer, 29 is a photocatalyst assembly, 58 is a first case, 59 is a second case, 60 is a case, and 61 is a first case. Electrode members (discharging means), 62 is a second electrode member (discharging means), 63, 64, 91, 101, 111 are spacers (buffer members), 66 and 68 are mesh electrodes, 7
Reference numeral 1 denotes an accommodating recess (accommodation portion).

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) B01J 35/02 B01J 35/02 J (72) Inventor Takumi Oikawa 1-6 Ota-Toshiba-cho, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka Stock company Toshiba Osaka factory (72) Inventor Kenji Imakubo 1-6 Ota Toshiba-cho, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka Stock company Toshiba Osaka factory (72) Inventor Takehisa Okamoto 1-6 Ota-Toshiba, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka No. Stock Company Toshiba Osaka Factory F-term (reference) 4C080 AA07 AA10 BB02 CC01 CC12 HH05 JJ03 KK08 LL02 MM02 MM08 NN02 QQ11 4G069 AA02 BA01B BA02B BA04A BA04B BA17 BA48A BB04B BC62B CA10 CA16 CA17 CD19 EA

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator configured by arranging a deodorizing device for deodorizing the inside of a refrigerator in a circulation path of cold air, wherein the deodorizing device includes a pair of mesh-shaped electrodes arranged in parallel to each other, and has a high voltage. Discharging means for generating ozone and ultraviolet rays by electric discharge, a photocatalyst module for decomposing odorous components and harmful substances contained in cold air by a photocatalytic action generated by irradiation of the ultraviolet rays, the discharging means and the photocatalytic module A refrigerator comprising a photocatalyst assembly that is integrally assembled with a case that accommodates, and the mesh-shaped electrodes are fixed to the case, respectively. 2. The case comprises a first case and a second case, and the pair of mesh electrodes are sandwiched between the first case and the second case, respectively. Refrigerator. 3. At least one of the first and second cases is configured to include a concave housing portion, and the housing portion includes one of a pair of mesh electrodes, a photocatalyst module, and the other mesh electrode. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the other case is sequentially incorporated to form a photocatalyst assembly. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a buffer member is provided between each of the pair of mesh-shaped electrodes and the photocatalyst module. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the cushioning member is made of silicone rubber. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the cushioning member is made of foam. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the cushioning member has a hollow shape. 8. The unevenness is provided on the surface of the buffer member on the side of the photocatalyst module.
Or the refrigerator according to 5. 9. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the case includes a window portion for checking the inside.