JP2003240416A - Cooler - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooler which suppresses a chamber temperature rise and prevents frost from dropping in a freezer without an anxiety of a burn or a fire in accordance with a defrosting operation. <P>SOLUTION: This device is provided with a heater 7 provided to be partially in contact with a lower end part of a fan cover 3 and a frost receiving plate 6 inclined upward into front to cover a bottom part of a fan guard 5 and provided by fixing a lower end part 6a to an outside face of the lower end part of the fan cover 3. A front end edge part 4b of the drain pan 4 is located on a front side of the lower end part 6a of the frost receiving plate 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling device for cooling the inside of a freezer or the like, and more particularly to improvement of a technique for removing frost attached to a fan guard or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a cooling device of this type, which is installed in a refrigerator such as a prefabricated freezer, evaporates a refrigerant sent from a compressor outside the refrigerator in a main body case to heat the vaporization of the refrigerant. An evaporator for cooling the air by means of, and a blower for ventilating the inside air to this evaporator are provided, normally, the blower outlet facing the blower, foreign matter enters the main body case, A fan guard is installed as a safety measure to prevent workers from touching the blower with their hands. Then, by continuing the cooling operation of this cooling device, if frost is formed around the evaporator and the blower, the efficiency of the evaporator and the blower is reduced, and the cooling efficiency of the cooling device is reduced, so that the adhered frost is removed. A defrosting device is provided for breaking.

In the prior art disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-30990, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a fan guard 5 made of a wire material made of metal such as wire is used for a defrosting heater. 7, a dew receiving portion 9 made of a metal plate or the like is provided integrally with the fan guard 5 at the bottom of the fan guard 5. The heater 7 is in contact with both the fan guard 5 and the dew receiving section 9.

In this cooling device, when frost is formed around the evaporator 1 and the blower 2 due to continuous cooling operation, the evaporator 1 is sent by a defrosting start signal from a control device (not shown).
The frost on the evaporator 1 is defrosted by a heater (not shown) attached to the fan, and the frost around the blower 2 including the fan guard 5 is defrosted by the heater 7 attached to the fan guard 5.

Dew generated by the defrosting of the fan guard 5 is received by the dew receiving portion 9, flows down along the lower end portion 9a thereof, and falls into the drain pan 4. Therefore, the dew from the fan guard 5 is prevented from falling into the freezer.

On the other hand, FIG. 6 shows another conventional technique.
In this cooling device, a heater is not attached to the fan guard 5, and a heater 7 for defrosting the blower 2 is attached to the fan cover 3 forming the front wall of the cooling device main body case. A heater (not shown) for defrosting the frost in the air suction portion and a heater 8 for heating the evaporator 1 from below are attached to the unit 1.

[0007]

However, the above-mentioned respective prior arts have the following problems. That is,
In the cooling device shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, since the heater 7 is directly attached to the fan guard 5, there is a possibility that the heater 7 may come into contact with the outside, and for example, the hand was accidentally touched during the defrosting operation. In this case, there is a risk of being burned or the stored items stored in the refrigerator may come into contact with the heater 7 to cause a fire or the like. Further, since the heater 7 is attached to the fan guard 5, the heat of the heater 7 easily leaks into the freezer, and the temperature inside the refrigerator may rise during the defrosting operation, which may lead to deterioration of the quality of the stored items. .

On the other hand, in the other cooling device shown in FIG. 6, since the heaters 7, 8 and the like are mounted in the main body case, there is no problem of burns or fires, but the number of heaters increases, so that the manufacturing cost is increased. However, there is a problem in that the power consumption increases as the power consumption increases. Further, since there is no dew receiving portion below the fan guard 5, there is also a problem that dew falling from the fan guard 5 is not guided into the drain pan 4 and falls into the freezer.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and there is no fear of burns or fires associated with the defrosting operation, the rise in the internal temperature can be suppressed, and the dew can be stored in the freezer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling device that can prevent falling into the air. Further, in addition to the above object, it is another object of the present invention to provide a cooling device capable of reducing the number of heaters to reduce power consumption.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a fan cover that accommodates an evaporator and a blower for ventilating the evaporator, and the wall has a blower outlet corresponding to the blower. A main body case configured, a fan guard that is formed by combining a plurality of wire rods and is attached to the fan cover so as to cover the front of the air outlet, and a drain pan that is arranged below the main body case and receives condensed water from the evaporator. In a cooling device including a heater, at least a part of which is provided so as to contact the lower end of the fan cover, and the lower end of the fan cover is placed on the outer surface of the lower end of the fan cover so that the lower end of the fan cover is inclined upward. The dew receiving plate is fixedly provided, and the front end edge portion of the drain pan is located in front of the lower end portion of the dew receiving plate.

Further, in the above-mentioned structure, the dew receiving plate is provided with a water draining hole for guiding dew on the upper surface side of the dew receiving plate into the drain pan.

Further, in the above construction, the heater is formed in an annular shape, one side of which is in contact with the inner surface of the lower end of the fan cover and the other side of which extends below the evaporator.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a cooling device according to this embodiment as seen from obliquely below, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the cooling device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a dew receiving plate.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooling device has a main body case 10, and the main body case 10 houses the evaporator 1 and the blower 2. The body case 10 is
The fan cover 3 forming the front wall of the main body case 10, the lateral covers 11 forming the left and right side walls, and the upper cover 12 forming the upper wall are attached to a frame (not shown), and the rear surface and It has a box shape with an open bottom. Fan cover 3, side cover 11, and upper cover 12
Each is made of a metal plate (for example, an aluminum plate) having an appropriate thickness. Further, a plurality of suspending tools 13 are provided on the upper part of the main body case 10, and the main body case 10 normally uses the suspending tools 13 so that the upper cover 12 contacts the ceiling surface of the freezer. The rear surface of 10 is installed so as to face the side wall surface of the freezer at an appropriate interval.

The rear surface opening of the main body case 10 serves as a suction port 14 for the inside air (cooled air).
The evaporator 1 is arranged so as to face the above. Further, the blower 2 having the propeller-shaped blower blades (fans) is installed with the back side thereof facing the evaporator 1, and the fan cover 3 has a circular opening at a position corresponding to the blower 2. The outlet 3a is formed.

Refrigerant sent from a compressor (not shown) installed outside the refrigerator flows through the evaporator 1, and the evaporator 1
By exchanging heat with the air in the refrigerator, the refrigerant evaporates (vaporizes) and returns to the compressor side. Then, when the blower 2 is operated, the air in the refrigerator is sucked into the main body case 10 through the suction port 14 and cooled when passing through the evaporator 1, and the cooled air is blown forward from the blowout port 3a. Is configured to.

A shallow pan-shaped drain pan 4 is provided below the main body case 10. The drain pan 4 covers the bottom opening of the main body case 10 to receive the condensed water generated in the evaporator 1 and the connection port 4a. It is designed to be discharged to the outside of the refrigerator through a drain hose (not shown) connected to. A fan guard 5 that covers the front of the air outlet 3a is attached to the fan cover 3 that forms the main body case 10. The fan guard 5 is formed in a three-dimensional container shape by vertically and horizontally combining a plurality of wires made of metal or the like. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the fan guard 5
Is a rising portion 5a that extends forward from the fan cover 3 in the attached state, and a front surface portion 5b that is supported by the rising portion 5a substantially vertically while facing the blower blades of the blower 2 at a predetermined interval. have.

Below the fan guard 5, a dew receiving plate 6 made of metal (for example, aluminum) having a relatively good heat conductivity is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the dew receiving plate 6
Is formed in a substantially inverted L-shaped cross section in which the lower end portion 6a is bent, and when the lower end portion 6a is held vertically, the other part has an upward slope toward the tip. It is set to such an angle (obtuse angle).
Further, the dew receiving plate 6 is formed with a plurality of drain holes 6b along the bent portion thereof.

The dew receiving plate 6 as described above is attached to the outer surface of the lower end portion of the fan cover 3 below the air outlet 3a by fixing the lower end portion 6a by spot welding or the like. Therefore, in this mounted state, the dew receiving plate 6 that is inclined forwardly upward (in other words, downwardly inclined toward the fan cover 3)
However, the bottom part of the fan guard 5 (that is, the rising part 5a located on the lower side in the attached state) is covered from the lower surface side.

Further, the drain pan 4 is extended forward,
The front end edge portion 4b is configured to be located in front of the lower end portion 6a of the dew receiving plate 6. Therefore, the dew receiving plate 6
The lower end 6a of the fan cover 3 is disposed between the lower end of the fan cover 3 and the front edge 4b of the drain pan 4 (see FIG. 2). In more detail, the front end edge portion 4b of the drain pan 4 is located in front of the front end portion of the drainage hole 6b of the dew receiving plate 6, whereby the water dropped from the drainage hole 6b is also received by the drain pan 4. Is configured.

A heater 7 for defrosting is provided at the bottom of the main body case 10. The heater 7 is formed in a substantially rectangular annular shape (loop shape) in a plan view, and one side portion 7a thereof is an inner surface of a lower end portion of the fan cover 3 (a surface opposite to a surface to which the lower end portion 6a of the dew receiving plate 6 is fixed). And the other side portion 7b is arranged so as to extend below the evaporator 1.

Since the cooling device of this embodiment is configured as described above, the heat generated by the heater 7 during the defrosting operation passes through the lower end portion of the fan cover 3, and then the dew receiving plate 6 and the fan cover 3 are provided. Of the frost adhered to the fan cover 3 and the dew receiving plate 6 mainly by the conductive heat. Further, the frost attached to the blower 2 and the fan guard 5 can be mainly thawed by the radiant heat from the heater 7, and the frost attached to the evaporator 1 can also be thawed by the heat from the heater 7. be able to.

Since the heater 7 is provided in the main body case 10, there is no risk of burns even if an operator touches the fan guard 5 during the defrosting operation, and the contents stored in the cabinet are kept. There is no danger of the fire coming into contact with the heater 7,
High safety. Moreover, since the heat of the heater 7 does not easily leak to the outside of the main body case 10, it is possible to efficiently defrost, and there is a possibility that the temperature inside the refrigerator rises during the defrosting operation and the quality of the stored items deteriorates. Absent. Further, the dew generated by thawing the frost adhering to the fan guard 5 is received by the dew receiving plate 6, flows down along the inclined upper surface of the dew receiving plate 6, and falls from the lower end portion 6b thereof into the drain pan 4. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dew (water droplets) from falling into the freezer. In addition,
If dew remains on the upper surface of the dew receiving plate 6, it may freeze when the cooling operation is restarted. However, in this embodiment, the dew on the upper surface side of the dew receiving plate 6 escapes from the drain hole 6b to the lower surface side. It is possible to prevent the remaining dew from freezing. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the frost adhering to the evaporator 1 can also be thawed by the other side portion 7b of the heater 7, so the evaporator 1
As compared with the case where another heater is provided for the purpose, the number of heaters is not reduced and the power consumption can be suppressed.

Needless to say, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described above. For example, the dew receiving plate 6 may be provided so as to cover the bottom of the fan guard 5 from the upper surface side. Further, in the above description, the heater 1 also heats the evaporator 1. However, a configuration in which a heater different from the heater 7 in contact with the lower end of the fan cover 3 is provided below the evaporator 1 may be considered. In this case, it is possible to dispose the heater 7 in contact with the outer surface of the lower end portion of the fan cover 3. Furthermore, although the lower end portion 6a of the dew receiving plate 6 is fixed to the lower end portion of the fan cover 3 by spot welding in the above description, the fixing means is not limited to this, and it is also conceivable to screw it, for example. However, in order to improve the thermal conductivity from the fan cover 3 to the dew receiving plate 6, it is desirable to adopt a fixing means capable of increasing the adhesion between the lower end portions of both members as much as possible.

[0025]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, there is no fear of a burn or a fire due to the defrosting operation,
It is possible to provide a cooling device that can suppress an increase in the internal temperature and can prevent dew from falling into the freezer.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the dew on the upper surface side of the dew receiving plate can be drained from the drain hole to the lower surface side,
It is possible to prevent freezing of dew on the upper surface of the dew receiving plate.

According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to reduce the number of heaters and reduce the power consumption.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cooling device of FIG.

3 is an external perspective view of a dew receiving plate used in the cooling device of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a cooling device according to a conventional technique.

5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cooling device of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a cooling device according to another conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 evaporator, 2 blower, 3 fan cover, 3a air outlet, 4 drain pan, 4b front edge, 5 fan cover, 6 dew receiving plate, 6a lower end, 6b drain hole, 7
Heater, 7a One side part, 7b Other side part, 10 Main body case.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A main body case that houses an evaporator and a blower for ventilating the evaporator and has a front wall formed of a fan cover having an outlet corresponding to the blower, and a plurality of wire rods in combination. In a cooling device comprising a fan guard attached to the fan cover so as to cover the front of the outlet, and a drain pan arranged below the main body case to receive condensed water from the evaporator, at least a part of A heater provided in contact with the lower end of the fan cover, and a dew receiver provided with the lower end fixed to the outer surface of the lower end of the fan cover so as to incline forward and cover the bottom of the fan guard. With a board,
The cooling device is configured such that a front end edge portion of the drain pan is located in front of a lower end portion of the dew receiving plate. 2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the dew receiving plate is formed with a water drain hole for guiding dew on the upper surface side of the dew receiving plate into the drain pan. 3. The heater according to claim 1, wherein one side of the heater is in contact with the inner surface of the lower end of the fan cover, and the other side is formed in an annular shape extending below the evaporator. Cooling system.