JP2004061063A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of properly regulating humidity in a vegetable room within a suitable range and improving assembly workability. <P>SOLUTION: This refrigerator 1 is provided with the vegetable room 9, a humidity regulation filter formed of a porous material capable of absorbing/releasing water in the air in the vegetable room 9, and an ultrasonic oscillator generating ultrasonic waves.Ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic oscillator are impressed to the humidity regulation filter. The humidity regulation filter and the ultrasonic wave oscillator are housed in a single case, and the case is mounted to a partition plate 11 between a cold room 8 and the vegetable room 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a humidity adjusting function in a vegetable room.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, this kind of refrigerator has a vegetable compartment for cooling and storing vegetables without freezing them. Vegetable compartments usually consist of vegetable containers that open to the top because vegetables do not like to dry, and this container can be pulled out from the refrigerator, and when stored in the refrigerator, the top of the vegetable container is closed, and the vegetable container is closed. A method of circulating cool air passing through the refrigerator compartment around the refrigerator to indirectly cool the vegetable compartment is adopted.
[0003]
However, moisture evaporates from the vegetables stored in the vegetable room, so that the humidity in the vegetable room becomes excessively high as it is, causing flooding and mold. Therefore, in recent years, a humidity control filter made of a porous material such as silica gel or zeolite is provided in the vegetable compartment, and in a situation where the humidity of the air in the vegetable compartment is high, the humidity control filter absorbs the moisture in the air and reduces the humidity. In the case of a decrease, a contrivance has been made to increase the humidity by releasing moisture from the humidity control material into the air.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the moisture release from the humidity control filter is due to the difference in humidity with the surroundings (air in the vegetable room), the speed is inevitably slow in speed, and in some circumstances, the humidity in the vegetable room may drop abnormally. In some cases.
[0005]
Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-257933 proposes a method of providing a general-purpose ultrasonic humidifier in a vegetable room and spraying fine water droplets into the vegetable room to strongly humidify the vegetable room. However, since water supplied separately is atomized and discharged into the vegetable compartment, an excessive increase in humidity is likely to occur.
[0006]
The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional technical problem, and provides a refrigerator that can accurately adjust the humidity in a vegetable room to a suitable range and that improves assembly workability. It is intended for that purpose.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The refrigerator of the present invention comprises a vegetable compartment, a humidity control filter made of a porous material capable of absorbing and releasing moisture in the air in the vegetable compartment, and an ultrasonic oscillator for applying ultrasonic waves to the humidity control filter. In addition, the humidity control filter and the ultrasonic oscillator are housed in a single case, and this case is mounted in the vegetable room.
[0008]
In addition to the above, the refrigerator according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a refrigerator compartment, circulates cool air from the refrigerator compartment around the vegetable compartment, cools the vegetable compartment, and moves the case between the refrigerator compartment and the vegetable compartment. Characterized in that it is attached to a partition plate.
[0009]
A refrigerator according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the above-described inventions, a seal member is provided in the case to seal between the electrical board of the ultrasonic oscillator and the humidity control filter.
[0010]
A refrigerator according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the humidity control filter is made of silica gel or zeolite.
[0011]
The refrigerator according to the invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in addition to the above, the humidity control filter contains a material that adsorbs odor components and a material that decomposes ethylene.
[0012]
A refrigerator according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the frequency of the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic oscillator is 20 kHz to 60 kHz in addition to the above inventions.
[0013]
According to the present invention, when the air in the vegetable room of the refrigerator is in a high humidity state, the moisture in the air is absorbed by the humidity control filter, and when the air in the vegetable room is in the low humidity state, the ultrasonic wave is applied. By operating the oscillator, ultrasonic waves are applied to the humidity control filter, and the moisture held by the humidity control filter can be forcibly released into the air in the vegetable room by the energy of the ultrasonic waves.
[0014]
As a result, the humidity in the air in the vegetable compartment can be accurately adjusted to a desired suitable range. Further, there is no inconvenience that the temperature of the air in the vegetable room is raised, as in the case where the water is evaporated by the heater and humidified. Furthermore, it does not atomize and release water like a normal ultrasonic humidifier, but releases the moisture held by the humidity control filter as moisture, facilitating the propagation of mold and various bacteria in the vegetable compartment. No inconveniences occur.
[0015]
In particular, since the humidity control filter and the ultrasonic oscillator are housed in a single case and the case is mounted in the vegetable compartment, assembling workability is improved as compared with the case of individually mounting, and the operation is improved. The occurrence of defects can also be suppressed. Further, if the case is mounted on a partition plate between the refrigerator compartment and the vegetable compartment, the assembling workability is further improved. In this case, since the ultrasonic oscillator is housed in the case, there is no danger that electrical components such as the ultrasonic oscillator will be flooded even if water spills on the partition plate.
[0016]
In addition, if a sealing material is provided in the case to seal between the electrical equipment substrate of the ultrasonic oscillator and the humidity control filter, the inconvenience of moisture from the humidity control filter side applied to the electrical equipment substrate can be avoided.
[0017]
In addition, by including a material that adsorbs odor components and a material that decomposes ethylene into the humidity control filter, it can deodorize storage rooms such as vegetable rooms and remove ethylene that causes food aging. is there.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a refrigerator 1 to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a lower perspective view of a main part of the refrigerator 1 showing a state in which a humidity controller HC is attached to the refrigerator 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the humidity control device HC.
[0019]
In each of the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a vertical refrigerator for home use, and a main body is constituted by a heat-insulating box 2 opening to the front. The inside of the heat insulating box 2 is vertically divided by a partition wall 3, and a freezer compartment 4 is formed below the partition wall 3. Numeral 6 denotes an ice making compartment partitioned at the upper part of the freezing compartment 4, in which an automatic ice maker 7 is installed. The upper part of the heat insulating box 2 above the partition wall 3 is a refrigerating room 8 and the lower part is a vegetable room 9, and both rooms are partitioned by a partition plate 11 made of hard resin.
[0020]
Reference numeral 12 denotes a freezing room door, 13 denotes an ice making room door, 14 denotes a refrigerator room door, and 16 denotes a vegetable room door, each of which is a heat insulating door for opening and closing the front opening of the heat insulating box 2 corresponding to each room. It is. In this case, the freezer compartment 4 is configured in a freezer compartment container 17 that is open on the upper surface, and the freezer compartment container 17 can be pulled out forward together with the freezer compartment door 12. Further, the vegetable compartment 9 is also formed in a vegetable compartment container 18 which is open on the upper surface, and this can also be pulled out forward together with the vegetable compartment door 16. The partition plate 11 closes the upper opening of the vegetable compartment container 18 in a state in which the vegetable compartment container 18 is stored in the heat insulating box 2. Thereby, the interior of the vegetable compartment 9 is substantially closed.
[0021]
In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a machine room formed below the heat-insulating box 2, and a compressor 22 constituting a refrigerant cycle of the refrigerator 1 is installed in the machine room 21. A freezer compartment cooler 23 is provided vertically inside the heat insulating box 2 at a position corresponding to the rear of the freezer compartment 4, and a freezer compartment blower 24 is provided above the freezer compartment cooler 23. Further, a rear plate 26 is attached to the rear part of the refrigerator compartment 8, and a refrigerator cooler 27 is vertically provided between the rear plate 26 and the heat insulating box 2, and a refrigerator blower 28 is disposed above the refrigerator cooler 27. Have been.
[0022]
Then, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor 22 is condensed in a condenser (not shown) (constituted by an evaporating dish pipe or a frame pipe), and then decompressed by a capillary tube (not shown). It enters, evaporates and absorbs heat from the surroundings to exert a cooling effect. The refrigerant that has exited the refrigerator compartment cooler 27 then enters the refrigerator compartment cooler 23, where it also evaporates and absorbs heat from the surroundings to exert a cooling function.
[0023]
The cold air that has exchanged heat with the freezing room cooler 23 is circulated into the ice making room 6 and the freezing room 4 by the freezing room blower 24. Further, the cold air exchanged with the refrigerator compartment cooler 27 is discharged into the refrigerator compartment 8 by the refrigerator compartment blower 28, circulates through the inside, and then flows from the communication hole formed around the partition plate 11 to the periphery of the vegetable compartment container 18. It flows down, circulates and circulates there. Thereby, the vegetable compartment 9 configured in the vegetable compartment container 18 is indirectly cooled from the partition plate 11 and the wall surface of the vegetable compartment container 18.
[0024]
In this case, the operation of the compressor 22 is executed based on the temperature in the freezer 4. An electromagnetic valve (not shown) is provided to control whether the refrigerant flowing out of the capillary tube flows to the refrigerator compartment cooler 27 or to flow directly to the refrigerator compartment cooler 23 bypassing the refrigerator compartment cooler 27, The control of the solenoid valve is executed based on the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 8.
[0025]
That is, for example, the compressor 22 is started when the temperature in the freezer compartment 4 rises to −16 ° C. (the upper limit temperature of the freezer compartment), and when the temperature drops to −20 ° C. (the lower limit temperature of the freezer compartment), the compressor 22 is turned on. Stop. Thereby, the inside of the freezing room 4 or the ice making room 6 is maintained at a freezing temperature zone of, for example, an average of −18 ° C. On the other hand, when the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 8 rises to + 7 ° C. (refrigerator compartment upper limit temperature), the solenoid valve executes a cooling operation for flowing the refrigerant to the refrigerator compartment cooler 27 (the refrigerator compartment cooler 27 performs freezing operation). When the temperature drops to, for example, 3 ° C. (the lowest temperature of the refrigerator compartment), the flow of refrigerant (circulation) into the refrigerator compartment cooler 27 is stopped, and the refrigerant bypasses the refrigerator compartment cooler 27 directly. It operates to flow to the freezer compartment cooler 23. Thereby, the inside of the refrigerator compartment 8 is maintained at a refrigerator temperature zone of, for example, an average of + 5 ° C.
[0026]
In addition, since the inside of the vegetable compartment 9 is indirectly cooled by the cold air passing through the refrigerator compartment 8 as described above, the refrigerator temperature is maintained at a temperature dependent on the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 8.
[0027]
Here, the freezing room blower 24 is started and stopped in synchronization with the start and stop of the compressor 22. The refrigerator air blower 28 is also started at the time when the refrigerant starts flowing the refrigerant into the refrigerator cooler 27 by the electromagnetic valve. However, when the inflow (circulation) of the refrigerant into the refrigerator cooler 27 is stopped by the electromagnetic valve, , The operation is continued for, for example, 20 minutes from that point. Thereby, the moisture (frost) adhering to the refrigerator compartment cooler 27 is circulated in the refrigerator compartment 8 and around the vegetable compartment container 18 by the refrigerator compartment blower 28 to promote an increase in humidity (referred to as a wet operation). After the moistening operation is completed, the refrigerator air blower 28 is stopped.
[0028]
The humidity control device HC of the present invention is attached to a partition plate 11 that partitions the vegetable compartment 9 and the refrigerator compartment 8 from each other. The humidity control device HC is used to release (moisture release) the humidity control filter 32 and the moisture absorbed and held by the humidity control filter 32 into a case 31 having a rectangular shape made of a transparent hard resin. By housing an electrical board 34 on which an ultrasonic oscillator 33 for applying an ultrasonic wave to the humidity control filter 32 is attached and a sealing material 36, these components are integrally united.
[0029]
The ultrasonic oscillator 33 generates an ultrasonic wave having a frequency of, for example, 20 kHz to 60 kHz (for example, “Nicera” manufactured by Nippon Ceramic Co., Ltd.). It is mounted protruding. A drive device 37 for supplying power to the ultrasonic oscillator 33 for operation is attached to the lower surface of the electrical board 34, and the wiring 38 is drawn out from one end of the electrical board 34. Further, an LED (illumination device) 39 that emits light when the ultrasonic oscillator 33 is operated is attached to the upper surface of the electrical board 34.
[0030]
In the embodiment, the driving device 37 drives the ultrasonic oscillator 33 so that the ultrasonic oscillator 33 generates an ultrasonic wave of 40 kHz. An engagement hole 35 is formed in a corner of the electrical board 34.
[0031]
The sealing member 36 is made of a material having a sealing property against liquids and gases, such as soft rubber, and a vibration absorbing property. A through hole 41 having an inner surface shape conforming to the outer shape of the oscillator 33 is formed so as to protrude downward, and a recess 42 having an inner surface shape conforming to the outer shape of the driving device 37 is also integrally formed. Further, a concave groove 43 for passing the wiring 38 is integrally formed at one end of the sealing material 36. Are formed integrally from the four corners of the lower surface of the sealing member 36 so as to protrude downward. Further, wedge-shaped projections 46, 46 are formed at diagonal corners of the upper surface. It protrudes and is integrally formed.
[0032]
In the embodiment, the humidity control filter 32 is made of activated carbon, palladium, and B-type silica gel (B-type silica gel or zeolite), and is formed into a rectangular thin plate as a whole. The activated carbon is a porous body having a function of adsorbing and removing odor components in the air and a function of absorbing and releasing moisture (humidity) in the air. The palladium has a function of decomposing ethylene gas in the air. Further, the silica gel is a porous material having a function of absorbing and releasing moisture (humidity) in the air.
[0033]
That is, the humidity control filter 32 of the embodiment has an action of deodorizing by adsorbing odor components contained in the air and a function of decomposing the ethylene gas contained in the air. Adsorbs and releases moisture. That is, when the humidity of the air increases, the moisture contained in the air is absorbed and retained (hygroscopic action), and when the humidity of the air decreases, the retained moisture is released into the air ( (Humidifying action), thereby adjusting the humidity of the air.
[0034]
On the other hand, the case 31 includes a rectangular container-shaped main body 47 and a lid 48 which is detachably attached to the upper surface of the main body 47. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the main body 47 has a storage portion 49 at a lower portion, and the inner surface of the storage portion 49 has a shape capable of storing and holding the humidity control filter 32, and has a height of humidity control. The value is substantially double the value of the filter 32. Vent holes 51, 52, 52 are formed on the lower surface and the side surface of the storage portion 49, and in particular, the vent holes 52, 52 on the side surface are sized to allow the humidity control filter 32 to pass through.
[0035]
Further, a holding bar 53 is formed integrally with the main body 47 at a position above the storage portion 49, and the holding bar 53 has a transparent hole through which the through hole 41 and the concave portion 42 of the sealing material 36 can pass. Holes 54 and 56 are formed. Further, a concave groove 57 capable of accommodating the concave groove 43 is integrally formed at one end of the main body 47, and a flange 58 is formed to protrude around the main body 47. The flange 58 has a notch for engagement. A plurality of holes 59 are formed, and holes 61 for screwing are integrally formed.
[0036]
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 to 11, a lens-shaped light-transmitting portion 63 is integrally formed on the upper surface of the lid 48 of the case 31 at a position corresponding to the LED 39 on the electric component board 34. A flange 64 is also formed around the lid 48, a plurality of engaging claws 66 are formed on the flange 64, and a screw hole 67 is further integrally formed. Pressing projections 68 are formed to project from the inner surface of the lid 48.
[0037]
In the above configuration, first, the humidity control filter 32 is inserted into the storage portion 49 from the ventilation hole 52 of the main body 47 of the case 31 and is pushed into the lower portion of the storage portion 49. In this state, the lower surface of the humidity control filter 32 is exposed downward at the ventilation port 51, and the humidity control filter 32 is located below the ventilation port 52 on the side surface. As described above, since the humidity control filter 32 can pass through the vent 52 on the side surface of the storage section 49, the humidity control filter 32 can be inserted into and removed from the storage section 49 of the case 31 regardless of the presence of the holding bar 53. Become.
[0038]
Next, the seal member 36 is placed on the holding bar 53 of the main body 47 and stored in the main body 47. At this time, the through hole 41 enters into the through hole 54 of the holding bar 53, the recess 42 enters into the through hole 56 of the holding bar 53, and the groove 43 enters into the groove 57. The holding legs 44 of the sealing material 36 pass through the side of the holding bar 53 and enter the storage portion 49, contact the upper surface of the humidity control filter 52, and press it downward. Thereby, the inconvenience that the humidity control filter 52 rises and blocks the ventilation holes 52, 52 is avoided.
[0039]
Next, the electrical board 34 is placed on the sealing material 36 and housed in the main body 47. At this time, the driving device 37 is housed in the recess 42 of the sealing material 36, and the wiring 38 also passes through the recess 43 and is drawn out of the main body 47. Further, the ultrasonic oscillator 33 enters into the through hole 41 and closely adheres to the inner surface thereof, and the vibration surface located on the lower surface thereof is exposed downward from the through hole 41 and the upper surface of the humidity control filter 52 (the vibration applying surface). Abut). In addition, the projection 46 enters and engages with the engagement hole 35 of the electrical component board 34.
[0040]
Next, the lid 48 is put on the main body 47 to cover the electrical board 34, and the engaging claws 66 of the lid 48 are removably engaged with the notches 59 of the main body 47 to seal the inside of the main body 47. I do. At this time, the LED 39 corresponds to the light transmitting portion 63 of the lid 48. The screw holes 67 match the holes 61 of the main body 47. As described above, the humidity control device 32 of the present invention is completed by storing the humidity control filter 32 and the electrical board 34 on which the ultrasonic oscillator 33 is mounted in a single case 31 and sealing them integrally. (See FIG. 16).
[0041]
Then, the humidity control device HC assembled as described above is attached to the lower surface of the partition plate 11 of the refrigerator 1. In this case, a rectangular mounting part 71 is integrally formed at a position near the center of the partition plate 11 as shown in FIG. At the front edge of the mounting portion 71, holding sides 72, 72 having a substantially L-shaped cross section are formed, and at the rear edge, positioning sides 73, 73 hang down. A screw hole 74 is formed between the positioning sides 73.
[0042]
When attaching the humidity control device HC to the partition plate 11, the entirety is housed in the attachment portion 71 while inserting the flange 58 of the case 31 into the holding sides 72, 72, and the holes 61, 67 are inserted into the screw holes 74. Then, the case 31 is detachably fixed to the partition plate 11 with screws 76 from below as shown in FIG. Since the partition plate 11 is located on the upper surface of the vegetable compartment 9 by closing the upper opening of the vegetable compartment container 18 as described above, the humidity control device HC is located at the upper portion in the vegetable compartment 9 by being attached in this manner. The air in the vegetable compartment 9 is circulated to the humidity control filter 32 through the ventilation holes 51, 52, 52.
[0043]
As described above, after the humidity control filter 32 and the ultrasonic oscillator 33 are accommodated in the case 31 and the humidity control device HC is integrally assembled, and then attached to the partition plate 11, the assembly workability is smooth. At the same time, the malfunction of the humidity control device HC hardly occurs. Further, since the ultrasonic oscillator 33 and the driving device 37 are sealed in the case 31, even if water or the like spills on the upper surface of the partition plate 11 (the refrigerator compartment 8), it does not enter the case 31. Thereby, the inconvenience that the electrical components such as the ultrasonic oscillator 33 and the driving device 37 attached to the electrical substrate 34 are flooded and break down is prevented.
[0044]
In addition, as described later, air in the vegetable compartment 9 is circulated from the ventilation holes 51, 52, and 52 to the humidity control filter 31 in the storage portion 49. Since it is sealed from the moisture contained therein, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of malfunction due to moisture.
[0045]
A hole 77 is formed in the mounting portion 71 of the seal 11, and a light-transmitting sheet (not shown) is attached to the upper surface. The holes 39 correspond to the LEDs 39 of the humidity control device HC. Thereby, when the ultrasonic oscillator 33 is operated and the LED 39 emits light, the light can be visually recognized from the upper surface of the partition plate 11, so that the operation of the ultrasonic oscillator 33 can be appealed.
[0046]
Next, the operation of the humidity control apparatus HC having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. Ethylene gas, which promotes odor and aging, is released from the vegetables stored in the vegetable compartment 9, but the humidity control filter 32 of the embodiment contains activated carbon and palladium as described above. The odor components inside are adsorbed and ethylene is decomposed. Thereby, the inside of the vegetable room 9 is deodorized, and the aging of the vegetables is delayed.
[0047]
Further, since water is released from the vegetables stored in the vegetable room 9, the inside of the vegetable room 9 is in a high humidity state. Then, when the environment becomes equal to or higher than a certain humidity, the silica gel of the humidity control filter 32 absorbs moisture in the air (a moisture absorption mode described later). This avoids the disadvantage that the inside of the vegetable compartment 9 becomes unnecessarily high in humidity.
[0048]
As described above, in the refrigerating room 8, the refrigerant is circulated through the refrigerating room cooler 27 as described above, and the cooling operation for operating the refrigerating room blower 28, the moistening operation for 20 hours thereafter, and the subsequent stop state are executed as a cycle. (FIG. 15). Then, since the cool air cooled by the refrigerator compartment cooler 27 is circulated around the vegetable compartment 9 and the vegetable compartment 9 is cooled, the humidity in the vegetable compartment 9 rapidly decreases during the above-described cooling operation. (The curve shown by the broken line in FIG. 15).
[0049]
On the other hand, when the humidity in the vegetable compartment 9 decreases, the humidity control filter 32 tries to release the moisture held by the humidity control filter 32 in accordance with the humidity difference. However, itself is slow. Therefore, the driving device 37 generates ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic oscillator 33 for 15 minutes (predetermined period) from the start of the cooling operation, applies the ultrasonic waves to the humidity control filter 32, and releases the moisture as described above. The moisture held by the humidity control filter 32 is released from the surface into the vegetable compartment 9 (humidification mode).
[0050]
As a result, the inside of the vegetable compartment 9 where the humidity decreases with the start of the cooling operation is quickly humidified, and the vegetable compartment which starts the cooling operation and tends to rapidly decrease as shown by the broken curve in FIG. It is assumed that the rate of decrease of the humidity in 9 is slow as shown by the solid curve in FIG. That is, the decrease in the humidity in the vegetable room 9 can be suppressed, and the humidity in the vegetable room 9 can be accurately adjusted to a suitable range (around 95%). In particular, in this case, the moisture is not atomized and released as in the case of a normal ultrasonic humidifier, but the moisture held by the humidity control filter 32 is released as moisture in a soft manner. In this case, there is no inconvenience of promoting the propagation of mold and various bacteria. Here, the ultrasonic wave used in a normal ultrasonic humidifier has a high frequency of 200 kHz to 3 MHz, but in the present invention, a low frequency ultrasonic wave of 40 kHz is used.
[0051]
Here, even if the operation of the humidity control device HC (humidification mode) is stopped, the humidity control filter 32 continues to release moisture while the humidity in the vegetable compartment 9 is still low. Then, when the cooling operation is completed and the above-mentioned moistening operation is started, the humidity in the vegetable room 9 is also increased accordingly. Then, when the humidity reaches a certain level, the humidity control filter 32 starts absorbing moisture again (moisture absorption mode), whereby the inside of the vegetable compartment 9 is maintained in a suitable humidity range (FIG. 15).
[0052]
In an environment where the outside air temperature is low, such as in winter, the cooling operation may be shorter than 15 minutes. In such a case, the drive device 37 stops the operation of the ultrasonic oscillator 33 at the time when the cooling operation ends (shown at the right end in FIG. 15). This avoids the disadvantage that the inside of the vegetable compartment 9 is humidified more than necessary.
[0053]
In the embodiment, the frequency of the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic oscillator 33 is set to 40 kHz. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a range of 20 kHz to 60 kHz can be adopted when determining the thickness of the humidity control filter 32. (For example, a frequency such as 38.5 kHz based on the dividing frequency of the microcomputer of the driving device 37). Further, the ultrasonic oscillator 33 is operated for a predetermined period in accordance with the cooling operation. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the ultrasonic oscillator 33 may be constantly operated or may be operated intermittently for a predetermined period at regular intervals. Further, a humidity sensor may be provided in the vegetable room 9 and the ultrasonic oscillator 33 may be operated according to the actual decrease in humidity.
[0054]
In the embodiment, the humidity control filter 32 contains activated carbon or palladium. However, in the inventions of claims 1 to 4, the filter may be constituted only by silica gel (or zeolite). By using such silica gel or the like, an effective humidity control action can be obtained.
[0055]
【The invention's effect】
As described in detail above, according to the present invention, when the air in the vegetable room of the refrigerator is in a high humidity state, the moisture in the air is absorbed by the humidity control filter, and the air in the vegetable room is in the low humidity state. It is possible to operate the ultrasonic oscillator to apply ultrasonic waves to the humidity control filter, and forcibly release the moisture held by the humidity control filter into the air in the vegetable room with the energy of the ultrasonic waves. It becomes possible.
[0056]
As a result, the humidity in the air in the vegetable compartment can be accurately adjusted to a desired suitable range. Further, there is no inconvenience that the temperature of the air in the vegetable room is raised, as in the case where the water is evaporated by the heater and humidified. Furthermore, it does not atomize and release water like a normal ultrasonic humidifier, but releases the moisture held by the humidity control filter as moisture, facilitating the propagation of mold and various bacteria in the vegetable compartment. No inconveniences occur.
[0057]
In particular, since the humidity control filter and the ultrasonic oscillator are housed in a single case and the case is mounted in the vegetable compartment, assembling workability is improved as compared with the case of individually mounting, and the operation is improved. The occurrence of defects can also be suppressed. Further, if the case is mounted on a partition plate between the refrigerator compartment and the vegetable compartment, the assembling workability is further improved. In this case, since the ultrasonic oscillator is housed in the case, there is no danger that electrical components such as the ultrasonic oscillator will be flooded even if water spills on the partition plate.
[0058]
In addition, if a sealing material is provided in the case to seal between the electrical equipment substrate of the ultrasonic oscillator and the humidity control filter, the inconvenience of moisture from the humidity control filter side applied to the electrical equipment substrate can be avoided.
[0059]
In addition, by including a material that adsorbs odor components and a material that decomposes ethylene into the humidity control filter, it can deodorize storage rooms such as vegetable rooms and remove ethylene that causes food aging. is there.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a lower perspective view of a main part showing a state in which a humidity controller is attached to the refrigerator of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a lower perspective view of the humidity control apparatus of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the humidity control device of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a lower perspective view of a sealing material of the humidity control device of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main body of a case of the humidity control apparatus of FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional front view of the main body of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the main body of FIG. 6;
FIG. 9 is a plan view of a lid of a case of the humidity control apparatus of FIG. 2;
FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional front view of the lid of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional side view of the lid of FIG. 9;
FIG. 12 is a plan view of a sealing material of the humidity control device of FIG. 2;
FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the sealing material of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional side view of the sealing material of FIG. 12;
FIG. 15 is a timing chart illustrating the operation of the humidity control apparatus of FIG. 2;
FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the humidity control device and the partition plate of FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
HC Humidity control device 1 Refrigerator 2 Insulated box 8 Refrigerating room 9 Vegetable room 11 Partition plate 18 Vegetable room container 27 Refrigerating room cooler 28 Refrigerating room blower 31 Case 32 Humidity controlling filter 33 Ultrasonic oscillator 34 Electrical board 36 Sealing material 37 Drive device 47 Body 48 Lid

Claims (6)

Vegetable compartment, comprising a humidity control filter made of a porous material capable of absorbing and releasing moisture in the air in the vegetable compartment, and an ultrasonic oscillator for applying ultrasonic waves to the humidity control filter,
A refrigerator, wherein the humidity control filter and the ultrasonic oscillator are housed in a single case, and the case is mounted in the vegetable compartment. A refrigerator compartment is provided, wherein the cool air from the refrigerator compartment is circulated around the vegetable compartment to cool the vegetable compartment, and the case is attached to a partition plate between the refrigerator compartment and the vegetable compartment. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a seal member is provided in the case to seal a space between an electric board of the ultrasonic oscillator and the humidity control filter. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control filter is made of silica gel or zeolite. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the humidity control filter contains a material that adsorbs odor components and a material that decomposes ethylene. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic oscillator is 20 kHz to 60 kHz.

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