JP2004309034A - Refrigerating storage chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent water from entering into the machine room of a refrigerating storage chamber. <P>SOLUTION: In a front panel 40 opening/closing the front opening of the machine room 15, the upper surface plate thereof is formed aslant at downhill grade toward this side (to the outside of the machine). When water accumulated on a top plate 10A flows to a trailing edge side, it may flow to the lower surface side. However, as shown by the arrow x, the water is pushed back by warm exhaust gas after cooling a condensing unit to restrict the water to enter into an area exceeding the front panel 40. Then, the water on the lower surface of the top plate 10A may drip on the upper surface plate 50 of the front panel 40. Even if the water drips thereon, the water flows out of the machine along the grade to avoid dripping in the machine room 15. The adherence of water to electrical equipment box 30 stored on the rear side of the front panel 40 can be avoided. Also, the occurrence of rust in the machine room 15 can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a machine room attached to a cooling storage.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, as a refrigerator for storing milk used for school lunches, a so-called horizontal refrigerator, which is short, is used because the weight of the storage items is large and the people who handle it are mainly elementary school students. For example, see Patent Document 1).
As shown in FIG. 7, this has a refrigerator main body 1 consisting of a horizontally long heat-insulating box opened to the front, the inside being a refrigeration room, and a double door-type heat-insulating door 2 attached to the front entrance. I have. On the other hand, a machine room 3 is provided on the side of the refrigerator main body 1, and a refrigerating device 4, an electrical box 5 (FIG. 8) and the like are unitized and housed so as to be able to be taken in and out from a front entrance. Among them, the cooler 4A is housed together with the in-compartment fan 4B in the cooler room 6 which is formed in the upper part of the machine room 3 so as to communicate with the refrigerator room and protrude. The entrance of the machine room 3 is closed by a front panel 7 mounted so as to be swingable.
Then, when the refrigerating device 4 and the in-compartment fan 6 are operated, the cool air generated by the cooler 4A is circulated and supplied into the refrigerating room, so that the refrigerating room is cooled.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-9-273856
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the front panel 7 of the machine room 3 is usually formed in the shape of a rectangular shallow dish with a short side plate raised on the periphery, and is arranged vertically with the side plate facing the back side, and one side edge is swung by a hinge. When the door is closed, as shown in FIG. 8, it is accommodated under the eaves of the top plate 1A connected continuously from the refrigerator body 1 side.
However, in such a conventional structure, for example, when water accumulates on the top plate 1A, the water drops on the top plate 7A of the front panel 7, and as shown in FIG. There is a possibility that the liquid drops may be dropped on the back side, that is, into the machine room 3 and fall down on the electrical equipment box 5 accommodated therein, which may lead to a short circuit.
[0005]
In addition, during operation of the refrigeration apparatus 4, when the condenser fan is driven, outside air is sucked in from the intake port 8A formed on the lower side of the front panel 7, and warm exhaust air after cooling the condenser and the like is generated. The air is exhausted to the outside from an exhaust port 8B formed on the upper side of the front panel 7. However, in the conventional structure, as shown in FIG. 8B, turbulence tends to occur particularly on the lower side of the upper surface plate 7A, and heat tends to accumulate. This means that the cooling efficiency of the condenser is reduced, which may lead to a decrease in the refrigeration capacity.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the cooling storage according to the first aspect of the present invention, the storage main body is provided with a machine room accommodating a refrigeration apparatus, an electrical box, and the like, and an opening at the front of the machine room is closed by a front panel. It is characterized in that the upper surface of the front panel is formed on an inclined surface which is inclined downward toward the front.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, an exhaust port for discharging warm exhaust after cooling a condenser or the like in the refrigerating device is formed on an upper side of the front panel. It has features.
[0007]
Function and effect of the present invention
<Invention of claim 1>
Since the upper surface of the front panel is formed with a downward slope toward the outside of the machine, even if water drops on the upper surface of the front panel, it is prevented from flowing out of the machine and dripping into the machine room. For this reason, an electrical leakage accident is prevented from occurring in an electrical box or the like accommodated in the machine room, and rust in the machine room is also prevented.
In addition, since the upper surface of the front panel has a downward slope, dust hardly accumulates, and even if it accumulates, the entrance to the upper surface is largely opened, so that the front panel closes the opening of the machine room, Or, it can be easily cleaned even when attached, and it is hygienic.
<Invention of Claim 2>
Of the warm exhaust air after cooling the condenser and the like, the warm exhaust air flowing just below the upper surface of the front panel is also smoothly discharged to the outside from the exhaust port while being guided by the inclination of the upper surface. Since the hot air pool cannot be formed, the cooling of the condenser and the like is efficiently performed, and the refrigeration capacity can be enhanced. Further, it is possible to prevent a failure of the compressor or the like.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this embodiment, a horizontal refrigerator used for temporarily storing milk provided for school lunches and the like is illustrated.
In FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, reference numeral 10 denotes a refrigerator main body, which is constituted by a horizontally long heat-insulating box opened to the front side, and a refrigerator compartment 11 for storing milk in a container is formed therein. The front opening is provided with a double door type heat insulating door 12, which is supported by legs 13 provided at the four corners of the bottom surface.
[0009]
On the left side when viewed from the front of the main body 10, a machine room 15 in which the cooling unit 20 is housed so as to be able to be taken in and out is provided. The machine room 15 is roughly formed in a box shape with a front surface opened by arranging a panel on a side surface, a back surface, and a bottom surface, and arranging a top plate 10A extending from the main body 10 side.
A heat-insulating cooler room 16 communicating with the refrigeration room 11 is formed on the rear side of the upper part in the machine room 15 so as to protrude, and an entrance 16A is opened on the front surface thereof, and a lower surface side of the cooler room 16 is formed. Is provided with a storage space 17.
[0010]
The cooling unit 20 includes a compressor 21, a condenser 22, a cooler 23 (evaporator), and the like circulated through a refrigerant pipe. The cooling unit 20 is housed in the storage space 17 and in the cooler chamber 16. These are divided into parts, and these are arranged on the substrate 25 in a vertically stacked manner. As a part to be stored in the storage space 17, a compressor 21 on the back side and a condenser 22 provided with a condenser fan 22A on the near side are arranged (these units are referred to as a condensation unit 26).
On the upper surface of the condenser 22, a lid 27 for closing the entrance of the cooler chamber 16 is provided upright, and a cooler 23 is attached to the back surface of the lid 27. An in-compartment fan 28 is provided on the outlet side of the cooler 23. An electrical box 30 is attached to the front of the lid 27.
[0011]
A front panel 40 is mounted on the front opening of the machine room 15 so as to be openable and closable. The front panel 40 is formed in the shape of a rectangular shallow dish with a short side plate 41 raised on the periphery, and is disposed vertically with the side plate 41 facing the back side, and the right edge viewed from the front is hinged by a hinge 42. It is supported so that it can swing open and close. At a position near the lower portion of the front panel 40, an intake port 44 for outside air is formed to cool the condensation unit 26, and an exhaust port 45 is opened at the upper left side of the front panel as viewed from the front. Note that exhaust ports 45 are also formed in the side panel 15B and the rear panel in advance.
[0012]
When the cooling unit 20 is housed, the front panel 40 is opened, and the substrate 25 is placed on the bottom plate 15C of the machine room 15 and pushed in. The cooler 23 is inserted into the cooler chamber 16 from the entrance 16A, and when the cooler 23 is inserted in a regular amount, the lid 27 is fixed by bolting to close the entrance. During this time, the condensation unit 26 is stored in the storage space 17. Then, the front panel 40 is closed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the front panel 40 fits under the eaves of the top plate 10A.
[0013]
When the condensing unit 26 and the in-compartment fan 28 are driven during the cooling operation, as shown by the arrow in FIG. From the refrigerator 23, is circulated through the cooler 23, is converted into cold air, and is circulated and supplied from the fan 28 in the refrigerator along the guide plate 33 to the ceiling surface side of the refrigerator compartment 11, thereby refrigeration. The inside of the chamber 11 is cooled.
During this cooling operation, outside air is taken into the storage space 17 from the intake port 44 with the driving of the condenser fan 22A, and the condenser 22, the compressor 21 and the like are cooled. The warm exhaust air that has been subjected to cooling rises in the space on the left side of the cooler room 16 and is then exhausted from the exhaust port 45 of the front panel 40 to the front outside the machine. When the rear or left side of the machine room 15 is open due to the installation of the refrigerator, a part of the warm exhaust air is also exhausted from the exhaust port 45 of the side panel 15B or the rear panel.
[0014]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upper surface plate 50 of the front panel 40 that opens and closes the front opening of the machine room 15 has a downward slope toward the near side (outside the machine). It is formed in an inclined shape.
[0015]
The operation and effect of the present embodiment are as follows.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the water accumulated on the top plate 10A flows to the front edge side, it may be transmitted to the lower surface side of the top plate 10A, but as shown by the arrow x in FIG. The unit 26 is pushed back by the warm exhaust air after the unit 26 is cooled, so that the unit 26 is restricted from entering the region beyond the front panel 40 inward. After that, water accumulated on the lower surface of the top plate 10A may drop on the upper surface plate 50 of the front panel 40, but since the upper surface plate 50 is formed with a downward slope toward the outside of the machine, it is assumed that Even if the water drops, the water flows out of the machine following the gradient and is prevented from dropping into the machine room 15.
[0016]
Although the electrical box 30 is housed behind the front panel 40, water is prevented from dropping into the machine room 15 as described above, so that the water is prevented from adhering to the electrical box 30. Therefore, the occurrence of the earth leakage accident is prevented beforehand. Further, generation of rust in the machine room 15 is also prevented.
Further, since the upper surface plate 50 of the front panel 40 has a downward slope, dust hardly accumulates. Even if the dust accumulates, the entrance side is largely open, so that even if the front panel 40 is closed, Easy to clean and sanitary.
[0017]
Further, during the cooling operation, the warm exhaust air after cooling the condensing unit 26 and the like goes to the exhaust port 45 of the front panel 40. As shown in FIG. The warm exhaust air that has flowed directly below 50 is also smoothly discharged outside from the upper exhaust port 45 while being guided by the inclination of the upper plate 50. Since the hot air cannot be accumulated, the condenser 22 and the like can be efficiently cooled, and the refrigeration capacity can be increased. In addition, it is possible to prevent a failure of the compressor 21 and the like.
[0018]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and furthermore, besides the following, within the scope not departing from the gist. Can be implemented with various modifications.
(1) In the above embodiment, the case where the front panel is provided in the form of a door capable of swinging open / close is exemplified. However, the front panel may be directly attached to the front opening of the machine room by screws or the like.
(2) The refrigerating device does not necessarily have to be unitized and capable of being taken in and out of the machine room.
(3) The present invention can be similarly applied to the case where the machine room is provided not only on the side of the storage main body but also above and below.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1 is an external perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a side view thereof; FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view thereof; FIG. 4 is a sectional view seen from the front; FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state of warm exhaust air distribution. FIG. 7 is a front view of a conventional example. FIG. Notched Part Side View (B) Partially Notched Part Side View Showing Hot Exhaust Flow
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Refrigerator main body (storage main body) 10A ... Top plate 15 ... Machine room 20 ... Cooling unit (refrigerator) 30 ... Electrical box 40 ... Front panel 45 ... Exhaust port 50 ... Top plate

Claims (2)

The storage main body is provided with a machine room accommodating a refrigeration device, an electrical box, and the like, and an opening at the front of the machine room is closed by a front panel.
A cooling storage, wherein an upper surface of the front panel is formed on an inclined surface having a downward slope toward the front. 2. The cooling storage according to claim 1, wherein an exhaust port for discharging warm exhaust air after cooling a condenser or the like in the refrigerating device is formed on an upper side of the front panel.

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