JP2006308265A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an easy-to-use refrigerator which controls an air atmosphere in a storage container in a low oxygen state to preserve freshness of stored food over a long period of time, with a simple sealing mechanism of the storage container and a canceling mechanism at the time of drawing out a door for secure and easy operation. <P>SOLUTION: The refrigerator consists of a refrigeration storage space 3, the storage container 11 provided in the storage space, a freely openable and closable cover 13 provided to seal an opening of the storage container, a vacuum pump 17 for sucking air in the storage container closed and sealed by the cover, connection tubes 18, 22 equipped with an opening and closing valve 20 for connecting the vacuum pump and the storage container and an operation rod 23 for opening and closing the opening and closing valve and stopping to drive the vacuum pump by operation from outside a storage chamber and the connection tubes separably connect a storage container side and a vacuum pump side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator provided with oxygen concentration adjusting means for storing food for a long period of time.

  In recent years, refrigerators have a tendency to place importance on long-term preservation of food and energy saving, which are the original objective functions of refrigerators, against the backdrop of not only diversification of cooling storage temperature but also environmental concerns and growing interest in economic efficiency. is there.

  In general, foods are often discarded without being eaten due to deterioration due to the passage of the storage period, even if they are stored in the refrigerator, eliminating waste of disposal and keeping food fresh at all times. For this reason, there is a need for a function that preserves the taste, nutrients, and freshness of raw materials over a long period of time when storing food.

  Deterioration factors of food include drying and oxidation. For drying, it is effective to store under conditions of low temperature fluctuation and high humidity, and increase the evaporation temperature of the cooler dedicated to each temperature zone in the refrigerator to reduce the difference from the room air temperature Therefore, a method is widely adopted in which frost adhesion to the cooler is reduced as much as possible, and the storage chamber is kept at high humidity to prevent food from drying.

  Furthermore, with regard to vegetables, freshness can be maintained by removing ethylene gas, an aging hormone that occurs as fruits and vegetables ripen, as well as preventing dryness, but freshness that progresses by breathing and transpiration due to oxygen in the air. This deterioration causes not only a decrease in nutrient content but also a problem that the quality in terms of appearance such as discoloration is deteriorated. In the present invention, attention is paid to a method for adjusting the oxygen concentration inside the refrigerator.

  About 20% of oxygen is present in the air, and this oxygen is one of the factors that degrade foods, including the oxidation of fish and meat fats and oils. The preservation | save by interrupting | blocking a foodstuff and oxygen by (Controlled Atmosphere air atmosphere control) is known.

  As a means for adjusting the oxygen concentration, there is a method of separating oxygen and nitrogen in the air. This includes oxygen-permeable membranes that use the property of being difficult to permeate nitrogen, such as polyimide membranes and polyolefin membranes, to selectively permeate oxygen. The oxygen concentration can be changed by adjusting the pressure by sending pressurized air into the membrane formed into a hollow fiber module.

  Also, PSA (Pressure Swing Absorption Pressure Difference Adsorption Method), which uses zeolite or activated carbon, etc., and adjusts the oxygen concentration by separating oxygen and nitrogen in the air using the difference in adsorption characteristics of oxygen and nitrogen, storage space There are methods such as filling the interior with an inert gas such as nitrogen, replacing oxygen in the room with nitrogen, removing it, reducing the oxygen partial pressure by reducing the pressure in the sealed container of the storage chamber, etc. By the method, it is possible to suppress the respiration action of vegetables, suppress the activation of microorganisms and enzymes, suppress the oxidation of fats and oils, etc., and improve the preservation of food freshness.

Among these methods, as described in Patent Document 1 filed by the applicant of the present invention, the method of reducing the oxygen concentration in the decompressed atmosphere by reducing the pressure in the storage chamber is relatively simple. With the configuration, the food stored and stored in the refrigerator and oxygen are blocked, and the stored freshness of the stored product can be maintained for a long time.
JP 2004-251599 A

  However, in the case of the said structure, the connection structure of the vacuum pump for decompressing the storage space in a refrigerator, and the sealing mechanism and opening operation | movement mechanism of a storage container at the time of pressure reduction, and the storage space in a refrigerator are complicated. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and maintains the freshness of stored food for a long period of time by controlling the air atmosphere in the storage container to a low oxygen state, and also includes a sealing mechanism and door for the storage container. It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator that is simple and easy to perform, and that can be easily and reliably performed, and has good usability.

  In order to solve the above problems, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a cooling storage space, a storage container disposed inside the storage space, an openable / closable lid provided to seal the opening of the storage container, A vacuum pump for sucking air inside the storage container closed by the lid, a connection tube provided with an open / close valve for connecting the vacuum pump and the storage container, and opening / closing the open / close valve by operation from outside the storage chamber The operation tube for stopping the driving of the vacuum pump and the connection tube are characterized in that the storage container side and the vacuum pump side are connected to each other so as to be able to contact and separate.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the stored items stored in the storage space are cooled and the oxygen concentration in the storage container is reduced, thereby suppressing the respiratory action of vegetables, suppressing oxidation of fats and oils, suppressing enzyme activity, In addition, by suppressing the activity of aerobic microorganisms, it is possible to preserve the freshness of stored products for a long period of time, and to improve the space efficiency by simplifying the decompression operation and its release mechanism, making it inexpensive and easy It is possible to obtain a reliable operation and improve the usability, and to suppress noise leakage to the surroundings during the operation of the vacuum pump, thereby reducing the noise.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire refrigerator according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. ) Is provided with a cooling storage chamber (3) that can also be converted into an oxygen concentration adjustment chamber by an inner box (2), and its front opening is closed with an open / close door (4), and the ceiling of the storage space Cooling is controlled to a predetermined temperature by natural circulation of cool air by a cooler (5) installed in a flat plate shape with cooling pipes and fins formed in a meandering manner along the surface. In addition, a machine room (6) space is formed at the lower back of the refrigerator main body (1), and a compressor (7), a radiating fan (8), and a control board for supplying refrigerant to the cooler (5). A control box (9) is installed.

  A dew tray (10) that receives defrosted water melted from the cooler (5) at the time of defrosting is disposed below the flat plate cooler (5) in the cooling storage chamber. ) Collected at a drain outlet formed at the rear end, and led to an evaporating dish provided in the machine room (6) outside the warehouse from the drain outlet for evaporation treatment. The dew tray (10) is appropriately formed with an opening with ribs around it, and cool air generated by the cooler (5) flows through the opening into the storage space to be cooled and removed. The frost water is prevented from dripping into the lower storage chamber (3).

  The cooling storage chamber (3) is provided with a storage container (11) for storing and storing food, and the storage container (11) corresponds to the pressure when the inside of the container is depressurized for oxygen concentration adjustment. Therefore, a part or the whole is formed in a pressure-resistant structure with a magnetic body such as a steel plate, and is held between a pair of left and right support frames (12) extending in the back direction attached to the inner lower part of the door (4), By sliding on the rail provided on the side surface of the storage room, it can be pulled out to the outside together with the door (4).

  The top opening of the storage container (11) is covered with a lid (13). As is well understood in FIG. 4, which is an exploded perspective view, the lid (13) has a rear end (13a) separated from the front and fixed to the upper surface of the storage container (11) with screws or the like. The front part is pivotably connected upward by a hinge (13b) and is configured to open and close the opening of the container (11). A seal packing (14) formed in an annular shape with silicon rubber or the like is attached to a portion corresponding to the opening of the storage container (11) of the lid (13), and when the cover (13) is covered, the storage container ( 11) The inside is completely enclosed.

  (15) is an outside air introduction valve provided on the upper surface of the lid (13) to quickly return the inside of the storage container (11) in a depressurized state to atmospheric pressure when the lid (13) is pulled out. And (16) is a vacuum gauge for indicating the degree of vacuum in the storage container (11), and is installed in the front part of the lid (13) in the same manner as the outside air introduction valve (15). A part of the ceiling of the refrigerator main body (1) corresponding to the upper side of the vacuum gauge (16) is formed in a window shape with a transparent heat insulating wall (27) such as a gas-sealed panel, and the door (4) The display of the vacuum gauge (16) can be seen from the outside while the is closed.

  A vacuum pump (17) for depressurizing the inside of the container is installed on the back of the storage container (11). An extension tube (18) is attached to the suction port of the vacuum pump (17), and the extension tube (18) extends from the upper surface on the indoor side of the partition heat insulating wall (19) forming the machine room (6) to the front. It is extended to the front lower part.

  Corresponding to the extension tube (18), a concave portion (11a) is formed in one side rear portion of the storage container (11), an opening is formed in the rear wall and the rear portion is extended, and an air passage is formed in a part thereof. An exhaust pipe (21) to which a valve (20) for opening and closing is attached is integrally formed. At the tip of the exhaust pipe (21), a connection tube (elastic tube whose diameter of the open end can be contracted by pressure) 22) is installed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the distal end of the extension tube (18) of the vacuum pump (17) overlaps the inner side of the connection tube (22) over a predetermined range and is slightly moved so as to be movable back and forth. When the valve (20) is rotated as shown by an arrow and the valve (20) is opened and the vacuum pump (17) is driven as shown in FIG. The inside of the connection tube (22) is contracted by a negative pressure due to suction, and acts so as to be in close contact with the outer surface of the extension tube (18) as indicated by an arrow. By this close contact, the extension tube (18) and the exhaust pipe (21) are connected in an airtight manner, and the air in the storage container (11) is sucked through the valve (20) to reduce the pressure in the container.

  The valve (20) is manually controlled to open and close by a lever (23) attached to the outer wall of the body (1) corresponding to the valve (20) so as to be pivotable in the front-rear direction. The shaft portion (23a) provided through the shaft is pushed in the axial direction, and the protrusion (23b) at the tip is inserted into and engaged with the recessed molding portion (20a) formed on the outer surface of the valve (20). By moving, the valve (20) is opened to open and close the air passage.

A first micro switch (24) is installed on the wall surface corresponding to the rear lower surface of the storage container (11) that is pushed into the storage chamber (3) as a position detection switch for the storage container (11). When the storage container (11) is pushed into a predetermined position with the door (4) closed, the rear end of the recess (11a) of the container presses the microswitch (24) to turn on. Are arranged as follows.

  Further, a second micro switch (25) is provided in the vicinity of the lever (23), and the protrusion (23b) of the shaft portion of the lever (23) is replaced with the concave molding portion (20a) of the valve (20). When it is pushed to fit in, the microswitch (25) is turned on to connect the circuit to the vacuum pump (17) and to enable it.

  Furthermore, an electromagnet (26) is arranged on the back wall corresponding to the back surface of the storage container (11) when the door is closed, and when the storage container (11) formed of a magnetic material is pushed into a predetermined position. The distance to the corresponding electromagnet (26) is close. When the second micro switch (25) is turned on by the operation of the lever (23), the electromagnet (26) is energized to energize it, and the storage container formed of magnetic metal by the magnetic force. (11) is pulled back and fixed in place. Therefore, the through hole of the main body holding the shaft portion (23a) of the lever encloses an elastic body such as rubber, so that the shaft portion (23a ) Position can be moved back and forth.

  The storage container (11) is in a predetermined position, the first micro switch (24) is in an ON state, and the lever (23) and the valve (20) are in a concavo-convex fitting state, so that the second When the lever (23) is rotated backward while the micro switch (25) is turned on, the valve (20) is opened and the vacuum pump (17) is moved into the storage container (11). In addition, the vacuum pump (17) is driven by turning on a drive switch (not shown).

  At this time, since the storage container (11) is pulled rearward by the electromagnet (26), the door (4) of the storage chamber cannot be opened, and the storage container (11) is brought into a fitted state by opening carelessly. The protrusion (23b) of a lever (23) is not likely to be damaged, and the rearward movement of the storage container (11) removes the exhaust pipe (21) from the connection tube (22) and the vacuum pump (17). The overlapping range with the extension tube (18) becomes longer, and the degree of adhesion between the two becomes larger, so that air leakage during operation of the vacuum pump (17) can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the drive switch of the vacuum pump (17) is not shown, but this drive switch is subordinate to the operation of the second micro switch (25). For example, the lever (23 ) To turn on, and when the lever (23) is not fitted to the valve (20), the second micro switch (25) is in the off state, so the drive switch is turned on. However, the vacuum pump (17) is not driven.

  That is, in the vacuum pump (17), the storage container (11) is held by the support frame (12) of the door (4) and is in a predetermined position in the storage chamber (3) by the closed door, and the lever (23) is pivoted. It can be operated only when the storage container (11) is pulled in the direction and engaged with the valve (20), and is retracted by the electromagnet (26), and the lever (23) is rotated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operation of careless operation and damage of related parts.

  Hereinafter, the case where food is taken out from the refrigerator main body (1) already held in a low oxygen state, and the case where the food is newly stored and stored in order to keep the freshness of the food for a long time will be described.

  First, before opening the door, the lever (23) on the side of the refrigerator main body (1) is turned to close the valve (20) and the vacuum pump (17) is stopped, and the lever (23) is pulled out in the axial direction. The energization of the storage container (11) is released by cutting off the power to (26). At the same time, the negative pressure on the connection tube (22) is removed to release the contact with the extension tube (18) from the vacuum pump (17), enabling the door opening operation.

  Therefore, since the valve (20) and the connecting tube (22) engaged with the extension tube (18) are substantially integrated with the storage container (11), the door (3) is pulled out. Is pulled out together with the storage container (11).

  Next, the door (4) is pulled out from the storage space, and the outside air introduction valve (15) on the top surface of the lid (13) of the storage container (11) is opened to return the inside of the container to atmospheric pressure, and the lid (13) is opened. What is necessary is just to take out the stored product stored in the container by opening the lid (13) and store new food.

  At this time, if the storage container (11) is sealed with the lid (13), it can be removed from the main body while keeping the low oxygen concentration in the container, and can be carried and transported. it can. Moreover, since it can also remove from the support frame (12) of a door, cleaning and washing | cleaning of a storage container become easy.

  In order to make the inside of the storage container (11) hypoxic, the storage container (11) is pushed to a predetermined position by closing the lid (13) and closing the outside air introduction valve (15). On the other hand, the lever (23) on the side surface of the main body (1) is pushed in and the protrusion (23b) is fitted and engaged with the concave molding (20a) of the valve (20) in the room, and the storage container ( 11) Pull back and increase the overlap margin of the extension tube (18) into the connection tube (22).

  Next, the lever (23) is rotated to open the valve (20), and the vacuum pump (17) is driven to suck in air through the valve (20) and the extension tube (18). The pressure is reduced. At the same time, the storage container (11) is fixed by the pulling force of the electromagnet (26) to prevent inadvertent opening and prevent damage to related parts such as the lever (23) and the inner surface of the connection tube (22). Is closely attached to the outer surface of the extension tube (18) by negative pressure, and can effectively prevent air leakage to the outside.

  At this time, even in the closed state, the storage container (11) can be obtained by looking at the internal vacuum gauge (16) through the heat insulating wall (27) which is a transparent display portion provided on the ceiling surface of the refrigerator body (1). The vacuum pump (17) can be operated while checking the degree of vacuum inside.

  In the above configuration, when the storage chamber (3) of the refrigerator (1) is set to be used as a decompression storage chamber capable of adjusting the oxygen concentration, the lid (13) of the storage container (11) in the room is sealed. The inside of the container (11) is in a depressurized state between 50 and 200 Torr by suction of air by driving the vacuum pump (17). As a result of the lowering of the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere due to the reduced pressure, the stored food and oxygen are blocked, and in combination with the low temperature due to the cooling action, the inside of the container (11) has a low oxygen concentration and It becomes a low-temperature atmosphere state, and effects such as suppression of the respiratory action of vegetables, suppression of oxidation of fish fats and oils, suppression of enzyme activity, suppression of aerobic microorganism activity, and long-term storage by improving freshness are possible. Can do.

  In addition, the vacuum pump (17) that discharges the air in the storage chamber (3) is installed at the corner of the storage container (11), and the extension tube (18), connection tube (22), valve (20) By using the dead space in the room, the storage volume is prevented from being greatly reduced, the vacuum pump (17) is in the storage room, and the door (4) is closed when the vacuum pump is operating. Therefore, the degree to which the pump drive sound leaks to the outside can be remarkably reduced, and the generation of noise can be reduced compared to the installation in the machine room.

  As described above, when the storage chamber (3) is used as a normal cooling temperature chamber in which the oxygen concentration is not adjusted, the vacuum pump (17) and the electromagnet (26) are installed without inserting the lever (23) into the valve (20). What is necessary is just to make it not operate | move and to perform the cooling operation by a compressor (7). Further, whether the storage room is to be refrigerated or refrigerated can be appropriately selected in any of the above cases, and the target refrigerator is not limited to the form of the above embodiment, but may be multi-temperature. It may be applied to a plurality of storage rooms in a large refrigerator of the type.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a refrigerator provided with an oxygen concentration adjusting means for long-term storage of food.

It is the whole refrigerator perspective view which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator of FIG. FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. It is a disassembled perspective view of the storage container part of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the connection state of the vacuum exhaust path in the rear part of the storage container of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the suction state of the vacuum exhaust path in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Refrigerator body 2 Inner box 3 Cooling storage room 4 Door 5 Cooler 6 Machine room 7 Compressor 9 Control box 10 Dew tray
11 Storage container 11a Recessed part 12 Support frame
13 Lid 13a Rear end 13b Hinge
14 Seal packing 15 Outside air introduction valve 16 Vacuum gauge
17 Vacuum pump 18 Extension tube 19 Partition insulation wall
20 Valve 20a Concave molding 21 Exhaust pipe
22 Connecting tube 23 Lever 23a Shaft
23b Protrusion 24 1st micro switch 25 2nd micro switch
26 Solenoid valve 27 Transparent heat insulation wall

Claims (6)

  A cooling storage space, a storage container disposed inside the storage space, an openable / closable lid provided to seal the opening of the storage container, and the air inside the storage container closed by the lid is sucked A vacuum pump, a connection tube provided with an opening / closing valve for connecting the vacuum pump and the storage container, and an operating rod for opening / closing the opening / closing valve and operating the vacuum pump to be stopped by an operation from outside the storage chamber. The refrigerator is characterized in that the connecting tube is connected to the storage container side and the vacuum pump side so as to be able to contact and separate.   The entire or part of the storage container that is held by the support frame provided on the door and is a drawer type is made of magnetic metal, and an electromagnet is provided on the corresponding indoor wall when the storage container is stored in the storage room. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnet is energized by the operation of the bag and the storage container is pulled back by magnetic force, and the vacuum pump can be driven.   2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing valve and the vacuum pump can be opened and closed by fitting the opening / closing valve and the operating rod in the connection tube by pushing the operating rod toward the opening / closing valve. .   The vacuum pump is installed in the storage chamber at the rear of the storage container, and the exhaust pipe of the storage container and the extension tube from the vacuum pump are overlapped and joined by connecting the elastic tube by storing the container in the storage chamber. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator is brought into close contact with a negative pressure by suction.   An exhaust pipe provided with an open / close valve at the rear of the storage container and a connection tube are formed substantially integrally at the tip of the exhaust pipe, and when the storage container is pushed into a predetermined position in the storage chamber, The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein an extension tube from the vacuum pump is inserted with a slight gap.   When the storage container is pushed into the storage chamber, by detecting that the storage container is in a predetermined position, the fitting operation with the opening / closing valve of the operation rod and the driving of the vacuum pump are enabled. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

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