JP2006329482A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator improved in volume efficiency by reducing a thickness of a heat insulating wall by improving the heat insulating performance of a vacuum heat insulation panel used in the heat insulation wall such as a partitioning wall in a refrigerator having a refrigerating compartment of a comparatively small capacity in the refrigerator. <P>SOLUTION: In this refrigerator having freezing storage spaces 3, 4, 5 and 6 and a refrigerating storage space 2, and provided with a cooler and a cold air circulation fan for cooling these spaces, the vacuum heat insulation panel 29 formed by integrating two planes of at least a horizontal portion and a bent portion, is mounted, at least one plane of the vacuum heat insulation panel is positioned in each of partitioning walls 25, 26 and 27 between the storage compartments having set cooling temperatures different from each other larger than a temperature difference between freezing and refrigerating. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator using a vacuum heat insulating panel as a partition heat insulating material between storage rooms.

  Conventionally, as a heat insulating material for a heat-insulating cabinet in a refrigerator, it has been mainstream to use a polyurethane foam that has low thermal conductivity and has rigidity integrated with an outer box and an inner box constituting the cabinet by foam filling, In recent years, vacuum as a heat insulator has been used to further improve the heat insulation performance of refrigerator cabinets and reduce power consumption by preventing heat leakage, or by reducing the heat insulation wall thickness to improve volume efficiency as a refrigerator. Some insulation panels have been put to practical use.

  As an example of application to a refrigerator, the vacuum heat insulation panel (51) whose basic structure is shown in FIG. 7 is made to function at a relatively high internal pressure that suppresses material costs, facilitates maintenance of exhaust and vacuum, and obtains long-term reliability. Therefore, this core material (52) is synthesized by using a resin foam with an open cell structure that can form a minute space and maintain the form under atmospheric pressure, inorganic fine powder, and fiber as the core material (52). A configuration is adopted in which a gas barrier container (53) made of a laminate film of a resin film and an aluminum foil is covered, the inside of the container (53) is evacuated, and then the opening is sealed by heat sealing (23a).

  In addition, in order to suppress the deterioration with time due to the increase in internal pressure due to the outgas generated from the core material (55a) and the permeated gas entering the inside from the sealing surface or surface of the gas barrier container (53), titanium, Metals such as magnesium, alloys such as barium and lithium, oxides such as cobalt oxide, calcium oxide and zeolite, activated carbon and the like, getter agents that adsorb moisture, oxygen, nitrogen and other air components, and hydrogen gas 54), and the mounting structure to the refrigerator is a method in which large flat panels are attached to the side, back, or ceiling of the cabinet and the urethane foam is filled into the gap.

When the core material is an inorganic fine powder or open cell resin foam, the thermal conductivity of the vacuum heat insulating panel is limited to about 0.005 to 0.006 W / mK. As a configuration for obtaining a thermal conductivity of less than that, a large number of small spaces can be formed by using ultrafine glass wool having a fiber diameter of several μm or less as a core material, and a low thermal conductivity of about 0.002 W / mK. Can be realized. And this kind of ultra-fine and short glass wool is needling processed to form a mat-like core material, housed in a gas barrier container, the inside is evacuated, and the panel body is used to make the refrigerator heat insulation wall A configuration that is embedded in urethane foam has been filed and published by the present applicant (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-2005-69448

  On the other hand, the vacuum heat insulation panel is a so-called heat bridge phenomenon that causes heat leakage in the thickness direction along the container end face, so that it is more efficient to use it in a large panel without dividing it as small as possible. However, there are many restrictions on the installation location of a flat panel.

  In other words, as described above, the vacuum heat insulation panel is combined with urethane foam heat insulating material to form heat insulation walls, and the arrangement on the left and right side surfaces, the back surface, the ceiling surface, and the door surface has a large area of the flat part. Although it is easy to use, if it is used by dividing into small piece panels adapted to the individual surface shape, not only the coverage of the vacuum insulation panel to the insulation area will be reduced, but also due to the effect of the heat bridge through the panel end face There was a problem that heat leakage was large and the heat insulation effect as a whole was greatly diminished.

  Furthermore, when installing a vacuum heat insulation panel in a complex part such as the periphery of the ice making chamber or the bottom of the main body in a refrigerator, it will be deformed by matching or folding it to the concave and convex shape of the wall surface. The gas barrier container formed of the laminate film may be damaged due to a large mechanical damage, which may cause a leak.

  In particular, in a refrigerator having a temperature switching chamber, a user can freely set a freezing temperature of −18 ° C. or less to a vegetable room temperature of about 6 ° C., or a high temperature holding room by heating with a heater. Since there are cases where the temperature is selected and used, the heat insulating partition wall around the temperature switching chamber must be provided with heat insulating performance considering the maximum temperature difference, and there are multiple temperature switching chambers installed. In some cases, since it is necessary to provide an increasingly thick insulating wall, the decrease in volumetric efficiency may be serious.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and the heat insulation performance of the vacuum heat insulation panel used for the heat insulation wall such as the partition wall in the refrigerator having a relatively small capacity storage room in the warehouse is improved. It aims at providing the refrigerator which aimed at the improvement of the volumetric efficiency by reduction of thickness.

  In order to solve the above problems, a refrigerator according to the present invention is a refrigerator having a refrigerated storage space and a refrigerated storage space and provided with a cooler for cooling these spaces and a cold air circulation fan. At least a horizontal portion and a bent portion are provided. A vacuum heat insulation panel in which two flat surfaces are integrally formed is provided, and at least one flat surface of the vacuum heat insulation panel is installed in a partition wall between storage rooms whose set cooling temperature is different from the temperature difference between freezing and refrigeration. It is what.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to effectively dispose a vacuum heat insulation panel having a large heat insulation performance even on a heat insulation wall of a refrigerator that forms a relatively small capacity storage room space. In addition to the increase, the storage volume efficiency in the storage chamber can be improved and the power consumption can be reduced by reducing the thickness of the partition wall.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a refrigerator according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view in which the door of the refrigerator is omitted, and a large storage capacity is provided in the upper part of the storage space inside the refrigerator main body (1) composed of a heat insulating box. A cold storage room (2) is placed, and a relatively small-capacity ice-making storage room (3) and a first temperature switching room (4) are insulatively divided side by side through a heat insulating partition wall below. is doing.

  Below the ice making storage chamber (3) and the first temperature switching chamber (4), there is provided a second switching chamber (5) partitioned by a heat insulating wall in the same manner as described above, and the second switching chamber (5) is provided at the bottom. A third temperature switching chamber (6) having a slightly smaller storage volume than the temperature switching chamber (5) is arranged in a heat-insulating section.

  Each of the storage chambers (2) to (6) has its front opening closed with a dedicated opening / closing door, and shelves in a plurality of stages in the refrigerating chamber (2) having the largest storage volume arranged at the top. The opening is opened and closed by a single door or a double door (2a) pivoted by hinges on one side or both sides.

  The ice-making storage chamber (3) and the first to third temperature switching chambers (4), (5), and (6) below the refrigerating chamber are arranged on the support frame (not shown) fixed to the door, with the storage containers (4a) (5a) (6a). ) And are slid by rails provided on the side wall and the bottom wall of the storage room, and can be pulled out in the front-rear direction from the refrigerator main body (1).

  A first cooler (7) and a fan (8) dedicated to the refrigerator compartment are installed in the back of the refrigerator compartment (2) space arranged in the upper part of the main body, and the second temperature switching chamber (5) below and The second cooler that cools the ice making storage chamber (3) and the first to third temperature switching chambers (4), (5), and (6) over the back to the third temperature switching chamber (6). (9) is installed.

  (10) is a fan that discharges the cold air generated by the second cooler (9) to each storage room, and the ice making storage room (3) and the first ice storage room (1) located substantially at the center of the refrigerator main body (1). In addition to the temperature change chamber (4), the discharged cold air is supplied to the ice storage chamber (3) and the first to third temperature change chambers (1) through the dedicated duct (11). 4) (5) It is blown into (6), and controls the opening and closing of the damper (13) provided at each cold air outlet by the operation of the refrigeration cycle according to the detection value of the sensor that detects the indoor air temperature, The amount of cool air introduced is adjusted based on the set temperature of each storage room, and the freezing temperature of −18 ° C. or less to the weak freezing temperature of about −8 ° C., the partial freezing temperature of −3 ° C., the chilled temperature of about 0 ° C., 2 Refrigeration temperature of about ℃ 5, vegetable storage temperature of 5 ℃, and wine storage of about 8 ℃ Controlling so that a predetermined set room temperature switches optionally up time.

  Of course, at this time, the refrigeration cycle including the first and second coolers (7) and (9) and the compressor (14), and the fan (10) are connected to the ice making storage chamber (3) and the first to third temperature switches. It goes without saying that the chambers (4), (5) and (6) have a refrigerating capacity capable of cooling all of the chambers to the refrigerating temperature at the same time.

  In addition, the atmosphere for storing vegetables is effective to be kept at a slightly higher temperature and higher humidity than the refrigeration temperature, and since a high humidity atmosphere is desirable for storage of refrigerated food and wine, the first to first 3 In the temperature switching chambers (4), (5) and (6), the damper (13) of the cold air outlet (12) and the damper B (16) are also provided in the suction port (15) to the second cooler (9). When the storage temperature is set to 0 ° C. or higher, the damper B (16) is synchronized with the opening / closing operation of the damper (13). As a result, when the damper B (16) is closed, the cool air in the storage chamber is sucked into the second cooler (9) and the chamber is sealed without negative pressure, and drying is prevented. A preservation atmosphere can be maintained.

  By setting in this way, the most frequently used refrigerator compartment (2) is located at the height of the user's line of sight and is easy to use in and out of stored items, and the ice making ice compartment (3) Since it is located at almost the center height of the main body, it also has the advantage that it is easy to take out the stored ice without bending over.

  And, for example, if a vegetable temperature zone that is most frequently used after the refrigeration room (2) is set in the second temperature switching room (5) below the ice making storage room (3), the user can reach a relatively high position corresponding to the waist. The container (5a) can be pulled out, and the stored items can be put in and taken out from above the upper surface opening. The third temperature switching chamber (6) at the bottom is used as a storage place for frozen food over a long period of time. Refrigerated storage products for edible use in a short period of time can be handled at a height that is easy to see and put in and out by storing the first temperature switching chamber (4) as a freezing temperature specification, and the layout of each storage chamber that is easy to use It can be set.

  As another example of setting use, the lower ice-making storage chamber (3) and the first to third temperature switching chambers (4), (5), and (6) are set to a freezing temperature with respect to the upper refrigerating chamber (2). If it is set to a belt, the volume corresponding to approximately 50% of the entire storage volume of the refrigerator can be used as a freezing temperature zone space, which is effective when, for example, a large amount of frozen food is purchased and stored before the New Year. is there.

  Further, in the above, the second temperature switching chamber (5) is used as a vegetable storage space. However, soil dirt on the vegetables easily falls into the third temperature switching chamber (6) in the lower freezing temperature zone. If there is anxiety, if you reverse the temperature setting and set the vegetable temperature zone in the third temperature switching room (6), you can eliminate the anxiety and use it with peace of mind. Since the switching of the specifications of the temperature switching chamber can be easily performed according to the convenience of the user, the usability is improved.

  According to the above-described configuration, when the user desires, the cooling storage product can be stored and cooled according to the respective amounts in a predetermined temperature range, and the storage volume can be expanded according to the situation. By disposing the storage temperature chamber at a desired height position, it is possible to obtain a refrigerator that is easy to use and that can be cooled and controlled with sufficient refrigeration power without greatly changing the refrigeration capacity as compared with the prior art.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3 which is a sectional view from the front of the refrigerator main body (1), the first to third temperature switching chambers (4), (5), (6) and other outer boxes (17) and the inner A vacuum heat insulation panel A (21) is disposed on the surrounding heat insulation wall (19) between the boxes (18) together with a foam heat insulation material (20) such as urethane foam. As shown in FIG. 4, a schematic cross-sectional view of this vacuum heat insulation panel A (21) is made of glass wool, which is a cotton-like material of ultrafine glass fibers having a fiber diameter of several μm or less, without using a binder. The core material (22) is formed into a gas barrier container (23) in which a laminated film of aluminum foil and a synthetic resin is formed, and further, the outgas generated from the core material and the inside A getter agent (24) that adsorbs moisture and gas while suppressing deterioration over time due to permeated gas and the like entering the inside is sealed, the inside is evacuated to about 0.03 to 30 Pa, and the opening is sealed by heat sealing (23a) In this way, the inside of the container is kept in a vacuum and reduced pressure state, and the thermal conductivity of the one using inorganic fine powder or fiber as the core material is usually 0.005 to 6 W / mK. On the other hand, 0 A panel having a low thermal conductivity of about 002 W / mK can be formed. The panel is bonded and held in advance to the inner surface of the outer box (17) by hot melt or the like, and a foam heat insulating material (20 When the stock solution is injected and foam-filled, it is embedded and fixed integrally in the heat insulating material (20).

  Furthermore, the upper and lower partition walls (25) (26) forming the ice making storage chamber (3) and the vertical partition wall (27) on the first temperature switching chamber (4) side are arranged along the partition walls on these three sides. A substantially U-shaped vacuum heat insulation panel B (29) is disposed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the vacuum heat insulation panel B (29) has a gas barrier container (31) made of a thin stainless steel sheet having a thickness of about 50 μm and a bottom portion having a flange on the periphery. It is formed from a tray (31a) and a lid (31b) that have been drawn into a shallow container shape. After the same core material (30) is compressed and packed into the tray (31a) of the gas barrier container, the container The upper surface opening of (31a) is covered with a similar stainless steel lid (31b), and an airtight panel is formed by welding the periphery leaving an opening (31c) for exhaust, and the interior is evacuated or vacuumed It is evacuated at about 0.03 to 30 Pa so as to easily maintain the degree and to obtain long-term reliability.

  Then, the opening (31c) is sealed by welding or sealing with a low melting point metal to keep the inside of the stainless steel container (31) in a vacuum-reduced state, and then the L-shaped or It is folded in a U shape as shown in Fig. 3 and is pre-adhered to the inner surface of the insulating material of the partition walls (25) (26) (27) forming the ice making storage chamber (3) by hot melt or the like. When the foamed heat insulating material (20) is filled in the remaining gap when forming the heat insulating casing as a refrigerator, it is fixed integrally by being embedded in the heat insulating material (20).

  In addition, when bending from a flat plate shape to a three-dimensional shape, an uneven strip (31d) is formed in advance in the bent portion, and if it is bent along the uneven strip (31d), it may be deformed or damaged. And can be easily formed into a predetermined shape.

  With this configuration, a panel having a low thermal conductivity of about 0.002 W / mK can be formed as in the case of the vacuum heat insulation panel A (21), and the vacuum heat insulation panel B (29) can be used for ice-making ice storage at a freezing temperature. The upper refrigerator compartment (2) having a large temperature difference adjacent to the chamber (3) and a partition between the first temperature switching chamber (4) and the second temperature switching chamber (5) which may be set to a higher temperature. By disposing it facing the wall, heat leakage can be prevented with a thin heat insulation thickness, and the effective storage volume in each room can be increased accordingly.

  In addition, the three-dimensional heat insulation panel shape in which multiple surfaces of the storage chamber peripheral wall are integrally joined to the conventional heat insulation structure divided into small piece panels can improve the coverage of the vacuum heat insulation panel over the total heat insulation area. In addition, it is possible to greatly suppress heat leakage by reducing the occurrence of heat bridges through the panel end face, and to maintain a good heat insulating effect by disposing a panel having a thickness of about 10 to 12 mm. Is obtained.

  Further, the barrier container (31) of the vacuum heat insulation panel B (29) is formed of a stainless steel sheet and has good heat conductivity and heat resistance, so that the heater wire (32) is meandered on the inner surface side. By sticking it and placing it on the peripheral wall of the temperature switching chamber (3) and using it as a heat generating plate, the temperature in the switching chamber (3) is heated to a high temperature state above the wine storage temperature and is a warm warehouse Since the barrier container (31) is a stainless steel sheet and the core material (30) is glass wool that does not require a binder, there is little risk of deterioration over time even if the heater temperature is increased. .

  Next, the other structure of a vacuum heat insulation panel is demonstrated. The vacuum heat insulation panel C (33) shown in FIG. 6 includes a gas barrier container (35) formed of a synthetic resin frame (35a), and a laminate film made of synthetic resin and metal foil along the frame (35a). (35b) is attached by heat sealing, and the same core material (34) is compressed and packed into the inside of the barrier container (35) through the opening formed on one side of the frame (35a). The opening is heat-sealed to make it airtight and the inside is evacuated at about 0.03 to 30 Pa.

  With this configuration, the barrier container (35) can be obtained simply by attaching the laminate film (35b) along the edge of the rigid frame (35a) formed in advance, so the core material (34) is filled. The shape can be maintained even in a state where it is not, and a three-dimensional panel form that is not a flat plate can be freely obtained.

  The vacuum heat insulation panel B (29) or C (33) is not only the ice storage chamber (3) and the first temperature switching chamber (4), but also other peripheral walls of a storage space having a relatively small storage capacity. In each of the above embodiments, the vacuum heat insulation panels B (29) and C (33) have been described as being formed in an L shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, it may be formed in a shape other than a flat plate, such as an L shape or a B shape.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention has a refrigerated storage space, and can be used particularly for a refrigerator in which a vacuum heat insulation panel is provided in a relatively small-capacity storage room such as an independent ice making storage room or a temperature switching room.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the state which abbreviate | omitted the door of the refrigerator in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view from the front which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the vacuum heat insulation panel in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the vacuum heat insulation panel A in FIG. It is the perspective view which fractured | ruptured partially which shows the molding state of the vacuum heat insulation panel B in FIG. It is the perspective view which fractured | ruptured partially the vacuum heat insulation panel C which is another Example. It is sectional drawing which shows the basic composition of a vacuum heat insulation panel.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator body 2 Refrigeration room 3 Ice making storage room 4 1st temperature switching room 5 2nd temperature switching room 6 3rd temperature switching room 4a-6b Storage container 7 1st (for refrigeration) cooler 8 Refrigeration fan 9 2nd ( For temperature switching room) Cooler 10 Second fan
17 Outer box 18 Inner box 19 Surrounding insulation wall
20 Foam insulation 21 Vacuum insulation panel A 22 Core material
23 Gas barrier container 23a Heat seal part 24 Getter agent
25 Upper partition wall 26 Lower partition wall 27 Vertical partition wall
29 Vacuum insulation panel B 30 Core material 31 Gas barrier container
31a Tray 31b Lid 31c Opening 31d Irregularities 32 Heater wire
33 Vacuum insulation panel C 34 Core material 35 Gas barrier container
35a Frame 35b Laminate film

Claims (7)

  In a refrigerator having a refrigerated storage space and a refrigerated storage space and provided with a cooler that cools these spaces and a cold air circulation fan, a vacuum heat insulation panel that is integrally formed with at least two planes of a horizontal portion and a bent portion is provided, A refrigerator characterized in that at least one plane of the vacuum heat insulation panel is installed in a partition wall between storage chambers whose set cooling temperature is different from a temperature difference between freezing and refrigeration.   2. The gas barrier container made of a thin stainless steel plate is filled with a core material and the inside of the vacuum heat insulation panel formed into a flat plate is decompressed and then bent at a predetermined angle to form two planes. refrigerator.   The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein a heating body for controlling the temperature in the storage chamber is attached to the inner surface of the gas barrier container.   2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a gas barrier container is formed by attaching a thin plate to a pre-formed frame, and a plurality of flat surfaces having different angles are provided by decompressing the inside.   5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the gas barrier container is formed of a synthetic resin frame, a synthetic resin, and a laminated film of metal foil.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vacuum heat insulation panel is disposed on a peripheral wall of a storage space having a relatively small storage volume such as an ice making storage room or a temperature switching room.   A revolving door type refrigerating room with the largest storage capacity is placed at the top of the main unit, and a relatively small-capacity ice-making storage room and a cooling temperature zone are at least from the freezing temperature range to the chilled, refrigerated and vegetable temperature range below the refrigerating room. 7. A first temperature switching chamber capable of switching control is provided in each temperature zone, and the second and third temperature switching chambers are respectively arranged in a drawer door manner below the first temperature switching chamber. Refrigerator.

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