JP2006343036A - Drying box and kitchen cabinet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an easy-to-use drying box with favorable operability providing easy putting in and taking out of objects. <P>SOLUTION: A container body 6 having airtightness is composed including a withdrawal drawer 7. A dehumidification function part 8 provided with a dehumidifier provided with a reversible moisture absorbing and releasing function, a blower sending air to the dehumidifier, and a heating means for heating the air to be sent to the dehumidifier is attached to an outer surface of the container body 6. A dehumidification path provided in the dehumidification function part 8 is communicated with a container body 6 interior, and a reproduction path is communicated with an exterior in a front face side of the container body 6 via a duct 21. Changing between the dehumidification path and the reproduction path is carried out by an opening and closing damper mechanism operated by a motor to compose the whole as a complete form. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drying cabinet for storing food and articles used in the kitchen in a dry state and a kitchen cabinet incorporating the drying cabinet.

  A kitchen cabinet equipped with a drying cabinet for storing food and other goods in a dry state is provided with a dehumidifying function section equipped with an adsorbent in the drying cabinet, and the adsorbent absorbs moisture by circulating the air in the cabinet. Some of them have a dry atmosphere in the drying cabinet. Dryers equipped with a dehumidifying function using natural zeolite or silica gel as adsorbents are highly convenient because they do not collect water and can be regenerated by applying heat to the adsorbents once absorbed to release moisture. . In addition, there exists what is disclosed by patent document 1 as this kind of prior art.

JP 2003-299531 A

  A conventional kitchen cabinet equipped with a drying cabinet is a drawer in which the drying cabinet itself can be taken in and out, and the drying cabinet is uniquely provided with an open / close lid to maintain a dry atmosphere. As a background to this, there are a point that the material constituting the cabinet is woody, and a normal cabinet is provided with a gap as an adjustment allowance for adjusting a slight gap or an inclination at the time of installation. In addition, in the case of a wooden cabinet, there is a phenomenon that the humidity of the high humidity air outside the cabinet permeates through the wood, and an original highly airtight box as a drying cabinet is required. . Therefore, when putting in / out the goods in the drying cabinet, it is necessary to pull out the drying cabinet, open the open / close lid, close the open / close lid again, and push in the dry cabinet after inserting / removing the articles. The work is complicated. In addition, the drying cabinet is structurally a drawer and has a built-in dehumidifying function, so the power cord to the blower and heater must be able to extend and contract, such as a curl cord, and the drying cabinet must be connected to the outside. In addition, there is a problem that power cord troubles are likely to occur when the dryer is put in and out.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to obtain an easy-to-use drying cabinet in which an article can be taken in and out. It is to obtain a drying cabinet that does not involve any troubles of entrainment, to obtain a drying cabinet that can be easily incorporated even with a wooden cabinet, and to provide an easy-to-use kitchen cabinet that incorporates the drying cabinet. It is.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has a dehumidifier having a number of passages through which air passes and has a reversible moisture absorption / release function, a blower for passing air through the passages of the dehumidifier, and a dehumidifier. An air passage incorporating a heating means for raising the temperature of air is formed in the outer shell, a dehumidifying passage having an openable and closable suction port and a blow-out port that takes the air passage as a route, and the suction that takes the air passage as a route. A regeneration path having a suction opening and a discharge opening different from the mouth and the blowout opening is configured, and the dehumidification path and the regeneration path are switched by an open / close damper mechanism operated by a motor, and the regeneration operation by the regeneration path and the dehumidification by the dehumidification path are performed. A dehumidifying function unit configured to operate is mounted on the outer surface of an airtight container containing a drawer that can be taken in and out from the front, and the inlet and outlet of the dehumidifying path are connected to the container, and the regeneration path A duct with a suction port and a blowout port provided on the outer surface of the container body Each contacted with the outside at the front side of the container body Te adopting means for configuring the complete forms.

  According to the present invention, since the drying cabinet itself is an airtight container body and has a structure including a drawer, the articles can be put in and out only by putting in and out the drawer, and it is easy to use and has good operability. In addition, since the dehumidifying function part and the duct are provided on the outer surface of the container body, the power cord is not pulled or shrunk when the drawer is put in and out, and there is no trouble of the power cord being caught or caught. An easy-to-use kitchen cabinet having a drying function can be obtained simply by incorporating it into a kitchen cabinet having a work top and a shelf structure.

  The drying cabinet of the present invention is mainly composed of a hexahedral airtight container. The container body includes a drawer that can be taken in and out on the front surface. In a state where the drawer is stored, the container body is an airtight box. A dehumidifying function unit is fixed to the outer rear surface of the container body. The dehumidifying function unit has a number of passages through which air passes, a dehumidifier having a reversible moisture absorption / release function, a blower for passing air through the passages of the dehumidifier, and heating means for raising the temperature of the air passing through the dehumidifier A dehumidification path having a suction port and a blowout opening that can be opened and closed with the air path as a path, and the suction path with the air path as a path, and the It has a regeneration path with a suction port that communicates with the outside of the container and a blower outlet, and is switched between the dehumidification path and the regeneration path by an open / close damper mechanism that is operated by a motor. Alternate with dehumidifying operation. The inlet and outlet of the regeneration path communicate with the outside at the front surface of the container body by a duct provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the container body.

  Pull out the drawer, put food or dry ingredients into the drawer, store the drawer and turn on the power. First, the regeneration path is opened, the regeneration operation to regenerate the dehumidifier is performed, and then the dehumidification path is opened, dehumidifying The operation is performed, and this is alternately repeated to make the container body dry. The inside of the container is maintained in a dry atmosphere, and the food, dried food, and the like stored in the drawer are stored in an optimal dry state without generating mold. Since this container body is not subjected to a drying process by heat, the cooking utensils in the container body can be altered or the adverse effect of heat around the installation location can be avoided. Since the dry container body is airtight, the articles can be taken in and out only by putting in and out the drawer, and it is easy to use and has good operability. In addition, since the drawer and the dehumidifying function unit are configured separately, the power cord is not pulled or pushed by pulling in / out of the drawer, and there is no trouble of catching or entraining the power cord. Since this drying cabinet is a complete form, it can be used without requiring any special equipment construction simply by placing it on a shelf or a stand. When assembled in a cabinet, the container body can be fixed to the cabinet shelf.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
The present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 relates to a kitchen cabinet 1 constituting a system kitchen, which incorporates a drying cabinet for storing food, dried foods and the like in a dry atmosphere. The kitchen cabinet 1 has a hexahedral base structure as shown in the cross-sectional configuration diagram of FIG. 1 and the front view of FIG. 2, and the top portion is configured as a work top 2 as a work surface, and can be put in and out of the front. A drawer-type storage unit 3 is provided. The upper part of the lower storage part 3 has a shelf structure 4 in which a drying cabinet 5 is incorporated. The drying cabinet 5 is basically configured as a hexahedral container body 6 and includes a drawer 7 that can be taken in and out. In the state in which the drawer 7 is stored, the container body 6 is an airtight box. The container body 6 is made of non-breathable metal, plastic, or wood coated with, for example, an olefin film.

  A dehumidifying function unit 8 is fixedly installed on the outer surface of the back surface of the container body 6. The dehumidifying function part 8 is mainly composed of a dehumidifier 10 placed in a stationary state having a large number of linear passages 9 through which air passes, as shown in a sectional view in FIG. Has been. A blower 11 that ventilates the passage 9 of the dehumidifier 10 and a heating means 12 that raises the temperature of the air that passes through the dehumidifier 10 are incorporated into the air passage 14 in the hexahedron-like outer shell 13 to perform dehumidification as shown in FIG. A functional unit 8 is configured.

  The inlets 15 and 16 and the outlets 17 and 18 in the air passage 14 of the dehumidifying function unit 8 are opened in pairs on the two surfaces of the adjacent outer shell 13. In the outer shell 13, a dehumidifying path from one suction port 15 through the air passage 14 to the one outlet 17 and a regeneration path from the other inlet 16 through the air passage 14 to the other outlet 18 are configured. Has been. The air outlet 17 and the suction port 15 of the dehumidification path are opened apart from each other in the container body 6 so that the dehumidified air circulates in the container body 6 including the drawer 7.

  The suction ports 15 and 16 and the air outlets 17 and 18 in the dehumidification path and the regeneration path are opened and closed by two opening / closing damper mechanisms 19. The opening / closing damper mechanism 19 has a suction port opening / closing blade and a blower opening / closing blade mounted on the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 20. Ducts 21 provided on the outer surface of the bottom surface of the container body 6 are connected to the suction port 16 and the air outlet 18 of the regeneration path, respectively, and open to the frame 22 provided at the lower front surface of the container body 6 so as to be separated left and right. Yes. In the center of the frame 22 is provided a driving operation panel 23 provided with a display unit, a switch and the like (see FIG. 4).

The dehumidifier 10 is formed by laminating a corrugated structure material or a honeycomb structure material in which a hygroscopic material such as silica gel is bonded to inorganic fibers such as ceramics using a polymerization reaction, and a plurality of linear passages through which air to be treated passes. 9 is distributed in the whole and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a density of 230 to 270 kg / m ³ and has a reversible moisture absorption / release function. Each passage 9 is parallel, and all of the opening ends thereof are open on two opposing surfaces of the dehumidifier 10. Since the structure of the dehumidifier 10 is low pressure loss, the blower 11 may be small.

  The heating means 12 has a configuration in which heat dissipating fins thermally connected to a positive temperature coefficient thermistor are integrated, and is assembled in a state of traversing the air passage 14 at the front stage of the dehumidifier 10. Between the dehumidifier 10 and the outer shell 13, a heat insulating structure of a heat insulating air layer or a multi-bubble heat insulating resin is provided to efficiently heat the dehumidifier 10 during regeneration. The heating means 12, the blower 11, and the stepping motor 20 are each controlled by a control circuit equipped with a microcomputer built in the dehumidifying function unit 8.

  If the dehumidifying function part 8 is installed in the lower back part of the container body 6 as shown in FIG. 5, the duct 21 can be made into a straight pipe shape, pressure loss can be reduced, and the duct length can be shortened. In this case, if the rear structure at the back of the drawer 7 is provided with a ventilation opening provided with a mesh 24 as shown in FIG. 6 so as to be separated by a separation structure 25, dry air can be effectively sent into the drawer 7. it can. Fixing plates 26 for fixing the container body 6 to the shelf structure 4 are attached to the shelf structure 4 at two places on the left and right sides, and are screwed to the bottom of the container body 6. Further, two pieces 27 are arranged on the back side of the container body 6 of the duct 21 on the left and right sides, and two fixing plates 28 are fixed to the shelf structure 4. The container body 6 and the shelf structure 4 are Stable fixing is possible.

  In the kitchen cabinet 1 in which the drying cabinet 5 is incorporated, the opening and closing damper mechanism 19 sets the regeneration path and the dehumidification path by putting food, dried food, cooking utensils, etc. in the drawer 7 of the drying cabinet 5 and turning on the power. By alternately opening and closing and causing the dehumidifier 10 to alternate between the regeneration process and the dehumidification process, the inside of the container body 6 can be made a dry atmosphere. In the dehumidifying operation for dehumidifying the inside of the container body 6, the stepping motor 20 is rotated, and the suction port 16 and the outlet 18 of the regeneration path are closed by the inlet opening / closing blade and the outlet opening / closing blade, and the blower 11 is operated. Is done. That is, a circulating airflow is formed in the container body 6 by the opened dehumidifying path, and moisture is adsorbed to the dehumidifier 10 in a molecular state every time it passes through the dehumidifier 10, and the inside of the container quickly becomes a low temperature dry atmosphere.

  As the water molecules are adsorbed, the adsorptive capacity of the dehumidifier 10 decreases, so that a regeneration operation for regenerating the dehumidifier 10 in the regeneration process is performed. To regenerate the dehumidifier 10, the stepping motor 20 is rotated, the suction port 15 and the blower outlet 17 of the dehumidification path are closed by the suction port opening / closing blade and the blower opening / closing blade, the blower 11 is operated, and the heating means 12 is operated. It is performed at a temperature of about 70 ° C. by energization. That is, the air outside the container body 6 is sucked from the suction port 16 through the duct 21 by the opened regeneration path, heated by passing through the heat radiating plate of the heating means 12, and passed through the passage 9 of the dehumidifier 10. Ten water molecules are released. The air that has become highly humid due to the regeneration of the dehumidifier 10 is exhausted from the outlet 18 to the outside of the container body 6 through the duct 21. Thereafter, the energization of the heating means 12 is cut off, the cooling operation of the dehumidifier 10 is performed by the operation of only the blower 11, and then the dehumidifying operation is performed. Thereby, the food etc. put into the container body 6 can be stored in the clean and sanitary environment where mold | fungi and bacteria do not propagate.

  According to the kitchen cabinet 1, since the container body 6 has an airtight structure including the drawer 7, it is not necessary to open and close the opening / closing lid or the like only by inserting and removing the drawer 7. It is easy to use and has good operability. In addition, since the drawer 7 and the dehumidifying function unit 8 are configured separately, the power cord is not pulled or compressed when the drawer 7 is put in and out, and there is no trouble of catching or entraining the power cord. However, the drawer 7 can be removed and put in and the atmosphere inside the container body 6 is hardly impaired. The container body 6 is arranged in an easy-to-use middle stage. Since the container body 6 as the drying cabinet 5 is a complete form itself, it can be used without requiring any special equipment construction simply by placing it on a shelf or a stand other than the kitchen cabinet 1.

It is a section lineblock diagram of a kitchen cabinet. (Embodiment 1) It is a front view of a kitchen cabinet. (Embodiment 1) It is sectional drawing of a dehumidification function part. (Embodiment 1) It is a disassembled perspective view which expands and shows a flame | frame. (Embodiment 1) It is sectional drawing of another kitchen cabinet. (Embodiment 1) It is a perspective view which shows the back surface structure of drawer. (Embodiment 1)

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Kitchen cabinet, 2 Worktop, 4 Shelf structure, 5 Drying cabinet, 6 Container body, 7 Drawer, 8 Dehumidification function part, 9 Passage, 10 Dehumidifier, 11 Blower, 12 Heating means, 13 Outer shell, 14 Air path, 15, 16 Suction port, 17, 18 outlet, 19 Open / close damper mechanism, 20 Stepping motor, 21 Duct, 23 Operation panel.

Claims (4)

  A dehumidifier having a large number of passages through which air passes and having a reversible moisture absorption / release function, a blower for passing air through the passages of the dehumidifier, and heating means for raising the temperature of the air passed through the dehumidifier are assembled. A dehumidifying path having a suction opening and an outlet that can be opened and closed using the air path as a path, and the suction port and the outlet having the same air path as a path. A regeneration path having a suction port and a blowout opening, and switching between the dehumidification path and the regeneration path by an open / close damper mechanism operated by a motor, and performing a regeneration operation by the regeneration path and a dehumidification operation by the dehumidification path. The dehumidifying function part of the configuration is mounted on the outer surface of an airtight container body including a drawer that can be taken in and out from the front surface, the suction port and the outlet of the dehumidification path are connected to the container body, and the regeneration path The suction port and the blowout port of the container body Drying cabinet configured to complete forms respectively contacted with the outside at the front side of the container body by the duct provided in the outer table.   It is a drying warehouse of Claim 1, Comprising: The drying warehouse which provided the dehumidification function part in the back surface of the container body, and provided the duct in the bottom face of the said container body.   The drying cabinet according to claim 2, wherein a driving operation panel is provided between the external open portions of the duct that communicates the regeneration path to the outside.   A kitchen cabinet having a work top in which the drying cabinet according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is installed in a shelf structure.

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