JP2009127977A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of reducing power consumption by deodorizing and sterilizing a refrigerating space by irradiating a cooler for refrigerating with visible light without using an ultraviolet ray irradiating means. <P>SOLUTION: In this refrigerator which has the refrigerating space and a freezing space, and includes coolers for exclusively cooling each of the storage spaces, and in which the cooler for refrigerating 23 cooling the refrigerating space is composed of a fin and tube-type heat exchanger, and has an evaporation temperature higher than that of the cooler for freezing, and the storage spaces are kept at prescribed temperatures by circulating the cold air by a fan, visible light response-type photocatalytic films are placed on surfaces of a number of fins 27 arranged in adjacent to each other over the width direction of the cooler for refrigerating, and a visible-light light source 32 is disposed at a position to irradiate the fin surfaces with visible light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a household refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator provided with a cooler for cooling a refrigerated storage space exclusively.

  Conventionally, fin-and-tube heat exchangers commonly used as refrigerator coolers perform corrosion resistance treatment on the fin surface formed of aluminum, and moisture in the air adheres to the surface as frost during cooling operation. The fin surface is subjected to a hydrophilization treatment in order to prevent the cooling capacity from being reduced by reducing the cooling capacity by growing into ice blocks.

  On the other hand, in order to remove the odor in the refrigerator and keep it clean, a device having a deodorizing function and a sterilizing function of floating bacteria is provided, and the deodorizing device is an adsorbent such as activated carbon or zeolite. A method of adsorbing and removing odorous molecules, a method of oxidizing and decomposing with a combination of ozone and a deodorizing catalyst, a method of decomposing with a noble metal catalyst such as platinum, a method of decomposing by irradiating ultraviolet rays on a photocatalyst, etc. are put into practical use. .

  Among them, as one of the methods using the photocatalyst, a unit combining discharge light (ultraviolet light) by high voltage discharge and a photocatalyst such as titanium oxide decomposes aging hormones such as odorous substances and ethylene and removes floating bacteria. Refrigerators equipped with a device that keeps the storage room comfortable and clean and suppresses a decrease in freshness of food by sterilization are being sold.

  And in patent document 1, indoor light, such as natural light, is introduced into the deodorizing layer comprised of the adsorbent of the specific synthetic zeolite ion-exchanged with room temperature oxidation photocatalysts, such as titanium oxide, and is irradiated on the surface of a heat exchanger. However, it is difficult to introduce natural light into a refrigerator for refrigeration in a normal refrigerator configuration, and a general titanium oxide catalyst has a predetermined deodorizing performance by natural light, that is, a decomposition performance of odorous substances. Therefore, as described in claim 5, in reality, irradiation with ultraviolet rays having high energy is required.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a photocatalyst such as titanium oxide is directly applied to fins in a refrigerator cooler, and the photocatalyst is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from an ultraviolet ray generating means provided at the lower part of the cooler to deodorize and disinfect bacteria. Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for making ice without using an ultraviolet irradiation means by applying a visible light responsive photocatalyst coating to the inner surface of a water supply tank in an automatic ice making apparatus. A refrigerator that purifies water and reduces power consumption is described.
Japanese Patent No. 3093953 JP 2002-257461 A JP-A-2005-308283

  Therefore, the photocatalyst having the structure described in Patent Document 1 requires an ultraviolet region of 400 nm or less as a light source, and an ultraviolet lamp (black light) that is a discharge lamp for exciting the photocatalyst has a short life and is expensive. There is a problem that is too large in size. In addition, Patent Document 2 requires an ultraviolet generation means for exciting the photocatalyst as in Patent Document 1, and requires additional installation of an ultraviolet irradiation means, leading to high costs and ultraviolet irradiation. As time goes on, power consumption increases, which not only goes against energy savings but also has a negative impact on food.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 3 uses a visible light responsive photocatalyst paint, so that the photocatalyst can be excited without using ultraviolet irradiation means. This water tank uses a light-transmitting material to excite the photocatalyst on the inner surface of the water tank by turning on the interior lamp from the outside of the tank to purify the water in the water tank. Therefore, it is not intended to deodorize odorous substances generated from many stored foods stored in a refrigerated space or to remove floating bacteria.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above points, and deodorizing and sterilizing the refrigerated space by irradiating visible light to the refrigeration cooler without using ultraviolet irradiation means, thereby reducing power consumption. The refrigerator which made it possible is provided.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a cooler that has a refrigeration space and a refrigeration space and cools each storage space exclusively, and the refrigeration cooler that cools the refrigeration space is a fin-and-tube type. As a heat exchanger, a refrigerator that has a higher evaporation temperature than a refrigeration cooler and keeps the inside of the storage space at a predetermined temperature by circulating cold air with a fan is arranged so as to be adjacent in the width direction of the refrigeration cooler. A visible light responsive photocatalytic film is applied to the arranged fin surface, and a visible light source is provided at a position where the fin surface can be irradiated.

  According to the refrigerator of the present invention, it is possible to deodorize and remove circulating cold air in the storage room that passes through the cooler part by exciting the photocatalyst with small energy by irradiating visible light to the refrigeration cooler without installing ultraviolet irradiation means. In addition to effectively carrying out bacteria, the frost and melt water adhering to the surface of the cooler by smoothening the fin surface retains photocatalytic action and improves defrosting efficiency and promotes evaporation of moisture on the fin surface. By doing so, the cold air into the refrigerator compartment can be humidified and the freshness of the food can be maintained over a long period of time.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The refrigerator main body (1) which shows the whole longitudinal cross-sectional view in FIG. 1 is filled with a foam heat insulating material (4) between the outer box (2) and the inner box (3) to form a heat insulating box, and stored. The indoor part is partitioned into an upper refrigerated space (6) and a lower refrigerated space (7) by a heat insulating partition wall (5).

  The front opening of the refrigerated space (6) is closed by a double door left and right door (8), and the upper part inside is a refrigerated room (10) provided with a plurality of mounting shelves (9). An independent space is formed by dividing the lower part by a ceiling partition plate (12) that also serves as a mounting shelf made of transparent resin, and a drawer-type vegetable container (13) is placed inside the vegetable compartment (11) Furthermore, at the lowermost part in the refrigerated space (6), a low-temperature container that cools the room to about 0 to −3 ° C. via a bottom partition plate (14) that similarly forms the bottom of the vegetable room (11) A low temperature chamber (15) provided with a compartment is arranged.

  The refrigeration space (7) may be cooled to a refrigeration temperature such as a soft freezing temperature zone of −18 ° C. or −9 ° C., for example, a cooling storage chamber having a relatively small volume immediately below the heat insulating partition wall (5). The temperature switching chamber (16) that can be made and the ice making chamber equipped with a relatively small-volume automatic ice making device are divided into left and right in the same way, and they are juxtaposed together with a door provided at each front opening, At the bottom of these temperature switching chambers (16) and ice making chambers, the front is partitioned up and down by horizontal partition plates, and a freezing chamber (17) that has a drawer door type is provided over the entire width of the main body. .

  The freezer compartment (17) has a pair of left and right support frames (not shown) fixed to the inside of the door (18) that closes its front opening so that it can be opened and closed. The storage container (19) for storing the frozen food is held by rail members arranged on the both side wall surfaces in the front-rear direction, and the drawer system is slidable back and forth.

  The storage container (19) has a deep box shape with an open top, and a flange is formed on the periphery of the top opening, and the flange is used to cover the opening. A dish-shaped middle container (20) with a shallow bottom is placed.

  When the freezer compartment door (18) is pulled out, it is fully open until the rear end of the middle container (20) comes out from the front opening of the freezer compartment (17) together with the storage container (19) by the rail member. The middle container (20) is slidable in the front-rear direction on the flange of the storage container (19), opens and closes the top opening of the storage container (19), and the middle container (20) itself It is provided so that the drawer can be stored. Above the storage container (19) and the middle container (20), they are independently pulled out and stored in the storage regardless of the opening and closing of the containers (19) (20) and the freezer compartment door (18). The upper container (21) is installed.

  A refrigeration cooler (23) and a fan (24) corresponding to the cooler are disposed on the back surface of the refrigerator compartment (6) via a cover body (22), and the refrigeration cooler (23) The cool air generated in step 1 is introduced into the refrigerated space (6) through a duct by a fan (24) to cool each room.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigeration cooler (23) is provided between an end plate (26) holding a refrigerant pipe (25) made of a copper pipe formed in a meandering manner with a straight portion and a curved portion. This is a so-called fin-and-tube heat exchanger in which a large number of aluminum small fins (27) are fixedly adjacent to each other over a straight line portion in the longitudinal direction in a heat exchange relationship with the refrigerant pipe (25). The basic structure of the refrigeration cooler (28) for cooling the refrigeration space (7) is also a fin-and-tube type, similar to the refrigeration cooler (23). Cooling air is blown out to the freezing space (7) by the fan (29) installed above and cooled.

  The refrigerators (23) and (28) for refrigeration and freezing use the refrigerant and the capillaries from the discharge side of the compressor (30) that forms part of the refrigeration cycle provided in the lower part of the refrigerator body (1). In the refrigerating operation mode in which the refrigerating space (6) is cooled, the refrigerating air cooled at a low temperature by the heat exchange is operated in the refrigerating fan (24). Then, the refrigerator compartment (10) and the vegetable compartment (11) are cooled to an appropriate temperature by discharging into the refrigerator compartment (10). A part of the cold air is directly introduced into the low temperature chamber (15) from the refrigerating cooler (23) and cooled to a lower temperature than in the upper refrigerating chamber (6).

  When the refrigerator compartment (10) is cooled to the set temperature, the refrigerant flow path is switched to enter the refrigeration operation mode, and the refrigerant is introduced into the refrigeration cooler (28) by the switching valve and has a low evaporation of −30 ° C. or lower. The cold air that evaporates at the temperature and becomes a low temperature due to heat exchange is introduced into the freezer compartment (17) or the temperature switching chamber (16), which is the freezer space (7), and forcedly circulated by the freezing fan (29). Thus, each chamber is cooled to a predetermined temperature of −20 ° C. or less, and is controlled to operate alternately between the refrigeration operation mode and the freezing operation mode.

  Therefore, in the refrigeration operation, the refrigerant does not flow into the refrigeration cooler (23), but the refrigeration fan (24) keeps rotating and is in a frosting state after the cooling operation. The air in the refrigerating space (6) having a surface temperature of about −3 ° C. is attached to the refrigerating cooler (23) by flowing and circulating the air in the refrigerating space (6) having a temperature of 0 ° C. or higher. The frost is melted, and at the same time, high-humidity and low-temperature air containing a large amount of moisture due to melting of the frost is allowed to flow from the refrigerator compartment (10) into the vegetable compartment (11).

  As a result, the refrigerated space (6) is kept at a relatively low temperature even after the cooling operation is stopped and is kept at a relatively low temperature, and humidified cold air due to frost sublimation flows into the refrigerated room (10) and The humidity in the vegetable compartment (11) increases to about 80%, and the humidity rises to 90-95% due to the transpiration of the stored vegetables, so that the vegetables in the vegetable container (13) An atmosphere that does not dry can be maintained.

  Thus, the surface of the fin (27), which is arranged so as to be adjacent to each other in the width direction of the refrigeration cooler (23), is conventionally provided with a film for preventing electrolytic corrosion. In the present invention, as shown in the conceptual diagram of FIG. 3, a visible light responsive photocatalytic film (31) is further formed on the surface.

  The visible light responsive photocatalyst is at least one selected from the group consisting of titanium oxide, zinc oxide, strontium titanate, tungsten oxide and silicon carbide, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel and copper And a photocatalyst obtained by adding a halogenated platinum compound to the surface of the photocatalyst particles as a photocatalyst, wherein the wavelength of the ultraviolet light is 1 to 360 nm. Ordinary photocatalysts exhibiting catalytic activity at, for example, titanium oxide, which is the most common photocatalyst, is activated by UV light at 270 nm, whereas it is also activated by light having a lower energy of 360 to 760 nm in the visible light range. For example, titanium oxide visible light responsive photocatalyst by nitrogen doping or platinum support Such as are known titanium.

  Also, in order to increase the contact efficiency with odorous substances and airborne bacteria and provide a place for reaction, it can be used in combination with an appropriate adhesive, for example, zeolite. The pipe (25) and the fin (27) are covered over the entire front and back, and are activated by irradiation with visible light from a light source to be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of visible light sources, for example, 6 along the longitudinal direction adjacent to the fins (27) are disposed above the fins (27) arranged in large numbers in the refrigeration cooler (23). The blue light emitting diodes (hereinafter referred to as LEDs) (32) are installed by the support member (33) and arranged so that the respective irradiation directions are directed between the fins (27). The LED (32) is lit from the end of the period until the next refrigeration operation mode, and when lit, visible light enters between adjacent fins (27) and the refrigeration cooler (23) is turned on. Wide irradiation is possible over the whole.

  At this time, each LED (32) is directed so as to irradiate between the fins (27), and as shown in FIG. 5 which is a front view and FIG. 6 which is a side view, each has a different irradiation angle. If provided and attached, the irradiation range can be widened, and a sufficient amount of light to excite the photocatalyst can be secured, and the surface of the fin (27) can be uniformly and uniformly irradiated.

  The refrigeration cooler (23) passes between the fins (27) through the cold air introduced through circulation in the refrigerated space (6) consisting of the refrigerator compartment (10), the vegetable compartment (11), and the cold room (15). It cools by making it cool, and it cools the room by blowing it out to the refrigerator compartment (10) again by the fan (24), but it is cooled to a freezing temperature of -18 ° C or lower, and the generation of odors and airborne bacteria is suppressed. Unlike refrigeration coolers (28) in which low-temperature air circulates, in refrigerated spaces (6) maintained at a positive temperature of approximately 0 ° C or higher, odorous substances such as food stored indoors and airborne bacteria The amount increases.

  On the other hand, the visible light responsive photocatalyst (31) carried on the surface of the fin (27) is excited by the visible light irradiation of the LED (32) having the above-described configuration, and the odorous substances to be deodorized and removed from the circulating cold air are removed. The floating bacteria to be sterilized inevitably pass through the fin (27) part of the refrigeration cooler, so these are effectively decomposed and removed by the photocatalytic action covered with the fin (27) having a large surface area, and refrigerated. The inside of the space (6) can be deodorized and a sanitizing function can be operated to maintain a sanitary environment.

  Although the deodorizing and sterilizing effects by the photocatalyst are as described above, another function of the photocatalyst is to make the coated surface hydrophilic. That is, by the excitation of the visible light responsive photocatalyst by irradiation of the LED (32), the fin (27) of the refrigeration cooler (23) provided with the photocatalyst coating (31) comes into contact with the circulating cold air to deodorize, Not only does it perform sterilization, but also the surface becomes hydrophilic.

  If the surface of the fin (27) of the refrigeration cooler (23) is frosted or frozen due to the cooling operation, light is not transmitted and the photocatalytic effect is reduced. However, due to the hydrophilicity, the surface of the fin (27) Becomes easy to get wet and suppresses the water in the circulating cold air adhering to the fin (27) from dropping. And even if it forms frost, it becomes a smooth thin film, so when the cooling operation of the refrigeration cooler (23) is finished, the frosted state and the frozen state are quickly melted and removed by the temperature rise. Therefore, the photocatalytic action by visible light can be effectively performed again.

  Moreover, since frost adheres in the form of a thin film due to the hydrophilization of the surface of the fin (27), it quickly melts by the temperature rise due to the operation of the fan (24) at the end of the cooling operation and becomes a liquid film. And the melt | dissolved water | moisture content will be contained in circulating cold air, and will return in the refrigerator compartment (10), and it can be made to contribute to the high humidity in the refrigerator compartment (6).

  Therefore, by using the visible light responsive photocatalyst, a general visible light source, for example, as described above, is small, inexpensive, and has a long life without using an expensive and short-lived ultraviolet lamp. A small amount of visible light LED (32) can be used, and this is disposed near the fin (27) of the refrigeration cooler (23) and irradiated to coat the surface of the fin (27). The photocatalytic film (31) can be excited to obtain an effective deodorizing and sterilizing action.

  As the LED (32), either a general bullet type or a surface mount type can be used, and it is preferable that the LED (32) has a shape or an arrangement structure that does not impede the cold air flow with respect to the circulation air path.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the LED (32) is disposed at a position where the irradiation direction is directed between the fins (27) of the refrigeration cooler (23), and a motor, pulley, belt, etc. (not shown). The sliding device may be configured to reciprocate in the width direction along the adjacent direction of the fin (27), and may be moved at a predetermined speed while irradiating. If comprised in this way, even if the number of LED (32) is few, the irradiation distance to a fin (27) can be shortened, and the whole fin (27) can be irradiated effectively over the up-and-down width direction. Can do.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the flow direction of the cold air in the refrigeration cooler (23), in the figure, the vertical distance between the fins (27) located at the substantially central portion in the vertical direction is extended in the width direction. A plurality of LEDs (32) are arranged on the front side along the widened portion (23a) with a predetermined distance from the fin end, and the direction of irradiation is defined between the upper and lower fins (27). You may make it point to a different direction and may change the irradiation angle of the width direction suitably.

  At this time, the LED (32) is attached to a through hole provided in the cover body (22) that covers the front surface of the refrigeration cooler (23), and the front refrigeration is performed not only on the refrigeration cooler (23) side. If the chamber (10) side is also irradiated, the lighting device in the refrigerated space (6) can also be used, and the number of LEDs used can be reduced.

  Further, in addition to this, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the LED (32) is configured to reciprocate in the width direction along the adjacent direction of the fin (27) while irradiating. If it is formed in this way, it is possible to secure more light to irradiate the fin (27), improve the irradiation efficiency to the fin surface, and fully extract the photocatalytic function Can do.

  The present invention is configured as described above, and the visible light responsive photocatalyst film (31) is formed on the surface of the fin (27) of the refrigeration cooler (23). A large area of the fins (27) provided by irradiation of visible light by the LED (32) is used as a photocatalyst carrying surface to excite it and flow between the fins (27), thereby circulating in the refrigerated space (6). It is possible to effectively deodorize and decompose odorous substances and airborne bacteria contained in the air.

  In addition, the hydrophilization of the fin (27) surface by photocatalytic excitation smoothes the adhering frost and suppresses the decrease in photocatalytic action, and improves the defrosting efficiency and promotes sublimation to increase the humidity of the refrigerated space. The effect which promotes conversion can be show | played.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the refrigerator for refrigeration in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the fin part in FIG. It is the perspective view which provided the LED light source in the cooler for refrigeration of FIG. It is an enlarged front view which shows the example of the irradiation state of LED with respect to the fin of FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view showing another example of the LED irradiation state with respect to FIG. 5. It is a perspective view which shows the LED irradiation state in the other Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the LED irradiation state of the further another Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Refrigerator body 6 Refrigerated space 7 Refrigerated space
10 Cold room 11 Vegetable room 13 Vegetable container
15 Low greenhouse 16 Temperature switching room 17 Freezer room
23 Refrigerator 23a Expander 24, 29 Fan
25 Refrigerant pipe 26 End plate 27 Fin
28 Refrigeration cooler 31 Visible light responsive photocatalytic coating
32 Light Emitting Diode (LED) 33 Support Member

Claims (5)

  A cooler having a refrigeration space and a freezing space for cooling each storage space is provided, and the refrigerating cooler for cooling the refrigerating space is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger than a freezing cooler. In a refrigerator that raises the evaporation temperature and keeps the inside of the storage space at a predetermined temperature by circulating cold air with a fan, a visible light responsive type is provided on the surface of the fin that is arranged so as to be adjacent in the width direction of the refrigeration cooler. A refrigerator having a photocatalytic film and a visible light source provided at a position where the fin surface can be irradiated.   2. The light emitting diode according to claim 1, wherein the visible light source is arranged along a direction adjacent to the fins, and is a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged at a predetermined distance from an end of the fin, and the irradiation direction is directed between the fins. refrigerator.   3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting diode is directed at the irradiation direction between the fins and attached at different angles.   3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the irradiation direction of the light emitting diode is directed between the fins and is moved while being irradiated along the adjacent direction of the fins of the refrigeration cooler.   The visible light source is arranged as a plurality of light-emitting diodes at substantially the center of the cooling air flow direction of the refrigeration cooler, and the irradiation direction is directed to different directions between the fins, and the adjacent direction of the fins of the refrigeration cooler The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator moves while irradiating the refrigerator.

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