JP2010121834A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of efficiently deodorizing and/or sterilizing a reduced-pressure storage compartment suppressed in coming and going of a gas between the inside and outside, and free from an air distributing means. <P>SOLUTION: The refrigerator includes: the storage compartment 24 having an opening 40f; a cover 60 for opening and closing the opening 40f of the storage compartment 24, and suppressing movement of the gas between the inside and outside of the storage compartment 24 when the opening 40f is closed; and a pressure reducing means 29 for reducing a pressure of the storage compartment 24 to be lower than an atmospheric pressure. In the refrigerator, photocatalyst is disposed on an inner wall of the storage compartment 24 and/or an inner face of the cover 60, and the inside of the storage compartment 24 is kept under high humidity by the moisture released from foods stored in the storage compartment 24, when the pressure in the storage compartment 24 is reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  Conventionally, there is a refrigerator shown in Patent Document 1 as a device for deodorizing and sterilizing air in a refrigerator. The refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 has a deodorizing device provided with a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as “LED”) that irradiates a photocatalytic reaction surface with predetermined visible light on a wall surface of the refrigerator.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-941

  However, in the above prior art, it was assumed that the contact efficiency between the photocatalytic reaction surface and the malodorous component or germs was increased by ventilating and deodorizing and / or sterilizing.

  Specifically, odor components and various bacteria undergo a decomposition reaction after being adsorbed on the photocatalyst. However, the radical reaction may become a heat source, which may prevent odor components and bacteria from adsorbing to the photocatalytic reaction surface. Therefore, in the prior art, ventilation means are necessary to prevent the function of decomposing odor components and removing germs from being effectively expressed.

  In this case, in the above prior art, in order to reduce the pressure to a pressure state lower than the atmospheric pressure, in the case of a decompression storage room in which gas movement between the inside and the outside is suppressed, that is, a storage room without a blower means, sufficient deodorization removal is performed. There was a problem that the fungus effect could not be demonstrated.

  The objective of this invention is providing the refrigerator which can perform the deodorization and / or sterilization in the decompression storage chamber without an internal / external gas being suppressed, and without a ventilation means.

  In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a storage chamber having an opening, and movement of gas inside and outside the storage chamber when the opening of the storage chamber is opened and closed and the opening is closed. In the refrigerator provided with the lid | cover to suppress, the photocatalyst was provided in the inner wall of the said storage chamber, and / or the inner surface of the said lid | cover.

  A storage chamber having an opening; a lid that opens and closes the opening of the storage chamber and closes the opening; and controls the movement of gas inside and outside the storage chamber; and In a refrigerator comprising a decompression means for decompressing to a low pressure, a photocatalyst is provided on the inner wall of the storage chamber and / or the inner surface of the lid, and the food stored in the storage chamber when the storage chamber is decompressed The moisture released from the inside keeps the storage chamber at a high humidity.

  Further, at least a part of the storage chamber and / or the lid is made of a light transmissive material, and the photocatalyst is provided in a portion made of the light transmissive material.

  In addition, a light source for irradiating light including ultraviolet rays to a portion made of the light transmissive material is provided outside the storage chamber.

  A decompression storage chamber that is decompressed to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure; an opening provided at a front portion of the decompression storage chamber; a lid that opens and closes the opening; and the lid and the opening of the decompression storage chamber. A sealing member that is provided in between and suppresses the movement of gas inside and outside the decompression storage chamber when the lid closes the opening; and a decompression means that decompresses the decompression storage chamber to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. A refrigerator having a decompression storage chamber, a first light source that is provided outside the decompression storage chamber and irradiates the lid with light containing ultraviolet light, and the decompression storage chamber And a second light source that irradiates the upper wall of the vacuum storage chamber with light containing ultraviolet light, and the upper wall and the lid of the vacuum storage chamber are made of glass or resin that transmits light. Configured, light on the inner wall of the decompression storage chamber and the inner surface of the lid Medium is applied, when the decompression storage chamber is decompressed, characterized in that to increase the humidity of the vacuum storage compartment moisture released from the food housed in the vacuum storage compartment.

  Further, the light source emits pulses.

  According to the refrigerator of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of efficiently performing deodorization and / or sterilization in a reduced-pressure storage chamber in which internal and external gases are prevented from entering and exiting and without a blowing means.

  Hereinafter, the refrigerator of one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using figures.

  First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator of the present embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the lowermost space portion of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the vacuum storage chamber with the lid closed. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the decompression storage chamber body with the lid open.

  The refrigerator includes a refrigerator main body 1 having an opening at the front, and doors 6 to 10 that are provided so that the front opening of the refrigerator main body 1 can be opened and closed. The refrigerator body 1 includes a urethane foam heat insulating material 13 and a vacuum heat insulating material (not shown) between a steel plate outer box 11 and a resin inner box 12. Moreover, it has several storage rooms in order of the refrigerator compartment 2, the upper freezer compartment 3b and the ice making room 3a (not shown), the lower freezer compartment 4, and the vegetable compartment 5 from the top. In other words, the refrigerator compartment 2 is arranged at the top and the vegetable compartment 5 is divided at the bottom, and the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 are separated from both the compartments in an adiabatic manner. In addition, an upper freezer compartment 3a and a lower freezer compartment 4 are arranged. The refrigerated room 2 and the vegetable room 5 are storage rooms in a refrigerated temperature zone (a temperature range of 0 ° C. or higher, and about 2 ° C. to 10 ° C. as an example). The upper freezer compartment 3a and the lower freezer compartment 4 are storage rooms in a freezing temperature zone (below 0 ° C., for example, a temperature zone of about −20 ° C. to −18 ° C.). These storage chambers 2 to 5 are partitioned by partition walls 33, 34, and 35.

  On the front surface of the refrigerator body 1, doors 6 to 10 that can open and close the front openings of the storage chambers 2 to 5 are provided. The refrigerator compartment door 6 is a so-called French door type revolving door provided with two pieces of a left door and a right door. Specifically, the left door is rotatably provided by left and upper hinges 6a, 6a of the refrigerator body 1, and the right door is rotatably provided by left and upper hinges (not shown) of the refrigerator body 1. Open and close the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2.

  The ice making room door 7 (not shown) is a door that opens and closes the front opening of the ice making room 3a. The upper freezer compartment door 8 is a door that opens and closes the front opening of the upper freezer compartment 3b. The lower freezer compartment door 9 is a door that opens and closes the front opening of the lower freezer compartment 4. The vegetable compartment door 9 is a door that opens and closes the front opening of the vegetable compartment 5. Note that the ice making room door 7, the upper freezing room door 8, the freezing room door 9, and the vegetable room door 10 are constituted by a drawer-type door, and a container in the storage room is pulled out together with the drawer door.

  Next, the refrigerator body 1 is provided with a refrigeration cycle. This refrigeration cycle is configured by connecting a compressor 14, a condenser (not shown), a capillary tube (not shown), a cooler 15, and a compressor 14 in this order. The compressor 14 and the condenser are installed in a machine room 100 provided at the lower back of the refrigerator body 1. The cooler 15 is installed in a cooler chamber 110 provided behind the ice making chamber 3 a, the upper freezer chamber 3 b, and the lower freezer chamber 4. A blower fan 16 is installed above the cooler 15 in the cooler chamber 110. Has been.

  The cold air cooled by the cooler 15 is sent by the blower fan 16 to the storage rooms of the refrigerator compartment 2, the upper freezer compartment 3 b, the ice making chamber 3 a, the lower freezer compartment 4, and the vegetable compartment 5. Specifically, a part of the cool air sent by the blower fan 16 is sent to a refrigerating temperature zone storage room of the refrigerating room 2 and the vegetable room 5 through a damper device (not shown) that can be opened and closed. The other part is sent to the freezer compartment 3 (the upper freezer compartment 3b and the ice making chamber 3a) and the storage compartment in the freezing temperature zone of the lower freezer compartment 4.

  The cold air sent to the storage rooms of the refrigerator compartment 2, the upper freezer compartment 3b, the ice making room 3a, the lower freezer compartment 4, and the vegetable compartment 5 by the blower fan 16 is returned to the respective cold air after each storage compartment is cooled. It is returned to the cooler chamber 110 through a passage (not shown). Thus, the refrigerator of this embodiment has a cold air circulation structure, and maintains each storage room 2-5 at a suitable temperature.

  In the refrigerator compartment 2, a plurality of storage shelves 17 to 20 composed of transparent resin plates are detachably installed in the vertical direction. The lowermost storage shelf 20 is installed so as to be in contact with the back surface and both side surfaces of the inner box 12, and the lowermost space 21 is partitioned from the upper space between the partition wall 34 and the storage shelf 20. . Further, a plurality of door pockets 25 to 27 are installed inside each refrigerator compartment door 6, and these door pockets 25 to 27 protrude into the refrigerator compartment 2 when the refrigerator compartment door 6 is closed. It is provided as follows. A back panel 30 that forms a passage through which the cool air supplied from the blower fan 16 passes is provided on the back of the refrigerator compartment 2. The back panel 30 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity, and is made of a metal such as aluminum as an example. Thereby, the temperature change of the refrigerator compartment 2 can be suppressed and the load by the temperature change given to the stored foodstuff can be reduced. Moreover, when there is little supply of cold air, such as during a defrost operation, it can suppress that the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 2 rises by the radiant heat from the back panel 30. FIG.

  In the lowermost space 21, in order from the left, an ice making water tank 22 for supplying ice making water to an ice tray in the freezing room 3, a storage case 23 for storing foods such as desserts, and the inside of the room are decompressed to store food. A reduced-pressure storage chamber 24 is provided for maintaining freshness and for long-term storage. The decompression storage chamber 24 has a width that is narrower than the width of the refrigerator compartment 2, and is disposed adjacent to the side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2.

  The ice making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 are disposed behind the left refrigerator compartment door 6.

  Thereby, the ice making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 can be pulled out only by opening the left refrigerator compartment door 6. The decompression storage chamber 24 is disposed behind the right refrigeration chamber door 6. Thereby, the lid 60 of the decompression storage chamber 24 can be pulled out only by opening the right refrigerator compartment door 6. In addition, a reduced pressure storage chamber container 60 a for placing food is provided inside the reduced pressure storage chamber 24. The decompression storage chamber container 60a is engaged with the lid 60, and is pulled out forward as the lid 60 is pulled out. That is, by simply opening the left refrigeration chamber door 6 or the right refrigeration chamber door 6, a desired food can be taken out or the water in the ice making water tank 22 can be replenished or replaced. Can prevent the cold air from leaking outside.

  The ice making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 are located behind the lowermost door pocket 27 of the left refrigerator compartment door 6, and the decompression storage chamber 24 is the lowermost door pocket of the right refrigerator compartment door 6. 27 is located behind. Here, the cool air cooled by the cooler 15 and sent to the refrigerator compartment 2 passes through the periphery of the decompression storage chamber 24 to indirectly cool the inside of the decompression storage chamber 24.

  An ice making water pump 28 is installed behind the ice making water tank 22. A negative pressure pump 29, which is an example of a decompression device for decompressing the decompression storage chamber 24, is disposed behind the storage case 23 and in a space behind the decompression storage chamber 24. The negative pressure pump 29 is connected to a pump connection provided on the side surface of the decompression storage chamber 24 via a conduit.

  The decompression storage chamber 24 has a box-shaped decompression storage chamber main body 40 having a front opening 40 f for taking out and putting in food, a lid 60 for opening and closing the front opening 40 f of the decompression storage chamber main body 40, and food stored in the lid 60. And a decompression storage chamber container 60a that is engaged and removed. By closing the front opening 40f of the decompression storage chamber body 40 with the lid 60, the space surrounded by the decompression storage chamber body 40 and the lid 60 is formed as a low pressure space. The decompression storage chamber container 60 a is attached to the back side of the lid 60 and can be moved back and forth as the lid 60 moves. Further, in order to enhance the effect of suppressing the movement of gas between the inside and the outside of the decompression storage chamber 24 when the lid 60 is closed between the lid 60 and the front opening 40f of the decompression storage chamber body 40, A seal member S is provided.

  The decompression storage chamber 24 is a gas regulating chamber in which the internal air is sucked by the negative pressure pump 29 and decompressed to an atmospheric pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, for example, 0.8 atmospheric pressure (80 kPa). That is, the decompression storage chamber 24 creates a special air atmosphere for preventing oxidation of food, maintaining the freshness of vegetables, and the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the decompression storage chamber 24 is provided with ribs 40s as protrusions on the upper surface. Thereby, it is the structure supported in the state which provided the moderate clearance gap between the decompression storage chamber 24 and the storage shelf 20 immediately above it. In the rear part of the decompression storage chamber 24, a cold air inlet (not shown) of the refrigerator compartment 2 is provided, and the air around the decompression storage chamber 24 is sucked to flow the cool air, so that the decompression storage chamber 24 is indirectly connected. Cool down.

  The decompression storage chamber 24 has a front opening, and is a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped decompression storage chamber main body 40 and a lid 60 that moves forward and backward to open and close the front opening. Is formed. In other words, the decompression storage chamber main body 40 is integrally formed in a box shape. Specifically, resin molding is performed using ABS (resin containing acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene), AS (resin containing acrylonitrile, styrene), etc., and both side walls 40a, 40b, bottom wall 40c, rear wall 40d, and top wall 40e is formed in a shape having an open front surface.

  That is, a lid 60 that opens and closes is provided in order to put a stored product into and out of the decompression storage chamber 24. Furthermore, reinforcing ribs that increase the section modulus and improve the strength are provided on the outer surface of the decompression storage chamber body 40 in a straight line shape or a lattice shape. The shape of the reinforcing rib is not limited thereto, and any shape may be used as long as the section modulus of the decompression storage chamber body 40 is increased to improve the strength.

  In addition, if the upper wall 40e of the decompression storage chamber 24 is comprised with a tempered glass as an example, it can be made into a planar shape, without providing the above-mentioned reinforcement rib. Thereby, internal visibility improves.

  Support shafts 60 s are provided on both sides of the decompression storage chamber body 40. An opening / closing handle 70 is rotatably supported around the support shaft 60s. The lid 60 is provided with a differential pressure relief valve V (see FIG. 4).

  The user holds the opening / closing handle 70 to perform opening / closing operation of the lid 60 and locking when the lid 60 is closed, and opening / closing of the differential pressure release valve V is performed.

  When the decompression storage chamber 24 is decompressed by the negative pressure pump 29, the load applied to the lid 60 by the differential pressure between the atmospheric pressure outside the decompression storage chamber 24 and the decompressed pressure inside the decompression storage chamber 24. Becomes larger. Thereby, in order to open the lid | cover 60 directly, a user will require considerable force.

  Therefore, by opening the differential pressure relief valve V, the inside and outside space of the lid 60 is inserted, the inside / outside pressure difference is eliminated, the load due to the differential pressure is eliminated, and the lid 60 can be easily opened.

  When food is placed on the decompression storage chamber container 60a and the lid 60 is closed, gas movement between the front opening of the decompression storage chamber 24 and the lid 60 is suppressed. When the refrigerator compartment door 6 is closed and a door switch (not shown) is turned on, the negative pressure pump 29 is driven and the decompression storage chamber 24 is decompressed to a state lower than the atmospheric pressure. Thereby, the oxygen concentration in the decompression storage chamber 24 falls. That is, when the oxygen concentration in the decompression storage chamber 24 is reduced, it is possible to prevent deterioration of nutritional components in the food.

  Next, a specific configuration of the decompression storage chamber 24 will be described. A photocatalyst is provided on the inner wall of the decompression storage chamber 24, that is, the inner wall surface forming the decompression storage space for storing food or the like (not shown). Light sources 80 and 81 for irradiating light including ultraviolet rays are disposed outside the decompression storage chamber 24.

  Here, the photocatalytic action will be described. The photocatalyst undergoes a photocatalytic reaction when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Then, oxygen and water in the air are decomposed to generate highly reactive radicals. Hereinafter, the radical generation reaction formula for oxygen is shown in “Chemical Formula 1”, and the radical generation reaction formula for water is shown in “Chemical Formula 2”.

[Formula 1] _{^{O 2 → O -, O ·}} , O 2 -, O 2 ·
[Formula 2] _{^{H 2 O → O -, O}} ·, O 2 -, O 2 ·, OH ·, OH -

  When chemical formulas “Chemical Formula 1” and “Chemical Formula 2” are compared, there are more types of radicals when water is decomposed. Then, the photocatalytic reaction generates a large amount of radicals in an atmosphere with a lot of moisture. Accordingly, the photocatalyst is more effective in the decomposition of odor components and the removal of germs in an atmosphere with much moisture, that is, a high humidity atmosphere.

  By the way, when the lid 60 is closed and the inside of the decompression storage chamber 24 is decompressed, moisture is slightly evaporated from the food stored in the decompression storage chamber 24. As a result, the humidity inside the decompression storage chamber 24 becomes almost 100%.

  Therefore, by processing the photocatalyst inside the decompression storage chamber 24, the odor in the decompression storage chamber 24 can be effectively decomposed and germs removed by the photocatalytic action.

  Next, the light sources 80 and 81 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the light irradiation apparatus.

  Reference numeral 101 denotes an LED mounting substrate. Reference numeral 102 denotes a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as “LED”). The LED 102 is provided on the mounting substrate 101. 103 is a cover which covers LED. The cover 103 is formed of a light transmissive material that transmits the light of the LED 102. Reference numeral 104 denotes a support member that supports the mounting substrate 101, the LED 102, and the cover 103. The support member 104 is provided in the refrigerator compartment 2 by locking means 105 such as screws. In addition, LED102 is provided in the angle which irradiates the photocatalyst surface processed inside the decompression storage chamber 24. FIG.

  The open / close handle 70 of the decompression storage chamber body 40 is made of a material that transmits light, for example, resin or glass. Titanium oxide or zinc oxide is baked or applied to the inner surface of the opening / closing handle 70, that is, the surface on the reduced pressure storage space side where food is stored. The light source 80 is provided so as to irradiate the opening / closing handle 70.

  The lid 60 is made of a material that transmits light, for example, resin or glass. Titanium oxide or zinc oxide is added or applied to the inner surface of the lid 60, that is, the surface on the side of the reduced pressure storage space for storing food. And the light source 81 is provided so that this lid | cover 60 may be irradiated.

  With this configuration, the decompression storage chamber 24 is irradiated from the rear by the light source 80 and from the front by the light source 81. Thereby, the internal visibility can be improved without opening the lid 60 of the decompression storage chamber 24, that is, without releasing the decompression.

  Next, the test results of the irradiation conditions of the light sources 80 and 81 and the decomposition efficiency of odor components will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the light irradiation time and the residual rate of the odor component gas (methyl mercaptan).

  The experimental condition is that the concentration of methyl mercaptan filled in the container is measured over time when the light source 81 is continuously irradiated to the lid 60 processed with the photocatalyst and the pulse irradiation is performed using the vacuum storage chamber 24. did. That is, the deodorizing effect was compared and examined based on the concentration decay rate between continuous irradiation and pulse irradiation. Here, pulse irradiation is a case where pulse irradiation is performed with an irradiation time (ON time) of 0.5 milliseconds [ms] and a non-irradiation time (OFF time) of 0.5 ms.

  In FIG. 6, the vertical axis represents the percentage of remaining odorous component gas [%], and the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time [minute] from the start of irradiation.

  As a result of the test (see FIG. 6), it was found that the residual ratio of methyl mercaptan was smaller when the pulsed irradiation was performed than when the light source 81 was continuously irradiated. Thereby, it turned out that the deodorizing effect in the decompression storage chamber 24 can be improved by performing pulse irradiation.

  This is due to the following reason. That is, when the light source 81 is continuously irradiated, radical generation by the photocatalytic reaction occurs continuously. However, this is because there is no means for circulating air in the vacuum storage chamber 24, and the adsorption of methyl mercaptan on the surface of the photocatalyst is inhibited.

  On the other hand, in the case of irradiation with a pulse cycle, when no light is irradiated (non-irradiation time (OFF time)), methyl mercaptan is adsorbed on the photocatalyst. When light is irradiated (irradiation time (ON time)), the adsorbed methyl mercaptan is decomposed by photocatalysis. That is, the surface of the photocatalyst is refreshed in accordance with the pulse period, and this repetition is performed efficiently.

  As described above, the deodorization and sterilization in the decompression storage chamber 24 can be efficiently performed by providing a photocatalyst in the decompression storage chamber 24 that does not have a blowing means and irradiating the pulse from the outside of the decompression storage chamber 24. Can do.

It is a center longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the lowest space part of the refrigerator compartment of FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of the state where the lid of the decompression storage room was closed. It is a perspective view of the state where the lid of the decompression storage room body was opened. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a light irradiation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the relationship between light irradiation time and the residual rate of an odor component.

Explanation of symbols

24 Decompression storage chamber 40 Decompression storage chamber main body 60 Lid 60a Decompression storage chamber container 70 Opening / closing handle 80, 81 Light source 101 Mounting substrate 102 LED
103 cover 104 support member 105 locking means

Claims (6)

In a refrigerator comprising: a storage chamber having an opening; and a lid that opens and closes the opening of the storage chamber and closes the opening to suppress movement of gas inside and outside the storage chamber.
The refrigerator characterized by the photocatalyst being provided in the inner wall of the said storage chamber, and / or the inner surface of the said lid | cover. A storage chamber having an opening; a lid that opens and closes the opening of the storage chamber and closes the opening; and controls the movement of gas inside and outside the storage chamber; and a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure in the storage chamber A refrigerator equipped with a decompression means for decompressing the
When a photocatalyst is provided on the inner wall of the storage chamber and / or the inner surface of the lid and the storage chamber is depressurized, moisture released from food stored in the storage chamber keeps the storage chamber at high humidity. A refrigerator characterized by.   The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein at least a part of the storage chamber and / or the lid is made of a light transmissive material, and the photocatalyst is provided in a portion made of the light transmissive material.   4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a light source for irradiating light including ultraviolet rays is provided outside the storage chamber on a portion made of the light transmissive material. A decompression storage chamber that is decompressed to a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, an opening provided at a front portion of the decompression storage chamber, a lid that opens and closes the opening, and between the lid and the opening of the decompression storage chamber A sealing member that suppresses movement of gas inside and outside the decompression storage chamber when the lid closes the opening; a decompression means that decompresses the decompression storage chamber to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure; A refrigerated room with a vacuum storage room;
In the refrigerator with
A first light source provided outside the decompression storage chamber for irradiating the lid with light containing ultraviolet light; and a light source provided outside the decompression storage chamber and containing ultraviolet light on the upper wall of the decompression storage chamber. A second light source for pulse irradiation,
When the upper wall and the lid of the vacuum storage chamber are made of glass or resin that transmits light, a photocatalyst is applied to the inner wall of the vacuum storage chamber and the inner surface of the lid, and when the vacuum storage chamber is decompressed, A refrigerator characterized in that the humidity in the vacuum storage chamber is increased by moisture released from food stored in the vacuum storage chamber.   6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the light source emits pulses.

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