JP2011190949A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve problems of occurrence of dew condensation in a vegetable compartment accompanying excess desorption of moisture from a moisture adjuster, and dropping of water from the moisture adjuster, which is caused by the fact that an amount of retained water of the moisture adjuster increases with the lapse of an operation time. <P>SOLUTION: Since desorption of a desiccant rotor 35 is performed outside a refrigerator compartment by rotary drive of the desiccant rotor 35 disposed between a duct 31 for supplying the air cooled by a cooler to a refrigerator compartment 33 and the outside of the refrigerating compartment 33, the desiccant rotor can be surely regenerated by the air outside the refrigerator compartment, this air having been heated by a condenser 37, thus accumulation of moisture in the desiccant rotor 35 with the lapse of operation time can be prevented, and frost formation of the cooler can be suppressed while controlling a humidity inside of the refrigerator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a humidity adjusting function.

  Conventionally, in this type of refrigerator, a vegetable chamber is maintained in a high humidity environment using a desiccant rotor in order to suppress moisture transpiration in the vegetable during preservation of the vegetable (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  4 to 8 show a conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view seen from the front, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 4 and a schematic view of the refrigerant piping, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a desiccant rotor. FIG.

  In FIG. 4, the refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerating room 100 arranged at the top, a switching room 400 and an ice making room 500 arranged in parallel below the refrigerating room 100, and a switching room 400 and an ice making room 500. It is comprised from the vegetable room 300 arrange | positioned, and the freezer compartment 200 arrange | positioned under the vegetable room 300 (same in the lowest part).

  The switching chamber 400 can be switched from a freezing temperature zone (about −12 to −22 ° C.) to a refrigerated temperature zone (about 0 to 5 ° C.). In a refrigerator with a total capacity of 450 L, the capacity of each room is about 240 L in the refrigerator, 80 L in the freezer, and about 90 L in the vegetable room.

  In FIG. 5, the refrigerating room 100 and the ice making room 500 and the refrigerating room 100 and the switching room 400 are separated by a partition 2 filled with a heat insulating material. A partition 3 separates the ice making chamber 500 and the vegetable chamber 300 and between the switching chamber 400 and the vegetable chamber 300. Similarly, the vegetable compartment 300 and the freezer compartment 200 are separated by a partition 4.

  The heat insulating box of the refrigerator is formed of a steel plate outer box 5 (same as the casing), a synthetic resin inner box 6, and a heat insulating material 7 filled between the two.

  The refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator 1 includes a compressor 8 that compresses a refrigerant, a condenser 9 that condenses the refrigerant, a throttle device 10 that decompresses the refrigerant, and a cooler 11 that evaporates the refrigerant. The condenser 9, the expansion device 10, and the cooler 11 are connected in series in this order. And the cooler 11 is arrange | positioned at the back surface of the vegetable compartment 300. FIG.

  In FIG. 5 (cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. 4), a partition 12 formed of a heat insulating material is disposed on the back of the vegetable compartment 300, and a freezing wind is provided between the partition 12 and the cooler 11. A road partition 13 is disposed, and an inflow air path to the freezer compartment 200 is formed between the partition 12 and the partition 13. A fan 14 is disposed above the cooler 11.

  Therefore, the downward air of the air sent by the fan 14 enters the freezer compartment 200 through the air passage between the partition 12 and the partition 13, and then the return air formed behind the freezer compartment 200. It flows to the cooler 11 via the path.

  Moreover, the heat insulation partition 12 arrange | positioned at the back surface of the vegetable compartment 300 is extended to the back surface of the ice making room 500 and the switching room 400, and the clearance gap between the upper end edge of the heat insulation partition 12 and the partition 2 is the switching room 400 and the ice making room. An inflow air path to 500 is formed.

  A refrigerating air passage partition 15 is provided on the back of the refrigerating chamber 100, and a through hole formed in the partition 15 forms a refrigerating inflow air passage. In order to control the wind, a refrigeration air passage opening / closing valve 16, a refrigeration air passage opening / closing valve 17, a switching air passage opening / closing valve 18, and an ice making air passage opening / closing valve (not shown) are installed in the air passage to each room. ing.

  Therefore, the upward air of the air sent by the fan 14 is supplied to the refrigeration air passage opening / closing valve 16, the refrigeration air passage opening / closing valve 17, the switching air passage opening / closing valve 18, or the ice making air passage opening / closing valve (not shown). By opening / closing or adjusting the opening degree, an appropriate amount of time selectively flows into the refrigerating room 100, the switching room 400 or the ice making room 500.

  In FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 (cross-sectional view taken along line BB shown in FIG. 4), the air (return air) that has flowed out of the refrigerating chamber 100 descends through the back of the switching chamber 400 and passes through the vegetable chamber 300. (Refer to FIG. 6) or without going through (refer to FIG. 7), return to the cooler 11 through the return air passage on the back of the vegetable compartment 300. A desiccant rotor 19 that absorbs and desorbs moisture is provided at the inflow / outlet of the vegetable compartment 300, and a heater 24 is provided in the air path in front of the desiccant rotor 19.

  In FIG. 8, the desiccant rotor 19 is provided with a first desiccant plate 20 and a second desiccant plate 21 facing the side surface of the rotating shaft 23, and facing the side surface of the rotating shaft 23 with a phase difference of 90 ° therebetween. Switching plates 22a and 22b (hereinafter collectively referred to as “switching plate 22”) are installed. The rotating shaft 23 is arranged in the center in the height direction of the inlet / outlet of the vegetable compartment 300 with the axis centered horizontally.

  And the 1st desiccant board 20 and the 2nd desiccant board 21 (a plane is formed by both) can cover the substantially whole area of the inflow / outlet of the vegetable compartment 300, At this time, the switching board 22a or the switching board 22b Is capable of closing the return air path on the back of the vegetable compartment 300 (see FIG. 6).

  Moreover, the switching plate 22a and the switching plate 22b (a plane is formed by both) can cover substantially the entire area of the inflow / outlet of the vegetable chamber 300, and at this time, the first desiccant plate 20 or the second desiccant plate 21 is covered. Can close the return air path on the back of the vegetable room 300 (see FIG. 7).

  Furthermore, the amount of air flowing into the vegetable compartment 300 (same as the amount of air passing directly through the return air passage on the back of the vegetable compartment 300) can be adjusted according to the rotation angle of the rotary shaft 23, so that the first desiccant plate 20 and the second desiccant plate 20 The amount of air passing through the second desiccant plate 21 is also adjustable.

JP 2008-256257 A

  However, in the conventional configuration, the moisture in the moisture adjusting means is desorbed by the air flowing from the refrigerator compartment to the vegetable compartment, and the moisture is adsorbed to the moisture adjusting means by the air flowing from the vegetable compartment to the cooler. Although control is possible temporarily, moisture in the air flowing out from the vegetable compartment is adsorbed to the moisture adjustment means, so the amount of moisture held by the moisture adjustment means increases with the operating time, and from the moisture adjustment means There was a problem of causing problems such as the occurrence of dew condensation in the vegetable room accompanying excessive desorption of water or dripping of water from the moisture adjusting means.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a refrigerator that controls humidity in the cabinet while preventing dripping of water from the moisture adjusting means and suppresses frost formation on the cooler. And

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a compressor, a condenser, a condenser fan, a throttling device, and a cooler constituting a refrigeration cycle, and is cooled by the cooler. In the refrigerator comprising a duct for supplying the air to each storage room and an air circulation means for circulating the air, a moisture adjusting means for adsorbing moisture of the air is provided in the duct of the storage room, and the storage room Outside the room, the water held by the condenser is desorbed by the outside air, and the moisture adjusting means is cylindrical and has a rotating shaft at the center of the cylinder, and the inside of the duct of the storage chamber The moisture is adsorbed and desorbed by rotationally driving between the storage chamber and the outside.

  As a result, the moisture adsorbed by the moisture adjusting means is surely desorbed by the outside air warmed by the condenser, and the moisture inside the warehouse is discharged outside, so that the moisture is accumulated in the moisture adjusting means as the operation time elapses. While being able to prevent, it can suppress the frost formation of a cooler, controlling the humidity in a store | warehouse | chamber.

  The refrigerator of the present invention prevents moisture from being adsorbed to the moisture adjusting means while controlling the humidity in the cabinet, eliminates dripping of water from the moisture adjusting means, It is possible to suppress frost formation.

Schematic diagram of the main part of the refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention. The principal part schematic diagram of the refrigerator from which the air path structure in Embodiment 1 of this invention differs Arrangement diagram of humidity detection sensor in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Perspective view of a conventional refrigerator Sectional drawing in the AA line shown in FIG. 4, and the schematic diagram of refrigerant | coolant piping Sectional drawing in the BB line shown in FIG. Sectional drawing in the BB line shown in FIG. Enlarged view of desiccant rotor

  1st invention has the compressor which comprises a refrigerating cycle, a condenser, a condenser fan, a throttle device, and a cooler, and supplies the air cooled with the said cooler to each store room In a refrigerator including a duct and an air circulation means for circulating air, moisture adjusting means for adsorbing moisture of air is provided in the duct of the storage chamber, and is heated by the condenser outside the storage chamber. The moisture held by the moisture adjusting means is desorbed by outside air, and the moisture adjusting means is cylindrical and has a rotation axis at the center of the cylinder, and the space between the inside of the storage chamber and the outside of the storage chamber. By rotating and driving, moisture is adsorbed and desorbed. By dehumidifying the air in the duct of the storage room, the humidity of the air circulating in the warehouse can be controlled and circulated in the warehouse. To the cooler The humidity of the air to be controlled can be proportionally controlled, so that it is possible to suppress the frost from forming on the cooler, and the dehumidified water is discharged outside the chamber. It is possible to prevent dripping of water generated by adsorbing and reducing the number of defrosting operations of the cooler.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the condenser, the condenser fan, the moisture adjusting means, and the compressor are disposed in this order from the left and right ends on the top of the refrigerator, so that the condenser is discarded. Since the moisture adsorbed by the moisture adjusting means is desorbed using heat, it is not necessary to provide a new heat source for regenerating the moisture adjusting means, and humidity control with high energy saving performance can be achieved at low cost.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the flow of the cold air in the duct in the storage chamber is formed so as to flow continuously without branching from the left and right end sides to the other end side, thereby configuring the duct of the storage chamber The humidity control can be performed at low cost and with high reliability.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the flow of cold air in the duct in the storage chamber is made to flow into the moisture adjusting means from one direction, and the cold air that has passed through the moisture adjusting means is branched in the left-right direction to be continuous. Since the total amount of air in the duct of the storage chamber is supplied to the moisture adjusting means, the ripple effect of humidity control by the moisture adjusting means is increased and the response is excellent. Humidity control is possible.

  5th invention is equipped with the humidity detection sensor which is arrange | positioned in the said duct of the said store room, and detects the humidity of the air which passed the said moisture adjustment means, The value of the said humidity detection sensor became more than predetermined value Sometimes, the moisture adjusting means is driven to rotate, and the moisture adsorbed in the storage is discharged to the outside, and excessive drying due to continuous rotation driving of the moisture adjusting means can be prevented, High humidity control is possible.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a main part of a refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a refrigerator having a different air path configuration according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a layout diagram of the humidity detection sensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the air cooled by the cooler is sent into the duct 31 by the internal fan, and in the process of passing through the inside of the duct 31, the refrigerator compartment is provided from a plurality of outlets 32 provided in the duct 31. 33 is blown out. A desiccant rotor 35, which is a moisture adjusting means, is provided in the middle of the duct 31 so as to straddle between the duct 31 and the machine room 34. The desiccant rotor 35 has a cylindrical shape and is provided with a rotation shaft at the center of the cylinder. In addition, the motor 36 can rotate between the duct 31 and the machine room 34. On the upper surface of the refrigerator, a condenser 37 constituting a refrigeration cycle, a condenser fan 38 for cooling the condenser 37, a desiccant rotor 35 serving as moisture adjusting means, and a compressor 39 constituting a refrigeration cycle are provided on one end of the left and right sides. Are arranged in the order.

  About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  First, the air cooled by the cooler flowing upward in the duct 31 of the refrigerating chamber 33 blows out the air cooled from the air outlet 32 provided in the duct to the refrigerating chamber 33, while the suction side of the desiccant rotor 35. The air in the duct 31 is dehumidified by adsorbing the moisture in the air in the duct 31 to the desiccant rotor 35. The dehumidified air flows downward in the duct 31 and blows out the dehumidified air from the air outlet 32 provided in the duct 31 to the refrigerator compartment 33, and then passes through a return air passage (not shown) to the cooler. Refluxed.

The desiccant rotor 35 does not cover the entire duct 31, but is provided with a bypass air passage 40 that flows without passing through the desiccant rotor 35. The desiccant rotor 35 serves as a ventilation resistance and the air volume in the duct 31. This reduces the occurrence of poor cooling in the refrigerator compartment 33. In addition, in the dehumidifying operation using the desiccant rotor 35, when the desiccant rotor 35 is kept stationary without rotating for a long time, such as when performing energy saving operation or intermittent operation, the moisture adsorption capacity of the desiccant rotor 35 is maintained. The desiccant rotor containing a large amount of moisture becomes a large ventilation resistance and has an action of preventing the air volume in the duct 31 from being extremely lowered.

  Then, the desiccant rotor 35 that has adsorbed the moisture of the air in the duct 31 is driven to rotate by the motor 36 and moves from the inside of the duct 31 to the machine room 34, and the heat radiation amount of the condenser 37 is reduced by the condenser fan 38. By passing air through the desiccant rotor 35 that has adsorbed moisture, the moisture is desorbed and the desiccant rotor 35 is regenerated. The regenerated desiccant rotor 35 is rotationally driven by the motor 36, moves from the machine chamber 34 side to the duct 31 side, and again adsorbs moisture from the air in the duct 31. By repeating this operation continuously, it becomes possible to discharge the moisture in the refrigerator compartment to the outside of the refrigerator, and the inside of the refrigerator can be maintained in a low humidity state.

  Further, by controlling the rotation of the motor 36 on and off, the humidity inside the cabinet can also be controlled. For example, if the on-time of the motor 36 is lengthened, the amount of moisture discharged from the inside of the warehouse increases, and the humidity inside the warehouse can be reduced. If the on-time of the motor 36 is shortened, the inside of the warehouse can be reduced. The amount of water discharged outside the chamber can be reduced, and the humidity inside the chamber can be maintained substantially constant. Further, when the on-time of the motor 36 is shortened, the portion of the desiccant rotor 35 on the duct 31 side is allowed to perform moisture adsorption for a long time, and when it reaches a predetermined time, the moisture adsorption of the desiccant rotor 35 is performed. The amount is saturated, moisture is not adsorbed, and the humidity in the cabinet is maintained constant without decreasing the amount of moisture in the cabinet.

  In this way, as a heat source for regeneration of the desiccant rotor 35, a new heat source such as a heater is not used, and the heat radiation of the condenser 37 constituting the refrigeration cycle can be used. However, extremely high energy saving performance can be obtained.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the desiccant rotor 35 serving as the moisture adjusting means is cylindrical and has a rotating shaft at the center of the cylinder, and is rotated between the duct 31 side and the machine chamber 34 side by the motor 36. Since the moisture adsorbed on the inside of the cabinet is desorbed and discharged on the outside of the cabinet, the humidity on the inside of the cabinet can be controlled by intermittently operating the motor 36.

  Also, since the air returning to the cooler is dehumidified, the frost formation on the cooler can be greatly reduced, the number and time of defrosting of the cooler are shortened, and the temperature of food in the refrigerator during the defrosting operation is increased. Can be suppressed. Further, by using the desiccant rotor 35 as the moisture adjustment means, the saturation characteristic of moisture adsorption can be used, and the moisture adjustment means can be prevented from adsorbing an amount of moisture exceeding the allowable capacity, and water from the moisture adjustment means can be prevented. Can be eliminated.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, the flow of the cold air in the duct 31 in the refrigerator compartment 33 was formed so as to flow continuously without branching from the left and right end sides to the other end side, so that the duct 31 of the refrigerator compartment 33 was made. Since the configuration of the above is simplified and the degree of freedom in designing the duct 31 is also improved, it is possible to perform highly reliable humidity control with low cost and excellent model expandability.

Further, in the present embodiment, the flow of cold air in the duct 31 in the refrigerating chamber 33 flows into the desiccant rotor 35 from one direction, and the cold air that has passed through the desiccant rotor 35 is branched in the left-right direction to be continuous. Since the entire amount of air in the duct 31 of the refrigerator compartment 33 can be collectively dehumidified by the desiccant rotor 35, the ripple effect of humidity control by the desiccant rotor 35 is great. Thus, the humidity control with excellent responsiveness is possible. At this time, the cross-sectional area of the duct 31 in the refrigerating chamber 33 is designed so that the flow rate of the cool air in the duct 31 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, so that the cool air can easily pass through the desiccant rotor 35 having ventilation resistance. .

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, it is provided in the duct 31 of the refrigerator compartment 33, is provided with the humidity detection sensor 41 which detects the humidity of the air which passed the desiccant rotor 35, and the value of the humidity detection sensor 41 is more than predetermined value. At this time, the desiccant rotor 35 is driven to rotate, and the moisture adsorbed in the chamber is discharged to the outside of the chamber, and the desiccant rotor 35 is continuously rotated in the midnight time period when the frequency of door opening and closing is low. Excessive drying in the cabinet due to driving can be prevented, and highly reliable humidity control with excellent energy saving performance becomes possible.

  As mentioned above, since the refrigerator concerning this invention can control the humidity in a store | warehouse | chamber and can suppress frost formation of a cooler, it can be applied also to various refrigerators for household use or business use.

31 Duct 32 Air outlet 33 Refrigerating room 34 Machine room 35 Desiccant rotor 36 Motor 37 Condenser 38 Condenser fan 39 Compressor 40 Bypass air passage 41 Humidity detection sensor

Claims (5)

A compressor that constitutes a refrigeration cycle, a condenser, a condenser fan, a throttling device, and a cooler, and a duct that supplies air cooled by the cooler to each storage chamber, and circulates the air In the refrigerator provided with an air circulation means, a moisture adjusting means for adsorbing moisture in the air is provided in the duct of the storage chamber, and the moisture is externally heated by the condenser outside the storage chamber. While desorbing the moisture held by the adjusting means, the moisture adjusting means is cylindrical and is provided with a rotation shaft at the center of the cylinder, and is rotated between the inside of the duct of the storage chamber and the outside of the storage chamber, A refrigerator characterized by adsorbing and desorbing moisture. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the condenser, the condenser fan, the moisture adjusting unit, and the compressor are arranged in this order from the left and right ends on the top of the refrigerator. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flow of cold air in the duct in the storage room is formed so as to flow continuously without branching from one end side to the other end side. A flow of cold air in the duct in the storage chamber is made to flow into the moisture adjusting means from one direction, and the cold air that has passed through the moisture adjusting means is formed to branch continuously in the left-right direction. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein A humidity detection sensor is provided in the duct of the storage chamber and detects the humidity of the air that has passed through the moisture adjustment means, and the moisture adjustment is performed when the value of the humidity detection sensor becomes a predetermined value or more. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the means is driven to rotate, and the moisture adsorbed in the storage is discharged outside the storage.