JP2012242078A - Electric refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric refrigerator as a compact device for household use, capable of minimizing power consumption at the peak of electric power demand.SOLUTION: A compressor 1 of a freezing machine is disposed at a lower rear section, and a compressed refrigerant is condensed by a condenser 2 at a back section, expanded by capillary tubes 3a, 3b as expanders for the freezing machine and ice making, and evaporated by evaporators 4a, 4b of the freezing machine and an ice making machine to be cooled. A storage compartment of the refrigerator has the drawer shape, and is drawn out to a position 14k stopped by a stopper 14j together with drawing-out of a freezer 13a positioned at a lowermost section, to be used as a step. A tube plate 18 is disposed in an ice making/storing device 11 for holding the evaporator 4b and preventing waving of a water surface 6 when the refrigerator shakes, and a cover 19 having a ventilation opening is disposed on an upper section of the water surface 6, thus the ice can be made, or a refrigerant can be frozen by the device having a structure capable of suppressing shaking of water, and the ice and the refrigerant are used for refrigerating.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric refrigerator including a freezer whose main power source is nighttime power.

  Currently, reduction of daytime power is demanded, and commercial refrigerators have been developed for air conditioning and showcase equipment using nighttime power generated by ice heat storage (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). Small devices have not been developed.

  JP 11-281103 A   JP 11-183012 A

  However, the above is intended to improve the coefficient of performance of the refrigerator and reduce the electricity bill by operating the refrigerator at night, but it is desirable for a small one such as an electric refrigerator for home use. In addition to improving the coefficient of performance and reducing electricity bills, it is a small device that consumes as little daytime power as possible.

  The present invention has been made based on such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electric refrigerator that is small and is used at home, and that suppresses power consumption at the peak of power demand as much as possible.

According to the present invention, the advantage of operating the refrigerator at night is that the coefficient of performance of the refrigerator is good because the temperature is lower than in the daytime. In addition, there is a surplus in power supply and the electricity charge is low. Therefore, using these advantages, it is an electric refrigerator having a freezer that can be used at home with a small device,
There is provided an electric refrigerator capable of producing and storing ice in the upper compartment of the refrigerator at night and cooling the inside of the refrigerator with the ice during the day.
Refrigerator is a pull-out type to reduce the outflow of cold air when refrigerated items are taken in and out, and the upper drawer is divided into two parts so that refrigerated items can be taken in and out easily, pulling out the lower storage, An electric refrigerator having a structure that can be used as a step is provided.
The bottom of the top ice making and storage device uses a corrugated metal to increase the strength and support the weight of a cold heat source such as ice or water. Further, since the heat conductivity and the heat transfer area are increased, an electric refrigerator that facilitates transferring the cold air from the cold heat source to the lower part is provided.
Bimetal, shape memory alloy, or wax whose shape changes according to temperature change, for controlling the amount of cold air from the bottom of the ice making and storage device sequentially descending to the lower drawer and adjusting the temperature in the drawer An electric refrigerator is provided that uses elements to adjust the size of the cold air drop gap at the top of each drawer.
Depending on the time of day, an electric refrigerator is provided having a schedule timer that controls ice production and the operation of the freezer.

  The bottom part of the ice making and storage device may be a fin made of metal instead of the corrugated shape. In addition, a cryogen may be used in the ice making and storage device.

There is provided an electric refrigerator in which the mechanical part and the storage part are separated from each other, the main part of the refrigerator and the ice making / storage device are placed outdoors, and the indoor unit and the outdoor unit that are operated using the outside air are separated.
It is preferable to arrange the outdoor unit in series with the outdoor unit for air conditioning, and use a partition to enhance the heating effect in winter.

By using ice produced at night during the daytime, power consumption during the day can be eliminated.
By making the refrigerator a drawer type, the loss of cold air can be reduced. Refrigerated items can be easily put in and taken out of the drawers at a high position by using the bottom storage as a stepping board.
By making the bottom part of the ice making and storage device into a metal corrugated plate or fin, the weight of ice or a cooling agent can be supported, and cold air can be transmitted well to the lower part.
The temperature in the storage can be adjusted in order from the top by a device that adjusts the amount of cold air fall.
The schedule timer minimizes the operation of the electric refrigerator in the daytime, and when there is enough ice in the ice making and storage device, it can be used to condense the refrigerant for the freezer to improve the coefficient of performance of the refrigerator. Can do.
In the separate type electric refrigerator, the coefficient of performance is improved by an outdoor unit placed outdoors at a lower temperature than indoors at night. Moreover, since indoor temperature rise is prevented and the operation sound of the refrigerator is not generated, the indoor can be kept quiet.

  Sectional drawing which shows the structure of an electric refrigerator, in order to demonstrate the electric refrigerator of this invention.   The perspective view which shows the shape of an electric refrigerator.   (A) Sectional drawing which shows the bottom part of an ice making and storage apparatus, (b) The top view which shows the support plate which supports a bottom part, (c) The top view of the corrugated board of a bottom part, and the enlarged view of a drain part.   Sectional drawing and top view explaining the apparatus for controlling the fall of cold air.   Schedule table for the timer that controls the operation of the refrigerator.   The perspective view which shows the inside of an outdoor unit.   Explanatory drawing using an outdoor unit in combination with an outdoor unit for air conditioning.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, common portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
Referring to FIG. 1, the structure of the electric refrigerator according to the present invention has a compressor 1 of a refrigerator at the lower rear portion, and condenses the compressed refrigerant with a condenser 2 at the rear, and then expanders for the refrigerator and ice making. It expands with the capillary tubes 3a and 3b. And it evaporates and cools with evaporator 4a, 4b of a refrigerator and an ice making machine.
The storage of the electric refrigerator is composed of an upper stage 12a, an intermediate stage 12b, and a lower stage 12c, and is a drawer type. Here, separately, the freezer 13a located at the lowermost part is covered with thermal insulation walls 14a, 14b, 14f, and 14h, but the upper wall 14h of the freezer is stopped together with the stopper 14j when the freezer 13a is pulled out. It can be pulled out to a position 14k where it stops and can be used as a platform. Wheels 14b-1, 14b-2 and legs 14b-1 are provided at the lower part of the electric refrigerator in order to facilitate the pulling out of the platform and stabilize the refrigerator.
Since the freezer 13a is used as a platform, the evaporator 4a is accommodated between the wall 14h used for the platform and the mesh-like metal plate 16, and the projection 14m is provided on the front surface of the platform wall 14h. , The lower freezer 13a is pulled out together by the projection 14m. Further, the stopper 14j prevents the evaporator 4a from being damaged by the movable part.
Here, when only the freezer 13a is pulled out, the protrusion 14m and the stopper 14j can be pulled out to the full open without being obstructed, so that the goods can be easily put in and out.

The ice making and storage device 11 uses drinking water or a cold insulating agent, but the drawing assumes drinking water.
The ice making and storage device 11 has a tube plate 18 to prevent the water surface 6 from swelling when the evaporator 4b is held and the refrigerator is shaken, and a lid having a vent at the top of the water surface 6 By providing 19, the shaking of water is suppressed. The upper heat insulating wall 14d has a function of a lid, and is used for maintenance inside the ice making / storage device 11 and water supply.
Since the ice making and storage device 11 is assumed to have a volume of 50 L, from the viewpoint of supporting a weight of about 50 kg and heat transfer efficiency, the ice making and storage device bottom 17a and its support plate 17b are made of metal, The shape is made into a wave shape to increase the strength, thermal conductivity, and heat transfer area. Further, the support bar 5 inside the ice making and storage device 11 also serves to support the weight of ice and to reinforce the device.
Since the condenser 2 at the back part becomes high temperature, it is installed in a gap formed by the heat insulating wall 14c on the storage side and the condenser protective plate 15 at the back part, and is cooled by an updraft due to the chimney effect of this gap.
Solenoid valves A, B, C, and D are attached to the condenser piping, and are opened and closed by a schedule timer to control the operation of the refrigerator.

The capacity of the ice making and storage device 11 and the refrigerator is based on the following assumptions: 180 L of 20 ° C. drinking water is put in a 200 L refrigerator and cooled to 5 ° C., and the storage is opened for a total of 60 minutes in the daytime, and 5 ° C. for 5 seconds. The air is replaced with air at 35 ° C. and 20 L. The constant pressure specific heat of air is 1 kJ / kg · K.
As a result, the amount of water required in the ice making and storage apparatus is about 36 L, but the volume is set to 50 L in consideration of the volume of the piping and the allowance rate. The weight is assumed to be as large as 50 kg for water and equipment.
Since the refrigerator only needs to be made in 10 hours from 22:00 to 08:00, even if the coefficient of performance is as low as 2.5, the power consumption for 10 hours is assumed to be about 150 to 200 W / hour. Is done.

  According to the perspective view of FIG. 2, the upper storage 12a is divided into two drawers, a right 12a-R and a left 12a-L. Each storage has a recess 12d on the center side, and serves as a cool air descending passage from the ice making and storage device 11 on the upper side. Further, since the upper storage 12a is located at a high position, when the storage product is taken in and out, for example, only one right storage 12a-R is pulled out, and the lowest freezer 13a is pulled out together with the heat insulating wall 14h for the step platform. It can be used as a stepping board to easily put in and out stored items. Note that the middle and lower storages 12b and 12c are not in a two-part structure because they are in a low position.

According to FIG. 3, the structure having the support plates 17b and 17c and the support plate 17d of the support plate 17d at the lower part of the convex portion 17a-3 of the metal corrugated plate 17a at the lower part of the ice making and storage device supports the weight of ice or water. ing. {See Figures (a) and (b)}
When the bottom of the ice making and storage device is viewed from above, the concave surface 17a-1 on the front side of the concave surfaces 17a-1 and 17a-2 is a valley connecting the concave surfaces 17a-2. Therefore, this surface has a drain hole 17a-4b and is closed by a screw-in stopper 17a-4a. When servicing, it is used to discharge water and discharged from the lower storage 12a. {See Figure (c) and AA 'cross section}

The explanatory diagram of the device for controlling the amount of cool air fall from the ice making and storage device 11 in FIG. 4 is a shape change due to a temperature change of a temperature sensitive element such as a bimetal or a shape memory alloy. The mounted plate 22 is operated up and down to control the temperature in the warehouse by the size of the gap with the partition wall 21 in the upper part of the storage. The figure on the right shows where the gap is open and the left is closed.
(B) is an example in which a wax element 24 is used as a temperature-sensitive element. A wax element 24 that expands and contracts due to a temperature change is mounted on the upper partition wall 21 and the plate 23 is operated with the fulcrum 25 as a pivot. The right side shows a gap and the left side shows a closed position.
(C) is the top view which looked at the above from the upper surface.

According to the operation schedule from 0 o'clock to 24 o'clock in FIG. 5, at time 0 o'clock, only the solenoid valve C can be opened, and if the ice making in the ice making and storage device 11 is not completed, the compressor The refrigerant from No. 1 flows through the evaporator 4b of the ice making / storage device 11 to cool the ice making / storage device 11. On the other hand, the freezer 13a is in a dormant state. This continues until 08:00. From 08:00, only the solenoid valve A can be opened. If the temperature of the freezer rises, the refrigerant from the compressor 1 flows through the evaporator 4a to 13:00 in order to cool the freezer 13a. The power demand peak time period from 13:00 to 16:00 stops. There is no ice making at this time.
If the temperature in the ice making and storage device 11 is 0 ° C. or less after 16:00, the refrigerant that has exited the condenser 2 to rapidly cool the stopped freezer is used as the evaporator 4 b in the ice making and storage device 11. Is passed, the condensation temperature is lowered, the coefficient of performance is improved, and the temperature in the freezer 13a is efficiently lowered. After 18:00, it becomes a normal freezer operation and continues until 22:00. On the other hand, if it passes 16:00 and the temperature in the ice making / storage device 11 exceeds 0 ° C., the normal freezer is operated until 22:00.
From 22:00, the freezer is stopped again, and only the ice making work in the ice making and storage device 11 is started.

In the outdoor unit shown in FIG. 6, a circulation pump 10 is newly added to the mechanical part of the electric refrigerator. By installing the main part of the refrigerator and the ice making / storage device 11 outdoors, the weight and the heat generation amount of the indoor refrigerator are reduced.
In the circulation pump 10, the circulating liquid is cooled by a coil in the ice of the ice making and storage device 11 (not shown because the drawing becomes complicated), and the pipes 10 a, 10 b, and 10 c are piped to an indoor refrigerator. Cool the refrigerator. This circulating fluid uses antifreeze.
In the indoor freezer, the refrigerant from the condenser 2 is circulated through the tubes 4a-1 and 4a-2. The solenoid valves A, B, C, and D operate in the same manner as described above with the schedule timer.
FIG. 7 shows a method of using an outdoor unit in series with an outdoor unit for air conditioning. During cooling, both outdoor units emit hot air, so they are partitioned by partitions 30 and 31, but during heating, the exhaust of the refrigerator outdoor unit is used for the air conditioning outdoor unit, and the partition 30 is covered at the top. Thus, the heating capacity of the outdoor unit for air conditioning is improved by covering the side surface with the partition 31.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressor 2 Condenser 3a, 3b Capillary tube 4a, 4b Evaporator 10 Circulation pump 11 Ice making and storage apparatus 12a Split into two, Upper storage 12b Middle storage 12c Lower storage 13a Freezer 14h Insulating wall 14j Stopper 14m Protrusion 17a Metal corrugated plate 22 Plate with bimetal / shape memory alloy 23 Plate operated with wax element

Claims (6)

The advantage of operating the refrigerator at night is that the temperature coefficient is lower than in the daytime, so the coefficient of performance of the refrigerator is good. In addition, there is a surplus in power supply and the electricity charge is low. Therefore, using these advantages, it can be used in the home with a small device, an electric refrigerator having a freezer,
An electric refrigerator characterized in that ice can be produced or stored in the upper compartment of the electric refrigerator at night, and the inside of the refrigerator can be cooled with the ice or the cold agent during the day.   The storage is a drawer type, and the upper storage drawer is split into two. And the electric refrigerator characterized by the structure where the lowest storage can be used as a step.   3. The electric refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a wave-shaped metal or a metal plate reinforced with fins is used at the bottom of the uppermost ice making and storage device.   The electric refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the size of the cold air drop gap at the upper part of the drawer is adjusted by using a bimetal, a shape memory alloy, or a wax element that changes its shape according to a temperature change.   5. The electric refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a schedule timer for controlling ice production and freezer operation according to a time zone.   The machine part and the storage part are separated. The electric refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 and 4 to 5, wherein the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are separated, which can enhance a heating effect of the outdoor unit for air conditioning.

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