JP2014018214A - Antibacterial unit, and refrigerator having antibacterial unit therein - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an antibacterial unit capable of maintaining a good environment of the inside of a room for long periods without exchanging an antibacterial material in improving the environment of the inside of the room by using the antibacterial material and a blower.SOLUTION: The antibacterial unit includes a case 1 having an air suction opening 6 and an air discharge opening 7 and housed with a blower 11 on an air suction opening 6 side and housed with an antibacterial material 16 on an air discharge opening 7 side, a normally-closed suction valve 14 disposed in the vicinity of the air suction opening 6 of the case 1 for opening the air suction opening 6 accompanying with the operating action of the blower 11, a normally-closed discharge valve 17 disposed in the vicinity of the air discharge opening 7 of the case 1 for opening the air discharge opening 7 accompanying with the operating action of the blower 11, and control means for intermittently operating the blower 11. Thus, the case 1 is normally put into a sealed state and components of an antibacterial material 16 are dispersed in a room while the blower 11 is intermittently operating, to maintain a good environment of the inside of the room for long periods without exchanging the antibacterial material.

Description

  The present invention relates to an antibacterial unit that uses an antibacterial material to improve the indoor environment and a refrigerator incorporating the antibacterial unit.

  Conventionally, as this type of antibacterial unit, a blower and an antibacterial material are housed in a case having an air inlet and an air outlet. And a blower operates always or as needed, and indoor environment, such as a toilet, is improved.

  The antibacterial material carries, for example, essential oils such as aroma having a deodorizing property and aromaticity in a number of porous capsules. And by storing these porous capsules in a cartridge with good air permeability, divergence of the components of the antibacterial material is suppressed, and the effect of improving the environment can be sustained for a relatively long time (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-242737 (page 5-7, FIG. 1)

  However, in the antibacterial unit, air enters and exits through the air inlet and the air outlet, not only when the blower is continuously operated but also when the blower is stopped. For this reason, the antibacterial material needs to be replaced within a few months or one year at the longest, and the labor of this replacement is troublesome.

  In particular, when the antibacterial unit is used in a refrigerator, since the service life of the refrigerator is as long as about 10 years, there is a concern that the room may become unsanitary due to forgetting to replace the antibacterial material or the battery.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the indoor environment using an antibacterial material and a blower, and to enable long-term use of the antibacterial material and to maintain a good indoor environment over a long period of time. Furthermore, when the above antibacterial unit is used in a refrigerator, the environment inside the cabinet is maintained well without using antibacterial material for a long time or replacing the battery corresponding to the useful life of the refrigerator. The purpose is to be.

  The antibacterial unit of the present invention has an air inlet and an air outlet, and houses a blower on the air inlet side and an antibacterial material on the air outlet side, and an air inlet of the case A normally-closed intake valve that is provided in the vicinity and opens the air intake port with the operation of the blower, and that is provided in the vicinity of the air exhaust port of the case, and that opens the air exhaust port with the operation of the blower And a control means for intermittently operating the blower.

  The antibacterial material of the antibacterial unit described above is preferably a material in which essential oil is supported on a number of porous capsules and these capsules are housed in a porous cloth.

  The intake valve and exhaust valve of the antibacterial unit described above are L-shaped resin molded products having elasticity, and one piece is disposed so as to block the air inlet and the air outlet, respectively, and the other piece is an air inlet and an air outlet, respectively. It is preferable that it is attached in the vicinity of the air discharge port, and that the one piece is provided with a thin portion that facilitates bending due to pressure.

  Moreover, the refrigerator incorporating the antibacterial unit of the present invention is characterized in that the antibacterial unit is installed in a cabinet, and the blower of the antibacterial unit is operated intermittently by a refrigerator control device.

  In the antibacterial unit of the present invention, the air intake port and the air exhaust port are normally closed by the intake valve and the exhaust valve, but the air intake port and the exhaust valve are operated in accordance with the operation of the blower. The air outlet opens and closes. Then, when the blower is intermittently operated by the control means, the case of the antibacterial unit is opened and the components of the antibacterial material are diffused indoors. With this structure, the antibacterial material can be used for a long time, and the indoor environment is well maintained without the need to replace the antibacterial material. Further, it is not necessary to operate the blower switch or open / close the lids of the air inlet and the air outlet. Furthermore, if an external power source is used, battery replacement is not necessary, and maintenance-free is realized.

  In addition, since the antibacterial unit can suppress the divergence of the components of the antibacterial material itself to the minimum necessary, it can be used for a longer period of time and can be used for the service life of the refrigerator.

  Further, in the antibacterial unit, since the suction valve and the exhaust valve can be made as a common resin molded product, the number of parts can be reduced and it can be manufactured at low cost.

  Furthermore, the refrigerator incorporating the antibacterial unit of the present invention diffuses the components of the antibacterial material in the cabinet over a long period of time in addition to the effects described above. And the sanitary environment in a store | warehouse | chamber is favorably maintained over the lifetime of a refrigerator. Further, since the blower operates intermittently using the refrigerator control device, battery replacement is not necessary, and maintenance-free operation is realized.

It is a front view explaining the schematic structure of the antibacterial unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded view explaining the schematic structure of the antibacterial unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing explaining the schematic structure of the antibacterial unit along the AA line of FIG. It is a rear view explaining the schematic structure of the antibacterial unit concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the intake valve of the antibacterial unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the intake valve of the antibacterial unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the schematic structure of the refrigerator incorporating the antibacterial unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the schematic structure of the refrigerator incorporating the antibacterial unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an antibacterial unit according to an embodiment of the present invention and a refrigerator incorporating the antibacterial unit will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 6 show a natural antibacterial unit Y according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a front external view showing a schematic structure of the natural antibacterial unit Y according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic structure of the antibacterial unit Y, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the natural antibacterial unit Y along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 5, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are enlarged cross-sectional views of the main part, showing the valve and the vicinity of the valve in order to explain the operating state of the valve used in the natural antibacterial unit Y.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the natural antibacterial unit Y has a resin case 1, and an exhaust valve 17 described later is formed on the front surface of the case 1. Further, as shown by a broken line, an intake valve 14 described later is formed on the back surface of the case 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the case 1 includes a main body case 1 </ b> A and a decorative case 1 </ b> B, and the interior of the case 1 is partitioned into a blower chamber 4 and an antibacterial material chamber 5 by a partition wall 3 having an opening 2.

  The main body case 1A on the blower chamber 4 side is provided with an air suction port 6, and the decorative case 1B on the antibacterial material chamber 5 side is provided with an air discharge port 7. The main body case 1A and the decorative case 1B are flange-joined at the opening ends of the main body case 1A and the engaging claw 8 of the decorative case 1B is engaged with the engaging portion 9 of the main body case 1A to be elastically engaged. The

  In addition, the inside of the case 1 is kept airtight by interposing the double-sided tape 10 at the joint between the main body case 1A and the decorative case 1B (see FIG. 3).

  The blower chamber 4 is provided with a piezoelectric small blower 11 made of a piezoelectric vibrator and a diaphragm so as to face the opening 2 of the partition wall 3. The blower chamber 4 is provided with a circuit board 13 on which the drive element 12 of the small blower 11 is mounted and an intake valve 14 that opens and closes the air intake port 6. The small blower 11 and the circuit board 13 are respectively attached to the partition wall 3 and the bottom wall of the main body case 1A.

  An intake valve 14 is provided near the air inlet 6 of the main body case 1A. The intake valve 14 is a resin molded product in which an elastic silicon resin is formed in an L shape.

  A piece of the intake valve 14 is fitted into the attachment hole 15 of the main body case 1 </ b> A near the air intake port 6. Further, the other piece of the intake valve 14 is attached so that the air intake port 6 is always closed from the inside by its own elastic force (see FIG. 3).

  Further, the other piece of the intake valve 14 is provided with a thin portion 14a that facilitates bending due to pressure, as will be described later. The thin portion 14a is formed by providing a concave groove inside the other piece.

  A natural antibacterial material 16 is accommodated in the antibacterial material chamber 5. The natural antibacterial material 16 is formed by carrying an essential oil such as an aroma having antibacterial properties, deodorizing properties and aromaticity in a number of porous capsules, and these porous capsules are housed in a porous cloth. The natural antibacterial material 16 is attached to the bottom wall of the main body case 1A.

  As the porous cloth, a nonwoven fabric excellent in durability and air permeability is suitable. The natural antibacterial material 16 can be compactly gathered by making the nonwoven fabric into a bag shape or a box shape and storing the porous capsule, and the handling becomes easy.

  As the essential oil such as aroma, for example, a refined oil of lavender, peppermint, lemon or the like is used, and as the porous capsule, a natural material such as calcium silicate is used.

  An exhaust valve 17 is provided near the air discharge port 7 of the decorative case 1B. The exhaust valve 17 is a resin molded product in which an elastic silicone resin is formed in an L shape, and is a component common to the intake valve 14.

  Then, one piece of the exhaust valve 17 is fitted into the attachment hole 18 of the decorative case 1B near the air discharge port 7 and attached. Further, the other piece of the exhaust valve 17 is attached so that the air suction port 7 is always closed from the outside by its own elastic force (see FIG. 3).

  Further, the other piece of the exhaust valve 17 is provided with a thin portion 17a that facilitates bending due to pressure, as will be described later. The thin portion 17a is formed by providing a concave groove inside the other piece.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a recess 19 that is recessed from the other part is formed around the air inlet 6 of the main body case 1 </ b> A. The recess 19 is provided to facilitate the inflow of room air from the air inlet 6 even when the main body case 1A of the natural antibacterial unit Y is installed on the wall surface or floor surface.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the recess 19 is provided with a lead wire insertion hole 20 for inserting a lead wire (not shown) for connecting the circuit board 13 of the small blower 11 and a control means described later.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the intake valve 14 always closes the air intake port 6 from the inside by its own elastic force. When power is supplied to the drive element 12 of the circuit board 13 by a control means described later and an intermittent drive signal is supplied, the small blower 11 (see FIG. 2) operates intermittently. During operation of the small blower 11, the blower chamber 4 (see FIG. 3) has a negative pressure. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the intake valve 14 bends with the thin portion 14a as a base point and opens the air intake port 6.

  On the other hand, since the exhaust valve 17 shown in FIG. 3 has the same configuration as the intake valve 14, it operates in the same manner as the intake valve 14 described above.

  That is, referring again to FIG. 3, the exhaust valve 17 always closes the air discharge port 7 from the outside by its own elastic force, like the intake valve 14 shown in FIG. When the power is supplied to the drive element 12 of the circuit board 13 (see FIG. 2) and an intermittent drive signal is supplied by the control means, the small blower 11 is intermittently operated. Since the antibacterial chamber 5 is at a positive pressure during the operation of the small blower 11, the exhaust valve 17 is bent with the thin portion 17 a as a base point to open the air discharge port 7 as in FIG. 6.

  For this reason, during the intermittent operation of the small blower 11, room air enters the blower chamber 4 from the air suction port 6, and the room air that has entered the blower chamber 4 passes through the opening 2 (see FIG. 2) of the partition wall 3. Enter the antibacterial chamber 5. And the air containing the component of the natural antibacterial material 16 is discharged into the room from the air discharge port 7 in the antibacterial material chamber 5.

  As described above, the inside of the case 1 is divided into the blower chamber 4 and the antibacterial material chamber 5 by the partition wall 3, and the antibacterial material chamber 5 is arranged leeward of the blower chamber 4. With this structure, the small blower 11 is not exposed to the atmosphere containing the components of the antibacterial material 16, and there is no fear of deterioration over a long period of use.

  Next, an embodiment in which the above-described natural antibacterial material unit Y is incorporated in a refrigerator-freezer will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Here, FIG. 7 is a front external view showing a schematic structure of the refrigerator 21 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a left side sectional view showing the schematic structure of the refrigerator 1.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the refrigerator-freezer 21 according to the present embodiment includes a heat insulating box 22 as a main body, and forms a storage room for storing food and the like inside the heat insulating box 22. The interior of the storage room is divided into a plurality of storage rooms according to storage temperature and usage.

  As for the arrangement of the storage chambers, the uppermost stage is the refrigerator compartment 23, the lower stage is the freezing room 24, the lower stage is the freezing room 25, and the lowermost stage is the vegetable room 26.

  The front surface of the heat insulating box 22 is open, and heat insulating doors 28, 29, 30, and 31 are provided in the opening portions corresponding to the storage chambers 23, 24, 25, and 26, respectively, so that they can be opened and closed. The refrigerator compartment door 28 is supported by the heat insulating box 22 so that the upper and lower portions on the right side are rotatable.

  The freezer compartment door 29, the freezer compartment door 30, and the vegetable compartment door 31 are each integrally combined with a storage container (not shown), and are supported by the heat insulating box 22 so as to be drawn out forward of the freezer refrigerator 21.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the heat insulating box 22 that is the main body of the refrigerator / freezer 21 is provided with a steel plate outer box 34 having an opening on the front surface and a gap inside the outer box 34. And an inner box 36 made of synthetic resin having an opening, and a polyurethane foam heat insulating material 35 filled and foamed in a gap between the outer box 34 and the inner box 36.

  Each of the heat insulating doors 28 to 31 also employs a heat insulating structure similar to that of the heat insulating box 22. For example, the refrigerator compartment door 28 is provided with a steel plate outer plate 37 on the front surface and a synthetic resin door inner plate 39 on the inner side. The outer plate 37 and the door inner plate 39 are provided. Is formed by filling and foaming a heat insulating material 38 made of polyurethane foam.

  As described above, the storage room is divided into a plurality of storage rooms 23 to 26, and the refrigerating room 23 and the freezing room 24 positioned below the storage room 23 are partitioned by the heat insulating partition wall 41.

  Moreover, the freezer compartment 24 and the freezer compartment 25 located in the lower stage are partitioned by a partition wall 42 formed with a vent hole through which cool air can flow. The freezer compartment 25 and the vegetable compartment 26 are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 43.

  Each of the partition walls 41 to 43 is a synthetic resin molded product, and a heat insulating material is filled therein as necessary. Moreover, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted in the inside of each storage chamber 23-26 and the heat insulation doors 28-31, the storage container for storing food etc., a shelf, a storage pocket, etc. are arrange | positioned.

  The inner side of the storage chamber inside the inner box 36 is partitioned by a synthetic resin partition member 44, and a cooling chamber 48 having a cooling air passage 45, a cooler 46, and a blower fan 47 is provided.

  A machine room 49 is provided on the lower rear side of the refrigerator / freezer 21, and a machine 50 and a refrigerator control device (control means) 51 are arranged in the machine room 49 together with a cooler 46 such as a compressor 50. Is done.

  An interior lamp 52 is attached to the top surface of the refrigerator compartment 23, and a natural antibacterial unit Y is attached downward between the interior lamp 52 and the upper cooling air passage 45.

  That is, in the natural antibacterial unit Y, the decorative case 1B (see FIG. 3) having the air discharge port 7 (see FIG. 3) is located below, and the main body case 1A having the air suction port 6 (see FIG. 3) is located above. Thus, it is attached to the top surface of the refrigerator compartment 23.

  The attachment position of the natural antibacterial unit Y described above is set to a place that does not interfere with the storage of food or the like in the refrigerator compartment 23.

  In this place, the antibacterial, deodorizing and aromatic components contained in the natural antibacterial material 16 (see FIG. 3) are combined with the cold air blown out from the upper part of the cooling air passage 45 and the indoor air, in the refrigerator room 23. And it is optimal for making the vegetable compartment 26 spread efficiently.

  The attachment position of the natural antibacterial unit Y is not limited to the top surface of the refrigeration room 23 described above, and may be installed at other positions such as the storage room of the refrigerator 1 or the inside of the cooling air passage 45. . However, it is preferable to dispose inside the refrigerator compartment 23 and above the inside of the refrigerator compartment 23.

  Specifically, it may be installed on both side surfaces or the back surface inside the refrigerator compartment 23, that is, on the partition member 44 side. More preferably, it should be arranged on the side or back of the top surface rather than the bottom surface, that is, the heat insulating partition wall 41 side. More preferably, it is suitable to arrange on the side surface or back surface near the top surface or on the top surface as in the present embodiment.

  As a result, components such as antibacterial properties are efficiently distributed throughout the storage chamber of the refrigerator 1 by the effect of lowering the essential oil component heavier than air, the effect of lowering the cool air with high density, and the effect of forcibly circulating the cool air. Can be diffused.

  The above-described refrigerator control device 51 controls the operation of the devices such as the blower fan 47 and the compressor 50 so that the temperature of each of the storage chambers 23 to 26 becomes an appropriate temperature, and is also natural by a built-in timer means (not shown). The small blower 11 (see FIG. 3) of the antibacterial unit Y is operated intermittently. That is, the refrigerator control device 51 also serves as a control unit for the natural antibacterial unit Y.

  For example, when the small blower 11 of the natural antibacterial unit Y operates for 30 minutes every day, the bacteria remaining rate in the refrigerator compartment 23 and the vegetable compartment 26 becomes very small due to the antibacterial and deodorizing effects of the natural antibacterial material 16. And the bad smell of the refrigerator compartment 23 and the vegetable compartment 26 can be taken, and a room | chamber interior will be filled with a refreshing fragrance by an aroma effect, and the effect can be continued for one day now.

  In the above-described natural antibacterial unit Y, the small blower 11 operates for 30 minutes per day, and the components of the natural antibacterial material 16 gradually diverge. In other time zones, the case 1 (see FIG. 3) is maintained in a substantially sealed state. For this reason, if the natural antibacterial material 16 whose effect lasts for about three months is used, it can be used for maintenance-free operation without replacing the natural antibacterial material 16 enough to correspond to the service life of the refrigerator. Is possible.

  As described above, the natural antibacterial unit Y according to the embodiment of the present invention and the refrigerator-freezer 21 incorporating the natural antibacterial unit Y have been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and does not depart from the gist of the present invention. Various changes are possible within the scope.

  For example, if the natural antibacterial unit Y incorporates control means such as a battery and a timer, it can be used as a portable device by simply replacing the battery. Further, an antibacterial unit using an artificial antibacterial material instead of the natural antibacterial material 16 may be used.

Y: Natural antibacterial unit 1 ... Case 6 ... Air inlet 7 ... Air outlet 11 ... Small blower 14 ... Intake valve 16 ... Natural antibacterial material 17 ... Exhaust Valve 21 ... refrigerator-freezer 23 ... refrigerator compartment 28 ... refrigerator compartment door 51 ... refrigerator control device (control means)

Claims (5)

A case having an air inlet and an air outlet, storing a blower on the air inlet side, and storing an antibacterial material on the air outlet side;
A normally-closed intake valve that is provided in the vicinity of the air intake port of the case and opens the air intake port in accordance with the operation of the blower;
A normally closed exhaust valve that is provided in the vicinity of the air discharge port of the case and opens the air discharge port in accordance with the operation of the blower;
An antibacterial unit comprising: a control means for intermittently operating the blower.   2. The antibacterial unit according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial material is obtained by supporting essential oil in a number of porous capsules and housing these capsules in a porous cloth.   The intake valve and the exhaust valve are L-shaped resin molded products having elasticity, and one piece is arranged to block the air inlet and the air outlet, respectively, and the other piece is an air inlet. 3. The antibacterial unit according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial unit according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial unit is attached in the vicinity of the air discharge port, and the one piece is provided with a thin portion that facilitates bending due to pressure.   A refrigerator with a built-in antibacterial unit, wherein the antibacterial unit according to claim 1 is installed in a cabinet, and the blower of the antibacterial unit is intermittently operated by a refrigerator control device. The refrigerator has a substantially box-shaped refrigerator compartment whose front is configured with an open / close door,
The refrigerator having a built-in antibacterial unit according to claim 4, wherein the antibacterial unit is disposed on a top surface of the refrigerator compartment or a side surface or a back surface on the top surface side.

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