JP2014059115A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator which enhances frosting-proof capacity and heat exchange efficiency and can be used for energy-saving by making a cooler constituted with a coolant pipe and a fin appropriate with respect to the refrigerator using the cooler.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes a cooler made by stacking coolant pipes having fins in the up and down direction and a refrigerating chamber return duct which is located on a lateral surface of the cooler and returns return cool air from the refrigerating chamber to a cooling chamber. Therein, the coolant pipe of the cooler in which a width dimension of a lower part is made shorter than that of an upper part is provided. Thereby, cooling efficiency can be improved by reducing air trunk pressure loss and the capacity upon frosting can be improved by dispersing frost-attachment parts and, therefore, the refrigerator having energy-saving property and high refrigerating freshness performance can be provided.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator that cools cold air generated by a cooler by circulating it with a fan.

  In recent years, energy savings in refrigerators have progressed, and in order to reduce the amount of power consumed by refrigerators, not only the efficiency of cooling efficiency has been improved, but also in the state where frost has adhered to the cooler in actual use such as door opening and closing. It is important to suppress the decrease in the above.

  Among them, in order to reduce the power consumption of the refrigerator, a conventional refrigerator as a method for suppressing a decrease in cooling efficiency due to frost adhering to the cooler is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-11-183011 (Patent Document 1). As described above, by passing the cool air returning from the inside of the refrigerator compartment with high humidity to the cooler from below through the guide plate arranged at the lower part of the cooler, the frosting of the cooler is made uniform, and the ability deterioration is suppressed. As in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-38714 (Patent Document 2), by passing the return cold air from the interior through the inside of the heat insulating partition wall at the lower part of the cooler, the width of the cooler is reduced from the lower side of the cooler. Cooling air that is returned from the interior to the cooler as much as possible is cooled as much as possible, such as a method of obtaining the effect of uniform frost formation of the cooler by passing through substantially the same, or JP-A-7-270028 (Patent Document 3). Flow path for passage through the center of the vessel By providing the plate and the guide member, the return cold air is diffused to achieve uniform frost formation of the cooler, and clogging due to uneven frost formation of frost can be suppressed, so that it is disclosed in a method that suppresses a decrease in cooling efficiency. There is something.

  Hereinafter, the conventional refrigerator will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the guide plate 28 of the cold room return cold air 27 around the cooler of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. Returning cold air from the inside of the cooler 7 after the cool air generated by the cooler 7 circulates in the cooler 7 flows into the cooler 7. The return cold air from the refrigerator compartment 2 extends from the outlet of the return duct 29 on the right side to the left side of the lower part of the cooler between the defrost heater 32 and the drain pan 34. A duct-like space is formed between the drain pan 34 and the drain pan 34. Further, an opening 30a is provided on the surface of the guide plate, from which the return cold air from the refrigerator compartment is dispersed in the lower part of the cooler and flows from the freezer compartment 14 flowing between the guide plate 28 and the lower end of the cooler. It is mixed with the return cold air and uniformly sucked into the lower part of the cooler.

  With this configuration, by installing the guide plate 28 between the defrost heater 32 and the drain pan 34 with the cold room return cold air 27 from the high temperature cold room 2 in the refrigerator as an extension of the return duct 29, the freezer room 14 The frost can be uniformly adhered to the cooler 7 by mixing with the return cold air, and the cooling performance can be maintained for a long time by preventing the clogging between the fins due to the frost formation. Since the defrosting time is shortened, the power consumption can be reduced. Further, by installing the guide plate 28 in the lower part of the cooler 7, the defrost water melted by the defrost heater 32 can be easily guided to the drain pan 34, and the guide plate 28 is arranged in the vertical direction of the cooler 7. Since it is installed, there is an effect that the dimension in the depth direction does not decrease and the internal volume does not decrease.

8 (a) and 8 (b) on the left and right of FIG. 8 show a detailed front sectional view around the cooler of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 2 and the flow of cold air during operation of the refrigerator. As a configuration of the refrigerator, a cooler 7 is provided on the back of the freezer compartment 14, and the refrigerator compartment 2 is provided in the upper stage of the freezer compartment 14, and the vegetable compartment 6 is provided in the lower stage of the freezer compartment 14. The cold air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment 2 and circulated in the refrigerator is sent to the vegetable compartment 6 via a return duct 29 (refrigeration compartment-vegetable compartment communication duct) from the refrigerator compartment, and the return cold air from the vegetable compartment 6 is insulated. Via the vegetable chamber return duct 31 provided in the partition wall 13, the cold air flows into the cooling chamber 23 from the vegetable chamber return discharge port 15 a provided so as to flow in a width substantially equal to the width of the cooler 7. I have to. That is, the return cold air of the refrigerator compartment 2 located in the upper stage of the freezer compartment 14 is once sent into the vegetable compartment 6 without being sent into the cooling compartment as it is, and the return cold air of the vegetable compartment 6 has a width substantially equal to the width of the cooler 7. It is set as the structure which flows in into the cooling chamber 23 from the vegetable chamber return discharge port 15a provided so that it may flow in.

  Thereby, while suppressing the reduction | decrease in the effective internal volume in a warehouse, since the effect of the uniform frost formation to the cooler 7 can be acquired, the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler 7 is improved and the effect that it is excellent in energy saving property. Have

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a cooling chamber of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 3. As shown in FIG.

  The refrigerator 7 is disposed on the back of the freezer compartment, and the refrigerator has a configuration in which the refrigerator compartment 2 is disposed above the freezer compartment 14. The cold room return cold air 27 after cooling the cold room 2 is guided to the cooling room 23 through the return duct 29 on the side of the cooler, but a flow passage 47 is provided between the front face of the cooler and the cooler cover 20. The refrigeration room return cold air 27 with high humidity is diffused so that the frost adhering to the cooler 7 becomes uniform.

  Since the frost adhering to the cooler 7 is dispersed by this configuration, it is possible to reduce the cooling efficiency reduction of the cooler 7 due to frosting and clogging, and to reduce the height of the frost layer adhering to the cooler 7. Also, the efficiency during defrosting is improved.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-183011 JP 2011-38714 A JP-A-7-270028

  However, in the conventional refrigerator described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the return cold air flowing from the refrigerator compartment to the cooler is made to pass through the guide plate from the lower part so that the state of frost adhering to the cooler is uniform, Although the effect of energy saving can be achieved by suppressing the decrease in the cooling efficiency, the increase in cost and the reduction of the internal capacity caused by attaching the guide plate are also caused. Furthermore, the guide plate in the vicinity of the cooler becomes extremely cold, and frost remains easily in the duct constituted by the guide plate. Therefore, considering the long-term use of the refrigerator, which is a period of use of about 10 years, there is a problem that the cooling performance is deteriorated due to the air path obstruction caused by the remaining frost. Moreover, since the guide plate is arrange | positioned to the lower surface of a defrost heater to the vicinity, it receives the temperature influence by heat_generation | fever of the defrost heater at the time of defrost. Due to the heat generated by the defrost heater during defrosting, the surface of the defrost heater generally rises to about 300 ° C. As a result, the surface of the guide plate provided in the vicinity of the defrosting heater also rises to approximately 100 ° C. or more, and thus a member such as covering the surface with a metal such as aluminum foil is necessary to prevent deformation due to heat, There was a problem that material costs and man-hours increased.

Moreover, in the refrigerator of the conventional example described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, after returning the cold air to the cooler once into the vegetable compartment, by passing it through the inside of the heat insulating partition wall at the lower part of the cooler, Cold air can be passed from the lower side of the cooler in almost the same width as the cooler. For this reason, the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler can be maximized, which is excellent in energy savings and has the effect of making frost adherence to the cooler uniform. In the summer, which is affected by temperature fluctuations in the refrigeration room and the outdoor temperature is high and the doors of the refrigeration room are often opened and closed, the vegetable room temperature is high and the freshness is maintained. There was a problem of deterioration. In addition, since the return air path to the cooler is configured to pass through the inside of the heat insulating partition plate, the internal capacity decreases due to the increase in thickness of the heat insulating partition plate and the component cost increases in order to form the air path. There was a problem.

  In the conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 3, the return cold air flowing from the refrigerating chamber to the cooler is guided to the cooler central portion through the flow path, the shielding plate, and the guide member, and adheres to the cooler. Although it has the effect of saving energy by making the frost adherence state uniform and suppressing the cooling efficiency drop at the time of frost formation, there is more invalid space to configure the flow path, shielding plate, and guide member, and the internal capacity There was a problem of inviting a decrease. In addition, the shield plate that contacts the cooler is subject to thermal deformation due to radiant heat from the defrost heater during defrosting, and there is a problem that abnormal noise is generated between the cooler and the linear expansion coefficient of the material. .

  In view of the above problems, the present invention is a refrigerator with high energy saving performance by improving cooling efficiency and defrosting efficiency at the time of frost adhesion by uniform frost formation, and suppressing the invalid space at low cost. A large-capacity refrigerator is provided.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a freezer compartment partitioned by a heat insulating wall, a refrigeration compartment disposed above the freezer compartment, and a cooling compartment provided at the back of the freezer compartment. A cooler in which cooling pipes having fins are vertically stacked in the cooling chamber, a cooler cover that covers the front surface of the cooler, and cool air from the refrigerating chamber on the side surface of the cooler is returned to the cooling chamber. In the refrigerator including the refrigerator compartment return duct, the refrigerant pipe of the cooler has a width dimension lower than the upper part.

  As a result, when the return cold air from the interior flows into the cooler, the space of the inflow portion is enlarged, so that the airway pressure loss (ventilation resistance) can be reduced. Therefore, the circulation air volume can be increased by reducing the ventilation resistance of the return cold air, the heat exchange amount in the cooler is increased, the evaporation temperature is increased, and the energy can be saved by improving the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

  In addition, an increase in the circulation air volume improves the heat exchange amount of the cooler and can reduce the time for cooling the inside of the warehouse, so that the amount of frost formation on the cooler can also be reduced by shortening the cooling operation time. it can. As a result, the defrost cycle of the cooler can be extended, the number of inputs of the defrost heater can be reduced, the input required for cooling the inside after the temperature rise due to defrosting can be reduced, and further energy saving can be performed. it can.

  Usually, frost adhering to the cooler adheres a lot to the inlet of the return cold air flowing into the cooler, but since the width of the refrigerant pipe of the cooler is shortened, for example, in summer Even when the humidity is high and the doors are often opened and closed, frost is likely to adhere to the refrigerant pipes and fins. That is, it is possible to disperse the portion where the frost adheres and uniformly attach the frost to the cooler.

  The refrigerator of the present invention can reduce the airway pressure loss by expanding the space of the return part of the cool air inside the cabinet, and can improve the cooling efficiency and disperse the portion where frost adheres. Even when frost is easy to occur, it is possible to suppress performance deterioration due to frost and improve defrosting efficiency due to frost dispersion. Therefore, it is possible to provide a refrigerator with high energy saving and a large internal capacity.

The perspective view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention Front sectional view around the refrigerator cooler in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Detailed longitudinal sectional view around the refrigerator cooler in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Refrigerator detailed view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The perspective view which shows the refrigerator cooler in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The perspective view which shows the guide plate of the refrigeration room return cold air around the refrigerator of the refrigerator explaining the refrigerator by a prior art Front sectional detail view around refrigerator cooler explaining refrigerator according to prior art and flow chart of cold air during cold room operation The perspective view which shows the refrigerator room | chamber interior of the refrigerator explaining the refrigerator by a prior art

  A first aspect of the present invention is a freezer compartment defined by a heat insulating wall, a refrigerating room disposed above the freezer room, a cooling room provided at the back of the freezing room, and a refrigerant pipe having fins in the cooling room Refrigerator comprising: a cooler laminated in a vertical direction; a cooler cover that covers a front surface of the cooler; and a refrigerator return duct that returns cold air from the refrigerator to the cooling chamber on a side surface of the cooler. In the above, the refrigerant pipe of the cooler has a lower width dimension than the upper part.

  As a result, not only cost reduction due to material cost reduction, but also when the return cold air from the interior flows into the cooler, the lower part of the refrigerant pipe is shortened in the width direction. Pressure loss (ventilation resistance) can be reduced. Therefore, the circulation air volume can be increased by lowering the return resistance of the return cold air, the heat exchange amount in the cooler is increased, the evaporation temperature is increased, and the energy can be saved by improving the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

  In addition, an increase in the circulation air volume improves the heat exchange amount of the cooler and can reduce the time for cooling the inside of the warehouse, so that the amount of frost formation on the cooler can also be reduced by shortening the cooling operation time. it can. As a result, the defrost cycle of the cooler can be extended, the number of inputs of the defrost heater can be reduced, the input required for cooling the inside after the temperature rise due to defrosting can be reduced, and further energy saving can be performed. it can.

  In addition, the fact that the number of inputs and the input time of the defrost heater at the time of defrosting can be reduced means that the temperature rise can be suppressed by shortening the non-cooling operation time and the temperature increase can be suppressed by the heat generated by the defrost heater itself. This also applies to foods stored inside. Frozen foods stored in the refrigerator are frost burned due to temperature rise during the non-cooling operation time during defrost, heat transfer from the temperature of the defrost heater itself, and inflow of warm air during defrost. Although it deteriorates due to the influence of heat fluctuations, it is possible to suppress deterioration of food even when stored for a long period of time due to the effect of the present invention.

  Usually, frost adhering to the cooler adheres a lot at the inlet of the return cold air flowing into the cooler from the inside, but the lower part of the refrigerant pipe is shortened in the width direction, so the humidity is high and the refrigerant pipe Even when frost is likely to adhere to the fins, the frost is difficult to block. Therefore, even in the rainy season or in high humidity conditions in summer, the portion to which frost adheres can be dispersed and performance deterioration due to frost formation can be suppressed, so that the quality of the product is improved.

  According to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the portion in which the width dimension of the refrigerant pipe is shortened is an inflow portion from the refrigerator return duct to the cooler.

As a result, heat exchange is first performed with the refrigerant pipe disposed at the inlet of the return cold air inflow part in the cooler, and frost adheres by dehumidification, but from the high temperature cold room through the cold room return duct Frost is likely to adhere to the portion of the cold room return cold air that flows in. In the present invention, the portion of the refrigerant pipe through which the cold air returning from the refrigerator compartment flows is shortened, so that air path obstruction due to frost adhesion and growth can be suppressed. Therefore, even in an overload condition due to moisture that has entered the cabinet due to opening and closing of the door in a hot and humid condition such as in summer, there is no slow cooling due to wind path inhibition due to frost growth.

  In addition, since the refrigerant pipe at the inflow portion from the return duct of the refrigerator compartment to the cooler is shortened, the air path pressure loss (ventilation resistance) can be reduced by expanding the space of the inflow portion. Therefore, the circulation air volume can be increased by lowering the return resistance of the return cold air, the heat exchange amount in the cooler is increased, the evaporation temperature is increased, and the energy can be saved by improving the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

  Furthermore, in combination with the absence of the refrigerant pipe at the inflow portion of the cold room return cold air into the cooler and the increase in the circulation air volume, the cold room return cold air can be expanded to exchange heat with the cooler. Therefore, the return temperature of the refrigerator compartment has a large temperature difference with the cooler in the refrigerator. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler can be increased to save energy, and the expansion of the heat exchange area means the dehumidification area, that is, the cooling Since the area for frosting the vessel is also increased, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the cooling capacity during frosting. This makes it possible to extend the time required to operate the refrigerator and require defrosting, to reduce the number of inputs of the defrosting heater and reduce the input required for cooling the interior after the temperature rise in the interior due to defrosting, Further energy saving can be performed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the fins at the top of the portion where the width of the refrigerant pipe is shortened are thinned out.

  As a result, since the cooler has stacked refrigerant tubes with fins in the vertical direction, if the air path is blocked by frost on the upstream side of the return cold air, the downstream portion will not be in heat exchange and a loss of cooling efficiency will occur. To do. Therefore, thinning the fins not only lowers the return resistance of the return cold air and increases the circulating air volume, but also reduces airflow blockage caused by frost during frost formation and suppresses performance deterioration when frost adheres. Therefore, it is possible to improve the frost resistance performance.

  According to a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions, the upper end of the opening of the refrigerating chamber return duct is disposed above the lower end of the cooler.

  As a result, the opening of the refrigeration room return duct is enlarged, so that the airflow pressure loss to the cooler can be further reduced, thereby improving the cooling performance mainly in the refrigeration room by increasing the circulation air volume, and heat exchange. Energy efficiency can be improved by improving efficiency. Also, by arranging the upper end of the opening of the refrigerator return duct above the lower end of the cooler, not only the return cold air can be easily guided to the cooler, but also a part of the side surface of the cooler can be used as an air path Therefore, the invalid space can be reduced and the capacity in the cabinet can be secured.

  According to a fifth invention, in the first or second invention, the lower part of the cooler cover is provided with a freezer compartment cool air return port for returning the cool air from the freezer compartment to the cooler chamber, and the upper end of the freezer compartment cool air return port is connected to the cooler. It is arranged above the lower end.

  As a result, it is possible to increase the heat exchange area for the cooler of the return cold air, and to increase the circulating air volume by lowering the ventilation resistance of the return cold air, increasing the heat exchange amount in the cooler and increasing the evaporation temperature. Energy saving can be achieved by improving the refrigeration cycle efficiency.

  Moreover, since the time for cooling the inside of the warehouse can be reduced by improving the heat exchange amount of the cooler and increasing the circulating air volume, the amount of frost formation on the cooler due to the shortening of the cooling operation time can also be reduced. As a result, the defrost cycle of the cooler can be extended, the number of inputs of the defrost heater can be reduced, the input required for cooling the inside after the temperature rise due to defrosting can be reduced, and further energy saving can be performed. it can.

  Moreover, since the heat exchange area of the cooler can be increased by improving the air path is to increase the area to be frosted on the cooler, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the cooling capacity during frosting. This makes it possible to extend the time required to operate the refrigerator and require defrosting, to reduce the number of inputs of the defrosting heater and reduce the input required for cooling the interior after the temperature rise in the interior due to defrosting, Further energy saving can be performed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the left and right refrigerant pipe fins are thinned out with respect to a direction of cold air flowing from the refrigerating chamber return duct to the cooler.

  As a result, the fins are thinned out in the direction of the cold air flow, so that not only the resistance to return air flow is further reduced to increase the circulating air volume, but also especially in the case of return cold air with high humidity in the refrigerator room or vegetable room. Since the air passage blockage due to frost at the time of all frost formation can be reduced and the performance deterioration at the time of frost adhesion can be further suppressed, the frost proof strength performance can be further improved. In order to improve the frost proof strength performance, it is necessary for frost to uniformly adhere to the cooler. Assuming that the amount of water contained in the cold air circulated per unit time is the same, the uniform frost formation on the cooler delays the air path obstruction due to frost formation, and the frost thickness is approximately the same. The defrosting efficiency that sometimes melts frost is improved, and the defrosting time is shortened.

  In a seventh invention according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, a defrosting glass tube heater is provided below the cooler, and a center height of the glass tube heater is higher than a basic bottom surface of the freezer compartment. It is located in.

  As a result, the shape of the drain pan integrated with the freezer compartment bottom basic surface can be made substantially horizontal, and the ineffective space for installing the defrost heater can be reduced, so the internal volume is increased. I can plan. In addition, the fact that the depth of the drain pan can be reduced can reduce the cost of the mold when molding the constituent parts, which leads to cost reduction.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that detailed descriptions of parts that are the same as those in the conventional configuration and that have no difference are omitted. Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of the vicinity of the refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a detailed longitudinal sectional view around the refrigerator cooler in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the refrigerator main body 101 includes a metal (for example, iron plate) outer box 124, a hard resin (for example, ABS) inner box 125, an outer box 124, and an inner box 125. The refrigerator main body 101 is a heat insulating main body made of foamed urethane foam 126. The refrigerator compartment 102 is provided above the refrigerator main body 101, the upper freezer compartment 103 is provided below the refrigerator compartment 102, and the refrigerator compartment 102. The ice making chamber 104 provided in parallel to the upper freezing chamber 103, the vegetable chamber 106 provided in the lower part of the main body, and the upper freezing chamber 103 and the ice making chamber 104 installed in parallel with the vegetable chamber 106 are provided. The lower freezing room 105 is configured. Front portions of the upper freezing chamber 103, the ice making chamber 104, the lower freezing chamber 105, and the vegetable chamber 106 are freely opened and closed by a drawer type door (not shown), and the front side of the refrigerator compartment 102 is, for example, a double door type door (not shown). Is closed freely.

  The refrigerator compartment 102 is normally set at 1 to 5 ° C. with the temperature that does not freeze for refrigerated storage as the lower limit. The vegetable room 106 is often set to a temperature setting of 2 ° C. to 7 ° C. that is the same as or slightly higher than that of the refrigerator room 102. If the temperature is lowered, the freshness of leafy vegetables can be maintained for a long time.

  The upper freezing chamber 103 and the lower freezing chamber 105 are normally set at −22 to −18 ° C. for frozen storage, but are set at a low temperature of −30 to −25 ° C., for example, to improve the frozen storage state. Sometimes.

  The refrigerator compartment 102 and the vegetable compartment 106 are called a refrigerator temperature zone because the inside of the refrigerator is set at a plus temperature. The upper freezer compartment 103, the lower freezer compartment 105, and the ice making room 104 are called freezing temperature zones because the interior is set at a minus temperature. Further, the upper freezer compartment 103 may be a room that can be selected from a refrigeration temperature zone to a freezing temperature zone by using a damper mechanism or the like as a switching chamber.

  The top surface portion of the refrigerator main body 101 is provided with a machine room 119 provided with a step-like recess toward the back surface of the refrigerator, and includes a first top surface portion 108 and a second top surface portion 109. A compressor 117 disposed in the stepped recess, a dryer (not shown) for removing moisture, a condenser (not shown), a heat radiating pipe (not shown), a capillary tube 118, Then, the refrigerant is sealed in a refrigeration cycle in which the cooler 107 is sequentially connected in an annular manner, and a cooling operation is performed. In recent years, a flammable refrigerant is often used as the refrigerant for environmental protection. In the case of a refrigeration cycle using a three-way valve or a switching valve, these functional parts can be arranged in the machine room.

  The refrigerator compartment 102, the ice making compartment 104, and the upper freezer compartment 103 are partitioned by a first heat insulating partition 110. Further, the ice making chamber 104 and the upper freezing chamber 103 are partitioned by a second heat insulating partition 111. In addition, the ice making chamber 104, the upper freezing chamber 103, and the lower freezing chamber 105 are partitioned by a third heat insulating partition 112.

  Since the second heat insulating partition part 111 and the third heat insulating partition part 112 are parts assembled after foaming of the refrigerator main body 101, expanded polystyrene is usually used as a heat insulating material, but in order to improve heat insulating performance and rigidity. Rigid urethane foam may be used, and furthermore, a highly heat insulating vacuum heat insulating material may be inserted to further reduce the partition structure.

  In addition, by securing the operating part of the door frame and thinning or eliminating the shapes of the second heat insulating partition part 111 and the third heat insulating partition part 112, a cooling air passage can be secured and the cooling capacity can be improved. You can also. Further, by hollowing out the inside of the second heat insulating partition part 111 and the third heat insulating partition part 112 to form an air passage, the material can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, the lower freezer compartment 105 and the vegetable compartment 106 are partitioned by a fourth partition 113.

  Next, the configuration around the cooler in the present embodiment will be described.

  A cooling chamber 123 is provided on the back surface of the refrigerator main body 101, and in the cooling chamber 123, a cooler 107 that generates fin-and-tube type cool air is typically a heat insulating partition wall. The rear part of the lower freezer compartment 105 including the rear area of the partition parts 111 and 112 is vertically arranged in the vertical direction. A cooler cover 120 that covers the cooler 107 having a cool air return port 135 through which the cool air that has cooled the freezer room returns to the cooler is disposed inside the front chamber of the cooling chamber 123. The material of the cooler 107 is aluminum or copper.

The cooler cover 120 is configured by a cooler front cover 137 inside the refrigerator and a cooler rear cover 138 on the cooler side, and the heat transfer promotion made of metal is provided on the cooler side of the cooler rear cover 138. The member 140 is arranged. In this embodiment, considering the cost, aluminum foil of t = 8 μm is used for heat transfer promotion during defrosting, the vertical dimension is from the lower end to the upper end of the cooler 107, and the left and right dimension is between the fins of the cooler 107. By sticking with a larger dimension up to about +15 mm, heat transfer at the time of defrosting is promoted, and the effect of shortening the defrosting time by improving the defrosting efficiency is obtained. In order to obtain further effects, an aluminum foil may be disposed in the inner box 125 on the back side of the cooler 107. Furthermore, when it is made of an aluminum plate having a thickness larger than that of the aluminum foil or a material having a higher thermal conductivity than aluminum (for example, copper), the effect of promoting heat transfer is further exhibited.

  In the vicinity of the cooler 107 (for example, the upper space), the cold air generated by the cooler 107 is stored in each storage room of the refrigerator compartment 102, the ice making room 104, the upper freezer room 103, the lower freezer room 105, and the vegetable room 106 by a forced convection method. A cool air blow fan 116 for blowing air is disposed, and a glass tube heater 132 made of glass tube is provided below the cooler 107 as a defrost heater for defrosting the frost adhering to the cooler 107 and the cool air blow fan 116 during cooling. ing. A cover heater 133 that covers the glass tube heater 132 is disposed above the glass tube heater 132, and water drops dripped from the cooler 107 during defrosting fall directly to the glass tube surface that has become high temperature due to defrosting, so The size is equal to or greater than the glass tube diameter and width so that no sound is generated.

  Below the glass tube heater 132, a drain pan 134 integrated with the upper surface of the fourth partition 113, which is the lower surface of the freezing chamber that receives the defrosted water that falls after the frost attached to the cooler 107 is melted, is disposed. Yes.

  Here, the drain pan 134 integrated with the upper surface of the fourth partition 113 has a protrusion 136 on the lower surface of the freezer compartment toward the inside of the refrigerator, and the lower portion of the cooler cover 120 is hooked and fixed. Since the protrusion 136 is disposed between the lower end of the cool air return port 135 and the glass tube heater 132, red heat to the inside of the refrigerator is not visible, and the protrusion 136 is not covered with the cooler cover when viewed from the inside of the refrigerator. Since it is hidden at the lower end of the cool air return port 120, the appearance is good and the appearance quality is improved.

  Here, isobutane, which is a flammable refrigerant having a low global warming potential, is used as a refrigerant in recent refrigeration cycles from the viewpoint of global environmental conservation. This hydrocarbon, isobutane, has a specific gravity of about twice that at normal temperature and atmospheric pressure (at 2.04 and 300K) compared to air. As a result, the refrigerant charge amount can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, the cost is low, and the leakage amount when the flammable refrigerant leaks is reduced, thereby improving the safety.

  In the present embodiment, isobutane is used as the refrigerant, and the maximum temperature on the surface of the glass tube, which is the outline of the glass tube heater 132 during defrosting, is regulated as an explosion-proof measure. Therefore, in order to reduce the temperature of the glass tube surface, a double glass tube heater in which glass tubes are formed in a double manner is employed. In addition, as a means for reducing the temperature on the surface of the glass tube, a member (for example, an aluminum fin) having high heat dissipation can be wound around the surface of the glass tube. At this time, the external dimensions of the glass tube heater 132 can be reduced by using a single glass tube.

  As a means for improving the efficiency at the time of defrosting, a pipe heater in close contact with the cooler 107 may be used in addition to the glass tube heater 132. In this case, defrosting of the cooler 107 is efficiently performed by direct heat transfer from the pipe heater, and frost adhering to the drain pan 134 and the cool air blowing fan 116 around the cooler 107 is melted by the glass tube heater 132. Therefore, the defrosting time can be shortened, and the rise of the internal temperature during the energy saving and defrosting time can be suppressed.

When the glass tube heater 132 and the pipe heater are combined, it is possible to reduce the capacity of the glass tube heater 132 by optimizing each other's heater capacity. If the heater capacity is lowered, the outer temperature of the glass tube heater 132 at the time of defrosting can also be lowered, so that red heat at the time of defrosting can also be suppressed.

  Next, cooling of the refrigerator will be described. For example, when the freezer compartment temperature rises due to intrusion heat from outside air and door opening and closing, and the freezer compartment sensor (not shown) reaches the start temperature or higher, the compressor 117 is started and cooling is started. The While the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 117 finally reaches a dryer (not shown) disposed in the machine room 119, particularly in a heat radiating pipe (not shown) installed in the outer box 124. The liquid is cooled and liquefied by heat exchange with the air outside the outer box 124 and the hard urethane foam 126 in the cabinet.

  Next, the liquefied refrigerant is decompressed by the capillary tube 118, flows into the cooler 107, and exchanges heat with the cool air in the vicinity of the cooler 107. The cold air subjected to heat exchange is blown into the cabinet by a nearby cool air blower fan 116 to cool the inside of the cabinet. Thereafter, the refrigerant is heated, gasified, and returned to the compressor 117. When the inside of the refrigerator is cooled and the temperature of the freezer compartment sensor (not shown) becomes equal to or lower than the stop temperature, the operation of the compressor 117 is stopped.

  Although the cool air blowing fan 116 may be directly disposed in the inner box 125, it is disposed in the second partition portion 111 assembled after foaming, and the manufacturing cost is reduced by performing block processing of the parts. You can also. In addition, a diffuser (not shown) composed of a cooler front cover 137 is disposed in front of the cool air blower fan 116, and the air with a high static pressure from the cool air blower fan 116 is stored without loss. It is discharged into the inside.

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

  As in this embodiment, a refrigerator layout configuration in which the vegetable compartment 106 is installed below, the lower freezer compartment 105 is installed in the middle, and the refrigerator compartment 102 is installed above is often used from the viewpoint of usability and energy saving. ing. In addition, in accordance with the viewpoint of the internal capacity and the trend of increasing the amount of frozen food used, refrigerators that increase the capacity by increasing the internal case size of the lower freezer compartment 105 are also on the market.

  As an air path configuration in this case, first, the cold air generated by the cooler 107 is blown into the refrigerator compartment 102 and the freezer compartments 103 and 105 by the cool air blowing fan 116 in the vicinity of the cooler. The cool air blown through the cooler cover 120 circulates and cools in the freezer compartments 103 and 105 through the cooler cover 120, and the cool air returns to the cooler chamber 123 from the cool air return port 135 below the cooler cover. On the other hand, the cool air blown toward the refrigerator compartment 102 is controlled by a damper (not shown) while opening and closing the damper so as to be equal to the internal temperature. After passing through the damper, the cold air is blown into the refrigerating chamber 102, circulates in the refrigerating chamber, and returns to the cooling chamber 123 through the refrigerating chamber return duct 129 passing through the side of the cooler. In addition, the vegetable compartment 106 divides a part of the cool air blown into the refrigerator compartment 102 and flows into the vegetable compartment 106 through a vegetable compartment discharge duct (not shown) passing through the side of the cooler. After cooling and circulating through the vegetable compartment 106, the cool air returns to the cooling compartment 123. As for the cooling of the vegetable compartment 106, in this embodiment, a part of the cold air to the refrigerator compartment 102 is shunted for cooling the vegetable compartment 106. However, the vegetable compartment cooling damper is used independently. A cooling method may be used.

  Generally, there is a cooling chamber on the back of the freezer compartment, and a duct is required when returning the cool air from the upper refrigerator compartment to the cooling chamber. Since the duct is an ineffective space, it is common to arrange a duct on the side of the cooling chamber in order to suppress the decrease in the internal volume. In this case, the inflow of the high-humidity cold room return cold air 127 is from the side of the cooler. Therefore, it is difficult to make the frost uniform, and uneven frost on the cooler 107 becomes a problem.

  Among them, the cooler 107 in the present embodiment is a typical fin-and-tube cooler 107 similar to the commonly used cooler 107, and includes a refrigerant pipe 145 having fins 146. The cooler 107 is stacked in the vertical direction. The cooler 107 has a configuration in which ten refrigerant pipes 145 in a generally vertical direction and 30 refrigerant pipes 145 from three rows of refrigerant pipes 145 in the front-rear direction are arranged in the cooler 107. The refrigerant pipe in the cooler 107 is configured such that the width dimension of the lower part is shorter than the upper part.

  As a result, a large amount of frost adhering to the cooler 107 usually adheres to the inlet of the return cold air from the inside that flows into the cooler 107, and particularly flows from the refrigerator compartment having a high humidity through the refrigerator compartment return duct 129. Frost tends to adhere to the part where the cold air 127 returns from the refrigerator compartment. In the present embodiment, the refrigerant pipe 145 is shortened, so that air path obstruction due to frost adhesion and growth can be suppressed. Therefore, even in overload conditions due to moisture that has entered the cabinet due to opening and closing of doors in hot and humid conditions such as in summer, it is difficult to cause slow cooling due to wind path inhibition due to frost growth, and the effect of improving product quality Have.

  In addition, since the refrigerant pipe 145 at the inflow portion from the refrigerating chamber return duct 129 to the cooler 107 is shortened, the air path pressure loss (ventilation resistance) can be reduced by expanding the space at the inflow portion. Therefore, the circulation air volume can be increased by lowering the return resistance of the return cold air, the heat exchange amount in the cooler 107 is increased, the evaporation temperature is increased, and the energy can be saved by improving the refrigeration cycle efficiency. In addition, together with the absence of the refrigerant pipe 145 in the inflow portion of the cold room return cold air 127 into the cooler 107 and the increase in the circulation air volume, the cold room return cold air 127 can be expanded to exchange heat with the cooler 107. Become. Generally, the capacity of the cooler: Q can be expressed by Q = K * A * ΔT. Here, K: heat transfer rate, A: heat transfer area, ΔT: temperature difference between cooler and passing air. Therefore, the refrigerating room return cold air 127 having a large temperature difference with the cooler among the refrigerators can improve the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler 107 to save energy, and the expansion of the heat exchange area means dehumidification area, that is, Since the area to be frosted by the cooler 107 is also increased, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the cooling capacity at the time of frosting. As a result, it is possible to extend the time required to operate the refrigerator and require defrosting, and to reduce the number of inputs of the glass tube heater 132 and to reduce the input required for cooling the chamber after the chamber temperature rises due to defrosting. Therefore, further energy saving can be performed.

  Furthermore, the fact that the number of inputs and the input time of the glass tube heater 132 during defrosting can be reduced means that the temperature rise can be suppressed by shortening the non-cooling operation time and the temperature increase can be suppressed by the heat generation of the glass tube heater itself. This also applies to food stored in the warehouse. Frozen foods stored in the refrigerator are frost burned due to temperature rise during the non-cooling operation time during defrosting, heat transfer from the temperature of the glass tube heater itself, inflow of warm air during defrosting, etc. Although it deteriorates due to the influence of heat fluctuation, in this embodiment, even when stored for a long period of time, deterioration of food can be suppressed.

  In addition, when the refrigerator is cooled, as time passes, the moisture in the air that has entered when the door is opened, the moisture adhering to the food put in the cabinet, and the moisture from the vegetables stored in the vegetable compartment 106 For example, frost adheres to the cooler 107. When this frost grows, the heat exchange efficiency is lowered between the cooler 107 and the circulating cold air, and the inside of the cabinet cannot be cooled sufficiently, and finally it becomes a slow cooling or uncooled state. Therefore, in the refrigerator, it is necessary to periodically defrost frost adhering to the cooler 107.

Even in the refrigerator of the present embodiment, the refrigerator is operated and defrosting is automatically performed after a certain period of time. At the time of defrosting, the operation of the compressor 117 and the cold air blowing fan 116 is stopped, and the glass tube heater 132 which is a defrosting heater is energized. The cooler 107 generally has a sensible heat change from −30 ° C. to 0 ° C., a latent heat change at 0 ° C., and 0 by the melting of the refrigerant staying in the cooler 107 and the frost attached to the cooler 107. The temperature rises through a sensible heat change from ℃. Here, the cooler 107
Is equipped with a defrost sensor (not shown) and stops energization of the glass tube heater 132 when a predetermined temperature is reached. In the present embodiment, energization of the glass tube heater 132 is stopped when the defrost sensor detects 10 ° C.

  At this time, by energizing the glass tube heater 132, the surface of the glass tube becomes high temperature, and by melting frost attached to the drain pan 134 and the cool air blowing fan 116 around the cooler 107 and the cooler 107 around the cooler by radiant heat, The cooler 107 is refreshed.

  For example, in the case of the outside air temperature of about 5 ° C. or the following low outside air, even if the frost in the cooler 107 is sufficiently defrosted, the temperature of the defrost sensor (not shown) is sufficiently high during the defrosting due to the outside air. It is difficult to raise the temperature and the defrosting time tends to be longer. In this case, the state of sensible heat change of 0 ° C. or higher can be seen, and control for terminating the defrosting can be combined if a certain time or more has elapsed. As a result, although the defrosting is sufficiently performed, the defrosting time becomes longer due to insufficient temperature rise of the cooler 107 with low outside air, and the temperature rise due to unnecessary heater input or radiant heat into the chamber. Further, the temperature rise due to the cooling stop at the time of defrosting can be suppressed.

  Even in the cooler 107 of the present embodiment, the cooling capacity gradually decreases due to the influence of frost due to frost formation during the interval of the defrost cycle, and therefore, the cooler from the refrigerator compartment return duct 129 in the portion where frost easily attaches. By thinning out the upper fins 146 in which the width of the refrigerant pipe 145, which is the cold air inflow portion 107, is reduced, the flow resistance of the return cold air is reduced and the circulation air volume is increased. Since the road blockage can be reduced and the performance deterioration at the time of frost adhesion can be suppressed, the frost proof strength performance is improved.

  Furthermore, by thinning the fins 146 in the direction of the cold air, not only lowering the ventilation resistance and increasing the circulating air volume, but also reducing the air passage blockage due to frost during frost formation, and performance when frost adheres It has the effect of further suppressing deterioration.

  In addition, although the fin 146 of the cooler 107 in this Embodiment uses the fin divided | segmented with respect to the refrigerant | coolant pipe | tube 145 laminated | stacked in the up-down direction, since the number of fins increases, the manufacturing process of the cooler 107 The man-hours for mounting the fins are required. Therefore, you may use the fin which became 1 body in the up-down direction. Thereby, since the number of fins attached to the cooler can be reduced, the cost can be reduced by improving productivity by reducing the number of man-hours.

  Note that the refrigerant pipe 145 of the cooler 107 in the present embodiment is a refrigerant pipe 145 in which the inside of the pipe is called a bare pipe and is not processed. Therefore, for example, a grooved tube may be used to improve the heat transfer coefficient in the tube. Some grooved pipes are constituted by straight grooves or spiral grooves, and by using the grooved pipes, the performance of the cooler can be improved, thereby further saving energy.

  Note that the refrigerant pipe 145 of the cooler in the present embodiment is made of an aluminum material. Aluminum is often used from the viewpoint of cost reduction due to the recent rise in material costs, but copper may also be used. In this case, since the thermal conductivity is improved, the heat exchange efficiency inside and outside the refrigerant pipe 145 is improved, thereby further saving energy.

Further, in the opening to the cooler 107 of the refrigerator compartment return duct 129 disposed on the side surface of the cooler, the refrigerator chamber return duct opening upper end 143 is arranged above the cooler lower end 144. As a result, the opening of the refrigerating chamber return duct 129 is enlarged, and the cooling performance mainly for the refrigerating chamber 102 is improved by increasing the circulating air volume by further reducing the air path pressure loss to the cooler 107, and the heat Energy savings can be improved by improving exchange efficiency. In addition, by disposing the refrigeration chamber return duct opening upper end 143 above the cooler lower end 144, not only the return cool air can be easily guided to the cooler 107, but also a part of the cooler side surface can be used as an air path. Therefore, the invalid space can be reduced and the capacity in the cabinet can be secured.

  In addition, the cooler cover 120 includes a freezer compartment cool air return port 135 in the lower portion, and the freezer compartment cool air return port upper end 139 is disposed above the cooler lower end 144, so that the return cold air circulated in the refrigerator is Since a large heat exchange area can be taken with respect to the cooler 107, the amount of heat exchange in the cooler 107 is increased, and the capacity of the cooler 107 can be improved.

  In addition, since the time for cooling the interior can be reduced by improving the heat exchange amount of the cooler 107 and increasing the circulating airflow, the amount of frost formation on the cooler due to the shortening of the cooling operation time can also be reduced. This makes it possible to extend the defrost cycle of the cooler, reduce the number of inputs to the glass tube heater 132, reduce the input required for cooling the inside of the cabinet after the temperature rise due to defrosting, and further save energy Can do.

  Moreover, since the heat exchange area of the cooler 107 can be increased by improving the air path is to increase the area to be frosted on the cooler 107, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the cooling capacity at the time of frost formation. . As a result, it is possible to extend the time required to operate the refrigerator and require defrosting, and to reduce the number of inputs of the glass tube heater 132 and to reduce the input required for cooling the chamber after the chamber temperature rises due to defrosting. Further energy saving can be performed.

  Note that a wind direction guide portion 122 is provided in the cold air return port 135. The interval between the wind direction guide portions 122 is 5 mm, and consideration is given to preventing the intrusion of fingers and securing the strength of the mold and the cooler cover 120. In addition, the wind direction guide part 122 also has an upward angle from the inner side toward the cooler side.

  In addition, since the inclination of the airflow direction guide part 122 is upward, in addition to lowering the ventilation resistance of the return cold air suction air passage, the flow can be made uniform, and further energy saving can be achieved by improving the cooling efficiency.

  In the present embodiment, the center of the glass tube heater 132 is located above the freezer compartment bottom basic surface. As a result, the shape of the drain pan 134 integrated with the freezer compartment bottom basic surface can be made substantially horizontal and the ineffective space for installing the glass tube heater 132 can be reduced. Increase. In addition, the fact that the depth of the drain pan 134 can be reduced can reduce the cost of the mold when molding the component parts, which leads to cost reduction.

  In the present embodiment, the fourth partition 113 constituting the freezer basic surface is configured as a separate part. Only the fourth partition 113 is formed as a sub-process, and the work process is shared by inserting and assembling it into the inner box in a subsequent process, thereby improving the production efficiency. In addition to this configuration, the fourth partition 113 can be configured by an inner box. In that case, there is a method in which an ABS sheet, which is an inner box material, is stretched by a molding machine and is formed as an integral molding including the inner box and the partition portion. This method is often applied to an inner box having a small depth (depth), but it can also be applied to making a deep refrigerator by making the thickness uniform by extending the sheet. As a result, material costs, work man-hours, management costs, transportation costs, etc. for creating the partition can be reduced and reduced, leading to significant cost reductions and improved production efficiency. This also leads to a decrease in price, and can improve the sales rate.

As described above, the refrigerator according to the present invention includes a cooler in which refrigerant tubes having fins are stacked in the vertical direction, a cooler cover that covers the cooler, and a return cold air that is located on the side of the cooler from the refrigerator compartment. Refrigerator equipped with a refrigeration chamber return duct that returns to the cooling chamber, and by using a refrigerant pipe for the cooler with a lower width from the upper part, the cooling efficiency is improved by reducing the internal airway pressure loss and the frost is evenly deposited. Since the defrosting efficiency can be improved by frost, it can be used for household refrigerators and the like for the purpose of improving energy saving and freezing / keeping performance, and expanding the storage capacity.

102 refrigerator compartment 105 lower freezer compartment 107 cooler 120 cooler cover 123 cooling chamber 129 refrigerator compartment return duct 132 glass tube heater 135 cold air return port 139 freezer compartment cold air return upper end 143 refrigerator compartment return duct opening upper end 144 cooler lower end 145 Refrigerant tube 146 Fin

Claims (7)

A freezer compartment partitioned by a heat insulating wall, a refrigerated compartment arranged above the freezer compartment, a cooling chamber provided on the back of the freezer compartment, and a refrigerant pipe having fins in the cooling compartment were stacked in the vertical direction. A refrigerator comprising: a cooler; a cooler cover that covers a front surface of the cooler; and a refrigerator return duct that returns cold air from the refrigerator room to the cooler chamber on a side surface of the cooler. The refrigerator is characterized in that the refrigerant pipe has a lower width dimension than the upper part. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the refrigerant pipe having a reduced width is an inflow portion from the refrigerating chamber return duct to the cooler. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein fins at an upper portion of a portion where the width dimension of the refrigerant pipe is shortened are thinned out. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an upper end of an opening of the refrigerator compartment return duct is disposed above a lower end of the cooler. A freezer compartment cool air return port for returning cool air from the freezer compartment to the cooler chamber is provided at a lower part of the cooler cover, and an upper end of the freezer compartment cool air return port is disposed above a lower end of the cooler. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein fins of the left and right refrigerant tubes are thinned out with respect to a direction in which cold air flows from the refrigerator compartment return duct to the cooler. The glass tube heater for a defrost is provided under the said cooler, The center height of the said glass tube heater is located above the basic bottom face of the said freezer compartment, The any one of Claim 1 to 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. Refrigerator.