JP2018048798A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator that can secure effective internal volume of a compartment that is available for a storage chamber.SOLUTION: In a refrigerator 100, a multi-flow type evaporator (refrigerating chiller 24) including a flat tube 24c formed with a plurality of flow channels through which refrigerant flows is disposed on a ceiling side of the refrigerator 100 while at least part of the evaporator is positioned on a front side relative to a back face duct (cold air supply duct 37) provided on a back face side of the refrigerator 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

  Conventionally, in a refrigerator, a storage room is cooled by a refrigeration cycle including a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and the like. At this time, the evaporator may be provided, for example, in a duct on the back side of the storage chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2006-033449, A

Now, when the evaporator is arranged on the back side of the refrigerator as in Patent Document 1, the length of the installation space in the front-rear direction is shortened by vertically arranging the main body of the evaporator. In order to earn, a certain length is required in the vertical direction of the evaporator, so that the space occupied by the evaporator has been increased. As a result, in order to secure the depth of the storage room, a fan has to be arranged above or below the evaporator, and there is a large dead space on the back side, that is, a space that cannot be used as a storage room.
Then, the refrigerator which can earn the effective internal volume which can be utilized as a storage room is provided.

  The refrigerator according to the embodiment includes a multiflow evaporator having a flat tube in which a plurality of flow paths through which a refrigerant flows is formed, at least partly in front of a rear duct provided on the rear side of the refrigerator. Placed in the ceiling side of the refrigerator.

The figure which shows typically the structure of the refrigerator of a 1st aspect. Schematic view of the appearance of the refrigerator for refrigeration (evaporator) Diagram showing the structure of a flat tube The figure which shows typically the arrangement | positioning aspect of the refrigerator for refrigeration The figure which shows typically the arrangement | positioning aspect of the refrigerator for refrigeration in a 2nd aspect 1 The figure which shows the arrangement | positioning aspect of the cooler for refrigeration typically 2 Figure 3 schematically showing the arrangement of the refrigeration cooler The figure which shows typically the arrangement | positioning aspect of the refrigerator for refrigeration 4 Figure 1 schematically showing another structure of a refrigerator for refrigeration Figure 2 schematically showing another structure of the refrigerator for refrigeration The figure which shows typically the installation place of the refrigerator for refrigeration in a 3rd aspect 1 Figure 2 schematically showing the location of the refrigerator for refrigeration Figure 3 schematically showing the location of the refrigerator for refrigeration The figure which shows typically the arrangement | positioning of the evaporator in a ceiling arrangement | positioning aspect 1 Figure 2 schematically showing the arrangement of the evaporator Figure 3 schematically showing the arrangement of the evaporator

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of simplification, first, the structure and characteristics of a multiflow evaporator and the refrigerator using the multiflow evaporator will be described as the first to third aspects, and then the multiflow evaporator will be used as the ceiling arrangement. A specific example of a mode in which the is provided on the ceiling side will be described.

<First aspect>
Hereinafter, the first aspect will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.
As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 has a plurality of storage chambers arranged side by side in a vertical direction in a heat insulating box 2 having a vertically long rectangular box shape with an open front. Specifically, in the heat insulation box 2, a refrigeration room 3 and a vegetable room 4 are provided as storage rooms in order from the top, and an ice making room 5 and a small freezer room 6 are provided side by side on the lower side. A freezer compartment 7 is provided below these. A known automatic ice making device 8 (see FIG. 1) is provided in the ice making chamber 5. The heat insulating box 2 is basically composed of a steel plate outer box 2a, a synthetic resin inner box 2b, and a heat insulating material 2c provided between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2b. Yes.

  The refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 are both storage compartments in a refrigerated temperature zone (for example, 1 to 4 ° C.), and the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 are partitioned vertically by a plastic partition wall 10. ing. As shown in FIG. 1, a hinged heat insulating door 3 a is provided on the front surface of the refrigerator compartment 3. A drawer-type heat insulating door 4 a is provided on the front surface of the vegetable compartment 4. The lower case 11 which comprises a storage container is connected with the back surface part of the heat insulation door 4a. An upper case 12 that is smaller than the lower case 11 is provided at the rear of the upper portion of the lower case 11.

  The inside of the refrigerator compartment 3 is divided into a plurality of stages vertically by a plurality of shelf boards 13. A chilled chamber 14 is provided on the right side at the lowermost part (the upper part of the partition wall 10) in the refrigerator compartment 3, and egg cases and accessory cases are provided vertically on the left side thereof. A tank is provided. The water storage tank is for storing water to be supplied to the ice tray 8 a of the automatic ice making device 8. A chilled case 18 is provided in the chilled chamber 14 so that it can be taken in and out.

  The ice making room 5, the small freezer room 6, and the freezer room 7 are all storage rooms in a freezing temperature zone (for example, −10 to −20 ° C.). Further, the vegetable compartment 4 and the ice making compartment 5 and the small freezer compartment 6 are vertically partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 19 as shown in FIG. A drawer-type heat insulating door 5 a is provided on the front surface of the ice making chamber 5. An ice storage container 20 is connected to the rear of the heat insulating door 5a. Although not shown, a drawer-type heat insulating door connected to a storage container is also provided on the front surface of the small freezer compartment 6. A drawer-type heat insulating door 7 a to which a storage container 22 is connected is also provided on the front surface of the freezer compartment 7.

  Although not shown in detail in the refrigerator 1, a refrigeration cycle including two coolers, a refrigeration cooler 24 and a refrigeration cooler 25, is incorporated. The refrigerating cooler 24 generates cold air for cooling the refrigerating room 3 and the vegetable room 4, and is provided on the back surface of the refrigerator 1. As will be described in detail later, the refrigeration cooler 24 is formed in a flat shape, and a flat tube 24c (see FIGS. 2 and 3) in which a plurality of channels through which a refrigerant flows is formed, and a flat tube 24c. The main body 24g (see FIG. 2) is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a header 24a (see FIG. 2) serving as a refrigerant inlet and a header 24b (see FIG. 2) serving as a refrigerant outlet. It is a multi-flow type evaporator (evaporator).

  The freezer cooler 25 generates cold air for cooling the ice making room 5, the small freezer room 6, and the freezer room 7, and is provided at the back of the refrigerator 1 and below the refrigerating cooler 24. ing. A machine room 26 is provided on the lower back surface of the refrigerator 1. Although not shown in detail, this machine room 26 has a compressor 27, a condenser (not shown), and a cooling fan (not shown) for cooling the compressor 27 and the condenser constituting the above-described refrigeration cycle. ), A defrosted water evaporating dish 28 and the like are provided. The refrigeration cooler 25 also employs a multiflow evaporator.

  A control device 29 in which a microcomputer or the like for controlling the whole is mounted is provided near the lower rear portion of the refrigerator 1. Although not shown, the ground wire of the electric device provided in the refrigerator 1 is grounded via the outer box 2a or the like.

  A refrigeration cooler chamber 30 is provided on the back surface of the freezer chamber 7 in the refrigerator 1. In the refrigeration cooler chamber 30, a refrigeration cooler 25, a defrost heater (not shown), a refrigeration blower fan 31 serving as a blowing means, and the like are provided. The refrigeration blower fan 31 circulates the cold air generated by the refrigeration cooler 25 by generating air by the blowing action caused by the rotation of the fan, and is provided above the refrigeration cooler 25. A cold air outlet 30a is provided in the middle part of the front surface of the freezer cooler chamber 30, and a return port 30b is provided in the lower part.

  In this configuration, when the refrigeration blower fan 31 and the refrigeration cycle are driven, wind is generated by the air blowing action, and the cold air generated by the refrigeration cooler 25 is supplied from the cold air outlet 30a to the ice making chamber 5 and the small freezer compartment 6. Then, it is circulated in the freezer compartment 7 and returned to the freezer cooler compartment 30 from the return port 30b. Thereby, the ice making room 5, the small freezer room 6, and the freezer room 7 are cooled. A drainage basin 32 that receives defrost water when the refrigeration cooler 25 is defrosted is provided below the refrigeration cooler 25. The defrost water received by the drainage basin 32 is guided to the defrost water evaporating dish 28 provided in the machine room 26 and evaporated at the defrost water evaporating dish 28.

  In the refrigerator 1, a refrigeration cooler 24, a cold air duct 34, a refrigeration blower fan 35 serving as a blower, and the like are provided behind the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4. That is, a refrigeration cooler chamber 36 that constitutes a part of the cold air duct 34 is provided behind the lowermost stage of the refrigerator compartment 3 in the refrigerator 1 (behind the chilled chamber 14). A refrigeration cooler 24 is provided therein. The cold air duct 34 forms a passage for supplying the cold air generated by the refrigerating cooler 24 to the refrigerating room 3 and the vegetable room 4. The refrigeration blower fan 35 circulates the cold air generated by the refrigeration cooler 24 by generating air by the blowing action caused by the rotation of the fan body, and is provided below the refrigeration cooler 24.

  A chilled air supply duct 37 (corresponding to a rear duct described later) extending upward is provided above the refrigerated cooler chamber 36, and the upper end portion of the refrigerated cooler chamber 36 communicates with the lower end portion of the cold air supply duct 37. doing. In this case, the cold air duct 34 is constituted by the refrigeration cooler chamber 36 and the cold air supply duct 37. The front wall 36 a of the refrigeration cooler chamber 36 bulges forward from the cold air supply duct 37. In addition, a heat insulating material 38 having heat insulation covering the front surface of the refrigeration cooler 24 is provided on the back side (the refrigeration cooler 24 side) of the front wall 36a. In front of the cold air supply duct 37, a plurality of cold air supply ports 39 that open into the refrigerator compartment 3 are provided.

  A drainage basin 40 is provided below the refrigeration cooler chamber 36 and below the refrigeration cooler 24. The drainage basin 40 receives defrosted water from the refrigeration cooler 24. The defrost water received by the drainage basin 40 is guided to the defrosting water evaporating dish 28 provided in the machine room 26 in the same manner as the defrosting water received by the drainage basin 32, and the defrosting water evaporating dish is provided. It is evaporated at 28. The left and right length dimensions and the front and rear depth dimensions of the drainage basin 40 are larger than the left and right length dimensions and the front and rear depth dimensions of the refrigeration cooler 24, and receive all the defrost water dripping from the refrigeration cooler 24. It is configured in a size that can be

  An air duct 42 is provided behind the vegetable compartment 4. A refrigeration blower fan 35 serving as a blower is provided in the blower duct 42. The air duct 42 has a suction port 43 at its lower end, and communicates with the refrigeration cooler chamber 36 (cold air duct 34) so that the upper end of the air duct 42 bypasses the drain 40. The suction port 43 is open in the vegetable compartment 4. A plurality of communication ports communicating with the vegetable compartment 4 are formed at the left and right corners of the rear part of the partition wall 10 that constitutes the bottom of the refrigerator compartment 3.

  In this configuration, when the refrigeration blower fan 35 is driven, wind is generated by the air blowing action as indicated mainly by the white arrows in FIG. That is, the air in the vegetable compartment 4 is sucked into the refrigeration blower fan 35 side from the suction port 43 and blown out to the blower duct 42 side. The air blown to the air duct 42 side passes through the cold air duct 34, specifically, the refrigeration cooler chamber 36 and the cold air supply duct 37, and is blown out from the plurality of cold air supply ports 39 into the refrigerator compartment 3.

  The air blown into the refrigerator compartment 3 is also supplied into the vegetable compartment 4 through the communication port 44 and is finally sucked into the refrigerator fan 35 for refrigerator. In this way, the wind is circulated by the blowing action of the refrigeration blower fan 35. When the refrigeration cycle is driven during the wind circulation process, the air passing through the refrigeration cooler chamber 36 is cooled by the refrigeration cooler 24 to become cold air, and the cold air is stored in the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4. , The refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 are cooled to temperatures in the refrigerator temperature zone.

  In addition, a water storage container 56 constituting a water storage section is provided in the front part of the lower part in the refrigeration cooler chamber 36. The water storage container 56 is provided between the refrigeration cooler 24 and the drain 40 and below the water supply unit 53. And the front part of the water storage container 56 is attached to the front part wall 36a of the refrigerator room 36 for refrigeration, and is provided in the cantilever state which protrudes back. The water storage container 56 receives and stores defrost water dripped from the refrigeration cooler 24.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
First, the detailed structure of the refrigeration cooler 24 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, a header 24a serving as a refrigerant inlet, a header 24b serving as a refrigerant outlet, a flat tube 24c connecting the header 24a and the header 24b, and the flat tubes 24c are provided. An endothermic fin 24d formed in a wave shape with a metal material, provided on the inlet-side header 24a, provided on the inlet-side connecting portion 24e to which a refrigerant pipe (not shown) is connected, and provided on the outlet-side header 24b, The outlet side connection part 24f to which external piping (illustration omitted) is connected is provided. At this time, the main body 24g, which is a portion where the flat tube 24c is provided, has a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

  The header 24a and the header 24b are formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and the hollow portions (not shown) are in communication with each other through the flat tubes 24c. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the flat tube 24c has a flat outer shape and a plurality of flow paths 24h through which the refrigerant flows. And each hollow part of the header 24a and the header 24b is connected by each flow path 24h.

  By providing a plurality of flow paths 24h in this way, the contact area between the refrigerant and the flat tube 24c is increased as compared with the conventional type in which one large flow path is provided. Thereby, heat is efficiently transferred from the refrigerant to the flat tube 24c. Further, since the flat tubes 24c and the fins 24d are in contact, heat is efficiently transferred from the flat tubes 24c to the fins 24d. Since the fins 24d are formed in a wave shape, the contact area with air, that is, the heat exchange area can be further increased.

  As described above, the multi-flow refrigeration cooler 24 can efficiently exchange heat with air. For example, if the refrigeration cooler 24 has the same volume, the endothermic effect can be expected to be two to three times that of the conventional fin tube type. The volume can be greatly reduced, such as being thin. Thereby, when arrange | positioning the refrigerator 24 for refrigeration on the back side of the refrigerator 1 like this aspect, the dead space on the back side, ie, the space which cannot be used as a storage room, can be reduced.

  In the case of this embodiment, the refrigeration cooler 24 is arranged such that the inlet-side header 24a is downward and the outlet-side header 24b is upward, as shown in FIG. In other words, the refrigeration cooler 24 is disposed such that the main body 24g, which is a portion where the flat tube 24c is disposed, is perpendicular to the installation surface of the refrigerator 1, and the flat tube 24c is also disposed on the installation surface. It is arrange | positioned so that it may become perpendicular | vertical with respect to. The term “perpendicular” here is not limited to a state of 90 degrees with respect to the installation surface, but includes a state that can be regarded as being substantially vertical, for example, a state that is slightly inclined.

  The refrigerant flowing into the refrigeration cooler 24 flows into the refrigeration cooler 24 in a liquid state from the inlet side connection portion 24e as indicated by an arrow F, and evaporates in the refrigeration cooler 24 to become a gas state. After that, the gas mainly flows out from the upper outlet side connection portion 24f. At this time, since the refrigerant in the liquid state flows down due to gravity, the refrigerant moves by installing the refrigerant at the lower side and installing the outlet at the upper side as schematically shown in FIG. Can be made smooth and efficient heat exchange can be performed. 4B schematically shows a state where the refrigeration cooler 24 shown in FIG. 4A is viewed from the left side in the figure.

  Now, when the refrigeration cycle is operated, the refrigeration cooler 24 decreases in temperature and generates frost. Since this frost reduces the heat exchange performance, a defrosting process for removing the frost is performed, for example, at regular intervals. In this defrosting process, the attached frost is melted and discharged downward as defrosted water. Therefore, the flow of the defrost water can be promoted by arranging the main body 24g of the refrigeration cooler 24 vertically as in this embodiment. Furthermore, by arranging the flat tube 24c so as to be vertical, the defrost water is easily transmitted through the flat tube 24c, and can further promote the flow down.

According to the refrigerator 1 demonstrated above, the following effects can be acquired.
The refrigerator 1 performs heat exchange of the refrigeration cycle using a multi-flow type refrigeration cooler 24 (evaporator) having a flat tube 24c in which a plurality of flow paths 24h through which refrigerant flows are formed.

  The multi-flow type refrigeration cooler 24 has a high heat exchange performance as described above, and its volume can be greatly reduced as compared with a conventional fin tube type if the performance is the same. Further, since the thickness can be reduced, the degree of freedom of the arrangement location is also improved. Therefore, the freedom degree of arrangement | positioning of the cooler 24 for refrigeration can be raised, and the effective internal volume, ie, the internal space which can be utilized for a storage room, can be earned.

  Moreover, the flow of the defrost water can be promoted by arranging the main body 24g of the refrigeration cooler 24 vertically. In this case, by arranging the flat tubes 24c so as to be vertical, the defrost water is easily transmitted through the flat tubes 24c, and the flow of the defrost water can be further promoted.

  Moreover, when it has two evaporators, the refrigeration cooler 24 and the refrigeration cooler 25 as in this embodiment, the refrigeration cooler 24 can be defrosted every cycle for each operation cycle. . The refrigerating cooler 24 is cooled if the refrigerant is flowing, while the internal temperature of the refrigerating chamber 3 is 0 ° C. or higher. Therefore, if the refrigerant is not flowing, the refrigerating fan 35 is kept running. Eva can be warmed and defrosted.

  At this time, since the heat capacity of the multi-flow type refrigeration cooler 24 becomes smaller, the defrosting time is shorter than that of the conventional fin tube type, and an efficient operation can be achieved, thereby saving power. it can.

Further, since the inlet side connecting portion 24e and the outlet side connecting portion 24f are provided substantially in parallel with the main body portion 24g, the length (thickness) in the front-rear direction of the refrigeration cooler 24 can be reduced, and the storage chamber Can be increased.
Further, the same effect as that of the refrigeration cooler 24 can be obtained for the refrigeration cooler 25.

<Second aspect>
Hereinafter, the second mode will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second aspect, another example of the arrangement and structure of the refrigeration cooler 24 will be described.
As described above, since the defrost water flows down on the lower side of the refrigeration cooler 24, if the refrigeration blower fan 35 is disposed in the range (flow area (Rx, see FIG. 7)), the defrost treatment is performed. When it is performed, there is a possibility that the defrost water is applied to the refrigeration blower fan 35.

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, when arranged in the refrigeration cooler chamber 36, the fan 60 for sending air to the refrigeration cooler 24 is arranged at a position substantially parallel to the refrigeration cooler 24. It is possible to do. The fan 60 may be the refrigeration blower fan 35.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent the defrost water flowing down due to gravity from being applied to the fan 60. Note that the multi-flow type refrigeration cooler 24 can be thinned as described above, and therefore can be provided with the fan 60 in the refrigeration cooler chamber 36.

  In this case, since a water storage container 56 (see FIG. 1) is provided on the lower side of the refrigeration cooler 24, the space on the lower side of the refrigeration cooler 24 by the water storage container 56 is partially on the inside of the refrigerator. It is in a blocked state. When the fan 60 is rotated in this state, the air flow is first sucked into the fan 60 from the lower side as indicated by an arrow B, and then passes upward through the refrigeration cooler 24. Go.

  That is, the fan 60 is arranged on the upstream side of the wind flow with respect to the refrigeration cooler 24, that is, on the windward side. Thereby, even if the frost generated in the refrigeration cooler 24 is scattered or evaporated, it is possible to prevent moisture from being applied to the fan 60.

  Or when arrange | positioning in the cool air duct 34 as shown in FIG. 6, the fan 60 can be arrange | positioned above the cooler 24 for refrigeration. Thereby, it can prevent that defrost water applies to the fan 60. FIG. In this case, although the air sucked from the lower side passes through the refrigeration cooler 24 as indicated by an arrow B, it is considered that the scattered water droplets move downward due to gravity. The risk of 60 is reduced.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, even if it is below the refrigeration cooler 24, the defrost water flow area (Rx), that is, a position that is substantially out of the range immediately below the refrigeration cooler 24. It is considered that defrost water can be prevented from being applied to the fan 60. At this time, the fan 60 may be disposed on the side opposite to the wind direction when passing through the refrigeration cooler 24 with respect to the refrigeration cooler 24.

  In the case of FIG. 7, the wind direction when passing through the refrigeration cooler 24 is leftward in the figure, and therefore the fan 60 may be placed on the right side of the refrigeration cooler 24 in the figure. Thereby, even if the frost adhering to the surface of the refrigeration cooler 24 is blown off by the wind, the risk of being applied to the fan 60 can be reduced.

  As described above, the refrigeration cooler 24 can be disposed at any position as long as it is outside the flow area of the defrost water. Therefore, for example, in FIG. 6, if there is a space in the horizontal direction in the figure, the fan 60 can be disposed obliquely above the refrigeration cooler 24.

Moreover, the refrigerator 24 for refrigeration can be arrange | positioned horizontally with respect to the installation surface of the refrigerator 1, as shown in FIG. Here, the term “horizontal” includes a state that can be regarded as being almost horizontal, for example, a state that is slightly inclined.
Thus, the required space in the height direction can be reduced by disposing substantially horizontally. Moreover, since it can arrange | position along a ceiling or can arrange | position to a heat insulation partition part, the volume in a store | warehouse | chamber can be increased.

  In this case, it is possible to prevent the defrost water from being applied to the fan 60 by disposing the fan 60 above the refrigeration cooler 24. Further, by making the main body portion 24g large to increase the surface area, the main body portion 24g can be thinned to improve the degree of freedom of installation and reduce the required space.

  Further, in FIG. 8, the wind direction is upward, that is, the direction from the refrigeration cooler 24 toward the fan 60, but the frost peeled off from the refrigeration cooler 24 moves downward due to gravity, so the wind direction is a problem. Never become. In addition, it becomes possible to further suppress the frost peeled from the refrigeration cooler 24 from adhering to the fan 60 by making the wind direction downward, that is, the direction from the fan 60 toward the refrigeration cooler 24.

  So far, the so-called parallel type has been described as the refrigeration cooler 24, but the refrigeration cooler 24 can adopt a meandering type as shown in FIG. 9. The meandering refrigeration cooler 24 has a configuration in which the refrigerant is connected from the inlet to the outlet while folding one flat tube 24c. The flat tube 24c is provided with a header 24a on the refrigerant inlet side and a header 24b on the refrigerant outlet side. A fin 24d is provided between the folded flat tubes 24c.

Even in such a meandering refrigeration cooler 24, the heat exchange performance is high and the same performance as in the parallel type shown in the first aspect, compared to the conventional fin tube type. Thus, the volume can be greatly reduced and the thickness can be reduced, so that the degree of freedom of the arrangement location is also improved, so that an effective internal volume usable as a storage room can be earned.
By the way, as described above, in the refrigeration cooler 24, the refrigerant in the liquid state flows in and flows out in the gaseous state. At this time, there may be a so-called liquid back in which the refrigerant that cannot be evaporated flows out in a liquid state.

Therefore, in the parallel refrigeration cooler 24 schematically shown in FIG. 10 (a) and the meandering refrigeration cooler 24 schematically shown in FIG. 10 (b), the volume of the header 24b on the outlet side is It is formed larger than the volume of the header 24a on the inlet side. FIG. 10 schematically shows a difference in volume due to a difference in diameter between the header 24a and the header 24b.
Thereby, the header 24b on the outlet side functions as an accumulator, and the possibility that the refrigerant circulates in the liquid state on the rear stage side of the refrigeration cooler 24 can be reduced. If a sufficient volume can be secured, accumulator-less operation can be achieved.
Further, the same effect as that of the refrigeration cooler 24 can be obtained for the refrigeration cooler 25.

<Third aspect>
Hereinafter, the third aspect will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. In the third aspect, another example of the installation location of the refrigeration cooler 24 will be described.
In the first aspect, the example in which the refrigeration cooler 24 is disposed behind the chilled chamber 14 in the refrigeration chamber 3 is shown, but the refrigeration cooler 24 can be disposed in other places.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the refrigeration cooler 24 can be disposed inside the refrigerator 1 on the ceiling side and the back side (hereinafter referred to as the upper back side for convenience). The upper back side of the refrigerator 1 is a place that is relatively difficult to reach when putting food into and out of the refrigerator compartment 3 depending on the size of the refrigerator 1. Further, since the multi-flow type refrigeration cooler 24 is downsized as described above, the required space is also reduced.

  Therefore, by securing a space for the refrigeration cooler chamber 36 on the upper back side and disposing the refrigeration cooler 24 there, it is possible to effectively utilize a place that is relatively difficult to reach. Further, since the space for the refrigeration cooler chamber 36 is not required on the rear side of the chilled chamber 14, the chilled chamber 14 can be enlarged.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, the refrigeration cooler 24 and the refrigeration blower fan 35 are provided side by side (see FIG. 5) and arranged on the upper back side, so that an empty space is provided behind the vegetable compartment 4 in this embodiment. Therefore, the vegetable compartment 4 can also be enlarged.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 13, when the refrigeration cooler 24 and the refrigeration blower fan 35 are provided side by side (see FIG. 5) and arranged behind the chilled chamber 14, the vegetable compartment 4 may be enlarged. it can.

  Thus, by adopting a multi-flow type as the refrigeration cooler 24, not only the refrigeration cooler 24 but also the refrigeration blower fan 35 can be arranged and the degree of freedom is improved. Thereby, the effective internal volume which can be used as a storage room can be earned, such as being able to effectively utilize the upper back side where it is difficult to put in and out food. Further, the same effect as that of the refrigeration cooler 24 can be obtained for the refrigeration cooler 25.

<Ceiling arrangement>
As described above, a multi-flow type evaporator such as the refrigeration cooler 24 can be expected to have a heat absorption effect of 2 to 3 times as long as the volume is the same as that of the conventional fin tube type, but is equivalent to the conventional one. As long as the endothermic effect can be obtained, the size and thickness can be reduced. In other words, by using a multi-flow type evaporator, it becomes possible to greatly reduce the required installation space, thereby making it possible to relatively increase the internal volume that can be used as a storage room. .

  Now, even if the installation space can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, the installation space does not become zero. Therefore, in order to further increase the internal volume, it is important where the evaporator is arranged. This is because it is necessary to dispose a duct or the like in order to supply the cool air generated in the evaporator to the storage chamber, so if the evaporator is disposed at a position away from the storage chamber, the installation space for the duct increases. However, this is because there is a possibility that the internal volume is reduced.

  Therefore, in this aspect, the evaporator is disposed at a position where it is relatively easy to become a dead space in view of a general usage form of the refrigerator and the increase in the installation space of the duct can be suppressed.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, a refrigeration cooler 24 (see FIGS. 2 and 9), which is an example of a multiflow evaporator, is provided on the ceiling side of the refrigerator 100 and corresponds to a rear duct. It is arranged in a ceiling duct 101 extending forward from the cold air supply duct 37. The ceiling duct 101 is connected to the cold air supply duct 37 and communicates with the refrigerating chamber 3 through an opening on the front side.

  The entire refrigeration cooler 24 is disposed in the ceiling duct 101 including a main body 24g having a substantially rectangular shape, that is, a substantially thin rectangular parallelepiped shape. That is, the refrigeration cooler 24 is disposed on the ceiling side of the refrigerator 100 in a state of being positioned in front of the cold air supply duct 37.

  In a general usage form, the ceiling side and the back side of the refrigerator compartment 3 tend to be dead spaces because they are relatively difficult to reach when putting in and out food, although depending on the size of the refrigerator 100 It is. In other words, the ceiling side and the back side of the refrigerating room 3 are places where the possibility of deteriorating usability is low even when the refrigerating room 3 is used as an installation space for the refrigerating cooler 24. In addition, since the ceiling side and the back side of the refrigerator compartment 3 are, of course, very close to the refrigerator compartment 3, a duct for supplying cold air can be provided with a minimum installation space.

  The multi-flow refrigeration cooler 24 can be made very thin as shown in FIGS. At this time, if the refrigeration cooler 24 is thinned, the cooling performance is lowered if the outer shape is the same, but the ceiling side of the refrigeration room 3 can use a length substantially equal to the width of the refrigeration room 3. Therefore, if necessary, the lateral width of the refrigeration cooler 24 can be increased. Therefore, it can be avoided that the cooling performance is insufficient.

Thus, it can be said that the ceiling side and the back side of the refrigerating room 3 are very convenient places to use as the installation space for the refrigerating cooler 24.
Therefore, the refrigeration cooler 24 as a multi-flow type evaporator is placed on the ceiling side of the refrigerator 100 in a state of being positioned in front of the cold air supply duct 37 as a back duct provided on the back side of the refrigerator 100. By arranging, it is possible to earn an effective internal volume that can be used as a storage room in a state where there is no disadvantage for both the manufacturing side and the user side.

  At this time, the distance from the upper surface of the wall part, for example, the ceiling duct 101, to the outer edge of the main body part 24g, that is, the part opposite to the wall part of the main body part 24g, can be arranged to be as small as possible. Specifically, the main body 24g of the refrigeration cooler 24 can be provided horizontally with respect to the installation surface. Thereby, the height of the vertical direction of the ceiling duct 101 can be reduced.

  In this case, the refrigeration cooler 24 is provided with an inlet-side connecting portion 24e and an outlet-side connecting portion 24f (see FIGS. 2 and 9) for connecting to an external pipe. The outlet side connection part 24f can be provided so as to extend in the horizontal direction from the main body part 24g.

  Thereby, the length required in the height direction of an installation space can be reduced, and it can suppress that an internal volume falls. Moreover, the inlet side connection part 24e and the outlet side connection part 24f can be made to extend horizontally from the main body part 24g in the lateral width direction of the refrigerator compartment 3, and also in this case, the reduction of the internal volume is similarly suppressed. it can.

  Further, the inlet-side connection portion 24e and the outlet-side connection portion 24f are directed to the rear side of the main body portion 24g, so that the distance in the front-rear direction of the cold air supply duct 37 is set as the arrangement region of the inlet-side connection portion 24e and the outlet-side connection portion 24f Can be used as Thereby, it becomes possible to arrange | position the cooler 24 for refrigeration more back, and the space which can be utilized as the refrigerator compartment 3 can be utilized more effectively although it is a place where it is hard to reach.

  By the way, in order to supply cold air into the refrigerator compartment 3, a fan 60 is installed in the vicinity of the refrigerator 24 for refrigerator. In this aspect, the fan 60 is disposed in the ceiling duct 101 in front of the refrigeration cooler 24, that is, on the downstream side in the air flow. At this time, since the fan 60 is arranged so that the fan body is horizontal, that is, the air flow is vertical, it is possible to suppress an increase in the height of the ceiling duct 101.

  At this time, the cold air is generated when the circulating air touches the surface of the refrigeration cooler 24. However, when the refrigeration cooler 24 is disposed horizontally, an air flow that passes through the main body of the refrigeration cooler 24 in the vertical direction is required. Therefore, in this aspect, the inhibition member 102 that inhibits the flow of air from the cold air supply duct 37 to the upper side of the refrigeration cooler 24 is provided on the upper side and the rear end side of the refrigeration cooler 24, and On the lower side and the front end side of the cooler 24, an inhibition member 102 that inhibits the flow of air from the lower side of the refrigeration cooler 24 to the fan 60 side is provided.

  As a result, the air flowing into the ceiling duct 101 from the cold air supply duct 37 forms a flow that flows into the lower side of the refrigeration cooler 24 by the upper-side inhibition member 102, and is refrigerated by the lower-side inhibition member 102. A flow through the main body 24g of the cooler 24 is formed. Thereby, cold air can be generated efficiently.

  When the main body 24g is horizontally disposed, the flat direction of the flat tube 24c and the surface direction of the fin 24d are the thickness direction of the main body 24g as shown in FIG. 14, that is, the vertical direction. In this case, when a water droplet adheres to the surface of the flat tube 24c or the fin 24d, the water droplet flows downward due to gravity.

  That is, the refrigeration cooler 24 is arranged such that the flat direction of the flat tube 24 c is inclined with respect to the installation surface of the refrigerator 100, or the surface of the fin 24 d is arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the installation surface of the refrigerator 100. By doing so, removal of water droplets adhering to the refrigeration cooler 24 can be promoted. Here, being inclined with respect to the installation surface means a state that is not horizontal with the installation surface, and includes a direction perpendicular to the installation surface.

  By the way, when the refrigeration cooler 24 is defrosted, a lot of water droplets, that is, defrosted water is generated. Therefore, it is necessary to promote drainage of the defrost water from the ceiling duct 101 so that the defrost water does not convect to the ceiling duct 101. Therefore, in this aspect, the lower surface of the ceiling duct 101 positioned below the refrigeration cooler 24 is inclined downward toward the cold air supply duct 37 side, that is, toward the rear of the refrigerator 100. Further, the lower surface of the ceiling duct 101 is formed integrally with the front surface of the cold air supply duct 37.

  Thereby, discharge | emission of the defrost water from the ceiling duct 101 can be promoted. At this time, since the lower surface of the ceiling duct 101 and the front surface of the cold air supply duct 37 are integrally formed, the defrost water can be efficiently drained.

  Thus, by using the ceiling duct 101 which is a structure necessary for supplying cold air as a drainage promotion member that promotes drainage of defrost water generated when the refrigeration cooler 24 is defrosted, Can be simplified, and an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  Up to this point, an example in which the refrigeration cooler 24 is arranged in the ceiling duct 101 so as to be horizontal to the installation surface has been shown. However, as shown in FIG. The cooler 24 may be arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the installation surface of the refrigerator 100.

  In this case, the front end of the refrigeration cooler 24 can be positioned on the lower surface side of the ceiling duct 101, and the rear end of the refrigeration cooler 24 can be positioned on the upper surface side of the ceiling duct 101. In this case, the flat direction of the flat tube 24 c and the surface direction of the fins 24 d are also arranged to be inclined with respect to the installation surface of the refrigerator 100.

  Therefore, the air from the cold air supply duct 37 to the ceiling duct 101 flows smoothly along the flat direction of the flat tube 24c and the surface direction of the fin 24d. That is, by arranging the refrigeration cooler 24 so that the flow of air passing through the refrigerator 24 is inclined with respect to the installation surface of the refrigerator 100, the circulation of the cold air can be performed efficiently.

  Further, by disposing at least a part of the main body portion 24g in the ceiling duct 101, the cooling air cooling duct 37 is not enlarged, and the ceiling duct 101 is not excessively enlarged. A vessel 24 can be arranged. That is, a decrease in the internal volume can be suppressed.

  Further, by arranging the refrigeration cooler 24 so as to be inclined with respect to the installation surface of the refrigerator 100, the flat direction of the flat tube 24c and the surface direction of the fin 24d are also inclined. Can be encouraged. At this time, since the defrost water is dripped to the cold air supply duct 37 side by inclining so that the rear end of the refrigeration cooler 24 is positioned upward as in this embodiment, the drainage from the ceiling duct 101 is promoted. You can also.

  In the example shown in FIG. 15, the distance from the upper surface of the ceiling duct 101 to the outer edge of the main body part 24g is arranged to be as small as possible, but the distance from the back surface to the outer edge of the main body part 24g is arranged to be as small as possible. can do. Specifically, it is a state where the refrigeration cooler 24 is raised from the state of FIG. Even in such an arrangement, the various effects described above can be obtained, such as an effective internal volume that can be used as a storage room.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 16, not the lower surface of the ceiling duct 101 but a dedicated tray 110 can be used as a drainage promotion member. In this case, the tray 110 also functions as a storage member that temporarily stores defrost water. Thereby, the defrost water can be effectively used not only for draining the defrost water but also for so-called moisture control.

  At this time, the tray 110 has a length that covers the lower side of the refrigeration cooler 24, more specifically, in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction when the main body 24g that is horizontally or tilted is projected in the vertical direction. By forming it larger than the projected width, the defrost water can be appropriately stored and discharged. The same applies to the water storage container 56 shown in FIG.

(Other embodiments)
In the embodiment, the multi-flow type evaporator having the headers 24a and 24b has been exemplified. However, the external pipe can be directly connected to the flat tube 24c without using the header 24a or the like.

  The direction in which the inlet side connection part 24e and the outlet side connection part 24f extend is not limited to the direction illustrated in the embodiment. For example, in the case of the arrangement of the refrigeration cooler 24 as shown in the first embodiment or FIG. It can be. Thereby, the installation space can be saved by arranging the fan 60 within the range of the length of the inlet side connecting portion 24e and the outlet side connecting portion 24f.

  Each embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  In the drawings, 1 and 100 are refrigerators, 24 is a refrigeration cooler (evaporator), 24a and 24b are headers, 24c is a flat tube, 24d is fins, 24g is a main body, 37 is a cool air supply duct (back duct, drainage promotion) Member), 35 is a refrigeration fan, (fan), 56 is a water storage container (drainage promoting member), 60 is a fan, 101 is a ceiling duct (drainage promoting member), and 110 is a tray (drainage promoting member).

Claims (13)

  In a state where at least a part of the multi-flow type evaporator having a flat tube in which a plurality of flow paths for the refrigerant flow is formed is located on the front side of the back duct provided on the back side of the refrigerator, A refrigerator that is arranged on a ceiling side of the refrigerator.   The evaporator is characterized in that the main body portion, which is a portion where the flat tube is disposed, is formed in a rectangular shape, and is arranged so that the distance from the wall portion to the outer edge of the main body portion is small. The refrigerator according to claim 1.   The evaporator is disposed such that at least a part of a main body portion, which is a portion where the flat tube is disposed, is located in a ceiling duct provided on a ceiling side of the refrigerator. Item 3. The refrigerator according to item 1 or 2.   The said evaporator is arrange | positioned so that the main-body part which is a site | part by which the said flat tube is arrange | positioned may become horizontal with respect to the installation surface of the said refrigerator. The refrigerator according to the item.   The said evaporator is arrange | positioned so that the main-body part which is a site | part in which the said flat tube is arrange | positioned may incline with respect to the installation surface of the said refrigerator. Refrigerator.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the evaporator is arranged such that a flat direction of the flat tube is inclined with respect to an installation surface of the refrigerator.   7. The evaporator according to claim 1, wherein a header communicating with the flat tube is disposed rearward of a main body portion that is a portion where the flat tube is disposed. Refrigerator.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the evaporator is disposed so that an air flow passing through the evaporator is inclined with respect to an installation surface of the refrigerator.   The said evaporator is arrange | positioned so that the surface direction of the fin provided in the said flat tube may incline with respect to the installation surface of the said refrigerator, It is any one of Claim 1 to 8 characterized by the above-mentioned. refrigerator.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a fan is provided on the downstream side of the evaporator in an air flow.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a drainage promotion member that promotes drainage of water dripped from the evaporator on a lower side of the evaporator.   The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the drainage promotion member is formed integrally with the rear duct.   The refrigerator according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the drainage promotion member is inclined downward toward the rear of the refrigerator.

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