JP2020038044A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress dew condensation generated in a divided part of a refrigerator housing, in a refrigerator facilitating accessing to each apparatus configuring a cooling cycle mechanism.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a refrigerator housing equipped with an outer wall forming an internal space; and a cooling cycle mechanism for cooling the internal space. The refrigerator housing is equipped with at least two housing elements formed by dividing the outer wall. The tow housing elements are detachably connected with each other while making end surfaces of the outer wall face each other. The cooling cycle mechanism is equipped with an evaporator disposed in the inner side along the end surface of any one of the housing element. The refrigerator further includes a seal mechanism which shuts down the flowing in/out of air to/from the inside between both end surfaces while both housing elements are connected, and forms an air layer restricting the flowing in/out of air between both end surfaces.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  As a conventional refrigerator, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a refrigerator housing that forms a refrigerator interior space, and a cooling cycle mechanism that includes each device that cools the refrigerator interior space. A structure in which the mechanisms are arranged in an integrated manner is disclosed.

  The refrigerator disclosed in Patent Literature 1 has an advantage that maintenance can be easily performed because each device constituting the cooling cycle mechanism can be accessed at a time.

  On the other hand, the evaporator among the devices constituting the cooling cycle mechanism needs to be arranged in the internal space. For this reason, in order to make the evaporator easily accessible similarly to other devices constituting the cooling cycle mechanism, it is necessary to divide and remove a part of the refrigerator housing forming the internal space of the refrigerator. is there.

  However, when the refrigerator housing is divided, heat conduction to the inside and outside of the refrigerator tends to occur at the divided portion. Further, the evaporator plays a role of recooling the gas for cooling the internal space, and the temperature in the vicinity of the evaporator in the internal space becomes particularly low. As a result, when the refrigerator housing is divided in the vicinity of the evaporator as in the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1, a large temperature difference is generated inside and outside the refrigerator at the divided location, and the outer surface of the refrigerator housing facing the outside of the refrigerator is facing the outside. There was a problem that dew condensation easily occurred.

JP-A-8-247618

  Therefore, the present invention has a main object of making a refrigerator having easy access to an evaporator constituting a cooling cycle mechanism less likely to cause dew condensation at a divided portion of a refrigerator housing.

  That is, the refrigerator according to the present invention includes a refrigerator housing having an outer wall forming an interior space, and a cooling cycle mechanism for cooling the interior space, and the refrigerator housing divides the outer wall. At least two housing elements formed in such a manner that the two housing elements are detachably connected to each other with end faces of outer walls facing each other, and the cooling cycle mechanism is provided with any one of the housings. An evaporator disposed inside the storage along the end face of the body element, wherein in a state where the two housing elements are connected, the inflow and outflow of air into and out of the storage between the both end faces are cut off, and the both end faces are provided. The air conditioner further includes a seal mechanism for forming an air layer in which the inflow and outflow of air are restricted.

  In such a case, by separating the other housing element from one housing element forming the main part of the interior space, the evaporator arranged in the interior space can be easily accessed. , And maintainability is improved. On the other hand, both housing elements are in a state where the end faces of the outer walls are connected to each other in the vicinity of the evaporator where a gas having a low temperature particularly gathers in the interior space, but since an air layer is formed between both end faces by the sealing mechanism, This air layer plays a role of a heat insulating layer, and heat conduction between the both end faces to the inside and outside of the refrigerator is reduced. Specifically, it becomes difficult to transfer heat from the inside of the refrigerator to the outside of the refrigerator between both end surfaces, and it is possible to prevent dew condensation from occurring near the both end surfaces on the outer surface of the refrigerator housing.

  Further, in the vicinity of the evaporator in the interior space, the temperature in the vicinity of the outlet surface from which the gas recooled from the evaporator is discharged further decreases. Therefore, the evaporator introduces a gas for cooling the internal space from the introduction surface and re-cools the gas, and then derives the gas from the extraction surface. And the seal mechanism may form the air layer along the lead-out surface.

  In such a case, since an air layer is formed by a seal mechanism between both end faces located on the outlet side of the evaporator where air at a lower temperature collects in the inside space of the evaporator, the air space is formed between the both end faces. The heat conduction is reduced. Thereby, the positions of both end surfaces can be brought closer to the evaporator, and the size of the housing element in which the evaporator is installed can be further reduced.

  Further, the outer walls of the two housing elements each have a structure in which a heat insulating material is covered with an exterior material having a higher thermal conductivity than the heat insulating material, and the both end surfaces are constituted by the exterior material. It may be.

  When the two housing elements have such an outer wall structure, the exterior members are arranged in a state where the exterior materials are overlapped on both end portions facing each other. For this reason, heat inside and outside the refrigerator is more easily transmitted through the exterior material. However, the formation of the air layer by the sealing mechanism suppresses the transmission of this heat.

  Further, at least a part of the both end faces may be inclined from the inside of the storage to the outside of the storage.

  In such a case, heat transmitted to the inside and outside of the refrigerator is easily blocked by the air layer.

  As a specific configuration of the seal mechanism, the seal mechanism is disposed so as to circumnavigate between the both end faces in the circumferential direction, and is pressed between the both end faces to form a gap between the both end faces. A seal member and a partition member that partitions the gap formed between the both end surfaces to form the air layer may be provided, and the sealing mechanism may be arranged so that a circumferential direction extends between the two end surfaces. And a sealing member sandwiched between the both end faces to form a gap between the both end faces, and a gap between the both end faces along an outer surface facing the outside of the storage of the two housing elements. And a closing member attached to the device.

  In this case, the partition member may partition a gap formed between the both end surfaces to form an air layer between the partition member and the seal member.

  In such a case, the air layer can be formed so as to go around both end faces in the circumferential direction.

  Further, the partition member may partition at least one of the air layers by dividing a gap formed between the both end surfaces into a frame shape.

  In such a case, an air layer can be appropriately formed at a necessary position in the circumferential direction of both end faces.

  Further, when the outer walls of the two housing elements have a structure in which a heat insulating material is covered with an exterior material having a higher thermal conductivity than the heat insulating material, the partition member may be provided at the both end surfaces. Among them, the exterior material forming at least one end surface may be formed to protrude toward the other end surface.

  Further, a desiccant may be sealed in the air layer.

  In such a case, since the inside of the air layer is always kept in a dry state, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation in the air layer. In addition, when dew condensation occurs in the air layer, the heat insulating function of the air layer decreases.

  Further, in the refrigerator housing, one of the housing elements forms a main part of the internal space, and the other housing element is connected to the one of the housing elements to form the one of the housing elements. It may also form a part of the internal space together.

  In this case, the other housing element forms a machine room outside the warehouse, and the cooling cycle mechanism is disposed inside the warehouse of the other housing element, and an end surface of the other housing element. And a compressor and a condenser that are housed in the machine room and can be separated from the one housing element together with the other housing element. .

  In such a case, the cooling cycle mechanism can be separated from the one housing element by separating the other housing element from the one housing element, thereby further improving the maintainability.

  Further, the one housing element further includes a partition for dividing the internal space into a storage room and a re-cooling room for re-cooling gas for cooling the storage room, and the other housing element includes the partition wall. One of the casing elements is detachably connected to the casing element to form the recooling chamber together with the one casing element and the partition, and the evaporator is installed inside the storage of the other casing element. It may be housed in the re-cooling chamber in a state where it is placed in a closed state.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention comprised in this way, in the refrigerator which made it easy to access each apparatus which comprises a cooling cycle mechanism, it can make it hard to produce dew condensation in the division | segmentation part of a refrigerator housing | casing.

It is a perspective view showing the refrigerator concerning an embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the state in which the 2nd housing | casing element was connected with the 1st housing | casing element of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment. It is a sectional view showing typically the state where the 2nd case element is not connected to the 1st case element of the refrigerator concerning an embodiment. It is a perspective view showing typically the cooling unit containing the 2nd case element of the refrigerator concerning an embodiment. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing typically the connection structure of the 1st case element and the 2nd case element of the refrigerator concerning an embodiment. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing typically the connection structure of the 1st case element and the 2nd case element concerning other embodiments. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing typically the connection structure of the 1st case element and the 2nd case element concerning other embodiments.

  Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The refrigerator 100 according to the present invention is mainly used in ordinary households. However, the present invention is not limited to home refrigerators, but can also be applied to commercial refrigerators. The refrigerator according to the present invention includes not only a refrigerator having a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, but also a refrigerator having only a refrigerator compartment and a refrigerator having only a freezer compartment.

  <Embodiment> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment includes a refrigerator housing BD that forms a refrigerator interior space IS and a cooling cycle mechanism including devices that cool the refrigerator interior space S. CM. The cooling cycle mechanism CM of the present embodiment includes a compressor 20, a blower fan 21, a condenser 22, and two or more evaporators 23 as each device.

  The refrigerator housing BD has both side surfaces, a back surface (rear surface), a top surface, and a bottom surface surrounded by an outer wall 10, and opens toward the front (front) side. A pair of hinged doors D is attached to the refrigerator housing BD via a hinge so as to close the opening. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator housing BD is divided into two housing elements BD1 and BD2 along a predetermined division surface SS. Specifically, the refrigerator housing BD is divided into two housing elements BD1 and BD2 along an inclined division surface SS extending from the back surface (rear surface) to the bottom surface. The two housing elements BD1 and BD2 are connected with the end faces EF1 and EF2 of the outer wall 10 appearing on the division surface SS facing each other.

  Of the two housing elements BD1 and BD2, one housing element BD1 (hereinafter, also referred to as a first housing element BD1) is, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. And is disposed on the front side with respect to the division surface SS. Further, the first housing element BD1 is provided with a partition wall 12 that divides the interior space IS into a front side and a division surface SS side inside the interior space IS. In the first housing element BD1, a storage room SR that is opened and closed by a pair of hinged doors D is formed on the front side of the partition wall 12, and the gas for cooling the storage room SR is re-cooled on the division surface SS side of the partition wall 12. A part of the re-cooling chamber CR is formed.

  In the storage room SR, a plurality of shelves 13 are installed on an upper side, and a plurality of drawers (not shown) are installed on a lower side. In addition, the partition 12 is provided with an inlet 12a for taking in gas from the storage room SR along the bottom surface to the recooling room CR. Gas is introduced from the recooling room CR to the storage room SR along the back surface. An outlet 12b for sending out is provided. The first casing element BD1 is provided with a duct 30 extending from the outlet 12b provided in the partition 12 to the storage room SR. The duct 30 is provided with a wind guide port 30a in accordance with the height of each shelf 13 or drawer of the storage room SR, and a fan 31 is provided near the outlet port 12b of the partition wall 12.

  Of the two housing elements BD1 and BD2, the other housing element BD2 (hereinafter, also referred to as a second housing element BD2) is connected to the first housing element BD1 as shown in FIGS. It is connected to form a re-cooling chamber CR together with the first housing element BD1. Note that the second housing element BD2 forms a machine room MR on the outside of the refrigerator, and houses the compressor 20, the blower fan 21, and the condenser 22 in the machine room MR. In the second housing element BD2, two evaporators 23 are installed inside the refrigerator that forms the re-cooling chamber CR. The second housing element BD2 and the cooling cycle mechanism CM are both installed on the support base B together with the control box CB to form a cooling unit. Therefore, the second housing element BD2 can be detachably connected to the first housing element BD1 as a cooling unit. The components constituting the cooling cycle mechanism CM are connected by piping (not shown), and a part of the piping is used to connect each device on the machine room MR side to two or more evaporators 23. It penetrates through the second housing element BD2.

  Therefore, when the first housing element BD1 and the second housing element BD2 are connected, the storage room SR and the re-cooling room CR are formed inside the refrigerator, and the machine room MR is formed outside the refrigerator. Then, among the devices constituting the cooling cycle mechanism CM, the evaporator 23 is housed in the re-cooling room CR inside the refrigerator, and the compressor 20, the blower fan 21 and the condenser 22 are housed in the machine room MR outside the refrigerator. Is done. Then, the evaporator 23 introduces the gas flowing into the recooling chamber CR from the inlet 12a of the partition wall 12 along the bottom surface to the inlet surface 23a, exchanges heat, and recools the gas. Along the way, it is sent to the outlet 12b of the partition 12.

  Next, the connection structure of the first housing element BD1 and the second housing element BD2 will be described in detail.

  The first housing element BD1 and the second housing element BD2 are connected to end surfaces FS1 and FS2 (hereinafter, also collectively referred to as end surfaces FS) that appear along a division surface SS that cuts the outer wall 10 of the refrigerator housing BD. They are connected facing each other. In addition, since the refrigerator housing BD is divided by the dividing surface SS inclined from the back surface to the bottom surface, the end surfaces FS of the first housing element BD1 and the second housing element BD2 are formed along the rear surface and the bottom surface. The portions along the slope are inclined inward and outward, respectively. In a state where the two housing elements BD1 and BD2 are connected between the both end surfaces FS, the inflow and outflow of air into and out of the refrigerator between the two end surfaces FS are blocked, and the inflow and outflow of air between the two end surfaces FS are prevented. A seal mechanism SM for forming the restricted air layer AS is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the outer wall 10 of the first housing element BD1 and the outer wall 10 of the second housing element BD2 are each formed of a heat insulating material 10a by an exterior material 10b having a higher thermal conductivity than the heat insulating material 10a. It has a covered structure. For this reason, the first housing element BD1 and the second housing element BD2 are both connected with the exterior members 10b forming the end surfaces FS facing each other.

  Specifically, the seal mechanism SM includes a seal member 40 that circulates in a circumferential direction along both end surfaces FS, and a partition that separates a gap formed between both end surfaces FS by the seal member 40 to form an air layer AS. And a member 41.

  The seal member 40 has a function of suppressing the inflow and outflow of gas into and out of the refrigerator and forming a gap between both end surfaces FS. Specifically, the seal member 40 has a narrow width having elasticity, and is attached to one of the end surfaces FS with an adhesive or the like. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the seal member 40 of the present embodiment is provided so as to circumscribe the inner side of the end surface FS2 of the second housing element BD22 in the circumferential direction.

  The partition member 41 partitions the gap formed between both end surfaces FS by the seal member 40 to form the air layer AS. The partition member 41 of the present embodiment is formed integrally with the exterior material 10b that forms the end surface FS2 of the second housing element BD2. Specifically, the partition member 41 is formed by projecting the exterior material 10b on the end face FS2 of the second housing element BD2 toward the end face FS1 of the first housing element BD1. The partition member 41 is formed so as to extend in the circumferential direction of the end surface FS2 along the seal member 40, and a plurality of the outer members 10b are formed on a part thereof without being raised toward the end surface FS1. It has a recess 41a. Thus, the partition member 41 is formed in a frame shape surrounding the plurality of recesses 41a.

  When the end faces FS of the first housing element BD1 and the end faces FS of the second housing element BD2 are connected to face each other, the sealing member 40 is pressed by the both end faces FS. The partition member 41 is interposed in the gap formed between the FSs. Then, an air space AS partitioned by the partition member 41 is formed in the gap.

  <Other Embodiments> As other embodiments of the seal mechanism SM in the above embodiment, those having the following structures can be mentioned. That is, the seal mechanism SM shown in FIG. 6A is a modified example of the partition member 41 in the seal mechanism SM according to the first embodiment. Specifically, the partition member 41 has a narrow width having elasticity like the seal member 40, and is attached to one of the end surfaces FS with an adhesive or the like. And the partition member 41 is arrange | positioned along the seal member 40 so that it may partition between both end surfaces FS. Thereby, the seal member 40 circulates along the inner periphery of the inside of the end face FS, and the partition member 41 circulates along the outer periphery of the end face FS on the outside of the compartment. A highly airtight air layer AS that circulates in the circumferential direction of both end faces FS is formed.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 6B, the partition member 41 of the sealing mechanism SM shown in FIG. 6A has a rib-like shape in which the exterior material 10b constituting the end face FS2 is projected toward the other end face FS1. It may be a thing. Further, as shown in FIG. 6C, a fitting groove 13 may be formed on the other end face FS2, and the leading end side of the rib-shaped partition member 41 may be fitted into the fitting groove 13. Thereby, the airtightness of the air layer AS is improved.

  The seal mechanism SM shown in FIG. 6D is a modified example of the seal mechanism SM according to the first embodiment. More specifically, the seal mechanism SM shown in FIG. 6D includes a seal member 40 that circulates in the circumferential direction along both end surfaces FS and an outer surface facing both sides of the housing elements BD1 and BD2. And a closing member 42 attached to close the gap between the surfaces FS. As a result, an air layer AS that circulates in the circumferential direction of both end surfaces FS is formed between the seal member 40 and the closing member 42. The closing member 42 may be a tape-shaped member as shown in FIG. 6D, and may be attached so as to straddle the outer surfaces of the two housing elements BD1 and BD2 facing the outside of the storage. In this case, the tape-shaped closing member 42 may be attached with an adhesive or an adhesive, or may be mechanically fixed with a fixture made of resin, metal, or the like.

  Further, as another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, both end surfaces FS may be fastened by a fastening mechanism. The fastening mechanism is provided, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A so that the screw hole 14 is communicated with the exterior material 10b forming both end surfaces FS, and the screw 15 is inserted into the screw hole 14. You may. Further, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), an extension 16 is provided extending from the exterior material 10b constituting one housing element BD1 along the exterior material 10b of the other housing element BD2. The screw hole 14 may be provided so as to communicate with the exterior material 10b of the other housing element BD2, and the screw 15 may be inserted into the screw hole 14.

  In addition, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Refrigerator BD Refrigerator housing BD1 First housing element FS1 End face BD2 Second housing element FS2 End face 10 Outer wall 10a Insulation material 10b Outer material 12 Partition wall CM Cooling cycle mechanism 20 Compressor 21 Blow fan 22 Condenser 23 Evaporator 23a Introduction Surface 23b Outgoing surface SM Seal mechanism AS Air layer 40 Seal member 41 Partition member 42 Closure member

Claims (13)

A refrigerator housing having an outer wall forming an interior space,
A cooling cycle mechanism for cooling the internal space,
The refrigerator housing includes at least two housing elements formed by dividing the outer wall,
The two housing elements are detachably connected with the end faces of the outer wall facing each other,
The cooling cycle mechanism includes an evaporator disposed inside the storage along an end surface of any of the housing elements,
In a state in which the two housing elements are connected, a sealing mechanism that blocks inflow and outflow of air into and out of the refrigerator between the two end faces and forms an air layer between the two end faces where air inflow and outflow is restricted is provided. A refrigerator further provided. The evaporator is for introducing a gas for cooling the internal space from the introduction surface and then re-cooling the gas, and then extracting the gas from the extraction surface. Has been placed,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the sealing mechanism forms the air layer at a position along the outlet surface. The outer walls of the two housing elements each have a structure in which a heat insulating material is covered with an exterior material having a higher thermal conductivity than the heat insulating material,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the both end surfaces are constituted by the exterior material. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least a part of the both end surfaces is inclined from the inside to the outside of the refrigerator. The sealing mechanism,
A seal member that is disposed so as to circumnavigate in a circumferential direction between the both end faces, and is pressed between the two end faces to form a gap between the two end faces,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a partition member that partitions the gap formed between the both end surfaces to form the air layer. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the partition member partitions the gap formed between the both end surfaces to form the air space between the partition member and the seal member. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the partition member partitions the gap formed between the both end surfaces into a frame shape to form at least one air layer. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the partition member is formed by projecting an exterior material forming at least one end face of the both end faces toward the other end face. The sealing mechanism,
A seal member that circumferentially rotates between the both end faces and is pressed between the two end faces to form a gap between the two end faces,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a closing member attached to an outer surface of the both housing elements facing the outside of the refrigerator so as to close a gap between the both end surfaces. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a desiccant is sealed in the air layer. In the refrigerator housing, one of the housing elements forms a main part of the internal space, and the other housing element is connected to the one housing element, and the refrigerator housing and the one housing element are connected together. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the refrigerator forms a part of the interior space. The other housing element forms a machine room outside the warehouse,
The cooling cycle mechanism is disposed inside the refrigerator of the other housing element, and an evaporator disposed along an end surface of the other housing element; and the other housing element housed in the machine room. The refrigerator according to claim 11, further comprising a compressor and a condenser that can be separated from the one housing element. The one housing element further includes a partition that divides the internal space into a storage room and a re-cooling room that re-cools a gas that cools the storage room,
The other casing element is connected to the one casing element to form the recooling chamber together with the one casing element and the partition.
The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the evaporator is housed in the recooling chamber in a state where the evaporator is installed inside a refrigerator of the other housing element.