JP2020112295A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that can irradiate a storage room and storage foods with an ultraviolet ray effectively.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes: a storage room; and irradiation means for irradiating an interior of the storage room with an ultraviolet ray. The irradiation means has an inclined radiation direction of an ultraviolet ray for irradiating the storage room.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

In some recent refrigerators, an LED is provided as an illuminating device for illuminating the inside of the refrigerator, and an LED different from the LED is provided as a sterilizing device for irradiating ultraviolet rays. For example, in the refrigerator of Patent Document 1, an LED for irradiating ultraviolet rays and a photocatalytic filter are provided inside the cool air duct, and when cold air passes through the photocatalytic filter, bacteria of the LED are further sterilized. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-115857

In the above-described conventional configuration, the sterilization of the cold air passing through the photocatalytic filter can be performed, but the sterilization is not performed directly in the refrigerating room (storage room) or the stored food. That is, although preservation in a constant temperature and high humidity atmosphere is suitable for maintaining the freshness of various foods in the storage room, if the humidity in the storage room becomes high, fungi such as mold may grow. Further, in the storage room, for example, although it is easily contaminated by drip or the like from raw meat that is stored food, the contaminant causes the psychrophilic bacteria to propagate in the refrigerator, which is a problem in maintaining food hygiene.
Therefore, a refrigerator that can effectively irradiate a storage room and stored foods with ultraviolet rays is provided.

The refrigerator according to the embodiment includes a storage chamber and an irradiation unit that irradiates the storage chamber with ultraviolet rays, and the irradiation unit is configured to incline the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet rays with which the storage chamber is irradiated. There is.

Sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the refrigerator in one embodiment typically. Front view showing the refrigerator door omitted Sectional view of the vicinity of the chilled chamber showing the irradiation direction of ultraviolet rays to the chilled chamber Exploded perspective view of rear duct shown with board Sectional drawing which expands and shows the board|substrate arrange|positioned at the back duct. It shows the light source and electronic components mounted on the control board, and is an enlarged view of the light source and electronic components when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface. Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the refrigerator

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a refrigerator body 2 in the shape of a rectangular box with an open front, a refrigerator compartment 3 and a vegetable compartment 4 in the refrigerating temperature zone, an ice making compartment in the freezing temperature zone, a small freezer compartment 5 and a large freezer. And chamber 6. Each of the refrigerating room 3 to the large freezing room 6 is a storage room for storing a stored item such as food (hereinafter referred to as “food”). Note that the ice making chamber is disposed so as to be adjacent to the left and right of the small freezing chamber 5, and therefore is not shown together with its door. The refrigerating room 3 to the large freezing room 6 are also referred to as "storage rooms 3 to 6".

A front opening of the refrigerating compartment 3 in the refrigerator body 2 is opened and closed by a double-opening type door (which may be a double-sided opening type). Front opening portions of the vegetable compartment 4, the ice making compartment, the small freezing compartment 5 and the large freezing compartment 6 are opened and closed by a drawer type door 4a, a door 5a and a door 6a, respectively. The configuration of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the number and arrangement of storage rooms are not limited to this.

A plurality of shelf boards Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd made of a transparent material (for example, a glass material, an acrylic resin, etc.) are provided in the refrigerating chamber 3, and a chilled chamber 7 is provided at the lowest stage thereof. ing. The chilled chamber 7 is controlled to a chilled temperature zone which is a temperature zone different from that of the refrigerator compartment 3. The chilled chamber 7 is provided with chilled cases 71 and 72 which are arranged in two stages, upper and lower. As will be described later in detail, the chilled cases 71 and 72 each have, for example, a box-like container shape with an open upper surface, and by pulling forward from the state of being stored in the chilled chamber 7, food can be taken in and out from the open upper surface side. It is supposed to do.

The refrigerator 1 is located behind the vegetable compartment 4 below the refrigerating compartment 3, is provided with a refrigerating cooler 8 for generating cold air in the refrigerating temperature zone, and is generally located behind the chilled compartment 7. A pair of left and right fans 9 _L and 9 _R (see FIG. 2) that blow the cool air generated by the refrigerating cooler 8 are provided.
The refrigerator 1 is provided behind the freezer compartment and includes a refrigerating cooler 10 that generates cold air in the freezing temperature range, and a fan 11 that blows the cool air generated by the refrigerating cooler 10. .. That is, the refrigerator 1 includes a plurality of coolers 8 and 10, and in the present embodiment, includes two fans 9 _L and 9 _R for the refrigerating cooler 8.

Each of the coolers 8 and 10 provided in the refrigerator 1 constitutes a known refrigeration cycle together with the compressor 13 and the like arranged in the machine room 12 provided at the bottom of the refrigerator body 2. Although not shown in detail, the refrigeration cycle includes a condenser that receives the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 13 and liquefies it by heat radiation, a switching valve that switches the refrigerant flow path on the outlet side of the condenser, and a cooler 8. , 10 are also included, and these are connected by a refrigerant pipe. The compressor 13 and the switching valve are controlled by a controller 20 (see FIG. 7) described later.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a back duct 15 extending vertically is provided on the back side of the storage chambers 3, 4, and 7 described above. The back duct 15 is a duct that forms a cold air flow passage 15R that supplies the cold air generated by the refrigerating cooler 8 to the refrigerating compartment 3 and the chilled compartment 7 in the interior of the storage compartments 3, 4, and 7. , A lower duct 16 and an upper duct 17. Of these, the lower duct 16 is configured integrally with a lower front duct 16a and a lower rear duct 16b that are combined in the front and rear as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (hereinafter, referred to as “lower ducts 16a, 16b”). Also called).

Lower duct 16a, 16b houses a lowermost rear cooler 8 and fan ₉ located (behind the chilled compartment 7) L, _{9 R} of the refrigerating compartment 3 in the refrigerator main body 2, an upper duct 17, a lower It extends above the ducts 16a, 16b and communicates with the lower ducts 16a, 16b. The insides of the lower ducts 16a and 16b serve as refrigerating cooler chambers, and have a stepped shape that bulges forward from the upper duct 17 (see FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower duct 16a, to the 16b, a pair of right and left communicating the chilled compartment 7, cold passage 15R outlet ₂₁ L, 21 _R are provided. The one outlet 21 _L is located above the fan 9 _L , and the other outlet 21 _R is located above the fan 9R. These outlets 21 _L and 21 _R are through-holes that are arranged in the left-right direction and extend in the left-right direction to form a strip shape, and are formed so as to pass through the lower front duct 16a and the lower rear duct 16b. Air outlet ₂₁ L, 21 _R, as shown in FIG. 4, the air outlet _21a L provided in the upper part of the lower front duct 16a, 21a _R and air outlet 21b _L provided on the lower rear side duct 16b , 21b _R in front and back. The cold air that has undergone heat exchange in the cooler 8 is blown out into the chilled chamber 7 through the air outlets 21 _L and 21 _R.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower rear duct 16b has an opening 22b at the upper end surface and is in the shape of a rectangular box having an open lower end, and is formed of, for example, foam polystyrene. The lower front duct 16a has a cover shape that is combined with the lower rear duct 16b so as to cover the lower rear duct 16b from the front side, and is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material (polypropylene). The opening 22a at the upper end of the lower front duct 16a is aligned with the opening 22b of the lower rear duct 16b and is connected to the lower end of the upper duct 17.

As shown in FIG. 4, the front surface of the lower rear-side duct 16b, the left and right of the air outlet _21b L, flat portion is positioned between the 21b _R (front wall portion 23b) is provided. A portion 23a corresponding to the front wall portion 23b of the lower rear duct 16b extends forward from the lower front duct 16a. The projecting portion 23a of the lower front duct 16a and the front wall portion 23b of the lower rear duct 16b form a substrate accommodating portion 25 capable of accommodating the control substrate 30.

The substrate accommodating portion 25 is a hollow portion that is in the shape of a rectangular block and extends forward in the position of the middle portion in the left-right direction in the back portion of the chilled chamber 7. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, between the lower front duct 16a and the lower rear duct 16b, a rectangular frame-shaped soft tape St1 for adhering the ducts 16a and 16b is provided inside the substrate housing portion 25. Form an airtight space. The substrate housing portion 25 projects forward from the front surface 16c of the lower duct 16 (see FIG. 3) and does not narrow the cool air flow passage 15R. Further, when viewed from a direction facing the outlets 21 _L and 21 _R (that is, viewed from a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 2), the board housing portion 25 is sandwiched between the left and right outlets 21 _L and 21 _R. in the position of the direction central portion, and are arranged in aligned so as to be adjacent to the right and left air outlet 21 _L, 21 _R position, that impede the flow of the cool air blown out from the air outlet 21 _L, 21 _R Absent. An ultraviolet light source 31 and a visible light source 32 are mounted on the control board 30 housed in the board housing part 25, and the light sources 31 and 32 will be described in detail later.

The above-mentioned fans 9 _L and 9 _R are arranged in parallel adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, and are provided above the refrigerating cooler 8 so that their respective air-blowing surfaces face upward. Then, the cool air generated in the refrigerating cooler 8 is driven by the fans 9 _L and 9 _R to pass through the cool air flow passage 15 R in the rear duct 15 to the chilled chamber 7 from the outlets 21 _L and 21 _{R of the} lower duct 16. Along with being blown out, the plurality of outlets 26 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) of the upper duct 17 are blown into the refrigerating compartment 3, and the cold air blown out from the outlets 26 is also passed from the refrigerating compartment 3 to the vegetable compartment 4. It is being supplied. Hereinafter, for simplification of description, the refrigerating compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 to which the cold air blown out from the outlet 26 is supplied are also referred to as “the refrigerating compartment 3 side” for convenience.

In addition, in the lower duct 16, the cold air blown out from the air outlets 21 _L , 21 _R and 26 as the cold air outlets described above returns to the refrigerating cooler 8 as the first return port 18 and the second return port 18 as the cold air return ports. A return port 19 is provided (see FIGS. 2 and 3). In the lower duct 16, the first return port 18 is formed below the chilled case 72 so as to project forward, and the return port for passing the cool air from the chilled chamber 7 side to the refrigerating cooler 8 side. Has become. The second return port 19 is composed of an opening formed at the lower end of the lower duct 16 and serves as a return port for passing the cool air in the refrigerating compartment 3 side to the refrigerating cooler 8 side. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, both the first return port 18 and the second return port 19 are arranged at a position lower than the substrate housing portion 25.

At the rear part of the upper surface of the ceiling wall of the refrigerator main body 2 shown in FIG. 1, a board housing portion 20s for housing a control board 20a of the control device 20 is provided. The control device 20 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, for example, and has a storage unit 20b (see FIG. 7) such as a ROM or a RAM. As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 20 is connected to the refrigerating fans 9 _L and 9 _R , the freezing fan 11, the compressor 13, the switching valve, the ultraviolet light source 31, and the visible light source 32. The refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 27, the infrared sensor 28, the door sensor 29, etc. are connected.

The refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 27 detects the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 3, and is provided on the back wall side in the refrigerating compartment 3. The infrared sensor 28 detects the thermal energy of the food stored in the chilled chamber 7 as the amount of infrared radiation, and is provided on the shelf board Pd forming the ceiling wall of the chilled chamber 7. The door sensor 29 is a self-capacitance type electrostatic sensor that detects opening/closing of the door 3a of the refrigerating chamber 3 (may be a push-type door switch), and is provided on the peripheral side of the door 3a.

The control device 20 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 20b, and based on the detection results detected by the refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 27 and the infrared sensor 28, the fans _9L , _9R , 11 and the compressor 13 are detected. Each storage compartment is cooled by operating the refrigeration cycle including. Further, based on the detection result of the door sensor 29, the control device 20 turns on the visible light source 32 when the door 3a is opened, and turns off the visible light source 32 when the door 3a is closed, while regarding the ultraviolet light source 31, the door is closed. The light is turned on when the door 3a is closed and turned off when the door 3a is opened.

The visible light source 32 irradiates the chilled chamber 7 with visible light to illuminate the chilled chamber 7. The ultraviolet light source 31 irradiates the chilled chamber 7 with ultraviolet light (ultraviolet rays). The purpose is to obtain a disinfecting action in the chilled chamber 7. In this embodiment, the visible light source 32 and the ultraviolet light source 31 are mounted on the same control board 30, and the board 30 in the board housing portion 25 is inclined by a predetermined angle. The configuration of the chilled chamber 7 will be described in detail centering on the configurations of the visible light source 32, the ultraviolet light source 31, and the control board 30.

First, of the chilled cases 71 and 72 shown in FIG. 3, the upper chilled case 71 integrally includes a front wall 71a, a back wall 71b, left and right side walls 71c, which are peripheral walls, and a bottom wall 71d. It has a relatively shallow box-like shape with an open side. The front wall 71a is provided with a handle portion 71e having an inverted "L" shape in the cross section in the figure. Further, rails 71f extending in the front-rear direction are provided outside the left and right side walls 71c (only the left side wall 71c is shown in the figure). The rail 71f is received and guided by a rail receiver (not shown). This allows the user to pull out the chilled case 71 along the rail 71f by holding the handhold portion 71e from below. The chilled case 71 serves as a meat dish, and foods such as meat and fish are placed on the bottom wall 71d. A dent 70 is formed in the center of the back wall 71b of the chilled case 71 in the left-right direction so as to correspond to the substrate housing 25.

Like the upper chilled case 71, the lower chilled case 72 is a box-shaped container-shaped meat plate that integrally has a front wall 72a, a back wall 72b, left and right side walls 72c, and a bottom wall 72d. The wall 72a is provided with a handle 72e having an "L" shape in the cross section in the figure. Rails 72f extending in the front-rear direction are provided outside the left and right side walls 72c (only the left side wall 72c is shown in FIG. 3), and the rails 72f are guided by rail receivers (not shown). Thereby, the user can pull out the chilled case 72 along the rail 72f by holding the handhold 72e from above.

The upper chilled case 71 is provided with a plurality of slit-shaped ventilation holes 71g at the front end of the bottom wall 71d. Further, the front edge portion of the upper chilled case 71 and the front edge portion of the shelf board Pd (ceiling wall) are opened and closed by a front lid 73 shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3. The front lid 73 is rotatably supported at the front edge of the shelf Pd. In this case, the cold air blown from the outlets 21 _L and 21 _R to the upper chilled case 71 is also supplied to the lower chilled case 72 through the ventilation holes 71g (see arrow A in the same figure). As a result, the inside of both chilled cases 71, 72, that is, the inside of chilled chamber 7 is cooled.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a rectangular opening 34 is provided on the front surface side of the substrate housing portion 25 facing the upper chilled case 71, and a window member 35 that closes the opening 34 is provided. ing. The window member 35 is made of, for example, a milky white translucent acrylic plate and is formed in a rectangular plate shape as a light transmitting member that transmits visible light and ultraviolet light. On the back surface of the window member 35, a diffusion portion 35a (see FIG. 5) is provided at a portion corresponding to the opening 34, and a flat mounting surface 35b (see FIG. 4) is provided on the peripheral portion of the window member 35. Has been. The diffusing portion 35a is an unevenness that diffuses visible light or ultraviolet light, and is formed by, for example, a plurality of recesses or recesses extending in the up-down direction and arranged in the left-right direction. As a result, the window member 35 can diffuse visible light emitted by the visible light source 32 and ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light source 31 at the diffusing unit 35a and irradiate the chilled chamber 7 with the diffused light. The milky white color of the window member 35 is suitable for diffusing light and suppresses glare.

The attachment surface 35b of the window member 35 is attached and fixed to the peripheral portion of the opening 34 via a rectangular frame-shaped soft tape St2 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The soft tape St2 and the soft tape St2 form an airtight internal space in the substrate housing portion 25 and prevent dew condensation. Thus, the window member 35 is installed in the substrate housing portion 25 so as to cover the visible light source 32 and the ultraviolet light source 31 on the internal control substrate 30 with a gap.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the window member 35 is located at the front surface of the substrate housing portion 25, and the light transmitting surface 35c, which is the main surface of the window member 35, is vertical. Further, the window member 35 is parallel to the front surface 16c (hereinafter also referred to as “inner wall 16c”) of the lower duct 16a, which is the inner wall of the back of the chilled chamber 7, and protrudes from the inner wall 16c to the front side of the chilled case 71. It is located at a position protruding inward from the back wall 71b (see FIG. 3).

The control board 30 is a rectangular plate-like board (printed board) in which wiring (not shown) is formed on a base material made of an electrically insulating material. As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 6, a visible light source 32 and an ultraviolet light source 31 are mounted on a control board 30, and an electronic component 38 such as a connector 36 and a plurality of resistance elements 37 is mounted on the control board 30. And the electronic component 38 form a circuit (control circuit). The mounting surface (surface layer) of the control board 30 is a milky white colored layer having the same color as the window member 35. Therefore, even when the user looks at the window member 35 from the front, the control board 30 on the back side of the window member 35 can be made difficult to see, and the light emission effect of the visible light source 32 through the window member 35 can be reduced. Can be increased (the change in light before and after light emission can be increased).

A cable (not shown) from the control device 20 is connected to the connector 36 to electrically relay the control device 20 and a circuit on the control board 30. As shown in FIG. 6, the connector 36 is provided at the lower left corner of the control board 30. The plurality of resistance elements 37 are circuit elements connected to the visible light source 32 and the ultraviolet light source 31. The plurality of resistance elements 37 are provided at positions near the peripheral edge (closer to the upper edge in FIG. 6) of the control board 30 and arranged in a line along the upper edge (one side of the control board 30). The visible light source 32 and the ultraviolet light source 31 are provided at positions closer to the central portion of the control board 30 than the plurality of resistance elements 37.

Here, in FIG. 6, the center line in the left-right direction of the control board 30 is represented by C1, the center line in the up-down direction is represented by C2, and the intersection of the center lines C1 and C2 is represented by C0. It is located at the center C0 of. On the other hand, the ultraviolet light source 31 is arranged inside the peripheral resistance element 37 of the control board 30, but is arranged at a position displaced to the right of the center line C1 and slightly above the center line C2. .. In this case, even when the central portion C0 of the control board 30 on which the visible light source 32 is arranged is viewed as the central portion, the ultraviolet light source 31 is at a position displaced from the central portion on the mounting surface of the control substrate 30. That is, in the control board 30, the center C0 point of the visible light source 32 and the center point of the ultraviolet light source 31 are vertically deviated, and the light sources 31, 32 are in the left-right direction (direction along one side of the control board 30). It is arranged so as to line up with.

As described above, the "deviation" means movement to a position away from the reference target, that is, displacement of the center lines C1, C2, the center C0, or the visible light source 32 from the target. The ultraviolet light source 31 is not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 6 as long as its center and the center C0 of the control board 30 are displaced from each other. Further, for example, the vertical shift amount between the center C0 point of the visible light source 32 shown in FIG. 6 and the center point of the ultraviolet light source 31 is set to be relatively small (for example, a shift amount of less than 10 mm), and as shown in FIG. When viewed from the left-right direction, the light sources 31 and 32 may be arranged side by side so that at least some of the light sources 31 and 32 overlap each other in the same direction (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 5). Of course.
It should be noted that the term “deviation” below refers to the movement to a position away from the reference object as described above, and the “deviation” of the constituent elements (components) other than the ultraviolet light source 31 is also performed in the present embodiment. It is needless to say that the deviation amount may be set relatively small or relatively large, without being limited to the form and the arrangement described in the drawings.

The visible light source 32 is composed of, for example, a visible light LED that emits aqua blue light. On the other hand, the ultraviolet light source 31 is composed of, for example, an ultraviolet light LED that emits ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 350 nm to 400 nm. The output and wavelength of the ultraviolet light source 31 are set so as to have almost no effect on the human body, but as described above, the ultraviolet light source 31 is displaced from the central portion of the control board 30, and thus the central portion of the chilled chamber 7 in the left-right direction ( By mounting the control board 30 at a position deviated from the center line C10 in FIG. 2), it is possible to suppress the situation where the ultraviolet light directly goes to the user from the front (the position of the center line C1). ing. That is, the ultraviolet light of the ultraviolet light source 31 has a shorter wavelength than visible light and is invisible, or even if the ultraviolet light source 31 is turned on when the door 3a is opened, the ultraviolet light is emitted. The arrangement is such that the user does not feel uncomfortable by doing so. This arrangement configuration includes an arrangement in which the ultraviolet light source 31 is displaced from the central portion of the control board 30 and an arrangement in which the control board 30 itself is inclined.

That is, inside the board housing portion 25, a holding portion 40 for mounting the control board 30 in a tilted posture is provided. In FIG. 5, the holding portion 40 is shown by a broken line for convenience. Although not shown in detail, the holding portion 40 is an engagement piece that engages with the control board 30 in an orientation such that an angle α between the mounting surface of the control board 30 and the inner wall 16c of the chilled chamber 7 is, for example, 20 degrees. An engaging claw that locks the control board 30 engaged with the engaging piece, and the control board 30 is held by the engaging piece and the locking claw. As a result, the visible light source 32 and the ultraviolet light source 31 are arranged in a state of being tilted together with the control board 30 by the holding section 40, and the control board 30 is placed in the left-right centerline C1 and the left-right direction of the chilled chamber 7. It is attached so that the center line C10 coincides with it (see FIGS. 6 and 2).

In this case, since the visible light source 32 and the ultraviolet light source 31 are arranged on the control substrate 30 so as to be displaced from each other in the horizontal direction and slightly displaced in the vertical direction, the respective irradiation axes B and B′ (see FIG. 3) are also arranged. They are offset from each other in the left-right direction and slightly offset from each other in the vertical direction. Of these, the visible light source 32 is an irradiation axis B connecting the light source 32 and the center C100 of the bottom wall 71d of the chilled case 71, and illuminates the chilled case 71 (chilled chamber 7) without any bias.

The irradiation axis B′ of the ultraviolet light source 31, which is the irradiation means, is displaced, for example, 10 mm upward with respect to the irradiation axis B of the visible light source 32, and is 10 mm higher than the center C100 of the bottom wall 71d of the chilled case 71 (near the center C100). Position). Further, the irradiation axes B and B′ shown in FIG. 3 are also displaced from each other in the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of the figure) by an amount corresponding to the displacement between the light sources 31 and 32 on the control board 30. .. The irradiation axis B′ to the irradiation position of the ultraviolet light source 31 is set by adjusting the amount of shift of the control light source 30 from the center lines C1 and C2 of the ultraviolet light source 31. In this way, the ultraviolet light source 31 emits ultraviolet light toward the portion near the center C100 of the bottom wall 71d of the chilled case 71 or toward the food near the center C100.

The irradiation directions of the visible light source 32 and the ultraviolet light source 31 are both inclined obliquely downward toward the bottom wall 71d side of the chilled case 71 (see FIG. 3), and the window member 35 is in the irradiation direction. Correspondingly, it is located below the visible light source 32 and the ultraviolet light source 31 (see FIG. 5). Further, the visible light source 32 and the ultraviolet light source 31 are both disposed above the back wall 71b of the chilled case 71 as shown in FIG. 3, so that the visible light is visible through the peripheral walls 71a to 71c of the chilled case 71. It has a structure that does not block light or ultraviolet light.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the vertical cross section of the chilled case 71, the front wall 71a is a vertical wall having an external angle β of about 90 degrees between the front wall 71a and the bottom wall 71d. Is larger than the angle α (20 degrees above) formed by the irradiation direction (β>α). Therefore, even if there is no front lid 73 shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3, it is reflected by the bottom wall 71d to the user by appropriately setting the height dimension of the front wall 71a. It is possible to suppress the situation where the ultraviolet light goes directly. In the front wall 71a of the chilled case 71, if the relationship between the angles α and β is “β>α”, the outside angle β may be an acute angle, and the reflected light of ultraviolet rays reflected in the vicinity of the center C100 of the bottom wall 71d may be generated. The height dimension of the front wall 71a can be set so as to hit the front wall 71a.
That is, unlike the present embodiment, if the front wall 71a is inclined like the inclined wall 72g on the front side of the lower chilled case 71 in FIG. 3 (β≈α), if the reflected light hits the front wall 71a. Absent. On the other hand, when β=90 degrees and the length of the bottom wall 71d in the front-rear direction is L as in the present embodiment, the height H of the front wall 71a on which the reflected light strikes is expressed by the following equation (1). It is represented by. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, if the angle α of the ultraviolet light is relatively small, the reflected light can strike the front wall 71a by only slightly increasing the height dimension of the front wall 71a.
H≧(L÷2) tan α (1)

The angle α of the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet light, that is, the inclination angle α of the control substrate 30 is preferably set in the range of 15 degrees to 25 degrees, and more preferably 20 degrees. This is an angle at which, in the medium-sized refrigerator 1 (510L to 550L), ultraviolet light can be appropriately irradiated from obliquely upward toward a position near the center C100 of the bottom wall 71d like the ultraviolet light source 31. The angle α of the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet light can be changed according to the size of the refrigerator 1 or the size and shape of the chilled chamber 7 (chilled cases 71, 72). Further, the chilled chamber 7 is not limited to the configuration in which the two chilled cases 71 and 72 are arranged, but may be configured to have one chilled case.

As described above, the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment includes the ultraviolet light source 31 for irradiating the chilled chamber 7 as a storage room with the ultraviolet light, and the ultraviolet light source 31 irradiates the chilled chamber 7 with the ultraviolet light. It is configured to be inclined in the direction. According to this, the ultraviolet light source 31 irradiates the food in the chilled chamber 7 or the chilled chamber 7 with ultraviolet light from an oblique direction. Therefore, for example, by tilting the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet light source 31 obliquely downward toward the bottom wall 71d of the chilled case 71 (or the bottom of the chilled chamber 7) as in this embodiment, the ultraviolet light is emitted to the user. It is possible to effectively irradiate the food on the bottom wall 71d with the ultraviolet light while suppressing the situation in which the user goes toward.

The ultraviolet light source 31 is arranged in a tilted state together with the control board 30 on which the ultraviolet light source 31 is mounted, so that the ultraviolet light source 31 emits light in an inclined irradiation direction. According to this, the irradiation angle of the ultraviolet light can be easily set and adjusted by tilting the control substrate 30. Further, for example, when another light source 32 is mounted on one control board 30 as in the present embodiment, the irradiation angle of the other light source 32 can also be set/adjusted.

The window member 35 is made of a material that transmits ultraviolet light, and is installed so as to cover the ultraviolet light source 31 with a gap. The window member 35 has a light transmitting surface 35c which is vertical or parallel to the inner wall 16c of the chilled chamber 7. It is arranged so that. According to this, even when the ultraviolet light source 31 is tilted, the window member 35 can cover the chilled chamber 7 without impairing its appearance.

Since the window member 35 is formed with the unevenness for diffusing ultraviolet light as the diffusing portion 35a, it is possible to prevent local irradiation of ultraviolet light. Further, for example, when the visible light source 32 is also installed as in the present embodiment, it is possible to diffuse visible light to suppress glare and improve visibility. The diffusing portion 35a may be formed on the front surface side of the window member 35 or the shape of the irregularities may be changed as appropriate.

The window member 35 is installed at a position shifted downward from the ultraviolet light source 31 in correspondence with the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet light source 31. According to this, it is possible to pass the ultraviolet light into the chilled chamber 7 through the window member 35 aligned with the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet light source 31 without unnecessarily increasing the size of the window member 35.

The ultraviolet light source 31 is installed at a position higher than the peripheral walls 71a to 71c of the chilled case 71 arranged in the chilled chamber 7, and irradiates the chilled case 71 with ultraviolet light. According to this, the ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet light source 31 is not blocked by the peripheral walls 71a to 71c of the chilled case 71, and the disinfection action by the ultraviolet light can be prevented from being diminished. Further, since the window member 35 is installed at a position projecting inward from the periphery of the chilled case 71 and also at a position projected from the wall 16c at the back of the chilled chamber 7, more effective ultraviolet light is obtained. Can be irradiated.

The ultraviolet light source 31 is installed so as to emit ultraviolet light from the back wall 71b side of the chilled case 71 toward the bottom wall 71d, and the angle formed by the front wall 71a and the bottom wall 71d of the chilled case 71 is It is larger than the angle formed by the bottom wall 71d and the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet light. According to this, by appropriately setting the height dimension of the front wall 71a of the chilled case 71, it is possible to suppress the situation where the ultraviolet light reflected by the bottom wall 71d directly goes to the user. ..

When viewed from the air outlet ₂₁ L, 21 _R and the opposite direction, the ultraviolet light source 31 or the window member 35 is arranged at a position aligned with the air outlet ₂₁ L, 21 _R. According to this, the flow of the cool air blown out from the air outlets 21 _L and 21 _{R is not} disturbed by the ultraviolet light source 31 or the window member 35, and is suitable for cooling and sterilizing the chilled chamber 7. You can Further, as in this embodiment, if the outlets 21 _L and 21 _R are provided at positions sandwiching the ultraviolet light source 31 or the window member 35, a more effective arrangement configuration for cooling and sterilization in the chilled chamber 7 is obtained. be able to.

The first return port 18 and the second return port 19, which are cold air return ports, are provided at positions below the ultraviolet light source 31 or the window member 35. According to this, the ultraviolet light source 31 or the window member 35 can be located on the upstream side of the cool air, and in combination with the arrangement configuration of the outlets 21 _L and 21 _R described above, effective irradiation of ultraviolet light is possible. And the inside of the chilled chamber 7 can be cooled.
Consists of a cold air outlet

The above-described embodiment is an example, and the following modifications, expansions, and combinations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and the specific numerical values described above can be appropriately set without departing from the scope.
Although the window member 35 is installed at a position projecting inward from the periphery of the chilled case 71, the ultraviolet light source 31 and the visible light source 32 may be installed so as to project inward from the periphery of the chilled case 71. Good. Moreover, you may make it provide the board|substrate accommodating part 25 which accommodates such an ultraviolet light source 31 and the visible light source 32 at the refrigerating room 3 side. Further, the color of the mounting surface of the control board 30 may be a color similar to the color of the window member 35, and is not limited to the above-mentioned milky white. For example, even when the color of the mounting surface of the control board 30 is white, which is a similar color to the color of the window member 35, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

Although the ultraviolet light source 31 and the visible light source 32 are arranged side by side on the control substrate 30, they may be arranged vertically. Further, in the control board 30, the visible light source 32 may be arranged at a position deviated from the center C0.
Although the outlets 21 _L and 21 _R and the ultraviolet light source 31 or the window member 35 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, they may be arranged side by side in the vertical direction.

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 spirit of the invention. The present embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the scope equivalent thereto.

In the drawing, 1 is a refrigerator, 7 is a chilled room (storage room), 18 is a first return port (cold air return port), 19 is a second return port (cold air return port), 21 _L and 21 _R are blowout ports (cold air). A blower port), 30 is a control substrate (substrate), 31 is an ultraviolet light source (irradiation means), 35 is a window member (light transmitting member), 35a is a diffusing part (unevenness), and 71 is a chilled case.

Claims (11)

Storage room,
An irradiation unit for irradiating the storage chamber with ultraviolet rays,
The said irradiation means is a refrigerator with which the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet-rays with which the said storage room is inclined. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit is arranged in a tilted state together with a substrate on which the irradiation unit is mounted, so as to irradiate in the tilted irradiation direction. It is made of a material that transmits ultraviolet rays, and is provided with a light transmission member installed so as to cover the irradiation means with a gap,
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light transmitting member is arranged such that its light transmitting surface is vertical or parallel to the inner wall of the storage chamber. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the light transmitting member is provided with unevenness for diffusing ultraviolet rays. The irradiation direction of the irradiation means is inclined obliquely downward toward the bottom side of the storage chamber,
The refrigerator according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the light transmitting member is installed at a position shifted downward from the irradiating means in correspondence with the irradiating direction of the irradiating means. The irradiation means or the light transmitting member is installed at a position projecting inward from the periphery of a chilled case arranged in the storage chamber, or at a position projecting from a back wall of the storage chamber. The refrigerator according to any one of Items 3 to 5. A cool air outlet that blows cold air that has undergone heat exchange in the cooler into the storage chamber, and a duct that has a cool air return port that blows the cool air back to the cooler,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the irradiation unit or the light transmitting member is arranged at a position aligned with the cold air outlet when viewed from a direction facing the cold air outlet. A cool air outlet that blows cold air that has undergone heat exchange in the cooler into the storage chamber, and a duct that has a cool air return port that blows the cool air back to the cooler,
7. The cold air outlet is formed by a pair of cold air outlets provided at positions sandwiching the irradiation unit or the light transmitting member when viewed from a direction facing the cold air outlet. The refrigerator according to item 1. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the cold air return port is provided at a position below the irradiation unit or the light transmission member. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the irradiation unit is installed at a position higher than a peripheral wall of a chilled case arranged in the storage chamber, and irradiates the inside of the chilled case with ultraviolet rays. The irradiation means is installed so as to irradiate ultraviolet rays from the back wall side of the chilled case arranged in the storage chamber toward the bottom wall,
In the vertical cross-section of the chilled case, the front wall of the chilled case has an external angle between the bottom wall and the bottom wall that is an acute angle or a substantially right angle that is larger than the angle formed by the bottom wall and the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet rays. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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