JP2020134000A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent reduction in volume of a vegetable chamber and prevent a failure or deterioration in performance of an ion generating unit.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a first refrigeration chamber; a second refrigeration chamber cooled by using cool air of the refrigeration chamber; a first partition part for partitioning between the first refrigeration chamber and the second refrigeration chamber; and an ion generating unit installed inside the first partition part to supply ion into the second refrigeration chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

A refrigerator using an ion delivery unit capable of mixing positive ions and negative ions in a narrow space is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-64366

In the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, since the ion delivery unit is mounted in the vegetable compartment, there is a problem that the volume of the vegetable compartment is reduced. Further, if the ion delivery unit is frosted or dewed, there is a problem that a failure or performance deterioration occurs.
One aspect of the present invention is to prevent a decrease in the volume of the vegetable compartment and to prevent a failure of the ion generation unit and a decrease in performance.

The refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first refrigerating chamber, a second refrigerating chamber that is cooled by using the cold air of the refrigerating chamber, the first refrigerating chamber, and the second refrigerating chamber. It is provided with a first partition portion for partitioning the above, and an ion generation unit installed inside the first partition portion for supplying ions to the second refrigerating chamber.

It is an example of the front view of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment. It is an example of the sectional view of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment. It is an example of the sectional view of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment. It is an example of the front view of the internal structure of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment. This is an example of a perspective view of the ion generator according to the embodiment. It is an example of the perspective view of the ion generator which removed the upper cover which concerns on embodiment. This is an example of a cross-sectional view of the ion generator according to the embodiment. It is an enlarged view of the region R surrounded by the dotted line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the charge train which showed the ease of charge | charge of a substance.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is an example of a front view of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an example of a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator with the line II-II of FIG. 1 as a cutting line. FIG. 3 is an example of a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator with the lines III-III of FIG. 1 as the cutting line. FIG. 4 is an example of a front view of the internal structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. In FIG. 4, the right door 6a, the left door 6b, the doors 11a, 21a, 31a, 41a, the vegetable compartment case 45, the fruit case 46, the ice making chamber case 31, the first freezing chamber case 11 and the second freezing chamber case 21. The description is omitted. In the following description, the top, bottom, left, right, front and back shown in the figure are used.

The refrigerator 1 has, for example, a vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped outer box 1a having an open front surface and a vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped inner box 1b having an open front surface. The inner box 1 is provided inside the outer box 1a. A foamed heat insulating material 1c is filled between the outer box 1a and the inner box 1b. The foamed heat insulating material 1c is, for example, a urethane foamed material.

A substantially horizontal upper partition wall 2 is provided on the upper portion of the inner box 1b, and a substantially horizontal lower partition wall 3 is provided on the lower portion of the inner box 1b. The upper partition wall 2 extends to the rear surface and the left and right side surfaces of the inner box 1b, and vertically divides the space inside the inner box 1b. An ion generator 101 is installed inside the upper partition wall 2. Details of the ion generator 101 will be described later.

The right portion of the lower partition wall 3 extends to the rear surface and the right surface of the inner box 1b, and an opening 3a is formed in the rear portion of the left portion. The spaces above and below the subpartition wall 3 are communicated by the opening 3a.

A partial partition wall 4 is provided between the upper partition wall 2 and the lower partition wall 3 so as to project substantially horizontally from the left side surface of the inner box 1b by a predetermined distance. The left-right dimension of the partial partition wall 4 is, for example, about 40% of the left-right dimension of the inner box 1b. The front-rear dimension of the partial partition wall 4 is, for example, about 25% of the left-right dimension, and an opening 4a is formed from the rear end surface of the partial partition wall 4 to the rear surface of the inner box 1b. The spaces above and below the partial partition wall 4 are communicated by the opening 4a.

A substantially vertical vertical partition wall 5 is provided at the right end of the partial partition wall 4. The vertical partition wall 5 is located above the right portion (non-opening portion) of the lower partition wall 3. The vertical partition wall 5 extends to the rear surface of the inner box 1b, the upper partition wall 2 and the right portion of the lower partition wall 3, and right and left the space inside the inner box 1b between the upper partition wall 2 and the lower partition wall 3. It is divided into.

The inside of each of the lower partition wall 3, the partial partition wall 4, and the vertical partition wall 5 is filled with a foam heat insulating material, for example, urethane foam material. Further, the inside of the left portion of the upper partition wall 2 is filled with a foam heat insulating material, for example, a urethane foam material. The inside of the right portion of the upper partition wall 2 may not be filled with the foam heat insulating material.

In the inner box 1b, the portion above the upper partition wall 2 is a refrigerating chamber 6 for refrigerating the housed object. The room temperature of the refrigerator compartment 6 is set to, for example, about 2 to 4 ° C. Further, a portion below the lower partition wall 3 is a first freezing chamber 10 for freezing the housed object. The room temperature of the first freezing chamber 10 is set to be, for example, −18 ° C. or lower.

In the inner box 1b, a portion above the lower partition wall 3 and lower than the partial partition wall 4 and on the left side of the vertical partition wall 5 is a second freezing chamber 20 for freezing the contained objects. ..

Further, a portion above the partial partition wall 4 and below the upper partition wall 2 and on the left side of the vertical partition wall 5 is an ice making chamber 30 for producing ice. The room temperature of the second freezing chamber 20 and the ice making chamber 30 is set to be, for example, −12 ° C. or lower, preferably −18 ° C. or lower. The ice making chamber 30 is a kind of freezing chamber.
The portion above the lower partition wall 3 and lower than the upper partition wall 2 and on the right side of the vertical partition wall 5 is a vegetable compartment 40 for refrigerating an object such as vegetables.

A plurality of (three in the embodiment) plate-shaped storage shelves 7, 7, 7 are arranged vertically in the upper part of the refrigerator compartment 6. Guide rails 7a extending in the front-rear direction corresponding to a plurality of storage shelves 7 are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the refrigerator compartment 6. The storage shelf 7 is slidably installed in the guide rail 7a in the front-rear direction. The storage shelf 7 is located on the rear side of the refrigerating chamber 6, and a predetermined space for arranging the storage pocket 6c described later is secured on the front side of the storage shelf 7.

A chilled chamber 8a is installed on the rear side of the bottom of the refrigerating chamber 6. A tank 9 for storing water supplied to the ice making chamber 30 is installed on the left side of the chilled chamber 8a. The chilled chamber 8a and the tank 9 are located on the rear side of the bottom of the refrigerating chamber 6.

A predetermined space for arranging the storage pocket 6c, which will be described later, is secured on the front side of the bottom of the refrigerator compartment 6. Further, a utility room 8b is provided on the front side of the bottom of the refrigerating room 6. Further, a through hole 2a is provided at the bottom of the refrigerating chamber 6 so as to penetrate the upper partition wall 2 up and down and allow air in the refrigerating chamber 6 to flow downward.

A right door 6a and a left door 6b that can rotate in the vertical direction as a rotation axis direction are attached to the front right edge portion and the front left edge portion of the refrigerator compartment 6, respectively. The right door 6a and the left door 6b have a vertically long rectangular shape, and the vertical dimensions of the right door 6a and the left door 6b are slightly larger than the vertical dimensions of the refrigerator compartment 6. The left and right dimensions of the right door 6a are slightly larger than the left and right dimensions of the left door 6b, and the total of the left and right dimensions of the right door 6a and the left door 6b is slightly larger than the left and right dimensions of the refrigerator compartment 6. The front opening portion of the refrigerator compartment 6 is covered by the right door 6a and the left door 6b.

A plurality of (three in the embodiment) storage pockets 6c, 6c, 6c for storing an object (for example, food in a bottle, a can, or a tube container) are provided on the rear surfaces of the right door 6a and the left door 6b, respectively. Be done. The storage pocket 6c has a box shape with an open upper side. The storage pocket 6c at the lowest position is located in the space above the front side of the bottom of the refrigerating chamber 6 when the right door 6a and the left door 6b are closed, and is stored above the storage pocket 6c at the lowest position. The pocket 6c is located in the space on the front side of the storage shelf 7.

The first freezing chamber 10 is provided with a box-shaped freezing chamber case 11 having an open upper side so as to be slidable back and forth. The freezing chamber case 11 is connected to the door 11a of the first freezing chamber 10 and is taken in and out by opening and closing the door 11a.

At the rear of the first freezing chamber 10, a return duct 14 is provided which communicates with the discharge port 40a and returns the air in the vegetable chamber 40 to the lower side. The return duct 14 extends vertically. Guide grooves 10a extending in the front-rear direction are formed on each of the left and right side surfaces of the first freezing chamber 10, and guided portions (not shown) moving in the guide grooves 10a are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the first freezing chamber case 11. It is formed.

The second freezing chamber 20 is provided with a box-shaped second freezing chamber case 21 having an open upper side so as to be slidable back and forth. The second freezing chamber case 21 is connected to the door 21a of the second freezing chamber 20 and is taken in and out by opening and closing the door 21a. A guide groove 20a extending in the front-rear direction is formed on the left side surface of the second freezing chamber 20, and a guided portion (not shown) that moves in the guide groove 20a is formed on the left side surface of the second freezing chamber case 21. Has been done.

The ice making chamber 30 is provided with a box-shaped ice making chamber case 31 having an open upper side so as to be slidable back and forth. The ice making chamber case 31 is connected to the door 31a of the ice making chamber 30 and is taken in and out by opening and closing the door 31a. A guide groove 30a extending forward and backward is formed on the left side surface of the ice making chamber 30, and a guided portion (not shown) that moves in the guide groove 30a is formed on the left side surface of the ice making chamber case 31. The ice making chamber 30 is located below the tank 9. An ice tray 32 is installed above the ice tray case 31, and water is appropriately supplied from the tank 9 to the ice tray 32 to produce ice.

The vegetable compartment 40 is provided with a box-shaped vegetable compartment case 45 and a fruit case 46 having an open upper side. The vegetable compartment case 45 is connected to the door 41a of the vegetable compartment 40, and is taken in and out by opening and closing the door 41a.

As shown in FIG. 3, rear face plates 50 and 50 extending vertically are provided in the rear portion of the first freezing chamber 10, the second freezing chamber 20, the ice making chamber 30, and the rear portion of the refrigerating chamber 6, respectively. A cold air passage 51 is formed between the 50 and the inner box 1b. In the cold air passage 51, a cooler 12 is installed behind the first freezing chamber 10.

A glass tube heater 13 for removing frost adhering to the cooler 12 is provided below the cooler 12. On the upper side of the cooler 12, a freezing chamber blower 53 for blowing cold air to the first freezing chamber 10, the second freezing chamber 20, and the ice making chamber 30 is installed. A separation plate 54 for separating the cold air passage 51 back and forth is provided between the cooler 12 and the glass tube heater 13 and the rear surface plate 50.

In the cold air passage 51, a partition wall portion 55 for vertically dividing the cold air passage 51 is provided in the vicinity of the upper partition wall 2. Vent holes 55a penetrating vertically are formed in the partition wall portion 55. An electric damper 56 that opens and closes the ventilation hole 55a is installed on the upper side of the partition wall portion 55.

In the cold air passage 51, a freezing cold air supply hole 50a is formed at a position corresponding to each of the first freezing chamber 10, the second freezing chamber 20, and the ice making chamber 30, and refrigerating to supply cold air to a position corresponding to the refrigerating chamber 6. A cold air supply hole 50b is formed.

The cooler 12 is located in the vicinity of the first freezing chamber 10, the second freezing chamber 20, and the ice making chamber 30. Therefore, the heat of the first freezing chamber 10, the second freezing chamber 20, and the ice making chamber 30 is taken by the cooler 12 through the back plate 50 and the separating plate 54, and the first freezing chamber 10, the second freezing chamber 20, and the second freezing chamber 20 and The ice making chamber 30 is efficiently indirectly cooled, and the cooling efficiency is improved.

An upper surface plate 50c is provided on the upper part of the refrigerating chamber 6, and an upper cold air passage 51a communicating with the cold air passage 51 is formed between the upper surface plate 50c and the inner box 1b. A refrigerating cold air supply hole 50b for supplying cold air to the refrigerating chamber 6 is also formed in the upper cold air passage 51a.

A machine room 60 is provided behind the bottom of the first freezing room 10, and a compressor 61 is arranged in the machine room 60. A condenser, an expander (all not shown) and a cooler 12 are connected to the compressor 61. By driving the compressor 61, a refrigerant such as isobutane circulates to operate the refrigeration cycle. As a result, the cooler 12 becomes the low temperature side of the refrigeration cycle. An electrical component 62 is installed on the rear side of the machine room 60. The electrical component 62 has an electrical box (not shown) whose rear surface side is open, and the electrical box is formed by drawing a metal plate, has a large heat dissipation area, and can easily dissipate heat generated by the electrical component 62.

The electrical component 62 is equipped with electrical components including a control board having a control circuit for controlling the compressor 61, the freezer blower 53, the damper 56, and the like. According to a command from the control circuit, the compressor 61 and the freezer blower 53 are driven or stopped, and the damper 56 opens and closes the ventilation hole 55a.

Next, the configuration of the vegetable compartment 40 will be described. A vegetable compartment case 45 and a fruit case 46 are arranged in the vegetable compartment 40. On the left side surface (vertical partition wall 5) of the vegetable compartment 40, a guide rail 42 extending forward and backward to guide the vegetable compartment case 45 is formed. The guide rail 42 has a side view U shape with the front side open.

Further, on the left side surface of the vegetable compartment 40, thin heaters 43 are installed on the upper side and the lower side of the guide rail 42, respectively. The heater 43 is driven or stopped based on a command from the control circuit.

On the right side of the bottom surface of the vegetable compartment 40, a discharge port 40a that penetrates vertically and discharges air downward is formed.

A moving portion (not shown) such as a roller is attached to the outside of the left side surface of the vegetable compartment case 45, and the moving portion moves inside the U-shaped guide rail 42. The vegetable compartment case 45 smoothly moves back and forth in the vegetable compartment 40 by moving the moving portion. A box-shaped fruit case 46 having an open top surface is placed on the vegetable compartment case 45. The fruit case 46 covers a part of the upper surface of the vegetable case 45. The peripheral edge of the opening surface of the fruit case 46 is installed on the side wall of the vegetable case 45. As a result, the fruit case 46 is taken in and out of the vegetable case 45 and is slidable back and forth. The fruit case 46 partitions the vegetable compartment 40 into a first space inside the fruit case 46 and a second space outside the fruit case 46.

Next, the circulation of air in the refrigerator 1 will be described. The air (cold air) cooled by the cooler 12 is sent upward and forward by driving the freezer chamber blower 53. The sent cold air passes through the cold air passage 51 and is supplied to the first freezing chamber 10, the second freezing chamber 20, and the ice making chamber 30 through the freezing cold air supply hole 50a.

The cold air immediately after being sent from the freezing room blower 53 is about -30 ° C., and the first freezing room 10, the second freezing room 20, and the ice making room 30 are close to the freezing room blower 53. 2 Objects stored in the freezing chamber 20 and the ice making chamber 30 are frozen.

When the damper 56 is open, the cold air flows upward through the upper cold air passage 51 and is supplied into the refrigerating chamber 6 through the refrigerating cold air supply hole 50b. Cold air is also sent to the upper cold air passage 51a and supplied into the refrigerating chamber 6 through the refrigerating cold air supply hole 50b. The cold air supplied into the refrigerating chamber 6 through the refrigerating cold air supply hole 50b moves toward the storage pocket 6c and cools the object housed in the storage pocket 6c. The temperature of the cold air supplied to the refrigerating chamber 6 is higher than that of the cold air supplied to the first freezing chamber 10, the second freezing chamber 20, and the ice making chamber 30, and the flow of the cold air is controlled by opening and closing the damper 56. The room temperature of the refrigerator compartment 6 is about 2 to 4 ° C.

The cold air supplied into the refrigerating chamber 6 reaches the vegetable compartment 40 through the flow hole 2a provided at the bottom of the refrigerating chamber 6. In this way, the vegetable compartment 40 is cooled by utilizing the cold air of the refrigerator compartment 6. The temperature of the cold air supplied to the vegetable compartment 40 is higher than that of the cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 6, and the room temperature of the vegetable compartment 40 is about 7 to 10 ° C. The temperature difference between the room temperature of the vegetable compartment 40 and the room temperature of the refrigerator compartment 6 is small (predetermined range), and specifically, the room temperature of the vegetable compartment 40 is 3 to 8 ° C. higher than the room temperature of the refrigerator compartment 6. The room temperature of the refrigerator compartment 6 and the vegetable compartment 40 is an example, and is not limited to this.

The cold air supplied to the vegetable compartment 40 passes through the outer surfaces of the vegetable case 45 and the fruit case 46, and passes through the return duct 14 through the discharge port 40a. The cold air that has passed through the return duct 14 reaches the cooler 12.

A cold air circulation path for refrigeration is configured by a cold air passage 51, an upper cold air passage 51a, a refrigerating cold air supply hole 50b, a refrigerating chamber 6, a vegetable compartment 40, a flow hole 2a, a return duct 14, and the like. A cold air passage 51, an upper cold air passage 51a, a refrigerating cold air supply hole 50b, a refrigerating chamber 6, a vegetable compartment 40, a flow hole 2a, a return duct 14, and the like are located on the refrigerating cold air circulation path.

Next, an ion generator 101 that generates ions to be supplied to the vegetable compartment 40 will be described. If the vegetables in the vegetable compartment 40 are exposed to the wind, the vegetables will dry out. Therefore, the ion generator 101 of the embodiment supplies ions to the vegetable compartment 40 without using a fan for sending the ions to the vegetable compartment 40.

FIG. 5 is an example of a perspective view of the ion generator according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is an example of a perspective view of the ion generator with the upper cover removed according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is an example of a cross-sectional view of an ion generator in which the VII-VII line of FIG. 5 is a cutting line.
The ion generator 101 includes a housing 111, an ion generation unit 121, and a thermistor 131.

The housing 111 houses the ion generation unit 121 and the thermistor 131. The housing 111 has a lower cover 112 and an upper cover 113, and a part of the upper surface opening of the lower cover 112 is covered by the upper cover 113.

The lower cover 112 is provided with an opening 114 cut out in a rectangular shape, and the ions generated from the ion generation unit 121 are discharged from the opening 114. The shape of the opening 114 may be another shape such as a circle or a triangle.

The ion generation unit 121 generates ions and is attached to the lower cover 112. The ion generation unit 121 has a plurality of (two in the embodiment) discharge electrodes 123, 123, and a housing 122.

One of the two discharge electrodes 123 generates positive ions and the other generates negative ions. The discharge electrode 123 is formed in a brush shape by a plurality of thread-like conductive bands. The discharge electrode 123 is attached so as to project from the housing 122. When it is not necessary to distinguish between positive ions and negative ions, it is simply referred to as “ion”. The two discharge electrodes 123 may generate only negative ions. Further, the shape of the discharge electrode 123 may be needle-shaped, and the number of the discharge electrodes 123 is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more. The ions are emitted in the direction in which the discharge electrode 123 protrudes from the housing 122, that is, in the direction of the tip of the discharge electrode 123, the flow is regulated by the upper cover 113, and the ions are emitted downward from the opening 114.

The housing 122 is formed of, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped insulating resin, and houses a circuit for generating ions from the discharge electrode 123. An example of the ion generation unit 121 is described in detail in, for example, International Publication No. 2015/151309.

The thermistor 131 is attached to the lower cover 112 and detects the room temperature of the vegetable compartment 40. The thermistor 131 may be attached to a place other than the ion generator 101.
Next, a state in which the ion generator 101 is attached to the refrigerator 1 will be described.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the region R surrounded by the dotted line in FIG.

The upper partition wall 2 has a refrigerating room bottom surface 2b, which is a surface on the refrigerating room 6 side, and a vegetable room ceiling 2c, which is a surface on the vegetable room 40 side. The ion generator 101 is installed inside the upper partition wall 2. Specifically, for example, the ion generator 101 is installed between the bottom surface 2b of the refrigerator compartment and the ceiling 2c of the vegetable compartment. The ion generator 101 is installed below the utility room 8b.

The upper cover 113 of the ion generator 101 extends in the direction in which the discharge electrode 123 protrudes from the surface of the housing 122 facing the bottom surface 2b of the refrigerator compartment, and smoothly curves downward from the middle of the opening 114. Contact the periphery. As a result, the upper cover 113 and the lower cover 112 form a passage between the discharge electrode 123 and the opening 114 through which the ions generated from the discharge electrode 123 pass. In this way, the upper cover 113 and the lower cover 112 form a passage and regulate the flow of ions. The place where the opening 114 of the ion generator 101 of the vegetable chamber ceiling 2c is located is cut out, and the ions generated from the discharge electrode 123 are transferred from the opening 114 to the vegetable chamber 40 as shown by the arrow in FIG. It is released.

When the upper cover 113 is curved as in the embodiment, the ions generated from the discharge electrode 123 move along the curved portion of the upper cover 123 and are easily discharged from the opening 114. .. If the upper cover 113 is bent at a right angle, the ions generated from the discharge electrode 123 collide with the upper cover 113 from the front, so that the number of ions emitted from the opening 114 decreases. I will end up.

The ion generator 101 is installed so that the tip of the discharge electrode 123 faces the front of the refrigerator 1 and downward from the horizontal. Further, the opening 114 is open in the downward direction of FIG. 8, that is, the vegetable compartment 40 side. Since the tip of the discharge electrode 123 faces downward from the horizontal, in other words, toward the vegetable compartment 40, the ions generated from the discharge electrode 123 easily reach the vegetable compartment 40.

The ion generator 101 is attached to the upper partition wall 2 so that the opening 114 is located above at least a part of the edge portion 46a of the fruit case 46. When the refrigerator 1 is viewed from above (plan view), the opening 114 is above a part of the front edge portion 46a of the refrigerator 1 of the rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped fruit case 46 having an open upper surface. It should be located. Specifically, for example, the opening 114 is located above a part of the front edge portion 46a of the refrigerator 1 of the rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped fruit case 46 having an open upper surface. Note that FIG. 8 shows a case where the slidable fruit case 46 is located at the rearmost position in the vegetable compartment 40 within the slidable range.

As a result, the ions emitted from the opening 114 are supplied to both the space inside the fruit case 46 and the space inside the vegetable compartment case 45 and outside the fruit case 46, and both spaces. Can be sterilized. If, for example, the edge portion 46a of the fruit case 46 is located in front of the refrigerator 1 with respect to the opening 114, most of the ions emitted from the opening 114 are released into the space inside the fruit case 46, and the vegetable compartment case Ions are not supplied to the space inside the vegetable compartment case 45 and outside the fruit case 46, and the sterilizing effect of the space inside the vegetable compartment case 45 and outside the fruit case 46 is reduced.

Next, materials for each member such as the housing 111 (lower cover 112 and upper cover 113) of the ion generator 101, the upper partition wall 2, and the fruit case 46 will be described.

In order to efficiently sterilize the space with ions, it is desirable that the number of positive ions and the number of negative ions in the space are equal. When the wall surface around the space where the ions are distributed is charged, the difference between the number of positive ions and the number of negative ions in the space tends to be large, and the effect of sterilization is reduced. Therefore, it is desirable that the wall surface around the space where the ions are distributed is not charged. In the embodiment, a large difference between the number of positive ions and the number of negative ions is referred to as an unbalanced ion balance.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a charging sequence showing the ease of charging a substance.

As shown in FIG. 9, the substances listed in the charging column table have a higher contact potential toward the right side of the table, that is, they are likely to be negatively charged and the contact partner is likely to be positively charged. On the other hand, the left side of the charging column table has a lower contact potential, that is, it tends to be positively charged and the contact partner side is easily negatively charged.

As shown in FIG. 9, polystyrene is less likely to be charged than polypropylene. In addition, high-impact polystyrene in which rubber is added to polystyrene is also less likely to be charged than polypropylene, like polystyrene.

The upper partition wall 2 of the embodiment is formed of polypropylene, for example, which is excellent in workability and flexibility but easily charged. The lower cover 112 and the upper cover 113, which form a passage through which the ions generated from the discharge electrode 123 pass, are made of a material that is less likely to be charged than the upper partition wall 2. It is desirable that the lower cover 112 and the upper cover 113 are formed of an insulator as a material. Specifically, for example, the lower cover 112 and the upper cover 113 are formed of high-impact polystyrene as a material.

Without the lower cover 112 and the upper cover 113, the ions generated from the discharge electrode 123 are directly exposed to the upper partition wall 2 made of polypropylene, which is relatively easily charged, so that the upper partition wall 2 becomes negative. It becomes charged and the ion balance becomes unbalanced. In the embodiment, the lower cover 112 and the upper cover 113 formed of high-impact polystyrene, which are less likely to be charged than the upper partition wall 2, form a passage through which the ions generated from the discharge electrode 123 pass. Is not directly exposed to the upper partition wall 2, and it is possible to prevent the ion balance from becoming unbalanced.

Further, the fruit case 46 is made of a material that is less likely to be charged than the upper partition wall 2 and the vegetable case 45. The fruit case 46 is preferably formed of an insulator as a material. For example, the vegetable case 45 that covers the bottom surface and the side wall surface of the vegetable compartment 40 is formed of polypropylene, and the fruit case 46 is formed of high-impact polystyrene that is less likely to be charged than polypropylene.

As shown in FIG. 8, a part of the edge portion 46a of the fruit case 46 is located below the opening 114, and the ions emitted from the opening 114 easily collide with the edge portion 46a. When the fruit case 46 is made of polypropylene, which is easily charged, the fruit case 46 is negatively charged by the ions emitted from the opening 114, and the ion balance of the space in the vegetable compartment 40 becomes unbalanced. In the embodiment, the fruit case 46 is formed of high-impact polystyrene which is hard to be charged, and it is possible to prevent the ion balance from becoming unbalanced.
According to the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment, since the ion generator 101 is installed inside the upper partition wall 2, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the volume of the vegetable compartment 40.

For example, when the ion generator 101 is embedded in the foamed heat insulating material 1c between the outer box 1a and the inner box 1b, the foamed heat insulating material 1c is reduced by the volume of the ion generator 101, and the heat insulating effect is impaired. On the other hand, according to the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment, the temperature difference between the room temperature of the vegetable compartment 40 and the room temperature of the refrigerator compartment 6 is small in the region corresponding to the bottom surface 2b of the refrigerator compartment and the ceiling 2c of the vegetable compartment of the upper partition wall 2. Therefore, since the heat insulation does not have to be sufficient, the performance of the refrigerator 1 is not impaired even if the ion generator 101 is installed inside the upper partition wall 2.

Further, according to the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment, the ion generator 101 is installed inside the upper partition wall 2 that separates the refrigerating room 6 and the vegetable room 40, and the refrigerating room 6 and the vegetable room 40 are separated from each other. Since the temperature difference is small, the ion generator 101 does not frost or condense, and it is possible to prevent a failure or performance deterioration.

The refrigerating room 6 of the above-described embodiment is an example of the first refrigerating room, and the vegetable room 40 is an example of the second refrigerating room. Further, the upper partition wall 2 is an example of the first partition portion, and the fruit case 46 is an example of the second partition portion.

Further, as a modification of the embodiment, the ion generator 101 may supply ions to the refrigerating chamber 6 such as the chilled chamber 8a. In that case, the tip of the discharge electrode 123 may face upward from the horizontal, that is, toward the refrigerating chamber 6, and ions may be sent out from the opening formed in the bottom surface 2b of the refrigerating chamber. Further, the opening 114 of the ion generator 101 may face the front of the refrigerator 1. In that case, it is desirable that the directions of the tips of the opening 114 and the discharge electrode 123 and the direction of convection of cold air in the vegetable compartment 40 are opposite. As a result, the ions emitted toward the tip of the discharge electrode 123 and released from the opening 114 are pushed back by the convection of cold air and diffused. As a result, ions can be efficiently diffused into the vegetable compartment. For example, when there is convection of cold air from the front to the back of the refrigerator 1 in the vegetable compartment 40, the ion generator 101 is installed so that the tips of the opening 114 and the discharge electrode 123 face the front of the refrigerator 1. Is desirable.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be modified, and the above-mentioned configuration achieves substantially the same configuration, a configuration exhibiting the same action and effect, or the same object. Can be replaced with a configuration that allows.

1 Refrigerator 2 Upper partition wall 3 Lower partition wall 5 Vertical partition wall 10 1st freezing room (freezing room)
12 Cooler 20 2nd freezing room (freezing room)
30 Ice making room (freezing room)
40 Vegetable room (refrigerator room)
40a Discharge port 43 Heater 45 Vegetable room case 46 Fruit case 101 Ion generator 111 Housing 112 Lower cover 113 Top cover 114 Opening 121 Ion generation unit 122 Housing 123 Discharge electrode 131 Thermistor

Claims (6)

The first refrigerating room and
A second refrigerating room that is cooled by using the cold air of the refrigerating room,
A first partition that separates the first refrigerating chamber and the second refrigerating chamber,
An ion generation unit installed inside the first partition and for supplying ions to the second refrigerator compartment,
Refrigerator equipped with. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the temperature difference between the first refrigerating chamber and the second refrigerating chamber is within a predetermined range. The ion generation unit is mounted on a housing having an opening that forms a passage through which the ions pass and sends the ions to the second refrigerating chamber.
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing is made of a material that is less likely to be charged than the first partition. The second refrigerating chamber is located below the first refrigerating chamber.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ion generation unit is installed in the first partition portion so that the tip of the discharge electrode that generates the ions faces downward with respect to the horizontal. The second refrigerating room is divided into a first space and a second space by a second partition.
The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the opening is located above at least a part of the edge portion of the second partition portion. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the second partition is made of a material that is less likely to be charged than the first partition.

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