JP2022164022A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that can cool a stored object while restraining drying of the stored object.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 comprises a refrigerator body in which a freezing chamber 4 that is a storage chamber is formed, cooling means for cooling air to be sent into the freezing chamber 4, a lower stage storage case 11 that is a box-shaped storage case arranged in the freezing chamber 4 in a drawable manner, and a plate-like member 13 made of a high heat conductive material, and provided so that at least a portion can be in contact with a stored object in the lower stage storage case 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to refrigerators.

In a refrigerator, a storage chamber for storing food, a duct portion that communicates with the storage chamber and receives cool air generated by a cooler, an air blowing mechanism that blows the air in the duct portion to the storage chamber, and an air blowing mechanism. and a control device that controls the amount of air blown by the cooler, and the control device performs PI control (proportional integral control) on the compressor and blowing mechanism that circulates the refrigerant in the cooler (for example, patent Reference 1).

JP 2016-169900 A

In this way, the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1 attempts to reduce the range of temperature fluctuations in the storage compartment by proportional-integral control of the compressor and the blower mechanism. In a refrigerator, since the cool air supplied to the storage compartment is low humidity air, stored food tends to dry out. The drying of food is also affected by the temperature difference between the food and the air surrounding the food. When the temperature difference between the food and the surrounding air increases, the water vapor pressure difference between the food and the surrounding air increases, promoting the release of moisture from the food due to sublimation and drying the food. Also, if the storage compartment is a freezer compartment, moisture released from the food freezes and adheres to the surface of the food, causing frosting of the food. In addition, when moisture contained in food is sublimated and lost, so-called freezer burn occurs due to deterioration of proteins and lipids in the food.

A refrigerator such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 is intended to suppress temperature fluctuations between stored food and the surrounding air by narrowing the range of temperature fluctuations in the storage compartment. However, the temperature difference between the food and the surrounding air cannot be reduced, and moisture is sublimated and released from the food due to the water vapor pressure difference between the food and the surrounding air, resulting in drying of the food.

The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator capable of cooling stored items while suppressing drying of the stored items.

A refrigerator according to the present disclosure includes a refrigerator main body in which a storage chamber is formed, cooling means for cooling air sent into the storage chamber, a box-shaped storage case that is freely drawn out in the storage chamber, and a high heat conductive material. At least a part of the plate-like member is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the stored items in the storage case.

According to the refrigerator according to the present disclosure, it is possible to cool the stored items while suppressing drying of the stored items.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows typically the whole refrigerator structure which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a modification of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of experimental results of changes in the weight reduction rate of food stored in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1, together with a comparative example; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of experimental results of temperature changes in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1, temperature changes in stored food, and temperature changes in the surroundings of the food, together with comparative examples. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a freezer compartment of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a modification of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a modification of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 2;

A mode for implementing a refrigerator according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are appropriately simplified or omitted. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the positional relationship of each structure may be expressed based on the illustrated state. It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and any combination of the embodiments, any modification of the constituent elements of the embodiments, or each Any component of the embodiment can be omitted.

Embodiment 1.
Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a refrigerator. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the refrigerator. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a modification of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the experimental result of changes in the weight reduction rate of food stored in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator, together with a comparative example. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of experimental results of temperature changes in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator, temperature changes in stored food, and temperature changes in the surroundings of the food, together with comparative examples.

In each drawing, the dimensional relationship, shape, etc. of each component may differ from the actual one. In principle, the positional relationship (for example, vertical relationship, etc.) between the constituent members is that when the refrigerator is installed in a usable state.

Refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment has heat insulating box body 30 as shown in FIG. The heat-insulating box 30 has an open front surface (front) to form a storage space inside. The heat insulating box body 30 has an outer box, an inner box and a heat insulating material. The outer box is made of steel. The inner box is made of resin. The inner box is placed inside the outer box. The heat insulating material is, for example, foamed urethane or the like, and is filled in the space between the outer box and the inner box. A storage space formed inside the heat insulating box body 30 of the refrigerator main body is partitioned into a plurality of storage chambers for storing and storing food by one or a plurality of partition members.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator main body of the refrigerator 1 includes, for example, a refrigerator compartment 2, a switching compartment 3, an ice making compartment (not shown), a freezer compartment 4, and a vegetable compartment 5 as a plurality of storage compartments. ing. These storage chambers are arranged in four stages in the vertical direction in the heat insulating box 30 .

The refrigerator compartment 2 is arranged on the uppermost level of the heat insulating box body 30 . The switchable compartment 3 is arranged on one of the left and right sides below the refrigerating compartment 2 . The cold insulation temperature zone of the switchable chamber 3 can be switched by selecting one of a plurality of temperature zones. A plurality of temperature zones that can be selected as the cold storage temperature zone of the switchable compartment 3 are, for example, a freezing temperature zone (eg, about -18°C), a refrigerating temperature zone (eg, about 3°C), a chilled temperature zone (eg, about 0°C), and A soft freezing temperature range (for example, about -7°C) or the like. The ice making compartment is arranged laterally adjacent to the switching compartment 3 and in parallel with the switching compartment 3 , that is, on the other left and right sides below the refrigerating compartment 2 .

The freezer compartment 4 is arranged below the switch compartment 3 and the ice making compartment. The freezer compartment 4 is mainly used for freezing storage objects over a relatively long period of time. The vegetable compartment 5 is arranged at the lowest stage below the freezer compartment 4 . The vegetable compartment 5 is mainly for storing vegetables, fruits and the like.

An opening formed in the front surface of the refrigerator compartment 2 is provided with a rotary refrigerator compartment door 2a for opening and closing the opening. Here, the refrigerating compartment door 2a is of a double-opening type (double-opening type) and is composed of a right door and a left door. An operation panel 21 is provided on the outer surface of the refrigerator compartment door 2a (for example, the left door) on the front surface of the refrigerator 1 .

Each storage compartment (switching compartment 3, ice making compartment, freezing compartment 4, and vegetable compartment 5) other than the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened and closed by a drawer-type door. These drawer-type doors can be moved in the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the refrigerator 1 by sliding frames fixed to the doors on rails horizontally formed on the left and right inner wall surfaces of the storage compartments. can be opened and closed at any time.

The refrigerator 1 includes a refrigeration cycle circuit that cools the air supplied to each storage compartment. A refrigerating cycle circuit includes a compressor 8, a condenser (not shown), an expansion device (not shown), a cooler 9, and the like. The compressor 8 compresses and discharges the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle circuit. The condenser condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 8 . The expansion device expands the refrigerant that has flowed out of the condenser. The cooler 9 cools the air supplied to each storage compartment with the refrigerant expanded by the expansion device. Compressor 8 is arranged, for example, in the lower part of the back side of refrigerator 1 .

The refrigerator 1 is formed with an air passage 6 for supplying air cooled by a refrigerating cycle circuit to each storage compartment. This air passage 6 is mainly arranged on the back side inside the refrigerator 1 . A cooler 9 of the refrigerating cycle circuit is installed in this air passage 6 . A blower fan 7 for sending the air cooled by the cooler 9 to each storage compartment is also installed in the air passage 6 .

When the blower fan 7 operates, the air (cold air) cooled by the cooler 9 is sent through the air passage 6 to the freezer compartment 4, the switching compartment 3, the ice making compartment and the refrigerator compartment 2, thereby cooling the inside of these storage compartments. do. The vegetable compartment 5 is cooled by introducing cold air returned from the refrigerator compartment 2 into the vegetable compartment 5 via the refrigerator compartment return air passage. The cold air that has cooled the vegetable compartment 5 is returned to the air duct 6 with the cooler 9 through the vegetable compartment return air duct (these return air ducts are not shown). Then, it is cooled again by the cooler 9 and cold air is circulated inside the refrigerator 1 .

A damper (not shown) is provided at a midpoint between the air duct 6 and each storage room. Each damper opens and closes a portion of the air passage 6 leading to each storage room. By changing the open/closed state of the damper, it is possible to adjust the amount of cool air to be supplied to each storage compartment. Also, the temperature of the cool air can be adjusted by controlling the operation of the compressor 8 . The refrigerating cycle circuit composed of the compressor 8 and the cooler 9, the blower fan 7, the air passage 6 and the damper provided as described above constitute cooling means for cooling the air sent to the inside of the storage compartment.

Refrigerator 1 includes control device 20 . For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the control device 20 is provided on the upper part of the back side of the heat insulating box body 30 of the refrigerator 1 . The control device 20 includes a control circuit and the like for controlling the operation of the refrigerator 1 . Each function of the control device 20 is realized by this control circuit.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram functionally showing the essential configuration of the control system of the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment. A control circuit of the control device 20 includes, for example, a processor 20a and a memory 20b. Control device 20 executes preset processing by processor 20 a executing a program stored in memory 20 b to control refrigerator 1 .

The processor 20a is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP. The memory 20b corresponds to, for example, non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM and EEPROM, magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini-disk, DVD, and the like.

Note that the control circuit of the control device 20 may be formed as dedicated hardware, for example. A part of the control circuit of the control device 20 may be formed as dedicated hardware, and the control circuit may include the processor 20a and the memory 20b. Control circuits partly formed as dedicated hardware include, for example, single circuits, multiple circuits, programmed processors, parallel programmed processors, ASICs, FPGAs, or combinations thereof. do.

The operation panel 21 includes an operation section 21a and a notification section 21b. The operation unit 21a is an operation switch or the like for setting the cold insulation temperature of each storage compartment. The notification unit 21b includes a liquid crystal display unit, a display lamp, a speaker, and the like that display various information such as the temperature of each storage chamber. The operation panel 21 may include a touch panel that serves as both the operation unit 21a and the liquid crystal display unit of the notification unit 21b. The operation unit 21a outputs a signal to the control device 20 according to the user's operation of the operation unit 21a. A signal from the operation section 21 a of the operation panel 21 is input to the control device 20 . The control device 20 also outputs a notification control signal to the notification section 21b of the operation panel 21 to control the operation of the notification section 21b.

A signal is input to the controller 20 from a thermistor 23 that detects the temperature inside each storage chamber. The thermistor 23 is temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the air cooled by the cooling means described above. Based on the input signal, the control device 20 operates the cooling means, that is, the compressor 8, the cooler 9, and the blower fan 7, and the damper 24 so that each storage chamber is maintained at the set temperature. Execute processing for controlling the degree of opening and the like.

Next, the configuration of the freezer compartment 4 of the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the freezer compartment 4 is opened and closed by the drawer-type freezer compartment door 4a provided on the front side. An upper storage case 10 and a lower storage case 11 are provided in the freezer compartment 4 . Each of the upper storage case 10 and the lower storage case 11 has a box shape with an open upper surface. In each of the upper storage case 10 and the lower storage case 11, foods to be cooled are stored as storage items. The upper storage case 10 is arranged above the lower storage case 11 .

The upper storage case 10 and the lower storage case 11 are provided in the freezer compartment 4 so as to be freely drawn out. When the freezer compartment door 4a is pulled forward, the upper storage case 10 and the lower storage case 11 are pulled out forward together with the freezer compartment door 4a. When only the upper storage case 10 is slid backward with the freezer compartment door 4a pulled out, only the lower storage case 11 is pulled out. Food can be taken in and out of the lower storage case 11 when only the lower storage case 11 is pulled out. The lower storage case 11 in this embodiment is an example of a box-shaped storage case that is arranged in the freezer compartment 4 as a storage room so that it can be pulled out.

A cooler cover 12 is provided on the back side of the freezer compartment 4 . The freezer compartment 4 and the air passage 6 are partitioned by the cooler cover 12 . A cooler 9 is arranged in the air passage 6 on the back side of the freezer compartment 4 . Therefore, the freezer compartment 4 and the cooler 9 are arranged so as to sandwich the cooler cover 12 . The cooler cover 12 is formed with a cool air outlet 12a. The freezer compartment 4 communicates with the air passage 6 via the cold air outlet 12a. The air (cold air) cooled by the cooler 9 is blown out into the freezer compartment 4 from the cold air outlet 12 a to cool the inside of the freezer compartment 4 .

A refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes a plate member 13 . The plate-like member 13 is made of a highly heat-conductive material. The high thermal conductivity material forming the plate member 13 is, for example, aluminum. In the illustrated configuration example, the plate member 13 is arranged so as to cover the entire bottom surface of the lower storage case 11 . Therefore, when an article is placed in the lower storage case 11, the plate member 13 comes into contact with the article. The plate-shaped member 13 need not be provided so as to cover the entire bottom surface of the lower storage case 11, but at least a portion of the plate-like member 13 may be provided so as to be able to come into contact with the stored items in the lower storage case 11. .

In the refrigerator 1 configured as described above, the lower storage case 11 has a box shape with an open top, as described above. The top opening of the lower storage case 11 is closed by the upper storage case 10 . Therefore, the cold air blown into the freezer compartment 4 from the cold air outlet 12a is blocked by the lower storage case 11 and the like, and is prevented from directly hitting the stored items in the lower storage case 11. - 特許庁However, as shown in FIG. 3, the side surface on the back side of the lower storage case 11 is lower than the other side surfaces, and the upper side of the back side of the lower storage case 11 is between the upper storage case 10 and the upper storage case 10. A gap 15 is formed. Cool air from the cool air outlet 12a enters the lower storage case 11 through the gap 15, and the plate member 13 arranged on the bottom surface of the lower storage case 11 is cooled.

At least part of the plate-like member 13 is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the stored items in the lower storage case 11 . Therefore, the items stored in the lower storage case 11 can be cooled by heat conduction due to contact with the plate-shaped member 13 made of a highly heat-conductive material. The cold air from the cold air outlet 12a does not enter directly into the lower storage case 11, so that the cold air is prevented from directly hitting the stored items in the lower storage case 11. Cooling of the air inside is also suppressed. While suppressing the cooling of the air in the lower storage case 11, by cooling the stored items by heat conduction due to contact with the plate-like member 13, the stored items in the lower storage case 11 and the air around the stored items are cooled. can reduce the temperature difference between When the temperature difference between the stored items and the surrounding air is reduced, the water vapor pressure difference between the stored items and the surrounding air is also reduced, thereby suppressing the release of moisture from the stored items due to sublimation. In this manner, the stored items can be cooled while suppressing drying of the stored items in the lower storage case 11 .

Further, when the storage compartment is the freezer compartment 4, if the amount of moisture released from the stored items is large, the moisture released from the stored items freezes and adheres to the stored items, causing frosting of the stored items. In addition, when the moisture contained in the stored items is sublimated and released, oxygen enters the portions of the stored items where the moisture has been lost due to the sublimation, and oxidation occurs, resulting in so-called freezer burn. According to the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the release of moisture from the stored items, and thus it is possible to suppress the frosting and freezer burn of the stored items.

At least part of the plate member 13 may be arranged on the bottom surface of the lower storage case 11 . The side surface of the lower storage case 11 is preferably made of a low thermal conductive material. In addition, a so-called heat insulating material is also included in the low heat conductive material. By doing so, cooling of the air in the lower storage case 11 due to heat conduction from the side surface of the lower storage case 11 is suppressed, and the air around the stored items in the lower storage case 11 and the air around the stored items are suppressed. The temperature difference can be further reduced. Therefore, it is possible to cool the stored items while further suppressing drying of the stored items in the lower storage case 11 . In addition, simply by placing the stored items on the plate-like member 13, the stored items and the plate-like member 13 can be brought into a state of being in contact with each other.

Next, a modification of the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this modification, a storage compartment 14 is provided inside the lower storage case 11 . The internal volume of the storage compartment 14 is smaller than the internal volume of the lower storage case 11 . The storage compartment 14 is formed by enclosing and sealing the bottom side, top side, and four side sides. In the illustrated configuration example, the member surrounding the bottom side of the storage compartment 14 is common to the bottom portion of the lower storage case 11 . Therefore, part of the plate member 13 is arranged on the bottom surface side of the storage compartment 14 . Also, a member surrounding one side surface of the storage compartment 14 or two adjacent side surfaces thereof is common to the side surface portion of the lower storage case 11 . The remaining three or two side surfaces of the storage compartment 14 are surrounded by storage compartment side members 14a. In addition, the top surface side of the storage compartment 14 is surrounded by a storage compartment top surface member 14b. A part of the member that partitions the storage compartment 14, for example, the storage compartment top surface member 14b, is detachably provided.

By providing such a storage compartment 14, it is possible to suppress entry of the cool air blown out from the cool air outlet 12a into the storage compartment 14. - 特許庁The stored items and air in the storage compartment 14 are cooled mainly by heat conduction from the plate member 13 . Therefore, the temperature difference between the stored items and the surrounding air can be further reduced, and the stored items can be cooled while further suppressing drying of the stored items. In addition, it is possible to further suppress drying due to direct contact with dry cold air on the stored items. The storage compartment side member 14a and the storage compartment top surface member 14b are preferably made of a low heat conductive material.

The effect of suppressing dryness of stored items in the lower storage case 11 in the refrigerator 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. First, FIG. 5 shows a refrigerator 1 of this embodiment having a plate-like member 13 made of a highly heat-conductive material in the lower storage case 11 of the freezer compartment 4, and a plate-like member 13 in the lower storage case 11. It is an example of the experimental result of the weight reduction rate of the stored material in the comparative example which is not provided. In this experiment, beef steak was stored in the lower storage case 11 of the freezer compartment 4 for 3 weeks, and the weight of the stored beef steak was measured on the 2nd and 3rd weeks. Since the reduction in the weight of the beef steak is considered to be due to the release of water from the beef steak, it can be considered that the reduction in weight generally indicates the amount of water released. The circle plot in FIG. 5 is the weight reduction rate of the comparative example without the plate member 13 . The triangular plot in FIG. 5 is the weight reduction rate of the configuration with the plate member 13 but without the storage compartment 14 . The plotted square marks in FIG. 5 are the weight reduction rate of the configuration having both the plate member 13 and the storage compartment 14 .

According to the experimental results shown in FIG. 5, in the structure provided with both the plate-like member 13 and the storage compartment 14, the water release amount was reduced by 79% as compared with the comparative example without the plate-like member 13. FIG. Also, even in the configuration in which only the plate-shaped member 13 is provided without the storage compartment 14, the amount of released water is reduced by 29% as compared with the comparative example in which the plate-shaped member 13 is not provided.

Next, FIG. 6 shows the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment having a plate-like member 13 made of a highly heat-conductive material in the lower storage case 11 of the freezer compartment 4, and the plate-like member 13 in the lower storage case 11. It is an experimental result example of the temperature change in the comparative example which is not equipped with. Comparative Example 1 in FIG. 6A is a case in which the plate member 13 is not provided and ON-OFF control is performed as the temperature control of the freezer compartment 4 . Comparative Example 2 in FIG. 6B is a case where the plate-like member 13 is not provided and the temperature fluctuation suppression control is performed using the proportional-integral control (PI control) as the temperature control of the freezer compartment 4 . FIG. 6(c) shows a case in which both the plate member 13 and the storage compartment 14 are provided, and ON-OFF control is performed as the temperature control of the freezer compartment 4. FIG.

6(a), (b) and (c), the temperature change in the freezer compartment 4, the temperature change in the food stored in the lower storage case 11 in the freezer compartment 4, and the surroundings of the food shows the temperature change of The portion of the difference between the temperature change of the food and the temperature change around the food is shaded. As described above, when the temperature of the surroundings is lower than that of the food, the larger the temperature difference between the food and the surroundings, the greater the difference in water vapor pressure between the food and the surroundings, which promotes the release of moisture from the food. Therefore, the hatched area in the drawing where there is a temperature difference between the food and its surroundings is the area where moisture is released from the food. The wider the moisture release area, the greater the amount of moisture released from the food.

In Comparative Example 1 of FIG. 6(a), since ON-OFF control is performed, when the temperature in the freezer compartment 4 is higher than the target temperature, the compressor 8 is turned ON and cooling is performed by the cooler 9, When the temperature is lower than the target temperature, the compressor 8 is turned off and cooling by the cooler 9 is not performed. At this time, if the temperature at which the compressor 8 is turned ON and the temperature at which it is turned OFF are the same, the ON/OFF of the compressor 8 will occur frequently. . When the temperature at which the compressor 8 is turned on and the temperature at which it is turned off are given a certain width in this way, the temperature fluctuation width increases accordingly. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the temperature in the freezer compartment 4 also fluctuates significantly with this temperature fluctuation. Then, the temperature around the food follows the temperature in the freezer compartment 4 with a delay, and the food temperature follows the temperature around the food with a delay. Therefore, the moisture release area is also increased.

In Comparative Example 2 of FIG. 6(b), since temperature fluctuation suppression control using proportional integral control (PI control) is performed, the temperature fluctuation in the freezer compartment 4 is smaller than in Comparative Example 1. However, the ambient temperature remains below the food temperature for a long period of time and the moisture release area is large.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment having both the plate-like member 13 and the storage compartment 14 shown in FIG. A state in which the temperature difference with the surrounding temperature is extremely small continues. Therefore, the moisture release area is also extremely small.

Here, the water release amount W [kg] from the food can be quantitatively evaluated by the following formula (1). In the formula (1), β is the sublimation rate [kg/m^2 h (mmHg)], F is the surface area of the food [m^2], Pg is the water vapor pressure of the food [mmHg], and Pr is the water vapor pressure around the food. It is the water vapor pressure of air [mmHg]. Pg and Pr can be calculated from the temperature of the food and the temperature of the air around the food, respectively.

W=β・F・(Pg−Pr) (1)

6(a), (b), and (c), the amount of water released per 24 hours was calculated using formula (1), and the water release of Comparative Example 1 in FIG. 6(a) was calculated. The amount of water released was 57.9βF, the water release amount of Comparative Example 2 in FIG. 6B was 71.7βF, and the water release amount of the present embodiment in FIG. 6C was 13.8βF. Therefore, in Comparative Example 2, the moisture release amount increased by 24% compared to Comparative Example 1. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the water release amount was reduced by 76% compared to Comparative Example 1. It should be noted that this result substantially agrees with the amount of reduction in the amount of water release evaluated from the experimental results of the weight reduction rate shown in FIG.

As described above, the experimental results also show the effect of suppressing the drying of the stored items in the lower storage case 11 in the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment.

Embodiment 2.
Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views each showing another modification of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.

Embodiment 2 described here is obtained by exposing a part of the plate member of the storage case to the outside of the storage case in the configuration of Embodiment 1 described above. The refrigerator according to the second embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. The configuration whose description is omitted is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. In the following description, in principle, the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment are attached to the same or corresponding configurations as those of the first embodiment.

In the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, a case-side slit 11a is formed in the lower storage case 11 as shown in FIG. The case-side slit 11 a is formed in the side surface of the lower storage case 11 on the back side. The case-side slit 11a penetrates from the inside of the lower storage case 11 to the outside. The lower end of the case-side slit 11a is arranged at a position in contact with the bottom surface inside the lower storage case 11 from above. A part of the back side of the plate member 13 is exposed to the outside of the lower storage case 11 through the case side slit 11a.

The plate-like member 13 is arranged inside the freezer compartment 4 so as to be exposed to the outside of the lower storage case 11 on the rear side of the lower storage case 11 near the cold air outlet 12a. Therefore, the exposed portion of the plate member 13 is cooled by the cool air blown out from the cool air outlet 12a. Since the plate-like member 13 is made of a highly heat-conductive material, when the exposed portion of the plate-like member 13 is cooled, the temperature of the portion of the plate-like member 13 disposed in the lower storage case 11 also changes to that of the plate-like member 13 itself. Decreases quickly due to heat conduction. For this reason, stored items in contact with the plate member 13 in the lower storage case 11 can be quickly cooled. Therefore, in the refrigerator 1 configured as described above, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained, and the cooling speed of the stored items can be improved.

Further, in the illustrated configuration example, the top opening of the lower storage case 11 is closed by the bottom surface of the upper storage case 10 arranged above the lower storage case 11 . In this manner, the lower storage case 11 can be sealed by the bottom surface of the upper storage case 10 . In this case, the bottom surface of the upper storage case 10 also functions as the top surface of the lower storage case 11 that can seal the upper storage case 10 . It should be noted that the lower storage case 11 may have an independent top surface in addition to the bottom surface of the upper storage case 10 . By providing the lower storage case 11 with a top surface part capable of sealing the lower storage case 11, the cold air blown out from the cold air outlet 12a enters the lower storage case 11, and the stored items in the lower storage case 11 and their surroundings. It is possible to suppress an increase in the temperature difference between the Therefore, the items stored in the lower storage case 11 can be cooled by heat conduction due to contact with the plate member 13 while further suppressing drying of the items stored in the lower storage case 11 .

The top surface of the lower storage case 11, that is, the bottom surface of the upper storage case 10 may be made of a low heat conductive material. By doing so, the cooling of the air in the lower storage case 11 due to heat conduction from the bottom surface of the upper storage case 10 (the top surface of the lower storage case 11) is suppressed, and the items stored in the lower storage case 11 are cooled. It is possible to further reduce the temperature difference between the stored items and the surrounding air. Therefore, it is possible to cool the stored items while further suppressing drying of the stored items in the lower storage case 11 .

Next, a modification of the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. First, FIG. 8 shows a first modification of the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment. In the modification shown in the figure, the cooler cover 12 is formed with a cover-side slit 12b. The cover-side slit 12b is arranged at a position facing the case-side slit 11a. The cover-side slit 12 b penetrates from the interior of the freezer compartment 4 to the interior of the air passage 6 .

A part of the back side of the plate member 13 is exposed to the outside of the lower storage case 11 through the case side slit 11a. When the lower storage case 11 is housed in the freezer compartment 4 and the freezer compartment door 4a is closed, the front end of the portion exposed to the outside of the lower storage case 11 of the plate-like member 13 is further provided with a cover-side slit 12b. It passes through and enters the inside of the air passage 6 and contacts the cooler 9 . In this manner, a portion of the plate-like member 13 is arranged outside the lower storage case 11 so as to be able to come into contact with the cooler 9 of the aforementioned cooling means.

In such a modification, the exposed portion of plate member 13 is directly cooled by cooler 9 . Then, the entire plate-like member 13 is rapidly lowered by the heat conduction of the plate-like member 13 itself, and the temperature of the plate-like member 13 becomes equal to the temperature of the cooler 9 . Therefore, the temperature of the plate-like member 13 can be lowered more quickly, and the stored items in contact with the plate-like member 13 in the lower storage case 11 can be quickly cooled at a low temperature equivalent to that of the cooler 9 .

Next, FIG. 9 shows a second modification of the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment. In the modification shown in the figure, a plurality of plate-like members 13 made of a highly heat-conductive material are provided in one lower storage case 11 . Specifically, the lower storage case 11 has a middle shelf board 11b. The middle shelf plate 11b is provided substantially in the middle of the lower storage case 11 in the height direction. A plate-like member 13 similar to that arranged on the bottom surface of the lower storage case 11 is provided on the middle shelf plate 11b. Therefore, the plurality of plate members 13 are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction.

In the illustrated configuration example, a case-side slit 11a is formed in the lower storage case 11 so as to match not only the plate-like member 13 of the bottom surface portion but also the plate-like member 13 of the middle shelf plate 11b. The lower end of the case-side slit 11a in the middle section is arranged at a position where it contacts the upper surface of the middle shelf board 11b from above. A part of the back side of the plate member 13 of the middle shelf 11b is exposed to the outside of the lower storage case 11 through the middle 0 case side slit 11a.

According to such a modification, it is possible to increase the area of the lower storage case 11 in which stored items can be placed on the plate member 13 made of a highly heat-conductive material. Therefore, the space in the lower storage case 11 can be effectively utilized, and more items can be stored while being in contact with the plate member 13 .

Reference Signs List 1 refrigerator 2 refrigerating compartment 2a refrigerating compartment door 3 switching compartment 4 freezing compartment 4a freezing compartment door 5 vegetable compartment 6 air passage 7 ventilation fan 8 compressor 9 cooler 10 upper storage case 11 lower storage case 11a case side slit 11b middle shelf board 12 Cooler cover 12a Cold air outlet 12b Cover side slit 13 Plate member 14 Storage compartment 14a Storage compartment side member 14b Storage compartment top member 15 Gap 20 Control device 20a Processor 20b Memory 21 Operation panel 21a Operation unit 21b Notification unit 23 Thermistor 24 damper 30 heat insulation box

Claims (9)

a refrigerator body in which a storage chamber is formed;
cooling means for cooling the air sent into the storage chamber;
a box-shaped storage case arranged in the storage chamber so that it can be pulled out;
and a plate-like member made of a material with high thermal conductivity, at least a part of which is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the stored items in the storage case. At least part of the plate-shaped member is arranged on the bottom surface of the storage case,
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the side portion of said storage case is made of a low thermal conductive material. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said storage case has a top surface and is sealable. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein said top surface portion of said storage case is made of a low thermal conductive material. 5. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a part of said plate member is exposed to the outside of said storage case. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein a part of said plate member is arranged outside said storage case so as to be able to come into contact with the cooler of said cooling means. A plurality of the plate-shaped members are provided in one storage case,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of plate-like members are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. A storage compartment is provided in the storage case,
8. The storage compartment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a part of the plate-shaped member is arranged on the bottom side of the storage compartment and has a compartment top surface member and a compartment side surface member for sealing the storage compartment. refrigerator. 9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said high heat conductive material is aluminum.

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