JP2624616B2 - Installation structure of deodorizer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for installing a deodorizing device for a refrigerator, which is mounted on an evaporator located in a separation wall where air in the refrigerator is concentrated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Refrigerators for storing perishable foods and the like freshly are generally divided into a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment.
Food and drinks are maintained at low temperatures at different temperatures, but the air in the refrigerator circulated by the blower fan passes through an evaporator consisting of a number of pipes through which low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant flows. This is achieved by cooling by controlling the amount of air and supplying the air to the freezing room and the refrigerating room.

However, while the air in the refrigerator repeatedly circulates, unpleasant odors and the like generated from many kinds of foods and the like stored in the refrigerator also inevitably circulate together with the air. Not only hinders the freshness of the refrigerator, but also causes discomfort to the user of the refrigerator. As a conventional technique for removing the above-mentioned odor or the like, as shown in FIG. 5, an evaporator 2 installed vertically on a rear wall of a freezing room.
Deodorizing member 3 that is located at the bottom of
A deodorizing apparatus comprising a heater 4 for heating adsorbed odor molecules and the like to decompose them into odorless molecules and a cover 5 for protecting the parts and the like from defrost water is disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,948,567.

In such a conventional deodorizing device, the deodorizing member 3 adsorbs odor molecules and the like contained in the air circulated by the operation of the fan 1 installed above the evaporator together with the operation of the refrigerator. The odor in the refrigerator is eliminated by thermally decomposing and removing the odor molecules and the like by the heater 4 which is operated at regular time intervals.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned conventional deodorizing apparatus requires a separate installation space, and a considerable heat insulating space is required to protect the air circulation passage of the refrigerator from the heat generated by the heater 4. Need. Furthermore, when the air whose temperature has risen after being circulated through the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment is sucked from the lower part of the evaporator by the blower fan, a large amount of odor components are generally adsorbed because the suction passage at the lower part of the evaporator is wide. Since it passes without being adsorbed by the member, there is a disadvantage that the deodorizing effect is reduced.

Further, when a conventional deodorizing device is installed in a refrigerator having a horizontal evaporator installed in a separating wall which vertically separates a freezing room and a refrigerator room, a separate installation space must be secured. There was a problem.

As another method for removing the odor in the refrigerator, there is a method of installing a separate deodorizing device such as an ozone deodorizer in the refrigerator. However, this method also requires additional electric power, and However, there is a problem that noise is generated by the fan of the deodorizing device.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems and the like, and an object of the present invention is to provide a deodorizing device at a location where air circulating in a refrigerator is concentrated. Another object of the present invention is to effectively absorb odors and the like generated from food and drink.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a deodorizing device in which a deodorizing device is installed inside an evaporator located in a separation wall, and no separate space is required for installing the deodorizing device. .

[0010] Still another object of the present invention is to not only decompose the adsorbed odor components and the like by a pyrolysis heater mounted on the deodorizing device, but also adhere to the evaporator surface in a short time together with the defrost heater. It is to be able to remove frost.

[0011]

The deodorizing device of the present invention is installed inside a horizontal evaporator located in a separation wall between a freezing room and a refrigerator room. The evaporator is formed of a number of groups arranged in the direction of air flow, and each group has a plurality of refrigerant pipes formed in layers and a predetermined interval on the refrigerant pipes of each group. And consists of a number of vertical cooling fins that are tightly arranged and connect the groups together.

Therefore, the air circulating inside the refrigerator by the blower fan is cooled to a low temperature while passing between the refrigerant pipes of the evaporator and the cooling fins.

[0013] The deodorizing device is installed in a space secured by removing cooling fins to a certain length in the rear group of the evaporator. Therefore, the deodorizing device is disposed perpendicularly to the direction of the circulating air, like the refrigerant pipe, to perform the deodorizing function.

According to the present invention, there is provided a cooling means for cooling air circulating in a refrigerator, the cooling means being disposed in a separating wall which vertically separates a freezing room and a refrigeration room of a refrigerator, and odor molecules contained in the air. An adsorbing member for adsorbing, and a deodorizing means including a heater for thermally decomposing and removing odor molecules adsorbed on the adsorbing member at the time of defrosting, and for detachably fixing the deodorizing means to the cooling means. And fixing means.

The deodorizing means includes an adsorbing member divided into several parts for adsorbing odor molecules, and a pyrolysis heater for heating the adsorbing member to decompose the adsorbed odor molecules into odorless molecules. And a cover for preventing defrost water from adhering to the adsorption member and the pyrolysis heater, and a pair of sockets installed at both ends of the cover to house and support the pyrolysis heater.

The fixing means is formed integrally, and is inserted into a pair of parallel refrigerant pipes exposed in a space formed by partially removing the cooling fin. In addition, a pair of hangers formed on the upper stage of the left and right arm portions located opposite to each other and forming a semicircular curved surface,
A circular fixing slot formed between the left and right arms and having an open upper portion for storing and fixing the socket of the deodorizing means, and elastically expanding when the socket is detached. In order to achieve the above, a pair of fittings, which are located at a body base connecting the left and right arms and projecting at a certain interval from each other, and an elastic member extending upward from the open upper part of the fixing slot. Consists of projections.

In addition, a second hanger, which extends further upward and forms a small semicircular curved surface, is formed on one side of the pair of hangers. Support the power supply cable.

The pair of fixing means constituted as described above is fixed to the evaporator by connecting a pair of hangers to a pair of mutually parallel refrigerant pipes for storing and fixing the deodorizing means. .

Further, the deodorizing means is fixed to the fixing means by connecting a pair of sockets located at both ends of the cover to circular fixing slots formed in the pair of fixing means.

In the upper part of the socket, a fixing protrusion in the length direction is formed, and in the lower part, a protruding part is formed. When the socket is connected to the fixing means, the former is the elasticity of the fixing means. The member and the latter are sandwiched between a pair of fitting projections, and are completely fixed so that the deodorizing means does not move.

As described above, the deodorizing device installed in the evaporator is operated at regular intervals after the adsorbing member adsorbs the odor molecules contained in the cool air circulating in the refrigerator by the blower fan. The pyrolysis heater removes the odor while decomposing the adsorbed odor molecules into odorless components.
Thus, the deodorizing device has a regenerated adsorption function and can be used semi-permanently without having to replace parts.

[0022]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional side view of a refrigerator provided with a deodorizing device according to the present invention.

The refrigerator body 110 is separated from the upper freezer compartment 80 and the lower refrigerating compartment 90 by a separating wall 100 made of heat insulating material.
It is divided into and. On the front of the freezer compartment 80 and the refrigerator compartment 90,
Doors 120 and 130 are mounted, respectively.

The horizontal evaporator 10 is disposed inside the separation wall 100. The evaporator 10 is provided in the rear passage of the refrigerator in which the freezer compartment duct 140 and the refrigerator compartment duct 150 face each other. A blower fan 60 is provided to face the fan. Therefore, by driving the blower fan 60, a part of the air circulating inside the refrigerator is sequentially cooled through the freezer compartment outlet 160 and the evaporator 10, and is cooled.
0, and the remaining air is sequentially discharged to the refrigerating compartment side outlet 17.
After cooling through the evaporator 10, the refrigerant is cooled and flows into the refrigerator compartment 90.

FIG. 2 illustrates a horizontal evaporator 10 in which a deodorizing device 70 according to the present invention is installed. As shown in the drawing, the deodorizing device 70 is installed in a space in the rear group of the evaporator 10 from which the cooling fins 11 and the like have been removed, perpendicular to the air flow direction.

FIG. 3 is a drawing showing in detail the structure of the horizontal evaporator 10 and the installation state of the deodorizing device 70. The refrigerant pipes 50 are formed by several groups formed in the vertical direction. Each group is further composed of several upper and lower layers.

The cooling fins 1 are connected to the refrigerant pipes 50 of each group in such a manner that several refrigerant pipe layers are integrally connected.
1 are densely arranged vertically. This deodorizing device 70
The cooling fins 11 are installed in a space formed by removing the cooling fins 11 from the rear group of the evaporator 10. Therefore, the separation wall 100
Is supplied to the refrigerant pipe 50 and the cooling fin 1.
After passing through the space 1, the air is further cooled to a low temperature while passing through the deodorizing device 70, and the odor molecules and the like contained in the air are adsorbed by the deodorizing device 70 and changed to fresh air. On the upper surface of the cooling fin 11, a defrost heater 40 is installed.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention.

The present invention is roughly divided into an evaporator 10, a deodorizing device 70, and fixing means 20 for fixing the deodorizing device 70 to the evaporator 10. The deodorizing device 70 includes an adsorbing member 71 divided into a plurality of portions,
, A cover 74 surrounding the adsorption member 71, attached to both ends of the cover 74,
It comprises a pair of sockets 73 that house and support the pyrolysis heater 72.

The defrost water is supplied to the adsorption member 71 and the pyrolysis heater 72.
The cover 74, which is prevented from being attached to the cover, is formed so as to surround the suction member 71 with some space left, so that the suction member 71 can effectively absorb odor components and the like in the air. I can do it. Each socket 73 is provided with a fixing projection 73a and a projection 73b on the upper and lower portions, respectively, so that the deodorizing device 70 does not move with respect to the fixing means 20.

The fixing means 20 formed integrally is constituted as follows.

The left and right arms 21a and 21b connected to each other by the base 21c extend slightly upward from the base 21c, and extend upward from the base 21c. A hanger 22 is formed. A circular fixed slot 23 having an open upper portion is formed between the left and right arm portions 21a and 21b. A pair of elastic members 24 are attached to the opened upper portion, the lower portions thereof face each other in parallel, and the upper portions extend in a direction away from each other. Further, a pair of fitting protrusions 25 projecting at a fixed interval from each other are formed on the base 21c, and the first hanger 22 on the right side has a small semicircular second protrusion extending upwardly therefrom. Hanger 22 of 2
a is formed.

In the fixing means 20 having the above-described shape, the pair of first hangers 22 are fixed to the evaporator 10 while being connected to the pair of refrigerant pipes 50 parallel to each other.

Further, the deodorizing device 70 includes a pair of sockets 7.
3 is fixed to the fixing means 20 by inserting it into the fixing slot 23. At this time, socket 73
The fixed protrusion 73a and the protrusion 73b located at the upper and lower parts of the
Each of the elastic members 24 is tightly connected between the parallel portion of the elastic member 24 and the fitting projection 25 of the base 21c, and after the deodorizing device 70 is connected to the fixing means 20, it does not move any more. Further, a cable 51 for supplying power to the pyrolysis heater 72 is inserted into the second hanger 22a, and supports the cable 51 so as to be guided to the pyrolysis heater 72.

In addition, as shown in FIG.
A heat radiating plate 30 is provided on the upper part of the separation wall 100 so that high heat generated from the defrost heater 40 and the pyrolysis heater 72 is uniformly radiated to the evaporator 10.

The adsorbing member 71 is formed by applying a metal catalyst such as platinum or vanadium to the surface of a porous material such as diatomaceous earth. Further, the adsorption member 71 and the pyrolysis heater 7
The cover 74 provided to cover the evaporator 10 is made of a heat-resistant and water-resistant material such as aluminum. And the thermal decomposition heater 72.

The deodorizing process of the deodorizing device 70 configured as described above and fixedly installed on the evaporator 10 will be described in detail below.

First, when the refrigerator starts operating together with the deodorizing device 70, the air in the freezer 80 is sucked into the separation wall 100 through the freezer outlet 160 by the blower fan 60. At the same time, the air in the refrigerator compartment 90 is also sucked in through the refrigerator compartment outlet 170, and the freezer compartment 80 and the refrigerator compartment 90
Meet at a separation wall 100 that vertically separates them.

The combined air is cooled to low-temperature air while passing through the evaporator 10, and a part of the air is cooled.
The remaining cold air is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 90 through the refrigerator compartment duct 150. While passing through the evaporator 10, the air comes into contact with the adsorbing member 71 of the deodorizing device 70 provided in the evaporator 10, and the odor component contained in the air is adsorbed on the surface of the adsorbing member 71. Then, only fresh air is discharged to the freezing room 80 and the refrigeration room 90.

The reason why the deodorizing device 70 according to the present invention can more effectively adsorb the odor components in the refrigerator is that the separation wall 100 where the air circulating in the freezing room 80 and the refrigeration room 90 joins. Because the height of the air is low, the air in the refrigerator flows into the evaporator 10 through a small cross-sectional area, so that most of the air flows through the deodorizing device 70.

When the refrigerator is continuously operated for a certain period of time, the moisture contained in the air in the refrigerator is deposited on the surface of the evaporator 10 and frost is generated. If the entire surface of the evaporator 10 is covered, the evaporator 10 cannot sufficiently exchange heat with the air in the refrigerator, so that the cooling effect of the air is reduced. Therefore, when the operating time of the compressor reaches a certain value in order to remove frost attached to the surface of the evaporator 10, the operation of the compressor (not shown) and the blower fan 60 is stopped, and the evaporator 10 is stopped. Power is supplied to the defrost heater 40 and the pyrolysis heater 72 of the deodorizing device 70 arranged at the upper and lower portions of the evaporator 10 to heat the surface of the evaporator 10. At the same time, the heat generated by the pyrolysis heater 72 is transmitted to the adsorption member 71,
The odorous component adsorbed on the oxidizing agent is oxidized and decomposed and removed. Therefore, while the odor component attached to the adsorption member 71 is removed by the pyrolysis heater 72, the adsorption function of the deodorization device 70 is regenerated.

When the operation of removing the frost on the surface of the evaporator 10 is completed, the power supply to the defrost heater 40 and the pyrolysis heater 72 is cut off, and the refrigerator and the fan 60 are further operated while the compressor and the blower fan 60 are further operated. Return to normal operation.

[0043]

The deodorizer of the present invention is located in the separation wall where the air circulating inside the refrigerator is concentrated, and is installed in the internal space of the evaporator, so that almost all of the odor molecules are contained. Can be quickly deodorized. In addition, a separate space for installing the deodorizing device becomes unnecessary, and the defrosting operation can be completed in a short time by the heating action of the pyrolysis heater separately provided from the defrosting heater. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a refrigerator showing an installation position of a deodorizing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view showing a state in which a deodorizing device according to the present invention is installed inside an evaporator in a separation wall, and FIG. 2 (b) is a plan view of FIG. 2 (a). FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cut-away perspective view of the evaporator showing that a deodorizing device according to the present invention is installed in a space where cooling fins of the evaporator are partially removed.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a method for installing a deodorizing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an installation position of a conventional deodorizing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Evaporator 20 Fixing means 22 First hanger 23 Fixing slot 40 Defrosting heater 50 Refrigerant pipe 70 Deodorizing means 71 Adsorbing member 72 Thermal decomposition heater 73 Socket 74 Cover 100 Separation wall

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A cooling means for cooling air circulating in the refrigerator, the cooling means being provided in a separation wall defining a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment of the refrigerator and having cooling fins formed except for a part thereof; And an adsorbing member for adsorbing odor molecules and the like contained in the air, and a heater for thermally decomposing and removing the odor molecules and the like adsorbed on the adsorbing member. And a deodorizing means detachably fixed to a portion where no cooling fin is formed. 2. A pair of hangers, which are formed in upper stages of left and right arm portions facing each other and have a semicircular curved surface, and a pair of sockets located at both ends of the deodorizing means. Is formed between the left and right arms to accommodate and fix the
A circular fixed slot having an open upper portion, and an elastic member extending upward from the open upper portion of the fixed slot, so as to elastically expand when the socket is attached and detached. The installation structure of the deodorizing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: