JP3824819B2 - Freezer refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress breeding of fungi adhered to a food and fungi floating in a box by bringing the interior of a refrigerating chamber into ozone atmosphere having an antibacterial effect, and besides to perform efficient antibactria by suppressing the reduction of ozone concentration in the refrigerating chamber. SOLUTION: A refrigerating zone 26 at a refrigerating temperature zone containing a refrigerating chamber 12 and a vegetable chamber 14 is situated in a manner to separate at a freezing zone 34 at a freezing temperature zone containing freezing chambers 16 and 16, so that cold air is not circulated through each other. Coolers 22 and 30 are situated at the respective zones and an ozone generator 36 is disposed in the refrigerating zone 26.

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a refrigerator-freezer having an antibacterial effect.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a refrigerator-freezer, there is a problem that bacteria such as bacteria and fungi are likely to propagate on the surface of these members due to the contamination of storage members such as inner walls and trays. Therefore, in recent years, an antibacterial treatment has been performed in which an inorganic antibacterial material is kneaded into an internal storage member (mainly a plastic molded part) or a paint containing an inorganic antibacterial material is applied to the storage member.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, even when the above conventional antibacterial treatment is performed, there is a drawback that if the storage member is further contaminated, the effect of the antibacterial material does not reach the surface of the member, and the growth of bacteria begins. In particular, in the case of the kneading method, with the long-term use of the storage member, it is difficult for the antibacterial material to ooze from the inside of the member to the surface, and the antibacterial effect decreases over time even when there is no contamination. is there. Also, with these methods, it is impossible to exert an antibacterial effect over the entire atmosphere in the refrigerator, and the antibacterial effect can be expected only in the vicinity of the contact with the storage member treated with the antibacterial material, and adheres to food. There was no effect on fungi and fungi floating in the cabinet.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and by suppressing the growth of bacteria attached to food and floating in the warehouse by making the refrigerated chamber an ozone atmosphere having an antibacterial effect, And it aims at providing the refrigerator-freezer which can suppress the fall of the ozone concentration in a refrigerator compartment, and can perform an effective antibacterial.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Refrigerator of the present invention, includes a refrigerated zone refrigeration temperature zone including a refrigerating compartment, a freezing zone of the refrigeration temperature zone including refrigerating compartment, the freezing zone and the refrigerating zone, respectively coolers, cold Are separated from each other so as not to circulate, and the basic configuration is that an ozone generator is arranged in the refrigeration zone.
[0006]
As described above, by separating the refrigeration zone and the freezing zone and providing the ozone generator in the refrigeration zone, only the refrigeration room requiring antibacterial action can be selectively brought into an ozone atmosphere. That is, if the refrigeration zone in which the ozone generator is arranged communicates with a refrigeration zone in a lower temperature zone, ozone is concentrated in the refrigeration zone in the lower temperature zone. Can be prevented. In addition, the average evaporating temperature of the cooler dedicated to the refrigeration zone is higher than the average evaporating temperature when both the refrigeration zone and the refrigeration zone are cooled by one cooler, so that the ozone concentration action in the cooler can be reduced. it can. Therefore, when an ozone generator having the same ozone generation capability is mounted, it is easy to suppress a decrease in ozone concentration in the refrigerator compartment. The refrigerator room here includes a vegetable room and a chilled room.
[0011]
Refrigerator according to claim 1 of the present invention, in the above basic configuration, the refrigerating zone has a vegetable compartment, to the vegetable compartment is arranged, vegetable container for accommodating vegetables, the upper opening of the vegetable container A cold air flow path is formed along the upper surface of the lid that covers, and the ozone generator is provided on the upper surface of the lid, and the ozone generator supplies ozone to the cold air flow path and the inside of the vegetable container. It is characterized by releasing.
[0012]
With the refrigerator-freezer according to the first aspect , by providing the ozone generator in the cold air flow path, it is possible to prevent local increase in concentration due to retention of ozone generated from the ozone generator. This configuration is particularly effective when the ozone generator does not include a dedicated blower fan. In addition, by installing an ozone generator on the top of the vegetable container lid to release ozone into the vegetable container, it can be put into a vegetable container with a high storage ratio of ingredients that are not directly wrapped in wraps or films, etc. Antibacterial effect can be given selectively.
[0019]
The refrigerator-freezer according to claim 2 of the present invention has the above basic configuration , wherein the ozone generator includes an ozone generating electrode and a high voltage generating unit that applies a high voltage to the generating electrode, and the refrigerator in the refrigeration zone is removed. During frosting, the voltage applied to the ozone generation electrode is controlled to be lower than the voltage applied during normal ozone generation and to be equal to or higher than the discharge start voltage.
[0020]
If ozone is continuously generated during the defrosting, the ozone is more dissolved in the defrosting drain water, and the contribution ratio of ozone to the antibacterial atmosphere is reduced, and the invalid ozone ratio is increased. On the other hand, since the humidity increases during defrosting, if the applied power to the ozone generating electrode is lower than the discharge start voltage, there is a problem that condensation tends to occur on the electrode. Therefore, as in claim 2, the voltage applied to the ozone generating electrode during defrosting is made lower than normal while maintaining the discharge start voltage, thereby preventing condensation on the ozone generating electrode and preventing corrosion of the electrode. While reducing the amount of ineffective ozone, the electric input during defrosting can be reduced.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0022]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This refrigerator 10 is a refrigerator-freezer having a refrigerator compartment 12, a vegetable compartment 14, and two freezer compartments 16 and 18 from the top.
[0023]
The refrigerator compartment 12 and the vegetable compartment 14 communicate with each other and are cooled by a pair of coolers 22 and a fan 24 disposed in the rear duct 20. That is, the refrigerating room 12 and the vegetable room 14 together with the duct 20 constitute a refrigerating zone 26 in a refrigerating temperature zone cooled by a single cooler 22.
[0024]
The two freezer compartments 16 and 18 are cooled independently of the refrigeration zone 26 by a pair of coolers 30 and fans 32 disposed in a duct 28 behind the two freezer compartments 16 and 18. That is, the freezer compartments 16 and 18 together with the duct 28 constitute a refrigerating zone 34 having a refrigerating temperature zone lower than that of the refrigerating zone 26, so that the refrigerating zone 34 does not circulate cold air with the refrigerating zone 26. Are provided independently.
[0025]
An ozone generator 36 is disposed on the upstream side of the cooler 22 in the duct 20 of the refrigeration zone 26. Specifically, the duct 20 is formed along the bottom surface of the vegetable compartment 14 on the upstream side of the cooler 22, and the ozone generator 36 is disposed in the bottom duct 20 a formed along the bottom surface of the vegetable compartment 14. Has been.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 2, the ozone generator 36 is a creeping discharge type ozone generator including an ozone generating electrode 38 and a high voltage generating unit 40 that applies a high voltage to the ozone generating electrode 38.
[0027]
The ozone generation electrode 38 and the high pressure generation unit 40 are accommodated in a storage container 42. The inside of the storage container 42 is divided into a generation electrode side and a high voltage transformer side by a partition wall 44. A large number of slit-like openings 46 for releasing ozone generated from the generation electrode 38 to the outside are provided on the generation electrode side of the storage container 42.
[0028]
In the refrigerator 10, the refrigerant supplied from one compressor 35 is alternately supplied to the refrigeration cooler 22 and the refrigeration cooler 30 by switching means such as a valve, whereby each cooling zone 26, 34. Is cooled to a predetermined temperature range.
[0029]
By operating the fan 24 during operation of the refrigeration cooler 22, cold air circulates in the refrigeration zone 26 as shown in FIG. 1, thereby cooling the refrigeration zone 26 (hereinafter, this operation mode is referred to as R cooling). Called). At this time, ozone is generated from the ozone generator 36 by applying a voltage higher than the discharge start voltage (usually about twice or more of the discharge start voltage) to the generation electrode 38 of the ozone generator 36, and the generated ozone is Since the ozone generator 36 is disposed in the cold air flow path, the ozone generator 36 is diffused into the refrigerating zone 26, whereby the refrigerating zone 26 becomes an ozone atmosphere.
[0030]
On the other hand, the refrigeration zone 34 is cooled by operating the fan 32 when the refrigeration cooler 30 is operating (when the refrigeration cooler 22 is stopped) (hereinafter, this operation mode is referred to as F cooling). During the F cooling, by operating the fan 24, the frost attached to the cooler 22 evaporates and returns to the refrigerator compartment 12 and the vegetable compartment 14, thereby keeping the inside of the compartments 12 and 14 at a high humidity. The (Hereinafter, this operation mode is referred to as moist operation). During this moist operation, the ozone generation efficiency of the ozone generator 36 is lowered because the inside of the refrigeration zone 26 is high humidity. However, in order to maintain the ozone atmosphere in the refrigeration zone 26, the voltage applied to the generation electrode 38 is R Maintain as cooled. On the other hand, when the fan 24 is not operated during the F cooling, the ozone generator 36 is stopped in order to prevent the stagnation of ozone.
[0031]
When the refrigeration cooler 22 is defrosted, the cooler 22 is heated by the heater 23. At the time of this defrosting, the generated ozone is dissolved in the defrost drain water, and the contribution ratio of ozone to the antibacterial atmosphere is reduced, and the invalid ozone ratio is increased. Further, since the atmosphere becomes high humidity, the ozone generation efficiency itself of the ozone generator 36 is also lowered. On the other hand, since the humidity increases during defrosting, if the power applied to the generation electrode 38 is lowered below the discharge start voltage, condensation tends to occur on the electrode 38. Therefore, at the time of defrosting of the cooler 22, the voltage applied to the electrode 38 is controlled to be lower than the voltage applied during R cooling and equal to or higher than the discharge start voltage. Specifically, the applied voltage is reduced to 1.0 to 1.5 times the discharge start voltage. Thereby, while preventing dew condensation of the ozone generating electrode 38, the amount of ineffective ozone can be reduced and the electric input during defrosting can be reduced.
[0032]
Here, the experiment performed in order to confirm the effect by the said control at the time of defrost is demonstrated. In the experiment, when the ozone generator 36 with an ozone generation amount of 0.25 mg / hour was used, the electric input to the ozone generator 36 was suppressed to 1.2 times the discharge start voltage during defrosting, and A comparison was made with the case where normal electric input was maintained (twice the discharge start voltage) during defrosting. When the excess ozone dissolution concentration in the defrost drain water of both was examined, it was below the detection limit when the electric input was suppressed, whereas it was 0.02 to 0.5 ppm level when the electric input was left as it was. It was found that the amount of ineffective ozone was large.
[0033]
In the refrigerator 10, when the doors of the refrigerator compartment 12 and the vegetable compartment 14 are opened, an electrical input to the ozone generator 36 is performed in conjunction with a door switch (not shown) that detects the open / closed state of the doors. The generation of ozone is stopped so as to shut off, thereby reducing the amount of ozone leaking from the refrigerator compartment 12 and the vegetable compartment 14.
[0034]
Here, the experiment conducted in order to confirm the effect by the said control at the time of door opening is demonstrated. In the experiment, the ozone generator 36 with an ozone generation amount of 0.25 mg / hour was used to shut off the electrical input to the ozone generator 36 when the door was opened (Experiment 1) and when it was not shut off (Experiment 2). ). The ozone concentration on the front surface of the refrigerator compartment 12 immediately after opening the door was measured, and the relationship with the ozone concentration in the refrigerator compartment 12 was determined. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, in Experiment 1, even when the ozone concentration in the refrigerator compartment 12 exceeds 0.1 ppm, the ozone concentration on the front surface of the refrigerator compartment 12 is lower than the odor threshold value of 0.02 ppm. On the other hand, in Experiment 2, it was about 0.02 ppm under the same conditions, and it was in a state where odor can be detected.
[0035]
In the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, the cold air in the refrigeration zone 26 and the refrigeration zone 34 is completely separated and the ozone generator 36 is provided in the refrigeration zone 26, so that the refrigeration that requires antibacterial action. Only the chamber 12 and the vegetable chamber 14 can be efficiently made into an ozone atmosphere.
[0036]
Further, by installing the ozone generator 36 upstream of the cooler 22 in the duct 20, it is possible to prevent the ozone generating electrode 38 from being directly exposed to the high-humidity airflow generated from the cooler 22 during defrosting. And fluctuations in ozone generation efficiency can be prevented. Moreover, the deodorizing effect with respect to the odor molecule selectively adsorbed by the cooler 22 can be exhibited. Furthermore, since the floating bacteria in the warehouse always pass through the duct 20 through the airflow in the warehouse, the effect on the antimicrobial to the floating bacteria is great.
[0037]
Here, an experiment conducted to confirm this effect will be described. In the experiment, an ozone generator 36 having an ozone generation amount of 0.25 mg / hour was used and placed in the bottom duct 20a as shown in FIG. 1 (experiment 3), and the center of the rear wall of the refrigerator compartment 12 was used. (Experiment 4) compared with the case where the ozone generator was not disposed (Experiment 5).
[0038]
In the experiment, about 20 ml of a liquid having an E. coli concentration of 100 cells / ml was sprayed in the refrigerator compartment 12 for 5 minutes to float the E. coli, and then the decrease in the number of floating E. coli was measured. As shown in FIG. 4, in Experiment 3, the number of bacteria became 1/100 or less of the initial value within 30 minutes of the existence limit time of planktonic bacteria, and a clear antibacterial effect was recognized as compared with Experiments 4 and 5.
[0039]
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator 50 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The refrigerator 50 is the same as the refrigerator 10 of the first embodiment except for the position where the ozone generator 36 is disposed.
[0040]
In this embodiment, an ozone generator 36 is disposed in the vegetable compartment 14 in the refrigeration zone 26. Specifically, in the vegetable compartment 14, a vegetable container 51 that opens upward for storing vegetables is disposed, and an ozone generator 36 is disposed on the upper surface of a lid 52 that covers the upper surface opening of the vegetable container 51. . As shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the lid 52 is a cold air flow path through which the cold air flows, and the ozone generator 36 is disposed in the cold air flow path.
[0041]
The ozone generator 36 releases cool air along the flow direction C of the cool air in the cool air flow path as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 6, and on the upper surface of the lid 52 as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. 6. It is comprised so that ozone can be blown out in the vegetable container 51 from the provided opening not shown.
[0042]
According to this embodiment, by providing the ozone generator 36 on the upper surface of the vegetable container lid 52 to release ozone into the vegetable container 51, the vegetables with a high storage ratio of ingredients that are not wrapped with wraps, films, etc. An antibacterial effect can be selectively given into the container 51. In the vegetable container 51, the humidity is higher than that of the refrigerator compartment 12, the consumption of the generated ozone is large, and in order to exert an antibacterial effect, a configuration in which ozone is released toward the vegetable container 51 as in the present embodiment is advantageous. It is.
[0043]
Here, the experiment conducted in order to confirm the antibacterial effect of this 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated. In the experiment, the ozone generator 36 having an ozone generation amount of 0.25 mg / hour was used as described above (Experiment 6), and the rear wall central portion of the vegetable compartment 14 (Y in FIG. 5). The case where the ozone generator was not arranged (Experiment 8) was compared with the case where the ozone generator was not disposed (Experiment 8). In the experiment, an agar medium inoculated with 10 ⁵ E. coli cells was placed in the vegetable container 51, and the change over time in the number of E. coli cells was examined. As shown in FIG. 7, in Experiment 6, it was confirmed that the number of bacteria attenuated much earlier than in Experiments 7 and 8.
[0044]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the ozone generator 36 installed on the vegetable container lid 52 has an ozone generating electrode 38 on the downstream side in the cold air flow direction C with respect to the high pressure generating unit 40. It is arranged to be. Such an arrangement prevents the high pressure generation unit 40 located in the vicinity of the ozone generation electrode 38 from being exposed to high-concentration ozone that has just been generated from the electrode 38 and has not yet diffused. Durability can be improved.
[0045]
Here, an experiment conducted to confirm the effect of this arrangement will be described. In the experiment, an ozone generator 36 having an ozone generation amount of 20 mg / hour was used, and the electrode 38 was arranged on the downstream side of the high-pressure generating unit 40, and the ozone generator 36 was arranged on the upstream side. Compared. About both, color difference (DELTA) E of the resin member (ABS resin) which comprises the high voltage | pressure generation | occurrence | production unit 40 after 1000 hours of continuous electricity supply was measured. As a result, when the electrode 38 is disposed on the downstream side, the color difference ΔE <1 whereas when the electrode 38 is disposed on the upstream side, the color difference ΔE> 2 and yellowing progressed.
[0046]
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the vegetable container 51 of the refrigerator according to the third embodiment. This embodiment is different from the refrigerator 50 of the second embodiment in the configuration of the ozone generator, and the other configurations are the same.
[0047]
In this embodiment, an ozone generator 60 having a dedicated blower fan 62 is used, and this ozone generator 60 is installed on the upper surface of the lid 52 of the vegetable container 51 as in the second embodiment. Specifically, the fan 62 is provided on the downstream side of the ozone generation electrode 38 and is configured to blow the ozone generated from the ozone generation electrode 38 forward along the upper surface of the lid 52. The fan 62 may be provided integrally with the ozone generator as in this embodiment, or may be provided separately in the vicinity of the ozone generator.
[0048]
The ozone generator 60 is disposed such that the air blowing direction D by the fan 62 and the flow direction C of the cold air passing through the vicinity of the ozone generator 60 coincide with each other. That is, the ozone generator 60 is arranged so that the angle formed by the blowing direction D of the fan 62 and the airflow direction C in the warehouse is 0 °.
[0049]
According to this embodiment, since the ozone generator 60 includes the dedicated blower fan 62, the ozone generator 60 is operated even when the fan 24 for the cooler 22 is stopped, such as during F cooling. Ozone can be dispersed in the chamber.
[0050]
In addition, by setting the angle formed between the blowing direction D of the fan 62 and the airflow direction C in the warehouse to 0 °, the dedicated fan 62 of the ozone generator 60 disturbs the flow of the cold air in the cold airflow path in the warehouse. This can prevent the cooling performance from deteriorating. That is, if the air flow generated by the blower fan 62 disturbs the cool air circulation air flow in the internal cool air flow path, the cooling performance is deteriorated, the load on the blower fan 62 is increased, and the ozone concentration is uniformized after the door opening / closing operation. However, according to the present embodiment, such a problem can be solved. In order to prevent such a decrease in cooling performance due to the dedicated fan 62, it is preferable that the angle formed between the blowing direction D of the fan 62 and the cold air flow direction C of the cold air flow path is 60 ° or less.
[0051]
Here, an experiment conducted to confirm the effect of setting the angle between the air blowing direction D of the fan 62 and the airflow direction C in the warehouse to 0 ° will be described. In the experiment, an increase in electrical input in the entire refrigerator compared to the case where the ozone generator 60 was not arranged was examined. For comparison, the ozone generator 60 is adjusted so that the fan blowing direction D and the internal airflow direction C are opposite to each other (that is, the angle between the fan blowing direction D and the internal airflow direction C is 180 °). Experiments were also performed on the arrangement. As a result, when the angle between the fan blowing direction D and the internal airflow direction C is 180 °, the increase of the electric input in the entire refrigerator is 4% larger than that when the angle is 0 °.
[0052]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the refrigerator-freezer of the present invention, after the refrigeration zone and the refrigeration zone are separated, an ozone generator is provided in the refrigeration zone, so that only the refrigerator compartment requiring antibacterial action is provided. An ozone atmosphere can be selectively used, and efficient antibacterial operation of the refrigerator can be performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ozone generator used in the same embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship of ozone concentration between the refrigerator compartment and the front of the refrigerator compartment when the door is opened.
FIG. 4 is a graph showing the antibacterial effect on airborne bacteria in the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the vegetable compartment in the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a graph showing the antibacterial effect on adherent bacteria in the second embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a vegetable container in a refrigerator according to a third embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
10, 50 ... refrigerator 12 ... refrigerator compartment 14 ... vegetable compartment 16, 18 ... freezer compartment 20 ... duct 22, 30 ... cooler 26 ... refrigerator compartment 34 ... freezer zone 36 ... ozone generator 38 …… Ozone generating electrode 40 …… High pressure generating unit 51 …… Vegetable container 52 …… Lid 60 …… Ozone generator 62 …… Fan

Claims (2)

In a refrigerator / freezer comprising a refrigeration zone having a refrigeration temperature zone including a refrigeration chamber and a refrigeration zone having a refrigeration temperature zone including a freezer compartment,
The refrigeration zone and the refrigeration zone are each provided with a cooler and are provided separately so that cold air does not circulate with each other,
The refrigeration zone has a vegetable room, a vegetable container for storing vegetables is arranged in the vegetable room, a cold air flow path is formed along the upper surface of the lid covering the upper surface opening of the vegetable container, A refrigerator-freezer , wherein the ozone generator is provided on an upper surface of the lid, and the ozone generator releases ozone into the cold air flow path and the vegetable container . In a refrigerator / freezer comprising a refrigeration zone having a refrigeration temperature zone including a refrigeration chamber and a refrigeration zone having a refrigeration temperature zone including a freezer compartment,
The refrigeration zone and the refrigeration zone are each provided with a cooler and are provided separately so that cold air does not circulate with each other,
Rutotomoni ozone generator is disposed in the refrigerating zone,
The ozone generator comprises an ozone generating electrode and a high voltage generating unit for applying a high voltage to the generating electrode, and the voltage applied to the ozone generating electrode is generated as normal ozone when defrosting the cooler in the refrigeration zone. A refrigerator-freezer that is controlled to be lower than an applied voltage at the time and equal to or higher than a discharge start voltage .

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