JP7012139B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with a defrost heater.

In recent years, as energy saving of refrigerators progresses, there are methods for improving the efficiency of cooling efficiency and improving the defrosting efficiency when melting frost adhering to the cooler in order to reduce the power consumption of the refrigerator.

Among them, as a conventional refrigerator that reduces the power consumption of the refrigerator, for example, as in Patent Document 1, the inflow of air warmed by the defrost heater into the refrigerator is suppressed, and the temperature rise in the refrigerator is suppressed. There is a way to obtain the energy saving effect by doing so. Further, as in Patent Document 2, there is disclosed a method of increasing the heating efficiency by transferring the radiant heat from the defrosting heater to the cooler by a heat transfer plate.

Hereinafter, the conventional refrigerator will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator peripheral described in Patent Document 1. The cooler 601 is installed in the cooling chamber 603. The cooling chamber 603 is a region formed by the cooler cover 604 on the back surface of the freezing chamber 602.

A cold air inlet 605 composed of a cooler cover 604 is opened on the lower front side of the cooler 601 to circulate the cold air. A warm air inflow space 606 is provided below between the inside of the refrigerator cover 604 and the side of the cooler 601 which is opened and into which the air warmed by the defrost heater flows.

With this configuration, the air warmed by the defrost heater 607 during defrosting flows into the warm air inflow space 606 more than inside the refrigerator, so that the temperature rise inside the refrigerator can be suppressed and the inside of the refrigerator is warmed during defrosting. Since the amount of heat energy can be reduced, energy saving is improved.

FIG. 7 shows a detailed cross-sectional view of the side surface around the cooling air of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 2. A transfer made of a metal having high thermal conductivity, which has a heat absorbing portion 703A that directly receives radiant heat from the defrost heater 702 and a heat radiating portion 703B that is arranged in close contact with the cooler 701 so as to cover the back surface of the cooler 701. A hot plate 703 is provided.

Since the radiant heat absorbing means 704 that absorbs the radiant heat from the defrosting heater 702 is provided on the surface of the heat absorbing portion 703A facing the defrosting heater 702, the portion of the cooler 701 that is separated from the defrosting heater 702 can also be removed. Efficiently transfers the radiant heat from the frost heater 702. As a result, the frost of the cooler 701 can be efficiently melted, the defrosting time is shortened, and the capacity of the defrosting heater 702 is reduced, so that the energy saving performance of the defrosting device (refrigerator) can be improved.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-60188 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-57910

The conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 has an effect of saving energy by reducing heat energy by suppressing the inflow of air heated from the defrosting heater into the refrigerator at the time of defrosting.

However, since the temperature rise of the warm air inflow space itself is unavoidable, the temperature on the back side of the refrigerator is particularly affected by the heat conduction from the warm air inflow space where the temperature has risen to the inside of the refrigerator.

In addition, since the return port of the cold air from the refrigerator is not closed, the heated air flows out to the freezer as the cold air flows into the cooler room, so that the temperature inside the refrigerator cannot be avoided. There was also.

Therefore, since the stored food is subject to temperature fluctuations, the food is warmed, and every time the food is defrosted, the inside of the food is repeatedly frozen and thawed, resulting in deterioration of freshness.

Further, the conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 2 has an effect of efficiently absorbing and transporting radiant heat from the defrosting heater.

However, in order to heat transfer the amount of heat required for defrosting with the heat transfer plate, the thickness of the heat transfer plate is required. Therefore, there is a problem that it is necessary to give a large amount of energy to cool the heated heat transfer plate after the defrosting is completed. Further, since the return port of the cold air from the refrigerator is not closed, there is a problem that the heat transfer plate is cooled by the cold air flowing into the cooling chamber. Further, since the heated air flows out to the freezing chamber as much as the cold air flows into the cooler chamber, there is a problem that the temperature inside the refrigerator cannot be avoided.

Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention provides a refrigerator with improved energy efficiency during defrosting and energy saving.

In order to achieve the above object, a cooler that generates cold air, a defrost heater arranged below the cooler, the cooler, an inlet side space to the cooler, and an outlet from the cooler. It has a cooler cover that covers the side space, a connection space that connects the entrance side space and the exit side space, an entrance damper that opens and closes the entrance side space, and a connection damper that opens and closes the connection space. The cooler, the inlet side space, the outlet side space, and the connection space are located in the space surrounded by the cooler cover, the entrance damper, and the wall of the refrigerator, and the cooling is performed. The vessel cover has a drive unit for driving the inlet damper and the connection damper, a blower fan is arranged on the cooler cover in the outlet side space, and the inlet damper is closed by the drive unit at the start of defrosting. At the same time, the connection damper is opened, the blower fan is stopped, the air is heated and raised by the energization of the defrost heater, the air passes through the cooler, proceeds to the outlet side space, and in the outlet side space, the above A refrigerator is used in which the air is cooled, descends through the connection space, is heated again by the energization of the defrosting heater, and is raised to circulate the air .

As described above, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, it is possible to improve the energy efficiency in defrosting the refrigerator of the refrigerator and save energy.

Perspective view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Longitudinal sectional view around the refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Longitudinal sectional view around the refrigerator cooler according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Longitudinal sectional view around the refrigerator cooler according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Longitudinal sectional view around the cooler of the conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 1. Longitudinal sectional view around the cooler of the conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, detailed description will be omitted for the parts having the same configuration and no difference from the conventional ones. Further, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the periphery of the refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

<Refrigerator body>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the refrigerator main body 101 has a metal (for example, iron plate) outer box 107 that opens forward, a hard resin (for example, ABS) inner box 108, and an outer box 107 and an inner box. It is a heat insulating body composed of a rigid urethane foam foam-filled between 108.

A refrigerating chamber 102 provided in the upper part of the refrigerator main body 101, an upper freezing chamber 103 provided under the refrigerating chamber 102, and an ice making chamber 104 provided in parallel with the upper freezing chamber 103 under the refrigerating chamber 102. It is composed of a vegetable compartment 106 provided in the lower part of the main body, an upper freezing chamber 103 installed in parallel, and a lower freezing chamber 105 provided between the ice making chamber 104 and the vegetable compartment 106.

The front portions of the upper freezing chamber 103, the ice making chamber 104, the lower freezing chamber 105, and the vegetable compartment 106 are freely opened and closed by a drawer-type door (not shown). The front surface of the refrigerator compartment 102 is freely opened and closed by, for example, a double door type door (not shown).

The top surface of the refrigerator body 101 is provided with a stepped recess toward the back surface of the refrigerator to provide a machine chamber 210, and is composed of a first top surface portion 202 and a second top surface portion 203. A compressor 208 arranged in this stepped recess, a dryer (not shown) for removing water, a capacitor (not shown), a heat dissipation pipe for heat dissipation (not shown), and a capillary tube 209. , The refrigerating cycle formed by sequentially connecting the cooler 201 in an annular shape is filled with the refrigerant, and the cooling operation is performed.

In recent years, flammable refrigerants are often used as refrigerants for environmental protection. In the case of a refrigeration cycle using a three-way valve or a switching valve, those functional parts can be arranged in the machine room 210.

Further, the refrigerating chamber 102, the ice making chamber 104 and the upper freezing chamber 103 are partitioned by the first heat insulating partition portion 204.

Further, the ice making chamber 104 and the upper freezing chamber 103 are partitioned by a second heat insulating partition 109.

Further, the ice making chamber 104, the upper freezing chamber 103, and the lower freezing chamber 105 are partitioned by a third heat insulating partition 205.

Further, the lower freezing chamber 105 and the vegetable compartment 106 are separated by a fourth heat insulating partition 206.

<Around the cooler>
Next, the configuration around the cooler according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A cooling chamber 211 is provided on the back surface of the refrigerator main body 101, and a cooler 201 for generating cold air is arranged in the cooling chamber 211. A cooler cover 302 that covers the cooler 201 is arranged inside the front chamber of the cooling chamber 211. The cooler cover 302 is provided at a lower portion with a cold air inlet 301 for returning the cold air that has cooled the freezing chamber to the cooler 201.

A connection space 305 is arranged on the cooler cover 302. The connection space 305 is a passage connecting the upper space 308 and the lower space 309, and is communicated differently from the space in which the cooler 201 exists. That is, they are lined up in parallel with the connection space 305 and the cooler 201.

The upper space 308 and the lower space 309 are the space above and the space below the cooler 201 in the cooling chamber 211.

Further, an inlet damper 307a and a connection damper 307b are arranged in the cold air inlet 301 and the connection space 305, respectively, and the cold air inlet 301 and the connection space 305 can be opened and closed by the damper drive unit 307.

Further, a sheet-shaped heat insulating material 306 having higher heat insulating performance than the material of the cooler cover 302 is attached to the surface of the cooler cover 302 on the connection space 305 side. As the heat insulating material 306, in the first embodiment, a heat insulating sheet in which silica airgel is embedded in the voids of the fiber sheet can be used. However, other sheet-shaped heat insulating materials may be used.

Further, in the vicinity of the cooler 201 (for example, the upper space 308), the cooler 201 is generated in each storage room of the refrigerating room 102, the ice making room 104, the upper freezing room 103, the lower freezing room 105, and the vegetable room 106 by a forced convection method. A cold air blower fan 207 that blows the cool air is arranged.

The lower space 309 of the cooler 201 is provided with a defrost heater 212 made of a glass tube as a defrost heater for defrosting the frost adhering to the cooler 201 and the cold air blower fan 207 during cooling.

A heater cover 303 that covers the defrosting heater 212 is arranged above the defrosting heater 212, and the evaporation sound due to the water droplets dripping from the cooler 201 during defrosting falling directly onto the surface of the glass tube that has become hot due to defrosting. The size is equal to or larger than the diameter and width of the glass tube so that

Below the defrost heater 212, a drain pan 304 integrated with the upper surface of the fourth heat insulating partition 206, which is the lower surface of the freezing chamber that receives the defrosted water from which the frost adhering to the cooler 201 is thawed and falls, is arranged. ing. Here, in the first embodiment, the inlet damper 307a and the connection damper 307b are driven by the same damper drive unit 307, but they may be driven by providing individual mechanisms.

<Process for defrosting refrigerator>
The process of defrosting the refrigerator will be described. When the refrigerator is cooled down, with the passage of time, the moisture in the air that has entered when the door is opened and closed, the moisture adhering to the food that has been put into the refrigerator, and the moisture from the vegetables stored in the vegetable compartment 106, etc. Frost adheres to the cooler 201.

When this frost grows, the heat exchange efficiency between the cooler 201 and the circulating cold air decreases, and the inside of the refrigerator cannot be sufficiently cooled, resulting in a dull cooling or an uncooled state. Therefore, in the refrigerator, it is necessary to periodically defrost the frost adhering to the cooler 201.

Even in the refrigerator of the present embodiment, the refrigerator is operated and defrosting is automatically performed after a certain period of time has elapsed.

During normal refrigerator operation before the start of defrosting, the inlet damper 307a is positioned by the damper drive unit 307 so that the cold air inlet 301 is opened and the connection damper 307b is in a state where the connection space 305 is closed. The cold air returned from the lower freezing chamber 105 through the cold air inlet 301 is cooled by the cooler 201. After that, the cold air blower fan 207 blows air to each room to control the temperature of each room.

Then, at the start of defrosting, the inlet damper 307a is positioned by the damper drive unit 307 so that the cold air inlet 301 is closed and the connection damper 307b is in the state of opening the connection space 305. Further, the operation of the compressor 208 and the cold air blower fan 207 is stopped, and the defrost heater 212, which is a defrost heater, is energized.

By energizing the defrost heater 212, the surface of the defrost heater 212 becomes hot and heats the surrounding air. Further, the peripheral members are heated by the radiation of the defrosting heater 212.

Generally, the cooler 201 is made of aluminum and has a very high emissivity, so that direct heating by radiation cannot be expected. Therefore, heat transfer by heated air is the main. The heated air becomes an updraft, rises through the inside of the cooler 201, then descends through the connection space 305, and is heated again by the defrost heater 212 to become an updraft. At this time, the air resistance of the cooler 201 is set to be smaller than the air resistance of the connection space 305 by means such as narrowing the width of the connection space 305. As a result, the air heated by the defrost heater 212 becomes an updraft and then is directly introduced into the cooler 201. At this time, the sheet-shaped heat insulating material 306 arranged on the surface of the cooler cover 302 on the connection space 305 side suppresses heat conduction to the lower freezing chamber 105 by the air heated by the defrosting heater 212 and convected. It becomes possible to do.

The cooler 201 is equipped with a defrosting sensor (not shown), and ends by stopping the energization of the defrosting heater 212 when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature. The defrosting process described above refreshes the cooler 201 by melting the frost adhering to the cooler 201, the drain pan 304, and the cold air blower fan 207.

With the above configuration and process, it is possible to melt the frost while preventing the air heated by the defrost heater 212 from flowing out to the lower freezing chamber 105 during defrosting, improving energy efficiency during defrosting and saving energy. Will be.

(Embodiment 2)
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Differences from the first embodiment will be described. The matters not described are the same as those in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in the second embodiment. The following two points are different from the configuration of the first embodiment. On the outer surface of the lower freezer chamber 105 side of the cooler 201, a laminated body 401 in which a graphite sheet and a heat insulating sheet in which silica airgel is embedded in the voids of the fiber sheet is laminated from the cooler 201 side is provided, and the cooler 201. On the outer surface of the cooling chamber 211 on the back side (rear side of the refrigerator), a laminated sheet 402 is provided in which a graphite sheet and a heat insulating sheet in which silica airgel is embedded in the voids of the fiber sheet are laminated from the cooler 201 side. Is different.

This prevents the influence of heating by the defrosting heater 212 from affecting other parts, thereby improving the energy efficiency at the time of defrosting and saving energy.

Here, in the second embodiment, the laminated body 401 and the laminated sheet 402 use a laminated body of a graphite sheet and a heat insulating sheet in which silica airgel is embedded in the voids of the fiber sheet. However, the graphite sheet and silica airgel are not limited to the heat insulating sheet embedded in the voids of the fiber sheet, and may be a high heat conductive material and a high heat insulating material, respectively.

Further, in the second embodiment, the laminated body 401 and the laminated sheet 402 are arranged, but only the laminated body 401 is arranged, or only the laminated sheet 402 is arranged, and only the heat transfer material and the heat insulating material are used. This can also be selected depending on the configuration of the cooler 201, the position of the defrost heater 212, and the calorific value condition.

(Embodiment 3)
Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Differences from the second embodiment will be described. The matters not described are the same as those in the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in the third embodiment. The passage of the connection space 305 is narrower than that of the first embodiment. In this case, the surface of the cooler cover 302 on the cooler 201 side is arranged as a concave shape in the vertical direction toward the cooler 201 side. The surface of the lower freezing chamber 105 side of the cooler 201 may be convex.

This makes it difficult for the electromagnetic waves generated by the radiant heat of the defrost heater 212 to escape to the outside even after being reflected by the cooler 201 and peripheral members. As a result, energy efficiency during defrosting is improved and energy is saved.

Here, in the third embodiment, the surface of the cooler cover 302 on the cooler 201 side is arranged as a concave shape in the vertical direction toward the cooler 201 side. However, the concave shape may be formed not only in the vertical direction but also in the horizontal direction, and may be formed in a three-dimensional shape such as a spherical shape, not limited to the vertical or horizontal direction.

The refrigerator of the present invention has a defrosting function of a cooler that enhances the energy efficiency of the refrigerator, and can also be applied to other applications for improving energy efficiency during defrosting such as an air conditioner system that utilizes a refrigeration cycle.

101 Refrigerator body 102 Refrigerator room 103 Upper freezer room 104 Ice making room 105 Lower freezer room 106 Vegetable room 107 Outer box 108 Inner box 109 Second heat insulation partition 201 Cooler 202 First top surface 203 Second top surface 204 One heat insulation partition 205 Third heat insulation partition 206 Fourth heat insulation partition 207 Cold air blower fan 208 Compressor 209 Capillary tube 210 Machine room 211 Cooling room 212 Defrosting heater 301 Cold air inlet 302 Cooler cover 303 Heater cover 304 Drain pan 305 Connection space 306 Insulation material 307 Damper drive unit 307a Inlet damper 307b Connection damper 308 Upper space 309 Lower space 401 Laminated body 402 Laminated sheet 601 Cooler 602 Freezer room 603 Cooling room 604 Cooler cover 605 Cooling air inlet 606 Defrost heater 701 Cooler 702 Defrost heater 703 Heat transfer plate 703A Heat absorption unit 703B Heat dissipation unit 704 Radiation heat absorption means

Claims (9)

With a cooler that produces cold air,
With the defrosting heater arranged below the cooler,
A cooler cover that covers the cooler, the space on the inlet side to the cooler, the space on the outlet side from the cooler, and the connection space connecting the space on the inlet side and the space on the outlet side.
An entrance damper that opens and closes the entrance side space,
A refrigerator having a connection damper that opens and closes the connection space.
The cooler, the inlet side space, the outlet side space, and the connection space are located in a space surrounded by the cooler cover, the inlet damper, and the wall of the refrigerator.
The cooler cover has a drive unit that drives the inlet damper and the connection damper.
A blower fan is placed on the cooler cover in the outlet side space.
At the start of defrosting, the drive unit closes the inlet damper , opens the connection damper, stops the blower fan, heats and raises the air by energization of the defrost heater, passes through the cooler, and passes through the cooler. The air proceeds to the outlet side space, and in the outlet side space, the air is cooled, descends through the connection space, and is heated and raised again by the energization of the defrost heater to raise the air. A refrigerator that circulates. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the only place that can be moved by the air between the inlet side space and the outlet side space is the connection space and the cooler. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air resistance of the cooler is smaller than the air resistance of the connection space . The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a heat insulating material is provided on the cooler side of the cooler cover. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a heat insulating material is provided on at least one surface of the cooler cover side of the cooler and the back side of the refrigerator of the cooler. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein a heat conductive material is provided between the heat insulating material and the cooler. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a heat conductive material is provided on at least one surface of the cooler cover side of the cooler and the back side of the refrigerator of the cooler. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cover portion of the connection space of the cooler cover on the cooler side has a concave shape with respect to the cooler. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cross-sectional area through which air in the connection space passes is not constant and varies.

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