JP7128543B2 - freezer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to freezers.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a freezer that is formed into a box and has an outlet on the top surface. For example, there is a freezer configured by winding a cooling pipe around the outer periphery of a wall surface surrounding a cooling chamber in which stored items are stored (see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-11-108532

The freezer employs a refrigerating cycle using a compressor. A cooling pipe as an evaporator is wound around the outer circumference of the side wall of the inner box, and two inner wall surfaces of the outer wall facing each other serve as condensers. A heat dissipation pipe is provided.

Such a freezer consumes a large amount of power and has a high running cost. Also, such freezers are not suitable for transportation. Further, although it is possible to keep the room temperature in the cooling chamber at, for example, -30°C to -20°C, it is difficult to obtain an extremely low room temperature lower than -30°C.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve at least one of the above problems, and to provide a freezer that is convenient for transportation and that can make the room temperature of the freezer compartment extremely low.

In order to solve at least one of the above-described problems, a freezer according to one aspect of the present invention is a freezer that stores and cools an object in a freezer compartment that opens upward, and is a Stirling freezer that is arranged in a machine room. a cooler supplied with cold heat by the Stirling refrigerator; and a blower fan for generating an air flow in the freezer compartment, at least part of the cooler communicates with an upper part of the freezer compartment. Also, it is arranged in an adjacent room adjacent to the machine room so as to come into contact with the cold head of the Stirling refrigerator entering the adjacent room from the machine room.

In the above-mentioned freezer, a guide plate having a through hole is provided in the adjacent chamber, the blower fan is disposed above the adjacent chamber, and the guide plate separates the cooler below the blower fan at a predetermined interval. The air in the freezer compartment that is arranged to cover and forms an air flow path in the adjacent compartment and is taken in by the blower fan passes through the cooling fins of the cooler and is cooled, and then passes through the cooling fins of the induction plate. You may flow out to the said freezer compartment from the downward direction.

In order to solve at least one of the above-described problems, a freezer according to one aspect of the present invention is a freezer that stores and cools an object in a freezer compartment that opens upward, and is a Stirling freezer that is arranged in a machine room. and a cooler to which cold heat is supplied by the Stirling refrigerator, the base of the cooler communicates with the upper part of the freezer compartment and is adjacent to the machine room. Disposed in contact with the cold head of the Stirling refrigerator entering the adjacent chamber, the cooler includes a plurality of heat pipes connected to the base and extending downwardly in the freezer chamber. At least one of the plurality of heat pipes has a length different from others.

The freezer may include a blower fan for generating an air flow in the freezer compartment, and the air cooled by the heat pipe may be circulated inside the freezer compartment by the blower fan.
In the freezer described above, the Stirling refrigerator may be a free piston type provided with a linear motor.

In the freezer described above, the freezer compartment may include a basket for storing the object, and the blower fan for generating an air flow in the freezer compartment may be disposed below the basket.

In the freezer described above, the blower fan for generating an air flow in the freezer compartment may be provided with an electric heating unit for warming the periphery of the bearing of the motor.

The freezer may include a pair of wheels arranged opposite to each other and a handle arranged on the opposite side of the wheels, so that an object can be stored in the freezer compartment and transported in a cooled state. .

In the freezer described above, the edge of the opening of the freezer compartment may be formed in a convex shape so as to protrude from the surrounding portion.

The above-described freezer includes an outer lid that has an outer peripheral portion that abuts on the edge of the opening of the freezer compartment and the surrounding portion thereof, and an inner peripheral portion that closes the opening, and is composed of a heat insulating material, The inner peripheral portion protrudes from the outer peripheral portion and enters the opening, the outer peripheral portion has a recessed stepped portion in which a portion around the inner peripheral portion is recessed, and an airtight packing is provided in the stepped portion. is provided, and the edge of the opening of the freezer compartment may be formed in a convex shape so as to protrude from the surrounding portion, and may be fitted with the stepped portion of the outer peripheral portion.

The freezer may further include an inner lid disposed near the upper end of the freezer compartment at a position higher than the adjacent compartment.

In the freezer described above, a stopper having elasticity and having a hole that is rotatably attached to the outer cover and that engages with a stopper provided on the housing of the freezer may be provided.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a freezer with low running costs. According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a freezer that is convenient for transportation. According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a freezer in which the room temperature of the freezer compartment can be made extremely low.

Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

It is a figure showing an outline of composition of an example of a freezer concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the freezer of FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a transportation state of the freezer of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of a stopper and a stopper of the freezer of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a view showing another example of the stopper and the stopper of the freezer of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an overview of the configuration of another example of the freezer according to one embodiment of the present invention; It is a figure which shows an example of the ventilation fan for cooling of the freezer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the ventilation fan for cooling of the freezer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that constituent elements common to the following embodiments may be denoted by the same reference numerals as the aforementioned reference numerals, and description thereof may be omitted. In addition, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of components, etc., unless otherwise specified or in principle clearly considered otherwise, etc. that are substantially similar or similar to the shape, etc. shall include

1 to 5 are diagrams showing an example of a freezer according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration, FIG. 2 is an external view, FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a stopper and a stopper, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example. In FIG. 1, X indicates the left-right direction, Y indicates the up-down direction, and Z indicates the front-rear direction (the front side of the user when taking in and out an object is the front side, and the opposite side is the rear side).

The freezer 1 is a freezer that stores an object in a freezer compartment 2 and transports the object in a cooled state. The freezer compartment 2 is a space that opens upward and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape without an upper surface. The freezer compartment 2 is composed of an inner box 3 , and a heat insulating material 5 is arranged outside the inner box 3 except for a communication port communicating with the adjacent room 4 . In addition, the freezer 1 may not have the inner box 3 and the freezer compartment 2 may be partitioned by the heat insulating material 5 . The opening of the freezer compartment 2 can be opened and closed by an outer lid 16 which will be described later.

The adjacent chamber 4 is a space that communicates with the upper portion of the freezing chamber 2 and is adjacent to the machine chamber 6 below. The adjacent chamber 4 is composed of an inner box 3 common to the freezer compartment 2, and a heat insulating material 5 is provided outside the inner box 3 except for the communication port. The adjacent chamber 4 may be composed of an inner box different from that of the freezer compartment 2, or may be a space partitioned by a heat insulating material 5 without an inner box. The machine room 6 is a space configured outside the heat insulating material 5 , and is provided next to the freezer compartment 2 between the heat insulating material 5 below the adjacent room 4 and the housing 7 .

As a device for cooling the freezer compartment 2 , the freezer 1 includes a Stirling refrigerator 8 , a cooler 9 supplied with cold heat from the Stirling refrigerator 8 , and an air flow in the freezer compartment 2 . It includes a blower fan 10 and a power supply (not shown) that supplies power. A power supply device is a transformer that inserts a power plug into an external power outlet, acquires power through a cable, and converts the power into a predetermined voltage. The power supply may obtain power from a battery housed inside the freezer 1 or from a battery attached to the outside of the freezer 1 .

The Stirling refrigerator 8 is a refrigerator that uses a reverse Stirling cycle (a cycle in which a working gas is compressed and expanded by an external power source to release and absorb heat) to generate cryogenic heat. Conventional technology is appropriately used for the Stirling refrigerator 8, and although detailed description is omitted here, helium gas, hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas, or the like is used as a working medium, and a cold head (low-temperature endothermic part) 8a at the tip is used. generates cryogenic heat. A motor that drives the piston of the Stirling refrigerator 8 is powered by a power supply (external power supply or battery).

The Stirling refrigerator 8 is, for example, a free piston type equipped with a linear motor. The power is, for example, 70w to 1.2kw, and 70w to 350w, preferably 80w to 260w for transportation.

In this way, the use of the Stirling refrigerator is more environmentally friendly than the use of conventional compressors because it eliminates the need to use refrigerants such as freon that destroy the ozone layer. In addition, it is said that the efficiency from around -50°C is extremely good. Furthermore, those using compressors do not work well when tilting and are not mobile friendly. On the other hand, a Stirling refrigerator can be operated in any direction of 360 degrees if a free piston type linear motor system is used, for example.

The Stirling refrigerator 8 is arranged in the machine room 6 so that the cold head 8 a protrudes upward and penetrates the lower surfaces of the inner box 3 and the heat insulating material 5 to enter the adjacent room 4 . A heat exchanger 8 b that conducts heat with the warm head (high-temperature radiator) of the Stirling refrigerator 8 to facilitate the release of warm heat is arranged in the machine room 6 . An air port 11 passing through the housing 7 is provided in the vicinity of the heat exchanger 8b. A blower fan 12 for discharging heat is provided below the Stirling refrigerator 8 , and the air in the machine room 6 is discharged from a heat radiation port 13 at the lower end of the housing 7 .

The cooler 9 is supplied with cold heat by the Stirling refrigerator 8 . In other words, the cooler 9 is a heat exchanger that conducts heat with the low-temperature endothermic part of the Stirling refrigerator 8 . The cooler 9 has a plurality of fins for promoting heat exchange, and is arranged below the adjacent chamber 4 so as to contact the cold head 8 a of the Stirling refrigerator 8 entering the adjacent chamber 4 .

The blower fan 10 is for generating an air flow inside the freezer compartment 2 . The blower fan 10 is arranged in the upper part of the adjacent compartment 4, and makes air flow in the freezer compartment 2 through a communicating port. A guide plate 14 having a through hole is provided below the blower fan 10 and between it and the cooler 9 . The guide plate 14 is arranged to cover the cooler 9 from above at a predetermined interval, and forms an air flow path in the adjacent chamber 4 . As shown in the figure, the blower fan 10, the guide plate 14 and the cooler 9 may be surrounded by a casing having openings on the upper surface and the side surface of the communication port.

The air in the freezer compartment 2 taken into the cooler 9 by the blower fan 10 loses heat by passing through the cooling fins of the cooler 9, is cooled, and flows out from below the induction plate 14 into the freezer compartment 2. . That is, in the freezer compartment 2, the air in the room is sucked upward by the blower fan 10, taken into the cooler 9 of the adjacent compartment 4, cooled, and then sent out to flow downward. can be cooled to The room temperature of the freezing compartment 2 is, for example, a lower limit of -10°C to -198°C, more preferably -20°C to -100°C, and an upper limit of 10°C to 20°C, more preferably 5°C to 10°C. be.

A temperature sensor is provided in the freezer compartment 2 so that the room temperature of the freezer compartment 2 can be monitored. Preferably, the freezer 1 includes a control section for controlling the drive of the motor that powers the Stirling refrigerator 8, so that the room temperature of the freezer compartment 2 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature. In addition, the freezer 1 is designed so that the user can adjust the room temperature of the freezer compartment 2, and a control panel 15 for adjusting the room temperature is provided on the upper surface of the housing 7. FIG.
Drive control of the motor that powers the Stirling refrigerator 8 is performed by supplying and stopping the power. Also, the compression rate of the piston may be increased or decreased by voltage control, current control, or the like. Frequency control may be used.

The outer lid 16 opens and closes the opening of the freezer compartment 2, and includes a heat insulating material extending over the entire cross section. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer lid 16 has a cross section larger than the opening of the freezer compartment 2, and an outer peripheral part that abuts on the edge of the opening of the freezer compartment 2 and its surrounding portion (the upper end of the housing 7). 16 a and an inner peripheral portion 16 b that closes the opening of the freezer compartment 2 . The inner peripheral portion 16b protrudes from the outer peripheral portion 16a and enters the opening of the freezer compartment 2 in the closed state.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer peripheral portion 16a is recessed around the inner peripheral portion 16b to provide a recessed stepped portion 16c. On the other hand, the edge portion 7a of the opening of the freezer compartment 2 protrudes from the surrounding portion, and in the closed state, the protruding edge portion 7a of the opening fits into the recessed stepped portion 16c. An airtight packing 17 is provided at the stepped portion 16c. The freezer 1 can prevent liquid or the like from flowing into the freezer compartment 2 from the opening by forming the edge 7a of the opening of the freezer compartment 2 in a convex shape. The edge portion 7a of the opening of the freezer compartment 2 may be composed of the housing 7, or may be composed of the inner box 3 or the heat insulating material 5. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the outer lid 16 is provided with fasteners 18 for fixing the outer lid 16 to the housing 7 . The stopper 18 is a stopper that is pulled and stopped. More specifically, the stopper 18 is in the form of an elastic band and has a through hole 18a. On the other hand, the housing 7 is provided with a stopper 7b for engaging with the hole 18a of the stopper 18 . The stop portion 7b is formed in the shape of a projection or hook projecting forward. The stopper 7b is provided so that the lower end of the hole 18a does not reach the lower end of the stopper 7b unless the stopper 18 is stretched. As an example, the hole portion 18a and the stop portion 7b are formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the hole portion 18a is formed slightly larger than the stop portion 7b.

As shown in FIG. 4, the stopper 18 is provided with a shaft portion 18b at one end, and is rotatably attached to the outer lid 16 via the shaft portion 18b. The stopper 18 is provided with a finger-holding portion 18c which makes it easy to put a finger on the other end and apply force. More specifically, the fastener 18 is formed with a pair of extending portions 18d extending left and right from the belt-like portion at the other end, and the extending portions 18d and the belt-like portion form a pair of substantially L-shaped finger hook portions. 18c is formed. Preferably, the finger rest 18c has a concave portion or an upwardly sloping sloping portion to make it easier to put the finger on. As an example, the finger hook portion 18c is formed in a gently curved shape in which the outer side of the extension portion 18d rises upward, making it easy to hook a finger.

When fixing the outer lid 16 to the housing 7, each finger is hooked on each of the finger hook portions 18c, the stopper 18 is stretched in the direction of the arrow A shown in the figure, and the stopper portion 7b is inserted into the hole 18a and engaged. Let In the freezer 1, the freezer compartment 2 can be kept in a more sealed state by providing the stopper 18. - 特許庁Further, it is possible to prevent the outer lid 16 from being shifted or opened during transportation.

As shown in FIG. 5, the hole portion 18a of the stopper 18 and the stopper portion 7b of the housing 7 may be formed in a substantially triangular shape. By forming in this manner, the hole portion 18a can be more easily engaged with the stopper portion 7b, and the engagement can be more reliably performed. Note that the hole portion 18a and the stopper portion 7b may be formed in a substantially circular or elliptical shape. Also, the stopper 18 may be provided with two or more holes.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the freezer 1 may be further provided with an inner lid 19 . The inner lid 19 is arranged inside the freezer compartment 2, more specifically, at a position higher than the adjacent compartment 4 near the upper end. As an example, the inner lid 19 is supported by a rib-like portion protruding into the freezer compartment 2 .

The freezer 1 is mounted on a mounting surface such as a floor or the ground by four legs 7c provided at the lower end of the housing 7 in a stationary state. In addition, the freezer 1 can store objects in the freezer compartment and transport them in a cooled state, and includes a pair of wheels 21 arranged opposite to each other and a handle 22 arranged on the opposite side of the wheels 21. .

The wheels 21 have a slightly large diameter so that they can be used not only for short-distance movement such as shifting the place of installation, but also for long-distance transportation. The wheels 21 are arranged, for example, on the right side where the machine room 6 is provided, avoiding the freezer compartment 2 on the left side, as shown. The lower end of the wheel 21 is at the same position as the lower end of the leg portion 20, and the freezer compartment 2 is in a horizontal state in the stationary state.

The handle 22 is provided, for example, at the left end of the housing 7, and can be rotated from a storage state extending vertically in FIGS. 1 and 2 to a use state extending horizontally in FIG. As an example, the handle 22 has a shaft on the opposite side of the grip and is rotatably attached to the housing 7 via the shaft.

As shown in FIG. 3, the user lifts the left side of the freezer 1 with the handle 22 and then pushes or pulls the handle 22 to roll (rotate) the wheels and move the freezer 1 like a cart. It is possible to carry the object by Since the Stirling refrigerator 8 can operate even in a tilted state, the object can be transported in a cooled state.

The wheels 21 may be arranged on the same side as the handle 22, and after the handle 22 is pushed down to lift the right side of the freezer 1, the wheels are rolled and the freezer 1 is moved by pushing or pulling the handle 22. You can move it. Also, two pairs of wheels may be provided so that either side can be lifted.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 2, the freezer 1 is provided at the left end with a hand portion 7d that is recessed in the right direction and extends in the front-rear direction, and is provided with a hand portion 7e that is recessed in the front-rear direction and is recessed in the right direction at the right end. . The freezer 1 can be easily lifted with both hands by providing a handle part. In addition, even when the handle 22 cannot be used, it becomes possible to pull or push by putting a hand on it.

The freezer 1 may be provided with protective portions 23 at the four corners of the upper end of the housing 7, as shown in FIG. By providing the protection part 23, the freezer 1 can be protected from collisions and overturning during transportation and other movement. Moreover, as shown in the side view of FIG. As a result, the liquid crystal display and touch panel of the control panel 15 can be protected from damage when a plurality of freezers 1 are placed on top of each other or other objects are placed thereon.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the outline of the configuration of another example of the freezer according to one embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated freezer 1 differs from the above embodiment in the cooler and cooling fan. Here, mainly different points will be explained.

The base of cooler 24 is arranged in adjacent chamber 4 so as to be in contact with cold head 8 a of Stirling refrigerator 8 . The cooler 24 is a heat exchanger whose base is attached to the cold head 8 a to which cold heat is supplied, and a plurality of heat pipes extend downward into the freezer compartment 2 from the base. The heat pipe whose base end is connected to the base and whose tip extends into the freezer compartment 2 has a temperature difference between the low temperature side of the base end and the high temperature side of the tip, and the refrigerant condensed on the low temperature side It absorbs heat on the high temperature side and evaporates to cool the freezer compartment 2 . Preferably, in cooler 24, at least one of the plurality of heat pipes has a different length than the others.

As an example, here, an example having two heat pipes, a heat pipe 24a and a longer heat pipe 24b, will be described. As shown, the heat pipe 24a and the heat pipe 24b have different lengths, so that the heat pipe 24b extends to a lower position, and the cooling zones (broken line portions) of both are different, and the inside of the freezer compartment 2 is more uniform. Allow to cool. Since cold air tends to accumulate in the lower part, short heat pipes may be provided more than long heat pipes. Also, a heat exchanger that further promotes heat exchange may be provided at the tip of the heat pipe.

The freezer 1 may include a basket 25 for storing objects within the freezer compartment 2 . The basket 25 has legs 25a and is placed on the lower surface of the freezer compartment 2 by the legs 25a. Preferably, a blower fan 26 for cooling is provided below the cage 25 . The blower fan 26 blows out the sucked air from the heat pipe side to the opposite side below the basket 25 as indicated by the arrow in the drawing, thereby generating an air flow. Preferably, a blower fan 27 for cooling is further provided in the upper part of the freezer compartment 2 to generate a downward air flow as indicated by the arrow in the drawing.

The inside of the freezer compartment may be evenly cooled by adjusting the number of heat pipes or cooling zones without using the blower fan.
Also, heat pipes with different operating temperatures may be combined to cope with temperature changes in the freezer compartment. For example, in the upper part of the freezer compartment, by providing a heat pipe with a lower operating temperature (heat input part) than the heat pipes placed in other parts of the freezer compartment, the vicinity of the upper part of the freezer compartment is cooled strongly, and the cold air descends. However, the inside of the freezer compartment may be evenly cooled. In addition, for example, by providing a heat pipe having a lower operating temperature than the heat pipes arranged in other parts of the freezer compartment near the lid, the temperature rise when the lid is opened and closed can be quickly recovered. good too.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a blower fan for cooling a freezer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example. The illustrated blower fan may be any of the blower fans described above, but the blower fan 10 will be described below.

The blower fan 10 has a propeller 10a and a motor 10b. The motor 10b has a stator 10d that generates a magnetic field, a rotor 10e that rotates in the magnetic field, and a pair of bearings 10f that support the rotating shaft of the rotor 10e in a casing 10c. The propeller 10a is attached to the rotating shaft of the rotor 10e extending outward from the casing 10c.

Preferably, the blower fan 10 is provided with an electric heating section 28 for warming the periphery of the bearing 10f of the motor 10b. In the blower fan 10, the limit temperature of grease for lubricating the bearing 10f is usually about -60.degree. Therefore, here, an electric heating portion 28 is provided in the bearing 10f to heat the periphery of the bearing 10f so that the temperature does not drop below the limit temperature of the grease. Since the coefficient of friction decreases when the blower fan 10 starts to move, the electric heating part 28 may be energized only when the blower fan 10 is started to warm. Alternatively, the electric heating portion 28 may be energized periodically, or energized when the room temperature in the freezer compartment 2 or the adjacent compartment 4 falls below a predetermined temperature. A ceramic heater, a heating wire, an ultrasonic induction, or the like is used for the electric heating unit 28 . Also, a temperature sensor for controlling the temperature may be provided around the bearing 10f.

The blower fan 10 is provided with a sliding portion 29 at the motor side end of the boss portion fitted to the rotating shaft, and a compression coil spring 30 at the opposite end. You may make it raise a property. As shown, the sliding portion 29 may be provided with an electric heating portion.

Although a propeller fan is shown as the blower fan here, another type of blower fan may be used.

Based on the above description, those skilled in the art may be able to conceive additional effects and various modifications of the present invention, but the aspects of the present invention are limited to the examples of the embodiments described above. is not. Various additions, changes, and partial deletions are possible without departing from the conceptual idea and spirit of the present invention derived from the content defined in the claims and equivalents thereof.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Freezer 2 Freezer compartment 4 Adjacent room 5 Heat insulating material 6 Machine room 7 Case 8 Stirling refrigerator 8a Cold head 9, 24 Cooler 10, 26, 27 Blower fan 14 Induction plate 24a, 24b Heat pipe

Claims (1)

A freezer that stores and cools an object in a freezer compartment that opens upward,
a Stirling refrigerator placed in the machine room;
a cooler supplied with cold heat by the Stirling refrigerator;
a blower fan that generates an air flow in the freezer compartment,
At least part of the cooler communicates with the upper part of the freezer compartment and contacts the adjacent chamber adjacent to the machine room with the cold head of the Stirling refrigerator entering the adjacent room from the machine room. placed and
A guide plate having a through hole in the adjacent chamber,
The blower fan is arranged above the adjacent room,
the guide plate is arranged below the blower fan so as to cover the cooler at a predetermined interval to form an air flow path in the adjacent chamber;
A freezer according to claim 1, wherein the air in the freezer compartment taken in by the blower fan passes through the cooling fins of the cooler and is cooled, and then flows out from below the guide plate into the freezer compartment.

Images