JP7474927B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a refrigerator equipped with a humidifying cassette.

Patent document 1 discloses a refrigerator that expels moisture from the vegetable case to the outside when the humidity level is high, and prevents moisture from escaping from the vegetable case when the humidity level is low.

JP 2014-800 A

The refrigerator in Patent Document 1 is designed to prevent moisture from escaping from the vegetable case when the humidity level drops, but cannot humidify the container when the humidity level drops.

Therefore, this disclosure provides a refrigerator that can humidify the inside of the vegetable compartment.

The refrigerator disclosed herein comprises a vegetable compartment, a vegetable container provided in the vegetable compartment, and a humidifying cassette provided on a wall surface of the vegetable container, the interior of the humidifying cassette is provided with nonwoven fabric, condensation occurs between the humidifying cassette and the wall surface, a receiver is provided at the bottom of the humidifying cassette for allowing the nonwoven fabric to absorb moisture generated by the condensation, and the moisture absorbed by the nonwoven fabric is released into the interior of the vegetable container through a gap provided at the top of the humidifying cassette.

The refrigerator disclosed herein can absorb moisture generated by condensation inside the storage container and release the moisture into the storage container. This makes it possible to humidify the inside of the storage container.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a vegetable compartment of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a humidifying cassette according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage container in a vegetable compartment of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage container when a humidifying cassette is attached in the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a storage container when a humidifying cassette is attached in the first embodiment.

(Knowledge and other information that forms the basis of this disclosure)
At the time the inventors came up with the idea of this disclosure, there was a technology available that could maintain a high humidity state while preventing water spoilage due to condensation even when vegetables and fruits were stored in a vegetable case.This involved installing a moisture-sensing and moisture-permeable device in the vegetable case, which would expel moisture from the vegetable case to the outside when the humidity level became high, and would prevent moisture from escaping when the humidity level became low.

When there are many vegetables and the like inside the storage container and the humidity inside is high, releasing moisture to the outside is useful as it reduces the risk of water spoilage due to condensation. However, when there are few vegetables and the humidity inside the storage container is low, the humidity cannot be increased. The inventors discovered that this poses the problem of the vegetables drying out and becoming of low quality, and came to constitute the subject of the present disclosure in order to solve this problem.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides a refrigerator that maintains a high humidity state inside the storage container while reducing the risk of water spoilage due to condensation.

Below, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily redundant and to make it easier for those skilled in the art to understand.

The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[1-1. Configuration]
In Figures 1 and 2, the insulated box 2 of the refrigerator 1 is composed of an outer box 3 mainly made of steel plate, an inner box 4 molded from a resin such as ABS, and a foam insulation material such as rigid foamed urethane that is filled and foamed in the space between the outer box 3 and the inner box 4, and is insulated from the surroundings and divided into multiple storage compartments.

The refrigerator 1 has a refrigerator compartment 5, a switchable compartment 6, an ice-making compartment 7, a vegetable compartment 8, and a freezer compartment 9.

At the top is a refrigerator compartment 5 serving as the first storage compartment. Below the refrigerator compartment 5, a switchable compartment 6 serving as the fourth storage compartment and an ice-making compartment 7 serving as the fifth storage compartment are provided side-by-side on the left and right. Below the switchable compartment 6 and the ice-making compartment 7, a vegetable compartment 8 serving as the second storage compartment is provided. Finally, a freezer compartment 9 serving as the third storage compartment is located at the bottom.

The refrigerator compartment 5 is normally set at a temperature between 1°C and 5°C, which is the lower limit at which food does not freeze, and the vegetable compartment 8 is set at a temperature between 2°C and 7°C, which is equal to or slightly higher than that of the refrigerator compartment 5. The freezer compartment 9 is set to the freezing temperature range, and is normally set at -22°C to -15°C for freezing, but may be set at a lower temperature, such as -30°C or -25°C, to improve the frozen storage condition. The switchable compartment 6 can be switched to a preset temperature range between the refrigerator and freezing temperature ranges, in addition to the refrigerator temperature range set at 1°C to 5°C, the vegetable temperature range set at 2°C to 7°C, and the freezer temperature range normally set at -22°C to -15°C. The switchable compartment 6 is a storage compartment with an independent door installed next to the ice-making compartment 7, and often has a pull-out door.

In this embodiment, the switchable compartment 6 is a storage compartment that includes both refrigeration and freezing temperature zones, but it may be a storage compartment specialized in switching only between the above temperature zones between refrigeration and freezing, with refrigeration left to the refrigerator compartment 5 and vegetable compartment 8, and freezing left to the freezer compartment 9. It may also be a storage compartment that is fixed to a specific temperature zone.

The top surface of the insulated box 2 has a stepped recess toward the back of the refrigerator 1, and this stepped recess forms a machine room 2a to house the high-pressure side components of the refrigeration cycle, such as the compressor 10 and a dryer (not shown) that removes moisture. In other words, the machine room 2a, which houses the compressor 10, is formed by embedding itself into the uppermost rear area inside the refrigerator compartment 5.

Note that the matters relating to the main parts of the invention described below in this embodiment may also be applied to a type of refrigerator in which a machine room is provided in the rear area of the storage room at the bottom of the insulated box 2, as was previously common, and the compressor 10 is located there. Also, the refrigerator 1 may have a so-called mid-freezer configuration in which the freezer room 9 and vegetable room 8 are swapped.

Next, a cooling chamber 11 that generates cold air is provided at the rear of the vegetable chamber 8 and the freezer chamber 9. Between the vegetable chamber 8 and the cooling chamber 11, or between the freezer chamber 9 and the cooling chamber 11, there are thermally insulated air ducts (not shown) for transporting cold air to each chamber, and a rear partition wall 12 that is configured to provide thermal insulation between each chamber.

A cooler 13 is disposed within the cooling chamber 11. A cooling fan 14 is disposed in the space above the cooler 13, which uses a forced convection system to blow the cold air cooled by the cooler 13 to the refrigerator chamber 5, the switching chamber 6, the ice-making chamber 7, the vegetable chamber 8, and the freezer chamber 9. A radiant heater 15 made of glass tubes is disposed in the space below the cooler 13 to remove frost and ice that adheres to the cooler 13 and its surroundings during cooling. Further below this is a drain pan 16 for receiving defrost water generated during defrosting, and a drain tube 17 that penetrates from its deepest part to the outside of the chamber, with an evaporator dish 18 disposed downstream outside the chamber.

The vegetable compartment 8 is provided with a lower storage container 20 placed on a frame attached to the drawer door 19 of the vegetable compartment 8, and an upper storage container 21 placed on top of the lower storage container 20.

Between the upper storage container 21 and the first partition wall 22a, there is an air passage for the cool air discharged from the outlet 23 for the vegetable compartment 8 formed in the rear partition wall 12. A vegetable compartment heater 24 is arranged near the outlet 23 to adjust the temperature inside the vegetable compartment 8.

Furthermore, a space is provided between the lower storage container 20 and the second partition wall 22b below the lower storage container 20, forming a cold air passage. The vegetable compartment 8 is provided with an intake port 25 for the vegetable compartment 8, through which the cold air that has cooled the vegetable compartment 8 and exchanged heat is returned to the cooler 13. A temperature sensor 26 is installed near the intake port 25.

For the purpose of explanation, Figures 2 and 3 show a schematic representation of the humidification cassette 28.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the humidifying cassette 28. The humidifying cassette 28 includes a humidifying cassette front frame 37, a humidifying cassette rear frame 38, and a humidifying sheet 39. The humidifying cassette 28 may be configured such that the humidifying cassette front frame 37 and the humidifying cassette rear frame 38 are integrated together. The humidifying sheet 39 is provided inside the humidifying cassette 28.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vegetable compartment. The humidifying sheet 39 includes an absorption section 29, a discharge section 30, and a transport section 31. The humidifying sheet 39 is configured integrally with the absorption section 29, the discharge section 30, and the transport section 31. The humidifying cassette 28 is provided on the inside of the wall surface that divides the lower storage container 20. For example, the humidifying cassette 28 is provided on the wall surface of the inner wall surface of the lower storage container 20 onto which the cold air discharged from the discharge port 23 is blown. The discharge port 23 is provided on the back surface of the vegetable compartment 8, and the humidifying cassette 28 is provided on the back surface of the lower storage container 20.

The absorption section 29 is responsible for absorbing and storing moisture generated by condensation inside the lower storage container 20. The lower side of the back surface inside the lower storage container 20 is cooled by the cold air discharged from the outlet 23 to a temperature lower than the dew point temperature of the air inside the lower storage container 20, making it prone to condensation. The absorption section 29 is provided on the lower side of the back surface inside the lower storage container 20 so that it can absorb moisture generated by this condensation. The absorption section 29 is also made of a fibrous material such as nonwoven fabric, for example, to make it easier to absorb moisture generated by condensation, and has a large surface area.

The release section 30 has the role of releasing the absorbed moisture into the inside of the lower storage container 20. Dry cold air discharged from the discharge port 23 is introduced into the upper part of the back surface inside the lower storage container 20 through the gap between the upper storage container 21 and the lower storage container 20. Therefore, the atmosphere around the upper part of the back surface inside the lower storage container 20 has a lower humidity than the atmosphere around the absorption section 29 and the conveying section 31. The release section 30 is provided on the upper part of the back surface inside the lower storage container 20 so that it can release the absorbed moisture. The release section 30 is also made of a fibrous material such as nonwoven fabric to facilitate the release of moisture, and has a large surface area.

The transport section 31 is responsible for transporting the moisture absorbed and stored in the absorption section 29 to the release section 30 by capillary force. Here, capillary force is the force that causes capillary action. The transport section 31 is provided at a position that connects the absorption section 29 and the release section 30. The transport section 31 is made of a fibrous material such as a nonwoven fabric.

The humidifying cassette front frame 37 serves to protect the humidifying sheet 39. The humidifying cassette front frame 37 has an opening 40. The humidifying cassette front frame 37 is made of resin.

The opening 40 is provided to release the absorbed moisture into the lower storage container 20. The opening 40 is provided on the upper side of the humidifier cassette front frame 37 so as to face the release section 30. The opening 40 is also formed by a lattice-like gap made up of multiple ribs.

The humidifier cassette rear frame 38, like the humidifier cassette front frame 37, serves to protect the humidifier sheet 39. The humidifier cassette rear frame 38 includes a receiving portion 42. The humidifier cassette rear frame 38 is made of resin.

The receiving portion 42 is provided to allow the humidifying sheet 39 to absorb moisture generated by condensation inside the lower storage container 20. The receiving portion 42 is provided below the rear frame 38 of the humidifying cassette. Furthermore, a plurality of receiving portions 42 are provided in the vertical direction to carry moisture generated by condensation on the inner wall surface of the lower storage container 20 to the absorbing portion 29. The receiving portion 42 is also formed of a rib having an inclination. The receiving portion 42 may also be formed of at least one rib having an inclination.

The specific configuration of the humidification cassette 28 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows the mounting configuration of the humidification cassette 28 to the lower storage container 20.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the lower storage container 20. The humidification cassette front frame 37 includes a push-down portion 33, an insertion portion 35, and a claw portion 41.

The push-down portion 33 is provided for pushing when the humidification cassette 28 is attached to the lower storage container 20 or when the humidification cassette 28 is removed from the lower storage container. The push-down portion 33 is provided on the upper side of the humidification cassette front frame 37.

Two mounting holes 32 are provided at the top of the lower storage container 20, and the tabs 41 of the humidifier cassette 28 are fitted into the holes 32 to secure the cassette in place. The cassette 28 is then installed so that the insertion portion 35 fits into a groove 34 provided in advance on the rear side of the bottom surface of the lower storage container 20 to secure the bottom of the cassette. This configuration simplifies the process for the user to remove and reinstall the humidifier cassette 28 for cleaning, etc., and also prevents the humidifier cassette 28 from shifting out of position.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the humidification cassette 28 attached to the lower storage container 20. A gap 36 is provided between the wall of the lower storage container 20 and the humidification cassette 28 to allow air containing moisture inside the lower storage container 20 to flow.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the humidification cassette 28 attached to the lower storage container 20. The multiple ribs that make up the receiving portion 42 are arranged to contact the inner wall surface of the lower storage container 20. This reduces the risk of moisture generated by condensation inside the lower storage container 20 flowing down to the bottom surface of the lower storage container 20.

[1-2. motion]
The operation and function of the refrigerator 1 configured as above will be described below.

Based on Figures 2 to 6, the operation of the humidifying cassette 28 of the refrigerator 1 to absorb, move, and release moisture generated by condensation will be described. First, the operation of the refrigeration cycle will be described. The refrigeration cycle operates in response to a signal from a control board (not shown) according to the set temperature inside the refrigerator, and cooling operation is performed. The high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged by the operation of the compressor 10 is condensed and liquefied to a certain extent in the condenser (not shown). It is further condensed and liquefied while preventing condensation in the refrigerator 1 through refrigerant piping (not shown) arranged on the side and rear surface of the refrigerator 1 and at the front opening of the refrigerator 1, and reaches the capillary tube (not shown). After that, in the capillary tube, the refrigerant is decompressed while exchanging heat with the suction pipe (not shown) to the compressor 10, and becomes a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant and reaches the cooler 13.

Here, the low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant exchanges heat with the air transported in each storage compartment by the operation of the cooling fan 14, and the refrigerant in the cooler 13 evaporates. At this time, cold air is generated in the cooling compartment 11 to cool each storage compartment.

The low-temperature cold air generated in the cooling compartment 11 is diverted from the cooling fan 14 to the refrigerator compartment 5, the switching compartment 6, the ice-making compartment 7, the vegetable compartment 8, and the freezer compartment 9 using air ducts and cooling dampers 27, and is adjusted by the cooling dampers 27 so that it is cooled to the respective target temperature ranges.

The air cooled to -20°C or less by the cooler 13 rises in temperature to an average of 2-7°C in the vegetable compartment 8. Therefore, the air outside the lower storage container 20 and the upper storage container 21 in the vegetable compartment 8 is dry with an average relative humidity of about 15-29% RH. On the other hand, the vegetables in the lower storage container 20 and the upper storage container 21 are physiologically active and continue to evaporate moisture even during storage, so the air in the lower storage container 20 and the upper storage container 21 becomes more humid. The dry air around the periphery of the lower storage container 20 and the upper storage container 21 is replaced by the high humidity air inside the lower storage container 20 and the upper storage container 21 through the gap between the first partition wall 22a and the upper storage container 21 and the gap between the upper storage container 21 and the lower storage container 20. Therefore, some of the moisture is discharged from the lower storage container 20 and the upper storage container 21.

If the humidity inside the lower storage container 20 becomes too high, condensation will occur, and if the moisture produced by the condensation comes into contact with vegetables, etc., there is a risk that the vegetables will rot. On the other hand, if the humidity inside the lower storage container 20 becomes too low, there is a risk that the evaporation of the vegetables will be promoted, causing them to wilt. Considering the balance between these two risks, a storage humidity of 90 to 95% RH is considered appropriate for most vegetables. In this embodiment, a humidifying cassette 28 is installed to absorb and store moisture produced by condensation in the lower storage container 20, thereby reducing the risk of water spoilage. In addition, when the lower storage container 20 becomes low-humidity, the absorbed and stored moisture is released into the lower storage container 20. Therefore, the risk of water spoilage due to condensation can be reduced while maintaining a high humidity state inside the lower storage container 20.

In FIG. 2, the humidifying cassette 28 absorbs moisture generated by condensation in the lower storage container 20 in the absorbing section 29, moves the absorbed moisture in the transporting section 31, and releases the moved moisture in the releasing section 30. In FIG. 6, the receiving section 42 is composed of multiple ribs, and the tips of the ribs are arranged so as to contact the inner wall surface of the lower storage container 20. As a result, condensation generated on the wall surface of the lower storage container 20 flows down the wall surface and is directed by the ribs of the receiving section 42 onto the humidifying sheet 39. In FIG. 6, three ribs are arranged vertically, and condensation that cannot be received by the first rib can be received by the second and third ribs.

Next, we will explain how the moisture generated by condensation is absorbed and stored in the absorption section 29 using the humidification cassette 28, the absorbed moisture is transported by the transport section 31 to the release section 30, and the transported moisture is released by the release section 30. When vegetables are placed in the lower storage container 20, the vegetables release moisture over time. If any of the surfaces that define the lower storage container 20 at this time are below the dew point temperature, condensation will occur on that surface.

The surface on which condensation occurs may vary slightly depending on the design position of the vegetable compartment 8 and the operating conditions of the refrigerator, but in this case, condensation basically occurs on part of the back surface of the lower storage container 20, which is relatively cold as the cold air discharged from the discharge port 23 is blown onto it. The upper side of the lower storage container 20, where the vegetable density is low, is also affected by the intrusion of the dry cold air discharged from the discharge port 23 and becomes in a low humidity state. Therefore, the lower side of the lower storage container 20, where the vegetable density is high, is relatively more humid than the upper side of the lower storage container 20, so condensation is expected to occur on the lower side of the back surface of the lower storage container 20.

At this time, by placing the absorption section 29 of the humidifying cassette 28 in the area where condensation occurs, it is possible to absorb and store moisture generated by condensation in the lower storage container 20. The moisture that flows into the humidifying sheet 39, absorbed and stored by the absorption section 29 moves to the release section 30 provided on the upper side of the back surface of the lower storage container 20 by the capillary force of the conveying section 31. Compared to the absorption section 29 and the conveying section 31, the surroundings of the release section 30 are affected by the intrusion of dry cold air discharged from the discharge port 23, and low-humidity air flows by convection. Therefore, the moisture that has moved to the release section 30 is discharged from the humidifying cassette 28 here. In particular, the humidity difference between the air in the lower storage container 20 and the atmosphere around the release section 30 increases as the number of vegetables in the lower storage container 20 decreases. Therefore, moisture is discharged more actively, and as a result, the lower storage container 20 can maintain a high humidity state regardless of the number of vegetables.

[1-3. Effects, etc.]
As described above, in this embodiment, the refrigerator 1 includes the vegetable compartment 8, the lower storage container 20, and the humidifying cassette 28. The humidifying sheet provided inside the humidifying cassette 28 is integrally composed of the absorbing section 29, the conveying section 31, and the discharging section 30. When there are many vegetables in the lower storage container 20 and the humidity level is high, the absorbing section 29 first absorbs and stores the moisture generated by condensation on the lower side of the inner back surface of the lower storage container 20. Next, the moisture absorbed by the conveying section 31 is moved to the discharging section 30 by utilizing capillary force. Finally, when the inside of the lower storage container 20 becomes a low humidity state, the discharging section 30 discharges the moisture into the lower storage container 20.

In this case, the opening 40 is disposed above the lower storage container 20 and is formed by a lattice-like gap made up of multiple ribs. This reduces the risk of vegetables being placed near the release section 30 even when vegetables are stored in the lower storage container 20, and maintains the efficiency of releasing moisture. At the same time, it prevents the vegetables from coming into contact with the humidifying sheet 39, which helps prevent the humidifying sheet 39 from becoming dirty or damaged.

In addition, since the receiving portion 42 is configured so that multiple vertical ribs come into contact with the inside of the wall surface of the lower storage container 20, when moisture generated by condensation on the wall surface flows down the wall surface of the lower storage container 20, the moisture generated by condensation that is not received by the upper ribs can be received by the lower ribs, improving the absorption efficiency of moving the moisture generated by condensation to the absorption portion 29. This makes it possible to prevent vegetables from spoiling due to puddles formed on the bottom surface of the lower storage container 20 caused by the condensation not being received. Furthermore, since the receiving portion 42 is configured with multiple ribs, it is also effective in making it easier to correct the warping of the wall surface of the lower storage container 20 that occurs during molding when the humidification cassette 28 is attached to the lower storage container 20. This makes it easier for the multiple ribs of the receiving portion 42 to come into contact with the wall surface of the lower storage container 20, leading to improved absorption efficiency.

As a result of the above effects, when the lower storage container 20 becomes low-humidity due to the intrusion of dry cold air or a decrease in the amount of vegetables, moisture is supplied from the humidifying cassette 28 to the lower storage container 20 while maintaining the release efficiency regardless of the storage conditions of the vegetables. Therefore, the lower storage container 20 can maintain a high humidity state whether there are a lot of vegetables or not. It also reduces the risk of vegetables spoiling due to condensation.

In order to keep the vegetables fresh, it is necessary to increase the airtightness of the lower storage container 20. Here, airtightness refers to the degree of airtightness. If the gap between the lower storage container 20 and the upper storage container 21 is reduced in order to increase the airtightness of the lower storage container 20, the exchange between the dry cold air outside the lower storage container 20 and the high humidity air inside the lower storage container 20 will be reduced. As a result, condensation is more likely to occur inside the lower storage container 20. In contrast, the humidifying cassette 28 can absorb moisture generated by condensation inside the lower storage container 20, so the gap between the lower storage container 20 and the upper storage container 21 can be made smaller. Therefore, it is possible to increase the airtightness of the lower storage container 20 of the vegetable room 8 more than before, and it is possible to make the inside of the lower storage container 20 more humid than before.

In this embodiment, the lower storage container 20 has been described as an example of a location where the humidification cassette 28 is installed, but the location where the humidification cassette 28 is installed is not limited to the lower storage container 20. As another example, the humidification cassette 28 may be installed in the upper storage container 21, for example.

This allows moisture generated by condensation inside the upper storage container 21 to be absorbed by the absorption section 29 and released into the upper storage container 21 by the release section 30. As a result, the inside of the upper storage container 21 is maintained in a high humidity state, reducing the risk of water spoilage due to condensation.

Other Embodiments
As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. In addition, it is also possible to combine the components described in the first embodiment to create a new embodiment.

Therefore, other embodiments are given below as examples.

In the first embodiment, the vegetable compartment is described as an example of a location where the humidifying cassette 28 is installed, but the location where the humidifying cassette 28 is installed is not limited to the vegetable compartment. As another example, the humidifying cassette 28 may be installed in another storage compartment, such as a refrigerator compartment or a freezer compartment. Also, not only vegetables but also fruits and rice may be stored in the vegetable compartment.

In the first embodiment, nonwoven fabric has been described as an example of a material constituting the absorbent section 29. The absorbent section 29 may be a porous body that can absorb more moisture generated by condensation. Therefore, the absorbent section 29 is not limited to a fibrous material such as nonwoven fabric. By making the absorbent section 29 out of a porous body, the surface area becomes larger and it is possible to absorb and store a large amount of moisture.

This allows the device to absorb the large amount of moisture that is expected to form when there are a lot of vegetables, and is effective in reducing the risk of condensation. Furthermore, this also leads to an increase in the amount of moisture released by the release section 30 when there are only a few vegetables, making it easier to respond to fluctuations in the amount of vegetables. This extends the time that the inside of the storage container can be maintained in a high humidity state, allowing the vegetables to stay fresh for a longer period of time.

In the first embodiment, nonwoven fabric has been described as an example of a material constituting the transport section 31. The transport section 31 may be a porous body that can transport the moisture absorbed in the absorption section 29 to the release section 30 by capillary force. Therefore, the transport section 31 is not limited to a fibrous material such as nonwoven fabric. By constructing the transport section 31 from a porous body, a large amount of moisture absorbed in the absorption section 29 can be moved to the release section 30 by the capillary force of the porous body.

Therefore, even in cases where condensation occurs continuously, the moisture absorbed by the absorbing section 29 can be continuously transferred. This improves the absorption performance of the absorbing section 29 and reduces the risk of condensation inside the storage container.

The material constituting the transport section 31 may be anisotropic in the direction in which moisture moves from the absorption section 29 to the release section 30. By making the transport section 31 out of anisotropic material, moisture moving within the transport section 31 flows with a certain directionality, and the moisture can be quickly transported to its intended destination, the release section 30.

Therefore, even if the amount of water absorbed by the absorption section 29 becomes excessive, the water can be quickly transported to the release section 30. This improves the storage capacity of the absorption section 29, and reduces the risk of water generated by condensation falling into the storage container when the number of vegetables increases or decreases.

Furthermore, the transport section 31 may be configured with a groove. This allows the moisture absorbed by the absorption section 29 to be moved by the capillary force of the groove. Also, since moisture can be moved simply by providing a groove in the wall surface of the storage container, there is no need to install new components, and costs can be reduced.

In the first embodiment, nonwoven fabric has been described as an example of a material constituting the release section 30. The release section 30 may be any porous material that can release a larger amount of moisture generated by condensation. Therefore, the release section 30 is not limited to a fibrous material such as nonwoven fabric. By making the release section 30 out of a porous material, the surface area becomes larger and a larger amount of moisture can be released.

As a result, when there is a change in the amount of vegetables or when humidity levels drop inside the storage container due to the inflow of dry, cold air, it is possible to release a large amount of moisture in a short period of time. This makes it possible to prevent the vegetables and other items in the storage container from drying out, and to maintain their freshness.

The cold air that enters the storage container is relatively dry compared to the air inside the storage container, and the inflowing dry air can be humidified by releasing moisture from the release section 30. This prevents the dry air from hitting vegetables, etc., and is expected to help keep them fresh for longer. In order to improve the release performance of the release section 30, the release section 30 can be provided in a part of the cold air inflow section where the inflowing cold air is particularly turbulent, thereby further improving the release performance.

In the first embodiment, a humidifying sheet 39 including an absorbing section 29, a conveying section 31, and a releasing section 30 has been described. The humidifying sheet 39 may be configured such that the absorbing section 29, the conveying section 31, and the releasing section 30 are integrally formed from the same material. This simplifies the configuration compared to when the absorbing section 29, the conveying section 31, and the releasing section 30 are each made from different materials and structures. This is expected to reduce the number of assembly steps, leading to cost reductions.

The above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology disclosed herein, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

This disclosure absorbs moisture generated by condensation inside a storage container into a humidifying cassette and releases the moisture into the storage container with a certain degree of efficiency, thereby preventing vegetables from spoiling due to condensation and maintaining a high humidity level inside the storage container. Therefore, it can be used not only in household or commercial refrigerators or vegetable storage, but also in distribution, warehouses, and other applications that require high humidity storage, including for items other than vegetables.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 refrigerator 8 vegetable compartment 20 lower storage container 21 upper storage container 23 discharge port 28 humidification cassette 29 absorption section 30 release section 31 transport section 32 hole section 33 push section 34 groove section 35 insertion section 36 gap section 37 humidification cassette front frame 38 humidification cassette rear frame 39 humidification sheet 40 opening 41 claw section 42 receiving section

Claims (3)

Vegetable room and
A vegetable container provided in the vegetable room;
A humidifying cassette provided on a wall surface of the vegetable container,
A nonwoven fabric is provided inside the humidifying cassette,
Condensation occurs between the humidifying cassette and the wall surface,
a receiving portion for allowing the nonwoven fabric to absorb moisture generated by the condensation is provided at a lower portion of the humidifying cassette;
The moisture absorbed by the nonwoven fabric is released into the vegetable container through a gap provided in an upper portion of the humidifying cassette. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving portion is composed of a slanted rib and is provided in a plurality in the vertical direction. The vegetable compartment is provided with an outlet for discharging cold air,
3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the humidifying cassette is provided on one of the inner walls of the vegetable container, the wall surface onto which the cold air discharged from the air outlet is blown.