JPH0334630Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This invention divides the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment into the left and right by a partition wall, and uses a fan to blow cold air from the freezer compartment into the refrigerator compartment through a discharge port and a suction port provided in the partition wall. This relates to a type of forced draft refrigerator-freezer that is sent to the United States.

In a forced draft type refrigerator-freezer, when the temperature in the refrigerator compartment drops to a predetermined temperature and the damper installed at the outlet of the partition wall is closed, the temperature inside the freezer compartment will be lower than the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment. Quite low. According to experiments, the temperature of the freezing room is, for example, -20℃.
The temperature of the refrigerator compartment is, for example, 2°C. Therefore, there is a considerable temperature difference between the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment. Therefore, the cold air in the freezer compartment flows into the refrigerator compartment through the suction port, cooling the refrigerator compartment more than necessary. Then, there has been a problem that foods stored in the refrigerator compartment freeze.

In order to solve such drawbacks, conventionally, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-5033, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator compartment 2 of the suction port 3 is
A backflow prevention cover 4 that prevents cold air from the freezer compartment 1 from flowing back into the refrigerator compartment is disposed on the side of the refrigerator. In this conventional example, the height H from the top surface of the suction port 3 to the top surface of the opening 5 needs to be at least a certain height in order to prevent backflow of cold air. Increasing this height H is effective in preventing backflow of cold air. However, there is a limit to increasing the size in this way because the height of the refrigerator compartment 2 is limited. Further, the width G between the partition wall 6 and the backflow prevention cover 4 also has a limit because the space is limited.

Furthermore, by providing the opening 5 in the upper part of the backflow prevention cover 4, as can be understood from FIG.
This results in disadvantages such as poor circulation of cold air within the refrigerator compartment 2 and difficulty in cooling the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 2. Moreover, this drawback becomes more noticeable as the height H increases.

The present invention was made to prevent the above-mentioned drawbacks, and when the damper that controls the opening and closing of the discharge port is open, the circulation of cold air in the refrigerator compartment is not obstructed, and when the damper is closed, the circulation of cold air inside the refrigerator compartment is not obstructed. To provide a forced ventilation refrigerator-freezer in which a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment are partitioned into left and right sides by a partition wall that prevents cold air from flowing into the refrigerator compartment through an inlet.

For this purpose, the refrigerator-freezer according to the present invention includes a freezer compartment having a cooler and having a relatively low temperature, a refrigerator compartment having a relatively high temperature that is cooled by cold air in the freezing compartment, and the freezing compartment and the refrigerator compartment. a partition wall that partitions the left and right sides; a discharge port formed in the partition wall and serving as a cold air passage from the freezer compartment to the refrigerator compartment; In the refrigerator-freezer, which is equipped with an inlet that serves as a cold air passage to the freezer compartment, and a damper that controls opening and closing of the outlet, the wall surface of the partition wall on the refrigerator compartment side has a closed bottom and an open top. A first cover having a first cover is attached to cover the suction port and cooperates with the wall surface to define a first passage, and an open bottom part and a closed bottom part are provided on the outside of the first cover in the refrigerator compartment. a second cover having a top is mounted over the open top of the first cover and cooperates with an outer surface of the first cover to define a second passage communicating with the first passage; The present invention is characterized in that a heater is disposed in a component between the suction port and the first passage.

Next, a preferred embodiment of the refrigerator-freezer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the refrigerator-freezer 7, a freezing chamber 8 and a refrigerating chamber 9 are formed on the left and right sides by a partition wall 10 provided with a discharge port 11 and a suction port 12. Freezer refrigerator 7 has a single compressor CM
(See FIG. 8) and is cooled by a cooler 13.
That is, the freezer compartment 8 having the cooler 13 is
3, and then the cold air from the freezer compartment 8 flows into the refrigerator compartment 9, thereby cooling the refrigerator compartment 9. A thermostat _ThF , which is a temperature regulator provided in the freezer compartment 8, controls the drive of the compressor CM. Refrigerator compartment 9 with discharge port 11 located at the top of partition wall 10
A damper 14 is disposed on the side, and the opening and closing of this damper 14 is controlled by a damper thermometer 14a that detects the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 9. Therefore, the amount of cold air circulated by the refrigerator fan F _R on the top of the cooler is:
The temperature of the refrigerator compartment is detected and the discharge port 11 is controlled by the damper 14.
It is adjusted by opening and closing. The cold air in the refrigerator compartment 9 is circulated by a refrigerator compartment circulation fan F _R ′.

On the refrigerator compartment side of the suction port 12 provided at the lower part of the partition wall 10 and located below the lowest surface of the cooler 13,
As shown in FIG. 5, a first backflow prevention cover A and a second backflow prevention cover B are attached to prevent the backflow of cold air from the suction port 12, and the bottom of the second cover B is the cover A. ,B opens the opening 15
is formed. The backflow prevention first cover A has a bottom surface located below the lowest part of the suction port 12,
The cover A is attached to the partition wall 10 such that the upper end thereof is located above the top of the suction port 12.
First passage 16a between partition wall 10 and cover A
For example, there is a suction port heater inside the upper part of cover A.
H _R ′ is attached. Backflow prevention second cover B
is attached to the partition wall 10 so that its top is located above the top of cover A, and the opening 15 is located below the top of cover A. The backflow prevention covers A, B and the suction port heater H _R ' constitute a backflow prevention device.

With the above configuration, when the damper 14 is open, the cold air flowing in from the opening 15 of the backflow prevention cover passes through the first passage 16a between the covers A and B, as shown in FIG. It passes through the suction port 12 and enters the freezing chamber 8 through a circulation path. At this time, since the opening 15 is located at the lower part of the second backflow prevention cover B, the circulation of cold air in the refrigerator compartment 9 is not hindered.

When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 9 decreases and reaches a predetermined temperature and the damper 14 is closed by the damper thermometer 14a, the cold air in the freezer compartment 8 is transferred to the refrigerator compartment due to the temperature difference between the cold air between the freezer compartment 8 and the refrigerator compartment 9. 9 and accumulates in the first passage 16a. At this time, a retention area 17 of warm air warmed by the suction port heater H _R ' is formed in the upper part of the cold air passage formed by the covers A and B, and this warm air retention area 17 causes the cold air to backflow is reliably prevented. Therefore, there is no need to make the height of the first passage 16a particularly high.

Various components including the suction port heater H _R ' attached to the first backflow prevention cover A are controlled by, for example, the electric circuit shown in FIG. 8. In this electrical circuit diagram, the normally closed contacts of the magnetic contactor _X1 control the operation of the compressor CM and condenser fan motor _FMC . This electromagnetic contactor X ₁ is a bimetal thermometer that detects defrost.
It is controlled by Th _def and a cam timer TM that sets the defrosting time. The suction port heater H _R ′ is controlled by a bimetal thermometer Th _def . FM _R , FM _R ′
is the fan motor of fans F _R and F _R ′.

With the above circuit configuration, when contact 3 of Cam TimerTM is connected to contact 2, the magnetic contactor
When power is no longer supplied to X ₁ , the normally closed contact and the thermometer Th _F that detects the temperature inside the freezing chamber are closed, and the compressor CM and condenser fan motor FM _C are driven to perform ice-making operation. At the same time, the fan motor FM _F , fan motors FM _R , FM _R ′, and suction port heater H _R ′ of the freezer compartment are energized via the closed bimetal thermometer Th _def (at this time, the damper thermometer 14
(a), the damper 14 is open), the cold air in the freezer compartment 8 flows into the refrigerator compartment 9, and the cold air in the refrigerator compartment is circulated.

Then, when the predetermined defrosting time of the cam timer TM has elapsed, the contact 3 is connected to the contact 4. Thus, the electromagnetic contactor _X1 is energized, its normally closed contact is opened, and the ice-making operation is stopped. At the same time, the power supply to the fan motors FM _F , FM _R , FM _R ′ and the heater HR _′ is stopped.

FIG. 9 shows another example of the electric circuit configuration of the fan motor and heater shown in FIG. In the electric circuit shown in FIG. 9, when the damper 14 is open, the fan motors FM _R and FM _R ′ are driven via the switch S ₄ that detects the opening and closing of the damper 14, and the suction port heater H _R ′ is energized. stops. On the other hand, damper 1
4 is closed, the contact of switch S ₄ is connected to the heater H _R ′ side, and the fan motors FM _R ,
The drive of FM _R ′ is stopped and the suction port heater H _R ′ is energized. Therefore, if the electric circuit shown in FIG. 9 is used, the interior of the refrigerator can be efficiently cooled and power consumption can be reduced.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which the location of the suction port heater is changed. In this embodiment, the heater H _R ' is arranged around the suction opening 12 of the partition wall. Further, the suction port 12 is inclined so that the freezer compartment side is lower than the refrigerator compartment side, and the lower surface 1
A drain pan 18 is also provided with a portion having the same inclination angle as that of 2a. Further, the lowermost surface of the cooler 13 is located above the uppermost portion of the freezer compartment side suction port. By arranging the drain pan 18 so that the lower surface 12a of the suction port and the inclined surface 18a of the drain pan are located on the same horizontal plane, cold air can be easily sucked, water droplets do not accumulate at the bottom of the partition wall, and dirt can be removed. etc. easily fall into the drain tray 18, which is sanitary, and the cold air from the freezer compartment is difficult to naturally fall into the refrigerator compartment.
In this embodiment, a drain tray may be placed below the lowest part of the freezer compartment side suction port.

As described above, in the refrigerator-freezer of the present invention, the first cover that covers the suction port is attached to the partition wall portion forming the refrigerator compartment side of the suction port where the temperature is relatively high, and the bottom part of the first cover is located at the same position as the lowest part of the suction port or below the lowest part,
The upper part of the first cover is located above the suction port, and a heater is disposed in a component between the suction port and the first passage formed by the first cover and the partition wall. a second cover that covers at least an upper part of the first cover is attached to the partition wall on the opposite side of the first cover from the partition wall, and the upper end of the second cover is located above the upper end of the first cover; 1st
A second passage connected to the first passage is formed between the cover and the second cover, a connection part between the first passage and the second passage constitutes a warm air retention part, and an opening of the second passage is provided at the lower end of the second cover.

With the above configuration, when the damper that controls the opening and closing of the discharge port is open, the circulation of cold air in the refrigerator compartment is not obstructed, and when the damper is closed, the cold air in the freezer compartment is prevented from flowing into the refrigerator compartment through the suction port. This makes it possible to prevent foods, etc. to be refrigerated from freezing. Further, for example, due to the heater disposed in the first passage, dew does not occur even if no heat insulating material is used. Furthermore, in the limited space of the refrigerator compartment, by changing the capacity of the heater disposed in the first passage, the flow rate of cold air flowing back from the freezer compartment to the refrigerator compartment can be adjusted. The height can also be lowered.

Further, if the capacity of the heater is changed depending on the temperature difference between the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment, there is no need to change the height of the first passage.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an enlarged broken sectional view of a conventional backflow prevention device, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the backflow prevention device of Fig. 1 attached to a partition wall, and Fig. 3 is a
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a conventional refrigerator-freezer including a backflow prevention device, FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of a refrigerator-freezer of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the backflow prevention device of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cutaway perspective view of the backflow prevention device of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a cutaway cross-sectional side view of the freezer compartment of FIG. 4, and FIG. 8 is an electric circuit of various components of the refrigerator-freezer of the present invention. 9 is an electric circuit diagram showing another example of the electric circuit configuration of a part of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view showing another example of installing the suction port heater. . 7... Refrigerator-freezer, 8... Freezer compartment, 9... Refrigerator compartment, 10... Partition wall, 11... Discharge port, 12...
Suction port, 14... Damper, 15... Opening, 16
a......first passage, 16b...second passage, A...
First cover, B...Second cover, H _R '...Suction port heater.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A freezing compartment 8 having a cooler 13 and having a relatively low temperature, a refrigerating compartment 9 having a relatively high temperature that is cooled by the cold air in the freezing compartment 8, and a partition wall that partitions the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment into left and right sides. 10, a discharge port 11 formed in the partition wall 10 and serving as a cold air passage from the freezing compartment 8 to the refrigerator compartment 9; 9
A suction port 12 serving as a cold air passage from the freezer compartment 8 to the freezer compartment 8
and a damper 14 that controls opening and closing of the discharge port 11.
In the refrigerator-freezer 7 equipped with the partition wall 1
A first cover A having a closed bottom and an open top is attached to the wall on the side of the refrigerator compartment 0 so as to cover the suction port 12, and cooperates with the wall to define a first passage 16a. A second cover B having an open bottom and a closed top is disposed outside the first cover A in the refrigerator compartment 9.
is attached so as to cover the open top of the first cover A, and cooperates with the outer surface of the first cover A to define a second passage 16b communicating with the first passage 16a. A refrigerator-freezer characterized in that a heater H _R ' is provided in a component up to the passage 16a.