JPH0514192B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a vegetable storage container for a refrigerator for preserving vegetables in a fresh state for a long period of time.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, vegetable storage containers in refrigerators have been designed to preserve vegetables for a long period of time by improving airtightness. An example of a conventional vegetable storage container for a refrigerator will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part showing a state in which a vegetable storage container of a conventional refrigerator is installed. The refrigerator body 1 has a door 2 on the front.
A vegetable storage container 3 with an open top at the bottom.
is installed. The upper opening surface of the vegetable storage container 3 has a glass lid 5 around which a rubber gasket is arranged. The refrigerator body 1 is made up of an outer box 6, an inner box 7, and a urethane insulation material 8 injected with foam into the space of the box body, and the door 2 is made up of an outer box 6', an urethane insulation material 8', and an inner frame 9. It consists of a shelf 10 disposed on the inner frame 9, and a sealing gasket 11 is disposed around the door 2. The vegetable storage container 3 is located in the refrigerator compartment 1 of the refrigerator main body 1.
When stored in the lower part of 2, the upper opening surface is completely sealed by a glass lid 5 around which a rubber gasket 4 is arranged. Therefore, it has been devised to prevent the stored vegetables 13 from drying and shriveling, so that the vegetables 13 can be stored for a long period of time.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, since the above-described structure was a completely sealed structure, a large amount of water evaporated from vegetables, especially leafy vegetables, condensed on the inner surface of the lid 5 and adhered thereto. This means that the vegetable storage container 3 is in the refrigerator compartment 12.
The cold air in the refrigerator compartment 12 cools the outer surface of the lid 5, while the temperature inside the vegetable storage container 3 is high due to the heat of respiration of the vegetables 13, and the lid 5
This is because a temperature difference occurs on the surface. A large amount of water droplets adhering to the lid body 5 fall by natural fall or due to vibrations when the vegetable storage container 3 is attached and removed, and accumulate on the surface of the stored vegetables 13 and the bottom of the vegetable storage container 3. . Therefore, for the first few days of storage, the vegetables 13 are prevented from drying out and thus remain fresh, but over time, the vegetables 13 are damaged by the accumulated water and become slimy as described above. There was a problem. As a result, vegetables could not be kept fresh for very long. Especially when you add new vegetables (especially leafy vegetables) to vegetables that have already been stored for several days, the water that evaporates from the new vegetables will rapidly damage the previously stored vegetables and cause them to rot. There was a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vegetable storage container for a refrigerator that can remove dew condensation water that adheres to the lid and preserve vegetables for a long period of time.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the vegetable storage container of the refrigerator of the present invention includes a container with an open top surface installed in the refrigerator, and a lid body that closes the top surface of the container. The lid body is composed of a resin flat plate having a through hole, hydrophilic fibers located on the inner surface of the container that covers the through hole, and a hydrophobic silicone thin film located on the outer surface of the container. be.

Effect The present invention, with the above-described configuration, prevents water vapor generated from stored vegetables by transpiration or respiration from condensing on the lid surface of the container, and also prevents water vapor generated from stored vegetables from condensing on the lid surface of the container. It moderately suppresses the drying of vegetables and allows them to be stored for a long period of time.

Embodiment A vegetable storage container for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Components that are the same as those in the conventional example are given the same numbers, and their explanations will be omitted.

Reference numeral 14 designates a vegetable storage container with a lid 15 tightly closed to the top opening. The lid 15 includes a flat plate 16 having a large number of through holes made of an olefin thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene;
It consists of a moisture permeable membrane 17 welded to one side of the flat plate 16, and a rubber packing 16' made of vinyl chloride or the like disposed around the outer periphery of the flat plate 16 having the through hole. The vegetable storage container 14 is
The lid body 15 has a rubber gasket 16' around the outer periphery when the vegetable storage container 14 is stored in a predetermined position below the refrigerator compartment 12 of the refrigerator main body 1.
It is removably arranged so that it is in close contact with the Here, the moisture permeable membrane 17 will be explained. The moisture permeable membrane 17 is made by laminating a silicon thin film 18 and a hydrophilic nylon fiber 19. The silicon thin film 18 has a thickness of about 10 μm to about 50 μm and is mostly composed of amorphous chain-like molecular aggregates. A collection of molecules completely shuts out the liquid, and 10~
It has gas permeability due to the molecular spacing of 10 ³ Å. In other words, water vapor, air, and carbon dioxide gas can permeate through the membrane if there is a difference in concentration between the inside and outside of the membrane. In addition, as mentioned above, hydrophilic nylon fiber 19
is used to prevent condensation.

With the above configuration, cold air does not directly enter into the vegetable storage container 14, and the inside of the container 14 is kept at high humidity due to moisture evaporated from the vegetables 13 stored in the vegetable storage container 14. . and,
As shown in FIG. 4, moisture with a humidity higher than the saturated humidity is transferred to the low-humidity area through the moisture-permeable membrane 17 on the surface of the lid 15, which faces the refrigerator compartment 12 and is easily cooled by cold air. Moisture gradually permeates toward the refrigerator compartment 12 side as shown by the arrow. Here, especially when transpiration from the vegetables 13 is intense (such as immediately after storage), the moisture permeable membrane 1
Although dew condensation occurs on a part of the flat plate 16 having a large number of through holes, which is the support body of 7, the moisture permeable membrane 17
Because the inside of the container 14 is made of hydrophilic nylon fibers 19, as shown in FIG. room 12
The moisture permeates gradually. Therefore, since water droplets do not fall and accumulate on the surface of the vegetables 13 or the bottom of the vegetable storage container 14, the stored vegetables 13 are prevented from drying out and shriveling, and are also damaged by the water droplets and left in a slimy state. Vegetables 13, especially leafy vegetables such as spinach, can be stored in a fresh state for a longer period of time than conventionally. According to experimental results, it is said that the interior of the vegetable container 14 is suitable for storing vegetables by selecting the moisture permeable membrane 17 with an appropriate amount of moisture permeation.
Can maintain humidity of 80-95%RH.

In addition, since the outer surface of the moisture permeable membrane 17 facing the refrigerator compartment 12 is a hydrophobic silicon thin film 18, even if food juice etc. from food stored in the upper refrigerator compartment falls, it will soak and the surface will be damaged. It is not contaminated and dirt can be easily removed by washing with water.

In the above embodiment, the silicon thin film 18 may be a microporous thin film made of Teflon or polyurethane, which also has moisture permeability.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the vegetable storage container for a refrigerator of the present invention has a lid that includes a resin flat plate having a through hole, hydrophilic fibers located on the inner surface of the container that covers the through hole, and a container. It is composed of a hydrophobic silicone thin film located on the outer surface of the container, and some of the water that evaporates from the vegetables stored in the container passes through the fibers and silicone thin film and is discharged into the container. Since the humidity inside the container is maintained at a suitable level, vegetables can be stored fresh for a long period of time. In addition, the permeating moisture enters the fiber molecules and does not cause the so-called swelling effect, so the external shape does not change. Furthermore, the strength of the silicone thin film is maintained by using the silicone thin film and fibers.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing the mounting state of a vegetable storage container of a refrigerator showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lid of the vegetable storage container, and FIG. 3 is a view of the lid of the same. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the dew condensation and moisture permeability state in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the main part showing the state in which the vegetable storage container of the conventional refrigerator is installed. 15... Lid body, 16... Flat plate, 17... Moisture permeable membrane, 18... Silicon thin film, 19... Nylon fiber.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Consists of a container with an open top installed in a refrigerator, and a lid that closes the top of the container, and the lid is combined with a resin flat plate having a through hole and an inner surface of the container that covers the through hole. A vegetable storage container for a refrigerator comprising hydrophilic fibers located on the inside and a hydrophobic silicone thin film located on the outer surface of the container.