JPH05322419A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To circulate chilled air in all parts of the interior of a storing box and solve the trouble caused by the thawing condition of refrigerated contents varying according to the place at which they are stored by a method wherein a dew drop receiving plate is disposed below and at predetermined space from the lower surface of the upper wall of a storing box adapted to be indirectly cooled by the chilled air flowing along the outer periphery thereof. CONSTITUTION:A metal plate-made storing box 20 is placed in an insulating case 10 and an air flow circulating passage W is formed therebetween. The storing box 20 is divided by a metal plate-made partition 27 into the left and right chambers RM1 and RM2 and an evaporator 51 of a cooling mechanism 50 is fixed to a place of the insulating case 10 opposite to the one side wall of the storing box 20. The chamber RM2 near the evaporator 51 is provided with two interior fans 30a and 30b on the left wall 22 of the storing box 20 to circulate air in the chamber RM2. The chamber RM2 is also provided with a plate-like dew drop receiving plate 28 disposed below and spaced from the lower surface of an upper wall 24 forward of the interior fans 30a and 30b to prevent the water condensed on the upper wall 24 from dropping in the chamber RM2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and in particular,
While forming a storage room with a heat conducting member in the heat insulation box,
The present invention relates to a refrigerator that indirectly cools and holds a storage chamber at a predetermined temperature using a refrigerant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as a refrigerator of this type, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
The thing shown by the 3-185359 publication is known.

In this refrigerator, two storage chambers are formed by a heat conducting member in a heat insulating box, and cool air is circulated around the storage chambers for cooling. On the other hand, actual development Sho 61-2368
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4 discloses a configuration in which cold air in the refrigerator is blown to a frozen product while humidifying it in a refrigerator that directly cools the frozen product to accelerate the thawing of the frozen product.

[0004]

When cold air is circulated in the refrigerator, thawing can be promoted. It was also found that in the case of a refrigerator that indirectly cools, the inside of the refrigerator is kept at high humidity, and when the frozen mass is thawed, drying is suppressed and good thawing is performed.

However, in the conventional refrigerator, when a large amount of frozen lumps are put in the refrigerator, the air circulation becomes poor,
Although it can accelerate the thawing of frozen mass near the blast side of cold air,
There is a problem that it becomes impossible to promote the frozen mass on the far side. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of eliminating thawing unevenness based on the storage position of a frozen mass.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a refrigerator for indirectly circulating air in the storage chamber in a refrigerator for indirectly cooling and holding the storage chamber at a predetermined temperature. And a dew condensation preventing plate which is disposed at a predetermined distance from the upper wall and the lower surface of the storage chamber and forms an air flow path in the space.

[0007]

In the invention according to claim 1 configured as described above, the dew condensation preventing plate is disposed on the lower surface of the upper wall of the storage chamber at a predetermined distance from the upper wall surface, and the dew condensation preventing plate is the upper wall surface. Since an air flow path is formed between and, a part of the air circulated by the internal fan flows along the flow path. Therefore, even if the stored items in the storage hinder the flow path, a part of the air reaches all the corners of the storage.

On the other hand, high humidity occurs in the storage chamber that is indirectly cooled, and dew is formed on the lower surface of the upper wall of the storage chamber due to dew condensation.
The condensed water that dripped is captured by the condensation prevention plate and does not drip into the storage chamber.

[0009]

As described above, according to the present invention, the air can be circulated to every corner of the storage box, and the thawing speed can be prevented from being biased depending on the storage position.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view, and FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway top view. In the figure, the refrigerator body includes a heat insulation box 10 and a storage box 20.
The heat insulation box 10 has an inner wall of an outer box 11 and an inner box 1
2 is formed by filling a heat insulating material 13 such as urethane foam between the outer wall and the outer wall, and a pair of left and right openings 14a, 1 is formed on the front surface.
Heat insulating doors 15a and 15b that form 4b and open and close the openings 14a and 14b are attached by hinges so as to be opened and closed. In addition, this heat insulation door 1
Sealing materials 15a1 and 15b1 are provided between the openings 5a and 15b and the peripheral edges of the openings 14a and 14b for insulation from the outside air.

The storage box 20 is formed of a metal plate material such as stainless steel, which is a good heat conducting member, into a housing having an opening 21 on one surface.
Both of the openings 14a and 14b are aligned as desired, and are fixedly supported on the outer peripheral edge of the inner surface of the front wall of the heat insulating box 10. At this time, the left and right side walls 22 and 23, the upper wall 24, the bottom wall 25, and the rear wall 26 of the storage box 20 are held at a predetermined distance from the inner wall of the inner box 12 in the heat insulating box 10, and the gap is maintained by the air flow. A circulation passage W is formed.

In the storage box 20, a partition wall 27 made of a metal plate made of stainless steel, which is a good heat conducting member, is fixed to the upper wall 24 and the bottom wall 25 of the storage box 20 at the upper and lower sides, respectively. Inside the room RM1 on the right side of the figure and room RM2 on the left side of the figure
It is divided into. A seal material (not shown) is provided around the partition wall 27, and the chambers RM1 and RM2 are airtightly separated from each other.

Each of the two internal fans 30a and 30b is constructed by fixing the fan 32 to the rotation axis of the fan motor 31, and is mounted on the left wall 22 of the storage box 20 in the chamber RM2. In addition, the internal fans 30a, 30
A cover 40 for forming an air flow path is attached to the front surface of b. The cover 40 has an exhaust port 41 formed in a portion facing the fan 32 and an intake port 42 formed in a lower portion. ing. That is, the end of the upper side of the cover 40 contacts the upper wall 24, the end of the left side bent as an L-shaped cross section contacts the left side wall 22 of the storage box, and the end of the right side back wall of the storage box 20. 26, the lower side is the left side wall 2
2 and the suction port 42 is formed with a predetermined gap therebetween.

A flat plate-shaped dew condensation water catching plate 28 is attached to the upper wall 24 on the front side of the internal fans 30a and 30b. The dew condensation water catching plate 28 is integrally configured by holding a thin plate 28a having a large number of through holes and a base plate 28b having no holes at a minute distance from each other, and is pressed by a press. Projection stopping portions 28c1 to 28c4 directed upward are formed at the locations. The height of the protrusion stopping portions 28c1 to 28c4 is about 1
It is 0 mm, and the protrusion stop portions 28c1 to 28c
A through hole for screwing is formed at the center of 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the dew condensation water catching plate 28 is screwed and fixed by bringing the protrusion stopping portions 28c1 to 28c4 into contact with the upper wall 24. As a result, an air flow path is formed between the condensed water capturing plate 28 and the upper wall 24. The upper wall 24 is inclined so that the back side is slightly lower, and the dew condensation water captured by the dew condensation water trap plate 28 flows down to the back side.

The left side wall 2 of the storage box 20 in the heat insulating box 10
An evaporator 51 of a cooling mechanism 50 that cools by the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant is fixed to the wall portion facing 2 with its air flow path oriented vertically, and the evaporator 51 and the left side wall 22 of the storage box 20 are connected to each other. Between them, there is an air circulation hole 6 at the top.
1 is formed, and a shield plate 60 having a blower fan 62 arranged in the air circulation hole 61 is fixed at its upper side so as to hang from the upper wall of the inner box 12 in the heat insulating box 10. A sufficient gap is formed between the lower side of the shielding plate 60 and the lower wall of the inner box 12, and an air cooling flow passage communicating from the gap to the upper air circulation hole 61 via the air flow passage of the evaporator 51. Is formed.

The cooling mechanism 50, as shown in FIG. 6, condenses the compressor 52 for compressing the vaporized refrigerant supplied from the evaporator 51 and the compressed refrigerant compressed by the air cooling fan 53. Condenser 54 and dryer 55 for dehumidifying the condensed condensed refrigerant.
The capillary tube 56 that converts the dehumidified condensed refrigerant into a low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant and supplies the refrigerant to the evaporator 51 is housed in an auxiliary box 10a formed on the left side of the heat insulating box 10.

A hot gas valve 57 is interposed between the output side of the compressor 52 and the input side of the evaporator 51. When the hot gas valve 57 is opened, a high temperature compressed refrigerant compressed by the compressor 52 is provided. Is the evaporator 5
1 to heat the evaporator 51. That is, the hot gas valve 57 can be opened and closed to make the cooling mechanism 50 a heating mechanism.

Inside the chambers RM1 and RM2, sensors Th1 and Th2 for detecting the respective inside temperatures T1 and T2 are arranged, and the sensors Th1 and Th2 are connected to an electric control circuit 70 shown in FIG. ing. Then, the CPU 71 in the electric control circuit 70 detects the detected internal temperatures T1, T
Based on 2, the program corresponding to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is executed. The electric control circuit 70 is housed in the auxiliary box 10a, and the electric control circuit 70 includes the sensors Th1 and Th2 together with the internal fan 30.
a, 30b, a selection switch Sw for selecting the operation of the internal fans 30a, 30b, the compressor motor Cm of the cooling mechanism 50, and the hot gas valve 57 (HV) are connected. The compressor motor Cm and the air-cooling fan 53 are connected in parallel, and the compressor motor Cm
The air-cooling fan 53 is operated during the operation of.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above structure will be described. When the main power switch (not shown) is turned on after the refrigerator is installed, the CP in the electric control circuit 70 is turned on.
U71 starts the execution of the main program corresponding to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, and first, in the initialization processing of step 100, various variables and flags are cleared. Here, as the flags, there are a start flag SF that is used when it is determined to start thawing, and an operation flag DF that is used to determine whether or not the cooling operation is performed, and as variables, a timer used for a software timer Counter T
There is c etc. Then, as an initial setting, the start flag SF is reset, the operation flag DF is reset, and the timer counter Tc is cleared.

After the initial setting, the CPU 71 executes step 11
At 0, the in-compartment temperatures T1 and T2 detected by the sensors Th1 and Th2 and the selection state of the selection switch Sw are input as the data serving as the determination reference of the following control. Step 120
Then, the CPU 71 compares the internal temperature T1 with the thawing start temperature L1 which is a criterion for starting thawing, and determines whether the temperature is lower than the thawing start temperature L1. Room RM1, RM2
Is held within a set temperature range between the upper limit set temperature H0 and the lower limit set temperature L0, as shown in FIG. However, the thawing start temperature L1 is lower than the set temperature range and is not cooled immediately after the power is turned on, so the process proceeds to step 130.

At step 130, the internal fans 30a, 3
0b is for determining the condition of the selection switch Sw for manually operating 0b, and if the operation is not initially selected by this selection switch Sw, the process proceeds to step 14
Go to 0. In step 140, it is determined whether the start flag SF has been set and the timer has not started yet. The start flag SF is set when it is determined Yes in step 120 or step 130, and is not yet set in this determination. Therefore, the process proceeds to step 150.

In step 150, the timer counter Tc
Based on the value of, it is determined whether the timer is over time. This timer represents non-time counting when the timer counter Tc is "0", and represents a non-time counting when the timer counter Tc has a positive value. Since the timer counter Tc remains cleared in the initial setting,
This time, it is not timed and the process proceeds to step 170.

In step 170, it is determined whether or not the cooling operation is being performed based on the state of the operation flag DF. The operation flag DF is reset in the initial setting, and this reset state indicates that the cooling operation is not performed.
1 indicates that the internal temperature T1 is the upper limit set temperature H in step 190.
Judge whether it is higher than 0. Immediately after the power is turned on, the inside of the refrigerator has not been cooled yet, so it is judged to be high, and the operation of the compressor motor Cm is started in step 192, and the operation flag DF is set in step 194 to perform cooling operation. Let me tell you that.

When the compressor motor Cm starts operating, the air cooling fan 53 also starts operating, and the blower fan 6
2 transfers the air in the air flow circulation passage W to the evaporator 51.
The cold air is circulated around the outer circumference of the storage box 20 while passing through it to cool. When step 194 ends, the process returns to step 110 and the above-described processing is repeated. However, next, when it is determined in step 170 whether or not the cooling operation is being performed, the cooling operation has already been started, so the process proceeds to step 180, and the inside temperature T1 is not lower than the lower limit set temperature L0. To determine. When the cooling by the cooling mechanism 50 progresses and the temperature in the storage box 20 gradually decreases and becomes lower than or equal to the lower limit of the set temperature range, the operation of the compressor motor Cm is stopped in step 182, and the operation is performed in step 184. Reset the flag DF.

By repeating the above, the internal temperature T1
Is maintained within the range between the upper limit set temperature H0 and the lower limit set temperature L0, as shown in FIG. By the way, when the user stores the frozen lump in the chamber RM2 in order to thaw it, the cold temperature of the frozen lump causes the temperature T2 inside the chamber RM2 to rapidly decrease. On the other hand, the chamber RM1 is separated from the chamber RM2 only by the partition wall 27, and since the partition wall 27 is formed of the heat conducting member, the chamber RM1 is separated from the chamber RM1 as the internal temperature T2 of the chamber RM2 decreases. The internal temperature T1 also begins to drop.

When the internal temperature T1 of the chamber RM1 decreases and becomes lower than the lower limit set temperature L0 or less, the operation of the cooling mechanism 50 is stopped as described above, and when it further decreases to the thawing start temperature L1 or less, the CPU 71 Determines that the thawing start temperature has been detected in step 120, and the start flag SF is set in step 122. Then, step 140
Then, it is determined that the start flag SF is set, and since the timer counter Tc is cleared, it is determined that the timer is off, and the process is step 142.
Proceed to.

At step 142, the CPU 71 substitutes "1" into the timer counter Tc to start the timer, and at step 144, the internal fan 30a, to accelerate the thawing.
Start 30b. The internal fans 30a and 30b are the room RM
The air in 2 is sucked in from below the cover 40 and the cover 4
0 is vented into the chamber RM2 from the vent hole 41 to circulate cool air. Then, cold air is sent around the frozen mass, and thawing can be promoted.

Further, a part of the air delivered by the internal fans 30a and 30b enters the air flow path formed above the dew condensation water catching plate 28 and comes out from the vicinity of the partition wall 27, so that the inside of the chamber RM2. It is possible to circulate the air all over to suppress uneven thawing. At this time, if a normal duct for forming the air flow path is used, the storage space in the storage space is reduced, but by using the plate-shaped dew condensation water catching plate 28, the air flow path is space-saving. Can be formed. The condensed water catching plate 28 catches condensed water in a minute gap formed between the base plate 28b and the thin plate 28a and prevents the condensed water from dropping.

When air is blown to the frozen mass, the odor may be attached to the cold air, but in this embodiment, the chambers RM1 and RM2 are used.
Since they are airtightly separated, they can be thawed in a non-wrapped state. Although thawing can be promoted simply by operating the internal fans 30a and 30b, in the present embodiment, the cooling mechanism 50 is used as a heat pump when the temperature inside the storage box 20 is low. In particular,
At step 146, all rooms RM1, RM2 in the storage box 20
It is judged whether the temperature is lower than the thawing start temperature.
Step 1 only if M1 and RM2 are cold
Open the hot gas valve HV at 47 and perform step 1
At 48, the operation of the compressor motor Cm is started. Then, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 52 and having a high temperature is directly supplied to the evaporator 51.
While the air is heated, the blower fan 62 supplies the air in the air flow circulation passage W. As a result, the air in the air circulation passage W is heated, and the inside of the storage is warmed from the outer peripheral side of the storage box 20.

Once the start of thawing is determined in this manner, even if the thawing start temperature is detected in step 120 next time, the timer is counting and the above thawing start processing is not repeated. When the timer counter Tc has a positive value, the CPU 71 indicates that the time is being measured.
After it is determined whether or not the timer is counting, the value of the timer counter Tc is incremented by "1" at step 152.
Then, at step 160, the timer counter Tc
Based on the value of, it is determined whether or not the timer has timed. The timer counter Tc is designed to be incremented by "1" in step 152 during the time counting,
Whether or not the timer has finished counting is determined by comparing the value of the timer counter Tc with an integrated value representing a predetermined time. If a value equivalent to 30 minutes is set as the same integrated value, the timer counter Tc will be set when about 30 minutes have passed from the start of thawing.
Value exceeds the same integrated value, it is judged that the timer has finished counting.

When the CPU 71 determines in step 160 that the timer has finished counting, it stops the mechanism for promoting the thawing in step 162 and subsequent steps. That is, the internal fans 30a and 30b are stopped in step 162, the hot gas valve HV is closed in step 164, and step 166 is performed.
Then, the compressor motor Cm is stopped. Further, in the following step 168, the timer counter Tc used for the defrosting promotion processing is cleared, and in step 169 the start flag S
Reset F to prepare for the next start of thawing.

After the timer has finished, if the temperature inside the chamber RM1 has risen to the set temperature range, normal refrigeration is carried out. If it is still lower than the thawing start temperature L1 at that time, the above-mentioned procedure is repeated. Execute the process to accelerate thawing. Therefore, if the time measured by the timer is set to be short, it is possible to frequently determine the temperature in the refrigerator to determine whether or not to accelerate the thawing. On the other hand, when it is desired to set the time measured by the timer to be long, the timer counter Tc is incremented in step 152, and then step 146 is performed.
Similarly, it is judged whether all the rooms RM1 and RM2 are at low temperature, and if at least all the rooms RM1 and RM2 are not at low temperature, stopping the food only by the heating mechanism can save the foods in the cold storage well. it can.

Although the above embodiment has been described based on an example in which the storage chamber is divided into two chambers, the defrosting promoting mechanism can be operated by detecting the temperature decrease even in the case of one chamber. it can. Further, when two rooms are provided, only one of them may be a defrosting room, and another room may be provided with an internal fan so as to be a defrosting room. Further, the dew condensation water catching plate 28 may be mounted not only in one room but also in another room. Further, an air hole may be provided at an appropriate place so that a part of the air escapes downward.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator to which a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view of the refrigerator.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway top view of the refrigerator.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a dew condensation water catching plate.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting structure of a condensed water capturing plate.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cooling mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a control system in the refrigerator.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a main program executed by a CPU.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of temperature control processing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 ... Storage box 28 ... Condensation water capturing plate 28 30a, 30b ... Internal fan 50 ... Cooling mechanism

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator for indirectly cooling and holding the storage chamber to a predetermined temperature, wherein a refrigerator fan for circulating air in the storage chamber and a lower surface of an upper wall of the storage chamber are arranged at a predetermined distance. A refrigerator, which is provided with a dew condensation preventing plate that forms an air flow path in the space.