JPH06147736A - Heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit the maintenance of stabilized deodorizing capacity by a method wherein a heater is provided with a deodorizing film, adsorbing the constituents of smell in air during non-heating but oxidizing and decomposing the adsorbed constituents during heating. CONSTITUTION:Cold air, discharged by the operation of a fan 6, contains the constituents of bad smell while circulating through respective chambers 2, 3 and passes from suction ports 12, 14 through returning passages 13, 15, then, is collected into a defrosting heater 17 below a cooler 5. In this case, the constituents of bad smell are adsorbed excellently to a deodorizing body (deodorizing film) 21 positioned in the defrosting heater 17. Subsequently, when predetermined operation accumulating time of a compressor 16 has been elapsed, a heater wire 20 is excited and the heater wire 20 generates heat. The constituents of bad smell, adsorbed into the deodorizing body 21, are oxidized and decomposed by the heat generation of the heater wire 20 and are converted into molecules having no smell such as H2O, CO2, and the like, then, are discharged into circulating cold air by the operation of the fan 6 upon subsequent cooling. Respective rooms 2, 3 are deodorized by repeating these operations. According to this method, stabilized deodorizing capacity can be maintained for a long period of time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heater that adsorbs odorous components and oxidatively decomposes them when heated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the increasing interest in odors and the pursuit of high added value, the appearance of odorless home appliances is desired.
In particular, since various foods are stored in the refrigerator, especially in the refrigerating room, various odor components such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and methyl mercaptan emitted from them, that is, odor molecules are filled, and the user's In order to prevent discomfort and transfer of odor to other foods, the conventional method is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-61-228.
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 284, a deodorizing device equipped with activated carbon made of coconut husk or the like as a raw material is installed in the refrigerator.

[0003]

This type of activated carbon has a large surface area and a large number of pores, and exerts a deodorizing action by adsorbing odorous molecules therein. Therefore, although it has an immediate effect, it loses its function due to saturation and does not have a self-cleaning function. Therefore, for example, activated carbon must be replaced every six months, which is a problem in terms of usability. Moreover, once saturated with odor molecules, there is a drawback that the adsorbed odor molecules are released to the inside due to the rise of the inside temperature.

If, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 44-705, an ozone generator is installed in the chamber to deodorize it, it is no longer necessary to replace it, but other components and the user's fingers are damaged by the oxidizing action of ozone. There is a risk, for example, JP-A-6
There is a drawback that the apparatus is complicated and expensive, such as requiring an ozone decomposition catalyst as disclosed in JP-A 1-209665.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heater capable of maintaining a stable deodorizing ability.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a heater having a deodorizing coating that adsorbs odorous components in the air during non-heating and oxidatively decomposes the adsorbed components during heating.

[0007]

[Function] The deodorizing coating acts so as to adsorb odorous components in the ambient air during non-heating of the heater (that is, during non-conduction),
While the heater is heating (that is, energized), it acts to oxidize and decompose (purify) the odorous components adsorbed by the radiant heat from the heater. It can oxidize and decompose odor and adsorb odor, and can recover its adsorption ability by self-cleaning action during heating.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, 1 is a refrigerator main body, and 2 and 3 are a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment, which are vertically partitioned by a partition wall 4 in the refrigerator main body. Reference numeral 5 denotes a cooler vertically installed in a cooling chamber 8 formed behind the freezing chamber 2 by the partition plate 7. The cooler 5 is configured by attaching a plurality of heat exchange fins to a meandering refrigerant pipe. The cool air cooled by the cooler 5 is sucked upward by the blower 6 arranged above the cooler 5, and is blown to the freezer compartment 2 from the discharge port 9 formed in the partition plate 7 and to the refrigerating compartment 3. Duct 1 communicating with 6 sides
It is blown out from the discharge port 11 through 0.

The cold air discharged into the freezer compartment 2 circulates in the freezer compartment and then returns from the suction port 12 formed in the partition wall 4 to the return passage 1
3 and returns to below the cooler 5 in the cooling chamber 8.
The cold air discharged into the refrigerating chamber 3 circulates in the refrigerating chamber, then flows into the return passage 15 from the suction port 14 on the front lower surface of the partition wall 4 and returns to the lower side of the cooler 5 in the cooling chamber 8 in the same manner. Further, the operation stop of the blower 6 and the compressor 16 is controlled based on the temperature of the freezer compartment 2. Reference numeral 17 denotes a defrosting heater as a heater arranged below the cooler 5 in the cooling chamber 2.
The defrosting heater 17 is operated every predetermined cumulative operation time (for example, 8 hours) of the compressor 16 to generate heat, and melts and removes the frost adhering to and growing on the upper cooler 5.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the defrosting heater 17. In the case of FIG. 2, the heater, that is, the defrosting heater 17 is composed of a heater wire 20 itself such as a nichrome wire. The heater wire 20 is surrounded by a deodorizing body 21 as a deodorizing coating. The deodorizer 21 is a tubular body formed by mixing a platinum group catalyst such as platinum or iridium into a porous body.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. The cool air discharged by the operation of the blower 6 circulates in each of the chambers 2 and 3 and contains malodorous molecules therein, passes through the return passages 13 and 15 from the suction ports 12 and 14, and is the space below the cooler 5. That is, although the deodorizing body 21 gathers in the defrosting heater 17, the deodorizing body 21 located there is a porous body, and thus the concentrated malodorous molecules in the cool air are favorably adsorbed by the deodorizing body 21. Moreover, since the temperature is low due to cooling, the amount of adsorption increases compared to that at room temperature (30 ° C.).

Next, when a predetermined operation accumulated time of the compressor 16 has elapsed, the heater wire 20 is energized. Here, the heat generation amount of this kind of heater wire is limited to a certain amount in consideration of the heat influence on the inside of the refrigerator. Therefore, even if the heater wire 20 generates heat, the deodorizer 21 is heated only to about 200 ° C to 300 ° C. Here, the combustion of the malodorous molecules adsorbed on the deodorizer 21 does not usually occur at a high temperature of a few thousand hundreds of degrees Celsius, but the platinum group catalyst in the deodorizer 21 emits the malodorous molecules at a relatively low temperature. It has the effect of decomposing by combustion (oxidation). As a result, the malodorous molecules adsorbed on the deodorizer 21 are oxidatively decomposed by the heat generated by the heater wire 20, and H ₂ O and C
It is converted into odorless molecules such as O ₂ and released into the circulating cold air by the operation of the blower 16 during the next cooling. By repeating the above, the insides of the chambers 2 and 3 are deodorized.

At this time, if the heater wire 20 is directly sealed by the deodorizer 21 as shown in FIG. 2, a sealing glass for protecting the heater wire, which is conventionally required, for example, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 51-14121, is used. Since no tube or the like is required and the deodorizing body 21 is located closest to the heater wire 20, heat from the heater wire 20 can be favorably received, and thereby oxidative decomposition of malodorous molecules can be smoothly performed. become.
Further, by replacing the deodorizing body 21 with the glass tube of the defrosting heater, the heater can be installed in a portion where the malodorous molecules are concentrated (for example, below the cooler), the malodorous molecules can be smoothly adsorbed, and the deodorizing body 21 can be installed. Since it is not necessary to install it in another place, the internal volume can be expanded.

The deodorizer 21 is generated by the heat generated by the heater wire 20.
Glows red and the infrared rays emitted from it cool the cooler 5.
Defrosting is achieved.

Next, FIG. 3 shows the structure of a defrosting heater 23 as another heater. In this case, as the defrosting heater 23, a heater wire 20 in which a glass tube 24 is sealed in advance is used. Further, the outer peripheral surface of the glass tube 24 is coated with a deodorizing body 25 as a deodorizing coating having the same structure as described above. In this case, the same effect as that of the defrosting heater 17 described above is obtained except that the glass tube 24 is required, and in addition to that, the deodorizer 25 may be provided so as to cover the periphery of the glass tube 24. There is an advantage that it can be easily processed by using a glass-tube-enclosed heater wire type heater.

Next, FIG. 4 shows a defrosting heater 26 as another heater. In this case, the heater wire 20 and the glass tube 24 are the same as those in FIG. 3 and are covered with the deodorizing body 27 having the same structure, but the upper surface facing the cooler 5 has a long side. A notch 28 is formed in the direction. As a result, the infrared rays emitted from the heater wire 20 pass through the glass tube 24 and are directly radiated from the notch 28 to the upper cooler 5, so that the defrosting performance of the cooler 5 can be suppressed from being deteriorated.

[0017]

According to the present invention, by the deodorizing coating of the heater, the odorous components contained in the ambient air of the coating are adsorbed and deodorized during non-heating of the heater, and the heat is removed during heating of the heater. Since the odor components adsorbed by using it are oxidatively decomposed (that is, purified) and discharged, the deodorizing ability can be maintained for a long period of time while periodically recovering the deodorizing ability by appropriately selecting the heating time according to the application. A device can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the outline of a refrigerator.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a defrosting heater showing an embodiment of the heater of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing another embodiment of the heater.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing still another embodiment of a heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 heater wire 23 heater for defrost (heater) 25 deodorizer (deodorant coating)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Adsorbing an odor component in the air during non-heating,
A heater comprising a deodorizing coating that oxidatively decomposes the adsorbed components during heating.