JPH0686980B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a refrigerator using a defrosting tube heater as a heating means for defrosting frost attached to a cooler, and in particular, the defrosting tube heater is cracked. In this case, the present invention relates to the invention that protects the members located therebelow from heat and also protects the insulation.

[Background of the Invention]

The structure of a conventional refrigerator of this type will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Reference numeral 1 denotes a refrigerator main body, and the main body 1 has a freezer compartment 2 and a refrigerating compartment 3 formed therein. Reference numerals 4 and 5 denote a freezing compartment door and a refrigerating compartment door that close front opening portions of the freezing compartment 2 and the refrigerating compartment 3. Reference numeral 6 denotes a partition wall that divides the freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3. As shown in the figure, the partition wall 6 has a cold air return passage 7 from the freezer compartment 2.
And a cold air return passage 8 from the refrigerating compartment 3. Reference numeral 9 denotes a cooler, which is vertically provided inside the freezer compartment 2 in a vertical direction. An internal fan 10 is for forcedly circulating the cool air cooled by the cooler 9 between the freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerating compartment 3. 11 is a fan guard.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a gutter provided below the cooler 9 for receiving defrost water generated when the cooler 9 is defrosted.
12a shows a drain pipe for draining this defrost water. The drain pipe 12a is connected to a pipe (not shown) that draws defrosted water into the refrigerator.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a defrosting tube heater. The defrosting tube heater 13 is usually a coiled nichrome wire covered with a quartz glass tube. Therefore, the defrosting tube heater 13 radiates a heat ray radially when energized. Reference numeral 14 denotes a roof, and this roof 14 is a cover member for preventing defrosting water dripping from the cooler 9 during defrosting from directly contacting the defrosting tube heater 13 to generate an evaporation sound. It is composed of a metal plate such as a plate and is located above the defrosting tube heater 13.

In the conventional refrigerator having the above structure, the cooler 9
When the defrosting tube heater 13 was energized to remove the frost adhering to it, there were the following drawbacks.

(1) Since the heat rays radiated from the defrosting tube heater are emitted in the radial direction, the gutter and the partition wall located relatively close to each other are heated more than necessary and are thermally deformed. In order to prevent this, there is a structure in which the entire gutter or the entire gutter and the partition wall facing the defrosting tube heater are covered with a metal plate such as an aluminum thin plate. Therefore, the cost is high.
Moreover, in the case where the entire gutter is covered with a metal plate, in consideration of the heat effect on the gutter due to the heat conduction from the metal plate, a certain large space is provided between the metal plate and the defrosting tube heater so that the metal plate does not reach a high temperature. Since it was necessary to open the space, the space required for defrosting was large, and the size of the cooler or the size of the freezer had to be reduced accordingly.

(2) When the defrosting tube heater is cracked, the nichrome wire inside the heater may hang down and cause thermal deformation or burnout of the member located below, and also the removal of the gutter surface dropped on the gutter. Refrigerator body (outer shell) through frost water
There is a risk of electric leakage.

[Object of the Invention]

In order to improve the above drawbacks, the present invention ensures thermal protection and electrical insulation protection of a member located below the defrosting tube heater when it breaks, and also provides a necessary space for defrosting. To make it smaller.

[Outline of Invention]

A protective member is provided in the space below the defrosting tube heater, and the protective member is held via an insulating material to provide the above-mentioned thermal protection and electrical insulation protection when the defrosting tube heater is broken. During defrosting, the heat rays radiated to the members located near the defrosting tube heater are suppressed.

Example of Invention

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. Incidentally, in the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the conventional example indicate the same members, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a bottom plate, which is a protective member that protects the gutter 12 from heat of the defrosting pipe heater 13, and a space below the defrosting pipe heater 13, that is, between the defrosting pipe heater 13 and the gutter 12. It is located in the space and is made of a metal plate. The bottom plate 15 prevents heat rays radiated downward from the defrosting tube heater 13 from being directly applied to the gutter or the partition wall. Further, if the bottom plate 15 is formed in an arc-shaped cross-section, most of the heat rays radiated downward from the defrosting tube heater 13 are reflected on the bottom plate 15 surface, so that the upper cooler 9 can be efficiently operated. It is possible to heat.

Reference numeral 16 is a rubber cap of the defrosting pipe heater, which prevents damage from the end of the pipe and also keeps the heater wire insulated. As shown in FIG. 4, the rubber cap 16 is an insulating member serving as a holding member for the bottom plate 15, which also has a function of electrically insulating and holding the bottom plate from surrounding members.

According to this embodiment, in the refrigerator in which the defrosting tube heater 13 is installed below the cooler, the roof 14 is provided above the defrosting tube heater 13 and the bottom plate 15 is provided below the defrosting tube heater 13, and the bottom plate 15 is made of rubber. Since the cap 16 is electrically insulated and held, when the defrosting tube heater 13 is cracked, it is held by this insulation and is not held by the bottom plate 15 and does not hang down to the gutter, which may damage the gutter or the like. Of course, there is no leakage of electricity to the refrigerator main body (outer shell) through the defrosting water on the surface of the gutter dropped on the gutter.

Further, in the embodiment, the bottom plate 15 which is located in the space below the defrosting tube heater 13, that is, the space between the defrosting tube heater 13 and the gutter 12 and which is made of a metal plate is used. By adopting the structure of installing the aluminum thin plate of the minimum size, the heat rays radiated from the defrosting tube heater 13 are directly absorbed by the gutter 12 or the partition wall 6 and generate heat to cause thermal deformation. It can be prevented with a metal plate such as.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, by providing the rising edge at the end of the bottom plate 15, it becomes easier to suppress the heat radiation from the defrosting pipe heater 13 to the neighboring members, and the defrosting pipe heater 13 is provided. This will ensure the protection in case of cracking.

Furthermore, by adopting a structure in which the bottom plate 15 is held by the rubber cap 16 that insulates and protects the end portion of the defrosting tube heater 13, it is possible to hold the bottom plate with insulation without using a special insulation holding member. Become.

Further, when the bottom plate 15 is formed in an arcuate cross-sectional shape, the bottom plate 15 can be used as a reflection surface of the heat rays radiated downward from the defrosting pipe heater 13, so that effective cooling of the cooler is possible. Becomes This makes it possible to shorten the energization time to the defrosting tube heater 13 during defrosting, which is effective in reducing the power consumption of the refrigerator.

Since the bottom plate 15 as a protection member is located in the space between the defrosting pipe heater 13 and the gutter 12, even if the bottom plate 15 is heated by the defrosting pipe heater 13, the space from the bottom plate 15 to the gutter 12 varies depending on the space. The heat conduction is suppressed, so that the space between the defrosting tube heater 13 and the gutter 12 which is set in consideration of heat during defrosting can be reduced, and the freezing chamber 2 can be increased by that amount. By suppressing the heat conduction to the gutter 12,
Since the cooler 9 is efficiently heated by the amount of the suppressed heat, power is saved.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, the present invention is located in the space between the defrosting pipe heater and the gutter, reflects the heat rays from the defrosting pipe heater, and hangs down when the defrosting pipe heater is broken. A protective member made of a metal plate for holding the heater wire is provided, and the protective member is held by an insulating member and electrically insulated from the gutter and the cooler. The heater wire can be prevented from hanging down to the gutter and damaging the gutter, and the insulation can be protected so as not to leak electricity to the refrigerator body (outer shell) through the defrosting water on the surface of the gutter that is dripped in the gutter. In addition, the heat rays from the defrosting tube heater during defrosting suppress the heat rays radiated to the members located near the heater, such as the gutter, so that the gutter is not excessively heated and is thermally deformed. Prevent. Moreover, since the protective member is located in the space between the defrosting tube heater and the gutter, even if the protective member is heated by the defrosting tube heater, the space suppresses heat conduction to the gutter, thereby removing the defrosting. By making it possible to reduce the section between the defrosting tube heater and the gutter, which is set in consideration of heat during frost, the freezer compartment can be made larger by that amount and heat conduction to the gutter is suppressed. Since the cooler is efficiently heated by the amount of the suppressed heat, power consumption is saved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a refrigerator having a conventional structure,
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a refrigerator having the structure of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a detailed view of part A of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a front view of the main part of a refrigerator having the structure of the present invention. 1 ... Refrigerator body, 2 ... Freezer room, 3 ... Refrigerator room, 4 ... Freezer room door, 5 ... Refrigerator room door, 6 ... Partition wall, 7 ... Cold air return passage from the freezer room, 8 ...... Cold air return passage from the freezer room, 9 ...... cooler, 10 …… internal fan, 11 …… fan guard, 12 …… gutter, 12a …… gutter exhaust pipe, 13 …… defrosting pipe heater , 14 …… Roof, 15 …… Bottom plate, 16 …… Rubber cap.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Susumu Yamazaki 800 Tomita, Ohira-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi Stock company, Tochigi factory, Hitachi, Ltd. In Tochigi Plant (72) Inventor Masaaki Kashibuchi 800, Oita, Ohira-cho, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi Hitachi Co., Ltd. Tochigi Plant (56) References: 57-109488 (JP, U) (JP, Y1) Actual public Sho 50-20331 (JP, Y1)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A freezer compartment formed inside a refrigerator body,
A cooler that is long in the vertical direction inside the freezing chamber,
A defrosting pipe heater located below the cooler to melt frost adhering to the cooler, and defrosting water below the defrosting pipe heater and the cooler to melt the frost. A gutter for receiving the defrosting tube heater, wherein the end of the defrosting tube heater is electrically insulated by an insulating member, wherein the defrosting tube heater is located in a space between the defrosting tube heater and the gutter. The defrosting tube heater is provided with a protective member composed of a metal plate that holds the heater wire that hangs down when the defrosting tube heater is broken, and the space between the defrosting tube heater and the gutter is provided. The refrigerator is characterized in that the positioned protective member is held by the insulating member and electrically insulated from the gutter and the cooler.