JPH09313269A - Sink - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it easy to install a refrigerator to a sink and easy to use without losing cooling efficiency. SOLUTION: A cabinet 2 of a sink 1 is provided with a drawer 23 or a cart to pull forward as a mobile storage section, to which a refrigerator 9 is installed. The refrigerator 9 is constituted of a container body 10a made of thermal insulating material having an opening on the upper surface, a container having a lid 10b covering the opening so as to freely open and close, and a refrigeration device. Thereby, stored things in the refrigerator 9 can be taken in and out by opening the lid 10b.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator for cooling and storing foods or food wastes which are perishable at room temperature, and a sink incorporating the refrigerator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-1797, an electric refrigerator C is installed in a cabinet B of a sink A.
There was one that incorporated. The electric refrigerator C has a door C ′ on the front and also has cooling function parts such as a refrigerant compressor, a radiator and a cooler, and utilizes the fact that when the liquid refrigerant vaporizes in the cooler, heat is taken away from the inside of the refrigerator. The cooling is done.

[0003]

However, in the above structure, when it is desired to install the refrigerator in the existing sink, it is necessary to remove a part of the cabinet of the sink to provide a space for installing the refrigerator. The retrofitting was a burden. Further, since the front door is opened and the stored items in and out of the refrigerator are taken in and out, there is a problem that cold air escapes from the lower end of the front opening to the outside of the refrigerator and the temperature in the refrigerator rises. In addition, it was not easy to use because you could not see the inside unless you bend down. In view of the above points, the present invention aims to easily install the refrigerator on the sink, to improve the usability of the refrigerator, and to further reduce the cooling efficiency.

[0004]

The invention of claim 1 is characterized in that the cabinet of the sink is provided with a movable storage unit that can be pulled out forward, and a refrigerator is attached to the slide storage unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect,
The refrigerator is composed of a container body made of a heat insulating material and having an opening formed on the upper surface, a storage container having a lid for opening and closing the opening and a cooling device, and the storage of the refrigerator can be taken in and out by opening the lid. It is characterized by

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first and second aspects, the movable storage unit is a wagon having a caster at a lower portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the first to third aspects, the cooling device uses a thermoelectric element as the heat exchange section.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the cabinet of the sink is provided with an accommodating portion having an opening door at the front, a slide rail that can be pulled out forward is provided in the accommodating portion, and a refrigerator is attached to the slide rail. .

In a sixth aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator comprises a container body made of a heat insulating material and having an opening formed on an upper surface thereof, a storage container having a lid for opening and closing the opening, and a cooling device. It is characterized in that it allows you to open and close the storage items in the refrigerator.

In the invention according to claim 7, in claim 6,
The cooling device uses a thermoelectric element as a heat exchange section.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the sink 1 has a floor cabinet 2 on which a counter 3 having a sink 3a, a cooking space 3b and a stove 3c is mounted. A storage unit 4 having an opening door 4a on the front side is provided below the sink of the cooking space 3b of the floor cabinet 2, and a refrigerator 9 is installed in the storage unit 4 so as to be freely drawn out.

As shown in FIG. 2, the accommodating portion 4 is provided with side plates 4b on the left and right sides, a bottom plate 4c at the lower portion, and a back plate 4d at the rear portion, and is partitioned from the other accommodating space of the sink 1. Further, an outside air introduction port 6a is formed in the lower riser plate 5, an outside air supply port 6b is formed in the back plate 4d, and an outside air supply passage 6 that connects the outside air introduction port 6a and the outside air supply port 6b is formed.

A slide rail 7 which can be pulled out forward is laid on the upper surface of the bottom plate 4c, and a refrigerator 9 is attached to the slide rail 7. An outlet 8 is provided on the side wall 4b of the storage unit 4 so that the power cord 9a of the refrigerator 9 can be connected.

Next, the structure and function of the refrigerator 9 will be described. The refrigerator 9 includes a storage container 10, a cover 11 attached to the rear portion thereof, and a cooling device 12 mounted inside the cover 11. The lower part of the storage container 10 and the slide rail 7 are fixed with screws 13. There is.

The storage container 10 includes a container body 10a having an opening 10a 'at the top and an opening 10 of the container body 10a.
It is composed of a lid 10b that covers the a'openably and closably. They are composed of a heat insulating material in which a hollow portion of a double container having an outer wall made of polypropylene and an inner wall made of aluminum is filled with hard urethane foam. In addition, a mounting portion 10c for fixing a cooling device 12 to be described later is formed on the rear wall portion of the container body 10a with the outer wall and a part of the rigid urethane foam being cut off to expose the inner wall.

The cover 11 is formed of polypropylene in a shape with the container body side open. An intake port 11a is formed at the rear end of the cover 11 and an exhaust port 11b is formed at the upper end, and the inside of the cover 11 is an air flow path 11c communicating from the intake port 11a to the exhaust port 11b.

The cooling device 12 includes a thermoelectric element 15 (heat exchanging portion) having a heat absorbing portion 15f and a heat radiating fin 16, and a blower fan 17 forming an air flow for cooling the heat radiating fin 16.
And a control unit 18 that electrically controls these operations.

The function of the thermoelectric element 15 will be described with reference to FIG. As is generally known, the thermoelectric element 15 has one bonding electrode 15c fixed so as to bond one ends of the n-type semiconductor 15a and the p-type semiconductor 15b, and the n-type semiconductor 15a and the p-type semiconductor 15b. Separate electrodes 15d and 15e are fixed to the other ends. When a DC voltage is applied to the thermoelectric element 15 such that the electrode 15d on the n-type semiconductor side is a positive electrode and the electrode 15e on the p-type semiconductor side is a negative electrode, a current flows from the n-type semiconductor 15a to the bonding electrode 15c.
Because of the Peltier effect, the junction electrode 15c on one end side of the semiconductor exerts an endothermic action and the electrodes 15d and 15e on the other end side exert an exothermic action. Since the endothermic action continues in the bonding electrode 15c while the current flows, it has a continuous cooling action. By utilizing this cooling action, the inside of the storage container 10 is cooled.

This thermoelectric element 15 is connected to the joining electrode 1 on one end side.
5c is fixed to the container body 10a so as to be in close contact with the inner wall of the container body 10a of the mounting portion 10c described above with a heat conductive material (heat conductive grease or ceramic) as a heat absorbing portion 15f therebetween. The other end of the thermoelectric element 15 is connected to the heat radiation fin 16 via the insulator 19 and the heat conductive material 20.

The blower fan 17 is provided in the lower portion inside the cover 11 so as to face the intake port 11a. The blower fan 17 positively creates an air flow that sends the air in the air supply path 6 from the intake port 11a to the exhaust port 11b, and the air flow causes the heat generated by the heat radiation fins 16 to flow from the exhaust port 11b above the cover to the outside of the refrigerator 9. Dissipate the heat radiation fin 1
Air cool 6.

A control unit 18 for controlling the cooling device 12 and the blower fan 17 is provided above the cover 11. A switch 21 for turning on / off the power of the control unit 18 is provided on the upper end of the cover 11.

Next, the operation of the refrigerator 9 will be described. When the power switch 21 is turned on, current is supplied to the thermoelectric element 15,
The electric current causes the thermoelectric element 15 to exhibit heat absorption and heat dissipation due to the Peltier effect. Since the heat absorbing portion 15f is in contact with the inner wall of the storage container 10, it takes heat from the container body 10a and cools the internal storage space. The heat generated in the electrodes 15d and 15e on the other end side of the thermoelectric element 15 is conducted to the heat radiation fin 16. At the same time as supplying current to the thermoelectric element 15, the blower fan 17 is driven to generate an air flow from the intake port 11a, through the radiation fins 16 and toward the exhaust port 11b. As a result, the heat generated by the radiating fins 16 is discharged to the outside of the cover 11 through the air passage 11c and the exhaust port 11b. Therefore, the temperature rise inside the cover 11 can be prevented, and the cooling effect of the thermoelectric element 15 can be improved.

Since the outside air is supplied to the refrigerator 9 from the room through the outside air supply passage 6, the hot air remaining inside the storage portion 4 does not enter the cover 11 of the refrigerator 9. Further, since the hot air discharged from the exhaust port 11b is discharged to the outside of the sink 1 from the hot air discharge port 22 formed in the upper part of the storage section 4, the hot air does not stay inside the sink 1.

As described above, in this embodiment, if the slide rail 7 is pulled out, the refrigerator 9 will be the sink 1.
Since it is exposed outside, it can be easily used during cooking work.

Further, since the lid 10b of the refrigerator 9 is on the upper surface, it is difficult for the cool air of the refrigerator 9 to escape to the outside during use, and there is no fear of lowering the cooling efficiency. In addition, you can put things in and out from the top, which is convenient.

In addition, the sink 1 is provided with an intake port 11 of the refrigerator 9.
Since the outside air supply path 6 having the outside air supply port 6b facing a is provided, the hot air discharged from the refrigerator 9 does not convection in the cabinet 2 and is not returned to the cooling device 12, and the function of the cooling device 12 is improved. No adverse effect.

Further, as the cooling device 12, a thermoelectric element 15 is used.
Since the use of the refrigerator makes it possible to obtain a compact refrigerator in which the sound generation is small and the cooling function section is suppressed to a small size, even if it is incorporated in the sink 1, it does not interfere with other stored items.

The refrigerator 9 can be easily incorporated in the existing sink by simply forming the air flow path 6 in the sink 1 later. Depending on the type of the cooling device, the refrigerator 9 may be installed as it is in a cabinet having no air flow path 6.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The same components as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a drawer 23 is provided as a storage unit 4 in the lower part of the cooking space 3b of the floor cabinet 2 of the sink 1, and the refrigerator 9 is installed in the drawer 23.

As shown in FIG. 5, the floor cabinet 2 provided with drawers 23 is provided with side plates 4b on the left and right sides, a bottom plate 4c on the lower side, and a back plate 4d on the rear side, and serves as another storage space for the sink 1. It is compartmentalized. Also, the drawer 23
The hot air outlet 22 is formed above the front plate 23a.
Then, the refrigerator 9 is attached to the upper surface of the bottom plate 23b of the drawer 23 with the screw 13.

The refrigerator 9 includes a container body 10a having an opening 10a 'at the top and a lid 10b for covering the opening 10a' so that the container 10 is made of a heat insulating material, and a cooling device attached to the rear of the container. It consists of 12.

In this embodiment, the refrigerator 9 is pulled out 23
Since it is attached to the refrigerator 9, the refrigerator 9 can be used easily simply by pulling out the drawer 23 and opening the lid 10b of the refrigerator 9.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The same components as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, in the floor cabinet 2 of the sink 1, a space 24 having an open front is provided at the bottom of the cooking space 3b, and a wagon 25 is provided as a storage unit 4 in the space 24. The refrigerator 9 is installed in.

As shown in FIG. 7, the wagon 25 has a bottom plate 2
Attach a front plate 25c having a handle 25b to the front part of 5a,
A caster 26 is installed below the bottom plate 25a. Then, the refrigerator 9 is attached to the upper surface of the bottom plate 25 a of the wagon 25 with the screw 13.

The refrigerator 9 includes a container body 10a having an opening 10a 'at the top and a lid 10b for covering the opening 10a' so that the container 10 is made of a heat insulating material, and a cooling device attached to the rear of the container. It consists of 12.

In this embodiment, since the refrigerator 9 is installed on the wagon 25, the wagon 25 is pulled out and the lid 10 of the refrigerator 9 is pulled out.
The refrigerator 9 can be used easily simply by opening b.
Further, since the wagon 25 can be pulled out from the sink 1 and moved freely, the wagon 25 can be moved and used at an optimum place for the user. For example, since the refrigerator 9 of this embodiment has a height of about 50 cm, the beer can be cooled and the wagon 25 can be moved to the living room for use at a banquet or the like.

As a modification of this embodiment, the wagon 2
It is also possible to provide a door 27 in front of the installation space 24 of No. 5 and keep the door 27 closed when the refrigerator 9 is not used.

In each of the above embodiments, a heat exchanger other than the thermoelectric element 15 may be used as the cooling device 12.

[0039]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the cabinet of the sink is provided with the movable storage unit that can be pulled out forward and the refrigerator is attached to the slide storage unit. Therefore, if the storage unit is pulled out, the refrigerator can be installed in the sink. Since it is exposed to the outside, it can be used easily during cooking work. Also, the refrigerator can be easily incorporated into the existing sink.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator comprises a container body made of a heat insulating material and having an opening formed on an upper surface thereof, a storage container having a lid for opening and closing the opening, and a cooling device. Since it can be opened and closed to put items in and out of the refrigerator in and out, the cold air in the refrigerator does not escape to the outside during use, and there is no risk of reducing cooling efficiency. In addition, the storage items can be taken in and out from above, so it is easy to use.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the mobile storage unit is a wagon having casters at the bottom, the refrigerator can be easily moved to the place where the user wants to use it.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the thermoelectric element is used as the cooling device, it is possible to obtain a compact refrigerator in which the sound generation is small and the cooling function portion is suppressed to a small size. Does not get in the way of your storage.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the cabinet of the sink is provided with a storage section having an opening door on the front side, the storage section is provided with a slide rail that can be pulled out forward, and the refrigerator is attached to the slide rail. If you pull it out, the refrigerator will be exposed outside the sink, so you can use it easily during cooking. Also, the refrigerator can be easily incorporated into the existing sink.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the refrigerator comprises a container body made of a heat insulating material and having an opening formed on the upper surface thereof, a storage container having a lid for opening and closing the opening, and a cooling device. Since it can be opened and closed to put items in and out of the refrigerator in and out, the cold air in the refrigerator does not escape to the outside during use, and there is no risk of reducing cooling efficiency. In addition, the storage items can be taken in and out from above, so it is easy to use.

In the seventh aspect of the invention, since the thermoelectric element is used as the cooling device, it is possible to obtain a compact refrigerator in which noise is not generated and the cooling function portion is suppressed to a small size. Does not get in the way of your storage.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sink according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a storage unit incorporating the refrigerator of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a function of a thermoelectric element.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sink according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a storage unit incorporating the refrigerator of the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a sink according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a storage unit incorporating the refrigerator of the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the sink according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ・ ・ ・ Sink 2 ・ ・ ・ Cabinet 4 ・ ・ ・ Storage 4a ・ ・ ・ Opening door 7 ・ ・ ・ Slide rail 9 ・ ・ ・ Refrigerator 10 ・ ・ ・ Storage container 10a ・ ・ ・ Container body 10a '・ ・ ・Opening part 10b ・ ・ ・ Lid 12 ・ ・ ・ Cooling device 15 ・ ・ ・ Thermoelectric element 23 ・ ・ ・ Drawer (movable storage part) 25 ・ ・ ・ Wagon (movable storage part) 26 ・ ・ ・ Caster

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A sink characterized in that a movable storage unit that can be pulled out forward is provided in a cabinet of the sink, and a refrigerator is attached to the slide type storage unit. 2. The refrigerator comprises a container body made of a heat insulating material and having an opening formed in an upper surface thereof, a storage container having a lid for opening and closing the opening, and a cooling device. The sink according to claim 1, wherein the contents stored in the refrigerator can be taken in and out. 3. The mobile storage unit is a wagon having a caster at a lower portion thereof.
The sink described. 4. The sink according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device uses a thermoelectric element as a heat exchange section. 5. A sink, characterized in that a storage cabinet having an opening door is provided in the front of the cabinet of the sink, a slide rail that can be pulled out forward is provided in the storage cabinet, and a refrigerator is attached to the slide rail. 6. The refrigerator comprises a container body made of a heat insulating material and having an opening formed in an upper surface thereof, a storage container having a lid for opening and closing the opening, and a cooling device. 6. The sink according to claim 5, wherein the contents stored in the refrigerator can be taken in and out. 7. The sink according to claim 6, wherein the cooling device uses a thermoelectric element as a heat exchange section.