JPH10119536A - Refrigerator for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator for an automobile improving the cooling performance of a cooled object such as food and drink and capable of improving the portability of a lightweight portable box removable from a vehicle for use. SOLUTION: A storage box 8 is fitted to a car body 1, and a storage chamber 10 is formed in it. A portable box 14 having a cold reserving chamber 19 formed with a heat insulating material for storing a cooled object 18 is removably fitted to the storage chamber 10. The storage box 8 is provided with a cooling unit 21 having an evaporator 22 communicated with the cold reserving chamber 19 of the portable box 14 and a blower 23 circulating the air cooled by the evaporator 22 toward the cold reserving chamber 19.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator for an automobile which can be used as a refrigerator when mounted on a vehicle and which can be removed from the vehicle and used as a portable box.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art If a refrigerator is installed in a vehicle, it is convenient because it can cool canned juice or canned coffee when the vehicle is running and serve it for beverages, but the engine is stopped when the vehicle is parked. So that the refrigerator cannot be activated. On the other hand, if the vehicle is equipped with a cool box, that is, a portable box, in which canned juice is stored and cooled, you can take the portable box out of the vehicle when you are away from the vehicle and enjoy outdoor sports etc. Thereby, food can be served in a cooled state.

[0003] It is conceivable that a box portion constituting the refrigerator can be detached from the refrigerator body so that the box can be used as a refrigerator when the vehicle is running and as a portable box when leaving the vehicle.

[0004] In order to air-condition the interior of a normal vehicle,
It has an air conditioner, and the air conditioner has a cooling cycle. Therefore, it is conceivable that a refrigerator that cools food and drink is formed using an evaporator that forms a cooling cycle, and a box part that forms the refrigerator is removed from a vehicle so that the refrigerator can be used as a portable box. ing. When using an evaporator, the cold air obtained by the evaporator is blown to food and drink, but in this type, it is necessary to provide a duct to guide the cool air, and secure the installation space for it You have to do
There is a problem that the installation place of the refrigerator is limited.

[0005] Further, as an apparatus in which an evaporator is used to directly cool the refrigerator compartment with cold air, there is one disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 63-153087. The automotive refrigerator described in this publication is
It has a fixed unit provided with an evaporator and a portable unit detachably attached to the fixed unit, and each unit is formed of a metal plate for transmitting internal heat.

[0006]

However, if not only the fixed unit but also the portable unit is formed of a metal plate, the weight of the portable unit becomes large and it becomes inconvenient to handle, and the metal plate is not only inconvenient. Since the heat is transmitted, there is a problem that the cooling capacity cannot be improved.

On the other hand, an electric portable box using a Peltier element or the like has been developed, and there is a portable box which cools the portable box by using a battery mounted on the vehicle as a power source when the vehicle is running. Not only cannot be obtained, but also the power consumption is large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator for an automobile in which the cooling performance of an object to be cooled such as food and drink is improved, and the portable box which is detached from the vehicle for use is reduced in weight to improve the transportability. And

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator for an automobile, comprising: a storage box mounted on a vehicle body and formed with a storage chamber; and a heat insulating material, which is detachable from the storage chamber. And a portable box having a cold storage chamber for accommodating the object to be cooled, and an evaporator provided in the storage box and communicating with the cold storage chamber, and air cooled by the evaporator directed to the cold storage chamber. And a cooling unit having a blower for circulating.

[0010] The portable box may be provided with a cold storage material.

Further, the evaporator may be formed of a flat tube, and the cold storage material may be provided in the portable box so as to be close to the flat tube when the portable box is mounted in the storage chamber. .

According to the present invention, a cooling unit provided on the vehicle body side can circulate cool air to a cool room in a portable box in which a storage box is mounted,
The object to be cooled can be efficiently cooled directly by the cool air. Since the portable box does not have a metal plate, it is lightweight, can be easily removed from the storage box on the vehicle body side, and is portable.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 to 4 show an automobile refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. An automobile body 1 is partitioned into an engine room 3 and a vehicle compartment 4 by an outer panel, that is, a dash panel 2. Reference numeral 5 denotes a floor panel, reference numeral 6 denotes a windshield, and
Is configured.

An instrument panel 7 is provided behind the dash panel 2, and various devices such as a speedometer are provided in a portion of the instrument panel 7 in front of a driver's seat. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a portion of the instrument panel 7 corresponding to the passenger seat. A fixed box, that is, a storage box 8 is incorporated inside the instrument panel 7. The storage box 8 has a main body 9 having a U-shaped vertical section. The main body 9 has a vertical bottom wall 9a, upper and lower horizontal side walls 9b and 9c, and FIG. As shown, left and right vertical side walls 9d, 9e are formed, the instrument panel 7 side is an opening, and a storage room 10 is provided inside.
Are formed.

In order to open and close the opening of the main body 9, an upper first lid member 11 and a lower second lid member 12 are attached to the main body 9 so as to be openable and closable about hinges 11a and 12a, respectively. Have been. The main body 9 may be formed of resin integrally with the instrument panel 7, and the independently formed main body 9 may be attached to the instrument panel 7.
You may make it attach inside. When formed independently, the inside and the outside may be molded of a hard resin, and the main body 9 may be formed by incorporating a foamed resin heat insulating material between them.

The lower second lid member 12 has a support plate 13a along the lower side wall 9c when the second lid member 12 is closed, and a support plate 13a along the bottom wall 9a at right angles to the lower side wall 9c.
b is integrated. As a result, when the second lid member 12 is opened, as shown in FIG.
The a and 13b protrude into the cabin 4 integrally. When the second lid member 12 is formed of resin, the support plates 13a and 13b may be formed integrally therewith, or may be attached to the second lid member 12 with a screw member or the like. .

As shown in FIG. 4, the second lid member 12 has
Support plates 13c and 13d are also provided on the left and right integrally with the respective support plates 13a and 13b. These form a box having an open upper end. The support plates 13c and 13d are used. Instead, only the support plates 13a and 13b may be provided on the second lid member 12.

In the storage room 10 of the storage box 8, a portable box 14 is detachably mounted. The portable box 14 has a substantially quadrilateral bottom wall 15.
a, and a main body 15 including four front, rear, left and right side walls 15b to 15e. A lid 16 for opening and closing the opening is provided on the main body 15 so as to be openable and closable about a hinge 17. The inside is a cool room 19 for accommodating a cooled object 18 such as canned juice or canned coffee. In the case shown, the main body 15 and the lid member 16 are each formed of a resin, and by closing the lid member 16 in a state where the object to be cooled 18 is accommodated in the cold insulation chamber 19, the resin material is used. The object to be cooled 18 can be kept in a cooled state by the heat insulating property. Note that the portable box 14 may have a structure in which the main body 15 and the lid member 16 are separated from each other. When the portable box 14 is taken out of the vehicle body 1, the lid 16 is arranged on the main body 15. Is also good.

In the storage box 8, a cooling unit 21 is provided.
Is provided, and the cooling unit 21 is provided with the evaporator 2.
2 and a fan, that is, a blower 23. Refrigerant branched from a cooling cycle configuring the automotive air conditioner is guided to the evaporator 22.
The evaporator 22 is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the refrigerant flowing inside. The blower 23 is driven by a motor 24, and a partition wall 25 is provided in the storage box 8 to form an airflow that is sucked by the blower 23 and blown toward the evaporator 22. .

As shown, the evaporator 22 communicates with the cool room 19 of the portable box 14 mounted in the storage box 8, and the air cooled after passing through the evaporator 22 shown in FIG. As shown by an arrow in the figure, the object to be cooled 18 is cooled to a predetermined temperature by circulating in the cool storage chamber 19.

In the above-described refrigerator for automobiles, when the portable box 14 containing the object 18 to be cooled is stored in the storage box 8, the engine is driven to operate the cooling cycle. Then, the refrigerant circulates through the evaporator 22, and the inside of the cold storage room 19 of the portable box 14 is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the blower 23. When an occupant eats and drinks can juice and the like when the automobile is running, as shown in FIG.
By opening 1 and 12, the object 18 to be cooled can be taken out.

On the other hand, when the portable box 14 is taken out of the car, as shown in FIG.
Is taken out of the storage box 8 and its lid member 16 is closed. The object to be cooled 18 in the portable box 14 is cooled to a predetermined temperature when the cooling cycle is operating, and the object to be cooled 18 is cooled because the portable box 14 itself has heat insulation. Can be kept in a state. Therefore, when performing outdoor sports away from the car, the portable box 1 removed from the car
4 can be drunk in a cold state.

If the object to be cooled 18 is stored in the storage room 10 with the portable box 14 removed from the storage box 8, it can be cooled in the storage box 8. Can be. Therefore, when the portable box 14 is not used, the inside of the storage room 10 can be widened in a state where the thickness of the box 14 is widened, and it can be used as a refrigerator. At this time, as shown in the drawing, the four support plates 13a to 13d are attached to the second lid member 12 to form an accommodating space, so that when the second lid member 12 is opened, the cooling target is cooled. Things are in the cabin 4
As shown in FIG. 2, it is easily taken out.

FIGS. 5 to 7 show a refrigerator for an automobile according to another embodiment of the present invention. In these drawings, the same reference numerals are used for members common to those in the above embodiment. Is attached.

A cold storage material 26 is provided on the inner surface of the lid member 16 of the portable box 14 in this refrigerator. When the portable box 14 is stored in the storage room 10 as shown in FIG. 5, the evaporator 22 is formed so that the cold storage material 26 approaches the evaporator 22. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the evaporator 22 has a meandering shaped tube, that is, a flat tube 27,
It has a radiation fin 28 provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and refrigerant tubes 29a and 29b provided at both ends of the flat tube 27 are connected to a cooling cycle of an air conditioner for an automobile. Then, a part of the flat tube 27 is extended so that an extension 27 a thereof comes close to the cold storage material 26 of the portable box 14.

Therefore, when the portable box 14 is stored in the storage box 8, the cold storage material 26 is directly cooled by the evaporator 22 and is also cooled after the portable box 14 is removed from the storage box 8. This state is maintained for a predetermined time. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, even when the portable box 14 is removed, the object to be cooled 18 can be kept cool for a relatively long time. When the portable box 14 is used, when the lid member 16 is closed, since the cold storage material 26 is attached to the inner surface of the lid member 16m, the cool air flows toward the cooled object 18 on the lower side, and the cooled object 18 is removed. It is possible to keep cool efficiently.

FIG. 8 is a view showing an automobile refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this case, in each of the above-described embodiments, the refrigerator is provided on the front surface of the vehicle interior. While the storage box 8 is arranged in the panel 7, the storage box 8 is arranged on the floor of the space between the driver's seat 31 and the passenger's seat, that is, on the floor panel 5. When the portable box 14 is stored in the storage box 8, the portable box 14 is in the horizontal direction. In this case, when the portable box 14 is stored in the storage box 8, the cold storage material 26 provided on the inner surface of the lid member 14 comes into contact with the extension 27 a of the evaporator 22 by its own weight.

The place where the storage box 8 is installed is not limited to the place shown in the figure, but can be set at an arbitrary place such as in a side panel of a car. It may be formed not only in the direction and the vertical direction but also in an inclined manner.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the portable box is stored in the storage box by the blower of the cooling unit provided on the vehicle body side, the cool air circulates in the cold storage room in the portable box, and the cold storage room is sufficiently cooled. This means that the cooling efficiency can be improved. Therefore, even when the portable box is removed from the storage box, the object to be cooled can be kept cool for a relatively long time.

Further, if a cold storage material is provided in the portable box and the evaporator is brought close to the cold storage material in a state where the portable box is mounted in the storage box, it is possible to improve the cooling effect of the object to be cooled. it can.

Since such a portable box is formed of a heat insulating material and has no metal plate, it is light in weight and easy to carry.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an automotive refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a portable box of the automobile refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 is attached and detached.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a portable box of the automobile refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 is removed.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an automobile refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the portable box removed from the automobile refrigerator shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing the evaporator shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a portable box according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Car body 4 ... Car room 8 ... Storage box 10 ... Storage room 11 ... 1st lid member 12 ... 2nd lid member 14 ... Portable box 16 ... Lid member 18 ... Cooling object 19 ... Cold storage room 21 ... Cooling unit 22 ... Evaporator 23 ... Blower 26 ... Cooling material 27 ... Plate tube 27a ... Extension

Claims (3)

[Claims] A storage box (8) attached to a vehicle body (1) and having a storage chamber (10) formed therein, and a heat insulating material, which is detachably mounted in the storage chamber (10) and cooled. A portable box (14) having an insulated room (19) for accommodating an object (18); an evaporator (22) provided in the storage box (8) and connected to the insulated room (19); and the evaporator (2
A refrigerator for an automobile, comprising: a cooling unit (21) having a blower (23) for circulating the air cooled by 2) toward the cold storage room (19). 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the portable box (14) is provided with a cold storage material (26). 3. An evaporator (22) is connected to a flat tube (2).
7), and the portable box (14) is
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the cold storage material (26) is provided in the portable box (14) so as to be close to the flat tube (27) when mounted on the (10). .