JPH10232082A - Fixing structure of glass tube heater in cooler/ refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the entire glass tube heater, including a cap, from being splashed with water. SOLUTION: A cover 72 covers the upper and front surfaces of a glass tube heater 64 and provided with an end face plate 73 covering the outside of a cap 67. A receiving plate 78 for the cap 67 is formed on the inside of the end face plate 73. The cover 72 is fixed to the casing 51 of a cooler 27 when a fixing plate 76 is secured by means of screws 82. The glass tube heater 64 is fitted in the cover 72 from below and received in the fitting groove of the receiving plate 78. It is retained resiliently when a hook part 81 at the forward end of the receiving plate 78 is fitted to a protrusion 70 on the cap 67. A lead 69 is escaped downward through an escape groove made through the receiving plate 78. According to the structure, the cap 67 as well as the glass tube 65 is protected against water spray and moisture is prevented from intruding through the lead wire 69 insertion hole made through the cap 67.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for attaching a glass tube heater for defrosting to a cooler.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a heater for defrosting in a cooling storage, a heater employing a glass tube heater is known. As for the mounting position, it is general to mount the cooler horizontally along the bottom surface or the lower side surface of the cooler so that the cooler can be efficiently heated. On the other hand, the glass tube heater has a problem that the glass tube may be damaged if moisture falls while the heater is in a heating state. Therefore, when the glass tube heater is provided as described above, it is necessary to cover with a cover in order to prevent the defrost water from falling on the glass tube. Conventionally, specifically, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 63-49483 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 5-3874, mounting plates are provided at both ends of a top plate that covers the upper surface of a glass tube. The cover is fixed to the cooler, and caps attached to both ends of the glass tube are inserted into mounting grooves formed by cutting out the mounting plate to mount the glass tube heater.

[0003]

That is, in the prior art, the cap portion of the glass tube heater protrudes outward from the mounting plate of the cover, so that moisture can fall and be suspended. When the cap was moistened, the cap itself was made of rubber or synthetic resin, so there was no risk of breakage and it was thought that there would be no problem, but it turned out that there was another problem. That is, since the lead wire of the heating wire inserted into the glass tube is drawn out to the outside through the insertion hole formed in the cap, when moisture is suspended in the cap, the water penetrates from the insertion hole and penetrates into the inside. There was a risk of doing. The present invention has been completed on the basis of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a glass tube heater mounting structure capable of preventing moisture from hanging on the entire glass tube heater including a cap. To provide.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, caps are attached to both ends of a glass tube through which a heating wire is inserted, and a cap formed on the cap is inserted. A structure in which a glass tube heater formed by pulling out a lead wire of the heating wire from a hole is attached to a cooler, and includes a cover capable of covering the outside of both caps from an upper surface of the glass tube heater. It is characterized in that a receiving portion for receiving each cap by fitting is provided inside the both end face plates, and this cover is configured to be attachable to the cooler. Claim 2
In the invention of claim 1, the receiving portion includes:
The present invention is characterized in that a positioning portion for elastically locking and positioning the locking portion provided on the cap is provided.

[0005]

Function and Effect of the Invention

<Invention of Claim 1> The glass tube heater is accommodated in the cover attached to the cooler while receiving the caps at both ends in the receiving portions inside the both end face plates of the cover,
The glass tube heater is covered with a cover from the upper surface to the outside of the cap. Therefore, it is possible to prevent moisture from hanging on the cap together with the glass tube, and it is possible to prevent moisture from penetrating from the insertion hole of the cap. <Invention of Claim 2> The glass tube heater is held at a predetermined position without displacement within the cover.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, a unit drawer type refrigerator is exemplified as the cooling storage, and the entire structure will be described first with reference to FIGS. Reference numeral 1 denotes a refrigerator main body, which is formed in a horizontally long box shape opened on the front surface, and has a refrigerator compartment 2 for storing foods therein (see FIG. 5). A double door-type door 3 is provided in the front opening, and is supported by legs 4 provided at four corners of the bottom surface.

A cooling unit 6 is removably housed on the left side when viewed from the front of the main body 1. Specifically, a rectangular parallelepiped bulging portion 8 is formed on the upper side of the left side portion of the main body 1 so as to protrude outward and to be retracted from the front surface of the main body 1 by a predetermined depth. The inside is a cooling chamber 9. This bulge 8
As shown in FIG. 5, a heat insulating material 7 is filled into the inside of the wall surface constituting the main body 1 including the above, and heat insulation to the outside is secured. An entrance 10 is formed in a front wall of the cooling chamber 9, and a storage space 11 is formed on a lower surface side of the cooling chamber 9. The compressor 20 is formed by the storage space 11 and the cooling chamber 9. The cooling unit 6 including the cooler 23, the cooler (evaporator) 27, and the like is housed in a freely drawable manner.

In the storage space 11, one side edge of a receiving plate 13 having a shallow dish shape is fixed to a lower edge of a side surface of the main body 1. Further, a pair of support frames 14 are attached to the front and rear ends of the lower edge of the side surface of the bulging portion 8 so as to hang down, and the other side edge of the receiving plate 13 is fixed to the lower end of each support frame 14, Thus, the receiving plate 13 is supported. The substrate 15 of the cooling unit 6 can be placed on the receiving plate 13. The board 15 is formed in a U-shape in which both right and left edges are bent, and is pushed into the receiving plate 13 from the front, and is provided on a front edge (the right side in FIG. 3) of the board 15. The plate 17 is the receiving plate 13
Screw receiving piece 1 formed at the center of the front edge of
8 stops the pushing, and the abutment plate 17
And the screw receiving piece 18 are fixed by screwing.

[0009] The cooling unit 6 is divided into a part accommodated in the storage space 11 and a part accommodated in the cooling chamber 9, and these are arranged vertically on the substrate 15. As a part to be stored in the storage space 11, a compressor 20 is provided on the back side, and a motor 22 is provided on the front side.
Fan 21 driven by the condenser, the condenser 2 at the front side
3 are arranged respectively. On the upper surface of the condenser 23, a cooling chamber lid 25 for closing the entrance 10 of the cooling chamber 9 is fixed via an L-shaped bracket 26. A cooler 27 that can be inserted into and removed from the cooling chamber 9 is attached to the back side of the cooling chamber lid 25 via a bracket 28.

In the cooling unit 6, the outlet of the compressor 20 and the inlet of the condenser 23 are connected by a pipe 33, the outlet of the condenser 23 and the inlet of the cooler 27 are connected by a pipe 34, and the cooler 27 is connected. And the inlet of the compressor 20 are connected by a pipe 35, thereby forming a refrigeration cycle. Among the above-mentioned pipes, the pipes 34 and 35 which are put into and taken out of the cooler 27 are encased together in the middle and are covered with a heat insulating material tube, and are drawn out from the left edge portion of the cooling chamber lid 25 to the side. Have been. The portions of the two pipes 34 and 35 drawn out from the cooling chamber lid 25 are fixed by semi-circular holding members 37, while the holding members 37 are fitted to the side edges of the entrance 10 of the cooling chamber 9. Recess 38 is formed.

A heat insulating packing 39 including the above-mentioned concave portion 38 is attached to a peripheral edge of the entrance 10 on the front wall of the cooling chamber 9. A pair of mounting bolts 41 project from both upper and lower edges of the front wall, while the cooling chamber lid 25 is provided with insertion holes 42 for the mounting bolts 41. Cooling chamber lid 25
An electrical box 43 is attached to the front side of the electronic component. Then, as described above, the cooling unit 6 connects the substrate 15 to the receiving plate 1.
3 and the cooler 27 is
0 and is inserted into the cooling chamber 9. During the pushing, the mounting bolt 41 is inserted through the insertion hole 42 of the cooling chamber lid 25 and is pushed to a predetermined position.
The cooling chamber lid 25 abuts against the front wall of the cooling chamber 9 via the heat insulating packing 39 while the cooling chamber lid 2
When a nut (not shown) is screwed into the projecting end of the mounting bolt 41 penetrating through the nut 5 and tightened, the cooling chamber lid 25 closes the entrance 10 of the cooling chamber 9 in an airtight manner. The substrate 15 is fixed to the receiving plate 13 in the same manner as described above.
Is stored in the cooling chamber 9, while the compressor 20, the condenser fan 21 and the condenser 23 are stored in the storage space 11. In addition, as shown in FIGS.
A top plate 45 is stretched on the upper surface of the main body 1 including. Also, a side panel 46 is stretched so as to cover the sides of the cooling chamber 9 and the storage space 11, and on the front side,
A front panel 47 is swingably opened and closed via a hinge 48.

The above-described cooler 27 is provided in a casing 51. This casing 51 is
As shown in FIG. 8, the upper surface of the cooler 27 (the right surface in FIG. 8) covers the upper surface, protrudes to the front side, and then drops by a predetermined dimension, and then descends down to the vicinity of the front surface of the cooler 27. It has a cross-sectional shape approaching and further hanging down by a predetermined dimension. Therefore, the bottom surface and the lower portion of the back surface of the cooler 27 become the air intake 52, and the front surface (the surface on the side of the refrigerator compartment 2).
Is an air outlet 53. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, an in-compartment fan 54 is provided at a center position of the hanging portion 51a on the upper side of the front surface of the casing 51 so as to correspond to the front surface of the outlet 53 described above. The lower end on the front side of the casing 51 is open, and the cooler 27 is exposed (see FIG. 10).

To explain the internal structure of the refrigerator further, as shown in FIG. 5, a partition plate 56 is stretched between the refrigerator compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 9. The partition plate 56 is stretched so as to rise from the side wall 1 a of the main body 1 that partitions the storage space 11, and a window hole 57 is opened at a position slightly above the bottom surface of the cooling chamber 9. I have. A return plate 58 is provided on the surface of the partition plate 56 on the side of the refrigerator compartment 2 so as to cover a lower portion from the window hole 57 with a predetermined space opened therebetween. 27 inlets 52
Is formed. On the other hand, the partition plate 5
6, a cool air outlet duct 61 is provided on the ceiling side. Then, when the cooling unit 6 is driven, as shown by the arrow in FIG.
After being sucked from the inlet 52 of the cooler 27 and converted into cool air, the air is blown out from the in-compartment fan 54 through the blow-out duct 61, and blown out from the blow-out opening 62 to the ceiling surface side of the refrigerator compartment 2. Thereby, cool air is circulated and supplied to the refrigerator compartment 2.

The cooler 27 is equipped with a glass tube heater 64 for defrosting. This glass tube heater 64 has a known structure. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a heating wire 66 is passed through a glass tube 65 made of heat-resistant glass, and both ends of the glass tube 65 are made of silicon rubber or the like. A cap 67 is attached, and lead wires 69 connected to both ends of the heating wire 66 are drawn out through insertion holes 68 formed through the respective caps 67. Each cap 67 has a pair of locking projections 70 projecting therefrom. Each projection 70 is provided at a position shifted by 90 degrees from the exit of the above-described insertion hole 68, and when the exit of the insertion hole 68 faces downward, each projection 70 is in a state of protruding in the lateral direction. This glass tube heater 64
Is attached to the casing 51 of the cooler 27 in a state covered by the cover 72.

The cover 72 is, as shown in FIG.
The glass tube heater 64 has a total length larger than the total length including the cap 67, and is roughly a cross-sectional shape that covers the upper surface from the front surface (the surface opposite to the cooler 27) of the glass tube heater 64. And an end face plate 73 that covers the outside of the cap 67 is formed at both ends in the length direction.
The front plate 74 is in a vertical position, the upper plate 75 is continuously provided in an inclined position that is inclined upward from the upper edge of the front plate 74, and the mounting plate 76 stands up from the upper edge of the upper plate 75. It is formed. The above-mentioned both end face plates 73 are formed by being bent downward from both end edges of the upper face plate 75, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), the lower end protrudes below the lower edge of the front plate 74, and is elastically deformable around the bent portion.

From the lower edge of the both end face plates 73, a receiving plate 78 facing obliquely upward and inward is formed to be symmetrically bent.
The front end of each receiving plate 78 protrudes to substantially the height of the center of the front plate 74, and is elastically deformable. A fitting groove 79 into which the cap 67 of the glass tube heater 64 can be fitted is cut at the center in the width direction of the leading edge of the receiving plate 78. The back side of the fitting groove 79 is formed in a semicircular shape following the outer shape of the cap 67.
An escape groove 80 is provided continuously to escape through a lead wire 69 drawn out of the housing. A pair of hooks 81 bent diagonally downward at right angles are formed on both sides of the fitting groove 79 at the end of the receiving plate 78.
Functions to press the projection 70 of the cap 67 from above.

The glass tube heater 64 is mounted as follows. First, the mounting plate 76 of the cover 72 is applied along the lower edge of the lower part 51 b on the lower side of the front surface of the casing 51 of the cooler 27, and is fixed by fixing both ends of the mounting plate 76 with screws 82. . continue,
The glass tube heater 64 is fitted from the lower surface side of the cover 72 as shown by the arrow in FIG. When the glass tube heater 64 is inserted into the cover 72, the caps 67 at both ends abut against the lower surface of the receiving plate 78, thereby causing the receiving plate 78 to be elastically raised and pushing the end face plate 73 while elastically expanding outward. When the projecting end of the cap 67 is pushed into a position corresponding to the fitting groove 79 of the receiving plate 78, the receiving plate 78 and the end face plate 73 are returned to the original posture while the cap 67 is relatively fitted in the fitting groove 79. As shown in FIG. 10, the hook 81 at the tip of the receiving plate 78 is
It fits into 0 and is pressed down from above. As a result, the lower surface side of the cap 67 is elastically pressed against the inner side of the fitting groove 79, and the glass tube heater 64 is attached to the receiving plate 7.
8 is accommodated in the cover 72 in a non-contact state.
Further, by the engagement between the hook portion 81 of the receiving plate 78 and the projection 70, the glass tube heater 64 is attached in a state where rotation around the axis and movement in the axis direction are restricted. The lead wire 69 pulled out from the cap 67 is connected to a receiving plate 78.
Through the escape groove 80. The lead wire 69 is wired while appropriately fixing the protective tube 83 to the cooler 27 and the like.
4 and 35 are pulled out through the holding member 37 of the cooling chamber cover 25 and connected to the electrical box 43.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, a thermostat 85 for detecting the temperature in the refrigerator and controlling the defrosting operation at the end of the defrosting operation is provided on one end of the front surface of the cover 72. Attached via 86. The lead wire 87 drawn out of the in-room thermo 85 is also drawn out together with the lead wire 69 of the glass tube heater 64 and connected to the electrical component box 43. In addition, the bottom surface of the cooling chamber 9 is formed in an inclined saucer shape such that it gradually descends toward a predetermined location as shown in FIG. A drain pipe (not shown) is provided for the cleaning.

This embodiment has the above-described structure,
Subsequently, the operation will be described. The glass tube heater 64 includes a cover 72 attached to the casing 51 of the cooler 27.
Is housed in the manner already described. When the cooling unit 6 is inserted, the cooler 27 is housed in the cooling chamber 9 through the entrance 10 and the glass tube heater 64 is also inserted at that time. Since the glass tube heater 64 is covered with the cover 72 over the surface on the side of the chamber 2), for example, the glass tube heater 64 does not hit the edge of the entrance 10 and is damaged. Also, when the glass tube heater 64 is taken out of the cooling chamber 9 together with the cooler 27 during maintenance or the like, the glass tube heater 64 is similarly prevented from being damaged.

When the cooling operation is performed after the cooling unit 6 is properly housed, as described above, cool air is circulated and supplied to the refrigerator compartment 2 as shown by the arrow in FIG. At this time, the cooling chamber 9
Condensation occurs inside the glass tube heater 64, and a part of the glass tube heater 64 tends to drip. However, since the glass tube heater 64 is covered with the cover 72 including the outside of the cap 67, the dew condensation water covers the cap 67. In addition, it does not fall on the glass tube heater 64.

When performing the defrosting operation, the glass tube heater 6
4 is energized to generate heat. Thereby, the cooler 27 is heated, and the frost attached to the cooler 27 and the casing 51 is melted, that is, defrosting is performed. Glass tube heater 64
Are arranged at a distance from the front of the hanging portion 51 b on the lower side of the casing 51, so that dew condensation from the front surface of the cooler 27 (the surface on the side of the refrigerator compartment 2) and the inner surface of the hanging portion 51 b of the casing 51. The water falls on the bottom surface of the cooling chamber 9 without touching the glass tube heater 64. Condensed water that has traveled along the outer surface of the front surface of the casing 51 passes from the inclined upper surface plate 75 of the cover 72 to the outside of the front surface plate 74, and the cooling chamber 9.
Of the glass tube heater 64, especially the glass tube 65. Also, the outside of the cap 67 of the glass tube heater 64 is connected to the end face plate 7 of the cover 72.
Since the cap 3 is covered with the defrost, the defrosting water is prevented from falling on the cap 67, thereby preventing water from entering the glass tube 65 through the insertion hole 68 of the lead wire 69.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the glass tube heater 64 is covered in the cover 72 attached to the front surface of the casing 51 from the upper surface to the front surface, and further from the outside of the cap 67. Since it is attached, moisture is prevented from falling on the cap 67 together with the glass tube 65, and the penetration of moisture from the insertion hole 68 of the cap 67 is also avoided. Also,
When the cooling unit 6 is taken in and out, it is protected by the cover 72, and the glass tube heater 64 is set in the
Is prevented from hitting the rim or the like.

Further, since the glass tube heater 64 can be housed in the cover 72 by fitting, the housing operation can be performed quickly. Further, since the escape groove 80 for the lead wire 69 is provided in the receiving plate 78 of the cover 72, it is possible to prevent the glass tube heater 64 from being mounted upside down before mounting. Further, a pair of hook portions 8 provided on the receiving plate 78 is provided.
1 is fitted to the projection 70 of the cap 67 so as to be elastically pressed, so that the glass tube heater 64 is attached in a state where rotation around the axis and movement in the axis direction are restricted.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above embodiment, the receiving plate 78 for receiving the cap 67 of the glass tube heater 64 is formed integrally with the end face plate 73 of the cover 72. However, as shown in FIG.
May be formed separately, and the mounting plate 89 provided thereon may be fixed to the end face plate 73 of the cover 72 with a rivet 90 or the like. (2) The present invention is not limited to a unit-drawer-type cooling storage, and can be similarly applied to a cooling storage in which a cooler is fixedly provided in a cooling chamber.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a state before a cooling unit is housed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cooling unit as viewed from a surface on a refrigerator compartment side.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure inside the refrigerator.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a glass tube heater and a cover.

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of a glass tube heater.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a mounting structure of the glass tube heater.

FIG. 9 is a partial front view thereof.

FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway front view showing the structure inside the cover.

FIG. 11 is a partial bottom view thereof.

FIG. 12 is a partially exploded perspective view of a cover according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

9: Cooling chamber 27 ... Cooler 51 ... Casing (of cooler 27) 64 ... Glass tube heater 65 ... Glass tube 6
6 Heating wire 67 Cap 68 Insertion hole 69 Lead wire 70 Projection 72 Cover 73 End plate 74 Front plate 75 Top plate 76 Mounting plate 7
Reference Signs List 8: Receiving plate 79: Fitting groove 80: Escape groove 81: Hook part 83: Screw 78a

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A structure in which caps are attached to both ends of a glass tube through which a heating wire has been inserted, and a glass tube heater formed by drawing out a lead wire of the heating wire from an insertion hole formed in the cap is attached to a cooler. It is provided with a cover capable of covering the outside of both caps from the upper surface of the glass tube heater, and a receiving portion for receiving each of the caps is provided inside the both end face plates of the cover. A mounting structure for a glass tube heater in a cooling storage, wherein the glass tube heater can be mounted on the cooler. 2. The cooling storage according to claim 1, wherein the receiving portion is provided with a positioning portion for elastically locking and positioning the locking portion provided on the cap. Glass tube heater mounting structure.