JPS59197776A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a refrigerator equipped with a blower fan, and more particularly to a refrigerator using a thermoelectric generator as a power source for driving the blower fan υ.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, in intercooling type refrigerators and direct mixing type refrigerators equipped with a blower fan, the operation of the blower fan and the like has been controlled by a heat-sensitive tube, that is, a temperature sensor installed at the back of the storage room.

Incidentally, the mounting position of the heat-sensitive tube must be optimally determined at the development and design stage each time the storage chamber volume or refrigeration capacity is changed. The means for determining this is usually a method based on computer simulation or a method based on a prototype experiment. However, in this case, the computer simulation method targets various complex and difficult-to-understand factors such as the amount of leaked heat and air convection, so The error from actual measurements is large, and in the end, it is often necessary to rely on prototype experiments. Therefore, a prototype must be manufactured every time the storage capacity or refrigeration capacity is changed, which is one of the causes of increased development costs and a prolonged development period. In addition, because heat-sensitive tubes are usually exposed inside the storage room, they can be accidentally damaged or dropped from fixtures when taking food out or taking them out or cleaning them, making it impossible to control the operation of blower fans, etc. It had drawbacks.

[Purpose of the invention]

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art and provide a refrigerator in which the operation of a blower fan and the like can be controlled without using a heat-sensitive tube as a temperature sensor.

[Summary of the invention]

When two different materials are connected and the joint is heated, electricity is generated at the other low temperature ends. This phenomenon is well known as the Seebeck effect or thermoelectric effect. In general, substances include
There are P-type materials, which are negatively charged in high-temperature areas and positively charged in low-temperature areas due to the Seebeck effect, and n-type substances, which are oppositely charged.

Therefore, an electromotive force can be generated by connecting the P-type material and the n-type material as a pair and heating the joint. This is a so-called thermoelectric generating element.

The present invention provides a refrigerator equipped with a plurality of storage chambers arranged through a heat insulating wall and a refrigeration cycle for cooling the inside of the storage chambers, in which a joint portion between a P-type material and an N-type material constituting the thermoelectric generating element is A thermoelectric generator is placed in the high-temperature section of the refrigeration cycle so that its other ends are close to or in contact with the low-temperature section of the refrigeration cycle, and the thermoelectric generator is electrically connected to a blower fan installed in the storage room. The operation of the blower fan is controlled by the electromotive force of the thermoelectric generator generated in response to the temperature difference between the high temperature section and the low temperature section of the refrigeration cycle.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The refrigerator (1) shown in Fig. 1 is a direct mix type refrigerator-freezer, and is equipped with a freezing compartment (2) in the upper part and a refrigerating compartment 6) in the lower part via an insulating wall. A machine room (4) is provided at the bottom.

The freezer compartment (2) is formed by a box-shaped freezer compartment cooler (5), and the machine room (4) is equipped with an a shaker (6), a heat radiation fan V), and a compressor (8). are doing. A refrigerator compartment cooler (9) is installed in the innermost part of the refrigerator compartment 6), and a partition plate (10) is installed in front of the refrigerator compartment cooler (9).
) and a refrigerator room (3). Further, above the refrigerator compartment cooler (9), a blower fan (11) whose driving part is buried in the heat insulating wall is connected to the cold air outlet (1) of the partition plate (10).
It is installed in accordance with 2).

The compressor (8) is installed at the back of the machine room (4), and forms a refrigeration cycle together with the freezer compartment cooler 6), the refrigerator compartment cooler (91), the condenser (6), etc. .

The thermoelectric power generation element (16), which uses metal silicide such as F'eSi2 or C0812 as raw material, is formed by joining two different types of P-type and N-type materials, and as shown in Figure 2, it can be refrigerated. It penetrates inside the insulation wall at the bottom of chamber (6) and
The joint (14) between the type material and the n-type material is located in the machine room (4).
The other end (15), (16) is connected to the compressor (8) installed inside the
) is in contact with the refrigerator compartment cooler (9).

Furthermore, an electrode and each other end (15) of the blower fan (11).

(16) is electrically connected by a lead wire or the like.

In the refrigerator (1) configured in this way, the compressor (
8) is in operation, that is, during cooling operation, the compressor (8) is at a high temperature and the refrigerator compartment cooler (9) is at a low temperature. (15).

The temperature difference with (16) becomes large. Therefore, the thermoelectric generator (
Sufficient electromotive force is generated at both ends of the cooling fan (16) to drive the blower fan (11), and the rotation of the blower fan (11) forcibly circulates cold air within the refrigerator compartment (6).

When the inside of the refrigerator compartment (6) reaches an appropriate temperature, the compressor 8) stops.

Then, the temperature of the compressor (8) decreases, and conversely, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment cooler (9) increases, so that the thermoelectric generator (13)
The temperature difference between the joint (14) and each other end (15), (16) becomes smaller, the electromotive force generated in the thermoelectric generating element (16) decreases, and the blower fan (11) stops.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the compressor (8) and the refrigerator compartment cooler (9) have a joint (14) and each other end (15).
) and (16) in contact with each other.
is used as the power source for the blower fan (11), so the power consumption of the refrigerator can be reduced.

Further, the blower fan (11) is driven by a thermoelectric generator (13).
), it eliminates the need for control switching elements such as heat-sensitive tubes, improving reliability and simplifying assembly work.

Note that the thermoelectric generating element (13) can generate a desired electromotive force by changing the composition of the P-type material and the N-type material that constitute it, and it is also possible to connect a plurality of thermoelectric generating elements in series. Therefore, it is possible to immediately respond to changes in the internal volume or refrigeration capacity, and it is also possible to shorten the development and design period.

In addition, in this example, the thermoelectric generating element (16) was used as a power source for the blower fan (11),
The same effect can be achieved even when used as a power source, and if a capacitor is added to the river to store the electromotive force generated by the thermoelectric generator,
It can also be used as a 71 rjN for interior lights, defrosting fans, etc.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a refrigerator showing an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the main parts. (1)...Refrigerator, (2)...Freezer, (6)...
・Refrigerating room, (4)... Machine room, (6)... A shaker,
V)...Radiation fan, (8) compressor, (9)...
・Cold room cooler, (11)...Blower fan, (16
)...Thermal power generation element〆(7317) f Atsutou Koishi Norichika Kensuke (and 1 other person) K Shiruko 1 Figure F18

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In a refrigeration cycle in which a compressor, an a shaker, a throttle device, and a cooler are connected in a ring, a thermoelectric generating element is provided with one end in the high temperature section and the other end close to or in contact with the low temperature section, A refrigerator characterized in that the other end of this thermoelectric generating element and a blower fan are electrically connected. (2) The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the high temperature section of the refrigeration cycle is a compressor, and the low temperature section of the refrigeration cycle is a cooler. (3) The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the heat generating element is electrically connected to a cooling fan for inside the refrigerator.