WO2012008092A1

WO2012008092A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2012008092A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/003401
Authority: WO
Inventors: 愼一堀井; 雅司湯浅; 利幸森内; 綾一小野
Original assignee: パナソニック株式会社
Priority date: 2010-07-12
Filing date: 2011-06-15
Publication date: 2012-01-19
Also published as: CN102338528B; JP2012021658A; CN103003650B; EP2594871A1; CN102338528A; CN103003650A; EP2594871A4; JP5625561B2; EP2594871B1

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided with: a cold storage compartment; a freezing compartment; a switchable compartment; a cooler; a fan provided above the cooler; a duct device provided with a cold storage compartment air duct for blowing cold air into the cold storage compartment, a switchable compartment air duct for blowing cold air into the switchable compartment, and a cold storage compartment return duct for returning the cold air, which has been discharged into the cold storage compartment, to the cooler; and a partition wall for separating the cold storage compartment and the switchable compartment in such a manner that the compartments are arranged vertically on top of each other. A discharge duct section for discharging the cold air into the switchable compartment is provided to the lower surface of the partition wall and is connected to the switchable compartment air duct of the duct device disposed on the rear surface of the switchable compartment.

Description

refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigerator that forcibly circulates cold air generated by a cooler to cool each storage room in different temperature zones.

A conventional refrigerator will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional refrigerator.

As shown in FIG. 14, the refrigerator 1 is a refrigerator constituted by a heat insulating box 5 in which a heat insulating material 4 is filled between an inner box 2 and an outer box 3. The refrigerator has a refrigerated room 6, a switching room 7, and a freezing room 8 divided into a plurality of storage rooms from the top, and the front opening of each storage room has a refrigerated room door 9, a switching room door 10, and a freezing room. It is blocked by the chamber door 11.

The refrigerator compartment 6 and the switching compartment 7 are partitioned by a partition plate 12 having a heat insulating effect. Similarly, the switching chamber 7 and the freezer compartment 8 are partitioned by a partition plate 13 having a heat insulating effect. A duct 14 connected to the freezer compartment 8 is installed in the back of the partition plate 13 (the back side of the inner box 2 of the refrigerator compartment 6).

In the refrigerator compartment 6, a refrigerator compartment shelf 20 for storing food and a refrigerator compartment case 21 are arranged. Further, a tube-on-sheet 15 (evaporator) is disposed on the back surface of the inner box 2 of the refrigerator compartment 6 in contact with the wall surface to cool the interior of the refrigerator compartment 6. A cooler 16 is disposed on the back of the freezer compartment 8, and a fan 17 is disposed above the cooler 16.

Also, a switching chamber case 22 for storing food is disposed in the switching chamber 7, and a duct 18 having a damper 19 inside is disposed on the back of the switching chamber 7.

The operation of the conventional refrigerator configured as described above will be described below.

First, the refrigerator compartment 6 is provided with the tube-on-sheet 15 in contact with the back surface of the inner box 2 of the refrigerator compartment 6 so that the rear surface of the inner box 2 of the refrigerator compartment 6 serves as a cooling wall surface. The room shelf 20 and the refrigerator compartment case 21 are naturally cooled.

On the other hand, the freezer compartment 8 is forcibly cooled by forcibly circulating the cool air of the cooler 16 in the cooling compartment by the fan 17. Then, the cold air circulated in the freezer compartment 8 returns to the cooler 16.

Similarly, the switching chamber 7 is forcibly cooled by causing a part of the cool air to flow into the duct 14 and circulating to the duct 18 at the back of the switching chamber 7 by the fan 17. The cold air that has flowed into the duct 18 passes through the damper 19, is discharged to the switching chamber case 22, exchanges heat with the air in the switching chamber case 22, and is then sucked into the return duct 18 to the cooler 16 on the back surface. Return to cooler 16.

That is, in the conventional refrigerator, since the refrigerator compartment 6 and the switching compartment 7 are partitioned vertically by the partition plate 12, a passage through which cold air circulates is not formed. Therefore, the refrigerator compartment 6 is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the tube on sheet 15. On the other hand, the switching chamber 7 keeps the temperature of the switching chamber 7 constant by circulating the cold air cooled by the cooler 16 into the switching chamber 7 by the fan 17 and controlling the amount of cold air circulated by the damper 19. . Thereby, the temperature of the food in the switching chamber case 22 can be kept constant, and the freshness of the food can be maintained. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

However, in the above-described conventional configuration, there is no air path for forcibly circulating cold air in the refrigerator compartment 6, so there is a temperature difference between a location near and far from the tube-on-sheet 15 in the refrigerator compartment 6. There was a problem that was likely to become large. Moreover, in order to cool the inside of the switching chamber 7 uniformly, the inside of the duct 18 is provided with a plurality of passages so as to be diverged in various ways. That is, since the duct 18 communicates with a plurality of discharge ports provided on the top surface of the switching chamber 7 and discharges cold air, the duct 18 must be provided with a plurality of discharge ports, and the structure becomes complicated. . As a result, the cool air guided from the cooler 16 by the fan 17 increases the air path resistance in the duct 18, so that a predetermined amount of cool air cannot be discharged to the switching chamber 7, and the switching chamber 7 is brought to a predetermined temperature. It may not be possible to keep. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the air passage area in order to reduce the air passage resistance of the duct 18, but when the air passage area is increased, the depth dimension of the switching chamber 7 is reduced and the internal volume of the refrigerator 1 is reduced.

JP 2005-195293 A

The refrigerator of the present invention generates a cold room provided at the rear of the freezer room, a freezer room provided at the lower part, a switching room for switching the temperature zone provided between the freezer room and the freezer room A cooling device, a fan disposed at the top of the cooler that blows cool air generated by the cooler to the refrigerating room, the freezing room, and the switching room, a refrigerating room air duct that blows cool air to the refrigerating room, and a switching room A duct device having a switching chamber air duct that blows cool air to the cooling chamber, a refrigeration chamber return duct that returns the cold air discharged into the refrigeration chamber to the cooler, and a partition wall that divides the refrigeration chamber and the switching chamber vertically In the refrigerator, a discharge duct portion that discharges cold air to the switching chamber is provided on the lower surface of the partition wall, and is connected to a switching chamber air duct of a duct device installed on the back surface of the switching chamber.

This simplifies the air path structure in the duct device at the back of the switching chamber, can uniformly disperse the cold air, and more reliably cool each storage chamber connected to the air path to a predetermined temperature.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a refrigerator in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the air path of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a partition wall of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the partition wall of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the refrigerator duct device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the refrigerator duct device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the refrigerator duct device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the refrigerator duct device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a duct device for a refrigerator in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing the first partition wall and the first cover of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of main parts of the first cover of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of relevant parts near the cooling chamber of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional refrigerator.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those of the conventional examples or the embodiments described above, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Moreover, in this Embodiment, let the door side of a refrigerator be the front, the front side, and the front surface, and let the opposite side to the door side be back, back side, rear surface, and back surface.

(Embodiment)
The whole structure of the refrigerator 30 is demonstrated below using FIG. 1 and FIG.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat insulating box 31 of the refrigerator 30 is mainly composed of an outer box 32 using a steel plate and an inner box 33 formed of a resin such as ABS. The material 34 is insulated from the surroundings by being filled between the outer box 32 and the inner box 33.

The heat insulation box 31 is divided into a plurality of storage rooms. For example, a refrigerator compartment 35 is disposed at the top of the heat insulation box 31, a switching chamber 36 is disposed at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment 35, and a freezer compartment 37 is disposed at the bottom. The switching chamber 36 and the freezing chamber 37 are partitioned vertically by a first partition wall 41. The refrigerating chamber 35 and the switching chamber 36 are partitioned up and down by a partition wall 42, and formed at a front end portion (switching chamber door 39 side) of the partition wall 42 as a separate member from the partition wall 42, and inside is a synthetic resin member For example, a partition plate 80 having a heat insulating member such as polystyrene foam is provided. A dew proof pipe (not shown) is embedded in the partition plate 80 so that condensation does not occur on the surface of the partition plate 80.

A refrigerator compartment door 38 is provided at the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 35, a switching compartment door 39 is provided at the front opening of the switching compartment 36, and a freezer compartment door 40 is provided at the front opening of the freezing compartment 37.

The refrigerated room 35 can be normally set at 1 ° C. to 5 ° C. with the lower limit of the temperature at which food is not frozen for refrigerated storage. The switching chamber 36 can switch the temperature from the refrigeration temperature zone to the refrigeration temperature zone, and can be set from -18 to 4 ° C at 1 ° C intervals. The freezer room 37 is usually set in a freezing temperature range of −22 ° C. to −15 ° C. for freezing storage, and further set to a low temperature of, for example, −30 ° C. or −25 ° C. to improve the frozen storage state. Can be made. When the switching chamber 36 is set to the refrigeration temperature zone, an aluminum foil heater (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the first partition wall 41 is energized to set the switching chamber 36 at a predetermined temperature.

The interior of the refrigerator compartment 35 is divided into a plurality of upper and lower parts by a plurality of shelves 61, and a vegetable compartment 64 is provided in the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 35. The vegetable compartment 64 is composed of an open / close lid 64a formed on the front surface and a vegetable case 64b that can be pulled out in the front-rear direction, and a refrigerator compartment duct 81 is provided on the back surface of the vegetable compartment 64. In addition, although the vegetable compartment 64 demonstrated in the example which has an opening part in the front surface, it is good also as a structure which accommodates the box case which has an opening part in an upper surface and can be sealed with the upper surface cover provided in the opening part. .

Moreover, although the width of the vegetable compartment 64 is usually configured to be smaller than the overall width in the refrigerator compartment 35, it need not be limited to this configuration. That is, you may comprise the width | variety of the vegetable compartment 64 according to the full width dimension in the refrigerator compartment 35. FIG.

In the switching chamber 36, an upper drawer case 69 and a lower drawer case 70 are provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The upper drawer case 69 includes an upper surface opening 69a on the top surface, a bottom surface portion 69b on the bottom surface, and a back wall 69c on the back surface. Similarly, the lower drawer case 70 includes an upper surface opening 70a on the top surface, a bottom surface portion 70b on the bottom surface, and a back wall 70c on the back surface.

On the back surface of the switching chamber 36, a refrigeration chamber 35 and a duct device 49 for blowing cool air to the switching chamber 36 are provided. In the duct device 49, a damper device 50 for adjusting the amount of cool air to be blown to the refrigerating chamber 35 and the switching chamber 36 is included. A control board 66 that controls the entire refrigerator 30 is disposed in the outer box 32 on the back side of the switching chamber 36.

A cooling chamber 43 that generates cold air is provided on the back side of the freezing chamber 37, and a cooler 44 is disposed inside the cooling chamber 43. The cooling chamber 43 is thermally insulated by a first cover 45 that partitions from the freezing chamber 37. A fan 46 that forcibly blows the generated cold air is disposed above the cooler 44, and a defrost heater 47 that defrosts frost and ice adhering to the cooler 44 is disposed below the cooler 44. Is provided. The defrost heater 47 is specifically made of a glass tube heater made of glass, and in particular, when the refrigerant of the cooler 44 is a hydrocarbon-based refrigerant gas, a double glass tube in which glass tubes are formed in a double manner for explosion protection. A heater is used.

As shown in FIG. 2, a water supply tank 53 of an automatic ice making device is provided beside the vegetable room 64 in the lower part of the refrigerating room 35 (for example, the left side), and an ice tray 54 is provided above the freezing room 37. Yes. The water supply tank 53 stores water for automatic ice making and is detachably stored. A water supply pipe 55 connected to the water supply tank 53 extends from the refrigerator compartment 35 to the freezer compartment 37 through the switching chamber 36. Water in the water supply tank 53 is sucked up by a motor (not shown) and guided into the water supply pipe 55.

Hereinafter, the arrangement and air path of each duct of the refrigerator 30 in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the air path of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a discharge port 35 a for discharging cool air to the refrigerating chamber 35 and a refrigerating chamber return port 35 b for returning the cool air in the refrigerating chamber 35 to the cooler 44 are formed on the back surface of the refrigerating chamber 35. ing.

On the back surface of the switching chamber 36, an upper discharge port 36a for discharging cool air to the switching chamber 36 is disposed above the upper opening 69a (see FIG. 1) of the upper drawer case 69. The lower discharge port 36b that opens to the duct device 49 and discharges cool air to the switching chamber 36 is formed above the upper surface opening 70a of the lower drawer case 70 and between the bottom surface 69b (see FIG. 1). Has been.

The lower discharge port 36b may be provided at a position facing the rear wall 69c by inclining the rear wall 69c (see FIG. 1) of the upper drawer case 69 forward of the lower drawer case 70. Thereby, the back wall 69c of the upper drawer case 69 serves as a guide plate for the cool air discharged from the lower discharge port 36b, and the cool air can be efficiently guided into the lower drawer case 70.

A switching chamber return port 36c for returning the cool air in the lower drawer case 70 of the switching chamber 36 to the cooler 44 is provided between the upper surface opening 70a and the bottom surface portion 70b of the lower drawer case 70a. It is formed between.

A refrigerating room temperature sensor 67 for detecting the temperature of the refrigerating room 35 is installed in the refrigerating room return port 35b, and a switching room temperature sensor 68 for detecting the temperature of the switching room 36 is provided in the switching room return port 36c. Is installed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the air duct 48 in the duct device 49 is provided with a refrigerating room air duct 48 a that sends cool air to the refrigerating room 35 and a switching room air duct 48 b that blows cold air to the switching room 36 side by side. And communicated in the vertical direction. The refrigerating room air duct 48a is configured on the back surface of the switching room 36, communicates with the refrigerating room duct 81 in the vertical direction, and a refrigerating room discharge port 62 is formed corresponding to the shelf 61 of each refrigerating room 35.

In the duct device 49, a damper device 50 for adjusting the amount of cold air to the refrigerator compartment 35 and the switching chamber 36 is provided. Specifically, a refrigeration room damper 50a is provided in the refrigeration room air duct 48a, and a switching room damper 50b is provided in the switching room air duct 48b, respectively, and the amount of cold air passing therethrough is controlled separately.

At this time, it is preferable that the duct device 49 is formed on the back surface of the switching chamber 36 in the same size as the area of the back surface of the switching chamber 36. The refrigerating room air duct 48 a and the switching room air duct 48 b are arranged in the left and right width direction of the switching room 36, that is, near the center in the width direction of the duct device 49. The refrigerating room return duct 51a and the switching room return duct 51b are provided on one side of a duct device 49 centered on the refrigerating room air duct 48a and the switching room air duct 48b.

Furthermore, the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a is arranged side by side with the air duct 48. As a result, the duct device 49 is provided with three ducts, ie, a refrigerating room air duct 48a, a switching room air duct 48b, and a refrigerating room return duct 51a, which communicate with each other in the vertical direction and are arranged side by side. At this time, as will be described below with reference to FIG. 7, the switching chamber return duct 51b is adjacent to the refrigeration chamber return duct 51a and has a front-rear positional relationship with respect to the door direction. It arrange | positions ahead of 51a.

The refrigerating room return duct 51 a and the switching room return duct 51 b are provided so as to communicate with the lower part of the cooler 44 through the region of the freezing room 37 having a lower temperature zone than the switching room 36 and the refrigerating room 35. . Thereby, the refrigerating room return duct 51 a whose return cold air temperature is higher than the temperature range of the freezing room 37 is arranged at a position away from the freezing room 37. As a result, it is possible to reduce the risk of dew condensation that occurs in the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a when it is cooled in the freezer compartment 7 and freezing inside the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a. That is, the switching chamber return duct 51b of the switching chamber 36 that can be set from a temperature close to the temperature of the freezer compartment 37 to a temperature close to the refrigerator temperature is arranged in front of the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a (on the switching chamber door 39 side). In addition, condensation and freezing in the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a can be reduced.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the partition wall 42 that partitions the refrigerator compartment 35 and the switching chamber 36 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a partition wall of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the partition wall of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, for example, the partition wall 42 that partitions the refrigerating chamber 35 and the switching chamber 36 formed of a synthetic resin material includes an upper surface cover member 42d, a heat insulating plate 42a, and a discharge duct plate 42b. And the lower surface cover member 42c.

The upper surface of the heat insulating plate 42a is covered with an upper surface cover member 42d, and the discharge duct plate 42b formed on the lower surface of the heat insulating plate 42a is provided separately from the heat insulating plate 42a and forms a guide wall to the switching chamber 36. is doing. And the lower surface side of the heat insulation board 42a and the discharge duct board 42b is covered by the lower surface cover member 42c formed in the lower surface of the discharge duct board 42b.

On the lower surface of the lower surface cover member 42c, for example, a discharge duct portion 42f that is connected to the switching chamber air duct 48b of the duct device 49 installed on the back surface of the switching chamber 36 and discharges cool air to the switching chamber 36 is integrally formed, for example. Has been.

With the above-described configuration, a simple air passage structure that allows cool air to flow from the switching chamber air duct 48b in the duct device 49 on the back surface of the switching chamber 36 to the discharge duct portion 42f is configured, and the cold air is uniformly distributed in the switching chamber 36. It is possible to cool the interior of the switching chamber 36 to a predetermined temperature more reliably.

Further, the discharge duct portion 42f is formed by a step portion 42e so as to be disposed on the upper surface opening 69a (see FIG. 1) of the upper drawer case 69 of the switching chamber 36, and the upper discharge portion for discharging cool air to the step portion 42e. An outlet 36a is provided.

In addition, although the upper discharge port 36a may be one, it is preferable that the upper discharge port 36a includes a plurality of discharge ports. For example, a plurality of upper discharge ports 36a provided in the discharge duct portion 42f of the lower surface cover member 42c are provided so as to be smaller than the opening area of one opening 42g provided in the discharge duct plate 42b. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the upper discharge port 36 a and to discharge cold air uniformly into the upper drawer case 69.

Further, the stepped portion 42e may not be formed on the lower surface of the lower surface cover member 42c. For example, the upper discharge port 36a may be provided on the same surface as the lower surface cover member 42c. With this configuration, the volumetric efficiency of the upper drawer case 69 of the switching chamber 36 is improved.

Further, by integrally forming the partition wall 42 and the discharge duct portion 42f with a resin member, when the cool air discharged from the cooler 44 is diverted to the refrigerating chamber 35 and the switching chamber 36, each duct portion is in the middle. Cold air can be guided without leaking outside. As a result, the cool air can be efficiently diverted to the refrigerating room 35 and the switching room 36 while suppressing an increase in air path resistance, and a refrigerator excellent in energy saving performance can be realized.

Here, the fixing method to the heat insulation box 31 of the partition plate 80, the 1st division wall 41, and the division wall 42 is demonstrated below.

Note that the partition plate 80 is arranged in the left-right width direction of the inner box 33 before filling the heat insulating box 31 with the foam heat insulating material 34, and is filled and fixed with the foam heat insulating material 34. At this time, the gasket of the refrigerator compartment door 38 and the gasket of the switching compartment door 39 are brought into close contact with the partition plate 80 so that the indoor cold air does not leak to the outside.

In addition, the partition wall 42 installed behind the partition plate 80 is installed behind the partition plate 80 before filling the heat insulating box 31 with the foam heat insulating material 34, and the foam heat insulating material 34 is placed inside the heat insulating box 31. Filled and fixed. Similarly, the first partition wall 41 is also fixed by filling the heat insulating box 31 with the foam heat insulating material 34.

Then, a duct device 49 is disposed on the back surface of the switching chamber 36 between the first partition wall 41 and the partition wall 42, and the discharge duct portion 42f of the first partition wall 41 and the duct device 49 are connected. This simplifies the configuration of the duct device in the switching chamber 36, reduces variations in installation of the duct device, and facilitates assembly.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the duct device 49 connected to the discharge duct portion 42f described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the refrigerator duct device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cool air from the refrigerating chamber 35 is returned to the duct device 49. The refrigerating chamber air duct 48 a that blows cool air to the refrigerating chamber 35, the switching chamber air duct 48 b that blows cool air to the switching chamber 36, and the cold air from the refrigerating chamber 35 are returned. The refrigerator compartment return ducts 51a are independently arranged in a line in a row.

With the above configuration, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of discharge ports in each duct, and an increase in air path resistance in each duct does not occur, so that each storage chamber can be indirectly and efficiently cooled by one cooler 44. . Further, since the air path resistance does not increase, it is not necessary to increase the cross-sectional area of the air path. Moreover, since it arrange | positions horizontally and in a line, the depth dimension of the switching chamber 36 can be increased and storage capacity can be enlarged.

Thereby, it is possible to provide the refrigerator 30 having the duct device 49 for allowing the cold air to flow into the refrigerating chamber 35 and securing the storage capacity.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a recess 56 for accommodating the water supply pipe 55 is provided on the right side of the duct device 49. An aluminum foil heater 57 is provided on the wall surface of the duct in the refrigerating room return duct 51 a formed at the lower left part of the duct device 49. The aluminum foil heater 57 energizes the aluminum foil heater 57 and controls it to a predetermined temperature when the switching chamber 36 is set to a refrigeration temperature zone where the temperature is lower than the refrigeration temperature zone, or when the outside air temperature is low. In addition, the cold air including moisture after circulating through the refrigerator compartment 35 passing through the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a has a higher temperature than the cold air led to the switching chamber return duct 51b. Therefore, the inside of the refrigerating room return duct 51a is cooled, and there is a possibility that the cold air containing moisture after circulating through the refrigerating room 35 is condensed or frozen. Therefore, the aluminum foil heater 57 is energized to prevent freezing and dew condensation in the refrigerator return duct 51a.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the refrigerator duct device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the left side of FIG. 7 shows the front surface which is the door side, and the right side shows the back surface which is the opposite side to the door side.

As shown in FIG. 7, the duct device 49 includes an upper duct member 49a and a lower duct member 49b formed from, for example, polystyrene foam, and a resin duct decorative plate that covers the front surfaces of the upper duct member 49a and the lower duct member 49b. 49c. The lower surface portion of the upper duct member 49a and the upper surface portion of the lower duct member 49b are connected in the vertical direction. At this time, the connection surface of the upper duct member 49a and the lower duct member 49b is sealed, and the front surface is covered with the duct decorative plate 49c. For example, the refrigerating room air duct 48a and the switching room air duct 48b shown in FIG. 6 penetrating through the duct device 49 constitute a duct wall surface by connecting the upper duct member 49a and the lower duct member 49b.

The damper device 50 is included in the lower duct member 49b as described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the refrigerator duct device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the front side of FIG. 8 has shown the back surface which is the opposite side to a door side, and the front side whose rear side is a door side.

As shown in FIG. 8, the damper device frame 50c of the damper device 50 is embedded so as to be disposed below the seal connecting portion 49d of the lower duct member 49b serving as a connection surface with the upper duct member 49a.

The seal connection portion 49d of the lower duct member 49b serves as a connection surface with the upper duct member 49a of the duct device 49. For example, the seal connecting portion 49d is located below the upper surface opening 70a of the lower drawer case 70 shown in FIG. 1 and above the bottom surface portion 70b, and at a position corresponding to the back wall 70c of the lower drawer case 70. Is provided.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the refrigerator duct device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the left side of FIG. 9 shows the back surface on the opposite side to the door side, and the right side shows the front surface on the door side.

As shown in FIG. 9, each of the connecting parts between the refrigerator compartment air duct 48a, the switching chamber air duct 48b, the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a, and the first partition wall 41 and the partition wall 42 shown in FIG. Sealed by a seal member 79 around the duct opening. Thereby, the generation | occurrence | production of the clearance gap between the components of the refrigerator compartment ventilation duct 48a, the switching chamber ventilation duct 48b, the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a, the 1st division wall 41, and the division wall 42 is prevented.

In this embodiment, one seal member 79 having a length around the periphery of each duct opening is attached along the duct opening, but an integrated seal member with a hole is attached. A hole may be made at the position of each duct opening. Further, it is desirable that the seal surface to which the seal member 79 is attached is a flat surface having no step on the mounting surface. Thereby, since a sealing member can be attached without gap, it can prevent more reliably that cold air leaks.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, on the side opposite to the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a of the lower duct member 49b, for example, a wiring storage portion 52 and a concave portion 56 are provided in the front-rear direction with respect to the door side.

Here, the wiring storage portion 52 and the recess 56 will be described below.

For example, when the switching chamber 36 is set to the freezing temperature zone, the water in the water supply pipe 55 may be frozen. Therefore, freezing may be prevented by providing a heater for preventing freezing (not shown) and energizing the outer periphery of the water supply pipe 55, for example. In addition, the water supply pipe 55 may be disposed between the inner box 33 of the heat insulating box 31 and the duct device 49 and insulated by a recess 56 formed on the back surface of the duct device 49. At this time, the wiring storage portion 52 may be provided on the back surface of the duct device 49 to store the wiring and connectors of the damper device 50.

That is, the formation of the concave portion 56 and the wiring storage portion 52 can reduce the storage space in the front-rear direction necessary for the water supply pipe 55 and the wiring storage portion 52 and increase the internal volume of the switching chamber 36. Moreover, the recessed part 56 and the wiring accommodating part 52 are provided in the other side of the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a of the duct apparatus 49, and a heat insulation fall is prevented.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the duct device of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 shows the refrigerator duct device as viewed from the front side, which is the door side, toward the back side, which is the opposite side to the door side.

As shown in FIG. 10, the wiring storage portion 52 is configured by a stepped portion 74 formed between the upper duct member 49a or the lower duct member 49b and the duct decorative plate 49c. The wiring accommodating part 52 is connected via the seal connection part 49d of the upper duct member 49a and the lower duct member 49b. The wiring storage portion 52 is formed in the upper duct member 49a and the lower duct member 49b in front of the recess 56 for storing the water supply pipe 55. The outer periphery of the upper duct member 49a and the lower duct member 49b has a structure in which the duct member is inclined so that the cross-sectional areas of the upper duct member 49a and the lower duct member 49b increase toward the seal connecting portion 49d. Specifically, the side surface portion of the upper duct member 49a is formed in a gradient shape (taper) that spreads from the upper surface portion toward the lower surface portion. Further, the side surface portion of the lower duct member 49b is formed in a gradient shape (taper) that widens toward the upper surface portion from the lower surface portion. For this reason, since the seal area of the seal connection part 49d becomes large, the sealing performance of the seal connection part 49d can be further enhanced, and the cold air leakage to the outside can be further reduced.

Further, since the stepped portion 74 is easily secured between the seal connecting portion 49d and the duct decorative plate 49c, it is formed from the outside to the inside across the upper duct member 49a and the lower duct member 49b formed of, for example, styrene. The recess is referred to as a wiring storage portion 52. Thereby, the invalid space of the duct device 49 can be effectively used as the wiring storage portion 52. As a result, water can be prevented from entering the wiring, and the effective internal volume of the switching chamber 36 can be improved.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the refrigerating room air duct 48a and the switching room air duct 48b are provided near the center in the width direction of the duct device 49, and the refrigerating room return duct 51a is provided on one side of the duct device 49. The switching chamber return duct 51 b is arranged in the front-rear direction with respect to the heat insulating box 31. In addition, a water supply pipe 55 connected to the water supply tank 53 and a wiring storage portion 52 are arranged on the other side of the duct device 49. Thereby, the distance between the duct device 49 serving as an invalid space behind the switching chamber 36 and the inner box 33 can be reduced, and a large depth dimension of the switching chamber 36 can be secured.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the refrigerating room air duct 48a allows each duct portion to pass from the duct device 49 of the switching room 36 to the branch path 63 in the refrigerating room 35 without meandering in a substantially vertical direction. Can be formed. Therefore, the air path resistance in each duct part can be reduced, and cold air can be supplied to the refrigerator compartment 35 with a sufficient air volume.

Next, the configuration of the first partition wall 41 and the first cover 45 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing the first partition wall 41 and the first cover 45 of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11, the first partition wall 41 connected to the lower surface portion of the duct device has a refrigerating room return communication port 58 communicating with the refrigerating room return duct 51 a and a switching chamber communicating with the switching room return duct 51 b. A return communication port 59 is provided. The switching room return communication port 59 is arranged on the door side, and the refrigeration room return communication port 58 is arranged on the side opposite to the door side, and is provided through the openings provided in the refrigeration room return communication port 58 and the switching room return communication port 59. And communicated with the cooling chamber 43.

The first partition wall 41 includes a first partition wall member 41a formed of foamed polystyrene, a first upper surface partition cover 41b that covers the upper surface of the first partition wall member 41a, and a first cover that covers the lower surface of the first partition wall member 41a. 1 lower surface section cover 41c. And the 1st division wall 41 is being fixed to the heat insulation box 31 by filling urethane between the 1st upper surface division cover 41b and the 1st lower surface division cover 41c. The first partition wall 41 is assembled at a predetermined position before filling the heat insulating box body 31 with urethane, and further, the urethane filling the heat insulating box body 31 is also used for fixing the first partition wall 41, thereby insulating the refrigerator 30. Increases performance.

The first cover 45 is formed of a resin decorative plate 45a and a second cover 45b in which a holding portion of the fan 46 and a cold air passage are formed by a heat insulating material such as a styrene material. A cool air discharge port 72 for sending cool air to the refrigerating chamber 35 and the switching chamber 36 is sealed and communicated with the first partition wall 41 on the back surface of the decorative plate 45a so that the refrigerating chamber return cold air and the switching chamber return cold air merge. A shunt duct 76 that shunts is provided.

The shunt duct 76 provided in the upstream portion of the cold air return passage 71 does not flow the cold air that has passed through the refrigerating chamber return duct 51a downward, but flows backward to the switching chamber return communication port 59, and the switching chamber return port of the duct device 49. The reverse flow from 36c into the switching chamber 36 is prevented. In other words, the diversion duct 76 acts as a backflow prevention duct, and the refrigeration chamber return cold air is prevented from flowing back from the switching chamber return port 36 c to the switching chamber 36 through the switching chamber return communication port 59. Thereby, the switching chamber 36 can be efficiently cooled to a predetermined temperature, and condensation or the like can be prevented.

Next, the configuration of the back surface of the first cover 45 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an essential part of the first cover 45 of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 12, the first cover 45 is provided in front of the cooler 44 shown in FIG. 1, for example, and the cool air return passage 71 is partitioned by the cooler 44, the partition member 75, and the back wall of the cooling chamber 43. Is formed. The first cover 45 includes a fan 46, and a cold air discharge port 72 that sends cold air to the refrigerating chamber 35 and the switching chamber 36. Further, a cold air discharge port 72 is formed between the fan 46 and the cold air return passage 71, and a partition member 75 is provided between the cold air discharge port 72 and the cold air return passage 71.

In the cold air return passage 71, the cold air passing through the refrigerator compartment return communication port 58 and the switching chamber return communication port 59 of the first partition wall 41 flows. On the upstream side of the cool air return passage 71, a diversion duct 76 is formed which is sealed and communicated with the first partition wall 41 and divides the cold chamber return cold air and the switching chamber return cold air so as not to merge.

In this embodiment, a diversion duct 76 connected to the switching chamber return communication port 59 is formed so as to divert the switching chamber return cold air from the refrigeration chamber return cold air. Then, by forming the diversion duct 76 only on the upstream side of the cold air return passage 71, the cold room return cold air (arrow B) and the switching chamber return cold air (arrow D) merge from the middle of the cold air return passage 71. It is configured.

This is due to the following reasons. When the shunt duct 76 is not provided, when the cold air (arrow D) that has passed through the switching chamber return duct 51b and the cold air (arrow B) that has passed through the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a merge through the cold air return passage 71, The cold air flows backward through the refrigerator compartment return communication port 58 and the switching chamber return communication port 59 of the one partition wall 41. Then, the refrigerating room return cold air (arrow B) having a temperature higher than that of the switching room return cold air (arrow D) rises through the switching room return communication port 59 and flows back to the switching room 36 from the switching room return port 36c. As a result, the switching chamber 36 cannot be efficiently cooled to a predetermined temperature, and condensation occurs.

As described above, by forming the diversion duct 76 only on the upstream side, the cold air is divided into the upstream portion of the cold air return passage 71 so as not to be mixed. Accordingly, the cold air that has passed through the refrigerator compartment return duct 51a does not flow downward, but flows backward to the switching chamber return communication port 59 and is prevented from flowing back into the switching chamber 36 from the switching chamber return port 36c of the duct device 49. . That is, the diversion duct 76 functions as a backflow prevention duct.

The shunt duct 76 is formed only in the upstream portion in order to secure the opening cross-sectional area of the cold air return passage 71. However, if the opening cross-sectional area on the downstream side of the cold air return passage 71 can be secured, it is extended to the downstream portion. In this case, the backflow prevention effect can be enhanced.

Further, a cold air return port 77 through which the cold air passing through the cold air return passage 71 returns to the lower portion of the cooler 44 is provided at the lower portion of the lower end portion 75a of the partition member 75, and the lower end portion 75a is opened.

The configuration in the vicinity of the first cover 45 and the cooling chamber 43 described above will be described below.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a main part near the cooling chamber 43 of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 13, a cold air return port 77 through which the cold air passing through the cold air return passage 71 returns to the lower portion of the cooler 44 is provided at the lower part of the partition member 75. The end portion of the defrost heater 47 disposed almost horizontally below the cooler 44 protrudes from one end portion of the cooler 44 and extends into the cool air return passage 71 through the cool air return port 77. is doing.

This prevents the cold air in the cold air return passage 71 from being cooled by the cold air in the cooler 44 or the freezer compartment 37 and freezing in the cold air return passage 71. As a result, reliability during operation can be improved.

About the refrigerator 30 comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

A part of the cold air generated by the cooler 44 in the cooling chamber 43 is forcibly blown forward by the fan 46, and the freezing chamber 37 is cooled by the cold air discharged from the discharge port of the first cover 45. The cold air is led to the lower part of the cooler 44 through a return port opened at the lower part of the first cover 45, is heat-exchanged by the cooler 44, and is circulated by the fan 46 again. Thereby, the freezer compartment 37 is controlled to a predetermined temperature by control of a freezer compartment sensor (not shown).

Further, the cool air discharged above the fan 46 is guided from the cool air discharge port 72 of the first cover 45 to the duct device 49 through the communication hole of the first partition wall 41. When it is determined by the refrigerating room temperature sensor 67 that the room temperature is equal to or higher than the set temperature, the refrigerating room damper 50a of the damper device 50 is opened, and the cold air is discharged from the refrigerating room outlet 35a through the refrigerating room air duct 48a. And cooled (arrow A in FIG. 3). And the cold air which cooled the refrigerator compartment 35 turns into the air in the refrigerator compartment 35, and the air which got the moisture contained in a store, and is guide | induced to the refrigerator compartment return port 35b (arrow B of FIG. 3). Thereafter, the cool air passes through a cool air return passage 71 formed by the refrigerating chamber return duct 51 a of the duct device 49, the first cover 45, and the back wall of the cooling chamber 43 in this order, and then passes from the cold air return port 77 to the lower part of the cooler 44. Led to. Then, heat exchange with the cooler 44 is performed, and the cool air is forcibly blown by the fan 46 again.

The refrigerating room 35 can be easily cooled even if it is arranged at a position away from the cooler 44 by forcibly blowing cool air to the refrigerating room blower duct 48 a communicating with the cooler 44 by the fan 46. That is, cold air is discharged to the refrigerating room 35 through the refrigerating room air duct 48a in the duct device 49, and the opening and closing of the refrigerating room damper 50a is controlled by the refrigerating room temperature sensor 67 to control the room to the set temperature.

Further, when the switching chamber temperature sensor 68 determines that the room temperature is equal to or higher than the set temperature, the switching chamber damper 50b of the damper device 50 is opened, and cool air is discharged into the switching chamber 36. At this time, the cold air discharged into the switching chamber 36 is discharged from the upper outlet 36a provided above the upper opening 69a of the upper drawer case 69 through the switching chamber air duct 48b, and passes through the upper drawer case 69. Cooling.

Cold air is discharged into the lower drawer case 70 of the switching chamber 36 from a lower outlet 36b provided at a position higher than the upper surface opening 70a of the lower drawer case 70 (arrow C in FIG. 3). At this time, the back wall 69 c of the upper drawer case 69 acts as a guide for regulating the flow of cold air, and cool air is introduced into the lower drawer case 70. The cold air circulated in the switching chamber 36 is guided to the switching chamber return port 36c and passes through the switching chamber return duct 51b and passes through the switching chamber return communication port 59 (arrow D in FIG. 3). Thereafter, the cold air is guided to the lower part of the cooler 44 through the diverting duct 76 formed in the first cover 45 and from the cool air return port 77 to exchange heat with the cooler 44. Forcibly blown by.

Thereby, even if the switching chamber 36 is at a position away from the cooler 44, the fan 46 forcibly blows cool air to the switching chamber air duct 48 b communicating with the cooler 44 and passes through the duct device 49 to switch the switching chamber. Cool air is discharged to 36. Further, since the switching chamber temperature sensor 68 controls the opening and closing of the switching chamber damper 50b, the inside of the switching chamber 36 can be controlled to the set temperature.

In the present embodiment, the switching chamber 36 can switch the set temperature from the -18 ° C. freezing temperature zone to the 4 ° C. refrigeration temperature zone by controlling the opening rate of the switching chamber damper 50b.

In particular, when the set temperature of the switching chamber 36 is set to a temperature range lower than the refrigeration temperature, the cool air discharged from the upper discharge port 36a and the lower discharge port 36b of the switching chamber 36 passes through the switching chamber return port 36c and is switched to the switching chamber. It introduces into the return duct 51b. At this time, since the cold air passing through the refrigerating room return duct 51a has a higher temperature than the cold air passing through the switching room return duct 51b, condensation may occur on the duct surface of the refrigerating room return duct 51a. In particular, when the outside air temperature is low, the condensed water may be frozen, or the condensed water may flow in the refrigerating chamber return duct 51a and freeze in the cold air return passage 71. Therefore, the aluminum foil heater 57 provided in the refrigerating room return duct 51a is operated, and even if condensed water is generated, the inside of the duct can be prevented from freezing by evaporating.

As described above, in the duct device 49, the present invention communicates the refrigerating room air duct 48a, the switching room air duct 48b, and the refrigerating room return duct 51a independently in the vertical direction, and in the left, right, side, and line. Further, the discharge duct portion 42f of the partition wall 42 that discharges cool air to the switching chamber 36 and the switching chamber air duct 48b of the duct device 49 installed on the back surface of the switching chamber 36 are connected. .

This simplifies the air path structure in the duct device 49 on the back surface of the switching chamber 36, can uniformly disperse the cool air, and more reliably cool each storage chamber connected to the air path to a predetermined temperature. The refrigerator 30 can be realized.

The refrigerator according to the present invention can also be applied to a household or commercial refrigerator that has high volumetric efficiency and requires energy saving.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,30 Refrigerator 2,33 Inner box 3,32 Outer box 4 Heat insulation material 5,31 Heat insulation box 6,35 Refrigeration room 7,36 Switching room 8,37 Freezer room 9,38 Refrigeration room door 10,39 Switching room door 11, 40 Freezer compartment door 12, 13 Partition plate 14, 18 Duct 15 Tube-on-sheet 16, 44 Cooler 17, 46 Fan 19 Damper 20 Refrigerator compartment shelf 21 Refrigerator compartment case 22 Switching compartment case 34 Foam insulation 35a Discharge port 35b Refrigeration chamber return port 36a Upper discharge port 36b Lower discharge port 36c Switching chamber return port 41 First partition wall 41a First partition wall member 41b First upper surface partition cover 41c First lower surface partition cover 42 Partition wall 42a Thermal insulation plate 42b Discharge duct plate 42c Lower surface cover member 42d Upper surface cover member 42e Stepped portion 42f Discharge duct portion 3 Cooling chamber 45 First cover 45a Decorative plate 45b Second cover 47 Defrost heater 48 Blower duct 48a Refrigeration chamber blast duct 48b Switching chamber blast duct 49 Duct device 49a Upper duct member 49b Lower duct member 49c Duct decorative plate 49d Seal Connection unit 50 damper device 50a refrigerator compartment damper 50b switching chamber damper 50c damper device frame 51a refrigerator compartment return duct 51b switching chamber return duct 52 wiring storage portion 53 water supply tank 55 water supply pipe 56 recess 57 aluminum foil heater 58 refrigerator compartment return communication port 59 Switching room return communication port 61 Shelf 63 Branching path 64 Vegetable room 64a Open / close lid 64b Vegetable case 66 Control board 67 Refrigeration room temperature sensor 68 Switching room temperature sensor 69 Upper drawer case 69a Upper surface opening 69 Bottom portion 69c rear wall 70 lower drawer case 70a the upper opening 70b bottom portion 70c rear wall 71 cold return passage 72 discharge ports 74 stepped portion 75 partition member 75a lower end 76 diversion duct 77 cold air return port 79 seal member 81 refrigerating compartment duct

Claims

A refrigerating room provided in the upper part and a freezing room provided in the lower part,
A switching chamber capable of switching a temperature zone provided between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment,
A cooler for generating cold air provided behind the freezer;
A fan disposed on an upper portion of the cooler for blowing cool air generated by the cooler to the refrigerating chamber, the freezing chamber, and the switching chamber;
A refrigerating room air duct that blows the cold air to the refrigerating room, a switching room air duct that blows the cold air to the switching room, and a refrigerating room return duct that returns the cold air discharged into the refrigerating room to the cooler. A duct device having
A refrigerator comprising a compartment wall that divides the refrigerating room and the switching room up and down,
A discharge duct portion that discharges the cold air to the switching chamber is provided on a lower surface of the partition wall, and is connected to the switching chamber air duct of the duct device installed on the rear surface of the switching chamber.
The partition wall includes a heat insulating plate, an upper surface cover member and a lower surface cover member that cover an upper surface and a lower surface of the heat insulating plate, and a discharge duct plate that guides cold air into the switching chamber on the lower surface of the heat insulating plate,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulating plate and the discharge duct plate are covered with the upper surface cover member and the lower surface cover member, and the discharge duct portion is provided integrally with a cover portion of the partition wall. .
Before filling and foaming between the outer box and the inner box forming the refrigerator main body with foam heat insulating material, the partition wall is attached to a predetermined position of the inner box,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the duct device is connected to the discharge duct portion after filling and foaming the foam heat insulating material.
The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a stepped portion is formed in the lower surface cover member, and a discharge port for discharging cool air to the switching chamber is provided in the stepped portion.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the discharge duct portion has a plurality of discharge ports.