WO2014045576A1

WO2014045576A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2014045576A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/005525
Authority: WO
Inventors: 堀尾　好正
Original assignee: パナソニック株式会社
Priority date: 2012-09-19
Filing date: 2013-09-19
Publication date: 2014-03-27
Also published as: EP2899481A4; CN104641190A; CN104641190B; JP6089222B2; JP2014059115A; EP2899481A1

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided with: a freezing compartment defined and formed by heat insulating walls; a cold storage compartment disposed above the freezing compartment; and a cooling compartment disposed at the rear face of the freezing compartment. The refrigerator is also provided with: a cooler (107) disposed within the cooling compartment and having refrigerant pipes (145) which are stacked in the vertical direction and which have fins (146); and a cold storage compartment return duct located at a side face of the cooler (107) and returning cold air, which flows from the cold storage compartment, to the cooling compartment. The width of the refrigerant pipes (145) of the cooler (107) is set to be less in the lower part than in the upper part. As a result, air flow passage pressure loss is reduced, improving the cooling efficiency, and the portion of the cooler (107) to which frost adheres is dispersed.

Description

refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigerator that cools cold air generated by a cooler by circulating it with a fan.

In recent years, energy savings in refrigerators have progressed, and in order to reduce the power consumption of refrigerators, not only the efficiency of cooling efficiency is improved, but also in actual use such as opening and closing doors, cooling is performed even when frost is attached to the cooler. It is important to suppress the decrease in efficiency.

Among them, in order to reduce the power consumption of the refrigerator, the following configuration has been proposed in the conventional refrigerator as a method for suppressing a decrease in cooling efficiency due to frost adhering to the cooler. For example, when returning cold air from the inside of a refrigerator compartment with high humidity to the cooler, the cold air is passed from the bottom through a guide plate arranged at the lower part of the cooler, so that the frosting of the cooler is made uniform and capacity deterioration is suppressed. A configuration has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, the return cold air from the inside of the refrigerator is passed through the inside of the heat insulating partition wall at the lower part of the cooler, and is allowed to pass through the same distance as the width of the cooler from the lower side of the cooler. The structure which acquires an effect is proposed (for example, refer patent document 2). Furthermore, the structure which provides the flow path, the shielding board, and guide member for letting the cool air which returns to the cooler from the inside of a cooler as much as possible to the center of a cooler is proposed (for example, refer patent document 3). With this configuration, the return cold air is diffused to achieve uniform frost formation of the cooler, and clogging of the cooler due to uneven frost formation can be suppressed, so that a decrease in cooling efficiency is suppressed.

Hereinafter, the conventional refrigerator will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration around the cooler of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, and in particular, a guide plate 28 of the cold room return cold air 27. The cool air generated in the cooler 7 and circulated through the interior of the cooler 7 flows from the interior as return cold air. The cold room return cold air 27 from the cold room flows into the right side return duct 29 shown in FIG. A guide plate 28 located between the defrosting heater 32 and the drain pan 34 extends from the return duct 29 to the left side of the lower part of the cooler 7, and between the guide plate 28 and the drain pan 34. A duct-like space is formed in Furthermore, an opening 28 a is provided on the surface of the guide plate 28, and the cold room return cold air 27 is dispersed from the opening 28 a to the lower part of the cooler 7. And it mixes with the freezer compartment return cold air 30 from the freezer compartment flowing between the guide plate 28 and the lower end of the cooler 7 and is uniformly sucked into the lower part of the cooler 7.

As described above, the guide plate 28 is installed between the defrost heater 32 and the drain pan 34 as an extension of the return duct 29, and the cold room return cold air 27 from the high temperature cold room is replaced with the freezer room return cold air 30 from the freezer room. By mixing, frost can be uniformly attached to the cooler 7. Therefore, it is possible to prevent uneven clogging between the fins of the cooler 7 due to frost formation and maintain the cooling performance for a long time, and the defrost time by the defrost heater 32 is shortened. Can be reduced. In addition, since the guide plate 28 is installed in the vertical direction of the cooler 7, there is no effect that the dimension in the depth direction in the refrigerator is not reduced, and the internal volume in the refrigerator is not reduced. Have.

8A and 8B are a front cross-sectional view around the cooler of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 2 and a side cross-sectional view showing the flow of cold air during operation of the refrigerator compartment. A cooler 7 is provided on the back of the freezer compartment (not shown), a refrigeration compartment is provided in the upper part of the freezer compartment, and a vegetable compartment is provided in the lower part of the freezer compartment. The cold air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment and circulated in the refrigerator is sent to the vegetable compartment through a return duct 29 (refrigerator compartment-vegetable compartment communication duct) from the refrigerator compartment. The vegetable room return cold air from the vegetable room flows into the cooling room 23 via the vegetable room return duct 31 provided in the heat insulating partition wall 13. That is, the structure is configured such that the return cold air from the refrigerating room located in the upper stage of the freezer room is once sent into the vegetable room without being sent directly to the cooling room, and then flows into the cooling room 23 as the return air from the vegetable room. And it is set as the structure which flows into the cooling chamber 23 from the vegetable chamber return discharge port provided so that vegetable room return cold air may flow in with the width | variety substantially equal to the width | variety of the cooler 7. FIG.

Thereby, while suppressing the reduction | decrease of the effective internal volume in a warehouse, since the effect of the uniform frost formation to the cooler 7 can be acquired, the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler 7 is improved and the effect that it is excellent in energy-saving property. Have

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing the cooling chamber of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 3.

The cooler 7 is disposed on the back of the freezer compartment 14, and a refrigerator compartment is disposed above the freezer compartment 14. The refrigerated room return cold air after cooling the refrigerated room is guided to the cooling room 23 through a return duct on the side of the cooler. Here, by providing a flow passage 47 between the front surface of the cooler 7 and the cooler cover 20 that partitions the freezer compartment 14 and the cooler chamber 23, the cold air returning to the refrigerator compartment with high humidity is diffused and attached to the cooler 7. The frost is made uniform.

Since the frost adhering to the cooler 7 is dispersed by this configuration, a reduction in cooling efficiency of the cooler 7 due to clogging of frost can be reduced, and the height of the frost layer adhering to the cooler 7 can be reduced. Also, the efficiency during defrosting is improved.

However, in the conventional refrigerator described with reference to FIG. 7, although the state of frost adhering to the cooler is made uniform and the cooling efficiency lowering at the time of frosting is suppressed, there is an effect of saving energy, but the guide plate 28 is used. Increasing the cost due to attachment and reducing the capacity of the warehouse. Further, the guide plate 28 in the vicinity of the cooler 7 becomes extremely cold, and frost remains easily in the duct formed by the guide plate 28. Therefore, considering the long-term use of the refrigerator, which is a period of use of about 10 years, there is a problem that the cooling performance is deteriorated due to the air path obstruction caused by the remaining frost. Further, since the guide plate 28 is disposed in the vicinity of the lower surface of the defrost heater 32, the guide plate 28 is affected by temperature due to heat generated by the defrost heater 32 during defrosting. Due to the heat generated by the defrosting heater 32 during defrosting, the surface of the defrosting heater 32 rises to about 300 degrees Celsius. As a result, the surface of the guide plate 28 provided in the vicinity of the defrost heater 32 also rises to approximately 100 ° C. or higher. Therefore, in order to prevent deformation due to heat, a member such as an aluminum foil or the like that covers the surface is used. There was a problem that it was necessary, leading to an increase in material costs and man-hours.

Moreover, in the conventional refrigerator demonstrated in FIG. 8, the cooler 7 is returned from the lower side of the cooler 7 by returning the cool air returning to the cooler 7 through the inside of the heat insulating partition wall 13 below the cooler 7. The cold air can be passed through almost the same width as. Therefore, since the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler 7 can be maximized, the energy saving performance is excellent, and the effect of making the frost adhere to the cooler 7 uniform can be obtained. However, the vegetable room is cooled by the return air after cooling the refrigerated room, and it is susceptible to temperature fluctuations in the refrigerated room. There was a problem that the room temperature also increased and the freshness deteriorated. Moreover, since the return air path to the cooler 7 is configured to pass through the inside of the heat insulating partition wall 13, the thickness of the heat insulating partition wall 13 is increased in order to form the air path, thereby reducing the internal capacity and component costs. There was a problem of rising.

Moreover, in the conventional refrigerator demonstrated in FIG. 9, the return cold air | flow which flows into the cooler 7 from a refrigerator compartment is guide | induced to the cooler center part through the flow path 47, and the adhesion state of the frost adhering to the cooler 7 is made uniform, Reduces cooling efficiency during frost formation. However, there is a problem in that the ineffective space increases due to the construction of the flow path and the like, resulting in a decrease in the internal capacity. In addition, there is a problem that noise is generated between the shield 7 and the cooler 7 due to the thermal deformation caused by the radiant heat from the defrost heater at the time of defrosting and the linear expansion coefficient of the material being different. there were.

Therefore, the present invention provides a refrigerator with high energy-saving performance by improving cooling efficiency and defrosting efficiency at the time of frost adhesion by uniform frost formation, and at the same time, provides an inexpensive and large-capacity refrigerator that suppresses invalid space. Provide a refrigerator.

JP-A-11-183011 JP 2011-38714 A JP-A-7-270028

The refrigerator of the present invention includes a freezer compartment partitioned by a heat insulating wall, a refrigerator compartment disposed above the freezer compartment, a cooling chamber provided at the back of the freezer compartment, and a refrigerant pipe having fins in the cooling compartment in the vertical direction. With a cooler stacked on top. Moreover, the cooler cover which covers the front surface of a cooler, and the refrigerator compartment return duct which returns the cold air from a refrigerator compartment to a cooling chamber on the side surface of a cooler are provided. And the width dimension of the refrigerant | coolant pipe | tube of a cooler is made shorter than the upper part from the upper part.

With such a configuration, the refrigerator of the present invention can reduce the air path pressure loss by expanding the space of the return portion of the cool air inside the cabinet, thereby improving the cooling efficiency and dispersing the portion where frost adheres. Therefore, even if it is easy to form frost under high humidity conditions, it is possible to suppress performance deterioration due to frost and improve defrosting efficiency due to frost dispersion, providing a refrigerator with high energy savings and sufficient internal capacity can do.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the refrigerator cooler in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view of the vicinity of the refrigerator cooler in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a front view of the refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5B is a side view of the refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a main part showing the periphery of a cooler of a conventional refrigerator. FIG. 8A is a front sectional view showing the periphery of a cooler of a conventional refrigerator. FIG. 8B is a side sectional view showing the periphery of the cooler of the conventional refrigerator. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cooling chamber of a conventional refrigerator.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that detailed descriptions of parts that are the same as those in the conventional configuration and that have no difference are omitted. Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the periphery of the refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of the vicinity of the refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5A is a front view of the refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5B is a side view of the refrigerator cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a perspective view of the refrigerator cooler by a 1st embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the refrigerator main body 101 includes a metal (for example, iron plate) outer box 124, a hard resin (for example, ABS) inner box 125, and an outer box 124 and an inner box 125. It is a heat insulation main body which consists of the rigid urethane foam 126 foam-filled between. A refrigerator compartment 102 is provided in the upper part of the refrigerator main body 101, and an ice making chamber 104 provided in parallel with the upper refrigerator compartment 103 and the upper refrigerator compartment 103 is provided below the refrigerator compartment 102. A lower freezing room 105 is provided between the upper freezing room 103 and the ice making room 104 installed in parallel and the vegetable room 106 provided at the lower part of the refrigerator main body 101. Front portions of the upper freezing chamber 103, the ice making chamber 104, the lower freezing chamber 105, and the vegetable chamber 106 are freely opened and closed by drawer-

type doors

103a, 104a, 105a, 106a (not shown). The front surface of the refrigerator compartment 102 is closed freely by a double door 102a.

The temperature in the refrigerator compartment 102 is normally set at 1 to 5 ° C., with the lower limit being the temperature at which it does not freeze for refrigerated storage. In many cases, the temperature in the vegetable compartment 106 is set to 2 ° C. to 7 ° C., which is a temperature setting equal to or slightly higher than the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 102. If the temperature is lowered, the freshness of leafy vegetables can be maintained for a long time.

The temperature in the upper freezer compartment 103 and the temperature in the lower freezer compartment 105 are normally set at −22 ° C. to −18 ° C. for frozen storage, but for example, from −30 ° C. to improve the frozen storage state. It may be set at a low temperature of -25 ° C.

Since the inside temperature of the refrigerator compartment 102 and the vegetable compartment 106 is set as a plus temperature, it is called a refrigerator temperature zone. In addition, since the internal temperatures of the upper freezing chamber 103, the lower freezing chamber 105, and the ice making chamber 104 are set at minus temperatures, they are called freezing temperature zones. Further, the upper freezer compartment 103 may be a room that can be selected from a refrigeration temperature zone to a freezing temperature zone by using a damper mechanism or the like as a switching chamber.

The top surface portion of the refrigerator main body 101 is provided with a machine room 119 having a stepped recess in the back direction of the refrigerator, and is composed of a first top surface portion 108 and a second top surface portion 109. In the machine room 119, a compressor 117, a dryer for removing moisture (not shown), and a condenser (not shown) are arranged. Then, a compressor 117, a dryer, a condenser, a heat radiating pipe (not shown), a capillary tube 118, and a cooler 107 are sequentially connected in an annular shape, and a refrigerant is sealed to constitute a refrigeration cycle. is doing. In recent years, a flammable refrigerant is often used as a refrigerant for environmental protection. In the case of a refrigeration cycle using a three-way valve or a switching valve, these functional components can be arranged in the machine room.

Further, the refrigerator compartment 102, the ice making compartment 104, and the upper freezer compartment 103 are partitioned by a first heat insulating partition 110. Further, the ice making chamber 104 and the upper freezing chamber 103 are partitioned by a second heat insulating partition 111. In addition, the ice making chamber 104, the upper freezing chamber 103, and the lower freezing chamber 105 are partitioned by a third heat insulating partition 112.

Since the second heat insulating partition part 111 and the third heat insulating partition part 112 are parts assembled after foaming of the refrigerator main body 101, expanded polystyrene is usually used as a heat insulating material, but in order to improve heat insulating performance and rigidity. Rigid urethane foam may be used. Furthermore, a highly heat-insulating vacuum heat insulating material may be inserted to further reduce the thickness of the partition structure.

In addition, by securing the operating part of the door frame and thinning or eliminating the shapes of the second heat insulating partition part 111 and the third heat insulating partition part 112, a cooling air passage can be secured and the cooling capacity can be improved. You can also. Further, by hollowing out the inside of the second heat insulating partition part 111 and the third heat insulating partition part 112 to form an air passage, the material can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the lower freezer compartment 105 and the vegetable compartment 106 are partitioned by a fourth partition 113.

Next, the configuration around the cooler in the present embodiment will be described.

A cooling chamber 123 is provided on the back surface of the refrigerator main body 101, and a cooler 107 that generates fin-and-tube type cool air is provided in the cooling chamber 123 as a representative one. The cooler 107 is vertically disposed in the vertical direction on the back surface of the lower freezing chamber 105 including the rear regions of the second partition portion 111 and the third partition portion 112 which are heat insulating partition walls. A cooler cover 120 that covers the cooler 107 and is provided with a cool air return port 135 through which the cool air that has cooled the lower freezing chamber 105 returns to the cooling chamber 123 is disposed on the front surface of the cooling chamber 123. The material of the cooler 107 is aluminum or copper.

The cooler cover 120 includes a front cover 137 on the lower freezer compartment 105 side and a rear cover 138 on the cooler 107 side. A metal cover is disposed on the cooler 107 side of the rear cover 138. A heat transfer promoting member 140 is disposed. In consideration of cost, the heat transfer promoting member 140 of the present embodiment uses an aluminum foil having a thickness t = 8 μm for promoting heat transfer during defrosting. The vertical dimension of the heat transfer promoting member 140 is a dimension from the lower end to the upper end of the cooler 107, and the left and right dimension is a large dimension up to about +15 mm from between the fins of the cooler 107. By sticking the heat transfer promoting member 140 to the rear cover 138, heat transfer during defrosting is promoted, defrosting efficiency is improved, and the effect of shortening the defrosting time is obtained. In order to obtain further effects, an aluminum foil may be disposed in the inner box 125 on the back side of the cooler 107. Furthermore, when it is made of an aluminum plate having a thickness larger than that of the aluminum foil or a material having a higher thermal conductivity than aluminum (for example, copper), the effect of promoting heat transfer is further exhibited.

In the vicinity of the cooler 107 (for example, the upper space), the cold air generated by the cooler 107 is stored in each storage room of the refrigerator compartment 102, the ice making room 104, the upper freezer room 103, the lower freezer room 105, and the vegetable room 106 by a forced convection method. A cold air blowing fan 116 for blowing air is disposed. A glass tube heater 132 made of a glass tube is provided below the cooler 107 as a defrosting heater for defrosting frost adhering to the cooler 107 and the cool air blowing fan 116 during cooling. A heater cover 133 that covers the glass tube heater 132 is disposed above the glass tube heater 132. The heater cover 133 is equal to or larger than the glass tube diameter and width so that abnormal noise does not occur when water drops dripped from the cooler 107 at the time of defrosting directly fall on the glass tube surface of the glass tube heater 132 that has become hot. Dimension.

Below the glass tube heater 132, a drain pan 134 integrated with the upper surface of the fourth partition 113, which is the lower surface of the freezing chamber that receives the defrosted water that falls after the frost attached to the cooler 107 is melted, is disposed. Yes.

Here, the drain pan 134 integrated with the upper surface of the fourth partition 113 has a protrusion 136 on the lower surface of the freezer compartment toward the inside of the refrigerator, and the lower portion of the cooler cover 120 is hooked and fixed. Since the protrusion 136 is disposed between the lower end of the cool air return port 135 and the glass tube heater 132, red heat to the inside of the refrigerator is not visible, and the protrusion 136 is not covered with the cooler cover when viewed from the inside of the refrigerator. Since it is hidden at the lower end of the cool air return port 120, the appearance is good and the appearance quality is improved.

Here, isobutane, which is a flammable refrigerant with a low global warming potential, is used as a refrigerant in the recent refrigeration cycle from the viewpoint of global environmental conservation. This hydrocarbon, isobutane, has a specific gravity of about twice that at normal temperature and atmospheric pressure (at 2.04 and 300K) compared to air. As a result, the refrigerant charge amount can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, the cost is low, and the leakage amount when the flammable refrigerant leaks is reduced, thereby improving the safety.

In the present embodiment, isobutane is used as the refrigerant, and the maximum temperature on the surface of the glass tube, which is the outline of the glass tube heater 132 during defrosting, is regulated as an explosion-proof measure. Therefore, in order to reduce the temperature of the glass tube surface of the glass tube heater 132, a double glass tube heater in which glass tubes are formed in a double manner is employed. In addition, as a means for reducing the temperature on the surface of the glass tube, a member (for example, aluminum fin) having high heat dissipation can be wound around the surface of the glass tube. At this time, the external dimensions of the glass tube heater 132 can be reduced by using a single glass tube.

As means for improving the efficiency at the time of defrosting, in addition to the glass tube heater 132, a pipe heater in close contact with the cooler 107 may be used in combination. In this case, defrosting of the cooler 107 is efficiently performed by direct heat transfer from the pipe heater, and frost adhering to the drain pan 134 and the cool air blowing fan 116 around the cooler 107 is melted by the glass tube heater 132. be able to. Therefore, the defrosting time can be shortened, and the increase in the internal temperature during the energy saving or defrosting time can be suppressed.

When the glass tube heater 132 and the pipe heater are combined, it is possible to reduce the capacity of the glass tube heater 132 by optimizing each other's heater capacity. If the heater capacity is lowered, the outer temperature of the glass tube heater 132 at the time of defrosting can also be lowered, so that red heat at the time of defrosting can also be suppressed.

Next, cooling of the refrigerator will be described. For example, when the inside temperature of the lower freezer compartment 105 rises due to intrusion heat from outside air, door opening and closing, etc., and the freezer compartment sensor (not shown) reaches the starting temperature or higher, the compressor 117 is started and cooling is performed. Be started. While the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 117 finally reaches a dryer (not shown) disposed in the machine room 119, particularly in a heat radiating pipe (not shown) installed in the outer box 124. The liquid is cooled and liquefied by heat exchange with the air outside the outer box 124 and the hard urethane foam 126 in the cabinet.

Next, the liquefied refrigerant is decompressed by the capillary tube 118, flows into the cooler 107, and exchanges heat with the cool air in the vicinity of the cooler 107. The cold air subjected to heat exchange is blown into the cabinet by a nearby cool air blower fan 116 to cool the inside of the cabinet. Thereafter, the refrigerant is heated, gasified, and returned to the compressor 117. When the inside of the refrigerator is cooled and the temperature of the freezer compartment sensor (not shown) becomes equal to or lower than the stop temperature, the operation of the compressor 117 is stopped.

Although the cool air blowing fan 116 may be directly disposed in the inner box 125, it is disposed in the second partition portion 111 assembled after foaming, and the manufacturing cost is reduced by performing block processing of the parts. You can also. In addition, a diffuser (not shown) formed by the front cover 137 is disposed in front of the cool air blower fan 116, so that the air with a high static pressure from the cool air blower fan 116 is not lost without being lost. Is discharged.

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

As in this embodiment, a refrigerator layout configuration in which the vegetable compartment 106 is installed below, the lower freezer compartment 105 is installed in the middle, and the refrigerator compartment 102 is installed above is often used from the viewpoint of usability and energy saving. ing. In addition, in accordance with the viewpoint of the internal capacity and the trend of increasing the amount of frozen food used, refrigerators that increase the capacity by increasing the internal case size of the lower freezer compartment 105 are also on the market.

As the air path configuration in this case, first, the cold air generated by the cooler 107 is blown into the refrigerator compartment 102, the upper freezer compartment 103, and the lower freezer compartment 105 by a cold air blower fan 116 in the vicinity of the cooler. The cool air blown through the cooler cover 120 circulates in the upper freezer chamber 103 and the lower freezer chamber 105, and the cool air returns to the cooler chamber 123 from the cool air return port 135 at the lower part of the cooler cover 120. On the other hand, the cool air blown toward the refrigerator compartment 102 is controlled while opening and closing a damper (not shown) so as to be equal to the internal temperature. After passing through the damper, the cold air is blown into the refrigerator compartment 102 and circulated, and then returns to the refrigerator compartment 123 through the refrigerator compartment return duct 129 passing through the side of the cooler.

Also, the vegetable compartment 106 divides a part of the cool air blown into the refrigerator compartment 102 and flows into the vegetable compartment 106 through a vegetable compartment discharge duct (not shown) passing through the side surface of the cooler 107. Then, the cold air cools and circulates through the vegetable chamber 106 and then returns to the cooling chamber 123. As for the cooling of the vegetable compartment 106, in this embodiment, a part of the cold air to the refrigerator compartment 102 is shunted for cooling the vegetable compartment 106. However, the vegetable compartment cooling damper is used independently. It is good also as a structure to cool.

Generally, there is a cooling room at the back of the freezing room, and a duct is required to return the cold air from the upper refrigeration room to the cooling room. Since the duct is an ineffective space, it is common to dispose the duct on the side surface of the cooling chamber in order to suppress the decrease in the internal volume. However, in this case, since the inflow of the cold room return cold air 127 with high humidity is from the side surface of the cooler 107, it is difficult to make the frost uniform, and uneven frost on the cooler 107 becomes a problem.

Among them, the cooler 107 in the present embodiment is a typical fin-and-tube cooler 107 similar to the commonly used cooler 107, and includes a refrigerant pipe 145 having fins 146. The cooler 107 is stacked in the vertical direction. The cooler 107 has a configuration in which ten refrigerant tubes 145 in the vertical direction and 30 refrigerant tubes 145 from the three rows of refrigerant tubes 145 in the front-rear direction are arranged in the cooler 107. In the present embodiment, the refrigerant pipe 145 in the cooler 107 is configured such that the width dimension is shorter than the upper part. Here, the width dimension of the refrigerant pipe 145 refers to the horizontal dimension of the refrigerant pipe 145 as viewed from the front of the refrigerator, that is, the length of the refrigerant pipe 145.

Thereby, usually, a lot of frost adhering to the cooler 107 adheres to the inlet of the return cold air flowing into the cooler 107 from the interior. In particular, frost tends to adhere to the portion of the cold room return cold air 127 that flows in from the cold room 102 having high humidity through the cold room return duct 129. In the present embodiment, the width of the refrigerant pipe 145 is made shorter at the lower part than at the upper part, so that air path obstruction due to frost adhesion and growth can be suppressed. Therefore, even in overload conditions due to moisture that has entered the cabinet due to opening and closing of doors in hot and humid conditions such as in summer, it is difficult to cause slow cooling due to wind path inhibition due to frost growth, and the effect of improving product quality Have.

Moreover, since the width dimension of the refrigerant pipe 145 at the inflow portion from the refrigerating chamber return duct 129 to the cooler 107 is shortened, the air passage pressure loss (ventilation resistance) can be reduced by expanding the space at the inflow portion. Therefore, the circulation air volume can be increased by lowering the return resistance of the return cold air, the amount of heat exchange in the cooler 107 is increased, the evaporation temperature is increased, and energy saving can be achieved by improving the operation efficiency of the refrigeration cycle. In addition, together with the absence of the refrigerant pipe 145 in the inflow portion of the cold room return cold air 127 into the cooler 107 and the increase in the circulation air volume, the cold room return cold air 127 can be expanded to exchange heat with the cooler 107. Become. Generally, the capacity of the cooler: Q can be expressed by Q = K * A * ΔT. Here, K: heat transfer rate, A: heat transfer area, ΔT: temperature difference between cooler and passing air. Therefore, the refrigerating room return cold air 127 having a large temperature difference with the cooler in the refrigerator can increase the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler 107 and save energy. In addition, an increase in the heat exchange area means an increase in the dehumidification area, that is, the area where the cooler 107 is frosted, so that deterioration of the cooling capacity during frosting can also be suppressed. This makes it possible to extend the time required to operate the refrigerator and require defrosting, reducing the number of times the glass tube heater 132 is input, and reducing the number of inputs required to cool the chamber after the chamber temperature rises due to defrosting. Reduction can be achieved and further energy saving can be performed.

Furthermore, the fact that the number of inputs and the input time of the glass tube heater 132 during defrosting can be reduced can suppress the temperature increase by shortening the non-cooling operation time and the temperature increase due to the heat generation of the glass tube heater itself. It also affects food stored in the cabinet. Frozen foods stored in the refrigerator are frost burned due to temperature rise during the non-cooling operation time during defrosting, heat transfer from the temperature of the glass tube heater itself, inflow of warm air during defrosting, etc. Deteriorates due to heat fluctuations. However, in the present embodiment, food deterioration can be suppressed even when stored for a long period of time.

In addition, when the refrigerator is cooled, as time passes, the moisture in the air that has entered when the door is opened, the moisture adhering to the food put in the cabinet, and the moisture from the vegetables stored in the vegetable compartment 106 For example, frost adheres to the cooler 107. When this frost grows, the heat exchange efficiency is lowered between the cooler 107 and the circulating cold air, and the inside of the cabinet cannot be cooled sufficiently, and finally it becomes a slow cooling or uncooled state. Therefore, in the refrigerator, it is necessary to periodically defrost frost adhering to the cooler 107.

In the refrigerator according to the present embodiment, the refrigerator is operated, and defrosting is automatically performed after a certain period of time. At the time of defrosting, the operation of the compressor 117 and the cold air blowing fan 116 is stopped, and the glass tube heater 132 which is a defrosting heater is energized. The cooler 107 generally has a sensible heat change from −30 ° C. to 0 ° C., a latent heat change at 0 ° C., 0 ° C. due to melting of the refrigerant staying in the cooler 107 and frost adhering to the cooler 107. The temperature rises through a sensible heat change from ℃. Here, the cooler 107 is provided with a defrost sensor (not shown), and stops energization of the glass tube heater 132 when a predetermined temperature is reached. In the present embodiment, energization of the glass tube heater 132 is stopped when the defrost sensor detects 10 ° C.

At this time, by energizing the glass tube heater 132, the surface of the glass tube becomes high temperature, and by melting frost attached to the drain pan 134 and the cool air blowing fan 116 around the cooler 107 and the cooler 107 around the cooler by radiant heat, The cooler 107 is refreshed.

For example, in the case of the outside air temperature of about 5 ° C. or the following low outside air, even if the frost in the cooler 107 is sufficiently defrosted, the temperature of the defrost sensor (not shown) is sufficiently high during the defrosting due to the outside air. It is difficult to raise the temperature and the defrosting time tends to be longer. In this case, the state of sensible heat change of 0 ° C. or higher can be seen, and control for terminating the defrosting can be combined if a certain time or more has elapsed. As a result, although the defrosting is sufficiently performed, the defrosting time becomes longer due to insufficient temperature rise of the cooler 107 with low outside air, and the temperature rise due to unnecessary heater input or radiant heat into the chamber. Further, the temperature rise due to the cooling stop at the time of defrosting can be suppressed.

Also in the cooler 107 of this embodiment, the cooling capacity gradually decreases due to the influence of frost due to frost formation during the interval of the defrost cycle. Therefore, the fins 146 on the upper part of the refrigerant pipe 145 having a reduced width are thinned out, which is the portion where the frost is likely to adhere, which is the cold air inflow portion from the refrigerator return duct 129 to the cooler 107. This configuration not only lowers the return resistance of the return cold air and increases the circulating air volume, but also reduces air passage blockage due to frost during frost formation, suppresses performance deterioration when frost adheres, and improves frost resistance performance. We are trying to improve.

Furthermore, by thinning the fins 146 in the direction of the cold air, not only lowering the ventilation resistance and increasing the circulating air volume, but also reducing the air passage blockage due to frost during frost formation, and performance when frost adheres It has the effect of further suppressing deterioration.

In addition, although the fin 146 of the cooler 107 in this Embodiment uses the fin divided | segmented with respect to the refrigerant | coolant pipe | tube 145 laminated | stacked in the up-down direction, since the number of fins increases, the manufacturing process of the cooler 107 The man-hours for mounting the fins are required. Therefore, you may use the fin which became 1 body in the up-down direction. Thereby, since the number of fins attached to the cooler can be reduced, the cost can be reduced by improving the productivity by reducing the man-hours.

Note that the refrigerant pipe 145 of the cooler 107 in the present embodiment is a refrigerant pipe 145 that is not processed in a pipe called a bare pipe. Therefore, for example, a grooved tube may be used to improve the heat transfer coefficient in the tube. Some grooved pipes are constituted by straight grooves or spiral grooves, and by using the grooved pipes, the performance of the cooler can be improved, thereby further saving energy.

Note that the coolant pipe 145 of the cooler 107 in this embodiment is made of an aluminum material. Aluminum is often used from the viewpoint of cost reduction due to the recent rise in material costs, but copper may also be used. In this case, since the thermal conductivity is improved, the heat exchange efficiency inside and outside the refrigerant pipe 145 is improved, thereby further saving energy.

Further, in the opening to the cooler 107 of the refrigerating room return duct 129 disposed on the side surface of the cooler 107, the upper end 143 of the refrigerating room return duct opening is disposed above the cooler lower end 144 of the cooler 107. Yes. Thereby, the opening of the refrigerating chamber return duct 129 is enlarged, and the air passage pressure loss to the cooler 107 can be further reduced, thereby improving the cooling performance mainly for the refrigerating chamber 102 due to an increase in the circulation air volume, Energy savings can be improved by improving heat exchange efficiency. In addition, by placing the refrigeration chamber return duct opening upper end 143 above the cooler lower end 144, the refrigeration chamber return cold air 127 can be easily guided to the cooler 107. Furthermore, since a part of the side surface of the cooler 107 can be used as an air path, the invalid space can be reduced and the internal capacity can be secured.

In addition, the cooler cover 120 includes a freezer compartment cool air return port 135 in the lower portion, and the freezer compartment cool air return port upper end 139 is disposed above the cooler lower end 144, so that the return cold air circulated in the refrigerator is The heat exchange area can be increased with respect to the cooler 107. Therefore, the amount of heat exchange in the cooler 107 is increased, and the capacity of the cooler 107 can be improved.

In addition, since the time for cooling the inside of the warehouse can be reduced by improving the heat exchange amount of the cooler 107 and increasing the circulating air volume, the amount of frost formation on the cooler due to the shortening of the cooling operation time can also be reduced. As a result, the defrost cycle of the cooler can be extended, and the number of inputs to the glass tube heater 132 can be reduced, and the input required for cooling the inside of the cabinet after the inside temperature has increased due to defrosting can be further saved. It can be performed.

Moreover, since the heat exchange area of the cooler 107 can be increased by improving the air path is to increase the area to be frosted on the cooler 107, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the cooling capacity at the time of frost formation. . This makes it possible to extend the time required to operate the refrigerator and require defrosting, reducing the number of times the glass tube heater 132 is input, and reducing the number of inputs required to cool the chamber after the chamber temperature rises due to defrosting. Reduction can be achieved and further energy saving can be performed.

Note that a wind direction guide portion 122 is provided at the cold air return port 135. The interval between the wind direction guide portions 122 is 5 mm, and consideration is given to preventing the intrusion of fingers and securing the strength of the mold and the cooler cover 120. In addition, the wind direction guide part 122 also has an upward angle from the inner side toward the cooler side.

In addition, since the inclination of the airflow direction guide part 122 is upward, in addition to lowering the ventilation resistance of the return cold air intake air passage, the flow can be made uniform, and further energy saving can be achieved by improving the cooling efficiency.

Further, in the present embodiment, the center of the glass tube heater 132 is located above the fourth partition portion 113 constituting the freezer compartment bottom basic surface. As a result, the shape of the drain pan 134 integrated with the freezer compartment bottom basic surface can be made substantially horizontal, and the ineffective space for installing the glass tube heater 132 can be reduced. Can be increased. In addition, the fact that the depth of the drain pan 134 can be reduced can reduce the cost of the mold when molding the component parts, which leads to cost reduction.

In the present embodiment, the fourth partition 113 that constitutes the freezer compartment basic surface is configured as a separate part. Only the fourth partition 113 is formed as a sub-process, and the work process is shared by inserting and assembling it into the inner box in a subsequent process, thereby improving the production efficiency. In addition to this configuration, the fourth partition portion 113 can also be configured by an inner box. In that case, there is a method in which an ABS sheet, which is a material of the inner box 125, is stretched by a molding machine and is formed as an integral molding including the inner box 125 and the partition portion. This method is often applied to the inner box 125 having a small depth (depth), but it can also be applied to the production of a deep refrigerator by making the thickness uniform by extending the sheet. As a result, the material cost, the work man-hours, the management cost, the transportation cost, etc. for creating the partition can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced as a product because the cost can be greatly reduced and the production efficiency can be improved.

As described above, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a freezer compartment defined by a heat insulating wall, a refrigerator compartment disposed above the freezer compartment, a cooling chamber provided on the back of the freezer compartment, and fins in the cooling compartment. A cooler in which the refrigerant pipes are vertically stacked. Moreover, the cooler cover which covers the front surface of a cooler, and the refrigerator compartment return duct which returns the cold air from a refrigerator compartment to a cooling chamber on the side surface of a cooler are provided. And the width dimension of the refrigerant | coolant pipe | tube of a cooler is made shorter than the upper part from the upper part.

This makes it possible to reduce the wind path pressure loss (ventilation resistance) because the space of the inflow portion is expanded when the return cold air from the interior flows into the cooler. Therefore, the circulation air volume can be increased by reducing the ventilation resistance of the return cold air, the heat exchange amount in the cooler is increased, the evaporation temperature is increased, and the energy efficiency can be saved by improving the operation efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

In addition, an increase in the circulation air volume improves the heat exchange amount of the cooler and can reduce the time for cooling the inside of the warehouse, so that the amount of frost formation on the cooler can also be reduced by shortening the cooling operation time. it can. As a result, the defrost cycle of the cooler can be extended, the number of inputs to the defrost heater can be reduced, and the input required for cooling the inside of the cabinet after the inside temperature has increased due to defrosting can be further saved. It can be performed.

Also, normally, a lot of frost adhering to the cooler adheres to the inlet of the return cold air from the inside that flows into the cooler. On the other hand, in the present invention, since the width of the refrigerant pipe at the lower part of the cooler is shortened, for example, frost adheres to the refrigerant pipes and fins in summer conditions where the humidity is high and the door is often opened and closed. Even if it is easy, it will be in the state where blockage by frost is hard to do. That is, it is possible to disperse the portion where the frost adheres and uniformly attach the frost to the cooler.

In the present invention, the portion where the width of the refrigerant pipe is shortened may be an inflow portion from the refrigerating chamber return duct to the cooler.

Among the coolers, heat exchange is first performed with the refrigerant pipe arranged at the inlet of the return cold air inflow portion, and frost adheres by dehumidification, but refrigeration flows from the high humidity cold room through the cold room return duct. Frost is likely to adhere to the part where the cool air returns to the room. In the present invention, the portion of the refrigerant pipe through which the cold air returning from the refrigerator compartment flows is shortened, so that air path obstruction due to frost adhesion and growth can be suppressed. Therefore, even in an overload condition due to moisture that has entered the cabinet due to opening and closing of the door in a hot and humid condition such as in summer, there is no slow cooling due to wind path inhibition due to frost growth.

Also, since the refrigerant pipe at the inflow portion from the return duct of the refrigerating chamber to the cooler is shortened, the space at the inflow portion is expanded and the airway pressure loss (ventilation resistance) can be reduced. Therefore, the circulation air volume can be increased by lowering the return resistance of the return cold air, the heat exchange amount in the cooler is increased, the evaporation temperature is increased, and the energy can be saved by improving the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

Furthermore, together with the absence of the refrigerant pipe at the inflow portion of the cold room return cold air into the cooler and the increase in the circulating air volume, the cold room return cold air can be expanded to exchange heat with the cooler. Therefore, since the cold air returning from the refrigerator compartment has a large temperature difference with the cooler in the refrigerator, the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler can be increased to save energy. In addition, the expansion of the heat exchange area is also an increase in the dehumidification area, that is, the area where the cooler is allowed to form frost, so that deterioration of the cooling capacity during frost formation can also be suppressed. This makes it possible to extend the time required to operate the refrigerator and require defrosting, reducing the number of inputs to the defrost heater, and reducing the input required for cooling in the cabinet after the rise in the temperature in the cabinet due to defrosting. Can save energy.

Further, in the present invention, the fins of the refrigerant pipe at the upper part of the portion where the width dimension of the refrigerant pipe is shortened may be thinned out.

Since the cooler has the refrigerant pipes with fins stacked in the vertical direction, if the air path is blocked by frost on the upstream side of the return cold air, the downstream part is not in the heat exchange state and the cooling efficiency is lost. On the other hand, the present invention not only reduces the return resistance of the return cold air by increasing the circulation resistance by thinning out the fins, but also reduces the blockage of the air path due to frost at the time of frost formation, and deteriorates performance when frost adheres. Can be suppressed, and the frost proof strength performance of the cooler can be improved.

In the present invention, the upper end of the opening of the refrigerating chamber return duct may be disposed above the lower end of the cooler.

As a result, the opening of the refrigerating room return duct is expanded, the air path pressure loss to the cooler can be further reduced, the cooling performance mainly in the refrigerating room is improved by increasing the circulation air volume, and the heat exchange Energy efficiency can be improved by improving efficiency. Also, by arranging the upper end of the opening of the refrigerator return duct above the lower end of the cooler, not only the return cold air can be easily guided to the cooler, but also a part of the side surface of the cooler can be used as an air path Therefore, it is possible to reduce the invalid space and secure the storage capacity.

Further, in the present invention, a freezer compartment cool air return port for returning cool air from the freezer compartment to the cooler chamber may be provided at the lower part of the cooler cover, and the upper end of the freezer compartment cool air return port may be disposed above the lower end of the cooler.

This allows a large heat exchange area for the cooler of the return cold air. In addition, the circulation air volume can be increased by lowering the return resistance of the return cold air, the heat exchange amount in the cooler is increased, the evaporation temperature is increased, and the refrigeration cycle efficiency can be improved to save energy.

Also, the time for cooling the inside of the warehouse can be reduced by improving the heat exchange amount of the cooler and increasing the circulating air volume. For this reason, the amount of frost formation to a cooler by shortening of cooling operation time can also be reduced. As a result, the defrost cycle of the cooler can be extended, and the number of inputs to the defrost heater can be reduced, and the input required to cool the chamber after the chamber temperature rises due to defrosting can be reduced, further saving energy. It can be carried out.

Moreover, since the heat exchange area of the cooler can be increased by improving the air path is to increase the area to be frosted on the cooler, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the cooling capacity at the time of frosting. This makes it possible to extend the time required to operate the refrigerator and require defrosting, reducing the number of inputs to the defrost heater, and reducing the input required for cooling in the cabinet after the rise in the temperature in the cabinet due to defrosting. Can save energy.

Further, in the present invention, the fins of the left and right refrigerant tubes may be thinned out with respect to the direction of the cold air flowing from the refrigerator return duct to the cooler.

Since the fins are thinned out in the direction of the cold air, the resistance to the return cold air is further lowered to increase the circulating air volume. In addition, airflow blockage due to frost when frosting against cold return air with high humidity in the refrigeration room or vegetable room in particular can be reduced, and performance deterioration at the time of frost adhesion can be further suppressed. Further improvement in frost resistance performance can be achieved. In order to improve the frost proof strength performance, it is necessary for frost to uniformly adhere to the cooler. Assuming that the amount of water contained in the cold air circulated per unit time is the same, air path inhibition due to frost is delayed by uniform frost formation on the cooler. In addition, since the thickness of the frost is substantially the same, the defrosting efficiency for melting the frost during the defrosting is improved, and the defrosting time is shortened.

In the present invention, a glass tube heater for defrosting may be provided below the cooler, and the center height of the glass tube heater may be located above the basic bottom surface of the freezer compartment.

As a result, the shape of the drain pan integrated with the basic surface of the freezer compartment can be made substantially horizontal, the ineffective space for installing the defrost heater can be reduced, and the internal volume can be increased. Can be planned. In addition, the fact that the depth of the drain pan can be reduced can reduce the cost of the mold when molding the components.

As described above, the refrigerator according to the present invention can be used for a household refrigerator or the like for the purpose of improving energy saving performance, freezing / keeping performance, and expanding the storage capacity.

7 Cooler 13 Insulating partition wall 14 Freezer compartment 20 Cooler cover 23

Cooling compartment

27, 127 Refrigerated compartment return cold air 28 Guide plate 28a Opening 29 Return duct 30 Freezer compartment return cold 31 Vegetable compartment return duct 32

Defrost heaters

34, 134 Drain pan 47 Flow path 101 Refrigerator body 102

Refrigeration room

102a, 103a, 104a, 105a, 106a Door 103 Upper stage freezing room 104 Ice making room 105 Lower stage freezing room 106 Vegetable room 107 Cooler 120 Cooler cover 123 Cooling room 124 Outer box 125 Inner box 126 Hard urethane foam 129 Refrigerating chamber return duct 132 Glass tube heater 135 Cold air return port 139 Freezer compartment cold air return upper end 143 Refrigeration chamber return duct opening upper end 144 Cooler lower end 145 Refrigerant tube 146 Fin

Claims

A freezer compartment partitioned by a heat insulating wall, a refrigeration compartment arranged above the freezer compartment, a cooling compartment arranged at the back of the freezer compartment, and a refrigerant pipe having fins arranged in the vertical direction A cooler stacked on the cooler, a cooler cover that covers a front surface of the cooler, and a refrigerator return duct that is disposed on a side surface of the cooler and returns the cool air from the refrigerator to the cooler. The refrigerator which made the width dimension of the said refrigerant | coolant pipe | tube of a cooler shorter than the upper part.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the portion in which the width dimension of the refrigerant pipe is shortened is an inflow portion of cold air from the refrigerating chamber return duct to the cooler.
The refrigerator as described in any one of Claim 1 or 2 which thinned the fin of the said refrigerant | coolant pipe | tube of the upper part of the part which shortened the width dimension of the said refrigerant | coolant pipe | tube.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein an upper end of the opening of the refrigerator compartment return duct is disposed above a lower end of the cooler.
The freezer compartment cool air return port for returning the cool air from the freezer compartment to the cooler chamber is provided at the lower part of the cooler cover, and the upper end of the freezer compartment cool air return port is disposed above the lower end of the cooler. The refrigerator as described in any one of 2.
The refrigerator as described in any one of Claim 1 or 2 which thinned the fin of the said refrigerant | coolant pipe | tube on either side with respect to the advancing direction of the cold air | gas from the said refrigerator compartment return duct to the said cooler.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a defrosting glass tube heater below the cooler, wherein the center height of the glass tube heater is located above the basic bottom surface of the freezer compartment.