WO2018113711A1

WO2018113711A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2018113711A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/117603
Authority: WO
Inventors: 设乐真辅; 坂部博树; 土田俊之; 夫马由贵; 杉木稔则; 青木均史
Original assignee: 青岛海尔股份有限公司; Aqua株式会社
Priority date: 2016-12-21
Filing date: 2017-12-21
Publication date: 2018-06-28
Also published as: JP2018100808A; JP6788893B2

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator (1), comprising: a cooling chamber (13), which is provided with an evaporator (32), and is formed with an air supply port (26) connected to a refrigeration compartment (3); a blower (40), which sends cold air supplied from the air supply port (26) to the refrigeration compartment (3); and a shielding device (50), which at least partially blocks the air supply port (26). The shielding device (50) is provided with: a blower cover (51), which covers the blower (40) from the outer side of the cooling chamber (13); a driving shaft (52), which controls the opening and closing operation of the blower cover (51) from the opposite side of the cooling chamber (13); and a support base (53), which supports the driving shaft (52). The blower cover (51) is provided with an opening part (72), and blocks the air supply port (26) in a state where the blower cover is tilted from the vertical direction. The opening part (72) enables the cold air, which is sent from the cooling chamber (13) to an air supply passage (14) of the refrigeration compartment (3), to pass through.

Description

refrigerator

The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application Serial No. No. No. No. No. No.

Technical field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator for cooling and storing foods and the like in a storage room, and more particularly to a refrigerator having a shielding device that appropriately blocks an air passage connected to the storage compartment.

Background technique

In the prior art, a refrigerator in which a plurality of storage chambers are appropriately cooled by one evaporator described in Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2013-2664) is known. Fig. 12 schematically shows the refrigerator 100 described in this document. In the refrigerator 100 shown in the figure, a refrigerating compartment 101, a freezing compartment 102, and a fruit and vegetable compartment 103 are formed from above. In the back side of the freezing compartment 102, a cooling chamber 104 for accommodating the evaporator 108 is formed, and in the partition wall 105 that partitions the cooling chamber 104 and the freezing compartment 102, an opening for supplying cold air to each storage compartment is formed. 106. Further, a blower fan 107 that sends out cold air is disposed in the opening 106, and a blower cover 110 that covers the blower fan 107 is disposed on the freezer compartment 102 side. A damper 114 is disposed in the middle of the air passage 109 through which the cold air supplied to the refrigerating compartment 101 flows.

The blower cover 110 described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG. A concave portion 111 having a substantially quadrangular shape is formed in the blower cover 110, and an opening portion 113 is formed by cutting an upper portion of the concave portion 111. Here, in a state where the blower cover 110 covers the blower fan 107, the opening 113 of the blower cover 110 communicates with the air passage 109 on the refrigerator main body side.

The refrigerator 100 having the above configuration operates as follows. Referring to Fig. 12, first, when both the refrigerating compartment 101 and the freezing compartment 102 are cooled, the blower cover 110 is separated from the blower fan 107, the windshield 114 is opened, and the blower fan 107 is rotated in this state. As described above, a part of the cold air cooled by the evaporator 108 in the inside of the cooling chamber 104 is sent to the freezing compartment 102 by the air blow of the blower fan 107. Further, another part of the cold air is sent to the refrigerating compartment 101 via the air passage 109, the windshield 114, and the air passage 109. Thereby, both the freezing compartment 102 and the refrigerating compartment 101 are cooled.

On the other hand, when only the refrigerating compartment 101 is cooled, the blower fan 107 is covered by the blower cover 110, the windshield 114 is opened, and in this state, the cool air cooled by the evaporator 108 is sent out by the blower fan 107. When the blower cover 110 is closed, the opening 113 formed in the upper portion of the blower cover 110 communicates with the air passage 109. Thereby, the cold air sent by the blower fan 107 is supplied to the refrigerating compartment 101 through the opening 113, the windshield 114, and the air passage 109.

As described above, by using the blower cover 110 in which the opening 113 is formed, it is possible to appropriately cool the plurality of storage chambers by one evaporator 108.

However, in the air blowing structure of the conventional refrigerator, there is a concern that the loss on the supply air passage that blows air into the storage compartment may increase.

Specifically, the cold air sent by the blower fan 107 is sent to the refrigerating compartment 101 via the blower cover 110 and the air passage 109 , but is twisted from the blower cover 110 via the path of the air passage 109 . Therefore, in the meandering portion of the air passage 109, the cold air cannot flow smoothly, and the air passage resistance when the cold air is sent out becomes large. Based on this, there is a problem that the electric power consumed by the blower fan 107 is excessively large, and a sufficient amount of cold air may not be sent to the refrigerating compartment 101.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of reducing a loss on a supply air passage through which cold air sent from a blower to a storage compartment passes, and which can improve cooling efficiency and save energy.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes: an evaporator of a refrigerating cycle that cools cold air supplied to the storage compartment via a supply air passage; a cooling chamber that is provided with the evaporator, and is formed to be connected to the storage compartment An air supply port; a blower that sends the cold air supplied from the air supply port to the storage room; and a shielding device that at least partially blocks the air supply port. The shielding device has: a blower cover covering the blower from an outer side of the cooling chamber; a drive shaft that controls an opening and closing operation of the blower cover from an opposite side of the cooling chamber; and a supporting base supporting the same The drive shaft. The blower cover has an opening, and the air blowing port is closed in a state of being inclined from a vertical direction, and the opening passes the cold air sent from the cooling chamber to the supply air passage.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the shielding device is disposed between a cooling chamber side cover of the spacing member that partitions the cooling chamber and a storage compartment side cover of the spacing member that partitions the storage compartment .

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the invention, the support base of the screening device is fixed to the storage compartment side cover. A convex fixing portion obtained by projecting the storage chamber side cover toward the support base side is in contact with a concave fixing portion obtained by projecting the support base in a direction away from the storage chamber side cover.

According to a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, a claw portion obtained by extending an end portion of the cooling chamber side cover toward the storage chamber side cover side and a claw receiving portion formed at an end portion of the storage chamber side cover Engage.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the blower is a centrifugal blower that sends the cold air in a centrifugal direction. The blower cover has a main surface portion and a side surface portion that extends from an outer edge of the main surface portion toward the cooling chamber side. The blower is supported by the blower support portion, and the blower support portion extends from the support base body to the main surface of the blower cover to extend to the blower.

According to a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the blower support portion is recessed through a peripheral portion of the through hole of the main surface portion of the blower cover to form a concave storage portion, and the blower cover is used to cover the cover portion. In the case of the blower, at least a part of the flange portion for connecting the blower support portion and the blower is housed in the concave storage portion.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, a spacer member supporting portion extending to the cooling chamber side cover is formed in the support base. An end of the spacer member support portion is engaged with the cooling chamber side cover.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes: an evaporator of a refrigerating cycle that cools cold air supplied to the storage compartment via a supply air passage; a cooling chamber that is provided with the evaporator, and is formed to be connected to the storage compartment An air supply port; a blower that sends the cold air supplied from the air supply port to the storage room; and a shielding device that at least partially blocks the air supply port. The shielding device has: a blower cover covering the blower from an outer side of the cooling chamber; a drive shaft that controls an opening and closing operation of the blower cover from an opposite side of the cooling chamber; and a supporting base supporting the same The drive shaft. The blower cover has an opening, and the air blowing port is closed in a state of being inclined from a vertical direction, and the opening passes the cold air sent from the cooling chamber to the supply air passage. Therefore, since the blower cover covers the blower in a state of being inclined from the vertical direction, the cold air sent from the blower is supplied to the supply air passage through the opening of the blower cover after passing through the inclined blower cover. Further, the opening and closing operation of the blower cover is controlled by the drive shaft from the opposite side of the cooling chamber. Therefore, there is no large meandering portion on the air passage from the blower to the supply air passage, so that the air passage resistance and the air passage loss of the air passage can be reduced, and the storage chamber can be effectively cooled.

The shielding device is disposed between a cooling chamber side cover of the spacing member that partitions the cooling chamber region and a storage compartment side cover of the spacing member that partitions the storage chamber. Therefore, the shielding device can be attached to the side cover of the storage compartment, and the configuration for supporting the shielding device can be simplified.

The support base of the screening device is fixed to the storage compartment side cover. A convex fixing portion obtained by projecting the storage chamber side cover toward the support base side is in contact with a concave fixing portion obtained by projecting the support base in a direction away from the storage chamber side cover. Therefore, by making the convex fixing portion of the storage chamber side cover abut against the inner wall of the concave fixing portion of the support base, the shielding device can be easily positioned with respect to the storage compartment side cover.

A claw portion that extends the end portion of the cooling chamber side cover toward the storage chamber side cover side is engaged with a claw receiving portion formed at an end portion of the storage chamber side cover. Therefore, by engaging the claw portion formed at the upper end of the partition member with the claw receiving portion formed at the upper end of the storage chamber side cover, for example, the portion near the upper end of the cooling chamber side cover formed of the plate-shaped synthetic resin can be reinforced. Thereby, even in the mounting process or the like, even if the pressing force of the upper end portion of the spacer member is pressed, the upper portion of the spacer member can be prevented from being deformed by the pressing force.

The blower is a centrifugal blower that sends the cold air in a centrifugal direction. The blower cover has a main surface portion and a side surface portion that extends from an outer edge of the main surface portion toward the cooling chamber side. The blower is supported by the blower support portion, and the blower support portion extends from the support base body to the main surface of the blower cover to extend to the blower. Therefore, the blower is supported by the blower support portion that extends from the fixed support base through the main surface of the blower cover to the blower, and the travel of the cold air sent from the blower as the centrifugal blower is not hindered by the blower support portion. Thereby, the air path resistance inside the blower cover can be reduced.

Forming a concave accommodating portion by recessing the blower support portion through a peripheral portion of the through hole of the main surface portion of the blower cover, and when the blower cover is used to cover the blower, the blower is used for the blower At least a part of the flange portion of the support portion connected to the blower is housed in the concave storage portion. Therefore, when the blower is shielded, the flange portion that connects the blower support portion and the blower is housed in the concave accommodating portion of the blower cover, and the amount of protrusion of the flange portion protruding inside the blower cover is reduced. Thereby, the flow of the cold air inside the blower cover is suppressed by the flange portion.

A spacer member supporting portion that extends to the cooling chamber side cover is formed in the support base. An end of the spacer member support portion is engaged with the cooling chamber side cover. Therefore, the cooling chamber side cover can be reinforced by joining the spacer member supporting portion to the cooling chamber side cover which is a thin plate material made of synthetic resin, for example. Therefore, when the blower cover is brought into contact with the cooling chamber side cover to cover the blower, it is possible to suppress the situation in which the cooling chamber side cover is separated and deformed from the blower cover due to the contact.

DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a front view showing an outline of an air passage of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the cooling chamber in a state in which the blower cover of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention is opened.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the cooling chamber in a state in which the blower cover of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention is closed.

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a blower cover covering a blower, showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is an exploded perspective view showing a shielding device and the like.

8 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a view of the shielding device viewed from the rear, (B) is a side cross-sectional view of the shielding device, and (C) is an end portion of the shielding device. (D) is a perspective view of the case where the end portion is cut.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a perspective view showing a storage compartment side cover, and (B) is a perspective view showing a cooling chamber side cover.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a cross-sectional view showing the shielding device, (B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a portion of the shielding device, and (C) is a view from the rear side. Diagram of the device.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a perspective view showing the shielding device, (B) is a perspective view showing the blower cover, and (C) is a cross-sectional view showing the shielding device.

Fig. 12 is a side cross-sectional view showing a refrigerator according to the background art.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a blower cover used in the refrigerator according to the background art.

detailed description

Hereinafter, the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated. Further, in the following description, each of the up, down, left, and right directions is appropriately used, and the left and right sides indicate the right and left when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view showing a schematic structure of a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes a heat insulating box 2 as a main body, and a storage room for storing food or the like is formed inside the heat insulating box 2 . The uppermost section of the storage compartment is the refrigerating compartment 3, the left side of the lower section of the refrigerating compartment 3 is the ice making compartment 4, the upper side is the upper section freezing compartment 5, the lower section is the lower section freezing compartment 6, and the lowermost section is the fruit and vegetable compartment 7. Further, the ice making compartment 4, the upper freezing compartment 5, and the lower freezing compartment 6 are storage compartments in the freezing temperature range. They are also collectively referred to as freezer compartment 4A as appropriate in the following description.

The front surface of the heat insulating box 2 is opened, and the heat insulating doors 8 to 12 are respectively provided in an opening corresponding to each storage room so as to be openable and closable. The

heat insulating doors

8a and 8b divide and seal the front surface of the refrigerating compartment 3, and the upper left lower portion of the heat insulating door 8a and the upper right lower portion of the heat insulating door 8b are rotatably supported by the heat insulating box 2. Further, the heat insulating doors 9 to 12 are integrally combined with the storage container, and are supported by the heat insulating box 2 so as to be freely pulled out to the front of the refrigerator 1.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the refrigerator 1. Further, in FIGS. 2 to 5, the flow of the cold air circulating in the refrigerator is shown by solid arrows. As shown in Fig. 2, the heat insulating box 2, which is the main body of the refrigerator 1, includes an outer casing 2a made of a steel plate having a front surface open, and a synthetic resin having a gap in the outer casing 2a and having a front surface open. The box 2b and the foamed polyurethane heat insulating material 2c are filled in the gap between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2b. Further, each of the heat insulating doors 8 to 12 also has the same heat insulating structure as that of the heat insulating box 2.

The refrigerating compartment 3 is separated from the freezing compartment 4A located in the lower section thereof by the insulating partition wall 28. The ice making compartment 4 inside the freezing compartment 4A and the upper freezing compartment 5 are spaced apart by a partition wall (not shown). Further, between the ice making chamber 4 and the upper freezing chamber 5 and the lower freezing chamber 6 provided in the lower stage, the cold air flow is freely communicated. Further, the freezing compartment 4A and the vegetable compartment 7 are separated by the insulating partition wall 29.

A refrigerating compartment supply air passage 14 is formed on the back surface of the refrigerating compartment 3, and is partitioned by a synthetic resin spacer 27 as a supply air passage for supplying cold air to the refrigerating compartment 3. An air outlet 17 for blowing cold air into the refrigerating compartment 3 is formed in the refrigerating compartment supply air passage 14. Further, a refrigerating compartment windshield 34 is provided in the refrigerating compartment supply air passage 14. The refrigerating compartment windshield 34 is a windshield that is opened and closed by a motor or the like, and controls the flow rate of the cold air supplied to the refrigerating compartment 3 to maintain the temperature inside the refrigerating compartment 3 at an appropriate level.

A freezer supply air passage 15 that supplies a cooling airflow cooled by the evaporator 32 to the freezing compartment 4A is formed behind the freezing compartment 4A. A cooling chamber 13 is formed further behind the freezing compartment supply air passage 15, and an evaporator 32 for cooling the cold air circulating in the refrigerator is disposed inside the cooling chamber 13.

The evaporator 32 is connected to a compressor 31, a condenser (not shown), and an expansion unit such as a capillary (not shown) via a refrigerant pipe to constitute a vapor compression refrigeration cycle.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a supply air passage of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerator 1 is provided with a fruit and vegetable room supply air path 16 that connects the refrigerator compartment 3 and the fruit and vegetable compartment 7. As a result, the cold air supplied to the refrigerating compartment 3 flows into the fruit and vegetable compartment supply air passage 16 from the return port 21 formed in the lower portion of the refrigerating compartment 3, and is blown out from the air outlet 20 to be supplied to the fruit and vegetable compartment 7. As shown in FIG. 2, in the fruit and vegetable compartment 7, a return port 24 connected to the lower portion of the cooling chamber 13 is formed, and cold air in the fruit and vegetable compartment 7 flows from the return port 24 to the lower portion of the cooling chamber 13.

4 and 5 are side cross-sectional views showing the structure in the vicinity of the cooling chamber 13 of the refrigerator 1. 4 shows a state in which the blower cover 51 is opened, and FIG. 5 shows a state in which the blower cover 51 is closed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cooling chamber 13 is provided inside the heat insulating box 2 on the back side of the freezing compartment supply air passage 15. The cooling chamber 13 is spaced apart from the freezing compartment supply air passage 15 or the freezing compartment 4A by a spacer member 25 made of synthetic resin. That is, the cooling chamber 13 is a space formed by sandwiching the inner box 2b and the partition member 25.

The freezer compartment supply air passage 15 formed in front of the cooling chamber 13 is a space formed between the partition member 25 and the partition member 35 attached to the front side thereof, and is a supply air passage through which the cold air cooled by the evaporator 32 flows. The upper portion of the freezer compartment supply air passage 15 is connected to the refrigerating compartment supply air passage 14.

In the partition member 35, an air outlet 18 which is an opening for blowing cold air into the freezing compartment 4A is formed. On the lower back surface of the lower freezing chamber 6, a return port 23 for returning cold air from the freezing chamber 4A to the lower portion of the cooling chamber 13 is formed.

Further, below the evaporator 32, a defrosting heater 33 is provided as a defrosting unit that removes frost that has adhered to the evaporator 32 and is removed. The defrosting heater 33 is a resistance heating type heater.

An air blowing port 26, which is an opening that is connected to the freezing compartment supply air passage 15, is formed in the partition member 25 at the upper portion of the cooling chamber 13. A blower 40 that sends cold air to the freezing compartment 4A or the like is disposed in front of the air blowing port 26. The blower 40 is a centrifugal blower including a fan 42.

A shielding device 50 having a movable blower cover 51 is provided in front of the blower 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the blower cover 51 approaches the blower 40 from the side of the freezer compartment supply air passage 15, and at least partially covers the blower 40 and the blower port 26.

The blower cover 51 is driven by the drive shaft 52 provided on the side of the partition member 35 to move in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the blower cover 51 moves forward and separates from the blower 40, and an air path of cold air is formed between the blower cover 51 and the spacer member 25. Thereby, the cold air cooled by the cooler 32 is sent out by the blower 40, and is supplied to the refrigerating compartment 3, the freezing compartment 4A, and the fruit and vegetable compartment 7.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the blower cover 51 moves rearward and approaches the blower 40, so that the blower 40 is covered by the blower cover 51, the blower port 26 is blocked, and the air passage through which the cold air such as the upper freezer compartment 5 flows is shielded. On the other hand, in this state, cold air is sent to the refrigerating compartment 3 through the refrigerating compartment supply air passage 14 through the opening formed in the upper portion of the blower cover 51.

The surface of the blower cover 51 that faces the blower 40 is formed into a substantially concave shape. Thereby, the blower cover 51 is not in contact with the fan 42 of the air blower 40 disposed in front of the air blowing port 26, and the rear end of the side surface portion of the blower cover 51 abuts against the front surface of the partition member 25, so that the air blowing port 26 can be blocked. .

The opening and closing operation of the shielding device 50 is controlled by a control device (not shown). For example, when the defrosting operation for removing the frost adhering to the evaporator 32 is performed, as shown in FIG. 5, the blower cover 51 is closed.

Specifically, when the cooling operation is continued, the frost adheres to the cold air side heat transfer surface of the evaporator 32, hinders heat transfer, and blocks the air flow path. For this purpose, the control device determines the frost based on the decrease in the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant or the like, determines the frost by the defrosting timer or the like, and activates the defrosting operation for removing the frost attached to the evaporator 32.

In the defrosting operation, the control device stops the compressor 31 and energizes the defrosting heater 33. Thereby, the frost adhering to the evaporator 32 melts. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the air blowing port 26 is blocked by the blower cover 51, and the refrigerating compartment windshield 34 is closed. Thereby, cold air in the cooling chamber 13 heated by the defrosting heater 33 can be prevented from flowing out to the respective storage chambers. As a result, the cooling performance of the refrigerator 1 can be improved.

Further, when the defrosting of the evaporator 32 is completed, the control device stops the energization of the defrosting heater 33, starts the compressor 31, and starts the cooling performed by the freezing cycle. Moreover, after detecting that the evaporator 32 and the cooling chamber 13 are cooled to a given temperature, or a timer or the like has passed a given time, as shown in FIG. 4, the blower cover 51 is opened to start the operation of the blower 40. . Thereby, the influence by the defrosting heat can be suppressed, and the cooling operation can be restarted.

Next, the configuration of the shielding device 50 that appropriately seals the blower 40 in the refrigerator 1 having the above configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 and subsequent drawings.

A schematic configuration of the shielding device 50 that appropriately blocks the blower 40 and the air blowing port 26 will be described with reference to Fig. 6 . Here, the state in which the blower 40 is covered by the blower cover 51 is shown.

As described above, the blower 40 is disposed at a position covering the air blowing port 26 of the cooling chamber 13, and is disposed on the front side of the air blowing port 26, that is, on the freezer compartment 4A side. As the blower 40, a centrifugal blower that sends cold air in a centrifugal direction can be used. Specifically, a turbofan can be used. A drive shaft 52 supported by the support base 53 is disposed in front of the blower cover 51, and the forward and backward movement of the blower cover 51 in the front-rear direction is controlled by the drive shaft 52. The related structure will be described later.

In the present embodiment, the blower 40 is inclined toward the upper rear side. Further, in the vicinity of the blower 40, the refrigerating compartment supply air passage 14 is also inclined rearward in the upward direction. The inclination angle of the blower 40 and the inclination angle of the refrigerating compartment supply air passage 14 are set to be equal. With this configuration, the cold air sent from the blower 40 passes through the internal space of the blower cover 51, and is supplied to the refrigerating compartment 3 via the air supply path 14 that is linearly extended to the upper side. In the vicinity of the blower 40, the meandering portion is not formed in the refrigerating compartment supply air passage 14, so that the air passage resistance and the air volume loss of the refrigerating compartment supply air passage 14 in this portion can be reduced. Thereby, the amount of air supplied to the refrigerating compartment 3 can be increased, and the energy consumed by the blower 40 can be reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, the blower cover 51 and the support base 53 that block the blower 40 are also disposed to be inclined from the vertical direction to the same extent. According to this configuration, the blower 40 and the blower cover 51 can be tilted by simply attaching the various members to the main body of the refrigerator 1 without tilting the dedicated members.

The configuration of the above-described shielding device 50 will be described in detail with reference to the exploded perspective view of Fig. 7 .

The shielding device 50 includes a blower cover 51 that closes the blower 40 from the outside of the cooling chamber 13 so as to be openable and closable, and a drive shaft 52 that opens and closes the blower cover 51 from the opposite side of the cooling chamber 13; The base body 53 supports the blower 40 and supports the blower cover 51 and the drive shaft 52 in a sliding manner. The shielding device 50 is disposed between the storage chamber side cover 54 which is a part of the partition member 35 which partitions the freezer compartment 4A, and the cooling chamber side cover 59 which is a part of the partition member 25 which partitions the said freezing compartment supply air path 15.

The shielding device 50 is attached to the rear surface of the storage compartment side cover 54, and the storage compartment side cover 54 constitutes a part of the above-described spacing member 35. Specifically, a concave portion 55 that is formed in a substantially circular shape and recessed forward is formed on the rear surface of the partition member 35, and the shielding device 50 is disposed in the concave portion 55. In other words, in the partition member 35, only the portion corresponding to the recess 55 in which the shielding device 50 is disposed protrudes forward. In this way, the shielding device 50 is disposed inside the concave portion 55, so that the protruding member 35 can be protruded toward the freezing chamber 4A side, and the storage volume of the freezing chamber 4A can be ensured to be wide.

As described above, the blower cover 51 is a cover-shaped member that appropriately covers the blower 40, and has a main surface portion 70 and a side surface portion 71 that is provided to be rearward from the peripheral edge portion of the main surface portion 70. The side surface portion 71 is erected from the side peripheral edge and the lower peripheral edge of the main surface portion 70, and the side surface portion 71 is not erected on the upper peripheral edge of the main surface portion 70. An opening 72 is formed in an upper end portion of the blower cover 51. Thereby, even when the blower 40 is covered by the blower cover 51, cold air can be sent to the refrigerating compartment 3 via the opening 72. Further, a guide pin 56 to be described later and a guide hole 57 fitted thereto are disposed outside the side surface portion 71. Thereby, when the blower cover 51 is closed, the cold air leaks from the inside to the outside of the blower cover 51 without passing through the guide hole 57, and the sealing property of the blower cover 51 is improved. Further, a screw hole is formed in the vicinity of the center of the main surface portion 70 of the blower cover 51, and the through hole is formed in a substantially circular shape and a screw groove is formed inside.

A substantially cylindrical guide pin 56 that supports the blower cover 51 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction is formed in the support base 53. A plurality of guide pins 56 are provided, and extend from the main surface of the support base 53 toward the rear, and extend substantially in parallel with respect to the rotation axis of the fan 42. In the blower cover 51, a guide hole 57 is formed in which the guide pin 56 is slidably fitted. By inserting the guide pin 56 into the guide hole 57, the reciprocating motion of the blower cover 51 is stably guided.

Three blower support portions 67 are vertically erected from the main surface of the support base 53 toward the rear. The blower support portion 67 has a columnar shape, and the rear end portion thereof penetrates the through hole 68 formed in the main surface of the blower cover 51 to abut against the front surface of the flange portion 69 of the blower 40. The flange portion 69 of the blower 40 is disposed on the front side of the fan 42 of the blower 40. The blower support portion 67 and the flange portion 69 of the blower 40 are fastened by a fastening means such as a screw.

By supporting the blower 40 from the front side by the blower support portion 67, the blower support portion 67 is not disposed outside the air blowing direction of the blower 40, that is, in the radial direction. Thereby, the flow of the cold air sent out by the blower 40 in the centrifugal direction is not hindered by the blower support portion 67, and the efficiency of the blower 40 to send the cool air can be improved.

Further, two partition member support portions 66 are vertically erected from the lower portion of the main surface of the support base 53 toward the rear. The rear end of the partition member support portion 66 is in contact with the cooling chamber side cover 59 of the partition member 25, and is fastened by screwing or the like. The spacer member support portion 66 does not penetrate the blower cover 51 and extends to the cooling chamber side cover 59 around the blower cover 51.

A drive shaft 52 for reciprocating the blower cover 51 is attached to the support base 53. The drive shaft 52 is fitted into the shaft support portion 76 formed on the support base 53, and is rotatably supported.

The drive shaft 52 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is provided with a thread having a spirally continuous projection of a part of its side surface. Further, the drive shaft 52 is screwed into a screw hole formed in the blower cover 51. Further, a motor (not shown) is built in the support base 53, and the drive shaft 52 is rotated by a given angle based on the driving force of the motor. When the drive shaft 52 is rotated to a given direction, the blower cover 51 approaches the blower 40, and the air passage is closed. On the other hand, when the drive shaft 52 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction with respect to the predetermined direction, the blower cover 51 is separated from the blower 40, and the air passage is in an open state.

The blower 40 is a turbo fan having a fan inside, and a flange portion 69 supported by the blower support portion 67 of the support base 53 from the front is formed around.

Further, in the production process of the refrigerator 1, the blower cover 51, the drive shaft 52, and the blower 40 are previously attached to the support base 53. Then, the assembly in a state in which the shielding device 50 and the blower 40 are integrally assembled is attached to the storage chamber side cover 54 of the partition member 35.

Here, when the storage chamber side cover 54 and the support base 53 are integrally molded, the metal mold for injection molding becomes complicated, and dimensional management becomes difficult. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the support base 53 and the storage chamber side cover 54 are separately provided, and the guide pin 56, the partition member support portion 66, and the blower support portion 67 are formed in the support base 53. Further, the material of the blower cover 51 and the support base 53 is unified into an ABS resin. In this way, the configuration of the metal mold for injection molding these members can be simplified, and the dimensional management can be facilitated. Further, by making the thermal expansion coefficient the same, the temperature shrinkage amount and the temperature expansion amount of the various members are the same, and the malfunction of the opening and closing operation of the blower cover 51 can be suppressed.

The configuration in which the shielding device 50 is positioned in the storage compartment side cover 54 will be described with reference to Fig. 8 .

8(A) is a view showing a configuration in which the shielding device 50 and the blower 40 are attached to the storage chamber side cover 54 from the rear, and FIG. 8(B) is a side cross-sectional view of the shielding device 50, and FIG. 8(C) is a view. A perspective view of the end portion of the shielding device 50, and Fig. 8(D) is a perspective view of the case where the end portion is cut.

8(A) and 8(B), as described above, the shielding device 50 has the support base 53, the drive shaft 52, and the blower cover 51, and is attached to the storage compartment side cover 54 from the rear side together with the blower 40. Specifically, the support base 53 of the shielding device 50 is fixed to a given position of the storage compartment side cover 54. At the peripheral portion of the support base 53, three concave fixing portions 60 for positioning and fixing the support base 53 with respect to the storage chamber side cover 54 are formed. The concave fixing portion 60 is a portion that protrudes rearward and has a concave shape when viewed from the front, and is also referred to as a boss for positioning. The concave fixing portion 60 is fastened to the storage chamber side cover 54 via a fastening unit such as a screw.

Fig. 8(C) is a perspective view of the area A1 of Fig. 8(A) viewed from the upper left side. Referring to the figure, the storage chamber side cover 54 is partially protruded rearward in correspondence with the concave fixing portion 60 formed in the support base 53, and the convex fixing portion 61 is formed. Since the outer shape of the convex fixing portion 61 is smaller than the inner diameter of the concave fixing portion 60, the convex fixing portion 61 is housed inside the concave fixing portion 60. Further, the convex fixing portion 61 of the storage chamber side cover 54 and the concave fixing portion 60 of the support base 53 are fastened by a fastening means such as a screw. The related structures of the other two concave fixing portions 60 shown in Fig. 8(A) are also the same.

(D) of FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the concave fixing portion 61 and the convex fixing portion 61 are cut in a cut surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction in the concave fixing portion 60. . Referring to the figure, the outer shape of the convex fixing portion 61 is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the concave fixing portion 60 in the left-right direction. Therefore, the outer side surface of the convex fixing portion 61 abuts against the inner side surface of the concave fixing portion 60 in the left-right direction. Thereby, the convex fixing portion 61 and the concave fixing portion 60 are positioned in the left-right direction, and the storage chamber side cover 54 and the support base 53 are positioned. The same applies to the other concave fixing portions 60 shown in Fig. 8(A). With this configuration, the storage compartment side cover 54 and the support base 53 are set to a predetermined positional relationship in the left-right direction.

Further, referring to Fig. 8(B), the upper end portion of the shielding device 50, that is, the upper end portion of the support base 53, causes the upper end portion of the storage chamber side cover 54 to abut against the claw portion 62 projecting rearward from the lower side. Thereby, the positioning of the storage compartment side cover 54 and the shielding apparatus 50 can be easily performed in the up-down direction.

The positional arrangement of the storage compartment side cover 54 and the cooling compartment side cover 59 will be described with reference to Fig. 9 . Fig. 9(A) is a perspective view of the storage compartment side cover 54 as seen from the rear, and Fig. 9(B) is a perspective view of the cooling chamber side cover 59 as seen from the rear.

Referring to Fig. 9(A), the upper side surface portion 73 is formed by projecting the upper end of the storage chamber side cover 54 rearward, and the storage chamber side cover 54 below the upper side surface portion 73 is formed to protrude rearward. Claw receiving portion 64. The claw receiving portion 64 is formed in the vicinity of the central portion of the storage chamber side cover 54 in the left-right direction. The claw portion 62 of the cooling chamber side cover 59 to be described later is inserted between the upper side surface portion 73 and the claw receiving portion 64. The upper side surface portion 73 and the claw receiving portion 64 are separated in the vertical direction, and the distance separating the two is set to be approximately the same as the thickness of the claw portion 62 of the cooling chamber side cover 59 to be described later.

Referring to Fig. 9(B), the claw portion 62 is formed by partially extending the upper end portion of the cooling chamber side cover 59 forward. The claw portion 62 is formed in the vicinity of the center portion in the left-right direction of the cooling chamber side cover 59. When the storage compartment side cover 54 is attached to the cooling chamber side cover 59, the claw portion 62 of the cooling chamber side cover 59 is engaged between the upper side surface portion 73 of the storage chamber side cover 54 and the claw receiving portion 64. Thereby, the cooling chamber side cover 59 and the storage chamber side cover 54 can be aligned in the vertical direction, and the upper portions of the cooling chamber side cover 59 and the storage chamber side cover 54 can be reinforced each other. Thereby, in the intermediate stage of the manufacturing process, even if the pressing force acts downward on the upper portions of the cooling chamber side cover 59 and the storage chamber side cover 54, the deformation of these members can be suppressed.

Further, referring to Fig. 9(B), the upper surface opening portion 74 is formed by opening the upper surface portion of the cooling chamber side cover 59. The cold air sent from the blower 40 is sent to the refrigerating compartment 3 through the upper surface opening 74 of the cooling chamber side cover 59.

The configuration in which the cooling chamber side cover 59 is reinforced by the above-described shielding device 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 10 . Fig. 10(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a portion in which the shielding device 50 is disposed, and Fig. 10(B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a portion in which the spacer member supporting portion 66 supports the cooling chamber side cover 59, and Fig. 10(C) is an enlarged view. The rear view of the cooling chamber side cover 59 and the like is observed.

Referring to Fig. 10(A), as shown in Fig. 7, the support base 53 constituting the shielding device 50 further includes a spacer support portion 66 extending in a rod shape toward the rear. Although only one spacer member support portion 66 is shown here, actually, two spacer member support portions 66 are provided in a lower portion of the support base 53.

Referring to FIG. 10(B), the rear end of the partition member support portion 66 abuts against the front surface of the cooling chamber side cover 59. Further, the rear end of the partition member support portion 66 is fastened to the cooling chamber side cover 59 by a fastening unit such as a screw 65 inserted into the cooling chamber side cover 59 from the rear.

Referring to Fig. 10(C), each of the spacer member supporting portions 66 abuts on the vicinity of the lower portion of the cooling chamber side cover 59 in the vicinity of the left end portion and the vicinity of the right end portion. Further, although the air blowing port 26 for sucking the blower 40 into the cooling air from the cooling chamber 13 is formed in the cooling chamber side cover 59, the partition member supporting portion 66 abuts against the cooling chamber side cover 59 below the air blowing port 26.

As described above, the spacer member support portion 66 can be reinforced by joining the spacer member support portion 66 extending rearward from the support base 53 to the cooling chamber side cover 59. Specifically, the cooling chamber side cover 59 is a part of the partition member 25 that partitions the cooling chamber 13 described above, and thus is composed of a thin synthetic resin. Thereby, the rigidity of the cooling chamber side cover 59 is low, and therefore the cooling chamber side cover 59 may be deformed by an external force acting under the operating condition of the refrigerator 1.

Specifically, when the blower cover 51 of the shielding device 50 covers the blower 40, the blower cover 51 comes into contact with the front surface of the cooling chamber side cover 59. At this time, in order to improve the airtightness between the blower cover 51 and the cooling chamber side cover 59, the blower cover 51 is pushed in only slightly rearward after coming into contact with the cooling chamber side cover 59. At this time, the cooling chamber side cover 59 having a small rigidity is bent rearward, and an unnecessary gap is formed between the blower cover 51 and the cooling chamber side cover 59, and it is difficult to ensure the airtightness between the two.

In the present embodiment, the cooling chamber side cover 59 is reinforced by joining the partition member support portion 66 extending rearward from the support base 53 to the cooling chamber side cover 59. Thus, even if the blower cover 51 applies a pressing force to the cooling chamber side cover 59, the cooling chamber side cover 59 can be prevented from being excessively bent rearward, and the airtightness between the blower cover 51 and the cooling chamber side cover 59 can be ensured.

The configuration of the blower cover 51 that reduces the air passage resistance will be described with reference to Fig. 11 . Fig. 11(A) is a perspective view showing the shielding device 50, Fig. 11(B) is a perspective view showing the blower cover 51, and Fig. 11(C) is a cross-sectional view showing the shielding device 50 in part.

Referring to Fig. 11(A), a blower 40 is disposed inside the blower cover 51 of the shielding device 50. The blower 40 is a turbo fan that blows air in the radial direction by rotating clockwise on the paper surface. Therefore, in order to improve the air blowing efficiency, the air blower 40 is disposed not on the center of the blower cover 51 but on the left side. Further, as described above, the flange portion 69 formed at the peripheral portion of the shielding device 50 is supported from the front by the blower support portion 67 of the support base 53 shown in Fig. 7 . Thereby, the blower support portion 67 is not disposed on the path through which the cool air sent from the blower 40 passes, and the blower support portion 67 does not increase the air passage resistance of the blower 40.

Referring to Fig. 11(B), a through hole 75 through which the support base 53 that supports the flange portion 69 of the blower 40 is formed is formed in the main surface portion 70 of the blower cover 51. The through hole 75 is formed in three places at a position surrounding the blower 40. In addition, a portion that surrounds the through hole 75 of the main surface portion 70 of the blower cover 51 is recessed forward, thereby forming a concave storage portion 63.

Referring to FIG. 11(C), when the blower cover 51 is moved rearward to cover the blower 40, at least a part of the flange portion 69 formed in the peripheral portion of the blower 40 is housed in the concave storage portion 63. Here, although the lower portion of the flange portion 69 is housed in the concave accommodating portion 63, the entire thickness direction of the flange portion 69 may be accommodated in the concave accommodating portion 63. As described above, the portion of the flange portion 69 that protrudes toward the blower cover 51 is reduced, and the influence of the flange portion 69 on the flow of the cold air inside the blower cover 51 can be reduced. Thereby, the air path resistance inside the blower cover 51 can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

A refrigerator characterized by comprising:

a refrigerating cycle evaporator that cools cold air supplied to the storage chamber via a supply air passage; a cooling chamber provided with the evaporator, and an air supply port connected to the storage chamber; and a blower The cold air supplied from the air supply port is sent out to the storage compartment; and a shielding device that at least partially blocks the air supply opening,

The shielding device has: a blower cover covering the blower from an outer side of the cooling chamber; a drive shaft that controls an opening and closing operation of the blower cover from an opposite side of the cooling chamber; and a supporting base supporting the same The drive shaft,

The blower cover has an opening, and the air blowing port is closed in a state of being inclined from a vertical direction, and the opening passes the cold air sent from the cooling chamber to the supply air passage.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein

The shielding device is disposed between a cooling chamber side cover of the spacing member that partitions the cooling chamber region and a storage compartment side cover of the spacing member that partitions the storage chamber.
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein

The support base of the shielding device is fixed to the storage compartment side cover,

A convex fixing portion obtained by projecting the storage chamber side cover toward the support base side is in contact with a concave fixing portion obtained by projecting the support base in a direction away from the storage chamber side cover.
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein

A claw portion that extends the end portion of the cooling chamber side cover toward the storage chamber side cover side is engaged with a claw receiving portion formed at an end portion of the storage chamber side cover.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein

The blower is a centrifugal blower that sends the cold air to a centrifugal direction.

The blower cover has a main surface portion and a side surface portion extending from an outer edge of the main surface portion toward the cooling chamber side.

The blower is supported by the blower support portion, and the blower support portion extends from the support base body to the main surface of the blower cover to extend to the blower.
The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein

Forming a concave accommodating portion by recessing the blower support portion through a peripheral portion of the through hole of the main surface portion of the blower cover, and when the blower cover is used to cover the blower, the blower is used for the blower At least a part of the flange portion of the support portion connected to the blower is housed in the concave storage portion.
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein

a spacer member supporting portion extending to the cooling chamber side cover is formed in the support base,

An end of the spacer member support portion is engaged with the cooling chamber side cover.