WO2021131150A1

WO2021131150A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2021131150A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/031338
Authority: WO
Inventors: 良二河井; 慎一郎岡留; 晴樹額賀; 福太郎岡田; 義明藤木; 浩和中村; 利広小松
Original assignee: 日立グローバルライフソリューションズ株式会社
Priority date: 2019-12-24
Filing date: 2020-08-19
Publication date: 2021-07-01
Also published as: JP7364459B2; JP2021101136A; CN113028707A

Abstract

Provide is a refrigerator with improved reliability. This refrigerator comprises: a temperature-switching compartment 3, the internal temperature of which can be set to either a refrigeration temperature zone or a freezing temperature zone, and which is configured with a height dimension larger than the width dimension; a freezing compartment 4 that is disposed next to the temperature-switching compartment 3 in front view; an evaporator 7 that is disposed on the back of the temperature-switching compartment 3 and the freezing compartment 4 so as to straddle both the temperature-switching compartment 3 and the freezing compartment 4 and integrally cools the temperature-switching compartment 3 and the freezing compartment 4; and a front-edge heat radiation pipe 50d and an electric heater 93 that are arranged on the lower side of the temperature-switching compartment 3.

Description

refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

A refrigerator equipped with a storage room in which the indoor temperature can be set in either the refrigerating temperature zone or the freezing temperature zone is known. In Patent Document 1, a refrigerator main body, a first storage chamber provided above the refrigerator main body and having a first door with double doors, and a first storage chamber below the first storage chamber are juxtaposed via upper and lower partition walls. A second storage room having a second door and a third storage room having a third door, which are partitioned by left and right partition walls, are provided, and the height of the second door and the upper end of the third door from the floor surface. 950 ± 50 mm, and the refrigerator is described in which the first door, the second door, and the third door are each evenly divided with respect to the width dimension of the refrigerator body.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-274073

The refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 includes a switching chamber that can be switched to a plurality of different temperature zones as a third storage chamber (see paragraph 0030 of Patent Document 1). The height dimension of the switching chamber is larger than the width dimension (see FIG. 7). Therefore, depending on the operating state of the refrigerator, air tends to flow downward due to natural convection inside the switching chamber, and the temperature distribution tends to be large. As a result, the lower part of the switching chamber is overcooled, and uneven cooling is likely to occur, which lowers the reliability of the refrigerator.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigerator with improved reliability.

In the refrigerator of the present invention, the room temperature can be set in either the refrigerating temperature zone or the freezing temperature zone, and the first storage chamber having a height dimension larger than the width dimension and the first storage chamber in front view. The first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are arranged on the back side of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber so as to straddle both the second storage chamber arranged next to the chamber and the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber. It includes a cooler that integrally cools the 1 storage chamber and the 2nd storage chamber, and a first heating mechanism arranged below the room of the 1st storage chamber.

It is a front view of the refrigerator of this embodiment. It is a front view of the inside of the refrigerator of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. It is a figure explaining the refrigerating cycle provided in the refrigerator of this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the arrangement place of the condensed refrigerant pipe. It is a cross-sectional view in the horizontal direction of the heat insulating partition wall which separates a temperature switching chamber and a freezing chamber. It is a figure explaining the arrangement part of the heating mechanism in a temperature switching chamber. It is a figure explaining the flow of the air exchanged between the 1st storage room, the 2nd storage room and the 3rd storage room, and a cooler room. It is a perspective view of the air passage blocking member provided in the air passage of a temperature switching chamber. It is a figure which enlarges and shows the vicinity of the 1st fan in a cooler room in the front view. It is a figure which enlarges and shows the vicinity of the 1st fan in a cooler room in the side view.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (the present embodiment) will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to the following contents and the illustrated contents, and can be arbitrarily modified and carried out within a range that does not significantly impair the effects of the present invention. The present invention can be implemented by combining different embodiments. In the following description, the same members will be designated by the same reference numerals in different embodiments, and duplicate description will be omitted. In addition, the same name is used for those having the same function, and duplicate explanations are omitted. In the cross-sectional view shown below, the hatching may be omitted for the sake of simplification.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment. The AA line will be described later with reference to FIG. 3, and the BB line will be described later with reference to FIG. The external dimensions of the refrigerator 1 are, for example, 900 mm in width, 788 mm in depth, and 1840 mm in height, but are not limited thereto. Although details will be described later, the refrigerator 1 is provided with an electric heater 93 and a front edge heat radiating pipe 50d (see FIG. 8, both of which are first heating mechanisms 91) below the temperature switching chamber 3. As a result, the lower part of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be heated, and uneven cooling in the temperature switching chamber 3 can be suppressed. Hereinafter, for convenience, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1, the configuration of each chamber such as the temperature switching chamber 3 and the evaporator chamber 8 will be described first, and then the first heating mechanism 91 arranged below the temperature switching chamber 3 will be described. explain.

The refrigerator 1 is provided with

doors

2a and 2b on the front side of the heat insulating box 10 so that the refrigerating chamber 2 (see FIG. 2) can be exposed by opening. The door 2a (first door) is rotatably fixed to one end side of the refrigerator 1 toward the front side. The door 2b (second door) is rotatably fixed to the other end side of the refrigerator 1 toward the front side. Further, the refrigerator 1 includes a door 3a capable of exposing the temperature switching chamber 3 (described later) by opening the refrigerator 1 and a door 4a capable of exposing the freezing chamber 4 (described later) by opening the refrigerator 1. The door 3a is rotatably fixed to the front side on the same side (one end side) as the door 2a. The door 4a is rotatably fixed to the front side on the same side (the other end side) as the door 2b. The inside of the

doors

2a, 2b, 3a, 4a is mainly filled with polyurethane foam, which is a foam heat insulating material.

The refrigerator 1 is provided with an operation unit 25 for operating the temperature setting inside the refrigerator on the outer surface of the door 2a. The room temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be set by operating the operation unit 25. The height position (height from the floor surface) of the operation unit 25 is, for example, 1200 mm at the lower end and 1300 mm at the upper end, but is not limited thereto.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the inside of the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 corresponds to a front view of the state in which the

doors

2a, 2b, 3a, and 4a are removed in FIG.

The refrigerator 1 has a refrigerating chamber 2 (third storage chamber) inside the heat insulating box 10, a temperature switching chamber 3 (first storage chamber) and a freezing chamber 4 (first storage chamber) provided on the left and right below the refrigerating chamber 2. 2 storage room). The refrigerating chamber 2, the temperature switching chamber 3, and the freezing chamber 4 are all configured to have a height dimension larger than a width dimension. In the illustrated example, the width dimension of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the width dimension of the freezing chamber 4 are the same. Further, the height dimension of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the height dimension of the freezing chamber 4 are the same. Specifically, for example, the width dimension W of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 is, for example, 355 mm, and the height dimension H is, for example, 665 mm, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The room temperature of the refrigerating room 2 is set to the refrigerating temperature zone. The refrigerating temperature zone set in the refrigerating chamber 2 is, for example, 0 ° C. or higher, and specifically, for example, about 4 ° C. on average. The temperature switching chamber 3 can set the room temperature in either the refrigerating temperature zone or the freezing temperature zone. The temperature switching chamber 3 is used as a refrigerating chamber or a freezing chamber according to the user's selection in the operation unit 25. The refrigerating temperature zone set in the temperature switching chamber 3 is, for example, the same refrigerating temperature zone as the refrigerating chamber 2, but the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 does not have to be the same as the indoor temperature of the refrigerating chamber 2. The freezing temperature zone set in the temperature switching chamber 3 is, for example, less than 0 ° C., specifically, for example, about -18 ° C. The freezing chamber 4 is arranged next to the temperature switching chamber 3 in front view, and the indoor temperature is set to the freezing temperature zone. The freezing temperature zone set in the freezing chamber 4 is, for example, the same freezing temperature zone as the freezing chamber 4, but the indoor temperature of the freezing chamber 4 is not the same as the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 set in the freezing temperature zone. You may.

The refrigerating room 2, the temperature switching room 3, and the freezing room 4 are separated by a heat insulating partition wall 28 extending in the left-right direction. Further, the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 are separated by a heat insulating partition wall 29 extending in the vertical direction. The upper part of the refrigerating chamber 2 is partitioned by

storage shelves

31a, 31b, 31c to form a storage space. The refrigerator 1 includes refrigerating

chamber discharge ports

11a, 11b, 11c that blow air into each storage space formed by compartments formed by

storage shelves

31a, 31b, 31c.

On the lower left side of the refrigerator compartment 2, there are upper and lower two-stage drawer-

type storage containers

32a and 32b (first container) that can be used by opening the door 2a. The width dimension (inner dimension) of the

storage containers

32a and 32b is, for example, 320 mm. Further, a drawer-type storage container 32c (second container) that can be used by opening the door 2b is provided in the upper part on the lower right side of the refrigerator compartment 2. Below the storage container 32c, a closed container 33 (second container) that can be opened and closed by a lid (not shown) arranged on the front surface is provided. The closed container 33 is also configured to be usable by opening the door 2b. The width dimension (inner dimension) of the storage container 32c is, for example, 320 mm, and the width dimension (inner dimension) of the closed container 33 is, for example, 300 mm. Inside the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4, drawer-

type storage containers

34a, 34b, 34c, 35a, 35b, 35c having three upper and lower stages are provided, respectively.

Refrigerator 1 is equipped with an automatic ice maker 40 on the upper left side of the freezer chamber 4. Further, the refrigerator 1 includes a water storage tank 42 (third container) for storing water for ice making. The width dimension (inner dimension) of the water storage tank 42 is 65 mm. The water storage tank 42 is arranged between the

storage containers

32a and 32b (first container), the storage container 32c, and the closed container 33 (both are the second containers). Ice is made by supplying the water in the water storage tank 42 to the automatic ice maker 40 by a water supply pump (not shown). The ice generated by the automatic ice maker 40 is separated into the storage container 35a by the rotation of the ice tray 40a by a motor (not shown).

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. The storage container 36c, the refrigerating chamber air passage 110, and the return air passage 120 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4, 9 and 10, respectively. When the door 2a and the door 2b are closed, a gap 2d is formed between the door 2a and the door 2b. Therefore, the refrigerator 1 includes a partition plate 2c that is connected to either the door 2a or the door 2b and is arranged so as to close the gap 2d when the door 2a and the door 2b are closed. The partition plate 2c is arranged on the back side of the door 2a and the door 2b. For example, when the door 2a is opened, the partition plate 2c is maintained in a state of being connected to the door 2b, and the door 2a is opened by separating the door 2a and the partition plate 2c. Further, for example, when the door 2b is opened, the partition plate 2c is maintained in a state of being connected to the door 2a, and the door 2b is opened by separating the door 2b and the partition plate 2c.

The water storage tank 42 (third container) is arranged on the back side of the partition plate 2c. By arranging the water storage tank 42 between the

storage containers

32a and 32b and the storage container 32c and the closed container 33 on the back side of the partition plate 2c, a hand can be opened when only one of the

doors

2a and 2b is opened. The water storage tank 42 can be arranged in a hard-to-reach area. Although it is difficult to store ingredients such as vegetables in a hard-to-reach part and it tends to be a waste space, by arranging the water storage tank 42 in such a part, the space efficiency inside the refrigerator 1 can be improved. Space efficiency may be improved by installing a storage container for small items such as seasonings, an egg storage container, and the like as a third container.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. The cooling chamber air passage 110, the second fan 19, the first fan 9, and the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The refrigerator 1 is provided with

storage containers

36a, 36b, 36c inside the door 2a. Although not shown, a storage container is also provided inside the door 2b at the same height as the

storage containers

36a, 36b, 36c. The refrigerator 1 is provided with a storage container 34 inside the refrigerator of the door 3a. Although not shown, a storage container is also provided inside the door 3b at the same height as the storage container 34.

The refrigerator 1 is provided with an evaporator chamber 8 so as to straddle both the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 on the back side of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4. The evaporator chamber 8 is arranged on the back side of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 so as to communicate with at least the temperature switching chamber 3 (both the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 in the illustrated example). The refrigerator 1 includes an evaporator 7 inside the evaporator chamber 8. The evaporator 7 is arranged on the back side of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 so as to straddle both the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4, and integrally cools the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 from the back side. It is a thing. The evaporator 7 constitutes a refrigeration cycle 48 (see FIG. 5) together with the compressor 24, which will be described in detail later.

The refrigerator 1 is provided with a defrost heater 21 below the evaporator 7 to melt the frost grown in the evaporator 7. The liquid water produced by melting the frost is drained to the evaporating dish 26 (see FIG. 6). The refrigerator 1 includes a heat insulating member 27 between the evaporator chamber 8 and the temperature switching chamber 3. The refrigerator 1 includes a machine room 5 below the evaporator room 8, and a compressor 24 inside the machine room 5. The compressor 24, together with the evaporator 7, constitutes a refrigeration cycle 48. The refrigeration cycle 48 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a refrigerating cycle 48 provided in the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment. The refrigeration cycle 48 includes a compressor 24, a condensed refrigerant pipe 50 as a condensing mechanism that condenses by heat dissipation, an evaporator 7, and a capillary tube 53 as a depressurizing mechanism. The condensed refrigerant pipe 50 includes a defrosting water heating pipe 50a, a machine room radiator 50b, a side heat radiating pipe 50c, a front edge heat radiating pipe 50d, and a rear heat radiating pipe 50e. The condensed refrigerant pipe 50 is arranged along the front surface, side surface, and back surface ends of the refrigerator 1. The location of the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 in the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement location of the condensed refrigerant pipe 50. For the sake of simplification of the illustration, a part of the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 is omitted. The defrosting water heating pipe 50a is installed in the evaporating dish 26 in the machine room 5. The machine room radiator 50b is a fin tube type heat exchanger and is installed in the machine room 5. The machine room radiator 50b is ventilated by a machine room fan (not shown). The side heat radiating pipe 50c is arranged inside the heat insulating box 10 forming the left side surface of the heat insulating box 10. The front edge heat radiating pipe 50d includes a front edge portion 10a forming the front edge of the temperature switching chamber 3, a front edge portion 10b forming the front edge of the freezing chamber 4, and a heat insulating partition wall 28, among the heat insulating box bodies 10. It is located inside the front edge of 29. The front edge heat radiating pipe 50d is arranged so as to surround the openings of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4. The rear heat dissipation pipe 50e is arranged inside the heat insulating box 10 forming the back surface of the heat insulating box 10. The heat insulating partition wall 29 including the front edge heat radiating pipe 50d will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the heat insulating partition wall 29 that separates the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 in the horizontal direction. The heat insulating partition wall 29 includes a steel plate 29a arranged on the front edge side and a resin member 29b arranged on the surfaces of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 on each chamber side. A heat insulating member 72 such as expanded polystyrene is mounted inside the heat insulating partition wall 29. Inside the surface of the steel plate 29a, the front edge heat radiating pipe 50d is arranged so as to make substantially contact with the steel plate 29a. The thickness of the steel plate 29a is, for example, 0.8 mm, but the thickness is not limited to this. By substantially contacting the front edge heat radiating pipe 50d with the steel plate 29a, the heat of the front edge heat radiating pipe 50d is satisfactorily transferred, and dew condensation near the front edge of the heat insulating partition wall 29 on the temperature switching chamber 3 side can be suppressed.

The steel plate 29a includes bent portions 71a extending from both left and right ends to the back surface side. The dimension of the bent portion 71a in the depth direction is L1. L1 is, for example, 3 mm or more and 20 mm or less (10 mm in the illustrated example). By setting L1 to this range, it is possible to easily achieve both suppression of dew condensation near the front edge of the heat insulating partition wall 29 on the temperature switching chamber 3 side and sufficient refrigeration and freezing performance in the temperature switching chamber 3.

Returning to FIG. 5, in the refrigeration cycle 48, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 24 dissipates heat through the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 and condenses. At this time, for example, when the refrigerant flows through the front edge heat radiating pipe 50d, the front edge portion 10a (see FIG. 6) including the lower part of the temperature switching chamber 3 is heated by the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant. The refrigerant condensed by flowing through the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 is depressurized by the capillary tube 53 after removing water by the dryer 51. As a result, a low-temperature refrigerant is generated, and the generated low-temperature refrigerant flows through the evaporator 7. As a result, the temperature of the evaporator 7 becomes low, and the low temperature evaporator 7 cools the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4. The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 7 is returned to the compressor 24 after gas-liquid separation in the gas-liquid separator 54 and heat exchange by contact with the capillary tube 53 in the heat exchange unit 57.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a portion where the heating mechanism is arranged in the temperature switching chamber 3. The refrigerator 1 is provided with a first heating mechanism 91 below the temperature switching chamber 3. The first heating mechanism 91 can heat the lower part of the room when the lower part of the room becomes too cold, and can suppress uneven cooling. The first heating mechanism 91 includes, for example, at least one of the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 and the electric heater 93. In the illustrated example, the first heating mechanism 91 includes both the front edge heat radiating pipe 50d as the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 and the electric heater 93 arranged in a plane from the bottom surface to the back surface of the temperature switching chamber 3. Only one of them may be used.

The lower part of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be heated by at least one of the heat of the refrigerant flowing through the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 and the heat generated from the electric heater 93. Above all, by using the heat of the refrigerant flowing through the condensed refrigerant pipe 50, the heat generated in the refrigeration cycle 48 (see FIG. 5) can be used, and the power consumption for heating can be suppressed. On the other hand, by using the electric heater 93, the evaporator 7 can be heated even when the refrigerant is not flowing, that is, even when the operation of the evaporator 7 is stopped.

The electric heater 93 is arranged on the surface of the heat insulating member 27 (not shown in FIG. 8) arranged below and on the back side of the temperature switching chamber 3. The electric heater 93 is an aluminum foil heater in which, for example, a heating wire (not shown, a silicon cord heater as an example) and an aluminum foil are fixed on one side of a double-sided adhesive tape, and the other side of the double-sided adhesive tape can be attached to the heating surface. Is. The surface on which the aluminum foil is installed is the effective heating surface.

The first heating mechanism 91 is arranged below the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12c arranged at the bottom of the plurality of temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, 12c. Details will be described later with reference to FIG. 9, but when the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 is closed by the air passage blocking member 101b, the relatively cold air in the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 is arranged at the bottom for temperature switching. It is discharged to the temperature switching chamber 3 through the chamber discharge port 12c. Therefore, by arranging the first heating mechanism 91 below the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12c arranged at the bottom, overcooling on the lower side of the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12c arranged at the bottom is suppressed. it can. The air discharged from the temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, 12c to the temperature switching chamber 3 enters the return air passage 120 through the temperature switching chamber return port 15.

The refrigerator 1 includes a second heating mechanism 92 arranged on a heat insulating partition wall 29 (partition wall) on the freezing chamber 4 side of the temperature switching chamber 3. The second heating mechanism 92 is arranged on the surface of the heat insulating member 72 (see FIG. 7) inside the heat insulating partition wall 29. By providing the second heating mechanism 92, when a high-humidity food material such as vegetables is stored in the temperature switching chamber 3 set in the refrigerating temperature zone, dew condensation caused by the high-humidity food material can be suppressed. The second heating mechanism 92 is, for example, an electric heater of the same type as the electric heater 93.

The refrigerator 1 is provided with a third heating mechanism 90 at a position that covers at least the evaporator 7 in front view on the back side of the temperature switching chamber 3. The second heating mechanism 92 is arranged on the surface of the heat insulating member 27 (see FIG. 4). By providing the third heating mechanism 90, when a high-humidity food material such as vegetables is stored in the temperature switching chamber 3 set in the refrigerating temperature zone, dew condensation caused by the high-humidity food material can be suppressed. The third heating mechanism 90 is, for example, an electric heater of the same type as the electric heater 93.

When the temperature switching chamber 3 and the like are sufficiently cooled, the flow of the refrigerant to the evaporator 7 is stopped, and the operation of the evaporator 7 is stopped. In this case, since the evaporator 7 remains cold, the vicinity of the evaporator 7 is cooled inside the temperature switching chamber 3 without discharging air to the temperature switching chamber 3 and the like, and the temperature switching chamber 3 is cooled. Natural convection occurs inside the. As a result, the lower part tends to be cooled, especially when the refrigerating temperature zone is set. Therefore, by heating the lower part of the temperature switching chamber 3 by the first heating mechanism 91 (especially the electric heater 93 when the operation of the evaporator 7 is stopped), the cooling unevenness in the temperature switching chamber 3 can be suppressed. Further, for example, the lower part of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be heated by restarting the operation of the evaporator 7 when the lower part becomes too cold and flowing a high temperature refrigerant through the condensed refrigerant pipe 50 (particularly the front edge heat radiating pipe 50d). ..

In particular, in the refrigerator 1, the evaporator 7 is arranged so as to straddle both the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4. Therefore, since the cooling in the temperature switching chamber 3 is performed together with the cooling in the freezing chamber 4, it is not intended in the temperature switching chamber 3 as compared with a refrigerator equipped with an evaporator (not shown) that cools only the temperature switching chamber 3. Cooling is likely to occur. Therefore, by heating the lower part of the temperature switching chamber 3 by the first heating mechanism 91, uneven cooling in the temperature switching chamber 3 can be suppressed.

Further, in the illustrated example, the freezing chamber 4 is arranged next to the temperature switching chamber 3. For example, when the temperature switching chamber 3 is set to the refrigerating temperature zone, the indoor temperature of the freezing chamber 4 is lower than the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3. Therefore, when the operation of the evaporator 7 is stopped, the temperature switching chamber 3 is more likely to be cooled by the freezing chamber 4. As a result, the lower part becomes easier to cool due to the natural convection generated inside the temperature switching chamber 3. Therefore, the first heating mechanism 91 can suppress uneven cooling in the temperature switching chamber 3.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the flow of air exchanged between the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4, the refrigerating chamber 2, and the evaporator chamber 8. FIG. 9 shows the internal structure of the heat insulating box 10 in a front view, and the broken line in FIG. 9 indicates a member (for example, evaporation) formed on the back side of the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4, and the refrigerating chamber 2. The first fan 9 and the like housed in the instrument chamber 8) are shown. Further, in FIG. 9, the solid line arrow indicates the air flow inside each of the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4, and the refrigerating chamber 2, and the broken line arrow indicates the back surface of the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4, and the refrigerating chamber 2. Shows the air flow on the side.

First, the blowing of air from the evaporator room 8 to the temperature switching room 3, the freezing room 4, and the refrigerating room 2 will be described. The refrigerator 1 is provided with a first fan 9 (blower fan) for flowing air through the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 near the inlet of the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 (described later) in the evaporator chamber 8. The first fan 9 is arranged above the evaporator 7. The first fan 9 is, for example, a turbo fan (rearward fan) which is a centrifugal fan.

Refrigerator 1 is provided with a temperature switching chamber air passage 111 (second air passage) on the left side of the first fan 9. The temperature switching chamber air passage 111 extends in the height direction on the back side of the temperature switching chamber 3 and allows the air in the evaporator chamber 8 to flow to the temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, 12c. The temperature switching chamber air passage 111 is formed between the temperature switching chamber 3 and the evaporator chamber 8 so as to be partitioned from the evaporator chamber 8 (see FIG. 4). The lower end of the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 is closed, and the air flowing through the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 and reaching the lower end of the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 is discharged to the temperature switching chamber 3 through the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12c.

The refrigerator 1 is provided above the first fan 9 and on the back side of the refrigerating chamber 2 with a refrigerating chamber air passage 110 that sends air that has exchanged heat with the evaporator 7 to the refrigerating chamber 2. The refrigerator 1 is provided with refrigerating

chamber discharge ports

11a, 11b, 11c communicating with the refrigerating chamber 2 in front of the refrigerating chamber air passage 110, and the air that has exchanged heat with the evaporator 7 is the refrigerating

chamber discharge ports

11a, 11b, 11c. It is supplied to the refrigerating room 2 through.

The refrigerator 1 includes an air passage blocking member 101a that controls the opening and closing of the air blowing state to the refrigerating chamber 2. The air passage blocking member 101a is, for example, a damper. The temperature of the refrigerating chamber 2 can be adjusted by adjusting the opening degree by the air passage blocking member 101a. Further, the refrigerator 1 is provided with a second fan 19 above the air passage blocking member 101a, that is, on the downstream side of the air flow of the air passage blocking member 101a. The second fan 19 is, for example, a propeller fan which is an axial fan. The amount of air supplied to the refrigerating chamber 2 is adjusted by driving the second fan 19.

The refrigerator 1 is provided with a plurality of temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, 12c (first discharge ports) for discharging the air of the evaporator chamber 8 to the temperature switching chamber 3 in front of the temperature switching chamber air passage 111. The temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, and 12c are formed side by side in the height direction. Specifically, the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12a is formed at the highest position. On the other hand, the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12c is formed at the lowest position. The air that has exchanged heat with the evaporator 7 is supplied to the temperature switching chamber 3 through the temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, 12c.

Refrigerator 1 includes an air passage blocking member 101b. The air passage blocking member 101b is arranged in the temperature switching chamber air passage 111, and is arranged above the temperature switching chamber discharge port 12a arranged at the top of the plurality of temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, 12c. It is a thing. The air passage blocking member 101b is, for example, a damper. By providing the temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, 12c, the temperature switching chamber air passage 111, and the air passage blocking member 101b, air can be supplied to the temperature switching chamber 3 through the temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b, 12c. Can be controlled.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the air passage blocking member 101b provided in the air passage 111 of the temperature switching chamber. The air passage blocking member 101b is fixed to the frame body 81 forming an opening 80 through which air flows, and the frame body 81 so as to be rotatable with respect to the frame body 81, and an elastic plate 82b is arranged on one surface thereof. An opening / closing plate 82 is provided. The opening / closing plate 82 is, for example, a resin plate, and the resin constituting the opening / closing plate 82 is exposed on the surface on the side where the elastic plate 82b is not arranged. The elastic plate 82b is made of a flexible material such as urethane foam or polyethylene foam.

The air passage blocking member 101b is configured so that the opening 80 can be closed when the elastic plate 82b comes into contact with the frame body 81 by the rotation of the opening / closing plate 82. The rotation of the opening / closing plate 82 is performed by a stepping motor (not shown) housed in the motor housing portion 83. The opening area of the opening 80 of the air passage blocking member 101b is, for example, 3825 ^{mm 2} (85 mm × 45 mm), but is not limited thereto.

Returning to FIG. 9, the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be controlled by opening and closing the air passage blocking member 101b. For example, the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be set to the refrigerating temperature zone by increasing the time ratio in which the air passage blocking member 101b is closed. On the other hand, the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be set to the refrigerating temperature zone by increasing the time ratio in which the air passage blocking member 101b is kept open.

Refrigerator 1 is provided with a freezer chamber air passage 112 on the right side of the first fan 9. The freezing chamber air passage 112 extends in the height direction on the back side of the freezing chamber 4. The refrigerator 1 is provided with freezer

chamber discharge ports

13a, 13b, 13c, 13d in front of the freezer compartment air passage 112. The air that has exchanged heat with the evaporator 7 is supplied to the freezer chamber 4 through the freezer

chamber discharge ports

13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d.

Next, the return of air from the temperature switching chamber 3, the freezing chamber 4 and the refrigerating chamber 2 to the evaporator chamber 8 will be described. The refrigerator 1 includes a temperature switching chamber return port 15 (first return port) for returning the air inside the temperature switching chamber 3 to the evaporator chamber 8. By providing the temperature switching chamber return port 15 and the evaporator chamber 8, the air inside the temperature switching chamber 3 can be returned to the evaporator chamber 8 and the returned air can be cooled by the evaporator 7.

The temperature switching chamber return port 15 is formed above the evaporator 7 in front view. In the illustrated example, the center position P1 of the opening height of the temperature switching chamber return port 15 is arranged above the height center position P2 of the evaporator 7. Further, in the illustrated example, the upper end P3 of the evaporator 7 is arranged below the lower end P4 of the opening of the temperature switching chamber return port 15. The evaporator 7 is a fin tube type heat exchanger, and the height dimension of the evaporator 7 can be considered as the dimension of the fin installation portion.

When all of the refrigerating chamber 2, the temperature switching chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 are sufficiently cooled, the operation of the refrigerating cycle 48 is stopped. During the operation of the refrigeration cycle 48, the driving of the first fan 9 and the second fan 19 is also stopped. After the refrigeration cycle 48 is shut down, the evaporator 7 remains cold for some time, so that the cold evaporator 7 can produce cold air. Even if cold air flows downward due to natural convection when such air is generated, the temperature switching chamber return port 15 is formed above the evaporator 7, so that the cold air passes through the temperature switching chamber return port 15. The backflow to the temperature switching chamber 3 can be suppressed. As a result, unintentional overcooling in the temperature switching chamber 3 can be suppressed.

The refrigerator 1 is formed in the refrigerating chamber 2 and includes a refrigerating chamber return port 14 (second return port) for returning the air inside the refrigerating chamber 2 to the evaporator chamber 8. The refrigerator 1 includes a return air passage 120 (first air passage) that connects the refrigerating chamber return port 14 and the evaporator chamber 8. The refrigerating chamber return port 14 is formed in front of the return air passage 120. The return air passage 120 extends in the height direction on the back side of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the refrigerating chamber 2. The lower end of the return air passage 120 is open, and the return air passage 120 communicates with the evaporator chamber 8. Therefore, the air flowing downward through the return air passage 120 turns back at the lower end of the evaporator chamber 8, flows upward, contacts the evaporator 7, and then reaches the first fan 9 (see FIG. 12).

Here, the temperature switching chamber return port 15 formed in the temperature switching chamber 3 is formed in front of the return air passage 120. By forming the temperature switching chamber return port 15 and the refrigerating chamber return port 14 in the return air passage 120, the air passage from the temperature switching chamber return port 15 to the evaporator chamber 8 and the refrigerating chamber return port 14 to the evaporator chamber 8 Can be shared with the air passage leading to. As a result, space can be saved and space efficiency can be improved.

The refrigerator 1 is provided with freezer

compartment return ports

16a and 16b on the left and right sides of the lower back surface of the freezer compartment 4 to return the air that has cooled the freezer compartment 4 to the evaporator chamber 8. The

freezer return ports

16a and 16b are formed substantially below the evaporator 7 when viewed from the front. Therefore, the air in the freezer chamber 4 returns to the evaporator chamber 8 from below the evaporator chamber 8 through the freezer

chamber return ports

16a and 16b. The air that has returned to the evaporator chamber 8 through the freezer

chamber return ports

16a and 16b flows upward and comes into contact with the evaporator 7 and then reaches the first fan 9 (see FIG. 12).

Refrigerator 1 is provided with a temperature sensor and a door open / close detection sensor (not shown). The refrigerator 1 includes an operation control device (not shown) that operates the refrigerator 1 based on the values detected by these sensors. Although not shown, the operation control device includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an I / F (interface), and the like. The operation control device is embodied by the CPU executing a predetermined control program stored in the ROM.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the first fan 9 in the evaporator chamber 8 when viewed from the front. The first fan 9 has a blade radius of L2 (L2 = 60 mm in this embodiment), and is arranged so as to rotate counterclockwise in front view. The height L3 (L3 = 85 mm in this embodiment) of the opening 80 (see FIG. 10) of the air passage blocking member 101b is equal to or greater than the radius of the first fan 9 and less than or equal to the diameter of the first fan 9. By doing so, it is possible to easily allow air to flow through the air passage 111 of the temperature switching chamber, and it is possible to reduce the portion of the air passage 111 of the temperature switching chamber where almost no air flows, and improve space efficiency.

The dimension L4 (L4 = 135 mm in this embodiment) from the central axis 9a of the blade of the first fan 9 to the upper end 80a of the opening 80 of the air passage blocking member 101b is the opening 80 of the air passage blocking member 101b from the central axis 9a. It is longer than the dimension L5 up to the lower end 80b (L5 = 110 mm in this embodiment). By doing so, the air that has flowed in the upper left direction due to the rotation of the first fan 9 passes through the opening 80 and flows through the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 having an inclination toward the lower left. The inclination angle of the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 is, for example, 6 ° or more as an angle θ with respect to the vertical direction (vertical direction), and is 18 ° in the illustrated example. By setting the inclination angle to 6 ° or more, it is possible to make it easier for water to flow downward when water adheres to the bottom surface of the air passage 11 of the temperature switching chamber.

The refrigerator 1 has a temperature switching chamber air passage 111 and an evaporator chamber 8 (see FIGS. 9 and 12, not shown in FIG. 11) on the downstream side of the air flow of the air passage blocking member 101b in the temperature switching chamber air passage 111. A communication air passage 115 for communication is provided. By providing the communication air passage 115, even if air leaks from the air passage blocking member 101b when the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 is closed, the temperature switching chamber air passage 111 on the high pressure side is upstream of the first fan 9 on the low pressure side. Air can be supplied to the side. As a result, it is possible to suppress the unintended supply of air to the temperature switching chamber 3 and suppress the unintended overcooling in the temperature switching chamber 3.

In the air passage blocking member 101b, one surface on which the elastic plate 82b is arranged is arranged on the side of the evaporator chamber 8, and the other surface on the opposite side to the one surface is the temperature switching

chamber discharge ports

12a, 12b. It is arranged in the air passage 111 of the temperature switching chamber so as to be arranged on the side of 12c (see FIG. 5). Even if dew condensation and frost are formed on the opening / closing plate 82 due to the high humidity air of the temperature switching chamber 3, the dew condensation and frost are generated on the side where the elastic plate 82b is not arranged. On the other hand, the elastic plate 82b is in contact with low-temperature, low-humidity air dehumidified by the evaporator 7. Therefore, by arranging the air passage blocking member 101b in this way, dew condensation and frost can be less likely to occur on the elastic plate 82b, and the sealing function of the elastic plate 82b can be ensured.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing an enlarged view of the vicinity of the first fan 9 in the evaporator chamber 8. The refrigerator 1 includes an air passage blocking member 101a in the air passage 110 of the refrigerating chamber. The air passage blocking member 101a has the same configuration as the above-mentioned air passage blocking member 101b except that the size of the opening 80 is different. The opening area of the air passage blocking member 101a is, for example, 2800 mm ² (width 100 mm × height 28 mm).

The air passage blocking member 101a is arranged so that the opening / closing plate 82 opens downward. As a result, even if the dew condensation water generated above the air passage blocking member 101a (downstream of the air flow) flows down, the retention of the dew condensation water by the opening / closing plate 82 can be suppressed. Further, the front edge 110a of the refrigerating chamber air passage 110 is arranged on the back side of the trailing edge 9b of the blade of the first fan 9. As a result, it is possible to prevent the flowing water from the air passage 110 of the refrigerating chamber from dripping onto the blades of the first fan 9.

Although the examples have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples, and includes various modifications. That is, the above-described examples have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Further, it is possible to add / delete / replace a part of the configuration of the embodiment with another configuration.

1 Refrigerator 10

Insulated box

101a, 101b Air

passage blocking member

10a, 10b Front edge 11 Temperature switching chamber air passage 110 Refrigerator chamber air passage 110a Front edge 111 Temperature switching chamber air passage (second air passage)
112 Freezer room air passage 115

Communication air passages

11a, 11b, 11c Refrigerator room discharge port 120 Return air passage (first air passage)
12a, 12b, 12c Temperature switching chamber discharge port (first discharge port)
13a, 13b, 13c, 13d Freezer compartment discharge port 14 Refrigerator chamber return port (second return port)
15 Temperature switching chamber return port (1st return port)
16a, 16b Freezer return port 19 2nd fan 2 Refrigerator room (3rd storage room)
21 Defrost heater 24 Compressor 25 Operation unit 26 Evaporating dish 27

Insulation member

28, 29 Insulation partition wall

29a Steel plate

29b Resin member 2a Door (first door)
2b door (second door)
3a, 4a Door 2c Partition plate 2d Gap 3 Temperature switching room (1st storage room)
31a, 31b,

31c Storage shelves

32a, 32b Storage container (first container)
32c storage container (second container)
33 Closed container (second container)
34a, 34b, 34c, 35a, 35b, 35c Storage container 37 Outside air temperature sensor 38 Outside air humidity sensor 4 Freezer compartment (second storage chamber)
40 Automatic ice maker 40a Ice tray 41 Storage room temperature sensor 42 Water storage tank (third container)
43 Refrigerating room temperature sensor 44 Temperature switching room temperature sensor 48 Refrigerating cycle 5 Machine room 50 Condensed refrigerant piping (1st heating mechanism, refrigerating cycle)
50a Defrosting water heating piping 50b Machine room radiator 50c Side heat dissipation piping 50d Front edge heat dissipation piping (first heating mechanism)
50e Rear heat dissipation pipe 51 Dryer 53 Capillary tube 54 Gas-liquid separator 57 Heat exchanger 7 Evaporator (cooler)
71a Bent part 72 Insulation member 8 Evaporator chamber (cooler chamber)
80 Opening

80a Upper end

80b Lower end 81 Frame body 82 Opening / closing plate 82b Elastic plate 83 Motor housing 9 First fan (blower fan)
90 3rd heating mechanism 91 1st heating mechanism 92 2nd heating mechanism 93 Electric heater (1st heating mechanism)
9a Central axis 9b Trailing edge

Claims

The room temperature can be set in either the refrigerating temperature zone or the freezing temperature zone, and the height dimension is larger than the width dimension.
A second storage room located next to the first storage room in front view,
The first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are arranged on the back side of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber so as to straddle both the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, and the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are integrally cooled. With a cooler
A refrigerator provided with a first heating mechanism arranged in the lower part of the first storage chamber.
A refrigeration cycle including a condensed refrigerant pipe as a condensing mechanism and the cooler as an evaporator is provided.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first heating mechanism includes at least one of the condensed refrigerant pipe and the electric heater.
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a second heating mechanism arranged on a partition wall on the side of the second storage chamber of the first storage chamber.
A cooler chamber that is arranged on the back side of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber so as to communicate with at least the first storage chamber and has the cooler inside.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a first return port for returning the air inside the first storage chamber to the cooler chamber.
The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the first return port is formed above the cooler in a front view.
The third storage room where the room temperature is set to the refrigerating temperature zone, and
A second return port formed in the third storage chamber and returning the air inside the third storage chamber to the cooler chamber,
A first air passage connecting the second return port and the cooler chamber is provided.
The refrigerator according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the first return port is formed in the first air passage.
A plurality of first discharge ports for discharging the air in the cooler chamber to the first storage chamber, and
A second air passage extending in the height direction on the back side of the first storage chamber and allowing air in the cooler chamber to flow to the first discharge port, and
Any of claims 4 to 6 including an air passage blocking member arranged in the second air passage and arranged above the first discharge port arranged at the top of the plurality of first discharge ports. The refrigerator according to item 1.
A plurality of first discharge ports for discharging the air in the cooler chamber to the first storage chamber, and
It is provided with a second air passage extending in the height direction on the back side of the first storage chamber and allowing air in the cooler chamber to flow to the first discharge port.
The first discharge ports are formed side by side in the height direction.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the first heating mechanism is arranged below the first discharge port arranged at the bottom of the plurality of first discharge ports.
A plurality of first discharge ports for discharging the air in the cooler chamber to the first storage chamber, and
A second air passage extending in the height direction on the back side of the first storage chamber and allowing air in the cooler chamber to flow to the first discharge port, and
It is provided with an air passage blocking member arranged in the second air passage.
The air passage blocking member is
A frame body forming an opening through which air flows and an opening / closing plate fixed to the frame body so as to be rotatable with respect to the frame body and having an elastic plate arranged on one surface thereof are provided. The elastic plate comes into contact with the frame body by rotation, so that the opening can be closed.
The first surface is arranged so that one surface on which the elastic plate is arranged is arranged on the side of the cooler chamber and the other surface on the side opposite to the one surface is arranged on the side of the first discharge port. 2. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 4 to 8 arranged in the air passage.
A plurality of first discharge ports for discharging the air in the cooler chamber to the first storage chamber, and
A second air passage extending in the height direction on the back side of the first storage chamber and allowing air in the cooler chamber to flow to the first discharge port, and
It is provided with an air passage blocking member arranged in the second air passage.
The item according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the second air passage is provided with a communication air passage that communicates the second air passage and the cooler chamber on the downstream side of the air flow of the air passage blocking member. refrigerator.
A plurality of first discharge ports for discharging the air in the cooler chamber to the first storage chamber, and
A second air passage extending in the height direction on the back side of the first storage chamber and allowing air in the cooler chamber to flow to the first discharge port, and
A frame body arranged in the second air passage to form an opening through which air flows, and an opening / closing in which an elastic plate is arranged on one surface while being fixed to the frame body so as to be rotatable with respect to the frame body. An air passage closing member provided with a plate and configured to be able to close the opening by contacting the elastic plate with the frame body by rotating the opening / closing plate.
In the cooler chamber, a blower fan for flowing air through the second air passage is provided near the entrance of the second air passage.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein the height of the opening of the air passage blocking member is equal to or greater than the radius of the blower fan and less than or equal to the diameter of the blower fan.
Used by opening the first door that is rotatably fixed to the front side on one end side and the second door that can be used by opening the second door that is rotatably fixed to the front side on the other end side. Between the possible second container and connected to either the first door or the second door, the first door and the second door are closed when the first door and the second door are closed. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a third container arranged on the back side of a partition plate arranged so as to close a gap formed between the door and the door.