WO2021259179A1

WO2021259179A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2021259179A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/101156
Authority: WO
Inventors: 大汤英树; 星野仁
Original assignee: 海尔智家股份有限公司; 青岛海尔电冰箱有限公司; Aqua 株式会社
Priority date: 2020-06-24
Filing date: 2021-06-21
Publication date: 2021-12-30
Also published as: JP2022006583A; CN115735088A; EP4174413A4; EP4174413A1

Abstract

A refrigerator having a sterilization system having a humidity adjusting function, capable of controlling execution of any one of sterilization, humidification, or drying according to conditions. The refrigerator comprises: a back air duct (30) extending in the up-down direction on the back, an upper air duct (31) extending in the front-rear direction on the upper portion, and an air blower (33) blowing in a mode of flowing from the below of the back air duct (30) towards the above; the back air duct (30) has a sterilization unit (50); the sterilization unit (50) can perform electrolysis on mist or water to selectively generate electrolyzed water mist containing hypochlorous acid; the upper portion of the back air duct (30) is in fluid communication with the back of the upper air duct (31) to form an air path connected to the sterilization unit (50); the air path switches an air outlet to a front air outlet (32) and a rear air outlet (38) by using a switching mechanism (37) provided on the downstream of the air path compared with the air blower (33) and the sterilization unit (50).

Description

refrigerator

Technical field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, in particular to a refrigerator with an air curtain function.

Background technique

There is known a refrigerator in which when the door of the refrigerator is opened, the wind flowing from the upper part of the refrigerating chamber to the lower part is generated at the front surface opening of the refrigerating chamber to form an air curtain. By forming such an air curtain, when the door of the refrigerator is opened, the cold air in the refrigerating compartment is released to the outside of the refrigerator, and the increase in the indoor temperature can be suppressed. Among refrigerators having such an air curtain function, a refrigerator in which an electrolytic mist containing hypochlorous acid is mixed into the air curtain to obtain a sterilization effect even if there is an intrusion of external air has been proposed (for example, refer to Patent Document 1-Japanese Special Open Bulletin No. 2008-145009).

As a function of an actual refrigerator, it is necessary not only to sterilize when the door is opened, but also to humidify or dry the room appropriately. The refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 only has a sterilizing function and cannot adequately cope with various usage conditions.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator with a sterilization system with a humidity control function, which can control and execute any of sterilization, humidification, or drying according to the situation.

The refrigerator of the present invention has the following structure, including: a back air duct extending in the vertical direction on the back, an upper air duct extending in the front-rear direction at the upper part, and blowing from below the back air duct to the upper part A blower, the back air duct is provided with a sterilization unit capable of selectively generating electrolyzed water mist containing hypochlorous acid by electrolyzing mist or water, and the upper part of the back air duct and the upper part The back of the air duct is in fluid communication to form an air duct connected to the sterilization unit, and the air duct has an air outlet arranged at the rear of the back air duct.

According to this structure, the air containing the mist generated by the sterilization unit can be discharged from the rear air outlet to humidify the refrigerating room, or dry air that does not generate mist. As a result, it is possible to easily and accurately adjust the temperature in the refrigerator compartment. In addition, since not only mist is generated, but also electrolyzed water mist can be generated, the water used for mist generation can be sterilized, and the water can be kept clean for a long time even if the water is not replaced.

In addition, the following structure may also be adopted: the air duct further has an air outlet provided in the front of the upper air duct, and a switch provided downstream of the air duct compared with the blower and the sterilization unit is utilized. Mechanism to switch the air outlet to the front air outlet and the rear air outlet.

According to this structure, the air flowing in the air passage can be discharged from the front air outlet. Thereby, it can blow from the rear air outlet or the front air outlet as needed.

In addition, the following structure may also be adopted: when the switching mechanism is in the first state, the air containing the electrolyzed water mist generated by the sterilization unit is discharged from the front air outlet, and the switching mechanism is In the second state, air is discharged from the rear air outlet without generating the mist and the electrolyzed water mist, or the air containing the mist generated by the sterilization unit is discharged from the rear air outlet.

According to this structure, when the sterilization is not performed, mist is generated or mist is not generated, and the air is blown to the rear air outlet, whereby the refrigerator compartment can be humidified or dried. In addition, during sterilization, sterilization mist can be generated and discharged from the front air outlet. As a result, the humidity in the refrigerator compartment can be adjusted and sterilized easily and accurately.

In addition, it may also have a structure that includes a door switch that senses the opening and closing of the door body, and switches the switching mechanism to the first state when the door body is opened.

According to this structure, the switching of the switching mechanism, that is, the switching of sterilization, humidification, or drying can be automatically performed. Thereby, when the user does not control the device to switch functions, it is possible to switch sterilization, humidification, or drying as needed.

In addition, it may be a structure in which the air passage is configured such that the air passing through the air passage passes through the inside of the sterilization unit.

According to this structure, the air passing through the back air passage passes through the sterilization unit, and therefore, it is possible to include the effect of more reliably sterilizing, humidifying, or drying the air flowing in the air passage.

In addition, it may also have a structure that includes a humidity sensor that measures the humidity in the refrigerator, and the sterilization unit controls the generation of fog based on the value obtained by the humidity sensor.

According to this structure, the humidity control in the refrigerator compartment can be automatically performed. As a result, the humidity in the refrigerator compartment can be adjusted easily and accurately.

According to the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator having a sterilization system with a humidity control function, capable of performing any one of sterilization, humidification, or drying according to conditions.

Description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary refrigerator of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of a refrigerating compartment of an exemplary refrigerator main body of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerating compartment of an exemplary refrigerator main body of the present invention.

Fig. 4 shows an exploded view of the sterilization unit of the exemplary refrigerator of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows a side view of the sterilization unit of the exemplary refrigerator of the present invention.

detailed description

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The outline of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The refrigerator 1 includes: a refrigerator main body 2, a door body 3 provided in a front portion of the refrigerator main body 2 in a horizontally rotatable manner, and a lower door body 4 provided in a horizontally rotatable manner on the lower side of the door body . Regarding the door body 3 and the lower door body 4, the respective upper and lower parts are coupled to the refrigerator body through hinges provided on either side of the left and right sides, and pivoted around the hinge axis.

The refrigerator main body 2 includes an inner liner 10 and an outer shell 11. A heat insulating material 12 is filled between the inner container 10 and the outer housing 11 to insulate the inside and outside of the refrigerator main body 2. The door body 3 and the lower door body 4 are also provided with an inner liner 10 and an outer shell 11 in the same manner, and an insulating material 12 is filled between the inner liner 10 and the outer shell 11 to insulate the inside and outside of the door body 3, etc. The inside of the refrigerator body 2 is divided into a refrigerator compartment 14 and a freezer compartment by the inner container 10 and the partition wall 13. The door 3 pivots around the hinge axis to open the refrigerator compartment 14, and the lower door 4 takes the hinge axis as the hinge axis. The center pivots to open the freezer compartment.

FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the refrigerating compartment 14 of the refrigerator main body 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerating compartment 14 has at least one shelf 15 separated in the vertical direction from the bottom and upper surfaces of the refrigerating compartment 14 (and other shelf, if present), and divided by the shelf 15 For multiple storage areas. The shelf 15 is fixed by shelf holders, and the shelf holders are provided on the left and right sides of the inner container 10 constituting the refrigerating compartment 14. The refrigerating compartment 14 is separated by a shelf 15, but there is no separation in terms of fluid communication, and the air in the refrigerating compartment can flow to each storage area. In addition, the inner container 10 has a door switch (not shown) capable of sensing the opening and closing of the door 3, and when the door 3 is opened, it sends the door 3 in the open state to the control device (not shown) of the refrigerator, for example It can light up the indoor lamp installed in the refrigerator compartment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator main body 2 has a cold air circulation duct 16. The cold air circulation duct 16 is separately arranged at the back of the refrigerating compartment 14 to the left and right, and extends in the vertical direction between the inner tank 10 and the heat insulating material 12. Each cold air circulation duct 16 includes a return air port 17 that penetrates the inner liner 10 of the lower part of the refrigerating compartment 14 and an air outlet 18 that penetrates the inner liner 10 of the upper part of the refrigerating compartment 14. The air outlet 18 may also be arranged at multiple heights according to the position of the shelf 15.

As is well known, the refrigerator body is generally provided with a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve on the outside of the refrigerator body (for example, the lower part of the back of the outside of the refrigerator body), and is provided inside the refrigerator body (for example, the back of the aforementioned freezer compartment). Evaporator. These devices are in fluid communication so that the filled refrigerant circulates and generates cold air in the evaporator by repeatedly compressing and evaporating the refrigerant.

In addition, the refrigerator main body 2 is provided with an air blower for circulation between the inner liner 10 and the heat insulating material 12 or the outer case 11. The circulation blower blows the cold air generated by the evaporator to the cold air circulation duct 16 from below to upward. The blown air flows into the refrigerating compartment 14 from each of the above-mentioned air outlets 18, flows out from the air return port 17 to the cold air circulation duct 16, and circulates in the refrigerating compartment 14 and the cold air circulation duct 16. Thereby, the air accompanied by cold air is blown into the refrigerator compartment, and the refrigerator compartment 14 can be cooled. The refrigerator main body 2 has a control device, so that such a cooling system can be controlled.

3 is a side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator compartment 14 of the refrigerator main body 2 and its vicinity. The outline of the sterilization system with the humidity control function will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, there is a back air duct 30 between the back liner 10 and the heat insulating material 12 of the refrigerator main body 2. Similarly, there is an upper air duct 31 between the upper inner liner 10 and the insulating material 12. The upper part of the back air duct 30 and the back part of the upper air duct 31 are in fluid communication, forming an air duct independent of the above-mentioned cold air circulation air duct.

As shown in FIG. 3, the back air duct 30 is provided so that it may extend in the vertical direction between the above-mentioned left and right air ducts for cold air circulation. In addition, the upper air duct 31 is provided to extend in the front-rear direction at the upper part of the refrigerating compartment 14. It is preferable that the width of the upper air duct 31 expands in the left-right direction as it approaches the front of the refrigerator main body 2, and has a width corresponding to the left-right direction of the refrigerator compartment 14 at least in the vicinity of the front air outlet 32 described later.

The refrigerating compartment 14 has an air blower 33 which is arranged in the inner side and the lower part of the refrigerating compartment via the inner liner 10 and blows from the interior of the refrigerating compartment 14 to the back air duct. In addition, the air blower 33 is provided with a cover 34 and the like on the side of the refrigerating compartment to separate it from the refrigerating compartment, and the cover 34 has a suction port 35 that sucks in air from the refrigerating compartment 14 to the back air duct 30. The air sucked in from the suction port 35 and blown by the blower 33 flows from below and upward in the back air duct 30, and flows into the upper air duct 31. The air flows in the upper air duct 31 from the rear to the front.

In the upper air duct 31, a front air outlet 32 penetrating the inner liner 10 is provided in the front part. Preferably, the front air outlet 32 has a width equivalent to the left-right direction of the refrigerating compartment 14. The front air outlet 32 discharges the air sent by the blower 33 from the front end of the upper part of the refrigerating compartment 14 downward. When the door body 3 is opened, this air opens on the front surface of the refrigerating compartment 14 to form an air curtain that prevents the inflow of outside air. The air discharged as an air curtain may at least partially flow to the return air port or the suction port 35 to circulate in the refrigerating compartment and each air duct. In addition, when the door body 3 is closed, the same air as the air curtain may be discharged from the front air outlet 32 and circulated in the refrigerator compartment.

In this way, the wind sent by the blower 33 can be discharged from the front air outlet 32 through the back air duct 30 and the upper air duct 31 as an air path. In the present embodiment, the blower 33 is arranged to penetrate the inner tank 10, but it is not limited to this. For example, the blower 33 may be provided in the refrigerator compartment 14 by opening the inner tank 10, or may be provided in the inner tank 10. The suction port 35 is provided inside the dorsal air duct 30.

In addition, the back air duct 30 is provided with a sterilization unit 50 on the downstream side of the blower 33. Furthermore, a partition wall 36 is provided inside the back air duct 30, and the partition wall 36 is in contact with the sterilization unit 50, and the partition wall 36 is configured to block the passage of the back air duct 30 together with the sterilization unit 50. Therefore, although the details will be described later, the sterilization unit 50 has a vent opening from the downstream side of the partition wall 36 of the back air duct 30 to the upstream side. Therefore, in the back air duct 30 in this embodiment, , The air sent by the blower is arranged to pass through the sterilization unit 50 inevitably.

Although the details will be described later, the sterilization unit 50 can store water (for example, tap water), and atomize and spray the water. Furthermore, hypochlorous acid can be produced by electrolyzing this water. Therefore, the sterilization unit 50 can atomize and spray electrolyzed water containing hypochlorous acid.

The air passing through the sterilization unit 50 generated by the blower 33 described above contains the electrolyzed water mist, so that the electrolyzed water mist including hypochlorous acid can be contained in the air curtain. Thereby, when the door body 3 is opened, the entry of external air can be suppressed as much as possible, and a high sterilization effect can be obtained for the entering external air, and the hygienic state of the refrigerator compartment can be kept clean. In addition, when the door 3 is opened and the food or the like is stored in the refrigerating compartment 14, the food or the like crosses the air curtain, so that the electrolyzed water mist can come into contact with the food or the like for sterilization.

The refrigerator delays the progress of spoilage or inhibits the proliferation of bacteria by keeping the room at a low temperature, thereby enabling long-term storage of foods and the like. Therefore, by sterilizing foods and the like stored in the refrigerating compartment, the amount of bacteria adhering to the stored foods and the like from the beginning can be reduced, and further long-term storage can be achieved.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the air path of the refrigerator 1 in this embodiment, the switching mechanism 37 which switches the air path is provided in the middle and downstream of the sterilization unit 50. As shown in FIG. The switching mechanism 37 is, for example, a damper. The switching mechanism 37 has a first state and a second state. In the first state, the damper can be opened to allow air to pass, and in the second state, the damper can be closed to restrict air flow. When the switching mechanism 37 is in the first state, the air passing through the back air duct 30 can flow to the upper air duct 31.

The back air duct 30 has a rear air outlet 38 penetrating the inner liner 10 that can discharge the air flowing in the air duct into the room of the refrigerator compartment 14. The rear air outlet 38 is provided at the upper part of the refrigerating compartment side of the back air duct 30, and is arranged near the switching mechanism 37 and on the upstream side of the air duct. Therefore, by switching the switching mechanism 37 to the second state, the air path leading to the front air outlet 32 is closed, and the air flow generated by the blower 33 is discharged from the rear air outlet 38 upstream of the air path of the switching mechanism 37.

That is, by switching the switching mechanism 37 to the first state or the second state, the air path leading to the front air outlet 32 can be opened and the outlet of the air path can be changed to the front air outlet 32, or the air path can be closed. The outlet of the wind road is changed to the rear air outlet 38. In this embodiment, the switching mechanism 37 and the rear air outlet 38 are provided in the back air duct 30, but it is not limited to this. For example, it may be provided so that the wind blows from the upper surface of the refrigerator compartment toward the front downward to the upper air duct 31 The bottom of the rear side of the refrigerator compartment. In addition, in this embodiment, the switching mechanism 37 is a damper, but it may be an arbitrary mechanism such as a shutter or a pivotable plate. For example, when the switching mechanism 37 is switched to the first state and the air path is opened, the pivotable plate covers the rear air outlet 38 and the like, and the switching mechanism 37 blocks the rear air outlet 38.

In FIG. 3, the arrows described in the vicinity of the blower 33, the front air outlet 32, and the rear air outlet 38 schematically indicate the air flow sucked into the air duct or discharged from the air duct, respectively. In addition, the arrows in the respective air ducts schematically indicate the air flowing in the respective air ducts.

In this manner, by providing the rear air outlet 38, it is possible to release the air sent by the blower 33 into the room when the electrolytic water mist does not need to be discharged to the front air outlet 32. Although the sterilization unit 50 can generate electrolyzed water mist as described above, if electrolysis is not performed, the sterilization unit 50 can generate mist of the water contained in the sterilization unit 50. Therefore, the air blown by the blower 33 contains this mist, and when the mist is discharged from the rear air outlet 38, the refrigerator compartment can be humidified. In addition, when blowing is performed without generating mist, since simple air is discharged from the rear air outlet 38, the refrigerator compartment can be dried. Therefore, according to the sterilization system of this embodiment, the humidity in the refrigerator compartment can be adjusted by humidification and drying.

Such humidity control can be automatically controlled by setting a humidity sensor in the refrigerating room as shown in FIG. 3 so that the value of the humidity sensor is close to a predetermined humidity. conduct. In addition, a manual control switch that allows the user to instruct humidification or drying at any timing may also be provided.

The rear air outlet 38 is provided in the upper part of the refrigerating compartment 14. Therefore, for example, the space divided by the shelf 15 at the uppermost part can be designed as a space that is strongly affected by the air from the rear air outlet 38 (hereinafter, referred to as For the humidity control space). Preferably, in the humidity control space, the shelf 15 is configured to allow fluid to pass (for example, a mesh plate is arranged). When the humidity sensor 39 is arranged in the humidity control space, it is possible to form a space where the humidity can be controlled with higher accuracy.

FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded view of the sterilization unit 50. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the sterilization unit 50 has a water supply tank part 51, an air filter part 52, a unit part 53, a control board 54 and a bottom plate 55. As described above, the sterilization unit 50 is arranged to face the inner liner 10 in the back air duct 30. In addition, a surface (for example, a side surface) facing the back air duct 30 at the upstream of the partition wall 36 has a first air vent 56 (for example, made of a mesh) through which air can pass, and a first air vent 56 at the partition wall 36 The downstream surface facing the back air duct 30 (for example, the upper surface) has a second air vent 57 through which air can pass. Therefore, in the back air duct 30 in this embodiment, the wind blown by the blower is configured to pass through the sterilization unit 50 inevitably.

The water supply tank part 51 has a tank 58. The storage tank 58 is a container that can supply water (for example, tap water) from the outside and store it. The water supply tank part 51 is detachably coupled to the unit part 53 together with the air filter part 52. The water supply tank part 51 and the air filter part 52 described later are formed integrally, and the user can take out the water supply tank part 51 and the like from the refrigerator main body 2 and supply water to the tank 58. For example, it is configured that a detachable cover 59 is provided in the inner tank 10, and a part of the inner tank 10 and a part of the back air duct 30 in the area where the sterilization unit 50 is located can be removed from the inside of the refrigerator compartment 14, thereby allowing access to the water supply storage.槽部51。 Slot 51.

At least a part of the air filter part 52 is provided in the sterilization unit 50 to face the inside of the back air duct 30. In addition, the back air duct 30 is provided with the partition wall 36 therein as described above. Therefore, all the air sent by the blower 33 flows into the air filter 52. The air filter portion 52 has a first mesh portion 60, a second mesh portion 61, and a third mesh portion 62, and the element mounting portion 63 provided between the first mesh portion 60 and the second mesh portion 61 is arranged There are elements or filters 65 for filtering. In this embodiment, the first vent 56 doubles as the first mesh portion 60. That is, the air flowing in from the first vent 56 flows into the first mesh portion 60. In addition, the second vent 57 doubles as the third mesh portion 62. The air filter portion 52 has a cover 64, and the cover 64 is closed after the element 65 is arranged.

The element mounting portion 63 is configured so that the air that has flowed into the first mesh portion 60 flows to the second mesh portion 61. Thereby, the air flowing from below the sterilization unit 50 flows from the first mesh portion 60 through the element 65 to the second mesh portion 61, and the air passing through the element 65 is filtered. The air that has passed through the second mesh portion 61 flows upward again in the back air duct 30 via the second vent 57. As described above, the air filter 52 can be attached to and detached from the sterilization unit 50, and therefore, the element 65 can be easily replaced as needed.

The unit part 53 has a water storage part 66 that stores a part of the water supplied from the water supply tank part 51. As shown in FIG. 4, the storage tank drain 67 of the storage tank 58 is connected to the unit water intake part 68 provided in the water storage part 66, and water is supplied from the storage tank 58 to the water storage part 66. The water storage part 66 can store water to a specific height. Regarding the height of the water, it is preferable to be configured to be able to store water to a height at least such that the electrode described later is completely immersed in water. The unit part 53 can be provided with a mist generating part 69, and the mist generating part 69 is used to generate mist, and the air flowing to the second air vent 57 contains mist. For example, the mist generating unit 69 may be configured to generate ultrasonic vibrations and apply ultrasonic vibrations to surrounding water, thereby atomizing the water. In addition, the unit part 53 has two

electrodes

70 and 71 provided so as to be immersed in the water of the water storage part 66, and can generate hypochlorous acid by electrolyzing water.

Many areas around the unit water intake 68 are surrounded by walls of a predetermined height. The water supplied from the storage tank bypasses the wall constituting the unit water intake portion 68 and flows in the direction where the

electrodes

70 and 71 are present.

As shown in FIG. 4, the unit part 53 has a filter part receiving part 72 which accommodates the air filter part 52. As shown in FIG. The filter portion receiving portion 72 is configured to accommodate the air filter portion 52 when the storage tank 58 is attached to the water storage portion 66 of the unit portion 53.

The filter receiving portion 72 is configured to be capable of fluid communication with the water storage portion 66 at least in part, and water is also stored in the filter receiving portion 72. When the air filter unit 52 is housed in the filter unit receiving unit 72, the element 65 housed in the air filter unit 52 is immersed in the water in the filter unit receiving unit 72. In the element 65, due to the capillary phenomenon, the place not immersed in water also retains moisture. As a result, water can be applied to the entire element 65 without requiring special power or the like.

The unit part 53 has a water level sensor 73. The water level sensor 73 detects the water level of the water in the water storage part 66, and when it becomes below a predetermined water level, it lights up the water supply lamp 74 installed in the refrigerator compartment. Thereby, the user can notice that the water accumulated in the storage tank 58 is empty even if the user cannot visually recognize the storage tank 58 directly, and can supply water as needed. The water level sensor 73 is connected to a control unit 75 to be described later. For example, it can be set to light up the water supply lamp 74 via the control unit 75 when the water level is less than half the height of the exposed electrode. In addition, the control unit 75 may be set so as not to perform electrolysis at such a water level. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the possibility of electrolysis in a state where water remains insufficient.

The control board 54 has a control unit 75 that controls the aforementioned atomization, electrolysis, or lighting of each lamp. For example, when the door switch provided in the door body 3 detects that the door body 3 is in the open state, the control unit 75 can perform electrolysis through the

electrodes

70 and 71, switch the switching mechanism 37 to the first state, and release the electrolysis from the front air outlet 32. Water mist air (air curtain). When the door switch detects that the door body 3 is in the closed state, the switching mechanism 37 is switched to the second state. If the value of the humidity sensor 39 is smaller than the predetermined threshold value in this state, control is performed so that the mist generating unit 69 is operated to humidify the inside of the refrigerator compartment 14.

The bottom plate 55 is coupled to the back air duct 30 or the inner bladder 10 of the refrigerating compartment 14 or both, and keeps the sterilization unit 50 in the back air duct 30. The bottom plate 55 has at least the rigidity of the water-supply tank portion 51, the air filter portion 52, the unit portion 53, and the control board 54 that can hold water.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the sterilization unit 50 in which each structural member such as the water supply tank 51 shown in Fig. 4 is assembled. The orientation of the sterilization unit 50 in FIG. 5 corresponds to the orientation of the sterilization unit 50 in FIG. 3. The broken line W exemplifies the water level. At the water level W shown in FIG. 5, the

electrodes

70 and 71 are immersed in water. Therefore, electrolysis can be performed by the control unit 75 as necessary. Arrow A shows the path of the air flowing from below the back air duct 30 through the sterilization unit 50 to the upper side of the back air duct 30. As shown in FIG. 5, the air enters the sterilization unit 50 from the first vent 56, passes through the element 65, and flows from the second vent 57 to the back air duct 30 again.

In this way, according to the refrigerator with the sterilization system of the present embodiment, when the door 3 is opened, electrolysis is performed in the sterilization unit 50 to generate mist, and the switching mechanism 37 is switched to the first state (that is, the damper is opened), The air (air curtain) containing the electrolyzed water mist is discharged from the front air outlet 32, whereby the food and the like stored in the refrigerator can be sterilized. In addition, when the door 3 is closed, mist is generated without electrolysis in the sterilization unit 50, the switching mechanism 37 is closed, and the air containing the mist is discharged from the rear air outlet, thereby humidifying the refrigerator compartment. Furthermore, the door 3 is closed, no fog is generated in the sterilization unit 50, the switching mechanism 37 is switched to the second state (that is, the damper is closed), and air is discharged from the rear air outlet, thereby drying the refrigerator compartment.

In this way, since the humidity in the refrigerator compartment can be controlled by the water contained in the sterilization unit 50, the humidity can be controlled more easily and with high precision. In addition, the water is electrolyzed by the sterilization unit 50, thereby generating hypochlorous acid. Therefore, the bacteria in the water itself can be sterilized, the bacteria can be prevented from proliferating remarkably even if the water is contained, and the water used for humidification can be kept clean for a long period of time. As a result, the frequency of replacing the water contained in the sterilization unit 50 can be reduced.

In addition, hypochlorous acid has a deodorizing effect. For example, after the door 3 is closed, the air containing the electrolyzed water mist is blown to the refrigerating compartment 14 within a predetermined period of time, so that the inside of the refrigerating compartment 14 can also be deodorized. Thus, it is possible to provide a deodorizing function without providing other components.

The present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and various improvements and design changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Industrial availability

As described above, according to the present invention, a refrigerator with a sterilization system with a humidity control function can be provided, and any one of sterilization, humidification, or drying can be controlled according to the situation.

Claims

A refrigerator, characterized by comprising: a back air duct extending in the up and down direction on the back, an upper air duct extending in the front and rear direction at the upper part, and a blower that blows from below the back air duct to the upper side ,

The back air duct has a sterilization unit that can selectively generate electrolyzed water mist containing hypochlorous acid by electrolyzing mist or water,

The upper part of the back air duct is in fluid communication with the back of the upper air duct to form an air duct connected to the sterilization unit,

The air duct has an air outlet arranged at the rear of the back air duct.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein:

The air duct further has an air outlet provided in the front of the upper air duct, and the air outlet is switched to the air outlet by a switching mechanism provided downstream of the air duct compared with the blower and the sterilization unit. The front air outlet and the rear air outlet.
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein:

When the switching mechanism is in the first state, the air containing the electrolyzed water mist generated by the sterilization unit is discharged from the front air outlet, and when the switching mechanism is in the second state, no effect is generated. The mist and the electrolyzed water mist are discharged from the rear air outlet, or the air containing the mist checked by the sterilization unit is discharged from the rear air outlet.
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein:

It also includes a door switch that senses the opening and closing of the door body, and switches the switching mechanism to the first state when the door body is opened.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein:

The air passage is configured such that air passing through the air passage passes through the sterilization unit.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein:

It further includes a humidity sensor that measures the humidity in the refrigerator, and the sterilization unit controls the generation of mist based on the value obtained by the humidity sensor.
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the switching mechanism includes a pivotable plate, and when the switching mechanism is switched to the first state and the air path is opened, the plate pivots to cover the Describe the rear air outlet.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the sterilization unit has a water supply storage tank portion, the water supply storage tank portion is provided with a storage tank, and a freely detachable cover is provided on an inner liner of the refrigerator, and the inner liner A part of and a part of the back air duct in the area where the sterilization unit is located can be removed to access the water supply tank.
The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the sterilization unit has an air filter part and a unit part, the water supply tank part and the air filter part are detachably coupled to the unit part, and the unit part has A filter portion receiving portion accommodating the air filter portion and a water storage portion storing part of the water supplied from the water supply tank portion, the filter portion receiving portion is configured to be at least partly in fluid communication with the water storage portion, in the filter portion receiving portion Water is stored, the air filter unit is housed in the filter unit receiving unit, and the filter element housed in the air filter unit is immersed in the water in the filter unit receiving unit.
The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the unit has a water level sensor and two electrodes that are immersed in the water of the water storage unit, and the water level sensor detects the water level of the water in the water storage unit When the water level is less than half the height of the exposed electrode, the water supply lamp in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator is lit and the electrode is restricted from electrolysis.