Cooling storage

Abstract

To provide a cooling storage having an ion generator provided in a cold air passage and capable of preventing liquid leakage of the ion generator.SOLUTION: A cooling storage comprises a storage chamber, a cooler arranged below the storage chamber and generating cold air, a cold air passage for introducing the cold air generated in the cooler to the storage chamber on an upper side, and an ion generator provided in the cold air passage. A cold air duct constituting the storage chamber side of the cold air passage has an opening penetrating through the cold air duct and communicating the cold air passage and the storage chamber with each other. The ion generator is arranged on the cold air passage side of the cold air duct and on a side lower than the opening. An inclined step projecting on a lower side than an upper side and inclined in the width direction of the cold air duct is provided on an inner face which is the surface on the cold air passage of the cold air duct below the opening and below the ion generator. The lowermost end of the inclined step is positioned on a lower side than the upper end of the ion generator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] Some refrigerators are equipped with an ion generator to sterilize and deodorize the interior of the refrigerator. The ion generator is disposed, for example, in a cold air passage through which cold air generated by a cooler passes. This allows ions to be contained in the cold air passing through the cold air passage, and the cold air containing ions can be blown out from the cold air passage into the storage compartment.

[0003] Patent Document 1 (Patent Publication No. 6502041) discloses a refrigerator including a storage compartment for cooling and storing items, a cooler that generates cold air, a cold air passageway that guides the cold air generated by the cooler to the storage compartment, an outlet that discharges the cold air from the cold air passageway to the storage compartment, and an ion generator that is disposed between the cooler and the outlet and generates ions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6502041 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above refrigerators, liquid in the storage compartment may enter the cold air passageway from the cold air outlet due to some cause (for example, liquid contents spilling or splashing from a food container, etc.). Even in such a case, it is necessary to prevent the liquid from coming into contact with the ion generator. In the past, there were cases where a shade was provided above the ion generator on the inner wall of the cold air passage to prevent the ion generator from getting wet. However, if a large amount of liquid entered the cold air passage, there was a possibility that the liquid would reach the ion generator.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator that includes an ion generator provided in a cold air passage and that can prevent the ion generator from becoming wet with liquid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cooling cabinet comprising: A storage room; A cooler disposed below the storage chamber and generating cold air; a cold air passage for guiding the cold air generated by the cooler to the storage chamber above; an ion generator provided in the cold air passage; Equipped with. The cold air duct that constitutes the storage compartment side of the cold air passage has an opening that passes through the cold air duct and connects the cold air passage and the storage compartment. The ion generator is disposed on the cool air passage side of the cool air duct and below the opening. An inclined step is provided on the inner surface of the cold air duct, which is the surface on the cold passage side, below the opening and above the ion generator, the lower side protruding more than the upper side and being inclined in the width direction of the cold air duct. The bottom end of the inclined step is located below the top end of the ion generator. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that includes an ion generator disposed in a cold air passage and that can prevent the ion generator from becoming wet with liquid. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cooling box according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cooling box taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the cooling box according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a portion of the refrigerator of the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged rear view of FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a rear perspective view (left side) of a portion of a modified example of the embodiment, and a partially enlarged view (right side) of the same. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of the components are also the same.

[0011] <Cooler> In the present disclosure, the term "cooling cabinet" generally refers to a cabinet that has an internal space (storage compartment) that is at a lower temperature than the outside air temperature and can lower the temperature of stored items. The cooling cabinet may be, for example, a refrigerator or a freezer. The cooling cabinet may have only one storage compartment, or may have multiple storage compartments. When the cooling cabinet has multiple storage compartments, the multiple storage compartments may include at least two of a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment, a vegetable compartment, a chilled compartment, a partial compartment, and the like.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator 1, and Fig. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator 1. Note that in Figs. 1 and 2, the front door of the refrigerator compartment 11, the pull-out doors of the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13, and the shelves in the storage compartment (refrigerator compartment) 11 are omitted. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view (longitudinal cross-sectional view) of the cooling box taken along the III-III plane in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the portion enclosed by the dotted line in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of the refrigerator 1. Note that in Fig. 5, the rear side of the heat-insulating box body 5 of the refrigerator 1 is omitted. Fig. 6 is a rear perspective view of a part of the refrigerator shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the part surrounded by the dotted line in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a view of the part surrounded by the dotted line in Fig. 6 as seen from behind.

[0013] In this specification, the surface on which the door is provided is referred to as the front or front face of the cooling cabinet 1. Then, based on the arrangement of the cooling cabinet 1 installed in a normal state with the front face as a reference, the respective faces of the cooling cabinet 1 are referred to as the back, top, bottom, and side faces. Also, the direction perpendicular to the front and back faces is referred to as the front-to-back direction, the direction perpendicular to the top and bottom faces is referred to as the up-down direction, and the direction perpendicular to both side faces is referred to as the width direction A (see FIG. 1). Note that the directions of the components that make up the cooling cabinet 1 may also be expressed based on the arrangement of the cooling cabinet 1.

[0014] The refrigerator 1 includes an insulating box 5 as an insulating structure for insulating each storage space from the surroundings. The insulating box 5 includes an insulating layer 51 (see FIG. 3), an outer box that forms the outer shape of the refrigerator 1, an inner box that forms the storage space of the refrigerator 1, and the like. The insulating layer 51 includes a foam insulating material and a vacuum insulating material. The foam insulating material can be made of, for example, polyurethane foam (also called rigid urethane foam). The vacuum insulating material is a thin sheet-like or plate-like insulating material. The vacuum insulating material is arranged on, for example, the side, top, bottom, and back of the refrigerator 1.

[0015] The storage space formed by the insulated box 5 is divided by a horizontally extending partition 2 into an upper storage compartment (refrigerator compartment 11) and other storage compartments (vegetable compartment 12 and freezer compartment 13) on the lower side. Thus, the cooling cabinet 1 according to this embodiment is provided with storage compartments (the refrigerator compartment 11, the vegetable compartment 12, and the freezer compartment 13). In FIG. 1, the refrigerator compartment 11 is located on the upper side of the cooler 1, and the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13 are located on the lower side of the cooler 1, but the arrangement of the storage compartments is not limited to this.

[0016] A drawer-type storage compartment 11a is provided at the bottom inside the refrigeration compartment 11. The drawer-type storage compartment 11a may be, for example, a chilled compartment or a partial compartment.

[0017] 3, a space (a space below the blower fan 31 (and above the compressor chamber 7)) for arranging a cooler (not shown) that generates cold air is provided on the rear side of the lower part (below the refrigerator chamber 11) inside the insulated box 5. Note that, since the temperature inside the compressor chamber 7 rises when the cooler is operated, the compressor chamber 7 is arranged outside the insulated box 5. The cooler includes a refrigeration cycle, a control unit, etc. The refrigeration cycle is composed of a compressor, a condenser, an expander, an evaporator, etc., which are connected via a refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant flows.

[0018] (Cold aisle and ion generator) The cooling box 1 of this embodiment is A storage room (refrigerator room 11); A cooler that is disposed below the storage compartment (refrigerating compartment 11) and generates cold air; A cold air passage 3 that guides cold air generated by a cooler (a space below a blower fan 31) to an upper storage compartment (a refrigerator compartment 11); An ion generator 6 provided in the cold air passage 3; Equipped with.

[0019] 3, the cold air passage 3 is provided on the rear side of the storage compartments (refrigerating compartment 11, vegetable compartment 12, etc.). The cold air passage 3 guides cold air generated in a cooler (a space below a blower fan 31) to an upper storage compartment (for example, the refrigerator compartment 11).

[0020] The cold air passage 3 is formed by a space surrounded by a cold air duct 4 (duct forming member) on the front side (storage compartment side) and a heat insulating layer 51 on the rear side.

[0021] 6, the cold air duct 4 has a front portion 4a and a side portion 4b. The front portion 4a is a wall portion that constitutes the front side of the cold air passage 3, and the side portion 4b is a wall portion that constitutes both sides of the cold air passage 3 in the width direction A. At least the back side (i.e., the cold air passage 3 side) of the cold air duct 4 is provided with a heat insulating material. The heat insulating material is formed of, for example, EPS (bead method polystyrene foam), polystyrene foam, or the like. In this way, the storage compartment (refrigerator compartment 11, etc.) and the cold air passage 3 are separated by the cold air duct 4 containing the heat insulating material, so that the heat insulating property in the cold air passage 3 can be improved and the occurrence of condensation in the refrigerator compartment 11 can be suppressed.

[0022] Openings 41, 41a are provided on the front surface 4a of the cold air duct 4 to connect the cold air passage 3 to the storage compartment (refrigerating compartment 11) by penetrating the cold air duct 4. In this embodiment, the openings 41, 41a function as outlets for discharging the cold air guided by the cold air passage 3 into the refrigerating compartment 11. The cold air passage 3 is a passage for cold air between the openings 41, 41a (discharge port of cold air) of the cold air duct 4 and the cooler (space below the blower fan 31). The cold air passage 3 extends mainly in the vertical direction.

[0023] A blower fan 31 is provided in the cold air passage 3. The blower fan 31 blows the cold air generated by the cooler upward through the cold air passage 3. The cold air blown out into the cold air passage 3 by the blower fan 31 is supplied from openings 41, 41a (discharge ports) provided in the front portion 4a of the cold air duct 4 to the storage compartments (refrigerating compartment 11, drawer-type storage cabinet 11a). Cool air is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 11 through a plurality of openings (discharge ports) 41 located above the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a. Cool air is also supplied to the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a through an opening 41a located on the rear side of the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a. In this way, the cold air passage 3 guides the cold air generated by the cooler to the storage room above.

[0024] An ion generator 6 that emits ions is provided in the cold air passage 3. The ion generator 6 is disposed on the cold air passage 3 side of the cold air duct 4 and below the openings 41, 41a.

[0025] The ion generator 6 includes an ion generating unit 61 having electrodes. The electrodes of the ion generating unit 61 generate positive (+) ions (e.g., H + (H2O) m (m is any natural number)) and negative (-) ions (e.g., O2 - (H2O) n (n is any natural number)

[0026] The ions generated by the ion generator 6 are supplied to the cold air passing through the cold air passage 3. This allows the cold air supplied from the cold air passage 3 to contain ions. The cold air to which ions have been added is blown out from openings 41, 41a located above the ion generator 6 toward the refrigerator compartment 11 and the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a. Supplying the cold air containing ions allows deodorization and sterilization of the refrigerator compartment 11, the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a, etc.

[0027] (Slope step) An inclined step 42 (guiding flow path) is provided on the inner surface 40 of the cool air duct 4 (the surface on the cool air passage 3 side) below the openings 41, 41a and above the ion generator 6. The inclined step 42 is a step that protrudes more at its lower side than at its upper side, and is inclined in the width direction of the cool air duct 4 (i.e., it becomes lower from one side in the width direction to the other side). The inclined step 42 is preferably provided in an area wider than the ion generator 6 in the width direction. The inclined step 42 allows the liquid running down from above on the inner surface 40 of the cool air duct 4 (see the dotted arrow in FIG. 4) to flow to the side with the lower inclination in the width direction and to a width direction position where the ion generators 6 are not present, thereby preventing the ion generators 6 from getting wet with the liquid.

[0028] Here, the bottom end 42a (the lowest position in the inclination in the width direction) of the inclined step 42 is located below the top end 6a of the ion generator 6. Furthermore, the bottom end 42a of the inclined step 42 is preferably located below the ion generating section 61 (electrode) of the ion generator 6, and more preferably below the bottom end 6b of the ion generator. As a result, when the bottom end 42a of the inclined step 42 is located in such a position, the liquid that has flowed over the inclined step 42 is unlikely to rise up to the ion generator 6, so that the ion generator 6 can be more reliably prevented from getting wet with the liquid.

[0029] The inclined step 42 (a step in which the lower side protrudes more than the upper side) is preferably formed by a recess 43 provided above the inclined step 42 in the inner surface 40 of the cold air duct 4 (see FIG. 7). The recess 43 is a portion recessed toward the storage compartment (refrigerator compartment 11). In this case, the inner surface 40 of the cold air duct 4 below the inclined step 42 is flat. In this case, the inclined step 42 prevents the ion generator 6 from getting wet, and since there are no protrusions that would collide with the flow of cold air during normal use, the cold air can flow smoothly, which is expected to improve energy efficiency. In addition, since the cold air flows smoothly, it is also expected to have the effect of ensuring the ion concentration in the cold air in a storage compartment such as the refrigerator compartment 11.

[0030] When drawer-type storage cabinet 11a is provided in a storage compartment such as refrigerator compartment 11, recess 43 is preferably provided within the range of drawer-type storage cabinet 11a in the vertical direction (on the rear side of drawer-type storage cabinet 11a). Providing a recess in the insulating layer 51 is generally undesirable, as it leads to a decrease in the insulating performance and may cause condensation water to form inside the storage compartment. However, the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a of the cold air duct 4 is located in a position where cold air accumulates below the refrigerator compartment 11, and is a relatively low-temperature space used as a chilled compartment, partial compartment, etc., so the insulating layer on the rear side thereof is relatively thick. For this reason, even if a recess 43 is provided in the insulating layer 51 on the rear side of the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a, the impact on the insulating performance is small. Such a configuration is possible when the ion generator 6 is disposed below the refrigerator compartment 11 or the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a.

[0031] The inclined step 42 is not limited to the above-mentioned form, and may be formed by a convex portion 44, for example, as shown in FIG. 9 (i.e., the inner surface 40a of the cool air duct below the inclined step 42 may be concave). In this case, even if the liquid overflows over the step of the inclined step 42, the surface tension causes the liquid to flow down the underside of the convex portion 44 to a widthwise position with a lower slope, as with the inclined step 42, thereby more reliably preventing the ion generator 6 from getting wet.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 8, the lowest end 42a of the inclined step 42 is preferably in contact with the side surface portion 4b of the cold air duct 4. If the bottom end 42a of the inclined step 42 does not reach the side surface 4b of the cold air duct 4, the liquid that has flowed down the inclined step 42 will drip into the cold air passage 3, and the liquid droplets will be stirred up by the cold air flow and may wet the ion generator 6. In contrast, if the bottom end 42a of the inclined step 42 is in contact with the side surface 4b of the cold air duct 4, the liquid that has flowed down the inclined step 42 will run down the inner surface of the side surface 4b of the cold air duct 4, and will not be easily stirred up by the cold air flow, so that the ion generator 6 can be more reliably prevented from getting wet.

[0033] In this embodiment, the opening 41a (located above the inclined step 42) may have a function (a drain function) of discharging liquid that enters the cold air passage through another opening 41 above the opening 41a and flows down along the inner surface of the cold air duct 4 from above the opening 41a to the storage compartment side such as the refrigerator compartment 11. In order to impart the drain function, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a protruding portion 41b protruding from the lower end of the opening 41a to the inside of the cold air passage 3 (preferably slightly above the inside) may be provided. This protruding portion 41b can collect liquid that flows down along the inner surface of the cold air duct 4 from above the opening 41a and discharge it to the storage compartment (refrigerator compartment 11) side through the opening 41a. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the ion generator from getting wet. Also, if the opening 41a has a drain function, the amount of liquid that descends to the inclined step 42 is reduced, so the step of the inclined step 42 may be made shallower, allowing cool air to flow smoothly and improving energy efficiency.

[0034] In this embodiment, the ion generator 6 is disposed on an inner wall surface that is recessed slightly toward the front side from directly below the inner wall surface on the front side (storage compartment side) of the vertically disposed cold air passage 3 (see FIG. 4). This makes it possible to prevent liquid dropping from above in the cold air passage 3 from directly hitting the ion generator 6. In the ion generator 6 embedded in the cold air duct 4, the ion generating unit 61 is disposed so as to protrude slightly toward the rear side from the cold air duct 4 (see FIG. 4). This makes it difficult for liquid flowing along the inner wall surface on the front side of the cold air passage 3 to reach the ion generating unit 61, which must be particularly prevented from getting wet.

[0035] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. In addition, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in this specification with each other are also included in the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1: Refrigerator 11: Refrigerator (storage room) 11a: Drawer storage unit 3: Cold air aisle 4: Cold air duct 4b: Side part 40, 40a: Inner surface 41, 41a: Opening 42: Inclined step 42a: Bottom end 43: Recess 6: Ion generator 6a: Upper end 61: Ion generating unit A: Width direction

Claims

1. A storage room; A cooler disposed below the storage chamber and generating cold air; a cold air passage for guiding the cold air generated by the cooler to the storage chamber above; an ion generator provided in the cold air passage; Equipped with a cold air duct that constitutes the storage compartment side of the cold air passage has an opening that passes through the cold air duct and communicates the cold air passage with the storage compartment; the ion generator is disposed on the cold air passage side of the cold air duct and below the opening, an inner surface of the cold air duct on the cold passage side is provided below the opening and above the ion generator, the lower side protruding more than the upper side and being inclined in a width direction of the cold air duct; a lowermost end of the inclined step is located below an upper end of the ion generator.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a lowest end of the inclined step is located below an ion generating portion of the ion generator.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the inclined step is formed by a recess provided on the inner surface of the cold air duct above the inclined step.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the opening has a function of discharging liquid that flows down from above the opening along the inner surface of the cold air duct toward the storage compartment.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a lowest end of the inclined step is in contact with a side portion of the cold air duct.

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