Cooling storage
By setting inclined steps in the air-conditioning passage, the problem of liquid entering the air-conditioning passage and wetting the ion generator is solved, and the effect of preventing the ion generator liquid from being wet is achieved, improving the refrigeration effect and reliability of the refrigerator.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411443252.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-10-16
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-16
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-18
AI Technical Summary
In the refrigerated storage, liquid may overflow or splash from the storage room and enter the air-conditioning passage, causing the ion generator to be soaked by the liquid, affecting the refrigeration effect.
In the air-conditioning passage, the inclined steps are located above the ion generator, and the lower side protrudes than the upper side and inclines in the width direction, thereby guiding the liquid to the area without the ion generator and preventing the liquid from soaking the ion generator.
It effectively prevents the ion generator from being soaked by liquid, ensures that the ion generator in the air-conditioning passage always remains dry, and improves the refrigeration effect and reliability of the refrigerator.
Smart Images
Figure CN119844953A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to a cooling store. Background Art
[0002] Some refrigerators are equipped with an ion generator for sterilization and deodorization in the refrigerator. The ion generator is, for example, arranged in a cold air passage through which cold air generated by a cooler passes. Thus, ions can 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 to the storage room.
[0003] Japanese Patent Gazette No. 6502041 discloses a storage room for cooling and preserving stored items, a cooler for generating cold air, a cold air passage for guiding the cold air generated in the cooler to the storage room, an exhaust port for discharging the cold air from the cold air passage to the storage room, and an ion generator for generating ions and being arranged between the cooler and the exhaust port. Summary of the invention
[0004] In the above-mentioned cold storage, due to some factors (e.g., liquid contents overflowing or splashing from food containers), there is a possibility that liquid may penetrate into the cold air passage from the cold air outlet, etc. Even in such a case, it is required that the liquid is not applied to the ion generator.
[0005] Conventionally, it has been considered to provide an umbrella portion above the ionizer on the inner wall of the cold air passage to prevent the ionizer from getting wet. However, if the amount of liquid entering the cold air passage increases, there is a possibility that the liquid may reach the ionizer.
[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cooling storage including an ion generator provided in a cold air passage and capable of preventing the ion generator from being wetted by liquid.
[0007] A cooling bank according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: storage room; A cooler is disposed below the storage chamber and generates cold air; a cold air passage that guides the cold air generated in the cooler toward the storage room above; and The ion generator is arranged in the cold air passage. The cold air duct on the storage compartment side constituting the cold air passage has an opening penetrating the cold air duct to allow the cold air passage to communicate with the storage compartment. The ion generator is disposed on the cool air passage side of the cool air duct and is disposed below the opening. An inclined step whose lower side protrudes more than the upper side and is inclined in the width direction of the cold air duct is provided on the inner surface of the cold air duct as the surface on the cold air passage side below the opening and above the ion generator. The lowermost end of the inclined step is located below the upper end of the ion generator.
[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a cooling storage including an ion generator provided in a cold air passage and capable of preventing the ion generator from being wetted by liquid. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Figure 1 It is a front view of the cooling storage in the embodiment. Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a cooling storage according to the embodiment. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Cross-sectional view of the cooling reservoir on plane III-III. Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of . Figure 5 This is a rear perspective view of the cooling storage according to the embodiment. Figure 6 This is a rear perspective view of a part of the cooling storage according to the embodiment. Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of . Figure 8 yes Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of the rear part. Fig. 9 A rear perspective view (left side) and a partially enlarged view (right side) of a part of a modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the same components, and their names and functions are also the same.
[0011] <Cooling room> In the present disclosure, "cooling storage" refers to all situations in which the internal space (storage room) has a temperature lower than the outside air temperature and can reduce the temperature of the stored items. The cooling storage can be, for example, a refrigerator or a freezer. The cooling storage can have only one storage room or multiple storage rooms. In the case where the cooling storage has multiple storage rooms, the multiple storage rooms may also include at least two of a refrigerating room, a freezing room, a vegetable room, a zero-degree room, a partial freezing room, and the like.
[0012] Figure 1This is a diagram showing the cooling chamber 1 as viewed from the front. Figure 2 This is a view of the cooling store 1 viewed diagonally from the front. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the figure, the front door of the refrigerator compartment 11, the drawer-type doors of the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13, and the shelves in the storage compartment (refrigerator compartment) 11 are omitted. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Cross-sectional view (longitudinal cross-sectional view) of the cooling storage in the III-III plane. Figure 4 Is Figure 3 An enlarged view of the portion surrounded by the dotted line. Figure 5 1 is a perspective view of the back side of the cooling store 1. Figure 5 In the figure, the back side of the heat insulating box body 5 of the cooling storage 1 is omitted. Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A rear perspective view of a portion of a cooling store is shown. Figure 7 It is an enlarged view of the portion surrounded by the dotted line. Figure 8 is viewed from the back. Figure 6 The dotted line encloses the portion of the diagram.
[0013] In this specification, the surface with the door is referred to as the front or front surface of the cooling storage 1. Then, based on the configuration of the cooling storage 1 set in a normal state, the surfaces of the cooling storage 1 are referred to as the back, top, bottom, and side surfaces, with the front surface as the reference. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the front and back surfaces is referred to as the front-to-back direction, the direction perpendicular to the top and bottom surfaces is referred to as the up-down direction, and the direction perpendicular to the two side surfaces is referred to as the width direction (see Figure 1 ). In addition, the directions of the components constituting the cooling storage 1 may also be expressed based on the arrangement of the cooling storage 1 .
[0014] The cooling store 1 includes a heat-insulating box 5 as a heat-insulating structure for insulating each storage space from the surroundings. The heat-insulating box 5 includes a heat-insulating layer 51 (see Figure 3 ), an outer box forming the outer shape of the cooling storage 1, an inner box forming the storage space of the cooling storage 1, etc. The heat insulation layer 51 includes foam insulation materials and vacuum insulation materials. The foam insulation material can be formed of, for example, foamed polyurethane (also called rigid polyurethane foam). The vacuum insulation material is a thin plate or plate-shaped insulation material. The vacuum insulation material is arranged on, for example, the side, upper surface, bottom surface, and back surface of the cooling storage 1.
[0015] The storage space formed by the heat-insulating box body 5 is divided into a storage room (refrigerating room 11) on the upper side and other storage rooms (vegetable room 12 and freezing room 13) on the lower side by a partition 2 extending in the horizontal direction. As described above, the cooling storage 1 of the present embodiment includes storage rooms (refrigerating room 11, vegetable room 12, freezing room 13). In addition, Figure 1 In the embodiment, the refrigerator compartment 11 is located on the upper side of the cooling storage 1, and the vegetable compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13 are located on the lower side of the cooling storage 1, but the arrangement of the storage compartments is not limited thereto.
[0016] A drawer-type storage 11a is provided at the lower portion of the refrigerator compartment 11. The drawer-type storage 11a may be, for example, a zero-degree room or a partial freezing room.
[0017] Reference Figure 3 , a space for arranging a cooler (not shown) for generating cold air is provided on the back side at the bottom (below the refrigerating chamber 11) in the heat-insulating box body 5 (space below the air supply fan 31 (and above the compressor chamber 7)). In addition, since the temperature in the compressor chamber 7 rises due to the operation of the cooler, the compressor chamber 7 is arranged outside the heat-insulating box body 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. connected by a refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant flows.
[0018] (Cool air duct and ion generator) The cooling storage 1 of this embodiment includes: Storage room (refrigerated room 11); A cooler is disposed below the storage room (refrigerating room 11) to generate cold air; A cold air passage 3 that guides the cold air generated in the cooler (the space below the air supply fan 31) to the storage room (refrigerating room 11) above; The ion generator 6 is disposed in the cold air passage 3 .
[0019] Reference Figure 3 The cold air passage 3 is provided at the back side of the storage room (refrigerating room 11, vegetable room 12, etc.). The cold air passage 3 guides the cold air generated in the cooler (the space below the air supply fan 31) to the storage room (such as the refrigerating room 11) above.
[0020] The cold air passage 3 is formed by a space surrounded by the cold air duct 4 (duct forming member) on the front surface side (storage room side) and the heat insulating layer 51 on the back surface side.
[0021] Reference Figure 6 The cold air duct 4 has a front portion 4a and side portions 4b. The front portion 4a is a wall portion constituting the front surface side of the cold air passage 3, and the side portions 4b are walls constituting both sides of the cold air passage 3 in the width direction A. A heat insulating material is provided at least on the back side (i.e., the side of the cold air passage 3) of the cold air duct 4. The heat insulating material is formed of, for example, EPS (beaded polystyrene foam), expanded styrene, etc. In this way, the storage room (refrigerating room 11, etc.) and the cold air passage 3 are separated by the cold air duct 4 containing the heat insulating material, thereby improving the heat insulation in the cold air passage 3 and suppressing the generation of condensation in the cold air passage 11.
[0022] The front portion 4a of the cold air duct 4 is provided with openings 41, 41a penetrating the cold air duct 4 to connect the cold air passage 3 with the storage room (refrigerating room 11). In this embodiment, the openings 41, 41a function as outlets for discharging the cold air guided from the cold air passage 3 to the refrigerating room 11. The cold air passage 3 is a passage for cold air between the openings 41, 41a (discharge ports for cold air) of the cold air duct 4 and the cooler (space below the air blowing fan 31). The cold air passage 3 mainly extends in the up-down direction.
[0023] A blower fan 31 is provided in the middle of the cold air passage 3. The cold air generated in the cooler is sent upward through the cold air passage 3 by the blower fan 31. The cold air blown to the cold air passage 3 by the air supply fan 31 is supplied to the storage room (refrigerating room 11, drawer storage 11a) from the openings 41, 41a (discharge port) provided in the front surface 4a of the cold air duct 4. Furthermore, cold air is supplied to the refrigerating chamber 11 through a plurality of openings (discharge ports) 41 located above the drawer-type storage 11a. Furthermore, cold air is supplied to the drawer-type storage 11a through an opening 41a located on the back side of the drawer-type storage 11a. In this way, the cold air generated in the cooler is guided by the cold air passage 3 toward the storage room above.
[0024] An ion generator 6 that emits ions is provided in the cool air passage 3. The ion generator 6 is disposed on the cool air passage 3 side of the cool air duct 4 and at a position 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 (for example, H + (H2O) m (m is an arbitrary natural number)) and negative (-) ions (e.g., O 2- (H2O) n (n is an arbitrary natural number)).
[0026] The ions generated by the ion generator 6 are supplied to the cold air passing through the cold air passage 3. As a result, the cold air supplied from the cold air passage 3 to the refrigerating chamber 11 can contain ions. The cold air to which the ions are added is blown out from the openings 41, 41a located above the ion generator 6 to the refrigerating chamber 11 and the drawer-type storage 11a. By supplying the cold air containing ions, deodorization and sterilization of the refrigerating chamber 11, the drawer-type storage 11a, etc. can be performed.
[0027] (Inclined steps) An inclined step 42 (a guide flow path) is provided on the inner surface 40 of the cold air duct 4 (the surface on the cold air passage 3 side) below the openings 41 , 41 a and above the ion generator 6 . Inclined step 42 is a step (step) with the lower side protruding more than the upper side, and is inclined in the width direction of cold air duct 4 (ie, becomes lower from one side to the other side in the width direction). Inclined step 42 is preferably provided in a range wider than ion generator 6 in the width direction. By inclining the step 42, the liquid flowing down from above along the inner surface 40 of the cold air duct 4 can be made to flow downward. Figure 4 The liquid flows in a direction with a lower inclination in the width direction (as indicated by the dotted arrow) and flows toward a position in the width direction where the ion generator 6 is not present, thereby preventing the ion generator 6 from being wetted by the liquid.
[0028] Here, the lowest end 42a of the inclined step 42 (the lowest position in the inclination in the width direction) is located below the upper end 6a of the ion generator 6. In addition, the lowest end 42a of the inclined step 42 is preferably located below the ion generating part 61 (electrode) of the ion generator 6, and more preferably located below the lower end 6b of the ion generator. Thus, when the lowermost end 42a of the inclined step 42 is in such a position, the possibility that the liquid flowing through the inclined step 42 rises to the ionizer is low, and thus the wetting of the ionizer 6 can be more reliably prevented.
[0029] The inclined step 42 (a step whose lower side protrudes more than the upper side) is preferably formed by a recess 43 provided on the inner surface 40 of the cold air duct 4 on the upper side of the inclined step 42 (see Figure 7 ). In addition, the recessed portion 43 is a portion that is recessed toward the storage room (refrigerating room 11) side. In this case, the inner surface 40 of the cold air duct 4 on the lower side of the inclined step 42 is flat. In this case, since the immersion of the ion generator 6 is suppressed by the inclined step 42, and there is no convex portion that collides with the cold air flow during normal use, the cold air can flow smoothly, which has the prospect of improving energy saving. In addition, since the cold air flows smoothly, it is also expected to ensure the effect of ion concentration in the cold air in the storage room such as the refrigerating room 11.
[0030] When the drawer-type storage 11a is provided in a storage room such as the refrigerator room 11, it is preferable that the recessed portion 43 is provided within the range of the drawer-type storage 11a (on the back side of the drawer-type storage 11a) in the up-down direction. Providing a recess in the heat insulating layer 51 will reduce the heat insulating performance and become the main cause of condensation in the storage room, so it is generally not preferred. However, the drawer-type storage room 11a of the cold air duct 4 is located at the position where cold air accumulates below the refrigerating room 11, which is a relatively low temperature space used as a zero-degree room, a partial freezing room, etc., so the thickness of the heat insulating layer on the back side is relatively thick. Therefore, even if the recess 43 is provided in the heat insulating layer 51 on the back side of the drawer-type storage room 11a, the effect on the heat insulating performance is small. Such a structure can be realized when the ion generator 6 is arranged below the refrigerator room 11 or the drawer-type storage 11a.
[0031] In addition, the inclined step 42 is not limited to the above-mentioned method, for example, Fig. 9 As shown, it may also be formed by a convex portion 44 (ie, the inner surface 40a of the cold air duct below the inclined step 42 may also be recessed). In this case, even if the liquid overflows over the inclined step 42, the liquid will flow on the lower side of the protrusion 44 due to surface tension, and flow to a width-wise position where the liquid is inclined lower, similar to the inclined step 42, thereby more reliably preventing the ion generator 6 from being wetting by the liquid.
[0032] like Figure 8 As shown, the lowermost end 42 a of the inclined step 42 is preferably in contact with the side surface 4 b of the cold air duct 4 . When the lowermost end 42a of the inclined step 42 does not reach the side surface 4b of the cold air duct 4, the liquid flowing through the inclined step 42 drips in the cold air passage 3, and the liquid droplets fly due to the flow of cold air, and there is a possibility of wetting the ion generator 6. On the other hand, when the lowermost end 42a of the inclined step 42 contacts the side surface 4b of the cold air duct 4, the liquid flowing in the inclined step 42 flows down along the inner surface of the side surface 4b of the cold air duct 4, so it is difficult to fly due to the flow of cold air, and the ion generator 6 can be more reliably prevented from being wetted by the liquid.
[0033] In this embodiment, the opening 41a (located above the inclined step 42) may also have the following function (function of a drain): the liquid flowing down along the inner surface of the cold air duct 4 from above the opening 41a enters the cold air passage through other openings 41 above the opening 41a, and is discharged to the storage room side such as the refrigerating room 11. In order to give the function of the drain, for example, Figure 7As shown, a protrusion 41b may be provided which protrudes from the lower end of the opening 41a toward the inner side (preferably slightly above the inner side) of the cold air passage 3. The protrusion 41b can recover the liquid flowing down along the inner surface of the cold air duct 4 from the upper side of the opening 41a and discharge it toward the storage room (refrigerating room 11) side through the opening 41a. In addition, when the opening 41a functions as a drain port, the amount of liquid that falls on the inclined step 42 is reduced, so the step of the inclined step 42 can be shallower, so that the cold air can flow smoothly, and the improvement of energy saving is expected.
[0034] In the present embodiment, the ion generator 6 is arranged on an inner wall surface slightly recessed toward the front surface side from directly below the inner wall surface of the front surface side (storage room side) of the cold air passage 3 arranged in the vertical direction (see Figure 4 ). Thus, it is possible to prevent the liquid falling 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 portion 61 is arranged so as to protrude slightly from the cold air duct 4 to the back side (see Figure 4 ). As a result, the liquid flowing through the inner wall surface on the front surface side of the cold air passage 3 is particularly difficult to reach the ion generating part 61 which needs to be prevented from being wetted by the liquid.
[0035] The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and non-restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. Furthermore, structures obtained by combining structures of different embodiments described in this specification are also included in the scope of the present disclosure.
Claims
1. A cooling store, characterized in that: include: storage room; A cooler is disposed below the storage chamber and generates cold air; a cold air passage that guides the cold air generated in the cooler toward the storage room above; and an ion generator, which is arranged in the cold air passage, The cold air duct on the storage room side constituting the cold air passage has an opening penetrating the cold air duct to allow the cold air passage to communicate with the storage room. The ion generator is arranged on the cold air passage side of the cold air duct and is arranged at a position lower than the opening. An inclined step is provided on the inner surface of the cold air duct, which is the surface on the cold air passage side, below the opening and above the ion generator, the lower side of which protrudes more than the upper side and is inclined in the width direction of the cold air duct. The lowermost end of the inclined step is located below the upper end of the ion generator.
2. The cooling store according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lowest end of the inclined step is located below the ion generating part of the ion generator.
3. The cooling storage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inclined step is formed by a recessed portion provided on the inner surface of the cold air duct at an upper side of the inclined step.
4. The cooling store according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opening has a function of discharging liquid flowing down along the inner surface of the cold air duct from above the opening to the storage chamber side.
5. The cooling store according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lowermost end of the inclined step contacts the side surface of the cold air duct.