Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator capable of keeping freshness of stored objects for a long period.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 10 includes: a refrigerator chamber 12; a small storage chamber 20 defined inside of the refrigerator chamber 12; and an air blowing passage 118 for blowing the air cooled in a cooling chamber 115. The small storage chamber 20 has a storage portion 21 for storing stored objects, and an air introduction portion 22 formed above the storage portion 21 to introduce the air from the air blowing passage 118. A lower surface of the air introduction portion 22 is composed of a metallic plate 23, and an air blowing port 24 for blowing the air from the air introduction portion 22 to the storage portion 21 is formed at the side of the metallic plate 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator having a small storage compartment inside a refrigerator compartment. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, refrigerators in which a storage container is arranged inside a refrigerator compartment as described in Patent Document 1 are known. In this refrigerator, a chilled container is stored in the lowest part of the refrigerator compartment. Air blown by a blower is supplied to the refrigerator compartment through an air passage formed at the rear side of the refrigerator compartment, while a part of the air blown to the air passage is blown to the chilled container without passing through the refrigerator compartment, and chilled air is directly supplied to the contained items such as meat. In this way, the temperature inside the chilled container is made lower than the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment, for example, about 0°C. Also, food such as meat stored in the chilled container can be preserved. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-44687 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the refrigerator described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in terms of maintaining the freshness of stored foods such as meat for a long period of time.

[0005] Specifically, in the invention described in the aforementioned Patent Document 1, the stored items are cooled by blowing air directly into the inside of the chilled container from an air duct. Because the temperature of the stored items depends on the amount of air blown into them, the temperature of the stored items tends to fluctuate and there is a large temperature range inside the chilled container. When the temperature of the stored items rises, drips occur, and when the temperature drops, the drips turn into frost, so there is a problem that it is difficult to maintain the freshness of the stored items for a long period of time.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of maintaining the freshness of stored items for a long period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The refrigerator of the present invention comprises a refrigerator compartment, a chilled compartment partitioned inside the refrigerator compartment, and an air flow path through which air cooled in the cooling compartment is blown, and the chilled compartment has a box-shaped storage section in which stored items are stored and which is open at the top, and an air introduction section which is a cavity provided above the storage section to cover the opening and through which the air is introduced from the air flow path, the lower surface of the air introduction section is made of a metal plate and the upper surface of the air introduction section is made of a thermal insulating material, an air outlet through which the air is blown into the storage section is formed on a lateral side of the metal plate, the air blown from the air flow path is introduced into a space between the metal plate of the air introduction section and the thermal insulating material, and then moves to the air outlet side, and the low-temperature air cooled by an evaporator indirectly cools the stored items via the metal plate, and flows along the inner surface of the lateral side of the storage section via the air outlet. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the refrigerator of the present invention, the freshness of stored items can be maintained for a long period of time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1A is a front perspective view of an air passage member and a small storage chamber, and FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of the air passage member and the small storage chamber. [Diagram 3] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a small storage compartment of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is an oblique view partially showing the box-shaped storage section, and (B) is an oblique view of the small storage compartment as seen from below the front. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a perspective view showing a box-shaped storage section, and (B) is a perspective view showing each side section. [Diagram 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a perspective view of a small storage compartment seen from the front right side, and (B) is a perspective view of the small storage compartment seen from the front left side. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is an exploded perspective view showing a drawer container and a metal tray, and (B) is a perspective view showing the air flow inside the drawer container. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is an oblique view of a box-shaped storage section and an air passage member viewed from below. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the description of this embodiment, the same components are generally designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated description will be omitted. In the following description, the upper, lower, front, rear, left and right directions will be used, but the left and right directions refer to the left and right when the refrigerator 10 is viewed from the front.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator 10.

[0012] The insulated box 11 which constitutes the main body of the refrigerator 10 is composed of an outer box 111 made of a steel plate bent into a predetermined shape, an inner box 112 made of a synthetic resin plate arranged on the inside and spaced apart from the outer box 111, and an insulating material 113 filled between the outer box 111 and the inner box 112.

[0013] The storage chamber inside the insulated box 11 is divided from above into a refrigerator chamber 12 and a freezer chamber 13. The refrigerator chamber 12 and the freezer chamber 13 are divided by an insulated wall 17. The front opening of the refrigerator chamber 12 is closed by an insulated door 18, and the front opening of the freezer chamber 13 is closed by an insulated door 19.

[0014] A small storage compartment 20 is disposed at the lower interior portion of the refrigerator compartment 12. The small storage compartment 20 is a chilled compartment whose interior is cooled to a lower temperature than other areas of the refrigerator compartment 12, for example, to about -3°C.

[0015] The small storage chamber 20 is divided into a plurality of spaces, and from the upper side, it is divided into an air introduction section 22, a storage section 21, and a lower space section 25. As described later, air is blown directly from an air blowing passage 118 to the air introduction section 22 without passing through the refrigeration chamber 12. In this way, the freshness of the stored items 34 stored in the storage section 21 can be maintained for a long period of time, and further, the occurrence of dripping can be suppressed. The configuration of the small storage chamber 20 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3 and subsequent figures.

[0016] A cooling chamber 115 is formed at the rear of the freezer chamber 13. An evaporator 116, which is a cooler, is disposed inside the cooling chamber 115. A machine chamber 14 is also partitioned and formed at the rear of the lower end side of the refrigerator 10, and a compressor 15 is disposed in the machine chamber 14. The evaporator 116 and the compressor 15 form a vapor compression refrigeration cycle together with a condenser and an expansion means, which are not shown here. By operating the vapor compression refrigeration cycle, the air inside the cooling chamber 115 is cooled by the evaporator 116, and the air is blown into each storage chamber, so that the temperature inside each storage chamber becomes a predetermined cooling temperature range.

[0017] Inside the cooling chamber 115, a blower 37 is disposed above the evaporator 116. The blower 37 is an axial flow blower or a centrifugal blower, and blows the air inside the evaporator 116 that has been cooled by the evaporator 116 toward the refrigerator chamber 12 and the freezer chamber 13.

[0018] A defrost heater 117 is disposed inside and below the evaporator 116. As the vapor compression refrigeration cycle operates, thick frost forms on the surface of the evaporator 116. When this occurs, a control means (not shown) stops the compressor 15, closes the cooling chamber 115, and energizes the defrost heater 117 to heat it, thereby performing a defrosting operation to melt and remove the frost. Although not shown here, a shielding device is disposed near the blower 37 to appropriately close the air passage.

[0019] An air passage 118 is formed from the cooling chamber 115 upward. An air outlet 16, which is an opening for blowing air into the refrigerator chamber 12, is formed in the upper part of the air passage 118. In addition, a part of the air cooled by the evaporator 116 is also blown into the freezer chamber 13 and the air introduction part 22.

[0020] FIG. 2(A) is a perspective view of the air passage member 29 and the small storage chamber 20 as viewed from the front, and FIG. 2(B) is a perspective view of the air passage member 29 and the small storage chamber 20 as viewed from the rear.

[0021] With reference to FIG. 2(A), air passage member 29 is a member attached to the rear surface of refrigerating compartment 12 described above, and has air passage 118 described above formed therein.

[0022] The small storage chamber 20 is disposed on the front side of the air passage member 29. The small storage chamber 20 has a box-shaped storage section 31 and a drawer container 30. The box-shaped storage section 31 is made of a synthetic resin plate and a heat insulating material molded into a predetermined shape, and is a member that is approximately a rectangular parallelepiped with an open front. The air introduction section 22 described above is formed at the upper end portion of the box-shaped storage section 31. The drawer container 30 is a drawer-type storage container made of a synthetic resin plate, which is stored in the box-shaped storage section 31 in the closed state and is pulled out forward from the box-shaped storage section 31 in the open state. The storage section 21 and the lower space section 25 described above are formed inside the drawer container 30.

[0023] 2(B), the front surface of air passage member 29 is partially protruded forward to form blowing protrusion 32. Blowing protrusion 32 communicates with air passage 118. Blowing protrusion 32 is inserted into opening 33 that opens near the upper end of the rear surface of box-shaped storage section 31. Opening 33 communicates with air introduction section 22 described above. In this manner, air rising via air passage 118 can be directly blown to air introduction section 22 described above via blowing protrusion 32 and opening 33.

[0024] Fig. 3(A) is a perspective view partially showing the box-shaped storage section 31 constituting the small storage chamber 20. Here, the cover member 39 constituting the upper surface portion of the box-shaped storage section 31 is shown as being transparent. Fig. 3(B) is a perspective view of the small storage chamber 20 as seen from below on the front side.

[0025] 3(A), a hollow air inlet section 22 is formed inside the upper surface portion of the box-shaped storage section 31. An opening 33 through which cooled air is introduced is formed at the rear end of the air inlet section 22.

[0026] The air introduction section 22 is defined by a cover member 39, an upper end portion of the left side wall of the box-shaped storage section 31, a front cross bar portion connecting the upper end of the left side wall to the upper end of the right side wall at the front side of the box-shaped storage section 31, a rear cross bar portion connecting the upper end of the left side wall to the upper end of the right side wall at the rear side of the box-shaped storage section 31, and an underside formed across the front cross bar portion and the rear cross bar portion.

[0027] A metal plate 23 is disposed on the lower surface of the air introduction section 22. The upper surface of the metal plate 23 is exposed to the air introduction section 22, and the lower surface of the metal plate 23 is exposed to the storage section 21 described above. An air outlet 24 is formed on the lower surface of the air introduction section 22, in the left and right side portions of the metal plate 23. The air outlet 24 is a slit-shaped opening in the front-rear direction on the lower surface of the air introduction section 22, which communicates with the air introduction section 22 and the storage section 21, and allows air to be blown out from the air introduction section 22 to the storage section 21.

[0028] 3(B), two air outlets 24, specifically air outlet 241 and air outlet 242, are formed at the left end of box-shaped storage section 31. Air outlet 241, which is located on the inner side in the left-right direction, is located laterally more inward than the upper end of side surface 38 of pull-out container 30, and air blown out from air outlet 241 is introduced into pull-out container 30 to cool the interior of pull-out container 30.

[0029] On the other hand, the air outlet 242 located on the outer side in the left-right direction is located further outboard than the upper end of the side surface 38 of the drawer container 30, and the air blown out from the air outlet 242 is introduced along the outer surface of the drawer container 30, indirectly cooling the inside of the drawer container 30. When cooling the drawer container 30, air may be blown out only from the air outlet 241, only from the air outlet 242, or both from the air outlet 241 and the air outlet 242. This configuration is also the same at the right end of the box-shaped storage section 31.

[0030] FIG. 4(A) is a perspective view showing the box-shaped storage section 31, and FIG. 4(B) is a perspective view showing each side section.

[0031] 4(A), approximately plate-shaped heat insulating materials, which will be described later, are arranged on the upper side, left and right side surfaces, and rear side surface of the box-shaped storage section 31.

[0032] With reference to FIG. 4(B), the box-shaped storage section 31 described above includes a left side wall 311, a right side wall 312, an upper surface portion 313, and a rear surface portion 314 made of a heat insulating material such as a foamed resin. The left side wall 311 is included in the left side surface of the box-shaped storage section 31. The right side wall 312 is included in the right side surface of the box-shaped storage section 31. The upper surface portion 313 is included in the upper side surface of the box-shaped storage section 31. The rear surface portion 314 is included in the rear side surface of the box-shaped storage section 31. Specifically, when the box-shaped storage section 31 is injection molded, the left side wall 311, the right side wall 312, the upper surface portion 313, and the rear surface portion 314 are insert molded. Also, with reference to FIG. 3(A), the upper surface portion 313 is disposed above the air introduction section 22.

[0033] In this manner, by arranging the left side wall 311, the right side walls 312, 133 and the rear surface 314 inside the box-shaped storage section 31, the heat insulating effect of the storage section 21 described above can be improved.

[0034] Here, the right side wall 312 may be made of the same insulating material as that constituting the insulating box 11. Also, the rear surface portion 314 may be made of the same insulating material as that constituting the air passage member 29.

[0035] Fig. 5(A) is a perspective view of the small storage chamber 20 as viewed from the front right side, and Fig. 5(B) is a perspective view of the small storage chamber 20 as viewed from the front left side. In Fig. 5(A) and Fig. 5(B), the paths through which heat exchange takes place are indicated by hollow arrows, and the paths of air are indicated by dashed arrows.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 5(A), two air outlets 24 are formed on the left side of metal plate 23. In addition, as shown in Fig. 5(B), two air outlets 24 are also formed on the right side of metal plate 23. By forming a plurality of air outlets 24 on the right and left sides of metal plate 23, it is possible to blow more air from air introduction section 22 described above to storage section 21.

[0037] 5(A) and 5(B), the metal plate 23 faces the storage section 21, so that the air inside the storage section 21 can be cooled through the metal plate 23. The low-temperature air cooled by the evaporator 116 described above is not blown onto the stored items 34 stored in the storage section 21. The stored items 34 are indirectly cooled through the metal plate 23. The air outlets 24 are disposed at both ends of the box-shaped storage section 31 in the left-right direction. The air blown out through the air introduction section 22 and the air outlet 24 to the storage section 21 flows along the left-side inner surface and the right-side inner surface of the blow-out protruding section 32. In this way, the temperature of the stored items 34 inside the storage section 21 does not change significantly, and deterioration of freshness and the occurrence of dripping can be suppressed.

[0038] FIG. 6(A) is an exploded perspective view showing the drawer container 30 and the metal tray 26, and FIG. 6(B) is a perspective view showing the air flow inside the drawer container 30. As shown in FIG.

[0039] 6(A), metal tray 26 made of a metal plate such as a stainless steel plate is placed on the bottom surface of drawer container 30. Here, metal tray 26 is shown separated above drawer container 30, but in reality, metal tray 26 is placed on the bottom surface of drawer container 30. In other words, the upper surface of lower space 25 described above is formed by metal tray 26.

[0040] The ribs 27 are wall-like protrusions on the bottom surface of the drawer container 30. The ribs 27 extend in the left-right direction like a wall. A plurality of ribs 27 are formed at approximately equal intervals in the front-rear direction. The metal tray 26 is placed on the upper end of the ribs 27, which separates the bottom surface of the drawer container 30 and the metal tray 26, forming the above-mentioned lower space 25 between them.

[0041] The ribs 27 may be formed continuously from the left end to the right end on the bottom surface of the drawer container 30, or may be formed so as to terminate in the center in the left-right direction. That is, the bottom surface of the drawer container 30 may be formed with a substantially flat area where the ribs 27 are not arranged. In this manner, as described below, air flowing toward the center along the ribs 27 can be made to travel forward through the flat area and then released to the outside of the drawer container 30.

[0042] 6(B), the left side edge of metal tray 26 is spaced apart from the left side surface of pull-out container 30, forming a gap 35 therebetween. Similarly, the right side edge of metal tray 26 is spaced apart from the right side surface of pull-out container 30, forming a gap 35 therebetween.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 5(A), air blown out from air outlet 24 of box-shaped storage section 31 to storage section 21 flows downward along both left and right side surfaces of drawer container 30 shown in Fig. 6(B) and flows into lower space 25 through gap 35. The air that has flowed into lower space 25 flows along ribs 27.

[0044] In this way, the metal tray 26 is cooled from below, and the stored items 34 placed on the upper surface of the metal tray 26 can be indirectly and effectively cooled. Again, inside the drawer container 30, air flows along both the left and right sides, so the air is not directly blown onto the stored items 34. This allows the stored items 34 to be kept at a constant temperature at a low temperature. For example, the stored items 34 can be cooled to -3°C and kept at a constant temperature within a range of 2°C.

[0045] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing refrigerator 10, and is a perspective view of box-shaped storage section 31 and air passage member 29 as viewed from below.

[0046] The small storage chamber 20 is supported from below by a support portion 36. The rear portion of the support portion 36 is opened to form a return port 28. The air that has cooled the inside of the box-shaped storage portion 31 is blown forward from the gap between the pull-out container 30 and the box-shaped storage portion 31 at the front surface of the small storage chamber 20. Then, the air, together with the air that has cooled other areas of the refrigerator chamber 12, returns to the cooling chamber 115 described above via the return port 28.

[0047] According to this embodiment, the following main effects can be obtained.

[0048] The freshness of the stored items 34 can be maintained for a long period of time. Specifically, referring to FIG. 3, an air inlet section 22 is formed above the storage section 21 in which the stored items 34 such as meat are stored, and the lower surface of the air inlet section 22 is made of a metal plate 23, so that the stored items 34 stored in the storage section 21 can be indirectly cooled via the metal plate 23. This allows the opening formed in the storage section 21 to be made smaller, so that the cooling temperature of the stored items 34 inside the small storage chamber 20 can be lowered, and the temperature range can be narrowed to maintain a constant temperature. In this way, the freshness of the stored items 34 can be maintained, and the occurrence of dripping can be suppressed.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 6(B), by placing a storage item 34, such as meat, on the upper surface of the metal tray 26 which forms the upper surface of the lower space 25, the storage item 34 can be cooled through the metal tray 26, thereby allowing the storage item 34 to be cooled even more effectively.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 6(B), air flows along the ribs 27, so that the stored items 34 can be cooled more effectively through the metal tray 26.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 3, by introducing air directly from air passage 118 into air introduction section 22, storage section 21 can be cooled to a lower temperature than other parts of refrigerating compartment 12.

[0052] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, the above-described embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0053] 5 and 6, by positioning some of the multiple air outlets 24 outside the drawer container 30 in the left-right direction, some of the air blown out from the air outlets 24 can flow between the box-shaped storage section 31 and the drawer container 30, making it possible to cool the drawer container 30 from the outside as well.

[0054] Furthermore, by positioning all of the air outlets 24 on the left-right outer side of the drawer container 30, all of the air blown from the air outlets 24 can flow between the box-shaped storage section 31 and the drawer container 30, thereby cooling the drawer container 30 from the outside.

[0055] The invention that can be understood from the above-described embodiment will be described below together with its effects.

[0056] The refrigerator of the present invention comprises a refrigerator compartment, a small storage compartment partitioned inside the refrigerator compartment, and an airflow path through which the air cooled in the cooling compartment is blown. The small storage compartment has a box-shaped storage section in which stored items are stored and which is open at the top, and an air introduction section which is provided above the storage section to cover the opening and through which the air is introduced from the airflow path, and the lower surface of the air introduction section is made of a metal plate, and an airflow port is formed on the side of the metal plate for blowing the air into the storage section. As a result, the refrigerator of the present invention can maintain the freshness of the stored items for a long period of time. Specifically, by forming the air introduction section above the storage section in which stored items such as meat are stored, and by forming the lower surface of the air introduction section from a metal plate, the stored items stored in the storage section can be indirectly cooled through the metal plate. Therefore, the cooling temperature of the stored items can be lowered, and further, a constant temperature can be achieved. In this way, the freshness of the stored items can be maintained and the occurrence of dripping can be suppressed.

[0057] In addition, the refrigerator of the present invention is characterized in that a lower space into which the air that has passed through the storage section is introduced is formed below the storage section, an upper surface of the lower space is made of a metal tray, and the stored item is placed on the upper surface of the metal tray. Thus, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, by placing a stored item, such as meat, on the upper surface of the metal tray that constitutes the upper surface of the lower space, the stored item can be cooled via the metal tray, and the stored item can be cooled more effectively and indirectly.

[0058] In the refrigerator of the present invention, the lower space has ribs, and the air introduced from the storage section into the lower space flows along the ribs. As a result, the refrigerator of the present invention can more effectively cool the stored items through the metal tray by causing the air to flow along the ribs.

[0059] In addition, the refrigerator of the present invention is characterized in that the air is introduced directly into the air introduction part from the air blowing duct. Thus, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, by introducing air directly into the air introduction part from the air blowing duct, the storage part of the small storage chamber can be cooled to a lower temperature than other parts of the refrigeration compartment.

[0060] In addition, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the small storage compartment has a box-shaped storage section and a drawer-type pull-out container stored in the box-shaped storage section, the air inlet section is formed in the box-shaped storage section, and the storage section is formed in the pull-out container. Thus, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, by forming the air inlet section in the box-shaped storage section, air can be effectively blown into the storage section formed in the pull-out container. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10. Refrigerator 11 Insulated box 111 Outer box 112 Inner box 113 Insulation 115 Cooling room 116 Evaporator 117 Defrost heater 118 Air duct 12 Refrigerator 13 Freezer 14 Machine room 15 Compressor 16 Ventilation vent 17 Insulated walls 18 Insulated Door 19 Insulated Door 20 Small Storage Room 21 Storage 22 Air intake section 23 Metal plate 24 Ventilation vent 241 Ventilation vent 242 Ventilator 25 Lower space 26 Metal Tray 27 Ribs 28 Return Exit 29 Air passage components 30 drawer container 31 Box-shaped storage section 311 Left wall 312 Right wall 313 Top part 314 Rear part 32 Blowout protrusion 33 Opening 34 Storage items 35 Gap 36 Support part 37 Blower 38 Side 39 Lid member

Claims

1. A refrigerator compartment, A chilled compartment defined within the refrigeration compartment; an air passage through which the air cooled in the cooling chamber is blown, The chilled compartment is A box-shaped storage section in which the object to be stored is stored and which is open at the top; an air introduction section that is a cavity provided above the storage section to cover the opening and into which the air is introduced from the air flow path; a lower surface of the air introduction portion is made of a metal plate, and an upper surface of the air introduction portion is made of a heat insulating material, An air outlet through which the air is blown out to the storage section is formed on a lateral side of the metal plate, The air blown from the air passage is introduced into a space between the metal plate and the heat insulating material of the air introduction portion, and then moves toward the air outlet, A refrigerator characterized in that the low-temperature air cooled by the evaporator indirectly cools the stored items through the metal plate and flows along the lateral inner surface of the storage section via the air outlet.

2. The bottom surface of the storage section is provided with ribs, A metal tray is placed on the upper end of the rib, and a lower space is formed surrounded by the metal tray and the rib; A gap is formed between the metal tray and the lateral inner surface of the storage portion, 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the air along the lateral inner surface of the storage portion is introduced into the lower space through the gap.

3. The air introduction section is formed inside the box-shaped storage section, 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the metal plate is disposed on a lower surface of the air introduction portion, and an upper surface and a side surface of the air introduction portion are surrounded by the box-shaped storage portion including the heat insulating material.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the air outlet is a slit-shaped opening.

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