Cooling device and refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a cooling device which can effectively utilize the lowering of a temperature of a refrigerant caused by a pressure loss, and a refrigerator.SOLUTION: A cooling device of the present embodiment has a cooler and a blower for blowing air to the cooler. Refrigerant piping arranged at the cooler has first refrigerant piping arranged in a first zone of the cooler, and second refrigerant piping arranged in a second zone different from the first zone, and smaller in an inside diameter than the first refrigerant piping. At least a part of the second refrigerant piping is arranged at a leeward side in a blowing direction by the blower.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a cooling device and a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] If the diameter of the refrigerant tube on the upstream side of the evaporator in the ventilation direction is reduced and this part is located on the upstream side of the refrigerant flow direction of the refrigerant tube, the tube diameter can be narrowed in the area where the refrigerant dryness is low. Therefore, the amount of heat transfer can be increased without increasing the refrigerant pressure loss, and as a result, the heat exchange performance is improved. However, the temperature drop due to the refrigerant pressure loss cannot be effectively utilized. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-230638 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device and a refrigerator capable of effectively utilizing a temperature drop caused by a pressure loss of a refrigerant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A cooling device according to an embodiment includes a cooler and a blower for blowing air to the cooler. A refrigerant pipe disposed in the cooler includes a first refrigerant pipe disposed in a first section of the cooler, and a second refrigerant pipe disposed in a second section separate from the first section and having an inner diameter smaller than that of the first refrigerant pipe.

[0006] The refrigerator of the embodiment has the above-mentioned cooling device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1]1 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment, seen from the side. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooling device including a cooler. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic view taken along line II in FIG. 3, showing the configuration of a cooler. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the air temperature and the refrigerant temperature in an air passage in the cooling device of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a cooler according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the air temperature and the refrigerant temperature in an air passage in a cooling device of a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a superheated gas section is formed in a cooling device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the air temperature and the refrigerant temperature in an air passage including a superheated gas section in a cooling device of a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a cooler according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the air temperature and the refrigerant temperature in an air passage in a cooling device of a third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the air temperature and the refrigerant temperature in an air passage including a superheated gas section in a cooling device of a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, a cooling device and a refrigerator according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, duplicate descriptions of those components may be omitted.

[0009] In this specification, left and right are defined based on the direction in which the refrigerator is viewed from a user standing in front of the refrigerator. Additionally, the side closer to the user standing in front of the refrigerator is defined as the "front" and the side further away is defined as the "rear". In this specification, "width direction" means the left and right direction as defined above. In this specification, "front-rear direction" means the depth direction. In this specification, "width direction" means the left and right direction as defined above. In this specification, "up-down direction" means the height direction of the refrigerator. In the drawings, the front-rear direction is indicated by the symbol X, the front side by the symbol X1, the rear side by the symbol X2, and the left-right direction or width direction by the symbol Y.

[0010] [Overall configuration of refrigerator] A refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described. However, the refrigerator 1 does not need to have all of the components described below, and some components may be omitted as appropriate.

[0011] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a refrigerator 1. The refrigerator 1 includes, for example, a housing 10 and a plurality of doors 20.

[0012] The housing 10 has an upper wall 10a, a lower wall 10b, left and right side walls 10c and 10d, and a rear wall 10e. The upper wall 10a and the lower wall 10b extend in the horizontal direction. The left and right side walls 10c and 10d rise upward from the left and right ends of the lower wall 10b and are connected to the left and right ends of the upper wall 10a. The rear wall 10e rises upward from the rear end of the lower wall 10b and is connected to the rear end of the upper wall 10a. The housing 10 includes an inner box 10i that forms the inner surface of the housing 10, an outer box 10j that is located outside the inner box 10i and forms the outer surface of the housing 10, and a foam insulation material 10k such as foamed urethane that is provided between the inner box 10i and the outer box 10j, and has thermal insulation properties.

[0013] A plurality of storage compartments 11 are provided inside the housing 10. The plurality of storage compartments 11 include, for example, a refrigerator compartment 11A, a chilled compartment 11Aa, a vegetable compartment 11B, an ice making compartment (not shown), a small freezer compartment 11D, and a main freezer compartment 11E. The refrigerator compartment 11A is cooled to a chilled temperature range of, for example, about 2°C to 6°C. The chilled compartment 11Aa is cooled to a chilled temperature range of, for example, about -1°C to +1°C. The vegetable compartment 11B is cooled to a vegetable compartment temperature range of, for example, about 3°C ​​to 7°C. The ice making compartment, the small freezer compartment 11D, and the main freezer compartment 11E are cooled to a freezer temperature range of, for example, about -20°C to -18°C.

[0014] In this embodiment, the refrigerator compartment 11A is located at the top, the vegetable compartment 11B is located below the refrigerator compartment 11A, the ice making compartment and small freezer compartment 11D are located below the vegetable compartment 11B, and the main freezer compartment 11E is located below the ice making compartment and small freezer compartment 11D. However, the arrangement of the storage compartments 11 is not limited to the above example. The housing 10 has an opening on the front side of each storage compartment 11 that allows food to be put in and taken out of each storage compartment 11. The vegetable compartment 11B is an example of a storage compartment.

[0015] Chilled compartment 11Aa is provided in a section below refrigerator compartment 11A. Chilled compartment 11Aa is an example of a "special storage compartment." Chilled compartment 11Aa is a storage compartment with a lower temperature range than the refrigerator compartment and a higher temperature range than the freezer compartment.

[0016] The housing 10 has first and second partitions 15, 16. The first and second partitions 15, 16 are, for example, partition walls that are approximately horizontal. Each of the partitions 15, 16 divides the storage chamber 11 into an upper region and a lower region. The first partition 15 is located between the refrigerator chamber 11A and the chilled chamber 11Aa and the vegetable chamber 11B, and separates the refrigerator chamber 11A and the chilled chamber 11Aa from the vegetable chamber 11B. The first partition 15 has an air hole that guides the cold air that has passed through the refrigerator chamber 11A or the chilled chamber 11Aa to the vegetable chamber 11B. On the other hand, the second partition 16 is located between the vegetable chamber 11B and the ice making chamber and the small freezing chamber 11D, and separates the vegetable chamber 11B from the ice making chamber and the small freezing chamber 11D. The second partition portion 16 is provided, for example, integrally with the housing 10 and has thermal insulation properties.

[0017] The multiple storage compartments 11 are closed by multiple doors 20 so as to be openable and closable. The multiple doors 20 include, for example, left and right refrigerator compartment doors 20A that close the opening of the refrigerator compartment 11A, a vegetable compartment door 20B that closes the opening of the vegetable compartment 11B, an ice-making compartment door (not shown) that closes the opening of the ice-making compartment, a small freezer compartment door 20D that closes the opening of the small freezer compartment 11D, and a main freezer compartment door 20E that closes the opening of the main freezer compartment 11E. The left and right refrigerator compartment doors 20A form, for example, French doors (double doors). Each of the vegetable compartment door 20B, the ice-making compartment door, the small freezer compartment door 20D, and the main freezer compartment door 20E is a drawer door that can be pulled out to the front side of the refrigerator 1.

[0018] The refrigerator 1 includes, for example, a plurality of shelves 30, a plurality of containers 40, a flow path forming component 50, a cooling device 60, and a control device 80.

[0019] The multiple containers 40 include first and second chilled compartment containers 41, 42 housed in two upper and lower tiers in chilled compartment 11Aa, first and second vegetable compartment containers 43, 44 housed in vegetable compartment 11B, an ice making compartment container (not shown) housed in the ice making compartment, a small freezer container 46 housed in small freezer compartment 11D, and first and second main freezer containers 47, 48 housed in main freezer compartment 11E.

[0020] The flow path forming part 50 includes a refrigeration duct part 51 and a freezing duct part 52. The refrigeration duct part 51 is provided in the housing 10 and extends vertically along the rear wall 10e. The refrigeration duct part 51 forms a duct space D1 (D) that is a passage through which cold air (air) flows near the rear wall 10e of the housing 10. In this specification, the "duct part" is not limited to a cylindrical part, and may include a part that defines at least a part of the cold air passage by cooperating with another part (for example, the rear wall 10e of the housing 10). For example, the refrigeration duct part 51 of this embodiment is a cover that is attached to the rear wall 10e of the housing 10 and forms the duct space D1 between the rear wall 10e of the housing 10 and the cover.

[0021] The refrigeration duct part 51 has cold air outlets 51a, 51b and cold air return ports 51c, 51d. The cold air outlet 51a opens into the refrigerator compartment 11A and supplies cold air cooled by a cold storage cooler 701 described later to the refrigerator compartment 11A. The cold air outlet 51b opens into the chilled compartment 11Aa and supplies cold air cooled by a cold storage cooler 701 described later to the chilled compartment 11Aa. The cold air return port 51c opens into the chilled compartment 11Aa and guides the cold air that has been warmed by passing through the chilled compartment 11Aa toward the duct space D1. The cold air return port 51d opens into the vegetable compartment 11B and guides the cold air that has been warmed by passing through the refrigerator compartment 11A, the vegetable compartment 11B, etc., to the duct space D1.

[0022] The refrigeration duct part 52 is provided in the housing 10 and extends vertically along the rear wall 10e. The refrigeration duct part 52 forms a duct space D2 (D) near the rear wall 10e of the housing 10, which is a passage through which cold air (air) flows. The refrigeration duct part 52 has a cold air outlet 52a and a cold air return port 52b. The cold air outlet 52a opens into the ice making compartment, the small freezing compartment 11D, or the main freezing compartment 11E, and supplies cold air cooled by a refrigeration cooler 702 described later to the ice making compartment, the small freezing compartment 11D, or the main freezing compartment 11E. The cold air return port 52b opens into the lower part of the main freezing compartment 11E, and guides the cold air warmed by passing through one or more of the ice making compartment, the small freezing compartment 11D, and the main freezing compartment 11E to the duct space D2.

[0023] An insulating member (not shown) is provided inside the refrigeration duct part 51 and the freezing duct part 52. The insulating member is, for example, a foam insulating material such as expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) and has high insulating properties. The insulating member has better insulating properties per unit thickness than the duct parts 51 and 52.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cooling device 60 includes, for example, a compressor 61, a cooler 70 (a refrigeration cooler 701, a freezing cooler 702), a blower fan 63 (a refrigeration compartment fan 631, a freezing compartment fan 632), a refrigerant piping 64, an accumulator 65, and a suction pipe 66.

[0025] The refrigeration cooler 701 and the refrigeration room fan 631 are disposed in the duct space D1. The refrigeration cooler 701 is supplied with refrigerant compressed by the compressor 61, and cools the cold air flowing through the duct space D1. When the refrigeration room fan 631 is driven, the cold air cooled by the refrigeration cooler 701 is supplied from the cold air outlets 51a, 51b to the refrigeration room 11A and the chilled room 11Aa. A part of the cold air that has passed through the refrigeration room 11A or the chilled room 11Aa flows into the vegetable room 11B. Then, the cold air that has been warmed in one or more of the refrigeration room 11A, the chilled room 11Aa, and the vegetable room 11B returns to the duct space D1 from the cold air return ports 51c, 51d.

[0026] The freezing cooler 702 and the freezing room fan 632 are disposed in the duct space D2. The freezing cooler 702 is supplied with the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 61, and cools the cold air flowing through the duct space D2. When the freezing room fan 632 is driven, the cold air cooled by the freezing cooler 702 is supplied from the cold air outlet 52a to the freezing rooms (ice-making room, small freezing room 11D, main freezing room 11E), and the air heated in the freezing rooms returns to the duct space D2 from the cold air return port 52b.

[0027] The control device 80 has a circuit board and electronic components mounted on the circuit board. The control device 80 comprehensively controls the entire refrigerator 1. For example, the control device 80 controls the operations of the compressor 61 and the blower fan 63 described above.

[0028] The cooling device 60 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. The refrigerant pipe 64 is a pipe through which the refrigerant flows and supplies the refrigerant to the cooler 70. The refrigerant pipe 64 (reference symbol 64A) on the upstream side of the cooler 70 is connected to the cooler 70, and the refrigerant pipe 64 (reference symbol 64B) on the downstream side of the cooler 70 that has passed through the cooler 70 is connected to a suction pipe 66 via an accumulator 65. The suction pipe 66 has an upstream end 66a in the refrigerant flow path connected to the accumulator 65 and a downstream end (not shown) connected to the compressor 61, forming a refrigerant circulation path. A pipe heater 67 is provided in addition to the cooler 70.

[0029] The cooler 70 is composed of a refrigerant pipe 71 and a plurality of fins 72. The refrigerant pipe 71 has a serpentine shape in which a plurality of straight portions extending in the width direction X are arranged in parallel vertically and connected to adjacent rows at both ends in the width direction of the straight portions. The plurality of fins 72 are arranged at a distance from each other on the straight portions of the refrigerant pipe 71. The fins 72 have a plate shape. For example, the plurality of fins 72 are arranged vertically. The refrigerant pipe 71 penetrates each fin 72 in the thickness direction. In the cooler 70, the refrigerant pipe 71 snakes from the upper part of the duct space D to the lower part of the duct space D, and a plurality of fins 72 are provided in the snaked portion of the refrigerant pipe 71. Partition walls 73 are provided on both sides of the width direction X of the cooler 70. The partition walls 73 are arranged in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction Y. The partition walls 73 are formed with a plurality of holes 731 through which the refrigerant pipes 71 pass. In the partition wall 73 , the bent portion of the refrigerant pipe 71 is inserted into the hole 731 and is engaged with the refrigerant pipe 71 .

[0030] The accumulator 65 is provided on the side of the cooler 70 in the width direction X. The accumulator 65 is disposed on the circulation passage side of the duct space D. A partition wall 73 is disposed between the accumulator 65 and the cooler 70. The downstream end of the refrigerant pipe 71 in the cooler 70 extends in the width direction X, then bends and extends upward, and is connected to an inlet 65a at the lower end of the accumulator 65. The suction pipe 66 extends upward from a downstream outlet 65b disposed at the top of the accumulator 65. The suction pipe 66 extending from the downstream outlet 65b of the accumulator 65 is connected to the compressor 61 (see FIG. 1).

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, in the duct space D1, the blower fan 63 (refrigerator compartment fan 631) is disposed above the cooler 70 (downstream of the cooler 70). In the duct space D2 on the refrigerator side, the freezer compartment fan 632 is disposed below the cooler 70 (upstream of the cooler 70). The blower fan 63 is, for example, an axial fan (propeller fan). The blower fan 63 has a flow path extending in the vertical direction. In the flow path of the blower fan 63 (refrigerator compartment fan 631), a flow path is formed that flows the cold air sucked by the blower fan 63 upward. In the vertical direction, the lower part of the blower fan 63 faces the cooler 70, and the upper part of the blower fan 63 is disposed at a position exposed to the space above the cooler 70. The blower fan 63 may be, for example, a centrifugal fan.

[0032] Fig. 3 is a simplified plan view of the cooler 70. Fig. 4 is a view taken along line II in Fig. 3. 3 and 4, the refrigerant piping 71 arranged in the cooler 70 includes a large-diameter refrigerant piping 71A (first refrigerant piping) arranged in a section (first section R1) on the refrigerant upstream side F1 of the refrigerant flow direction F of the cooler 70, and a small-diameter refrigerant piping 71B (second refrigerant piping) arranged in a section (second section R2) on the refrigerant downstream side F2 different from the first section R1 and having a smaller inner diameter than the large-diameter refrigerant piping 71A. The lower side of the cooler 70 is a refrigerant inlet 70a, and the upper side is a refrigerant outlet 70b.

[0033] At least a portion of small diameter refrigerant pipe 71B is disposed on the downwind side E2 of the blowing direction E of blower fan 63. That is, the inner diameter of refrigerant pipe 71 in cooler 70 is changed from a large diameter to a small diameter in the middle of the refrigerant flow direction F. Small diameter refrigerant pipe 71B is located on the refrigerant downstream side F2 of large diameter refrigerant pipe 71A in refrigerant pipe 71. Large diameter refrigerant pipe 71A and small diameter refrigerant pipe 71B may be connected by brazing, or a single pipe may be processed to change the diameter.

[0034] As described above, the compressor 61 shown in Fig. 1 compresses the refrigerant flowing out from the cooler 70. As shown in Fig. 2, the inner diameters of the refrigerant pipes 64A and 64B connected to the upstream and downstream sides of the cooler 70 are set to be larger than the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe 71 of the cooler 70.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between air temperature T1 and refrigerant temperature T2 in the air passage by cooling device 60 of the first embodiment. In Fig. 5, the horizontal axis indicates the position from the upstream of the air passage (upwind side E1) to the downstream of the air passage (downwind side E2), and the vertical axis indicates the air temperature T1 around the cooler 70 and the refrigerant temperature T2 in the refrigerant pipe 71. In the figure, T1 indicates the air temperature, T2 indicates the refrigerant temperature, and T0 indicates the conventional refrigerant temperature. The conventional refrigerant temperature T0 is the case where the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe is the same over the entire length of the piping. The change point t1 in the refrigerant temperature T2 is the position where the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe 71 changes. Also, the hatched area indicated by the symbol ΔT in Fig. 5 is the temperature difference between the conventional refrigerant temperature T0 and the refrigerant temperature T2, and indicates the heat transfer improvement area.

[0036] In the cooling device 60, the refrigerant temperature T2 at the refrigerant inlet 70a of the cooler 70 is related to the refrigerant piping 71 on the refrigerant upstream side F1. In the cooler 70 of this embodiment, the inner diameter of the refrigerant piping 71 in the first section R1 on the refrigerant upstream side F1 is large-diameter refrigerant piping 71A, which is the same as the inner diameter of a conventional piping, so that the pressure loss is small and the refrigerant temperature T2 is equivalent to the conventional refrigerant temperature T0. On the other hand, in the second section R2 where the small-diameter refrigerant piping 71B is arranged on the refrigerant downstream side F2 of the first section R1, the pressure loss gradually increases and the refrigerant temperature T2 becomes lower than the conventional refrigerant temperature T0.

[0037] Next, the operation of the cooling device 60 and the refrigerator 1 will be described.

[0038] The cooling device 60 according to the first embodiment includes a cooler 70 and a blower fan 63 (blower) that blows air to the cooler 70. The refrigerant piping 71 arranged in the cooler 70 includes a large-diameter refrigerant piping 71A arranged in a first section R1 of the cooler 70, and a small-diameter refrigerant piping 71B arranged in a second section R2 separate from the first section R1 and having a smaller inner diameter than the large-diameter refrigerant piping 71A. Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, at least a part of the small-diameter refrigerant piping 71B is arranged on the downwind side E2 of the blowing direction E by the blower fan 63. That is, the small-diameter refrigerant piping 71B is located on the refrigerant downstream side F2 of the large-diameter refrigerant piping 71A.

[0039] In this manner, in this embodiment, by disposing the refrigerant downstream side F2 of the cooler 70, whose temperature has been reduced due to a temperature drop caused by pressure loss, on the downwind side E2, the temperature difference with the air on the downwind side E2, whose temperature has been reduced, can be increased, and the heat transfer performance can be improved. Therefore, in the cooling device 60 according to this embodiment, the temperature drop caused by the pressure loss of the refrigerant can be effectively utilized.

[0040] In this embodiment, a compressor 61 is provided that compresses the refrigerant flowing out of the cooler 70. The inner diameter of a connecting refrigerant pipe 64 that connects the cooler 70 and the compressor 61 is larger than the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe 71. Therefore, the pressure loss in the connecting refrigerant pipe 64 that connects the cooler 70 and the compressor 61 can also be reduced, and the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle can be improved.

[0041] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a cooling device and a refrigerator capable of effectively utilizing a temperature drop caused by a pressure loss of a refrigerant.

[0042] Hereinafter, other embodiments of the first embodiment will be described. Note that configurations other than those described in the following embodiments are the same as the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0043] Second embodiment Next, a cooling device 60A including a cooler 70A according to a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the cooler 70A according to the second embodiment, and corresponds to Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 6, the refrigerant flow direction F of the cooler 70A is opposite to the air blowing direction E. That is, the refrigerant of the cooler 70A flows from the downwind side E2 to the upwind side E1. The cooler 70A has a refrigerant inlet 70a on the upper side and a refrigerant outlet 70b on the lower side.

[0044] The refrigerant piping 71 has a first section R1 arranged on the windward side E1, and a second section R2 arranged on the refrigerant upstream side F1 of the first section R1 and on the leeward side E2. In the cooler 70A, a small diameter refrigerant piping 71B (second refrigerant piping) provided in the second section R2 is arranged on the refrigerant upstream side F1 of a large diameter refrigerant piping 71A (first refrigerant piping) provided in the first section R1. The inner diameter of the refrigerant piping 71 in the cooler 70A is changed from a small diameter to a large diameter at a middle portion in the refrigerant flow direction F.

[0045] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the air temperature and the refrigerant temperature in the air passage of the cooling device 60A of the second embodiment. In Fig. 7, the horizontal axis indicates the position from the upstream of the air passage (upwind side) to the downstream of the air passage (downwind side), and the vertical axis indicates the air temperature around cooler 70A and the refrigerant temperature in refrigerant pipe 71. In the figure, T1 indicates the air temperature, T2 indicates the refrigerant temperature, and T0 indicates the conventional refrigerant temperature. The conventional refrigerant temperature is the case where the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe is the same over the entire length of the piping. Change point t2 in refrigerant temperature T2 is the position where the inner diameter of refrigerant pipe 71 changes. Also, the hatched area indicated by the symbol ΔT in Fig. 7 is the temperature difference between conventional refrigerant temperature T0 and refrigerant temperature T2, and indicates the heat transfer improvement area.

[0046] In the cooling device 60A, the refrigerant temperature at the refrigerant inlet 70a of the cooler 70A is related to the refrigerant pipe 71 on the upstream side F1 of the refrigerant. In the cooler 70A of the second embodiment, the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe 71 in the second section R2 on the upstream side F1 of the refrigerant is the small diameter refrigerant pipe 71B which is smaller than the large diameter refrigerant pipe 71A, and the pressure loss gradually increases toward the downstream side F2 of the refrigerant, and the refrigerant temperature T2 is lower than the conventional refrigerant temperature T0. On the other hand, in the first section R1 where the large diameter refrigerant pipe 71A is arranged on the downstream side F2 of the refrigerant from the second section R2 (windward side E1), the inner diameter is the same as the conventional pipe inner diameter, so the pressure loss is small, the decrease in the refrigerant temperature T2 is suppressed, and the refrigerant temperature T2 is approximately constant. In this way, in the cooling device 60A of the second embodiment, the heat transfer improvement area is larger than that of the cooling device 60 of the first embodiment described above, and it can be confirmed that it is more effective.

[0047] In this way, in the cooling device 60A of the second embodiment, by disposing the refrigerant upstream side F1 of the cooler 70A, whose temperature has been reduced due to a temperature drop caused by pressure loss, on the downwind side E2, the temperature difference with the air on the downwind side E2, whose temperature has been reduced, can be increased, and the heat transfer performance can be improved. Therefore, in the cooling device 60A according to this embodiment, the temperature drop caused by the pressure loss of the refrigerant can be effectively utilized.

[0048] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a superheated gas section R3 is formed in a cooling device 60A of the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, the cooler 70A of the second embodiment may be configured to have a superheated gas section R3 in which the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 71 becomes a superheated gas at a position on the refrigerant downstream side F2 of the second section R2 and at a position on the refrigerant upstream side F1 of the refrigerant outlet 70b of the cooler 70A.

[0049] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the air temperature and the refrigerant temperature in the air passage including the superheated gas section R3 in the cooling device 60A of the second embodiment. The configuration in Fig. 9 is the same as that in Fig. 7. In Fig. 9, the change point t3 in the refrigerant temperature T2 is the boundary point between the superheated gas section R3 and the first section R1. As shown in Fig. 9, by arranging the vicinity of the refrigerant outlet 70b where the refrigerant temperature T2 of the superheated gas in the superheated gas section R3 in the cooler 70A is high on the windward side E1, the temperature difference with the air on the windward side E1 where the air temperature T1 is high can be increased, and the heat transfer performance can be improved.

[0050] Third embodiment Next, a cooling device 60B including a cooler 70B according to a third embodiment will be described. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a cooler 70B according to the third embodiment, and corresponds to Fig. 4. As shown in FIG. 10, the refrigerant pipe 71 of the cooler 70B has a turn-back portion 71a that turns back with respect to the airflow direction E on the upper side of the cooler 70B. The refrigerant pipe 71 has a first flow path portion that extends from the windward side to the leeward side while meandering, and a second flow path portion that is connected to the turn-back portion 71a (connecting portion) that turns back from the first flow path portion and extends from the leeward side to the windward side while meandering. The refrigerant flow direction F of the cooler 70B is the airflow direction E from the refrigerant inlet 70a to the turn-back portion 71a on the refrigerant upstream side F1, and is the opposite direction to the airflow direction E from the turn-back portion 71a to the refrigerant outlet 70b on the refrigerant downstream side F2. That is, the refrigerant of the cooler 70B flows from the windward side E1 to the leeward side E2 on the refrigerant upstream side F1, and flows from the leeward side E2 to the windward side E1 on the refrigerant downstream side F2 from the turn-back portion 71a. The lower side of the cooler 70B serves as a refrigerant inlet 70a and a refrigerant outlet 70b.

[0051] In the refrigerant piping 71 of the cooler 70B, the section from the refrigerant inlet 70a to the turn-back section 71a (the above-mentioned first flow path section) on the refrigerant upstream side F1 is the second section R2, and the section from the turn-back section 71a to the refrigerant outlet 70b (the above-mentioned second flow path section) on the refrigerant downstream side F2 of the second section R2 is the first section R1. In the cooler 70A, the small-diameter refrigerant piping 71B (second refrigerant piping) provided in the second section R2 is disposed on the refrigerant upstream side F1 with respect to the large-diameter refrigerant piping 71A (first refrigerant piping) provided in the first section R1. The inner diameter of the refrigerant piping 71 in the cooler 70B is changed from a small diameter to a large diameter at the middle part in the refrigerant flow direction F.

[0052] The folded portion 71a of the refrigerant pipe 71 is provided at a connection portion that connects the ends of the small diameter refrigerant pipe 71B and the large diameter refrigerant pipe 71A located on the leeward side E2 of the cooler 70B. The folded portion 71a is formed by a small diameter refrigerant pipe.

[0053] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the air temperature and the refrigerant temperature in the air passage in the cooling device 60B of the third embodiment. In FIG. 11, the horizontal axis indicates the position from the upstream of the air passage (upwind side) to the downstream of the air passage (downwind side), and the vertical axis indicates the air temperature around cooler 70B and the refrigerant temperature in refrigerant pipe 71. In the figure, T1 indicates the air temperature, T2 indicates the refrigerant temperature, and T0 indicates the conventional refrigerant temperature. The conventional refrigerant temperature is the case where the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe is the same over the entire length of the piping. The change point t3 in the refrigerant temperature T2 is the position where the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe 71 changes, and corresponds to the turn-back portion 71a. Note that FIG. 11 shows the temperature difference between the conventional refrigerant temperature T0 and the refrigerant temperature T2, and does not show the heat transfer improvement region.

[0054] In the cooling device 60B, the refrigerant temperature at the refrigerant inlet 70a of the cooler 70A is related to the refrigerant pipe 71 on the upstream side F1 of the refrigerant. In the cooler 70B of the third embodiment, the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe 71 in the second section R2 on the upstream side F1 of the refrigerant is the small diameter refrigerant pipe 71B, which is smaller than the large diameter refrigerant pipe 71A, and the pressure loss gradually increases toward the turn-back portion 71a, and the refrigerant temperature T2 is lower than the conventional refrigerant temperature T0. In the first section R1 where the large diameter refrigerant pipe 71A is arranged on the refrigerant downstream side F2 (windward side E1) from the second section R2 after turning back the turn-back portion 71a, the inner diameter is the same as the conventional pipe inner diameter, so the pressure loss is small, the decrease in the refrigerant temperature T2 is suppressed, and the refrigerant temperature T2 is approximately constant. In this way, in the cooling device 60B of the third embodiment, the heat transfer improvement area is larger than that of the cooling device 60 of the first embodiment described above, and it can be confirmed that it is more effective.

[0055] In this way, in the cooling device 60B of the third embodiment, the folded portion 71a made of the small diameter refrigerant pipe 71B of the cooler 70A, whose temperature has been reduced by the temperature drop caused by the pressure loss, is disposed on the downwind side E2, so that the temperature difference with the air on the downwind side E2, whose temperature has been reduced, can be increased, and the heat transfer performance can be improved. Therefore, in the cooling device 60B according to this embodiment, the temperature drop caused by the pressure loss of the refrigerant can be effectively utilized.

[0056] The cooler 70B of the third embodiment may be configured to have a superheated gas section R3 in which the refrigerant in the refrigerant piping 71 becomes a superheated gas at a position on the refrigerant downstream side F2 of the second section R2 and at a position on the refrigerant upstream side F1 of the refrigerant outlet 70b of the cooler 70B (see Figure 8).

[0057] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the air temperature and the refrigerant temperature in the air passage including the superheated gas section R3 in the cooling device 60A of the second embodiment. The configuration in Fig. 9 is the same as that in Fig. 7. In Fig. 9, the change point t3 in the refrigerant temperature T2 is the boundary point between the superheated gas section R3 and the first section R1. As shown in Fig. 12, by arranging the vicinity of the refrigerant outlet 70b where the refrigerant temperature T2 of the superheated gas in the superheated gas section R3 in the cooler 70A is high on the windward side E1, the temperature difference can be increased by performing heat exchange with the air on the windward side E1 where the air temperature T1 is high, and the heat transfer performance can be improved.

[0058] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0059] In the above-described embodiment, no specific numerical value or ratio is given for the inner diameter of the small diameter refrigerant pipe 71B relative to the inner diameter of the large diameter refrigerant pipe 71A, but these refrigerant pipes 71 can be set appropriately. In the present embodiment, the large diameter refrigerant pipe 71A has the same inner diameter as a conventional refrigerant pipe, but this is not limited to the above.

[0060] In addition, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which refrigerant pipes with two different inner diameters are used, namely, the large diameter refrigerant pipe 71A in the first section R1 and the small diameter refrigerant pipe 71B in the second section R2, and each of the refrigerant pipes 71A, 71B itself has the same inner diameter over its entire length, but this is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to adopt a small diameter refrigerant pipe 71B whose inner diameter changes in the length direction, for example, a small diameter that gradually decreases. Furthermore, it is also possible to configure refrigerant pipes with multiple types of inner diameters to be connected within each of the first section R1 and the second section R2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1...refrigerator, 10...casing, 60, 60A, 60B...cooling device, 61...compressor, 63...blower fan (blower), 64...refrigerant piping, 70, 70A, 70B...cooler, 71...refrigerant piping, 71A...large diameter refrigerant piping (first refrigerant piping), 71B...small diameter refrigerant piping (second refrigerant piping), 71a...folded section (connecting section), 72...fin, 80...control device, D...duct space, E...blowing direction, E1...upwind side, E2...downwind side, F...refrigerant flow direction, F1...refrigerant upstream side, F2...refrigerant downstream side, R1...first section, R2...second section, R3...superheated gas section.

Claims

1. A cooling device including a cooler and a blower that blows air to the cooler, The refrigerant piping arranged in the cooler includes: A first refrigerant pipe disposed in a first section of the cooler; a second refrigerant pipe disposed in a second section separate from the first section, the second refrigerant pipe having an inner diameter smaller than that of the first refrigerant pipe.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the second refrigerant pipe is disposed on a downwind side in a blowing direction of the blower.

3. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein the second refrigerant pipe is located downstream of the first refrigerant pipe.

4. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein the second refrigerant pipe is located upstream of the first refrigerant pipe.

5. The refrigerant piping is A first flow path portion that extends in a meandering manner from an upwind side to a downwind side in a blowing direction of the blower; a second flow path portion connected to a connecting portion that turns back from the first flow path portion and extending in a meandering manner from the downwind side to the upwind side, The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein the second refrigerant pipe is disposed at least upstream of the first flow path portion, and the first refrigerant pipe is disposed downstream of the second refrigerant pipe.

6. The cooling device according to claim 5 , wherein the second refrigerant piping is arranged in the first flow path portion and the connecting portion that connects the downwind side ends of the first flow path portion and the second flow path portion to each other.

7. 2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the cooler has a superheated gas section in which the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe becomes a superheated gas, at a position downstream of the second section and upstream of a refrigerant outlet of the cooler.

8. a compressor that compresses the refrigerant flowing out of the cooler, The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein an inner diameter of a connecting refrigerant pipe connecting the cooler and the compressor is larger than an inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe.

9. A refrigerator comprising the cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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