Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that can purify air in the refrigerator without inhibiting a flow of cold air circulating in the refrigerator.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment comprises: a refrigerator body 2 inside which storage chambers 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 and cooler chambers 31 and 51 are formed; coolers 36 and 56 provided in the cooler chambers 31 and 51, and for generating cold air; air passages 33, 52, 53, and 54 connecting the storage chambers 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 and the cooler chambers 31 and 51, and for circulating air between the storage chambers 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 and the cooler chambers 31 and 51; and catalyst thin film bodies 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 comprising thin film bodies. and catalyst layers provided on the surfaces of the thin film bodies. The catalyst thin film bodies 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 are attached to flat portions facing the air passages 33, 52, 53, and 54.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In order to maintain the freshness of stored items in refrigerators, it has been proposed to provide a purification device in the cool air duct inside the refrigerator that sterilizes and deodorizes the air circulating inside the refrigerator.

[0003] Such purification devices include a porous body carrying a catalyst and a light-emitting device that outputs light such as ultraviolet light. By irradiating the light output from the light-emitting device onto the porous body, bacteria and odorous components contained in the air in the cool air duct are decomposed and removed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5251229 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the above-mentioned purifying device, the thickness of the porous body is large in order to increase the surface area of ​​the porous body, and therefore the porous body is likely to become an obstacle to the flow of cool air circulating inside the refrigerator.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can purify the air inside the refrigerator without impeding the flow of cool air circulating inside the refrigerator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A refrigerator in one embodiment includes a refrigerator body having a storage chamber and a cooler chamber formed therein, a cooler provided in the cooler chamber to generate cold air, an air passage connecting the storage chamber and the cooler chamber and circulating air between the storage chamber and the cooler chamber, and a catalyst film including a thin film and a catalyst layer having a catalyst formed on a surface of the thin film, and the catalyst film is attached to a flat portion facing the air passage. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an enlarged front view of a main part of a refrigerator body. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a main part of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] Exploded perspective view of a freezer partition member [Diagram 5] Front view of the ice-making compartment, the first freezer compartment, and the second freezer compartment without doors DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The following embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto. The following 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. The following embodiments and their modifications are within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims. This is what we have in mind.

[0010] In the following description, the left-right direction, front-rear direction, and up-down direction refer to the directions when the refrigerator is viewed from the front, and the left-right direction corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator. Furthermore, the terms right, left, top, bottom, back, rear, and front refer to positions or sides when the refrigerator is viewed from the front unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, the side of the inner box 4 of the refrigerator 1 that faces the storage space is the inside side, and the side facing the outer box 3 through the insulation material is the insulation space side.

[0011] (1) Configuration of Refrigerator 1 First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described. Fig. 1 shows the refrigerator 1 of the embodiment. The refrigerator body 2 of the refrigerator 1 is configured by combining an outer box 3 forming the outer shell of the refrigerator 1 with an inner box 4 having a storage space formed therein, and providing an insulating material 5 such as a foam insulating material or a plate-shaped insulating material in an insulating space formed between the outer box 3 and the inner box 4.

[0012] The inside of the refrigerator body 2 is divided into upper and lower parts by an insulating partition wall 6. The upper side of the insulating partition wall 6 is the refrigerating space. The refrigerating space is maintained at a refrigerating temperature that is a temperature suitable for refrigerated storage. The lower side of the insulating partition wall 6 is the freezing space. The freezing space is maintained at a freezing temperature that is a temperature suitable for frozen storage. The refrigerating space and the freezing space each have a plurality of storage compartments for storing food. Each storage compartment has an opening at the front, through which users can put food in and take it out.

[0013] The refrigeration space is divided into front and rear parts by a refrigeration partition member 30. A refrigeration storage space for storing stored goods is formed in front of the refrigeration partition member 30, and air passages such as a refrigeration cooling chamber 31, supply air passages 32, 33, return air passages 34, 35, etc. are formed behind the refrigeration partition member 30.

[0014] The refrigeration cooler chamber 31 houses a refrigeration cooler 36 and a refrigeration blower 37. The refrigeration cooler 36 cools the air in the refrigeration cooler chamber 31 to generate cold air, and the generated cold air is supplied to the refrigerated storage space by the refrigeration blower 37.

[0015] The refrigerated storage space is divided into upper and lower sections by a partition wall 7. A refrigerator compartment 20 is provided above the partition wall 7, and a vegetable compartment 22 is provided below the partition wall 7. A communication passage 7a connecting the refrigerator compartment 20 and the vegetable compartment 22 is provided at the rear of the partition wall 7. The interior of the refrigerator compartment 20 is maintained within a refrigeration temperature range, for example, at 2 to 5°C, and the interior of the vegetable compartment 22 is maintained within a refrigeration temperature range, for example, at 4 to 7°C.

[0016] A plurality of storage shelves 8 are provided vertically at intervals in the refrigeration compartment 20. The space below the lowest storage shelf 8 is a chilled compartment within the refrigeration compartment 20 that is maintained at an especially low temperature.

[0017] A lighting device 9 for illuminating the inside of the refrigerator compartment 20 is provided on the ceiling wall of the refrigerator body 2, which forms the ceiling surface of the refrigerator compartment 20, on the inside of the refrigerator.

[0018] The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 20 is opened and closed by a pair of left and right French-style (double-leaf) refrigerator compartment doors 21. The opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment door 21 is detected by a door sensor provided at the front end of the refrigerator compartment 20.

[0019] The front opening of the vegetable compartment 22 is opened and closed by a drawer-type vegetable compartment door 23. A drawer-type storage container is attached to the inside of the vegetable compartment door 23. When the user opens the vegetable compartment door 23, the storage container is pulled out together with the vegetable compartment door 23 to the outside of the compartment, and when the vegetable compartment door 23 is closed, the storage container is stored in the vegetable compartment 22 together with the vegetable compartment door 23.

[0020] The freezer space is divided into front and rear parts by a freezer partition member 50, with a freezer storage space for storing stored goods being formed in front of the freezer partition member 50, and cold air ducts such as a freezer cooler chamber 51, supply ducts 52, 53, 54, and a return duct 55 being formed behind the freezer partition member 50.

[0021] The freezer cooler chamber 51 houses a freezer cooler 56 and a freezer blower 57. The freezer cooler 56 cools the air in the freezer cooler chamber 51 to generate cold air, and the generated cold air is supplied to the freezer storage space by the freezer blower 57.

[0022] The freezer storage space is provided with ice-making compartment 24 (see FIG. 5), first freezer compartment 26, and second freezer compartment 28 as storage compartments. Ice-making compartment 24 and first freezer compartment 26 are arranged side by side on the left and right at the top of the freezer space. Second freezer compartment 28 is arranged below the ice-making compartment and first freezer compartment 26. The insides of the ice-making compartment and second freezer compartment 28 are maintained within the freezing temperature range, for example, at -20 to -18°C. The inside of first freezer compartment 26 is maintained within the freezing temperature range, for example, at -18 to -16°C.

[0023] The front opening of first freezer compartment 26 is opened and closed by a drawer-type first freezer compartment door 27. A drawer-type storage container is attached to the interior surface of first freezer compartment door 27. Furthermore, the front opening of second freezer compartment 28 is opened and closed by a drawer-type second freezer compartment door 29. A drawer-type storage container is fixed to the interior surface of second freezer compartment door 29. Furthermore, the front opening of ice-making compartment 24 is opened and closed by a drawer-type ice-making compartment door (not shown).

[0024] A machine room 10 is provided at the lower rear of the refrigerator body 2. A compressor 11, a condenser (not shown), etc. are housed in the machine room 10. The compressor 11, the condenser, the refrigeration cooler 36, the freezing cooler 56, etc. configure a well-known refrigeration cycle device. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 flows alternately to the refrigeration cooler 36 and the freezing cooler 56, and when the refrigerant flows, cold air is generated in each cooler.

[0025] A control board 12 that controls the refrigerator 1 is provided at the rear end of the upper wall of the refrigerator body 2. The control board 12 includes a control unit made up of a microcomputer and a readable / writable storage unit such as a flash memory, and is connected to various devices such as various sensors and the lighting device 9, the compressor 11, the refrigeration blower 37, and the freezer blower 57. The control unit provided on the control board 12 controls the overall operation of the refrigerator 1, such as the rotation speeds of the refrigeration blower 37 and the freezer blower 57, the operating frequency of the compressor 11, and the lighting operation of the lighting device 9, based on detection signals from the various sensors.

[0026] (2) Refrigeration partition member 30 The refrigeration partition member 30 provided at the rear of the refrigeration space includes an air passage assembly 38 and a rear partition member 39.

[0027] The air passage assembly 38 is provided behind the upper part of the chilled compartment and the vegetable compartment 22 arranged at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment 20, and forms the refrigerator-cooler compartment 31 between itself and the rear surface 4a of the inner box 4. The air passage assembly 38 is also provided with a first supply air passage 32 connecting the refrigerator-cooler compartment 31 and the chilled compartment, a first return air passage 34 connecting the refrigerator compartment 20 and the refrigerator-cooler compartment 31, and a second return air passage 35 connecting the vegetable compartment 22 and the refrigerator-cooler compartment 31.

[0028] The rear partition member 39 is disposed above the air passage assembly 38 so as to divide the refrigerating space into front and rear. The rear partition member 39 forms a second supply air passage 33 extending upward from the refrigerator cooler chamber 31 between itself and the rear surface 4a of the inner box 4. The second supply air passage 33 connects the refrigerator cooler chamber 31 and the refrigerator chamber 20.

[0029] 1 and 2, a catalyst thin film 41 having a catalyst supported on the surface of a thin film is attached to a flat portion of the back surface 4a of the inner box 4 which defines the back surface of the second supply air passage 33. The specific configuration of the catalyst thin film 41 will be described in detail later.

[0030] The refrigerator cooler chamber 31 is provided with a fin tube type refrigerator cooler 36 and a refrigerator blower 37. When the refrigerator cooler 36 cools the air flowing in the refrigerator cooler chamber 31, the refrigerator blower 37 supplies the air in the refrigerator cooler chamber 31 cooled by the refrigerator cooler 36 to the chilled chamber via the first supply air passage 32, and also supplies it to the second supply air passage 33 formed between the rear partition member 39 and the rear face 4a of the inner box 4. The cold air introduced into the second supply air passage 33 flows upward and is blown out and supplied to the refrigerator chamber 20 from an air outlet 40 provided in the rear partition member 39.

[0031] The air supplied to the chilled compartment and the refrigerator compartment 20 flows while cooling the chilled compartment and the refrigerator compartment 20. Then, a part of the air that flows through the chilled compartment and the refrigerator compartment 20 flows into the first return air duct 34 from an intake port provided at the rear of the partition wall 7 and returns to the refrigerator cooling device chamber 31, and the remaining air flows into the vegetable compartment 22 through the communication passage 7a provided at the rear of the partition wall 7.

[0032] The air that flows into the vegetable compartment 22 flows inside the vegetable compartment 22 while cooling it, then flows into the second return air duct 35 from an intake port provided at the lower end of the air duct assembly 38, and returns to the refrigeration cooler chamber 31 together with the air that flowed into the first return air duct 34, and is then cooled again by the refrigeration cooler 36.

[0033] (3) Freezer partition member 50 As shown in Figures 1, 3 to 5, the freezing partition member 50 comprises a front partition member 61, a rear partition member 62 arranged rearward of the front partition member 61, and an insulating molded body 63 arranged between the front partition member 61 and the rear partition member 62.

[0034] Front partition member 61 is made of a plate-shaped member provided at a distance in front of rear partition member 62, and forms the rear surface of ice making chamber 24, first freezing chamber 26, and second freezing chamber 28. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, front partition member 61 is provided with air outlet 58 opening into ice making chamber 24, air outlet 59 opening into first freezing chamber 26, and air outlet 60 opening into second freezing chamber 28.

[0035] The rear partition member 62 is made of a plate-like member covering the front surface of the freezer cooler 56, and divides the front side of the freezer cooler chamber 51 to form the freezer cooler chamber 51 between itself and the rear surface 4a of the inner box 4. The rear partition member 62 also divides the rear surfaces of the supply air passages 52, 53, 54 to form the supply air passages 52, 53, 54 between itself and the heat insulating molded body 63.

[0036] A refrigeration blower 57 is attached to a mounting hole 64 provided in the rear partition member 62 above the refrigeration cooler 56. The refrigeration blower 57 draws air from the refrigeration cooler chamber 51 and sends it to the supply air passages 52, 53, and .

[0037] 4 and 5, on the front side of the rear partition member 62, the catalyst thin film 42, 43 is attached to a flat portion on the side of the mounting hole 64 so as to face the supply air passages 52, 53, 54. Although not shown in the figures, the catalyst thin film may also be attached to a flat portion on the rear side of the rear partition member 62 (the refrigeration cooling chamber 51 side).

[0038] The heat insulating molded body 63 is, for example, a foamed plastic molded into a predetermined shape, and is fixed by being sandwiched between the front partition member 61 and the rear partition member 62.

[0039] Between the front partition member 61 and the rear partition member 62, there are provided ice making supply air duct 52 (see Figure 3), a first freezing supply air duct 53 (see Figure 4) and a second freezing supply air duct 54 (see Figure 3), and cold air blown out from the freezing blower 57 is supplied to the air outlets 58, 59 and 60 through each air duct 52, 53 and 54.

[0040] Ice making supply air duct 52 is an air duct that connects the blowing side of freezer blower 57 and air outlet 58 that opens into ice making chamber 24. A part of the cold air blown out from freezer blower 57 passes through ice making supply air duct 52 and is supplied from air outlet 58 to ice making chamber 24.

[0041] The first refrigeration supply air duct 53 is an air duct that connects the blowing side of the refrigeration blower 57 and an air outlet 59 that opens into the first freezing chamber 26. A part of the cold air blown out from the refrigeration blower 57 passes through the first refrigeration supply air duct 53 and is supplied from the air outlet 59 to the first freezing chamber 26.

[0042] The second refrigeration supply air passage 54 is an air passage that connects the blowing side of the refrigeration blower 57 and an outlet 60 that opens into the second freezing chamber 28. A part of the cold air blown out from the refrigeration blower 57 passes through the second refrigeration supply air passage 54 and is supplied from the outlet 60 to the second freezing chamber 28.

[0043] A protruding supply air duct 54a extending forward from the back surface of the second freezer chamber 28 is connected to the second freezer supply air duct 54 downstream in the flow direction of the cold air in the second freezer supply air duct 54. A part of the cold air flowing through the second freezer supply air duct 54 is blown out into the second freezer chamber 28 from an outlet 60 provided on the back surface of the second freezer chamber 28, and the remaining part flows into the protruding supply air duct 54a and is blown out into the second freezer chamber 28 from an outlet 60a located forward of the back surface of the second freezer chamber 28.

[0044] A return air passage 55 is formed between the lower end of the front partition member 61 and the lower end of the rear partition member 62 and the rear surface 4a of the inner box 4. The return air passage 55 opens to the lower part of the rear surface of the second freezing chamber 28, and draws in air from the second freezing chamber 28 and returns it to the freezing cooler chamber 51.

[0045] 3 to 5, a catalyst thin film 44 is attached to a flat portion of at least one of the front partition member 61 and the rear partition member 62 that form the protruding supply air passage 54a so as to face the protruding supply air passage 54a. Also, a catalyst thin film 45 is attached to a flat portion of the front partition member 61 that forms the return air passage 55 so as to face the protruding supply air passage 54a.

[0046] The freezer cooler chamber 51 formed behind the rear partition member 62 contains a fin tube type freezer cooler 56 for cooling the air in the freezer cooler chamber 51 and a freezer blower 57 for blowing the cold air cooled by the freezer cooler 56 to the freezing space. When the freezer cooler 56 cools the air flowing in the freezer cooler chamber 51, the freezer blower 57 supplies the air in the freezer cooler chamber 51 cooled by the freezer cooler 56 to the ice making chamber 24, the first freezer chamber 26 and the second freezer chamber 28 via the supply air passages 52, 53, 54, 54a. The air supplied to the ice making chamber 24, the first freezer chamber 26 and the second freezer chamber 28 flows while cooling each storage chamber, returns to the freezer cooler chamber 51 through the return air passage 55 and is cooled again by the freezer cooler 56.

[0047] (4) Catalyst thin film 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 The catalyst thin film 41 includes a film-like thin film having a catalyst supported on the surface of the thin film, and a catalyst layer provided on the surface of the thin film.

[0048] Specifically, the thin film is made of a resin such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PP (polypropylene) or paper, and is a film-like member having a thickness of 100 μm to 300 μm. The thin film is preferably colored in a color different from the members forming the various air passages provided in refrigerator 1, and is preferably colored in a color other than white, such as chromatic color, black, or gray.

[0049] The catalyst layer is a coating made of a catalyst formed on a thin film, and can be formed, for example, by applying or spraying a mixture of fine catalyst powder and a volatile liquid containing alcohol such as propanol or water onto the surface of the thin film, and then drying the liquid.

[0050] The catalyst constituting the catalyst layer contains fine powder of a first catalyst that exerts catalytic action to decompose harmful substances without being irradiated with light. The first catalyst is made of, for example, a metal such as platinum, gold, silver, copper, iron, cobalt, nickel, chromium, or zinc, or a fine powder of a phosphoric acid catalyst.

[0051] The catalyst constituting the catalyst layer may contain a fine powder of a second catalyst that exhibits catalytic action to decompose harmful substances such as bacteria, odor components, ethylene gas, etc. in the air when irradiated with light. The second catalyst is made of a fine powder of a metal oxide such as titanium dioxide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, iron oxide, copper oxide, silver oxide, tungsten oxide, zirconium oxide, bismuth oxide, indium oxide, germanium oxide, nickel oxide, cobalt oxide, chromium oxide, manganese oxide, vanadium oxide, niobium oxide, antimony oxide, or strontium oxide.

[0052] Such catalyst thin films 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 are attached with double-sided tape or adhesive to the flat parts facing the air passages 33, 52, 53, and 54. The flat parts refer to parts that do not have steps of 5 mm or more, and include not only flat parts but also curved parts.

[0053] (5) Effects In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment as described above, the catalyst thin film 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 having a catalyst layer provided on the surface of a film-like thin film is provided facing the air passages 33, 52, 53, 54 which circulate air between the storage chambers 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 and the cooler chambers 31, 51. This makes it easier for the entire air circulating inside the refrigerator to come into contact with the catalyst layer, enabling efficient decomposition of harmful substances contained in the air inside the refrigerator.

[0054] In this embodiment, the catalyst thin film 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 has a catalyst layer formed on the surface of a film-like thin film, so that it hardly impedes the air flow even when installed in the air passages 33, 52, 53, 54. Many refrigerators have flat air passages that are wider in the width direction than in the front-to-rear direction, but with the catalyst thin film 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 of this embodiment, the catalyst layer can be arranged over a wide area without impeding the circulation of air inside the refrigerator, and a high catalytic action can be achieved.

[0055] Since the catalyst thin films 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 are attached to the flat portions facing the air passages 33, 52, 53, and 54, the attachment work is easy and the catalyst thin films 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 are unlikely to peel off undesirably after attachment.

[0056] In the case where the thin film constituting this embodiment is colored in a chromatic color, black, or gray, the color of the thin film differs from that of the catalyst layer, so that it is easy to visually determine that the catalyst layer is formed on the surface of the thin film. Also, when the catalyst thin film 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 is attached to the flat portion facing the air passage 33, 52, 53, 54, it is easy to see, so that it is possible to prevent forgetting to attach the catalyst thin film 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 during the assembly work. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] REFRIGERATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CARRYING OUT THE DISCLOSURE 1...refrigerator, 2...refrigerator body, 3...outer box, 4...inner box, 4a...rear surface of inner box, 20...refrigerator compartment, 22...vegetable compartment, 26...first freezer compartment, 28...second freezer compartment, 30...refrigerator partition member, 31...first cooling device compartment, 32...supply flow path, 33...supply flow path, 34...return flow path, 35...return flow path, 36...refrigerator cooler, 37...refrigerator blower, 38...flow path assembly, 39...back surface member, 40...air outlet, 41...catalytic thin film, 42...catalytic thin film, 43...catalytic thin film, 44...catalytic thin film, 45...catalytic thin film, 50...freezer partition member, 51...second cooling device compartment, 52...cold air flow path, 53...cold air flow path, 54...cold air flow path, 55...return flow path, 56...freezer cooler, 57...freezer blower

Claims

1. A refrigerator body having a storage chamber and a cooling chamber formed therein; A cooler that is provided in the cooler chamber and generates cold air; an air passage that connects the storage chamber and the cooler chamber and circulates air between the storage chamber and the cooler chamber; a catalyst thin film having a thin film and a catalyst layer provided on a surface of the thin film; Equipped with The catalyst thin film is attached to a flat portion facing the air passage.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the thin film is made of a PET resin having a thickness of 100 μm or more and 300 μm or less.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the thin film is colored in a chromatic color, black, or gray.

4. The refrigerator body includes an inner box, an outer box, and a heat insulating material provided between the inner box and the outer box, 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the catalyst thin film is attached to a portion of the inner box that defines the air passage.

5. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising: a partition member that partitions a front side of the cooling chamber; and a blower attached to a mounting hole provided in the partition member, the blower being affixed to a flat portion on a side of the mounting hole in the partition member.

6. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the air passage includes a return air passage for returning air from the storage compartment to the cooler compartment, and the catalyst thin film is attached to a flat portion facing the return air passage.

7. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the air passage is provided in a partition member constituting a rear surface of the storage compartment, and includes a supply air passage for supplying air from the cooler compartment to the storage compartment, and the catalyst thin film is attached to a flat portion facing the supply air passage.

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