Cooling storage

Abstract

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

Description

[Technical field]

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

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

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

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

[0005] In the above refrigerator, liquid in the storage compartment may enter the cold air passage from the cold air outlet due to some cause (for example, liquid contents spilling or splashing from a food container, etc.). Even in such a case, it is necessary to control the flow of liquid running down the inner surface of the cold air passage so that the liquid does not come into contact with electrical components such as the ion generator. Conventionally, there have been cases where a shade portion was provided above the ion generator on the inner wall of the cool air passage to prevent the ion generator from getting wet. However, because the convex part is a protrusion on the inner surface of the cold air passage, providing the convex part reduces the cross-sectional area of ​​the cold air passage (cold air duct), which may impede the flow of cold air in the cold air passage during normal use and adversely affect energy-saving performance.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator capable of smoothly flowing cold air through a cold air passage while controlling the flow of liquid trickling down the inner surface of the cold air passage. [Means for solving the problem]

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

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of smoothly flowing cold air through a cold air passage while controlling the flow of liquid trickling down the inner surface of the cold air passage. In addition, by controlling the flow of the liquid trickling down the inner surface of the cool air passage, it is possible to prevent electrical components, etc. from getting wet with the liquid. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the cooling box according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cooling box according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cooling box taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the cooling box according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a portion of the refrigerator of the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged rear view of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0024] Electrical components may be provided in the cold air passage 3. The electrical components are arranged, for example, on the cold air passage 3 side of the cold air duct 4 and below the openings 41, 41a.

[0025] The electrical components are not particularly limited, but examples thereof include an ion generator, a damper motor, and a fan. In this embodiment, the ion generator 6 is provided on the cool air passage 3 side of the cool air duct 4, below the openings 41, 41a.

[0026] The ion generator 6 emits ions. The ion generator 6 includes an ion generating unit 61 having electrodes. The electrodes of the ion generating unit 61 generate positive (+) ions (e.g., H + (H2O) m (m is any natural number)) and negative (-) ions (e.g., O2 - (H2O) n (n is any natural number)

[0027] The ions generated by the ion generator 6 are supplied to the cold air passing through the cold air passage 3. This allows the cold air supplied from the cold air passage 3 to contain ions. The cold air to which ions have been added is blown out from openings 41, 41a located above the ion generator 6 toward the refrigerator compartment 11 and the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a. Supplying the cold air containing ions allows deodorization and sterilization of the refrigerator compartment 11, the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a, etc.

[0028] (Slope step) An inclined step 42 (guiding flow path) is provided on the inner surface 40 (surface on the side of the cold air passage 3) of the cold air duct 4 below the openings 41, 41a and above the electric component (ion generator 6). The inclined step 42 is a step that protrudes more at the bottom than at the top, and is inclined in the width direction of the cool air duct 4 (i.e., it becomes lower from one side in the width direction to the other). The inclined step 42 is preferably provided in an area wider than the electric component (ion generator 6) in the width direction. The inclined step 42 allows the liquid running down the inner surface 40 of the cold air duct 4 from above (see the dotted arrow in FIG. 4) to flow to the side with the lower incline in the width direction and to a width direction position where there are no electrical components (ion generators 6), thereby preventing the electrical components (ion generators 6) from getting wet.

[0029] Here, the bottom end 42a (the lowest position in the width direction inclination) of the inclined step 42 is located below the top end 6a of the electric component (ion generator 6). Furthermore, the bottom end 42a of the inclined step 42 is preferably located below the ion generating unit 61 (electrode) of the electric component (ion generator 6), and more preferably below the bottom end 6b of the ion generator. As a result, when the bottom end 42a of the inclined step 42 is located in such a position, the liquid that has flowed over the inclined step 42 is unlikely to rise up to the ion generator, so that the electrical components (ion generator 6) can be more reliably prevented from getting wet with the liquid.

[0030] The inclined step 42 (a step in which the lower side protrudes more than the upper side) is formed by a recess 43 provided above the inclined step 42 in the inner surface 40 of the cold air duct 4 (see FIG. 7). The recess 43 is a portion recessed toward the storage compartment (refrigerator compartment 11). In this case, the inner surface 40 of the cold air duct 4 below the inclined step 42 is flat. As a result, the inclined step 42 controls the flow of liquid running down the inner surface of the cold air passage, preventing electric components such as the ion generator 6 from getting wet, while allowing the cold air to flow smoothly because there are no protrusions that would collide with the flow of cold air during normal use, which is expected to improve energy efficiency. In addition, because the cold air flows smoothly, it is also expected to have the effect of ensuring the ion concentration in the cold air in storage compartments such as the refrigerator compartment 11.

[0031] When drawer-type storage cabinet 11a is provided in a storage compartment such as refrigerator compartment 11, recess 43 is preferably provided within the range of drawer-type storage cabinet 11a in the vertical direction (on the rear side of drawer-type storage cabinet 11a). Providing a recess in the insulating layer 51 is generally undesirable because it leads to a decrease in the insulating performance and may cause condensation water to form in the storage compartment. Note that, in order to ensure the thickness of the insulating layer 51, it is possible to provide a protrusion on the storage compartment (refrigerator compartment 11) side of the insulating layer 51 at a position corresponding to the recess, but this would reduce the storage capacity of the storage compartment. However, since the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a of the cold air duct 4 is located in a position where cold air accumulates below the refrigerator compartment 11 and is a relatively low-temperature space used as a chilled compartment, partial compartment, etc., the insulation layer on the rear side thereof is relatively thick. For this reason, even if a recess 43 is provided in the insulation layer 51 on the rear side of the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a, the effect on the insulation performance is small. Such a configuration is possible when the electric component (ion generator 6) is disposed below the refrigerator compartment 11 or the drawer-type storage cabinet 11a.

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

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

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

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

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

Claims

1. A storage room; A cooler disposed below the storage chamber and generating cold air; a cold air passage for guiding the cold air generated by the cooler to the storage chamber above; Equipped with a cold air duct that constitutes the storage compartment side of the cold air passage has an opening that passes through the cold air duct and communicates the cold air passage with the storage compartment; An inner surface of the cold air duct facing the cold air passage is provided below the opening with an inclined step that protrudes more downward than upward and is inclined in the width direction of the cold air duct; A cooling cabinet, wherein the inclined step is formed by a recess provided on the inner surface of the cold air duct above the inclined step.

2. A drawer-type storage unit is further provided in the storage chamber, The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the recess is provided within a range of the drawer-type storage cabinet in the vertical direction.

3. The cooling system further includes an electrical component disposed in the cold air passage, The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical component is disposed on the cold air passage side of the cold air duct and below the inclined step.

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

Images