Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator capable of maintaining high heat insulation performance for a long time.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a heat insulation box body having an opening in the front; and a door for opening / closing the opening. The heat insulation box body has a back surface, a first side surface and a second side surface opposing to each other, a top surface, and a bottom surface, and includes a back surface vacuum heat insulation material for covering a back surface, a first side surface vacuum heat insulation material for covering the first side surface, and a second side surface vacuum heat insulation material for covering the second side surface. The first side surface vacuum heat insulation material and the second side surface vacuum heat insulation material are integrally connected to the back surface vacuum heat insulation material, and at least on one outside surface of the first side surface vacuum heat insulation material and the second side surface vacuum heat insulation material, an openable / closable exhaust hole is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a vacuum heat insulating material has been used as a heat insulating material for a refrigerator. The vacuum heat insulating material is a heat insulating material in which a core material is filled in a resin-made hollow container in a decompressed state. As the core material, a vacuum heat insulating material using inorganic powder such as aerogel powder is known (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to improve the heat insulation performance of a refrigerator, it is effective to increase the coverage rate of the vacuum heat insulating material with respect to the entire box body of the refrigerator. In order to increase the coverage rate of the vacuum heat insulating material, it is conceivable to form the vacuum heat insulating material into a shape along the box body of the refrigerator. The box body of the refrigerator is partitioned into a freezer compartment, a refrigerating compartment, a vegetable compartment, etc. and has a complex shape. For this reason, when the resin-made hollow container of the vacuum heat insulating material is formed into a shape along the box body of the refrigerator using blow molding, the thickness of the obtained resin-made hollow container tends to be uneven. When the thickness of the resin-made hollow container of the vacuum heat insulating material becomes uneven, gas easily permeates from the thin portion of the thickness of the resin-made hollow container, so that the degree of vacuum of the vacuum heat insulating material becomes low, and it may be difficult to maintain the heat insulation performance of the vacuum heat insulating material over a long period of time.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a refrigerator capable of maintaining high heat insulation performance over a long period of time.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the inventors integrally connected a vacuum heat insulating material that covers the back surface of the heat insulating box body of the refrigerator and a vacuum heat insulating material that covers the side surface of the heat insulating box body, and further provided an openable and closable exhaust hole on at least one outer surface of the vacuum heat insulating material on the side surface. It has been found that it is effective to be able to exhaust the gas inside the vacuum heat insulating material to the outside through the exhaust hole when the degree of vacuum of the vacuum heat insulating material decreases and the heat insulating property decreases, and the present invention has been completed.

[0007] (1) A refrigerator comprising a heat insulating box body with an open front surface and a door for opening and closing the opening, the heat insulating box body having a back surface, a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other, a top surface and a bottom surface, a back surface vacuum heat insulating material covering the back surface, a first side surface vacuum heat insulating material covering the first side surface, and a second side surface vacuum heat insulating material covering the second side surface, wherein the first side surface vacuum heat insulating material and the second side surface vacuum heat insulating material are integrally connected to the back surface vacuum heat insulating material, and an openable and closable exhaust hole is provided on at least one outer surface of the first side surface vacuum heat insulating material and the second side surface vacuum heat insulating material.

[0008] In the refrigerator of (1), since the first side surface vacuum heat insulating material and the second side surface vacuum heat insulating material are integrally connected to the back surface vacuum heat insulating material, a gap is less likely to occur between the first side surface vacuum heat insulating material and the second side surface vacuum heat insulating material and the back surface vacuum heat insulating material. Therefore, the heat insulating property is improved. Further, since the vacuum heat insulating material is provided with an openable and closable exhaust hole, when the degree of vacuum of the vacuum heat insulating material becomes low, the degree of vacuum can be restored by connecting the exhaust hole and a suction pump and exhausting the gas inside the vacuum heat insulating material to the outside. Furthermore, since the exhaust hole is arranged on at least one outer surface of the first side surface vacuum heat insulating material and the second side surface vacuum heat insulating material, the exhaust hole and the suction pump can be connected without moving the refrigerator body. Therefore, according to the refrigerator of (1), it is possible to relatively easily maintain high heat insulating performance over a long period of time.

[0009] (2) The refrigerator according to (1), further comprising a top surface vacuum heat insulating material covering the top surface, wherein the top surface vacuum heat insulating material is integrally connected to the back surface vacuum heat insulating material.

[0010] In the refrigerator of (2), the top surface vacuum heat insulating material is integrally connected to the back surface vacuum heat insulating material, and it is difficult for a gap to occur between the top surface vacuum heat insulating material and the back surface vacuum heat insulating material. Therefore, the heat insulation performance is further improved.

[0011] The refrigerator according to (1) or (2), further comprising a bottom surface vacuum heat insulating material covering the bottom surface, wherein the bottom surface vacuum heat insulating material is integrally connected to the back surface vacuum heat insulating material.

[0012] In the refrigerator of (3), the bottom surface vacuum heat insulating material is integrally connected to the back surface vacuum heat insulating material, and it is difficult for a gap to occur between the bottom surface vacuum heat insulating material and the back surface vacuum heat insulating material. Therefore, the heat insulation performance is further improved.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of maintaining high heat insulation performance over a long period of time.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIGS. 1 to 4, the X direction indicates the width direction of the refrigerator 10, the Y direction indicates the depth direction of the refrigerator 10, and the Z direction indicates the height direction of the refrigerator 10. Also, in the description of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are generally used for the same members, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the refrigerator 10 of this embodiment includes a heat-insulating box body 20 with an open front. The refrigerator 10 has a structure divided into three stages: an upper stage portion 11, a middle stage portion 12, and a lower stage portion 13. The upper stage portion 11 can be opened and closed by an upper right heat-insulating door 31a and an upper left heat-insulating door 31b, the middle stage portion 12 can be opened and closed by a middle heat-insulating door 32, and the lower stage portion 13 can be opened and closed by a lower heat-insulating door 33. The upper right heat-insulating door 31a is a rotary door that can rotate about the right side end face as an axis, and the upper left heat-insulating door 31b is a rotary door that can rotate about the left end portion as an axis. The middle heat-insulating door 32 and the lower heat-insulating door 33 are each a drawer-type door provided with a storage container 34. The heat-insulating box body 20 has, when viewed from the front, a back surface 20a, a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other (hereinafter, the first side surface is also referred to as the right side surface 20b and the second side surface is also referred to as the left side surface 20c), a top surface 20d, and a bottom surface 20e. The heat-insulating box body 20 is provided with an exhaust hole 25 on the right side surface 20b.

[0017] The heat-insulating box body 20 has a vacuum heat-insulating material 40 and a frame 50 that covers the outside of the vacuum heat-insulating material 40. As the frame 50, for example, a steel plate can be used.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 4, the vacuum heat insulation material 40 includes a rear surface vacuum heat insulation material 40a, a right side surface vacuum heat insulation material 40b, a left side surface vacuum heat insulation material 40c, a top surface vacuum heat insulation material 40d, and a bottom surface vacuum heat insulation material 40e. The rear surface vacuum heat insulation material 40a covers the rear surface 20a of the heat insulation box body 20, the right side surface vacuum heat insulation material 40b covers the right side surface 20b of the heat insulation box body 20, the left side surface vacuum heat insulation material 40c covers the left side surface 20c of the heat insulation box body 20, the top surface vacuum heat insulation material 40d covers the top surface 20d of the heat insulation box body 20, and the bottom surface vacuum heat insulation material 40e covers the bottom surface 20e of the heat insulation box body 20. The vacuum heat insulation material 40 further has a first partition portion 40f that partitions the upper stage portion 11 and the middle stage portion 12, and a second partition portion 40g that partitions the middle stage portion 12 and the lower stage portion 13. The rear surface vacuum heat insulation material 40a, the right side surface vacuum heat insulation material 40b, the left side surface vacuum heat insulation material 40c, the top surface vacuum heat insulation material 40d, the bottom surface vacuum heat insulation material 40e, the first partition portion 40f, and the second partition portion 40g are integrally connected. A sealing member 46 is disposed on the right side surface vacuum heat insulation material 40b of the vacuum heat insulation material 40.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 3, a machine room 61 is provided between the vacuum heat insulation material 40 of the lower stage portion 13 of the refrigerator 10 and the frame 50. A compressor 62 is housed in the machine room 61. A cooling chamber 63 is partitioned and formed on the rear side of the middle stage portion 12, and an evaporator 64 is housed in the cooling chamber 63. The evaporator 64 and the compressor 62 are connected via an expansion means and a condenser (not shown) and refrigerant pipes to form a vapor compression refrigeration cycle.

[0020] A part of the cold air inside the cooling chamber 63 cooled by the evaporator 64 is sent to the middle section 12 via the blower 65 and the cold air pipe 66 to cool the middle section 12. The cold air that has cooled the middle section 12 flows into the cooling chamber 63 and is cooled again by the evaporator 64. The remaining cold air is sent to the upper section 11 to cool the upper section 11. The cold air that has cooled the upper section 11 is sent to the lower section 13 via a cold air pipe (not shown). After cooling the lower section 13, it is sent to the cooling chamber 63 via a cold air pipe (not shown) and is cooled again by the evaporator 64. A damper (not shown) is arranged in the cold air pipe. The control device (not shown) of the refrigerator 10 controls the opening and closing of the damper based on the temperature inside the refrigerator measured by an in - refrigerator temperature sensor (not shown). Thereby, the flow rate of the cold air is adjusted to keep the temperature inside the refrigerator constant. In this way, the upper section 11, the middle section 12, and the lower section 13 are cooled to a predetermined temperature range. The arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of the cold air. Further, below the evaporator 64, a defrosting heater 67 for melting the frost on the evaporator 64 is provided.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 5, the vacuum heat - insulating material 40 has a resin - made hollow container 41, an inorganic powder 42 filled inside the resin - made hollow container 41, and a glass layer 43 covering the outer surface of the resin - made hollow container. An opening 45 is provided in the resin - made hollow container 41 of the right - side vacuum heat - insulating material 40b, and a sealing member 46 is arranged at the opening 45. The frame 50 is provided with an opening 55 so that the sealing member 46 is exposed. Thereby, an exhaust hole 25 is formed on the right - side surface of the heat - insulating box body 20.

[0022] As the resin-made hollow container 41, for example, a molded body formed using blow molding can be used. The material of the resin-made hollow container 41 is not particularly limited, and a thermoplastic resin that can be molded by blow molding can be used. As the material of the resin-made hollow container 41, for example, an olefin resin, an ethylene-vinyl copolymer, a styrene resin, a vinyl resin, a polyamide resin, a polyester resin, a polycarbonate resin, or a polyphenylene oxide resin can be used. Examples of olefin resins include low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, cyclic olefin copolymer, and poly(4-methylpentene). Examples of ethylene-vinyl copolymers include ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, and ethylene-vinyl chloride copolymer. Examples of styrene resins include polystyrene, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, ABS, and α-methylstyrene-styrene copolymer. Examples of vinyl resins include polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, vinyl chloride-vinylidene chloride copolymer, polymethyl acrylate, and polymethyl methacrylate. Examples of polyamide resins include polyamide 6, polyamide 66, polyamide 11, polyamide 12, and polyamide 610. Examples of polyester resins include polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, and polyethylene naphthalate. The wall thickness of the resin-made hollow container 41 may be, for example, in the range of 0.4 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

[0023] The inorganic powder 42 contains either one or both of silica powder and aerogel powder. The inorganic powder 42 may be a single silica powder or aerogel powder, or a powder mixture of silica powder and aerogel powder. The silica powder may be wet silica powder or dry silica powder. As the aerogel powder, silica aerogel powder can be used.

[0024] The particle shape of the inorganic powder 42 is not particularly limited and may be spherical. When the particle shape of the inorganic powder 42 is spherical, the contact between the particles becomes point contact, and the thermal conductivity between the particles decreases. Therefore, the heat insulation performance of the vacuum heat insulating material 40 is improved.

[0025] The D50 (median diameter) of the inorganic powder 42 may be, for example, in the range of 1 to 400 μm, preferably in the range of 1 to 200 μm, and more preferably in the range of 1 to 100 μm. Since the inorganic powder 42 with D50 within the above range has high fluidity, it is easy to be uniformly filled inside the resin-made hollow container 41. In addition, for the inorganic powder 42, in the frequency distribution curve of the undersize, the ratio (D90 / D10) of the particle size (D90) at which the cumulative passing value is 90% to the particle size (D10) at which the cumulative passing value is 10% may be in the range of 2 to 20, and may also be in the range of 2 to 10. The inorganic powder 42 with D90 / D10 within the above range has a narrow particle size distribution width and a high filling density into the resin-made hollow container 41. Note that D10, D50, and D90 are values measured by the laser diffraction scattering method.

[0026] The filling density of the aerogel powder of the vacuum heat insulating material 40 may be, for example, in the range of 200 to 300 kg / m 3 when the inorganic powder is aerogel powder. When the filling density of the inorganic powder 42 is within the above range, the heat insulation performance is further improved.

[0027] The glass layer 43 has a function of suppressing the permeation of gas into the vacuum heat insulating material 40 and making the resin-made hollow container 41 difficult to deform. The thickness of the glass layer 43 may be, for example, in the range of 3 mm or less.

[0028] The sealing member 46 only needs to be openable and closable, and a known valve can be used.

[0029] The vacuum heat insulating material 40 can be manufactured, for example, by a method having a resin-made hollow container forming step, a glass layer coating step, an inorganic powder filling step, a sealing step, and a vacuum degassing step.

[0030] The process of forming a resin hollow container is a process of forming a resin hollow container 41 having an opening 45. The resin hollow container 41 can be produced by blow molding. The production of the resin hollow container 41 by blow molding can be carried out, for example, by introducing a molten thermoplastic resin into a mold for blow molding and blowing air from the inside of the thermoplastic resin to mold the thermoplastic resin into the shape of the mold.

[0031] The glass layer coating process is a process of coating the outer surface of the resin hollow container 41 with a glass layer 43. As a method of coating the glass layer 43, for example, a method of attaching a glass film to the outer surface of the resin hollow container 41 can be used.

[0032] The inorganic powder filling process is a process of filling the inside of the resin hollow container 41 with an inorganic powder 42 through the opening 45. There is no particular limitation on the method of filling the inorganic powder 42, and a known method can be used.

[0033] The sealing process is a process of attaching a sealing member 46 to the opening 45 of the resin hollow container 41 to seal the opening 45.

[0034] The vacuum degassing process is a process of opening the sealing member 46 and degassing the inside of the resin hollow container 41. After the inside of the resin hollow container 41 is degassed, the sealing member 46 is closed.

[0035] The refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment configured as described above has the back vacuum insulation material 40a, the right-side vacuum insulation material (first side vacuum insulation material) 40b, the left-side vacuum insulation material (second side vacuum insulation material) 40c, the top surface vacuum insulation material 40d, the bottom surface vacuum insulation material 40e, the first partition portion 40f, and the second partition portion 40g of the vacuum insulation material 40 integrally connected, and it is difficult for gaps to occur between the members. Therefore, the heat insulation performance is enhanced. Further, since the exhaust hole 25 having the sealable member 46 that can be opened and closed is provided in the vacuum insulation material 40, when the degree of vacuum of the vacuum insulation material 40 decreases, the sealable member 46 and a suction pump (not shown) are connected, and the gas in the vacuum insulation material 40 is exhausted to the outside to restore the degree of vacuum. Furthermore, since the exhaust hole 25 is disposed on the outer surface of the right-side vacuum insulation material 40b, the sealable member 46 and the suction pump can be connected by creating a space around the right side surface 20b of the refrigerator 10 without moving the main body of the refrigerator 10. Thus, according to the refrigerator of the present embodiment, it is possible to relatively easily maintain high heat insulation performance over a long period of time. Note that the exhaust in the vacuum insulation material 40 may be performed periodically.

[0036] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, the exhaust hole 25 is provided on the surface of the right-side vacuum insulation material 40b of the vacuum insulation material 40, but the position of the exhaust hole 25 is not limited thereto. The exhaust hole 25 may be provided on the outer surface of at least one of the right-side vacuum insulation material 40b and the left-side vacuum insulation material 40c. The exhaust hole 25 may be provided on the outer surfaces of both the right-side vacuum insulation material 40b and the left-side vacuum insulation material 40c.

[0037] Also, in the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, the back vacuum insulation material 40a, the right-side vacuum insulation material 40b, the left-side vacuum insulation material 40c, the top surface vacuum insulation material 40d, the bottom surface vacuum insulation material 40e, the first partition portion 40f, and the second partition portion 40g of the vacuum insulation material 40 are integrally connected, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, it is sufficient that the right-side vacuum insulation material 40b and the left-side vacuum insulation material 40c having a large contact area with the outside and the back vacuum insulation material 40a are integrally connected.

[0038] In the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, the outer surface of the vacuum insulation material 40 is covered with the glass layer 43. However, when the resin-made hollow container 41 has high strength and low gas permeability, the glass layer 43 may not be necessary. Instead of the glass layer 43, a metal layer such as an aluminum layer may be provided.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0039] 10 Refrigerator 11 Upper part 12 Middle part 13 Lower part 20 Heat insulation box body 25 Exhaust hole 31a Upper right heat insulation door 31b Upper left heat insulation door 32 Middle heat insulation door 33 Lower heat insulation door 34 Storage container 40 Vacuum insulation material 41 Resin-made hollow container 42 Inorganic powder 43 Glass layer 45 Opening 46 Sealing member 50 Frame 55 Opening 61 Machine room 62 Compressor 63 Cooling chamber 64 Evaporator 65 Blower 66 Cold air pipe 67 Defrosting heater

Claims

Claim 1 A refrigerator comprising a heat-insulating box body with an opening at the front, and a door for opening and closing the opening, wherein the heat-insulating box body has a back surface, a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other, a top surface and a bottom surface, and includes a back surface vacuum heat-insulating material covering the back surface, a first side surface vacuum heat-insulating material covering the first side surface, and a second side surface vacuum heat-insulating material covering the second side surface, wherein the first side surface vacuum heat-insulating material and the second side surface vacuum heat-insulating material are integrally connected to the back surface vacuum heat-insulating material, and an exhaust hole that can be opened and closed is provided on at least one outer surface of the first side surface vacuum heat-insulating material and the second side surface vacuum heat-insulating material. Claim 2 The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a top surface vacuum heat-insulating material covering the top surface, wherein the top surface vacuum heat-insulating material is integrally connected to the back surface vacuum heat-insulating material. Claim 3 The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a bottom surface vacuum heat-insulating material covering the bottom surface, wherein the bottom surface vacuum heat-insulating material is integrally connected to the back surface vacuum heat-insulating material.

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