Magnet packing for refrigerator, refrigerator door and refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a magnet packing having excellent heat insulation and a low heat leak amount.SOLUTION: A magnetic packing for a refrigerator comprises a magnet part including a magnetic body that can be attracted to an opening edge part of a refrigerator body when the refrigerator door is closed, and a packing body part that connects the magnet part to a refrigerator door, where the magnet part and the packing body part are formed as a two-layer integrated structure, the magnet part is exposed from the packing body part to the opening edge part side of the refrigerator body so as to be able to contact the opening edge part, and the packing body part has a magnet mounting part that supports the magnet part, and a bellows part that has elasticity and heat insulation and comprises an air chamber thereinside. The magnet mounting part comprises a hollow layer that is rod-shaped in a cross-sectional view below the magnet part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a magnet packing for a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] The magnetic packing of a refrigerator door is a component that comes into contact with the edge of the opening of the refrigerator body when the door is closed, sealing the gap between the storage compartment and the door. By sealing the gap between the storage compartment and the door with the magnetic packing, hot air from outside the refrigerator is prevented from entering the storage compartment, and cold air from inside the storage compartment is prevented from escaping to the outside of the refrigerator.

[0003] Magnetic packing for refrigerator doors generally consists of a rod-shaped magnet inserted into a tubular packing body. The magnet must be inserted straight into the packing body, which requires a lot of work to manufacture, and the magnet needs to be thick enough to maintain its shape.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a magnetic packing having a magnet part containing a magnetic substance that can be attracted to the opening edge of a refrigerator, and a packing body part that supports the magnet part, in which the magnet part and the packing body part are formed into a two-layer integrated structure by simultaneous extrusion molding, and the magnet part is exposed from the packing body part at least on the opening edge side so as to be able to come into contact with the opening edge part.

[0005] The magnetic packing of Patent Document 1 is said to have advantages such as good assembly properties, hardening the magnet part that comes into contact with the opening edge to prevent deformation and wear, and increasing the magnetizing force on the opening edge compared to conventional methods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-28478 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the case of a structure in which the surface of the magnet part is in direct contact with the edge of the opening of the refrigerator, as in the magnet packing of Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that the amount of heat leakage from the magnet packing increases via the magnet part, which is a high heat conductor.

[0008] The present invention is intended to solve such problems, and its object is to provide a magnet packing that has excellent heat insulating properties and a low amount of heat leakage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention provides the following aspects. [Aspect 1] A magnet part including a magnetic substance that can be attracted to the opening edge of the refrigerator body when the refrigerator door is closed, and a packing body part that connects the magnet part to the refrigerator door, The magnet portion and the packing body portion are formed into a two-layer integral structure, the magnet portion is exposed from the packing body portion toward an opening edge portion of the refrigerator body and is formed so as to be able to come into contact with the opening edge portion, The packing body has a magnet mounting portion that supports the magnet portion, and a bellows portion that has elasticity and heat insulation and has an air chamber therein, The magnet mounting portion has a hollow layer that is rod-shaped in cross section below the magnet portion.

[0010] [Aspect 2] The refrigerator magnet packing of Aspect 1, wherein the hollow layer has a partition portion that divides the hollow layer.

[0011] [Aspect 3] The refrigerator magnet packing of Aspect 1 or 2, wherein the hollow layer is rod-shaped in cross section with a length corresponding to the width of the magnet portion.

[0012] [Aspect 4] The refrigerator magnet packing of Aspect 3, wherein the magnet mounting portion has a hollow chamber facing inward of the hollow layer.

[0013] [Aspect 5] The refrigerator magnetic packing according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein the magnet portion has a magnetic material content of 65 to 85% by weight.

[0014] [Aspect 6] The refrigerator magnet packing of any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein the magnet portion has a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm.

[0015] [Aspect 7] The refrigerator magnetic packing of any one of Aspects 1 to 6, wherein the magnetic packing has a thickness of 5 to 12 mm.

[0016] [Embodiment 8] The refrigerator magnet packing of any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the magnet portion and the packing body portion contain a thermoplastic elastomer.

[0017] [Embodiment 9] A method for producing the refrigerator magnet packing of any one of Embodiments 1 to 8, comprising co-extrusion molding a hot melt composition in which both the magnet portion and the packing body portion contain a thermoplastic elastomer.

[0018] [Embodiment 10] A refrigerator door having the refrigerator magnetic packing of any one of embodiments 1 to 8.

[0019] [Embodiment 11] A refrigerator having the refrigerator magnet packing of any one of Embodiments 1 to 8. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] The magnetic packing of the present invention, in which the magnet surface is in direct contact with the edge of the opening of the refrigerator, has excellent magnetizing force and heat insulation, and can reduce the amount of heat leakage from the magnetic packing via the magnet part. Furthermore, the magnetic packing of the present invention does not require the work of inserting the magnet part into the tubular packing body, which greatly reduces the labor required for manufacturing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a magnet packing according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a magnet mounting portion different from the magnet mounting portion provided in the magnet packing of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a sealing structure of a refrigerator according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 1 is a graph schematically showing temperature adjustment conditions in a heat leakage amount test. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, when multiple upper and lower limit values ​​are specified for a specific parameter, any upper and lower limit values ​​can be combined to form a suitable numerical range.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a magnetic packing 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The magnetic packing 1 of the present invention has a magnet portion 2 and a packing main body portion 3. The magnet portion 2 contains a magnetic material. The outer wall of a refrigerator main body 13 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "main body") is made of steel plate, and its opening edge portion 16 has magnetic responsiveness. As the magnet portion 2 contains a magnetic material, the magnetic packing 1 can be attracted to the opening edge portion 16 of the main body when the refrigerator door 12 is closed.

[0024] The upper surface of magnet part 2 is exposed from packing main body part 3 and is adapted to be directly attracted to opening edge part 16 of the main body. This increases the magnetizing force of magnet part 2 to opening edge part 16, making it possible to make magnet part 2 thinner and reduce the amount of magnetic material, thereby reducing the amount of heat leaking through magnet part 2 and enabling refrigerator 17 to save energy.

[0025] The magnet portion 2 contains a magnetic material that allows it to be attracted to the opening edge portion 16 of the main body. Any magnetic material that is commonly used may be used, such as iron tetrachloride powder, ferrite powder, neodymium powder, and alnico powder. From the viewpoint of magnetization force, ferrite powder is the preferred magnetic material.

[0026] The magnetic material is mixed in the magnet part 2 as magnetic powder. The magnetic material content of the magnet part 2 is 65 to 85% by weight. If the magnetic material content of the magnet part 2 is less than 65% by weight, the magnetizing force will be insufficient, and if it exceeds 85% by weight, the flexibility of the magnet part 2 will decrease and the sealing performance of the attraction part will decrease. The magnetic material content of the magnet part 2 is preferably 70 to 80% by weight, and more preferably 72 to 78% by weight.

[0027] The thickness h of the magnet part is 0.5 to 2 mm. If the thickness h of the magnet part is less than 0.5 mm, the magnetizing force and strength may be insufficient, and if it exceeds 2 mm, the flexibility decreases and the sealing performance decreases. The thickness h of the magnet part is preferably 1 to 2 mm, and more preferably 1.5 to 2 mm.

[0028] The thickness t of the magnetic packing 1 is 5 to 12 mm. If the thickness t of the magnetic packing is less than 5 mm, the elastic force of the magnetic packing 1 decreases, and if it exceeds 12 mm, the area of ​​the hollow layer 9 increases, increasing the amount of heat leakage. The thickness t of the magnetic packing is preferably 5 to 10 mm, and more preferably 7 to 9 mm.

[0029] The packing body 3 has a magnet mounting portion 4 for supporting the magnet portion 2, a bellows portion 5 for providing elasticity and heat insulation, and a plate-shaped support portion 6 and a wedge-shaped locking portion 7 for fixing to the refrigerator door 12. The bellows portion 5 has an air chamber 8 formed therein to improve heat insulation performance, and utilizes elastic deformation in the packing height direction to absorb deformation when the magnet portion 2 is attracted to the opening edge portion 16 of the body.

[0030] Magnet mounting portion 4 is formed so that most of magnet portion 2 (both side surfaces and the bottom surface of magnet portion 2 shown in FIG. 1) is embedded and the top surface is exposed. This ensures that magnet portion 2 is supported over a wide area. This magnet mounting portion 4 is formed wide and has an upper surface that is almost flush with the exposed surface of magnet portion 2. This means that magnet portion 2 is shielded from the outside when refrigerator door 12 is closed, and that magnet portion 2 is partially exposed at magnet mounting portion 4 when refrigerator door 12 is open, improving the aesthetic appearance of magnet packing 1.

[0031] The magnet mounting portion 4 has a hollow layer 9 below the magnet portion 2. The hollow layer 9 has a rod-like shape in a cross-sectional view. The hollow layer 9 is located along the magnet portion 2 in the long and short side directions of the magnet mounting portion 4. In one embodiment, the rod-like shape of the hollow layer 9 has a length, i.e., a distance from its short side to its short side, that corresponds to the width of the magnet portion 2. If the length of the rod-like shape of the hollow layer 9 is greater than the width of the magnet portion 2, the dimensional stability of the magnet mounting portion 4 decreases, and it may become difficult to support the magnet portion 2 in a flat state. The hollow layer 9 acts as an insulating air layer, preventing cold air from the storage compartment from leaking through the magnet portion 2.

[0032] Magnet mounting part 4 has hollow chamber 10 on the inward side of hollow layer 9. The inward side refers to the direction of magnet packing 1 facing the inside of refrigerator 17. By providing hollow chamber 10, the heat insulating effect of hollow layer 9 is reinforced, and shape stability can be ensured while maintaining the flexibility of magnet packing 1.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a magnet mounting portion different from the magnet mounting portion 4 provided in the magnet packing 1 of FIG. 1. The hollow layer 9 in FIG. 2 has partitions 11 that divide the hollow layer 9. The partitions 11 stabilize the dimensions of the hollow layer 9 and improve its strength. This prevents deformation of the upper surface of the magnet portion 2, improves adhesion to the opening edge portion 16 of the main body, improves the heat insulation of the magnet packing 1, and also improves its durability. Furthermore, by forming multiple partitions 11, it is possible to achieve effects such as improving heat insulation by making the hollow layer 9 finer, ensuring airtightness by stabilizing the planar shape, and ensuring durability when the refrigerator door 12 is opened and closed.

[0034] The magnetic packing 1 is constructed by forming a two-layer integral structure of a magnet part 2 for adhering to the opening edge part 16 of the main body, and a packing main body part 3 for supporting this magnet part 2. The two-layer integral structure here means a structure in which at least a part, preferably most of, and more preferably all of the surfaces where the two layers come into contact are integrated, for example by welding, and are inseparable from each other.

[0035] The magnet packing 1 is formed using a material whose main component is a thermoplastic elastomer (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "TPE resin"). The two-layer integrated structure of the magnet portion 2 and the packing body portion 3 can be formed by co-extrusion molding a hot melt composition containing a thermoplastic elastomer for both the magnet portion 2 and the packing body portion 3. In general, a hot melt composition contains a thermoplastic elastomer as the main component, and process oil, a softener, a tackifier, etc. as additives. In one preferred embodiment, the same type of thermoplastic elastomer is used to form the magnet portion 2 and the packing body portion 3.

[0036] The thermoplastic elastomer is exemplified by a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, and among these, a preferred thermoplastic elastomer is a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer having an intrinsic viscosity [η] of 1 dl / g or more measured in decalin at 135°C.

[0037] Specific examples of styrene-based thermoplastic elastomers include styrene / butadiene block copolymers (SB), (SBS), styrene / isoprene block copolymers (SI), (SIS), styrene / butadiene-isoprene block copolymers (SB·I), (SB·IS), styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers (SEBS), and hydrogenated products of these block copolymers.

[0038] The proportion of styrene in these styrene elastomers is 5 to 70% by weight, and those with a proportion of 20 to 40% by weight in particular have an excellent balance between flexibility and rubber elasticity at high temperatures.

[0039] In this way, by forming the magnet part 2 and the packing body part 3 into a two-layer integrated structure, it is possible to eliminate the need for the troublesome task of inserting the magnet part 2 into a bag part as in ordinary refrigerators, and improve the ease of assembly of the magnetic packing 1. The two-layer integrated structure is formed by simultaneously extruding the magnet part 2 containing the magnetic material and the packing body part 3 as two layers and then welding them together immediately.

[0040] 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the sealing structure of a refrigerator of the present invention. From the bottom of the drawing, refrigerator door 12, magnetic packing 1 of the present invention attached to refrigerator door 12, and refrigerator body 13 are shown. There is a gap between refrigerator door 12 and refrigerator body 13.

[0041] The refrigerator door 12 has a groove 15 for attaching a magnetic packing along its peripheral edge 14. The refrigerator body 13 has an opening edge 16 which is magnetically responsive.

[0042] The magnetic packing 1 is fixed by press-fitting the locking portion 7 formed on the support portion 6 into the magnetic packing mounting groove 15 on the refrigerator door 12.

[0043] Fig. 4 is an overall perspective view of the refrigerator of Fig. 3. Refrigerator 17 has refrigerator body 13, refrigerator door 12, and magnetic packing 1 of the present invention attached to refrigerator door 12. Refrigerator body 13 has storage chamber 18 inside.

[0044] The present invention will be described below based on examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto as long as it does not deviate from the gist of the invention. [Example]

[0045] Example 1 Manufacturing of magnetic packing A styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) block copolymer styrene-based elastomer was prepared as the thermoplastic elastomer for the magnet portion, and ferrite powder was prepared in an amount equivalent to 75% by weight. The mixture was charged into a 1-liter double-arm kneader (model SVI-1GH-E) manufactured by Moriyama Co., Ltd., and kneaded at 52 RPM at 200°C for 1 hour to obtain a hot melt composition.

[0046] As the thermoplastic elastomer for the packing body, a hot melt composition containing the same type of SEBS block copolymer as above as the main component was prepared.

[0047] The hot melt compositions for the magnet part and the packing were pelletized, and the different resins were simultaneously extruded into a mold using two extruders to produce an integrated magnet packing with the cross-sectional shape shown in Figure 1. The thickness h of the magnet part of the magnet packing was 1.5 mm, and the thickness t of the entire packing was 9 mm.

[0048] Conventional magnetic packing, for example, the door packing of the four-door refrigerator "AQR-VZ46N" (product name) manufactured by Aqua Co., Ltd., has a total packing thickness of 7 mm and a magnet part thickness of 9 mm. By including 90% by weight of magnetic powder in the magnet, 2 This realizes the practically necessary magnetizing force.

[0049] 1. Magnetizing force The magnetization force of the magnetic packing was determined according to the following method. That is, a tensile tester (manufactured by ORIEITEC under the trade name "RTG-1310") was prepared, and a steel plate for refrigerator exteriors (manufactured by HBIS NEW MATERIAL under the trade name "DX5D+Z", material: hot-dip galvanized, thickness: 0.35 mm) was fixed to its base. A test specimen was cut out from the magnetic packing. The shape of the test specimen was adjusted so that the dimensions of the adhered portion were 2 mm x 9 mm. The test specimen was attached to the steel plate for refrigerator exteriors. The test specimen was clamped and set in a chuck for the tensile test. The tensile test was performed at a tensile speed of 10 mm / min, and the maximum point stress was recorded as the magnetization force.

[0050] 2. Heat leak amount The heat leakage amount of the magnetic packing was determined by the following method. A four-door refrigerator / freezer "AQR-VZ46N" (product name) manufactured by Aqua Co., Ltd. was prepared. The refrigerator door was for the refrigerator compartment (length 790 mm, width 600 mm, thickness 35 mm, refrigerator compartment capacity 197 liters, internal temperature 5°C).

[0051] The refrigerator door's magnetic packing was replaced with the one manufactured above, and the refrigerator door was attached to the refrigerator body. Heaters were installed in the refrigerator's refrigerator compartment, vegetable compartment, and freezer compartment. These heaters had a temperature control function that turned on and off in response to fluctuations in the ambient temperature to maintain the compartment temperatures at the set temperatures. The refrigerator door was then closed, and the refrigerator was placed in a constant temperature room.

[0052] The temperature inside the thermostatic chamber was adjusted to -24°C. The temperature inside the refrigerator (refrigerator, freezer, and vegetable compartments) was adjusted to 10°C. The temperature inside the thermostatic chamber was then maintained for two hours. During this time, if heat from inside the refrigerator leaked into the thermostatic chamber and the temperature inside the chamber dropped, the heater device would be switched on.

[0053] The amount of electricity (WH) consumed when the heater was switched on was calculated, and the values ​​for the refrigerator, freezer, and vegetable compartments were added together to determine the amount of heat leakage (WH) for one refrigerator.

[0054] The temperature inside the refrigerator was adjusted to 16°C, 22°C, and 28°C, and the same operation was carried out at each temperature, and the heat leakage (WH) of one refrigerator under each temperature condition was recorded.

[0055] FIG. 5 is a graph showing the temperature control conditions for the heat leak amount test.

[0056] Next, the heat leakage amount (WH) of one refrigerator was recorded in the same manner as above, except that the temperature of the thermostatic chamber and the temperature inside the refrigerator were changed as follows:

[0057] [Table 1]

[0058] The features of the magnetic packing of the present invention are as follows when compared with a conventional magnetic packing (door packing of the four-door refrigerator / freezer "AQR-VZ46N" (product name) manufactured by Aqua Co., Ltd.).

[0059] [Table 2]

[0060] The magnetic packing of the present invention does not require the work of inserting the magnet part into the tubular packing body, which significantly reduces the labor required for manufacturing. Furthermore, the magnetic packing of the present invention has a high magnetic force, and in order to achieve the same magnetic force as a regular magnetic packing, the amount of ferrite powder added can be reduced to 75 wt%, and the thickness of the magnet part and the entire packing can be made thinner. Furthermore, the magnetic packing can be made lighter. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1 Magnet packing 2 Magnet part 3 Packing body 4 Magnet mounting part 5 Bellows 6 Support part 7 Stop section 8 air chambers 9 Hollow layer 10 Hollow chamber 11 Partition 12 Refrigerator door 13 Refrigerator body 14 Periphery 15 Groove for mounting magnetic packing 16 Opening edge 17. Refrigerator h Thickness of the magnet part t Thickness of magnet packing

Claims

1. The packing includes a magnet portion including a magnetic substance that can be attracted to the opening edge portion of the refrigerator body when the refrigerator door is in a closed state, and a packing body portion that connects the magnet portion to the refrigerator door, The magnet portion and the packing body portion are formed in a two-layer integral structure, the magnet portion is exposed from the packing body portion toward an opening edge portion of the refrigerator body and is formed so as to be able to come into contact with the opening edge portion, The packing body has a magnet mounting portion that supports the magnet portion, and a bellows portion that has elasticity and heat insulation and has an air chamber therein, The magnet mounting portion has a hollow layer that is rod-shaped in cross section below the magnet portion.

2. The refrigerator magnetic packing according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow layer is provided with partitions that divide the hollow layer.

3. 2. The refrigerator magnetic packing according to claim 1, wherein the hollow layer is rod-shaped in cross section and has a length corresponding to the width of the magnet portion.

4. 4. The refrigerator magnetic packing according to claim 3, wherein the magnet mounting portion has a hollow chamber inward of the hollow layer.

5. 2. The refrigerator magnetic packing according to claim 1, wherein the magnet portion has a magnetic material content of 65 to 85% by weight.

6. 2. The refrigerator magnetic packing according to claim 1, wherein the magnet portion has a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm.

7. 2. The refrigerator magnetic packing according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic packing has a thickness of 5 to 12 mm.

8. The refrigerator magnetic packing according to claim 1 , wherein the magnet portion and the packing body portion contain a thermoplastic elastomer.

9. 2. The method for producing a magnet packing for a refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the magnet portion and the packing body portion are both formed by co-extrusion molding a hot melt composition containing a thermoplastic elastomer.

10. A refrigerator door comprising the refrigerator magnetic packing according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A refrigerator comprising the refrigerator magnetic packing according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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