refrigerator

Abstract

This disclosure provides a refrigerator that can increase the capacity of its freezer compartment. [Solution] The refrigerator of the present disclosure is a refrigerator in which a refrigerator compartment is located at the top of the casing and a freezer compartment is located below the refrigerator compartment, and a cooler compartment is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment in which a cooler and a cooler compartment fan are housed, and a rear wall member is provided to separate the refrigerator compartment and the cooler compartment, and a vacuum insulation material is provided on at least the portion of the rear wall member facing the cooler.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator that includes a refrigerating chamber, an ice-making chamber (upper freezing chamber), a lower freezing chamber, and a vegetable chamber, and drives a compressor installed in a machine room provided on the lower rear side of a heat-insulating box body to send a refrigerant to a cooler arranged on the rear side of the freezing chamber to cool each chamber.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a refrigerator capable of increasing the capacity of the freezing chamber.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In the refrigerator according to the present disclosure, a refrigerating chamber is arranged at the upper part of a housing, and a freezing chamber is arranged below the refrigerating chamber. In the refrigerator, a cooler chamber in which a cooler and a cooler chamber fan are accommodated is provided on the rear side of the refrigerating chamber, a rear wall member for partitioning the refrigerating chamber and the cooler chamber is provided, and a vacuum heat insulating material is provided at least in a portion of the rear wall member facing the cooler.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the refrigerator described herein, by providing the cooling unit compartment on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment, there is no need to provide a cooling unit compartment on the rear side of the freezer compartment, thus allowing for a larger space to be secured on the rear side of the freezer compartment. As a result, the capacity of the freezer compartment can be increased. Furthermore, by providing vacuum insulation material on the rear wall member, even if the cooling unit becomes cold, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A schematic side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Front cross-sectional view showing the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 [Figure 3] View of the machine room from the rear in Embodiment 1 [Figure 4] A schematic side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2. [Figure 5] A schematic side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 3. [Figure 6] A schematic front cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 3. [Figure 7] A view of the machine room from the rear side in Embodiment 3. [Figure 8] A schematic side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 4. [Figure 9] A schematic front cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 4. [Figure 10] A schematic side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 5. [Figure 11] A schematic front cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] (Knowledge and other information that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors conceived of this disclosure, there was a refrigerator that had a cooler placed on the back side of the freezer compartment, and cooled the cold air from this cooler to cool the refrigerator compartment, freezer compartment, vegetable compartment, etc. In recent years, there has been a growing demand for larger capacity drawer-type freezers or vegetable compartments. However, the inventors discovered that conventional technology places the cooler on the rear side of the freezer compartment, which limits the space available in the freezer compartment and thus restricts the capacity of the freezer compartment. To solve this problem, they arrived at the subject matter of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure provides a refrigerator that can increase the capacity of the freezer compartment.

[0009] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary details may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily verbose and to facilitate understanding for those skilled in the art. The attached drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand this disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to the drawings. [1-1. Structure] [1-1-1. Refrigerator configuration] Figure 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1. Figure 3 is a view of the machine room in Embodiment 1 from the rear. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 is equipped with a box-shaped casing 10. The interior space of the enclosure 10 is equipped with a refrigerator compartment 11 at approximately 3°C from the top, a switching compartment 12 that can be switched between approximately 3°C and -18°C, an ice-making compartment 13 at approximately -15°C to -18°C, a freezer compartment 14 at approximately -18°C, and a vegetable compartment 15 at approximately 6°C. Partition walls 16 are provided between each of these compartments. Below the interior of the refrigerating chamber 11, a partial chamber 17 that is colder than the refrigerating chamber 11 is provided. Inside the refrigerating chamber 11, a shelf board 18 for placing food is provided. On the front surface of the refrigerating chamber 11, a horizontally-opening door 20 for the refrigerating chamber is provided so as to be openable and closable. Inside the door 20 for the refrigerating chamber, a plurality of door pockets 21 are provided.

[0011] The switching chamber 12 and the ice-making chamber 13 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction of the housing 10. In the switching chamber 12, a draw-out case 22 for the switching chamber is accommodated, and on the front surface of the draw-out case 22 for the switching chamber, a door 23 for the switching chamber is provided. Similarly, in the ice-making chamber 13, a draw-out case 24 for the ice-making chamber is accommodated, and on the front surface of the draw-out case 24 for the ice-making chamber, a door (not shown) for the ice-making chamber is provided.

[0012] In the freezing chamber 14, a draw-out case 25 for the freezing chamber is accommodated. On the front surface of the draw-out case 25 for the freezing chamber, a draw-out door 26 for the freezing chamber is provided. In the vegetable chamber 15, a draw-out case 27 for the vegetable chamber is accommodated. On the front surface of the draw-out case 27 for the vegetable chamber, a draw-out door 28 for the vegetable chamber is provided.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, a machine room 30 is provided at the upper part on the back side of the refrigerating chamber 11 of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. 3, inside the machine room 30, a compressor 31, a condenser 32, and a machine room fan 33 that constitute a refrigeration cycle are respectively provided. The compressor 31 and the condenser 32 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction inside the machine room 30. The machine room fan 33 is arranged between the compressor 31 and the condenser 32. Below the condenser 32, an evaporation tray 34 for evaporating drain water is provided.

[0014] At the upper part on the back side of the refrigerating chamber 11, a cooler chamber 40 is provided along the inside of the machine room 30. The cooler chamber 40 is formed along the inside of the machine room 30. The refrigerator compartment 11 and the cooler compartment 40 are separated by a resin rear wall member 29, and the entire back surface of the rear wall member 29 is covered with vacuum insulation material. The rear wall member 29 may also be constructed by attaching vacuum insulation material to a board.

[0015] The front end of the condenser chamber 40 is connected to the refrigerator chamber 11. Inside the condenser chamber 40 are the condensers 41 that constitute the refrigeration cycle. The condensers 41 are cooled to an evaporation temperature of approximately -30°C and supply the heat-exchanged cold air to each chamber. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the rear wall member 29 is formed on the rear of the refrigerator compartment 11, with its upper end extending from the ceiling surface of the refrigerator compartment 11 to the partition wall 16 which is the bottom surface of the refrigerator compartment 11. Since the cooler 41 also cools the freezer compartment 14, a fin-tube type cooler 41 that is relatively resistant to frost formation is used. In addition to the fin-tube type, a microchannel type cooler consisting of flat tubes and fins may also be used. A cooling chamber fan 42 is positioned near the cooler 41, and in this embodiment, the cooling chamber fan 42 is a centrifugal fan. Furthermore, by driving the cooling chamber fan 42, the cold air from the refrigerator compartment 11 is drawn into the cooler compartment 40, where it is configured to exchange heat with the cooler 41.

[0016] In this embodiment, the cooler 41 is positioned at an angle such that the rear is lower. A defrost heater 43 is positioned at the lower rear end of the cooler 41 to melt frost that has accumulated on it. A glass tube radiant heater is used as the defrost heater 43, but since the cold air return port 50 is above the cooler 41, a pipe heater (not shown) may be placed in contact with the outer casing of the cooler 41. In the case of a microchannel type cooler, an aluminum foil heater (not shown) may be attached to a flat tube. A drain pan 44 is located below the rear lower end of the cooler 41 to receive drain water from the cooler 41. As shown in Figure 3, a drain pipe 45 is connected to the drain pan 44. The other end of the drain pipe 45 penetrates the wall of the machine room 30 and extends above the evaporator tray 34 inside the machine room 30.

[0017] One end of the cooling chamber 40 is designated as a cold air return port 50, and a cold air return damper 51 is provided at the cold air return port 50. As shown in Figure 2, a refrigerator duct 52 communicating with the cooler compartment 40 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 11. The refrigerator duct 52 consists of a main duct 53 extending in the vertical direction and a plurality of sub-ducts 54 extending in the left-right direction from both sides of the main duct 53. The ends of the sub-ducts 54 are refrigerator supply ports 55 that open toward both sides of the refrigerator compartment 11. The upper end of the main duct 53 is provided with a refrigerator supply damper 56 that switches whether or not to send cold air from the cooler room 40 to the refrigerator room 11. The lower end of the main duct 53 is in communication with the partial freezing room 17, and the lower end of the main duct 53 is provided with a partial freezing room damper 57 that switches whether or not to send cold air from the main duct 53 to the partial freezing room 17.

[0018] Furthermore, a freezer supply duct 60 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 11, connecting the cooler compartment 40 and the freezer compartment 14. The lower end of the freezer supply duct 60 is a freezer supply port 61 that opens into the freezer compartment 14. A switching chamber supply duct 62 is provided in the middle of the freezer chamber supply duct 60, branching off from the freezer chamber supply duct 60 and communicating with the switching chamber 12. The switching chamber supply duct 62 is equipped with a switching chamber damper 63 that switches whether or not to send cold air from the freezer chamber supply duct 60 to the switching chamber 12. A switching chamber supply port 73 is provided at the lower end of the switching chamber supply duct 62. Furthermore, a supply duct 64 for the ice-making compartment is provided in the middle of the supply duct 60 for the freezer compartment, branching off from the supply duct 60 and communicating with the ice-making compartment 13. A freezer damper 65 is provided in the middle of the freezer supply duct 60 to switch whether or not to send cold air from the freezer supply duct 60 to the freezer compartment 14 and the ice-making compartment 13.

[0019] A vegetable compartment supply damper 66 is provided in the partition wall 16 that separates the freezer compartment 14 and the vegetable compartment 15. A vegetable compartment supply opening 67 is provided in the vegetable compartment supply damper 66 section. This configuration allows the cold air sent from the cooling chamber 40 via the freezer supply duct 60 to be supplied to the switching chamber 12, ice making chamber 13, freezer chamber 14, or vegetable chamber 15, respectively, by arbitrarily switching the switching chamber damper 63, ice making chamber damper, freezer chamber damper 65, or vegetable chamber damper.

[0020] Furthermore, a freezer return duct 68 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 11, ice-making compartment 13, and freezer compartment 14, connecting the freezer compartment 14 to the cooler compartment 40. A freezer return port 69 is provided at the lower end of the freezer return duct 68. Furthermore, an ice-making compartment return port 70 is provided in the middle of the freezer compartment return duct 68. In addition, a return port for the switching chamber is provided midway through the freezer chamber return duct 68, although this is not shown in the diagram. A vegetable compartment return duct 71 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 11, ice-making compartment 13, freezer compartment 14, and vegetable compartment 15, connecting the vegetable compartment 15 to the cooler compartment 40. A vegetable compartment return opening 72 is provided at the lower end of the vegetable compartment return duct 71.

[0021] Behind the rear wall member 29, a vacuum insulation material is attached to the entire surface, and behind the vacuum insulation material, the refrigerator compartment duct 52 is positioned. Behind the refrigerator compartment duct 52, the freezer compartment supply duct 60, the freezer compartment return duct 68, and the vegetable compartment return duct 71 are arranged side by side. In the drawing, each duct is shown with a solid line for clarity. This does not indicate the front-to-back positional relationship with other members. The refrigerator compartment duct 53 contains a refrigerator compartment supply damper 56 and a partial compartment damper 57. The rear wall member 29 is formed as an assembled component consisting of a vacuum insulation material and a refrigerator duct 53. Although it has been stated that vacuum insulation material is attached to the entire back surface of the back wall member 29, since the refrigerator duct 52 for the refrigerator compartment, which is at a higher temperature than the freezer compartment 14, is located in front of the freezer compartment supply duct 60, the vacuum insulation material may be attached only to the portion facing the cooler 41.

[0022] [1-2. Operation] The operation of the refrigerator 1 in Embodiment 1 will be described below. First, when cooling the refrigerator compartment 11, the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment supply damper 56 is controlled according to the value detected by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor (not shown) installed near the cold air return port 50, so that the refrigerator compartment reaches the set temperature. At this time, the partial compartment damper 57, the switching compartment damper 63, the freezer compartment damper 65, and the vegetable compartment damper are also controlled to reach the set temperature of each compartment by opening and closing the dampers according to the values ​​detected by the respective temperature sensors (not shown) installed in each compartment, so that each compartment reaches the set temperature. Furthermore, the refrigerator compartment return damper 51 is basically open when the refrigerator compartment supply damper 56 is open, but it is closed when the refrigerator compartment door 20 is open for a predetermined time or longer when the outside air temperature is high, or when the evaporator 41 is being defrosted. In this state, the compressor 31 and the machine room fan 33 are driven, sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 to the condenser 32, and the liquid refrigerant condensed by heat exchange in the condenser 32 is sent to the cooler 41.

[0023] In the cooler 41, the refrigerant evaporates from a liquid to a gas, and the air circulating through each room and returning to the cooler room 40 comes into contact with the cooler 41 through which the refrigerant flows. Heat is exchanged using so-called latent heat of vaporization, which removes heat from the returning air. The cooled air is then sent into the refrigerator room 11 through the refrigerator room supply port 55 via the main duct 53 and the sub-duct 54. This allows the refrigerator room 11 to be cooled. A cooler 41 is placed on the top of the refrigerator compartment 11, which is at approximately 3°C, to reach an evaporation temperature (approximately -30°C) that can also cool the freezer compartment 14. By installing vacuum insulation material on the rear wall member 29, it is possible to suppress low temperatures and freezing inside the refrigerator compartment 11, as well as condensation on the surface of the rear wall member 29. Although it is stated that vacuum insulation material is to be attached to the entire surface of the rear wall member 29, vacuum insulation material may also be attached to at least the portion of the rear wall member 29 facing the cooler 41.

[0024] Furthermore, when cooling the partial freezing chamber 17, the cold air cooled in the cooler chamber 40 is sent to the partial freezing chamber 17 via the main duct 53 by opening the refrigerator chamber supply damper 56 and the partial freezing chamber damper 57. This allows the partial freezing chamber 17 to be cooled.

[0025] When cooling the switching chamber 12, the switching chamber damper 63 is opened, and the cold air cooled in the cooler chamber 40 is sent to the switching chamber 12 from the switching chamber supply port via the freezer chamber supply duct 60, thereby cooling the switching chamber 12.

[0026] Furthermore, when cooling the freezer compartment 14 and the ice-making compartment 13, the freezer compartment damper 65 is opened, and the cold air cooled in the cooler compartment 40 is sent to the freezer compartment 14 from the freezer compartment supply port 61 via the freezer compartment supply duct 60, thereby cooling the freezer compartment 14. At the same time, the cold air cooled in the cooler chamber 40 is sent to the ice-making chamber 13 via the freezer chamber supply duct 60 and the ice-making chamber supply duct 64, thereby cooling the ice-making chamber 13.

[0027] To cool the vegetable compartment 15, the vegetable compartment damper is opened, and the cold air cooled in the cooler compartment 40 is sent to the freezer compartment 14. Furthermore, the cold air from the freezer compartment 14 is sent to the vegetable compartment 15 through the vegetable compartment supply port 67, with its flow rate adjusted by the vegetable compartment damper 66, thereby cooling the vegetable compartment 15. Furthermore, when cooling the vegetable compartment 15, it is not always necessary to send cold air from the cooling chamber 40 to the freezer compartment 14. The current cold air from the freezer compartment 14 may be sent to the vegetable compartment 15 via the vegetable compartment supply damper 66 and the vegetable compartment supply port 67.

[0028] Furthermore, if frost accumulates on the cooler 41, the defrost heater 43 is activated to melt the frost on the cooler 41. The melted frost is then drained into the drain pan 44 as drain water. At this time, the refrigerator compartment return damper 51 is closed to prevent the warm air from the defrost heater 43 from rising and leaking into the refrigerator compartment 11 through the cold air return port 50. The refrigerator compartment supply damper 56, the switching compartment damper 63, and the freezer compartment damper 65, which are located below the cooler 41 and connected by ducts, are also closed to suppress the inflow of warm air from each damper connected to the cooler compartment 40 into each compartment during defrosting. Furthermore, by forming a trap structure in the freezer compartment return duct 68 and the vegetable compartment return duct 71, which are connected to the cooler compartment 40, the backflow of warm air from the cooler compartment into the freezer compartment 14 and vegetable compartment 15 can be suppressed. In addition, the trap structure prevents cold air from the cooler compartment from flowing back into the vegetable compartment when the cooling fan is stopped. The drain water that falls into the drain pan 44 is sent to the evaporation tray 34 in the machine room 30 via the drain pipe 45. Since the area around the evaporation tray 34 is located near the condenser 32 and the compressor 31, the area around the evaporation tray 34 is kept at a relatively high temperature. This allows the drain water in the evaporation tray 34 to evaporate efficiently.

[0029] Furthermore, since a cooling chamber fan 42 is provided downstream (downward) of the cooler 41 to forcibly circulate cold air, the humid cold air circulating through the refrigerator compartment 11 returns to the upstream (upward) side of the cooler 41. Therefore, if cold air from the refrigerator compartment 11 is constantly returned to the cooler 41, frost will accumulate on the cooler 41, potentially clogging the fins of the cooler 41 and reducing the heat exchange performance of the cold air. However, in this embodiment, since a refrigerator compartment return damper 51 is provided, unnecessary frost formation on the cooler 41 can be suppressed by controlling the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment return damper 51.

[0030] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, the refrigerator 1 in Embodiment 1 has a refrigerator compartment 11 located at the top of the housing 10, a freezer compartment 14 located below the refrigerator compartment 11, a cooler compartment 40 housing a cooler 41 and a cooler compartment fan 42 located on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 11, a rear wall member 29 separating the refrigerator compartment 11 and the cooler compartment 40, and a vacuum insulation material provided on at least the portion of the rear wall member 29 facing the cooler 41. As a result, by placing the condenser compartment 40 on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 11, it is not necessary to place the condenser compartment 40 on the rear side of the freezer compartment 14, and a large amount of space can be secured on the rear side of the freezer compartment 14. Therefore, the capacity of the freezer compartment 14 can be increased. In addition, by providing vacuum insulation material on the rear wall member 29, even if the condenser 41 becomes cold, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 and condensation on the rear wall member 29 can be suppressed.

[0031] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the refrigerator 1 is provided with a machine room 30 on the upper rear side of the casing 10, which houses a compressor 31 and a condenser 32. This allows the machine room 30 and the cooler room 40 to be located close together, and the functional components that make up the refrigeration cycle to be concentrated in one place, making maintenance and inspection work easier.

[0032] Furthermore, in the refrigerator 1 of Embodiment 1, the cooling compartment 40 is located between the machine compartment 30 and the refrigerator compartment 11. This allows the machine room 30 and the cooler room 40 to be located close together, and the functional components that make up the refrigeration cycle to be concentrated in one place, making maintenance and inspection work easier.

[0033] Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the refrigerator 1, a drain pan 44 is placed below the cooler 41, an evaporation dish 34 is placed near the condenser 32, and a drain pipe 45 is provided to send drain water from the drain pan 44 to the evaporation dish 34 in the machine room 30. As a result, the condensate water generated by defrosting the cooler 41 is stored in the drain pan 44, and the condensate water stored in the drain pan 44 is sent to the evaporation tray 34 in the machine room 30 via the drain pipe 45, so that the condensate water can be efficiently evaporated inside the machine room 30.

[0034] Furthermore, in the refrigerator 1 of Embodiment 1, the cooling chamber fan 42 is located downstream of the cooler 41, and a refrigerator chamber cold air return damper is provided upstream of the cooler chamber 40. This allows for the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment return damper 51, thereby suppressing unwanted frost formation on the evaporator 41.

[0035] In Embodiment 1, vacuum insulation material is provided on at least the portion of the rear wall member 29 facing the cooler 41, but for example, vacuum insulation material may be installed over the entire surface of the rear wall member 29. By installing vacuum insulation material over the entire surface, the cold air flowing through each supply duct can suppress the lowering of the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 and condensation. Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the refrigerator compartment 11 and the freezer compartment 14 are cooled by a single cooler 41 in a cooler compartment 40 located on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 11. However, another cooler (not shown) different from cooler 41 may be provided in the cooler compartment 40 and connected to this refrigeration cycle, so that cooler 11 cools the refrigerator compartment 11 and another cooler (not shown) cools the freezer compartment 14. In this case, if the freezer compartment 14, ice maker compartment 13, switching compartment 12, and vegetable compartment 15 are cooled by a separate cooler, the arrangement of ducts in each compartment can be simplified, and the capacity of each compartment can be improved. Furthermore, in embodiments 2 to 5 described later, the cooler chamber 40 may also be configured with another cooler (not shown) different from the cooler 41, and the same effects as described above can be achieved.

[0036] (Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure will be described. [2-1. Structure] Figure 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2. As shown in Figure 4, this embodiment shows an example in which the cooler 41 is placed vertically in the cooler chamber 40. Below the cooler 41, a drain pan 44 and a defrost heater 43 are located. Downstream (below) the cooler 41, a cooling chamber fan 42 is provided. In this embodiment as well, similar to Embodiment 1, drain water can be flowed from the drain pan 44 to the evaporation tray 34 in the machine room 30 via the drain pipe 45. Since the other components are the same as in Embodiment 1, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts and their descriptions are omitted.

[0037] [2-2. Effects and Actions] In this embodiment, as in Embodiment 1, the compressor 31 and the machine room fan 33 are driven to circulate the refrigerant to the condenser 32 and the cooler 41, thereby cooling the refrigerator compartment 11, the partial compartment 17, the switching compartment 12, the ice-making compartment 13, the freezer compartment 14, or the vegetable compartment 15. Furthermore, the same effects and advantages as in Embodiment 1 can be obtained in this embodiment as well. Specifically, a large amount of space can be secured on the rear side of the freezer compartment 14. As a result, the capacity of the freezer compartment 14 can be increased. In addition, by providing vacuum insulation material on the rear wall member 29, even if the cooler 41 becomes cold, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 can be suppressed.

[0038] Furthermore, in the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment, the cooling compartment 40 is located below the machine compartment 30. This allows the machine room 30 and the cooler room 40 to be located close together, and the functional components that make up the refrigeration cycle to be concentrated in one place, making maintenance and inspection work easier.

[0039] (Embodiment 3) Next, Embodiment 3 of this disclosure will be described. [3-1. Structure] Figure 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 3. Figure 6 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 3. Figure 7 is a view of the machine room in Embodiment 3 from the rear side. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, in this embodiment, the cooler room 40 is located below the machine room 30. Below the cooler 41, a drain pan 44 and a defrost heater 43 are located. Downstream of the cooler 41, a cooling chamber fan 42 is located.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, a second machine room 80 is provided below the cooler room 40. The drain pan 44 of the cooler room 40 and the second machine room 80 are connected via a drain pipe 45. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, the machine room 30 and the second machine room 80 are connected via a suction-side machine room connecting passage 81 and a discharge-side machine room connecting passage 82, which are machine room connecting passages provided on both the left and right sides of the housing 10. The intake-side machine room connecting passage 81 is located downstream of the airflow from the machine room fan 33 in the machine room 30, and the discharge-side machine room connecting passage 82 is located upstream of the airflow from the machine room fan 33 in the machine room 30.

[0041] Inside the second machine room 80, there is an evaporation tray 34 that receives drain water sent from the drain pan 44 through the cooling room communication passage, and above the evaporation tray 34 and near the suction side machine room communication passage 81, there is an evaporation fan 83. The upper part of the machine room 30 is provided with an intake port 84 for drawing outside air into the machine room 30 and an exhaust port 85 for discharging the internal air of the machine room 30 to the outside. Since the other components are the same as those in Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts and their descriptions are omitted.

[0042] [3-2. Effect] Next, the operation of Embodiment 3 will be described. In this embodiment, the compressor 31 and the machine room fan 33 are driven to circulate the refrigerant to the condenser 32 and the cooler 41, thereby cooling the refrigerator compartment 11, the partial freezing compartment 17, the switching compartment 12, the ice making compartment 13, the freezer compartment 14, or the vegetable compartment 15.

[0043] When defrosting the cooler 41, the defrost heater 43 is driven to melt the frost that has accumulated on the cooler, causing it to fall as drain water into the drain pan 44. The drain water that falls into the drain pan 44 is sent to the evaporation tray 34 in the second machine room 80 via the drain pipe 45. During defrosting, the evaporation fan 83 is driven. This allows air from the machine room 30 to be drawn into the second machine room 80 via the intake machine room connecting passage 81. The air in the machine room 30 is relatively hot due to the presence of the compressor 31, which allows for efficient evaporation of the drain water in the evaporation tray 34. The air from which the drain water has been evaporated in the second machine room 80 is sent back to the machine room 30 via the discharge-side machine room connecting passage 82. In this way, the circulation of air from the machine room 30 into the second machine room 80 promotes the evaporation of the drain water in the evaporation tray 34.

[0044] [3-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in the third embodiment of the refrigerator 1, a second machine room 80 is provided below the cooler room 40, a drain pan 44 is placed below the cooler 41, an evaporation tray 34 is placed in the second machine room 80, a drain pipe 45 is provided to send drain water from the drain pan 44 to the evaporation tray 34 in the second machine room 80, and a machine room connecting passage is provided that connects the second machine room 80 and the machine room 30. As a result, by providing an evaporation tray 34 in the second machine room 80 and a machine room connecting passage between the machine room 30 and the second machine room 80, air from the machine room 30 can be sent to the evaporation tray 34 in the second machine room 80, allowing for efficient evaporation of drain water in the evaporation tray 34. In addition, a large amount of space can be secured on the rear side of the freezer room 14, enabling an increase in the capacity of the freezer room 14. Furthermore, by providing vacuum insulation material on the rear wall member 29, the temperature of the refrigerator room 11 can be suppressed even when the cooler 41 becomes cold. Moreover, the machine room 30 and the cooler room 40 can be placed close together, and the functional components constituting the refrigeration cycle can be concentrated, making maintenance and inspection work easier.

[0045] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the refrigerator 1 has a machine room connecting passage consisting of an intake-side machine room connecting passage 81 located on the compressor 31 side of the machine room 30 and a discharge-side machine room connecting passage 82 located on the condenser 32 side. As a result, the second machine room 80 and the machine room 30 are connected by the suction-side machine room connecting passage 81 and the discharge-side machine room connecting passage 82, allowing the air from the machine room 30 to be efficiently circulated to the second machine room 80. Furthermore, since the air sent from the machine room 30 to the second machine room 80 via the suction-side machine room connecting passage 81 is relatively hot air near the compressor 31, it can promote the evaporation of the drain water in the evaporation tray 34.

[0046] (Embodiment 4) Next, Embodiment 4 of this disclosure will be described. [4-1. Structure] Figure 8 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 4. Figure 9 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 4. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, this embodiment shows an example in which the cooling chamber fan 42 is located upstream of the cooler 41 in the cooler chamber 40. Since the other components are the same as in Embodiment 3, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts and their descriptions are omitted.

[0047] [4-2. Effects and Actions] In this embodiment, the same effects and benefits as in Embodiment 1 can be obtained. In other words, a large amount of space can be secured on the rear side of the freezer compartment 14. Therefore, the capacity of the freezer compartment 14 can be increased. In addition, by providing vacuum insulation material on the rear wall member 29, even if the cooler 41 becomes cold, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 can be suppressed. Furthermore, the machine room 30 and the cooler room 40 can be located close together, and the functional components that make up the refrigeration cycle can be concentrated in one place, making maintenance and inspection work easier. Furthermore, by providing an evaporation tray 34 in the second machine room 80 and a machine room connecting passage between the machine room 30 and the second machine room 80, air from the machine room 30 can be sent to the evaporation tray 34 in the second machine room 80, thereby enabling efficient evaporation of drain water in the evaporation tray 34. Furthermore, since the second machine room 80 and the machine room 30 are connected by a suction-side machine room connecting passage 81 and a discharge-side machine room connecting passage 82, the air in the machine room 30 can be efficiently circulated to the second machine room 80. In addition, the air sent from the machine room 30 to the second machine room 80 via the suction-side machine room connecting passage 81 is relatively hot air near the compressor 31, which can promote the evaporation of the drain water in the evaporation tray 34.

[0048] (Embodiment 5) Next, Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure will be described. [5-1. Structure] Figure 10 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 5. Figure 11 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 5. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the cooler compartment 40 is located at the lower rear of the refrigerator compartment 11. The cooler compartment 40 houses a cooler 41, a cooling compartment fan 42, a defrost heater 43, and a drain pan 44, similar to the embodiments described above. In this embodiment, the second machine room 80 is located on the lower rear side of the housing 10. The second machine room 80 is provided with an evaporation tray 34. Between the cooler room 40 and the second machine room 80, there is a drain pipe 45 that sends the drain water from the drain pan 44 to the evaporation tray 34. In this embodiment, however, there is no machine room connecting passage between the second machine room 80 and the machine room 30.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cooler chamber 40 has a structure in which cold air flows from bottom to top, as shown in Figure 10. Therefore, the refrigerator chamber return damper 51 is located below the refrigerator chamber 11 so as to be located below the cooler 41 in the cooler chamber 40. Since the other components are the same as those in the embodiments described above, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts and their descriptions are omitted.

[0050] [5-2. Effects and Actions] In this embodiment, the drain water that falls into the drain pan 44 is sent to the evaporation tray 34 in the second machine room 80 via the drain pipe 45. The drain water sent to the evaporation tray 34 is naturally evaporated there. Furthermore, the same effects as those in the previous embodiments can be obtained in this embodiment as well. Specifically, a large amount of space can be secured on the rear side of the freezer compartment 14. As a result, the capacity of the freezer compartment 14 can be increased. In addition, by providing a vacuum insulation material on the rear wall member 29, even if the cooler 41 becomes cold, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 can be suppressed. Furthermore, the machine room 30 and the cooler room 40 can be located close together, and the functional components that make up the refrigeration cycle can be concentrated in one place, making maintenance and inspection work easier.

[0051] As described above, Embodiment 1 has been explained as an example of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to this and can be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, or omitted. Furthermore, it is possible to create new embodiments by combining the components described in Embodiment 1 above.

[0052] (Note) Based on the above description of embodiments, the following technologies are disclosed.

[0053] (Technical 1) A refrigerator having a refrigerator compartment at the top of the casing and a freezer compartment below the refrigerator compartment, wherein a cooler compartment housing a cooler and a cooler compartment fan is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment, a rear wall member is provided to separate the refrigerator compartment and the cooler compartment, and a vacuum insulation material is provided on at least the portion of the rear wall member facing the cooler. With this configuration, by placing the condenser compartment on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment, there is no need to place a condenser compartment on the rear side of the freezer compartment, allowing for a larger space to be secured on the rear side of the freezer compartment. Therefore, the capacity of the freezer compartment can be increased. In addition, by providing vacuum insulation material on at least the portion of the rear wall member facing the condenser, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment can be suppressed even when the condenser becomes cold.

[0054] (Technical 2) The refrigerator according to Technical 1, wherein a machine room housing a compressor and a condenser is provided on the upper rear side of the enclosure. This configuration allows the machine room and the cooler room to be located close together, and the functional components that make up the refrigeration cycle can be concentrated in one place, making maintenance and inspection work easier.

[0055] (Technical 3) The refrigerator according to Technical 2, wherein the cooling chamber is located between the machine room and the refrigerator room. This configuration allows the machine room and the cooler room to be located close together, and the functional components that make up the refrigeration cycle can be concentrated in one place, making maintenance and inspection work easier.

[0056] (Technical 4) The refrigerator according to Technical 3, wherein a drain pan is placed below the cooler, an evaporation dish is placed near the condenser, and a drain pipe is provided to send drain water from the drain pan to the evaporation dish in the machine room. With this configuration, the condensate water generated by defrosting the cooler is stored in a drain pan, and the condensate water stored in the drain pan is sent to an evaporation tray in the machine room via a drain pipe, so that the condensate water can be efficiently evaporated inside the machine room.

[0057] (Technical 5) The refrigerator according to Technical 2, wherein the cooling chamber is located below the machine chamber. This configuration allows the machine room and the cooling room to be located close together, and the machine parts to be concentrated in one place, making maintenance and inspection work easier.

[0058] (Technical 6) The refrigerator according to Technical 5, wherein a second machine room is provided below the cooler room, a drain pan is placed below the cooler, an evaporation dish is placed in the second machine room, a drain pipe is provided to send drain water from the drain pan to the evaporation dish in the second machine room, and a machine room connecting passage is provided that connects the second machine room and the machine room. With this configuration, an evaporation tray is provided in the second machine room, and a machine room connecting passage is provided between the machine room and the second machine room. This allows air from the machine room to be sent to the evaporation tray in the second machine room, thus enabling efficient evaporation of drain water in the evaporation tray.

[0059] (Technical 7) The refrigerator according to Technical 6, wherein the machine room connecting passage is composed of a suction-side machine room connecting passage located on the compressor side of the machine room and a discharge-side machine room connecting passage located on the condenser side. With this configuration, the second machine room and the first machine room are connected by a suction-side machine room connecting passage and a discharge-side machine room connecting passage, allowing the air from the machine room to be efficiently circulated to the second machine room. Furthermore, the air sent from the machine room to the second machine room via the suction-side machine room connecting passage is relatively hot air near the compressor, which can promote the evaporation of the drain water in the evaporation tray.

[0060] (Technical 8) The refrigerator according to Technical 1, wherein a second machine room is provided on the lower rear side of the housing, a drain pan is placed below the cooler, an evaporation tray is placed in the second machine room, and a drain pipe is provided to send drain water from the drain pan to the evaporation tray in the second machine room. This configuration allows for ample space on the rear side of the freezer compartment. Therefore, it enables a larger freezer capacity. Furthermore, by installing vacuum insulation material on the rear wall, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment can be suppressed even when the condenser becomes cold.

[0061] (Technical 9) The refrigerator according to any one of Technical 1 to Technical 8, wherein the cooling chamber fan is located downstream of the cooler, and a cold air return damper for the refrigerator chamber is provided upstream of the cooler chamber. With this configuration, unwanted frost formation on the evaporator can be suppressed by controlling the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment return damper. [Industrial applicability]

[0062] This disclosure is suitably applicable to refrigerators that can increase the capacity of their freezer compartments. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0063] 1. Refrigerator 10 cabinets 11 Refrigerator 12 Switching Room 13 Ice maker 14 Freezer 15. Vegetable compartment 16 Partition Wall 17 Partial Freezing Chamber 18 shelves 20 Refrigerator door 21 Door pockets 22 Drawer case for switching chamber 23 Door for switching room 24 Ice maker drawer cases 25 Freezer drawer cases 26 Freezer compartment drawer door 27. Drawer case for vegetable compartment 28. Drawer door for vegetable compartment 29 Rear wall member 30 Machine room 31 Compressor 32 Condenser 33 Machine Room Fan 34 Evaporating dish 40 Cooler room 41 Cooler 42 Cooling chamber fan 43 Defrost heater 44 Drain pan 45 Drain pipe 50 Cold air return vent 51 Refrigerator return damper 52 Refrigerator duct 53 Main duct 54. Sub-duct 55 Refrigerator compartment supply port 56 Refrigerator supply damper 57 Partial Chamber Damper 60 Freezer supply duct 61 Freezer compartment supply port 62 Switching chamber supply duct 63 Switching chamber damper 64 Ice maker supply duct 65 Freezer Damper 66. Vegetable compartment supply damper 67 Vegetable compartment supply opening 68 Freezer return duct 69 Freezer return door 70 Ice maker return opening 71 Vegetable compartment return duct 72. Vegetable compartment return opening 73 Switching chamber supply port 80 2nd machine room 81 Suction side machine room connecting passage 82 Outlet side machine room communication passage 83 Evaporation fan 84 Inlet 85 Exhaust port

Claims

1. In a refrigerator in which a refrigerator compartment is located at the top of the casing and a freezer compartment is located below the refrigerator compartment, A cooler compartment housing a cooler and a cooler fan is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment, and a rear wall member is provided to separate the refrigerator compartment and the cooler compartment. A vacuum insulation material is provided in at least the portion of the rear wall member facing the cooler. refrigerator.

2. A machine room containing a compressor and a condenser is provided on the upper rear side of the aforementioned enclosure. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

3. The cooling chamber is located between the machine room and the refrigerator room. The refrigerator according to claim 2.

4. A drain pan is placed below the cooler, and an evaporation dish is placed near the condenser. A drain pipe is provided to send drain water from the drain pan to the evaporation tray in the machine room. The refrigerator according to claim 3.

5. The cooling chamber is located below the machine room. The refrigerator according to claim 2.

6. A second machine room is provided below the aforementioned cooler room. A drain pan is placed below the cooler, an evaporation tray is placed in the second machine room, and a drain pipe is provided to send drain water from the drain pan to the evaporation tray in the second machine room. A machine room connecting passage is provided between the second machine room and the machine room. The refrigerator according to claim 2.

7. The aforementioned machine room connecting passage consists of a suction-side machine room connecting passage located on the compressor side of the machine room and a discharge-side machine room connecting passage located on the condenser side. The refrigerator according to claim 6.

8. A second machine room is provided on the lower rear side of the aforementioned housing. A drain pan is placed below the cooler, an evaporation tray is placed in the second machine room, and a drain pipe is provided to send drain water from the drain pan to the evaporation tray in the second machine room. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

9. The cooling chamber fan is located downstream of the cooler. A cold air return damper for the refrigerator is provided on the upstream side of the aforementioned cooler chamber. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

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