refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator in which a refrigerant pipe can be easily arranged at a predetermined position inside a heat insulation wall.SOLUTION: In a refrigerator 10, a lower side wall part 224 extending along a left-right direction is formed on the side of a lower end of a front surface 222 of a partition wall body 221. A refrigerant pipe 24 is arranged between the front surface 222 of the partition wall body 221 and a front plate part 23. The refrigerant pipe 24 comprises a first pipe extension part 241 extending along the left-right direction, a second pipe extension part 242 extending along the left-right direction at a position separated from the first pipe extension part 241, and a pipe curve part 243 curved and formed so as to connect an end part of the first pipe extension part 241 and an end part of the second pipe extension part 242. The pipe curve part 243 of the refrigerant pipe 24 is in contact with an upper side wall part 223 or the lower side wall part 224 of the partition wall body 221.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a refrigerant pipe.

Background Art

[0002] In a general refrigerator, the internal temperature of each storage chamber such as a refrigerating chamber is cooled to a predetermined temperature range by blowing cold air cooled by a refrigerant compression type refrigeration cycle into each storage chamber. This refrigeration cycle includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion means, and an evaporator, and these various component devices are connected via a refrigerant pipe. The refrigerant pipe of the refrigeration cycle is routed inside the refrigerator body in order to connect the various component devices of the refrigeration cycle to each other.

[0003] Referring to Patent Document 1, a part of the refrigerant pipe is routed near the surface of the heat-insulating box in order to prevent dew condensation on the heat-insulating box.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the invention described in the above-mentioned patent document, there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of appropriately arranging the refrigerant pipe.

[0006] The issues concerned will be described in detail with reference to Figure 8. Here, a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the front end of the insulating wall 100 that separates storage chambers is shown. A refrigerant pipe 103 is installed near the front end of the insulating wall 100. Specifically, the refrigerant pipe 103 is installed between the front surface of the insulating wall body 101 and the front plate 102. In this way, the front plate 102 is heated by the heated refrigerant flowing inside the refrigerant pipe 103, and condensation on the exposed surface of the front plate 102 is suppressed. In addition, a rib 104 is formed to restrict the position of the refrigerant pipe 103 to a predetermined position. The rib 104 is a wall-like portion that protrudes forward.

[0007] Here, tolerances are included in the shape and position of the refrigerant piping 103. As a result, if the refrigerant piping 103 is positioned in front of the rib 104, as shown by the dotted line, the refrigerant piping 103 will be sandwiched between the rib 104 and the front plate 102. If this happens, the front plate 102 may deform, potentially leading to a poor appearance or condensation.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a refrigerator in which refrigerant piping can be easily arranged in predetermined positions inside an insulated wall. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The refrigerator of the present invention comprises a first storage compartment, a second storage compartment, a partition wall separating the first and second storage compartments, and a refrigeration cycle for cooling the first and second storage compartments, wherein the refrigeration cycle has refrigerant piping through which a refrigerant flows, the partition wall has a partition wall body and a front plate that closes the front of the partition wall body from the front, an upper wall portion extending in the left-right direction is formed on the upper end side of the front of the partition wall body, and a lower wall portion extending in the left-right direction is formed on the lower end side of the front of the partition wall body, the refrigerant piping is disposed between the front of the partition wall body and the front plate, and has a first pipe extension portion extending in the left-right direction and a portion extending in the left-right direction at a position spaced apart from the first pipe extension portion and disposed below the first pipe extensionIt has a second pipe extension section and a pipe curvature section that is curved to connect the end of the first pipe extension section and the end of the second pipe extension section, The upper end of the pipe curve is positioned above the first pipe extension, and the lower end of the pipe curve is positioned below the first pipe extension; when the refrigerant piping is not assembled to the front surface of the partition wall body, the maximum width of the pipe curve in the vertical direction is longer than the distance between the upper and lower wall in the vertical direction; when the refrigerant piping is assembled to the front surface of the partition wall body, the pipe curve of the refrigerant piping is in contact with the upper and lower wall of the partition wall body in an elastically deformed state, and the first and second pipe extensions are spaced apart from the upper and lower wall. It is characterized by the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator can be provided in which refrigerant piping can be easily arranged in predetermined positions inside the insulated wall. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a lateral cross-sectional view showing an overall refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the insulated box and partition walls of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] This is a perspective view showing a partition wall of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] This is an exploded perspective view showing a compartment wall of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5A] This is a perspective view showing the main body of the partition wall of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] This is an enlarged perspective view showing the main body of the partition wall of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is an exploded perspective view showing the main body of the partition wall and refrigerant piping of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the front end of the compartment wall of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the front end of the compartment wall of a refrigerator relating to the background technology. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] Hereinafter, the refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the following description, the same members are in principle denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted. Further, in the following description, the directions of up and down, front and back, left and right are appropriately used, and the left and right indicate the left and right when the refrigerator 10 is viewed from the front. In addition, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 10 having a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment is exemplified, but as the refrigerator 10, a refrigerator having only a freezer compartment or a refrigerator having only a refrigerator compartment can also be adopted.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front left side. The refrigerator 10 has a heat-insulating box body 11 and a storage compartment formed inside the heat-insulating box body 11. As the storage compartment, a refrigerator compartment 12 and a freezer compartment 13 are provided from the upper side. For example, the refrigerator compartment 12 is the first storage compartment, and the freezer compartment 13 is the second storage compartment.

[0020] The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 is closed by a heat-insulating door 18 in the upper part and a heat-insulating door 19 in the lower part. The front opening of the freezer compartment 13 is closed by a heat-insulating door 20 in the upper part and a heat-insulating door 21 in the lower part. The heat-insulating door 18 is a rotary door, and the heat-insulating doors 19, 20, and 21 are drawer-type doors.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the refrigerator 10 as a whole. The heat-insulating box body 11 is composed of an outer box 111 made of a steel plate bent into a predetermined shape, an inner box 112 made of a synthetic resin plate disposed on the inner side at a distance from the outer box 111, and a heat-insulating material 113 filled between the outer box 111 and the inner box 112.

[0022] Further, inside the heat-insulating box body 11, the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13 are partitioned by a partition wall 22. The partition wall 22 has a heat-insulating structure similar to that of the heat-insulating box body 11. The specific configuration of the partition wall 22 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4 and the like.

[0023] A cooling chamber 115 is formed at the rear of the freezer compartment 13, and the freezer compartment 13 and the cooling chamber 115 are separated by a partition plate 17. An evaporator 162, which is a cooler, is installed inside the cooling chamber 115. A machine room 14 is partitioned off at the rear of the lower end of the refrigerator 10, and a compressor 161 is located in the machine room 14. The evaporator 162 and the compressor 161 form a refrigerant compression type refrigeration cycle 16. Specifically, the refrigeration cycle 16 includes a compressor 161, a condenser (not shown), an expansion means (not shown), and an evaporator 162.

[0024] By operating the refrigeration cycle 16, the evaporator 162 cools the air inside the cooling chamber 115, and the blower 27 blows this cool air to each storage chamber, bringing the internal temperature of each storage chamber to a predetermined cooling temperature range. Specifically, the refrigerator chamber 12 is cooled to the refrigeration temperature range, and the freezer chamber 13 is cooled to the freezing temperature range. The components that make up the refrigeration cycle 16 are interconnected by refrigerant piping made of metal pipes such as copper pipes.

[0025] Inside the cooling chamber 115, a blower 27 is positioned above the evaporator 162. The blower 27 is either an axial-flow blower or a centrifugal blower, and it blows the cold air from inside the cooling chamber 115, cooled by the evaporator 162, toward the refrigerator chamber 12 and the freezer chamber 13.

[0026] Inside the cooling chamber 115, below the evaporator 162, a defrosting heating unit 117 is positioned. The defrosting heating unit 117 is a heating element that generates heat when energized during defrosting operation.

[0027] An air duct 118 is formed extending upward from the cooling chamber 115. The air duct 118 has an opening for blowing cold air into the refrigerator chamber 12. The cold air that has cooled the refrigerator chamber 12 returns to the cooling chamber 115 via a return air duct (not shown here), thereby cooling the refrigerator chamber 12 to a predetermined refrigeration temperature range.

[0028] A portion of the blown cold air is supplied to the freezer chamber 13 through an opening formed in the upper part of the partition plate 17, and the cold air that has cooled the freezer chamber 13 returns to the cooling chamber 115 through an opening formed in the lower part of the partition plate 17. As a result, the freezer chamber 13 is cooled to a predetermined freezing temperature range.

[0029] If the refrigeration cycle 16 continues to cool the refrigerator compartment 12 and freezer compartment 13, a large amount of frost will form on the evaporator 162, obstructing heat transfer and airflow. Therefore, a defrosting operation of the evaporator 162 is performed periodically. During the defrosting operation, the compressor 161 is stopped to stop the cooling of the refrigerator compartment 12 and freezer compartment 13 by the refrigeration cycle 16, the blower 27 is stopped, and the air inside the cooling chamber 115 is heated by the defrosting heating unit 117 to defrost the evaporator 162. After the defrosting operation is completed, the cooling operation of the refrigerator compartment 12 and freezer compartment 13 described above is resumed.

[0030] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the outer casing 111 and partition wall 22 of the refrigerator 10. The outer casing 111 is a component made of steel plate, as described above. Part of the refrigerant piping 24 is routed along the inner surface of the outer casing 111.

[0031] The refrigerant piping 24 is a conduit made of metal such as copper or aluminum, through which the refrigerant used in the aforementioned refrigeration cycle 16 flows. For example, high-temperature refrigerant, which has become hot when compressed by the aforementioned compressor 161, flows through the refrigerant piping 24. In this way, when the high-temperature fluid flows inside the refrigerant piping 24, heat exchange is promoted through the outer casing 111, and the high-temperature fluid can be effectively cooled. Furthermore, the surface of the outer casing 111 is heated, and condensation on the outer surface of the outer casing 111 can be suppressed.

[0032] As will be described later, the refrigerant piping 24 is also routed near the front end of the partition wall 22. By doing so, the front surface of the partition wall 22 is heated by the high-temperature refrigerant flowing inside the refrigerant piping 24, thereby suppressing condensation on the front surface of the partition wall 22. Furthermore, it is also possible to suppress the occurrence of condensation on the gasket (not shown here) that is in contact with the partition wall 22.

[0033] Figure 4A is a perspective view showing partition wall 22. Figure 4B is an exploded perspective view showing partition wall 22.

[0034] Referring to Figure 4A, the partition wall 22 has a partition wall main body 221 and a front plate 23 that closes the front of the partition wall main body 221 from the front. The partition wall main body 221 is a member that is roughly flattened into a rectangular parallelepiped. The partition wall main body 221 has the aforementioned heat insulation structure and consists of a heat insulation foam material made of urethane or the like and a synthetic resin plate that covers the heat insulation foam material. In addition, the front of the partition wall 22 is covered by a front plate 23 made of a metal plate such as an iron plate. As shown in Figure 2, the lower end of the heat insulation door 19 and the upper end of the heat insulation door 20 are in contact with the front plate 23 via a gasket (not shown).

[0035] Referring to Figure 4B, refrigerant piping 24 is arranged between the front surface 222 of the main body of the partition wall 221 and the front panel 23. In this way, when the refrigerator 10 is in operation, the high-temperature refrigerant flowing inside the refrigerant piping 24 raises the temperature of the front panel 23. This prevents condensation on the front surface of the front panel 23. The configuration of the refrigerant piping 24 near the front panel 23 will be described later.

[0036] Figure 5A is a perspective view showing the main body of the partition wall 221. Figure 5B is a magnified perspective view showing the vicinity of the left end of the front surface 222 of the main body of the partition wall 221.

[0037] Referring to Figure 5A, an upper wall portion 223 extending in the left-right direction is formed on the upper end side of the front surface 222 of the partition wall body portion 221. A lower wall portion 224 extending in the left-right direction is formed on the lower end side of the front surface 222 of the partition wall body portion 221. The upper wall portion 223 and the lower wall portion 224 are wall-like portions projecting forward from the front surface 222. The front plate portion 23 and the lower wall portion 224 are formed continuously from near the left end to near the right end of the front surface 222.

[0038] Referring to Figure 5B, ribs 225 are formed on the front surface 222. The ribs 225 are wall-like portions that partially protrude forward from the front surface 222. The protruding height of the ribs 225 is shorter than the protruding height of the upper wall portion 223 and the lower wall portion 224. The ribs 225 are formed in a grid pattern over substantially the entire surface of the front surface 222.

[0039] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the main body 221 of the compartment wall and the refrigerant piping 24 of the refrigerator 10.

[0040] The refrigerant piping 24 has a first pipe extension 241, a second pipe extension 242, and a pipe curved section 243. The first pipe extension 241 extends substantially in a straight line along the left-right direction. The second pipe extension 242 is located below and spaced apart from the first pipe extension 241, and extends substantially in a straight line along the left-right direction. The pipe curved section 243 is curved to connect the left end of the first pipe extension 241 and the left end of the second pipe extension 242. With this configuration, the first pipe extension 241 and the second pipe extension 242 can be positioned between the front surface 222 and the aforementioned front plate section 23. This allows the front plate section 23 to be effectively heated and condensation to be suppressed.

[0041] Here, L10 is defined as the distance between the lower surface of the upper wall portion 223 of the partition wall 22 and the upper surface of the lower wall portion 224. Also, L11 is defined as the maximum width of the pipe curve portion 243 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, in the refrigerant piping 24, L12 is defined as the distance between the upper end of the first pipe extension portion 241 and the lower end of the second pipe extension portion 242.

[0042] In this configuration, L11 is longer than L12. When the refrigerant piping 24 is incorporated into the front surface 222 of the partition wall 22, the curved portion 243 of the refrigerant piping 24 contacts the upper wall portion 223 or the lower wall portion 224 of the partition wall main body 221. As a result, the first pipe extension portion 241 and the second pipe extension portion 242 are positioned in predetermined locations between the front panel portion 23 and the front surface 222. Specifically, the first pipe extension portion 241 and the second pipe extension portion 242 are positioned approximately in the center of the front surface 222 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the refrigerant piping 24 can be reliably brought into contact with the front panel portion 23. This means that, under the operating conditions of the refrigerator 10, the heated refrigerant flowing inside the first pipe extension portion 241 and the second pipe extension portion 242 can raise the temperature of the front panel portion 23, thereby suppressing condensation on the exposed surface of the front panel portion 23.

[0043] Furthermore, L11 can be made larger than L10. In this case, the pipe curvature 243 will be in contact with the upper wall portion 223 and the lower wall portion 224 of the partition wall main portion 221 in an elastically deformed state, that is, in a state of slight compression in the vertical direction. By doing so, the positions of the first pipe extension portion 241 and the second pipe extension portion 242 can be defined more precisely, and the first pipe extension portion 241 and the second pipe extension portion 242 can be brought into close contact with the front plate portion 23.

[0044] As mentioned above, ribs 225 are formed on the front surface 222 of the partition wall main body 221. Here, the ribs 225 that abut against the refrigerant pipes 24 have approximately the same protruding height. In this way, when the ribs 225 with approximately the same protruding height abut against the refrigerant pipes 24, the first pipe extension 241 and the second pipe extension 242 are pushed forward with a uniform force. Therefore, the first pipe extension 241 and the second pipe extension 242 abut against the front plate 23 mentioned above.

[0045] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the front end of the partition wall 22 of the refrigerator 10. As described above, the first pipe extension 241 and the partition wall 22 are arranged between the front surface 222 of the partition wall 22 and the front panel 23. The first pipe extension 241 and the second pipe extension 242 are in contact with the rear surface of the front panel 23.

[0046] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the positions of the first pipe extension 241 and the second pipe extension 242 are defined by the pipe curve 243 of the refrigerant pipe 24 contacting the upper wall 223 or the lower wall 224 of the partition wall 22. Therefore, in the vertical direction, the first pipe extension 241 and the second pipe extension 242 are stably positioned near the center of the front panel 23. Furthermore, the first pipe extension 241 and the second pipe extension 242 are pushed from rear to front by ribs 225 with substantially uniform protrusion heights. As a result, when the refrigerator 10 is in operation, the front panel 23 is effectively heated by the high-temperature refrigerant flowing inside the first pipe extension 241 and the second pipe extension 242, preventing condensation on the front surface of the front panel 23.

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments described above can be combined with each other. The inventions that can be understood from the embodiments described above, along with their effects, are described below. The refrigerator of the present invention comprises a first storage compartment, a second storage compartment, a partition wall separating the first and second storage compartments, and a refrigeration cycle for cooling the first and second storage compartments, wherein the refrigeration cycle has refrigerant piping through which a refrigerant flows, and the partition wall comprises a partition wall body and a front plate portion that closes the front of the partition wall body from the front, and an upper wall portion extending in the left-right direction is formed on the upper end side of the front of the partition wall body, and a portion extending in the left-right direction is formed on the lower end side of the front of the partition wall body A lower wall portion is formed that extends in a certain direction, and the refrigerant piping is disposed between the front surface and the front panel portion of the partition wall main body and has a first pipe extension portion that extends in the left-right direction, a second pipe extension portion that extends in the left-right direction at a position spaced apart from the first pipe extension portion, and a pipe curved portion that is curved to connect the end of the first pipe extension portion and the end of the second pipe extension portion, wherein the pipe curved portion of the refrigerant piping is in contact with the upper wall portion or the lower wall portion of the partition wall main body.According to the refrigerator of the present invention, the refrigerant piping can be easily positioned in a predetermined location inside the insulated wall.Specifically, the position of the refrigerant piping is fixed by the pipe curved portion of the refrigerant piping contacting the upper wall portion or the lower wall portion of the partition wall main body.Therefore, the refrigerant piping can be brought into contact with the front panel portion.As a result, under the operating conditions of the refrigerator, the front panel portion can be heated by the heated refrigerant flowing inside the refrigerant piping, and condensation on the exposed surface of the front panel portion can be suppressed. Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the curved portion of the refrigerant piping is in contact with the upper and lower walls of the partition wall body. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, the position of the refrigerant piping is more precisely fixed by the contact of the curved portion of the refrigerant piping with the upper and lower walls of the partition wall body. Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the curved portion of the piping is characterized in that, in an elastically deformed state, it contacts the upper and lower walls of the main body of the partition wall. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, the reaction force generated by the elastic deformation of the curved portion of the piping can fix the positions of the first and second extensions of the piping, and the refrigerant piping can be brought into even closer contact with the front panel. Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present invention, ribs are formed on the front surface of the partition wall body, and the ribs that abut the refrigerant pipes are characterized by having approximately the same protruding height. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, by having ribs with approximately the same protruding height abut the refrigerant pipes, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant pipes from being unintentionally pushed by the ribs and coming into contact with the front panel. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0048] 10 Refrigerator 11 Insulated box 111 Outer box 112 Inner box 113 Insulation 115 Cooling room 117 Heating section for defrosting 118 Airflow duct 12 Refrigerator 13 Freezer 14 Machine room 16 Refrigeration Cycle 161 Compressor 162 Evaporator 17 partition boards 18 Insulated Doors 19 Insulated Door 20 Insulated Doors 21 Insulated Door 22 partition walls 221 Main body of partition wall 222 Front 223 Upper wall 224 Lower wall 225 Rib 23 Front plate section 24 Refrigerant piping 241 1st pipe extension section 242 2nd pipe extension section 243 Pipe curve 100 Insulated Wall 101 Insulated wall main body 102 Front panel 103 Refrigerant Piping 104 Rib

Claims

[Claim 1] The first storage room and The second storage room, A partition wall separating the first storage room and the second storage room, The system comprises a refrigeration cycle for cooling the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, The aforementioned refrigeration cycle has refrigerant piping through which the refrigerant flows, The partition wall comprises a partition wall body and a front plate portion that closes the front of the partition wall body from the front. An upper wall portion extending in the left-right direction is formed on the upper end side of the front surface of the partition wall main body. A lower wall portion extending in the left-right direction is formed on the lower end side of the front surface of the partition wall main body. The refrigerant piping comprises a first pipe extension portion disposed between the front surface and the front panel portion of the partition wall body and extending in the left-right direction, a second pipe extension portion that extends in the left-right direction at a position spaced apart from the first pipe extension portion and disposed below the first pipe extension portion, and a curved pipe section formed to connect the end of the first pipe extension portion and the end of the second pipe extension portion. The upper end of the pipe curve is positioned above the first pipe extension, and the lower end of the pipe curve is positioned below the first pipe extension. When the refrigerant piping is not assembled to the front surface of the partition wall body, the maximum width of the curved portion of the piping in the vertical direction is longer than the distance between the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion in the vertical direction. A refrigerator characterized in that, when the refrigerant piping is assembled to the front surface of the partition wall body, the curved portion of the refrigerant piping is in contact with the upper and lower walls of the partition wall body in an elastically deformed state, and the first and second pipe extensions are spaced apart from the upper and lower walls.

Images