refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that can easily dissipate heat generated from a high heat generating electric component arranged in a machine chamber.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 comprises a heat insulation box 50, and a machine chamber 30 provided below the heat insulation box 50. A compressor 31 is arranged in the machine chamber 30. A control unit 20 is arranged beside the compressor 31. The control unit 20 comprises a main wiring board 21, an electric component (such as an AC / DC converter circuit 22), and a high heat generating electric component (such as a reactor 41) having a higher heat generating property than the electric component. The high heat generating electric component is arranged closer to the side of a side wall 30a of the machine chamber 30 than the main wiring board 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a machine room.

Background Art

[0002] In a refrigerator, a heat insulating box body is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of a storage space in order to perform heat insulation from the surroundings. A machine room in which a compressor and the like constituting a refrigeration cycle are arranged is provided below the back side of the heat insulating box body.

[0003] Further, the refrigerator includes a control unit for controlling components such as a compressor. The control unit includes a wiring board and various electrical components. Since these electrical components have heat generating properties, the control unit on which the electrical components are mounted is often arranged in a machine room located outside the heat insulating box body. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator in which a power system board 91 is arranged in a machine room 39.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Among various electrical components mounted on the wiring board, there are some that generate more heat than other electrical components, such as a reactor for EMC countermeasures. In the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1, a reactor 93 is arranged in a case body 81 that houses a power system board 91. However, in such a configuration, the heat generated by the reactor is difficult to be released to the outside, and there is a possibility that the heat accumulates in the case body or the machine room.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a refrigerator that can more easily dissipate heat generated from electrical components that generate more heat (high-heat-generating electrical components). [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an insulated box, a machine room provided below the insulated box, a compressor located in the machine room, and a control unit located next to the compressor. The control unit has a main wiring board, electrical components, and high-heat-generating electrical components that generate more heat than the electrical components, and the high-heat-generating electrical components are located closer to the side wall of the machine room than the main wiring board. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator can be used to easily dissipate heat generated from high-heat-generating electrical components located in the machine room. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing the configuration of the rear part of a refrigerator according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the refrigerator. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of the upper surface of the insulated box that makes up the refrigerator shown in the figure. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the machine room of the refrigerator shown in Figure 1. This figure shows the cross-sectional configuration of the refrigerator shown in Figure 1 along line AA. [Figure 5] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the machine room inside the insulated box shown in Figure 3. This figure shows the cross-sectional configuration of the insulated box shown in Figure 3 along line BB. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the circuit configuration inside the control unit of the refrigerator shown. [Figure 7]This is a perspective view showing the main and sub-compartments that make up the control unit inside the refrigerator. [Figure 8] Figure 7 shows an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of the sub-container. [Figure 9] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the sub-containers located inside the machine room of the refrigerator shown. [Figure 10] Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the sub-container with the metal cover removed. [Figure 11] Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the reactor removed from the sub-container. [Figure 12] Figure 11 is a perspective view showing one of the reactors attached to the sub-container. [Figure 13] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the lower rear section of a refrigerator according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the lower rear section of a refrigerator according to the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions of them will not be repeated.

[0011] <First Embodiment> (Overall configuration of the refrigerator) First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 1 shows the configuration of the rear side of the refrigerator 1. Figure 2 shows the internal configuration of the refrigerator 1. Note that in Figure 2, components in the machine room 30 other than the compressor 31 are omitted from the illustration.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 2, the refrigerator 1 includes a first refrigerating chamber 11 in the upper section, a freezing chamber 12 in the middle section, and a second refrigerating chamber 13 in the lower section. A refrigerating chamber door 11a is provided for the first refrigerating chamber 11. A freezing chamber door 12a is provided for the freezing chamber 12. A refrigerating chamber door 13a is provided for the second refrigerating chamber 13.

[0013] As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment is divided into an upper section, a middle section, and a lower section, and each storage space is provided. A partition portion 59 is provided between each storage space. However, the arrangement positions of each storage space are not limited to this.

[0014] In this embodiment, the surface where the door is provided is referred to as the front or the front face of the refrigerator. And, based on the position that exists when the refrigerator 1 is installed in a normal state with the front face as a reference, each face of the refrigerator 1 is defined as the upper face, the side faces, the rear face, and the bottom face.

[0015] A refrigeration cycle 60 is provided inside the refrigerator 1. The refrigeration cycle 60 is configured by connecting a compressor 31, a condenser (not shown), an expansion device (not shown), and a cooler (evaporator) 32 via a refrigerant pipe (refrigerant flow path) through which the refrigerant flows.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, the compressor 31 is disposed in a machine room 30 provided on the rear side of the bottom of the refrigerator 1. The cooler 32 is disposed in a cooling chamber 35 provided on the rear side of the refrigerator 1. In addition to the cooler 32, a cooling fan 33 and the like are provided in the cooling chamber 35.

[0017] Also, a control unit is provided inside the refrigerator 1. The control unit is disposed, for example, inside a control unit 20 described later. This control unit controls the operation of the refrigeration cycle 60. That is, by driving the compressor 31 by the control unit, the operation of the refrigeration cycle is started, and the refrigerant flows through the cycle.

[0018] (Configuration of the heat-insulating box body) The refrigerator 1 is provided with an insulating box 50 as an insulating structure to insulate each storage space from the surroundings. The insulating box 50 is provided so as to cover the outer perimeter of the refrigerator 1. As shown in Figure 2, the insulating box 50 mainly comprises an outer box 61, an inner box 62, a vacuum insulating material 51, and a foamed insulating material 56.

[0019] The outer box 61 forms the outer circumferential surface of the insulated box body 50. The outer box 61 is mainly composed of a top surface 50a, side surfaces 50b, a back surface 50c, and a bottom surface 50d. The inner box 62 forms the inner circumferential surface of the insulated box body 50. The inner box 62 also forms the inner walls of the storage spaces (for example, the first refrigerator compartment 11, the freezer compartment 12, and the second refrigerator compartment 13), and the rear wall of the cooling compartment 35.

[0020] Furthermore, a space for arranging the machine room 30 is formed on the lower rear side of the insulated box 50. The machine room 30 is located outside the insulated box 50. This is because the temperature inside the machine room 30 rises when the compressor 31 is in operation.

[0021] The vacuum insulation material 51 and the foamed insulation material 56 are provided in the space between the outer box 61 and the inner box 62. The vacuum insulation material 51 is a thin sheet or plate-shaped insulation material. The vacuum insulation material 51 is placed, for example, on the sides, top, bottom, and back of the refrigerator 1. The foamed insulation material 56 can be made of, for example, foamed polyurethane (also called rigid urethane foam).

[0022] (Interior configuration of the machine room) Next, the more detailed configuration of the machine room 30 located on the lower rear side of the insulated box 50 will be explained with reference to Figure 1 and other figures. Figure 1 shows the rear side of the insulated box 50. Figure 3 shows the top side of the insulated box 50. Figures 4 and 5 show the configuration inside the machine room 30. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional configuration of the refrigerator 1 shown in Figure 1 along line AA. Figure 5 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional configuration of the insulated box 50 shown in Figure 3 along line BB. Figure 6 schematically shows the circuit configuration inside the control unit 20 located in the machine room 30.

[0023] The rear portion 50c of the insulated box body 50 is mainly composed of the back plate of the outer box 61. The machine room 30 is located below the rear portion 50c. The machine room 30 is mainly partitioned by the bottom plate 63 which forms the bottom portion 50d of the insulated box body 50, and the side portions 50b of the outer box 61. As shown in Figure 2, the rear portion of the bottom plate 63 rises upward. The rearmost part of the bottom plate 63 is approximately flat horizontally, and this portion forms the ceiling portion 63a of the machine room 30.

[0024] The bottom plate 63 has a ceiling portion 63a and a rising portion 63c as areas for partitioning the machine room 30 (see Figure 2). The ceiling portion 63a forms the upper surface (ceiling) of the machine room 30. The rising portion 63c forms the front surface of the machine room 30. The sides of the machine room 30 (specifically, the side walls 30a and 30b) are formed by the side portion 50b of the outer casing 61. The bottom surface 30c of the machine room 30 is formed by a plate-like member.

[0025] The machine room 30 mainly houses the compressor 31, the control unit 20, and the evaporator tray 36. The compressor 31 is located slightly to the right of the machine room 30 when viewed from the rear (to the left when viewed from the front). In other words, the compressor 31 is located closer to the side wall 30b of the machine room 30.

[0026] The control unit 20 is located next to the compressor 31. In the example shown in Figure 1, the control unit 20 is located to the left of the compressor 31 (to the right of the compressor 31 when viewed from the front). In other words, the control unit 20 is located closer to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30.

[0027] Note that the compressor 31 and the control unit 20 may be arranged in the opposite direction from the example shown in Figure 1. That is, the compressor 31 may be located on the side wall 30a side, and the control unit 20 may be located on the side wall 30b side.

[0028] The control unit 20 includes a control unit for controlling various electrical components inside the refrigerator 1, such as a compressor 31. The control unit 20 comprises a main housing 25 and a sub-housing 40.

[0029] The main housing 25 houses the main wiring board 21 and various electrical components. Examples of electrical components include, but are not limited to, ICs (specifically, AC / DC converter circuits 22), capacitors, drive elements, and coils. These electrical components may be mounted on the main wiring board 21 or placed at any location within the main housing 25.

[0030] In this embodiment, the main wiring board 21 is positioned at an angle with respect to the front-rear direction of the machine room 30 (see Figure 4). Specifically, the main wiring board 21 is positioned along the inclined front portion 25a of the main housing 25 (see Figure 4, etc.).

[0031] At least one reactor 41 is located within the sub-encompassing unit 40. The reactor 41 generates more heat than other electrical components located within the main encompassing unit 25. Therefore, the reactor 41 can also be called a high-heat-generating electrical component. Other high-heat-generating electrical components besides the reactor 41 include, for example, an intelligent power module.

[0032] In this embodiment, the sub-container 40 is equipped with multiple (specifically, two) reactors 41-41. As shown in Figure 5, the multiple (specifically, two) reactors 41-41 are arranged in a vertical line.

[0033] The sub-encompassing unit 40, which houses the reactor 41, is located closer to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30 than the main encompassing unit 25, which houses the main wiring board 21. In this embodiment, the sub-encompassing unit 40 is attached to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30.

[0034] As shown in Figure 5 and other figures, the sub-container 40 is attached to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30 in a state where it is suspended above the bottom surface 30c. This prevents liquid flowing on the bottom surface 30c from entering the sub-container 40 if liquid leaks from the evaporation tray 36 or other components installed in the machine room 30. Also, if gaseous refrigerant leaks from around the compressor 31, the refrigerant gas, which is heavier than air, will flow towards the bottom surface 30c of the machine room 30. Therefore, by positioning the sub-container 40 in a state where it is suspended above the bottom surface 30c, it is possible to create a configuration where refrigerant gas is less likely to enter the interior compared to when it is positioned on the bottom surface 30c.

[0035] As described above, the main wiring board 21 is positioned at an angle relative to the front-to-back direction of the machine room 30. The front side of the main housing 25 that houses the main wiring board 21 is an inclined front section 25a.

[0036] Therefore, within the machine room 30, a space S is formed in front of the area where the control unit 20 is located (see Figure 4). This space S is partitioned by the side wall 30a of the machine room 30, the front of the machine room 30 (for example, the rising portion 63c of the bottom plate 63), the top surface of the machine room 30 (for example, the ceiling portion 63a), and the bottom surface 30c of the machine room 30, and the inclined front portion 25a of the main housing 25, and is a generally enclosed space. In other words, space S is isolated within the machine room 30 from the space on the side where the compressor 31 is located.

[0037] The sub-container 40 is located within this space S. A harness 72 containing various wiring may also be located within this space S. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the harness 72 connects the power plug 71 to the main wiring board 21 via a connector 73. The harness 72 also connects the reactor 41 to the main wiring board 21 via a connector 74.

[0038] In this embodiment, the space S is partitioned by the inclined front portion 25a. Therefore, as shown in Figure 4, the width of the space S gradually narrows as it moves from the side wall 30a of the machine room 30 towards the center. By arranging the main storage unit 25 in the machine room 30 with such a space S provided, the rear end of the machine room 30 can be made widely open while providing space S between the side portion 50b of the refrigerator 1 and the main storage unit 25. This improves heat dissipation and workability during manufacturing within the machine room 30.

[0039] The evaporation tray 36 is positioned above the compressor 31. Condensed water (also called drain water) generated in the cooling chamber 35 is discharged into the evaporation tray 36. The condensed water generated in the cooling chamber 35 includes, for example, defrost water generated when the cooler 32 is defrosted. By positioning the evaporation tray 36 above the compressor 31, the drain water stored in the evaporation tray 36 can be efficiently heated by the heat of the compressor 31, allowing the drain water to evaporate in a shorter time.

[0040] (Control unit configuration) Next, the detailed configuration of the control unit 20 will be described. Figure 7 shows the external configuration of the control unit 20 located in the machine room 30. Figure 7 shows the control unit 20 as viewed from above. Figure 8 shows the internal configuration of the sub-container 40.

[0041] As described above, the control unit 20 comprises a main housing 25 that houses the main wiring board 21 and the like, and a sub-housing 40 that houses the reactor 41. The main wiring board 21 in the main housing 25 is positioned at an angle with respect to the front-rear direction of the machine room 30. The main housing 25 has an inclined front portion 25a that is aligned with the direction of inclination of the main wiring board 21.

[0042] The sub-container 40 is located in the space S formed between the side wall 30a of the machine room 30 and the inclined front portion 25a of the main containment 25.

[0043] As shown in Figure 8, the external shape of the sub-container 40 consists of a metal cover 42 and a resin case 43. The metal cover 42 is made of a conductive metal material. The resin case 43 is made of a non-conductive resin material.

[0044] Multiple reactors 41 are arranged inside the sub-container 40. In this embodiment, two reactors 41-41 are arranged. The two reactors 41-41 are arranged side by side vertically (up and down) inside the sub-container 40.

[0045] The reactor 41 is positioned for noise suppression (EMC countermeasures). As shown in the circuit diagram in Figure 6, the reactor 41 is positioned between the power plug 71 and the AC / DC converter circuit 22 located on the main wiring board 21. By providing such a reactor 41, it is possible to suppress noise generated in the main wiring board 21 from entering the indoor power system through the power plug 71.

[0046] The reactor 41 generates more heat compared to other electrical components located within the main housing 25. Therefore, the reactor 41 is located in a separate housing (i.e., a sub-housing 40) from the main housing 25 in which the main wiring board 21 is housed. This configuration makes it difficult for the heat generated in the reactor 41 to be transferred to the main housing 25.

[0047] Figure 9 shows a sub-container 40 attached to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30. Figure 10 shows the sub-container 40 shown in Figure 9 with the metal cover 42 removed. Figure 11 shows the sub-container 40 shown in Figure 10 with the two reactors 41 41 removed. Figure 12 shows the sub-container 40 shown in Figure 11 with one of the reactors 41 attached.

[0048] As shown in Figure 11, the resin case 43 of the sub-container 40 is attached to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30. Specifically, the resin case 43 is fixed to the side wall 30a with one or more screws 46. The resin case 43 has a recess formed to match the shape of the reactor 41, and at least one projection 44 is provided on the outer circumference of the recess. The projection 44 has a hole that extends from its top to the inside.

[0049] Each reactor 41 is fitted into a recess formed in the resin case 43 (see Figure 12, etc.). Ribs 41a, 41a are provided on two opposing ends of the top surface of the reactor 41. Holes are formed in each rib 41a (see Figure 8).

[0050] With the reactor 41 fitted into the recess of the resin case 43, each rib 41a is in close proximity to the top of the projection 44 of the resin case 43. In this state, the holes in each rib 41a align with the holes in the projection 44 of the resin case 43. Then, a screw 45 is fitted so as to pass through the holes in the ribs 41a and the holes in the projection 44. This fixes the reactor 41 to the projection 44 of the resin case 43 (see Figure 10).

[0051] In this way, by inserting the screw 45 into the projection 44, the tip of the screw 45 can remain inside the projection 44. Therefore, the screw 45 can be configured not to come into contact with the side surface 50b of the outer casing 61. On the other hand, since the reactor 41 is positioned in the recess of the resin case 43, the reactor 41 is positioned closer to the surface of the side surface 50b of the outer casing 61, making it easier to dissipate the heat generated from the reactor 41 to the outside. Thus, the thermal coupling can be enhanced while electrically insulating the reactor 41 from the outer casing 61.

[0052] The metal cover 42 of the sub-container 40 has a box-like shape and is positioned to cover the resin case 43 in the state shown in Figure 10. At least one hole 49 is provided in the flat surface 42a of the box-shaped metal cover 42. When the metal cover 42 is attached to cover the resin case 43, the hole 49 of the metal cover 42 is positioned to align with a projection 44a (see Figure 8) provided on the resin case 43. Then, a screw 47a is fitted through the hole 49 of the metal cover 42 and the hole in the projection 44a. In this way, the metal cover 42 is fixed to the resin case 43.

[0053] Furthermore, protruding portions 48 are provided at arbitrary positions in the opening of the box-shaped metal cover 42, extending outward from the opening surface (see Figure 8). With the sub-container 40 attached to the side wall 30a, the protruding portions 48 of the metal cover 42 are positioned to contact the side wall 30a. Then, screws 47b are inserted into holes 48a provided in the protruding portions 48. In this way, the metal cover 42 is fixed to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30.

[0054] Furthermore, when a portion of the conductive metal cover 42 (i.e., the protruding portion 48) comes into contact with the equally conductive side wall 30a, the metal cover 42 becomes grounded. As a result, as shown in Figure 6, the metal cover 42 is grounded, and electromagnetic waves generated from the reactor 41 located inside the metal cover 42 can be blocked. Therefore, the influence of electromagnetic waves on the main wiring board 21 and electrical components inside the main housing 25 can be suppressed.

[0055] (Summary of the first embodiment) As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment comprises an insulated box 50 and a machine room 30 located below the insulated box 50. A compressor 31 is located inside the machine room 30. An evaporation tray 36 is provided above the compressor 31. A control unit 20 is also located inside the machine room 30 next to the compressor 31.

[0056] The control unit 20 includes a main wiring board 21, electrical components (e.g., an AC / DC converter circuit 22), and high-heat generating electrical components (e.g., a reactor 41) that generate more heat than the main wiring board 21. The high-heat generating electrical components are located on the side wall 30a side of the machine room 30, closer to the main wiring board 21.

[0057] Specifically, the control unit 20 consists of a main housing 25 that houses a main wiring board (control board) 21 and various electrical components, and a sub-housing 40 that houses a reactor 41, a high-heat-generating electrical component. The sub-housing 40 is attached to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30.

[0058] The side walls 30a and 30b of the machine room 30 have surfaces exposed to the outside air, resulting in a higher heat dissipation efficiency compared to the central part of the machine room 30. Therefore, by attaching the sub-container 40, which houses the reactor 41 that generates more heat, to the side wall 30a, the heat generated from the reactor 41 can be more efficiently dissipated to the outside.

[0059] Furthermore, by housing the reactor 41, which generates more heat compared to other electrical components, in a sub-housing 40 separate from the main housing 25 that houses the main wiring board 21 and other electrical components, the heat generated from the reactor 41 can be less easily transferred to the components in the main housing 25.

[0060] Furthermore, by positioning the compressor 31 near the side wall 30b opposite to the side wall 30a, the compressor 31 and the reactor 41 can be positioned at a distance from each other, with the main wiring board 21 in between. This improves the heat dissipation of both the reactor 41 and the compressor 31, which both generate heat.

[0061] In this embodiment, the main wiring board 21 within the main housing 25 is positioned at an angle to the front-to-back (or left-to-right) direction of the machine room 30. This allows for effective use of the limited space within the machine room 30 when arranging the main wiring board 21 within the machine room 30. Therefore, a larger main wiring board 21 can be placed within the machine room 30.

[0062] Furthermore, a sub-container 40 housing the reactor 41 is positioned in the space S between the main wiring board 21 and the side wall 30a. This makes effective use of space S, which tends to become dead space due to being surrounded by inclined surfaces.

[0063] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the control unit differs from that of the first embodiment. For other configurations, the same configuration as in the first embodiment can be applied. Therefore, the second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0064] Figure 13 shows the configuration of the lower rear side of the insulated box 50 of the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment. A machine room 30 is provided in the lower rear side of the insulated box 50. The machine room 30 mainly contains a compressor 31, a control unit 120, and an evaporation tray 36 (not shown in Figure 13). The same configuration as in the first embodiment can be applied to the compressor 31 and the evaporation tray 36.

[0065] The compressor 31 is located on the side closer to the side wall 30b of the machine room 30. The control unit 120 is located next to the compressor 31. In the example shown in Figure 13, the control unit 120 is located to the left of the compressor 31 (to the right of the compressor 31 when viewed from the front). That is, the control unit 120 is located on the side closer to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30.

[0066] The external shape of the control unit 120 is formed by the main housing 125. The main housing 125 houses the main wiring board 21, various electrical components (not shown), and sub-housing 140, among other things.

[0067] A reactor 41, which is a high-heat generating electrical component, is located inside the sub-encompassing unit 140. Similar to the first embodiment, two reactors 41-41 are arranged vertically side by side inside the sub-encompassing unit 140. The reactor 41 and the main wiring board 21 are connected by a harness 72.

[0068] Thus, this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the sub-container 140 housing the reactor 41 is located within the main containment 125. In this embodiment, the reactor 41 is located within the main containment 125, on the side of the side wall 30a side of the main wiring board 21.

[0069] The side walls 30a and 30b of the machine room 30 have surfaces exposed to the outside air, resulting in a higher heat dissipation efficiency compared to the central part of the machine room 30. Therefore, by placing the reactor 41, which generates more heat, closer to the side wall 30a than the main wiring board 21, the heat generated from the reactor 41 can be more efficiently dissipated to the outside.

[0070] Furthermore, by positioning the compressor 31 near the side wall 30b opposite to the side wall 30a, the compressor 31 and the reactor 41 can be positioned at a distance from each other, with the main wiring board 21 in between. This improves the heat dissipation of both the reactor 41 and the compressor 31, which both generate heat.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the main wiring board 21 is positioned at an angle to the front-rear direction of the machine room 30. The sub-container 140, which houses the reactor 41, is positioned in the space S between the main wiring board 21 and the side wall 30a. This allows for effective use of the space within the machine room 30.

[0072] <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, the configuration of the control unit differs from that of the first embodiment. For other configurations, the same configuration as in the first embodiment can be applied. Therefore, the third embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0073] Figure 14 shows the configuration of the lower rear side of the insulated box 50 of the refrigerator 1 according to the third embodiment. A machine room 30 is provided in the lower rear side of the insulated box 50. The machine room 30 mainly contains a compressor 31, a control unit 220, and an evaporation tray 36 (not shown in Figure 14). The same configuration as in the first embodiment can be applied to the compressor 31 and the evaporation tray 36.

[0074] The compressor 31 is located on the side closer to the side wall 30b of the machine room 30. The control unit 220 is located next to the compressor 31. In the example shown in Figure 14, the control unit 220 is located to the left of the compressor 31 (to the right of the compressor 31 when viewed from the front). That is, the control unit 220 is located on the side closer to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30.

[0075] The control unit 220 comprises a main housing 225 that houses the main wiring board 21 and the like, and a sub-housing 40 that houses the reactor 41. The main wiring board 21 in the main housing 225 is positioned along the front-to-back direction of the machine room 30 (i.e., approximately parallel to the side wall 30a, etc.). This point differs from the first embodiment.

[0076] A reactor 41, which is a high-heat generating electrical component, is located inside the sub-housing 40. Similar to the first embodiment, two reactors 41-41 are arranged vertically side by side inside the sub-housing 40. The reactor 41 inside the sub-housing 40 and the main wiring board 21 inside the main housing 225 are connected by a harness 72.

[0077] Similar to the first embodiment, the sub-container 40 is attached to the side wall 30a of the machine room 30. The same configuration as in the first embodiment can be applied to the detailed internal configuration of the sub-container 40.

[0078] The side walls 30a and 30b of the machine room 30 have surfaces exposed to the outside air, resulting in a higher heat dissipation efficiency compared to the central part of the machine room 30. Therefore, by attaching the reactor 41, which generates more heat, to the side wall 30a, the heat generated from the reactor 41 can be more efficiently dissipated to the outside.

[0079] Furthermore, by positioning the compressor 31 near the side wall 30b opposite to the side wall 30a, the compressor 31 and the reactor 41 can be positioned at a distance from each other, with the main wiring board 21 in between. This improves the heat dissipation of both the reactor 41 and the compressor 31, which both generate heat.

[0080] (summary) A refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention (for example, refrigerator 1) comprises an insulated box (for example, an insulated box 50), a machine room (for example, a machine room 30) provided below the insulated box, a compressor (for example, a compressor 31) located in the machine room, and control units (for example, control units 20, 120, 220) located next to the compressor. The control unit has a main wiring board (for example, a main wiring board 21), electrical components (for example, an AC / DC converter circuit 22), and high-heat-generating electrical components (for example, a reactor 41) that generate more heat than the electrical components. The high-heat-generating electrical components are located on the side wall side (for example, side wall 30a) of the machine room, closer to the main wiring board.

[0081] In a refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention described above (for example, refrigerator 1), the control unit (for example, control unit 20) has a main housing (for example, main housings 25, 225) housing the main wiring board (for example, main wiring board 21) and the electrical components (for example, AC / DC converter circuit 22), and a sub-housing (for example, sub-housing 40) housing the high-heat-generating electrical components (for example, reactor 41), and the sub-housing may be attached to the side wall (for example, side wall 30a) of the machine room (for example, machine room 30).

[0082] In a refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention described above (for example, refrigerator 1), the main wiring board (for example, main wiring board 21) is arranged in an inclined state with respect to the front-rear direction of the machine room (for example, machine room 30), and the high heat-generating electrical component (for example, reactor 41) may be arranged in the space (for example, space S) that exists between the main wiring board and the side wall (for example, side wall 30a) of the machine room.

[0083] In a refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention described above (for example, refrigerator 1), a part of the sub-container (for example, sub-container 40) may be conductive and at ground potential. An example of a conductive sub-container is a metal cover 42.

[0084] In a refrigerator (for example, refrigerator 1) according to one aspect of the present invention described above, the sub-container (for example, sub-container 40) includes a resin case (for example, resin case 43), and the resin case may be attached to the side wall (for example, side wall 30a) of the machine room (for example, machine room 30).

[0085] In a refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention described above (for example, refrigerator 1), the resin case (for example, resin case 43) has a projection (for example, projection 44), and the high heat-generating electrical component (for example, reactor 41) may be fixed to the projection.

[0086] In a refrigerator (for example, refrigerator 1) according to one aspect of the present invention described above, the high-heat generating electrical component (for example, reactor 41) may be attached to the side wall (for example, side wall 30a) in a state where it is floating above the bottom surface (for example, bottom surface 30c) of the machine room (for example, machine room 30).

[0087] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims are intended to be included. Configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described herein are also included in the scope of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0088] 1: Refrigerator 20: Control Unit 21: Main wiring board 22: AC / DC converter circuit (electrical component) 25: Main containment 30: Machine room 30a: Side wall of the machine room 30b: Side wall of the machine room 30c: Bottom of the machine room 31: Compressor 40: Sub-containment 41: Reactor (high-heat generating electrical component) 42: Metal cover 43: Resin case 44:Protrusion 48: Protruding section 50: Insulated box 120: Control Unit 125: Main containment 140: Sub-containment 220: Control Unit 225: Main containment S: Space

Claims

1. Insulated box body, A machine room located below the aforementioned insulated box, The compressor located in the aforementioned machine room, A control unit located next to the compressor and Equipped with, The control unit comprises a main wiring board, electrical components, high-heat-generating electrical components that generate more heat than the aforementioned electrical components, and a sub-container including a resin case for housing the high-heat-generating electrical components. The sub-container is attached to the side wall of the machine room, The fixing member for securing the aforementioned high-heat-generating electrical component to the resin case is spaced apart from the side wall of the machine room. refrigerator.

2. The control unit is It has the main wiring board and the main housing which houses the electrical components. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

3. The main wiring board is positioned at an angle with respect to the front-to-back direction of the machine room. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the high-heat generating electrical component is located in the space between the main wiring board and the side wall of the machine room.

4. The sub-container has a conductive metal cover, The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the metal cover covers the high-heat generating electrical components fixed to the resin case, and a portion of it is in contact with the side wall of the machine room.

5. The aforementioned resin case has a protrusion, The aforementioned high-heat generating electrical component is fixed to the projection by the fixing member. The tip of the fixing member remains within the projection. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

6. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the high-heat generating electrical component is mounted on the side wall in a state where it is suspended above the bottom surface of the machine room.

Images