JP3347876B2 - Cold air circulation structure of refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerating apparatus, and more particularly to a refrigerating apparatus such as a refrigerator for storing food items or the like in a refrigerated state and a refrigerated showcase used for displaying the refrigerated state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a refrigerated showcase,
Fresh foods are displayed in a refrigerated state, and attention is paid to maintaining freshness. In such a refrigerated showcase, if a system is adopted in which the air in the refrigerated display room is circulated by natural convection to cool the entire room, a cooler (a refrigerant evaporator)
In general, the cooling air is suspended from the ceiling or the lower surface of the top plate, and cool air flows vertically downward. Thus, the cooler is considerably cooler than the surrounding air, and often has a temperature below freezing, so that moisture in the air adheres to the cooler as dew or frost.

[0003] The attached dew falls depending on the situation in the refrigerated display room. However, since falling of the dew is generally not preferable in maintaining the quality of the refrigerated food, the dew is prevented from falling onto the refrigerated goods. It is necessary to provide a dew tray and a dew tray.
That is, it is desired to allow the cool air from the cooler to descend while preventing dew from dripping, and various proposals have been made accordingly. For example, Japanese Utility Model Application
Japanese Patent Publication No. 68 proposes a dew receiving device in which a large number of dew receiving plates having a cross-sectional shape of "H" are horizontally arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, and the lower bent edge thereof is in contact with the dew receiving plate. . In this apparatus, while the cool air descends through the gap between the dew receiving plates, the dew drops fall on the dew receiving plate and then gather at the bent edge at the lower end thereof, and are guided and discharged by the dew receiving plate. You. Further, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 2-120690, a ventilation non-permeable film is provided in a ventilation hole of a dew tray provided below a cooler to thereby prevent the cool air from falling and dropping of dew drops. .

[0004]

Among the above-mentioned conventional proposals, the one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 51-31868 describes
For the purpose of preventing the fall of cool air and the drop of dew, although the primary purpose was achieved, there was no consideration to actively promote the circulation of air in the refrigerated display room and efficiently exchange heat in the cooler. . That is, the air is cooled in the cooler,
If the cold air flows downward, the relatively hot air to be cooled naturally enters the periphery of the cooler, and the design was simply to expect this. Therefore, the cooling air circulation was not sufficiently performed, the cooling efficiency was poor, and temperature unevenness sometimes occurred in the refrigerated display room.

In Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 2-120690, a gas-permeable and water-impermeable film is used, so that it allows cold air to pass through and descends. Because of this, the resistance was large and there was a risk that the cold air could not be prevented from descending quickly. Furthermore, since the air circulation path for guiding the relatively high temperature air upward is not clearly formed, sufficient heat exchange is not performed in the cooler, the cooling efficiency is poor, and the temperature is uneven in the room. there were. The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and a natural circulation flow path in which natural circulation of air is efficiently performed with low resistance according to the characteristics thereof is formed in a refrigerated display room. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cool air circulation structure of a refrigerator in which dew from a cooler does not drop onto a display room.

[0006]

According to the present invention, for the purpose of the above description, a refrigerator having a cooler suspended from the ceiling of a refrigerated display room and a drain pan for receiving exposure below the cooler is provided. In the device, the cool air circulation structure is configured as follows. That is, the drain pan is formed in a horizontal louver shape by arranging a plurality of inclined dew receiving plates extending in the horizontal direction at an interval from each other, and a cooling air descending flow path passing through the drain pan is formed. Further, an air return passage is formed between the cooler, which is preferably formed in a fin-and-tube structure, and the ceiling surface of the refrigerated display room, into which the raised cool air or relatively high temperature air enters.

[0007] Generally, the front of the refrigerated display room is made of a windshield, and the rear is made of a sliding glass sliding door, and this portion receives more heat from the outside than other heat insulating walls. Between the windshield and the cooler and / or between the glass sliding door and the cooler, a vertical cover and a rear cover, each having a ventilation opening, are provided vertically, whereby the windshield and / or the glass sliding door are provided. A rising channel for air along the inner surface of the cooler is formed, and the rising channel cooperates with an air return passage at the upper part of the cooler and a descending passage through the lower horizontal louver-shaped drain pan to form a clear natural circulation. Form a flow path. Further, the windshield-side vertical cover is also used as a support member for the drain pan, and reduces the number of structural members around the circulation flow path, thereby contributing to a reduction in circulation resistance.

[0008]

In the above construction, the cooler cools the surrounding air into cold air by evaporating the refrigerant passing therethrough, which descends through the drain pan to cool the refrigerated display items. As the cool air descends, the upper part of the cooler becomes relatively low in pressure, and the outside heat entering through the windshield and the glass sliding door reduces the density of the surrounding air. A rising flow of air is generated along the inner surface of the chiller, and a circulating flow is generated toward the upper part of the cooler. The air that has entered the air return passage above the cooler passes from directly above the cooler to the lower part and is cooled,
As described above, the downward flow occurs. In this way, a circulation channel is formed by natural convection of air, and air naturally flows evenly in the refrigerated display room.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1A and 1B, a case main body 11 of a refrigerated showcase (refrigeration apparatus) 10 has a refrigerated goods display room 13 at an upper portion and a machine room 15 at a lower portion, and the machine room 15 includes: The refrigeration apparatus including the compressor 17 is stored. The front of the refrigerated display room 13 is made of a glass plate or a windshield 19, while the center of the rear surface is made of a glass sliding door 21. The glass sliding door 21
It consists of a door frame and a glass plate slidably incorporated therein like a normal sliding door, and a sealing material (not shown) is provided around the glass plate to shut off the flow of inside and outside air. It has become. As described above, the glass sliding door 21 is mainly formed of a glass plate in the present embodiment, but is not indispensable for the function of the refrigerated showcase. A suitable door may be substituted.

In the refrigerated display room 13 of the refrigerated showcase 10, a display shelf 23 including a shelf plate 23a and a support arm 23b is provided substantially at the center in the height direction. Shelf board 2
3a is preferably made of a horizontally long glass plate whose both ends are supported by support arms 23b. The support arms 23b are attached to a pair of columns 24 extending vertically upward at both ends of the refrigerated showcase 10 in the longitudinal direction. On the other hand, a fin-and-tube type cooler 25 is provided vertically below the ceiling 11a. The cooler 25 is an evaporator that constitutes a part of the above-mentioned refrigerating apparatus, and as best shown in FIG.
5a, a plurality of cooling fins 25c extending vertically between the end plates, and a serpentine tube 25b extending through the end plates and the cooling fins. In the illustrated embodiment, the cooler 25 is configured such that the upper end of each cooling fin is more distant from the ceiling 11a than the end plate 25a, and an air having a predetermined cross-sectional area is provided between the cooling fin 25c and the lower surface of the ceiling 11a. It is mounted so that a return passage 27 is formed. Further, a drain pan 29 is provided below the cooler 25.
Which is supported below the vertical front cover 31 via a mounting plate 33.

The drain pan 29 is formed integrally by pressing or the like so that a person skilled in the art can easily guess, and a plurality of inclined dew receiving plates 29a are arranged at intervals.
These are integrally connected by the beam portions 29b at both ends. The drain pan 29 has a shape in which a louver extending normally in a vertical direction is placed horizontally, and a dew collecting gutter portion 29c is formed at a lower end of the inclined dew receiving plate 29a. Also, the lower end portion 31a of the front cover 31 described above.
Is bent in the same direction as the dew receiving plate 29a and is inclined. On the other hand, an opening 31b is formed in the upper part facing the air return passage 27.

In the refrigerated display room 13, in addition to the cooler 25, another cooler 35 is provided at the bottom of the display room.
This cooler 35 also forms a part of the above-described refrigeration apparatus.
The cooler 35 is of a plate-and-tube type, and is embedded in the upper surface of a heat-insulating bottom plate 37 that forms a boundary with the machine room 15, and a normal paddle 39 is laid thereon.
In the refrigerated showcase 10 having the above-described structure, when the refrigerating apparatus is operated and the refrigerant is evaporated in the coolers 25 and 35, the cooler 25 cools the surrounding air into cool air, and the cooler 35 A display item (not shown) on the paddle 39 is cooled from below. It is mainly the cooler 25 that contributes to the circulating flow of the air in the refrigerated display room 13. First, the cooler 25 will be described. The aforementioned cool air is generated by the gap between the inclined dew receiving plates 29 a of the horizontal louver-like drain pan 29. And descends as shown by arrow A. Such cold air is generated by the display shelf 2
3 and on top of them to cool them and to flow laterally, as shown by arrow B. The temperature of the cool air that has cooled the display items rises slightly, but if it is relatively low in temperature relative to the surrounding air and has a large specific gravity, it will still fall as indicated by arrow B '.

On the other hand, in the vicinity of the windshield 19 and the glass sliding door 21, cold air inside is warmed by heat input from the outside, and upward flows D and D 'are generated. If the updrafts D and D 'are generated, the above-mentioned cold air flow B' is converted into the updrafts D and D 'at appropriate places.
It turns around behind D 'and turns into an upward flow. The above-described upward flow D of the cool air flows upward between the windshield 19 and the front cover 31, and the ceiling 1
The air flows into the air return passage 27 through the opening 31b after colliding with the lower surface of the air flow path 1a. In the cooler 25, the cooling action is continued to generate a downward flow of cool air, so that the air in the air return passage 27 flows as shown by the arrow F and is naturally drawn between the cooling fins of the cooler 25. To go. Similarly, the upward flow D ′ on the rear side continues to flow upward, becomes a diverted flow E ′, and flows into the air return passage 27.

In summary, the cooling operation of the cooler 25 causes the arrows A, B, B ',
Air flows as shown in D, D ', E, and E' occur, and natural circulation is performed. While the natural convection is dominant as described above, the cooler 35 of course cools the air in contact with the tray 39 and the display items thereon. Merges with the reverse flow B '. In the refrigerated display room 13 where the natural convection occurs as described above, dew condensation occurs in the cooler 25, which collects and drops, all of which falls on the inclined dew receiving plate 29a and is collected. As can be seen from the drawing, the upper end of one inclined dew receiving plate 29a is
It overlaps with the upper part of the gutter part 29c of a. Therefore, there is no possibility that the dew drops on the refrigerated display items below and deteriorates the quality.

In the above embodiment, the upper cooler 2
5, the end plate 25a is a simple flat plate. For example, as in the cooler 125 in FIG.
In slot 5a, except for the mounting portion 125f to the ceiling,
25c, 125d, and 125e (openings) may be formed. Of course, the strength of the end plate 125a is ensured. By doing so, the ceiling surface of the case body 11 and
Air return passage 127 between cooling fins of cooler 125
Since air flows not only from the front and the rear but also from both sides, the flow path resistance is small and the natural circulation of cool air is promoted. The refrigerated showcase 110 in FIG.
The same parts as those of the refrigerated showcase 10 of FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

Further, in the first embodiment (FIG. 1), as shown in FIG.
When the rear cover 215 (rear cover) is suspended from the rear wall 11b, the upward flow D ′ along the glass sliding door 21 is provided.
Are suitably maintained. The lower end 215a of the rear cover 215 is inclined toward the drain pan 29 so that no air rising channel is formed between the two, and an opening 215b is formed at the upper end to guide the turning flow E 'to the air return passage 27. Further, the lower end 31a of the front cover 31 and the lower end 215a of the rear cover 215 inclined toward the drain pan 29 facilitate the flow of relatively high-temperature air in the direction of the cooler, and provide cooling by the throttle effect. The flow rate of the downflow of cool air from the vessel is increased to promote the natural circulation described above.
In the refrigerated showcase 210 which is the embodiment of FIG.
The same parts as those in the refrigerated showcase 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals. According to these embodiments, the natural circulation flow path of the cool air is clearly formed, there is no collision or interference between the flows, and the flow resistance received from the adjacent members is extremely small.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The following effects are obtained. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
A horizontal louver-shaped drain pan secures a downward flow path for cool air, and furthermore, an air return passage is formed immediately above the cooler, so that the circulating air flow can efficiently flow through the cooler and provide good heat. The replacement is performed, and the cooling effect is improved. Ma
The windshield of the refrigerated display room and the ceiling
The drain is provided between the cooler and the cooler held downward.
Supports the pan at the bottom and the air return passage at the top
Since a vertical cover with an opening facing it is provided,
A higher heat exchange efficiency and a higher cooling effect can be obtained by the natural circulation promoting action that reliably guides the rising flow of the cool air along the inner surface of the windshield to the air return passage above the cooler by the chimney effect.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, an opening is provided in the end plate of the cooler, and the relatively high-temperature air flows from the opening into the cooler. be able to. Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the rear air circulation path leading to the air return path above the cooler is formed, the higher heat exchange effect and the higher cooling effect can be achieved by the same principle as the first aspect of the invention. can get.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerated showcase according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view cut along the line Ib-Ib in FIG. 1A and showing the cross-sectional structure of the cooler with the plate thickness being exaggerated.

FIG. 2 is an elevational sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an elevational sectional view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Refrigerated showcase (refrigerator), 11 ... Case main body, 11a ... Ceiling part, 11b ... Rear wall, 13 ... Refrigerated display room, 19 ... Windshield, 21 ... Glass sliding door, 25
... Cooler, 25a ... End plate, 25b ... Cooling tube, 25c ... Cooling fin, 27 ... Air return passage, 29 ...
Drain pan, 29a: inclined dew receiving plate, 29c: gutter, 31
... vertical cover (front cover), 31b ... opening, 11
0: refrigerated showcase (refrigerator), 125: cooler,
125c, 125d, 125e: slot (opening), 1
25f mounting part, 127 air return passage, 210 refrigerated showcase (refrigerator), 215 rear cover (rear cover), 215b opening.

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A 51-31968 (JP, U) JP-A 2-120690 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F25D 17 / 04 305 F25D 21/14

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A refrigeration apparatus in which a cooler is suspended from the ceiling of a refrigerated display room and a drain pan for receiving the cooler is provided below the cooler. There was disposed, together constituting the drain pan horizontal louver shape, said forming an air return passage sufficient flow path cross-sectional area between the cooler and the ceiling portion, a front glass of the refrigerated display chamber And below the ceiling
The drain pan between the cooler and the cooler
While supporting the air return passage at the top.
A cool air circulation structure for a refrigeration apparatus, wherein a vertical cover having a facing opening is provided . 2. A cooling device comprising: a pair of end plates attached to the ceiling at an upper end portion; and a plurality of cooling plates arranged between the end plates in parallel with each other so as to extend in the same direction as the end plates. A fin, and a serpentine tube extending through the end plate and the cooling fin, the upper end of the cooling fin terminating at a position lower than the upper end of the end plate so as to form the air return passage; An opening facing the air return passage is formed at an upper end of the end plate.
The cool air circulation structure according to claim 1 . 3. A rear cover having an opening to an air return passage at an upper portion thereof is provided between the cooler suspended from the ceiling and the rear glass sliding door of the refrigerated display room. The cool air circulation structure of a refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: