JP7030488B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

In some conventional refrigerators, a vegetable container is provided with a lid, and a moisture permeable membrane is provided at the opening of the lid. When this vegetable container is used, the humidity inside the vegetable container can be maintained by the moisture contained in the vegetables, and the freshness of the vegetables can be maintained.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-286358

However, when the amount of vegetables stored is small, the water content from the vegetables is insufficient, the humidity in the vegetable container is lowered, and it becomes difficult to maintain the freshness of the vegetables.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of maintaining the humidity in the vegetable chamber even if the storage capacity of vegetables is small.

The refrigerator of the embodiment includes a water supply tank for storing water for producing ice and a vegetable compartment for storing vegetables, and is characterized in that water vapor generated in the water supply tank is introduced into the vegetable compartment.

It is an overall perspective view of the refrigerator of an embodiment. (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1 and is a front sectional view illustrating a main part of the refrigerator of the embodiment, and (b) is an enlarged view of the main part of (a). FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1, and is a side sectional view illustrating a main part of the refrigerator of the embodiment. It is a perspective view of the water supply tank of the refrigerator of an embodiment. It is a top sectional view explaining the structure which sends out the water of the water supply tank of the refrigerator of embodiment to the outside of a tank. It is a perspective view of the upper vegetable container constituting the refrigerator of an embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the shape of the partition plate opening of the refrigerator of an embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the shape of the partition plate opening of the refrigerator of an embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the shape of the partition plate opening of the refrigerator of an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the left-right direction X, the front-back direction Y, and the up-down direction Z indicate the directions when the refrigerator is viewed from the front, and the right, left, top, bottom, back, and front are particularly referred to. If there is no regulation, the position and side of the refrigerator when viewed from the front are shown.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. The refrigerator 1 shown in the figure is composed of a heat insulating box body 3 whose main body is formed by sandwiching a vacuum heat insulating material or the like between an inner box and an outer box, and the heat insulating box body 3 is an upper surface wall serving as a ceiling. The top plate-shaped portion 5 constituting the bottom wall, the bottom plate-shaped portion 7 constituting the bottom wall, the left plate-shaped portion 9 constituting the left side wall, the right plate-shaped portion 11 constituting the right side wall, and the back plate-shaped portion constituting the back wall. It is composed of a unit 13.

Further, on the opening side (front side of the refrigerator) of the heat insulating box 3, a double door type refrigerating room door 15, a pull-out type vegetable room door 17, a pull-out type ice making room door 19, and a pull-out type first freezing room door 21 are provided. , And a pull-out type second freezer door 23 is attached. The second freezing room door 23 is provided side by side next to the ice making room door 19. The refrigerating room door 15, the vegetable room door 17, the ice making room door 19, the first freezing room door 21, and the heat insulating box 3 at the back of the second freezing room door 23 are filled with a refrigerating room, a vegetable room, and an ice making room, respectively. , A first freezer and a second freezer are provided.

In FIG. 2, (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1 and is a front sectional view illustrating a main part of the refrigerator of the embodiment, and (b) is an enlarged view of the main part of (a). It is a figure. In FIG. 2A, the left side wall of the refrigerator is shown as the left side wall 27 and the right side wall is shown as the right side wall 29 without distinguishing between the inner box and the outer box.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1, and is a side sectional view showing a main part of the refrigerator of the embodiment. The vegetable room 31 and the refrigerating room 32 are separated by a partition wall 35, and the vegetable room 31 and the ice making room 33, and the vegetable room 31 and the second freezing room 34 are separated by a partition wall 36. The partition walls 35 and 36 are all arranged horizontally (parallel to the left-right direction X and the front-back direction Y).

(Vegetable room)
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the water supply tank of the refrigerator of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view illustrating a configuration in which water in the water supply tank of the refrigerator of the embodiment is sent out of the tank. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the upper vegetable container constituting the refrigerator of the embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, in the vegetable compartment 31, the lower vegetable container 41 that can be pulled out together with the vegetable compartment door 17, the upper vegetable container 42 that is placed on the lower vegetable container 41, and the ice-making chamber 33. A water supply tank 43 for storing water L for producing ice to be stored in is arranged.

(Water supply tank related)
The vegetable compartment 31 is provided with a support portion 45 for arranging the water supply tank 43 in the upper part of the vegetable compartment 31. The support portion 45 extends downward from the partition wall 35 (the wall forming the ceiling of the vegetable compartment 31), and the partition plate portion 45b for dividing the storage area 31t of the water supply tank 43 at the upper part of the vegetable compartment 31 and the partition portion 45. A rail portion 45r that projects from the plate portion 45b to the accommodation area 31t side and abuts and supports the flange portion 43f (described later) of the water supply tank 43 so as to be slidable, and a rail portion 45r that is arranged on the partition plate portion 45b and receives water vapor from the accommodation area 31t. It is provided with a partition plate opening 45 m to be discharged. The partition plate portion 45b and the rail portion 45r extend in the vegetable compartment 31 in the front-rear direction Y, which is the direction in which the vegetable compartment 31 is taken in and out.

A rail-shaped second rail portion 46r is arranged at a position facing the rail portion 45r on the inner side wall 27i of the left side wall 27 of the vegetable compartment 31. The second rail portion 46r projects toward the accommodation area 31t side, extends in the loading / unloading direction (front-back direction Y) of the vegetable compartment 31, and slides and supports the flange portion 43f of the water supply tank 43. Therefore, the water supply tank 43 is held in the vegetable compartment 31 so as to be adjacent to the partition plate portion 45b and also to the left side wall 27.

The water supply tank 43 has a tank container 43v and a removable tank lid 43c. The tank lid 43c includes a tank opening 43m, and a moisture-permeable sheet 43s closes the tank opening 43m.

The tank lid 43c is provided with a slide-movable water supply port lid 43w (see FIG. 4), and by sliding the water supply port lid 43w, the water supply port (not shown) is exposed and water is supplied to the tank container 43v. It will be possible. The moisture permeable sheet 43s is made of a material that allows air and water vapor to pass through. Therefore, inside and outside the water supply tank 43, air and water vapor can pass through the moisture permeable sheet 43s even when the water supply port lid portion 43w is closed. Further, since the moisture permeable sheet 43s does not allow dust and dirt to pass through, it is possible to prevent dust and dirt attached to vegetables from entering the water supply tank 43.

Further, a pump 56 for taking out water to the outside of the tank is arranged in the water supply tank 43 (see FIG. 5). Further, a motor 57 for operating the pump 56 by magnetic coupling is arranged at the position of the partition plate portion 45b facing the pump 56. Then, the magnet piece that rotates with the rotation of the motor 57 magnetically couples with the magnet piece connected to the blade of the pump 56, the blade of the pump 56 rotates, and the pressure in the hose connected to the pump 56 changes. Then, the water in the water supply tank 43 flows out of the tank. As will be described later, since the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p is formed below the water supply tank 43, the width and depth of the water supply tank 43 should be lengthened in order to secure a sufficient amount of water in the water supply tank 43. It is preferable to increase the length of the left-right direction X and the front-back direction Y).

(Lower vegetable container and upper vegetable container)
A moisture permeable unit 44 (see FIG. 3) is attached to the lower vegetable container 41. The moisture permeable unit 44 includes a moisture permeable sheet (not shown) that allows air and water vapor to pass through and does not allow dust or dirt to pass through. Therefore, the humidity in the lower vegetable chamber 41h of the lower vegetable container 41 can be maintained and dirt can be prevented. Further, in the lower vegetable container 41, a separation portion 41s that divides the inside of the lower vegetable chamber 41h into a front side space 41f and a back side space 41b is arranged at the bottom.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the upper vegetable container 42 has an upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p located on the lower side of the water supply tank 43 and an upper main vegetable chamber 42q adjacent to the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p. And are formed.

More specifically, the upper vegetable container 42 has a bottom plate portion 42v1 constituting the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p, a separate plate portion 42s for partitioning the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p and the upper main vegetable chamber 42q, and a bottom plate portion 42v1. It is provided with a side wall portion 42w1 extending upward from the periphery of the bottom plate portion 42w1, a bottom plate portion 42v2 constituting the upper main vegetable chamber 42q, and a side wall portion 42w2 extending upward from the periphery of the bottom plate portion 42v2.

The separate plate portion 42s is arranged on the side opposite to the water supply tank 43 via the partition plate portion 45b, and the upper end 42su of the separate plate portion 42s is located above the lower end 45bv of the partition plate portion 45b. The water supply tank 43 is located above the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p, and the height h1 of the side wall portion 42w1 forming the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p is the side wall portion 42w2 forming the upper main vegetable chamber 42q. The height is smaller than h2. With this configuration, the height of the upper main vegetable chamber 42q reaches at least the upper end 42su of the separate plate portion 42s, and further reaches the height of the side wall portion 42w2.

Further, the upper end 42su of the separate plate portion 42s is higher than the upper end of the side wall portion 42w1 and lower than the upper end of the side wall portion 42w2.

Further, on the left side of the side wall portion 42w1 (left side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator), an overhanging portion 42k1 projecting to the left in a brim shape is arranged, and the right side of the side wall portion 42w2 (right side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator). A overhanging portion 42k2 that overhangs in a brim shape is arranged on the right side. A flange portion 41e overhangs the upper end of the lower vegetable container 41, and when the vegetable compartment door 17 is closed, the overhanging portions 42k1 and 42k2 can be placed on the flange portion 41e of the lower vegetable container 41. (See Fig. 2).

In order to put vegetables and the like in and out of the space 41f on the front side of the lower vegetable container 41 and the upper vegetable container 42, the user pulls the vegetable room door 17 toward the front (to the right of the paper in FIG. 3). As a result, the lower vegetable container 41 is pulled out together with the vegetable room door 17, and the upper vegetable container 42 placed on the lower vegetable container 41 is also pulled out. Since the water supply tank 43 is arranged above the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p, the upper vegetable container 42 does not interfere with the water supply tank 43 when it is pulled out, and the upper vegetable container 42 can be stably pulled out. The same applies when the upper vegetable container 42 is returned together with the vegetable room door 17.

When putting vegetables and the like into and out of the space 41b on the back side of the lower vegetable container 41, the upper vegetable container 42 is pushed into the back side (to the left of the paper in FIG. 3) with the lower vegetable container 41 pulled out. Since the water supply tank 43 is arranged above the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p, the upper vegetable container 42 does not interfere with the water supply tank 43 when it is pushed in, and the upper vegetable container 42 can be stably pushed in.

Further, when the vegetable compartment door 17 is pulled out, the flange portion 43f of the water supply tank 43 is slid toward the rail portion 45r and the second rail portion 46r regardless of the position of the upper vegetable container 42. As a result, the water supply tank 43 can be taken out from the vegetable compartment 31 and returned after water supply. Since the water supply tank 43 is arranged above the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p, the water supply tank 43 can be stably taken in and out without interfering with the upper vegetable container 42 when the water supply tank 43 is taken in and out.

In the embodiment, in order to introduce the steam generated in the water supply tank 43 into the vegetable chamber 31, a tank opening 43 m is provided in the water supply tank 43 and arranged in the vegetable chamber 31, but the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the water supply tank 43 is arranged in the refrigerating chamber 32, the tank opening of the water supply tank 43 and the vegetable chamber 31 are connected by a hose or the like, the water vapor generated in the water supply tank 43 is sucked, and the vegetable chamber is sucked through the hose or the like. It may be introduced in 31. In that case, by arranging the moisture permeable sheet in the hose or the like, it is possible to introduce water vapor into the vegetable compartment 31 and prevent dust and dirt from returning to the water supply tank 43.

(Chilled room)
As shown in FIG. 2, a chilled chamber 50 having a width from the inside of the left side wall 27 of the refrigerator 1 to the inside of the right side wall 29 is provided in the lower portion of the refrigerating room 32. That is, a chilled chamber 50 having a width widened to fill the inner box of the refrigerator 1 is provided. The chilled chamber 50 is provided with an upper tray 51 and a lower tray 52 using almost the entire width thereof.

Since the water supply tank 43 is arranged in the vegetable compartment 31 in this way, unlike the case where the water supply tank 43 is arranged side by side with the chilled chamber 50, from the inside of the left side wall 27 of the refrigerator 1 to the inside of the right side wall 29. A chilled chamber 50 having a width can be provided. Therefore, the width of the upper tray 51 and the lower tray 52 can be increased, and the convenience of the chilled chamber 50 is greatly improved as compared with the case where the water supply tank 43 is arranged side by side with the chilled chamber 50.

Further, since the width of the chilled chamber 50 can be widened to fill the inner box of the refrigerator 1, even a narrow refrigerator can be used without feeling a feeling of blockage.

As described above, in the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment, the water vapor generated in the water supply tank 43 is introduced into the vegetable compartment 31. Therefore, since the steam increases the humidity of the vegetable chamber 31, the humidity in the vegetable chamber 31 can be maintained even if the storage amount of vegetables is small.

Further, since the water supply tank 43 is arranged in the vegetable compartment 31, the water vapor generated from the water supply tank 43 can be put into the vegetable compartment 31 without providing a pipe for introducing the vegetable compartment, and the configuration of the refrigerator 1 is simplified. Can be done.

Further, the water supply tank 43 includes a tank opening 43 m, and the tank opening 43 m is closed with a moisture permeable sheet 43s. Therefore, since the water vapor that has passed through the moisture permeable sheet 43s enters the vegetable compartment 31 from the tank opening 43m, it is not necessary to make a large-scale structural change or take measures to prevent the stored items from falling. Further, the moisture permeable sheet 43s makes it easy to prevent excessive humidity and dew condensation, and the flow rate of water vapor from the tank opening 43 m is adjusted by the moisture permeable sheet 43s, that is, a zone in which vegetables are stored (lower vegetables). Humidity can be controlled in the chamber 41h, the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p, and the upper main vegetable chamber 42q). Further, since the tank opening 43 m is closed with the moisture permeable sheet 43s, it is possible to prevent dust and dirt attached to vegetables from entering the water supply tank 43.

Further, the refrigerator 1 is provided with a support portion 45 for supporting the water supply tank 43 in the vegetable compartment 31. The support portion 45 extends downward from the ceiling of the vegetable compartment 31 and projects from the partition plate portion 45b to the accommodation area 31t side to divide the storage area 31t of the water supply tank 43 at the upper part of the vegetable room. It is provided with a rail portion 45r that slides and supports the water supply tank 43 so as to be slidably abutable, and a partition plate opening 45m that is arranged in the partition plate portion 45b and allows water vapor from the accommodation area 31t to flow out. As a result, the water supply tank 43 can be arranged in the vegetable compartment 31 with a simple structure, and moreover, the water vapor discharged from the water supply tank 43 can be easily introduced into the vegetable compartment 31 from the partition plate opening 45 m. By adjusting the size, number, and the like of the partition plate openings 45 m in advance based on the capacity of the vegetable compartment 31, it is easy to maintain the humidity of the vegetable compartment 31 at an appropriate humidity.

Further, the refrigerator 1 is provided with a second rail portion 46r that projects to the accommodation area 31t side and abuts and supports the water supply tank 43 so as to be slidable at a position facing the rail portion 45r on the inner side wall 27i of the vegetable compartment 31. As a result, the force supported by the support portion 45 can be halved, so that the structure of the support portion 45 can be simplified, and the slide movement between the water supply tank 43, the rail portion 45r, and the second rail portion 46r can be facilitated. ..

Further, the refrigerator 1 includes a pump 56 arranged in the water supply tank 43 to send water out of the tank, and a motor 57 arranged in the partition plate portion 45b so as to face the pump 56 and operate the pump 56 by magnetic coupling. To prepare for. As a result, the positional relationship between the pump 56 and the motor 57 can be simplified and misalignment can be prevented. Further, simply by setting the water supply tank 43, the magnet pieces of the pump 56 and the motor 57 can be magnetically coupled, and water can be taken out of the water supply tank 43.

Further, by arranging the water supply tank 43 in the vegetable compartment 31, the chilled chamber 50 having a width from the left side wall to the right side wall of the refrigerator can be provided, and the storage capacity of the chilled chamber 50 can be increased. Further, the chilled chamber 50 can be used without feeling a feeling of blockage.

Further, in the upper vegetable container 42, the height of the upper main vegetable chamber 42q is higher than that of the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p, so that the space beside the water supply tank in the vegetable chamber 31 is effectively utilized. The upper end 42su of the separate plate portion 42s is higher than the upper end of the side wall portion 42w1 and lower than the upper end of the side wall portion 42w2, so that vegetables can be easily separated between the upper main vegetable chamber 42q and the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p. It can be moved, and the vegetable compartment door 17 can be stably pulled out and stored.

It is not essential to provide the moisture permeable sheet 43s on the tank lid 43c of the water supply tank 43. In order to prevent dust and dirt attached to vegetables from entering the water supply tank 43 without providing the moisture permeable sheet 43s, for example, a large number of small holes may be formed in the tank lid 43c to form a tank opening. Further, for example, a labyrinth structure may be provided on the tank lid 43c to allow gas (water vapor) to pass through but not to allow objects (dust or dust) to pass through.

Further, various shapes can be considered as the shape of the partition plate opening 45 m. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the partition plate opening 45m1 along the longitudinal direction of the partition plate portion 45b may be used, whereby the partition plate opening having a simple shape can be obtained. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, through-hole-shaped partition plate openings 45m2 may be arranged, whereby even if a large number of partition plate openings 45m2 are formed, the strength of the partition plate portions 45b is sufficient. It is possible to keep. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the partition plate openings 45m3 along the vertical direction Z may be arranged along the longitudinal direction of the partition plate portion 45b, thereby forming a large number of partition plate openings 45m3. However, it is possible to sufficiently maintain the strength of the partition plate portion 45b, and it is easy to control the opening area.

Further, the upper side portion of the separate plate portion 42s may be inclined so as to be lowered from the back side to the front side. This makes it easier to move the vegetables between the upper main vegetable compartment 42q and the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber 42p.

Although the embodiments have been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1 Refrigerator 27i Inner side wall 31 Vegetable room 31t Storage area 41 Lower vegetable container 41h Lower vegetable container 42 Upper vegetable container 42p Upper shallow bottom vegetable room 42q Upper main vegetable room 42s Separate plate 42su Upper end 43 Water supply tank 43m Tank opening 43s Moisture permeability Sheet 45 Support 45b Partition plate 45bv Lower end 45m Partition plate opening 45m1 Partition plate opening 45m2 Partition plate opening 45m3 Partition plate opening 45r Rail section 46r Second rail section 56 Pump 57 Motor

Claims (6)

A water tank that stores water to produce ice,
Equipped with a vegetable room to store vegetables
The steam generated in the water supply tank is introduced into the vegetable compartment, and the water vapor is introduced into the vegetable compartment.
The water supply tank is a refrigerator arranged in the vegetable compartment, and is
A container is arranged below the water supply tank, and a container partition wall portion for partitioning the water supply tank side and the side opposite to the water supply tank is provided at the upper part of the container.
A refrigerator characterized in that a second rail is provided separately from the rail used for taking in and out the vegetable compartment, and the water supply tank is pulled out along the second rail. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the water supply tank has an opening, and the opening is closed with a moisture permeable sheet. A support for arranging the water tank at the top of the vegetable compartment is provided.
The support portion is
A partition plate portion extending downward from the ceiling of the vegetable compartment to divide the storage area of the water supply tank at the upper part of the vegetable compartment.
The rail portion of the second rail, which projects from the partition plate portion toward the accommodation area side, extends in the loading / unloading direction of the vegetable chamber, and slides and movably abuts and supports the water supply tank.
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a partition plate opening that is arranged in the partition plate portion and allows water vapor to flow out from the accommodation area. The second rail that projects toward the accommodation area and extends in the direction of taking in and out of the vegetable compartment at a position facing the rail portion on the inner side wall of the vegetable compartment, and slides and movably abuts and supports the water supply tank. The refrigerator according to claim 3, further comprising a second rail portion. A pump arranged in the water supply tank and sending water out of the water supply tank,
The refrigerator according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising a motor which is arranged in the partition plate portion so as to face the pump and operates the pump by magnetic coupling. The container is
The lower vegetable container arranged in the vegetable chamber and forming the lower vegetable chamber,
It is provided with an upper vegetable container that is placed on the lower vegetable container and is located on the lower side of the water supply tank and forms an upper shallow-bottomed vegetable chamber and an upper main vegetable chamber adjacent to the upper shallow-bottomed vegetable chamber.
The container partition wall portion has a separate plate portion provided in the upper vegetable container so as to partition the upper shallow bottom vegetable chamber and the upper main vegetable chamber.
The separate plate portion is arranged on the side opposite to the water supply tank via the partition plate portion, and the upper end of the separate plate portion is located above the lower end of the partition plate portion. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the height of the main vegetable compartment reaches at least the upper end of the separate plate portion.

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