JP7209147B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to its refrigerator compartment configuration.

Refrigerators generally have a plurality of temperature zone storage compartments, and some refrigerators have a rapid cooling function in the freezing temperature zone storage compartments using a cold storage material that freezes at a freezing temperature (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-017968 A

The refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a low-temperature storage compartment having a temperature lower than a refrigeration temperature range suitable for storing meat and seafood in a refrigeration temperature zone storage compartment. However, when the rapid cooling function using the cold storage material is provided on the shelf of the storage compartment, the air passage portion and the cold storage material configured in the shelf of the storage compartment interfere with each other, making it difficult to achieve both functions at the same time. There was a problem of putting it away.

In order to solve the above problems, the refrigerator of the present invention is provided with a cold storage material that solidifies at the refrigerating temperature and an air passage for cooling the storage compartment on the shelf of the storage compartment in the temperature zone of the refrigerator compartment. As a result, it becomes possible to provide a quick cooling function for food without interfering with the cooling air passage of the low temperature storage compartment, and it is possible to achieve both the low temperature storage compartment and the rapid cooling function.

In addition, since the heat insulating means is provided between the cooling air passage in the storage shelf and the cold storage material, the cold storage material is cooled excessively, and dew condensation on the surface of the cold storage material can be prevented.

With the above configuration, the present invention enables the cold storage material to be mounted in the refrigerator without impairing the cooling capacity of the low-temperature compartment of the refrigerator, and can prevent dew condensation due to supercooling of the cold storage material.

The front view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention Front view showing the inside of the same refrigerator Central longitudinal sectional view of the same refrigerator Front view showing the inside of the refrigerating chamber of the same refrigerator Longitudinal sectional view showing the inside of the refrigerating chamber of the same refrigerator A cross-sectional perspective view showing the inside of the refrigerating chamber of the same refrigerator. Enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing the inside of the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator Perspective view of the cold storage unit of the same refrigerator Cross-sectional view of the cold storage unit of the same refrigerator Plan view showing the storage shelf of the same refrigerator FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the storage shelf taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the storage shelf taken along line BB of FIG. Diagram showing temporal changes in cold storage material temperature and pan temperature of the same refrigerator A plan view showing a storage shelf of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention Cross-sectional view of the storage shelf taken along line CC of FIG. 14 A cross-sectional perspective view showing the inside of the refrigerating chamber of the same refrigerator.

A first invention is a refrigerator provided with a storage shelf for placing stored items in a refrigerating compartment, wherein the storage shelf comprises a cold storage material that solidifies in a refrigerating temperature zone and a cooling air passage having an internal cooling discharge port. It is configured with As a result, it is possible to construct a storage shelf that enables both cooling of the storage compartment by the cooling air passage and rapid cooling function using the cold storage material.

In a second invention, particularly in the first invention, the storage shelf has a heat insulating member between the cooling air passage and the cold storage material. As a result, cold air passing through the cooling air passage and the cold storage material can be insulated, and excessive cooling of the cold storage material by the cold air and transmission of the heat of the cold storage material to the cooling air passage can be suppressed. It is possible to prevent dew condensation due to overcooling of the cold storage material and to prevent the storage room temperature from being affected by the cooling air passage temperature rise.

In a third invention, particularly in the first or second invention, the storage shelf has a cooling section in a part of the cooling air passage. As a result, by promoting heat transfer between the cooling air passage and the cold storage material, the cooling speed of the melted cold storage material is improved, and the rapid food cooling function can be reused. can save time.

In a fourth invention, particularly in any one of the first to third inventions, the storage shelf has an upper storage chamber and a lower storage chamber, and the temperature of the lower storage chamber is higher than the temperature of the upper storage chamber. The configuration was such that the temperature was lower. As a result, the temperature of the lower storage compartment can be made lower than the temperature of the upper storage compartment by the air passage of the shelf, and cooling can also be performed from the lower side of the cold storage material. .

A fifth invention is a cold storage unit according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, in which the cold storage material and an outer shell member forming the outer shell of the cold storage material. As a result, the strength of the cold storage material can be improved to withstand the load of the pot, etc., and the contact area for heat exchange with the object to be cooled can be secured, and at the same time, the stability when the food is placed can be secured.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
1 to 7 are diagrams for explaining the entire refrigerator and the configuration of each part, FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining a cold storage unit attached to a refrigerating chamber, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining the cooling configuration of the cold storage unit.

(1. Overall configuration of refrigerator)
First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 to 3, the refrigerator according to the present embodiment includes a refrigerator main body 1 with an open front. This refrigerator main body 1 includes an outer box 2 made of metal, an inner box 3 made of hard resin, and It is composed of a foamed heat insulating material 4 filled between a box 2 and an inner box 3, and a plurality of storage compartments are formed by partition plates 5, 6 and the like.

Each storage compartment of the refrigerator main body 1 can be opened and closed by a pivotal door 7 or drawer-type doors 8, 9, 10, and 11 which employ the same heat insulating structure as the refrigerator main body 1. FIG.

The storage compartments formed in the refrigerator body 1 include a refrigerating compartment 14 at the top, a switching compartment 15 provided below the refrigerating compartment 14 capable of switching between temperature zones, an ice making compartment 16 provided next to the refrigerating compartment 14, a switching compartment 15 and a A freezer compartment 18 is provided between an ice making compartment 16 and a vegetable compartment 17 at the bottom.

The temperature of the refrigerating compartment 14 is usually about 3° C., and is set at 1° C. to 10° C. to prevent the food from freezing for refrigerated storage and to suppress the growth of bacteria in the food. The vegetable compartment 17 is normally set to about 7° C., which is slightly higher than the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 14 . The freezer compartment 18 is normally set at about -20°C, but it may be set at about -30°C to improve frozen storage conditions. The temperature setting of the ice making compartment 16 is similar to that of the freezing compartment 18 , and the temperature setting of the switching compartment 15 can be changed from the same temperature as the refrigerating compartment 14 to the same temperature as the freezing compartment 18 .

A cooling chamber 23 is provided on the back side of the freezer compartment 18 of the refrigerator main body 1. In this cooling chamber 23, a cooler 24 for generating cool air and a cooling fan 25 for supplying cool air to each compartment are installed. There is.

The cooler 24 comprises a refrigeration cycle by annularly connecting a compressor 27, a condenser (not shown), a heat radiation pipe (not shown) for heat radiation, and a capillary tube (not shown). Cooling is performed by circulation of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 27 .

Also, the cooling fan 25 is provided above the cooler 24, and supplies cold air to the refrigerator compartment 14, the freezer compartment 18, the vegetable compartment 17, etc. through a refrigerator compartment duct 28 and a freezer compartment duct 29 connected downstream thereof. and to cool each of these chambers.

(2. Refrigerator compartment configuration)
Next, the configuration of the refrigerating compartment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. FIG.

The refrigerating chamber 14 is located at the top of the refrigerator body 1, and is detachably provided with a plurality of shelves 20 made of a translucent material to partition the refrigerating chamber space into a plurality of upper and lower spaces. A cold storage chamber 21 is provided.

A refrigerating chamber duct 28 is provided on the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber 14 . The refrigerating compartment duct 28 is covered with a heat insulating member made of polystyrene foam and a resin cover member on the refrigerating compartment side surface. (not shown) is attached to the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber so as to cover the cooling chamber 23 and is communicated with the cooling chamber 23 .

The refrigerating compartment duct 28 has a refrigerating compartment duct outlet 30 and a refrigerating compartment duct return 31 and communicates with the cooling compartment 23 . The refrigerating compartment duct outlet 30 is arranged higher than the refrigerating compartment duct return 31 .

A refrigerating chamber damper 37 is incorporated in the cool air supply port, and the amount of cool air supplied from the cooling chamber 23 to the refrigerating chamber 14 is controlled by opening and closing the refrigerating chamber damper 37 .

The cooling temperature range of the low-temperature storage chamber 21 is a partial temperature that is a lower temperature of -5 to 3°C suitable for microfreezing storage, or a higher temperature of about 1°C that is lower than the refrigerating chamber 14 but higher than the partial temperature. It has a configuration that can be cooled to a chilled temperature of . Inside the refrigerating chamber 14, a storage shelf unit 50 is provided as a storage shelf for partitioning the refrigerating chamber 14 and the low-temperature storage chamber 21 with heat insulation under a plurality of shelf boards 20 dividing the inside of the refrigerating chamber 14 into upper and lower spaces. .
(3. Storage shelf unit configuration)
Next, the storage shelf unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG. The storage shelf unit 50 configured as the top surface of the low-temperature storage chamber 21 is configured as a unit by combining the components described below, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 .

A storage shelf 51 for storing food is provided on the upper surface of the storage shelf unit 50, and a heat insulating member 53 made of foamed polystyrene or the like is incorporated on the lower surface of the storage shelf 51. As shown in FIG. This provides insulation between the storage shelf 51 and the cold storage compartment 21, and allows each storage space to be in a separate temperature zone.

A concave portion 54 is provided in the upper surface portion of the storage shelf unit 50 . The shape of the heat insulating member 53 corresponding to the concave portion 54 also forms a similar concave shape.

The cold storage unit 60 is detachably housed in a recess 54 provided in the storage shelf unit 50 . The upper surface of the stored cool storage unit 60 is arranged to be flush with the upper surface of the storage shelf 51 .
(4. Cold storage unit configuration)
Next, the configuration of the cold storage unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the cold storage unit 60 is configured as a unit by combining vertically divided components described below.

The cold storage unit 60 includes a frame-shaped upper shell member 61 molded from a resin material system, a cooling plate 62 made of a highly heat-conductive member such as a metal material incorporated from the back side of the upper shell member 61, and an upper shell. A lower shell member 63 molded from a resin material system to be fitted and assembled with the member 61, and a bag member 64 such as a metal film between the inside of the shell of the upper shell member 61 and the inside of the shell of the lower shell member 63 is covered. It is configured as a unit by being combined with the cold storage material 65 . Moreover, the bag member 64 is formed of a film obtained by laminating aluminum foil.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, a stepped portion 62a is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cooling plate 62, and the upper outer shell member 61 is disposed so as to overlap the upper surface of the stepped portion 62a. It is configured so as to be substantially flush with the upper shell member 61 .

Since the cooling plate 62 has the stepped portion 62a, the cooling plate 62 forming the upper surface of the cold storage unit 60 and the upper surface of the upper outer shell member 61 are substantially flush with each other, so that the cold storage unit 60 can be placed on the storage shelf unit. When stored in the storage shelf 50, it can be stored flat on substantially the same surface as the upper surface of the storage shelf 51, so even if a container such as a pot (an object 70 to be described later) is placed protruding from the cooling plate 62, it can be stably placed. .

The bag member 64 enclosing the cold storage material 65 is adhered to only the cooling plate 62 inside the cold storage unit 60 with an adhesive, a double-sided tape, or the like.

A space portion 71 is formed between the cold storage material 65 in a liquid state and the upper shell member 61 or the lower shell member 63 . This space 71 prevents deformation due to contact with the upper shell member 61 and the lower shell member 63 while maintaining heat conduction to the cooling plate 62 in the cold storage unit 60 even when the cold storage material solidifies and expands in volume. can be suppressed. In addition, since the bag member 64 is not adhered to the lower outer shell member 63 that faces the cooling plate 62, damage to the bag member 64 can be prevented.

The cold storage material 65 uses a material that solidifies at the refrigerating temperature of the refrigerating chamber, such as the material described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-003182. Specifically, some materials that form clathrate hydrates by cooling, such as clathrate hydrates of quaternary ammonium salts, have a melting point higher than 0°C (the temperature at which the clathrate hydrate begins to decompose). There is material to have. For example, some clathrate hydrates of tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) have a melting point of about 5-12°C.

A heat conduction promoting member 66 such as metal wool is immersed in the cold storage material 65 enclosed in the bag member 64, and the heat conduction promoting member 66 contacts the bag member 64 in at least one or more places. It is in a state of being spirally housed so as to hold.

In addition, the cool storage unit 60 is provided with an installation position indicator 67 that indicates the optimum installation position of the food.

In addition, since the cooling plate 62, which is the upper surface of the cold storage unit 60, is formed in a color different from that of the storage shelf 51, it is possible to indicate where in the storage shelf unit 50 the food to be rapidly cooled should be placed. .

(5. Cold storage unit cooling configuration)
Next, the cooling structure of the cold storage unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13. FIG.

The cold storage unit 60 is installed in the recessed portion 54 of the storage shelf 51, and a heat insulating member 53 made of expanded polystyrene or the like is incorporated in the lower portion of the recessed portion 54 to insulate between the low temperature storage chamber 21 and the cold storage unit. there is

A side surface of the concave portion 54 is provided with a duct air passage 80 into which cold air flows. The duct air passage 80 communicates with the refrigerating compartment duct 28 via the duct air passage entrance 81, and part of the cool air blown from the refrigerating chamber duct 28 enters the duct air passage from the duct air passage entrance 81 via the duct air passage 80. It is configured to flow out from the discharge port 82 to the low-temperature storage chamber 21 .

A concave cooling plate 84 made of a highly heat-conductive material such as a metal material is formed on the side of the concave portion where the duct air passage 80 and the concave portion 54 are in contact with each other, and is in contact with the outer wall of the air passage.

The recess cooling plate 84 is provided on the bottom and side surfaces of the recess 54 of the storage shelf unit 50, and the bottom of the cool storage unit 60 is provided with a bottom protrusion 85 and a bottom recess 86 for supporting the cool storage unit 60. , the recessed portion 54 of the storage shelf 51 and the recessed cooling plate 84 form a space.

A bottom cooling plate 87 is formed in the bottom recessed portion 86 of the cold storage unit 60, and the bottom cooling plate 87 and the recessed cooling plate 84 are installed in a state of contact or close to contact.

Moreover, when the outer shell member 60a is made of a highly heat-conductive material such as a metal material, the temperature of the surface of the outer shell member 60a can facilitate heat transfer to the bottom surface side.

Furthermore, inside the outer shell member 60a, an internal heat conducting means 88 made of a highly heat conductive material such as a metal material is provided so that the temperature of the surface of the outer shell member 60a is easily transferred to the bottom side.

Further, by providing an insertion recess 83 into a part of the storage shelf 51 into which a finger can be inserted, the cold storage unit 60 can be easily removed from the storage shelf 51, and by providing a handle portion 89 on the outer shell member 60a of the cold storage unit 60 Makes it easy to carry. By arranging the insertion recess 83 on the back side of the storage shelf 51, it does not become an obstacle when food is placed.

The operation and effects of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described below.

The refrigerator drives the compressor 27 and the cooling fan 25 when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 14 becomes higher than the set temperature, and supplies cool air generated by the cooler 24 to the downstream side of the cooling fan 25 .

The cold air supplied to the downstream side of the cooling fan 25 is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 14, the vegetable compartment 17, the freezer compartment 18, and the cold storage compartment 21 through the refrigerator compartment duct 28 and the like to cool each compartment. The supply of cool air to each compartment is controlled by opening and closing dampers (not shown) to cool the refrigerating compartment 14, the vegetable compartment 17, the freezing compartment 18, and the cold storage compartment 21 to their respective preset temperatures.

The cool air supplied from the cooling chamber 23 to the refrigerating chamber duct 28 circulates in the refrigerating chamber 14 and returns to the cooling chamber 23 . Regarding the change in temperature inside the refrigerator during this period, temperature control is performed by controlling the amount of cold air supplied by opening and closing the damper based on the output from the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor (not shown).

The low-temperature storage compartment 21 configured in the refrigerating compartment is supplied with cold air from a damper configured separately from a damper for cooling the refrigerating compartment through a duct air passage 80 configured at the bottom of the storage shelf 51, thereby reducing the temperature of the refrigerating compartment. maintained at a lower temperature.

Next, rapid cooling by the cold storage unit will be described with reference to FIG.

The cold storage units 60 housed and arranged in the storage shelf units 50 are normally maintained at the same temperature as the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 14 . Since the top surface of the cool storage unit 60 is flush with the surface of the storage shelf 51, even food with a size exceeding the size of the cool storage unit 60 can be freely used without the cool storage unit 60 restricting its use. can be done.

Further, by drawing the cooling plate 62, the strength of the cooling plate 62 is increased, and deformation of the upper surface of the cold storage unit 60 can be suppressed when the volume of the cold storage material 65 changes due to the phase change. As a result, the contact area with the pot or the like can be increased, the heat exchange efficiency between the cold storage unit and the pot or the like can be improved, and the rapid cooling effect can be improved.

Let's talk about the situation where you want to cool down quickly. There are many needs for preserving leftover food after cooking while maintaining its deliciousness and safety until the next meal. For example, if you cook hot ingredients such as a pot in the morning in the summer and then go out immediately after that, if you leave the food as it is, bacteria will grow on the food, and when you return home at night, the food will be spoiled and you will not be able to eat it. There is At this time, if the food can be quickly cooled after cooking in the morning, such a situation can be prevented.

In general, it is said that food poisoning bacteria tend to grow when the food temperature is in the temperature range of about 20°C to 50°C. By passing through this temperature zone quickly, the growth of bacteria can be suppressed and safety can be ensured.

A hot object 70 (approximately 40°C to 90°C), such as a pot with leftover cooked ingredients, a kettle filled with boiled tea that is not completely cooled, or a freshly made lunch box, is stored in cold storage. Placed on top of cooling plate 62 of unit 60 .
The object 70 can be rapidly cooled by exchanging heat with the cold storage material 65 via the cooling plate 62 , the bag member 64 and the heat conduction promoting member 66 . The cold storage material solidifies at a latent heat of 100 J/g or more and a supercooling depth of 0°C or more.

FIG. 13 shows the temperature change from the time when the cool storage material 65 at room temperature is stored in the refrigerating compartment 14 at a predetermined position. The cold storage material 65 is the material described above and has a freezing point of, for example, 5.degree. C. and a melting point of, for example, 7.degree. When the refrigerating chamber temperature is about 3° C., the cold storage material 65 is supercooled to a depth of supercooling close to the refrigerating chamber temperature and is supercooled. It remains in a solid state at the refrigerator temperature.

After the pan, which is the object 70, is placed in the solidified cold storage unit, the temperature of the cold storage material 65 rises, and the latent heat of the cold storage material is used when the temperature of the object 70 passes through the temperature range of about 20°C to 50°C. Therefore, this temperature zone can be passed quickly, and the temperature is temporarily stabilized near the melting temperature (7° C.) due to the latent heat effect of the cold storage material. Then, after using the latent heat, the temperature rises again and melts. Through this process of melting, the temperature of the object can be rapidly cooled to the refrigerator compartment temperature.

By effectively utilizing the latent heat of the cold storage material 65, the cooling speed can be increased. For this purpose, it is necessary to quickly transfer the heat of the object 70 to the entire inside of the cold storage material 65 so that heat can be exchanged in the entire cold storage material 65 .

The heat conduction promoting member 66 is made of a copper or aluminum material and formed into a wool-like shape. As a result, even the cold storage material 65 located away from the cooling plate 62 can be effectively utilized.

When an object 70 having a high temperature is put into the refrigerating chamber 14, a refrigerating chamber temperature sensor (not shown) senses the temperature rise in the refrigerating chamber 14, controls opening and closing of the damper, and discharges the object 70 from the refrigerating chamber duct 28. By increasing the supply of cold air, a synergistic rapid cooling effect with the cold storage unit 60 can be obtained, and the cooling speed can be increased.

After exchanging heat with the object 70 , the cold storage material 65 is in a melted state and is in a state higher than the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 14 . In order to suppress the temperature influence on surrounding foodstuffs, particularly on the lower low-temperature storage chamber 21 in which the cool storage unit 60 is installed, the lower side of the recess 54 provided in the storage shelf unit 50 in which the cool storage unit 60 is embedded is By making the temperature range lower than normal and incorporating a heat insulating member 53 made of foamed polystyrene or the like, the influence of the temperature can be suppressed.

In addition, since the freezing point of the cold storage material 65 is 5° C., the temperature is higher than the refrigerating chamber temperature (approximately 3° C.). can be used.

Also, by setting the melting point of the cold storage material 65 to 10° C. or less, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the surrounding foodstuffs to 10° C. or less. As a result, it is possible to achieve an ideal storage temperature of 10° C. or less for suppressing the propagation of bacteria not only for the food subject to rapid cooling, but also for surrounding food.

In order to obtain a rapid cooling effect, the object 70 having a high temperature must be placed on the upper surface of the cooling plate 62 of the refrigerating chamber 14, and an installation position indicator such as a stamp or sticker indicating the installation location is attached to the cold storage unit 60. 67 are provided.

For example, the cooling plate 62 may be provided with a small concave circular mark, character engraving, logo, or the like, or the upper outer shell member 61 may be provided with an engraving, seal, or the like to explain the function. By imprinting a small recess on the cooling plate 62, it is possible not only to minimize the reduction in the contact area with the pot, etc., but also to further increase the strength of the cooling plate 62 and improve the flatness to improve the heat exchange efficiency. effect is also obtained.

In order to quickly return the melted cold storage material 65 to a reusable state during the initial operation after installation of the product or after rapid cooling of the object 70 in a high temperature state, a dedicated cooling means for the cold storage unit 60 is provided. provided to improve the recovery speed of the cold storage material 65 .

A side surface of the concave portion 54 is provided with a duct air passage 80 through which cold air flows from the refrigerating compartment duct 28 . A part of cold air blown from the refrigerating chamber duct 28 enters the duct air passage entrance 81, passes through the duct air passage 80, and flows out from the duct air passage discharge port 82 to the low temperature storage chamber 21 to cool the low temperature storage chamber 21. - 特許庁.

The duct air passage 80 is made of a heat insulating member, and heat does not enter from the outside and cold air does not leak to the outside. is thin, and the recessed portion 54 side is in contact with a recessed cooling plate 84 made of a highly heat-conductive material such as a metal material. The concave cooling plate 84 is cooled.

The discharge amount and time of the cool air from the duct air passage outlet 82 can be adjusted by opening and closing the cold storage damper 37 , and cooling can be performed according to the state of the cold storage material 65 and the low temperature storage chamber 21 .

In addition, since the concave cooling plate 84 is configured to connect from the side surface of the concave portion 54 to the bottom surface, the cooling effect on the bottom side of the concave portion 54 can be enhanced by the heat conduction effect of the concave cooling plate 84 . Furthermore, the bottom cooling plate 87 installed in the bottom recessed portion 86 at the bottom of the cold storage unit 60 is arranged in contact with the recessed cooling plate 84, so that the heat of the recessed cooling plate 84 is directly transmitted, resulting in cold storage. The cooling rate of the bottom of the unit 60 can be increased.

In addition, the internal heat transfer means 88 formed inside the outer shell member 60a suppresses the temperature difference between the surface side and the bottom side inside the cold storage unit 60, and quickly transfers the heat cooled on the surface side to the bottom side. Thus, the cold storage material 65 can be solidified in a short time.

The internal heat transfer means 88 can enhance the cooling effect by bringing it into contact with the cooling plate 62, and the heat transfer effect can be further improved by integrating the internal heat transfer means 88 and the cooling plate 62. can be done.

In addition, by providing a sensor that senses the melting or solidifying state of the cold storage material 65 based on the temperature or the like, the opening and closing of the damper is controlled to adjust the supply of cold air discharged from the refrigerating compartment duct 28, and when the cold storage material 65 solidifies, the speed is adjusted. can be improved.

As described above, by providing a dedicated cooling means for the cold storage unit 60, it is possible to shorten the time required for the initially melted cold storage material to solidify and shorten the time required for re-solidification after use, thereby ensuring the effect of repeated use. and increase the frequency of use.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a refrigerator storage shelf unit 50 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the storage shelf unit 50 taken along line CC of FIG. 14. FIG. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as in the first embodiment, and the explanation is omitted, and the explanation will focus on the different parts.

In FIG. 14, the cold storage unit 60 is installed on the heat insulating member recessed portion 90 incorporated in the lower portion of the storage shelf unit 50, and the cold storage unit 60 is configured in such a manner that it is sealed between the storage shelf 51 and the heat insulating member recessed portion 90. Thus, dirt can be prevented from entering and the cold storage unit 60 can be kept clean.

The upper surface of the cold storage unit 60 is configured to be in contact with the lower surface of the storage shelf 51 and has the effect of insulating the space between the refrigerating chamber space and the space 91 . The bottom surface of the cold storage unit 60 is in contact with the heat insulating member concave portion 90 via the bottom convex portion 85 . As a result, there is a space 91 through which cool air passes between the cold storage unit and the heat insulating member.

The heat insulating member recessed portion 90 is configured to cover the cold storage unit 60 with a heat insulating member, and a duct air passage inlet 81 and a duct air passage discharge port 82 through which cool air flows from the duct air passage 80 are formed in a part of the side surface. It's ready. A part of the cold air blown from the refrigerating compartment duct 28 flows from the duct air passage inlet 81 through the space 91 to the duct air passage outlet 82, joins the cold air flowing through the duct air passage 80, and becomes lower in temperature than the duct air passage outlet 82. It is configured to flow out to the storage chamber 21 .

The operation and effect of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described below. Note that descriptions of operations and actions that are the same as those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

In order to quickly return the melted cold storage material 65 to a reusable state during the initial operation after installation of the product or after rapid cooling of the object 70 in a high temperature state, a dedicated cooling means for the cold storage unit 60 is provided. provided to improve the recovery speed of the cold storage material 65 .

A part of the low-temperature cold air passing through the duct air passage 80 flows into the space 91 inside the heat insulating member recess 90 from the duct air passage inlet 81 formed in a part of the side surface of the heat insulating member recess 90 . The low-temperature cold air that has flowed in cools the cold storage unit 60 and can solidify the cold storage material 65 in a short period of time.

Since the cold storage material is preferentially cooled in the heat insulating member concave portion 90 , the cold storage material also serves as heat insulation between the storage shelf 51 and the space 91 .

In addition, by providing a sensor that senses the melting or solidifying state of the cold storage material 65 based on the temperature or the like, the opening and closing of the damper is controlled to adjust the supply of cold air discharged from the refrigerating compartment duct 28, and when the cold storage material 65 solidifies, the speed is adjusted. can be improved.

In addition, in order to obtain a rapid cooling effect for the object 70 having a high temperature, it is necessary to place the object 70 on the upper surface of the storage shelf 51 of the refrigerating chamber 14, and a stamp or sticker indicating the installation location is placed on the cold storage unit 60. A position indicator 67 is provided on the storage shelf 51 . The content of the indication portion may be, for example, a small concave circular mark, letter engraving, illumination, logo, seal, etc. to explain the function.

As described above, the refrigerator according to the present invention has been described using the above embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, it should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. In other words, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can cool and store various foodstuffs to be stored at a low temperature in a refrigerating temperature range in an optimal state or a more optimal state, and that is easy to use and adapts to the diversification of foodstuffs. Therefore, it can be applied to refrigerators of various types and sizes, such as household and business use.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 refrigerator body 2 outer box 3 inner box 4 foam insulation material 5, 6 partition plate 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 door 14 refrigerator compartment 15 switching compartment 16 ice making compartment 17 vegetable compartment 18 freezer compartment 20 shelf board 21 cold storage compartment 23 cooling chamber 24 cooler 25 cooling fan 28 refrigerating chamber duct 29 freezing chamber duct 30 refrigerating chamber duct discharge port 31 refrigerating chamber duct return port 50 storage shelf unit 51 storage shelf 53 heat insulating member 54 concave portion 60 cool storage unit 61 upper shell member 62 cooling Plate 63 Lower outer shell member 64 Bag member 65 Cooling material 66 Heat conduction promotion member 67 Installation position indicator 70 Object 80 Air duct 81 Air duct entrance 82 Air duct outlet 83 Insertion recess 84 Cooling plate 85 Bottom projection 86 bottom recessed portion 87 bottom cooling plate 88 internal heat transfer means 89 handle portion 90 heat insulating member recessed portion

Claims (5)

In a refrigerator provided with a storage shelf for placing stored items in a refrigerating compartment, the storage shelf comprises a cold storage material that solidifies in a refrigerating temperature zone and cold air to a low-temperature storage compartment that is located below the storage shelf and has a lower temperature than the refrigerating compartment. A cooling air passage having an internal cooling discharge port for discharging the cooling air and a heat insulating member inside, a recess for storing the cold storage material is formed on the upper surface of the storage shelf, and the cooling air passage is provided in the storage shelf. The low-temperature storage chamber is cooled by passing through a duct air passage formed inside and communicating with the inside cooling discharge port, and the duct air passage is arranged on the side surface side of the recess and the inside cooling discharge port. is arranged on the front side of the recess . 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said storage shelf includes a heat insulating member between said cooling air passage and said cold storage material. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said storage shelf has a cooling part in a part of said cooling air passage. 4. The storage shelf according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the storage shelf has an upper storage compartment and a lower storage compartment, and the lower storage compartment has a lower temperature than the upper storage compartment. Refrigerator as described. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cold storage material is a cold storage unit including an outer shell member forming an outer shell of the cold storage material.

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