JPH0687951B2 - Deodorizer for refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Description: [Object of the invention] (Field of industrial application) The present invention relates to a deodorizing device for a refrigerator for removing a malodorous component contained in the air in the refrigerator.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as this type of deodorizing device, for example, an adsorbent such as activated carbon is used to adsorb a malodorous component contained in the air inside the chamber, or an ozone generator and a catalyst are provided. There is a method in which ozone generated from an ozone generator is reacted with air in the refrigerator to decompose and remove a malodorous component contained in the air in the refrigerator, and the remaining ozone is decomposed by a catalyst.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, the former one of the above-mentioned ones has a short life of the deodorizing function because it simply adsorbs the malodorous component by the adsorbent, while the latter one is In addition to the need for an ozone generator, it also requires a catalyst for decomposing the rest of ozone that is harmful to the human body, and thus has a drawback that the structure is complicated as a whole.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a deodorizing device for a refrigerator having a long deodorizing function life and a simple structure.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides an adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst in a circulation path in which air in a refrigerator is circulated, and the adsorption type is controlled by switching on and off. The heater for intermittently heating the thermal decomposition catalyst is provided.

(Operation) In the case of the above, when the heater is deenergized, the malodorous component contained in the air passing through the circulation path is adsorbed by the adsorption type pyrolysis catalyst, and the heater is energized to be adsorbed by the heater. When the thermal decomposition catalyst is heated, the malodorous components adsorbed are released and decomposed and removed. Therefore,
In this case, since the adsorption function of the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst is regenerated by heating the heater, the life of the deodorizing function is long unlike the case of merely adsorbing. Further, since it is composed of an adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst and a heater, its structure is simpler than that of the one using an ozone generator.

(Embodiment) An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a refrigerator will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

First, in FIG. 1, 1 is a refrigerator main body, and 2 and 3
Is a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment formed therein, and 4 and 5 are doors, respectively. Reference numeral 6 denotes a cooler arranged in the cooler room 7 at the back of the freezing room 2, and 8 denotes a fan arranged above the cooler 6. When the fan 8 is driven, part of the air cooled by the cooler 6 is supplied from the supply port 9 into the freezer compartment 2, and the air in the freezer compartment 2 is passed through the return duct 10 to the cooler compartment. It is circulated so that it is returned to the 7 side,
Moreover, a part of the air cooled by the cooler 6 is a supply duct.
It is circulated so that it is supplied into the refrigerating compartment 3 via 11 and the air in the refrigerating compartment 3 is returned to the cooler compartment 7 via the return duct 12. And in this case, the cooler room
7, the freezer compartment 2 and the return duct 10 constitute a circulation path for circulating the air in the freezer compartment 2, and the cooler compartment 7, the supply duct 11, the refrigerating compartment 3 and the return duct 12 allow the air in the refrigerating compartment 3 to flow. It constitutes a circulating circuit.

A heater 13 also serves as a defrosting heater disposed below the cooler 6 in the lower part of the cooler chamber 7, and is composed of, for example, a glass tube heater, and the upper part thereof is also shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Thus, the cover 14 whose lower side is opened is provided. The heater 13 is energized only when the cooler 6 is defrosted, and is energized except for the other time, so that the electricity is cut off. Reference numeral 15 denotes an adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst provided on the inner surface of the cover 14, which is composed of a mixture of an adsorbent such as activated carbon and a thermal decomposition catalyst such as platinum or nickel.

Now, in the above-mentioned configuration, during the cooling operation, the air in the refrigerator is circulated through the cooler chamber 7, the freezing chamber 2 and the return duct 10 by the blowing action of the fan 8, and the cooler chamber is also operated.
It is circulated through 7, supply duct 11, refrigerating compartment 3 and return duct 12. At this time, the air passing through the inside of the cooler chamber 7 comes into contact with the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst 15, and the malodorous component contained in the air is adsorbed by the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst 15.

On the other hand, when the defrosting operation is started, the cooler 6 and the fan 8
While the operation is stopped, the heater 13 is energized to generate heat. The heat generated by the heater 13 heats the cooler 6 and the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst 15. Of these, the cooler 6 is heated to defrost the cooler 6, and the adsorption-type thermal decomposition catalyst 15 is heated to release the malodorous component adsorbed therein. It is decomposed and removed. The adsorption function of the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst 15 is regenerated by releasing the adsorbed malodorous component.

Then, when the defrosting operation is finished and the cooling operation is restarted, and the temperature of the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst 15 is lowered, the malodorous component contained in the air in the storage is the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst as described above.
It will be adsorbed on 15.

In the embodiment described above, the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst 15 is the heater 13
Since the adsorption function, that is, the deodorizing function is regenerated by the heating of the
The life of the deodorizing function is long, and the amount of the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst 15 is small. By the way, in order to regenerate the adsorption function of the adsorbent alone, it is considered that the adsorbent should be heated to release the malodorous component, but in this way, the released malodorous component is stored. The structure is complicated because it requires a duct or the like to discharge it to the outside. Regarding this point, in the case of the present embodiment, since the malodorous component is released and decomposed and removed by the heating of the heater 13, it is not necessary to take such consideration. Further, since the deodorizing device of the present invention can be constituted by the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst 15 and the heater 13 for intermittently heating the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst 15, the structure is simple as compared with the one using the ozone generator. Moreover, according to this embodiment, the heater
Since 13 uses a defrost heater, there is also an advantage that it is not necessary to separately provide a dedicated heater.

Although the defrosting heater is used as the heater 13 for heating the adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst 15 in the above-described embodiment, a dedicated heater is provided and the heater is controlled to switch on and off in synchronization with the defrosting heater. You can

FIG. 4 shows a different embodiment of the present invention, which is different from the above embodiment in the following points. That is, the adsorption type pyrolysis catalyst 16 is an adsorbent layer composed of an adsorbent such as activated carbon.
16a and a catalyst layer 16 composed of a pyrolysis catalyst such as platinum or nickel provided over the entire surface of the adsorbent layer 16a.
It has a two-layer structure with b. In this case, the adsorption-type pyrolysis catalyst 16 forms a plate-shaped adsorbent layer 16a by sintering an adsorbent, dips this in a solution of the catalyst to adhere the catalyst to the surface, and then heats it. The catalyst layer 16b is formed on the surface of the adsorbent layer 16a by treatment. Each of the adsorbent layer 16a and the catalyst layer 16b has a porous shape so that air can flow inside. In such an embodiment as well, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, the deodorizing apparatus for a freezer of the present invention is constituted by an adsorption type thermal decomposition catalyst and a heater which is intermittently controlled to intermittently heat it. Therefore, it has an excellent effect that the deodorizing function has a long life and the structure is simple.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing a state of being installed in a refrigerator, FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a main part, and FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a different embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, 1 is a refrigerator main body, 6 is a cooler, 13 is a heater, 1
Reference numerals 5 and 16 denote adsorption type thermal decomposition catalysts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An adsorption-type thermal decomposition catalyst provided in a circulation path in which air in a refrigerator is circulated, and a heater for intermittently heating the adsorption-type thermal decomposition catalyst by controlling electrical connection and disconnection. A deodorizing device for a refrigerator comprising.