JP2007101084A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator 1 in which vegetables stored in a vegetable room 5 can be stored well without causing a low temperature failure.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a low temperature storage space 55 in which a low temperature storage temperature of 1 to 3 ° C. is stored in a vegetable room 5 for storing vegetables and a low temperature storage temperature of 4 ° C. or higher. By providing a high temperature storage space 53 that prevents cold damage by storing cold-sensitive vegetables in the high-temperature storage space 53, and storing cold-resistant vegetables in the low-temperature storage space 55, freshness can be improved. It can be held for a long time and water soluble components such as amino acids can be increased.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a vegetable compartment.

Generally, in a vegetable room of a household refrigerator, the cooling temperature is often set to 5 ° C. In recent years, for example, a refrigerator in which the cooling temperature of the vegetable room is set to a low temperature of 3 ° C. in order to maintain the freshness for a long time. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-125178 A

  However, when chilled and stored at a low temperature such as 3 ° C., vegetables that are vulnerable to low temperatures such as cucumber and eggplant may cause low-temperature damage, and could not be stored properly for each vegetable.

  This invention is made paying attention to this point, and it aims at providing the refrigerator which can preserve | save the vegetable accommodated in a vegetable room favorably according to the kind.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a low-temperature storage space for cooling and storing at a low temperature of 1 to 3 ° C. and a high-temperature storage space for cooling and storing at a temperature of 4 ° C. or higher in a vegetable room for storing vegetables. It is characterized by that.

  According to the above invention, a low temperature storage space that maintains freshness for a long time and a high temperature storage space that protects low temperature vegetables from low temperature damage are provided in the vegetable room, thereby causing low temperature damage according to the characteristics of the vegetables. Can be stored in a cool state without any problems.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the refrigerator body 1. In FIG. 1, a refrigerator main body 1 includes a refrigerating room 2 that is cooled to, for example, 1 to 2 ° C. in order from the top, and a switching room 3 that can be switched to a refrigerating room or a freezing room. And a vegetable room 5 that mainly stores vegetables, plastic bottles, and the like, and a freezer room 4 that is cooled to, for example, -18 to -25 ° C, and each storage room 2 to 5 is hinged. The refrigerating room door 6, the drawer type switching room door 7, the vegetable room door 8, and the freezer room door 9 are each closed so as to be freely opened and closed. Although not shown in FIG. 1, an ice making chamber is provided alongside the switching chamber 3 and is closed by an ice making chamber door.

  The refrigerator compartment 2 forms a bottom face by a heat insulating partition wall 25 to partition the switching room 3 and the ice making room, and a rear duct 23 for discharging cool air is formed on the rear face. The back duct 23 is blown by the rotation of the refrigeration fan 22 by the cold air heat-exchanged by the refrigeration cooler 21 provided at the back of the vegetable compartment 5. The blown cold air is blown into the refrigerating room 2 to cool the room so that the air is blown into the vegetable compartment 5 through the vegetable compartment duct 27 from the suction port 26 formed in the rear portion of the heat insulating partition wall 25. It has become.

  The switching chamber 3 and the freezer compartment 4 are separated from the vegetable compartment 5 by the heat insulating partition walls 31 and 32, respectively, and the cold air that is provided further rearward than the refrigeration cooler 21 and is heat-exchanged by the freezer cooler 33, A cooling fan (not shown) is configured to blow and cool each chamber by rotation.

  A machine room 40 is formed at the lower back of the refrigerator body 1, and a compressor 41 constituting a refrigeration cycle is provided in the machine room 40. Above the compressor 41, a control device 42 for controlling the operation of the electrical components of the refrigerator is disposed. By this control device 42, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 41 is cooled with the refrigeration cooler 21 and the freezing cooling. Control is performed so that each chamber is cooled to a set temperature and held by rotation of the refrigeration fan 22 or the like.

  Next, the vegetable compartment 5 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the storage space of the vegetable compartment 5, an upper container 52 and a lower container 54 are provided. The upper container 52 is supported on the upper edge of the lower container 54, and the lower container 54 is supported on the door 8 by a support frame (not shown). In accordance with the opening operation of the door 8, it is pulled out of the cabinet. The upper container 52 and the lower container 54 are cases made of a synthetic resin having an upper surface opened, and the bottom surface 52a of the upper container 52 is formed in a gentle uneven shape.

  Behind the upper container 52 and the lower container 54 is provided a thin-walled back cover 56 that partitions the vegetable chamber 5 and the cooler chamber in which the refrigeration cooler 21 is disposed. A temperature sensor 57 for detecting the temperature in the vegetable compartment 5 and a heater for appropriately controlling heat leakage from the refrigerator 21 for refrigerating, here a rear heater 61 constituted by an aluminum foil heater, are provided. The refrigeration cooler 21 is disposed opposite the lower container 54 so that the thermal effect on the lower container 54 is greater than that of the upper container 52.

  Heat insulation partition walls 31 and 32 constituting the ceiling surface and the bottom surface of the vegetable room 5 are heaters for suppressing the thermal influence from the switching room 3 and the freezing room 4 and maintaining the room temperature, here, aluminum foils, respectively. A ceiling heater 62 and a bottom heater 63 constituted by heaters are provided.

  A plate-shaped crisper cover 58 is provided above the upper container 52 and the lower container 54 so as to form a ceiling heater 62 and an air layer 65, and the vegetables stored in the upper container 52 by the air layer 65. The direct thermal influence of the ceiling heater 62 on the above is suppressed. Further, since the air layer 65 is also used as a blower duct for the air blown out from the vegetable compartment duct 27, the storage space is effectively utilized.

  The space partitioned by the upper container 52 is a high temperature storage space 53 for storing vegetables at a high temperature of 4 ° C. or higher, here an average temperature of 4 ° C., and the lower container 54 excluding the high temperature storage space 53. The partitioned space is a low temperature storage space 55 in which vegetables are cooled and stored at a low temperature of 1 to 3 ° C., here an average temperature of 3 ° C.

  Specifically, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 57 provided in the vegetable room 5 reaches 3.5 ° C., the energization of the ceiling heater 62, the back heater 61, and the bottom heater 63 is stopped, and when the temperature reaches 2.5 ° C. By starting energization of the heater, the storage spaces 53 and 55 are prevented from being overcooled, and the refrigeration cooler 21 is provided on the back surface of the lower container 54, so that the storage space in the lower container 54 is provided. However, since it is cooled under the influence of the heat of the refrigeration cooler 21, two temperature zones are formed in one storage chamber. In this case, the storage room temperature of the freezing room 4 is lower than the storage room temperature set to the switching room 3 as a freezing room. For example, the switching room 3 is set to −18 ° C. and the freezing room 4 is set to −25 ° C. Since the heat leakage from the bottom of the vegetable room 5 becomes larger than that, the lower part of the vegetable room can be effectively used as the low temperature storage space 55. In particular, in the form in which the storage room above the vegetable room 5 is not the switching room 3 but a refrigerated room, two temperature zones can be configured in the vegetable room 5 more effectively.

  In addition, the cooling temperature in the upper vessel 52 can be made higher than that in the lower vessel 54 by increasing the energization rate of the ceiling heater 62 independently of the back heater 61 and the bottom heater 63 or by increasing the ON time. It is.

  Here, the reason why the low temperature storage space 55 is provided will be described. Vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, asparagus, lettuce, broccoli, and radish are strong at low temperatures and less susceptible to low-temperature damage even when stored at a low temperature of 1 to 3 ° C. On the other hand, it is possible to keep freshness longer when stored at low temperatures, and to cause a low-temperature-resistant response to change starch and protein in vegetables to water-soluble components such as sugars and amino acids. Since the ingredient contains a highly tasty ingredient, it can be made into a delicious and tasty vegetable.

  The applicant stored the green asparagus in a cold storage at 3 ° C. for 7 days, and measured the increase in amino acids before and after cooling, and found that lysine 17%, histidine 7%, leucine 7%, pronin 10%, serine 8 %, Valine 8%, and so on. For this reason, by cooling and storing the cold storage temperature at 3 ° C., it is possible to achieve the above-described effects, and it is possible to operate with low power consumption by relatively increasing the temperature even at low temperatures. In refrigerated storage at 1 ° C, the freezing temperature is close, so there is a risk of freezing due to variations, but in refrigerated storage at 3 ° C, the temperature is relatively high from the freezing temperature, thus eliminating the problem of freezing. be able to.

  On the other hand, the reason why the high-temperature storage space 53 is provided is that vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, cucumber, okra, and pepper are vulnerable to low temperatures and may cause low-temperature damage. By providing a high temperature storage space 53 of 4 ° C. or higher in the vegetable room 5, such vegetables can be protected from low temperature damage.

  Further, a crisper cover 58 is provided on the upper surface of the upper container 52, or the frost adhering to the refrigeration cooler 21 when the refrigerant is flowing through the refrigeration cooler 33 is sublimated by the rotation of the refrigeration fan 22, By reducing the moisture in the room, keeping the room humidity high increases the low temperature resistance of the vegetables, so that even if stored at 4 ° C., it can be protected from low temperature damage.

  Furthermore, by setting the temperature to a relatively low temperature such as 4 ° C., the power consumption of the ceiling heater 62 can be reduced, and the thermal influence on the low-temperature storage space 55 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the upper container 52 and the lower container 54 can be easily used separately for the high-temperature and low-temperature storage spaces, and the storage upper container 52 is used as the high-temperature storage space 53 and the lower container 54 is used as the low-temperature storage space 55. In general, it is possible to realize two temperature zones in the vertical direction without waste by utilizing the characteristic that cold air flows downward. In addition, many vegetables that are vulnerable to low temperatures, such as tomatoes and cucumbers, are small in size. Based on the experience of users, such vegetables are often stored in the upper container 52, and conversely, vegetables that are resistant to low temperatures, such as cabbage and radishes, are lower. Since it is often stored in the container 54, when the user stores it, it can be stored in an optimal storage space without being particularly conscious, and the user can use it easily.

  Furthermore, by providing a temperature sensor 57 in the vegetable compartment 5 and energizing the heater, in this case the ceiling heater 62, the back heater 61, and the bottom heater 63, the cooling temperature width is reduced and stable temperature control is performed. Thus, the vegetables can be prevented from freezing even when the low temperature storage space 55 is cooled at a low temperature, and the cooling temperatures of the high temperature storage space 53 and the low temperature storage space 55 can be accurately maintained.

  Furthermore, cold air does not flow into the lower container 54, but natural convection occurs between the lower surface of the upper container 52 as indicated by arrows. At this time, since the lower surface of the upper container 52 has an uneven shape, air flows in the lower portion of the convex shape, and it is difficult for air to flow in the space portion 52b. In addition to reducing the heat effect from the rice, the rolling of small vegetables can be prevented.

  Next, another embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the air blown out from the vegetable compartment duct 27 flows to the back surfaces of the upper container 52 and the lower container 54. Specifically, a shielding plate 70 is formed on the back of the crisper cover 58, and the air blown out from the vegetable duct 27 hits the shielding plate 70 and flows downward, but does not flow into the air layer 65. . In this case, the air from the vegetable compartment duct 27 does not flow to the front side of the vegetable compartment 5, but is indirectly cooled by the temperature effect and natural convection of the switching chamber 3, the freezer compartment 4, and the refrigeration cooler 21. According to such a configuration, since air does not flow through the air layer 65, the temperature above the vegetable room 5 becomes relatively high even if the ceiling heater 62 is eliminated, and the high temperature storage space 53 can be maintained at an appropriate temperature. .

  On the other hand, an ethylene gas decomposing apparatus 71 for decomposing ethylene gas in the vegetable compartment 5 is disposed in the refrigerator main body 1, specifically, in the vegetable compartment duct 27. The ethylene gas decomposing apparatus 71 decomposes ethylene gas by, for example, generating ultraviolet rays by discharging between electrodes and irradiating the titanium photocatalyst with the ultraviolet rays. According to such a configuration, saccharides are generally consumed and reduced by the respiration of vegetables, but the low-temperature storage space 55 is obtained by decomposing ethylene gas having the respiration promoting effect by the ethylene gas decomposing device 71. The sugar contained in the vegetables stored in can be kept high.

  In addition, the structure mentioned above is only one Embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not change the summary of invention. For example, the ceiling heater 62, the back heater 61, and the bottom heater 63 may be eliminated if the heat insulation is sufficient due to the thickness of the heat insulating material. In this case, the refrigeration fan 22 is controlled based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 57, or a damper is provided at the outlet of the vegetable compartment duct 27, and the opening / closing control is similarly performed based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 57. It is preferable to keep the cooling temperatures of the storage space 55 and the high-temperature storage space 53 appropriately.

  Moreover, the low temperature storage space 55 and the high temperature storage space 53 may be further plural, or may be independent storage chambers. Moreover, although it divided with the upper and lower containers in the structure mentioned above, front and back may be sufficient and a partition may be sufficient as a division.

  Furthermore, the high temperature storage space 53 and the low temperature storage space 55 can be more effectively cooled to an appropriate temperature by blowing out the outlet of the vegetable compartment duct 27 from the back surface or bottom surface of the lower container 54.

  The present invention can be applied to a refrigerator having a vegetable room for storing vegetables.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vegetable compartment which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vegetable compartment which shows other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigerator body 5 ... Vegetable room 21 ... Refrigerator cooler 25 ... Heat insulation partition wall 27 ... Vegetable room duct 31, 32 ... Heat insulation partition wall 51 ... Storage space 52 ... Upper container 52a ... Bottom surface 52b ... Space part 53 ... High temperature storage Space 54 ... Lower container 55 ... Low temperature storage space 56 ... Back cover 57 ... Temperature sensor 58 ... Crisper cover 61 ... Back heater 62 ... Ceiling heater 63 ... Bottom heater 65 ... Air layer 70 ... Shielding plate 71 ... Ethylene gas decomposition device

Claims (11)

  A refrigerator characterized by providing a low temperature storage space for cooling and storing at a low temperature of 1 to 3 ° C and a high temperature storage space for cooling and storing at a temperature of 4 ° C or higher in a vegetable room for storing vegetables.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a low temperature storage space and a high temperature storage space are partitioned by an upper container and a lower container in the vegetable compartment.   The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the upper container is a high-temperature storage space and the lower container is a low-temperature storage space.   The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a cooler for cooling the vegetable compartment is disposed on the back surface of the lower container.   The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a heater is disposed above the upper container.   The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein an air layer is formed between the upper surface of the upper container and the heater.   The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein a temperature sensor for detecting the room temperature is provided in the vegetable room, and the operation of the heater is controlled based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.   The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the cooling temperature of the high temperature storage space is 4 ° C, and the cooling temperature of the low temperature storage space is 3 ° C.   A storage space partitioned by an upper container and a lower container is provided in the vegetable compartment for storing vegetables, and a heater is disposed above the upper container, so that the high temperature storage space of the upper container is about 4 ° C. A refrigerator characterized by cooling a low-temperature storage space at about 3 ° C.   The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the lower surface of the upper container has an uneven shape.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising an ethylene gas decomposing apparatus for decomposing ethylene gas in the vegetable compartment.

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