CN114467001B

CN114467001B - Refrigerator with a refrigerator body

Info

Publication number: CN114467001B
Application number: CN202080063687.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冢原纮也; 铃木悠太
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-11
Filing date: 2020-09-10
Publication date: 2024-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-10
Also published as: EP4030127A4; EP4030127A1; JP7369434B2; CN114467001A; JP2021042906A; WO2021047571A1

Abstract

A refrigerator capable of compactly accommodating components constituting a refrigeration cycle in a machine room and efficiently discharging heat generated when the components are operated to the outside of the refrigerator. In a refrigerator (10), a compressor (22), a microchannel condenser (23), a blower (21) and an evaporation tray (25) are housed in a machine chamber (14), a first opening area (256), a closing area (257) and a second opening area (258) are formed from the upstream side of the blower (21) on the upper surface side of the evaporation tray (25), and an air passage path (35) and an air circulation path (36) are formed in the machine chamber (14) when the blower (21) blows air.

Description

Refrigerator with a refrigerator body

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator in which components constituting a refrigeration cycle system are concentrated in a machine room.

Background

In a general refrigerator, a storage chamber such as a refrigerating chamber is formed inside a heat-insulating box, and the storage chamber is cooled by a refrigerating cycle system so as to have a suitable temperature range for cooling and preserving objects to be stored.

The refrigeration cycle system is composed of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator. In order to realize heat exchange between the refrigerant in a high-pressure and high-temperature state and the outside air, the condenser is designed to have a large volume, and a refrigerant pipe is formed in the vicinity of the rear surface or the vicinity of the bottom surface of the heat-insulating box body so as to be bent.

Patent document 1 below describes a refrigerator in which a compressor and a condenser are disposed in a machine room of a heat-insulating box. Specifically, a machine room is formed at the lowest rear part of the heat-insulating box, and a compressor and a condenser are disposed inside the machine room. In addition, a blower is disposed between the compressor and the condenser. When the refrigeration cycle system works, the air can be supplied to the condenser through the air feeder, so that heat exchange with better effect is realized at the condenser, and the effective operation of the refrigeration cycle system is ensured.

Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2015-1344 (patent document 1).

Disclosure of Invention

[ problem to be solved by the invention ]

In the above-described refrigerator, a large-sized fin type condenser is generally provided, and thus it is difficult to further miniaturize the refrigerator. In order to achieve the overall miniaturization of the refrigerator, it is considered to collect the components constituting the refrigeration cycle system in a machine room formed at the rear lower portion of the heat-insulating box. However, since a large amount of heat energy is generated in the condenser and the compressor constituting the refrigeration cycle when the refrigeration cycle is operated, it is difficult to discharge the heat generated from these constituent members to the outside of the refrigerator when the condenser and the compressor are housed in a small-space machine room.

In addition, in the machine room, in addition to the condenser and the compressor constituting the refrigeration cycle, it is necessary to house an evaporation tray or the like, and it is difficult to house these constituent members compactly in the machine room.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of compactly housing components constituting a refrigeration cycle in a machine room, and also capable of effectively discharging heat emitted when the components are operated.

[ means for solving the problems ]

The refrigerator of the invention is a refrigerator with the following parts: an insulated box forming a storage compartment; a refrigeration cycle system comprising a compressor, a microchannel condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator; a machine room formed at the rear lower part of the heat insulation box; a blower for blowing air into the machine room; an evaporation tray for storing defrost water generated when the evaporator performs defrosting; an air inlet formed at one end side of the machine chamber for air to enter the machine chamber from the outside; and an exhaust port formed at the other end side of the machine chamber for exhausting the air blown by the blower to the outside of the machine chamber; the compressor, the microchannel condenser, the blower and the evaporation pan are all accommodated in the machine chamber, a first opening area, a closed area and a second opening area are formed on the upper surface side of the evaporation pan from the upstream side of the blower, and when the blower blows air, an air passing route and an air circulating route are formed in the machine chamber, wherein the air passing route is a route in which the air passes through the air inlet, the microchannel condenser, the blower, the compressor and the air outlet, and the air circulating route is a route in which the air circulates in the second opening area, the closed area, the first opening area, the microchannel condenser and the blower.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, the evaporation pan has a side wall portion provided on a downstream side of the blower.

In addition, in the refrigerator of the present invention, a refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor and the microchannel condenser passes through the second opening area, the vicinity of the bottom surface of the evaporation pan, and the first opening area.

In addition, in the refrigerator of the present invention, it is characterized in that the closed region is provided with a shielding plate that seals the evaporation tray from above, and the microchannel condenser and the blower are arranged at an upper surface of the shielding plate.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, an opening area of the air inlet is larger than an area of the wind tunnel of the blower.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, the opening area of the air outlet is larger than the area of the air tunnel of the blower.

[ Effect of the invention ]

The refrigerator of the invention is a refrigerator with the following parts: an insulated box forming a storage compartment; a refrigeration cycle system comprising a compressor, a microchannel condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator; a machine room formed at the rear lower part of the heat insulation box; a blower for blowing air into the machine room; an evaporation tray for storing defrost water generated when the evaporator performs defrosting; an air inlet formed at one end side of the machine chamber for air to enter the machine chamber from the outside; and an exhaust port formed at the other end side of the machine chamber for exhausting the air blown by the blower to the outside of the machine chamber; the compressor, the microchannel condenser, the blower and the evaporation pan are all accommodated in the machine chamber, a first opening area, a closed area and a second opening area are formed on the upper surface side of the evaporation pan from the upstream side of the blower, and when the blower blows air, an air passing route and an air circulating route are formed in the machine chamber, wherein the air passing route is a route in which the air passes through the air inlet, the microchannel condenser, the blower, the compressor and the air outlet, and the air circulating route is a route in which the air circulates in the second opening area, the closed area, the first opening area, the microchannel condenser and the blower. According to the refrigerator of the present invention, the compressor and the microchannel condenser constituting the refrigeration cycle system can be compactly housed in the machine room. Therefore, the large storage room can be ensured, and the volume utilization rate can be improved. In addition, since the blower blows air into the machine room, heat generated from the compressor and the microchannel condenser during operation of the refrigerator can be effectively discharged to the outside. In addition, since the air passage path and the air circulation path are formed in the chamber of the machine chamber, the air heated by heat exchange with the microchannel condenser flows over the defrost water stored in the evaporation tray, and the defrost water can be effectively evaporated. In addition, air cooled by evaporating defrost water circulates around the micro-channel condenser, so that refrigerant can be effectively condensed by the micro-channel condenser.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, the evaporation pan has a side wall portion provided on a downstream side of the blower. Thus, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, a part of the air blown by the blower collides against the sidewall of the evaporation pan, thereby forming an air circulation path.

In addition, in the refrigerator of the present invention, a refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor and the microchannel condenser passes through the second opening area, the vicinity of the bottom surface of the evaporation pan, and the first opening area. As described above, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, the defrost water stored in the evaporation tray can be evaporated by the heat of the compressed refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe, and the heat exchange of the compressed refrigerant can be promoted.

In addition, in the refrigerator of the present invention, it is characterized in that the closed region is provided with a shielding plate that seals the evaporation tray from above, and the microchannel condenser and the blower are arranged at an upper surface of the shielding plate. In this way, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, the microchannel condenser and the blower are disposed above the evaporation tray, and thus the components constituting the refrigeration cycle can be compactly housed in the limited space of the machine room.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, an opening area of the air inlet is larger than an area of the wind tunnel of the blower. In this way, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, since the opening area of the air inlet is increased to ensure a large supply amount of the blower, heat exchange between the micro-channel condenser and the compressor is increased, and defrost water stored in the evaporation tray can be effectively evaporated.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, the opening area of the air outlet is larger than the area of the air tunnel of the blower. In this way, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, since the opening area of the air outlet is increased to ensure a large supply amount of the blower, heat exchange between the micro-channel condenser and the compressor is increased, and defrost water stored in the evaporation tray can be effectively evaporated.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a perspective view of the refrigerator from above the rear side.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a perspective view of a machine room viewed from above from the rear side.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a perspective view of various constituent members housed in a machine room as seen from above the rear side.

Fig. 5 (a) is a view of various constituent members housed in the machine room as seen from above; fig. 5 (B) is a view of various components housed in the machine room, as seen from the rear.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a perspective view showing an associated structure of an evaporation pan and a refrigerant pipe.

Fig. 7 (a) is a perspective view of the machine room from the rear left side; fig. 7 (B) is a perspective view of the machine room from the rear right side; fig. 7 (C) is a perspective view of the blower as seen from above on the right side.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a block diagram showing a connection structure of each constituent member.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In addition, in explaining the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same members in principle, and repeated explanation is omitted. The present embodiment is described in terms of the directions of up, down, front, back, left, and right, and the left and right are the directions when viewed from the rear of the refrigerator 10.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the rear upper side. The refrigerator 10 has a heat-insulating box 11 and a storage compartment formed inside the heat-insulating box 11. As the storage compartments, there are a refrigerating compartment 12, a vegetable compartment 114, and a freezing compartment 13. The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 is closed by a rotary heat-insulating door 18, the front opening of the vegetable compartment 114 is closed by a drawer heat-insulating door 19, and the front opening of the freezer compartment 13 is closed by a drawer heat-insulating door 20. The casing 111 of the refrigerator 10 is constituted by a top plate 151 facing upward, a side plate 152 facing left, a side plate 153 facing right, and a back plate 154 facing backward.

A machine chamber 14 as a cavity is formed at the rear-side lowermost portion of the refrigerator 10. The machine room 14 is formed to be connected from the left end to the right end of the heat-insulating box 11. The rear opening of the machine chamber 14 is sealed by a machine chamber cover 155.

An air inlet 26 for external air to enter the machine chamber 14 is formed at the right side of the machine chamber 14. The air inlet 26 is a plurality of openings provided at the side panel 153 and the machine room cover 155. An exhaust port 27 through which air discharged from the machine chamber 14 to the outside passes is formed on the left side of the machine chamber 14. The exhaust port 27 is a plurality of openings provided at the side panel 152 and the machine chamber cover 155. The intake port 26 and the exhaust port 27 are described in detail with reference to fig. 7. The air inlet 26 and the air outlet 27 are provided in a slit shape to prevent foreign matter from invading into the machine chamber 14 from the outside.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the refrigerator 10. Referring to this figure, the heat insulating box 11 is constituted by: a case 111 made of a steel plate bent to a prescribed shape; an inner liner 112 made of a synthetic resin plate provided inside the housing 111 and separated from the housing 111; and a heat insulating material 113 filled between the outer case 111 and the inner case 112.

A cooling chamber 115 is defined inside the freezing chamber 13, and an evaporator 116 is housed in the cooling chamber 115. An air supply duct 118 is formed above the cooling chamber 115. The air cooled by the evaporator 116 in the cooling chamber 115 is blown to the air-blowing duct 118 by a fan (not shown here) for cool air blowing. The air cooled by the evaporator 116 is also blown into the freezer compartment 13.

The defrost heater 117 is disposed below the evaporator 116 inside the cooling chamber 115. The defrosting heater 117 is a heater that generates heat by being energized, which is energized and generates heat during defrosting, and melts frost on the evaporator 116 by the generated heat. The defrost water generated by defrosting reaches the evaporation tray 25 through the water guide pipe 31 shown in fig. 4, and is evaporated by heat exchange with the high-temperature compressed refrigerant.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the inside of the machine room 14 from above the rear side. A state in which the above-described machinery chamber cover 155 is detached from the refrigerator 10 is shown.

From the right, a microchannel condenser 23, a blower 21, an evaporation pan 25, and a compressor 22 are installed in the machine room 14. In addition, a refrigerant pipe for connecting the respective components constituting the vapor compression refrigeration cycle system including the microchannel condenser 23 and the compressor 22 to each other is also installed in the machine chamber 14.

As described above, the components constituting the refrigeration cycle are housed in the machine chamber 14 together with the evaporation pan 25, and the volume of the components necessary for housing the operation of the refrigerator 10 can be reduced. Therefore, the effective volume occupied by the storage chamber can be increased for the refrigerator 10 as a whole. In this way, more articles can be stored in the refrigerator 10, and the external dimensions of the refrigerator 10 can be reduced.

The components stored in the machine chamber 14 will be described with reference to fig. 4 and 5, and the air flow direction in the machine chamber 14 will be described. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the respective components housed in the machine room 14, fig. 5 (a) is a top view of the respective components seen from above, and fig. 5 (B) is a rear view of the respective components seen from behind.

Referring to fig. 4, inside the machine room 14, the compressor 22 is disposed on the left side, and the evaporation pan 25 is disposed on the right side. The compressor 22 and the evaporation pan 25 are relatively large-volume components among the components housed in the machine chamber 14. In the present embodiment, the compressor 22 and the evaporation pan 25, which are large-sized members, are disposed in a left-right arrangement, and thus the space of the machine room 14 can be effectively utilized.

The compressor 22 constitutes a vapor compression refrigeration cycle together with a microchannel condenser 23, an expansion device not shown, and the evaporator 116 described above. With the cooling operation by the refrigeration cycle, frost is generated at the surface of the evaporator 116. Since the generation of a large amount of frost at the surface of the evaporator 116 hinders heat transfer and air supply, the defrosting heater 17 is utilized to heat the evaporator 116 to defrost periodically. The defrost water generated by defrosting the evaporator 116 is stored in the evaporation tray 25 through the water guide pipe 31, and is evaporated by heat emitted from the refrigerant.

The blower 21 and the microchannel condenser 23 are arranged above the evaporation tray 25. By doing so, the space above the evaporation pan 25 as a flat member can be effectively utilized.

The blower 21 is disposed at an upper surface of a shielding plate 28 described later. The fan disposed inside the blower 21 rotates, thereby blowing air from the right to the left.

The microchannel condenser 23 is a small-sized condenser and is disposed at an upper surface of the shielding plate 28. The microchannel condenser 23 is a micro-channeled condenser, which is comprised of heat transfer tubes (not shown here) and heat release fins. The microchannel condenser 23 can realize a larger heat exchange amount with a smaller volume than a general condenser. The microchannel condenser 23 is arranged at the upper surface of the shielding plate 28 at the right side (upstream side) than the blower 21.

The evaporation pan 25 is a pan-shaped member for temporarily receiving the defrost water, and is made of an integrally molded synthetic resin. Specifically, the evaporation pan 25 has a bottom surface portion 251, a front side surface portion 252, a rear side wall portion 253, a left side wall portion 254, and a right side wall portion 255. In addition, the lower end of the water guide tube 31 is disposed in the vicinity of the bottom face portion 251 of the evaporation pan 25. The water guide pipe 31 is a pipe for guiding defrost water generated by defrosting the evaporator 116 to the evaporation pan 25.

On the upper surface side of the evaporation pan 25, from the right side, a first opening area 256, a closed area 257, and a second opening area 258 are formed. The first opening area 256 is an area on the right side that does not seal the upper surface of the evaporation pan 25 and is open upward. The closing area 257 is an area closing the upper surface of the evaporation pan 25 by the shielding plate 28. The second opening area 258 is an area on the left side that does not seal the upper surface of the evaporation pan 25 and is opened upward. The first opening area 256, the closing area 257, and the second opening area 258 are formed at the upper surface of the evaporation pan 25 in this way, and then an air circulation route for properly evaporating defrost water stored in the evaporation pan 25 can be formed as described later.

At the upper surface of the evaporation pan 25, a shielding plate 28 is arranged. The shielding plate 28 is made of a metal plate or a resin plate, and covers the central portion of the evaporation pan 25 from above in the left-right direction. The rear end side of the shielding plate 28 is fixed to the upper end of the rear side wall portion 253, and the front end side of the shielding plate 28 is fixed to the upper end of the front side wall portion 252.

At the upper surface of the shielding plate 28, the microchannel condenser 23 and the blower 21 are arranged from the right side. The shielding plate 28 partially encloses the upper side of the evaporation pan 25 and serves as a mounting table for carrying the blower 21 and the microchannel condenser 23. A support plate 29 made of a metal plate is fixed at the lower surface of the microchannel condenser 23. The left end of the support plate 29 is fixed at the upper surface of the shielding plate 28. The right end of the support plate 29 is fixed to a protruding support portion 30 protruding upward from the bottom surface portion 251 of the evaporation pan 25.

Since the blower 21 rotates when the refrigerator 10 is operated, external air is introduced from the air inlet 26 shown in fig. 3, and the introduced air passes through the microchannel condenser 23, the blower 21, and the compressor 22 at the machine room 14. After that, the air is discharged to the outside through the air outlet 27 shown in fig. 3.

The compressor 22 and the microchannel condenser 23 are connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe 37, and the compressed refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 and heated is sent to the microchannel condenser 23 through the refrigerant pipe 37. The refrigerant pipe 37 is expanded near the bottom surface 251 of the evaporation pan 25 from the second opening area 258, and is separated upward from the first opening area 256, and then connected to the microchannel condenser 23. Since the refrigerant pipe 37 is in the inner panel of the evaporation pan 25, the compressed refrigerant can be cooled by the defrost water stored in the evaporation pan 25, and the evaporation of the defrost water is promoted. The refrigerant piping 37 will be described later with reference to fig. 6.

The air route formed inside the machine room 14 is described with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 (a) is a top view of each component part installed in the machine room 14 from above, and fig. 5 (B) is a rear view of each component part from behind.

Referring to fig. 5 (a) and 5 (B), when the blower 21 blows air, an air passage path 35 and an air circulation path 36 are formed in the machine room 14.

The air passing path 35 is a path through which air is blown from right to left inside the machine room 14. Specifically, the air passing path 35 is a path through which the air taken in from the air inlet 26 shown in fig. 3 passes through the microchannel condenser 23, the blower 21, and the compressor 22 in this order and is discharged to the outside from the air outlet 27 shown in fig. 3. Due to the formation of the air passing path 35, heat exchange at the microchannel condenser 23 and the compressor 22 is promoted, the refrigerant is well condensed in the microchannel condenser 23, and the compressor 22 is well cooled.

The air circulation path 36 is a path through which air circulates inside the machine room 14. Specifically, with respect to the air circulation route 36, the air first passes through the microchannel condenser 23 and the blower 21 in this order. Next, a part of the air passing through the blower 21 is blocked by the left side wall portion 254 of the evaporation pan 25, and enters the inside of the evaporation pan 25 from the second opening area 258. The air introduced into the evaporation pan 25 advances rightward below the shielding plate 28 along the vicinity of the liquid surface of the defrost water. At this time, evaporation of defrost water is promoted. In fig. 5 (B), the liquid level of the defrost water is shown by a dot-dash line. Thereafter, the air further advancing rightward is blocked by the right side wall portion 255, advances upward through the first opening area 256, and then returns to the microchannel condenser 23 and the blower 21.

Since the air circulates in the air circulation route 36, the air that has been heat-exchanged with the microchannel condenser 23 to become high temperature passes through and heat-exchanged with the upper surface of the defrost water stored in the evaporation tray 25, and thus evaporation of the defrost water can be promoted. In addition, the air cooled by evaporating the defrost water inside the evaporation tray 25 is returned from the first opening area 256 and passes through the microchannel condenser 23. Thereby, heat exchange at the microchannel condenser 23 is promoted, and the refrigerant can be effectively condensed. In addition, since a part of the air circulated in the air circulation path 36 is discharged to the outside through the air passage path 35, the evaporated defrost water does not fill the inside of the machine room 14.

In addition, since the dry low-temperature air can be always introduced from the air inlet 26 to the machine room 14 from the outside by forming the air passage route 35, the heat exchange of the microchannel condenser 23 and the evaporation of the defrost water can be promoted. Since the air passing path 35 is formed, the air can be always discharged to the outside through the air outlet 27, and thus the air heated by the heat exchange between the microchannel condenser 23 and the compressor 22 can be suppressed from filling the machine room 14.

Here, the air passing path 35 and the air circulating path 36 are not completely separate paths, but the air is mixed together in the air passing path 35 and the air circulating path 36. In other words, the air constituting the air passing path 35 is introduced into the air circulation path 36, and thus the defrost water can be well evaporated using the dry air supplied from the outside. Further, since the air constituting the air circulation path 36 is introduced into the air passage path 35, the heat generated from the microchannel condenser 23 and the moisture generated by the evaporation of the defrost water can be favorably discharged from the machine room 14 to the outside.

Here, a configuration for improving the air flow in the above-described air circulation route 36 will be described.

Referring to fig. 5 (a), the relative sizes of the first open area 256, the closed area 257, and the second open area 258 may be set to the proper ranges for forming the air circulation route 36. For example, the respective opening areas of the first opening area 256 and the second opening area 258 may be made larger than the closed area 257. By so doing, the flow rate of air passing through the first opening area 256 and the second opening area 258 increases, and the heat exchange of the microchannel condenser 23 and the evaporation of defrost water can be promoted.

Referring to fig. 5 (B), an upper end P2 of the left side wall portion 254 of the evaporation pan 25 is disposed below a lower end P1 of the blower 21. By so doing, the air passage route 35 can be formed in such a manner as to block a part of the air blown by the blower 21, and at the same time, the defrost water stored in the evaporation tray 25 can be prevented from reaching the blower 21.

The structure of the evaporation pan 25 and the refrigerant pipe 37 will be described with reference to fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the components housed in the machine room 14 from above.

As described above, the evaporation pan 25 is adjacent to the right side of the compressor 22. In addition, a refrigerant pipe 37 through which the compressed refrigerant flows is led out from the compressor 22. The refrigerant pipe 37 is formed to extend over the left side wall 254 of the evaporation pan 25 and curve along the bottom surface 251. Further, the spacers 38 are arranged at a plurality of places of the refrigerant pipe 37 formed to curve on the upper surface of the bottom surface portion 251. Since the partition 38 is arranged, the refrigerant pipe 37 and the bottom face portion 251 can be separated by a prescribed distance. Therefore, the contact area between the defrost water stored in the evaporation tray 25 and the refrigerant pipe 37 is ensured to be large, and the high-temperature refrigerant flowing through the inside of the refrigerant pipe 37 can efficiently exchange heat with the defrost water, and the defrost water can be evaporated well.

The opening areas of the intake port 26 and the exhaust port 27 will be described with reference to fig. 7. Fig. 7 (a) is a perspective view of the lower end portion of the refrigerator 10 seen from the left side, fig. 7 (B) is a perspective view of the lower end portion of the refrigerator 10 seen from the right side, and fig. 7 (C) is a perspective view showing the blower 21 in detail.

Referring to fig. 7 (a), the exhaust port 27 is formed on the left end side of the machine chamber 14, and is an opening through which air is discharged from the machine chamber 14 to the outside. The exhaust port 27 is constituted by a first exhaust port 271, a second exhaust port 272, and a third exhaust port 273. The first exhaust port 271 is provided at a position that is open near the rear lower end of the side panel 152. The second exhaust port 272 is provided at a position where the left end portion of the machine chamber cover 155 is opened. The third exhaust port 273 is provided at a position where the upper left side of the machine chamber cover 155 is opened. The first exhaust port 271, the second exhaust port 272, and the third exhaust port 273 are constituted by a plurality of openings arranged in a row or a column.

Referring to fig. 7 (B), the air inlet 26 is an opening formed on the right end side of the machine chamber 14, and air introduced into the machine chamber 14 passes through the air inlet 26. The air inlet 26 has a first air inlet 261 and a second air inlet 262. The first air inlet 261 is formed by partially opening behind the lower end of the side panel 153. The second air inlet 262 is formed by opening at the right end side of the machine chamber cover 155. The first air inlet 261 and the second air inlet 262 are constituted by a plurality of openings arranged in a row or a column.

Referring to fig. 7 (C), the blower 21 is an axial flow fan, and a wind tunnel 212 is formed inside a housing 211 thereof. When a fan, not shown here, rotates inside the wind tunnel 212, the blower 21 blows air from the right side to the left side.

In the present embodiment, the opening area A1 of the exhaust port 27 is set to be larger than the opening area A3 of the wind tunnel 212 of the blower 21. Specifically, the opening area A1 of the exhaust port 27 shown in fig. 7 (a) is calculated from the sum of the opening area a11 of the first exhaust port 271, the opening area a12 of the second exhaust port 272, and the opening area a13 of the third exhaust port 273. Here, the opening area A1 of the exhaust port 27 is made larger than the opening area A3 of the wind tunnel 212 shown in fig. 7 (C). By doing so, air can be discharged from the machine room 14 to the outside through the exhaust port 27 satisfactorily, and the microchannel condenser 23 and the compressor 22 housed in the machine room 14 can be cooled satisfactorily.

In the present embodiment, the opening area A2 of the air inlet 26 is set to be larger than the opening area A3 of the wind tunnel 212 of the blower 21. Specifically, the opening area A2 of the air inlet 26 shown in fig. 7 (B) is calculated from the sum of the opening area a21 of the first air inlet 261 and the opening area a22 of the second air inlet 262. The opening area A2 of the air inlet 26 is set to be larger than the opening area A3 of the wind tunnel 212 shown in fig. 7 (C). By so doing, air can be well introduced into the machine room 14 through the air inlet 26, and the microchannel condenser 23 and the compressor 22 housed in the machine room 14 can be properly cooled.

The connection structure of the refrigerator 10 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to a block diagram of fig. 8. The refrigerator 10 includes an arithmetic control unit 24, a temperature sensor 32, a timer 33, a compressor 22, a blower 21, and a defrost heater 34.

The arithmetic control unit 24 is configured by, for example, a CPU, receives inputs from various sensors, performs a predetermined arithmetic process, and controls operations of various components such as the compressor 22 based on the processing results. The arithmetic control unit 24 may have a semiconductor memory device for storing various constants and programs for performing the cooling operation. The arithmetic and control unit 24 controls each storage chamber to achieve an appropriate temperature range for storing the stored object, and to perform the defrosting process at an appropriate timing.

The temperature sensor 32 and the timer 33 are connected to the input terminal of the arithmetic control unit 24. The temperature sensor 32 measures the internal temperature of each of the above-described storage compartments by being installed therein. The timer 33 measures a cooling time for cooling each storage compartment, an operation time of the defrosting heater 34, and the like.

The compressor 22, the blower 21, and the defrosting heater 34 are connected to the output end of the arithmetic control unit 24. Each component such as the compressor 22 operates based on the output signal output from the arithmetic and control unit 24.

During the cooling operation of the refrigerator 10, the arithmetic control unit 24 operates the compressor 22 and the blower 21, and measures the temperatures of the respective storages to a predetermined temperature range using the temperature sensor 32. Air cooled by the vapor compression refrigeration cycle system including the compressor 22 is blown into each storage compartment, thereby cooling each storage compartment to a specified temperature range. In addition, during the operation of the compressor 22, the microchannel condenser 23 and the compressor 22 are cooled by the air blown by the blower 21.

In the present embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 5, the air passing route 35 and the air circulation route 36 are formed inside the machine chamber 14, so that heat exchange at the microchannel condenser 23 and the like can be promoted, and defrost water can be evaporated well.

In addition, when frost formation at the evaporator 116 is more than a certain degree, a defrosting process is performed to melt the frost grown at the evaporator 116. For example, frost formation at the evaporator 116 is detected when the cooling time measured by the timer 33 reaches a certain time. In addition, defrost water generated by the melting of frost is stored in the evaporation pan 25 through the water guide pipe 31 shown in fig. 4. In the present embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 5, since the air circulation route 36 in which air circulates between the evaporation pan 25 and the microchannel condenser 23 is formed, it is possible to effectively evaporate defrost water using heat release from the microchannel condenser 23.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the present embodiment with reference to fig. 4, the microchannel condenser 23 and the blower 21 are arranged in this order from the right side, but the order may be reversed, and the blower 21 and the microchannel condenser 23 may be arranged in this order from the right side.

[ symbolic description ]

10 refrigerator 11 heat insulation box 111 outer shell

112 inner container 113 heat insulation material 114 vegetable room

115 cooling chamber 116 evaporator 117 defrost heater

118 air supply duct 12 refrigerating chamber 13 freezing chamber

14 machine room 151 roof 152 side panels

153 side plate 154 back plate 155 mechanical chamber cover

17 defrost heater 18 insulated door 19 insulated door

20 heat insulation door 21 blower 211 shell

212 wind tunnel 22 compressor 23 micro-channel condenser

24 arithmetic control unit 25 evaporates the bottom of the tray 251

252 front side 253 and rear side 254 left side

255 right side wall 256 first opening region 257 encloses a region

258 second open area 26 air inlet 261 first air inlet

262 second air inlet 27 air outlet 271 first air outlet

272 second exhaust port 273 third exhaust port 28 shielding plate

29 supporting plate 31 water guide pipe protruding from supporting part

32 temperature sensor 33 timer 34 defrost heater

35 air passing path 36 air circulation path 37 refrigerant piping

38 spacer

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a heat insulation box body, which is provided with a storage room;

a refrigeration cycle system comprising a compressor, a microchannel condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator;

a machine room formed at the rear lower part of the heat insulation box;

a blower for blowing air into the machine room;

an evaporation tray for storing defrost water generated when the evaporator performs defrosting, the compressor being disposed at a left side and the evaporation tray being disposed at a right side inside the machinery chamber;

an air inlet formed at one end side of the machine chamber for air to enter the machine chamber from the outside; and

an exhaust port formed at the other end side of the machine chamber for exhausting the air blown by the blower to the outside of the machine chamber;

it is characterized in that the compressor, the microchannel condenser, the blower and the evaporating pan are all accommodated in the mechanical chamber,

a first opening area, a closed area, and a second opening area are formed on the upper surface side of the evaporation pan from the upstream side of the blower,

when the blower blows air, an air passing path and an air circulating path are formed in the machine room,

the air passing route is a route in which the air passes through the air inlet, the microchannel condenser, the blower, the compressor and the air outlet,

the air circulation route is a route in which the air circulates in the second opening area, the closed area, the first opening area, the microchannel condenser, and the blower,

the closed region is provided with a shielding plate that seals the evaporation pan from above, and the microchannel condenser and the blower are arranged at an upper surface of the shielding plate, a support plate made of a metal plate is fixed at a lower surface of the microchannel condenser, a left end of the support plate is fixed at the upper surface of the shielding plate, and a right end of the support plate is fixed at a protruding support portion protruding upward from a bottom surface portion of the evaporation pan.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the evaporation pan has a side wall portion provided on a downstream side of the blower.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor and the microchannel condenser passes through the second opening area, the vicinity of the bottom surface of the evaporation pan, and the first opening area.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein an opening area of the air inlet is larger than an area of a wind tunnel of the blower.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein an opening area of the air outlet is larger than an area of the wind tunnel of the blower.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the refrigerant piping is formed to curve along a bottom surface portion of the evaporation pan over a left side wall portion of the evaporation pan, and a plurality of partitions are arranged at the refrigerant piping.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the first and second open areas each have a larger open area than the closed area.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the air outlet is constituted by a first air outlet provided at a portion opened near a rear lower end of a side panel of the refrigerator, a second air outlet provided at a portion opened at a left end portion of the machinery chamber cover, and a third air outlet provided at a portion opened at an upper left side of the machinery chamber cover.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the air inlet has a first air inlet formed by a partial opening at a rear of a lower end of a side panel of the refrigerator and a second air inlet formed by an opening at a right end side of a machine room cover.