JPH057735A - Deodorizing device and refrigerator equipped therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To omit a heating means and to enhance the degree of freedom in the arrangement of a deodorizing device by making an adsorbing part itself susceptible to self-generation of heat by utilizing the conductivity of the material constituting the adsorbing part. CONSTITUTION:A deodorizing device 31 equipped with an adsorbing part 32 wherein a film 34 of a platinum catalyst is provided to the surface of a porous carbon material 33 having conductivity, the electrode part 35 attached to the adsorbing part 32 and a power supply part 36 supplying a current to the adsorbing part 32 connected to the electrode part 35 is arranged to the cooling air circulating passage K of a refrigerator to constitute a deodorizing apparatus 40.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a deodorizing device for a refrigerator equipped with a deodorizer for absorbing the odor generated from food stored in the refrigerator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional refrigerators equipped with a deodorizer include, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-136377 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-254279. In this publication, a deodorizing body having an adsorbent layer and a thermal decomposition catalyst layer provided in a circulation path in which air in a refrigerator or the like circulates; And a heater for intermittently heating the deodorizer, and a deodorizing device such as a refrigerator in which the thermal decomposition catalyst layer of the deodorizer is arranged so that the temperature rises before the adsorbent layer when heated by the heater is disclosed. Has been done.

Further, in the above publication, a deodorizing member which is arranged in a circulation path in which air in a refrigerator or the like circulates and which adsorbs an odor component and is heated to oxidatively decompose the odor component, is disclosed. A heater that is provided in the vicinity of the deodorizing member and that controls the electrical connection and disconnection to heat the deodorizing member, a cover that is provided to cover a side of the deodorizing member that is opposite to the heater side, and a cover that is provided on the cover. A deodorizing device such as a refrigerator including a plurality of holding claws that hold a deodorizing member at a plurality of locations is disclosed.

[0004]

In the refrigerator shown in the above-mentioned publication, a defrost heater for defrosting the cooler is arranged below the cooler, and this heater is also used as the heating means of the deodorizer. Deodorizer is placed near the. Also, as the deodorizer adsorbs odorous components, its adsorption capacity gradually decreases, so the heat of the defrost heater is used to decompose the adsorbed odorous components and convert them into molecules with less odor. It is released from the deodorizer to restore the odor component adsorption capacity of the deodorizer. However,
The position where this deodorizer is arranged is limited to the vicinity of the defrost heater. Moreover, since the deodorizer is located close to the cooler, it is likely to be exposed to the low-temperature atmosphere around the cooler to cause frosting. Therefore, the surface is covered with frost and the desired deodorizing ability may not be exhibited. However, there was a problem that molten water was impregnated inside and the internal structure of the deodorizer was destroyed, resulting in a shorter life. Further, since the surface of the deodorizer on the side opposite to the heater is covered with a cover, it is impossible to uniformly contact the entire surface of the deodorizer with air, and there is a problem that the desired deodorizing ability cannot be exhibited. . Therefore, there is another problem that the deodorizing ability is lowered and it is necessary to increase the operation rate of the heater.

In view of the above, the first object of the present invention is to eliminate the restriction on the arrangement of the deodorizer by omitting the heating means, and to make it possible to uniformly contact the surface of the deodorizer with air.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that achieves both purposes.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems In accordance with the first object, the present invention comprises an adsorbing portion in which a platinum-based catalyst is provided on the surface of a conductive porous carbon material, and an electrode portion attached to the adsorbing portion. A deodorizing device provided with a power supply unit connected to an electrode unit and energizing an adsorption unit.

According to the second object of the present invention, according to the present invention, a deodorizer disposed below a cooler and having a conductive carbon porous film provided with a platinum-based catalyst film, and a deodorizer disposed below this deodorizer. A deodorizing device comprising a heater for heating the deodorizer and the cooler, and a cover arranged between the deodorizer and the cooler and at a distance from the deodorizer and having a projection surface larger than the projection surface of the deodorizer. The refrigerator is provided.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by conducting an energization operation from the power source section through the electrode to the adsorption section, the conductivity of the porous carbon material is utilized to cause self-heating, thereby increasing the temperature of the carbon material itself and platinum. The temperature of the system catalyst is raised to promote the catalytic action, that is, the action of oxidatively decomposing the odorous molecules adsorbed in the adsorption part to convert them into molecules with less odor and releasing them.
By this action, the self-cleaning action of the carbon material itself is promoted and the adsorption ability of the adsorption portion is recovered (that is, activated).

Further, in the present invention, since the cover and the deodorizer are arranged with a space therebetween, cold air (air containing an odorous component) is brought into contact with the entire surface of the deodorizer and the entire surface of the deodorizer is contacted. Adsorb odorous molecules. If a metal material is used for the cover, it acts as a reflection member that reflects the heat of the heater to the deodorizer side, and also acts as a baffle plate that prevents dew drops from the cooler from dripping on the deodorizer.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 is a refrigerator. The refrigerator body 1A is configured by filling a heat insulating material 3 between an outer box 2 and an inner box 4. Reference numeral 5 is a partition wall that divides the interior of the refrigerator into upper and lower portions, and the upper portion thereof is a freezing compartment 6 and the lower portion is a refrigerating compartment 7. Freezing room 6 is -18
The refrigerating chamber 7 is temperature-controlled to a freezing temperature zone of about 0 ° C., and the refrigerating compartment 7 is temperature-controlled to a non-freezing temperature zone of about 4 ° C.

The refrigerating compartment 7 is provided with a partition plate 8 and a vegetable container 9 at its lower part. 10 is a door of the freezer compartment 6, 11
Is the door of the refrigerator compartment 7. Each of the doors 10 and 11 is rotatably supported on one side of the front opening edge of the refrigerator body 1, and the front of the vegetable container 9 is closed by a pull-out door 12 that pulls it out at the same time. Reference numeral 13 is a compressor arranged in the machine room 14 of the refrigerator body 1A, and constitutes a part of the refrigerant circuit. Reference numeral 15 denotes a cooler which is vertically provided at the rear of the freezer compartment 6, and constitutes a refrigerant circuit together with the compressor 17, a condenser (not shown), and a pressure reducing means.

A blower 20 is arranged above the cooler 15, and blows the cool air cooled by the cooler 15 into the freezer compartment 6 from the front air outlet 21 and from the air outlet 22. It is also blown out into the compartment 23 formed inside. Furthermore,
The cool air accelerated by the blower 20 passes through the duct 24 and is also blown into the refrigerating compartment 7. Reference numeral 25 denotes a damper thermostat that automatically opens and closes the outlet 26 of the refrigerating compartment 7 to operate the refrigerating compartment 7 at a refrigerating temperature of about + 4 ° C.

The cold air blown into each of the chambers 6, 7, 23 is
It is sucked into the inside of the partition wall through a suction port formed in the front part of the partition wall 5 through the blown-out chamber, and returns to the suction side of the cooler 15. Also, the blower 20 and the compressor 13
Is on / off controlled based on the temperature detection signal of the temperature sensor in the freezer compartment 6, and functions so that the freezer compartment 6 has an average freezing temperature of about -18 ° C.

At a position below the cooler 15 in the inner part of the partition wall 5,
Dew tray 2 for receiving and discharging the defrost water of the cooler 15.
8 are arranged. H is a glass tube heater as a heater for melting the frost of the cooler 15 and is a dew tray 28.
Is attached to.

Reference numeral 29 is a cover for preventing dew drops of the cooler 15 from dripping on the glass tube heater H, which is preferably made of metal such as aluminum. Reference numeral 30 is a drain hole formed in the dew tray 28.

Reference numeral 31 denotes a deodorizer, which is an adsorbing section 32 in which a film (hereinafter referred to as a catalyst film) 34 made of a platinum-based catalyst is provided on the surface of a porous carbon material 33 having conductivity, and the adsorbing section 32. The attached electrode portion 35 is connected to the electrode portion 35 via the connector 37 and the lead wire 38, and the suction portion 3
2 is provided with a power supply unit 36 for supplying electricity. 3 and 4 show an example in which a deodorizer 31 is arranged between the glass tube heater H as a heating means and the cover 29 with a space therebetween, and FIG. 5 shows that the cool air from the refrigerating chamber 7 is cooled. An example in which the deodorizer 31 is arranged in the passage K returning to the container 15 is shown.
Reference numeral 39 is a mounting member that is removably mounted on the partition wall 5 so that the deodorizer 31 is positioned to face the passage K. The deodorizer 31 and the mounting member 39 form a deodorizer 40. For convenience of explanation, the height, depth, and width of the suction portion 32 are represented by A, B, and C, respectively.

Graphite is used as the porous carbon material 33, and its surface area is 800 m ² g ^{-1, which} is considerably higher than that of activated carbon, which is 1000 m ² g ^-1 . This graphite is produced by performing the sintering temperature at about 2000 ° C. in the process of producing activated carbon, and the carbon component has high mechanical strength and electrical conductivity (that is, conductivity). I have.
Then, the adsorption part 3 is formed by the dipping method using this graphite as a carrier.
Create 2. That is, a salt of a platinum catalyst (for example, hexachloroplatinum (IV) acid) is made into a solution and immersed in this carrier,
It is decomposed and fixed by heat treatment so that a platinum catalyst film 34 is formed on the surface of the carrier.

The power supply unit 36 may be either AC or DC, but the power supply used for the refrigerator 1 is an AC power supply, and AC is used in this example as well. The power supply unit 36 does not need to be energized at all times, but is energized for a unit time at fixed intervals, for example, and the energization rate is controlled within the unit time. The defrosting timing may be adjusted instead of the fixed period.

According to the deodorizer 31 as described above, odorous molecules can be adsorbed by the adsorbing section 32, and the adsorbing section 32 (specifically, the carbon material 33) generates heat when the power source section 36 is energized. The odorous molecules adsorbed are easily released by the temperature rise due to, and in this release, the odorous molecules can be oxidized and decomposed by the catalytic action of the platinum catalyst film 34 to be converted into molecules with less odor. At this time, the carbon material 33 itself is also purified by releasing the adsorbed odorous molecules, and the adsorption ability can be restored. That is, the activation of the carbon material 33 can be achieved. Further, since the adsorption unit 32 can be activated without the need for a heater, it is possible to eliminate the restriction on the arrangement of the deodorizer 31 in the vicinity of the heater.

6 and 7 illustrate the arrangement of the cover and the deodorizer 31 when the deodorizer 31 is arranged in the vicinity of the heater H. In FIG. 6, the depth surface of the adsorption unit 32 is the heater H. FIG. 7 shows an example in which they are arranged so as to be parallel to
Shows an example in which the height surface is arranged parallel to the heater H.

The cover 41 in FIG. 6 has a double structure, and the lower layer and the upper surface (upper depth surface) of the suction portion 32 face each other with a space P therebetween, and the heater H and the suction portion. 32
The lower surface (lower depth surface) of the No. 2 is opposed to the lower surface of the No. 1 with a space Q. This Q is a temperature at which the adsorption part 32 does not burn due to the heat of the heater H while the heater H is energized (graphite is 6
The interval is from 00 to 700 ° C., and about 250 ° C. is appropriate) and the interval is such that it does not rise. The depth R of the cover 41 is set to be larger than the depth B of the suction portion 32, and the projected area of the cover 41 is larger than the projected area of the suction portion 32. The deodorizer 31, the cover 41, and the heater H constitute a deodorizer.

On the other hand, the cover 42 in FIG. 7 has a single-layer structure, and S, Q, and T are set as described above. In the case of a double structure, a space U may be provided.

By arranging the adsorbing portion 32 with a space between the cover and the heater H as described above, cold air (air) can be brought into contact with the entire surface of the adsorbing portion 32, and the adsorbing portion 32 can be brought into contact. It is possible to maximize the adsorption capacity of 32.

[0025]

As described in detail above, according to claim 1,
Electricity can be directly applied to the porous carbon material itself, and the heat generated by the carbon material itself raises the temperature of the carbon material itself and the platinum-based catalyst to accelerate the catalytic action of platinum and oxidize and decompose the adsorbed odorous components (molecules). It is possible to promote the purifying action of the carbon material itself by converting it into a molecule having less odor and release it, thereby activating the adsorption part, that is, recovering the adsorption ability. Moreover, it is possible to omit a special heater such as a heater for heating the adsorbing portion, and it is possible to eliminate the restriction on the position where the deodorizer is arranged. For this reason, it is possible to provide a deodorizing device with a high degree of freedom of installation, and it is possible to place it at a position where the convection air temperature is relatively high apart from the defrosting heater of the cooler, and the maximum deodorizing capacity of the deodorizing device is demonstrated. Can be made.

Further, according to the second aspect, since the cover and the deodorizer are arranged with a space therebetween, the surface of the deodorizer can be uniformly contacted with air, and the deodorizing ability of the deodorizer is brought out. It is possible to efficiently adsorb odorous components (molecules). Claim 1 as this deodorizer
By using the deodorizer as shown in, both the activation by self-heating and the activation by the heater can be performed, and an effective activation work can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a deodorizer of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a partially cutaway state of an adsorption portion of a deodorizer.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a refrigerator showing an example of a state in which a deodorizing device is arranged.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement state of a cover and a deodorizer.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6 showing another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 refrigerator 29 cover 31 Deodorizer 32 Adsorption part 33 Porous carbon material 34 Platinum catalyst membrane 35 Electrode part 36 power supply H heater K Cold air return route

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An adsorption part in which a platinum-based catalyst is provided on the surface of a conductive porous carbon material, an electrode part attached to this adsorption part, and a power supply part connected to this electrode part and energizing the adsorption part. And a deodorizing device. 2. A deodorizer, which is disposed below the cooler and provided with a platinum-based catalyst film on a conductive porous carbon material, and a heater which is disposed below the deodorizer and heats the deodorizer and the cooler. A refrigerator comprising: a deodorizer and a cooler, and a cover having a projection surface larger than the projection surface of the deodorizer, the cover being disposed at a distance from the deodorizer and spaced from the deodorizer.