JPH01302091A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a refrigerator in which its transparency is not lost even after a refrigerator door is opened or closed by composing it of a liquid crystal dimming plate using a panel dimmer for controlling a light transmitting state by an electric field and a transparent laminated plate, and treating the side face of the plate in the refrigerator to be hydrophilic. CONSTITUTION:Transparent plastic plates 5 are arrayed in a frame 4 formed with slits 3 between the slits 3, and a liquid crystal dimming plate 6 is provided inside the outermost layer of the plate 5 disposed at the inside C of a refrigerator. After the plates 5 are inserted into the slits 3, they adhere by a sealer 7 to prevent moisture from invading from the outside C of the refrigerator into the interior A of the refrigerator. The plate 6 is disposed between the sealed plates 5. A hydrophilic layer provided on the side face of the inside A of the plate 5 in the refrigerator is provided by coating and curing the plates 5 with hydrophilic paint. Thus, it can prevent a light from scattering by the uniform surface moisture with dew-condensed water or by the formation of uniform ice layer due to a boundary moisture of the dew-condensed water or frost generated on the plates on the inside face in the refrigerator at the time of opening or closing of a refrigerant door.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a refrigerator using a planar light control element.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, with the spread of frozen foods, there has been an increase in the variety of foods that can be stored in refrigerators. Against this background, there is a demand for a refrigerator that allows the food stored in the refrigerator compartment to be identified. Furthermore, when you do not want to show the inside of the refrigerator to unexpected visitors, it is necessary to devise a way to hide the inside of the refrigerator from view.

Conventionally, refrigerator doors have been made of opaque materials such as painted iron plates or plastic plates, or commercial refrigerators have used multi-layered glass plates.

On the other hand, a liquid crystal light control body whose light transmittance changes with the application of an electric field has been proposed for some doors.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the above-mentioned conventional technology has a drawback in that the food inside the refrigerator is always visible or invisible.

Furthermore, when the refrigerator door is opened and closed, moisture in the outside air causes condensation on the inside surfaces of the refrigerator, making them opaque, making it difficult to determine the state and type of food stored inside the refrigerator.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a door made of a liquid crystal light control plate using a planar light control element and a transparent laminated plate, thereby making the refrigerator door opaque when no electric field is applied and transparent only when an electric field is applied. To obtain a refrigerator whose transparency is not impaired even when opening and closing the refrigerator.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a refrigerator using a liquid crystal light control plate using a planar light control element that controls the transmission state of light by an electric field. To provide a refrigerator in which a liquid crystal light control plate is arranged on the outside of the refrigerator in a gap between transparent laminates, and the inside surface of the transparent laminate is treated to be hydrophilic, so that the refrigerator does not lose its transparency even after opening and closing the refrigerator door. It is.

Function: Since the refrigerator of the present invention uses a door made of a transparent laminate plate and a liquid crystal light control plate using a planar light control element, the light control plate can be turned on and off by applying an electric field. The interior of the refrigerator can be viewed as needed, and by hydrophilic treatment of the inner side of the transparent laminate, the interface wetting phenomenon is promoted, and the surface wetting phenomenon of condensation water or frost that occurs when the refrigerator door is opened and closed. Since the formation changes to an ice layer, it is possible to prevent the opaque phenomenon caused by scattering of light, so that a door that does not impede the light transmittance of the liquid crystal light control plate can be obtained.

Example FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a -★ embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a refrigerator in which a refrigerator main body 1 is provided with a switch for the liquid crystal light control plate made of a transparent laminated plate using a liquid crystal light control plate, and a freezer compartment A is provided with an internal light. Figure 2 shows
This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the door shown in FIG.
A liquid crystal light control plate 6 is provided inside the outermost layer of a transparent plastic plate 6 arranged in a laminated manner between them and located on the inner side C of the refrigerator.

After the transparent plastic plate 6 is inserted into the slit 3, it is adhered with a sealer 7 such as Honmelt, phthyl sealer, silicone sealer, etc. to prevent moisture from entering from outside the refrigerator C to inside the refrigerator A. The liquid crystal light control plate 6 is arranged between sealed transparent plastic plates 5.

8 is a hydrophilic treatment layer provided on the side surface of the inside A of the transparent plastic plate 6. The hydrophilic treatment layer 8 is obtained by applying and curing a hydrophilic paint such as modified polyvinyl alcohol or an acrylic resin paint to which an L1 group has been added to the polyethylene terephthalate transparent plastic plate 5.

On the other hand, as a liquid crystal light control element, I n 2 0 s S n
A nematic liquid crystal with positive dielectric anisotropy was placed between O 2 vapor-deposited polyethylene terephthalate films in polyvinyl alcohol microcapsules/7KN, with a gap between the substrates of 20 to 30 μm, and then a 600 μm polyethylene terephthalate film was pasted. A reinforced one was used.

When no voltage is applied to the liquid crystal light control element, which is the liquid crystal light control plate 6 of the freezer compartment door 2, the liquid crystal light control element is in a scattered state and appears opaque from outside the refrigerator, and inside the freezer compartment. When A was not visible, the liquid crystal light control element became transparent when an AC voltage of 30 to 100 V and 60 Hz was applied, and the inside of the freezer compartment A could be clearly seen.

The thickness of the transparent laminate plate 5 is 300 μm. 211111
By providing 8 plates or 7 layers at intervals, the temperature in the freezer compartment A can be reduced to -18°C. The temperature outside the refrigerator is 30℃.

When the insulation performance is O. CN eW/m. h,°C, and good heat insulation performance was exhibited with no dew on the surface of the outermost transparent plastic plate 5.

Furthermore, since the temperature of the liquid crystal light control plate 6 is set close to the outside air temperature, the response speed is very fast when the liquid crystal light control element is turned on and off.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention provides a new refrigerator, and since it uses a liquid crystal light control plate using a planar light control element, the light control plate can be turned on and off by applying an electric field. This allows you to see inside the refrigerator door if necessary.
Since the inner side of the transparent laminate is treated to be hydrophilic, when the refrigerator door is opened and closed, the dew condensation or frost that forms on the transparent laminate on the inner side of the refrigerator will be evenly distributed due to the interface wetting phenomenon.
Since scattering of light can be prevented by wetting the surface or forming a uniform ice layer, it is possible to provide a refrigerator having a door that does not obstruct the light transmission plate of the liquid crystal light control plate.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a general sectional view of the refrigerator of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a liquid crystal light control plate and a transparent laminated door of the refrigerator of FIG. 1... Refrigerator, 2... Freezer compartment door, 6.
...Transparent laminate plate, 6...Liquid crystal light control plate, 8
...Hydrophilic treatment layer. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and one other person? −
Freezer compartment door diagram 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator comprising a liquid crystal light control plate using a planar light control element that controls the state of light transmission by an electric field and a transparent laminate, the inside surface of the transparent laminate being treated to be hydrophilic.