JPH049574A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent defrosting the upper part of a cooler, shorten defrost time, reduce the amount of consumption power, and prevent a rise in the interior temperature during defrosting operation by installing a cooler which successively connects a cooling pipe of each flow vertically, connects the upper end or the lower end of each adjacent row horizontally, further connects the upper end of a one side row with the lower end of the other side row, which adjoin only in one location, with a connection pipe, and installing a heater, which serves as a heat source, below the cooler. CONSTITUTION:In order to carry out more efficient heat transmission in a cooling pipe 8, cooling pipes 8 are laid out linearly in the shortest distance without zigzagging the cooling pipes 8, which connect the upper part of a cooler 1 with its lower part, before and behind as viewed from the side of the cooler 1. Furthermore, since the upper and lower parts of the cooler 1 are connected with a connection pipe 10, heat transmission by refrigerant is carried out actively not only in the cooling pipes 8 but also the connection pipe 10. Therefore, the differential temperature between the upper part and the lower part of the cooler 1 is quickly equalized so that defrost may be completed in an extremely shorter time compared with the time in a conventional art.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator in which a heat source such as a glass tube heater is provided below the cooler to defrost the cooler.

Conventional technology Refrigerators that defrost the cooler by installing a heat source such as a glass tube heater below the cooler are, for example,
Although it is known in Publication No. 4, etc., there are limits to the defrosting of coolers that rely only on radiant heat. Problems are also occurring due to defrosting, which makes it difficult for the temperature to rise.

below.

A conventional example based on Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 50-18204 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG. 3 is a front view of the arrangement of the cooler and the defrosting lid in the conventional refrigerator, and FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along the line AA' in FIG. 6 and 6 are piping diagrams of the cooler in the above conventional example.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a cooler serving as an evaporator in a refrigeration cycle for supplying the required cold air into the refrigerator.

2 is a glass tube heater υ for melting and removing frost adhering to the cooler 1, and is attached to the cooler 1 by a holder 3. 4 is a drain pan for receiving water dripping from the cooler 1 during defrosting and discharging it to the outside of the refrigerator, and a reflecting member 5 is installed on the inner surface of the pan for reflecting radiant heat to the cooler 1. . Here, the cooler 1 includes a side plate 6, cooling fins 7, a cooling pipe 8 that passes through these in a right angle direction and is formed in a meandering shape as shown in the figure, and an accumulator 9 that temporarily stores surplus liquid refrigerant. Become.

As shown in Fig. 4, the cooler 1 in this conventional example has a piping structure with three rows of cooling pipes in the front and back and six rows above and below, so the piping pattern is as shown in Fig. 5 or 6. ing.

In the above configuration, when the refrigeration cycle (not shown) is activated and enters the cooling operation state, the air inside the refrigerator containing water vapor is ventilated to the cooler 1, so that the moisture in the air is transferred to the surface of the cooler 1. It becomes frost and becomes attached. This layer of frost gradually grows thicker and reduces the heat exchange capacity of the cooler 1, so that defrosting is required periodically. In order to perform this defrosting, electricity is applied to the glass tube heater 2, and the frost adhering to the cooler 1 is melted by its radiant heat.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, defrosting that relies solely on radiant heat,
Even if the reflective member 6 is installed in the drain pan 4, the radiant heat is blocked by the cooling pipe 8 and the cooling fins 7, and the heat does not reach the upper part of the cooler 1 sufficiently, resulting in residual frost.
Another problem is that the defrosting time is long, leading to an increase in the temperature inside the refrigerator and an increase in power consumption during the defrosting operation.

In order to solve such problems, conventional methods have been to lower the height of the cooler 1 to reduce the heat transfer resistance caused by the cooling twin 7 and the cooling vibe 8, or to install a cooling pipe 8 that connects the top and bottom of the cooler 1.
Measures have been taken to shorten the length of the cooling pipe 8 to improve heat transfer through refrigerant movement within the cooling pipe 8 and to improve the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the cooler, but recently refrigerators have become larger. and.

Such means are becoming increasingly difficult to adopt as they result in a decline in cooling performance. In addition, as shown in Fig. 5, in a cooler 1 arranged in odd numbered rows such as 3 rows deep, if the refrigerant inlet and outlet are provided at the top, the cooling pipe 8 connecting the upper and lower parts of the cooler 1 will become meandering when viewed from the side. As a result, the refrigerant movement within the very long pipe is obstructed, making it impossible to expect a heat transfer effect. or,
If a piping configuration as shown in FIG. 6 is adopted in order to shorten the pipe line connecting the upper and lower parts of the cooler, the refrigerant outlet will be on the lower side, and the method of fixing the accumulator 9 will become an issue.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example, and prevents frost from remaining on the upper part of the cooler by improving the temperature difference between the upper and lower parts of the cooler during defrosting.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of shortening defrosting time, reducing power consumption, and preventing temperature rise inside the refrigerator during defrosting operation.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the refrigerator of the present invention connects the cooling pipes of each row sequentially in the vertical direction, and connects the cooling pipes of each row sequentially in the front-rear direction with adjacent rows at the upper end or lower end of the row. The coolers are connected and the upper end of one side and the lower end of the other side of the adjacent rows are connected by a connecting pipe, and a heater serving as a heat source is provided below the cooler.

According to the above-described configuration, the present invention receives the radiant heat of the heater placed below the cooler during defrosting by the cooling pipe and cooling fins at the bottom of the cooler, and generates heat by heating the refrigerant inside the cooling pipe. Promotes refrigerant movement, improves heat transfer from the bottom of the cooler to the top, speeds up defrosting of the top of the cooler, shortens defrosting time, reduces power consumption, and increases temperature inside the refrigerator during defrosting operation. This is to prevent

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be explained according to FIGS. Note that the same configurations as those of the prior art are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Only the different parts will be described. In the figure, the connecting pipe 10 connects the upper end of the second row of cooling pipes 8 and the lower end of the third row. The cooling pipe 8 connecting the upper and lower parts can be arranged in a straight line over the shortest distance without meandering back and forth, and the refrigerant inlet and outlet can also be arranged at the upper part of the cooler 1. Note that 11 is a drip-proof cover for preventing water from dripping onto the glass tube heater 2.

In this configuration, the defrosting action will be explained when the glass tube heater 2 is energized and defrosting is started.

When the glass tube heater 2 is energized, the lower part of the cooler 1 is heated by its radiant heat, and the attached frost gradually moves upward and melts. At this time, the heat transfer from the lower part to the upper part of the cooler 1 mainly involves heat conduction by the cooling fins 7 and cooling pipes 8, and heat transport by refrigerant movement within the cooling pipes 8. The rate is due to heat transport due to refrigerant movement.

Judging from the heat transfer rate, this is an overwhelmingly high ratio.

Here, to explain heat transport by refrigerant movement, when the cooling pipe 8 disposed at the bottom of the cooler 1 is heated, the liquid refrigerant inside evaporates while taking away the heat of vaporization.
It rises in the cooling pipe 8 as a steam flow. This vaporized refrigerant reaches the upper part of the cooler 1 where the temperature is low, and becomes liquid refrigerant again while dissipating the heat of condensation within the cooling pipe 8 in this part. The liquefied refrigerant flows down inside the cooling pipe 8 due to its own weight and reaches the lower part of the cooler 1 again where it is heated. Heat is transferred from the lower part of the cooler 1 to the upper part while repeating such a series of evaporation and condensation cycles.

In this embodiment, in order to more efficiently transport heat within the cooling pipe 8, (1) the cooling pipe 8 connecting the upper and lower parts of the cooler 1 is made to meander back and forth when viewed from the side of the cooler 1; Piping is done in a straight line with the shortest possible distance.

(2) The upper and lower parts of the cooler 1 are directly connected by the connecting pipe 1o.

Therefore, heat transport by the refrigerant is actively carried out not only in the cooling pipe 8 but also in the connecting pipe 10, and the temperature difference between the upper and lower sides of the cooler 1 is rapidly equalized and eliminated in a much shorter time than before. Frost can be completed. In addition, even if the cooler 1 has an odd number of cooling pipe piping configurations in the front-rear direction when the connecting pipe 1Q is installed, the refrigerant inlet,
The outlet can be placed in the upper part of the cooler 1, and there is no need to worry about fixing the accumulator 9.

Effects of the Invention As described above, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the cooling pipes of each row are sequentially connected in the vertical direction, and adjacent rows are sequentially connected in the front-rear direction at the upper end or lower end of the row.

It is equipped with a cooler in which the upper end of one side and the lower end of the other side of the adjacent row are connected by a connecting pipe, and a heater serving as a heat source is installed below the cooler, and there is a difference in temperature between the top and bottom of the cooler. This has not only improved the ability to prevent frost from remaining on the top of the cooler, but also shortened the defrosting time.

It is possible to provide a refrigerator that can reduce power consumption and further reduce the temperature rise inside the refrigerator during defrosting.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a front view showing the arrangement of a cooler and a defrosting heater of a refrigerator showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of the same embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a refrigerator showing a conventional example. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the arrangement of the cooler and the defrosting heater, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of the conventional example, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view of the accumulator shown in FIG. 5 in a bent state. 1...Cooler, 2...Glass tube heater, 7...Cooling fins, 8...Cooling pipe, 10...Connection pipe . Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano and 1 other person 1st
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Claims (1)

[Claims] In a refrigerator in which a heater is disposed below the cooler to perform defrosting, cooling pipes are arranged in a substantially lattice shape with odd rows in the front and back direction and multiple stages in the vertical direction, and are connected to the cooling pipes for heat exchange. The cooling pipes of each row are connected sequentially in the vertical direction, and adjacent rows are sequentially connected in the front-rear direction at the top or bottom end of the row, but only one point is connected to one of the adjacent rows. A refrigerator having a cooler characterized by connecting an upper end and the other lower end with a connecting pipe.