JP7788614B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to refrigerators.

Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator. This refrigerator performs heat exchange in the refrigeration cycle using a multi-flow refrigeration cooler having flat tubes with multiple flow paths through which the refrigerant flows.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-048799

This disclosure provides a refrigerator that can suppress a decrease in internal volume.

The refrigerator according to the present disclosure is a refrigerator having at least a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, and further comprising: a refrigerator cooler for cooling the refrigerator compartment on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment; and a freezer cooler for cooling the freezer compartment on the rear side of the freezer compartment, the refrigerator cooler being configured as a microchannel cooler through which a refrigerant flows in series; the direction of flow of cool air passing through the refrigerator cooler is from below to above the refrigerator cooler; and the refrigerator cooler is configured as a plurality of flat tubes formed approximately in parallel at predetermined intervals, bent portions connecting the ends of the flat tubes, and air passages formed between the flat tubes. and an inlet side header and an outlet side header connected to the ends of the flat tubes, the inlet side header and the outlet side header being provided on one end side of the flat tubes, with an inlet side piping for the refrigerant connected to the lower side of the inlet side header and an outlet side piping for the refrigerant connected to the upper side of the outlet side header, the inlet side piping being connected approximately parallel to the depth direction of the refrigeration cooler in a direction toward the flat tube to which the outlet side header is connected, and the outlet side piping being connected approximately parallel to the inlet side piping in a direction toward the flat tube to which the inlet side header is connected .

The refrigerator disclosed herein can prevent a decrease in internal volume.

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an outline of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an outline of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment; Refrigeration cycle diagram showing the refrigeration cycle of embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigeration cooler according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a refrigeration cooler according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigeration cooler according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Schematic plan view showing a modified example of a refrigeration cooler A front view showing a modified example of a refrigeration cooler

(Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure)
At the time when the inventors arrived at the idea of the present disclosure, heat exchange in a refrigeration cycle was performed using a multi-flow type refrigerating cooler having flat tubes with multiple flow paths formed therein through which a refrigerant flows. This refrigerator performed heat exchange by flowing air between the flat tubes in the depth direction of the refrigerator.
However, the inventors discovered a problem with conventional technology in that space was required before and after the refrigeration cooler, resulting in a reduction in the internal volume of the refrigerator. In order to solve this problem, the inventors came up with the subject matter of the present disclosure.
Therefore, the present disclosure provides a refrigerator that can suppress a decrease in internal volume.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed description of well-known matters or redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.
The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
[1-1. Configuration]
[1-1-1. Configuration of refrigerator]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an outline of a refrigerator according to the present invention.
As shown in Fig. 1, the refrigerator 1 has a box-shaped main body 10. An upper partition plate 11 and a lower partition plate 12 are provided at two positions in the vertical direction of the main body 10 to divide the interior of the main body 10 into three upper and lower spaces.
The space above the upper partition plate 11 is a refrigerator compartment 13, the space between the upper partition plate 11 and the lower partition plate 12 is a freezer compartment 14, and the space below the lower partition plate 12 is a vegetable compartment 15.
A low-temperature compartment 16, which is kept at a lower temperature than the refrigerating compartment 13, is provided below the interior of the refrigerating compartment 13. Inside the refrigerating compartment 13, shelves 17 are provided on which food items are placed.
Inside the freezer compartment 14, an ice making compartment 18 for storing ice is provided.

A side-opening refrigerator compartment door 20 is provided on the front of the refrigerator compartment 13 so as to be able to be opened and closed freely.
A freezer compartment drawer door 21 is provided at the front of the freezer compartment 14 so as to be freely opened and closed, and a freezer drawer case 22 for storing food therein is provided inside the freezer compartment drawer door 21.
A vegetable compartment drawer door 23 is provided at the opening on the front of the vegetable compartment 15 so as to be freely opened and closed, and a vegetable compartment drawer case 24 for storing food therein is provided inside the vegetable compartment drawer door 23.

1 and 2, a refrigerating compartment 30 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerating compartment 13 of the refrigerator 1. A refrigerating compartment duct 31 extending above the refrigerating compartment 13 is connected to the upper part of the refrigerating compartment 30.
The refrigeration compartment 30 accommodates a refrigeration cooler 32. The refrigeration cooler 32 is a microchannel cooler. A microchannel cooler is, for example, a cooler composed of a flat perforated pipe and fins. The flat perforated pipe is a flat pipe with multiple flow paths formed therein through which the refrigerant flows. Details of the refrigeration cooler 32 will be described later.
A refrigeration fan 33 is disposed above the refrigeration cooler 32 in the refrigeration cooling compartment 30. A centrifugal fan, for example, is used as the refrigeration fan 33. The centrifugal fan is a fan that draws in cold air that has passed through the refrigeration cooler 32 from the center of one side of the axial direction of the rotating blades and blows it out in a centrifugal direction. The centrifugal fan also draws in cold air from the rear of the refrigeration cooling compartment 30 and blows it out in a centrifugal direction. By using a centrifugal fan, it is possible to ensure a sufficient air volume even with a narrow duct.

In this embodiment, the centrifugal fan is configured to draw in cool air from the rear of the refrigerating compartment 30, but it may also be configured to draw in cool air from the front of the refrigerating compartment 30.
The refrigeration fan 33 may be, for example, an axial fan. The axial fan is tilted and positioned with its outlet facing upward so that the cold air cooled by the refrigeration cooler 32 can be efficiently blown into the refrigeration compartment 13. By using an axial fan, it is possible to easily discharge the cold air downward as well.

Frost that has adhered to the refrigeration cooler 32 can be defrosted using the air inside the refrigerator compartment. In this case, it is preferable to drive the refrigeration fan 33 without flowing refrigerant through the refrigeration cooler 32.

The refrigerator compartment duct 31 is connected to a casing 33a on the blowing side of the refrigerator fan 33, and the refrigerator compartment duct 31 is formed in a tapered shape that gradually increases in width toward the top.
The refrigerator compartment duct 31 is provided with branch ducts 34 extending to the left and right midway. A refrigerator air outlet 35 communicating with the refrigerator compartment duct 31 and the branch duct 34 is formed in the refrigerator compartment 13.
A refrigerator compartment damper 36 is provided midway through the refrigerator compartment duct 31. The refrigerator compartment damper 36 is configured to switch between blowing and stopping the cold air cooled by the refrigerator cooler 32 into the refrigerator compartment duct 31 by opening and closing the refrigerator compartment damper 36.

A shielding plate 39 is provided on the underside of the header, which will be described later, of the refrigerating cooler 32. The shielding plate 39 covers the lower part of the header, and thereby has the function of guiding the inside air sent from the refrigerating chamber 13 to an air flow path, which will be described later, of the refrigerating cooler 32.
The shielding plate 39 may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 30. In this case, the shielding plate 39 is provided at a position corresponding to the lower part of a header, which will be described later.

A freezing cooling compartment 40 is provided on the rear side of the freezing compartment 14 of the refrigerator 1. A freezing cooler 41 is housed in the freezing cooling compartment 40.
The freezing cooler 41 is, for example, a fin-tube type cooler. A fin-tube type cooler is a cooler configured with, for example, a circular pipe and flat fins. A freezing fan 42 is disposed above the freezing cooler 41 to send the cold air cooled by the freezing cooler 41 into the freezing chamber 14.
Compared to microchannel coolers, fin-tube coolers have a larger distance between the refrigerant pipe and the fin tips, resulting in poorer heat conduction efficiency and a slower decrease in the temperature of the fin tips. This reduces clogging caused by frosting and reduces the number of times the heater needs to be energized for defrosting, thereby reducing power consumption.

For example, an axial fan is used as the freezing fan 42. The axial fan is tilted so that the outlet side faces upward so as to efficiently blow the cold air cooled by the freezing cooler 41 into the freezing compartment 14. A freezing air outlet 43 is formed on the back surface of the freezing compartment 14.
The refrigeration fan 42 may be, for example, a centrifugal fan.
A glass tube heater 44 is disposed below the cryocooler 41 to remove frost that has adhered to the cryocooler 41 .
In addition, instead of using the glass tube heater 44, a pipe heater that directly heats the cryocooler 41 may be used to defrost the frost that has adhered to the cryocooler 41.
The cold air in the freezer cooling compartment 40 is sent to the vegetable compartment 15 through a communication hole 45 formed in the lower partition plate 12.

A freezer dew tray 37 is disposed below the refrigerating cooler 32. A freezer dew tray 46 is disposed below the freezer cooler 41.
An evaporation tray 47 is arranged below the rear side of the vegetable compartment 15.
A refrigeration drain pipe 38 is connected to the refrigeration dew tray 37. A freezing drain pipe 48 is connected to the freezing dew tray 46. The lower ends of the refrigeration drain pipe 38 and the freezing drain pipe 48 pass through the upper partition plate 11 and the lower partition plate 12, respectively, and extend to near the top of the evaporation tray 47.
This allows the drainage collected in the refrigeration dew tray 37 and the refrigeration dew tray 46 to be sent to the evaporation tray 47 via the refrigeration drain pipe 38 and the freezer drain pipe 48, and the drainage is evaporated in the evaporation tray 47.

A compressor 50 is installed at the upper rear of the main body.

[1-2. Configuration of refrigeration cycle]
Next, the refrigeration cycle configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a refrigeration cycle diagram showing the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator 1.
3, the refrigerator 1 is configured by connecting a compressor 50, a condenser 51, a switching valve 52, a refrigerating pressure reducing means 53, a refrigerating cooler 32, a refrigerating return pipe 55a, a freezing pressure reducing means 54, a freezing cooler 41, and a freezing return pipe 55b with a refrigerant return pipe 55. A refrigerating capillary tube 53 is provided as the refrigerating pressure reducing means 53, and a freezing capillary tube 54 is provided as the freezing pressure reducing means 54.
The refrigeration pressure reducing means 53 and the refrigeration cooler 32 are connected in parallel to the freezing pressure reducing means 54 and the freezing cooler 41 via a changeover valve 52 .

[1-1-2. Configuration of refrigerated cooler 32]
Next, the configuration of the refrigeration cooler 32 mounted in the refrigerator 1 will be described.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the refrigeration cooler 32 of embodiment 1. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the refrigeration cooler 32 of embodiment 1. Fig. 6 is a front view showing the refrigeration cooler 32 of embodiment 1.

4 to 6, the refrigerant cooler 32 includes a refrigerant conducting member 60 through which a refrigerant flows. The refrigerant conducting member 60 is formed of a flat perforated pipe in which a plurality of substantially rectangular passages are arranged in series.
The refrigerant conducting member 60 is formed in a serpentine shape and includes a plurality of flat tubes 61 formed approximately parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and bent portions 62 connecting the ends of each of the flat tubes 61 .
In this embodiment, four flat tubes 61 are provided between the headers, which will be described later.
The number of flat tubes 61 is not limited to this, and can be set arbitrarily.
Alternatively, each flat tube 61 and the bent portion 62 may be integral with each other, and one flat tube 61 may be formed between the headers in a serpentine shape.

In this embodiment, the flat tubes 61 and the curved portions 62 are divided into three regions in the vertical direction: an upper region 63, a middle region 64, and a lower region 65.
In this embodiment, the image is divided into three regions in the vertical direction, but it may be divided into two regions in the vertical direction, or into four or more regions.

An inlet header 66 and an outlet header 67 extending vertically are provided at one end of the outermost flat tube 61 .
The inlet header 66 and the outlet header 67 are formed of, for example, circular pipes.
The inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67 are arranged with their positions shifted in the width direction (left and right direction) of the refrigeration cooler 32, with the inlet side header 66 being arranged close to the flat tubes 61 and the outlet side header 67 being arranged at a position farther away from the flat tubes 61 than the inlet side header 66, and the inlet side headers 66 and the outlet side headers 67 being arranged alternately.
In addition, the outlet side header 67 may be arranged near the flat tubes 61, and the inlet side header 66 may be arranged at a position farther away from the flat tubes 61 than the outlet side header 67.

The inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67 are attached so as not to protrude from the end faces in the depth direction (front-to-back direction) of the flat tubes 61. The inlet side header 66 is connected to the flat tubes 61 via a bent portion 61 a formed by bending an end of the flat tube 61, and the outlet side header 67 is connected to the flat tubes 61 via a bent portion 61 a formed by bending an end of the flat tube 61.
By arranging the inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67 in this manner, the end faces of the inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67 are flush with the outer surfaces of the flat tubes 61 of the refrigerant conducting member 60, and the sides of the inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67 are arranged so that they do not protrude beyond the thickness of the flat tubes 61.
This allows the thickness dimension of the refrigeration cooler 32 to be reduced, and when the refrigeration cooler 32 is housed inside the refrigeration cooling compartment 30, the internal space of the refrigeration compartment duct 31 can be reduced. As a result, the internal space of the refrigeration compartment 13 can be increased.

Furthermore, an inlet-side piping 68 is connected to a side surface of the inlet-side header 66 that is on the rear side of the refrigeration compartment 13 and at a height corresponding to the lower region 65. Specifically, the inlet-side piping 68 is connected to the side surface of the inlet-side header 66 in a direction toward the flat tubes 61 to which the outlet-side header 67 is connected. Furthermore, it is preferable that the inlet-side piping 68 is connected approximately parallel to the depth direction (front-to-back direction) of the refrigeration cooler 32.
The outlet-side header 67 is formed to be taller than the inlet-side header 66. An outlet-side piping 69 is connected to a side surface of the outlet-side header 67 that faces the front of the refrigeration compartment 13 and is located above the upper end of the upper region 63. Specifically, the outlet-side piping 69 is connected to the side surface of the outlet-side header 67 in a direction toward the flat tubes 61 to which the inlet-side header 66 is connected. Furthermore, the outlet-side piping 69 is preferably connected approximately parallel to the inlet-side piping 68. That is, the outlet-side piping 69 is connected to a position above the upper end of the uppermost flat tube.

The inlet side piping 68 extends upward generally parallel to the inlet side header 66, and the outlet side piping 69 extends upward generally parallel to the outlet side header 67. Furthermore, the inlet side piping 68 protrudes in the thickness direction (front-to-back direction) of the flat tube 61 toward the outlet side header 67 side, and the outlet side piping 69 protrudes in the thickness direction (front-to-back direction) of the flat tube 61 toward the inlet side header 66 side.
The inlet side pipe 68 and the outlet side pipe 69 have a smaller diameter than the diameter of the inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67 .
By arranging the inlet side pipe 68 and the outlet side pipe 69 as described above, the space required for arranging the inlet side pipe 68 and the outlet side pipe 69 can be reduced.
The inlet pipe 68 is connected to the refrigeration capillary tube 53, and the outlet pipe 69 is connected to the refrigeration return pipe 55a.
The refrigeration capillary tube 53 extends above the inlet header 66 and is then buried in the rear insulating wall of the main body 10. The refrigeration return pipe 55a extends above the outlet header 67 and is then buried in the rear insulating wall of the main body 10.
The refrigeration capillary tube 53 and the refrigeration return pipe 55a are tightly connected within the rear insulating wall so as to exchange heat.
Furthermore, no accumulator (gas-liquid separator) for preventing liquid refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 50 is provided between the outlet side pipe 69 and the refrigeration return pipe 55a connected downstream.

In this embodiment, the refrigerant is configured to flow in from the bottom of the inlet header 66 and to flow out from the top of the outlet header 67. This causes the refrigerant to flow parallel to the direction of the cold air flow. Here, parallel flow refers to when the refrigerant flow direction and the cold air flow direction are the same.
The inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67 may be provided at different ends of the flat tubes 61, with the inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67 being disposed on opposite sides of the refrigerant conducting member 60. The refrigerant inlet of the inlet side header 66 may be provided at an upper position, and the refrigerant outlet of the outlet side header 67 may be provided at a lower position.

4, a partition plate 70 is provided at a position corresponding to the boundary between the lower region 65 and the middle region 64 of the inlet header 66. The middle region 64 of the inlet header 66 communicates with the upper region 63 at a position corresponding to the boundary between the lower region 65 and the middle region 64 of the inlet header 66.
A partition plate 71 that blocks communication within the outlet-side header 67 is provided at a position corresponding to the boundary between the upper region 63 and the middle region 64 of the outlet-side header 67. The middle region 64 and the lower region 65 of the outlet-side header 67 are in communication with each other.

The refrigerant that flows in from the bottom of the inlet header 66 passes through the inside of the lower region 65 of the refrigerant conducting member 60 and flows to the outlet header 67. The refrigerant that flows into the outlet header 67 flows into the middle region 64 of the refrigerant conducting member 60 and flows to the inlet header 66, flows through the lower region 65 via the inlet header 66, and then flows out from the top of the outlet header 67.
That is, the refrigerant that flows into the inlet header 66 flows in series through the lower region 65, middle region 64, and upper region 63 of the flat tubes 61 in that order, and then reaches the outlet header 67. Here, the flat tubes 61 are connected in series.
This prevents the refrigerant from accumulating at the bottom due to gravity, even when the ventilation direction of the cool air is aligned with the direction of gravity. This allows the refrigerant to be distributed throughout the entire cooler, preventing a decrease in heat exchange efficiency.

An air flow path 72 is formed between each of the flat tubes 61 of the refrigerant conducting member 60 .
Fins 73 are arranged inside the air flow path 72, and are inclined at a predetermined angle to the flat tube 61 and bent in a zigzag pattern, and these fins 73 form a continuous air flow path 72 with an approximately triangular cross-sectional shape inside the air flow path 72.
The air flow passage 72 having a rectangular cross section may be formed continuously.
The air flow path 72 is formed in the vertical direction so as to follow the vertical direction of the refrigerating compartment 30 .

As a result, the air inside the refrigerator cooling chamber 30 flows from the bottom to the top through the air flow path 72, exchanging heat with the refrigerant flowing inside the refrigerant conducting member 60 and being cooled to a predetermined temperature.

The fins 73 in the lower region 65 and the fins 73 in the upper region 63 may be arranged with a shift in position. More specifically, the fins 73 in the lower region 65 and the fins 73 in the upper region 63 may be arranged with a phase shift of 1/2. That is, the approximately triangular air flow path 72 in the upper region 63 and the approximately triangular air flow path 72 in the lower region 65 may be formed to overlap each other in a plan view. Furthermore, the phase shift of the fins 73 may be such that the phase of the fins 73 in the middle region 64 is shifted relative to the fins in the upper region 63. With this configuration, the resistance of the air inside the refrigerator to flow through the air flow path 72 increases slightly, but the increased heat exchange area with the ends of the fins 73 in the air flow direction enhances the leading edge effect, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency.

The angle of inclination of the fins 73 in the lower region 65, which is on the upstream side of the air flow path, may be greater than the angle of inclination of the fins 73 in the upper region 63, which is on the downstream side of the air flow path. That is, the fins 73 in the lower region 65 may be formed with a larger angle corresponding to the apex of the approximately triangular air flow path 72. This configuration ensures a large cross-sectional area of the air flow path 72 in the lower region 65, which is on the upstream side of the air flow path 72. Therefore, even if frost or condensation forms on the fins 73 when the air inside the refrigerator exchanges heat with the refrigerant, the air flow path 72 can be prevented from being blocked by the frost or condensation, and air flow can be ensured.

In this embodiment, the lower ends of the fins 73 are located lower than the lower ends of the refrigerant conducting members 60. This allows water that is generated as a result of frosting or condensation during heat exchange between the air inside the refrigerator and the refrigerant to be collected at the lower ends of the fins 73, improving drainage.
The upper ends of the fins 73 may be positioned higher than the upper ends of the refrigerant conducting members 60. This increases the fin area, thereby increasing the amount of heat exchanged between the fins 73 and the air inside the refrigerator, and improving the heat exchange efficiency of the air inside the refrigerator.

[1-2. Operation]
The operation of the refrigerator 1 configured as above will now be described.
First, the compressor 50 is driven to send the refrigerant to the condenser 31 , and the switching valve is switched to send the refrigerant to either the refrigerating cooler 32 or the freezing cooler 41 .

The refrigerant sent to the refrigeration cooler 32 flows through the inlet header 66 of the refrigerant conducting member 60 and flows inside the lower region 65. The refrigerant that flows to the outlet header 67 flows through the middle region 64 via the outlet header 67, is sent to the inlet header 66, and flows through the upper region 63 via the inlet header 66. The refrigerant that flows through the upper region 63 flows out from the outlet header 67 and is returned to the compressor 50.

When the refrigerant fan 33 is driven while the refrigerant is flowing inside the refrigerant conducting member 60, the air inside the refrigerating compartment 13 flows from below to above the refrigerating compartment duct 31, and passes through the air flow path 72 of the refrigerating cooler 32. In other words, the ventilation direction of the cold air passing through the refrigerating cooler 32 is from below to above the refrigerating cooler 32.
As a result, the air inside the refrigerator compartment 13 exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant conducting member 60 and is cooled.

The refrigerant sent to the freezer cooler 41 exchanges heat with the air inside the freezer cooling chamber 40 flowing from bottom to top by driving the freezer fan 42, and the air cooled by the refrigerant is returned to the freezer chamber 14.

[1-3. Effects, etc.]
As described above, in this embodiment, the refrigerator cooler 32 for cooling the refrigerator compartment 13 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 13, and the freezer cooler 41 for cooling the freezer compartment 14 is provided on the rear side of the freezer compartment 14. The refrigerator cooler 32 is formed by a microchannel cooler in which a refrigerant flows in series, and the direction of ventilation of the cold air passing through the refrigerator cooler 32 is from below to above the refrigerator cooler 32.
This eliminates the need to provide additional space before and after the refrigeration cooler 32 for ventilating the air inside the refrigerator, thereby preventing a decrease in the internal volume of the refrigerator.

In this embodiment, the refrigerator compartment 13 has therein a low-temperature compartment 16 that is kept at a lower temperature than the refrigerator compartment 13 , and the refrigeration cooler 32 is disposed on the rear side of the low-temperature compartment 16 .
This reduces the performance of the insulating material that insulates the refrigerator cooler 32 from the interior of the refrigerator, making it possible to reduce the thickness of the insulating material and suppress a decrease in the interior volume of the refrigerator.

In this embodiment, a refrigeration fan 33 having a depth dimension equal to or smaller than the thickness dimension of the refrigeration cooler 32 is installed downstream of the refrigeration cooler 32 in the cold air direction.
This reduces the depth dimension of the space in which the refrigerating cooler 32 is installed, thereby ensuring a larger capacity for the refrigerating compartment 13 relative to the capacity of the refrigerator 1.

In this embodiment, the refrigeration cooler 41 is configured as a fin tube cooler.
This reduces the number of times the heater is energized for defrosting, thereby reducing power consumption.

In addition, in this embodiment, the refrigeration cooler 32 comprises a plurality of flat tubes 61 formed approximately parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, a curved portion 62 connecting the ends of each flat tube 61, an air flow path 72 formed between the flat tubes 61 and through which air flows, and an inlet side header 66 and an outlet side header 67 connected to the ends of the flat tubes 61, and the inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67 are provided on one end side of the flat tubes 61.
This allows the inlet header 66 and the outlet header 67 to be arranged on one side of the refrigeration cooler 32, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the refrigeration cooler 32.

In this embodiment, the refrigerant inlet pipe 68 is connected to the lower side surface of the inlet header 66 , and the refrigerant outlet pipe 69 is connected to the upper side surface of the outlet header 67 .
This allows the connection locations of the inlet pipe 68 and the outlet pipe 69 for the refrigerant to be within the width of the refrigerating cooler 32, thereby preventing a decrease in the internal volume.

In this embodiment, the outlet pipe 69 is connected above the upper end of the flat tube 61 .
As a result, even if liquid refrigerant flows from the flat tubes 61 to the outlet header 67 during heat exchange in the refrigeration cooler 32, the outlet header 67 serves as a gas-liquid separator, and only gas refrigerant can be sent from the outlet piping 69, thereby preventing the liquid refrigerant from returning to the compressor 50. Therefore, there is no need to provide space for connecting an additional accumulator to the refrigeration cooler 32, and a decrease in the internal volume can be prevented.

(Modification)
Next, a modified example of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a modified example of the present invention.
7 , in this embodiment, metal plates 80 are arranged on both sides of the flat tubes 61 in the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the refrigeration cooler 32, with a predetermined distance from the flat tubes 61. Fins 73 are provided between the flat tubes 61 and the metal plates 80.

In this modified example, there is no need to retract the inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67 from the depth end face of the flat tube 61, making it easier to install the inlet side header 66 and the outlet side header 67.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a modified example of the present invention.
8, in this embodiment, the refrigerant is configured to flow in from the top of the inlet header 66 and to flow out from the bottom of the outlet header 67. This causes the refrigerant to flow countercurrently to the direction of the cool air flowing from below to above.
An inlet-side piping 68 is connected to a side surface of the inlet-side header 66 that faces the front of the refrigeration compartment 13 and is at a height corresponding to the upper region 63. Specifically, the inlet-side piping 68 is connected to the side surface of the inlet-side header 66 in a direction toward the flat tubes 61 to which the outlet-side header 67 is connected. Furthermore, the inlet-side piping 68 is preferably connected approximately parallel to the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the refrigeration cooler 32.

Furthermore, an outlet-side piping 69 is connected to the side surface of the outlet-side header 67 on the rear side of the refrigeration compartment 13 at a height corresponding to the lower region 65. Specifically, the outlet-side piping 69 is connected to the side surface of the outlet-side header 67 in a direction toward the flat tubes 61 to which the inlet-side header 66 is connected. Furthermore, the outlet-side piping 69 is preferably connected approximately parallel to the inlet-side piping 68.
A space 90 is provided between the lower region 65 and the middle region 64 of the flat tube 61. That is, a space is provided between the lowest flat tube and the adjacent flat tube above.

The space 90 is formed by making the height dimension of the lower region 65 of the flat tube 61 shorter than the middle region 64 and upper region 63 of the flat tube 61. In other words, the space 90 is formed by making the height dimension of the flat tube 61 connected to the outlet side piping 69 different from that of the flat tube 61 connected to the inlet side piping 68. This makes it possible to prevent the overall height dimension of the refrigeration cooler 32 from increasing.

Furthermore, the upper region 63, the middle region 64, and the lower region 65 of the flat tube 61 may each have a different height dimension.
Outlet side piping 69 is connected to the side of outlet header 67 on the rear side of refrigeration chamber 13 at a height corresponding to space 90. This eliminates the need to provide space for connecting an additional accumulator to refrigeration cooler 32, thereby preventing a decrease in the internal volume of the refrigerator.

As mentioned above, embodiment 1 has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to this and can also be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the components described in embodiment 1 above to create new embodiments.

This disclosure is suitable for use in refrigerators that can suppress a decrease in internal volume.

REFRIGERATOR REFRIGERATOR 10 BODY 11 UPPER PARTITION 12 LOWER PARTITION 13 REFRIGERATOR COMPARTMENT 14 FREEZER COMPARTMENT 15 VEGETABLE COMPARTMENT 16 LOWER COMPARTMENT 18 ICE-MAKING COMPARTMENT 30 REFRIGERATOR REFRIGERATOR 31 REFRIGERATOR DUCT 32 REFRIGERATOR REFRIGERATOR 33 REFRIGERATOR FAN 33a CASING 34 BRANCH DUCT 35 REFRIGERATOR AIR OUTLET 36 REFRIGERATOR DAMPER 39 BRIDGE 40 REFRIGERATOR REFRIGERATOR REFRIGERATOR 42 REFRIGERATOR FAN 43 REFRIGERATOR AIR OUTLET 44 GLASS TUBE HEATER 48 REFRIGERATOR DRAIN PIPE 50 COMPRESSOR 51 CONDENSER 52 CHANGE VALVE 53 REFRIGERATOR AIR PRESSURE RELEASE MEANS 54 REFRIGERATOR AIR PRESSURE RELEASE MEANS 55 REFRIGERATOR PIPE 55a REFRIGERATOR RETURN PIPE 55b REFRIGERATOR RETURN PIPE 60 REFRIGERATOR CONDUCTOR 61 Flat tube 61a Bent portion 62 Bent portion 63 Upper region 64 Middle region 65 Lower region 66 Inlet header 67 Outlet header 68 Inlet piping 69 Outlet piping 70 Partition plate 71 Partition plate 72 Air flow path 73 Fin 80 Metal plate 90 Space

Claims (5)

In a refrigerator having at least a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment,
a refrigeration cooler for cooling the refrigeration compartment on the rear side of the refrigeration compartment, and a freezing cooler for cooling the freezing compartment on the rear side of the freezing compartment,
The refrigeration cooler is composed of a microchannel cooler through which a refrigerant flows in series,
The ventilation direction of the cold air passing through the refrigeration cooler is a direction from below to above the refrigeration cooler,
The refrigeration cooler includes a plurality of flat tubes formed approximately in parallel at predetermined intervals, bent portions connecting the ends of the flat tubes, air flow paths formed between the flat tubes and through which air flows, and an inlet header and an outlet header connected to the ends of the flat tubes,
the inlet side header and the outlet side header are provided on one end side of the flat tubes,
an inlet-side piping for a refrigerant is connected to a lower side surface of the inlet-side header, and an outlet-side piping for a refrigerant is connected to an upper side surface of the outlet-side header,
the inlet-side piping is connected in a direction toward the flat tube to which the outlet-side header is connected, substantially parallel to the depth direction of the refrigeration cooler,
The outlet-side piping is connected substantially parallel to the inlet-side piping in a direction toward the flat tube to which the inlet-side header is connected.
refrigerator. The refrigeration compartment includes a low-temperature compartment therein that is set to a temperature lower than that of the refrigeration compartment,
The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerating cooler is disposed on a rear side of the low-temperature compartment. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a refrigeration fan having a depth dimension equal to or smaller than a thickness dimension of the refrigeration cooler is installed downstream of the refrigeration cooler for cold air. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the freezing cooler is a fin-tube cooler. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet-side piping is connected to a position above an upper end of the flat pipe.