Mounting and placing structure for refrigerator

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6367280
  • Patent Number
    6,367,280
  • Date Filed
    Friday, November 3, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 9, 2002
    23 years ago
Abstract
In a structure in which a refrigerator including a compressor and a condenser each constituting a portion of a refrigerating unit and mounted to an outer surface of a rear wall of a refrigerator body is mounted to a stationary support wall in such a manner that the refrigerator body is accommodated in an accommodating recess provided in the support wall, an intake passage into which air can be drawn through a front end thereof, an exhaust passage from which the air can be discharged through a front end thereof, and a communication passage connecting rear ends of the intake passage and the exhaust passage to each other and having the compressor and the condenser accommodated therein, are defined between an inner surface of the accommodating recess and the refrigerator body. A fan for drawing air from the intake passage and discharging the air into the exhaust passage is mounted to the rear wall of the refrigerator body and accommodated in the communication passage. Thus, the aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator can be enhanced, and the compressor and the condenser can be cooled sufficiently.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator which includes a compressor and a condenser each constituting a portion of a refrigerating unit and mounted to an outer surface of a rear wall of a refrigerator body, the refrigerator being mounted to a stationary support wall with the refrigerator body accommodated in an accommodating recess provided in the support wall. Particularly, the invention relates to a mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator which is suitable to be carried in a large-sized vehicle such as a truck or in a ship such as a cruiser.




2. Description of the Related Art




In a conventional placing structure in which a refrigerator is mounted to a support wall in such a manner that a refrigerator body is accommodated in an accommodating recess, an intake bore for drawing air and an exhaust bore for discharging the air are provided in the support wall separately from the accommodating recess for the purpose of escaping heat released from a compressor and a condenser mounted to a rear wall of the refrigerator body.




In the structure in which the intake bore and the exhaust bore are provided in the support wall as in the above conventional structure, however, it is difficult to say that the external appearance of the structure is excellent and moreover, it may be difficult in some cases to ensure a space for provision of the intake bore and the exhaust bore, depending on a placing area.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator, wherein it is unnecessary to provide the intake bore and the exhaust bore in the support wall, leading to an improved appearance and moreover, the compressor and the condenser can be cooled sufficiently.




To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect and feature of the present invention, there is provided a mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator including a refrigerator body having an opening in a front surface thereof and defining a refrigerating chamber, a door mounted on the front surface of the refrigerator body for opening and closing the opening, and a refrigerating unit for refrigerating said refrigerating chamber, the refrigerator including a compressor and a condenser each constituting a portion of the refrigerating unit and mounted to an outer surface of a rear wall of the refrigerator body, the refrigerator being mounted to a stationary support wall, such that the refrigerator body is accommodated in an accommodating recess provided in the support wall, and the door can be opened and closed outside the accommodating recess, wherein the mounting and placing structure includes an intake passage into which air can be drawn through a front end thereof, an exhaust passage from which the air can be discharged through a front end thereof, and a communication passage which connects rear ends of the intake passage and the exhaust passage to each other, the compressor and said condenser being accommodated in the communication passage, and wherein the intake passage, the exhaust passage and the communication passage are defined between an inner surface of the accommodating recess and the refrigerator body accommodated in the accommodating recess, and a fan is mounted to the rear wall of the refrigerator body and accommodated in the communication passage for drawing air from the intake passage and discharging the air into the exhaust passage.




With such arrangement of the first feature, the air drawn into the intake passage from the outside by the operation of the fan is permitted to flow through the communication passage and then discharged through the exhaust passage to the outside, so that the compressor and condenser accommodated in the communication passage are cooled effectively by the air flowing through the communication passage. Moreover, since the intake passage, the communication passage and the exhaust passage are defined between the inner surface of the accommodating recess and the refrigerator body, it is unnecessary to provide an intake bore and an exhaust bore in the support wall in addition to the accommodating recess. Therefore, the aesthetic appearance can be enhanced by no need for the provision of such intake and exhaust bores, and the compressor and the condenser can be cooled sufficiently.




According to a second aspect and feature of the present invention, in addition to the first feature, the accommodating recess is defined by first and second side surfaces extending vertically in parallel to each other, a ceiling surface connecting upper ends of the first and second side surfaces at right angles to each other, a bottom surface connecting lower ends of the first and second side surfaces at right angles to each other, and a closed end surface connecting rear ends of the side surfaces, the ceiling surface and the bottom surface at right angles to each other; wherein the rear wall of the refrigerator body has a regular quadrilateral vertical-sectional shape and defines the intake passage between the refrigerator body and the bottom surface, and the exhaust passage between the refrigerator body and the ceiling surface, the rear wall including a first wall portion which is adjacent to the first side surface and closer and opposed to the closed end surface in parallel to the closed end surface, and a second wall portion which is adjacent to the second side surface and inclined such that it is spaced farther from the closed end surface as going away from the first wall portion, the first and second wall portions being connected to each other; and wherein the communication passage is of a triangular cross-sectional shape and extends vertically to connect the rear ends of the intake passage and the exhaust passage, the communication passage being defined between the second side surface as well as the closed end surface of the accommodating recess and the second wall portion.




With such arrangement of the second feature, the intake passage, the exhaust passage and the communication passage are defined by only accommodating the refrigerator body in the accommodating recess having the simple right-angled quadrilateral cross-sectional shape. In addition, the cross-sectional area of the communication passage can be set at an allowed small value to the utmost, and the flow speed of the air flowing through the communication passage can be increased to the utmost to enhance the efficiency of cooling the compressor and the condenser. Moreover, the second wall portion constituting a portion of the rear wall of the refrigerator body is defined in such a manner that a corner at the rear end of the refrigerator body is cut out. Thus, goods can be accommodated effectively in the entire refrigerating chamber deeply from its inlet end to its deep end, as compared with a refrigerator in which a central portion of a rear wall is recessed to protrude into a refrigerating chamber.




According to a third aspect and feature of the present invention, in addition to the second feature, mounting plates are secured to the front end of the refrigerator body at opposite sides of the refrigerator body, thereby closing gaps defined respectively between the first and second side surfaces of the accommodating recess and the opposite sides of the refrigerator body, wherein the mounting plates can be fastened to the support wall. With such arrangement, the refrigerator body can be fixed to the support wall, while avoiding a reduction in aesthetic appearance due to the reason that the gaps on the opposite sides of the refrigerator body are visible from the outside.




According to a fourth aspect and feature of the present invention, in addition to the second or third feature, an upper cover having exhaust bores leading to the exhaust passage is mounted to the front end of the refrigerator body at an upper portion of the refrigerator body to cover the front end of the exhaust passage. With such arrangement, it is possible to avoid that the exhaust passage defined between the ceiling surface of the accommodating recess and the refrigerator body is visible from the outside, thereby enhancing the external appearance, and the air can be discharged from the exhaust passage to the outside, while preventing foreign matters from entering the exhaust passage from the outside.




According to a fifth aspect and feature of the present invention, in addition to the second or third feature, a lower cover having an intake bore leading to the intake passage is mounted to the front end of the refrigerator body at a lower portion of the refrigerator body to cover the front end of the intake passage. With such arrangement, it is possible to avoid that the intake passage defined between the bottom surface of the accommodating recess and the refrigerator body is visible from the outside, thereby enhancing the external appearance, and the air can be drawn into the intake passage from the outside, while preventing foreign matters from entering the intake passage from the outside.




The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIGS. 1

to


7


show a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein





FIG. 1

is a vertical sectional side view showing a refrigerator in a state in which it has been accommodated in an accommodating recess;





FIG. 2

is a sectional view taken along a line


2





2


in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a front view of the refrigerator, taken in the direction of an arrow


3


in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is a side view taken in the direction of an arrow


4


in

FIG. 3

;





FIG. 5

is a sectional view taken along a line


5





5


in

FIG. 3

;





FIG. 6

is an exploded perspective view of a refrigerator body and a refrigerating unit;





FIG. 7

is an exploded perspective view of a front portion of the refrigerator; and





FIG. 8

is a sectional view similar to

FIG. 2

, but showing a second embodiment.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to

FIGS. 1

to


7


. Referring first to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, a refrigerator


17


is carried, for example, on a large-sized vehicle such as a truck or a ship such as a cruiser, and mounted to a support wall


15


provided in the large-sized vehicle or the ship, with most of the refrigerator


17


accommodated in an accommodating recess


16


provided in the support wall


15


.




The accommodating recess


16


is defined in the support wall


15


into a simple regular quadrilateral cross-sectional shape by (1) first and second side surfaces


16




a


and


16




b


extending vertically in parallel to each other, (2) a ceiling surface


16




c


connecting the upper ends of the first and second side surfaces


16




a


and


16




b


at right angles to each other, (3) a bottom surface


16




d


connecting the bottom ends of the first and second side surfaces


16




a


and


16




b


at right angles to each other, and (4) a closed end surface


16




e


connecting the rear ends of the ceiling surface


16




c


and the bottom surface


16




d


at right angles to each other.




The refrigerator


17


includes a refrigerator body


18


, a door


19


mounted to a front surface of the refrigerator body


18


, and a refrigerating unit


20


. The refrigerator


17


is mounted to the support wall


15


, so that the refrigerator body


18


is accommodated in the accommodating recess


16


, and the door


19


can be opened and closed outside the accommodating recess


16


.




Referring further to

FIGS. 3

to


5


, the refrigerator body


18


is formed to have a regular quadrilateral vertical sectional shape with an opening


21


provided in its front surface, and a refrigerating chamber


22


is defined within the refrigerator body


18


.




A plurality of legs


23


are provided on a bottom of the refrigerator body


18


, and the accommodation of the refrigerator body


18


in the accommodating recess


16


ensures that an intake passage


24


is defined between the bottom surface


16




d


of the accommodating recess


16


and the refrigerator body


18


, and an exhaust passage


25


is defined between the ceiling surface


16




c


of the accommodating recess


16


and the refrigerator body


18


.




On the other hand, the refrigerator body


18


has a rear wall


26


which comprises a first wall portion


26




a


adjacent to the first side


16




a


and closer and opposed to the closed end surface


16




e


in parallel to the closed end surface


16




e


of the accommodating recess


16


, and a second wall portion


26




b


adjacent to the second side


16




b


and inclined such that it is spaced farther from the closed end surface


16




e


as going away from the first wall portion


26




a,


the first wall portion


26




a


and the second wall portion


26




b


being connected to each other. A communication passage


27


which is triangular in cross section is defined between the second side surface


16




b


as well as the closed end surface


16




e


of the accommodating recess


16


and the second wall portion


26




b


of the rear wall


26


, and extends vertically to connect rear ends of the intake passage


24


and those of the exhaust passage


25


to each other.




Referring also to

FIG. 6

, a refrigerating unit


20


for refrigerating the refrigerating chamber


22


includes a compressor


28


extending vertically to have, for example, a circular cross-sectional shape, a condenser


29


and an evaporator


30


and the like. The compressor


28


is mounted to an outer surface of the second wall portion


26




b


in the rear wall


26


of the refrigerator body


18


, so that it is accommodated in the communication passage


27


, and the condenser


29


accommodated in the communication passage


27


together with the compressor


28


is mounted to an outer surface of the first wall portion


26




a


in the rear wall


26


to surround the compressor


28


. The evaporator


30


is formed, for example, into a substantially U-shape with its upper portion opened, and is fixed within the refrigerating chamber


22


to an inner surface of an upper portion of the refrigerator body


18


to define the freezing chamber between the evaporator


30


and the inner surface of the upper portion of the refrigerator body


18


.




A conduit


31


for introducing a coolant evaporated in the evaporator


30


into the compressor


28


is extended forwards along the inner surface of the upper portion of the refrigerator body


18


within the refrigerating chamber


22


; turned up and rearwards through 180 degrees at an front end of the refrigerator body


18


; then extended rearwards along an outer surface of the upper portion of the refrigerator body


18


and connected to the compressor


28


. A conduit


32


for introducing the coolant from the condenser


29


to the evaporator


30


is disposed to substantially overlap the conduit


31


, and a protecting pipe


33


, through which both the conduits


31


and


32


are inserted, is fixed to the outer surf ace of the upper portion of the refrigerator body


18


.




A fan


34


having a motor is disposed below the compressor


28


and the condenser


29


for allowing air to flow upwards within the communication passage


27


. The fan


34


is also mounted to the outer surface of the second wall portion


26




b


of the rear wall


26


of the refrigerator body


18


. Thus, a flow of air from the intake passage


24


to the communication passage


27


is generated, as shown by an arrow in

FIG. 1

, by the operation of the fan


34


and thus, air flowing upwards within the communication passage


27


flows toward the exhaust passage


25


.




Referring also

FIG. 7

, a support frame


35


is secured to the front end of the refrigerator body


18


, so that the entire periphery of the refrigerator body


18


is fitted to the support frame


35


. Mounting plates


36


,


36


each having a substantially L-shaped cross-sectional shape are secured to opposite sides of the support frame


35


. The mounting plates


36


,


36


are capable of being fastened to the support wall


15


, and the refrigerator body


18


is fixed to the support wall


15


by the fastening of the mounting plates


36


to the support wall


15


. Moreover, in a state in which the mounting plates


36


have been fastened to the support wall


15


, the mounting plates


36


close front ends of gaps


37


,


37


defined respectively between the first and second side surfaces


16




a


and


16




b


of the accommodating recess


16


and the opposite sides of the refrigerator body


18


.




Support arms


38


,


38


can be fastened to upper and lower portions of a support frame


35


so that they can be alternatively selected at either of its left or right portion, with their front portions protruding forwards from the support frame


35


in a connected relation to the support frame


35


. Moreover, coaxial threaded bores


39


,


39


are provided in front portions of the support arms


38


,


38


, and fitting bores


41


are provided left and right upper and lower portions of the door


19


, respectively, and tip ends of screw members


40


,


40


threadedly inserted through the threaded bores


39


,


39


are fitted into the fitting bores


41


. Thus, the door


19


is mounted to the support frame


35


, i.e., the front surface of the refrigerator body


18


for rotation about axes of screw members


40


,


40


by fitting of the screw members


40


,


40


into the fitting bores


41


, so that it can be selected properly whether the door


19


is opened leftwards or rightwards.




The front end of the exhaust passage


25


is covered with an upper cover


42


made of a synthetic resin, and a mounted plate


42




a


integrally included in the upper cover


42


is fastened to the upper end of the front portion of the refrigerator body


18


, so that it is overlapped on an upper surface of the support frame


35


.




Pluralities of exhaust bores


43


and


44


are provided in the upper cover


42


leading to the front end of the exhaust passage


25


. One exhaust bores


43


are provided such that they extend vertically on the left of the upper cover


42


, as the refrigerator


17


is viewed from the front. The exhaust bores


43


are disposed, so that a curved line connecting upper and lower ends of each of the exhaust bores


43


forms a laterally longer elliptic shape. The other exhaust bores


44


are provided such that they extend vertically on the right of the upper cover


42


, as the refrigerator


17


is viewed from the front. The exhaust bores


44


are disposed, so that a curved line connecting upper and lower ends of each of the exhaust bores


44


forms a circular shape.




An operating dial


45


is disposed on the upper cover


42


between both the exhaust bores


43


and


44


. A control box


46


for controlling the operation of the refrigerating unit


20


and the fan


34


depending on the operation of the operating dial


45


is fixed to the outer surface of the upper portion of the refrigerator body


18


, and a power source box


47


for the refrigerating unit


20


and the fan


34


is fixed to the outer surface of the upper portion of the refrigerator body


18


in the rear of the control box


46


.




The front end of the intake passage


24


is covered with a lower cover


48


, which is formed, for example, of a net-shaped material defining a large number of intake bores


49


leading to the front end of the intake passage


24


and which is fastened to the front end of the lower portion of the support frame


36


, i.e., to the lower portion of the front end of the refrigerator body


18


.




The operation of the first embodiment will be described below. (1) The intake passage


24


into which the air can be drawn through the front end, (2) the exhaust passage


25


from which the air can be discharged through the front end, and (3) the communication passage


27


which connects the rear ends of the intake passage


24


and the exhaust passage


25


to each other and in which the compressor


28


and the condenser


29


are accommodated, are defined between the inner surface of the accommodating recess


16


provided in the support wall


15


and the refrigerator body


18


accommodated in the accommodating recess


16


. In addition, the fan


34


which draws the air from the intake passage


24


and discharges the air toward the communication passage


27


is mounted to the outer surface of the rear wall


26


of the refrigerator body


18


and accommodated in the communication passage


27


. Therefore, the air drawn into the intake passage


24


from the outside by the operation of the fan


34


is permitted to flow through the communication passage


27


and then discharged through the exhaust passage


25


to the outside, whereby the compressor


28


and the condenser


29


accommodated in the communication passage


27


are cooled effectively by the air flowing through the communication passage


27


. Moreover, the intake passage


24


, the communication passage


27


and the exhaust passage


25


are defined between the inner surface of the accommodating recess


16


and the refrigerator body


18


and hence, it is unnecessary to provide an intake bore and an exhaust bore in the support wall


15


in addition to the accommodating recess


16


. Therefore, the aesthetic appearance can be enhanced by no need for the provision of such intake and exhaust bores, and the compressor


28


and the condenser


29


can be cooled sufficiently.




The accommodating recess


16


is defined into the simple regular quadrilateral cross-sectional shape by (1) the first and second side surfaces


16




a


and


16




b


extending vertically in parallel to each other, (2) the ceiling surface


16




c


connecting the upper ends of the first and second side surfaces


16




a


and


16




b


at right angles to each other, (3) the bottom surface


16




d


connecting the bottom ends of the first and second side surfaces


16




a


and


16




b


at right angles to each other, and (4) the closed end surface


16




e


connecting the rear ends of the ceiling surface


16




c


and the bottom surface


16




d


at right angles to each other. In addition, the rear wall


26


of the refrigerator body


18


defining the intake passage


24


between the refrigerator body


18


and the bottom surface


16




c


and the exhaust passage


25


between the refrigerator body


18


and the ceiling surface


16




b,


and having the regular quadrilateral vertical sectional shape, comprises the first wall portion


26




a


adjacent to the first side surface


16




a


and closer and opposed to the closed end surface


16




e,


and the second wall portion


26




b


adjacent to the second side


26




b


and inclined such that it is farther spaced from the closed end surface


16




e,


as being farther spaced from the first wall portion


26




a,


the first wall portion


26




a


and the second wall portion


26




b


being connected to each other. The vertically extending communication passage


27


triangular in cross section is defined between the second side surface


16




b


as well as the closed end surface


16




e


of the accommodating recess


16


and the second wall portion


26




b.






Therefore, the intake passage


24


, the exhaust passage


25


and the communication passage


27


are defined only by accommodating the refrigerator body


18


in the accommodating recess


16


. In addition, the cross-sectional area of the communication passage


27


can be set at a small value to the utmost, and the flow speed of the air flowing through the communication passage


27


can be increased to the utmost to enhance the efficiency of cooling the compressor


28


and the condenser


29


. Moreover, the second wall portion


26




b


constituting a portion of the rear wall


26


of the refrigerator body


18


may be defined in such a manner that a corner at the rear end of the refrigerator body


18


is cut out. Thus, goods can be accommodated effectively in the entire refrigerating chamber deeply from its inlet end to its deep end, as compared with a refrigerator in which a central portion of a rear wall


26


is recessed to protrude into a refrigerating chamber.




The mounting plates


36


,


36


are secured to the front end of the refrigerator body


18


on the opposite sides of the latter to close the front ends of the gaps


37


,


37


defined respectively between the first and second sides


16




a


and


16




b


of the accommodating recess


16


and the opposite sides of the refrigerator body


18


. Therefore, it is possible to avoid deterioration in the aesthetic appearance that may otherwise occur by the gaps


37


,


37


on the opposite sides of the refrigerator body


18


being visible from the outside. Moreover, the mounting plates


36


,


36


can be fastened to the support wall


15


and hence, the refrigerator body


18


can be fixed to the support wall


15


.




In addition, the upper cover


42


having the exhaust bores


43


and


44


leading to the exhaust passage


25


are mounted to the front end of the upper portion of the refrigerator


18


to cover the front end of the exhaust passage


25


. Therefore, it is possible to avoid that the exhaust passage


25


can be visually seen from the outside, thereby enhancing the external appearance, and to discharge the air from the exhaust passage


25


to the outside, while preventing foreign matters from entering the exhaust passage


25


from the outside. Further, the lower cover


48


having the intake bores


49


leading to the intake passage


24


is mounted to the front end of the lower portion of the refrigerator body


18


to cover the front end of the intake passage


24


. Therefore, it is possible to avoid that the intake passage


24


can be visually seen from the outside, thereby enhancing the external appearance, and to draw the air from outside into the intake passage


24


, while preventing foreign matters from entering the intake passage


24


from the outside.





FIG. 8

shows a second embodiment of the present invention. A condenser


29


accommodated in a communication passage


27


together with a compressor


28


is mounted to an outer surface of a second wall portion


26




b


of a rear wall


26


of a refrigerator body


18


to surround the compressor


28


. The first wall portion


26




a


of the rear wall


26


of the refrigerator body


18


can be provided in more proximity to a closed end surface


16




e


of an accommodating recess


16


, whereby the dead space between the first wall portion


26




a


and the closed end surface


16




e


can be reduced, and a space within the accommodating recess


16


can be utilized more effectively. Moreover, the communication passage


27


can be formed more compactly, and the air drawn from the intake passage


24


can be permitted to flow in a further concentrated manner trough the communication passage


27


, thereby enhancing the efficiency of cooling the compressor


28


and the condenser


29


.




Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications in design may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention defined in claims.



Claims
  • 1. A mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator including a refrigerator body having an opening in a front surface thereof and defining a refrigerating chamber, a door mounted on the front surface of said refrigerator body for opening and closing said opening, and a refrigerating unit for refrigerating said refrigerating chamber, said refrigerator further including a compressor and a condenser each constituting a portion of the refrigerating unit and mounted to an outer surface of a rear wall of said refrigerator body, said refrigerator being mounted to a stationary support wall such that said refrigerator body is accommodated in an accommodating recess provided in said support wall and said door can be opened and closed outside said accommodating recess, wherein said mounting and placing structure includes an intake passage into which air can be drawn through a front end thereof, an exhaust passage from which the air can be discharged through a front end thereof, and a communication passage which connects rear ends of said intake passage and said exhaust passage to each other, said compressor and said condenser being accommodated in said communication passage, and wherein said intake passage, said exhaust passage and said communication passage are defined between an inner surface of said accommodating recess and an outer surface of said refrigerator body accommodated in said accommodating recess to form an air flow passage along a bottom portion, a rear portion and a top portion of the outer surface of the refrigerator, and a fan is mounted to said rear wall of said refrigerator body and accommodated in said communication passage for drawing air from said intake passage and discharging the air into said exhaust passage.
  • 2. A mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said accommodating recess is defined by first and second side surfaces extending vertically in parallel to each other, a ceiling surface connecting upper ends of said first and second side surfaces at right angles to each other, a bottom surface connecting lower ends of said first and second side surfaces at right angles to each other, and a closed end surface connecting rear ends of said side surfaces, said ceiling surface and said bottom surface at right angles to each other; wherein said rear wall of said refrigerator body has a regular quadrilateral vertical-sectional shape and defines said intake passage between said refrigerator body and said bottom surface, and said exhaust passage between said refrigerator body and said ceiling surface, said rear wall including a first wall portion which is adjacent to said first side surface and closer and opposed to said closed end surface in parallel to said closed end surface, and a second wall portion which is adjacent to said second side surface and inclined such that it is spaced farther from said closed end surface as going away from said first wall portion, said first and second wall portions being connected to each other; and wherein said communication passage is of a triangular cross-sectional shape and extends vertically to connect said rear ends of said intake passage and said exhaust passage, said communication passage being defined between said second side surface as well as said closed end surface of said accommodating recess and said second wall portion.
  • 3. A mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator including a refrigerator body having an opening in a front surface thereof and defining a refrigerating chamber, a door mounted on the front surface of said refrigerator body for opening and closing said opening, and a refrigerating unit for refrigerating said refrigerating chamber, said refrigerator further including a compressor and a condenser each constituting a portion of the refrigerating unit and mounted to an outer surface of a rear wall of said refrigerator body, said refrigerator being mounted to a stationary support wall such that said refrigerator body is accommodated in an accommodating recess provided in said support wall and said door can be opened and closed outside said accommodating recess, wherein said mounting and placing structure includes an intake passage into which air can be drawn through a front end thereof, an exhaust passage from which the air can be discharged through a front end thereof, and a communication passage which connects rear ends of said intake passage and said exhaust passage to each other, said compressor and said condenser being accommodated in said communication passage, and wherein said intake passage, said exhaust passage and said communication passage are defined between an inner surface of said accommodating recess and said refrigerator body accommodated in said accommodating recess, and a fan is mounted to said rear wall of said refrigerator body and accommodated in said communication passage for drawing air from said intake passage and discharging the air into said exhaust passage,wherein said accommodating recess is defined by first and second side surfaces extending vertically in parallel to each other, a ceiling surface connecting upper ends of said first and second side surfaces at right angles to each other, a bottom surface connecting lower ends of said first and second side surfaces at right angles to each other, and a closed end surface connecting rear ends of said side surfaces, said ceiling surface and said bottom surface at right angles to each other; wherein said rear wall of said refrigerator body has a regular quadrilateral vertical-sectional shape and defines said intake passage between said refrigerator body and said bottom surface, and said exhaust passage between said refrigerator body and said ceiling surface, said rear wall including a first wall portion which is adjacent to said first side surface and closer and opposed to said closed end surface in parallel to said closed end surface, and a second wall portion which is adjacent to said second side surface and inclined such that it is spaced farther from said closed end surface as going away from said first wall portion, said first and second wall portions being connected to each other; and wherein said communication passage is of a triangular cross-sectional shape and extends vertically to connect said rear ends of said intake passage and said exhaust passage, said communication passage being defined between said second side surface as well as said closed end surface of said accommodating recess and said second wall portion, further including mounting plates which are secured to the front end of said refrigerator body at opposite sides of said refrigerator body, thereby closing gaps defined respectively between said first and second side surfaces of said accommodating recess and the opposite sides of said refrigerator body, wherein said mounting plates can be fastened to said support wall.
  • 4. A mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator including a refrigerator body having an opening in a front surface thereof and defining a refrigerating chamber, a door mounted on the front surface of said refrigerator body for opening and closing said opening, and a refrigerating unit for refrigerating said refrigerating chamber, said refrigerator further including a compressor and a condenser each constituting a portion of the refrigerating unit and mounted to an outer surface of a rear wall of said refrigerator body, said refrigerator being mounted to a stationary support wall such that said refrigerator body is accommodated in an accommodating recess provided in said support wall and said door can be opened and closed outside said accommodating recess, wherein said mounting and placing structure includes an intake passage into which air can be drawn through a front end thereof, an exhaust passage from which the air can be discharged through a front end thereof, and a communication passage which connects rear ends of said intake passage and said exhaust passage to each other, said compressor and said condenser being accommodated in said communication passage, and wherein said intake passage, said exhaust passage and said communication passage are defined between an inner surface of said accommodating recess and said refrigerator body accommodated in said accommodating recess, and a fan is mounted to said rear wall of said refrigerator body and accommodated in said communication passage for drawing air from said intake passage and discharging the air into said exhaust passage,wherein said accommodating recess is defined by first and second side surfaces extending vertically in parallel to each other, a ceiling surface connecting upper ends of said first and second side surfaces at right angles to each other, a bottom surface connecting lower ends of said first and second side surfaces at right angles to each other, and a closed end surface connecting rear ends of said side surfaces, said ceiling surface and said bottom surface at right angles to each other; wherein said rear wall of said refrigerator body has a regular quadrilateral vertical-sectional shape and defines said intake passage between said refrigerator body and said bottom surface, and said exhaust passage between said refrigerator body and said ceiling surface, said rear wall including a first wall portion which is adjacent to said first side surface and closer and opposed to said closed end surface in parallel to said closed end surface, and a second wall portion which is adjacent to said second side surface and inclined such that it is spaced farther from said closed end surface as going away from said first wall portion, said first and second wall portions being connected to each other; and wherein said communication passage is of a triangular cross-sectional shape and extends vertically to connect said rear ends of said intake passage and said exhaust passage, said communication passage being defined between said second side surface as well as said closed end surface of said accommodating recess and said second wall portion, further including an upper cover which has exhaust bores leading to said exhaust passage, said upper cover being mounted to the front end of said refrigerator body at an upper portion of said refrigerator body to cover the front end of said exhaust passage.
  • 5. A mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator according to claim 3, further including an upper cover which has exhaust bores leading to said exhaust passage, said upper cover being mounted to the front end of said refrigerator body at an upper portion of said refrigerator body to cover the front end of said exhaust passage.
  • 6. A mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator including a refrigerator body having an opening in a front surface thereof and defining a refrigerating chamber, a door mounted on the front surface of said refrigerator body for opening and closing said opening, and a refrigerating unit for refrigerating said refrigerating chamber, said refrigerator further including a compressor and a condenser each constituting a portion of the refrigerating unit and mounted to an outer surface of a rear wall of said refrigerator body, said refrigerator being mounted to a stationary support wall such that said refrigerator body is accommodated in an accommodating recess provided in said support wall and said door can be opened and closed outside said accommodating recess, wherein said mounting and placing structure includes an intake passage into which air can be drawn through a front end thereof, an exhaust passage from which the air can be discharged through a front end thereof, and a communication passage which connects rear ends of said intake passage and said exhaust passage to each other, said compressor and said condenser being accommodated in said communication passage, and wherein said intake passage, said exhaust passage and said communication passage are defined between an inner surface of said accommodating recess and said refrigerator body accommodated in said accommodating recess, and a fan is mounted to said rear wall of said refrigerator body and accommodated in said communication passage for drawing air from said intake passage and discharging the air into said exhaust passage,wherein said accommodating recess is defined by first and second side surfaces extending vertically in parallel to each other, a ceiling surface connecting upper ends of said first and second side surfaces at right angles to each other, a bottom surface connecting lower ends of said first and second side surfaces at right angles to each other, and a closed end surface connecting rear ends of said side surfaces, said ceiling surface and said bottom surface at right angles to each other; wherein said rear wall of said refrigerator body has a regular quadrilateral vertical-sectional shape and defines said intake passage between said refrigerator body and said bottom surface, and said exhaust passage between said refrigerator body and said ceiling surface, said rear wall including a first wall portion which is adjacent to said first side surface and closer and opposed to said closed end surface in parallel to said closed end surface, and a second wall portion which is adjacent to said second side surface and inclined such that it is spaced farther from said closed end surface as going away from said first wall portion, said first and second wall portions being connected to each other; and wherein said communication passage is of a triangular cross-sectional shape and extends vertically to connect said rear ends of said intake passage and said exhaust passage, said communication passage being defined between said second side surface as well as said closed end surface of said accommodating recess and said second wall portion, further including a lower cover which has an intake bore leading to said intake passage, said lower cover being mounted to the front end of said refrigerator body at a lower portion of said refrigerator body to cover the front end of said intake passage.
  • 7. A mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator according to claim 3, further including a lower cover which has an intake bore leading to said intake passage, said lower cover being mounted to the front end of said refrigerator body at a lower portion of said refrigerator body to cover the front end of said intake passage.
  • 8. A mounting and placing structure for a refrigerator according to claim 4, further including a lower cover which has an intake bore leading to said intake passage, said lower cover being mounted to the front end of said refrigerator body at a lower portion of said refrigerator body to cover the front end of said intake passage.
  • 9. A mounting and supporting structure for a refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said intake passage is defined between a bottom surface of the accommodating recess and said outer surface of the refrigerator body, and said exhaust passage is defined between a ceiling surface of the accommodating recess and said outer surface of the refrigerator body.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
11-316944 Nov 1999 JP
US Referenced Citations (6)
Number Name Date Kind
2216873 Browne Oct 1940 A
2579379 Fritsche Dec 1951 A
2645100 Bascom Jul 1953 A
4024729 Abate, Sr. et al. May 1977 A
4507937 Bretz Apr 1985 A
5946929 Selina et al. Sep 1999 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number Date Country
30 03 567 Jul 1980 DE
1211274 Mar 1968 EP
0 190 794 Jan 1986 EP
4-214170 Aug 1992 JP