Abstract: The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a rigid polyurethane foam material, a method of manufacturing a refrigerator using the material, and a refrigerator manufactured by the same method. The method includes recovering highly purified rigid polyurethane foam from a scrapped refrigerator, and decomposing the rigid polyurethane foam for recycling. The method includes steps of: shredding a scrapped refrigerator containing rigid polyurethane foam in order to separate rigid polyurethane foam lumps; grinding the rigid polyurethane foam lumps into a rigid polyurethane foam powder; liquefying the rigid polyurethane foam powder by either aminolysis reaction or glycolysis reaction; reacting thus obtained liquefied rigid polyurethane foam powder and supercritical/sub-critical water in order to decompose the rigid polyurethane foam powder into a crude material; and fractionating the crude material to obtain a raw material of rigid polyurethane foam.

Abstract: The present invention provides a linear motor, which can improve motor efficiency and which can be manufactured by a simplified procedure. The linear motor of the present invention includes a movable unit of cylindrical shape and having the central axis at the intersection of the X-axis and the Y-axis. An inner yoke is arranged on an inner side of the movable unit with a given spacing in the radial direction of the movable unit and is formed by laminating a multiple of thin plates each in approximately rectangular in shape and having strong magnetic permeability arranged in the direction of the X-axis. An outer yoke is arranged on the outer side of the movable unit with a given spacing in a radial direction of the movable unit and is formed by laminating a multiple of thin plates, each approximately rectangularly shaped and arranged in the same direction as the thin plates of the inner yoke. A pair of permanent magnets are magnetized in a direction from the inner yoke to the outer yoke.

Abstract: A refrigerator includes a thermally insulated housing opening forwardly at a front surface thereof; a door for selectively opening and closing the opening of the housing; a magnetic gasket fitted to a portion of the door which is engageable with an open edge of the housing; a pivotally supported handle connected to the door for movement between opened and closed positions for opening and closing the door, respectively; and a trigger member drivingly coupled with the handle for movement between projected and retracted positions. The trigger member is moved from the retracted position towards the projected position, as the handle is pivoted from the closed position towards the opened position, to abut the open edge to thereby physically release a contact between the magnetic gasket and the open edge.

Abstract: A tightly closed casing has an inside space for storing coolant gas. A block is accommodated in this casing. A motor includes a stator and a mover. A piston is connected to the mover of the motor. A movable element includes the mover of the motor and the piston. A stationary element includes the stator of the motor and the block. An elastic element has a portion fixed to the movable element and another portion fixed to the stationary element. A cylinder is shiftable in an axial direction with respect the block. A shifting device shifts the cylinder in the axial direction.

Abstract: There are provided, in the order from top, a refrigerating compartment (90), a vegetable compartment (91) and a freezing compartment (92), and a compressor (104) and a cooler (106) are disposed in side-by-side relation in a left and right direction at a location rearwardly of the freezing compartment (92). Also, a damper device (115) and a forced draft fan (114) are provided above the compressor (104) and the cooler (106), and an electronic control board (128) is provided rearwardly of the cooler (106). In addition, a chilly air discharge duct (116) and a chilly air suction duct (121) are provided at opposite ends of a deep region within the refrigerating compartment (90).

Abstract: A closed motor-driven compressor includes a closed vessel containing a lubricating oil collected in a bottom portion thereof, a compression section accommodated in the closed vessel, and a motor section accommodated in the closed vessel for driving the compression section. The compression section includes a crankshaft driven by the motor section and having a lower end submerged in the lubricating oil, and a block for rotatably supporting the crankshaft. The block has a cylinder formed therewith and having an open end. The block also has a rib formed therewith, a generally flat shoulder portion formed on one side of the cylinder, and a leg formed below the generally flat shoulder portion. The compression section also includes a cylinder head secured to the rib for covering the open end of the cylinder.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a rigid polyurethane foam material, a method of manufacturing a refrigerator using the material, and a refrigerator manufactured by the same method. The method includes recovering highly purified rigid polyurethane foam from a scrapped refrigerator, and decomposing the rigid polyurethane foam for recycling. The method includes steps of: shredding a scrapped refrigerator containing rigid polyurethane foam in order to separate rigid polyurethane foam lumps; grinding the rigid polyurethane foam lumps into a rigid polyurethane foam powder; liquefying the rigid polyurethane foam powder by either aminolysis reaction or glycolysis reaction; reacting thus obtained liquefied rigid polyurethane foam powder and supercritical/sub-critical water in order to decompose the rigid polyurethane foam powder into a crude material; and fractionating the crude material to obtain a raw material of rigid polyurethane foam.

Abstract: To provide a self-diagnosing apparatus for a refrigerator which self-diagnoses an operation condition and advises a user of an appropriate improvement action if there is an abnormal. First, a detector such as an internal temperature sensor detects a plurality of condition-indicative quantities with respect to the refrigerator, and the condition-indicative quantities are stored in a memory part for a predetermined period. A diagnostic device such as a diagnosis calculation value judging part compares the condition-indicative quantities or a diagnosis calculation value which is calculated based on the condition-indicative quantities with a predetermined threshold value, and judges whether the operation condition of the refrigerator is normal or abnormal based on a result of the comparison.

Abstract: A compressor includes a compressing section accommodated in a hermetic container and a motor section, coupled to the compressing section, for driving the compressing section. The motor section has a bored section on an end of the compressing section side and a motor having two rotor poles and including a rotor core in which permanent magnets are buried. The compressing section includes a bearing made of non-magnetic material and extending inside the bored section. This structure reduces both of loss torque due to magnetic attraction between an inner wall of the bored section and the bearing, and eddy-current-loss in the bearing, so that a highly efficient compressor is obtainable.

Abstract: A tightly closed casing has an inside space for storing coolant gas. A block is accommodated in this casing. A motor includes a stator and a mover. A piston is connected to the mover of the motor. A movable element includes the mover of the motor and the piston. A stationary element includes the stator of the motor and the block. An elastic element has a portion fixed to the movable element and another portion fixed to the stationary element. A cylinder is shiftable in an axial direction with respect the block. A shifting device shifts the cylinder in the axial direction.

Abstract: A bottom-freezer refrigerator comprises a generally rectangular box-like refrigerator housing including a top division and a bottom division with an adiabatic partition wall intervening between the top and bottom divisions. The top division has a refrigerator chamber and a crisper chamber both defined therein. The bottom division has a freezer compartment defined therein. The bottom-freezer refrigerator of the structure described above also comprises a first cooler provided in the top division at a location spaced from a rear wall portion of the crisper chamber, a first circulating fan disposed in the vicinity of the first cooler, a second cooler provided in the bottom division, and a second circulating fan disposed in the vicinity of the second cooler. The refrigerator chamber and the crisper chamber are cooled by the first cooler in cooperation with the first circulating fan, whereas the freezer compartment is cooled by the second cooler in cooperation with the second circulating fan.

Abstract: A thermoelectric module (7) having exothermic and endothermic surfaces, which are heated and cooled, respectively, when an electric current is supplied thereto is built in a manifold body (17), and a cavity (10c, 10d, 20d) is defined therein for entry of a fluid medium in cooperation with at least one of the exothermic and endothermic surfaces, together with a hollow (10a, 10b, 20a, 20b) that extends from an outside to the cavity. A stirring member (5) having a stirring portion (15) integrated together with a rotor (16) within the manifold body (17) for stirring the fluid medium within the cavity is disposed within the manifold body, so that a motor can be formed by the rotor (16) and a stator (8). In this structure, the stirring member (5) is rotated by supplying electric power to the stator (8), to allow the fluid medium to reach the cavity (10c, 10d) through the interior of the rotor (16).

Abstract: In a thermoelectric device such as a thermoelectric manifold having a plurality of stages of thermoelectric modules, not only are distributions of heat at endothermic and exothermic surfaces equalized to increase the heat exchange efficiency and also to suppress thermal strains in the thermoelectric modules, but also heat transmission between the thermoelectric modules is facilitated even though bowing occurs. For this purpose, in the thermoelectric device utilizing the plural thermoelectric modules, a fluid serving as a heat transfer medium is intervened between the thermoelectric modules and is utilized to achieve a transmission of heat from the exothermic surface of the thermoelectric module on a cooling side to the endothermic surface of the thermoelectric module on a heating side.

Abstract: A rotary compressor has a cylinder, a crank shaft having an eccentric part disposed in said cylinder, a bearing which rotatably supports said crank shaft, a roller which moves in said cylinder following said eccentric part, and a vane whose all or part of the tip is of R configuration, wherein a groove with which the vane tip is disposed in contact is provided on the outer periphery of said roller, a first oil groove is provided on the end face of said roller, and said roller is provided with an oil hole communicating said first oil groove and said groove of the roller.

Abstract: A reciprocating compressor (K1-K3) comprising a connecting rod (21) in which a small end portion (22) having a small hole (22a) and a large end portion (25) having a large hole (25a) are coupled with each other; wherein the small end portion (22) is coupled with a piston (24) by a piston pin (23) loosely fitted into the small hole (22a), while an eccentric shaft (7a) of a crank shaft (7) is loogely fitted into the large hole (25a), wherein the large end portion (25) is formed with a cylindrical bore (25b) having an axis passing through a center of the large hole (25a) and a fixing hole (25c, 28, 30) communicating with the cylindrical bore (25b); wherein after a cylindrical distal end retaining portion (22c) of a rod portion (22b) of the small end portion (22) has been loosely fitted into or lightly press fitted into the cylindrical bore (25b), not only the cylindrical distal end portion (22c) is fixed in the cylindrical bore (25b) by inserting a locking pin (26) into the fixing hole (25c, 28, 30) while a smal

Abstract: The present invention provides a suction muffler comprising component portions formed by injection forming a thermoplastic synthetic resin and joined to each other by induction welding, and also provides a hermetic compressor including the suction muffler. The suction muffler having this configuration is superior to conventional suction mufflers having joint portions joined by ultrasonic welding and vibration welding in the uniformity of the welding strength at the whole joint portion thereof and in minimizing the occurrence of fins.

Abstract: An insulated structure is formed by injection of a foamed thermal-insulating material created by foaming into a space between a plastic board and metal plate with a disposition of copper pipes. A non-halogenated organophosphorus compound having a molecular weight over 150 as an additive with an OH group as a functional group is mixed with the raw materials of the foamed thermal-insulating material including polyol, a foam stabilizer, a catalyst, a foaming agent having at least one component of hydrocarbon, and an organic polyisocyanates. By adding a non-halogenated organophosphorus compound, which has a molecular weight over 150 as an additive with an OH group as a functional group, the burning rate of the foamed thermal-insulating material becomes the same as that of the foamed thermal-insulating material which uses CFC11 as a foaming agent.

Abstract: A manifold having such a built-in and round thermoelectric module that is capable of coming into an efficient contact with heat exchanging media, to afford an improved efficiency of heat exchange. The module easy to manufacture has a structure facilitating the multiplication of its thermoelectric elements. The manifold (1) generally consisting of a heating side section (2) and a cooling side section (3) has a cooling side agitator (5), a heating side agitator (6), the module (7) and a motor assembly (8), all incorporated in or attached to the manifold. The module has heat transfer upright faces (50,51) so that any bubbles coming into cavities (52,55) are allowed to ascend along the faces and then leave the manifold (1) through outlets (22,43) protruding from an upper portion of the manifold. Permanent magnets (33) accompanying the agitators (5,6) act to transmit torque from one of them (6) to the other (5).

Abstract: A tightly closed casing has an inside space for storing coolant gas. A block is accommodated in this casing. A motor includes a stator and a mover. A piston is connected to the mover of the motor. A movable element includes the mover of the motor and the piston. A stationary element includes the stator of the motor and the block. An elastic element has a portion fixed to the movable element and another portion fixed to the stationary element. A cylinder is shiftable in an axial direction with respect the block. A shifting device shifts the cylinder in the axial direction.

Abstract: A refrigerator has a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment, and a low-temperature storage chamber formed in the refrigerator compartment and having a temperature lower than that of the refrigerator compartment. The refrigerator includes a compressor, a condenser, a first throttling device, a channel control valve, a refrigerator cooling unit, and a freezer cooling unit connected in series to form a refrigerating cycle. The refrigerator cooling unit and the freezer cooling unit are accommodated in the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment, respectively.