Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Refrigeration Company

Kyoto University

Chie Hirai

Yasuaki Tanimoto

Akiko Yuasa

Kazutaka Uekado

Yoshihide Hirai

Keiichi Ishihara

Yukako Akeyama

Keisuke Tsunetsugu

Hiroto Nakama

Akihiro Nozue

Hideyuki Okumura

Eiji Yamasue

Kenji Takaichi

The present invention relates to a gas-absorbing substance that contains at least Li and a solid material having a hardness of 5 or more, and absorbs at least nitrogen or oxygen at 25&#xb0; C. under normal pressure, and a gas-absorbing alloy that contains at least two kinds of metals that are not allowed to mutually form an intermetallic compound, with a mixing enthalpy of the two kinds of metals being greater than 0 and at least one portion of the two kinds of metals being atomically mixed, and also concerns a gas-absorbing material that contains the gas-absorbing substance and the gas-absorbing alloy.

Gas-absorbing substance, gas-absorbing alloy and gas-absorbing material

An adsorbent capable of adsorbing gas low in activity such as nitrogen is used, and a thermal insulator high in production efficiency and excellent in adiabatic performance is presented. A thermal insulator has an adsorbent, a core material, and an enveloping member. The adsorbent includes Li and solid matter of hardness of 5 or more. The gas adsorbing activity becomes very high, and for embodiment by evacuating to a certain degree of vacuum by using a vacuum pump, the remaining gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent of the invention to obtain a desired degree of vacuum, so that a thermal insulator of high production efficiency is obtained. Since the heat conductivity is decreased by adsorbing gas of low activity in the enveloping member, the adiabatic performance is enhanced.

Thermal insulator

A vacuum heat insulator according to the present invention includes a core molded to be plate-shaped with the use of a binding agent. The vacuum heat insulator assumes any one of the following configurations. A) The core is formed by curing a fiber aggregate by means of a binding agent. The fibers have an average fiber diameter of at least 0.1 &#x3bc;m but at most 10 &#x3bc;m, and voids defined by fibers have a void diameter of at most 40 &#x3bc;m. The core has a percentage of the voids of at least 80%. B) The binding agent is varied in concentration in a through-thickness direction of the core. C) A cured layer solidified by the binding agent is formed on at least one side surface of the core. D) The core contains fibers having a length of at most 100 &#x3bc;m. The fibers are oriented perpendicular to a direction of heat transmission. Such vacuum heat insulator is excellent in adiabatic property. Refrigerators, to which such a vacuum heat insulator is applied, are made small in size, or have a large inner volume, or contribute to energy saving.

Vacuum heat insulator, method of manufacturing the same, and refrigerator using the same

A heat insulating box of a refrigerator includes a non-flammable heat-insulator particularly a vacuum heat-insulator made of a board-shape molded inorganic fiber. Therewith non-flammability of the heat insulator is ensured and a refrigerator box prevented from catching an outside caused fire is achieved, thus a refrigerator which is safe even when a flammable refrigerant is used and which is high in energy-saving is provided.

Refrigerator

By using a core made of laminated sheets of inorganic fibers having a particular shape and composition as part of a vacuum heat insulator for a heat insulation box, a heat insulation box excellent in long-term heat insulating properties and productivity can be provided. The vacuum heat insulator can be shaped easily. Therefore, a vacuum heat insulator suitable for a required heat insulation portion can be produced easily and applied to a heat insulation box. This property can increase coverage of the vacuum heat insulator on the heat insulation box, thus improving heat insulating properties of the heat insulation box. This can improve heat insulating properties and productivity of a refrigerator, thermal storage box, cold storage box, or vending machine, and contribute to energy savings.

A portable information device such as a notebook type computer is provided with a highly efficient thermal insulator capable of blocking transfer of heat between an internal heating component and a device enclosure, so as to reduce temperature rise on a surface of the device. The portable information device is also provided with a highly efficient thermal insulator to block transfer of heat between the heating component and an expansion unit mounting case, thereby reducing temperature rise and preventing malfunction of an external expansion unit. The information device includes the thermal insulator to separate between the internal heating component and the device enclosure, another thermal insulator to separate between the heating component and the expansion unit mounting case, and a heat sink. The thermal insulator is a vacuum thermal insulator including inorganic fiber as a core member.

Growing community of inventors

Shiga, Japan

Chie Hirai