CN106895636B

CN106895636B - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN106895636B
Application number: CN201510957989.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈磊; 张雪颖; 姚家前; 徐百银; 王晖; 吴伟
Original assignee: Panasonic Refrigeration Devices Wuxi Co Ltd; Panasonic R&D Center Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Refrigeration Devices Wuxi Co Ltd; Panasonic R&D Center Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2015-12-18
Filing date: 2015-12-18
Publication date: 2020-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 2035-12-18
Also published as: CN106895636A

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerator (100) with a drying chamber (104), which provides an independent air supply path for the drying chamber (104) to accurately control the temperature and the humidity in the drying chamber (104) and prevent the drying chamber (104) from being influenced by the external humidity. The refrigerator (100) of the present invention includes a refrigerating compartment (102); a drying chamber (104) which is independently arranged in the refrigerating chamber (102) and can independently control humidity; an evaporator (120) for supplying cold air generated by cooling air; and a blowing fan (121) for forcibly blowing the cold air, wherein the drying chamber (104) has a drying chamber baffle (122) which can be opened and closed and adjusts the blowing amount of the cold air forcibly blown by the blowing fan (121), the refrigerating chamber (102) is cooled by the cold air forcibly blown by the blowing fan (121), and the drying chamber (104) is controlled to a predetermined humidity by adjusting the cold air forcibly blown by the blowing fan (121) by the drying chamber baffle (122).

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator having a drying chamber.

Background

In recent years, conventional refrigerators having only a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber have not been able to satisfy the living needs of the people. Under such a background, refrigerators having a vegetable compartment and a temperature-variable compartment have appeared, and recently, refrigerators having a drying compartment for storing dry materials at a low humidity have appeared.

In a conventional refrigerator having a drying chamber, generally, cold air from an evaporator is blown into the drying chamber to reduce the humidity in the drying chamber. For example, an air-cooled refrigerator as disclosed in patent document 1 has a drying chamber provided with an air inlet configured to be controllably opened or closed to controllably supply a part of cooling gas outside the drying chamber to an independent enclosed space through the air inlet, and has a drying device configured to remove at least a part of moisture in the part of cooling gas before the part of cooling gas enters the drying chamber to reduce absolute humidity of the part of cooling gas. The purpose is to dry the cooling air entering the drying chamber, and the time for forming the drying environment with lower relative humidity in the drying chamber is obviously prolonged after the cooling air is introduced into the drying chamber every time.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: CN201510172681.4

Disclosure of Invention

In the above patent document 1, the purpose is to increase the low humidity time of the drying chamber, but there is no specific range or value of the humidity control. However, the kinds of dry materials to be stored in the drying chamber of the refrigerator are various, and the humidity required by various dry materials is different, so that the storage requirements of all dry materials cannot be met under the condition that the humidity in the drying chamber is not controlled or only the humidity in the drying chamber is controlled to be within a value or range. In the prior art, an air duct for blowing cold air to a drying chamber is an air duct shared with a refrigerating chamber, and when cold air is blown to the refrigerating chamber, the cold air is blown to the drying chamber at the same time, so that even if the humidity in the drying chamber needs to be controlled, the humidity cannot be accurately controlled. In the drying chamber of the conventional refrigerator, the humidity is maintained at an approximate value as low as possible, and only with such a humidity condition, it is impossible to realize a plurality of low humidity levels and further impossible to switch between the plurality of low humidity levels to correspond to the respective required humidity of the plurality of dry matters. Therefore, the dry matter cannot be provided with the humidity condition most suitable for preservation.

In order to solve the above problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a refrigerator, which can provide an independent air supply path for a drying chamber by using a baffle of the drying chamber, and intelligently control the baffle of the drying chamber and an auxiliary heater for heating the drying chamber to adjust the humidity and temperature in the drying chamber. The specific technical scheme of the invention is as follows.

A first technical aspect of the present invention is a refrigerator including: a refrigerating chamber; a drying chamber which is independently arranged in the refrigerating chamber and can independently control the humidity; an evaporator for supplying cold air generated by cooling air; and a blower fan for forcibly blowing the cool air, the refrigerator being characterized in that: the drying chamber has a drying chamber baffle plate which can be opened and closed and can adjust the air quantity of the cold air forcibly blown by the air blowing fan, the refrigerating chamber is cooled by the cold air forcibly blown by the air blowing fan, and the drying chamber is controlled to be in a specified humidity by adjusting the cold air forcibly blown by the air blowing fan by the drying chamber baffle plate.

A second technical means of the present invention is the first technical means, wherein a controller for controlling opening and closing of the baffle plate of the drying chamber is provided, a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature in the drying chamber and a humidity sensor for measuring a humidity in the drying chamber are provided in the drying chamber, and the controller controls opening and closing of the baffle plate of the drying chamber based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor and the humidity measured by the humidity sensor.

A third technical means of the present invention is the drying apparatus of the second technical means, further comprising a heater for heating the drying chamber, wherein the controller controls the heater to heat the drying chamber according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor and the humidity measured by the humidity sensor.

A fourth technical means is the drying apparatus of the third technical means, wherein the controller adjusts the humidity and/or temperature in the drying chamber by controlling the opening/closing time of the drying chamber shutter and the operating time of the heater.

A fifth technical means is the drying device of the first technical means, wherein an operation unit for adjusting the humidity in the drying chamber is provided, and a user adjusts the humidity in the drying chamber among a plurality of target humidities by operating the operation unit.

A sixth mode of the present invention is the fifth mode, wherein the operation unit is provided in a partition plate that partitions an upper storage space of the drying chamber from an upper storage space of the refrigerating chamber.

A seventh technical means of the present invention is the drying apparatus of the third or fourth technical means, wherein the controller controls an opening/closing time of the drying chamber shutter and an operating time of the heater to adjust a temperature in the drying chamber to a predetermined temperature range, and adjusts a humidity in the drying chamber when the temperature in the drying chamber is in the predetermined temperature range.

An eighth technical means is the seventh technical means, wherein the humidity in the drying chamber is reduced by opening the drying chamber damper and intermittently operating the heater, and the humidity in the drying chamber is increased by closing the drying chamber damper and intermittently operating the heater.

A ninth mode of the present invention is the seventh mode, wherein the humidity of the drying chamber is within a predetermined humidity range.

A tenth mode of the present invention is the first mode, wherein a lower limit value is set for the predetermined temperature range, and the temperature in the drying chamber is made higher than the lower limit value of the predetermined temperature range by closing the drying chamber damper and operating the heater.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the tenth aspect wherein an upper limit value is set for the predetermined temperature range, and the temperature in the drying chamber is made lower than the upper limit value of the predetermined temperature range by opening the drying chamber damper and stopping the operation of the heater.

A twelfth mode of the present invention is the tenth mode, wherein a lower limit is set to the predetermined temperature range, and the lower limit is a temperature range from the lower limit.

A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the eleventh aspect wherein an upper limit is set to the predetermined temperature range, the upper limit being a temperature range up to the upper limit value.

A fourteenth technical means of the present invention is the first to the thirteenth technical means, wherein a storage chamber is provided in the refrigerating chamber in parallel with the drying chamber, the evaporator is disposed at a rear side of the storage chamber, the drying chamber and the refrigerating chamber are cooled by cold air supplied from the evaporator, and the cold air having cooled the drying chamber and the refrigerating chamber is returned to the evaporator from a bottom of the storage chamber.

A fifteenth technical means is the first to fourteenth technical means, wherein an openable and closable refrigerating room damper is provided in a duct through which the blower fan blows the cold air into the refrigerating room, and the refrigerating room damper is opened and closed independently of the drying room damper to blow the cold air into the refrigerating room or to prevent the cold air from being blown into the refrigerating room.

A sixteenth technical means is the drying chamber of the first to fifteenth technical means, wherein the drying chamber includes a drying chamber box body which can be pulled out and pushed in by a user, and a drying chamber box cover which covers the drying chamber box body when the drying chamber box body is pushed to a prescribed position of the refrigerator, the drying chamber box cover is fixed on a partition plate in the refrigerator in a manner of being movable up and down, and includes a bottom surface, two side walls, and a back surface wall, rollers which protrude to one side of the drying chamber box body than the two side walls are provided on the two side walls of the drying chamber box cover, the drying chamber box body includes a bottom surface, two side walls, and a back surface wall, recesses are provided on the two side walls of the drying chamber box body at positions corresponding to the rollers of the drying chamber box cover, and when the drying chamber box body is pushed to the prescribed position of the refrigerator, the rollers enter the recesses, the side wall of the drying chamber box cover is in contact with the side wall of the drying chamber box body to seal the drying chamber, when the drying chamber box body is pushed and pulled, the drying chamber box cover is separated from the drying chamber box body, and the roller is in rolling contact with the side wall of the drying chamber box body.

A seventeenth technical means is the electronic device of the sixteenth technical means, wherein protrusions are further disposed on two side walls of the drying chamber box cover, and when the drying chamber box body is pushed and pulled, the protrusions slide on the side walls of the drying chamber box body and the rollers roll on the side walls of the drying chamber box body, so that the drying chamber box cover is jacked up by the protrusions and the rollers to separate the drying chamber box cover from the drying chamber box body.

An eighteenth technical means of the present invention is the sixteenth or seventeenth technical means, wherein a first side wall having a first height, a second side wall having a second height smaller than the first height, and an inclined side wall connecting the first side wall and the second side wall are formed on both side walls of the drying chamber box cover, the roller is disposed at a position where the first side wall is connected to the inclined side wall, and the side wall of the drying chamber box body has a height matching the height of the side wall of the drying chamber box cover.

A nineteenth technical solution of the present invention is the sixteenth to eighteenth technical solutions, wherein an air inlet inclined downward is provided on a back wall of the drying chamber box cover, the cool air is blown into the drying chamber box body, a notch is provided at a front end of a side wall of the drying chamber box cover, the notch serves as an air outlet for blowing air out of the drying chamber box body, and the cool air is blown to a bottom center of the drying chamber in a front-rear direction through the air inlet.

A twentieth aspect of the present invention is the sixteenth to nineteenth aspects, wherein the partition plate has a plurality of guide posts formed thereon and extending downward, the guide posts including a columnar portion and a lower end portion having a diameter larger than that of the columnar portion, a through hole having a diameter larger than that of the columnar portion and smaller than that of the lower end portion of the guide post is formed in a bottom surface of the drying chamber box cover at a position corresponding to the guide posts, and the drying chamber box cover is suspended from the partition plate by the lower end portion of the guide post and is movable up and down within a range of height of the columnar portion when the drying chamber box cover is attached to the partition plate via the guide posts.

A twenty-first technical means of the present invention is the sixteenth to nineteenth technical means, wherein flanges extending horizontally to an outside of the drying chamber are formed on a back wall and both side walls of each of the drying chamber box cover and the drying chamber box body, when the drying chamber box body is pushed to a predetermined position of the refrigerator, the flange of the side wall of the drying chamber box cover contacts the flange of the side wall of the drying chamber box body to close the drying chamber, and when the drying chamber box body is pushed and pulled, the roller of the drying chamber box cover contacts the flange of the side wall of the drying chamber box body in a rolling manner.

A twenty-second technical means of the present invention is the sixteenth technical means, wherein the center of gravity of the drying chamber box cover is located at a side close to the back wall of the drying chamber box cover.

The term "humidity" as used herein means relative humidity, and when absolute humidity is low, relative humidity is low under the condition that temperature is not changed, and when temperature is higher, relative humidity is lower.

According to the refrigerator and the control method of the temperature and the humidity in the drying chamber of the refrigerator, provided by the invention, an independent air supply path can be provided for the drying chamber, so that the drying chamber is not influenced by the external humidity. And through the switching of intelligent control drying chamber baffle and the work of auxiliary heater, with the humidity control in the drying chamber to the humidity that corresponds with the gear that sets for, can make the drying chamber be suitable for keeping different kinds of dry goods. In addition, the drying chamber is in a structure that the drying chamber box cover with the rollers is combined with the drying chamber box body, so that the required tightness of the drying chamber can be ensured, and the accuracy of the humidity in the drying chamber is further ensured.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator cold storage part according to the present invention in a state where the refrigerator cold storage part is opened.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of an entire air path of the refrigerator according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of an air passage for blowing cool air from a blower fan to a drying chamber and a refrigerating chamber.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the drying chamber box in a state where the drying chamber box cover is separated from the drying chamber box body according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the drying chamber box in a state where the drying chamber box cover of the present invention is combined with the drying chamber box body.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the drying chamber lid and the drying chamber case in a separated state.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a drying chamber lid.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the drying chamber cartridge.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view showing an example of the shape of the inlet of the drying chamber.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of positions of an operation panel of the drying chamber gear position and an operation display panel of the refrigerator.

Fig. 11 is a diagram of a basic control scheme for controlling the humidity of the drying chamber.

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating a modified control scheme i for controlling the humidity of the drying chamber.

Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating a basic idea of a modified control scheme ii for controlling the temperature and humidity of the drying chamber.

Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a modified control scheme iii for controlling the temperature and humidity of the drying chamber.

Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating a modified control scheme iv for controlling the temperature and humidity of the drying chamber.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 1, a portion of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment having the right and left side-by-side doors at the upper portion is a refrigerating portion 101, and a lower two-drawer portion is a freezing portion.

The interior of refrigerator 101 is divided into a plurality of storage compartments, and is referred to as a refrigerating compartment (sometimes abbreviated as PC)102, a vegetable compartment 103 provided below refrigerating compartment 102, a drying compartment (sometimes abbreviated as SD)104 provided on the left side below vegetable compartment 103, and a small temperature-changing compartment (sometimes abbreviated as SC)105 provided in parallel with drying compartment 104 and capable of changing the temperature inside the compartment, depending on its function (cooling temperature).

The freezing portions are two-tier drawer type storage compartments, which are a large temperature-varying compartment 106 located below the drying compartment 104 and the small temperature-varying compartment 105, and a freezing compartment 107 located at the lowermost floor.

A split heat insulating door is provided at a front opening of the refrigerating unit 101, and a foam heat insulating material such as urethane is filled in the door. The split insulated door is shown in an open position in fig. 1.

Further, heat insulating doors are provided at front openings of the large temperature-changing chamber 106 and the freezing chamber 107, that is, at the front sides of the drawers.

Specifically, the refrigerator includes a heat insulation door of a refrigerating portion, a drawer door of a large temperature changing chamber, and a drawer door of a freezing chamber. The storage chambers are sealed by the heat insulating doors, so that cold air does not leak.

The refrigerator 100 is an overall heat-insulating box body formed by filling a heat-insulating material such as hard foamed urethane between an outer box and an inner box. The insulation box insulates the inside of the insulation box from the surroundings.

The refrigerating chamber 102 is a storage chamber maintained at a low temperature to the extent that it is used for refrigerated preservation without being frozen. The specific temperature is usually set to 1 ℃ to 5 ℃ but is not limited to this range. In fig. 1, the refrigerating chamber 102 is a space divided into three parts by three partitions, but the number of partitions and the number of divided spaces are not limited to three and may be adjusted as necessary. In the refrigerating part 101, the refrigerating chamber 102 occupies a space from the top to the bottom.

The vegetable compartment 103 is disposed below the refrigerating compartment 102, i.e., below the lowermost partition in the refrigerating compartment 102. The vegetable compartment 103 is a storage compartment generally formed of a drawer-type transparent box for storing vegetables, melons, fruits, and the like. The vegetable compartment 103 in fig. 1 is divided into two parts, i.e., left and right parts, but may be an integral part.

The drying chamber 104 is a refrigerated storage chamber for storing dry materials such as tea leaves and dried chinese wolfberry, and has a lower humidity inside than the storage chamber such as the refrigerated chamber 102. The humidity inside the drying chamber 104 can be controlled.

The small temperature-changing chamber 105 is a storage chamber set to the same temperature as or a slightly lower temperature than the refrigerating chamber 102. The operation panel attached to the refrigerator 100 can switch from the refrigerating temperature band to the freezing temperature band depending on the application, and the operation panel is biased toward the refrigerating temperature band.

A narrow space is provided between the heat insulating door of refrigerating unit 101 and the front surfaces of vegetable compartment 103, drying compartment 104, and small temperature-changing compartment 105, and this space is connected to refrigerating compartment 102 and is also a part of refrigerating compartment 102. That is, vegetable compartment 103, drying compartment 104, and small temperature-changing compartment 105 are actually provided in refrigerating compartment 102, and are independent of refrigerating compartment 102 because they have independent spaces.

Large temperature-changing chamber 106 of the freezing section in the lower part of refrigerator 100 is also a storage chamber set to the same temperature as or a temperature slightly lower than that of refrigerating chamber 102, and can be switched from a refrigerating temperature range to a freezing temperature range depending on the application by an operation panel attached to refrigerator 100. Generally, the minimum temperature of the large variable temperature chamber 106 is lower than the minimum temperature of the small variable temperature chamber 105, and is more biased toward the freezing temperature zone.

Freezing chamber 107 is a storage chamber set at a freezing temperature zone. Specifically, the temperature is usually set to-22 ℃ to-18 ℃ for cryopreservation. However, in order to improve the state of cryopreservation, the temperature may be set to a low temperature of-30 ℃ or-25 ℃.

Fig. 1 shows an example of a refrigerator of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the structure of fig. 1. For example, the vegetable compartment 103 may be used as a general refrigerating compartment without storing vegetables or the like, and the drying compartment 104 and the small temperature-changing compartment 105 may be provided on the right and left sides, respectively, or may be provided at different positions. The vegetable compartment 103, the drying compartment 104 and the small variable temperature compartment 105 are preferably used as storage compartments for refrigeration, so that the temperature can be controlled together with the refrigerating compartment 102.

As shown in fig. 2, in refrigerator 100, there are refrigerating circulation paths, that is, circulation paths of refrigerating room 102 (denoted by PC in the drawing), drying room 104 (denoted by SD in the drawing), and small temperature changing room 105 (denoted by SC in the drawing) through which relatively high-temperature cold air circulates; and a freezing circulation path, which is a circulation path of a large temperature-changing chamber 106 (indicated by SC in the drawing) and a freezing chamber 107 (indicated by FC in the drawing) through which cold air of a relatively low temperature circulates. Here, the vegetable compartment 103 is regarded as a part of the refrigerating compartment 102 and the vegetable compartment 103 is not shown. The present invention mainly relates to circulation paths of refrigerating room 102, drying room 104, and small variable temperature room 105, and particularly relates to an air blowing path of the drying room, and therefore, the air blowing path of the drying room will be mainly described below.

[ air blowing route of drying Chamber ]

The air blowing path of the drying chamber 104 according to the present invention will be specifically described below.

As described above, the drying chamber 104 and the small temperature change chamber 105 of the present invention are arranged side by side below the refrigerating chamber, and as a part separate from the refrigerating chamber, in the present specification, the small temperature change chamber is described as being arranged on the left side of the drying chamber in a front view, but the small temperature change chamber may be arranged on the right side of the drying chamber. A refrigeration evaporator 120 (see fig. 3) is provided on the rear surface side of the small temperature-changing chamber 105. The refrigerating evaporator 120 cools the air to generate cold air, and the cold air generated in the refrigerating evaporator 120 is blown to the refrigerating chamber 102, the drying chamber 104, and the small variable temperature chamber 105, whereby the internal temperatures thereof can be reduced. In drying chamber 104, the cool air from refrigerating evaporator 120 can reduce the internal temperature thereof, and can reduce the humidity in drying chamber 104 by replacing the air existing in drying chamber 104. That is, the cold air from the refrigerating evaporator 120 is one of the means for adjusting the temperature and humidity in the drying chamber.

One of the features of the present invention is that an independent air supply path (air duct) is provided to the drying chamber 104. The structure of the independent blowing path of the drying chamber will be described below.

As shown in fig. 3, in refrigerating unit 101 in the upper half of the refrigerator including refrigerating room 102 (including vegetable room 103), drying room 104, and small temperature changing room 105, a blowing fan 121 is provided between refrigerating room 102 and small temperature changing room 105, and cold air in refrigerating unit 101 is forcibly blown by blowing fan 121. The blower fan is provided on the rear surface side of the small temperature changing chamber 105, and is disposed obliquely to reduce the occupied space, and the space is made as small as possible to the storage chamber such as the small temperature changing chamber 105. When the air forcibly sent out from the blowing fan 121 is sent to the refrigerating compartment 102, the air is blown into the refrigerating compartment 102 from the bottom of the refrigerating compartment 102. A part of the air is blown to the top end of the refrigerating chamber 102, blown out to the refrigerating common return air duct on both sides of the refrigerating chamber 102 from the air outlet provided at the top end of the refrigerating chamber 102, and returned to the refrigerating evaporator 120. The other part of the air blown into the refrigerating chamber 102 is blown to both sides of the inside of the refrigerating chamber, blown out to the refrigerating common return air duct through the plurality of air outlets provided on both sides of the inside of the refrigerating chamber, and returned to the refrigerating evaporator 120 through the refrigerating common return air duct. Since the evaporator 120 for refrigeration is disposed on the rear side of the small temperature change chamber 105, the outlet of the common return air duct for refrigeration is also disposed on the rear side of the small temperature change chamber 105. In order to prevent the return air from affecting the temperature and humidity of the drying chamber 104, the return air is returned to the refrigerating evaporator 120 from the bottom of the small temperature change chamber 105 without passing through the drying chamber 104, that is, the drying chamber 104 is not provided on the refrigerating common return air duct. In fig. 3, the hollow arrows surrounded by the broken lines indicate the flow of the air by the cold air, and the curved arrows below the small temperature change chamber 105 indicate the return air by the air discharged from the cold air cooling each chamber of the refrigerating section, and the return air returns to the refrigerating evaporator 120 through the bottom of the small temperature change chamber 105.

When the air forcibly sent out by the blower fan 121 is sent to the drying chamber 104, the air is blown into the drying chamber 104 from an air inlet provided at the rear surface of the drying chamber. The air blown out of the drying chamber 104 is returned to the refrigerating evaporator through the refrigerating common return air duct. The manner in which the wind is blown in and out from the drying chamber will be described later.

In the conventional refrigerator, a drying chamber is not provided or an air blowing path of the drying chamber is not independent, so that a refrigerating chamber baffle is not provided. In the present invention, in order to realize an air blowing path for independent air blowing to drying chamber 104, drying chamber damper (SD damper) 122 and refrigerating chamber damper (PC damper) 123 are provided between drying chamber 104 and refrigerating chamber 102, and the air blowing path for independent air blowing to drying chamber 104 is realized by controlling the opening and closing of drying chamber damper 122 and refrigerating chamber damper 123. Further, an independent air duct is provided in the drying chamber 104, and when the drying chamber damper 122 is opened to supply air from the blower fan to the drying chamber 104, the air can be prevented from being affected by other air ducts. Although not shown, a variable temperature chamber damper is provided on the right side of the blower fan and on the upper right corner of the small variable temperature chamber 105 in fig. 3, and the variable temperature chamber damper is independently controlled to open and close, thereby controlling whether or not to blow air to the small variable temperature chamber 105. A drying chamber damper 122 and a refrigerating chamber damper 123 are provided at one side of the blowing fan 121, and a temperature varying chamber damper is provided at the other side of the blowing fan 121. In the example of fig. 3, the drying compartment damper 122 and the refrigerating compartment damper 123 are provided on the left side of the blower fan 121, and the temperature-variable compartment damper is provided on the right side of the blower fan 121.

A refrigerating compartment damper 122 is provided in front of the refrigerating compartment air inlet to block/open the air from the blowing fan 121 into the refrigerating compartment 102. On the left side of refrigerating compartment damper 123, a drying compartment damper 122 for blocking/opening the entrance of air from blower fan 121 into drying compartment 104 is provided at an interval. The variable temperature chamber shutter provided on the other side of the blowing fan 121 serves to block/open the wind from the blowing fan from entering the small variable temperature chamber 105. The drying chamber damper 122, the refrigerating chamber damper 123, and the temperature-changing chamber damper are not limited to the opening and closing type as long as they can be opened and closed to close and open the air blowing path.

When the refrigerating compartment damper 123 is opened and the drying compartment damper 122 is closed, the air generated by the cold air from the air supply fan 121 enters the refrigerating compartment 102 through the refrigerating compartment air inlet, and the air in the refrigerating compartment 102 blown out by the air generated by the cold air passes through the air outlet at the top end of the refrigerating compartment and the air outlets on both sides and returns to the refrigerating evaporator 120 provided behind the small temperature changing compartment 105 through the refrigerating common return air duct. Meanwhile, since the drying chamber shutter 122 is closed, the wind from the blowing fan 121 is blocked by the drying chamber shutter 122 and cannot enter the drying chamber 104. When the variable temperature chamber shutter 122 is opened, the air from the blower fan 121 enters the small variable temperature chamber 105, is blown out from the outlet port, and returns to the refrigeration evaporator through the refrigeration common return air duct, and when the variable temperature chamber shutter 122 is closed, no air enters the small variable temperature chamber 105.

When the refrigerating compartment shutter 123 is opened and the drying compartment shutter 122 is opened, the air from the blowing fan 121 enters the refrigerating compartment 102 through the refrigerating compartment intake and simultaneously enters the drying compartment 104 through the drying compartment intake. The air in the refrigerating compartment 102, which is replaced with the cold air, is returned to the refrigerating evaporator 120 through the common refrigerating return air duct. The air passing through the drying compartment 104 is returned to the refrigerating evaporator 120 via a refrigerating common return air duct. The opening and closing of the variable temperature chamber shutter determines whether or not the small variable temperature chamber 106 can blow air.

When the refrigerating compartment shutter 123 is closed and the drying compartment shutter 122 is closed, the air from the blowing fan 121 is blocked by the refrigerating compartment shutter 123 and the drying compartment shutter 122 and cannot enter the refrigerating compartment 102 and the drying compartment 104. At this time, wind flows only when the variable temperature chamber shutter is opened.

When refrigerating compartment damper 123 is closed and drying compartment damper 122 is opened, air from blower fan 121 is blocked from entering refrigerating compartment 102 by refrigerating compartment damper 123 and enters drying compartment 104 through a drying compartment inlet. The air in the drying chamber 104, which is replaced with the air formed by the cold air, is returned to the refrigerating evaporator 120 through the refrigerating common return air duct. The opening and closing of the variable temperature chamber shutter determines whether or not the small variable temperature chamber 106 can blow air.

By providing refrigerating compartment damper 123 and drying compartment damper 122 as described above and allowing refrigerating compartment damper 123 and drying compartment damper 122 to be opened and closed, cold air having a low temperature and a low moisture content can be sent into the drying compartment, and high-humidity air in the drying compartment can be replaced, thereby reducing the temperature and humidity in drying compartment 104.

Further, the refrigerator of the present invention is also provided with a heater 124 (not shown) for heating the drying chamber 104. The temperature in the drying chamber 104 can be increased by heating the drying chamber 104 by the heater 124, and the relative humidity in the drying chamber can be decreased without changing the amount of moisture in the drying chamber due to the increase in temperature. That is, the heating of the heater 124 is another means of adjusting the temperature and humidity inside the drying chamber 104.

As described above, the temperature and humidity in drying chamber 104 are adjusted by feeding cold air into drying chamber 104 and heating drying chamber 104, and the feeding of cold air into drying chamber 104 is controlled by opening and closing drying chamber shutter 122. The opening and closing of the drying chamber shutter 122 and the operation time of the heater 124 are controlled by a controller described later to adjust the temperature and humidity in the drying chamber 104.

As shown in fig. 2, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the freezing section including large temperature-changing chamber 106 and freezing chamber 107 also includes an independent freezing evaporator and an independent air-blowing circulation path, and the description thereof is omitted since it is not relevant to the present invention.

[ drying Chamber Box ]

Drying chamber 104 includes a drawer-like drying chamber case 220 (see fig. 8) and a drying chamber case cover 210 (see fig. 7), and when a user uses drying chamber 104, the door of refrigerating unit 101 of refrigerator 100 is opened, and drawer-like drying chamber case 220 may be pulled out from refrigerating unit 101.

As shown in fig. 4, the drying chamber box 200 includes a drying chamber box cover 210 and a drying chamber box body 220. The drying chamber box cover 210 is installed on the shelf 300 above the drying chamber 104, and the drying chamber box body 220 can be drawn out and put into the refrigerator 100 by a user. When drying chamber box 220 is completely received in refrigerator 100, drying chamber box cover 210 covers drying chamber box 220 to substantially seal drying chamber box 220. The specific structures of the drying chamber cover 210 and the drying chamber case 220 will be described below.

The installation and structure of the drying chamber box cover will be explained with reference to fig. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the shelf 300 disposed above the drying chamber 104 is fixed inside the refrigerator 100, and the shelf 300 cannot be detached by a user's bare hand. Four guide posts 310 protruding toward the drying chamber 104 are provided on the lower surface of the shelf 300, i.e., the surface facing the drying chamber 104 below the shelf 300. The guide posts 310 are fixed on the lower surface of the shelf 300 by, for example, screws 320 engaged in screw holes of the lower surface of the shelf 300 through the centers of the guide posts 310. The diameter of the lower end of the guide posts 310 is larger than the diameter of the upper, i.e., columnar, portion.

As shown in fig. 7, the drying chamber box cover 210 has a box shape with an open lower portion, and has a cover surface 221 corresponding to a bottom surface of the box, a back surface wall 212, and two side surface walls 213. The side opposite the back wall 212 is the side facing the refrigerator outer door, and may protrude from the cover to form a narrow wall or may be a wall-free opening without protrusion. It is sufficient that the front surface (the surface facing the refrigerator heat insulating door) of the drying chamber casing 210 can be sealed by being in contact therewith.

Four through holes are formed on the cover surface of the drying chamber box cover 210 at positions corresponding to the guide posts 310 provided on the shelf 300. The four through holes have a diameter larger than the diameter of the upper portion of the guide post but smaller than the diameter of the lower end portion of the guide post. And the height of the through hole is less than the length of the upper part of the guide post. When the drying chamber box cover 210 is to be mounted on the shelf 300, first, the four through holes of the drying chamber box cover 210 and the four screw holes of the shelf 300, into which the screws 320 passing through the guide posts 310 are screwed, are aligned, and then the guide posts 310 having the screws 320 passing through the centers thereof are inserted into the four through holes of the drying chamber box cover 210, and the screws 320 are screwed into the screw holes. Since the diameter of the through-hole is smaller than that of the lower end of the guide post and the height of the through-hole is smaller than that of the upper portion of the guide post, the installed drying chamber box cover 210 is in a state of being hung on the lower surface of the shelf. The drying chamber box cover 210 can be lifted up by a certain height while applying a vertical upward force to the drying chamber box cover. When the drying chamber box cover 210 is horizontally supported, the height of the support is the difference between the length of the upper part of the guide post and the height of the through hole, minus the thickness of the cover surface of the drying chamber box cover 210, and when the thickness of the cover surface of the drying chamber box cover 210 is neglected, the height of the support is the difference between the length of the upper part of the guide post and the height of the through hole.

An air inlet 214-1 is formed at one side of the rear wall 212 of the drying chamber box cover 210 and is connected to the independent air duct of the drying chamber 104, so that cool air from the independent air duct of the drying chamber 104 is introduced into the drying chamber box 200. The inclination angle of the air inlet 214-1 is set such that the air from the independent air duct of the drying chamber 104 is blown to the center of the bottom of the drying chamber box in the front-rear direction when the air is blown into the drying chamber box through the air inlet 214-1.

The intake vent 214-1 may be configured in the shape shown in FIG. 9, for example. I.e. it may be a cylinder with a constant diameter, formed as a parallel air duct. Or the air conditioner can be in a frustum shape with gradually reduced diameter and formed into a tapered air duct. But avoids using a sudden and large reduction of the air inlet shown on the right side of the figure. Regarding the relationship between the sectional area S of the air inlet and the volume V of the drying chamber, the ratio x of S to V can be 1/1000< x <1/1500 of the parallel air duct or 1/1500< x <1/2000 of the tapered air duct.

One side wall 213 of the drying chamber cover 210 includes a first wall part 215 connected to the rear wall, an inclined wall part 216 connected to the first wall part 215 and inclined from the rear side to the front side, and a second wall part 217 connected to the inclined wall part 216. The height of the second wall portion 217 is lower than the height of the first wall portion 215. Flanges 218 are provided on the first wall portion 215, the inclined wall portion 216, and the second wall portion 217 to extend horizontally toward the outside of the drying chamber lid. A roller 219 is provided between the first wall portion 215 and the inclined wall portion 216, and the roller 219 protrudes further toward the drying chamber casing than the first wall portion 215 and the inclined wall portion 216, whereby the roller 219 comes into rolling contact with the drying chamber casing 220 before the first wall portion 215 and the inclined wall portion 216 come into contact with the drying chamber casing 220. The two side walls of the drying compartment cover 210 have the same structure and are symmetrical with respect to the center line of the drying compartment cover 210 in the left-right direction.

In addition, a cut is provided on the second wall 217 near the drying chamber box cover as an outlet 214-2 of the drying chamber box. A protrusion 211 is formed at the outer side of the outlet port close to the refrigerator, and when the drying chamber case 210 is pushed and pulled, the protrusion 211 slides on the sidewall of the drying chamber case 220, so that the drying chamber case cover 210 and the drying chamber case 220 come into point-to-surface contact rather than surface-to-surface contact, thereby reducing friction generated during sliding and reducing noise generated during sliding. Meanwhile, the roller 219 rolls on the side wall of the drying chamber box cover 210, and friction and noise can be reduced by rolling contact rather than surface contact.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the drying chamber lid and the drying chamber case in a separated state. As shown in fig. 6, the protrusion 211 and the roller 219 of the drying chamber box cover are in contact with the drying chamber box body 220, so that the drying chamber box cover 210 is lifted by the protrusion 211 and the roller 219 to separate the drying chamber box cover 210 from the drying chamber box body 220.

As shown in fig. 8, the drying chamber box 220 has a deep rectangular parallelepiped box shape, and the open surface of the upper portion thereof is formed in a shape matching the shape of the drying chamber box cover 210, and when the drying chamber box cover 210 is covered on the drying chamber box 220, the drying chamber box is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. Specifically, the side wall portion of the drying chamber case 220 corresponding to the second wall portion 217 of the drying chamber cover 210 is formed to be high, the side wall portion of the drying chamber case 220 corresponding to the inclined wall portion 216 is also inclined, and the side wall portion of the drying chamber case 220 corresponding to the first wall portion 215 is formed to be low. Since the roller 219 of the drying chamber cover 210 protrudes further toward the drying chamber case than the first wall portion 215 and the inclined wall portion 216, a portion of the drying chamber case 220 corresponding thereto, that is, a connecting portion where the inclined side wall portion and the lower side wall portion are connected, is formed to be slightly inclined downward as a recess having a depth substantially equal to a height at which the roller 219 protrudes from the first wall portion 215 and the inclined wall portion 216. A recess is formed at a portion of the drying chamber case 220 corresponding to the protrusion 211 of the drying chamber case cover 210 to receive the protrusion 211 and maintain the sealing of the drying chamber case. The same flanges as the side walls of the drying chamber box cover are also formed on the respective walls of the drying chamber box body 220.

The drying chamber cover 210 and the drying chamber case 220 having the above-described structure operate as follows.

When the drying chamber cover 210 is covered on the drying chamber case 220, the roller 219 of the drying chamber cover 210 falls in the recess of the drying chamber case 220, and the protrusion 211 is also received in the recess of the corresponding portion of the drying chamber case 220. At this time, flanges 218 formed on first wall portion 215, inclined wall portion 216, and second wall portion 217 of drying chamber box cover 210 are just in contact with flanges of respective side walls of drying chamber box body 220, respectively, to form substantially closed rectangular parallelepiped-shaped drying chamber box 200. When the user draws out the drying chamber cartridge 220 to use the drying chamber cartridge 200, the roller 219 rolls out from the recess. Since the roller 219 protrudes from both the first wall portion 215 and the inclined wall portion 216, when the roller 219 rolls out of the concave portion, the roller 219 comes into contact with the flange 218 of the drying chamber casing 220, and is in rolling contact, the top end of the protrusion 211 comes into contact with the flange 218 of the drying chamber casing 220 at a point and a surface, and the side walls of the other drying chamber box covers do not come into contact with the drying chamber casing 220. When the user pushes the drying chamber case 220 into the refrigerator 100, the roller 219 rolls on the side wall portion of the drying chamber case 220 corresponding to the first wall portion 215 of the drying chamber cover 210 and the top end of the protrusion 211 slides on the side wall portion of the drying chamber case 220, and the drying chamber cover 210 is not in contact with the other portion of the drying chamber case 220. When the roller 219 rolls into the recess, the protrusion 211 is just received in the recess of the corresponding portion of the drying chamber box 220, and the flanges 218 formed on the first wall portion 215, the inclined wall portion 216, and the second wall portion 217 of the drying chamber box cover 210 are just in contact with the flanges of the respective sidewalls of the drying chamber box 220, respectively. The roller 219 makes a sound by dropping down by gravity by a distance corresponding to the height of the recess, so that the user can know from the sound that the drying chamber box 220 is coupled to the drying chamber box cover 210. Further, since it is difficult for the roller 219 to roll upward along the inclined wall portion of the drying chamber casing 220 corresponding to the inclined wall portion 216 of the drying chamber cover 210 after entering the recess, the roller 219 is restricted from further rolling. Meanwhile, the protrusion 211 can not move out of the recess due to small force, and also plays a role in fixing.

According to the above-described structure, when the drying chamber casing 220 is drawn out and pushed in, both the drying chamber casing 220 and the drying chamber cover 210 are contacted only by the rolling of the roller 219 and the sliding of the protrusion 211, and the other parts are not contacted. Therefore, it is possible to reduce abrasion of the drying chamber box body 220 and the drying chamber box cover 210, and it is convenient for a user to draw out and push the drying chamber box body 220. Furthermore, since the drying chamber box 220 and the drying chamber box cover 210 are formed with flanges, sealing is achieved by the flange contact, and a sealing effect required for the drying chamber can be obtained. When cold air from the independent air duct of the drying chamber 104 is blown into the drying chamber box through the air inlet arranged on the back wall of the drying chamber box cover, the cold air is blown to the middle point in the front-back direction of the lower surface of the drying chamber box body, is uniformly diffused in four directions, and can be uniformly dispersed to all positions in the drying chamber box. The original air in the drying chamber box is blown out from the air outlet arranged on the second side wall 217 of the drying chamber box cover 210. Thus, the temperature and humidity in the drying chamber box can be efficiently adjusted.

[ controller for controlling temperature and humidity of drying chamber ]

As described above, the cold air from the refrigerating evaporator 120 and the heating of the heater 124 are means for adjusting the temperature and humidity of the drying chamber 104. In the present invention, the blowing of cold air into the drying chamber 104 is adjusted by adjusting the opening and closing of the drying chamber shutter 122, and the heating of the heater 124 is adjusted by adjusting the on-off time of the heater 124. A controller for controlling the opening and closing of the drying chamber shutter 122 and the opening and closing of the heater 124 will be described below.

As shown in fig. 10, in the refrigerator of the present invention, an operation panel 400 is provided above the drying chamber 104, i.e., on a partition plate partitioning the drying chamber 104 and the refrigerating chamber 102, and is operated by a user to adjust the humidity in the drying chamber 104.

A humidity level display portion 401 and a level operation portion 402 of the drying chamber 104 are provided on the upper surface of the operation panel 400. The gear display 401 displays the currently set humidity level in the drying chamber 104. The shift operation unit 402 is an operation member such as a knob or an electronic button for the user to select and set the humidity level in the drying chamber 104.

A temperature sensor and a humidity sensor (not shown) are mounted integrally with the operation panel 400. The temperature sensor and the humidity sensor measure the temperature and the humidity in the drying chamber, respectively. The temperature data and the humidity data measured by the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor are sent to a controller arranged in an operation panel, and the controller cools, dehumidifies or heats the drying chamber based on the sent temperature and humidity data and the set temperature and humidity information. Specifically, the opening and closing of the drying chamber shutter 122 and the opening and closing of the heater 124, and more specifically, the opening and closing time of the drying chamber shutter 122 and the operating time of the heater 124.

The controller is provided in the operation panel, but the controller may be provided in another place than the operation panel or may be incorporated in a control unit of the entire refrigerator 100, and may transmit, receive, store, and process necessary data.

The set temperature and humidity information is set by the user according to the type of the articles (dry articles) stored in the drying chamber. The gear is the level of humidity, and different gears correspond to different humidity ranges. For example, in the case where 3 grades are provided, an ultra-low humidity grade, a low humidity grade, and a normal humidity grade may be used. The humidity of the ultra-low humidity range is 20% for example, and the requirement of the ultra-low humidity range is met by 15% to 25% when in actual adjustment. The humidity of the low humidity range is, for example, 30%, and it is considered that the humidity of the low humidity range is between 55% and 35% when actually adjusting. The humidity of the normal humidity range is 40% for example, and the humidity between 35% and 45% is considered to meet the requirement of the normal humidity range when in actual adjustment. The gear display part displays what gear the humidity of the drying chamber is currently set at, i.e., which range the target humidity percentage of the drying chamber 104 is. The shift operation unit 402 is used for the user to set the humidity of the drying chamber 104 to any shift depending on the kind of articles stored in the drying chamber. For example, recommended gears corresponding to common stored items or recommended stored items corresponding to each gear may be noted beside the gear operating unit 402 for the user to refer to.

An operation display panel 500 for the entire refrigerator 100 is provided on an outer door (heat insulation door of a refrigerating section) of the refrigerator 100, and is used for setting and controlling the entire refrigerator by a user. A humidity display area 501 for displaying the humidity of the drying chamber 104 is disposed on the operation display panel 500, so that a user can conveniently observe the real-time humidity in the drying chamber.

It is preferable that the shift position display portion 401 and the shift position operation portion 402 are provided on a partition above the drying chamber 104 and the operation display panel 500 of the refrigerator 100 is provided on an outer surface of an outer door of the refrigerator 100 for the sake of beauty and convenience, but it is not limited thereto, and for example, the shift position display portion 401 and the shift position operation portion 402 may be provided on an outer surface of an outer door of the refrigerator 100.

[ control of humidity of drying Chamber ]

The control of the humidity of the drying chamber 104 by the controller provided in the operation substrate 400 will be specifically described below. The controller controls the temperature and humidity of the drying chamber 104 by controlling the opening and closing (opening and closing time) of the drying chamber shutter 122 and the heating time of the heater 124. As long as the opening and closing of the drying chamber shutter 122 and the heating of the heater 124 are controlled, different control modes are possible. In the present invention, only the opening and closing of the drying chamber damper 122 is controlled, that is, the drying chamber damper 122 is controlled to be opened or closed, but actually the drying chamber damper 122 may be controlled to be opened at a different angle to adjust the amount of cold air supplied into the drying chamber 104. The angle at which the refrigerating compartment flap and the temperature-changing compartment flap can be controlled to open is also the same, and the description thereof is omitted.

The following describes the humidity control in the drying chamber 104.

1. Parameters for controlling humidity

As described above, the controller controls the humidity of the drying chamber 104 based on the temperature and humidity data transmitted from the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor and the set humidity level information. Here, the temperature in the drying chamber measured by the temperature sensor is SD _ TEMP, and the humidity in the drying chamber measured by the humidity sensor is SD _ HUM.

The humidity determination value set based on the humidity range information is set as a humidity value S1. Further, the humidity determination value may be set to a range, for example, the upper limit value S11 of the humidity of the drying chamber and the lower limit value S12 of the humidity of the drying chamber, based on the humidity range information, and may satisfy the relationship of S11> S12.

The set humidity of different gears corresponds to different values of S1, S11 and S12, the values of S1, S11 and S12 corresponding to the gears are correspondingly stored in the controller, and corresponding S1 or S11 and S12 are called according to different gear settings for control. In the example of the low humidity range, S1 is 30%, S11 is 25%, and S12 is 35%.

S1, S11, and S12 are control parameters for controlling the humidity in the drying chamber 104 according to the present invention.

The heater 124 may be operated in an intermittent operation. The time for which heater 124 is stopped between two operations is set to TM, that is, heater 124 can be operated intermittently at intervals of TM.

2. Basic control scheme

A basic scheme for controlling the humidity of the drying chamber is described with reference to fig. 11. As shown in fig. 11, after the control is started in step S101, it is determined in step S102 whether the detected drying chamber humidity SD _ HUM is greater than the drying chamber humidity determination value S1. If the determination result is "no", that is, if the humidity in the drying chamber is not too high, the process proceeds to step S103, and the controller closes the drying chamber shutter 122 (shown as SD shutter in the figure, the same below) and intermittently operates the heater 124 (shown as SD heater in the figure, the same below) at intervals of TM, so that it can be ensured for a long time that the humidity in the drying chamber 104 does not increase. If the determination result is "yes", that is, if the humidity in the drying chamber is too high, the humidity in the drying chamber needs to be decreased, and the process proceeds to step S104, where the controller opens the shutter 122 of the drying chamber and intermittently operates the heater 124 every TM time, thereby decreasing the humidity in the drying chamber and maintaining the temperature in the drying chamber relatively stable.

In the basic control scheme, the humidity in the drying chamber is adjusted based on the humidity determination value, and the humidity in the drying chamber can be controlled to be near the humidity determination value while substantially maintaining the temperature in the drying chamber. However, when the humidity approaches the humidity determination value S1, the humidity in the drying chamber is likely to be adjusted soon after satisfying the condition that adjustment is not necessary, and the drying chamber damper and the heater are likely to operate frequently. Accordingly, the present invention also includes the following improved control scheme.

3. Improved control scheme I

An improved control scheme i for controlling the humidity of the drying chamber is described with reference to fig. 12. The modified control scheme i is a scheme in which the humidity determination value in the basic control scheme is replaced with an upper humidity limit value and a lower humidity limit value to perform humidity control.

As shown in fig. 12, after the control is started in step S201, it is determined in step S202 whether the detected drying chamber humidity SD _ HUM is greater than the drying chamber humidity upper limit value S11. If the determination result is "no", that is, if the humidity in the drying chamber is not too high, the process proceeds to step S203, and it is further determined whether the detected humidity SD _ HUM in the drying chamber is smaller than the humidity lower limit value S12. The reason for simultaneously detecting the humidity and the relationship between the humidity and the upper limit value S11 and the lower limit value S12 is to control the humidity within the range from S11 to S12, and to avoid frequent operations of the baffle and the heater of the drying chamber by using the humidity range from S11 to S12 as a reference for controlling the humidity. If the result of the determination in step S203 is yes, that is, if the detected humidity is less than the humidity lower limit value S12, the humidity needs to be increased, so that the process proceeds to step S204, the drying chamber shutter 122 is closed, and the heater 124 is intermittently operated at intervals of TM. Then returns to step S201 to start control again. If the result of the determination in step S203 is "no", it means that the humidity is within the target humidity range between the humidity upper limit value S11 and the humidity lower limit value S12, no operation is performed, that is, the control operation before the condition change is maintained, and then the control is returned to step S201 to start the control again.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S202 is yes, that is, if the humidity in the drying chamber is too high, the humidity in the drying chamber needs to be lowered, and the process proceeds to step S205, where the controller causes the drying chamber damper 122 to be opened and causes the heater 124 to be operated intermittently at intervals of TM. Then returns to step S201 to start control again.

In the above improved control scheme i, the humidity in the drying chamber is adjusted according to the humidity range, so that a section of humidity range is used as a buffer when the humidity is adjusted, and the problem that the baffle and the heater of the drying chamber frequently act due to the frequent change of the humidity around a point value is avoided.

The humidity control to maintain the interior of the drying chamber 104 within a suitable temperature range is described below. In general, since the drying chamber 104 is actually a refrigerating chamber whose humidity can be adjusted to be lower than a normal humidity, its characteristic for refrigerating is first ensured.

4. Parameters for controlling temperature

As described above, the controller cools, dehumidifies, or heats the drying chamber 104 based on the temperature, data, and set temperature information transmitted from the temperature sensor. Here, the temperature in the drying chamber measured by the temperature sensor is SD _ TEMP.

Since the drying chamber is actually a refrigerating chamber whose humidity can be adjusted to be lower than the normal humidity, the temperature thereof has an upper limit value and a lower limit value, and here, the upper limit value of the temperature of the drying chamber 104 is T11 and the lower limit value is T22, and the relationship of T11> T12 is satisfied. The temperature range between T11 and T22 is the specified range (0 ℃ to 8 ℃) explained in the basic idea of controlling temperature and humidity. Further, in order to more accurately control the temperature in the drying chamber, it is also possible to set the upper limit value T11 to an upper limit temperature section, that is, to replace the upper limit value T11 with the upper limit temperature sections T11 to T12, satisfying the relationship of T11> T12, for example, T11 may be 8 ℃, and T12 may be 6 ℃. Similarly, the lower limit value T22 may be set as a lower limit temperature range, that is, the lower limit value T22 is replaced by lower limit temperature ranges T21 to T22, and the relationship of T21> T22 is satisfied, for example, T21 may be 2 ℃ and T22 may be 0 ℃.

T11, T12, T21 and T22 are control parameters for controlling the temperature in the drying chamber 104 according to the present invention, and humidity control in an appropriate temperature range is described in conjunction with the humidity control parameters of S1, S11 and S12 described above.

5. Basic idea of modified control scheme II

Fig. 13 shows the basic idea of controlling the temperature and humidity inside the drying chamber 104.

As shown in fig. 13, when the control is started, it is first determined whether or not the temperature in drying chamber 104 is within a predetermined range (temperature range suitable for cold storage). If the temperature is too high to be within the prescribed range, the temperature is preferentially lowered until the temperature reaches the prescribed range. The primary method of temperature reduction is to open chamber damper 122 to send cold air into chamber 104. If the temperature is too low to be within the specified range, the temperature is preferentially raised until the temperature reaches the specified range. The primary method of temperature ramp-up is to operate heater 124.

If the temperature is within the prescribed range, the humidity is adjusted to the humidity set by the user.

The temperature in drying chamber 104 is 0 ℃ or higher and a predetermined temperature, for example, 8 ℃ or lower, due to the refrigerating chamber characteristics of drying chamber 104. That is, in this specification, 0 ℃ to 8 ℃ is defined as a predetermined range of the temperature of the drying chamber 104. Since the temperature in drying chamber 104 is frozen when it reaches 0 ℃ or lower, it is necessary to prevent the temperature in drying chamber 104 from falling below the lower limit of the refrigerating temperature of 0 ℃, and the temperature slightly exceeding the upper limit of the refrigerating temperature of 8 ℃ does not greatly affect the dry matter stored in drying chamber 104, and generally does not exceed the upper limit of the refrigerating temperature of, for example, 8 ℃.

In addition, the control of the temperature and the humidity is always performed, that is, as long as the humidity level is set, the control based on the humidity corresponding to the set level is always circulated.

Based on the basic idea of controlling temperature and humidity, the present invention has various schemes for controlling temperature and humidity.

6. Modified control scheme III

In practice, it is often necessary to adjust the temperature in the drying chamber, so as a modification of the control scheme iii, the adjustment of the humidity is performed after the temperature is adjusted to a suitable temperature.

A modified control scheme iii for controlling the temperature and humidity of the drying chamber is described with reference to fig. 14.

As shown in fig. 14, after the control is started in step S301, the detected drying chamber temperature SD _ TEMP is first determined in step S302. It is determined whether the drying chamber temperature SD _ TEMP is greater than the lower limit value T21 of the lower limit temperature section. This is done to prevent the temperature in the drying chamber from becoming too low, and when the temperature in the drying chamber becomes too low, measures to be described later are taken to raise the temperature in the drying chamber. If the judgment in step S302 is yes, that is, if the drying chamber temperature is higher than the lower limit value T21 of the lower limit temperature section instead of being too low, the control of the humidity is performed.

In step S302, if the determination result is no, that is, the drying chamber temperature is not higher than the upper limit value T21 of the lower limit temperature section, then a comparison of the drying chamber temperature SD _ TEMP with the lower limit value T22 of the lower limit temperature section is performed (step S306) to confirm whether the temperature in the drying chamber is lower than the lower limit value of the lower limit temperature section, because the temperature may be too low. If the temperature is not lower than the lower limit value T22 (no in step S306), it indicates that the temperature in the drying chamber is not too low, and the process returns to step S301 directly to perform a new round of temperature and humidity control. If the temperature is lower than the temperature lower limit value T22 (yes in step S306), it means that the temperature in the drying chamber is too low, so the temperature in the drying chamber needs to be increased. The measure taken here is to close the drying chamber shutter 122 (no introduction of cold air) and keep the heater 124 on (heating) in step S307. After a period of heating, the process returns to step S301 again to perform a new round of temperature and humidity control.

As shown in fig. 14, if the determination result in step S302 is yes, "humidity control" is performed. The "humidity control" may be a humidity control performed by the upper and lower limits of humidity as in the basic control scheme described above, or may be a humidity control performed by a humidity range defined by the upper and lower limits of humidity as in the modified control scheme i described above. That is, the "humidity control" shown in fig. 14 may be replaced with the humidity control shown in fig. 11 or the humidity control shown in fig. 12.

The control of the humidity after the temperature is adjusted to a proper temperature according to the lower limit temperature section (T21 to T22) is explained above. The control of the temperature can also be performed based on the upper limit temperature section (T11 to T12). Further, the drying chamber is a refrigerating chamber, not a freezing chamber, and is sensitive to a lower limit temperature (lower limit temperature range), but even if the temperature in the drying chamber slightly exceeds the upper limit temperature (upper limit temperature range), the temperature in the drying chamber is preferably controlled to the lower limit temperature (lower limit temperature range) because the temperature does not have a great influence on the dry matter stored in the drying chamber.

According to the above-described modified control scheme iii, the temperature in the drying chamber can be adjusted to an appropriate temperature, and on the basis of this, the humidity is adjusted to an appropriate humidity range. Compared with the basic control scheme, the humidity is controlled by taking the humidity range as a reference, so that a section of humidity range is used as a buffer when the humidity is adjusted, and the problem that the baffle and the heater of the drying chamber frequently act due to the fact that the humidity is frequently changed near a point value is solved. Compared with the above improved control scheme I, the temperature is preferentially adjusted under the condition that the temperature in the drying chamber is too low, the refrigeration property of the drying chamber is ensured, the effect of preventing the temperature in the drying chamber from being too low is achieved, and the humidity can be controlled within the target humidity range.

7. Modified control scheme IV

The improved control scheme III is a control scheme for controlling the temperature according to the lower limit temperature section and controlling the humidity according to the humidity range section. The present invention can control the temperature according to the upper limit temperature section and the lower limit temperature section, and control the humidity according to the humidity range, so as to execute more precise control. The control parameters used in such a modified control scheme iv are an upper limit value T11 for an upper limit temperature range, a lower limit value T12 for an upper limit temperature range, an upper limit value T21 for a lower limit temperature range, a lower limit value T22 for a lower limit temperature range, a humidity determination value S1 or a humidity upper limit value S11 and a humidity lower limit value S12.

An improved control scheme iv for controlling the temperature and humidity of the drying chamber is described below with reference to fig. 15.

As shown in fig. 15, after the control is started in step S401, the detected drying chamber temperature SD _ TEMP is first determined in step S402. It is determined whether the drying chamber temperature SD _ TEMP is greater than the upper limit value T21 of the lower limit temperature section. By judging whether the temperature is larger than an intermediate value, whether the temperature is too high or too low can be judged quickly. If the judgment result in the step S402 is yes, that is, the drying chamber temperature is higher than the upper limit value T21 of the lower limit temperature section, it is judged again whether the drying chamber temperature is lower than the lower limit value T12 of the upper limit temperature section (step S405). This enables humidity adjustment when the temperature is within the optimum range (between T21 and T12), and adjustment of the temperature when the temperature is not within the optimum range is prioritized. If the determination result in step S405 is yes, that is, if the drying chamber temperature is lower than T12, it indicates that the temperature in the drying chamber is in the optimum range at this time, and the humidity can be further controlled.

In step S402, if the determination result is no, that is, the drying chamber temperature is not higher than T21, then a comparison of the drying chamber temperature SD _ TEMP with the lower limit value T22 of the lower limit temperature section is performed (step S403) to confirm whether the temperature in the drying chamber is lower than the lower limit value of the lower limit temperature section because the temperature may be too low. If the temperature is not lower than T22 (no in step S403), it indicates that the temperature in the drying chamber is not too low, and the process returns directly to step S401 to perform a new round of temperature and humidity control. If the temperature is lower than the temperature upper limit value T1 (yes in step S403), it means that the temperature in the drying chamber is too low, so the temperature in the drying chamber needs to be increased. The measure taken here is to close the drying chamber shutter 122 (not to introduce cold air) and to operate the heater 124 in step S404. After a certain period of heating, the process returns to step S401 again to perform a new round of temperature and humidity control.

In step S405, if the determination result is no, that is, the drying chamber temperature is not lower than T12, then a comparison of the drying chamber temperature SD _ TEMP with the upper limit value T11 of the upper limit temperature section is performed next (step S406) to confirm whether the temperature in the drying chamber is higher than the upper limit value of the upper limit temperature section because the temperature is likely to be excessively high. If the temperature is not higher than T11 (no in step S406), it indicates that the temperature in the drying chamber is not in an excessively high state, and the process returns to step S405 to re-perform the comparison of the temperature with the magnitude of T12. If the temperature is higher than T11 (yes in step S406), it means that the temperature in the drying chamber is too high, so the temperature in the drying chamber needs to be lowered. The measure taken here is to open the drying chamber shutter 122 (introduce cold air) and stop the heater 124 in step S407. After a period of time has elapsed, the flow returns to step S405 to re-compare the temperature with the value of T12.

As shown in fig. 15, if the determination result in step S405 is yes, "humidity control" is performed. The "humidity control" may be a humidity control performed by the upper and lower limits of humidity as in the basic control scheme described above, or may be a humidity control performed by a humidity range defined by the upper and lower limits of humidity as in the modified control scheme i described above. That is, the "humidity control" shown in fig. 15 may be replaced with the humidity control shown in fig. 11 or the humidity control shown in fig. 12.

The modified control scheme iv described above controls the humidity in accordance with the upper and lower limit values (S11 and S12) after adjusting the temperature to an appropriate temperature in accordance with the upper and lower limit temperature sections (T11 to T12 and T21 to T22). Thus, the temperature in the drying chamber can be accurately adjusted to an appropriate temperature, and accurate humidity adjustment can be performed on the basis of the temperature. Compared with other control schemes, the temperature is controlled by taking the temperature sections of the upper limit and the lower limit as the reference, and the humidity is controlled by taking the upper limit and the lower limit of the humidity as the reference, so that a temperature and humidity range is used as a buffer when the temperature and the humidity are regulated, and the problem that a baffle plate and a heater of a drying chamber frequently act due to frequent change of the temperature and the humidity near a point value is solved. And, the temperature is regulated preferentially under the condition that the temperature in the drying chamber is too low or too high, so as to ensure the refrigeration property of the drying chamber and prevent the temperature in the drying chamber from being too low or too high. On this basis, the humidity is accurately controlled within the target humidity range.

Various schemes for controlling the temperature and humidity in the drying chamber 104 using the control parameters T11, T12, T21, T22, S1, S11, and S12 have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described schemes, and for example, the temperature and humidity may be controlled according to the upper limit temperature range and humidity range parameters, and any scheme for controlling the temperature and humidity by combining various parameters is within the scope of the present invention. The purpose of controlling the temperature and humidity is to control the temperature based on the upper limit temperature range, the lower limit temperature range, or both, and to control the humidity based on the humidity determination value or the humidity upper and lower limit values when the temperature is controlled within a predetermined moderate range. In addition, the parameters of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned parameters, and a new temperature section may be defined in the temperature range of the drying chamber and a new humidity section may be defined in the humidity range.

According to the refrigerator provided by the invention, an independent air supply path can be provided for the drying chamber, so that the drying chamber is not influenced by external humidity. And through the switching of intelligent control drying chamber baffle and the work of auxiliary heater, with the humidity control in the drying chamber to the humidity that corresponds with the gear that sets for, can make the drying chamber be suitable for keeping different kinds of dry goods. In addition, the drying chamber is in a structure that the drying chamber box cover with the rollers is combined with the drying chamber box body, so that the required tightness of the drying chamber can be ensured, and the accuracy of the humidity in the drying chamber is further ensured.

The specific structure of the refrigerator, and the steps and method for controlling the humidity and temperature in the drying chamber according to the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above description. Various modifications can be made within the spirit of the present invention, and the invention obtained by the modifications is within the scope of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

100 … refrigerator, 101 … cold storage part, 102 … cold storage chamber, 103 … vegetable chamber, 104 … drying chamber, 105 … small temperature changing chamber, 106 … large temperature changing chamber, 107 … freezing chamber, 120 … evaporator for cold storage, 121 … blower fan, 122 … drying chamber baffle, 123 … cold storage chamber baffle, 124 … heater, 200 … drying chamber box, 210 … drying chamber box cover, 211 … projection, 212 … back wall, 213 … side wall, 214-1 … air inlet, 214-2 … air outlet, 215 … first wall, 216 … inclined wall, 217 … second wall, 218 … flange 219, 219 … roller, 220 … drying chamber, 221 … cover, 300 … shelf, 310 … guide column, 320 … screw, 400 … operation panel, 401 … display part, 402, … shift operation part, 500 … operation display panel, TM … display panel, upper limit value of interval temperature and T temperature limit value of heating interval …, A lower limit value of a T12 … upper limit temperature section, an upper limit value of a T21 … lower limit temperature section, a lower limit value of a T22 … lower limit temperature section, an upper limit value of S1 … humidity, an upper limit value of an S11 … upper limit humidity section, and a lower limit value of an S12 … upper limit humidity section.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerating chamber; a drying chamber which is independently arranged in the refrigerating chamber and can independently control the humidity; an evaporator for supplying cold air generated by cooling air; and a blower fan for forcibly blowing the cool air, the refrigerator being characterized in that:

the drying chamber is provided with a drying chamber baffle which can be opened and closed and can adjust the air supply quantity of the cold air forcibly supplied by the air supply fan, and a heater which heats the drying chamber,

the drying chamber baffle plate is used for adjusting the cold air forcibly supplied by the air supply fan and the heater to control the drying chamber to be in a specified humidity,

a refrigerating chamber baffle plate which can be opened and closed is arranged on an air supply channel for the air supply fan to forcibly blow the cold air to the refrigerating chamber,

the refrigerating compartment shutter is opened and closed independently of the drying compartment shutter to allow the cold air to be blown to the refrigerating compartment or to block the cold air from being blown to the refrigerating compartment,

the drying chamber includes a drying chamber case body capable of being pulled and pushed by a user and a drying chamber box cover covering the drying chamber case body when the drying chamber case body is pushed to a prescribed position of the refrigerator,

the drying chamber box cover is fixed on a clapboard in the refrigerator in a mode of moving up and down and comprises a bottom surface, two side walls and a back wall,

the two side walls of the drying chamber box cover are provided with rollers which are protruded to one side of the drying chamber box body compared with the two side walls,

the drying chamber box body comprises a bottom surface, two side walls and a back surface wall, concave parts are arranged on the two side walls of the drying chamber box body and correspond to the rollers of the drying chamber box cover,

when the drying chamber box body is pushed to the specified position of the refrigerator, the roller enters the concave part, the side wall of the drying chamber box cover contacts with the side wall of the drying chamber box body to seal the drying chamber,

when the drying chamber box body is pushed and pulled, the drying chamber box cover is separated from the drying chamber box body, and the roller is in rolling contact with the side wall of the drying chamber box body.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

a controller for controlling the opening and closing of the baffle plate of the drying chamber is arranged,

a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature in the drying chamber and a humidity sensor for measuring the humidity in the drying chamber are arranged in the drying chamber,

the controller controls the opening and closing of the drying chamber baffle according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor and the humidity measured by the humidity sensor.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein:

the controller controls the heater to heat the drying chamber according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor and the humidity measured by the humidity sensor.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein:

the controller adjusts the humidity and/or temperature in the drying chamber by controlling the opening and closing time of the baffle of the drying chamber and the working time of the heater.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

an operation part for adjusting the humidity in the drying chamber is arranged,

the user adjusts the humidity in the drying chamber between multiple levels of target humidity by operating the operation part.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein:

the operation unit is provided on a partition plate that partitions an upper storage space of the drying chamber in the drying chamber and the refrigerating chamber.

7. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein:

the controller controls the opening and closing time of the baffle plate of the drying chamber and the working time of the heater to adjust the temperature in the drying chamber to be within a specified temperature range,

adjusting the humidity in the drying chamber when the temperature in the drying chamber is within a prescribed temperature range.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein:

reducing the humidity in the drying chamber by opening the drying chamber damper and intermittently operating the heater,

increasing the humidity within the drying chamber by closing the drying chamber damper and intermittently operating the heater.

9. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein:

the humidity of the drying chamber is within a specified humidity range.

10. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein:

the prescribed temperature range is provided with a lower limit value,

the temperature in the drying chamber is made higher than the lower limit value of the predetermined temperature range by closing the drying chamber damper and operating the heater.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein:

the prescribed temperature range is provided with an upper limit value,

the temperature in the drying chamber is made lower than the upper limit value of the predetermined temperature range by opening the drying chamber shutter and stopping the operation of the heater.

12. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein:

the predetermined temperature range has a lower limit, which is a temperature range from the lower limit.

13. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein:

the predetermined temperature range has an upper limit, which is a temperature range up to the upper limit value.

14. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein:

comprises a storage chamber arranged in the refrigerating chamber and parallel to the drying chamber,

the evaporator is disposed at a rear side of the storage chamber,

the drying chamber and the refrigerating chamber are cooled by cold air supplied from the evaporator, and the cold air having cooled the drying chamber and the refrigerating chamber is returned to the evaporator from the bottom of the storage chamber.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the two side walls of the drying chamber box cover are also provided with bulges,

when the drying chamber box body is pushed and pulled, the protrusion slides on the side wall of the drying chamber box body and the roller rolls on the side wall of the drying chamber box body, so that the drying chamber box cover is jacked up by the protrusion and the roller to separate the drying chamber box cover from the drying chamber box body.

16. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 15, wherein:

the two side walls of the drying chamber box cover are respectively provided with a first side wall with a first height, a second side wall with a second height smaller than the first height and an inclined side wall for connecting the first side wall and the second side wall,

the roller is arranged at the position where the first side wall is connected with the inclined side wall,

the side wall of the drying chamber box body is the height matched with the height of the side wall of the drying chamber box cover.

17. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 15, wherein:

an air inlet which inclines downwards is arranged on the back wall of the drying chamber box cover and used for blowing the cold air into the drying chamber box body,

the front end of the side wall of the drying chamber box cover is provided with a gap which is used as an air outlet for blowing air out of the drying chamber box body,

the cold air is blown to the center of the bottom in the front-back direction in the drying chamber through the air inlet.

18. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 15, wherein:

a plurality of guide posts extending downward are formed on the partition plate, each guide post comprises a columnar part and a lower end part with the diameter larger than that of the columnar part,

a through hole is formed on the bottom surface of the drying chamber box cover at a position corresponding to the guide post, the diameter of the through hole is larger than the diameter of the columnar part and smaller than the diameter of the lower end part of the guide post,

when the drying chamber box cover is mounted on the partition plate via the guide post, the drying chamber box cover is suspended on the partition plate by the lower end part of the guide post and can move up and down within the height range of the columnar part.

19. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 15, wherein:

flanges horizontally extending to the outside of the drying chamber are formed on the back wall and the two side walls of the drying chamber box cover and the drying chamber box body respectively,

when the drying chamber box body is pushed to a specified position of the refrigerator, the flange of the side wall of the drying chamber box cover contacts with the flange of the side wall of the drying chamber box body to close the drying chamber,

when the drying chamber box body is pushed and pulled, the roller of the drying chamber box cover is in rolling contact with the flange on the side wall of the drying chamber box body.

20. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the center of gravity of the drying chamber box cover is positioned at one side close to the back wall of the drying chamber box cover.