CN111566423A

CN111566423A - Refrigerator, refrigerator control method, and program

Info

Publication number: CN111566423A
Application number: CN201880079712.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小林史典
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Priority date: 2018-01-19
Filing date: 2018-01-19
Publication date: 2020-08-21
Also published as: JPWO2019142311A1; JP6987156B2; WO2019142311A1

Abstract

The refrigerator is provided with: a freezing chamber provided with two blow-out ports for blowing out cooled air separately in each of two regions on the inside and a suction port for sucking in air existing on the inside; a first downstream flap (13) and a second downstream flap (14) that adjust the flow rates of air blown out from the two outlets to the two areas, respectively; and a control unit (114) that determines the flow rates of the air blown out from the two air outlets into the two areas, respectively, on the basis of a temperature difference reflecting the thermal load of the storage objects disposed in the two areas, and controls the first downstream flap (13) and the second downstream flap (14) so that the flow rates of the air blown out from the two air outlets reach the determined flow rates.

Description

Refrigerator, refrigerator control method, and program

Technical Field

The invention relates to a refrigerator, a refrigerator control method and a program.

Background

In general, a refrigerator circulates cool air into a storage chamber by a fan, and maintains the temperature in the storage chamber at a preset temperature by controlling the operation of the fan based on the temperature in the storage chamber detected by a thermistor provided in the storage chamber. As such a refrigerator, the following is proposed: immediately after the storage object is placed in the storage room, the operation of the cooling device is controlled according to the heat load of the storage object, and the cooling rate of the storage room is adjusted (see, for example, patent document 1).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-89919

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the refrigerator described in patent document 1, since the cooling device is controlled in accordance with the heat load of the entire storage room, for example, when storage objects having different heat loads are disposed in a plurality of areas in the storage room, there is a possibility that the amount of cold air flowing into each of the plurality of areas does not become an appropriate amount in accordance with the heat load of the storage object disposed in each area. That is, the amount of cold air may be insufficient in the area where the storage object having a large thermal load is disposed, and the amount of cold air may be excessive in the area where the storage object having a small thermal load is disposed. In this way, when the amount of cold air flowing into each area does not become an amount corresponding to the heat load in each area, the time required to cool all the storage objects stored in the storage chamber may become long, and the cold insulation performance of the storage objects may be degraded. In addition, the refrigerator may consume more power by cooling the storage object more than necessary.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a refrigerator, a refrigerator control method, and a program that can improve the cooling performance of storage objects and reduce power consumption.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes:

a storage chamber for storing objects to be stored, the storage chamber being provided with a plurality of blow-out ports for individually blowing out cooled air to a plurality of regions on the inside, and a suction port for sucking in air existing on the inside;

a flow rate adjustment unit that adjusts the flow rate of air blown out from each of the plurality of blow-out ports to the plurality of areas; and

and a control unit that determines the flow rates of the air blown out from the plurality of air outlets to the plurality of areas, respectively, based on physical quantities reflecting the thermal loads of the storage objects disposed in the plurality of areas, respectively, and controls the flow rate adjustment unit so that the flow rates of the air blown out from the plurality of air outlets reach the determined flow rates.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, the control unit determines the flow rates of the air blown out from the plurality of air outlets to the plurality of areas, respectively, based on the physical quantities reflecting the thermal loads of the storage objects arranged in the plurality of areas, respectively, and controls the flow rate adjustment unit so that the flow rates of the air blown out from the plurality of air outlets reach the determined flow rates. This makes it possible to set the flow rate of the air blown out from each of the plurality of blow-out ports to the plurality of areas to an optimum flow rate according to the thermal load of the storage object placed in each of the plurality of areas. Therefore, since the flow rate of the air blown out to each of the plurality of areas is suppressed from being insufficient or excessive, the cooling performance of the storage object can be improved and the power consumption can be reduced.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator of an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a refrigerator of an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a freezing chamber of the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a control device of the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of the refrigerator control process executed by the control device of the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of the refrigerator control process executed by the control device of the embodiment.

Fig. 7A is a sectional view of a freezing chamber of a modification.

Fig. 7B is a partially enlarged view of a cross section of the freezing chamber of a modification.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a freezing chamber of a modification.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a control device of a modification.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of the refrigerator control process executed by the control device of the modified example.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The refrigerator of the present embodiment includes a storage box for storing objects to be stored and a control device for controlling the refrigerator. The storage box is provided with a plurality of blow-out ports for individually blowing out cooled air to a plurality of areas inside the storage box, and a suction port for sucking in air existing inside the storage box. The refrigerator further includes a flow rate adjusting unit that adjusts the flow rate of air blown out from each of the plurality of air outlets to the plurality of areas inside the storage box. Here, the control device calculates a physical quantity reflecting a thermal load of the storage objects respectively disposed in a plurality of areas inside the storage box, that is, a temperature difference between a temperature of air blown out from the air outlet and a temperature of air heated by heat exchange with the storage objects. Then, the control device determines the flow rates of the air blown out from the plurality of air outlets to the plurality of areas, respectively, based on the calculated temperature difference reflecting the thermal load of the storage object. Then, the control device controls the flow rate adjusting unit so that the flow rate of the air blown out from the plurality of air outlets reaches the determined flow rate.

As shown in fig. 1, the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment includes a heat-insulating box 1a having a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and

doors

121, 122, 123, 124, and 125 attached to five openings provided in the front of the heat-insulating box 1 a. The heat insulation box 1a has: a rectangular box-shaped outer box formed of metal, resin, or the like; an inner box formed of metal, resin, or the like and having a smaller outer dimension than the outer box; and a heat insulating member sealed between the outer box and the inner box. Further, inside the heat insulating box 1a, for example, a refrigerating chamber 131 for refrigerating food, an ice making chamber 132 for storing an ice maker, a switching chamber 133 capable of switching the temperature of the inside to a temperature capable of making ice and other temperatures, a freezing chamber 134 for storing frozen food and freezing the frozen food, and a vegetable chamber 135 for storing vegetables are provided. In fig. 1, the left-right direction is an X-axis direction, the up-down direction is a Z-axis direction, and a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction is a Y-axis direction when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 1.

As shown in fig. 2, the refrigerator 1 includes a cooler chamber 16 and a machine chamber 18 connected to the cooler chamber 16 via a drain pipe 17. Cooler chamber 16 is connected to refrigerating chamber 131, ice making chamber 132, switching chamber 133, freezing chamber 134, and vegetable chamber 135 via

air duct ducts

15A and 15B, respectively. The cooler chamber 16 houses a cooler 162 and a fan 161. Further, the machine chamber 18 houses a compressor 40 that compresses the refrigerant flowing in from the cooler 162. The refrigerator 1 includes a condenser (not shown), a decompressor (not shown), and a suction pipe (not shown) in addition to the cooler 162 and the compressor 40, and is connected via a refrigerant pipe (not shown) such that the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 40, the condenser, the decompressor, the cooler 162, the suction pipe, and the compressor 40 in this order. Here, the condensing unit condenses the refrigerant flowing in from the compressor 40, and the decompression unit decompresses and expands the refrigerant flowing in from the condensing unit to evaporate a part of the refrigerant, thereby bringing the refrigerant into a two-phase state of liquid and gas. The cooler 162 cools the air around the cooler 162 in the cooler chamber 16 by a heat absorption action when the refrigerant in a liquid state of the two-phase refrigerant flowing from the decompression portion evaporates. The suction pipe heats the refrigerant flowing from the cooler 162 to its condensation temperature by exchanging heat with a capillary tube (not shown) that forms a part of the decompression section.

When fan 161 is operated, air cooled in cooler chamber 16 (hereinafter referred to as "cold air") is supplied to refrigerating compartment 131, ice making compartment 132, switching compartment 133, freezing compartment 134, and vegetable compartment 135 through air duct 15A, respectively (see arrow AR 10). Cold air supplied to refrigerating room 131, switching room 133, freezing room 134, and vegetable room 135 is blown inward from

air outlets

131a, 133a, 134b, and 135a provided in the respective rooms. Similarly, the cold air supplied to the ice compartment 132 is also blown inward from a blow-out port (not shown) provided in the ice compartment 132. Thereby, the food items disposed inside each of refrigerating compartment 131, ice making compartment 132, switching compartment 133, freezing compartment 134, and vegetable compartment 135 are cooled. The air heated by the objects to be stored in refrigerating room 131, switching room 133, freezing room 134, and vegetable room 135 flows into cooler room 16 through air duct 15B from air inlets 131B, 133B, 134c, and 135B provided in the respective rooms. Similarly, air present in ice making compartment 132 flows into cooler compartment 16 through air duct 15B from an intake port (not shown) provided in ice making compartment 132. In this way, the cold air circulates between cooler compartment 16 and refrigerating compartment 131, ice making compartment 132, switching compartment 133, freezing compartment 134, and vegetable compartment 135 through

air passage ducts

15A and 15B.

Further, upstream dampers (e.g.,

upstream dampers

1511, 1513, 1514, 1515) are provided at connecting portions of the air duct 15A to the refrigerating compartment 131, the ice making compartment 132, the switching compartment 133, the freezing compartment 134, and the vegetable compartment 135, respectively. Each upstream flap is individually opened and closed. When the upstream shutter is in the open state, the cold air flows into the refrigerating compartment 131, the ice-making compartment 132, the switching compartment 133, the freezing compartment 134, or the vegetable compartment 135 corresponding to the upstream shutter. For example, in a case where the upstream shutter 1514 is in an open state, the cold air flows into the freezing chamber 134 corresponding to the upstream shutter 1514. On the other hand, when the upstream shutter is in the closed state, the flow of cold air into the refrigerating compartment 131, the ice-making compartment 132, the switching compartment 133, the freezing compartment 134, or the vegetable compartment 135 corresponding to the upstream shutter is blocked. For example, when upstream shutter 1514 is in the closed state, the flow of cold air into freezing chamber 134 corresponding to upstream shutter 1514 is blocked.

As shown in fig. 3, freezing room 134 is provided with two

air outlets

134a, 134b for individually blowing out cold air to the inside of two areas a1, a2, and an air inlet 134c for sucking in heated air existing inside. Upper case 21 is disposed on the upper side in freezing chamber 134, and lower case 22 is disposed on the lower side in freezing chamber 134. The cold air blown out from the air outlet 134a flows into the upper case 21 located in the area a1 (see arrow AR11 in fig. 3). The cold air flowing into upper case 21 is heated by heat accumulated in the storage object disposed in upper case 21 and heat entering freezing chamber 134 from the air existing outside refrigerator 1 through the wall of heat-insulating box 1 a. Then, the air in the upper case 21 is discharged from the return port 21a provided in the upper case 21 and flows out of the area a 1. Here, the amount of heat that enters into freezing chamber 134 from the air existing outside refrigerator 1 can be regarded as constant as long as the temperature in freezing chamber 134 does not change greatly. Therefore, the temperature of the air discharged from the return port 21a increases as the heat stored in the storage object increases.

The cold air blown out from the air outlet 134b flows into the lower case 22 (see arrow AR12 in fig. 3), and is heated by heat exchange with the storage object disposed in the lower case 22 located in the area a 2. Then, the air in the lower case 22 is discharged from the return port 22a provided in the lower case 22 and flows out of the area a 2. The air discharged from return port 21a of upper case 21 and return port 22a of lower case 22 returns to suction port 134c of freezing compartment 134 (see arrow AR13 in fig. 3), and flows into cooler compartment 16 through air-passage duct 15B.

Further, freezing room 134 is provided with a discharge temperature measuring unit 9 that measures the temperature of the air discharged from discharge port 134a, and a return temperature measuring unit 10 that measures the temperature of the air discharged from return port 21a of upper case 21 and returned to suction port 134 c. In addition, freezing room 134 is provided with a discharge temperature measuring unit 11 that measures the temperature of the air discharged from discharge port 134b, and a return temperature measuring unit 12 that measures the temperature of the air discharged from return port 22a of lower casing 22 and returned to suction port 134 c. Hereinafter, the temperature measured by the blowing temperature measuring unit 9 is referred to as a first blowing temperature, the temperature measured by the return temperature measuring unit 10 is referred to as a first return temperature, the temperature measured by the blowing temperature measuring unit 11 is referred to as a second blowing temperature, and the temperature measured by the return temperature measuring unit 12 is referred to as a second return temperature. Door opening/closing detection unit 8 for detecting the open/close state of door 124 is provided in freezing room 134.

The heat removal amounts Q1 and Q2 generated by the cold air in the upper case 21 and the lower case 22 are expressed by the following expressions (1) and (2), respectively.

Q1＝F1×ρ×C_p×(T1_in-T1_out) … type (1)

Q2＝F2×ρ×C_p×(T2_in-T2_out) … type (2)

Here, F1 and F2 represent the air volume [ m ] of the cold air blown out to the upper case 21 and the lower case 22, respectively³/sec]Rho represents the density of cold air [ kg/m ]³]，C_pRepresents the specific heat at constant pressure of cold air [ J/(kg. K)]T1in denotes the first blowing temperature [ K ]]And T1out represents the first return temperature K]And T2in denotes a second blowing temperature [ K ]]And T2out represents the second return temperature K]。

The larger the heat removal amounts Q1 and Q2 required for the objects to be stored disposed in the upper casing 21 and the lower casing 22, the larger the heat load. Then, according to the above equations (1) and (2), when the thermal load of the storage target objects disposed in the upper casing 21 and the lower casing 22 increases, the amount of heat received by the cold air increases accordingly, and the first return temperature T1out and the second return temperature T2out increase. Further, the absolute value of the temperature difference between the first blowing temperature T1in and the first return temperature T1out and the absolute value of the temperature difference between the second blowing temperature T2in and the second return temperature T2out are increased, respectively. Accordingly, it can be said that the temperature difference between the first blowing temperature T1in and the first return temperature T1out and the temperature difference between the second blowing temperature T2in and the second return temperature T2out are physical quantities reflecting the thermal loads of the storage objects disposed in the upper case 21 of the area a1 and the lower case 22 of the area a2, respectively.

As shown in fig. 4, the control device 100 includes: a cpu (central Processing unit)101, a main storage unit 102 composed of a volatile memory, an auxiliary storage unit 103 composed of a non-volatile memory, an interface 104, a shutter drive unit 105, a fan drive unit 106, a compressor drive unit 107, and a bus 109 connecting the units. Examples of the nonvolatile memory include a magnetic disk and a semiconductor memory. The auxiliary storage unit 103 stores a program for executing a refrigerator control process described later. The interface 104 is connected to the first blowing temperature measuring unit 9, the first return temperature measuring unit 10, the second blowing temperature measuring unit 11, the second return temperature measuring unit 12, and the door opening/closing detecting unit 8. The interface 104 converts the signal input from the door opening/closing detection unit 8 into door opening/closing information indicating the open/close state of the door 124 and notifies the CPU101 of the door opening/closing information. The interface 104 converts the signals input from the first blowing temperature measuring unit 9, the first return temperature measuring unit 10, the second blowing temperature measuring unit 11, and the second return temperature measuring unit 12 into temperature information and notifies the temperature information to the CPU 101.

The flapper driving section 105 drives the upstream flapper 1514, the first downstream flapper 13, and the second downstream flapper 14 based on control information input from the CPU 101. The flapper driving unit 105 drives each upstream flapper other than the upstream flapper 1514. In fig. 4, the other upstream baffles are omitted. The fan drive unit 106 includes a motor (not shown) for rotating the fan 161 and a motor control unit (not shown) for controlling the motor based on control information input from the CPU 101. The compressor driving unit 107 includes a motor (not shown) that drives the compressor 40 and a motor control unit (not shown) that controls the motor based on control information input from the CPU 101. The bus 109 connects the CPU101, the main storage unit 102, the auxiliary storage unit 103, the interface 104, the barrier drive unit 105, and the fan drive unit 106 to each other.

The auxiliary storage unit 103 includes a criterion database (hereinafter, referred to as "DB") 1031 that stores information relating to a criterion for determination, and a parameter DB1032 that stores parameter information indicating the opening degrees of the first downstream flap 13 and the second downstream flap 14, respectively. Reference DB1031 stores temperature information indicating upper limit management temperature Tup and lower limit management temperature Tlow of each of refrigerating room 131, ice-making room 132, switching room 133, freezing room 134, and freezing room 134. Further, the reference DB1031 stores difference threshold information indicating a difference threshold that is a threshold of the absolute value of the difference between the temperature difference between the first blow-out temperature and the first return temperature and the temperature difference between the second blow-out temperature and the second return temperature.

The parameter DB1032 stores information indicating a unit change amount when the opening AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 is changed and a unit change amount when the opening AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 is changed. In addition, the parameter DB1032 stores initial opening information indicating the initial opening AP1i of the first downstream flapper 13 and the initial opening AP2i of the second downstream flapper 14, and upper limit opening information indicating the upper limit opening AP1max of the first downstream flapper 13 and the upper limit opening AP2max of the second downstream flapper 14. Here, the initial opening degrees AP1i and AP2i are set, for example, according to the volumes of the areas a1 and a2 into which the cold air blown out from the

air outlets

134a and 134b in the freezing chamber 134 flows. The upper limit opening degrees AP1max and AP2max are set, for example, based on the operation guarantee ranges for the opening degrees of the first downstream flapper 13 and the second downstream flapper 14, and are set, for example, to 90%.

Returning to fig. 4, the CPU101 reads and executes the program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 into the main storage unit 102, and functions as a temperature acquisition unit 111, a temperature difference calculation unit 112, a determination unit 113, and a control unit 114, wherein the temperature acquisition unit 111 acquires a first blow-out temperature, a second blow-out temperature, a first return temperature, and a second return temperature, and the temperature difference calculation unit 112 calculates a temperature difference between the first blow-out temperature and the first return temperature, and a temperature difference between the second blow-out temperature and the second return temperature. The temperature acquisition unit 111 acquires temperature information indicating the temperatures measured by the blown-out

temperature measurement units

9 and 11 and temperature information indicating the temperatures measured by the return

temperature measurement units

10 and 12 via the interface 104.

The temperature difference calculation unit 112 calculates a temperature difference Δ T1 between the first blowing temperature T1in and the first return temperature T1out, and a temperature difference Δ T2 between the second blowing temperature T2in and the second return temperature T2 out. The temperature difference calculator 112 corresponds to a physical quantity calculator that calculates temperature differences Δ T1 and Δ T2 that are physical quantities reflecting the thermal loads of the storage objects disposed in the two areas a1 and a2, respectively.

The determination unit 113 determines whether or not the first blowing temperature or the first returning temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit temperature management value and equal to or higher than the lower limit temperature management value. The determination unit 113 determines the open/close state of the door 124 based on door open/close information input from the door open/close detection unit 8 via the interface 104. The determination unit 113 calculates the absolute value of the difference between the temperature difference Δ T1 and the temperature difference Δ T2, and determines the magnitude relationship between the difference threshold indicated by the difference threshold information stored in the reference DB1031 and the calculated absolute value of the difference. The determination unit 113 determines the magnitude relationship between the temperature difference Δ T1 and the temperature difference Δ T2.

The controller 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105 to vary the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 and the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14, based on the determination result of the determination unit 113. The control unit 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105 so as to change the open/close state of the upstream flapper 1514, based on the determination result of the open/close state of the door 124 by the determination unit 113. Then, when the refrigerator 1 is powered on, the control unit 114 controls the fan drive unit 106 to operate the fan 161.

Next, a refrigerator control process executed by the control device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 5 and 6. This refrigerator control process is started, for example, after the user turns all of the

doors

121, 122, 123, 124, and 125 of the refrigerator 1 off and turns on the power supply to the refrigerator 1, after a preset standby time elapses. The standby time is set to be longer than a time until the temperatures of refrigerating room 131, ice making room 132, switching room 133, freezing room 134, and vegetable room 135 are stabilized after the power is turned on to refrigerator 1, for example. When the refrigerator 1 is powered on, the control unit 114 controls the fan drive unit 106 and the compressor drive unit 107 to start the operation of the fan 161 and the compressor 40. Further, the controller 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105 so that all the upstream flapper including the upstream flapper 1514 is in the open state. Then, the controller 114 refers to the initial opening degree information stored in the parameter DB1032, and controls the flapper driving section 105 so that the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 reaches the initial opening degree AP1i and the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 reaches the initial opening degree AP2 i.

First, the temperature acquisition unit 111 acquires temperature information indicating the first blowing temperature T1in measured by the blowing temperature measurement unit 9 and temperature information indicating the first return temperature T1out measured by the return temperature measurement unit 10 (step S101).

Next, the determination unit 113 determines whether the first blowing temperature T1in is higher than the upper limit management temperature Tup or whether the first returning temperature T1out is higher than the upper limit management temperature Tup (step S102). When the determination unit 113 determines that the first blowing temperature T1in is equal to or lower than the upper limit management temperature Tup and the first returning temperature T1out is equal to or lower than the upper limit management temperature Tup (no in step S102), the process of step S105, which will be described later, is executed.

On the other hand, the determination unit 113 determines that at least one of the first blowing temperature T1in and the first return temperature T1out exceeds the upper limit management temperature Tup (step S102: yes). In this case, the controller 114 determines whether or not either of the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 and the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 reaches the upper limit opening degrees AP1max, AP2max (step S103). When the controller 114 determines that either the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flap 13 or the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flap 14 has reached the upper limit opening degrees AP1max and AP2max (yes in step S103), the process of step S108, which will be described later, is directly executed.

On the other hand, the controller 114 determines that neither the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 nor the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 is the upper limit opening degree AP1max, AP2max (step S103: NO). In this case, the controller 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105 to increase the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 and the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 by a predetermined value (step S104). Specifically, the controller 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105, for example, so that the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 and the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 are increased by 5%. Next, the process of step S108 described later is executed.

Further, it is assumed that the determination unit 113 determines in step S102 that the first blowing temperature T1in is equal to or lower than the upper limit management temperature Tup and that the first returning temperature T1out is equal to or lower than the upper limit management temperature Tup (no in step S102). In this case, the determination unit 113 determines whether the first blowing temperature T1in is lower than the lower limit management temperature Tlow or whether the first returning temperature T1out is lower than the lower limit management temperature Tlow (step S105).

When the determination unit 113 determines that the first blowing temperature T1in is equal to or higher than the lower limit management temperature Tlow and the first returning temperature T1out is equal to or higher than the lower limit management temperature Tlow (no in step S105), the process of step S108 described later is directly executed. On the other hand, the determination unit 113 determines that at least one of the first blowing temperature T1in and the first returning temperature T1out is lower than the lower limit management temperature Tlow (step S105: yes). In this case, the control unit 114 determines whether both the first downstream flap 13 and the second downstream flap 14 are in the closed state (step S106). When the control unit 114 determines that both the first downstream flap 13 and the second downstream flap 14 are in the closed state (yes in step S106), the process of step S108, which will be described later, is directly executed.

On the other hand, the controller 114 determines that at least one of the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flap 13 and the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flap 14 is not in the closed state (NO in step S106). In this case, the controller 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105 to lower the opening AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 and the opening AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 by a predetermined amount (step S107). Specifically, the controller 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105, for example, so that the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 and the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 are decreased by 5%, respectively. When either one of the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream shutter 13 and the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream shutter 14 is in the closed state, the controller 114 controls the shutter drive unit 105 to decrease only the other opening degree by a predetermined amount.

Then, the determination unit 113 determines whether or not the door 124 is in the open state based on the door opening/closing information input from the door opening/closing detection unit 8 via the interface 104 (step S108). When the determination unit 113 determines that the door 124 is in the closed state (no in step S108), the process of step S101 is executed again.

On the other hand, when determining unit 113 determines that door 124 is in the open state (yes in step S108), controller 114 controls shutter driving unit 105 so that upstream shutter 1514 associated with freezing chamber 134 is in the closed state (step S109). Thereby, the supply of cold air from cooler room 16 into freezer compartment 134 through air passage duct 15A is blocked.

Next, the determination unit 113 determines whether or not the door 124 is again in the closed state based on the door opening/closing information input from the door opening/closing detection unit 8 via the interface 104 (step S110). As long as door 124 remains open (step S110: NO), determination unit 113 repeats the process of step S110.

On the other hand, when determining unit 113 determines that door 124 is in the closed state (yes in step S110), controller 114 controls shutter driving unit 105 so that upstream shutter 1514 associated with freezing chamber 134 is again in the open state (step S111). Thereby, cold air is supplied again from cooler room 16 into freezing room 134 through air passage duct 15A.

Next, the controller 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105 so that the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 and the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 reach the upper limit opening degrees AP1max and AP2max (step S112). This maximizes the amount of cold air supplied into freezing chamber 134, and the storage object placed in freezing chamber 134 is rapidly cooled.

Next, the temperature acquisition unit 111 acquires temperature information indicating the first blowing temperature T1in and the second blowing temperature T2in measured by the blowing

temperature measurement units

9 and 11, respectively. The temperature acquisition unit 111 acquires temperature information indicating the first return temperature T1out and the second return temperature T2out measured by the return

temperature measurement units

10 and 12, respectively (step S113).

Then, the temperature difference calculation section 112 calculates a temperature difference Δ T1 between the first blowing temperature T1in and the first return temperature T1out, and a temperature difference Δ T2 between the second blowing temperature T2in and the second return temperature T2out (step S114).

Next, the determination section 113 calculates the difference absolute value of the temperature difference Δ T1 and the temperature difference Δ T2, and acquires difference threshold information from the reference DB 1031. Then, the determination unit 113 determines whether or not the calculated absolute value of the difference is larger than the difference threshold indicated by the difference threshold information (step S115). When the determination unit 113 determines that the calculated absolute value of the difference is equal to or less than the difference threshold (no in step S115), the process of step S119 described later is executed.

On the other hand, when the determination unit 113 determines that the calculated absolute value of the difference is larger than the difference threshold (step S115: YES), it is determined whether or not the temperature difference Δ T1 is larger than the temperature difference Δ T2 (step S116). When the determination unit 113 determines that the temperature difference Δ T1 is greater than the temperature difference Δ T2 (yes in step S116), the control unit 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105 so that the ratio AP1/AP2 of the opening AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 to the opening AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 is increased by a predetermined ratio (step S117). Specifically, the controller 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105 to lower the opening AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 in a state where the opening AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 is set to the upper limit opening AP1max, for example, to increase the ratio AP1/AP2 by 5%, for example. Subsequently, the process of step S119 described later is executed.

On the other hand, when the determination unit 113 determines that the temperature difference Δ T1 is equal to or less than the temperature difference Δ T2 (no in step S116), the control unit 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105 so that the ratio AP1/AP2 of the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 to the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 is decreased by a predetermined ratio (step S118). Specifically, the controller 114 controls the flapper driving unit 105 to lower the opening degree AP1 of the first downstream flapper 13 in a state where the opening degree AP2 of the second downstream flapper 14 is set to the upper limit opening degree AP2max, for example, to lower the ratio AP1/AP2 by 5%, for example.

Then, the temperature acquiring unit 111 acquires temperature information indicating the first blowing temperature T1in measured by the blowing temperature measuring unit 9 and temperature information indicating the first return temperature T1out measured by the return temperature measuring unit 10 (step S119).

Next, the determination unit 113 determines whether or not the first blowing temperature T1in is equal to or lower than the upper limit management temperature Tup, and whether or not the first returning temperature T1out is equal to or lower than the upper limit management temperature Tup (step S120). When the determination unit 113 determines that at least one of the first blowing temperature T1in and the first return temperature T1out is higher than the upper limit management temperature Tup (no in step S120), the process of step S113 is executed again. On the other hand, when the determination unit 113 determines that both the first blowing temperature T1in and the first return temperature T1out are equal to or lower than the upper limit management temperature Tup (YES in step S120), the process of step S101 is executed again.

As described above, according to the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, the temperature difference calculation unit 112 calculates the temperature differences Δ T1 and Δ T2 reflecting the thermal loads of the objects to be stored disposed in the upper case 21 of the area a1 and the lower case 22 of the area a2, respectively. Then, the controller 114 determines the flow rates of the air blown out from the

air outlets

134a, 134b to the upper casing 21 of the area a1 and the lower casing 22 of the area a2, respectively, based on the temperature differences Δ T1, Δ T2 calculated by the temperature difference calculator 112, and controls the first downstream flap 13 and the second downstream flap 14 so that the flow rates of the air blown out from the

air outlets

134a, 134b reach the determined flow rates. Accordingly, the flow rates of the air blown out from the

air outlets

134a, 134b toward the upper casing 21 in the area a1 and the lower casing 22 in the area a2 can be set to the optimum flow rates according to the thermal loads of the objects to be stored in the upper casing 21 in the area a1 and the lower casing 22 in the area a2, respectively. Therefore, the flow rate of the air blown out into the upper casing 21 of the area a1 and the lower casing 22 of the area a2 can be suppressed from being insufficient or excessive, and thus the cooling performance of the storage objects can be improved and the power consumption can be reduced.

In addition, there has been conventionally provided a refrigerator that performs control for increasing a cooling rate by increasing a rotation speed of a fan or a compressor for a certain period of time when a change in a door from an open state to a closed state is detected or a temperature in a freezing chamber is increased to a predetermined reference temperature range or more. In the refrigerator having this configuration, the cooling rate is adjusted according to the heat load of the entire freezing chamber, so that wasteful cooling of the storage object can be suppressed, and power consumption of the refrigerator can be reduced. However, the difference in the thermal load of the storage objects disposed in the plurality of areas in the same freezing chamber is not considered.

In contrast, in the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, the flow rates of the air blown out to the upper casing 21 and the lower casing 22 are set to the optimum flow rates in accordance with the difference in thermal load between the objects to be stored in the upper casing 21 in the area a1 and the lower casing 22 in the area a2, which are respectively disposed in the same freezing room 134. Therefore, compared to the conventional refrigerator, the refrigerator has an advantage that power consumption can be reduced. In addition, the amount of cold air flowing into the upper case 21 or the lower case 22 due to a thermal load of the storage object disposed in the upper case 21 or the lower case 22 can be suppressed from being insufficient or excessive. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress an increase in power consumption due to an increase in time required to cool the inside of freezing room 134 until the temperature becomes equal to or lower than upper limit management temperature Tup, or a decrease in the cold insulation of the storage object due to an increase in time required to remove heat from the storage object.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, as shown in fig. 7A and 7B, the refrigerator may include a flow rate adjustment unit having a movable louver 2013 disposed at a merging portion 2134f of the blowing

ducts

2134d and 2134e communicating with the blowing ports 2134a and 2134B, respectively. In fig. 7A, the same components as those of the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of fig. 3. As shown by an arrow AR21 in fig. 7B, the flow rate adjusting unit changes the inclination of the rectification plate 2013, thereby changing the ratio of the cold air flowing into the blowing

ducts

2134d and 2134 e. The flow rate adjustment unit may be configured such that, for example, the rectification plate 2013 can completely close one of the two

blow ducts

2134d and 2134 e. In this case, the flow rate adjustment unit may change the time ratio of the closing time of the

respective outlet ducts

2134d and 2134e by the rectification plate 2013, and change the time average of the amounts of cold air blown out from the outlet ports 2134a and 2134 b.

According to this configuration, the structure of the flow rate adjusting unit can be simplified.

In the embodiment, an example in which the refrigerator 1 includes the first blowing temperature measuring unit 9, the first return temperature measuring unit 10, the second blowing temperature measuring unit 11, and the second return temperature measuring unit 12 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in fig. 8, a refrigerator including a heat flux sensor 3011 attached to the bottom wall of the upper case 21 may be used.

The heat flux sensor 3011 detects a heat flux value indicating the magnitude of the heat flux flowing between the upper case 21 and the lower case 22 and a flow direction of the heat flux, and outputs a voltage corresponding to the detected magnitude and flow direction of the heat flux. When the thermal load of the storage object disposed in the upper case 21 is larger than the thermal load stored in the lower case 22, a heat flux is generated toward the lower case 22 through the bottom wall of the upper case 21. At this time, the heat flux sensor 3011 mounted on the bottom wall of the upper case 21 outputs a voltage signal corresponding to the heat flux flowing from the upper case 21 toward the lower case 22. For example, as the temperature of the storage object disposed in the upper case 21 becomes higher and the temperature difference between the temperature of the air in the upper case 21 and the temperature of the air in the lower case 22 becomes larger, the heat flux value corresponding to the voltage signal output from the heat flux sensor 3011 becomes larger. The higher the temperature of the storage object, the greater the heat removal amount of the storage object, i.e., the heat load. Thus, the heat flux value obtained by the heat flux sensor 3011 can be said to be a physical quantity reflecting the difference in the heat load of the storage objects disposed in the upper case 21 and the lower case 22, respectively.

As shown in fig. 9, the control device 3100 according to the present modification has the same hardware configuration as that of the embodiment. In fig. 9, the same components as those of the control device 100 according to the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in fig. 4. The interface 104 is connected to the first blowing temperature measuring unit 9, the first return temperature measuring unit 10, the heat flux sensor 3011, and the door opening/closing detecting unit 8. The interface 104 converts the voltage signal input from the heat flux sensor 3011 into heat flux information indicating a heat flux value and notifies the CPU101 of the heat flux information. Here, for example, an absolute value of the heat flux value indicates the magnitude of the heat flux detected by the heat flux sensor 3011, and the positive and negative values of the heat flux value indicate the flow direction of the heat flux. For example, a positive heat flux value indicates that a heat flux flowing from the upper case 21 to the lower case 22 is generated, and a negative heat flux value indicates that a heat flux flowing from the lower case 22 to the upper case 21 is generated.

The reference DB3131 stores temperature information indicating the upper limit management temperature Tup and the lower limit management temperature Tlow, and also stores heat flux threshold information indicating a heat flux threshold | Qf | th, which is a threshold value with respect to the absolute value of the heat flux value Qf.

The CPU101 reads and executes the program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 into the main storage unit 102, and functions as a temperature acquisition unit 111 that acquires the first blow-out temperature and the first return temperature, a heat flux value acquisition unit 3112 that acquires information indicating a heat flux value and a flow direction of the heat flux detected by the heat flux sensor 3011, a determination unit 3113, and a control unit 114. Heat flux value obtaining unit 3112 obtains heat flux information indicating the heat flux value detected by heat flux sensor 3011 and the flow direction of the heat flux through interface 104.

Determination unit 3113 determines a magnitude relationship between a heat flux threshold indicated by heat flux threshold information stored in reference DB3131 and an absolute value of a heat flux value indicated by the heat flux information. Determination unit 3113 determines information indicating the flow direction of the heat flux, that is, the positive and negative values of the heat flux value.

Next, a refrigerator control process executed by the control device 3100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 10. In fig. 10, the same reference numerals as those in fig. 5 and 6 are given to the same processes as those in the refrigerator control process according to the embodiment. First, after the processes from step S101 to step S112 are performed, heat flux value acquisition section 3112 acquires heat flux information indicating heat flux value Qf from heat flux sensor 3011 via interface 104 (step S201).

Next, the determination unit 3113 acquires heat flux threshold information from the reference DB3131, and determines whether or not the absolute value | Qf | of the heat flux value Qf indicated by the heat flux information is larger than the heat flux threshold | Qf | th indicated by the heat flux threshold information (step S202). When determining unit 3113 determines that absolute value | Qf | of heat flux value Qf is equal to or less than heat flux threshold | Qf | th (no in step S202), the process of step S119 is executed as it is.

On the other hand, when determining unit 3113 determines that absolute value | Qf | of heat flux value Qf is greater than heat flux threshold | Qf | th (yes in step S202), it determines whether or not heat flux value Qf is greater than 0, that is, positive (step S203). When determining unit 3113 determines that heat flux value Qf is positive (yes in step S203), the process of step S117 described above is executed. On the other hand, when determining unit 3113 determines that heat flux value Qf is 0 or less (no in step S203), the process of step S118 described above is executed. Thereafter, the processing from step S119 onward is executed.

In the configuration in which the temperature sensor is attached to the bottom wall of the upper case 21 instead of the heat flux sensor 3011, the temperature of the bottom wall of the upper case 21 can be measured, but the flow direction of the heat flux generated between the upper case 21 and the lower case 22 cannot be determined. For example, when a storage object having a large thermal load is placed in the lower case 22, air around the storage object heated by the storage object may reach the bottom wall of the upper case 21 and heat the bottom wall of the upper case 21. Therefore, even if the temperature measured by the temperature sensor attached to the bottom wall of the upper case 21 increases, it is impossible to determine whether the temperature is caused by an increase in the thermal load of the storage object disposed in the upper case 21 or an increase in the thermal load of the storage object disposed in the lower case 22.

In contrast, in the present configuration, by acquiring the heat flux value of the heat flux generated between the upper case 21 and the lower case 22 by the heat flux sensor 3011, the magnitude relationship of the heat load of the storage target objects respectively disposed in the upper case 21 and the lower case 22 can be determined with high accuracy. Further, according to this configuration, the flow rate of the air blown out to the upper case 21 and the lower case 22 is set to the optimum flow rate in accordance with the magnitude relation of the thermal load of the storage objects disposed in the upper case 21 and the lower case 22, respectively. This suppresses the shortage of the amount of cold air supplied to the upper case 21 or the lower case 22 or the excess of the amount of cold air supplied to the upper case 21 or the lower case 22.

In the refrigerator 1 of the embodiment, an example has been described in which the first outlet temperature measuring unit 9 is provided in the vicinity of the outlet 134a of the freezing chamber 134, and the second outlet temperature measuring unit 11 is provided in the vicinity of the outlet 134b of the freezing chamber 134. However, the configuration for measuring the temperature of the cold air blown into freezing chamber 134 from

air outlets

134a and 134b of freezing chamber 134 is not limited to this. For example, the refrigerator may include a temperature measuring unit that measures the temperature existing in the air duct 15A or in the vicinity of the cooler 162. In this case, the refrigerator may be provided with a temperature estimating unit that estimates the temperature of the air blown out from the

air outlets

134a and 134b based on the temperature of the air present in the air duct 15A or in the vicinity of the cooler 162 measured by the temperature measuring unit. The temperature estimating unit estimates, for example, the following temperatures as the temperatures of the air blown out from the

air outlets

134a and 134 b: the measured temperature of the air present in the air-passage duct 15A or in the vicinity of the cooler 162 is added to the temperature obtained by the temperature increase due to the heat exchange with the air-passage duct 15A. The temperature increase width may be set based on, for example, a temperature difference between the temperature of the air in the vicinity of the cooler 162 and the temperature of the air blown out from the

air outlets

134a and 134b, which is obtained by measurement in advance.

According to this configuration, the number of necessary temperature measuring units can be reduced, and therefore, the structure of the refrigerator 1 can be simplified and the cost can be reduced accordingly.

In the embodiment, description is given of refrigerator 1in which two

air outlets

134a and 134b are provided in freezing room 134 and one air outlet is provided in each of refrigerating room 131, ice making room 132, switching room 133, and vegetable room 135. However, the storage chamber provided with a plurality of air outlets is not limited to freezing chamber 134. A plurality of blow-out ports may be provided in one or more and five or less storage compartments selected from refrigerating compartment 131, ice-making compartment 132, switching compartment 133, freezing compartment 134, and vegetable compartment 135.

In the embodiment, an example in which two

air outlets

134a and 134b are provided in freezing room 134 has been described, but the number of air outlets is not limited to two. For example, a refrigerator may be provided with three or more air outlets in freezing chamber 134 and may blow cold air individually into casings disposed in three or more regions in freezing chamber 134. Further, a refrigerator may be provided with three or more blow-out ports in one or more, four or less storage compartments selected from among refrigerating compartment 131, ice-making compartment 132, switching compartment 133, and vegetable compartment 135.

In the embodiment, an example is described in which the determination unit 113 compares the first blow-out temperature or the first return temperature with the upper limit management temperature in step S102 of the refrigerator control process, and compares the first blow-out temperature or the first return temperature with the lower limit management temperature in step S105. However, the determination unit 113 is not limited to this, as the target of comparison between the upper limit management temperature and the lower limit management temperature. For example, in step S102 and step S105 of the refrigerator control process, the determination unit 113 may compare one to four temperatures selected from the first blowing temperature, the second blowing temperature, the first return temperature, and the second return temperature with the upper limit management temperature or the lower limit management temperature.

In the embodiment, the description has been given of the configuration in which the upstream damper is provided at the connecting portion of the air duct 15A to the refrigerating compartment 131, the ice making compartment 132, the switching compartment 133, the freezing compartment 134, and the vegetable compartment 135. However, the damper for controlling introduction of cold air into the refrigerating compartment 131, the ice-making compartment 132, the switching compartment 133, the freezing compartment 134, and the vegetable compartment 135 is not limited thereto. For example, the dampers may be provided at the portions of the air duct 15B connected to the refrigerating compartment 131, the ice making compartment 132, the switching compartment 133, the freezing compartment 134, and the vegetable compartment 135, respectively.

The various functions of the control device 100 of the present invention can be implemented using a computer system without using a dedicated system. For example, the control device 100 may be configured to execute the above-described processing by storing a program for executing the above-described operation in a non-transitory recording medium (a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Only Memory), a dvd (digital versatile Disc), an MO (magnetic-Optical Disc), or the like) readable by a computer system, distributing the program to a computer connected to a network, and installing the program in the computer system.

In addition, a method of supplying the program to the computer is arbitrary. For example, the program may be uploaded to a server on a communication line and distributed to the computer via the communication line. Then, the computer starts the program and executes it in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the os (operating system). Thus, the computer functions as the control device 100 that executes the above-described processing.

The present invention is capable of various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. The above embodiments are illustrative of the present invention, and do not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is shown not by the embodiments but by the claims. Also, various modifications made within the meaning of the claims and equivalent inventions are regarded as being within the scope of the present invention.

Industrial applicability

The present invention is suitable for a refrigerator in which a plurality of areas in a storage chamber are respectively provided with a housing for storing objects to be stored.

Description of the reference numerals

1, a refrigerator; 1a heat insulation box body; 8 door opening/closing detection part; 9 a first blowing temperature measuring part; 10 a first return temperature measuring section; 11 a second blowing temperature measuring unit; 12 a second return temperature measuring unit; 13 a first downstream baffle; 14 a second downstream baffle; 15A, 15B air duct; 16 a cooler chamber; 18 a machine chamber; 21 an upper shell; 21a, 22a return port; 22a lower housing; 40 a compressor; 100. 3100 control means; 101 a CPU; 102 a main storage unit; 103 an auxiliary storage unit; 104 interface; 105 a baffle driving part; 106 a fan driving part; 107 compressor driving part; 111 a temperature acquisition unit; 112 temperature difference calculating section; 113. 3113 a determination unit; 114 a control unit; 121. 122, 123, 124, 125 doors; 131a refrigerating chamber; 131a, 133a, 134b, 135a blowing ports; 131b, 133b, 134c, 135 b; 132 an ice-making chamber; 133a switching chamber; 134 freezing chamber; 135 vegetable room; a 161 fan; 162 a cooler; 1031. 3131 reference DB; 1032 parameter DB; 1511. 1513, 1514, 1515 upstream baffles; 2013 wind rectifying plate; 2134d, 2134e blow out of the pipeline; 3112 a heat flux value acquisition unit; region A1, region A2.

Claims

1. A refrigerator is provided with:

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising:

an outlet temperature measuring unit that measures the temperature of the air blown out from the plurality of outlets;

a return temperature measuring unit that measures a temperature of air that flows out of the plurality of areas and returns to the suction port after being heated by heat exchange with the storage objects disposed in the plurality of areas, respectively; and

a physical quantity calculation unit that calculates the physical quantity,

the physical quantity calculation unit calculates a temperature difference between the blown-out temperature measured by the blown-out temperature measurement unit and the return temperature measured by the return temperature measurement unit as the physical quantity.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

the heat flux control apparatus further includes a heat flux value acquisition unit that acquires, as the physical quantity, a heat flux value indicating a magnitude of heat flux between the plurality of zones.

4. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the storage chamber is also provided with an opening part for taking and putting the storage object inside,

the storage chamber further includes:

a door mounted to the opening; and

an open/close detection unit for detecting the open/close state of the door,

the control unit determines the flow rate of the air blown out from the plurality of air outlets to the plurality of areas, respectively, based on the thermal load of each of the storage objects disposed in the plurality of areas, after the open/close detection unit detects that the door has changed from the open state to the closed state.

5. A refrigerator control method for controlling a refrigerator including a storage chamber for storing a storage object, the storage chamber being provided with a plurality of blow-out ports for blowing out cooled air individually to a plurality of areas on an inner side, and a suction port for sucking in air existing on the inner side, and a flow rate adjusting unit for adjusting flow rates of air blown out from the plurality of blow-out ports to the plurality of areas, respectively, the refrigerator control method comprising:

determining flow rates of air blown out from the plurality of blow-out ports to the plurality of areas, respectively, based on physical quantities reflecting thermal loads of storage objects disposed in the plurality of areas, respectively; and

and a step of controlling the flow rate adjusting unit so that the flow rate of the air blown out from the plurality of blow-out ports reaches the determined flow rate.

6. A program for causing a computer to function as a control unit that determines flow rates of air blown out from a plurality of blow-out ports to a plurality of areas of a storage room, respectively, in accordance with a physical quantity reflecting a thermal load of a storage object placed in the plurality of areas, respectively, and controls a flow rate adjustment unit so that the flow rates of the air blown out from the plurality of blow-out ports reach the determined flow rates, the storage room storing the storage object, the storage room being provided with the plurality of blow-out ports that individually blow out cooled air to the plurality of areas on an inner side, respectively, and a suction port that sucks in air present on the inner side, the flow rate adjustment unit adjusting the flow rates of the air blown out from the plurality of blow-out ports to the plurality of areas, respectively.