CN111854280B

CN111854280B - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN111854280B
Application number: CN202010234895.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 渡边浩太; 竹内慎
Original assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Current assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Priority date: 2019-04-24
Filing date: 2020-03-30
Publication date: 2022-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 2040-03-30
Also published as: CN111854280A; JP6998339B2; JP2020180733A

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator capable of performing more appropriate cooling control. The refrigerator of the embodiment comprises a shell, a cooling part and a control part. The housing includes a storage portion. The cooling unit cools the storage unit. The control unit can control the cooling unit in a 1 st control mode and a 2 nd control mode, and the 2 nd control mode alternately repeats: the control unit performs at least 1 of a change of the content of the 1 st control mode, a change of the content of the 2 nd control mode, an early termination or interruption of one of the control modes, and a delay of the start of the other control mode based on a predetermined priority order, when a low-temperature cooling control for cooling the storage unit in the 1 st temperature zone and a high-temperature cooling control for cooling the storage unit in the 2 nd temperature zone higher than the 1 st temperature zone are received and a start instruction of the other control mode is received during execution of one of the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

Background

A refrigerator having a freezer compartment maintained at a lower temperature than a refrigerator compartment is known. The freezing chamber stores food such as fermented food or fresh food at a temperature as low as possible without freezing.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2015-102320

However, in the future, it is conceivable to further improve the freshness of food by executing a special control mode in which low-temperature cooling control for cooling a storage unit such as a fresh food compartment at a low-temperature zone and high-temperature cooling control for cooling the storage unit at a high-temperature zone are alternately repeated. In this case, when the special control mode is executed in parallel with the other control modes or executed in tandem, the suitability of the cooling control may be lowered.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a refrigerator capable of more appropriately controlling cooling.

The refrigerator of the embodiment comprises a shell, a cooling part and a control part. The housing contains a reservoir. The cooling unit cools the storage unit. The control unit can control the cooling unit by executing a 1 st control mode and a 2 nd control mode, in which the 2 nd control mode alternately repeats a low-temperature cooling control for cooling the storage unit in a 1 st temperature zone and a high-temperature cooling control for cooling the storage unit in a 2 nd temperature zone higher than the 1 st temperature zone. The control unit performs at least 1 of a change of a content of the 1 st control mode, a change of a content of the 2 nd control mode, an early termination or interruption of the one control mode, and a delay in a start of the other control mode, based on a predetermined priority order, when receiving an instruction to start the other control mode during execution of one control mode of the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode.

Description of reference numerals

1 … … refrigerator, 10 … … casing, 15 … … cooling part, 27a … … refrigerating chamber, 27AA … … refrigerating chamber (storage part), 27E … … main freezing chamber, 41 … … cooler for refrigerating, 43 … … fan for refrigerating, 46 … … cooler for freezing, 48 … … fan for freezing, 49 … … compressor, 100 … … control part.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the refrigerator shown in fig. 1 taken along the line F2-F2.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a part of the functional configuration of the refrigerator according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing changes in the air temperature of the fresh air compartment when the special fresh air control mode of the embodiment is executed.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining example 1 of the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining example 2 of the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining example 3 of the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining example 4 of the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining example 5 of the embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining example 6 of the embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining example 7 of the embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining example 8 of the embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a diagram for explaining example 9 of the embodiment.

Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining example 10 of the embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining example 11 of the embodiment.

Fig. 17 is a diagram for explaining example 11 of the embodiment.

Fig. 18 is a diagram for explaining example 12 of the embodiment.

Fig. 19 is a diagram for explaining example 13 of the embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the components having the same or similar functions. A repetitive description of these configurations may be omitted. In this specification, the left-right direction is defined with reference to a direction in which a user standing on the front of the refrigerator views the refrigerator. Further, a side close to a user standing on the front side of the refrigerator as viewed from the refrigerator is defined as "front", and a side far away therefrom is defined as "rear".

In the present specification, the phrase "based on XX" means "based on at least XX", and includes cases where the phrase is based on other elements in addition to XX. The term "based on XX" is not limited to the case of using XX directly, and includes the case of using XX after calculation or processing. "XX" is an arbitrary element (e.g., arbitrary information).

The "average temperature" in this specification may be replaced with the "center temperature". The "center temperature" is a value obtained by adding the maximum value (or upper limit value) and the minimum value (or lower limit value) of the temperature zone to be measured and dividing the sum by 2. However, the "center temperature" may be calculated by excluding, for example, a deviation value or the like that may occur when switching between low-temperature cooling control and high-temperature cooling control, which will be described later.

(embodiment mode)

[1. integral constitution of refrigerator ]

A refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 19. First, the overall structure of the refrigerator 1 will be described.

Fig. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator 1. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the refrigerator 1 shown in fig. 1 taken along the line F2-F2. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 includes, for example, a casing 10, a plurality of doors 11, a plurality of shelves 12, a plurality of containers 13, a flow path forming member 14, a cooling unit 15, and a control panel 16.

The housing 10 has an upper wall 21, a lower wall 22, left and

right side walls

23, 24, and a rear wall 25. The upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 extend substantially horizontally. The left and

right side walls

23, 24 rise upward from the left and right end portions of the lower wall 22 and are connected to the left and right end portions of the upper wall 21. The rear wall 25 rises upward from the rear end of the lower wall 22 and is connected to the rear end of the upper wall 21.

As shown in fig. 2, the casing 10 includes, for example, an inner box 10a, an outer box 10b, and a heat insulating portion 10 c. The inner case 10a is a member forming the inner surface of the casing 10. The outer case 10b is a member forming the outer surface of the housing 10. The outer box 10b is formed to be larger than the inner box 10a by one turn, and is disposed outside the inner box 10 a. A heat insulating portion 10c containing a foamed heat insulating material such as foamed polyurethane is provided between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10 b.

Inside the casing 10, a plurality of storage chambers 27 are provided. The plurality of storage compartments 27 include, for example, a refrigerating compartment 27A, a vegetable compartment 27B, an ice making compartment 27C, a small freezing compartment 27D, and a main freezing compartment 27E. In the present embodiment, refrigerating room 27A is disposed at the uppermost portion, vegetable room 27B is disposed below refrigerating room 27A, ice making room 27C and small freezing room 27D are disposed below vegetable room 27B, and main freezing room 27E is disposed below ice making room 27C and small freezing room 27D. However, the arrangement of storage room 27 is not limited to the above example, and for example, ice making room 27C and small freezing room 27D may be arranged below refrigerating room 27A, main freezing room 27E may be arranged below ice making room 27C and small freezing room 27D, and vegetable room 27B may be arranged below main freezing room 27E. The casing 10 has an opening on the front side of each storage chamber 27 to enable food to be accessed with respect to each storage chamber 27.

The fresh food chamber 27AA is provided below a part of the refrigerating chamber 27A, for example. The fresh food chamber 27AA is at least partially divided with respect to the refrigerating chamber 27A by a shelf or a wall, for example. Fresh air compartment 27AA is located below refrigerating compartment 27A, for example, so that cold air easily flows in, or is located closer to a cooler 41 for refrigerating, which will be described later, than refrigerating compartment 27A, so that it is cooled to a temperature lower than refrigerating compartment 27A. In the present specification, the fresh air compartment 27AA is an example of the "storage unit". The fresh air compartment 27AA may be referred to as "1 st storage unit". On the other hand, each of ice making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E may also be referred to as "2 nd storage unit".

The housing 10 has the 1 st and 2

nd partitions

28 and 29. The 1 st and 2

nd partitions

28 and 29 are, for example, partition walls extending in a substantially horizontal direction. Partition portion 1 is located between refrigerating chamber 27A (fresh food chamber 27AA) and vegetable chamber 27B, and partitions refrigerating chamber 27A (fresh food chamber 27AA) and vegetable chamber 27B. On the other hand, the 2 nd partition 29 is located between the vegetable compartment 27B and the ice making compartment 27C and the small freezing compartment 27D, and partitions the vegetable compartment 27B and the ice making compartment 27C and the small freezing compartment 27D. The 2 nd partition 29 includes, for example, a foamed heat insulating material and has heat insulation properties. The 1 st partition 28 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and has less heat insulating property than the 2 nd partition 29.

The openings of the storage compartments 27 are openably and closably closed by the doors 11. The plurality of doors 11 includes, for example: left and right refrigerating chamber doors 11Aa and 11Ab for closing the opening of refrigerating chamber 27A; a vegetable compartment door 11B that closes the opening of the vegetable compartment 27B; an ice making chamber door 11C that closes an opening of the ice making chamber 27C; a small freezing chamber door 11D that closes the opening of the small freezing chamber 27D; and a main freezing chamber door 11E closing an opening of the main freezing chamber 27E.

A plurality of shelves 12 are provided in the refrigerating chamber 27A.

The plurality of containers 13 includes: a fresh food chamber container 13A provided in the fresh food chamber 27AA, the 1 st and 2 nd vegetable chamber containers 13Ba and 13Bb provided in the vegetable chamber 27B, an ice making chamber container (not shown) provided in the ice making chamber 27C, a small freezing chamber container 13D provided in the small freezing chamber 27D, and the 1 st and 2 nd main freezing chamber containers 13Ea and 13Eb provided in the main freezing chamber 27E.

The flow passage forming member 14 is disposed in the casing 10. The flow passage forming member 14 includes a 1 st duct member 31 and a 2 nd duct member 32.

The 1 st duct member 31 is provided along the rear wall 25 of the housing 10, extending in the vertical direction. Duct member 1 extends from behind the lower end of vegetable compartment 27B to behind the upper end of refrigerating compartment 27A, for example. Between the 1 st duct member 31 and the rear wall 25 of the casing 10, a 1 st duct space D1 as a passage through which cold air (air) flows is formed. Duct member 1 has a plurality of cold air outlets 31a in the refrigerating compartment, cold air outlets 31b in the fresh compartment, and cold air return openings 31 c. Cold air outlet 31a in the refrigerating chamber is provided at a plurality of height positions above fresh air chamber 27 AA. Cold-storage room cold air outlets 31a open to cold-storage room 27A. Cold air flowing through 1 st duct space D1 is blown out from cold-storage room cold air outlet 31a to cold-storage room 27. The cold air outlet 31b opens into the fresh air compartment 27 AA. The cold air flowing through the 1 st duct space D1 is blown out from the cold air outlet 31b of the fresh air compartment to the fresh air compartment 27 AA. The cold air return port 31c opens into the vegetable compartment 27B. The cold air flowing through the vegetable compartment 27B returns from the cold air return port 31c to the 1 st duct space D1.

The 2 nd duct member 32 is provided along the rear wall 25 of the housing 10, extending in the vertical direction. The 2 nd duct element 32 extends, for example, from the rear of the main freezing compartment 27E to the rear of the upper end portions of the ice making compartment 27C and the small freezing compartment 27D. Between the 2 nd duct member 32 and the rear wall 25 of the casing 10, a 2 nd duct space D2 as a passage through which cold air (air) flows is formed. The 2 nd duct member 32 has a cold air outlet 32a and a cold air return opening 32 b. Cold air outlet 32a opens into ice making chamber 27C and small freezing chamber 27D. The cold air flowing through 2 nd duct space D2 is blown out from cold air outlet 32a to ice making compartment 27C and small freezing compartment 27D. Cold air return port 32b opens to main freezer compartment 27E. The cold air flowing through the main freezing chamber 27E is returned from the cold air return opening 32b to the 2 nd duct space D2.

Cooling unit (cooling means) 15 cools a plurality of storage compartments 27 (refrigerating compartment 27A, fresh-cooling compartment 27AA, vegetable compartment 27B, ice-making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E). The cooling unit 15 includes, for example, a 1 st cooling module 40, a 2 nd cooling module 45, a compressor 49, and a refrigeration cycle device 50 (fig. 3).

The 1 st cooling module 40 includes, for example, a cooler 41 for cold storage and a fan 43 for cold storage. The cooler 41 for cold storage is disposed in the 1 st duct space D1. The cooler 41 for cold storage is supplied with a refrigerant compressed by a compressor 49 described later, and cools the cold air flowing in the 1 st duct space D1. The cooler 41 for cold storage is disposed at a height corresponding to the fresh air compartment 27AA, for example.

The cooling fan 43 is provided at, for example, the cold air return port 31c of the 1 st duct member 31. The cooling fan 43 is an example of the "1 st blower". When the cooling fan 43 is driven, the air in the vegetable compartment 27B flows into the 1 st duct space D1 from the cold air return port 31 c. The air flowing into the 1 st duct space D1 flows upward in the 1 st duct space D1 and is cooled by the cooler 41 for cold storage. The cold air cooled by cooler 41 for cold storage is blown out from cold air outlet 31a of the plurality of refrigerating rooms to refrigerating room 27A, and is blown out from cold air outlet 31b of the fresh air room to fresh air room 27 AA. The cold air blown out into refrigerating room 27A and fresh air room 27AA flows through refrigerating room 27A and fresh air room 27AA, respectively, and then returns to cold air return port 31c again through vegetable room 27B, for example. As a result, the cold air flowing through refrigerating room 27A, fresh air room 27AA, and vegetable room 27B circulates in refrigerator 1, and refrigerating room 27A, fresh air room 27AA, and vegetable room 27B are cooled.

On the other hand, the 2 nd cooling module 45 includes, for example, a cooling cooler 46 and a cooling fan 48. The refrigerating cooler 46 is disposed in the 2 nd duct space D2. The refrigerating cooler 46 is supplied with a refrigerant compressed by a compressor 49 described later, and cools the cold air flowing in the 2 nd duct space D2.

The freezing fan 48 is provided at, for example, the cold air return port 32b of the 2 nd duct member 32. The cooling fan 48 is an example of the "2 nd blower". When the freezing fan 48 is driven, the air in the main freezing chamber 27E flows into the 2 nd duct space D2 from the cold air return port 32 b. The air flowing into the 2 nd duct space D2 flows upward in the 2 nd duct space D2 and is cooled by the refrigerating cooler 46. The cold air cooled by the freezing cooler 46 flows into the ice making chamber 27C, the small freezing chamber 27D, and the main freezing chamber 27E from the cold air outlet 32 a. The cold air flowing into the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D flows into the ice making chamber 27C and the small freezing chamber 27D, respectively, and then returns to the cold air return port 32b via the main freezing chamber 27E. As a result, the cold air flowing through ice making chamber 27C, small freezing chamber 27D, and main freezing chamber 27E circulates in refrigerator 1, and ice making chamber 27C, small freezing chamber 27D, and main freezing chamber 27E are cooled.

The compressor 49 is provided in, for example, a machine room in the bottom of the refrigerator 1. The compressor 49 compresses a refrigerant gas used for cooling the storage chamber 27. The refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 49 is sent to the refrigerating cooler 41 and the freezing cooler 46 via a condenser 51 and the like described later.

In the present specification, the term "cooling" is not limited to the case where the refrigerating fan 43 or the freezing fan 48 is driven. For example, the term "cooling" includes a case where the refrigerant is sent from the compressor 49 to the refrigerating cooler 41 in a state where the driving of the refrigerating fan 43 is stopped, and the temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA is lowered by heat conduction between the refrigerating cooler 41 and the fresh air chamber 27 AA.

The control board 16 is provided on, for example, an upper wall 21 of the housing 10. In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the upper wall 21 of the housing 10 has a recess 21a recessed downward. The control board 16 is disposed in the recess 21 a.

[2. refrigerating cycle device ]

The refrigerator 1 configured as described above is cooled by the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 controlled by the control unit 100 described later.

[2.1. construction of refrigeration cycle apparatus ]

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 includes a compressor 49, a condenser 51, a dryer 52, a three-way valve 53,

capillary tubes

54 and 55, a cooler 41 for cold storage, and a cooler 46 for freezing, which are connected in an annular manner in the order of flow of refrigerant. A condenser 51 and a dryer 52 are connected in this order to a high-pressure discharge port of the compressor 49 via a connection pipe 56. A three-way valve 53 is connected to the discharge side of the dryer 52. The three-way valve 53 has 1 inlet and 2 outlets connected to the dryer 52. Of the 2 outlets of the three-way valve 53, a refrigerating-side capillary tube 54 and a refrigerating cooler 41 are connected in this order to one outlet. The cooler 41 for cold storage is connected to the compressor 49 via a cold storage side suction pipe (suction pipe)57 as a connection pipe.

The freezing-side capillary tube 55 and the freezing cooler 46 are connected in this order to the other of the 2 outlets of the three-way valve 53. The refrigeration chiller 46 is connected to the compressor 49 via a refrigeration-side suction pipe 58 as a connection pipe. A check valve 59 for preventing the refrigerant from the refrigerating cooler 41 from flowing backward toward the refrigerating cooler 46 is provided between the refrigerating cooler 46 and the compressor 49.

[2.2. flow of refrigerant in refrigeration cycle apparatus ]

Next, the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 will be described. First, the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 is compressed by the compressor 49, becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant, and flows through the flow path a. The gaseous refrigerant is radiated by the condenser 51 and turns into a medium-temperature high-pressure liquid refrigerant. Then, the liquid refrigerant from which impurities such as contamination and moisture have been removed passes through the dryer 52, and enters the refrigerating-side capillary tube 54 (or the freezing-side capillary tube 55) while being controlled by the three-way valve 53 to be throttled. At this time, the medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant in the refrigerating side capillary tube 54 (or the freezing side capillary tube 55) is decompressed while exchanging heat with the refrigerant in the refrigerating side suction tube 57 (or the freezing side suction tube 58). Then, the refrigerant whose pressure is reduced evaporates while passing through the refrigerating cooler 41 (or the freezing cooler 46), and the inside of the 1 st cooling module 40 (or the 2 nd cooling module 45) is cooled.

Then, the refrigerant in the form of a gas having a low temperature and a low pressure flows into the refrigerating side suction pipe 57 (or the freezing side suction pipe 58). At this time, the temperature of the refrigerant gas immediately after flowing into the refrigerating side suction pipe 57 (or the freezing side suction pipe 58) is low around-10 ℃. While the preparation gas passes through the suction tube 57 (or the suction tube 58), the preparation gas exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the capillary tube 54 (or the capillary tube 55), and finally, the temperature is raised to room temperature. Then, the refrigerant gas is sucked into the compressor 49 again, and the refrigerant cycle is completed.

In the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 described above, the three-way valve 53 is controlled by the control unit 100 (see fig. 4) to select one or both of the flow paths B and C. The flow path B is a flow path for supplying the refrigerant to the refrigerating cooler 41, and the flow path C is a flow path for supplying the refrigerant to the freezing cooler 46. These two flow paths B, C merge at a merging point D. The refrigerant flows from the merging point D in the direction of the arrow E and returns to the compressor 49.

[3. control ]

[3.1 functional constitution relating to control ]

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a part of the functional configuration of the refrigerator 1. The control panel 16 includes a control unit 100 including a computer having a microcomputer, a timer, and the like. The control unit 100 controls the whole of the refrigerator 1. The refrigerating fan 43, the freezing fan 48, the compressor 49, the three-way valve 53, the refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 110, the fresh compartment temperature sensor 111, the freezing compartment temperature sensor 112, the storage unit 116, and the operation panel unit 150 are connected to the control unit 100.

Refrigerating room temperature sensor 110 is provided in refrigerating room 27A, and detects the air temperature in refrigerating room 27A. The fresh air chamber temperature sensor 111 is provided in the fresh air chamber 27AA, and detects the air temperature in the fresh air chamber 27 AA. Freezer temperature sensor 112 is provided in main freezer compartment 27E, for example, and detects the air temperature in main freezer compartment 27E. Hereinafter, the temperature of main freezer compartment 27E will be described as a main target for temperature control in a freezing operation to be described later. In addition, temperature management in the freezing operation may be performed by setting the temperature of ice making compartment 27C or small freezing compartment 27D as a main target, instead of main freezing compartment 27E. Therefore, "main freezing compartment 27E" in the following description may be replaced with "ice making compartment 27C" or "small freezing compartment 27D". In this specification, the air temperature in refrigerating room 27A is sometimes referred to as "refrigerating room temperature", the air temperature in fresh air room 27AA is sometimes referred to as "fresh air room temperature", and the air temperature in main freezing room 27E is sometimes referred to as "freezing room temperature".

In the present specification, the air temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA detected by the fresh air chamber temperature sensor 111 is an example of the "temperature value obtained based on the detection result of the temperature sensor". In the refrigerator 1, the fresh air chamber temperature sensor 111 may be omitted, and the air temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA may be estimated based on the detection result of the refrigerating chamber temperature sensor 110 and the correlation between the air temperature of the refrigerating chamber 27A and the air temperature of the fresh air chamber 27 AA. In this case, the estimated fresh room temperature is an example of "temperature value obtained based on the detection result of the temperature sensor", and is an example of "fresh room temperature".

The storage unit 116 stores information necessary for the operation of the refrigerator 1. The storage unit 116 stores information (priority information) indicating the priority of execution of a plurality of control modes, for example, which will be described later. The priority information is determined in consideration of the characteristics of the control mode, for example, and is registered in the storage unit 116 in advance.

The operation panel unit 150 receives user operations instructing switching of the set temperature zones and switching of the control modes (starting of other control modes) of the storage chambers 27, and displays the setting contents and the current operating conditions. The operation panel unit 150 is, for example, a so-called touch type operation panel unit including a touch sensor including a capacitance type switch. Further, the instruction to start the control mode, which will be described later, may be input not only via the operation panel unit 150 but also by a remote operation by a user via a network.

[3.2 basic operation ]

Next, a basic operation of the refrigerator 1 will be described. The control unit 100 performs a "refrigerating operation" and a "freezing operation" as basic operations of the refrigerator 1. The "cooling operation" is an operation in which the three-way valve 53 is switched to supply the liquid refrigerant from the compressor 49 to the cooling cooler 41. As described above, the "cooling operation" includes not only a case where the cooling fan 43 is driven, but also a case where the cooling fan 43 is stopped, a case where the cooling fan is driven at a very low speed, and the like. On the other hand, the "freezing operation" refers to an operation in which the three-way valve 53 is switched to supply the liquid refrigerant from the compressor 49 to the freezing cooler 46.

For example, by alternately performing the refrigerating operation and the freezing operation, controller 100 controls cooling unit 15 so that storage compartments 27 of the refrigerating temperature zones (refrigerating compartment 27A, fresh-air compartment 27AA, and vegetable compartment 27B) and storage compartments 27 of the freezing temperature zones (ice-making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E) are maintained at the respective set temperature zones. For example, the control unit 100 alternately repeats: cooling the storage chamber 27 of the refrigerating temperature zone for a 1 st predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes); and cooling the storage chamber 27 of the freezing temperature zone for a predetermined time 2 (e.g., 40 minutes).

In the case where the refrigerating chamber temperature has reached the lower limit value of the set temperature range of refrigerating chamber 27A in the refrigerating operation (or the fresh chamber temperature has reached the lower limit value of the set temperature range of fresh chamber 27AA), the freezing chamber temperature has reached the upper limit value of the set temperature range of main freezing chamber 27E, or the like, control unit 100 may end the refrigerating operation and start the freezing operation even in the middle of the 1 st predetermined time. In the freezing operation, when the freezing chamber temperature reaches the lower limit value of the set temperature band of main freezing chamber 27E, when the refrigerating chamber temperature reaches the upper limit value of the set temperature band of refrigerating chamber 27A (or when the fresh chamber temperature reaches the upper limit value of the set temperature band of fresh chamber 27AA), and the like, control unit 100 may end the freezing operation and start the refrigerating operation even in the middle of the 2 nd predetermined time.

Here, while the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the refrigerating temperature range is decreased during the refrigerating operation, the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the freezing temperature range is increased. On the other hand, while the freezing operation is being performed, the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the freezing temperature range decreases, but the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the refrigerating temperature range increases. Therefore, the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the refrigerating temperature zone and the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the freezing temperature zone repeat up and down movements in a zigzag manner (see fig. 5 and 6).

[3.3 set temperature band and target temperature band ]

Next, the "set temperature zone" and the "target temperature zone" will be explained. The "set temperature zone" is a temperature range in which the air temperature of the storage room 27 (for example, refrigerating room 27A, fresh-air room 27AA, and main freezing room 27E) to be the main subject of temperature management is maintained in each of the refrigerating operation and the freezing operation. The "set temperature zone" refers to a temperature range defined by an upper limit value and a lower limit value.

The Control unit 100 performs feedback Control such as PID Control (Proportional Integral Differential Control) based on the refrigerating room temperature (or the fresh room temperature) or the freezing room temperature, for example, so as to make the air temperature of the storage room 27, which is the main subject of temperature management, fall between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature zone. For example, when the difference between the refrigerating room temperature (or the freezing room temperature) and the lower limit value of the set temperature range is large, the control unit 100 sets the operating frequency of the compressor 49 to be high and sets the rotation speed of the refrigerating fan 43 (or the freezing room fan 48) to be high. On the other hand, when the difference between the refrigerating room temperature (or the freezing room temperature ) and the lower limit value of the set temperature range is small, the controller 100 sets the operating frequency of the compressor 49 low and sets the rotation speed of the refrigerating fan 43 (or the freezing room fan 48) low.

Here, as the "set temperature zone", a plurality of stages (a plurality of stages) are provided for the refrigerating operation and the freezing operation, respectively. For example, when 3 stages of set temperature zones are provided as the set temperature zones for the cooling operation, the set temperature zones for the cooling operation include a cooling operation strong setting (hereinafter referred to as "R strong setting"), a cooling operation middle setting (hereinafter referred to as "R middle setting"), and a cooling operation weak setting (hereinafter referred to as "R weak setting"). The upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature zone of "R strong setting" are lower than the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature zone of "R medium setting". The upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature zone set in "R" are lower than the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature zone set in "R". Therefore, when the "R strong setting" is selected, the operating frequency of the compressor 49 is set higher and the rotational speed of the refrigerating fan 43 is set higher than in the case where the "R middle setting" is selected at the same refrigerating room temperature (or the same refrigerating room temperature). On the other hand, when the "R weak setting" is selected, the operating frequency of the compressor 49 is set lower and the rotational speed of the refrigerating fan 43 is set lower than in the case where the "R in setting" is selected at the same refrigerating room temperature (or the same refrigerating room temperature). The set temperature range for the cooling operation may be 5 stages or more.

Similarly, when a 3-stage set temperature zone is provided as the set temperature zone for the freezing operation, the set temperature zone for the freezing operation includes a freezing operation strong setting (hereinafter referred to as "F strong setting"), a freezing operation middle setting (hereinafter referred to as "F middle setting"), and a freezing operation weak setting (hereinafter referred to as "F weak setting"). The upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature zone of "F strong setting" are lower than the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature zone of "F medium setting". The upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature zone set in "F" are lower than the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature zone set in "F" in a weaker manner. Therefore, when the "F strong setting" is selected, the operating frequency of the compressor 49 is set higher and the rotational speed of the freezing fan 48 is set higher than when the "F medium setting" is selected at the same freezing room temperature. On the other hand, when the "F weak setting" is selected, the operating frequency of the compressor 49 is set lower and the rotational speed of the freezing fan 48 is set lower than when the "F mid setting" is selected at the same freezing room temperature. The set temperature range for the freezing operation may be 5 stages or more.

On the other hand, in the present specification, the "target temperature zone" is used in a broader sense than the "set temperature zone". The "set temperature zone" is an example of the "target temperature zone". However, the "target temperature zone" is not limited to the "set temperature zone". For example, in a specific control mode described later, the control unit 100 may control at least one of the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the temperature range in which the air temperature of the storage room 27, which is the main subject of temperature management, is maintained to be higher or lower by 1 ℃. The temperature range thus adjusted is an example of the "target temperature range".

[4. control modes ]

Next, several control modes that the control unit 100 can execute will be described. The "basic operation" described below is, for example, a refrigerating operation performed in accordance with the "setting in R" and a freezing operation performed in accordance with the "setting in F".

< quick freezing >

The control mode of "quick freezing" is a control mode in which the air temperature in main freezer compartment 27E is rapidly decreased as compared with the basic operation. According to such "quick freezing", the temperature band of-1 ℃ to-5 ℃ in which the water of the food is frozen is quickly passed, and thus the damage of the cells of the food during freezing can be suppressed. In the control mode of "quick freezing", the "F intensity setting" is selected for a predetermined time (for example, 180 minutes). Note that "a predetermined time (for example, 180 minutes)" as used herein means that the freezing operation is not continuously performed during the predetermined time, but the refrigerating operation and the freezing operation are alternately performed during the "predetermined time (for example, 180 minutes)", and the setting of the freezing operation performed during the period is "F-strong setting". The same definition is applied to the following description.

In the control mode of "quick freezing" according to the present embodiment, the 2 nd predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) that is a reference of the execution time of the freezing operation is extended to the 3 rd predetermined time (for example, 60 minutes) that is longer than the 2 nd predetermined time. That is, when the control mode of "quick freezing" is executed, the following are alternately repeated: the refrigerating operation is performed for a 1 st predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes), and the freezing operation is performed for a 3 rd predetermined time (for example, 60 minutes). In the control mode of "quick freezing" according to the present embodiment, the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the target temperature range of refrigerating room 27A (or fresh air room 27AA) during the freezing operation are increased by predetermined temperatures (for example, +1 ℃). This makes it possible to increase the duration of the freezing operation and to switch from the refrigerating operation to the freezing operation earlier. However, the control mode of "rapid freezing" is not limited to the above example, and either one or both of extension of the 2 nd predetermined time and change of the target temperature range may be performed. The control mode of "quick freezing" is an example of the "1 st control mode", and is an example of the control mode of "fixed time". The control mode of "rapid freezing" is an example of the "control mode accompanied by an increase in the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27 AA", and is an example of the "control mode in which the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA is a positive temperature band (i.e., a temperature band higher than 0 ℃).

< quick ice making >

The control mode of "rapid ice making" is a control mode in which the air temperature of the ice making chamber 27C is rapidly decreased compared to the basic operation. By such "rapid ice making", the ice making time can be shortened as compared with the basic operation. In the control mode of "rapid ice making", the "F-strong setting" is selected for a predetermined time (for example, 120 minutes). In the control mode of "rapid ice making" according to the present embodiment, the 2 nd predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) that is the reference of the execution time of the freezing operation is further extended to the 3 rd predetermined time (for example, 60 minutes) that is longer than the 2 nd predetermined time. That is, if the control mode of "rapid ice making" is executed, the following are alternately repeated: the refrigerating operation is performed for a 1 st predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes), and the freezing operation is performed for a 3 rd predetermined time (for example, 60 minutes). In the control mode of "rapid ice making" according to the present embodiment, the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the target temperature range of refrigerating room 27A (or fresh ice room 27AA) during the freezing operation are increased by predetermined temperatures (for example, +1 ℃). However, the control mode of "rapid ice making" is not limited to the above example, and may be performed for either or both of extension of the 2 nd predetermined time and change of the target temperature range. The control mode of "rapid ice making" is an example of the "1 st control mode", and is an example of the control mode of "fixed time". The control mode of "rapid ice making" is an example of the "control mode accompanied by an increase in the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27 AA", and is an example of the "control mode in which the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA is a positive temperature band".

< normal icy fresh >)

The control mode of "normal freezing" is, for example, a control mode in which the freezing chamber 27AA is cooled following the cooling of the refrigerating chamber 27A in the basic operation. That is, in the control mode of "normal freezing", cooling unit 15 is controlled based on the detected refrigerating room temperature and the set temperature zone of refrigerating room 27A, and refrigerating room 27A and freezing room 27AA are cooled. In the normal freezing control mode, the freezing chamber temperature converges to a constant temperature band with an average temperature of 0-1 ℃, for example.

< quick freezing freshness >

The control mode of the "rapid freezing" is a control mode in which the air temperature in the freezing compartment 27AA is rapidly decreased as compared with the normal freezing. By such "quick freezing, the temperature of the food newly put into the freezing chamber 27AA can be quickly lowered, and the decrease in freshness of the food can be suppressed. In the control mode of "quick freezing", the "R intensity setting" is selected for a predetermined time (for example, 60 minutes). In the "rapid freezing" control mode, the freezing chamber temperature converges to a constant temperature band with an average temperature of 0.5 ℃, for example. In the "rapid cooling" control mode, the cooling unit 15 is controlled based on the cooling room temperature instead of the cooling room temperature, for example. The control mode of "quick freezing" is an example of the "1 st control mode", and is an example of the control mode of "fixed time". The "rapid freezing" control mode is an example of the "control mode in which the average temperature of the freezing compartment 27AA becomes a positive temperature band".

< thawing >

The "defrosting" control mode is a control mode in which the air temperature in the fresh air chamber 27AA is increased compared to the normal fresh air to promote defrosting of the food in the fresh air chamber 27 AA. In the control mode of "thawing", the "R weak setting" is selected for a predetermined time (for example, 60 minutes). In the "defrost" control mode, the ice fresh room temperature converges to a constant temperature band with an average temperature of 1.5 ℃, for example. In the "defrosting" control mode, for example, the cooling unit 15 is controlled based on the temperature of the freezer compartment instead of the temperature of the freezer compartment. The "defrosting" control mode is an example of the "1 st control mode", and the "fixed time" control mode is an example. The control mode of "defrosting" is an example of the "control mode accompanied by an increase in the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27 AA", and the "control mode of the fresh air chamber 27AA is an example of the positive temperature band".

< Special icy fresh >

In the control mode of "particularly cold", the following are repeated alternately: the time during which the ice fresh room 27AA is cooled at the low temperature zone; the freezing chamber 27AA is cooled at a high temperature zone for a long time. Hereinafter, such "special freshness" will be described in detail. In the control mode of the "special freezing" mode, for example, the cooling portion 15 is controlled based on the freezing room temperature instead of the refrigerating room temperature. The control mode of "especially fresh" is an example of the "2 nd control mode".

Fig. 5 is a graph showing changes in the air temperature of the freezing chamber 27AA when the "special freezing" control mode is executed. In the control mode of "special freshness", the control unit 100 alternately repeats: performing low-temperature cooling control for cooling the refrigerating chamber 27AA by the temperature zone Ta 1; and a high-temperature cooling control for cooling the fresh air compartment 27AA in a 2 nd temperature zone Tb higher than the 1 st temperature zone Ta.

The average temperature of the 1 st temperature zone Ta is, for example, -5 ℃. The average temperature of the 1 st temperature zone Ta is a temperature below the freezing point, which is a temperature lower than 0 ℃. In the present embodiment, the maximum value of the 1 st temperature zone Ta is a temperature of less than 0 ℃. The 1 st temperature zone Ta is a temperature at which the surface of the food in the fresh food compartment 27AA is micro-frozen. The 1 st temperature zone Ta is a temperature zone lower than the "normal freezing" temperature zone. The 1 st temperature zone Ta is a temperature zone in which the food in the fresh food compartment 27AA is not frozen at the midpoint thereof and a layer only having frozen surface is formed. The low-temperature cooling control is performed for a predetermined execution time Sa (for example, 2 hours).

The 2 nd temperature zone Tb is a set temperature zone of the fresh air compartment 27AA during the high temperature cooling control. The average temperature of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb is, for example, +1 ℃. The average temperature of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb is a temperature higher than the freezing point and is a temperature of 0 ℃. In the present embodiment, the maximum value of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb is a temperature of 0 ℃. The 2 nd temperature zone Tb is a higher temperature zone than the "normally icy" temperature zone. The 2 nd temperature zone Tb is a temperature at which a micro-frozen layer generated on the surface of the food in the fresh food compartment 27AA can be melted. The high-temperature cooling control is performed for a predetermined execution time Sb (for example, 7 hours) longer than the execution time Sa of the low-temperature cooling control.

According to such a "particularly fresh" control pattern, the following is alternately repeated: a low-temperature cooling control in which an average temperature is set to-5 ℃, for example, during a predetermined execution time Sa (for example, 2 hours); and high-temperature cooling control in which the average temperature is set to +1 ℃, for example, during a predetermined period of time Sb (for example, 7 hours), whereby only the surface of the food is micro-frozen, whereby drying and oxidation of the food can be suppressed. Thereby, the freshness of the food can be maintained longer than usual freshness.

In the present specification, the phrase "a certain temperature zone is higher than other temperature zones" means "the average temperature of the certain temperature zone is higher than the average temperature of the other temperature zones", and includes a case where a part of the "certain temperature zone" overlaps with a part of the "other temperature zones". Similarly, the phrase "a certain temperature zone is lower than other temperature zones" means "the average temperature of a certain temperature zone is lower than the average temperature of other temperature zones", and includes a case where a part of a "certain temperature zone" includes a part of another temperature zone ". In the examples shown in fig. 6 and later, for convenience of understanding, the 1 st temperature zone Ta and the 2 nd temperature zone Tb do not overlap each other in the control mode of "especially fresh" will be described.

[5. control in the case of accepting a plurality of control modes ]

In the present embodiment, when receiving an instruction to start one of the 1 st control mode (for example, the control modes such as "quick freeze", "quick ice making", "quick fresh" and "thaw") and the 2 nd control mode (the control mode for "especially fresh") (for example, when the operation of the user is received by the operation panel unit 150) during execution of the other control mode, the control unit 100 performs at least 1 of a change of the content of the 1 st control mode, a change of the content of the 2 nd control mode, an early termination or interruption of the one control mode, and a delay of start of the other control mode, based on a predetermined priority order (for example, priority order information stored in the storage unit 116).

The "predetermined priority" means, for example: prioritizing the control mode for which the start indication is subsequently accepted; giving priority to a control mode for a fixed time (i.e., a control mode in which an upper limit is set for an implementation time); prioritizing the control mode of "particularly icy fresh"; alternatively, the 1 st control mode may be prioritized when a certain condition is satisfied, and the 2 nd control mode (the "control mode for the special freshness") may be prioritized when another condition is satisfied, but the present invention is not limited to these.

In this specification, the "priority" is not limited to the control mode that ends or interrupts a non-priority control mode earlier and starts a priority control mode. "priority" also includes, for example, the following: a case where a priority control mode and a non-priority control mode are executed in parallel, and the content of the priority control mode is not changed from the reference setting but the content of the non-priority control mode is changed from the reference setting; the content of the priority control mode is changed relatively little with respect to the reference setting, and the content of the non-priority control mode is changed relatively much with respect to the reference setting. In the present specification, the "reference setting" refers to the content (setting) of the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode in a case where an instruction to start one of the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode is received after the other control mode is ended (for example, in a case where an instruction to start the other control mode is received after a predetermined time has elapsed after the one control mode is ended). The predetermined time is a time required for the influence of the one control mode to be reduced or eliminated, and is, for example, 1 hour. These definitions are also the same in the following description.

In the present specification, the term "change" means, for example, changing at least 1 of the execution time of the control, the control amount (for example, the operating frequency) of the compressor 49, and the control amount (for example, the rotational speed) of the refrigerating fan 43 (or the freezing fan 48).

Several embodiments based on a predetermined priority order will be described below. In addition, the embodiments described below can be implemented by appropriately combining 1 refrigerator 1.

< 5.1 case where the 2 nd control mode is accepted during the execution of the 1 st control mode >

First, several embodiments will be described in the case where the 2 nd control mode is accepted during execution of the 1 st control mode.

(embodiment 1)

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 1. The 1 st embodiment is an example in which, when a start instruction of the "special freshness" control mode is received during execution of the 1 st control mode, the 1 st control mode is preferentially executed based on a predetermined priority order, and the "special freshness" control mode is executed after a fixed time period of the 1 st control mode is ended. In the example shown in fig. 6, the 1 st control mode is "quick freezing". However, the 1 st control mode is not limited to "quick freezing" and may be "quick ice making", "quick freezing" or "thawing".

Described in detail, in embodiment 1, the cooling of the freezing compartment 27AA is performed by the control mode of the "normal freezing" before the 1 st time t 1. Then, at time 1 t1, the instruction to start the control mode of "quick freeze" is received. In this case, the control unit 100 executes the control mode of "quick freezing" from the 1 st time t 1. For example, the set temperature band of main freezer compartment 27E is changed to "F-strong setting", and the execution time of the original 1-time 40-minute freezing operation is extended to 1 time 60 minutes, for example. As a result, the freezer compartment temperature rapidly decreases from time t1 to time 1. On the other hand, the temperature of the freezer compartment increases from time t1, 1 st.

Next, at time 2 t2, a start instruction of "special ice freshness" is received. However, at time 2 t2, the control unit 100 does not start the "special freezing" control mode, and delays the start of the "special freezing" control mode until the end of the fixed time (e.g., 3 hours, which is the above-described predetermined time) of the "quick freezing". Then, the control unit 100 starts the control mode of "special cooling" at time 3 t3 when the fixed time of "quick freezing" is finished. For example, the controller 100 first performs the low-temperature cooling control in the 1 st temperature zone Ta (for example, average temperature of-5 ℃) for a predetermined time Sa (for example, 2 hours) from the 3 rd time t3, and then performs the high-temperature cooling control in the 2 nd temperature zone Tb (for example, average temperature of +1 ℃) for a predetermined time Sb (for example, 7 hours) from the 4 th time t 4. Thereafter, control unit 100 alternately repeats the same low-temperature cooling control and high-temperature cooling control.

With this configuration, the control mode can be surely switched to the 2 nd control mode after the content of the 1 st control mode being executed earlier. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1.

In the case where the 1 st control mode is a control mode in which the average temperature of the ice fresh room 27AA increases, the control unit 100 may set the 1 st temperature zone Ta of the low-temperature cooling control (1 st low-temperature cooling control) at the beginning of the "especially ice fresh" control mode to be lower than the 1 st temperature zone Ta of the low-temperature cooling control after the 2 nd time. Alternatively or additionally, the control unit 100 may set the predetermined time Sa, which is the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control (the low-temperature cooling control at the 1 st time) immediately before the start of the control mode of "special cooling" to be longer than the predetermined time Sa of the low-temperature cooling control after the 2 nd time, in the case where the control mode 1 is accompanied by the increase in the average temperature of the fresh air compartment 27 AA.

Lowering the 1 st temperature zone Ta at the 1 st time and/or lengthening the 1 st predetermined time Sa are examples of "changing the content of the 2 nd control mode with respect to the reference setting" and "changing the content of the low-temperature cooling control with respect to the reference setting". The 1 st temperature zone Ta to be lowered 1 st is an example of "changing the target temperature zone of the low-temperature cooling control with respect to the reference setting". Note that the 1 st predetermined time Sa is an example of "changing the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control with respect to the reference setting".

(embodiment 2)

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 2. The 2 nd embodiment is an example as follows: when the start instruction of the "special freshness" control mode is received during execution of the 1 st control mode, the 1 st control mode and the "special freshness" control mode are executed in parallel, the 1 st control mode is preferentially executed based on a predetermined priority order, and the content (setting) of the "special freshness" control mode is changed to a special setting affected by the 1 st control mode. In the example shown in fig. 7, the 1 st control mode is "quick freezing". In this example, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, an example in which the control mode of "quick freezing" is performed for 5 hours will be described. The "rapid freezing" may be carried out for a substantially shorter time. The same applies to embodiments 3 to 5. The 1 st control mode is not limited to "quick freezing" and may be "quick ice making" or the like.

Described in detail, in the 2 nd embodiment, before the 2 nd time t2, it is the same as the 1 st embodiment. In embodiment 2, when the start instruction of the "special freshness" control mode is received at time 2 t2, controller 100 starts the "special freshness" control mode from time 2 t 2. That is, the control mode of "quick freeze" and the control mode of "special ice fresh" are executed in parallel for a certain period after the 2 nd time t 2.

Specifically, in the example shown in fig. 7, control unit 100 performs low-temperature cooling control for a predetermined time Sa (for example, 2 hours) from time 2 t2, and performs high-temperature cooling control for a predetermined time Sb (for example, 7 hours) from time 3 t 3. Thereafter, control unit 100 alternately repeats the same low-temperature cooling control and high-temperature cooling control. On the other hand, the control mode of "quick freezing" is executed until the 4 th time t4 after the 3 rd time t 3.

In the present embodiment, as a part of the control relating to the "rapid freezing", the controller 100 changes the content of the low-temperature cooling control from the reference content during a period (from time 2 t2 to time 3 t3) in which the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control overlaps with the execution time of the control mode of the "rapid freezing". Specifically, the controller 100 sets the 1 st temperature zone (target temperature zone) Ta' of the low-temperature cooling control from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 to be higher than the 1 st temperature zone Ta set as a reference for the low-temperature cooling control. For example, the control unit 100 sets the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 1 st temperature zone Ta' to be higher than the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 1 st temperature zone Ta by predetermined temperatures (for example, +1 ℃). In the present embodiment, the controller 100 extends the execution time of each 1 st freezing operation from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 to a predetermined time (e.g., 60 minutes) longer than a predetermined time (e.g., 40 minutes) set as a reference. Therefore, in the low-temperature cooling control from the 2 nd timing t2 to the 3 rd timing t3, the following are alternately repeated: cooling of the ice fresh room 27AA is performed for a 1 st prescribed time (e.g., 20 minutes); the cooling of the fresh air compartment 27AA is waited for at a 3 rd predetermined time (for example, 60 minutes).

In the present embodiment, as a part of the control relating to the "quick freezing", the controller 100 changes the content of the high-temperature cooling control from the reference content during a period (from time t3 to time t4) in which the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control overlaps with the execution time of the control mode of the "quick freezing". Specifically, the controller 100 sets the 2 nd temperature zone (target temperature zone) Tb' for high-temperature cooling control from the 3 rd time t3 to the 4 th time t4 higher than the 2 nd temperature zone Tb set as the reference for high-temperature cooling control. For example, the control unit 100 sets the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb' to be higher than the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb by predetermined temperatures (for example, +1 ℃). In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 extends the execution time of each 1 st freezing operation from the 3 rd time t3 to the 4 th time t4 to a predetermined time (e.g., 60 minutes) longer than a predetermined time (e.g., 40 minutes) set as a reference.

With this configuration, the 2 nd control mode can be executed in parallel while giving priority to the contents of the 1 st control mode in the preceding execution. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1.

(embodiment 3)

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 3. Embodiment 3 is an example as follows: when the start instruction of the "special freshness" control mode is received during execution of the 1 st control mode, the 1 st control mode and the "special freshness" control mode are executed in parallel, execution of the 1 st control mode is locally prioritized based on a predetermined priority order, and the content (setting) of the high-temperature cooling control in the "special freshness" control mode is changed to a special setting that is affected by the 1 st control mode. In the example shown in fig. 8, the 1 st control mode is "quick freezing". The 1 st control mode is not limited to "quick freezing" and may be "quick ice making" or the like.

Hereinafter, only the differences from embodiment 2 will be described as embodiment 3. In the present embodiment, during a period in which the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control overlaps with the execution time of the control mode of "rapid freezing" (time 2 t2 to time 3 t3), the control unit 100 gives priority to the low-temperature cooling control over the control mode of "rapid freezing", and the content of the low-temperature cooling control is not changed from the reference content. That is, the controller 100 cools the fresh air compartment 27AA at the 1 st temperature zone (target temperature zone) Ta, which is the reference setting of the low-temperature cooling control, at the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t 3. In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 does not extend the time for performing the freezing operation every 1 st time from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 to a predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) set as a reference. In other words, in this case, the time for every 1 freezing operation in the "rapid freezing" control mode is changed to a predetermined time (e.g., 40 minutes) shorter than the predetermined time with respect to the predetermined time (e.g., 60 minutes) set as the reference.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the controller 100 changes the content of the high-temperature cooling control to the reference content in the control mode of "quick freezing" in preference to the high-temperature cooling control during the period in which the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control overlaps with the execution time of the control mode of "quick freezing" (from time t3 to time t 4). Specifically, the control unit 100 sets the 2 nd temperature zone (target temperature zone) Tb' for the high temperature cooling control from the 3 rd time point 3 to the 4 th time point t4 higher than the 2 nd temperature zone Tb set as the reference for the high temperature cooling control, as in the case of the 2 nd embodiment. In the present embodiment, the controller 100 extends the execution time of each 1 st freezing operation from the 3 rd time t3 to the 4 th time t4 to a predetermined time (e.g., 60 minutes) longer than a predetermined time (e.g., 40 minutes) set as a reference. That is, in the present embodiment, the change of the target temperature range and the extension of the execution time of the freezing operation performed when the control mode of "quick freezing" is executed are reflected only in the high-temperature cooling control.

With this configuration, it is possible to give priority to the low-temperature cooling control while giving priority to the content of the 1 st control mode in the preceding execution. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1, for example, by relatively quickly cooling the food newly placed in the fresh food compartment 27 AA.

Further, the example of "changing the content of the 1 st control mode with respect to the reference setting" is such that the target temperature zone of the low-temperature cooling control from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 is not set to be higher than the 1 st temperature zone Ta of the reference setting, and/or the execution time of the freezing operation from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 is not extended with respect to the predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) of the reference setting.

(embodiment 4)

Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 4. The 4 th embodiment is an example as follows: when a start instruction of the "special freshness" control mode is received during execution of the 1 st control mode, the 1 st control mode and the "special freshness" control mode are executed in parallel, and the "special freshness" control mode is prioritized based on a predetermined priority order. In the example shown in fig. 8, the 1 st control mode is "quick freezing". The 1 st control mode is not limited to "quick freezing" and may be "quick ice making" or the like.

Hereinafter, as example 4, only the differences from example 2 will be described. In the present embodiment, the controller 100 prioritizes the "special fresh" control mode over the "quick freeze" control mode during a period in which the execution time of the "special fresh" control mode overlaps the execution time of the "quick freeze" control mode (from time 2 t2 to time 4 t4), and does not change the content of the "special fresh" control mode from the reference content. That is, the controller 100 cools the fresh air chamber 27AA at the 1 st temperature zone (target temperature zone) Ta, which is the reference setting for the low-temperature cooling control, at the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3, and cools the fresh air chamber 27AA at the 2 nd temperature zone (target temperature zone) Tb, which is the reference setting for the high-temperature cooling control, at the 3 rd time t3 to the 4 th time t 4.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 does not extend the time for performing the freezing operation every 1 st time from the 2 nd time t2 to the 4 th time t4 to a predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) set as a reference. In other words, in the present embodiment, the execution time per 1 freezing operation in the control mode of "quick freezing" is changed to a predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) shorter than the predetermined time set as a reference with respect to the predetermined time (for example, 60 minutes). In the present embodiment, in the control mode of "quick freezing" from time 2 t2 to time 4 t4, the set temperature of main freezer compartment 27E is set to "F-strong setting", which is different from the basic operation of refrigerator 1.

With this configuration, the execution of the 1 st control mode executed before can be continued while giving priority to the contents of the 2 nd control mode executed after. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1.

Further, the example of "changing the content of the 1 st control mode with respect to the reference setting" is an example in which the target temperature zone of the low-temperature cooling control from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 is not set higher than the 1 st temperature zone Ta of the reference setting, the target temperature zone of the high-temperature cooling control from the 3 rd time t3 to the 4 th time t4 is not set higher than the 2 nd temperature zone Tb of the reference setting, and/or the execution time of the freezing operation from the 2 nd time t2 to the 4 th time t4 is not extended with respect to the reference setting (for example, 40 minutes) of the "special fresh" control mode.

(embodiment 5)

Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 5. The 5 th embodiment is an example as follows: when a start instruction of a "special freshness" control mode is received during execution of the 1 st control mode, the 1 st control mode and the "special freshness" control mode are executed in parallel, the 1 st control mode is prioritized based on a predetermined priority order, and the content (setting) of the low-temperature cooling control in the 2 nd control mode is changed to a special setting that is affected by the 1 st control mode. In the example shown in fig. 10, the 1 st control mode is "quick freezing". The 1 st control mode is not limited to "quick freezing" and may be "quick ice making" or the like.

Described in detail, in the 5 th embodiment, before the 2 nd time t2, it is the same as the 2 nd embodiment. In embodiment 5, when the start instruction of "special ice freshness" is received at time 2 t2, controller 100 starts the control mode of "special ice freshness" from time 2 t 2. That is, the control mode of "quick freezing" and the control mode of "special freezing" are executed in parallel for a certain period of time after the 2 nd time t 2.

Specifically, in the example shown in fig. 10, the controller 100 first performs low-temperature cooling control for a predetermined time Sa' (e.g., 3 hours or more) described later from the 2 nd time t2, and then performs high-temperature cooling control for a predetermined time Sb (e.g., 7 hours) from the 4 th time t 4. Thereafter, control unit 100 alternately repeats low-temperature cooling control (for example, 2 hours) and high-temperature cooling control (for example, 7 hours) based on the reference setting.

Here, in the present embodiment, as in embodiment 2, as a part of the control relating to "rapid freezing", the controller 100 changes the content of the cryogenic cooling control from the reference content during a period in which the execution time of the cryogenic cooling control overlaps with the execution time of the control mode of "rapid freezing" (in this embodiment, time 2 t2 to time 4 t 4). Specifically, the controller 100 sets the 1 st temperature zone (target temperature zone) Ta' of the low-temperature cooling control from the 2 nd time t2 to the 4 th time t4 to be higher than the 1 st temperature zone Ta set as the reference of the low-temperature cooling control. For example, the control unit 100 sets the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 1 st temperature zone Ta' to be higher than the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 1 st temperature zone Ta by predetermined temperatures (for example, +1 ℃). In the present embodiment, the controller 100 extends the execution time of each 1 st freezing operation from the 2 nd time t2 to the 4 th time t4 to a predetermined time (e.g., 60 minutes) longer than a predetermined time (e.g., 40 minutes) set as a reference.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 sets the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control for a period in which the control mode of "rapid freezing" is executed in parallel with the low-temperature cooling control to be longer than the reference setting length, as the target temperature range of the low-temperature cooling control is changed and the execution time of the freezing operation is extended. In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 performs the low-temperature cooling control for a predetermined time Sa' (for example, 3 hours or more) longer than the predetermined time Sa (for example, 2 hours) set as a reference.

With this configuration, the 2 nd control mode can be executed while giving priority to the content of the 1 st control mode in the preceding execution. In addition, when the target temperature range of the low-temperature cooling control is set to be high in order to give priority to the 1 st control mode, the time for performing the low-temperature cooling control is extended, whereby the surface of the food in the fresh food compartment 27AA can be frozen appropriately. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1.

Further, performing the low-temperature cooling control for a predetermined time Sa' (for example, more than 3 hours) longer than the reference setting (for example, 2 hours) is an example of "changing the content of the 2 nd control mode with respect to the reference setting", and is an example of "changing the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control with respect to the reference content".

In addition to or instead of the above, for example, when the control mode of "quick freezing" and the control mode of "special freezing" are executed in parallel, the control unit 100 may execute the high-temperature cooling control for a predetermined time Sb' (e.g., 6 times) shorter than the predetermined time Sb (e.g., 7 hours) set as a reference. In this case, the food in the fresh food compartment 27AA can be suppressed from becoming excessively high temperature. The execution of the high-temperature cooling control is limited to the predetermined time Sb' (e.g., 6 times) shorter than the reference setting (e.g., 7 hours), and is an example of "changing the content of the 2 nd control mode with respect to the reference setting", and an example of "changing the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control with respect to the reference content".

< 5.2 case where the 1 st control mode is accepted in the execution of the high-temperature cooling control >

Next, several embodiments will be described in which the 1 st control mode is accepted during execution of the high-temperature cooling control in the "especially fresh" control mode.

(embodiment 6)

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 6. The 6 th embodiment is an example as follows: when the start instruction of the 1 st control mode is received during the execution of the high-temperature cooling control in the "special-freshness" control mode, the 1 st control mode is preferentially executed based on a predetermined priority order, and the "special-freshness" control mode is restarted after the 1 st control mode is ended. In the example shown in fig. 11, the 1 st control mode is "quick freezing". However, the 1 st control mode is not limited to "quick freezing", and may be "quick freezing", "quick ice making", or "thawing". The control modes of "rapid freezing" and "special freezing" are both control modes relating to the freezing compartment 27 AA.

Described in detail, embodiment 6 is an example as follows: from time 1 t1 onward, the control mode of "special cooling" is executed, and at time 1 t1, the low-temperature cooling control of "special cooling" is switched to the high-temperature cooling control.

In the example shown in fig. 11, at time 2 t2, a start instruction of "quick freezing" is received. In this case, at time 2 t2, controller 100 interrupts the high-temperature cooling control of "special freshness" and starts the control mode of "quick freshness" from time 2 t 2. Then, the control unit 100 resumes the high-temperature cooling control of the "special freshness" at time t3 3 when the fixed time of the "quick freshness" is finished (for example, 1 hour which is the above-mentioned predetermined time). Then, control unit 100 ends the high-temperature cooling control at time 4 t4 and starts the low-temperature cooling control.

In the present embodiment, the controller 100 determines the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the restart so that the total time of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sba before the interruption and the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the restart is shorter than the predetermined time Sb set as the reference of the high-temperature cooling control.

For example, the control unit 100 acquires the fresh air chamber temperature at a predetermined cycle, derives an index value reflecting the elapse of the fresh air chamber temperature acquired at the predetermined cycle, and determines the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the restart based on the derived index value. For example, the control unit 100 derives an index value I that is a time integral value of the fresh room temperature, and determines the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the restart based on the index value I.

More specifically, for example, when the low-temperature cooling control is switched to the high-temperature cooling control at time t 11 and the fresh air compartment temperature exceeds the lower limit value of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb, control unit 100 starts calculation of index value I, which is the time integral value of the fresh air compartment temperature. That is, the control unit 100 integrates (integrates with time) the values of the fresh room temperature acquired at predetermined intervals (for example, every 1 minute) to calculate the index value I. For example, when the 2 nd temperature zone Tb (average temperature +1 ℃) is cooled for 7 hours as a reference setting for the high-temperature cooling control, the threshold value for the index value I is set to +1 ℃ × 7 hours × 60 minutes, or 420 ℃. Then, when the index value I obtained by integrating the temperature of the fresh room at a predetermined cycle reaches 420 ℃ for minutes, the control unit 100 ends the high-temperature cooling control and switches to the low-temperature cooling control.

In the present embodiment, even when the control mode of "quick freezing" is started by interrupting the high-temperature cooling control of "special freezing" in the middle, the control unit 100 continues to calculate the index value I at a predetermined cycle during execution of the control mode of "quick freezing". Then, the control unit 100 ends the high-temperature cooling control when the index value I in the case where the sum is calculated for the control mode of "rapid cooling" (for example, 420 ℃ for minutes) (ends the control mode of "rapid cooling" when the index value I reaches the threshold value during execution of the control mode of "rapid cooling"), and starts the low-temperature cooling control. The example shown in fig. 11 is as follows: after the high-temperature cooling control in the 2 nd temperature zone Tb (average temperature "" 1 ℃) was performed for 2 hours, a control mode of "quick freezing freshness" (average temperature +0.5 ℃) was performed for 1 hour. In this case, the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the restart is [420 ℃ minute- { (+1 ℃ x 2 hours x 60 minutes) + (+0.5 ℃ x 1 hour x 60 minutes) } ]/+1 ℃ is 270 minutes, and is calculated to be 4 hours and half.

The index value reflecting the elapse of the fresh air chamber temperature is not limited to the index value I which is a time integral value, and may be an average temperature obtained by dividing the fresh air chamber temperature accumulated for a predetermined period by an elapsed time, or the like. In this case, the "predetermined period" may preferably be a period including at least the immediately preceding low-temperature cooling control, and may preferably be a period including the immediately preceding low-temperature cooling control and the preceding high-temperature cooling control. The execution time Sbb may be determined by using a preset correction value.

With this configuration, it is possible to reliably execute the content of the 1 st control mode that is received after the start instruction and also execute the "particularly fresh" control mode. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1. Further, by appropriately determining the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the restart, it is possible to suppress an excessive temperature rise of the food in the fresh food compartment 27 AA.

The length of the execution time Sbb of the high-temperature cooling control after the restart is determined so that the total time of the execution time Sba of the high-temperature cooling control before the interruption and the execution time Sbb of the high-temperature cooling control after the restart is shorter than the reference setting of the high-temperature cooling control, and is an example of "changing the content of the 2 nd control mode with respect to the reference setting" and "changing the content of the high-temperature cooling control with respect to the reference setting".

In embodiment 6, a control mode of "rapid freezing" is described as a control mode in which the average temperature of the freezing chamber 27AA is a positive temperature range. Alternatively, the control mode of "rapid freezing" may be a control mode in which the average temperature of the freezing chamber 27AA is in a negative temperature range (a temperature range in which the average temperature is lower than 0 ℃). In this case, the controller 100 determines the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the restart so that the total time of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sba before the interruption and the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the restart is longer than the predetermined time Sb set as the reference of the high-temperature cooling control. As a method of determining the length of the implementation time Sbb, for example, the above-described method based on the index value I as the time integral or the average temperature can be used. That is, the negative temperature may be taken into the calculation of the time integral and the average temperature while retaining the sign indicating the negative temperature. The execution time Sbb may be determined by using a preset correction value.

(7 th embodiment)

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 7. The 7 th embodiment is different from the 6 th embodiment in that the control mode of "defrosting" is accepted in the execution of the high-temperature cooling control of the control mode of "especially fresh". The control modes of "defrosting" and "particularly fresh" are both control modes relating to the fresh ice compartment 27 AA. Hereinafter, only the differences from embodiment 6 will be described.

In the example shown in fig. 12, at time 2 t2, a start instruction of "thawing" is received. In this case, at time 2 t2, controller 100 interrupts the "especially fresh" high-temperature cooling control and starts the "defrosting" control mode from time 2 t 2. Then, the control unit 100 restarts the high-temperature cooling control of "special freezing" at the 3 rd time when the fixed time of "thawing" (for example, 1 hour which is the above-mentioned predetermined time) is finished.

Here, the "defrosting" control mode is a control in which the average temperature of the fresh air compartment 27AA is, for example, +1.5 ℃, and is a control in which the average temperature is higher than the "quick fresh air" in which the average temperature of the fresh air compartment 27AA is, for example, +0.5 ℃. Therefore, the control unit 100 sets the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the control mode of "defrosting" to be shorter than the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the control mode of "quick freezing".

With this configuration, the content of the 1 st control mode in which the start instruction is accepted later can be reliably executed, and the control mode of "particularly fresh" can also be executed. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1. Further, by setting the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbb after the control mode of "defrosting" relatively short, it is possible to suppress an excessive temperature rise of the food in the fresh food compartment 27 AA.

(8 th embodiment)

Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 8. The 8 th embodiment is an example as follows: when the 1 st control mode start instruction is received during execution of the high-temperature cooling control in the "special fresh air" control mode, the 1 st control mode and the "special fresh air" control mode are executed in parallel, execution of the 1 st control mode is prioritized based on a predetermined priority order, and the content (setting) of the high-temperature cooling control in the "special fresh air" control mode is changed to a special setting that is affected by the 1 st control mode.

In the example shown in fig. 13, the 1 st control mode is "quick freezing". The 1 st control mode is not limited to the quick freezing, and may be "quick ice making" or the like. Described in detail, in the 8 th embodiment, before the 2 nd time t2, it is the same as the 7 th embodiment. In embodiment 8, the control unit 100 receives the start instruction of "quick freeze" at time 2 t2, and starts the control mode of "quick freeze" from time 2 t2 while continuing the execution of the control mode of "special fresh food". That is, the control mode of "quick freezing" and the control mode of "special freezing" are executed in parallel for a certain period of time after the 2 nd time t 2.

In the present embodiment, as a part of the control relating to the "quick freezing", the control unit 100 changes the content of the high-temperature cooling control from the reference content during the period (from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3) in which the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control of the "special freezing" and the execution time of the control mode of the "quick freezing" overlap. Specifically, the controller 100 sets the 2 nd temperature zone (target temperature zone) Tb' of the high-temperature cooling control from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 higher than the 2 nd temperature zone Tb set as the reference of the high-temperature cooling control. For example, the control unit 100 sets the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb' higher than the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb by predetermined temperatures (for example, +1 ℃). In the present embodiment, the controller 100 extends the execution time of each 1 st freezing operation from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 to a predetermined time (e.g., 60 minutes) longer than a predetermined time (e.g., 40 minutes) set as a reference. Then, in the example shown in fig. 13, at time t3, the control mode of "quick freezing" is ended, and the control returns to the normal high-temperature cooling control. Then, at time 4 t4, control unit 100 ends the high-temperature cooling control and starts the low-temperature cooling control.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 determines the length of the execution time Sbe of the high-temperature cooling control after the end of the control mode of "quick freezing" so that the total time of the execution times Sbc and Sbe of the high-temperature cooling control that do not overlap with the execution of the control mode of "quick freezing" and the execution time Sbd of the high-temperature cooling control that is executed in parallel with the control mode of "quick freezing" is shorter than the predetermined time Sb set as the reference of the high-temperature cooling control. As a method of determining the length of the execution time Sbe, for example, a method based on the index value I as time integration or average temperature described in embodiment 6 can be used. The execution time Sbe may be determined by using a preset correction value.

With this configuration, the content of the 1 st control mode in which the start instruction is accepted later can be reliably executed, and the control mode of "especially fresh ice" can be executed in parallel. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1. Further, by determining the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sbe on a trial basis, it is possible to suppress an excessive temperature rise of the food in the fresh food compartment 27 AA.

(9 th embodiment)

Fig. 14 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 9. The 9 th embodiment is an example as follows: when the 1 st control mode start instruction is received during execution of the high-temperature cooling control in the "special fresh air" control mode, the 1 st control mode and the "special fresh air" control mode are executed in parallel, and the "special fresh air" control mode is prioritized based on a predetermined priority order. In the example shown in fig. 14, the 1 st control mode is "quick freezing". The 1 st control mode is not limited to "quick freezing" and may be "quick ice making" or the like.

Hereinafter, only the differences from embodiment 8 will be described as embodiment 9. In the present embodiment, the controller 10 prioritizes the "special freezing" control mode over the "quick freezing" control mode during a period in which the execution time of the "special freezing" control mode overlaps the execution time of the "quick freezing" control mode (from time 2 t2 to time 3 t3), and the content of the "special freezing" control mode is not changed from the reference content. That is, the controller 100 cools the fresh air compartment 27AA at the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 in accordance with the 2 nd temperature zone (target temperature zone) Tb set as a reference for the high temperature cooling control. In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 does not extend the execution time of each 1 st freezing operation from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 to a predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) set as a reference. In other words, in the present embodiment, the time for every 1 freezing operation in the control mode of "quick freezing" is changed to a predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) shorter than the predetermined time set as a reference with respect to the predetermined time (for example, 60 minutes) set as a reference. In the present embodiment, in the control mode of "quick freezing" from time 2 t2 to time 3 t3, the set temperature of main freezer compartment 27E is set to "F-strong setting", which is different from the basic operation of refrigerator 1.

With this configuration, the content of the 1 st control mode in which the start instruction is accepted later can be implemented, and the control mode of "special freshness" can be implemented in parallel. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the temperature of the fresh food chamber 27AA can be managed with reference to the high-temperature cooling control, the ice accretions on the surface layer of the food in the fresh food chamber 27AA can be more appropriately thawed.

Further, the example of "changing the content of the 1 st control mode with respect to the reference setting" is such that the target temperature zone of the high-temperature cooling control from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 is not set to be higher than the 2 nd temperature zone Tb of the reference setting, and/or the execution time of the freezing operation from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 is not extended with respect to the reference setting (for example, 40 minutes) of the "special fresh-cold" control mode.

< 5.3 case where the 1 st control mode is accepted in the execution of the low-temperature cooling control >

Next, several embodiments will be described in the case where the 1 st control mode is accepted during execution of the low-temperature cooling control in the "especially fresh" control mode.

(10 th embodiment)

Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 10. The 10 th embodiment is an example as follows: the start instruction of the 1 st control mode is received during execution of the low-temperature cooling control in the "special freshness" control mode, the 1 st control mode is preferentially executed based on a predetermined priority order, and the "special freshness" control mode is restarted after the 1 st control mode is ended. In the example shown in fig. 15, the 1 st control mode is "unfreezing". However, the 1 st control mode may be "quick freezing", "quick ice making", "quick freezing", or the like. The control modes of "defrosting" and "particularly fresh" are both control modes relating to the fresh ice compartment 27 AA.

Described in detail, in the 10 th embodiment, the control mode of the "special freezing" is executed from the 1 st timing t1 onward, and the control of the "special freezing" is switched from the high-temperature cooling control to the low-temperature cooling control at the 1 st timing t 1.

In the example shown in fig. 15, at time 2 t2, a start instruction of "thawing" is received. In this case, controller 100 interrupts the "special ice-fresh" low-temperature cooling control at time 2 t2, and starts the "defrosting" control mode from time 2 t 2. Then, at time 3 t3 when the fixed time of "defrosting" ends (for example, 1 hour which is the above-mentioned predetermined time), control unit 100 resumes the low temperature cooling control of "special freezing".

In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 determines the length of the execution time Sab of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart so that the total time of the execution time Saa of the low-temperature cooling control before the interruption and the execution time Sab of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart becomes longer than the predetermined time Sa set as a reference of the low-temperature cooling control.

For example, the control unit 100 acquires the fresh room temperature at a predetermined cycle, derives an index value reflecting the elapse of the fresh room temperature acquired at the predetermined cycle, and determines the length of the execution time Sab of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart based on the derived index value. As a method of determining the length of the implementation time Sab, for example, a method based on the index value I, which is time integration or average temperature, described in embodiment 6 can be adopted. The execution time Sab may be determined by using a preset correction value.

With this configuration, the content of the 1 st control mode in which the start instruction is accepted later can be reliably executed, and the control mode of "particularly fresh ice" can also be executed. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1.

The length of the execution time Sab of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart is determined so that the total time of the execution time Saa of the low-temperature cooling control before the interruption and the execution time Sab of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart is longer than the reference setting of the low-temperature cooling control, and examples of the determination include "changing the content of the 2 nd control mode with respect to the reference setting" and "changing the content of the low-temperature cooling control with respect to the reference setting".

In addition, when the 1 st control mode is a control mode involving an increase in the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA and the control mode in which the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA is a positive temperature range, the control unit 100 may set the 1 st temperature range Ta of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart to be lower than the 1 st temperature range Ta of the low-temperature cooling control set as a reference. Alternatively or in addition to the above, the control unit 100 may set the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart to be longer than the predetermined time Sa of the low-temperature cooling control set as a reference.

In addition, in the 10 th embodiment, a control mode in which the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA becomes a positive temperature band is described as the 1 st control mode. Alternatively, the 1 st control mode may be a control mode in which the average temperature of the fresh air compartment 27AA is in a negative temperature range (a temperature range in which the average temperature is lower than 0 ℃). In this case, the control unit 100 determines the length of the execution time Sab of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart so that the total time of the execution time Saa of the low-temperature cooling control before the interruption and the execution time Sab of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart becomes shorter than the predetermined time Sa set as a reference of the low-temperature cooling control. As a method of determining the length of the implementation time Sab, for example, the above-described method based on the index value I which is a time integral or an average temperature can be used. The execution time Sab may be determined by using a preset correction value.

(embodiment 11)

Fig. 16 and 17 are views for explaining embodiment 10. The 10 th embodiment is an example as follows: when the start instruction of the 1 st control mode is received during execution of the low-temperature cooling control in the "special freshness" control mode, the 1 st control mode or the "special freshness" control mode is preferentially executed based on a predetermined priority order corresponding to the timing. In the example shown in fig. 16 and 17, the 1 st control mode is "thawing". However, the 1 st control mode may be "quick freezing", "quick ice making", "quick freezing", or the like.

The example shown in fig. 16 is an example in which the start instruction of "defrosting" is received in a state in which the low-temperature cooling control has progressed by a predetermined amount or more. The "predetermined time" may be, for example, 2/3 or more of a predetermined execution time (predetermined time Sa), or half or more of the predetermined execution time, or any other reference.

Described in detail, the 11 th embodiment is an example as follows: the control mode of "special freezing" is executed from the 1 st timing t1 onward, and the high-temperature cooling control of "special freezing" is switched to the low-temperature cooling control at the 1 st timing t 1. When the start instruction of "defrosting" is received at time 2 t2 when the low-temperature cooling control has progressed by a predetermined amount or more, controller 100 ends the low-temperature cooling control earlier at time 2 t2 and starts the control mode of "defrosting" from time 2 t 2. Then, at time 3 t3 when the fixed time of "defrosting" ends (for example, 1 hour which is the above-mentioned predetermined time), control unit 100 starts the high-temperature cooling control without restarting the low-temperature cooling control.

In the present embodiment, when the low-temperature cooling control is ended early, the control unit 100 sets the execution time Sb' of the high-temperature cooling control executed after the end of the control mode of "defrosting" to be shorter than the predetermined time Sb set as the reference of the high-temperature cooling control. For example, the control unit 100 acquires the fresh air chamber temperature at a predetermined cycle during the 1 st control mode and the high temperature cooling control, derives an index value reflecting the elapse of the fresh air chamber temperature acquired at the predetermined cycle, and determines the length of the high temperature cooling control execution time Sb' executed after the 1 st control mode is finished. As a method of determining the length of the implementation time Sb', for example, a method based on the index value I, which is time integration or average temperature, described in embodiment 6 can be employed. The length of the execution time Sb' may be set to a preset value. The setting value may be a plurality of setting values prepared depending on how early the low-temperature cooling control is ended, for example. The set value may be a plurality of set values prepared according to the content of the 1 st control mode (for example, the height of the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA accompanying the execution of the 1 st control mode).

On the other hand, the example shown in fig. 17 is an example in which the start instruction of "defrosting" is received before the low-temperature cooling control has progressed beyond the predetermined level. In this case, control unit 100 gives priority to the low-temperature cooling control over the control mode of "defrosting". For example, control unit 100 delays the start of the "defrosting" control mode and continues the execution of the low-temperature cooling control. Then, from time 3 t3 when predetermined time Sa set as a reference for the low-temperature cooling control ends, the control mode of "defrosting" is started. Then, the control unit 100 starts the high-temperature cooling control at time t4, which is 4 th when the fixed time of "defrosting" ends (for example, 1 hour which is the predetermined time).

In the present embodiment, when the 1 st control mode (for example, the "defrosting" control mode) in which the average temperature of the fresh air compartment 27AA is a positive temperature range exists immediately before the high-temperature cooling control, the control unit 100 sets the execution time Sb' of the high-temperature cooling control executed after the 1 st control mode is ended to be shorter than the predetermined time Sb set as the reference of the high-temperature cooling control. For example, the control unit 100 obtains the fresh air chamber temperature at a predetermined cycle during the period of the 1 st control mode and the period of the high temperature cooling control, derives an index value reflecting the elapse of the fresh air chamber temperature obtained at the predetermined cycle, and determines the length of the high temperature cooling control execution time Sb' executed after the 1 st control mode is finished. As a method of determining the length of the implementation time Sb', for example, a method based on the index value I, which is time integration or average temperature, described in embodiment 6 can be employed. The length of the execution time Sb' may be set to a preset value. The set value may be prepared in plural according to the content of the 1 st control mode (for example, according to the height of the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA accompanying the execution of the 1 st control mode).

With this configuration, the content of the 1 st control mode in which the start instruction is accepted later can be reliably executed, and the control mode of "particularly fresh ice" can also be executed. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1. Further, by appropriately determining the length of the high-temperature cooling control execution time Sb' after the restart, it is possible to suppress an excessive temperature rise of the food in the fresh food compartment 27 AA.

Further, the early termination of the low-temperature cooling control when the start instruction of the 1 st control mode is received is an example of "changing the content of the 2 nd control mode with respect to the reference setting", "changing the content of the low-temperature cooling control with respect to the reference setting", and "changing the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control with respect to the reference setting".

In addition, the 11 th embodiment is an example in which the instruction to start the 1 st control mode in which the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA is a positive temperature band (or accompanied by an increase in the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA) is received during execution of the low temperature cooling control. However, the contents of the 11 th embodiment can be applied to a case where the start instruction of the 1 st control mode in which the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA is in the negative temperature range (or accompanied by a decrease in the average temperature of the fresh air chamber 27AA) is received during execution of the high-temperature cooling control. In this case, in the above description, the contents relating to the low-temperature cooling control and the contents relating to the high-temperature cooling control can be appropriately reversed.

(embodiment 12)

Fig. 18 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 12. The 12 th embodiment is an example in which, when the 1 st control mode start instruction is received during execution of the low-temperature cooling control in the "special freshness" control mode, the 1 st control mode and the "special freshness" control mode are executed in parallel, the 1 st control mode is locally prioritized based on a predetermined priority order, and the content (setting) of the low-temperature cooling control in the "special freshness" control mode is changed to a special setting that is influenced by the 1 st control mode. In the example shown in fig. 18, the 1 st control mode is "quick freezing". The 1 st control mode is not limited to "quick freezing" and may be "quick ice making" or the like.

In detail, in the 12 th embodiment, before the 2 nd time t2, the same as the 10 th embodiment is described. In embodiment 12, when receiving the start instruction of "quick freezing" at time 2 t2, controller 100 starts the control mode of "quick freezing" from time 2 t 2. That is, the control mode of "quick freezing" and the control mode of "special freezing" are executed in parallel for a certain period of time after the 2 nd time t 2.

In the present embodiment, as a part of the control relating to the "rapid freezing", the controller 100 changes the contents of the low-temperature cooling control from the reference contents (the reference setting at low temperature) during the period (from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3) in which the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control of the "special freezing" and the execution time of the control mode of the "rapid freezing" overlap. Specifically, the controller 100 sets the 1 st temperature zone (target temperature zone) Ta' of the low-temperature cooling control from the 2 nd time t2 to the 3 rd time t3 to be higher than the 1 st temperature zone Ta set as the reference of the low-temperature cooling control by the 1 st degree. For example, the control unit 100 sets the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 1 st temperature zone Ta' to be higher than the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 1 st temperature zone Ta by predetermined temperatures (for example, +1 ℃). In the present embodiment, controller 100 extends the execution time of each 1 st freezing operation from time t2 to time t3 to a predetermined time (e.g., 60 minutes) longer than the reference setting (e.g., 40 minutes) for the low-temperature cooling control.

On the other hand, the controller 100 does not change (or changes to the 2 nd degree smaller than the 1 st degree) the content of the high-temperature cooling control from the reference content (high-temperature reference setting) during a period (from the 3 rd time t3 to the 4 th time t4) in which the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control of the "special freezing" and the execution time of the control mode of the "quick freezing" overlap. In the example shown in fig. 18, the controller 100 also cools the fresh air compartment 27AA in the 2 nd temperature zone (target temperature zone) Tb set as a reference for the high temperature cooling control from the 3 rd time t3 to the 4 th time t 4. In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 does not extend the execution time of each 1-time freezing operation from the 3 rd time t3 to the 4 th time t4 to a predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) set as a reference.

With this configuration, the content of the 1 st control mode in which the start instruction is accepted later can be reliably executed, and the control mode of "particularly fresh ice" can also be executed. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1. In the present embodiment, the content of the low-temperature cooling control is changed from the reference setting to the 1 st degree, and the content of the high-temperature cooling control is not changed (or changed from the reference setting to the 2 nd degree smaller than the 1 st degree). With such a configuration, the influence on the 1 st control mode can be reduced for the low-temperature cooling control having a relatively large influence (restriction) on the 1 st control mode, and the high-temperature cooling control can be prioritized for the high-temperature cooling control having a relatively small influence (restriction) on the 1 st control mode. This makes it possible to more appropriately achieve both the 1 st control mode and the "especially fresh" control mode.

In addition, embodiment 12 is an example in which an instruction to start the 1 st control mode is received during execution of the low-temperature cooling control. However, the contents of embodiment 12 can be applied to a case where the start instruction of the 1 st control mode is received during the execution of the high-temperature cooling control, and a case where the "special freshness" control mode is received during the execution of the 1 st control mode.

(embodiment 13)

Fig. 19 is a diagram for explaining embodiment 13. The 13 th embodiment is an example as follows: when the start instruction of the 1 st control mode is received during execution of the low-temperature cooling control in the "special freshness" control mode, the 1 st control mode and the "special freshness" control mode are executed in parallel, and the "special freshness" control mode is prioritized based on a predetermined priority order. In the example shown in fig. 19, the 1 st control mode is "quick freezing". The 1 st control mode is not limited to "quick freezing" and may be "quick ice making" or the like.

Hereinafter, as example 13, only the differences from example 12 will be described. In the present embodiment, the controller 100 prioritizes the "special freezing" control mode over the "quick freezing" control mode during a period in which the execution time of the "special freezing" control mode overlaps the execution time of the "quick freezing" control mode (from time 2 t2 to time 4 t4), and does not change the contents of the "special freezing" control mode from the reference contents. That is, the controller 100 cools the fresh air compartment 27AA in accordance with the 1 st temperature zone (target temperature zone) Ta set as a reference for the low-temperature cooling control and cools the fresh air compartment 27AA in accordance with the 2 nd temperature zone (target temperature zone) Tb set as a reference for the high-temperature cooling control from the 2 nd time t2 to the 4 th time t 4. In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 does not extend the time for performing the freezing operation from the 2 nd time t2 to the 4 th time t4 to a predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) set as a reference. In other words, in the present embodiment, the time of the freezing operation in the control mode of "quick freezing" is changed to a predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes) shorter than the predetermined time set as a reference with respect to the predetermined time (for example, 60 minutes). In the present embodiment, in the control mode of "quick freezing" from time 2 t2 to time 4 t4, the set temperature of main freezer compartment 27E is set to "F-strong setting", which is different from the basic operation of refrigerator 1.

With this configuration, the content of the 1 st control mode in which the start instruction is accepted later can be reliably executed, and the control mode of "especially fresh ice" can be executed in parallel. This enables more appropriate cooling control of the refrigerator 1.

Several embodiments have been described above, but the embodiments are not limited to the above examples. The concepts described in the embodiments can be implemented by being combined as appropriate. For example, in the 1 st to 5 th embodiments, the high temperature cooling control of "especially fresh" may be started after the 1 st control mode is finished. In this case, the target temperature range and the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control may be changed according to the content of the 1 st control mode. In addition, although the examples of performing both the target temperature zone not to be changed for the "special freezing" and the extension of the execution time of the freezing operation per 1 time when the control mode of the "special freezing" is prioritized have been described in some of the embodiments, it is not necessary to perform both the target temperature zone not to be changed for the "special freezing" and the extension of the execution time of the freezing operation per 1 time.

According to at least one embodiment described above, the refrigerator includes a control unit that, when an instruction to start one of the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode is received while the other control mode is being executed, performs at least 1 of the following, based on a predetermined priority order: by changing the content of the 1 st control mode, changing the content of the 2 nd control mode, ending or interrupting the one control mode early, and delaying the start of the other control mode, a refrigerator capable of performing more appropriate cooling control can be provided.

Several embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these embodiments are presented as examples only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in other various ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Claims

1. A refrigerator is provided with: a housing including a storage portion; a cooling unit that cools the storage unit; and a control unit capable of controlling the cooling unit in a 1 st control mode and a 2 nd control mode, the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode being control modes relating to the storage unit, the 2 nd control mode alternately repeating: and a control unit configured to perform at least 1 of a low-temperature cooling control for cooling the storage unit in a 1 st temperature zone and a high-temperature cooling control for cooling the storage unit in a 2 nd temperature zone higher than the 1 st temperature zone, and when an instruction to start one of the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode is received during execution of the other control mode, the control unit performs at least 1 of a change in the content of the 1 st control mode, a change in the content of the 2 nd control mode, an early termination or interruption of the one control mode, and a delay in the start of the other control mode, based on a predetermined priority order.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the other control mode in preference to the one control mode when receiving an instruction to start the other control mode during execution of the one control mode.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit changes, when the instruction to start the other control mode is received during execution of the one control mode, the content of at least one of the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode with respect to the setting when the instruction to start the other control mode is received after the one control mode is ended.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit changes the contents of at least one of the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control in the 2 nd control mode, when an instruction to start the other control mode is received during execution of the one control mode, with respect to a setting in a case where an instruction to start the other control mode is received after the one control mode ends.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit changes at least one of the target temperature range of the low-temperature cooling control and the target temperature range of the high-temperature cooling control to a setting in a case where the start instruction of the other control mode is received while the one control mode is being executed and the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode are executed in parallel, after the one control mode is ended, the start instruction of the other control mode is received.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the 1 st control mode is a control mode accompanied by an average temperature rise of the storage part, when the control unit receives an instruction to start the one control mode after the one control mode is completed, the low-temperature cooling control is performed based on a low-temperature reference setting, the high-temperature cooling control is performed based on a high-temperature reference setting, when the control unit receives a start instruction of the other control mode during execution of the one control mode and executes the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode in parallel, the target temperature band of the low-temperature cooling control is changed to the low-temperature reference setting by the 1 st degree, the content of the high-temperature cooling control is not changed or is changed to the high-temperature reference setting by a 2 nd degree smaller than the 1 st degree.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit changes at least one of the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control and the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control with respect to a setting in a case where the start instruction of the other control mode is received after the one control mode is ended, when the 1 st control mode and the 2 nd control mode are executed in parallel while the start instruction of the other control mode is received during the execution of the one control mode.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit performs the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control based on a reference setting when receiving an instruction to start the other control mode after the one control mode ends, and the control unit changes the content of the low-temperature cooling control to the reference setting by a 1 st degree and does not change the content of the high-temperature cooling control or changes the content of the high-temperature cooling control to the reference setting by a 2 nd degree smaller than the 1 st degree when receiving the instruction to start the other control mode during execution of the one control mode.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 2, wherein the 1 st control mode is a control in which an average temperature of the storage part becomes a positive temperature band, the control unit interrupts the high-temperature cooling control and executes the 1 st control mode when receiving an instruction to start the 1 st control mode during execution of the high-temperature cooling control in the 2 nd control mode, and a controller configured to restart the high-temperature cooling control after the 1 st control mode ends, wherein the controller determines a length of time for which the high-temperature cooling control is to be executed after the restart so that a total time of time for which the high-temperature cooling control is executed before the interruption and time for which the high-temperature cooling control is to be executed after the restart is shorter than a setting of the high-temperature cooling control in a case where a start instruction of the other control mode is received after the one control mode ends.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 2, wherein the 1 st control mode is a control in which an average temperature of the storage part becomes a positive temperature band, the control unit interrupts the low-temperature cooling control to execute the 1 st control mode when receiving an instruction to start the 1 st control mode during execution of the low-temperature cooling control in the 2 nd control mode, and a control unit configured to restart the low-temperature cooling control after the 1 st control mode ends, wherein the control unit determines a length of time for which the low-temperature cooling control is performed after the restart so that a total time of time for which the low-temperature cooling control is performed before the interruption and time for which the low-temperature cooling control is performed after the restart is longer than a setting length of the low-temperature cooling control when an instruction to start the other control mode is received after the one control mode ends.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 2, wherein the 1 st control mode is a control in which an average temperature of the storage part becomes a negative temperature zone, the control unit interrupts the high-temperature cooling control and executes the 1 st control mode when receiving an instruction to start the 1 st control mode during execution of the high-temperature cooling control in the 2 nd control mode, and a controller configured to restart the high-temperature cooling control after the 1 st control mode ends, wherein the controller determines the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control after the restart so that a total time of the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control before the interruption and the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control after the restart becomes longer than a set time of the high-temperature cooling control when a start instruction of the other control mode is received after the one control mode ends.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 2, wherein the 1 st control mode is a control in which an average temperature of the storage part becomes a negative temperature zone, the control unit interrupts the low-temperature cooling control to execute the 1 st control mode when receiving an instruction to start the 1 st control mode during execution of the low-temperature cooling control in the 2 nd control mode, and the control unit may restart the low-temperature cooling control after the 1 st control mode ends, and the control unit may determine the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart so that a total time of the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control before the interruption and the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control after the restart is shorter than a setting of the low-temperature cooling control in a case where a start instruction of the other control mode is received after the one control mode ends.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit executes the 1 st control mode by ending the one cooling control early when the start instruction of the 1 st control mode is received in a state where one of the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control has progressed by a predetermined amount or more, and executes the other of the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control after the 1 st control mode is ended.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein the control unit shortens an execution time of the other cooling control executed after the one cooling control that ends earlier than a setting of the other cooling control when a start instruction of the other control mode is received after the one control mode ends.