CN112781300B

CN112781300B - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: CN112781300B
Application number: CN202010869955.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 金子尚太
Original assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Current assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Priority date: 2019-11-11
Filing date: 2020-08-26
Publication date: 2022-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 2040-08-26
Also published as: JP2021076313A; CN112781300A; JP7349327B2

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator which can perform proper cooling control and can easily take out food in a desired state. The refrigerator of the embodiment comprises a basket body, a cooling part and a control part. The housing includes a storage portion. The cooling unit cools the storage unit. The control unit may control the cooling unit in a control mode in which a first cooling control for cooling the storage unit and a second cooling control for cooling the storage unit in a temperature zone higher than the first cooling control or an air pressure zone higher than the first cooling control are alternately repeated. The control unit can execute the following modes: the first report is repeated a plurality of times in the first cooling control, or the second report is repeated a plurality of times in the second cooling control.

Description

Refrigerator

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

Background

Refrigerators having a quench chamber are known. The quench chamber maintains the quality of the food material by maintaining a constant low temperature. In this case, the food may not be hard enough to be easily cut with a kitchen knife. Therefore, a refrigerator provided with a thawing mode for thawing food stored at a low temperature is known. However, when the thawing mode is executed, the temperature of the food material that is not to be thawed also rises, and depending on the type and condition of the food material, it may be difficult to maintain the quality of the food material.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2019-082326

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a refrigerator which can perform proper cooling control and can easily take out food in a desired state.

The refrigerator of the embodiment comprises a basket body, a cooling part and a control part. The housing includes a storage portion. The cooling unit cools the storage unit. The control unit may control the cooling unit in a control mode in which a first cooling control for cooling the storage unit and a second cooling control for cooling the storage unit in a temperature zone higher than the first cooling control or in an air pressure zone higher than the first cooling control are alternately repeated. The control unit can execute the following modes: the first report is repeated for a plurality of times of the first cooling control, or the second report is repeated for a plurality of times of the second cooling control.

Effects of the invention

According to the refrigerator of the present invention, it is possible to maintain the quality of the food material by alternately repeating the first cooling control and the second cooling control, and to notify the user of the fact when the food material is in a desired state. Thus, the user can easily take out the food material in a desired state while performing appropriate cooling control.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an environment in which the refrigerator according to the first embodiment is used.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of contents displayed on the display screen of the terminal device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a front view showing a refrigerator of the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line F4-F4 of the refrigerator shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a front view showing the operation panel of the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a part of the structure of the refrigerator of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a graph of change in air temperature of the quench chamber with the quench-specific control mode of the first embodiment being performed.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of control of the extra quench of the first embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of control of the special report mode of the first embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the second embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the third embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the fifth embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the sixth embodiment.

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the seventh embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

A 1 … refrigerator, a 2 … terminal device, a 3 … server system, a 10 … housing, a 15 … cooling unit, a 27a … refrigerator, a 27AA … chill chamber (first storage unit), a 27B … vegetable chamber, a 27C … ice making chamber (second storage unit), a 27D … small freezer chamber (second storage unit), a 27E … main freezer chamber (second storage unit), and a 100 … control unit.

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 structures having the same or similar functions. Further, a repetitive description of these structures may be omitted. In the present specification, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX", and also includes the case where XX is based on other elements. Further, "based on XX" is not limited to the case of using XX directly, and includes the case of using a portion obtained by performing an operation or processing on XX. In the present specification, "YY 1 or YY 2" is not limited to the case where only "YY 1" is present or the case where only "YY 2" is present, and includes the case where both "YY 1" and "YY 2" are present. This is also the case when 3 or more elements are connected by an "or". In the present specification, "at least one of ZZ1 and ZZ 2" is not limited to the case where both "ZZ 1" and "ZZ 2" are present as a premise, and includes the case where only "ZZ 1" is present or the case where only "ZZ 2" is present. "XX", "YY 1", "YY 2", "ZZ 1", and "ZZ 2" are arbitrary elements (for example, arbitrary information, function, or structure).

(first embodiment)

[1. environment for use in refrigerator ]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an environment in which a refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment is used. The refrigerator 1 is connected to a network NW via a router R provided in a room, for example, and can communicate with the server system 3. The refrigerator 1 can communicate with the terminal device 2 used by the user of the refrigerator 1 via the router R and the network NW. The Network NW includes 1 or more of the internet, a cellular Network, a Wi-Fi Network, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a public line, a telephone line, a wireless base station, and the like.

The terminal device 2 is, for example, a portable terminal device held by a user, and is a smartphone, a tablet terminal device, or the like. An application program for remotely operating the refrigerator 1 is installed in the terminal device 2. The terminal device 2 executes the application program by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to provide functions described later.

The server system 3 is constituted by, for example, 1 or a plurality of server apparatuses 3 a. The server device 3a is a cloud server connected to the network NW. The server system 3 communicates with the refrigerator 1 and the terminal device 2 via the network NW, and remotely operates the refrigerator 1 based on an operation by the user with respect to the terminal device 2. The server system 3 transmits the state information of the refrigerator 1 notified from the refrigerator 1 to the server system 3 to the terminal device 2. The server system 3 may include an information processing unit that performs edge calculation or fog calculation, such as an information processing unit included in the router R and/or an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW.

[2. terminal device ]

Next, for convenience of description, an example of the terminal device 2 will be described first.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of content displayed on the display screen D of the terminal device 2. In the present embodiment, the terminal device 2 provides at least one of a first function of notifying a user of a timing suitable for cutting a food material and a second function of notifying a user of a timing of eating a food material. That is, the terminal device 2 may provide only the first function, only the second function, or both the first function and the second function.

The first function is a function of informing a time when the food stored in the chilling chamber is suitable for cutting (for example, a time when the food is hard enough to be cut with a kitchen knife). In the present embodiment, the user can specify the type of food material ("meat", "fish", etc.) by operating the virtual input button 2a displayed on the display screen D, and make a setting for informing the user of the timing at which the food material is suitable for cutting. The operation of the input button 2a is an example of "start operation of the special report mode (described later)".

The second function is a function of notifying the user of the timing of eating the food material whose taste or texture changes depending on the temperature (the timing at which the food material is in a state of good taste or texture). In the present embodiment, the user can specify the type of food material ("tattoo", "ham", etc.) by operating the virtual input button 2b displayed on the display screen D, and thereby make a setting for informing the user of the timing of eating the food material. The operation of the input button 2b is another example of "start operation of special report mode (described later)".

Then, the terminal device 2 displays a predetermined notification based on the first function or the second function on the display screen D based on a notification received from the refrigerator 1 via the server system 3. The "predetermined notification" includes, for example, information indicating that it is time appropriate to cut the specified food material (for example, a display of "meat is easily cut"), information indicating that the specified food material is at a timing to be eaten (for example, a display of "tattoo is at a timing to be eaten"), and the like.

[3. refrigerator Overall Structure ]

Next, the overall structure of the refrigerator 1 will be explained.

Fig. 3 is a front view showing the refrigerator 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line F4-F4 of the refrigerator 1 shown in fig. 3. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, 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 passage forming member 14, a cooling unit 15, an operation panel 16, a communication device 17, and a control board 18.

As shown in fig. 4, the enclosure 10 includes, for example, an inner box 10a, an outer box 10b, and a heat insulating portion 10 c. The inner box 10a is a member forming the inner surface of the enclosure 10. The outer case 10b is a member forming an outer surface of the housing 10. The outer box 10b is formed to be one step larger than the inner box 10a and is disposed outside the inner box 10 a. A heat insulating portion 10c including a foamed heat insulating material such as foamed polyurethane is provided between the inner casing 10a and the outer casing 10 b.

A plurality of storage chambers 27 are provided inside the enclosure 10. The plurality of storage chambers 27 include, for example, a refrigerating chamber 27A, a chilling chamber 27AA, a vegetable chamber 27B, an ice making chamber 27C, a small freezing chamber 27D, and a main freezing chamber 27E. In the present embodiment, refrigerating room 27A is disposed at the uppermost part, 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 compartment 27 is not limited to the above example, and for example, ice making compartment 27C and small freezing compartment 27D may be arranged below refrigerating compartment 27A, main freezing compartment 27E may be arranged below ice making compartment 27C and small freezing compartment 27D, and vegetable compartment 27B may be arranged below main freezing compartment 27E. The enclosure 10 has openings on the front surface side of the storage chambers 27 so that the food can be taken into and out of the storage chambers 27.

Refrigerating room 27A and vegetable room 27B are storage rooms 27 having a set temperature zone of a refrigerating temperature zone (for example, 3 to 8 ℃). The quench chamber 27AA is disposed below a portion of the refrigerated compartment 27A. The quench chamber 27AA is at least partially separated from the refrigerated compartment 27A, such as by a shelf or wall or the like. Chill chamber 27AA is located below refrigerating room 27A so that cool air can easily flow in, and is located closer to a cooler 41 for refrigeration described later than refrigerating room 27A so that it is maintained at a temperature lower than refrigerating room 27A. In the present description, the quench chamber 27AA is an example of the "first storage portion". On the other hand, each of ice making compartment 27C, small freezer compartment 27D, and main freezer compartment 27E is a storage compartment 27 having a set temperature zone of a freezing temperature zone (for example, -20 to-18 ℃), and is an example of a "second storage unit".

The enclosure 10 includes first and

second partitions

28 and 29. The first partition 28 is located between the refrigerating chamber 27A (chilling chamber 27AA) and the vegetable chamber 27B, and partitions the refrigerating chamber 27A (chilling chamber 27AA) and the vegetable chamber 27B. On the other hand, second partition 29 is located between vegetable compartment 27B and ice making compartment 27C and small freezing compartment 27D, and partitions vegetable compartment 27B and ice making compartment 27C and small freezing compartment 27D. The second partition 29 has heat insulation properties.

The openings of the storage chambers 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 an 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 freezer door 11E that closes the opening of main freezer compartment 27E.

Shelf plates 12 are disposed in refrigerating compartment 27A. The plurality of containers 13 are separately disposed in the storage chambers 27. The flow path forming member 14 is disposed in the housing 10. The flow passage forming member 14 includes a first duct member 31 and a second duct member 32. The first duct member 31 is provided along the rear wall of the enclosure 10 and extends in the vertical direction. A first duct space D1, which is a passage through which cool air (air) flows, is formed between the first duct member 31 and the rear wall of the enclosure 10. First duct member 31 has a plurality of cold storage room air outlets 31a, cold storage room air outlets 31b, and cold air return openings 31 c. The second duct member 32 is provided along the rear wall of the enclosure 10 and extends in the vertical direction. A second duct space D2, which is a passage through which cool air (air) flows, is formed between the second duct member 32 and the rear wall of the enclosure 10. The second duct member 32 has a cold air outlet 32a and a cold air return opening 32 b.

Cooling unit (cooling unit) 15 cools storage compartments 27 (refrigerating compartment 27A, chilling 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 first cooling module 40, a second cooling module 45, a compressor 49, and a refrigeration cycle device 50 (fig. 6).

The first 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 first 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 through the first duct space D1.

The cooling fan (first blower) 43 is provided at, for example, the cold air return port 31c of the first duct member 31. When the cooling fan 43 is driven, the air in the vegetable compartment 27B flows into the first duct space D1 from the cold air return port 31 c. The air flowing into the first duct space D1 flows upward in the first duct space D1 and is cooled by the cooler 41 for cold storage. Cold air cooled by cooler 41 for cold storage is blown out from cold-storage room air outlets 31a to cold-storage room 27A and from cold-storage room air outlet 31b to cold-storage room 27 AA. As a result, the cold air flowing through refrigerating room 27A, chilling room 27AA, and vegetable room 27B circulates in refrigerator 1, and refrigerating room 27A, chilling room 27AA, and vegetable room 27B are cooled.

On the other hand, the second cooling module 45 includes, for example, a cooling cooler 46 and a cooling fan 48. The refrigeration chiller 46 is disposed in the second 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 through the second duct space D2.

The freezing fan (second blower) 48 is provided, for example, at the cold air return port 32b of the second duct member 32. When freezing fan 48 is driven, air in main freezer compartment 27E flows into second duct space D2 from cold air return port 32 b. The air flowing into the second duct space D2 flows upward in the second duct space D2 and is cooled by the refrigerating cooler 46. The cold air cooled by the freezing cooler 46 flows from the cold air outlet 32a into the ice making chamber 27C, the small freezing chamber 27D, and the main freezing chamber 27E. Thereby, the cold air flowing in 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 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, "cooling" means a state in which the refrigerant is supplied from the compressor 49 to the cooler (the refrigerating cooler 41 or the freezing cooler 46) corresponding to each storage room 27. However, in the present specification, "cooling" is not limited to the case where the refrigerating fan 43 or the freezing fan 48 is driven. For example, "cooling" also 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 chilling chamber 27AA is decreased by heat transfer between the refrigerating cooler 41 and the chilling chamber 27 AA.

As shown in fig. 3, the operation panel 16 is provided to the door 11 (e.g., left refrigerating chamber door 11 Aa). The operation panel 16 receives user input operations related to a change of a set temperature zone or a change of an operation mode of the refrigerator 1. The operation panel 16 is an example of an "operation unit". The operation panel 16 will be described in detail later.

The communication device 17 is, for example, a wireless module including an antenna and a high-frequency circuit. The communication device 17 can communicate with the server system 3 via the router R and the network NW.

As shown in fig. 4, the control board 18 is provided on the upper wall of the enclosure 10. The control board 18 realizes a control unit 100 described later. The control unit 100 will be described in detail later.

[4. operation Panel ]

Fig. 5 is a front view showing the operation panel 16. The operation panel 16 includes a plurality of notification lamps 16a and a plurality of operation buttons 16 b. Each of the notification lamps 16a is turned on or blinks to notify the setting state or the operating state of the refrigerator 1. The plurality of operation buttons 16b may be mechanical buttons or virtual buttons formed by touch sensors arranged to overlap the display screen of the display device. A light emitting unit LU is provided around each operation button 16b and on the back side of the characters. The light emitting unit LU may be formed by an LED or the like disposed behind the operation button 16b, or may be formed by a part of the display screen displaying the operation button 16 b.

Here, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 has at least one of the first function of notifying the user of the timing suitable for cutting of the food material and the second function of notifying the user of the timing of eating of the food material as described above. That is, the refrigerator 1 may provide only the first function, only the second function, or both the first function and the second function. The plurality of operation buttons 16b include operation buttons 16ba corresponding to the above functions. The user can make a setting such that the timing suitable for cutting of the food material is notified, for example, by designating the kind of the food material by changing the number of times the operation button 16ba is pressed. The user can make a setting such that the user is notified of the timing of eating the food material by, for example, changing the number of times the operation button 16ba is pressed to designate the type of the food material. The operation of the operation button 16ba is an example of "start operation of special report mode". In addition, regarding the setting operation described above, for example, the lighting pattern of the indicator 16aa, which is one of the notification lamps 16a, may be changed in accordance with the number of times the operation button 16ba is pressed, thereby enabling the user to confirm the state under selection.

The operation panel 16 lights or blinks the light emitting unit LU, for example, in a predetermined lighting mode based on the first function or the second function based on a notification output from the control unit 100, which will be described later. The lighting or blinking corresponds to a display indicating that the food is cut at a suitable timing or a display indicating that the food is eaten at a suitable timing. The operation panel 16 is an example of "report means" and "display unit", respectively.

[5. 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 below.

[5.1 Structure of refrigeration cycle device ]

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of the refrigeration cycle device 50. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 is configured by annularly connecting 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 in order of the flow of refrigerant. The condenser 51 and the dryer 52 are connected to a high-pressure discharge port of the compressor 49 via a connection pipe 56 in this order. A three-way valve 53 is connected to the discharge side of the dryer 52. The three-way valve 53 has 1 inlet to which the dryer 52 is connected, and 2 outlets. A refrigerating side capillary tube 54 and a refrigerating cooler 41 are connected in this order to one of the 2 outlets of the three-way valve 53. The cooler 41 for cooling is connected to the compressor 49 via a cooling-side 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 through a refrigeration-side suction pipe 58 serving as a connection pipe. A check valve 59 for preventing the refrigerant from the refrigerating cooler 41 from flowing backward toward the freezing cooler 46 is provided between the freezing cooler 46 and the compressor 49.

[5.2. flow of refrigerant in refrigeration cycle apparatus ]

Next, the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 will be described. The refrigerant circulating through the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 is compressed by the compressor 49 into a high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant, and flows through the flow path a. The gaseous refrigerant radiates heat by the condenser 51, and becomes a medium-temperature high-pressure liquid refrigerant. Then, the liquid refrigerant, from which impurities such as dirt and moisture have been removed by passing through the dryer 52, is subjected to throttle control by the three-way valve 53, and enters the refrigerating-side capillary tube 54 (or the freezing-side capillary tube 55). 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) exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the refrigerating side suction tube 57 (or the freezing side suction tube 58) and is reduced in pressure. Further, the refrigerant after the pressure reduction evaporates while passing through the refrigerating cooler 41 (or the freezing cooler 46), whereby the refrigerating cooler 41 (or the freezing cooler 46) is cooled.

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

In the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 described above, the three-way valve 53 is controlled by the control unit 100 to select, for example, one of the flow paths B and C. The flow path B is a flow path for supplying the refrigerant to the cooler 41 for cold storage. The flow path C is a flow path for supplying the refrigerant to the refrigerating cooler 46. The 2 flow paths B, C merge at a merging point D. The refrigerant flows from the confluence point D in the direction of arrow E and returns to the compressor 49.

[6. control ]

[6.1 functional Structure relating to control ]

Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a part of the structure of the refrigerator 1. The control board 18 includes a control unit 100 implemented by a computer having a microcomputer, a timer, or the like. The control unit 100 controls the entire refrigerator 1. The control unit 100 is connected to a refrigerating fan 43, a freezing fan 48, a compressor 49, a three-way valve 53, a communication device 17, a refrigerating room temperature sensor 110, a chilling room temperature sensor 111, a freezing room temperature sensor 112, a storage unit 116, and an operation panel 16.

Refrigerating room temperature sensor 110 is provided in refrigerating room 27A and detects an air temperature in refrigerating room 27A. The chilling chamber temperature sensor 111 is arranged in the chilling chamber 27AA and detects the air temperature of the chilling chamber 27 AA. Freezer temperature sensor 112 is provided, for example, in main freezer compartment 27E, and detects the air temperature in main freezer compartment 27E.

Hereinafter, the air temperature of the quench chamber 27AA may be referred to as "quench chamber temperature". Here, the air temperature of the quench chamber 27AA detected by the quench chamber temperature sensor 111 is an example of the "temperature value obtained based on the detection result of the temperature sensor". However, refrigerator 1 may omit chill chamber temperature sensor 111 and estimate the air temperature of chill chamber 27AA based on the detection result of chill chamber temperature sensor 110 and the correlation between the air temperature of chill chamber 27A and the air temperature of chill chamber 27 AA. In this case, the estimated quench chamber temperature is an example of "temperature value obtained based on the detection result of the temperature sensor" and an example of "quench chamber temperature".

The storage unit 116 stores information necessary for the operation of the refrigerator 1. The storage unit 116 stores, for example, information indicating "a predetermined time" defining a start time of a special report mode to be described later, a temperature value as a threshold value, and the like.

[6.2 basic operation ]

Next, a basic operation of the refrigerator 1 will be described. The control unit 100 alternately performs a "refrigerating operation" and a "freezing operation" as a basic operation of the refrigerator 1. The "refrigerating operation" means an operation in which the three-way valve 53 is switched to supply the liquid refrigerant from the compressor 49 to the refrigerating cooler 41. On the other hand, "freezing operation" means 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. The cooling operation is an example of "cooling the first storage unit". The freezing operation is an example of "cooling the second storage unit".

The control unit 100 controls the cooling unit 15 by alternately performing, for example, a refrigerating operation and a freezing operation so that the storage chambers 27 (the refrigerating chamber 27A, the chilling chamber 27AA, and the vegetable chamber 27B) in the refrigerating temperature range and the storage chambers 27 (the ice making chamber 27C, the small freezing chamber 27D, and the main freezing chamber 27E) in the freezing temperature range are maintained in the respective set temperature ranges. For example, the control unit 100 alternately repeats the following operations: the storage compartment 27 of the refrigerated temperature zone is cooled for a predetermined time (e.g., 20 minutes) and the storage compartment 27 of the frozen temperature zone is cooled for another predetermined time (e.g., 40 minutes). The Control unit 100 performs feedback Control such as PID Control (Proportional Integral Differential Control) based on the refrigerating room temperature (or the chilling room temperature) or the freezing room temperature, for example, so that the air temperature of each storage room 27 is converged between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature range.

Here, while the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the refrigerating temperature zone is decreased during the refrigerating operation, the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the freezing temperature zone is increased. On the other hand, while the freezing operation is performed, the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the freezing temperature zone is decreased, but the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the refrigerating temperature zone is increased. 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 are repeatedly changed in a zigzag manner (see fig. 8). The refrigerating operation and the freezing operation are alternately repeated during a low-temperature cooling control period and a high-temperature cooling control period, which will be described later.

[6.3 control modes ]

Next, a control mode that can be executed by the control unit 100 will be described.

< conventional chilling >

The control mode of the 'normal chilling' is a control mode that the temperature of the chilling chamber is always kept in a constant temperature band (for example, a constant temperature band with 0-2 ℃ as the central temperature). In the "normal chilling" control mode, 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 chilling room 27AA are cooled.

< extraordinary chilling >

In the "extra quench" control mode, the time for cooling the quench chamber 27AA in the low temperature zone and the time for cooling the quench chamber 27AA in the high temperature zone are alternately repeated. Such "special quench" is described in detail below.

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating changes in air temperature of the quench chamber 27AA where a "extra quench" control mode is implemented. In the "special quench" control mode, the controller 100 alternately repeats low-temperature cooling control for cooling the quench chamber 27AA in the first temperature zone Ta and high-temperature cooling control for cooling the quench chamber 27AA in the second temperature zone Tb higher than the first temperature zone Ta. The low-temperature cooling control is an example of the "first cooling control". The high-temperature cooling control is an example of the "second cooling control". In the following description, the "center temperature" of each temperature zone may be an average temperature in the execution of the cooling control of each temperature zone, or may be a temperature of a central value between an upper limit value and a lower limit value of each temperature zone.

The first temperature zone Ta is a set temperature zone of the quench chamber 27AA in the low-temperature cooling control. The core temperature of the first temperature zone Ta is, for example, -5 ℃. The center temperature of the first temperature zone Ta is a temperature below freezing point, which is a temperature less than 0 ℃. In the present embodiment, the upper limit value of the first temperature zone Ta is a temperature less than 0 ℃. The first temperature zone Ta is a temperature at which the surface of the food material in the chilling chamber 27AA is micro-frozen. The first temperature zone Ta is a temperature zone in which a layer frozen only on the surface can be formed without freezing the food material in the quench chamber 27AA up to the center thereof. The low-temperature cooling control is performed for a predetermined execution time Sa (for example, 2 hours).

The second temperature zone Tb is a set temperature zone of the quench chamber 27AA during high-temperature cooling control. The core temperature of the second temperature zone Tb is, for example, +1 ℃. The center temperature of the second temperature zone Tb is a temperature higher than the freezing point and is a temperature of 0 ℃. In the present embodiment, the upper limit value of the second temperature zone Tb is a temperature of 0 ℃. The second temperature zone Tb is a temperature at which a micro-frozen layer generated on the surface of the food material in the chilling chamber 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 control pattern of "extra chilling", the following is alternately repeated: by performing the low-temperature cooling control with a temperature of, for example, -5 ℃ as a center during the predetermined execution time Sa and the high-temperature cooling control with a temperature of, for example, +1 ℃ as a center during the predetermined execution time Sb, only the surface of the food material is micro-frozen, and thus drying and oxidation of the food material can be suppressed. Thereby, the freshness of the food material can be maintained for a longer time than in normal chilling.

In the present specification, "a certain temperature zone is higher than another temperature zone" means "the center temperature of a certain temperature zone is higher than the center temperature of another temperature zone", and includes a case where a part of a "certain temperature zone" overlaps a part of another temperature zone ". Similarly, "a certain temperature zone is lower than another temperature zone" means "the center temperature of a certain temperature zone is lower than the center temperature of another temperature zone", and includes a case where a part of "another temperature zone" is included in a part of "a certain temperature zone". In the examples shown later in fig. 7, for ease of understanding, in the control mode of the "special quench", the case where the first temperature zone Ta and the second temperature zone Tb do not overlap is assumed.

[6.4 Special report modes ]

In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 may execute a special report mode as described below in order to realize at least one of a first function of notifying the user of a timing suitable for cutting of the food material and a second function of notifying the user of a timing of eating of the food material. That is, the control unit 100 can execute at least one of the following modes: (a) a first mode in which the first report is repeated during the multiple low-temperature cooling control and the first report is not performed during the high-temperature cooling control; (b) a second mode in which the second report is repeated in the multiple high-temperature cooling control and the second report is not performed in the low-temperature cooling control; and (c) a third mode in which the first report is repeated in the multiple low-temperature cooling control and the second report is repeated in the multiple high-temperature cooling control in place of the first report. That is, the control unit 100 need not be able to execute all of the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode, and may be able to execute only 1 or 2 of the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode. Here, an example of executing the second mode will be described.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the present embodiment. In the example shown in fig. 9, a case where the start operation of the special report mode is performed at the time point t0 is shown. In the present embodiment, a predetermined report is made during a part of the execution of the high-temperature cooling control. Hereinafter, the predetermined report related to the special report mode is simply referred to as "predetermined report". The contents of the "predetermined report" will be described later in detail. The predetermined report of the present embodiment is an example of the "second report".

In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 performs a predetermined report from a time (ts) delayed from a time (tc1) at which switching from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control is performed. That is, the controller 100 does not report a predetermined report from the time (tc1) when switching from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control is performed, but rather reports a predetermined report from the time (ts) delayed from the time (tc1) when switching is performed. Hereinafter, the time (ts) will be referred to as "start time (ts)".

The "timing (tc1) at which the low-temperature cooling control is switched to the high-temperature cooling control" is, for example, a timing at which the set temperature zone of the cooling target in the quench chamber 27AA is changed. However, the "timing (tc1) at which the low-temperature cooling control is switched to the high-temperature cooling control" may be defined as, for example, a timing at which the chill chamber temperature substantially exceeds any one of the upper limit value of the first temperature zone Ta, the lower limit value of the second temperature zone Tb, or the freezing point (e.g., 0 ℃) during the transition from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 starts a predetermined report at a time after a predetermined time FT from the time (tc1) when the low-temperature cooling control is switched to the high-temperature cooling control. For example, when it is assumed that 1 cycle CY is constituted by 1 refrigerating cooling C1 and 1 freezing cooling C2, the predetermined time FT is a time longer than 1 cycle CY. For example, the predetermined time FT is a time longer than half of the time for implementing the high-temperature cooling control. For example, the predetermined time FT is 4 hours.

In the present embodiment, the predetermined time FT is a fixed time preset for each type of food material. The control unit 100 changes the length of the predetermined time FT based on the user's input operation for specifying a specific food material performed on the terminal device 2 or the operation panel 16. The predetermined time FT may be set to a different length between the case where the first function is selected and the case where the second function is selected. A value indicating the length of the predetermined time FT is registered in the storage unit 116 in advance.

In the present embodiment, the controller 100 starts a predetermined report from the time point at which the 1 st cold storage cooling C1 is started after a predetermined time FT has elapsed from the time point (tc1) at which the low temperature cooling control is switched to the high temperature cooling control. Instead, the control unit 100 may start a predetermined report immediately after a predetermined time FT elapses from the time (tc1) when the low-temperature cooling control is switched to the high-temperature cooling control.

On the other hand, the control unit 100 ends the predetermined report at a time (te) that coincides with a time (tc2) at which the switching from the high-temperature cooling control to the low-temperature cooling control is performed, for example. The "timing (tc2) when the high-temperature cooling control is switched to the low-temperature cooling control" is, for example, a timing when the set temperature zone of the cooling target in the quench chamber 27AA is changed. However, the "timing (tc2) at which the switching from the high-temperature cooling control to the low-temperature cooling control is performed" may be defined as, for example, a timing at which the chill chamber temperature is substantially lower than any one of the lower limit value of the second temperature zone Tb, the upper limit value of the first temperature zone Ta, or the freezing point (e.g., 0 ℃) in the transition from the high-temperature cooling control to the low-temperature cooling control. The scheduled report end time (te) may be, for example, a time existing between a start time (tr1) of the last refrigerated cooling C1 in the high-temperature cooling control and an end time (tr2) of the first refrigerated cooling in the low-temperature cooling control. Hereinafter, the time (te) is referred to as "end time (te)".

Next, the contents of a predetermined report will be described. At the start time (ts), the control unit 100 outputs at least one of a first notification for operating the operation panel 16 of the refrigerator 1 and a second notification for outputting to the server system 3 as a predetermined notification. In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 repeatedly outputs the first notification and the second notification at a predetermined cycle over the period between the start time (ts) and the end time (te).

The first notification is, for example, a control command for lighting or blinking a specific light emitting unit LU of the operation panel 16. In the present embodiment, the operation panel 16 that has received the first notification strongly lights the light emitting unit LU of the specific operation button 16 ba. In this way, the operation panel 16 informs the user that the specific food material selected by the user is at a time suitable for cutting or that the specific food material selected by the user is at a time of eating. In the present embodiment, the operation panel 16 keeps the light emitting unit LU lit over a time period between the start time (ts) and the end time (te).

The second notification is a notification for displaying a predetermined notification based on the first function or the second function on the display screen D. In the present embodiment, the terminal device 2 that has received the second notification displays, on the display screen D, information indicating that the specific material selected by the user is at a time suitable for cutting or that the specific material selected by the user is at a time of eating. The second notification may be a control command that is transmitted to the terminal device 2 via the server system 3 to directly control the terminal device 2, or may be a notification for causing the server system 3 to generate a control command for the terminal device 2.

When the predetermined report end time (te) is reached, the control unit 100 stops the output of the first and second reports, for example, and ends the predetermined report. In this case, since the first notification disappears, the light-emitting unit LU of the specific operation button 16ba is turned off in the operation panel 16. Since the second notification disappears, the terminal device 2 eliminates the display of information indicating that the food is at a time suitable for cutting or that the food is at a time of eating. In addition, the terminal device 2 may be configured to cause the display screen D to display information indicating that the cutting of the food material is appropriate or the timing for eating the food material is ended, due to the disappearance of the second notification.

Instead of the above description, the control unit 100 may be configured to perform at least one of outputting the third notification to the operation panel 16 of the refrigerator 1 and outputting the fourth notification to the server system 3 as a notification for ending the predetermined notification at the end time (te). The operation panel 16 that has received the third notification turns off the light-emitting unit LU of the operation button 16 ba. The terminal device 2 that has received the fourth notification displays information indicating that the food is at a time suitable for cutting or that the food is at a time of eating. The terminal device 2 that has received the fourth notification may display information indicating that the cutting of the food material is completed or the timing for eating the food material is completed on the display screen D.

When the third notification is present, the first notification does not need to be a notification that is repeatedly output. That is, the first notification may be a notification that the light-emitting unit LU of the operation button 16ba is continuously turned on (or continuously blinks) until the third notification is received by outputting only 1 time. When the fourth notification is present, the second notification does not need to be a notification that is repeatedly output. The second notification may be a notification that a predetermined display mode indicating that the food is in a state suitable for cutting or the food is in a timing for eating is continuously displayed by outputting only 1 time until the fourth notification is received during the start of the application program.

Further, the control unit 100 may output at least one of the fifth notification to the operation panel 16 of the refrigerator 1 and the sixth notification to the server system 3 as a notification indicating that the end time (te) has come after a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) before the estimated end time (te). The operation panel 16 that has received the fifth notification may notify the user that the end time (te) is coming by blinking the light emitting unit LU in a different manner (at a different speed or color) from that in the case of receiving the first notification. The terminal apparatus 2 that has received the sixth notification can cause the display screen D to display information indicating that the end time (te) is coming.

[7 control flow ]

[7.1 control flow for Special chilling ]

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating the flow of control of an extra quench. First, the control portion 100 determines whether there is a start command of a control mode of the special quench (hereinafter referred to as "special quench mode") (S101). If there is no start command for the special quench mode (S101: no), the control unit 100 repeats the process of S101 at a predetermined cycle.

On the other hand, when there is a command to start the special quench mode (yes in S101), the control unit 100 starts the special quench mode by changing the setting state of the refrigerator 1 (S102). Next, the control portion 100 determines whether the chilling chamber temperature is higher than the target temperature of the low-temperature cooling control (S103). When the chilling chamber temperature is higher than the target temperature of the low-temperature cooling control (yes in S103), the controller 100 operates the compressor 49 and the refrigerating fan 43 to cool the chilling chamber 27AA (S104), and proceeds to S107.

When the chilling chamber temperature is equal to or lower than the target temperature of the low-temperature cooling control (no in S103), the control unit 100 determines whether or not cooling is being performed (S105). If the cooling is not being performed (no in S105), the control unit 100 proceeds to S107. On the other hand, when cooling is being performed (yes in S105), the control unit 100 stops the compressor 49 and the cooling fan 43 (S106), and proceeds to S107.

Next, control unit 100 determines whether or not the low-temperature cooling control has been performed for a predetermined execution time Sa (for example, 2 hours) (S107). When the low-temperature cooling control is not performed for the predetermined execution time Sa (no in S107), control unit 100 returns to S102 and continues the process. On the other hand, when the low-temperature cooling control has been performed for the predetermined execution time Sa (yes in S107), control unit 100 ends the low-temperature cooling control and proceeds to S108.

Next, the control unit 100 starts the high-temperature cooling control and determines whether or not the chilling chamber temperature is higher than the target temperature of the high-temperature cooling control (S108). When the quench chamber temperature is higher than the target temperature of the high-temperature cooling control (yes in S108), the controller 100 operates the compressor 49 and the refrigerating fan 43 to cool the quench chamber 27AA (S109), and proceeds to S112.

When the quench chamber temperature is equal to or lower than the target temperature of the high-temperature cooling control (S108: NO), the control unit 100 determines whether or not cooling is being performed (S110). If the cooling is not being performed (no in S110), the control unit 100 proceeds to S112. On the other hand, when cooling is being performed (yes in S110), the control unit 100 stops the compressor 49 and the cooling fan 43 (S111), and proceeds to S112.

Next, the controller 100 determines whether or not the high-temperature cooling control has been performed for a predetermined execution time Sb (for example, 7 hours) (S112). When the high-temperature cooling control is not performed for the predetermined execution time Sb (no in S112), the controller 100 returns to S108 and continues the process. On the other hand, when the high-temperature cooling control has been performed for the predetermined execution time Sb (yes in S112), the controller 100 returns to S103 and continues the process. Further, for example, when there is an operation of the user for terminating the special chilling mode with respect to the operation panel 16 or the terminal device 2, the control unit 100 terminates the processing of the present flow.

[7.2 control flow of Special report mode ]

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of control of the special report mode. Fig. 11 shows an example in which a predetermined report is started immediately after a predetermined time FT elapses from the time (tc1) when switching from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control is performed, and the predetermined report is ended at the time (tc2) when switching from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control is performed.

First, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the high-temperature cooling control is being executed (S201). If the high-temperature cooling control is not being executed (no in S201), the control unit 100 repeats the process in S201 at a predetermined cycle.

When the high-temperature cooling control is being executed (yes in S201), the control unit 100 determines whether or not a predetermined time FT has elapsed from the start of the high-temperature cooling control (S202). When the predetermined time FT has not elapsed since the start of the high-temperature cooling control (S202: no), the control unit 100 repeats the process of S202 at a predetermined cycle.

When the predetermined time FT has elapsed since the start of the high-temperature cooling control (yes in S202), the control unit 100 outputs a first notification to the operation panel 16, thereby strongly lighting (or blinking) a specific light emitting unit LU of the operation panel 16 (S203). Further, the control unit 100 outputs a second notification to the server system 3 to display a predetermined notification on the terminal device 2 (S204). Further, the control unit 100 continues to perform a predetermined report until the end time (te) is reached. The "continuously scheduled report" is, for example: the first notification and the second notification may be repeatedly output at a predetermined cycle, or the third notification and the fourth notification may be repeatedly output without outputting a notification for ending a predetermined report.

Next, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the time of the high-temperature cooling control is finished (S205). If the time of the high-temperature cooling control has not elapsed (no in S205), the control unit 100 returns to S202 and repeats the process. On the other hand, when the high-temperature cooling control time is over (yes in S205), the control unit 100 stops the output of the first notification and the second notification (or outputs the third notification and the fourth notification), thereby ending a predetermined report (S206). This turns off the specific light emitting unit LU of the operation panel 16. The terminal device D eliminates the display of information indicating that the food is at a time suitable for cutting or at a time of eating. Then, the control unit 100 returns to S201 and repeats the processing. When the high-temperature cooling control is finished (yes in S205), the control unit 100 may output the third notification or the fourth notification. Further, when there is an operation of the user to stop the special report mode with respect to the operation panel 16 or the terminal device 2, the control unit 100 ends the process of the present flow.

[8. advantage ]

The refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment alternately repeats the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control, and repeats a predetermined report in the high-temperature cooling control a plurality of times, and does not perform the predetermined report in the low-temperature cooling control. According to such a configuration, the quality of the food material can be maintained by alternately repeating the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control, and when the food material is in a desired state, the user can be notified of the fact. Thus, the user can easily take out the food material in a desired state while performing appropriate cooling control.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 performs a predetermined report from a time (ts) delayed from a time (tc1) at which the switch from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control is performed. With such a configuration, even if the food is still cool at the time of switching (tc1), by delaying the start time of the predetermined report, the predetermined report can be made in a state in which the temperature of the food has increased.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 performs a predetermined report at a time after the predetermined time FT with respect to the time (tc1) at which the switch from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control is performed. According to such a configuration, since a predetermined report is given after a predetermined time FT for bringing the food material into a desired state has elapsed, the ease of cutting the food material and the palatability of the food material may be ensured more reliably.

The second to seventh embodiments will be explained below. In these embodiments, the configuration other than the configuration described in each embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.

(second embodiment)

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 performs a predetermined report after the chill chamber temperature reaches the predetermined value FV. The predetermined value FV is, for example, the maximum temperature of the 1 st cycle CY in the high-temperature cooling control. In other words, the control unit 100 sets the start time of the 1 st cold storage cooling C1 in the high-temperature cooling control to the start time (ts) of the special report mode. The maximum temperature of the 1 st cycle CY in the high-temperature cooling control may be lower than the upper limit value of the second temperature zone Tb. As shown in fig. 8, the maximum temperature of the 1 st cycle CY may not reach the upper limit value of the second temperature zone Tb.

The example of the predetermined value FV is not limited to the above. For example, the predetermined value FV may be an arbitrary fixed value included between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the second temperature zone Tb of the high-temperature cooling control. The predetermined value FV is, for example, a temperature value higher than the center temperature of the second temperature zone Tb. For example, the predetermined value FV is a temperature value that is closer to the upper limit value of the second temperature zone Tb than the center temperature of the second temperature zone Tb. From another point of view, the predetermined value FV is, for example, the maximum temperature of the 2 nd cycle CY in the high-temperature cooling control. As shown in fig. 8, the maximum temperature of the 2 nd cycle CY often reaches the upper limit value of the second temperature zone Tb (or its vicinity).

In the present embodiment, the predetermined value FV is set in advance for each type of food material. The control unit 100 changes the size of the predetermined value FV based on an input operation of the user for specifying a specific food material performed on the terminal device 2 or the operation panel 16. The predetermined value FV may be set to a different length between when the first function is selected and when the second function is selected. A value indicating the magnitude of the predetermined value FV is registered in the storage unit 116 in advance.

According to such a configuration, a predetermined report can be made at a time when the temperature of the food material becomes a more appropriate state than in a case where the temperature is defined for a fixed time. This may ensure more reliable ease of cutting the food material and flavor of the food material.

(third embodiment)

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the third embodiment. In the present embodiment, the control portion 100 performs a predetermined report while the quench chamber temperature is in the predetermined temperature range TR. The predetermined temperature range TR is a part of a temperature range between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the second temperature zone Tb of the high-temperature cooling control. For example, the predetermined temperature range TR is a high temperature region in the second temperature zone Tb that is higher than the center temperature of the second temperature zone Tb. In the example shown in fig. 13, a predetermined report is made only during the period marked with hatching.

In the present embodiment, the predetermined temperature range TR is set in advance for each type of food material. The control unit 100 changes the predetermined temperature range TR based on an input operation of the user for specifying a specific food material performed on the terminal device 2 or the operation panel 16. The predetermined temperature range TR may be set to a different range between the case where the first function is selected and the case where the second function is selected. The value indicating the predetermined temperature range TR is registered in advance in the storage unit 116.

With this configuration, the predetermined report can be made at the time when the temperature of the food material becomes a more appropriate state. This may ensure more reliable ease of cutting the food material and flavor of the food material.

(fourth embodiment)

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the fourth embodiment. In the present embodiment, when the 1-cycle CY is constituted by the 1-time cold storage cooling C1 and the 1-time freezing cooling C2, the control unit 100 performs the predetermined report after performing the cycle CY a predetermined number of times after switching from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control. The predetermined number of times is, for example, 1 time. In the example shown in fig. 14, after the switch from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control, a predetermined report is started at the time of the start of the cold storage cooling C1 in the 1 st cycle CY of the primary cycle CY. However, the predetermined number of times may be 2 or more times.

In the present embodiment, the predetermined number of times is set in advance for each type of food material. The control unit 100 changes the predetermined number of times based on an input operation of the user for specifying a specific food material performed on the terminal device 2 or the operation panel 16. The predetermined number of times may be set to a different range between when the first function is selected and when the second function is selected. The value indicating the predetermined number of times is registered in the storage unit 116 in advance.

According to such a configuration, a predetermined report can be given in a state where the temperature of the food material is more stable. This may ensure more reliable ease of cutting the food material and flavor of the food material.

(fifth embodiment)

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the fifth embodiment. In the present embodiment, when the 1-time cycle CY is constituted by the 1-time refrigerating and cooling C1 and the 1-time freezing and cooling C2, the control unit 100 performs a predetermined report during the period CT during which the refrigerating and cooling are performed in each cycle CY. In the example shown in fig. 15, the predetermined report is made only during the period marked with hatching. The control unit 100 may perform a predetermined report over all of the period CT, or may perform a predetermined report only in a local period in the period CT.

With this configuration, the predetermined report can be started in a state where the temperature of the food is relatively high. This may ensure more reliable ease of cutting the food material and flavor of the food material.

(sixth embodiment)

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the sixth embodiment. In the present embodiment, instead of the second mode described above, control unit 100 may execute a first mode in which a predetermined report is repeated in the multiple-time low-temperature cooling control and a predetermined report is not performed in the high-temperature cooling control. In the present embodiment, a predetermined report is made during a local period during which the low-temperature cooling control is being executed. The predetermined report of the present embodiment is an example of the "first report". In the description of the first to fifth embodiments, the "low-temperature cooling control" and the "high-temperature cooling control" are interchanged, and the "second report" and the "first report" are interchanged.

According to such a configuration, when storing food (vegetables, fruits, or the like) that is easily cut when the surface is slightly frozen, it is possible to notify the timing at which the food is suitable for cutting. In the case of storing a food material (e.g., frozen food) which is more delicious such as a better texture when the surface is slightly frozen, the timing of eating the food material can be notified.

Further, control unit 100 may execute a third mode in which the first report is repeated in the multiple low-temperature cooling control and the second report is repeated in place of the first report in the multiple high-temperature cooling control. The first report is a report that the first food stored in the chill chamber 27AA is easily cut or eaten at a timing. The second report is a report that the second food stored in the chill chamber 27AA is easily cut or eaten at a timing.

According to such a configuration, when both the food material (first food material) which becomes easy to cut or becomes edible timing in the low-temperature cooling control and the food material (second food material) which becomes easy to cut or becomes edible timing in the high-temperature cooling control are stored in the chilling chamber 27AA, the timing of easy cutting or the timing of edible timing can be notified to each food material.

(seventh embodiment)

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing a special report mode of the seventh embodiment. In the present embodiment, instead of alternately repeating the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control, the control unit 100 alternately repeats a first cooling control for cooling the quench chamber 27AA in a first air pressure zone and a second cooling control for cooling the quench chamber 27AA in a second air pressure zone higher than the first air pressure zone. The gas pressure in the quench chamber 27AA can be adjusted by, for example, driving a vacuum pump 200 (see fig. 7) provided in the quench chamber 27 AA.

The first cooling control is a cooling control for micro-freezing the surface of the food material in the chilling chamber 27AA, similarly to the low-temperature cooling control of the first embodiment. That is, the first cooling control is a cooling control capable of forming an ice layer only on the surface of the chilling chamber 27AA without freezing the food material up to the center. On the other hand, the second cooling control is a cooling control for melting a micro-frozen layer formed on the surface of the food material in the chilling chamber 27 AA.

The temperature zone in the first cooling control and the temperature zone in the second cooling control may be the same as each other, or may be different as in the first to sixth embodiments. Even in the case where the temperature zone in the first cooling control is the same as the temperature zone in the second cooling control, the freezing point of the food material is changed by changing the gas pressure, and therefore the same effect as the special chilling mode of the first embodiment can be obtained. In other words, the control unit 100 can execute a control mode in which a first cooling control for cooling the first storage unit and a second cooling control for cooling the first storage unit in a temperature zone or a pressure zone higher than the first cooling control are alternately repeated. In the present specification, "high temperature zone or high pressure zone" is not limited to the case where the temperature zone is high or the case where the pressure zone is high, and includes the case where both the temperature zone and the pressure zone are high.

The first to seventh embodiments have been described above, but the embodiments are not limited to the above examples. The first to seventh embodiments may also be implemented in combination with each other. When a broadcast 201 (see fig. 7) such as a speaker or a buzzer is provided in the refrigerator 1, a notification for operating the broadcast 201 may be output to a control unit of the broadcast 201 with respect to a predetermined report. The control unit of the broadcaster 201 that has received the notification can notify the user of the timing when the material is cut or the timing when the material is eaten by voice or buzzer sound. The broadcaster 201 is an example of a "reporting component".

When there is an external audio interactive device 202 (see fig. 1) that can communicate with the server system 3, a notification to operate the audio interactive device 202 may be output to the server system 3 in association with a predetermined report. The server system 3 that has received the notification can notify the user of a timing suitable for cutting the food material or a timing for eating the food material by operating the voice dialogue device 202 and outputting a voice, for example. The above notification is, for example, the same notification as the second notification.

In several of the embodiments described above, the time at which the predetermined report is made is determined based on the air temperature of the quench chamber 27 AA. Instead, the refrigerator 1 may include a material temperature detection unit 203 (see fig. 7) that detects the temperature of the material stored in the chilling chamber 27 AA. In this case, the control unit 100 may perform a predetermined report after the temperature detected by the material temperature detecting unit 203 reaches a predetermined value or while the temperature detected by the material temperature detecting unit 203 is within a predetermined temperature range. The food material temperature detection unit 203 is, for example, a detection sensor that detects the temperature of a metal tray disposed in the chilling chamber 27AA, an infrared camera that is provided in the chilling chamber 27AA and detects the surface temperature of the food material, or the like.

The functions of the control unit 100 of the refrigerator 1 described above are realized by executing a program (software) by a hardware processor such as a CPU, for example. However, all or part of the functions of the control unit 100 may be realized by hardware (Circuit unit) such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like, or may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware.

According to at least one embodiment described above, in the control mode in which the control unit 100 alternately repeats the first cooling control for cooling the storage unit and the second cooling control for cooling the storage unit in at least one of the temperature zone and the atmospheric pressure zone higher than the first cooling control, a predetermined report is given to at least one of the first cooling control and the second cooling control, whereby a refrigerator that performs appropriate cooling control and facilitates taking out the food in a desired state is provided.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiment can be implemented in other various ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The above-described embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and equivalent scope thereof.

Claims

1. A refrigerator is provided with:

a housing including a first storage section;

a cooling unit for cooling the first storage unit; and

A control unit configured to control the cooling unit in a control mode in which a first cooling control for cooling the first storage unit and a second cooling control for cooling the first storage unit in a temperature zone higher than the first cooling control or an atmospheric pressure zone higher than the first cooling control are alternately repeated,

the control unit can execute the following modes: the first report is repeated a plurality of times in the first cooling control, or the second report is repeated a plurality of times in the second cooling control.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein,

the control unit performs the first report or the second report from a time delayed from a time at which the first cooling control and the second cooling control are switched.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein,

the control unit performs the first report or the second report at a time that is a predetermined time after a time at which the first cooling control and the second cooling control are switched.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein,

The second cooling control is performed in a higher temperature range than the first cooling control,

the control part performs the first report or the second report when the temperature of the air in the first storage part or the temperature of the food stored in the first storage part reaches a predetermined value.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein,

the first cooling control described above performs cooling in a first temperature zone,

the second cooling control is performed in a second temperature zone higher than the first temperature zone,

the control unit performs the second report when the air temperature of the first storage unit or the temperature of the food stored in the first storage unit reaches a predetermined value higher than the center temperature of the second temperature zone.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4 or 5,

the control unit changes the predetermined value based on an input operation of a user for specifying a specific food material with respect to a terminal device or an operation unit provided in the refrigerator.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein,

the control unit performs the first report or the second report while the air temperature of the first storage unit or the temperature of the food stored in the first storage unit is within a predetermined temperature range.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein,

the control unit changes the predetermined temperature range based on an input operation of a user for specifying a specific food material with respect to a terminal device or an operation unit provided in the refrigerator.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein,

the housing includes a second storage part having a temperature setting zone different from that of the first storage part,

the control part is used for controlling the operation of the motor,

alternately repeating the first storage cooling for cooling the first storage and the second storage cooling for cooling the second storage during each of the first cooling control execution period and the second cooling control execution period,

in the case where 1 cycle is constituted by 1 cooling of the first storage unit and 1 cooling of the second storage unit, the first report or the second report is performed after a predetermined number of cycles are performed after the first cooling control and the second cooling control are switched.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein,

the first report or the second report includes: the notification device outputs a notification for operating a report means provided in the refrigerator, a notification to a server system capable of communicating with a terminal device, or a notification to a server system capable of communicating with a voice conversation device.