CN117897585A - Refrigerator with a refrigerator body - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigerator, comprising a freezing chamber, a refrigerating chamber and a refrigerating chamber, wherein the freezing chamber is formed with a small freezing chamber for storing refrigerated objects; a cooling chamber in which air supplied to the freezing chamber is cooled by a cooler; a blower fan for blowing the air from the cooling chamber to the freezing chamber; a door for closing the freezing chamber; a switch detection unit for detecting a switch of the door; a small freezing chamber temperature measuring part arranged in the small freezing chamber; and an arithmetic control unit.

Description

Refrigerator with a refrigerator body Technical Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator having a function of rapidly freezing an object to be frozen.

Background

Conventionally, as described in patent document 1 (patent document 1: patent publication No. 6608773), a refrigerator having a quick freezing function has been known. The flash function is also known as flash freezing.

Specifically, in the refrigerator described in patent document 1, a thermistor for measuring the temperature of the freezing chamber is provided at a position recessed upward by a specified distance from the lower surface of the vertical partition portion for partitioning the freezing chamber. The quick freezing function is performed based on the output from the thermistor. In this way, the food can be automatically quick-frozen after being stored while suppressing a decrease in heat insulating performance between the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber or the like.

However, in the refrigerator described in patent document 1, there is room for improvement in terms of simple and reliable detection of the object to be frozen in order to perform the quick freezing function.

Specifically, in the refrigerator described in patent document 1, after a frozen object is stored in a freezing chamber, a minimum of three temperature detections are performed with a thermistor to determine whether or not the frozen object is present. Thus, there is a problem in that it takes a long time to determine whether or not an object to be frozen is present.

Further, in the refrigerator described in patent document 1, the refrigerator door is not closed when the detection is performed by the thermistor. Thus, when detecting with a thermistor, the temperature of the freezing chamber is likely to change, and there is a possibility that whether or not the object to be frozen is erroneously determined. For example, even when only the heat-insulating door is opened and closed without food access to the quick-freeze area, a quick-freeze operation may be performed by erroneous operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a refrigerator capable of accurately determining whether or not an object to be frozen is present to perform a quick freezing function.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to provide a refrigerator.

In order to achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator including: a freezing chamber formed with a small freezing chamber for storing the objects to be frozen; a cooling chamber in which air supplied to the freezing chamber is cooled by a cooler; a blower fan for blowing the air from the cooling chamber to the freezing chamber; a door for closing the freezing chamber; a switch detection unit for detecting a switch of the door; a small freezing chamber temperature measuring part arranged in the small freezing chamber; a calculation control unit; after the switch detecting portion detects the switching operation of the door, the operation control portion measures a first temperature at the time of performing the switching operation, measures a second temperature at the time of passing a first time since the switching operation, and measures a third temperature at the time of passing a second time since the second temperature was measured, based on an output from the small freezing chamber temperature measuring portion, and if a difference between the second temperature and the first temperature is greater than a first threshold value and a difference between the third temperature and the second temperature is greater than a second threshold value, the operation control portion improves a cooling capability of cooling the frozen object inside the small freezing chamber.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, it further includes: a refrigerating chamber; a refrigerating chamber air-sending path for sending air from the cooling chamber to the refrigerating chamber; and a refrigerating chamber damper installed in the refrigerating chamber air supply path; after the switch detecting unit detects the opening and closing operation of the door, the arithmetic control unit turns the refrigerator door into a closed state, and circulates the air from the cooling chamber into the freezing chamber.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, it further includes an outside air temperature measuring section for measuring an outside temperature, and the arithmetic control section changes the first threshold value or the second threshold value based on the outside temperature measured by the outside air temperature measuring section.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, it further includes: a refrigerating chamber; and a cooling circuit capable of cooling the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber separately or simultaneously; after the switch detecting unit detects the opening and closing operation of the door, the arithmetic control unit switches the cooling circuit so that cooling of the refrigerator compartment is stopped and only the freezer compartment is cooled.

As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator further includes a compressor for compressing the refrigerant supplied to the cooler, and the arithmetic control unit starts the compressor if the compressor is in a stopped state when the opening/closing detecting unit detects the opening/closing operation of the door.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator further includes a refrigerating chamber, the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber are disposed from top to bottom, a main air-sending path is formed at a front side of the cooling chamber, and air in the cooling chamber is sent to a direction of the main air-sending path by the air-sending fan.

As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the air blown from the blower fan is directly fed into the small freezing chamber from the air outlet, and the air outlet at the uppermost layer is offset from the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section in the left-right direction.

As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the small freezing chamber is formed at an uppermost portion of the freezing chamber, the small freezing chamber is a portion surrounded by a small storage container, and the small storage container is a resin container having an upper opening, and is disposed so as to be capable of being pulled out freely in a front-rear direction.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided a refrigerating chamber, the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber being partitioned by a heat insulating wall, a lower surface and side surfaces of the small freezing chamber being constituted by the small storage container, and an upper surface of the small freezing chamber being constituted by a lower surface of the heat insulating wall.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the small freezing chamber temperature measuring part is provided at a lower surface of the heat insulation wall facing the small storage container, and the small freezing chamber temperature measuring part is disposed to protrude downward from the lower surface of the heat insulation wall.

As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, a timer inputs information indicating a time or a time to the arithmetic control unit, and the arithmetic control unit determines whether or not the first time and the second time have elapsed since the door was closed based on the input from the timer.

As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the arithmetic control part may decrease the first threshold value when the outside temperature measured by the outside air temperature measuring part is low.

As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the arithmetic control part may decrease the second threshold value when the outside temperature measured by the outside air temperature measuring part is higher.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are changed according to a change in the rotation number of the compressor.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that: according to the refrigerator of the invention, the refrigerator which can correctly judge whether the refrigerated object exists or not to implement the quick refrigeration function is realized. Specifically, since the cooling capacity of the small freezing chamber is improved in the case where the temperature difference of the first temperature, the second temperature, and the third temperature satisfies the specified condition, it is possible to favorably detect that the object to be frozen is stored in the small freezing chamber, and to effectively freeze the object to be frozen. Further, since the freezing mode is unified after the opening and closing operation of the door is performed, whether or not the object to be frozen is present in the freezing chamber is accurately judged based on the output from the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section, so that the quick freezing function can be performed only in the case where the object to be frozen is present in the freezing chamber. Further, since the first threshold value and the second threshold value are changed based on the external temperature, even when the rotation number of the compressor is changed by a change in the external temperature, it is possible to satisfactorily detect that the object to be frozen is stored in the small freezing chamber using the first threshold value and the second threshold value at the same timing. Further, even in a refrigerator in which the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber are individually cooled by the cooling circuit, it is possible to satisfactorily detect that the object to be frozen is stored in the small freezing chamber, and to effectively freeze the object to be frozen. The compressor is forced to be started when the door is opened or closed, so that the cooling mode after the door is closed can be unified, and whether the refrigerated object exists in the freezing chamber can be detected more accurately.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an external appearance of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view illustrating an external appearance of a refrigerator in which a heat insulation door according to an embodiment of the present invention is opened.

Fig. 3 is a side sectional view illustrating an internal structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a connection structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a case where the compressor is in an operating state ("ON") when the door is opened and closed.

Fig. 6 is a graph showing the operation of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing the temperature change of the small freezing chamber after storing the object to be frozen.

Fig. 7 is a table showing the operation of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a change in threshold value used when detecting the object to be frozen stored in the small freezing chamber.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a case where the compressor is in an inactive state ("OFF") when the door is opened and closed.

Fig. 9 is a table showing performance of detecting objects stored in a small freezing chamber in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure: 10. a refrigerator; 11. a heat insulation box; 111. an outer case; 112. an inner box; 113. a heat insulating material; 115. a cooling chamber; 116. an evaporator; 117. a defrosting heater; 12. a refrigerating chamber; 13. a freezing chamber; 131. a small freezing chamber; 14. a machine room; 15. a storage shelf; 16. a frozen object; 17. a storage structure; 18. a heat insulating door; 19. a heat insulating door; 20. a heat insulating door; 21. a heat insulating door; 22. a compressor; 23. a blow-out port; 24. an air supply fan; 25. a switch detection unit; 26. a small freezing chamber temperature measuring part; 27. a calculation control unit; 28. a refrigerating chamber air supply path; 29. a refrigerating chamber damper; 30. an outside air temperature measuring unit; 31. a storage container; 32. a small storage container; 33. a blow-out port; a 35 timer; 36. a heat insulating wall.

Detailed Description

A refrigerator 10 according to a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the description of the present specific embodiment, like parts are principally given like reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. In the following description, the directions of up, down, front, rear, left and right are used for the description, but the left and right refer to the case where the refrigerator 10 is viewed from the front.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the left front. The refrigerator 10 has a heat-insulating box 11 and a storage compartment formed inside the heat-insulating box 11. As described later, the refrigerator 10 has a quick freezing function.

The refrigerator 10 has a refrigerating chamber 12 and a freezing chamber 13 as storage chambers from top to bottom. The front opening of the refrigerating compartment 12 is closed by a rotary heat-insulating door 18 and a heat-insulating door 19. The front surface opening of the freezing chamber 13 is closed by a heat insulating door 20 and a heat insulating door 21. The heat-insulating doors 18, 19, 20, and 21 are rotatable doors, and are rotatable about the outer ends in the lateral direction.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator 10 showing the heat-insulating doors 18, 19, 20, and 21 in an opened state.

As described above, the refrigerating compartment 12 and the freezing compartment 13 are formed as the storage compartments inside the heat-insulating box 11.

The refrigerating chamber 12 is a storage chamber for cooling the stored object to be refrigerated to a refrigerating temperature zone, and the indoor temperature thereof is cooled to a temperature zone of, for example, 2 ℃ to 5 ℃. Further, the inside surfaces of the heat insulating door 18 and the heat insulating door 19 for closing the refrigerating chamber 12 are provided with a storage structure 17.

The freezing chamber 13 is a storage chamber for cooling the stored object to be frozen to a freezing temperature zone, and the indoor temperature thereof is cooled to a temperature zone of, for example, from-20 ℃ to-18 ℃. The freezing chamber 13 accommodates a plurality of storage containers 31. Here, 6 storage containers 31 are arranged in a matrix. Each of the storage containers 31 is a substantially box-shaped container made of resin with an open upper surface, and is freely drawn out in the front-rear direction.

A small freezing chamber 131 is formed inside the freezing chamber 13 near the upper end of the storage container 31 disposed at the upper right end. The small freezing chamber 131 is a rapid freezing chamber for freezing fresh foods such as fish and meat as soon as possible. Details of the small freezing chamber 131 are described later with reference to fig. 3. The small freezer compartment 131 is also referred to as a quick freeze zone.

Fig. 3 is a side sectional view of the refrigerator 10. The flow of cold air inside the refrigerator 10 is shown in fig. 3 by dotted arrows.

The heat insulating box 11 is constituted of: an outer case 111 made of a steel plate bent to a prescribed shape; an inner case 112 formed of a synthetic resin plate disposed on the inner side so as to be spaced apart from the outer case 111; and a heat insulating material 113 filled between the outer case 111 and the inner case 112.

The storage compartment inside the heat-insulating box 11 is divided into the refrigerating compartment 12 and the freezing compartment 13 from the top down as described above. The refrigerating compartment 12 and the freezing compartment 13 are divided by a heat insulating wall 36. The heat insulating wall 36 has the same heat insulating structure as the heat insulating box 11.

The inside of the refrigerating chamber 12 is partitioned by a plurality of storage shelves 15 in the up-down direction.

A cooling chamber 115 is formed at the rear side of the freezing chamber 13. An evaporator 116 as a cooler is disposed in the cooling chamber 115. The refrigerator 10 is divided into a machine room 14 at the rear side of the lower end, and a compressor 22 is disposed in the machine room 14. The evaporator 116 and the compressor 22 together with a condenser and an expansion device, not shown here, form a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. During the vapor compression refrigeration cycle operation, the cool air in the cooling chamber 115 is cooled by the evaporator 116, and the cool air is blown into each storage chamber, so that the indoor temperature of each storage chamber reaches a predetermined cooling temperature zone.

The cooling chamber 115 is internally provided with a blower fan 24 above the evaporator 116. The blower fan 24 is an axial blower or a centrifugal blower, and blows cool air inside the evaporator 116 cooled by the evaporator 116 toward the refrigerating compartment 12 and the freezing compartment 13.

A defrosting heater 117 is disposed inside the cooling chamber 115 below the evaporator 116. With the vapor compression refrigeration cycle, thick frost is generated on the surface of the evaporator 116. When this occurs, the arithmetic control part 27 described later stops the compressor 22 and closes the cooling chamber 115, and defrosting operation is performed by heating the defrosting heater 117 by energizing it, to melt and remove frost.

A main air-sending passage 114 is formed on the front side of the cooling chamber 115. Further, a refrigerating compartment air-sending passage 28 is formed upward from the main air-sending passage 114. A refrigerating room damper 29 is installed in the refrigerating room air supply path 28. The cooling compartment air duct 28 has an air outlet 23 formed therein, which is an opening for blowing cool air into the cooling compartment 12.

The air in the cooling chamber 115 cooled by the evaporator 116 is blown in the direction of the main air-blowing path 114 by the air-blowing fan 24, and then blown to the freezing chamber 13, thereby cooling the freezing chamber 13 to a predetermined freezing temperature zone. The air that cools the freezing chamber 13 is returned to the cooling chamber 115 via a return air path not shown here. A part of the air blown by the blower fan 24 is blown to the refrigerator compartment 12 via the refrigerator compartment damper 29, the refrigerator compartment blower 28, and the air outlet 23, and cools the refrigerator compartment 12 to a predetermined refrigeration temperature range. The air cooled in the refrigerator compartment 12 is returned to the cooling compartment 115 through a return air passage not shown here.

The small freezing chamber 131 is formed at the uppermost portion of the freezing chamber 13. The small freezing chamber 131 is a portion surrounded by the small storage container 32. The small storage container 32 is a resin container having an upper opening, and is disposed so as to be able to be pulled out in the front-rear direction. The small storage container 32 is disposed inside the storage container 31 disposed at the uppermost layer. That is, the small freezing chamber 131 is a space such that: the lower surface and the side surfaces thereof are constituted by the small housing container 32, and the upper surface is constituted by the lower surface of the heat insulating wall 36.

The small freezing chamber 131 accommodates therein a refrigerated object 16 such as fish and meat. By performing quick freezing in the small freezing chamber 131, the object 16 to be frozen can be frozen as soon as possible, and the freshness of the object 16 to be frozen can be maintained. When food or the like is stored in the small freezing chamber 131, the heat-insulating door 21 is opened by rotation, the uppermost storage container 31 is pulled forward, and the small storage container 32 is pulled forward.

The air blown from the blower fan 24 is directly sent from the air outlet 33 to the small freezing chamber 131. Further, a small freezing chamber temperature measuring section 26 is provided on the lower surface of the heat insulating wall 36 facing the small storage container 32. The small freezing chamber temperature measuring unit 26 is formed of, for example, a thermistor, and is disposed so as to protrude downward from the lower surface of the heat insulating wall 36. Although not shown here, the uppermost blowout port 33 is offset from the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section 26 in the left-right direction. In this way, the low-temperature air blown out from the air outlet 33 is not directly blown onto the small-freezing-chamber temperature measuring portion 26, so that the small-freezing-chamber temperature measuring portion 26 can correctly detect the temperature of the small freezing chamber 131.

The refrigerator 10 has a quick freezing function. The quick freezing function is a function of quickly freezing the object 16 to be frozen when the user stores the object 16 to be frozen in the small freezing chamber 131. The quick freezing function can be performed according to a user operating the control panel. Further, the quick freezing function may be implemented as an automatic quick freezing function, in which the quick freezing function is implemented by the arithmetic control section 27 based on the detected temperature of the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section 26 even if the user does not make a specific instruction. In addition, the quick freezing function is sometimes also referred to as a quick freezing function.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a connection structure of the refrigerator 10.

The arithmetic control unit 27 includes CPU, RAM, ROM and the like, and performs a predetermined arithmetic process based on the input information to control the respective constituent devices in order to realize the refrigerating function of the refrigerator 10. The input side terminals of the arithmetic control section 27 are connected to the switch detecting section 25, the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section 26, the outside air temperature measuring section 30, the timer 35, and the like. The output side terminal of the arithmetic control unit 27 is connected to the defrosting heater 117, the compressor 22, the blower fan 24, the refrigerating room damper 29, and the like.

The switch detecting unit 25 detects the opening and closing of the heat insulating door 21 for closing the small freezing chamber 131 shown in fig. 2. When the user opens and closes the heat insulation door 21, the opening and closing detection unit 25 inputs information indicating this to the operation control unit 27.

The small freezing chamber temperature measuring unit 26 is, for example, a thermistor, and inputs information indicating the temperature inside the small freezing chamber 131 shown in fig. 3 to the arithmetic control unit 27.

The outside air temperature measuring unit 30 is disposed near the outer surface of the heat insulating box 11, and inputs information indicating the temperature of the outside air of the refrigerator 10 to the arithmetic and control unit 27.

The timer 35 inputs information indicating the time or the time to the arithmetic control unit 27.

The defrosting heater 117 generates heat for defrosting based on the instruction output from the arithmetic control unit 27.

The compressor 22 compresses a refrigerant used in the vapor compression refrigeration cycle based on an instruction output from the arithmetic control unit 27.

The blower fan 24 rotates and blows air cooled in the cooling chamber 115 based on an instruction output from the arithmetic and control unit 27 to send the air to the refrigerating chamber 12 and the freezing chamber 13.

The refrigerating room damper 29 opens and closes the refrigerating room air-sending path 28 shown in fig. 3 based on an instruction output from the arithmetic control unit 27. Or to adjust the volume of air flowing through the cooling compartment air duct 28.

The operation of the quick freezing function when the heat insulation door 21 is opened and closed in the refrigerator 10 having the aforementioned structure will be described with reference to fig. 5 to 8. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the compressor 22 when the object 16 is stored. Fig. 6 is a graph showing the change with time of the detected temperature of the small freezing chamber temperature measuring unit 26 and the rotation number of the compressor 22 after the heat insulation door 21 is opened and closed. Fig. 7 is a table showing the variation of the first threshold TH1 and the second threshold TH 2. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a case where the compressor 22 is not operated when the object 16 is stored.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator 10, and shows a case where the compressor 22 is in operation when the heat insulation door 21 is opened and closed. Fig. 6 shows a change with time of the detected temperature of the small freezing chamber temperature measuring part 26 and the output value of the compressor 22 when the heat insulation door 21 is opened and closed.

In brief, the arithmetic control unit 27 performs determination 1 and determination 2 after opening and closing the heat-insulating door 21, so that the quick freezing function can be automatically performed even if the user does not operate the control panel. Specifically, in decision 1, the arithmetic and control unit 27 mainly decides whether or not the object 16 is stored in the small freezing chamber 131. In decision 2, the arithmetic control unit 27 decides whether or not to perform the quick freezing function. Then, if it is determined by the determination 1 that the object 16 is stored in the small freezing chamber 131 and it is determined by the determination 2 that the object 16 needs the quick freezing function, the arithmetic control part 27 performs the quick freezing function.

Next, each step of performing the quick freezing function will be described.

In step S10, the arithmetic control unit 27 performs normal cooling for operating the refrigerator 10. Specifically, the arithmetic and control unit 27 sets the indoor temperature of the refrigerator compartment 12 to a refrigerating temperature range of 3 ℃ to 5 ℃ and sets the indoor temperature of the freezer compartment 13 to a freezing temperature range of-20 ℃ to-18 ℃. The indoor temperature of the small freezing chamber 131 also reaches the same freezing temperature zone as the freezing chamber 13.

The arithmetic control part 27 cools the freezing chamber 13 by a cooling cycle based ON an operating point ("ON point") and an inactive point ("OFF point"). Specifically, the arithmetic control unit 27 operates the compressor 22 and the blower fan 24 when the indoor temperature of the freezing chamber 13 measured by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or higher than the operating point, and blows the air cooled in the cooling chamber 115 to the freezing chamber 13. This reduces the indoor temperature of the freezing chamber 13. Thereafter, in the case where the indoor temperature of the freezing chamber 13 measured by the temperature sensor becomes less than or equal to the non-operating point, the compressor 22 and the blower fan 24 are stopped, and the air is not blown to the freezing chamber 13. As an example, the operating point is around-18 ℃ and the non-operating point is around-20 ℃.

In the same manner as in the refrigerator compartment 12, the arithmetic and control unit 27 performs cooling by a cooling cycle based on the operating point and the non-operating point. Specifically, when the indoor temperature of the refrigerating compartment 12 measured by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or higher than the operating point, the arithmetic control unit 27 operates the compressor 22 and the blower fan 24 to open the refrigerating compartment damper 29 and blow the air cooled in the cooling compartment 115 to the refrigerating compartment 12. This reduces the indoor temperature of the refrigerating compartment 12. After that, when the indoor temperature of the refrigerating compartment 12 measured by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or less than the non-operating point, the compressor 22 and the blower fan 24 are stopped, and the refrigerating compartment damper 29 is closed, so that no air is blown into the refrigerating compartment 12. As an example, the operating point is around 5 ℃ and the non-operating point is around 2 ℃.

In step S11, the arithmetic control unit 27 determines whether or not the heat-insulating door 21 for closing the small freezing chamber 131 is opened. Specifically, the arithmetic control part 27 judges whether or not the heat insulating door 21 for closing the small freezing chamber 131 with reference to fig. 2 is opened based on the input of the switch detecting part 25.

If yes in step S11, the arithmetic control unit 27 proceeds to step S12.

If no in step S11, the arithmetic and control unit 27 returns to step S10 to continue normal cooling of the freezing chamber 13.

In step S12, the arithmetic and control unit 27 determines whether or not the heat insulation door 21 is closed based on the input from the switch detection unit 25.

If yes in step S12, the arithmetic control unit 27 proceeds to step S13.

If no in step S12, the arithmetic and control unit 27 thus remains in step S12 and waits for the heat insulation door 21 to be closed.

In step S13, the arithmetic control unit 27 turns on the display device, which is disposed beside the small freezing chamber 131 or on the control panel, and is constituted by an LED or the like. The arithmetic control unit 27, for example, gradually lights up the display device approximately twice. In this way, the user can recognize that the quick freezing function can be performed if the object 16 to be frozen is placed in the small freezing chamber 131.

In step S14, the arithmetic control unit 27 obtains the first temperature Tp1 and lowers the dead point. Specifically, the arithmetic control unit 27 obtains the first temperature Tp1, which is the temperature detected by the small freezing chamber temperature measuring unit 26 at the point in time when the heat insulation door 21 is closed. Furthermore, the inoperative point of the freezer compartment 13 is lowered by, for example, 3 ℃. In this way, the compressor 22 and the blower fan 24 can be operated to circulate the air cooled in the evaporator 116 to the heat insulating material 113 during the period when it is determined whether or not the object 16 to be frozen is present inside the heat insulating material 113. That is, when judging whether or not the object 16 is present, the cooling conditions for cooling the small freezing chamber 131 are unified, so that whether or not the object 16 is present or not can be accurately detected.

In step S15, the arithmetic and control unit 27 closes the refrigerator compartment damper 29 and operates the compressor 22 and the blower fan 24. Specifically, when the refrigerator door 29 is in the open state, the arithmetic and control unit 27 immediately turns the refrigerator door 29 to the closed state. When the refrigerator door 29 is in the closed state, the arithmetic and control unit 27 maintains the closed state. Further, the arithmetic and control unit 27 continues to operate the compressor 22 and the blower fan 24.

In this way, the air cooled in the cooling chamber 115 is not blown to the refrigerating chamber 12, but is blown only from the blow-out port 33 to the freezing chamber 13 including the small freezing chamber 131. Thus, the flow rate of the air circulated from the cooling chamber 115 to the small freezing chamber 131 can be unified, and the conditions for cooling the object 16 to be frozen in the small freezing chamber 131 can be unified. Further, since the refrigerating chamber damper 29 is closed, inflow of warmer air from the refrigerating chamber 12 into the vicinity of the small freezing chamber 131 is suppressed, and thus erroneous determination of the presence or absence of the refrigerated object 16 is suppressed.

In step S16, the arithmetic control unit 27 determines whether or not the first time Tm1 has elapsed since the heat insulation door 21 was closed, based on the input from the timer 35. Here, the first time Tm1 is, for example, a time of two minutes. Since the first time Tm1 is set in this way, the indoor temperature of the small freezing chamber 131 can be measured after the behavior of the refrigerant has stabilized, and it can be effectively determined whether or not the object 16 is stored in the small freezing chamber 131.

In the case where step S16 is yes, that is, after the first time Tm1 has elapsed, the arithmetic control unit 27 proceeds to step S17.

In the case of no in step S16, that is, if the first time Tm1 has not elapsed, the arithmetic control unit 27 remains in step S16 to wait for the first time Tm1 to elapse.

In step S17, the arithmetic control unit 27 obtains the temperature difference after the first time Tm1 has elapsed. Specifically, the arithmetic control unit 27 obtains the second temperature Tp2, which is the temperature detected by the small freezing chamber temperature measuring unit 26 when the first time Tm1 has elapsed after closing the heat insulating door 21. Further, the arithmetic control unit 27 calculates a temperature difference obtained by subtracting the first temperature Tp1 from the second temperature Tp 2.

In step S18, the arithmetic control unit 27 compares the temperature difference after the first time Tm1 has elapsed with the first threshold TH1. Specifically, it is confirmed whether the value obtained by subtracting the first temperature Tp1 from the second temperature Tp2 is higher than the first threshold TH1. That is, the arithmetic control unit 27 checks whether or not the frozen object 16 has cooled more than the first threshold TH1 after the first time Tm1 has elapsed.

Here, by way of example only, the first temperature Tp1 is-17.4 ℃, the second temperature Tp2 is-16.1 ℃, and the first threshold TH1 is 0 ℃. In this case, the subtraction value obtained by subtracting the first temperature Tp1 from the second temperature Tp2 is +1.3℃. Thus, the subtraction value is larger than 0 ℃ which is the first threshold value TH1, and the arithmetic control unit 27 determines yes in step S18.

In the case where step S18 is yes, that is, if the value obtained by subtracting the first temperature Tp1 from the second temperature Tp2 is higher than the first threshold TH1, the arithmetic control part 27 proceeds to step S19. The reason for this is that the small freezing chamber 131 is not cooled more than the first threshold TH1, and it is determined that the object 16 is stored in the small freezing chamber 131.

In the case of no in step S18, that is, if the value obtained by subtracting the first temperature Tp1 from the second temperature Tp2 is lower than the first threshold TH1, the arithmetic control part 27 shifts to step S24 in which the non-operating point is returned to normal, and the freezing chamber 13 is cooled normally in step S10. The reason for this is that the small freezing chamber 131 cools more than the first threshold TH1, and it is determined that the object 16 to be frozen is not stored in the small freezing chamber 131.

In step S19, the arithmetic control unit 27 confirms whether or not the second time Tm2 has elapsed based on the input from the timer 35. Here, the second time Tm2 is, for example, a time elapsed from the measurement of the second temperature Tp2 of 18 minutes.

In the case where step S19 is yes, that is, after the second time Tm2 has elapsed, the arithmetic control part 27 proceeds to step S20.

If no in step S19, the arithmetic control unit 27 stands by in step S16 to wait for the second time Tm2 to elapse.

In step S20, the arithmetic control unit 27 obtains the temperature difference after the second time Tm2 has elapsed. Specifically, the arithmetic control part 27 obtains the third temperature Tp3, which is the temperature detected by the small freezing chamber temperature measuring part 26 when the second time Tm2 (for example, 18 minutes) has elapsed since the measurement of the second temperature Tp2. Further, the arithmetic control unit 27 subtracts the second temperature Tp2 from the third temperature Tp 3.

In step S21, the arithmetic control unit 27 compares the temperature difference after the lapse of the second time Tm2 with the second threshold value TH2. Specifically, it is confirmed whether the subtracted value obtained by subtracting the second temperature Tp2 from the third temperature Tp3 is higher than the second threshold TH2. That is, the arithmetic control unit 27 checks whether or not the frozen object 16 has cooled more than the second threshold TH2 after the second time Tm2 has elapsed.

For example only, the second temperature Tp2 is-16.1 ℃, the third temperature Tp3 is-16.4 ℃, and the second threshold TH2 is-1.0 ℃. In this case, the value obtained by subtracting the second temperature Tp2 from the third temperature Tp3 is-0.3 ℃. Thus, the subtraction value is larger than-1.0 ℃ which is the second threshold value TH2, and the arithmetic control unit 27 determines yes in step S21.

In the case where step S21 is yes, that is, if the value obtained by subtracting the second temperature Tp2 from the third temperature Tp3 is higher than the third threshold TH3, the arithmetic control part 27 proceeds to step S22. The reason for this is that the rapid freezing function is required for foods and the like as the objects to be frozen 16, since the temperature decrease in the small freezing chamber 131 is small.

In the case of no in step S21, that is, if the value obtained by subtracting the second temperature Tp2 from the third temperature Tp3 is lower than the second threshold TH2, the arithmetic control part 27 shifts to step S24 in which the non-operating point is returned to normal, and the freezing chamber 13 is cooled normally in step S10. The reason for this is that the quick freezing function is not required since the temperature decrease of the small freezing chamber 131 is large.

In step S22, the arithmetic control unit 27 is turned on a control panel, not shown here, to instruct that the quick freezing function is being performed. Further, the arithmetic control unit 27 starts the quick freezing function. That is, referring to fig. 3, the arithmetic control unit 27 improves the cooling capacity for cooling the object 16 to be frozen in the small freezing chamber 131. For example, the arithmetic and control unit 27 increases the cooling capacity of the evaporator 116 by increasing the number of revolutions of the compressor 22, and sends the air cooled further from the air outlet 33 toward the small freezing chamber 131. Further, the arithmetic and control unit 27 increases the number of rotations of the blower fan 24, thereby increasing the amount of air blown from the air outlet 33 to the small freezing chamber 131. Further, the arithmetic control part 27 supplies air from the cooling chamber 115 only to the freezing chamber 13 by closing the refrigerating chamber damper 29. Here, in order to improve the cooling capacity, the arithmetic and control unit 27 can perform at least two of these methods in combination.

In step S23, the arithmetic control unit 27 determines whether or not a predetermined time, for example, 150 minutes has elapsed since the start of quick freezing, based on the output of the timer 35.

If yes in step S23, that is, if a predetermined time has elapsed, the arithmetic control unit 27 ends the quick freezing function. The object 16 to be frozen in the small freezing chamber 131 is quickly frozen due to the lapse of a certain time. The arithmetic and control unit 27 also shifts to step S24 to restore the dead point, and shifts to normal cooling in step S10.

If no in step S23, that is, if a predetermined time has not elapsed, the arithmetic control unit 27 remains in step S23 and continues the quick freezing function.

The operation of the refrigerator 10 in the case where the compressor 22 is operated when the heat insulation door 21 is opened and closed is described above.

Fig. 6 is a graph showing the detected temperature of the small freezing chamber temperature measuring part 26 and the change with time of the rotation speed of the compressor 22. In fig. 6, the detected temperature of the small freezing chamber temperature measuring part 26 is shown in dotted lines, and the rotation number of the compressor 22 is shown in dash-dot lines.

When the user opens and closes the heat insulation door 21 to put the object 16 to be frozen into the small freezing chamber 131, outside air flows into the small freezing chamber 131. Thereby, during the first time Tm1, the detected temperature of the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section 26 temporarily suddenly rises. At this time, when the object 16 to be frozen at normal temperature is placed in the small freezing chamber 131, the temperature rise becomes small in the first time Tm 1.

Thereafter, in the second time Tm2, the detection temperature of the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section 26 is slowly lowered. Further, in the period thereafter, depending on whether or not the object 16 to be frozen is present inside the small freezing chamber 131, a difference occurs in the decrease in the detected temperature of the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section 26. That is, in the case where the object 16 to be frozen is present in the small freezing chamber 131, the temperature decrease in the second time Tm2 is smaller than in the case where the object 16 to be frozen is not present in the small freezing chamber 131.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the presence or absence of the frozen object 16 in the small freezing chamber 131 is determined based on the temperature change after the heat insulation door 21 is opened and closed, and if it is determined that the frozen object 16 is present, the arithmetic control unit 27 performs the automatic quick freezing function. That is, the object 16 stored in the small freezing chamber 131 is rapidly frozen. In this way, the object 16 is quickly separated from the maximum freezing temperature zone, and the amount of dripping occurring when thawing the object 16 is reduced, so that the freshness of the object 16 can be maintained.

Fig. 7 shows a threshold value used when detecting the object 16 to be frozen stored in the small freezing chamber 131.

As shown in fig. 7, the aforementioned first threshold value TH1 or second threshold value TH2 may be changed according to the outside air temperature.

The arithmetic control part 27 can decrease the first threshold TH1 if the outside air temperature AT measured by the outside air temperature measuring part 30 is low. Specifically, if the outside air temperature AT is lower than 18 ℃, the first threshold TH1 is-0.5 ℃. On the other hand, if the outside air temperature AT is higher than 18 ℃ and lower than 28 ℃, the first threshold TH1 is 0 ℃. Further, if the outside air temperature AT is higher than 28 ℃ and lower than 35 ℃, the first threshold TH1 is 0 ℃. Further, if the outside air temperature AT is higher than 35 ℃, the first threshold TH1 is 0 ℃.

The arithmetic control part 27 can decrease the second threshold TH2 if the outside air temperature AT measured by the outside air temperature measuring part 30 is high. Specifically, if the outside air temperature AT is lower than 18 ℃, the second threshold TH2 is 0 ℃. On the other hand, if the outside air temperature AT is higher than 18 ℃ and lower than 28 ℃, the second threshold TH2 is-0.5 ℃. Further, if the outside air temperature AT is higher than 28 ℃ and lower than 35 ℃, the second threshold TH2 is-1.0 ℃. Further, if the outside air temperature AT is higher than 35 ℃, the second threshold TH2 is-1.5 ℃.

The number of revolutions of the compressor 22 varies according to the outside air temperature. By changing the first threshold TH1 and the second threshold TH2 in accordance with the change in the rotation number of the compressor 22 as described above, it is possible to accurately determine whether the quick freezing function is required at the same timing.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator 10, and shows a case where the compressor 22 is in an inactive state when the heat insulation door 21 is opened and closed. Since the details of the flowchart shown in fig. 8 have common portions with those of the flowchart shown in fig. 5, different portions are emphasized.

The detailed operations of step S30, step S31, step S32, step S33, and step S34 are the same as those of step S10, step S11, step S12, step S13, and step S14 shown in fig. 5. Here, in step S30, as previously described, if the indoor temperature of the refrigerating chamber 12 is lower than the non-operating point, the compressor 22 is stopped, and the refrigerating chamber damper 29 is in a closed state.

In step S35, the arithmetic and control unit 27 continues the closed state of the refrigerator compartment damper 29, and operates the blower fan 24. Further, in order to prevent the malfunction of the compressor 22, the arithmetic control unit 27 confirms whether or not 5 minutes have elapsed since the stop of the compressor 22.

If yes in step S35, the arithmetic control unit 27 proceeds to step S36.

In the case of no at step S35, the arithmetic control unit 27 remains at step S35 to wait for 5 minutes to elapse since the stop of the compressor 22.

In step S36, the arithmetic control unit 27 starts the compressor 22. By starting the compressor 22, the conditions of the small freezing chamber 131 can be uniformly cooled when judging whether or not the object 16 to be frozen is present, as described later. Thus, the arithmetic control unit 27 can accurately determine whether or not the object 16 to be frozen is present, and can perform quick freezing.

The operations of the steps from step S37 to step S41 are the same as those of the steps from step S16 to step S20 shown in fig. 5. That is, the operations in step S37, step S38, step S39, step S40, and step S41 are the same as those in step S16, step S17, step S18, step S19, and step S20 shown in fig. 5.

In step S42, the arithmetic control unit 27 compares the temperature difference after the second time Tm2 has elapsed with the second threshold TH2. Specifically, it is confirmed whether the value obtained by subtracting the second temperature Tp2 from the third temperature Tp3 is higher than the second threshold TH2. That is, the arithmetic control unit 27 checks whether or not the frozen object 16 has cooled more than the second threshold TH2 after the second time Tm2 has elapsed.

By way of example only, the second temperature Tp2 is-15.8 ℃, the third temperature Tp3 is-15.7 ℃, and the second threshold TH2 is-0.5 ℃. In this case, the value obtained by subtracting the second temperature Tp2 from the third temperature Tp3 is +0.1℃. Thus, the subtraction value is larger than-0.5 ℃ which is the second threshold value TH2, and the arithmetic control unit 27 determines yes in step S21.

Here, the second threshold TH2 in step S42 is the same as the second threshold TH2 in step S21 shown in fig. 5. Although the indoor temperature of the freezing chamber 13 rises during the stop of the compressor 22, in order to determine whether the quick freezing function is required in consideration of the temperature rise, the same second threshold TH2 may be used both when the compressor 22 is in the operating state and when it is in the non-operating state.

In the case where step S42 is yes, that is, if the value obtained by subtracting the second temperature Tp2 from the third temperature Tp3 is higher than the second threshold TH2, the arithmetic control part 27 proceeds to step S43. The reason for this is that the rapid freezing function is required for foods and the like as the objects to be frozen 16, since the temperature decrease in the small freezing chamber 131 is small.

In the case of no at step S42, that is, if the value obtained by subtracting the second temperature Tp2 from the third temperature Tp3 is lower than the second threshold TH2, the arithmetic control part 27 shifts to step S45 in which the non-operating point is returned to normal, and the freezing chamber 13 is cooled normally at step S30. The reason for this is that the quick freezing function is not required since the temperature decrease of the small freezing chamber 131 is large.

The operations in step S43 and step S44 are the same as those in step S22 and step S23 shown in fig. 5.

The operation of the refrigerator 10 in the case where the compressor 22 is in the non-operating operation when the heat insulation door 21 is opened and closed is described above. By executing the above steps, when the user opens and closes the heat-insulating door 21 and stores the frozen object 16 in the small freezing chamber 131, the arithmetic control unit 27 detects whether or not the frozen object 16 is present, and the quick freezing function can be automatically executed.

Fig. 9 is a table showing the performance of detecting the object 16 stored in the small freezing chamber 131. In the table shown in fig. 9, experimental purposes, operations, door opening and closing conditions, and automatic quick control results are shown from left to right.

First, experiments were conducted with the aim of verifying whether automatic quick freezing can be performed normally. Specifically, the heat-insulating door 21 is opened and closed for about 15 seconds, and the object 16 to be frozen is stored in the small freezing chamber 131 during this time. As a result, automatic flash freezing proceeds normally. Further, the automatic quick control is normally performed regardless of whether the compressor 22 is in an operating state, the compressor 22 is in an inactive state, or in a defrosting operation when the heat insulation door 21 is opened or closed and the frozen object 16 is stored in the small freezing compartment 131. Thus, according to the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, it is apparent that the quick freezing function can be automatically performed without a special operation by the user when the heat insulation door 21 is opened and closed, in the case where the object 16 to be frozen is stored in the small freezing chamber 131, and the like, regardless of the state of the compressor 22.

Next, experiments were also performed with the aim of confirming that automatic flash freezing was not unnecessarily performed. Specifically, in the case where the heat-insulating door 21 is opened and closed and the object 16 to be frozen is taken out from the small freezing chamber 131 during this period, the quick freezing function is not performed regardless of whether the compressor 22 is in the operating state or the non-operating state.

Further, in the case where only the heat-insulating door 21 is opened and closed and the object 16 to be frozen is not accessed, the quick freezing function is not performed regardless of the length of time the heat-insulating door 21 is in the opened state or the non-operating state of the compressor 22.

Further, when the thermal insulation door 21 is opened and closed and the small storage container 32 is pulled out, the quick freezing function is not performed regardless of the length of time the thermal insulation door 21 is opened, and regardless of whether the compressor 22 is in the operating state or the non-operating state.

Thus, according to the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, it is apparent that the quick freezing function is not automatically performed at unnecessary timing in any of the foregoing cases.

With the present embodiment described above, the following main effects can be achieved.

That is, referring to fig. 5, when the temperature difference between the first temperature Tp1, the second temperature Tp2, and the third temperature Tp3 satisfies the predetermined condition, the object to be frozen 16 can be well detected to be stored in the freezing chamber 13 by improving the cooling capacity. Thus, the object 16 stored in the heat insulating material 113 can be effectively frozen by the automatic quick freezing function.

Further, by unifying the freezing mode after the opening and closing operation of the heat-insulating door 21, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the object 16 to be frozen is present in the freezing chamber 13 based on the output from the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section 26.

Further, referring to fig. 7, by changing the first threshold TH1 and the second threshold TH2 based on the external temperature, even when the rotation number of the compressor 22 is changed due to the change in the external temperature, it is possible to satisfactorily detect that the object 16 to be frozen is stored in the freezing chamber 13 using the first threshold TH1 and the second threshold TH2 at the same timing.

Further, referring to fig. 8, by forcibly starting the compressor 22 when the heat-insulating door 21 is opened and closed, the cooling mode after closing the door can be unified, and the presence or absence of the object 16 to be frozen in the freezing chamber 13 can be detected more accurately.

The present invention is not limited to what has been defined in the above-described specific embodiments, but various modifications can be implemented within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, referring to fig. 3, it is possible to have a cooling circuit that can cool the refrigerating chamber 12 and the freezing chamber 13 separately or simultaneously. Specifically, an evaporator 116 and a refrigerator-freezer cooler for cooling the refrigerator compartment 12 are provided, respectively, the refrigerator compartment 12 is cooled by the refrigerator-freezer cooler, and the freezer compartment 13 is cooled by the evaporator 116. In the case of such a configuration, after the switch detecting unit 25 detects the opening and closing operation of the heat insulating door 21, the arithmetic control unit 27 switches to a cooling circuit for cooling only the freezing chamber 13. Specifically, the arithmetic and control unit 27 stops the cooling of the refrigerating compartment 12 by the refrigerating compartment cooler, and continues the cooling of the freezing compartment 13 by the evaporator 116.

Although embodiments and specific examples of the invention have been described, the disclosure may vary as to details of construction, and variations in the arrangement and order of the elements of the embodiments, specific examples, etc. may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.

Claims (14)

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that it comprises:

   a freezing chamber formed with a small freezing chamber for storing the objects to be frozen;

   a cooling chamber in which air supplied to the freezing chamber is cooled by a cooler;

   a blower fan for blowing the air from the cooling chamber to the freezing chamber;

   a door for closing the freezing chamber;

   a switch detection unit for detecting a switch of the door;

   a small freezing chamber temperature measuring part arranged in the small freezing chamber; and

   a calculation control unit;

   after the switch detecting section detects the switch operation of the door, the arithmetic control section measures a first temperature at the time of performing the switch operation, a second temperature at the time of a first time elapsed since the switch operation, and a third temperature at the time of a second time elapsed since the second temperature was measured based on an output from the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section, and

   The arithmetic control part increases a cooling capacity for cooling the object to be frozen in the small freezing chamber if a difference between the second temperature and the first temperature is greater than a first threshold value and a difference between the third temperature and the second temperature is greater than a second threshold value.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising: a refrigerating chamber; a refrigerating chamber air-sending path for sending air from the cooling chamber to the refrigerating chamber; and a refrigerating chamber damper installed in the refrigerating chamber air supply path;

   after the switch detecting unit detects the opening and closing operation of the door, the arithmetic control unit turns the refrigerator door into a closed state, and circulates the air from the cooling chamber into the freezing chamber.
3. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an outside air temperature measuring part for measuring an outside temperature,

   the arithmetic control section changes the first threshold value or the second threshold value based on the outside temperature measured by the outside air temperature measuring section.
4. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising:

   a refrigerating chamber; and

   a cooling circuit capable of cooling the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber separately or simultaneously;

   After the switch detecting unit detects the opening and closing operation of the door, the arithmetic control unit switches the cooling circuit so that cooling of the refrigerator compartment is stopped and only the freezer compartment is cooled.
5. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a compressor for compressing a refrigerant supplied to the cooler,

   when the switch detecting unit detects the opening/closing operation of the door, the arithmetic control unit starts the compressor if the compressor is in a stopped state.
6. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a refrigerating chamber, wherein the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber are disposed from top to bottom, a main air supply path is formed at a front side of the cooling chamber, and air inside the cooling chamber is supplied by the air supply fan in a direction of the main air supply path.
7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the air blown from the blower fan is directly fed into the small freezing chamber from the air outlet, and the air outlet at the uppermost layer is offset from the small freezing chamber temperature measuring section in the left-right direction.
8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the small freezing chamber is formed at an uppermost portion of the freezing chamber, the small freezing chamber is a portion surrounded by a small storage container, and the small storage container is a resin container having an upper opening, and is disposed so as to be capable of being pulled out freely in a front-rear direction.
9. The refrigerator of claim 8, further comprising a refrigerating chamber, the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber being partitioned by a heat insulating wall, a lower surface and sides of the small freezing chamber being constituted by the small storage container, and an upper surface of the small freezing chamber being constituted by a lower surface of the heat insulating wall.
10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the small freezing chamber temperature measuring part is provided at a lower surface of the heat insulation wall facing the small storage container, the small freezing chamber temperature measuring part being disposed to protrude downward from the lower surface of the heat insulation wall.
11. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a timer inputs information indicating a time or a time to the arithmetic control part, and the arithmetic control part judges whether the first time and the second time have elapsed since the door was closed based on the input from the timer.
12. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the arithmetic control section is capable of decreasing the first threshold value when the outside temperature measured by the outside air temperature measuring section is low.
13. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the arithmetic control section is capable of decreasing the second threshold value when the outside temperature measured by the outside air temperature measuring section is high.
14. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the first and second thresholds are changed according to a change in a rotation number of the compressor.