JP2002115954A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator which can properly perform the defrosting of an evaporator for cold storage, in a refrigerator which is equipped with an evaporator corresponding to each of a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber. SOLUTION: This refrigerator performs a freezing/chilling chamber blasting mode to supply cooling air to both of a refrigerating chamber 2 and a freezing/ chilling switching chamber 4, and a refrigerating chamber blasting mode to supply cooling air to only the refrigerating chamber 2 while keeping the temperature of an evaporator 8 for cold storage at 0 deg.C or over, and removes the frost having adhered to the evaporator 8 for cold storage in the freezing/chilling chamber blasting mode, by ventilation in the refrigerating chamber blasting mode.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator operation control.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a refrigerator having a refrigerator evaporator and a freezing evaporator has been proposed. A refrigerator is provided with a cooling air at a relatively higher temperature than a freezing room. Supply can be made.

[0003] However, in the case of a refrigerator having an ice temperature / chilled switching room in the refrigerator compartment, the temperature of the ice temperature / chilled switching room is about -1 ° C when the ice temperature is set, and when the chilled setting is used. Is set at about + 1 ° C., the supply temperature of the cooling air to the refrigerator compartment and the ice temperature / chilled switching compartment needs to be kept low, and the temperature of the refrigeration evaporator must be kept at 0 ° C. or less. . At this temperature, frost adheres to the surface of the refrigeration evaporator, and the performance of the refrigeration evaporator deteriorates, so that the necessity of the defrosting means arises.

In a conventional refrigerator, a technique has been used in which a defrost heater is used to defrost an evaporator.

As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-261968, when the supply of the refrigerant to the refrigeration evaporator is stopped, the cooling air supply fan is rotated, and the air in the refrigeration chamber is applied to the refrigeration evaporator to perform defrosting. Has been proposed.

[0006]

However, the use of the former defrosting heater as in the prior art has a problem that the temperature inside the refrigerator and the power consumption increase.

In the latter prior art, even when the supply of refrigerant to the refrigeration evaporator is stopped, it is necessary to rotate the cool air supply fan for defrosting, and there is a problem that extra power is consumed. Also, in the latter conventional technique, when the load of frost formation is large, it is necessary to use a defrost heater, and there remains a problem that the inside temperature rises and the power consumption increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to appropriately defrost a refrigeration evaporator in a refrigerator having an evaporator corresponding to each of a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment. It is to provide a refrigerator that can be performed.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, and has an ice temperature / chilled switching compartment inside the refrigerator compartment. To a compressor, a condenser, a refrigerating throttle mechanism, a refrigerating evaporator corresponding to the refrigerating compartment, a refrigerating restricting mechanism, a refrigerating evaporator corresponding to the refrigerating compartment, and a refrigerating evaporator. A refrigeration cycle configured to connect a refrigerant supply valve that controls the flow of refrigerant, and for blowing air cooled by the refrigeration evaporator to the refrigeration chamber and the ice temperature / chilled switching chamber. A refrigerating evaporator temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the refrigerating evaporator; a refrigerating room temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the refrigerating room inside the refrigerating room; Inside the chilled switching room,
A refrigerator provided with an ice temperature / chilled room temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the ice temperature / chilled switching room and an ice temperature / chilled switching unit for setting the temperature of the ice temperature / chilled switching room; A ventilation opening / closing means for passing or blocking the air sent to the ice temperature / chilled switching chamber from above, an opening / closing of the ventilation opening / closing means, an opening / closing of the refrigerant supply valve, and a start / stop of the refrigeration fan. Operation control means for adjusting the refrigerating throttle mechanism so as to keep the temperature of the refrigerating evaporator in a predetermined temperature range.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the ventilation control of the refrigerator compartment.

A refrigerator, generally designated by reference numeral 1, comprises a refrigerator compartment 2 and a freezer compartment 3 from the top. An ice temperature / chilled switching chamber 4 is provided inside the refrigerator compartment 2.

The refrigerator 1 controls the flow of the refrigerant to the compressor 5, the condenser 6, the refrigerating throttle mechanism 7, the refrigerating evaporator 8, the refrigerating restricting mechanism 9, the refrigerating evaporator 10, and the refrigerating evaporator. It has a refrigeration cycle configured by connecting a refrigerant supply valve 17.

The refrigerating evaporator 8 is installed on the back of the refrigerating compartment. The air cooled by the refrigeration evaporator 8 is supplied to the refrigeration room 2 and the ice temperature / chilled switching room 4 by the refrigeration fan 11. The air that has cooled the refrigerating compartment 2 and the ice temperature / chilled switching compartment 4 returns to the refrigerating evaporator 8 and is cooled again.

The refrigeration evaporator temperature sensor 12 is installed in contact with the refrigeration evaporator 8 and detects the temperature of the refrigeration evaporator.

A ventilation opening / closing means 13 is provided in an air passage from the refrigeration fan 8 to the ice temperature / chilled switching chamber 4. The ventilation opening / closing means 13 is an operation control means (not shown)
Is opened or closed according to the judgment of, and the cooling air from the refrigeration fan 8 is passed or cut off.

A plurality of refrigerator compartment temperature sensors 14 are installed inside the refrigerator compartment 2 to detect the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2.

An ice temperature / chilled room temperature sensor 15 is installed in the ice temperature / chilled switching room 4 to detect the temperature of the ice temperature / chilled switching room 4.

When the user of the refrigerator 1 sets the ice temperature or chill for the ice temperature / chilled switching means (not shown), the operation control means sets the ice temperature / chilled room set temperature Tcset1 and the refrigeration according to each setting. The lower limit Tce1 and the upper limit Tce2 of the set evaporator set temperature are determined.

The contents of the operation control of the refrigerator compartment by the operation control means are as follows.

The temperature Tc detected by the ice temperature / chilled room temperature sensor 15 is a predetermined ice temperature / chilled switching room set temperature Tc.
more than set2 or a plurality of refrigerator compartment temperature sensors 1
If the average value Tr of the temperatures detected by the temperature control unit 4 exceeds a predetermined refrigerator compartment set temperature Trset2, the operation control unit determines the necessity of cooling the refrigerator compartment 2 and the ice temperature / chilled switching chamber 4, and switches the refrigerator fan 11 on. Upon activation, the refrigerant supply valve 17 is opened to supply the refrigerant to the refrigeration evaporator 8. Then, the ventilation opening / closing means 13 is opened, and the cooling air passing through the refrigeration evaporator 8 is supplied to the refrigeration room 2 and the ice temperature / chilled switching room 4.

At this time, when the evaporator temperature Te detected by the refrigerating evaporator temperature sensor 12 is not between the lower limit Tce1 and the upper limit Tce2 of the refrigerating evaporator set temperature, the operation control means evaporates by the refrigerating throttle mechanism 7. Adjust the container temperature.

As long as the temperature Tc detected by the ice temperature / chilled room temperature sensor 15 does not fall below the ice temperature / chilled room set temperature Tcset1, the ventilation opening / closing means 13 remains open, and the ice temperature / chilled switching room 4 is opened. The cooling air continues to be supplied. The above operation is called an ice temperature / chilled room blowing mode.
In the ice temperature / chilled room blowing mode, the upper limit Tce2 of the refrigeration evaporator set temperature may be set to 0 ° C. or less, and the refrigeration evaporator 8 may be frosted.

When the temperature Tc detected by the ice temperature / chilled room temperature sensor 15 becomes equal to or lower than the ice temperature / chilled room set temperature Tcset1, the ventilation opening / closing means 1 is determined by the operation control means.
3 is closed, the ice temperature / chilled room blowing mode ends, and the mode shifts to the refrigerator room blowing mode described below.

The lower limit Tre1 and the upper limit Tre2 of the refrigerating room set temperature Trset1 and the refrigerating room evaporator set temperature in the refrigerating room blowing mode are predetermined and stored in the operation control means. However, the lower limit Tre1 of the set temperature of the refrigeration evaporator is set to 0 ° C. or more. With this setting, the amount of frost on the refrigeration evaporator 8 does not increase, and the refrigeration fan 1
By supplying the air in the refrigerator compartment at a temperature of 0 ° C. or higher according to 1, the frost adhering during the ice temperature / chilled room blowing mode is removed.

When the evaporator temperature Te detected by the refrigerating evaporator temperature sensor 12 is not between the lower limit Tre1 and the upper limit Tre2 of the refrigerating evaporator set temperature, the operation control means controls the evaporator temperature by the refrigerating throttle mechanism 7. Make adjustments.

The operation of the refrigerating fan 11 is continued as long as the average value Tr of the temperatures detected by the plurality of refrigerating room temperature sensors 14 does not fall below the refrigerating room set temperature Trset1.

When the average value Tr of the temperatures detected by the plurality of refrigerating room temperature sensors 14 becomes equal to or lower than the refrigerating room set temperature Trset1, the refrigerating fan 11 stops and the refrigerant supply valve 17
Is closed, and the supply of the refrigerant to the refrigeration evaporator 8 is stopped.

The temperature Tc detected by the ice temperature / chilled room temperature sensor 15 is a predetermined ice temperature / chilled switching room set temperature Tc.
over set2 or a plurality of refrigerator compartment temperature sensors 1
When the average value Tr of the temperatures detected by the temperature control unit 4 exceeds a predetermined refrigerator room set temperature Trset2, the operation control unit determines the necessity of cooling the refrigerator room 2 and the ice temperature / chilled switching room 4, and again performs the above-described operation. Then, the refrigerator compartment 2 and the ice temperature / chilled switching compartment 4 are cooled.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of appropriately defrosting a refrigerating evaporator.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a refrigerator room of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling operation of the refrigerator in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigerator, 2 ... Refrigerator room, 3 ... Freezer room, 4 ... Ice temperature and chilled switching room, 5 ... Compressor, 6 ... Condenser, 7 ... Refrigerator throttle mechanism, 8 ... Refrigerator evaporator, 9 ... Freezing Drawing mechanism, 10
Refrigeration evaporator, 11 Refrigeration fan, 12 Refrigeration evaporator temperature sensor, 13 Ventilation opening / closing means, 14 Refrigeration room temperature sensor, 15 Ice temperature / chilled room temperature sensor, 17 Refrigerant supply valve.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment. The refrigerating compartment has an ice temperature / chilled switching compartment. The refrigerating compartment corresponds to a compressor, a condenser, a refrigerating throttle mechanism, and the refrigerating compartment. The refrigerating cycle includes a refrigerating evaporator, a refrigerating throttle mechanism, a refrigerating evaporator corresponding to the freezing chamber, and a refrigerant supply valve for controlling a flow of refrigerant to the refrigerating evaporator. And
A refrigerator fan for blowing air cooled by the refrigerator evaporator to the refrigerator compartment and the ice temperature / chilled switching chamber, and a refrigerator evaporator temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the refrigerator evaporator, Inside the refrigerator compartment, a refrigerator temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the refrigerator compartment is provided, and inside the ice temperature / chilled switching room, an ice temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the ice temperature / chilled switching room is provided. In a refrigerator comprising a chilled room temperature sensor, and an ice temperature / chilled switching means for setting the temperature of the ice temperature / chilled switching room, air passing from the refrigeration fan to the ice temperature / chilled switching room is passed or Ventilation opening / closing means to shut off, opening / closing of the ventilation opening / closing means, opening / closing of the refrigerant supply valve, and start / stop of the refrigeration fan are determined, and the temperature of the refrigeration evaporator is determined by a predetermined value. Refrigerator, characterized in that a driving control means for adjusting the refrigerating throttle mechanism so as to maintain the degree range.