JP2002162143A - Refrigerator with freezer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator with a freezer capable of efficiently and quickly cooling or thawing contents without affecting an influence to a temperature control of another chamber. SOLUTION: The refrigerator with the freezer comprises a quickly cooling and thawing mechanism having a quickly cooling and thawing chamber 14, a Peltier element 15 of a cooling/heating mechanism, a flexible heat transfer member 23 for transferring cold or warm heat from the element 15 to contents 13 in the chamber 14 and the like, and a controller 26 for energizing the element 15. Thus, the contents 13 are quickly cooled or thawed efficiently.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a cooling mechanism and a heating mechanism for rapidly cooling and thawing contents.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been an increasing demand from consumers for refrigerators and refrigerators. In order not only to store foods by freezing and refrigeration, but also to cool foods more quickly for the purpose of storing foods more deliciously for a long time. Also, there is a need for a refrigerator that can be put into a refrigerator immediately without having to leave the refrigerator even if it is warm.

Here, a conventional refrigerator having a vapor compression refrigeration cycle will be described as an example, and a conventional technique will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 8, a refrigerator 1 includes a freezer compartment 3, a refrigerator compartment 4, and a vegetable compartment 5, each of which has a compressor 8b, a condenser 9b, and a capillary as an expansion mechanism. It has a tube 10b, an evaporator 11b for exclusive use of the freezer compartment 3, and an evaporator 11c for the refrigerating compartment 4 and the vegetable compartment 5, each of which is connected by a connection pipe. The evaporators 11b and 11c are connected in parallel by branching a connection pipe.

[0005] In the vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7, the refrigerant (HFC 134a, etc.) enclosed therein is compressed by a compressor 8b.
Is compressed to a high temperature and a high pressure, radiates heat in a condenser 9b, is decompressed and expanded in a capillary tube 10b, becomes a low temperature and a low pressure, is bifurcated, and absorbs and evaporates heat in the evaporators 11b and 11c. The air sent to 11b and 11c is cooled, and sucked into the compressor 8b again.

The air cooled by the evaporator 11b circulates through the freezing room 3 to cool the freezing room 3 and
The air cooled in c cools the refrigerator compartment 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 by circulating through the refrigerator compartment 4 and the vegetable compartment 5.

In the freezer compartment 3, a metal tray having a high thermal conductivity (such as aluminum) is used to rapidly cool the contents.
8 (not shown in FIG. 8) is provided, and the contents are easily cooled.

In order to enhance the effect of rapid cooling, only when rapid cooling is required, evaporators 11b and 11b
(c) a function having a function of concentratingly blowing the cool air onto the contents, and a function having a function of enhancing the cooling effect of the contents by incorporating a regenerator under a metal tray inside the freezing compartment 3 or the like. is there.

[0009]

However, in the method of concentrating cold air, the limited cooling capacity of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle is concentrated on the contents requiring rapid cooling, so that cooling is not performed on other rooms. In some cases, the capacity was reduced and it was difficult to maintain the set temperature of each room.

In some cases, a tray using a metal having high thermal conductivity is installed in the freezer compartment. However, the metal tray itself is not cooled by a refrigerant but is cooled by cold air like the contents. Since the contents were cooled later, the contents could not be efficiently cooled.

Further, the contents to be rapidly cooled have various shapes, and when the contents having many irregularities are placed on a flat metal tray, the contact area between the metal tray and the contents is not sufficient. There were problems such as a small amount of cold transmitted to the contents via the tray and a small effect of installing a metal tray having a high thermal conductivity.

Some refrigerators have a built-in regenerator below the metal tray in the freezer compartment. However, since the amount of heat that can be stored in the regenerator is limited, the cooling capacity of the regenerator decreases as the contents are cooled. However, when the amount of heat held by the contents is large, there is a problem that it is not possible to cool to a predetermined temperature in a short time.

There is also a refrigerator having a thawing function in addition to the rapid cooling in the refrigerator, but the thawing room often uses a part of the inside of the refrigeration room. Due to such measures as blowing high warm air, there has been a problem in that the temperature of other rooms near the thawing room and the temperature of other contents also increase, which adversely affects them. Conversely, if thawing is performed without affecting other contents or other rooms, there is a problem that the thawing time becomes long because the temperature of the thawing room itself cannot be increased.

In view of the above problems, the present invention is provided with an auxiliary cooling and heating mechanism for rapidly and surely cooling a high-temperature content requiring rapid cooling and without affecting the temperature control in another room. It is an object of the present invention to provide a freezer-refrigerator which has an auxiliary cooling and heating function for realizing thawing of the contents while suppressing a rise in the temperature inside the refrigerator-freezer as much as possible.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention comprises at least one rapid cooling section, and at least one freezer compartment and / or refrigerating compartment, and has a first content in the rapid cooling section. And a second cooling mechanism for cooling a second content in the freezing compartment and / or the refrigerating compartment.

Further, in the present invention, the first cooling mechanism is a cooling and heating mechanism having a heating function.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a Peltier element is used as the first cooling mechanism or the cooling and heating mechanism.

Further, according to the present invention, when the content of the rapid cooling section is rapidly cooled by the Peltier device, the first content is rapidly cooled using the cold heat generated from the Peltier device, and the heat generated from the Peltier device is frozen. When discharging to the outside of the refrigerator and heating the contents of the rapid cooling unit with the Peltier element, the first content is heated using the heat generated from the Peltier element, and the cold generated from the Peltier element is cooled and stored in the freezer compartment. And / or for cooling the second content in the refrigerator compartment.

According to the present invention, there is provided a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the first content of the rapid cooling section, and the capability and flow of cold / hot heat generated by the Peltier element are controlled using the measured value of the temperature sensor. And a control circuit for the same.

Further, according to the present invention, as a heat transfer mechanism for transferring cold / hot heat generated from the first cooling mechanism or the cooling / heating mechanism to the rapid cooling section, the first content and the first content are in contact with each other. At least a part of the bottom surface of the rapid cooling section is made of a soft and highly heat-conductive member.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a refrigerator-freezer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram around a rapid cooling chamber in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. .

In FIG. 1, a refrigerator-freezer 1 has a rapid cooling section 2 as a rapid cooling section, a freezing section 3, a refrigerator section 4, a vegetable section 5, a vapor compression refrigerating cycle 6 as a first cooling mechanism,
A vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7 as a second cooling mechanism is provided. A vapor compression refrigeration cycle 6 as a first cooling mechanism includes a compressor 8a, a condenser 9a, a capillary tube 10a as an expansion mechanism, a rapid cooling chamber. 2 dedicated evaporator 11
a, and each is connected by a connection pipe.

A vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7, which is a second cooling mechanism, comprises a compressor 8b, a condenser 9b, a capillary tube 10b as an expansion mechanism, an evaporator 11b dedicated to the freezing room 3, a refrigerating room 4, and a vegetable room 5. Evaporators 11c are connected to each other by connecting pipes. The evaporators 11b and 11c are connected in parallel by branching a connection pipe.

In the vapor compression refrigeration cycle 6 as the first cooling mechanism and the vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7 as the second cooling mechanism, the refrigerant (HFC134
a) is compressed to high temperature and high pressure by the compressors 8a and 8b, radiates heat in the condensers 9a and 9b, is decompressed and expanded in the capillary tubes 10a and 10b, and absorbs heat in the evaporators 11a, 11b and 11c. It evaporates and is again sucked into the compressors 8a and 8b.

The evaporator 11a transmits cold heat to the rapid cooling chamber 2 by directly contacting the bottom surface of the rapid cooling chamber 2,
b cools the freezing room 3 by circulating through the freezing room 3, and the air cooled by the evaporator 11 c sends the air cooled by the refrigerating room 4.
The refrigerator compartment 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 are cooled by circulating through the vegetable compartment 5.

Next, transmission of cold heat in the rapid cooling chamber 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

The bottom surface of the rapid cooling chamber 2 has high thermal conductivity.
For example, it is constituted by a metal plate 12 made of aluminum or the like, and the surface of the metal plate 12 is in contact with the first content 13 placed in the rapid cooling chamber 2,
Is configured to contact the evaporator 11a. Thus, the metal plate 12 is cooled by the evaporator 11a, and at the same time, by transmitting cold heat to the content 13, the content 13 can be rapidly cooled.

The vapor compression refrigeration cycle 6 is operated independently of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7 when it is determined that rapid cooling of the contents 13 is required, so that rapid cooling of the contents 13 is not required. At the time of vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7
Apart from that, it can be stopped alone.

As described above, the vapor compression refrigeration cycle 6 dedicated to the rapid cooling chamber 2 is used for the rapid cooling of the rapid cooling chamber 2.
Is used, it is possible to rapidly cool the contents 13 in the quick-freezing room 2 without affecting the cooling of the contents stored in another room of the refrigerator-freezer 1 at all.

In particular, instead of blowing cold air onto the contents 13 for rapid cooling, the cooling heat generated by the evaporator 11a is transmitted directly to the contents 13 through the metal plate 12 to other rooms or contents. Has an effect that it can be extremely reduced.

In the present embodiment, the refrigerator-freezer 1 having one rapid cooling room 2, one freezing room 3, one refrigerator room 4, and one vegetable room 5 has been considered, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of each refrigerator is not limited as long as it is a refrigerating refrigerator provided with a first cooling mechanism dedicated to the rapid cooling room 2, and a rapid cooling unit may be provided in the freezing room 3 or the refrigerating room 4. Absent.

Further, in the present embodiment, the metal plate 12 for transmitting heat between the evaporator 11a and the contents 13 has been considered. However, the material is not limited to a metal plate as long as the material has excellent heat conductivity. Absent.

Further, the evaporator 11a may be a plate-type heat exchanger which also serves as a metal plate, and may directly contact the contents 13 to transmit cold heat.

The evaporator 11a may be in contact with not only the bottom surface of the rapid cooling chamber 2 but also the back and side surfaces, or the inner wall itself of the rapid cooling chamber 2 may constitute the evaporator 11a.

Further, in this embodiment, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is used as the first cooling mechanism and the second cooling mechanism. However, if it is a mechanism that generates cold heat, such as an ammonia absorption type or a Peltier type. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

The compression refrigeration cycle 6, which is the first cooling mechanism, is provided with a separate four-way valve. The condenser 9a acts as an evaporator, and the evaporator 11a acts as a condenser. 11a generates heat and content 1
3 may be provided with a function to decompress.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a refrigerator-freezer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram around a quenching / thawing chamber according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. is there.

In FIG. 3, the refrigerator-freezer 1 has a quenching / thawing chamber 14, a freezing chamber 3, a refrigeration chamber 4, a vegetable room 5 as a rapid cooling unit and a heating unit, and a Peltier element on the bottom of the rapid cooling / thawing chamber 14 as a cooling / heating mechanism. 15. A vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7 is provided as a second cooling mechanism.

The vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7 includes a compressor 8b,
Condenser 9b, capillary tube 10 as expansion mechanism
b, Evaporator 11 for quenching / thawing room 14 and freezing room 3
b, an evaporator 11c for the refrigerator compartment 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 is provided, and each is connected by a connection pipe. In addition,
The evaporators 11b and 11c are connected in parallel by branching a connection pipe.

In the vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7, the refrigerant (HFC 134a, etc.) sealed therein is supplied to the compressor 8b
Is compressed to a high temperature and high pressure, radiates heat in the condenser 9b, is decompressed and expanded in the capillary tube 10b, is branched into two, and absorbs and evaporates heat in the evaporators 11b and 11c. Is cooled, and is sucked into the compressor 8b again.

The air cooled by the evaporator 11b circulates through the quenching / thawing chamber 14 and the freezing chamber 3 to cool the quenching / thawing chamber 14 and the freezing chamber 3, and the air cooled by the evaporator 11c is fed to the refrigeration chamber. The refrigerating room 4 and the vegetable room 5 are cooled by circulating through the room 4 and the vegetable room 5.

Next, the circulation of the cool air in the quenching / thawing chamber 14 and the structure of the quenching / heating mechanism including the Peltier device 15 will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIG. Note that arrows in FIG. 4 indicate the flow of air.

At the front of the evaporator 11b, a cooling fan 16 for sending the air cooled by the evaporator 11b to the quenching / thawing chamber 14 and the freezing chamber 3 for circulation is arranged.

By applying a direct current to the Peltier device 15 provided on the bottom surface of the quenching / thawing chamber 14, the heat generated on the surface of the Peltier device 15 facing the quenching / thawing chamber 14 (Peltier device surface 15a). Is transmitted to the quenching / thawing room 14.

On the other hand, a heat exchange chamber 17 is arranged on the back side of the Peltier element 15 (Peltier element rear face 15b), and radiation fins 18 for transmitting heat from the Peltier element rear face 15b to the inside of the heat exchange chamber 17 are provided. Is formed.

The circulation fan 19 for supplying and exhausting air to and from the heat exchange chamber 17 is provided inside the heat exchange chamber 17.
Is provided.

Further, the heat exchange chamber 17 includes
Air supply duct 20a for taking in air outside the refrigerator, air supply duct 20b for taking in air returning from the quenching / thawing room 14 and the freezing room 3 to the evaporator 11b, and air supply duct 2
0a or the air supply duct 20b is provided.
Is selected from among an exhaust duct 22a for discharging air from the heat exchange chamber 17 to the outside of the refrigerator, an exhaust duct 22b for flowing air into the evaporator 11b, and an exhaust duct 22a or an exhaust duct 22b. Damper 21 that performs
b is provided.

A heat transfer member 23 is provided as a heat transfer mechanism on the Peltier element surface 15a on the bottom of the quenching / thawing chamber 14. The heat transfer member 23 is flexible and has a high thermal conductivity, such as a structure in which an alcohol-based material such as propylene glycol is sealed in a soft aluminum bag 24.

On the heat transfer member 23, the contents 13 having irregularities on the surface are placed. On the ceiling portion of the rapid cooling / thawing chamber 14 above the heat transfer members 23, the contents 13 are placed. A radiation type temperature sensor 25 capable of sequentially measuring the temperature is provided.

With the above configuration, when the contents 13 are rapidly cooled, a DC current is applied to the Peltier element 15 in the quenching / thawing chamber 14 so that the Peltier element surface 15a is at a low temperature, and the heat transfer member is cooled. The contents 13 are cooled via 23.

On the other hand, since the temperature of the back surface 15b of the Peltier element becomes high, the circulating fan 19 is rotated, the outside air is sucked from the air supply duct 20a by operating the dampers 21a and 21b, and the radiation fins 18 are formed in the heat exchange chamber 17. The heat of the back surface 15b of the Peltier element is recovered through the air outlet, and the heat is released to the outside of the refrigerator 1 through the exhaust duct 22a.

When the contents 13 are to be thawed, a DC current in the quenching / thawing chamber 14 is supplied in the opposite direction to that when the Peltier element 15 is rapidly cooled so that the Peltier element surface 15a becomes hot. Then, the contents 13 are heated and thawed through the heat transfer member 23.

On the other hand, since the temperature of the back surface 15b of the Peltier element becomes low, the temperature of the circulating fan 19 is rotated, and the temperature is relatively increased after the quenching / thawing chamber 14 is cooled through the air supply duct 20b by operating the dampers 21a and 21b. The cooled air is sucked into the heat exchange chamber 17 and cooled using the heat of the Peltier element back surface 15b through the radiation fins 18, and the cooled air is returned to the evaporator 11b through the exhaust duct 22b.

The heat transfer member 23 includes a Peltier device 15.
By directly contacting with and receiving the cold / hot heat, and by directly contacting the content 13 and transmitting the cold / hot heat, it is possible to efficiently transmit the cold / hot heat of the Peltier element 15 to the content 13.
Furthermore, since the surface shape of the heat transfer member 23 can be easily deformed, the mutual contact area between the heat transfer member 23 and the content 13 is maximized even when the content 13 is uneven. Holding the Peltier element surface 15
The cooling / heating heat from a can be uniformly transmitted to the contents 13.

FIG. 5 shows the flow of control in the rapid cooling / thawing chamber 14 at the time of rapid cooling or thawing in this embodiment by dotted arrows. In FIG. 5, input signals to the control device 26 include a target temperature setter 27, a temperature sensor 25, and a user 28 in which a target temperature at the time of rapid cooling or thawing of the contents 13 is stored in advance. The output signal from the control device 26 includes power supply to the Peltier element 15, power supply to the circulation fan 19, opening and closing operations of the dampers 21a and 21b, and the like.

The temperature sensor 25 can sequentially measure the temperature of the contents 13 and transmit it to the control device 26.

FIG. 6 is a control flow chart when the contents 13 in FIG. 5 are rapidly cooled, and FIG. 7 is a control flow chart when the contents 13 in FIG. 5 are thawed.

Hereinafter, a control flow for rapidly cooling the contents 13 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the temperature sensor 25 is used for the quenching / thawing room 1
The temperature of the content 13 of No. 4 is detected and transmitted to the control device 26 (101).

Second, the control device 26 controls the temperature sensor 25
Of the content 13 transmitted from the
By comparing the target temperature (for example, target temperature: -18 ° C) of the contents 13 in the quenching / thawing chamber 14 set in step 7, if the temperature difference is 30 ° C or more, for example, To determine that rapid cooling is necessary. Also, if the temperature difference is 30
If the temperature is lower than ° C, it is determined that rapid cooling is unnecessary (10
2).

Third, when the control device 26 determines that rapid cooling of the contents 13 is necessary, a DC current is applied to the Peltier device 15 so that the Peltier device surface 15a is at a low temperature, and the damper is driven. By switching between 21 a and 21 b and operating the circulation fan 19, the cold generated on the Peltier element surface 15 a rapidly cools the contents 13 via the heat transfer member 23. On the other hand, the heat generated by the Peltier element 15b is released to the outside air through the heat exchange chamber 17 (103).

Fourth, the temperature sensor 25 detects the temperature of the contents 13 and transmits it to the control device 26 (104).

Fifth, the controller 26 compares the temperature of the contents 13 with the target temperature set by the target temperature setting device 27 (for example, target temperature: -18 ° C.) (105).

At this time, the temperature of the contents 13 is adjusted to the temperature set by the target temperature setting unit 27 (for example, target temperature: -18 °).
C) If above, return to step 103 to continue cooling the contents 13.

On the other hand, the temperature of the contents 13 is set at the temperature set by the target temperature setting device 27 (for example, target temperature: -18 ° C.).
If it is equal to or less than the above, it is determined that rapid cooling is to be terminated, power supply to the Peltier element 15 and the circulation fan 19 is terminated, and the dampers 21a and 21b are switched to shut off the flow of air between the heat exchange chamber 17 and the ducts 20a and 22a. Yes (10
6).

Next, the flow of control when thawing the contents 13 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the user 28 transmits an instruction to execute defrosting to the contents 13 to the control device 26 (20).
1).

Secondly, the control device 2 which determines that thawing is necessary
6, a DC current is applied to the Peltier element 15 so that the Peltier element surface 15a becomes hot, and the dampers 21a and 2
By switching 1b and operating the circulation fan 19,
The heat generated on the Peltier element surface 15a is
The content 13 is heated and thawed via the Peltier element, and the cold generated on the back surface 15b of the Peltier element is used to cool other contents in the refrigerator 1 through the heat exchange chamber 17 (20).
2).

At this time, the temperature in the refrigerator 1 becomes high only in the local portion of the heat transfer member 23, and the content 13 is not blown out by blowing high-temperature hot air, so that the content 13 is not defrosted in another room or in the content. The effect on objects can be minimized.

Third, the temperature sensor 25 detects the temperature of the contents 13 and transmits it to the control device 26 (203).

Fourth, the controller 26 compares the temperature of the contents 13 with a target temperature set by the target temperature setting device 27 (for example, target temperature: + 10 ° C.) (204).

At this time, the temperature of the contents 13 is adjusted to the temperature set by the target temperature setting device 27 (for example, the target temperature: + 10 °).
C) If not, the process returns to (202) and the thawing of the contents 13 is continued.

On the other hand, the temperature of the contents 13 is set at the temperature set by the target temperature setting device 27 (for example, target temperature: + 10 ° C.).
If it is above, it is determined that the thawing is to be terminated, and the power supply to the Peltier element 15 and the circulation fan 19 is terminated, and the damper 2
1a and 21b are closed (205).

As described above, by installing the cooling and heating mechanism using the Peltier element 15 in the quenching / thawing chamber 14 of the refrigerator 1 using the vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7, other components of the refrigerator can be used. The contents in the rapid cooling / thawing chamber 14 can be rapidly cooled or thawed without affecting the room or contents.

Further, when the contents 13 in the quenching / thawing chamber 14 are rapidly cooled by the Peltier device 15, the heat generated on the back surface 15b of the Peltier device is supplied to the outside of the refrigerator 1 through the air supply duct 20a and the exhaust duct 22a. When the contents 13 in the quenching / thawing chamber 14 are thawed by the Peltier device 15, the cold heat generated on the back surface 15b of the Peltier device is By using it for cooling the inside of the refrigerator 1, it is possible to prevent an increase in the temperature inside the refrigerator 1, and to suppress the power consumption of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7.

Further, a temperature sensor 25 for detecting the temperature of the contents 13 for rapid cooling or thawing in the quenching / thawing chamber 14, a Peltier element 15, energization to the circulation fan 19, and dampers 21a and 21b are used. By performing the control by the control device 26 in this manner, an effect that the rapid cooling and the thawing can be efficiently performed can be obtained.

Further, the cooling / heating heat generated in the quenching / thawing chamber 14 generated on the Peltier element surface 15a is brought into direct contact with the contents 13 via the soft heat transfer member 23, so that the contents 13 and the heat transfer member 23 are transferred. The contact area is increased, the efficiency of heat transfer is improved, and there is an effect that the rapid cooling or thawing of the contents 13 can be realized more quickly and uniformly.

In particular, since the heat is transmitted through the heat transfer member 23 which is in direct contact with the contents 13 without blowing hot air at the time of thawing, there is an effect that the influence on other rooms and contents can be extremely reduced.

In the present embodiment, the refrigerator-freezer 1 having one quick cooling room 14, one freezing room 3, one freezing room 4, and one vegetable room 5 has been considered. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The number of each refrigerator is not limited as long as it is a refrigerating refrigerator provided with a first cooling mechanism or a cooling and heating mechanism dedicated to the rapid cooling chamber 14. A heating unit may be provided.

In the present embodiment, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is used as the second cooling mechanism. However, the present invention is not limited to this as long as it is a mechanism that generates cold heat, such as an ammonia absorption type or a Peltier type. Absent.

In this embodiment, the quenching / thawing chamber 14 is used.
Although only the cool heat by the Peltier element 15 was used for the rapid cooling of the contents 13 in the inside, the present invention is not limited to this.
In addition to the cooling capacity of the Peltier device 15, the cooling heat of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle 7 may be used in combination with a method of forcibly blowing the heat using a fan or the like.

In this embodiment, the Peltier element rear surface 15
The method of discharging the heat generated from b to the outside of the refrigerator and circulating the cold to the refrigerator has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any heat may be discharged to the outside of the refrigerator or circulated into the refrigerator. It does not matter, and it may be processed by another means.

Further, in the present embodiment, the determination of the rapid cooling is made based on the difference between the temperature of the contents 13 and the temperature in the rapid cooling / thawing chamber 14. However, the present invention is not limited to this. May be used to start and stop rapid cooling.

In this embodiment, propylene glycol sealed in soft aluminum 24 is shown as heat transfer member 23 for transmitting heat between Peltier element surface 15 a and contents 13, but has excellent heat conductivity. The material is not limited to this.

The heat transfer member 23 may be made of a material having heat storage performance.

In this embodiment, the heat transfer member 23 for transmitting heat between the Peltier element surface 15a and the contents 13 is provided. However, the heat transfer member 23 is not always necessary, and a sufficient contact area is obtained. If it is possible, the Peltier element surface 15a and the contents 13 may be directly contacted. If the contact area with the contents 13 can be increased in order to improve the heat transfer performance, the The means of implementation is not particular.

In the present embodiment, the Peltier device 1
As a heat transfer mechanism from 5 to the quenching / thawing chamber, a Peltier element 15 is provided immediately below the quenching / thawing chamber 14 and propylene glycol is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Peltier element 15
Using a heat transfer mechanism such as circulating a cooling / heating heat generated from the Peltier element 15 with a circulation pump using a liquid such as propylene glycol to transfer heat to the quenching / thawing chamber 14 or the freezing chamber 3 or the like. No problem.

At this time, propylene glycol for transferring cold heat from the Peltier device 15 to the quenching / thawing chamber 14 by the circulation pump and propylene glycol used as the heat transfer member 23 may be used in combination.

In the present embodiment, the heat transfer member 23 is used together with the auxiliary cooling / heating mechanism using the Peltier element 15. However, the heat transfer member 23 is used alone instead of a metal tray such as aluminum in a conventional freezer compartment. In this case, the contact area between the contents 13 and the heat transfer member 23 can be increased, and the effect of rapidly and surely realizing rapid cooling and thawing of the contents 13 can be obtained. I do not care.

[0091]

As is apparent from the above description, the refrigerator-freezer of the present invention is capable of efficiently realizing rapid cooling and thawing of contents without affecting the temperature in other rooms.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a refrigerator-freezer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram around a rapid cooling chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a refrigerator-freezer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram around a quenching / thawing chamber according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of a control signal in a rapid cooling / thawing chamber during rapid cooling or thawing according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a control flowchart for performing rapid cooling in a rapid cooling / thawing chamber according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a control flow chart when thawing is performed in a quenching / thawing chamber according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional refrigerator-freezer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator-freezer 2 Rapid cooling room 3 Freezer room 4 Refrigerator room 5 Vegetable room 6 Vapor compression refrigeration cycle 1 (1st cooling mechanism) 7 Vapor compression refrigeration cycle 2 (2nd cooling mechanism) 13 Contents 14 Rapid cooling / Thawing room 15 Peltier device 25 Temperature sensor 26 Control device 27 Target temperature setting device 28 User

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shozo Funakura 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Terms (reference) 3L045 AA02 AA04 BA03 BA05 CA09 DA04 LA09 LA12 LA13 MA01 NA07 PA03 PA04 PA05

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A first cooling mechanism comprising at least one rapid cooling unit, at least one freezing room and / or a refrigerator room, and cooling a first content in the rapid cooling unit; A refrigerator having two independent cooling mechanisms, that is, a second cooling mechanism for cooling a second content in the refrigerator compartment. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first cooling mechanism is a cooling and heating mechanism having a heating function. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a Peltier element is used as the first cooling mechanism or the cooling and heating mechanism. 4. When rapidly cooling the content of the rapid cooling section by the Peltier device, the first content is rapidly cooled using cold heat generated from the Peltier device, and the heat generated from the Peltier device is cooled. When the content is discharged from the refrigerator and the rapid cooling unit is heated by the Peltier device, the first content is heated using the heat generated from the Peltier device, and the Peltier device is heated. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the generated cold heat is used for cooling the second content in the freezer compartment and / or the refrigerator compartment. 5. A temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the first content of the rapid cooling section, and for controlling a capability and a flow of cooling / heating heat generated by the Peltier element using a measured value of the temperature sensor. The refrigerator-freezer according to claim 4, further comprising: a control circuit. 6. A heat transfer mechanism for transferring cold / hot heat generated from the first cooling mechanism or the cooling / heating mechanism to the rapid cooling unit, wherein the first content and the first content are in contact with each other. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least a part of the bottom surface of the rapid cooling unit is made of a soft and highly heat-conductive member.