JP2002277135A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable preservation of a food at a temperature being good for eating and the execution of freezing preservation such that more than excessive freezing is not effected and it is not solider than necessary. SOLUTION: A refrigerator body 1 is provided with a weak freezing chamber 5. The weak deep freezing chamber 5 is constituted as an independent chamber partitioned away from an adjoining deep freezing chamber 3, ice making chamber, and a refrigerating chamber 6 by a heat insulation wall. In the weak deep freezing chamber 5, cold air is fed to the weak deep freezing chamber 5 through a damper device 18. The weak deep freezing chamber 5 is selectively set to some temperature of '0-17 deg.C' and controlled to the set temperature.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a weak freezing compartment.

[0002]

Conventionally, a refrigerator has a refrigerator room, a freezer room, a vegetable room, and the like. The refrigerator compartment is usually controlled at 3 ° C. to 5 ° C., and generally contains ham, sausage, cheese, butter, milk, egg, juice, beer, jam, mayonnaise, pickles, Rice (leftovers), boiled food (leftovers), stir-fry (leftovers), etc. are stored and stored. The freezing room is usually controlled to -18 ° C or lower, and contains frozen food, meat, fish, curry (remaining material) for long-term storage, or ice cream, shaved ice, sherbet. , Frozen dessert (fruit to be frozen and eaten),
Frozen liquor and frozen cocktails (both are melted and consumed when consumed) are stored and stored.

[0003] The vegetable room is controlled at approximately 6 ° C to 10 ° C, and contains general vegetables, fruits, and so on.
In addition, large drinks such as plastic bottles and beer etc. are stored and stored depending on preference. By the way, as described above, the set temperature of the freezing room is
Usually, it is -18 ° C or lower. This is a guideline by the Japan Frozen Foods Association, and the definition of frozen foods is "Frozen foods are pre-processed, quick-frozen, and packaged foods kept frozen at -18 ° C or less. Say. "

[0004] However, in the refrigerator having the above-mentioned conventional configuration, the following inconvenience may occur. The above-mentioned temperature of −18 ° C. or lower is a temperature range selected from the viewpoint of maintaining the quality of frozen food, so that when eating ice cream, ice confectionery, sherbet, and the like stored at this temperature state, the spoon is hard and There is a malfunction that does not hit or is too cold. In addition, frozen desserts are sometimes hard and do not rattle, and when eaten for a while, the outside may be soft but the inside may remain solid, so that it may not be possible to obtain a state that is easy to eat.

[0005] Furthermore, even frozen drinks and frozen cocktails, which have low melting points and are melted, are often too hard, take too much time to eat, and have a state in which water and taste components are separated. Often.

Foods having a freezing point of 0 ° C. to −17 ° C. are cooled to that temperature range even though “0 ° C. to food freezing temperature” is a temperature range suitable for preserving the food. There was no cooling room, and there was a possibility that the growth of bacteria causing food poisoning and the tissue of food might be adversely affected. That is, food poisoning causing bacteria (such as Salmorela bacteria) that cause food deterioration are generally stopped at 0 ° C. or lower. Foods having a freezing point around 0 ° C. must be kept at 0 ° C. or lower in order to prevent the activity of food poisoning bacteria, and naturally become frozen. In frozen storage, it is necessary to keep the ice crystals in the food small, so that it is necessary to freeze the food as quickly as possible and store it at a temperature as low as possible (the conditions for this are, for example, the above-mentioned -18 ° C).
In other words, even if you do not want to freeze it, you must freeze it. In this case, it is necessary to store it at −18 ° C. or lower in order to freeze it.

On the other hand, foods having a freezing point of 0 ° C. to -17 ° C. are kept at 0 ° C. or less even when kept in a non-frozen state, and there is no particular reason that they must be stored at -18 ° C. or less. . However, in the above-described conventional device, the temperature is 0 ° C.
Since there is no cooling room controlled at any temperature of -17 ° C, it has to be stored in a refrigerator room (3 ° C to 5 ° C) or a freezing room (-18 ° C or lower). As a result, in the case of storage in a refrigerator, there is concern about the growth of bacteria causing food poisoning,
In the case of storage in a freezer, the food is frozen and the formation of ice crystals may have an adverse effect on the tissue of the food, or the food may become too hard to eat or may be cumbersome to handle.

[0008] Further, for foods having a freezing point of -10 ° C to -17 ° C, for example, jams and boiled foods, “-10 ° C to freezing temperature of foods” is optimal for preserving the foods (preservation in consideration of eating quality) -10 ° C. to -17 ° C.
Because there is no cooling room controlled at any temperature of ° C., there is no choice but to store in a refrigerator or to store in a freezer, and in the case of storage in a refrigerator, there is a concern about the growth of bacteria causing food poisoning, In addition, in the case of storage in a freezing room, it freezes and adversely affects the tissue of the food due to the formation of ice crystals, becomes too hard to eat, and is inconvenient to handle. .

[0009] This temperature range of -10 ° C or lower is a temperature at which all common microorganisms, including those causing food poisoning, do not grow. In other words, in a food having a freezing point of −10 ° C. to −17 ° C., while it is possible to suppress the growth of microorganisms without freezing, it is not possible with a conventional refrigerator. There is no choice but to store it in a freezer or in the freezer.Similar to the above, there is concern about the growth of bacteria causing food poisoning, or the formation of ice crystals may adversely affect the tissue of the food, or it will be too hard to eat Or the handling becomes troublesome.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to suppress the activity of the causative bacteria of food poisoning, store the food at a convenient temperature, and freeze other foods too much. An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can be stored frozen so as not to be too hard or not too hard and can be stored at the time of eating.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator having at least a freezing room, a refrigerator room, and a temperature range of 0 ° C. to -7 ° C., which is higher than a freezing point of food. The characteristic feature is that a weak freezing room is provided in which the temperature is controlled such that the food is stored in a non-frozen state in the above temperature range.

Foods having a freezing point of 0 ° C. to −7 ° C. can be stored at a temperature suitable for eating without freezing while suppressing the activity of food-causing causative bacteria. It can be stored frozen so that it is not too hard and can be stored at the time of eating. In particular, beer, juice, jelly and mousse can be stored at the time of eating or drinking.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, at least a freezer compartment, a refrigerator compartment, and an internal temperature of -10 ° C to -1
It is characterized in that a weak freezing room is provided which is temperature-controlled so that the food is frozen and stored in a temperature range below the freezing point of the food in the temperature range of 7 ° C. or lower, without the food becoming too hard.

Foods having a freezing point of −10 ° C. to −17 ° C. can be stored at a temperature suitable for eating without freezing while suppressing the activity of bacteria causing food poisoning, and do not freeze other foods too much. Alternatively, it can be stored frozen so that it is not too hard, and can be stored at the time of eating. In particular, the limit temperature for the growth of microorganisms is approximately -10 ° C or less, and food can be stored for a long period of time without hardening. In this case, it is suitable for storing foods such as ice cream, frozen cocktail and frozen fruit at the time of eating or drinking.

Further, a fan may be provided substantially at the back of the weak freezing compartment (the invention of claim 3), an evaporator may be provided (the invention of claim 4), and a damper device may be provided. (Invention of claim 5).

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, in FIG. 1 and FIG.
, A vegetable compartment 2, a freezing compartment 3, an ice making compartment 4, a weak freezing compartment 5, and a refrigeration compartment 6 are provided in this order from the bottom.
Here, the weak freezing room 5 is adjacent to the freezing room 3, the ice making room 4,
Each of the refrigerator compartments 6 is configured as an independent compartment partitioned by heat insulating walls. And vegetable room 2, freezer room 3,
The ice making room 4 and the weak freezing room 5 have drawer-type doors 7 to 10, respectively.
The refrigerator compartment 6 is opened and closed by a door 11. Also, a machine room 1 is provided on the lower rear side of the refrigerator body 1.
2, a compressor 13 and the like are provided in the machine room 12.

In the refrigerator main body 1, a cooler room 14 is formed at the back of the freezing room 3, and a cooler 15 is disposed inside the cooler room 14. A fan chamber 16 is formed above the cooler 15, and a fan 17 is provided in the fan chamber 16. Cooler 1
The cool air generated by the fan 5 and the fan 17 is supplied to the freezing compartment 3, supplied to the weak freezing compartment 5 through the damper device 18, and further supplied to the refrigerator compartment 6 through the damper device 19. . In addition, ice making room 4
Since the temperature zone is the same as that of the freezing compartment 3, the two compartments 3 and 4 communicate with each other. Note that a temperature sensor 20 is provided in the weak freezing room 5.

A temperature sensor for the refrigerator compartment (not shown) is provided inside the refrigerator compartment 6, and a temperature sensor for the refrigerator compartment (not shown) is provided in the refrigerator compartment 3. . In addition, a return duct is formed in the lower heat insulating wall 5 a of the weak freezing room 5 for returning the cool air of the weak freezing room 5 to the lower part of the cooler room 14.

FIG. 3 shows an operation panel 2 for temperature setting.
The operation panel 21 is, for example, a refrigerator room 6.
It is provided inside. In this case, it is provided on the lower front surface of the water supply tank 6a (see FIG. 2) in the refrigerator compartment 6. The water supply tank 6a is for supplying water to an ice making device (not shown) in the ice making room 4, and is provided detachably. The operation panel 21 is provided with a temperature setting knob 22 for the freezer compartment 3 and a display unit 22a, and a temperature setting knob 23 for the refrigerator compartment 6 and a display unit 23a. The set temperature is input by changing the resistance value of the variable resistor.

On the other hand, in the operation panel 21, the refrigerator compartment 6
A temperature setting knob 24 for the weak freezing room 5 is provided beside the display temperature setting knob 22 along with the display unit 24a. The temperature setting knob 24 is an operator of the variable resistor 25 described below. FIG. 4 shows an electrical configuration related to the temperature control of the weak freezing room 5. The variable resistor 25 as a temperature setting value input means generates a voltage Sv corresponding to the operation amount (rotation angle) of the temperature setting knob 24 and supplies the voltage Sv to the control circuit 26. When the output voltage Sv of the variable resistor 25 is given, the control circuit 26 sets the temperature to be controlled based on the output voltage Sv. In this case, the temperature is alternatively set to any one of “0 ° C. to −17 ° C.”. The display unit 2
In FIG. 4a, the part with the letters “weak” corresponds to “0 ° C.”, and the part with the letters “strong” corresponds to “−17 ° C.”.

The control circuit 26 controls the temperature sensor 20
The control circuit 26 controls a damper motor 18b, which is a drive source of the damper device 18, based on inputs from the variable resistor 25 and the temperature sensor 20 to control the weak refrigeration. The temperature in the chamber 5 is controlled to a set temperature.

In such a configuration, when the temperature of the weak freezing compartment 5 is set by rotating the setting knob 24 as appropriate, the control circuit 26 sets the damper when the temperature detection signal of the temperature sensor 20 becomes higher than the set temperature. The device 18 is opened, and when the temperature detection signal of the temperature sensor 20 falls below the set temperature, the damper device 18 is closed. In this way, the weak freezing room 5 becomes “0”
° C to -17 ° C.

In the embodiment described above, a variety of food products can be stored at their own preferred storage temperature. For example, when storing ice cream, shaved ice, sherbet, and even frozen fruit, they can be frozen and stored to an appropriate hardness by setting an appropriate temperature. Moreover,
In a frozen cocktail, frozen liquor and the like, there is no possibility that water and taste components are separated. In addition, when storing paste-like foods that contain a large amount of sugar or salt such as jam, the foods can be stored in a low temperature state that does not freeze by setting an appropriate temperature.

Incidentally, it is known that the sensitivity of human taste to taste changes depending on the temperature of food, and there are individual differences. For example, beer has hitherto been 6 ° C to 10 ° C
It was said that the temperature was just before drinking, but many people find it delicious when cooled to about -3 ° C. This embodiment can cope with this. In addition, the weak freezing room 5
Table 1 below shows an example of a stored food suitable for the present invention.

[0025]

[Table 1]

The following can be seen from Table 1. "0 ° C-1
In the temperature range of “8 ° C.”, foods having a variable freezing point such as jelly and mousse are suitable for storage. In this case, these foods can be stored at the time of eating without freezing. In the temperature range of “0 ° C. to less than −3 ° C.”, juice, yogurt drink, beer, and carbonated drink can be stored at the time of drinking (depending on personal preference).

In the temperature range of "0 ° C to less than -7 ° C", sashimi konjac, konjac jelly, lightly pickled,
It can store pasty products, salted fish, cod roe, bean jam, and most other foods. Especially sashimi konjac, konjac jelly and lightly pickled are at a good temperature. "-3 ° C ~
In the temperature range of “−10 ° C.”, drinks such as sake and wine can be stored at the time of drinking, and the shake can be stored without being too hard.

In the temperature range of “−10 ° C. to less than −18 ° C.”, for example, frozen drink, frozen cocktail, frozen sake, frozen fruit (banana, strawberry,
Grapes, etc.), soft ice cream, shaved ice, sherbet,
Ice cream, lacto ice, ice milk and the like are not too hard and can be stored for a long time. Furthermore, in the temperature range of “−10 ° C. to less than −13 ° C.”,
Pickles, kneaded sea urchin, boiled tsukudani, jam, seasonings (miso, sauce,
Suitable for storage such as dressings and sauces). In addition, pasty foods such as jams can be stored without freezing and are ready to eat, and since they can be stored at a lower temperature than in the past, the generation of mold and the like can be suppressed.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a specification switching chamber 31 is provided in place of the weak freezing chamber 5, and the specification switching chamber 31 is provided at "0 ° C." ~ -17
C. ”instead of a weak freezing room whose temperature is controlled at 0 ° C. (in this case, the upper limit is 10 ° C.),“ 0 ° C. to −17 ° C. ”
Temperature zone ”and“ temperature zone below -17 ° C. (in this case, the lower limit is −23 ° C.) ”. The display unit 24a indicates “0 ° C.
"Refrigeration" is added to the set temperature area corresponding to the "temperature zone exceeding", and "the temperature zone of 0 ° C to -17 ° C".
Are attached with the letters "weak freezing" corresponding to the set temperature area corresponding to ".", And the letters "freezing" are assigned corresponding to the set temperature area corresponding to the "temperature zone below -17 ° C".

According to the second embodiment, 0 ° C. to -17
By setting any one of the temperature ranges of ° C., various foods can be stored in the same form as in the first embodiment, and further, instead of this, 0 ° C.
If you set the temperature to any of the temperature zones above
It becomes possible to store common refrigerated foods (ham, sausage, cheese, butter, ...). In addition, if the temperature is set to any temperature in a temperature range below -17 ° C instead of these, deep temperature Long-term storage by freezing is possible.

[0031]

As apparent from the above description, the present invention can store food at a temperature suitable for eating without freezing while suppressing the activity of food poisoning bacteria, and can freeze other foods. It can be frozen and stored so that it is not too hard or too hard, can be stored at the time of eating, and even if it is frozen, the food can be cut with a knife or knife.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a refrigerator showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an operation panel.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electrical configuration related to setting and controlling the temperature of the weak freezing room;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a refrigerator showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of an operation panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

5 is a weak freezing room, 15 is a cooler, 17 is a fan, 18 is a damper device, 20 is a temperature sensor, 21 is an operation panel, 24
Is a temperature setting knob, 25 is a variable resistor, 26 is a control circuit,
Reference numeral 31 denotes a specification switching room.

Claims (5)

[Claims] At least a freezer compartment is provided in a refrigerator body,
The refrigerator compartment and the weak freezing compartment in which the temperature is controlled so that the food is stored in a non-frozen state in the temperature range above the freezing point of the food in the temperature range of 0 ° C. to −7 ° C. A refrigerator characterized by the following. 2. The refrigerator main body, at least a freezer compartment,
A refrigerator compartment and a weak freezing compartment in which the temperature is controlled so that the food is frozen and stored in a temperature range below the freezing point of the food in the temperature range of −10 ° C. to −17 ° C. and below the freezing point of the food. A refrigerator comprising: 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a fan substantially at the back of the weak freezing room. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising an evaporator substantially at the back of the weak freezing compartment. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a damper device substantially at the back of the weak freezing room.