JP2005291600A - Cooling storage with thawing chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling storage with a thawing chamber capable of preventing the deterioration in a sanitary environment in the cooling storage by restraining decay of water remaining in a tank for supplying the water for thawing. <P>SOLUTION: This cooling storage 100 has a pipe 22 as a first water flow passage for introducing the water up to a steam generator 14 from a thawing water tank 12, an evaporation dish 11 capable of evaporating the water, and a pipe 10 as a second water flow passage for introducing the water to the evaporation dish 11 from the thawing water tank 12. Its cooling storage 100 also has a microcomputer as a discriminating means for discriminating and determining whether or not thawing of food is finished, and a solenoid valve 9 as a device for making the water remaining in the thawing water tank 12 flow to the evaporation dish 11 when determining the effect of finishing the thawing of the food by the microcomputer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator equipped with a thawing chamber for thawing an object to be thawed.

  Conventionally, a commercial refrigerator having a thawing chamber for thawing an object to be thawed is known. In such a refrigerator, a heater for heating air and a water vapor generator for generating water vapor by heating water are provided for thawing. The air heated by the heater heats the frozen food and the like, and the water vapor generated by the water vapor generator promotes thawing by latent heat and prevents the food and the like from being dried.

In the present specification, the term “cooling” is used as a concept including both freezing and refrigeration. That is, the refrigerator refers to all devices that bring the space to be cooled to a temperature lower than the outside air. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator-freezer. A refrigerator-freezer is a refrigerator having both a freezer that freezes an object and a refrigerator that does not freeze the object but maintains the surrounding space of the object at a temperature lower than the outside air. .
JP 63-15075 A JP-A 63-58085 JP 2001-112455 A JP 2003-180315 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-7734

  In the refrigerator having the conventional thawing chamber, a tank for supplying water for humidifying the thawing chamber is provided. The water in the tank is used only when thawing food or the like in the thawing chamber. Accordingly, when the time during which thawing is not performed is long, the water in the tank described above may be spoiled. As a result, the sanitary environment in the refrigerator may be deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and its purpose is to suppress the decay of water for thawing and to prevent the sanitary environment in the refrigerator from deteriorating. Is to provide.

  A refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention includes a thawing chamber that houses an object to be thawed, a humidifying device that humidifies the thawing chamber, and a discharge device that discharges water remaining in the humidifying device. According to this, since the water of the humidifier can be discharged as necessary, the rot of water for thawing stored in the humidifier is suppressed, and the sanitary environment in the refrigerator is deteriorated. Can be prevented.

  A refrigerator according to another aspect of the present invention includes a thawing chamber that houses an object to be thawed, a humidifying unit that generates a gas for humidifying the thawing chamber using water, and a thawing water tank that stores water. I have. In addition, the aforementioned cooler includes a first water flow path that guides water from the thawing water tank to the humidifying unit, an evaporating dish that evaporates defrost water of a cooler that cools the cooler, and water from the thawing water tank to the evaporating dish. And a second water flow path for guiding the water. Furthermore, the refrigerator is provided with a discharge device for flowing water remaining in the thawing water tank to the evaporating dish.

  According to the above structure, water does not remain in the thawing water tank for a long time. Therefore, water does not rot in the thawing water tank. As a result, a hygienic humidification environment is maintained.

  The evaporating dish is provided at a position lower than the thawing water tank, and the discharge device described above may be specifically a solenoid valve. The water flow path and the thawing water tank are all water remaining by opening the solenoid valve. It is desirable that the liquid crystal is configured to spontaneously fall into the evaporating dish. Further, the above-described discharge device may be a pump.

  A refrigerator according to still another aspect of the present invention includes an ice making grill for producing ice, an ice making water tank for storing water supplied to the ice making grill, and a thawing chamber for storing an object to be thawed. Moreover, the above-mentioned refrigerator is equipped with the humidification apparatus which produces | generates the gas for humidifying a thawing chamber. Furthermore, the refrigerator is provided with a discharge device for flowing water remaining in the humidifier to the ice making water tank.

  Even with the above structure, water does not remain in the thawing water tank for a long time. Therefore, water does not rot in the tank. That is, the environment for hygienic humidification is maintained. In addition, a pump is considered as an example of the above-mentioned discharge device.

  Further, the above-described refrigerator is configured to determine whether or not the thawing of the object has been completed, and to control the driving of the discharge device when the determination means determines that the thawing of the object has been completed. It is desirable to further comprise control means.

  According to the above structure, the water remaining in the humidifier can be discharged when the thawing is completed, so that unnecessary water can be automatically discharged at the most desirable timing.

  Moreover, the above-described refrigerator further includes an input unit for the user to instruct the start of thawing of the object. The control means has a timer for starting time measurement when the user performs an operation for instructing start of thawing at the input unit, and drives and controls the discharge device when the timer times a predetermined time. It may be a thing.

  According to the above-described configuration, the user can determine the end of the decompression time. The predetermined time is a time selected by the user from a plurality of types of time written in advance in the program.

  The aforementioned refrigerator further includes a sensor that detects the state of thawing of the object. Further, the determination means may determine that the thawing of the object has ended when a predetermined signal transmitted from the sensor is received. According to this configuration, the end of thawing is determined according to the state of thawing of the object.

  As the object to be thawed, as the thawing progresses, the frozen water is melted, so that the thickness and weight of the object are reduced. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the thawing has been completed by detecting changes in the thickness and weight of the object to be thawed.

  As the sensor, a thickness sensor that detects a change in the thickness of the object to be thawed may be used. In this case, as a method for detecting a change in thickness, a plurality of infrared sensors are provided in the vertical direction, and the object to be thawed is from the lowest infrared sensor to the infrared sensor among the plurality of infrared sensors. A method for detecting the degree of change in the thickness of the object to be thawed is determined. Further, a weight sensor that detects a change in the weight of the object to be thawed, such as a capacitance sensor or a piezoelectric sensor, may be used as a sensor that detects the thawed state of the object.

  According to the refrigerator with a thawing chamber of the present invention, the decay of water for thawing is suppressed, and the sanitary environment in the refrigerator is prevented from deteriorating.

  A refrigerator with a thawing chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment includes a door 50 and a heat insulating wall 90. In the space surrounded by the door 50 and the heat insulating wall 90, there are provided a freezing room 1 for storing food to be frozen and a refrigerating room 2 for storing food to be refrigerated. The refrigerator 100 also includes an ice making grill 5 as an ice making chamber for producing ice. The water supplied to the ice making grill 5 is stored in an ice making water tank 55. The refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment includes a thawing chamber 3 that stores food or the like as an object to be thawed, and a steam generator 14 as a humidifying unit that generates steam for humidifying the thawing chamber 3 using water. And a thawing water tank 12 for storing water.

  The water in the thawing water tank 12 is obtained by pumping the water in the ice making water tank 55 by the water supply pump 7. The water supply pump 7 sends the water in the ice making water tank 55 to the thawing water tank 12 through the pipe 500 and the pipe 6. The water pumped up through the pipe 500 by the water supply pump 7 can also be supplied to the ice making grill 5. In the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, the water supply pump 7 supplies water from the ice making water tank 55 to the thawing water tank 12, and the water supply pump 7 supplies water from the ice making water tank 55 to the ice making grill 5. Is provided with a switching valve 8.

  As an example of the humidifying device of the present invention, a device including the thawing water tank 12, the water vapor generating device 14, the pipes 6, 22, the electromagnetic valve 13, and the switching valve 8 can be considered as in the present embodiment. However, as the humidifier of the present invention, other structures may be used as long as at least the thawing water tank 12 and the water vapor generator 14 are included.

  The above-described refrigerator 100 includes a pipe 22 as a first water flow path that guides water from the thawing water tank 12 to the steam generator 14, an evaporator (cooler) that generates cold air by cold heat generated by the refrigerator. The dew condensation water (defrost water) generated in the evaporator flows and the dew condensation water can be evaporated, and the piping as the second water flow path for guiding water from the thawing water tank 12 to the evaporation dish 11 10. Further, the refrigerator 100 has a microcomputer (not shown) as a determining means for determining whether or not the thawing of food or the like has been completed, and a determination that the thawing of food or the like has been completed by the microcomputer. In this case, an electromagnetic valve 9 is provided as a discharge device for flowing water remaining in the thawing water tank 12 to the evaporating dish 11. An electromagnetic valve 13 is provided between the pipe 22 and the water vapor generator 14. Water is supplied from the thawing water tank 12 to the steam generator 14 by controlling the state of the electromagnetic valve 13 by the microcomputer.

  According to the above structure, when the microcomputer detects that the thawing of the food or the like is finished, the microcomputer 10 controls the water remaining in the thawing water tank 12 to the evaporating dish 11 by piping 10. Can be flowed through. Therefore, water does not remain in the thawing water tank 12 for a long time. Therefore, water does not rot in the thawing water tank 12. As a result, a hygienic humidification environment is maintained.

  Further, since the evaporating dish 11 is provided at a position lower than the ice-making water tank 55, all of the remaining water naturally falls to the evaporating dish 11 through the pipe 10 by opening the electromagnetic valve 9. However, when the evaporating dish 11 is provided at a position higher than the ice-making water tank 55, a pump may be used as a discharge device instead of the electromagnetic valve 9.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment includes a thawing water tank 12 between a pipe 6 and a pipe 22. The thawing water tank 12 temporarily stores the water sent through the pipe 6 by the water supply pump 7. Thereafter, the water in the thawing water tank 12 is supplied to the steam generator 14. A solenoid valve 13 is provided in the pipe 22 between the thawing water tank 12 and the water vapor generator 14. Moreover, since the refrigerator 100 of the embodiment is provided with the thawing water tank 12 at a position higher than the water vapor generating device 14, the amount of water in the pipe 22 flowing from the thawing water tank 12 to the water vapor generating device 14. Is controlled by a solenoid valve 13.

  According to said structure, the quantity of the water which flows through the piping 22 using the solenoid valve 13 is adjusted. Therefore, it is possible to supply water from the thawing water tank 12 to the water vapor generating device 14 by utilizing the natural fall of water without using a pressurizing pump. As a result, the amount of water supplied to the steam generator 14 can be finely adjusted. Therefore, the humidity of the water vapor introduced into the thawing chamber 3 can be easily adjusted.

  In addition, the refrigerator 100 includes a pipe 22 as a water flow path for flowing water from the water supply pump 7 to the steam generator 14. The water supply pump 7 supplies water to the water vapor generating device 14 via the pipe 22. That is, the water supply pump 7 can supply water to both the steam generator 14 and the ice making grill 5.

  A switching valve 8 is provided in the vicinity of the water supply pump 7. The switching valve 8 can be switched between a first state in which water is supplied to the ice making grill 5 via the pipe 30 and a second state in which water is supplied to the steam generator 14 via the pipes 6 and 22. . This switching valve 8 is controlled by a microcomputer provided in the refrigerator 100. The microcomputer executes control for switching between the first state and the second state based on information input by the user using the input device.

  The refrigerator 100 has a structure in which the water supply pump 7 rotates reversely in order to return the water remaining in the thawing water tank 12 to the ice making water tank 55 when the microcomputer determines that the thawing of the food has been completed. There may be. In addition, in order to return the water remaining in the thawing water tank 12 to the ice making water tank 55, a pressurizing pump capable of sending the water in the thawing water tank 12 and an addition between the thawing water tank 12 and the ice making water tank 55 are added. A pipe through which the water sent out by the pressure pump flows may be provided. This structure also prevents water from remaining in the thawing water tank 12 for a long time. Therefore, water does not rot in the thawing water tank 12. That is, the environment for hygienic humidification is maintained.

  The above-described refrigerator 100 further includes an input unit (not shown) for the user to instruct the start of thawing of the object. In addition, the microcomputer has a timer that starts timing when the user performs an operation to instruct the start of thawing at the input unit, and when the timer times a predetermined time, the thawing of the food is finished. It may be determined that the electromagnetic valve or pump as the discharge device is driven based on the determination result. According to this configuration, the user can determine the end of the thawing time. The predetermined time is a time selected by the user from a plurality of types of time written in advance in the program.

  The refrigerator 100 further includes a sensor that detects the state of thawing of the food. Further, the microcomputer may determine that the thawing of the food or the like is finished when a predetermined signal is transmitted from the sensor, and drive-control the electromagnetic valve or pump as the discharge device. According to this configuration, the end of thawing is determined according to the thawing state of the food or the like.

  As thawing progresses, foods and the like that are objects to be thawed are melted and the thickness and weight of the food is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not thawing has been completed by detecting changes in the thickness and weight of food or the like.

  As a sensor for detecting the state of thawing of food, a thickness sensor for detecting a change in the thickness of food or the like may be used. In this case, as a method for detecting a change in thickness, a plurality of infrared sensors are provided in the vertical direction, and the object to be thawed is from the lowest infrared sensor to the infrared sensor among the plurality of infrared sensors. A method for detecting a change in the thickness of the object to be thawed is determined. Further, a weight sensor that detects a change in the weight of the object to be thawed, such as a capacitance sensor or a piezoelectric sensor, may be used as a sensor that detects the thawed state of the food. The piezoelectric sensor is provided below the plate on which food to be thawed is mounted.

  Further, the water vapor generated by driving the water vapor generator 14 flows through the duct 40 as the fan 18 rotates. Water vapor flowing through the duct 40 is introduced into the thawing chamber 3 through the opening 20. Air in the thawing chamber 3 is sucked into the duct 40 from the opening 21. In the duct 40, a heater 17 controlled by the above-described microcomputer is provided. The temperature of the water vapor in the duct 40 is adjusted by controlling the state of heating by the heater 17. In addition, the high-temperature steam generated by the heater 17 promotes the thawing of the food stored in the thawing chamber 3.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator of embodiment. It is II-II sectional drawing of FIG. It is III-III sectional drawing of FIG. It is IV-IV sectional drawing of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Freezer room, 2 refrigerator compartment, 3 thawing room, 55 ice making water tank, 5 ice making grill, 6, 10, 22, 30 piping, 7 water supply pump, 11 evaporating dish, 12 thawing water tank, 9, 13 solenoid valve, 14 Steam generator, 100 refrigerator.

Claims (5)

A thawing chamber for housing the thawing object;
A humidifier for humidifying the thawing chamber;
A refrigerator with a thawing chamber, comprising a discharge device for discharging water remaining in the humidifier. A thawing chamber for housing the thawing object;
A humidifying unit for humidifying the thawing chamber;
A thawing water tank for storing water to be supplied to the humidifying unit;
A first water flow path for guiding the water from the thawing water tank to the humidifying section;
An evaporating dish for evaporating the defrost water of the cooler that cools the refrigerator;
A second water flow path for guiding the water from the thawing water tank to the evaporating dish;
A refrigerator with a thawing chamber, comprising a discharge device for flowing the water remaining in the thawing water tank to the evaporating dish. An ice making room for producing ice;
An ice making water tank for storing water to be supplied to the ice making chamber;
A thawing chamber for housing the thawing object;
A humidifying device for generating a gas for humidifying the thawing chamber;
A refrigerator with a thawing chamber, comprising a discharge device for flowing water remaining in the humidifier to the ice making water tank. Determining means for determining whether or not the object has been thawed;
4. With a thawing chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a control means for driving and controlling the discharge device when it is determined by the discrimination means that the thawing of the object has been completed. Refrigerator. An input unit for the user to instruct the start of thawing of the object;
The control means includes
When the user performs an operation to instruct the start of the thawing in the input unit, the timer has a timer for starting time measurement,
The refrigerator with a thawing chamber according to claim 4, wherein when the timer measures a predetermined time, the discharge device is driven and controlled.

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