JP2008304165A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a refrigerator advantageous in terms of energy saving by preventing frosting (dewing) in a heating heater mounting part or a space region in the vicinity thereof, and preventing wasteful heat generation by reducing a temperature width variation width of the heating heater, in a refrigerator. <P>SOLUTION: A current-carrying ratio of the heating heater of this refrigerator is controlled by an opening/closing state of an electric damper becoming a cooling factor to make the current-carrying ratio of the heater variable. By that structure, in each of a rotary partition heater and a refrigeration chamber bottom heater lowered in temperature by blowing cold air when the electric damper is opened, the current-carrying ratio is increased when the electric damper is opened, and the current-carrying ratio is decreased when the electric damper is closed. Conversely, in each of a water-feed pipe heater and a vegetable chamber heater lowered in temperature by blowing cold air through a blower when the electric damper is closed, the current-carrying ratio is increased when the electric damper is opened, and the current-carrying ratio is decreased when the electric damper is closed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and includes a heater used for frosting (dew condensation) and freezing prevention in an refrigerator and an electric damper for supplying cold air, and a vicinity of a heater heater mounting portion at a predetermined temperature. It is related with the refrigerator suitable for preventing frosting (dew condensation) by holding, and preventing the waste heat generation of a heater.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to eliminate frost or dew in a refrigerator, a method for efficiently controlling the amount of heat generated by changing the energization rate to the heater is known. In the conventional example of the control method of the heater, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a sensor for detecting the outside air temperature is provided in the refrigerator, and the amount of heat generated by the heater is made variable according to the output of the sensor. That is, when the outside air temperature is high, the amount of heat generated by the anti-frosting heater is reduced so that no extra heat is generated. Moreover, in this patent document 1, when the set temperature of a storage chamber becomes high, the emitted-heat amount of a heater is increased, and when the preset temperature of a storage chamber becomes low, the emitted-heat amount of a heater is reduced.

  Further, for example, as shown in Patent Document 2, while the refrigerating chamber damper is closed, the closing time of the refrigerating chamber damper is counted so as to prevent the refrigerating chamber temperature from being overcooled due to the cold air in the chilled chamber. A device that energizes a heat retaining heater when a certain time has elapsed is known.

JP 2005-283119 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-93272

  Modern refrigerators are formed in a plurality of compartments, for example, a refrigerated temperature room formed in a vegetable room, a refrigerated room, etc., and an ice making room, a freezer room, etc. having an ice tray, taking into account its convenience. And a freezing temperature chamber to be provided. And the cold air produced | generated by the cooler installed in the cooling room formed by dividing with those refrigeration temperature chambers and refrigeration temperature chambers is blown with a blower, cold air supply control is performed by a damper device, and the refrigeration temperature chambers The cooling air is diverted and circulated through the freezing temperature chamber to cool the refrigerating temperature chamber and the freezing temperature chamber in the refrigerator to a predetermined temperature.

  However, in the refrigerator having such a structure, when the cold air is forcibly circulated by the blower, when the damper is in the “open” state, the amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment is large, and the heater located in the refrigerator compartment Since the cold air striking the partition wall to which is attached increases, the temperature of the heater attachment portion located in the refrigerating chamber or the space region in the vicinity thereof is greatly reduced.

  In general, the partition heat insulating wall at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment is located in the vicinity of the cold air return port of the refrigerator compartment. Therefore, since the cold air is pulled by the cold air return port and circulates, when the damper is in the “open” state, a lot of cold air passes through the partition heat insulating wall at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment, and the temperature is greatly lowered. In other words, what directly affects the temperature of the partition heat insulating wall at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment is a cooling factor called the amount of cold air supplied by the damper device and circulated into the refrigerator compartment. As a result, the temperature of the partition heat insulating wall at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment decreases or freezes.

  Further, in the case of the double door type refrigerator compartment door, the same thing as the partition heat insulation wall at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment can be said in the rotary partition portion installed at the joining portion of the two doors. The more cool air that circulates, the lower the temperature of the rotating partition. As a result, frost and dew are generated in the rotating partition.

  Further, in a state where the damper is “closed” while the cool air is forcibly circulated by the blower, the amount of cool air supplied to the refrigeration temperature chamber decreases. In addition, since the cold air that has been supplied to the refrigeration temperature chamber has been concentrated and blown to the refrigeration temperature chamber, the cold air that hits the water supply pipe of the automatic ice maker to which the heater located in the refrigeration temperature chamber is attached. Since it increases, the temperature is greatly reduced.

  For example, the tip of the water supply pipe of an automatic ice maker in the freezer compartment is located in the vicinity of the cold air outlet, and is directly affected by the amount of cool air blown. When the cold air is forcibly circulated by the blower, when the damper is in the “open” state, the cold air is branched into the refrigerator compartment and circulated. Therefore, the amount of cold air hitting the tip of the water supply pipe is small, and the influence on the temperature drop is small. However, when the damper is “closed”, the cool air blown to the tip of the water supply pipe increases, so the temperature of the tip of the water supply pipe is greatly reduced, and the water supply pipe may be frozen.

  Furthermore, for the partition wall that partitions the vegetable compartment and the freezer compartment, the partition wall facing the vegetable compartment is cooled by the temperature effect from the freezer compartment, so when the temperature drop in the freezer compartment is severe, that is, When the blower is operating and the damper is closed, the temperature of the vegetable compartment partition heat insulating wall is greatly reduced, and the food stored in the vegetable compartment may be frozen.

  Therefore, in order to improve the frosting (dew) prevention accuracy of the heater mounting portion described above or the space area in the vicinity thereof, it is necessary to adjust the cool air sent to the heater and keep the temperature at those places constant. .

  However, a specific coping method is not presented in the prior art described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above.

  In Patent Document 1 of the prior art, the heat generation amount of a heater having a predetermined heat generation amount is varied according to the outside air temperature.

  However, the fluctuation of the outside air temperature and the inside temperature are not necessarily linked, and there is a presentation of a specific countermeasure for the temperature drop of the heater mounting portion or its neighboring space region when there is a lot of cold air supplied and circulated by the damper device. Absent.

  Further, in Patent Document 2 of the prior art, in consideration of the influence of the cold air in the chilled chamber, control is performed so that the heat retaining heater is energized when the “closure” time of the refrigerator compartment damper has elapsed for a certain time. In the “closed” state, the amount of cold air circulating through the refrigerated temperature chamber is also reduced, so the influence of the cold air from the chilled chamber is less than the amount of circulated cold air when the cold room damper device is “open”. In other words, the damper in the “open” state is more affected by cold air than the “closed” state in the damper, and the temperature of the heater mounting portion located in the refrigeration temperature chamber or the space area in the vicinity thereof decreases, May cause frost (dew).

  In the prior art described above, the energization rate of the heater is set to be constant with respect to the amount of cold air circulating through the refrigeration temperature chamber and the freezing temperature chamber.

  However, when the circulation amount of the cold air is small, the heater may generate excessive heat and the temperature fluctuation range of the heater may be increased. As a result, there has been a problem that the heat load of the refrigerator is increased, the cooling performance of the refrigerator is lowered, and consequently the power consumption is increased.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its purpose is to prevent frosting (dew condensation) in the heater mounting portion or the space area in the vicinity thereof, and to reduce the temperature width fluctuation range of the heater. The object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that is small in size, prevents unnecessary heat generation, and is advantageous in terms of energy saving.

  The configuration of the refrigerator according to the present invention includes a heater that variably controls the amount of heat generated by changing an energization rate in a refrigerator that controls the circulation of cold air by controlling opening and closing of the electric damper, and the electric damper When the temperature of the heater mounting portion or its vicinity increases due to the open / close state of the heater, the energization rate of the heater is increased, and when the temperature of the heater mounting portion or its vicinity decreases, The energization rate of the heater is reduced.

  More specifically, in the refrigerator described above, the heater mounting portion is a rotary partition installed at the joining portion of the two doors when the refrigerator compartment door is a double door, a partition insulation at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment, and a freezing of the vegetable compartment It is either a partition wall with the room or a water supply pipe of an automatic ice maker.

  More specifically, in the refrigerator, when the electric damper is in an “open” state, the refrigerator has a structure in which cold air is sent to the refrigerating chamber, and the attachment portion of the heater is the refrigerating chamber door. When the electric damper is in the “open” state in the case of the rotary partition installed at the mating part of the two doors when the door is opened and the partition insulation at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment, the energization rate of the heater is When the electric damper is in the “closed” state, the energization rate of the heater is smaller than when the electric damper is in the “open” state. It is made to change to.

  More specifically, in the refrigerator, when the electric damper is in a “closed” state, the refrigerator has a structure in which more cold air is sent to the freezer compartment, and the attachment portion of the heater is automatically In the case of the water supply pipe of the ice making machine, the partition wall between the vegetable compartment and the freezer compartment, when the electric damper is in the “closed” state, the energization rate of the heater is changed in a direction to increase, When the damper is in the “open” state, the energization rate of the heater is changed in a direction to make it smaller than when the electric damper is in the “closed” state.

  More specifically, in the refrigerator, when the electric damper is in a “closed” state, the refrigerator has a structure in which more cold air is sent to the freezer compartment via a blower, and the heater When the mounting portion is a water supply pipe of an automatic ice maker, a partition wall between the vegetable compartment and the freezer compartment, the electric damper is in a “closed” state, and the blower is in operation When the electric damper is in a “closed” state when the energization rate of the heater is increased, and when the blower is stopped, the blower is in operation. , The energization rate of the heater is changed in the direction of decreasing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent frosting (dew condensation) in the heater mounting portion or in the vicinity of the space area, and to reduce the temperature width fluctuation range of the heater to prevent unnecessary heat generation. An advantageous refrigerator can be provided.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

Embodiment 1
A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
First, the entire structure of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
FIG. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram in which the door is removed from the front view of the refrigerator in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG.

  As FIG. 2 shows, the refrigerator main body 1 has the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer compartment 3, and the vegetable compartment 4 from the inside inside. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the freezer compartment 3 includes an ice making chamber 3a in which an ice making machine is installed, a quick freezer compartment 3b, and a second freezer compartment 3c.

  Opening type refrigerator compartment doors 5a and 5b shown in FIG. 1 are constructed such that the front of the refrigerator compartment 2 is closed and the left and right doors open from the center to both sides. This double-folding type refrigerator compartment door 5b has a rotary partition 6 that is rotatably mounted, and constitutes a gasket receiving surface on the door 5a side.

  The ice making chamber door 7 closes the front opening of the ice making chamber 3a. The quick freezer compartment door 8 closes the quick freezer compartment 3b. The second freezer compartment door 9 closes the second freezer compartment 3c. The vegetable compartment door 10 closes the front opening of the vegetable compartment 4.

  The ice making room door 7, the quick freezing room door 8, the second freezing room door 9, and the vegetable room door 10 are drawer type doors, and the ice making room 3a and the quick freezing room 3b respectively attached to these doors. The containers constituting the freezer compartment 3c and the vegetable compartment 4 can be pulled out of the cabinet as the door is pulled out.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerator body 1 is configured by filling a space formed by the outer box 1a and the inner box 1b with a vacuum heat insulating material (not shown) and a foam heat insulating material 1c.

  The partition heat insulation 11 shown in FIG. 2 is a heat insulating member that partitions the refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment 3 and thermally isolates the refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment 3. The partition heat insulation 11 is provided with a return duct 13 and the like in addition to a duct 12 for supplying cold air produced in a cooler room, which will be described later, to the refrigerating room 2 via an air volume control damper 14.

  The beam-shaped partition 19 is a member that partitions the freezer compartment 3. This beam-shaped partition 19 does not divide the freezer compartment 3 into upper and lower parts, but has a receiving surface for receiving a seal material (not shown) for the ice making compartment door 7 (rapid freezer compartment door 8) and the second freezer compartment door 9. To form.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second beam-shaped partition 20 has one end on the beam-shaped partition 19 and the other end on the partition heat insulation 11, which also has the ice making room door 7, the quick freezing. The receiving surface which receives the sealing material of the one side which adjoins the chamber door 8 is formed.

  The egg storage container 21 is a dedicated container for storing chicken eggs provided on the bottom surface of the refrigerator 2. There is a refrigerator of the type in which the egg storage container is provided on the back surface of the refrigerator compartment door, but here, the egg storage container is provided on the bottom surface of the refrigerator compartment 2 (the upper surface of the partition heat insulation 11). This is to avoid the impact on the egg 21a every time the door is opened and closed. In the egg storage container 21, for example, 20 to 30 eggs 21a purchased in bulk can be stored.

  The second partition wall 22 is a member that partitions the freezer compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4. The second partition wall 22 is a partition wall having a heat insulating effect for partitioning the freezer compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 in terms of temperature. That is, since the freezer compartment 3 is kept at −18 ° C. and the vegetable compartment 4 is kept at 3 to 5 ° C., the second partition wall 22 has a heat insulating effect that can withstand this.

  The cold air outlet 23 shown in FIG. 3 is an opening for blowing cold air to the vegetable compartment 4, and the cold air return duct 24 is a duct for returning the cold air sent into the vegetable compartment 4.

  Usually, the vegetable compartment 4 is cooled by the cold air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment 2, and the cooled cold air is maintained at a predetermined temperature by the cold air circulation returned to the cooler 25 through the cold air return duct 24. In addition, in order to cool the vegetable compartment 4, the refrigerator which employ | adopted the system which sends in directly the cold air made in the cooler room 25 via the air volume control damper 14 is also marketed.

  The cooler chamber partition plate 31 shown in FIG. 3 forms a mouth ring part of the cold air forced circulation fan 29 (hereinafter also referred to as “blower”) and reaches the cold air discharge port 26a formed in the partition plate 26. It serves to guide the cold. The automatic ice maker device (automatic ice making device) 32 is a device for automatically making ice, and as shown in FIG. 3, the automatic ice maker unit 33, the drawer container 34 for storing the ice made, and the refrigerator compartment 2 A water supply tank 35 provided in the water supply tank 35, a water supply pipe 36 for supplying the water in the water supply tank 35 to the ice tray 33a, and the like.

  In addition to the ice tray 33a, the automatic ice maker unit 33 includes a drive motor 33b that twists the ice tray 33a and drops the ice made by the ice tray 33a.

  The rotary partition 6 located in the refrigerator compartment 2, the egg storage container 21, the tip of the water supply pipe located in the freezer compartment 3, the second partition 22 wall located in the vegetable compartment 4, etc. are all refrigerators. Measures for frost formation (or dew condensation) are necessary due to the structural problems of the device itself.

  For this reason, also in the conventional refrigerator, this part (area | region) is provided with the heater which prevents frost (dew condensation).

  That is, in the case of the rotary partition 6, unlike the other refrigerator opening edges, the high-temperature pipe of the refrigeration cycle cannot be used for frosting (dew), so a heater is provided instead, and an egg storage container 21 is provided. The position (spatial area) where the cold air blown into the refrigerator compartment temporarily accumulates becomes a place where the space area is most cooled in the refrigerator compartment and is also susceptible to the thermal effects of the freezer compartment 3. Therefore, there is a concern that the egg 21a in the egg storage container 21 may be frozen. In order to prevent this, a heater is also provided in this part as a conventional means.

  Furthermore, the tip of the water supply pipe 36 constituting the automatic ice maker device 32 serves to supply water to the ice tray 33a from the water supply tank 35 in the refrigerator compartment. The tip of the water supply pipe 36 is also shown in the figure. It faces the freezer room 3 like this. Therefore, if water droplets remain at the tip of the pipe 36, the remaining water droplets may become ice and change the direction of water to be supplied, or there is a concern that the flow of water will be stopped. For this reason, a heater is also provided here.

In addition, the second partition wall thermally partitions the freezer compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4, but when considering space efficiency, the heat insulation thickness of the second partition wall 22 should be increased without limitation. I can't. (This is also true for the partition insulation 11)
Therefore, it is necessary to compensate for this and prevent the vegetables in the vegetable compartment 4 from freezing. In order to prevent this, a heater is used.

  As described above, the heaters provided in various places have generated heat or stopped based on the detected temperatures of the outside temperature sensor 61, the freezer temperature sensor 64, the refrigerator temperature sensor 62, and the like. Yes.

Next, the details of the structure of each part of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention, particularly the arrangement of the heaters in each part, will be described with reference to FIGS.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged explanatory view of a main part of the refrigerator compartment 2 of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a heater for heating the water supply pipe 36 of the automatic ice maker apparatus 32.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a heater for heating the vegetable compartment 4.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a heater for heating a vegetable room provided at a position different from that in FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows a rotary partition 6 having a heating heater 38. As can be seen from the figure, the rotating partition 6 is attached to the right door 5b of the double door refrigeration chamber door 5 so as to rotate around the hinge 39. The sealing gasket 40a of the right door 5b and A receiving surface for the sealing gasket 40b of the left door 5a is formed, and the refrigerator compartment is separated from the outside.

  When the right door 5b is opened, the rotary partition 6 is configured to rotate around the hinge 39 to the right door 5b as indicated by a broken line and to close as indicated by a solid line when the door is closed. In order to prevent the rotation partition 6 from being exposed, a heater 38 is provided at the mating portion (hereinafter, this heater is referred to as a “rotation partition heater”).

  The heater 43 shown in FIG. 5 is a heater that heats the bottom of the egg storage container 21. The heater 43 is attached in the partition heat insulation 11 and is configured to heat the bottom of the egg storage container 21 placed on the upper surface of the partition heat insulation 11 to prevent overcooling of the egg 21 a in the egg storage container 21. (Hereinafter, this heater will be referred to as a “refrigerator bottom heater”).

  The heater 45 shown in FIG. 6 is a heater for heating the water supply pipe 36. Since the heater 45 is for preventing the water from freezing in the water supply pipe 36 as described above, the water supply pipe 36 (including the tip) is heated to constantly keep the temperature at 0 ° C. or higher. The heater is held (hereinafter, this heater is referred to as “water supply pipe heater”).

  A heater 46 shown in FIG. 7 is a heater for heating the vegetable compartment 4. The heater 46 is for preventing the vegetables in the vegetable compartment from freezing as described above, and is provided close to the vegetable compartment 4 side of the second partition wall 22 (hereinafter referred to as “the heater compartment 46”). This heater is referred to as a “vegetable room heater”.

  In addition, the compressor 27 of FIG. 7 is a pump which is located in the bottom part of the refrigerator main body 1, compresses a refrigerant | coolant, and circulates a refrigerant | coolant.

  The vegetable compartment 4 is shunted and cooled from a part of the refrigerated air that has been blown, but is provided adjacent to the freezer compartment 3 so that it is easily affected by the heat of the freezer compartment 3 and the vegetables in the vegetable compartment. May freeze. The vegetable room heater 46 is provided to prevent such overcooling.

  In addition, the same effect is acquired even if the attachment position of the vegetable compartment heater 46 is changed into the position of a broken line in FIG. Furthermore, even if the positional relationship between the freezer compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 is reversed as shown in FIG. 8, the contents described with reference to FIG. 7 are the same.

  Here, the cooling operation of the refrigerator in the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the cold air generated by the cooler is blown from the cooler chamber 25 into the freezing cold air duct 52 by the operation of the cold forced circulation fan 29. A part of the cool air blown into the refrigeration cool air duct 52 is a plurality of discharge ports 26 b provided to promote ice making of the ice tray 33 a and a plurality of coolers provided to cool the freezer compartment 3. After being discharged into the freezer compartment 3 from the discharge port 26a, the inside of the freezer chamber 3 is cooled to a predetermined temperature, and then returned to the cooler chamber 25 through the return port 41.

  A part of the cold air blown into the refrigeration cold air duct 52 is diverted to the refrigeration cold air duct 53 and blown to the cold air supply duct 12. At this time, the cold air passage amount can be controlled by the electric damper 14. The electric damper 14 is a valve that opens and closes by applying a constant voltage.

  The cold air supplied from the cold air supply duct 12 to the refrigerator compartment 2 side enters the cold air passage 16 formed by the inner box 1b and the partition plate 15 also serving as makeup, and is installed on the shelf 18 from the blowout port 17. The cold air that has been blown out toward the side and has cooled the refrigerator compartment 2 is returned to the cooling chamber through the return passage 13.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3, a part of the cold air blown into the return passage 13 is diverted to the vegetable compartment 4 and discharged into the vegetable compartment 4 from the discharge port 23, and the inside of the vegetable compartment 4 is predetermined. After cooling to this temperature, it returns to the cooler chamber 25 through a return port 24 provided in the partition wall 22 that partitions the freezer compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4.

  As an example of controlling the cooling operation, for example, the operation control of the compressor 27 and the cool air forced circulation fan 29 is performed based on the detected value of the internal temperature sensor 64 configured to detect the temperature in the freezer compartment 3. The temperature inside the freezer compartment 3 may be cooled to a predetermined temperature.

  In addition, for example, the electric damper 14 is opened and closed by the detection value of the internal temperature sensor 62 configured to be able to detect the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 2, and the amount of cold air passing is controlled, so that the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2 is controlled. The temperature is cooled to a predetermined temperature.

  At this time, when the electric damper 14 is “open”, cold air is supplied to the refrigerating temperature chamber. Since the blown-out cool air hits the rotary partition 6 described above and the rotary partition 6 is cooled and the temperature is lowered, there is a risk of dew condensation. Further, the cold air blown into the refrigerating room temporarily accumulates at a position (space area) where the egg storage container 21 is provided, and this space area becomes the coldest place in the refrigerating room. There is a risk of freezing.

  On the other hand, when the electric damper 14 is closed, the supply of cold air to the refrigerator compartment 2 is stopped, the temperature at the bottom of the rotary partition 6 and the egg storage container 21 rises, and there is no concern about frost (dew condensation).

  However, when the electric damper 14 is in the “closed” state and the cold air forced circulation fan 29 is in operation, the cold air that should flow into the cold air passage 12 is stopped. As a result, the amount of cold air discharged from the discharge ports 26a and 26b increases, so that the temperature of the water supply pipe 36 becomes lower and the water supply pipe 36 freezes. The fear of doing is further strengthened. At this time, the temperature in the freezer compartment is also greatly reduced, affecting the vegetable compartment 4 provided adjacent to the freezer compartment 3, and the temperature in the vegetable compartment 4 is also lowered. Thereby, there exists a possibility that the vegetables in the vegetable compartment 4 may freeze.

  In other words, depending on the amount of cooling air that is a factor of cooling that directly affects the temperature of the heater mounting portion or the vicinity space area, the heater attachment portion or the vicinity space area is frosted (dewed). The fear of becoming.

  Therefore, as described later, the refrigerator according to the present embodiment makes the energization rate of the heater variable according to the open / close state of the damper device, which is a cooling factor that directly affects the temperature of the heater mounting portion described above. Thus, the heater attachment portion or the space area in the vicinity thereof can be prevented from being frosted (dewed).

Next, the control of the heater will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the heater control device.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the heater control process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a timing chart for explaining the states of the electric damper 14 and the heater according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The heater control device has a microcomputer that operates according to a predetermined program, and has a sensor detection temperature (outside air temperature, refrigerator temperature, vegetable room temperature, freezer temperature) as a first input, Control energization start / stop. In addition, the energization rate control of the heater is performed by detecting the damper open / close state and the blower operation / stop state as the second input, and a control signal is output to the heater.

  Hereinafter, the heater control operation in the case of the refrigerating chamber bottom heater 43 and the rotary partition heater 38 where the heater is located in the refrigerating chamber will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, it is determined whether or not the sensor detected temperature is the heater operating temperature (S01), and if it is outside the operating temperature, the heater output is turned off (S02). If it is within the operating temperature, the heater is turned on and energized (S03), and it is determined whether the electric damper 14 is "open" or "closed" (S04). If the electric damper 14 is “open”, the heater energization rate is increased (S05), and if the electric damper 14 is “closed”, the heater energization rate is decreased in a decreasing direction (S06).

  Here, the heater energization rate is the ratio of the time during which the heater is energized within a certain time. For example, when energizing for 54 seconds within 1 minute = 60 seconds, the heater energization rate is 90%.

  FIG. 11 shows the state of the electric damper 14 and the heater according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The rotary partition heater 38 and the refrigerator bottom heater which are affected by cooling when the electric damper 14 is “open”. 43 shows a correspondence relationship of 43 energization rates.

  In FIG. 11, a curve N indicates the open / close state of the electric damper 14 with “open” and “closed” on the vertical axis and the elapsed time on the horizontal axis.

  The dotted straight line Q and the solid pulse top line R indicate the energization rate of the rotary partition heater 38 or the refrigerator bottom heater 43 on the vertical axis and the elapsed time on the horizontal axis. The dotted straight line Q is a comparison. It is a conventional example as an example, and the solid line pulse upper line R is in the present embodiment. That is, in the conventional example, the energization rate is constant rx1, but in the present embodiment, it changes to take r13 and r12.

  Curves S, W, and U display the temperature of the mounting portion of the rotary partition heater 38 or the refrigerator bottom heater 43 on the vertical axis and the elapsed time on the horizontal axis.

  The elapsed time on the horizontal axis is displayed in the same unit for each curve or straight line so that the relationship between the curves and straight lines can be expressed in a simple manner.

  First, a two-dot chain line curve U will be described. This curve U represents the temperature of the heater mounting portion when the energization rate of the rotary partition heater 38 or the refrigerator compartment bottom heater 43 described above is zero.

  Assuming that the electric damper 14 is in the closed state as shown by the curve N at the elapsed time t11 shown in the figure, as described above, the cold air supplied to the rotating partition 6 or the bottom of the refrigerator compartment is supplied. Since there is no, the temperature of these parts will rise. During the period when the electric damper 14 is “closed”, for example, during the period t11 to t12 in the figure (B section in the figure), the temperatures of these heater attachment portions are k13 as shown by the partial curve U1. To k11 (k11> k13).

  When the elapsed time reaches t12, the electric damper 14 is “open” as indicated by the curve N, so that cold air is supplied to the refrigerating chamber, and the blown air is blown to the rotating partition 6 or the bottom of the refrigerating chamber. So the temperature of these parts begins to fall. And while the electric damper 14 is in the open state (C section in the figure), the temperature of the heater mounting portion drops from k11 to k13 (k11> k13) as shown by the partial curve U2.

  When the elapsed time reaches t13, the electric damper 14 is “closed” as indicated by the curve N, and therefore rises as indicated by the partial curve U1 described above, and thereafter the operation curve described above is repeated. That is, the temperature of the rotary partition 6 or the bottom of the refrigerator compartment changes depending on the “open” and “closed” states of the electric damper 14. For example, the temperature difference (k11 to k13 from the partial curve U2). Temperature difference).

The temperature from k11 to k13 is, for example, a temperature below the dew point temperature. Therefore, if the energization rate of the rotary partition heater 38 is zero, there is a risk of dew condensation, for example, the temperature below the freezing point temperature. In the case of temperature, if the energization rate of the refrigerator bottom heater is zero, there is a risk of freezing the eggs in the egg storage container 21. Next, a dotted curve S will be described. This curve S is displayed as the temperature of the rotary partition 6 or the bottom of the refrigerator compartment in the refrigerator of the conventional example, and the energization rate of the rotary partition heater 38 or the refrigerator compartment bottom heater 43 is substantially constant, For example, as shown by the dotted straight line Q in the figure, the heating rate is set to rx1, and the heating rate is set to rx1 obtained in advance through experiments, simulations, etc. so that the temperature does not drop to the freezing (dew condensation) range. In this case, the temperature of the heater mounting portion is shown. Thus, when the energization rate of the rotary partition heater 38 or the refrigerator bottom heater 43 is constant, a temperature difference similar to the temperature difference described above with respect to the curve U occurs. That is, depending on the open / close state of the electric damper 14, a temperature difference such as the partial curves S1 and S2 in which the same temperature difference as the partial curves U1 and U2 occurs.

  Therefore, the temperature has a large fluctuation range from k21 to k24.

  Therefore, in the high temperature part, the temperature of the attachment part of the rotary partition heater 38 or the attachment part of the refrigerator compartment bottom heater 43 may become a heat load of the refrigerator.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as indicated by a solid curve W described later, the electric damper that directly affects the energization rate of the rotary partition heater 38 or the refrigerator bottom heater 43 to the temperature of the heater mounting portion. Variable control based on the open / close state of In this way, at the attachment portion of the rotary partition heater 38 or the attachment portion of the refrigerating chamber bottom heater 43, the temperature is kept at a temperature at which no dew condensation or freezing occurs, and the temperature fluctuation range is reduced.

  Hereinafter, the solid curve W will be described.

  First, in the section B (between t11 and t12 or between t13 and t14) in the figure, the electric damper 14 is closed, so that cold air is blown to the rotary partition 6 or the bottom of the refrigerator compartment. Since there is no, there is no exposure (freezing) of the part. Therefore, a small energization rate r12, for example, about 40% is set to suppress the temperature rise as shown by the partial curve W1.

  And in section C (between t12 and t13, or between t14 and t15), since the electric damper 14 is open, the cold air blows to the rotating partition 6 or the bottom of the refrigerator compartment. Since a drop occurs, a heating amount that can prevent a temperature drop there is provided. That is, a large current flow rate r13, for example, about 80% is set so as to suppress the temperature drop due to the cold load, and the temperature drop is suppressed as shown by the partial curve W2.

  It should be noted that the degree of temperature change of the partial curves W1 and W2 of the curve W is determined by appropriately determining the energization rates r12 and r13 of the rotating partition heater 38 or the refrigerator bottom heater 43 through experiments or simulations on the refrigerator. Select Thereby, the temperature fluctuation range (k23 to k22) of the entire curve W can be minimized.

  Since it is configured as described above, according to the present embodiment, rotation is performed based on the open / close state of the electric damper that directly affects the temperature of the rotating partition heater 38 or the mounting portion of the refrigerator bottom heater 43. By making the energization rate of the partition heater 38 or the refrigerator compartment bottom heater 43 variable, the temperature of the mounting portion of the rotary partition heater 38 or the refrigerator compartment bottom heater 43 is kept within a certain narrow range, and frosting occurs. A refrigerator capable of preventing (freezing) or freezing can be provided.

  Moreover, the temperature fluctuation of the heater mounting portion is made variable by changing the energization rate of the heater according to the degree of cooling strength to the rotating partition 6 or the bottom of the refrigerator compartment according to the open / close state of the electric damper. Since the width can be reduced, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that has less heat load intrusion and is advantageous for energy saving.

  In addition, since the power supply rate of the heater is controlled by the open / close state of the electric damper that directly affects cooling, it is finer than the conventional method of controlling only by the temperature sensor, and Since the control method is improved in reliability, it is possible to provide a refrigerator having high reliability in terms of prevention of frost (dew condensation) or prevention of freezing and energy saving.

  In the above description, it has been described that when the electric damper 14 is “open”, the energization rate of the rotary partition heater 38 or the refrigerator bottom heater 43 is increased as compared with the case of “closed”. This is because when the electric damper 14 is “open”, more cold air is sent to the refrigerating chamber 2 and the temperature in the vicinity of the attachment portions of the heaters decreases.

  Conversely, when the electric damper 14 is “closed”, more cold air is sent to the freezer compartment 3 and the temperature in the freezer compartment 3 decreases. Therefore, when the electric damper 14 is “closed”, the energization rates of the water supply pipe heater 45 and the vegetable compartment heater 46 may be increased. The principle is the same as described above.

[Embodiment 2]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the heater control process according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a timing chart for explaining the states of the electric damper 14 and the heater according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In 1st embodiment, the example which makes the electricity supply rate of the rotation partition heater 38 or the refrigerator compartment bottom heater 43 variable was shown according to the open / close state of the electric damper 14.

  In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the energization rates of the water supply pipe heater 45 and the vegetable compartment heater 46 are made variable according to the open / close state of the electric damper 14 and the operation state of the blower. In addition, as a structure of refrigerator itself, it is the same as that of what was shown in FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 3 of 1st embodiment.

  FIG. 12 shows the heater control depending on the relationship between the water supply pipe heater 45 of the automatic ice maker located in the freezer compartment 3 or the vegetable compartment heater 46 affected by the freezer temperature and the electric damper or blower 29 in this embodiment. The flowchart when performing operation | movement is shown.

  First, it is determined whether or not the sensor detected temperature is the heater operating temperature (S01), and if it is outside the operating temperature, the heater output is turned off (S02). If it is within the operating temperature, the heater is turned on and energized (S03), and it is determined whether the electric damper 14 is "open" or "closed" (S04). If the electric damper 14 is “open”, the process returns to S01 with the heater energized. If the damper is “closed”, it is determined whether or not the fan is operating (S06). If the fan is “in operation”, the heater energization rate is increased (S04). If the fan is “stopped”, The heater energization rate is decreased in a smaller direction (S05).

  FIG. 13 shows the state of the electric damper 14 and the heater in the second embodiment of the present invention, and shows the correspondence relationship between the energization rates of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46.

  In the figure, the pulse line segment M indicates the operation stop state of the blower 29 by the operation (ON), stop (OFF) on the vertical axis and the elapsed time on the horizontal axis. The pulse upper line segment N displays the open / close state of the electric damper 14 by the open / closed state of the vertical axis and the elapsed time of the horizontal axis.

  In addition, the dotted straight line O and the solid pulse upper line P indicate the energization rate of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 on the vertical axis and the elapsed time on the horizontal axis. It is a conventional example as a comparative example, and the solid line pulse upper line P is in the present embodiment. That is, in the conventional example, the energization rate is a constant rx1, but in this embodiment, it changes in three stages, r14, r13, and r12.

  Curves X, Y, and Z display the temperature of the water supply pipe heater 45 or vegetable room heater 46 on the vertical axis and the elapsed time on the horizontal axis.

  First, the two-dot chain line curve X will be described. This curve X represents the heater mounting portion temperature when the energization rate of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable compartment heater 46 is zero.

  When the blower 29 is stopped (OFF) as shown by the pulse upper line M at the elapsed time t11 shown in the figure, the blowing that has blown cold air to the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 is stopped. In order to do that, the temperature of that part begins to rise. And during the stop (OFF) period of the blower, for example, during the period t11 to t12 (B section in the figure), the temperature of the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 is the partial curve X1. As shown in FIG. 4, the voltage rises from minus k13 to minus k11 (k11 <k13).

  When the elapsed time reaches t12, the blower 29 is operated (ON) as indicated by the pulse upper line segment M, and at the same time, the electric damper 14 is "open" as indicated by the pulse upper line segment N. Alternatively, since the cold air blown by the blower 29 is applied to the attachment portion of the vegetable room heater 46, the temperature of that portion starts to drop. And while the air blower 29 is in the operation (ON) state and the electric damper 14 is in the open state (C section in the figure), the temperature of the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 becomes the partial curve X2. As shown, it falls from minus k11 to minus k12 (k11 <k12).

  When the elapsed time reaches t13, the blower 29 remains in the operation (ON) state, and the electric damper 14 is “closed” as indicated by the pulse line segment N. Therefore, the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 The amount of cold air that hits the mounting portion is larger than that of the C section described above. Therefore, while the blower 29 is in the operation (ON) state and the electric damper 14 is in the closed state (D section in the figure), the temperature of the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 becomes the partial curve X3. As shown in the figure, the degree of descent becomes larger than the partial curve X2 described above, and the temperature falls from minus k12 to minus k13 (k12 <k13).

  When the elapsed time reaches t14, the blower 29 stops (OFF) as shown by the curve M, so that it rises as shown by the partial curve X1, and the operation curve described above is repeated thereafter.

  That is, the temperature of the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 changes depending on the operation stop state of the blower 29 that is a cause of cooling. For example, a temperature difference (minus k11) as shown in the partial curve X1. And a temperature difference (minus k12) as shown by a partial curve X3, for example, due to the change in the open / close state of the electric damper 14 which is one of the other cooling factors. To a minus k13).

  The temperature from minus k11 to minus k13 is, for example, a freezing temperature of about minus 10 ° C. to minus 40 ° C. below the freezing point temperature, so that the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 is attached to the mounting portion. When the energization rate is set to zero, the temperature change of the curve X described above is brought about, and the water supply pipe 36 and the vegetable compartment 4 may be frozen.

  Next, the dotted curve Y will be described. This curve Y is displayed as a conventional example in order to prevent the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable compartment heater 46 from being frozen. In other words, this curve Y indicates that the energization rate of the water supply pipe heater 45 or vegetable room heater 46 is substantially constant, for example, the energization rate of rx1 as indicated by the dotted line O in the figure, and the water The temperature of the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 when heated at an energization rate rx1 obtained in advance by experiments, simulations, etc. is shown so that the temperature does not drop to the freezing range.

  Here, the temperature indicated by the curve Y is heated by the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 so that the temperature does not freeze at the lowest temperature point of the dotted curve Y, for example, k21. It is the temperature of each heater attachment part at the time of doing.

  However, since the heating value of the conventional heater is substantially constant, for example, a heater having a constant energization rate or a constant rated capacity as indicated by a dotted straight line O, it is similar to the temperature difference indicated by the curve X. A temperature difference will occur.

  That is, depending on the operation stop state of the blower 29 which is one of the cooling factors, the temperature becomes the temperature indicated by the partial curve Y1 in which a temperature difference similar to the partial curve X1 occurs, and is one of the other cooling factors. Depending on the open / closed state of the electric damper 14, a temperature difference indicated by the partial curves Y2 and Y3 in which a temperature difference similar to that of the partial curves X2 and X3 occurs.

  Therefore, the temperature difference in the conventional example has a large fluctuation range from plus k21 to plus k24.

  Therefore, in the high temperature part, there exists a possibility that the temperature of the attachment part of the feed pipe heater 45 or the vegetable compartment heater 46 may become the heat load of the refrigerator.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as indicated by a solid curve Z described later, the cooling factor that directly affects the energization rate of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 on the temperature of the heater mounting portion. By variably controlling the air blower and the electric damper, the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 is maintained at a temperature that does not freeze, and the temperature fluctuation range is reduced.

  Hereinafter, the solid curve Z will be described.

  First, in the B section (between t11 and t12 or between t14 and t15) in the figure, since the blower 29 is stopped, cold air blows to the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46. Therefore, even in the refrigeration temperature chamber, these portions are not frozen, and a small energization rate r12, for example, about 20% is set to suppress the temperature rise as shown by the partial curve Z1.

  In C section (between t12 and t13 or between t15 and t16), since the blower 29 is operating, the cold air blows on the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46. In addition to the temperature drop due to being in the freezer compartment 2, a temperature drop due to the cold air occurs, so that the amount of heating that can prevent the temperature drop at that time, that is, the amount of heating that is almost commensurate with the cooling load is each In addition to the heater, an energization rate r13 which is not so large, for example, about 50% is set to suppress the temperature change as shown by the partial curve Z2.

  In the D section (between t13 and t14 or between t16 and t17), since the blower 29 is operating and the electric damper 14 is in the “closed” state, the water supply pipe heater 45 or Since the amount of cool air blown to the attachment part of the vegetable room heater 46 is larger than the above-described C section and the heater attachment part is further cooled, a large energization rate r14, for example, so as to suppress a temperature drop due to a large cooling load at that time , About 80% to suppress the temperature drop as shown by the partial curve W3.

  The degree of temperature change of the partial curves Z1, Z2, and Z3 is determined by the energization rates r12, r13, and r14 of the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46 by experiments or simulations on the refrigerator. Select appropriately. Thereby, the temperature fluctuation range (k22 to k21) of the entire curve Z can be made as small as possible.

  Since it is configured as described above, according to this embodiment, the operating state of the blower, which is a cooling factor that directly affects the temperature of the attachment portion of the water supply pipe heater 45 or the vegetable room heater 46, and Refrigerator capable of frosting (with dew) or preventing freezing by changing the energization rate of water supply pipe heater 45 or vegetable room heater 46 depending on the open / closed state of the electric damper. Can be provided.

  Further, the energization rate of each heater is made variable according to the cooling strength of the water supply pipe 36 or the vegetable compartment 4 depending on the open / close state of the electric damper and the operating state of the blower, which are the causes of cooling. As a result, the temperature fluctuation width of the attachment portions of the heaters can be reduced, so that it is possible to provide a refrigerator that is advantageous in energy saving and that has less heat load intrusion into the cabinet.

  In addition, since the heating rate of the heater is controlled by the open / closed state of the electric damper and the operating state of the blower, which are the factors that directly affect the cooling, rather than the conventional control method using only the temperature sensor. However, since it is a fine-grained and reliable control system, it is possible to provide a highly reliable refrigerator in terms of prevention of frosting (dew condensation), prevention of freezing and energy saving.

It is a front view of the refrigerator which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which removed the door from the front view of the refrigerator of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is principal part expansion explanatory drawing of the refrigerator compartment 2 of FIG. It is a figure explaining the heater which heats the water supply pipe of the automatic ice maker apparatus. It is a figure explaining the heater which heats the vegetable compartment. It is a figure explaining the heater which heats the vegetable compartment provided in the position different from FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function of a heater control apparatus. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control process of the heater which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart explaining the state of the electric damper 14 and heater based on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control process of the heater which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart explaining the state of the electric damper 14 and heater which concern on 2nd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigerator main body 1a ... Outer box 1b ... Inner box 1c ... Foam insulation 2 ... Refrigeration room 3 ... Freezer room 3a ... Ice making room 3b ... Quick freezer room 3c ... Second freezer room 4 ... Vegetable room 5 ... Refrigeration room door 5a ... left door 5b ... right door 6 ... rotating partition 7 ... ice making room door 8 ... quick freezer compartment door 9 ... second freezer compartment door 10 ... vegetable compartment door 11 ... partition insulation 12 ... supply duct 13 ... return passage 14 ... Electric damper 15 ... partition plate 16 ... cool air passage 17 ... outlet 18 ... shelf plate 19 ... beam partition 20 ... second beam partition 21 ... egg storage container 21a ... egg 22 ... second partition wall 23 ... cold air blower Outlet 24 ... Cool air return duct 25 ... Cooler chamber 26 ... Division plate 26a ... Cool air discharge port 27 ... Compressor 28 ... Cooler 29 ... Cooled air forced circulation fan (blower)
30 ... defrost heater 31 ... cooler compartment partition plate 32 ... automatic ice maker device (automatic ice making device)
33 ... Automatic ice maker unit 33a ... Ice tray 33b ... Drive motor 34 ... Drawer container 35 ... Water supply tank 36 ... Water supply pipe 37 ... Partition insulation 38 ... Heating heater (rotating partition heater)
39 ... Hinge 40 ... Gasket for sealing (40a, 40b)
41 ... Freezer compartment cold air return duct 43 ... Heater (refrigerator compartment bottom heater)
45 ... Heating heater (water supply pipe heater)
46 ... Heater (vegetable room heater)
61 ... Outside air temperature sensor 62 ... Refrigerator temperature sensor 64 ... Freezer temperature sensor 67 ... Vegetable room temperature sensor.

Claims (5)

In the refrigerator that controls the circulation of cold air by controlling the opening and closing of the electric damper,
It has a heater that variably controls the amount of heat generated by changing the energization rate,
When the temperature of the heater mounting portion or its vicinity increases due to the open / close state of the electric damper, the energization rate of the heater is increased, and the temperature of the heater mounting portion or its vicinity decreases. Sometimes, the refrigerator is characterized in that the energization rate of the heater is reduced.   The heating heater mounting part is a rotary partition installed at the joining part of the two doors when the refrigerator compartment door is open, the partition heat insulation at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment, the partition wall with the freezer compartment of the vegetable compartment, automatic ice making The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator is one of water supply pipes of the machine. When the electric damper is in the “open” state, a refrigerator having a structure in which cold air is sent to the refrigerator compartment,
In the case of the rotary partition installed at the mating part of the two doors when the refrigerator compartment door is a double door, and the partition heat insulation at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment,
When the electric damper is in the “open” state, the energization rate of the heater is changed in a direction to increase,
When the electric damper is in a “closed” state, the energization rate of the heater is changed in a direction to make it smaller than when the electric damper is in an “open” state. The refrigerator according to claim 2. When the electric damper is in the “closed” state, the refrigerator has a structure in which more cold air is sent to the freezer compartment,
In the case where the mounting portion of the heater is a water supply pipe of an automatic ice maker, a partition wall between a vegetable compartment and a freezer compartment,
When the electric damper is in the “closed” state, the energization rate of the heater is changed in a direction to increase,
When the electric damper is in the “open” state, the energization rate of the heater is changed in a direction to make it smaller than when the electric damper is in the “closed” state. The refrigerator according to claim 2. When the electric damper is in the “closed” state, the refrigerator has a structure in which more cold air is sent to the freezer compartment via a blower,
In the case where the mounting portion of the heater is a water supply pipe of an automatic ice maker, a partition wall between a vegetable compartment and a freezer compartment,
When the electric damper is in a “closed” state and the blower is in operation, the energization rate of the heater is changed in a direction to increase,
When the electric damper is in a “closed” state and the blower is stopped, the energization rate of the heater is changed in a direction to decrease depending on when the blower is in operation. The refrigerator according to claim 2.

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