JP2013072595A - Refrigerator and freezer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator and a freezer, wherein stable quality is ensured by accurately detecting the humidity of outside air and power saving is achieved by suppressing dew condensation.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes storage compartments 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 for storing food and a freezing cycle 1S in which a coolant circulates for cooling the storage compartments 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. In addition, the refrigerator 1 includes a humidity measurement means 22 for measuring humidity outside the warehouse of the refrigerator 1, a temperature measurement means 21 for measuring a temperature outside the warehouse of the refrigerator 1, dew condensation suppression means 33 and 24 for suppressing dew condensation on the refrigerator 1, and a control means 40 for controlling the dew condensation suppression means 33 and 24 in accordance with a humidity measured by the humidity measurement means 22 during the stop of a compressor 16 of the freezing cycle 1S and a temperature measured by the temperature measurement means 21.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a freezer in which dew is suppressed.

As a background art of the present invention, there is Japanese Patent No. 3926688 (Patent Document 1).
The configuration of Patent Document 1 includes an outside air temperature sensor and an outside air humidity sensor disposed in the vicinity of the door hinge cover portion or the substrate storage portion at the upper part of the main body, and at least one or more dew condensation prevention provided in the partition portion between the door and the door. Controls energization of the heater and the anti-condensation heater according to the outside air temperature and outside air humidity, and if the outside air humidity sensor output exceeds the preset upper limit value or below the lower limit value, the outside air temperature And a control means for controlling energization to the dew condensation prevention heater only by the sensor.

  By this means, the humidity of the outside air is accurately detected, and the heating control is performed with the amount of dew condensation prevention heater energization calculated in advance from the outside air temperature and the outside air humidity. It is described that dew condensation can be prevented with low energy consumption while preventing abnormal dew condensation.

Japanese Patent No. 3926688

However, in the conventional configuration, as shown in FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1, the outside air temperature and outside air humidity of the refrigerator are measured every certain time T ₀ , and the structure of the horizontal partition plate of the refrigerator main body, the horizontal partition plate in advance Calculate the energization amount of each anti-condensation heater by the calculation formula of the energization amount of each anti-condensation heater that does not condense the horizontal partition plate according to the outside air temperature and the outside air humidity calculated by the upper and lower refrigerator temperature setting values. And the method of changing the electricity supply amount of each dew condensation prevention heater is considered.

However, the outside air temperature sensor and the outside air humidity sensor arranged in the vicinity of the door hinge cover part at the upper part of the main body or the board housing part have a semi-hermetic structure in order to prevent water from entering from the surroundings. Then, as shown in FIG. 8 of Patent Document 1, a temperature change occurs due to the effect of cooling in the refrigerator, and the measurement at the constant time T ₀ has little influence on the measurement of the outside air temperature sensor, but the outside air humidity sensor In the humidity measurement, the influence on the humidity measurement value becomes large. For example, if the wet bulb temperature is constant and the dry bulb temperature varies by 0.5 ° C., the relative humidity will be affected by 3%.
Therefore, in order to prevent condensation on the surface of the refrigerator main body, it is necessary to set a large amount of energization, and power consumption tends to increase.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator and a freezer that can accurately detect the humidity of the outside air, stabilize the quality, suppress condensation, and save power.

  In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator according to the first aspect of the present invention is a refrigerator comprising a storage room for storing food, and a refrigeration cycle in which a refrigerant circulates and cools the storage room. Humidity measuring means for measuring the humidity outside the refrigerator, temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature outside the refrigerator, dew suppression means for suppressing dew condensation on the refrigerator, and stopping the compressor of the refrigeration cycle Control means for controlling the dew condensation suppression means according to the humidity measured by the humidity measurement means and the temperature measured by the temperature measurement means.

  The freezer storage concerning the 2nd present invention applies the refrigerator of the 1st present invention to a freezer.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a refrigerator and a freezer that can accurately detect the humidity of the outside air, stabilize the quality, suppress condensation, and save power.

It is a front view which shows the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 in connection with this invention. It is the XX sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 1 showing the structure in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the outside temperature sensor and the outside humidity sensor of the state which removed the outside air sensor cover of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure showing the structure of the refrigerating cycle of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. It is a perspective view which shows the arrangement position of the heat radiating pipe in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. It is a figure showing the structure of the refrigerating cycle of the other examples of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which calculates | requires the length of the time which switches a three-way valve to A side (outlet 34b side) or B side (outlet 34c side) into a several area | region when a compressor is ON. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the refrigerator temperature in the driving | running | working of the refrigerator in the environment of the external temperature of 30 degreeC, and the external air humidity of 70%, and the humidity measured value measured with the (external air) humidity sensor. It is a time chart which shows operation ON / OFF of a compressor and operation control of a three-way valve. It is a figure which shows the relationship of the energization rate (duty) of the rotation threshold heater with respect to the external temperature of Embodiment 2. It is a figure which shows the control which shifts the electricity supply rate (duty) shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of the control which shifts the electricity supply rate (duty) shown in FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<< Embodiment 1 >>
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1 showing a configuration inside the refrigerator.

The refrigerator 1 of Embodiment 1 is provided with a refrigerator body 1, an ice making room 3, an upper freezer room 4, a lower freezer room 5, and a vegetable room 6 from above in a refrigerator main body 1 </ b> H constituting the main body. The ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4 are arranged side by side between the refrigerator compartment 2 and the lower freezing chamber 5.
The refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 6 are storage rooms in a refrigerator temperature zone of about 3 to 5 ° C. On the other hand, the ice making room 3, the upper freezing room 4 and the lower freezing room 5 are storage rooms in a freezing temperature zone of about −18 ° C.

The refrigerating room 2 is provided with refrigerating room doors 2a and 2b having a double door (so-called French type) divided into left and right sides on the front side. The refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b are pivotally provided at the left and right front end edges of the refrigerator main body 1H.
As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of door pockets 2e are provided inside the refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b.

Between the refrigerating compartment doors 2a and 2b, there is formed a rotating slot 23 in which resin inner boxes forming storage spaces projecting inside the refrigerating compartment doors 2a and 2b face each other.
The vicinity of the rotation threshold 23 is often exposed to the outside air by the user opening and closing the refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b. For this reason, since the inside of the refrigerating chamber 2 is at a low temperature in the refrigerating temperature zone, there is a possibility that the vicinity of the rotation threshold 23 becomes below the dew point temperature of the outside air and moisture in the outside air is exposed.

  In view of this, the rotary threshold heater 24 is disposed on the inner side wall 2k on the center side that forms the storage space for the refrigerator compartment door 2a. The rotation threshold heater 24 raises the temperature in the vicinity of the rotation threshold 23 to be higher than the dew point temperature of the outside air by using Joule heat generated by being energized. As a result, dew condensation near the rotation threshold 23 is suppressed.

The rotary threshold heater 24 is disposed with a size substantially close to the vertical length of the refrigerator compartment door 2a (the vertical length in FIG. 1).
As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator compartment 2 is provided with a plurality of shelves 2d, and the refrigerator compartment 2 is partitioned into a plurality of storage spaces in the vertical direction by the shelf 2d.

The ice making room 3, the upper freezing room 4, the lower freezing room 5, and the vegetable room 6 are each provided with a drawer type ice making room door 3a, an upper freezing room door 4a, a lower freezing room door 5a, and a vegetable room door 6a. .
In addition, the surface on the storage chamber (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) side of each door (2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a) has a sealing member (see FIG. (Not shown), and when each door is closed, intrusion of warm outside air into the storage room and leakage of cold air from the storage room are suppressed.

  The refrigerator main body 1H has door sensors (not shown) for detecting the open / closed state of the doors (2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a) provided in the respective storage rooms (2, 3, 4, 5, 6). And an alarm (not shown) for notifying the user when the state in which each door is open is continued for a predetermined time, for example, 1 minute or longer.

  In addition, the refrigerator main body 1H includes a temperature setting device (not shown) for the user to set the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the temperature of the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, and the like. The refrigerator compartment door 2a is provided with an operation panel 2s for performing various settings, and the user sets the temperature of each storage room on the operation panel 2s with a temperature setting device.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inside and outside of the refrigerator body 1 </ b> H are a foam heat insulating material between an outer box 1 a that forms the outer shell of the refrigerator 1 and an inner box 1 b that forms a storage room (2 to 6). It is separated by a heat insulating box 10 formed by filling (foamed polyurethane) 10a. The heat insulating box 10 is mounted with a plurality of vacuum heat insulating materials 10b having high heat insulating properties in addition to the foamed heat insulating material 10a to be filled.

In the refrigerator main body 1H, the refrigerator compartment 2 in the refrigeration temperature zone, the upper freezer compartment 4 and the ice making chamber 3 (see FIG. 1) in the refrigeration temperature zone are adiabatically partitioned by the upper heat insulating partition wall 25.
In addition, the lower freezer compartment 5 in the freezing temperature zone and the vegetable compartment 6 in the refrigerated temperature zone are partitioned adiabatically by the lower heat insulating partition wall 26.
As shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, a horizontal partition 27 that partitions the lower freezing chamber 5, the ice making chamber 3, and the upper freezing chamber 4 in the vertical direction is provided in the upper portion of the lower freezing chamber 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vertical partition 28 that partitions the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4 in the left-right direction is provided on the upper side of the horizontal partition 27. In FIG. 2, the vertical partition 28 is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ice making room 3, the upper freezing room 4, the lower freezing room 5, and the vegetable room 6 are provided with storage containers 3b, 4b, 5b, and 6b, respectively. 5, 6) moves in the front-rear direction together with the doors (3a, 4a, 5a, 6a) provided in front of (6, 6).

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an outside air temperature sensor and an outside air humidity sensor in a state where the outside air sensor cover of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment is removed.
In the refrigerator 1, the outside air humidity sensor 22 that measures the humidity of the outside air is disposed in the vicinity of the door hinge cover part (the outside air sensor cover 41) on the top of the refrigerator body 1 </ b> H or the storage part of the control board 40 (see FIG. 2). doing. As a result, the outside air humidity sensor 22 radiates heat by the outside air blower 42 (see FIG. 4) around the machine room 15 due to the influence of temperature and humidity changes in the cold room 2 due to the outflow of cold air due to opening and closing of the doors (2a, 2b). It is designed to reduce the influence of dust and prevent dew formation.

A hinge 41h that pivots the refrigerator compartment door 2a to the refrigerator main body 1H is screwed to the top surface 10t of the refrigerator 1 with a male screw (bolt or the like).
Behind the hinge 41h, a recessed portion 1H5 having a concave shape is formed on the ceiling wall 1H0 of the refrigerator body 1H, and an outside air temperature sensor 21 that measures the temperature of the outside air in the recessed portion 1H5 and the humidity of the outside air are measured. An outside humidity sensor 22 is provided.

When the outside air temperature sensor 21 and the outside air humidity sensor 22 are provided outside the refrigerator body 1H above the refrigerator body 1H, the height of the refrigerator 1 increases. For this reason, it is arranged in the recessed portion 1H5 that is recessed in the ceiling wall 1H0.
Here, when the outside air temperature sensor 21 and the outside air humidity sensor 22 are arranged close to each other, the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21 and the humidity of the outside air measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 can be easily correlated. Are arranged together in a recessed portion 1H5 that is recessed in the ceiling wall 1H0.

The hinge 41h, the outside air temperature sensor 21, and the outside air humidity sensor 22 are covered with an outside air sensor cover 41 as shown by an arrow α1 in FIG. The outside air sensor cover 41 has a vent hole (not shown) for ventilation.
Therefore, the arrangement space of the outside air temperature sensor 21 and the outside air humidity sensor 22 in the outside air sensor cover 41 has a semi-enclosed structure, but outside air outside the outside air sensor cover 41 passes through the vent hole and is outside air temperature and outside air humidity sensor 21. , Around 22 and the temperature and humidity of the outside air are accurately measured by the outside air temperature and outside air humidity sensors 21 and 22, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 1 is provided with an evaporator 7 in an evaporator storage chamber 8 provided substantially at the back of the lower freezing chamber 5 as a cooling means for cooling the inside of the refrigerator. An example of the evaporator 7 is a fin tube type heat exchanger.
Above the evaporator 7 in the evaporator storage chamber 8, air that circulates air cooled by the evaporator 7 (hereinafter referred to as “cold air”). As a means, an internal fan 9 is provided. An example of the internal fan 9 is a propeller fan.

  The cold air cooled by exchanging heat with the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator 7 is cooled by the internal fan 9 in the refrigerator compartment air duct 11 disposed on the rear side of each storage room (2, 6, 3, 4, 5). It is sent to the respective storage rooms of the refrigerator compartment 2, vegetable compartment 6, ice making room 3, upper freezer compartment 4, and lower freezer compartment 5 through a vegetable compartment air duct (not shown) and a freezer compartment air duct 12.

  The ventilation to each storage room (2, 6, 3, 4, 5) is a refrigerator compartment damper 38 that controls the amount of ventilation to the refrigerator compartment 2, and a vegetable compartment damper that controls the amount of ventilation to the vegetable compartment 6 (see FIG. The air passage is controlled to open and close by an ice making chamber 3 in the freezing temperature zone, the freezer compartment 4 and the freezer compartment damper 39 for controlling the amount of air sent to the lower freezer compartment 5.

  When the refrigerating room damper 38 is opened and air is blown to the refrigerating room 2, the cold air is blown out through the refrigerating room air duct 11 at the rear of the refrigerating room 2, and the blowout openings 2 c opened in multiple stages (in FIG. 2, the blowing openings 2 c Is sent to the refrigerator compartment 2. The cold air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment 2 is supplied from a refrigerator compartment return port (not shown) provided in the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 2 to a refrigerator compartment return duct (not shown) disposed on the side of the evaporator storage chamber 8. After that, it returns to the lower part of the evaporator storage chamber 8.

  When an unillustrated vegetable room damper is open and air is sent to the lowermost vegetable room 6 of the refrigerator 1, the cold air passes through the vegetable room air duct and is fed from the vegetable room outlet (not shown) to the vegetables. Air is blown into the chamber 6. The cold air that has cooled the vegetable compartment 6 passes through the vegetable compartment return duct 14 from the vegetable compartment return duct inlet 14b provided in front of the lower part of the lower heat insulating partition wall 26, and passes through the vegetable compartment return duct outlet 14a to the evaporator storage chamber. Return to the bottom of 8.

In front of the evaporator storage chamber 8, a partition member 13 that partitions the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, the lower freezing chamber 5, and the evaporator storage chamber 8 in the freezing temperature zone is provided. The partition member 13 is formed with blowout ports 3c, 4c, and 5c.
When the freezer damper 39 is in the open state, the cold air flows through the freezer compartment air duct 12 behind the upper freezer compartment 4 and from the blowout ports 3c, 4c, and 5c, respectively, the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, and the lower freezer compartment. 5 is blown.

  The partition member 13 is provided with a freezer return port 13i at a position in the lower part of the lower freezer compartment 5, and the cold air that has cooled the ice making room 3, the upper freezer room 4, and the lower freezer room 5 in the freezing temperature zone is And flows into the evaporator storage chamber 8 through the freezer return port 13i. The freezer return port 13i has a width dimension substantially equal to the width of the evaporator 7 (the vertical direction in FIG. 2).

<Refrigeration cycle 1S>
Next, the refrigeration cycle 1S of the refrigerator 1 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.
The refrigerator 1 includes a refrigeration cycle 1S through which a refrigerant flows in order to cool the storage chambers (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) (see FIG. 1).

  The refrigeration cycle 1 </ b> S decompresses the refrigerant sent from the heat radiation means 29, the compressor 16 that compresses the refrigerant, the heat radiation means 29 (30, 31, 33) that radiates the heat of the refrigerant sent from the compressor 16. A capillary tube 44 serving as a decompression unit and an evaporator 7 that cools air with a refrigerant sent from the capillary tube 44 are sequentially connected by a tube 37. The refrigerant of the heat medium flows (circulates) through the pipe 37 to which the compressor 16, the heat radiating means 29, the capillary tube 44, and the evaporator 7 are connected.

The compressor 16 compresses a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant to a high temperature and a high pressure. As shown in FIG. 2, the compressor 16 is installed in a machine room 15 provided at the lower rear of the refrigerator main body 1H.
The evaporator 7 evaporates the gas-liquid mixed refrigerant sent from the capillary tube 44, cools the air flowing into the evaporator storage chamber 8 by the latent heat of the refrigerant at the time of evaporation (takes heat of vaporization from the air), Cool air is supplied to the storage chambers (2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

The heat radiating means 29 shown in FIG. 4 includes a condenser 30 (not shown in FIG. 2) disposed in a machine room 15 (see FIG. 2) disposed in the lower rear portion of the refrigerator 1, and heat radiating pipes 31, 33. And have.
An example of the condenser 30 is a finned tube heat exchanger. An external fan 42 (see FIG. 4, not shown in FIG. 2) is disposed in the machine room 15, and the heat release from the condenser 30 is promoted by operating the external fan 42.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an arrangement position of the heat radiating pipe in the refrigerator.
The heat dissipating pipe 31 indicated by a broken line in FIG. 5 is disposed so as to contact the surface of the outer box 1a of the heat insulating box 10 (see FIG. 5) between the outer box 1a and the inner box 1b shown in FIG. That is, the heat radiating pipe 31 (shown by a thick broken line in FIG. 5) connected to the condenser 30 (see FIG. 4) in the machine room 15 comes out of the machine room 15 and touches the surface of the outer box 1a. The left side surface 10h of the heat insulation box 10 is arranged up and down, the right side surface 10m is arranged up and down across the front part of the top surface 10t, and the rear surface 10s (shown by a thin broken line in FIG. 5). Then, the machine room 15 is entered again and connected to the three-way valve 34 (see FIG. 4) in the machine room 15.

In FIG. 5, the heat radiating pipe 31 disposed on the left and right side surfaces 10h and 10m of the heat insulating box 10 and the heat radiating pipe 31 disposed on the back surface 10s are the same, but It is easy to see the figure by distinguishing using. Therefore, the heat dissipating pipe 31 is essentially the same pipe having the same diameter.
The outer box 1a (refer to FIG. 2) is made of a steel plate, and the heat radiating pipe 31 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 5) is disposed in contact with the inner surface of the outer box 1a, so that the heat of the heat radiating pipe 31 can be increased. And is well radiated from the outer surface of the outer box 1a to the air outside the box.

  A heat radiating pipe 33 (shown by a thick line in FIG. 5) connected to the heat radiating pipe 31 shown in FIG. 4 via a three-way valve 34 is an upper heat insulating partition wall 25 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The lower heat insulating partition wall 26, the horizontal partition portion 27, and the vertical partition portion 28 are disposed at the respective inner front edge portions (front opening edge portions).

  Since these partition walls (partition portions) (25, 26, 27, 28) are in contact with the storage chambers (2, 3, 4, 5, 6), they are at a low temperature, but the partition walls (25, 26, 27). 28) is disposed at the opening edge of each storage chamber (2, 3, 4, 5, 6), so that the user can open and close the doors (2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a). Easy to contact outside air. Therefore, if the front opening edge surface temperature of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28) is equal to or lower than the dew point temperature of the outside air, condensation may occur.

Therefore, in order to prevent condensation on the front opening edge of the refrigerator main body 1H (particularly, the front side of the upper heat insulating partition wall 25, the lower heat insulating partition wall 26, the horizontal partition portion 27, and the vertical partition portion 28), the heat radiating pipe 33 is provided. Deploy. Thereby, the heat of the high-temperature refrigerant flowing through the heat radiating pipe 33 is radiated to the front opening edge of the refrigerator main body 1H, and the front opening edge is suppressed from being below the dew point temperature of the outside air.
A three-way valve 34 (see FIG. 4) is disposed inside the machine room 15 as a heat dissipation performance control means. The outlet 31o (see FIG. 5) of the heat radiating pipe 31 enters the machine room 15 and is connected to the inlet 34a (see FIG. 4) of the three-way valve 34.

The three-way valve 34 has one inlet 34a and two outlets 34b and 34c.
The three-way valve 34 is configured such that (1) the refrigerant flowing from the inlet 34a flows from the outlet 34b to the heat radiating pipe 33 (inlet 34a open state, outlet 34b open state, outlet 34c closed state), and (2) the bypass pipe from the outlet 34c. (3) The state where the outlets 34b and 34c do not flow to both the heat radiating pipe 33 and the bypass pipe 32 (the state where the inlet 34a is open and the outlet 34b) Closed state, outlet 34c closed state), and (4) four states of flowing from both outlets 34b and 34c to the heat radiating pipe 33 and bypass pipe 32 (inlet 34a open state, outlet 34b open state, outlet 34c open state), respectively. It is a motorized valve capable of mode.

  The basic operation of the three-way valve 34 is to switch between the heat radiating pipe 33 and the bypass pipe 32 when the compressor 16 is ON, and to flow a high-temperature refrigerant through the heat radiating pipe 33, so that the front opening edge of the refrigerator main body 1H (particularly in FIG. Condensation on the upper heat insulating partition wall 25, the lower heat insulating partition wall 26, the front partitioning portion 27, and the vertical partitioning portion 28) is prevented. By switching the three-way valve 34, a high-temperature refrigerant is caused to flow through the bypass pipe 32, thereby suppressing heat inflow into the cabinet caused by the high-temperature refrigerant flowing through the heat radiating pipe 33 as much as possible to save power. Yes.

On the other hand, when the compressor 16 is OFF, switching to the heat radiating pipe 33 is performed, and a high-temperature refrigerant is caused to flow through the heat radiating pipe 33 to prevent condensation on the front opening edge of the refrigerator main body 1H.
As shown in FIG. 4, the outlet 34 b of the three-way valve 34 is connected to the heat radiating pipe 33, and the outlet 34 c of the three-way valve 34 is connected to the bypass pipe 32.
A check valve 36 is provided in the pipe 37 of the outlet portion 33o of the heat radiating pipe 33, and the reverse flow from the dryer 43 and the outlet portion 32o of the bypass pipe 32 to the heat radiating pipe 33 is prevented.

In the machine room 15, the pipe 37 joins the downstream side of the bypass pipe 32 downstream of the check valve 36 and is connected to the dryer 43. The dryer 43 is for drying and absorbing moisture in the refrigerant, and prevents the refrigerant inside the pipe 37 from freezing and clogging, so that the refrigerant does not circulate.
The dryer 43 is connected to the capillary tube 44 via the two-way valve 35.

  The basic operation of the two-way valve 35 is “open” when the compressor 16 is ON, and “closes” when the compressor 16 is OFF. The compressor 16 is “closed” before being turned off, and the high-temperature refrigerant existing from the downstream of the two-way valve 35 to the evaporator 7 is recovered.

  More specifically, when the compressor 16 is OFF, frost cooling is performed (cooling is performed with frost around the evaporator 7). Therefore, by closing the two-way valve 35, the high-temperature refrigerant is removed from the evaporator. 7 is suppressed to save power.

  Note that the tube 37a, which is a part of the tube 37 from the evaporator 7 to the compressor 16, is in proximity to or in contact with the capillary tube 44, and the heat of the refrigerant in the capillary tube 44 toward the evaporator 7 is reduced by the tube 37a. It moves (transmits) to the refrigerant inside.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an evaporator temperature sensor 20 attached to the evaporator 7 is disposed above the evaporator 7, a refrigerator temperature sensor 17 is disposed in the refrigerator compartment 2, and a freezer compartment temperature is disposed in the lower freezer compartment 5. Sensors 19 are provided to detect the temperature of the evaporator 7, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2, and the temperature of the lower freezer compartment 5, respectively. A vegetable room temperature sensor 18 is disposed in the vegetable room 6.

The cold room temperature sensor 17, the vegetable room temperature sensor 18, and the freezer temperature sensor 19 are installed in a place where the cold air blown into each storage room (2, 6, 3, 4) is not directly applied to improve detection accuracy. ing.
Further, as described above, the refrigerator main body 1H includes the outside air temperature sensor 21 and the outside air humidity sensor 22 shown in FIG. 3 that detect the surrounding temperature and humidity environment (outside air temperature, outside air humidity) where the refrigerator 1 is installed.
In the above description, the refrigeration cycle 1S of FIG. 4 is illustrated, but the refrigeration cycle 2S shown in FIG. 6 without the two-way valve 35 may be applied.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a refrigeration cycle of another example of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.
In this case, the three-way valve 34 plays the role of the two-way valve 35. That is, before stopping the compressor 16, the outlets 34b and 34c of the three-way valve 34 are closed, and the high-temperature refrigerant is recovered to the evaporator 7 downstream of the heat radiating pipe 33 and the bypass pipe 32 (the high-temperature refrigerant is removed from the evaporator 16). 7 to the compressor 16 side downstream). As a result, the high temperature refrigerant downstream of the heat radiating pipe 33 and the bypass pipe 32 is prevented from flowing into the evaporator 7 at the start of the cooling operation, thereby preventing overload operation and saving power.

<Control unit>
A control board 40 having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), a timer, an interface circuit and the like mounted on the rear surface 10t of the refrigerator main body 1H shown in FIG. Is arranged. The interface circuit of the control board 40 includes the outside air temperature sensor 21, the outside air humidity sensor 22, the evaporator temperature sensor 20, the freezer compartment temperature sensor 19, the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 17, the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 18, and each storage compartment door (3a). , 4a, 5a, 6a) (refer to FIG. 1) are connected to a door sensor for detecting the open / closed state of each, an operation panel 2s provided in the refrigerator compartment door 2a, and the like. The interface circuit includes an A / D / D / A converter, a sensor (amplification) circuit, and control circuits for various actuators such as the compressor 16.

The following control of the refrigerator 1 is performed by executing a control program stored in advance in the ROM.
That is, ON / OFF of the compressor 16, control of each actuator (not shown) that individually operates the three-way valve 34, the two-way valve 35, the refrigerator compartment damper 38, the vegetable compartment damper and the freezer compartment damper 39, the evaporator storage chamber ON / OFF control and rotational speed control of the internal fan 9 (see FIG. 2) in the machine 8 and the external fan 42 (see FIG. 4) in the machine room 15, the doors (2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a) described above. 6a) (refer to FIG. 1) ON / OFF control of an alarm for notifying the open state is performed.

<Method of switching control of the three-way valve 34>
Next, a method for switching control of the three-way valve 34 will be described.
The three-way valve 34 opens the outlet 34 c and opens the outlet 34 c to the bypass pipe 32 when the outlet 34 b is opened and a high-temperature refrigerant flows through the heat radiating pipe 33 in response to the ON / OFF operation of the compressor 16. It is switched to the case of flowing a high-temperature refrigerant (referred to as B side).

As the switching control of the three-way valve 34, the following controls (1) and (2) are basically performed.
(1) While the compressor 16 is OFF, the three-way valve 34 is set to the A side (opening the outlet 34b and allowing a high-temperature refrigerant to flow through the heat radiating pipe 33). Thereby, dew condensation is suppressed by raising the temperature of the front opening edge (see FIG. 5) of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28).
(2) When the compressor 16 is turned on, the three-way valve 34 is moved to the A side (the heat radiating pipe 33 side arranged on the front opening edge of the partition wall) and the B side (the bypass pipe 32 side) until it is turned off. Performs “three-way valve switching control” for switching. As described above, by flowing a high-temperature refrigerant through the heat radiating pipe 33, the temperature of the front opening edge (see FIG. 5) of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28) is increased, and dew condensation is suppressed.

Here, the contradictory relationship that the longer the time for raising the temperature of the front opening edge of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28), the longer the time required to cool the inside of the cabinet (the more control is performed to suppress dew condensation). (Contradictory relationship).
For this reason, as shown in (2), by passing a high-temperature refrigerant to the heat radiating pipe 33 side intermittently instead of constantly, the time required for the cooling operation (control time to suppress dew) is shortened and consumed. The increase in power is suppressed. In other words, in order to save power, high-temperature refrigerant is allowed to flow through the bypass pipe 32 in a range where no dew is formed on the front opening edge of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28).

  Therefore, as described below, the time for flowing the high-temperature refrigerant through the heat radiating pipe 33 (time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the A side) and the time for flowing the high-temperature refrigerant to the bypass pipe 32 (time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side) are obtained. In addition, when flowing a high temperature refrigerant | coolant to the heat radiating pipe 33, as shown in FIG. 4, since the three-way valve 34 has switched to the A side (outlet 34b side), a high temperature refrigerant | coolant does not flow into the bypass pipe 32. FIG. On the other hand, when the high temperature refrigerant does not flow through the heat radiating pipe 33, the high temperature refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe 32 because the three-way valve 34 is switched to the B side (exit 34 c side).

FIG. 7 is a diagram for determining the length of time for switching the three-way valve to the A side (outlet 34b side) or the B side (outlet 34c side) while dividing the compressor into a plurality of regions.
The horizontal axis in FIG. 7 is the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21, and the vertical axis in FIG. 7 is the outside air humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22.
When the outside air temperature is high, the saturated water vapor amount is large and the amount of water vapor contained in the outside air is large, and the difference from the refrigeration temperature of the refrigerator 1 (for example, 1 ° C. to 3 ° C.) is large. Therefore, there is a tendency that dew is likely to be formed on the front opening edge of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28).

When the outside air temperature is low, the amount of water vapor contained in the outside air is small because the amount of saturated water vapor is small, and the difference from the refrigeration temperature of the refrigerator 1 (for example, 1 ° C. to 3 ° C.) is small. Therefore, there is a tendency that the front opening edge of the partition wall (25, 26, 27, 28) is not easily dewed.
On the other hand, when the humidity of the outside air is high, since a large amount of water vapor is contained in the outside air, there is a tendency that dew is likely to be formed on the front opening edge of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28).

When the humidity of the outside air is low, since the amount of water vapor contained in the outside air is small, there is a tendency that dew does not easily adhere to the front opening edge of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28).
For this reason, the time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side (time for allowing a high-temperature refrigerant to flow through the bypass pipe 32) without dew on the front opening edge of the partition wall (25, 26, 27, 28) is referred to as the outside air temperature. As shown in FIG. 7, it was decided to divide into regions by the humidity of outside air. Details of the area will be described later.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the refrigerator temperature during operation of the refrigerator in an environment where the outside air temperature is 30 ° C. and the outside air humidity is 70% and the humidity measurement value measured by the (outside air) humidity sensor.
The horizontal axis of FIG. 8 is the elapsed time (minutes), and the vertical axis of FIG. 8 is the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 measured by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 17 (see FIG. 2) (indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 8). The humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 8) and the humidity of the outside air measured at a position away from the refrigerator 1 (ambient humidity shown by a solid line in FIG. 8).

  A symbol T0 shown in FIG. 8 is a time period during which the cooling operation for operating the compressor 16 is stopped, that is, the compressor 16 is stopped. Reference symbol T1 is a time zone in which the refrigerator compartment 2 is operated to be cooled, that is, a time zone in which the compressor 16 is operated and the refrigerator compartment damper 38 (see FIG. 2) is opened. Reference symbol T2 is a time zone in which the operation of cooling the freezer compartment (3, 4, 5) is performed, that is, a time zone in which the compressor 16 is operated and the freezer compartment damper 39 (see FIG. 2) is opened. It is.

In general, when the compressor 16 is ON, the temperature change in the refrigerator compartment 2 is large due to frost cooling in a short OFF time (cooling due to frost adhering to the evaporator 7) or the like.
When the compressor 16 is OFF, the cooling operation of the freezer compartments (3, 4, 5) (the compressor 16 is ON, the freezer damper 39 (see FIG. 2) is opened, and the refrigerator compartment damper 38 (see FIG. 2) is closed. ), The temperature change in the refrigerator compartment 2 is often relatively small.
From FIG. 8, the humidity of the outside air measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 (broken line in FIG. 8) rises and falls as the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 changes up and down, and is greatly affected by the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2. I understand that. This is presumed that the outside air humidity sensor 22 is easily affected by the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 because it is disposed in the recessed portion 1H5 formed in a concave shape on the ceiling wall 1H0 of the refrigerator body 1H.

On the other hand, in the time zone T0 when the cooling operation is stopped, the measured value of the outside air humidity sensor 22 (broken line in FIG. 8) is stable. Since the outside air humidity sensor 22 is not affected by the cooling operation of the refrigerator 1 during the cooling operation stop, it is considered that the measured value of the outside air humidity is stabilized.
Therefore, the measurement value measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 is the value in the time zone T0 during which the cooling operation is stopped, and is the humidity of the outside air used in the next cooling operation.

  Here, the measured value of the outside humidity sensor 22 to be used may be a measured value immediately before the next cooling operation in the time zone T0 when the compressor 16 is stopped, an average value in the time zone T0, or a time The median value in the band T0 may be used and is not particularly limited. However, it should be noted that a value that reflects the humidity of the outside air during the next cooling operation is used.

Next, an example will be described in which the areas 0 to 3 shown in FIG. 7 are divided using JIS power consumption test conditions.
When classifying the areas by the outside air temperature and the outside air humidity, the winter temperature of 15 ° C. and the humidity of 55%, and the summer temperature of 30 ° C. and the humidity of 70%, which are JIS power consumption test conditions, were adopted as standards.
Time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side (34c side) (time for allowing high-temperature refrigerant to flow through the bypass pipe 32) and time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the A side (34b side) (time for flowing high-temperature refrigerant to the heat radiating pipe 33) )

Therefore, with respect to the outside air temperature, the temperature of 30 ° C., which is the summer test condition, is covered from the outside air temperature of 13 ° C., which is lower than 15 ° C., so that the temperature of 15 ° C., which is the JIS winter test condition, is covered. The outside air temperature higher than 33 ° C. was divided into three equal parts, and 19 ° C. and 26 ° C. were set as the outside air temperature at the boundary of the region.
As for the humidity of the outside air, the humidity of 55%, which is JIS winter test conditions, is covered so that the humidity of the outside air is 60%, which is 5% higher than 55%. The outside air humidity of 75%, which is 5% higher than 70%, was divided into two, and for convenience, 65% was set as the boundary of the outside air humidity divided into three regions.

  When obtaining the time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side (flowing a high-temperature refrigerant through the bypass pipe 32), setting the boundary humidity higher than 65% shortens the time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side ( If the boundary humidity is set lower than 65%, the time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side becomes longer (the time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the A side becomes shorter). Become). From this relationship, the set humidity of 65% is set as one med.

Thus, the region 1 is set to an outside air temperature of 26 ° C. to 33 ° C. and an outside air humidity of 0 to 75%.
As the region 2, the outside air temperature is 19 ° C. to 26 ° C. and the outside air humidity is 0 to 65%.
As the region 3, the outside air temperature is 13 ° C. to 19 ° C. and the outside air humidity is 0 to 60%.
Region 0 is a region other than regions 1, 2, and 3. In the area 0, the three-way valve 34 is switched to the A side (high-temperature refrigerant is allowed to flow through the heat radiating pipe 33) and fixed control is performed. Therefore, the front opening edge (see FIG. 5) of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28) is used. There is no dew.

  In each region 1 to 3, within a certain (constant) time, the three-way valve 34 is turned on, provided that there is no dew on the front opening edge (see FIG. 5) of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28). The time is switched to the A side, and the time for flowing the high-temperature refrigerant to the heat radiating pipe 33 and the time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side and flowing the high-temperature refrigerant to the bypass pipe 32 are determined.

  That is, even if the three-way valve 34 is switched from the A side to the B side for a certain (constant) time, and the high-temperature refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe 32, the front of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28) It is repeatedly determined whether or not dew is formed on the opening edge (see FIG. 5), and a combination of a time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side and a time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the A side within the certain (constant) time. decide.

Here, it is desirable to determine the combination so that the ratio of the time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side (flowing high-temperature refrigerant to the bypass pipe 32) becomes the largest. This is because heat penetration of the high-temperature refrigerant in the heat radiating pipe 33 into the cabinet is suppressed, which contributes to power saving.
In addition, the hatched area 0 in FIG. 7 is an area in which the control for fixing the three-way valve 34 to the A side, that is, the flow of high-temperature refrigerant to the heat radiating pipe 33 is continued as described above.

It was confirmed that the switching time of the three-way valve 34 to the B side (time zone Bt in FIG. 9 to be described later), that is, the time for flowing the high-temperature refrigerant to the bypass pipe 32 is as follows.
That is, B-side switching time of region 1 <B-side switching time of region 2 <B-side switching time of region 3.

For example, region 1 (outside air temperature 26 ° C. to 33 ° C., outside air humidity 0 to 75%) 10 minutes, region 2 (outside air temperature 19 ° C. to 26 ° C., outside air humidity 0 to 65%) 15 minutes, region 3 Even if the three-way valve 34 is switched to the B side for 20 minutes at an outside air temperature of 13 ° C. to 19 ° C. and an outside air humidity of 0 to 60%, the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28) It was confirmed that no dew is formed on the front opening edge (see FIG. 5).
On the other hand, the determined switching time of the three-way valve 34 to the A side (time zone At in FIG. 9 to be described later), that is, the time during which the high-temperature refrigerant flows through the heat radiating pipe 33 has the following relationship.
A side switching time of area 1> A side switching time of area 2> A side switching time of area 3 A side / B side switching time and A side corresponding to areas 0 to 3 and areas 0 to 3 shown in FIG. The fixed value is determined in advance and stored in a memory (ROM) by a table, a map, a program source, or the like.

<Example of switching control of the three-way valve 34>
Next, an example of switching control of the three-way valve 34 using FIG. 8 will be described.
An example in which the described method is applied to control of the operation of the refrigerator 1 is shown in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a time chart showing compressor ON / OFF operation and three-way valve operation control. The horizontal axis in FIG. 9 is the time, and the vertical axis in FIG. 9 is the three-way valve A open (the outlet 34b is open and the refrigerant flows to the heat radiating pipe 33) / full open / B open (the outlet 34c is open and the refrigerant flows to the bypass pipe 32) Flow) / full-closed operation, A-side fixed condition of the three-way valve is satisfied (area 0 in FIG. 7) / not satisfied, and the compressor is ON / OFF.

The compressor 16 is OFF until time t1 in FIG.
While the compressor 16 until time t1 in FIG. 9 is OFF (cooling operation is stopped), the humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 is used to determine whether the compressor 16 at the next time t1 to t8 is ON using FIG. This is used when determining the switching time of the A side / B side of the three-way valve 34 in the cooling operation. This is because, as described above, during the operation of the refrigerator 1 (when the compressor 16 is ON), the measured value of the outside air humidity sensor 22 varies greatly and the accurate outside air humidity cannot be measured.

Then, using the humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 and the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21 at the present time before t1, the information shown in FIG. 7 and the areas 0 to 3 stored in the memory (ROM) are stored. Using information on whether the corresponding B side / A side switching time or A side is fixed, it is determined which of the areas 0 to 3 is present, and the corresponding B side / A side switching time or Determine whether it is fixed on the A side.
Thus, the time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side, that is, the time for flowing the high-temperature refrigerant to the bypass pipe 32 (time Bt in FIG. 9) and the time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the A side, that is, the high-temperature refrigerant for the heat radiating pipe 33 It is determined whether it is fixed on the A side (time At in FIG. 9) or on the A side. In the following procedure, whether the three-way valve 34 is switched to the B side / A side or fixed to the A side using the humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 and the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21. Is controlled.

When time t1 in FIG. 9 is reached, the compressor 16 is turned on. From the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21 at the present time before time t1 and the humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 in advance while the compressor 16 is OFF (cooling operation is stopped), the memory (ROM) such as FIG. Using the information, any one of the areas 0 to 3 and the corresponding A-side switching time (At1) (in this case, any of the areas 1 to 3) are determined. Then, during the switching time At1 (from time t1 to t2) determined using FIG. 7, the three-way valve 34 is switched to the A side, and the high-temperature refrigerant is caused to flow through the heat radiating pipe 33 (see FIG. 4).
When the time t2 is reached, the memory (ROM) is obtained from the outside air temperature measured by the current outside air temperature sensor 21 before the time t2 and the humidity previously measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 while the compressor 16 is OFF (cooling operation is stopped). 7 is used to determine any one of the areas 0 to 3 and the corresponding B side switching time (Bt1) (in this case, any one of the areas 1 to 3), and the obtained switching. During time Bt1 (from time t2 to t3), the three-way valve 34 is switched to the B side, and a high-temperature refrigerant is caused to flow through the bypass pipe 32 (see FIG. 4).

  When time t3 is reached, a memory (ROM) is obtained from the outside air temperature measured by the current outside air temperature sensor 21 before time t3 and the humidity previously measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 while the compressor 16 is OFF (cooling operation is stopped). 7) or the like and the corresponding A-side switching time (At2) (in this case, any one of the regions 1 to 3) is determined. Then, during the obtained switching time At2 (from time t3 to t4), the three-way valve 34 is switched to the A side, and the high-temperature refrigerant is caused to flow through the heat radiating pipe 33 (see FIG. 4).

  When time t4 is reached, a memory (ROM) is obtained from the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21 at the present time before time t4 and the humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 while the compressor 16 is turned off (cooling operation is stopped) in advance. 7) or the like and the corresponding B-side switching time (Bt2) (in this case, any one of the regions 1 to 3) is determined. Then, during the obtained switching time Bt2 (from time t4 to t5), the three-way valve 34 is switched to the B side, and a high-temperature refrigerant is caused to flow through the bypass pipe 32 (see FIG. 4).

  When time t5 is reached, similarly, from the outside air temperature measured by the current outside air temperature sensor 21 before time t5 and the humidity previously measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 while the compressor 16 is OFF (cooling operation is stopped). Any one of the areas 0 to 3 and the switching time At3 (in this case, any one of the areas 1 to 3) are determined. Then, during the obtained switching time At3, the three-way valve 34 is switched to the A side, and a high-temperature refrigerant is caused to flow through the heat radiating pipe 33 (see FIG. 4).

  By the way, the measured values of the outside air temperature sensor 21 are sampled at any time. At time t6 in FIG. 9, the outside air humidity sensor is measured while the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21 and the compressor 16 are turned off in advance (the cooling operation is stopped). Since it is determined that the humidity measured at 22 is in the region 0 of FIG. 7, the three-way valve 34 is fixed to the A side (time t6 to t10 of FIG. 9).

  On the other hand, if it is not determined that it is in region 0 at time t6 in FIG. 9, as described above, any of regions 0 to 3 and switching time At3 (in this case, any of regions 1 to 3) are used. The three-way valve 34 is switched to the A side during the obtained switching time At3 (from time t5 to t7), and the high-temperature refrigerant is caused to flow through the heat radiating pipe 33 (see FIG. 4).

  At time t7, similarly, the three-way valve 34 is switched to the B side, and the high-temperature refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe 32 (see FIG. 4), but the compressor 16 is turned from ON to OFF (time t8). Therefore, while the compressor 16 is OFF, the three-way valve 34 is switched to the A side, and a high-temperature refrigerant flows through the heat radiating pipe 33 (FIG. 4). Since the compressor 16 is stopped (OFF) (time t8 to t9), the outside air humidity sensor 22 measures the outside air humidity.

  When time t9 in FIG. 9 is reached, the humidity of the outside air during which the compressor 16 from time t8 to t9 is OFF and the outside air temperature measured by the current outside air temperature sensor 21 before time t9 are shown in FIG. Is used to determine any of the areas 0 to 3 and the corresponding B side switching time (At4) (in this case, any of the areas 1 to 3). Then, during the obtained switching time At4 (from time t9 to t11 in FIG. 9), the three-way valve 34 is switched to the A side, and a high-temperature refrigerant is caused to flow through the heat radiating pipe 33 (see FIG. 4).

When time t11 in FIG. 9 is reached, the outside air temperature measured by the current outside air temperature sensor 21 before time t11 and the outside air humidity when the compressor 16 is OFF (cooling operation is stopped) in advance (time t8 to t9 in FIG. 9). Similarly, from the humidity measured by the sensor 22, the switching times (Bt4) on the areas 0 to 3 and the corresponding B side are determined. Then, the obtained switching time Bt4, the three-way valve 34 is switched to the B side, and a high-temperature refrigerant is caused to flow through the bypass pipe 32 (see FIG. 4).
Thereafter, similar control is performed.

In the first embodiment, the case where the measured value at the present time is used as needed for the measurement of the outside air temperature by the outside temperature sensor 21 is exemplified. However, the compressor 16 is not affected by the cooling operation of the refrigerator 1. You may make it carry out during the stop of.
In this case, the measured value at the outside air temperature sensor 21 from the time t1 to the time t8 during operation of the compressor 16 shown in FIG. 9 is the one measured while the compressor 16 is stopped until the time t1, and the three-way valve 34 is used. The switching time of the region is determined by using the measured value of the outside air temperature sensor 21 and the measured value of the outside air humidity sensor 22 during the stop of the compressor 16 until time t1, and using information such as FIG. 7 in the memory (ROM). It is determined whether any of 0 to 3 and the corresponding A side / B side switching time or A side fixed. Then, the three-way valve 34 is controlled.

  Similarly, the measured value at the outside air temperature sensor 21 from time t9 to time t9 when the compressor 16 is in operation is measured while the compressor 16 is stopped from time t8 to t9, and the switching time of the three-way valve 34 is From the time t8 to the time t9, the measured value of the outside air temperature sensor 21 and the measured value of the outside air humidity sensor 22 during the stop of the compressor 16 are used, and the information in the area 0 to 3 and the corresponding A-side / B-side switching time or A-side fixed time is determined, and the three-way valve 34 is controlled.

  According to the first embodiment, the outside air humidity sensor 22 that measures the humidity of the outside air is connected to the outside fan 42 around the machine room 15 by the influence of a change in the temperature and humidity of the refrigerator due to the outflow of cold air by opening and closing the doors (2a, 2b). It is arranged in the outside air sensor cover 41 at the upper part of the refrigerator main body 1H, which is less affected by heat radiation and dust and hardly causes dew formation, or in the vicinity of the storage portion of the control board 40. Although the outside air humidity sensor 22 has a semi-hermetic structure for preventing water intrusion, since the outside air humidity is measured while the cooling operation of the refrigerator 1 is stopped, the influence of the cooling operation is suppressed.

  Accordingly, the humidity of the outside air is detected with high accuracy, and the three-way valve 34 is switched and controlled in a switching time calculated in advance in the region of the outside air temperature and the outside air humidity. Thereby, it is not necessary to flow a high-temperature refrigerant more than necessary to the heat radiating pipe 33 at the front opening edge of the partition walls (25, 26, 27, 28), and dew prevention is performed with less energy consumption (dew condensation is suppressed). be able to.

The method for obtaining the switching time of the three-way valve 34 in FIG. 7 described in the first embodiment is merely an example, and the time for switching the three-way valve 34 to the B side (the time for flowing a high-temperature refrigerant through the bypass pipe 32) and A The time for switching to the side (the time for flowing the high-temperature refrigerant through the heat radiating pipe 33) may be determined by dividing the region in more detail. Thereby, further power saving is possible.
As described above, the switching time of the three-way valve 34 may be obtained by setting other outdoor temperature conditions and outdoor humidity conditions, and is not limited.

<< Embodiment 2 >>
In the second embodiment, control is performed to reduce the energization amount to the rotary threshold heater 24 that suppresses dew on the rotary threshold 23 between the refrigerator doors 2a and 2b shown in FIG.
In the following control, the measured value of the outside temperature at the outside temperature sensor 21 shown in FIG. 3 is sampled at a cycle of 5 seconds. The measurement of the outside air temperature by the outside air temperature sensor 21 may be performed when the compressor 16 is ON and / or when the compressor 16 is OFF, but the compressor 16 is stopped (when OFF) (stop of cooling operation). (Medium) is preferable.

As a result, the outside air temperature can be measured without being affected by the cooling operation. In this case, the outside air temperature used in the description of the second embodiment such as in FIG. 10 is the one during which the compressor 16 is stopped.
Moreover, the temperature measured value measured with the refrigerator temperature sensor 17 of the refrigerator compartment 2 shown in FIG. 2 is sampled with a period of 5 seconds.
The outside air humidity sensor 22 shown in FIG. 3 samples the humidity measurement value when the compressor 16 is stopped.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the duty ratio of the rotary threshold heater and the outside air temperature according to the second embodiment. The horizontal axis in FIG. 10 is the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21, and the vertical axis in FIG. 10 is the duty ratio of the rotary threshold heater 24.
The energization rate (duty) of the rotation threshold heater 24 represents how much of the rated current flows for a certain period of time. For example, when a rated current is passed through a rotary heater for 6 seconds (seconds) in 10 seconds (seconds), the duty ratio (duty) is 60%.

From FIG. 10, until the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21 reaches 10 ° C., there is no dew on the rotation roller 23 at 0% of the duty ratio of the rotation roller heater 24. On the other hand, when the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21 is 36 ° C. or higher, the exposure to the rotation roller 23 is suppressed at 100% of the current supply rate (duty) of the rotation screw heater 24 (reference current supply rate).
Therefore, the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 21 from 10 ° C. to 36 ° C. connects the outside air temperature of 10 ° C., the duty factor (duty) 0%, the outside air temperature 36 ° C., and the duty factor (duty) 100%. Thus, the energization rate (duty) (reference energization rate) of the rotary threshold heater 24 that suppresses the dew on the rotary threshold heater 24 at an outside temperature of 10 ° C. to 36 ° C. is determined.

Next, control for shifting (increasing / decreasing) the energization rate (duty) shown in FIG. 10 with the temperature measured by the refrigerator temperature sensor 17 of the refrigerator compartment 2 shown in FIG. 2 will be described.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a control for shifting (increasing or decreasing) the power supply rate (duty) shown in FIG. The number in the lower part of FIG. 11 is the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 measured by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 17. The numbers in the upper part of FIG. 11 are shift (increase / decrease) values of the duty ratio (duty) shown in FIG. 10 in the temperature zone of the refrigerator compartment 2. This shift value is set on the condition that there is no dew on the rotary threshold heater 24.

This control shifts the duty ratio shown in FIG. 10 based on the four temperature threshold values (1 ° C., 3 ° C., 6 ° C., 18 ° C.) measured by the refrigerator temperature sensor 17.
When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 is less than 1 ° C., the duty ratio (duty) shown in FIG. 10 is shifted by + 5%.
When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 is 1 ° C. to 3 ° C., since the refrigerator compartment 2 is in a normal operation, the duty ratio (duty) shown in FIG. 10 is not shifted (± 0%).

When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 is 3 ° C. to 6 ° C., the duty ratio shown in FIG. 10 is shifted by −2%.
Thereafter, similarly, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 is 18 ° C. or higher, it is shifted by −100% (the energization to the rotary threshold heater 24 is stopped).
The shift (increase / decrease) in the energization rate (duty) of the rotary shike heater 24 depending on the temperature of the refrigerating chamber 2 of the energization rate (duty) of the rotary shike heater 24 makes the control of preventing the dew condensation of the rotary shike 23 appropriate. Power saving can be achieved.

Next, control for shifting (increasing / decreasing) the energization rate (duty) shown in FIG. 10 with the humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 shown in FIG. 3 will be described.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of the control for shifting the duty ratio shown in FIG. The numbers in the lower part of FIG. 12 are the humidity measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 while the compressor 16 is stopped. The upper numbers in FIG. 12 are shift (increase / decrease) values of the duty ratio (duty) in FIG. 10 in the humidity band measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 while the compressor 16 is stopped. This shift value is set on the condition that there is no dew on the rotary threshold heater 24.

  In this control, when the user selects the power saving mode in which the power consumption is reduced on the operation panel 2s shown in FIG. 1, four temperature thresholds (90%) measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 while the compressor 16 is stopped. , 70%, 50%, 30%) (reference humidity), the power supply rate (duty) shown in FIG. 10 is shifted (increased or decreased).

When the humidity 70% measured by the outside air humidity sensor 22 during the stoppage of the compressor 16 is used as a standard, since the standard humidity is close to 70% at a humidity of 90 to 70% and a humidity of 70 to 50%, the duty ratio is shifted. No (± 0%). That is, the rotary threshold heater 24 is energized at the energization rate (duty) in FIG.
When the humidity is 90% or more, the duty ratio (duty) shown in FIG. 10 is shifted by + 6%.
When the humidity is 50% to 30% and the humidity is lower than 30%, the duty ratio shown in FIG. 10 is shifted by −6%.

In this example, when the user selects the power saving mode, the case where the duty ratio (duty) shown in FIG. 12 is shifted is illustrated. However, the duty ratio (duty) shown in FIG. If the user manually selects the power saving mode, the outside air humidity sensor 22 may be configured not to shift the duty ratio (duty) shown in FIG. When the user manually selects the power saving mode, the power saving mode may be canceled when the humidity increases.
The case where the humidity is high includes, for example, 75% humidity at 30 ° C., 65% humidity at 25 ° C., 60% humidity at 20 ° C.

  According to the second embodiment, each dew condensation prevention heater is added with the energization amount of each dew condensation prevention heater calculated in advance from the outside air temperature and the outside air humidity during the cooling operation stop that is not affected by the cooling operation of the refrigerator 1. Control of dew suppression is optimized by controlling the temperature. Therefore, it is possible to perform dew prevention (suppression of dew) with less energy consumption.

<< Other Embodiments >>
In the above embodiment, the case where the outside air humidity sensor 22 is arranged on the upper part of the refrigerator main body 1H is exemplified. However, the external air humidity sensor 22 is arranged on the other refrigerator main body 1H, the refrigerator compartment doors 2a, 2b and the like that are not affected by the cooling operation. May be.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated and demonstrated various structures, you may comprise combining each structure suitably.
In addition, although the said embodiment illustrated and demonstrated the refrigerator provided with the refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment (3, 4, 5), this invention is a refrigerator provided only with a refrigerator compartment, and the freezer consisting of a freezer compartment. Is also widely applicable.

1 Refrigerator 1S Refrigeration cycle 2 Refrigerated room (storage room)
2a Refrigeration room door (door)
2b Cold room door (door)
2S Refrigeration cycle 3 Ice making room (storage room)
4 Upper freezer room (storage room)
5 Lower freezer compartment (storage room)
6 Vegetable room (storage room)
7 Evaporator (refrigeration cycle)
16 Compressor (refrigeration cycle)
21 Outside air temperature sensor (temperature measuring means)
22 Outside air humidity sensor (humidity measurement means)
23 Rotating threshold (partition)
24 Rotating squeeze heater (dew condensation suppression means, heater for preventing condensation)
25 Upper heat insulation partition wall (partition wall)
26 Lower heat insulation partition wall (partition wall)
27 Horizontal partition (partition wall)
28 Vertical partition (partition wall)
32 Bypass pipe (refrigeration cycle)
33 Heat radiation pipe (dew condensation suppression means, refrigeration cycle)
34 Three-way valve (switching means, refrigeration cycle)
40 Control board (control means)

Claims (5)

A refrigerator comprising a storage room for storing food, and a refrigeration cycle for circulating the refrigerant and cooling the storage room,
Humidity measuring means for measuring the humidity outside the refrigerator;
Temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature outside the refrigerator;
Dew suppression means for suppressing dew condensation on the refrigerator;
Control means for controlling the dew condensation suppression means according to the humidity measured by the humidity measurement means while the compressor of the refrigeration cycle is stopped and the temperature measured by the temperature measurement means. Features a refrigerator. The dew suppression means is a heat radiating pipe that is provided at a front opening edge of a partition wall that partitions the storage chamber and through which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor of the refrigeration cycle flows.
A bypass pipe for bypassing the refrigerant flowing through the heat radiating pipe;
Switching means for switching whether the refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows through the heat radiating pipe or the bypass pipe;
The control means performs the switching by the switching means using a switching time set in advance according to a region determined by the humidity measured by the humidity measuring means and the temperature measured by the temperature measuring means. The refrigerator according to claim 1. The dew suppression means is a heater for preventing condensation provided on a door and a partition part of the door that opens and closes the storage chamber,
The control means includes
A reference energization rate to the heater for preventing condensation according to the temperature measured by the temperature measuring means, and a reference humidity are set in advance.
When the humidity measured by the humidity measuring unit is higher than the reference humidity, the energization rate to the dew condensation prevention heater is set higher than the set value of the reference energization rate, while the humidity measuring unit When the measured humidity is lower than the reference humidity, an energization rate to the dew condensation prevention heater is set lower than a set value of the energization rate of the reference. Refrigerator. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the temperature measuring unit measures a temperature outside the refrigerator while the compressor of the refrigeration cycle is stopped. A freezer comprising a storage room for storing food, and a refrigeration cycle for circulating the refrigerant and cooling the storage room,
Humidity measuring means for measuring the humidity outside the freezer;
Temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature outside the freezer;
Dew suppression means for suppressing dew condensation on the freezer;
Control means for controlling the dew condensation suppression means according to the humidity measured by the humidity measurement means while the compressor of the refrigeration cycle is stopped and the temperature measured by the temperature measurement means. Freezer featured.

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