JP2013072622A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator that prevents a useless increase of temperature inside a storage compartment in a defrosting mode.SOLUTION: In the refrigerator having an off-cycle cooling mode of operating a cooling fan 6 when a freezing cycle is in a pause state and opening a chiller damper 8 to cool a chiller and a defrosting mode of melting frost adhered to a cooler 5 by a defrosting heater, an interval from an end of the defrosting mode to a next defrosting mode is controlled. With this structure, in the refrigerator equipped with a freezing compartment damper, an amount of frost on the cooler can be estimated and a defrosting interval can be adjusted to prevent a useless increase of temperature of the storage compartment.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a control that suppresses temperature rise in a refrigerator during defrosting by a heater in a refrigerator that cools a storage room by latent heat and sensible heat of frost attached to a cooler.

  FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional refrigerator, and FIGS. 7 to 10 are flowcharts showing the control of the conventional refrigerator.

  In FIG. 6, a refrigerator 1 having a freezer compartment 2 and a refrigerator compartment 3 constitutes a refrigeration cycle together with a compressor 4, a condenser (not shown) and a decompression means (not shown), and generates cold air. The cooler 5, the cooling fan 6 that sucks the air in the freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3 into the cooler 5, and blows the air again to the freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3, and is forced into the freezer compartment 2 by the cooling fan 6. The freezing room damper 7 that independently cools the freezer compartment 2 by adjusting the communication of the cool air to be blown, and the freezing room 3 is made independent by adjusting the communication of the cold air that is forced into the refrigerating room 3 by the cooling fan 6. The refrigerator compartment damper 8 which cools, the freezer compartment sensor 9 which detects the temperature in the freezer compartment 2, and the refrigerator compartment sensor 10 which detects the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 3 are provided.

  In addition, a defrost heater 11 for defrosting the frost attached to the cooler 5 is provided below the cooler 5, and a cooler sensor 12 that detects the temperature of the cooler 5 is provided in the cooler 5. I have.

  Next, the operation of the refrigerator will be described with reference to FIGS.

  During normal cooling of the refrigerator, in the freezer cooling mode, when the freezer sensor 9 is higher than a certain reference temperature Tfcon in S1, if the compressor 4 is not moving in S2, the compressor 4 is started (S3), The damper 7 is opened, the refrigerator compartment damper 8 is closed, and the cooling fan 6 is operated to cool the freezer compartment 2 (S4).

  Next, in S5, when the freezer compartment sensor 9 is below a certain reference temperature Tfcoff, the process proceeds to S6 and the refrigerator compartment cooling mode is set.

  If the refrigerator compartment sensor 10 is higher than a certain reference temperature Tpcon in S6, if the compressor 4 is not moving in S7, the compressor 4 is started (S8), the freezer compartment damper 7 is closed, and the refrigerator compartment damper 8 is opened. Then, the cooling fan 6 is operated to cool the refrigerator compartment 3 (S9).

  Next, in S10, when the refrigerator compartment sensor 10 is below a certain reference temperature Tpcoff, it is determined whether or not the cooling operation is continued in S11. In S11, if the freezer sensor 9 is higher than a certain reference value Tfcon, the process returns to S2 to enter the freezer cooling mode, and if it is equal to or lower than Tfcon, the process proceeds to S12 to enter the off-cycle cooling mode.

  In S12, the compressor 4 is first stopped, and in S13, when the operation time tcomp of the compressor 4 is shorter than a certain reference value tdefrost, the process proceeds to S14, and the refrigerator compartment sensor 10 is below a certain reference value Tpoff2. When it is high, the freezer damper 7 is closed, the refrigerator compartment damper 8 is opened, and the cooling fan 6 is operated to cool the refrigerator compartment 3 to perform an off-cycle cooling operation. Next, when the refrigerator compartment sensor 10 falls below a certain reference value Tpcoff2, the freezer damper 7 is closed, the refrigerator compartment damper 8 is closed, the cooling fan 6 is stopped, and the off-cycle cooling operation is stopped. Returning to S1, normal cooling is performed.

  If the operation time tcomp of the compressor 4 is greater than or equal to a certain reference value tdefrost in S13, the process proceeds to S18 and the defrosting mode is set.

  In the defrosting mode, the freezer damper 7 is closed in S18, the refrigerator compartment damper 8 is closed, the cooling fan 6 is stopped, the defrosting heater 11 is energized, and the frost adhering to the cooler 5 is released. In S16, when the temperature of the cooler sensor 12 becomes equal to or higher than a certain reference value Tdefrost2, energization to the defrost heater is interrupted, the defrost mode is terminated, and normal cooling is performed again from S1.

  By controlling in this way, the refrigerator compartment 3 can be cooled using the latent heat or sensible heat of the frost adhered to the cooler 5, and the energy when defrosting in the defrost mode is reduced. A refrigerator that can reduce power consumption by shortening the defrosting time has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 2774486

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, for example, the next defrost mode is started at the same time interval regardless of whether the time of the off cycle cooling mode is long or short after the fully opened defrost mode ends. When the time is long, the amount of frost adhering to the cooler 5 decreases.

  As a result, the time for one defrost mode is shortened, but since the defrost operation is performed when the amount of frost formation is small, the number of times of the defrost mode per time is the same. There was a problem that it would end up.

  In the refrigerator provided with the freezer damper 7 according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the wasteful temperature rise of the storage room by predicting the amount of frost attached to the cooler 5 from the operating state and controlling the interval of the defrost mode. The object is to provide a refrigerator.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a first storage chamber having an opening on the front surface, a second storage chamber having an opening on the front surface, and a cooler that generates cold air. A refrigeration cycle comprising: a cooling fan that circulates the cool air generated by the cooler to the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber; and a first flow of the cool air by the cooling fan selectively to the first storage chamber And a second damper for selectively flowing cool air from the cooling fan to the second storage chamber, and a defrost heater for defrosting the frost attached to the cooler by heat, cooling when the refrigeration cycle is stopped The fan is turned on, the first damper or the second damper is opened to cool the first storage chamber or the second storage chamber, and the frost attached to the cooler is removed by the defrost heater. In a refrigerator with a defrosting mode to thaw,
The interval from the end of the defrost mode to the next defrost mode is controlled.

  With this configuration, in the refrigerator provided with the freezer damper, it is possible to adjust the defrosting interval by predicting the amount of frost attached to the cooler, and it is possible to prevent useless temperature rise in the storage room.

  Since the refrigerator of this invention can prevent the useless temperature rise of a storage room, it becomes possible to provide an energy-saving refrigerator.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the relationship between the space | interval of the defrost mode of the refrigerator in embodiment, and the integration time of off cycle cooling mode The figure which shows the relationship between the space | interval of the defrosting mode of the refrigerator in embodiment, and door integrated opening time The figure which shows the space | interval of the defrost mode of the refrigerator in embodiment, and the relationship between external air humidity The figure which shows the space | interval of the defrost mode of the refrigerator in embodiment, and the relationship of the chamber temperature setting Vertical section of a conventional refrigerator Flow chart showing control of conventional refrigerator Flow chart showing control of conventional refrigerator Flow chart showing control of conventional refrigerator Flow chart showing control of conventional refrigerator

The refrigerator of the present invention includes a first storage chamber having an opening on the front surface, a second storage chamber having an opening on the front surface, a refrigeration cycle including a cooler that generates cold air, and a cooler. A cooling fan that circulates the generated cold air to the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, a first damper that selectively flows the cold air from the cooling fan to the first storage chamber, and the cooling air from the cooling fan A second damper that selectively flows into the second storage chamber, and a defrost heater that defrosts the frost attached to the cooler by heat, operates the cooling fan when the refrigeration cycle is stopped, and the first damper or In a refrigerator having an off-cycle cooling mode in which the second damper is opened to cool the first storage chamber or the second storage chamber, and a defrosting mode in which frost attached to the cooler is released by a defrosting heater. ,
The interval from the end of the defrost mode to the next defrost mode is controlled.

  With this configuration, in the refrigerator including the freezer damper, the defrosting interval can be adjusted by predicting the amount of frost attached to the cooler. Thereby, the useless temperature rise of a storage room can be prevented.

  The refrigerator of the present invention is characterized in that the interval until the next defrost mode is controlled by the number of off-cycle cooling modes after the end of the defrost mode.

  With this configuration, the defrosting interval can be adjusted by predicting the amount of frost formation according to the number of off-cycle cooling modes. Thereby, the useless temperature rise of a storage room can be prevented.

  The refrigerator of the present invention is characterized in that the interval until the next defrosting mode is controlled by the accumulated time of the off-cycle cooling mode from the end of the defrosting mode.

  With this configuration, the defrosting interval can be adjusted by predicting the amount of frost formation based on the accumulated time in the off-cycle cooling mode. Thereby, the useless temperature rise of a storage room can be prevented.

Further, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a first door and a second door, and an opening of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber. A door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening and closing, and the interval until the next defrosting mode is controlled by the number of times the first door and the second door are opened after the defrosting mode ends. It is said.

  With this configuration, the defrosting interval can be adjusted by predicting the amount of frost formation based on the combination of the number of times of opening / closing the door and the number of times of the off-cycle cooling mode or the time. Thereby, while being able to prevent the frost residue of a cooler, the useless temperature rise of a storage chamber can be prevented.

  Further, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a first door and a second door, and an opening of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber. And a door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening and closing, and the interval until the next defrosting mode is controlled by the integrated opening time of the first door and the second door from the end of the defrosting mode. It is configured.

  With this configuration, the defrosting interval can be adjusted by predicting the amount of frost formation based on the combination of the door integrated opening time and the number of times or time of the off-cycle cooling mode. Thereby, while being able to prevent the frost residue of a cooler, the useless temperature rise of a storage chamber can be prevented.

  Further, the refrigerator of the present invention is configured to include humidity detection means for detecting the humidity around the refrigerator, and to control the interval until the next defrosting mode according to the humidity detected by the humidity detection means. .

  With this configuration, the defrosting interval can be adjusted by predicting the amount of frost formation based on the combination of the humidity around the refrigerator, the number or time of the off-cycle cooling mode, and the number of door opening / closing times or the total opening time. Thereby, while being able to prevent the frost residue of a cooler, the useless temperature rise of a storage chamber can be prevented.

  The refrigerator of the present invention is provided with first temperature adjusting means and second temperature adjusting means for setting the temperatures of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, and the first temperature adjusting means and the second temperature adjusting means. The interval until the next defrosting mode is controlled by the set temperature of the temperature adjusting means.

  With this configuration, the defrosting interval can be adjusted by predicting the amount of frost formation by a combination of the temperature setting of the refrigerator, the humidity around the refrigerator, the number or time of the off-cycle cooling mode, and the number of times the door is opened or closed or the total opening time. . Thereby, while being able to prevent the frost residue of a cooler, the useless temperature rise of a storage chamber can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, about the same structure as the past, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a refrigerator in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a graph showing the relationship between the interval of the defrost mode and the integrated time of the off-cycle cooling mode according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the interval of the defrost mode of the embodiment and the door integrated opening time. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the interval of the defrost mode and the outside air humidity according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the defrosting mode interval and the internal temperature setting according to the embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 13 denotes a freezer compartment door that seals the opening of the freezer compartment so that it can be opened and closed, and 14 denotes a refrigerator compartment door that seals the opening of the refrigerator compartment so that it can be opened and closed.

  The openings 2a and 3a of the freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3 detect opening and closing of the freezer compartment door 13 and the refrigerator compartment door 14, for example, a freezer compartment door sensor 15 comprising a Hall IC and a magnet and the refrigerator compartment. A door sensor 16 is provided.

  Further, the outside wall side of the refrigerator 1 is provided with a humidity sensor 17 for detecting the humidity of the outside air, and the inside of the refrigerator 1 controls the operation of the refrigeration cycle, the control state of the refrigeration cycle, the freezer compartment door sensor 15, the refrigerator compartment. A control unit 18 that performs operation control of the refrigeration cycle based on outputs of the door sensor 16 and the humidity sensor 17 is provided.

  About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement is demonstrated using FIGS. 2-5.

  During normal cooling, when the compressor 4 is stopped in S12, if the operation time of the compressor 4 is not less than tdefrost in S13, the process proceeds to S18 and enters the defrosting mode.

  The tdefrost has a certain initial value tdefrostb, and the value fluctuates depending on the off cycle cooling time, the door opening / closing time, the outside air humidity, and the internal temperature setting.

  First, the relationship between the off-cycle cooling time and tdefrost will be described with reference to FIG. During off-cycle cooling, the refrigerator compartment 7 is closed, the refrigerator compartment damper 8 is opened, and the cooling fan 6 is operated to cool the refrigerator compartment 3 using latent heat or sensible heat of frost attached to the cooler 5. At the same time, heat is taken away from the frost adhering to the cooler 5. For this reason, the amount of heat necessary for defrosting the frost attached to the cooler 5 decreases as the off-cycle cooling time increases.

  On the other hand, the integrated time of off-cycle cooling is counted by the control unit 18, and is controlled by the control unit 18 so that tdefrost becomes longer as the integrated time becomes longer. Thereby, tdefrost can be changed according to the degree of frost formation on the cooler 5 according to the integrated time of off-cycle cooling, the number of operations in the defrost mode can be optimized, and the temperature rise in the warehouse is appropriately prevented. be able to.

  Next, the relationship between the door opening / closing time and tdefrost will be described with reference to FIG. During the operation of the refrigerator, the freezer compartment door 13 or the refrigerator compartment door 14 is opened and closed to take out food in the storage compartment. At this time, the high-temperature, high-humidity outside air flows into the storage chamber as compared to the storage chamber air dehumidified and circulated by the cooler 5. When the high-temperature and high-humidity air that has flowed into the cabinet passes through the cooler 5 by the operation of the cooling fan 6, frost formation on the cooler 5 occurs. Therefore, if the door opening / closing time is long, the amount of frost formation on the cooler 5 increases, and conversely if the door opening / closing time is short, the amount of frost formation decreases.

  On the other hand, the door opening integration time is counted by the freezer compartment door sensor 15 and the refrigerator compartment door sensor 16, and is output to the control unit 18. The control unit 18 makes the tdefrost shorter as the door opening / closing integration time becomes longer. I have control. Thereby, tdefrost can be changed in accordance with the degree of frost formation on the cooler 5 based on the door opening / closing integrated time, the number of operations in the defrosting mode can be optimized, and the temperature rise in the warehouse can be appropriately prevented. it can.

  Next, the relationship between the outside air humidity and tdefrost will be described with reference to FIG. The freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3 are sealed by the freezer compartment door 13 and the refrigerator compartment door 14, but are not completely sealed and have a minute gap from which the room and the outside air are drawn. The humidity of the outside air flows into the cabinet. In addition, as described above, the humidity of the outside air flows into the room even when the door is opened and closed. Therefore, when the outside air humidity is high, the humidity entering the compartment is also high, and the amount of frost formation on the cooler 5 is increased. Conversely, when the outside air humidity is low, the amount of frost formation is reduced.

On the other hand, the outside air humidity is measured by the humidity sensor 17, and the average humidity from the fully-open defrosting mode is calculated and output to the control unit 18. The higher the outside air humidity, the shorter the tdefrost becomes. Control is performed by the unit 18. Thereby, tdefrost can be changed according to the degree of frost formation on the cooler 5 due to the outside air humidity, the number of operations in the defrost mode can be optimized, and the temperature rise in the cabinet can be appropriately prevented.

  Next, the relationship between the internal temperature setting and tdefrost will be described with reference to FIG. When the temperature settings of the freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3 are lowered, the internal air temperature is lowered, and the temperature of the cooler 5 is lowered accordingly. When the temperature of the cooler 5 becomes low, the amount of dehumidification from the passing air in the warehouse increases, and the frost on the cooler 5 also increases. On the other hand, when the temperature setting is increased, the temperature of the cooler 5 is increased, so that the mass removal is reduced and frost formation on the cooler 5 is reduced.

  On the other hand, the internal temperature setting is detected by the control unit 18 and is controlled by the control unit 18 such that the higher the internal temperature setting, the longer tdefrost becomes. Thereby, tdefrost can be changed according to the degree of frost formation on the cooler 5 by the internal temperature setting, the number of operations in the defrosting mode can be optimized, and the internal temperature can be appropriately prevented. it can.

  As described above, the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention can prevent a temperature rise in the refrigerator, and thus can be a refrigerator with high cooling performance.

  In the present embodiment, tdefrost is described as a control method in which proportional control is performed with respect to the increase / decrease of each control factor. However, the increase / decrease width of tdefrost is determined for each control factor range, and the control is performed in stages. The effect is obtained, and there is an advantage that the control becomes simple.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the off cycle cooling is controlled to be terminated by the temperature detected by the cold room sensor 10, but for example, the off cycle cooling time may be determined and controlled, or may be controlled by other control factors. Similar effects can be obtained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator has been described with two refrigerators, the freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3, but the same control is performed regardless of the number of storage compartments, such as a three-room refrigerator equipped with a vegetable compartment. Similar effects can be obtained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the control for detecting the outside air humidity has been described. However, by measuring the outside air humidity and the outside air temperature and performing the control for changing the tdefrost with respect to the outside air temperature, more optimal control can be performed. It can be carried out.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the description has been given with the specification of generating cold air by the refrigerant compression refrigeration cycle using the compressor 4, but any refrigeration system may be used as long as it is a refrigeration system that generates cold air with the cooler 5. However, the same effect can be obtained.

  The present invention can provide a refrigerator that efficiently cools a storage room by changing the interval between defrosting operations in a refrigerator that cools the inside of the refrigerator while the compressor is stopped. Therefore, the present invention is useful as refrigerators of various types and sizes such as home use and business use.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Freezing room 3 Refrigerating room 5 Cooler 6 Cooling fan 7 Freezing room damper 8 Refrigerating room damper 11 Defrost heater 13 Freezing room door 14 Refrigerating room door 17 Humidity sensor

Claims (7)

A first storage chamber having an opening on the front surface, a second storage chamber, a refrigeration cycle including a cooler for generating cold air, and the cool air generated by the cooler in the first storage chamber and the A cooling fan that circulates to the second storage chamber, a first damper that selectively allows the cool air from the cooling fan to flow to the first storage chamber, and the cool air from the cooling fan to the second storage chamber. And a defrost heater that defrosts the frost attached to the cooler by heat, and operates the cooling fan when the refrigeration cycle is stopped, and the first damper or the second damper An off-cycle cooling mode in which the damper is opened to cool the first storage chamber or the second storage chamber, and a defrosting mode in which frost attached to the cooler is released by the defrosting heater. In the refrigerator, defrost mode ends Refrigerator characterized by controlling the al interval until the next defrosting mode. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the interval until the next defrosting mode is controlled by the number of off-cycle cooling modes from the end of the defrosting mode. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the interval until the next defrosting mode is controlled by the accumulated time of the off-cycle cooling mode from the end of the defrosting mode. Detecting opening and closing of the first door and the second door, and the opening and closing of the first door and the second door, which respectively open and close the opening of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber so as to be freely opened and closed. A door opening / closing detection means is provided, and the interval until the next defrosting mode is controlled by the number of times the first door or the second door is opened after the defrosting mode ends. The refrigerator according to any one of 3. Detecting opening and closing of the first door and the second door, and the opening and closing of the first door and the second door, which respectively open and close the opening of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber so as to be freely opened and closed. The door opening / closing detection means is provided, and the interval until the next defrosting mode is controlled by the accumulated opening time of the first door or the second door from the end of the defrosting mode. The refrigerator as described in any one of 1-3. The humidity detection means for detecting the humidity around the refrigerator is provided, and the interval until the next defrosting mode is controlled by the humidity detected by the humidity detection means. Refrigerator. First temperature adjusting means and second temperature adjusting means for setting the temperature of the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are provided, and the first temperature adjusting means and the second temperature adjusting means are provided. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an interval until a next defrosting mode is controlled by a set temperature.