JP2015045457A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of notifying a user of a switch state such as a state in which a switch for controlling change in compressor operation depending on the user's selection is turned on or off in an easy-to-perceive manner.SOLUTION: A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a cooler that cools an interior of the refrigerator; a compressor that supplies refrigerant to the cooler; a switch that controls a change in operation of the compressor depending on user's selection; and a control unit that controls the operation of the compressor in response to a signal from the switch, the control unit exerting a control to notify a user of a state of the switch.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  There is a refrigerator provided with a compressor stop switch so that the user can arbitrarily stop the operation of the compressor for the purpose of power saving and noise prevention when the refrigerator is not used. However, when there is no need for cooling such as when the inside of the refrigerator is sufficiently cooled, the compressor does not operate and is stopped regardless of the state of the compressor stop switch. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to recognize whether the compressor stop switch is on or off while the compressor is stopped.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-201608

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and the user can determine what state the switch for changing and controlling the operation of the compressor according to the user's selection is in an on state or an off state. The purpose is to provide a refrigerator that makes it easy to understand.

  In order to solve the above problem, the refrigerator of the present embodiment changes and controls the operation of the compressor according to the selection of the cooler that cools the inside of the refrigerator, the compressor that supplies the refrigerant to the cooler, and the user. A switch and a control unit that controls the operation of the compressor from a signal of the switch are provided, and the control unit performs control for notifying the state of the switch.

It is a perspective view of the refrigerator which shows 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the machine room of a refrigerator. It is a schematic diagram which shows the refrigerating cycle of a refrigerator. It is a bottom view which shows the bottom face of the refrigerator of 2nd embodiment. It is FIG. 2 equivalent view which shows the machine room of the refrigerator of 3rd embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator body 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The housing of the refrigerator main body 1 is a heat insulating box body in which a front surface opens and a storage space is formed by foaming and filling a heat insulating material such as urethane foam in a gap between a steel plate outer box and a synthetic resin inner box. 2 is formed. The opening on the front surface of the heat insulating box 2 is closed by a rotary door 3 having a heat insulating function so as to be freely opened and closed.

  A cooler 4 is provided above the storage space inside the refrigerator, and an ice tray 5 is disposed between the ceiling surface of the refrigerator and the cooler 4. Below the cooler 4, an unillustrated internal temperature sensor is arranged close to the cooler 4, and below the cooler 4 and the internal temperature sensor, the dew generated in the cooler 4 is received to the outside. A dew receiving tray 7 for draining is arranged to prevent defrost water from falling into a storage space below the storage.

  The interior space located below the dew receiving tray 7 is provided with an upper shelf 8 and a lower shelf 9, and stored items can be placed on the respective shelves or on the bottom of the refrigerator for storage.

  Further, on the left side above the storage space, a push-type door switch 10 for detecting whether the refrigerator door 3 is in an open state or a closed state and the operation of the compressor 21 constituting the refrigeration cycle are forcibly selected by the user. A compressor stop switch 11 that can be stopped is provided. Furthermore, the interior lamp 12 that illuminates the interior located on the left side above the storage space is provided, and when the door switch 10 is not pushed in, that is, when the door 3 is opened, When the interior lamp 12 is turned on and the door switch 10 is pushed by the door 3 and the closed state of the door 3 is detected, the interior lamp 12 is turned off.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a machine room 20 is provided in a lower rear portion of the refrigerator main body 1 with a storage space and a heat insulating section. The machine room 20 includes a compressor 21 constituting the refrigeration cycle and a heat radiating pipe as a refrigerant pipe. 22, a dryer 23, a capillary tube 24, and a suction pipe 25 are disposed. In addition, a control board on which a microcomputer for controlling the operation of the refrigerator, a timer for measuring time, and the like are installed above the machine room 20 and on the back surface of the refrigerator body 1.

  Door pockets 13a and 13b are provided on the inner side of the door 3 so as to be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval. A soundproof mat 14 is laid on the bottom surface of the door pockets 13a and 13b. Sounds are prevented from being transmitted through the main body 1 to the stored items stored in the door pockets 13a and 13b.

  In addition, a gasket (not shown) is disposed on the inner peripheral edge of the door 3, and when the door 3 is closed, a gap is generated between the door 3 and the opening peripheral edge of the heat insulating box 2, The cold inside the cabinet is prevented from leaking outside the cabinet. Further, a magnet is arranged inside the gasket, and a steel plate outer box is folded back to the inside of the cabinet at the periphery of the opening of the heat insulating box 2, so the magnetic force of the magnet arranged inside the gasket of the door 3. Thus, the closed state of the refrigerator is maintained by the gasket portion of the door 3 being in close contact with the periphery of the opening of the heat insulating box 2.

  An outside display 16 serving as a notification unit is provided on the upper side of the outside of the heat insulating box 2 and on the front side where the door 3 is arranged. The outside display 16 is configured such that when the compressor stop switch 11 is off, the green light emitting element is lit, and when the compressor stop switch 11 is on, the red light emitting element is lit. The outside display 16 is not limited to the display form described above, and a light emitting element is provided above the word “stopped” to notify that the compressor stop switch 11 is on while the light emitting element is on. You may alert | report the state of the compressor stop switch 11 by making it a structure.

  Next, the refrigeration cycle will be described with reference to FIG. When the compressor stop switch 11 is off and the internal temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the compressor 21 is operated. The high-temperature refrigerant whose temperature has been increased by being compressed by the compressor 21 is a process of passing through the heat radiating pipe 22 disposed between the outer box and the inner box at the side surface and the upper part of the front opening of the heat insulating box 2. As the temperature decreases due to heat dissipation, it condenses and liquefies. Thereafter, moisture and dust in the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant piping are removed by drying the refrigerant in the dryer 23. The refrigerant from which moisture and dust have been removed is depressurized by passing through the capillary tube 24, and the liquid refrigerant having a low temperature and low pressure is sent to the cooler 4. In the cooler 4, the air around the cooler 4 is cooled because heat from the air around the cooler 4 is removed to vaporize the liquid refrigerant. The whole inside of the refrigerator is cooled by the cold air generated here. Here, when it is detected that the internal temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor has dropped below a predetermined temperature, the operation of the compressor 21 is stopped and the cooling operation is terminated.

  About the defrosting of the cooler 4, the temperature in the refrigerator rises by keeping the state where the operation of the compressor 21 is stopped for 2 hours, and the temperature of the cooler 4 is kept at 0 ° C. or higher. To defrost. In the defrosting operation, when the compressor stop switch 11 is turned on from off, that is, the cooling operation cannot be performed from the cooling operation, the operation of the compressor 21 is forcibly stopped. It starts when the temperature of the cooler 4 starts to rise.

  When the compressor stop switch 11 is kept in the off state, the defrosting is detected by detecting from the time measured by the timer mounted on the control board that the non-defrosting time has continued for 24 hours. Determine the start of. Note that the timing of defrosting is not limited to the method of detecting that the time when defrosting is not continued for 24 hours, and when the operating time of the compressor 21 reaches a predetermined time or the frosting amount of the cooler 4 If a detection sensor for detection is provided and the amount of frost formation is equal to or greater than a threshold value, defrosting may be started.

  Next, the control by the control board which is a control part is demonstrated. If the compressor stop switch 11 is off, that is, the compressor 21 can be driven, the green light emitting element on the outside display 16 is turned on to turn the compressor stop switch 11 off, and the refrigerator It is informed that the inside of the refrigerator is in a state capable of cooling operation. Further, when the door 3 is opened in this state, the interior lamp 12 is turned on, and the interior is easily visible, so that the user can recognize that the compressor stop switch 11 is off.

  On the other hand, if the compressor stop switch 11 is on, that is, the compressor 21 cannot be driven, the red light emitting element of the outside display 16 is turned on and the door 3 is opened. Also, control is performed so that the interior lamp 12 is not lit.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the color to be lit in the light emitting element of the outside display 16 is changed according to the state of the compressor stop switch 11, and the interior lamp 12 is lit when the door 3 is opened. Change whether or not it lights up. As a result, the user can easily recognize whether the compressor stop switch 11 is on or off, and the user intends to operate the refrigerator but is not operating or intends to stop the operation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent malfunctions such as consuming excess electric power.

  Further, if the user turns on the compressor stop switch 11, even when the door 3 is opened, control is performed so that the interior lamp 12 is not lit, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  Note that the outside display 16 is not provided as means for notifying the state of the compressor stop switch 11, and the state of the compressor stop switch 11 is notified only from the lighting control of the inside lamp 12, or about the lighting of the inside lamp 12. However, the state of the compressor stop switch 11 may be notified only from the control of the outside display 16.

(Second embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 4 which is a bottom view of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment, an outdoor lamp 17 which is an external lighting device is provided on the front side which is the bottom surface of the heat insulating box 2 and is the direction in which the door 3 is arranged. ing. The outdoor lamp 17 is provided with an inclination so that the light irradiation direction is directed from the rear to the front of the refrigerator main body 1 and is directed downward toward the installation surface on which the refrigerator main body 1 is installed. The light is irradiated obliquely downward from above toward the installation surface on which is installed, and the area located in front of the refrigerator body 1 is illuminated.

  Further, when the time is detected by a timer provided on the control board and the current time is detected to be at night, for example, from 6 pm to 6 am, the compressor stop switch If 11 is off, the outdoor lamp 17 is turned on. As a result, the user is informed that the compressor stop switch 11 is in an off state, and the outdoor lamp 17 illuminates the front area of the refrigerator body 1 when the room is dark at night. be able to.

  Instead of recognizing that it is night by a timer provided on the control board, an illuminance sensor is provided near the outside display 16 on the outside of the refrigerator body 1 and the refrigerator body 1 is installed. The outdoor lamp 17 may be controlled based on the illuminance in the room. That is, when the indoor illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is low and the room is dark, the outdoor lamp 17 is turned on. Conversely, when the indoor illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is high, the outdoor lamp 17 is not turned on. Control may be performed.

  According to the embodiment described above, the user can easily recognize that the compressor stop switch 11 is at least off while the outdoor lamp 17 is lit, and the compressor of the refrigerator can be operated.

(Third embodiment)
A difference from the above-described embodiment is that a battery 26 is arranged inside the machine room 20.

  As shown in FIG. 5 showing the machine room of the refrigerator of the third embodiment, a battery 26 is arranged along the side surface of the machine room 20 inside the machine room 20, and the refrigerator main body 1 is powered from an outlet. Supply and power supply from the battery 26 can be selected.

  Specifically, the battery 26 is charged in a state where the compressor stop switch 11 is turned on, that is, in a state where the refrigerator cooling operation is not performed, the compressor stop switch 11 is turned off, and the refrigerator cooling operation is started. At that time, the refrigerator is operated using the electricity charged in the battery 26. When the cooling operation continues and the electricity stored in the battery 26 runs out, power is supplied from the outlet, and the cooling operation is maintained. Thereafter, when the compressor stop switch 11 is turned on, the battery 26 is charged. When the compressor stop switch 11 is turned off again, power is supplied from the charged battery 26. Refrigerate the refrigerator.

  The switching of the power supply is not limited to the method described above, and the power supply may be switched by a method described later. In other words, the refrigerator is normally operated by supplying power from the outlet, and the battery 26 is always charged. And when the power supply from an outlet stops at the time of a power failure etc., it switches to the power supply by the battery 26, and the driving | running state of a refrigerator is maintained. Thus, even when the power supply from the outlet is unexpectedly stopped due to a power failure or the like, the power can be supplied from the battery 26, so that the cooling state can be maintained. Moreover, when the power supply from the battery 26 is switched to at the time of a power failure or the like, the outdoor lamp 17 can be used as emergency lighting by turning on the outdoor lamp 17.

  As another power supply switching method, the battery 26 is charged using nighttime power, and in the daytime operation, power is supplied from the battery 26 instead of supplying power from the outlet. Thereby, since the refrigerator can be stably operated in the daytime by using electric power at night when the electricity bill is cheap, the operation cost of the refrigerator can be kept low.

  According to the embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained. By supplying power from the battery 26, the refrigerator can be stably operated even when power is supplied from the battery 26, so that the cooling state of the refrigerator can be maintained and the compressor stop switch 11 The notification of the driving state according to the state can also be performed stably. That is, when the compressor stop switch 11 is on, the interior lamp 12 is not turned on. Therefore, when the user opens the door 3 but the interior lamp 12 does not turn on, the compressor stop switch 11 is turned on. Therefore, the user may not be able to easily determine whether the interior lamp 12 is not lit because the power supply is stopped due to a power failure or the like. However, since the refrigerator can be operated by the battery 26 even at the time of a power failure or the like, when the door 3 is opened but the interior lamp 12 does not light, it can be assumed that the compressor stop switch 11 is on. Even though the compressor stop switch 11 is off, it is possible to prevent the interior lamp 12 from being lit even if the door 3 is opened.

  According to at least one embodiment described above, the user can easily compress by checking the outside display 16 or by checking whether the interior light 12 is turned on by opening the door 3 of the refrigerator. Whether the machine stop switch 11 is on or off can be recognized. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the user from mistakenly operating the refrigerator, for example, the intention of stopping the operation of the refrigerator has not been stopped, or vice versa.

  Further, when the compressor stop switch 11 is on, the interior lamp 12 does not light even when the refrigerator door 3 is opened, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  The above-described embodiment has been described using the switch that the user forcibly stops the operation of the compressor. However, the selection result of the user's switch operation for the operation of the refrigerator is an external display, an interior light, etc. May be notified to the user. Therefore, the operation of the compressor is not stopped completely, but a switch for limiting the rotation speed of the compressor so that it does not rise above the threshold value, the compressor can be driven if it is on, and if it is off A switch such as a compressor drive switch that allows the user to select permission to drive the compressor that stops the compressor may be provided, and the state of the switch may be reported.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  1 is a refrigerator body, 2 is a heat insulation box, 3 is a door, 4 is a cooler, 5 is an ice tray, 7 is a dew tray, 8 is an upper shelf, 9 is a lower shelf, 10 is a door switch, and 11 is a compressor stop switch. , 12 is an interior lamp, 13a and 13b are door pockets, 14 is a soundproof mat, 15 is a leg, 15a is an adjustment leg, 16 is an outside display, 17 is an exterior lamp, 20 is a machine room, 21 is a compressor, 22 Is a heat radiating pipe, 23 is a dryer, 24 is a capillary tube, 25 is a suction pipe, and 26 is a battery.

Claims (8)

A cooler for cooling the inside of the refrigerator;
A compressor for supplying refrigerant to the cooler;
A switch for changing and controlling the operation of the compressor according to the user's selection;
A control unit for controlling the operation of the compressor from the signal of this switch,
This control part is a refrigerator which performs control which alert | reports the state of the said switch.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the switch is a compressor stop switch that forcibly stops the operation of the compressor. It has an interior light that illuminates the interior of the refrigerator,
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the interior lamp not to be lit when the compressor stop switch is on. Informing means for informing outside the warehouse which state the switch is in,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit controls the notification unit according to a state of the switch.   The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the notification means is an outside lighting device provided outside the refrigerator.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the control unit controls to defrost the cooler when the compressor stop switch is on. A battery is provided as a drive power source for the refrigerator.
The control unit charges the battery when the compressor stop switch is on, and when the compressor stop switch is switched from on to off, uses the electricity charged in the battery to charge the refrigerator. The refrigerator according to claim 2, which is controlled to operate. It has an outdoor light that illuminates the outside of the refrigerator,
The control unit controls to turn on the outdoor lamp when a power failure is detected, and to operate the refrigerator using electricity charged in the battery when the compressor stop switch is off. The refrigerator according to 7.

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