JP2017015344A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a user-friendly refrigerator while suppressing waste and insufficiency of an ice-making capacity.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: cooling means for forcibly circulating with a fan, cool air generated with a cooler of refrigeration cycle, using a compressor, into a heat insulation box body; an ice making chamber formed in the heat insulation box body; an ice storage container installed in the ice making chamber and storing ice; and an ice maker installed above the ice storage container. There is included means 521 for setting any one in a plurality of ice making modes in an operation part 5, and the plurality of ice making modes are a mode of manually switching an ice-making capacity, and a mode of automatically switching.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  In conventional control of an automatic ice maker of a refrigerator, there is an ice making control in which the temperature of ice, an ice tray, or an ice making room is monitored, and if the temperature is kept below a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time, it is determined that ice making is completed and the ice is released. Further, the operation unit is provided with means for switching the ice making mode, and the user can switch between the normal ice making mode and the quick ice making mode for temporarily increasing the ice making capacity as required. In other words, the conventional refrigerator control has a normal ice making mode that keeps making a certain amount of ice almost every constant time, and a quick ice making mode that temporarily increases the ice making capacity from the point of operation when you want to make ice quickly. , And a function for the user to switch.

  As another conventional refrigerator control, for example, in Patent Document 1, a lever that detects the amount of ice stored in the ice making device in an ice making device that is provided in a refrigerator and is automatically controlled by a signal from a control means. In addition to providing a plurality of stages capable of detecting the position in conjunction with each other, switching between these stages is carried out either by manual input, a signal based on detection of a change in the outside air temperature, or a signal based on detection of fluctuations in ice block usage. '' Things have been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-19690

  Conventional refrigerator control keeps making a certain amount of ice almost every hour, so for example, in a home where there are few opportunities to use ice, such as living with a couple, it operates with a certain margin in ice making capacity. As a result, the cooling capacity is wasted accordingly. On the other hand, in a large number of households, especially in summer, there may be a shortage of ice making capacity. In such a case, the user sets the quick ice making mode on the operation panel. However, since the quick ice making mode automatically ends after a certain period of time, a large amount of ice is always required in such homes in summer. It is necessary to set the rapid ice making mode every time, and it is not easy to use.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use refrigerator while suppressing waste and shortage of ice making capacity.

  In order to achieve the above object, cooling means for forcibly circulating cold air generated by a cooler of a refrigeration cycle using a compressor with a fan in an insulated box, an ice making chamber formed in the insulated box, In the refrigerator comprising an ice storage container installed in the ice making chamber and storing ice and an ice maker installed above the ice storage container, one of a plurality of ice making modes is set in the operation unit The plurality of ice making modes are a mode for manually switching the ice making capability and a mode for automatically switching.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide an easy-to-use refrigerator while suppressing waste and shortage of ice making capacity.

It is a control block diagram of the refrigerator which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the part in connection with ice making of the operation panel of the refrigerator which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the ice making control of the conventional refrigerator. It is a figure which shows the ice making control of the refrigerator which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the integrating | accumulating method of the frequency | count of door opening according to time slot | zone which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the method of the ice making control according to time slot | zone which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the calculation method of the frequency | count of door opening according to unit time according to one Embodiment of this invention, and the method of ice making control according to unit time. It is a figure which shows the comparison of the method of ice making control according to time slot | zone and the method of ice making control according to unit time which concern on one Embodiment of this invention.

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

  FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an entire refrigerator, which includes a refrigerator body 2 and a refrigerator compartment door 4. The refrigerator body 2 includes each storage compartment door switch, each temperature sensor, a compressor 18 that compresses a refrigerant for cooling, an internal cooling fan 17 for circulating the cooled cold air in the refrigerator, and the internal cooling. As dampers for adjusting the flow rate of cool air blown by the fan 17 for each storage room, and other control devices 22, heaters for preventing defrosting and dew condensation, electric flow rate adjustment for refrigerant flow in the refrigeration cycle, and flow path switching Has a valve. Of each storage room door switch, 10 is a refrigeration room door switch for detecting opening / closing of the refrigeration room door, 11 is a freezing room door switch for detecting opening / closing of the freezing room door, and 12 is an ice making room for detecting opening / closing of the ice making room door. It is a door switch. Among the temperature sensors, 13 is a refrigerator temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the refrigerator compartment, 14 is a freezer temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the freezer compartment, and 15 is an ice making chamber temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the ice making chamber. Among the dampers, 19 is a refrigeration room damper that adjusts the flow rate of cold air to the refrigeration room, 20 is a freezer compartment damper that adjusts the flow rate of cold air to the freezer room, and 21 is an ice making room damper that adjusts the flow rate of cold air to the ice making room. is there. Reference numeral 3 denotes a control unit which is equipped with a memory 30 that controls cooling and ice making and stores the number of times the door is opened. Reference numeral 5 denotes an operation unit installed on the outer surface of the refrigerator body 4 and notifies an input unit 52 for switching a cooling temperature, an operation method of the automatic ice maker, etc., and a set cooling temperature zone and an operation state of the automatic ice maker. The display unit 51 is configured.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation part of the refrigerator, particularly a part related to the ice making mode. The ice making mode is switched by the ice making switching SW 521 of the input unit 52, and the state of the switched mode is displayed on each LED of the display unit 51 (ice making strong LED 511, ice making LED 512, ice making weak LED 513, ice making auto LED 514). In the initial state (at the time of shipment), all the ice making mode LEDs are in the off state, and ice making control is not performed. When the ice making switch SW521 is pressed once, only the ice making auto LED 514 is lit, and automatic ice making control is started according to the number of times the door is opened. When the ice making switch SW521 is pressed again, only the ice making weak LED 513 is lit, and ice making control is started with the ice making capacity lower than normal. When the ice making switch SW521 is pressed once again, only the LED 512 during ice making is switched on, and ice making control of normal ice making capacity is started. When the ice making switch SW 521 is pressed again, only the ice making strong LED 511 is turned on, and ice making control with the ice making capability higher than normal is started. When the ice making switch SW521 is pressed again, all ice making LEDs are turned off and ice making control is not performed. The switching of the ice making capacity is not limited to three stages, and may be performed in two stages or further subdivided. In addition, although not shown, a rapid ice making LED that temporarily increases the ice making capacity may be installed.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing ice making control of a conventional refrigerator. First, water supply S101 is performed on the ice tray, and ice making time (for example, 2 hours) is set S102. If the ice making chamber temperature is below a certain temperature S103 (for example, −5 ° C.), an ice making time count S104 is performed. Whether the ice making time has passed is confirmed S105, and if not, the process returns to the ice making chamber temperature determination S103. If the ice making time has elapsed, the ice detection S106 is performed to measure the amount of ice in the ice storage container, and if it is not full, the ice removal S107 is performed and the process returns to the water supply S101 again.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of an embodiment of ice making control according to the present invention. In the ice making stop state (all ice making mode LEDs are turned off), the internal cooling fan 17 and the compressor 18 perform normal cooling control, and it is not necessary to make ice, so an ice making room damper that controls the cold air circulation to the ice making room. 21 is closed. When the ice making mode switching SW 521 is pressed once (201), only the ice making weak LED 513 is turned on, and the ice making damper 21 is opened to the extent that minimum ice making is possible (for example, 50%). The ice making time S102 at this time is, for example, 4 hours, which is twice that of normal ice making. When the ice making switch SW 521 is pressed once again (202), only the LED 512 during ice making is switched on, the internal cooling fan 17 and the compressor 18 remain under normal cooling control, and the ice making chamber damper 21 has an opening that allows normal ice making. Open (for example, 70%). The ice making time S102 at this time is 2 hours for normal ice making. When the ice making switch SW 521 is further pressed again (203), only the ice making strong LED 511 is turned on, the number of revolutions of the internal cooling fan 17 is increased to increase the cooling capacity of the ice making room, and the number of revolutions and the operating rate of the compressor 18 are increased. The ice making damper 21 is fully opened. Furthermore, the opening degree of the refrigerator compartment damper 19 and the freezer compartment damper 20 may be adjusted. The ice making time S102 at this time is, for example, one hour which is half that of normal ice making. When the ice making room damper 21 is not provided, the number of rotations of the internal cooling fan 17, the number of rotations and the operating rate of the compressor 18, the opening degree of the cold room damper 19 and the freezing room damper 20 are adjusted according to the ice making capacity. May be. Further, the degree of ice making ability is not limited to three stages, but may be two stages or further subdivided.

  Next, an example of an embodiment of automatic ice making will be described. FIG. 5 shows a method for integrating the number of times the door is opened. First, the number of opening times of each door detected by the ice making room door switch 12 is stored in the memory 30 for each time zone (one hour unit in this embodiment) of the day. (A total of 24 data from 0 to 23 is the number of times the door is opened for one day.) The number of times the door is opened for one day is stored for a predetermined number of days (7 days in this embodiment). If it exceeds seven days, the latest door opening number is overwritten on the oldest door opening number. Thereafter, this is repeated, and the latest door opening times for 7 days are stored in 4 memories. The number of times the door is opened for 7 days stored every hour is added for each time zone, and the total number of times the door is opened is used.

  FIG. 6 shows a method of ice making control with respect to the number of times the door is opened by time. The ice making capacity is switched according to the number of times the door is opened per unit time (for example, 1 hour). For example, in a time zone where the number of times the door is opened (for example, less than 5 times per hour), the amount of ice used is considered to be small, and the ice making capacity is low (for example, ice making time per time is about 4 hours). In a time zone where the number of times the door is opened a little (for example, 5 times or more and less than 15 times per hour), the ice-making ability is operated at medium (normal) (for example, ice making time per time is about 2 hours). In a time zone in which the number of times the door is opened (for example, 15 times or more per hour), the ice making capacity is operated at a high level (for example, ice making time per time is about 1 hour). In this way, by operating with the ice-making ability in accordance with the actual use situation of the user, it is possible to suppress unnecessary cooling, provide a necessary amount of ice when necessary, and perform an easy-to-use ice making operation.

FIG. 7 shows an ice making control method for a predetermined time unit by obtaining the door opening frequency for each predetermined time unit from the accumulated number of door opening times. First, the number of times the door is opened is added up from the accumulated number of times the door is opened, with a predetermined time unit (2 hours in this embodiment) as one time unit, and a total of 24 door opening times for each time unit is created. For example, the number of doors opened by time unit at 0 o'clock is the sum of the times of opening doors at 0 o'clock and 1 o'clock, and the number of doors opened by time unit at 1 o'clock is the number of doors opened at 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock. The sum of the number of doors opened by time unit at 23:00 is the sum of the number of doors opened at 23:00 and 00:00.
This time unit sets the time required for ice making.

  The method for setting the ice making capacity is the same as the method for controlling ice making for the number of times the door is opened by time period, for example, less than 10 times per hour is low in ice making capacity, and 10 to 30 times per hour is in the ice making capacity ( Normal) Operate with high ice-making capacity at least 30 times per hour. In this embodiment, two hours are added, but the time to be added may be changed according to the ice making ability and the ambient temperature of the refrigerator.

  FIG. 8 compares the ice making capacity with respect to the number of times the door is opened by time period and the ice making capacity with respect to the number of times the door is opened by a predetermined time unit. The dotted line indicates the ice making capability with respect to the number of times the door is opened by time zone, and the solid line indicates the ice making capability with respect to the number of times the door is opened by a predetermined time unit. In the ice making control for the number of times the door is opened for each predetermined time unit, the capacity changes to increase the ice making capacity before the time when the number of times the door is opened in advance, so the necessary amount of ice can be provided when necessary. Easy-to-use ice making operation.

  Although not shown, since there is provided a means for adding a weight corresponding to the ambient temperature of the refrigerator obtained by the outside air temperature sensor 16 for detecting the ambient temperature of the refrigerator when storing the number of times the door is opened, the ambient temperature When the temperature is high, the added value is increased, and when the ambient temperature is low, the added value is decreased. For example, less than 10 ° C is multiplied by 0.3 each time, 10 ° C or more and less than 20 ° C is multiplied by 0.8 each time, 20 ° C or more and less than 30 ° C is multiplied by 1 every time, At 30 ° C or higher, multiply by 1.5 each time. In this way, since the value of the number of times of opening in the time zone when the ambient temperature is high becomes larger, more ice can be provided at a high temperature when more ice is required. In addition, when the ambient temperature is low, ice is not required so much that unnecessary cooling can be suppressed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Control part 5 Operation part 10 Refrigeration room door switch 11 Freezing room door switch 12 Ice making room door switch 13 Refrigerating room temperature sensor 14 Freezing room temperature sensor 15 Ice making temperature sensor 16 Outside temperature sensor 17 Inside cooling fan 18 Compressor 19 Refrigeration Room damper 20 Freezer room damper 21 Ice making room damper 30 Memory 51 Display unit 52 Input unit 511 Ice making strong LED
512 LED during ice making
513 Ice-making weak LED
514 Ice making auto LED
521 Ice making mode switch SW

Claims (5)

Cooling means for forcibly circulating the cold air generated by the cooler of the refrigeration cycle using a compressor with a fan in the heat insulation box, an ice making chamber formed in the heat insulation box, and the ice making chamber In a refrigerator comprising an ice storage container for storing ice, and an ice maker installed above the ice storage container,
The operation unit includes means for setting any one of a plurality of ice making modes,
The plurality of ice making modes are a mode in which the ice making capacity is manually switched and a mode in which the ice making capacity is automatically switched. An ice making room door for taking out ice from an ice making room storage container formed in the heat insulating box, an ice making room door switch for recognizing an open / closed state of the ice making room door, and a flow rate of cool air to the ice making room are adjusted. Equipped with an ice making damper
In the case of the automatic switching mode, the ice making capacity is changed by changing the control of at least one of the compressor, the fan or the ice making damper based on the number of times the ice making door is opened determined by the ice making door switch. The refrigerator of Claim 1 which switches. Means for dividing the day into a plurality of time zones and obtaining the number of times the ice making room door is opened for each time zone;
Means for storing the number of times of opening of the ice-making room door per day over a plurality of days;
A means for accumulating the number of times the ice making room door is opened for each time period stored over a plurality of days, for each time period;
In the case of the automatic switching mode,
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the ice making capacity is switched to the highest in advance in a time zone before a time zone in which the number of times of opening the ice making chamber door is the largest. Means for dividing the day into a plurality of time zones and obtaining the number of times the ice making room door is opened for each time zone;
Means for storing the number of times of opening of the ice-making room door per day over a plurality of days;
Means for accumulating the number of times the ice making room door is opened for each time zone stored over a plurality of days;
A means for adding the number of times of opening of the ice making chamber door for each accumulated time zone, adding the number of times for each time zone as a starting point, and adding the number of times of opening for each time unit;
In the case of the automatic switching mode,
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the ice making capacity is switched based on the number of times of opening for each time unit.   An outside air temperature sensor for detecting the ambient temperature of the refrigerator, and means for adding a weight corresponding to the ambient temperature of the refrigerator obtained by the outside air temperature sensor at the time of storing the number of times the ice making room door is opened. 5. The refrigerator according to item 3 or 4.

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