JP2017040406A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator automatically controlling a compressor to operate.SOLUTION: A refrigerator comprises: a cooler 4 cooling an interior of the refrigerator; a compressor supplying refrigerant to this cooler 4; a microphone 32 detecting an acoustic pressure of an exterior of the refrigerator; an inside temperature sensor detecting an inside temperature of the interior of the refrigerator; and a control unit 30 controlling the compressor to start cooling the interior of the refrigerator when the inside temperature detected by the inside temperature sensor exceeds a threshold, the refrigerator being configured such that when a reduction rate of the acoustic pressure detected by the microphone 32 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the control unit 30 exerts a control to set the threshold to a second threshold higher than a first threshold set otherwise.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  Conventionally, when a refrigerator is installed in the vicinity of a bed in a hotel, a hospital, or the like, there is a problem that noise is generated due to the operation of the compressor at the time of going to bed and disturbs sleep. As a means for solving this, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator that includes a switch that allows a user of the refrigerator to arbitrarily stop the operation of the compressor and has a function of suppressing noise caused by the compressor. ing.

  However, even if the refrigerator has this function, this function is not used because the user does not know the existence of this function and is not used, or because the compressor is not operating at bedtime and no noise is generated. In some cases, the compressor is not used, and the compressor starts driving at the time of sleeping or sleeping, which causes noise and disturbs sleep.

  For this reason, the refrigerator which can control the driving | running of a compressor automatically at the time of sleeping or sleep, and can suppress the noise which generate | occur | produces from a compressor, without being aware of the user of a refrigerator is calculated | required.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-45457

  An object of this invention is to provide the refrigerator which controls the operation | movement of a compressor automatically in view of the above point.

  In order to solve the above problems, a refrigerator according to the present embodiment includes a cooler that cools the inside of the refrigerator, a compressor that supplies refrigerant to the cooler, a microphone that detects sound pressure outside the refrigerator, An internal temperature sensor that detects the internal temperature, and a controller that starts the cooling of the refrigerator by operating the compressor when the internal temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor is higher than a threshold value, The control unit performs control for setting the threshold value to a second threshold value that is higher than the first threshold value set in other cases when the decrease rate of the sound pressure detected by the microphone is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. is there.

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 block diagram which shows the electric equipment structure of a refrigerator. It is a schematic diagram which shows the refrigerating cycle of a refrigerator.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the member which is common also in each embodiment.

(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 having a front opening and a storage space by foaming and filling a space between a steel plate outer box and a synthetic resin inner box with a heat insulating material such as urethane foam. 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 internal temperature sensor 33 that detects the temperature (internal temperature) in the storage space is disposed close to the cooler 4 (see FIG. 3), and the cooler 4 and the internal temperature sensor 33. A dew receiving tray 7 that receives dew generated in the cooler 4 and drains it out of the cabinet is disposed below the defrosting water to prevent defrost water from falling into the storage space below the cabinet.

  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, a push-in type door switch 10 for detecting whether the door 3 of the refrigerator is open or closed is provided on the left side above the storage space. 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.

  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.

  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.

  A microphone 32 is provided outside the refrigerator. The position of the microphone 32 is not particularly limited as long as the sound pressure in the room where the refrigerator is installed can be detected, and can be provided on the front, top, or side of the refrigerator. As illustrated in FIG. It is preferable to provide in the upper part of 3 warehouse outer sides. This is because the distance from the compressor 21 can be secured in the upper part of the outside of the door 3, and the vibration caused by the compressor 21 is not easily transmitted to the microphone 32.

  In addition, a control unit 30 including a control board on which a microcomputer, a timer, and a memory are mounted is installed above the machine room 20 and on the back surface of the refrigerator main body 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the door switch 10, the interior lamp 12, the compressor 21, the interior temperature sensor 33, and the microphone 32 are connected to the control unit 30, and the door switch 10, the interior temperature sensor 33, and Based on a signal input from the microphone 32 and a control program stored in advance in the memory, the lighting and extinguishing of the interior lamp 12 and the operation of the compressor 21 are controlled. The control unit 30 functions as a control unit that controls the overall operation of the refrigerator.

  Next, the refrigeration cycle will be described with reference to FIG. When the compressor 21 is operated in the refrigeration cycle, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor 21 is the side surface of the heat insulating box 2 and the upper part of the front opening, and the heat radiating pipe disposed between the outer box and the inner box. In the process of passing through 22, the temperature decreases due to the heat dissipation action and 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.

  When the detected value of the internal temperature by the internal temperature sensor 33 is larger than the threshold value Ton, the control unit 30 operates the compressor 21 to flow the refrigerant through the cooler 4 to cool the inside of the refrigerator. When the detection value of the sensor 33 reaches the lower limit temperature Toff or less, the compressor 21 is stopped and the cooling in the refrigerator is terminated, thereby maintaining the temperature in the refrigerator within a predetermined temperature range.

  In addition to the internal temperature sensor 33, the control unit 30 controls the operation of the compressor 21 based on the detection result of the microphone 32.

  Specifically, time is measured by a timer provided in the control unit 30, and the microphone 32 detects the sound pressure outside the refrigerator every predetermined time (for example, every 10 minutes), and the rate of change in the detected value of the microphone 32 is calculated. The control unit 30 calculates. The control unit 30 performs compression when the rate of decrease in the sound pressure detected by the microphone 32 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (hereinafter referred to as the silent mode) and in other cases (hereinafter referred to as the normal operation mode). The upper threshold value Ton for starting the operation of the machine 21 is set to a different temperature. That is, the control unit 30 executes control for setting the upper limit threshold value Ton to the first threshold value T1 (for example, T1 = 4 ° C.) in the normal operation mode, and the upper limit threshold value Ton is higher than the first threshold value T1 in the silent mode. Control for setting the second threshold value T2, for example, the upper threshold value Ton to a temperature 10 ° C. higher than the first threshold value T1 (T2 = T1 + 10 ° C.) is executed.

  Thus, if the rate of decrease in the sound pressure detected by the microphone 32 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the control unit 30 is not required to cool the refrigerator because there is no user or is sleeping at the place where the refrigerator is installed. And the silent mode in which the upper threshold value Ton for starting the operation of the compressor 21 is set to the second threshold value T2 higher than the first threshold value T1 set in the normal operation mode is executed. Thereby, in the silent mode, the compressor 21 is less likely to operate than in the normal operation mode, and it is possible to prevent the refrigerator from being unnecessarily cooled or preventing the compressor from being activated at sleep and disturbing sleep. it can.

  Further, during the silent mode, the increase rate of the sound pressure detected by the microphone 32 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, or the door switch 10 detects the opening / closing of the door 3, or is provided in the control unit 30. The time is measured by a timer, and when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of execution of the silent mode by the control unit 30, the control unit 30 lowers the upper limit threshold value Ton of the internal temperature from the second threshold value T2 to the first threshold value T1 and ends the silent mode. The normal operation mode can be executed. Whether or not the silent mode is used, that is, when the reduction rate of the sound pressure detected by the microphone 32 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control unit 30 ends the normal operation mode and executes the silent mode, or As long as the refrigerator is powered on, the silent operation mode is not executed and the normal operation mode is always executed, which can be arbitrarily selected by the user by operating a switch or an operation panel. It is good.

  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 addition, the defrosting of the cooler 4 can also be performed during execution of the silent mode.

  When it is detected from the time measured by the timer mounted on the control unit 30 that the time during which the defrosting is not continued continues for 24 hours, the operation of the compressor 21 is stopped and the defrosting is started. 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.

(Second embodiment)
In the refrigerator of the second embodiment, an illuminance sensor 31 connected to the control unit 30 is provided outside the refrigerator in addition to the refrigerator of the first embodiment. The position of the illuminance sensor 31 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect the illuminance in the room where the refrigerator is installed, and can be provided on the front surface, the upper surface, the side surface, or the upper outside of the door 3.

  The refrigerator of the present embodiment measures time by a timer provided in the control unit 30, the illuminance sensor 31 detects the illuminance outside the refrigerator every predetermined time (for example, every 10 minutes), and the microphone 32 is outside the refrigerator. The sound pressure is detected, and the control unit 30 calculates the rate of change in the detection values of the illuminance sensor 31 and the microphone 32. When the decrease rate of the illuminance is equal to or higher than the predetermined value and the decrease rate of the sound pressure is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the control unit 30 has no user at the place where the refrigerator is installed or is sleeping, It is determined that the necessity for cooling is low, the normal operation mode is terminated, and the silent mode in which the upper limit threshold value Ton is set to the second threshold value T2 higher than the first threshold value T1 is executed. Even in such a case, as in the first embodiment, the compressor 21 is less likely to operate in the silent mode than in the normal operation mode, and the refrigerator is unnecessarily cooled or the compressor is started at bedtime. And can prevent disturbing sleep.

  In addition, during execution of the silent mode, the increase rate of illuminance and sound pressure detected every predetermined time is not less than a predetermined value, the door switch 10 detects opening / closing of the door 3, or provided in the control unit 30. The time is measured by the timer, and when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the execution of the silent mode by the control unit 30, the control unit 30 lowers the upper limit threshold value Ton of the internal temperature from the second threshold value T2 to the first threshold value T1. And the normal operation mode can be executed.

  In addition, since the other structure and effect | action are the same as that of said 1st embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  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 insulating 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, 12 is an interior light, 13a and 13b are door pockets, 14 is a soundproof mat, 15 is a leg, 15a is an adjustment leg, 16 is an external display, 17 is an external lamp, 20 is a machine room, 21 is a compressor, 22 is a heat radiating pipe, and 23 is a dryer. , 24 is a capillary tube, 25 is a suction pipe, 30 is a control unit, 31 is an illuminance sensor, 32 is a microphone, and 33 is an internal temperature sensor.

Claims (7)

A cooler for cooling the inside of the refrigerator;
A compressor for supplying refrigerant to the cooler;
A microphone that detects the sound pressure outside the refrigerator;
An internal temperature sensor for detecting the internal temperature of the refrigerator,
A controller that operates the compressor to start cooling inside the refrigerator when the internal temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor becomes higher than a threshold value,
The said control part is a refrigerator which performs control which sets the said threshold value to a 2nd threshold value higher than the 1st threshold value set to another case, when the decreasing rate of the sound pressure detected by the said microphone is more than predetermined value. It has an illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance outside the refrigerator,
When the decrease rate of the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is greater than or equal to a predetermined value and the decrease rate of the sound pressure detected by the microphone is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the threshold value is set in another case. The refrigerator according to claim 1 which performs control which sets to the 2nd threshold higher than 1 threshold. When the increase rate of the sound pressure detected by the microphone is greater than or equal to a predetermined value during the execution of the control by the control unit,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the threshold value from the second threshold value to the first threshold value and ends the control. When the increase rate of illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is greater than or equal to a predetermined value during execution of the control by the control unit, or when the increase rate of sound pressure detected by the microphone is greater than or equal to a predetermined value In addition,
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the control unit changes the threshold value from the second threshold value to the first threshold value and ends the control. When a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of execution of the control by the control unit,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit changes the threshold value from the second threshold value to the first threshold value and ends the control. It has a door switch that detects the opening and closing of the refrigerator door,
During the execution of the control by the control unit, when the door switch detects opening and closing of the refrigerator door,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit changes the threshold value from the second threshold value to the first threshold value and ends the control.   The refrigerator of any one of Claims 1-6 provided with the operation part which can select whether the said control is used by a user's operation.

Images