JP2017089947A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of freezing an object to be frozen efficiently through over-cooling, even when the object to be frozen is relatively large.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes: an upper stage freezing chamber 5 for storing objects to be frozen; a compressor 31 for constituting a refrigeration cycle for cooling cold air supplied to the upper stage freezing chamber 5; and a blower 23 for blowing the cold air to an object 26 to be frozen. Also, a temperature sensor 34 for measuring the temperature of the object to be frozen is arranged at an upper portion of the upper stage freezing chamber 5. When the refrigerator 1 performs a supercooling operation, when the temperature of the object 26 to be frozen measured by the temperature sensor 34 becomes below a first temperature, control means operates the compressor 31 continuously. Also, when the temperature of the object 26 to be frozen becomes below a second temperature which is lower than the first temperature, the control means operates the compressor 31 continuously, and at the same time, operates the blower 23 to blow the cold air to the object to be frozen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator that cools and stores food and the like in a storage chamber, and particularly relates to a refrigerator that has a function of freezing food and the like in a freezing chamber through supercooling.

  Conventionally, a freezing method has been used in which food is frozen through a supercooled state during freezing in a freezer compartment. When this method is used, since ice crystals are small and it is difficult to destroy food cells, the effect of reducing drip after thawing can be obtained.

  Patent Document 1 describes a refrigerator having the above-described supercooling function. Specifically, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 8, when the user presses the supercooling button, the control means accumulates the time of stage 1 in step S100, and then in step S101, the accumulation of supercooling time starts. To do. Here, a time until the supercooling temperature is reached from room temperature is determined in advance, and the system waits until the time elapses, that is, in the case of NO in step S101. If the predetermined time has elapsed, that is, if step S101 is YES, the process proceeds to step S102. In step S102, control is performed to automatically change the temperature inside the supercooling case to the low temperature side. Until the predetermined time elapses, that is, while step S103 is NO, the control means performs the process of step S102. If it is determined that the accumulated time of stage 2 and stage 3 has reached a predetermined time, that is, if step S103 is YES, in step S104, the control means sets the set temperature of the thermistor and the speed of the compressor and fan to normal values. return. By performing such a cooling operation, it is possible to achieve supercooling of food with less energy and improve the quality of the frozen food.

  Patent Document 2 describes a supercooling control refrigerator 100 that performs a supercooling operation while detecting the indoor temperature of a freezer. Specifically, referring to FIG. 9, supercooling control refrigerator 100 includes freezing room 101, and the front opening thereof is closed by doors 105 and 106. In addition, a cooler 102 and a fan 107 that blows the cool air cooled by the cooler to the freezer compartment 101 side are arranged on the back side of the freezer compartment 101. Further, a compressor 104 for compressing the refrigerant is disposed below the freezer compartment 101. When performing the supercooling operation, the control means realizes supercooling by changing the rotational speed of the fan 107 according to the temperature state of the freezer compartment 101.

JP 2008-267646 A JP 2011-7487 A

  However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1 described above, since the fan and the compressor are intermittently operated at any stage, the cooling capacity for generating the supercooling time is not sufficiently large. There was a problem that drip at the time of thawing could not be reduced.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, the rotation speed of the fan 107 is variable according to the temperature condition of the freezer compartment 101. For example, if a food such as meat having a weight of several kg is frozen in a supercooled state, It was difficult to generate cooling. Furthermore, even in a portion close to the surface of the food, supercooling could not be generated. In such a case, similarly to the above, there is a problem that a lot of drip occurs during thawing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even if the object to be frozen stored in the freezer compartment is relatively large, the object to be frozen can be efficiently frozen through supercooling. An object is to provide a refrigerator that can be used.

  The refrigerator of the present invention is configured by sequentially connecting a freezer compartment for storing the object to be frozen, a compressor, a condenser, an expansion means, and an evaporator, and is supplied to the freezer compartment by the evaporator. A refrigeration cycle for cooling the cool air; a first blower for blowing the cold air to the freezer; a second blower for blowing the cold air blown by the first blower toward the object to be frozen; Temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the frozen material, and control means for controlling the operation of the refrigeration cycle and the second blower based on the output of the temperature measuring means, and during the supercooling operation, the control The means continuously operates the compressor of the refrigeration cycle when the temperature of the object to be frozen measured by the temperature measuring means is lower than a preset first temperature, and the temperature measuring means The object to be frozen measured in Temperature, the When the lower second temperature which is set lower than the first temperature, characterized by operating the second fan.

  Furthermore, the refrigerator according to the present invention is characterized in that the control means prohibits the defrosting operation while the compressor is continuously operated during the supercooling operation.

  Furthermore, the refrigerator according to the present invention is characterized in that the control means operates the compressor intermittently for a certain period after the supercooling operation is started.

  Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the control means is configured to remove the removal when the temperature of the object to be frozen measured by the temperature measurement means falls below a third temperature set lower than the second temperature. It is characterized by permitting frost operation.

  Furthermore, the refrigerator of the present invention is characterized in that the temperature measuring means is a radiation thermometer that measures a surface temperature of the object to be frozen.

  The refrigerator of the present invention is configured by sequentially connecting a freezer compartment for storing the object to be frozen, a compressor, a condenser, an expansion means, and an evaporator, and is supplied to the freezer compartment by the evaporator. A refrigeration cycle for cooling the cool air; a first blower for blowing the cold air to the freezer; a second blower for blowing the cold air blown by the first blower toward the object to be frozen; Temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the frozen material, and control means for controlling the operation of the refrigeration cycle and the second blower based on the output of the temperature measuring means, and during the supercooling operation, the control The means continuously operates the compressor of the refrigeration cycle when the temperature of the object to be frozen measured by the temperature measuring means is lower than a preset first temperature, and the temperature measuring means The object to be frozen measured in Temperature, the When the lower second temperature which is set lower than the first temperature, characterized by operating the second fan. Accordingly, the compressor of the refrigeration cycle is continuously operated stepwise according to the temperature of the object to be frozen measured by the temperature measuring means, and cold air is blown to the object to be frozen by the second blower. Even when a large food or the like is employed as a frozen product, the food can be overcooled to reduce the amount of drip at the time of thawing.

  Furthermore, the refrigerator according to the present invention is characterized in that the control means prohibits the defrosting operation while the compressor is continuously operated during the supercooling operation. Therefore, by not performing defrosting while continuously operating the compressor to increase the cooling capacity, the cold air cooled by the cooler is continuously supplied to the freezer compartment, and temperature control is precisely performed. Can do.

  Furthermore, the refrigerator according to the present invention is characterized in that the control means operates the compressor intermittently for a certain period after the supercooling operation is started. Therefore, in the initial stage of the supercooling operation, the speed at which the object to be frozen is cooled can be appropriately controlled by intermittently operating the compressor.

  Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the control means is configured to remove the removal when the temperature of the object to be frozen measured by the temperature measurement means falls below a third temperature set lower than the second temperature. It is characterized by permitting frost operation. Therefore, when the to-be-frozen object falls below the third temperature, it is determined that the to-be-frozen object is frozen, and the cooling capacity of the cooler can be recovered by performing the defrosting operation.

  Furthermore, the refrigerator of the present invention is characterized in that the temperature measuring means is a radiation thermometer that measures a surface temperature of the object to be frozen. Therefore, by adopting a radiation thermometer as the thermometer, the surface temperature can be measured without contacting the object to be frozen.

It is a front external view of the refrigerator concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the refrigerator concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the refrigerator concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the refrigerator concerning embodiment of this invention, and is side sectional drawing which shows the structure of an upper stage freezer compartment periphery. It is a figure which shows the refrigerator concerning embodiment of this invention, (A) is side sectional drawing which shows the structure of an upper stage freezer compartment periphery, (B) is a perspective view which shows a partition member. It is a flowchart which shows the cooling operation at the time of performing the time of a supercooling driving | operation with the refrigerator concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows the cooling operation at the time of performing the time of a supercooling driving | operation with the refrigerator concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows supercooling operation | movement in the refrigerator concerning background art. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the structure of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator concerning background art.

  Hereinafter, the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail based on drawing.

  FIG. 1 is a front external view showing a schematic structure of the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a right side sectional view of the refrigerator 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 includes a heat insulating box 2 as a main body, and forms a storage room for storing food and the like inside the heat insulating box 2. As the storage room, the uppermost stage is the refrigeration room 3, the lower left side is the ice making room 4, the right side is the upper freezing room 5, the lower stage is the lower freezing room 6, and the lowermost stage is the vegetable room 7. Here, since the ice making chamber 4, the upper freezing chamber 5, and the lower freezing chamber 6 are all storage chambers in the freezing temperature range, they may be simply referred to as the freezing chamber 4A. In this embodiment, the upper freezer compartment 5 has a function of freezing the stored object to be frozen through a supercooled state. This function will be described later.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 is illustrated as having a plurality of storage rooms. However, the refrigerator 1 having only one freezing room is adopted, and the freezing room is subjected to overcooling to be frozen. A function of freezing an object may be provided.

  The basic function of the refrigerator 1 is to cool an object to be stored such as food stored in each storage room to a predetermined temperature. That is, the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 3 is in the refrigerator temperature region, the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 4A is in the refrigerator temperature region, and the vegetable chamber 7 in the refrigerator temperature region.

  The front surface of the heat insulation box 2 is opened, and doors 8 to 12 are provided in the opening portions corresponding to the respective refrigeration chambers 3 and the like so as to be freely opened and closed. The door 8 is supported by the heat insulation box 2 so that the upper and lower portions on the right side are rotatable. Moreover, the doors 9-12 are supported by the heat insulation box 2 so that it can be pulled out forward of the refrigerator 1.

  Here, an operation panel 27 is provided on the front surface of the door 8, and various functions of the refrigerator 1 are executed when the user operates the operation panel 27. For example, when the user presses an operation button on the operation panel 27, a supercooling operation for supercooling the object to be frozen 26 is executed in the upper freezer compartment 5. This matter will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the heat insulation box 2 which is the main body of the refrigerator 1 is disposed with a steel plate outer box 2a having an opening on the front surface and a gap inside the outer box 2a. And an inner box 2b made of synthetic resin having an opening. Further, a heat insulating material 2c made of polyurethane foam is filled and foamed in the gap between the outer box 2a and the inner box 2b. In addition, each door 8-12 employ | adopts the heat insulation structure similar to the heat insulation box 2. FIG.

  The refrigerator compartment 3 and the ice making chamber 4 and the upper freezer compartment 5 located at the lower stage are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 36. The heat insulating partition wall 36 is a synthetic resin molded product, and the inside thereof is filled with a heat insulating material. The lower freezer compartment 6 and the vegetable compartment 7 are separated by a heat insulating partition wall 37.

  The ice making chamber 4 and the upper freezing chamber 5 are partitioned by a partition wall that does not appear in the drawing. The ice making chamber 4 and the upper freezing chamber 5 and the lower freezing chamber 6 provided in the lower stage communicate with each other so that cold air can flow freely.

  A supply air passage 15 for flowing the cooled air to the refrigerating chamber 3 is formed on the back surface and the top surface of the refrigerating chamber 3 inside the inner box 2b. Similarly, a supply air passage 14 partitioned by a synthetic resin partition wall 38 is formed on the back side of the ice making chamber 4 and the upper freezing chamber 5.

  Above the upper freezer compartment 5, an air passage that is partitioned by a synthetic resin partition member 20 and communicates with the supply air passage 14 is formed. A blower 23 is arranged on the upper surface of the upper freezer compartment 5 to send cold air to the upper freezer compartment 5 during the supercooling operation. The blower 23 is a second blower for blowing cool air to the object to be cooled.

  On the further back side of the supply air passage 14 inside the inner box 2b, there is provided a cooling chamber 13 that is divided and formed by a partition member 39. An opening connecting the cooling chamber 13 and the supply air passage 14 is formed in the partition member 39 above the cooling chamber 13, and a blower 32 for circulating air is disposed in the opening. The blower 32 is a first blower for supplying cold air to each storage chamber. On the other hand, below the cooling chamber 13, an opening 13 b is formed for sucking the return cold air from the storage chamber into the cooling chamber 13.

  The upper freezer compartment 5 is provided with a storage container 29 for storing an object to be frozen such as food. The storage container 29 is a substantially box-shaped synthetic resin container opened upward. The storage container 29 is incorporated in a frame (not shown) fixed to the door 10, and is configured to be able to be drawn forward together with the door 10.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the mounting plate 24 is disposed inside the storage container 29. Thereby, an air path is ensured under the mounting plate 24, and the to-be-frozen thing 26, such as a foodstuff, can be frozen through a supercooling more efficiently. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the ice crystals of the object to be frozen, which is a food, to make it difficult to destroy the cells of the food and to suppress the occurrence of drip. This matter will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  Here, although the to-be-frozen object can be efficiently cooled by employ | adopting the mounting plate 24, the mounting plate 24 does not need to be provided. In this case, the object to be frozen 26 is placed on the bottom surface portion of the storage container 29.

  Inside the cooling chamber 13, a cooler 33, which is an evaporator for cooling the circulating air, is disposed. The cooler 33 is connected to the compressor 31, a condenser (not shown), and a capillary tube (not shown) as an expansion means via a refrigerant pipe, and constitutes a vapor compression refrigeration cycle circuit. A defrost heater 19 for periodically melting frost attached to the surface of the cooler 33 is disposed below the cooler 33.

  Moreover, the refrigerator 1 is provided with the control means which consists of CPU which is not shown in figure, the indoor temperature in each storage chamber is measured with the thermometer which is not shown in figure, and the electric signal which shows this room temperature is input into a control means. The control means controls the compressor 31, the blower 32, the blower 23, the defrost heater 19, the air path switch 18, and the like based on an electrical signal input from a thermometer or the like.

  Next, a basic cooling operation of the refrigerator 1 having the above configuration will be described.

  First, the control means operates the compressor 31 constituting the vapor compression refrigeration cycle circuit, whereby the air in the cooling chamber 13 is cooled by the cooler 33. The cool air cooled by the cooler 33 is discharged from the opening of the cooling chamber 13 to the supply air passage 14 by the blower 32 operated by the control means.

  A part of the cooling air discharged to the supply air passage 14 is adjusted to an appropriate flow rate by the air passage switch 18 formed of a motor damper, flows to the supply air passage 15, and is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 3. Thereby, the food etc. which were stored in the inside of the refrigerator compartment 3 can be cooled and preserve | saved at appropriate temperature.

  The cold air supplied to the inside of the refrigerator compartment 3 is supplied to the vegetable compartment 7 through a connection air passage (not shown). And the cold air which circulated through the vegetable compartment 7 returns to the inside of the cooling compartment 13 through the return air passage 17 and the opening 13b of the cooling compartment 13. Therefore, it is cooled again by the cooler 33.

  On the other hand, a part of the cooling air discharged to the supply air passage 14 is supplied to the ice making chamber 4 and the upper freezing chamber 5. Then, the air inside the ice making chamber 4 and the upper freezer compartment 5 flows to the communicating lower freezer compartment 6, and the air inside the lower freezer compartment 6 flows through the lower portion of the lower freezer compartment 6, and passes through the opening 13 b of the cooling chamber 13. To the inside of the cooling chamber 13.

  As described above, the air cooled by the cooler 33 circulates in the storage chamber, and freezing and refrigeration storage of foods and the like are performed. In this embodiment, a supercooling operation function for freezing the article to be frozen 26 accommodated in the upper freezer compartment 5 in accordance with a user operation is provided. This function will be described later.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing electrical connection of the refrigerator 1. With reference to this figure, a control board 47 built in the refrigerator 1 is mounted with a CPU 30 as a control means for controlling the operation of each part of the refrigerator 1. Further, the above-described upper freezer compartment 5 is provided with a blower 23 that blows cool air against the object 26 during the supercooling operation, and a motor built in the blower 23 is an output side terminal of the CPU 30. It is connected to the. Further, as described above, a temperature sensor 34 that is an infrared thermometer that measures the surface temperature of the object to be frozen 26 is disposed in the upper freezer compartment 5, and this temperature sensor 34 is connected to an input side terminal of the CPU 30. It is connected.

  The control button 35 provided on the operation panel 27 is connected to the input side terminal of the CPU 30. And the compressor 31 and the defrost heater 19 are each connected to the output side terminal of CPU30.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the configuration near the upper freezer compartment 5 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the structure around the upper freezer compartment 5 and corresponds to the cross section taken along the line AA shown in FIG.

  With reference to this figure, a storage container 29 having a substantially box shape is disposed in the upper freezer compartment 5, and a placement plate 24 is disposed in the storage container 29. The mounting plate 24 has a quadrangular shape in plan view. As a material of the mounting plate 24, a metal plate or a resin plate having a plurality of holes, a wire mesh, or the like is employed.

  The storage container 29 is partitioned into two spaces by the mounting plate 24. Specifically, the internal space of the storage container 29 is partitioned into a first region 44 above the placement plate 24 and a second region 45 below the placement plate 24. The first region 44 is a region in which the object to be frozen 26 such as food to be frozen is stored, and the object to be frozen 26 is placed on the upper surface of the placement plate 24. The 2nd field 45 is a field for cold air to pass under use conditions. Inside the storage container 29, the first region 44 and the second region 45 communicate with each other via a hole formed in the mounting plate 24.

  The partition member 20 is a member made of a plate-like resin, and is a member for dividing the air path at the upper end of the upper freezer compartment 5. A plurality of communication ports 21 are formed in the partition member 20 with a predetermined shape and arrangement so that the cold air in the upper freezer compartment 5 passes uniformly. The opening 22 is formed behind the communication port 21, that is, on the back side of the upper freezer compartment 5, and the blower 23 is disposed in the opening 22.

  The blower 23 is an axial blower in which a rotary fan is housed in a casing. The casing of the blower 23 is fixed to the upper surface side of the partition member 20.

  A temperature sensor 34 is disposed in the upper part of the upper freezer compartment 5. The temperature sensor 34 is a radiation thermometer such as an infrared sensor, for example, and measures the surface temperature of the object to be frozen 26 placed on the upper surface of the placement plate 24. In this embodiment, when the supercooling operation is performed in accordance with a user instruction, the cooling capacity is adjusted while the temperature of the object to be frozen 26 is measured by the temperature sensor 34. This matter will be described later.

  Referring to FIG. 5A, when the blower 23 is operated to perform the supercooling operation, the cold air cooled by the cooler 33 shown in FIG. The air passage 40 is formed by being fed into the first region 44. Specifically, the cold air constituting the air passage 40 that travels diagonally forward is blown onto the surface of the object to be frozen 26.

  A part of the cold air forming the air passage 40 passes through the hole 25 of the mounting plate 24 and enters the second region 45 from the blower 23. Thereafter, the cold air moves forward in the second region 45 to form the air passage 41.

  The cold air that has progressed to the vicinity of the front end of the upper freezer compartment 5 inside the second region 45 passes through the hole 25 of the mounting plate 24 and moves from the second region 45 toward the first region 44. As a result, an air passage 42 that travels upward in the first region 44 is formed.

  Thereafter, the cold air constituting the air passage 42 enters between the partition member 20 and the heat insulating partition wall 36 via the communication port 21 provided in the partition member 20. And the cold which penetrate | invaded this area | region forms the air path 43 which advances toward back. The air path 43 reaches the blower 23.

  From the above, when the blower 23 is operated under use conditions, a path through which the cold air is circulated in the order of the air paths 40, 41, 42, 43 is formed. Thereby, the temperature difference in the upper freezer compartment 5 is reduced, and freezing through supercooling is promoted.

  Further, in this embodiment, at the time of the supercooling operation, not only the side and the upper side of the object to be frozen 26 but also the lower side thereof forms an air passage to distribute the cold air. Accordingly, the object to be frozen 26 is uniformly cooled from the periphery at a low temperature of, for example, about −20 ° C. or less, so that the temperature difference in the inside is reduced and a situation in which overcooling is likely to occur is realized.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the temperature sensor 34 is disposed above the object to be frozen 26, and the cooling capacity for cooling the upper freezer compartment 5 is adjusted while measuring the upper surface temperature of the object to be frozen 26. Therefore, since it can supercool, confirming the condition of the to-be-frozen object 26, the freezing which reduced the drip is attained. This matter will be described later.

  With reference to FIG. 5 (B), the structure of the partition member 20 is explained in full detail. A plurality of communication ports 21 are formed in a predetermined shape and arrangement so that the inside of the upper freezer compartment 5 is uniformly cooled. Here, a communication port 21 elongated in the width direction is formed.

  The blower 23 is an axial flow blower including a rotary fan 23a that is, for example, a propeller fan, a casing 23b, and a fan motor (not shown). In the blower 23, the casing 23 b is fixed to the upper surface side of the partition member 20. Here, the cool air constituting the air passage 46 from the cooler and the air passage 43 from the upper freezer enters the fan 23a.

  An inclined surface 20a that is gradually inclined downward toward the rear is formed at the rear portion of the partition member 20, that is, the back side. And the opening part 22 is formed in the inclined surface 20a, and the air blower 23 is arrange | positioned in the opening part 22. FIG.

  Since the blower 23 is disposed on the inclined surface 20a, the rotation axis of the fan 23a is not vertical but is inclined in the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 1. Specifically, the blower 23 is disposed such that its blowing direction, that is, the rotation axis direction on the blowing side of the fan 23a is directed downward and inclined forward.

  Next, based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 and the timing chart shown in FIG. 7, the operation of the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment will be described focusing on the supercooling operation with reference to the above-described drawings. Here, the following operations are controlled by the CPU 30 which is a control means. In FIG. 7, a graph is shown in the upper part and a timing chart is shown in the lower part. In the upper graph, the horizontal axis indicates the elapsed time, and the vertical axis indicates the freezer temperature or the temperature indicated by the temperature sensor 34. Moreover, in this graph, the surface temperature of the to-be-frozen thing 26 measured with the temperature sensor 34 shown in FIG. 4 is shown with a dotted line, and the internal temperature of the upper stage freezer compartment 5 is shown with the dashed-dotted line.

  First, the flow of cold air in the normal cooling operation performed in step S10 will be described. With reference to FIG. 4, in a normal cooling operation, a part of the cool air sent from the cooling chamber 13 to the supply air passage 14 by the blower 32 passes through the air outlet 28 and flows into the upper freezer compartment 5. As already described, in the normal cooling operation, a part of the cold air in the supply air passage 14 is supplied to the ice making chamber 4 (see FIG. 2) and the lower freezer compartment 6, and the supply air passage 15 is provided. Is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 3 via

  The cold air flowing from the supply air passage 14 mainly flows into the upper freezer compartment 5 from the opening 22. A part of the cold air flowing from the supply air passage 14 flows into the upper freezer compartment 5 through the communication port 21. Here, during normal cooling, the blower 23 disposed in the opening 22 of the partition member 20 is not operated, but the cool air passes around the blower 23 in a stopped state. The cold air supplied to the upper freezer compartment 5 flows to the lower freezer compartment 6 below it. This normal cooling operation is continuously performed until the supercooling operation is started, that is, in the case of NO in step S11.

  Further, in the case of the normal operation described above, the control means intermittently operates the compressor 31 included in the refrigeration cycle based on the output of the thermometer. Specifically, referring to FIG. 2, a thermometer (not shown) is arranged in any one or a plurality of refrigerator compartment 3, freezer compartment 4A and vegetable compartment 7, and based on the output of this thermometer. Thus, the control means operates the compressor 31 intermittently. Thereby, the refrigerator compartment 3, the freezer compartment 4A, and the vegetable compartment 7 are maintained in a predetermined temperature range.

  Next, when step S11 is YES, a supercooling driving | operation is started by a user pressing down the operation button with which the operation panel 27 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. On the other hand, when the user does not press the operation button, step S11 is NO and the supercooling operation is not started.

  At this time, the object to be frozen 26 is stored in the upper freezer compartment 5 shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, meat or the like weighing several kg can be adopted as the object to be frozen 26. In general, it is not easy to freeze such a large object to be frozen 26 through a supercooled state. However, in this embodiment, by adopting a cooling method described later, the object to be frozen 26 passes through a supercooled state. Is frozen.

  When the supercooling operation is started, while step S12 is NO, the process waits for a predetermined time α to elapse. Here, the predetermined time α is, for example, 20 seconds. Then, when step S12 becomes YES and the predetermined time α has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, the defrosting process is prohibited. Here, the defrosting operation will be described. Specifically, referring to FIG. 2, when the cooling operation is continued, frost adheres to the air-side heat transfer surface of the cooler 33, hinders heat transfer and blocks the air flow path. Therefore, the control means determines frost formation from a decrease in the refrigerant evaporation temperature and starts a defrosting operation for removing frost adhering to the cooler 33. When performing the defrosting operation, the control unit stops the operation of the compressor 31 and the blower 32 and closes the air path switch 18. Then, the control means energizes the defrost heater 19. Then, the frost adhering to the cooler 33 and the cooling chamber 13 is melted by the heat generated by the defrost heater 19. The water after melting the frost flows down to an evaporating dish (not shown). After the defrosting process is completed, the control unit operates the compressor 31 and the blower 32 again and supplies cold air to the upper freezer compartment 5.

  In the defrosting process, as described above, the compressor 31 is stopped. Therefore, during the defrosting process, the cool air cannot be supplied to the upper freezer compartment 5, and the temperature control of the upper freezer room 5 is not stable. There is a fear. Further, in the defrosting process, the air inside the cooling chamber 13 is heated by the defrosting heater 19, so that the temperature control of the upper freezing chamber 5 may not be stabilized. In this embodiment, by prohibiting the defrosting process in steps after step S <b> 13, the compressor 31 can be continuously operated, and cold air can be continuously supplied to the upper freezer compartment 5. Moreover, since the defrosting heater 19 does not generate heat by prohibiting the defrosting process, the upper freezing chamber 5 is not affected by the heating of the defrosting heater 19. Therefore, the temperature of the upper freezer compartment 5 can be accurately controlled in order to realize the supercooled state.

  In step S14, temperature measurement of the object to be frozen 26 is started. That is, referring to FIG. 4, information indicating the temperature of the object to be frozen 26 measured by the temperature sensor 34 is input to the control means. Since the temperature sensor 34 is an infrared thermometer, the temperature sensor 34 measures the temperature near the surface of the object 26 to be frozen.

  When step S15 is NO, the temperature of the object 26 measured by the temperature sensor 34 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature β. Here, β is a preset first temperature, and is set to −3 ° C., for example. Therefore, the control means moves to step S16, measures the temperature of the object to be frozen 26 with the temperature sensor 34, operates the compressor 31 intermittently to maintain the current state, and gradually cools the object 26 to be frozen. To do. In this embodiment, while the temperature of the object to be frozen 26 is equal to or higher than the temperature β, the cooling capacity is suppressed by intermittently operating the compressor 31 so that the temperature of the object to be frozen 26 does not drop too fast. I have to.

  On the other hand, when step S15 is YES, the temperature of the article 26 measured by the temperature sensor 34 is lower than the preset temperature β. In this case, the process proceeds to step S17, and the control unit continuously operates the compressor 31. In the timing chart of FIG. 7, the timing at which the compressor 31 starts operating continuously is indicated by T11.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the control means cools the air inside the cooling chamber 13 with the cooler 33 by continuously operating the compressor 31. At the same time, the control means also continuously operates the blower 32 and supplies the cool air cooled in the cooling chamber 13 to the upper freezing chamber 5. Accordingly, referring to FIG. 4, cold air is continuously supplied to the object to be frozen 26 stored in the upper freezer compartment 5. Thereby, the cooling capacity which cools the to-be-frozen object 26 becomes large.

  Here, in step S17, the control means operates the compressor 31 continuously, but does not operate the blower 23. The reason for this is to suppress the cooling capacity in this step and prevent the temperature of the object to be frozen 26 from dropping too quickly.

  Next, when step S18 is NO, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 34 is equal to or higher than a preset temperature γ. Here, γ is a preset second temperature, which is lower than β described above. A specific value of γ is set to −4.5 ° C., for example. In this case, the control means moves to step S19 and continuously operates the compressor 31 to cool the object to be frozen 26 while measuring the temperature of the object to be frozen 26 with the temperature sensor 34 in order to maintain the current state. To do.

  On the other hand, when step S18 is YES, the temperature of the object 26 measured by the temperature sensor 34 is lower than the temperature γ. In this case, it transfers to step S20 and a control means operates the air blower 23 continuously. In the timing chart of FIG. 7, the timing at which the compressor 31 starts operating continuously is indicated by T12.

  Specifically, in this step, the control unit operates the compressor 31 continuously and operates the blower 23 continuously. Therefore, referring to FIG. 5, when the control unit operates the blower 23, the cold air is blown onto the object to be frozen 26. Further, a part of the cool air blown by the blower 23 cools the object 26 while circulating through the air passages 40, 41, 42, 43.

  In this way, the control unit operates the compressor 31 and also operates the blower 23 to increase the air volume of the cold air supplied toward the object to be frozen 26 and to control the surface temperature of the object 26 to be frozen. Can be lowered rapidly. When freezing the object to be frozen 26, it is preferable to generate supercooling in the entire object to be frozen 26. However, if the object to be frozen 26 is, for example, a mass of about several kg, It is not easy to generate. Even in such a case, the drip at the time of thawing | decompression can be suppressed by generating supercooling near the surface of the to-be-frozen object 26 by this form.

  When step S21 is NO, the temperature of the object 26 measured by the temperature sensor 34 is equal to or higher than a preset temperature δ. Here, δ is a preset third temperature, which is a temperature lower than γ described above. A specific value of δ is set to −20 ° C., for example. Accordingly, the process proceeds to step S22, and the control means determines whether or not a predetermined time ε has elapsed since the start of the supercooling operation.

  On the other hand, if the temperature of the object to be frozen 26 measured by the temperature sensor 34 is lower than δ, it is determined YES in step S21, so it is determined that the object to be frozen 26 has been completely frozen and the defrosting step is permitted. Control goes to step S24.

  If the predetermined time ε has elapsed, YES is determined in step S22, and the process proceeds to step S24 in which the defrosting step is permitted. Here, the predetermined time ε is, for example, 25 hours. On the other hand, if the predetermined time ε has not elapsed, NO is determined in the step S22, so that the process proceeds to a step S23 and the control means maintains the current state. That is, the cool air cooled by continuously operating the compressor 31 is blown toward the object 26 by the blower 23.

  In step S24, it determines that the to-be-frozen object 26 was frozen and permits performing a defrosting step. That is, the frost attached to the surface of the cooler 33 is melted and removed by heating the defrost heater 19 by the method described above.

  Then, it transfers to step S25, complete | finishes a supercooling driving | operation, and transfers to a normal cooling driving | operation. That is, with reference to FIG. 2, the control means controls the compressor 31 and the like so that the internal temperature of each storage of the refrigerator 1 becomes a preset temperature.

  The above is description regarding the structure and operation | movement of the refrigerator 1 of this form.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Heat insulation box 2a Outer box 2b Inner box 2c Heat insulation material 3 Refrigeration room 4A Freezing room 4 Ice making room 5 Upper freezing room 6 Lower freezing room 7 Vegetable room 8 Door 9 Door 10 Door 11 Door 12 Door 13 Cooling room 13b Opening 14 Supply air passage 15 Supply air passage 17 Return air passage 18 Air passage switch 19 Defrost heater 20 Partition member 20a Inclined surface 21 Communication port 22 Opening portion 23 Blower 23a Fan 23b Casing 24 Mounting plate 25 Hole portion 26 Object to be frozen 27 Operation panel 28 Air outlet 29 Storage container 30 CPU
31 Compressor 32 Blower 33 Cooler 34 Temperature sensor 35 Control button 36 Heat insulation partition wall 37 Heat insulation partition wall 38 Partition wall 39 Partition member 40 Air passage 42 Air passage 43 Air passage 44 First region 45 Second region 46 Wind Path 47 control board 100 supercooling control refrigerator 101 freezer compartment 102 cooler 104 compressor 105 door 106 door 107 fan

Claims (5)

A freezer compartment for storing the object to be frozen;
A refrigeration cycle configured to sequentially connect a compressor, a condenser, an expansion unit, and an evaporator, and cools cold air supplied to the freezer compartment by the evaporator;
A first blower for blowing the cold air into the freezer;
A second blower that blows the cold air blown by the first blower toward the object to be frozen;
Temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the object to be frozen;
Control means for controlling the operation of the refrigeration cycle and the second blower based on the output of the temperature measuring means,
At the time of supercooling operation, the control means continuously turns on the compressor of the refrigeration cycle when the temperature of the object to be frozen measured by the temperature measuring means falls below a preset first temperature. Drive,
The refrigerator is characterized in that the second blower is operated when the temperature of the object to be frozen measured by the temperature measuring means falls below a second temperature set lower than the first temperature.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the control unit prohibits the defrosting operation while the compressor is continuously operated during the supercooling operation.   The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit intermittently operates the compressor for a certain period after the supercooling operation is started.   The control means permits the defrosting operation when the temperature of the object to be frozen measured by the temperature measurement means falls below a third temperature set lower than the second temperature. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the temperature measuring means is a radiation thermometer that measures a surface temperature of the object to be frozen.

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