JP2019117047A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that can provide further energy saving for the cooling operation while a user goes out.SOLUTION: A refrigerator provides: a normal mode of not saving power; a power-saving mode of operating cooling while saving power; and a go-out mode of operating cooling while saving power more than that in the power-saving mode during a period from when a user goes out until when the user comes home. The refrigerator ends the go-out mode when the door is opened and ends the power-saving mode with an operation by the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

  In the cooling operation of the conventional refrigerator, a power saving mode having a power saving effect higher than that of the normal mode is provided, and energy saving is performed by delaying the defrosting operation or raising the set temperature in the cold storage. The transition from the normal mode to the power saving mode is performed by the opening / closing frequency of the door, the operation of the operation panel, the human detection sensor or the like.

JP, 2005-156104, A

  However, even when shifting to the power saving mode, the user does not open and close the refrigerator door at all, and energy saving is limited. However, in recent years, users have become more aware of energy saving, and it is necessary to respond to the needs.

  Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems, the embodiment of the present invention aims to provide a refrigerator that can realize more energy saving with regard to the cooling operation while the user is out.

  In the present embodiment, a storage room provided in a cabinet, a door of the storage room, a normal mode in which power saving is not performed, a power saving mode in which a power saving cooling operation is performed, and a user going out And a control unit for realizing a running-out mode for performing a power saving cooling operation from the power saving mode when the user is absent, and the control unit ends the running-out mode when the door is opened, It is a refrigerator which ends the said power saving mode by operation of the said user.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the upper part of the state which opened the door of the refrigerator. It is a figure of the refrigerating cycle of a refrigerator. It is a front view of a control panel. It is a block diagram of a refrigerator. It is a figure which shows the relationship between R start temperature and R end temperature in normal mode, power saving mode, and outing mode. It is a flow chart which shows control of outing mode. It is a flowchart which similarly shows the control method of outing mode.

Hereinafter, the refrigerator 10 of one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated based on FIGS. 1-8.
(1) The structure of the refrigerator 10 The structure of the refrigerator 10 is demonstrated based on FIG. 1, FIG. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the refrigerator 10. As shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cabinet 12 of the refrigerator 10 is comprised of an outer case and an inner case, and has a heat insulating structure with a heat insulating material therebetween. In the cabinet 12, a refrigerator compartment 14, a vegetable compartment 16, an ice making room 18, and a large freezing room 20 are provided in this order from the top, and a small freezing room (not shown) is provided beside the ice making room 18. An insulating partition is provided between the vegetable compartment 16 and the icemaker 18.

  An ice making apparatus 22 is disposed inside the ice making chamber 18, and a tank 24 for supplying water to the ice making apparatus 22 is disposed below the cold storage room 14. Moreover, the control board 26 of the refrigerator 10 is attached to the back upper part of the refrigerator compartment 14. A machine room 28 is provided at the back of the freezing room 20, ie, at the bottom of the cabinet 12. In the machine room 28, a compressor 38 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the doors 14 a and 14 b of the double-opening type are provided on the front of the refrigerator compartment 14, and on the front of the vegetable compartment 16, the icemaker 18, the icemaker and the freezer compartment 20 as shown in FIG. Is provided with drawer-type doors 16a, 18a, 20a. As shown in FIG. 2, a control panel 40 for the user to operate the refrigerator 10 is provided on the front of the door 14 a on the left side of the cold storage compartment 14. The operation panel 40 will be described in detail later. In addition, touch type door switches 15, 15 for automatically opening the doors 14a, 14b are provided on the front surfaces of the doors 14a, 14b, and the door switches are provided on the upper surface of the cabinet 12 A pair of left and right door pressing portions 42 for pressing the doors 14 a and 14 b forward by the operation of 15 is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the door open / close detectors 14c, 14d for detecting the open / close of the doors 14a, 14b, and the door open / close detectors 16b, 18b, 20b for detecting the open / close of the drawer type doors 16a, 18a, 20a are also cabinet 12 Provided in

  As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigeration evaporator (hereinafter referred to as “R EVA”) 30 is provided below the back of the vegetable compartment 16, and above the R EVA 30 a refrigerator internal fan (hereinafter referred to as The "R fan" 32) is provided. A defrost heater (hereinafter referred to as "R defrost heater") 44 for R EVA is provided below R EVA 30, and a refrigeration defrost sensor (hereinafter referred to as "R A defrost sensor ") 54 is provided.

  A freezer evaporator (hereinafter referred to as "F EVA") 34 is provided on the upper rear surface of the freezer compartment 20, and a freezer internal fan (hereinafter referred to as "F fan") 36 is disposed above the F EVA 34. It is provided. A defrost heater (hereinafter referred to as "F defrost heater") 46 for F EVA is provided below F EVA 34, and a defrost sensor for refrigeration (hereinafter referred to as "F A frost sensor ") 56 is provided.

  A cold storage internal temperature sensor (hereinafter referred to as “R sensor”) 50 for detecting the internal temperature of the cold storage 14 is provided on the back of the cold storage 14. An internal temperature sensor (hereinafter referred to as “F sensor”) 52 for detecting the temperature inside the freezer compartment 20 is provided on the back of the large freezer compartment 20.

(2) Refrigeration cycle 60
Next, the refrigeration cycle 60 of the refrigerator 10 will be described based on FIG.

  From the discharge side of the compressor 38, the inlets of the condenser 62, the dew proof pipe 64, and the three-way valve 66 are connected in order.

  To one R outlet of the three-way valve 66, a refrigeration capillary tube (hereinafter referred to as "R capillary tube") 68, an R EVA 30, and an R accumulator 69 are connected.

  At the other outlet F of the three-way valve 66, a capillary tube for freezing (hereinafter referred to as "F capillary tube") 70, an F EVA 34, an F accumulator 71, and a check valve 72 are connected.

  The outlet side of the check valve 72 and the outlet side of the accumulator 69 become one, and then reach the suction side of the compressor 38 through the suction pipe 74.

  In the refrigeration cycle 60, the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 38 to change into a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, and becomes a liquid refrigerant while radiating through the condenser 62 and the dew proof pipe 64. The liquid refrigerant is sent to the R capillary tube 68 or the F capillary tube 70 by the three-way valve 66 and decompressed so as to be easily vaporized by the R capillary tube 68 or the F capillary tube 70. Or, it evaporates in the F EVA 34, and cool air is generated by taking heat from the surroundings. The refrigerant which has taken heat from the surroundings flows to the respective accumulators 69 and 71, and the respective accumulators 69 and 71 separate the refrigerant in the form of a gas-liquid mixture into a gaseous refrigerant and a liquid refrigerant, respectively. Only the refrigerant is returned to the compressor 38 through the suction pipe 74 and compressed again to be a high temperature / high pressure gaseous refrigerant.

(3) Operation panel 40
The door 14a of the refrigerator compartment 14 is provided with a control panel 40 as shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of the operation panel 40. As shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, on the upper stage 401 of the operation panel 40, the type of control performed by the refrigerator 10 is displayed, and when the control is being performed, the lamps of these display portions are lit. For example, when "single-cell freezing" is performed, the lamp of the "single-cell freezing" display part is turned on.

  In the middle stage of the operation panel 40, switches 405 for making a single ice by using the refrigerator compartment 14, temperature control switches 402, 403, 404 in the freezer compartment 20, and the ice making device 22 are provided.

  At the lower part of the operation panel 40, a power saving switch 406 for starting / terminating a power saving mode, which will be described later, and a go-to switch 408 for starting / terminating the outing mode are provided. Below the outpost switch 408, a seven-segment digital date and time display unit 410 is provided.

  The user can control the refrigerator 10 by operating the operation panel 40.

(4) Electrical Configuration of Refrigerator 10 Next, the electrical configuration of the refrigerator 10 will be described based on the block diagram of FIG.

  The control board 26 is provided with a control unit 76 including a microcomputer, a CPU, etc., and has a built-in timer 78 for measuring time. In the control unit 76, as shown in FIG. 4, the ice making device 22, the compressor 38, the R fan 32, the F fan 36, the three-way valve 66, the R defrost heater 44, the F defrost heater 46, the operation panel 40, The R sensor 50, the F sensor 52, the R defrost sensor 54, the F defrost sensor 56, the door open / close detectors 14c, 14d, and the door open / close detectors 16b, 18b, 20b are connected. The control panel 40 is connected to a power saving switch 406, a go-out switch 408, and a date and time display unit 410.

  The motor of the compressor 38 is inverter-controlled by the control unit 76, and the rotation speed is variable by frequency control such as PWM control, and the higher the rotation speed, the larger the amount of supplied refrigerant.

  The control unit 76 executes the normal mode, the power saving mode, the cooling operation in the outing mode, the defrosting operation, and the ice making operation described below.

(5) Normal mode A refrigeration operation (hereinafter referred to as "R mode") in which the control unit 76 cools the refrigeration chamber 14 and the vegetable chamber 16 using the refrigeration cycle 60, the ice making chamber 18, the small freezer, a large A freezing operation (hereinafter referred to as "F mode") for cooling the freezing chamber 20 is alternately performed, and a defrosting operation and an ice making operation are also performed. Hereinafter, this operation is referred to as a "normal mode" cooling operation.

  In the R mode, the control unit 76 closes the F outlet of the three-way valve 66, opens the R outlet, and causes the liquid refrigerant to flow to the R evaporator 30. The control unit 76 also turns on the R fan 32 and turns off the F fan 36. The liquid refrigerant that has flowed to the R air 30 cools the R air 30, and the cooled air (cold air) is sent to the cold room 14 and the vegetable room 16 by the R fan 32. The control unit 76 starts the R mode when the internal temperature detected by the R sensor 50 rises above the R start temperature TR0, and ends the R mode when the detected internal temperature falls to the R end temperature TR1. Thereby, the inside temperature of the refrigerator compartment 14 and the vegetable compartment 16 is maintained at 1 ° C. to 5 ° C.

  In the F mode, the control unit 76 closes the R outlet of the three-way valve 66, opens the F outlet, and causes the liquid refrigerant to flow to the F evaporator 34. The control unit 76 also turns off the R fan 32 and turns on the F fan 36. The liquid refrigerant that has flowed to the F EVA 34 cools the F EVA 34, and the cooled air (cold air) is sent by the F fan 36 to the small cold storage room, the ice making room 18, and the large freezing room 20. The control unit 76 starts the F mode when the internal temperature detected by the F sensor 52 rises above the F start temperature TF0, and ends the R mode when the detected internal temperature falls to the F end temperature TF1. As a result, the temperatures inside the small-sized refrigerator, the icemaker 18, and the large freezer 20 are maintained at -18 ° C to -26 ° C. Depending on the temperature inside the refrigerator, it may be necessary to simultaneously start the R mode and the F mode. In such a case, the control unit 76 prioritizes the F mode.

(6) Defrosting Operation The control unit 76 carries out the defrosting operation once a day. In the defrosting operation, the cooling is stopped, the R defrost heater 44 heats the R EVA 30, the F defrost heater 46 heats the F EVA 34, and the R defrost sensor 54 and the F defrost sensor 56 have a predetermined temperature. When (for example, 2 ° C.) or more, the control unit 76 determines that the defrosting of the R EVA 30 and the F EVA 34 is finished, and the defrosting operation is finished.

(7) Ice Making Operation When the detection lever 22a of the ice making device 22 built in the ice making chamber 18 does not detect ice, the control unit 76 determines that all the ice is used, and starts the ice making operation. In the ice making operation, in the F mode, water is supplied from the tank 24 in the cold storage compartment 14 to the ice making tray 22 b of the ice making device 22 to carry out ice making. This ice making operation is performed every predetermined time until the ice making box 22c becomes full. If the ice making operation is performed once, for example, 10 pieces of ice are produced, and if the ice making box 22c is filled with 50 pieces of ice, the ice making operation is performed 5 times every hour.

(8) Power Saving Mode Next, the power saving mode will be described. The refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment can implement a power saving mode in which the power saving effect is higher than the cooling operation in the normal mode. In the power saving mode, the control unit 76 performs control under the following cooling condition in order to limit power consumption.

  First, the control unit 76 sets the maximum number of revolutions of the motor of the compressor 38 to M1 lower than the maximum number of revolutions M0 of the normal mode. This can lower the maximum power consumption by the motor.

  Second, the control unit 76 raises the R start temperature TR0 and R end temperature TR1 in the R mode, and raises and sets the F start temperature TF0 and F end temperature TF1 in the F mode. The temperature will be described in detail later.

  Third, the maximum number of revolutions W1 of the R fan 32 and the F fan 36 is set to be lower than the maximum number of revolutions W0 of the normal mode.

  Fourth, the control unit 76 sets the interval of the ice making operation not every hour but every two hours.

  Fifth, regarding the defrosting operation, the control unit 76 widens the interval of the defrosting operation and lowers the energization ratio of the R defrost heater 44 and the F defrost heater 46.

  In this manner, the control unit 76 realizes a power saving mode in which the power saving effect is higher than the cooling operation in the normal mode. The power saving mode can be started by the user turning on the power saving switch 406 of the operation panel 40, and can be ended by the user turning off the power saving switch 406 again.

(9) Outgoing mode The refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment can carry out the “outing mode” which has a power saving effect more than the power saving mode. The “outing mode” is a control method that is performed focusing on the fact that the user is not present and does not open the doors 14 a to 20 a of the refrigerator 10 until the user goes home after going out. That is, since the user is out when the cooling operation is performed, there is no need for the control unit 76 to prepare for an increase in the temperature inside the chamber due to the doors 14a to 20a being opened or to notify the user of information. Even if the cooling operation is performed with a cooling capacity lower than that of the power saving mode, the internal temperature can be maintained, and no information is output. Therefore, in the outing mode, the cooling operation of the power saving mode is performed from the power saving mode to realize the energy saving. Specifically, the cooling operation in the outing mode is performed under the following cooling conditions.

  First, the control unit 76 sets the number of revolutions of the motor of the compressor 38 to the maximum number of revolutions M0 of the normal mode and the maximum number of revolutions M2 lower than the maximum number of revolutions M1 of the power saving mode. However, it is M0> M1> M2.

  Second, the control unit 76 sets the R start temperature TR0 and R end temperature TR1 in the R mode higher than in the power saving mode and sets the F start temperature TF0 in the F mode and the F end temperature TF1 further in the power saving mode. Raise and set. FIG. 6 shows the internal temperature setting of the refrigerator compartment 14. The vertical axis shows the internal temperature (° C.), and the horizontal axis shows the normal mode, the power saving mode, and the outing mode.

  In the normal mode, the R start temperature is set to 5 ° C., and the R end temperature is set to 1 ° C.

  In the power saving mode, the R start temperature is set to 7 ° C., and the R end temperature is set to 3 ° C.

  In the outing mode, the R start temperature is set to 10 ° C., and the R end temperature is set to 5 ° C.

  Thirdly, the control unit 76 turns off all the lamps in the display portion of the control board 40, and disables the operation of each switch.

  Fourth, regarding the defrosting operation, the control unit 76 changes the operating condition to that in the normal mode, and extends the interval of the defrosting operation from the power saving mode, or the R defrost heater 44 and the F defrost heater 46 Decrease the power supply rate.

  Fifth, the control unit 76 also changes the operating condition of the ice making operation from that in the normal mode, and once the ice making operation is performed in the absence of ice, it is not performed at all. As described above, the ice making operation is performed only once in the absence of ice because ice may be needed immediately when the user returns home.

When the outing mode is started, it can be started by turning on the outing switch 408 of the operation panel 40 by the user.
If the user returns home before the end time, the process ends when the doors 14a to 20a are opened.

  When the outing mode is ended, the user ends by pressing and holding the outing switch 408 of the operation panel 40, or when the user opens the doors 14a to 20a, the operation ends.

  In addition, the user can set the time for executing the go-to mode by using the date and time display unit 410. For example, if the leaving time is 6 hours, counting is performed by the timer 78 of the control unit 76 so that the outing mode can be ended after 6 hours, and the outing mode is ended after 6 hours.

(10) Control Method of Outing Mode Next, a control method of the control unit 76 in the outing mode will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the user turns on the switch 408 on the operation panel 40 in step 1, the process proceeds to step 2.

  In step S2, the control unit 76 starts the outing mode, and proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, the control unit 76 determines an end condition whether the doors 14a to 20a are opened, the switch on the switchboard 40 of the operation panel 40 is operated, or the end time of the switch-out mode has come, and the control unit 76 If the end condition is satisfied, the outing mode is ended. If the end condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step S2.

  Next, the outing mode will be described based on FIG.

  When the control unit 76 starts the outing mode in step S2, in step S11, the control unit 76 goes out the R start temperature, R end temperature, F start temperature, and F end temperature of the refrigerator compartment 14 and the freezer compartment 20. The cooling conditions are changed, the operating conditions of the defrosting operation and the ice making operation are also changed, and the process proceeds to step S12.

  In step S12, the control unit 76 uses the detection lever 22a of the ice making device 22 to determine whether or not there is ice in the ice making box 22c. If there is no ice, the process proceeds to step S13. The process proceeds to step S14.

  In step S13, the control unit 76 performs the ice making operation once using the ice making device 22, and proceeds to step S14.

  In step S14, the control unit 76 stops the ice making operation of the ice making device 22 and proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, control unit 76 determines whether or not the present internal cold storage temperature satisfies the changed cooling conditions, and if the changed cooling conditions are satisfied, the process proceeds to step S16 and is provided. If not, the process proceeds to step S17.

  In step S16, the control unit 76 cools the inside of the refrigerator 10 based on the changed cooling condition, and proceeds to step S15.

  In step S17, the control unit 76 determines whether or not the modified operating condition of the defrosting operation is satisfied, and if the operating condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S18, and if not, the go-to mode is set. continue.

  In step S18, the control unit 76 performs the defrosting operation based on the changed operating condition of the defrosting operation, and continues the go-out mode when the defrosting operation ends.

(11) Effects According to the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, the R start temperature, the R end temperature, the F start temperature, and the F start temperature higher than the power saving mode in the outing mode with higher power saving effect than the power saving mode Because the cooling operation is performed at the end temperature, more effective energy saving can be realized. In particular, since the doors 14a to 20a are not opened at all while the user is out, it is easy to maintain the inside temperature, and cooling can be performed even if the cooling operation is performed with a refrigeration capacity lower than that in the power saving mode.

  In addition, in the outing mode, by stopping the ice making operation, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the water supply motor of the ice making device 22 and the motor that rotates the ice making tray.

  Further, in the outing mode, by stopping the operation of the control board 40, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of switching elements such as transistors and FETs of the substrate built in the control board 40, LEDs, and backlights.

  In the defrosting operation, the defrosting operation is not stopped even if the intervals of the defrosting operation are extended or the energization rates of the R defrost heater 44 and the F defrost heater 46 are lowered even in the outing mode. As a result, even in the outing mode, the defrosting operation is stopped, frost is attached to the R EVA 30 and the F EVA 34, and the cooling effect does not deteriorate.

  Further, by having various exit patterns of the outing mode, it is possible to prevent the continuation of the outgoing mode carelessly.

(12) Modified Example In the above embodiment, the cooling condition, the condition of the ice making operation, and the condition of the defrosting operation are changed. However, in addition to this, the electrification rate of the anti-dew heater may be lowered in the hanging out mode.

  In the above embodiment, the control unit 76 immediately starts the go-out mode when the go-out switch 408 is turned on, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also good. The reason for this is that even after the user turns on the outing switch 408, the refrigerator 10 may be opened and closed before going out, and in this case, the outing mode can be prevented from being released.

  In the above embodiment, the outing mode is ended at the designated time, but the timer 78 and the date and time display unit 410 are omitted, and the outing mode is ended only by opening / closing the door or operating the outing switch 408. It may be possible.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the ice making operation is completely stopped when there is ice, but instead of this, the ice making operation may be performed at intervals more than in the normal mode and the power saving mode. .

  Moreover, the conduction rate of the anti-dew heater provided in the cabinet of the refrigerator 10 may also be lowered during the outing mode.

  If the refrigerator 10 is provided with a sterilizer for sterilizing the refrigerator compartment 14 or the like, the sterilizer operates even if the outing mode is implemented. As a result, the interior of the refrigerator is always clean.

  Further, with regard to the term "outing mode", other terms may be used as long as it is a term that clearly indicates that the cooling operation is performed while the user is out, and the outing mode, the away mode, and the like may be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although demonstrated with the refrigerator 10 which has a power saving mode, you may mount the function of outing mode also not only in this but in the refrigerator which does not have a power saving mode.

  Also, while certain embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and the gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Refrigerator, 12 ... Cabinet, 14 ... Refrigeration room, 22 ... Ice making apparatus, 44 ... R defrost heater, 46 ... F defrost heater, 76 ... Control part

Claims (7)

A storage room provided in the cabinet,
The door of the storage room,
The normal mode in which power saving is not performed, the power saving mode in which cooling operation of power saving is performed, and the power saving cooling operation in power saving mode from the power saving mode when the user is absent from leaving to leaving home Control unit to realize
Have
The control unit
The outing mode is ended when the door is opened, and the power saving mode is ended by the operation of the user.
refrigerator. The control unit extends the interval of the defrosting operation from the normal mode during the outing mode.
The refrigerator according to claim 1. The control unit does not perform ice making operation during the outing mode.
The refrigerator according to claim 1. The control unit performs only the first ice making operation in the outing mode, and does not thereafter.
The refrigerator according to claim 3. The control unit stops the display of the control panel of the refrigerator in the outing mode.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The control unit starts the outing mode after a lapse of a predetermined time from when the start operation of the outing mode operation means is performed.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The control unit operates the sterilization apparatus even in the outing mode.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images