JP2020101360A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that secures high safety even if temperature detection means for detecting that food is housed is installed.SOLUTION: A refrigerator comprises a freezing chamber comprising a food placement part and a case arranged above the food placement part, a temperature sensor arranged in the case, a first hole arranged below the temperature sensor, and a signal wire extending from the temperature sensor, and also comprises a second hole arranged in a lower surface of the case and different from the first hole, and a rib arranged around the second hole.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator for refrigerating or freezing and storing food, drinking water and the like.

Recently, due to changes in the family environment such as becoming a nuclear family and increasing number of dual-income couples, the method of freezing and storing in the freezer tends to be diversified. For the usage of the freezer in the home, in addition to the conventional usage of purchasing and storing food sold in the freezing temperature range, the stored food, for example, quick frozen storage of meat, or cooking of cooked food It has been proposed to use it mainly in a quick freezing mode such as quick freezing storage.

As a usage of such a freezer, for example, in Patent Document 1, when a temperature detecting means detects that cooked food having a high temperature is stored in the freezer, the compressor is driven to rapidly cool the food. There is disclosed a refrigerating method of stopping the quick freezing operation by the compressor when the temperature detecting means detects that the food has been cooled to a predetermined temperature.

Here, in paragraph 0031 of Patent Document 1, “the infrared sensor 126 is embedded in the upper heat insulating partition plate 104 on the ceiling surface of the freezer compartment 103, and the infrared radiation amount radiated from the food 125, the cold storage material 124, or the like causes It means that the temperature of the object to be measured is measured." and the temperature detecting means is an infrared sensor.

JP, 2010-25532, A

Although the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration on the assumption that an infrared sensor is used as the temperature detecting means, it does not disclose a configuration suitable when a thermistor is used instead of the infrared sensor. Further, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 does not disclose any safety aspect associated with the installation of the temperature detecting means.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a refrigerator that secures high safety even if a temperature detection unit that detects that food is stored is installed. is there.

To achieve the above object, the present onset Ming, a freezing chamber having a casing disposed above the food mounting portion, and the food mounting portion, and a temperature sensor disposed within the case, the temperature A refrigerator having a first hole arranged below a sensor and a signal line extending from the temperature sensor, the refrigerator being arranged on a lower surface of the case, the second hole different from the first hole, A rib arranged around the second hole.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that ensures high safety even if a temperature detecting unit that detects that food is stored is installed.

It is a front external view of a refrigerator to which the present invention is applied. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the vertical cross section of the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the structure inside the back surface in the refrigerator of the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the freezer compartment of one Example. It is an enlarged view of the vertical partition part attached to the freezer compartment of one example. It is a perspective view of the vertical partition of one example. It is a top view, a side view, and a bottom view of a bottom member of a vertical partition of one example. It is a top perspective view and a bottom perspective view of the bottom face member of the vertical partition of one example. It is a time chart which judges the presence or absence of food storage and performs rapid cooling operation. 10 is a flowchart for executing the time chart shown in FIG. 9. It is a time chart which performs rapid cooling operation based on another flow. 12 is a flowchart for executing the time chart shown in FIG. 11.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and applications within the technical concept of the present invention. Is also included in the range.

Before describing a specific embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of a refrigerator to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 1 is a front external view of the refrigerator, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross section of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view showing a configuration inside a rear surface of the refrigerator shown in FIG. Incidentally, the cross section of the ice making chamber is not shown in FIG.

1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 has a refrigerating room 2, an ice making room (which is a part of a freezing room) 3, an upper freezing room 4, a lower freezing room 5, and a vegetable room 6 from the upper side. Here, the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4 are provided side by side between the refrigerating chamber 2 and the lower freezing chamber 5. As an example, the refrigerating compartment 2 is a storage compartment in a refrigerating temperature zone of about +3° C. and the vegetable compartment 6 is about +3° C. to +7° C. Further, the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5 are storage chambers in a freezing temperature range of approximately -18°C. A vertical partition portion 53, which will be described later, is disposed vertically between the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4, and the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4 are separated by the vertical partition portion 53. Are arranged side by side. The upper freezer compartment 4 has a smaller width dimension than the lower freezer compartment 5 adjacent to the lower freezer compartment 5 and a smaller volume than the lower freezer compartment 5, and a small amount of food is frozen and stored.

The refrigerating compartment 2 is provided on the front side with left and right split double-door (so-called French type) refrigerating compartment doors 2a and 2b. The ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, the lower freezing chamber 5, and the vegetable chamber 6 are each provided with a drawer type ice making chamber door 3a, an upper freezing chamber door 4a, a lower freezing chamber door 5a, and a vegetable chamber door 6a.

In addition, a packing (not shown) with a built-in magnet is provided along the outer edge of each door along the outer edge of each door, and when each door is closed, the outside of the refrigerator formed of an iron plate is installed. It is configured to be in close contact with the flange of the box and each partition iron plate, and to prevent outside air from entering the storage chamber and leakage of cool air from the storage chamber.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, a machine room 11 is formed in the lower part of the refrigerator main body 10, and a compressor 12 is incorporated therein. The compressor 12 constitutes a refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator 1 together with a cooler 19 described later. Further, the cooler storage chamber 13 and the machine chamber 11 are communicated with each other by a drainage passage 14 so that condensed water can be discharged.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inside and outside of the refrigerator body 10 are separated from each other by a heat insulating box body 15 formed by filling a foam insulating material (foam polyurethane) between the inner box and the outer box. There is. The heat insulating box 15 of the refrigerator main body 10 has a plurality of vacuum heat insulating materials 16 mounted thereon. The refrigerator body 10 is divided into a refrigerating compartment 2, an upper freezing compartment 4 and an ice making compartment 3 (see FIG. 1, the ice making compartment 3 is not shown in FIG. 2) by the upper insulating partition wall 17a, and the lower heat insulating partition is formed. The lower freezer compartment 5 and the vegetable compartment 6 are partitioned by the wall 17b.

Further, a horizontal partition section 18 is provided above the lower freezer compartment 5. The horizontal partition section 18 vertically partitions the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5. However, since the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5 are fluidly connected, the same cold air is supplied. In addition, a vertical partition portion 53 that partitions the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4 in the left-right direction is provided above the horizontal partition portion 18.

The horizontal partition portion 18 comes into contact with the packing (not shown) provided on the storage chamber side surface of the lower freezer compartment door 5a together with the front surface of the lower heat insulating partition wall 17b and the left and right side wall front surfaces. The packing (not shown) provided on the surfaces of the ice making chamber door 3a and the upper freezing chamber door 4a on the storage chamber side includes a horizontal partition portion 18, a vertical partition portion 53 (FIG. 4), an upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, and a refrigerator body 10. By contacting the front surfaces of the left and right side walls of the, the movement of cold air between each storage chamber and each door is suppressed. Since the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5 are kept in the same freezing temperature zone, the heat insulation performance of the horizontal partition 18 and the vertical partition 53 is the same as the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a and the lower heat insulating wall 17a. Not as demanding as the heat insulating partition 17b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper freezing compartment 4, the lower freezing compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6 are attached with doors 4a, 5a, 6a provided in front of the respective storage compartments. Further, an upper freezing storage container 41 is arranged in the upper freezing chamber 4, and a plurality of stages of freezing storage containers, that is, an uppermost freezing storage container 63, an upper freezing storage container 61 and a lower freezing storage container 62 are provided in the lower freezing chamber 5. It is arranged. Furthermore, an upper vegetable storage container 71 and a lower vegetable storage container 72 are arranged in the vegetable compartment 6.

Then, the ice making chamber door 3a, the upper freezing chamber door 4a, the lower freezing chamber door 5a, and the vegetable chamber door 6a are respectively put on the handle portions not shown and pulled out to the front side, so that the ice making storage container 3b (not shown). ), the upper frozen storage container 41, the lower frozen storage container 62, the upper vegetable storage container 71, and the lower vegetable storage container 72 can be drawn out.

More specifically, the lower stage freezing storage container 62 has a flange on the upper side surface of the lower stage freezing storage container 62 suspended from a support arm 5d attached to a freezer compartment inner box, and the upper stage freezing storage container 61 includes the lower stage freezing storage container 62. It is placed on the upper side flange portion of the above, and the lower stage frozen storage container 62 and the upper stage frozen storage container 61 are pulled out at the same time when the freezing chamber door 5a is pulled out. The uppermost stage freezing storage container 63 is mounted on an uneven portion (not shown) formed on the side wall of the lower freezing chamber 5 and is slidable in the front-rear direction.

Similarly, the lower vegetable storage container 72 has its flange portion suspended on the support arm 6d attached to the inner box of the vegetable compartment door 6a, and the upper vegetable storage container 71 is placed on the flange portion of the lower vegetable storage container 72. There is. In addition, an electric heater 6C fixed to the heat insulating box 15 is provided in the vegetable compartment 6, and a temperature suitable for storing vegetables is prevented by the electric heater 6C so that the temperature of the vegetable compartment 6 is not overcooled. I am trying to become. The electric heater 6C may be provided if necessary, but in the present embodiment, the electric heater 6C is provided so that vegetables can be stored better.

Next, a method for cooling the refrigerator will be described. A refrigerator storage chamber 13 is formed in the refrigerator body 10, and a cooler 19 is provided therein as cooling means. The cooler 19 (as an example, a fin tube heat exchanger) is provided in the cooler storage chamber 13 provided at the back of the lower freezer compartment 5. A blower fan 20 (as an example, a propeller fan) is provided as a blower in the cooler storage chamber 13 and above the cooler 19.

The air cooled by heat exchange in the cooler 19 (hereinafter, the low-temperature air heat-exchanged in the cooler 19 is referred to as “cold air”) is fed by the blower fan 20 to the refrigerating compartment blower duct 21, the freezing compartment blower duct 22, And, it is sent to each storage room of the refrigerating room 2, the ice making room 3, the upper freezing room 4, the lower freezing room 5, and the vegetable room 6 via an ice making room air duct not shown.

The air blown to each storage room is controlled by a first air blow control means (hereinafter referred to as refrigerating room damper 23) for controlling the amount of air blown to the refrigerating room 2 in the refrigerating temperature zone and the freezing rooms 4 and 5 in the freezing temperature zone. It is controlled by a second air flow rate control means (hereinafter referred to as a freezer compartment damper 24) that controls the air flow rate. By the way, the air ducts to the refrigerating room 2, the ice making room 3, the upper freezing room 4, the lower freezing room 5, and the vegetable room 6 are located on the back side of the respective storage rooms of the refrigerator body 10 as shown by the broken lines in FIG. It is provided. Specifically, when the refrigerating compartment damper 23 is open and the freezing compartment damper 24 is closed, the cool air is sent to the refrigerating compartment 2 through the refrigerating compartment blower duct 21 from the multi-stage outlets 25.

Further, the cold air that has cooled the refrigerating compartment 2 is provided from the refrigerating compartment return port 26 provided at the lower part of the refrigerating compartment 2 to the refrigerator compartment-vegetable compartment communication duct 27 on the lower right rear side of the lower heat insulating partition wall 17b. The air is blown from the vegetable room outlet 28 to the vegetable room 6. The cool air returning from the vegetable compartment 6 passes through the vegetable compartment return duct inlet 29 provided in the lower front of the lower heat insulation partition wall 17b, the vegetable compartment return duct 30, and the vegetable compartment return duct outlet to the lower part of the cooler storage compartment 13. Return to. As another configuration, the refrigerator compartment-vegetable compartment communication duct 27 may not be communicated with the vegetable compartment 6 and may be returned to the lower right side when viewed from the upper surface of the cooler storage chamber 13 in FIG. As an example of this case, a vegetable compartment ventilation duct is arranged at the front projection position of the refrigerator compartment-vegetable compartment communication duct 27, and the cool air that has been heat-exchanged by the cooler 19 is directly blown from the vegetable compartment outlet 28 to the vegetable compartment 6. Come to do.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a partition member 31 is provided in front of the cooler storage chamber 13 to partition each storage chamber from the cooler storage chamber 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the partition member 31 is formed with a pair of upper and lower outlets 32a, 32b, 33a, 33b. When the freezer compartment damper 24 is in the open state, the cool air that has been heat-exchanged by the cooler 19 is used. Is blown by the blower fan 20 to the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4 from the outlets 32a and 32b through the ice making chamber blowing duct (not shown) and the upper stage freezing chamber blowing duct 34, respectively. Further, the air is blown to the lower freezer compartment 5 from the outlets 33a and 33b through the lower freezer compartment air duct 35. A blowout port may be added to the lower freezer compartment 5 if necessary.

Further, a control device equipped with a CPU, a memory such as a ROM and a RAM, an interface circuit and the like is provided on the upper surface side of the ceiling wall of the refrigerator body 10, and an outside air temperature sensor (not shown) and a cooler temperature sensor (not shown) are provided. No.), a refrigerating compartment temperature sensor (not shown), a vegetable compartment temperature sensor (not shown), a freezing compartment temperature sensor (first temperature detecting means 50, second temperature detecting means 52) described later, a door 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a door sensors (not shown) for detecting the open/closed state of each door, and a temperature setter (not shown) provided on the inner wall of the refrigerating chamber 2 are connected to the ROM to be installed in advance. According to the program, ON/OFF control of the compressor 12, control of each actuator for individually driving the refrigerator compartment damper 23 and the freezer compartment damper 24, ON/OFF control of the blower fan 20, rotation speed control, door opening. Control such as ON/OFF of an alarm for informing the state is performed.

Returning to FIG. 1, the refrigerating compartment door 2a is provided with an input control unit 40, and the input control unit 40 is connected to the control device described above. Therefore, the temperature of each storage compartment of the refrigerator 1 can be set by the input from the input control unit 40. For example, the temperature of each storage chamber is controlled by controlling the number of revolutions of the compressor 12, the number of revolutions of the blower fan 20, the opening and closing amounts of the refrigerator compartment damper 23 and the freezer compartment damper 24, and the like.

In the refrigerator having the above-mentioned configuration, it is required to arrange the temperature detecting means at an appropriate position where the presence/absence of food can be accurately detected to detect the food storage state. Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the freezer. In FIG. 4, the depth side end surface of the vertical partition (partition component without a vacuum heat insulating material) 53 for partitioning the ice making chamber 3 (upper left freezing chamber) and the upper freezing chamber 4 (upper right freezing chamber) A first temperature detecting means 50 using a thermistor is attached. A second temperature detecting means 52, which also uses a thermistor, is arranged on the rear wall 51 near the upper side of the lower freezer compartment 5.

In the present embodiment, the first temperature detecting means 50 measures the temperature of the space that is affected by the food temperature in the freezing compartment, and the second temperature detecting means 52 measures the temperature of the space that is not affected by the food temperature. is there. Therefore, it is determined whether or not food having a temperature higher than the freezing room temperature is stored in the upper freezing room 4 or the lower freezing room 5 based on the fluctuation state of the output signals of the two temperature detecting means. By using a thermistor for the first temperature detecting means 50, it is possible to detect a wider range of food temperature than when an infrared sensor that can detect only within the field of view is adopted, and to store food in the freezer more quickly. , Can be accurately detected. It should be noted that the second temperature detecting means 52 is a temperature detecting means that has already been provided in the related art, and therefore a detailed description of the configuration is omitted.

Now, as shown in FIG. 4, the first temperature detecting means 50, which is a feature of this embodiment, is a lower portion in the depth direction of the vertical partition portion 53 provided so as to be orthogonal to the horizontal partition portion 18, that is, It is provided in the vicinity of the outlets 32a and 33a for blowing out cool air. Details of these configurations will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the vertical partition portion 53 attached to the refrigerator 1. As shown here, the vertical partition portion 53 is an assembly in which the vertical member 53a and the bottom member 53b are integrated with the first temperature detecting means 50 built therein, and is fixed to the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a. Is.

The first temperature detecting means 50 includes a thermistor 50a, a connector 50c, and a signal line 50b connecting them, and the signal line 50b extends to the outside through the inside of the vertical partition 53. Further, since the connector 50c of the first temperature detecting means 50 is connected to the control device via the control device connector 50d, the control device is based on the signal from the thermistor 50a and the compressor 12, the blower fan 20, the freezer compartment. The damper 24 and the like can be controlled.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the vertical partition portion 53 separated from the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a. As shown here, on the upper surface of the vertical member 53a, a plurality of pairs of opposing mounting portions 53a1 having an L-shaped cross section are provided. Each of the mounting portions 53a1 is provided with a wall on the back side and is open on the front side. The upper heat insulation partition wall 17a is provided with a guide portion 17a1 having a T-shaped cross section at a position corresponding to the pair of the attachment portions 53a1. With this configuration, after connecting the connector 50c and the control device connector 50d, the guide portion 17a1 having a T-shaped cross section is fitted between the pair of mounting portions 53a1 so that the guide portion 17a1 contacts the inner wall of the mounting portion 53a1. The vertical partition 53 can be attached to a predetermined position by sliding the vertical partition 53 toward the front.

A cutout portion 53a2 having a substantially arcuate cross section is formed on the front side of the vertical member 53a. Thereby, even if the vertical partition 53 is slid and attached at a predetermined position, the signal line 50b is housed in the notch 53a2, and thus the signal line 50b can be prevented from being crushed by the vertical partition 53.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a storage portion is formed on the front side of the vertical member 53a for storing not only the signal line 50b but also the connector 50c. Therefore, the location of the connector 50c can be easily maintained from the front side of the vertical partition portion 53.

Next, the details of the bottom member 53b to which the first temperature detecting means 50 is attached will be described with reference to FIG. 7A, 7B, and 7C are a top view, a side view, and a bottom view of the bottom member 53b, respectively. 701 is a screw boss, 702 is a drain hole, 702a is a rib, and 703 is a lattice.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the thermistor 50a is installed on the inner side of the upper surface of the bottom member 53b (case). The signal wire 50b that connects the thermistor 50a and the connector 50c is wound around the screw boss 701. Even if the signal wire 50b is pulled during manufacturing, the force is borne by the screw boss 701. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects such as disconnection at the connection between the signal line 50a and the signal line 50b. Further, the bottom surface member 53b is provided with a drain hole 702 penetrating up and down, and water vapor in the vertical partition portion 53 and water dropped from the vertical member 53a are allowed to escape downward so that ice is formed in the vertical partition portion 53. And prevent water from collecting.

Here, by winding the signal line 50b around the plurality of screw bosses 701, it is possible to more reliably prevent defects such as disconnection. The target to which the signal line 50b is wound is not limited to the screw boss 701, but may be another protrusion in the vertical partition 53. Further, instead of winding the signal line 50b around the plurality of protrusions, the signal line 50b may be wound around one protrusion multiple times.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the screw boss 701 provided on the upper surface of the bottom surface member 53b protrudes largely upward, and the vertical member 53a and the bottom surface member 53b are integrated with each other by the screw inserted inside. To form an assembly. A rib 702a is provided on the lower surface of the bottom surface member 53b so as to surround the water drainage hole 702 and project downward.

Here, the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law requires that a predetermined insulation distance be provided between the charging portion such as the signal line 50b and a portion of the refrigerator 1 that can be touched by the user in order to improve safety. In the vertical partition portion 53 of the present embodiment, the signal line 50b and the lower end of the rib 702a are separated from each other by providing the rib 702a having a predetermined height around the drain hole 702, and the signal line serving as the charging portion is provided. The creepage distance between the lower end of the rib 702a that can be touched by the user and the rib 702a is set larger than the insulation distance defined by the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law. The total thickness of the bottom surface member 53b and the rib 702a is 1 mm or more.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, a grid 703 is formed on at least the vertical projection of the thermistor 50a in the bottom member 53b, and in FIG. 8B. As shown, since the lattice 703 is provided at a position recessed from the lower surface of the bottom member 53b, the thermistor 50a provided at the upper surface of the lattice 703 is provided at a position largely recessed above the lower surface of the bottom member 53b. It is supposed to be.

Generally, a thermistor has a characteristic that it is greatly affected by cold air blown directly, and if the thermistor is exposed and arranged near the outlet, there is a problem that the inside of the freezer cannot be accurately measured due to the effect of cold air. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the thermistor 50a is provided inside the vertical partition portion 53 and in the recessed region above the lower surface of the bottom surface member 53b, cold air is blown directly to the thermistor 50a. The temperature inside the freezer can be accurately measured.

Further, the thermistor 50 a measures the temperature of the freezer via the grid 703. The structure in which the thermistor 50a measures the temperature of the freezing room via the grid 703 is similar to the reason why the rib 72a is provided, and in response to the request of the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law, the thermistor 50a and a portion that the user can touch are This is to secure a sufficient creeping distance between them.

Next, returning to FIG. 4, the configuration in the vicinity of the vertical partition portion 53 will be further described. In the lower freezer compartment 5, a lower stage freezing storage container 62, an upper stage freezing storage container 61, and an uppermost stage freezing storage container 63 are arranged from below. In such a configuration, it is assumed that raw meat or cooked food is stored in the uppermost freezing storage container 63 of the lower freezer compartment 5.

At this time, the first temperature detecting means 50 is located in the vertical projection of the uppermost freezing storage container 63 of the lower freezer compartment 5, higher than the upper end of the uppermost freezing storage container 63, and at the lower end of the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a. And the upper end of the upper freezing storage container 41 of the upper freezing chamber 4 is located at a lower position. As described above, since the first temperature detecting means 50 is arranged close to and above the uppermost stage freezing storage container 63, it is easily affected by the temperature of the food stored in the uppermost stage freezing storage container 63. ing. That is, the first temperature detecting means 50 measures the temperature of the space that is influenced by the temperature of the food stored in the uppermost frozen storage container 63.

On the other hand, the second temperature detecting means 52 is located outside the vertical projection of the uppermost freezing storage container 63 of the lower freezing compartment 5, specifically on the back side of the lower freezing compartment 5, and is separated from the uppermost freezing storage container 63. Therefore, the temperature of the food stored in the uppermost freezing storage container 63 is not limited to the temperature of the food stored in the uppermost freezing storage container 63, and the influence of the temperature of food stored in other than the upper freezing storage container 63 is similarly affected. That is, the second temperature detecting means 52 measures not only the temperature of the food stored in the uppermost freezing storage container 63 but also the temperature of the space of the entire freezer compartment. Therefore, by comparing the output state of the first temperature detecting means 50 and the time-series variation of the output signal of the second temperature detecting means 52, it is determined whether or not the food is stored in the uppermost stage frozen storage container 63. become able to.

Further, in this embodiment, since the first temperature detecting means 50 is not provided on the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, the vacuum heat insulating material is widely attached to the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, and the cold heat leaks from the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a. Can be suppressed. That is, since the transfer of heat between the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment is suppressed, power consumption for cooling the freezing compartment can be suppressed, and overcooling of the refrigerating compartment can also be suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the first temperature detecting means 50 is incorporated in the vertical partition portion 53 in advance, it is easy to assemble it in the refrigerator and the working efficiency can be improved.

Next, a determination method for determining whether or not food is stored will be described. FIG. 9 shows the behavior of each temperature detecting means and the operating state of the compressor when the determination is executed, and FIG. 10 shows the control flow thereof.

In FIG. 9, it is assumed that the target lower freezer compartment 5 door is opened at time t0, food such as raw meat is stored in the uppermost storage container 63, and closed at time t1. In this state, the compressor is normally operated in the cooling mode at a low rotation speed, and similarly, the blower fan is also operated at a low rotation speed.

When the food is stored, the temperature of the cold air around the food is less likely to decrease due to the influence of the temperature of the food, so the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 50 increases and even after the door is closed. High temperature continues for a while.

On the other hand, when the door is opened and closed but the food is not added, the temperature rise of the temperature detected by the first temperature detection means 50 is temporary, and the temperature is likely to drop after the door is closed. Therefore, when the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 50 remains above the food detection threshold for a certain period of time T1 or more, it can be determined that the food is stored.

The food detection determination based on the temperature detected by the first temperature detection means 50 described above is performed only when the detection temperature of the first temperature detection means 50 at time t0 when the lower freezer compartment door 5a is opened is less than the food detection threshold value. To do. In addition, the above-described food detection determination is performed only within the detection and monitoring reference time T0 by providing a fixed time as the detection and monitoring reference time T0 from the time t1 when the lower freezer compartment door 5a is closed. This is because the detected temperature of the first temperature sensor 50 may rise even when high-temperature food is stored in a storage room other than the lower freezer, such as the upper freezer and the refrigerator. Therefore, when the lower freezing compartment door 5a is already in a high temperature state, or when the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 50 increases without interlocking with the opening and closing of the lower freezing compartment door 5a, the lower freezing compartment is opened. It is assumed that food has not been put into the uppermost stage frozen storage container 63 of No. 5. As a result, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of determining that the food has been added and the subsequent malfunction when the food is not actually added.

Next, the control of the cooling operation will be described.

First, in the above-described food detection determination, when it is determined that food has not been added, the operation in the normal cooling mode is performed. In the normal cooling mode, when the temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means 52 reaches the compressor ON threshold (first threshold), the operation of the compressor is started to cool the freezing compartment. When the temperature inside the freezing compartment is sufficiently cooled and the temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means reaches the compressor off threshold (second threshold value), the operation of the compressor is stopped and the cooling inside the freezing compartment is suspended. Here, in consideration of energy saving and noise, it is desirable to operate the compressor at a rotation speed as low as possible. Therefore, when the compressor starts to operate, it operates at a low rotation speed (first rotation speed), and when the door is opened or closed or when the temperature detected by the second temperature detection means 52 becomes high. If necessary, the rotation speed is increased to a high rotation speed (second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed) to accelerate cooling of the freezing compartment. By repeating this operation, the temperature in the freezer compartment is adjusted so as to be kept within a predetermined range.

On the other hand, when it is determined in the food detection determination described above that food has been added, the process shifts to the quick cooling operation. In this rapid cooling operation, the same operation as in the normal cooling mode is performed until the temperature detected by the second temperature detection means 52 reaches the compressor off threshold, but when the compressor off threshold is reached, the operation of the compressor is stopped. Instead, lower the rotation speed from high to low to continue operation. Here, if the compressor is continuously operated at high rotation speed for a long time, the temperature of the freezer compartment may drop significantly, which may cause problems such as dew condensation, frost, and food freezing in the adjacent refrigerator compartment and vegetable compartment. .. However, it is possible to freeze the food quickly while suppressing the occurrence of the above-mentioned problems by extending the operating time by setting the compressor at a low speed and continuing to supply the cool air without interruption. For example, even for foods such as large-sized foods and high-temperature foods that require a long time to freeze, the supply of cold air can be continued for a longer period of time than in the case of high rotation, so the time until freezing can be reduced. The low-revolution compressor operation after reaching the compressor off threshold value is continued until the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 50 reaches the operation end threshold value.

However, as shown in FIG. 11, the compressor may be in a stopped state when it is determined that food has been added. At this time, according to the control in the normal cooling mode, the operation of the compressor is started after reaching the compressor on threshold value, and after the compressor off threshold value is reached, as described above, the first temperature detecting means 50 operates. The low rotation compressor operation is continued until the detected temperature reaches the operation end threshold. In this case, the compressor stops and the supply of cold air is interrupted at an early stage after the food is fed, but at this stage, the food reaches the range of -1°C to -5°C, which is still the ice crystal formation zone. It is thought that there are many that do not. Therefore, if cold air is continuously supplied after the compressor starts operating again, it becomes possible to quickly pass through the temperature zone of the above-mentioned ice crystal production zone, which is effective for maintaining freshness.

Next, the concept of the control flow for realizing the above-mentioned time chart will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

First, the normal cooling mode is executed in step S10. Here, it is detected in step S11 that the user has opened the door of the lower freezer compartment 5. When the door 5 of the lower freezer compartment 5 is opened in step S11, the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 is compared with the food detection threshold value in step S12, and if the detection temperature is already the food detection threshold value or more, step Proceeding to S24, it is determined that food has not been added, and in step S25 the normal cooling mode is entered.

When the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 50 is lower than the food detection threshold value in step S12, when it is detected in step S13 that the user has closed the door of the lower freezer compartment 5, the process proceeds to step S14, and detection monitoring is performed. Start timer count of time. Next, in step S15, the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 50 is compared with the food detection threshold value. If the detected temperature is equal to or higher than the food detection threshold value, the timer for the food detection time is started in step S16. Next, in step S17, it is determined whether or not the high temperature state continues for a predetermined time by comparing the food detection timer with the food detection reference time T1. When the food detection timer is less than the food detection reference time T1, the detection monitoring timer and the detection monitoring reference time T0 are compared in step S23, and when the detection monitoring timer has not reached the detection monitoring reference time T0, step S14. Return to and repeat. On the other hand, when the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 50 is lower than the food detection threshold value in step S15, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the detection monitoring timer is compared with the detection monitoring reference time T0. If the detection monitoring timer has not reached the detection monitoring reference time T0, the process returns to step S14 and is repeated. When the detection monitoring timer reaches the detection monitoring reference time T0 in step S23, the process proceeds to step S24, it is determined that no food is added, and the normal cooling mode is reached in step S25.

On the other hand, when the food detection timer reaches the food detection reference time T1 in S17, it is determined in step S18 that food has been loaded, and the process proceeds to the rapid cooling operation. First, after continuing the operation in the normal cooling mode in step S19, it is determined in step S20 whether the temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means 52 has reached the compressor off threshold value. If the detected temperature is higher than the compressor off threshold, the process returns to step S19 and is repeated. When the compressor off threshold is reached in step S20, the process proceeds to step S21, and the compressor is continuously operated at low speed. Then, in step S22, the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 50 and the operation end threshold value are compared. If the detected temperature is higher than the operation end threshold value, the process returns to step S21 and the same operation is repeated. When the operation end threshold is reached in step S22, the process proceeds to step S25 and the normal cooling mode is performed.

Further, in the case of the time chart of FIG. 11, after step S19, step S26 for determining whether or not the compressor is on is provided. If the compressor is off in step S26, the process returns to step S19 and is repeated. On the other hand, when the compressor is in the ON state in step S26, the process proceeds to step S20 and the same flow as described above is performed.

In this way, it becomes possible to control the execution of the rapid cooling mode by using the two temperature sensors to determine whether or not there is food in the uppermost stage frozen storage container 63. That is, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of automatically and rapidly freezing food containing a high temperature food or a large amount of food while suppressing deterioration of heat insulation performance between the upper freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment. For the upper freezing storage container 61 and the lower freezing storage container 62 other than the uppermost freezing storage container 63, the upper freezing storage container 61 and the lower freezing storage container 62 do not require temperature detection means and the user does not need to perform quick freezing. You can set. Further, the upper freezing compartment 4 may be a room that can be switched to not only the freezing temperature zone but also the refrigeration temperature zone.

Further, in the present embodiment, when it is determined that food has been put into the freezer, the compressor is first operated at high rotation, and the compressor is not stopped as it is or after the compressor is temporarily stopped, high rotation is performed. Operate continuously at low speed for a longer time than when. Therefore, even when the temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means 52 is lowered and the freezing chamber is cooled to the target temperature, it is possible to continue cooling the food that has not been cooled. As a result, the frequency of stopping and restarting the compressor can be reduced, and the life of the compressor can be maintained long. In addition, since the time for operating the compressor at high rotation speed can be shortened, not only can the overall power consumption be suppressed compared to the case of conventional rapid cooling operation, but noise and vibration caused by high rotation speed of the compressor can also be generated. Time can be shortened.

In addition, in this embodiment, the uppermost freezing storage container 63, which is the thinnest space having the smallest height dimension as compared with the storage container in the upper freezing compartment 4 and the other storage containers in the lower freezing compartment 5, is Since it is intended for freezing, it has advantages that it is difficult to stack foods when they are placed, and that storage and removal operations are easy. Further, since the uppermost freezing storage container 63 has a larger width dimension than the storage container of the upper freezing compartment 4, more foods can be arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

Here, an aluminum tray is laid as a metal heat conduction plate on substantially the entire surface of the uppermost stage freezing and storage container 63, and a plurality of convex portions or concave portions are formed in the depth direction and the left and right direction on the upper surface of the aluminum tray. Has been done. Since aluminum itself is a material having high thermal conductivity and the surface area is increased by a plurality of irregularities, the cooling performance of the uppermost freezing storage container 63 is higher than that of the upper freezing storage container 61 and the lower freezing storage container 62. It's getting higher. Then, cold air is supplied from outside the vertical projection of the uppermost stage freezing storage container 63, specifically, from a blower outlet at the same height as the uppermost stage freezing storage container 63 on the back side of the lower freezer compartment 5. Therefore, the food in the uppermost stage frozen storage container 63 is rapidly cooled. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which an aluminum tray is arranged in the uppermost storage container 63 of the lower freezer compartment 5 is shown, but there are a plurality of storage containers in the refrigerating compartment 2, and the uppermost storage container among them is the uppermost storage container. An aluminum tray may be arranged for chilled cooling, and this storage container may be the object of rapid cooling.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Refrigerator, 10... Refrigerator main body, 2... Refrigerating room, 3... Ice making room, 4... Upper freezing room, 5... Lower freezing room, 6... Vegetable room, 12... Compressor, 13... Cooler storage room, 17a... Upper heat insulating partition wall, 17a1... Guide part, 18... Horizontal partition wall, 19... Cooler, 20... Blower fan, 50... First temperature detecting means, 50a... Thermistor, 50b... Signal line, 50c... Connector, 50d... Control device connector, 51... Rear wall, 52... Second temperature detecting means, 53... Vertical partition part, 53a... Vertical member, 53a1... Mounting part, 53a2... Notch part, 53b... Bottom member, 54... Depth direction lower end part , 701... Screw boss, 702... Drain hole, 702a... Rib, 703... Lattice

Claims (5)

A freezer compartment including a food placing portion and a case arranged above the food placing portion;
A temperature sensor arranged in the case,
A first hole arranged below the temperature sensor;
A refrigerator having a signal line extending from the temperature sensor,
A second hole that is arranged on the lower surface of the case and that is different from the first hole;
A rib having a rib arranged around the second hole. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first holes are lattice-shaped holes that are arranged so as to include a region that is farther from the food placing portion than the lower surface of the case. Another room adjacent above the freezing room,
An insulating partition wall for partitioning the refrigerating room and the freezing room,
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature sensor is arranged at a position higher than an upper end portion of a container including the food placement portion and lower than the heat insulating partition wall. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the signal line is wound around a screw boss or a protruding portion. It has a door that opens and closes the opening of the freezer,
The case is removable from the refrigerator,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the signal line has a connector at a position closer to the door than the temperature sensor.

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