JP2020128826A - Cooling storehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator capable of suppressing an increase in temperature within the refrigerator and capable of suppressing accumulation of a leaked refrigerant in one place when the refrigerant is leaked.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes a refrigerating circuit for an inverter, a refrigerating circuit for constant speed, and a control part. The control part stops a compressor of a refrigerating circuit in which a difference between temperature of a condenser and an ambient temperature continues to be between 1 to 3K for six times and operates a compressor of the other refrigerating circuit when the difference between a condenser for an inverter and an ambient temperature at each 30 seconds continues to be between 1 to 3K for six times or the difference between a condenser for constant speed and an ambient temperature at each 30 seconds continues to be between 1 to 3K for six times under a condition in which opening of a heat insulation door is not detected by a thermistor within the refrigerator and the ambient temperature is 50°C or lower.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The technology disclosed herein relates to a cold store.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a cooling storage that detects a refrigerant leak in a refrigeration circuit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, when the temperature detected by the evaporation temperature sensor that detects the pipe temperature of the evaporator becomes equal to or lower than the vicinity of the boiling point of the refrigerant, it is determined that the refrigerant is leaking, and the leakage countermeasure control is performed. Then, in Patent Document 1, a leak handling control that includes a variable capacity compressor and an outside air temperature sensor that detects the outside air temperature and continuously operates with a predetermined ability according to the set temperatures of the outside air temperature and the inside temperature is provided. It is described to do.

JP, 2006-10126, A

However, according to the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 described above, when a refrigerant leak occurs in the refrigeration circuit, the variable capacity compressor is continuously operated, so that the refrigerant leak is accelerated and easily stays outside or inside the refrigerator. There is a problem. When the refrigerant is a flammable refrigerant, it is dangerous that the leaked refrigerant stays in one place.

In the present specification, a technique is disclosed in which, when a refrigerant leak occurs, the leaked refrigerant is prevented from staying in one place while suppressing an increase in the internal temperature.

A cooling storage disclosed in this specification includes a storage main body having an opening, a door for opening and closing the opening, a constant speed compressor having a constant rotation speed, a first condenser, and a first evaporator. Refrigerating circuit, a second refrigerating circuit having an inverter compressor whose rotation speed is variable, a second condenser and a second evaporator, an in-compartment temperature sensor for detecting an in-compartment temperature, and the door being opened. A detection unit that detects that the ambient temperature has been detected, an ambient temperature sensor that detects the ambient temperature, and a control unit, and the control unit is a cooling operation that operates the inverter compressor to cool the inside of the refrigerator. A cooling operation in which the inverter compressor is stopped when the temperature inside the refrigerator falls to the lower limit temperature of the cooling temperature range, and then the operation of the inverter compressor is restarted when the temperature inside the refrigerator rises to the upper limit temperature of the cooling temperature range; An auxiliary cooling operation for operating the constant speed compressor to supplementally cool the inside of the refrigerator when the inside temperature is higher than the upper limit temperature and the inside temperature does not decrease along a predetermined target line. And that the opening of the door is not detected by the detection unit and the ambient temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, the temperature and the ambient temperature of the first condenser at regular intervals. That the difference with the temperature is within a predetermined range continuously for a certain number of times or more, or the difference between the temperature of the second condenser and the ambient temperature for each certain time is within a predetermined range for a certain number of times or more. If it continues, the compressor in the refrigeration circuit that the difference is within the predetermined range is continued for the predetermined number of times or more, and the compressor in the other refrigeration circuit is operated.

As a result of earnest studies, the inventor of the present application has obtained the following findings.
-When the compressor is not operating, the temperature of the condenser does not rise, so the temperature of the condenser is close to the ambient temperature. Therefore, the difference between the temperature of the condenser and the ambient temperature becomes smaller than the lower limit value (1K) of the predetermined range (for example, 1 to 3K).
When the compressor is operating, the temperature of the condenser rises, so the difference between the temperature of the condenser and the ambient temperature becomes larger than the upper limit (3K) of the predetermined range.
When the difference between the temperature of the condenser and the ambient temperature is within the predetermined range, it is highly possible that the compressor is operating in the state of refrigerant leakage.
Therefore, if the difference between the condenser temperature and the ambient temperature is within the predetermined range for a certain number of times (that is, if the compressor is likely to be operating in a refrigerant leakage state), the refrigerant leakage will occur. It is desirable to execute a predetermined process (a process for rotating the condenser fan, a process for warning that a refrigerant leak may have occurred, etc.) regarding the above.
However, when the ambient temperature is high or the door is frequently opened and closed, the temperature of the condenser rises even in the state of refrigerant leakage, and the difference between the temperature of the condenser and the ambient temperature is outside the predetermined range ( For example, it may be larger than 3K). Therefore, if the difference between the temperature of the condenser and the ambient temperature is within the predetermined range for a certain number of times, the predetermined process may not be executed.
According to the above cooling storage, the difference between the temperature of the condenser and the ambient temperature is constant within the predetermined range under the condition that the door is not opened and the ambient temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature. Since the predetermined processing is executed when the number of times is continuous or more, it is possible to prevent the predetermined processing from being executed in the state of refrigerant leakage.
Further, according to the cooling storage described above, when the compressor is stopped due to a failure, the difference between the temperature of the condenser and the ambient temperature is outside the predetermined range (for example, smaller than 1K), so the predetermined processing is executed. Not done. For this reason, it is possible to suppress unnecessary execution of the predetermined process when the compressor is stopped due to a failure.
Then, according to the above cooling storage, when a refrigerant leak occurs in any of the refrigeration circuits, the compressor in the refrigeration circuit in which the refrigerant leak has occurred is stopped, and the compressor in the other refrigeration circuit is operated. Stopping the compressor of the refrigeration circuit in which the refrigerant has leaked can reduce the speed of refrigerant leakage, and thus the leaked refrigerant can be prevented from staying in one place. In addition, since the compressor of the other refrigeration circuit in which no refrigerant leakage has occurred is operated, it is possible to suppress the rise in the internal cold storage temperature.
Therefore, according to the above cooling storage, when a refrigerant leak occurs, it is possible to prevent the leaked refrigerant from staying in one place while suppressing an increase in the internal temperature.

The control unit may execute a predetermined process regarding refrigerant leakage when the difference is within the predetermined range for the predetermined number of times or more.

According to the cooling storage described above, the influence of the refrigerant leakage can be reduced by executing the predetermined processing regarding the refrigerant leakage.

The predetermined process may include a process of operating the inverter compressor at a maximum rotation speed when the difference in the first refrigeration circuit is within the predetermined range for the predetermined number of times or more.

According to the above cooling storage, it is possible to more reliably suppress an increase in internal temperature when a refrigerant leak occurs in the first refrigeration circuit.

A cooling storage disclosed in the present specification includes a storage main body having a first storage chamber and a second storage chamber, a first door that opens and closes an opening of the first storage chamber, and the second storage. A second door that opens and closes an opening of the chamber, a compressor, a condenser, a first evaporator arranged in the first storage chamber, and a second evaporation arranged in the second storage chamber. And a refrigeration circuit having a switching valve for selectively switching the path of the refrigerant condensed by the condenser to at least one of the first evaporator and the second evaporator, and the first storage chamber. First compartment temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the first compartment, a first detection unit that detects that the first door is opened, and a second compartment that detects the temperature of the second storage chamber The temperature sensor, the 2nd detection part which detects that the said 2nd door was opened, the ambient temperature sensor which detects ambient temperature, and a control part are provided, The said control part has the said switching valve. In a cooling operation for cooling the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber by switching alternately, the internal temperature of the first storage chamber is the lower limit of the cooling temperature range of the first storage chamber. When the internal temperature of the second storage chamber decreases to the lower limit temperature of the cooling temperature range of the second storage chamber, the compressor is stopped, and then the temperature of any one of the storage chambers decreases. When the internal temperature rises to the upper limit temperature of the cooling temperature range of the storage room, a cooling operation is performed to restart the operation of the compressor, and for each storage room, the door of the storage room is opened. Under the condition that the temperature is not detected by the detection unit, the ambient temperature is lower than or equal to a predetermined temperature, and the difference between the temperature of the condenser and the ambient temperature is higher than or equal to a predetermined value, the switching valve opens. When the increase in the temperature of the storage chamber for a certain period of time is more than a certain value continuously for a certain number of times while the refrigerant is being supplied to the evaporator of the storage chamber, a predetermined process regarding the refrigerant leakage is executed. To do.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a cooling storage that detects the occurrence of refrigerant leakage in a refrigeration circuit (for example, JP-A-2017-219278). Specifically, in the cooling storage described in JP-A-2017-219278, the inside detection temperature Tm is preset to a temperature higher than the inside set temperature Ts while operating in the normal cooling mode. When the state in which the temperature exceeds the caution temperature Te continues to reach the predetermined time, it is determined that the refrigerant leakage may have occurred, and the control is performed in the leak caution mode.
By the way, the inside temperature also becomes high when the ambient temperature is high or when the door is frequently opened and closed. Therefore, the cooling storage described in JP-A-2017-219278 described above may erroneously determine that a refrigerant leak may have occurred when the ambient temperature is high or when the door is frequently opened and closed. There is a nature. In the cooling storage described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-219278, control in the leak warning mode is unnecessarily performed when it is erroneously determined that a refrigerant leak may occur.
The inventor of the present application increases the temperature of the storage chamber due to insufficient supply of a low-temperature refrigerant to the evaporator when the refrigerant leaks in the refrigeration circuit, and the temperature rise width of the storage chamber at regular time intervals increases. It has been found that a certain value or more continues for a certain number of times. Therefore, if the increase in the temperature of the storage chamber for a certain period of time is equal to or greater than a certain value and continues for a certain number of times or more, a predetermined process related to the refrigerant leakage (a process of rotating the condenser fan, a refrigerant leakage may occur). Therefore, it is desirable to execute processing such as warning that there is a possibility.
However, even if the ambient temperature is high, the doors are frequently opened or closed, or even if the compressor is stopped due to a failure, the temperature inside the storage room rises and the temperature rises in the storage chamber at regular intervals. May be a certain value or more continuously for a certain number of times or more. Therefore, the predetermined process may be unnecessarily executed only when the increase in the temperature of the storage chamber for each constant time is equal to or more than a certain value for a certain number of times continuously.
Here, normally, even if the refrigerant leaks, the temperature of the condenser becomes higher than the ambient temperature to some extent if the compressor is operated. Therefore, when the temperature detected by the condenser temperature sensor is higher than the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature sensor by a predetermined value or more, it can be determined that the compressor is operating.
According to the above cooling storage, the detection unit has not detected that the door of the storage chamber is open for each storage chamber (the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber), and the ambient temperature is the predetermined temperature. Below, and under the condition that the difference between the temperature of the condenser and the ambient temperature is a predetermined value or more, the switching valve is opened and the refrigerant is supplied to the storage chamber of the storage chamber for a certain period of time. If the increase in the internal temperature of the storage room for each of the storage chambers is equal to or greater than a certain value and continues for a certain number of times or more, a predetermined process related to refrigerant leakage is executed. In this case, or when the compressor is stopped due to a failure, it is possible to suppress the predetermined processing from being unnecessarily executed.

The predetermined processing is performed on the first storage chamber side of the refrigeration circuit only when the rise width of the internal cold storage temperature at the constant time intervals is a predetermined value or more continuously for a predetermined number of times only in the first storage chamber. An alarm indicating that there is a high possibility that a refrigerant leak has occurred in the low pressure circuit of the above is output, and only the second storage chamber has a constant increase in the internal temperature at a constant time that is equal to or more than a constant value. If the number of consecutive times is more than the number of times, an alarm indicating that there is a high possibility that a refrigerant leak has occurred in the low pressure circuit on the side of the second storage chamber of the refrigeration circuit is output, and both of the storage chambers are at the fixed time intervals. In the case where the increase in the internal temperature of the refrigerator is equal to or more than a certain value for a certain number of times or more continuously, a process of outputting an alarm indicating that there is a high possibility that a refrigerant leak has occurred in the high pressure circuit of the refrigeration circuit is included. But it's okay.

Here, from the compressor to the switching valve, the high pressure circuit of the refrigeration circuit, from the switching valve to the first evaporator the low pressure circuit on the first storage chamber side, and from the switching valve to the second evaporator the second storage chamber. It is called the low voltage circuit on the side.
According to the cooling storage described above, the operator who repairs the refrigerant leakage leaks the refrigerant from either the low pressure circuit on the first storage chamber side, the low pressure circuit on the second storage chamber side, or the high pressure circuit of the refrigeration circuit. Since it is possible to know whether there is a high possibility that the refrigerant is leaking, it becomes easy to identify the location where the refrigerant leakage occurs. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently repair the leakage of the refrigerant.

When the refrigerant leak is likely to occur in the low pressure circuit, the predetermined process is such that the refrigerant does not flow to the low pressure circuit side where there is a high possibility that the refrigerant leak has occurred. May be included.

According to the cooling storage described above, the switching valve is switched so that the refrigerant does not flow to the low-pressure circuit side where the refrigerant is leaking, so that the speed at which the refrigerant leaks can be suppressed.

The predetermined process is a process of operating a condenser fan that cools the condenser, a process of operating an internal fan that circulates the air cooled by the evaporator in the refrigerator, and a defrosting operation that defrosts the evaporator. At least one of a process of prohibiting the frost operation and a process of warning the refrigerant leakage may be included.

When the condenser fan is operated, in the case of a refrigerant leak outside the refrigerator, the refrigerant leaked outside the refrigerator can be diffused. For this reason, when the refrigerant is a flammable refrigerant, it is possible to reduce the risk of the flammable refrigerant leaking outside the refrigerator staying in one place.
Further, when the internal fan is operated, in the case of refrigerant leakage in the internal compartment, the refrigerant can be gradually diffused out of the internal compartment through a small gap between the door and the storage body. Therefore, when the refrigerant is a flammable refrigerant, it is possible to reduce the risk of the flammable refrigerant leaking out of the refrigerator from staying in one place.
Further, when the defrosting operation is prohibited, it is possible to prevent the foodstuffs stored in the cooling storage from being adversely affected. Specifically, since the compressor is generally stopped during the defrosting operation, the temperature inside the refrigerator rises. Normally, after that, the operation of the compressor will be restarted and the temperature inside the refrigerator will drop, so it will not adversely affect the food, but if there is a refrigerant leak, even if the compressor is subsequently operated, the inside of the refrigerator will not be affected. Since the temperature does not decrease, the temperature inside the refrigerator remains elevated, which may damage the food in the refrigerator. If the defrosting operation is prohibited, it is possible to prevent the food in the refrigerator from being damaged.
In addition, warning of refrigerant leakage can prompt the user to refrain from opening and closing the door. If the opening and closing of the door is refrained from, the temperature inside the refrigerator will not rise easily, and it is possible to suppress the possibility that the food in the refrigerator will be damaged. In addition, if a warning of refrigerant leakage is given, it is possible to encourage the user to ventilate the room. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk of the flammable refrigerant leaking out of the refrigerator staying indoors. In addition, if a warning of a refrigerant leak is issued, the user can request a service to the manufacturer of the cooling storage cabinet at an early stage, so that it is possible to suppress the possibility that the foodstuffs in the cabinet will be damaged.

Front view of the cooling storage according to the first embodiment Top view of cooling storage Block diagrams of the first refrigeration circuit and the second refrigeration circuit Sectional drawing which expands and shows a refrigeration unit and its periphery. Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the cooling storage Schematic diagram of operation panel Timing chart of cooling operation Timing chart for refrigerant leakage detection (when refrigerant leakage occurs in the inverter refrigeration circuit) Timing chart for refrigerant leakage detection (when refrigerant leakage occurs in the constant speed refrigeration circuit) Front view of the cooling storage according to the second embodiment Sectional drawing of the AA line shown in FIG. Block diagram of refrigeration circuit Perspective view of refrigeration unit Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the cooling storage Schematic diagram of operation panel Timing chart for refrigerant leak detection (when refrigerant leaks from the low-pressure circuit on the freezer side) Timing chart for refrigerant leak detection (when refrigerant leaks from the high-voltage circuit)

<Embodiment 1>
The first embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 9. In the following description, the up-down direction and the left-right direction are based on the up-down direction and the left-right direction shown in FIG. 1, and the front-back direction is based on the front-back direction shown in FIG.

(1) Overall Configuration of Refrigerator As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 (an example of a cooling storage) according to the first embodiment is a four-door refrigerator, and includes a storage main body 11 having an opening on the front side, and an upper portion of the storage main body 11. Is provided with a machine room 12, an operation panel 13 provided on the front surface of the machine room 12, four leg portions 14 provided on the lower surface of the storage body 11, and the like.

The opening of the storage main body 11 is divided into four by a cross-shaped front frame 11E. The inside of the storage main body 11 is not partitioned and serves as one storage chamber. Two pairs of left and right heat insulation doors 10 (an example of doors) are attached to the storage main body 11 in the vertical direction, and four openings are individually opened and closed by the heat insulation doors 10.

The operation panel 13 receives various settings and instructions from the user. Further, the operation panel 13 also displays various kinds of information regarding the refrigerator 1. The substrate of the operation panel 13 is provided with an ambient temperature thermistor 33 (see FIG. 5, an example of an ambient temperature sensor) that detects the ambient temperature of the refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper side of the machine room 12 is open. The machine room 12 accommodates a part of the refrigeration unit 15, an electric equipment box (not shown), an operation panel 13, a power supply unit (not shown), and the like. The refrigerating unit 15 includes a heat insulating unit base 15A (see FIG. 4), an inverter refrigerating circuit 16 (see FIG. 3, an example of a second refrigerating circuit) described later, and a constant speed refrigerating circuit 17 (see FIG. 3, first). (An example of the refrigeration circuit of) is attached. A control unit 30 (see FIG. 5) described later is housed in an electric equipment box (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3, the inverter refrigeration circuit 16 has an inverter compressor 16A whose rotation speed is variable, an inverter condenser 16B (an example of a second condenser), an inverter decompression mechanism 16C (capillary tube, etc.), an inverter. It has an evaporator 16D (example of a second evaporator) for use, and these are circulated and connected by a refrigerant pipe 16E.

The constant-speed refrigeration circuit 17 includes a constant-speed compressor 17A having a constant rotation speed, a constant-speed condenser 17B (an example of a first condenser), a constant-speed decompression mechanism 17C (capillary tube, etc.), a constant-speed evaporator. It has a container 17D (an example of a first evaporator) and the like, which are circulated and connected by a refrigerant pipe 17E.

The inverter condenser 16B and the constant speed condenser 17B are one condenser divided into front and rear, and one condenser fan 18 for cooling them is provided. A filter (not shown) is provided in front of the condensers (the inverter condenser 16B and the constant speed condenser 17B) to prevent dust in the air from adhering to the condenser and deteriorating the condensation capacity. .. The inverter condenser 16B is provided with an inverter clogging thermistor 31 (see FIG. 5) (not shown) for detecting clogging of the filter by temperature. Similarly, a constant speed clogging thermistor 32 (see FIG. 5) (not shown) for detecting clogging of the filter by temperature is attached to the constant speed condenser 17B.

The inverter evaporator 16D and the constant speed evaporator 17D have a form in which one evaporator is vertically divided. A defrosting thermistor 34 (see FIG. 5) (not shown) is attached to the inverter evaporator 16D. The defrosting thermistor 34 is for determining the end of the defrosting operation described later.

The configuration of the refrigeration unit 15 and its surroundings will be described with reference to FIG. 4. Here, the inverter refrigeration circuit 16 will be described as an example. The refrigeration unit 15 has a unit base 15A, and an inverter refrigeration circuit 16 and a constant speed refrigeration circuit 17 are attached to the unit base 15A. The unit stand 15A is formed in a shape slightly larger than the opening 11B formed in the ceiling wall 11A of the storage body 11, and is arranged on the ceiling wall 11A so as to close the opening 11B.

The inverter evaporator 16D is attached to the lower side of the unit base 15A, and is housed in a cooling chamber 20 formed by the ceiling (ceiling wall 11A and unit base 15A) and the air duct 19. The air duct 19 forms a cooling chamber 20 between itself and the ceiling, and also functions as a drain pan that receives defrosted water that is water in which frost attached to the evaporator is melted.

The air duct 19 includes a substantially flat plate-shaped bottom wall 19A that inclines downward toward the rear side, side walls 19B that rise upward from the left and right edges of the bottom wall 19A, and an upper side from the rear edge of the bottom wall 19A. The rear wall 19C is slightly raised.

A circular suction port 19D for sucking air into the cooling chamber 20 is formed in the front portion of the bottom wall 19A. The rear wall 19C is separated from the rear side wall 11C of the storage main body 11 to the front side, and an outlet 19E is formed between the rear wall 19C and the rear side wall 11C of the storage main body 11. Further, the rear wall 19C is integrally formed with a drain groove 19F having a U-shaped cross section that extends from the substantially center in the left-right direction toward the rear side. A drainage passage 11D is formed inside the rear wall 11C of the storage body 11, and the drainage groove 19F has a rear end portion inserted into the drainage passage 11D. The defrost water received by the air duct 19 is discharged from the drainage groove 19F to the outside of the refrigerator via the drainage passage 11D.

An internal fan 21 is attached to the suction port 19D of the air duct 19 from above. When the internal fan 21 rotates, the air in the internal compartment is sucked into the cooling chamber 20 through the suction port 19D, cooled by the inverter evaporator 16D, and blown out into the internal compartment through the outlet port 19E.
In the cooling chamber 20, an internal thermistor 22 (an example of an internal temperature sensor and a detection unit) that detects the internal temperature is arranged between the internal fan 21 and the inverter evaporator 16D.

(2) Electrical Configuration of Refrigerator The electrical configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigerator 1 includes a control unit 30. The control unit 30 includes an operation panel 13, an inverter compressor 16A, a constant speed compressor 17A, a condenser fan 18, an internal fan 21, an internal thermistor 22, an inverter clogged thermistor 31, and a constant speed clogged thermistor 32. An ambient temperature thermistor 33, a defrosting thermistor 34, etc. are connected.

The control unit 30 is configured by mounting a microcomputer 30A, a ROM 30B, and the like, in which a CPU, a RAM, and the like are integrated into one chip, on a substrate. The microcomputer 30A controls each part of the refrigerator 1 by executing the control program stored in the ROM 30B.

(3) Operation Panel The operation panel 13 will be described with reference to FIG. The operation panel 13 includes a display unit 40 for displaying various kinds of information such as the inside temperature and an alarm number to be described later for 7 segments, and a plurality of display lamps 41 (inspection lamp 41A, a filter) for lighting figures and character strings according to the displayed information. The lamp 41B, the defrosting lamp 41C, the ECO lamp 41D), a plurality of operation buttons 42, and the like are provided. The plurality of operation buttons 42 are used by the user to perform various settings such as a target temperature (hereinafter referred to as set temperature) and various instructions to the refrigerator 1.

(4) Control process executed by control unit Among the control processes executed by the control unit 30, door open detection, condenser filter clogging detection, cooling operation, auxiliary cooling operation, refrigerant leakage detection, and refrigerant leakage. The predetermined processing regarding will be described.

(4-1) Door Open Detection Door open detection is a process of detecting that the heat insulating door 10 has been opened. As a method of detecting that the heat insulating door 10 has been opened, various methods such as a method of judging from an increase in temperature in the refrigerator, a method of using a human sensor, and a method of using a door opening/closing switch interlocking with opening/closing of the door are possible Is.

In the method of judging from the rise in the internal temperature, the internal thermistor 22 repeatedly detects the internal temperature at intervals of 1 second or the like. When the heat insulation door 10 is opened, the outside air enters the inside of the refrigerator, so that the temperature inside the refrigerator greatly rises in a short time. Therefore, for example, when the temperature inside the refrigerator rises by 0.2 K [Kelvin] or more in 5 seconds, it is determined that the heat insulating door 10 is opened.

In the method using the human sensor, the human sensor is provided in the refrigerator toward the heat insulating door 10. When a person in front of the refrigerator 1 opens the heat insulation door 10, infrared rays are detected by the motion sensor to detect that the heat insulation door 10 is opened.

In the method using the door opening/closing switch, for example, a door opening/closing switch including a magnet provided in the heat insulating door 10 and a reed switch provided in the storage body 11 is used. When the heat insulation door 10 is opened, the magnet is moved away from the reed switch, the reed switch is turned on (or off), and it is detected that the heat insulation door 10 is opened. On the contrary, when the heat insulating door 10 is closed, the magnet approaches the reed switch, so that the reed switch is turned off (or on), and it is detected that the heat insulating door 10 is closed.

In the case of the method of judging from the rise in the internal temperature, it is not necessary to provide new parts such as a human sensor and a door opening/closing switch. For this reason, in this embodiment, a method of judging from the rise in the internal temperature is used in order to suppress the increase in the number of parts. That is, in the present embodiment, the thermistor 22 inside the chamber that detects the temperature inside the chamber also serves as the detection unit.

(4-2) Detection of clogging of condenser filter If the condenser (inverter condenser 16B and constant speed condenser 17B) filters are clogged, the condenser and the outside air are separated even if the condenser fan 18 rotates. The heat exchange is not sufficiently performed between them, and the cooling efficiency decreases. Therefore, the control unit 30 detects clogging of the filter by using the clogging thermistors (the inverter clogging thermistor 31 and the constant speed clogging thermistor 32).

Specifically, the control unit 30 detects the temperature of the condenser at a predetermined sampling interval by a clogging thermistor, and when the state in which the temperature of the condenser is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold continues for a certain time or longer, the condenser fan 18 Increase the number of rotations. When the temperature of the condenser does not decrease even if the number of rotations of the condenser fan 18 is increased, the control unit 30 determines that the filter is clogged, lights the filter lamp 41B, and prompts cleaning of the filter.

(4-3) Cooling Operation The cooling operation will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The cooling operation is to maintain the internal cold storage temperature within a predetermined cooling temperature range by switching on/off operation of the inverter compressor 16A and the condenser fan 18. The upper limit temperature of the cooling temperature range is, for example, the set temperature +1.7K [Kelvin], and the lower limit temperature is the set temperature -2.0K [Kelvin].

In the cooling operation, the control unit 30 operates the inverter compressor 16A, the condenser fan 18, and the in-compartment fan 21, and stops the inverter compressor 16A and the condenser fan 18 when the in-compartment temperature drops to the lower limit temperature. If these are stopped, the internal temperature will gradually rise. The control unit 30 restarts the operation of the inverter compressor 16A and the condenser fan 18 when the inside temperature rises to the upper limit temperature. By repeating this, the internal temperature is maintained within the cooling temperature range.

(4-4) Auxiliary Cooling Operation The auxiliary cooling operation will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, a time point P1 is a time point when the power of the refrigerator 1 is turned on. When the power of the refrigerator 1 is turned on, the control unit 30 waits for a predetermined time (time point P2) and then operates the inverter compressor 16A, the condenser fan 18, and the in-compartment fan 21, and the in-compartment temperature is not shown. The rotation speed of the inverter compressor 16A is controlled so as to decrease along a predetermined target temperature curve (an example of a target line). Then, the control unit 30 switches to the cooling operation when the internal temperature drops to the upper limit temperature of the cooling temperature range.

However, there are cases where the internal temperature does not decrease along the target temperature curve due to the high ambient temperature. Therefore, when the internal temperature is higher than the upper limit temperature of the cooling temperature range and does not decrease along the target temperature curve, the control unit 30 auxiliary operates the constant speed compressor 17A (time point P3). When the constant speed compressor 17A is operated in an auxiliary manner, the control unit 30 compresses at a constant speed when the inside temperature drops to a temperature lower than the set temperature by a predetermined value (for example, 1.0K) (set temperature-1.0K). Machine 17A is stopped (time point P4).

(4-5) Defrosting Operation When the cooling operation described above is performed, frost adheres to the evaporator (evaporator 16D for inverter and evaporator 17D for constant speed). Therefore, the control unit 30 starts the defrosting operation for defrosting the evaporator when the predetermined defrosting start condition is satisfied. The defrosting start condition is, for example, that a preset defrosting start time has come, a certain time has elapsed since the last defrosting operation ended, or the user instructs the defrosting operation.

In the defrosting operation, the control unit 30 stops the compressor (the inverter compressor 16A and the constant speed compressor 17A) while rotating the internal fan 21 to accelerate the defrosting. When the compressor is stopped, the temperature of the evaporator gradually rises. When the temperature of the evaporator detected by the defrosting thermistor 34 rises to a predetermined defrosting ending temperature, the control unit 30 ends the defrosting operation and restarts the cooling operation.
A defrost heater (not shown) may be arranged below the evaporator, the internal fan 21 may be stopped, and the defrost heater may be energized to defrost.

(4-6) Refrigerant Leakage Detection The control unit 30 controls the temperature of the inverter condenser 16B at regular intervals under the condition that the heat insulation door 10 is not opened and the ambient temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. Whether the difference between the temperature detected by the inverter plugging thermistor 31 and the ambient temperature (the temperature detected by the ambient temperature thermistor 33) is within a predetermined range continuously for a certain number of times or at regular time intervals. If the difference between the temperature of the constant speed condenser 17B (the temperature detected by the constant speed plugging thermistor 32) and the ambient temperature is within a predetermined range for a certain number of times or more, it is determined that a refrigerant leak has occurred. To do.

First, a case where a refrigerant leak occurs in the inverter refrigeration circuit 16 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, since the internal cold storage temperature has not risen by 0.2 K or more in 5 seconds at least after the time point P5, it is not detected that the adiabatic door 10 has been opened at least after the time point P5. Further, at least after the time point P5, the ambient temperature is 50° C. or less (an example of the predetermined temperature). Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the condition that the heat insulating door 10 is not detected to be open and the ambient temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature is satisfied in the period after the time point P5.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the difference between the temperature of the inverter condenser 16B and the ambient temperature every 30 seconds (an example of a constant time) is 1 to 3 K (a constant range) in a state where the above-described conditions are satisfied. In this example, the number of times is within 6 times (an example of a certain number of times) or more. Therefore, the control unit 30 determines that the refrigerant leakage has occurred at the time point P6 when the difference between the temperature of the inverter condenser 16B and the ambient temperature is within 1 to 3K for six consecutive times.

Next, with reference to FIG. 9, a case where a refrigerant leak occurs in the constant speed refrigeration circuit 17 will be specifically described. In the example shown in FIG. 9, since the temperature inside the refrigerator has not risen by 0.2 K or more in 5 seconds after the time point P7, it is not detected that the heat insulating door 10 is opened at least after the time point P7. Further, at least after the time point P7, the ambient temperature is 50° C. or less (an example of the predetermined temperature). Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the condition that the heat insulating door 10 is not detected to be open and the ambient temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature is satisfied in the period after the time point P7.

Then, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the difference between the temperature of the constant speed condenser 17B and the ambient temperature every 30 seconds (an example of a constant time) is 1 to 3 K (constant when the above-described conditions are satisfied. The number of times within the range is 6 times (an example of a certain number of times) or more consecutively. Therefore, the control unit 30 determines that the refrigerant leakage has occurred at the time P8 when the difference between the temperature of the constant-speed condenser 17B and the ambient temperature is within 1 to 3K six times in a row.

(4-7) Predetermined Processing Regarding Refrigerant Leakage When the control unit 30 determines that refrigerant leakage has occurred, the control unit 30 executes predetermined processing regarding refrigerant leakage. Specifically, the control unit 30 executes the following processing.
-Stop the compressor in the refrigeration circuit in which refrigerant leakage has occurred, and operate the compressor in the other refrigeration circuit in which refrigerant leakage has not occurred. When a refrigerant leak occurs in the constant speed refrigeration circuit 17, the inverter compressor 16A is operated at the maximum rotation speed.
-Always operate the condenser fan 18.
-Always operate the internal fan 21.
-Control so that the defrosting operation that is regularly performed is not performed. Note that the defrosting operation that is performed irregularly may not be performed.
・Alert a refrigerant leak. In the refrigerant leak alarm, the control unit 30 blinks the inspection lamp 41A of the operation panel 13, and alternately displays the internal cold storage temperature and the alarm number for warning the refrigerant leak on the display unit 40. Specifically, the control unit 30 displays the internal temperature when the inspection lamp 41A is off, and displays the alarm number when the inspection lamp 41A is on.

In addition, at least one of the processes described above may be executed, and not all of them need to be executed. The processing to be executed can be appropriately selected.

(5) Effects of the Embodiment According to the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, when a refrigerant leak occurs in any of the refrigeration circuits, the compressor in the refrigeration circuit in which the refrigerant leak occurs is stopped, and the refrigerant leak occurs. Not operate the other refrigeration circuit compressor. Stopping the compressor of the refrigeration circuit in which the refrigerant has leaked can reduce the speed of the refrigerant leak, and thus can prevent the leaked refrigerant from staying in one place. Further, since the compressor in the other refrigeration circuit in which no refrigerant leak has occurred is operated, it is possible to suppress an increase in the internal cold storage temperature. Therefore, according to the refrigerator 1, when the refrigerant leaks, it is possible to suppress the leaked refrigerant from staying at one place while suppressing an increase in the internal temperature.
Further, if the compressor of the refrigeration circuit in which the refrigerant leaks is stopped, the possibility of damaging the refrigeration circuit can be reduced. Specifically, if all the refrigerant leaks from the refrigeration circuit, the refrigeration circuit may be damaged due to the intrusion of water into the refrigeration circuit thereafter. On the other hand, if the compressor of the refrigeration circuit in which the refrigerant has leaked is stopped, it is possible to prevent all the refrigerant from leaking out, so that it becomes difficult for water to enter. Therefore, the possibility of damaging the refrigeration circuit can be reduced.

According to the refrigerator 1, when the refrigerant leak occurs in any of the refrigeration circuits, the control unit 30 can reduce the influence of the refrigerant leak by executing a predetermined process regarding the refrigerant leak.

According to the refrigerator 1, the predetermined process includes a process of operating the inverter compressor 16A at the maximum rotation speed when a refrigerant leak occurs in the constant speed refrigeration circuit 17, so that the refrigerant leak in the constant speed refrigeration circuit 17 occurs. It is possible to more reliably suppress the rise in the internal temperature when it occurs.

According to the refrigerator 1, the predetermined process is a process of operating the condenser fan 18, a process of operating the internal fan 21, a process of prohibiting a defrosting operation of defrosting the evaporator, and a process of warning a refrigerant leak. Including at least one of
When the condenser fan 18 is constantly operated, in the case of a refrigerant leak outside the refrigerator, the refrigerant leaked outside the refrigerator can be diffused. For this reason, when the refrigerant is a flammable refrigerant, it is possible to reduce the risk of the flammable refrigerant leaking outside the refrigerator staying in one place.
In addition, when the internal fan 21 is operated, in the case of a refrigerant leak in the internal compartment, the refrigerant can be gradually diffused out of the internal compartment from a small gap between the heat insulating door 10 and the storage body 11. Therefore, when the refrigerant is a flammable refrigerant, it is possible to reduce the risk of the flammable refrigerant leaking out of the refrigerator from staying in one place.
Further, when the defrosting operation is prohibited, it is possible to prevent the foodstuffs stored in the cooling storage from being adversely affected.
In addition, when the warning of the refrigerant leakage is issued, the user can be urged to refrain from opening and closing the heat insulating door 10. If the opening and closing of the heat insulation door 10 is refrained from, the temperature inside the refrigerator is unlikely to rise, so that the food in the refrigerator can be prevented from being damaged. In addition, if a warning of refrigerant leakage is given, it is possible to encourage the user to ventilate the room. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk of the flammable refrigerant leaking out of the refrigerator staying indoors. In addition, if a warning of a refrigerant leak is issued, the user can request a service to the manufacturer of the cooling storage cabinet at an early stage, so that it is possible to suppress the possibility that the foodstuffs in the cabinet will be damaged.

<Embodiment 2>
The second embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 10 to 17. The freezer-refrigerator 200 (an example of a cooling storage) according to the second embodiment includes a refrigerating room (an example of a first storage room) and a freezing room (an example of a second storage room). Both the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are cooled.

As shown in FIG. 10, the refrigerator/freezer 200 is of a two-door type, and has a storage main body 211 having an opening 201 (201A and 201B, see FIG. 11) on the front side, a machine room 212 arranged above the storage main body 211, An operation panel 213 provided on the front surface of the machine room 212, four leg portions 214 provided on the lower surface of the storage body 211, and the like are provided.

The operation panel 213 receives various settings and instructions from the user. The operation panel 213 also displays various kinds of information regarding the refrigerator/freezer 200 such as the temperature inside the refrigerator. The substrate of the operation panel 213 is provided with an ambient temperature thermistor 251 (see FIG. 14, an example of an ambient temperature sensor) that detects the ambient temperature of the refrigerator-freezer 200.

As shown in FIG. 11, a heat-insulating partition plate 215 is attached to the inside of the storage main body 211 approximately at the center in the vertical direction, and the partition plate 215 separates the upper freezing chamber 216 and the lower refrigerating chamber 217. It is divided into Two heat insulating doors 218 (218A and 218B) are vertically attached to the front side of the storage body 211, and the freezing compartment 216 and the refrigerating compartment 217 are individually opened and closed by these heat insulating doors 218. The heat insulation door 218A is an example of a second door, and the heat insulation door 218B is an example of a first door.

The upper side of the machine room 212 is open. The machine room 212 accommodates a part of the refrigeration unit 219, an electric equipment box (not shown), an operation panel 213, a power supply unit (not shown), and the like. The refrigeration unit 219 is configured by attaching a refrigeration circuit 220 (see FIG. 12) described below to a heat insulating unit base 219A. A control unit 250 (see FIG. 14) described later is housed in an electric equipment box (not shown).

The refrigeration circuit 220 will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigeration circuit 220 includes a compressor 221, a condenser 222, a dryer 223, a switching valve 224 (three-way valve), a freezer decompression mechanism 225 (capillary tube, etc.), a freezer compartment evaporator 226 (an example of a second evaporator), A refrigerator decompression mechanism 227 (capillary tube or the like), a refrigerator compartment evaporator 228 (an example of a first evaporator), and the like are provided, and these are circulated and connected by a refrigerant pipe 229. The refrigeration circuit 220 also has a condenser fan 230 that cools the condenser 222.

The outlet side of the compressor 221 is connected to the inlet side of the condenser 222 via a refrigerant pipe 229. The outlet side of the condenser 222 is connected to the inlet side of the switching valve 224 via the refrigerant pipe 229 and the dryer 223. The switching valve 224 connects the path of the refrigerant condensed by the condenser 222 to at least one of the refrigerator compartment evaporator 228 and the freezer compartment evaporator 226 (only the refrigerator compartment evaporator 228 is opened, and the freezer compartment evaporator 226 is opened or This is a so-called three-way valve that selectively switches to open both chambers. The switching valve 224 has two outlets, one outlet of the switching valve 224 is connected to the inlet side of the freezer compartment evaporator 226 via the refrigerant pipe 229, and the other outlet is connected via the refrigerant pipe 229. It is connected to the inlet side of the refrigerator compartment evaporator 228. The refrigerant pipe 229 connected to the outlet side of the freezer compartment evaporator 226 and the refrigerant pipe 229 connected to the outlet side of the refrigerating room evaporator 228 join together on the way and are connected to the inlet side of the compressor 221. Has been done.

A filter (not shown) is provided on the front side of the condenser 222 to prevent dust in the air from adhering to the condenser 222 and lowering the condensation capacity. Further, a condenser thermistor (not shown) for detecting clogging of the filter by the temperature of the condenser 222 is attached to the condenser 222.

In the following description, the compressor 221 to the switching valve 224 are in a high pressure circuit, the switching valve 224 to the freezer compartment evaporator 226 is in the freezing room side low pressure circuit, and the switching valve 224 to the refrigerating room evaporator 228 is in the refrigeration room. It is called the low voltage side circuit.

The refrigeration unit 219 will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigeration unit 219 has a heat insulating unit base 219A. A part of the refrigeration circuit 220 is attached to the unit base 219A. Since the refrigerator compartment evaporator 228 cools the inside of the refrigerator compartment 217, the refrigerator compartment evaporator 228 is spaced downward from the unit base 219A.

The configuration of the refrigeration unit 219 and its surroundings will be described with reference to FIG. 11. The freezer compartment evaporator 226 is attached to the lower side of the unit stand 219A, and is housed in the freezer compartment cooling chamber 271 formed by the ceiling and the freezer compartment air duct 235. A freezing compartment defrosting thermistor 234 (see FIG. 14) (not shown) is attached to the freezing compartment evaporator 226. A freezer compartment fan 231 is attached to the freezer compartment air duct 235.
In the freezing compartment cooling chamber 271, between the freezing compartment internal fan 231 and the freezing compartment evaporator 226, a freezing compartment internal thermistor 232 (second internal compartment) for detecting the internal compartment temperature of the freezing compartment 216. A temperature sensor and an example of a second detection unit) are arranged.

A plate-shaped air duct 233 for the refrigerating compartment is arranged in the interior of the refrigerating compartment 217 with the plate surface facing the front-rear direction, and the air duct 233 for the refrigerating compartment and the rear wall 211A of the refrigerating compartment 217 serve the purpose A cooling chamber 272 is formed. A refrigerator compartment evaporator 228 is housed in the refrigerator compartment cooling chamber 272. The refrigerating compartment evaporator 228 is provided with a refrigerating compartment defrosting thermistor 244 (see FIG. 14) not shown.

A suction port 240 for sucking air into the refrigerating compartment cooling chamber 272 is formed between the refrigerating compartment air duct 233 and the bottom surface of the refrigerating compartment 217. An air outlet 241 is formed between the refrigerating compartment air duct 233 and the partition plate 215. An in-compartment fan 242 for a refrigerator compartment is attached to the outlet 241. When the cold room fan 242 rotates, the air in the cold room 217 is sucked into the cold room cooling chamber 272 from the suction port 240, cooled by the cold room evaporator 228, and blown into the cold room 217 from the outlet 241. To be blown out.
In the refrigerating compartment cooling chamber 272, between the suction port 240 and the outlet 241 is a thermistor 243 for the refrigerating compartment for detecting the temperature inside the refrigerating compartment 217 (the first compartment temperature sensor and the first detection). Section) is arranged.

(2) Electrical Configuration of Refrigerator/Refrigerator The electrical configuration of the refrigerator/freezer 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 14. The refrigerator-freezer 200 includes a control unit 250. The control unit 250 includes an operation panel 213, a compressor 221, an ambient temperature thermistor 251, a condenser fan 230, a clogging thermistor 254, a freezer compartment internal fan 231, a freezer compartment internal thermistor 232, and a freezing compartment defrost thermistor. 234, a refrigerator compartment internal fan 242, a refrigerator compartment internal thermistor 243, a refrigerator compartment defrost thermistor 244, a switching valve 224, etc. are connected.

The control unit 250 includes a microcomputer 250A and a ROM 250B each having a CPU, a RAM and the like integrated into one chip and mounted on a substrate. The microcomputer 250A controls each part of the refrigerator-freezer 200 by executing the control program stored in the ROM 250B.

(3) Operation Panel The operation panel 213 will be described with reference to FIG. The operation panel 213 has a display unit 260 that displays the internal temperature of the freezer compartment 216 and an alarm number described below for 7 segments, and a display unit 261 that displays the internal temperature of the refrigerator compartment 217 and an alarm number described below for 7 segments. The operation panel 13 is substantially the same as the operation panel 13 of the first embodiment except that it is provided.

(4) Control Process Executed by Control Unit Among the control processes executed by the control unit 250, a predetermined process regarding cooling operation, refrigerant leak detection, and refrigerant leak will be described.

(4-1) Cooling Operation With reference to FIG. 16, the cooling operation according to the second embodiment will be described. In FIG. 16, time point P1 is a time point when the power of the refrigerator/freezer 200 is turned on. When the power is turned on, the control unit 250 operates the compressor 221, the condenser fan 230, the freezer compartment internal fan 231 and the refrigerating compartment internal fan 242 after a predetermined time (time point P2).

Then, the control unit 250 opens the switching valve 224 alternately to the freezing compartment 216 side and the refrigerating compartment 217 side, and the inside temperatures of both storage compartments (freezing compartment 216 and refrigerating compartment 217) are both lower limits of the cooling temperature range. When the temperature falls below the temperature, the compressor 221 and the condenser fan 230 are stopped (time point P3). When the compressor 221 and the condenser fan 230 are stopped, the control unit 250 opens the switching valve 224 in both chambers.

Then, when the internal temperature of either storage chamber rises to the upper limit temperature of the cooling temperature range thereafter, the control unit 250 moves to the storage chamber (freezer compartment 216 in FIG. 16) side where the internal temperature has risen to the upper limit temperature. The switching valve 224 is opened, and the compressor 221 and the condenser fan 230 are operated again (time point P4).

(4-2) Refrigerant Leakage Detection The control unit 250 has not detected that the heat insulation door 218 of each storage room (freezing room 216 and refrigerating room 217) has been opened, and the ambient temperature is predetermined. A state in which the switching valve 224 is opened and the refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator of the storage chamber under the condition that the temperature is equal to or lower than the temperature and the difference between the temperature of the condenser 222 and the ambient temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. Then, if the increase in the internal temperature of the storage chamber for a certain period of time is equal to or more than a certain value for a certain number of times or more, it is determined that the refrigerant leakage has occurred.

First, with reference to FIG. 16, a case where a refrigerant leak occurs in the freezer compartment 216 will be described. In FIG. 16, a time point P5 is a time point when a refrigerant leak occurs in the freezer compartment 216. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the switching valve 224 is switched to the freezer compartment 216 side at the time point P4, and the refrigerant is supplied to the freezer compartment evaporator 226 during the period from the time point P4 to the time point P6.

Then, in the period from the time point P5 to the time point P6, since the internal temperature of the freezing compartment 216 has not risen by 0.2 K or more in 5 seconds, it is not detected that the heat insulating door 218A of the freezing compartment 216 is opened. In addition, the ambient temperature is 50° C. (an example of a predetermined temperature) or less in the period from the time point P5 to the time point P6. In the period from the time point P5 to the time point P6, the difference between the temperature of the condenser 222 detected by the plugging thermistor 254 and the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature thermistor 251 is 3K (one example of a predetermined value) or more.

Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 16, during the period from time point P5 to time point P6, it is not detected that the heat insulating door 218A of the freezer compartment 216 is opened, the ambient temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, and The condition that the difference between the temperature of the condenser 222 and the ambient temperature is a predetermined value or more is satisfied.

Then, during the period from the time point P5 to the time point P6, the refrigerant is being supplied to the freezer compartment evaporator 226, and in that state, the internal temperature of the freezer compartment 216 rises every 30 seconds (an example of a fixed time). The width being 0.1 K (an example of a fixed value) or more is continuous 6 times (an example of a fixed number of times) or more. Therefore, the control unit 250 determines that the refrigerant leak has occurred in the freezing compartment 216 at the time P6 when the increase in the internal temperature of the freezing compartment 216 is 0.1K or more for six consecutive times.

As will be described later in detail, when a refrigerant leak occurs in the freezer compartment 216, the control unit 250 switches the switching valve 224 to the refrigerating compartment 217 side in order to suppress the speed at which the refrigerant leaks. Therefore, after the time point P6, the refrigerant is supplied only to the refrigerator compartment evaporator 228.

In the example shown in FIG. 16, when the switching valve 224 is switched to the refrigerating compartment 217 side at the time point P6, the temperature inside the refrigerating compartment 217 decreases. Therefore, after the time point P6, the condition that the increase in the internal temperature of the refrigerating chamber 217 every 30 seconds is 0.1 K or more for six consecutive times or more is not satisfied. Therefore, the control unit 250 determines that the refrigerant leakage does not occur in the refrigerating chamber 217 at the time point P7 when the predetermined time has elapsed from the time point P6. In other words, the control unit 250 determines that the refrigerant leakage has occurred only in the freezer compartment 216.

Here, the case where the refrigerant leak occurs in the freezing compartment 216 side has been described, but the same applies when the refrigerant leak occurs in the refrigerating compartment 217.

Next, with reference to FIG. 17, a case where a refrigerant leak occurs in both the freezing compartment 216 and the refrigerating compartment 217 will be described. In FIG. 17, since points P1 to P6 are the same as those in FIG. 16, description thereof will be omitted.
In the example shown in FIG. 17, the opening of the heat insulating door 218B of the refrigerating compartment 217 is not detected in the period after the time point P6, the ambient temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, and the temperature of the condenser 222 is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature. The condition that the difference from the ambient temperature is a predetermined value or more is satisfied. Then, even when the switching valve 224 is switched to the refrigerating compartment 217 side at the time point P6, the temperature inside the refrigerating compartment 217 is rising, and the rising range of the inside temperature of the refrigerating compartment 217 every 0.1 seconds is 0.1 K or more. There are 6 or more consecutive occurrences (not shown in FIG. 17). Therefore, the control unit 250 determines that the refrigerant leak has occurred in the refrigerating compartment 217 at the time P8 when the increase in the internal temperature of the refrigerating compartment 217 every 30 seconds is 0.1 K or more for six consecutive times or more. to decide. In other words, the control unit 250 determines that the refrigerant leak has occurred in both the freezing compartment 216 and the refrigerating compartment 217.

(4-3) Predetermined Processing Regarding Refrigerant Leakage When the control unit 250 determines that refrigerant leakage has occurred, the control unit 250 executes predetermined processing regarding refrigerant leakage. Specifically, the following processing is executed.

-Always operate the condenser fan 230.
-Always operate the internal fan on the refrigeration circuit side where the refrigerant leaks.
-Control so that the defrosting operation that is regularly performed is not performed. Note that the defrosting operation that is performed irregularly may not be performed.
・Alert a refrigerant leak. In the refrigerant leak alarm, the control unit 250 blinks the inspection lamp of the operation panel 213, and alternately displays the inside temperature and the alarm number for warning the refrigerant leak on the display unit 260 (or the display unit 261).
Further, in the refrigerant leak alarm, the control unit 250 causes a refrigerant leak from the low-pressure circuit (from the switching valve 224 to the freezer compartment evaporator 226) on the freezer compartment 216 side when the refrigerant leak only occurs in the freezer compartment 216. If a refrigerant leak occurs only in the refrigerating compartment 217, a low pressure circuit (from the switching valve 224 to the refrigerating compartment evaporator 228) on the refrigerating compartment 217 side displays the refrigerant. An alarm number indicating that there is a high possibility that a leak has occurred is displayed, and if a refrigerant leak has occurred in both storage chambers (freezer compartment 216 and refrigerating compartment 217), the high pressure circuit of the refrigeration circuit 220 (compressor 221 To the switching valve 224), an alarm number indicating that there is a high possibility that a refrigerant leak has occurred is displayed.
When the refrigerant leak occurs in the low pressure circuit, the switching valve 224 is switched so that the refrigerant does not flow to the low pressure circuit side where the refrigerant leak occurs.

(5) Effect of Embodiment According to the refrigerator-freezer 200 according to Embodiment 2, for each storage room (freezing room 216 and refrigerating room 217), it is not detected that the door of the storage room is open, and the surroundings. Under the condition that the temperature is 50° C. or less and the difference between the temperature of the condenser 222 and the ambient temperature is 3K or more, the switching valve 224 opens and the refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator of the storage chamber. When the increase in the internal temperature of the storage room every 30 seconds is 0.1K or more for 6 consecutive times or more, predetermined processing related to refrigerant leakage is executed. It is possible to suppress unnecessary execution of the predetermined process when the opening and closing are frequently performed or when the compressor 221 is stopped due to a failure.

Further, according to the refrigerator-freezer 200, the operator who repairs the refrigerant leakage may leak the refrigerant from either the low-voltage circuit on the freezing compartment 216 side, the low-voltage circuit on the refrigerating compartment 217 side, or the high-voltage circuit on the refrigeration circuit 220. Since it is possible to know whether or not there is a high possibility from the alarm number, it becomes easy to identify the location where the refrigerant leakage occurs. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently repair the leakage of the refrigerant.

Further, according to the refrigerator-freezer 200, when the refrigerant leak occurs in the low-voltage circuit, the switching valve 224 is switched so that the refrigerant does not flow to the low-pressure circuit side where the refrigerant leak occurs. Can be suppressed.

<Other Embodiments>
The technology disclosed in the present specification is not limited to the embodiments described by the above description and the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included in the technical scope disclosed in the present specification.

(1) Although the refrigerator has been described as an example of the cooling storage in the first embodiment, the cooling storage may be a freezer.

(2) In the second embodiment, the freezer-refrigerator has been described as an example of the cooling storage unit having two storage chambers, but any of the two storage chambers may be a refrigerating chamber or a freezing chamber.

(3) In the second embodiment, as the opening/closing pattern of the switching valve 224, there are three patterns in which only the refrigerator compartment evaporator 228 is opened, the freezer compartment evaporator 226 is opened, or both chambers are opened, but only the refrigerator compartment evaporator 228 is opened. There may be only two patterns of opening and only the evaporator 226 for the freezer compartment.

(4) The various numerical values illustrated in the above embodiment are examples. These numerical values are not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Refrigerator (an example of a cooling storage), 10... Heat insulation door (an example of a door), storage main body, 11... Storage main body, 11B... Opening, 16... Inverter refrigeration circuit (an example of a 2nd refrigeration circuit), 16A... Inverter compressor, 16B... Inverter condenser (an example of a second condenser), 16D... Inverter evaporator (an example of a second evaporator), 17... Constant speed refrigeration circuit (of the first refrigeration circuit) 17A... constant speed compressor, 17B... constant speed condenser (one example of first condenser), 17D... constant speed evaporator (one example of first evaporator), 22... internal thermistor ( 30. Control unit, 33... Ambient temperature thermistor (example of ambient temperature sensor), 200... Refrigerator/refrigerator (example of cooling storage), 201... Opening 216... Freezer (first) No. 1 storage room) 217... Refrigerating room (second storage room) 218A... Heat insulation door (second door) 218B... Heat insulation door (first door) 220... Refrigeration circuit 221... Compressor 222... Condenser 224... Changeover valve 226... Freezer compartment evaporator (an example of second evaporator) 228... Refrigerator compartment evaporator (an example of first evaporator) ), 230... Condenser fan, 231... Freezer compartment internal fan (an example of internal compartment fan), 232... Freezer compartment internal thermistor (an example of second internal temperature sensor and second detection unit), 242... Refrigerating room internal fan (an example of internal fan), 243... Cold room internal thermistor (an example of first internal temperature sensor and first detecting unit), 251... Ambient temperature thermistor (ambient temperature (Example of sensor)

Claims (7)

A cold store,
A storage body having an opening,
A door for opening and closing the opening,
A first refrigeration circuit having a constant speed compressor having a constant rotation speed, a first condenser and a first evaporator;
A second refrigeration circuit having an inverter compressor whose rotation speed is variable, a second condenser and a second evaporator;
An internal temperature sensor that detects the internal temperature,
A detection unit that detects that the door is opened,
An ambient temperature sensor that detects the ambient temperature,
A control unit,
Equipped with
The control unit is
A cooling operation in which the inverter compressor is operated to cool the inside of the refrigerator, and the inverter compressor is stopped when the temperature inside the refrigerator drops to the lower limit temperature of the cooling temperature range, and then the inside temperature is within the cooling temperature range. A cooling operation for restarting the operation of the inverter compressor when the temperature rises to the upper limit temperature of
Auxiliary cooling operation of operating the constant speed compressor to supplementally cool the inside of the refrigerator when the inside temperature is higher than the upper limit temperature and the inside temperature does not decrease along a predetermined target line. ,
Under the condition that the opening of the door is not detected by the detection unit, and the ambient temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the first condenser and the ambient temperature are measured at regular intervals. That the difference between the two is within a predetermined range for a certain number of times or more, or if the difference between the temperature of the second condenser and the ambient temperature for each certain time is within a predetermined range for a certain number of times or more. A cooling storage that stops the compressor of the refrigeration circuit that has continued for a certain number of times that the difference is within the predetermined range and operates the compressor of the other refrigeration circuit. The cooling storage according to claim 1, wherein
The said control part is a cooling storehouse which performs the predetermined process regarding a refrigerant|coolant leak, if the said difference is in the said fixed range more than the said fixed number of times. The cooling storage according to claim 2,
The predetermined process includes a process of operating the inverter compressor at the maximum rotation speed when the difference in the first refrigeration circuit is within the certain range for the certain number of times or more continuously. .. A cold store,
A storage main body having a first storage chamber and a second storage chamber;
A first door for opening and closing the opening of the first storage chamber;
A second door for opening and closing the opening of the second storage chamber;
A compressor, a condenser, a first evaporator arranged in the first storage chamber, a second evaporator arranged in the second storage chamber, and a refrigerant condensed by the condenser. A refrigeration circuit having a switching valve for selectively switching the path of at least one of the first evaporator and the second evaporator;
A first internal temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the first storage chamber;
A first detection unit that detects that the first door has been opened;
A second internal temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the second storage chamber;
A second detector for detecting that the second door is opened;
An ambient temperature sensor that detects the ambient temperature,
A control unit,
Equipped with
The control unit is
A cooling operation for cooling the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber by alternately switching the switching valve, wherein the internal temperature of the first storage chamber is the cooling of the first storage chamber. When the temperature falls to the lower limit of the temperature range and the internal temperature of the second storage chamber falls to the lower limit of the cooling temperature range of the second storage chamber, the compressor is stopped, and then either When the internal temperature of the storage chamber rises to the upper limit temperature of the cooling temperature range of the storage chamber, a cooling operation is performed to restart the operation of the compressor,
For each of the storage chambers, the opening of the door of the storage chamber is not detected by the detection unit, the ambient temperature is below a predetermined temperature, and the difference between the temperature of the condenser and the ambient temperature. Is a predetermined value or more, the switching valve is opened and the refrigerant is being supplied to the evaporator of the storage chamber, the temperature rise of the storage chamber at regular intervals is a constant value or more. The cooling storage that executes a predetermined process related to the refrigerant leakage when the above condition continues for a certain number of times. The cooling storage according to claim 4,
The predetermined processing is
Only in the first storage chamber, if the increase in the internal temperature at each of the constant times is equal to or more than a certain value for a certain number of times or more continuously, a refrigerant leaks in the low pressure circuit on the first storage chamber side of the refrigeration circuit. An alarm indicating that there is a high possibility that
Only in the second storage chamber, if the increase in the internal temperature for each of the constant time is equal to or more than a certain value for a certain number of times or more continuously, the refrigerant leaks in the low-pressure circuit on the second storage chamber side of the refrigeration circuit. An alarm indicating that there is a high possibility that
In both of the storage chambers, if the rise width of the internal temperature for each of the constant time is equal to or more than a certain value continuously for a certain number of times or more, it is highly possible that a refrigerant leak has occurred in the high pressure circuit of the refrigeration circuit. A cold storage including a process of outputting an alarm indicating that. The cooling storage according to claim 5, wherein
When the refrigerant leak is likely to occur in the low pressure circuit, the predetermined process is such that the refrigerant does not flow to the low pressure circuit side where there is a high possibility that the refrigerant leak has occurred. A cold storage, including a process to switch between. The cooling storage according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The predetermined process is a process of operating a condenser fan that cools the condenser, a process of operating an internal fan that circulates the air cooled by the evaporator in the refrigerator, and a defrosting operation that defrosts the evaporator. A cooling storage containing at least one of a process of prohibiting a frost operation and a process of warning a refrigerant leak.

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