JP2021156571A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator which achieves energy saving and sufficiently secures the storage volume of a storage room.SOLUTION: A refrigerator according to an embodiment includes: storage rooms in which cooling air outlets are respectively formed; coolers for cooling the storage rooms; and fan devices, each of which supplies the cooling air cooled by the cooler from the outlet to the storage room. The two or more fan devices for the cooler are provided for each cooler.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to refrigerators.

Conventionally, a refrigerator for home use is provided with a storage room such as a refrigerator room, a vegetable room, and a freezer room, and a cooler room containing a cooler is provided on the back wall of the storage room (for example). , Patent Document 1). Further, in the back wall of the storage chamber, the duct connected to the cooler chamber has an outlet, and the cold air cooled by the cooler is supplied from the outlet to the storage chamber by the blowing action of the fan device. It has become.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-127345

The above-mentioned refrigerator has an arrangement form in which a predetermined distance is secured between the fan device and the cooler in order to improve the cooling efficiency or the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler. Therefore, the volume of the storage chamber becomes small and food is stored. It tends to impair sex.

Therefore, we provide a refrigerator that can save energy and secure a sufficient storage volume of the storage room.

The refrigerator of the present embodiment supplies a storage chamber in which a cold air outlet is formed, a cooler for cooling the storage chamber, and cold air cooled by the cooler from the outlet to the storage chamber. The storage is provided with a blower means, and one cooler is provided with two or more of the blower means for the cooler and a control means for controlling the two or more blower means. An opening degree adjusting means for adjusting the opening degree of the flow path of the cold air supplied to the room is provided, and the control means is the two or more blowing means in a state where the opening degree is reduced by the control of the opening degree adjusting means. The number of rotations of the above is lower than the number of rotations when the opening degree of the opening degree adjusting means is increased.

A perspective view from the rear side showing a state in which a cooler and a fan device are assembled according to the first embodiment. Longitudinal side view showing the schematic configuration of the entire refrigerator Configuration diagram of refrigeration cycle Block diagram showing electrical configuration Longitudinal side view showing the vicinity of the cooler and fan device in an enlarged manner An exploded perspective view showing a pair of fan devices and a holding member in an enlarged manner. Perspective view showing the front cover of the fan unit and cooling chamber Flowchart showing the control procedure during refrigerating and defrosting operation Flow chart showing the control procedure during refrigerating and cooling operation FIG. 2 equivalent diagram showing a second embodiment A front view showing the positional relationship between the fan device and the outlet for the third embodiment. Fig. 9 equivalent diagram Schematic diagram of a fan device and a cooler showing a fourth embodiment An enlarged longitudinal side view showing a fan device and a cooler according to a fifth embodiment. Enlarged front view showing the right end of the cooler Longitudinal side view showing other modifications of the cooler Regarding the sixth embodiment, a time chart showing the power transmission / disconnection state of each fan device during the refrigerating / cooling operation and the refrigerating / cooling operation. FIG. 17 equivalent diagram showing a seventh embodiment FIG. 17 corresponding diagram showing the eighth embodiment FIG. 17 equivalent diagram showing a ninth embodiment

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the heat insulating box body 2 of the refrigerator 1 is configured to have a heat insulating material 10 in a space between an outer box 3a made of steel plate and an inner box 3b made of synthetic resin. There are multiple storage rooms in the area. As a plurality of storage chambers, for example, a refrigerating chamber 4 and a vegetable compartment 5 are provided in order from the upper stage in the heat insulating box 2, and an ice making chamber 6 and a small freezing chamber (not shown) are provided side by side below the refrigerator compartment 4. A freezing chamber 7 is provided below these. An automatic ice making device 8 is provided in the ice making chamber 6.

Both the refrigerating room 4 and the vegetable room 5 are refrigerating temperature zones, for example, the refrigerating room 4 is a storage room of 1 to 5 ° C. and the vegetable room 5 is a storage room of 2 to 6 ° C.). , It is partitioned up and down by a partition wall 9 made of synthetic resin. A hinge opening / closing type heat insulating door 4a is provided in the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 4, and a drawer type heat insulating door 5a is provided in the front opening of the vegetable room 5. A lower case 11 constituting a storage container is connected to the back surface of the heat insulating door 5a. An upper case 11a, which is smaller than the lower case 11, is provided on the upper part of the lower case 11. A chilled chamber 12 is provided at the lowermost part (upper part of the partition wall 9) in the refrigerating chamber 4. A chilled case 13 is provided in the chilled chamber 12 so that it can be taken in and out.

The ice making chamber 6, the small freezing chamber, and the freezing chamber 7 are all storage chambers in a freezing temperature zone (for example, a negative temperature zone of -10 to -20 ° C.), and the vegetable chamber 5, the ice making chamber 6, and the small freezing chamber 6 and the small freezing chamber 6. It is partitioned vertically from the freezing chamber by a heat insulating partition wall 14. A drawer-type heat insulating door 6a is provided at the front opening of the ice making chamber 6, and an ice storage container 15 is connected to the back surface of the heat insulating door 6a. Although not shown, the front opening of the small freezer is also provided with a drawer-type heat insulating door to which a storage container is connected. The front opening of the freezing chamber 7 is also provided with a drawer-type heat insulating door 7a to which the lower storage container 7b and the upper storage container 7c are connected.

A refrigeration cycle 16 (see FIG. 3) for cooling each storage chamber is incorporated in the heat insulating box 2. As will be described in detail later, the freezing cycle 16 includes a refrigerating cooler 17, a freezing cooler 18, a compressor 20, a condenser 21, and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a machine room 19 is provided at the lower end of the heat insulating box 2 on the back side, and the compressor 20, the condenser 21, and the defrosting water evaporating dish are provided in the machine room 19. 35 and the like are arranged.

In the inner part of the storage chambers 4 and 5 in the refrigerating temperature zone, a refrigerating side cooler chamber 32 accommodating the refrigerating cooler 17 and a cold air supply duct 30 connected above the cooler chamber 32 are arranged. ing. That is, the back heat insulating wall of the heat insulating box 2 is provided with a refrigerating side cooler room 32 that also serves as a blower duct, located behind the chilled room 12 at the lowermost stage of the refrigerating room 4. A suction port 37 facing the lower end of the refrigerating chamber 4 (above the vegetable compartment 5) is provided in the lower part of the front side of the refrigerator chamber 32 on the refrigerating side, and cold air is provided in the upper part of the rear side of the cooler chamber 32 on the refrigerating side. The supply duct 30 is communicated and connected. The defrosted water from the refrigerating cooler 17 is received by the water receiving portion 33 of the refrigerating side cooler chamber 32, which will be described later, and then the defrosted water evaporating dish 35 in the machine chamber 19 is passed through the drain hose 34. It is guided by and evaporates.

The cold air supply duct 30 has a predetermined width dimension in the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 2), and is formed so as to extend upward from the cooler chamber 32 side along the back heat insulating wall of the refrigerating chamber 4. ing. The cold air supply duct 30 is provided with a plurality of outlets 30a that open in the refrigerating chamber 4. As will be described in detail later, for example, two refrigerating side fan devices 31L and 31R are arranged in the refrigerating side cooler chamber 32, and the cold air generated by the cooler 17 by the fan devices 31L and 31R. Is supplied from each outlet 30a of the supply duct 30 to the refrigerating chamber 4 side. Although not shown, the partition wall 9 (bottom plate of the refrigerating chamber 4) is provided with communication ports located at both left and right corners on the rear side to communicate the refrigerating chamber 4 and the vegetable compartment 5. ing.

As will be described in detail later, the fan devices 31L and R are axial-flow fans, and the built-in ball bearings are of a sealed type in which the inside is filled with oil and sealed. Since the ball bearing is maintained in a sealed state, there is no concern that oil inside the bearing will leak out regardless of the angle at which the fan devices 31L and R are installed.

When the refrigerating side fan devices 31L and 31R are driven, air is blown from the suction port 37 on the lower end side of the refrigerating chamber 4 (upper end side of the vegetable compartment 5) by the air blowing action of the fan devices 31L and 31R. It is sucked in. Then, the air passes through the refrigerating cooler 17, becomes cold air, and is supplied into the refrigerating chamber 4 from the outlet 30a of the cold air supply duct 30 (see the arrows in FIGS. 2 and 5). After cooling the inside of the refrigerating room 4, a part of the cold air supplied into the refrigerating room 4 flows into the vegetable room 5 through the communication port to cool the vegetable room 5. The cold air that has cooled the refrigerating chamber 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 is sucked into the refrigerating side cooler chamber 32 again from the suction port 37. In this way, the cold air circulates, and the refrigerator compartment 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 are cooled.

In the inner part of the storage chambers 6 and 7 in the freezing temperature zone of the heat insulating box 2, a freezing side cooler chamber 38 that also serves as an air duct is provided. The freezing cooler chamber 38 is provided with a freezing cooler 18, a freezing side defrost heater 57, and the like at the lower part thereof, and a freezing side fan device 39 at the upper part. On the front side of the freezing side cooler chamber 38, a cold air outlet 38a is provided at an intermediate portion, and a suction port 38b is provided at a lower end portion. Below the freezing cooler 18, a freezing side water receiving portion 40 that receives the defrosted water at the time of defrosting the freezing cooler 18 is provided. The defrosted water received by the refrigerating side water receiving portion 40 is guided to the defrosting water evaporating dish 35 via the refrigerating side drain hose 41 passing through the bottom insulating wall of the heat insulating box 2 and evaporates.

Here, when the freezing side fan device 39 is driven, the air in the lower freezing chamber 7 is sucked into the freezing side cooler chamber 38 from the suction port 38b by the blowing action of the fan device 39. Then, the air passes through the refrigerating cooler 18, is cooled, becomes cold air, and is supplied from the outlet 38a to the ice making chamber 6, the small freezing chamber, and the freezing chamber 7. The cold air is sucked into the freezing side cooler chamber 38 again from the suction port 38b after cooling the ice making chamber 6, the small freezing chamber, and the freezing chamber 7. In this way, the cold air circulates, and the ice making chamber 6, the small freezing chamber, and the freezing chamber 7 are cooled.

As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigeration cycle 16 comprises a single flow without branching from the discharge side of the compressor 20 to the three-way valve 23. Then, it is branched into two flows of the refrigerating cooler 17 side and the refrigerating cooler 18 by the three-way valve 23, and then merges and is connected to the suction side of the compressor 20.

A condenser 21 and a dryer 22 are sequentially connected to the discharge side of the compressor 20 via a connecting pipe 26. The three-way valve 23 connected to the discharge side of the dryer 22 has two outlets. A refrigerating side capillary tube 24, a refrigerating cooler (evaporator) 17, and an accumulator A1 are sequentially connected to one of the two outlets of the three-way valve 23, and then the compressor 20 is connected via the refrigerating side suction pipe 27. It is connected to the suction side of. The refrigerating side capillary tube 25, the refrigerating cooler 18, and the accumulator A2 are sequentially connected to the other outlet of the two outlets of the three-way valve 23, and then via the refrigerating side suction pipe 28 and the check valve 29. It is connected to the compressor 20.

In the heat insulating box 2 described above, vacuum heat insulating materials 10b, 10c, 10d (see FIG. 2) are used as the heat insulating material 10 together with, for example, urethane 10a. The vacuum heat insulating materials 10b to 10d are formed by wrapping a core material such as glass fiber with a film obtained by laminating a metal foil member (for example, aluminum foil) and a synthetic resin film member, for example, to form a rectangular shape. It has a structure formed in a thin plate shape. The vacuum heat insulating materials 10b to 10d are arranged on the upper portion, the back portion, and the bottom portion of the box body 2 as the heat insulating wall, and the vacuum heat insulating materials (not shown) are also arranged on the left and right side portions of the box body 2. ..

Further, in the refrigerating room 4, the vegetable room 5, and the freezing room 7, as temperature sensors for detecting the room temperature, the refrigerating temperature sensor (R sensor 46) and the vegetable room temperature sensor (R sensor 46) shown in FIG. 4 are used. A V-sensor 47) and a freezer temperature (F-sensor 48) are provided.

The refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which one refrigerating cooler 17 has a plurality of (for example, two) fan devices 31L and 31R for the cooler 17. The refrigerating side fan devices 31L and 31R will be referred to hereinafter as "first fan device 31L and second fan device 31R" or simply referred to as fan devices 31L and 31R, and will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. Further, since the first fan device 31L and the second fan device 31R are both blowers having the same components, L is used as a component of the first fan device 31L and R is used as a component of the second fan device 31R. , Or with the same reference numerals as appropriate, will be described collectively.

The first and second fan devices 31L and 31R include axial fan 51L and 51R and casings 53L and 53R shown in FIG. 6, and also include first and second fan motors 52L and 52R shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the casings 53L and 53R are formed at the center via a rectangular frame 53a having a square tubular outer peripheral wall and four upper frame 53b extending from the corners of the frame 53a toward the center. It has a provided motor case 53c. The first fan motor 52L is housed in the motor case 53c of the casing 53L, and the second fan motor 52R is housed in the motor case 53c of the casing 53R.

The axial flow fans 51L and 51R are located inside the cylindrical inner wall portion 53d (see FIG. 6) of the casings 53L and 53R. The axial flow fans 51L and 51R are composed of a cylindrical rotary cylinder portion 51a and, for example, three blades (impellers) 51b integrally formed around the rotary cylinder portion 51a with a predetermined twist angle. The rotary cylinder portion 51a of the axial flow fans 51L and 51R is attached to the rotary shaft 80 (see FIG. 5) of the corresponding fan motors 52L and 52R.

The fan motors 52L and 52R schematically shown in FIG. 5 include a rotating shaft 80 as a shaft portion and a bearing (not shown) that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 80. The bearing comprises, for example, a ball bearing having a plurality of balls arranged between an inner ring and an outer ring. In this ball bearing, for example, a seal (or a shield material) provided so as to be hung between the inner ring and the outer ring closes the internal bearing space in which oil (oil such as grease) is previously sealed. There is. As such a sealed ball bearing, a well-known structure can be adopted, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The bearing may be formed of a roller instead of a ball as a rolling element, or another bearing using an oil leakage preventing means other than a seal.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the fan devices 31L and 31R are arranged so that the rotation shaft 80 points in the vertical direction (see the vertical rotation center axis with reference numerals OL and OR). Here, the depth dimension (front-rear direction dimension) Mf1 of the casings 53L and 53R forming the outer shell in each fan device 31L and 31R coincides with the left-right direction dimension Mf3 of the casing 53L and 53R, and the depth of the refrigerating cooler 17 It is set so as to substantially match the dimension Me1 (Mf1 = Mf3≈Me1). The depth dimension Mf1 of the fan devices 31L and 31R may be matched with the depth dimension Me1 of the refrigerating cooler 17.

The fan devices 31L and 31R are attached and fixed to the refrigerating side cooler chamber 32 by a holding member 60 which is a holding means. The holding member 60 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material, and has a horizontally long rectangular frame shape extending in the left-right direction as a whole as shown in FIG. The holding member 60 holds the fan devices 31L and 31R in a state of being separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the refrigerating cooler 17. Specifically, the holding member 60 arranges the first accommodating frame 61L accommodating the first fan device 31L, the second accommodating frame 61R accommodating the second fan device 31R, and both 61L and 61R in the left-right direction. It integrally has a connecting portion 62 connected to the above. Further, hooking portions 63L and 63R are integrally provided at both left and right ends of the holding member 60. Each of the accommodating frames 61L and 61R has a rectangular tubular shape capable of accommodating the casings 53L and 53R, and upper fitting pieces 61a are provided on both left and right ends, and a mounting portion 61b is provided on the bottom inner edge. ing.

Further, the first accommodating frame 61L has a pair of first engaging portions 65L and 65L on the connecting portion 62 side, that is, the wall portion on the space side between the fan devices 31L and 31R. Each of the first engaging portions 65L and 65L has a strip shape formed so as to make a notch downward from the upper end of the side wall portion in the first accommodating frame 61L. Further, the first engaging portions 65L and 65L are projecting so as to extend upward, and engaging claws 65aL and 65aL that are fitted from the side to the upper edge portion of the casing 53L are provided at the upper end portions thereof. It is provided. Similarly, the second accommodating frame 61R has a pair of second engaging portions 65R and 65R on the wall portion on the connecting portion 62 side. The second engaging portions 65R and 65R also have a strip shape, and engaging claws 65aR and 65aR that are fitted from the side to the upper edge portion of the casing 53R are provided at the upper end portions thereof. In this way, the engaging portions 65L, 65L, 65R, 65R engage with the fan devices 31L, 31R in the longitudinal direction of the holding member 60 at positions adjacent to each other. Further, the fan devices 31L and 31R are held between the upper fitting piece 61a of the accommodating frames 61L and 61R and the mounting portion 61b, and are locked by the engaging claws 65aL and 65aR (FIG. 6). 7), it is unitized with the holding member 60 (hereinafter referred to as a fan unit 70).

FIG. 7 shows a state when the fan unit 70 is assembled from the back side of the refrigerator 1. In the holding member 60 (fan unit 70), the left (right side in FIG. 7) hooking portion 63L and the right hooking portion 63R each have an inverted U-shaped portion, which is a refrigerating side cooler chamber 32. It is attached to the hooked portion (only the hooked portion 32a on the right side is shown in FIG. 7). The above-mentioned hooking portions 63L and 63R and the engaging claws 65aL and 65aR are all located on the left-right side with respect to the fan devices 31L and 31R, and the fan unit 70 is located in the front and rear of the accommodation space of the refrigerating side cooler chamber 32. It is not bulky in the direction.

Here, the configuration of the refrigerating cooler 17 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the refrigerating cooler 17 has at least a refrigerant flow pipe 170 and a large number of cooling fins (heat transfer fins) 171 integrally, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Specifically, the refrigerating cooler 17 is mainly composed of a refrigerant flow pipe 170 bent and formed in a meandering shape, and a large number of thin strip-shaped cooling fins 171 (see FIGS. 14 and 15) are fitted to the pipe 170. It is in the configuration. On the U-shaped portion side of the refrigerant flow pipe 170, slightly thick end plates 172 located on the left and right end sides of the cooling fins 171 group are arranged, thereby maintaining a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Each member 170 to 172 in these coolers 17 is made of, for example, an aluminum material. A meandering refrigerating side defrost heater 56 (see FIG. 14) is provided on the front and rear outer surface sides of the refrigerating cooler 17.

In the refrigerating cooler 17, the depth dimension Me1 and the vertical dimension Me2 are substantially the same, and the horizontal dimension Me3 is set to be larger than those dimensions Me1 and Me2 (Me1≈Me2 <Me3). That is, in the refrigerating cooler 17 of the present embodiment, the side along the depth direction and the vertical direction is the short side, and the side along the left-right direction is the long side, and the longitudinal direction of the cooler 17 is It is in the left-right direction.

When viewed from the direction orthogonal to the upper surface of the side where the fan devices 31L and 31R are lined up in the refrigerating cooler 17 (that is, when viewed from the upper side of FIG. 1), the fan devices 31L and 31R of the fan unit 70 are the cooler 17. It fits between the right edge 17a (left end plate 172 in FIG. 1) and the left edge 17b (right end plate 172 in the figure). Further, in FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, the first distance W1 from the right edge 17a of the cooler 17 to the right end of the second fan device 31R, the distance W0 between the fans between the fan devices 31L and 31R, and the cooler 17 The second distance W2 from the left edge 17b to the left end of the first fan device 31L is shown on the same straight line at the lower side of the figure. As described above, in the fan unit 70, the fan devices 31L and 31R are arranged so as to arrange the fan devices 31L and 31R with respect to the refrigerating cooler 17 at a predetermined distance W0, W1 and W2 in the longitudinal direction of the cooler 17 when viewed from the upper side of FIG. Take the form. In the figure, the distance W0 between the fans is slightly larger than the left and right spaces W1 and W2 (W0> W1 = W2 or W0≈W1 = W2), but these distances W0, W1 and W2 are between each other. May be set to have the same dimensions or substantially the same dimensions.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the fan devices 31L and 31R in the fan unit 70 are arranged at positions directly above the refrigerating cooler 17 at a predetermined interval W3. For example, the interval W3 is approximately 1/2 of the external dimensions Mf1 of the fan devices 31L and 31R, and the fan devices 31L and 31R are provided in the vicinity of the refrigerating cooler 17. Alternatively, the interval W3 may be half the diameter of the axial flow fans 51L and 51R.

In the front cover 32b of the refrigerating side cooler chamber 32 shown in FIG. 7, a pair of left and right hooked portions 32a are formed on the upper side thereof, and the suction port 37 extending in the left-right direction is formed in the middle portion in the vertical direction. Is formed. In the lower part of the refrigerating side cooler chamber 32, the water receiving portion 33 surrounding the lower side of the refrigerating cooler 17 is housed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the front cover 32b is provided with a connecting portion 32c connected to the cold air supply duct 30 at the upper rear side thereof. That is, the front cover 32b is a duct member that is connected to the cold air supply duct 30 and forms an air flow path together with the back heat insulating wall, and the air generated by the fan devices 31L and 31R flows through the front cover 32b. The upper surface wall (ceiling portion 32d) of the front cover 32b is formed so as to gradually increase from the front surface side toward the connecting portion 32c and to be gently curved rearward and upward (see arrow 32r). In other words, the ceiling portion 32d and the connecting portion 32c of the front cover 32b are formed as a bell mouth portion having a bell mouth shape as a whole, and expand toward the lower side which is upstream of the air blow of the fan devices 31L and 31R. There is.

The ceiling portion 32d makes it possible for the refrigerating side cooler chamber 32 to suppress stagnation of the flow of cold air toward the connecting portion 32c above the fan unit 70 and reduce the pressure loss. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the ceiling portion 32d extends from the front end side to the rear end side of the fan devices 31L and 31R to a position covering the upper part of the motors 52L and 52R, and is on the refrigerating chamber 4 side. Even if drinking water or the like spills from the water, the fan motors 52L and 52R are protected from the liquid. Instead of the ceiling portion 32d, an eaves portion (not shown) that protects the fan motors 52L and 52R from liquid may be provided above the fan devices 31L and 31R.

In the manufacturing process of the refrigerator 1, the fan devices 31L and 31R are integrally incorporated as a fan unit 70 by being held by the holding member 60. That is, first, the fan devices 31L and 31R are mounted on the accommodating frames 61L and 61R of the holding member 60 so as to be fitted from above, respectively (see FIG. 6). At this time, due to the flexibility of the first engaging portions 65L and 65L, the pair of engaging claws 65aL and 65aL are fitted to the first fan device 31L from above, so that the first fan device 31L is surely fitted. Be retained. Similarly, the flexibility of the second engaging portions 65R and 65R allows the pair of engaging claws 65aR and 65aR to be fitted to the second fan device 31R from above, so that the second fan device 31R can be reliably fitted. Be retained.

As a result, the unitized fan unit 70 is attached so that the hooking portions 63L and 63R on both the left and right ends are hung on the hooked portions 32a and 32a of the refrigerating side cooler chamber 32 (front cover 32b). (See FIG. 7). As a result, the fan devices 31L and 31R are positioned so that the rotation center axes OL and OR are oriented in the vertical direction and have a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the above-mentioned refrigerating cooler 17 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the two fan devices 31L and 31R can be easily and accurately assembled at predetermined positions in the cooler chamber 32. In this way, in the refrigerator chamber 32 on the refrigerating side, the flow of cold air in the axial direction (that is, from the bottom to the top) is formed by driving the assembled fan devices 31L and 31R (see FIG. 5). .. Further, in the refrigerator compartment 32 on the refrigerating side, a predetermined space is secured between the ceiling portion 32d and the fan devices 31L and 31R described above, and the flow of cold air is guided to the cold air supply duct 30 side without stagnation.

Although not shown, three or more fan devices may be arranged in the longitudinal direction of one refrigerating cooler 17. Similarly, two or more fan devices may be arranged in the longitudinal direction of one freezing cooler chamber 38.

The refrigerating cooler 17 described above is provided with a first temperature sensor 55L for EVA at a position corresponding to the first fan device 31L on the left side thereof, and at a position corresponding to the second fan device 31R on the right side. A second temperature sensor 55R for EVA is provided. In FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, the detection positions of the temperature sensors 55L and 55R are indicated by dots. As illustrated in the figure, the temperature sensors 55L and 55R are arranged on the upper surface of the cooler 17 so as to be aligned with the axes OL and OR of the fan devices 31L and 31R. The temperature sensors 55L and 55R may be arranged in the middle portion or the lower surface portion in the vertical direction of the cooler 17 as long as they are in positions corresponding to the fan devices 31L and 31R, and may be arranged on the front side or the rear surface of the cooler 17. It may be arranged by shifting it to the side.

Subsequently, the electrical configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 50 of the refrigerator 1 includes a first fan motor 52L, a second fan motor 52R, a fan motor 45 of the refrigerating side fan device 39, a three-way valve 23, a compressor 20, a defrost heater 56, 57, an R sensor 46, and the like. The V sensor 47, the F sensor 48, the first temperature sensor 55L for the EVA, and the second temperature sensor 55R for the EVA are connected. The control device 50 is mainly composed of a microcomputer and has storage means such as a ROM and a RAM. Further, the refrigerator 1 is provided with an operation unit 49 (shown only in FIG. 4) for setting a temperature or an operation setting, and the control device 50 also receives an input signal such as a setting from the operation unit 49. accept.

The control device 50 is configured as a control means that controls the entire refrigerator 1 by executing a control program stored in advance in a ROM or the like. Then, in the control device 50, each fan motor is operated so that the fan devices 31L, 31R, 39 operate independently based on the input signals of the sensors 46 to 48, 55L, 55R, the temperature setting, and the like. The start and stop of 52L, 52R and 45 and the number of rotations are controlled separately. The substrate of the control device 50 is mounted in the machine room 19 of the refrigerator 1. Further, the target temperature value (or the threshold value related to the temperature determination), which will be described later, is included in the control program in advance (stored in advance in the storage means).

Subsequently, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. Here, FIG. 8 shows a refrigerating cooling operation for cooling the refrigerating chamber 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 and a refrigerating cooling operation for cooling the ice making chamber 6, the small freezing chamber, and the freezing chamber 7 as the cooling operation by the refrigerating cycle 16. Among them, regarding the former refrigerating / cooling operation, a flow chart of control relating to the fan devices 31L and 31R is shown.

At the start of the refrigerating cooling operation, the control device 50 cuts off the defrosting heater 56 and switches the three-way valve 23 of the refrigerating cycle 16 to supply the refrigerant to the refrigerating cooler 17, and energizes the compressor 20. (Step S1). Further, the control device 50 drives each of the fan devices 31L and 31R (motors 52L and 52R) in a forward rotation (step S2). In this case, the rotation speed is controlled by the pulse width modulation (PWM) method by the inverter for each of the fan devices 31L and 31R, and all of them are driven at 1000 [rpm], for example. As will be described later, the rotation speeds of the fan devices 31L and 31R may be different from each other so as not to cause resonance.

In this way, the blowing action of the fan devices 31L and 31R causes circulation of cold air that cools the refrigerating chamber 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 as described above (see the arrows in FIGS. 2 and 5). During this cooling operation, the control device 50 determines whether or not there is a failure in each of the fan devices 31L and 31R by the feedback signal (step S3). That is, for the fan devices 31L and 31R, the rotation speed is detected based on the d-axis current which is the current component corresponding to the magnetic flux and the q-axis current Iq which is the current component corresponding to the torque, and the rotation speed and the speed command signal are detected. Judge the failure from. Here, when the control device 50 determines, for example, that one fan device 31L has failed (YES in step S3), the control device 50 stops energization of the fan device 31L and increases the rotation speed of the other fan device 31R (YES). Step S4). In this case, the rotation speed of the other fan device 31R is 2000 so as to supplement the air volume because the one fan device 31L changes from 1000 [rpm] to 0 [rpm] (because it becomes an undriveable stop state). It is set to [rpm]. As a result, even if one of the fan devices 31L fails, the decrease in air volume can be compensated for.

Such a cooling operation (normal operation) ends when the cumulative operation time of the compressor 20 reaches a predetermined time (YES in step S5), and shifts to the defrosting operation. Here, FIG. 9 shows the flow of processing of the defrosting operation executed by the control device 50.

In the defrosting operation, the compressor 20 is cut off by the control device 50, and the defrosting heater 56 is energized (step S11). As a result, the refrigerating cooler 17 is heated and the frost melts, and the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor 55L for EVA and the second temperature sensor 55R for EVA (hereinafter, the temperature T1 on the left side of the cooler and the temperature T2 on the right side of the cooler). To) rises. Further, the control device 50 drives each of the fan devices 31L and 31R in reverse rotation, and sets each rotation speed to, for example, 1000 [rpm] (step S12). As a result, the positive temperature air in the refrigerating chamber 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 flows from the outlet 30a through the cold air supply duct 30 into the refrigerating side cooler chamber 32, thereby defrosting the refrigerating cooler 17. Melt. Further, the moisture generated by the defrosting is supplied from the suction port 37 to the upper end side of the vegetable compartment 5 (the lower end side of the refrigerating chamber 4) (that is, a flow opposite to the arrows in FIGS. 2 and 5 is generated). By doing so), moisturize the vegetable compartment 5.

When the control device 50 determines that the refrigerating room temperature R is higher than the vegetable room temperature V based on the detection temperatures of the R sensor 46 and the V sensor 47 (YES in step S13), the control device 50 sets the fan devices 31L and 31R, respectively. It is driven in the forward rotation (step S17). That is, the refrigerating room 4 is set to a temperature slightly lower than that of the vegetable room 5, but the temperature of the refrigerating room 4 rises, for example, when a high-temperature storage is stored in the refrigerating room 4. Therefore, by switching the fan devices 31L and 31R to forward rotation, the refrigerating chamber 4 is preferentially cooled.

Further, when the control device 50 determines that both the cooler left temperature T1 and the cooler right temperature T2 exceed 0 ° C. (YES in step S14), the control device 50 rotates the fan devices 31L and 31R in the forward direction, respectively. Switching (step S17). That is, when the fan devices 31L and 31R rotate in the reverse direction, the first and second temperature sensors 55L and 55R for EVA are both located on the windward side of the refrigerator 17 for refrigeration. Therefore, by changing the wind direction as the temperatures T1 and T2 of the cooler 17 rise, accurate temperature detection is performed so as to melt the frost of the cooler 17 as evenly as possible.

During the reverse rotation drive of the fan devices 31L and 31R described above (NO in step S13 and NO in S14), the control device 50 responds to the temperature T1 on the left side and the temperature T2 on the right side of the cooler 17. The rotation speeds of the fan devices 31L and 31R are increased or decreased (step S15). That is, if there is a difference in the degree of frost melting on the left and right sides of the cooler 17, and the temperature T1 on the left side is lower, the control device 50 sets the rotation speed of the fan device 31L to a higher value. Promotes defrosting. Alternatively, the rotation speed of the other fan device 31R may be set to a lower value or the drive thereof may be stopped. As a result, the control device 50 controls the temperature distribution in the cooler 17, that is, the temperatures T1 and T2 are balanced, and the frost in the cooler 17 is melted evenly. As described above, since the fan devices 31L and 31R are arranged above the cooler 17, the water melted by the cooler 17 does not reach the fan devices 31L and 31R.

In this way, when the reverse rotation drive of the fan devices 31L and 31R is continuously performed for, for example, 10 minutes (YES in step S16), the control device 50 switches the fan devices 31L and 31R to forward rotation, respectively (step S17). ).

The forward rotation drive of the fan devices 31L and 31R in step S17 is set to the above-mentioned 1000 [rpm] or the rotation speed after increasing or decreasing in step S15. Then, when the control device 50 determines that either the temperature T1 on the left side or the temperature T2 on the right side of the cooler 17 exceeds the estimated defrosting end temperature (YES in step S18), the control device 50 reaches that temperature. The drive of the fan devices 31L and 31R corresponding to the temperature sensor is stopped. Specifically, for example, the predetermined temperature at which the frost is estimated to have melted at the temperature detection position of the cooler 17 is set to 3 ° C., and when the temperature T1 on the left side exceeds the temperature, the driving of the fan device 31L is stopped ( Step S19). Alternatively, the rotation speed of the fan device 31L may be set to a lower value. As a result, the energy saving of the defrosting operation can be achieved, while the forward rotation drive of the fan device 31R is continued, and the frost can be reliably melted.

After that, when the control device 50 determines that the temperature T1 on the left side of the cooler 17 exceeds 3 ° C. and the temperature T2 on the right side also exceeds 3 ° C. (YES in step S20), the control device 50 ends the defrosting operation. .. At the end of the defrosting operation, the compressor 20 is energized and the defrosting heater 56 is cut off (see step S1 in FIG. 8).

As described above, the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment has a storage chamber in which a cold air outlet 30a is formed, a cooler 17 for cooling the storage chamber, and a cool air outlet cooled by the cooler 17. A configuration is provided in which fan devices 31L and 31R supplied from 30a to the storage chamber are provided, and one cooler 17 is provided with two or more fan devices 31L and 31R for the cooler 17. According to this, the air volume can be increased, the cooling power can be increased, and the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler 17 can be improved as compared with the configuration in which one fan device is provided for one cooler 17. , Energy saving can be achieved. Further, by using two fan devices 31L and 31R in order to increase the air volume, it is not necessary to increase the fan diameter of the fan devices 31L and 31R, and it is possible to secure a sufficient storage volume of the storage chamber. Become.

The cooler 17 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having a long side and a short side in the horizontal or vertical direction, and the direction along the side other than the short side of the periphery of the cooler 17 is the longitudinal direction. One or more fan devices 31L and 31R are arranged so as to be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the cooler 17. According to this, two or more fan devices 31L and 31R can be arranged so as not to be bulky with respect to the cooler 17.

The two or more fan devices 31L and 31R are arranged so that the rotation shafts 80 are directed in the vertical direction. According to this, the space W3 between the fan devices 31L and 31R and the cooler 17 can be narrowed to make the layout of the fan devices 31L and 31R more compact, and the space efficiency can be improved.

By setting the interval W3 in this case to 1/2 or less of the diameter of the axial flow fans 51L and 51R, for example, in addition to the above effects, the vertical dimension of the cooler chamber 32 can be made as small as possible.
Since the two or more fan devices 31L and 31R are all provided in the vicinity of the cooler 17, the space taken by the fan devices 31L and 31R and the cooler 17 is suppressed, and the storage volume of the storage chamber is sufficient. Can be secured.

The two or more fan devices 31L and 31R are formed so that their respective depth dimensions substantially match the depth dimensions of the cooler 17. According to this, the size of the fan devices 31L and 31R with respect to the cooler 17 can be made more suitable in order to improve the space efficiency, and the cooler 17 and the fan devices 31L and 31R are generally compact. Layout can be realized.

Further, for example, the fan devices 31L and 31R are not limited to the above dimensions, and for example, the depth dimension Mf1 (or the dimension of the diameter of the axial flow fan 51L and 51R) is set to the depth dimension Me1 (dimension along the short side) of the cooler 17. ) May be 0.5 to 1.5 times. According to this, the fan devices 31L and 31R are not so bulky with respect to the cooler 17, and the compactness can be achieved by arranging both 1L, 31R and 17 in close proximity to each other. Further, according to this, it is possible to obtain an air volume corresponding to the diameter of the axial flow fans 51L and 51R while ensuring the desired heat exchange efficiency in the cooler 17, and the fan devices 31L and 31R are unnecessarily large. It doesn't have to be transformed.

The refrigerator 1 includes a first engaging portion 65L that can be engaged with one of the two or more fan devices 31L and 31R, and a second engaging portion 65R that can be engaged with the other fan device 31R. In the holding member 60, the first engaging portion 65L and one fan device 31L are engaged at positions adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction, and the second engaging portion 65R and the other fan device are engaged with each other. The fan devices 31L and 31R can be held by engaging the 31R at positions adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction. According to this, since the first engaging portion 65L and the second engaging portion 65R are located adjacent to the fan devices 31L and 31R in the longitudinal direction, the width of the holding member 60 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The dimensions can be suppressed, and the mounting structure of two or more fan devices 31L and 31R can be slimmed down.

The two or more fan devices 31L and 31R are separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the cooler 17, and the cooler is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the surface of the cooler 17 on which the fan devices 31L and 31R are arranged. It is arranged so as to fit between one edge of the 17 and the other edge, and between the first distance W1 from one edge of the cooler 17 to the fan device 31R on the edge side and the fan devices 31L and 31R. The arrangement form is such that the distance W0 and the second distance W2 from the other edge of the cooler 17 to the fan device 31L on the edge side are both substantially the same distance or a predetermined distance. According to this, good ventilation characteristics can be obtained in relation to the cooler 17, and the heat exchange efficiency can be further improved.

A control device 50 for separately controlling each of the two or more fan devices 31L and 31R so as to operate independently is provided. According to this, even when driving two or more fan devices 31L and 31R, resonance can be prevented by controlling the rotation speeds to be different from each other. Further, for example, by increasing the rotation speeds of all the fan devices 31L and 31R, a larger air volume and cooling force can be obtained, while energy saving can be achieved by driving only one fan device 31L to suppress the rotation speed. Can be done.

The control device 50 is configured to be capable of executing control to supply cold air to the storage chamber by driving the other fan device in a stopped state in which one of the two or more fan devices 31L and 31R cannot be driven. ing. According to this, even if one fan device cannot be driven due to a failure or the like, the function of supplying cold air to the storage chamber by driving the other fan device can be maintained. It should be noted that such control may be executed not only during the cooling operation described above (steps S3 and S4 in FIG. 8) but also during the defrosting operation.

The control device 50 increases the rotation speed of the other fan device so as to compensate for the decrease in the air volume due to the inability to drive one of the two or more fan devices 31L and 31R. According to this, even if one fan device cannot be driven, the air volume can be maintained or the decrease in the air volume can be compensated for by driving the other fan device.

The control device 50 increases or decreases the rotation speeds of one fan device 31L and the other fan device 31R or drives either one according to the detected temperatures of one temperature sensor 55L and the other temperature sensor 55R. Stop it. According to this, the air volume can be appropriately adjusted according to the position where the temperature is detected in the cooler 17, and the cooling efficiency of the cooler 17 can be improved. Further, energy saving can be achieved by appropriately stopping the driving of the fan device.

During the defrosting operation in which the cooler 17 is heated by the defrosting heater 56 to defrost the controller 50, the detection temperature of either one of the temperature sensor 55L and the other temperature sensor 55R reaches a predetermined temperature. If it is determined that the temperature has been reached, the drive of the fan device corresponding to the temperature sensor that has reached the predetermined temperature is stopped. According to this, energy saving can be achieved by stopping the drive of the fan device in the defrosting operation, and it is possible to surely melt the frost by continuing the drive of the other fan device.

Further, when the defrosting operation is repeated a plurality of times, the amount of air from the fan device may be adjusted as appropriate. That is, compared to the first defrosting operation and the first defrosting operation, in which the operating time or the number of rotations of the fan device is controlled to be high so that the frost can be reliably defrosted to secure a large amount of wind during the defrosting operation. Control may be performed so as to alternately repeat the second defrosting operation in which the fan device is operated with a small amount of wind. Here, the "air volume" is the "amount of air blown by driving the fan device", and the above-mentioned air volume, that is, the amount of air per unit time blown by the fan device (per unit time to the storage chamber). It includes the meaning of the amount of cold air supplied) and the amount of air blown by the fan device during the first defrosting operation (or the second defrosting operation).

Therefore, for example, by alternately executing the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation, such as the first defrosting operation, the cooling operation, the second defrosting operation, and the cooling operation, the first defrosting operation is performed. Compared with the case where only the operation is repeatedly executed, the defrosting operation time can be shortened or the rotation speed of the fan device can be suppressed to be low, so that the power consumption of the fan device can be reduced. In this case, the amount of wind may be reduced by operating only a part of the fan devices among the plurality of fan devices.

More specifically, when defrosting the cooler 17, the fan devices 31L and 31R are rotated at 1500 [rpm], and the temperature sensors 55L and 55R are the first defrosting temperature (for example, the first target temperature). The first defrosting operation is performed by maintaining the ventilation until it is detected that the temperature has risen to + 3 ° C.). After the first defrosting operation, the cooling operation is performed, and when the cooler 17 needs to be defrosted again, the fan devices 31L and 31R are rotated at 1000 [rpm], and the temperature sensors 55L and 55R are first. The second defrosting operation is performed by maintaining the ventilation until it is detected that the temperature has risen to the second defrosting temperature (for example, -2 ° C.), which is the second target temperature lower than the defrosting temperature.

Further, during the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation, the fan devices 31L and 31R are rotated in the opposite directions to those during the normal cooling, and the frost of the cooler 17 is melted and the cold air becomes high humidity. Is blown toward the vegetable compartment 104. Such a first defrosting operation and a second defrosting operation can be executed instead of the steps S13 to S20. Further, in this case, the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are alternately executed with the cooling operation in between.

According to this, since it is not necessary to consume a large amount of power by the fan devices 31L and 31R each time the cooler 17 is defrosted, the power consumption can be reduced. That is, instead of repeating the first defrosting operation with a large amount of power consumption, the second defrosting operation with a small amount of power consumption and the first defrosting operation are alternately repeated, so that the power consumption is reduced in a series of defrosting operations. While doing so, the cooler 17 can be reliably defrosted.

The first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation not only differ in the rotation speed [rpm] of the fan devices 31L and 31R and the defrosting temperature (target temperature) related to the temperature sensors 55L and 55R, but also differ. By making the numbers of the fan devices 31L and 31R that are driven during the defrosting operation different, the magnitude relationship may be generated in the amount of wind. For example, in the first defrosting operation, both the fan devices 31L and 31R are operated, and in the second defrosting operation, only one of the fan devices 31L and 31R is operated, or the two fan devices are operated alternately. You can do it.

Further, instead of performing the defrosting operation until the temperature sensors 55L and 55R reach the target temperature, the amount of wind may be controlled by operating the fan devices 31L and 31R for a preset time. That is, for example, the control of operating the fan devices 31L and 31R for 20 minutes as the first defrosting operation and operating the fan devices 31L and 31R for 3 minutes as the second defrosting operation is repeated every time the defrosting operation is performed. The amount of wind (driving time of the fan device) may be controlled to be smaller than that in the case where the first defrosting operation is repeated.

The defrosting operation having different power consumption in the defrosting operation is not limited to two types, and more types of defrosting operations may be provided. That is, it is estimated that the defrosting operation of three stages having different power consumption in the defrosting operation is repeated, or the number of times the door is opened and closed per unit time is counted, and the door opening and closing is small and the frost on the cooler 17 is small. In that case, instead of the second defrosting operation, a third defrosting operation with further reduced power consumption may be performed.

Further, since the cold air having high humidity is blown to the vegetable compartment 104, the humidity in the vegetable compartment 104 can be maintained high, the stored products can be prevented from drying, and the stored products can be stored with good freshness.
The direction of ventilation during the defrosting operation is not limited to the direction toward the vegetable compartment, and one of the fan devices 31L and 31R is operated in the forward rotation toward the refrigerating chamber 102 and the other in the reverse rotation toward the vegetable compartment 104. You may drive in. According to this, it is possible to efficiently defrost the cooler 17 by creating an air flow that is rotated by two fan devices in the vicinity of the cooler 17.

The fan devices 31L and 31R include a rotating shaft 80 and its bearing, and blades 51b that generate an axial air flow by rotating around the rotating shaft 80, and the bearing prevents oil leakage. Consists of bearings that include means of According to this, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in designing the fan devices 31L and 31R, such as arranging the fan devices 31L and 31R so that the rotating shaft 80 points in the vertical direction while preventing oil leakage.

A duct member (front cover 32b) constituting an air flow path generated by the fan devices 31L and 31R is provided, and the front cover 32b is positioned above the fan devices 31L and 31R with respect to the fan devices 31L and 31R. A ceiling portion 32d or an eaves portion is formed. According to this, even if drinking water or the like spills from the refrigerating chamber 4 side, the liquid can be prevented from being applied to the fan devices 31L and 31R by the ceiling portion 32d or the eaves portion.

The duct member is positioned above the fan devices 31L and 31R, and a bell mouth portion that expands toward the upstream of the air blown by the fan devices 31L and 31R is formed. According to this, the bell mouth portion makes it possible to suppress the stagnation of the flow on the downstream side of the blower of the fan devices 31L and 31R in the duct member and reduce the pressure loss. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the fan devices 31L and 31R are arranged so as to blow air in the vertical direction, the desired blowing action can be obtained by suppressing the stagnation of the flow above the fan devices 31L and 31R.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 10 shows the second embodiment, and the same parts as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the parts different from those of the first embodiment will be described.
The refrigerator 100 of the second embodiment does not include two coolers, a refrigerating cooler and a freezing cooler, and the vegetable compartment 104 is arranged adjacent to the lower side of the freezing chamber 103. .. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the refrigerator 100 has a configuration in which the refrigerating chamber 102 and the vegetable compartment 104, which are storage chambers in the refrigerating temperature zone, are vertically separated from each other, and the freezing chamber 103 is arranged between them. There is. Further, there is only one cooler 114, and this one cooler 114 is configured to cool both the storage chamber in the freezing temperature zone and the storage chamber in the refrigerating temperature zone.

Specifically, inside the heat insulating box 101 of the refrigerator 100, a refrigerating chamber 102, a freezing chamber 103, and a vegetable compartment 104 are provided in this order from the top. A heat insulating partition wall 110 is provided between the refrigerating room 102 and the freezing room 103, and a heat insulating partition wall 111 is also provided between the freezing room 103 and the vegetable room 104. A duct member 112 that forms the cooler chamber 113 is provided at the rear of the freezing chamber 103. The cooler chamber 113 accommodates the cooler 114 and the fan devices 31L and 31R, and communicates with the cold air supply duct 30 above the cooler chamber 113. The duct member 112 of the cooler chamber 113 has an outlet 117 formed at the upper end and a suction port 118 formed at the lower end.

A damper 122 for opening and closing the connection portion is provided at the connection portion between the cold air supply duct 30 and the cooler chamber 113, and the control device 50 controls the opening and closing of the damper 122. Although not shown, a duct for a vegetable compartment is provided below the cold air supply duct 30 so as to extend toward the vegetable compartment 104 and connect the refrigerating chamber 102 and the vegetable compartment 104 in communication with each other. The heat insulating partition wall 111 on the upper side of the vegetable compartment 104 is provided with a return duct 128 communicating with the cooler chamber 113. Although not shown, the refrigerating chamber 102 is provided with the R sensor 46, and the freezing chamber 103 is provided with the F sensor 48.

In the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, only the freezing room 103 is used as the storage room in the freezing temperature zone, but as in the first embodiment, in addition to the freezing room 103, an ice making room and a small freezing room are provided. It may be provided. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, the cases 11, 11a, 13 and the containers 7b, 7c, 15 in the storage chambers of the refrigerators 1 and 100 are partially omitted or shaped according to the storage chamber. Can be changed as appropriate.

In the above configuration, when the fan devices 31L and 31R are driven with the damper 122 closed, the cold air cooled by the cooler 114 is supplied into the freezing chamber 103 from the outlet 117, and the cold air in the freezing chamber 103 is supplied. Circulates so as to be returned from the suction port 118 into the cooler chamber 113, whereby the freezing chamber 103 is cooled.
Further, when the fan devices 31L and 31R are driven with the damper 122 open, a part of the cold air cooled by the cooler 114 passes through the cold air supply duct 30 and enters the refrigerating chamber 102 from each outlet 30a. Supplied within. Further, the remaining amount of the cold air cooled by the cooler 114 is supplied into the freezing chamber 103 as described above. The cold air that has cooled the inside of the refrigerating chamber 102 flows downward through the duct for the vegetable chamber and is supplied into the vegetable chamber 104 to cool the inside of the vegetable chamber 104. The cold air cooled in the vegetable compartment 104 is returned to the cooler chamber 113 through the return duct 128.

The vertical dimension Me2'of the cooler 114 of the second embodiment is larger than the vertical dimension Me2 of the cooler 17 of the first embodiment, and the remaining depth dimension Me1'and the horizontal direction of the cooler 114. The dimensions (not shown) are the same as the depth dimension Me1 and the lateral dimension Me3 of the cooler 17. Therefore, as will be described later, in the cooler 114, both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction can be regarded as the longitudinal direction with respect to the depth direction along the short side. Further, in the second embodiment, the front cover 32b is provided integrally with or separately from the duct member 112, and the fan devices 31L and 31R are incorporated into the cooler chamber 113 as the fan unit 70. Therefore, even in the configuration in which both the storage chamber in the refrigerating temperature zone and the storage chamber in the refrigerating temperature zone are cooled by one cooler 114 as in the second embodiment, the fan devices 31L and 31R are controlled by the control device 50. Control is performed to drive each separately. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler 114 can be improved to save energy, and a sufficient storage volume of the storage chamber can be secured, which is the same effect as that of the first embodiment.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 11 is a schematic front view of the duct member 112 showing the third embodiment, and the same parts as those of the second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the parts different from those of the second embodiment will be described.

The front cover 32b of the duct member 112 has an outlet 130 formed on the upper left half side instead of the outlet 117 at the upper end. The outlet 130 is located at an upper position corresponding to the first fan device 31L, and is provided so as to cut out the left half side thereof in a strip shape along the left and right longitudinal directions. Further, the outlet 130 faces the freezing chamber 103 and is formed in the vicinity of the first fan device 31L. In the holding member 60'of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the connecting portion 62'is crank-shaped so as to hold the first fan device 31L at a position lower than that of the second fan device 31R. There is. Alternatively, although not shown, the first fan device 31L and the second fan device 31R may be attached to the cooler chamber 113, respectively, without using the holding member 60'.

In the above configuration, the control device 50 efficiently performs cold air by performing drive control of the fan devices 31L and 31R and opening / closing control of the damper 122 based on the detection signals of the R sensor 46 and the F sensor 48. It can be supplied to the storage room. For example, with the damper 122 closed, only the first fan device 31L can be driven, and cold air can be supplied into the freezing chamber 103 from the outlet 130 in the vicinity of the fan device 31L. More specific control contents of the fan devices 31L and 31R will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the cooling operation, the control device 50 drives the first fan device 31L in the forward rotation at the rotation speed N1 and drives the second fan device 31R in the forward rotation at the rotation speed N2 (steps S21 and S22). For example, the rotation speed N1 is set to 1000 [rpm] and the rotation speed N2 is set to 1200 [rpm], and such a rotation speed is stored as a default value in the storage means. The rotation speeds N1 and N2 can be appropriately changed according to the positional relationship between the outlet 130 and the fan devices 31L and 31R, and the volume of each storage chamber.

The control device 50 determines whether or not the damper 122 is in the closed state in the cooling operation, that is, whether or not only the freezing chamber 103 is cooled (step S23). Here, when the damper 122 determines that the damper 122 is in the closed state (YES in step S23), for example, only the first fan device 31L is driven at the rotation speed N1 and the driving of the second fan device 31R is stopped (YES). Or lower the rotation speed N2). In this way, when the freezing chamber 103 is cooled, the air volume as a whole is reduced according to the volume thereof, and cold air is efficiently supplied from the outlet 130 to the freezing chamber 103 by the first fan device 31L. Alternatively, in step S24, for example, the rotation speeds N1 and N2 of the fan devices 31L and 31R are lowered, respectively. Such a process of stopping the fan devices 31L and 31R or changing the setting of the rotation speed is performed by the above-mentioned positions of the outlets 117 and 130, the arrangement of the fan devices 31L and 31R, or the blowing of the fan devices 31L and 31R. It can be set according to the ability.

After that, when the control device 50 determines that the rotation speeds of the fan devices 31L and 31R are lower than N1 and N2, respectively, and the damper 122 is in the open state (YES in step S26), the rotation speeds of the fan devices 31L and 31R are set to N1. , N2 (steps S21, S22). In this way, when steps S21 to S26 are repeatedly executed and it is determined that the cumulative operation time of the compressor 20 has reached a predetermined time (YES in step S25), this cooling operation is terminated.

As described above, in the third embodiment, one of the two or more fan devices 31L and 31R, the fan device 31L, is arranged at a position corresponding to the outlet 130, so that the fan device 31L is different from the other fan device 31R. It has become. According to this, cold air can be efficiently supplied from the outlet 130 by driving one of the fan devices 31L.

The arrangement configuration of the outlet 130 of the third embodiment and the first fan device 31L described above may be applied to the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment. That is, the outlet 130 of the front cover 32b is provided so as to face the chilled chamber 12, and the air volume is distributed between the chilled chamber 12 side and the remaining refrigerating chamber 4 side by the first fan device 31L and the second fan device 31R. Can be done.

In this way, the control device 50 stops driving any one of the one fan device 31L and the other fan device 31R, or makes the rotation speeds of the one fan device 31L and the other fan device 31R different. The air volume is controlled to be distributed between one outlet (for example, the outlet 130 of the freezing chamber 103 or the outlet 30a of the chilled chamber 12) and the other outlet 30a. According to this, it is possible to improve the air blowing efficiency and to distribute the air volume according to the volume of the storage chamber, the temperature zone, and the like.

A damper 122 is provided to open and close the flow path of cold air supplied from the outlet 30a other than the one outlet to the storage chamber, and the control device 50 is a fan device other than one fan device 31L in the closed state of the damper 122. For 31R, the drive is stopped or the rotation speed is lowered as compared with the rotation speed of the damper 122 in the open state. According to this, regardless of the opening and closing of the damper 122, an efficient blowing action can be obtained and energy saving can be achieved.

In this regard, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, even in the configuration of the second embodiment in which any one of the fan devices 31L and 31R is not arranged in the vicinity of the outlet 117 of the freezing chamber 103, the third embodiment The process (flow chart of FIG. 12) can be applied. In this way, in the configuration in which the damper 122 for opening and closing the flow path of the cold air supplied to the storage chamber is provided, the control device 50 is in the closed state of the damper 122, and the two or more fan devices 31L and 31R are respectively provided. The rotation speed is set lower than the rotation speed of the damper 122 in the open state. According to this, the desired air volume can be obtained according to the opening and closing of the damper 122, and energy saving can be achieved.

As the two or more fan devices 31L and 31R, those having a difference in blowing capacity between one fan device and the other fan device may be used. For example, the external dimensions of the fan device 31L arranged in the vicinity of the outlet 117 may be smaller than the external dimensions of the fan device 31R, and the fan motors 52L and 52R have different rated speeds and the like. You may use it. Even when two or more fan devices are driven, resonance can be prevented by controlling the rotation speeds to be different from each other, and the same effects as those in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

<Fourth Embodiment>
13 (a) and 13 (b) are perspective views schematically showing the fan device and the cooler of the fourth embodiment, and the differences from the above-described embodiment will be described. As shown in the figure, fan devices 31L'and 31R'in which the number and shape of the blades 51b of the fan devices 31L and 31R are changed may be used, the arrangement of the coolers 201 and 202 in the refrigerator, and the cooler 201. , 202, and the arrangement and orientation of the fan devices 31L'and 31R' may be changed as appropriate.

That is, as shown in FIG. 13A, even if the cooler 201 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, if the cooler 201 has a step-down portion 201a, the fan device 31L'in the space of the step-down portion 201a. , 31R'may be arranged side by side to improve space efficiency. A specific example of the cooler 201 will be described later as a fifth embodiment.

Further, the above-mentioned "longitudinal direction" refers to a direction along the side that is the longest side with respect to the side that is the shortest side among the periphery of the cooler having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. For example, in the cooler 202 shown in FIG. 13B, the side 202b along the left-right direction and the side 202c along the front-rear direction are the long sides with respect to the short side 202a along the vertical direction, and the cooler 202 is cooled in the direction shown in the figure. It is placed in the vessel room (not shown). In this case, the longitudinal direction of the cooler 202 is the left-right direction or the front-rear direction. Therefore, the fan devices 31L'and 31R' may not be arranged vertically with respect to the cooler 202, but may be arranged so as to be arranged in the horizontal direction or the front-rear direction, which is the longitudinal direction. Further, as illustrated in the figure, the fan devices 31L and 31R may be arranged on the front side of the cooler 202.

<Fifth Embodiment>
FIG. 14 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view showing the vicinity of the cooler and fan device of the fifth embodiment, and the same parts as those of the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals to explain the differences from the above-described embodiment. ..
The refrigerating cooler chamber 301 of the fifth embodiment accommodates a pair of fan devices 31L, 31R (may be other fan devices 31L', 31R') and a freezing cooler 302, and accommodates the refrigerating cooler 302 in the lower portion thereof. Is provided with a water receiving unit 303. The front cover 300 of the cooler chamber 301 is provided with a cold air outlet 300a extending diagonally downwardly forward, and a suction port 300b (see the arrow in the figure) is provided below the cold air outlet 300a. The fan devices 31L and 31R are arranged side by side, and the rotation center axes OL and OR are arranged so as to point in the front-rear direction.

The refrigerating cooler 302 integrally has at least a refrigerant flow pipe 170 and a large number of cooling fins 171 and 171a, and has a narrow portion 302a to form a stepped rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Specifically, in the freezing cooler 302, in addition to the cooling fins 171 of the first embodiment described above, cooling fins 171a are provided on the upper rear side to increase the surface area of the cooler 302. All of the cooling fins 171a located at the uppermost stage are shorter in the front-rear direction than the other cooling fins 171. As a result, a storage space is formed between the left and right end plates 172'and 172', which is located in front of the cooling fins 171a in the cooler 302 and can accommodate other members.

In FIG. 15, for convenience of explanation, the cooling fins 171a are represented by broken lines. Further, the end plate 172'of the fifth embodiment has a rectangular plate shape in which the end plate 172 of the first embodiment is extended upward (see FIG. 14), but has a stepped shape in accordance with the cooling fins 171a. May be formed in.

In this way, the cooler 302 is formed with a narrow portion 302a so as to cut out the upper part on the front side from the left end to the right end, in other words, to partially narrow the width of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The "width" in the present embodiment is the length of the short side of the cooler 302, and corresponds to the length in the left-right direction in FIG. The narrow portion 302a of the cooler 302 is located on a portion closer to the fan devices 31L and 31R, and a mounting portion (or mounted portion) of the fan devices 31L and 31R (not shown) is located. Further, the capillary tube 24, the suction pipe 28, the piping of the accumulator A2 (see FIG. 3), and other members can be accommodated in the upper accommodation space of the cooler 302. Therefore, in the limited space of the freezing cooler chamber 301, the cooling fins 171a enhance the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler 302, and at the same time, the refrigerating cycle 16 including the cooler 302 has a compact configuration that suppresses the increase in size as much as possible. can do.

As described above, the cooler 302 of the fifth embodiment is provided with the narrow portion 302a so as to partially narrow the width of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. According to this, it is possible to create a space utilizing the narrow portion 302a while suppressing the increase in size of the cooler 302, and it is possible to secure the storage volume of the storage chamber.

A narrow portion 302a is formed in a portion of the cooler 302 that is closer to the fan devices 31L and 31R. According to this, for example, a part (mounting portion, etc.) of the fan devices 31L, 31R can be positioned in the vacant space in the narrow portion 302a, and the space can be saved in relation to the fan devices 31L, 31R. Can be done.

The narrow portion 302a is set to a width dimension capable of accommodating a member constituting the refrigeration cycle 16 and other members (a part of the front cover 300 of the cooler chamber 301, etc.) together with the cooler 302. According to this, the narrow portion 302a makes it possible to make the configuration of the entire refrigeration cycle 16 or the periphery of the cooler 302 more compact.

Subsequently, the modified form relating to the narrow portion will be described with reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B. The cooler 302 shown in FIG. 16A is provided with one more stage of cooling fins 171b on the rear upper portion of the cooling fins 171a. The cooling fins 171b are shorter in the front-rear direction than the cooling fins 171a, and form a second narrow portion 302b in the cooler 302. As a result, stepped narrow portions 302a and 302b whose width dimension decreases toward the top are formed on the upper portion of the cooler 302 so as to cut out the front portions of the cooling fins 171a and 171b from the left end to the right end. Has been done. As described above, the cooler 302 has a stepped shape due to the narrow portions 302a and 302b, and a plurality of narrow portions having different width dimensions are formed so that the steps are a plurality of steps. According to this, it is possible to make the arrangement configuration more compact while improving the heat exchange efficiency as much as possible in relation to the arrangement space of the cooler 302 and other members.

The cooler 302 shown in FIG. 16B is provided with cooling fins 171c instead of the cooling fins 171a. As shown in the figure, the front half portion of the cooling fin 171c is formed with an inclined portion so as to be cut out diagonally downward in the front direction. As a result, the upper portion of the cooler 302 is an inclined narrow portion 302c whose width dimension becomes narrower toward the upper side. The narrow portion 302c is formed so as to diagonally cut out the front portion of the cooling fin 171c from the left end to the right end of the cooler 302, thereby narrowing the width of the upper portion of the cooler 302. The cooler 302 also has the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment, such that the space vacated by the narrow portion 302c can be used to accommodate other members.

<Sixth Embodiment>
FIG. 17 shows a time chart (power interruption state) of each fan device 31L, 31R, 45 in the sixth embodiment, and describes a difference from the first embodiment described above. Mr and Mf shown in the figure represent cooling modes corresponding to the above-mentioned refrigerating cooling operation and refrigerating cooling operation, respectively, and the control device 50 alternately alternates each cooling mode (refrigerating cooling operation Mr and refrigerating cooling operation Mf). Performs repeated control.

Here, in the refrigerating cooling operation Mr, as in the refrigerating cooling operation of the first embodiment, the three-way valve 23 of the refrigerating cycle 16 is switched so that the refrigerant is supplied to the refrigerating cooler 17, and the compressor 20 is energized. .. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the control device 50 drives each of the fan devices 31L and 31R in the forward rotation in the refrigerating / cooling operation Mr., while stopping the driving of the freezing side fan device 39. Although not shown, the defrosting of the freezing cooler 18 is carried out by periodically (for example, 24 hours) when the compressor 20 is cut off and the freezing side defrosting heater 57 is energized. Will be done.

On the other hand, in the freezing / cooling operation Mf, the three-way valve 23 is switched so that the refrigerant is supplied to the freezing cooler 18 with the refrigerating side defrosting heater 57 cut off and the compressor 20 is energized, and the freezing side fan The device 39 is driven in a forward rotation by the control device 50. Further, when the freezing / cooling operation Mf is executed, the refrigerating cooler 17 is defrosted at the same time.

That is, in the refrigerating / cooling operation Mf, since the refrigerant does not flow to the refrigerating cooler 17 side, the cooler 17 is not cooled, but the control device 50 drives at least one of the fan devices 31L and 31R (FIG. FIG. 17). As a result, the air in the refrigerating chamber 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 in the refrigerating temperature zone described above is circulated through the cold air supply duct 30, so that the temperature of the refrigerating cooler 17 rises to a positive temperature. The refrigerating cooler 17 is defrosted. Therefore, in the sixth embodiment, the refrigerating side defrosting heater 56 can be omitted, and the refrigerating and defrosting operation driven by the fan devices 31L and 31R can be performed in parallel with the refrigerating and cooling operation Mf.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the control device 50 stops driving one fan device 31R at the same time as switching from the refrigerating cooling operation Mr to the refrigerating cooling operation Mf, and drives the other fan device 31L. By continuing (or reverse rotation drive), refrigerating and defrosting operation is performed. The control device 50 stops driving the fan device 31L when, for example, the control device 50 determines that the temperature exceeds the estimated defrosting end temperature based on the detected temperatures of the temperature sensors 55L and 55R. Further, since the control device 50 drives the freezing side fan device 39 until it is determined that the freezing / cooling operation Mf has ended, the driving time of the fan device 31L in the freezing / cooling operation Mf is set to the driving time of the freezing side fan device 39. It is shorter than that.

As described above, in the sixth embodiment, the defrosting operation in which the cooler 17 is defrosted by driving the fan devices 31L and 31R without flowing the refrigerant through the cooler 17 can be executed. The number of fan devices 31L and 31R driven by the defrosting operation and the cooling operation Mr. is made different (the number of fan devices 31L and 31R driven during the defrosting operation is reduced). As a result, by driving a plurality of fan devices 31L and 31R in a number corresponding to the required ventilation capacity in the defrosting operation and the cooling operation Mf, it is possible to save energy while preventing frost deterioration. ..

<Other Embodiments>
FIG. 18 shows a time chart according to the seventh embodiment, and describes the differences from the sixth embodiment described above.
In the seventh embodiment, the refrigerating side defrosting heater 56 is provided to energize the defrosting heater 56 when defrosting the refrigerating cooler 17, and the rotation speed of the fan device 31L is the refrigerating cooling operation Mr. It is set so that the refrigerating and cooling operation Mf is lower than the time. Therefore, even if the rotation speed of the fan device 31L during the refrigerating and defrosting operation is set to a low value in advance, the defrosting heater 56 generates heat so that the fan can be used in substantially the same time (or shorter time) as in the sixth embodiment. The drive of the device 31L is finished. As a result, the rotation speed of the fan device 31L can be suppressed, and energy saving can be achieved.

FIG. 19 shows a time chart according to the eighth embodiment, which is different from the sixth embodiment described above in the following points.
That is, in the eighth embodiment, the refrigerating side defrosting heater 56 is omitted, and the pair of fan devices 31L and 31R are all continuously driven over the refrigerating cooling operation Mr and the refrigerating cooling operation Mf. However, the rotation speed of each of the fan devices 31L and 31R during the refrigerating / cooling operation Mf is set to be lower than the rotation speed during the refrigerating / cooling operation Mr. Therefore, even if both fan devices 31L and 31R are driven during the refrigerating and defrosting operation, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained, such as suppressing the rotation speeds of each.

FIG. 20 shows a time chart according to the ninth embodiment, which is different from the eighth embodiment described above in the following points.
That is, the rotation speed of each fan device 31L, 31R during the refrigerating / cooling operation Mf is set, for example, based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensors 55L, 55R (or the default value of each rotation speed). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20, in the refrigerating / cooling operation Mf, one fan device 31L is continuously driven by gradually lowering the rotation speed, and the other fan device 31R is continuously driven by gradually lowering the rotation speed. Lower it to and stop driving in the middle. In this way, by setting the rotation speed of each of the fan devices 31L and 31R according to the blowing action, the detection temperature, etc., the cooler 17 can be reliably defrosted and energy saving is achieved. The same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

Selectively combine each configuration with respect to the number and shape of coolers, the number and arrangement of fan devices, the control of the cooling operation and the defrosting operation by the control means, etc. described as the above-described embodiment or modified mode. It may be one embodiment. Specifically, for example, in the refrigerator 100 of the second embodiment in which the cooler 114 is one, the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation described in the first embodiment may be executed, or the second defrosting operation thereof may be performed. Instead of the cooler 114 of the second embodiment, the shape of the cooler 302 of the modified form may be adopted, or the like may be combined as appropriate.

Although some embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

In the drawings, 1,100 are refrigerators, 4,5,6,7,102,103,104 are storage chambers, 17,114,201,202,302 are coolers, 30a, 117,130 are outlets, 31L, 31R is a fan device (blower fan), 32d is a ceiling part, 50 is a control means, 51b is an impeller, 55L and 55R are temperature sensors, 60 is a holding means, 65L is a first engaging part, and 65R is a second engaging part. , 80 is a rotating shaft, 122 is a damper, 171, 171a, 171b, 171c are cooling fins, and 302a, 302b, 302c are narrow portions.

Claims (7)

A storage room with a cold air outlet and
A cooler for cooling the storage chamber and
The air blowing means for supplying the cold air cooled by the cooler from the outlet to the storage chamber is provided.
One cooler is configured to have two or more of the blower means for the cooler and a control means for controlling the two or more blower means.
An opening degree adjusting means for adjusting the opening degree of the flow path of the cold air supplied to the storage chamber is provided.
The control means is the rotation speed of the two or more blowing means in a state where the opening degree is reduced by the control of the opening degree adjusting means, and the rotation speed in a state where the opening degree of the opening degree adjusting means is increased. Refrigerator to lower compared to. A storage room with a cold air outlet and
A cooler for cooling the storage chamber and
An air blowing means for supplying the cold air cooled by the cooler from the outlet to the storage chamber, and
A compressor for compressing the refrigerant supplied to the cooler is provided.
One cooler is configured to have two or more of the blower means for the cooler and a control means for controlling the two or more blower means.
The control means
The first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are defrosting operations for defrosting the cooler by driving at least one of the two or more blowing means while the operating speed of the compressor is reduced. Configured to run with driving,
In the second defrosting operation, a refrigerator that drives the blowing means so that the amount of air blown by the driving of the blowing means is smaller than that in the first defrosting operation. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the control means alternately repeats the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation. The control means controls the drive time of the blower means driven during the second defrosting operation so as to be shorter than the drive time of the blower means driven during the first defrosting operation. Item 2 or 3 Refrigerator. 2. The control means controls the rotation speed of the blower means driven during the second defrosting operation to be lower than the rotation speed of the blower means driven during the first defrosting operation. Refrigerator described in 3. The control means has two or more of the blower means driven during the second defrosting operation so as to be smaller than the number of blower means driven during the first defrosting operation. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3, which controls the blowing means of the above. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the target temperature during the second defrosting operation is set to a value lower than the target temperature during the first defrosting operation.

Images