JP2023010263A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator which can perform further proper refrigeration control.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 has a box body 10, a cooling part 50, an information acquisition part and a control part. The box body 10 includes a storage part 17B. The cooling part 50 cools the storage part 17B. The information acquisition part acquires information related to objective food being an object of special control including control for cooling the storage part for two hours in a second temperature zone for holding a state that the food is defrosted after cooling the storage part for one hour in a first temperature zone for freezing the food. The control part adjusts the control of the cooling part 50 according to the information related to the objective food which is acquired by the information acquisition part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to refrigerators.

Refrigerators are known that have a chill compartment that is cooled to a lower temperature than the refrigerating compartment. By storing food in the chilled room, the freshness of the food can be maintained for a long time. Also, in recent years, refrigeration control that brings out the deliciousness of food has been provided.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-184960 JP 2015-183863 A JP 2003-114075 A

Kiyoshi Ebihara, "Nutritional and Physiological Functions of Resistant Starch", Journal of the Japanese Cooking Science Society Vol. 47, No. 1, 49-52 (2014)

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of performing more appropriate refrigeration control.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment has a housing, a cooling section, an information acquisition section, and a control section. The housing includes a reservoir. The cooling section cools the storage section. The information acquiring unit cools the storage unit for a first time in a first temperature zone for freezing the food, and then cools the storage part for a first time in a second temperature zone for holding the food in a thawed state. Obtain information on food subject to special controls, including cooling for 2 hours. The control unit adjusts control of the cooling unit according to the information about the target food acquired by the information acquisition unit.

The front view which shows the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 taken along line F2-F2; The figure which shows an example of a structure of the refrigerating-cycle apparatus of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a part of the configuration related to control of the refrigerator of the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11 is a first diagram showing an example of changes in chilled room temperature when the control mode of "increase resistant starch" of the first embodiment is carried out. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of adjustment information stored in the storage unit of the first embodiment, which indicates adjustment of thawing of food associated with each of different ways of progress of freezing. FIG. 10 shows an example of holding time start times adjusted for different foods A and B; FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing an example of changes in chilled room temperature when the control mode of "increase resistant starch" of the first embodiment is carried out. The figure which shows an example of the effect of the control mode of the "resistant starch increase" of 1st Embodiment. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of control by the refrigerator of the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing an example of changes in chilled room temperature when the control mode of "increase resistant starch" of the first embodiment is carried out. Fig. 3 is a third diagram showing an example of changes in chilled room temperature when the control mode of "increase resistant starch" of the first embodiment is carried out; The block diagram which shows the example of a part of structure regarding control of the refrigerator of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the weight detection part of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the example of the adjustment information which the memory|storage part of 2nd Embodiment memorize|stores, and shows the adjustment of the thawing|freezing of the food linked|related with each progress of different freezing. The flowchart which shows the flow of control by the refrigerator of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the change of the chilled chamber temperature of the same two foods which only differ in the initial temperature in the case of freezing in 3rd Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the control by the control part of 4th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, refrigerators according to embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same or similar functions. Duplicate descriptions of these configurations may be omitted. In this specification, left and right are defined based on the direction in which a user standing in front of the refrigerator sees the refrigerator. defined as

"Based on XX" means "based at least on XX" and may include based on other elements in addition to XX. "Based on XX" is not limited to the case where XX is used directly, but can also include the case where XX is calculated or processed. "XX or YY" is not limited to either one of XX and YY, but may include both XX and YY. "XX" and "YY" are arbitrary elements (eg, arbitrary information).

In the following description, "average temperature" may be read as "core temperature". The "central temperature" is a value obtained by adding the maximum value (or upper limit value) and minimum value (or lower limit value) of the target temperature zone and dividing the sum by two. However, the "center temperature" may be calculated by excluding an outlier that may occur when switching between the cooling control of the refrigerator compartment and the cooling control of the freezer compartment, which will be described later, for example.

(First embodiment)
In the refrigerator of each embodiment, in order to increase the resistant starch in the food, the food is frozen at a predetermined temperature (eg -2 ° C.) to the center of the food in the chilled room, then thawed and kept at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time (eg 4°C). Resistant starch is an indigestible starch that is difficult to digest and absorb. The refrigerator in the first embodiment adjusts the subsequent thawing time based on the information obtained at the stage of freezing the target food as information on the target food described later. This is based on the idea that, for example, food that is easy to freeze is easy to thaw, and aims to shorten the time required for freezing and thawing.

[1. Overall configuration of the refrigerator]
A refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12 . First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 1 along line F2-F2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 includes, for example, a housing 10, a plurality of doors 20, an operation panel 30, flow passage forming components 40, a cooling section 50, and a control board 100.

The housing 10 has a top wall 11 , a bottom wall 12 , left and right side walls 13 and 14 and a rear wall 15 . The upper wall 11 and the lower wall 12 extend substantially horizontally. The left and right side walls 13 and 14 rise upward from the left and right ends of the lower wall 12 and are connected to the left and right ends of the upper wall 11 . The rear wall 15 rises upward from the rear end of the lower wall 12 and is connected to the rear end of the upper wall 11 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 10 has, for example, an inner box 10a, an outer box 10b, and a heat insulating portion 10c. The inner box 10 a is a member that forms the inner surface of the housing 10 . The outer box 10b is a member that forms the outer surface of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. The outer box 10b is formed one size larger than the inner box 10a, and is arranged outside the inner box 10a. Between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, there is provided a heat insulating portion 10c containing foamed heat insulating material such as urethane foam.

A plurality of storage chambers 17 are provided inside the housing 10 . The plurality of storage compartments 17 includes, for example, a refrigerator compartment 17A, a chilled compartment 17B, a vegetable compartment 17C, an ice making compartment 17D, a small freezer compartment 17E, and a main freezer compartment 17F. For example, the refrigerator compartment 17A is arranged at the top, the vegetable compartment 17C is arranged below the refrigerator compartment 17A, the ice making compartment 17D and the small freezing compartment 17E are arranged below the vegetable compartment 17C, and the ice making compartment 17D and the small freezing compartment are arranged. A main freezer compartment 17F is arranged below 17E. However, the arrangement of the storage chamber 17 is not limited to the above example. The housing 10 has an opening on the front side of each storage compartment 17 that allows food to be taken in and out of each storage compartment 17 .

The chilled compartment 17B is provided below a portion of the refrigerated compartment 17A. The chilled compartment 17B is at least partially partitioned from the refrigerated compartment 17A by, for example, a shelf or a wall. The chilled compartment 17B is located below the refrigerated compartment 17A, so cold air easily flows into the chilled compartment 17B. is also cooled to a lower temperature. The chilled room 17B is an example of a "storage section". Instead of the chilled chamber 17B, the refrigerator 1 has a partial chamber that is cooled to a partial temperature range (approximately -4°C to -2°C) and a temperature switchable chamber that can switch between a plurality of temperature ranges. good too. In this case, the partial chamber and the temperature switching chamber can correspond to an example of the "storage section". In other words, the “storage unit” is a partitioned storage space in the refrigerator, the inside of which can be controlled in a temperature range including freezing temperature and refrigerating temperature (for example, a temperature range including a negative temperature to a positive temperature). storage space.

The housing 10 has a first partition wall 18 and a second partition wall 19 . The first partition wall 18 and the second partition wall 19 are partition walls extending substantially horizontally. The first partition wall 18 is positioned between the refrigerator compartment 17A (chilled compartment 17B) and the vegetable compartment 17C, and partitions the refrigerator compartment 17A (chilled compartment 17B) and the vegetable compartment 17C. On the other hand, the second partition wall 19 is positioned between the vegetable compartment 17C and the ice making compartment 17D and the small freezing compartment 17E to separate the vegetable compartment 17C from the ice making compartment 17D and the small freezing compartment 17E. . The second partition wall 19 includes, for example, foamed heat insulating material, and has heat insulating properties. The first partition wall 18 is made of synthetic resin, for example, and has lower heat insulation than the second partition wall 19 . Each of the ice making compartment 17D, the small freezer compartment 17E, and the main freezer compartment 17F can correspond to an example of a "storage part."

Openings of the plurality of storage chambers 17 are closed by a plurality of doors 20 so as to be openable and closable. The plurality of doors 20 includes, for example, left and right refrigerator compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab that close the opening of the refrigerator compartment 17A, a chilled compartment door 20B that closes the opening of the chilled compartment 17B, a vegetable compartment door 20C that closes the opening of the vegetable compartment 17C, and an ice making compartment. It includes an icemaker door 20D that closes the opening of 17D, a small freezer compartment door 20E that closes the opening of small freezer compartment 17E, and a main freezer compartment door 20F that closes the opening of main freezer compartment 17F. The chilled compartment door 20B is provided inside the refrigerating compartment 17A from the refrigerating compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab (see FIG. 2). The chilled chamber door 20B may be, for example, a type that is provided integrally with a chilled chamber container 36B (described later) and pulled forward together with the chilled chamber container 36B. It may be of a type that can be opened by rotating it.

The operation panel 30 is provided on the door 20 (for example, the left refrigerating compartment door 20Aa) (see FIG. 1). The operation panel 30 accepts user input operations related to changing the set temperature range of the refrigerator 1 and changing the operation mode. Examples of input operations include touch operations on the panel and voice input. The operation panel 30 is an example of an "operation unit". The operation panel 30 includes, for example, a button 31 for accepting start and stop of the control mode of "increase resistant starch", which will be described later, and a button 32 for accepting selection of various settings in the "increase resistant starch" control mode. However, the operation of starting and stopping the control mode and selecting the setting may be input from the user's mobile terminal or smart speaker via the network instead of the operation panel 30 .

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of shelves 35 are provided in the refrigerator compartment 17A. The plurality of containers 36 includes a chilling chamber container 36B provided in the chilling chamber 17B, first and second vegetable chamber containers 36Ca and 36Cb provided in the vegetable chamber 17C, and an ice making chamber container (unused) provided in the ice making chamber 17D. shown), a small freezer compartment container 36E provided in the small freezer compartment 17E, and first and second main freezer compartment containers 36Fa and 36Fb provided in the main freezer compartment 17F. The term "container" as used herein also includes shallow-bottom members such as trays.

The flow path forming component 40 is arranged inside the housing 10 . The flow path forming component 40 includes a first duct component 41 and a second duct component 42 .

The first duct component 41 is provided along the rear wall 15 of the housing 10 and extends vertically. The first duct component 41 extends, for example, from behind the lower end of the vegetable compartment 17C to behind the upper end of the refrigerator compartment 17A. Between the first duct part 41 and the rear wall 15 of the housing 10, a first duct space D1 is formed as a passage through which cold air (air) flows. The first duct component 41 has a plurality of refrigerating compartment cool air outlets 41a, chilled compartment cool air outlets 41b, and cool air return outlets 41c. A plurality of refrigerating compartment cold air outlets 41a are provided at a plurality of height positions above the chilled compartment 17B. A plurality of refrigerating compartment cold air outlets 41a are open to the refrigerating compartment 17A. The cold air flowing through the first duct space D1 is blown out from the cold air outlet 41a into the refrigerator compartment 17A. The chilled chamber cold air outlet 41b opens to the chilled chamber 17B. The cool air flowing through the first duct space D1 is blown out from the chilled room cool air outlet 41b into the chilled room 17B. The cold air return port 41c opens to the vegetable compartment 17C. The cool air that has passed through the vegetable compartment 17C returns to the first duct space D1 through the cool air return port 41c.

The second duct component 42 is provided along the rear wall 15 of the housing 10 and extends vertically. The second duct component 42 extends, for example, from behind the main freezer compartment 17F to behind the upper ends of the ice making compartment 17D and the small freezer compartment 17E. Between the second duct part 42 and the rear wall 15 of the housing 10, a second duct space D2 is formed as a passage through which cool air (air) flows. The second duct component 42 has a cool air outlet 42a and a cool air return 42b. The cool air outlet 42a opens to the ice making compartment 17D and the small freezer compartment 17E. The cold air flowing through the second duct space D2 is blown out from the cold air outlet 42a to the ice making compartment 17D and the small freezer compartment 17E. The cool air return port 42b opens to the main freezer compartment 17F. The cool air that has passed through the main freezer compartment 17F returns to the second duct space D2 from the cool air return port 42b.

Cooling section (cooling unit) 50 cools a plurality of storage compartments 17 (refrigerator compartment 17A, chilled compartment 17B, vegetable compartment 17C, ice making compartment 17D, small freezer compartment 17E, and main freezer compartment 17F). The cooling unit 50 includes, for example, a first cooling module 60, a second cooling module 70, a compressor 80, and a refrigeration cycle device 90 (FIG. 3). Here, “to cool” means a state in which the refrigerant is supplied from the compressor 80 to the cooler (refrigerating cooler 61 or freezing cooler 71 to be described later) corresponding to each storage chamber 17 . However, "to cool" is not limited to the case where a refrigerator fan 62 or a freezer fan 72, which will be described later, is driven. For example, "to cool" means that the refrigerant is sent from the compressor 80 to the cooler 61 for refrigeration while the driving of the refrigeration fan 62 is stopped, and the transmission between the cooler 61 for refrigeration and the chilled chamber 17B is performed. It also includes the case where the temperature of the chilled room 17B drops due to heat.

The first cooling module 60 includes, for example, a refrigerating cooler 61 and a refrigerating fan 62 . The refrigerating cooler 61 is arranged in the first duct space D1. The refrigerating cooler 61 is supplied with the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 80 and cools the cold air flowing through the first duct space D1. The refrigerating cooler 61 is arranged, for example, at a height corresponding to the chilled room 17B.

The cooling fan 62 is provided, for example, at the cool air return port 41c of the first duct member 41 . When the cooling fan 62 is driven, the air in the vegetable compartment 17C flows into the first duct space D1 through the cool air return port 41c. The air that has flowed into the first duct space D1 flows upward in the first duct space D1 and is cooled by the cooler 61 for refrigeration. The cold air cooled by the refrigerator cooler 61 is blown out from the plurality of cold air outlets 41a into the cold room 17A, and is blown out from the chilled room cool air outlets 41b into the chilled room 17B. The cool air blown out to the refrigerating compartment 17A and the chilled compartment 17B flows through the refrigerating compartment 17A and the chilled compartment 17B, respectively, and then returns to the cool air return port 41c via, for example, the vegetable compartment 17C. Thereby, cold air flowing through refrigerating compartment 17A, chilled compartment 17B, and vegetable compartment 17C is circulated in refrigerator 1, and refrigerating compartment 17A, chilled compartment 17B, and vegetable compartment 17C are cooled. An opening/closing lid 114 (see FIG. 4) that can be opened and closed is provided at the chilled compartment cold air outlet 41b. When the chilled chamber 17B is heated by purpose-specific control described later, the chilled chamber cold air outlet 41b is brought into a closed state by closing the open/close lid 114 under the control of the control unit 101. FIG.

Meanwhile, the second cooling module 70 includes, for example, a freezing cooler 71 and a freezing fan 72 . The freezing cooler 71 is arranged in the second duct space D2. The refrigerating cooler 71 is supplied with the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 80 and cools the cold air flowing through the second duct space D2.

The cooling fan 72 is provided, for example, at the cold air return port 42b of the second duct component 42. As shown in FIG. When the freezing fan 72 is driven, the air in the main freezing compartment 17F flows into the second duct space D2 through the cool air return port 42b. The air that has flowed into the second duct space D2 flows upward in the second duct space D2 and is cooled by the cooler 71 for freezing. The cool air cooled by the cooler 71 for freezing flows into the ice making compartment 17D, the small freezer compartment 17E, and the main freezer compartment 17F from the cool air outlet 42a. The cool air that has flowed into the ice making compartment 17D and the small freezer compartment 17E flows through the ice making compartment 17D and the small freezer compartment 17E, respectively, and then returns to the cool air return port 42b via the main freezer compartment 17F. As a result, cold air flowing through ice making compartment 17D, small freezing compartment 17E and main freezing compartment 17F is circulated in refrigerator 1 to cool ice making compartment 17D, small freezing compartment 17E and main freezing compartment 17F.

The compressor 80 is provided, for example, in the machine room at the bottom of the refrigerator 1 . Compressor 80 compresses the refrigerant gas used to cool storage chamber 17 . The refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 80 is sent to the refrigerating cooler 61 and the freezing cooler 71 via a condenser 91 (described later) and the like.

[2. Refrigeration cycle device]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the refrigeration cycle device 90. As shown in FIG. The refrigerating cycle device 90 includes a condenser 91, a dryer 92, a three-way valve 93, and capillary tubes 94 and 95 in order of refrigerant flow. Specifically, a condenser 91 and a dryer 92 are connected to the high-pressure discharge port of the compressor 80 through a connection pipe 96 in that order. A three-way valve 93 is connected to the discharge side of the dryer 92 . The three-way valve 93 has one inlet to which the dryer 92 is connected and two outlets.

One of the two outlets of the three-way valve 93 is connected to a capillary tube 94 on the refrigerating side and the refrigerating cooler 61 in this order. The refrigerating cooler 61 is connected to the compressor 80 via a refrigerating side suction pipe 97 which is a connecting pipe. The other of the two outlets of the three-way valve 93 is connected to the freezing side capillary tube 95 and the freezing cooler 71 in this order. The refrigerating cooler 71 is connected to the compressor 80 via a refrigerating side suction pipe 98 which is a connecting pipe. A check valve 99 is provided between the freezing cooler 71 and the compressor 80 to prevent the refrigerant from the refrigerating cooler 61 from flowing back to the freezing cooler 71 side.

The refrigerant circulating through the refrigeration cycle device 90 is compressed by the compressor 80 to become a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, which flows through the flow path A. This gaseous refrigerant is radiated by the condenser 91 and becomes medium-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant. After that, the liquid refrigerant from which impurities such as dirt and water are removed by passing through the dryer 92 enters the capillary tube 94 (or the capillary tube 95 ) while being throttle-controlled by the three-way valve 93 . At this time, the medium-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant in the capillary tube 94 (or capillary tube 95) is decompressed while exchanging heat with the refrigerant in the refrigerator-side suction pipe 97 (or freezer-side suction pipe 98). The decompressed refrigerant evaporates while passing through the refrigerating cooler 61 (or the freezing cooler 71), thereby cooling the refrigerating cooler 61 (or the freezing cooler 71).

Thereafter, the low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant flows into the refrigerator-side suction pipe 97 (or the freezer-side suction pipe 98). The temperature of the refrigerant gas immediately after flowing into the refrigerating side suction pipe 97 (or the freezing side suction pipe 98) is as low as around -10°C.
This refrigerant gas exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the capillary tube 94 (or capillary tube 95) while passing through the refrigerator-side suction pipe 97 (or freezer-side suction pipe 98), and finally rises to about room temperature. warmed up. Then, this refrigerant gas is sucked into the compressor 80 again to complete the circulation of the refrigerant.

In the refrigeration cycle apparatus 90 described above, the three-way valve 93 is controlled by the controller 101 (see FIG. 4) to select one of the flow paths B and C, for example. The channel B is a channel for supplying the refrigerant to the cooler 61 for refrigeration. The channel C is a channel for supplying the refrigerant to the cooler 71 for freezing. These two flow paths B and C merge at a confluence point D. As shown in FIG. Refrigerant flows from junction D in the direction of arrow E back to compressor 80 .

As described above, the control unit 101 alternately switches the coolant flow path between the flow path B and the flow path C by controlling the three-way valve 93 . When the refrigerant is flowing through the flow path B, the storage compartments 17 (refrigerating compartment 17A, chilled compartment 17B, vegetable compartment 17C) in the refrigerating temperature range are cooled. When the refrigerant flows through the flow path C, the freezing temperature zone storage compartments 17 (the ice making compartment 17D, the small freezing compartment 17E, and the main freezing compartment 17F) are cooled. For example, the control unit 101 causes the refrigerant to flow through the flow path B for 20 minutes to cool the storage chamber 17 in the refrigerating temperature range (so-called refrigeration operation), and causes the refrigerant to flow through the flow path C for 40 minutes. Then, the storage chamber 17 in the freezing temperature zone is cooled (so-called freezing operation). The control unit 101 alternately performs refrigerating operation and freezing operation.

[3. control section]
[3.1 Configuration Related to Control Unit]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of part of the configuration related to control of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. The control board 100 includes a control unit 101 configured by a computer including a microcomputer, a timer 101a for measuring time, and the like. The control unit 101 may be, for example, a software function unit realized by executing a computer program by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC ( Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or other hardware (for example, circuity). All or part of the control unit 101 may be implemented by a combination of software function units and hardware.

Control unit 101 controls the entire refrigerator 1 . Control unit 101 includes refrigerating fan 62, freezing fan 72, compressor 80, three-way valve 93, operation panel 30, internal camera 113, open/close lid 114, chilled chamber heater 115, storage unit 116, and information acquisition unit. 117 are connected. Information acquisition unit 117 includes refrigerator compartment temperature detection unit 111 and chilled compartment temperature detection unit 112 .

Refrigerating compartment temperature detection unit 111 is exposed to, for example, refrigerating compartment 17A and detects the temperature of refrigerating compartment 17A (for example, air temperature).

The chilled room temperature detector 112 is exposed to the chilled room 17B and detects the temperature of the chilled room 17B. The "temperature related to the chilling chamber" is, for example, the temperature of the food contained in the chilling chamber 17B (for example, the surface temperature of the food), the air temperature of the chilling chamber 17B, or the member contained in the chilling chamber 17B (for example, the chilling chamber container 36B ) and the like. For example, the chilled chamber temperature detector 112 is a contact temperature detector that detects the temperature of food stored in the chilled chamber 17B. The chilled chamber temperature detection unit 112 is an example of a detection unit that detects the state of the chilled chamber 17B (storage unit) or the target food. However, instead of providing the chilled compartment temperature detector 112, the controller 101 detects the detection result of the chilled compartment temperature detector 111, the previously obtained air temperature of the chilled compartment 17A, and the air temperature of the chilled compartment 17B. The air temperature in the chilled room 17B may be estimated based on the correspondence relationship between . In this case, the refrigerating chamber temperature detection unit 111 is an example of a detection unit that detects the state of the chilled chamber 17B (storage unit) or the target food. In other words, the detection unit that detects the state of the target food is not limited to detecting the state of the target food, but rather detects physical quantities such as sound, light, temperature, and pressure that can estimate the state of the target food. good too. In the following, for convenience, the air temperature of the refrigerating compartment 17A is referred to as "refrigerating compartment temperature", the air temperature of the chilled compartment 17B is referred to as "chilled compartment temperature", the air temperature of the vegetable compartment 17C is referred to as "vegetable compartment temperature", and the air temperature of the main freezing compartment 17F is referred to as "freezer temperature".

The information acquisition unit 117 cools the chilled chamber 17B (an example of the storage unit) for a first time in a first temperature zone for freezing the food, and then freezes the food in a second temperature zone for maintaining that state. Acquisition of information on the target food subject to the control of "increasing resistant starch" including cooling the chilled chamber 17B for the second time (details will be described later. Hereinafter, this may be referred to as RS increasing control.) do. RS increase control is an example of special control. The information about the target food includes information obtained based on the detection result of refrigerator compartment temperature detection unit 111 or chilled compartment temperature detection unit 112 after the start of RS increase control and before the middle of RS increase control. Examples of information obtained based on the detection result of the refrigerator compartment temperature detection unit 111 or the chilled compartment temperature detection unit 112 include the temperature change of the chilled compartment 17B or the target food from the start of the RS increase control to the middle of the RS increase control. , the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B or the target food in the middle of the RS increase control, or information indicating the time until the chilled chamber 17B or the target food reaches a predetermined temperature. In this embodiment, the information about the target food includes the temperature detection unit 111 or chilled room temperature at or before the completion of cooling the chilled room 17B in the first temperature zone for the first time period after the start of the RS increase control. Information obtained based on the detection result of the temperature detection unit 112 (hereinafter referred to as “freezing stage information”) is included. Freezing stage information is an example of information obtained based on the detection result of refrigerator compartment temperature detection section 111 or chilled compartment temperature detection section 112 after the start of RS increase control until the middle of RS increase control.

The in-fridge camera 113 is provided, for example, in the refrigerating compartment 17A, and detects food entering and leaving the refrigerating compartment 17A or the chilled compartment 17B. The opening/closing of chilled compartment door 20B may be detected based on an image or video taken by in-fridge camera 113 . In this case, the in-fridge camera 113 is another example of "a detection unit that detects opening and closing of the chilled compartment door".

The opening/closing lid 114 is provided at the chilled chamber cold air outlet 41b. The opening/closing lid 114 is opened or closed under the control of the control unit 101 . Specifically, when the chilled chamber 17B is heated, the opening/closing lid 114 is controlled to be closed. When the opening/closing lid 114 is closed, the cold air blowing from the chilled room cool air outlet 41b to the chilled room 17B is cut off.

The chilling chamber heater 115 is provided on the bottom or rear surface of the chilling chamber 17B, and is energized by a command from the control unit 101 to heat the chilling chamber 17B.

Storage unit 116 is realized by a flash memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), or the like. The storage unit 116 stores information (for example, setting information such as execution time and waiting time) necessary for implementing each control mode of "normal chilling", "rapid chilling", "thawing", and "increase resistant starch", which will be described later. I remember.

[3.2 Basic operation]
Next, basic operation of the refrigerator 1 will be described. Control unit 101 performs “refrigerating operation” and “freezing operation” as basic operations of refrigerator 1 . “Refrigerating operation” means an operation in which the three-way valve 93 is switched to supply liquid refrigerant from the compressor 80 to the cooler 61 for refrigerating. On the other hand, the “refrigerating operation” means an operation in which the three-way valve 93 is switched and the liquid refrigerant is supplied from the compressor 80 to the refrigerating cooler 71 .

For example, by alternately performing the refrigerating operation and the freezing operation, the control unit 101 controls the refrigerating temperature zone storage compartments 17 (refrigerating temperature zone 17A, chilled compartment 17B, vegetable compartment 17C) and the freezing temperature zone storage compartments 17 ( The cooling unit 50 is controlled so that the ice making compartment 17D, the small freezer compartment 17E, and the main freezer compartment 17F) are maintained within the respective preset temperature ranges. For example, the control unit 101 cools the storage compartment 17 in the refrigerating temperature range for a predetermined period of time (eg, 20 minutes) and cools the storage compartment 17 in the freezing temperature range for another predetermined period of time (eg, 40 minutes). Repeat alternately.

During the refrigeration operation, the control unit 101 controls when the refrigerating compartment temperature reaches the lower limit of the set temperature range of the refrigerating compartment 17A (or when the chilled compartment temperature reaches the lower limit of the set temperature range of the chilled compartment 17B). Alternatively, when the temperature of the freezer compartment reaches the upper limit of the set temperature range of the main freezer compartment 17F, the refrigeration operation may be terminated and the freezer operation may be started even during the predetermined time. During the freezing operation, the control unit 101 controls when the freezer compartment temperature reaches the lower limit of the set temperature range of the main freezer compartment 17F, or when the refrigerating compartment temperature reaches the upper limit of the set temperature range of the refrigerating compartment 17A ( Alternatively, when the temperature of the chilled compartment reaches the upper limit of the set temperature range of the chilled compartment 17B, freezing/freezing may be terminated and the refrigerating operation may be started even during the predetermined time.

Here, while the refrigerating operation is performed, the air temperature in the storage compartment 17 in the refrigerating temperature zone decreases, but the air temperature in the freezing temperature zone storage compartment 17 rises. On the other hand, while the freezing operation is performed, the air temperature in the freezing temperature zone storage compartment 17 decreases, but the air temperature in the refrigerating temperature zone storage compartment 17 rises. Therefore, the air temperature in the storage compartment 17 in the refrigeration temperature range and the air temperature in the storage compartment 17 in the freezing temperature range repeatedly rise and fall in a sawtooth fashion (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The refrigerating operation and the freezing operation in refrigerating cycle device 90 are alternately repeated while RS increasing control is being performed.

[3.3 Set temperature zone]
Next, the "set temperature zone" will be explained. In the "set temperature zone", the air temperature of the storage compartment 17 (for example, the refrigerating compartment 17A (or the chilled compartment 17B) and the main freezing compartment 17F), which is the main object of temperature control, is maintained in each of the refrigerating operation and the freezing operation. temperature range. A "set temperature zone" means a temperature range defined by an upper limit value and a lower limit value.

For example, the control unit 101 performs feedback control such as PID control (Proportional Integral Differential Control) based on the refrigerator compartment temperature (or the chilled compartment temperature) and the freezer compartment temperature, so that the storage compartment 17, which is the main target of temperature control, is controlled. Keep the air temperature between the upper and lower limits of the set temperature range. For example, when the difference between the refrigerator compartment temperature (or the chilled compartment temperature) and the lower limit value of the set temperature range is large, the control unit 101 sets the operating frequency (compression capacity) of the compressor 80 high, set a higher number of revolutions. On the other hand, when the difference between the refrigerator compartment temperature (or the chilled compartment temperature) and the lower limit value of the set temperature range is small, the control unit 101 sets the operating frequency of the compressor 80 to a low value and decreases the rotation speed of the refrigerator fan 62. set lower.

Here, as the "set temperature zone", a plurality of stages (a plurality of levels) are provided for each of the refrigerating operation and the freezing operation. For example, in the RS increase control, the set temperature range for refrigerating operation includes three temperature ranges: "freezing temperature range", "thaw holding temperature range", and "objective temperature range". The "freezing temperature zone" is set to a temperature at which the inside of the food (for example, the center) can be frozen. For example, the target temperature of the "freezing temperature zone" is set to -2°C or lower (for example, -2°C). In the "thaw holding temperature zone", a temperature is set to defrost the food frozen to the inside and hold the food at a temperature suitable for increasing the resistant starch. For example, the target temperature of the "thaw holding temperature range" is set to a temperature of +3° C. or more and less than +5° C. (for example, +4° C.). A temperature corresponding to the purpose of use of the food is set in the "temperature zone by purpose". When preserving food, for example, a temperature of −1° C. or more and less than +3° C. (for example, +2° C.) is set in the “objective temperature range”. When ingesting food, for example, a temperature of +5° C. or higher (for example, +10° C.) is set in the “objective temperature range”.

[4. Control mode]
The control unit 101 maintains the average temperature of the chilled chamber 17B in the temperature range of +0.5 to +2.0° C. in the "normal chill" control mode, and quickly adjusts the temperature of the food newly put in the chilled chamber 17B to the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B. Several control modes are possible, such as a "quick chill" control mode that lowers the temperature to the temperature range, and a "thaw" control mode that raises the temperature in the chilling chamber 17B compared to the "normal chill" control mode. In addition to these, the control unit 101 of the present embodiment can implement a control mode of “increase resistant starch”. A control mode of "increase resistant starch" is an example of a control pattern.

<Increase in resistant starch>
The control mode of "increase resistant starch" is control to increase the resistant starch contained in food containing starch. When a user ingests foods containing a large amount of starch such as rice, bread, and sweets, by increasing the resistant starch by changing the components contained in the starch, obesity can be suppressed, diabetes can be prevented, and constipation can be prevented. effect such as elimination of Once the food is frozen to the inside (e.g., to the center), then thawed and stored at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time or more (e.g., +4 ° C. for 4 hours or more), so that the resistant starch contained in the food containing starch can be increased. In the "increase resistant starch" control mode, the chilled chamber 17B is cooled in the freezing temperature zone. Next, the chilled chamber 17B is cooled in the thawing holding temperature zone. Finally, the chilled chamber 17B is cooled or heated in the purpose-specific temperature zone. In the "increase resistant starch" control mode, for example, the cooling unit 50 is controlled based on the temperature of the chilled compartment instead of the temperature of the refrigerated compartment.

The "increase resistant starch" control mode is started when a user's operation instructing the start of "increase resistant starch" is accepted via the operation panel 30 or the like. The user can at least set the intended use of the food (for example, storage or consumption of the food) before starting control.

FIG. 5 is a first diagram showing changes in chilled room temperature when the control mode of "increase resistant starch" is implemented. When performing the control mode of "increase resistant starch", the control unit 101 first performs freezing control to cool the chilled chamber 17B in the freezing temperature range. Next, the control unit 101 performs thawing/holding control for cooling the chilled chamber 17B in the thawing/holding temperature range. Next, the control unit 101 performs purpose-specific control for cooling the chilled chamber 17B in the purpose-specific temperature zone. The following description assumes that the temperature of the chilled chamber and the internal temperature of the food stored in the chilled chamber 17B are approximately equal. If so, an offset value can be provided for the following set temperatures to compensate for the difference. Also, the "chilling chamber temperature" in the following description may be appropriately read as "food temperature".

The average temperature Ta in the freezing temperature zone is -2°C, for example. The freezing temperature zone is the temperature at which the food in the chilled chamber 17B can be frozen to the inside. Freezing control is performed over a predetermined implementation time Sa (for example, about 350 minutes) required for the food to completely freeze to the inside. The running time Sa may include a settling time to ensure that the food is completely frozen inside. A freezing temperature zone is an example of a first temperature zone. The implementation time Sa is an example of the first time. The information obtained based on the detection result of the refrigerator compartment temperature detection unit 111 or the chilled compartment temperature detection unit 112 during the implementation time Sa is an example of the freezing stage information. Control unit 101 starts freezing control at time t0 and continues freezing control until time t1. For a while from the start of freezing control, the chilled room temperature (food temperature) drops sharply and approaches the average temperature Ta, but the average temperature Ta is completely achieved just before time t1. In this state, the inside of the food is completely frozen for the first time. For example, when a food such as rice or bread is placed in the chilled chamber 17B, the control unit 101 controls the temperature at which the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature (for example, +1° C.) higher than the average temperature Ta before reaching the average temperature Ta. Estimate the time to reach the temperature Ta (equivalent to the elapsed time from the start of the control mode of "increase resistant starch", the time required to completely freeze the food to the inside). The control unit 101 adjusts the length of the implementation time Sa based on the estimated time. Adjustment of the length of the execution time Sa may be, for example, adjustment of the length of the secured time described above.

Here, if the food is frozen rapidly, the food may freeze before the amount of resistant starch increases. Therefore, it is preferable to freeze foods slowly. For this reason, the average temperature Ta is set to a temperature at which the inside of the food can be reliably frozen and the temperature does not drop so rapidly as to prevent the increase of resistant starch. be. For example, -2°C is such a temperature. Moreover, in order to increase the resistant starch content, it is sufficient to once freeze the inside of the food, and it is not necessary to maintain that state. In the first embodiment, the implementation time Sa is set according to, for example, foods containing a large amount of starch, such as rice and bread.

On the other hand, if the execution time Sa is set according to the food that takes a long time to freeze, and the average temperature Ta is set so that the food freezes gently, it is advantageous for increasing the resistant starch, but the RS increase control time It becomes long, and there is a possibility of impairing user convenience. Therefore, in order to increase the amount of resistant starch in foods containing a large amount of starch, the foods may not be cooled rapidly, nor may they be cooled too slowly. . This appropriate speed varies from food to food. For example, if the types of food are different, or even if the type of food is the same, if the characteristics of the food such as weight and shape are different, the cooling speed of the food will be faster even under the same cooling conditions. there is a difference. In other words, the type, weight, size, shape, temperature, etc. of the food are examples of information regarding the easiness of cooling the food. Information about the ease with which food is cooled is information that affects the time required from the start of cooling to the completion of freezing and the time required from the end of freezing to completion of thawing.

The control unit 101 adjusts the control of the cooling unit 50 according to the information regarding the target food acquired by the information acquisition unit 117 . In this application, "adjusting the control" means changing the contents of the control (for example, changing the temperature zone), or changing at least one of the start time or end time of the control (in other words, change the execution time of the control), etc. means "Adjustment (change)" refers to addition or subtraction of a predetermined calculation result to or from preset standard content or standard time, instead of selecting an appropriate value or content from information such as a table to be described later. When the standard content and standard time are corrected by multiplication and used, or when the standard content and standard time are not set, the control content and control time are calculated by performing a predetermined calculation on the information obtained by the detection unit. It can also apply to the case of directly deriving and using "Adjusting control" in this application may be read as "changing control" or "determining control."

For example, the time required to freeze food to the inside (for example, to the center) tends to be longer for rice than for bread. For the same reason, rice tends to take longer to defrost than bread. In addition, even for the same food, these times vary depending on the weight, shape, and the like. For example, for the same type of food, the heavier the weight, the greater the distance generally from the surface of the food to the center of the food. In addition, in the same type of food, when the shape is spherical, the distance from the surface of the food to the center of the food is generally longer than when the shape is plate-like. Therefore, for this reason, different freezing and thawing procedures are suitable for foods of different weights and shapes. In other words, the temperature change of the food with the lapse of time differs from food to food. Therefore, by recording in the storage unit 116 the adjustment of the thawing of the cooling unit 50 by the control unit 101 in association with each of the different progresses of freezing in advance, the control unit 101 can obtain the information obtained by the information obtaining unit 117. The freezing progress of the food closest to the freezing stage information included in the information about the target food is specified in the storage unit 116, and the food is prepared using the "thaw adjustment" associated with the specified "freezing progress". thawing can be adjusted.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of adjustment information TBL1 stored in the storage unit 116 and indicating "adjustment of thawing" of food associated with different "progress of freezing". Note that each of the "progress of freezing" included in the adjustment information TBL1 is the change in the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B or the target food from the start of the RS increase control to the middle of the RS increase control, and the temperature change at the middle of the RS increase control It indicates the temperature of the chilled room 17B or the target food, or the time until the chilled room 17B or the target food reaches a predetermined temperature. For example, when each of the "progress of freezing" indicates the temperature change of the chilled chamber 17B or the target food halfway through the RS increase control, from the time t0 when the control of "resistant starch increase" is started, for example, in FIG. The temperature change of the food over time during the time Sa1 until reaching the predetermined temperature Td (for example, if the temperature at time t0 is T0, the temperature change per unit time (T0−Td)/Sa1)) is the adjustment information. It corresponds to "how freezing progresses" in TBL1. Further, for example, when each of the "progress of freezing" indicates the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B or the target food during the RS increase control, the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B or the target food when the time Sa1 has elapsed (for example, the temperature Td) corresponds to the "progress of freezing" in the adjustment information TBL1. Further, for example, when each of the "progress of freezing" indicates the time until the chilled chamber 17B or the target food reaches a predetermined temperature, the time (for example, time Sa) until reaching the predetermined temperature Td is the " How freezing progresses”. In addition, each of the "progress of freezing" in FIG. 6 may represent the temperature change of the food as a function of the elapsed time t from the time t0, for example.

Note that the freezing stage information is not limited to the above example. The freezing stage information is not limited to information obtained before the implementation time Sa, and may be information obtained by the completion of the implementation time Sa. For example, the temperature change per unit time ((Td−Ta)/(t1−Sa1 )) may correspond to the “progress of freezing” in the adjustment information TBL1. Further, when each of the "progress of freezing" indicates the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B or the target food in the middle of the RS increase control, after the temperature of the chilled chamber (food temperature) stops decreasing rapidly (for example, time Sa1 The temperature of the chilled chamber 17B or the temperature of the target food at a predetermined time set to "after the lapse of time" may correspond to the "progress of freezing" in the adjustment information TBL1. Further, when each of the "progress of freezing" indicates the time until the chilled chamber 17B or the target food reaches the predetermined temperature, the time until the predetermined temperature Ta is reached (for example, the time estimated and adjusted as described above) The execution time Sa) may correspond to the "progress of freezing" in the adjustment information TBL1.

In addition, each of the "progress of freezing" in FIG. 6 is a plot ( That is, it may be expressed as coordinates). In this embodiment, the control unit 101 stores the information about the target food acquired by the information acquisition unit 117, that is, the temperature information at each time acquired from the information acquisition unit 117, in the adjustment information TBL1 stored in the storage unit 116. Compare with each of the multiple "freezing progressions" included. Then, the control unit 101 specifies, in the adjustment information TBL1, the “progression of freezing” that is closest to the information acquired from the information acquisition unit 117 . The control unit 101 identifies the "thaw adjustment" associated with the identified "freezing progress" in the adjustment information TBL1. “Adjustment of thawing” is information indicating the content of adjustment of thawing control of the cooling unit 50 . The control unit 101 adjusts the thawing control of the cooling unit 50 using the “thaw adjustment” specified in the adjustment information TBL1. "Adjustment of thawing" includes, for example, adjustment of the start time t2 (see FIG. 5) of the retention time Sb2 or adjustment of the length of the retention time Sb2. In this embodiment, "adjustment of thawing" includes, for example, adjustment of the start time t1 of the thawing time Sb1 or the length of the thawing time Sb1. The thawing time Sb1 is the time for proceeding with the thawing of the food. The thawing time Sb1 is an example of a third time.

For example, the "adjustment of thawing" is defined such that the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 becomes earlier as the temperature change per unit time indicated by the "progress of freezing" associated in the adjustment information TBL1 increases. . Further, for example, the "adjustment of thawing" is such that the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 becomes later as the time until reaching the predetermined temperature indicated by the "progress of freezing" associated in the adjustment information TBL1 becomes longer. Defined. That is, the control unit 101 sets the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 to be delayed in proportion to the length of the implementation time Sa (that is, in proportion to the difficulty of freezing the food). This setting is an example of control adjustment by the control unit 101 . Note that adjusting the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 may result in adjusting the length of the thawing time Sb1 from time t1 to time t2. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of start times of holding times Sb2 adjusted for different foods A and B. FIG. In FIG. 7, the temperature change indicated by the solid line is the temperature change of the food A, and the temperature change indicated by the broken line is the temperature change of the food B. As shown in FIG. Further, in FIG. 7, time SaA is the implementation time Sa for food A, and time SaB is the implementation time Sa for food B. As shown in FIG. Further, time t2A is the start time of the food A holding time Sb2, and time t2B is the start time of the food B holding time Sb2. As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 101 adjusts the start time t2 of the retention time Sb2 so that the start time of the retention time Sb2 is delayed as the implementation time Sa increases.

Alternatively/additionally, the length of the holding time Sb2 may be adjusted according to freezing stage information. Holding time Sb2 may include a hold time to ensure that the resistant starch is increased. Adjustment of the length of the holding time Sb2 may be, for example, adjustment of the length of the securing time described above. For example, the "adjustment of thawing" is defined such that the length of the holding time Sb2 becomes shorter as the temperature change per unit time indicated by the "progress of freezing" associated in the adjustment information TBL1 increases. Further, for example, the "adjustment of thawing" is defined such that the length of the holding time Sb2 increases as the time to reach the predetermined temperature indicated by the "progress of freezing" associated in the adjustment information TBL1 increases. be done. That is, the control unit 101 sets the length of the holding time Sb2 to be longer in proportion to the length of the implementation time Sa (that is, in proportion to the difficulty of freezing the food). This setting is an example of control adjustment by the control unit 101 .

The average temperature Tb of the thawing and holding temperature zone is +4°C. The average temperature Tb is set to +4° C., which is an example of the temperature at which food frozen to the inside can be thawed by freezing control and the resistant starch can be increased. Thaw retention control is performed over a predetermined implementation time Sb (for example, 400 minutes). The control unit 101 starts thawing and holding control at time t1, and executes the thawing and holding control until time t3. In order to increase the resistant starch, it is effective to hold the food once frozen at +4°C for at least 4 hours after thawing. The execution time Sb is set to a value obtained by adding a thawing time Sb1, which is the time required for the food to thaw and reach +4°C, and a holding time Sb2, which is held at +4°C. The thawing time Sb1 is, for example, about 160 minutes. The retention time Sb2 is, for example, 240 minutes (4 hours).

In the first embodiment, one thawing method may be set for one food item. In this case, the thawing time Sb1 is fixed for one food item. Also, the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 for the certain food is set to the time when the thawing time Sb1 has elapsed from the end time of the implementation time Sa. That is, the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 for the certain food is set according to the end time of the thawing time Sb1.

In this embodiment, the start time t1 of the thawing time Sb1 may be adjusted according to the freezing stage information. For example, the "adjustment of thawing" is defined so that the start time t1 of the thawing time Sb1 becomes earlier as the temperature change per unit time indicated by the "progress of freezing" associated in the adjustment information TBL1 increases. . Further, for example, the "adjustment of thawing" is such that the start time t1 of the thawing time Sb1 becomes later as the time to reach the predetermined temperature indicated by the "progress of freezing" associated in the adjustment information TBL1 becomes longer. Defined. That is, the control unit 101 sets the start time t1 of the thawing time Sb1 to be delayed in proportion to the length of the implementation time Sa (that is, in proportion to the difficulty of freezing the food). This setting is an example of control adjustment by the control unit 101 .

Alternatively/additionally, the length of the thawing time Sb1 may be adjusted according to freezing stage information. The thawing time Sb1 may include a set aside time to ensure that the food is completely thawed. The adjustment of the length of the thawing time Sb1 may be, for example, the adjustment of the length of the reserved time described above. For example, the above-described "adjustment of thawing" is defined such that the length of the thawing time Sb1 becomes shorter as the temperature change per unit time indicated by the "progress of freezing" associated with the adjustment information TBL1 increases. be. Further, for example, the "adjustment of thawing" is defined such that the length of the thawing time Sb1 increases as the time to reach the predetermined temperature indicated by the "progress of freezing" associated in the adjustment information TBL1 increases. be done. That is, the control unit 101 sets the length of the thawing time Sb1 to be longer in proportion to the length of the implementation time Sa (that is, in proportion to the difficulty of freezing the food). This setting is an example of control adjustment by the control unit 101 .

The implementation time Sb is set to a time sufficient to defrost the food and hold it at +4° C. for 4 hours, and not to make the entire RS increase control too long. Alternatively, instead of setting the execution time Sb in advance, 4 hours after the temperature measured by the chilled room temperature detection unit 112 reaches +4 ° C. (or 4 hours with a little margin). After the time has elapsed, the thaw retention control may be terminated. The thaw holding temperature zone (at holding time Sb2) is an example of a second temperature zone. The retention time Sb2 is an example of a second time. In addition, in the RS increase control illustrated in FIG. 5, the temperature for defrosting the food (the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B during the defrosting time Sb1) and the temperature maintained constant after defrosting (the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B during the holding time Sb2) are Same temperature, but not limited to. For example, the food may be thawed at a temperature higher than +4°C, and maintained at a temperature of +4°C (second temperature range). Also, the temperature at which food is thawed may be lower than +4°C, and the temperature maintained (second temperature range) may be +4°C.

The average temperature Tc of the purpose-specific temperature zone is, for example, +2°C. The purpose-specific temperature zone is set according to the purpose of use of the food in which the resistant starch is increased by performing freezing control and thawing/holding control in this order. When preserving the food after increasing the resistant starch, the average temperature Tc is set to a temperature similar to that of the "normally chilled", such as +2°C. The purpose-specific control is performed over a predetermined implementation time Sc. The control unit 101 starts purpose-specific control at time t3. If the intended use of the food is preservation, purpose-specific control may be implemented without restriction.

In the case of the RS increase control shown in FIG. 5, when the implementation time Sa and the retention time Sb2 are compared, the implementation time Sa is longer than the retention time Sb2. This is to prevent the food from freezing too quickly before the resistant starch builds up. Comparing the implementation time Sa and the implementation time Sb, the implementation time Sb is longer than the implementation time Sa. This is because it takes time to change the state of the frozen food to thaw, and it is held for at least 4 hours after reaching +4°C. The temperature change illustrated in FIG. 5 is a graph when the average temperature Ta is set to -2.degree. If the average temperature Ta of the freezing temperature zone is set to −5° C. or −10° C. in order to shorten the control time, the implementation time Sa would be even shorter. On the other hand, when the average temperature Ta of the freezing temperature zone is set to −2° C., the food in the same frozen state should not change the execution time Sb. Therefore, even if the average temperature Ta of the freezing temperature zone is changed, unless the implementation times Sa and Sb are intentionally set long, the implementation time Sb will be longer than the implementation time Sa. Further, in the example of FIG. 5, the average temperature Tc of the purpose-specific temperature zone is +2°C. In this case, when the thawing time Sb1 is compared with the time Sc1 from the start of purpose-specific control until the average temperature Tc of the purpose-specific temperature zone is achieved, the thawing time Sb1 is longer than the time Sc1. Focusing on the temperature change during this period, the slope of the temperature change at time Sc1 (for example, the difference between the chilled chamber temperature (food temperature) at the first time in time Sc1 and the chilled chamber temperature (food temperature) at the last time Sc1) is the slope of the temperature change in the thawing time Sb1 (for example, the difference between the temperature of the chilling chamber (food temperature) at the first time and the temperature of the chilling chamber (food temperature) at the last time in the thawing time Sb1. divided by time Sb1). This is because the thawing time Sb1 involves a change in the state of the food from freezing to thawing, while the time Sc1 does not involve a change in the state of the food. Also, during the execution time Sa, for example, the slope of the temperature change from the start of the freezing control until the chilled room temperature (food temperature) reaches 0 ° C. (for example, the slope of the temperature change throughout this period, or a predetermined time When comparing the slope of the temperature change at the time Sc1 with the slope of the temperature change at the time Sc1, the slope of the temperature change at the execution time Sa is larger. The slope of the temperature change may be referred to as the "rate of temperature change" or "amount of temperature change per unit time." Note that when the predetermined temperature Td described above is the average temperature Ta, the time Sa1 becomes the implementation time Sa. Therefore, the slope of the temperature change in the execution time Sa is an example of the temperature change per unit time (T0-Td)/Sa1).

FIG. 8 shows an example in which +10° C. is set as the average temperature Tc′ of the purpose-specific temperature zone. FIG. 8 is a second diagram showing changes in chilled room temperature when the control mode of "increase resistant starch" is implemented. If the amount of resistant starch in rice or bread is increased, it becomes dry and the texture deteriorates. By raising the temperature of the food before ingestion, the texture can be brought back to its original state without damaging the resistant starch. If the purpose of using the food is to eat, the average temperature Tc' is set to +10° C., for example. By increasing the temperature of the food to +10°C, the texture is restored and the food is easily ingested. Since +10°C is not suitable for long-term storage of food, a predetermined time may be set as the execution time Sc', and thereafter the temperature may be shifted to the temperature in the normal "chill room" control mode. . In the example of FIG. 8 as well, when the thawing time Sb1 and the time Sc1' from the start of purpose-based control until the average temperature Tc' is reached are compared, the thawing time Sb1 is longer than the time Sc1'. The slope of the temperature change at time Sc1′ (for example, the difference between the chilled chamber temperature (food temperature) at the first time in time Sc1′ and the chilled chamber temperature (food temperature) at the last time divided by time Sc1′) is , is greater than the slope of the temperature change at the thawing time Sb1. At the implementation time Sa, for example, when comparing the slope of the temperature change from the start of the freezing control until the chilled room temperature (food temperature) reaches 0 ° C. with the slope of the temperature change at the time Sc1 ', The slope of the temperature change is larger. The temperature change due to the RS increase control shown in FIGS. 5 and 8 is an example when the first time (implementation time Sa) is longer than the second time (holding time Sb2).

FIG. 9 shows changes in resistant starch content due to RS increase control. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the effect of RS increase control according to the embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, the amount of resistant starch contained in 100 g of rice before implementing RS increase control is 4 g, increased by 7 g by implementing RS increase control, and 11 g after implementation. Similarly, the resistant starch contained in 100 g of bread before implementation of RS increase control is 9 g, increased by 5 g by implementation of RS increase control, and is 14 g after implementation of RS increase control.

[5. control flow]
FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the control flow of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. It is assumed that adjustment information TBL1 is recorded in storage unit 116 . In addition, the storage unit 116 stores the execution time Sc for each purpose of use, the set value of the average temperature Ta in the freezing temperature zone (eg -2°C), and the set value of the average temperature Tb2 in the thawing and holding temperature zone (eg +4°C). , an average temperature Tc (for example, +2° C.) is set for each purpose-specific temperature zone for each purpose of use.

The control unit 101 acquires settings related to RS increase control and a command to start the control mode of "increase resistant starch" by user's operation (step S1). The setting related to RS increase control is the purpose of use of the food related to the set temperature in purpose-specific control. The user, for example, operates the button 32 to select storage or intake, and inputs the intended use of the food to the refrigerator 1 . For example, the user operates the button 31 to input to the refrigerator 1 a command to start the control mode of "increase resistant starch". The control unit 101 acquires these inputs.

The control unit 101 performs freezing control (step S2). For example, the control unit 101 controls the cooling unit 50 by setting −2° C. as the set temperature of the storage room 17 in the refrigerating temperature zone.

The information acquisition unit 117 acquires information about the target food subject to the RS increase control (step S3). For example, the information acquisition unit 117 identifies the temperature of the target food in the chilled compartment 17B from the detection result of the refrigerator compartment temperature detector 111 or the chilled compartment temperature detector 112 .

Control unit 101 stores the freezing stage information included in the information about the target food acquired by information acquisition unit 117 (that is, the temperature information at each time acquired from information acquisition unit 117) as adjustment information stored in storage unit 116. Compare with each of the plurality of "progress of freezing" included in TBL1. Then, the control unit 101 specifies the "progress of freezing" closest to the freezing stage information in the adjustment information TBL1 (step S4). The control unit 101 identifies the thawing adjustment associated with the identified “progress of freezing” in the adjustment information TBL1 (step S5). The control unit 101 adjusts the thawing control of the cooling unit 50 using the “thaw adjustment” specified in the adjustment information TBL1 (step S6). For example, the control unit 101 sets the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 to be delayed in proportion to the length of the implementation time Sa (that is, in proportion to the difficulty of freezing the food). The control unit 101 performs freezing control over the implementation time Sa until the average temperature Ta is reached. After the implementation time Sa has elapsed, the control unit 101 terminates the freezing control.

Next, the control unit 101 carries out defrosting holding control (step S7). For example, the control unit 101 sets +4° C. as the set temperature of the storage room 17 in the refrigerating temperature range, and controls the cooling unit 50 . The control unit 101 performs the thawing and holding control over the implementation time Sb according to the freezing control adjusted in step S6. For example, the control unit 101 starts the thawing and holding control at the start time of the holding time set in proportion to the length of the implementation time Sa, and when the implementation time Sb elapses, the control unit 101 ends the thawing and holding control. .

Next, the control unit 101 starts purpose-specific control and determines whether the purpose of use is storage or intake (step S8). The control unit 101 confirms the purpose of use in the settings input in step S1. If the purpose of use is determined to be storage ("storage" in step S8), the control unit 101 performs purpose-specific control for storage (step S9). For example, +2° C. is set as the set temperature of the storage room 17 in the refrigerating temperature zone, and the cooling unit 50 is controlled. The control unit 101 performs purpose-specific control for a predetermined time (implementation time Sc). Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 101 terminates the purpose-based control for storage.

Further, when it is determined that the purpose of use is ingestion ("ingestion" in step S8), the control unit 101 performs purpose-specific control for ingestion (step S10). For example, the control unit 101 closes the open/close lid 114 of the chilled room cold air outlet 41b and energizes the chilled room heater 115 . The control unit 101 monitors the temperature of the chilling chamber and controls the operation of the chilling chamber heater 115 so that the temperature of the chilling chamber is maintained at +10°C. After a predetermined period of time has passed, the control unit 101 terminates the purpose-based control for ingestion.

[6. advantage]
In this embodiment, the control unit 101 then defrosts the food and holds it at 4° C. for 4 hours or more, depending on the length of the implementation time Sa sufficient to completely freeze the inside of the food containing starch. Adjust the start time of thaw retention control. This can reduce the time required to increase the resistant starch content in starch-containing foods.

In the present embodiment, the information acquisition unit 117 acquires information about the target food subject to the RS increase control. Thereby, the control unit 101 can specify the implementation time Sa from the information on the target food. As a result, the control unit 101 can adjust the start time of the thaw retention control according to the length of the execution time Sa, and the time required to increase the resistant starch contained in the starch-containing food can be adjusted. can be shortened.

In this embodiment, the information about the target food includes information obtained based on the detection result of the detection unit during the course of the RS control after the start of the RS control. According to such a configuration, RS control can be adjusted without requiring input of information such as weight of food, type of food, or shape of food.

In the present embodiment, after thawing and holding control is performed, control is performed to store the food at a temperature suitable for long-term storage of the food (purpose-specific control when the purpose of use is storage). This allows the food to be preserved as it is after the resistant starch is increased.

In the present embodiment, control for recovering the dry feeling of food (purpose-specific control when the purpose of use is ingestion) is implemented after implementation of thawing and holding control. Thereby, texture can be improved in preparation for ingestion after increasing the resistant starch.

In this embodiment, the food is frozen over an implementation time Sa longer than the holding time Sb2. As a result, the so-called alpha conversion of starch can be prevented, and the amount of resistant starch (beta starch) can be increased.

In this embodiment, it is possible to shift from the center temperature Tb of the thawing and holding temperature zone to the center temperature Tc of the purpose-specific temperature zone in a time Sc1 that is shorter than the execution time Sb. This prevents the food from being spoiled.

(First Modification of First Embodiment)
In FIGS. 5 and 8, as a result of freezing control, when the temperature of the chilled room (food temperature) reaches −2° C., the control immediately shifts to the thawing and holding control has been described as an example. However, after reaching -2°C, this temperature may be held for some time. FIG. 11 shows an example of changes in chilled room temperature when such RS increase control is performed. In FIG. 11, the control unit 101 starts freezing control at time t0, and reaches −2° C. at time t1 after time Sa1 (for example, about 350 minutes). However, the control unit 101 continues freezing control for a period of time Sa2 (for example, about 210 minutes). Then, the control unit 101 performs the freezing control over the execution time Sa (for example, about 560 minutes), which is the time Sa1 plus the time Sa2, and then ends the freezing control, and starts the thawing and holding control at time t1a. do. In the example of FIG. 11, the thawed holding control and purpose-specific control are the same as in the example of FIG. For example, the control unit 101 executes the thaw retention control over the execution time Sb (for example, about 400 minutes). After that, the control unit 101 executes the purpose-specific control over the execution time Sc. Thus, in freezing control, it is possible to provide a time zone for maintaining the chilled room temperature (food temperature) at -2°C. Even in this case, the execution time Sa (eg, about 560 minutes) is longer than the retention time Sb2 (eg, about 240 minutes). On the other hand, when comparing the implementation time Sa and the implementation time Sb, the implementation time Sa (for example, about 560 minutes) is longer than the implementation time Sb (for example, about 400 minutes). The implementation time Sa in the RS increase control illustrated in FIG. 11 is an example of the first time. The temperature change due to the RS increase control shown in FIG. An example. In this modification, the length of time Sa2 may be adjusted according to freezing stage information obtained during time Sa1.

(Second Modification of First Embodiment)
In FIGS. 5 and 8, the temperature was lowered to −2° C. and then held at 4° C. for 4 hours or more. By holding the temperature at 4° C. for 12 hours or more, the amount of resistant starch can be further increased. FIG. 12 shows an example of changes in chilled room temperature (food temperature) when the holding time Sb2 is 12 hours. In FIG. 12, the control unit 101 starts freezing control at time t0, ends freezing control at time t1 after implementation time Sa, and starts thawing and holding control. When the chilled room temperature (food temperature) reaches +4°C at time t2, that temperature is maintained for 12 hours or longer. That is, the retention time Sb2 is 720 minutes or longer. For example, the control unit 101 executes the thaw retention control over the execution time Sb (for example, approximately 880 minutes, Sb1 for approximately 160 minutes, and Sb2 for approximately 720 minutes). After that, the control unit 101 executes the purpose-specific control over the execution time Sc. In this manner, in the thawing and holding control, after the chilled room temperature (food temperature) reaches +4° C., the food may be held for 12 hours or longer. Thereby, for example, the resistant starch can be further increased compared to holding at +4° C. for 4 hours. The temperature change due to the RS increase control shown in FIG. 12 is an example when the second time (holding time Sb2) is longer than the first time (execution time Sa).

(Third Modification of First Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, a command to start the control mode of "increase resistant starch" is given to the control unit 101 by the user's operation, and the control unit 101 starts freezing control to increase the resistant starch. was described as being implemented. However, in the third modification of the first embodiment, for example, the chilled chamber 17B is set as a dedicated place for increasing the resistant starch, a weight detector is provided in the chilled chamber 17B, and the weight detector detects the weight. When the is detected, the control unit 101 may start freezing control with the detection of the weight as a trigger and perform control for increasing the resistant starch.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, it was mentioned that the information about the target food changes depending on the type of food, the weight of the food, the shape of the food, etc., that is, the progress of freezing differs for each food, but the first embodiment The refrigerator 1 does not use information such as the type of food, the weight of the food, and the shape of the food as the information about the target food. Therefore, the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment freezes any food to the center of the food at a predetermined temperature (eg -2°C), then thaws the food and thaws it for a predetermined time at a predetermined temperature (eg 4°C). ° C.), it is necessary to set a securing time corresponding to the longest execution time Sa or holding time Sb2 among the assumed foods. As a result, the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment may take longer than the actual time required to increase the resistant starch in the target food. The refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment adjusts thawing based on information about the target food including at least one information of the type of food, the weight of the food, or the shape of the food, in addition to the freezing stage information. and adjust the thawing start time according to the specified thaw adjustment. Hereinafter, the difference between the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment and the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment will be mainly described. Note that the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment may be the same as the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment unless otherwise mentioned.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of part of the configuration regarding control of the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment includes a weight detector 118 in addition to the configuration of the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment. In addition, in the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment, the information acquisition section 117 includes the refrigerator compartment temperature detection section 111 , the chilled compartment temperature detection section 112 , and the weight detection section 118 . The information acquisition unit 117 acquires information about the target food including at least one of the type of food, the weight of the food, and the shape of the food, in addition to the freezing stage information. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the weight detection section 118 of the second embodiment. The weight detection unit 118 is provided in, for example, the chilled room 17B, which stores foods that increase resistant starch. Weight detection unit 118 detects the weight of food when food is placed in chilled chamber 17B. Further, the operation panel 30 of the second embodiment accepts information on at least one of the type of food and the shape of the food input by the user. Information indicating the weight of the food may be obtained based on user input to the operation panel 30 instead of the weight detection unit 118 . At least one of the weight of the food, the type of the food, and the shape of the food may be obtained based on user input to a terminal device capable of communicating with the refrigerator 1 directly or via a server, for example. When the information acquisition unit 117 acquires at least one of the type of food, the weight of the food, and the shape of the food input to the operation panel 30, the operation panel 30 is provided in the information acquisition unit 117. can be anything. In place of the operation panel 30, the information acquisition unit 117 acquires at least one of the weight of the food, the type of the food, and the shape of the food from the user's mobile terminal or smart speaker via the network. may be However, the information such as freezing stage information, food type, food weight, and food shape acquired by the information acquisition unit 117 is direct information such as freezing stage information, food type, food weight, and food shape. It doesn't have to be. To the extent that the control unit 101 can estimate a correct result, the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 117, such as the freezing stage information, the type of food, the weight of the food, and the shape of the food, is based on the freezing stage information, the type of food, and the weight of the food. , the shape of the food, etc., can be estimated.

The control section 101 of the second embodiment acquires the weight detected by the weight detection section 118 . Further, the control unit 101 of the second embodiment acquires at least one of the type of food and the shape of the food accepted by the operation panel 30 . The control unit 101 specifies thawing adjustment based on at least one of the acquired information of the weight of the food, the type of the food, and the shape of the food. In this embodiment, an example in which the above information and freezing stage information are used together will be described.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the adjustment information TBL2 stored in the storage unit 116 of the second embodiment, which indicates the "adjustment of thawing" of the food associated with each of the different "progress of freezing". . As in the first embodiment, each of the "progress of freezing" included in the adjustment information TBL2 is the temperature change of the chilled chamber 17B or the target food from the start of the RS increase control to the middle of the RS increase control. , indicates the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B or the target food at the midpoint of the RS increase control, or the time until the chilled chamber 17B or the target food reaches a predetermined temperature. However, since the "progress of freezing" in FIG. 15 corresponds to the combination of the weight of food, the type of food, and the shape of food, The securing time is set to be smaller than that.

The combination of food weight, food type, and food shape is, for example, information including all three of food weight, food type, and food shape, as shown in FIG. #1 to #10), information including two such as food weight and food type, food weight and food shape, or food weight and food shape (for example, #11 to #16 in FIG. 15 ), weight of food, type of food, or shape of food (for example, #17 to #20 in FIG. 15).

The control unit 101 identifies, in the adjustment information TBL2, the combination that is closest to the acquired combination of the weight (of the food), the type of the food, and the shape of the food. The control unit 101 uses a method similar to that of the control unit 101 of the first embodiment, and is associated with the specified combination of the weight (of the food), the type of food, and the shape of the food in the adjustment information TBL2. Among the “progress of freezing”, the “progress of freezing” of the food closest to the freezing stage information acquired by the information acquiring unit 117 is specified. Then, the control unit 101 specifies the “adjustment of thawing” associated with the specified progress of freezing.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing the control flow of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. It is assumed that adjustment information TBL2 is recorded in storage unit 116 .

The refrigerator 1 performs steps S1 to S3 as in the first embodiment. The weight detector 118 detects the weight of food (step S11). Operation panel 30 receives information on at least one of the type of food and the shape of food input by the user (step S12). Control unit 101 acquires the weight detected by weight detection unit 118 . Further, the control unit 101 of the second embodiment acquires at least one of the type of food and the shape of the food accepted by the operation panel 30 . Control unit 101 specifies the combination closest to the acquired combination of weight (of food), type of food, and shape of food in adjustment information TBL2 stored in storage unit 116 (step S13). Using the same method as that of the control unit 101 of the first embodiment, the control unit 101 acquires the "progress of freezing" of the food closest to the freezing stage information acquired by the information acquisition unit 117 in the adjustment information TBL2. It is identified from among the "progress of freezing" associated with the identified combination of weight (of food), type of food, and shape of food (step S14). The control unit 101 identifies, in the adjustment information TBL2, the thawing adjustment associated with the identified progress of freezing (step S15). The control unit 101 adjusts the thawing control of the cooling unit 50 using the “thaw adjustment” specified in the adjustment information TBL2 (step S16). The refrigerator 1 performs steps S7 to S10 as in the first embodiment.

For example, when comparing rice and bread (including sweets), it takes more time to freeze and more time to defrost the rice. In other words, if it is known that the bread is bread, it is possible to set a time shorter than the time set for the rice as a sufficient time to freeze the inside of the bread. Since it is not known, the execution time Sa is set by assuming the food (in this case, rice) that will take the longest time to freeze to the inside. In addition, in the first embodiment, since the type of food is not known, the execution time Sb2 is set by assuming the food (in this case, rice) that takes the longest time. On the other hand, as described above, the "progress of freezing" of the second embodiment corresponds to the combination of the weight of the food, the type of food, and the shape of the food. The secured time is set shorter than the "progress of freezing" in the embodiment. Therefore, in addition to the freezing stage information, the control unit 101 of the second embodiment uses at least one information of the weight of the food, the type of the food, and the shape of the food to determine the start time of the holding time Sb2. Not only can t2 be adjusted, but also the length of the execution time Sa and the length of the holding time Sb2 can be appropriately adjusted.

As described above, in order to increase the amount of resistant starch in foods containing a large amount of starch, it is necessary to hold the food at a predetermined temperature (e.g., 4 ° C.) for a predetermined time (e.g., 4 hours) after thawing the food. There is In other words, the predetermined time is constant regardless of the food. Therefore, the holding time Sb2 that is set including the securing time does not differ greatly even if the food is different. On the other hand, the thawing time Sb1 has a different size that can be adjusted depending on the food. Therefore, when there are a first target food and a second target food different from the first target food, the thawing time Sb1 adjusted for the first target food and the thawing time Sb1 adjusted for the second target food , the second time difference between the holding time Sb2 for the first target food and the holding time Sb2 for the second target food is set smaller than the first time difference. This also applies to the first embodiment.

According to this embodiment, the control unit 101 uses at least one information of the weight of the food, the type of the food, or the shape of the food in addition to the freezing stage information to specify thawing adjustments. As a result, the control unit 101 of the second embodiment can specify more appropriate thawing adjustment for each food item than the control unit 101 of the first embodiment. As a result, the control unit 101 of the second embodiment can adjust the length of the execution time Sa, the thawing time Sb1, or the holding time Sb2 more appropriately than the control unit 101 of the first embodiment. can reduce the time required to increase the resistant starch content in starch-containing foods.

However, in the second embodiment, freezing stage information is not essential. That is, the control unit 101 determines the length of the execution time Sa, the start time t1 of the thawing time Sb1, the length of the thawing time Sb1, and the length of the thawing time Sb1, based on at least one information of the weight of the food, the type of the food, and the shape of the food. Also, one or more of the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 and the length of the holding time Sb2 may be adjusted. For example, heavy weight food, dense food (high density food), and round food are controlled adjustment corresponding to "food that is difficult to freeze (food that requires a long execution time Sa)" in the first embodiment. is done. On the other hand, foods with a small weight, foods with many internal voids (low-density foods), and flat foods are subjected to control corresponding to "easy-to-freeze foods (foods with a short execution time Sa)" in the first embodiment. is adjusted.

(First Modification of Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the refrigerator 1 includes the weight detection unit 118, and the operation panel 30 accepts information on at least one of the type of food and the shape of the food input by the user. However, in the first modification of the second embodiment, the refrigerator 1 actually uses the weight of the food, the type of the food, or the shape of the food when the control unit 101 specifies thawing adjustment. It may have only the function of acquiring information. For example, if the control unit 101 uses only the type of food or the shape of the food to specify the thawing adjustment among the weight of the food, the type of the food, or the shape of the food, the refrigerator 1 is controlled by the weight detection unit 118. may not be provided. Further, for example, if the control unit 101 does not use at least one of the food type and the food shape among the weight of the food, the type of the food, or the shape of the food to specify the thawing adjustment, the operation panel 30 may not accept food types and/or food shapes that are not used.

(Second Modification of Second Embodiment)
In the above embodiment, the user inputs the type of food. Alternatively, the control unit 101 may analyze the image captured by the in-fridge camera 113 to automatically detect the type of food.

(Third Modification of Second Embodiment)
In a third modification of the second embodiment, the control unit 101 may set the average temperature Ta for freezing control according to the weight of food. The heavier the food, the longer it takes to freeze and thaw. For example, in the case of breads and sweets, the average temperature Ta may be set to −2° C. if the weight is less than a predetermined amount, and −5° C. if the weight is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount. For example, in the case of rice, the average temperature Ta may be set to −7° C. if the weight is less than a predetermined amount, and set to −10° C. if the weight is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount.

(Fourth Modification of Second Embodiment)
In a fourth modification of the second embodiment, the control section 101 may set the implementation time Sa according to the weight of the food. The heavier the food, the longer it takes to freeze and thaw. For example, in the case of breads and sweets, if the weight is less than a predetermined amount, the execution time Sa is set to a predetermined X hours, and if the weight is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, a time X1 longer than X hours is set. For example, in the case of rice, if the amount is less than a predetermined amount, a time X2 longer than X hours is set, and if the amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, a time X3 longer than X2 hours is set. The same applies to the execution time Sb.

It should be noted that the second embodiment and its modifications may be modified in the same manner as the first to third modifications of the first embodiment.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. The refrigerator 1 of the third embodiment adjusts the start time of the thaw holding control according to the difference in the initial temperature when freezing the food. The initial temperature is an example of information indicating the temperature of the target food before starting special control.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of changes in chilled room temperature for two similar foods that differ only in initial temperature when frozen in the third embodiment. In FIG. 17, the temperature change indicated by the dashed line is the temperature change of the food C1, and the temperature change indicated by the solid line is the temperature change of the food C2 that differs from the food C1 only in the initial temperature at time t0. In FIG. 17, temperature T01 is the initial temperature of food C1, and temperature T02 is the initial temperature of food C2. Further, the time t2C1 is the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 of the food C1, and the time t2C2 is the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 of the food C2. The only difference between food C1 and food C2 is the initial temperature. Therefore, when the food C1 is frozen to lower the temperature from the initial temperature T01 to the temperature T02, and thereafter the same control as the control performed on the food C2 showing the temperature change shown in FIG. 17 is performed on the food C1, After the temperature of food C1 reaches temperature T02, the temperature change of food C1 can be considered in the same way as the temperature change of food C2. In other words, after the temperature of the food C1 reaches the temperature T02, the temperature change of the food C2 is delayed by the time Sd required for the food C1 to be frozen from the initial temperature T01 to the temperature T02. can be done. Therefore, as in the above-mentioned food C1 and food C2, the only difference between the two foods is the initial temperature, and if one of the foods has been adjusted to increase the resistant starch in the past, The control unit 101 may apply the adjustment for increasing the resistant starch, which was performed in the past for one food, to the other food.

That is, the control unit 101 may adjust the control of the cooling unit 50 according to the information regarding the target food including the initial temperature. For example, if only the initial temperature is different and there is a food C1 with a high initial temperature and a food C2 with a low initial temperature relative to the food C1, and the food C1 has been adjusted to increase the resistant starch in the past (i.e., When the cooling unit 50 is adjusted according to the information about the target food), the control unit 101 advances the temperature change of the food C1 by the amount corresponding to the above-described time Sd, and after the time corresponding to the time t0, the food C1 The "freezing adjustment" used to adjust the control of the cooling unit 50 in accordance with the information on the target food in the case of C1 may be applied to the food C2. "Freezing adjustment" includes, for example, adjusting the length of the execution time Sa or adjusting the average temperature Ta. Further, when the food C2 has been adjusted to increase the resistant starch in the past (that is, when the cooling unit 50 is adjusted according to the information on the target food), the control unit 101 changes the temperature of the food C2 After the change is delayed by the amount corresponding to the above-mentioned time Sd, the food C1 is frozen, and after reaching the initial temperature of the food C2, when the food C2 has been changed in the past, according to the information on the target food The freezing adjustment used to adjust the control of the cooling unit 50 may be applied to the food item C1.

According to this embodiment, the control unit 101 adjusts the control of the cooling unit 50 according to the information regarding the target food including the initial temperature. Thereby, the control unit 101 of the third embodiment can adjust the start time of the holding time according to the initial temperature of the food.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. If the food is frozen too quickly, the food may freeze before the resistant starch increases. Therefore, it is preferable to freeze foods slowly. For this reason, the average temperature Ta is set to a temperature at which the inside of the food can be reliably frozen and the temperature does not drop so rapidly as to prevent the increase of resistant starch. need to In the above-described first to third embodiments and modifications thereof, -2° C. is shown as an example of the average temperature Ta. Further, in the above-described first to third embodiments and their modifications, the thawing time Sb1 is fixed, and 4° C. is shown as an example of the average temperature Tb. The refrigerator 1 of the fourth embodiment controls the temperature of the chilled compartment 17B so that the execution time Sa is shortened by setting the average temperature Ta to a temperature lower than -2°C, and the average temperature Tb to a temperature lower than 4°C. By setting a higher temperature, the temperature of the chilled compartment 17B is controlled so that the defrosting time Sb1 is shortened.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining control by the control unit 101 of the fourth embodiment. First, the control by the control unit 101 during the execution time Sa will be described. Execution time Sa includes time Sa2 and time Sa3, as shown in FIG. At time Sa2, the chilled chamber 17B is cooled (that is, the food is frozen) with the temperature Te as the target temperature. Time Sa2 is an example of the first stage. The temperature Te is a temperature lower than the temperature Ta. The temperature Te is an example of a fourth temperature. Further, at time Sa3, the chilled chamber 17B is cooled with a temperature Ta higher than the temperature Te (for example, a freezing temperature suitable for increasing resistant starch) as a target temperature. Time Sa3 is an example of the second stage. Temperature Ta is an example of a fifth temperature.

For example, the control unit 101 receives information about the target food (for example, information obtained from the detection result of the refrigerating chamber temperature detecting unit 111 or the chilled chamber temperature detecting unit 112 during RS control, the weight of the food, the type of food, or the food ), the temperature Te, which is the target temperature at the time Sa2, is adjusted.

Specifically, when the temperature Ta is −2° C., the control unit 101 sets a temperature Te (eg, −5° C.) lower than the temperature Ta as the target temperature of the chilled chamber 17B, as shown in FIG. and controls the cooling unit 50 . Then, the control unit 101 acquires the temperature measured by the chilled room temperature detection unit 112 at regular time intervals. When the obtained temperature decreases from the initial temperature T0 to the preset temperature Tf, the control unit 101 changes the setting of the target temperature from the temperature Te to the temperature Ta to control the cooling unit 50 . The temperature Tf is the temperature between the initial temperature T0 of the target food at time t0 and the temperature Ta.

Further, specifically, when the temperature Ta is −2° C., the control unit 101 sets a temperature Te (for example, −5° C.) lower than the temperature Ta as the target temperature of the chilled chamber 17B, and the cooling unit 50 to control. Then, the control unit 101 acquires the temperature measured by the chilled room temperature detection unit 112 at regular time intervals. When the acquired temperature drops from the initial temperature T0 to a preset temperature Tf, the control unit 101 predicts the time when the target food will reach the temperature Ta based on the temperature information acquired so far. The control unit 101 changes the setting of the target temperature according to the predicted time, and when the temperature drops to the preset temperature Tg, the time at which the target food reaches the temperature Ta based on the temperature information acquired so far. predict again. Temperature Tg is a temperature between temperature Tf and temperature Ta. The control unit 101 changes the setting of the target temperature, for example, when the difference between the predicted time when the food reaches the temperature Ta and the time when the prediction is made exceeds a predetermined time, the target temperature is set higher than the temperature Ta. A low temperature is set, and the target temperature is set to the temperature Ta when the difference between the predicted time when the food reaches the temperature Ta and the predicted time is equal to or less than a predetermined time. In this case, the control unit 101 predicts the time when the predicted food reaches the temperature Ta until the target temperature is set to the temperature Ta. In this case, time Sa2 is the time from time t0 to when the control unit 101 predicts that the difference between the time at which the food reaches the temperature Ta predicted by the control unit 101 and the time at which the prediction is made is equal to or less than a predetermined time. .

The control unit 101 can increase the resistant starch in a short period of time by performing such control within the range of freezing speed that can increase the resistant starch.

Next, the control by the control unit 101 during the thawing time Sb1 will be described. As described in the first embodiment, adjusting the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2 results in adjusting the defrosting time Sb1 from time t1 to time t2. After adjusting the start time t2 of the holding time Sb2, the control unit 101 defrosts the food during the defrosting time Sb1 using a temperature Th different from the average temperature Tb of the holding time Sb2 as the target temperature. That is, the control unit 101 adjusts the length of the holding time Sb2 or the temperature in the thawing time Sb1 according to the freezing stage information. Note that the temperature change range during the thawing time Sb1 is an example of the third temperature zone.

Specifically, when the temperature Tb is 4° C., as shown in FIG. 18, the control unit 101 sets the target temperature of the chilled chamber 17B to a temperature Th higher than the average temperature Tb of the retention time Sb2 (for example, 8 °C), and controls the cooling unit 50. Then, the control unit 101 acquires the temperature measured by the chilled room temperature detection unit 112 at regular time intervals. When the acquired temperature rises from the initial temperature T0 to the preset temperature Ti, the control unit 101 changes the setting of the target temperature from the temperature Th to the temperature Tb to control the cooling unit 50 . The temperature Ti is the temperature between the initial temperature T0 of the target food at time t0 and the temperature Tb.

Further, specifically, when the temperature Tb is 4° C., the control unit 101 sets a temperature Th (for example, 8° C.) lower than the temperature Tb as the target temperature of the chilled chamber 17B, and controls the cooling unit 50. do. Then, the control unit 101 acquires the temperature measured by the chilled room temperature detection unit 112 at regular time intervals. When the obtained temperature rises from the initial temperature T0 to the preset temperature Ti, the control unit 101 predicts the time when the target food reaches the temperature Tb based on the temperature information obtained so far. The control unit 101 changes the setting of the target temperature according to the predicted time, and when the temperature rises to the preset temperature Tj, the time at which the target food reaches the temperature Tb based on the temperature information acquired so far. predict again. Temperature Tj is a temperature between temperature Ti and temperature Tb. The control unit 101 changes the setting of the target temperature, for example, when the difference between the predicted time when the food reaches the temperature Tb and the time when the prediction is made exceeds a predetermined time, the target temperature is set higher than the temperature Tb. A high temperature is set, and the target temperature is set to the temperature Tb when the difference between the predicted time when the food reaches the temperature Tb and the predicted time is equal to or less than a predetermined time. In this case, the control unit 101 predicts the time when the predicted food reaches the temperature Tb until the target temperature is set to the temperature Tb.

According to this embodiment, the control unit 101 dynamically changes the setting of the target temperature for freezing and thawing the food, so that the time required to increase the resistant starch contained in the food containing starch can be shortened.

Some modifications will be described below. It should be noted that configurations other than those described below in each modified example are the same as those of the above-described embodiment.

(First Modification of First to Fourth Embodiments and Their Modifications)
In the embodiment described above, the freeze control is terminated after being performed for the implementation time Sa. Alternatively/in addition to this, the controller 101 controls the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B (for example, the temperature of the food stored in the chilled chamber 17B, the air temperature of the chilled chamber 17B, or the temperature of the members housed in the chilled chamber 17B). temperature, etc.) reaches a predetermined temperature (average temperature Ta), the freezing control may be ended.

(First Embodiment to Fourth Embodiment, and Second Modification of Their Modifications)
In the above-described embodiment, the thaw retention control is terminated after being performed for the execution time Sb. Alternatively/in addition to this, the controller 101 controls the temperature of the chilled chamber 17B (for example, the temperature of the food stored in the chilled chamber 17B, the air temperature of the chilled chamber 17B, or the temperature of the members housed in the chilled chamber 17B). temperature, etc.) reaches a predetermined temperature (average temperature Tb) (or after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the predetermined temperature is reached), the thawing/holding control ends when at least 4 hours have passed. You may let

(First Embodiment to Fourth Embodiment, and Third Modification of Those Modifications)
In the above embodiment, in order to ensure an increase in resistant starch, the execution time Sa is set longer than the holding time Sb2 (4 hours) to slowly freeze the food. Instead, the average temperature Ta for freezing control is set to a temperature lower than -2°C (or -5°C, which is the temperature Te in the fourth embodiment), so that the inside of the food is frozen in a short time. may Thereby, the control time of RS increase control can be shortened. In this case, the execution time Sa does not necessarily have to be longer than the holding time Sb2 (4 hours).

(First Embodiment to Fourth Embodiment, and Fourth Modification of Their Modifications)
In the above embodiment, the case where the chilling chamber temperature (food temperature) at the thawing time Sb1 and the chilling chamber temperature (food temperature) at the holding time Sb2 are set at the same temperature has been described as an example. The temperatures may be the same or different. For example, the chilling chamber temperature (food temperature) during the thawing time Sb1 may be set to be higher than +4°C, and the chilling chamber temperature (food temperature) during the holding time Sb2 may be set to +4°C.

(First to Fourth Embodiments, and a Fifth Modification of These Modifications)
In the above embodiment, the average temperature Tc is set to +2° C. in the purpose-based control for storage, and the average temperature Tc′ is set to +10° C. in the purpose-based control for intake. Alternatively, the average temperatures Tc and Tc' may be arbitrarily set by the user by operating the buttons 31 and 32 .

(First Embodiment to Fourth Embodiment, and Sixth Modification of Those Modifications)
In the above-described first to fourth embodiments and their modified examples, the special control is RS increase control. However, special control is not limited to RS increase control. For example, the special control is not limited to foods that increase resistant starch, but after cooling the storage unit for the first time in the first temperature zone for freezing the food, the food is thawed and held in that state. A series of cooling controls may be performed to cool the storage unit in the second temperature zone for the second time. Moreover, the special control may be performed for a predetermined space partitioned in the refrigerator. In other words, unlike the system that switches the control (temperature control) between the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment in which the freezer compartment is cooled in the temperature zone below zero and then the refrigerator compartment is cooled in the temperature zone above zero, For example, when a target space such as a chilled room or a partial room is determined, the control may be performed for that space without switching the target space. Further, unlike the control in which the user switches between the refrigeration temperature range and the freezing temperature range, the special control switches between the refrigeration temperature range and the freezing temperature range without external operation. may be In addition, special control is not limited to control to increase resistant starch, but includes control to maintain a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time for any food in a predetermined space without changing settings from the outside. can be anything. There may be a plurality of predetermined temperatures and a plurality of predetermined times, and a plurality of combinations of predetermined temperatures and predetermined times.

(First Embodiment to Fourth Embodiment, and Seventh Modification of Those Modifications)
In the above-described first to fourth embodiments and their modifications, the information acquisition unit 117 includes the refrigerating chamber temperature detecting unit 111 and the chilled chamber temperature detecting unit 112, is obtained directly from the detection unit. However, an external device acquires the temperature detected by refrigerator temperature detection unit 111 and chilled temperature detection unit 112, and the external device transmits the temperature to information acquisition unit 117, whereby information acquisition unit 117 detects the temperature of the refrigerator. It may be one that acquires the temperature or the temperature of the chilled room.

(Eighth Modification of First to Fourth Embodiments and Their Modifications)
In the eighth modification of the first to fourth embodiments and their modifications, by analyzing the image of the target food taken by the in-fridge camera 113, etc., the type of food, weight, Information such as size and shape may be obtained. Alternatively, the food may be photographed using an apparatus capable of photographing the food using infrared rays, and the temperature of the food may be detected based on the photographed image. And the information acquisition part 117 may acquire those information. In addition, the information acquisition unit 117 may be provided with one or a plurality of the in-fridge camera 113, a device for photographing food using infrared rays, and the like. The in-fridge camera 113 and a device that photographs food using infrared rays are examples of the detection unit. The detection unit may include a device that detects physical quantities such as sound, light, temperature, and pressure and converts them into signals. As the detection unit, other than the above-described detection unit, the operation principle (detection principle) may be different as long as a desired physical quantity can be obtained. That is, a device capable of detecting the same physical quantity as detected by the above-described detection unit or an equivalent physical quantity may be added to the above-described detection unit or may replace the above-described detection unit. Here, the equivalent physical quantity is a physical quantity detected by the device, from which the same physical quantity as the physical quantity detected by the detection unit can be estimated.

The embodiment and some modifications have been described above. Each of the embodiments and modifications may be arbitrarily combined within a practicable range to implement the techniques described in the respective embodiments and modifications.

The embodiment and some modifications have been described above. However, the embodiments and modifications are not limited to the above. For example, the control described above may be performed on the storage compartments 17 other than the chilled compartment 17B (for example, the ice making compartment 17D, the small freezer compartment 17E, the main freezer compartment 17F, the partial compartment, or the temperature switching compartment). In addition, the control unit 101 similarly controls two or more preset storage compartments 17 (for example, the chilled compartment 17B and the small freezer compartment 17E) among the plurality of storage compartments 17 provided inside the housing 10. cooling control may be performed. The content of adjusting the control of the cooling unit 50 according to the information about the target food is not limited to the adjustment of the predetermined time and temperature zone, and may be the adjustment of the rotation speed of the refrigeration fan 62 or the driving amount of the compressor 80. .

According to at least one embodiment described above, the food is completely frozen to the center and then thawed, then the RS increase control is performed, and then cooled to another temperature zone. According to such a configuration, more appropriate refrigeration control can be performed.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Refrigerator 10... Case 17B... Chilled room 50... Cooling part 101... Control part 111... Refrigerated room temperature detection part 112... Chilled room temperature detection part 115... Chilled room heater 117... Information acquisition Department.

Claims (13)

a housing containing a reservoir;
a cooling unit that cools the storage unit;
After cooling the storage part for a first time in a first temperature zone for freezing the food, the storage part is cooled for a second time in a second temperature zone for maintaining the thawed state of the food. An information acquisition unit that acquires information about the target food subject to special control, including
a control unit that adjusts control of the cooling unit according to the information about the target food acquired by the information acquisition unit;
refrigerator. Further comprising a detection unit that detects the state of the storage unit or the target food,
The information on the target food includes information obtained based on the detection result of the detection unit during the middle of the special control after the start of the special control,
Refrigerator according to claim 1. The information about the target food includes temperature change of the storage unit or the target food after the start of the special control until the middle of the special control, temperature of the storage unit or the target food at the middle of the special control, Alternatively, including information indicating the time until the storage unit or the target food reaches a predetermined temperature,
The refrigerator according to claim 2. The information on the target food is obtained based on the detection result of the detection unit at or before the completion of cooling the storage unit for the first time period in the first temperature zone after the start of the special control. including stage information,
The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3. The control unit adjusts the start time of the second time or the length of the second time according to the freezing stage information.
The refrigerator according to claim 4. In the special control, after cooling the storage section in the first temperature zone for the first time period, before cooling the storage section in the second temperature zone for the second time period, including a third time during which the target food is thawed in a different third temperature zone;
The control unit adjusts the start time of the third time period, the length of the third time period, or the temperature of the third temperature zone according to the freezing stage information.
The refrigerator according to claim 4 or 5. the third time adjusted for a first target food that is one of the target foods; and a second target food that is one of the target foods and is different from the first target food. a second time difference between said second time for said first target food and said second time for said second target food, if there is a first time difference between said third time adjusted by less than the first time difference;
The refrigerator according to claim 6. The information about the target food includes information indicating the temperature of the target food before the start of the special control,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The information about the target food includes information indicating the weight of the target food,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The information about the target food includes information indicating the type of the target food,
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The information about the target food includes information indicating the shape of the target food,
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The control unit adjusts the length of the first time according to information about the target food.
Refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 11. The first time includes a first stage in which cooling is performed with a fourth temperature as the target temperature, and a second stage in which cooling is performed with a fifth temperature higher than the first temperature as the target temperature,
The control unit adjusts the fourth temperature according to information about the target food.
Refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

Images