JP2023116296A - household refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a household refrigerator that can store food while restraining a low-temperature injury, and keeping quality.MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM: A household refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment comprises a storage chamber 50, temperature adjustment means for adjusting the temperature of food housed in the storage chamber 50, and a control part 45 for controlling the temperature adjustment means. The control part 45 executes cooling preservation operation for cooling the food to a first temperature Te1, and a recovery operation for heating the temperature of the food to a second temperature Te2 higher than the first temperature Te1 to make a recovery from a low-temperature injury having occurred in the food. The temperature adjustment means comprises a cooling part 30 for cooling the food, and a heating part 86 for heating the food. The heating part 86 is provided above or below a placement part on which the food is placed in the storage chamber 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to domestic refrigerators.

When preserving foods, it is generally desirable to preserve them at a low temperature in order to maintain their quality. However, some foods, such as fruits and vegetables such as bananas, cucumbers, and eggplants, may cause damage (chilling damage) such as discoloration or depression of the skins when exposed to low temperatures. There is

Note that Patent Document 1 below includes a vegetable compartment for storing fruits and vegetables, and temperature control means for controlling the temperature in the vegetable compartment. A refrigerator is disclosed that controls the temperature of the vegetable compartment in response to the temperature. The refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is intended to increase or maintain the sweet ingredients of fruits and vegetables, and does not take into consideration the low temperature injury that occurs in food.

JP 2009-198097 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a household refrigerator that can store food while suppressing low temperature damage and maintaining quality.

A home refrigerator according to one embodiment comprises a storeroom, temperature control means for adjusting the temperature of food stored in the storeroom, and a control section for controlling the temperature control section, wherein the control section comprises the a cooling storage operation for cooling the food to a first temperature; and a recovery operation for heating the food to a second temperature higher than the first temperature to recover from low temperature damage caused to the food, and adjusting the temperature. The means comprises a cooling section for cooling the food and a heating section for heating the food, and the heating section is provided above or below a placement section on which the food is placed in the storage chamber. is.

1 is a sectional view of a household refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention; Enlarged cross-sectional view of essential parts of the domestic refrigerator in FIG. Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the household refrigerator in FIG. Enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a household refrigerator according to Modification 2 Enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a household refrigerator according to Modification 4 Enlarged cross-sectional view of main parts of home-use refrigerator of Modified Example 6

Embodiments will be described based on the drawings. The following embodiments are examples, and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto. The following embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

In the following description, the left-right direction, the front-rear direction, and the up-down direction refer to directions when the refrigerator is viewed from the front, and the left-right direction corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator. Unless otherwise specified, right, left, top, bottom, front, back, back, back, and front refer to the position and side when the refrigerator is viewed from the front. Indicates the position, side, etc. when the refrigerator is viewed from the front in the state.

(1) Configuration of household refrigerator 1 A household refrigerator 1 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as refrigerator 1) according to the present embodiment includes a refrigerator main body 2 made of an insulated box body with an opening on the front, as shown in FIG. Prepare. The refrigerator main body 2 has a heat insulating material such as a vacuum heat insulating material or a foam heat insulating material in a heat insulating space formed between an outer case made of steel plate and an inner case made of synthetic resin. A plurality of storage spaces are provided inside the inner box of the refrigerator body 2 , and the storage spaces are vertically partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 3 .

The space above the heat-insulating partition wall 3 is a refrigeration space that is cooled to a refrigeration temperature range (eg, 1-5°C). The refrigerating space defined above the heat-insulating partition wall 3 is further divided vertically by a partition plate 4. A refrigerator compartment 10 is provided above the partition plate 4, and a vegetable compartment 11 is provided below the partition plate 4. It is

A plurality of mounting shelves 5 are provided in the refrigerator compartment 10 . Under the lowest placing shelf 5 is a chilled room which is maintained at a particularly low temperature in the refrigerating room 10 . A front opening of the refrigerator compartment 10 is provided with a pivotable refrigerator compartment door 15 pivoted by a hinge. An operation display unit 6 is provided on the front surface of the refrigerator compartment door 15 to accept settings of the refrigerator 1 from the user and display the setting status of the refrigerator 1 .

A refrigerator temperature sensor 60 for measuring the internal temperature of the refrigerator compartment 10 is provided on the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 10 . Further, a door sensor 61 for detecting opening/closing of the refrigerator compartment door 15 is provided at the periphery of the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 10 .

A front opening of the vegetable compartment 11 is closed by a drawer-type vegetable compartment door 16 . A pair of left and right support frames for holding the storage container 20 are fixed to the inner side of the vegetable compartment door 16 so that the storage container 20 can be drawn out of the storage when the door is opened. A specific configuration of the storage container 20 will be described in detail later.

The space below the heat-insulating partition wall 3 is a frozen space that is cooled to a freezing temperature range (for example, −17° C. or lower). In the freezer space, an ice-making compartment (not shown) equipped with an automatic ice-making machine and a first freezing compartment 13 are arranged side by side, and a second freezing compartment 14 is provided below them via a partition plate 7 .

The openings of the ice making compartment, the first freezer compartment 13 and the second freezer compartment 14 are closed by drawer doors 18 and 19 as in the vegetable compartment 11 . Storage containers 21 and 22 are held by a pair of left and right support frames fixed to the back sides of the doors 18 and 19, and are constructed so that the storage containers 21 and 22 are drawn out of the warehouse when the doors are opened. there is A freezer temperature sensor 62 for measuring the internal temperature of the second freezer compartment 14 is provided on the back surface of the second freezer compartment 14 .

A refrigerating cooler chamber 33 that houses a refrigerating cooler 30, a refrigerating air blower 31, and a drain pan 32 is defined behind the refrigerating temperature zone storage chamber (refrigerating chamber 10 and vegetable compartment 12). The refrigerating cooler 30 cools the air in the refrigerating cooler chamber 33 to generate cold air, and supplies the generated cold air to the refrigerating chamber 10 and the vegetable chamber 11 through the duct 34 by the refrigerating air blower 31, whereby the vegetable chamber 10 is cooled. And the food stored in the vegetable compartment 11 is cooled. That is, the refrigerating cooler 30 functions as a cooling unit that cools the food stored in the refrigerating compartment 10 and the food stored in the storage container 20 of the vegetable compartment 11 .

The drain pan 32 receives condensed water (defrosted water) generated from the refrigerator cooler 30 during the defrosting operation. Condensed water collected in the drain pan 32 is discharged to an evaporating dish 37 arranged in a machine room 36 provided in the lower back surface of the refrigerator body 2 via a drain hose (not shown).

A freezing cooler 38, a freezing blower 39, a defrosting heating unit 40, and a drain gutter 41 are accommodated in the deep part of the freezing temperature zone storage compartment (the ice making compartment, the first freezing compartment 13, and the second freezing compartment 14). A freezer cooler chamber 42 is defined. The freezer cooler 38 cools the air in the freezer cooler chamber 42 to generate cool air, and the generated cool air is sent through the duct 43 by the freezer blower 39 to the ice making chamber, the first freezer chamber 13 and the second freezer in the freezer temperature range. Feed chamber 14 . A damper that can adjust the opening degree may be provided at the outlet for blowing cool air to the ice making chamber and the first freezing chamber 13 so that the temperature of the ice making chamber and the first freezing chamber 13 can be controlled independently of the second freezing chamber 14 .

The refrigerating cooler 30 and the freezing cooler 38 constitute a refrigerating cycle together with a compressor 44 and a condenser (not shown) housed in the machine room 36 and a switching valve 46 (see FIG. 3). In the refrigerating cycle, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 44 is supplied to one of the refrigerator cooler 30 and the freezer cooler 38 by the switching valve 46 . As a result, one of the refrigerator cooler 30 and the freeze cooler 38 to which the refrigerant is supplied is cooled to a predetermined temperature.

A control unit 45 comprising a control board on which a microcomputer or the like for controlling the refrigerator 1 is mounted is provided outside the refrigerator main body 2 (outside the refrigerator), for example, at the rear portion of the upper surface of the ceiling wall of the refrigerator main body 2 .

(2) Configuration of storage container 20 As shown in FIG. An upper container 50 provided above the container 23 is provided.

The lower container 23 is in the shape of a bottomed box surrounded by a front wall, a rear wall, and left and right side walls, and has an upward opening. . The interior of the lower container 23 is partitioned into the front and rear by a front and rear partition wall 27 extending in the width direction. The front and rear partition walls 27 are provided so as to connect the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the lower container 23. The front and rear partition walls 27 have a lower front container 23a formed on the front side and a lower rear container 23b formed on the rear side. ing.

The lower container 23 is held by a pair of left and right support frames 24 fixed to the back side of the vegetable compartment door 16, and is constructed to be pulled out of the refrigerator when the vegetable compartment door 16 is opened. Upper ends of left and right side walls of the lower container 23 form sliding surfaces 28 on which container lower leg portions 53 provided on the upper container 50 are placed and slide in the front-rear direction.

The front side of the upper opening of the lower rear container 23b is covered by the upper container 50 with the vegetable compartment door 16 closed (with the storage container 20 stored in the vegetable compartment 11) as shown in FIGS. will be The rear side of the upper opening of the lower rear container 23b is covered with a sheet storage case 102 in which the functional sheet 100 is stored.

The functional sheet 100 includes a moisture-permeable sheet and an air-permeable sheet, and is provided inside the sheet storage case 102 . The moisture-permeable sheet is a waterproof and moisture-permeable sheet material, for example, a porous sheet material having a large number of pores with a diameter of 0.5 μm to 3 μm. Blocks water particles. In addition, since it is porous, it also has a predetermined wind blocking property that restricts the circulation of air (wind). For example, a moisture-permeable waterproof sheet obtained by laminating a polyester long-fiber nonwoven fabric and a polyethylene porous film can be used as the moisture-permeable sheet. The breathable sheet is made of a breathable sheet material such as a non-woven fabric sheet, a fabric such as a woven fabric, or a flexible porous resin sheet.

An upper container 50 provided above the lower container 23 has a bottomed box shape surrounded by a front wall, a rear wall, and left and right side walls and opening upward. An upper surface opening 51 provided on the upper surface of the upper container 50 is an opening for taking in and out stored items, and is closed by a lid 80 so as to be openable and closable. The inner space of the upper container 50 constitutes a fruit and vegetable storage compartment separated from the vegetable compartment 11, and the bottom surface 50a of the upper container 50 serves as a placing portion for placing food.

The upper container 50 is arranged below and close to the partition plate 4 that separates the refrigerator compartment 10 and the vegetable compartment 12, and the inner box rails 25 provided on the left and right inner wall surfaces of the vegetable compartment 12 and the left and right of the lower container 23 are arranged. It is provided in the vegetable compartment 12 so that it can be pulled out of the refrigerator independently of the lower container 23 by sliding in the front-rear direction on a sliding surface 28 provided at the upper end of the side wall.

On the outside of the right and left side walls of the upper container 50, there are upper container legs 52 which are placed on the inner box rails 25 and which slide forward and backward on the inner box rails 25, and which are placed on sliding surfaces 28 provided on the lower container 23. A container lower leg portion 53 that slides on this in the front-rear direction protrudes outward in the width direction. The container upper leg portion 52 and the container lower leg portion 53 support the upper container 50 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction.

A projection 55 projecting downward is provided at the front end of the bottom wall of the upper container 50 . When the vegetable compartment door 16 is opened and the upper container 50 is pulled forward from the vegetable compartment 12 and then the vegetable compartment door 16 is closed, the front and rear partition walls 27 of the lower container 23 come into contact with the projections 55 of the upper container 50. Then, the upper container 50 is moved backward.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lid body 80 includes a plate portion 81, support portions 84 and 85, a heating portion 86, and a temperature detection portion 87, and is attached to the partition plate 4 forming the ceiling surface of the vegetable compartment 12. .

The plate portion 81 has a substantially flat plate shape that covers and closes the entire top opening 51 of the upper container 50 . A peripheral portion of the lower surface of the plate portion 81 has a flat surface and is in surface contact with the entire peripheral portion of the upper opening portion 51 of the upper container 50 .

The support portions 84 and 85 include a front support portion 84 provided on the front side of the central position of the plate portion 81 in the front-rear direction, and a rear support portion 85 provided on the rear side of the front support portion 84 . It is engaged with the partition plate 4 that partitions the vegetable compartment 12 to support the plate part 81 in the vegetable compartment 12 so as to be vertically movable.

The heating portion 86 and the temperature detecting portion 87 are attached to the plate portion 81 . The heating unit 86 heats the food stored in the upper container 50 from above, and the temperature detection unit 87 detects the temperature of the food stored in the upper container 50 . The heating unit 86 functions as temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the food stored in the upper container 50 together with the refrigerator cooler 30 .

Although various heat sources can be used for the heating unit 86, it is preferable to use a heat source such as a halogen heater or a ceramic heater that emits radiant heat to heat the food stored in the upper container 50.

A heat insulating material 88 that covers the heating part 86 from the outside of the upper container 50 (the upper side of the heating part 86 in this embodiment) may be provided on the lid 80 . As a result, heat from the heating unit 86 can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the upper container 50 .

In such an upper container 50, in order to open the top opening 51 from the closed state of the vegetable compartment door 16 as shown in FIG. 2, the vegetable compartment door 16 is first opened. Since the container upper legs 52 are placed on the inner box rails 25 to support the upper container 50, when the vegetable compartment door 16 is opened, the lower container 23 is pulled out of the refrigerator. It remains in the vegetable compartment 12 with the upper opening 51 closed by .

When the upper container 50 stored in the vegetable compartment 12 is pulled forward, the upper container 50 is pulled out of the refrigerator. Since the lid body 80 is supported by the front support part 84 and the rear support part 85 so as to be vertically movable, the upper end of the upper container 50 is positioned on the front side by the lid body 80 when the upper container 50 is pulled out of the refrigerator. While contacting the portion 82 and lifting the front end of the lid 80 upward, the upper container 50 moves forward.

Next, the vegetable compartment door 16 is closed in order to store the upper container 50 drawn out of the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment 12 . As a result, the front and rear partition walls 27 of the lower container 23 come into contact with the protrusions 55 of the upper container 50 to move the upper container 50 rearward. At this time, an inclined portion (not shown) provided at the rear end portion of the upper container 50 scoops up the front positioning portion 82 and guides it to the upper surface of the upper container 50 . Thereafter, the upper container 50 moves backward while sliding on the lower surface of the lid 80 , thereby closing the upper opening 51 of the upper container 50 with the lid 80 .

(3) Control of Refrigerator 1 As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 45 provided on the upper part of the refrigerator body 2 includes an operation display unit 6, a refrigeration blower 31, a freezer blower 39, a defrosting heating unit 40, a compressor, and a compressor. 44, the switching valve 46, the refrigerator temperature sensor 60, the door sensor 61, the freezer temperature sensor 62, the heating unit 86, the temperature detection unit 87, and other electrical parts provided in the refrigerator body 2 are electrically connected. When a signal input from various sensors or a signal from a user communication terminal or the like capable of communicating with the operation display unit 6 or the refrigerator 1 is input by the user's operation, the control unit 45 performs control stored in advance in the memory. Based on the program, the general operation of the refrigerator 1 is controlled.

Specifically, the control unit 45 switches between the refrigerating cooling operation and the freezing cooling operation to alternately execute them, and when a predetermined defrosting start condition is satisfied, performs the defrosting operation to perform the refrigerating cooler 30 or the freezing cooler 30 or the freezing cooler. The frost adhering to 38 is melted and removed. In addition, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the control unit 45 executes the fruit and vegetable preservation operation.

In principle, the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment always performs either the refrigerating cooling operation or the freezing cooling operation. The refrigerating cooling operation and the freezing cooling operation may be stopped when a predetermined condition is satisfied, such as when both the temperatures of are below a predetermined temperature.

(3-1) Refrigerating Cooling Operation When the refrigerating cooling start condition is met, the control unit 45 opens the outlet of the switching valve 46 on the refrigerating refrigerant flow path side while driving the compressor 44 at a predetermined frequency. Refrigerant is supplied, and the refrigerating air blower 31 is rotated to start the refrigerating cooling operation. To give an example of the refrigeration cooling start condition, for example, the temperature detected by the refrigeration temperature sensor 60 may exceed the ON temperature (for example, 5° C.) set for the refrigeration space.

In the refrigerating cooling operation, the low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant that has flowed into the refrigerating cooler 30 is vaporized to generate cool air. The generated cold air circulates in the refrigerator compartment 10 and the vegetable compartment 11 by the air blowing action of the refrigerator blower 31, and the lower container 23 and the upper stage provided in the refrigerator compartment 10 and the vegetable compartment 11 are kept in a predetermined refrigerating temperature range. Cool container 50 .

Specifically, cold air generated by the refrigerator cooler 30 is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 10 through the air outlet 34 a of the duct 34 by the rotation of the refrigerator air blower 31 to cool the refrigerator compartment 10 . A part of the cold air that has flowed through the refrigerating chamber 10 flows into the return duct from the suction port provided at the rear of the partition plate 4 and returns to the refrigerator cooler chamber 33, and the remaining air is the communicating passage 4a provided in the partition plate 4. It flows into the vegetable compartment 11 through . The cold air that has flowed into the vegetable compartment 11 flows around the lower container 23 and the upper container 50 and indirectly cools the inside of the lower container 23 and the upper container 50, and then flows through the suction port provided on the back surface of the vegetable compartment 11. After being cooled by returning to the refrigerator cooler 30 through the return duct, the air is blown into the refrigerator compartment 10 again from the air outlet 34a.

Then, when the refrigerating cooling end condition is satisfied during execution of the refrigerating cooling operation, the control unit 45 ends the refrigerating cooling operation. To give an example of the refrigeration cooling end condition, for example, the temperature detected by the refrigeration temperature sensor 60 may reach the OFF temperature (for example, 2° C.) set for the refrigeration space.

When the refrigerating cooling operation is completed, the control unit 45 drives the compressor 44 at a predetermined frequency while opening the outlet of the switching valve 46 on the refrigerating refrigerant flow path side to flow the refrigerant to the refrigerating cooler 38. 39 is rotated to start the refrigeration cooling operation.

(3-2) Refrigerating Cooling Operation In the refrigerating cooling operation, the low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant that has flowed into the refrigerating cooler 38 is vaporized to generate cool air. The generated cold air circulates in the ice making chamber, the first freezing chamber 13 and the second freezing chamber 14 by the air blowing action of the freezing air blower 39, and flows through the ice making chamber, the first freezing chamber 13 and the second freezing chamber 14 so as to reach a predetermined freezing temperature range. The second freezer compartment 14 is cooled.

The cool air that circulated in the ice making chamber, the first freezing chamber 13 and the second freezing chamber 14 passes through the return duct from the suction port provided on the back surface of the second freezing chamber 14 and returns to the freezing cooler 38 to be cooled. After that, the air is blown to the ice making compartment, the first freezing compartment 13 and the second freezing compartment 14 again.

Then, when the freezing/cooling end condition is satisfied during execution of the freezing/cooling operation, the control unit 45 ends the freezing/cooling operation. To give an example of the freeze cooling end condition, for example, there is a case where the temperature detected by the freeze temperature sensor 62 reaches the OFF temperature (eg, -21° C.) set for the freeze space.

Then, after finishing the freezing/cooling operation, the control unit 45 starts the refrigerating/cooling operation.

(3-3) Defrosting operation The refrigerator 1 performs the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation when a predetermined defrosting start condition is met while switching between the refrigerating cooling operation and the freezing cooling operation. do.

The first defrosting operation is an operation for removing frost adhering to the refrigerating cooler 30 by melting and supplying water from the melted frost to the refrigerating space to humidify the refrigerating space. Specifically, the control unit 45 closes the outlet of the switching valve 46 on the refrigerating refrigerant flow path side or stops the compressor 44, thereby stopping the supply of refrigerant to the refrigerating cooler 30 and refrigerating the refrigerator. The blower 31 is driven.

As a result of these controls, the air in the refrigerating space is returned to the refrigerating compartment 10 and the vegetable compartment 11 after heat exchange with the frosted refrigerating cooler 30 . As a result, the temperature of the refrigerating cooler 30 is raised to melt the frost adhering to the refrigerating cooler 30, and the water content of the melted frost is vaporized and ventilated to the refrigerator compartment 10 and the vegetable compartment 11. Humidified air having a higher relative humidity than cold air blown to the refrigerator compartment 10 and the vegetable compartment 11 is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 10 and the vegetable compartment 11 to humidify the refrigerator compartment 10 and the vegetable compartment 11 during the refrigerator cooling operation.

The second defrosting operation is an operation for removing frost adhering to the freezer cooler 38 by melting. Specifically, the control unit 45 closes the outlet of the switching valve 46 on the frozen refrigerant flow path side or stops the compressor 44, thereby stopping the refrigerant supply to the freezing cooler 38 and The blower 39 is stopped, and the defrosting heating section 40 is turned on. By these controls, the freeze cooler 38 is heated by the heat from the defrosting heating unit 40, and the frost adhering to the freeze cooler 38 is melted. The defrosted water generated by melting the frost is received by the drain gutter 41 and discharged to the evaporating plate 37 provided in the machine room 36 .

(3-4) Fruits and Vegetables Preservation Operation The refrigerator 1 executes a fruit and vegetable preservation operation in which the cooling preservation operation and the recovery operation are alternately performed in the upper container 50 constituting the fruits and vegetables storage room. The fruits and vegetables storage operation is performed when the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation display unit 6 or the user communication terminal to instruct execution of the fruits and vegetables storage operation. It may be executed when a predetermined start condition is satisfied, such as when the refrigerator 1 is energized.

The cooling storage operation is an operation for cooling food stored in the upper container 50 . When executing the cooling storage operation, the control unit 45 indirectly cools the inside of the upper container 50 with the cool air supplied to the vegetable compartment 11 so that the temperature of the food detected by the temperature detection unit 87 becomes the first temperature Te1. The heating unit 86 is driven as necessary while cooling the substrate effectively.

The control unit 45 continues the cooling storage operation for the first time Ti1 to cool the food stored in the upper container 50 at the first temperature Te1 for the first time Ti1, and then ends the cooling storage operation. Start recovery operation.

The recovery operation is an operation for heating the temperature of the food stored in the upper container 50 to a second temperature Te2 higher than the first temperature Te1. It is driving to recover. When executing the recovery operation, the control unit 45 drives or stops the heating unit 86 so that the food temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 87 becomes a second temperature Te2 that is higher than the first temperature Te1. do.

By continuing the recovery operation for the second time Ti2, the control unit 45 holds the food stored in the upper container 50 at the second temperature Te2 for the second time Ti2, and then terminates the recovery operation and cools and stores the food. start driving. Thereafter, the cooling storage operation for the first time Ti1 and the recovery operation for the second time Ti2 are alternately performed.

Then, when the termination condition is met during execution of the fruits and vegetables preservation operation, the control unit 45 ends the fruits and vegetables preservation operation. To give an example of the end condition, for example, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation display unit 6 or the user communication terminal to instruct the end of the fruit and vegetable storage operation, the control unit 45 detects that the food has been taken out from the upper container 50. is detected.

Note that even during execution of the cooling storage operation and the recovery operation, the control unit 45 alternately switches between the refrigerating cooling operation and the freezing cooling operation. Therefore, even during the cooling storage operation and the recovery operation, while the refrigerating cooling operation is being performed, the cold generated by the refrigerating cooler 30 is supplied to the vegetable compartment 11 through the refrigerating compartment 10 and the upper container is kept. The interior of 50 is indirectly cooled.

The first temperature Te1 set in the cold storage operation can be set to be equal to or higher than the freezing temperature Tf (for example, Tf=0° C.) of the food stored in the upper container 50 and equal to or lower than the critical temperature Tc of the food. can. The second temperature Te<b>2 set in the recovery operation can be set higher than the critical temperature Tc of the food stored in the upper container 50 .

The critical temperature Tc of food can be determined as follows. That is, mannitol solutions with different temperatures in the range of 1 ° C to 20 ° C in increments of 1 ° C were prepared, food tissue was immersed in the solution at each temperature for 30 minutes, and the amount of ions leaked from the food tissue to the solution side was electrically measured. By measuring with a conductivity meter, the electrolyte leakage rate at each temperature is obtained. Then, an Arrhenius plot of the electrolyte leakage rate can be created from the electrolyte leakage rate at each temperature, and the inflection point can be set as the critical temperature Tc of the food.

It is assumed that the household refrigerator 1 stores various foods having different critical temperatures Tc. Therefore, a temperature selected from 8 to 15° C. may be used as the critical temperature Tc. In this case, the critical temperature Tc may be a temperature higher than the lowest temperature reached by the front end of the uppermost mounting shelf 5 of the refrigerating chamber 10 when the cooling intensity of the refrigerating chamber 10 is set to the lowest. The temperature may be higher than the lowest temperature reached by the upper front end of the vegetable compartment 11 when the cooling intensity of 10 is set to the lowest, or may be higher than the ON temperature set as the refrigeration cooling start condition.

Further, when the critical temperature Tc is selected from 2 to 15° C., the temperature selected by the user may be set as the critical temperature Tc. In addition, the refrigerator 1 or a server device or user communication terminal capable of communicating with the refrigerator 1 is stored in advance with a correspondence table of foods and critical temperatures Tc, and the food selected by the user from the operation display unit 6 or the user communication terminal is supported. The critical temperature Tc may be read from the correspondence table and set as the critical temperature Tc.

The temperatures of the first temperature Te1 and the second temperature Te2 are such that the temperature difference Δ2 (=Te2−Tc) between the second temperature Te2 and the critical temperature Tc is the temperature difference Δ1 (=Tc) between the first temperature Te1 and the critical temperature Tc -Te1) is preferably set to be smaller. For example, when the critical temperature Tc is 10.degree. C., the first temperature Te1 can be set to 2 to 5.degree. C., and the second temperature Te2 can be set to 11 to 14.degree.

The time (second time) Ti2 for performing the recovery operation is preferably the same as the time (first time) Ti1 for performing the cooling preservation operation, or is longer than the time Ti1 for performing the cooling preservation operation. It is preferable that the continuous execution time is 24 hours or less. For example, the first time Ti1 can be set to 10 hours or more and 24 hours or less, and the second time Ti2 can be set to 18 hours or more and 48 hours or less.

In addition, the repetition cycle of the cooling storage operation and the recovery operation, that is, the time (Ti1+Ti2) that is the sum of the time Ti1 for performing one cooling storage operation and the time Ti2 for performing one recovery operation is the refrigeration cooling operation and the freezing operation. It is preferably longer than the repetition period of the cooling operation, that is, the total time of execution of one refrigerating cooling operation and one freezing cooling operation.

(4) Effect In the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, the cooling storage operation for cooling the upper container 50 and the low temperature generated in the food stored in the upper container 50 while the upper container 50 is held at a higher temperature than during the cooling storage operation Since the recovery operation for recovering from the failure is executed, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the freshness of the food while suppressing the low temperature damage of the food, and to store the food while maintaining the quality.

In the present embodiment, since the temperature difference between the temperature Te2 during execution of the recovery operation and the critical temperature Tc is smaller than the temperature difference between the temperature Te1 during execution of the cooling storage operation and the critical temperature Tc, the inside of the refrigerator 1 is unnecessary. Low temperature injury can be suppressed without being heated to

In this embodiment, the execution time Ti2 of the recovery operation is equal to the execution time Ti1 of the cooling preservation operation or longer than the execution time Ti1 of the cooling preservation operation. can be secured.

In this embodiment, since the heating unit 86 heats the food stored in the upper container 50 by radiant heat, the temperature rise in the upper container 50 can be suppressed, and the recovery operation can be quickly changed to the cooling storage operation. can be done.

In this embodiment, of the upper and lower containers 23 and 50 provided in the vegetable compartment 11, the upper container 50, which is the upper container, performs the fruit and vegetable preservation operation. 23, and the stored material in the lower container 20 can be cooled to a desired temperature even during recovery operation.

(5) Modification Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described. Any one of a plurality of modifications described below may be applied to the above embodiment, or any two or more of the modifications described below may be selected and applied. Also good. However, various modifications other than the following modifications are possible, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the above embodiments and the following modifications. In addition, in the figure which shows the example of a change, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same part as FIG.

(5-1) Modification 1
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the fruit and vegetable preservation operation is performed in the upper container 50 has been described. good.

(5-2) Modification 2
In the above-described embodiment, the heating unit 86 is provided on the lid 80 above the bottom surface 50a of the upper container 50 that constitutes the placing portion for placing the food, but as shown in FIG. A heating unit 186 may be provided. When the heating part 186 is provided below the bottom surface 50a of the upper container 50, a heat insulating material 188 may be provided so as to cover the heating part 186 from below.

By providing the heating unit 186 as in this modified example, the heat of the heating unit 186 can be transferred to the food via the bottom surface 50a of the upper container 50 that contacts the food, thereby heating the air in the refrigerator. can be suppressed.

Moreover, by covering the heating part 186 with the heat insulating material 188 from below, the heat of the heating part 86 can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the upper container 50 .

(5-3) Modification 3
The heating unit 86 that heats the upper container 50 does not have to be arranged so as to vertically face the bottom surface 50a of the upper container 50 . For example, the heating portions 86 may be provided on the front wall, the rear wall, and the upper portions of the left and right side walls of the upper container 50 . In addition, a heating unit is provided at a position away from the upper container 50 such as the machine room 36, and the warm air generated by the heating unit is supplied into the upper container 50, so that the food stored in the upper container 50 is heated to the second level. It may be heated to temperature Te2.

(5-4) Modification 4
In the refrigerator 1 of the above embodiment, when the heating unit 86 emits radiant heat to heat food stored in the upper container 50, as shown in FIG. You may provide the reflection part 110 which reflects.

In such a case, the radiant heat emitted from the heating part 86 is less likely to leak out of the upper container 50, and the food stored in the upper container 50 can be efficiently heated.

(5-5) Modification 5
In the refrigerator 1 of the above embodiment, the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are not performed during the cold storage operation, and the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are performed during the recovery operation. You may

In such a case, the upper container 50 can be cooled without being affected by the heat generated by the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation during the cooling storage operation, and the internal temperature of the upper container 50 is high. It is possible to perform the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation in which the temperature in the refrigerator tends to rise during the execution of the recovery operation in which the temperature tends to increase. Therefore, the heat generated during execution of the fruits and vegetables preservation operation and the defrosting operation is not wasted, and the fruits and vegetables preservation operation and the defrosting operation can be executed efficiently.

(5-6) Modification 6
In the refrigerator 1 of the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. may be configured to be supplied.

In such a case, cold air from the vegetable compartment 11 can be introduced into the upper container 50, so that the inside of the upper container 50 can be rapidly cooled to the first temperature Te1 during the cooling storage operation.

Further, in this modified example, the opening 120 may be covered with a functional sheet 122 similar to the functional sheet 100 provided at the upper opening of the lower rear container 23b. As a result, cold air supplied to the vegetable compartment 11 does not rush into the upper container 50, and food in the upper container 50 can be prevented from being exposed to cold air and being dried.

(5-7) Modification 7
In the refrigerator 1 of the above-described embodiment, the air generated during the first defrosting operation, which has a higher relative humidity than the cold air blown to the refrigerator compartment 10 and the vegetable compartment 11 during the refrigerating cooling operation, is supplied to the inside of the upper container 50. can be configured to

By supplying the humidified air with high humidity generated during the first defrosting operation to the upper container 50 as in this modified example, it is possible to prevent the food from drying out due to the temperature rise in the upper container 50 during the recovery operation. .

The timing of supplying the air generated during the first defrosting operation to the upper container 50 is when the cooling storage operation is shifted to the recovery operation, during the recovery operation, during the cooling storage operation, or during the cooling storage operation. It can be set arbitrarily, such as when the operation is changed to the cold storage operation, or when the fruit and vegetable preservation operation is stopped. It is preferable to supply the air generated during the first defrosting operation to the upper container 50 .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Refrigerator, 2... Refrigerator main body, 3... Heat-insulating partition wall, 4... Partition plate, 5... Placement shelf, 10... Refrigerator compartment, 11... Vegetable compartment, 13... First freezer compartment, 14... Second freezer compartment, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20... Storage container, 23... Lower-stage container, 30... Refrigeration cooler, 31... Refrigeration air blower, 33... Refrigeration cooler chamber, 38... Freezing cooler, 39... Refrigerating air blower, 44... Compressor, 45... Control part, 50 ... upper container, 80 ... lid body, 81 ... plate section, 82 ... front side support section, 86 ... heating section, 87 ... temperature detecting section

Claims (7)

A storage room, a temperature control means for adjusting the temperature of the food stored in the storage room, and a control unit for controlling the temperature control means,
The control unit performs a cooling storage operation of cooling the food to a first temperature and a recovery operation of heating the food to a second temperature higher than the first temperature to recover from low temperature damage caused to the food. run,
The temperature control means comprises a cooling unit that cools the food and a heating unit that heats the food,
A refrigerator for domestic use, wherein the heating section is provided above or below a placement section on which the food is placed in the storage chamber. 2. The household refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the heating portion is provided on the lower surface of the mounting portion, and a heat insulating material is provided below the heating portion. 3. The domestic refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit heats the food by radiant heat. 4. The household refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a reflector is provided at a position facing said heating unit. The household refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control section performs a defrosting operation to remove frost adhered to the cooling section during execution of the recovery operation. 6. The household refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein humidified air is supplied to said storage compartment when said cooling storage operation is shifted to said recovery operation. Equipped with a refrigerator compartment with multiple shelves spaced vertically,
wherein said first temperature is equal to or lower than the refrigerating chamber upper temperature, which is the temperature of said refrigerating chamber at the front end of the uppermost shelf of said refrigerating chamber, and said second temperature is higher than said refrigerating chamber upper temperature. The household refrigerator according to any one of 1 to 6.

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