JP2023161953A - Thawing device and refrigerator comprising thawing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a thawing device having a simple structure capable of thawing food in a short time while keeping the quality of the food, and a refrigerator comprising the thawing device.SOLUTION: A thawing device 2 comprises a liquid storage case 4 comprising a liquid storage region 10 for housing food to be thawed and storing liquid, a circulating pump for circulating the liquid in the liquid storage region 10, and a heating member 20 for heating the liquid in the liquid storage region 10. The food G is thawed by the liquid in the liquid storage region 10 made to reach a predetermined temperature by the heating member 20, and made to flow by the circulating pump. A refrigerator comprises the thawing device 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1B

Description

The present invention relates to a thawing device for thawing frozen foods and a refrigerator equipped with this thawing device.

By freezing, fresh foods can be preserved for a long period of time. However, it takes a lot of effort and time to thaw frozen foods. To deal with this, a commercial thawing device that thaws with water at a temperature of 15° C. to 20° C. has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Public use Showa special number 55-151199

However, the defrosting device described in Patent Document 1 is a very large-scale device, and it is difficult to employ it in a general household. Currently, at home, food is sometimes placed in the cold room of a refrigerator to thaw, but in that case, it takes a long time until thawing is complete. Additionally, food may be thawed by pouring tap water over it, but in that case, a large amount of water is required, and the amount of drips during thawing increases, which may reduce the quality of the food.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a thawing device with a simple structure that can thaw food in a short time while maintaining the quality of the food, and a refrigerator equipped with this thawing device. be.

The thawing device of the present invention includes:
a liquid storage housing having a liquid storage area for accommodating food to be thawed and storing liquid;
a circulation pump that circulates the liquid in the liquid storage area;
a heating member that heats the liquid in the liquid storage area;
Equipped with
The food is characterized in that the food is thawed by the liquid in the liquid storage area that is brought to a predetermined temperature by the heating member and flowed by the circulation pump.

According to the present invention, heat generated between the food placed in the liquid in the liquid storage area and the liquid in the liquid storage area that is heated by the heating member and flowed by the circulation pump, either directly or through the packaging member. Decompressed by transmission. Here, "food" can be exemplified by frozen fresh foods such as frozen meat, frozen fish, frozen vegetables, and frozen fruits. Examples of the packaging member include a wrap that covers the food and a resin bag that contains the food.

To thaw food, the temperature of the liquid surrounding the food decreases, but since the liquid is flowing, the liquid heated by the heating element is transferred to the food without the liquid having decreased in temperature remaining around the food. Can be supplied to the surrounding area. Since the liquid is circulated by a circulation pump, heat transfer between the food and the food can be promoted by the flow of the liquid without using a large amount of liquid. Therefore, although the structure is simple, thawing can be performed in a short time. Furthermore, the temperature of the liquid can be maintained at a temperature suitable for thawing (for example, 5°C to 10°C) by appropriately heating the heating member, which reduces the occurrence of food drips during thawing and improves quality. can be kept.

This makes it possible to provide a thawing device with a simple structure that can thaw food in a short time while maintaining the quality of the food.

Further, in the thawing device of the present invention,
The liquid supply port at the outlet end of the pump outlet pipe connected to the outlet of the circulation pump is arranged at a position spaced apart from the suction port of the circulation pump in plan view,
The food product is characterized in that the food is disposed between the suction port and the liquid supply port of the circulation pump in plan view.

According to the present invention, the liquid sucked from the suction port of the circulation pump flows out from the liquid supply port of the pump outlet piping to the liquid in the liquid storage area, flows through the liquid storage area, and returns to the circulation pump. It is sucked into the suction port. By repeating this, the liquid circulates. Since the food is placed between the suction port and the liquid supply port of the circulation pump, the food can be efficiently thawed by the circulating liquid flow.

Further, in the thawing device of the present invention,
A metal sheet-like heat transfer promoting member is attached to the outer surface of the liquid storage case, and the sheet-like heating member is attached to the outer surface of the heat transfer promoting member.

According to the present invention, since the metal heat transfer promoting member is disposed between the liquid storage case and the heating member, the heat generated in the heating member is evenly and efficiently transferred to the liquid storage case, This can in turn be transmitted to the liquid in the liquid storage area. Thereby, the liquid in the liquid storage area can be heated uniformly and efficiently.

Further, in the thawing device of the present invention,
A plurality of convex members extending in a certain direction at predetermined intervals in a plan view are formed on the bottom surface of the liquid storage housing, and the food is supported by the upper surface of the convex members higher than the front bottom surface, and the food is supported by the adjacent food. The liquid may flow in a region between the lower surface of the food product and the bottom surface between the convex members.

According to the present invention, since the food does not come into contact with the bottom surface of the liquid storage casing to which the heating member is attached, it is possible to prevent uneven heating during thawing. Furthermore, since the liquid can flow into the area between the bottom surface of the food between adjacent convex members and the bottom surface of the liquid storage housing, the liquid can flow downward as well as above and to the sides of the food. , can efficiently thaw food by applying heat from all around it.

Furthermore, if the thawing device of the present invention is a separate device from the refrigerator,
Furthermore, a member having a function of cooling the liquid in the liquid storage area,
It is characterized in that the food after thawing is stored in a liquid at refrigeration temperature.

According to the present invention, food can be efficiently thawed using liquid heated by the heating member, and the liquid is cooled to refrigeration temperature by the liquid cooling member, so that the thawed food can be thawed using liquid at refrigeration temperature. can be stored inside. Thereby, it is possible not only to thaw food, but also to preserve the thawed food while maintaining its quality.

Moreover, the refrigerator of the present invention is characterized in that the above-mentioned thawing device is provided in the refrigerator compartment.

According to the present invention, since the thawing device is disposed in the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator, the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage area where the thawed food is placed can be maintained at an appropriate refrigeration temperature. can be stored while maintaining its quality.

As described above, the present invention can provide a thawing device with a simple structure that can defrost food in a short time while maintaining the quality of the food, and a refrigerator equipped with this thawing device.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing a thawing device according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a liquid storage case is removed from a drive case. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing a thawing device according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a liquid storage case is attached to a drive case and thawing is being performed. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of a magnetic coupling that connects the pump body and the driving section of the circulation pump. 1B is a schematic perspective view including cross section AA of FIG. 1B. FIG. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view schematically showing a refrigerator in which a thawing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged in a refrigerator compartment. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system for the refrigerator shown in FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing a thawing device according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is separate from the refrigerator.

Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the refrigerator described below is for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following unless there is a specific description. The sizes, positional relationships, etc. of members shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for clarity of explanation. In the following description and drawings, the vertical direction is shown assuming that the refrigerator is installed on a liquid surface.

(Defrosting device according to one embodiment of the present invention)
1A and 1B are side sectional views schematically showing a thawing device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1A shows a state in which the liquid storage case 4 is removed from the drive case 6. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state in which the liquid storage case 4 is attached to the drive case 6 and is being thawed. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view schematically showing the structure of the magnetic coupling 36 that connects the pump body 32 and the drive section 34 of the circulation pump 30. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view including cross section AA in FIG. 1B. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view schematically showing a refrigerator 100 in which a defrosting device 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention is arranged in a refrigerator compartment 102.

First, an overview of a thawing device 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 4. A thawing device 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention is placed in a refrigerator compartment 102 of a refrigerator 100. The thawing device 2 includes a liquid storage housing 4 and a drive housing 6 that are detachable from each other. The drive case 6 is fixed to the refrigerator compartment 102 and is electrically connected to the control section and power supply section of the refrigerator 100. The user can remove the liquid storage case 4 from the drive case 6, take it out of the refrigerator 100, and attach the liquid storage case 4 to the drive case 6 in the refrigerator compartment 102 again.

<Liquid storage housing>
The liquid storage housing 4 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and has an open top surface. It is preferable to form the liquid storage case 4 with a resin material having translucency so that the inside of the liquid storage case 4 can be seen. The opening on the top surface is covered with a lid 4A. A liquid storage area 10 for storing liquid is arranged below inside the liquid storage housing 4 . Food G to be thawed is placed in the liquid stored in the liquid storage area 10. Examples of foods G to be thawed include frozen fresh foods such as frozen meat, frozen foods, frozen vegetables, and frozen fruits. The frozen perishable food may be placed in the liquid in the liquid storage area 10 without being covered with anything, the frozen perishable food may be covered with plastic wrap, or the frozen perishable food may be placed in a plastic bag. It may also be placed in a liquid while being stored. That is, the frozen food product G without packaging or covered with a packaging member is placed in the liquid in the liquid storage area 10 .

The liquid stored in the liquid storage area 10 is used to thaw the food G, and can be exemplified by tap water. The user can remove the liquid storage case 4 from the drive case 6, take it out of the refrigerator 100, and fill the liquid storage area 10 of the liquid storage case 4 with tap water. After filling the liquid storage region 10 with tap water, the food G is immersed in the stored tap water, and the liquid storage case 4 is attached to the drive case 6 in the refrigerator compartment 102 again. Any liquid other than tap water can be used as the liquid to be filled in the liquid storage area 10 as long as it is suitable for thawing frozen foods.

A pump body 32 of a circulation pump 30 that circulates the liquid stored in the liquid storage area 10 is further arranged inside the liquid storage housing 4 . A disk-shaped pump body side portion 36A of the magnetic coupling 36 is attached to the rotation shaft of the impeller 32A of the pump body 32. As will be described later, the impeller 32A of the pump body 32 is driven by the drive unit 34 disposed in the drive housing 6 via the magnetic coupling 36. As the circulation pump 30, it is preferable to use a non-positive displacement pump that is low cost and easy to maintain. More specifically, a centrifugal pump such as a centrifugal pump or a propeller pump such as an axial flow pump can be used.

The pump main body 32 is located within the liquid storage area 10, and the suction port 32B opens into the liquid stored in the liquid storage area 10. A pump outlet pipe 38 is connected to a discharge port of the pump main body 32 . The pump outlet pipe 38 extends from the discharge port of the pump main body 32 to above the level of the liquid stored in the liquid storage region 10, then extends in the horizontal direction, and curves slightly downward to terminate. A liquid supply port 38A is provided at the outlet end of the pump outlet pipe 38 that is slightly bent downward and terminates.

The liquid supply port 38A is arranged near the end of the liquid storage region 10 on the side opposite to the end on the side where the circulation pump 30 is arranged, in a plan view. That is, the liquid supply port 38A of the pump outlet pipe 38 is arranged at a position separated from the suction port 30B of the circulation pump 30. As will be described later, the food G to be thawed is placed between the suction port 32B and the liquid supply port 38A of the circulation pump 30 in plan view.

The liquid sucked into the pump body 32 from the suction port 32B flows through the pump outlet pipe 38 and flows down from the liquid supply port 38A toward the liquid level in the liquid storage region 10. The liquid that has flowed down into the liquid storage region 10 flows toward the suction port 32B of the pump body 32, and is sucked into the pump body 32 from the suction port 32B again. Thereby, the liquid within the liquid storage area 10 is circulated.

By arranging the food G between the suction port 32B of the circulation pump 30 (pump main body 32) and the liquid supply port 38A of the pump outlet piping 38, the food G can be placed in the flow of the circulating liquid. When food G is thawed with liquid, when the liquid is flowing, the heat transfer coefficient between the liquid and food G can be improved compared to when the liquid is stationary. In particular, since the liquid flows down toward the liquid level from the liquid supply port 38A above the liquid level, the flow of the liquid can be promoted and the heat transfer coefficient can be improved.

In this embodiment, the liquid flows down toward the liquid level from the liquid supply port 38A of the pump outlet pipe 38 located above the liquid level of the liquid stored in the liquid storage area 10. It is not limited to this. The liquid supply port 38A of the pump outlet pipe 38 may open into the liquid in the liquid storage area 10. Even in this case, by placing the food G between the suction port 32B of the circulation pump 30 (pump main body 32) and the liquid supply port 38A of the pump outlet piping 38, the food G can be placed in the circulating liquid flow. Can be placed.

<Drive case>
Inside the drive housing 6, a drive unit 34 of the circulation pump 30, which is an electric motor, is arranged. A drive section side portion 36B of the magnetic coupling 36 is attached to the drive shaft of the drive section 34. When the liquid storage case 4 is attached to the drive case 6, the drive shaft of the drive unit 34 and the rotation axis of the impeller 32A of the pump body 32 are arranged coaxially. The drive unit 34 is supplied with power from the power supply unit of the refrigerator 100.

An insertion section 6A is formed in the upper part of the drive housing 6. When attaching the liquid storage case 4 to the drive case 6, the insertion part 6A is inserted into a guide hole provided in the liquid storage case 4. Thereby, when the liquid storage housing 4 is pushed into the drive housing 6 side, positioning can be performed at the same time. When the contact surface 4B of the liquid storage case 4 and the contact surface 4B of the drive case 6 come into contact, the liquid storage case 4 and the drive case 6 are fixed by the snap engagement mechanism. By pressing the engagement portion of the snap engagement mechanism, the liquid storage case 4 and the drive case 6 can be disengaged and the liquid storage case 4 can be easily removed from the drive case 6.

<Magnetic coupling>
FIG. 2 shows that the liquid storage housing 4 is attached to the drive housing 6, and the pump body side portion 36A and the drive portion side portion 36B of the magnetic coupling 36 are in a drive transmission state. The pump body side portion 36A of the Manette coupling 36 attached to the rotating shaft of the impeller 32A of the pump body 32 has magnetism. The drive section side portion 36B of the magnetic coupling 36 attached to the drive shaft of the drive section 34 has magnetism with a polarity SN opposite to that of the pump body side section 36A. Thereby, the driving force of the drive section 34 is transmitted to the rotating shaft of the impeller 32A of the pump body 32 in a non-contact manner due to the magnetic force between the pump body side portion 36A and the drive section side portion 36B.

From the state shown in FIG. 2, the liquid storage case 4 is removed from the drive case 6 by moving the liquid storage case 4 approximately horizontally in a direction away from the drive case 6 (to the left in the drawing). The pump body side portion 36A and the drive portion side portion 36B that constitute the magnetic coupling 36 can be separated from each other. On the other hand, by moving the removed liquid storage case 4 approximately horizontally in a direction approaching the drive case 6 (to the right in the drawing), the liquid storage case 4 is attached to the drive case 6, and the magnetic cup Ring 36 may be placed in a drive transmitting state.

<Heating member>
When the liquid in the liquid storage area 10 comes into contact with the food G, it imparts heat of fusion to the food G, resulting in a decrease in temperature. If the circulation of the liquid continues as it is, the temperature of the liquid will drop and the efficiency of thawing will decrease. The thawing device 2 of this embodiment includes a heating member 20 that heats the liquid in the liquid storage area 10. Examples of the heat generating member of the heating member 20 include a cord heater, a Peltier element, and a PCT (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater. The heating member 20 according to this embodiment is formed into a sheet shape.

In particular, in this embodiment, a sheet-shaped metal heat transfer promoting member 22 is attached to the outer surface (lower surface) of the liquid storage housing 4, and a sheet-shaped heating member 20 is attached to the outer surface of the heat transfer promoting member 22. ing. The heat transfer promoting member 22 is preferably formed of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or aluminum alloy.

If the heating member 20 is directly attached to the outer surface of the liquid storage housing 4, high adhesion cannot be obtained, resulting in uneven heat transfer. Therefore, the heat of the heating member 20 cannot be efficiently transferred to the liquid storage case 4, making uniform heating difficult. In this embodiment, by arranging the heat transfer promoting member 22 between the liquid storage case 4 and the heating member 20, it is possible to improve the adhesion between each member and reduce the thermal resistance at the boundary. Thereby, the heat of the heating member 20 can be efficiently transferred to the liquid storage case 4, and uniform heating can be realized. In order to further improve the adhesion, it is preferable to use a fastening member or the like to fix the heating member 20 so as to press it against the liquid storage housing 4 side.

In this way, according to the present embodiment, the metal heat transfer promoting member 22 is disposed between the liquid storage housing 4 and the heating member 20, so that the heat generated by the heating member 20 can be efficiently and evenly transferred. It can be transmitted to the liquid storage casing 4 and, in turn, to the liquid in the liquid storage area 10. Thereby, the liquid in the liquid storage area can be heated uniformly and efficiently.

A temperature sensor 40 is arranged in the liquid storage area 10 of the liquid storage housing 4 . Based on the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage region 10 measured by the temperature sensor 40, turning on/off of the heating member 20 and the intensity of heating are controlled. A terminal C1 such as a power line that supplies power to the heating member 20 and a signal line that transmits a signal from the temperature sensor 40 is arranged on the contact surface 4B of the liquid storage case 4. When the liquid storage case 4 is attached to the drive case 6, the terminal C1 arranged on the contact surface 4B of the liquid storage case 4 is connected to the contact surface 6B of the drive case 6, which is electrically connected to the refrigerator 100. It is connected to the arranged terminal C2. Thereby, the temperature data measured by the temperature sensor 40 is transmitted to the control section of the refrigerator 100, and the control section can control the electric power supplied to the heating member 20 based on the temperature of the liquid.

In this embodiment, the heating member 20 is attached to the lower surface of the liquid storage housing 4, but the heating member 20 is not limited to this. The heating member 20 can be attached to any other surface including the side surface of the liquid storage case 4, or can be attached to a plurality of surfaces. Furthermore, instead of attaching the sheet-like heating member 20 to the outer surface of the liquid storage housing 4, for example, a rod-shaped heater may be placed in the liquid in the liquid storage area 10 to directly heat the liquid. can. The liquid can be heated in any other way.

<Multiple convex members>
When the food G is placed in the liquid in the liquid storage area 10, the food G sinks due to gravity so as to come into contact with the bottom surface 4C of the liquid storage housing 4. In that case, the temperature rises particularly in the region in contact with the heating member 20, so there is a possibility that the food G may be thawed unevenly. Therefore, in the thawing device 2 according to the present embodiment, a support shape is provided to prevent the food G from directly hitting the bottom surface 4C of the liquid storage case 4.

As a specific example of the support shape, in the thawing device 2 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. A convex member 12 is formed. The food G can be supported on the upper surface of the convex member 12 which is higher than the bottom surface 4C of the liquid storage case 4.

The direction in which the convex member 12 extends is preferably along the flow of liquid flowing from the liquid supply port 38A of the pump outlet pipe 38 toward the suction port 32B of the circulation pump 30. As schematically indicated by the dotted arrows in FIG. 3, liquid flows into the region between the lower surface of the food product G between the adjacent convex members 12 and the bottom surface 4C.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the food G does not come into contact with the bottom surface 4C of the liquid storage housing 4 to which the heating member 20 is attached, it is possible to prevent uneven heating during thawing. Furthermore, since the liquid can flow in the area between the lower surface of the food G between the adjacent convex members 12 and the bottom surface 4C of the liquid storage housing 4, the liquid can flow not only above and to the sides of the food G but also downwardly. Food G can be thawed efficiently by flowing liquid and applying heat from all around the food.

(Refrigerator equipped with a thawing device according to one embodiment of the present invention)
The refrigerator 100 includes a refrigerating compartment 102 and a freezing compartment 104, and an evaporator 106 and a fan 108 are arranged in a cooling channel behind the refrigerating compartment 102 and the freezing compartment 104. Evaporator 106 is cooled by a cooling cycle in which refrigerant is circulated by compressor 110. The thawing device 2 according to the present embodiment is placed in the refrigerator compartment 102 of the refrigerator 100.

The gas inside the refrigerator is caused to flow by the fan 108, and by opening the refrigerator compartment damper, the cooled gas passes through the evaporator 106 and flows into the refrigerator compartment 102. The thawing device 2 placed in the refrigerator compartment 102 is placed in an environment at a refrigeration temperature (for example, 2° C. to 6° C.).

(refrigerator control system)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system for refrigerator 100 shown in FIG. 4. The illustrated control unit 60 constitutes a part of the control device of the refrigerator 100, and controls the compressor 110, fan 108, etc. in order to cool the refrigerator compartment 102 and the freezer compartment 104. Furthermore, if the terminal C1 on the liquid storage housing 4 side and the terminal C2 on the drive housing 6 side are electrically connected, the circulation pump 30 of the thawing device 2 is controlled to control the liquid storage area 10. You can turn on/off the circulation of liquid inside the device and change the speed of liquid circulation. Further, the heating member 20 can be controlled based on the measured temperature from the temperature sensor 40 to switch the operation of the heating member 20 on and off and change the amount of heating by the liquid heating member 20.

The control unit 60 can determine whether the terminal C1 on the liquid storage housing 4 side and the terminal C2 on the drive housing 6 side are electrically connected. To determine whether or not the terminals on the liquid storage housing 4 side and the terminals on the drive housing 6 side can be connected, any method such as a method of transmitting a detection signal from a detection terminal or a method of detecting a change in resistance between the terminals can be used. method can be adopted. The control unit 60 controls the operation of the thawing device 2 based on the operation signal from the operation panel when the connection between the terminal on the liquid storage case 4 side and the terminal on the drive case 6 side is confirmed.

(Method of defrosting food using a defrosting device)
Next, a method of defrosting food G using the defrosting device 2 according to this embodiment will be explained.
First, the door of the refrigerator compartment 102 is opened, the snap engagement that fixed the liquid storage case 4 and the drive case 6 is released, and the liquid storage case 4 is pulled out. Thereby, the liquid storage housing 4 can be easily taken out of the refrigerator. The upper lid 4A of the liquid storage case 4 taken out is removed, and tap water is poured as a liquid into the liquid storage area 10 of the liquid storage case 4 from the opening at the top.

After a predetermined amount of liquid is stored in the liquid storage area 10, the frozen food G covered with the packaging member is placed in the liquid stored in the liquid storage area 10, and the lid 4A is closed. Then, the door of the refrigerator compartment 102 is opened, and the liquid storage case 4 is pushed in and attached to the drive case 6 of the defrosting device 2. When the liquid storage case 4 is pushed in, the insertion part 6A of the drive case 6 is inserted into the guide hole provided in the liquid storage case 4, and while being positioned, the contact surface of the liquid storage case 4 is inserted. 4B comes into contact with the contact surface 4B of the drive housing 6. At this time, the liquid storage housing 4 and the drive housing 6 are fixed by the snap engagement mechanism. In this state, the magnetic coupling 36 is in a drive transmission state, and the terminal C1 on the liquid storage housing 4 side and the terminal C2 on the drive housing 6 side are electrically connected. The control unit 60 of the refrigerator 100 confirms that the terminal C1 on the liquid storage case 4 side and the terminal C2 on the drive case 6 side are electrically connected.

When the user operates the operation panel of refrigerator 100 to send a signal to start defrosting, control unit 60 of refrigerator 100 supplies power to drive unit 34 of circulation pump 30 to start driving. Thereby, the liquid inside the liquid storage area 10 is circulated. Then, based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 40, the power supply to the heating member 20 is controlled so that the temperature of the liquid is in the range of 5° C. or more and 10° C. or less.

When the temperature of the liquid becomes less than 5°C, the thawing rate decreases. On the other hand, when the temperature of the liquid exceeds 20° C., the amount of dripping from the thawed food increases, causing a problem of quality deterioration. In the thawing device 2 according to the present embodiment, by constantly circulating a liquid having a temperature range of 5°C or more and 10°C or less, it is possible to efficiently thaw the food G in a short time while maintaining the quality of the food G to be thawed. can.

When thawing is performed in a short time, it is preferable to control the temperature of the liquid to around 10°C, for example, within a range of 8°C or more and 10°C or less. On the other hand, when the freshness of the food G is important, it is preferable to control the temperature of the liquid to around 5°C, for example, within a range of 5°C to 7°C. In accordance with this, the discharge amount of the circulation pump 30 can also be adjusted.

By controlling the heating member 20 and the circulation pump 30 to adjust the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage region 10 and the speed at which the liquid flows, it is possible to adjust the thawing speed to a desired value. For example, using the operation panel, it is possible to select a desired thawing pattern from among multiple thawing patterns such as "15 minutes rapid thawing," "normal 1 hour," and "4 hours tastier thawing." . Furthermore, when the defrosting is completed, the completion of the defrosting can be notified by a buzzer, lamp, voice, etc., or can be notified to the user's mobile terminal.

When the set time has elapsed, the control unit 60 stops power supply to the circulation pump 30 and the heating member 20, ends the thawing process, and performs a predetermined notification process. The thawing device 2 is arranged in the refrigerator compartment 102 of the refrigerator 100. Since the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 102 is about 2°C to 6°C, the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage area 10 (for example, 5°C to 10°C) is also maintained. It can be saved as is.

The control of the defrosting process is not limited to the case where it is managed based on time, but can also be controlled based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 40, for example. When food G is thawed, the amount of heat of fusion taken away from the liquid decreases, so the temperature of the liquid tends to rise. Therefore, it is also possible to control the thawing process to end when the gradient of the temperature rise of the liquid exceeds a predetermined threshold. Furthermore, by providing an infrared sensor that directly measures the surface temperature of the food G, it is also possible to control the termination of the thawing process based on the surface temperature of the food G.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the liquid and the flow rate of the liquid that can be thawed while maintaining the quality of the food G are known through various tests and experiences, simpler control may be possible. Without the temperature sensor 40 that measures the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage area 10, the heating member 20 and circulation pump 30 are turned on at the start of thawing, and when a predetermined time has elapsed, the heating member 20 and circulation pump 30 are turned on. There may also be control to turn it off and finish the decompression.

As described above, the thawing device 2 according to the present embodiment includes a liquid storage casing 4 having a liquid storage area 10 for accommodating food G to be thawed and storing liquid, and for circulating the liquid in the liquid storage area 10. It is equipped with a circulation pump 30 and a heating member 20 that heats the liquid in the liquid storage area 10, and the food G is thawed by the liquid in the liquid storage area 10 that is brought to a predetermined temperature by the heating member 20 and flows by the circulation pump 30. Ru.

According to this embodiment, the food G placed in the liquid in the liquid storage area 10 is heated by the heating member 20 and flowed by the circulation pump 30, directly or via the packaging member. It is thawed by heat transfer between it and the liquid. In order to thaw the food G, the temperature of the liquid surrounding the food G decreases, but since the liquid is flowing, the liquid whose temperature has decreased does not stay around the food G and is heated by the heating member 20. Liquid can be supplied around food G. Since the liquid is circulated by the circulation pump 30, heat transfer with the food G can be promoted by the flow of the liquid without using a large amount of liquid.

Therefore, although the structure is simple, thawing can be performed in a short time. Furthermore, since the temperature of the liquid can be maintained at a temperature suitable for thawing (for example, 5°C to 10°C) by appropriately heating with the heating member 20, the occurrence of dripping of the food G during thawing can be suppressed. quality can be maintained. Thereby, it is possible to provide a thawing device with a simple structure that can thaw food G in a short time while maintaining its quality.

In particular, since the food G is disposed between the suction port 32B and the liquid supply port 38A of the circulation pump 30 (pump main body 32), the food G can be efficiently thawed by the circulating liquid flow. .

In the refrigerator 100 equipped with the thawing device 2 according to the present embodiment, the thawing device 2 is placed in the refrigerator compartment 102, so that the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage area 10 in which the thawed food G is placed can be continuously controlled. Since it can be maintained at an appropriate refrigeration temperature, food G can be stored while maintaining its quality.

(Defrosting device according to other embodiments of the present invention)
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view schematically showing a thawing device 2' according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is a separate device from the refrigerator 100. The decompressing device 2' shown in FIG. 6 exists as an independent decompressing device. Therefore, in order to be able to store the thawed food G at a refrigerated temperature after thawing, a member 24 having a function of cooling the liquid in the liquid storage area 10 is provided. In this embodiment, a heating/cooling member 24 using a Peltier element is provided. The heating/cooling member 24 can heat and cool the liquid stored in the liquid storage region 10 .

In this embodiment, a sheet-shaped heating/cooling member 24 is attached to the bottom and side surfaces of the liquid storage housing 4 . A sheet-shaped heat transfer promoting member 22 is disposed between the liquid storage case 4 and the heating/cooling member 24 in the same manner as described above. Thereby, after thawing is completed, the liquid in the liquid storage area 10 can be cooled to a temperature of around 5° C., and the food G in the liquid can be stored while maintaining its quality. In the above, an example is shown in which the heating/cooling member 24 is provided, but the invention is not limited to this. A member for heating the liquid in the liquid storage region 10 and a member for cooling it may be separately provided. For example, cooling may be performed using a compressor motor.

The thawing device 2' includes a control section that controls the circulation pump 30 and controls the heating/cooling member 24 based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 40. The structure and control for other processes such as decompression processing and notification are the same as described above, and further explanation will be omitted.

As described above, the thawing device 2' according to the present embodiment is a separate device from the refrigerator 100, and in addition to the configuration of the thawing device 2 described above, it has a function of cooling the liquid in the liquid storage area 10. The food product G after thawing is stored in a liquid at refrigeration temperature.

According to this embodiment, the food G can be efficiently thawed using the liquid heated by the heating member 24, and the liquid can be cooled to the refrigeration temperature by the liquid cooling member 24, so that the food G after thawing can be thawed. Can be stored in liquids at refrigerated temperatures. Thereby, it is possible not only to thaw the food G, but also to store the thawed food G while maintaining its quality.

Although the embodiments and modes of implementation of the present invention have been described, the disclosed contents may vary in the details of the configuration, and changes in the combination and order of elements in the embodiments and modes of implementation may differ from the claimed invention. This can be realized without departing from the scope and philosophy of

2 Defrosting device 4 Liquid storage housing 4A Lid 4B Contact surface 4C Bottom surface 6 Drive housing 6A Loading section 6B Contact surface 10 Liquid storage area 12 Convex member 20 Heating member 22 Heat transfer promotion member 24 Heating/cooling member 30 Circulation Pump 32 Pump body 32A Impeller 32B Suction port 34 Drive part 36 Magnetic coupling 36A Pump body side part 36B Drive part side part 38 Pump outlet piping 38A Liquid supply port 40 Temperature sensor 100 Refrigerator 102 Refrigerator compartment 104 Freezer compartment 106 Evaporator 108 Fan 110 Compressor G Food C1, C2 Terminal

Claims (6)

a liquid storage housing having a liquid storage area for accommodating food to be thawed and storing liquid;
a circulation pump that circulates the liquid in the liquid storage area;
a heating member that heats the liquid in the liquid storage area;
Equipped with
A thawing device characterized in that the food is thawed by the liquid in the liquid storage area that is brought to a predetermined temperature by the heating member and flowed by the circulation pump. The liquid supply port at the outlet end of the pump outlet pipe connected to the outlet of the circulation pump is arranged at a position spaced apart from the suction port of the circulation pump in plan view,
The thawing device according to claim 1, wherein the food is disposed between the suction port and the liquid supply port of the circulation pump in plan view. Claim 1, wherein a metal sheet-like heat transfer promoting member is attached to the outer surface of the liquid storage housing, and the sheet-like heating member is attached to the outer surface of the heat transfer promoting member. Or the thawing device according to 2. A plurality of convex members extending in a certain direction at predetermined intervals in a plan view are formed on the bottom surface of the liquid storage housing, and the food is supported by the upper surface of the convex members higher than the front bottom surface, and the food is supported by the adjacent food. The thawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein liquid flows in a region between the lower surface of the food product and the bottom surface between the convex members. A refrigerator is a separate device,
Furthermore, a member having a function of cooling the liquid in the liquid storage area,
A thawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the food after thawing is stored in a liquid at refrigeration temperature. A refrigerator comprising the thawing device according to claim 1 in a refrigerator compartment.

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