JP2878154B2 - Storage room - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator for mainly thawing and heating frozen foods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art This type of storage has a cooking chamber, a heater for heating the cooking chamber, a blower for convection of air in the cooking chamber, and a humidifier for humidifying the cooking chamber. The frozen food stored in the room is cooked at a predetermined thawing / heating temperature and humidity, and the food after thawing / heating is stored at a predetermined storage temperature and humidity (see, for example, -19067).

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional storage, the blower is operated during the thawing / heating operation and during the storage operation to convect the air in the cooking chamber. Since the air volume is the same and the air volume is set low, heat conduction due to convection cannot be expected during the thawing / heating operation, and it takes time for the temperature to rise.
Further, since the temperature rise at the time of rising is gradual, there is a risk that bacteria and the like may propagate in the process of passing through the temperature zone of 25 ° C to 45 ° C.

[0004] In addition, during the thawing / heating operation, only constant heat is radiated from the heater until the temperature in the cooking chamber reaches a predetermined thawing / heating temperature. The gradient of the rise in temperature changes accordingly, and this effect causes a slight difference in the thawing state and taste.

[0005] Further, when the storage temperature is lower than the thawing / heating temperature, the relative humidity in the cooking chamber increases due to the temperature drop due to the shift of operation, and the food itself becomes watery and the state is remarkably reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to enable rapid heating in a thawing / heating operation and to quickly raise the temperature to prevent the propagation of bacteria and the like. It is to provide a warm storage that can be used.

[0007] It is a second object of the present invention to provide a warm storage that can stably thaw regardless of the amount, temperature, etc. of the frozen food contained in the cooking chamber.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a storage cabinet which can prevent the relative humidity in the cooking chamber from increasing even when the temperature is lowered when the operation is shifted from the thawing / heating operation to the storage operation. It is in.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the first object, the invention of claim 1 comprises a cooking chamber, a heating means for heating the cooking chamber, a blowing means for convection of air in the cooking chamber, a humidifying means for humidifying the cooking chamber, and thawing and heating operation control means to cook the frozen food contained in the cooking chamber at a preset thawing-heating temperature and humidity, set in advance food after thawing-heating Thawing and storage in storage units equipped with storage operation control means for storing at storage temperature and humidity.
It is characterized by having a blowing amount control means for securing a high blowing amount during the heating operation and switching to a lower blowing amount during the warming operation than during the thawing / heating operation.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by increasing the amount of air blown during the thawing / heating operation as compared with that during the warming operation, heat conduction by convection is effectively performed, and rapid heating can be performed.

[0011] To achieve the second object, a second aspect of the present invention is provided.
The invention of the cooking chamber, heating means for heating the cooking chamber,
Air blowing means for convection of air in the cooking chamber, humidifying means for humidifying the cooking chamber, thawing / heating operation control means for cooking frozen food stored in the cooking chamber at a preset thawing / heating temperature and humidity. In a warming room equipped with a warming operation control means for preserving the food after thawing and heating at a preset warming temperature and humidity, the temperature in the cooking chamber is previously adjusted after the thawing / heating operation is started. A heating capacity control means for controlling the capacity of the heating means so that the temperature rising speed is constant until the temperature rises to the set thawing / heating temperature is characterized.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the heating is performed so that the rate of temperature rise is constant from the start of the thawing / heating operation until the temperature in the cooking chamber rises to the preset thawing / heating temperature. By controlling the capacity of the means, thawing can be performed stably irrespective of the amount and temperature of the frozen food stored in the cooking chamber.

[0013] In order to achieve the third object, the invention of claim 3 provides a cooking chamber, heating means for heating the cooking chamber, blowing means for convection of air in the cooking chamber, and humidifying the cooking chamber. Humidifying means, thawing / heating operation control means for cooking frozen food contained in the cooking chamber at a preset thawing / heating temperature and humidity, and a preset storage temperature and temperature of the thawing / heating food. In a storage room equipped with a storage operation control means for storing in a humidity, a relative humidity between the dehumidification means for dehumidifying the inside of the cooking chamber and a temperature drop when the operation is shifted from the thawing / heating operation to the storage operation. A dehumidifying capacity control means for controlling the capacity of the dehumidifying means so that the humidity does not change.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by controlling the capacity of the dehumidifying means so as to keep the relative humidity constant when a temperature drop is involved in the transition from the thawing / heating operation to the warming operation, It is possible to prevent the relative humidity in the cooking chamber from increasing even when the temperature is reduced when the operation shifts from the thawing / heating operation to the warming operation.

[0015]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a storage cabinet to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof. In the figure, 1 is an insulated storage, 2 is an opening / closing door, 3 is a partition, 4 is a hook, 5 is a tray, 6 is a first blower, 7 is an electric heater, 8 is a temperature sensor, 9 is a humidity sensor, 10 is A humidifier, 11 is a dehumidifier, 12 is a second blower, and 13 is an operation panel.

The heat-insulating box 1 is surrounded by heat-insulating walls on five sides except the front side, and the front opening is covered by an opening / closing door 2 so as to be openable and closable. The inside of the heat insulating storage 1 is partitioned by a partition wall 3 into a cooking chamber R1 and a fan chamber R2. In the cooking chamber R1, hooks 4 for mounting a cooking tray 5 are provided in multiple stages. The first blower 6 is provided in the fan room R2.
Is provided to face the hole 3a of the partition wall 3, and the electric heater 7 is arranged so as to surround the fan. Further, a temperature sensor 8 for detecting a temperature in the cooking chamber R1 and a humidity sensor 9 for detecting a humidity in the cooking chamber R1 are arranged in the cooking chamber R1.

The humidifier 10 includes a water storage tank 10a, an electric heater 10b for boiling water in the water storage tank 10a,
It is composed of a water injection pipe 10c with a cap for introducing water into the water storage tank 10a, and a steam outlet pipe 10d for guiding the steam generated in the water storage tank 10a into the storage. The end of the steam outlet pipe 10d is open to the inside of the refrigerator.
The humidifier 10 can variably control the amount of generated steam by changing the power supplied to the electric heater 10b. Of course, if an electromagnetic valve or the like is interposed in the steam outlet pipe 10d, the amount of steam outlet can also be controlled by opening and closing the valve.

The dehumidifier 11 is composed of a cooler such as an evaporator of a refrigerating circuit or an electronic cooling element, and is disposed in a side hole 1 a of the heat insulating storage 1. Outside the dehumidifier 11, a second blower 12 for the dehumidifier is arranged. The second blower 12 is for promoting the heat absorbing action in the dehumidifier 11, and if the same function is performed by using the first blower 6, the second blower 12 can be eliminated. .

The operation panel 13 is provided on the front of the refrigerator, and includes an operation / setting unit 22 having a button group for operating buttons and setting buttons, and a liquid crystal display for displaying the set temperature, humidity, remaining cooking time and the like. (Refer to FIG. 3).

FIG. 2 shows a control system configuration of the above-mentioned refrigerator. In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a control unit having a microcomputer configuration; 22, an operation / setting unit of the operation panel 13;
Is a display unit of the operation panel 13, 24 is a timer, 25 is a drive unit for controlling the electric heater, 26 is a drive unit for controlling the humidifier,
27 is a drive unit for controlling the dehumidifier, 28 is a drive unit for controlling the blower, and 8 and 9 are a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor.

The control unit 1 stores a program for operation control, which will be described later, in a memory.
28 and a control signal to the display unit 23, respectively.
Fig. 4 shows how to handle the above storage and its operation
This will be described with reference to FIG.

First, a frozen food to be cooked is placed on a tray 5.
Put it on the top, put it in the cooking room R1, and close the opening / closing door 2. Subsequently, the thawing / heating temperature S2, the thawing / heating time T2, the storage temperature S1, and the humidity are respectively set by the operation / setting unit 22 of the operation panel 13, and the operation is started after the setting.

From the start of operation until the temperature S in the cooking chamber R1 rises to a predetermined thawing / heating temperature S2, the first blower 6 is rotated at a high speed, and the electric heater 7 and the humidifier 10 (ST1-ST in FIG. 5)
3).

That is, from the start of operation until the temperature S in the cooking chamber R1 rises to a predetermined thawing / heating temperature S2.
The temperature rise rate ΔS per unit time ΔT is set so that the temperature rise rate is always constant irrespective of the amount, temperature, etc. of the frozen food contained in the cooking chamber R1. The ability (radiation amount) of the electric heater 7 is controlled so as to approach the speed. At the same time,
The ability (steam generation amount) of the humidifier 10 is controlled so that the humidity in the cooking chamber R1 becomes a preset humidity.

The temperature S in the cooking chamber R1 is set to a predetermined thawing temperature.
After the heating temperature has risen to S2, time T from the start of operation
Until the temperature S and the humidity in the cooking chamber R1 are maintained until a predetermined thawing / heating time T2 is reached.
And the capacity of the humidifier 10 (ST in FIG. 5).
4, ST5).

After the time T from the start of operation reaches the predetermined thawing heating time T2, the first blower 6 is switched from high-speed rotation to low-speed rotation, and the temperature S in the cooking chamber R1 is set to the predetermined temperature. The capacity control of the dehumidifier 11 is performed under a low air flow until the temperature drops to the storage temperature S1 (ST6 to ST8 in FIG. 5).

That is, when the storage temperature S1 is lower than the thawing / heating temperature S2 and the temperature is decreased when the operation is shifted from the thawing / heating operation to the storage operation, the relative temperature in the cooking chamber R1 is reduced by the temperature reduction. Since the humidity rises, the dehumidifying capacity of the dehumidifier 11 is controlled so that the humidity does not change from that during the thawing / heating operation. Of course, when the thawing / heating temperature and the storage temperature are the same, this dehumidification process is not performed.

After the temperature S in the cooking chamber R1 has dropped to the predetermined storage temperature S1, the cooking chamber R1 is kept until the preservation operation is forcibly stopped or until the predetermined storage time is completed. The capacity control of the electric heater 7 and the humidifier 10 is performed so that the temperature S and humidity in the inside are maintained (S in FIG. 5).
T9, ST10).

When the preservation operation is forcibly stopped or the preservation time is over, the operating devices are stopped and the operation returns to the standby state (ST11).

As described above, according to the above-mentioned warm storage, since the amount of air blown during the thawing / heating operation is higher than that during the warming operation, heat conduction by convection is effectively performed during the thawing / heating operation. As a result, it is possible to rapidly heat the frozen food, shorten the time required for the temperature to rise, and quickly pass through a temperature range of 25 ° C. to 45 ° C. where bacteria and the like are most likely to propagate, thereby achieving sanitary food thawing.

From the start of the thawing / heating operation to the time when the temperature in the cooking chamber R1 rises to the preset thawing / heating temperature S2, the electric heater 7 is controlled so that the temperature rising speed is constant. Because the ability is controlled, thawing can be performed stably irrespective of the amount or temperature of the frozen food contained in the cooking chamber R1, and cooking can be performed while preventing a difference in thawing state and taste from occurring. Can be performed favorably.

Further, since the relative humidity of the dehumidifier 11 is controlled so that the relative humidity becomes constant when the temperature is lowered when the operation is shifted from the thawing / heating operation to the warming operation, the thawing / heating operation is performed. Even when the temperature is reduced when the operation shifts from the storage operation to the storage operation, the relative humidity in the cooking chamber R1 is prevented from rising, and the food itself can be prevented from becoming watery, and the food state can be favorably maintained.

In the above embodiment, the dehumidification process is performed when the temperature is lowered when the operation is shifted from the thawing / heating operation to the warming operation. In this case, the cooking may be performed while the dehumidification process is always performed.

[0034]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, during thawing / heating operation, heat conduction by convection is effectively performed to enable rapid heating of frozen food, and the time required for temperature rise And quickly pass through a temperature range of 25 ° C. to 45 ° C. where bacteria and the like are most likely to propagate, thereby achieving sanitary food thawing.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, thawing can be stably performed irrespective of the amount and temperature of the frozen food stored in the cooking chamber, and it is possible to prevent a difference in the thawing state and taste from occurring. Cooking can be performed well.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, even when the temperature is reduced when the operation is shifted from the thawing / heating operation to the warming operation,
It is possible to prevent the relative humidity in the cooking chamber from rising, prevent the food itself from being watery, and maintain the food in good condition.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a storage room to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a control system of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the time from the start of operation, the air volume and the temperature

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of operation control.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Insulated box, 2 ... Door, 3 ... Partition wall, 4 ... Hook, 5 ...
Tray, 6 first blower, 7 electric heater, 8 temperature sensor, 9 humidity sensor, 10 humidifier, 11 dehumidifier, 12 second blower, 13 operation panel, 21 control unit , 22 ... operation / setting unit, 23 ... display unit, 24 ... timer, 25 ... heater drive unit, 26 ... humidifier drive unit, 27 ...
Dehumidifier drive unit, 28 ... Blower drive unit.

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cooking chamber, heating means for heating the cooking chamber, blowing means for convection of air in the cooking chamber, humidifying means for humidifying the cooking chamber, and frozen food contained in the cooking chamber are preset. A storage device comprising: a thawing / heating operation control means for cooking at a thawing / heating temperature and humidity; and a refrigeration operation control means for storing thawing / heating food at a predetermined storage temperature and humidity. A refrigerator having a ventilation volume control means for securing a high ventilation volume during a thawing / heating operation and switching to a lower ventilation volume during a warming operation than during a thawing / heating operation. 2. A cooking chamber, heating means for heating the cooking chamber, air blowing means for convection of air in the cooking chamber, humidifying means for humidifying the cooking chamber, and frozen food stored in the cooking chamber are preset. A storage device comprising: a thawing / heating operation control means for cooking at a thawing / heating temperature and humidity; and a refrigeration operation control means for storing thawing / heating food at a predetermined storage temperature and humidity. In the storage, the heating capacity is controlled so that the temperature rise rate is constant until the temperature in the cooking chamber rises to the preset thawing / heating temperature after the thawing / heating operation is started. A storage, comprising a control means. 3. A cooking chamber, heating means for heating the cooking chamber, blowing means for convection of the air in the cooking chamber, humidifying means for humidifying the cooking chamber, and frozen food contained in the cooking chamber are preset. A storage device comprising: a thawing / heating operation control means for cooking at a thawing / heating temperature and humidity; and a refrigeration operation control means for storing thawing / heating food at a predetermined storage temperature and humidity. Dehumidifying means for dehumidifying the inside of the cooking chamber in the cooking cabinet, and dehumidifying capacity control for controlling the capacity of the dehumidifying means so that the relative humidity does not change when the temperature drops when shifting from thawing / heating operation to warm storage operation And a storage means.