JP3490379B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform the cooling of food at a relatively high temperature favorably without exerting a bad influence upon other food. SOLUTION: In a switching chamber which enables a set temperature to be switched into a plurality of stages, the execution of the cooled cooking operation to compulsively cool the interior of the switching chamber is enabled in condition that food at relatively high temperature is stored. At this time, a plurality of operation modes can be selected. In quick cooling modes (a)-(c), the simultaneous cooling of the switching chamber and a refrigeration chamber is performed for ten minutes after performance of twenty minutes' compulsive cooling, and it is suitable to cool, for example, a can beer in a short time or to make custard pudding or the like in a short time. A rough heat radiation mode (d) where the time of compulsive heating is short is suitable to cool the food material in cooking process of the ingredients of a hamburger in a short time. In a refrigeration mode (e), twenty to forty minutes' natural cooling is performed, and then the supply of cold blast is performed for two and a half hours, and it is suitable to preserve, for example, curry in cold storage, etc. In a quick freezing mode (f), two hours' F-mode operation where the set temperature is shifted to a low temperature side is performed after performance of the same control as the quick cooling mode, and it is suitable to preserve rice in a frozen state, etc.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with an independent switching chamber capable of switching to a plurality of stages of set temperatures including a freezing temperature zone and a refrigerating temperature zone.

[0002]

In the conventional household refrigerators, it was necessary to avoid placing hot food in the refrigerating room as it is. This is because, for example, if a high-temperature food is stored in the refrigerating compartment, the temperature in the refrigerating compartment is temporarily increased, which may adversely affect other foods in the refrigerator such as deterioration. Therefore, the user, for example, if you want to keep the remaining curry refrigerated until the next day, or if you want to keep the remaining rice frozen, etc., leave those foods in a naturally cooled state,
After cooling to room temperature, it was put in the refrigerator or freezer of the refrigerator for storage, which was troublesome. Also, when making pudding, jelly, etc., after the material is cooled to room temperature, it is put in a refrigerating room to be solidified, and it takes time to cook.

As described above, the conventional refrigerator has not been suitable for accommodating relatively hot foods, but it does not adversely affect other foods and accommodates relatively hot foods as it is. If it is possible to do so, it will be possible to greatly improve the convenience of the user in the storage and cooking of food as described above. Some users use canned beer at room temperature, for example, to put it in the freezer because they want to cool it quickly, but this may cause failure such as forgetting to take it out and freezing it. There was also.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to prevent adverse effects on other foods.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of favorably cooling relatively hot food.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]
In addition to the refrigerating room, vegetable room, freezing room, etc., it is possible to switch the internal set temperature in multiple stages and use it as a user's favorite room (freezing room, refrigerating room, partial room, chilled room, etc.) Manufactures and sells refrigerators equipped with. The inventor
In order to achieve the above object, the switching chamber exists independently of other chambers, that is, it is difficult to thermally affect other chambers, and the temperature of the switching chamber can be freely adjusted. Therefore, the present invention has been accomplished by focusing on the point.

That is, the refrigerator of the present invention is capable of performing a cooling and cooking operation in which cold air is supplied to the switching chamber to forcibly cool the food while relatively hot food is stored in the switching chamber. In the cooling and cooking operation, it is possible to select a plurality of operation modes with different forced cooling time or timing, or different set temperature zones after forced cooling.
Multiple operating modes for cooking can be used to quickly cool food
Quick cooling mode to reject and store food in refrigerated temperature range
Refrigerating mode for storing food in the freezing temperature range
And quick cooling mode for
In the mode and the quick freezing mode, it is specified from the start of operation.
After the forced cooling for a certain period of time, the switching room and the
It is characterized in that the hour cooling is performed for a fixed time (the invention of claim 1).

According to this, the user stores the relatively hot food in the switching chamber and executes the cooling and cooking operation, whereby the switching chamber is forcibly cooled, and the relatively hot food is removed. It can be forcibly cooled. At this time, since the switching chamber is thermally independent of the other chambers, it is necessary to prevent the temperature of the other chambers from rising and adversely affecting the food stored in the chamber. You can Then, at this time, the user can select an appropriate mode from the plurality of operation modes, so that it is possible to perform appropriate cooling in accordance with the type or state of the food.
Specifically, the user can, for example, canned beer or salad at room temperature.
Etc. in a short time, pudding, jelly, etc. in a short time
Make or cool hamburger seeds in a short time
If you want, you can select the rapid cooling mode,
For example, if you want to keep the hot curry in the refrigerator,
Just select the brewing mode, and still warm rice
If you want to store frozen, please select the quick freezing mode
Appropriate operation mode according to the type and condition of food such as good
Can be selected. Here, the rapid cooling mode and
And rapid freezing mode, forced cooling of the switching chamber
Therefore, during the forced cooling, the refrigerating room is not cooled.
There is a risk that the temperature in the warehouse will rise, but
From the start of operation in the rapid cooling mode and the rapid freezing mode
After performing the forced cooling for a predetermined time, changeover room and refrigerating room
The refrigerating room is cooled by performing simultaneous cooling for a certain period of time.
To prevent the temperature from becoming too long,
It is possible to prevent the temperature from rising.

As a more specific structure, a refrigerating compartment evaporator for cooling the refrigerating compartment, a freezing compartment evaporator for cooling the freezing compartment and the switching compartment, and an evaporator for the refrigerating compartment Blower fan for the freezing room that blows cool air to the freezing room and the switching room, a damper for the switching room for adjusting the blowing of air into the switching room, and an evaporator for the refrigerating room at least the refrigerant circulated by driving the compressor. Which is provided with a refrigerant flow path switching means for switching between a refrigerating room cooling mode for flowing into the freezing room and a freezing room cooling mode for flowing only to the freezing room evaporator, and operation is controlled so as to maintain each room within a set temperature zone. In this case, the forced cooling of the switching chamber is performed by driving the compressor and the ventilation fan for the freezing chamber and opening the switching chamber damper in a state in which the refrigerant passage switching unit is in the cooling chamber cooling mode. Can (contract Invention of claim 2). According to this, it becomes possible to cool the switching chamber with high capacity by supplying the cold air generated by the evaporator for the freezing chamber into the switching chamber.

[0009]

At this time, after the cooling and cooking operation in the rapid cooling mode and the refrigerating mode, the switching chamber is automatically set to the refrigerating temperature zone, and after the cooling and cooking operation in the quick freezing mode, the switching chamber is in the freezing temperature zone. If it is configured to be automatically set (the invention of claim 3 ), it is possible to store the food at an appropriate temperature according to the type and state of the food after the cooling and cooking operation.

Here, in the rapid cooling mode and the rapid freezing mode, since it is desirable to forcibly cool the switching chamber with high capacity, the compressor and the freezing chamber blower fan can be driven at a variable speed. Then, in the forced cooling in the rapid cooling mode and the rapid freezing mode, the compressor and the freezer compartment blower fan can be configured to be driven at the maximum permissible rotation speed (the invention of claim 4 ). As a result, the switching chamber can be cooled with even higher capacity, and even hot food can be cooled in a short time.

Further, in the rapid cooling mode, the time period of the cooling and cooking operation of the switching chamber may be selectable (the invention of claim 5 ), whereby the user is forced to execute the forced cooling. It is possible to select an appropriate time according to the type and condition of food, and it is possible to perform more detailed operation control.

[0013] The above Symbol rapid cooling mode and quickly frozen mode
That during the forced cooling of the switching chamber, when the temperature of the refrigerating compartment exceeds the preset temperature zone, row simultaneous cooling of the switching chamber and the refrigerating chamber Uyo
This may be done (the invention of claim 6 ), and it is possible to prevent the refrigerating compartment from being uncooled for a long time and prevent the temperature of the refrigerating compartment from rising.

Further, in the rapid cooling mode, it is not desirable to freeze the food, but for example, if the forced cooling is performed for a long time even if the load is light,
Food may freeze. Therefore, in the rapid cooling mode, the temperature change in the switching chamber from the start of operation is monitored, and the forced cooling is stopped when the temperature in the switching chamber drops from the maximum temperature by a predetermined temperature (claim 7 ).
Invention), the occurrence of problems such as freezing of food can be prevented in advance.

Further, in the refrigerating mode of the above operation modes, it is not necessary to lower the temperature of the food in a short time, and even if the switching chamber is not started with high capacity immediately after starting the operation, the other chamber (freezing) Unless the room is adversely affected by the heat of the food, the cold air (heat capacity) remaining in the switching room will naturally cool the food, and if the food cools to some extent, it will be sufficient for refrigerated storage. . Therefore, in this refrigerating mode, at the beginning of operation, the switching chamber damper may be closed to perform natural cooling for a predetermined time, and after that, forced cooling of the switching chamber may be started.
8 invention), this makes it possible to reduce the load of the cooling mechanism, it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of energy.

Then, if the switching chamber is forcibly cooled, the freezing chamber is also cooled at the same time, so there is a possibility that the temperature of the freezing chamber may be too low when the switching chamber is forcibly cooled. Therefore, if the forced cooling is stopped when the temperature of the freezing chamber becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature during the forced cooling of the switching chamber (the invention of claim 9 ), the forced cooling of the switching chamber is caused. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of adverse effects due to the temperature of the freezer compartment dropping too low.

At the cold air outlet for supplying cold air to the switching chamber,
A louver that guides the air blow toward the ceiling surface and the bottom surface of the switching chamber may be provided (the invention of claim 10 ), whereby even if hot food is stored in the switching chamber, the air is blown toward the ceiling surface. It is possible to prevent the generation of dew on the ceiling surface due to the cool air that is generated, and it is possible to effectively cool the food product by the cool air that is blown toward the bottom surface.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 5 schematically shows the configuration of the main body 1 of the bottom freezer type refrigerator according to the present embodiment. Here, the refrigerator main body 1 is configured to have a refrigerating compartment 3, a vegetable refrigerating compartment 4, a switching compartment 5, and a freezing compartment 6 in this order from the top in a heat insulating box 2 in the shape of a vertically long rectangular box with an open front surface. Has been done. Further, as shown only in part in FIG. 6, an ice making freezing chamber 7 is also provided side by side on the left side of the switching chamber 5. On the front surface of the main body 1, a hinge opening / closing type heat insulating door 8 and a drawer type heat insulating door for opening / closing the refrigerating chamber 3, the vegetable refrigerating chamber 4, the switching chamber 5, and the freezing chamber 6 respectively in order from the top. 9, 10, 11 are provided. An operation panel 12 (see FIG. 2) described later is provided on the front surface of the heat insulating door 8.

The refrigerating compartment 3 and the vegetable refrigerating compartment 4 (these two compartments are referred to as "refrigerator compartments" in the present invention) are both set in a temperature range of, for example, 2 to 5 ° C. A partition plate 13 divides the refrigerator compartments 3 and 4 into upper and lower compartments. Although not shown, the automatic ice making device 1 provided in the ice making freezing compartment 7 is provided at the bottom side of the refrigerating compartment 3.
A water supply tank and a water supply unit for supplying water to the ice tray 4 (only shown in FIG. 3) are provided. A vegetable storage container 15 is provided in the vegetable refrigerating chamber 4 so as to be connected to the back side of the heat insulating door 9 and can be taken in and out. The refrigerating compartment 3 is provided with a refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 16 (shown only in FIG. 3) for detecting the temperature in the refrigerating compartment 3.

On the other hand, the freezer compartment 6 and the freezer compartment 7 for ice making
(These two chambers are referred to as "freezing chambers" in the present invention) are both in a temperature range of, for example, -18 to -21 ° C. It is provided so as to communicate internally. At this time, the cold storage compartment 4 for vegetables, the switching compartment 5, and the freezing compartment 7 for ice making are vertically divided by a heat insulating partition wall 17 integrally provided in the heat insulating box 2. In addition, a storage container 18 is provided in the freezer compartment 6 so as to be connected to the back side of the heat insulating door 11 and can be taken in and out. The freezer compartment 6 has a freezer compartment temperature sensor 19 for detecting the temperature in the freezer compartment 6.
(Only shown in FIG. 3).

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the switching chamber 5 is vertically separated from the freezing chamber 6 by a heat insulating partition wall 20, and is separated from the freezing chamber 7 for ice making. It is divided into left and right by the heat insulating partition wall 21, and is thus provided in a form spatially and thermally independent from the other chambers. Further, in the switching chamber 5, an aluminum plate 22a (see FIG.
Storage container 22 in which the heat insulating door 1
It is connected to the back side of 0 so that it can be taken in and out. At the lower part of the back wall of the switching chamber 5, the switching chamber temperature sensor 23 is a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the switching chamber 5.
(See FIGS. 3 and 6).

Further, at the upper part of the back wall portion of the switching chamber 5, there is provided a cool air outlet 24 for supplying cool air to the inside, and as shown in FIG. A louver 24a that guides the blown air toward the ceiling surface and the bottom surface of the switching chamber 5 is provided. With this louver 24a,
It is possible to prevent the occurrence of dew on the ceiling surface of the switching chamber 5, and it is possible to effectively cool the food F by the cool air blown toward the bottom surface.

The switching chamber 5 is configured so that the set temperature can be switched in a plurality of stages. Specifically, the freezing chamber, the partial chamber, and the chilled chamber are operated by a user operating the operation panel 12 (see FIG. 2). It can be selectively switched to any of the temperature zones that can be used as a room, a vegetable room, a soft freezer room, a refrigerator room, and a wine room. At this time, as will be described later, in the switching chamber 5, the operation panel 1 of the user is
Based on the operation of 2, a cooling cooking operation (cool range) for forcibly cooling the inside of the switching chamber 5 in a state where a relatively high temperature food F (a pan containing curry as shown in FIG. 7) is stored Can be executed.

Further, a refrigeration cycle 25 described later is incorporated in the main body 1. At this time, a refrigerating compartment evaporator chamber 26 is provided on the back side of the vegetable refrigerating compartment 4, and the refrigeration cycle 2 is provided in the refrigerating compartment evaporator chamber 26.
5 is provided with a refrigerator compartment evaporator 27 (hereinafter abbreviated as "R-Eva 27"), which is located above and is capable of variable speed driving (for example, 1800 to 2400 rpm).
) Cooling room blower fan 28 (hereinafter “R fan 28”)
Abbreviated) is provided. With this, the R fan 2
8 is driven, the cold air generated through the R evaporator 27 is supplied to the refrigerating compartment 3 and the vegetable refrigerating compartment 4 to be used for cooling the stored goods, and then again to the refrigerating compartment evaporator compartment 26. It is designed to be returned to the lower part of the inside. Further, in the refrigerator compartment evaporator chamber 26, a refrigerator compartment evaporator defrost heater 29 (shown only in FIG. 5) is also provided.

On the other hand, a freezing chamber evaporator chamber 30 is provided in the rear side portion that extends vertically above and below the switching chamber 5 (ice making freezing chamber 7) and the freezing chamber 6. An evaporator 31 (hereinafter abbreviated as "F EVA 31") for a freezer, which constitutes a part of the refrigeration cycle 25, is provided in the evaporator chamber 30 for a vehicle, and is positioned above the evaporator 31 for variable speed drive. A freezing room blower fan 32 (hereinafter abbreviated as "F fan 32") that is capable (for example, 1800 to 2400 rpm) is provided. An evaporator defrosting heater for the freezer (F-eva defrosting heater) 33 is provided below the F-eva 31 .
The downstream side (cold air blowing side) of the F fan 32 of the freezer compartment evaporator chamber 30 is branched into a cold air passage connected to the cold air outlet 24 and a cold air passage connected to the freezer compartment 6, A damper 34 for the switching chamber is provided in the cold air flow path connected to the cold air outlet 24. The switching chamber damper 34 is controlled to be opened and closed (or the opening degree is controlled) by a control device 35 described later.

As a result, the F fan 32 is driven with the switching chamber damper 34 closed, so that the F
The cold air generated through the evaporator 31 is supplied to the freezing chamber 6 and the freezing chamber 7 for ice making, is used for cooling the stored material, and is then returned to the lower portion in the evaporator chamber 30 for the freezing chamber again. It is supposed to be done. Then, when the F fan 32 is driven in a state where the switching chamber damper 34 is opened, in addition to that, cool air is also supplied from the cold air outlet 24 into the switching chamber 5 to store the stored food (food F). After being used for cooling, it is returned to the lower part in the evaporator chamber 30 for the freezing chamber again.

A machine room 36 is provided in the rear surface of the lower end of the main body 1. Inside the machine room 36, a compressor 37 which constitutes a part of the refrigeration cycle 25 is provided, and As shown only in FIG. 3, the machine room 36
A cooling fan 38 (hereinafter referred to as “C fan 38”) is provided therein for cooling the compressor 37 and a condenser 39 described later.
(Referred to as) is provided. The compressor 37 is driven at a variable speed by inverter control (for example, the operating frequency of the inverter is 30 to 70 Hz),
Further, the C fan 38 is also driven at a variable speed (for example, 1800).
~ 2000 rpm).

FIG. 4 shows the structure of the refrigeration cycle 25. The refrigerating cycle 25 includes the compressor 37,
The condenser (condenser) 39, a switching valve (three-way valve) 40 as a refrigerant flow path switching means, a first capillary tube 41 connected to a first outlet of the switching valve 40, the R-evaporator 2
7. The F-evaporator 31 is sequentially connected to the closed loop by a refrigerant pipe, and the second outlet of the switching valve 40 and the R
The second capillary tube 42 is connected between the connection point between the evaporation 27 and the F evaporation 31.

As a result, when the switching valve 40 is switched to the first outlet side, the refrigerant passes through the condenser 39 and the like by the driving of the compressor 37, and then passes through the first capillary tube 41 to pass the R evaporation. 27 and the F-evaporator 31 are sequentially flowed to be returned to the compressor 37 (cooling chamber cooling mode). On the other hand, when the switching valve 40 is switched to the second outlet side, the refrigerant is supplied to only the F-evaporator 31 through the second capillary tube 42 after passing through the condenser 39 and the like by the driving of the compressor 37. After that, it is returned to the compressor 37 (freezer compartment cooling mode).

Now, as shown in FIG. 3, the main body 1 is provided with a control device 35 mainly composed of a microcomputer. Signals from the refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 16, the freezing compartment temperature sensor 19, the switching compartment temperature sensor 23 and the like are input to the control device 35. Further, the control device 35, based on the input signals, controls the compressor 3
7, the switching valve 40, the R fan 28, the F fan 32, the C fan 38, the switching chamber damper 34, the automatic ice making device 18, the defrost heaters, and the like are controlled.

At this time, the control device 35 functions as an operation control means, and by the switching control of the switching valve 40, the refrigerant flows into the R-evaporator 27 to mainly cool the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4 (refrigerating chamber cooling mode (R). -F sink) and the cooling operation is performed while alternately switching between the freezer compartment cooling mode (F sink) in which the refrigerant flows only through the F evaporator 31 to cool the freezer compartments 6, 7 (and the switching compartment 5). Has become.

In this case, the control device 35 sets a temperature zone having a predetermined width with respect to the set temperature for each of the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4, the switching chamber 5, and the freezing chambers 6 and 7 by its software configuration. The switching control of the switching valve 40 and the switching chamber damper 34 are performed so that the chambers 3 to 7 maintain their set temperature zones based on the temperatures detected by the temperature sensors 16, 23, and 19.
Open / close control of each fan 28, 32,
The rotation speeds of the compressor 38 and the compressor 37 are also controlled. As an example, the set temperature zones of the freezer compartments 6 and 7 are, for example, the upper limit value (referred to as “ON temperature”).
Is set to −18 ° C., and its lower limit value (called “OFF temperature”) is set to −21 ° C. The upper limit value (ON temperature) of the set temperature zone of the refrigerator compartments 3 and 4 is 5 ° C., and the lower limit value (OFF temperature) thereof is 2 ° C., for example.

In this embodiment, the control device 35 is
When the user operates the operation panel 12 to instruct (select) the cooling cooking operation (cool range) of the switching chamber 5, the cooling cooking operation of supplying the cold air into the switching chamber 5 and forcibly cooling the food F is executed. It is supposed to do. The forced cooling is performed in the freezing room cooling mode (F flow) by the switching valve 40,
While the compressor 37 and the F fan 32 are driven,
This is performed by opening the switching chamber damper 34. Further, in the cooling and cooking operation, it is possible to select a plurality of operation modes having different times or timings of forced cooling or different set temperature zones after forced cooling.

Specifically, this operation mode is for cooling food F in a short time, for example, cooling canned beer or salad at room temperature in a short time, making pudding, jelly, etc. in a short time. Rapid cooling mode, refrigeration (heat refrigeration) mode for storing food F in the refrigeration temperature zone, for example, refrigerating still-hot curry, and freezing preservation of still hot rice, etc. Includes a quick freezing (heat freezing) mode for storage at. The rapid cooling mode also includes a rough heat removal mode for cooling hot foods such as hamburger seeds in a cooking process in a short time. In this case, although control similar to that in the rapid cooling mode is performed, the one with a short operating time is distinguished as the heat removal mode.

Further, in the rapid cooling mode, the time for the cooling and cooking operation of the switching chamber 5 can be selected.
Further, after the cooling and cooking operation in the rapid cooling mode and the refrigerating mode, the switching chamber 5 is automatically set to the refrigerating temperature zone (R mode), and after the cooling and cooking operation in the quick freezing mode, the switching chamber 5 is in the freezing temperature zone. (F mode) is automatically set. Detailed control contents regarding each of these modes will be described later in the description of the operation.

At this time, the operation panel 12 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a display unit 43 is provided at the center of the operation panel 12, and a plurality of operation switches (operation keys) 44 are provided at the left and right of the display unit 43.
~ 51 are provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation signals of the operation switches 44 to 51 are transmitted to the control device 35.
The control device 35 controls the display of the display section 43.

The display section 43 is provided with a refrigerating room set temperature display section 43a and a status display section 43b on the left and right sides, and a switching section showing the current setting of the switching room 5 at the middle section. A room setting display section 43c is provided, and the freezing room set temperature display section 43d and the time etc. display section 43 are located at the lower stage.
e are provided on the left and right.

On the left side of the display section 43, in order from the top,
Refrigerating chamber temperature setting switch 44 for setting the temperature of the refrigerating chambers 3, 4, switching chamber setting switch 45 for selecting the temperature zone of the switching chamber 5, freezing for setting the temperature of the freezing chambers 6, 7. A room temperature setting switch 46 and a freezing switch 47 for instructing execution of quick freezing and quick ice making are provided. In this case, the switching chamber setting switch 4
Every time 5 is operated, the display of the switching chamber setting display section 43c switches in the order of freezing, partial, chilled, vegetables, soft freezing, refrigerating, wine, cool range, and sets (selects) in that temperature range. It is supposed to be done.

On the right side of the display unit 43, when the cool range (cooling and cooking operation of the switching chamber 5) is set,
Rough heat removal switch 48, heat heat refrigeration switch 49, heat heat freeze switch 5 for selecting the operation mode.
0, a rapid cooling switch 51 is provided. With this,
When the user wants to perform the cooling and cooking operation of the switching chamber 5, the switching chamber setting switch 45 is operated to set the cool range, and one of the operation switches 48 to 51 is further operated to perform an appropriate operation. It is designed to select a mode.

Incidentally, in the rapid cooling mode (including the rough heat removal mode) among the operation modes, the user can select the execution time (cooling and cooking operation time). In this case, when the heat removal mode is set,
When the rapid cooling mode is set to any of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, and 40 minutes can be selected, and for example, the heat removal switch 48 is turned on once. Then, "5 minutes" is displayed on the time display portion 43e, and 10 minutes each time the heat removal switch 48 is further operated.
The display is switched to minutes and 15 minutes, and the time is selected accordingly. In the rapid cooling mode, the time can be similarly selected.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 8 and 9. As described above, the user can execute the cooling and cooking operation in which the food F having a relatively high temperature (normal temperature or higher) is directly stored and cooled in the switching chamber 5. At this time, the user
Depending on the type and condition of the food F, when any of the quick cooling mode, the rough heat removal mode, the refrigeration mode, and the quick freezing mode is selected, and the rapid cooling mode and the rough heat removal mode are set. The operating time can be selected for.

FIG. 1 is a time chart showing the contents of basic control of the switching chamber 5 executed by the controller 35 in each operation mode of the cooling and cooking operation.
(C) is the rapid cooling mode and the operating time is 20
It shows the case of minutes, 30 minutes, and 40 minutes. Also, (d)
Shows the case of rough heat removal mode in the rapid cooling mode. (E) shows the control contents in the refrigerating mode,
(F) shows the control contents in the quick freezing mode, respectively.

That is, in the rapid cooling mode, (a)-
As shown in (c), a predetermined time, for example, 20
The switching chamber 5 is forcibly cooled for a period of time. This forced cooling is performed in the freezing chamber cooling mode (F flow) by the switching valve 40, and the compressor 37 and the F fan 32 (and C
This is performed by forcibly driving the fan 38) at an allowable maximum rotation speed and opening the switching chamber damper 34. As a result, the inside of the switching chamber 5 can be forcibly cooled with high capacity, and the stored food F having a relatively high temperature can be forcibly cooled.

After the forced cooling is performed for a predetermined time, the switching chamber 5 and the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4 are simultaneously cooled for a fixed time, for example, 10 minutes (see (b) and (c)). This simultaneous cooling is performed by the switching valve 40 while the compressor 37 and the F fan 32 are forcibly driven at the maximum permissible rotation speed, and the switching chamber damper 34 is kept open. And is performed by rotating the R fan 28 at a low speed. As a result, the refrigerating compartments 3, 4 are cooled in a state where the cooling capacity of the refrigerating compartment evaporator 27 is lowered, and the refrigerant is also supplied to the freezing compartment evaporator 31, whereby the switching compartment 5 (and the freezing compartment). 6, 7) are also cooled with a constant cooling capacity. After this simultaneous cooling is performed for a certain period of time, it is returned to the forced cooling again (see (c)).

With this, the selected time is 20 minutes (a).
In the case of, the forced cooling is performed for 20 minutes and the cooling and cooking operation is completed, and in the case of 30 minutes (b), the forced cooling is performed for 20 minutes.
After 40 minutes, simultaneous cooling is carried out for 10 minutes to complete the cooling and cooking operation. In the case of 40 minutes (c), forced cooling is carried out for 20 minutes, then simultaneous cooling is carried out for 10 minutes, and then again. The forced cooling is performed for 10 minutes, and the cooling and cooking operation is completed. At this time, the user can select a desired operation time according to the type, amount, state, etc. of the food F. When the cooling and cooking operation is completed, the switching chamber 5 is automatically set in the refrigerating temperature zone, and the inside of the switching chamber 5 is kept in the refrigerating temperature zone (for example, 2 to 5 ° C). At this time, the display of the switching chamber setting display section 43c of the display section 43 is also switched to "refrigerating".

Although not shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the temperature of the refrigerating compartments 3 and 4 detected by the refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 16 is within the set temperature range even during the forced cooling. When the upper limit value (for example, 5 ° C.) is exceeded, the switching chamber 5 and the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4 are simultaneously cooled even before 20 minutes have elapsed. At this time, when the temperature of the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4 reaches the lower limit value (for example, 2 ° C.) of the set temperature zone, the simultaneous cooling is ended and the forced cooling is restored. FIG. 8 shows an example of the relationship between the refrigerating compartment temperature and the food temperature in the switching compartment 5 at this time.

Since the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4 are not cooled when the switching chamber 5 is forcibly cooled, if the switching chamber 5 is forcedly cooled continuously for a long time, the temperature of the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4 tends to rise. There is a risk that it will end up. However, during the forced cooling of the switching chamber 5, when the temperature of the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4 exceeds the set temperature zone, the simultaneous cooling is performed, and after the forced cooling is performed for a predetermined time from the start of operation, the simultaneous cooling is performed. Since the cooling is performed for a certain period of time, it is possible to prevent the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4 from being uncooled for a long time, and to prevent a temperature rise exceeding the set temperature zone of the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4. is there.

Further, although not shown, the temperature of the freezing compartments 6 and 7 detected by the freezing compartment temperature sensor 19 during the forced cooling of the switching compartment 5 is a predetermined temperature (the lower limit value of the set temperature zone, for example,-).
21 ℃) or less, forced cooling is stopped (interrupted)
Is configured to. This prevents the temperatures of the freezing chambers 6 and 7 that are simultaneously cooled when the switching chamber 5 is forcibly cooled from dropping too low.

Therefore, if this rapid cooling mode is adopted,
For example, frozen desserts such as puddings and jellies can be made (solidified) in a short time. At this time, even if the food F (material) is stored in the switching chamber 5 in a relatively high temperature state, it cannot be stored in another chamber (in that chamber). It is possible to cool stored foods) without adversely affecting the heat, and it is possible to eliminate the need to wait for the temperature of the materials to drop to room temperature. Further, for example, canned beer or salad at room temperature can be cooled in a short time, and in this case, even if the user forgets to take out the food F, it is possible to prevent the failure of freezing the food F. . At this time, by cooling the food in a short time, it is possible to obtain the effect of suppressing the decomposition (deterioration) or color change of the nutrition of the food.

In the rough heat removal mode which is a part of the rapid cooling mode, as shown in FIG. 1D, forced cooling similar to the forced cooling in the rapid cooling mode described above is performed at the selected time (5 minutes). Either 10 minutes or 15 minutes). When the selected cooling cooking operation is completed, the switching chamber 5 is automatically set to the refrigerating temperature zone. Further, similarly to the above, when the temperature of the refrigerating chambers 3 and 4 exceeds the set temperature zone during the forced cooling of the switching chamber 5, simultaneous cooling is performed, and the temperature of the freezing chambers 6 and 7 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. When, the forced cooling is interrupted.

In this way, if the rough heat removal mode is adopted, it is possible to cool the hot food in the cooking process, for example, to cool the soup stock of broth or hamburger, or to peel boiled potatoes. It can be done in time and saves the time and effort of cooking. Similar to the above, by cooling the food material in a short time, the effect of suppressing the deterioration or discoloration of the food material can be obtained.

In the refrigerating mode, as shown in FIG. 1 (e), the switching chamber damper 34 is forcibly closed for a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes within the range of 20 to 40 minutes) from the start of the cooling cooking operation. The food F is naturally cooled by the cold air (heat capacity) remaining in the switching chamber 5. Then, thereafter, forced cooling (supply of cold air into the switching chamber 5) by normal R mode operation is performed for, for example, 2.5 hours. After completion of the cooling and cooking operation, the switching chamber 5 is automatically set to the refrigerating temperature zone.

In this case, when the food F having a relatively high temperature is refrigerated and stored, it is not necessary to lower the temperature of the food F in a short time, and the switching chamber 5 is not cooled with high capacity immediately after the operation is started. In addition, unless the other rooms (freezing rooms 6 and 7) are adversely affected by the heat of the food F, initially the food F is naturally cooled by the cold air remaining in the switching room 5 (heat capacity cooling).
However, if the food F is cooled to some extent and then cooled, it is sufficient for refrigeration storage. FIG. 9 shows the food temperature in the switching chamber 5 and the freezing chambers 6 and 7 with the lapse of time according to the experiment of the present inventors.
3 shows the relationship with the temperature of the wall surface (the heat insulating partition walls 20 and 21) adjacent to the switching chamber 5. In the figure, the part indicated by the broken line is 4
It shows the case where the natural cooling (heat capacity cooling) is continued for more than 0 minutes, and it has been confirmed that by setting the natural cooling time within 40 minutes, it is possible to avoid adversely affecting other chambers.

By adopting this refrigerating mode,
For example, curry that is still warm can be stored refrigerated until the next day. At this time, the food F can be stored in the switching chamber 5 in a relatively high temperature state, and it is not necessary to wait for the temperature of the food F to drop to room temperature. By having the natural cooling time of 20 minutes or more, the load of the cooling mechanism (refrigeration cycle 25) can be reduced by that amount, and wasteful consumption of energy can be prevented.

In the rapid freezing mode, as shown in FIG. 1 (f), the switching chamber 5 is forcibly cooled in the same manner as in the rapid cooling mode for a predetermined time, for example, 20 minutes from the start of the operation. After that, for a predetermined time, for example, 10 minutes, the switching chamber 5
And the refrigerator compartments 3 and 4 are simultaneously cooled. The process up to this point is the same as in the rapid cooling mode. Then, after the simultaneous cooling for 10 minutes is finished, for example, forced cooling is performed by F mode operation for 2 hours to set the inside of the switching chamber 5 in the freezing temperature range. At this time, the set temperature range is low. It is adapted to be shifted to the side (for example, 3 deg).

At this time, similarly to the rapid cooling mode, when the temperature of the refrigerating chambers 3, 4 exceeds the set temperature zone during the forced cooling of the switching chamber 5, simultaneous cooling is performed and the refrigerating chambers 3, 4 are cooled. Is prevented from falling too much, and when the temperature of the freezer compartments 6, 7 falls below a predetermined temperature, forced cooling is interrupted and the temperature of the freezer compartments 6, 7 is prevented from falling too much. It When the above cooling cooking operation is completed,
The switching chamber 5 is automatically set to the freezing temperature zone (normal F mode).

By adopting the quick freezing mode, the food F having a comparatively high temperature can be stored in the switching chamber 5 as it is and stored in the freezing temperature zone, for example, when still hot rice is frozen. . At this time, even if the food F (material) is housed in the switching chamber 5 in a relatively high temperature state, it can be cooled without adversely affecting the other chambers (food stored in the chamber) thermally. Therefore, it is not necessary to wait for the food F to cool down to room temperature. Further, at this time, by cooling the food F in a short time, it is possible to obtain the effect of suppressing the decomposition (deterioration) or the discoloration of the nutrition of the food material.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the cooling and cooking operation can be executed in the switching chamber 5, unlike the conventional one in which it is necessary to avoid storing hot food as it is, The relatively high temperature food F can be satisfactorily cooled without adversely affecting the food. In this case, since it is possible to select a plurality of operation modes having different forced cooling time or timing, or a set temperature range after forced cooling, it is possible to perform appropriate cooling according to the type and state of food. Become. As a result, there is an excellent effect that the convenience of the user in storing and cooking the food F can be greatly improved.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the present invention. Here, in the above rapid cooling mode, it is not desirable to freeze the food F, but for example, if the forced cooling is performed for a long time despite a light load, the food F may freeze. Occurs. Therefore, in this embodiment, in the rapid cooling mode, the switching chamber temperature sensor 2
The temperature change in the switching chamber 5 from the start of operation is monitored by 3 and the forced cooling is stopped when the temperature inside the switching chamber 5 drops from the maximum temperature by a predetermined temperature (ΔT). According to this, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem such as the food F being frozen in the rapid cooling mode.

Besides, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and for example, two or four or more operation modes of the cooling and cooking operation may be provided, and the above-mentioned temperature and time may be set. Specific numerical values such as are merely examples, and further, the present invention can be applied to those in which the refrigerating room, the freezing room, and the switching room are cooled by one evaporator. The present invention can be appropriately modified and implemented within the scope of the gist.

[0061]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the switching chamber exists independently of the other chambers and it is difficult to thermally affect the other chambers. Focusing on the fact that it is possible to freely control the temperature of the room, we will perform a cooling cooking operation in which cold air is supplied to the switching room to cool it while food with a relatively high temperature is stored in the switching room. Along with that, in the cooling and cooking operation, the time or timing of forced cooling, or a plurality of operation modes with different set temperature zones after forced cooling can be selected, without adversely affecting other foods, Cooling (cooling and cooking) of foods of relatively high temperature can be appropriately performed according to the type and condition of the foods, thus greatly improving the convenience of users for storing and cooking foods. Excellent effect of being able to It is intended to achieve the.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a time chart showing basic control contents regarding each mode of cooling and cooking operation of a switching chamber.

[Fig. 2] Front view of the operation panel

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration centering on a control device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a refrigeration cycle.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view schematically showing the configuration of the refrigerator main body.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing the inside of the switching chamber.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional side view of the switching chamber.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a relationship between a refrigerating room temperature and a switching room food temperature in a rapid cooling mode.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the temperature of food in the switching room and the temperature of the wall surface of the freezing room in the refrigerating mode over time.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing the relationship between the temperature of the switching chamber and the temperature of the food in the switching chamber in the rapid cooling mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the drawing, 1 is a refrigerator main body, 3 and 4 are refrigerating rooms, 5 is a switching room, 6 and 7 are freezing rooms, 12 is an operation panel, 16 is a refrigerating room temperature sensor, 19 is a freezing room temperature sensor, and 22 is a storage container. , 23 is a switching chamber temperature sensor, 24 is a cool air outlet, 24
a is a louver, 27 is a refrigerator evaporator, 31 is a freezer evaporator, 32 is a freezer fan, 34 is a switching chamber damper, 35 is a controller, 37 is a compressor, 40 is a switching valve ( Refrigerant flow path switching means), 43 is a display unit, 43c is a switching chamber setting display unit, 43e is a time display unit, and 44 to 51 are operation switches.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Keizo Tsukamoto 1-6 Ota Toshiba-cho, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka Stock company OEE (72) Inventor Koji Mishima 1-6 Ota-shiba-cho, Ibaraki, Osaka OEE within (56) Reference JP-A-11-304333 (JP, A) JP-A-11-211312 (JP, A) JP-A-11-223448 (JP, A) Actual development Sho-62-38572 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F25D 11/02

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A refrigerator comprising a refrigerating chamber, a freezing chamber, and an independent switching chamber capable of switching to a plurality of set temperatures including a freezing temperature zone and a refrigerating temperature zone in the main body, wherein the switching chamber is relatively It is possible to execute a cooling and cooking operation in which cold air is supplied into the switching chamber to forcibly cool it while the high-temperature food is accommodated, and in the cooling and cooking operation, the time or timing of forced cooling or forced cooling is performed. set temperature range of which a plurality of different operation modes is be selected later, the multiple operation modes of cooling the cooking operation, Mijikatoki food
Quenching mode for cooling between, and food refrigeration temperature range
Refrigeration mode for storing food in the freezing temperature range.
And the rapid freezing mode for the purpose of operation.
After forced cooling for a predetermined time from the beginning, the switching chamber
And a refrigerator characterized in that the refrigerating room is simultaneously cooled for a certain period of time . 2. A refrigerating compartment evaporator for cooling the refrigerating compartment, a freezing compartment evaporator for cooling the freezing compartment and the switching compartment, and cold air generated by the freezing compartment evaporator for freezing. Fan for the freezing room, which blows air to the switching chamber and the switching chamber, and a damper for the switching chamber for adjusting the air blowing into the switching chamber,
A refrigerant flow path switching means is provided for switching between a refrigerating compartment cooling mode in which the refrigerant circulated by driving the compressor is flown to at least the refrigerating room evaporator and a freezing room cooling mode in which only the freezer compartment evaporator is allowed to flow. However, the operation is controlled so as to maintain each of the chambers within a set temperature zone, and the forced cooling of the switching chamber is performed in the freezing chamber cooling mode by the refrigerant flow path switching unit, and the compression is performed. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the operation is performed by driving the blower fan for the machine and the freezer compartment and opening the damper for the switching compartment. 3. Cooling in a rapid cooling mode and a refrigerating mode
After the cooking operation, the switching room is automatically set to the refrigeration temperature range.
After the cooling and cooking operation in the quick freezing mode, the switching room is cooled.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator is automatically set to a freezing temperature zone . 4. A variable speed compressor and freezer fan.
It can be driven, and the rapid cooling mode and
In forced cooling in the quick freezing mode, the compressor and
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blower fan for the freezing compartment is driven at an allowable maximum rotation speed . 5. The cooling of the switching chamber in the rapid cooling mode
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the cooking operation time is selectable . 6. Cutting in a rapid cooling mode or a rapid freezing mode
During forced cooling of the replacement room, the temperature of the refrigerator room exceeds the set temperature range.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the switching room and the refrigerating room are simultaneously cooled . 7. In the rapid cooling mode, from the start of operation
Temperature change in the switching room is monitored,
When the temperature drops to the specified temperature, the forced cooling is stopped.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that that. 8. A damper for a switching chamber in the refrigerating mode
The natural cooling with the blockage prevents the heat of food from adversely affecting the freezer.
After a certain period of time within the range not given, forced switching room
The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator is cooled . 9. The temperature of the freezing compartment is controlled during the forced cooling of the switching compartment.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein forced cooling is stopped when the temperature becomes equal to or lower than a constant temperature . 10. A cold air outlet for supplying cold air to the switching chamber.
Guides the blast toward the ceiling and bottom of the switching room
The louver is provided , The refrigerator in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 9 characterized by the above-mentioned.