JP4290146B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator including a temperature switching chamber that can be switched to a desired room temperature by a user.

  In recent years, where the living environment has changed significantly, more and more families have different times for their families to eat. For this reason, in order to keep the heated food warm, a heat insulation box or a heat storage container is used. Thereby, the effort which cooks many times can be saved.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator provided with a temperature switching chamber in addition to a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment. This refrigerator includes a damper device that opens and closes a passage of cool air sent to the temperature switching chamber, and a heater that raises the temperature of the temperature switching chamber. Thereby, the room temperature of the temperature switching chamber can be switched to a desired low temperature range such as freezing, refrigeration, partial, chilled, etc. according to the user's application.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-288440

  However, when a heat insulation box or a storage container is used to keep the heated food warm, there is a problem that it is difficult to secure an installation place and a problem that a user's economic burden is increased. In addition, there is a problem in that it requires a complicated operation of transferring the food and is not convenient.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a highly convenient refrigerator that reduces the burden on the user and makes it easy to secure a place.

  In order to achieve the above object, the refrigerator of the present invention has a temperature switching chamber capable of switching the room temperature between a low temperature side for cooling and storing stored items and a high temperature side for keeping heated food by cooling with a cooler and heating with a heater. In the provided refrigerator, there is provided a stored product detection means for detecting the presence or absence of stored products stored in the temperature switching chamber, and the stored product detection means detects that the stored products have been taken out from the temperature switching chamber on the high temperature side. In this case, the temperature switching chamber is switched to a low temperature side.

  According to this configuration, when the temperature switching chamber is switched to the low temperature side, cold air is introduced from the cooler, and becomes a low temperature chamber for refrigeration, partial, chilled, refrigeration, and the like. Thereby, a store thing can be stored refrigerated or frozen. When the temperature switching chamber is switched to the high temperature side, the heater is driven to become a high temperature high temperature chamber. Thereby, the heat insulation of the heat-cooked food can be performed temporarily, or the temperature can be cooked in winter. Further, when the stored item stored in the high temperature side temperature switching chamber is taken out, the stored item detecting means detects it, and the temperature switching chamber is switched to the low temperature side.

  In the refrigerator having the above-described configuration, the present invention further includes a door switch that detects opening / closing of the door of the temperature switching chamber, and the storage detection unit detects presence / absence of storage based on the number of times of opening / closing the door. It is a feature. According to this configuration, the opening / closing of the door after switching the temperature switching chamber to the high temperature side is detected by the door switch, and the number of opening / closing is counted. When the door is opened and closed a predetermined number of times, it is determined that the stored item has been removed from the temperature switching chamber, and the temperature switching chamber is switched to the low temperature side.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that in the refrigerator configured as described above, there is provided reset means for resetting the counting of the number of times the door is opened and closed.

  Further, the present invention, in the refrigerator having the above-described configuration, includes a door switch that detects opening and closing of the door of the temperature switching chamber, a timer that measures time, and a temperature sensor that detects the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber, and the storage The object detection means detects presence or absence of stored items based on a temperature drop in the temperature switching chamber before opening the door when the door opens and closes and a predetermined time has elapsed.

  According to this configuration, the indoor temperature of the high temperature side temperature switching chamber is detected and stored at predetermined intervals. When the door of the temperature switching chamber on the high temperature side is opened and closed, after waiting for a predetermined time to equalize the temperature, the room temperature of the temperature switching chamber is detected. When the temperature before and after opening and closing the door is compared and the temperature is lowered by a predetermined temperature or more, it is determined that the stored item has been taken out from the temperature switching chamber, and the temperature switching chamber is switched to the low temperature side.

  According to the present invention, in the refrigerator configured as described above, the stored product detection means includes a weight sensor that detects the weight of the stored product. When the stored item is stored in the temperature switching chamber, the weight is detected by the weight sensor. When the stored item is taken out from the temperature switching chamber, the weight sensor detects that the weight has decreased, and the temperature switching chamber is switched to the low temperature side.

  According to the present invention, in the refrigerator configured as described above, the stored product detection means includes an optical sensor. When the stored item is stored in the temperature switching chamber, the optical sensor is turned on to detect the stored item. When the stored item is taken out from the temperature switching chamber, the optical sensor is turned off, and the temperature switching chamber is switched to the low temperature side.

  According to the present invention, since the temperature switching chamber capable of switching the room temperature between the low temperature side for storing the refrigerated or frozen storage and the high temperature side for keeping the heated food is provided, the economy of the user for keeping the heated food warm It is possible to provide a highly convenient refrigerator that reduces the burden on the user and makes it easy to secure a place.

  In addition, when the stored product detection means detects that the stored product has been taken out from the temperature switching chamber on the high temperature side, the temperature switching chamber is switched to the low temperature side, so that switching operation can be omitted and waste of power is prevented. be able to. In addition, it is possible to prevent the user from being burned by leaving the temperature switching chamber carelessly by leaving it on the high temperature side.

  Moreover, according to this invention, the presence or absence of a store can be easily detected based on the opening / closing frequency | count of the door by the detection of a door switch.

  According to the present invention, since the reset means for resetting the count of the number of times the door is opened and closed is provided, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of the removal of stored items by operating the reset means, and the temperature switching chamber is switched to the low temperature side. The hot side can be maintained when not desired.

  In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily detect the presence or absence of stored items based on the temperature drop in the temperature switching chamber before opening the door when the door opens and closes and a predetermined time has elapsed.

  According to the present invention, the presence or absence of stored items can be easily detected by the weight sensor.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the presence or absence of stored items can be easily detected by the optical sensor.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are a front view and a right side view showing a refrigerator according to one embodiment. The refrigerator 1 is provided with a refrigerator compartment 2 in the upper stage, and a temperature switching room 3 and an ice making room 4 in the middle stage. A vegetable room 5 and a freezer room 6 are arranged in the lower stage of the refrigerator 1.

  The refrigerating room 2 has a double door and stores stored items in a refrigerator. The temperature switching chamber 3 is provided on the left side of the middle stage, and the room temperature can be switched by the user. The ice making chamber 4 is provided on the right side of the middle stage and performs ice making. The vegetable room 5 is provided on the lower left side and is maintained at a temperature suitable for vegetable storage (about 8 ° C.). The freezer compartment 6 is provided on the lower right side and communicates with the ice making compartment 4 to store the stored items in a frozen state.

  FIG. 3 is a right side sectional view of the refrigerator 1. The freezing compartment 6 and the ice making compartment 4 are provided with a storage case 11 for storing stored items. A similar storage case 11 is also provided in the vegetable room 5 and the temperature switching room 3. The refrigerator compartment 2 is provided with a plurality of storage shelves 41 on which stored items are placed. A storage pocket 42 is provided on the door of the refrigerator compartment 2. Thereby, the usability of the refrigerator 1 is improved. A chilled chamber 23 maintained at a chilled temperature zone (about 0 ° C.) is provided in the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 2.

  A cold air passage 31 is provided behind the freezer compartment 6, and a cooler 17 connected to the compressor 35 is disposed in the cold air passage 31. A cold air passage 32 communicating with the cold air passage 31 is provided behind the refrigerator compartment 2. A refrigerant such as isobutane is circulated by driving a compressor 35 connected to a condenser and an expander (both not shown) to operate a refrigeration cycle. Thereby, the cooler 17 on the low temperature side of the refrigeration cycle and the air flowing through the cold air passage 31 exchange heat to generate cold air.

  Moreover, the freezer compartment fan 18 and the refrigerator compartment fan 28 are each arrange | positioned in the cold air | gas channel | paths 31 and 32. FIG. As will be described in detail later, the cold air generated by the cooler 17 is supplied to the freezer compartment 6, the ice making chamber 4, the chilled chamber 23, and the temperature switching chamber 3 through the cold air passage 31 by driving the freezer compartment fan 18. The cold air is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 through the cold passage 32 by driving the refrigerator compartment fan 28.

  FIG. 4 is a right side sectional view showing the temperature switching chamber 3. The upper and lower surfaces of the temperature switching chamber 3 are insulated from the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 by heat insulation walls 7 and 8. The side surface of the temperature switching chamber 3 is insulated from the ice making chamber 4 and the freezing chamber 6 by a heat insulating wall (not shown). The front surface of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be opened and closed by a rotating door 9. The back surface of the temperature switching chamber 3 is covered with a back plate 33.

  An inlet 33a through which air flows into the temperature switching chamber 3 is provided at the upper part of the back plate 33, and an outlet 33b through which air flows out from the temperature switching chamber 3 is provided at the lower part. Further, temperature sensors 24 and 16 for detecting the temperature in the temperature switching chamber 3 are provided in the vicinity of the inlet 33a and the outlet 33b.

  An introduction ventilation path 12 is provided behind the back plate 33 and the heat insulating wall 10 that forms the outer wall. The introduction ventilation path 12 is provided with a temperature switching chamber discharge damper 13 (see FIG. 5), and communicates with the cold air passage 31 to guide the cold air generated in the cooler 17 (see FIG. 3) to the temperature switching chamber 3. Moreover, the cool air path between the cooler 17 and the inflow side of the temperature switching chamber 3 is opened and closed by opening and closing the temperature switching chamber discharge damper 13, and the amount of air flowing into the temperature switching chamber 3 from the introduction ventilation path 12 is adjusted by the opening and closing amount. Is done.

  In the introduction ventilation path 12, a temperature switching chamber blower 14 is provided between the temperature switching chamber discharge damper 13 and the inflow port 33a. The cold air in the cold air passage 31 is easily guided to the temperature switching chamber 3 by driving the temperature switching chamber blower 14.

  A temperature switching chamber return damper 20 is provided behind the outlet 33b. The temperature switching chamber return damper 20 has openings 20a and 20b, and has a baffle 20c that opens and closes the other by rotation. When the opening 20b is opened, the air flowing out of the temperature switching chamber 3 is guided to the cooler 17 through the return ventilation path 19 (see FIG. 5).

  When the opening 20a is opened, the air flowing out from the temperature switching chamber 3 is guided to the intake side of the temperature switching chamber blower 14, and the cool air path between the outflow side of the temperature switching chamber 3 and the cooler 17 is closed. Therefore, the air in the temperature switching chamber 3 can be circulated as shown by the arrow F by driving the temperature switching chamber blower 14, closing the opening 20 b and closing the temperature switching chamber return damper 20. Note that the temperature switching chamber blower 14 may be provided in the temperature switching chamber 3.

  A heater 15 is provided behind the inlet 33 a of the temperature switching chamber 3. The heater 15 is formed of a heat radiation type glass tube heater, and raises the temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 by radiant heat released through the back plate 33. The temperature switching chamber blower 14 is arranged so as to blow toward the surface of the heater 15. Thereby, the surface temperature of the heater 15 can be lowered and safety can be improved. Further, the outlet 33b is provided with a temperature fuse 30 that cuts off the energization of the heater 15 when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature.

  In the temperature switching chamber 3, a drawer-type storage case 11 on which stored items are placed is arranged. A temperature sensor 34 is provided on the bottom surface of the storage case 11. Thereby, the temperature of the stored item placed on the storage case 11 can be accurately detected.

  FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of the vicinity of the middle stage of the refrigerator 1. The cold air passage 31 behind the freezer compartment 6 opens at the upper front of the freezer compartment fan 18, and air is sent out to the ice making chamber 4 by the freezer compartment fan 18. A freezer compartment damper 22 is provided below the freezer compartment 6 that communicates with the ice making compartment 4. A return ventilation path 21 (see FIG. 3) is provided in the lower rear part of the freezer compartment 6 to guide air to the cooler 17 via the freezer damper 22 and return to the cool air passage 31. The amount of air flowing out of the freezer compartment 6 is adjusted by opening and closing the freezer compartment damper 22.

  The upper part of the cold air passage 31 communicates with the cold air passage 32 via the refrigerator compartment damper 27. Further, the cold air passage 31 is branched and communicates with the chilled chamber 23 via the chilled chamber damper 25 and also communicates with the introduction ventilation path 12 (see FIG. 4) as described above.

  A refrigerator outlet (not shown) is opened at the lower back of the refrigerator compartment 2 and a vegetable compartment inlet (not shown) is provided in the vegetable compartment 5. The refrigerator compartment outlet and the vegetable compartment inlet are connected by a passage (not shown) passing through the back surface of the temperature switching chamber 3 so that the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 communicate with each other.

  The temperature switching chamber return damper 20 is provided in the lower left part of the temperature switching chamber 3. Behind the temperature switching chamber 3 and the vegetable chamber 5 is provided a return ventilation path 19 that extends downward from the temperature switching chamber return damper 20 and communicates with the return ventilation path 21 (see FIG. 3). As described above, the air in the temperature switching chamber 3 is guided to the cooler 17 through the return ventilation paths 19 and 21 by opening the opening 20b (see FIG. 4) of the temperature switching chamber return damper 20. A vegetable room outlet (not shown) communicating with the return ventilation path 19 is provided on the back of the vegetable room 5.

  FIG. 6 is a cold air circuit diagram showing the flow of cold air in the refrigerator 1. The freezer compartment 6, the refrigerator compartment 2, and the temperature switching chamber 3 are each arranged in parallel. Further, the ice making room 4 is arranged in series with the freezing room 6, and the vegetable room 5 is arranged in series with the refrigerating room 2. The cold air generated by the cooler 17 is sent up to the ice making chamber 4 by raising the cold air passage 31 as shown by an arrow A (see FIG. 5) by driving the freezer compartment fan 18. The cold air sent to the ice making room 4 flows through the ice making room 4 and the freezing room 6 and flows out from the freezing room damper 22. And it returns to the cooler 17 via the return ventilation path 21. As a result, the ice making chamber 4 and the freezing chamber 6 are cooled.

  The cold air branched at the top of the cold air passage 31 on the exhaust side of the freezer blower 18 by the driving of the cold compartment blower 28 circulates through the cold air passage 32 through the cold room damper 27 as shown by an arrow B (see FIG. 5). And sent to the refrigerator compartment 2. Moreover, it is sent to the chilled chamber 23 as shown by an arrow C (see FIG. 5). These cold air flows through the refrigerator compartment 2 and the chilled compartment 23 and then flows into the vegetable compartment 5. The cold air flowing into the vegetable compartment 5 flows through the vegetable compartment 5 and returns to the cooler 17 through the return ventilation paths 19 and 21. Thereby, the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 is cooled, and if it becomes preset temperature, the refrigerator compartment damper 27 and the chilled compartment damper 23 will be closed.

  Further, the cold air branched at the upper part of the cold air passage 31 on the exhaust side of the freezer compartment fan 18 by the drive of the temperature switching chamber blower 14 circulates through the introduction ventilation path 12 as shown by an arrow D (see FIG. 5), and the temperature It flows into the temperature switching chamber 3 through the switching chamber discharge damper 13. The cold air that has flowed into the temperature switching chamber 3 flows through the temperature switching chamber 3 and flows out of the temperature switching chamber return damper 20. And as shown to the arrow E (refer FIG. 5), it returns to the cooler 17 via the return ventilation path 19 and 21. FIG. Thereby, the inside of the temperature switching chamber 3 is cooled.

  As described above, the temperature switching chamber 3 can switch the room temperature by a user's operation. The operation modes of the temperature switching chamber 3 are wine (8 ° C.), refrigeration (3 ° C.), chilled (0 ° C.), soft freezing (−8 ° C.), and freezing (−15 ° C.) depending on the temperature zone. Provided.

  Thus, the user can store the refrigerated product at a desired temperature by refrigeration or refrigeration. The room temperature can be switched by changing the amount of opening of the temperature switching chamber discharge damper 13. For example, the heater 15 may be energized to switch the temperature from the freezing room temperature to the refrigerated room temperature. Thereby, it can switch to desired room temperature rapidly.

  Further, by energizing the heater 15, the temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 can be switched from the low temperature side where the stored items are cooled and stored to the high temperature side where the cooked heated food is temporarily kept warm or cooked. Since the growth temperature of the main food poisoning bacteria is 30 ° C. to 45 ° C., the indoor temperature on the high temperature side is preferably set to 50 ° C. or more in consideration of the tolerance of the heater capacity, the temperature distribution in the temperature switching chamber 3, and the like. Thereby, propagation of miscellaneous bacteria can be prevented.

  Moreover, since the heat-resistant temperature of the general resin parts used for a refrigerator is 80 degreeC, when the room temperature of a high temperature side shall be 80 degrees C or less, it can implement | achieve cheaply. In addition, in order to sterilize food poisoning bacteria, for example, in the case of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (pathogenic E. coli O157), heating at 75 ° C. for 1 minute is required. Therefore, it is more desirable to set the indoor temperature on the high temperature side to 75 ° C. to 80 ° C.

The following are the test results on the sterilization of food poisoning bacteria at 55 ° C. In the initial state, E. coli 2.4 × 10 ³ CFU / mL, Staphylococcus aureus 2.0 × 10 ³ CFU / mL, Salmonella 2.1 × 10 ³ CFU / mL, Vibrio parahaemolyticus 1.5 × 10 ³ CFU / ML, Cereus 4.0 × 10 ³ CFU / mL. This test sample was heated from 3 ° C. to 55 ° C. over 40 minutes, kept at 55 ° C. for 3.5 hours, then returned from 55 ° C. to 3 ° C. over 80 minutes, and the amount of each bacterium was examined again. As a result, all the bacteria were reduced to a level of 10 CFU / mL or less (not detected). Therefore, even if the set temperature on the high temperature side of the temperature switching chamber 3 is 55 ° C., there is a sufficient sterilization effect.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the refrigerator 1. The refrigerator 1 has a control unit 2 including a CPU that controls each unit. The control unit 2 includes the temperature sensors 16 and 24, the temperature fuse 30, the heater 15, the freezer compartment fan 18, the refrigerating room blower 28, the temperature switching room blower 14, the freezing room damper 22, the refrigerating room damper 27, and the temperature switching room discharge. A damper 13, a temperature switching chamber return damper 20, and a chilled chamber damper 25 are connected. These are controlled by the control unit 2.

  In addition, a timer 51, a storage unit 52, a door switch 53, and an operation panel 54 are connected to the control unit 2. The timer 51 measures a predetermined period. The storage unit 52 includes a ROM, a RAM, an HDD, and the like, and stores an operation program and data for the refrigerator 1 and performs primary storage of calculations. The operation panel 54 is provided on the door of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the like, and performs a setting operation and an operation instruction by the user and displays an operation status.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation when the temperature switching chamber 3 is switched from the low temperature side to the high temperature side. When the temperature switching chamber 3 is switched to the high temperature side, the temperature switching chamber discharge damper 13 is closed in step # 11. In step # 12, the opening 20b is closed by the baffle 20c of the temperature switching chamber return damper 20.

  In step # 13, the heater 15 is turned on. In step # 14, the rotation speed of the temperature switching chamber blower 14 is increased as compared with the low temperature side. As a result, the air sent from the temperature switching chamber blower 14 flows through the communication path 36 through the outlet 33b as indicated by the arrow F. As a result, the air in the temperature switching chamber 3 is guided to the temperature switching chamber blower 14 via the temperature switching chamber return damper 20 and circulates as indicated by the broken line S in FIG.

  In step # 15, the opening / closing frequency N of the door 9 of the temperature switching chamber 3 stored in the storage unit 52 is initialized. In step # 16, it is determined whether or not a reset button (not shown) provided on the operation panel 54 has been operated. When the reset button is operated, the process returns to step # 15, and the opening / closing count N is initialized.

  In step # 17, it is determined whether the door 9 has been opened or closed by the detection of the door switch 53. If the door 9 is not opened or closed, the process proceeds to step # 21. When the door 9 is opened and closed, the number of opening and closing N is incremented in step # 18. In step # 19, it is determined whether the opening / closing frequency N has reached a predetermined set value N0. When the opening / closing frequency N reaches the set value N0, the process proceeds to step # 26, and the low temperature side switching process shown in FIG. 9 is performed.

  For example, when the set value N0 is set to twice, the stored item is stored by switching the temperature switching chamber 3 to the high temperature side and then opening and closing the door 9 once. Next, when the stored matter is taken out by opening and closing the door 9, the temperature switching chamber 3 moves to the low temperature side. Accordingly, in steps # 16 to # 19, the door switch 53 detects opening / closing of the door 9, counts the number of opening / closing N, and based on the number of opening / closing N, there is configured a stored item detection means for detecting the presence or absence of stored items. . Further, by operating the reset button before taking out the stored item, the door 9 is opened and closed to check the state of the stored item, and then the door 9 is opened and closed, and then the stored item is taken out to shift to the low temperature side.

  If the opening / closing frequency N has not reached the set value N0 in step # 19, the process proceeds to step # 21. In step # 21, it is detected by the temperature sensor 16 whether or not the room temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 has risen to a predetermined upper limit temperature. If the temperature switching chamber 3 has not been heated to the upper limit temperature, the process proceeds to step # 23. If the temperature switching chamber 3 has been heated to the upper limit temperature, the heater 15 is stopped in step # 22.

  In step # 23, it is detected by the temperature sensor 16 whether the room temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 has dropped to a predetermined lower limit temperature. When the temperature switching chamber 3 is not lowered to the lower limit temperature, the process proceeds to step # 25. When the temperature switching chamber 3 is lowered to the lower limit temperature, the heater 15 is turned on in step # 24. Thereby, ON and OFF of the heater 15 are repeated, and the temperature switching three chambers are maintained at a predetermined temperature.

  Therefore, the temperature switching chamber 3 can be sealed to prevent warm air from flowing out, and the temperature switching chamber blower 14 can be driven to make the temperature distribution in the temperature switching chamber 3 on the high temperature side uniform. Can be prevented from being deformed, ignited and smoked. The capacity of the heater 15 may be varied to maintain the temperature switching chamber 3 at a predetermined temperature.

  In step # 25, it is determined whether or not the temperature switching chamber 3 has been switched to the low temperature side. When the temperature switching chamber 3 is not switched to the low temperature side, the process proceeds to step # 16, and steps # 16 to # 25 are repeatedly performed. When the temperature switching chamber 3 is switched to the low temperature side, the process proceeds to the processing at the low temperature side switching.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the low temperature side switching process when the temperature switching chamber 3 is switched to the low temperature side. In step # 31, the heater 15 is turned off. In step # 32, the temperature switching chamber discharge damper 13 is opened, and the opening 20b of the temperature switching chamber return damper 20 is opened. Thereby, cold air from the cooler 17 is introduced into the temperature switching chamber 3.

  In step # 33, the rotation speed of the temperature switching chamber blower 14 is decreased. Thereby, cold air can be easily supplied to the temperature switching chamber 3. In step # 34, it is monitored whether or not the temperature switching chamber 3 has been switched to the high temperature side. When the temperature switching chamber 3 is switched to the high temperature side, the above-described high temperature side switching processing in FIG.

  According to the present embodiment, since the temperature switching chamber 3 that can switch the room temperature between the low temperature side for storing the stored product in a cold state and the high temperature side for maintaining the heated food is provided, the user's economy is not required. Thus, it is possible to provide a highly convenient refrigerator 1 that can reduce the burden on the environment and keep the heated food warm without requiring an installation place such as a heat storage.

  Moreover, since the temperature switching chamber 3 is switched to the low temperature side when the stored material detecting means detects that the stored material has been taken out from the high temperature side temperature switching chamber 3, it is possible to omit the switching operation and waste power. Can be prevented. In addition, it is possible to prevent the user from being burned due to the user forgetting to leave it on the high temperature side and inadvertently opening the temperature switching chamber 3.

  Moreover, since the opening / closing frequency N of the door 9 can be reset, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of the removal of stored items, and to maintain the high temperature side when it is not desired to switch to the low temperature side.

  Next, FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation when the temperature switching chamber 3 of the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment is switched from the low temperature side to the high temperature side. This embodiment is configured in the same manner as the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, and steps # 15 to # 19 in FIG. 10 are performed instead of steps # 15 to # 19 in FIG. Since other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  In step # 15, the temperature sensor 16 detects the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3, and the detected temperature is stored in the storage unit 52. In this embodiment, steps # 15 to # 25 are repeatedly performed, and the latest indoor temperature is always stored. In step # 16, it is determined whether or not the door 9 has been opened and closed by the detection of the door switch 53. If the door 9 is not opened or closed, the process proceeds to step # 21.

  If the door 9 has been opened and closed, it waits until a predetermined time elapses due to the timer 51 in step # 17. When the predetermined time has elapsed, the temperature in the temperature switching chamber 3 is made uniform, and the temperature of the temperature switching chamber 3 is detected by the temperature sensor 16 in step # 18. In step # 19, it is determined whether or not the detected temperature after opening and closing the door 9 is lower than the temperature before opening the door 9 stored in the storage unit 52 by a predetermined temperature or more.

  If the room temperature has fallen above the predetermined temperature, the process proceeds to step # 26, and the low temperature side switching process shown in FIG. 9 is performed. If the room temperature has not fallen above the predetermined temperature, the process proceeds to step # 21 and operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  According to this embodiment, if the stored item is not taken out even if the door 9 is opened and closed, the amount of decrease in the room temperature is small due to heat radiation from the stored item. On the other hand, when the stored item is taken out by opening and closing the door 9, the amount of decrease in the room temperature increases. For this reason, it is possible to easily determine the presence or absence of stored items based on the temperature drop in the temperature switching chamber before and after the door 9 is opened and closed.

  Therefore, in steps # 16 to # 19, there is constructed a stored product detection means for detecting the opening / closing of the door 9 by the door switch 53, detecting the temperature drop of the temperature switching chamber by the temperature sensor 16, and determining the presence or absence of the stored product. Yes. Thereby, when the stored item is taken out from the temperature switching chamber 3 on the high temperature side, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained by switching to the low temperature side.

  Next, FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the refrigerator 1 of the third embodiment. For convenience of explanation, the same parts as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. A difference from the first embodiment is that a weight sensor 55 for detecting the weight of the stored item in the storage case 11 is provided instead of the door sensor 53 (see FIG. 7). Other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation when the temperature switching chamber 3 is switched from the low temperature side to the high temperature side. In the present embodiment, steps # 15 to # 20 in FIG. 12 are performed instead of steps # 15 to # 19 in FIG. Since other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  In step # 15, a flag Fw indicating that a stored item is placed on the storage case 11 is initialized. In step # 16, it is determined whether or not the weight in the storage case 11 exceeds a predetermined weight based on detection by the weight sensor 55. If there is no change in the weight of the storage case 11, the process proceeds to step # 18. When the weight sensor 55 detects that the stored item is placed on the storage case 11 and exceeds the predetermined weight, the process proceeds to step # 17 and 1 is assigned to the flag Fw.

  In step # 18, it is determined whether or not the flag Fw is 1. If the flag Fw is 0, the stored item has not been placed yet, so the process proceeds to step # 21. When the flag Fw is 1, the process proceeds to step # 19, and it is determined whether or not the weight in the storage case 11 has become equal to or less than a predetermined weight by the detection of the weight sensor 55.

  When the weight in the storage case 11 becomes equal to or less than the predetermined weight, the process proceeds to step # 20, and the flag Fw is initialized. And it transfers to step # 26 and the low temperature side switching process shown in FIG. 9 is performed. If the weight in the storage case 11 is not less than or equal to the predetermined weight, the stored item placed in the storage case 11 has not been taken out, and the process proceeds to step # 21.

  According to this embodiment, the weight sensor 55 constitutes a stored product detection means for determining the presence or absence of stored products. Thereby, when the stored item is taken out from the temperature switching chamber 3 on the high temperature side, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained by switching to the low temperature side.

  Next, FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the refrigerator 1 of the fourth embodiment. For convenience of explanation, the same parts as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. The difference from the first embodiment is that an optical sensor 56 is provided that irradiates a stored item in the storage case 11 with light such as infrared rays and turns on and off depending on the presence or absence of reflected light instead of the door sensor 53 (see FIG. 7). Yes. Other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation when the temperature switching chamber 3 is switched from the low temperature side to the high temperature side. In the present embodiment, steps # 15 to # 20 in FIG. 12 are performed instead of steps # 15 to # 19 in FIG. Since other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  In step # 15, a flag Fr indicating that a stored item is placed on the storage case 11 is initialized. In step # 16, it is determined whether or not the optical sensor 55 is turned on. When the optical sensor 56 is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step # 18. When the stored item is placed on the storage case 11 and the optical sensor 56 is turned on, the process proceeds to step # 17, and 1 is assigned to the flag Fr.

  In step # 18, it is determined whether or not the flag Fr is 1. When the flag Fr is 0, the stored item has not been placed yet, so the process proceeds to step # 21. If the flag Fr is 1, it is determined in step # 19 whether or not the optical sensor 56 has been turned off.

  When the optical sensor 56 is turned off, the process proceeds to step # 20, and the flag Fr is initialized. And it transfers to step # 26 and the process of the low temperature side switching shown in FIG. 9 is performed. If the optical sensor 56 is not OFF, the stored item placed in the storage case 11 has not been taken out, and the process proceeds to step # 21.

  According to this embodiment, the stored product detection means for determining the presence or absence of the stored product is configured by the optical sensor 56. Thereby, when the stored item is taken out from the temperature switching chamber 3 on the high temperature side, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained by switching to the low temperature side.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, a damper may be provided at the outlet of the vegetable compartment 5. Thereby, when the temperature switching chamber 3 is switched from the high temperature side to the low temperature side, it is possible to prevent the hot air from the temperature switching chamber 3 from flowing backward into the vegetable chamber 5 by closing the damper. Further, when the freezer compartment fan 18 is stopped when the temperature switching chamber 3 is switched from the high temperature side to the low temperature side, the freezer compartment damper 22 is closed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the hot air from flowing backward from the freezer damper 22 into the freezer compartment 6 by driving the temperature switching chamber blower 14.

  Moreover, although the freezer compartment 6 and the refrigerator compartment 2 are cooled with the cooler 17, you may provide the cooler for exclusive use of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 separately. At this time, the refrigerator 17 and the temperature switching chamber 3 can be cooled by the cooler 17.

  According to the present invention, it can be used for a refrigerator having a temperature switching chamber.

The front view which shows the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment of this invention. The right view which shows the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing on the right side showing the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Cross section of the right side showing the temperature switching chamber of the refrigerator of the first embodiment of the present invention Front sectional drawing which shows the middle step part of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment of this invention. The cold air circuit diagram which shows the flow of the cold air of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment of this invention The block diagram which shows the structure of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement when the temperature switching chamber of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment of this invention is switched to the high temperature side. The flowchart which shows operation | movement when the temperature switching chamber of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment of this invention is switched to the low temperature side. The flowchart which shows operation | movement when the temperature switching chamber of the refrigerator of 2nd Embodiment of this invention is switched to the high temperature side. The block diagram which shows the structure of the refrigerator of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement when the temperature switching chamber of the refrigerator of 3rd Embodiment of this invention is switched to the high temperature side. The block diagram which shows the structure of the refrigerator of 4th Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement when the temperature switching chamber of the refrigerator of 4th Embodiment of this invention is switched to the high temperature side.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Refrigeration room 3 Temperature switching room 4 Ice making room 5 Vegetable room 6 Freezing room 9 Door 12 Introduction ventilation path 13 Temperature switching room discharge damper 14 Temperature switching room blower 15 Heater 17 Cooler 16, 24, 34 Temperature sensor 18 Freezing room Blower 19, 21 Return ventilation path 20 Temperature switching room return damper 22 Freezer compartment damper 25 Chilled room damper 28 Cold room blower 30 Thermal fuse 31, 32 Cold air passage 33 Back plate 35 Compressor 51 Timer 52 Storage unit 53 Door switch 54 Operation panel 55 Weight sensor 56 Optical sensor

Claims (6)

  In a refrigerator having a temperature switching chamber capable of switching a room temperature between a low temperature side for cooling and storing stored items by cooling by a cooler and heating by a heater and a high temperature side for keeping heated food, the refrigerator is provided in the temperature switching chamber. A storage detection means for detecting the presence or absence of storage is provided, and the temperature switching chamber is switched to the low temperature side when the storage detection means detects that the storage has been taken out of the temperature switching chamber on the high temperature side. A refrigerator characterized by.   2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising: a door switch that detects opening / closing of the door of the temperature switching chamber, wherein the storage detection unit detects presence / absence of storage based on the number of times of opening / closing the door. .   The refrigerator according to claim 2, further comprising reset means for resetting counting of the number of times the door is opened and closed.   A door switch for detecting opening and closing of the door of the temperature switching chamber, a timer for measuring time, and a temperature sensor for detecting the indoor temperature of the temperature switching chamber; 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein presence or absence of stored items is detected based on a temperature drop in the temperature switching chamber before opening the door when a predetermined time has elapsed.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the stored product detection unit includes a weight sensor that detects the weight of the stored product.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the stored matter detection unit includes an optical sensor.

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