JP5630106B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with a means for detecting the amount stored in a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator capable of controlling the temperature in the refrigerator in accordance with the amount of stored items.

  In the case of frequent opening and closing of doors and taking in and out of foods and beverages at room temperature, such as a refrigerator for home use, it is possible to rapidly cool the stored items such as foods from room temperature to the appropriate temperature from the viewpoint of preservation. Required. For this reason, in this kind of refrigerator, an indirect cooling method that is advantageous in terms of cooling speed is often employed. Here, the indirect cooling system is a refrigeration cycle in which refrigerant passes through the compressor, condenser, throttle valve, and evaporator and enters the compressor again, and cooling in which the cool air cooled by the evaporator is discharged into the refrigerator by a circulation fan. This is a method of cooling the refrigerator by a mechanism. In the conventional refrigerator, the interior of the refrigerator is kept at an appropriate temperature by controlling the operation state of such a cooling mechanism according to the detection result of the interior temperature.

  However, even when such temperature control is performed, the circulation of the cold air in the refrigerator changes due to the increase or decrease in the space volume in the refrigerator accompanying the taking in and out of the stored items. Occurrence is triggered. For example, under a situation where the contents exceed 60% to 70% of the volume in the warehouse, the cool air does not rotate in the staying portion generated in the refrigerator, and the cooling is insufficient. Some places get cold. When this type of temperature unevenness occurs, if the stored item is placed in the cold air retention part, it takes time to cool the stored item from room temperature to an appropriate temperature, which may significantly reduce the commercial value.

  As a solution to the above problem, in Patent Document 1, the cold air cooled by the cooler passes through the cold air guide passage and is supplied into the refrigerator. However, by providing a rotating cold air discharge member at the cold air discharge port, It has been devised so that it is distributed to the left and right to cool the inside of the refrigerator uniformly.

JP-A-8-247608

  When the inside of the refrigerator is cooled uniformly as in the prior art, both the internal temperature and the temperature of the storage are stable at the storage temperature after a sufficient time has passed since the storage of the storage. Can be

  However, in a transitional period (short term) from immediately after charging to temperature stabilization, a temperature difference depending on the amount of the stored item occurs between the detected temperature of the temperature detecting means arranged in the warehouse and the temperature of the stored item. Therefore, as a result, the period until reaching the storage temperature varies depending on the housing condition, and there is a problem that the freshness of the stored material varies.

  Hereinafter, the operation | movement of the principal part of the conventional refrigerator is demonstrated using FIG.

In the same figure, (a) in the figure shows the temperature in the warehouse and the operating state of the refrigerator when a standard capacity (hereinafter referred to as standard) is stored. Here, it is assumed that the standard capacity is 50% of the internal volume. Moreover, the figure (b) has shown operation | movement of the refrigerator when the amount of accommodation is larger than the standard, and the figure (c) shows the operation of the refrigerator when the amount of accommodation is smaller than the standard. For the sake of simplicity, the types of items are the same.

  Moreover, in (a), (b), (c) of the same figure, a continuous line is the detected temperature in a store | warehouse | chamber, and K0 is a preset storage temperature. The operating state of the refrigerator is controlled based on the temperature difference between the detected temperature and the storage temperature K0, and when the temperature difference is in the range of (K2-K0) or higher, the operation is performed in strong cold, from (K2-K0) to (K1- When it is in the range of K0), it is switched to the medium cooling operation, and when it is in the range of (K1-K0) to K0, it is switched to the light cooling operation.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, when the stored item is put into the refrigerator, the temperature difference between the detected temperature and the storage temperature K0 is large, and the refrigerator is operated in a strong cooling operation. As time elapses, this temperature difference becomes smaller and gradually approaches the preset storage temperature K0 through the intermediate cooling operation and the weak operation. In this series of controls, the temperature of the container, which is a thermal load, is high compared to the detected temperature for a period of time immediately after the charging, and in the long term, the temperature is equilibrated with the internal temperature to reach the storage temperature. Stabilized.

  Next, as shown in the figure (b), when the same kind of accommodation is accommodated more than the standard, the thermal load of the accommodation increases as compared with the case of the figure (a). The temperature change inside becomes slow. As a result, the period until the stored item reaches the storage temperature is delayed as compared with the case of the standard stored amount.

  As described above, a difference in the storage amount caused by a difference in the storage amount caused problems such as variations in the freshness of the storage.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5C, when the amount of storage is smaller than the standard, the thermal load of the stored items is reduced, so the time until the internal temperature reaches the set temperature is the case of the standard amount of storage. Compared to In this case, it is possible to satisfy the time requirement from the viewpoint of preservation, but the refrigerator is in an overly cool cooling operation and consumes more power than necessary to store the contents. There was a problem such as.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is a refrigerator having a high freshening function even when the state of accommodation in a cabinet changes due to opening / closing of a door or taking in / out foods and beverages at room temperature. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, a refrigerator main body provided with a storage room, a cooling means for cooling the storage room, a stored object detection means for detecting the storage status of the stored objects stored in the storage room, A storage capacity determination means for determining the amount of the storage based on information obtained by the storage object detection means, and the storage material detection means is disposed in a cold air flow path in the refrigerator and is activated. Active species generating means for generating seeds, and an active species sensor that is disposed in the refrigerator, detects the concentration or amount of the active species in the refrigerator, and outputs a detection result, and is determined by the accommodation amount determination means In the refrigerator comprising: an operation pattern is selected according to the result; the cooling unit is controlled according to the operation pattern; and the control unit is configured to control the internal temperature to a target temperature within a preset period. And further comprising a door opening and closing detection section for detecting the closed state, in a period in which to detect the closed state of the door, the contained goods detection means, a series of operations of the storage amount determining means and said control means is started Is.

Thereby, the storage amount in the storage can be detected stably, and the refrigerator having excellent freshness can be realized by storing the stored items at a target temperature within a predetermined period.

  The refrigerator of this invention can implement | achieve the refrigerator excellent in freshness, and can provide a higher quality refrigerator.

Sectional drawing of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention Explanatory drawing of the thing detection operation | movement in Embodiment 1 of this invention Operation explanatory diagram of main parts of conventional refrigerator

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator main body having a storage room, a cooling means for cooling the storage room, a storage object detection means for detecting a storage state of the storage object stored in the storage room, and the storage object detection. Storage amount determination means for determining the amount of the contents based on information obtained by the means, and the contents detection means is disposed in a cold air flow path in the refrigerator, and generates active species. Active species generating means and an active species sensor that is disposed in the refrigerator, detects the concentration or amount of the active species in the refrigerator, and outputs a detection result, according to the determination result of the accommodation amount determination means A refrigerator comprising: an operation pattern, a control unit that controls the cooling unit according to the operation pattern and controls the internal temperature to a target temperature within a preset period. Inspection Further comprising a door opening and closing detection unit that, in a period in which to detect the closed state of the door, the contained goods detection means, by a series of operations of the storage amount determining means and said control means is started, natural air Based on the determination result with higher accuracy, the active species that are present only in a trace amount are artificially generated in the refrigerator, and the concentration value in the storage of the active species is used for determining the storage amount in the storage. Since refrigerator control can be realized, a refrigerator with high freshness and power saving can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the contained object detection operation in the embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, high-pressure components of a refrigeration cycle such as a compressor 30 and a dryer for removing moisture are housed in a machine room formed in the uppermost rear region in the refrigerator compartment 12. A cooling chamber for generating cool air is provided on the back surface of the freezing chamber 15, and a cooler 35 and a cooling fan 31 are disposed in the cooling chamber. In addition, a radiant heater, a drain pan, a drain tube evaporating dish, and the like are configured to defrost frost and ice adhering to the cooler 35 and its periphery.

  In the figure, the arrows schematically show the flow path of the cool air in the warehouse during the cooling operation. During the operation of the cooler 35, the cooling fan 31 and the damper 36, which is a ventilation window, are interlocked to circulate cold air into the refrigerator compartment 12, the switching chamber 14, the ice making chamber 13, the vegetable compartment 16, and the freezer compartment 15, Cool each chamber inside.

Further, the refrigerator 11 includes a contained material detection unit 40 including an active species generation unit 33 that generates active species typified by ions, ozone, and the like, and an active species sensor 34. The active species generation unit 33 includes: It arrange | positions in the flow path of the cold air which circulates in the store | warehouse | chamber.
Such means for generating active species are widely used as a means for suppressing the deodorization of odors generated from food stored in the cabinet, and the growth of bacteria attached to food in the refrigerator and bacteria floating in the cabinet. It is what.

  The active species sensor 34 is disposed in the storage and detects the concentration value of the active species in the storage.

  The active species sensor takes various forms depending on the type of active species. For example, for detecting positive and negative ions, parallel plate electrodes are arranged in an ion atmosphere to detect the capacitance between the electrodes. By doing so, the density value can be measured. In addition, ozone, which is another active species, can be detected by irradiating ultraviolet rays into the atmosphere of ozone and detecting the amount of light absorbed by the ultraviolet absorption characteristics of ozone (or the amount of transmitted light). It can be measured.

About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement * effect | action is demonstrated below.
Hereinafter, the operations of the active species generating means 33 and the active species sensor 34 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 shows how the active species concentration value in the warehouse changes with time during cooling.
As shown in the figure, the active species generated by the active species generating means 33 arranged in the cold air flow path is diffused into the warehouse together with the cold air at the time of cooling and gradually accumulated in each chamber in the warehouse. . Thereafter, with the passage of time, the concentration value in the chamber gradually approaches a predetermined value (for example, a, b, c) corresponding to the amount of generated (inflow) active species per unit time, the amount of decomposition, and the volume in the chamber. I will do it.
In the third embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, the active species generating means 33 always generates a fixed amount of active species, that is, the fixed amount of active species flows into the chamber during cooling. . In addition, the decomposition of the active species is mainly due to natural decomposition, and the amount of decomposition per unit time is approximately determined according to the type of the active species.

Here, since the active species concentration value detected by the active species sensor 34 is an amount that can be expressed by the amount of active species per unit volume, if the amount of active species accumulated in the chamber is constant, the concentration The value and the space volume inside the warehouse have an inversely proportional relationship. That is, when the accommodation rate is high and the space volume in the warehouse is reduced, the active species concentration detected by the active species sensor 34 is increased. Similarly, when the accommodation rate is low and the space volume in the warehouse increases, the active species concentration decreases.
For example, in the figure, before and after the accommodation, when the accommodation rate in the warehouse changes from 1/3 to 2/3, that is, the space volume ratio (= 1−accommodation rate) changes from 2/3 to 1 /. When the ratio is changed to 3, the active species concentration value in the chamber increases approximately twice as much (concentration value: c before storage, b after storage) as the space volume ratio is halved.

As mentioned above, the accommodation rate (or space volume ratio (1-accommodation rate) in a store | warehouse | chamber can be approximated by detecting the active species density | concentration value in a store | warehouse | chamber, and comparing with the reference | standard density | concentration value. The reference concentration value can be used as, for example, a concentration value when there is no stored item in the storage.
In addition, by determining the above-mentioned active species concentration value based on a predetermined threshold set in the storage amount determination means 22, it is possible to classify the amount of storage items in the warehouse.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce the influence of the surrounding environment by artificially generating active species that exist only in trace amounts in the natural atmosphere, and using the concentration value of the active species for determining the amount of storage in the warehouse. Detection of a high content and determination of a storage amount can be realized.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the generation of active species disposed in a refrigerator body, cooling means for cooling the inside of the refrigerator, and a predetermined position in the refrigerator, and disposed in a cold air flow path in the refrigerator. Means, an active species sensor that is disposed in the refrigerator and detects an active species concentration value in the refrigerator, an accommodation amount determination means 22 that determines the amount of an object based on a detection result of the active species sensor, and an accommodation amount According to the determination result of the storage amount of the determination unit 22, the cooling unit is controlled, and the control unit 23 is configured to control the internal temperature to a predetermined temperature setting, and the storage amount is determined from the detection result of the active species sensor. Accordingly, by controlling the refrigerator adaptively, the stored items can be stored under substantially the same storage conditions regardless of the storage amount, and thus it is possible to provide a refrigerator with high freshness and power saving. it can.

(Embodiment 2)
In the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the door opening / closing detection unit that detects the open / closed state of the refrigerator door is further provided, and the door open / closed detection unit is detected in the period during which the door closed state is detected. A series of operations of the storage object detection unit 40, the storage amount determination unit 22, and the control unit 23 are activated.

By this operation, refrigerator door open / closed state detection is performed, and when the door is in a closed state, that is, in an airtight state, the contents detection means is operated to reduce the environmental impact outside the warehouse and improve the amount detection accuracy. can do.
In addition, in home refrigerators, door opening / closing detection and interior lighting are associated with each other, and lighting means in the interior are turned on / off according to door opening / closing, and the door open / closed state detection function in the control is shared. Thus, it can be realized with a simple configuration without adding new parts.

The refrigerator according to the present invention can be implemented and applied to control for switching the operation mode to a power saving operation or the like by providing a stored object detection function in a household or business refrigerator.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Refrigerator body 12 Refrigeration room 12a Refrigeration room door 13 Ice making room 14 Switching room 15 Freezing room 16 Vegetable room 17 Operation part 18 Storage shelf 19 Illumination means 20 Light emission means 21 Light quantity detection means 22 Capacity determination means 23 Control means 30 Compressor 31 Cooling fan 32 Temperature compensation heater 33 Active species generating means 34 Active species sensor 40 Contained matter detection means

Claims (1)

Information obtained by the refrigerator main body provided with a storage room, cooling means for cooling the storage room, storage object detection means for detecting the storage status of the storage object stored in the storage room, and the storage object detection means A determination unit for determining the amount of the stored item, the stored item detection unit is arranged in a cool air flow path in the refrigerator, and generates an active species, An active species sensor that is disposed in the refrigerator, detects the concentration or amount of the active species in the refrigerator, and outputs a detection result, selects an operation pattern according to the determination result of the accommodation amount determination means, controlling said cooling means in accordance with the operation pattern, the refrigerator comprising a control means, the controlling the-compartment temperature within the time preset to the desired temperature, door opening and closing detecting the open and closed state of the refrigerator door Further comprising a knowledge unit, in a period in which to detect the closed state of the door, the contained goods detection means, a refrigerator, wherein a series of operations starts the storage amount determining means and said control means.