JP5677913B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with a storage room that improves the freshness retention effect of food.

Oxidation of food proceeds by reacting with oxygen in the air in the refrigerator during storage in the refrigerator. In particular, unsaturated fatty acids such as DHA and EPA that are often contained in fish, some amino acids contained in meat, vitamin C contained in vegetables, and the like are lost by contact with oxygen in the air.
Therefore, many techniques for preventing oxidation of nutritional components by reducing the oxygen concentration around foods by utilizing vacuum packs, antioxidants, etc. are used in daily life.

  As an example, conventionally, for example, as known from the technique of Patent Document 1 below, the air in the sealed container in the refrigerator is sucked using a vacuum pump and discharged to the outside, so that the oxygen in the container is discharged. There are refrigerators that reduce the amount and suppress deterioration due to oxidation of nutrients.

JP 2011-58670 A

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the inside of the storage room (sealed container) is evacuated, the inside of the storage room is highly sealed, and when the door of the storage room is closed after the food is stored, it is sealed and stored. The food is cooled indirectly by the cold air flowing outside the storage room.
Further, since the storage chamber (sealed container) is kept in a vacuum state, it has a container structure with high strength to withstand atmospheric pressure. That is, since the storage chamber (sealed container) is made of a resin having a thick thermal conductivity, the heat conduction of the cold air is slow and the cooling rate of the food is slow.

By the way, since the deterioration of food has a very high temperature dependency, when cooling is performed indirectly as described above, the cooling rate is slowed down, and there is a possibility that the deterioration of freshness may progress while being cooled.
Moreover, in the technique of patent document 1, since it is a storage room (sealed container) in a convenient position, if vegetables are preserved, meat and fish are preserved. For preservation of food, except for the low temperature damage of vegetables, the shelf life is higher at the lowest temperature without freezing.

However, because the freezing temperature of vegetables is 0 ° C and the temperature of meat and fish is different from -3 ° C, one temperature range is not enough, so the temperature range suitable for vegetables and the temperature range suitable for meat fish It has a function to switch between two temperatures.
However, since the cold air temperature to be cooled cannot be changed, the method of creating the two temperatures is adjusted by the amount of cold air flowing around the container.

  As described above, the storage stability of the food depends on the storage temperature, but the cooling rate at which the food reaches the target temperature is also greatly affected. As described above, since the target storage temperature in the storage room (sealed container) is controlled by the amount of cold air, the cooling rate at which the food reaches the target temperature is cooled faster as the temperature of the flowing cold air is lower. . However, the cold air heat transfer to the food in the storage room (sealed container) depends on the amount of food to be stored and the type of food.

In the technique of Patent Document 1, since there is no means for detecting the amount of food or the type of food, the temperature reaches a target temperature as soon as the cold air temperature to be cooled is lowered and a large amount of cold air is circulated. The freshness of the food can be maintained, but if the amount of food is small, it may be too cold.
In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can improve the maintenance of freshness by increasing the cooling rate of food stored in a storage room that is indirectly cooled.

In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a plurality of storage chambers and a refrigeration cycle for cooling the storage chamber, and a cold air passage for guiding cold air from the refrigeration cycle to the plurality of storage chambers. Is formed in the refrigerator, and is provided in at least a part of the plurality of storage chambers to vent the air in the storage chambers, the amount of the extracted air and the internal pressure in the storage chamber when the air is extracted Detecting / notifying means for detecting or notifying, and cooling control means for controlling cooling of the storage room based on the detected or notified value , wherein the detecting / notifying means It is obtained from the operating time of the pump as a means .

  According to the refrigerator in accordance with the present invention, it is possible to realize a refrigerator capable of achieving the improvement of the freshness of the food stored in the storage room for indirect cooling by increasing the cooling rate.

It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which looked at the center part of the refrigerator of embodiment which concerns on this invention from the left side. It is the upper notch perspective view which looked at the lowest space part of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator of embodiment from the right back side of FIG. It is a front view of the back panel of the refrigerator compartment of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the operation time of the vacuum pump of embodiment, and the weight of a foodstuff. It is a control block diagram which shows schematic structure of the control means of the refrigerator of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cooling rate when beef is preserve | saved in the low pressure chamber of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the drip amount of glutamic acid amount when beef is preserve | saved in the low pressure chamber of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the glutamic acid amount when beef is preserve | saved in the low pressure chamber of embodiment.

Hereinafter, the refrigerator 1 of embodiment which concerns on this invention is demonstrated with reference to an accompanying drawing.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a central portion of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the left side.
The refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerator main body 1H constituting the main body, and a plurality of doors 6 to 9 provided on the front surface for opening and closing the storage chambers (2, 3, 4, 5).
The refrigerator main body 1H includes an outer box 11 that forms a steel-made outer shell, an inner box 12 that forms a resin storage chamber (2, 3, 4, 5), and a urethane foam heat insulating material filled between them. 13 and a vacuum heat insulating material (not shown).

The refrigerator body 1 </ b> H has a box shape having a front opening that is open on the front side, and a plurality of storage rooms are arranged in the order of the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer compartments 3, 4, and the vegetable compartment 5 from the top. Is formed.
The refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 are storage compartments in a refrigeration temperature zone, and the freezer compartments 3 and 4 are storage compartments in a freezing temperature zone of 0 ° C. or lower (for example, a temperature zone of about −20 ° C. to −18 ° C.). It is.

In the uppermost stage and the lowermost stage, a refrigerator compartment 2 and a vegetable compartment 5 in a refrigeration temperature zone are respectively partitioned and arranged. Between the refrigerating room 2 and the vegetable room 5, freezing rooms 3 and 4 in a freezing temperature zone partitioned from these two rooms in an adiabatic manner are disposed. These storage chambers 2 to 5 are partitioned by partition walls 33, 34, and 35. The partition walls 33 and 35 are partition walls having heat insulation properties.
On the front side (front side) of the refrigerator body 1H (on the right side of the refrigerator 1 in FIG. 1), the doors 6 to 9 can be opened and closed in order to open and close the front openings of the storage chambers 2 to 5 when food is taken in and out. Is provided.

The refrigerator compartment door 6 is a door that opens and closes the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2, and the freezer compartment door 7 is a door that opens and closes the front opening of the freezer compartment 3. The freezer compartment door 8 is a door that opens and closes the front opening of the freezer compartment 4, and the vegetable compartment door 9 is a door that opens and closes the front opening of the vegetable compartment 5.
The refrigerator compartment door 6 is composed of a double door with double doors. On the other hand, the freezer compartment door 7, the freezer compartment door 8, and the vegetable compartment door 9 are constituted by drawer-type doors. The freezer compartment doors 7 and 8 and the vegetable compartment door 9 are integrally formed of 7y, 8y and 9y containers, and together with the drawer type doors (7, 8, 9), the storage compartments (3, 4, 5) Each container 7y, 8y, 9y is structured to be pulled out.

The refrigerator main body 1H is provided with a refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant circulates in order to cool the inside of the refrigerator.
The refrigeration cycle includes a compressor 14, a condenser (not shown), a capillary tube (not shown) and an evaporator 15, and again a compressor 14 connected in this order.
The compressor 14 and the condenser (not shown) are installed in a machine room 1H1 provided at the lower back of the refrigerator body 1H.

The evaporator 15 is installed in a cooler chamber 1H2 provided behind the freezing chambers 3 and 4, and a blower fan 16 for blowing cool air into the cabinet is installed above the evaporator 15.
The cool air cooled by the evaporation of the refrigerant in the evaporator 15 (latent heat at the time of evaporation) passes through the cool air passage 30t and is stored in each storage room such as the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer compartments 3, 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 by the blower fan 16. Sent to.

Specifically, a part of the cool air sent by the blower fan 16 is sent to the storage rooms of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5 in the refrigerator temperature zone through a damper (not shown) that can be opened and closed. The remaining part is sent to the storage rooms of the freezing rooms 3 and 4 in the freezing temperature zone.
The cool air sent to the storage rooms of the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer compartments 3, 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 by the blower fan 16 cools the interior of each storage compartment (2, 3, 4, 5), and then returns to the cold air return passage ( (Not shown) is returned (returned) to the cooler chamber 1H2.
As described above, the refrigerator 1 has a cold air circulation structure, and maintains each of the storage chambers 2 to 5 at an appropriate temperature (set temperature) by operating the compressor 14 and opening and closing each damper.

  In the refrigerator compartment 2, in order to partition the refrigerator compartment 2 into a some storage space, the multistage shelf 17-20 comprised with a transparent resin board is installed so that removal is possible. The lowermost shelf 20 is installed so as to be in contact with the inner back surface (side surface) and both side surfaces of the inner box 12 and divides a so-called lowermost space 21, which is a lower space, from the upper space.

  In addition, a plurality of door pockets 25, 26, and 27 for storing drinks and the like are installed inside the refrigerator compartment door 6. These door pockets 25 to 27 are provided so as to protrude into the refrigerator compartment 2 in a state in which the refrigerator compartment door 6 is closed. A back panel 30 that forms a cool air passage 30 t through which the cool air supplied from the blower fan 16 passes is disposed on the back surface (side surface) of the refrigerator compartment 2.

2 is a top cutaway perspective view of the lowermost space portion of the refrigerator compartment shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the right back side in FIG.
In the lowermost space 21, in order from the left, an ice making water tank 22 for supplying ice making water to the ice tray in the freezing room 3, a storage case 23 for storing food such as dessert, and the inside of the room are decompressed to store food. Low pressure chambers 24 are provided for maintaining freshness and for long-term storage.

  The low-pressure chamber 24 has a width that is narrower than the width of the refrigerator compartment 2, and is disposed adjacent to the side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2. The low-pressure chamber 24 is hermetically formed by surrounding the low-pressure chamber 24 with a low-pressure chamber door 50 such as a wall or a door. The low-pressure chamber 24 is configured to be capable of lowering the internal atmospheric pressure from the external atmospheric pressure.

The ice making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 shown on the left side of FIG. 2 are arranged behind the refrigerator compartment door 6 (see FIG. 1). Thereby, the ice-making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 can be pulled out only by opening the refrigerator door 6 on the left side.
The low pressure chamber 24 shown on the right side of FIG. 2 is arranged behind the refrigerator compartment door 6. Thereby, the food tray 60 of the low pressure chamber 24 can be pulled out by opening the right refrigerator compartment door 6.

  The ice making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 are located behind the lowermost door pocket 27 of the refrigerator compartment door 6 in FIG. 1, and the low pressure chamber 24 is also the lowermost door pocket 27 of the refrigerator compartment door 6. Located behind.

Next, details of the back panel 30 (see FIG. 1) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of the rear panel of the refrigerator compartment shown in FIG.
The rear panel 30 includes a refrigerating chamber 2 for supplying cold air to the refrigerating chamber 2 (see FIG. 1), a first cold air discharge port 31 for cooling, and a low pressure for supplying cold air to the lowermost space 21 of the refrigerating chamber 2. A second cool air discharge port 32 for cooling the chamber (24) and a cool air return port 32o for the cool air after cooling the refrigerator compartment 2 are provided.
The lower cold air return port 32 o is disposed on the side near the side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2 at the rear rear side of the low pressure chamber 24.

The second cold air discharge port 32 for cooling the low pressure chamber 24 is provided toward the gap between the upper surface of the low pressure chamber 24 and the lower surface of the shelf 20 shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, the second cold air discharge port 32 is not shown.
The cold air discharged from the second cold air discharge port 32 flows through a space (space) between the upper surface of the low-pressure chamber 24 and the lower surface of the shelf 20, and cools the low-pressure chamber 24 from its outer upper surface. That is, the cold air discharged from the second cold air discharge port 32 indirectly cools the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 through the upper surface wall of the low pressure chamber 24.

In addition, a damper device 41 for controlling the opening and closing of the flow of the cold air toward the low pressure chamber 24 is provided on the upstream side of the cold air from the second cold air discharge port 32. The opening and closing of the damper device 41 is controlled by a control device 45 (see FIG. 5) described later. That is, the control device 45 controls the amount of cold air supplied to the low pressure chamber 24.
Furthermore, in order to raise the temperature in the low pressure chamber 24, for example, a heater 43 shown in FIG. 1 is provided. The heater 43 is provided on the lower projection surface inside the low-pressure chamber 24. In this example, the heater 43 has an area substantially the same as the area of the bottom surface in the low-pressure chamber 24.

  In the refrigerator 1, the low-pressure chamber 24 is disposed close to the right side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2 to eliminate the right-side gap (space) of the low-pressure chamber 24, and a shelf (partition) (not shown) is provided at the left end of the upper surface of the low-pressure chamber 24. A wall) is provided to eliminate a gap (space) on the left side of the low pressure chamber 24. Thereby, the cold air discharged from the second cold air discharge port 32 flows on the upper surface of the low-pressure chamber 24 without being diverted to the left and right sides of the low-pressure chamber 24.

In this way, by increasing the amount of cool air that cools the upper surface of the low-pressure chamber 24, the down-flow of cool air having a high density of gas molecules inside the low-pressure chamber 24 is utilized (accelerating natural convection), and the low-pressure chamber 24 is used. The inside can be cooled quickly.
The cold air that has cooled the upper surface of the low pressure chamber 24 is sucked into the cold air return port 32o (see FIG. 3) from the upper side of the low pressure chamber 24 through the left side surface of the low pressure chamber 24, and passes through the cold air return passage to the cooler chamber 1H2. Is returned. As described above, the cold air return port 32o is provided at the rear rear side of the low pressure chamber 24 (on the left side of the refrigerator 1 in FIG. 1) and on the side close to the (right) side surface of the refrigerator room 2, so that the cold air is stored in the low pressure chamber 24. The low-pressure chamber 24 is cooled by flowing in contact with the outer rear surface and the outer right side surface.

Thus, the low-pressure chamber 24 is configured to be indirectly cooled by passing (flowing) cold air through the outside thereof.
Therefore, the convection of the cold air is suppressed by reducing the pressure in the low-pressure chamber 24, and the indirect cooling is performed in the sealed container of the low-pressure chamber 24. Even if the temperature rises such as opening / closing of the refrigerator or defrosting of the refrigerator 1, adverse effects on the internal temperature can be suppressed. Accordingly, the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 can be maintained at a constant temperature and high humidity.

On the other hand, the cold air that has cooled the entire refrigerator compartment 2 is also sucked into the cold air return port 32o of the back panel 30 of FIG.
An ice making water pump 28 is installed behind the ice making water tank 22 in FIG. A vacuum pump 29, which is an example of a decompression device for decompressing the low pressure chamber 24, is disposed in the space behind the storage case 23 and behind the low pressure chamber 24. The vacuum pump 29 is in contact with a pump connection portion (not shown) provided on the side surface of the low pressure chamber 24 via a conduit.

<Low pressure chamber 24>
As shown in FIG. 2, the low-pressure chamber 24 includes a box-shaped low-pressure chamber main body 40 having a front opening 40k for taking in and out food, a low-pressure chamber door 50 that opens and closes the front opening 40k of the low-pressure chamber main body 40, It has a food tray 60 for storing food in the interior and for taking food into and out of the low pressure chamber through the low pressure chamber door 50.

The low-pressure chamber door 50 is pivotally connected to a mechanism (not shown) whose lower end is attached to the low-pressure chamber main body 40.
When the user pulls out the handle 50t of the low-pressure chamber door 50, the low-pressure chamber door 50 is pulled out toward the front side, and the low-pressure chamber door 50 rotates around the support shaft at the lower side (the low-pressure chamber door 50 is The front opening 40k of the low-pressure chamber 24 is opened to the external space (to the user).

  With this configuration, in the low-pressure chamber main body 40, the space surrounded by the low-pressure chamber main body 40 and the low-pressure chamber door 50 is closed by closing the front opening 40 k for taking in and out the food of the low-pressure chamber door 50 with the low-pressure chamber door 50. It is formed as a low-pressure space that is depressurized from atmospheric pressure. The food tray 60 is attached to the back side of the low-pressure chamber door 50 and can move in the front-rear direction as the low-pressure chamber door 50 moves.

And as for the low pressure chamber 24, when a user puts food on the food tray 60 and closes the low pressure chamber door 50, the internal space is sealed. At the same time, the door switch (door opening / closing detection means) is turned on by the closing operation of the low-pressure chamber door 50, the vacuum pump 29 is driven, and the low-pressure chamber 24 is decompressed to a state lower than the atmospheric pressure. This allows the oxygen (O ₂₎ concentration in the low pressure chamber 24 to suppress degradation of the nutrients in the food decreased (oxidation).

  When the food is taken in and out of the low-pressure chamber 24, the user pulls the handle 50t of the low-pressure chamber door 50 toward the front, so that a pressure release valve (not shown) provided in a part of the low-pressure chamber door 50 is first. In operation, the air outside the low pressure chamber 24 flows into the low pressure chamber 24, the decompressed state of the low pressure chamber 24 is released, and the pressure is the same as the atmospheric pressure. In this way, by eliminating the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the low pressure chamber 24, the user can easily and smoothly open the upper portion of the low pressure chamber door 50 forward and open the low pressure chamber door 50, Food can be taken in and out.

An antioxidant component release cassette 80 containing an antioxidant 81 (see FIG. 2) is installed inside the low-pressure chamber 24 which is a decompression storage chamber.
In other words, the antioxidant component release cassette 80 containing the antioxidant 81 capable of preventing oxidation loss due to oxygen in the air is installed in the low-pressure chamber 24 for storing fresh food such as vegetables and meat fish. The antioxidant component release cassette 80 is detachably attached to the back wall portion 60 s of the food tray 60.

  As the antioxidant 81, an antioxidant that releases an antioxidant component under a pressure state lower than the atmospheric pressure without releasing the antioxidant component under an atmospheric pressure state is used. That is, the antioxidant 81 contained in the antioxidant component release cassette 80 depressurizes the low-pressure chamber 24 of the decompression storage chamber, so that the internal pressure of the antioxidant component release cassette 80 and the antioxidant component release cassette 80 are reduced. Due to the pressure difference from the external pressure, the antioxidant component is released to the outside of the antioxidant component release cassette 80 together with the air.

By putting food on the food tray 60 and closing the decompression storage chamber door 50, the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 of the decompression storage chamber is hermetically sealed, and at the same time, the door switch is turned on to drive the vacuum pump 29 and the decompression storage chamber. The low pressure chamber 24 is decompressed to a state lower than the atmospheric pressure.
Thereby, the oxygen concentration in the low pressure chamber 24 can be reduced, and deterioration (oxidation) of nutritional components in the food can be prevented.

Moreover, after the low-pressure chamber 24 of the decompression storage chamber is sealed and decompressed, the release of the antioxidant component from the antioxidant 81 is started, and in the low-pressure chamber 24 of the limited-volume decompression storage chamber, Antioxidant components can suppress the binding (oxidation reaction) between nutritional components and oxygen in foods.
As a result, since the antioxidant component is released in a decompressed state, the antioxidant component release cassette 80 can be downsized, the negative pressure pump 29 can be downsized, and the strength of the casing of the low pressure chamber 24 of the decompression storage chamber can be reduced. Yes. As a result, the antioxidant component release cassette 80 can be reduced in size to reduce the cost by increasing the food storage space and reducing the strength of the casing of the low pressure chamber 24, while reducing the oxidative degradation of the nutritional components in the food stored in the low pressure chamber 24. It can be prevented over a long period of time.

<Relationship between vacuum pump 29 and food weight in low pressure chamber 24>
Next, the relationship between the vacuum pump 29 and food weight will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the operation time of the vacuum pump and the weight of food.
The operation time of the vacuum pump 29 for depressurizing the low pressure chamber 24 in FIG. 2 can be converted into the amount of air extracted from the low pressure chamber 24. Further, since the vacuum pump 29 has a built-in pressure switch (detection / notification means), the operation of the vacuum pump 29 is stopped when a predetermined pressure is reached.

  That is, the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 corresponds (corresponds) to the amount of air extracted by the operation of the vacuum pump 29 in order to obtain a predetermined pressure measured by the pressure switch. At this time, since the space other than the food in the low pressure chamber 24 is determined depending on whether or not the food is present in the low pressure chamber 24, the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 is different. This is because the amount of air in the low-pressure chamber 24 under atmospheric pressure (the amount of air in the space other than food in the low-pressure chamber 24) varies depending on whether or not food is present in the low-pressure chamber 24.

  Therefore, it can be said that the volume of the food in the low pressure chamber 24 is determined by the operation time of the vacuum pump 29. For example, when the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 is short, the amount of air in the space other than the food in the low pressure chamber 24 is small, so the amount of food in the low pressure chamber 24 is large. On the other hand, when the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 is long, the amount of air in the space other than food in the low pressure chamber 24 is large, so the amount of food in the low pressure chamber 24 is small.

FIG. 4 shows the results of measuring the weight (kg) of the food (contained items) and the operation time (seconds) of the vacuum pump 29 when the food was actually stored in the low pressure chamber 24.
The actual storage volume of the low-pressure chamber 24 used below means an actual volume that can actually store food in the low-pressure chamber 24.
The diamond mark 50a in FIG. 4 indicates that the weight of the stored item is 0 kg, so if nothing is stored in the low pressure chamber 24, the dot 50b stores water in an amount that is 1/4 of the actual storage volume. In this case, a point 50c indicates a case where water is stored in an amount half the actual storage volume, and a point 50d indicates a case where water is stored in an amount 3/4 of the actual storage volume.

The amount of spinach described below is only a volume when actually handled in daily life. That is, a volume that does not crush spinach is used.
The white triangle mark △ point 51a shown in FIG. 4 indicates that the spinach is stored in an amount that is 1/4 of the actual storage volume, and the Δpoint 51b indicates that the spinach is stored in the amount that is 1/2 of the actual storage volume. 51c shows the case where spinach is stored in the amount of 3/4 of the actual storage volume, and Δpoint 51d shows the case where spinach is stored in the amount of the actual storage volume (4/4).

  As a result of the measurement, the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 varies linearly with the increase in the weight of the stored item both in the case of storing water and in the case of storing spinach. However, since water and spinach have different specific gravities, the operating times of the pumps at the ◆ point 50d and the Δ point 51d stored in the low pressure chamber 24 are not the same.

Further, the Δ point 51d full of vegetable spinach corresponds to about 1/8 of the actual storage volume when food with a specific gravity of 1 is stored. Nothing is stored in the low-pressure chamber 24. The operating time of the point 50a is about 183 seconds, the operating time of the △ point 51d full of spinach is 173 seconds, and nothing is stored. ◆ Compared with the total operating time of the point 50a About 5%.
That is, when the low pressure chamber 24 is full of food, if the food is only spinach, the operation time is reduced by about 5%. However, when meat and fish are mixed and mixed with food, that is, one piece of spinach. When the part is replaced with meat and fish, the meat and fish have a higher specific gravity than the vegetable spinach, so the operation time is naturally reduced by 5% or more. In addition, the vegetable containing spinach has a specific gravity of less than 1 that floats in water, and the specific gravity of meat or fish is 1 or more.

  Therefore, considering that vegetables are not frozen even if the food stored in the low pressure chamber 24 is mixed, the control for increasing the cooling is 5% with respect to the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 in which nothing is stored in the low pressure chamber 24. If it is reduced as described above, it is determined that meat fish other than vegetables are also present, and control is performed as follows.

  That is, when the operation time when nothing is stored in the low-pressure chamber 24 of the vacuum pump is reduced by 5% or more, meat fish other than vegetables are also mixed, and therefore cooling is strengthened giving priority to the storage state of meat fish. Take control. If it is less than 5% of the operation time when nothing is stored in the low-pressure chamber 24 of the vacuum pump, it is determined that meat fish is not mixed and normal cooling control is performed.

  In addition, when it is determined that about 1/8 or more of the actual storage volume of the low pressure chamber 24 is stored based on the operation time of the vacuum pump 29, it is determined that meat fish is also mixed and the meat fish is stored. It is also possible to perform control to increase cooling by giving priority to the state. On the other hand, if it is determined that less than about 1/8 of the actual storage volume of the low-pressure chamber 24 is stored, it is determined that meat fish is not mixed, and normal cooling control is performed with priority given to the preservation state of vegetables. It is good to do.

<Cooling switching control means 1S in the refrigerator 1>
Next, the control device 45 of the cooling switching control means of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a control block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the control means of the refrigerator according to the embodiment.
The control device 45 includes, for example, a microcomputer, an A / D / D / A conversion circuit, a sensor circuit, a damper drive circuit, a heater power supply circuit, a timer, and the like (detection / notification means). Note that at least a part of the functions of the control device 45 may be replaced by a circuit or the like, and the configuration is not limited as long as the functions of the control device 45 can be performed.

The control device 45 receives a setting signal of the temperature adjusting unit 44, information on the operation time (during operation) of the vacuum pump 29, and a detection signal of the temperature sensor 46 that measures the temperature of the low-pressure chamber 24.
The control device 45 outputs a drive current (control signal) to the damper device 41 and supplies a necessary current (control signal) to the heater 43.

As described above, the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 for reducing the pressure of the low-pressure chamber 24 from the atmospheric pressure to a predetermined pressure indicates the amount of food stored in the low-pressure chamber 24.
Therefore, the amount of food stored in the low-pressure chamber 24 can be obtained by acquiring the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 that depressurizes the low-pressure chamber 24 from atmospheric pressure to a predetermined pressure.

Hereinafter, the operation of the control device 45 will be described.
The controller 45 detects the amount of food in the low pressure chamber 24 detected by the operation time of the vacuum pump 29, the ice temperature (registered trademark) temperature range (for example, setting of -1 ° C), and the refrigerator temperature range (for example, 3), the temperature set by the temperature control unit 44 and the temperature of the low-pressure chamber 24 detected by the temperature sensor 46 are input, that is, the amount and setting of those foods. Based on the temperature and the detected temperature, a control signal is output to the damper device 41 and the heater 43.

  More specifically, when the amount of food stored in the low-pressure chamber 24 is large (when the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 is short), the opening degree of the damper device 41 (see FIG. 1) is increased or completely opened. Thus, the amount of cold air is controlled. On the other hand, when the amount of food stored in the low pressure chamber 24 is small (when the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 is long), the opening degree of the damper device 41 (see FIG. 1) is reduced or completely closed to cool air. Reduce the amount.

Further, when the temperature of the low pressure chamber 24 detected by the temperature sensor 46 becomes too low, the heater 43 (see FIG. 1) is energized to increase the temperature of the low pressure chamber 24.
When the detected value of the amount of food is low or not, the opening degree of the damper device 41 is reduced, so that the supply of cold air to the cold air circulation space to the low pressure chamber 24 is stopped or reduced to reduce the temperature in the low pressure chamber 24. Raise.

  Here, when there is no detected value of the amount of food, the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 when nothing is stored in the low-pressure chamber 24 is obtained in advance (see the plot point 50a in FIG. 4), and the operation time is stored in the ROM ( The absence of food in the low-pressure chamber 24 can be detected from the operating time of the vacuum pump 29 measured by the operating refrigerator 1 by setting it in the table of the storage unit or by describing it in the control program. .

<Effects of food storage and cooling control>
Next, the amount of food stored in the low-pressure chamber 24 and the effect of cooling control will be described.
The central temperature (° C.) of the beef when the damper device 41 was opened and closed when the beef was stored in the low-pressure chamber 24 was measured over time.
FIG. 6 shows the cooling rate when beef is stored in the low pressure chamber. The horizontal axis in FIG. 6 is the elapsed time (hour), and the vertical axis in FIG. 6 is the center temperature (° C.) of beef.

  The thick line 53 shown in FIG. 6 represents the transition of the center temperature (° C.) of each beef when the damper device 41 is fully open and the thin line 54 is closed. From the results of FIG. 6, since the central temperature (° C.) of beef is lower when the damper device 41 is fully open (reference numeral 53) than when the damper apparatus 41 is closed (reference numeral 54), the opening degree of the damper device 41 is increased. It is clear that the effect of improving the cooling rate of the low-pressure chamber 24 is further exhibited by increasing the size.

Next, the effect of cooling control of the low pressure chamber 24 will be described.
The effect of cooling control was investigated by determining the amount of glutamic acid drip (outflow) (see FIG. 7) and the amount of residual glutamic acid (see FIG. 8) when beef is stored in the low-pressure chamber 24. did.
FIG. 7 shows the amount of glutamic acid drip (outflow) when beef is stored in the low-pressure chamber, and FIG. 8 shows the amount of glutamic acid when beef is stored in the low-pressure chamber. .

In FIGS. 7 and 8, 55a and 55b indicate the amount of drip and glutamic acid before storage in the low-pressure chamber 24, respectively, 56a and 56b indicate the amount of drip and glutamic acid after storage stored with cooling control, respectively. 57a and 57b indicate the drip amount and the glutamic acid amount after storage without cooling control, respectively.
As a result of the measurement, as can be seen from FIG. 7, the amount of drip is smaller when the cooling control of 56a is performed than when the cooling control of 57a is not performed. The drip amount 55a before storage is zero.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 8, it can be seen that the amount of glutamic acid contained in the beef is larger when the cooling control of 56b is performed than when the cooling control of 57b is not performed.
It is known that glutamic acid, which contains a large amount of umami components, flows out (drip) with time during storage.
Therefore, glutamic acid drip can be suppressed by storing beef faster and at a lower temperature at which it is not frozen.

Thus, as a result of the measurement, the cooling-controlled 56a (drip amount) (see FIG. 7), 56b (the remaining amount of glutamic acid) (see FIG. 8 is cooled faster by the cooling control, resulting in the cooling of FIG. It can be said that the amount of drip is less than 57a which is not controlled, and the umami component (glutamic acid) remains in the beef more than 57b which is not controlled in FIG.
Therefore, it becomes the refrigerator 1 which can provide a more delicious foodstuff by detecting the weight of food and controlling it to cool quickly.

The main features of the present invention described in the embodiments are summarized as follows.
The refrigerator main body 1H includes a plurality of storage chambers (2, 3, 4, 5) and a refrigeration cycle, and a cool air passage that guides cold air from the refrigeration cycle to the plurality of storage chambers (2, 3, 4, 5). In the refrigerator 1 in which 30t is formed, a means (vacuum pump 29) provided in at least a part (low pressure chamber 24) of the plurality of storage chambers (2, 3, 4, 5) and vents the air in the storage chamber Detecting and notifying means (timer and pressure switch for detecting the operating time of the vacuum pump 29) for detecting or notifying the amount of air extracted and the internal pressure in the storage chamber (low pressure chamber 24) when the air is extracted; Alternatively, cooling control means (control device 45) for controlling cooling of the storage chamber (low pressure chamber 24) based on the notified value is provided.

  That is, when food is stored in a constant volume storage chamber (low pressure chamber 24), the air volume in the storage chamber decreases, so the internal pressure in the storage chamber and the amount of air removed from the storage chamber differ depending on the volume of the stored food. In other words, the volume of food stored can be determined by the internal pressure in the storage chamber (low pressure chamber 24) and the amount of air extracted from the storage chamber. As a result, the cooling can be controlled with a small amount of food, and the maintenance of the freshness can be improved by improving the cooling rate.

More preferably, control is performed to increase cooling when the volume of food stored in the storage chamber (low pressure chamber 24) is less than the volume corresponding to a specific gravity of 1 or less with respect to the weight when the storage chamber is fully loaded. In other words, if the stored food has a specific gravity of 1 or more, control to increase cooling is added.
That is, as described above, when the storage chamber (low pressure chamber 24) is indirectly cooled, there is heat loss unless the cold air temperature is lower than the target temperature. The target temperature is not reached.

  In other words, if the cold air temperature is further lowered, the inside of the storage chamber (low pressure chamber 24) quickly reaches the target temperature. However, since the cold air temperature is low, the food is frozen when there are few stored foods or vegetables. Most vegetables float in water and have a specific gravity of less than 1. Also, meat fish has a specific gravity greater than 1.

  Therefore, the minimum weight that can be fully loaded in the storage chamber (low pressure chamber 24) is obtained, and when the volume is equal to or less than the specific gravity of 1 or less, vegetables are always mixed. Here, if the weight is converted from the volume of the food in the storage room, a gap is formed no matter how the food is aligned, but it is difficult to consider this gap. In addition, since the food to be stored has a space in the food tray 60 and meat and fish are on it, it is difficult to consider the space.

  Therefore, the volume corresponding to a specific gravity of 1 or less is calculated from the weight of the food when the storage room (low pressure chamber 24) is actually full of food. Thereby, such a problem can be solved and optimal cooling control becomes possible, without causing freezing of vegetables.

More preferably, the operating time of the pump is used as the detection means. The air can be manually extracted and the air vent hole looks like a whistle and can be discriminated by sound, but by using a vacuum pump, the food stored in the storage room can be sucked up to the specified pressure. Since the volume is accurately determined, there are few malfunctions.
More preferably, the control for increasing the cooling is added when the operation time of the pump is shortened by 5% or more.

More preferably, the CO ₂ sensing means is added to the storage room as follows.
<Control using CO ₂ sensing means>
Vegetables breathe simultaneously with photosynthesis. When vegetables are stored in the low pressure chamber 24, it issues a CO ₂ since the breathing. Other meat, fish should not be allowed out of the CO _2.
Therefore, when there is more CO ₂ in the low pressure chamber 24 than in the atmosphere, it can be seen that vegetables are stored in the low pressure chamber 24.

Therefore, a CO ₂ sensor of CO ₂ sensing means is provided at the discharge port to the atmosphere where air is extracted from the low pressure chamber 24 by the vacuum pump 29, and the air discharged outside the low pressure chamber 24 has more CO ₂ than in the atmosphere. Detect if it exists. Thereby, it is possible to detect or notify whether or not vegetables are stored in the low pressure chamber 24.

The CO ₂ sensor, which look for the presence of CO ₂ at the wavelength of the light-receiving portion is absorbed by the air discharged at the outlet of air infrared from the low pressure chamber 24, the CO ₂ is adsorbed on the semiconductor surface treated potential there it is such as to see the presence of CO ₂ from the altered potential, as long as it does not prevent usage of the refrigerator 1, the type of CO ₂ sensor is not limited. When more CO ₂ is detected in the atmosphere, it is presumed that vegetables are stored, so it is preferable to control the temperature of the low-pressure chamber 24 so as not to fall below 0 ° C.
Thereby, the presence or absence of the vegetables which do not want to freeze can be determined, cooling can be controlled more accurately, and the freezing of vegetables can be suppressed.

  However, vegetables, meat, and fish may be mixed and stored in the low pressure chamber 24. In this case, there is a problem whether cooling control is performed with priority on vegetables or cooling control is performed with priority on meat and fish. In addition, the freezing temperature of vegetables is 0 degreeC or less (for example, -1 degreeC), and the freezing temperature of meat and fish is -3 degreeC. Also, once frozen, the damage is much greater for vegetables.

The low pressure chamber 24 has a chilled setting including a temperature setting of + 1 ° C. and an ice temperature setting including a temperature setting of −1 ° C.
Therefore, in the case of the chilled setting including when the temperature setting of the low-pressure chamber 24 is + 1 ° C., it is considered that the user has vegetables in mind. Therefore, when more CO ₂ is detected in the atmosphere, the vegetables In order to prevent freezing, the temperature is controlled so that it does not fall below 0 ° C in consideration of temperature errors.

On the other hand, in the case of the ice temperature setting including when the temperature setting of the low pressure chamber 24 is −1 ° C., it is considered that the user is keeping in mind the storage of meat and fish, and therefore when more CO ₂ is detected than in the atmosphere. In addition, it is preferable to perform control so as to lower the temperature to approximately −2 ° C. in consideration of a temperature error so that the meat and fish are not frozen.
In other words, when the temperature setting of the low-pressure chamber 24 is 0 ° C. or higher, the vegetable priority control is performed so that the vegetables do not fall below 0 ° C., so that the temperature setting of the low-pressure chamber 24 is 0. When the temperature is lower than ℃, it is better to control the meat and fish to lower to approximately -2 ℃ so that the meat and fish are not frozen.

In addition, the following configurations are possible as desirable configurations.
<Cooling control triggered by opening / closing of the low-pressure chamber door 50>
Further, it is possible to detect the opening / closing of the low-pressure chamber door 50 shown in FIG. 2 and to control the cooling corresponding to the change in the stored items in the low-pressure chamber 24.
First, the opening / closing operation of the low-pressure chamber door 50 is detected by a door switch.
The operation time of the vacuum pump 29 before the opening / closing operation of the low-pressure chamber door 50 is stored in a storage unit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  Subsequently, when the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 after the opening / closing operation of the low-pressure chamber door 50 is shorter than the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 before the opening / closing operation, the stored items increased, that is, the uncooled stored items are stored in the low-pressure chamber. 24, the cooling control is set to be stronger than the normal operation. Specifically, the time for opening the damper device 41 is set longer than usual.

In the case of the chilled setting including the time of + 1 ° C., it is considered that the user has vegetables in mind. Therefore, control is made so that the temperature does not fall below 0 ° C. so that the vegetables do not freeze. On the other hand, in the case of the ice temperature setting including when the temperature is −1 ° C., it is considered that the user has meat and fish in mind. Therefore, it is preferable to control the temperature to approximately −2 ° C. so that the meat and fish are not frozen. .
On the other hand, if the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 after the opening / closing operation of the low-pressure chamber door 50 is longer than the operation time of the vacuum pump 29 before the opening / closing operation, it is considered that the stored items in the low-pressure chamber 24 have been taken out. Normal cooling control is performed.

<Adoption of Weight Sensor (Weight Detection Unit) 47> Using the weight sensor 47 shown by an imaginary line (two-dot chain line) in FIG. 5, the weight of the food placed on the food tray 60 in the low pressure chamber 24 is measured. Is also possible.
The specific gravity of the food placed on the food tray 60 from the weight of the food in the low pressure chamber 24 measured by the weight sensor 47 and the volume of the food in the low pressure chamber 24 determined by the operating time of the vacuum pump 29 is: specific gravity = It is obtained by calculation of (weight of food in the low pressure chamber 24) / (volume of food in the low pressure chamber 24).

Thereby, when the specific gravity is less than 1, it is detected or notified that vegetables are stored, and when the specific gravity is greater than 1, it is detected or notified that meat and fish are stored.
In this way, it is possible to detect or notify that vegetables, meat, and fish are stored in the low-pressure chamber 24, and perform the above-described cooling control for various vegetables and cooling control for meat and fish.
Examples of the weight sensor 47 include one that uses elastic deformation due to weight, and one that converts elastic deformation due to weight into an electric signal using a differential transformer, but any sensor can be selected.
The cooling control triggered by opening / closing of the low-pressure chamber door 50 may be performed by detecting a change in the weight of the stored item at the time of opening / closing by a weight sensor.
That is, when the food weight increases after the low-pressure chamber door 50 is opened and closed, the cooling control stronger than the normal cooling control is performed. After the low-pressure chamber door 50 is opened and closed, the food weight decreases. For normal cooling control.
Further, the control based on the change in the weight of the stored item when the door is opened and closed is not limited to the opening and closing of the low-pressure chamber door 50, and may be applied to other storage chambers (2, 3, 4, 5).
That is, a weight sensor (weight detection means) for detecting the weight of food in the other storage chambers (2, 3, 4, 5) and an opening / closing detection means for the doors (6, 7, 8, 9) are provided. You may make it carry out by the change of the weight of the foodstuff of the storage chamber (2, 3, 4, 5) at the time of opening and closing of (6, 7, 8, 9).
That is, the cooling control triggered by the change in the weight of the stored item when the door is opened and closed is not limited to the opening and closing of the low-pressure chamber door 50, but the doors (6, 7, 8, and 9) can be appropriately selected and applied.

According to the above configuration, when meat and fish are stored in the low-pressure chamber 24, the cooling is performed rapidly, while when vegetables are stored in the low-pressure chamber 24, normal cooling control is performed without performing rapid cooling.
When food stored in the refrigerator 1 is cooled quickly, the shelf life is better and the freshness is maintained. Therefore, the freshness can be maintained longer for each type of food stored in the low-pressure chamber 24.

Therefore, in the low pressure chamber 24 in which the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 of the storage chamber is indirectly cooled and the vegetables are stored, the delay of the cooling rate, which has been a drawback of the indirect cooling, is eliminated, and the cooling rate is reduced without freezing the vegetables. It is possible to improve the freshness retention by the improvement.
Therefore, the refrigerator provided with the storage room (low pressure room 24) which can improve the freshness maintenance effect of food by improving the cooling rate of food can be provided.

<< Other Embodiments >>
In the above-described embodiment, the vacuum pump 29 has been described as an example of the air venting unit. However, air venting units other than the vacuum pump 29 may be applied. For example, a deformable lid (air venting means) is provided in the refrigerator compartment. Then, when the user presses the lid, the lid is deformed into the inside of the refrigerating chamber, the air in the refrigerating chamber is discharged from the check valve (air venting means), and the lid is elastically restored to its original shape. The present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which the inside of the refrigerator compartment has a low pressure.

In the embodiment, the target pressure in the low-pressure chamber 24 is made constant, and the food stored in the time for evacuation until reaching the pressure is determined. However, the time for evacuation is made constant. The control may be performed by determining how far the pressure has dropped.
In the embodiment, various configurations have been described. However, the configurations may be appropriately selected and combined.

In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated and demonstrated the refrigerator 1 provided with the refrigerator compartment of a refrigerator temperature zone and the freezer compartment of a freezing temperature zone, it is applicable also to the refrigerator provided only with the refrigerator compartment of a refrigerator temperature zone. Needless to say.

1 Refrigerator 2 Cold room (storage room)
3, 4 Freezer room (storage room)
5 Vegetable room (storage room)
14 Compressor (refrigeration cycle)
15 Evaporator (refrigeration cycle)
24 Low pressure chamber (at least a part of a plurality of storage rooms, storage room)
29 Vacuum pump (air venting means, pump)
30t Cold air passage 31 First cold air outlet (cold air passage)
32 Second cold air outlet (cold air passage)
32o Cold air return (cold air passage)
45 Control device (cooling control means)
47 Weight sensor (weight detection means)
50 Low pressure chamber door

Claims (7)

A refrigerator comprising a plurality of storage chambers and a refrigeration cycle for cooling the storage chamber, wherein a cold air passage is formed for guiding cold air from the refrigeration cycle to the plurality of storage chambers,
An air vent means provided in at least a part of the plurality of storage chambers for venting the air in the storage chambers;
Detecting / notifying means for detecting or notifying the amount of air extracted and the internal pressure in the storage chamber when the air is extracted;
Cooling control means for controlling cooling of the storage room based on the detected or notified value ,
The said detection and alerting | reporting means calculates | requires the said extracted air quantity from the driving | operation time of the pump which is the said air venting means . The refrigerator according to claim 1,
The cooling control means includes
Based on the detected or notified value, the volume of the food in the storage chamber provided with the air vent means is detected, and the volume is equal to or less than the volume corresponding to a specific gravity of 1 or less with respect to the weight when the storage chamber is fully loaded. When it is judged that it is, the refrigerator which performs control which makes cooling stronger than normal cooling control. In the refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2,
A refrigerator comprising weight detection means for detecting the weight of the food in the storage chamber. In the refrigerator as described in any one of Claims 1-3 ,
The cooling control means includes
When the operation time of the pump is shortened by 5% or more compared to the operation time of the pump when nothing is stored in the storage chamber provided with the air venting means, cooling is performed more than normal cooling control. Refrigerator characterized in that control for strengthening is performed while normal cooling control is performed when shortened by less than 5%. In the refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A refrigerator comprising CO ₂ sensing means for the storage room provided with the air vent means. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein when the CO ₂ sensing means senses more CO ₂ than in the atmosphere, it controls cooling so that vegetables do not freeze when the storage room is set to a temperature of 0 ° C. or higher. The refrigerator is characterized in that the cooling control is stronger than the cooling control in which the vegetables are not frozen when the temperature of the storage room is lower than 0 ° C. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein when the CO ₂ sensing means senses more CO ₂ than in the atmosphere, in the case of a chilled setting including a temperature setting of the storage room of 1 ° C, 0 ° C is set. On the other hand, in the case of an ice temperature setting including when the temperature of the storage room is -1 ° C, the refrigerator is controlled to decrease to approximately -2 ° C.

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