JP5753743B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  Foods undergo oxidation by reacting with oxygen in the air during storage. 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 the oxidation of nutrient components by reducing the oxygen concentration by utilizing a vacuum pack, an antioxidant, or the like are routinely incorporated.

  As an example thereof, conventionally, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, the air in a sealed container in a refrigerator is sucked using a vacuum pump, thereby reducing the amount of oxygen in the container, There are refrigerators that suppress deterioration due to oxidation. That is, the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 uses a room temperature as a refrigerated temperature zone from the viewpoint of preventing freezing of food, and improves the function of maintaining the freshness of food such as fish meat, dairy products, vegetables, and fruits. .

JP 2009-8292 A

  In Patent Document 1 described above, since the temperature zone in the sealed container is set to a so-called refrigeration temperature zone, it is optimal for storing fruits, vegetables, dairy products and the like whose freezing temperature is around 0 ° C. However, meat and fish have less moisture than vegetables, and thus cannot always be said to have an appropriate temperature setting.

  In general, as for the temperature range at the time of food storage, as long as the food is not frozen, the lower the temperature, the more the activity of the enzyme in the food is suppressed, so that the storage stability is improved. When enzyme activity in food is suppressed, degradation by the enzyme does not occur and there are few biological reactions.

  Here, according to various studies by the inventors of the present invention, the following has been found. Nucleotides (ATP, ADP, etc.) contained in fresh fish and shellfish are degraded during storage, and in particular, fish mainly become IMP. If the decomposition further proceeds, it becomes inosine or hypoxanthine, which causes taste. Phospholipids are more easily decomposed during refrigeration than neutral lipids, produce free fatty acids, and cause food oxidation and protein denaturation. Therefore, the enzyme reaction is suppressed by storing at a lower temperature and at a temperature of 0 ° C. to −1 ° C. (hereinafter referred to as “ice temperature temperature zone”) in which meat and fish are not frozen. Preservability can be improved.

  On the other hand, the temperature of each storage room of the refrigerator rises with the opening and closing of the door, defrosting, etc., and there is non-uniformity due to local cooling by cold air outlets installed at several places and on / off of the compressor. Since this occurs, it is difficult to adjust this to an appropriate temperature. In particular, when trying to store the above-mentioned ice temperature, there is a problem that it is actually difficult to control the temperature of a predetermined region inside the refrigerator at a constant temperature (that is, an ice temperature temperature range). It was. In particular, the ice temperature temperature range of 0 ° C. to −5 ° C. is also the maximum ice crystal formation zone where ice crystals in foods are most likely to grow. Will be destroyed and damage is likely to occur. That is, if the temperature fluctuation is large in this ice temperature temperature zone, the food is repeatedly frozen and thawed, and small ice crystals present in the cells move out of the cells and bind to each other to form large crystals. Because of this property, the point that ice crystals grow greatly has been a problem.

  Thus, according to the storage in the ice temperature range described above, on the one hand, the growth of the bacteria is suppressed, but on the other hand, if the temperature fluctuation is large, the food is recrystallized during storage. The cells are damaged by the effect of such as. For this reason, there is a problem that the so-called drip flows out and the umami component is reduced, or the texture is lowered (for example, rustling) because moisture is removed from the food.

  In addition, especially in the case of a direct-cooled storage room, dry air hits the food surface, promoting drying, causing discoloration of the food surface, and further, in the cells that have been dried to increase the surface area. As a result of air becoming more likely to enter, there is a possibility of causing a change in freshness such as promotion of lipid oxidation.

  Further, if the time for cooling the low pressure chamber is constant, the temperature varies depending on the amount of food stored in the low pressure chamber, and it is difficult to perform precise temperature control.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that estimates the amount of food in a low-pressure chamber and changes the cooling time to enable optimal storage of food.

The present application includes a plurality of means for solving the above-described problems. To give an example, the main body, a plurality of storage chambers, at least a part of the plurality of storage chambers, and the interior to the outside. In a refrigerator having a sealed low-pressure chamber, a vacuum pump for depressurizing the low-pressure chamber, and a refrigeration cycle, and forming a cold air passage for guiding cold air from the refrigeration cycle to the plurality of storage chambers, at least the low-pressure chamber the cool air passage toward the chamber provided with a damper device for opening and closing the cold air passage, and, as a configuration for controlling the opening and closing times of the damper device by operating time of the vacuum pump, the lower projection position of the low-pressure chamber to a heater, if the low pressure chamber is less than the reference temperature, by energizing the heater, when the low-pressure chamber was equal to or greater than the reference temperature, the damper device a predetermined time (X) The operation time of the vacuum pump when the storage in the low-pressure chamber is empty is defined as a predetermined time (A), and the operation time of the vacuum pump until the low-pressure chamber reaches a target pressure is 0 second to the predetermined time. If it is less than the predetermined time (B) provided until (A), it is determined that the amount of food stored in the low-pressure chamber is large, and the opening time of the damper device is set to the predetermined time (X) for the predetermined time (Y). When the operation time of the vacuum pump until the low pressure chamber reaches the target pressure is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (B), it is determined that the amount of food stored in the low pressure chamber is small, and the damper device is Closed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the refrigerator which enables the optimal preservation | save of a foodstuff by changing the cooling time by estimating the foodstuff quantity in a low pressure room | chamber interior can be provided.

It is a center longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the lowermost space part of the refrigerator compartment shown in FIG. It is a front view of the back panel of the refrigerator compartment shown in FIG. It is a control block diagram which shows the content of the control in the refrigerator of one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a time until the temperature of the low-pressure chamber 24 reaches a reference temperature A. It is a figure showing the time when the negative pressure pump 29 depressurizes the low pressure chamber 24. It is an operation | movement flowchart in a present Example.

  Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional perspective view of a lowermost space portion of the refrigerator compartment shown in FIG.

  As is clear from these drawings, the refrigerator includes a refrigerator body 1 and a plurality of doors 6 to 9 provided on the front surface thereof. The refrigerator body 1 is composed of a steel plate outer box 11, a resin inner box 12, a urethane foam heat insulating material 13 and / or a vacuum heat insulating material (not shown) filled therebetween, From the top of the figure, a plurality of storage rooms are formed in the order of the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer compartments 3 and 4, and the vegetable compartment 5. In other words, the refrigerator compartment 2 is arranged at the top and the vegetable compartment 5 is divided and arranged at the bottom, and both the compartments are provided between the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 5. Freezer compartments 3 and 4 that are thermally partitioned from each other are disposed. 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. These storage chambers 2 to 5 are partitioned by partition walls 34, 35, and 36.

  As described above, doors 6 to 9 are provided on the front surface of the refrigerator body 1 in order to close the front opening portions of the plurality of storage chambers 2 to 5, respectively. The refrigerator compartment door 6 closes the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer compartment door 7 closes the front opening of the freezer compartment 3, and the freezer compartment door 8 closes the front opening of the freezer compartment 4. The vegetable compartment door 9 is a door that closes the front opening of the vegetable compartment 5. The refrigerator compartment door 6 is a double door with double doors, and the freezer compartment door 7, the freezer compartment door 8, and the vegetable compartment door 9 are constructed with drawer doors. The structure is drawn out.

  The refrigerator body 1 having the above-described structure is provided with a refrigeration cycle. This 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 that order. The compressor 14 and the condenser are installed in a machine room provided at the lower back of the refrigerator body 1. The evaporator 15 is installed in a cooler room provided behind the freezing rooms 3 and 4, and a blower fan 16 is installed above the evaporator 15 in the cooler room.

  The cold air cooled by the evaporator 15 is sent to each storage room such as the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer compartments 3, 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 by a blower fan 16 through a cold air passage (not shown). Specifically, a part of the cold air sent by the blower fan 16 is sent to a storage room in the refrigeration temperature zone of the refrigeration room 2 and the vegetable room 5 via a damper that can be opened and closed. The part is sent to the freezer compartment 3 and the storage compartment of the freezing temperature zone.

  The cool air sent to the storage rooms of the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer compartments 3 and 4 and the vegetable compartment 5 by the blower fan 16 is returned to the cooler compartment through the cool air return passage after cooling each storage compartment. . Thus, the refrigerator which becomes this Embodiment has the circulation structure of cold air, and maintains each store room 2-5 at a suitable temperature.

  Moreover, in the refrigerator compartment 2, 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 back 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. Further, a plurality of door pockets 25 to 27 are installed inside each refrigerator compartment door 6, and these door pockets 25 to 27 protrude into the refrigerator compartment 2 with the refrigerator compartment door 6 being closed. It is provided as follows. A back panel 30 that forms a passage through which the cool air supplied from the blower fan 16 passes is provided on the back of the refrigerator compartment 2.

  As is apparent from FIG. 2, the lowermost space 21 is, in order from the left, an ice-making water tank 22 for supplying ice-making water to the ice-making tray in the freezer compartment 3, and a storage case for storing food such as desserts. 23, low-pressure chambers 24 are provided for maintaining the freshness of food and storing it for a long period of time by reducing the pressure inside the chamber. 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. As is clear from the drawing, the low-pressure chamber 24 is surrounded by walls and doors so as to be airtight, so that the internal atmospheric pressure can be lowered from the outside.

  The ice making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 are arranged behind the refrigerator compartment door 6 (FIG. 1) on the left side of FIG. Thereby, the ice making water tank 22 and the storage case 23 can be pulled out only by opening the left refrigerator compartment door 6. Further, the low pressure chamber 24 is disposed behind the refrigerator compartment door 6 on the right side of the drawing. Thereby, the food tray 60 of the low pressure chamber 24 can be pulled out only by opening the right refrigerator compartment door 6. In FIG. 1, 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, and the low pressure chamber 24 is also provided in the refrigerator compartment door. It will be located behind the door pocket 27 of the 6th lowest stage.

  Next, details of the rear panel 30 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The rear panel 30 includes a cold air discharge port (first cold air discharge port) 31 for supplying cold air to the refrigerating chamber 2 and a low pressure chamber cooling for supplying cold air to the lowermost space 21 of the refrigerating chamber 2. A cold air discharge port (second cold air discharge port) 32 and a cold air return port 33 are provided. The cold air return port 33 is provided on the back side of the low pressure chamber 24 on the side close to the side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2.

  The cool air discharge port 32 is provided toward the gap between the upper surface of the low-pressure chamber 24 and the lower surface of the shelf 20. The cold air discharged from the cold air discharge port 32 flows through the gap 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 the upper surface. Accordingly, the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 is indirectly cooled.

  Further, a damper device 41 for controlling the flow of cold air into the low pressure chamber 24 is provided upstream of the cold air discharge port 32. The opening and closing of the damper device 41 is controlled by a control device (not shown), and thereby the amount of cold air supplied to the low pressure chamber 24 is controlled.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, a heater 43 is provided to increase the temperature in the low-pressure chamber 24. The heater 43 is provided on the lower projection surface in the low-pressure chamber 24. In this example, the heater 43 has a substantially same area as the bottom surface in the low-pressure chamber 24.

  Here, the low pressure chamber 24 is disposed close to the right side surface of the refrigeration chamber 2 to eliminate the gap on the right side of the low pressure chamber 24, and a shelf (partition wall) (not shown) is provided at the left end of the upper surface of the low pressure chamber 24. Since the gap on the left side of the low pressure chamber 24 is eliminated, the cold air discharged from the 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. Thus, the inside of the low pressure chamber 24 can be cooled quickly by increasing the amount of cool air that cools the upper surface of the low pressure chamber 24. The cool air that has cooled the upper surface of the low pressure chamber 24 is sucked into the cool air return port 33 from the front of the low pressure chamber 24 through the left side surface of the low pressure chamber 24, and returned to the cooler chamber through the cool air return passage. Since the cold air return port 33 is provided on the rear side of the low pressure chamber 24 and on the side close to the side surface of the refrigerator compartment 2, the cold air comes into contact with the rear surface and the left side surface of the low pressure chamber 24 to cool it.

  In this way, the low pressure chamber 24 is indirectly cooled by the cold air passing through the outside thereof. Therefore, by reducing the convection of the cold air by reducing the pressure, and by indirect cooling in the sealed container, against the effects of on / off of the compressor, and the temperature rise such as opening and closing of the refrigerator door and defrosting However, the adverse effect on the internal temperature can be suppressed, so that a constant temperature and high humidity state can be maintained. The cold air that has cooled the entire refrigerator compartment 2 is also sucked into the cold air return port 33.

  An ice making water pump 28 is installed behind the ice making water tank 22. A negative pressure pump 29, which is an example of a decompression device for decompressing the low pressure chamber 24, is disposed behind the storage case 23 and in a space behind the low pressure chamber 24. The negative pressure pump 29 is in contact with a pump connection portion provided on the side surface of the low pressure chamber 24 via a conduit.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the low-pressure chamber 24 described above includes a box-shaped low-pressure chamber main body 40 having an opening for taking in and out food (opening-out opening for food), and a food for putting in and out the food in the low-pressure chamber main body 40. A low-pressure chamber door 50 that opens and closes the opening, and a food tray 60 that accommodates food in the interior and passes the low-pressure chamber door 50 into and out of the low-pressure chamber are configured. That is, 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 formed as a low-pressure space that is depressurized by closing the food loading / unloading opening of the low-pressure chamber door 50. The food tray 60 is attached to the back side of the low pressure chamber door 50 and can be moved back and forth as the low pressure chamber door 50 moves.

  In addition, an antioxidant component release cassette 80 containing an antioxidant 81 (not shown) is installed inside the low pressure chamber 24. In other words, in the low-pressure chamber 24 for storing fresh foods such as vegetables, meat, and fish, an antioxidant component release cassette 80 containing an antioxidant 81 for preventing oxidation loss due to oxygen in the air inside is stored. is set up. As shown in FIG. 2, the antioxidant component release cassette 80 is detachably attached to the back wall portion of the food tray 60. As the anti-oxidant 81, an anti-oxidant that does not release the anti-oxidant component under the atmospheric pressure group and releases the anti-oxidant component under the pressure state lower than the atmospheric pressure is used. That is, the antioxidant 81 contained in the antioxidant component release cassette 80 depressurizes the inside of the low pressure chamber 24, thereby reducing the pressure inside the antioxidant component release cassette 80 and the pressure outside the antioxidant component release cassette 80. The antioxidant component is released due to the pressure difference.

  The low pressure chamber 24 is placed in a closed state by placing food on the food tray 60 and closing the low pressure chamber door 50. Further, the door switch is turned on and the negative pressure pump 29 is driven, and the low pressure chamber 29 is driven. 24 is depressurized to a state lower than atmospheric pressure. As a result, the oxygen concentration in the low-pressure chamber 24 is reduced, and deterioration of nutritional components in the food can be prevented.

  Moreover, after the low pressure chamber 24 is sealed and decompressed, the release of the antioxidant component from the antioxidant 81 is started, so that the antioxidant is contained in the low pressure chamber 24 of the limited volume. It is possible to prevent the binding of nutritional components in the food and oxygen due to the components. As a result, the antioxidant component release cassette 80 can be downsized, the negative pressure pump 29 can be downsized, the strength of the casing of the low pressure chamber 24 can be reduced, and the food storage space can be increased and the cost can be reduced. Oxidative deterioration of nutritional components in the food stored in the chamber 24 can be prevented over a long period of time.

  Then, by pulling the low-pressure chamber door 50 forward, first, the pressure release valve provided in a part of the low-pressure chamber door 50 is operated to release the low-pressure chamber 24 from the reduced pressure state. The low pressure chamber door 50 can be opened due to the atmospheric pressure. As a result, the low pressure chamber door 50 can be easily opened and food can be taken in and out.

  Next, the temperature switching control means in the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, this FIG. 4 is a control block diagram which shows schematic structure of the control means of the refrigerator which becomes a present Example.

  In the figure, for example, a control device 45 constituted by a microcomputer or the like has a temperature detected by a temperature sensor 42 that detects the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the temperature between an ice temperature temperature range and a chilled temperature range. Are input with the temperature set by the temperature control unit 44 that can be switched, that is, based on those temperatures, a control signal is output to the damper device 41 and the heater 43.

  More specifically, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 is lower than a reference temperature A, the amount of cold air is controlled (suppressed) by reducing the opening degree of the damper device 41 or completely closing it. . When the temperature becomes too low, the heater 43 is energized to increase the temperature.

  When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 is too higher than the reference temperature A, the opening degree of the damper device 41 is increased so that the cool air is supplied to the cool air circulation space in the low pressure chamber 24 and the temperature in the low pressure chamber 24 is increased. Lower.

  As described above, the temperature in the low-pressure chamber 24 can be controlled by opening / closing the damper device 41 and the energization time of the heater 43. However, food is stored in the low-pressure chamber 24, and as shown in FIG. In addition, the time to reach the reference temperature A varies depending on the amount of food stored.

  For example, when the amount of stored food is large, the time to reach the reference temperature A is long, and when the amount of stored food is small, the time to reach the reference temperature A is short.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the operating time of the negative pressure pump 29 to the target atmospheric pressure varies depending on the amount of food stored in the low pressure chamber 24.

  For example, when the amount of stored food is large, the time to reach the target pressure is short, and when the amount of stored food is small, the time to reach the target pressure is long.

  Therefore, temperature control of the low pressure chamber 24 according to the operating time of the negative pressure pump 29 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  After step S1, the temperature setting state of the low pressure chamber 24 is determined in step S2. If the temperature is lower than the reference temperature A in step S2, the heater is energized in step S3, and the operation ends (step S9). If the temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature A in step S2, first, the damper is opened for X hours in step S4.

  Next, the operation time of the negative pressure pump 29 is determined in step S5, and if the predetermined time B or more, it is determined that the amount of food stored in the low pressure chamber 24 is small, and the damper device 41 is closed (step S6). If it is determined in step S5 that the operation time of the negative pressure pump 29 is less than the predetermined time B, it is determined that the amount of food stored in the low pressure chamber 24 is large, and the damper device 41 is opened for an additional Y time (step) S7).

  After the Y time elapses, the damper device 41 is closed (step S8), and the operation ends (step S9).

  The above control makes it possible to control the temperature of the low-pressure chamber 24 more precisely even when no temperature sensor is provided inside the low-pressure chamber 24. Further, by controlling the opening time of the damper device 41 according to the food storage amount, it is possible to prevent the temperature from becoming too low, and to reduce the power consumption of the refrigerator by reducing the energization time of the heater 43.

  As described above, in the main body, a plurality of storage chambers, a low-pressure chamber in which at least a part of the plurality of storage chambers is sealed with respect to the outside, a vacuum pump for decompressing the low-pressure chamber, and a freezing A refrigerator having a cooling air passage that guides the cold air from the refrigeration cycle to the plurality of storage chambers, and includes a damper device for opening and closing the passage at least in the cold air passage toward the low pressure chamber And a refrigerator for controlling the opening and closing time of the damper device according to the operation time of the vacuum pump.

  Further, the cold air passage is preferably configured to indirectly cool the low pressure chamber having a sealed space inside, and further, the cold air passage is a low pressure chamber whose internal pressure is lower than the external pressure. In addition, it is preferable to include a decompression means for decompressing the low-pressure chamber.

  Further, the low-pressure chamber is preferably configured to be able to selectively set the room temperature between the chilled temperature zone and the chilled temperature zone, and the low-pressure chamber is preferably depressurized. It is preferable to control the subsequent atmospheric pressure to 0.7 atmospheric pressure to 0.9 atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, it is preferable to control the humidity in the low-pressure chamber to 70% to 99%, and it is preferable to further have a decompression means for reducing the oxygen concentration in the low-pressure chamber.

  The low-pressure chamber is preferably switched between the ice temperature temperature zone and the chilled temperature zone by controlling the operation of a damper device provided in a part of the cold air passage. The chamber includes a heater and a temperature adjustment unit that adjusts the temperature of the low-pressure chamber in a part of the chamber, and operates the heater and the damper device based on a temperature zone adjusted by the temperature adjustment unit. It is preferable to provide a control device for controlling. Moreover, it is preferable that the said control apparatus controls the temperature in the said low voltage | pressure chamber so that it may be in the temperature fluctuation width of +/- 1 degreeC of the said setting temperature.

  According to the refrigerator having the above-described configuration, it is possible to adopt an ice temperature temperature range that has been difficult with the conventional structure, and an improved structure for enabling optimal refrigerated storage of food including meat and fish. It becomes possible to provide the refrigerator provided. Further, by estimating the amount of food in the low pressure chamber from the operation time of the vacuum pump and controlling the temperature, it becomes possible to precisely control the temperature of the low pressure chamber even when no temperature sensor is provided in the low pressure chamber. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator body 2 Refrigeration room 3, 4 Freezing room 5 Vegetable room 6 Refrigeration room door 7, 8 Freezing room door 9 Vegetable room door 11 Outer box 12 Inner box 13 Foam insulation 14 Compressor 15 Evaporator 16 Blowers 17-20 Shelf 21 Lowermost space 22 Ice making water tank 23 Storage case 24 Low pressure chamber 25 to 27 Door pocket 28 Ice making water pump 29 Negative pressure pump 30 Rear panel 31 First cold air outlet 32 Second cold air outlet 33 Cold air return port 34 ~ 36 Partition wall 37 Cold air return passage 40 Low pressure chamber main body 41 Damper device 42 Temperature sensor 43 Heater 44 Temperature control unit 45 Control device 50 Low pressure chamber door 60 Food tray 80 Antioxidant component release cassette

Claims (2)

The main body has a plurality of storage chambers, at least a part of the plurality of storage chambers, a low-pressure chamber whose inside is sealed from the outside, a vacuum pump for decompressing the low-pressure chamber, and a refrigeration cycle. In the refrigerator formed with a cold air passage for guiding the cold air from the refrigeration cycle to the plurality of storage chambers,
At least the cold air passage toward the low pressure chamber includes a damper device for opening and closing the cold air passage, and the opening and closing time of the damper device is controlled by the operation time of the vacuum pump.
A heater is provided at a lower projection position of the low-pressure chamber,
If the low pressure chamber is below the reference temperature, energize the heater,
When the low-pressure chamber is equal to or higher than a reference temperature, the damper device is opened for a predetermined time (X), and the operation time of the vacuum pump when the storage in the low-pressure chamber is empty is set as the predetermined time (A). If the operation time of the vacuum pump until the low pressure chamber reaches the target pressure is less than the predetermined time (B) provided between 0 seconds and the predetermined time (A), the amount of food stored in the low pressure chamber is large. The control is performed so that the opening time of the damper device is added to the predetermined time (X) for a predetermined time (Y), and the operation time of the vacuum pump until the low pressure chamber reaches the target atmospheric pressure is determined for a predetermined time (B ) In the above case, it is determined that the amount of food stored in the low pressure chamber is small, and the damper device is closed.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the low-pressure chamber selectively sets a room temperature between a chilled temperature zone and an ice temperature temperature zone.