JP6830321B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator for refrigerating or freezing and storing food, drinking water and the like.

Recently, due to changes in the family environment such as the increase in nuclear families and the increase in double-income couples, the freezing storage method in the freezer tends to diversify. In addition to the conventional usage of purchasing and storing foods sold in the freezing temperature range, the usage of the freezing room at home includes the quick-frozen storage of stocked foods, such as meat, or cooked dishes. A usage mainly in a quick freezing mode such as quick freezing storage has been proposed.

As a method of using such a freezing chamber, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-25532 (Patent Document 1), when a cooked food having a high temperature is detected in the freezing chamber by a temperature detecting means, it is compressed. A freezing method is shown in which the quick freezing operation by the compressor is stopped when the temperature detecting means detects that the food has been cooled to a predetermined temperature by driving the machine to cool the food rapidly.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-25532

The refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 stores high-temperature food in an upper freezing chamber adjacent to the upper side of the lower freezing chamber and quickly freezes the food. Here, if the cooling capacity of the upper freezing chamber is increased, the refrigerating chamber located above it may become too cold, so a heat insulating partition wall with enhanced heat insulating performance is required between the upper freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber. It becomes. However, in Patent Document 1, since the temperature detecting means is provided on the heat insulating partition wall, the heat insulating performance of the portion is deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to automatically suppress the deterioration of the heat insulating performance between the upper freezing room and the refrigerating room or the vegetable room when food is stored. The purpose is to provide a refrigerator that can be quickly frozen.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention
A heat-insulating box that forms a refrigerator compartment , a vegetable compartment, an ice-making chamber, and a freezing chamber, a freezing cycle that generates cold air, and a blower fan that blows cold air from the freezing cycle to the refrigerator compartment , the vegetable compartment, the ice-making chamber, and the ice-making chamber. In a refrigerator equipped with a cold air supply path that supplies the freezer
The freezing room has an upper freezing room adjacent to the lower part of the refrigerating room or the vegetable room , and a lower freezing room adjacent to the lower part of the upper freezing room.
It has an upper heat insulating partition wall that separates the refrigerator compartment or the vegetable compartment from the upper freezer compartment.
The upper freezer compartment is located on the side of the ice making chamber.
The lower freezing chamber and the upper freezing chamber are fluidly connected to each other.
In the lower freezing chamber, a plurality of stages of storage containers are arranged.
A temperature detecting means is provided in the vertical projection of the uppermost storage container among the plurality of storage containers and at a position lower than the upper heat insulating partition wall .
Based on the detection result by the temperature detecting means, the uppermost storage container in which food is stored is rapidly cooled.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of automatically quick freezing when food is stored, while suppressing deterioration of the heat insulating performance between the upper freezing room and the refrigerating room or the vegetable room.

It is a front view of the refrigerator to which this invention is applied. It is a vertical sectional view which shows the vertical sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the structure of the back surface inside the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the freezing chamber in Example 1 of this invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part in the vicinity of the temperature detecting means shown in FIG. It is a time chart that determines whether or not food is stored and performs a rapid cooling operation. It is a flowchart which executes the time chart shown in FIG. It is a time chart which performs a rapid cooling operation based on another flow. It is a flowchart which executes the time chart shown in FIG. It is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the freezing chamber in Example 2 of this invention. It is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the freezing chamber in Example 3 of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and applications are included in the technical concept of the present invention. Is also included in that range.

Before explaining a specific embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the refrigerator to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross section of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view showing the structure of the inside of the back surface of the refrigerator shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 2 does not show a cross section of the ice making chamber.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 has a refrigerating room 2, an ice making room (which is a part of the freezing room) 3, an upper freezing room 4, a lower freezing room 5, and a vegetable room 6 from above. Here, the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4 are provided side by side between the refrigerating chamber 2 and the lower freezing chamber 5. As an example, the refrigerating room 2 is a storage room having a refrigerating temperature range of about + 3 ° C. and the vegetable room 6 is a storage room having a refrigerating temperature range of about + 3 ° C. to + 7 ° C. The ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, and the lower freezing chamber 5 are storage chambers in a freezing temperature range of about -18 ° C. Although not shown, a partition portion arranged in the vertical direction is provided between the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4, and the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4 are separated from each other by the partition wall. They are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Further, the upper freezing chamber 4 has a width smaller than that of the lower freezing chamber 5 adjacent to the lower freezing chamber 5 and a smaller volume than the lower freezing chamber 5, and a small amount of food is frozen and stored.

The refrigerator compartment 2 is provided with double doors 2a and 2b having double doors (so-called French type) divided into left and right on the front side. The ice making room 3, the upper freezing room 4, the lower freezing room 5, and the vegetable room 6 are each provided with a pull-out type ice making room door 3a, an upper freezing room door 4a, a lower freezing room door 5a, and a vegetable room door 6a.

In addition, a packing (not shown) with a built-in magnet is provided on the surface of each door on the storage chamber side along the outer edge of each door, and when each door is closed, the outside of the refrigerator formed of an iron plate is provided. It is configured to be in close contact with the flange of the box and each partition iron plate to prevent outside air from entering the storage chamber and cold air from leaking from the storage chamber.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, a machine room 11 is formed in the lower part of the refrigerator main body 10, and a compressor 12 is built in the machine room 11. The cooler storage chamber 13 and the machine chamber 11 are communicated with each other by a drain passage 14 so that condensed water can be discharged.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outside and the inside of the refrigerator body 10 are separated by a heat insulating box body 15 formed by filling an foamed heat insulating material (polyurethane foam) between the inner box and the outer box. There is. Further, the heat insulating box body 15 of the refrigerator body 10 is equipped with a plurality of vacuum heat insulating materials 16. In the refrigerator body 10, the refrigerating chamber 2, the upper freezing chamber 4, and the ice making chamber 3 (see FIG. 1, the ice making chamber 3 is not shown in FIG. 2) are partitioned by the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, and the lower heat insulating partition is formed. The lower freezing chamber 5 and the vegetable compartment 6 are separated by the wall 17b.

Further, a horizontal partition 18 is provided above the lower freezing chamber 5. The horizontal partition 18 partitions the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, and the lower freezing chamber 5 in the vertical direction. However, since the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, and the lower freezing chamber 5 are fluidly connected, the same cold air is supplied. Further, a vertical partition portion is provided above the horizontal partition portion 18 to partition the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4 in the left-right direction.

The horizontal partition portion 18 comes into contact with the packing (not shown) provided on the surface of the lower freezing chamber door 5a on the storage chamber side together with the front surface of the lower heat insulating partition wall 17b and the front surfaces of the left and right side walls. The packings (not shown) provided on the storage chamber side surfaces of the ice making chamber door 3a and the upper freezing chamber door 4a include a horizontal partition portion 18, a vertical partition portion 53 (FIG. 4), an upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, and a refrigerator body 1. By contacting the front of the left and right side walls, the movement of cold air between each storage chamber and each door is suppressed. Since the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5 are maintained in the same freezing temperature zone, the heat insulating performance of the horizontal partition portion 18 and the vertical partition portion 53 is improved by the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a and the lower side. It is not required as much as the heat insulating partition wall 17b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper freezing chamber 4, the lower freezing chamber 5, and the vegetable compartment 6 are provided with doors 4a, 5a, and 6a provided in front of the respective storage chambers. Further, an upper freezing storage container 41 is arranged in the upper freezing chamber 4, and a plurality of stages of freezing storage containers, that is, an uppermost freezing storage container 63, an upper freezing storage container 61, and a lower freezing storage container 62 are arranged in the lower freezing chamber 5. Have been placed. Further, an upper vegetable storage container 71 and a lower vegetable storage container 72 are arranged in the vegetable compartment 6.

The ice making chamber door 3a, the upper freezing chamber door 4a, the lower freezing chamber door 5a, and the vegetable chamber door 6a are each pulled out toward the front side by putting a hand on a handle portion (not shown), so that the ice making storage container 3b (not shown). ), The upper freezing storage container 41, the lower freezing storage container 62, the upper vegetable storage container 71, and the lower vegetable storage container 72 can be pulled out.

Specifically, in the lower freezing storage container 62, the flange portion on the upper side surface of the lower freezing storage container 62 is suspended on the support arm 5d attached to the box inside the freezing chamber door, and the upper freezing storage container 61 is the lower freezing storage container 62. It is placed on the upper flange portion of the side surface of the freezing chamber, and at the same time when the freezing chamber door 5a is pulled out, only the lower freezing storage container 62 and the upper freezing storage container 61 are pulled out. The uppermost freezing storage container 63 is placed on an uneven portion (not shown) formed on the side wall of the freezing chamber 5, and is slidable in the front-rear direction.

Similarly, the flange portion of the lower vegetable storage container 72 is suspended from the support arm 6d attached to the inner box of the vegetable chamber door 6a, and the upper vegetable storage container 71 is placed on the flange portion of the lower vegetable storage container 72. There is. Further, the vegetable chamber 6 is provided with an electric heater 6C fixed to the heat insulating box body 15, and the temperature suitable for storing vegetables is prevented so that the temperature of the vegetable chamber 6 is not overcooled by the electric heater 6C. I am trying to be. The electric heater 6C may be provided as needed, but in this embodiment, the electric heater 6C is provided so that the vegetables can be stored better.

Next, a cooling method of the refrigerator will be described. A cooler storage chamber 13 is formed in the refrigerator main body 1, and a cooler 19 is provided as a cooling means in the cooler storage chamber 13. The cooler 19 (for example, a fin tube heat exchanger) is provided in the cooler storage chamber 13 provided on the back of the lower freezing chamber 5. Further, a blower fan 20 (for example, a propeller fan) is provided as a blower means in the cooler storage chamber 13 and above the cooler 19.

The air cooled by heat exchange in the cooler 19 (hereinafter, the low-temperature air heat-exchanged in the cooler 19 is referred to as "cold air") is prepared by the blower fan 20 in the refrigerator compartment blower duct 21, the freezer compartment blower duct 22, And, through an ice-making chamber air duct (not shown), the air is sent to each storage chamber of the refrigerating chamber 2, the ice-making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, the lower freezing chamber 5, and the vegetable compartment 6.

The air blown to each storage room is to the first air blowing control means (hereinafter referred to as the refrigerating room damper 23) for controlling the amount of air blown to the refrigerating room 2 in the refrigerating temperature zone and to the freezing rooms 4 and 5 in the refrigerating temperature zone. It is controlled by a second air volume control means (hereinafter, referred to as a freezer damper 24) that controls the air volume. By the way, the air ducts to the refrigerator compartment 2, the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6 are located on the back side of each storage chamber of the refrigerator body 1 as shown by the broken line in FIG. It is provided. Specifically, when the refrigerating chamber damper 23 is in the open state and the freezing chamber damper 24 is in the closed state, cold air is sent to the refrigerating chamber 2 from the outlets 25 provided in multiple stages via the refrigerating chamber air duct 21.

Further, the cold air that has cooled the refrigerating chamber 2 is provided on the lower right back side of the lower heat insulating partition wall 18 from the refrigerating chamber return port 26 provided at the lower part of the refrigerating chamber 2 through the refrigerating chamber-vegetable chamber communication duct 27. Air is blown from the vegetable compartment outlet 28 to the vegetable compartment 6. The return cold air from the vegetable compartment 6 passes through the vegetable compartment return duct 30 from the vegetable compartment return duct inlet 29 provided in front of the lower part of the lower heat insulating partition wall 18, and from the vegetable compartment return duct outlet to the lower part of the cooler storage chamber 13. Return to. As another configuration, the refrigerating chamber-vegetable chamber communication duct 27 may be returned to the lower right side when viewed from the upper surface of the cooler storage chamber 12 in FIG. 3 without communicating with the vegetable compartment 6. As an example of this case, a vegetable room air duct is arranged at the front projection position of the refrigerating room-vegetable room communication duct 27, and the cold air heat exchanged by the cooler 19 is directly blown from the vegetable room outlet 28 to the vegetable room 6. Will come to do.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a partition member 31 for partitioning between each storage chamber and the cooler storage chamber 12 is provided in front of the cooler storage chamber 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the partition member 31 is formed with a pair of outlets 32a, 32b, 33a, 33b at the top and bottom, and when the freezer compartment damper 24 is in the open state, the cold air is heat-exchanged by the cooler 19. Is blown by the blower fan 20 from the outlets 32a and 32b to the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4, respectively, via the ice making chamber air duct and the upper freezing chamber air duct 34 (not shown). Further, air is blown from the outlets 33a and 33b to the lower freezing chamber 5 through the lower freezing chamber air duct 35. It should be noted that the lower freezing chamber 5 may be provided with an outlet if necessary.

Further, a control device equipped with a CPU, memories such as ROM and RAM, an interface circuit, and the like is provided on the upper surface side of the ceiling wall of the refrigerator body 10, and an outside air temperature sensor (not shown) and a cooler temperature sensor (not shown). (Not shown), Refrigerator room temperature sensor (not shown), Vegetable room temperature sensor (not shown), Freezer room temperature sensor (not shown), Opening and closing of doors 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a A door sensor (not shown) that detects each state, a temperature setter (not shown) provided on the inner wall of the refrigerator compartment 2, etc. are connected, and the compressor 12 is controlled to be turned ON, OFF, etc. by a program pre-installed in the ROM. , Controls each actuator that individually drives the refrigerator compartment damper 23 and the freezer compartment damper 24, controls ON / OFF and rotation speed of the blower fan 20, and controls ON / OFF of the alarm that notifies the door open state. It has become like.

Returning to FIG. 1, an input control unit 40 is provided on the refrigerator compartment door 2a, and the input control unit 40 is connected to the above-mentioned control device. Therefore, the temperature of each storage chamber of the refrigerator 1 can be set by the input from the input control unit 40. For example, the temperature of each storage chamber is controlled by controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 12, the rotation speed of the blower fan 20, the opening / closing amount of the refrigerating chamber damper 23 and the freezing chamber damper 24, and the like.

In a refrigerator having the above configuration, it is required to arrange a temperature detecting means at an appropriate position where the presence or absence of food storage can be accurately detected to detect the food storage state. Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged cross section of the main part of the freezing chamber, and FIG. 5 shows an enlarged cross section of the main part near the temperature detecting means. In FIG. 4, a first temperature detecting means composed of a thermistor or the like on the depth side end surface of a vertical partition portion (a partition constituent material not provided with a vacuum heat insulating material) 53 that partitions the ice making chamber 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4. 50 is attached. Further, on the back wall 51 near the upper side of the lower freezing chamber 5, a second temperature detecting means 52, which is also composed of a thermistor or the like, is arranged.

In this embodiment, the first temperature detecting means 50 measures the temperature of the space that is influenced by the food temperature, and the second temperature detecting means 52 measures the temperature of the space that is not influenced by the food temperature. Therefore, it is determined from the fluctuating state of the output signals of these two temperature detecting means whether or not the food having a temperature higher than the freezing chamber temperature is stored in the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5. Here, since the second temperature detecting means 52 is a temperature detecting means that has already been provided in the past, a detailed description of the configuration will be omitted. The first temperature detecting means 50 is not limited to the thermistor, and may be a non-contact infrared sensor or the like that detects the temperature. However, since the thermistor has a higher degree of freedom in design than the infrared sensor whose temperature cannot be measured unless the food is within the visual field range, it is desirable that the first temperature detecting means 50 is composed of the thermistor.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first temperature detecting means 50, which is a feature of this embodiment, is provided at the lower end of the vertical partition 53 provided so as to be orthogonal to the horizontal partition 18. .. A first temperature detecting means 50 is arranged at the lower end portion 54 in the depth direction of the vertical partition portion 53, and the signal line 55 of the first temperature detecting means 50 is connected to the outside through the inside of the vertical partition portion 53. It is connected to the connector 56 so as to be. A part of the first temperature detecting means 50 and the signal line 55 is covered with a sensor cover 57, and the sensor cover 57 has screws, an adhesive, welding, etc. so as to be integrated with the vertical partition 53. It is fixed to the vertical partition 53 by the fixing means of.

Here, the vertical partition portion 53 includes a first temperature detecting means 50, a signal line 55, a connector 56 for transmitting an output signal to the outside, and a sensor cover 57 in advance to form an assembly. By fixing the assembly of the vertical partition 53 to the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a with screws, the vertical partition 53 can be incorporated. A connector (not shown) connected to the control device is fixed in the area where the vertical partition 53 on the lower side of the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a is located.

Therefore, by incorporating the vertical partition portion 53, it is possible to connect to the connector 56 of the first temperature detecting means 50. Further, in the lower freezing chamber 5, a lower freezing storage container 62, an upper freezing storage container 61, and an uppermost freezing storage container 63 are arranged from the bottom.

In such a configuration, it is assumed that raw meat and cooked food are stored in the uppermost freezing storage container 63 of the lower freezing chamber 5.

At this time, the first temperature detecting means 50 is in the vertical projection of the uppermost freezing storage container 63 of the lower freezing chamber 5, higher than the upper end of the uppermost freezing storage container 63, and is higher than the upper end of the uppermost freezing storage container 63, and is the lower end of the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a. It is located lower than the upper end of the upper freezing storage container 41 of the upper freezing chamber 4 and the upper freezing chamber 4. As described above, since the first temperature detecting means 50 is arranged close to the upper part of the uppermost freezing storage container 63, it is easily affected by the temperature of the food stored in the uppermost freezing storage container 63. ing. That is, the first temperature detecting means 50 measures the temperature of the space that depends on the temperature of the food stored in the uppermost freezing storage container 63.

On the other hand, the second temperature detecting means 52 is located outside the vertical projection of the uppermost freezing storage container 63 of the lower freezing chamber 5, specifically, on the back side of the lower freezing chamber 5, and is separated from the uppermost freezing storage container 63. Therefore, it is not limited to the temperature of the food stored in the uppermost freezing storage container 63, but is also affected by the inflow of outside air due to the opening and closing of the door and the temperature of the food stored in other than the upper freezing storage container 63. That is, the second temperature detecting means 52 measures not only the temperature of the food stored in the uppermost freezing storage container 63 but also the temperature of the space of the entire freezing chamber. Therefore, by comparing the output of the first temperature detecting means 50 with the time-series fluctuation state of the output signal of the second temperature detecting means 52, it is determined whether or not the food is stored in the uppermost freezing storage container 63. become able to.

Further, in this embodiment, since the first temperature detecting means 50 is not provided on the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, the vacuum heat insulating material is widely attached to the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, and the cold heat leaks from the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a. Can be suppressed. That is, since the transfer of heat between the freezer chamber and the refrigerator compartment is suppressed, the power consumption for cooling the freezer compartment can be suppressed, and the overcooling of the refrigerator compartment can also be suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the first temperature detecting means 50, the signal line 55, the connector 56, and the sensor cover 57 are preliminarily incorporated in the vertical partition portion 53, it is easy to assemble to the refrigerator and work efficiency. Can be improved.

Next, a determination method for determining whether or not food is stored will be described. FIG. 6 shows the behavior of each temperature detecting means and the operating state of the compressor when the discrimination is executed, and FIG. 7 shows the control flow thereof.

In FIG. 6, it is assumed that the door of the target lower freezing chamber 5 is opened at time t0 at a certain time, food such as raw meat is stored in the uppermost storage container 63, and closed at time t1. In this state, the compressor is normally operated at a low speed in the cooling mode, and the blower fan is also operated at a low speed.

When food is stored, the temperature of the cold air near the food is unlikely to decrease due to the influence of the temperature of the food, so the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 rises and even after the door is closed. The high temperature condition continues for a while.

On the other hand, when the door is opened and closed but no food is added, the temperature rise of the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 is temporary, and the temperature tends to drop after the door is closed. Therefore, it can be determined that the food is stored when the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 continues to be T1 or more for a certain period of time in a state of being equal to or higher than the food detection threshold value.

The food detection determination based on the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 described above is performed only when the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 at the time t0 when the lower freezing chamber door 5a is opened is less than the food detection threshold value. To do. Further, the above-mentioned food detection determination is performed only within the detection monitoring reference time T0 by setting a fixed time as the detection monitoring reference time T0 from the time t1 when the lower freezing chamber door 5a is closed. This is because the detection temperature of the first temperature sensor 50 may rise even when high-temperature food is stored in a storage room other than the lower freezing room, such as an upper freezing room or a refrigerating room. Therefore, if the temperature is already high when the lower freezing chamber door 5a is opened, or if the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 rises without interlocking with the opening and closing of the lower freezing chamber door 5a, the lower freezing chamber It is considered that no food has been put into the uppermost freezing storage container 63 of 5. As a result, it is possible to prevent a false detection that the food is determined to have been added and a subsequent malfunction when the food is not actually added.

Next, the control of the cooling operation will be described.

First, when it is determined in the food detection determination described above that no food has been added, the operation is performed in the normal cooling mode. In this normal cooling mode, when the detection temperature of the second temperature detecting means 52 reaches the compressor on threshold value (first threshold value), the operation of the compressor is started to cool the freezing chamber. When the freezing chamber is sufficiently cooled and the detection temperature of the second temperature detecting means reaches the compressor off threshold value (second threshold value), the operation of the compressor is stopped and the cooling of the freezing chamber is temporarily suspended. Here, in consideration of energy saving and noise, it is desirable to operate the compressor at the lowest possible rotation speed. Therefore, when the compressor starts operation, it operates at a low rotation speed (first rotation speed), and when the door is opened / closed or the detection temperature of the second temperature detecting means 52 becomes high, If necessary, the rotation speed is increased to a high rotation speed (second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed) to accelerate the cooling in the freezer chamber. By repeating this operation, the temperature in the freezing chamber is adjusted to be kept within a predetermined range.

On the other hand, when it is determined in the food detection determination described above that the food has been added, the operation shifts to the rapid cooling operation. In this rapid cooling operation, the same operation as in the normal cooling mode is performed until the detection temperature of the second temperature detecting means 52 reaches the compressor off threshold, but when the compressor off threshold is reached, the operation of the compressor is stopped. Instead, reduce the number of revolutions from high to low and continue operation. Here, if the compressor is continuously operated at a high speed for a long time, the temperature of the freezing room may drop significantly, which may cause problems such as dew condensation, frosting, and freezing of food in the adjacent refrigerating room and vegetable room. .. However, by lowering the rotation speed of the compressor to prolong the operation time and continuously supplying cold air without interruption, it is possible to quickly freeze the food while suppressing the occurrence of the above-mentioned problems. For example, even for foods that take a long time to freeze, such as large-sized foods and high-temperature foods, the cold air can be continuously supplied for a longer period of time than in the case of high rotation speed, so that the time until freezing can be shortened. The low-speed compressor operation after reaching the compressor off threshold value continues until the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 reaches the operation end threshold value.

However, as shown in FIG. 8, the compressor may be stopped when it is determined that the food has been added. At this time, according to the control in the normal cooling mode, the operation of the compressor is started after the compressor on threshold value is reached, and after the compressor off threshold value is reached, as described above, the first temperature detecting means 50 Continue low-speed compressor operation until the detection temperature reaches the operation end threshold. In this case, the compressor is stopped at an early stage after the food is added, and the supply of cold air is interrupted. At this stage, the food still reaches the ice crystal formation zone of -1 ° C to -5 ° C. It is thought that it is often not done. Therefore, if cold air is continuously supplied after the compressor starts operation again, it is possible to quickly pass through the temperature zone of the ice crystal formation zone described above, which is effective in maintaining freshness.

Next, the concept of the control flow that realizes the above-mentioned time chart will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 7.

First, the normal cooling mode is executed in step S10, and here, it is detected in step S11 that the door of the lower freezing chamber 5 has been opened by the user. When the door 5 of the lower freezing chamber 5 is opened in step S11, the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 is compared with the food detection threshold value in step S12, and if the detection temperature is already equal to or higher than the food detection threshold value, the step The process proceeds to S24, it is determined that no food has been added, and the process proceeds to the normal cooling mode in step S25.

If the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 is lower than the food detection threshold value in step S12, if it is detected in step S13 that the door of the lower freezing chamber 5 has been closed by the user, the process proceeds to step S14 for detection monitoring. Start the timer count of the time. Next, the process proceeds to step S15, and the detected temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 is compared with the food detection threshold value. When the detection temperature is equal to or higher than the food detection threshold value, the timer count of the food detection time is started in step S16. Next, the process proceeds to step S17, and whether or not the high temperature state continues for a predetermined time is determined by comparing the food detection timer with the food detection reference time T1. When the food detection timer is less than the food detection reference time T1, the detection monitoring timer and the detection monitoring reference time T0 are compared in step S23, and when the detection monitoring timer does not reach the detection monitoring reference time T0, step S14 Go back to and repeat in the same way. On the other hand, if the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 is lower than the food detection threshold value in step S15, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the detection monitoring timer and the detection monitoring reference time T0 are compared, and if the detection monitoring timer has not reached the detection monitoring reference time T0, the process returns to step S14 and repeats the same procedure. When the detection monitoring timer reaches the detection monitoring reference time T0 in step S23, the process proceeds to step S24, it is determined that no food has been added, and the normal cooling mode is reached in step S25.

On the other hand, when the food detection timer reaches the food detection reference time T1 in S17, it is determined in step S18 that the food has been added, and the rapid cooling operation is started. First, after continuing the operation in the normal cooling mode in step S19, it is determined in step S20 whether or not the temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means 52 has reached the compressor off threshold value. If the detection temperature is higher than the compressor off threshold value, the process returns to step S19 and the same procedure is repeated. When the compressor off threshold is reached in step S20, the process proceeds to step S21 to continuously operate the compressor at a low rotation speed. Then, in step S22, the detection temperature of the first temperature detecting means 50 is compared with the operation end threshold value, and if the detected temperature is higher than the operation end threshold value, the process returns to step S21 and the same operation is repeated. When the operation end threshold value is reached in step S22, the process proceeds to step S25 to proceed to the normal cooling mode.

Further, in the case of the time chart of FIG. 8, after step S19, step S26 for determining whether or not the compressor is on is provided. If the compressor is in the off state in step S26, the process returns to step S19 and the same procedure is repeated. On the other hand, when the compressor is on in step S26, the process proceeds to step S20, and the flow is the same as described above.

In this way, using the two temperature sensors, it is possible to determine whether or not there is food in the uppermost refrigerating storage container 63 and control the execution of the rapid cooling mode. That is, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of automatically quick freezing when a high temperature food or a large amount of food is stored while suppressing a deterioration in the heat insulating performance between the upper freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber. Regarding the upper freezing chamber 4, the lower freezing chamber 5, the upper freezing storage container 61, and the lower freezing storage container 62 other than the uppermost freezing storage container 63, it is necessary for the user to perform quick freezing without using the temperature detecting means. Can be set. Further, the upper freezing room 4 may be a room that can be switched not only to the freezing temperature zone but also to the refrigerating temperature zone.

Further, in this embodiment, when it is determined that the food has been put into the freezing chamber, the compressor is first operated at a high rotation speed, and the compressor is not stopped as it is or is temporarily stopped and then at a high rotation speed. Continue to drive at low rpm for a longer period of time than at. Therefore, even when the temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means 52 drops and the freezing chamber is cooled to the target temperature, it is possible to continue cooling the uncooled food. As a result, the frequency of stopping and restarting the compressor can be reduced, and the life of the compressor can be maintained for a long time. In addition, since the time required to operate the compressor at high speed can be shortened, not only the overall power consumption can be suppressed as compared with the case of the conventional rapid cooling operation, but also noise and vibration generated due to the high speed of the compressor are generated. The time can be shortened.

Further, in this embodiment, the uppermost freezing storage container 63, which has the smallest height dimension and is the thinnest space, is rapidly compared with the storage container in the upper freezing chamber 4 and other storage containers in the lower freezing chamber 5. Since it is a target for freezing, it has the advantage that it is difficult to stack when placing food, and it is easy to store and take out. Further, since the uppermost freezing storage container 63 has a larger width than the storage container of the upper freezing chamber 4, more foods can be arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

Here, an aluminum tray is laid as a metal heat conductive plate on substantially the entire surface of the uppermost refrigerating storage container 63, and a plurality of protrusions or recesses are formed on the upper surface of the aluminum tray in the depth direction and the left-right direction. Has been done. Since aluminum itself is a material with high thermal conductivity and the surface area is increased by a plurality of irregularities, the cooling performance of the uppermost freezing storage container 63 is higher than that of the upper freezing storage container 61 and the lower freezing storage container 62. It's getting higher. Then, cold air is supplied from outside the vertical projection of the uppermost freezing storage container 63, specifically, from an outlet at substantially the same height as the uppermost freezing storage container 63 on the back side of the lower freezing chamber 5. Therefore, the food in the uppermost freezing storage container 63 is rapidly cooled. Further, in this embodiment, an example in which an aluminum tray is arranged in the uppermost storage container 63 of the lower freezing chamber 5 is shown, but there are a plurality of stages of storage containers in the refrigerating chamber 2, and among them, the uppermost storage container. An aluminum tray may be placed for chilled cooling, and this storage container may be subject to rapid cooling.

Next, another embodiment of the mounting position of the first temperature sensor will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. Since the same reference numbers indicate the same components, they will be described when detailed explanations are required, and other parts will be omitted.

In FIG. 10, the first temperature detecting means 50 is provided on the lower surface of the horizontal partition portion 18 provided between the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5. The horizontal partition portion 18 does not separate the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5, but is a partition constituent material that supports the upper freezing chamber 4 and the ice making chamber 3. In this embodiment, only two storage containers, that is, the upper freezing storage container 61 and the lower freezing storage container 62, are arranged in the lower freezing chamber 5.

Since the horizontal partition 18 is provided between the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5, the vacuum heat insulating material is not provided. Then, in the case of this embodiment, it is detected that the food is stored in the upper freezing storage container 61 on the lower side of the horizontal partition portion 18. According to this configuration, since the temperature detecting means is not provided on the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, the vacuum heat insulating material can be widely attached to the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, and the leakage of cold heat from the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a can be suppressed. it can.

In FIG. 11, the first temperature detecting means 50 is provided on the lower surface of the horizontal partition portion 18a provided between the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5. The horizontal partition portion 18a is different from FIG. 10, and separates the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5. However, it is the same that it is a partition constituent material that supports the upper freezing chamber 4 and the ice making chamber 3.

Since the horizontal partition portion 18a is provided between the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5, the vacuum heat insulating material is not provided. Then, also in the case of this embodiment, it is detected that the food is stored in the upper freezing storage container 61 on the lower side of the horizontal partition portion 18a. According to this configuration, since the temperature detecting means is not provided on the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, the vacuum heat insulating material can be widely attached to the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a, and the leakage of cold heat from the upper heat insulating partition wall 17a can be suppressed. it can.

In the first to third embodiments described above, the refrigerator having a layout in which the vegetable compartment 6 is arranged at a position lower than the lower freezing chamber 5 has been described, but the layout in which the vegetable compartment is arranged between the refrigerator compartment and the upper freezing chamber has been described. It may be a refrigerator. Even in a refrigerator with such a layout, by installing a temperature detecting means in the vertical projection of the uppermost storage container of the lower freezing chamber and below the heat insulating partition wall that separates the vegetable compartment and the upper freezing chamber. , Hot food can be quickly frozen automatically while suppressing the deterioration of the heat insulating performance of the heat insulating partition wall.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment.

10 ... Refrigerator body, 2 ... Refrigerator room, 3 ... Ice making room, 4 ... Upper freezer room, 5 ... Lower freezer room, 6 ... Vegetable room, 19 ... Cooler, 12 ... Cooler storage room, 18 ... Insulation partition wall, 20 ... blower fan, 50 ... first temperature detecting means, 51 ... back wall, 52 ... second temperature detecting means, 53 ... vertical partition, 54 ... lower end in depth direction, 55 ... signal line, 56 ... connector, 57 ... Sensor cover.

Claims (2)

A heat-insulating box that forms a refrigerator compartment, a vegetable compartment, an ice-making chamber, and a freezing chamber, a freezing cycle that generates cold air, and a blower fan that blows cold air from the refrigerating cycle to the refrigerator compartment, the vegetable compartment, the ice-making chamber, and the ice-making chamber. In a refrigerator equipped with a cold air supply path that supplies the freezer
The freezing room has an upper freezing room adjacent to the lower part of the refrigerating room or the vegetable room, and a lower freezing room adjacent to the lower part of the upper freezing room.
An upper heat insulating partition wall that separates the refrigerator compartment or the vegetable compartment from the upper freezer compartment,
It has a packing for the door of the upper freezing chamber and a horizontal partition portion that comes into contact with the packing for the door of the lower freezing chamber.
The horizontal partition portion has a size that does not reach the center of the upper freezing chamber and the lower freezing chamber in the front-rear direction, so that the lower freezing chamber and the upper freezing chamber are fluidly connected to each other.
In the lower freezing chamber, a plurality of stages of storage containers are arranged.
A temperature detecting means is provided in the vertical projection of the uppermost storage container among the plurality of storage containers and at a position lower than the upper heat insulating partition wall.
Based on the detection result by the temperature detecting means, the uppermost storage container containing food is rapidly cooled .
The upper freezer is located on the side of the ice making chamber.
The horizontal partition portion vertically partitions the upper freezing chamber and the lower freezing chamber.
It is provided in a range including the upper part of the horizontal partition portion, and is provided with a vertical partition portion that partitions the upper freezing chamber and the ice making chamber to the left and right.
The temperature detecting means is arranged in the horizontal partition or the vertical partition.
A refrigerator in which the front-rear dimension of the vertical partition portion is larger than the front-rear dimension of the horizontal partition portion. In a refrigerator provided with at least a heat insulating box forming a freezing chamber, a freezing cycle for generating cold air, and a cold air supply path for supplying cold air from the freezing cycle to the freezing chamber by a blower fan.
The freezing chamber includes an upper freezing chamber and a lower freezing chamber adjacent to the lower part of the upper freezing chamber.
It has a partition portion that comes into contact with the packing of the door of the upper freezing chamber and the packing of the door of the lower freezing chamber and includes a portion extending laterally between the upper freezing chamber and the lower freezing chamber. ,
The lower freezing chamber and the upper freezing chamber are fluidly connected without being blocked by the partition.
Among the storage containers arranged in the lower freezing chamber, the temperature detecting means is provided in a vertical projection toward the uppermost storage container.
Based on the detection result by the temperature detecting means, the uppermost storage container containing food is rapidly cooled.
The temperature detecting means is a refrigerator arranged in the partition.

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