JP6910859B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present embodiment relates to a refrigerator.

In a refrigerator equipped with a vegetable compartment, it is required to maintain the freshness of stored vegetables and the like stored in the vegetable compartment. For example, in the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1, a windbreak plate is provided above the vegetable case in the vegetable chamber so that the cold air flowing into the vegetable chamber does not directly hit the storage in the vegetable case. There is.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-0444446

However, in the conventional configuration described above, although it is possible to avoid the direct inflow of cold air into the vegetable case, the cold air still directly flows into the vegetable chamber. Therefore, the drying of the stored product in the vegetable case cannot be sufficiently suppressed, and the freshness of the stored product may not be maintained.

In this embodiment, the storage can be cooled without directly supplying cold air to the storage space where the storage is stored in the storage chamber, and the freshness of the storage is avoided from being directly exposed to the cold air. Provide a refrigerator that can suppress the decrease in the amount of water.

The refrigerator according to this embodiment includes a storage room and a cold air duct. The storage room has a cold air inlet. Cold air duct, by partitioning the space of the storage compartment, the storage space, the main cold air space which is a cold air space along the wall surface of the cold air inlet is provided in the front Symbol storage compartment reservoir is stored, and the A sub-cold air space, which is a cold air space along the wall surface of the storage room where the cold air inlet is not provided, is formed, and the cold air flowing in from the cold air inlet is supplied to the cold air space. The storage chamber has a cold air outlet communicating with the cooling chamber, and the cold air duct integrally includes the main cold air space and the sub cold air space, and the main cold air space and the sub cold air space are integrally provided. Each of the spaces has an open portion, and the cold air supplied into the main cold air space and the cold air supplied into the sub cold air space are open to the open portion of the main cold air space and the sub cold air space. The portion returns to the cooling chamber through the cold air outlet.

Longitudinal side view schematically showing a configuration example of a main part of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment by a cross section. Longitudinal front view showing a schematic configuration example of the main part of the refrigerator with a cross section Block diagram schematically showing a configuration example of a refrigerator control system Longitudinal front view schematically showing a configuration example of a main part of a refrigerator according to a modified example by a cross section (No. 1) Longitudinal front view schematically showing a configuration example of a main part of a refrigerator according to a modified example by a cross section (Part 2)

Hereinafter, an embodiment relating to the refrigerator will be described with reference to the drawings. The refrigerator 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided with a refrigerating room 12, a vegetable room 13, and a freezing room 14, which are examples of storage rooms, inside the heat insulating box 11 constituting the outer shell. The refrigerating room 12, the vegetable room 13, and the freezing room 14 are separated from each other in a state of being vertically adjacent to each other. The refrigerating room 12, the vegetable room 13, and the freezing room 14 are opened and closed by the refrigerating room door 12a, the vegetable room door 13a, and the freezing room door 14a, respectively. The refrigerator 10 is provided with a well-known refrigerating cycle (not shown), and the cold air generated by this refrigerating cycle is supplied to each storage chamber by the blowing action of the fan 61 illustrated in FIG. The refrigeration cycle is equipped with a refrigerating cooler and a refrigerating cooler, and the cold air cooled by the refrigerating cooler is supplied to the storage chamber in the refrigerating temperature zone and cooled by the refrigerating cooler. Cold air is supplied to the storage chamber in the freezing temperature zone.

Inside the heat insulating box 11, the refrigerating chamber 12 and the vegetable compartment 13 are vertically partitioned by a partition portion 15. Further, inside the heat insulating box 11, the vegetable compartment 13 and the freezing chamber 14 are vertically partitioned by a partition portion 16.

The partition portion 15 constitutes a lower wall portion of the refrigerating chamber 12 and an upper wall portion of the vegetable compartment 13, and a part thereof is provided with a cold air inlet 17 penetrating the partition portion 15 in the vertical direction. That is, the refrigerating chamber 12 and the vegetable compartment 13 communicate with each other via the cold air inlet 17, and both are storage chambers maintained in the refrigerating temperature zone. The cold air F generated by the refrigerating cooler of the refrigerating cycle first flows into the refrigerating chamber 12, and the cold air F supplied into the refrigerating chamber 12 flows into the vegetable chamber 13 through the cold air inlet 17. It has become. In the present embodiment, the cold air inlet 17 is provided on the upper wall surface of the vegetable compartment 13.

The partition portion 16 constitutes the lower wall portion of the vegetable compartment 13 and the upper wall portion of the freezing chamber 14, and blocks the vegetable compartment 13 and the freezing chamber 14 without communicating with each other. As a result, the freezing chamber 14 is configured as a storage chamber maintained in a freezing temperature zone isolated from the vegetable compartment 13 which is a refrigerating temperature zone. The cold air generated by the freezing cooler of the freezing cycle is supplied to the freezing chamber 14.

A vegetable case (not shown) is provided inside the vegetable compartment 13. This vegetable case is fixed to the back surface of the pull-out vegetable compartment door 13a that opens and closes the vegetable compartment 13. As a result, the vegetable case is taken in and out of the vegetable compartment 13 as the vegetable compartment door 18 opens and closes.

In this case, the refrigerator 10 is provided with a cold air duct 20 inside the vegetable compartment 13. Next, a configuration example of the cold air duct 20 will be described in detail. The cold air duct 20 is made of a resin material such as plastic, and as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main cold air space portion 21 and the sub cold air space portion 22 are integrally provided. The main cold air space portion 21 has a rectangular container shape, and is provided along the upper surface of the vegetable compartment 13 in the present embodiment. Further, in the rear part of the main cold air space portion 21, a plate-shaped rib 21a is provided between the left and right sub cold air space portions 22. The rib 21a is inclined so as to descend from the front side, that is, the vegetable chamber door 13a side, which is the front side of the vegetable compartment 13, to the rear side, that is, the rear side of the vegetable compartment 13.

The inside of the main cold air space portion 21 is hollow, whereby the main cold air space S1 is formed. Further, the main cold air space portion 21 has a cold air flow inlet 21b. The cold airflow inlet 21b is provided on the surface of the main cold air space portion 21 facing the upper surface of the vegetable compartment 13, in this case, at a position facing the cold air inlet 17 on the upper surface. As a result, the cold air F flowing in from the cold air inlet 17 is supplied to the main cold air space portion 21 through the cold air flow inlet 21b, in other words, to the main cold air space S1.

In this case, the sub cold air space portion 22 is provided so as to extend downward from the left and right end portions of the main cold air space portion 21. The sub cold air space portion 22 is provided near the rear side of the main cold air space portion 21. Further, the front end portion of the sub-cold air space portion 22 is inclined so as to descend from the front side, that is, the vegetable chamber door 13a side, which is the front side of the vegetable compartment 13, to the rear side, that is, the rear side of the vegetable compartment 13. .. Further, a recessed portion 22a that is recessed upward is provided at the rear portion of the lower portion of the sub-cold air space portion 22. A humidity sensor 30 is provided in the recessed portion 22a. The humidity sensor 30 is located outside the cold air duct 20. Therefore, the humidity sensor 30 detects the humidity in the vegetable compartment 13, particularly in the storage space S4.

The inside of the sub-cold air space portion 22 is also hollow, whereby the sub-cold air space S2 is formed. Further, the upper portion of the sub-cold air space portion 22 communicates with both left and right ends of the main cold air space portion 21, whereby the cold air duct 20 has the main cold air space S1 and the sub-cold air inside the vegetable compartment 13. These cold air spaces S1 and S2, which are composed of spaces S2, form a continuous cold air space S3. That is, the cold air duct 20 partitions the space in the vegetable compartment 13 so that the space in the vegetable compartment 13 is divided into a storage space S4 in which a storage such as vegetables is stored and a cold air space S3 in which the storage is not stored. It is divided into.

The cold air space S3 formed by the cold air duct 20 is a wall surface provided with a cold air inlet 17 among a plurality of wall surfaces constituting the vegetable chamber 13, in this case, a main cold air space S1 along the upper wall surface and the vegetable chamber 13. Among the plurality of constituent wall surfaces, the wall surface is provided with the cold air inlet 17, and in this case, the sub-cold air space S2 along both the left and right wall surfaces is provided.

Further, the rear part of the cold air space S3, in other words, the rear part of the main cold air space S1 and the rear part of the sub cold air space S2 are open to the rear wall surface side of the vegetable compartment 13. A cold air outlet communicating with a cooling chamber (not shown) is provided on the rear wall surface of the vegetable compartment 13. Therefore, the cold air F supplied into the cold air space S3 flows out from the rear part of the cold air space S3 into the cooling chamber through the cold air outlet. Then, the cold air returned to the cooling chamber is cooled again by a refrigerating cooler (not shown), supplied into the refrigerating chamber 12, and then reaches the vegetable compartment 13.

Further, the main cold air space portion 21 has a communication port 21c and a damper 40. The communication port 21c is provided on the lower surface of the main cold air space portion 21. In the present embodiment, the communication port 21c is provided at a position closer to the rear on the lower surface of the main cold air space portion 21 and at a position closer to the left when viewed from the front side of the vegetable compartment 13. .. However, the position of the communication port 21c can be changed as appropriate. The communication port 21c communicates with the storage space S4 and the cold air space S3, particularly the main cold air space S1.

The damper 40 is provided in the communication port 21c. The damper 40 is rotatably provided, and the opening degree of the communication port 21c is controlled by adjusting the amount of rotation thereof. In a state where the communication port 21c is blocked by the damper 40, the cold air F in the cold air space S3, particularly the cold air F in the main cold air space S1, does not flow out from the communication port 21c to the storage space S4, and after the vegetable compartment 13. It flows toward the cold air outlet on the wall. On the other hand, when the communication port 21c is opened by the damper 40, a part of the cold air F in the cold air space S3, particularly a part of the cold air F in the main cold air space S1, flows out into the storage space S4 through the communication port 21c. At this time, the larger the opening degree of the communication port 21c by the damper 40, the larger the amount of cold air F supplied into the storage space S4, and conversely, the smaller the opening degree of the communication port 21c by the damper 40, the larger the amount in the storage space S4. The amount of cold air F supplied to is reduced.

Next, a configuration example of the control system by the refrigerator 10 will be described. The control device 50 illustrated in FIG. 3 is mainly composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and controls the overall operation of the refrigerator 10. The control device 50 virtually realizes the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 by software by executing the control program. The damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 may be configured by hardware or may be configured by a combination of software and hardware. The damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 is an example of the control means, and by controlling the opening / closing of the damper 40, in other words, the opening / closing of the communication port 21c, the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 is directly connected to the storage room, in this case, the storage space S4 in the vegetable room 13. The amount of cold air F or air that flows in is adjusted.

The humidity sensor 30 and the damper 40 described above are connected to the control device 50. Further, the compressor 60 and the fan 61 constituting the refrigeration cycle are connected to the control device 50. In the present embodiment, the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 uses the damper 40 when the drive of the compressor 60 or the fan 61 is stopped, that is, when the inflow of the cold air F from the cold air inlet 17 into the vegetable compartment 13 is stopped. It is configured to enable open control. At this time, the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 may be set to stop the inflow of the cold air F from the cold air inlet 17 into the vegetable compartment 13 and at the same time open the damper 40, or from the cold air inlet 17 into the vegetable compartment 13. The damper 40 may be set to open after a predetermined time has elapsed after the inflow of the cold air F to the vehicle is stopped. The predetermined time can be appropriately changed and set according to, for example, the capacity of the storage chamber.

Further, the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 controls the blowing of air in the vegetable compartment 13, particularly in the storage space S4, by opening the damper 40 while stopping the compressor 60 and driving the fan 61. It is configured to be executable. The damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 performs this ventilation control during or immediately after the execution of a well-known defrosting operation in which the frost adhering to the cooler (not shown) is melted by the heater, thereby causing the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 to enter the storage space S4. It is possible to supply air containing a lot of humidity.

Further, the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 is configured to be able to execute control to open / close the damper 40 based on the humidity in the vegetable compartment 13 detected by the humidity sensor 30, particularly in the storage space S4. At this time, the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 controls the opening / closing of the damper 40 so that the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 30 matches or approaches a predetermined reference value. That is, when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 30 is higher than the predetermined reference value, that is, when the humidity in the storage space S4 is excessive, the damper open / close control processing unit 51 opens the damper 40 to release the cold air F. By supplying into the storage space S4, the humidity in the storage space S4 is lowered. On the other hand, when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 30 is lower than the predetermined reference value, that is, when the humidity in the storage space S4 is insufficient, the damper open / close control processing unit 51 closes the damper 40 and cool air F. Is not supplied into the storage space S4 to maintain or improve the humidity in the storage space S4. At this time, as a factor for improving the humidity in the storage space S4, for example, evaporation of water from the storage in the storage space S4 can be considered.

Further, when the damper 40 is opened, the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 is configured to be able to adjust the time for maintaining the damper 40 in the open state. That is, when the humidity in the storage space S4 is excessive, the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 keeps the damper 40 in the open state for a longer time than the standard time when the excess amount is larger than a predetermined amount. By lengthening the length, cold air F is supplied into the storage space S4 for a long period of time to reduce the humidity. On the other hand, when the humidity in the storage space S4 is excessive and the excess amount is smaller than the predetermined amount, the damper opening / closing control processing unit 51 keeps the damper 40 in the open state for a longer time than the standard time. By shortening the humidity, the cold air F is supplied into the storage space S4 to reduce the humidity, and the amount of the decrease is controlled so as not to be excessive. The standard time can be appropriately changed and set according to, for example, the capacity of the storage chamber.

According to the refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment, the cold air F flowing in from the cold air inlet 17 is supplied to the cold air space S3 formed by the cold air duct 20 instead of the storage space S4 in the vegetable compartment 13, whereby the cold air is supplied. Cool the duct 20. Then, the air in the storage space S4 in the vegetable compartment 13 is cooled by the cooled cold air duct 20. That is, the air in the storage space S4 is not directly cooled by the cold air F flowing in from the cold air inlet 17, but is indirectly cooled through the cold air duct 20. According to this configuration, the storage in the storage space S4 can be cooled without directly supplying the cold air F into the storage space S4 of the vegetable compartment 13, and the cold air F directly hits the storage. Can be avoided and the decrease in freshness can be suppressed.

Further, according to the refrigerator 10, the cold air duct 20 constitutes the vegetable compartment 13 in addition to the main cold air space S1 along the wall surface where the cold air inlet 17 is provided among the plurality of wall surfaces constituting the vegetable compartment 13. Of the plurality of wall surfaces, a sub-cold air space S2 provided on the wall surface on which the cold air inlet 17 is not provided is also formed. As a result, it is possible to secure a larger cooling area that can be indirectly cooled through the cold air duct 20, and it is possible to further enhance the cooling effect of cooling the storage in the storage space S4.

Further, according to the refrigerator 10, the cold air duct 20 includes a communication port 21c that communicates the storage space S4 and the cold air space S3, and the opening degree of the communication port 21c can be adjusted by controlling the opening and closing of the damper 40. It is configured. According to this configuration, the cold air F can be directly supplied into the storage space S4 as needed. Therefore, for example, when the humidity in the storage space S4 is excessive, the cold air F can be directly supplied into the storage space S4 to lower the humidity, and when the storage needs to be rapidly cooled. In addition, the cold air F can be directly supplied into the storage space S4 to rapidly cool the storage.

Further, according to the refrigerator 10, the control device 50 can execute the control of opening the damper 40 when the inflow of the cold air F from the cold air inlet 17 into the vegetable compartment 13 is stopped. According to this configuration, for example, by opening the damper 40 while stopping the supply of the cold air F during or after the execution of the defrosting operation, not the cold air F but the air containing a large amount of humidity is supplied into the storage space S4. It is possible to provide an appropriate amount of moisture to the storage in the storage space S4.

Further, according to the refrigerator 10, the control device 50 can execute the control of opening the damper 40 after stopping the inflow of the cold air F from the cold air inlet 17 into the vegetable compartment 13. According to this configuration, for example, when it is desired to only blow air into the storage space S4, or when it is desired to supply only air containing a large amount of humidity, it is possible to reliably avoid the inflow of cold air F into the storage space S4. Can be done.

Further, according to the refrigerator 10, the control device 50 can control the opening and closing of the damper 40 based on the humidity in the storage space S4 detected by the humidity sensor 30. According to this configuration, the damper 40 can be opened and closed according to the actual humidity in the storage space S4, in other words, the supply amount of the cold air F can be adjusted, and the humidity in the storage space S4 is maintained at an appropriate value. can do.

The present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be extended or changed as follows, for example. That is, the cold air duct 20 may be provided in a storage room other than the vegetable room 13, for example, a refrigerating room 12, a freezing room 14, an ice making room (not shown), or the like.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the refrigerator 10 may be configured to include a damper 40A having an opening area larger than the opening area of the cold air inlet 17. In this case, the opening area of the communication port 21cA opened and closed by the damper 40A is also larger than the opening area of the cold air inlet 17. According to this configuration, a large amount of cold air F or air containing a large amount of moisture can be simultaneously supplied into the storage space S4 from the communication port 21cA having a larger opening area. Therefore, cold air F or air containing a large amount of humidity can be efficiently supplied into the storage space S4, and the time for maintaining the damper 40A in the open state can be shortened. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 4, for example, one communication port 21cA may be provided with a plurality of dampers. According to this configuration example, the amount of cold air F and air passing through the communication port 21cA can be finely adjusted by controlling the opening and closing of each damper separately.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the refrigerator 10 may be configured to include a plurality of, in this case, two dampers 40. Also with this configuration, a large amount of cold air F or air containing a large amount of moisture can be simultaneously supplied into the storage space S4 through the plurality of communication ports 21c. Therefore, cold air F or air containing a large amount of humidity can be efficiently supplied into the storage space S4, and the time for maintaining the damper 40A in the open state can be shortened. Further, in this configuration example, the plurality of dampers 40 are provided in a region having an area larger than the opening area of the cold air inlet 17. Therefore, cold air F or air containing a large amount of humidity can be supplied into the storage space S4 from a plurality of locations, in this case, two locations in a range wider than the opening area of the cold air inlet 17, and over a wide range in the storage space S4. Cold air F or air containing a large amount of humidity can be evenly distributed. Further, by separately controlling the opening and closing of the two dampers 40, for example, the control of closing one damper 40 and opening the other damper 40, the control of opening both of the two dampers 40, and the opening degree of the two dampers 40 are controlled. By appropriately switching the control for differentiating, the supply amount of the cold air F and the air supplied in the storage space S4 can be finely controlled. The number of dampers 40 is not limited to two, and may be configured to include a plurality of three or more dampers. Further, the sizes and shapes of the plurality of dampers 40 may be the same as each other or may be different from each other.

Further, although not shown, the refrigerator 10 may be configured to include a plurality of humidity sensors 30 in the storage space S4. According to this configuration, the humidity in the storage space S4 can be accurately detected by the plurality of humidity sensors 30. Further, when a plurality of humidity sensors 30 are provided in the storage space S4, the refrigerator 10 may be configured to include at least one humidity sensor 30 on one wall surface of the vegetable compartment 13. According to this configuration, the humidity in the storage space S4 can be detected without bias, and the opening / closing control of the damper 40 can be performed according to the detection result, that is, the overall humidity of the storage space S4. When the control device 50 includes a plurality of humidity sensors 30, the control device 50 specifies the average value, the median value, the maximum value, the minimum value, and the like of the detection results obtained from the respective humidity sensors 30 as the humidity of the storage space S4. be able to. Further, when the humidity sensors 30 are provided on a plurality of wall surfaces of the storage chamber, the refrigerator 10 may have the same number of humidity sensors 30 on each wall surface, or may have different configurations. ..

According to the refrigerator according to the present embodiment, the cold air duct partitions the space in the storage room to provide a storage space in which the stored material is stored and a cold air space along the wall surface provided with the cold air inlet of the storage room. It forms and supplies the cold air flowing in from the cold air inlet to the cold air space. According to this configuration, the storage can be cooled without directly supplying cold air to the storage space where the storage is stored in the storage chamber, and it is possible to avoid direct cold air from hitting the storage. It is possible to suppress the decrease in freshness.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The present embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

In the drawing, 10 is a refrigerator, 12 is a refrigerating room (storage room), 13 is a vegetable room (storage room), 14 is a freezing room (storage room), 17 is a cold air inlet, 20 is a cold air duct, and 21c and 21cA are communication ports. , 30 is a humidity sensor, 40 and 40A are dampers, 51 is a damper opening / closing control processing unit (control means), S1 is a main cold air space (cold air space), S2 is a sub cold air space (cold air space), S3 is a cold air space, and S4. Indicates the storage space.

Claims (8)

A storage room with a cold air inlet and
By dividing the space of the storage compartment, the storage space for the storage product is stored, the main cold air space cold air inlet is a cold air space along the wall surface which is provided before Symbol storage chamber, and the said storage chamber A cold air duct that forms a sub-cold air space that is a cold air space along a wall surface that is not provided with a cold air inlet and supplies the cold air that flows in from the cold air inlet to the cold air space.
Equipped with a,
The storage chamber has a cold air outlet that communicates with the cooling chamber.
The cold air duct integrally includes the main cold air space and the sub cold air space.
The main cold air space and the sub cold air space each have an open portion.
The cold air supplied into the main cold air space and the cold air supplied into the sub cold air space pass through the cold air outlet from the open portion of the main cold air space and the open portion of the sub cold air space to the cooling chamber. Return to the refrigerator. The cold air duct has a communication port that communicates the storage space and the cold air space, and
A damper that opens and closes the communication port,
A control means for controlling the opening and closing of the damper and
With more
The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the control means opens the damper when the inflow of cold air from the cold air inlet is stopped. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the control means opens the damper after stopping the inflow of cold air from the cold air inlet. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the damper is larger than the cold air inlet. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein a plurality of the dampers are provided within a range wider than the cold air inlet. Further equipped with a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity in the storage room,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 to 5 , wherein the control means controls the opening and closing of the damper based on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , further comprising the plurality of humidity sensors. The refrigerator according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein at least one humidity sensor is provided on one wall surface of the storage chamber.

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