JP6925514B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator that regulates humidity in a vegetable chamber.

The vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for storing vegetables is suitable for a high humidity environment in terms of preventing the vegetables from drying out, but if the humidity is too high, dew condensation will occur in the room and the dew condensation water will cause the vegetables to rot. There is. Therefore, when the humidity in the vegetable compartment rises due to factors such as an increase in the amount of food in the vegetable compartment and reaches the humidity at which dew condensation occurs, a function for lowering the humidity in the vegetable chamber is required. Therefore, various methods have been conventionally proposed in which the humidity in the vegetable compartment is controlled to suppress dew condensation in the chamber.

For example, Patent Document 1 utilizes the fact that the cooler temperature when the compressor is ON or OFF and the humidity of the air passing through the cooler are different, and the vegetable chamber provided at the cold air outlet to the vegetable chamber is provided. A refrigerator that controls the damper to control the humidity of the vegetable compartment is disclosed. Specifically, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, when the compressor is ON and the humidity in the vegetable chamber is too high, the vegetable compartment damper is opened to dehumidify. When the humidity in the vegetable compartment is too low, the vegetable compartment damper is closed to moisturize. On the other hand, when the compressor is off and the humidity in the vegetable compartment is too high, the vegetable compartment damper is closed, and when the humidity is too low, the vegetable compartment damper is opened.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a vegetable compartment damper provided in a cold air passage for cooling the space around the vegetable case and indirectly cooling the inside of the vegetable case, and a vent provided in the upper part of the vegetable case are provided. A refrigerator with a vegetable case damper is disclosed. This refrigerator controls the opening and closing of the vegetable compartment damper and the vegetable case damper to control the humidity of the vegetable case.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-92986 Jikkai Sho 63-113875

However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, the humidity is not controlled in consideration of the temperature in the vegetable chamber. For example, when the compressor is ON and the temperature of the vegetable compartment is low and the humidity is high, if the vegetable compartment damper is opened for dehumidification, the temperature of the vegetable compartment will drop too much and the food will freeze. There is a risk of Also, when the compressor is off and the temperature of the vegetable compartment is high and the humidity is high, if the vegetable compartment damper is opened with priority given to lowering the temperature of the vegetable compartment, it passes through the cooler. Since the high humidity air flows into the vegetable compartment, the humidity may rise and dew condensation water may be generated.

Furthermore, when the compressor is off, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment is low and the humidity is low, when the vegetable compartment damper is opened for humidification, the low-temperature, high-humidity air that has passed through the cooler is the vegetables. Since it flows into the chamber, the temperature of the vegetable chamber may be further lowered, and the food may be frozen or a portion below the dew point may be generated to promote dew condensation.

Since vegetables undergo irreversible tissue degeneration due to freezing, temperature control is usually performed with the highest priority given to the fact that food does not freeze. In the method described in Patent Document 1, the range of humidity that can be controlled is very small. Therefore, when the humidity rises significantly due to, for example, a large amount of food being put into the vegetable compartment at one time, the humidity cannot be reliably controlled.

Further, in the refrigerator described in Patent Document 2, the air inside the vegetable case is discharged from the vent at the upper part of the vegetable case, but the high humidity air has a higher specific density than the low humidity air, so that the humidity is high. The air is located relatively lower than the vent. In this case, since the humid air does not rise to the position of the vent, it does not replace the lower humidity air outside the vegetable case, and the humid air is not discharged from the vegetable case and enters the vegetable case. Will stay.

In order to improve this, it is necessary to change the installation position of the vent to a different position, or to provide a fan or the like for forcibly convection of air in the vegetable case to improve the air circulation efficiency. However, if a fan, a damper, or the like is installed in the vegetable case, the storage space is reduced and the usability of the user is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of suppressing dew condensation while maintaining a storage space and keeping a temperature at an appropriate temperature.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes a first storage chamber controlled to a temperature in the refrigerating temperature zone and a second storage chamber controlled to a temperature lower than the temperature in the refrigerating temperature zone or the temperature of the first storage chamber. A main body provided with a cooler chamber for generating cooling air and blowing the cooling air to the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, and a storage chamber temperature provided in the first storage chamber. On the first storage chamber air passage that connects the first storage chamber and the cooler chamber with the temperature sensor that detects the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor that is provided in the first storage chamber and detects the humidity of the storage chamber. A first damper provided to open and close the first storage chamber air passage, and a first damper provided on the air passage connecting the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber to open and close the air passage. The second damper and a control device that controls the first damper and the second damper based on the storage room temperature and the storage room humidity to perform a dehumidifying operation for dehumidifying the first storage room. To prepare.

According to the present invention, the first damper connecting the first storage chamber and the cooler chamber, and the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are provided based on the temperature and humidity of the first storage chamber. By controlling the opening and closing of the second damper to be connected to dehumidify the vegetable compartment, it is possible to suppress dew condensation while maintaining the storage space and keeping the temperature at an appropriate temperature.

It is the schematic which shows an example of the appearance of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a schematic cross-sectional view when the refrigerator of FIG. 1 is seen from the side. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which looked at the vegetable chamber of FIG. 1 from the right side. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vegetable compartment of FIG. 1 as viewed from the drawer type door side. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of the structure of the control device of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the relationship between a cooler room and each storage room. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the temperature / humidity adjustment process by the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing flow in the normal operation of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process flow in the dehumidifying operation of FIG. It is a timing chart which shows an example of the state of each part by the temperature and humidity adjustment processing of FIGS. 7 to 9. It is a schematic cross-sectional view when the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 2 is seen from the side. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of the structure of the control device of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the temperature / humidity adjustment process by the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process flow in the dehumidifying operation of FIG. 13 is a timing chart showing an example of the state of each part by the temperature / humidity adjustment processing of FIGS. 13, 8 and 14. It is a schematic cross-sectional view when the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 3 is seen from the side. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vegetable compartment of FIG. 16 as viewed from the drawer type door side. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of the structure of the control device of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the temperature / humidity adjustment process by the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process flow in the dehumidifying operation of FIG. 19 is a timing chart showing an example of the state of each part by the temperature / humidity adjustment processing of FIGS. 19, 8 and 20. It is the schematic which shows an example of the appearance of the operation panel in the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the temperature / humidity adjustment process by the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a relative humidity and a dew point temperature.

Embodiment 1.
Hereinafter, the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of the appearance of the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment. In the following description, the right side and the left side indicate the direction when the direction from the front side to the back side of the refrigerator 100 is the front side. That is, the right side corresponds to the right side of the paper surface of FIG. 1, and the left side corresponds to the left side of the paper surface of FIG.

[Structure of refrigerator 100]
The refrigerator 100 includes a refrigerating chamber 1, an ice making chamber 2 and a switching chamber 3 arranged in the left-right direction of the main body 100A, a vegetable compartment 4, and a freezing chamber 5 as storage chambers in the main body 100A in this order from the top. In the main body 100A, each storage chamber is divided by an outer box having an opening on the front surface and a partition wall, and the inner box fitted into the outer box through the opening of the outer box and the space between the outer box and the inner box are filled. It is a box body having heat insulating properties composed of a heat insulating material such as urethane foam.

The refrigerating room 1 is provided with a double door 1A that can be opened and closed. The ice making chamber 2 is provided with a drawer type door 2A that can be opened and closed in the front-rear direction. Similarly, the switching chamber 3 is provided with a drawer-type door 3A, the vegetable compartment 4 is provided with a drawer-type door 4A, and the freezing chamber 5 is provided with a drawer-type door 5A.

The refrigerating chamber 1, which is an example of the second storage chamber, is a storage chamber that maintains a temperature at which the contents do not freeze, and is controlled to a temperature in a refrigerating temperature range of, for example, about 2 ° C. to 5 ° C. The refrigerating temperature zone is not limited to this example, and may be a temperature zone lower than the above-mentioned temperature zone when, for example, a chilled chamber or the like is provided. The ice making room 2 is a storage room in which an ice making machine is provided and stores the ice produced by the ice making machine. The switching chamber 3 is a storage chamber in which the temperature zone can be switched according to the application. The vegetable compartment 4, which is an example of the first storage chamber, is a storage chamber mainly for storing vegetables, and is controlled to a temperature in a refrigerating temperature range of about 2 ° C. to 9 ° C. like the refrigerating chamber 1. NS. Further, the vegetable compartment 4 is generally in a state of higher humidity than the refrigerating chamber 1. The freezing chamber 5 is a storage chamber set in a freezing temperature range of, for example, about −40 ° C. to 0 ° C.

The ice making chamber 2 and the switching chamber 3 are divided into left and right by a vertical partition. Further, the refrigerating room 1, the ice making room 2, and the switching room 3 are vertically partitioned by a horizontal partition. The arrangement of each room is not limited to this example. For example, the ice making chamber 2 and the switching chamber 3 are arranged in parallel on the left and right under the refrigerating chamber 1 provided in the upper stage, and the vegetable chamber 4 provided below the ice making chamber 2 and the switching chamber 3 and in the lower stage. It may be a so-called mid-freezer type in which the freezing chamber 5 is arranged at the upper part. In the mid-freezer type, since the ice making chamber 2, the switching chamber 3, and the freezing chamber 5, which are relatively low temperature chambers, are close to each other, there is no need for a heat insulating material between the low temperature chambers, and heat leakage is small, so energy saving and low A cost refrigerator 100 can be provided.

An operation panel 6 is provided on either the left or right side of the double door 1A of the refrigerator compartment 1. The operation panel 6 is composed of, for example, an operation switch for setting the temperature in each storage room and a display unit for displaying temperature information such as the temperature inside the refrigerator and the set temperature.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 100 of FIG. 1 when viewed from the side. In FIG. 2, the solid line and the dotted line arrow indicate the flow of the cooling air flowing through the refrigerator 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 100 is provided with a machine room 10 at the lowermost part of the back surface. In the machine room 10, a compressor 10a, which is a component constituting the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator 100, is arranged. The compressor 10a compresses the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle.

A cooler chamber 20 is provided above the machine room 10. In the cooler chamber 20, a cooler 20a, which is a component constituting the refrigerating cycle of the refrigerator 100, and a cold air circulation fan 20b are arranged. The cooler 20a evaporates the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle and cools the surrounding air by the endothermic action during evaporation. The cold air circulation fan 20b is arranged in the vicinity of the cooler 20a, and the cooling air cooled by the cooler 20a is sent to each storage room of the refrigerating room 1, the ice making room 2, the switching room 3, the vegetable room 4, and the freezing room 5. Blow to.

The refrigerator 100 is provided with a cold air passage 11 for supplying the cooling air cooled by the cooler 20a to each storage chamber, a refrigerating chamber return air passage 12, a vegetable chamber air passage 13, and a vegetable chamber return air passage 14. ing.

The cold air passage 11 is formed on the back surface of the refrigerator 100. The cold air passage 11 supplies the cooling air cooled by the cooler 20a to each storage chamber by the cold air circulation fan 20b. A refrigerating chamber damper 11a is provided in the cold air passage 11. The refrigerating chamber damper 11a controls the inflow amount of the cooling air into the refrigerating chamber 1, that is, the amount of the blown air of the cooling air. Specifically, when the opening time of the refrigerating chamber damper 11a per hour is reduced, the amount of air blown out from the cooling air to the refrigerating chamber 1 is reduced to weaken the cooling force, and when the opening time is increased, cooling is performed. The amount of air blown out increases and the cooling power becomes stronger. The refrigerator compartment damper 11a is controlled by a control device 30 described later.

The refrigerating chamber return air passage 12 cools the refrigerating chamber 1 and the chilled chamber 1a provided in the refrigerating chamber 1, discharges the heated refrigerating chamber return air from the refrigerating chamber 1, and supplies it to the vegetable compartment 4. It is the air passage of. Although not shown here, the refrigerating chamber return air passage 12 has two winds, one for sending the refrigerating chamber return air to the vegetable compartment 4 and the other for returning the refrigerating chamber return air directly to the cooler 20a. It is composed of roads. Hereinafter, the refrigerating chamber return air passage 12 will be described as being an air passage for sending the refrigerating chamber return air to the vegetable compartment 4.

A refrigerating room return damper 12a is provided in the refrigerating room return air passage 12 for sending the refrigerating room return air to the vegetable room 4. The refrigerating chamber return damper 12a controls the inflow amount of the refrigerating chamber return air from the refrigerating chamber 1 to the vegetable compartment 4, that is, the amount of air blown out from the refrigerating chamber return air. Specifically, when the opening time of the refrigerating room return damper 12a per hour is reduced, the amount of air blown out from the refrigerating room returning air to the vegetable room 4 is reduced, and when the opening time is increased, the refrigerating room returning air is increased. The amount of air blown out increases. The refrigerating chamber return damper 12a is controlled by the control device 30.

The vegetable compartment air passage 13 supplies the cooling air cooled by the cooler 20a to the vegetable compartment 4. A vegetable compartment damper 13a is provided in the vegetable compartment air passage 13. The vegetable compartment damper 13a controls the inflow amount of the cooling air from the cooler 20a, that is, the amount of the blown air of the cooling air. Specifically, when the opening time of the vegetable compartment damper 13a per hour is reduced, the amount of air blown out by the cooling air to the vegetable chamber 4 is reduced, and when the opening time is increased, the amount of air blown out by the cooling air is increased. do. The vegetable compartment damper 13a is controlled by the control device 30.

The vegetable compartment return air passage 14 is an air passage for discharging the cooling air that cooled the vegetable chamber 4 and the refrigerating chamber return air from the vegetable chamber 4 and returning them to the cooler chamber 20.

A refrigerating chamber fan 11b may be provided in the refrigerating chamber 1 or in the cold air passage 11. By providing the refrigerating chamber fan 11b, it is possible to prevent the cooling air from flowing back from the vegetable compartment 4 to the refrigerating chamber 1.

The refrigerator 100 is provided with a door open / close detecting means 7. The door opening / closing detecting means 7 is for detecting the opening / closing of the pull-out door 4A of the vegetable compartment 4, and outputs the open / closed state of the drawer-type door 4A. Specifically, the pull-out door 4A outputs a signal indicating that the door is open when the door is kept open for a set time of, for example, 1 minute or more.

The set time may be more than 1 minute or less than 1 minute. Further, the set time may be arbitrarily set by the user. Further, the door opening / closing detecting means 7 may be able to detect the opening / closing of the doors of the storage chambers other than the vegetable compartment 4 or all the storage chambers.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vegetable compartment 4 of FIG. 1 as viewed from the right side. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vegetable compartment 4 of FIG. 1 as viewed from the drawer type door 4A side. In FIGS. 3 and 4, solid and dotted arrows indicate the flow of cooling air flowing through the vegetable compartment 4. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the vegetable compartment 4 is provided with a temperature sensor 4a and a humidity sensor 4b.

The temperature sensor 4a measures the temperature inside the vegetable compartment 4. The humidity sensor 4b measures the humidity in the vegetable compartment 4. The temperature sensor 4a and the humidity sensor 4b measure, for example, the resistance value, capacitance, voltage difference, etc. of the element, and are converted into temperature and humidity by the control device 30 based on the measured values.

The refrigerator 100 of FIG. 2 further includes a control device 30. The control device 30 controls the entire refrigerator 100. In particular, in the first embodiment, the control device 30 controls the opening and closing of the refrigerating room return damper 12a and the vegetable room damper 13a based on the measurement results of the temperature sensor 4a and the humidity sensor 4b. Further, the control device 30 determines that the door of the vegetable compartment 4 is in the open state when the door of the vegetable compartment 4 is kept open for a set time or longer based on the detection result of the door open / close detecting means 7. It is also possible to notify the user. Further, the control device 30 can also use the open / closed state of the door of the vegetable compartment 4 to control the opening / closing of the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment damper 13a. Specifically, for example, in the control device 30, even if the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 4a exceeds the set value when the door of the vegetable compartment 4 is open, the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a And the vegetable compartment damper 13a is controlled to be closed.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 30 of FIG. The control device 30 is composed of hardware such as a circuit device that realizes various functions by executing software on an arithmetic unit such as a microcomputer. As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 30 includes a temperature comparison unit 31, a humidity comparison unit 32, an equipment control unit 33, and a storage unit 34.

The temperature comparison unit 31 compares the measurement result of the temperature sensor 4a with the first set temperature TV1 or the second set temperature TV2 stored in the storage unit 34. Further, when the temperature comparison unit 31 receives a signal from the door open / close detection means 7 indicating that the door is open, the temperature comparison unit 31 stops the temperature comparison process. Further, when the temperature comparison unit 31 receives a signal indicating that the door is closed, the temperature comparison unit 31 restarts the temperature comparison process. Not limited to this, the temperature comparison unit 31 may continue the temperature comparison process regardless of the signal from the door open / close detection means 7.

The humidity comparison unit 32 compares the measurement result of the humidity sensor 4b with the first set humidity HV1 or the second set humidity HV2 stored in the storage unit 34. Further, the humidity comparison unit 32 stops the humidity comparison process when it receives a signal from the door open / close detecting means 7 indicating that the door is open. Further, the humidity comparison unit 32 restarts the humidity comparison process when it receives a signal indicating that the door is closed. Not limited to this, the humidity comparison unit 32 may continue the humidity comparison process regardless of the signal from the door open / close detection means 7.

Here, the first set temperature TV 1 is a set upper limit temperature indicating an upper limit value for maintaining the quality of food or the like in the vegetable compartment 4, and is set in advance. The first set temperature TV1 is set to, for example, 7 ° C. The second set temperature TV 2 is a set lower limit temperature for maintaining the quality of food or the like in the vegetable compartment 4, and is preset to a temperature lower than the first set temperature TV 1. The second set temperature TV2 is set to, for example, 3 ° C.

The first set humidity HV1 indicates the humidity at which dew condensation starts to occur in the vegetable compartment 4, and is set in advance. The first set humidity HV1 is set to, for example, 80%. The second set humidity HV2 indicates a lower limit value for maintaining the quality of food or the like in the vegetable compartment 4, and is preset to a humidity lower than the first set humidity HV1. The second set humidity HV2 is set to, for example, 70%.

The equipment control unit 33 controls the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment damper 13a based on the comparison result of the temperature comparison unit 31 and the comparison result of the humidity comparison unit 32. Further, the device control unit 33 controls to close the refrigerating room return damper 12a and the vegetable room damper 13a when receiving a signal from the door opening / closing detecting means 7 indicating that the door is open.

The storage unit 34 previously stores the first set temperature TV1 and the second set temperature TV2 used in the temperature comparison unit 31 and the first set humidity HV1 and the second set humidity HV2 used in the humidity comparison unit 32. Remember. The storage unit 34 reads out and supplies the stored first set temperature TV1 and second set temperature TV2 in response to the request from the temperature comparison unit 31. The storage unit 34 reads out and supplies the stored first set humidity HV1 and second set humidity HV2 in response to a request from the humidity comparison unit 32.

[Relationship between cooler room and each storage room]
FIG. 6 is a schematic view for explaining the relationship between the cooler chamber 20 and each storage chamber. In the example of FIG. 6, the solid arrow indicates the cooling air supplied from the cooler chamber 20 to each storage chamber. The dotted arrow indicates the return cold air supplied from each storage chamber to the cooler chamber 20.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cooler chamber 20 and the respective storage chambers of the refrigerator compartment 1, the chilled chamber 1a, the ice making chamber 2, the switching chamber 3, the vegetable compartment 4, and the freezer compartment 5 are connected by an air passage. .. Further, in the first embodiment, a refrigerating room return air passage 12 is provided between the refrigerating room 1, the chilled room 1a, and the vegetable room 4.

In the first embodiment, the refrigerating chamber damper 11a is provided in the air passage for supplying the cooling air from the cooler chamber 20 to the refrigerating chamber 1 and the chilled chamber 1a. Further, a vegetable compartment damper 13a is provided in the vegetable compartment air passage 13 that supplies cooling air from the cooler chamber 20 to the vegetable compartment 4. Further, a refrigerating room return damper 12a is provided in the refrigerating room return air passage 12 that supplies the refrigerating room return air from the refrigerating room 1 and the chilled room 1a to the vegetable room 4. Although not shown in the example of FIG. 2, a damper may be provided in the air passage for supplying cooling air from the cooler chamber 20 to each of the ice making chamber 2 and the switching chamber 3.

[Operation of refrigerator 100]
The operation of the refrigerator 100 having the above configuration will be described. In the first embodiment, the humidity in the vegetable compartment 4 is reduced in order to prevent dew condensation in the vegetable compartment 4. There are several methods for reducing the humidity in the vegetable compartment 4, but in the first embodiment, the simplest method of "replacing high humidity air with lower humidity air" is adopted. Simply put, ventilation reduces the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4.

When the vegetable compartment 4 is ventilated, if cold air having a low temperature of about -20 ° C. cooled in the cooler chamber 20 is used, the humidity in the vegetable compartment 4 can be lowered, but at the same time, the humidity in the vegetable compartment 4 can be lowered. The temperature drops below 0 ° C and the vegetables may freeze. Normally, freezing causes irreversible tissue degeneration, and when thawed after freezing, the texture and appearance are significantly deteriorated. Therefore, the storage temperature of vegetables needs to be 0 ° C. or higher.

On the other hand, the temperature of the refrigerating room 1 is generally about 0 ° C. to 5 ° C., which is lower than the temperature of the vegetable room 4 set to about 5 ° C. to 10 ° C. Since the amount of saturated water vapor in the air in the refrigerating room 1 is small and there are few foods as a humidifying source in the refrigerating room 1, the amount of water vapor contained in the air in the refrigerating room 1 is the amount of water vapor in the vegetable room 4. Less than air.

Therefore, the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment removes the return cold air flowing out of the refrigerating chamber 1 in order to reduce the humidity by ventilating as quickly as possible without lowering the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 to 0 ° C. or lower. use.

As described above, in order to prevent dew condensation in the vegetable compartment 4, it is necessary to reduce the humidity in the chamber as quickly as possible. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is allowed to drop up to about 0 ° C. to 10 ° C., which is unlikely to freeze the vegetables, and the cooling air is cooled by the cooler chamber 20 and has a low temperature and low humidity. Both the refrigerating chamber return air and the cooling room return air are used as ventilation air. On the other hand, when the temperature of the vegetable chamber 4 falls below the second set temperature TV2, only the return cold air flowing out from the refrigerating chamber 1 having a temperature of 0 ° C. or higher is used as ventilation air in order to prevent the vegetables from freezing. Used.

(Temperature and humidity adjustment processing)
The temperature / humidity adjustment process by the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. The refrigerator 100 performs a normal operation of cooling the vegetable compartment 4 and a dehumidifying operation of dehumidifying the vegetable compartment 4 according to the humidity state of the vegetable compartment 4.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the temperature / humidity adjustment process by the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment. In step S1, the humidity comparison unit 32 compares the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 with the first set humidity HV1. As a result of comparison, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or less than the first set humidity HV1 (step S1; No), the normal operation is performed in step S2. On the other hand, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the first set humidity HV1 (step S1; Yes), the dehumidifying operation is performed in step S10.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the normal operation is performed when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or lower than the first set humidity, and when the humidity of the vegetable chamber 4 exceeds the first set humidity HV1. Dehumidifying operation is performed.

(Normal operation)
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the normal operation of FIG. 7. In step S3, the temperature comparison unit 31 compares the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 with the first set temperature TV1. As a result of comparison, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the first set temperature TV1 (step S3; Yes), the device control unit 33 closes the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a and closes the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a in step S4, and also closes the vegetable compartment. The damper 13a is opened. On the other hand, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or lower than the first set temperature TV1 (step S3; No), the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, the temperature comparison unit 31 compares the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 with the second set temperature TV2. As a result of comparison, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is lower than the second set temperature TV2 (step S5; Yes), the device control unit 33 closes both the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment damper 13a in step S6. And. On the other hand, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or higher than the second set temperature TV2 (step S5; No), the process returns to step S4.

As described above, in the normal operation, the refrigerating room return damper 12a and the vegetable room are maintained so that the temperature of the vegetable room 4 is lower than the first set temperature TV1 and higher than the second set temperature TV2. The opening and closing of the damper 13a is controlled. That is, in normal operation, priority is given to temperature control of the vegetable compartment 4. As a result, the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 can be maintained at an appropriate temperature. Further, since only the cooling air sent from the cooler room 20 is sent to the vegetable room 4, the ventilation volume in the room can be minimized, so that the vegetable room 4 does not lower the humidity more than necessary. Can moisturize.

(Dehumidifying operation)
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the dehumidifying operation of FIG. 7. In step S11, the temperature comparison unit 31 compares the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 with the second set temperature TV2. As a result of comparison, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is lower than the second set temperature TV2 (step S11; Yes), the device control unit 33 opens the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment in step S12. The damper 13a is closed.

In step S13, the humidity comparison unit 32 compares the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 with the second set humidity HV2. As a result of comparison, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is lower than the second set humidity HV2 (step S13; Yes), the device control unit 33 closes both the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment damper 13a in step S14. And. When the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or higher than the second set humidity HV2 (step S13; No), the process returns to step S12.

On the other hand, in step S11, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or higher than the second set temperature TV2 (step S11; No), the device control unit 33 uses the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment damper 13a in step S15. Open together.

As described above, in the dehumidifying operation, the opening and closing of the refrigerating room return damper 12a and the vegetable room damper 13a is controlled until the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes lower than the second set humidity HV2. Further, even during the dehumidifying operation, the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment damper 13a are controlled so that the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 does not exceed the first set temperature TV1. As a result, the cooling air from the cooler chamber 20 and the return air from the refrigerator chamber are used to dehumidify the room with a larger air volume and while changing the temperature of the inflowing air, so that the temperature is maintained at an appropriate temperature. In this state, the occurrence of dew condensation can be quickly suppressed.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an example of the state of each part by the temperature / humidity adjustment processing of FIGS. 7 to 9. As shown in FIG. 10, in the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment, a normal operation in which the temperature control of the vegetable compartment 4 is prioritized and a dehumidification operation in which the humidity control is preferentially performed are performed (see FIG. 7). .. Whether to perform the normal operation or the dehumidifying operation is determined by whether or not the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the first set humidity HV1 (step S1). Here, the normal operation is performed when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is lower than the first set humidity HV1 (step S2), and the dehumidifying operation is performed when the humidity of the vegetable chamber 4 is higher than the first set humidity HV1. It is performed (step S10).

In the normal operation section, the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is controlled to be within the range from the first set temperature TV1 to the second set temperature TV2 (see FIG. 8). For example, at time _{t 1,} the temperature of vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the first set temperature TV1; (step S3 Yes), the device control unit 33, a vegetable compartment damper 13a is opened, the refrigerator compartment return damper 12a Is controlled to be closed (step S4). As a result, the low-temperature and low-humidity cooling air flows into the vegetable compartment 4, so that the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 drops.

At time _{t 2,} the temperature of vegetable compartment 4 becomes lower than the second set temperature TV2; (step S5 Yes), the device control unit 33 are both in the closed vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating compartment return damper 12a (Step S6). As a result, the cooling air does not flow into the vegetable compartment 4, so that the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 rises.

Hereinafter, during normal operation, the device control unit 33 similarly controls the opening and closing of the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a, and sets the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 from the first set temperature TV1 to the second set temperature TV2. Keep within the range up to.

Here, at time t _A, the pullout door 4A crisper 4 is opened by the user, to flow outside air in the vegetable compartment 4, or food to a source of water vapor is introduced into a new, humidity and The temperature rises together. Further, when the drawer type door 4A is opened, a signal indicating that the door of the vegetable compartment 4 is opened is output by the door open / close detection means 7, and the temperature comparison unit 31 and the humidity comparison unit 32 are based on the signal. The temperature comparison process and the humidity comparison process are interrupted, respectively. The temperature comparison unit 31 and the humidity comparison unit 32 do not have to interrupt the temperature comparison process and the humidity comparison process, respectively, as described above. At this time, the device control unit 33 controls the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a to be in the closed state based on the signal from the door open / close detecting means 7. This is to prevent the temperature of the cooler 20a from rising. Then, at time t _3, when the humidity in the vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the first set humidity HV1, it switched to the operation dehumidifying operation (see FIG. 9).

At time t _B, the pullout door 4A is closed, the output signal indicating that the door of the vegetable compartment 4 is closed by the door opening-closing detection means 7, the temperature comparing section 31 and humidity comparator unit 32, the signal Based on the above, the temperature comparison process and the humidity comparison process are restarted, respectively. At this time, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes equal to or higher than the second set temperature TV2 (step S11; No), the device control unit 33 controls to open both the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a. (Step S15). As a result, air having a lower temperature and lower humidity than the air in the current vegetable compartment 4 flows into the vegetable compartment 4, so that both the humidity and the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 decrease.

At time _{t 4,} the temperature of vegetable compartment 4 becomes lower than the second set temperature TV2; (step S11 Yes), the device control unit 33, and a refrigerator compartment return damper 12a opens, the vegetable compartment damper 13a closed (Step S12). As a result, the cooling air from the cooler room 20, which is lower than the return cold air from the refrigerating room 1, does not flow into the vegetable room 4, so that the temperature of the vegetable room 4 drops slowly and drops to the temperature TR1. Here, the temperature TR1 is the lower limit temperature of the return cold air from the refrigerating chamber 1, and is lower than the second set temperature TV2. This is because the refrigerating room 1 is generally set to a temperature lower than that of the vegetable room 4.

At time _{t 5,} the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes lower than the second set humidity HV2; (step S13 Yes), the device control unit 33 are both in the closed vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating compartment return damper 12a (Step S14). Then, the dehumidifying operation is completed, and the operation shifts to the normal operation. As a result, the cooling air does not flow into the vegetable compartment 4, so that the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 rises. Then, the normal operation is continued until the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 rises and the first set humidity HV1 is exceeded and the dehumidifying operation is started again.

Hereinafter, in the normal operation, the opening and closing of the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a are controlled so that the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is within the range of the first set temperature TV1 and the second set temperature TV2. Further, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes higher than the first set humidity HV1, the operation shifts to the dehumidifying operation, and the vegetable chamber damper 13a and The opening and closing of the refrigerator return damper 12a is controlled.

As described above, in the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment, based on the temperature and humidity of the vegetable compartment 4, the vegetable compartment damper 13a provided on the vegetable compartment air passage 13 and the refrigerator chamber return air passage 12 are used. The inside of the vegetable compartment 4 is dehumidified by controlling the opening and closing of the refrigerator chamber return damper 12a provided in the vegetable compartment 4. As a result, the cooling air flowing in from the vegetable compartment air passage 13 and the refrigerating chamber return air passage 12 is controlled, and suitable air is introduced according to the temperature and humidity conditions of the vegetable chamber 4, so that the temperature of the vegetable chamber 4 can be adjusted. Condensation can be suppressed while keeping the temperature at an appropriate level. Further, since the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a are provided on the air passage, the storage space can be maintained.

Further, in the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment, the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a are opened when the dehumidifying operation is performed. As a result, air having a temperature and humidity lower than the temperature and humidity of the vegetable room 4 is introduced, so that both the temperature and humidity can be lowered. Further, during the dehumidifying operation, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is lower than the second set temperature TV2, the vegetable compartment damper 13a is closed. As a result, cooling air having a lower temperature and lower humidity is not introduced, so that the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 can be at least higher than that of the return air of the refrigerator compartment.

Furthermore, in the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment, the dehumidifying operation is started when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the first set humidity HV1. As a result, the defrosting operation is started when the humidity reaches the stage at which dew condensation occurs, so that the occurrence of dew condensation in the vegetable compartment 4 can be suppressed.

Further, in the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment, the defrosting operation ends when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes lower than the second set humidity HV2. As a result, it is possible to prevent the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 from dropping too low and maintain an appropriate humidity state.

Further, in the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment, a refrigerating chamber fan 11b is provided on the cold air passage 11 and a cold air circulation fan 20b is provided in the cooler chamber 20. As a result, it is possible to prevent loss of storage space due to the provision of the fan in the vegetable compartment 4, and to increase the flow velocity of the return cold air flowing into the vegetable compartment 4 from the refrigerating chamber 1 to improve the ventilation speed.

Embodiment 2.
Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the dehumidifying operation is completed at the set time. In the following description, the parts common to the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[Structure of refrigerator 200]
FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 200 according to the second embodiment when viewed from the side. The refrigerator 200 includes a control device 230 that controls the entire refrigerator 200 instead of the control device 30 of the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment described above.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 230 of FIG. The control device 230 is composed of hardware such as a circuit device that realizes various functions by executing software on an arithmetic unit such as a microcomputer. As shown in FIG. 12, the control device 230 includes a temperature comparison unit 31, a humidity comparison unit 32, an equipment control unit 233, a storage unit 34, and a timer 235.

The timer 235 clocks under the control of the device control unit 233. Specifically, the timer 235 starts timing based on the control of the device control unit 233 when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 4a becomes lower than the second set temperature TV2. The timer 235, if the elapsed by setting from the start of counting dehumidifying time _{t set1,} notifies the device control section 233 that has elapsed set dehumidifying time _{t set1.}

Similar to the device control unit 33 of the first embodiment, the device control unit 233 of the refrigerating room return damper 12a and the vegetable room damper 13a based on the comparison result of the temperature comparison unit 31 and the comparison result of the humidity comparison unit 32. Control opening and closing. Further, the device control unit 233 controls to close the refrigerating room return damper 12a and the vegetable room damper 13a when receiving a signal from the door opening / closing detecting means 7 indicating that the door is open. Further, the device control unit 233 controls the opening and closing of the refrigerating room return damper 12a and the vegetable room damper 13a so as to end the dehumidifying operation when _{the timer 235 receives a notification indicating that the set dehumidifying time t set1 has elapsed.} do.

[Operation of refrigerator 200]
(Temperature and humidity adjustment processing)
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the temperature / humidity adjustment process by the refrigerator 200 according to the second embodiment. In step S1, the humidity comparison unit 32 compares the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 with the first set humidity HV1. As a result of comparison, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or less than the first set humidity HV1 (step S1; No), the normal operation is performed in step S2. On the other hand, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the first set humidity HV1 (step S1; Yes), the dehumidifying operation is performed in step S20.

(Dehumidifying operation)
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the dehumidifying operation of FIG. In step S21, the temperature comparison unit 31 compares the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 with the second set temperature TV2. As a result of comparison, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is lower than the second set temperature TV2 (step S21; Yes), the device control unit 233 resets the timer 235 and starts timing in step S22. Then, in step S23, the device control unit 233 opens the refrigerator compartment return damper 12a and closes the vegetable compartment damper 13a.

In step S24, the humidity comparison unit 32 compares the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 with the second set humidity HV2. Further, the device control unit 233 determines whether or not the _{time counting by the timer 235 has elapsed by the set dehumidification time t set1.}

When the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is lower than the second set humidity HV2, or when the time counting by the timer 235 _{elapses by the set dehumidification time t set1} (step S24; Yes), the device control unit 233 performs the device control unit 233 in step S25. Both the refrigerator compartment return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment damper 13a are closed. Further, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or higher than the second set humidity HV2, or when the time measured by the timer 235 _{does not elapse by the set dehumidification time t set1} (step S24; No), the process is step S23. Return to.

On the other hand, in step S21, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or higher than the second set temperature TV2 (step S21; No), the device control unit 233 uses the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment damper 13a in step S26. Open together.

FIG. 15 is a timing chart showing an example of the state of each part by the temperature / humidity adjustment processing of FIGS. 13, 8 and 14. As shown in FIG. 15, in the refrigerator 200 according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, normal operation or dehumidification is performed according to the comparison result between the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 and the first set humidity HV1. The operation is performed (see FIG. 13).

In the normal operation section, the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is controlled to be within the range from the first set temperature TV1 to the second set temperature TV2. Since the operation of each part during normal operation is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

At time t _A, the pullout door 4A crisper 4 is opened, to flow outside air in the vegetable compartment 4, or food comprising a source of water vapor is introduced into the new, humidity and temperature rises together. Further, when the drawer type door 4A is opened, the temperature comparison unit 31 and the humidity comparison unit 32 interrupt the temperature comparison process and the humidity comparison process, respectively, based on the detection signal by the door open / close detection means 7. The temperature comparison unit 31 and the humidity comparison unit 32 do not have to interrupt the temperature comparison process and the humidity comparison process, respectively, as described above. At this time, the device control unit 233 controls the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a to be in the closed state based on the signal from the door open / close detecting means 7. Then, at time t _11, when the humidity in the vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the first set humidity HV1, it switched to the operation dehumidifying operation (see FIG. 14).

At time t _B, the pullout door 4A is closed, the temperature comparing section 31 and humidity comparator unit 32, based on a detection signal from the door opening and closing detecting unit 7, respectively resumes the temperature comparing process and humidity comparison process. At this time, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes equal to or higher than the second set temperature TV2 (step S21; No), the device control unit 233 controls to open both the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a. (Step S26). As a result, air having a lower temperature and lower humidity than the air in the current vegetable compartment 4 flows into the vegetable compartment 4, so that both the humidity and the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 decrease.

At time _{t 12,} the temperature of vegetable compartment 4 becomes lower than the second set temperature TV2; (step S21 Yes), the device control unit 233 resets the timer 235 starts clocking (step S22). Further, the device control unit 233 controls so that the refrigerator compartment return damper 12a is opened and the vegetable compartment damper 13a is closed (step S23). As a result, the cooling air from the cooler room 20, which is lower than the return cold air from the refrigerating room 1, does not flow into the vegetable room 4, so that the temperature of the vegetable room 4 drops slowly, and the temperature of the vegetable room 4 becomes higher. The temperature drops to the temperature TR1, which is the temperature of the return cold air from the refrigerating chamber 1.

At time _{t 13,} the counting time of the timer 235 reaches the set dehumidifying time _{t set1;} (step S24 Yes), the device control section 233, controlled to both the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating compartment return damper 12a is closed (Step S25). Then, the dehumidifying operation is completed, and the operation shifts to the normal operation. As a result, the cooling air does not flow into the vegetable compartment 4, so that the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 rises. Then, the normal operation is continued until the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 rises and the first set humidity HV1 is exceeded and the dehumidifying operation is started again.

Hereinafter, in the normal operation, the opening and closing of the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a are controlled so that the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is within the range of the first set temperature TV1 and the second set temperature TV2. Further, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes higher than the first set humidity HV1, the operation shifts to the dehumidifying operation, and the vegetable chamber damper 13a and The opening and closing of the refrigerator return damper 12a is controlled.

As described above, in the refrigerator 200 according to the second embodiment, when the set dehumidification time t _set1 elapses after the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes lower than the second set temperature TV2 during the dehumidification operation, the refrigerator is refrigerated. The dehumidifying operation ends with the room return damper 12a closed. As a result, for example, when the humidity of the refrigerating room 1 is higher than the second set humidity HV2, the humidity of the vegetable room 4 does not fall below the second set humidity HV2 even if the ventilation operation is performed, and the dehumidifying operation cannot be escaped. As expected, this can be prevented.

Embodiment 3.
Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. The third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is too low, the vegetable chamber 4 is heated by a heater. In the following description, the parts common to the first and second embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[Structure of refrigerator 300]
FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 300 according to the third embodiment when viewed from the side. The refrigerator 300 includes a control device 330 that controls the entire refrigerator 300 in place of the control devices 30 and 230 of the refrigerators 100 and 200 according to the above-described first and second embodiments.

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vegetable compartment 4 of FIG. 16 as viewed from the drawer type door 4A side. In FIG. 17, the solid arrow indicates the flow of cooling air flowing through the vegetable compartment 4. As shown in FIG. 17, the vegetable compartment 4 is provided with a temperature sensor 4a, a humidity sensor 4b, and a vegetable compartment heater 4c.

The vegetable compartment heater 4c is provided to heat the vegetable compartment 4 and suppress a temperature drop. The vegetable chamber heater 4c is embedded in at least one wall surface among the plurality of wall surfaces forming the vegetable chamber 4. In this example, the vegetable compartment heater 4c is embedded in the wall surface at the bottom of the vegetable compartment 4.

FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 330 of FIG. The control device 330 is composed of hardware such as a circuit device that realizes various functions by executing software on an arithmetic unit such as a microcomputer. As shown in FIG. 18, the control device 330 includes a temperature comparison unit 331, a humidity comparison unit 32, an equipment control unit 333, a storage unit 334, and a timer 335.

Similar to the temperature comparison unit 31 of the first embodiment, the temperature comparison unit 331 compares the measurement result of the temperature sensor 4a with the first set temperature TV1 or the second set temperature TV2 stored in the storage unit 334. do. Further, the temperature comparison unit 331 stops or restarts the temperature comparison process when it receives a signal indicating the open / closed state of the door from the door open / close detecting means 7. Not limited to this, the temperature comparison unit 331 may continue the temperature comparison process regardless of the signal from the door open / close detection means 7.

Further, the temperature comparison unit 331 compares the measurement result of the temperature sensor 4a with the third set temperature TV 3 stored in the storage unit 334. Here, the third set temperature TV 3 is a set temperature corresponding to the lower limit temperature when the set temperature of the refrigerating chamber 1 is lower than usual, and indicates a temperature at which the food in the vegetable chamber 4 may freeze. .. In this case, the third set temperature TV3 is lower than the second set temperature TV2.

Similar to the storage unit 34 of the first embodiment, the storage unit 334 stores in advance the first set temperature TV1 and the second set temperature TV2, and the first set humidity HV1 and the second set humidity HV2. .. Further, the storage unit 334 stores the third set temperature TV3 in advance.

The timer 335 clocks under the control of the device control unit 333. Specifically, the timer 335 starts timing based on the control of the device control unit 333 when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 4a becomes lower than the third set temperature TV3. The timer 335, if the elapsed by setting heating time _{t set2} since the start of time measurement, and notifies the device control section 333 that the setting heating time _{t set2} has elapsed.

Similar to the device control unit 33 of the first embodiment, the device control unit 333 of the refrigerating room return damper 12a and the vegetable room damper 13a is based on the comparison result of the temperature comparison unit 331 and the comparison result of the humidity comparison unit 32. Control opening and closing. Further, the device control unit 333 controls to close the refrigerating room return damper 12a and the vegetable room damper 13a when receiving a signal from the door opening / closing detecting means 7 indicating that the door is open. Further, when the temperature of the vegetable chamber 4 is lower than the third set temperature TV3, the device control unit 333 controls to start the time counting by the timer 335 and to heat the vegetable chamber heater 4c. Then, when the device control unit 333 _{receives a notification from the timer 335 indicating that the set heating time t set2} has elapsed, the device control unit 333 controls to end the heating by the vegetable chamber heater 4c.

[Operation of refrigerator 300]
(Temperature and humidity adjustment processing)
FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the temperature / humidity adjustment process by the refrigerator 300 according to the third embodiment. In step S1, the humidity comparison unit 32 compares the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 with the first set humidity HV1. As a result of comparison, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or less than the first set humidity HV1 (step S1; No), the normal operation is performed in step S2. On the other hand, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the first set humidity HV1 (step S1; Yes), the dehumidifying operation is performed in step S30.

(Dehumidifying operation)
FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the dehumidifying operation of FIG. In step S31, the temperature comparison unit 331 compares the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 with the second set temperature TV2. As a result of comparison, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is lower than the second set temperature TV2 (step S31; Yes), the device control unit 333 opens the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment in step S32. The damper 13a is closed.

In step S33, the temperature comparison unit 331 compares the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 with the third set temperature TV3. As a result of comparison, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the third set temperature TV3 (step S33; Yes), the process shifts to step S34.

In step S34, the humidity comparison unit 32 compares the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 with the second set humidity HV2. As a result of comparison, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is lower than the second set humidity HV2 (step S34; Yes), the device control unit 333 closes both the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment damper 13a in step S35. And. When the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or higher than the second set humidity HV2 (step S34; No), the process returns to step S32.

On the other hand, in step S31, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or higher than the second set temperature TV2 (step S31; No), the device control unit 333 sets the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a and the vegetable compartment damper 13a in step S36. Open together.

Further, in step S33, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is equal to or lower than the third set temperature TV3 (step S33; No), the device control unit 333 resets the timer 335 and starts timing in step S37. Then, in step S38, the device control unit 333 turns on the vegetable compartment heater 4c.

In step S39, the device control unit 333 determines whether or not the _{time counting by the timer 335 has elapsed by the set heating time t set2.} When the time measured by the timer 335 has _{elapsed by the set heating time t set2} (step S39; Yes), the device control unit 333 turns off the vegetable chamber heater 4c in step S40. Then, the process proceeds to step S34. On the other hand, when the time measured by the timer 335 _{does not elapse by the set heating time t set2} (step S39; No), the process returns to step S38.

FIG. 21 is a timing chart showing an example of the state of each part by the temperature / humidity adjustment processing of FIGS. 19, 8 and 20. As shown in FIG. 21, in the refrigerator 300 according to the third embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the normal operation is performed according to the comparison result between the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 and the first set humidity HV1. Alternatively, a dehumidifying operation is performed (see FIG. 19).

In the normal operation section, the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is controlled to be within the range from the first set temperature TV1 to the second set temperature TV2. Since the operation of each part during normal operation is the same as that of the first and second embodiments, the description thereof will be omitted.

At time t _A, the pullout door 4A crisper 4 is opened, to flow outside air in the vegetable compartment 4, or food comprising a source of water vapor is introduced into the new, humidity and temperature rises together. Further, when the drawer type door 4A is opened, the temperature comparison unit 331 and the humidity comparison unit 32 interrupt the temperature comparison process and the humidity comparison process, respectively, based on the detection signal by the door open / close detection means 7. The temperature comparison unit 331 and the humidity comparison unit 32 do not have to interrupt the temperature comparison process and the humidity comparison process, respectively, as described above. At this time, the device control unit 333 controls the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a to be in the closed state based on the signal from the door open / close detecting means 7. Then, at time t _21, when the humidity in the vegetable compartment 4 is higher than the first set humidity HV1, it switched to the operation dehumidifying operation (see FIG. 20).

At time t _B, the pullout door 4A is closed, the temperature comparing section 331 and humidity comparator unit 32, based on a detection signal from the door opening and closing detecting unit 7, respectively resumes the temperature comparing process and humidity comparison process. At this time, when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes equal to or higher than the second set temperature TV2 (step S31; No), the device control unit 333 controls to open both the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a. (Step S36). As a result, air having a lower temperature and lower humidity than the air in the current vegetable compartment 4 flows into the vegetable compartment 4, so that both the humidity and the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 decrease.

At time _{t 22,} the temperature of vegetable compartment 4 becomes lower than the second set temperature TV2; (step S31 Yes), the device control unit 333, and a refrigerator compartment return damper 12a opens, the vegetable compartment damper 13a closed (Step S32). As a result, the cooling air from the cooler chamber 20, which is lower than the return cold air from the refrigerating chamber 1, does not flow into the vegetable compartment 4, so that the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 drops slowly.

At time _{t 23,} the temperature of vegetable compartment 4 becomes lower than the third set temperature TV 3; and (Step S33 No), the device control unit 333 resets the timer 335 starts clocking (step S37). Further, the device control unit 333 controls the vegetable chamber heater 4c to be turned on (step S38). As a result, the vegetable compartment 4 is heated and the temperature rises, so that the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 can be made higher than the second set temperature TV2. Here, the third set temperature TV3 is a lower limit temperature when the temperature of the return cold air from the refrigerating chamber 1 becomes a low temperature such as 0 ° C. or lower, and is a value lower than the second set temperature TV2. It is set to.

At the time point t ₂₄ , when the time counting time by the timer 335 reaches the set heating time t _set2 (step S39; Yes), the device control unit 333 controls the vegetable chamber heater 4c to be turned off (step S40). When the vegetable compartment heater 4c is turned off, the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 drops again. At the time point t ₂₅ , when the temperature of the vegetable room 4 becomes lower than the third set temperature TV 3, the device control unit 333 uses the timer 335 to _{measure the} set heating time t set 2 until the time point t _26, which is the vegetable room heater 4c. Is controlled to be ON.

On the other hand, at time _{t 27,} the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes lower than the second set humidity HV2; (step S34 Yes), the device control unit 333, both vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating compartment return damper 12a closed (Step S35). Then, the dehumidifying operation is completed, and the operation shifts to the normal operation. As a result, the cooling air does not flow into the vegetable compartment 4, so that the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 rises. Then, the normal operation is continued until the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 rises and the first set humidity HV1 is exceeded and the dehumidifying operation is started again.

Hereinafter, in the normal operation, the opening and closing of the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a are controlled so that the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is within the range of the first set temperature TV1 and the second set temperature TV2. Further, when the humidity of the vegetable compartment 4 becomes higher than the first set humidity HV1, the operation shifts to the dehumidifying operation, and the vegetable chamber damper 13a and The opening and closing of the refrigerator return damper 12a is controlled.

In this example, the vegetable chamber heater 4c is turned off when the set heating time t _{set2 has} elapsed since the vegetable chamber heater 4c was turned on, but this is limited to this example. No. For example, after the vegetable chamber heater 4c is turned on, the vegetable chamber heater 4c may be turned off when the temperature of the vegetable chamber 4 becomes higher than, for example, the second set temperature TV2.

As described above, in the refrigerator 300 according to the third embodiment, the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 is compared with the third set temperature TV3 lower than the second set temperature TV2, and the temperature of the vegetable chamber 4 is the second. When the set temperature of 3 is lower than TV3, the vegetable compartment heater 4c is turned on. As a result, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4 from becoming too low and the food or the like from freezing.

Further, the vegetable chamber heater 4c is turned off when the set heating time t _{set2 has elapsed since it was turned on} , or when the temperature of the vegetable chamber 4 becomes higher than the second set temperature TV. .. This makes it possible to prevent the vegetable compartment 4 from being overheated.

Embodiment 4.
Next, Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described. The fourth embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in that the dehumidifying operation is performed by operating the operation panel. In the following description, the parts common to the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing an example of the appearance of the operation panel 6 in the refrigerator 100 according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 22, the operation panel 6 is provided with various switches that output operation signals according to the operation by being operated by the user, and a display indicating the operation state. The operation panel 6 includes, for example, a room selection switch 61, a temperature zone changeover switch 62, an instant freezing switch 63, an ice making changeover switch 64, and a vegetable room dehumidification switch 65.

The room selection switch 61 selects a storage room such as a refrigerating room 1, a switching room 3, a vegetable room 4, and a freezing room 5. The temperature zone changeover switch 62 switches the temperature zone such as refrigeration, freezing, chilled or soft freezing of the storage room selected by the room selection switch 61, and quenching, strong, medium or weak cooling in the selected storage room. Switch speed. The flash freezing switch 63 selects whether or not to store the storage chamber in a supercooled state by quick freezing. The ice making changeover switch 64 selects an ice making speed such as normal, rapid or stop with respect to the ice produced in the ice making chamber 2. The vegetable compartment dehumidifying switch 65 selects the start and end of the dehumidifying operation in the vegetable compartment 4.

[Operation of refrigerator 100]
(Temperature and humidity adjustment processing)
The temperature / humidity adjustment process by the refrigerator 100 according to the fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the dehumidifying operation in the temperature / humidity adjustment process is performed by the user operating the operation panel 6.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the temperature / humidity adjustment process by the refrigerator 100 according to the fourth embodiment. In step S40, the control device 30 determines whether or not the user operates the operation panel 6 to instruct the dehumidifying operation.

When it is determined that the dehumidifying operation is instructed (step S40; Yes), the dehumidifying operation is performed in step S10. On the other hand, when it is determined that the dehumidifying operation is not instructed (step S40; No), the normal operation is performed in step S2. Since the detailed processing in the dehumidifying operation and the normal operation is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, in the refrigerator 100 according to the fourth embodiment, the vegetable compartment damper 13a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a are opened and the dehumidifying operation is started based on the operation on the operation panel 6. As a result, the user can arbitrarily start the dehumidifying operation.

Although the embodiments 1 to 4 of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments 1 to 4 of the present invention, and may vary within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. Can be transformed and applied. For example, in the first to fourth embodiments, the first set humidity HV1 has been described as being set in advance, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first set humidity HV1 may be determined by calculating based on the temperature of the vegetable compartment 4. ..

Specifically, in the vegetable compartment 4, the temperature at the lowest temperature in the vegetable compartment 4 such as near the partition wall between the freezing chamber 5 or the cold air outlet is added, and the temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 4a. The deviation temperature ΔT is investigated in advance by actual measurement or the like. Then, the humidity at which T−ΔT, which is the difference between the detected temperature T and the deviation temperature ΔT, becomes the dew point temperature is defined as the first set humidity HV1. As a result, the dehumidifying operation is carried out before the dew grows, and the dew condensation can be prevented.

FIG. 24 is a graph showing the relationship between relative humidity and dew point temperature. As shown in FIG. 24, the relative humidity can be obtained based on the air temperature and the dew point temperature. The dew point temperature can be obtained by obtaining a temperature at which the water vapor pressure obtained based on the air temperature and the relative humidity is the saturated water vapor pressure. The saturated water vapor pressure in this case is calculated based on, for example, the equation (1). In formula (1), t represents the air temperature.
_{e s = 6.11 × 10 ^ {} 7.5t / (237.3 + t)} ··· (1)

Further, in the first to fourth embodiments, a fan is provided in the cold air passage 11 so that the return cold air of the refrigerating chamber 1 surely flows into the vegetable chamber 4 without flowing back to the refrigerating chamber 1, and at least the refrigerating chamber is returned. The fan may be driven while the damper 12a is open. In the case where a fan is provided, when the refrigerating chamber damper 11a and the refrigerating chamber return damper 12a are opened at the same time, the control device 30 prevents the cooling air from flowing back from the refrigerating chamber 1 to the cooler chamber 20. Control is performed so as to reduce the rotation speed of the refrigerator compartment fan 11b. Further, the control device 30 may control the refrigerating chamber damper 11a and the refrigerating chamber returning damper 12a so that the refrigerating chamber damper 11a and the refrigerating chamber returning damper 12a are not opened at the same time.

1 Refrigerator room, 1A damper door, 1a chilled room, 2 ice making room, 2A, 3A, 4A drawer door, 3 switching room, 4 vegetable room, 4a temperature sensor, 4b humidity sensor, 4c vegetable room heater, 5 freezer room 5A Draw-out door, 6 Operation panel, 7 Door open / close detection means, 10 Machine room, 10a Compressor, 11 Cold air passage, 11a Refrigerator damper, 11b Refrigerator fan, 12 Refrigerator return air passage, 12a Refrigerator return Damper, 13 Vegetable room air passage, 13a Vegetable room damper, 14 Vegetable room return air passage, 20 Cooler room, 20a Cooler, 20b Cool air circulation fan, 30, 230, 330 Control device, 31, 331 Temperature comparison unit, 32 Humidity comparison unit, 33, 233, 333 Equipment control unit, 34, 334 Storage unit, 61 Room selection switch, 62 Temperature zone changeover switch, 63 Instant freezer switch, 64 Ice making changeover switch, 65 Vegetable room dehumidification switch, 100, 200 , 300 refrigerator, 100A main body, 235, 335 timer.

Claims (12)

A first storage chamber controlled to a temperature in the refrigerating temperature zone, a second storage chamber controlled to a temperature lower than the temperature in the refrigerating temperature zone or the temperature of the first storage chamber, and cooling air are generated. A main body including a cooler chamber for blowing the cooling air into the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber, and
A temperature sensor provided in the first storage chamber to detect the temperature of the storage chamber, and
A humidity sensor provided in the first storage chamber to detect the humidity in the storage chamber, and
A first damper provided on the first storage chamber air passage connecting the first storage chamber and the cooler chamber to open and close the first storage chamber air passage, and
Provided the wind path that connects the second storage chamber and said first storage chamber, a second damper for opening and closing the air passage,
A control device for performing a dehumidifying operation for dehumidifying the first storage chamber by controlling the first damper and the second damper based on the storage chamber temperature and the storage chamber humidity is provided. refrigerator. The control device is
A temperature comparison unit that compares the storage chamber temperature with the set lower limit temperature of the storage chamber temperature.
A humidity comparison unit that compares the storage room humidity with the first set humidity and the second set humidity lower than the first set humidity.
Based on the comparison result of the temperature comparison unit and the humidity comparison unit, the first damper and the device control unit that controls the opening and closing of the second damper are provided.
The device control unit
The dehumidifying operation was started with the first damper and the second damper opened.
Wherein during dehumidification operation, wherein when the storage chamber temperature is lower than the set lower limit temperature, the refrigerator according to claim 1, said first damper closed. The device control unit
The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the dehumidifying operation is started when the humidity in the storage room is higher than the first set humidity. It also has an operation panel that outputs operation signals according to the operation.
The device control unit
The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the dehumidifying operation is started with the first damper and the second damper opened based on the operation on the operation panel. The device control unit
According to any one of claims 2 to 4 , when the storage chamber temperature becomes lower than the second set humidity during the dehumidifying operation, the second damper is closed and the dehumidifying operation is terminated. The listed refrigerator. The device control unit
Claims 2 to 4 in which the second damper is closed and the dehumidification operation is terminated when the set dehumidification time elapses after the storage chamber temperature becomes lower than the set lower limit temperature during the dehumidification operation. The refrigerator according to any one item. Before SL provided in the first storage chamber, further comprising a heater motor for heating said first storage compartment,
The temperature comparison unit
Compared with the previous SL storage room temperature, and a lower set temperature than the set lower limit temperature,
The device control unit
If before Symbol storage room temperature is lower than the set temperature, the ON the heater
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 to 6. The device control unit
The refrigerator according to claim 7 , wherein the heater is turned off when the set heating time has elapsed since the heater was turned on. The device control unit
The refrigerator according to claim 7 , wherein the heater is turned off when the temperature of the storage chamber becomes higher than the set lower limit temperature after the heater is turned on. A door open / close detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the door of the first storage chamber is further provided.
The temperature comparison unit and the humidity comparison unit
Based on the detection result by the door open / close detection means, when the door of the first storage chamber is open, the temperature comparison and the humidity comparison are interrupted.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 to 9 , wherein when the door of the first storage chamber is closed, the temperature comparison and the humidity comparison are restarted. The device control unit
Based on the detection result by the door open / close detecting means, when the door of the first storage chamber is open, the first damper and the second damper are closed.
The refrigerator according to請Motomeko 10. A first fan provided on a cold air passage connecting the cooler chamber and the second storage chamber and blowing the cooling air generated in the cooler chamber to the second storage chamber.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , further comprising a second fan provided in the cooler chamber and blowing the generated cooling air to the first storage chamber.

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