JP7155030B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to refrigerators.

In a conventional refrigerator, when the temperature of the evaporator that constitutes the refrigeration cycle becomes low, frost adheres to the outer surface of the evaporator. It is known that when frost adheres to the evaporator (frost formation), the cooling capacity of the evaporator decreases. Therefore, it is important to prevent frost from adhering to the evaporator and to remove (defrost) the frost adhering to the evaporator to improve the performance of the refrigerator. For this reason, a heater is used to heat the evaporator, and a fan is used to blow air having a temperature higher than the freezing point to the evaporator, thereby preventing frost formation on the evaporator and defrosting the evaporator.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-2141

However, since defrosting is performed by interrupting the cooling operation of the storage compartment, if the defrosting operation is performed excessively, the storage compartment cannot be cooled appropriately along with the defrosting operation. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator capable of appropriately performing a defrosting operation.

A refrigerator according to one embodiment includes a refrigerator body having a storage chamber therein, a compressor, a refrigeration cycle having an evaporator supplied with refrigerant discharged from the compressor and cooling the storage chamber, and the evaporator. an evaporator temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the evaporator; a defrosting means that performs a defrosting operation to melt frost adhering to the evaporator; a control that controls the refrigeration cycle, the evaporator temperature sensor, and the defrosting means wherein the control unit starts the defrosting operation when a first defrosting start condition is satisfied, and the first defrosting start condition is that the temperature detected by the evaporator temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. In a refrigerator in which the accumulated time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the control unit performs a normal cooling operation for cooling the inside of the storage chamber, a low-temperature cooling operation for cooling the inside of the storage chamber to a lower temperature than the normal cooling operation, is executable, and when the cooling start condition is satisfied during execution of the defrosting operation, the defrosting operation is terminated and refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator to cool the storage chamber; Even if the cooling start condition is satisfied during execution of the defrosting operation, the defrosting operation is performed until the defrosting end condition, which is a predetermined condition for terminating the defrosting operation, is satisfied, and after the defrosting end condition is satisfied, the defrosting end condition is satisfied. A defrosting priority condition for supplying refrigerant to the evaporator to cool the storage compartment can be selected, and when a low temperature cooling execution condition is satisfied, a low temperature mode for performing the low temperature cooling operation instead of the normal cooling operation is set, and when the defrosting operation is started while the low temperature mode is set and when the defrosting operation is started when the low temperature mode is not set, the conditions for terminating the defrosting operation are Differently, when the defrosting operation is started when the low temperature mode is not set, the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition are switched and adopted, and the defrosting operation is started while the low temperature mode is set. In this case, the refrigerator maintains the defrosting priority condition while the low temperature mode is set even at the timing of switching from the defrosting priority condition to the cooling priority condition when the low temperature mode is not set.

A refrigerator according to another embodiment includes a refrigerator main body having a storage chamber therein, a door for opening and closing an opening of the storage chamber, a compressor, and a refrigerant discharged from the compressor to cool the storage chamber. a refrigerating cycle having an evaporator, a door sensor for detecting opening and closing of the door, defrosting means for performing a defrosting operation to melt frost adhering to the evaporator, the refrigerating cycle, the door sensor, and a control unit for controlling the defrosting means, wherein the control unit starts the defrosting operation when a first defrosting start condition is satisfied, and the first defrosting start condition is detected by the door sensor. In the refrigerator , the number of openings and closings of the door is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times, or the accumulated time of opening the door detected by the door sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. and a low-temperature cooling operation for cooling the inside of the storage chamber to a lower temperature than the normal cooling operation, and when the cooling start condition is satisfied during the defrosting operation, the defrosting operation is terminated. a cooling priority condition for supplying refrigerant to the evaporator to cool the storage chamber; a defrosting priority condition of performing the defrosting operation until the defrosting end condition is satisfied, and supplying refrigerant to the evaporator to cool the storage room after the defrosting end condition is satisfied, When the low-temperature cooling implementation condition is satisfied, the low-temperature mode for performing the low-temperature cooling operation is set instead of the normal cooling operation, and when the defrosting operation is started while the low-temperature mode is set, the low-temperature mode is set. When the defrosting operation is started when the defrosting operation is not set, the conditions for terminating the defrosting operation are different, and when the defrosting operation is started when the low temperature mode is not set, the cooling priority condition and the When the defrosting priority condition is switched and adopted, and the defrosting operation is started while the low temperature mode is set, the defrosting priority condition is switched to the cooling priority condition when the low temperature mode is not set. Even if there is, the refrigerator maintains the defrosting priority condition while the low temperature mode is set.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The schematic diagram which shows the refrigerating-cycle apparatus in the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. Timing chart showing cooling operation and defrosting operation in the refrigerator of the first embodiment of the present invention A flow chart showing control from when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied and the first defrosting operation is started until it ends. Flow diagram showing control under cooling priority conditions Timing chart showing cooling operation and defrosting operation in the refrigerator of the second embodiment of the present invention

(First embodiment)
A refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(1) Configuration of Refrigerator 1 As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerator main body 2 formed of a heat-insulating box body that opens to the front. The refrigerator main body 2 has a heat insulating material 2c such as a vacuum heat insulating panel or urethane foam placed in the gap between an outer case 2a made of steel plate and an inner case 2b made of synthetic resin provided by vacuum forming. It consists of a vertically long heat insulating box body. A storage space formed inside the refrigerator main body 2 is divided into an upper refrigerating space and a lower freezing space by an insulating partition wall.

In the refrigerating space formed by the single inner box 2b, a refrigerating chamber 3 provided with a plurality of placing shelves and a vegetable chamber 4 having a lower case as a storage container and an upper case are vertically divided in an adjacent state. are placed.

The refrigeration compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 are storage compartments that are cooled to a refrigeration temperature range (eg, 0 to 4°C). A front opening of the refrigerating chamber 3 is closed by a pair of left and right double-door type heat-insulating refrigerating chamber doors 3a that divide the opening in the width direction. The refrigerator compartment door 3a is rotatably supported by hinges provided on both left and right sides of the refrigerator body. An operation display unit 7 for receiving settings of the refrigerator 1 from the user and displaying the setting status of the refrigerator 1, and an outside temperature sensor 8 for detecting the outside temperature around the refrigerator 1 are provided on the front surface of the refrigerator compartment door 3a. is provided.

The interior of the refrigerating compartment 3 is vertically partitioned into a plurality of stages by a plurality of shelf plates 3b. A chilled room 3c for storing a drawer container is provided in a space below the lowermost shelf plate 3b, and constitutes a small storage room provided in the refrigerating room 3. As shown in FIG.

A refrigerator temperature sensor 24 for measuring the internal temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3 is provided on the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 3 . Further, a door sensor 9 for detecting opening/closing of the refrigerator compartment door 3a is provided at the periphery of the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 3. As shown in FIG.

The front opening of the vegetable compartment 4 is provided with a drawer type heat insulating vegetable door 4a. The vegetable door 4a has a back surface connected to a two-tier storage case that constitutes a storage container.

The freezer space below the heat-insulating partition wall is a space that is cooled and maintained in a freezer temperature range (eg, −18° C. to −20° C.), and includes an ice making compartment 5 , a small freezer compartment, and a main freezer compartment 6 . The ice making compartment 5 and the small freezer compartment are arranged side by side below the vegetable compartment 4 via a heat insulating wall. A main freezer compartment 6 having a lower case and an upper case is arranged below the ice making compartment 5 and the small freezer compartment.

The ice making compartment 5, the small freezer compartment and the main freezer compartment 6 are closed in a drawer style by a rail mechanism provided in the storage compartment, with storage containers connected and held by drawer doors 5a and 6a.

A freezer temperature sensor 26 for measuring the temperature inside the main freezer compartment 6 is provided on the back surface of the main freezer compartment 6 .

A refrigerating evaporator space Sr separated from the refrigerating chamber 3 and the vegetable chamber 4 by a cold air duct 12, an evaporator cover 13, and a fan cover 14 is provided at the back of the refrigerating space spanning the refrigerating chamber 3 and the vegetable chamber 4. . A refrigerating evaporator 10 and a refrigerating fan 11 are arranged in this refrigerating evaporator space. The refrigerator fan 11 cools the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 by supplying the air in the refrigerator evaporator space Sr cooled by the refrigerator evaporator 10 to the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 through the cold air duct 12. .

At the back of the freezing temperature zone storage compartment (the ice making compartment 5, the small freezing compartment, and the main freezing compartment 6), there is a freezing evaporator space Sf separated from the freezing temperature zone storage compartment by a cover member 17 forming a cold air duct. is provided.

Inside the freezer evaporator space Sf, a freezer evaporator 15 and a freezer fan 16 that are cooled to a temperature lower than that of the refrigerator evaporator 10 are provided. A freezing fan 16 provided in the freezer-evaporator space Sf supplies the air in the freezer-evaporator space Sf cooled by the freezer-evaporator 15 to the ice making compartment 5, the small freezer compartment and the main freezer compartment 6 through ducts. to cool the ice making compartment 5, the small freezer compartment and the main freezer compartment 6.

A defrost heater 18 and a drain gutter (not shown) for receiving defrosted water are disposed below the freezer evaporator 15 in the freezer evaporator space Sf. Defrosting of the freezing evaporator 15 is performed by heating the freezing evaporator 15 with radiant heat from the defrosting heater 18 . At this time, the thawed defrosted water is discharged to the outside through a drain gutter.

An inwardly recessed machine room 19 is formed outside the lower back surface of the refrigerator body 2 . The machine room 19 is provided with a compressor 20, a condenser 21, a cooling fan (not shown), and an evaporating dish 22 for evaporating the defrosted water.

Outside the refrigerator body 2 , for example, at the rear portion of the upper surface of the ceiling wall of the refrigerator body 2 , a control section 23 comprising a control board on which a microcomputer or the like for controlling the refrigerator 1 is mounted is provided.

(2) Refrigerating Cycle Next, the refrigerating cycle of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigerating cycle includes a compressor 20 that discharges high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas, a condenser 21 that receives the refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor 20 and liquefies it with heat, and a heat radiation pipe 28 on the outlet side of the condenser 21. A switching valve 29 connected via and switching the refrigerant flow path, a refrigerating evaporator 10 and a freezing evaporator 15, and a refrigerating pressure reducing device 30 and a freezing pressure reducing device 31 provided in these evaporators 10 and 15 respectively, It is configured by connecting these with piping.

Specifically, the compressor 20 is a variable capacity compressor that can change the amount of refrigerant discharged per unit time by changing the operating frequency (the number of revolutions per second) by inverter control. It delivers gaseous refrigerant.

To the discharge side of the compressor 20, the condenser 21, the heat radiation pipe 28, and the inlet side of the switching valve 29 are connected in series. One outlet of the switching valve 29 is connected to a refrigerating refrigerant channel in which the refrigerating decompression device 30 and the refrigerating evaporator 10 are connected in series. The other outlet of the switching valve 29 is connected in parallel with the refrigerating refrigerant flow path in which the freezing decompression device 31 and the freezing evaporator 15 are connected in series. A pipe connected to the outlet side of the refrigerating evaporator 10 and a pipe connected to the outlet side of the freezing evaporator 15 merge and are connected to the suction side of the compressor 20 to form a refrigerant circuit.

The refrigerator evaporator 10 is provided with a refrigerator evaporator temperature sensor 36 that detects the temperature of the refrigerator evaporator 10, and the freezer evaporator 15 is provided with a freezer evaporator temperature sensor 37 that detects the temperature of the freezer evaporator 15. (See Figure 2).

In such a refrigeration cycle apparatus, the refrigerant enclosed in the cycle is compressed by the compressor 20 to change into a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, which flows through the condenser 21 and the heat radiation pipe 28 while releasing heat.

The liquid refrigerant that has flowed through the heat radiation pipe 28 is guided to a switching valve 29 located in the machine room 19, and based on a command from the control unit 23, the switching valve 29 switches between the refrigeration pressure reducing device 30 and the freezing pressure reducing device 31 for supply. and is decompressed by decompression devices 30 and 31 so as to facilitate vaporization. The refrigerant decompressed and liquefied by passing through the decompression devices 30 and 31 evaporates in the refrigerating evaporator 10 or the freezing evaporator 15, and takes heat from the surroundings to cool the refrigerating evaporator 10 and the freezing evaporator 15 to a low temperature. , creating cold air to cool the storage space. The gas refrigerant that has passed through the evaporators 10 and 15 passes through the suction pipe 32 and is sucked into the compressor 20 again, repeating a series of refrigeration cycles.

(3) Electrical Configuration of Refrigerator 1 As shown in FIG. The fan 16, the defrosting heater 18, the compressor 20, the refrigerator temperature sensor 24, the freezer temperature sensor 26, the switching valve 29, the refrigerator evaporator temperature sensor 36, the freezer evaporator temperature sensor 37, etc. are provided inside or outside the refrigerator body 2. electrical components are electrically connected.

When a signal input from various sensors or a signal input from the operation display unit 7 by a user's operation is input, the control unit 23 controls the refrigeration unit 23 based on a control program stored in advance in the memory. By controlling the operations of the fan 11, the freezing fan 16, the defrosting heater 18, the compressor 20, and the switching valve 29, the operation of the compressor 20, the refrigerating fan 11, and the freezing fan 16, the turning on/off of the defrosting heater 18, and the , refrigerant switching between the refrigerating evaporator 10 and the freezing evaporator 15 by means of the switching valve 29, display on the operation display unit 7, and other general operations of the refrigerator 1 are controlled.

(4) Cooling Operation of Refrigerator 1 In the refrigerator 1, based on the internal temperature of the refrigerating space and the internal temperature of the freezing space detected by the refrigerating temperature sensor 24 and the freezing temperature sensor 26, A refrigeration cooling operation for cooling the vegetable compartment 4 and a freezing operation for cooling the ice making compartment 5, the small freezer compartment and the main freezer compartment 6 in the freezing temperature range are switched and executed.

Here, as an example of the cooling operation performed by the refrigerator 1, in the case shown in FIG. , a refrigerating cooling operation, a freezing cooling operation, and a refrigerant recovery operation will be described.

In principle, in the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, the compressor 20 is always driven to always perform one of the freeze cooling operation, the refrigerant recovery operation, the refrigerating cooling operation, and the low temperature cooling operation. Both the temperatures of the refrigerating space and the freezing space are below the OFF temperatures Tr2 and Tf2, and the compressor 20 may be stopped when the PID calculation becomes below a certain value.

(4-1) Refrigerating Cooling Operation When the refrigerating cooling start condition is met, the control unit 23 opens the outlet of the switching valve 29 on the refrigerating refrigerant flow path side while driving the compressor 20 at a predetermined frequency. After the refrigerant is supplied, the refrigerator fan 11 is rotated to start the refrigerator cooling operation. To give an example of the refrigerating cooling start condition, for example, the temperature detected by the refrigerating temperature sensor 24 may exceed the ON temperature Tr1 (for example, 5° C.) set for the refrigerating space.

In the refrigerating cooling operation, the low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant that has flowed into the refrigerating evaporator 10 is vaporized to generate cool air in the refrigerating evaporator space Sr. The generated cool air circulates in the refrigerating compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 by the blowing action of the refrigerating fan 11, and cools the refrigerating compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 to a predetermined refrigerating temperature range.

The cool air circulated in the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 returns to the refrigerator evaporator space Sr from the suction port provided on the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4, is cooled by the refrigerator evaporator 10, and is then refrigerated again. Air is sent to the compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 .

Then, when the refrigerating cooling end condition is satisfied during execution of the refrigerating cooling operation, the control unit 23 ends the refrigerating cooling operation. Examples of refrigeration cooling end conditions include (1) when the temperature detected by the refrigeration temperature sensor 24 reaches an OFF temperature Tr2 (for example, 2° C.) set for the refrigeration space; When the maximum cooling time (for example, 40 minutes) or more has elapsed since the start of the cooling operation, (3) the temperature detected by the freezing temperature sensor 26 reaches the ON temperature Tf1 (for example, −18) set for the freezing space. ℃) or above.

When the refrigerating/cooling operation is completed, the controller 23 drives the compressor 20 at a predetermined frequency while opening the outlet of the switching valve 29 on the refrigerant flow path side to flow the refrigerant to the refrigerating evaporator 15, and furthermore, the refrigerating fan. 16 is rotated to start the refrigeration cooling operation.

(4-2) Freezing/cooling operation In the freezing/cooling operation, the low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant that has flowed into the freezer-evaporator 15 is vaporized to generate cool air in the freezer-evaporator space Sf. The generated cool air circulates through the ice making chamber 5, the small freezer chamber and the main freezer chamber 6 by the air blowing action of the freezing fan 16, and the ice making chamber 5, the small freezer chamber and the main freezer chamber are cooled to a predetermined freezing temperature range. Cool 6.

The cool air that has circulated in the ice making chamber 5, the small freezer chamber, and the main freezer chamber 6 returns to the freezer evaporator space Sf from the suction port provided on the back surface of the main freezer chamber 6, is cooled by the freezer evaporator 15, and is then cooled. The air is blown to the ice making compartment 5, the small freezer compartment and the main freezer compartment 6 again.

Then, when the freezing/cooling end condition is satisfied during execution of the freezing/cooling operation, the control unit 23 ends the freezing/cooling operation. For example, (1) when the temperature detected by the freezing temperature sensor 26 reaches the OFF temperature Tf2 (eg, −21° C.) set for the freezing space, (2) When the maximum cooling time (for example, 90 minutes) has passed since the start of the freezing operation, (3) the temperature detected by the refrigeration temperature sensor 24 reaches the ON temperature Tr1 (for example, 5°C) set for the refrigeration space. ) or more.

(4-3) Refrigerant Recovery Operation After finishing the freezing/cooling operation, the controller 23 starts the refrigerant recovery operation. In the refrigerant recovery operation, the control unit 23 closes (fully closes) both the outlets of the switching valve 29 on the chilled refrigerant flow channel side and the frozen refrigerant flow channel side, thereby cutting off the refrigerant supply to the chilled evaporator 10 and the frozen evaporator 15. By driving the compressor 20 in this state, the refrigerant is recovered from the freeze evaporator 15 to the compressor 20 . Further, the control unit 23 stops the refrigerator fan 11 and the freezer fan 16 during the refrigerant recovery operation.

After a predetermined time (for example, one minute) has elapsed since the start of the refrigerant recovery operation, the controller 23 ends the refrigerant recovery operation. After finishing the refrigerant recovery operation, the control unit 23 again sequentially executes the refrigerating cooling operation, the freezing cooling operation, and the refrigerant recovering operation.

(4-4) Low-Temperature Cooling Operation In the refrigerator 1, when a predetermined low-temperature cooling implementation condition is met, the control unit 23 sets the low-temperature mode, and instead of the above-described refrigerating cooling operation, A low-temperature cooling operation is performed to cool the chilled chamber 3c to a lower temperature than the normal refrigerating cooling operation. As an example of the low-temperature cooling execution condition, for example, there is a case where the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation display section 7 to instruct the low-temperature cooling operation.

When executing the low-temperature cooling operation, the control unit 23 operates the compressor 20 at a predetermined frequency while opening the outlet of the switching valve 29 on the refrigerating refrigerant flow path side to flow the refrigerant to the refrigerating evaporator 10. Rotate the fan 11 . At this time, the control unit 23 sets the operating frequency of the compressor 20 higher and sets the rotational speed of the refrigerator fan 11 lower than those in the refrigerator cooling operation.

As a result of these controls, the cold storage evaporator 10 cools the air in the cold storage evaporator space Sr by evaporating the refrigerant that has flowed into it, generates cold air in the cold storage evaporator space Sr, and distributes the generated cold air to the cold storage compartment 3 and Supply to the vegetable compartment 4. In the low-temperature cooling operation, the operating frequency of the compressor 20 is set higher than in the refrigerating cooling operation, and the rotation speed of the refrigerating fan 11 is set lower than in the refrigerating cooling operation. Cool air is generated at a temperature lower than that of normal refrigeration cooling operation (eg, about 1 to 5° C. lower than refrigeration cooling operation), and diffusion of the air generated by refrigeration evaporator 10 is suppressed. As a result, cold air having a lower temperature than the cold air generated in the refrigerating cooling operation is concentrated in the chilled chamber 3c provided below the refrigerating chamber 3, thereby cooling the chilled chamber 3c to a lower temperature than in the refrigerating cooling operation.

Cold air circulating in the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 in the low temperature cooling operation returns to the refrigerator evaporator space Sr from the suction port provided on the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 in the same manner as in the refrigerator cooling operation. After being cooled by the container 10, the air is sent to the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 again.

The low-temperature mode in which the low-temperature cooling operation is performed is performed until a predetermined low-temperature cooling cancellation condition is satisfied. In other words, the low temperature cooling operation, the freeze cooling operation, and the refrigerant recovery operation are repeatedly executed in this order from when the low temperature cooling execution condition is set until the low temperature cooling release condition is satisfied. When the low-temperature cooling cancellation condition is satisfied, normal refrigerating cooling operation is performed instead of low-temperature cooling operation, and these operations are repeated so as to sequentially perform refrigerating cooling operation, freezing-cooling operation, and refrigerant recovery operation. Run.

An example of the low-temperature cooling termination condition is when the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation display unit 7 to instruct termination of the low-temperature cooling operation.

(5) Defrosting operation In the refrigerator 1, while the refrigerating cooling operation, the freezing cooling operation, and the refrigerant recovery operation are switched and sequentially executed, when predetermined defrosting start conditions are met, the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are performed. carry out driving.

In addition, the timing of starting the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation is after the predetermined defrosting start condition is satisfied and the operation being executed is completed before switching to the next operation. And the second defrosting operation may be performed, or if the defrosting start condition is satisfied, the operation being performed may be stopped and the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation may be performed immediately.

(5-1) First Defrosting Operation The first defrosting operation removes the frost adhering to the refrigeration evaporator 10 by melting and supplies moisture from the melted frost to the refrigeration space to humidify the refrigeration space. It is driving to do. Specifically, the control unit 23 stops the refrigerant supply to the refrigerating evaporator 10 by closing the outlet of the switching valve 29 on the refrigerating refrigerant flow path side, stopping the compressor 20, or reducing the operating frequency. The refrigerator fan 11 is driven while being stopped or reduced.

As a result of these controls, the air in the refrigerating space introduced into the refrigerating evaporator space Sr is returned to the refrigerating compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 after heat exchange with the frosted refrigerating evaporator 10 . As a result, the temperature of the refrigerating evaporator 10 is raised to melt the frost adhering to the refrigerating evaporator 10, and the water content of the melted frost is vaporized to cool the air in the refrigerating evaporator space Sr together with the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment. By blowing air to 4, the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 are humidified.

In addition, it is preferable to set the rotational speed of the refrigerating fan 11 in the first defrosting operation to be lower than that in the refrigerating cooling operation.

(5-2) Second Defrosting Operation The second defrosting operation is an operation for removing frost adhering to the freezing evaporator 15 by melting. Specifically, the control unit 23 closes the outlet of the switching valve 29 on the refrigerant flow path side or stops the compressor 20, thereby stopping the refrigerant supply to the freezing evaporator 15 and The fan 16 is stopped and the defrosting heater 18 is turned on. By these controls, the radiant heat from the defrosting heater 18 heats the freezing evaporator 15 to melt the frost adhering to the freezing evaporator 15 .

(6) First defrost start condition and second defrost start condition The refrigerator 1 has a first defrost start condition and a second defrost start condition as conditions for starting the first defrost operation and the second defrost operation. and

To give an example of the first defrosting start condition, for example, (1) the accumulated time for which the detected temperature Ts of the refrigeration evaporator temperature sensor 36 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, −10° C.) for a predetermined time (for example, 180 minutes) or more, (2) when the number of openings and closings of the refrigerator compartment door 3a detected by the door sensor 9 reaches a predetermined number (for example, 50 times) or more, (3) the refrigerator detected by the door sensor 9 Either when the accumulated open time of the chamber door 3a reaches a predetermined time (for example, 2 minutes) or more.

An example of the second defrosting start condition is, for example, (1) when the integrated value of the time during which the refrigerating cooling operation and the freezing cooling operation are performed reaches a predetermined time (for example, 8 hours), (2) the previous When the elapsed time after executing the second defrosting operation reaches a predetermined time (for example, 24 hours), there is one of the cases.

The control unit 23 simultaneously starts the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation both when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied and when the second defrosting start condition is satisfied, and the refrigerator evaporator 10 And the defrosting of the freezing evaporator 15 is performed (t1 in FIG. 4).

(7) End of second defrosting operation When the second defrosting end condition is satisfied, the controller 23 stops energizing the defrosting heater 18 and ends the second defrosting operation.

An example of the second defrosting end condition is when the temperature Tg of the freezer evaporator 15 detected by the freezer evaporator temperature sensor 37 reaches a predetermined temperature Tg1 (for example, Tg1=10° C.).

In addition, in the present embodiment, even if the second defrosting operation is started by satisfying any of the first defrosting start condition and the second defrosting start condition, the second defrosting is based on the same condition. finish driving.

(8) Termination of first defrosting operation The control unit 23 terminates the first defrosting operation when a predetermined defrosting termination condition is satisfied, but starts the first defrosting operation when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied. The defrosting termination condition for terminating the first defrosting operation differs between when the second defrosting start condition is satisfied and when the first defrosting operation is started.

(8-1) When the first defrost start condition is satisfied and the first defrost operation is started When the first defrost start condition is satisfied and the first defrost operation is started, the control unit 23 controls at least the second The first defrosting operation is carried out until the defrosting operation ends, then it is determined whether or not the first defrosting end condition is satisfied, and if the first defrosting end condition is satisfied, the first defrosting operation is ended.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied and the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are started (step S1), the control unit 23 determines whether the second defrosting end condition is satisfied. It is determined whether or not (step S2). In step S2, when the second defrosting end condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step S2 to continue the second defrosting operation. The energization of the frost heater 18 is stopped to finish the second defrosting operation. In addition, the control part 23 is performing the 1st defrosting operation between steps S2 and S3.

Then, when the second defrosting operation ends, the control unit 23 determines whether or not the first defrosting end condition is satisfied (step S4), and if the first defrosting end condition is not satisfied, the first defrosting If the operation is continued and the first defrosting end condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S5, the rotation of the refrigerating fan 11 is stopped, and the first defrosting operation is ended.

An example of the first defrosting end condition is when the temperature of the refrigerator evaporator 10 detected by the refrigerator evaporator temperature sensor 36 reaches a predetermined temperature Ts1 (for example, Ts1=3° C.).

(8-2) When the first defrosting operation is started by satisfying the second defrosting start condition When the first defrosting operation is started by satisfying the second defrosting start condition, the control unit 23 performs the first defrosting As the condition for ending the frost operation, the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition are alternately switched and adopted.

(8-2-1) Cooling Priority Condition The cooling priority condition is when the first defrosting end condition is satisfied and the defrosting of the refrigeration evaporator 10 is no longer necessary, and when the refrigeration cooling start condition is satisfied and the refrigeration space can be cooled. The first defrosting operation is terminated in one of the cases where it becomes necessary.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when the second defrosting start condition is satisfied and the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are started (step S11), the control unit 23 determines whether the refrigeration cooling start condition is satisfied. Determine (step S12). In step S12, when the refrigeration cooling start condition is satisfied, the control unit 23 ends the first defrosting operation (step S13), and then starts the refrigeration cooling operation. That is, if the refrigeration cooling start condition is satisfied before the first defrosting end condition is satisfied, the control unit 23 starts the compressor 20 to drive it at a predetermined frequency while keeping the refrigeration fan 11 rotating, and the switching valve. The refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 are cooled by opening the outlet of the refrigerator refrigerant channel side of the refrigerator 29 and allowing the refrigerant to flow to the refrigerator evaporator 10 .

Further, when the refrigeration cooling start condition is not satisfied in step S12, the process proceeds to step S14 to determine whether or not the first defrosting end condition is satisfied. In step S14, if the first defrosting end condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step S12, and if the first defrosting end condition is satisfied, the rotation of the refrigerating fan 11 is stopped to end the first defrosting operation. (Step S13).

(8-2-2) Defrosting Priority Condition Under the defrosting priority condition, the first defrosting operation is performed until the first defrosting end condition is satisfied regardless of whether the refrigeration cooling start condition is satisfied during the execution of the first defrosting operation. The first defrosting operation is terminated when the defrosting operation is continuously performed and the first defrosting termination condition is satisfied. In other words, even if the refrigerating cooling start condition is satisfied during execution of the first defrosting operation and cooling of the refrigerating space becomes necessary, the first defrosting operation is not immediately terminated and the refrigerating cooling operation is not started. The first defrosting operation is continuously performed until the termination condition is satisfied. In the defrosting priority condition, the first defrosting operation is terminated when the first defrosting termination condition is satisfied regardless of the state of the second defrosting operation (during execution or suspension of the second defrosting operation).

The defrosting operation shown in FIG. 4 shows an example of the defrosting operation performed by the refrigerator 1. The first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are simultaneously started by satisfying the second defrosting start condition, and then , the case where the defrosting priority condition is satisfied and the first defrosting operation is terminated (t1 to t4 in FIG. 4).

That is, first, the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are started at the same time when the second defrosting start condition is satisfied to defrost the refrigerating evaporator 10 and the freezing evaporator 15 (t1 in FIG. 4). . Thereafter, at t2 in FIG. 4, the temperature detected by the refrigeration temperature sensor 24 becomes equal to or higher than the ON temperature Tr1, satisfying the refrigeration cooling start condition, but not satisfying the first defrosting end condition (defrosting priority condition). continues the first defrosting operation. Thereafter, when the temperature of the refrigerating evaporator 10 detected by the refrigerating evaporator temperature sensor 36 reaches a predetermined temperature Ts1, the first defrosting operation is terminated assuming that the first defrosting termination condition (defrosting priority condition) is satisfied. (t3 in FIG. 4). After that, when the temperature of the freezer evaporator 15 detected by the freezer evaporator temperature sensor 37 reaches a predetermined temperature Tg1, the second defrosting operation is terminated assuming that the second defrosting termination condition is satisfied (t4 in FIG. 4). ).

(9) Control after the end of the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation After satisfying the first defrosting start condition or the second defrosting start condition and starting the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation , when both the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are completed, the control unit 23 sequentially performs the defrosting recovery operation and the remaining ice determination operation (t4 to t7 in FIG. 4), as shown in FIG. ).

During execution of the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation, the refrigerating space and the freezing space are not cooled and the temperature of each space is rising. Therefore, when the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are completed, the control unit 23 sequentially performs the freezing cooling operation (t4 to t5 in FIG. 4) and the refrigerating cooling operation (t5 to t6 in FIG. 4). A return operation is performed to cool the refrigerating space and the freezing space to respective predetermined temperature ranges.

In addition, during the freezing cooling operation and the refrigerating cooling operation in the defrosting return operation, the operating frequency of the compressor 20 is set higher than during the normal freezing cooling operation and the refrigerating cooling operation. The number of rotations of may be set large to rapidly cool the frozen space and the refrigerated space.

When the defrosting recovery operation ends, the control unit 23 executes the remaining ice determination operation (t6 to t7 in FIG. 4). Specifically, the control unit 23 starts the freezing/cooling operation after the defrosting return operation ends, and performs the freezing/cooling operation until the freezing/cooling end condition is satisfied. Then, the control unit 23 measures the time (execution time of the freezing/cooling operation) m from when the remaining ice determination operation is started until the freezing/cooling end condition is satisfied and the freezing/cooling operation is terminated. Since the refrigerating evaporator 10 may be cooled by the cold heat generated by the freezing evaporator 15, the control unit 23 determines that the execution time m of the freezing cooling operation measured in the remaining ice determination operation is longer than the predetermined time. If it is long, it is determined that the refrigerating evaporator 10 is likely to be frosted.

When the remaining ice determination operation ends, the control unit 23 executes the refrigerant recovery operation, and then sequentially executes the refrigerating cooling operation, the freezing cooling operation, and the refrigerant recovering operation to cool the refrigerated space and the frozen space, and cool the refrigerated space. The evaporator 10 and the freezing evaporator 15 are defrosted.

(10) Effect In the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment as described above, as the first defrosting start condition for starting the first defrosting operation for melting the frost adhering to the refrigerator evaporator 10, the refrigerator evaporator temperature sensor 36 Since it is adopted that the accumulated time of the time when the detected temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature becomes equal to or longer than the predetermined time, the amount of frost accumulated on the refrigerating evaporator 10 can be estimated. The first defrosting operation can be started at an appropriate timing according to the amount of frost.

Further, in the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, the number of openings and closings of the refrigerator compartment door 3a detected by the door sensor 9 is used as the first defrosting start condition for starting the first defrosting operation for melting the frost adhered to the refrigerator evaporator 10. is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times, and the accumulated open time of the refrigerator compartment door 3a detected by the door sensor 9 is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. can be estimated, and the first defrosting operation can be started at an appropriate timing according to the amount of frost adhered to the refrigerating evaporator 10 .

In addition, in the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied, the compressor 20 is stopped to stop the supply of refrigerant to the refrigerator evaporator 10, and the refrigerator fan 11 is driven. The container 10 can be defrosted, and the refrigerating space can be humidified by supplying the moisture of the melted frost to the refrigerating space.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the first defrosting operation is started by satisfying the first defrosting start condition, and when the second defrosting starting condition which is different from the first defrosting start condition is satisfied, the first defrosting is performed. Since the conditions for terminating the first defrosting operation are different depending on when the frosting operation is started, the execution time of the first defrosting operation can be determined according to the frosting state of the refrigeration evaporator 10. The performance of the refrigerator can be improved by executing the cooling operation of the frozen space and the first defrosting operation in a well-balanced manner.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied, the second defrosting operation in which the defrosting heater 18 is energized to melt the frost adhering to the freezing evaporator 15, and the refrigerator fan 11 is driven. A first defrosting operation for melting the frost adhering to the refrigerating evaporator 10 is performed. By executing the first defrosting operation while executing the second defrosting operation in this manner, the refrigerator evaporator 10 is easily defrosted under the influence of the heat of the defrosting heater 18 generated by the second defrosting operation. Therefore, the execution time of the first defrosting operation can be shortened.

(Modified example of the first embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, the case where the first defrosting start condition is the condition for starting the first defrosting operation for defrosting the refrigerating evaporator 10 has been described. It may be a condition for starting the second defrosting operation for defrosting the freezing evaporator 15 that cools the frozen space such as the freezing compartment 6 . That is, the number of openings and closings of the door 6a detected by the door sensor for detecting the opening and closing of the door 6a of the main freezer compartment 6 is such that the accumulated time for which the temperature detected by the freezer evaporator temperature sensor 37 is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature is equal to or longer than the predetermined time. becomes a predetermined number of times or more, or the accumulated open time of the door 6a detected by the door sensor becomes a predetermined time or more, the second defrosting operation for defrosting the refrigeration evaporator 15 may be started.

In the above-described first embodiment, when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied, the supply of refrigerant to the refrigerator evaporator 10 is stopped and the refrigerator fan 11 is driven to defrost the refrigerator evaporator 10 . However, the refrigerating evaporator 10 may be defrosted by energizing a defrosting heater provided near the refrigerating evaporator 10 .

Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the refrigerator in which the refrigerating space and the freezing space are cooled by separate evaporators 10 and 15, respectively, has been described. The above-described first defrosting start condition may be employed as the condition for starting defrosting of the container.

Moreover, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the second defrosting operation is started together with the first defrosting operation when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied has been described, but the second defrosting operation is not started. , only the first defrosting operation may be started.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment, when the second defrosting start condition is satisfied and the first defrosting operation is started, the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition are alternately set as the condition for ending the first defrosting operation. Although the case of switching and adopting has been described, the timing of switching the conditions to be adopted is not particularly limited. For example, the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition are switched at an arbitrary timing, such as switching the conditions so that the other condition is adopted once every time one of the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition is adopted multiple times. can be adopted.

Further, while the predetermined determination condition is satisfied, the first defrosting operation may be terminated under a different condition from the normal time when the predetermined determination condition is not satisfied.

For example, the defrosting priority condition may be maintained while the low temperature mode is set, even at the timing of switching from the defrosting priority condition to the cooling priority condition in normal times when the predetermined determination condition is not satisfied. Further, when the predetermined determination condition is not satisfied normally, the cooling priority condition and the defrost priority condition are alternately adopted as the condition for ending the first defrosting operation, and while the predetermined determination condition is satisfied As a condition for ending the first defrosting operation, only one of the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition may be adopted, or one of the conditions may be adopted more than the other condition. That is, while the predetermined determination condition is satisfied, the condition is set so that the ratio of adopting either one of the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition increases compared to the normal time when the predetermined determination condition is not satisfied. may be adopted.

To give an example of such determination conditions, a case where a low-temperature mode in which a low-temperature cooling operation is performed instead of a normal refrigerating cooling operation is set, or when the outside temperature around the refrigerator 1 detected by the outside temperature sensor 8 is a predetermined temperature. In some cases, the execution time m of the freezing/cooling operation measured in the residual ice determination operation may be longer than the predetermined time. In these cases, as the condition for ending the first defrosting operation started by satisfying the second defrosting start condition, only the defrosting priority condition is used without switching between the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition. Alternatively, a condition may be adopted so that the ratio of adopting the defrosting priority condition increases compared to the normal time.

Moreover, the timing for judging the above-described judgment conditions can be performed at arbitrary timing. For example, when both the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are completed, or during the residual ice determination operation, it may be determined whether the above determination conditions are satisfied.

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 7, focusing on parts that differ from the first embodiment. In addition, about the thing of the structure same as 1st Embodiment, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected and detailed description is abbreviate|omitted.

In the above-described first embodiment, when the first defrost start condition and the second defrost start condition are met while the refrigerating cooling operation, the freezing cooling operation, and the refrigerant recovery operation are switched and sequentially executed, the operation being executed is The case where control part 23 performed the 1st defrosting operation and the 2nd defrosting operation before completing and switching to the next operation was explained. In this embodiment, in addition to the case where the first defrost start condition and the second defrost start condition are satisfied as in the first embodiment and the first defrost operation and the second defrost operation are performed, in addition to the freezing cooling operation 1st defrost operation is performed during execution.

(1) First defrosting operation executed during refrigeration cooling operation In the refrigerator 1, while the refrigeration cooling operation, the freezing cooling operation, and the refrigerant recovery operation are switched and sequentially executed, the refrigeration cooling operation is terminated and the freezing cooling operation is performed. When started, the control unit 23 starts the first defrosting operation. During execution of the freezing/cooling operation, the outlet of the switching valve 29 on the frozen refrigerant flow path side is opened, and the outlet on the cold storage refrigerant flow path side is closed. By driving, the first defrosting operation is executed together with the freezing cooling operation.

As a result of these controls, the frost adhering to the refrigerating evaporator 10 is melted and the refrigerating space is humidified by the moisture of the melted frost while cooling the refrigerating space.

(2) Conditions for Ending First Defrosting Operation Performed During Freezing/Cooling Operation The control unit 23 sets cooling priority conditions and defrosting priority conditions as conditions for ending the first defrosting operation performed during the freezing/cooling operation. to switch and adopt.

The cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition are the same conditions as the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition in the first embodiment.

That is, when the cooling priority condition is selected as the condition for ending the first defrosting operation executed during the freezing and cooling operation, the control unit 23 satisfies either the first defrosting end condition or the refrigerating cooling start condition. End the first defrosting operation.

On the other hand, when the defrosting priority condition is selected as the condition for ending the first defrosting operation performed during the freezing and cooling operation, the control unit 23 determines whether the refrigerating cooling start condition is satisfied during the execution of the first defrosting operation. Regardless, the first defrosting operation is continued until the first defrosting end condition is satisfied, and when the first defrosting end condition is met, the control unit 23 ends the first defrosting operation.

The timing of switching between the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition is not particularly limited, and the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition can be switched and adopted at any timing.

(3) Control method of first defrosting operation performed during freezing/cooling operation Next, an example of a specific control method of the first defrosting operation performed during freezing/cooling operation will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG. to explain.

In this example, the first defrosting operation is terminated based on the defrosting priority condition from the start of a certain refrigeration cooling operation (t0 in FIG. 7) to the end of the remaining ice determination operation (t12 in FIG. 7). After the remaining ice determination operation is completed, the condition for terminating the first defrosting operation is switched from the defrosting priority condition to the cooling priority condition, and the cooling priority is maintained after the remaining ice determination operation is completed until the next remaining ice determination operation is completed. A case will be described where the end of the first defrosting operation is determined based on the conditions.

First, after the refrigerating cooling operation is started, when the refrigerating cooling end condition is satisfied, the control unit 23 ends the refrigerating cooling operation and starts the freezing cooling operation, and also starts the first defrosting operation (see FIG. 7). t1).

After starting the first defrosting operation, the control unit 23 continues to perform the first defrosting operation until the defrosting priority condition, that is, until the first defrosting end condition is satisfied. Therefore, even if the temperature detected by the refrigeration temperature sensor 24 reaches the ON temperature Tr1 set for the refrigeration space during the refrigeration cooling operation and the refrigeration cooling start condition is satisfied, the control unit 23 ends the refrigeration cooling operation. Then, the first defrosting operation is continued without shifting to the refrigerant recovery operation and the refrigeration cooling operation (t2 in FIG. 7).

At this time, the freezing/cooling operation is performed under a predetermined freezing/cooling end condition (for example, when the temperature detected by the freezing temperature sensor 26 reaches the OFF temperature Tf2 set for the freezing space, or when the freezing operation is started). after the maximum cooling time has elapsed).

Then, when the first defrosting end condition is satisfied, the control unit 23 ends the first defrosting operation (t3 in FIG. 7), and then the refrigerant recovery operation (t3 to t4 in FIG. 7) and the refrigerating cooling operation (t3 to t4 in FIG. 7). t4 to t5) in FIG. 7 are executed. Then, when the refrigerating cooling end condition is satisfied, the control unit 23 ends the refrigerating cooling operation and starts the freezing cooling operation again, and starts the first defrosting operation (t5 in FIG. 7).

Then, when the first defrosting start condition or the second defrosting start condition is met during execution of the freezing/cooling operation, the control unit 23 starts the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation after the freezing/cooling operation ends. (t6 in FIG. 7).

FIG. 7 shows a case where the second defrosting start condition is satisfied and the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are started simultaneously. When the second defrost start condition is satisfied and the first defrost operation is started, the control unit 23 switches and adopts the cooling priority condition and the defrost priority condition as the condition for ending the first defrost operation. At that time, the end of the first defrosting operation is determined based on the condition (here, the defrosting priority condition) adopted after the end of the residual ice determination.

That is, when the temperature of the cold storage evaporator 10 detected by the cold storage evaporator temperature sensor 36 reaches the predetermined temperature Ts1, the control unit 23 determines that the defrosting priority condition (first defrosting end condition) is satisfied, and determines that the second The first defrosting operation is ended while the defrosting operation is continued (t7 in FIG. 7). Thereafter, when the temperature of the freezer evaporator 15 detected by the freezer evaporator temperature sensor 37 reaches a predetermined temperature Tg1, the second defrosting end condition is satisfied, and the control unit 23 ends the second defrosting operation. (t8 in FIG. 7).

Then, when the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are finished, the control unit 23 sequentially performs the defrosting recovery operation and the remaining ice determination operation (t8 to t12 in FIG. 7).

In the defrosting recovery operation, the freezing cooling operation is performed (t8 to t9 in FIG. 7), but at this time, the refrigerating cooling operation has not been performed even once since the first defrosting operation was performed. Therefore, the control unit 23 does not perform the first defrosting operation in the freezing/cooling operation performed in the defrosting return operation.

When the defrosting return operation ends, the control unit 23 starts the first defrosting operation together with the freezing/cooling operation in the residual ice determination operation (t10 in FIG. 7). The operation is ended (t11 in FIG. 7), and when the freezing/cooling end condition is satisfied, the residual ice determination operation (freezing/cooling operation) is ended (t12 in FIG. 7).

Then, when the remaining ice determination operation ends, the control unit 23 switches the condition for ending the first defrosting operation from the defrosting priority condition to the cooling priority condition, and then performs the refrigerant recovery operation, the refrigerating cooling operation, and the freezing cooling operation. Execution is repeated (t12 to t21 in FIG. 7). At that time, the control unit 23 executes the first defrosting operation together with the freezing cooling operation (t14 to t15, t18 to t19 in FIG. 7).

In the case shown in FIG. 7, in the first freezing/cooling operation (t14 to t16 in FIG. 7) after the residual ice determination operation, the first defrosting end condition was satisfied before the freezing/cooling end condition was satisfied (that is, the cooling priority condition). is satisfied), the control unit 23 ends the first defrosting operation while continuing the freezing/cooling operation (t15 in FIG. 7), and then ends the freezing/cooling operation when the freezing/cooling end condition is satisfied (FIG. 7 t16).

In addition, in the freeze-cooling operation (t18 to t19 in FIG. 7) executed thereafter, the refrigeration cooling start condition was satisfied before the first defrosting end condition was satisfied (that is, the cooling priority condition was satisfied). 23 ends the freezing cooling operation to start the refrigerating cooling operation and also ends the first defrosting operation (t19 in FIG. 7).

When the first defrosting start condition or the second defrosting start condition is satisfied again while the refrigerating cooling operation, the freezing cooling operation, and the refrigerant recovery operation are sequentially switched and executed, the control unit 23 performs the first defrosting. and the second defrosting operation, the defrosting recovery operation, and the remaining ice determination operation are sequentially performed, and after the remaining ice determination operation ends, the condition for terminating the first defrosting operation is changed from the cooling priority condition to the defrosting priority condition. switch.

Thereafter, the control unit 23 repeatedly performs various operations as described above, thereby cooling the refrigerating space and the freezing space and defrosting the refrigerating evaporator 10 and the freezing evaporator 15 .

(4) Effect In the present embodiment, since the first defrosting operation is performed while the freezing cooling operation is being performed, there is no need to stop the cooling operation of the refrigerator 1 in order to defrost the refrigerator evaporator 10, or The time for stopping the cooling operation is shortened, and the inside of the refrigerator can be efficiently cooled.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first defrosting operation performed during execution of the freezing and cooling operation is performed by driving the refrigerator fan 11 while stopping the refrigerant supply to the refrigerator evaporator 10. Therefore, the refrigerator evaporator 10 is The refrigerating space can be humidified by defrosting and by supplying the refrigerating space with water from the melted frost.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the first defrosting operation is performed each time the freezing cooling operation is performed, and the time from the previous first defrosting operation to the current first defrosting operation is relatively short, The refrigerating space can be humidified frequently, and the inside of the refrigerating space can be easily kept at a predetermined humidity atmosphere.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition are switched and adopted as the condition for ending the first defrosting operation performed during execution of the freezing cooling operation, the cold storage evaporator 10 is switched from the cold storage cooling operation. priority can be given to the defrosting of the refrigerating evaporator 10, or the refrigerating cooling operation can be given priority over the defrosting of the refrigerating evaporator 10, and the refrigerator can be efficiently controlled according to the use condition and installation environment of the refrigerator.

(Modified example of the second embodiment)
In the second embodiment described above, when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied, the supply of refrigerant to the refrigerating evaporator 10 is stopped and the refrigerating evaporator 10 is driven to defrost by driving the refrigerating fan 11 . Alternatively, the refrigerating evaporator 10 may be defrosted by energizing a defrosting heater provided near the refrigerating evaporator 10 .

Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the case of alternately switching between the defrosting priority condition and the cooling priority condition after the residual ice determination operation as the condition for terminating the first defrosting operation has been described. While the condition is satisfied, the first defrosting operation may be ended under a condition different from the normal time when the predetermined determination condition is not satisfied.

For example, the defrosting priority condition may be maintained while the low temperature mode is set, even at the timing of switching from the defrosting priority condition to the cooling priority condition in normal times when the predetermined determination condition is not satisfied. Further, when the predetermined determination condition is not satisfied normally, the cooling priority condition and the defrost priority condition are alternately adopted as the condition for ending the first defrosting operation, and while the predetermined determination condition is satisfied As a condition for ending the first defrosting operation, only one of the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition may be adopted, or one of the conditions may be adopted more than the other condition. That is, while the predetermined determination condition is satisfied, the conditions are adopted so that the ratio of adopting either one of the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition increases compared to when the predetermined determination condition is not satisfied. You may

Examples of the above-described predetermined determination conditions include (a) when a low-temperature mode is set to perform low-temperature cooling operation instead of normal refrigerating cooling operation, and (b) when the refrigerator 1 detected by the outside air temperature sensor 8 There are cases where the surrounding outside air temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, and there are cases where the frozen cooling operation execution time m measured in the (c) residual ice determination operation is longer than the predetermined time. In the case of (a) to (c), as the condition for ending the first defrosting operation, only the defrosting priority condition is adopted without switching between the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition, or More defrosting priority conditions than cooling priority conditions may be employed, such as adopting one cooling priority condition each time the defrosting priority condition is adopted a plurality of times.

In the above cases (a) to (c), only the defrosting priority condition is adopted, or more defrosting priority conditions are adopted than the cooling priority condition, so that the refrigerator evaporator 10 is easily frosted. The refrigerating cooling operation and the first defrosting operation can be efficiently performed even in the situation and installation environment.

Further, in the present embodiment, a case has been described in which the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition are switched when the residual ice determination operation ends. The cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition can be switched and adopted at arbitrary timing without limitation.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the first defrosting operation is performed during the freezing cooling operation has been described, but the first defrosting operation is performed at any timing as long as the refrigerant is not supplied to the refrigerating evaporator 10. can do.

(Other modification examples)
Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Refrigerator, 2... Refrigerator main body, 2a... Outer box, 2b... Inner box, 2c... Heat insulating material, 3... Refrigerator compartment, 3a... Refrigerator compartment door, 3b... Shelf plate, 3c... Chilled compartment, 4... Vegetable compartment, 5 ice making compartment 6 main freezing compartment 7 operation display unit 8 outside temperature sensor 9 door sensor 10 refrigerating evaporator 11 refrigerating fan 14 blower cover 15 freezing evaporator DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18... Defrost heater, 20... Compressor, 21... Condenser, 23... Control part, 24... Refrigerator temperature sensor, 26... Freezer temperature sensor, 28... Radiation pipe, 29... Switching valve, 36... Refrigerator evaporator temperature sensor , 37... refrigeration evaporator temperature sensor, Sr... refrigeration evaporator space, Sf... refrigeration evaporator space

Claims (8)

a refrigerator body having a storage chamber inside;
a refrigeration cycle comprising a compressor and an evaporator supplied with refrigerant discharged from the compressor to cool the storage chamber;
an evaporator temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the evaporator;
defrosting means for performing a defrosting operation to remove frost adhering to the evaporator;
A control unit that controls the refrigeration cycle, the evaporator temperature sensor, and the defrosting means,
The control unit starts the defrosting operation when a first defrosting start condition is satisfied,
In the refrigerator, wherein the first defrosting start condition is that the accumulated time for which the temperature detected by the evaporator temperature sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined temperature is equal to or greater than a predetermined time ,
The control unit
a normal cooling operation for cooling the inside of the storage chamber;
A low-temperature cooling operation for cooling the inside of the storage chamber to a lower temperature than the normal cooling operation;
is executable and
a cooling priority condition for terminating the defrosting operation and supplying refrigerant to the evaporator to cool the storage compartment when a cooling start condition is satisfied during execution of the defrosting operation;
Even if the cooling start condition is satisfied during execution of the defrosting operation, the defrosting operation is performed until the defrosting end condition, which is a predetermined condition for terminating the defrosting operation, and the defrosting end condition is satisfied. a defrosting priority condition for supplying refrigerant from to the evaporator to cool the storage compartment;
is selectable and
When the low-temperature cooling implementation condition is satisfied, setting a low-temperature mode for performing the low-temperature cooling operation instead of the normal cooling operation,
Conditions for terminating the defrosting operation differ between when the defrosting operation is started while the low temperature mode is set and when the defrosting operation is started when the low temperature mode is not set,
When the defrosting operation is started when the low temperature mode is not set, the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition are switched and adopted,
When the defrosting operation is started while the low temperature mode is set, even at the timing of switching from the defrosting priority condition to the cooling priority condition when the low temperature mode is not set, the low temperature mode is set. maintain the defrost priority condition
refrigerator. a refrigerator body having a storage chamber inside;
a door that opens and closes the opening of the storage room;
a refrigeration cycle comprising a compressor and an evaporator supplied with refrigerant discharged from the compressor to cool the storage chamber;
a door sensor that detects opening and closing of the door;
defrosting means for performing a defrosting operation to remove frost adhering to the evaporator;
A control unit that controls the refrigeration cycle, the door sensor, and the defrosting means,
The control unit starts the defrosting operation when a first defrosting start condition is satisfied,
The first defrosting start condition is that the number of times the door is opened and closed detected by the door sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times, or that the integrated time of the open time of the door detected by the door sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. In a refrigerator where
The control unit
a normal cooling operation for cooling the inside of the storage chamber;
A low-temperature cooling operation for cooling the inside of the storage chamber to a lower temperature than the normal cooling operation;
is executable and
a cooling priority condition for terminating the defrosting operation and supplying refrigerant to the evaporator to cool the storage compartment when a cooling start condition is satisfied during execution of the defrosting operation;
Even if the cooling start condition is satisfied during execution of the defrosting operation, the defrosting operation is performed until the defrosting end condition, which is a predetermined condition for terminating the defrosting operation, and the defrosting end condition is satisfied. a defrosting priority condition for supplying refrigerant from to the evaporator to cool the storage compartment;
is selectable and
When the low-temperature cooling implementation condition is satisfied, setting a low-temperature mode for performing the low-temperature cooling operation instead of the normal cooling operation,
Conditions for terminating the defrosting operation differ between when the defrosting operation is started while the low temperature mode is set and when the defrosting operation is started when the low temperature mode is not set,
When the defrosting operation is started when the low temperature mode is not set, the cooling priority condition and the defrosting priority condition are switched and adopted,
When the defrosting operation is started while the low temperature mode is set, even at the timing of switching from the defrosting priority condition to the cooling priority condition when the low temperature mode is not set, the low temperature mode is set. maintain the defrost priority condition
refrigerator. An evaporator fan that blows air cooled by the evaporator to the storage chamber,
3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said defrosting means drives said evaporator fan to melt frost adhering to said evaporator while reducing refrigerant supply to said evaporator. The control unit
When a second defrosting start condition different from the first defrosting start condition is satisfied, the defrosting operation is started;
When the defrosting operation is started by satisfying the first defrosting start condition and when the defrosting operation is started by satisfying the second defrosting start condition, the condition for ending the defrosting operation is The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is different. The storage chamber includes a first storage chamber and a second storage chamber cooled to a lower temperature than the first storage chamber,
The evaporator comprises a first evaporator that cools the first storage chamber and a second evaporator that cools the second storage chamber,
A first evaporator fan that blows air cooled by the first evaporator to the first storage chamber, and a defrost heater that heats the second evaporator,
The defrosting operation includes a first defrosting operation of driving the first evaporator fan to melt frost adhered to the first evaporator while reducing the supply of refrigerant to the first evaporator; a second defrosting operation in which the defrosting heater is energized to melt the frost adhered to the second evaporator;
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the control unit executes the first defrosting operation while executing the second defrosting operation. The control unit
When said 1st defrost start conditions are satisfy|filled, said 1st defrost operation and said 2nd defrost operation are started, and said 1st defrost operation is performed until at least said 2nd defrost operation is complete|finished. Refrigerator as described. The control unit
Provided with a defrosting termination condition that is a predetermined condition for terminating the defrosting operation,
7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein said first defrosting operation is terminated when said defrosting termination condition is satisfied after said second defrosting operation is terminated. The control unit
When a second defrosting start condition different from the first defrosting start condition is satisfied, the first defrosting operation and the second defrosting operation are started, and after the first defrosting operation is started, the defrosting operation is started. 8. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 5 to 7 , wherein said first defrosting operation is terminated when a termination condition is satisfied.

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