JP7219388B2 - defrosting device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a thawing device, and more particularly to a thawing device that thaws a frozen article by internally heating it with electromagnetic waves.

Conventionally, there is known a thawing device that thaws a frozen article by generating internal heat with electromagnetic waves. For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-53) discloses a defrosting device that irradiates microwaves to internally heat an article to defrost it.

The thawing of an article using electromagnetic waves is characterized in that the inside of the article can be directly heated, unlike the thawing in which the inside of the article is heated by heat transfer from the outside of the article by external heating. Therefore, in thawing an article using electromagnetic waves, it is possible to thaw the article while suppressing the temperature unevenness of the article as compared with thawing by external heating. As a result, when defrosting an article using electromagnetic waves, deterioration of the article during defrosting is more likely to be suppressed than when defrosting the article by external heating.

However, even when an article is thawed using electromagnetic waves, it is difficult for the electromagnetic wave to reach the inside of the article due to the attenuation of the electromagnetic wave. Therefore, even when an article is thawed using electromagnetic waves, a problem may occur in which the exterior of the article is overheated even though the interior of the article is not thawed.

As a method for solving such a problem, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-53) discloses a thawing device that defrosts an article by heating it with microwaves while cooling the article from the outside with cooling means. there is By using such a thawing device, it is possible to reduce temperature unevenness of the article during thawing to some extent.

However, in practice, methods such as always cooling the article from the outside with the same cooling capacity, or methods such as operating the cooling means when the surface temperature of the article rises above a certain fixed value, do not allow the cooling of the article. Occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part may not be sufficiently suppressed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a thawing apparatus that thaws a frozen article such as food by internally generating heat with electromagnetic waves, and is capable of suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article during thawing, and efficiently thawing the article. To provide a decompression device capable of decompressing.

A thawing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an electromagnetic wave irradiator, a thermal device, and a controller. The electromagnetic wave irradiator irradiates the article with electromagnetic waves in order to internally heat the frozen article. A thermal device cools and/or heats an article externally. The control unit controls the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator and the heating device, and irradiates the article with electromagnetic waves to thaw the article while cooling and/or heating the article from the outside. The control unit operates/stops and/or operates the thermal equipment based on a first temperature, which is the surface temperature of a predetermined portion of the article, and a second temperature, which is the temperature of the article at a portion different from the predetermined portion. Or, it controls the cooling and/or heating capabilities of thermal equipment.

Here, thermal equipment includes cooling equipment that has the function of cooling the article from the outside, cooling/heating equipment that has the function of cooling/heating the article from the outside, and heating equipment that has the function of heating the article from the outside. include.

In the thawing device of the first aspect, when a frozen item is thawed by internally generating heat with electromagnetic waves, the operation of the thermal equipment is controlled based on the temperature of the item at two points. As a result, the surface temperature at a first temperature (predetermined location of the article (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a first location for simplification of the description) and the second temperature (a location different from the first location (described below) Operation of the thawing device based on temperature unevenness between the temperature of the second location) and overheating or overcooling (insufficient heating) at the first and second locations It is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article during thawing, and the article can be thawed efficiently.

Although the functions of the thermal equipment and the first and second locations are not limited, for example, when the thermal equipment has a function of cooling an article from the outside, the first location is relatively easily heated by electromagnetic waves. A location that is easily cooled by the thermal equipment, a second location that is relatively difficult to be heated by electromagnetic waves or a location that is not easily affected by cooling by the thermal equipment, and the temperature of the thermal equipment is determined based on the first temperature and the second temperature. By controlling the operation/stopping and/or the cooling capacity of the thermal equipment, it is possible to obtain effects such as suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article during thawing and improving the efficiency of thawing the article. Cheap.

A defrosting device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the defrosting device according to the first aspect, wherein the second temperature is the internal temperature of the article.

In the thawing apparatus of the second aspect, the first temperature is the surface temperature of the article relatively easily heated by the electromagnetic waves and relatively easily cooled/heated by the thermal equipment, while the second temperature is relatively easily heated by the electromagnetic waves. It is the internal temperature of an article that is hard and not susceptible to cooling/heating by thermal equipment. If the thermal equipment is always operated at a constant capacity, deviation is likely to occur between the first temperature and the second temperature.

On the other hand, in the present thawing apparatus, the operation of the thermal equipment is controlled based on the first temperature (surface temperature) and the second temperature (internal temperature), so that thawing according to the part of the article (peripheral part and inner part) It is easy to obtain the effect of suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness and efficiently thawing the article.

A thawing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the thawing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the thermal equipment can cool at least the article from the outside. The controller operates the thermal equipment at the first cooling capacity when the first temperature is higher than the second temperature. The controller stops the thermal equipment or operates the thermal equipment at a cooling capacity lower than the first cooling capacity when the first temperature is lower than the second temperature.

In the thawing device of the third aspect, when the first temperature is higher than the second temperature, the first location is slightly overheated and is cooled. On the other hand, if the first temperature is lower than the second temperature, the thermal equipment is shut down or operated at reduced capacity because the first location is too cold. With this configuration, the thawing apparatus can efficiently thaw articles while suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article during thawing.

A decompression device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the decompression device according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising a receiving unit. The reception unit receives selection of the operation mode. The thermal equipment can heat at least the article from the outside. When the receiving unit receives the rapid thawing mode as the operation mode selection, the control unit controls the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator and the heating device, irradiates the item with electromagnetic waves while heating the item from the outside, and thaws the item.

A thawing device may be required to have thawing speed rather than the quality of thawed articles. The decompression device of the fourth aspect can meet such needs.

A thawing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the thawing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the thermal equipment can cool and heat the article from the outside. The controller controls operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator and the thermal equipment such that the defrosting device performs at least the first operation and the second operation. The first operation is an operation in which the thawing device irradiates the article with electromagnetic waves while heating the article from the outside with a heating device to thaw the article. The second operation is an operation in which the thawing device irradiates the article with electromagnetic waves while cooling the article from the outside with a thermal device to thaw the article. After causing the thawing device to start the first operation when both the first temperature and the second temperature are lower than the predetermined temperature, the controller controls at least Temporarily cause the thawing device to perform a second run.

In the defrosting device of the fifth aspect, when the temperature of the article is relatively low, the article is quickly thawed by the external heating and electromagnetic waves, and the temperature of the article rises relatively, and the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is reduced after thawing. When the influence on the quality of the article becomes large, heating is performed by electromagnetic waves while externally cooling. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both shortening of thawing time and suppression of deterioration of articles due to thawing.

A thawing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the thawing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the predetermined temperature is lower than the maximum ice crystal formation zone of the article.

In the thawing device of the sixth aspect, the operation of the thawing device is changed from the first operation to the second operation before the temperature of the article reaches the maximum ice crystal formation zone where water (ice) in the article begins to melt and ice crystals grow. changed to drive. Therefore, here, the growth of local ice crystals can be suppressed, and the temperature of the entire article can be made uniform, and deterioration of the article due to thawing can be particularly easily suppressed.

A thawing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the thawing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising temperature sensors for measuring the first temperature and the second temperature.

In the thawing apparatus of the seventh aspect, the operation of the thermal equipment is controlled based on the measured temperatures at the first and second locations, so the operation of the thermal equipment is likely to be appropriately controlled.

A thawing apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the thawing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising a temperature sensor for measuring the first temperature. The control unit calculates the second temperature based on the measured value of the first temperature of the temperature sensor.

In the thawing device of the eighth aspect, the sensor for measuring the second temperature can be omitted, and the cost of the thawing device can be suppressed.

A defrosting apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the defrosting apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, wherein the frequencies of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the electromagnetic wave irradiator are medium waves, short waves, ultrashort waves, and ultrahigh frequency waves. and centimeter waves.

In the thawing device of the ninth aspect, the article can be thawed by high-frequency dielectric heating or microwave heating.

In the thawing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, when a frozen item is thawed by internally generating heat with electromagnetic waves, the operation of the thermal equipment is controlled based on the temperature of the item at two points. As a result, it is possible to operate the thawing device based on the unevenness in temperature between the first and second locations and the overheating or overcooling (insufficient heating) of the first and second locations. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article, and to efficiently thaw the article.

In the thawing device according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is easy to obtain the effects of suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness during thawing depending on the part of the article (between the outer periphery and the inside) and efficiently thawing the article.

In the thawing device according to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently thaw articles while suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article during thawing.

The decompression device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention can meet this need when decompression speed is given priority.

In the thawing device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to achieve both shortening of thawing time and suppression of deterioration of articles due to thawing.

In the thawing device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the growth of ice crystals can be suppressed around the first location, and the temperature of the entire article can be made uniform.

In the defrosting device according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the operation of the thermal equipment tends to be appropriately controlled.

In the defrosting device of the eighth aspect of the present invention, the sensor for measuring the second temperature can be omitted, and the cost of the defrosting device can be suppressed.

In the thawing device according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the articles can be thawed by high-frequency dielectric heating or microwave heating.

1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a decompression device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a controller of the decompression device of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is an example of a flow chart of normal defrosting operation by the defrosting apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is another example of a flow chart of normal defrosting operation by the defrosting apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. Temperature distribution in the article when defrosting based on the flow of FIG. 3A or FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually showing a distribution (drawn with a two-dot chain line). FIG. 2 is an example of a flow chart of a rapid defrosting operation by the defrosting apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 10 is an example of a flow chart of normal defrosting operation by the defrosting device of modification 1H. FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a controller of the decompression device of modification 1I; FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a controller of the decompression device according to the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is an example of a flow chart of normal defrosting operation by the defrosting device according to the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is another example of a flow chart of normal defrosting operation by the defrosting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a controller of the decompression device according to the third embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is an example of a flow chart of normal defrosting operation by the defrosting device according to the third embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

An embodiment of the decompression device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The following embodiments are merely specific examples of the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The following embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

<First embodiment>
(1) Overall Configuration A thawing device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a device that irradiates an article M such as a frozen food item with electromagnetic waves to heat the article M inside and defrost it.

The thawing of an article using electromagnetic waves is characterized in that the inside of the article can be directly heated, unlike the thawing in which the inside of the article is heated by heat transfer from the outside of the article by external heating. Therefore, in the thawing of an article using electromagnetic waves, it is possible to thaw while suppressing the temperature unevenness between the outside and the inside of the article, compared to the method using external heating. However, even when an article is thawed using electromagnetic waves, it is difficult for the electromagnetic wave to reach the inside of the article due to the attenuation of the electromagnetic wave. Therefore, even when an article is thawed using electromagnetic waves, a problem may occur in which the exterior of the article is overheated even though the interior of the article is not thawed (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4). ).

Therefore, the present thawing apparatus 100 is configured so that the article M can be internally heated by electromagnetic waves to be thawed while the article M is cooled from the outside. In the thawing apparatus 100, the cooling of the article M from the outside is controlled based on the surface temperature (first temperature) and the internal temperature (second temperature) of the article M. Therefore, when the article M is thawed, , temperature unevenness between the outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the article M can be suppressed (see the solid line in FIG. 4).

On the other hand, the thawing apparatus 100 is configured to be able to thaw a frozen article M by internally heating the article M with electromagnetic waves while heating the article M from the outside. Due to this configuration, the defrosting device 100 can rapidly defrost the articles M. As shown in FIG.

The decompression device 100 is, for example, a large commercial decompression device. However, the thawing device 100 is not limited to this, and may be a small thawing device for home use.

The thawing device 100 mainly includes a casing 110, an electromagnetic wave irradiator 200, a refrigerator 300, a temperature sensor 500, and a controller 400 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

The casing 110 is a housing that forms a thawing space 110a inside. The thawing space 110a is a space in which articles M are stored and thawed. The thawing space 110a is a space surrounded by walls of the casing 110 (including ceiling, side and bottom surfaces, not shown). The casing 110 is provided with a door (not shown) for carrying the frozen articles M into the thawing space 110a and for carrying the thawed articles M from the thawing space 110a.

The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 is a device that irradiates an article M with electromagnetic waves in order to cause the article M to internally generate heat. A pair of electrodes 210 for irradiating the article M with electromagnetic waves are arranged in the defrosting space 110a (see FIG. 1). In order to irradiate the article M with electromagnetic waves, the article M to be cooled by the defrosting device 100 is placed so as to be sandwiched between a pair of electrodes 210 . Note that the article M need not be in contact with the electrode 210 . Between the article M and the electrode 210, a table for placing the article M made of a material through which electromagnetic waves can pass may be arranged.

The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 irradiates electromagnetic waves of a predetermined frequency. Here, the frequency of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 is included in any one of medium waves (300 kHz to 3 MHz), short waves (3 to 30 MHz), and ultrashort waves (30 to 300 MHz).

The refrigerator 300 is a heat pump device that cools or heats the thawing space 110a inside the casing 110 using a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The refrigerator 300 has an outer casing unit 300a as a heat source side unit and an inner casing unit 300b as a user side unit (see FIG. 1). The unit outside the casing 300a and the unit inside the casing 300b are connected to each other via a liquid refrigerant communication pipe 302 and a gas refrigerant communication pipe 304 (see FIG. 1). The in-casing unit 300b blows cold air into the thawing space 110a to lower the temperature in the thawing space 110a, thereby cooling the article M in the thawing space 110a from the outside. In addition, the unit 300b in the casing blows hot air into the thawing space 110a to increase the temperature in the thawing space 110a, thereby heating the article M in the thawing space 110a from the outside.

The temperature sensor 500 is a sensor that measures the temperature of the article M. FIG. Temperature sensor 500 includes surface temperature sensor 510 and internal temperature sensor 520 . The surface temperature sensor 510 is a sensor that measures the surface temperature (first temperature) of a predetermined portion of the article M. FIG. The internal temperature sensor 520 measures the temperature (second temperature) of the article M at a location different from the predetermined location measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 . Specifically, the internal temperature sensor 520 is a sensor that measures the internal temperature of the article M. FIG.

The controller 400 is a device that controls the operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 . The controller 400 controls the operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 according to the selection of the operation mode received by the operation unit 450 (operation instruction in the selected operation mode), and executes various operations. Note that the operation unit 450 is an example of a reception unit that receives selection of the operation mode. The operation unit 450 mainly has switches such as buttons for selecting operation modes.

When the operation unit 450 receives an instruction to execute the normal defrosting mode as a selection of the operation mode, the controller 400 thaws the normal defrosting operation in which the article M is thawed by irradiating the article M with electromagnetic waves while cooling the article M from the outside. Let the device 100 execute. During the normal thawing operation, the controller 400 adjusts the cooling of the article M from the outside, based on the two temperatures (first temperature and second temperature) of the article M measured by the temperature sensor 500. control the operation/stop of the machine 300 and/or the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300;

Further, when the operation unit 450 receives an instruction to execute the rapid defrosting mode as the selection of the operation mode, the controller 400 performs a rapid defrosting operation in which the article M is heated from the outside and electromagnetic waves are applied to the article M to defrost the article M. is executed by the decompression device 100 .

The normal thawing operation and the rapid thawing operation will be further described later.

(2) Detailed Configuration The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200, the refrigerator 300, the temperature sensor 500, and the controller 400, which configure the thawing apparatus 100, will be described in more detail.

(2-1) Electromagnetic wave irradiator The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 is a device that irradiates the article M with high-frequency electromagnetic waves to dielectrically heat the article M because the article M internally generates heat. The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 is a device that irradiates the article M with electromagnetic waves in order to internally generate heat in the frozen article M to defrost it.

The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 mainly includes a pair of electrodes 210 and a high frequency power source 220 .

Electrode 210 is made of metal, for example. Each electrode 210 has a flat plate shape. However, the shape of the electrode 210 is not limited to a flat plate shape, and may be another shape. A pair of electrodes 210 are arranged in the thawing space 110a inside the casing 110 so as to face each other. In other words, the pair of electrodes 210 are arranged parallel to each other.

The electrode 210 is connected to a high frequency power supply 220 (see FIG. 1). The electrode 210 may be connected to the high frequency power supply 220 via a load matching circuit (not shown).

The high-frequency power supply 220 is, for example, a high-frequency power supply 220 using a self-oscillating circuit. However, it is not limited to this, and the high frequency power supply 220 may be a high frequency power supply 220 using a separately excited oscillation circuit. The high-frequency power source 220 is, for example, a power source with a constant frequency and output.

High-frequency power supply 220 is electrically connected to controller 400 and controlled by controller 400 . The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 switches between electromagnetic wave irradiation/irradiation stop according to an instruction from the controller 400 to the high frequency power supply 220 .

The high-frequency power supply 220 may be a power supply with variable frequency and output. Then, for example, the controller 400 may be configured to adjust the frequency and output of the electromagnetic wave that the high-frequency power supply 220 irradiates the article M according to the type of article M to be thawed.

(2-2) Refrigerator The refrigerator 300 is a vapor compression heat pump device.

Refrigerator 300 is an example of a thermal device. The refrigerator 300 can cool the article M placed in the thawing space 110a inside the casing 110 from the outside. The main purpose of cooling the article M by the refrigerator 300 is to suppress overheating of the outer peripheral portion of the article M. FIG. Refrigerator 300 also functions as a heater. The refrigerator 300 can heat the article M placed in the thawing space 110a inside the casing 110 from the outside.

Note that the thawing apparatus 100 has a cooling refrigerator and a heating refrigerator separate from the cooling refrigerator, instead of performing cooling/heating with one refrigerator 300. good too. Also, the thawing apparatus 100 may have a device other than the heat pump device as the thermal device. For example, the thawing device may have a heat pump device for cooling and an electric heater for heating.

The refrigerator 300 mainly includes an outer casing unit 300a, an inner casing unit 300b, and a refrigerator controller 390 (see FIG. 1).

In the refrigerator 300, the compressor 310, the four-way switching valve 320, the second heat exchanger 350, the expansion valve 360, and the accumulator 380 of the unit outside the casing 300a, and the first heat exchanger 330 of the unit inside the casing 300b are refrigerant. A refrigerant circuit is configured by connecting with a pipe.

(2-2-1) In-casing Unit The in-casing unit 300b mainly includes a first heat exchanger 330 and an in-casing fan 340 (see FIG. 1).

The first heat exchanger 330 is, for example, a cross-fin-type fin-and-tube heat exchanger composed of heat transfer tubes and a large number of fins. The first heat exchanger 330 is connected to the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 302 and the gas refrigerant communication pipe 304 by refrigerant pipes (see FIG. 1). The first heat exchanger 330 functions as a refrigerant evaporator (cooler) during the cooling operation for cooling the article M, and functions as a refrigerant condenser (radiator) during the heating operation for heating the article M.

The in-casing fan 340 is a fan driven by a fan motor (not shown). The fan motor is of inverter type. In-casing fan 340 supplies air to first heat exchanger 330 to promote heat exchange between the air and refrigerant in first heat exchanger 330 . In addition, the in-casing fan 340 lowers the temperature of the thawing space 110a by blowing out into the thawing space 110a the air flowing through the first heat exchanger 330, which has been cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant. An article M placed within 110a is externally cooled. The in-casing fan 340 blows out into the thawing space 110a the air flowing through the first heat exchanger 330 heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant, thereby increasing the temperature of the thawing space 110a. An article M placed within 110a is heated from the outside.

(2-2-2) Out-of-casing unit The out-of-casing unit 300a mainly includes a compressor 310, a four-way switching valve 320, a second heat exchanger 350, an expansion valve 360, an out-of-casing fan 370, and an accumulator 380 ( See Figure 1).

Further, the out-of-casing unit 300a includes a refrigerant pipe group 306 connecting the compressor 310, the four-way switching valve 320, the second heat exchanger 350, the expansion valve 360 and the accumulator 380 (see FIG. 1). The refrigerant pipe group 306 includes a suction pipe 306a, a discharge pipe 306b, a first gas refrigerant pipe 306c, a liquid refrigerant pipe 306d and a second gas refrigerant pipe 306e (see FIG. 1).

Connection of each component of the unit 300a outside the casing by the refrigerant pipe group 306 will be described. Suction pipe 306 a is a pipe that connects the suction port of compressor 310 and four-way switching valve 320 . An accumulator 380 is arranged in the intake pipe 306a. The discharge pipe 306 b is a pipe that connects the discharge port of the compressor 310 and the four-way switching valve 320 . The first gas refrigerant pipe 306 c is a pipe that connects the four-way switching valve 320 and the gas side of the second heat exchanger 350 . The liquid refrigerant pipe 306 d is a pipe that connects the liquid side of the second heat exchanger 350 and the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 302 . An expansion valve 360 is provided in the liquid refrigerant pipe 306d. The second gas refrigerant pipe 306 e is a pipe that connects the four-way switching valve 320 and the gas refrigerant communication pipe 304 .

Compressor 310 drives a compression mechanism with a motor (not shown), sucks low-pressure gas refrigerant from suction pipe 306a, and discharges high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compression mechanism to discharge pipe 306b. The motor of compressor 310 is of an inverter type.

The four-way switching valve 320 is a mechanism that switches the direction of refrigerant flow. During the cooling operation (during cooling of the article M), as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 gas refrigerant pipe 306c is connected. On the other hand, during the heating operation (when the article M is heated), the four-way switching valve 320 connects the suction pipe 306a and the first gas refrigerant pipe 306c, 306b and the second gas refrigerant pipe 306e.

The second heat exchanger 350 is, for example, a cross-fin-type fin-and-tube heat exchanger composed of heat transfer tubes and a large number of fins. The second heat exchanger 350 functions as a refrigerant condenser during the cooling operation (when the article M is cooled), and functions as a refrigerant evaporator during the heating operation (when the article M is heated).

The expansion valve 360 is an example of an expansion mechanism that decompresses the refrigerant flowing through the liquid refrigerant pipe 306d. The expansion valve 360 is an electric expansion valve with a variable opening.

Out-of-casing fan 370 is a fan driven by a fan motor (not shown). Out-of-casing fan 370 supplies air to second heat exchanger 350 to promote heat exchange between the air and refrigerant in second heat exchanger 350 .

The accumulator 380 is a gas-liquid separator that divides the refrigerant flowing through the suction pipe 306a into a gas phase and a liquid phase in order to avoid liquid compression in the compressor 310 (to avoid sending liquid-phase refrigerant to the compressor 310). .

(2-2-3) Cooler Controller The refrigerator controller 390 is a computer that controls the operation of the refrigerator 300 . For example, the refrigerator controller 390 is a micro-controller unit (MCU) having a CPU and memory. In FIG. 1, the refrigerator controller 390 is drawn on the side of the out-of-casing unit 300a. They may cooperate to control the operation of the refrigerator 300 .

Although not shown, the refrigerator control unit 390 controls each component of the refrigerator 300, such as the compressor 310, the four-way switching valve 320, the fan motor of the fan inside the casing 340, the expansion valve 360, and the fan outside the casing. 370 is electrically connected to a fan motor or the like. In the refrigerator control unit 390, the CPU controls the refrigerator 300 by executing a program stored in the memory.

The refrigerator control unit 390 controls the refrigerator 300 so that each constituent device operates as follows when the article M is cooled (during the cooling operation). During cooling operation, refrigerant discharged from compressor 310 flows through four-way switching valve 320 into second heat exchanger 350, releases heat to air outside casing 110, and condenses. The refrigerant condensed in the second heat exchanger 350 expands when passing through the expansion valve 360 . Then, it flows into the first heat exchanger 330, absorbs heat from the air in the thawing space 110a, and evaporates.

Further, the refrigerator control unit 390 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the components described below operate when the article M is heated (during the heating operation). During heating operation, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 310 flows through the four-way switching valve 320 into the first heat exchanger 330, releases heat to the air in the thawing space 110a, and condenses. The refrigerant condensed in the first heat exchanger 330 expands when passing through the expansion valve 360 . After that, it flows into the second heat exchanger 350, absorbs heat from the air outside the casing 110, and evaporates.

The refrigerator controller 390 is also electrically connected to the controller 400 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The refrigerator control unit 390 controls the operation of each component of the refrigerator 300 according to the operation/stop command of the refrigerator 300 and the cooling/heating capacity adjustment command from the controller 400 .

The cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 is adjusted, for example, by changing the rotation speed of the fan motor of the casing-external fan 370 to increase or decrease the air volume of the casing-external fan 370 (increasing the air volume increases the cooling capacity). , reducing the airflow reduces the cooling capacity). Further, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 is adjusted by, for example, changing the rotational speed of the compressor 310 to raise/lower the temperature of the air after heat exchange with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 330. (If the temperature of the air after heat exchange with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 330 is lowered, the cooling capacity increases, and if the temperature of the air after heat exchange with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 330 is raised, cooling less capacity).

The heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 is adjusted, for example, by changing the rotation speed of the fan motor of the casing-external fan 370 to increase or decrease the airflow of the casing-external fan 370 (increasing the airflow increases the heating capacity). , the heating capacity decreases when the air volume is reduced). Further, the heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 is adjusted, for example, by changing the number of revolutions of the compressor 310 and increasing/decreasing the temperature of the air after heat exchange with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 330. (If the temperature of the air after heat exchange with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 330 is raised, the heating capacity increases, and if the temperature of the air after heat exchange with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 330 is lowered, the heating capacity increases. less capacity).

(2-3) Temperature Sensor The temperature sensor 500 detects a first temperature, which is the surface temperature of a predetermined location (first location) of the article, and a second temperature, which is the temperature of a location (second location) different from the predetermined location. Measure the temperature and

Temperature sensor 500 includes surface temperature sensor 510 and internal temperature sensor 520 . The surface temperature sensor 510 is a sensor that measures a first temperature, which is the surface temperature of a first portion of the article. Internal temperature sensor 520 is a sensor that measures a second temperature, which is the temperature of a second location on the article.

A predetermined location (first location) of the article M where the surface temperature sensor 510 measures the first temperature is the surface of the article M which is relatively easily heated by dielectric heating by electromagnetic waves. Also, the first location of the article M is, for example, a location that is relatively easily cooled/heated by the refrigerator 300 (a location that is likely to be hit by cold/warm air blown by the in-casing fan 340). For example, the predetermined portion of the article M is the upper surface of the article M placed between the electrodes 210 in the thawing space 110a.

The surface temperature sensor 510 is, for example, a non-contact infrared sensor that measures the surface temperature of the article M by detecting infrared rays emitted from the article M. Surface temperature sensor 510 is electrically connected to controller 400 . A signal based on the first temperature of the article M detected by the surface temperature sensor 510 (a signal for notifying the controller 400 of the measured first temperature of the article M) is transmitted to the controller 400 .

The location (second location) of the article M where the internal temperature sensor 520 measures the second temperature is the interior of the article M here. In particular, the second location of the article M is the central portion of the article M. As shown in FIG. The second location of the article M where the internal temperature sensor 520 measures the second temperature is relatively difficult for electromagnetic waves to reach and is relatively hard to be heated by dielectric heating by electromagnetic waves (hardly heated compared to the outer peripheral portion of the article M). is. In addition, the second location of the article M where the internal temperature sensor 520 measures the second temperature is a location that is difficult to be cooled/heated by the refrigerator 300 (the effect of the operation of the refrigerator 300 on the temperature is greater than that of the outer peripheral portion of the article M). low point).

Internal temperature sensor 520 is, for example, a fiber optic temperature sensor. Internal temperature sensor 520 has a fiber optic probe 522 . The internal temperature sensor 520 measures the temperature inside the article M into which the optical fiber probe 522 is inserted (particularly the center of the article M here). The optical fiber probe 522 may be manually inserted into the article M by an operator when placing the article M such as frozen meat in the casing 110 . Further, the optical fiber probe 522 may be driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) and automatically inserted into the article M when the article M is placed in the casing 110 . Internal temperature sensor 520 is electrically connected to controller 400 . A signal based on the second temperature of the article M detected by the internal temperature sensor 520 (a signal for notifying the controller 400 of the measured second temperature of the article M) is transmitted to the controller 400 .

(2-4) Controller The controller 400 is a computer that controls the operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 . The controller 400 has a CPU and a memory in the same way as a general computer. control behavior.

Here, it is assumed that the controller 400 controls the decompression apparatus 100 as described above by executing a program by a computer. may be

The controller 400 is electrically connected to the high frequency power supply 220 to control the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 (see FIG. 2). Also, the controller 400 is electrically connected to a refrigerator controller 390 to control the operation of the refrigerator 300 (see FIG. 2). Controller 400 is also electrically connected to temperature sensor 500, more specifically surface temperature sensor 510 and internal temperature sensor 520 (see FIG. 2). Controller 400 receives a signal indicative of a first temperature of article M and a signal indicative of a second temperature of article M transmitted from surface temperature sensor 510 and internal temperature sensor 520, respectively.

The controller 400 controls the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 according to the operator's operation mode selection received by the operation unit 450, and executes various operations. Here, the thawing apparatus 100 has two types of operation modes, a normal thawing mode and a rapid thawing mode (the operation unit 450 selects the normal thawing mode or the rapid thawing mode as the operation mode selection). accept). However, it is not limited to this, and the thawing apparatus 100 may have operation modes other than these two types.

When the operation unit 450 receives the selection of the normal thawing mode (an instruction to execute the normal thawing mode) as the selection of the operation mode, the controller 400 , particularly the normal thawing operation unit 410 as a functional unit, operates the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 . It controls the operation and causes the defrosting device 100 to perform normal defrosting operation. In the normal thawing operation here, while the article M is cooled from the outside by the refrigerator 300 (while suppressing overheating of the outer peripheral portion of the article M), the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 200 irradiates the article M with electromagnetic waves to generate internal heat. This is an operation mode in which the article M is thawed by During the normal thawing operation, the normal thawing operation unit 410 operates/stops the refrigerator 300 based on the first temperature measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 and the second temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 520. /or to control the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300;

Further, when the operation unit 450 receives the selection of the rapid thawing mode (instruction to execute the rapid thawing mode) as the selection of the operation mode, the controller 400, particularly the rapid thawing operation unit 420 as a functional unit, controls the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator. It controls the operation of 300 and causes the thawing device 100 to perform the rapid thawing operation. The rapid thawing operation is an operation mode in which the refrigerator 300 heats the article M from the outside while the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 irradiates the article M with electromagnetic waves to thaw the article M by internal heat generation.

(3) Operation of Defrosting Apparatus Operation of the defrosting apparatus 100 during normal defrosting operation and rapid defrosting operation will be described below.

(3-1) Normal defrosting operation Normal defrosting operation will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 3A and 3B. Although not specifically described below, the controller 400 outputs a signal indicating the first temperature transmitted from the surface temperature sensor 510 and a signal indicating the second temperature transmitted from the internal temperature sensor 520 during the normal defrosting operation. , obtained as appropriate.

When the operation unit 450 receives an instruction to execute the normal thawing mode as the operation mode selection, the normal thawing operation unit 410 of the controller 400 causes the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 to start operating and apply electromagnetic waves to the frozen article M. The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 (in particular, the high frequency power source 220) is controlled so as to irradiate (step S1). Then, the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the normal thawing operation section 410 determines whether both the first temperature measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 and the second temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 520 are equal to or higher than the target temperature. The target temperature is preferably a value at which it can be determined that the article M has been thawed. The state in which the article M has been completely thawed is not limited to the state in which the article M is completely thawed. ) is also included. The target temperature is, but not limited to, 0° C., for example. When both the first temperature and the second temperature are equal to or higher than the target temperature, the process proceeds to step S3, and when at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature is lower than the target temperature, the process proceeds to step S4.

If both the first temperature and the second temperature are equal to or higher than the target temperature, thawing of the item M is considered complete. Therefore, in step S3, the normal thawing operation section 410 stops the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and controls the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 (in particular, the high frequency power supply 220) so as to stop irradiating the articles M with electromagnetic waves. Then, the defrosting device 100 completes the operation for defrosting the article M. Note that if the refrigerator 300 is in operation when the process proceeds to step S3, the normal thawing operation unit 410 stops the operation of the refrigerator 300 in addition to the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 200. good.

In step S<b>4 , normal thawing operation section 410 determines whether the first temperature measured by surface temperature sensor 510 is higher than the second temperature measured by internal temperature sensor 520 . As a specific process, the normal thawing operation section 410 determines whether or not the value of the first temperature is greater than the value of (second temperature+α). Although the value of α may be 0, in order to avoid frequent switching between the operation/stop of the refrigerator 300 and the cooling capacity as a result of the determination in step S4 and step S5 described later, the value of α should be is preferably positive. Also, it is preferable that the value of α is determined to be an appropriate value so that the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M does not become too large.

If it is determined in step S4 that the value of the first temperature is greater than the value of (second temperature+α), the process proceeds to step S10. If the value of the first temperature is determined to be equal to or less than the value of (second temperature+α), the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S<b>5 , normal thawing operation section 410 determines whether the first temperature measured by surface temperature sensor 510 is lower than the second temperature measured by internal temperature sensor 520 . Here, the normal defrosting operation section 410 simply determines whether or not the first temperature is lower than the second temperature.

In step S5, the normal thawing operation section 410 may be configured to determine whether or not the value of the first temperature is smaller than the value of (second temperature - β (β > 0)). When comparing the value of the first temperature with the value of (second temperature - β (β > 0)), the value of α in step S4 may be 0. Even in such a configuration, it is possible to avoid frequent switching between the operation/stop of the refrigerator 300 and the cooling capacity based on the determinations made in steps S4 and S5.

If it is determined in step S5 that the value of the first temperature is lower than the value of the second temperature, the process proceeds to step S20. If it is determined that the value of the first temperature is greater than or equal to the value of the second temperature, the process returns to step S2.

In one example, in steps S10 and S20, for example, the following control is performed (see FIG. 3A).

In step S10, if the refrigerator 300 has stopped, the normal thawing operation unit 410 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the refrigerator 300 starts an operation (cooling operation) for cooling the article M from the outside. On the other hand, if the refrigerator 300 is already performing the cooling operation when the process proceeds to step S10, the normal thawing operation unit 410 controls the refrigerator 300 to continue the cooling operation (in other words, normal thawing operation). The unit 410 does not perform control to stop the operation of the refrigerator 300). Here, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 is assumed to be constant at the first cooling capacity. After execution of step S10, the process returns to step S2.

In step S20, if the refrigerator 300 is operating, the normal thawing operation section 410 stops the operation of the refrigerator 300 and controls the refrigerator 300 to stop cooling the article M. On the other hand, if the refrigerator 300 has already stopped when the process proceeds to step S20, the normal thawing operation unit 410 controls the refrigerator 300 to continue to stop operation (in other words, the normal thawing operation unit 410 , the control for starting the operation of the refrigerator 300 is not performed). After execution of step S20, the process returns to step S2.

3A, when only the operation/stop of the refrigerator 300 is controlled in steps S10 and S20 (when the cooling capacity is not controlled), the compressor 310 and the casing fan 340 are controlled. The fan motor does not have to be of the inverter type.

In another example, in steps S10 and S20, for example, the following control is performed (see FIG. 3B). Although illustration of steps is omitted in the flowchart of FIG. 3B, it is assumed here that the refrigerator 300 is always operated during the normal thawing operation.

In the flowchart of FIG. 3B, when the process proceeds to step S10, the normal thawing operation section 410 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the refrigerator 300 operates at the first cooling capacity. If the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 is already the first cooling capacity when the process proceeds to step S10, the normal thawing operation section 410 maintains the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 at the first cooling capacity (cooling does not change abilities). When the process proceeds to step S20, the normal thawing operation section 410 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the refrigerator 300 has the second cooling capacity. If the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 is already the second cooling capacity when the process proceeds to step S20, the normal thawing operation section 410 maintains the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 at the second cooling capacity (cooling does not change abilities). The second cooling capacity is cooling capacity lower than the first cooling capacity.

The operation of the thawing apparatus 100 during the normal thawing operation described here is merely an example, and the operation of the thawing apparatus 100 during the normal thawing operation is not limited to the described mode.

For example, in step S2, when both the first temperature and the second temperature are equal to or higher than the target temperature, the process proceeds to step S3. . For example, if the internal temperature (second temperature) of the article M, which is relatively difficult to defrost, is equal to or higher than the target temperature, the process may proceed to step S3.

Whether or not the thawing is completed is preferably determined based on the measurement value of the temperature sensor 500 as in step S2, but is not limited to this. The completion of thawing may be determined based on whether or not the required thawing time calculated from is elapsed.

Also, for example, the order of steps in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3A and 3B may be changed as appropriate within a consistent range. For example, the order of steps S4 and S5 may be reversed.

(3-2) Rapid defrosting operation The rapid defrosting operation will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. Although not specifically described below, the controller 400 outputs a signal indicating the first temperature transmitted from the surface temperature sensor 510 and a signal indicating the second temperature transmitted from the internal temperature sensor 520 during the rapid defrosting operation. , obtained as appropriate.

When the operation unit 450 receives an instruction to execute the rapid thawing mode as the operation mode selection, the rapid thawing operation unit 420 of the controller 400 causes the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 to start operating and apply electromagnetic waves to the frozen article M. The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 (in particular, the high frequency power source 220) is controlled so as to irradiate (step S101). Then, the process proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, the rapid thawing operation section 420 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the refrigerator 300 starts an operation (heating operation) for heating the articles M from the outside. The rapid thawing operation section 420 controls the heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 to a predetermined heating capacity. Although not limited, the predetermined heating capacity is, for example, the maximum heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 . The predetermined heating capacity is a heating capacity other than the maximum heating capacity determined so that the temperature difference between the surface temperature (first temperature) of the article M and the internal temperature (second temperature) of the article M is unlikely to become excessive. There may be. After performing step S102, the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S103, the normal thawing operation section 410 determines whether both the first temperature measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 and the second temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 520 are equal to or higher than the target temperature. The process of step S103 is the same as the process of step S2 in the normal defrosting operation. If both the first temperature and the second temperature are equal to or higher than the target temperature, the process proceeds to step S104. When it is determined in step S103 that at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature is lower than the target temperature, the process of step S103 is repeatedly performed.

In step S104, the rapid defrosting operation unit 420 stops the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and controls the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 (in particular, the high-frequency power source 220) so as to stop irradiating the article M with electromagnetic waves (step S104). . Then, the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S<b>105 , the quick defrosting operation unit 420 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the operation of the refrigerator 300 is stopped and the heating of the article M by the refrigerator 300 is stopped. Then, the defrosting device 100 completes the operation for defrosting the article M.

The operation of the thawing apparatus 100 during the rapid thawing operation described here is merely an example, and the operation of the thawing apparatus 100 during the rapid thawing operation is not limited to the described mode.

For example, here, the rapid thawing operation unit 420 operates the refrigerator 300 with a constant heating capacity, but is not limited to this. For example, the rapid defrosting operation unit 420 determines that the temperature difference between the first temperature of the article M and the second temperature of the article M (value of (first temperature - second temperature)) becomes excessive, and the first location of the article M ( When it is determined that the surface temperature sensor 510 measures the first temperature) is overheated (overheated), the heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 is weakened, or the refrigerator 300 is controlled to stop. may

Also, for example, the order of each step in the flowchart of FIG. 5 may be changed within a consistent range. For example, the order of step S101 and step S102 may be reversed, and step S101 and step S102 may be performed simultaneously. The same applies to steps S104 and S105.

(4) Features (4-1)
A thawing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes an electromagnetic wave irradiator 200, a refrigerator 300 as an example of a thermal device, and a controller 400 as an example of a control unit. The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 irradiates the article M with an electromagnetic wave in order to heat the frozen article M internally. The refrigerator 300 cools the article M from the outside. The controller 400 controls the operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300, irradiates the article M with electromagnetic waves to thaw the article M while cooling the article M from the outside. The controller 400 operates/stops the refrigerator 300 based on the first temperature, which is the surface temperature of a predetermined portion of the article M, and the second temperature, which is the temperature of the article M at a portion different from the predetermined portion. , and/or controls the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 .

In the thawing apparatus 100, when the frozen article M is cooled from the outside and internally heated by electromagnetic waves to be thawed, the operation of the refrigerator 300 is controlled based on the temperature of the article M at two points. As a result, temperature unevenness between the measurement location of the first temperature (first location) and the measurement location of the second temperature (second location), excessive heating or cooling of the measurement locations of the first temperature and the second temperature. It is possible to operate the thawing device based on the above, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article M at the time of thawing, and to thaw the article M efficiently.

(4-2)
In the defrosting device 100 according to the first embodiment, the second temperature is the internal temperature of the article M. As shown in FIG.

In the thawing apparatus 100, the first temperature is the surface temperature of the article M which is relatively easily heated by the electromagnetic wave and relatively easily cooled by the refrigerator 300, while the second temperature is the surface temperature of the article M which is relatively easily heated by the electromagnetic wave and frozen. is the temperature inside the article M that is less susceptible to cooling by the machine 300 . Assuming that the refrigerator 300 is always operated at a constant capacity, deviation is likely to occur between the first temperature and the second temperature.

On the other hand, in the present thawing apparatus 100, the operation of the refrigerator 300 is controlled based on the first temperature (surface temperature) and the second temperature (internal temperature). 2) It is easy to obtain the effects of suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness during thawing and efficiently thawing the article M.

(4-3)
In the thawing device 100 according to the first embodiment, the refrigerator 300 can cool the articles M from the outside. Controller 400 operates refrigerator 300 with a certain cooling capacity (first cooling capacity) when the first temperature is higher than the second temperature (including when the first temperature is higher than the second temperature by a predetermined value or more). The controller 400 stops the refrigerator 300 (stops the cooling operation of the refrigerator 300) when the first temperature is lower than the second temperature (including when the first temperature is lower than the second temperature by a predetermined value or more). Alternatively, the refrigerator 300 is operated at a cooling capacity lower than the first cooling capacity.

In the defrosting apparatus 100, when the first temperature is higher than the second temperature, the location where the first temperature is measured (the first location) is slightly overheated, so the temperature is cooled. On the other hand, if the first temperature is lower than the second temperature, the refrigerator 300 is stopped or operated with reduced capacity because the first location is too cooled. With this configuration, the defrosting apparatus 100 can efficiently defrost the article M while suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article M during defrosting.

(4-4)
The decompression device 100 according to the first embodiment includes an operation unit 450 as an example of a reception unit. Operation unit 450 accepts selection of an operation mode. The refrigerator 300 can heat the article M from the outside. When the operation unit 450 receives the rapid thawing mode as the operation mode selection, the controller 400 controls the operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 to irradiate the article M with electromagnetic waves while heating the article M from the outside. Thaw item M.

The defrosting device 100 may be required to have a defrosting speed rather than the quality of the defrosted article M. The decompression device 100 can meet such needs.

(4-5)
The thawing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes a temperature sensor 500 that measures a first temperature and a second temperature (a surface temperature sensor 510 that measures the first temperature and an internal temperature sensor 520 that measures the second temperature).

In the thawing device 100, the operation of the refrigerator 300 is controlled based on the measured temperatures of the first and second locations of the article M, so the operation of the refrigerator 300 is easily controlled appropriately.

(4-6)
In the defrosting apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 is included in any one of medium, short, and very high frequency bands.

The thawing device 100 can thaw the article M by high-frequency dielectric heating.

(5) Modifications Modifications of the above embodiment will be described below. In addition, part or all of the configuration of each modification may be combined with a part or all of the configuration of other modifications within a mutually consistent range.

(5-1) Modification 1A
In the above embodiment, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 is included in any one of the medium wave, short wave, and very high frequency bands. However, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 may be any frequency capable of internally heating the article M, and may be included in a frequency band other than the medium wave, short wave, and ultra-short wave. For example, the frequency of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 may be included in either frequency band of ultra-high frequency waves (300 MHz to 3 GHz) and centimeter waves (3 to 30 GHz).

If the electromagnetic wave irradiator is a device that irradiates electromagnetic waves with a frequency of ultrahigh frequency (300 MHz to 3 GHz) or centimeter waves (3 to 30 GHz), the electromagnetic wave irradiator is a microwave generator ( It may be a device that irradiates the article M with an electromagnetic wave generated by a magnetron.

(5-2) Modification 1B
In the above embodiment, the second temperature is the internal temperature of the article M. In particular, in the above embodiment, the second temperature is the temperature of the central portion of the article M. However, the second temperature is not limited to the temperature at the center of the article M or the internal temperature of the article M.

For example, the second temperature may be the surface temperature of the article M at a second location different from the first location where the surface temperature sensor 510 measures the first temperature. That is, temperature sensor 500 may have a second surface temperature sensor instead of internal temperature sensor 520 .

For example, the surface temperature sensor 510 measures the surface temperature of a first portion of the article M that is relatively easily heated by electromagnetic waves (for example, the upper surface of the article M) as the first temperature, whereas the second surface temperature sensor measures , the surface temperature of a second portion of the surface of the article M that is relatively less heated by electromagnetic waves than the first portion where the first temperature is measured (for example, the bottom surface or side surface of the article M) is measured. Note that the first and second locations on the surface of the article M may be appropriately determined in consideration of, for example, the characteristics of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200, the shape of the article M, and the like. Even when configured in this manner, the thawing apparatus can be operated based on the temperature unevenness between the first and second locations, or the excessive heating or cooling of the first and second locations. Thus, the article can be thawed efficiently while suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article during thawing.

Note that the second surface temperature sensor is, for example, an infrared sensor like the surface temperature sensor 510 . The second temperature may also be measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 if the second location of the article M where the second temperature is measured is a location where the temperature can be measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 .

If the second location on the surface of the article M where the second temperature is to be measured is a location where temperature measurement by an infrared sensor is difficult, the second surface temperature sensor may be of another type, such as the internal temperature sensor of the above embodiment. Like 520, it may be a fiber optic temperature sensor. Then, the temperature-sensitive portion of the optical fiber probe may be arranged to contact the surface of the article M at a second location.

(5-3) Modification 1C
In the above embodiment, the reception unit is the operation unit 450 having a switch or the like for selecting the operation mode, but is not limited to this. For example, the reception unit may be a signal reception unit that receives a driving mode selection signal transmitted from a portable terminal owned by the worker.

(5-4) Modification 1D
The controller 400 of the above embodiment may not be an independent device. For example, the refrigerator controller 390 of the refrigerator 300 may perform control similar to that of the controller 400 .

(5-5) Modification 1E
In the above embodiment, the thawing apparatus 100 performs the rapid thawing operation in addition to the normal thawing operation, but is not limited to this. The thawing apparatus 100 may be one that performs only the normal thawing operation.

In this case, instead of the refrigerator 300, a vapor compression refrigeration apparatus that can only perform a cooling operation for cooling the article M from the outside (cannot heat the article M from the outside) may be used. Further, when there is no need to heat the article M from the outside, a cooler using a Peltier element may be used as the thermal device instead of the refrigerator 300 .

(5-6) Modification 1F
In the above-described embodiment, the first temperature and the second temperature are temperatures at one location on the article M, but are not limited to this.

For example, the surface temperature sensor 510 measures the surface temperature at multiple locations on the article M, and the temperature sensor 500 measures a representative value (e.g., average value, median value, maximum value, etc.) of the multiple measured values measured by the surface temperature sensor 510. ) as the first temperature. Further, for example, the temperature sensor 500 has a plurality of internal temperature sensors 520 that respectively detect the internal temperatures of different parts of the article M, and a representative value (for example, an average value) of the multiple measured values measured by the internal temperature sensors 520 , median value, maximum value, etc.) may be measured as the second temperature. Then, based on the first temperature and the second temperature thus measured, the controller 400 operates/stops the refrigerator 300 and/or controls the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300, as in the above embodiment. It may be controlled.

Both the first temperature and the second temperature need not be representative values of temperatures at multiple locations on the article M, and only one of them may be the representative value of temperatures at multiple locations on the article M.

(5-7) Modification 1G
In the case of measuring temperatures at multiple locations on the surface of the article M, the defrosting device may be further configured as follows, for example.

In the above-described embodiment, the thawing device 100 has one refrigerator 300 as a thermal device. may be configured as follows. Alternatively, one refrigerator 300 has a plurality of sets of first heat exchangers 330 and in-casing fans 340, and the amount of refrigerant flowing through each first heat exchanger 330 is configured to be independently adjustable. , each in-casing fan 340 may be configured to primarily cool a different portion of the article M, respectively. Then, based on the temperatures of a plurality of locations of the article M, when the surface temperature of one location is higher than the surface temperature of the other locations, the location with a higher temperature than the other locations is cooled (the other locations are not cooled). Alternatively, the refrigerator may be controlled such that a portion having a higher temperature than other portions is cooled more strongly.

In another example, the surface temperature sensor 510 measures the surface temperature of the article M at multiple locations. The surface temperatures of the article M at a plurality of locations measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 are each used as the first temperature. That is, here, the surface temperature sensor 510 measures a plurality of first temperatures. Further, here, the thawing device has a plurality of refrigerators 300, and each of the refrigerators 300 mainly cools a different portion of the article M (each first temperature measurement portion). Based on the first temperature and the second temperature (the internal temperature of the article M), the controller 400 operates/stops and/or freezes the refrigerator 300 that cools the measurement location of each first temperature. The cooling capacity of machine 300 may be controlled. In this case, it is particularly easy to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article M.

(5-8) Modification 1H
In the flowchart of FIG. 3A of the above embodiment, the cooling operation of the refrigerator 300 is started in the process of step S10, and the cooling operation of the refrigerator 300 is stopped in the process of step S20. Further, in the flowchart of FIG. 3B of the above embodiment, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 is adjusted to the first cooling capacity in the process of step S10, and the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 is adjusted to the second cooling capacity in the process of step S20. It is

However, the configuration and control mode of the decompression device 100 are not limited to the above mode, and may be, for example, the mode shown in FIG.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the cooling capacity of refrigerator 300 can be changed in three or more stages. Here, as in the process of FIG. 3B, it is assumed that the refrigerator 300 is always operated during the normal thawing operation. In the flowchart of FIG. 6, the normal thawing operation unit 410 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 is increased by one step in step S10, and the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 is decreased by one step in step S20. The refrigerator 300 is controlled so as to Note that if the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 has already been set to the maximum in step S10, the normal thawing operation section 410 maintains the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 at the maximum. Similarly, when the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 has already been set to the minimum in step S20, the normal thawing operation section 410 maintains the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 at the minimum.

In another example, the normal thawing operation unit 410 controls the refrigerator 300 to start operation with the minimum cooling capacity when the refrigerator 300 is stopped in step S10, and the refrigerator 300 is already The refrigerator 300 may be controlled to increase the cooling capacity when it is in operation. In step S20, the normal thawing operation unit 410 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the cooling capacity decreases when the refrigerator 300 is operated at a cooling capacity other than the minimum cooling capacity. The refrigerator 300 may be controlled so as to stop operating when it is operating at its cooling capacity.

In still another example, the normal thawing operation unit 410 controls the refrigerator 300 to start operation with the minimum cooling capacity when the refrigerator 300 is stopped in step S10. The refrigerator 300 may be controlled to increase the cooling capacity when it is already in operation. Further, the normal thawing operation section 410 may control the refrigerator 300 so that the operation of the refrigerator 300 is stopped in step S20.

(5-9) Modification 1I
In the above embodiment, the defrosting device 100 has the surface temperature sensor 510 and the internal temperature sensor 520, but the defrosting device 100 is not limited to such a form.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the thawing apparatus 100 has only the surface temperature sensor 510 that measures the first temperature of the article M, and the controller 400 (more specifically, the second temperature calculator 430 as a functional unit) However, the temperature (second temperature) at the second location of the article M may be calculated based on the measured value of the first temperature of the surface temperature sensor 510 .

For example, the second temperature calculation unit 430 has a learning device that has been learned by machine learning in advance, and in addition to the measured value of the first temperature, various data (for example, the heating capacity of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200, the When the operation time, the cooling/heating capacity of the refrigerator 300, the operation time of the refrigerator 300, the type, weight, shape, etc. of the article M are given as inputs, an estimated second temperature is calculated (second temperature ). Note that the types of input data listed here are examples, and some of them may not be included in the input data, and data other than these may be included in the input data. The learning device uses, for example, a supervised neural network (including deep learning) as a learning algorithm, but is not limited to this, and may use other learning algorithms.

In addition, the second temperature calculation unit 430 does not use machine learning, but the first temperature and other values prepared in advance (for example, created by a person) (for example, the heating capacity of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200, the electromagnetic wave irradiation The operating time of the container 200, the cooling/heating capacity of the refrigerator 300, the operating time of the refrigerator 300, the weight of the article M, etc.) are used as variables to determine the first temperature based on the measured value of the first temperature. 2 temperature may be calculated. The calculation formula may be derived theoretically, or may be derived based on the results of simulations or experiments. Note that the types of variables listed here are examples, and some of them may not be included in the variables, and variables other than these may be included in the variables. A plurality of calculation formulas may be prepared according to conditions such as the type and shape of the article M.

Here, since the second temperature is calculated based on the measured value of the first temperature of the surface temperature sensor 510, the sensor for measuring the second temperature can be omitted, and the cost of the defrosting device 100 can be suppressed. can.

<Second embodiment>
A decompression device 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The main difference between the thawing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment and the thawing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment is the operation of the thawing apparatus 100 during normal thawing operation. In other respects, the decompression device 100 according to the second embodiment is the same as the decompression device 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, here, the control of the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 by the normal defrosting operation section 1410 (see FIG. 8) of the controller 400 of the defrosting apparatus 100 of the second embodiment will be mainly described, and other descriptions will be given. For simplification of explanation, most of them are omitted. In addition, in the description of the second embodiment, the components of the defrosting apparatus 100 other than the normal defrosting operation section 1410 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, when the operation unit 450 receives selection of the normal thawing mode (instruction to execute the normal thawing mode) as the selection of the operation mode, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 causes the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 200 and the refrigerator 300 to operate. control to cause the thawing apparatus 100 to perform normal thawing operation.

In the normal defrosting operation of the defrosting device 100 in the second embodiment, the article M is cooled or heated from the outside by the refrigerator 300, and electromagnetic waves are applied to the article M by the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 in order to suppress the temperature unevenness of the article M. This is an operation mode in which the article M is thawed by internal heat generation. That is, the thawing apparatus 100 of the second embodiment differs from the thawing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment in that the article M may be heated from the outside by the refrigerator 300 during the normal thawing operation. During the normal thawing operation, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 operates/stops (heating operation/ cooling operation/stop) and/or the cooling capacity and heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 are controlled.

A normal defrosting operation in the defrosting apparatus 100 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Although not specifically described below, the controller 400 outputs a signal indicating the first temperature transmitted from the surface temperature sensor 510 and a signal indicating the second temperature transmitted from the internal temperature sensor 520 during the normal defrosting operation. , obtained as appropriate.

When the operation unit 450 receives an instruction to execute the normal thawing mode as the selection of the operation mode, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 causes the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 to start operating and irradiate the frozen article M with electromagnetic waves. Then, the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 (in particular, the high frequency power source 220) is controlled (step S1). Then, the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the normal thawing operation section 1410 determines whether both the first temperature measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 and the second temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 520 are equal to or higher than the target temperature. When both the first temperature and the second temperature are equal to or higher than the target temperature, the process proceeds to step S3, and when at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature is lower than the target temperature, the process proceeds to step S4.

The processes performed in steps S2 and S3 are the same as the processes performed in steps S2 and S3 in FIGS. 3A and 3B described in the first embodiment, respectively, so description thereof will be omitted here.

In step S<b>4 , normal thawing operation section 1410 determines whether the first temperature measured by surface temperature sensor 510 is higher than the second temperature measured by internal temperature sensor 520 . As a specific process, the normal thawing operation section 1410 determines whether or not the value of the first temperature is greater than the value of (second temperature+α1). Although the value of α1 may be 0, in order to avoid frequent switching of the cooling operation/heating operation/stop of the refrigerator 300 as a result of the determination in step S4 and step S205 described later, the value of α1 is preferably positive. Also, it is preferable that the value of α1 is determined to be an appropriate value so that the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M does not become too large.

If it is determined in step S4 that the value of the first temperature is greater than the value of (second temperature+α1), the process proceeds to step S10. If the value of the first temperature is determined to be equal to or less than the value of (second temperature+α1), the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S<b>205 , normal thawing operation section 1410 determines whether the first temperature measured by surface temperature sensor 510 is lower than the second temperature measured by internal temperature sensor 520 . Here, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 is configured to determine whether or not the first temperature is lower than the value of (second temperature - β1 (β1≧0)). Although the value of β1 may be 0, it is preferable that β1 be a positive value in order to avoid frequent switching between cooling operation/heating operation/stop of refrigerator 300 . Also, it is preferable that the value of β1 is determined to be an appropriate value so that the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M does not become too large.

If it is determined in step S205 that the value of the first temperature is lower than the value of (second temperature - β1), the process proceeds to step S220. If it is determined that the value of the first temperature is equal to or greater than the value of (second temperature - β1), the process proceeds to step S206.

In one example, in steps S10, S220 and S206, for example, the following control is performed.

In step S10, when the refrigerator 300 is stopped or when the refrigerator 300 is performing the heating operation, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 causes the refrigerator 300 to cool the article M from the outside (cooling operation). ) to start the refrigerator 300 . On the other hand, if the refrigerator 300 is already performing the cooling operation when the process proceeds to step S10, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 controls the refrigerator 300 to continue the cooling operation (in other words, normal thawing operation). The unit 1410 does not perform control to stop the cooling operation of the refrigerator 300). Here, it is assumed that the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 is constant at the first cooling capacity. After execution of step S10, the process returns to step S2.

In step S220, when the refrigerator 300 is stopped or when the refrigerator 300 is performing cooling operation, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 causes the refrigerator 300 to heat the article M from the outside (heating operation). ) to start the refrigerator 300 . On the other hand, if the refrigerator 300 is already performing the heating operation when the process proceeds to step S220, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 controls the refrigerator 300 to continue the heating operation (in other words, normal thawing operation). The unit 1410 does not perform control to stop the heating operation of the refrigerator 300). Here, it is assumed that the heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 is constant at the first heating capacity. After execution of step S220, the process returns to step S2.

In step S206, when the refrigerator 300 is performing cooling operation or heating operation, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the refrigerator 300 stops operating. On the other hand, if the refrigerator 300 has already stopped when the process proceeds to step S206, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 controls the refrigerator 300 to continue to stop operation (in other words, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 , the refrigerator 300 does not start the cooling operation/heating operation). After execution of step S206, the process returns to step S2.

As shown in FIG. 9, when only the operation and stop of the cooling operation/heating operation of the refrigerator 300 is controlled (when the cooling capacity/heating capacity is not controlled), the compressor 310 and the casing inside The fan motor of fan 340 may not be of the inverter type.

In another example, normal defrosting operation may be performed as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 10, the controller 400 controls the signal indicating the first temperature transmitted from the surface temperature sensor 510 and the first temperature transmitted from the internal temperature sensor 520 during the normal thawing operation, although not described below. 2 temperature signals are obtained as appropriate.

Steps S1 to S3 in the flow chart of FIG. 10 are the same as those of the flow chart of FIG. 9, so description thereof will be omitted.

In step S<b>4 , normal thawing operation section 1410 determines whether the first temperature measured by surface temperature sensor 510 is higher than the second temperature measured by internal temperature sensor 520 . As a specific process, the normal thawing operation section 1410 determines whether or not the value of the first temperature is greater than the value of (second temperature+α1). α1 is a positive value.

If it is determined in step S4 that the value of the first temperature is greater than the value of (second temperature+α1), the process proceeds to step S10. If it is determined that the value of the first temperature is equal to or less than the value of (second temperature+α1), the process proceeds to step S305.

In step S305, the normal thawing operation section 1410 determines whether or not the value of the first temperature measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 is greater than the value of (second temperature+α2). α2 is a positive value smaller than α1. As a result of the determinations in steps S4 and S305, the values of α1 and α2 should be appropriately selected so that the refrigerating capacity of the refrigerator 300 is not frequently switched in steps S10 and S320, which will be described later. preferable.

If it is determined in step S305 that the value of the first temperature is greater than the value of (second temperature+α2), the process proceeds to step S320. If the value of the first temperature is determined to be equal to or less than the value of (second temperature+α2), the process proceeds to step S306.

In step S<b>306 , normal thawing operation section 1410 determines whether the first temperature measured by surface temperature sensor 510 is lower than the second temperature measured by internal temperature sensor 520 . Here, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 is configured to determine whether or not the first temperature is lower than the value of (second temperature - β1 (β1≧0)). Although the value of β1 may be 0, it is preferable that β1 be a positive value in order to avoid frequent switching between cooling operation/heating operation/stop of refrigerator 300 . Also, it is preferable that the value of β1 is determined to be an appropriate value so that the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M does not become too large.

If it is determined in step S306 that the value of the first temperature is lower than the value of (second temperature - β1), the process proceeds to step S330. If it is determined that the value of the first temperature is equal to or greater than the value of (second temperature - β1), the process proceeds to step S307.

In one example, in steps S10, S320, S330 and S307, for example, the following control is performed.

In step S10, if the refrigerator 300 is stopped, if the refrigerator 300 is performing heating operation, or if the refrigerator 300 is operated at the second cooling capacity (cooling capacity lower than the first cooling capacity). If so, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the refrigerator 300 performs the cooling operation with the first cooling capacity. Note that if the refrigerator 300 is already performing cooling operation with the first cooling capacity when the process proceeds to step S10, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 maintains the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 at the first cooling capacity. (In other words, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 changes the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300, switches the operation of the refrigerator 300 to the heating operation, and stops the operation of the refrigerator 300. (do not do this). After execution of step S10, the process returns to step S2.

In step S320, when the refrigerator 300 is stopped, when the refrigerator 300 is performing heating operation, or when the refrigerator 300 is operating at the first freezing capacity, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 , the refrigerator 300 is controlled so that the refrigerator 300 performs the cooling operation at the second cooling capacity. Note that if the refrigerator 300 is already performing cooling operation with the second cooling capacity when the process proceeds to step S320, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 maintains the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 at the second cooling capacity. (In other words, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 changes the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300, switches the operation of the refrigerator 300 to the heating operation, and stops the operation of the refrigerator 300. (do not do this). After execution of step S320, the process returns to step S2.

In step S330, if the refrigerator 300 is stopped or if the refrigerator 300 is performing the cooling operation, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 causes the refrigerator 300 to perform the heating operation with the first heating capacity. It controls the refrigerator 300 . Note that if the refrigerator 300 is already performing the heating operation with the first heating capacity when the process proceeds to step S320, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 maintains the heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 at the first heating capacity. (In other words, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 changes the heating capacity of the refrigerator 300, switches the operation of the refrigerator 300 to the cooling operation, and stops the operation of the refrigerator 300. (do not do this). After execution of step S330, the process returns to step S2.

In step S307, when the refrigerator 300 is performing the cooling operation or the heating operation, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the operation of the refrigerator 300 is stopped. On the other hand, if the refrigerator 300 has already stopped when the process proceeds to step S307, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 controls the refrigerator 300 to continue to stop operation (in other words, the normal thawing operation unit 1410 , control for starting the cooling operation/heating operation of the refrigerator 300 is not performed). After execution of step S307, the process returns to step S2.

The operation of the thawing apparatus 100 of the second embodiment during the normal thawing operation described here is only an example, and the operation of the thawing apparatus 100 during the normal thawing operation is not limited to the described mode.

For example, in step S2, when both the first temperature and the second temperature are equal to or higher than the target temperature, the process proceeds to step S3. is the same as in the first embodiment.

Whether or not the thawing is completed is preferably determined based on the measurement value of the temperature sensor 500 as in step S2, but is not limited to this. Similarly to the first embodiment, the completion of thawing may be determined based on whether or not the required thawing time calculated from is passed.

Also, for example, the order of steps in the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 may be changed as appropriate within a consistent range, as in the first embodiment.

Also, for example, in the flowchart of FIG. 10, only the first heating ability is used as the heating ability, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the normal thawing operation section 1410 controls the refrigerating capacity of the refrigerator 300 in the flowchart of FIG. The heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 may be controlled so that the heating capacity increases within an adjustable range as the value of the difference increases.

<Features>
A thawing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment includes an electromagnetic wave irradiator 200, a refrigerator 300 as an example of a thermal device, and a controller 400 as an example of a control section. The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 irradiates the article M with an electromagnetic wave in order to heat the frozen article M internally. The refrigerator 300 cools and heats the article M from the outside. The controller 400 controls the operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300, irradiates the article M with electromagnetic waves to defrost the article M while cooling or heating the article M from the outside. The controller 400 controls a first temperature, which is the surface temperature of a predetermined location (first location) of the article M, and a second temperature, which is the temperature of the article M at a location (second location) different from the predetermined location. Based on this, the operation/stop of the refrigerator 300 (cooling operation/heating operation/stop) and/or the cooling capacity and/or the heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 are controlled.

In the thawing apparatus 100, when the frozen article M is internally heated by electromagnetic waves to be thawed, the operation of the refrigerator 300 is controlled based on the temperature of the article M at two points. As a result, it is possible to operate the thawing device 100 based on the temperature unevenness between the first and second locations and the overheating or overcooling of the first and second locations. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness due to the portion of (1) and to thaw the article M efficiently.

The defrosting device 100 according to the second embodiment is also described in (4-2), (4-4), (4-5), and (4-6) as features of the defrosting device 100 of the first embodiment. It has features similar to features.

<Modification>
The features of the modification of the decompression device 100 of the first embodiment may be applied to the decompression device 100 of the second embodiment as long as there is no contradiction. A part or all of the configuration of each modification of the decompression device 100 of the first embodiment may be combined with a part or all of the configuration of other modifications within a mutually consistent range.

In addition to the modified example of the decompression device 100 of the first embodiment, for example, the following modifications can also be applied to the decompression device of the second embodiment.

(1) Modification 2A
For example, the decompression device 100 may be configured as follows.

The surface temperature sensor 510 measures the surface temperature of the article M at multiple locations. Each of the surface temperatures at a plurality of locations of the article M measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 is used as the first temperature. That is, here, multiple first temperatures are measured by the surface temperature sensor 510 . Further, here, the defrosting device 100 has a plurality of refrigerators 300, each of which mainly cools or heats a different portion of the article M (each first temperature measurement portion). Then, the controller 400 operates/stops the refrigerator 300 (cooling operation/heating operation/stop) and/or switches the refrigerator 300 control the cooling and heating capacities of the That is, here, a situation can occur in which a certain portion of the article M is heated from the outside and another portion of the article M is cooled from the outside. With this configuration, since the temperature of the article M can be finely controlled, the occurrence of temperature unevenness depending on the part of the article M can be particularly easily suppressed.

(2) Modification 2B
For example, the decompression device 100 may be configured as follows.

Here, as in Modification 1B of the first embodiment, the second temperature is the surface temperature of the article M at a second location different from the first location where the surface temperature sensor 510 measures the first temperature. Also, here, the refrigerator is a heat pump dedicated to heating operation. Then, in the thawing apparatus 100 of Modification 2B, the controller controls the operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator and the refrigerator, irradiates the article with electromagnetic waves while heating the article from the outside, and thaws the article. The controller controls the start/stop of the heating operation of the refrigerator and/or the heating capacity of the thermal equipment based on the first temperature and the second temperature. In such a configuration, even if the influence of external heating tends to differ between the first temperature measurement location and the second temperature measurement location, temperature unevenness does not occur depending on the location of the article M. easily suppressed.

<Third Embodiment>
A decompression device 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The main difference between the thawing apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment and the thawing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment is that the thawing apparatus 100 operates only in the combination thawing mode instead of the normal thawing mode and the rapid thawing mode. It is in the point of having. The controller 400 has a combined defrosting operation section 2410 as a functional section for operating the defrosting apparatus 100 in the combined defrosting mode instead of the normal defrosting operating section 410 and the rapid defrosting operating section 420 (see FIG. 11). However, the thawing apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment may have the normal thawing mode and/or the rapid thawing mode described in the first and second embodiments as operation modes in addition to the combination thawing mode. (In other words, the controller 400 may have the normal thawing operation units 410 and 1410 and the rapid thawing operation unit 420 in addition to the combination thawing operation unit 2410).

In other respects, the decompression device 100 according to the third embodiment is the same as the decompression device 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, here, the control of the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 by the combination thawing operation unit 2410 of the controller 400 of the thawing apparatus 100 of the third embodiment will be mainly described, and other descriptions will be simplified. Therefore, we omit most of it. In addition, in the description of the third embodiment, the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment are attached to the configuration of the defrosting apparatus 100 other than the combined defrosting operation section 2410. FIG.

First, the combinatorial decompression mode will be described. The combined defrosting mode is an operation mode in which the rapid defrosting mode and the normal defrosting mode are combined. Specifically, when the thawing apparatus 100 starts thawing a frozen article M (for example, an article M at -20°C), the combination thawing operation section 2410 causes the thawing apparatus 100 to perform the rapid operation described in the first embodiment. Start defrosting operation (operation in rapid defrosting mode). In other words, when the thawing device 100 starts thawing the frozen articles M, the combination thawing operation unit 2410 irradiates the articles M with electromagnetic waves while the thawing device 100 externally heats the articles M by the refrigerator 300. , the operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 are controlled. Note that the rapid defrosting operation is an example of the first operation. After that, the combination thawing operation section 2410 causes the thawing device 100 to start the external cooling operation when the temperature of the article M rises and at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M exceeds a predetermined temperature. The external cooling operation is an operation in which the article M is thawed by irradiating the article M with electromagnetic waves while the article M is cooled from the outside by the refrigerator 300, and is an example of the second operation. After that, the combination thawing operation unit 2410 causes the thawing apparatus 100 to perform the normal thawing operation described in the first and second embodiments.

The operation control of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 by the combination thawing operation unit 2410 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, it is assumed that the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M are lower than the switching temperature, which will be described later, at the time when step S401 is performed. Also, although not specifically described below, the controller 400 indicates the first temperature signal sent from the surface temperature sensor 510 and the second temperature sent from the internal temperature sensor 520 during operation of the defrosting apparatus 100. Each signal is obtained as appropriate.

When the operation unit 450 receives an instruction to execute the combination thawing mode, the combination thawing operation unit 2410 of the controller 400 causes the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 to start operating and irradiate the frozen article M with electromagnetic waves. The electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 (in particular, the high frequency power source 220) is controlled (step S401). Then, the process proceeds to step S402.

In step S402, the combination thawing operation section 2410 controls the refrigerator 300 so that the refrigerator 300 starts the operation of heating the article M from the outside (heating operation). By executing step S402, the thawing apparatus 100 starts the rapid thawing operation (first operation). The combination thawing operation section 2410 controls the heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 to a predetermined heating capacity. Although not limited, the predetermined heating capacity is, for example, the maximum heating capacity of the refrigerator 300 . The predetermined heating power may be a heating power other than the maximum heating power determined so that the temperature difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is unlikely to be excessive. After performing step S402, the process proceeds to step S403.

In step S403, the combination thawing operation section 2410 determines whether or not at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M has exceeded the switching temperature.

Here, the switching temperature is preferably a temperature lower than the maximum ice crystal formation zone of the article M (that is, a temperature lower than the lower limit of the maximum ice crystal formation zone). Also, the switching temperature is preferably a temperature relatively close to the lower limit of the maximum ice crystal formation zone of the article M (preferably, for example, within 3° C. from the lower limit of the maximum ice crystal formation zone). Note that the maximum ice crystal formation zone is a temperature zone in which water (ice) in the article M begins to melt and ice crystals grow large. The maximum ice crystal formation zone for food is approximately -5°C to -1°C. Therefore, the switching temperature is selected to be, but not limited to, a temperature of -7°C, for example.

Step S403 is repeatedly performed until it is determined that at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M exceeds the switching temperature. If it is determined that at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M has exceeded the switching temperature, the process proceeds to step S404.

In step S404, the combination thawing operation section 2410 controls the operation of the refrigerator 300 so that the refrigerator 300 stops the heating operation and starts the operation of cooling the article M from the outside (cooling operation). By executing step S404, the thawing apparatus 100 starts the external cooling operation (second operation). That is, the combination thawing operation section 2410 switches the operation of the thawing apparatus 100 from the rapid thawing operation to the external cooling operation when at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M exceeds the switching temperature. The combined thawing operation section 2410 controls the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 to a predetermined cooling capacity (for example, first cooling capacity). Although not limited, the first cooling capacity is, for example, the maximum cooling capacity of the refrigerator 300 . In this way, before the temperature of the article M reaches the maximum ice crystal formation zone, the operation of the thawing device 100 is changed from the rapid thawing operation to the external cooling operation, so that local (particularly, in this embodiment, electromagnetic waves and It is possible to suppress the growth of ice crystals in the vicinity of the first location, which is likely to be heated by the refrigerator 300, and to equalize the temperature of the entire article M, thereby particularly easily suppressing deterioration of the article M due to thawing.

After execution of step S404, the combination thawing operation unit 2410 causes the thawing apparatus 100 to perform the normal thawing operation as described in the first and second embodiments until it is determined that the thawing of the article M is completed. (Step S405).

<Features>
The unzipping apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment has the following features of the unzipping apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment: (4-1), (4-2), (4-3), (4-5), (4-6) ) with features similar to those described in . Moreover, the decompression device 100 according to the third embodiment further has the following features.

(1)
In the thawing device 100 according to the third embodiment, the refrigerator 300 can cool and heat the article M from the outside. The combination thawing operation section 2410 controls the operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator 200 and the refrigerator 300 so that the thawing apparatus 100 performs at least the rapid thawing operation (first operation) and the external cooling operation (second operation). The combination thawing operation unit 2410 causes the thawing apparatus 100 to start the rapid thawing operation when both the first temperature and the second temperature are lower than the switching temperature, and then, when at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature exceeds the switching temperature. When exceeded, the thawing apparatus 100 is caused to perform the second operation at least temporarily.

Here, when the temperature of the article M is relatively low (lower than the switching temperature), thawing is rapidly performed by external heating and electromagnetic waves. On the other hand, when the temperature of the article M relatively rises and the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature of the article M has a large effect on the quality of the article M after thawing, heating by electromagnetic waves is performed while external cooling is performed. done. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both shortening of thawing time and suppression of deterioration of articles due to thawing.

(2)
In the thawing device 100 according to the third embodiment, the switching temperature is lower than the maximum ice crystal formation zone of the article M.

Here, it is possible to suppress the growth of ice crystals locally (in particular, in the present embodiment, around the first location, which is likely to be heated by electromagnetic waves or external heating), and to make the temperature of the entire article M uniform, Deterioration of the article M due to thawing is particularly easily suppressed.

<Modification>
The unzipping apparatus 100 of the third embodiment also has the features of the unzipping apparatus 100 of the first embodiment and the unzipping apparatus 100 of the second embodiment, and the unzipping apparatus 100 of the first embodiment and the unzipping apparatus 100 of the second embodiment. You may apply the characteristic of the modification of 1 to the extent that there is no contradiction. It should be noted that part or all of the configuration of each modification of the decompression device 100 of the first embodiment and the decompression device 100 of the second embodiment may be a part or all of the configuration of other modifications within a range not mutually contradictory. may be combined.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful because it can be widely applied to a thawing device that thaws a frozen article by generating internal heat with electromagnetic waves.

100 Thawing device 200 Electromagnetic wave irradiation device 300 Refrigerator (heat equipment)
400 controller (control unit)
450 operation unit (reception unit)
500 temperature sensor 510 surface temperature sensor (temperature sensor)
M Goods

JP-A-2005-53

Claims (7)

an electromagnetic wave irradiator (200) for irradiating an electromagnetic wave to a frozen article (M) to internally generate heat;
a thermal device (300) for externally cooling and/or heating the article;
a control unit (400) for controlling the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator and the thermal equipment, and irradiating the article with the electromagnetic wave to defrost the article while cooling and/or heating the article from the outside;
with
The controller controls the thermal equipment based on a comparison result between a first temperature that is a surface temperature of a predetermined location of the article and a second temperature that is an internal temperature of the article at a location different from the predetermined location. and / or control the cooling capacity and / or heating capacity of the thermal equipment,
The thermal equipment is capable of cooling at least the article from the outside,
The controller operates the thermal equipment at a first cooling capacity when the first temperature is higher than the second temperature, and stops the thermal equipment when the first temperature is lower than the second temperature. or operate the thermal equipment at a cooling capacity lower than the first cooling capacity;
A defrosting device (100). Further comprising a reception unit (450) that receives selection of the driving mode,
The thermal device can heat at least the article from the outside,
When the reception unit receives the rapid defrosting mode as the selection of the operation mode, the control unit controls the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator and the thermal device, and applies the electromagnetic waves to the article while heating the article from the outside. irradiating to thaw the article;
Decompression device according to claim 1 . an electromagnetic wave irradiator (200) for irradiating an electromagnetic wave to a frozen article (M) to internally generate heat;
a thermal device (300) for externally cooling and/or heating the article;
a control unit (400) for controlling the operation of the electromagnetic wave irradiator and the thermal equipment, and irradiating the article with the electromagnetic wave to defrost the article while cooling and/or heating the article from the outside;
A defrosting device comprising:
The control unit operates/stops the thermal equipment based on a first temperature that is a surface temperature of a predetermined location of the article and a second temperature that is a temperature of the article at a location different from the predetermined location. and/or controlling the cooling and/or heating capacity of the thermal equipment,
The thermal device is capable of externally cooling and heating the article,
The controller performs at least a first operation in which the article is thawed by irradiating the article with the electromagnetic waves while the article is heated from the outside by the thermal device, and the article is thawed by the thermal device. controlling the operations of the electromagnetic wave irradiator and the thermal equipment to perform a second operation in which the article is thawed by irradiating the article with the electromagnetic wave while cooling from the outside;
After causing the thawing device to start the first operation in a state in which both the first temperature and the second temperature are lower than a predetermined temperature, the control unit causes at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature to causing the thawing device to perform the second operation at least temporarily when the predetermined temperature is exceeded;
defrosting device. The predetermined temperature is a temperature lower than the maximum ice crystal formation zone of the article.
Decompression device according to claim 3 . further comprising a temperature sensor (500) for measuring said first temperature and said second temperature;
A defrosting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . further comprising a temperature sensor (510) for measuring the first temperature;
The control unit calculates the second temperature based on the measured value of the first temperature of the temperature sensor.
A defrosting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The frequency of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the electromagnetic wave irradiator is included in any frequency band of medium wave, short wave, ultra-short wave, ultra-short wave and centimeter wave,
A defrosting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .

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