JP7351762B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Techniques have been proposed that provide a rapid cooling function that quickly cools food stored in a storage room, for example, a room in a refrigerated temperature range. It is known that rapid cooling of food can improve the shelf life of food rather than slow cooling. However, if a large amount of cold air is continuously supplied to food to be stored in the refrigeration temperature range, the cold air There is concern that food that is directly sprayed or parts of such food may freeze.

Under these circumstances, Patent Document 1 discloses that during rapid refrigeration operation, when the value obtained by subtracting the temperature inside the refrigerator detected by the temperature sensor 12 from the set temperature Ts is 1 degree or more, the damper is closed (steps S504 and 505), and the temperature inside the refrigerator is closed. It is disclosed that when the value obtained by subtracting the set temperature Ts from the temperature is 1 degree or more, the damper is opened (steps S511, 512) (lower right column on page 3 of the specification, FIG. 6).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-73072

When the supply of cold air is interrupted by opening and closing the damper as in Patent Document 1, the supply of cold air is stopped while the damper is closed, and therefore the cooling of the food is stopped. Additionally, since the agitation of the air in the storage room is also stopped, especially if high-temperature food is stored in the storage room, the heat will warm the food around the high-temperature food, and the high-temperature food will hardly be cooled down. .

The present invention, made in view of the above circumstances,
A cooler that supplies cold air;
A storage room with a refrigerated temperature range,
an air duct connecting the cooler and the storage room;
storage room fan,
a return air path connecting the storage chamber and the cooler;
The temperature of the cooler decreases, then rises with residual refrigerant in the cooler, and then decreases, during which time the storage fan cools substantially cold air in a path that includes the cooler. While continuing to circulate,
In response to the detection of the rapid cooling operation command, the temperature of the cooler decreases, then increases, and then further decreases, and during this period, the storage room fan substantially continues to drive, performing rapid cooling operation control. Refrigerator to run .

Front external view of the refrigerator of the example Schematic diagram showing the air passage configuration of the refrigerator of the example AA sectional view in Figure 1 BB sectional view in Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the refrigeration cycle of the example refrigerator Time chart of stable state during non-rapid cooling operation of the refrigerator of the example It is a time chart including the time when rapid cooling operation is being performed.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment.
The insulating box 10 of the refrigerator 1 is open to the front and has a plurality of storage chambers. From above, the storage rooms include a refrigerator compartment 2 (first refrigeration temperature range room), an ice making compartment 3 and an upper freezer compartment 4 arranged side by side on the left and right, a lower freezer compartment 5, and a vegetable compartment 6 (second refrigeration temperature range room). Equipped with Hereinafter, the ice making compartment 3, the upper freezing compartment 4, and the lower freezing compartment 5 will be collectively referred to as a freezing compartment 7 (freezing temperature range room).

The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened and closed by rotary refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b divided into left and right parts, and the front openings of the ice making compartment 3, upper freezer compartment 4, lower freezer compartment 5, and vegetable compartment 6 are as follows. It is opened and closed by a pull-out ice making compartment door 3a, an upper freezing compartment door 4a, a lower freezing compartment door 5a, and a vegetable compartment door 6a, respectively.

For example, the door 2a is provided with an operation section 99 that can receive commands from the user and notify the user. The operation unit 99 has a rapid cooling button as a reception unit that receives a rapid cooling command from a user. Further, while the rapid cooling operation is in progress, a display unit that notifies the user to that effect includes, for example, an LED or a light transmitting unit that emits light in the form of characters saying "rapid cooling."

A known rotating partition 98 is provided on the door 2a, and a rotating partition heater 61 is provided within the rotating partition 98. Cooling air blown upward from the refrigerating chamber outlet 11a, which will be described later, flows and cools the inside surface of the rotary partition 98, so there is a possibility that dew condensation may occur on the outside surface of the rotary partition. This is particularly likely to occur if rapid cooling, which will be described later, is performed. Therefore, during rapid cooling, it is preferable to increase the output of the rotary partition heater 61 compared to normal times.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the air passage configuration of the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment.
The air, which has become low temperature through heat exchange with the refrigerator cooler 14a, is blown into the refrigerator compartment 2 via the refrigerator compartment air passage 11 by driving the refrigerator fan 9a, thereby cooling the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2. The air sent to the refrigerator compartment 2 returns to the refrigerator cooler compartment 8a from the refrigerator compartment return air path 15.

The air, which has become low temperature through heat exchange with the freezing cooler 14b, is blown into the freezing compartment 7 via the freezing compartment air passage 12 by driving the freezing fan 9b, thereby cooling the inside of the freezing compartment 7. The air sent to the freezing compartment 7 returns to the freezing cooler compartment 8b from the freezing compartment return air path 17.

When the crisper damper 19 is in the open state, a part of the cooling air that has flown into the freezer compartment air passage 12 passes through the vegetable compartment air passage 13. It reaches the vegetable compartment 6 and cools the inside of the vegetable compartment 6. The air sent to the vegetable compartment 6 flows through the vegetable compartment return air passage 18 and returns to the freezing cooler compartment 8b.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
A foamed heat insulating material or a vacuum heat insulating material is filled between an outer box 10a and an inner box 10b that form the outer shell of the heat insulating box 10. The lower part of the chilled room 35 is equipped with a chilled room temperature compensation heater 60 for suppressing the chilled room from becoming too cold. The chilled room 35 is adjacent to the ice making compartment 3 and the upper freezing compartment 4, which are in the freezing temperature range, through the heat insulating partition wall 28, and thus tends to become low temperature. When the rapid cooling operation described below is executed, the food in the chilled room 35 is likely to freeze, so it is preferable that the output of the chilled room temperature compensation heater 60 is higher than normal during the rapid cooling operation.

A refrigerating cooler chamber 8a is provided approximately at the back of the refrigerating compartment 2, and a refrigerating cooler 14a, which is a fin-tube heat exchanger, is housed in the refrigerating cooler chamber 8a. A refrigeration fan 9a is provided above the refrigeration cooler 14a. Further, approximately at the center in the width direction of the back of the refrigerator compartment 2, there is provided a refrigerator compartment air passage 11 that connects the cooling air 8a and the refrigerator compartment 2. The upper part of the refrigerating compartment air passage 11 is provided with a refrigerating compartment discharge port 11a provided with a directing means for directing the blown air upward.

The cooling air blown upward from the refrigerator compartment outlet 11a flows along the ceiling surface of the refrigerator compartment 2 as shown by the arrow in FIG. 2, reaches the front area of the refrigerator compartment 2, and reaches the shelf 34a. -34c and the door pocket 33a-33c, flows down, enters the rear space of the chilled room 35, and enters the refrigerator cooler room from the refrigerator return air passage 15a provided at the lower part of the refrigerator cooler room 8a. Return to 8a.

A freezing cooler chamber 8b is provided approximately at the back of the freezing compartment 7, and a freezing cooler 14b, which is a fin-tube heat exchanger, is housed in the freezing cooler chamber 8b. A freezing fan 9b is provided above the freezing cooler 14b. Further, a freezer compartment air passage 12 is provided at the back of the freezer compartment 7, and a plurality of freezer compartment outlet ports 12a are provided in the freezer compartment air passage 12 in front of the freezing fan 9b. A freezer compartment return air passage 17 through which air sent to the freezer compartment 7 returns is provided at the lower front of the freezer compartment cooler chamber 8b.

A vegetable compartment air passage 13 serving as an air passage to the vegetable compartment 6 is branched from the lower right side of the freezer compartment ventilation passage 12 and passes through a heat insulating partition wall 29 . The vegetable compartment air passage 13 is equipped with a vegetable compartment damper 19. A vegetable compartment return inlet 18a is provided at the front of the lower part of the heat insulating partition wall 29 between the vegetable compartment 6 and the freezer compartment 7. A flow path is formed that reaches a vegetable compartment return outlet 18b provided at the front of the lower part of the cooler compartment 8b.

A refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 41, a freezer compartment temperature sensor 42, and a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 43 are provided on the back side of the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer compartment 7, and the vegetable compartment 6, respectively. The temperature in room 6 is being detected. Furthermore, a refrigerator compartment upper temperature sensor 44 is provided on the ceiling of the refrigerator compartment 2 to detect the temperature of the upper part of the refrigerator compartment 2 . Further, a refrigerating cooler temperature sensor 40a is provided on the upper part of the refrigerating cooler 14a, and a refrigerating cooler temperature sensor 40b is provided on the upper part of the freezing cooler 14b. is detecting the temperature. Inside the door hinge cover 16 on the ceiling of the refrigerator 1 is provided an outside temperature/humidity sensor 37 that detects the temperature and humidity of outside air (outside air).

The lower part of the freezing cooler chamber 8b is provided with a defrosting heater 21 that heats the freezing cooler 14b. The defrosting heater 21 is, for example, a 50W to 200W electric heater. Defrosting water (melting water) generated during defrosting of the freezing cooler 14b flows down to the gutter 23b provided at the lower part of the freezing cooler chamber 8b, and flows into the refrigerator via the drain port 22b and the freezing drain pipe 27b. The air flows to a machine room 39 provided at the lower rear (back side) of the engine 1, and is discharged to an evaporation tray 32 above the compressor 24 installed in the machine room 39.

A control board 31 is disposed on the ceiling of the refrigerator 1 and includes a CPU, memory such as ROM and RAM, an interface circuit, etc., which are part of the control device. The control board 31 is connected to a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 41, a freezer compartment temperature sensor 42, a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 43, cooler temperature sensors 40a, 40b, etc., and the aforementioned CPU controls the output values of these and the settings of the operation unit 99. , ON/OFF and rotational speed control of the compressor 24, the refrigerating fan 9a, and the freezing fan 9b, the defrosting heater 21, the gutter heater 101, and the drain pipe upper heater based on the program recorded in advance in the ROM. 102, a drain pipe lower heater 103, and a three-way valve 52 to be described later.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator 1. The refrigerator 1 includes a compressor 24 that compresses refrigerant, an external radiator 50a and wall heat radiation piping 50b that are downstream of the compressor 24 and that radiates heat from the refrigerant, and a heat insulating partition that is downstream of the compressor 24 and radiates heat from the refrigerant. A condensation suppression pipe 50c that suppresses condensation on the front edges of the walls 28, 29, and 30, a three-way valve 52 as a refrigerant switching valve located downstream of the radiators 50a-50c, and one outlet 52a of the three-way valve 52. A refrigeration capillary tube 53a is connected to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant, a refrigeration capillary tube 53b is connected to the other outlet 52b of the three-way valve 52 to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant, and a refrigeration capillary tube 53b is downstream of the refrigeration capillary tube 53a to evaporate the refrigerant. A refrigerating cooler 14a that absorbs heat (supplies cold air) by cooling, and a freezing cooler 14b that is located downstream of the freezing capillary tube 53b and absorbs heat by evaporating the refrigerant. These various components are connected in an annular manner by refrigerant piping.

Additionally, a dryer 51 is provided upstream of the three-way valve 52 to remove moisture in the refrigeration cycle. A refrigeration gas-liquid separator 54a and a refrigeration gas-liquid separator 54b are provided downstream of the refrigeration cooler 14a and downstream of the refrigeration cooler 14b, respectively, to prevent liquid refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 24. There is. A check valve 56 is provided downstream of the freezing gas-liquid separator 54b and upstream of the downstream confluence of the capillary tubes 53a and 53b.

The temperature of the refrigeration cooler 14a can be adjusted by the rotational speeds of the compressor 24 and the refrigeration fan 9a. The temperature of the refrigeration cooler 14b can be adjusted by the rotational speeds of the compressor 24 and the refrigeration fan 9b.

The three-way valve 52 includes an outlet 52a and an outlet 52b, and is capable of the following modes.
A refrigeration mode in which the refrigerant is flowed to the refrigeration capillary tube 53a side with the outflow port 52a in an open state and the outflow port 52b in a closed state.
A freezing mode in which the outlet 52a is closed and the outlet 52b is open, and the refrigerant flows toward the freezing capillary tube 53b.
A fully closed mode in which both the outlet ports 52a and 52b are closed.

No matter which mode the three-way valve 52 is in, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 24 flows through the external radiator 50a, the external radiator 50b, and the condensation suppression piping 50c to radiate heat, and passes through the dryer 51 to the three-way valve. It reaches 52.

In the case of the refrigeration mode, the refrigerant flows through the refrigeration capillary tube 53a, is decompressed, reaches the refrigeration cooler 14a, and exchanges heat with the return air of the refrigeration compartment 2. The refrigerant that has exited the refrigeration cooler 14a passes through the refrigeration gas-liquid separator 54a, flows through the contact portion 57a with the capillary tube 53a, exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing inside the capillary tube 53a, and then returns to the compressor 24. .

In the case of the freezing mode, the refrigerant flows through the freezing capillary tube 53b, is depressurized, reaches the freezing cooler 14b, and exchanges heat with the return air of the freezing compartment 7. When the vegetable compartment damper 19 is in an open state, heat is further exchanged with the return air of the vegetable compartment 6. The refrigerant that has exited the refrigeration cooler 14b passes through the refrigeration gas-liquid separator 54b, flows through the contact portion 57b with the capillary tube 53b, exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing inside the capillary tube 53b, and then returns to the compressor 24. .

In the fully closed mode, even if the compressor 24 is driven, refrigerant is not supplied from the capillary tubes 53a, 53b, so the refrigerant in the coolers 14a, 14b is sucked into the compressor 24, compressed, and then discharged. and is collected in the heat radiator 50.

The refrigerator of this embodiment can operate as follows.
"Refrigerating operation" in which the three-way valve 52 is controlled to the refrigerating mode to cool the refrigerating compartment 2.
"Frozen vegetable operation" in which the freezer compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6 are cooled by controlling the freezing mode and opening the vegetable compartment damper 19.
"Freezing operation" in which the freezer compartment 7 is cooled by controlling the freezing mode and closing the vegetable compartment damper 19.
"Refrigerant recovery operation" in which the compressor 24 is controlled to be in a fully closed mode and the refrigerant is recovered to the heat radiation means side.
"Stop operation" in which the compressor 24 is stopped by controlling the fully closed mode.
By controlling the refrigerant cooler 14a so that the refrigerant does not flow and driving the refrigerating fan, the refrigerator compartment 2 is cooled using the frost that has grown on the surface of the refrigerating cooler 14a and the stored cold heat of the cooler itself. "Refrigerating cooler defrosting operation" that defrosts the cooler 14a.
By controlling the fully closed mode, the compressor 24 is stopped, the refrigeration fan 9b is stopped, and the defrost heater 21 is energized, the refrigeration cooler 14b is defrosted. "Frost operation".

FIG. 6 is a time chart of a stable state during non-rapid cooling operation when the device is installed in an environment with outside air of 32° C. and relative humidity of 70%. When the compressor 24 and fans 9a and 9b are in the ON state, the rotational speed increases from speed 1 to speed 4.

t0 is the time when the refrigeration operation for cooling the refrigerator compartment 2 is started. The three-way valve 52 is controlled to the refrigeration mode, the compressor 24 is driven at speed 1, and refrigerant is supplied to the refrigeration cooler 14a, thereby reducing the temperature of the refrigeration cooler 14a. By driving the refrigeration fan 9a at speed 2, the air that has passed through the refrigeration cooler 14a and has become low temperature is blown out from the refrigeration compartment outlet 11a into the refrigeration compartment 2, and the refrigeration compartment 2 is cooled to lower the temperature. is decreasing.

Here, the time average temperature of the refrigeration cooler 14a during the refrigeration operation is -6°C, which is higher than the time average temperature of -24°C of the refrigeration cooler 14b during the refrigeration operation, which will be described later. Generally, the higher the cooler temperature (evaporation temperature), the higher the refrigeration cycle coefficient of performance (the ratio of the amount of heat absorbed to the input to the compressor 24), and the higher the energy saving performance. In order to maintain the freezing temperature in the freezing compartment 7, the temperature of the freezing cooler 14b needs to be lowered, but since the refrigerator compartment 2 only needs to be maintained at the refrigeration temperature, it is necessary to raise the temperature of the refrigerator cooler 14a. The rotational speeds of the refrigeration fan 9a and the compressor 24 are controlled to improve energy saving performance.

At time t1, the refrigerating room temperature TR detected by the refrigerating room temperature sensor 41 drops to the refrigerating operation end temperature TR_off, and the refrigerating operation ends. In this embodiment, after the completion, the operation is switched to refrigerant recovery operation. In the refrigerant recovery operation, the three-way valve 52 is controlled to the fully closed mode, the compressor 24 is driven at speed 1, the refrigeration fan 9a is driven at speed 2, and the refrigerant in the refrigeration cooler 14a is recovered for, for example, 2 minutes ( ΔTA1=2min). Thereby, the amount of refrigerant that can be supplied to the freezing cooler 14b can be ensured, and a shortage of refrigerant in the subsequent frozen vegetable operation or freezing operation can be suppressed. In addition, by driving the refrigerating fan 9a at this time, the residual refrigerant in the refrigerating cooler 14a is utilized for cooling the refrigerating compartment 2, and the refrigerating cooler is heated by the air in the refrigerating compartment 2. The pressure drop within 14a is alleviated. This suppresses an increase in the specific volume of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 24, making it possible to recover a large amount of refrigerant in a relatively short period of time, and improving cooling efficiency.

Time t2 is the time when the refrigerant recovery operation ends. It is determined whether to perform the refrigerating cooler defrosting operation. Here, it is determined that the process is to be executed, and the refrigerating fan 9a is driven at speed 1 to perform the defrosting operation of the refrigerating cooler. As a result, the temperature of the refrigerating cooler 14a increases, and the temperature rise in the refrigerating compartment 2 is alleviated by the cooling effect of frost and cold storage heat of the refrigerating cooler 14a. By providing a mode in which the refrigeration cooler is defrosted and the refrigeration fan is driven, the refrigeration fan can be operated for a longer period of time than the refrigeration fan described later. The air inside the refrigerator compartment is circulated, and the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment can be equalized.

Furthermore, at time t2, the freezer compartment temperature TF detected by the freezer compartment temperature sensor 42 is equal to or higher than the frozen vegetable operation start temperature TF_on, so the frozen vegetable operation is started, the vegetable compartment 6 is cooled, and the vegetable compartment temperature TV is lowered. ing. In the frozen vegetable operation, the three-way valve 52 is controlled to the freezing mode, the compressor 24 is driven at speed 2, refrigerant is supplied to the freezing cooler 14b, and the freezing cooler 14b is brought to a low temperature. In this state, the vegetable compartment damper 19 is opened and the freezing fan 9b is driven at speed 1, so that the freezing compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6 are cooled with the low temperature air that has passed through the freezing cooler 14b. Ru.

When the vegetable compartment temperature TV detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 43 reaches the vegetable compartment cooling end temperature TV_off at time t3, the vegetable compartment damper 19 is closed and the operation shifts to freezing.

At time t4, the freezer compartment temperature TF detected by the freezer compartment temperature sensor 42 reaches the freezing operation end temperature TF_off, and the freezing operation ends. At this time, since the refrigerating room temperature TR detected by the refrigerating room temperature sensor 41 has reached the refrigerating operation start temperature TR_on, the refrigerating operation start condition is satisfied and the refrigerant recovery operation is performed. In the refrigerant recovery operation, the three-way valve 52 is controlled to the fully closed mode, the compressor 24 is driven at speed 2, the freezing fan 9b is driven at speed 1, and the refrigerant in the freezing cooler 14b is recovered for, for example, 1.5 minutes. (ΔtB1=1.5min). Thereby, it is possible to suppress a decrease in cooling efficiency due to a shortage of refrigerant in the next refrigeration operation. In addition, by driving the freezing fan 9b at this time, the residual refrigerant in the freezing cooler 14b is utilized for cooling the freezer compartment 7, and the air inside the freezing compartment 7 is heated to cool the freezer cooler 14b. pressure drop is alleviated. This suppresses an increase in the specific volume of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 24, making it possible to recover a large amount of refrigerant in a relatively short period of time, and improving cooling efficiency.

The operations in which the freezer compartment 7 is cooled are frozen vegetable operation (t2 to t3), freezing operation (t3 to t4), and refrigerant recovery operation (t4 to t5). Refrigeration fan 9b and compressor 24 are controlled so that the hourly average temperature of cooler 14b is approximately -24°C. In addition, the time average value of the temperature of the discharge air of the refrigerator compartment during the freezing operation in which the refrigerator fan 9a is in the driving state and the refrigerator cooler defrosting operation is -1.5°C, and the The temperature is higher than the arithmetic mean value (-8°C) of the room maintenance temperature TF_keep (4°C) and the refrigerator compartment maintenance temperature TR_keep (-20°C).

The refrigeration operation is started again from time t5 when the refrigerant recovery operation ends, and the above-mentioned operation is repeated periodically. Maintained at 7°C.

FIG. 7 is a time chart of the rapid cooling operation. As mentioned above, the rapid cooling operation may be started by an explicit command such as pressing an operation switch by the user, or by detecting an area suitable for rapid cooling and food etc. placed in this area. A sensor may be provided and automatically initiated upon sensor detection.

The temperature of the food that the user wants to cool by rapid cooling is called the "load temperature." It is assumed that the initial load temperature when the food is put into the storage compartment is higher than the storage compartment temperature (refrigeration compartment temperature TR in this embodiment) and the temperature of other foods in the refrigerator compartment 2.

When the high temperature food that the user wants to rapidly cool is placed in the refrigerator compartment 2, the quick cooling button on the operation unit 99 is pressed, and the quick cooling command is received, rapid cooling control is started, and preferably the quick cooling LED is turned on to notify the user. Notifies that rapid cooling has started.

For convenience of explanation, the rapid cooling control of this embodiment will be explained in three stages (phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3). The termination conditions for each phase are controlled by a timer or the temperature detected by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 41 and/or the refrigerator compartment upper temperature sensor 44. If the rapid cooling command is canceled midway through the user's operation, all phases are terminated at that point, the rapid cooling control is terminated, the rapid cooling LED is turned off, and normal operation control is resumed.

When rapid cooling control starts, phase 1 (rapid cooling step) is started. In phase 1, the three-way valve 52 is controlled to the refrigeration mode, the compressor 24 is operated to supply refrigerant to the refrigeration cooler 14a, and the refrigeration fan 9a is driven. That is, the refrigerant circulates through the refrigeration cooler 14a, the temperature of the refrigeration cooler 14a decreases, and the refrigeration fan 9a is activated (preferably at a higher speed than non-rapid cooling control, or may be executed under non-rapid cooling control). (Speed 2 or Speed 3, which is the highest among the speeds.) Therefore, the low-temperature cold air that has been heat exchanged with the refrigerator compartment cooler 14a is blown into the refrigerator compartment 2 via the refrigerator compartment air passage 11 and the refrigerator compartment discharge port 11a. As a result, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 decreases. In the time chart, it appears that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2 begins to decrease at the same time as the refrigeration mode is controlled, but in reality, the temperature of the refrigerator cooler 14a decreases after the refrigeration mode is controlled, and the refrigerator compartment 2 is cooled. Therefore, there is a slight delay time from when the three-way valve 52 is controlled until the temperatures of the cooler 14a and the refrigerator compartment 2 are lowered.

In the rapid cooling step, the temperature of the entire refrigerator compartment 2 may be lowered as in this embodiment, or a region to which cold air is supplied intensively may be set in a part of the refrigerator compartment 2, and the temperature may be lowered mainly in this region. You may let them.

Thereafter, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed or when the temperature detected by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 41 and/or the refrigerator compartment upper temperature sensor 44 becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value, phase 1 ends. It is preferable that the temperature threshold value of the refrigerating room temperature sensor 41 for determining the end of phase 1 is set lower than the normal refrigerating operation end temperature TR_off.

By performing the rapid cooling step in phase 1, which is the first stage, the food can be cooled immediately after the start of rapid cooling. Even if the food is taken out during rapid cooling control or the rapid cooling command is canceled, the food that the user wants to rapidly cool will cool faster than during normal operation if the refrigeration fan 9a is driven at high speed. This allows users to enjoy the effects of rapid cooling even for a short period of time.

In phase 2 (slow cooling step), the refrigerant supply to the refrigerator cooler 14a is reduced or cut off while the refrigerator compartment fan 9a is driven (preferably driven at high speed). In this embodiment, the three-way valve 52 is controlled to the freezing mode to perform the "freezing operation" or the "frozen vegetable operation". The three-way valve 52 may be controlled to be in a fully closed mode and the compressor 24 may be in a stopped state. Since the temperature of the refrigerator cooler 14a increases due to a reduction or cutoff of the refrigerant supply, when the refrigerator compartment fan 9a is driven, air having a higher temperature than that in the quenching step is circulated in the refrigerator compartment 2. In the slow cooling step, the temperature of the air circulating in the refrigerator compartment 2 is high, so that food in the refrigerator compartment 2 can be prevented from freezing.

In the time chart, it appears that the temperature of refrigerator compartment 2 begins to rise at the same time as freezing mode is activated, but in reality, even after freezing mode is activated and refrigerant supply is cut off, some residual refrigerant can provide some cooling. Therefore, there is a slight delay time until the temperature of the refrigerating cooler 14a rises.

In this time chart, the three-way valve 52 is set to freezing mode or fully closed mode to execute the slow cooling step, but instead of using a refrigerator fan disposed outside the refrigerator compartment 2, for example, in the refrigerator cooler compartment 8a. Alternatively, a refrigerating room fan (referred to as a refrigerating room circulating fan if there is a particular need to distinguish) can be additionally provided in the refrigerating room 2. In this case, the slow cooling step can be performed regardless of the state of the three-way valve 52. Specifically, by driving the refrigerator compartment circulation fan, it is possible to circulate cold air within the refrigerator compartment 2, which increases the temperature of food in areas where there is a local temperature drop and is concerned about freezing, and prevents other food from freezing. Since the portions and other foods come into contact with the cold air from the refrigerator compartment 2, temperature rise can be suppressed. In this case, while the refrigerator compartment circulation fan is being driven, the refrigerator compartment fan on the cooler chamber 8a side can be stopped as necessary. Moreover, a refrigerator compartment damper may be provided between the refrigerator compartment 2 and the refrigerating cooler compartment 8a (either a blower path or a return air path), and may be closed while the refrigerator compartment circulation fan is being driven.

In the slow cooling step, if the temperature of the food that is likely to be rapidly cooled is already lower than the temperature of the circulating air, the circulating air will increase the temperature, thereby suppressing freezing. Further, in the slow cooling step, food items in the target storage room whose temperature is higher than the circulating air temperature are cooled by the circulating air. Therefore, it is less necessary to strictly determine the timing of transition from phase 1 to phase 2. Therefore, without separately providing a sensor for detecting food temperature, the time for executing phase 1 (quenching step) may be determined in advance, and this time may be measured by a timer.

Further, when the compressor 24 is stopped during phase 2, the above-mentioned rapid cooling effect can be obtained while reducing power consumption to a lower level than when the compressor 24 is operated, so that energy-saving rapid cooling can be performed. Whether or not to operate the compressor 24 can be determined based on the temperature of the other storage compartments at the time of transition to phase 2, that is, the temperature detected by the freezer compartment temperature sensor 42 or the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 43. If those temperatures seem to be sufficiently low, it is preferable to stop the compressor 24 to reduce power consumption. Even if the compressor 24 is stopped at the start of Phase 2, if the temperature in other storage compartments rises during Phase 2, the compressor 24 is started during Phase 2 and the "refrigerating operation" is started. Alternatively, by executing the "frozen vegetable operation", it is possible to keep food storage temperature at an appropriate level while keeping power consumption low. Phase 2 ends when the timer detects that a predetermined time has elapsed, or when the temperature detected by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 41 and/or the refrigerator compartment upper temperature sensor 44 reaches a predetermined value or higher, respectively. . Since it is not easy to detect a temperature rise in a region where freezing is a concern due to temperature fluctuations in the refrigerator compartment temperature sensors 41 and 44, it is preferable to use a timer for determination.

After phase 2 is completed, the process moves to phase 3 (quenching step). Phase 3 may be controlled in the same way as phase 1, or if the execution time is set by a timer, changes may be made such as shortening the execution time.
At least in phase 3, control is again made to the refrigeration mode in which refrigerant is supplied to the refrigeration cooler 14a, and the refrigeration room fan 9a is driven. Since the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 2 is equalized by the slow cooling step of phase 2 and the average temperature in the refrigerator compartment 2 is raised, the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 2 can be lowered by performing the rapid cooling step again. lower it.

When phase 3 ends, in this embodiment, the rapid cooling control is ended, the rapid cooling LED is turned off, and normal operation control is resumed. If necessary, the process may proceed to Phase 2 again and Phases 2 and 3 may be repeated.

In this manner, in this embodiment, by alternately performing the rapid cooling step and the slow cooling step, the cooling rate can be improved while suppressing freezing of the food. For example, when a warm lunch box is stored in the refrigerator compartment 2 and rapid cooling is performed, the refrigerator compartment fan 9a substantially continues to drive during the rapid cooling operation, so that the air around the lunch box continues to circulate. As a result, it is possible to suppress the air surrounding the lunch box from remaining warm, thereby suppressing the rise in temperature of other foods around the lunch box, thereby suppressing so-called aging of the food.

Generally, low-temperature air tends to gather downward, and the temperature at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment tends to be lower than at the top. However, according to this embodiment, during rapid cooling operation, the temperature at the top and bottom of the refrigerator compartment is lowered. Since it can be made uniform, the high temperature food to be stored during the rapid cooling operation can be stored not only in the lower part of the refrigerator compartment but also in the upper part. Since the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 41 is provided below the center of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment upper temperature sensor 44 is provided on the ceiling of the refrigerator compartment, the temperatures of the upper and lower parts of the refrigerator compartment can be detected respectively during rapid cooling. . For this reason, for example, if a plurality of refrigeration discharge ports 11a are preferably provided, and a damper that can switch between opening and closing the cold air discharged from each, and a louver that can switch the discharge direction of the cold air, it is possible to detect the upper and lower parts of the refrigerating outlet 11a. By controlling the temperature according to the temperature, it is possible to easily equalize the temperature.
Note that the rapid cooling operation of this embodiment can also be performed in a so-called single cooling type refrigerator having only one cooler. Furthermore, the process can be carried out not only in the refrigerator compartment but also in other storage compartments in non-freezing temperature ranges such as vegetable compartments and chilled compartments above the freezing point.

In this embodiment, freezing was suppressed by varying the temperature of the cooler while driving the refrigerator compartment fan 9a, but freezing was suppressed by changing the location and direction from which the cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 2 is blown out. Good too. For example, the location and direction of the ejection may be changed in phase 2, and returned in phase 3.

1 Refrigerator 2 Refrigerator compartment 2a, 2b Refrigerator compartment door 3 Ice making compartment 4 Upper freezer compartment 5 Lower freezer compartment Freezer compartment 3a, 4a, 5a Freezer compartment door 6 Vegetable compartment 6a Vegetable compartment door 7 Freezer compartment 8a Refrigerator cooler compartment 8b Freezer Cooler chamber 9a Refrigeration fan 9b Freezer fan 10 Insulating box body 10a Outer box 10b Inner box 11 Refrigerator room air passage 11a Refrigerator room outlet 12 Freezer room air passage 12a Freezer room outlet 13 Vegetable room air passage 13a Vegetable compartment Discharge port 14a Refrigeration cooler (refrigeration evaporator)
14b Refrigeration cooler (refrigeration evaporator)
15a, 15b 15c Refrigerator compartment return air path 16 Hinge cover 17 Freezer compartment return port 18 Vegetable compartment return air path 18a Vegetable compartment return port 19 Vegetable compartment damper 21 Radiant heaters 22a, 22b Drain ports 23a, 23b Gutter 24 Compressor 25 Air path 26 External fan 27a Refrigeration drain pipe 27b Refrigeration drain pipe 28, 29, 30 Heat insulating partition wall 31 Control board 32 Evaporation dish 35 Chilled room 39 Machine room 40a Refrigeration cooler temperature sensor 40b Freezer cooler temperature sensor 41 Refrigeration Room temperature sensor 42 Freezer compartment temperature sensor 43 Vegetable compartment temperature sensor 44 Refrigerator compartment upper temperature sensor 50a, 50b External radiator (radiator)
50c Condensation suppression piping (radiator)
51 Dryer 52 Three-way valve (refrigerant switching valve)
53a Refrigeration capillary tube (decompression section)
53b Freezing capillary tube (decompression part)
54a Refrigerating gas-liquid separator 54b Freezing gas-liquid separator 55a, 55b Heat exchange section 56 Check valve 60 Chilled room temperature compensation heater 61 Rotary partition heater 91 Deodorizing members 95a, 95b Refrigerating compartment packing 96a, 96b, 96c Freezing compartment Packing 97 Vegetable compartment packing 98 Rotating partition 101 Gutter heater 102 Drain pipe upper heater 103 Drain pipe lower heater

Claims (8)

A cooler that supplies cold air;
A storage room with a refrigerated temperature range,
an air duct connecting the cooler and the storage room;
storage room fan,
a return air path connecting the storage chamber and the cooler;
The temperature of the cooler decreases, then rises with residual refrigerant in the cooler, and then decreases, during which time the storage fan cools substantially cold air in a path that includes the cooler. While continuing to circulate,
In response to the detection of the rapid cooling operation command, the temperature of the cooler decreases, then increases, and then further decreases, and during this period, the storage room fan substantially continues to drive, performing rapid cooling operation control. Refrigerator to run. A refrigeration cycle including the cooler and a refrigerant switching valve that changes the amount of refrigerant supplied to the cooler,
After the mode of the refrigerant switching valve is changed and the amount of refrigerant supplied to the cooler is reduced or cut off, the temperature of the cooler increases;
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the cooler decreases after the mode of the refrigerant switching valve changes and the amount of refrigerant supplied to the cooler increases. A cooler that supplies cold air;
A storage room with a refrigerated temperature range,
an air duct connecting the cooler and the storage room;
storage room fan,
a return air path connecting the storage chamber and the cooler;
A refrigeration cycle including the cooler and a refrigerant switching valve that changes the amount of refrigerant supplied to the cooler,
The temperature of the cooler decreases, then rises with residual refrigerant in the cooler, and then decreases, during which time the storage fan cools substantially cold air in a path that includes the cooler. While continuing to circulate,
After the mode of the refrigerant switching valve is changed and the amount of refrigerant supplied to the cooler is reduced or cut off, the temperature of the cooler increases;
A refrigerator in which the temperature of the cooler decreases after the mode of the refrigerant switching valve changes and the amount of refrigerant supplied to the cooler increases. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the storage compartment fan is arranged at a location other than the storage compartment in a cool air loop that includes the cooler and the storage compartment. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the storage compartment fan is arranged in the storage compartment in a cool air loop that includes the cooler and the storage compartment. A refrigerator cooler that supplies cold air to the refrigerator compartment;
A refrigeration cooler that supplies cold air to the freezer compartment;
a refrigeration fan that blows cold air into a circulation air path including the refrigeration room and the refrigeration cooler;
a refrigeration fan that blows cold air into a circulation air path that includes the freezer compartment and the refrigeration cooler;
When controlling food rapid cooling,
a rapid cooling step of driving the refrigeration fan at a higher speed than when not performing rapid cooling to blow cold air from the refrigeration cooler supplied with refrigerant and whose temperature has been lowered into the refrigeration compartment;
While the refrigeration fan is being driven, cool air from the refrigeration cooler with residual refrigerant whose temperature has increased due to the supply of refrigerant to the refrigeration cooler is supplied to the refrigerator compartment. A refrigerator characterized by performing a slow cooling step that blows air. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the speed of the refrigeration fan is not increased in the slow cooling step compared to the rapid cooling step. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the execution time of the slow cooling step is controlled by detecting the elapse of a predetermined time using a timer.

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