JP7442032B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a refrigerator equipped with a freezing function and having a storage chamber in which frozen products can be thawed.

Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator equipped with a thawing device inside a variable temperature room. This refrigerator has electrode plates that serve as thawing devices on the upper and lower surfaces of the thermostatic chamber, and a tray for placing food on the lower electrode plate.The tray is made up of two electrode plates. It is provided only at the upper and lower projection positions.

China Patent Application Publication No. 109000409

The present disclosure provides a refrigerator that can thaw frozen foods, while suppressing the user's effort for thawing and an increase in the electrode area for a given frozen item, while ensuring that the user can place stored items such as frozen foods in the appropriate position. To provide a refrigerator in which freezing and defrosting can be easily and reliably performed by arranging the following.

The refrigerator of the present disclosure includes at least one storage chamber having a storage space capable of storing stored items and capable of cooling, a cooling mechanism that supplies cold air to the storage chamber, and introducing cold air from the cooling mechanism into the storage chamber. an oscillation electrode and a counter electrode that form a high-frequency electric field in the storage chamber that heats the stored items, and a control unit that applies electricity to the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode to form a high-frequency electric field, The storage chamber is configured to include a freezing/thawing area where the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode face each other, and a freezing area where the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode do not face each other and store the stored items in a frozen state.

According to the present invention, it is possible to save the effort of taking out products to be thawed (hereinafter referred to as thawed products) such as frozen foods from a freezer compartment other than the thawing storage compartment and moving them to the thawing compartment, and also to avoid the necessary oscillation.・The electrode area of the counter electrode can be made smaller than the area of the entire storage space, making it as small as the frozen product required for thawing, and the position where the product to be thawed can be clearly communicated. We can provide a highly efficient refrigerator that can reliably defrost food.

Vertical cross-sectional view of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 Cross-sectional view of the freezing/thawing chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 seen from the front A block diagram showing the configuration of a dielectric heating mechanism provided in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. A cross-sectional view showing an example of displaying the insertion position of thawed products provided in the freezing/thawing chamber of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. A cross-sectional view showing another example of displaying the insertion position of thawed products provided in the freezing/thawing chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. A cross-sectional view showing still another example of the input position display for thawed products provided in the freezing/thawing chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. A cross-sectional view showing another example of displaying the insertion position of thawed products provided in the freezing/thawing chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. A cross-sectional view showing an indication of the non-thawing position of thawed products provided in the freezing/thawing chamber of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. A cross-sectional view showing another example of displaying the insertion position of thawed products provided in the freezing/thawing chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1. Cross-sectional view of the freezing/thawing chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 2 seen from the front A cross-sectional view showing an example of displaying the insertion position of thawed products provided in the freezing/thawing chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 2. A cross-sectional view showing an input position display for thawed products provided in the freezing/thawing chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 3. A cross-sectional view showing another example of the input position display for thawed products provided in the freezing/thawing chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 4. Cross-sectional view in which a flexible structure is provided in the freezing/thawing chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 5 Cross-sectional view showing a state in which thawed products are provided in the freezing/thawing chamber of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 5 via a flexible structure

(Findings, etc. that formed the basis of this disclosure)
At the time the inventors came up with the present disclosure, the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 was known. Although this refrigerator can cool the food in the thawing chamber, the user must move the food to be thawed from the freezing chamber to the thawing chamber each time the refrigerator is thawed. As a result, thawing is not only time-consuming and complicated, but also requires the user to keep track of the food inventory in both the freezer and thawing compartments. There is a risk of food loss due to food deterioration, food deterioration caused by leaving thawed food in the thawing chamber, or deterioration caused by refreezing. In addition, it is necessary to be able to thaw the item even if the item is placed off the center of the thawing chamber, so the oscillating electrode and counter electrode for thawing the item must be It's a big thing. With such a configuration, the product to be thawed can be thawed no matter where it is placed on the tray provided in the thawing chamber, but it is necessary to make the electrode area as large as or larger than the tray size. By increasing the electrode area to be equal to or larger than this tray, the difference between the area of the thawed product placed on the tray and the area of the oscillation/counter electrode becomes larger, and the larger this difference, the smaller the heating capacity per unit area. Become. In other words, the disadvantage is that the oscillation/counter electrode is made larger in proportion to the size of the product to be thawed, and the time required for thawing becomes longer or power consumption increases.

The inventors discovered such a problem, and in order to solve the problem, they came to constitute the subject matter of the present disclosure.

Therefore, the present disclosure reduces the effort required to move the product to be thawed from the freezing chamber to the thawing chamber, increases the thawing efficiency by suppressing the increase in electrode area relative to the size of the product to be thawed, and ensures that the user can properly To provide a refrigerator in which items to be thawed can be placed at a suitable position.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the refrigerator of the present invention, a refrigerator equipped with a freezing function will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the refrigerator of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the refrigerator described in the following embodiments, but can also be applied to a freezer having only a freezing function, and the technical features described in the following embodiments are applicable to the refrigerator of the present invention. It includes various types of refrigerators and freezers with different characteristics. Therefore, in the present invention, a refrigerator has a configuration including a refrigerator compartment and/or a freezing compartment.

Furthermore, the numerical values, shapes, configurations, steps, order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and do not limit the present invention. Among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims indicating the most significant concept will be described as arbitrary constituent elements. In addition, in the embodiment, the same elements may be given the same reference numerals even in the modified examples, and the description thereof may be omitted.

Further, the drawings mainly schematically show each component for ease of understanding.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in explaining the refrigerator of the present disclosure, each item will be explained separately for easy understanding.

[1-1. Overall configuration of refrigerator]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a longitudinal section of a refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the left side is the front side of the refrigerator 1, and the right side is the back side of the refrigerator 1. The refrigerator 1 includes an outer box 3 mainly made of a steel plate, an inner box 4 made of resin such as ABS, and a foamed heat insulating material (e.g. , hard urethane foam) 2a).

The heat insulating box body 2 of the refrigerator 1 includes a plurality of storage chambers, and a door 29 that can be opened and closed is disposed at the front opening of each storage chamber. Each storage room is sealed by closing the door 29 to prevent cold air from leaking. In the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, the uppermost storage compartment is the refrigerator compartment 5. Two storage compartments, a freezing/thawing compartment 6 and an ice-making compartment 7, are arranged in parallel on both sides directly below the refrigerator compartment 5. Further, a freezing compartment 8 is provided directly below the ice making compartment 7 and the freezing/thawing compartment 6, and a vegetable compartment 9 is provided at the bottom immediately below the freezing compartment 8.

Although each storage compartment in the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment has the above-mentioned configuration, this configuration is only an example, and the arrangement of each storage compartment can be changed as appropriate at the time of design according to specifications and the like.

The refrigerator compartment 5 is maintained at a temperature that does not freeze, specifically in a temperature range of 1° C. to 5° C., in order to refrigerate food and other preserved items. The vegetable compartment 9 is maintained at a temperature similar to or slightly higher than that of the refrigerator compartment 5, for example, 2°C to 7°C. The freezer compartment 8 is set in a freezing temperature range for frozen storage, for example, a temperature range of -22°C to -15°C. The freezing/thawing chamber 6 is normally maintained at the same freezing temperature range as the freezing chamber 8, and a thawing process is performed to thaw stored items (frozen products) in response to a thawing command from a user. Details regarding the configuration of the freezing/thawing chamber 6 and the thawing process will be described later.

A machine room is provided in the upper part of the refrigerator 1, and accommodates a compressor 10, parts constituting a refrigeration cycle, such as a dryer for removing moisture in the refrigeration cycle, and the like. Note that the location of the machine room is not specified at the top of the refrigerator 1, but is determined as appropriate depending on the location of the refrigeration cycle, etc., and may be located in other areas such as the bottom of the refrigerator 1. May be placed.

A cooling chamber 11 is provided on the back side of the freezer compartment 8 and vegetable compartment 9 in the lower area of the refrigerator 1. The cooling chamber 11 includes a cooler 13 as a cooling mechanism that is a component of a refrigeration cycle that generates cold air, and a cooler 13 that blows the cold air generated by the cooler 13 to each storage chamber (5, 6, 7, 8, 9). A cooling fan 14 is provided.

The cold air generated by the cooler 13 is supplied to each storage compartment by flowing through an air path 19 connected to each storage compartment by a cooling fan 14. A damper 12 is provided in the air passage 19 connected to each storage chamber, and each storage chamber is maintained within a predetermined temperature range by controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 10 and the cooling fan 14 and controlling the opening and closing of the damper 12. Ru.

A defrosting heater 15 is provided in the lower part of the cooling chamber 11 to defrost frost and ice adhering to the cooler 13 and its surroundings. A drain pan 16, a drain tube 17, and an evaporating dish 18 are provided below the defrosting heater 15, and are configured to evaporate moisture generated during defrosting.

The refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment is equipped with an operation section 47 (see FIG. 3). A user can issue various commands to the refrigerator 1 using the operation unit 47 (for example, setting the temperature of each storage compartment, quenching command, thawing command, ice making stop command, etc.). Further, the operation section 47 has a display section that notifies the occurrence of an abnormality.

Note that the refrigerator 1 may be configured to include a wireless communication section, connect to a wireless LAN network, and input various commands from an external terminal held by the user. Alternatively, the command may be input based on the user's position detected by the GPS function of the user's external terminal or the expected time to return home. Furthermore, the refrigerator 1 may be configured to include a voice recognition section so that the user can input voice commands.

[1-2. Schematic configuration of freezing/thawing room]
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the freezing/thawing chamber 6 of the refrigerator 1 seen from the front. The freezing/thawing chamber 6 is a freezing chamber that maintains stored items such as foodstuffs stored in the freezing/thawing chamber 6 in a freezing temperature range, and when a thawing command for the stored items is input in the refrigerator 1, This is a thawing chamber that performs thawing process using dielectric heating.

In the freezing/thawing chamber 6, the top surface, back surface, both side surfaces, and bottom surface constituting the inner surface of the storage space are formed of resin inner surface members 32 (32a to 32c) molded from an electrically insulating material. . Further, a door 29 (see FIG. 1) is provided at the front opening of the freezing/thawing chamber 6, and when the door 29 is closed, the storage space of the freezing/thawing chamber 6 is sealed.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the freezing/thawing chamber 6 of the first embodiment, a storage case 31 with an open top is provided on the back side of the door 29, and the storage case 31 is opened and closed by opening and closing the door 29 in the front and rear directions. The case 31 is configured to move back and forth at the same time. By opening and closing the door 29 in the front and rear directions, it is possible to easily insert and remove stored items such as foodstuffs into and from the storage case 31.

In the configuration of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the storage space of the freezing/thawing chamber 6 has a freezing/thawing area X on the left side and a freezing area Y on the right side when viewed from the front. The freezing/thawing area X is configured by providing an oscillation electrode 24 on the top side and a counter electrode 25 on the bottom side. Further, the frozen area Y is formed as a space in which the oscillation electrode 24 and the counter electrode 25 do not exist. Note that although the freezing/thawing area It is sufficient that the opposing electrodes 25 face each other via the freezing/thawing area X, and the same effect can be obtained even if the electrodes are arranged upside down or arranged to face each other in the left and right direction of the storage space.

[1-3. Dielectric heating mechanism for thawing frozen products]
Next, a dielectric heating mechanism that performs dielectric heating to perform a thawing process on objects stored frozen in the freezing/thawing chamber 6 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the dielectric heating mechanism provided in the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment. The dielectric heating mechanism in the first embodiment includes an oscillation circuit 22 that receives power from a power supply section 48 and forms a predetermined high-frequency signal, a matching circuit 23, an oscillation electrode 24, a counter electrode 25, and a control section 50. There is. The oscillation circuit 22 configured using a semiconductor element is miniaturized and is provided in the machine room of the refrigerator 1.

The oscillation circuit 22 is electrically connected to the matching circuit 23 by a coaxial cable. The matching circuit 23 is arranged in an electrode holding area (not shown) which is a space on the back side of the freezing/thawing chamber 6. The oscillation circuit 22 and the matching circuit 23 serve as a high-frequency electric field forming section for forming a high-frequency electric field applied between the oscillation electrode 24 and the counter electrode 25.

The oscillation electrode 24 is an electrode disposed on the top side of the freezing/thawing area X of the freezing/thawing chamber 6, as described above. The counter electrode 25 is an electrode disposed on the bottom side of the freezing/thawing area X. The oscillation electrode 24 and the counter electrode 25 face each other across the space of the freezing/thawing area X of the freezing/thawing chamber 6, and the opposing interval is set at a predetermined interval.

As a result, in the dielectric heating mechanism according to the first embodiment, the oscillation electrode 24 and the counter electrode 25 are arranged substantially parallel to each other. In the present invention, "substantially parallel" refers to a state of essentially parallel, but includes errors due to variations in processing accuracy.

The oscillation electrode 24 on the top side, the counter electrode 25 on the bottom side, and the matching circuit 23 on the back side that constitute the dielectric heating mechanism are covered by an inner surface member 32, and are covered with an inner surface member 32 to avoid burning due to contact with preserved items (Joule heating of foodstuffs). ) can be reliably prevented.

The oscillation circuit 22 outputs a high frequency (40.68 MHz) voltage in the VHF band. When the oscillation circuit 22 outputs a high-frequency voltage, an electric field is formed between the oscillation electrode 24 and the counter electrode 25 to which the oscillation circuit 22 is connected, and the oscillation electrode 24 and the counter electrode 25 in the freezing/thawing chamber 6 are connected to each other. The item to be thawed, which is a dielectric material, placed in the freezing/thawing area X between the two is dielectrically heated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the oscillation electrode 24 has a slightly smaller area than the counter electrode 25. The high-frequency electric field spreads from the oscillation electrode 24 toward the counter electrode 25, and is formed into a substantially trapezoidal shape when viewed from the front.

By having such an asymmetric size and providing a slit hole in the electrode, the formation of an electric field is made uniform and uneven thawing of the food to be thawed can be prevented. Since the food is placed closer to the counter electrode than to the oscillation electrode, the heating and thawing effects are exerted on the food having approximately the same area as the counter electrode.

If an item to be thawed (foodstuff) is placed across the periphery of the counter electrode 25 and spread both inside and outside the counter electrode 25, the heating effect of high frequency waves will not be exerted on the outside portion. When the food is placed in this manner, the food on the outside is only heated mainly by heat conduction from the inside, so thawing is delayed and there are many cases where the food remains unmelted.

[1-4. Indication of input position of stored items to be thawed]
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the freezing/thawing chamber 6 viewed from above. The left side of the storage case in the freezing/thawing chamber 6 is the freezing/thawing area X, and the right side is the freezing area Y. The left freezing/thawing area The installation position of 25 cannot be visually observed.

Therefore, in order to clearly indicate the freezing/thawing area X to the user, a loading position display 60 is provided on the bottom surface of the storage case 31. The input position display 60 may be engraved, molded, printed, or in Braille, or may be made of a different material, or may be indicated by illumination. The user can see or touch the loading position display and know where to place the food they want to defrost.

If it is possible to show the user the food input position, the input position display is not limited to the form shown in Figure 4. For example, a frame can be shown outside the thawing area (Figure 5), a mark can be placed near the border of the thawing area, or a mark can be placed near the boundary of the thawing area, or a mark can be placed near the boundary of the thawing area. (Fig. 6), a display on the front side of the input position (Fig. 7), a display on the back of the storage case (not shown), a non-defrost position display 60a (Fig. 8), It is also possible to provide unevenness or embossing on the bottom surface of the input position (FIG. 9).

In addition, in the case of a swivel door (for example, the door rotates and opens downward) instead of a drawer door, the display may be placed on the bottom of the freezing/thawing chamber 6 or on the inside of the revolving door instead of on the storage case 31. (not shown). In addition, when the bottom surface is textured or embossed (Figure 9), it also has the effect of preventing the loaded food from slipping out of the thawing area when the drawer door is moved back and forth to open and close. It is suitable as one of the position regulation structures.

The above display allows the user to be accurately informed of the position where the product to be thawed should be placed, without increasing the electrode area.

[1-5. Thawing operation]
In the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, the thawing process is performed by applying a predetermined high-frequency voltage between the oscillating electrode 24 and the counter electrode 25 to thaw the dielectric frozen product using the high-frequency electric field between the electrodes. This is done by dielectric heating. During this dielectric heating, the control unit 50 controls the opening and closing of the damper 12 to intermittently introduce cold air. In this way, by controlling the opening and closing of the damper 12, cold air is intermittently introduced into the freezing/thawing chamber 6, so that the items to be thawed in the freezing/thawing area X of the freezing/thawing chamber 6 are maintained in the desired frozen state. The food is then dielectrically heated and brought to the desired thawed state without causing so-called "partial boiling."

Here, normally, the frozen product to be answered, that is, the product to be thawed, is stored and placed in the freezing/thawing area X of the storage case 31, but it is placed in the freezing area Y next to the freezing/thawing area X. If so, it is possible to directly move the frozen product from the freezing area Y to the freezing/thawing area X, issue a thawing command, and start thawing. Therefore, the thawing process can be easily performed without having to take the trouble of opening and closing the doors of the freezer compartment 8 other than the freezing/thawing compartment 6 and taking out the frozen products stored inside, as in the conventional case. You can eliminate the hassle. It can also prevent food loss.

Further, by placing the item to be thawed on the loading position indicator 60, it can be placed at an appropriate position within the freezing/thawing chamber 6, so that it can be reliably thawed.

In addition, since the items to be thawed can be placed appropriately in the freezing/thawing area It can be downsized to a size suitable for thawed products. Therefore, the difference between the area of the product to be thawed installed in the storage case 31 and the area of the oscillation/counter electrode is small, which has the disadvantage of prolonging the time required for thawing or increasing power consumption. can be suppressed.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the freezing/thawing chamber 6 of the second embodiment as seen from the front side of the refrigerator. The explanation will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

In the freezing/thawing chamber 6 of the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment, a freezing/thawing area X on the left side and a freezing area Y on the right side are partitioned left and right by a rib 61 (61a) provided in the center of the storage case 31. It is being Further, as shown in FIG. 11, ribs 61 (61b) are also provided on the back side of the freezing/thawing area X. The height of the ribs 61 (61a, 61b) is preferably about 1/4 to 2 times the height of the food to be thawed. Further, the color of the ribs 61 and the color of the bottom surface of the storage case 31 may be different colors.

The first function of the ribs 61 (61a, 61b) is to enable the user to more clearly recognize the freezing/thawing area X by viewing or touching it. Even in a poorly lit environment, even an elderly person or a user with low vision can recognize the freezing/thawing area X more clearly by touching the ribs 61 (61a, 61b). Furthermore, even if the bottom surface of the storage case 31 is hidden by the food that has already been put in, it can be clearly recognized because the ribs 61 (61a, 61b) protrude. These actions allow the user to place food items that he or she wants to thaw in the freezing/thawing area without fail.

The second function of the ribs 61 (61a, 61b) is that the ribs 61 (61a, 61b) serve as a position regulating structure to suppress movement of foodstuffs. For example, when putting a plurality of food items into the freezing/thawing area X, it is possible to reduce the risk that the food items put in earlier will be pushed out of the freezing/thawing area X by the food items put in later and will not be thawed. Similarly, when putting a plurality of foods into the frozen area Y, the risk of undesired foods being thawed can be reduced.

Furthermore, by providing the ribs 61b, even when food is put into the freezing/thawing area The risk of leaving the thawing area X can be reduced. These actions allow the user to place the foodstuffs to be thawed in the freezing/thawing area X without fail.

Furthermore, the ribs 61 (61a, 61b) have a secondary function as described below. Conventionally, this type of storage case has a rib structure on the lower surface of the storage case to prevent bending. When the rib structure is provided on the lower surface, the space between the oscillation electrode 24 and the counter electrode 25 where the product to be thawed does not exist expands in the vertical direction (expansion of the air gap). The larger the air gap, the more high-frequency output that is not absorbed by the product to be thawed increases, resulting in energy loss and wasteful heat generation, making it inefficient in performing the high-frequency thawing function. On the other hand, since the provision of the ribs 61 (61a, 61b) has the effect of suppressing the deflection of the storage case 31, the rib structure on the lower surface can be omitted and the efficiency of high-frequency decompression can be increased.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the freezing/thawing chamber of the third embodiment as seen from the front side of the refrigerator. The explanation will focus on the differences from the first and second embodiments.

The freezing/thawing area X of this embodiment is provided at a recessed position lower than the freezing area Y within the storage case 31. The first effect of providing the freezing/thawing area X at a low position is to enable the user to more clearly recognize the freezing/thawing area X by viewing or touching it. Even if the user is elderly or has low vision, he or she can more clearly recognize the freezing/thawing area X by touching the recess of the storage case 31 even in a poorly lit environment.

Further, even if the bottom surface of the storage case 31 is hidden by frozen products (foodstuffs) that have already been put in, the food products can be clearly identified because the food products are located at a lower position. Another object is to more intuitively convey the distinction between freezing/thawing area X and freezing area Y to the user. The general method of using the freezing/thawing chamber 6 is to move the food that has been frozen in the freezing area Y to the freezing/thawing area The first thing to do is to make a reservation to start defrosting at the same time.

That is, the food is moved in the order of freezing area Y→freezing/thawing area X. By providing the freezing/thawing area These actions allow the user to place the foodstuffs to be thawed in the freezing/thawing area X without fail.

The second effect of lowering the freezing/thawing area X is that the concave structure of the freezing/thawing area X acts as a position regulating structure to suppress the movement of foodstuffs. For example, when putting a plurality of food items into the freezing/thawing area X, it is possible to reduce the risk that the food items put in earlier will be pushed out of the freezing/thawing area X by the food items put in later and will not be thawed. Similarly, when putting a plurality of foods into the frozen area Y, the risk of undesired foods being thawed can be reduced.

Furthermore, by providing the concave structure, even if food is put into the freezing/thawing area The risk of leaving the thawing area X can be reduced. These actions allow the user to place the foodstuffs to be thawed in the freezing/thawing area X without fail.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the thawing chamber of the fourth embodiment as seen from the front side of the refrigerator. The explanation will focus on the points that are different from the first to third embodiments.

The freezing/thawing area X of this embodiment is provided at a convex position higher than the freezing area Y within the storage case 31. The first effect of providing the freezing/thawing area X at a high position is to enable the user to more clearly recognize the freezing/thawing area X by viewing or touching it.

Even in a poorly lit environment, even an elderly person or a user with low vision can recognize the freezing/thawing area X more clearly by touching the convex shape of the storage case 31. Furthermore, even if the bottom surface of the storage case 31 is hidden by the food that has already been put in, it can be clearly identified because the food is located higher. These actions allow the user to place the foodstuffs to be thawed in the freezing/thawing area X without fail.

The second effect of increasing the freezing/thawing area X is to prevent the misuse of thawing foodstuffs that should be kept frozen. The entire freezing/thawing room 6 is a freezing room when the thawing function is not used, and the user may use the entire storage case 31 as one frozen storage space without deeply understanding the freezing/thawing area X. . Even in such a case, by setting the freezing/thawing area X high, it is possible to make the user aware that the freezing/thawing area X is an area having a unique function of "defrosting".

By consciously moving the food to be thawed to a higher position (freezing/thawing area As a result, the user can place only the foodstuffs that he or she wants to thaw in the freezing/thawing area X without fail.

Moreover, providing the freezing/thawing area X in a convex shape within the storage case 31 also exhibits the side effects described below. By providing the freezing/thawing area X high, it becomes possible to provide the counter electrode 25 at a higher position than in other embodiments. As a result, the distance d1 between the oscillation electrode 24 and the counter electrode 25 can be made smaller than in other embodiments. Moreover, it becomes possible to make the air gap d2 smaller than in other embodiments. The smaller the distances for both d1 and d2, the more of the high frequency output is used for heating the food, and the energy efficiency of high frequency defrosting improves.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 14A is a sectional view of the freezing/thawing chamber of the fifth embodiment as seen from the front side of the refrigerator, and FIG. 14B is a sectional view showing how to use the freezing/thawing chamber of the fifth embodiment with irregularly shaped foodstuffs placed therein. be. The explanation will focus on the points that are different from the first to fourth embodiments.

The freezing/thawing area X of this embodiment has a flexible structure 62 inside the storage case 31 that does not freeze or harden even at freezing temperatures (-18° C.). The soft structure 62 is made by infiltrating a polymer water-absorbing material such as polyacrylate with brine such as propylene glycol having a concentration of about 60 wt%, and wrapping the material in a packaging material that has flexibility, flexibility, and puncture resistance. established as a thing.

As the brine, a 20% saline solution, about 50 wt% ethylene glycol, or the like may also be used. The combination of brine and polymeric water-absorbing material is selected so that the dielectric constant of the soft structure 62 is close to that of the food to be thawed.

The flexible structure 62 is provided in the freezing/thawing area X, and is used by placing an irregularly shaped food material thereon. The soft structure 62 changes its shape to match the irregular shape of the food, and comes into contact with the food over a wide area. The irregularly shaped foodstuffs assumed here include foodstuffs that vary in thickness depending on their parts, such as crabs, spiny lobsters, bone-in meat, and shellfish. In the case of a conventional refrigerator that does not have a flexible structure 62, irregularly shaped foodstuffs have poor stability within the storage case because the contact surface with the storage case 31 is small, and the user places the irregularly shaped foodstuffs in the freezing/thawing area X. It's hard to feel satisfied with what you do.

In addition, irregularly shaped foodstuffs are easily moved because their contact area with the storage case 31 is small, and they are easily removed from the freezing/thawing area This creates the problem of it coming off. By using the flexible structure 62, not only is it clear where to place irregularly shaped foodstuffs when defrosting them in the storage case, but also the position can be stabilized by placing the foodstuffs so that they are submerged in the flexible structure 62. The risk of moving out of the freezing/thawing area X can be reduced. These actions allow the user to place the foodstuffs to be thawed in the freezing/thawing area X without fail.

Furthermore, as a secondary effect, the use of the flexible structure 62 will make it possible to defrost more uniformly, as will be explained below. When irregularly shaped foodstuffs are put into the freezing/thawing area Therefore, uniform thawing is not achieved.

Additionally, in the case of foods with sharp edges, such as crab claws or spiny lobster tails, the electric field tends to concentrate at the tips and cause overheating. On the other hand, if high-frequency thawing is performed with irregularly shaped food material sunk into the soft structure 62, the dielectric constant is close to that of the food material, so it is heated as a pseudo-integral object, resulting in uneven thickness and Problems caused by the tip are avoided. Since the weight of the thawed product integrated with the soft structure 62 increases compared to the input amorphous food material, the thawing time is extended.

However, since most of the soft structure 62 is not frozen, the additional heat capacity is only the sensible heat of the soft structure 62 and does not include latent heat of solidification, so the disadvantage of extending the time is relatively small.

[2-1. Effects of invention, etc.]
As described above, the refrigerator according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes at least one storage chamber having a storage space capable of storing stored items and capable of cooling, a cooling mechanism that supplies cold air to the storage chamber, and a cooling mechanism that supplies cold air to the storage chamber. an air path for introducing cold air into the storage chamber; an oscillation electrode and a counter electrode for forming a high-frequency electric field in the storage chamber for heating the stored items; and energizing the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode to form a high-frequency electric field. and a control section, and the storage space is configured such that a thawing space facing the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode is provided with a display indicating the input position of the product to be thawed.

As a result, this refrigerator eliminates the hassle of taking out frozen items from the freezer compartment and moving them to the freezing/thawing compartment, and also allows the required electrode area of the oscillation/counter electrode to be smaller than the area of the entire storage space. It can be made as small as the product to be thawed, and it also has a display that indicates the loading position where the product should be placed, making it possible to clearly communicate and ensure thawing. It can be an efficient refrigerator.

In the refrigerator of the second aspect of the present invention, in the refrigerator of the first aspect, the storage chamber has a position control that restricts the food from moving horizontally from the space of each of the freezing/thawing area and the freezing area. It has a structure.

A third aspect of the refrigerator according to the present invention is a refrigerator according to the second aspect, in which the position regulating structure moves a portion of the freezing/thawing area facing the oscillation electrode or the counter electrode from a portion of the freezing area. The structure has a convex position regulating structure that is provided high.

In the refrigerator according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the position regulating structure is provided such that a location facing the oscillation electrode or the counter electrode in the freezing/thawing area is lower than the freezing area. The structure has a concave position regulating structure.

In the refrigerator according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fourth aspects, the position regulating structure of the storage chamber includes a vertical wall protruding substantially vertically on an upper surface. The structure has a mold position regulation structure.

In the refrigerator according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the loading position display is configured such that the surface in contact with the loading position of the thawed product is made of a material having a large coefficient of friction. The structure is such that the anti-slip surface has a shape display or an uneven shape.

In the refrigerator according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the storage chamber is a flexible dielectric material having flexibility at freezing temperature in the freezing/thawing area. The configuration includes a structure.

A refrigerator according to an eighth aspect of the present invention includes at least one storage chamber having a storage space capable of storing stored items and capable of cooling, a cooling mechanism that supplies cold air to the storage chamber, and a cooling mechanism that supplies cold air from the cooling mechanism. an oscillating electrode and a counter electrode that form a high-frequency electric field in the storage chamber that heats the stored items; and control that energizes the oscillating electrode and the counter electrode to form a high-frequency electric field. , and a non-defrosting position indicator is provided in a frozen area not facing the oscillating electrode and the counter electrode of the storage space to indicate an input position where no defrosting effect can be obtained.

Although the present invention has been described in the embodiments with a certain degree of detail, the content disclosed in the embodiments may vary in the details of the configuration, and substitutions, combinations, and changes in the order of elements in the embodiments may be made. may be realized without departing from the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.

The refrigerator of the present invention saves the effort of taking out items to be thawed, such as frozen foods, and moving them to the thawing chamber, and thaws by making the electrode area of the required oscillation/counter electrode smaller than the area of the entire storage space. To provide a highly efficient refrigerator that can be made as small as the frozen items required for the refrigerator, and can also clearly indicate the position where the items to be thawed can be placed to reliably thaw them. The refrigerator of the present disclosure has been described with an eye to application to a household refrigerator-freezer incorporating a high-frequency thawing device, but it can also be applied to a commercial thawing cabinet, an industrial thawing device, and an industrial high-frequency heating device. This method is useful for dealing with the problem of placement position of target products.

1 Refrigerator 2 Insulating box body 2a Insulating material 3 Outer box 4 Inner box 5 Refrigerator room 6 Freezing/thawing room (storage room)
7 Ice making compartment 8 Freezer compartment 9 Vegetable compartment 10 Compressor 11 Cooling compartment 12 Damper 13 Cooler (cooling mechanism)
14 Cooling fan 15 Defrosting heater 16 Drain pan 17 Drain tube 18 Evaporating dish 19 Air path 22 Oscillator circuit 23 Matching circuit 24 Oscillating electrode 25 Counter electrode 29 Door 31 Storage case 32 (32a, 32b, 32d) Inner surface member 47 Operation unit 48 Power supply Section 49 Temperature sensor 50 Control section 51 Input reflected wave detection section 60 Injection position display 60a Non-defrost position display 61, 61a, 61b Rib 62 Soft structure X Freezing/thawing area Y Freezing area

Claims (8)

at least one storage chamber having a storage space that can store stored items and that can be cooled; a cooling mechanism that supplies cold air to the storage chamber; an air path that introduces cold air from the cooling mechanism into the storage chamber; The storage space includes an oscillation electrode and a counter electrode that form a high-frequency electric field in the storage chamber that heats the stored items, and a control unit that applies electricity to the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode to form a high-frequency electric field, and the storage space A first space section that is a freezing/thawing area facing the electrode and the counter electrode, and a second space section that is a frozen area where the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode are not present , the first space section and the second space section. The space has the storage space arranged on the left and right sides, has the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode on the first space side, has the air passage on the second space side, and A refrigerator that is equipped with a display that indicates where to put the items to be thawed. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the storage chamber includes a position regulating structure between the first space and the second space to prevent food from moving horizontally from each space. . 3. The position regulating structure is a convex position regulating structure in which a portion of the first space facing the oscillation electrode or the counter electrode is provided higher than a portion of the second space. refrigerator. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the position regulating structure is a recessed position regulating structure in which a portion of the first space facing the oscillation electrode or the counter electrode is provided lower than the second space . The refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the position regulating structure of the storage chamber is a vertical wall type position regulating structure protruding substantially vertically from an upper surface. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display indicating the loading position is a flat display made of a material with a large friction coefficient or a non-slip surface having an uneven shape on the surface in contact with the loading position of the thawed product. . 7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the storage chamber includes a flexible structure that is a dielectric material having flexibility at freezing temperature in the first space . at least one storage chamber having a storage space that can store stored items and that can be cooled; a cooling mechanism that supplies cold air to the storage chamber; an air path that introduces cold air from the cooling mechanism into the storage chamber; The storage space includes an oscillation electrode and a counter electrode that form a high-frequency electric field in the storage chamber that heats the stored items, and a control unit that applies electricity to the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode to form a high-frequency electric field, and the storage space A first space section that is a freezing/thawing area facing the electrode and the counter electrode, and a second space section that is a frozen area where the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode are not present , the first space section and the second space section. The space section has the storage space arranged on the left and right sides, has the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode on the first space side, has the air passage on the second space side, and has the second space side. A refrigerator equipped with a non-defrosting position indicator in the section that indicates the loading position where no defrosting effect can be obtained.

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