JPH03160287A - Operation control method for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obviate the replacement of a cold storage agent whenever selection is exchanged and to maintain a storage chamber at a specified temperature only by handling a selection means by housing the cold storage agent which has a freezing temperature responding with each operation mode to a freezing chamber. CONSTITUTION:A freezing cold storage agent 12A and an ice temperature storage cold storage agent 12B are mixed in an article housing section 12. A cooling device 14 freezes the cold storage agents 12A and 12B while the melting latent heat of the cold storage agent cools a storage chamber. Furthermore, this control system is designed to control a drive motor of a compressor so as to start and halt its operation in conformity with a selected operation mode. At the same time, this construction makes it possible to use a refrigerator in a double temperature zones, say, a temperature zone which freezes articles and a temperature zone which does not freeze articles by controlling the amount of air flow of a circulation fan device 11B per unit time.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention is directed to the cooling of a freezing room and a storage room that is maintained at one of the temperature ranges of freezing, refrigeration, and ice temperature. This article relates to a method for controlling the operation of low-temperature storage at the same time. JP-A No. 1-102269 discloses a conventional cold storage type refrigerator containing a cold storage agent and a cooler. In this publication, a cold storage chamber containing a cooler containing a cold storage agent, a defrosting heater, and an air supply fan, a cold storage chamber for keeping transport goods such as food cool, and a cold storage main body, which is composed of a cold storage chamber for keeping transported goods such as food, and the above-mentioned an insulating partition wall that partitions the cold storage room and the cold storage room and provides ventilation holes and a ventilation fan;
Discloses a refrigerator unit that is equipped with a refrigerator unit that is installed outside the cold storage room side of the refrigerator body. Problems to be Solved by the Invention The above publication does not disclose whether the cold storage agent stored in the cold storage chamber can be taken in and out of the storage chamber. Even if it were possible to put in and take out cold storage agents with different freezing temperatures, the control temperature of the cold storage room that houses the cooler is not set up to be changed, so the temperature of the cold storage agent would be lower than the control temperature. When storing a cold storage agent whose freezing temperature is considerably high (for example, higher than 15°C), not only will the cold storage agent be supercooled, but the inside of the cooling chamber will be overcooled, making it difficult to reach the desired temperature. There was a concern that this would lead to a decline in the quality of the products in the warehouse. In addition, if it is not possible to take the cold storage agent in and out of the storage room, when trying to control the temperature in multiple temperature zones within the cold storage room, the inside of the cold storage room may end up being overcooled or insufficiently cooled. Sometimes it happened. Accordingly, the present invention provides a low-temperature refrigerator in which a cold storage agent is mixed in the freezer compartment, and the temperature of the freezer compartment and storage compartment in which the cold storage agent is stored is managed in a plurality of temperature ranges. [Structure of the Invention] Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a storage compartment and a freezing compartment that are separated by a partition plate and communicated through an air outlet and a suction port, and a cooling device that cools the storage compartment and the freezing compartment. , separated by temperature range to be controlled fc3
It is equipped with an operation mode selection means for controlling the operation of the cooling device in one of the two operation modes, and a plurality of types of cold storage agents stored in the freezer compartment and having different freezing temperatures according to the operation mode. In this low temperature storage,
When selecting a mode by the operation mode selection means, ■the first
When the mode is selected, the temperature of the freezer compartment is controlled to the first temperature and the temperature of the storage compartment is controlled to a fourth temperature higher than the first temperature, and when the second mode is selected, the temperature of the freezer compartment is controlled to the first temperature. When the third mode is selected, the temperature of the freezer compartment is set to the second temperature, and the temperature of the storage compartment is controlled to the fifth temperature, which is higher than the second temperature. This invention provides a method for controlling the operation of a low-temperature refrigerator in which the temperature is controlled to a third temperature higher than the fifth temperature. The operating mode selection means controls the temperature of the storage compartment and the freezing compartment to the desired temperature by selecting the operating mode divided by the operating temperature range. Since the regenerator stores a refrigerant with a freezing temperature corresponding to each operation mode, there is no need to replace the refrigerant each time the selection is changed, and the storage room can be maintained at the desired temperature simply by operating the selection means. ．．
Further, when selecting the mode by the operation mode selection means, when the first mode is selected, the temperature of the freezer compartment is controlled to the first temperature, the temperature of the storage compartment is controlled to a fourth temperature higher than the first temperature, and When mode 2 is selected, the temperature of the freezer compartment is controlled to a second temperature higher than the first temperature, and the temperature of the storage compartment is controlled to a fifth temperature higher than the second temperature. Since the temperature of the storage compartment is controlled to the second temperature and the temperature of the storage compartment is controlled to the third temperature higher than the fifth temperature, the control temperature of the freezing compartment is automatically switched according to the setting, and the temperature of the cold storage agent in the freezing compartment is controlled. Overcooling and undercooling become common,
This makes it easier to maintain the storage room at the desired temperature. EXAMPLES Below, examples of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings. 1 is a low temperature storage, and in this example, a mobile low temperature storage called a cold roll box, which is used when transporting goods while cooling them on a transport means such as a truck, will be explained as an example. The low-temperature refrigerator 1 has wheels 2 for movement at the bottom, an insulating box 4 with an opening 3 formed on one side, and an insulating door 5 that freely opens and closes the opening 3. A freezer compartment 7 separated by a partition plate 6 and a specification selection compartment 8 serving as a storage compartment are arranged in the compartment. The freezer compartment 7 includes an evaporator lO, a plurality of blowers 11, and cold storage agents 12A and 12.
An article storage section 12 serving as a cold storage agent storage section for storing B is arranged. The blower device 1l includes two evaporator blowers 11A driven by an AC power source 30 and a DC power source 35.
Alternatively, it consists of one in-pool air circulation blower device 11B driven by the pump 50. In addition, each blower device 11A, IIB
The air flow rates are kept almost the same. Also, along one wall of the freezer compartment 7, that is, the ceiling wall l3, there is a duct which has one end opened on the leeward side of the article storage section l2 and the other end opened on the windward side of the evaporator 10.
14 to form a cold air bypass path P parallel to a cold air circulation path Q, which will be described later. Reference numeral 15 designates an air outlet formed in a portion of the partition plate 6 located on the leeward side of the article storage section l2, and reference numeral 16 represents an inlet port formed in the partition plate 6 in correspondence with the blower device 11B for circulating air within the warehouse. Then, the cold storage agents 12A and 12 in the article storage section l2
A cold air circulation path Q is formed in which the cold air that has passed through B is guided into the specification selection chamber 8 from the blow-off port 15 and returned to the article storage section 12 from the suction port 16. Note that the evaporator-side part of the internal air circulation blower 11B is designed not to suck in the air that has passed through the evaporator 1O, and also to prevent the air from the specification selection chamber 8 sucked in from the suction port 16 into the evaporator side. To prevent it from moving to the refrigerant 12A and 12B side, cover the circulating air blower 11B so as to separate the evaporator air blower +1A and the circulation air blower L1'B connected to the suction port 16, and A partition plate 17 having an opening function as a fan casing is arranged. In addition, since the air capacity of each blower device 11A and IIB is approximately the same, the air blower device 11 for internal circulation
The amount of air that B sucks in from the suction port I6 and the amount of air that is led to the air intake side of the evaporator IO through the duct 14 are approximately 1.
:2, and the latter, that is, the amount of air passing through the cold air bypass path P can be increased. As a result, it is possible to perform a cooling operation that mainly freezes the cold storage agents 12A and 12B and secondaryly cools the specification selection chamber 8, and
The freezing time of the cold storage agent can be shortened. Reference numeral 18 denotes an inner door made of a transparent material that freely opens and closes the cold storage agent entrance/exit 19 formed on the front surface of the article storage section l2. 20 is a machine room that houses the compressor, condenser, air blower for the condenser, etc. Next, the operation control device K of the low-temperature refrigerator will be explained based on Fig. 5. L is an AC circuit section, M is a DC circuit section, 30 is a three-phase AC power source, and 34 is a compressor drive motor connected to power lines 31 to 33. 35 is an AC/DC converter as a charger which converts AC into DC and obtains the voltage necessary for charging the storage battery 50 which will be described later; 36 is a first relay coil; 37 is an AC fan motor of the evaporator blower 11A; In the AC fan motor of the condenser blower, 39.40 is the first switch and second switch of the magnet coil 52G. 4l detects the temperature inside the article storage section 12, controls the operation and stop of the compressor drive motor 34 based on the detected temperature, and cools the article storage section 12 in the freezer compartment 7 to a freezing temperature (for example -l).
In this example, two types of cold storage agents with different freezing temperatures (one is -2
5°C, and the other has a freezing temperature of 5°C, and the former is called the cold storage agent 12A for freezing, and the latter is called the cold storage agent 12B for ice-temperature refrigeration. (in the form) shall be stored in the article storage section I2. 1st
In the figure, the cold storage agents 12A and 12B are each
They are arranged so that the latter is on the side of the blower 11. Depending on the freezing temperature (that is, the melting temperature) of the cold storage agent, the temperature in the article storage section 12 can be controlled to 4 degrees Celsius according to the operation mode by the operating section 52, which will be described later. In order to freeze the freezing cold storage agent 12A, the inside of the article storage section 12 is heated to a first temperature (-3° C.) lower by a predetermined temperature (for example, io'c) than the freezing temperature (-25° C.) of the cold storage agent 12A.
43 is a thermostat that controls the temperature at a predetermined temperature (-5°C) from the freezing temperature of the cold storage agent 12B in order to freeze the cold storage agent 12B. A second temperature (15°C) lower by a certain amount [e.g. 10°C]
This is the second thermostat that controls the temperature at ゜c). 44 is a switch connected in series to the first thermostat 42 and for a second relay coil 60 to be described later; 45 and 46 are switches connected in parallel to 1 and connected in series to the second thermostat 42; 31J rail 61, which will be described later.
The fourth relay coil 62Mc3 corresponds. Forwards, cold storage agent 12A
, 12B includes a solution of ethylene glycol and a thickening agent, and a solution of natural carbohydrate, one substance, one inorganic salt, one edible preservative, and one edible coloring agent. The DC circuit section M is connected to the output <n of the AC-DC converter 35, and 50 is the switch 5I of the first relay coil 3e.
There is a chargeable/dischargeable storage battery as a DC power source which is integrated into the AC-DC converter 35 via the AC to DC converter 35. 52 is a temperature [-35
°C] - The temperature of the storage chamber 8 is set to a temperature higher than the first fM degree at which the stored material freezes, i.e., a fourth temperature [-18 °C] for frozen melon (for example, below -10 °C). ■ When the second mode is selected, the temperature of the freezer compartment 7 is set to a second temperature [-+5°C] that is higher than the first temperature and freezes the cold storage agent 12B for cold storage. the temperature of the second
Control the temperature to a fifth temperature [0°C and above] which is higher than the temperature and below 0°C and just before freezing the stored material, that is, the water temperature (about -5°C to 0°C), Third
When the mode is selected, the temperature of the freezing compartment 7 is set to the second temperature, and the temperature of the storage compartment 8 is set to a higher temperature than the fifth temperature.
This is an operating section serving as an operation mode selection means that has a function as a temperature setting section that controls the third temperature [about 10°C] and 5°C. Based on the selection made by the operating section 52, the freezing chamber temperature control section 4I, which is located at an appropriate location within the freezer compartment 7, is activated, and the storage chamber temperature controller 53, which serves as a temperature control device, is located at an appropriate location within the specification selection chamber 8. is operated to control the operation and stop of the compressor drive motor 34 and the operation and stop of the indoor air circulation blower 11B, thereby controlling the amount of air blown per unit time. 57 is a DC fan motor, and 58 is a controller for controlling the rotation speed and rotation direction of the DC fan motor 57. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the controller 58 rotates the DC fan motor 57 in the same direction and at the same rotation speed. The storage room temperature control unit 53 includes a freezing thermostat 54 that maintains the interior of the specification selection chamber 8 at a fourth temperature [-18° C1] and an ice temperature thermostat 55 that maintains the interior of the specification selection room 8 at a fifth temperature [0'C]. Three refrigeration thermostats 56 are prepared to maintain the temperature at 5°C1, and one of the thermostats is selected using the operation unit 52 to turn on the circulating air blower 11B (more specifically, air blower M). 59 controls the temperature of the storage chamber temperature control section 53 to maintain the temperature of the specification selection chamber 8 at a temperature corresponding to the selection.
A group of relays connected in parallel to the series circuit with B, 60 is a second relay coil corresponding to the refrigeration thermostat 54, 61 is a third relay coil corresponding to the water temperature thermostat 55, and 62 is a refrigeration coil. thermostat 5
This is the fourth relay coil that corresponds to 6. In addition, although this example shows an example in which each temperature control section 41.53 is controlled by a thermostat, a thermistor is arranged in each of the freezing compartment 7 and the specification selection compartment 8, and the detection signal from each thermistor and the operation section 52 (for example, one of the first, second, and third modes), the compressor drive motor 34 and the internal circulation air blower 11
It may also be possible to control the operation and stop of B. Cooling of the freezer compartment 7 and specification selection compartment 8 will be explained based on the above configuration. However, it is assumed that both chambers 7 and 8 are in a non-cooled state. (2) If the first mode is selected by the operation unit 52, the refrigeration thermostat 54 is selected by this selection operation. Then, when the cooling operation switch (not shown) is pressed or the power plug is inserted into the socket (both not shown), the first relay coil 36 is energized, the switch 5l is closed, and the storage battery 50 is charged and circulated. The blower 11B and the second relay coil 60 are energized, the magnet coil 52C is energized, the compressor drive motor 34 and the AC fan motor 37, 38 are energized, and each starts operating. Therefore, the inside of the article storage section 12 is gradually cooled by the cooled air via the evaporator IO, and the cold storage agents 12A and 12B are respectively frozen. In addition, inside the specification selection room 8, the cold storage agent 12. It is gradually cooled by the latent heat of fusion of A and 12B. At this time, the cold air guided to the leeward side of the cold storage agent 12B in the article storage section l2 enters the specification selection chamber 8 from the outlet l5 and returns to the article storage section l2 from the suction port l6, that is, the cold air circulation path Q. The flowing air (hereinafter referred to as cold air flow (A)) returns to the windward side of the evaporator 10 via the duct 14, is cooled in the evaporator 10, and returns to the article storage section 12, that is, the cold air bypass path P. In addition, in this splitting, the amount of air in the cold airflow (a) is large as described above, and after passing through the cold storage agent 12B, almost no The cold air can be directly introduced into the evaporator 10 without undergoing heat exchange, and the temperature rise of the air returning to the evaporator 10 is suppressed. It is possible to blow cold air at a lower temperature onto the cold storage agents 12A and 12B, improving the cooling efficiency of the cold storage agents +2A and 12B, and shortening the time required to freeze the cold storage agents compared to the conventional forced convection type. When the temperature drops below the open operating temperature of the thermostat 54 (set to -19°C in this example), the contact opens, the circulation blower 11B stops, and the forced convection of cold air in the specification selection chamber 8 is stopped. .By stopping the forced convection of cold air within the specification selection chamber 8, forced cooling within the specification selection chamber 8 is no longer achieved, and the temperature gradually rises.Then, the thermostat 5
When the temperature exceeds the return operating temperature of No. 4 (-17° C. in this example), the contact of the thermostat 54 closes, the internal circulation blower 118 starts operating again, and the specification selection chamber 8 is cooled by forced convection. The above operations are then repeated to maintain the specification selection chamber 8 at freezing temperature. On the other hand, since cold air is guided from the outlet side of the article storage section 2 to the air intake side of the evaporator 10 via the duct 14, this duct 14 acts as a bypass passage for the cold air, It promotes cooling. In particular, since the flow rate of cold air according to (a) is made larger than the flow rate of cold air according to (a), cooling of the article storage section l2 is promoted. Furthermore, since the cold air from (a) returns to the evaporator 810 without passing through the storage chamber 8, it returns with a lower relative humidity than the cold air from (a), and the amount of air arriving at the evaporator lO per unit time is lower than that of the cold air from (a). The amount of frost decreases and the number of times of defrosting can be reduced.Furthermore, when the article storage section l2 is gradually cooled down to below the opening operation temperature of the first thermostat 42 (set to 36°C in this example), the The contact opens, the compressor drive motor 34 stops, and cooling of the freezer compartment 7 is stopped to prevent overcooling of the freezer compartment 7. However, since the AC fan motor 37 of the evaporator blower 11A is energized, Due to the stoppage of the cooling operation, the temperature inside the article storage section 12 gradually rises and the first thermostat 42
When the return temperature exceeds (set to -34℃ in this example),
The contact closes and the compressor is driven again to cool the freezer compartment 7. Thereafter, the above-described operations are repeated to maintain the interior of the article storage section 12 at a first temperature (-35°C in this example) lower than the freezing temperature of the refrigerant. Next, when the second mode or the third mode is selected using the operation unit 52, "for freezing" in the operation explanation in the specification selection room 8 is changed to "for ice temperature or ice temperature" or "for refrigeration temperature". or for refrigeration], and replace the first thermostat in the above operation description for the freezer compartment 7 with the second thermostat.
The explanation will be omitted as it is easy to think of this operation as follows, but in this case, select the second mode. are maintained at 0°C, and ■ if the third mode is selected,
The inside of the article storage section 12 is set to -15°C, and the inside of the specification selection room 8 is set to -15°C.
Maintain each at °C. Since the temperature relationship is that of freezing, freezing, and refrigeration, the operating temperature of each thermostat corresponding to this temperature relationship is different, and the higher the control temperature, the shorter the interval between operation and stop of the circulating air blower 11B. becomes shorter, and as a result, the amount of air blown by the blower device decreases. Through the above embodiments, an example was shown in which the inside of the storage room 8 is maintained at one of the three temperature zones: freezing, ice temperature, and refrigeration. It is also possible to have a combination of two temperature zones, freezing and refrigeration, and to be able to select one of the temperature zones.In this case, instead of supporting three temperature zones like tc shown in the example, it is possible to combine two temperature zones. This allows a low-temperature refrigerator to be used, and it is possible to omit a considerable amount of the temperature control device and other circuit configurations. According to the above configuration, the cooling device 14 installed in the low-temperature refrigerator 1 can cool the cold storage agent! 2A and 12B, the storage chamber 8 is cooled by the latent heat of fusion of the regenerator, and the compressor drive motor 34 is operated according to the operating mode of In order to control the stoppage, the amount of air per unit time of the circulating air blower 11B is controlled, and one low-temperature warehouse can be operated in multiple temperature ranges, including one in which the goods freeze and one in which the goods do not freeze. It becomes possible to use it in a temperature range.In addition, this low temperature refrigerator 1
By using this, there is no need for special low-temperature storage at collection and delivery points or relay points during transportation, and it is possible to reduce the equipment in the transportation system. Furthermore, since the circulating air blower 11B uses a forced convection method, the temperature distribution inside the storage room becomes uniform, making it possible to sufficiently cope with the case where the inside of the storage room is maintained in the freezing temperature range. Become. Then, the circulation air blower 11B and the evaporator air blower 11
A is partitioned by a partition wall I7, and the air sucked in from the suction port l6 is transferred to the cold storage agent 11 without passing through the evaporator 10.
A and IIB to prevent humid air from returning directly to the calyx generator IO. In addition, the air led to the cold storage agent is mixed with the air that has passed through the evaporator IO, and the air outlet 15 is brought close to the temperature inside the refrigerator.
The air is blown from the air into the storage chamber 8 to prevent overcooling, which is likely to occur on items placed near the air outlet 15. Furthermore, since the refrigerating cold storage agent +2A and the cold storage agent 12B for ice-temperature refrigeration are mixed in the article storage section l2, even when the operation mode is switched using the operation section 52, the cold storage agent inside the article storage section l2 There is no need to replace the refrigerant with a different refrigerant, and it can be handled by simply switching the operating section 52 to a different operation mode, greatly improving operability and making maintenance easier. By loading cold storage agents with different freezing temperatures together and switching the operation mode, the control temperature range of the freezer compartment 7 can also be changed. When the second mode and the third mode are selected, the freezing time of the cold storage agent can be shortened, and it is possible to prevent overcooling or insufficient cooling of the cold storage agent and overcooling of the freezer compartment 7 and specification selection compartment 12, and prevent the freezing of the cold storage agent. The usability of the system can be improved. [Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, a plurality of types of cold storage members (i.e., a cold storage agent for freezing and a cold storage agent for ice-temperature refrigeration) each having a freezing temperature of tζ according to the operation mode are provided in the freezer compartment. 6, there is no need to replace the cold storage agent in the freezer compartment with a different cold storage agent, and it can be handled simply by switching the temperature setting section to a different operation mode. This greatly improves operability and makes it easier to maintain low-temperature storage. By loading cold storage agents with different freezing temperatures together and switching the operation mode, the control temperature range of the freezer compartment can also be changed.
■When the third mode is selected, the freezing time of the cold storage agent can be shortened, and it is possible to prevent insufficient cooling of the cold storage agent and overcooling of the freezer compartment and storage compartment, improving usability as a low-temperature refrigerator. can do.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Each figure shows an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the freezer compartment of a low-temperature refrigerator, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cold storage system, and Figure 3 is a cross-section taken along line A-A in Figure 1. Figure 4 is B-B of Figure 1.
A cross-sectional view, FIG. 5 is an operation control circuit diagram of the low-temperature storage, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are temperature one-hour graphs showing the temperature change and required time of the cold storage agent in each operation mode. l・Low temperature storage, 7.Freezer room, 8.Storage room, 12..
・Goods storage section, 12A・・Refrigerant storage agent for freezing, 12B・
- Cold storage agent for ice-temperature refrigeration, l5 outlet, 16 suction port, 52- operation mode selection means, 41.53 temperature control unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A storage room and a freezing room that are separated by a partition plate and communicated through an air outlet and a suction port, a cooling device that cools the storage room and the freezing room, and three operating modes that are divided by temperature range to be controlled. an operation mode selection means for controlling the operation of the cooling device in one of the operation modes; and a plurality of types of cold storage agents stored in the freezing chamber and having different freezing temperatures according to the operation mode. It is a low temperature refrigerator,
When selecting a mode by the operation mode selection means, (1)
When the first mode is selected, the temperature of the freezer compartment is controlled to the first temperature and the temperature of the storage compartment is controlled to a fourth temperature higher than the first temperature; (2) when the second mode is selected, The temperature of the freezing compartment is controlled to a second temperature higher than the first temperature, the temperature of the storage compartment is controlled to a fifth temperature higher than the second temperature, and (3) when the third mode is selected, the temperature of the freezing compartment is controlled to a second temperature higher than the first temperature. to the second temperature and the temperature of the storage chamber to the fifth temperature.
A method for controlling the operation of a low-temperature refrigerator, characterized in that the temperature is controlled to a third temperature higher than the temperature.