JPH0477228B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a thawing chamber temperature control device for a refrigerator. More specifically, the present invention relates to a temperature control device that provides a thawing chamber within a refrigerator that is controlled at a wide range of temperatures from low to high temperatures, and controls this thawing chamber at a predetermined temperature within the range from low to high temperatures.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, temperature control in the thawing chamber of a refrigerator uses a dedicated fan to guide cold air cooled by a cooler into the thawing chamber, and by controlling the amount of this cold air, air at a temperature of about 3 degrees Celsius is applied to the items to be thawed. I put it on, then put it back into the cooler. Furthermore, there was no device that could variably control the thawing chamber over a wide range from low to high temperatures. Further, although devices have been considered that shorten the thawing time by installing a heater in the thawing chamber, there has been no device that utilizes the heat from the high temperature section of the compressor to shorten the thawing time.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, conventional refrigerator thawing chamber temperature control devices use a dedicated fan to guide cold air from the cooler to the thawing chamber, and by controlling the amount of this cold air, air at about 3 degrees Celsius is delivered to the food to be thawed. Since I was trying to hit the target, there was a problem that it took a long time to defrost. In addition, devices that control the temperature by installing a heater in the thawing chamber can shorten the thawing time, but the heater increases power consumption and may cause thermistor breakage, temperature fuse, or timer malfunction. When this happens, the heater overheats, causing problems such as deformation of the insulating urethane and inner box.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and allows the thawing chamber to be used not only for thawing, but also for refrigeration, vegetable storage, etc., and shortens the thawing time without consuming extra electricity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a defrosting chamber temperature control device for a refrigerator that can control the temperature of a defrosting chamber of a refrigerator.

[Means for solving problems]

The defrosting chamber temperature control device for a refrigerator according to the present invention includes:
A cooling means that controls the amount of cold air sent from the cooler to the thawing chamber by opening and closing an electromagnetic damper, and controlling the amount of heat transferred from the high temperature section of the compressor to the thawing chamber via the heat pipe by opening and closing an electromagnetic valve. thawing room temperature setting means for setting the control temperature in the thawing chamber; thawing room temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the thawing chamber; based on the outputs of the thawing room temperature setting means and the thawing room temperature detecting means, When the set value is in the low temperature range, the opening and closing of the electromagnetic damper is controlled, when the set value is in the medium temperature range, the opening and closing of the electromagnetic damper and the solenoid valve are controlled, and when the set value is in the high temperature range, the opening and closing of the solenoid valve is controlled. and temperature control means for controlling the temperature in the thawing chamber to a set value.

[Effect]

When the set value is set to a low temperature (for example, -5°C to 8°C), the inside of the thawing chamber is controlled to the set value by opening and closing an electromagnetic damper based on the temperature control means, and can be used for refrigeration. When the set value is within the medium temperature range (for example, around 10℃), the inside of the thawing chamber is controlled to the set value by opening and closing the electromagnetic damper and solenoid valve based on the temperature control means, and is suitable for storing southern vegetables such as bananas. Available. Change the set value to a high temperature range (e.g. around 30℃)
When the temperature is inside the thawing chamber, the inside of the thawing chamber is controlled to a set value by opening and closing a solenoid valve based on the temperature control means, and can be used for high-temperature thawing.

〔Example〕

FIGS. 1A and 1B and FIG. 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a refrigerator main body. The refrigerator main body 1 is divided by partition walls into a freezer compartment 2, first and second refrigerator compartments 3 and 4, a thawing compartment 5 whose temperature is controlled over a wide range from low to high temperatures, and a vegetable compartment 6. A cooler 7 and a fan 8 for circulating cold air are provided at the back of the freezer compartment 2, and the fan 8 circulates the cold air cooled by the cooler 7 to the freezer compartment 2, first and second refrigerator compartments. 3, 4 and the vegetable compartment 6, and is configured to return to the cooler 7. That is, the cold air sent into the freezer compartment 2 returns to the cooler 7 via the first ventilation path 9, and the cold air cooled by the cooler 7 is returned to the second ventilation path via the bypass path 10. 11, branched from the second ventilation path 11, and sent to the first refrigerator compartment 3 returns to the cooler 7 via the third ventilation path 12, and is branched from the second ventilation path 11. The cold air sent to the second refrigerating compartment 4 is sent to the refrigerating compartment 3 via the fifth ventilation passage 14 and returns to the cooler 7 via the third ventilation passage 12. The cold air branched from the second ventilation path 11 and sent to the vegetable compartment 6 is sent to the second refrigerator compartment 4 via the fourth ventilation path 13, and then sent to the second refrigerator compartment 4 via the fifth ventilation path 14. 1 to the refrigerator compartment 3, and the third ventilation passage 12
It returns to the cooler 7 via the.

Further, the fan 8 supplies the cold air cooled by the cooler 7 to the thawing chamber 5 through the bypass passage 10, the second ventilation passage 11, and the cold air outlet 15.
It is configured to send to. Said cold air outlet 1
5 is provided with an electromagnetic damper 16 for opening and closing the cold air outlet 15, and the electromagnetic damper 16 is composed of a solenoid 16a controlled by an electric signal and a damper flap 16b as an on-off valve.

A compressor 17 constitutes a refrigeration cycle with the cooler 7, and one side of a heat pipe 18 is provided in a high temperature section 17a such as an oil cooler of the compressor 17. A heat sink 19 disposed in the thawing chamber 5 is coupled to the other side of the heat pipe 18, and a solenoid valve 20 whose opening and closing are controlled by an electric signal is inserted in the middle of the heat pipe 19. ing. The heat pipe 18 is configured to transfer the amount of heat absorbed in the high temperature section 17a of the compressor 17 to the heat sink 19 by means of a volatile substance such as fluorocarbon gas sealed therein, and this amount of transferred heat is transferred to the electromagnetic plate 19. It is controlled by opening and closing the valve 20.

A first container 21 for accommodating objects to be thawed and objects to be refrigerated is placed on the heat sink 19.
The container 21 is connected to the second refrigerating compartment 4 by a connecting portion 22.
It is formed integrally with the second container 23 placed therein. A connecting portion 22 connecting the first and second containers 21 and 23 is removably engaged with an engaging groove 25 formed in a partition wall 24 that partitions the second refrigerating chamber 4 and the thawing chamber 5. ing.

The thawing chamber 5, the first refrigerating chamber 3, and the freezing chamber 2 include:
A thawing room temperature sensor 26, a refrigerating room temperature sensor 27, and a freezing room temperature sensor 28 are provided to detect the respective indoor temperatures. Furthermore, a cooler temperature sensor 29 for detecting the temperature of the cooler 7 is fixed to the cooler 7, and a defrosting end sensor 30 is provided near the cooler 7.

A control panel 31 is provided on the outside of the upper part of the refrigerator main body 1, and this control panel 31 is provided with an outside temperature sensor 32 for detecting outside air temperature. As shown in FIG. 2, the control panel 31 is made up of a display/operation section 33 and a control section 34 which are connected to each other.

The display operation section 33 includes first, second, and third setting switches 35, 36, and 37 for setting a high temperature range (for example, around 30° C.), which also serves to set a timer time corresponding to the weight of the object to be thawed. , the first low temperature range (for example -
4th and 5th setting switches 38, 3 for setting the second low temperature range (for example, around +3°C)
9, a sixth setting switch 40 for setting a medium temperature range (for example, around 10 degrees Celsius) suitable for storing southern vegetables, etc., and a sixth setting switch 40 for setting the temperature in the freezer compartment 2 to low (for example, -15 degrees Celsius); Medium (e.g. -18℃), strong (e.g. -21℃)
A seventh setting switch 41 is provided for switching to and setting the temperature (°C).

The control unit 34 controls the outside temperature sensor 32 and the frozen room temperature sensor 2 in the same way as in conventional freezer control.
8. The compressor 17 and fan 8 It is configured to control the temperatures in the freezer compartment 2, the first and second refrigerator compartments 3 and 4, and the vegetable compartment 6 to a predetermined value.

The control unit 34 further includes the display operation unit 3
The setting value of the timer 42 for setting the defrosting time is based on the setting signals from the first, second, and third setting switches 35, 36, and 37 for setting the high temperature range of No. 3 and the detection signal from the defrosting room temperature sensor 26. are set to t ₅ , t ₃ , and t ₁ respectively, and the temperature in the thawing chamber 5 is controlled to a high temperature set value by controlling the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 20 during the set time; 1,
Fourth and fifth setting switches 3 for setting the second low temperature range
Setting signals from 8 and 39 and the defrosting room temperature sensor 2
The electromagnetic damper 1 based on the detection signal from the
low temperature range control in which the temperature in the defrosting chamber 5 is controlled to a low set value by controlling the opening and closing of the defrosting chamber 6; a setting signal from the sixth setting switch 40 for medium temperature range setting; and a detection signal from the defrosting room temperature sensor 26. Based on this, the electromagnetic damper 16 and the electromagnetic valve 20 are opened and closed to control the temperature in the thawing chamber 5 to a medium temperature set value, and the first to sixth setting switches 35 to When any one of the switches 40 is pressed, the pressed switch is turned on to display this.

Next, the operation peculiar to the present invention in the above embodiment will be explained using the characteristic diagram of FIG. 3 and the flowchart of FIG. 4.

First, low temperature range control will be explained.

First, the first low temperature range control will be explained. _t10
When the fourth setting switch 38 for setting the first low temperature range of the display operation section 33 is pressed at the same time, the setting signal is sent to the control section 34. The control unit 34 lights up the pressed fourth setting switch 38 to display it, and also controls the opening and closing of the electromagnetic damper 16 based on the setting signal and the detection signal from the defrosting room temperature sensor 26, thereby opening and closing the electromagnetic damper 16. The amount of cold air cooled by the fan 7 and sent by the fan 8 flowing into the thawing chamber 5 is controlled. As a result, the temperature inside the thawing chamber 5 is controlled to a first low temperature (for example, around -2° C.) and can be used for refrigeration. That is, the temperature T in the thawing chamber 5 at _t10 is the set value as shown in FIG.
If Tl ₁ (e.g. -2°C) is higher than the upper limit of the control width (e.g. -1°C), the electromagnetic damper 16 opens,
When the solenoid valve 20 is closed, it is cooled and the temperature T decreases. _t20
At some point T reaches the lower limit of the control width of Tl ₁ (for example -
3° C.), the electromagnetic damper 16 is also closed, and thereafter, by opening and closing the electromagnetic damper 16, the temperature T in the thawing chamber 5 is controlled within a control range around the set value Tl ₁ .

Next, the second low temperature range control will be explained. Basically, it operates in the same way as the first low temperature range control, and the temperature inside the thawing chamber 5 is in the second low temperature range (for example, around 3°C).
It can be controlled and used for refrigeration. i.e. t ₃₀
If the temperature T in the thawing chamber 5 at the time is lower than the lower limit value (for example, 2 degrees Celsius) of the control width of the set value Tl ₂ (for example, 3 degrees Celsius) as shown in FIG. 20, cooling is stopped and the temperature T rises. Assuming that T reaches the upper limit value (for example, 4° C.) of the control width of Tl ₂ at time t ₄₀ , the electromagnetic damper 16 is opened to cool down. From now on, electromagnetic damper 16
By opening and closing, the temperature T in the thawing chamber 5 is controlled within a control range centered on the thawing chamber _Tl2 .

Second, medium temperature range control will be explained.

At ₅₀ o'clock, the sixth setting switch 4 on the display operation section 33
When 0 is pressed, the setting signal is sent to the control section 34. The control unit 34 turns on the pressed sixth setting switch 40, and controls the opening and closing of the electromagnetic damper 16 and the electromagnetic valve 20 based on this setting signal and the detection signal from the defrosting room temperature sensor 26.
The temperature inside the thawing chamber 5 is controlled to a medium temperature range (for example, around 10° C.) and can be used for storing southern vegetables.
That is, if the temperature T in the thawing chamber 5 at time t ₅₀ is lower than the lower limit value (8°C) of the control range of the set value Tm (for example, 10°C) as shown in Fig. 3, the electromagnetic damper 16 is closed and the cooling is is stopped, the solenoid valve 20 is opened, and the amount of heat is transferred from the high temperature section 17a of the compressor 17 to the heat sink 19 via the heat pipe 18, and the temperature T rises. t At ₆₀ o'clock, T
When the upper limit of the control range of Tm (for example, 12° C.) is reached, the electromagnetic damper 16 is opened and the electromagnetic valve 20 is closed, and cooling is achieved by the inflow of cold air. When T reaches the lower limit of the control range of Tm (e.g. 8°C) after _t60 , the electromagnetic damper 16 closes and the electromagnetic valve 20 opens, and heat is radiated from the high temperature part 17a of the compressor 17 via the heat pipe 18. The amount of heat is transferred to the plate 19 and it is heated. Therefore, after t ₆₀ , electromagnetic damper 1
6 and the opening/closing of the solenoid valve 20, the temperature T in the thawing chamber 5 is controlled within a control range around the set value Tm.

Thirdly, high temperature range control will be explained.

t At ₇₀ o'clock, the first setting switch 3 on the display operation section 33
When 5 is pressed, the setting signal is sent to the control section 34. The control unit 34 turns on the pressed first setting switch 35, and the setting value of the timer 42 becomes 500g. The timer 42 operates at t ₅ corresponding to . During this set time _t5 , the control unit 34 outputs the setting signal and the thawing room temperature sensor 2.
Based on the detection signal from 6, the solenoid valve 20 is opened and closed, and the amount of heat transferred from the high temperature part 17a of the compressor 17 to the heat sink 19 via the heat pipe 18 is controlled and heated. As a result, the temperature inside the thawing chamber 5 is controlled to a high temperature range for thawing (for example, around 30° C.), and can be used for high-temperature thawing. i.e. _t70
As shown in FIG. 3, if the temperature T of the thawing chamber 5 at the time is lower than the lower limit value (for example, 28 degrees Celsius) of the control width of the set value Th (for example, 30 degrees Celsius), the solenoid valve 20 opens and the compressor 17 The amount of heat is transferred from the high temperature part 17a to the heat sink 19 via the heat pipe 18, and the temperature T rises. t At ₈₀ o'clock, T
When the upper limit of the control width of Th (for example, 32°C) is reached, heating is stopped by closing the solenoid valve 20, and the temperature T
descends. Also, after t ₈₀ o'clock, T is Th
When the lower limit of the control range (28° C.) is reached, the solenoid valve 20 is opened and heated. Therefore, after time t, the temperature T in the thawing chamber 5 is controlled within a control range around the set value Th by opening and closing the solenoid valve 20.

When the set time for defrosting has passed from _{70:00 to 90:00 ,} the high temperature range control is canceled based on the time-up output of the timer 42, and the first setting switch 3 is turned off.
5 goes out, and the fourth setting switch 3 turns off.
8 is turned on, and the set value in the thawing chamber 5 returns to the set value Tl ₁ of the first low temperature range control. Therefore, from t ₉₀ o'clock to t ₁₀₀ o'clock, the electromagnetic damper 16 is opened and the electromagnetic valve 20 is closed for cooling, and after t ₁₀₀ o'clock, the temperature T in the thawing chamber 5 is kept at the set value Tl ₁ by opening and closing the electromagnetic damper 16. Controlled within the control range around the center.

2nd and 3rd setting switch 3 of display operation section 33
6 and 37 are pressed, the pressed switch lights up in the same manner as described above, and the set values of the timer 42 are set to t ₃ and t ₁ corresponding to 300g and 100g.
During these set times t ₃ and t ₁ , the solenoid valve 20 is controlled to open and close, and the temperature in the thawing chamber 5 is controlled to a high temperature range for high-temperature thawing.

In the embodiment described above, the thawing chamber 5 is not provided with a cold air outflow passage communicating with the first and second refrigerator compartments 3, 4, etc.
Although the odor of the food to be thawed in the thawing chamber 5 is prevented from spreading to other chambers, a cold air outflow passage communicating with the refrigerator chambers 3, 4, etc. is provided to promote the flow of cold air. You can also do this.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention makes it possible to control the temperature within the thawing chamber over a wide range from a low temperature range to a high temperature range, so the thawing chamber can be used not only for thawing, but also for refrigeration, vegetable storage, etc. when not thawing. It is available and extremely convenient. Furthermore, the thawing chamber can be thawed at a high temperature using the heat of the high-temperature section of the compressor, eliminating the need for a heat pipe that was conventionally considered for high-temperature thawing. can be shortened.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1a, b and 2 show an embodiment of the defrosting chamber temperature control device for a refrigerator according to the present invention. - A sectional view, Figure 2 is a control circuit diagram, Figure 3 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the opening and closing operations of the electromagnetic damper and solenoid valve and temperature changes in the thawing chamber, and Figure 4 explains the operation of the present invention. This is a flowchart. 1...Refrigerator body, 5...Defrosting chamber, 7...Cooler, 8...Fan, 16...Electromagnetic damper, 17...
... Compressor, 17a ... High temperature section, 18 ... Heat pipe, 19 ... Heat sink, 20 ... Solenoid valve, 26 ...
...Defrosting room temperature sensor, 34...Control unit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Cooling means that controls the amount of cold air sent from the cooler to the thawing chamber by opening and closing an electromagnetic damper; and cooling means that controls the amount of cold air sent from the cooler to the thawing chamber by opening and closing an electromagnetic damper; a heating means for controlling the amount of heat transferred to the chamber; a thawing room temperature setting means for setting a control temperature in the thawing chamber; a thawing room temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature inside the thawing chamber; the thawing room temperature setting means and the thawing room temperature detection means; Based on the output of the means, when the set value is in a low temperature range, controlling the opening and closing of the electromagnetic damper;
Temperature control that controls the opening and closing of the electromagnetic damper and the solenoid valve when the set value is in a medium temperature range, and controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valve when the set value is in the high temperature range to control the temperature in the thawing chamber to the set value. A thawing chamber temperature control device for a refrigerator, comprising means. 2. The cooling means includes a cold air blowing means that sends cold air cooled by a cooler by a fan installed in the thawing chamber to the thawing chamber via a ventilation path, and an electromagnetic damper installed at a cold air outlet of the ventilation path. The heating means includes a heat sink provided in the thawing chamber, a heat pipe whose one end is connected to the heat sink and whose other end is connected to the oil cooler of the compressor, and the heating means is inserted into the middle of the heat pipe. A thawing chamber temperature control device for a refrigerator according to claim 1, comprising a solenoid valve.