JPH05240547A - Device for controlling temperature in cold-storage chamber in refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a device for controlling the temperature of the cold-storage chamber for a refrigerator which is designed to adjust the duty rate supplied to a temperature-compensating heater through checking the changing condition of the temperature in the cold-storage chamber every time the compressor starts. CONSTITUTION:A device 40 for controlling the temperature of the cold-storage chamber for a refrigerator comprises a temperature-compensating heater 36 provided at a lower position in a cold-storage chamber, an outside-temperature sensor 65 for detecting the temperature outside the refrigerator, and a controller 46 for supplying current to the heater which sets the duty rate supplied to the heater every time the compressor motor 51 starts and at a duty rate specified when the temperature outside the refrigerator detected by the outside- temperature sensor 45 is below a reference temperature.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerating compartment of a refrigerator in which a heater for preventing overcooling of the refrigerating compartment is energized when the temperature of the refrigerating compartment is likely to drop below a set temperature. The present invention relates to a temperature control device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art (i) Actual Fairness 2-307 Prior to the Present Invention
No. 06 discloses that the compressor is operated when the internal temperature is high and the external temperature is high, and the heater is operated when the internal temperature is low and the external temperature is low. A temperature control device is disclosed. In particular, when the outside temperature is low and the inside temperature is high, the fan motor is not operated in order to prevent temperature rise due to heat generation of the fan motor.

Prior to the present invention, (ii) JP-A-63-
Japanese Patent No. 29176 discloses that a compressor capable of controlling a capacity, a controller for operating the compressor at a frequency between a maximum frequency and a minimum frequency, and a temperature inside the refrigerator set when the compressor is operated at the minimum frequency. An operation control device for a refrigeration system is disclosed, which includes a heater that is energized when the temperature drops below the temperature.

[0004]

In the above publication (i), when the inside of the refrigerator tends to fall below the set temperature during the operation of the compressor, the operation of the compressor is repeatedly stopped. This is not to prevent the above, but to energize the heater only while the compressor is stopped. In particular, the compressor is often operated and stopped frequently, which causes a problem of shortening the life of the compressor.

On the other hand, in the publication (ii), when the temperature inside the refrigerator tends to drop below the set temperature during the minimum capacity operation of the compressor, the heater is energized to turn on the inside of the refrigerator. This is to prevent the temperature from decreasing and prevent the compressor from being repeatedly operated and stopped. However, since the heater is continuously energized, the temperature inside the refrigerator tends to rise depending on the capacity of the heater. Further, if the heater is repeatedly turned on and off frequently, the temperature inside the refrigerator will significantly increase and decrease, which may adversely affect the stored food.

In the domestic refrigerator, the operations of the compressor and the blower are usually controlled based on the temperature of the freezing compartment, and the operation of the damper device for controlling the amount of cold air is controlled based on the temperature of the refrigerating compartment. .. Therefore, even if the above-mentioned control device (ii) is directly applied to the home refrigerator, if the temperature of the freezing room is equal to or lower than the set temperature, cold air cannot be supplied to the refrigerating room and the temperature of the refrigerating room is set to the set temperature. However, there is a problem that the temperature of the refrigerating room rises too much due to the energization of the heater and the temperature of the refrigerated food product rises.

Therefore, the present invention provides a refrigerating compartment temperature control device for a refrigerator in which the temperature change condition of the refrigerating compartment is checked every time the compressor is started and the energization rate of the temperature compensating heater in the refrigerating compartment is adjusted. The purpose is to

[0008]

According to the present invention, the operations of the compressor and the blower are controlled based on the temperature of the freezing compartment, and the amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerating compartment is controlled based on the temperature of the refrigerating compartment. In a refrigerator, in order to prevent overcooling of the refrigerating compartment when the outside temperature drops, a temperature compensating heater arranged at the bottom of the refrigerating compartment, an outside temperature sensor for detecting the temperature outside the refrigerator, and a start-up of the compressor Refrigerating a refrigerator provided with a controller for energizing the heater for each heater, and energizing the heater at the determined energization rate when the outside temperature detected by the outside temperature sensor is lower than a reference temperature. A room temperature control device is provided.

Further, in a refrigerator provided with a freezer compartment temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the freezer compartment and controlling the operation of the compressor based on the freezer compartment temperature detected by the freezer compartment temperature sensor, In order to make the heater's duty ratio suitable for temperature fluctuations, a heater is installed at the bottom of the refrigerating compartment to heat the refrigerating compartment, an outside temperature sensor to detect the temperature outside the refrigerator, and an outside temperature sensor to detect it. When the outside temperature is lower than the reference temperature, the heater is energized at the lowest energization rate, and the energization rate of the heater is set based on the temperature of the refrigerating room when the freezing room temperature exceeds the set temperature of the freezing room. A refrigerating compartment temperature control device for a refrigerator provided with a control device for changing the temperature.

[0010]

According to the present invention, since the temperature compensating heater is energized when the outside temperature becomes lower than the reference temperature, it is possible to suppress the supercooling of the refrigerating chamber when the outside temperature decreases, and in addition, this heater. Since the duty ratio is determined for each start-up of the compressor, the heating amount of the heater can be adjusted according to the start-up of the compressor, and wasteful heat generation of the heater can be suppressed and power consumption can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the heater is first energized at the lowest energization rate, and when the temperature of the freezing compartment exceeds the set temperature, the energization rate of the heater changes based on the temperature of the refrigerating compartment. Therefore, it is possible to make the electric conductivity suitable for the temperature fluctuation of the refrigerating room, and it is possible to appropriately maintain the temperature of the refrigerating room, which has been dependent on the temperature of the freezing room, at the refrigerating set temperature, thereby consuming the heater. Power can be reduced.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a household refrigerator, which is composed of a heat-insulating box 2 having a front opening which constitutes the main body thereof, and doors 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 which close the opening. There is.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a horizontal partition wall which divides the inside of the heat insulating box 2 into upper and lower parts. In this embodiment, the upper part of the horizontal partition wall 11 is a freezing chamber 12 which is cooled to a freezing temperature, and the lower part is a temperature which does not freeze food. The storage room is to be cooled. The storage chamber is further divided into upper and lower parts by a pre-partition member 13 and a partition plate 14, a refrigerating chamber 15 in which the upper part of the partition plate 14 is cooled to a temperature of about 3 ° C., and the lower part is a temperature zone of about 1 ° C. to 7 ° C. The temperature is set in the selection chamber 16.

The doors 3 and 4 are a pair of left and right pivotal doors that close the front opening corresponding to the freezer compartment 12, and one of the two doors (door 4 in this embodiment). A partition body 17 as a partition member for partitioning the front opening into right and left is rotatably provided on the non-pivotal side. Also, the doors 5 and 6 are
A pair of rotatable left and right doors that close the front opening corresponding to the refrigerating chamber 15, and a partition body 18 as a partition member that partitions the opening into left and right is provided rotatably on the non-pivotal side of the door 6. is there.

The doors 7 and 8 are drawer-type doors corresponding to the bottle room and the vegetable room, which are partitioned by the vertical partition wall 30 into the left and right sides in the selection room 16, and both doors mainly store the bottle and the vegetable, respectively. Container 2 with an open top
1, 22 are detachably provided.

At the back of the freezer compartment 12, there is a cooler compartment 23 formed of a cooler cover 31 and a heat insulating box 2. The cooler compartment 23 has a plate fin type evaporator 2 as a cooler.
4 and a fan 25 such as a sirocco fan. The cooler chamber communicates with the freezing chamber 12 at an outlet formed in the cover 31, and also communicates with the refrigerating chamber 15 at the rear of the lateral partition wall 11 by a duct (not shown). The freezer compartment 12 is divided into three shelves 26 and 27 into upper, middle and lower three stages, and the lower stage is divided into left and right sides by vertical partition plates. In addition, an automatic ice machine is located at the rear of the middle left side,
This rear space is called an ice making room. The ice making room is covered by the ice making machine cover and is separated from the front part on the left side of the middle tier.
Further, in the space on the left side of the vertical partition plate, a container for storing ice produced by an automatic ice making machine is arranged so that it can be freely taken in and out.

In the space on the right side of the vertical partition plate, a horizontal partition wall 1 in which a container consisting of a bottom plate, left and right side plates and a back plate serves as the bottom wall of the freezer compartment.
A quick freezing chamber is provided which is arranged at a distance from the upper surface of 1 and can be freely taken in and out, and which is cooled by the cold air blown out from the air outlet. The bottom plate of this container is made of a metal plate having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum. The cool air blown into the freezer compartment 12 returns to the lower part of the cooler compartment through the cool air return path formed by the bottom plate of the container and the horizontal partition wall 11. Moreover, for convenience of the following description, the freezing compartments other than the quick freezing compartment will be referred to as a first freezing compartment.

Two temperature sensors for detecting the temperature are provided in the first freezing chamber, and one of the two temperature sensors is a main temperature sensor (provided as a freezing chamber temperature sensor provided in the vicinity of the outlet. 3), and the other of the two is a sub-temperature sensor provided near the ice tray in the ice making chamber. Further, in the quick freezing chamber, a quenching chamber temperature sensor is provided in the vicinity of the air outlet, and a load temperature sensor that comes into contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate of the container is provided.

Immediately below the horizontal partition wall 11, the temperature control width is narrow and the temperature immediately before the food is frozen, that is, the ice temperature (eg -1).
An ice greenhouse that is maintained at a temperature of about ℃) is formed.
The cooler compartment is also in communication with the ice greenhouse and the refrigerating compartment 15 via a duct by an opening formed in the duct 28. The supply of cold air to the ice greenhouse is controlled by a cold air control device of the ice greenhouse including a damper for ice temperature provided in the middle of the duct. The supply of cold air to the refrigerating compartment 15 is controlled by a refrigerating compartment cool air control device (not shown) including a refrigerating damper provided in the middle of the duct.

Reference numeral 32 is a heater for temperature compensation of the refrigerating compartment attached to the surface of the inner box of the heat insulating box 2 corresponding to the lower portion of the refrigerating compartment, and 33 is also for temperature compensation of the vegetable compartment. Heater. These heaters 32 and 33 are connected in series and their energization / de-energization is controlled by a refrigerating compartment temperature control device 40, which will be described later. Therefore, both heaters are shown together as a temperature compensating heater 34 in FIG.

The refrigerating compartment temperature control device 40 detects the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 15, a freezing compartment temperature setting means 41 for setting the cooling temperature of the freezing compartment 12, a freezing compartment temperature sensor (that is, the main temperature sensor described above) 42, and the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 15. Refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 43, and refrigerating compartment temperature setting means 44 for setting the cooling temperature of the refrigerating compartment 15,
An outside temperature sensor 45 for detecting the outside temperature of the refrigerator 1, and
Control means 46 as a control device for controlling the operations of the temperature compensating heater 34, the compressor motor and the fan motor.
Consists of. Note that, in the following description, it is assumed that the compressor motor and the fan motor are simultaneously started and stopped at the same time. Therefore, in FIG.
I will show it as 1.

The control means 46 issues a control command for the temperature compensating heater 34 and the compressor motor 51 on the basis of the five input information, and a control command for the temperature compensating heater 34 based on the control command from the discriminating part 47. It has a signal output unit that outputs a power-on signal ON, a power-off signal OFF, and a start signal ST and a stop signal SP of the compressor motor 51. In addition, the determination unit 4
7 operates the control timer 49 and the delay timer 50 based on the five input information, and outputs the control command after waiting for the operation.

However, the five pieces of input information are detected by the freezing temperature FS set by the freezing room temperature setting means 41, the freezing room temperature F detected by the main temperature sensor 42, and the refrigerating room temperature sensor 43. It is the refrigerating room temperature R, the refrigerating temperature RS set by the refrigerating room temperature setting means, and the outside temperature AT detected by the outside temperature sensor 45. Further, the control command is a command issued based on the operation of the control timer 49 and a command issued based on the operation of the delay timer 50. Since the former command is a command related to the control of the temperature compensation heater, it is called a heater command. The latter command is a motor command because it is a command related to the control of the compressor motor.

The operation flow of the refrigerating compartment temperature control device 40 based on the above-mentioned structure will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5.

First, when the power is turned on, it is determined in step S1 whether the outside temperature AT is lower than a predetermined reference temperature (for example, 11 ° C.) for starting energization of the heater 34, and the temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature. If so, in step S2 the heater 3
4 is output, the ON time A of the heater 34 is set to level 1 which is the minimum energization rate in step S3, and the set time TM1 of the control timer 49 is set in step S4.
This A is input as (hereinafter simply referred to as TM1) (that is, the duty ratio is set to the lowest level), and the process proceeds to step S21.

If the outside temperature is lower than the reference temperature in step S1, it is judged in step S5 whether or not the refrigerating room temperature R is lower than the refrigerating temperature RS. If the temperature is lower than the temperature RS, it is determined in step S6 whether or not the heater 34 is energized. If not, the subtraction operation of TM1 (that is, TM) is performed in step S7.
The operation of setting the value obtained by subtracting 1 from 1 to TM1) is performed, and it is determined in step S8 whether or not the subtraction operation of TM1 is completed (that is, TM1 has become 0). If not completed, the processing proceeds to step S21. If the process is completed and completed, the energization signal ON of the heater 34 is output in step S9 to energize the heater,
In step S10, A is input as TM1 and the process proceeds to step S21.

If the heater 34 is energized in step S6, the subtraction operation of TM1 is performed in step S11, and it is determined in step S12 whether or not the subtraction operation of TM1 is completed. If not completed, the process proceeds to step S21. If the operation has been completed and has been completed, then in step S13 the non-energization signal O of the heater 34
FF is output to de-energize the heater, and in step S14, TM1 is turned on and off for one cycle time B of the heater.
A value obtained by subtracting A from (i.e., the OFF time of the heater in one cycle time) is set, and the process proceeds to step S21.

In step S21, it is determined whether or not the freezing compartment temperature F is higher than the freezing temperature FS, and if it is below the freezing temperature FS, it is determined in step S22 whether or not the compressor motor 51 is in operation. If not in operation, step S24
If it is in operation, a flag F1 (hereinafter simply referred to as flag F1) indicating that the freezing room temperature F is equal to or lower than the freezing temperature F is set, and the compressor motor 51 is set in step S24.
Stop signal ST is output to stop the compressor motor,
Control goes to step S30.

If the freezing chamber temperature F is higher than the freezing temperature FS in step S21, it is determined in step S25 whether or not the flag F1 is present (that is, whether or not it is reset). If it is set, the process proceeds to step S30 and reset. If so, the start signal S of the compressor motor 51 is sent in step S26.
T is output to drive the compressor motor, and it is determined in step S27 whether the refrigerating compartment temperature R at the time of compressor startup is lower than the refrigerating temperature RS. If it is lower than the refrigerating temperature RS, step S is performed.
In step 28, the heater on-time A is increased by one level (that is, the value obtained by adding one level to A is set to A), and the process proceeds to step S30. If the temperature is equal to or higher than the refrigeration temperature RS, the heater on-time is calculated in step S29. An operation of lowering A by one level (that is, an operation of setting the value obtained by subtracting one level from A as A) is performed, and the process proceeds to step S30.

Next, in step S30, it is determined whether or not the flag F1 is set. If the flag F1 is reset, the process returns to step S1. If it is set, the delay time TM2 (that is, the delay time TM2 of the delay timer 50 is set in step S31). After stopping the compressor motor for a certain period of time, the motor is not started and the safety time for protecting the compressor is subtracted.
In step S32, it is determined whether or not the subtraction operation is finished. If it is not finished, the procedure returns to step S1, and if it is finished, the flag F1 is reset in step S33,
Return to step S1.

The above steps S1 to S14 and S2 will be described below.
By repeating the operation from 1 to S33, if the outside temperature AT is lower than the reference temperature (11 ° C. in this example), the heater 34 is operated in an on-off cycle, and if it is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, the heater is de-energized, It is intended to suppress the supercooling of the refrigerating chamber 15 (that is, the state where the temperature is lower than the refrigerating temperature RS continues) when the outside temperature decreases. When the outside temperature becomes lower than the reference temperature, the on / off cycle operation of the heater is first performed at the lowest duty ratio, and the duty ratio of the heater 34 is based on the refrigerating compartment temperature R every time the compressor motor is started. The heater energization rate (may be called the heating amount)
I'm trying to review it. In particular, when the freezer compartment temperature F exceeds the set temperature FS of the freezer compartment, the change state of the refrigerating compartment temperature R (that is, the tendency to fall below or exceed the refrigerator temperature RS).
If the tendency is below, raise the heater energization rate by one level to increase the heating amount to suppress the decrease in the temperature of the refrigerating room. If the tendency is above, decrease the energization rate of the heater by one level to reduce the heating amount. Since the rise in the refrigerating compartment temperature is suppressed, the refrigerating compartment temperature can be stabilized at the refrigerating temperature even when the outside temperature decreases.

With the refrigerating compartment temperature control device 40 as described above, the duty factor of the compensation heater is reviewed and adjusted based on the refrigerating compartment temperature each time the compressor is started or the freezing compartment temperature exceeds the freezing temperature. It is possible to prevent overcooling of the refrigerating room at low ambient temperature while suppressing power consumption of the heater.

[0034]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the temperature compensating heater is energized when the outside temperature becomes lower than the reference temperature, it is possible to suppress the supercooling of the refrigerating chamber when the outside temperature decreases. In addition, since the heater energization rate is set for each compressor start-up, the heating amount of the heater can be adjusted according to the compressor start-up, wasteful heat generation can be suppressed, and power consumption can be reduced. ..

On the other hand, according to claim 2, when the temperature outside the refrigerator is lowered, the heater is first energized at the lowest energization rate, and when the temperature of the freezing room exceeds the set temperature, the energization rate of the heater is determined based on the temperature of the refrigerating room. The temperature of the refrigerating room can be gradually approached to the set temperature by suppressing the rapid temperature rise due to the heater and suppressing the temperature drop of the refrigerating room due to the change in the heating value of the heater. Therefore, efficient temperature control with low power consumption can be performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a refrigerator of the present invention with a door opened.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the refrigerator with the door removed.

FIG. 3 is a block circuit diagram of a refrigerating room temperature control device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations of the refrigerating compartment temperature control device.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations of the refrigerating compartment temperature control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Refrigerator 15 Refrigerating Room 34 Temperature Compensating Heater 40 Refrigerating Room Temperature Control Device 41 Freezing Room Temperature Setting Means 42 Freezing Room Temperature Sensor 43 Refrigerating Room Temperature Sensor 44 Refrigerating Room Temperature Setting Means 45 Outside Temperature Sensor 46 Control Device (Controlling Means)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator in which the operations of a compressor and a blower are controlled based on the temperature of a freezer compartment, and the amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerating compartment is controlled based on the temperature of the refrigerating compartment. A temperature-compensating heater arranged, an outside temperature sensor for detecting the outside temperature, an energization rate of the heater is determined every time the compressor is started, and the outside temperature detected by the outside temperature sensor is a reference temperature. And a controller for energizing the heater at the predetermined energization rate when the temperature is lower, a refrigerating room temperature controller for a refrigerator. 2. A refrigerator provided with a freezer compartment temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the freezer compartment, wherein the operation of the compressor is controlled based on the freezer compartment temperature detected by the freezer compartment temperature sensor. A heater arranged at the lower part to heat the refrigerating chamber, an outside temperature sensor for detecting the outside temperature, and an outside temperature detected by the outside temperature sensor lower than the reference temperature at the lowest conductivity rate. A refrigerator refrigerating room, comprising: a controller that energizes a heater and changes a duty ratio of the heater based on a temperature of the refrigerating room when the freezing room temperature exceeds a set temperature of the freezing room. Temperature control device.