JPH07159014A - Drive controller for electric refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce power consumption in an electric refrigerator by establishing a standby mode for stopping an operation clock of an inner computer after drive and stop controls of units are conducted based on a monitored result of an indoor temperature, etc., and eliminating the mode based on a predetermined elimination signal. CONSTITUTION:After drive and stop controls of units are conducted based on a monitored result of an indoor temperature, etc., a standby mode flag 32 in a microcomputer 31 and an inner timer 33 are operated. The flag 32 stops an operation clock of the microcomputer 31 to the mode by its set state by utilizing a standby function for stopping the clock of the microcomputer, drives the clock of the microcomputer 31 by its reset state to establish a standby mode elimination signal generated when counting of a set time by the timer 33 is finished, thereby eliminating the mode. Thus, power consumption of an electric refrigerator can be reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operation control device for an electric refrigerator, and more particularly to an operation control device for achieving energy saving in an electric refrigerator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The recent operation control of an electric refrigerator is performed by a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer), and fine control is possible. For example, in controlling the temperature of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment, the detection data of the temperature sensor provided in each room is monitored by a microcomputer, and the refrigeration cycle including the evaporator and compressor is operated and controlled so that the temperature is always the optimum temperature. Is going by.

That is, when the temperature of the freezing room rises and exceeds the specified upper limit temperature, the microcomputer detects it and drives the refrigeration cycle to perform the cooling operation. When the temperature of the freezing compartment falls and falls below the specified lower limit temperature, the microcomputer detects it and stops the refrigeration cycle and stops the cooling operation to prevent overcooling. This maintains the temperature of the freezer within a predetermined temperature range.

[0004]

By the way, when the microcomputer is used to control the operation of the electric refrigerator, the temperature sensor monitors the temperature state of each room, the door switch on / off state, and the load (compressor, electric fan). The main contents are drive / stop control, etc.). However, since these processes are performed within a few milliseconds as the program operation in the microcomputer, it takes a very short time for the actual operation of the electric refrigerator.

However, in the conventional operation control device, the microcomputer is constantly operating, and the monitoring of the temperature state and the monitoring of the door switch are repeatedly performed, and the wasteful power is continuously consumed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the power consumption of an electric refrigerator by reducing the power consumption of a microcomputer.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electric refrigerator for monitoring the temperature inside a refrigerator and the opening / closing of a door to control the driving stoppage of each device such as a compressor to maintain the temperature inside the refrigerator within an optimum range. A refrigerator operation control device, in which a standby mode in which the operation clock of the internal computer is stopped after the drive stop control of each device is performed based on the monitoring result of the internal temperature, etc., and the standby is performed based on a predetermined release signal. It is configured to exit the mode.

In this case, the predetermined release signal for releasing the standby mode is a count-up signal of the internal timer, a signal synchronized with the frequency of the commercial AC power supply, or a change in the internal cold storage temperature or a change in the door opening / closing. Is a signal that represents.

[0009]

In the configuration of the present invention, the operation control device of computer configuration monitors the temperature inside the chamber by the temperature sensor installed in each part of the chamber, or monitors the opening and closing of the door that affects the temperature inside the chamber. To do. Based on the monitoring result, drive / stop control of a compressor that constitutes a refrigeration cycle, an electric fan that circulates cool air, and the like is performed.

Then, a standby mode for stopping the operation clock of the computer is entered to reduce power consumption within a range that does not hinder the actual operation of the electric refrigerator. The standby mode is released by a count-up signal of the internal timer set when the standby mode is entered, a signal synchronized with the frequency of the commercial AC power supply, a signal indicating a change in the internal temperature or a change in the opening / closing of the door.

[0011]

1 is a schematic side sectional view of an electric refrigerator to which the present invention is applied. This refrigerator is divided into a freezing room 10 and a refrigerating room 20, and a temperature sensor 1 is provided in each room 10, 20.
1, 21 are installed.

A freezer compartment door 12 is attached to the front side of the freezer compartment 10, and the opening / closing thereof is detected by a door switch 13. Further, the evaporator 14 and the electric fan 1 are provided at the back.
5 is installed, the inside of the freezer compartment 10 is cooled by evaporating the refrigerant by the evaporator 14, and the electric fan 15 circulates the cool air. Further, in the vicinity of the evaporator 14, a defrost heater 16 that removes the frost that adheres and a defrost temperature sensor 17 that detects the defrost state are attached.

The freezer compartment door 22 is attached to the front of the refrigerating compartment 20, and the opening and closing thereof is detected by a door switch 23. An electric damper 24 is installed in the cold air passage 18 connecting the freezer compartment 10 and the refrigerating compartment 20.
By the opening and closing operation of 4, the cold air from the freezing room 10
It is cycled to zero. Further, a compressor 25 that constitutes a refrigeration cycle is installed at the back of the refrigerating compartment 20.

The temperature control of the freezer compartment 10 is performed by the control device 30 installed above the inner part. This control device 30
As shown in FIG. 2, the microcomputer 31 is mainly composed of a microcomputer 31. Inside the microcomputer 31, a standby mode flag 32 and an internal timer 33, which are features of the present invention, are included.
The standby mode flag 32 uses a standby function of stopping the operation clock of the microcomputer, stops the operation clock of the microcomputer 31 in the set state to enter the standby mode, and drives the operation clock of the microcomputer 31 in the reset state to wait. Cancel the mode.

The data input to the control device 30 is the temperature data S from the temperature sensor 11 in the freezer compartment 10.
1. Temperature data S from the temperature sensor 21 of the refrigerator compartment 20
2, temperature data S3 from the defrosting temperature sensor 17, and door switch signals S4 and S5 indicating ON / OFF of the door switches 13 and 23. The devices controlled by the control device 30 include the electric fan 15, the defrost heater 16, the electric damper 24, the compressor 25, and the like.

Here, the relationship between the temperature change in the freezer compartment 10 and the cooling operation by the compressor 25 and the electric fan 15 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the temperature of the freezer compartment 10 fluctuates within a range where the temperature TF _H is the upper limit and the temperature TF _L is the lower limit (FIG. A).

When the temperature of the freezing compartment 10 becomes higher than the upper limit temperature TF _H , the cooling is insufficient, so the control device 30 controls the compressor 25.
Then, the electric fan 15 is turned on to start the cooling operation.
When the temperature of the freezer compartment 10 becomes equal to or lower than the lower limit temperature TF _L , the control device 30 turns off the compressor 25 and the electric fan 15 to stop the cooling operation because it is supercooled (FIG. B). By repeating this operation, the temperature of the freezer compartment 10 is increased to the upper limit temperature T.
It is within the range between F _H and the lower limit temperature TF _L.

In the case of the refrigerator compartment 20, as shown in FIG.
It fluctuates within a range where the temperature TC _H is the upper limit and the temperature TC _L is the lower limit (Fig. A). The temperature of the refrigerator compartment 20 is the upper limit temperature TC.
_{When the} temperature becomes _H or higher, the cooling is insufficient, so the control device 30 turns on the electric fan 15 and the electric damper 24 to start the cooling operation. When the temperature of the refrigerating room 20 becomes lower than the lower limit temperature TC _L , it means supercooling.
Then, the electric damper 24 is turned off to stop the cooling operation (FIG. B). By repeating this operation, the refrigerator compartment 2
The temperature of 0 is set within the range between the upper limit temperature TC _H and the lower limit temperature TC _L.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow charts shown in FIGS. First, when the power is turned on, the control device 30 is initialized (step S1), and each part is initialized.

Next, it is judged whether the defrost heater 16 is on, that is, whether the frost adhering to the evaporator 14 is being defrosted (step S2). If defrosting is not in progress, it is determined no (no), and then it is determined whether the compressor 25 is on, that is, whether the cooling operation is in progress (step S3). If the cooling operation is in progress, it is determined to be yes, and then the temperature data S1 of the freezer compartment 10
Is higher than the lower limit temperature TF _L (step S
4).

If it is higher, it is determined to be acceptable, and it is determined whether the electric damper 24 is open, that is, whether the cool air in the freezer compartment 10 is sent to the refrigerating compartment 20 (step S5). If the electric damper 24 is open, it is determined to be acceptable, and it is determined whether the temperature data S2 of the refrigerating compartment 20 is higher than the lower limit temperature TC _L (step S6). If it is higher, it is judged as consent, and then doors 12 and 22
It is determined whether or not is closed (step S7).

When both doors 12 and 22 are closed, the defrost heater 16 is turned off to stop the defrost operation, the compressor 25 is turned on to perform the cooling operation, and the electric fan 15 is turned on. The cold air is circulated, the electric damper 24 is opened, and the cold air is sent to the refrigerating chamber 20 (step S8). That is, the freezer room 1
0 and the cooling operation of the refrigerator 20 is started.

When at least one of both doors 12 and 22 is open, the defrost heater 16 is turned off to stop the defrost operation, the compressor 25 is turned on to perform the cooling operation, and the electric fan 15 is turned off. Then, the circulation of cold air is stopped and the electric damper 24
To send cold air to the refrigerator compartment 20 (step S9). That is, since the doors 12 and 22 are open, the electric fan 15 is stopped so that cold air does not blow out of the refrigerator.

Returning to the processing of step S3, when the compressor 25 is off, it is judged whether the temperature data S1 of the freezer compartment 10 is higher than the upper limit temperature TF _H (step S1).
0). If it is higher, it is determined as consent, and the process proceeds to the above-described step S5.

Further, in the process of step S10, when the temperature data S1 of the freezer compartment 10 is lower than the upper limit temperature TF _H , it is judged whether the electric damper 24 is opened next (step S11). It is determined whether the temperature data S2 of the chamber 20 is higher than the lower limit temperature TC _L (step S
12).

If the temperature is high, the temperatures of the freezer 10 and the refrigerator 20 are maintained at appropriate levels, so it is next judged whether the doors 12 and 22 are open (step S13). If both are closed, the defrost heater 16 and the compressor are compressed. The container 25 is turned off, the electric fan 15 is turned on, the electric damper 24 is opened, the cooling operation is stopped, and only the cool air is circulated (step S14). When at least one of the doors 12 and 22 is open, all of the defrost heater 16, the compressor 25, and the electric fan 15 are turned off to stop the cooling operation and the electric damper 2
4 is closed to stop the circulation of cold air (step S15).

Returning to step S11, when the electric damper 24 is closed, the temperature data S of the refrigerating compartment 20 is obtained.
2 is higher than the upper limit temperature TC _H (step S1
6) If it is higher, the process of step S14 is executed, and the cold air in the freezer compartment 10 is circulated to the refrigerating compartment 20 to be cooled.

In step S16, the refrigerator compartment 20
Is lower than the upper limit temperature TC _H , or the temperature of the refrigerating chamber 20 is lower than the lower limit temperature T in step S12 described above.
If it is lower than C _L, the process of step S15 is executed in all cases, and the cooling operation and the circulation of cold air are stopped.

This series of processes (steps S11 to S1)
6) is executed when it is determined in step S4 that the temperature of the freezing compartment 10 is lower than the lower limit temperature TF _L , that is, when the freezing compartment 10 is overcooled, and the cooling operation is stopped.

Next, returning to step S5 described above, when it is determined that the electric damper 24 is closed, the refrigerator compartment 20
It is determined whether the temperature data S2 of is higher than the upper limit temperature TC _H (step S17). If it is higher, the refrigerating chamber 20 is insufficiently cooled, so the process proceeds to step S7 described above.
A cooling operation is performed (step S8 or S9).

In step S17, the refrigerator compartment 20
If it is determined that the temperature data S2 of the refrigerating room 2 is lower than the upper limit temperature TC _H , or in the above-described step S6,
When it is determined that the temperature data S2 of 0 is lower than the lower limit temperature TC _L , it is then determined whether the doors 12 and 22 are closed (step S18). If both doors 12 and 22 are closed, the defrost heater 16 Off, compressor 25 on,
The electric fan 15 is turned on, the electric damper 24 is closed (step S19), and the cooling operation and the cold air circulation operation of only the freezing compartment 10 are performed. When at least one of the doors 12 and 22 is open, the defrost heater 16 is turned off and the compressor 25
Is turned on, the electric fan 15 is turned off, the electric damper 24 is closed (step S20), and only the cooling operation of the freezer compartment 10 is performed.

Next, returning to the above-mentioned step S2, the processing when it is judged that the defrosting is in progress will be described. In this case, since the defrosting mode has already been entered, it is determined whether the temperature measured by the defrosting temperature sensor 17 is higher than the predetermined temperature Td (step S21). If it is higher, it is determined that the defrosting has already ended, the defrosting heater 16 is turned off, the compressor 25 and the electric fan 15 are turned off, the electric damper 24 is closed, and the defrosting is ended (step S22).

When it is determined in step S21 that the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, it is determined that the defrosting has not ended, the defrost heater 16 is turned on, and the compressor 25 and the electric fan 1 are turned on.
5 is turned off and the electric damper 24 is closed (step S2
2) Continue the defrost mode.

Thus, steps S8, S9, S14,
When the setting operation of each device is completed in each step of S15, S19, S20, S22 or S23, the internal timer 33 of the microcomputer 31 is set to start time measurement (step S30), and the standby mode flag 32 is set to wait. The mode is entered (step S31). Since all clocks other than the internal timer 33 are stopped during the standby mode, the power consumption of the control device 30 is reduced.

When the standby mode release signal arrives during the standby mode (step S32), the standby mode flag 32 is reset and the standby mode is released (step S3).
3). The standby mode release signal is a signal generated when the internal timer 33 finishes measuring the set time. When the standby mode is released, the processes in step S2 and subsequent steps described above are executed again. By repeating this operation, the power consumption of the control device 30, especially the microcomputer 31, can be reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the internal timer 3
Although the standby mode is canceled by the method 3 described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and the standby mode can be canceled by other configurations.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing such another embodiment, in which the standby mode flag 32 is reset, that is, the standby mode is released (step S32), periodically by a signal synchronized with the commercial AC power supply. It was done like this.

That is, the voltage obtained by step-down by the transformer 40 and full-wave rectification by the rectification circuit 41 is input to the switching circuit 42 through the diode D, and its output signal P
The standby mode flag 32 is reset by inputting S to the interrupt terminal INT of the microcomputer 31.

In this embodiment, since the internal timer 33 is not used, the processing of step S30 (FIG. 5) is unnecessary, and immediately after the setting operation of each device in steps S8, S9, ... Set the flag 32 and enter standby mode (step S3
1).

Since the processing time of steps S2 to S31 is sufficiently shorter than the cycle of the output signal PS, the output signal PS does not arrive during the processing of steps S2 to S31. When it arrives once, the processing of steps S2 to S31 is given priority, and the release of the standby mode by the output signal PS (step S33) is prohibited.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing still another embodiment of releasing the standby mode, in which the standby mode flag 32 is reset, that is, the standby mode is released (step S33).
This is performed by the temperature data S1 and S2 and the door switch signals S4 and S5.

That is, the temperature data S1, S2 exceeds the upper limit temperatures TF _H , TC _H , and the lower limit temperatures TF _L , T _H.
The temperature detection circuit 50 detects that the temperature has dropped below C _L , and inputs it to the interrupt terminal INT of the microcomputer 31 via the OR circuit 51. Further, the door detection circuit 52 detects that at least one of the door switch signals S4 and S5 is switched from ON to OFF or from OFF to ON, and is input to the interrupt terminal INT of the microcomputer 31 via the OR circuit 51. . This resets the standby mode flag 32.

Also in this embodiment, step S30
The process of (FIG. 5) becomes unnecessary, and steps S8, S9, ...
After the setting operation of each device in each step of
Immediately, the standby mode flag 32 is set to enter the standby mode (step S31).

Further, in the case of this embodiment, the standby mode is not released periodically but when the temperature state or the open / closed state of the door changes, so that the microcomputer 31 operates only when necessary and the standby mode is periodically set. It is possible to further reduce the power consumption as compared with the above-described embodiment in which the cancellation of the above is performed.

[0045]

According to the present invention, the power consumption of the electric refrigerator can be significantly reduced by using the standby mode of the microcomputer constituting the control device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of an electric refrigerator to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the control device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between a change in temperature of a freezer and a cooling operation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a temperature change in a refrigerating compartment and a cooling operation.

FIG. 5 is a part of a flowchart explaining the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is another part of the flowchart for explaining the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram for generating a standby mode release signal.

FIG. 8 is another block diagram of generating a standby mode release signal.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Freezer 11 Temperature Sensor 12 Freezer Door 13 Door Switch 14 Evaporator 15 Electric Fan 16 Defrost Heater 17 Defrost Temperature Sensor 20 Refrigerator 21 Temperature Sensor 22 Refrigerator Door 23 Door Switch 24 Electric Damper 25 Compressor 30 Control Device 31 Microcomputer 32 Standby Mode Flag 33 Internal Timer 50 Temperature Detection Circuit 52 Door Detection Circuit INT Interrupt Terminal

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An operation control device for an electric refrigerator, which monitors the temperature inside the electric refrigerator, the opening and closing of a door, and the like to control the drive stop of each device such as a compressor to maintain the inside temperature in an optimum range. The operation control device is in a standby mode in which the operation clock of the internal computer is stopped after performing the drive stop control of each of the devices based on the monitoring result, and the standby mode is released based on a predetermined release signal. A characteristic control device for electric refrigerators. 2. The operation control device for an electric refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined release signal for releasing the standby mode is a set time count end signal of an internal timer. 3. The operation control device for an electric refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined release signal for releasing the standby mode is a signal synchronized with a frequency of a commercial AC power supply. 4. The operation control of an electric refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined cancellation signal for canceling the standby mode is a signal indicating a change in the inside temperature or a change in the opening / closing of the door. apparatus.