JPH07310978A - Controller for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a refrigerator in which temperature control is correctly achieved and which is operated at a low cost and with low power consumption, and ensure high reliability. CONSTITUTION:For a thermostat in a casing 7 of a controller of a refrigerator and a defrosting timer for an evaporator 8, the thermostat and the timer are arranged in contact with each other through a thermal conductor, the thermostat is located in the vicinity of the timer on the upper portion of the same, and the thermostat and the timer are accomodated in a casing. Hereby, utilizing heat production from the timer that serves to start to remove frost adhering to the evaporator routinely, the heat is transmitted to a thermostat body thereby dispensing with a heater which has heretofore been necessary for the compensation of a detected temperature displacement produced by cooling the thermostat body, and hence power saving, low cost, and high reliability are ensured.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator in which a thermostat is used to adjust the temperature and a timer is used to periodically defrost the evaporator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional example will be described with reference to FIGS.

Reference numeral 1 is a refrigerator body, and 2 and 3 are compartments having different temperatures, that is, a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment, respectively. 4 is a thermostat for controlling the temperature inside the chamber, 6
Is a heater for heating the main body of the thermostat 4, and reference numeral 4a is a thermostat temperature sensing part, which is installed in the refrigerator. Reference numeral 5 is a timer that periodically starts defrosting the frost attached to the evaporator 8, and is installed separately in the case 7 together with the thermostat 4 in the previous period. The case 7 is arranged in the center of the back of the refrigerator 3. In such a structure, the body of the thermostat 4 is cooled because it is inside the refrigerating chamber, and the temperature sensed by the thermostat temperature sensing unit 4a deviates from the set value. Therefore, by installing the heater 6 in the body of the thermostat 4, the thermostat 4
By raising the temperature of the main body to room temperature, keeping the temperature sensed by the thermostat temperature sensing unit 4a at a preset value, and turning the thermostat 4 on and off correctly, the temperature inside the refrigerator is accurately controlled. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-203782 discloses a conventional example of this type in which a thermostat main body having a constantly low temperature is warmed using a heater to perform temperature compensation.

[0004]

In the conventional example, a heater for warming the thermostat main body is required, which causes a problem that cost and power consumption increase.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to improve the drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention installs the timer in direct contact with the thermostat body, or installs the timer in the thermostat body via a heat conductor. The thermostat main body is placed on top of the timer, or the timer and thermostat main body are sealed in a case.

[0006]

The present invention utilizes the fact that a timer for defrosting periodically is energized to generate heat, and the heat generated by the timer is transmitted to the thermostat body. Therefore, the thermostat main body is warmed, and the deviation of the temperature sensed by the heat sensitive unit can be eliminated, so that the inside of the refrigerator can be maintained at the correct set temperature.

[0007]

EXAMPLES Four examples of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same components are designated by the same reference numerals. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerator accommodating the fourth embodiment,
2 to 5 are detailed views of the four embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the control unit case of the four embodiments.

First, the structure of a refrigerator accommodating an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 1 is a refrigerator main body, and 2 and 3 are compartments having different temperatures, that is, a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment, respectively. 8 is an evaporator for cooling the interior,
A fan motor 9 circulates cool air. The air cooled by the evaporator 8 is transmitted through the cool air discharge passage 10 by the fan motor 9, cools the refrigerating chamber 3, and returns from the cool air return passage 11. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, reference numeral 7 is a case that houses a thermostat 4 for controlling the temperature inside the refrigerator, a timer 5, and the like, and constitutes a control unit. Here, in the case 7, the thermostat temperature sensing part 4 a is housed in the slit case 7 b apart from the thermostat 4. As shown in FIG. 6, the bottom surface of the slit case 7b is provided with a slit 7a so that the air in the refrigerator sufficiently enters and the thermosensitive part of the thermostat can detect the correct refrigerator temperature.

The first embodiment of the present invention will now be described.
This will be described with reference to FIG. As mentioned above, it is necessary for the thermostat temperature sensing section 4a to sufficiently contact the air in the refrigerator,
This means that the thermostat 4 is also cooled with cold air at the same time. Normally, the thermostat 4 is turned on / off at a predetermined temperature when the temperature of only the heat-sensitive part changes at room temperature.
Since it is turned off, when the body of the thermostat 4 is cooled, there arises a problem that the operating temperature deviates from a predetermined value. Therefore, the timer 5 is placed in contact with the thermostat 4 to raise the temperature of the main part of the thermostat 4. That is, since the timer 5 uses electric parts such as a motor, it is energized and generates heat. This heat is transmitted to the thermostat 4 to warm the main body and eliminate the deviation of the operating temperature of the thermostat 4. Here, heat transfer includes all of heat transfer by contact and heating of surrounding air.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows that the heat generated by the timer 5 is transmitted to the thermostat 4 via the heat conductor 12. In this case, it is not necessary to place the timer 5 and the thermostat 4 in contact with each other, and there is no restriction on the component layout. This is advantageous for downsizing, etc., and has the effect of improving the internal volume. By the way, the heat conductor 12 referred to here may be an aluminum tape, a metal material such as an iron plate, or a plastic having high heat conductivity. If possible, timer 5 as shown in Fig. 1
The heat transfer coefficient is further improved by bringing the thermostat into contact with the thermostat.

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the heat generated by the timer 5 is used more efficiently by arranging the main body of the thermostat 4 on the upper part. This is because the air warmed by the heat generation of the timer 5 rises upward, so that the air can be effectively used. Here, in FIG. 4, the timer 5 and the thermostat 4 are installed separately from each other. However, the timer 5 and the thermostat 4 are placed in direct contact with each other as shown in FIG.
It goes without saying that it is possible to combine them with.

Finally, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this example, the timer 5 and the thermostat 4 are sealed in the same timer / thermostat case 13. The timer / thermostat case 13 uses a heat conductor so that the heat of the timer 5 is transferred to the thermostat 4
Since the timer / thermostat case 13 is sufficiently smaller than the case 7, the internal temperature rises and the effect can be improved by sealing the timer / thermostat case 13. Further, common wirings to the timer 5 and the thermostat 4 can be connected in the timer / thermostat case 13, and reliability can be improved and cost can be reduced by reducing external wirings.

As described above, according to the present invention, the temperature compensating heater of the thermostat for accurately controlling the temperature inside the refrigerator is not required, and there is an effect that power saving, cost reduction and reliability improvement can be achieved. .

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, conventionally,
In order to keep the sensed temperature of the thermostat that controls the internal temperature at a set value, a heater was installed to keep the thermostat body warm and keep it at room temperature.However, the heater is removed by transmitting the heat generated by the timer to the thermostat body. Therefore, there is an effect that power saving and cost reduction can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerator accommodating an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the inside of a case (control unit) in which a thermostat, a timer and the like for controlling the temperature and the like of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention are installed.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the inside of a case (control unit) in which a thermostat, a timer and the like for controlling the temperature and the like of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention are installed.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the inside of a case (control unit) in which a thermostat, a timer and the like for controlling the temperature and the like of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention are installed.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the inside of a case (control unit) in which a thermostat, a timer and the like for controlling the temperature and the like of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention are installed.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the case of FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a refrigerator accommodating a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the inside of a case (control unit) in which a thermostat, a timer and the like of the same refrigerator of the related art are installed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Refrigerator body, 2 ... Freezer room, 3 ... Refrigerator room, 4 ... Thermostat, 4a ... Thermostat temperature sensing part, 5 ... Timer, 6 ... Heater, 7 ... Case, 7a ... Slit, 7b ... Slit case, 8 ... Evaporation Container, 9 ... Fan motor, 10 ... Cold air discharge passageway, 11 ... Cold air return passageway, 12 ... Heat conductor, 13 ... Timer / thermostat case.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator having a thermostat for controlling the temperature inside the refrigerator and a timer for periodically starting defrosting of frost adhering to the evaporator, wherein the timer is arranged in contact with the thermostat body. Characteristic refrigerator control unit. 2. The control unit of the refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the timer is in contact with the thermostat body via a heat conductor. 3. The control unit for a refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a thermostat body is arranged near the upper part of the timer. 4. The control unit of the refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the timer and the thermostat body are sealed in the same case.