JPH109755A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance a cooling function and a deodorizing function of an interior in a refrigerator provided with an air circulation duct and an air circulation fan in addition to a cooling fan. SOLUTION: This refrigerator comprises a fan 21 which vents forcibly a cooled air into a refrigerator 17, an air circulation duct 30 provided vertically in the central part at the depth of the refrigerator, a deodorizing means 36 provided inside, an air circulation fan 31 provided in the lower part, a quick cooling zone 34 provided on the lowest stage of a cold storage 17, an air discharge hole 33 which is opened in the quick cooling zone 34, a cooled air discharge duct 23, a damper 26 which controls the amount of air with a flap, a cold storage temperature detection means and a bypass duct 35 which connects the air circulation duct 30 to the cooled air duct. Generally, the air circulation fan 31 is operated when a compressor 22 is not working. When quick cooling is required, the fan is continuously operated for a definite time. It is, therefore, possible to enhance cooling and deodorizing functions.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a forced-ventilated refrigerator provided with a blower for cooling and a blower for air circulation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a refrigerator of this type has been known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-35466. As shown in FIG. 9, reference numeral 1 denotes a refrigerator main body composed of a heat insulating material 2. A partition wall 3 defines a freezing compartment 4 at an upper portion and a refrigerator compartment 5 at a lower portion. Reference numeral 6 denotes a cooler, and 7 denotes a blower for forcibly ventilating the cool air cooled by the cooler 6 to the freezing room 4 and the refrigerating room 5, and operates in synchronization with a compressor (not shown) of a normal refrigeration cycle. It is supposed to. Reference numeral 8 denotes a glass tube type defrosting heater provided below the cooler 6 and performing a heating defrosting operation. The surface of the glass tube is coated with an adsorption type pyrolysis catalyst layer.

[0003] Reference numeral 9 denotes a cool air discharge duct for blowing cool air cooled by the cooler 6 to the refrigerating chamber 5 by the blower 7. Reference numeral 10 denotes an air circulation duct provided in the refrigerating room 5, which is provided with an air circulation blower 11 at the uppermost portion thereof, and has a honeycomb shape mainly composed of manganese oxide or the like on the windward side of the air circulation blower 11. Are provided. The air circulation blower 11 is operated when the compressor and the blower 7 are stopped.

Accordingly, during the cooling operation, that is, during the operation of the compressor and the blower 7, the air circulation blower 11 is not energized, and the freezing room 4 and the refrigerating room 5 are cooled to a predetermined temperature. During this time, the indoor odor component is adsorbed on the adsorption-type pyrolysis catalyst layer of the defrost heater 8. Thereafter, when the operation time of the compressor is accumulated for a predetermined time, the defrost heater 8 enters an energized heating state, defrosts frost adhering to the cooler 6, and heats the adsorption-type pyrolysis catalyst layer, thereby adsorbing the odor. The components are decomposed by heating and deodorized.

When the cooling operation is stopped, that is, while the compressor and the blower 7 are stopped, the deodorizing function is not performed because the cool air circulation to the defrost heater 8 is stopped, but the air circulation blower 11 in the refrigerator compartment is operated. Therefore, the odor component in the room is forcibly circulated and adsorbed to the low-temperature active catalyst 12 in the air circulation duct, and is oxidatively decomposed at a low temperature to perform a deodorizing action. As described above, since the deodorizing action can be performed regardless of the operation and stoppage of the compressor and the blower 7, the deodorizing effect can be exerted regardless of a change in conditions such as a change in the outside air temperature.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, the air circulating duct and the air circulating fan are provided separately from the cooling fan, and the deodorizing means is provided in the air circulating duct so that the deodorizing effect can be obtained. However, there was no other purpose or effect of providing the air circulation duct and the air circulation blower.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a more effective function for preserving food by enhancing the application effect of an air circulation duct and an air circulation blower. Aim.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a refrigerator main body made of a heat insulating material, a freezing room and a refrigerator room formed in the refrigerator main body, a compressor, a condenser and a cooling unit. A refrigeration cycle comprising a cooler and the like, a blower for forcibly ventilating the cool air cooled by the cooler by the operation of the refrigeration cycle to the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment, and an air circulation provided vertically in a central rear portion inside the refrigerating compartment. Duct, deodorizing means provided in a part of the air circulation duct, an air circulation blower provided at the bottom, and a quenching zone configured at the lowest stage of the refrigerator compartment facing the air circulation blower, An air discharge port opened to the quenching zone, an air intake port provided at each upper stage of the quenching zone, and a vertically spaced front end at both ends of the refrigerator compartment at a predetermined distance from the air circulation duct. A cool air discharge duct that discharges cool air from a blower, a damper device that controls an air flow by opening and closing a flap provided between the cool air discharge duct and the cooler, and a temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature of the refrigerator compartment. ,
The air circulation duct and a bypass duct that communicates the cool air discharge duct are provided, and the air circulation blower is normally operated when the compressor is stopped, and is continuously operated for a fixed time during rapid cooling. .

With the above configuration, during the cooling operation, cool air is discharged from both end portions of the inner side of each stage in the refrigerator, and both ends near the heat insulating wall having a relatively high temperature are preferentially cooled. In addition to averaging the temperature distribution in the direction, the upper and lower air is circulated by the air circulation blower through the air circulation duct, and the temperature distribution in the vertical direction of the refrigerator compartment is also averaged.
At the same time, by the deodorizing means provided in the air circulation duct,
Odor components are efficiently collected and adsorbed.

[0010] The quenching zone facing the lowermost air circulating blower has the advantage that cold air tends to stagnate and become low in temperature. The air in the refrigerator compartment is sent in a concentrated manner from the provided air inlet, and during the cooling operation, the cool air supplied from the cooler can be discharged directly from the bypass duct to the quenching zone by the air circulation blower. Is promoted.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a refrigerator having a more effective function for preserving food by enhancing the application effects of the air circulation duct, the air circulation blower and the air volume control damper device.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a refrigerator main body made of heat insulating material, a freezing room and a refrigerator room formed in the refrigerator main body, A refrigeration cycle including a compressor, a condenser, a cooler, and the like; a blower for forcibly ventilating the cool air cooled by the cooler by the operation of the refrigeration cycle to the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment; An air circulation duct provided in the vertical direction, a deodorizing means provided in a part of the air circulation duct and an air circulation blower provided at the bottom, and a lowermost stage of the refrigerator compartment facing the air circulation blower. A quenching zone configured, an air discharge port opened to the quenching zone, an air intake port provided at each stage above the quenching zone, and both end portions of the refrigerator compartment at a predetermined distance from the air circulation duct. A cool air discharge duct that discharges cool air from the blower in the vertical direction, a damper device that controls an air flow by opening and closing a flap provided between the cool air discharge duct and the cooler, and detects a temperature of the refrigerator compartment. A controller configured to include a temperature detection unit and a bypass duct that communicates the air circulation duct and the cool air discharge duct, operates the air circulation blower normally when the compressor is stopped, and continuously operates for a fixed time during rapid cooling. Refrigerator equipped. Due to such a configuration, during the cooling operation,
Cool air is discharged from both ends of the inner surface of each stage in the refrigerator, and both ends in the vicinity of the relatively high-temperature insulating wall are preferentially cooled. The upper and lower air is circulated through the air circulation duct by the circulation blower, and the vertical temperature distribution in the refrigerator compartment is also averaged. At the same time, the odor components are efficiently collected and adsorbed by the deodorizing means provided in the air circulation duct.

[0013] The quenching zone facing the lowermost air circulation blower has the advantage that cold air tends to stagnate and become low temperature. The air in the refrigerator compartment is concentrated and sent from the provided air inlet, and during the cooling operation, the cool air supplied from the cooler can be directly discharged from the bypass duct to the rapid cooling zone by the air circulation blower to promote cooling. it can.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 of the present invention comprises a damper device for air flow control having a control function of forcibly opening the flap even when the compressor is stopped in the case of rapid cooling. Item 7. A refrigerator according to Item 1. With such a configuration, in the case of quenching, even when the compressor is stopped, the damper device for controlling the air volume is in an open state, so that the air in the vicinity of the cooler is cooled by the air circulation blower through the bypass duct, and is quenched. Can be intensively attracted. For this reason, the temperature of the freezing room increases, and the operating rate of the compressor increases, so that the cooling of the rapid cooling zone can be further promoted.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the case of rapid cooling, a damper device for controlling the air volume having a control function of delaying the closing of the flap until the temperature of the refrigerator compartment becomes lower than usual is provided. Item 3. A refrigerator according to item 1 or 2. With such a configuration, in the case of rapid cooling, only the food in the rapid cooling zone can be rapidly cooled by opening the flap of the damper device until the temperature of the refrigerator compartment becomes lower than usual. In addition, the temperature distribution inside the refrigerator is averaged by the air circulation blower, and most of the cool air from the cooler can be discharged directly to the quenching zone via the bypass duct. Can be prevented from being frozen by supercooling of the stored food.

[0016]

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

(Embodiment 1) In FIG. 1 and FIG.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a refrigerator main body composed of a heat insulating material 14. The refrigerator compartment 17 is provided at the upper part by partition walls 15 and 16, and the freezer compartment 1 is provided at the center.
8. A vegetable compartment 19 is defined at the bottom. Reference numeral 20 denotes a cooler, 21 denotes a blower for forcibly ventilating the cool air cooled by the cooler 20 to each of the chambers, and 22 denotes a compressor, which is configured to operate in synchronization with the blower 21.

Reference numeral 23 denotes a cool air discharge duct for discharging the cool air forcedly blown by the blower 21 into the refrigerator compartment 17, which is provided vertically above and near both ends of the inner surface of the refrigerator compartment 17. Reference numeral 24 denotes a plurality of cool air discharge ports provided in the cool air discharge duct 23, and the cold room 1 partitioned by a shelf 25.
Openings are provided so as to correspond to a plurality of steps in the same.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a damper device provided between the cooler 20 and the cool air discharge duct 23, and controls the air flow by opening and closing a flap 27. Reference numeral 28 denotes a refrigerator temperature detecting means provided on the inner surface of the refrigerator 17. Reference numeral 29 denotes a refrigerator compartment temperature determining means for determining whether the refrigerator compartment temperature detected by the refrigerator compartment temperature detecting means 28 is within a set temperature range.

Numeral 30 denotes an air circulation duct provided vertically at the center of the back surface in the refrigerator compartment 17.
Are arranged at predetermined intervals. Reference numeral 31 denotes an air circulation blower provided at the lowermost portion in the air circulation duct 30, and sucks refrigerated indoor air from a plurality of air intake ports 32 opened in the air circulation duct 30 so as to correspond to each upper stage. , And is configured to be discharged from an air discharge port 33 opened on the front surface. Numeral 34 denotes a quenching zone formed at the lowermost stage of the refrigerator compartment 17 facing the air circulation blower 31. Reference numeral 35 denotes a bypass duct that connects the air circulation duct 30 and the cool air discharge duct 23. 3
Reference numeral 6 denotes a deodorizing means provided in the air circulation duct 30 on the windward side (upward) of the air circulation blower 31 and formed of a honeycomb-shaped low-temperature active catalyst containing, for example, manganese oxide as a main component.

Reference numeral 37 denotes a freezer compartment temperature detecting means provided in one section of the freezer compartment 18. Numeral 38 is a freezing room temperature determining means for determining whether the freezing room temperature detected by the freezing room temperature detecting means 37 is within a set temperature range.

Reference numeral 39 denotes a rapid cooling switch for forcibly operating the air circulation blower 31. Reference numeral 40 denotes a control time measuring means for measuring the rapid cooling operation time T1.

Reference numeral 41 denotes the refrigerator compartment temperature judging means 29, the freezing compartment temperature judging means 38, and the control time measuring means 4.
0 and the output of the quenching switch 39, the damper device 2
6 is a damper device control means for instructing opening and closing of the damper 6. Reference numeral 42 denotes a compressor control unit for instructing the operation of the compressor based on the output of the freezing room temperature determination unit 38. 4
3 is a freezing room temperature determining means 38 and a control time measuring means 40
And an air circulation blower control unit for instructing the operation of the air circulation blower 31 based on the output of the quenching switch 39.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. First, quench switch 3
9 is turned on (step 1), and if not, the freezing room temperature detecting means 37 detects the freezing room temperature (step 2) and the freezing room temperature determining means 3
It is determined whether the freezing room temperature is higher or lower than the on / off set temperature according to 8 (step 3). If the freezing room temperature is higher than the on set temperature, the compressor is operated by the compressor control means 42 (step 3). Step 4) At the same time, the operation of the air circulation blower 31 is stopped by the air circulation blower control means 43 (Step 5). On the other hand, when the freezing room temperature is lower than the OFF set temperature, the compressor is stopped by the compressor control means 42 (step 6), and then the air circulation blower 31 is operated by the air circulation blower control means 43 (step 6). 7). Next, the refrigerator compartment temperature detecting means 2
8, the refrigerator compartment temperature is detected (step 8), and the refrigerator compartment temperature determining means 29 determines whether the refrigerator compartment temperature is higher or lower than the set open / close temperature of the damper device 26 (step 9). That is, if the refrigerator compartment temperature is higher than the open set temperature, the damper device control means 41 opens the damper device and opens the flap 27 (step 10). On the other hand, if the refrigerator compartment temperature is lower than the closed set temperature, the damper device is closed and the flap 27 is closed (step 11).

As described above, during the cooling operation, that is, when the compressor 22 is operating, the blower 21 is also operated at the same time,
The cool air cooled by the cooler 20 is discharged from the cool air discharge port 24 through the cool air discharge duct 23 to the vicinity of both ends in the refrigerator compartment 17. For this reason, cooling near the both ends in the room where the poor temperature distribution due to the heat balance with the outside air near the heat insulating wall is a problem is promoted, and the temperature in the left-right direction of each stage divided by the plurality of shelves 25 is averaged. Be transformed into

On the other hand, when the compressor 22 is stopped, the blower 21 is also stopped, but at the same time as the stop, the air circulation blower 31 is operated, and refrigeration is performed through the air suction ports 32 provided at each stage except the lowermost stage of the refrigeration chamber 17. Inhalation of indoor air and air circulation duct 30
The cool air circulating action of ventilating the inside downward and discharging intensively to the rapid cooling zone from the air discharge port 33 opened at the lowermost stage via the deodorizing means 36 is repeated. Therefore, the deodorizing means 36
The adsorption efficiency to the air is increased, the deodorization is promoted by the oxidative decomposition action of the low-temperature active catalyst, and at the same time, the refrigerated indoor air is discharged with a small resistance into the quenching zone 34 facing the air circulation blower 31 to quickly store the stored food. Can be cooled. As described above, since the air circulation action in the refrigerator compartment by the air circulation blower 31 is mainly performed when the compressor 22 is stopped, the air circulation action does not hinder the cooling action performed during the compressor operation. Over time, and the storage quality of the food can be stably maintained.

Next, when the quenching switch 39 is turned on in step 1, the control time measuring means 40 starts measuring the driving time of the air circulation blower 31 regardless of the operating state of the compressor 22 (step 12). ), Constant drive time T1
It is determined whether there is a remaining time for (step 13)
However, while there is remaining time, the air circulation blower control means 43
With this, the air circulation blower 31 is continuously operated (step 14). Thereafter, the control from step 8 to step 10 is performed as in the case where the rapid cooling switch 39 is not turned on.

Therefore, during operation of the compressor 22, the cooler 2
Most of the cold air cooled at 0 is drawn from the bypass duct 35 to the air circulation blower and discharged directly to the quenching zone 34, so that the stored food can be cooled more rapidly, as well as quenched. The food stored in each stage other than the zone 34 can be cooled by the remaining cold air not drawn into the bypass duct 35, so that there is no fear of a temperature rise or the like. Therefore, the deterioration of quality due to temperature is suppressed, the food can be quickly dealt with, and it can be used for preparation for cooking such as heat removal of food, which is of high practical value.

(Embodiment 2) In this embodiment, in the case of rapid cooling, a damper device for controlling the air flow having a control function of forcibly opening the flap even when the compressor is stopped is provided. Since the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the configuration will be omitted, and its operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 5, it is first determined whether or not the rapid cooling switch 39 is turned on (step 1). When the quenching switch 39 is not turned on, the same control as in the first embodiment is performed.
Irrespective of the operating state of the air conditioner, the control time measuring means 40 starts time measurement of the drive time of the air circulation blower 31 (step 12), and determines whether there is a remaining time for a certain drive time T1 (step 13). During this period, the air circulation blower control means 43 continuously operates the air circulation blower 31 (step 14). Next, it is checked whether or not the compressor is operating by the compressor control means 42 (step 15). If the compressor 22 is not operating, the damper device control means 41 opens the damper device and the flap 27 (Step 16), and then return to step 1 again. On the other hand, when the compressor 22 is operating in Step 15, the control in Steps 8 to 10 is performed.

Thus, the quenching instruction causes the compressor 22
Is stopped, the damper device 26 for controlling the air volume is forcibly opened, so that the cool air near the cooler 20 is rapidly cooled by the air circulation blower 31 via the bypass duct 35. It is possible to concentrate on the zone 34. Further, the temperature of the freezing compartment 18 rises by inducing the cool air near the cooler 20, and the operation of the compressor 22 is promoted, so that the cooling speed can be increased.

(Embodiment 3) In this embodiment, in the case of rapid cooling, a damper device for air flow control having a function of delaying closing of the flap until the temperature of the refrigerator becomes lower than usual is provided. Since the configuration is the same as that of the first or second embodiment, a description of the configuration will be omitted, and its operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 7, first, it is determined whether or not the rapid cooling switch 39 is turned on (step 1). When the quenching switch 39 is not turned on, the first or second embodiment is used.
However, when the compressor is turned on, the control time measuring means 40
Then, the time measurement of the drive time of the air circulation blower 31 is started (step 12), and it is determined whether or not there is a remaining time with respect to a certain drive time T1 (step 13). With this, the air circulation blower 31 is continuously operated (step 14). Next, the refrigerating room temperature detecting means 28 detects the refrigerating room temperature (step 17), and the refrigerating room temperature determining means 29 determines how high or low the refrigerating room temperature is with respect to the set opening / closing temperature of the damper device. Is determined (step 18). Then, if the refrigerator compartment temperature is higher than the set open temperature, the damper device control means 41 opens the damper device (step 19). On the other hand, if the refrigerator compartment temperature is lower than the preset normal closing temperature, the damper device is closed (step 20), and the process returns to step 1 again.

As described above, in the case of rapid cooling, the flap 2 of the damper device 26 is kept until the temperature in the refrigerator becomes lower than usual.
By delaying closing of 7, the amount of cool air blown to the refrigerator compartment can be increased, the temperature distribution in the refrigerator can be averaged by the air circulation blower 31, and most of the cool air Can be directly discharged to the quenching zone 34 via the bypass duct 35, so that freezing due to supercooling of the food stored in each stage of the refrigerator compartment 17 other than the quenching zone 34 can be prevented.

[0035]

As is apparent from the above embodiment, according to the first aspect of the present invention, during operation of the compressor and the blower,
In other words, during the cooling operation, cool air is discharged from both ends of the inner surface of each stage in the refrigerator compartment, and both ends near the relatively high-temperature insulating wall are preferentially cooled, so that the temperature distribution in the horizontal direction of each stage of the refrigerator compartment is averaged. At the same time, the upper and lower air is circulated through the air circulation duct by the air circulation blower, and the vertical temperature distribution in the refrigerator compartment is also averaged. At the same time, odor components are efficiently collected by the deodorizing means installed in the air circulation duct.
Adsorbed.

The quenching zone facing the lowermost air circulation blower has the advantage that the cold air tends to stagnate and the temperature tends to be low. The air in the refrigerator compartment is concentrated and sent from the provided air inlet, and in the cooling operation, the cool air supplied from the cooler is discharged from the bypass duct directly to the quenching zone by the air circulation blower to promote cooling. Can be.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the case of rapid cooling, the damper device for controlling the air volume having a control function of forcibly opening the flap even when the compressor is stopped is provided. In addition, the cool air near the cooler can be intensively led to the rapid cooling zone via the bypass duct by the air circulation blower. For this reason, the temperature of the freezing room increases, and the operating rate of the compressor increases, so that the cooling of the rapid cooling zone can be further promoted.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the case of rapid cooling, the damper device for controlling the air flow having a control function of delaying the closing of the flap until the temperature of the refrigerator becomes lower than usual is provided. Only the food in the quenching zone can be rapidly cooled. In addition, the air circulation blower averages the temperature distribution in the refrigerator and allows most of the cool air from the cooler to be discharged directly to the quenching zone via the bypass duct. It is possible to prevent the food stored in each stage of the chamber from being frozen by supercooling.

Accordingly, the present invention has a high practical value, such as suppressing deterioration of food quality due to temperature, being able to respond quickly to edible use, and being able to be used for preparation for cooking, such as removing the heat of food.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view and a control block diagram of the same.

FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of the refrigerator showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart of the same.

FIG. 5 is a control flowchart of a refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart of the same.

FIG. 7 is a control flowchart of a refrigerator in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart of the same.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional refrigerator.

[Explanation of symbols]

 13 Refrigerator body 14 Insulation material 17 Refrigerator room 18 Freezer room 20 Cooler 21 Blower 22 Compressor 23 Cold air discharge duct 26 Damper device 28 Refrigerator room temperature detecting means 30 Air circulation duct 31 Air circulation blower 32 Air suction port 33 Air discharge port 34 Rapid cooling zone 35 Bypass duct 36 Deodorizing means

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator main body made of a heat insulating material, a freezing room and a refrigerator room formed in the refrigerator main body, a compressor,
A refrigeration cycle including a condenser and a cooler, and a blower for forcibly ventilating the cool air cooled by the cooler by the operation of the refrigeration cycle to the freezing room and the refrigerating room. The air circulation duct provided, deodorizing means provided in a part of the air circulation duct, an air circulation blower provided at the bottom, and a lowermost stage of the refrigerator compartment facing the air circulation blower. A quenching zone, an air discharge port opened to the quenching zone,
An air intake port provided at each upper stage of the quenching zone, and a cool air discharge duct that discharges cool air from the blower in a vertical direction to both end portions of the refrigerator compartment at a predetermined interval from the air circulation duct, A damper device for controlling an air volume by opening and closing a flap provided between the cool air discharge duct and the cooler, a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of the refrigerator compartment, and communicating the air circulation duct with the cool air discharge duct And a control device configured to operate the air circulation blower during normal operation when the compressor is stopped, and to continuously operate the air circulation blower during quenching for a certain period of time. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a damper device for controlling the air flow having a control function of forcibly opening the flap even when the compressor is stopped in the case of rapid cooling. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising an air volume control damper device having a control function of delaying closing of the flap until the temperature of the refrigerating compartment becomes lower than usual in the case of rapid cooling.