JPS6132310Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a timer device for a refrigerator, and is particularly designed to be able to send out a test time signal.

Refrigerators are generally equipped with a timer device because it is necessary to generate various time signals in order to properly operate the cooling device and the like depending on operating conditions. However, when performing operation tests in the manufacturing process of refrigerators, for example, the conventional method is to generate the necessary time signals by operating a timer device under actual usage conditions, and to ensure that related equipment responds correctly to each time signal. The decision was made to decide whether or not to do so.

However, in this case, a large amount of time is required to test the response operation of a device using a long time signal, and there is a waste of time when performing an operation test.

In consideration of the above points, the present invention makes it possible to generate a short time signal that is sufficiently shortened compared to the length of the time signal during actual use as a test time signal necessary for operation tests, and thus The purpose of this paper is to propose a timer device that can perform a highly efficient operation test of a refrigerator.

An example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings below.
In FIG. 1, 1 is a timer circuit, which is formed using the memory of an arithmetic processing circuit 2 having a microcomputer configuration.

In this embodiment, the timer circuit 1 generates time signals T ₁ , T ₂ , T ₃ and T ₄ having lengths and modes as required to realize four functions as shown in FIG. 2 during actual use. do.

The first time signal _T1 is a time signal related to the "quick freezing" operation, and when the user presses the quick freezing switch provided on the operation panel of the refrigerator body, the timer circuit 1 generates the output pulse of the reference pulse generating circuit 3. , and generates a time signal T ₁ that is logic "1" for, for example, 1 to 3 hours. This time signal _T1 is applied to the compressor drive circuit of the cooling device, so that the freezer compartment cooler can perform a continuous cooling operation for 1 to 3 hours to freeze the freezer compartment. Here is the quick freezing time
T ₁ is the frequency variable element 3A of the reference pulse generator 3
By adjusting the amount, the user can select according to the ingredients and quantity of food stored in the freezer.

The second time signal _T2 is a time signal related to the "temperature display" operation, and the reference pulse generation circuit 4 uses the temperature detection output of a temperature sensor installed in the refrigerator and freezer compartment.
By counting the output pulses of the timer circuit 1, the output pulses are sequentially read into the data memory of the arithmetic processing circuit 2 at scheduled time intervals, for example, at 5-minute intervals, and the eight temperature detection data along with the past seven temperature detection data are The average value is calculated and displayed on a temperature display separately provided on the surface of the refrigerator body.

The third time signal _T3 is a time signal related to the "restart prevention" operation, and when the compressor of the refrigeration system stops, the timer circuit 1 generates a time signal T3 for a scheduled time, e.g., 5 minutes, based on the output pulses of the pulse generator 4. ₃
is generated, and this time signal _T3 inhibits the restart of the compressor for this scheduled time, so that the restart is made after waiting for the pressure drop at the output end of the compressor that occurs during this time, This prevents the compressor motor from burning out due to overload.

The fourth time signal T ₄ is a time signal related to the "refrigeration room no control detection" operation, and the timer circuit 1 generates this time signal T ₄ when the refrigerator room is cooled and schedules it based on the output pulse of the pulse generation circuit 4. When the cooler in the refrigerator compartment performs a cooling operation continuously for a period of time, for example, 8 hours, this is detected after 8 hours have elapsed to determine whether an uncontrolled state has occurred. By the way, if there is a large amount of refrigerated food in the refrigerator, before the temperature in the room has dropped to the expected refrigeration temperature and the cooler has stopped operating, frost will build up on the cooler, reducing the cooling capacity and lowering the temperature in the refrigerator. However, in this state, it is no longer possible to control the refrigerator compartment cooler, so it is detected after 8 hours by the fourth time signal _T4 and, for example, a warning is sent to the user. do.

The timer circuit 1 simulatively generates time signals T ₁ to _{T 4} in response to the selection signal A ₁ or A ₂ being input from the test terminal W ₁ or W ₂ . During actual use, the test terminals W ₁ and W ₂ receive the voltage of the power supply V _cc as a logic "1" signal through high resistances R ₁ and R ₂ , and thus, as described above, the timer circuit 1
Time signals T ₁ to _{T 4} having the length and manner shown in the "Actual Use Time" column in the figure are generated.

On the other hand, during testing, test terminal W ₁ or
By connecting W ₂ to ground terminal X ₁ or X ₂ ,
A ground voltage is applied to the test terminal W ₁ or W ₂ as a logic “0” signal. At this time, timer circuit 1 operates as follows.

First, when the first test terminal W ₁ is connected to the ground terminal X ₁ , the timer circuit 1 enters the operating state for testing the "temperature display" function, as shown in the column "First test terminal W ₁ " in FIG. . This "temperature display" function is executed by the timer 11, which can equivalently be expressed in a block diagram as shown in FIG. 3, according to the procedure shown in FIG.

Timer 11 is temperature detection timer set condition circuit 1
The output pulse of the reference pulse generator 4 is received by the operation changeover switch 13 on the condition that the permission signal _C2 has arrived for the reference pulse generator 4. The operation changeover switch 13 is switched from the actual use contact a to the test contact b when the first test terminal _W1 is connected to the ground terminal _X1 . The test contact b is directly connected to the output circuit 14, whereas the actual use contact a is connected to the 5-minute counter 15 and its output is given to the output circuit 14.

In the configurations of FIGS. 1 and ₃ , the arithmetic processing circuit 2 moves from the start state of step S ₁ to step S ₂ as shown in FIG. If the answer is yes, the process moves to step _S3 , where it is determined whether the first test terminal _W1 is grounded. If the result is affirmative, it means that the operation selector switch 13 has been switched to the test contact b side, so the process moves to the next step _S4 , where the time signal _T2 is sent from the output circuit 14, and the process proceeds to step _S5 . and the program ends.

On the other hand, if the result in step _S3 is negative, it means that the operation changeover switch 13 has been switched to the actually used contact a side, so the process moves to step _S6 and the 5-minute counter 15 is started to count. Regarding this counting state, it is determined in step _S7 whether 5 minutes have elapsed or not, and if the answer is negative, the process returns to step _S6 and the 5-minute counter 15 is operated to count again. If a positive judgment result is obtained in step _S7 , a time signal is output in step _S4 .
The program ends by sending T ₂ .

On the other hand, if it is determined in step _S2 that the permission signal _C2 has not arrived at the conditional circuit 12, the program moves to step _S5 and ends.

In this way, the output circuit 14 outputs the time signal T ₂
is sent, the arithmetic processing circuit 2 separately reads the temperature detection signals of the refrigerator and freezer compartments into the memory, takes the arithmetic mean of the seven temperature detection data that have already been read, and displays the result on the temperature display. give. Thus, during actual use, the average temperature is displayed on the temperature display at 5-minute intervals via the operation of the 5-minute counter 15 in step _S6 , whereas during testing, the average temperature is displayed directly from step _S3 to step _S4 . The average temperature will be displayed immediately.

Therefore, an operation test of the temperature display system can be performed in a very short time.

Next, when the second test terminal W ₂ is connected to the ground terminal X ₂ , the timer circuit 1 performs "quick freezing" and "restart prevention" as shown in the "Second Test Terminal W ₂ " column in FIG. , it will be in an operating state to test the "refrigeration room uncontrolled detection" function.

Here, the "quick freezing" function is executed according to the procedure shown in FIG. 6 by a timer 21 as shown in FIG. 5, equivalently corresponding to FIG. 3.

Timer 21 is quick freezing timer set condition circuit 2
The operation changeover switch 23 receives the output pulse of the reference pulse generation circuit 3 on the condition that the permission signal _C1 has arrived for the reference pulse generation circuit 3. The operation changeover switch 23 is switched from the actual use contact a to the test contact b when the second test terminal _W2 is connected to the ground terminal _X2 . The actually used contact a is connected to a counter 24 for 1 to 3 hours, and its output is given to an output circuit 25. On the other hand, test contact b is connected to a 5-15 second counter 26 and its output is given to an output circuit 25.

In the configurations of FIGS. 1 and 5, the arithmetic processing circuit 2 starts from the start state of step _S11 .
Moving on to _S12 , quick freezing timer set condition circuit 22
It is determined whether or not the permission signal _C1 has been applied to the terminal, and when it is affirmative, the process moves to step _S13 and it is determined whether or not the second test terminal _W2 is grounded. If the result is affirmative, it means that the operation changeover switch 23 has been switched to the test contact b side, and the process moves to the next step _S14 , where the 5-15 second counter 26 is operated to count. Regarding this counting state, it is determined in step _S15 whether 5 to 15 seconds have elapsed or not, and if the answer is negative, the process returns to step _S14 and the 5 to 15 second counter 26 is operated to count again. Eventually, if the result of the judgment in step _S15 is affirmative, the time signal _T1 is sent out in step _S16 , and the program ends in step _S17 .

On the other hand, if the result in step _S13 is negative, it means that the operation selector switch 23 has been switched to the actually used contact a side, so the step S13 is negative.
Proceeding to _S18 , the counter 24 is operated for 1 to 3 hours. Steps for this count state
In _S19 , it is determined whether 1 to 3 hours have elapsed, and if the answer is negative, the process returns to step _S18 and the counter 24 is again operated for 1 to 3 hours. If a positive judgment result is obtained in step ^S19 , the time signal _T1 is sent out in step _S16 , and the program ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step _S12 that the permission signal _C1 has not arrived at the conditional circuit 22, the program moves to step _S17 and ends.

In this way, the output circuit 25 outputs the time signal T ₁
When the liquid is delivered, the arithmetic processing circuit 2 separately drives the compressor of the cooling device to operate the freezer compartment cooler to continuously freeze the freezer compartment. Thus, during actual use, the timer 21 causes continuous freezing for 1 to 3 hours in step _S18 , but during testing, the timer 21 shortens the actual use time to 1/720 and tests the freezing operation of the freezer compartment. be able to.

In addition, the "restart prevention" function is equivalently implemented by a timer 31 as shown in FIG. 7 corresponding to FIG. During a test instead of a counting operation, the output circuit 34 is instantaneously operated to send out a "time signal" _T3 . Therefore, a test for restarting the compressor after it has been stopped can be carried out in a short period of time.

Furthermore, the "refrigerator room uncontrolled detection" function is implemented by using a timer 41 as shown in FIG. 8 in correspondence with FIG. At the time of testing instead of operation, the uncontrolled detection operation of the refrigerator compartment can be tested using the 8-second counter 46, which shortens the time during actual use to 1/3600.

In the above description, two test terminals are provided for the timer circuit 1 so that four functions can be selected, but the number of test terminals can be increased or decreased as needed based on the number of functions to be tested. be able to. Also, although the test terminal is connected to ground, the point is that it is sufficient to apply a selection signal to the selected test terminal.

As described above, according to the present invention, in addition to the time measured during actual use, a timer with a shortened time is provided, and the shortened time is selected during testing. A timer device that can quickly test the operation of refrigerator equipment that responds to time signals can be easily realized.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic system diagram showing an example of a refrigerator timer device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining its functions, Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the "temperature display" timer, and Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining its operation, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the "quick freezing" timer of FIG. 2, FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining its operation, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are
The figure is a block diagram showing the "restart prevention" timer and the "refrigeration room uncontrolled detection" timer of FIG. 2. 1...Timer circuit, 2...Arithmetic processing circuit, 3,
4...Reference pulse generator, 11, 21, 31, 4
1...Timer, 14, 25, 34, 45...Output circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a refrigerator timer device that is configured to generate a time signal of a predetermined length of time from the establishment of a corresponding condition related to each function of the refrigerator to control the corresponding equipment of the refrigerator, a first timer device for actual use is provided. and a second measuring time for testing, which is a shortened first measuring time, corresponding to the above functions;
A timer device for a refrigerator, comprising: a selection means for generating a time signal corresponding to the second clock time, and causing the timer to generate a time signal corresponding to the second clock time during the test.