JPS6238204Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (a) Field of the invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator equipped with a humidifier that humidifies the inside of the refrigerator, and in particular, an operation control device that operates the humidifier with a delay from the operation and stop of the cooler. Regarding refrigerators equipped with

(b) Prior art and its problems Conventionally, in refrigerators such as refrigerated cases for storing foods such as Western sweets and fruits and vegetables, it is necessary to keep the food at low temperatures and high humidity to prevent drying and wilting. However, between 80% and 90%, the amount of moisture loss from the product (the amount of mass lost due to evaporation of water over a given period of time) is approximately halved, so it is extremely important to maintain high humidity.

Here, when we examine the humidity inside the refrigerated case, we find that during defrosting when the cooling operation is stopped, the dew from the cooler installed inside the refrigerator is returned to the inside of the refrigerator.
Humidity rises to around 90%, but during cooling operation, water vapor inside the refrigerator adheres to the low-temperature cooler, making it impossible to maintain high humidity, and the humidity inside the refrigerator is dehumidified to around 60%. Therefore, the humidity inside the refrigerator changes along with the temperature inside the refrigerator when the cooling operation is started or stopped. For example, the humidity inside the refrigerator decreases with the cooling operation, and once it reaches a certain humidity, it maintains approximately that humidity thereafter. Moreover, when the cooling operation is stopped, the humidity inside the refrigerator gradually increases. As mentioned above, the humidity inside the refrigerator repeats rises and falls, but the changes from rise to fall or from decline to rise do not occur at the same time as cooling operation starts or stops, but after cooling operation has started. To some extent ( For example, it takes 2 to 4 minutes), so the change in the humidity inside the refrigerator is delayed by that amount from the start and stop of the cooling operation and the decrease and rise in the temperature inside the refrigerator.

Therefore, during the cooling operation, the humidity inside the refrigerator decreases, so that the moisture in the food stored in the refrigerator evaporates, causing the food to dry and deteriorate in quality.

(c) Purpose of the invention The purpose of the invention is to maintain the humidity inside a refrigerated storage case at a substantially constant level of high humidity, to prevent the food stored in the refrigerator from drying out and wilting, and to maintain the quality of the food for a long time. It is to maintain the condition.

(d) Key points of the invention In an operation control device for a refrigerator equipped with a humidifier that humidifies the inside of the refrigerator, a first timer device that causes the humidifier to operate after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after starting the cooling operation; and a second timer device that stops the humidifier after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the humidifier is stopped, and the humidifier is operated from the start and stop of the cooling operation,
A refrigerator operation control device that delays stopping.

(e) Embodiment of the invention An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The refrigerator operation control device A includes a compressor control circuit B that controls the operation of a compressor (not shown) and a humidifier control circuit C. A series circuit consisting of a defrost timer switch 3, a temperature regulator (hereinafter referred to as a thermoswitch) 4, and an electromagnetic coil 5 connected between the two, and a fan that is constantly operated to provide ventilation to the cooler (not shown). A series circuit of a blower F equipped with a normally open switch 5S of the electromagnetic coil 5, a compressor electromagnetic switch 6, and a control unit (hereinafter referred to as (referred to as the first timer)
It consists of T ₁ . Also, humidification control circuit C
For example, the timer normally open switch T ₁ S of the first timer device D connected between the power supply terminals 7 and 8 that supplies a single-phase 100V AC voltage, and an ultrasonic humidifier, for example.
A series circuit with the humidifier 9 that evaporates water by energizing the electric heater, the first normally closed switch _5B1 of the electromagnetic coil 5, and the control unit of the second timer device E such as a cycle timer (hereinafter referred to as the second timer) ) T ₂
and the second normally closed switch 5B ₂ of the electromagnetic coil 5 connected in parallel to the normally open switch T ₁ S.
and a normally closed switch T ₂ S of the second timer device E.

The operation of the refrigerator operation control device will be described below.

When the thermo switch 4 closes while the defrost timer 3 is closed, the electromagnetic coil 5 and the first timer T ₁
is energized, the normally open switch _5S1 is closed, the compressor electromagnetic switch 6 is energized, and the compressor starts operating. Moreover, the first and second normally closed switches 5
B ₁ and 5B ₂ are opened, and the first timer T ₁ starts counting when the first timer T ₁ is energized. When the first predetermined time T1 (for example _, 2 minutes) _T1 has elapsed and the first timer _T1 outputs an output, the timer normally open switch _T1S is closed and the humidifier 9 is energized. Note that during the first predetermined time _T2 , the temperature of the cooler (not shown) has not decreased, so there is no frost on the cooler and the inside of the refrigerator is kept at high humidity. The interior of the refrigerator is humidified by energizing the humidifier 9, and even if the temperature inside the refrigerator decreases due to the cooling operation, the temperature inside the refrigerator is maintained at a high humidity. When time passes and the temperature inside the refrigerator reaches time t ₂ , it drops to the lower limit temperature.
The thermo switch 4 is opened, and the electromagnetic coil 5 and the first timer _T1 are de-energized. When the electromagnetic coil 5 is de-energized, the normally open switch _5S1 is opened, the compressor electromagnetic switch 6 is de-energized, and the operation of the compressor is stopped. Further, the first and second normally closed switches 5B ₁ and 5B ₂ are closed, and the second timer T ₂ is energized and starts counting. At this time, the second timer
The normally closed switch T ₂ S of T ₂ remains closed, and the humidifier 9 is continuously energized via the second normally closed switch 5B ₂ and the normally closed switch T ₂ S to humidify the inside of the refrigerator. The inside of our warehouse is kept at high humidity. Also, the first timer T ₁
When the power is de-energized, the timer normally open switch T ₁ S opens. After the thermo switch 4 opens and the second timer _T2 starts counting, when the second predetermined time _T2 (for example, 4 minutes) has elapsed and the time _t3 arrives, the cooling operation is delayed and the second timer _T2 starts counting. counts up and outputs it to the normally closed switch T ₂ S, and then
T ₂ S is opened, the humidifier 9 is de-energized, and humidification in the refrigerator is stopped. At this time, the temperature of the cooler (not shown) has increased due to the stoppage of the cooling operation, so even if the humidifier 9 stops operating, the frost adhering to the cooler will be removed by forced ventilation by the blower F. When it melts and starts re-evaporation, the moisture is returned to the inside of the refrigerator, and the humidity inside the refrigerator is maintained at a high level.

When the predetermined time _T3 elapses and the time _t4 arrives and the internal temperature reaches the upper limit temperature, the thermoswitch 4 senses the temperature and closes. When the thermo switch 4 is closed, the electromagnetic coil 5 and the first timer T ₁ are activated as described above.
is energized, the normally open switch _5S1 is closed, the compressor electromagnetic switch 6 is energized, and cooling operation is started. Also, the first normally closed switch 5B1 is open and the second normally closed switch _5B1 is open.
timer _T2 becomes de-energized. When the first predetermined time T ₁ has elapsed since the first timer T ₁ was energized and the time t ₅ comes, the timer normally open switch T ₁ S is closed by the output of the first timer T ₁ and the humidifier 9 is closed. The humidifier 9 starts humidifying the inside of the refrigerator, and the inside of the refrigerator continues to be kept at high humidity. Thereafter, operations similar to those described above are repeated as time passes.

Furthermore, if the defrost switch 3 is opened while the thermo switch 4 is closed and cooling operation is being performed,
The electromagnetic coil 5 and the first timer T ₁ are de-energized, the cooling operation is stopped, the first and second normally closed contacts 5B ₁ and 5B ₂ are closed, and the second timer T ₂ is energized. After starting counting, the humidifier 9 is energized for a predetermined period of time via the second normally closed switch 5B ₂ and the timer normally closed switch T ₂ S to humidify the inside of the refrigerator. When a predetermined period of time has elapsed and the second timer T ₂ outputs an output, the timer normally closed switch T ₂ S opens and the humidification operation is stopped.

Therefore, the humidifying operation inside the refrigerator is stopped after a predetermined time delay from the stop of the cooling operation until the frost adhering to the cooler starts to melt again and evaporates as moisture.
Since the start of the cooling operation is delayed by a predetermined time until the evaporator is cooled and frost forms, the humidification operation inside the refrigerator will stop at the same time as the cooling operation stops, and the humidity inside the refrigerator will not decrease. In addition to preventing unnecessary humidification operation when the humidity inside the refrigerator is high for a predetermined period of time from the start of the cooling operation, it is possible to prevent the humidity inside the refrigerator from becoming saturated, and to keep the humidity inside the refrigerator at a constant high humidity. can be kept. As described above, since the inside of the refrigerator is maintained at a substantially constant high humidity, it is possible to prevent dew on foods such as cakes and drying of the foods, and it is also possible to prevent vegetables and the like from wilting due to dryness.

(F) Effect of the invention Due to the operation of the first timer device, the humidification operation starts after a predetermined time delay from the start of the cooling operation, and the second
Due to the operation of the timer device, the humidifying operation is stopped after a predetermined time delay from the stop of the cooling operation, so it is possible to easily control the humidity after the start and stop of the cooling operation and maintain a substantially constant high humidity inside the refrigerator. I can do it,
It is possible to prevent dew on the food stored in the refrigerator, drying and wilting of the food, and prevent deterioration of the quality of the food.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an electric circuit diagram of a refrigerator operation control device showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a time chart of a humidifier, various switches, etc. A... Operation control device, 9... Humidifier, D... First timer device, E... Second timer device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An operation control device for a refrigerator equipped with a humidifier that humidifies the inside of a refrigerator, comprising: a first timer device that starts operation of the humidifier after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the start of the cooling operation; and a second timer device that stops the operation of the humidifier after the humidifier is activated.