JPS6291775A - Method of controlling temperature of refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a method for controlling temperature inside a refrigerator-freezer.

[Background of the invention]

Conventional refrigerators usually control the temperature of the freezer compartment at approximately -18°C and the refrigerator compartment at approximately 3°C using a thermostat that turns on and off the compressor and cooling fan, and a damper device that adjusts the flow of cold air into the refrigerator compartment. . However, recently, methods have become known for rapidly freezing foods so as not to reduce their taste.

As such means, the operation of the compressor and the cooling fan are forcibly continued for a predetermined period of time regardless of the set temperature of the freezer compartment, and the temperature of the freezer compartment is quickly brought down. At this time, the refrigerator compartment can be maintained at approximately 3°C by the damper device described above, but the temperature in the freezing compartment is much lower than the set temperature of -18°C (for example, -40°C) as the cooling operation continues longer than necessary. ℃)
becomes.

If the temperature returns to normal after the rapid freezing time has passed,
Due to the low temperature in the freezer compartment, the compressor and cooling fan remain stopped and it takes a long time to resume normal operation. During this period, the temperature in the refrigerator room rose from about 3℃ due to heat leakage, etc., and even if the cold air passage to the refrigerator room was opened using a damper device, the fan for circulating cold air was stopped, so the cold air could not be supplied, so the refrigerator was kept in the refrigerator. The temperature inside the room can reach over 10 degrees Celsius, which has a negative impact on food preservation and cooling performance.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned damper device, since the damper device main body is cooled by the rapid freezing operation, the heat-sensitive portion connected to the damper device main body also becomes cold due to heat conduction in the main body. Therefore, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment is high (
The heat-sensitive part does not detect heat even if the temperature reaches 10 degrees Celsius), so the damper of the damper device will not open forever.
Cold air cannot be supplied to the refrigerator compartment, and the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment increases.

Regarding refrigerators with a control function to temporarily operate the compressor and the fan for circulating cold air continuously, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-18206 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-13 are disclosed.
Publication No. 6963 is mentioned.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can prevent the temperature of the refrigerator compartment from rising after a temporary forced cooling operation that shortens the freezing time of food.

[Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a means for comparing quick freezing performed by energizing a compressor and a freezer fan to determine whether the temperature of the refrigerator compartment is at the set temperature after the quick freezing is completed. By means of the above-mentioned means, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment is equal to or higher than the set temperature, the heater attached to the heat-sensitive part of the cooler for supplying cold air to the refrigerator compartment is energized.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a refrigerator equipped with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view of the main parts of a refrigerator equipped with the present invention, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a damper thermo device, and Fig. 4 5 is a control circuit diagram for controlling the refrigerator of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a flow chart explaining the control method, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing temperature changes in the control method according to the present invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a refrigerator main body, 2 is a freezer compartment for making ice or freezing food, and 3 is a refrigerator compartment for cooling and preserving general foods, vegetables, etc. The freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3 are divided by a partition wall 4. 5 is a cooler, which is installed at the back of the freezer compartment 2, and forms a series of refrigeration cycles together with the compressor 6,
It serves as a source of cold air to the freezer compartment 2 and refrigerator compartment 3. A fan 7 is located above the cooler 5 and forcibly circulates the cold air generated in the cooler 5 to the freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3. 7a is a drive motor for rotating this 71 engine 7. 8 is a freezer temperature detector. Reference numeral 9 denotes a cold air supply passage to the refrigerator compartment 3, which communicates the freezer compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 3. Reference numeral 10 denotes a damper device that senses the indoor temperature in the refrigerator compartment 3 with a heat-sensitive section and controls the temperature by adjusting the amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 3 by opening and closing the damper.

Referring to FIG. 3, the damper device 10 will be described in detail. Reference numeral 10a denotes a cold air inlet, which communicates with the cold air passage 9. A damper 10b rotates around a shaft portion 10c to open and close the cold air inlet 10a. 10d is a bellows that expands and contracts due to the pressure of the enclosed refrigerant, and pushes the push rod 1.
0e pushes or pulls one end of the damper iob to transmit the opening/closing operation of the cold air inlet 10a to the damper 10b. 10f and 10f' are cold air outflow ports into the refrigerator compartment 3, respectively, and supply cold air into the refrigerator compartment as indicated by arrows. 10g is a heat-sensitive tube that senses the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 3 and transmits expansion and contraction to the bellows 10d. A heater 11 is provided to forcibly heat the heat-sensitive tube log of the damper device 10, and when the heater 11 is energized, the damper 10b forcibly opens the cold air inlet lOa. 12 is a refrigerator temperature sensor.

Next, the control device for such a refrigerator will be explained with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 13 denotes a push button switch, which together with the freezer compartment temperature detector 8, refrigerator compartment temperature detector 12, etc. constitutes a human power section. 14 is a microcomputer which receives the signal from the human power section and generates a required output signal.

15, 16, and 17 are AC control elements (hereinafter referred to as triacs) for turning on and off the compressor 6, fan 7, and heater 11, respectively.

During temperature control during normal operation, the freezer compartment temperature is detected by the freezer compartment temperature detector 8, and the triac 15 is detected by the microcomputer 14.
．． 16 is turned on and off as appropriate, and the compressor 6 and fan 7 are controlled intermittently to maintain the freezer compartment at about -18°C. The temperature of the refrigerator compartment is maintained at approximately 3° C. using the damper device described above.

Note that when the push button switch 13 is operated, from that point on, the system enters rapid freezing operation (as shown by section A in the figure), ignoring the detection of the freezer compartment temperature by the freezer compartment temperature detector 8, and turns on the triacs 15 and 16. , the compressor 6 and fan 7 are operated, and the temperature in the freezer compartment is much lower than -18℃ (for example, -40℃).
becomes. On the other hand, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3 is maintained at 3° C. because the temperature is controlled by the damper device 10 in the same way as usual.

When this operation is continued for a predetermined period of time by the microcomputer 14, the freezing chamber 2 returns to normal temperature control. At this time, since the freezer compartment temperature measured by the freezer compartment temperature detector 8 is lower than the set temperature, the triacs 15 and 16 are turned off and the compressor 6 and fan 7 are stopped. The temperature inside the freezer and refrigerator compartments rises due to heat leakage from the outside air and door opening/closing, and when the refrigerator compartment temperature detector 12 reaches a predetermined on-temperature (for example, 5°C), the microcomputer 14 activates the triac 16. .17 is turned on, and the fan 7 and heater 11 are energized. Fan 7 and heater 11
When energized, the heat-sensitive tube 10g of the damper device 10 is heated and the cold air inlet 10a is forcibly opened, and the fan 7 is operated, so low-temperature cold air from the freezer compartment 2 is sent into the refrigerator compartment 3 to cool the inside. do. And the refrigerator temperature sensor 1
When the temperature detected by 2 becomes below a predetermined off temperature (for example, 0° C.), the triacs 16 and 17 are turned off, the energization is stopped, and the temperature inside the refrigerator rises again. During this temperature control period, the microcomputer 14 raises the freezer compartment 2 temperature or the set temperature from the end of the quick freezing operation, and the triac 15
This is performed only until the switch is turned on for the first time (indicated by section B in the figure).

In this way, even when the freezer compartment is at a low temperature and the refrigeration cycle does not need to be operated, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the refrigerator compartment from rising due to door opening/closing, heat leakage, etc.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the heater and fan are turned on at the same time.
Although the description has been given for the case where the heater is turned off, the same temperature management can be performed even when the heater is continuously energized and only the fan is controlled to turn on and off.

Next, the operation of the microcomputer 14 mentioned above will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

- In the diagram, determine whether or not quick freezing operation is necessary from normal operation. If NO, normal operation continues. If YES, the quick freezing operation start switch is turned on.
Or the compressor and freezer fan are turned off by the temperature sensor.
Turn on the nitrogen and perform quick freezing operation. It is determined whether to continue or stop the quick freezing operation, and if the answer is No, the quick freezing operation continues. If YES, press O of the quick freezing end switch.
The compressor and freezer fan are turned off by FF or the temperature sensor [,,, then rapid freezing is completed. Thereafter, it is determined whether the temperature in the refrigerator compartment is higher than the set temperature (5° C.), and if the determination is No, normal operation is resumed. If YES, the heater attached to the capillary tube of the damper device installed in the refrigerator compartment and the refrigerator compartment fan are turned on to forcibly take in cold air from the freezer compartment into the refrigerator compartment. Thereafter, it is determined whether the temperature in the refrigerator compartment is below the set temperature (0° C.), and if NO, the capillary tube heater and the refrigerator fan continue to be energized. If YES, turn off the capillary tube heater and refrigerator fan, then return to normal operation.

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the damper device. Note that the description of the same parts as in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be omitted.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a damper device which detects the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 3 with a sensing section, which will be described later, and opens and closes the damper located in the cold air supply passage 9 of 10a.
This system controls the temperature by adjusting the amount of cold air supplied to the 1
Reference numeral 0b denotes a motor for rotationally driving the damper tOa, and is, for example, a stepping motor that rotates in 90° increments or rotates forward or reverse in response to a predetermined signal. 12 is a temperature detector (for example, a thermistor), which is connected to the refrigerator compartment 3 via the control unit.
This is the sensing part of the damper device [10] that detects the internal temperature.

In normal operation, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3 is higher than the on-temperature of the damper 10a (for example, 4° C.), the control section operates the drive motor 10b, the damper 103 stops at the position A in FIG. 7, and the cold air supply passage 9 The temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3 is set to the off temperature of the damper 10a (for example, 2°C).
), the drive motor 10b is similarly rotated 90 degrees or reversed, and the damper 10a stops at the position B in FIG. 7, closing the cold air supply passage 9. Thereafter, by repeating this operation, the amount of cold air supplied is adjusted to maintain the refrigerator compartment 3 at a predetermined temperature.

Next, temperature control during quick freezing operation for the purpose of quick freezing of food will be explained. Due to the thermostat 8 and damper device 10, the temperature in the freezing compartment 2 is approximately -18°C and the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 3 is approximately 3°C.
From the stable state of .degree. C., the compressors 6 and 7 are operated continuously for a predetermined period of time in conjunction with the start switch of the rapid freezing operation, etc., regardless of whether the thermostat 8 is on or off. For this reason, the temperature in the freezer compartment 2 is much lower than the set temperature, but the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 3 is much lower than the set temperature.
Since the damper device 10 controls the amount of cold air supplied in the same manner as in the normal operation described above, the temperature is maintained at the set temperature. Thereafter, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the compressor 6 and the fan 7 stop, and the compressor 6 continues to operate until the thermostat 8 is turned on. However, in the fan 7 during this period, when the temperature of the temperature detector 11 becomes equal to or higher than the on-temperature of the damper device 10, the cold air supply passage 9 is opened via the control unit, and the drive motor 7a is energized to perform the blowing operation. let

Further, this state is continued to send low-temperature cold air from the freezer compartment 2 into the refrigerator compartment 3, and when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3 falls below the off temperature of the damper IQa, the cold air supply passage 9 is closed and the energization of the drive motor 7a is stopped. . The above operation can be repeated from the end of the quick freezing operation until the thermostat 8 is turned on and the compressor 6 and fan 7 are operated to maintain the refrigerator compartment 3 at the set temperature. Monkey.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the temperature can be maintained at a predetermined level even when the door is opened/closed or a high-temperature load is applied, and food can be cooled without operating the compressor. This allows for more precise temperature control, which is also effective in terms of food preservation.In addition, by installing a heater in the heat-sensitive tube of the damper device and turning it on and off,
The cold air passage can be opened and closed instantly in accordance with the actual temperature of the refrigerator room.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a refrigerator equipped with the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of essential parts of a refrigerator equipped with the present invention, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a damper device, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a refrigerator equipped with the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a control system, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator illustrating an embodiment of a refrigerator, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a damper device of another embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a refrigerator according to the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining the movement of a damper in another embodiment. 1... Refrigerator body, 2... Freezer compartment, 3... Refrigerator compartment, 4... Partition wall, 5... Cooler, 6... Compressor, 7... Fan, 7a ... Drive motor, 8... Freezer room temperature detector, 9... Cold air supply passage, 10... Damper device, 10a... Cold air inlet, 10b... Damper, IOC... Shaft Part, 10 d-...Bello, 1
0 e-push rod, 10f, ■0f'...cold air outlet,
10g... Heat sensitive tube, 11... Heater, 12... Refrigerator room temperature detector, 13... Push button switch, 14...
Microcomputer, 15.16.17...AC control element. Me3m 4th mouth 5th Memu Figure 7-4

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Quick freezing performed by energizing a compressor and a freezer fan, a means for comparing whether the temperature of the refrigerator compartment after the quick freezing is the set temperature, and a means for determining whether the temperature of the refrigerator compartment is equal to or higher than the set temperature by the above means. A temperature control method for a refrigerator, comprising: energizing a heater attached to a heat-sensitive part of a damper for supplying cold air to a refrigerator compartment.