KR20060093051A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator which effectively controls cold air flow introduced into an ice making chamber, suppresses sublimation of iced ice, enables long-term storage, and maintains an appropriate temperature state by eliminating a rise in temperature in the ice making chamber. .

In the refrigerator in which the ice-making chamber 5 equipped with the automatic ice-making apparatus 12 is equipped with the refrigerator compartment 2, the vegetable compartment 3, and the freezing compartment 4 independently, the fan which introduces cold air into the said ice-making compartment 7 And a damper 15 for adjusting the amount of introduced cold air, and when the ice making function is stopped, the damper is opened and closed.

Cold room, vegetable room, freezer, automatic ice maker, damper, fan

Description

Refrigerator {REFRIGERATOR}

1 is an ice making operation control flowchart of a refrigerator showing a first embodiment of the present invention;

2 is an ice making operation control flowchart showing the second embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an ice making operation control flowchart showing a third embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator of the present invention;

5 is a flowchart showing a control method of a conventional automatic ice making device.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1: refrigerator body

2: cold storage room

3: vegetable room

4: freezer

5: ice making room

6: chiller for refrigeration

7, 9: cooling fan

8: chiller for refrigeration

10: compressor

12: automatic ice making device

12a: ice tray

12b: saving box

13: water tank

15: ice making room damper

[Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-292046

[Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-221555

The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with an automatic ice making device and that is intended for long-term storage of ice.

Recently, refrigerators are generally equipped with an automatic de-icing device which automatically supplies, defrosts, and ices water from a water supply tank installed in a refrigerating chamber to an ice-making dish provided in an ice-making chamber which is an independent freezing temperature space. The apparatus automatically continues the ice making operation as long as there is a predetermined amount of water in the water supply tank, and the amount of storage is not more than a predetermined level and is not forcibly stopped by the user's will.

The ice making chamber is a freezing temperature space in which cold air generated in a freezing cooler, such as a freezing chamber, is introduced and cooled by a fan, and is often disposed independently of other storage chambers. Therefore, the freezer compartment communicates with the cold air duct, circulates cold air from the freezer compartment, cools it, and makes ice.

If the ice making operation is continued according to the above, in some cases, water for ice making in the water supply tank is lost or the storage box is filled with ice, and the ice making operation is stopped, and ice making is unnecessary when the demand for ice such as winter is low. It is also conceivable that the ice making function is forcibly stopped by the user.

Even when the ice making function is stopped, cold air flows into the ice making chamber through the duct, so that dampers are provided in the duct to the ice making chamber to eliminate the waste of cooling the unnecessary space. If it is not necessary, it is proposed to close the damper so as to increase the amount of cold air introduced into other storage rooms such as a freezer compartment, a refrigerator compartment, and a vegetable compartment (for example, Patent Documents 1 or 2).

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-292046

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-221555

However, even when the ice making function is stopped, when the damper is closed and the inflow of cold air into the ice making chamber is blocked as in Patent Document 1, the temperature in the ice making chamber, which should be the freezing space, rises to around 0 ° C. for several hours and is stored. There is a problem of melting ice. In addition, by simply opening and closing the damper, the volume of ice is reduced by the sublimation phenomenon caused by cold air inflow when the damper is open, and the sublimation phenomenon progresses more because the inflow cold air is in a dry state. In this case, the amount of ice is significantly reduced.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and by effectively controlling the cold air flow introduced into the ice making chamber, it is possible to suppress sublimation of the iced ice to enable long-term preservation and to eliminate temperature rise in the ice making chamber to maintain an appropriate temperature state. The purpose is to provide a refrigerator.

In order to solve the above problems, the refrigerator of the present invention is a refrigerator in which an ice making room having an automatic ice making device is independently arranged together with a freezer, comprising a fan for introducing cold air into the ice making room and a damper for adjusting an amount of introduced cold air. When the ice making function is stopped, the damper is opened and closed.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, one Embodiment of this invention is described based on drawing. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator, in which the inside of the refrigerator main body 1 formed of a heat insulating housing is used as a storage space, with the refrigerator compartment 2 at the top, the vegetable chamber 3 at the bottom, and the freezer chamber 4 at the bottom, respectively. The ice-making chamber 5 and the multi-temperature switching chamber (not shown) are juxtaposed between the refrigerating chamber 2 and the vegetable chamber 3 through an insulating partition wall, and each door has its own dedicated door. It is closed so that it can be opened and closed.

In the rear part of the vegetable compartment 3, the cooler 6 for freezer storage spaces, such as a freezer compartment and an ice-making compartment, and the fan 7 which circulates the cold air produced | generated by this cooler 6 through a duct are arrange | positioned, On the back of 2), a cooler 8 and a fan 9 for a cold storage space for cooling the refrigerating chamber 2 and the vegetable compartment 3 are provided, and the drive of the refrigerant compressor 10 installed in the machine room under the main body is provided. By cooling the coolant (6, 8) alternately, the coolant is cooled, and the cooled cool air is blown to each of the storage chambers on the freezing side and the refrigerating side by the rotation of the fan (7, 9), respectively to control the cooling to a predetermined temperature .

The automatic ice making apparatus 12 disposed in the ice making chamber 5 is usually iced by an ice making operation shown in the control flowchart of FIG. 5. That is, ice is supplied by supplying the water of the water supply tank 13 installed in the refrigerating chamber 2 to the ice making tray 12a in the ice making chamber 5, and the sensor provided in the ice making tray 12a detects -12 degrees C or less. In the case of detecting that the ice making is completed (step 1), first, the amount of ice storage is detected (step 2), and then the ice is formed by rotating the ice making tray 12a (step 4). It drops in the storage box 12b arrange | positioned under 12a), and is stored.

The storage amount detection (step 2) performed prior to the rotating ice operation is performed by moving the detection lever up and down with respect to the ice in the storage box 12b. For example, when the storage box 12b is in full water, the detection lever detects this by contacting the surface of the ice. In this case, the storage amount is detected again at the time when 90 minutes have elapsed while the ice-making operation is stopped. The operation to repeat is repeated (step 3). In addition, the re-detection operation of the above-mentioned amount of ice storage is performed even when the door of the ice-making chamber 5 is opened, considering this as taking out the ice.

If it is detected that a predetermined amount of ice is taken out from the storage box 12b between the storage amount detections, the ice storage operation (step 4) is continued and the water supply operation for the next ice making (step 5) is not performed. However, when water does not remain in the water supply tank 13 and a predetermined amount of water is not supplied to the ice making tray 12a, the temperature of the ice making tray does not rise to a predetermined value, and is attached to the ice making tray 12a. Since the temperature sensor does not detect a rise in temperature, for example, a rise above -9 ° C (step 6), it is judged to be depleted of water (step 7) and the subsequent ice making operation is stopped, and a time point 90 minutes later (step 8) Will again detect the presence of water. Also in this case, when the refrigerating chamber 2 is opened in the same manner as in the above-mentioned storage amount redetection operation, the water supply operation is performed again by considering it as a water supply operation to the water supply tank 13.

In other words, this ice making operation is automatically repeated as long as there is a predetermined amount of ice making water in the water supply tank 3 without detecting the full amount of the ice storage box 12b more than a predetermined level. On the contrary, when the ice making water in the water supply tank 13 disappears and the storage box 12b is full, the subsequent ice making operation is stopped, and when a user who does not need ice or the like has forcibly stopped the operation. The ice making operation stops even during the defrosting operation of the cooler.

When the ice making function is stopped as described above, the ice making function is released until the stopping factor is released, that is, the water is replenished in the water supply tank 13, the ice is taken out from the storage box 12b, or the user performs the return operation. Although this is stopped, when the ice is left for a long time in the stopped state, ice particles become smaller due to sublimation as described above. Therefore, in the present invention, when the ice making function is stopped, it is installed in the cold air duct to the ice making chamber 5. By closing one damper 15, the blowout of the cool air from the blowout port of the ice making chamber 5 is blocked.

However, the timing of returning the ice making function by supplying water to the water supply tank 13 is not determined because it depends on the execution of the user's return operation, and the ice making chamber 5 by closing the damper 15 unconditionally as described above. In order to prevent the ice from melting due to the increase of the temperature in the column) or the dry cold air caused by the simple opening and closing of the damper 15, the volume of the ice is reduced by the sublimation phenomenon. Adopt.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described according to the control flowchart shown in FIG. 1 shows only the control according to the present invention.

First, it is confirmed whether or not ice making is in progress (step 11) by the above-mentioned normal ice making operation, and the damper 15 is opened (step 12) if ice making is in progress, and the damper to the ice making chamber is detected when the stop of the ice making operation is detected. Control (step 13) is made to close (15). By this operation, since cold air does not circulate in the ice making chamber 5, sublimation of ice can be reduced, while the temperature in the ice making chamber rises.

Therefore, when water is supplied to the water supply tank 13 while the damper 15 is closed, or ice is taken out from the storage box 12b, and the ice making operation is restored (step 14), the damper ( 15) is opened (step 12) and the damper 15 is opened (step 16) in the same manner when a predetermined time e.g. 20 minutes has elapsed since the stop of the ice making operation continues (step 15). The inside of (5) is controlled to blow cold air, preventing an increase in room temperature.

When the ice making operation is restored after the damper 15 is opened (step 17), the same ice making operation and the open state of the damper 15 by the step 12 are continued, and the stopping of the ice making operation is performed in the step 16 above. If the damper 15 is continued at a predetermined time, for example, for 30 minutes, the counter is counted (step 18), and the flow returns to step 13 again, the damper 15 is closed, and the flow is repeated. . In addition, the closing time and opening time of the damper 15 in the said flow are not limited to the said numerical value.

Even when the ice making mechanism is stopped by the control, the amount of storage in the storage box 12b is full, the water supply tank 13 is depleted of water, or the ice making operation is forcibly stopped by the user's intention. By opening and closing the damper 15 every predetermined time, the temperature rise in the ice-making chamber 5 can be suppressed and maintained at the required cooling temperature state, and the sublimation of the ice storage by cold air flow can be suppressed to enable long-term storage.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described by the control flowchart shown in FIG. This embodiment is characterized by controlling the opening and closing of the damper 15 in accordance with the refrigeration cycle configuration.

Recently, a refrigeration cycle in a refrigerator is largely divided into a type of cooling a low temperature freezer storage space and a high temperature cold storage space with a single cooler and a type of a dedicated cooler disposed in each of the freezer and cold storage spaces.

In the single cooler type, a cooler based on a refrigeration cooling temperature is provided, and the refrigerating space on the high temperature side is controlled by adjusting the amount of cool air by opening and closing the damper, and in each dedicated cooler system, the refrigerant is switched by a switching valve or the like. Each of the ice-making chambers 5 is in the same temperature range as the freezing chamber 4 and requires a low-temperature atmosphere of -10 ° C or lower, in either case. It is controlled as.

However, the ice making chamber 5 does not normally need to maintain a temperature atmosphere of -18 ° C. or lower like the freezer, but should be able to maintain a slightly higher degree of -12 ° C., and the ice making chamber 5 can be adjusted to the control temperature of the freezing chamber 4. It is not necessary to control the opening and closing of the ice chamber damper 15, and it is possible to further suppress the sublimation of the ice by adding the opening and closing conditions of the damper 15 by the ice making chamber temperature sensor.

First, as in the above embodiment, it is checked whether ice making is in progress (step 21), and when the ice making operation is stopped under a certain condition, the state of the refrigeration cycle is checked (step 22). That is, it detects whether the refrigeration cycle is stopped in the case of a single cooler system or at a timing when the freezer cooler is not cooled at least in the case of the dedicated cooler system, for example, whether it is lower than -12 ° C (step 23). The ice making chamber damper 5 is closed (step 24) when the ice making chamber sensor temperature is -12 ° C. or lower, which is a sufficient temperature for preserving the ice, and sublimation of the ice caused by cold air flow is suppressed.

On the contrary, when it is higher than -12 degreeC and -10 degreeC which may melt | dissolve ice (step 25), in order to cool the ice-making chamber 5, the damper 15 performs an open cooling operation (step 25). In step 25 and step 24 thereafter, the flow returns to step 21 to repeat the flow.

If the temperature is lower than -10 deg. C, the damper 15 returns to step 21 in the same state as in the above step, in which the damper 15 is maintained therein (step 26).

By the above, when the temperature of the ice-making chamber 5 rises by closing the damper 15, this rising temperature is detected and the damper 15 is opened again, and the damper 15 by the ice-making chamber temperature sensor By controlling the opening and closing of the repetition, the atmosphere of the ice making chamber 5 which is higher in temperature than the freezing chamber 4 but sufficient for preservation of ice can be maintained, and the effect can be exerted on both preservation of ice and suppression of sublimation. It can also be simplified in terms of control, resulting in a stable system. In addition, the freezing storage space called the ice making chamber 5 does not have to cool the excess space more than necessary, so that power consumption can be reduced by suppressing the cooling capacity.

Since the temperature of the freezing space rises over time, the freezing cycle shifts from the stopped or refrigerated space cooling state to the freezer space cooling mode. At this time, since the room temperature of the ice-making chamber 5 which is a freezing space is also rising similarly, the damper 15 is opened, and the ice-making chamber 5 is cooled.

Subsequently, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In order to suppress sublimation of the ice and to reduce power consumption, the damper 15 that is opened and closed to the ice making chamber only during the cooling operation of the freezing space is changed from the freezing space 5 when the freezing space is moved from the cooling operation to the refrigeration space operation. Although there is an effect of adding a time leg of temperature rise, the ice making chamber 5 is cooled by the rotation of the refrigeration cooling fan 7, and the fan 7 is operated at the same speed as during ice making. If there is, the sublimation of the ice stored in the ice making chamber 5 is promoted. Therefore, as in the above embodiment, when the damper 15 is opened while the ice making operation is stopped, the rotation speed of the freezing fan 7 is adjusted. Sublimation can be further suppressed by making it lower than during ice-making operation.

As shown in the control flow of Fig. 3, it is checked whether the ice making operation is being performed (step 31), and when the ice making operation is stopped, the opening / closing state of the damper 15 to the ice making chamber 5 is checked (step 32). . When the damper 15 is opened under the same control as in the second embodiment, the amount of cool air is reduced by reducing the rotation speed of the cooling fan 7 for one step more than usual (step 33). Sublimation of the ice in the storage box 12b can be reduced.

In addition, when the rotation speed of the fan 7 is lowered, the freezing capacity to the freezing space is also lowered. However, when the rotation speed of the freezing fan 7 is lowered in this way, the rotation speed of the compressor 10 is increased (step 34). It can supplement and maintain freezing capacity with simple configuration.

In addition, when the ice making operation is stopped and the damper 15 to the ice making chamber is closed, the cooling control to the ice making chamber 5 does not need to be taken into consideration, so that the freezing fan 7 is a normal rotation control as a refrigerator. (Step 35), the cooling capacity of the space of the ice making chamber can be reduced as the refrigerating capacity. Therefore, the compressor 10 may be rotated at such low speed (step 36), and power consumption can be reduced.

This invention can be used for the refrigerator provided with the automatic ice-making apparatus.

According to the configuration of the present invention, even when the ice making mechanism is stopped, such as when the amount of ice storage is full, the water tank is depleted of water, or the operation is forcibly stopped by the user's intention, the temperature rise in the ice making chamber is suppressed to reduce the required cooling temperature. While maintaining the state, it is possible to suppress the sublimation of the storage ice to enable long-term storage.

Claims (6)

A refrigerator in which an ice-making chamber having an automatic ice-making device is provided together with a freezing chamber, comprising: a fan for introducing cold air into the ice-making chamber and a damper for adjusting the amount of introduced cold air, wherein the damper is stopped when the ice-making function is stopped. Refrigerator, characterized in that the opening and closing operation. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the damper opens and closes alternately every predetermined time when the ice making function is stopped. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing of the damper at the time of stopping the ice making function are opened during the cooling operation of the freezing side cooler of the refrigerating cycle, and closed during the non-cooling of the freezing side cooler. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting an ice-making chamber temperature, and opening and closing the damper at the time of stopping the ice-making function to open when the detection temperature of the sensor is equal to or higher than the ice storage temperature and close when the temperature is lower than the ice storage temperature. Refrigerator characterized by one. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein when the damper is opened when the ice making function is stopped, the rotation speed of the fan for introducing the cold air into the ice making chamber is lower than normal. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the compressor is driven at a higher speed than usual while the fan is being rotated at a low speed.

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