RU2624679C1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: human vital needs satisfaction.

SUBSTANCE: refrigerator controller includes a parameter table storing the resistance to the flow of the pressure reducing device associated with each of the outside air temperatures, the flow resistance being different from each other, the operation mode setting unit configured to select one of the flow resistances in the parameter tables Based on the outside air temperature determined by the outdoor temperature sensor, and the refrigeration circuit control unit configured to establish a working Time for the flow resistance selected by the operation mode setting unit and controlling the refrigeration circuit to provide the energy-saving mode to be performed, depending on the resistance Rf to the flow and the operating time.

EFFECT: creating a refrigerator with a simplified design.

10 cl, 9 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having an anti-condensation tube to prevent dew condensation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A refrigerator typically includes a cabinet, which is a heat-insulating enclosure with an open front side, a partition for dividing the interior of the cabinet into multiple storage compartments, and heat-insulating doors that close the front openings of the respective storage compartments so that they can open and close freely. In this type of refrigerator, cold air passes between the cabinet and the partition and the heat-insulating doors, reducing the surface temperature of the edge of the front opening of the cabinet. When the surface temperature drops below the outside temperature and then the dew point temperature or lower, dew condensation occurs. To eliminate this problem, the anti-condensation tube through which the high-pressure refrigerant passes is installed on the front edges of the cabinet and the partition, which are the openings of the refrigerator storage compartments, to eliminate the occurrence of dew condensation by heating the front sides of the cabinet and the partition using the condensation heat of the refrigerant passing through anti-condensation tube.

Moreover, if the anti-condensation tube is excessively heated, part of the condensation heat passes into the storage compartments from the anti-condensation tube, increasing the heat load of the refrigerator. Therefore, a refrigerator has been proposed in which the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation pipe or the temperature of the refrigerant is controlled to prevent excessive heating of the anti-condensation pipe while preventing dew condensation (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator in which a refrigerant flow rate distributor is disposed between a heat removal condenser and an anti-condensation condenser. The refrigerant flow rate distributor distributes the refrigerant to the anti-condensation condenser and the bypass pipe depending on the temperature difference between the ambient temperature and the anti-condensation condenser. Patent Document 2 discloses a refrigerator in which a condenser tube is located on each side upstream and downstream of the condenser, and an adjustable expansion valve is located between the condenser and the anti-condensation tube on the downstream side. By adjusting the expansion valve, the temperature of the refrigerant passing into the anti-condensation pipe on the downstream side is controlled to the optimum temperature.

List of Contrasted Materials

Patent document

Patent Document 1: Publication No. 8-285426 of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application (FIG. 1)

Patent Document 2: Publication No. 54-21660 of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application (FIG. 5)

A brief description of the present invention

Technical problem

However, in the refrigerator in Patent Document 1, since the flow rate of the refrigerant passing into the anti-condensation pipe is changed, an adjusting device of the flow rate and a pressure sensing device for accurately determining the flow rate and pressure of the refrigerant are needed to adjust the temperature of the refrigerant passing into the anti-condensation pipe passing into the anti-condensation tube. Thus, the cost increases, and requires the installation of an additional compressor, leading to an increase in electricity consumption. In addition, since the refrigerator in Patent Document 2 requires the arrangement of the anti-condensation tube at positions depending on the temperatures of the edges of the openings of the storage compartments having different temperatures, the construction and arrangement of the anti-condensation tube become complicated.

The present invention has been carried out in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a refrigerator having an inexpensive and simple construction that can eliminate the increase in the heat load of the refrigerator due to the heat of the anti-condensation tube.

Solution

The refrigerator of the present invention includes a cabinet having an interior space, a partition for dividing the cabinet interior space into a plurality of storage compartments, a refrigeration circuit disposed in the cabinet, the refrigeration circuit connecting in series with the compressor, the condenser tube, the pressure reducing device, the anti-condensation tube and a capillary tube, an outdoor temperature sensor mounted on the outside of the cabinet and configured to determine the temperature s outdoor air, and a controller adapted to control operation of the refrigeration circuit. The controller includes a table of parameters for storing the flow resistance of the device for lowering the pressure associated with each of the outdoor temperatures, the flow resistances being different from each other, an operation mode setting unit configured to select one of the flow resistances from the parameter table based on outdoor temperature detected by the outdoor temperature sensor, and configured to set the working time for the selected flow resistance, and control the refrigeration circuit adapted to control the refrigerating circuit to ensure operation of the flow resistance during working time and set by the operation mode setting unit.

The positive results of the invention

According to the refrigerator of the present invention, by automatically setting the flow resistance of the pressure reducing device and the operating time for it depending on the outdoor temperature, dew condensation can be prevented while eliminating the increase in power consumption due to the heat of the anti-condensation tube using an inexpensive and simple design without installing a device for determining pressure or bypass pipe required in a known configuration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

1A is a front view of a preferred embodiment of a refrigerator of the present invention;

figv is a side sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a refrigerator of the present invention;

figs is a front view of the refrigerator of the present invention in accordance with a preferred embodiment in the position without doors;

figure 2 is a diagram of the circulation of the refrigerant, depicting an example of the refrigeration circuit of the refrigerator in figure 1;

figure 3 is a plan view showing an example of an anti-condensation tube located in the cabinet of figure 1;

figure 4 is a functional block diagram depicting an example of the controller of the refrigerator in figure 1;

5 is a table showing an example of a parameter table in the controller of FIG. 4;

Fig.6 is a curve showing the adjustment of the degree of opening of the device for lowering pressure during operation of the refrigeration circuit in Fig.2;

Fig.7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the refrigerator in Fig.1.

Description of Embodiments

An embodiment of a refrigerator in accordance with the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below. In addition, in the drawings, including FIG. 1, dimensional relationships between elements may differ from actual dimensional relationships between elements. FIG. 1A is a front view of a preferred embodiment of a refrigerator of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a side cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a refrigerator of the present invention, and FIG. 1C is a front view of a refrigerator of the present invention in accordance with a preferred embodiment in a non-door position. The refrigerator 100 in FIGS. 1A-1C includes a cabinet 1, which forms the main body of the refrigerator, and partitions (partition walls) 2.

Cabinet 1 is a box-shaped element with an open front side and includes an outer casing 11, which forms an outer casing, and an inner casing 12, which forms an inner wall. A heat-insulating material, such as urethane, is located between the outer casing 11 and the inner casing 12. The partitions 2 divide the interior of the cabinet 1 into many storage compartments, such as a refrigerator compartment 3, an ice container 4, a switch compartment 6 and a vegetable compartment 7 .

The refrigerator compartment 3 is located in the upper part of the refrigerator 100, and its front side is closed by a double-leaf door 31 having a heat-insulating structure, so that it can freely open and close. The ice container 4 and the switch compartment 5 are adjacent left and right below the refrigerator compartment 3, and their front sides are closed by drawer doors 41 and 51 having heat-insulating structures so that they can be opened and closed freely. The freezer compartment 6 is located under the ice container 4 and the switch compartment 5, and its front side is closed by the door 61 in the form of a drawer having a heat-insulating structure, so that it can freely open and close. The vegetable compartment 7 is located under the freezer compartment 6 at the bottom of the refrigerator 100, and its front side is closed by a drawer 71 having a heat-insulating structure, so that it can freely open and close. It should be noted that the doors of the respective storage compartments 3-7 comprise a door open / close sensor (not shown) that detects an open / close position.

Storage compartments 3-7 have a temperature range that can be set (pre-set temperature range). For example, the refrigerator compartment 3 can be set at about 0-4 ° C, the vegetable compartment 7 can be set at about 3-10 ° C, the ice container 4 can be set at about -18 ° C, and the freezer compartment 6 can be set at approximately -16 - -22 ° C. In addition, the temperature range of the switch compartment 5 may switch between the temperature ranges for the cooling mode (approximately 0 ° C), low freezing mode (approximately -7 ° C), or the like. Thus, the preset temperature ranges for the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 7 are set above the temperature ranges of the ice container 4, the compartment 5 for the switch and the freezer compartment 6. It should be noted that the preset temperatures of the storage compartments 3-7 are not limited to the above values, and can vary accordingly depending on the installation location and contents. In addition, each of the storage compartments 3-7 comprises an internal temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the corresponding storage compartment. In addition, each of the air outlet openings 32, 42, 52, 62 and 72 includes a valve (not shown) on the side of the air passage 14.

Cabinet 1 has a rear wall 13 on the rear side of the respective storage compartments 3-7. An air channel 14 and a chamber 15 for the cooling device are formed between the inner housing 12 and the rear surface of the rear wall 13. The air channel 14 is a cold air supply channel for supplying cold air to the respective storage compartments and is located, for example, in the area facing the rear surfaces corresponding compartments 3-7 for storage. The chamber 15 for the cooling device is located, for example, in the region facing the rear surface of the freezing compartment 6, and accommodates the cooling device 28 of the refrigeration circuit 20. Then, cold air as a result of heat exchange by the cooling device 28 is supplied from the chamber 15 for the cooling device to air channel 14.

The rear surfaces of the respective storage compartments 3-7 in the cabinet 1 contain air outlets through which cold air passing through the air channel 14 is supplied to the respective storage compartments 3-7. More specifically, the refrigeration compartment 3 comprises an air outlet 32, the ice container 4 comprises an air outlet 42, the switch compartment 5 comprises an air outlet 52, the freezer compartment 6 comprises an air outlet 62, and the vegetable compartment 7 contains an air outlet 72. It should be noted that the air outlets 32, 42, 52, 62 and 72 contain valves (not shown), and the temperatures in the respective storage compartments 3-7 are controlled by opening and closing the valves .

The refrigeration circuit 20 is located on the rear side of the cabinet 1 and generates cold air for cooling the inside of the refrigerator 100 by using the refrigeration circuit 20 of a steam compression type. Figure 2 is a diagram of the circulation of the refrigerant, depicting an example of the refrigeration circuit of the refrigerator in figa-1C. In the refrigeration circuit 20 of the refrigerator 100 in FIG. 2, a compressor 21, a compressor tube 22, a filter 23, a pressure reducing device 24, an anti-condensation tube 25, a desiccant 26, a capillary tube 27 and a cooling device 28 are connected in series by a pipe.

The compressor 21 is located, for example, in the engine room located at the bottom on the rear side of the refrigerator 100. The compressor 21 compresses the refrigerant to produce a high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant and is driven by an inverter. The operating capacity of the compressor 21 is adjusted according to the situation. The condenser tube 22 carries out heat exchange between the refrigerant leaving the compressor 21 and the outside air and is formed, for example, from a hot vapor exhaust pipe, an air-cooled condenser located in the installation space for the compressor 21, and a tube mounted on the side and back surfaces of the refrigerator 100 with heat-insulating material between them. The filter 23 is formed of a filter to remove dust, metal powder or the like from the refrigerant exiting the condenser tube 22.

The pressure reducing device 24 expands the refrigerant by reducing the pressure of the refrigerant passing into it from the condenser tube 22 through the filter 23, and is configured so that, for example, the degree of opening of the electronic expansion valve can be adjusted. In addition, the anti-condensation pipe 25 is connected in series with the pressure reducing device 24, and the refrigerant passing to the pressure-reducing device 24 through the condenser pipe 22 and the filter 23 passes into the anti-condensation pipe 25 without separation.

The anti-condensation tube 25 is connected in series with the condenser tube 22 through a pressure reducing device 24. The anti-condensation tube 25 performs the function of a condenser together with the condenser tube 22 and also has the function of preventing dew condensation on the cabinet 1 and partitions 2. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the anti-condensation tube 25 located in the cabinet 1 in FIG. 1. The anti-condensation tube 25 is bent and placed on the peripheral section of the front opening in the cabinet 1 and on the front edges of the partitions 2. The anti-condensation tube 25 is installed on the cabinet 1 and partitions 2 with an elastic element having a high heat capacity, such as butyl, rubber, between them. Condensation of dew in the front portion of the main body of the refrigerator 100 is prevented as the refrigerant passes through the anti-condensation pipe 25.

It should be noted that although FIG. 3 shows an example of a case where the anti-condensation tube 25 is located on a portion of the leading edges of the cabinet 1 and the partitions 2, the position of the anti-condensation tube 25 is not limited to this, and the anti-condensation tube 25 can be located in any position in which it can reduce dew formation caused by cold outside cold air. For example, the anti-condensation tube 25 can be located on all the front edges of the cabinet 1 and partitions 2. Alternatively, the anti-condensation tube 25 can be located only on the front edges of the cabinet 1 and partitions 2 adjacent to the ice container 4, compartment 5 for the switch and freezer compartment 6 (i.e., in an area where cold air may escape in a range of cooling temperatures). In this case, it is possible to prevent the complex arrangement and arrangement of the anti-condensation tube 25.

The desiccant 26 in FIG. 2 is formed of a filter to prevent the passage of dust, metal powder or the like contained in the refrigerant exiting the anti-condensation tube 25 into the compressor 21, an absorption element for absorbing moisture in a refrigeration circuit or the like. The capillary tube 27 is, for example, made of a copper capillary tube and serves as a pressure reducing device that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant passing through the dryer 26 and allows the refrigerant to pass to the side of the cooling device 28.

The cooling device 28 is connected between the capillary tube 27 and the side of the suction pipe of the heat exchanger 29 type of refrigerant-refrigerant. The cooling device 28 is located in the chamber 15 for the cooling device and cools the inside of the chamber 15 for the cooling device for generating cold air. A fan 16 for circulation is located above the cooling device 28. The circulation fan 16 supplies air to the cooling device 28 and directs cold air cooled in the vicinity of the cooling device 28 to the respective storage compartments 3-7.

The refrigeration circuit 20 further includes a refrigerant-refrigerant type heat exchanger 29 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant passing through the capillary tube 27 and the refrigerant passing through the pipe (suction pipe) between the cooling device 28 and the compressor 21. The refrigerant-refrigerant type heat exchanger 29 provides heat exchange between the refrigerant passing through the capillary tube 27 and the refrigerant to be passed to the compressor 21.

As described above, in the refrigeration circuit 20, the anti-condensation tube 25 is connected in series with the condenser tube 22 via a pressure reducing device 24 and performs the function of a condenser and a function of preventing dew condensation. For example, when the required cooling capacity is large, the amount of heat removed by the condenser tube 22 and the anti-condensation tube 25 should also be increased. When the internal load is small and the required cooling capacity is small, the amount of heat removed by the condenser tube 22 and the anti-condensation tube 25 may be small. If the cabinet 1 and the partitions 2 are excessively heated by the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation pipe 25, heat from the anti-condensation pipe 25 is transferred to the respective storage compartments 3-7, increasing the energy consumption for cooling the respective storage compartments 3-7. Therefore, it is preferable that when the internal load is small, the opening degree of the pressure reducing device 24 should be controlled so that the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation pipe 25 is low.

Moreover, from the point of view of preventing condensation, dew condensation can occur when the temperatures of the surfaces of the cabinet 1 and partitions 2 fall below the dew point temperature. Therefore, by increasing the temperature of the refrigerant by lowering the pressure of the refrigerant in the anti-condensation tube 25, the temperatures of the surfaces of the cabinet 1 and the partitions 2 must be maintained at an ambient dew point temperature or higher by using the obtained condensing heat of the refrigerant.

Thus, the refrigerator 100 has a function of executing an expansion mode (power saving mode) for reducing power consumption in accordance with user input or the like, and a function of switching between a plurality of expansion modes to be performed depending on the outdoor temperature in the installation space for the refrigerator 100.

4 is a functional block diagram depicting an example of a controller 10 in FIGS. 1A-1C. The refrigerator 100 in FIGS. 1A-1C includes an operating device 8, an outdoor temperature sensor 9a, a humidity sensor 9b, and a controller 10. The operating device 8 receives various types of input from the user and is located, for example, on the surface of the door 31 of the refrigerator compartment 3 The operating device 8 includes a mode switch that allows you to adjust the temperature or other parameters of the respective storage compartments 3-7, a liquid crystal display panel that displays the temperature accordingly stvuyuschih outlets 3-7 for storage and the like. The operating device 8 also includes a mode switch, which provides, for example, the choice of the expansion mode. The user can select one of many expansion modes by actuating the operating device 8.

The outdoor temperature sensor 9a senses the outdoor temperature TA in the installation environment in which the refrigerator 100 is installed. In addition, the humidity sensor 9b detects the outdoor air humidity HA in the installation environment in which the refrigerator 100 is installed. The outdoor temperature sensor 9a and the humidity sensor 9b located, for example, in the position of the working device 8. It should be noted that the sensor 9a of the outdoor temperature and the humidity sensor 9b can be located in a position different from the position of the working device Property 8 (for example, the position of the vicinity of the connecting part between the door 31 of the refrigerator compartment 3 and the cabinet 1).

The controller 10 in FIGS. 1A-1C controls the entire operation of the refrigeration circuit 20 and the refrigerator 100 and is formed of a microcomputer or the like and is mounted on the upper part of the rear surface of the refrigerator 100. The controller 10 controls the operation of the refrigeration circuit 20 as well as the movement for opening and closing the valve so that the values of the internal temperatures detected by the internal temperature sensors located, for example, in the respective storage compartments 3-7 are equal to the preset temperatures. In addition, the controller 10 determines the opening and closing positions of the doors based on the output from the respective opening and closing sensors, and when, for example, the door remains open for a long time, it controls in such a way that the operating device 8 or the voice output device informs user about this condition.

In particular, the controller 10 has the function of regulating the pressure of the refrigerant inside the anti-condensation tube 25 by adjusting the degree of opening (flow resistance) of the pressure reducing device 24 in accordance with the data input through the operating device 8. More specifically, the controller 10 includes a parameter table 10A, an operation mode setting unit 10B and a refrigeration circuit control unit 1 ° C.

FIG. 5 is a table showing an example of a parameter table 10A in FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the parameter table 10A stores the different flow resistances Rf0-Rf3 associated with the respective outside air temperatures TA (expansion modes 1-3). In addition, the operation mode setting unit 10B selects any of the expansion modes 1-3 in the parameter table 10A based on the outdoor temperature TA determined by the outdoor temperature sensor 9a. It should be noted that figure 5 shows an example of a case where three expansion modes 1-3 are stored, and the flow resistance Rf0-Rf3 is stored together with the corresponding outdoor temperatures TA corresponding to the expansion modes 1-3. More specifically, the classification is performed when the outdoor temperature TA is higher than or equal to the first temperature threshold TAref1 (expansion mode 1), in the case where the outdoor temperature TA is lower than the first temperature threshold TAref1 and above the second temperature threshold TAref2 (expansion mode 2) , and in the case when the outdoor temperature TA is lower or equal to the second temperature threshold TAref2 (expansion mode 3).

Then, the operation mode setting unit 10B selects the flow resistance Rf of the device 24 for depressurizing from the parameter table 10A based on the outdoor temperature TA and the temperature thresholds TAref1 and TAref2. 5, the first flow resistance Rf1 is greater than the minimum flow resistance Rf0 (Rf1> Rf0) (fully open), the second flow resistance Rf2 is greater than the first flow resistance Rf1 (Rf1> Rf2), and the third flow resistance Rf3 is greater than the second resistance Rf2 (Rf3 > Rf2) to the flow. It should be noted that when the opening degree of the pressure reducing device 24 increases, the flow resistance Rf decreases, and when the flow resistance Rf decreases, the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation pipe 25 rises.

In particular, in table 10A of the parameters, a lot of different flow resistances Rf0-Rf3 are associated with the corresponding outside air temperatures TA (expansion modes 1-3). For example, the combination of minimum flow resistance Rf0 and first flow resistance Rf1 is associated with expansion mode 1, the combination of minimum flow resistance Rf0 and second flow resistance Rf2 is associated with expansion mode 2, and the combination of minimum flow resistance Rf0 and third flow resistance Rf3 is associated with expansion mode 3 .

In addition, the operation mode setting unit 10B sets the operating time t for each of the different flow resistances Rf after selecting the flow resistance Rf. More specifically, the parameter table 10A pre-stores the temperatures Tmp0-Tmp3 of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation tube 25 corresponding to the respective flow resistances Rf0-Rf3. Then, the operation mode setting unit 10B calculates the operating times t0 and t1 so that the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation pipe 25 is higher than or equal to the dew point temperature Td and lower or equal to the outside temperature TA, as shown in accordance with the following expression (one). It should be noted that the expression (1) below shows an example of the case when the expansion mode 1 is selected, i.e., the combination of the minimum flow resistance Rf0 and the first flow resistance Rf1.

Expression 1

outdoor temperature TA ≥Tmp0 × t0 + Tmp1 × t1 / t0 + t1 ≥ temperature Td dew point ... (1)

The dew point temperature Td in expression (1) is calculated by the operation mode setting unit 10B based on the outdoor temperature TA determined by the outdoor temperature sensor 9a and the humidity HA detected by the humidity sensor 9b, and various known calculation methods can be used.

That is, the expression (1) means that by changing the relationship between the working time t0 at the minimum flow resistance Rf0 and the working time t1 at the first flow resistance Rf1, the flow resistance Rf of the pressure reducing device 24 is controlled so that the average value is unity the time of the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation pipe 25 is higher than or equal to the dew point temperature Td and lower than or equal to the outside temperature TA. The ratio of working periods t0 or t1 of time varies depending on the installation medium, which varies in temperature and humidity, and, for example, with increasing temperature Td of the dew point, the working time t0 with a minimum flow resistance Rf0 becomes shorter than the working time t1 at the first flow resistance Rf1.

Although an example has been shown of a case where the operation mode setting unit 10B calculates the dew point temperature Td and calculates the operating time t using the above-described expression (1), the operation mode setting unit 10B is not limited to this example, provided that it controls so that the refrigerant temperature is higher than the dew point temperature Td. For example, the operating mode setting unit 10B may calculate operating periods t0 and t1 of time, so that the average temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation pipe 25 is equal to the outside temperature TA, or a value lower than the outside temperature TA by a predetermined temperature (e.g., 5 ° C ) Thus, the humidity sensor 9b for calculating the dew point temperature Td becomes unnecessary, and the power consumption of the refrigerator 100 due to the heating of the anti-condensation tube 25 can be reduced using an inexpensive configuration, while dew condensation is reliably prevented.

In addition, although an example of the case was shown where the working time periods t0 and t1 are calculated using expression (1), it is also possible that the working time periods t0-t3 corresponding to the respective flow resistances Rf0-Rf3 are also stored in advance in table 10A parameters, and then the flow resistance Rf and the operating time t stored in the parameter table 10A were set depending on the outdoor temperature TA.

In addition, the operation mode setting unit 10B has a function for selecting flow resistance parameters Rf from the table 10A, which corresponds to the expansion mode 1, 2 or 3 selected by the user when the user selects one of three expansion modes 1-3 through the operating device 8. Thus , work to prevent condensation can be carried out not only when the transition to the expansion mode is carried out automatically, but also manually at the request of the user. In this case, the working time t may be a time that is calculated in accordance with expression (1), or a time that is stored in advance in the parameter table 10A.

The refrigerant circuit control unit 1 ° C controls the refrigerant circuit 20 in such a way that an expansion mode (power saving mode) is performed in accordance with the expansion mode 1, 2 or 3 (flow resistance Rf and operating time t) set by the operation mode setting unit 10B. More specifically, the refrigerant circuit control unit 1 ° C starts driving the compressor 21 and controls the refrigerant circuit 20 so that the flow resistances Rf0 and Rf1 of the pressure reducing device 24 are provided and their working periods t0 and t1 are provided.

6 is a curve showing the adjustment of the degree of opening of the device 24 for reducing pressure during operation of the refrigeration circuit 20 in figure 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the refrigerant circuit control unit 1 ° C controls the pressure reducing device 24 so that the operating time t0 at the minimum flow resistance Rf0 and the working time t1 at the first flow resistance Rf1 are alternately switched. As a result, during the working time period t0 at a minimum flow resistance Rf0, the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation pipe 25 is Tmp0, and during the working time period t0 at the first resistance Rf1 to the flow, the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensing pipe 25 is Tmp1 (< Tmp0). Thus, the average value per unit time of the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation tube 25 during the period (t0 + t1) is obtained based on the above expression (1).

In addition, the unit 1 ° C control of the refrigeration circuit can be configured to forcibly terminate modes 1-3 expansion depending on the internal load. For example, when the internal load has reached or exceeded a predetermined threshold value, the refrigerant circuit control unit 1 ° C may control such that the expansion mode is stopped, or so that the expansion mode is prohibited to prevent insufficient cooling.

7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the refrigerator in figa-1C. Referring to FIGS. IA-1C-7, an example of operation of the refrigerator 100 will be described. It should be noted that in the initial state, the refrigerator 100 is not set in any of the expansion modes, and the pressure reducing device 24 is set to the fully open position in which it does not regulate refrigerant pressure, i.e. to a position in which the loss of pressure of the refrigerant in the pressure reducing device 24 is minimized.

First of all, information about whether or not the transition to extension modes 1-3 is allowed is entered into the operating device 8 in accordance with the user’s action (step ST1). When the information that the transition to expansion modes 1-3 is prohibited is entered into the operating device 8, the refrigeration circuit control unit 1 ° C sets the pressure reducing device 24 to the fully open position (minimum flow resistance Rf0) (step ST2). As a result, operation is performed while maximizing the cooling ability of the refrigerator 100 (step ST8).

Moreover, when the information that the transition to expansion modes 1-3 is enabled is inputted through the operating device 8, the operation mode setting unit 10B further determines whether or not information has been entered that the selection of expansion modes 1-3 is carried out automatically through the operating device 8 (step ST3). When the information that the expansion modes 1 to 3 is carried out automatically is inputted through the operating device 8, the operation mode setting unit 10B acquires an outdoor air temperature TA detected by the outdoor air temperature sensor 9a (step ST4). After that, the operation mode setting unit 10B selects the expansion mode 1, 2 or 3 (flow resistance Rf) from the parameter table 10A based on the outdoor temperature TA (step ST5). In addition, the working time t corresponding to the flow resistance Rf is set based on the expression (1) or the like (step ST6). After that, the operation of the compressor 21 begins (step ST8) and the actuation of the device 24 for decreasing the pressure is controlled at the set flow resistance Rf and working time. Thus, the temperature of the refrigerant (refrigerant pressure) in the anti-condensation tube 25 is controlled so that it is higher than or equal to the temperature Td of the dew point and lower than or equal to the temperature of the outside air (see FIG. 6).

On the other hand, when the selection of any of the expansion modes is not carried out automatically, but is directly entered into the operating device 8 by the user, the operation mode setting unit 10B sets the flow resistance Rf associated with the expansion mode 1, 2 or 3 introduced into the operating device 8 (step ST7) and sets the working time t. Moreover, as described above, the value of the working time t can be calculated using expression (1), or the working time t previously stored together with the resistance Rf to the flow can be used. After that, the operation of the compressor 21 begins (step ST8).

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the energy-saving mode of the refrigerator 100 is carried out by setting the flow resistance Rf using the parameter table 10A and by setting the working time t at the set flow resistance Rf, the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation pipe 25 can maintained at a temperature Td of dew point or higher. Therefore, at any outdoor temperature TA, such as when the outdoor humidity is high (e.g., RH 90% or higher), when the outdoor humidity is low (e.g., RH 50% or higher), when the outdoor temperature is high (e.g., 30 ° C), and when the outdoor temperature is low (e.g. 15 ° C), dew condensation can be reliably prevented in any ambient ambient air, while energy consumption is minimized.

In particular, since the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation tube 25 is controlled by using the parameter table 10A, it is not necessary to carry out the control that is necessary in a known configuration, such as monitoring the state of the refrigerant passing through the refrigeration circuit 20, and subsequently changing the degree of opening of the device 24 to lower the pressure. Thus, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the refrigerant in such a way that it is equal to the predetermined temperature of the refrigerant by using the fact that the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation tube 25 varies depending on the flow resistances Rf0-Rf3. Thus, dew condensation can be prevented at low cost and in a manner suitable for the installation environment, without the use of a refrigerant temperature sensor, a refrigerant pressure sensor or the like and monitoring the state of the refrigerant.

In addition, when the controller 10 must implement the expansion mode 1, 2 or 3 after receiving input information that the expansion mode is enabled through the operating device 8, but cannot start the expansion mode, for example, due to the high internal load, it can completely open the pressure reducing device 24 to use the anti-condensation pipe 25 as a condenser, causing the anti-condensation pipe 25 to condense the refrigerant in addition to the condenser pipe 22. In this way, cooling can be maintained while the required amount of condensation heat is provided.

In addition, when the operating time periods t0-t3 are set for the respective flow resistances Rf0-Rf3 corresponding to the selected expansion modes 1-3, precise control of the refrigerant temperature becomes possible, and dew condensation can be reliably prevented in any installation space.

An embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, although FIG. 4 shows an example of a case where the outdoor temperature TA is divided into three ranges, it is only necessary to determine according to two or more threshold temperatures, TAref1 and TAref2, and to divide into many ranges. In addition, although the parameter table 10A in FIG. 4 shows an example of a case where the combinations of the minimum flow resistance Rf0 and the flow resistance Rf1, Rf1 or Rf3 are saved, the combinations are not limited to these combinations, and any combination of the flow resistance Rf0-Rf3 can be saved. Furthermore, not a combination of two flow resistances, but only one flow resistance can be stored, or a combination of three or more different flow resistances can be saved.

List of Reference Items

1 - cabinet

2 - partition

3 - refrigerator compartment

4 - ice container

5 - compartment for the switch

6 - freezer compartment

7 - compartment for vegetables

8 - working device

9a - outdoor temperature sensor

9b - humidity sensor

10 - controller

10A - parameter table

10B - unit for setting the operating mode

1 ° C - refrigeration circuit control unit

11 - outer casing

12 - inner case

13 - back wall

14 - air channel

15 - camera for cooling device

16 - fan for circulation

20 - refrigeration circuit

21 - compressor

22 - condenser tube

23 - filter

24 - device for reducing pressure

25 - anti-condensation tube

26 - dehumidifier

27 - capillary tube

28 - cooling device

29 - refrigerant-refrigerant type heat exchanger

31, 41, 51, 61, 71 - door

32, 42, 52, 62, 72 0 air outlet

100 - refrigerator

HA - humidity

Rf - flow resistance

Rf0 - minimum flow resistance

Rf1 - first flow resistance

Rf2 - second flow resistance

Rf3 - third flow resistance

t0, t1, t2, t3 - working time

TA - outdoor temperature

TAref1 - first threshold temperature

TAref2 - second threshold temperature

Td - dew point temperature

Tmp0, Tmp1, Tmp2, Tmp3 - refrigerant temperature.

Claims (24)

1. Refrigerator containing a cabinet having an internal space; a partition to divide the interior of the cabinet into multiple storage compartments; a refrigeration circuit located in the cabinet, the refrigeration circuit connecting in succession in order a compressor, a condenser tube, a pressure reducing device, an anti-condensation tube and a capillary tube; an outdoor temperature sensor mounted on the outside of the cabinet and configured to detect an outdoor temperature; and a controller configured to control the operation of the refrigeration circuit, moreover, the controller includes a parameter table storing the flow resistance of the pressure reducing device associated with each of the outdoor temperatures, the flow resistance being different from each other, an operating mode setting unit, configured to select one of the flow resistances from the parameter table based on the outdoor temperature determined by the outdoor temperature sensor, and configured to set the working time for the selected flow resistance, and a refrigeration circuit control unit configured to control the refrigeration circuit to provide operation with flow resistance and working time set by the operation mode setting unit. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a working device configured to receive information that flow resistance adjustment is allowed or not, moreover, when the working device receives input that the choice of flow resistance is allowed, the controller selects the flow resistance of the refrigeration circuit and sets the working time of the refrigeration circuit. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, in which the working device includes a working switch used to directly enter the flow resistance selected from the parameter table, and moreover, the unit for setting the operating mode has the function of selecting the resistance to flow introduced from the working device. 4. A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the flow resistance associated with each of the outdoor temperatures stored in the parameter table includes a plurality of flow resistances, and the flow resistances from this set are different from each other, and moreover, the unit for setting the operating mode sets the working time for each of the many flow resistances. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, in which the table of parameters pre-stores the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation tube corresponding to the respective flow resistances, and moreover, the operation mode setting unit sets the working time for each of the plurality of flow resistances in such a way that the average temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation tube is higher than the dew point temperature. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, in which the operation mode setting unit sets the operating time for each of the plurality of flow resistances in such a way that the average temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation tube is equal to the outdoor temperature. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 5, in which the operation mode setting unit sets the operating time for each of the plurality of flow resistances in such a way that the average temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation tube is lower than the outside temperature by a predetermined temperature. 8. The refrigerator according to claim 5, additionally containing a humidity sensor, configured to determine the humidity of the outdoor air, moreover, the operation mode setting unit calculates the dew point temperature based on humidity determined by the humidity sensor and based on the outdoor temperature, and sets the working time for each of the plurality of flow resistance so that the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the anti-condensation pipe is higher than the dew point temperature. 9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the outdoor temperature is divided into three ranges in the table of parameters. 10. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the anti-condensation tube is placed on at least part of the front edges of the cabinet and the partition.

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