WO2009113310A1

WO2009113310A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2009113310A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/001111
Authority: WO
Inventors: 豆本壽章; 柿田健一; 森貴代志; 田中正昭; 足立正; 堀尾好正; 井下美桃子
Original assignee: パナソニック株式会社
Priority date: 2008-03-14
Filing date: 2009-03-12
Publication date: 2009-09-17
Also published as: CN102564051B; CN101970962A; CN101970962B; EP2267387A4; CN102564051A; EP2267387A1

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator including: an adiabatic basket configured by a plurality of adiabatic partitions; an adiabatic partition unit to partition the adiabatic basket; a storage chamber separated by the partition unit; an infrared sensor having a temperature detection unit which detects an infrared ray amount emitted from an object stored in the storage chamber; and an infrared ray collecting member arranged deeper inside the storage chamber as compared to the infrared sensor. At least the inner wall of the infrared ray collecting member is formed so as to have a large heat holding effect.

Description

refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigerator using an infrared sensor.

In recent years, as the demand for larger refrigerators has increased, refrigerators designed to improve volumetric efficiency by reducing the ineffective space and refrigerators with various layouts from the viewpoint of usability have been released.

Among them, the refrigerator has conventionally measured the air temperature in the refrigerator with a thermistor to detect the temperature in the refrigerator. For example, when hot food is put in, the amount of cooling is adjusted by measuring the temperature of the air in the cabinet heated by the influence of the hot food with a thermistor installed in the cabinet. However, since such a refrigerator does not measure the actual temperature of the food, it is not known whether the food could actually be cooled. Therefore, in order to cool the food, the food is cooled to the target temperature while cooling the surroundings, so that it may take time for the food itself to cool to the target temperature. For this reason, an infrared sensor is provided in the cabinet to detect the actual food temperature and perform a cooling operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Hereinafter, the conventional refrigerator will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 10 is a side longitudinal sectional view of a conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 1. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged side sectional view of FIG.

As shown in the figure, the inside of the refrigerator main body 201 formed of a heat-insulated box is used as a storage space, with the refrigerator compartment 202 at the top, the vegetable compartment 203 at the bottom, and the freezer compartment 204 at the bottom. Yes. Between the refrigerator compartment 202 and the vegetable compartment 203, a temperature switching chamber 205 and an ice making chamber (not shown) are juxtaposed side by side through a heat insulating partition wall, and a dedicated door is provided at the front opening of each storage compartment. Is provided so as to be openable and closable.

In the rear part of the vegetable room 203, a freezing cooler 206 such as a freezing room 204, a temperature switching room 205, an ice making room, and a cooling fan 207 for circulating cold air generated by the freezing cooler 206 into the storage room are arranged. ing. Further, a refrigeration cooler 208 and a refrigeration fan (not shown) for cooling the refrigeration chamber 202 and the vegetable compartment 204 are provided in front of the refrigeration cooler 206. The refrigerant is alternately or simultaneously supplied to the refrigeration cooler 206 and the refrigeration cooler 208 by driving the compressor 209 installed in the machine room below the main body and switching control of the refrigerant flow path switching valve. The cooled cold air is blown to the storage compartments on the freezing temperature zone side and the refrigerating temperature zone side by the cooling blower fan 207 and the refrigerating fan, and each is controlled to be cooled to a predetermined temperature. The low-temperature cold air discharged from the refrigeration cooler 206 is diverted to the freezing chamber 204, the ice making chamber, and the temperature switching chamber 205 by the cooling fan 207, and is blown and cooled through dedicated ducts.

The temperature switching chamber 205 is provided with an infrared sensor 212 attached to the recess 213 on the ceiling surface. A shutter mechanism 214 is provided at the opening of the recess 213, and when the opening of the temperature switching chamber 205 is detected, the shutter mechanism 214 operates to close the opening of the recess 213. Further, when it is detected that the door of the temperature switching chamber 205 is closed, the shutter mechanism 214 is operated to open the opening of the recess 213, and cool air is blown into the room from the outlet 210. The temperature of the food 211 cooled by the cold air is detected by the infrared sensor 212, and the operation of the refrigeration cycle and the opening and closing of the cold air damper installed in the vicinity of the air outlet 210 are controlled so as to reach a preset temperature. Thus, the amount of cold air introduced into the room is adjusted, and the food 211 is controlled to have a predetermined set temperature.

In this way, the surface temperature of the target food 211 is detected by the infrared sensor 212, and only the necessary amount of cooling operation is performed when necessary to perform efficient cooling operation control.

However, in the conventional configuration, when the door of the temperature switching chamber 205 is opened and hot food is stored, in order to prevent warm air from being accumulated in the case of the temperature switching chamber 205 due to the inflow of outside air, The door opening is detected and the opening of the recess is closed by a shutter mechanism to prevent warm air from flowing into the recess. Therefore, the temperature switching chamber 205 needs to include a switch that detects opening and closing of the door and a shutter mechanism that interlocks with the switch, and has a complicated structure. In particular, by providing a complex movable part that opens and closes with the opening and closing of the door, the moving part of the shutter mechanism malfunctions when, for example, some foreign matter, condensed water, frost, etc. are attached around the shutter mechanism. There is a case. These problems, especially when mounted on a refrigerator that assumes a long-term use, such as an average age of 10 years, increases the possibility of malfunction due to repeated opening and closing of the door, reducing the reliability of the refrigerator. Had problems.

In addition, when a complicated configuration such as the above-described conventional configuration is used, in addition to increasing the possibility of failure, electric power for operating the motor and control device is also required, and an infrared sensor is installed with energy saving. There was also a problem that was difficult.

In addition, conventionally, a thermistor has been used to detect the temperature of an ice tray provided in a freezer. For example, when measuring the temperature of water stored in an ice tray, with a thermistor located at the bottom of the ice tray, indirectly measuring the temperature of the water in the ice tray and adjusting the cooling amount of the freezer, It was judged whether the water in the ice tray was frozen. However, in such a freezer, the temperature of the water actually stored in the ice tray is not measured, so it is not known whether the water actually stored in the ice tray is frozen, and it is cooled until the ice making is completed. It was operated and cooled to the target temperature. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time to complete ice making.

Therefore, by placing an infrared sensor directly above the ice tray, the infrared sensor detects the actual water temperature by detecting the thermal energy of the water stored in the ice tray as the amount of infrared radiation. However, the cooling operation is performed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Hereinafter, the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 2 will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 12 is a side longitudinal sectional view of a conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 2. FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged side sectional view of a conventional refrigerator.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a freezer (not shown) is provided in a part of the refrigerator main body (not shown), and an ice making chamber 301 is provided in a part of the freezer. In addition, there is a freezer door 302 for taking out food, ice, and the like, and a fan grill 303 is provided on the back of the ice making chamber 301. Cold air is blown out from the blowing portion 304 of the fan grill 303 into the ice making chamber. Water 306 in an ice tray 305 provided in 301 is cooled.

Next, a heat insulating material 307 is disposed on the ceiling portion of the ice making chamber 301, and an infrared detector 308 is disposed in the heat insulating material 307 above the ice tray 305. The infrared detector 308 detects the amount of radiation radiated from the water stored in the ice tray 305 through the light guide 311 of the cylindrical holder 310 that covers the infrared sensor 309 by the infrared sensor 309.

The infrared sensor 309 captures a change in thermal energy when the water 306 in the ice tray 305 is cooled to change to ice, determines completion of ice making, finishes the cooling operation of the freezer, and completes ice making. Display is in progress.

However, since the infrared detector 308 is disposed in the ice making chamber 301 in the conventional configuration, for example, instantaneous discharge (ESD) due to static electricity charged on the human body, a towel for cleaning the ice making chamber 301, and the like. When static electricity is generated due to friction and discharge energy is applied, malfunction or failure of the infrared sensor 309 or the element of the infrared sensor 309 itself is destroyed, so the detection function by the infrared sensor 309 does not work and malfunctions. Thus, there was a problem of reducing the quality of the refrigerator.
JP 2007-212053 A JP 2006-308504 A

The present invention relates to a heat insulating box composed of a plurality of heat insulating compartments, a heat insulating partition that partitions the heat insulating box, a storage chamber partitioned by the partition, and infrared rays radiated from stored items stored in the storage chamber. An infrared sensor having a temperature detection unit for detecting the amount, and an infrared condensing member provided closer to the storage chamber than the infrared sensor, so that at least the inner wall surface of the infrared condensing member has a larger heat holding force. It is the refrigerator formed in.

Refrigerator having such a configuration increases the heat retention of the inner wall surface of the infrared condensing member located in the visual field range of the infrared sensor in order to suppress temperature fluctuations in the visual field range of the infrared sensor. As a result, it is possible to relax the temperature followability of the infrared condensing member with respect to temperature fluctuation due to disturbance, and to improve the temperature stability of the visual field range of the infrared sensor. In addition, it is possible to suppress a decrease in detection accuracy due to disturbance effects (for example, opening and closing of doors and hot food) that change the ambient temperature of the temperature detection unit of the infrared sensor with a simpler configuration, and to improve the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor. it can.

In addition, by reducing the temperature fluctuation of the infrared condensing member located around the infrared sensor, it is possible to suppress the temperature fluctuation around the infrared sensor and further improve the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor. .

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of the main part of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional view of the infrared sensor mounting portion of the refrigerator. FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 2A. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a temperature comparison of the infrared condensing unit accompanying the opening of the refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the main part of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a side cross-sectional view of the main part of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 5B is a plan view of the refrigerator as viewed from above. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of an essential part of the refrigerator in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the infrared sensor mounting portion of the refrigerator in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a side cross section A portion of the infrared sensor mounting portion of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view seen from the direction B directly above the infrared sensor mounting portion of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a side longitudinal sectional view of a conventional refrigerator. 11 is a partially enlarged side sectional view of FIG. FIG. 12 is a side longitudinal sectional view of a conventional refrigerator. FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged side sectional view of a conventional refrigerator.

Explanation of symbols

1,101 Thermal insulation box 2,102 Refrigerator body 3,103 Freezer compartment (storage compartment)
4,104 Upper heat insulating partition plate 5,105 Lower heat insulating partition plate 6,106 Refrigerated room (storage room)
7,107 Vegetable room (storage room)
8, 108

Partition

9, 109 Cold

air generation chamber

10, 110

Evaporator

11, 111

Blower

12, 112

Defrost heater

13, 113 Infrared sensor 13a First infrared sensor 13b Second

infrared sensor

21, 33, 121, 122 Cold air outlet 21a First cold air outlet 21b Second

cold air outlet

22, 133

Cold air outlet

23, 24, 123, 124

Door

25, 26, 125, 126

Frame

27, 127

Upper container

28, 128 Lower Container 29,129 Cold storage material 30,130 Cold air inlet 31,131 Food 32,132 Middle container 40,140 Infrared light receiving part 40a Infrared light receiving part arrangement surface 41,141 Substrate 42,142 Thermistor 42a Thermistor arrangement surface 43,143

Infrared element

44, 144

Connector

45, 1 5

Wiring

46, 146

Wire

47, 147

Infrared mounting case

48, 148 Infrared condensing member 48a, 148a Infrared condensing member front end surface 48b Infrared condensing member

rear end surface

49, 149 Recessed portion 49a Recessed

end surface

50, 150 Through Mouth 50a Inner wall surface of the through hole 50b Front end portion of the through

hole

51, 151 Condensing opening portion 147a Outer surface of the infrared mounting case on the freezing storage chamber side 152 Protruding portion 152a Protruding opening portion 153 Slope portion

The refrigerator of the present invention is radiated from a heat insulating box composed of a plurality of heat insulating compartments, a heat insulating partition that partitions the heat insulating box, a storage chamber partitioned by the partition, and storage items stored in the storage chamber. An infrared sensor having a temperature detecting unit for detecting the amount of infrared rays, and an infrared condensing member provided closer to the storage chamber than the infrared sensor, and at least the inner wall surface of the infrared condensing member has a large heat retention force. It is formed to become.

Further, the refrigerator of the present invention includes an infrared mounting case that houses an outside line sensor, and includes a light collecting opening that penetrates in the same shape as the side surface of the infrared light collecting member in a part of the infrared light mounting case, and is formed in the heat insulating partition portion. An infrared mounting case is embedded in the recessed portion. By enclosing the side surface of the infrared condensing member with a resin member having a larger heat capacity, the heat capacity is improved, and the temperature fluctuation of the infrared condensing member is further reduced to further suppress the ambient temperature fluctuation of the infrared sensor, and the infrared sensor. The detection accuracy can be further improved.

Further, the front end surface of the infrared condensing member of the refrigerator of the present invention is embedded in the same surface as the front end surface of the recess. By allowing the warm air inflow by opening and closing the door to pass only through the front end surface of the infrared condensing member and making it the same surface that eliminates unevenness, the warm air inflow by opening and closing the door and storing food, etc. Eliminate the pool. As a result, even when the door is opened, the temperature fluctuation is small, so it is possible to suppress false detection due to a rise or fall due to a sudden change in ambient temperature, and to improve the stability of the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor. it can.

Further, the infrared condensing member of the refrigerator of the present invention is made of a metal mainly composed of aluminum. Thus, even when warm air flows in due to opening and closing of the door, the heat responsiveness is accelerated by using a metal mainly composed of aluminum having good heat conductivity. And the detection accuracy of an infrared sensor can be improved.

Further, the infrared condensing member of the refrigerator of the present invention has an electrical insulating property obtained by blending resin and powder oxide and blending 85% or more of powder oxide. As a result, it is possible to ensure electrical insulation defined by various laws and regulations relating to home appliances without reducing the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor.

Moreover, the through-hole provided in the infrared condensing member of the refrigerator of the present invention has a height of 3 mm or more from the front end surface of the infrared sensor. For this reason, for example, when the angle becomes wider, the temperature detection surface that detects the temperature with the infrared sensor also becomes larger, and there is a possibility that a temperature other than the installation surface is detected or food other than the food to be detected exists on the temperature detection surface. To increase. As a result, the height of the through-hole is set to 3 mm or more, the viewing angle is limited, and the temperature detection surface is narrowed, so that erroneous detection of the infrared sensor can be minimized, and the detection accuracy is stable. Further improvement can be achieved.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes a heat insulating box composed of a plurality of heat insulating compartments, a heat insulating partition that partitions the heat insulating box, a storage compartment partitioned by the heat insulating partition, and storage items stored in the storage compartment. A projection opening having an infrared sensor having a temperature detection unit for detecting the amount of emitted radiation, and an infrared condensing member having a through hole provided in the infrared sensor, and communicating with the through hole of the infrared condensing member And a plurality of protruding protrusions are provided around the protrusion opening. By setting it as the refrigerator of such a structure, it is possible to prevent malfunction or failure of the infrared sensor or destruction of the infrared sensor element itself due to static electricity such as friction during cleaning of the storage room.

In addition, by providing a plurality of protrusions around the protrusion opening, it is possible to reduce the accumulation of warm air around the protrusion due to the influence of disturbance (for example, opening and closing of doors and hot food) that changes the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor. The detection accuracy can be improved.

In the refrigerator of the present invention, a protrusion is formed on the surface of the infrared mounting case that houses the infrared sensor, and a slope portion formed in a shape having no right angle is provided outside the protrusion. As a result, safety such as injury due to catching of the protruding portion is ensured, and convection is guided along the slope portion to the front end surface of the infrared sensor. As a result, the accumulation of warm air around the infrared sensor can be suppressed, the temperature gradient with the infrared sensor can be reduced, and the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor can be further improved.

Further, the front end surface of the infrared condensing member of the refrigerator of the present invention is substantially flush with the outer surface of the infrared mounting case on the storage chamber side. As a result, the step between the infrared mounting case and the infrared light collecting member is eliminated, the inflow of warm air by opening and closing the door, the food and the like are stored, and the warm air pool of the steam from the food is eliminated. As a result, even when the door is opened, the temperature fluctuation is small, so it is possible to suppress false detection due to a rise or fall due to a sudden change in ambient temperature, and to improve the stability of the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor. it can.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
1 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional view of an infrared sensor mounting portion of the refrigerator, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A, the freezer compartment 3 which is a part of the storage room of the refrigerator main body 2 comprised of the heat insulation box 1 is in the temperature zone by the upper upper heat insulation partition 4 and the lower lower heat insulation partition 5. It is partitioned from different refrigerator compartment 6 and vegetable compartment 7. Further, an opening (not shown) of the freezer compartment 3 is provided with a partition 8 that connects the left and right ends of the opening.

In the present embodiment, only the left and right ends of the opening are connected by the partition body 8, but the freezer compartment 3 is divided into upper and lower compartments, and either compartment can be set to another temperature zone, for example. In the case of using as the upper insulating partition 4 or the lower lower insulating partition 5 so as to divide the upper and lower compartments by the partition 8, it may be formed of an insulating partition over the entire cross section.

In the cold air generation chamber 9 provided on the back surface of the freezer compartment 3, an evaporator 10 that generates cold air and a blower 11 that supplies and circulates the cold air to the refrigerator compartment 6, the freezer compartment 3, and the vegetable compartment 7 are arranged, respectively. A defrosting heater 12 that is energized during defrosting is disposed in the lower space of the evaporator 10. In addition, a cold air distribution chamber 19 is provided on the rear surface of the freezer compartment 3, and a cold air discharge port 21, a cold air discharge port 22, and a cold air discharge port 33 are provided as a plurality of cold air discharge ports continuously to the cold air distribution chamber 19. ing.

A door 23 and a door 24 are provided at the opening of the freezer compartment 3, and the freezer compartment 3 is closed so that there is no outflow of cold air from the freezer compartment 3. Both the door 23 and the door 24 are drawer-type doors. When food is taken in and out, the door 23 and the door 24 are used by being pulled out toward the front side of the refrigerator, that is, the left side as shown in FIG. In addition,

frame bodies

25 and 26 are provided behind the door 23 and the door 24, respectively. An upper container 27 and a lower container 28 are placed on the

frames

25 and 26, respectively.

A cold storage material 29 is placed on the detection surface, which is the surface facing the infrared sensor 13 on the bottom surface of the upper container 27. The regenerator material 29 has a melting temperature set to −15 ° C., which is lower than the freezing temperature of foods that are generally frozen and higher than the temperature of the freezer compartment 3. Further, the filling amount of the regenerator material 29 is set to an amount that does not completely melt even when food is put on and placed on the regenerator material 29. Further, the inner wall surface of the upper heat insulating partition 4, which is the wall surface to which the infrared sensor 13 is attached, is formed of ABS resin. Similarly, the other inner wall surface of the freezer compartment 3 is also made of ABS resin, and the upper container 27 and the lower container 28 are made of PP resin made of a general resin similar in thermal characteristics to the ABS resin. .

Further, a cold air inlet 30 for sucking cold air and guiding it to the evaporator 10 is provided at the lower back of the freezer compartment 3.

Also, the food 31 is placed and stored on the cold storage material 29 by the user's hand.

The infrared sensor 13 generally detects the amount of infrared rays radiated from an object in the visual field range, converts the infrared light receiving unit 40 to convert it into an electric signal, and measures the reference temperature of the ambient temperature of the infrared light receiving unit 40 to obtain an electric signal. And a thermistor 42 for converting into the infrared element unit 43.

In the present embodiment, the purpose is to detect the temperature of the food 31, but the infrared sensor 13 detects the temperature of the food 31 and at the same time detects the temperature within the field of view of the infrared sensor 13. The amount of infrared rays emitted from the wall surface of the chamber 4, the food 31 stored in the freezer compartment 4, the cold storage material 29, and the like is detected. At that time, the ambient temperature of the infrared light receiving unit 40 is measured as a reference temperature.

In addition, a control board (not shown) for controlling the refrigerator is electrically connected to the wire 46 to which the infrared element portion 43 is electrically connected, the connector 44, and the printed circuit board (not shown) 41. ) Wiring 45 and the connector 44 are electrically connected.

And the infrared element part 43 outputs the voltage of the reference temperature of the thermistor 42, and the voltage of the infrared rays amount of the infrared light-receiving part 40 to a control board (not shown), The temperature of the detected measured object is output. The control device (not shown) makes a determination based on the calculated detected temperature.

The infrared condensing member 48 covers the periphery of the infrared element unit 43 in a state of being in thermal contact with the infrared element unit 43, is provided without any gap with the substrate 45, and is an infrared ray of disturbance radiated from other than the food 31 and the cold storage material 29. In order to increase the detection intensity, a through hole 50 that restricts the viewing angle θ ° is provided so as to be guided to the infrared light receiving unit 40. Thus, in this Embodiment in order to have a condensing function, by making the height of the rear-end part 50c of the through-hole from the front-end | tip part 50b of the through-hole of the infrared rays condensing member 48 into 3 mm or more, a viewing angle Is set to be 30 ° to 60 °. Here, when the height of the upper container 27 is approximately 110 mm, the viewing angle is preferably approximately 50 °.

In addition, here, the through-hole 50 has the highest infrared detection intensity at the center within the circle of the detection range, and the detection intensity becomes weaker toward the end. Therefore, by narrowing the viewing angle of the infrared sensor, it is possible to increase the intensity of the infrared ray of the detected object such as food 31 that is in the visual field range of the infrared sensor, and to detect the temperature of the object more reliably and accurately. it can. However, since a part of the viewing angle overlaps the inner wall surface 50a of the through-hole and the front end portion 50b of the through-hole, it is affected by the temperature of the inner wall surface 50a of the through-hole and the front end portion 50b of the through-hole, which causes erroneous detection. As a result, at least the inner wall surface 50a of the through hole of the infrared condensing member 48 positioned within the visual field range of the infrared sensor has such disturbance even when there is a temperature fluctuation due to disturbance such as inflow of warm air accompanying opening and closing of the door. It is desirable to reduce the temperature followability with respect to and to enable stable detection. In the present embodiment, in order to increase the heat holding power of the inner wall surface 50a of the through-hole of the infrared light collecting member 48, the thermal conductivity is high and the heat holding power of the infrared light collecting member 48 itself is increased. It is devised to increase the heat capacity.

Here, the heat retention force in the present invention represents the responsiveness of the temperature followability to the temperature variation when the ambient air is subjected to a thermal load such as a temperature variation, that is, the thermal load is applied. In this case, the direction in which the temperature followability is poor is the direction in which the heat retention force is increased, and the direction in which the followability is good is the direction in which the heat retention force is decreased. This heat capacity can be expressed, for example, by the amount of heat radiation per unit surface area of the surface of the member exposed to the air. Specifically, for example, even if the surface area of the infrared condensing member 48 exposed to the air is the same, if the infrared condensing member 48 has a large volume, the heat holding force increases, and even if the volume is the same. When a material having a large heat capacity is used, the heat retention force increases.

About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

First, after turning on the power, the operation of the refrigeration cycle (not shown) is started, and the refrigerant flows through the evaporator 10 to generate cold air. The generated cold air is sent to the cold air distribution chamber 19 by the blower 11, distributed from the cold air discharge port 21 and the cold air discharge port 22, and discharged into the freezer compartment 3.

The freezing chamber 3 is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the cold air discharged into the freezing chamber 3, and at the same time, the cold storage material 29 is also cooled. At this time, the freezer compartment 3 is adjusted to a temperature at which food can be stored frozen for a certain period of time, for example, −20 ° C., but the heat storage material 29 uses a material whose melting temperature is set to −15 ° C. After the chamber 3 is sufficiently cooled and a predetermined time elapses, the regenerator 29 is completely frozen, and the cool air that has cooled the inside of the cooling chamber 3 enters the cool air generation chamber 9 through the cool air inlet 30 and the evaporator 10. Cooled again.

For detecting the temperature of the infrared sensor 13, for example, when the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor 13 serving as the reference temperature is 25 ° C., the voltage output from the infrared sensor 13 is V, the ambient temperature measured by the thermistor 42 is S, and the measurement range is When the average temperature of the amount of infrared rays for measuring the amount of infrared rays by the infrared light receiving unit 40 is B, it can be expressed by the relational expression “V = α (B ⁴ −S ⁴ )”. Here, α is a coefficient.

Therefore, if there is no temperature difference between the ambient temperature S and the average temperature B of the amount of infrared rays, the infrared sensor 13 approaches the value of the output voltage V, and the reference temperature becomes the temperature S in the measurement range. If the temperature difference is large, the amount of infrared light detected by the infrared light receiving unit 40 increases, and the output voltage also increases.

Therefore, if a warm food is introduced and the ambient temperature S of the infrared sensor 13 serving as the reference temperature also increases accordingly, the difference between the ambient temperature S and the average temperature B becomes small, and the warm food. Even when a food item is contained, it cannot be detected that a food having a relatively high temperature is introduced, and the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor 13 is lowered.

As described above, if the temperature of the thermistor 42 does not fluctuate due to a disturbance and can maintain a stable temperature, the infrared sensor 13 can detect an accurate temperature when warm food or the like enters.

Next, the detection temperature of the infrared sensor 13 when the door 23 is closed is detected including the surface temperature of the regenerator 29 placed on the bottom surface of the upper container 27 which is a detection surface provided on the side facing the infrared sensor 13. To do. As described above, the surface detected by the infrared sensor 13 is formed of the cold storage material 29 having a cold storage function, so that the heat retention force on the detection surface can be increased. For example, even if there is a disturbance such as inflow of warm air, the detection surface of the infrared sensor has a high heat holding power, and the temperature followability to the disturbance can be relaxed. Therefore, higher detection accuracy can be obtained. In this case, the detection surface on which the regenerator material 29 is disposed is less susceptible to disturbance due to poor thermal follow-up due to variations in ambient temperature than the surface of the upper container 27 where the regenerator material 29 is not disposed. Temperature followability can be relaxed. In other words, the detection surface on which the regenerator material 29 is disposed has a smaller heat radiation amount per unit area than the surface of the upper container 27 where the regenerator material 29 is not disposed. Can be increased.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the detection surface provided on the side facing the inner wall surface 50a of the through hole of the infrared condensing member 48 and the infrared sensor 13 which is located in the visual field range of the infrared sensor 13. By forming both the bottom surface of a certain upper container 27, that is, the entire visual field range of the infrared sensor 13 with a member having a large heat retention force, even if a temporary temperature fluctuation occurs due to a disturbance, it is within the visual field range of the infrared sensor. Since the temperature followability of the part which is located can be relieved, it becomes possible to detect more accurately the temperature of the food 31 which is the object of temperature detection by the infrared sensor 13.

When the user stores the food 31, for example, the door 23 is pulled out. At this time, the temperature detection of the infrared sensor 13 detects the temperature in the lower container 28. In the present embodiment, when the door 23 is opened, the inside of the lower container 28, which is the detection surface facing the infrared sensor, has a freezing temperature in the same temperature range as the bottom surface of the upper container 27, which is the original detection surface. Since it is a belt, the infrared sensor 13 detects the refrigeration temperature, so that high temperature detection is not performed and unnecessary quick refrigeration control can be prevented.

When an infrared sensor is provided in a storage room having a drawer-type door in this way, if a door opening / closing sensor that detects opening / closing of the door is provided, false detection is performed by detecting the opening of the door and stopping detection of the infrared sensor. Although it is possible to prevent, in the case where the door opening / closing sensor is not provided as in this embodiment, in order to prevent erroneous detection due to the detection surface detected by the infrared sensor changing as the door is opened The adjacent storage chamber on the projection line of the detection surface in the detection direction of the infrared sensor is preferably a storage chamber in the same temperature range or a low temperature range as the storage chamber provided with the infrared sensor. If this adjacent storage room is a storage room in a high temperature zone, a high temperature is detected, so that a control is applied to accelerate cooling by applying a load to the refrigeration cycle, and wasteful energy is saved. Consume.

Therefore, when the door opening / closing sensor is not provided as in the present embodiment, the storage room adjacent to the storage room provided with the infrared sensor on the projection line of the detection surface in the detection direction of the infrared sensor is provided with the infrared sensor. It is desirable to make it a storage room in the same temperature zone as the storage room or a low temperature zone, thereby preventing false detection when the door is opened and improving the detection accuracy to steadily cool the refrigeration load with energy saving Can be realized.

Then, the door 23 is in an open state, the warm air of the outside air flows in from the opening surface of the door 23, the warm air flows along the upper heat insulating partition plate 4 of the ceiling surface of the freezer compartment 3, and the through-hole of the infrared condensing member 48 Since the front end portion 50b and the front end surface 49a of the concave portion 49 are the same surface, even when the door is opened, the temperature fluctuation is small, so that erroneous detection due to a rise or fall due to a sudden change in ambient temperature is suppressed. And the stability of the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor 13 can be improved.

Further, the temperature of the tip 50b of the through hole of the infrared condensing member 48 rises. However, since the heat holding power of the infrared condensing member 48 is large, the tip of the through hole of the infrared condensing member 48 even if warm air flows. A temperature gradient is hardly applied from the portion 50b to the rear end portion 50c of the through-hole, and the entire temperature of the infrared condensing member 48 is maintained at a constant temperature. And the infrared sensor 13 will be in a state without a temperature difference with ambient temperature, and it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor 13.

Here, FIG. 3 which is a figure which shows the temperature comparison of the infrared condensing part accompanying the opening in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 of this invention, and the material of the infrared condensing member 48 when the door is opened and closed A comparison of the heat retention force, i.e., thermal followability, will be described.

In the present embodiment, the infrared condensing member 48 has a high thermal conductivity and a high heat capacity so that the heat retention is higher than that of the ABS resin, which has been conventionally used as a material for the inner wall surface of the warehouse. A comparison was made between a material mainly composed of large aluminum, and a high thermal conductive resin material composed of a powder oxide having an electrically insulating property in addition to high thermal conductivity and heat capacity although the cost is slightly higher. Also, compare the powder metal resin material that is exposed in the air (no case) with the one that covers the periphery with a case with lower thermal conductivity than this condensing member (with case). An experiment was conducted.

Further, as the powder metal resin material, specifically, a high thermal conductive resin material in which alumina is a main component and is dispersed and mixed in a resin such as PPS, ABS, or LSP (liquid crystal polymer) is used. The main component may be any one of silica, magnesia.

The experimental condition is that in a refrigerator installed at an external temperature of 38 ° C., the freezer compartment door maintained at −17.5 ° C. is opened for 20 seconds (between 10 and 30 seconds on the horizontal axis) and then closed. The temperature with the passage of time of the detected temperature detected by the infrared sensor provided in the freezer compartment is measured.

According to FIG. 3, the conventional ABS resin, when the storage chamber kept at -17.5 ° C. is opened for 20 seconds, the temperature rises to -3 ° C. or higher and then gradually decreases. However, even after 70 seconds from the closing of the door, the temperature did not fall below -15 ° C, and the temperature did not return to the original temperature. Although not compared in this experiment, similar temperature characteristics are obtained with PP resin or the like, which is a conventional general resin, as well as such ABS resin.

In contrast, when the light collecting member is made of aluminum, the temperature temporarily rises to around −7 ° C. when the door is opened, but then the temperature rapidly decreases, and the original temperature is 20 seconds after the door is closed. The temperature dropped to -17.5 ° C., which is the temperature. This is because the heat holding power of aluminum is large, so the temperature of the inner wall surface of the light collecting member that is temporarily in contact with the warm air such as air in the surface storage chamber and outside air rises, but the aluminum light collecting member body Since the temperature of -17.5 ° C that was maintained before the door was opened was kept hot, after the door was closed, the temperature was quickly conducted to the inner wall surface of the light collecting member and stored before the door was opened. It seems that the detection temperature of the infrared sensor was rapidly reduced because the inner wall surface of the light collecting member was also lowered to the temperature of the light collecting member due to the cold heat.

Next, in the case of powder metal resin, as with aluminum, the temperature temporarily rises to around -7 ° C when the door is opened, but then the temperature drops rapidly, and at the original temperature 20 seconds after the door is closed. The temperature of the light collecting member is lowered to a certain −17.5 ° C., and this also has a large heat holding power as described above, so that the inner wall surface of the light collecting member that is temporarily in contact with warm air such as air in the surface storage chamber and outside air However, after the door was closed, the temperature was kept on the surface of the light collecting member. It seems that the detection temperature of the infrared sensor quickly decreased because the inner wall surface of the light collecting member was also lowered to the temperature of the light collecting member due to the cold heat that was quickly conducted and stored before the door was opened.

Next, when a case made of ABS resin is provided on the outer periphery of the powder metal resin as a heat retention promoting member, the temperature does not rise so much even when the door is opened, and the temperature after opening for 20 seconds is −15 ° C. And a rise of 2.5 ° C. Thereafter, 20 seconds after closing the door, the detection temperature of the infrared sensor rapidly decreased to the original -17.5 ° C.

This is because the outer peripheral portion is surrounded by the heat retention promoting member, so that the surface area that radiates heat when warm air flows in is further reduced and the heat radiation is suppressed, so that only the inner wall surface of the light collecting member is warmed. It seems that the inner wall surface temperature does not rise immediately due to the heat retention force of the entire light collecting member even if it is in contact with the light collecting member, and after closing the door, the light collecting member body was kept before the door was opened like the above aluminum Since the temperature of -17.5 ° C. was kept hot, after the door was closed, the temperature was quickly conducted to the inner wall surface of the light collecting member, and the cold heat stored before the door was opened by the cold heat of the light collecting member. It seems that the inner wall surface also decreased to the temperature of the light collecting member.

Therefore, the infrared condensing member 48 has thermal conductivity and heat retention as compared with the conventional ABS resin, which is a general material for the condensing member and the inner wall surface, in order to increase the heat retention force. It is formed of a material having high strength, for example, a metal such as aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, iron, copper, or a material containing them. In particular, from the viewpoint of being lightweight, having high thermal conductivity and high heat capacity, and being partly exposed in the freezer compartment 3, it is preferable to use aluminum having high corrosion resistance as a main component.

Further, when the surface of the freezer 3 is partially exposed, the infrared sensor 13 malfunctions due to friction caused by a cloth or the like that the user cleans the inside of the refrigerator or static electricity generated by the human body or the element itself. In order to prevent destruction, among powder metal resins, it is a powder oxide resin that is electrically insulated and has high thermal conductivity and heat capacity. For example, any one of alumina, silica, and magnesia is the main component. , PPS, ABS, LSP (liquid crystal polymer), etc., can be used to improve the heat retention by using a material mixed and mixed. In this case, high heat retention and high thermal conductivity and It also has electrical insulation, and the blending ratio is preferably 80% or more by weight of powder oxide. The electrical insulation also has a specific resistance equivalent to that of a general resin member of 1.0 × 10 ^14. Ω ・ m or less There, it is possible to satisfy the electrical insulation properties are determined by various laws appliances.

Further, when the temperature of the stored item stored in the storage chamber is detected by the infrared sensor 13, the temperature of the front end portion 50b and the rear end portion 50c of the inner wall surface 50a of the through hole of the infrared light collecting member 48 due to temperature fluctuation caused by opening and closing the door. Since the gradient is easily formed, the thermal conductivity is increased by setting the weight ratio of the powder oxide to approximately 85% or more, the thermal conductivity is 2 W / m · K or more, and the heat capacity per unit mass is 750 J / kg · ° C. or higher is desirable.

As described above, at least the inner wall surface of the infrared condensing member 48 has less followability to temperature fluctuations than the wall surface of the ABS resin, which is the inner wall surface of the upper heat insulating partition plate, which is the wall surface to which the infrared sensor is attached. The heat retention is large.

Further, in the present embodiment, the infrared mounting case 47 is used as a heat retention promoting member for further improving the heat retaining force of the infrared light collecting member 48, and the light collecting opening of the infrared mounting case 47 is surrounded by the infrared light collecting member 48. By surrounding with the part 51, the heat capacity is improved and the temperature fluctuation of the infrared condensing member 48 is further reduced.

In this case, since the infrared mounting case 47 functions as a heat insulating member that surrounds the infrared condensing member 48 and prevents the outer surface of the infrared condensing member 48 from being exposed to the outside air, the infrared condensing member By reducing the contact area with 48 outside air and making the temperature change of the infrared condensing member at a constant temperature slow, followability to temperature fluctuations due to disturbance can be further relaxed, and heat retention is improved. The infrared mounting case 47 functions as a heat retention promoting member that can improve the heat retention force.

In the present embodiment, at least the outer surface of the infrared condensing member 48 is covered with the infrared mounting case 47 as the heat retention promoting member, but this is formed of a member having a lower thermal conductivity than the infrared condensing member 48. Other configurations may be used. For example, a member such as rubber or butyl may be fitted around the infrared condensing member 48 to serve as a heat retention promoting member. In this case, it can also function as a seal member when mounting with other components. Is possible. Further, it may be formed of an ABS resin generally used on the inner wall surface of a refrigerator, and an infrared condensing member may be fitted therein. Furthermore, the structure that surrounds the periphery of the infrared condensing member 48 with a heat insulating member made of a material having low thermal conductivity makes it possible to further improve the heat holding power of the infrared condensing member 48, thereby further reducing the follow-up to temperature fluctuations. In addition, an infrared sensor having stable detection accuracy can be provided.

By using the heat retention promoting member in this way, the inner wall surface of the infrared condensing member, which is the wall surface within the detection range of the infrared sensor, has a smaller amount of heat radiation per unit area than a general inner wall surface, that is, ABS resin. And an infrared sensor with stable detection accuracy can be provided.

In addition to the above, by increasing the heat holding power of the food placement surface, which is a detection surface that is a large area in the wall surface within the detection range of the infrared sensor, than the general inner wall surface, that is, ABS resin, The amount of heat radiation per unit area can be reduced, and an infrared sensor having stable detection accuracy can be provided. In this way, it is possible to reduce the amount of heat radiation per unit area by increasing the heat holding power of all surfaces within the detection range of the infrared sensor than the ABS resin on the wall surface where the infrared sensor is provided. As a result, the temperature followability to the temperature fluctuation caused by the inflow of warm air can be reduced, that is, the temperature fluctuation on the detection surface of the infrared sensor can be suppressed, and the infrared sensor having stable detection accuracy can be provided.

Further, the infrared mounting case 47 is provided with a condensing opening 51 penetrating in the same shape as the side surface of the infrared condensing member 48 in a portion located substantially at the center, and the infrared condensing member 48 is provided in the condensing opening 51. The infrared sensor 13 is mounted on the infrared mounting case 47 in the housed state. Further, the infrared light receiving unit 40 surface and the front end surface 48a of the infrared condensing member are parallel to each other, and the front end surface 48a of the infrared condensing member extending into the freezer compartment 3 and the outer surface of the infrared mounting case 47 are provided on the same surface. By reducing the number, even if the door 23 and the door 24 are opened and closed, the wind easily flows along the upper heat insulating partition plate 4 on the ceiling surface of the freezer compartment 3, so that the warm air can be accumulated in the through-hole of the infrared condensing member 48. It is provided so that a temperature gradient between the front end portion 50b and the rear end portion 50c of the through hole is difficult to be formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, in the present embodiment, the inner wall surface 50a of the through-hole of the infrared condensing member 48 has a trapezoidal cross section with a conical top cut off, and the base has a diameter of 2.5 mm. And the detection surface side has a trapezoidal cross section with a diameter of 3.9 mm, a height of 4 mm, and a surface area of 40.73 mm ² .

Further, the infrared condensing member 48 is on the side of the upper heat insulating partition 4 opposite to the side on which the food 31 serving as the detection surface is placed, rather than the arrangement surface 40a of the infrared light receiving unit which is the infrared detection surface or the arrangement surface 42a of the thermistor. A rear end surface 48b of the infrared condensing member is formed to extend to the inside of the infrared condensing member 48, and a space surrounded by the infrared condensing member 48 is sandwiched between the infrared light receiving unit 40 and the thermistor 42 inside. Is formed.

As described above, the infrared light receiving unit 40 and the thermistor 42 are arranged in the space on the center side of the infrared light collecting member 48, so that the heat holding power of the infrared light collecting member 48 can be increased. It is directly related to suppressing the temperature fluctuation of 42 itself.

As described above, since the volume of the infrared condensing member 48 is 745.935 mm ³ , which is more than twice that of the portion exhibiting the condensing function, the surface area has a sufficiently large heat capacity with respect to 40.73 mm ² . It can be realized.

The volume of the infrared condensing member 48 is configured such that the back side of the arrangement surface 40a of the infrared light receiving unit is larger than the tip side of the arrangement surface 40a of the infrared light receiving unit. That is, the volume from the arrangement surface 40a of the infrared light receiving section to the rear end face 48b side of the infrared light collecting member is formed to be larger than the volume of the arrangement surface 40a of the infrared light receiving section to the front end face 48a of the infrared light collecting member. As a result, the heat capacity on the rear end face 48b side of the infrared condensing member that is less susceptible to outside air can be increased, temperature fluctuations due to ambient air can be further reduced, and a highly heat-condensing member can be formed. It becomes possible to do.

As described above, in the present embodiment, at least the inner wall surface of the infrared condensing member 48 is formed so that the heat holding power per unit volume is larger than the wall surface of the storage chamber to which the infrared sensor is attached. is there.

As a result, the inner wall surface of the infrared condensing member located in the infrared sensor visual field range in order to suppress temperature fluctuations in the visual field range of the infrared sensor can alleviate temperature followability to temperature fluctuations caused by disturbance such as inflow of warm air. The temperature stability of the infrared sensor's visual field range can be improved, and the detection accuracy can be reduced by the influence of disturbance (for example, door opening and closing and hot food) that changes the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor's temperature detector. It becomes possible to suppress the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor.

In addition, when the aluminum-based metal or powder metal resin used in the present embodiment is used as a light collecting member, the inner wall surface temperature, that is, the surface temperature in contact with air, temporarily fluctuates. Because it immediately returns to the original state for any disturbance, even if there is a disturbance such as inflow of warm air, the detection surface of the infrared sensor also has a high thermal holding power, and the temperature followability to the disturbance can be relaxed Therefore, it was found that a higher detection accuracy can be obtained because it is less affected by temperature fluctuation due to disturbance and can maintain a stable temperature.

Further, if there is a temperature difference between the temperature of the tip of the infrared condensing member 48 and the thermistor 42, the temperature of the tip of the infrared condensing member 48 is detected, and the temperature detected by the infrared sensor is the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor 13. In this embodiment, the temperature difference between the thermistor 42 and the inner wall surface of the infrared condensing member 48 and the tip end surface 48a of the infrared condensing member can be reduced, and the detection accuracy can be further improved. Infrared sensors can be used.

In addition, at least the inner wall surface of the infrared condensing member 48 has less followability to temperature fluctuation than the wall surface of the ABS resin, which is the inner wall surface of the upper heat insulating partition plate, which is the wall surface to which the infrared sensor is attached, that is, heat retention. Since the force is large, it is less susceptible to temperature fluctuations due to disturbance, and a stable temperature can be maintained, so that higher detection accuracy can be obtained.

Therefore, by surrounding the infrared sensor 13 with the infrared condensing member 48 having high thermal conductivity, the infrared condensing member 48 absorbs the influence of disturbance around the infrared sensor 13 (for example, door opening / closing and temperature fluctuation due to hot food). In addition, the temperature of the infrared sensor 13 and the infrared condensing member 48 becomes uniform, the temperature fluctuation around the infrared sensor 13 is reduced, the thermal influence due to disturbance is reduced, and the temperature fluctuation is suppressed, thereby detecting the infrared sensor 13. The accuracy can be improved.

In the present invention, the amount of infrared rays emitted from a load such as food is detected in the upper container 27 detected by the infrared sensor 13, and the temperature calculated from the amount of infrared rays is equal to or higher than a certain temperature (upper limit set temperature: T0). In this case, the quick freezing control is automatically entered, and the quick freezing control is terminated when the temperature detected by the infrared sensor 128 after the setting of the quick freezing control is equal to or lower than a certain temperature (lower limit set temperature: T1). .

As an operation of the quick freezing control, when the food enters and the detected temperature of the infrared sensor 13 detects T0 or more which is the start temperature, the refrigerator increases the rotation speed of the compressor (not shown) to thereby circulate the amount of refrigerant circulating. Raise the evaporator 10 temperature. Furthermore, the foodstuff 31 is cooled rapidly by increasing the cooling amount which circulates the cold air produced | generated by the evaporator 10 in the store | warehouse | chamber by raising the rotation speed of the cold air blower 11. FIG. After that, while continuously detecting the temperature of the food 31, after confirming the passage of the maximum ice crystal formation zone from 0 ° C to -5 ° C, when it reaches the lower limit set temperature T1, which is the end temperature, the quick freezing control is automatically ended. The maximum ice crystal formation zone, which affects the freshness of food preservation, can be passed quickly by normal cooling operation, and after passing through the maximum ice crystal formation zone, even if it is normally cooled, it has little effect on the deterioration of freshness. There is no such thing as normal operation. In the present embodiment, T0, which is the start temperature of rapid freezing control, that is, the upper limit temperature, is −2.5 ° C., and T1, which is the end temperature of rapid freezing control, that is, the lower limit temperature, is −15 ° C. This is because the state varies depending on the food storage form and the form of the food itself.

Thus, in this embodiment, the quick freezing (quick freezing) control is automatically performed and the cooling capacity is automatically improved, so that the refrigerator can be cooled by a cooling operation as required. In particular, for higher temperature inside the chamber due to load input and cooling to a load that you want to freeze quickly, it is faster and more efficient than operating a compressor at medium speed and slowly cooling the load. The time cooling can shorten the operation time as the actual power consumption of the refrigerator, so that it is possible to provide a refrigerator that further saves energy.

When performing such automatic quick freezing, there is a problem that if the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor 13 is poor, the control of the quick freezing starts unnecessarily. In the present embodiment, the detection of the infrared sensor 13 is performed. Since the accuracy is further improved, automatic quick freezing can be performed with higher accuracy.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the heat insulating box configured by a plurality of heat insulating compartments, the heat insulating partition that partitions the heat insulating box, the storage chamber partitioned by the partition, and the storage chamber are accommodated. An infrared sensor having a temperature detection unit that detects the amount of infrared radiation emitted from the stored item, and an infrared condensing member that includes a through-hole 50 that surrounds the temperature detection unit and guides the radiation amount to the infrared sensor. The infrared condensing member has a characteristic of high thermal conductivity compared to resin, and surrounds the infrared sensor with an infrared condensing member having high thermal conductivity, and the influence of disturbance around the infrared sensor ( For example, the infrared light collecting member absorbs temperature fluctuations caused by opening and closing of doors and hot food, etc., the temperature of the infrared sensor and infrared light collecting member becomes uniform, the temperature fluctuation around the infrared sensor is reduced, and the temperature around the infrared sensor is reduced. Warm By suppressing the fluctuation, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor.

In addition, a recess formed in the heat insulating partition, an infrared mounting case that houses the infrared sensor, and a condensing opening that penetrates a part of the infrared mounting case in the same shape as the side surface of the infrared condensing member. Infrared mounting case is embedded so that the side of the infrared condensing member is surrounded by a resin member with a larger heat capacity, thereby improving the heat capacity and further reducing the temperature fluctuation of the infrared condensing member. The accuracy can be further improved.

Moreover, the front end surface of the infrared condensing member is embedded in the same surface as the front end surface of the recess, so that the inflow of warm air by opening and closing the door is allowed to pass only through the front end surface of the infrared condensing member, thereby eliminating the unevenness. As a result, temperature fluctuations are small even when the door is opened by storing inflow of warm air by opening and closing the door, storing food, etc., and eliminating the accumulation of warm air from the food. It is possible to suppress erroneous detection due to the rise and fall caused by, and to improve the stability of detection accuracy.

In addition, the infrared condensing member is made of a metal mainly composed of aluminum with good heat conductivity, so that even if there is an inflow of warm air due to opening and closing of the door, it is a metal based on aluminum that has good heat conductivity. By using, the responsiveness by heat can be accelerated, the temperature gradient of the through hole 50 of the infrared condensing member can be eliminated, and the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor can be improved.

In addition, the infrared condensing member is characterized by electrical insulation, which is made by blending resin and powder oxide and blending 85% or more of powder oxide, thereby reducing the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor. In addition, it is possible to ensure the electrical insulation defined by various laws and regulations concerning home appliances.

Further, since the through hole 50 has a height of 3 mm or more from the tip surface of the infrared sensor, for example, when the angle is widened, the temperature detection surface where the temperature is detected by the infrared sensor is increased, and the temperature other than the installation surface is increased. There is an increased possibility that food other than the food to be detected or present on the temperature detection surface is detected. As a result, the height of the through hole 50 is set to 3 mm or more, the viewing angle is limited, and the temperature detection surface is narrowed, so that erroneous detection of the infrared sensor can be minimized, and the detection accuracy is stable. Can be further improved.

In general, the infrared sensor 112 detects the amount of infrared radiation emitted from an object, and the vapor from the hot food causes condensation around the recess 113 and around the infrared sensor 112, and the condensation (water) is generated. Because it detects the thermal energy it has as the amount of infrared radiation, it detects the temperature of the dew (water) adhering to the periphery of the infrared sensor 112 rather than detecting the surface temperature of the food, and accurately detects the surface temperature of the food. In this embodiment, the infrared sensor surface and the storage room space communicate with each other without providing an inclusion such as a cover or a condenser lens between the infrared sensor and food. It is possible to prevent a decrease in detection accuracy of the infrared sensor due to the condensation water adhering to the inclusions.

(Embodiment 2)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the second embodiment, detailed description of the same parts as the configuration and technical idea described in the first embodiment is omitted, and the technical idea similar to the content described in the first embodiment can be applied. For the above, it is possible to realize a configuration in combination with the technical contents and configuration described in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the main part of the refrigerator in the second embodiment of the present invention.

The infrared sensor 13 provided in the freezer compartment 3 which is one of the storage rooms in the refrigerator generally detects the amount of infrared rays radiated from an object in the visual field range and converts it into an electrical signal. And a thermistor 42 that incorporates a thermistor 42 that measures a reference temperature of the ambient temperature of the infrared light receiver 40 and converts it into an electrical signal. Therefore, when food with a high temperature is put out of the visual field range of the infrared sensor 13, it cannot be detected.

In the present embodiment, in order to improve the detection accuracy when the infrared sensor 13 is used, the first infrared sensor 13a provided on the front side and the second infrared sensor 13b provided on the rear side are provided. It has multiple infrared sensors.

Also, a plurality of cold air discharge ports 21 for cooling the inside of the upper container 27 are provided, a first cold air discharge port 21a that mainly discharges cold air to the front side, and a second cold air discharge port that mainly discharges cold air to the rear side. 21b.

Thus, the temperature on the front side of the upper container 27 in the upper container 27 in the freezer compartment 3 can be detected by the first infrared sensor 13a, and the temperature on the rear side of the upper container 27 can be detected by the infrared sensor 13b. Therefore, the detected temperatures of the plurality of infrared sensors are compared by the control device, and it is determined in which region a load requiring cooling is applied.

And when warm food is thrown into any place in the upper container 27, the area | region where the infrared sensor which is detecting the highest temperature among the some infrared sensors 13 is arrange | positioned is cooled intensively. In order to perform efficient cooling, it is possible to change the air volume of the plurality of discharge ports.

Specifically, for example, when the infrared sensor that has detected the highest temperature among the infrared sensors 13 is the first infrared sensor 13a, it is determined that a warm object has been introduced to the front side, and the second cold air The discharge port 21b is closed by a damper, and the food put into the area on the front side of the upper container 27 can be rapidly cooled by discharging cold air intensively from the first cold air discharge port 21a. .

By performing such rapid cooling, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the entire storage room from rising due to the heat effect from food at a high temperature and the freshness from being lowered due to the temperature rise of the food stored in advance. In addition, since the whole food in the storage room where the temperature has risen can be rapidly cooled by concentrating on the one having a higher temperature than the uniform cooling, energy-saving cooling is possible. In particular, if control is performed such that automatic cooling is performed automatically based on the temperature detected by the infrared sensor, rapid cooling can be performed only for the necessary load only at the necessary locations, thus realizing further energy saving and cooling storage. It can be carried out.

Further, when performing such rapid cooling, as in the present embodiment, the bottom surface of the upper container 27, which is a detection surface provided on the side facing the infrared sensor 13, is formed of a member having a large heat holding force. Thus, even when a large heat load is increased by adding warm food, quick cooling can be performed more quickly.

Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the infrared condensing member that narrows the detection range of the infrared sensor has a large heat holding force, so that efficient rapid cooling with higher detection accuracy can be performed. Can do.

(Embodiment 3)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the third embodiment, detailed description of the same parts as the configurations and technical ideas described in the first and second embodiments is omitted, and the configurations to which the same technical ideas can be applied are described in the first and second embodiments. It is possible to realize a configuration in combination with the technical contents and configuration described in 2.

FIG. 5A is a side cross-sectional view of the main part of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 5B is a plan view seen from above the freezer compartment of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the infrared sensor 13c that can swing the infrared sensor 13, that is, the detection range can be changed by a movable mechanism is used.

This infrared sensor 13c receives at least infrared rays with respect to the width 27w of the upper container 27 around the center line 27a in the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface of the upper container 27 which is a detection surface detected by the infrared sensor 13c of the storage room, that is, the food placement surface. The entire infrared sensor 13c is moved so that the unit 40 is movable.

Therefore, the dimension 27x in the width direction of the visual field range of the infrared sensor 13c with respect to the width dimension 27w of the upper container 27 is as follows.

27w / 2 ≦ 27x ≦ 27w
Thus, by narrowing the field of view 27 of the infrared sensor, it is possible to further improve the temperature detection accuracy when the input food enters, and more accurately determine in which region the load requiring cooling is input. Thus, cooling can be performed.

Specifically, for example, when the portion where the highest temperature is detected in the visual field range of the infrared sensor 13c is on the front side (that is, on the door 23 side), it is determined that a warm object has been put on the front side, The second cold air discharge port 21b is closed by a damper, and the cold food is intensively discharged from the first cold air discharge port 21a, thereby rapidly cooling the food put into the area on the front side of the upper container 27. Is possible.

Further, in this embodiment, rapid cooling is performed by providing a plurality of discharge ports and concentrating cool air in a heavily loaded area. However, the wind direction can be changed even with a single discharge port. It is also possible to adjust the direction of the wind so that the cool air flows in a region with a large load with a variable device. In this case, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of discharge ports 21. It becomes possible to cool intensively.

In the present embodiment, the entire infrared sensor 13c is moved in order to make the detection surface detected by the infrared sensor 13c in the storage room wider, but this purpose is to move the infrared detection surface. Therefore, for example, in the case where some light collecting member such as a cover is formed on the surface, only the opening of the light collecting member may be movable. By providing a configuration that allows only the aperture of the light collecting member to move without being moved, the burden on the electric wiring and the movable portion is reduced even in a low-temperature environment, and the infrared sensor 13c having a more reliable movable portion is provided. Can be provided.

(Embodiment 4)
Hereinafter, Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the main part of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the infrared sensor mounting portion of the refrigerator in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a side cross-section A portion of the infrared sensor mounting portion of the refrigerator in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view seen from the direction B directly above the infrared sensor mounting portion of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

In the fourth embodiment, detailed description of the same parts as those in the configurations and technical ideas described in the first to third embodiments is omitted, and the configurations to which the same technical ideas can be applied are described in the first embodiment. 3 can be combined with the technical contents and configuration described in 3.

6 to 9, the freezer compartment 3, which is a part of the storage room of the refrigerator main body 102 constituted by the heat insulating box 101, has a temperature zone due to the upper upper heat insulating partition 104 and the lower lower heat insulating partition 105. It is partitioned from different refrigerator compartment 106 and vegetable compartment 107. Further, an opening (not shown) of the freezer compartment 103 is provided with a partition 108 that connects the left and right ends of the opening.

In the cold air generation chamber 109 provided on the back surface of the freezer compartment 103, an evaporator 110 that generates cold air and a blower 111 that supplies and circulates cold air to the refrigerator compartment 106, the freezer compartment 103, and the vegetable compartment 107 are arranged, respectively. A defrosting heater 112 that is energized at the time of defrosting is disposed in the lower space of the evaporator 110. In addition, a cold air distribution chamber 119 is provided on the back surface of the freezer compartment 103, and a cold air discharge port 121 and a cold air discharge port 122 are provided continuously to the cold air distribution chamber 119.

A door 123 and a door 124 are provided at the opening of the freezer compartment 103, and the freezer compartment 103 is closed so that cold air does not flow out of the freezer compartment 103. Both the door 123 and the door 124 are drawer-type doors. When food is taken in and out, the door 123 and the door 124 are used by being pulled out toward the front side of the refrigerator, that is, the left side as shown in FIG. In addition,

frame bodies

125 and 126 are provided behind the door 123 and the door 124, respectively. On the

frames

125 and 126, an upper container 127, a lower container 128, and a slide-type middle container 132 placed on the upper part of the lower container 128 are placed.

A cold storage material 129 is placed on the detection surface which is the surface facing the infrared sensor 113 on the bottom surface of the upper container 127. The regenerator material 129 is set to a melting temperature of −15 ° C., which is lower than the freezing temperature of food that is generally frozen and higher than the temperature of the freezer compartment 103. Further, the filling amount of the regenerator material 129 is set to an amount that does not completely melt even when food is put on and placed on the regenerator material 129.

Further, a cold air inlet 130 for sucking cold air and guiding it to the evaporator 110 is provided at the lower back of the freezer compartment 103.

In addition, the food 131 is placed and stored on the cold storage material 129 by the user's hand.

The infrared sensor 113 generally detects the amount of infrared rays radiated from an object in the visual field range, converts it to an electrical signal, measures the reference temperature of the ambient temperature of the infrared light receiver 140, and produces an electrical signal. And a thermistor 142 that converts the thermistor 142 into the infrared element portion 143.

In the present embodiment, the purpose is to detect the temperature of the food 131, but the infrared sensor 113 detects the temperature of the food 131 and at the same time detects the temperature within the field of view of the infrared sensor 113. The amount of infrared rays emitted from the wall surface of the chamber 104, the food 131 stored in the freezer compartment 104, the cold storage material 129, and the like is detected. At that time, the ambient temperature of the infrared light receiving unit 140 is measured as a reference temperature.

In addition, a control board (not shown) for controlling the refrigerator is electrically connected to a wire 146 to which the infrared element portion 143 is electrically connected, a connector 144, and a printed board (not shown) board 141. ) And the connector 144 are electrically connected.

The infrared element unit 143 outputs the voltage of the reference temperature of the thermistor 142 and the voltage of the infrared light amount of the infrared light receiving unit 140 to a control board (not shown), thereby detecting the detected temperature of the measured object. The control device (not shown) makes a determination based on the calculated detected temperature.

The infrared condensing member 148 covers the periphery of the infrared element unit 143 in a state of being in thermal contact with the infrared element unit 143 and is provided without a gap from the substrate 145, and is an infrared ray of disturbance radiated from other than the food 131 and the cold storage material 129. In order to increase the detection intensity, a through-hole 150 that restricts the viewing angle θ ° is provided so as to lead to the infrared light receiver 140. Thus, in this Embodiment, in order to have a condensing function, the height of the inner wall surface terminal part 150c of the through-hole from the inner wall surface front-end | tip part 150b of the through-hole of the infrared condensing member 148 is set to 3 mm or more. The viewing angle is 30 ° to 60 °. Here, when the height of the upper container 127 is about 110 mm, the viewing angle is preferably about 50 °.

In addition, here, the through-hole 150 has the highest infrared detection intensity at the center within the circle of the detection range, and the detection intensity becomes weaker toward the end. Therefore, it is possible to increase the intensity of the infrared amount of the detected object by further narrowing the viewing angle of the infrared sensor and to reliably detect the temperature of the object, but a part of the viewing angle is applied to the front end surface of the through-hole 150. Therefore, at least the inner wall surface 150a of the through-hole of the infrared condensing member 148 located within the visual field range of the infrared sensor is heated by the opening and closing of the door, for example. Even if there is a temperature fluctuation due to a disturbance such as inflow of water, it is desirable to reduce the temperature follow-up to such a disturbance so that stable detection can be performed. In this embodiment, the through-hole of the infrared condensing member 148 In order to increase the heat holding force of the inner wall surface 150a, the thermal conductivity is increased and the heat capacity is increased so that the heat holding force of the infrared condensing member 148 itself is increased. It is devised to so that.

As described above, in order to increase the thermal conductivity and increase the heat capacity of the infrared condensing member 148, the heat condensing member 148 has a higher thermal conductivity than a resin generally used as a conventional condensing member. It is made of a high material such as aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, iron, copper, or a material containing them. In particular, from the viewpoint of being lightweight, having high thermal conductivity and high heat capacity, and partially exposing the surface of the inside of the freezer compartment 3, those mainly composed of aluminum having high corrosion resistance are preferable.

In addition, when a part of the surface is exposed in the freezer compartment 103, the infrared sensor 113 malfunctions due to friction caused by a cloth or the like that the user cleans the inside of the refrigerator or static electricity generated by the human body or the element itself. In order to prevent destruction, it is a powder oxide that is electrically insulated and has high thermal conductivity and high heat capacity. For example, PPS, ABS, LSP (liquid crystal) mainly containing any one of alumina, silica, and magnesia. It is also possible to improve the heat retention by using a material that is dispersed and mixed in a resin such as a polymer). In this case, it has both high thermal conductivity and electrical insulation, and its blending ratio is weight It is preferable that the powder oxide is 80% or more in terms of the ratio, and the electrical insulation is 1.0 × 10 ¹⁴ Ω · m or more with a specific resistance equivalent to that of a general resin member. Constant It is also possible to satisfy the electrical insulation being.

Further, when the temperature of the stored item stored in the storage chamber is detected by the infrared sensor 113, the inner wall front end portion 150b of the through-hole of the infrared light collecting member 148 and the inner wall end portion 150c of the through-hole of the infrared light collecting member 148 due to temperature fluctuation caused by opening and closing the door. Therefore, by setting the weight ratio of the powder oxide to approximately 85% or more, the thermal conductivity is increased, the thermal conductivity is 2 W / m · K or more, and per unit mass. The heat capacity is preferably 750 J / kg · ° C. or higher.

Further, in the present embodiment, in order to further improve the heat holding power of the infrared condensing member 148, the heat capacity is increased by surrounding the infrared condensing member 148 with the condensing opening 151 of the infrared mounting case 147. The temperature fluctuation of the infrared condensing member 148 is further reduced.

In this case, since the infrared mounting case 147 functions as a heat insulating member surrounding the infrared condensing member 148 and prevents the outer surface of the infrared condensing member 148 from being exposed to the outside air, the infrared condensing member By reducing the contact area with the outside air of 148 and slowing the temperature change of the infrared ray condensing member at a constant temperature, the followability to the temperature fluctuation due to the disturbance can be further relaxed.

Next, the infrared mounting case 147 is provided with a condensing opening 151 penetrating in the same shape as the side surface of the infrared condensing member 148 in a portion located substantially at the center. A plurality of protruding protrusions 152 extending toward the surface are provided. And the infrared attachment case 147 is provided so that it may fit with the recessed part 149 partially formed in the part located in the approximate center of the upper stage heat insulation partition plate 104. FIG.

In addition, a projection opening 152 a that opens in communication with the through-hole 150 of the infrared light collecting member 148 is provided on the inner circle side of the projection 152. It is assumed that the projection opening 152a is opened in a larger area than the through-hole 150.

Here, for example, if the periphery of the condensing opening 151 is formed by a cylindrical projecting portion surrounded by a wall surface extending toward the inside of the warehouse, a step is formed between the infrared condensing member 148 and the projecting portion. By storing warm food inflow by opening and closing of the door 123 and the door 124 and storing the food 131, a warm air pool of the steam from the food 131 is likely to be generated in the inner (inside) space of the cylindrical protrusion 152. However, the temperature gradient between the front end surface and the end surface of the infrared condensing member 148 is generated, which causes a detection error of the infrared sensor 113. In the present invention, a plurality of protrusions 152 are provided to prevent this. By providing the gap h3, it is difficult to collect warm air around the protrusion 152 due to the influence of disturbance (for example, door opening / closing, hot food, etc.) that changes the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor 113. It is provided. That is, the plurality of protrusions 152 are not continuous and are provided in the infrared mounting case 147 in an independent manner.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 52 has a shape in which the wind easily flows, and by providing the gap h3 ′ on the side facing the gap h3 between the adjacent protrusions 152 and the protrusion opening 152a, the resistance of the wind The shape is such that the wind can flow more easily.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the adjacent protrusions 152 are arranged at four positions so as to surround the infrared element 143 of the infrared sensor 113 with an angle of 90 °, and a shape in which wind flows sufficiently. It has become. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9, it installs so that two places of the four protrusion parts 152 may become a horizontal direction with respect to the front-back direction X of a refrigerator. Furthermore, the remaining two places are installed so as to be horizontal with respect to the left-right direction Y of the refrigerator orthogonal to the front-rear direction X of the refrigerator. This is because when cold air flows along the front-rear direction X of the refrigerator through the gap between the diameter d1 of the protrusion opening 152a and the outer diameter d2 of the infrared condensing member 148, for example, 30 ° or 45 with respect to X or Y Compared with the case where it is installed so as to have an angle of °, the air path resistance in the gap between the diameter d1 of the projection opening 152a and the outer diameter d2 of the infrared condensing member 148 is reduced.

That is, the protrusions 152 are not continuous on the diameter d1 of the protrusion opening 152a, which is the inner space of the protrusion 152, and a plurality of the protrusions are provided intermittently, so that the air path resistance can be further reduced. It becomes. Further, the protrusion 152 is positioned by point contact on the diameter d1 of the protrusion opening 152a that is an inner space of the protrusion 152. Specifically, only the tip end portion of the projection 152 having a semicircular diameter is located on the diameter d1 of the projection opening 152a. Further, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 152 has a diameter of 1 with respect to the innermost diameter d3 of the linear cross section of the protrusion 152 that communicates with the semicircular portion at the tip of the protrusion. Occupies about / 4.

The wall surface 104a in the direction of the freezer compartment 103, which is the storage room for the upper heat insulating partition plate 104 other than the recess 149, the outer surface 147a of the infrared mounting case on the freezer compartment side, and the front end surface 148a of the infrared condensing member are substantially flush with each other. By reducing the level difference, the wind easily flows along the upper heat insulating partition 104 on the ceiling surface of the freezer compartment 103 even when the door 123 and the door 124 are opened and closed, and the infrared light is collected in the warm air pool. The member 148 is provided so that a temperature gradient between the front end surface and the end surface of the member 148 is difficult to occur.

Thus, the fact that the outer surface 147a on the freezer compartment side of the infrared mounting case where the protrusion 152 is formed and the tip surface 148a of the infrared condensing part are provided in the same plane, that is, the protrusion 152 does not exist. In the portion corresponding to the gap h3 between the protrusions 152, the tip surface 148a of the infrared condensing part is provided in the same plane, and has a shape with little resistance when the wind flows and difficult to collect warm air.

In this case, on the top surface of the storage chamber to which the infrared sensor 113 is attached, only the protrusion 152 protrudes from the top wall surface.

And, by providing the protrusion 152, it is possible to prevent the towel from touching the infrared sensor 113 directly at the time of cleaning, etc., and malfunction or failure of the infrared sensor 113 due to static electricity due to the friction of the towel or instantaneous discharge of static electricity charged on the human body, Or destruction of the infrared element 143 of the infrared sensor 113 can be prevented.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 152 is formed as a separate member from the infrared condensing member 148, so that the protrusion may be touched by the user because it is located closest to the storage chamber of the infrared sensor 113. Since the protrusion 152 and the infrared sensor 113 are arranged via the infrared condensing member 148 as an interposed member without the 152 being in direct contact with the infrared sensor 113, static electricity generated when the user touches the protrusion 52. In addition, malfunction or failure of the infrared sensor 113 due to instantaneous discharge of static electricity charged on the human body, or destruction of the infrared element 143 of the infrared sensor 113 can be prevented.

As described above, in order to further relax the followability to the temperature fluctuation due to the disturbance of the infrared condensing member 148, in the present embodiment, the shape of the protrusion 152 located in the visual field range of the infrared sensor 113 is devised, Since it is difficult to accumulate warm air around the protrusion 152, the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor 113 can be further improved.

Further, the protrusion 152 can be made of a different material by forming it as a member different from the infrared condensing member 148, and the protrusion 152 is made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the infrared condensing member 148. It is desirable to form, thereby preventing the heat of the protrusion 152 from being transferred to the infrared condensing member 148, and the temperature of the infrared condensing member 48 becomes more stable, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor 113. It is possible to make it.

Further, in general, the charge amount charged to the human body may exceed 1000 V, and by setting the certain spatial distance h2 to 6 mm or more, even if the user tries to touch the infrared sensor 113, the finger does not enter. Therefore, in a range where the safety of the user is higher and the viewing angle of the infrared sensor 113 does not overlap the protrusion 152, the spatial distance h2 is preferably 6 mm, and the diameter d1 of the protrusion opening 152a which is the inner diameter of the protrusion 152 is In addition to preventing the entry of fingers from the vertical direction by setting the diameter within 6 mm, it is possible to prevent the entry of fingers from the side surface direction by setting the dimension of the gap h3 between adjacent protrusions 152 to 4 mm or less. It is possible to ensure a sufficient insulation distance in actual use of the refrigerator.

Furthermore, by providing a slope portion 153 that is formed in a curved shape without a right angle portion extending in a lateral direction from the protrusion opening 152a in the inner circle of the protrusion 152 and reaching the surface of the infrared mounting case 147. Preventing damage to food 131 due to catching of towels, etc. at the time of cleaning, food 131 stored in the storage chamber etc. on projection 152, or injury due to direct contact with projection 152, etc. By providing the slope portion 153, even if the door 123 and the door 124 are opened and closed, the wind easily flows through the upper heat insulating partition plate 104 on the ceiling surface of the freezer compartment 103 to the slope portion 153, and the warm air pool is infrared. The light collecting member 148 is provided so that a temperature gradient between the front end surface and the end surface of the light collecting member 148 is more difficult to be generated. In this manner, the slope portion on the outer surface of the protrusion 152 is formed in a shape that does not have a right-angle portion, and is formed into a shape that is not easily caught by being curved.

First, after turning on the power, the operation of the refrigeration cycle (not shown) is started, and the refrigerant flows through the evaporator 110 to generate cold air. The generated cold air is sent to the cold air distribution chamber 119 by the blower 111, distributed from the cold air discharge port 121 and the cold air discharge port 122, and discharged into the freezer chamber 103.

The freezing chamber 103 is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the cold air discharged into the freezing chamber 103, and at the same time, the cool storage material 129 is also cooled. At this time, the freezer compartment 103 is adjusted to a temperature at which the food can be stored frozen for a certain period of time, for example, −20 ° C., but the heat storage material 129 uses a material whose melting temperature is set to −15 ° C. After the chamber 103 is sufficiently cooled and a predetermined time elapses, the cool storage material 129 is completely frozen, and the cool air that has cooled the inside of the cooling chamber 103 enters the cool air generation chamber 109 from the cool air suction port 130, and the evaporator 110 Cooled again.

For detecting the temperature of the infrared sensor 113, for example, when the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor 113 serving as the reference temperature is 25 ° C., the voltage output from the infrared sensor 113 is V and the thermistor 142 measures the ambient temperature of the infrared light receiving unit 140. When the temperature is S, the amount of infrared rays is measured by the infrared light receiving unit 140 and the average temperature of the infrared rays is B, the relationship can be expressed by the relational expression “V = α (B ⁴ −S ⁴ )”. Here, α is a coefficient.

Therefore, if there is no temperature difference between the ambient temperature S and the average temperature B of the amount of infrared rays, the infrared sensor 113 approaches the value of the output voltage V to 0, and the reference temperature becomes the temperature S in the measurement range. If the temperature difference is large, the amount of infrared light detected by the infrared light receiving unit 140 increases, and the output voltage also increases.

Therefore, if a warm food is added and the ambient temperature S of the infrared sensor 113 serving as the reference temperature also increases accordingly, the difference between the ambient temperature S and the average temperature B becomes small, and the warm food. Even if the absolute temperature is high, it cannot be detected that food having a relatively high temperature has been introduced, and the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor 113 will be reduced.

Next, the detection temperature of the infrared sensor 113 when the door 123 is closed is detected including the surface temperature of the cool storage material 129 placed on the bottom surface of the upper container 127 which is a detection surface provided on the side facing the infrared sensor 113. To do. By forming the surface detected by the infrared sensor 13 with the cold storage material 129 having a cold storage function in this way, for example, even when there is a disturbance such as the inflow of warm air, the detection surface of the infrared sensor also has a high heat holding power and the disturbance. Since the temperature followability with respect to can be relaxed, it is less affected by temperature fluctuation due to disturbance, and a stable temperature can be maintained, so that higher detection accuracy can be obtained.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the detection surface provided on the side facing the infrared sensor 113 and the inner wall surface 150a of the through hole of the infrared condensing member 148 positioned in the visual field range of the infrared sensor 113 is used. By forming both the bottom surface of a certain upper container 127 with a member having a large heat retention force, even if a temporary temperature fluctuation due to a disturbance occurs, the temperature followability of the portion located within the visual field range of the infrared sensor can be improved. Since it can be mitigated, it becomes possible to more accurately detect the temperature of the food 131 that is the object of temperature detection by the infrared sensor 113.

Further, a projection opening 152 a that opens in communication with the through-hole 150 of the infrared condensing member 148 is provided on the inner circle side of the projecting portion 152 provided on the storage chamber side of the infrared condensing member 148. The projection opening 152a is opened in a larger area than the through-hole 150, so that the projection 152 located in the visual field range of the infrared sensor 113 is made smaller, so that the temperature of the projection 152 is reduced. By preventing the deterioration of detection accuracy due to detection by the infrared sensor 113, and by devising a shape that makes it difficult for warm air to accumulate around the protrusion 152, the user can touch while maintaining the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor 113. It is possible to provide a refrigerator equipped with a more reliable infrared sensor by preventing failure of the infrared sensor in the event of static or static electricity That.

In the present embodiment, the protrusions 152 are arranged such that two of the four protrusions 152 are in the horizontal direction with respect to the front-rear direction X of the refrigerator (the front-rear direction X is the direction of the air passage through which the cold air flows). It is installed in. Furthermore, the remaining two places are installed so as to be horizontal with respect to the left-right direction Y of the refrigerator orthogonal to the front-rear direction X of the refrigerator. This is because when cold air flows along the front-rear direction X of the refrigerator through the gap between the diameter d1 of the protrusion opening 152a and the outer diameter d2 of the infrared condensing member 148, for example, 30 ° or 45 with respect to X or Y Compared with the case where it is installed so as to have an angle of °, the air path resistance in the gap between the diameter d1 of the projection opening 152a and the outer diameter d2 of the infrared condensing member 148 is reduced.

This is because when the inventor actually carried out an experiment to measure the temperature of the infrared condensing member 148 by installing an object provided with four protrusions at various angles as in the present embodiment. The configuration is derived from the result that the temperature variation of the infrared light collecting member 148 is the smallest.

Further, in the present embodiment, the protrusion is substantially in point contact with the diameter d1 of the protrusion opening 152a, which is the inner space of the protrusion 152, specifically, the protrusion opening. On the diameter d1 of 152a, only the tip portion of the projecting portion 152 having a semicircular diameter is located. Further, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 152 has a diameter of 1 with respect to the innermost diameter d3 of the linear cross section of the protrusion 152 that communicates with the semicircular portion at the tip of the protrusion. Occupies about / 4. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 152 occupies about 1/4 with respect to the innermost diameter d3 of the linear cross section. In some cases, it is preferable that the protrusion 152 be at least 1/3 or less of the innermost diameter d3 of the straight section.

When the user stores the food 131, for example, the door 123 is pulled out. At this time, the temperature detection of the infrared sensor 113 detects the temperature in the lower container 128. Then, the door 123 is in an open state, and the warm air of the outside air flows from the opening surface of the door 123, passes through the upper heat insulating partition plate 104 of the ceiling surface of the freezer compartment 103, and the warm air flows along the slope portion 153. Since the outer surface of the mounting case 147 and the front end surface of the infrared condensing part 148 are in the same plane, even when the door is opened, the wind flows through the slope part 153, so the temperature fluctuation due to warm air accumulation is small and abrupt. It is possible to suppress erroneous detection due to a rise or fall caused by a change in ambient temperature, and to improve the stability of the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor 113.

When cleaning the inside of the freezer compartment 103 or the like, the infrared sensor 113 is charged in a state where static electricity is charged due to friction of a towel or the like, and the static electricity tends to accumulate in the human body when the air is dry depending on the season or the season. When you touch, an instantaneous discharge occurs from the tip of your fingertip or towel. Then, when the discharge energy is applied, noise enters the infrared element 143 by mistake, so that the infrared sensor 113 malfunctions or the infrared element 143 itself cannot withstand the electrostatic withstand voltage, so that the infrared element 143 has an internal disconnection. Or cause a short circuit.

Therefore, by providing a plurality of protrusions 152 that partially extend toward the inner side of the condensing opening 151 on the same surface as the front end surface of the infrared sensor 113, a certain spatial distance is ensured, and infrared rays due to static electricity. In addition to preventing malfunction or failure of the sensor 113 or destruction of the infrared sensor 113, it is possible to prevent direct contact with an electrical component (infrared element 143) due to the entry of a finger.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the heat insulating box composed of a plurality of heat insulating compartments, the heat insulating partition for partitioning the heat insulating box, the storage room partitioned by the heat insulating partition, and the heat insulating partition Infrared condensing member provided with a concave portion formed in, an infrared sensor for detecting the amount of radiation radiated from the stored item stored in the storage room, and a through-hole surrounding the infrared sensor and guiding the amount of radiation to the infrared sensor And an infrared mounting case that houses the infrared sensor, and a light collecting opening that penetrates the infrared mounting case in the same shape as the side surface of the infrared light collecting member, and the infrared mounting case is embedded in the recess and faces the storage chamber. By providing a plurality of protruding protrusions around the light collection opening, malfunction or failure of the infrared sensor due to static electricity such as friction during cleaning of the storage room, or infrared sensor It is possible to prevent the destruction of the child itself.

In addition, by providing a plurality of protrusions around the opening, warming up around the protrusion due to disturbance effects (such as door opening and closing and hot food) that fluctuate the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor is reduced. Detection accuracy can be improved.

In addition, by providing a distance of 6 mm or more from the tip of the infrared sensor to the protrusion of the infrared mounting case, the insulation distance from electrical components (infrared sensors) defined by various laws and regulations relating to home appliances can be reduced. In general, the charged voltage charged to the human body may exceed 1000V. By securing a certain spatial distance, an instantaneous discharge is generated from static electricity charged to the human body, and the discharge energy is applied. Even in this case, it is possible to further prevent malfunction or failure of the infrared sensor or destruction of the element of the infrared sensor.

In addition, by making the inner diameter of the plurality of protrusions protruding around the condensing opening to be 6 mm or less, it is possible to prevent direct contact with an electrical component (infrared sensor) due to the insertion of a finger from the vertical direction inside the protrusion. Can do.

In addition, the protrusions are arranged at equal intervals around the opening, and the distance between the protrusions is set to 4 mm or less, so that an electric component (infrared sensor) by direct insertion of a finger from the side surface inside the protrusion can be directly connected. Touching can be prevented.

In addition, by providing a slope portion formed on the surface of the infrared mounting case from the protrusion toward the outside of the light collection opening, safety such as injury due to catching of the protrusion is ensured, and along the slope portion Thus, by guiding convection to the front end surface of the infrared sensor, it is possible to suppress the warm air accumulation around the infrared sensor and reduce the temperature gradient with the infrared sensor, thereby further improving the detection accuracy of the infrared sensor.

Moreover, the front end surface of the infrared condensing member is substantially the same as the outer surface of the infrared mounting case on the storage chamber side, so that there is no step between the infrared mounting case and the infrared condensing member, so that warm air generated by opening and closing the door can be prevented. The temperature fluctuation is small even when the door is opened by storing the inflow and food, etc., and eliminating the warming up of the steam from the food, so false detection due to a rise or fall due to a sudden change in ambient temperature And the stability of detection accuracy of the infrared sensor can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the wall surface 104a in the direction of the freezer compartment 3 that is the storage chamber of the upper heat insulating partition plate 104 other than the recess 149 and the outer surface 147a of the infrared mounting case on the freezer compartment side are substantially in the same plane. However, the outer surface 147a of the infrared mounting case on the freezer compartment side may protrude from the wall surface 104a in the direction of the freezer compartment 103 toward the storage chamber side, and in this way, the infrared surface is more infrared than the wall surface 104a. The outer surface 147a on the freezer compartment side of the mounting case has a convex shape, so that even when the door 123 and the door 124 are in an open / closed state, it is possible to further prevent warm air from being collected around the protruding portion of the infrared mounting case 147. In addition, it is possible to provide the infrared light collecting member 148 so that a temperature gradient between the front end surface and the end surface is difficult to occur. In this case, it is also possible that only the vicinity of the attachment surface 147b provided with at least the protrusion 152 has a convex shape, and the wall surface 104a and the outer surface 147a on the freezer compartment side of the infrared attachment case are on the same surface, Only the mounting surface 147b may protrude smoothly. In this case, the rigidity of the protrusion 152 around the mounting surface 147 can be further increased, and a non-contact sensor having a higher-quality protrusion 52 is provided. Can be realized.

As described above, the infrared sensor of the refrigerator according to the present invention can improve detection accuracy without being affected by ambient disturbances (for example, door opening and closing and temperature fluctuation due to hot food), and various laws and regulations relating to home appliances. The specified electrical insulation is ensured and the product quality is improved, and it can be applied not only to household refrigerators, but also to commercial refrigerators and measuring instruments in environments with large ambient influences.

In addition, the refrigerator according to the present invention forms a protrusion and a slope on a part of the infrared mounting case to which the infrared sensor is attached, and has a certain spatial distance from the infrared element part, so that the infrared sensor is erroneously detected due to static electricity. Prevents breakdown or internal destruction of the infrared element of the infrared sensor, and further improves the detection accuracy without being affected by disturbances around the protrusions (for example, door opening and closing and temperature fluctuations due to hot food). It ensures electrical insulation as stipulated by various laws and regulations related to products, improves product quality, and is applicable not only to household refrigerators, but also to commercial refrigerators and measuring instruments in environments with large ambient influences.

Claims

A heat insulating box composed of a plurality of heat insulating compartments;
A heat insulating partition for partitioning the heat insulating box;
A storage room partitioned by the partition,
An infrared sensor having a temperature detection unit for detecting the amount of infrared radiation radiated from the stored items stored in the storage chamber;
An infrared condensing member provided closer to the storage chamber than the infrared sensor;
A refrigerator in which at least an inner wall surface of the infrared condensing member is formed to have a large heat retention.
An infrared mounting case that houses the infrared sensor, a condensing opening that penetrates a part of the infrared mounting case in the same shape as a side surface of the infrared condensing member, and a recess formed in the heat insulating partition The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the infrared mounting case is embedded.
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein a front end surface of the infrared light collecting member is embedded in the same surface as a front end surface of the recess.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the infrared condensing member is made of a metal mainly composed of aluminum.
The said infrared condensing member mix | blended resin and powder oxide, and has the electrical insulation formed by mix | blending 85% or more of the said powder oxide. The refrigerator described.
The through-hole provided in the said infrared condensing member is a refrigerator as described in any one of Claims 1-5 provided with the height of 3 mm or more from the front end surface of the said infrared sensor.
A heat insulating box composed of a plurality of heat insulating compartments;
A heat insulating partition for partitioning the heat insulating box;
A storage room partitioned by the heat insulating partition,
An infrared sensor having a temperature detector for detecting the amount of radiation radiated from the stored item stored in the storage chamber;
An infrared condensing member having a through hole provided in the infrared sensor;
A refrigerator provided with a projection opening communicating with the through-hole of the infrared condensing member and provided with a plurality of protruding projections around the projection opening.
The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein a protrusion is formed on a surface of an infrared mounting case that houses the infrared sensor, and a slope portion formed in a shape having no right-angled portion is provided outside the protrusion.
The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein a front end surface of the infrared condensing member is substantially flush with an outer surface of the infrared mounting case on the storage chamber side.