WO2015172609A1

WO2015172609A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2015172609A1
Application number: PCT/CN2015/075060
Authority: WO
Inventors: 田岛博志; 金野麻里菜; 小野田岳史
Original assignee: 海尔亚洲国际株式会社; 青岛海尔股份有限公司
Priority date: 2014-05-16
Filing date: 2015-03-25
Publication date: 2015-11-19
Also published as: JP2015218942A

Abstract

A refrigerator (1) capable of using supercooling for high-efficiency freezing of food in a freezer compartment (5). The refrigerator (1) comprises: a freezer compartment (5) used for accommodating frozen items; a shelf plate (24) arranged within the freezer compartment (5), used for placement of the frozen items, and provided with multiple hole parts; and, a blower (23) arranged to blow cold air downward into the freezer compartment (5). The freezer compartment (5) is divided into a first area (44) and a second area (45). The first area (44) is located above the shelf plate (24). The second area (45) is located below the shelf plate (24). A portion of the cold air blown by the blower (23) is introduced into the second area (45) via the shelf plate (24).

Description

refrigerator

Technical field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator for cooling and storing foods and the like in a storage room, and more particularly to a refrigerator having a function of freezing food stored in a freezer compartment by using cold.

Background technique

In the prior art, when the food in the freezing compartment is frozen, a freezing method of freezing the food in a supercooled state is generally used. If the method is used for freezing, the ice crystals are small and the cell structure of the food is not easily broken. Thereby, the generation of water droplets can be reduced.

In Fig. 10 and the description thereof of Patent Document 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-267646), a refrigerator having the above-described supercooling function is described. Specifically, when the supercool button is pressed, the supercooling time is started (step 1). Here, the time from the normal temperature to the supercooling temperature is set in advance in the range of 5 minutes to 72 hours, and preferably, it is in the range of 1 to 24 hours, and after the elapse of the time (step 2), the inside of the supercooled case is The temperature is controlled to automatically change to a low temperature (step 3). Further, when the thermistor (not shown) detects a temperature rise caused by actual use such as door opening and closing, only the time equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature is accumulated. When it is determined that the cumulative time of the phase 2 and the phase 3 shown in FIG. 9 of the patent document 1 reaches the predetermined time (step 4), the set temperature of the thermistor, the speed of the compressor 10 and the fan 2 are restored to the normal value (step 5).

By performing such cooling, it is possible to achieve supercooling of the food with less energy, and it is possible to improve the freezing effect.

However, in the invention described in the above patent document, the temperature of the freezing compartment when the supercooling is performed is, for example, about -15 ° C, and does not reach a sufficient low temperature state. If the temperature is supercooled at this temperature, many water droplets are generated. .

Summary of the invention

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator capable of efficiently freezing foods and the like in a freezing compartment by supercooling.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes: a freezing compartment for accommodating the object to be frozen; a shelf provided in the freezing compartment for placing the object to be frozen, and having a plurality of holes; and a blower disposed to face Cooling gas is blown downward in the freezing chamber; wherein the freezing chamber is divided into a first area and a second area, wherein the first area is located above the shelf; the second area is located below the shelf A portion of the wind generated by the blower passes through the shelf into the second region.

According to the present invention, the freezer compartment is partitioned into the upper first region and the lower second region by arranging the shelf for placing the frozen object in the freezing chamber. Further, a plurality of holes are formed in the shelf. Thereby, since the cold air can pass into the second region below the object to be frozen, the frozen object can be uniformly frozen from the periphery, and the supercooling can be performed efficiently.

DRAWINGS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a refrigerator of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a refrigerator of the present invention.

Fig. 3 (A) is a side cross-sectional view showing a peripheral structure of an upper freezing compartment of the refrigerator of the present invention, and (B) is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the selected storage container.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a partition member constituting the refrigerator of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the cooling operation of the refrigerator of the present invention in the supercooling mode.

Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of the air passage shutter when the refrigerator of the present invention is operated in the supercooling mode.

The reference numerals used in the figure are as follows:

1-refrigerator, 2-insulation box, 2a-outer box, 2b-inner box, 2c-insulation material,

3-refrigerator, 4-ice room, 5-up freezer, 6-lower freezer, 7-vegetable room,

8-door, 9-door, 10-door, 11-gate, 12-door,

13-cooling chamber, 13b-opening, 14-supply airway, 15-supply airway, 17-return airway,

18-wind circuit shutter, 20-partition, 20a-inclined surface,

21-connecting port, 22-opening, 23-second blower, 23a-fan, 23b-housing,

24-shelf, 25-hole, 26-frozen, 28-blow, 29-storage container,

29a-vent, 31-compressor, 32-first blower, 33-cooler,

34-temperature sensor, 36-insulated partition, 37-insulated partition, 38-separator,

39-separated parts, 40-wind, 41-wind, 42-wind, 43-wind, 44-first area,

45 - second area, 46 - wind path, A - setting item.

detailed description

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front external view showing a schematic structure of a refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment. 2 is a right side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 includes a heat insulating box 2 as a main body, and a storage chamber for storing foods and the like is formed inside the heat insulating box 2. The inside of the storage compartment is divided into a plurality of storage compartments according to the storage temperature and use. Each storage compartment includes an uppermost refrigerating compartment 3, an ice making compartment 4 on the left side of the lower layer, an upper freezing compartment 5 on the right side, a lower freezing compartment 6 in the lower layer, and a vegetable compartment 7 in the lowermost layer.

The basic function of the refrigerator 1 is to cool the stored objects such as foods stored in the respective storage compartments to a predetermined temperature. For example, the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 3 is in the range of 3 ° C to 6 ° C, and the temperature in the freezer (lower freezer compartment 6 or the like) is in the range of -16 ° C to -22 ° C, and the inside of the vegetable compartment 7 is in the tank. The temperature is in the range of 3 ° C to 8 ° C.

The front surface of the heat insulating box 2 is opened, and openable and closable doors 8 to 12 are provided in the opening portions corresponding to the respective storage chambers. The upper right and lower sides of the door 8 are rotatably supported by the heat insulating box 2. Further, the doors 9 to 12 are respectively supported by the heat insulating box 2 so as to be able to be pulled out toward the front of the refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heat insulating box 2 is the main body of the refrigerator 1, and is composed of an outer box 2a, an inner box 2b and a heat insulating material 2c, wherein the outer box 2a is made of a steel plate, and the front surface thereof has an opening portion; The inner case 2b is made of synthetic resin, and its front surface has an opening portion; the heat insulating material 2c is made of a foamed polyurethane which is filled in a foamed form in a space between the outer case 2a and the inner case 2b. Further, each of the doors 8 to 12 has the same heat insulating structure as that of the heat insulating box 2.

The refrigerating compartment 3 is partitioned by the heat insulating partition wall 36 between the ice making compartment 4 and the upper freezing compartment 5 located below the refrigerating compartment 3. The heat insulating partition wall 36 is a molded product made of synthetic resin, and the inside of the heat insulating partition wall 36 is filled with a heat insulating material.

Further, the ice making chamber 4 and the upper freezing chamber 5 are partitioned by a partition wall (not shown). Further, the ice making compartment 4 and the upper freezing compartment 5 communicate with each other in the lower freezing compartment 6 provided in the lower layer, so that cold air can flow in the ice making compartment 4, the upper freezing compartment 5, and the lower freezing compartment 6. Further, the lower freezing compartment 6 and the vegetable compartment 7 are separated by a heat insulating partition wall 37.

Further, inside the inner box 2b, an air passage is formed on the rear surface and the top surface of the refrigerating chamber 3, and the air to be cooled flows into the refrigerating chamber 3. Similarly, the supply air path 14 is partitioned by a partition member 38 made of synthetic resin on the rear side of the ice making chamber 4 and the upper freezing chamber 5.

A partition member 20 made of synthetic resin is disposed above the upper freezing compartment 5 to form an air passage that communicates with the supply air passage 14. Further, the upper surface of the upper freezing compartment 5 is provided with a second blower 23, and when the supercooling mode is operated, the second blower 23 blows cold air to the upper freezing compartment 5.

Inside the inner box 2b, a cooling chamber 13 is provided at a position on the rear side of the supply air passage 14, and the cooling chamber 13 is partitioned by a partition member 39. The partition member 39 at the upper portion of the cooling chamber 13 is formed with An opening for connecting the cooling chamber 13 and the supply air passage 14 is provided at the opening with a first blower 32 for circulating air. Further, an opening 13b is formed below the cooling chamber 13, and cold air returned from the storage chamber is sucked into the cooling chamber 13 through the opening 13b.

A storage container 29 is provided in the upper freezing compartment 5 for storing a frozen object such as a food. The storage container 29 is made of synthetic resin and has a substantially box shape that is open at the top. The storage container 29 is assembled in a casing (not shown) fixed to the door 10, and can be pulled forward together with the door 10.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the inside of the storage container 29 is provided with a shelf plate 24. This can form an air path below the shelf 24, so that the frozen object such as food can be cooled more effectively by supercooling. Therefore, the ice crystals of the frozen product such as foods can be made small, and the cells of the food can be hardly damaged, and the generation of water droplets can be suppressed. This will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3 and the like.

A cooler 33 (evaporator) for cooling the circulating air is provided in the cooling chamber 13. The cooler 33 is connected to a compressor 31, a radiator (not shown), and an expansion valve (capillary) (not shown) via a coolant pipe to constitute a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. Further, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment employs isobutane (R600a) as a coolant for the refrigeration cycle.

The basic cooling operation of the refrigerator 1 having the above structure will be described below.

First, the air in the cooling chamber 13 is cooled by the cooler 33 of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The air cooled by the cooler 33 is blown from the opening of the cooling chamber 13 to the supply air passage 14 by the first blower 32.

Then, a part of the cooling air blown to the supply air passage 14 is adjusted to an appropriate flow rate through the air passage shutter 18 (for example, an electric damper), and flows into the supply air passage 15 to be supplied to the refrigerating chamber 3. Thereby, the foodstuffs etc. stored in the inside of the refrigerator compartment 3 can be cooled and preserved at suitable temperature.

The cold air supplied into the refrigerating compartment 3 is supplied to the vegetable compartment 7 via a connecting air passage (not shown). Then, the cold air circulating in the vegetable compartment 7 is returned to the cooling chamber 13 via the return air passage 17 and the opening 13b of the cooling chamber 13. Thereby, the cold air is cooled again by the cooler 33.

Further, a part of the cooling air blown to the supply air passage 14 is supplied into the ice making chamber 4 and the upper freezing chamber 5. Further, the air in the ice making compartment 4 and the upper freezing compartment 5 flows into the lower freezing compartment 6 communicating with the both, and the air in the lower freezing compartment 6 flows to the lower portion of the lower freezing compartment 6, via the opening 13b of the cooling compartment 13. Flow into the cooling chamber 13.

As described above, the air cooled by the cooler 33 is circulated in the storage compartment to freeze or refrigerate the food or the like. In the present embodiment, there is a subcooling mode which is a mode in which the frozen object accommodated in the upper freezing compartment 5 is frozen according to the user's operation, which will be referred to later. This function will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

Next, the peripheral structure of the upper freezing compartment 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a structure of the periphery of the upper freezing compartment 5 (a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1), and (A) of FIG. 3 is a view showing the structure of the periphery of the upper freezing compartment 5. In the cross-sectional view, (B) in Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the selected upper freezing compartment 5.

Referring to (A) of FIG. 3, the upper freezing compartment 5 is provided with a substantially box-shaped storage container 29, and the storage container 29 is provided with a shelf 24. The shelf 24 has a quadrangular shape in plan view, and each side of the shelf 24 is in proximity or contact with the side wall of the storage container 29. The material of the shelf 24 is made of a metal or a resin having a plurality of holes. In addition, the position of the shelf 24 in the storage container 29 is fixed. Such a fixing structure allows the foot portion projecting downward from the shelf 24 to abut against the lower surface of the storage container 29, and the storage panel 24 can be lifted from above by a locking mechanism such as a hook provided in the storage container 29. Further, the peripheral portion of the shelf 24 may be placed on a portion of the side wall of the storage container 29 that is recessed toward the lateral side.

The storage container 29 is partitioned into two spaces by the shelf 24. Specifically, the inner space of the storage container 29 is partitioned into a first area 44 and a second area 45, wherein the first area 44 is located above the shelf 24; the second area 45 is located below the shelf 24. The first region 44 is a region for accommodating the frozen object 26 such as a food to be frozen, and the frozen object 26 is placed on the upper surface of the shelf 24. The height of the second region 45 in the up and down direction is smaller than the first region 44, and in the use state, the second region 45 is a region through which cold air passes. In the storage container 29, the first region 44 and the second region 45 communicate with each other via a hole formed in the shelf 24.

The partition member 20 is a member made of a plate-shaped resin material for partitioning the air passage at the upper end of the upper freezing compartment 5. A plurality of communication ports 21 are formed in the partition member 20, and the plurality of communication ports 21 are provided in a predetermined shape and manner so that the cold air of the upper freezing compartment 5 uniformly passes through the communication port 21. The opening 22 is formed at the rear of the communication port 21, that is, on the back side of the upper freezer compartment 5, and the second blower 23 is provided at the opening 22. In other words, the second blower 23 is provided behind the communication port 21, and is provided in the vicinity of the air outlet 28 through which the cold airflow from the supply air passage 14 enters.

The second blower 23 is an axial flow fan that houses the rotary fan in the casing. The housing of the second blower 23 is fixed to the upper surface of the partition member 20.

A temperature sensor 34 is provided at an upper portion of the upper freezing compartment 5. The temperature sensor 34 is, for example, an infrared sensor for detecting the surface temperature of the frozen object 26 placed on the upper surface of the shelf 24. In this embodiment, when the cold mode is operated according to the user's request, the temperature is utilized. The degree sensor 34 detects the temperature of the frozen object 26 and adjusts the freezing function of the upper freezing compartment 5. This will be described in detail below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

Referring to (B) of Fig. 3, in order to operate the supercooling mode, when the second blower 23 is operated, the cold air cooled by the cooler 33 (see Fig. 2) is sent by the air blow of the second blower 23 The first region 44 of the upper freezer compartment 5 is inserted to form the air passage 40. Here, the direction of the air passage 40 is obliquely forward and downward.

Further, a part of the cold air forming the air passage 40 passes through the hole portion 25 in the shelf 24, and enters the second region 45 from the second blower 23. Thereafter, the cold air flows forward in the second region 45, thereby forming the air passage 41. Further, a part of the cold air forming the air passage 40 is blown onto the frozen object 26.

In the second region 45, cold air flowing to the vicinity of the front end of the upper freezing chamber 5 passes through the hole portion 25 in the shelf 24, and flows from the second region 45 to the first region 44. Thereby, an upwardly flowing air passage 42 is formed in the first region 44.

Thereafter, the cold air constituting the air passage 42 enters between the partition member 20 and the heat insulating partition wall 36 via the communication port 21 provided in the partition member 20. Further, the cold air that has entered the area forms an air path 43 that flows backward. The air passage 43 reaches the second blower 23 backward.

As described above, when the second blower 23 is operated in the use state, it is possible to form a path for performing the cool air circulation in the order of the

air passages

40, 41, 42, and 43. Thereby, the freezing is performed after the supercooling, and the temperature difference in the upper freezing compartment 5 can be made small.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the supercooling mode is operated, not only the air passage is formed on the side and the upper side of the object 26 but also the air passage is formed below the object 26 to allow the cold air to pass. Therefore, since the object to be frozen 26 is uniformly cooled from the periphery thereof to a low temperature of, for example, -20 ° C or lower, the temperature difference inside the object to be frozen becomes small, and it is easy to cause supercooling.

Further, in the present embodiment, the frozen object 26 is placed on the upper surface of the shelf 24 on which the plurality of holes 25 are formed. Thereby, since the cold air flowing downward through the hole portion 25 can come into contact with the object to be frozen 26, the object 26 to be frozen can be integrally cooled, thereby achieving a situation in which supercooling is liable to occur.

Further, in the present embodiment, a temperature sensor 34 is provided above the frozen object 26 for detecting the temperature of the upper surface of the frozen object 26, and for adjusting the cooling ability for cooling the upper freezing compartment 5. Thereby, since it is possible to perform supercooling while confirming the condition of the object to be frozen 26, it is possible to perform a freezing operation for reducing water droplets.

The structure of the partition member 20 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. A plurality of communication ports 21 are formed in the upper freezer compartment 5, and the plurality of communication ports 21 are provided in a predetermined shape and manner. Uniform cooling. Here, a communication port 21 elongated in the width direction is formed.

The second blower 23 is an axial flow fan having a rotary fan 23a (for example, a propeller fan), a casing 23b, and a fan motor (not shown). The casing 23b of the second blower 23 is fixed to the upper surface side of the partition member 20. Here, cold air from both the air passage 46 starting from the cooler and the air passage 43 starting from the upper freezer compartment enters the fan 23a.

On the rear side of the partition member 20, that is, on the back side of the partition member 20, an inclined surface 20a which is gradually inclined downward toward the rear is formed. Further, an opening 22 is formed in the inclined surface 20a, and a second blower 23 is provided in the opening 22.

Further, since the second blower 23 is provided on the inclined surface 20a, the rotation axis of the fan 23a is not vertical but is inclined toward the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 1. Specifically, the exhaust direction of the second blower 23 (the direction of the rotation axis of the exhaust side of the fan 23a) is directed obliquely downward and downward.

Next, the operation of the refrigerator of the present embodiment will be described centering on the supercooling mode based on the flowcharts shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and referring to the above respective drawings. Here, the following actions are controlled by a control device such as a CPU or a microprocessor.

First, the flow of cold air during the normal cooling operation will be explained (step S11). Referring to (A) of FIG. 3, during the normal cooling operation, a part of the cold air sent from the cooling chamber 13 to the supply air path 14 by the first blower 32 passes through the air outlet 28, and then flows into the upper freezing chamber 5. Further, as described above, during the normal cooling operation, a part of the cold air in the supply air passage 14 is supplied to the ice making chamber 4 (see FIG. 2) and the lower freezing chamber 6, and is supplied to the refrigerating via the supply air passage 15. Room 3.

The cold air that has flowed in from the supply air passage 14 passes through the communication port 21 and the opening 22 formed in the partition member 20, and then flows into the upper freezing chamber 5. Here, when the conventional cooling is performed, the second blower 23 provided at the opening portion 22 does not operate, but the cold air flows into the upper freezing compartment 5 through the periphery of the fan in the stopped state. The cold air supplied to the upper freezing compartment 5 is introduced into the lower freezing compartment 6 located below it.

This conventional cooling operation is continued until the operation of the supercooling mode is started (the determination in step S12 is "NO").

Next, when the user presses the operation button or the like, the operation of the supercooling mode is started (the determination result in step S12 is "YES"). After the supercooling mode starts running, the setting A is set to the initial value (step S13). Here, the setting item A refers to the compressor 31 (see FIG. 2), the first blower 32 (see (A) in FIG. 3), and the second blower 23 (refer to (A) in FIG. 3). The setting combination of the components such as the air passage shutter 18 (see (A) in Fig. 3) is set. Here, as described above, the first blower 32 sends the cool air to the respective storage compartments of the refrigerating compartment 3 and the like, and the second blower 23 blows the cool air into the upper freezing compartment 5.

Next, the cooling rate is detected by the temperature sensor 34 (refer to (B) of FIG. 3). Specifically, first, the surface temperature of the frozen object 26 is detected by the temperature sensor 34 (step S14). This temperature detecting process continues for a certain period of time (the determination result in step S15 is "NO"). After the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S15), the cooling rate is determined (step S16). Specifically, the cooling rate is determined using the following formula. Here, a certain time means, for example, 150 seconds.

V=(T1-T2)/ΔT

Here, T1 is the temperature of the frozen object 26 at the start of the detection, and T2 is the temperature of the frozen object 26 after a certain period of time elapses, and ΔT is the predetermined time.

Next, the cooling rate V determined in step S16 is compared with the constant a (step S17). Specifically, in the above-described step S13, the setting item A is an initial value when the cooling rate is the lowest. Therefore, when the cooling rate V is smaller than the constant a (the determination result in step S17 is YES), the setting item A is changed to increase the cooling speed (step S19). For example, the cooling rate can be increased by performing a control process of increasing the number of revolutions of each fan, increasing the operating frequency of the compressor 31, increasing the number of revolutions of a fan (not shown) used for a radiator (not shown), and increasing the expansion valve ( The opening degree of the figure (not shown). In addition, if the cooling rate V is greater than or equal to the constant a (the determination result in the step S17 is "NO"), the current setting item A is kept unchanged (step S18).

In the refrigerator of this embodiment, when supercooling is performed, a certain cooling rate is maintained as much as possible. Therefore, the temperature of the frozen object 26 is detected every predetermined time, and the setting item A is adjusted in accordance with the detection result.

Next, the temperature of the frozen object 26 is detected again by the temperature sensor 34 (step S20). Then, the detection of a predetermined time is continued (NO in step S21), and after a predetermined time has elapsed (the determination result in step S21 is "YES"), the cooling rate is determined and set in advance. The constants are compared (step S22 to step S25).

Here, in steps S22 to S25, the constants b, c, and d are used, and the magnitude relationship of these constants is b < c < d.

If the cooling rate calculated in step S21 is less than the constant b (YES in step S22), since the cooling rate is insufficient, the setting item A needs to be changed to increase the cooling speed (step). Step S26). The specific method of increasing the cooling rate is as described above.

If the cooling rate is greater than b but less than c (YES in step S23), since the cooling speed is in an appropriate range, the setting item A is kept unchanged (step S27).

If the cooling rate is greater than c but less than d (YES in step S24), since the cooling rate is too fast, the setting item A is changed to lower the cooling rate (step S28). For example, the cooling rate is lowered by performing the following control operation: reducing the number of revolutions of each fan, reducing the operating frequency of the compressor 31, reducing the number of revolutions of a fan (not shown) used in the radiator (not shown), and reducing the expansion valve (not The opening degree of the illustration).

If the cooling rate is greater than d (YES in step S25), since the cooling speed is too fast in this case, the setting item A is set to the initial value (lowest value) (step S29).

In the present embodiment, the detection and determination of the above-described steps S21 to S25 are repeated four times, for example (the determination result in step S30 is "NO"). Then, after the above-described detection and determination are repeated four times (YES in step S30), it is determined whether or not the setting item A at this time has reached the maximum cooling capacity (step S31). If the cooling capacity of the setting item A reaches the maximum (YES in step S31), the setting item A is restored to the initial value (step S32). That is, the setting item A is reduced to the lowest level. The reason for this is that when the frozen product 26 is a food having a large thickness, the setting item A reaches a maximum value in the step S31, and it is necessary to reduce the cooling rate in order to suppress the dripping phenomenon of such a thick food.

In addition, if the item A is not set to the maximum value in the step S31 (the determination result in the step S31 is "NO"), for example, in order to repeat the operation of the above steps S20 to S31 10 times, it is necessary to repeat the above 6 times. Step (The determination result in step S33 is "NO"). This is because the frozen product 26 is a food having a small thickness, so that the cooling rate can be further increased.

In other words, in the present embodiment, in the present embodiment, when the frozen object 26 is a thick food, the control is repeated four times, and when the frozen object 26 is a thin food, the control is repeated ten times. Therefore, even if the frozen product 26 is a thick food, it is possible to perform a supercooling operation capable of suppressing the occurrence of dripping. Further, in the present embodiment, the setting item A is not changed in the process after the step S33.

After the detection operation has reached 10 times (YES in step S33), the supercooling mode for a predetermined time is continued in the current setting state (the determination result in step S34 is "NO", and is performed. Step S35). Then, when the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S34), the supercooling mode is ended and the normal cooling is resumed (step S36).

Here, the predetermined time in step S34 is, for example, about 75 minutes. In the flowchart, although the time for operating the supercooling mode is specified in advance, it is also possible to return to the normal cooling based on the output information of the temperature sensor.

Next, the operation of the air passage shutter 18 (see Fig. 2) when the supercooling mode is operated will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 6 .

By the user's operation, after the routine cooling (the step S51 is performed and the result of the determination in the step S52 is "NO") is shifted to the supercooling mode (the determination result in the step S52 is "YES"), the indoor compartment of the refrigerating compartment 3 is judged. Whether the temperature is greater than 8 ° C (step S53). Further, if the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 3 is greater than 8 ° C (YES in step S53), it is determined whether or not the air passage shutter 18 (refer to FIG. 2) is opened (step S58), if the air passage shutter When 18 is turned on (the determination result in step S58 is "YES"), the state is maintained. On the other hand, if the air passage shutter 18 is closed (NO in the step S58), the air passage shutter 18 is opened (step S59), and the cold air is introduced into the refrigerating chamber 3 for cooling. Thereby, the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 3 can be maintained at an appropriate low temperature state.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 3 is 8 ° C or less (the determination in the step S53 is "NO"), and the air passage shutter 18 is closed (the determination result in the step S54 is "NO"), the wind The road opener 18 remains closed.

If the air passage shutter 18 is opened (YES in step S54), and the temperature of the upper surface of the frozen object 26 detected by the temperature sensor 34 is less than 2 ° C (the determination result in step S55 is "YES") Then, the air passage shutter 18 is closed (step S60). Thereby, the amount of wind in the upper freezing compartment 5 is increased, and the cooling rate is increased to achieve supercooling.

On the other hand, if the food temperature is 2 ° C or higher (the determination in the step S55 is "NO"), and the temperature of the refrigerating compartment is less than 0 ° C (the determination result in the step S56 is "YES"), the air passage is closed and closed. The device 18 (step S61) lowers the air blowing capability of the second blower 23 (step S62). As a result, by closing the air passage shutter 18, even if the cold air supplied from the air outlet 28 is increased, a constant cooling rate can be maintained by reducing the air blowing capability of the second blower 23. The above process continues for a predetermined period of time (for example, 75 minutes) (the determination result in step S57 is "NO"). Thereafter, when the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S57), the normal operation is resumed. Here, the setting can also be made based on the output information of the temperature sensor, thereby returning to the normal operation.

The above is the description about the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment.

This embodiment can also be modified as follows.

For example, in the above description, referring to (B) of FIG. 3, the case where the frozen object 26 is frozen by the supercooling mode in the upper freezing compartment 5 has been described, but the upper freezing compartment 5 of the present embodiment can also be used. Conventional freezing action and rapid freezing.

Claims

A refrigerator comprising:

a freezer compartment for accommodating the frozen object;

a shelf disposed in the freezing chamber for placing the object to be frozen and having a plurality of holes; and

a blower arranged to blow cold air downwardly into the freezing chamber;

The freezing compartment is partitioned into a first area located above the shelf, the second area being located below the shelf, the air blown by the blower A portion passes through the shelf into the second region.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein

An air path for the flow of cold air is formed in the second region.
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

a first air passage for flowing cold air blown by the blower in the first region;

a second air passage, which is composed of cold air that enters the second region from the first region through the hole portion on the shelf;

a third air passage formed by cold air entering the first region from the second region through the hole portion on the shelf; and

The fourth air passage is constituted by cold air returned to the blower.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the object to be frozen.
A refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein

The refrigerator is configured to change a setting item for cooling the freezing compartment according to a temperature of the frozen object detected by the temperature sensor.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

The air passage shutter is provided to operate the air passage shutter based on the temperature of the refrigerating chamber to control supply of cold air to the refrigerating chamber.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

The air passage shutter is configured to operate the air passage shutter to control the supply of cold air to the refrigerating chamber when the temperature of the frozen object stored in the freezing chamber is lower than a predetermined temperature .
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein

The refrigerator is configured to determine the thickness of the object to be frozen by detecting a cooling rate of the object to be frozen.