Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D11/00—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
  • F25D11/02—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators with cooling compartments at different temperatures
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
  • F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
  • F25D17/06—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation
  • F25D17/08—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation using ducts

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of home appliances, and in particular to a refrigerator including a fresh food storage area.
• Patent Document 1 WO2019/234848.
• An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a refrigerator capable of preserving fresh food for a long period of time without deterioration in quality.
• a temperature sensor for measuring the surface temperature of fresh food stored in the storage area
• control unit for controlling the cooling mechanism based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor
• the control part controls the cooling mechanism so that:
• the moisture contained in the fresh food is brought into a supercooled state through slow freezing
• the temperature measured by the temperature sensor When the temperature measured by the temperature sensor reaches the normal freezing temperature, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is maintained at the normal freezing temperature.
• the moisture contained in the fresh food is brought into a supercooled state by slow freezing and the surface temperature of the fresh food is measured with a temperature sensor, so that the timing when the supercooling state is released and the surface temperature rises can be accurately grasped.
• a temperature sensor By immediately switching to rapid freezing, it is possible to prevent small ice crystals generated when the supercooling state is released from becoming large crystals due to the combination of the generated ice crystals. Then, by maintaining the temperature of the fresh food at a normal freezing temperature, the fresh food can be preserved for a long period of time while the ice crystals are still small.
• the storage area is covered by a shell disposed inside the freezing chamber;
• the cooling mechanism includes:
• the evaporator and the first fan are used to use the wind force of the first fan to cause the gas that has passed through the evaporator to flow into the cooling flow path in the freezing chamber through the opening,
• An opening and closing part for opening and closing the quenching flow path
• the opening and closing part opens the quenching flow path
• the gas that has passed through the evaporator flows into the storage area through the quenching flow path, causing the fresh food in the storage area to quickly freezing.
• slow freezing can be performed using indirect cooling by the gas around the casing in the freezing chamber.
• the gas that has passed through the evaporator can be quickly frozen by directly flowing into the storage area through the rapid cooling flow path.
• the existing cooling mechanism in the refrigerator can be used to efficiently perform slow freezing and rapid freezing.
• the opening and closing portion opens the quenching flow path
• the wind force of the first fan plus the wind force of the second fan disposed in the quenching flow path causes all the quenching flow paths to pass through.
• the gas from the evaporator flows into the storage area.
• the wind power of the first fan plus the wind power of the second fan can be used to make the evaporated
• the gas from the device flows into the storage area at a faster flow rate. In this way, the fresh food in the storage area can be quickly frozen more efficiently.
• the amount of decrease in the temperature measured by the temperature sensor due to slow freezing is 0.01°C/min or less.
• the moisture contained in the fresh food can be reliably brought to a supercooled state, and the temperature can be reliably supercooled. Small ice crystals are formed when the cooling state is released.
• the time during which the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is in the range of -5°C to 1°C is within 30 minutes.
• the present invention it is possible to quickly escape from the temperature range of -5°C to 1°C where ice crystals are likely to combine with each other to form larger crystals. Therefore, the size of ice crystals contained in fresh food can be reduced. Keep it small that way.
• the present invention can provide a refrigerator that can preserve fresh food for a long period of time without causing quality degradation.
• FIG. 1A is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator schematically illustrating a cooling mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention for cooling fresh food stored in a storage area, and is a diagram illustrating a state of slow freezing;
• Fig. 1B is a diagram illustrating a state of rapid freezing in the cooling mechanism shown in Fig. 1A;
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control system for controlling the cooling mechanism shown in Figures 1A and 1B;
• Figure 3 is a graph showing temporal changes in the surface temperature of fresh food stored in the storage area detected by a temperature sensor
• FIG. 4 is a diagram (photograph) showing an Example and a Comparative Example of the present invention.
• fresh food such as vegetables, fruits, fresh fish, and refined meat can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time without degrading the quality.
• freezing fresh food is effective.
• the moisture contained in the fresh food will freeze and expand in volume during freezing. This will cause cell damage and cell membrane damage in fresh food.
• nutrients flow out in droplets along with the water during thawing. In this way, nutrients are lost, water is lost, the chewing texture and taste change, and the quality of fresh food is reduced. Vegetables are especially a big problem among fresh foods.
• the refrigerator 2 including the cooling mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention shown below, long-term storage of more than one month is possible without degrading the quality of the fresh food G stored in the storage area 20 . .
• FIG. 1A is a side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 2 schematically illustrating a cooling mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention for cooling fresh food G stored in the storage area 20 , and shows a case of slow freezing. picture.
• FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state of rapid freezing in the cooling mechanism shown in FIG. 1A .
• the refrigerator 2 includes a main body 4 with a heat insulating material filled between an outer box and an inner box, and a door 6 rotatably attached to the front side (left side in the figure) of the main body 4 .
• the freezing chamber 8 is arranged on the front side (left side in the figure), and the cooling flow path 10 is arranged on the rear side (right side in the figure) via the partition plate 12.
• a refrigerating chamber (not shown) is provided on the upper side of the freezing chamber 8 .
• An evaporator 14 and a first fan 16 are arranged in the cooling flow path 10 surrounded by the rear inner surface of the main body 4 and the partition plate 12 .
• the evaporator 14 forms part of a cooling cycle in which refrigerant flows.
• the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 18 flows through the condenser, capillary tube, etc. and flows into the evaporator 14 , and the solvent flowing in the heat exchange tube of the evaporator 14 returns to the suction side of the compressor 18 again.
• the gas in the cooling flow path 10 flows through the evaporator 14 from bottom to top.
• the gas is cooled as it passes between the heat exchange tubes of the evaporator 14 .
• the cooled gas can flow into the freezing chamber 8 through the opening 12A. More specifically, the opening 12A can be opened and closed by a freezing chamber damper not shown in the figure. When the freezing chamber damper is opened, the gas passing through the evaporator 14 flows into the freezing chamber 8 , flows in the freezing chamber 8 , flows into the cooling flow path 10 again from the lower opening, and returns to the lower side of the evaporator 14 .
• FIG. 1A and 1B illustrate a state in which the refrigerating compartment damper 38 is closed and the gas portion that has passed through the evaporator 14 flows to the refrigerating compartment side.
• the casing 22 is disposed in the freezer compartment 8, and the storage area 20 covered by the casing 22 stores fresh foods G such as vegetables, fruits, fresh fish, and refined meats.
• the housing 22 is covered with thermal insulation material. In this way, even if it is arranged in the freezer compartment 8, the fresh food G stored in the storage area 20 can be prevented from being quickly frozen.
• the storage area 20 is provided with an inlet opening 24 , and the outlet end of the pipe 32 opens at the inlet opening 24 .
• the inlet end of the pipe 32 opens in the cooling flow path 10 .
• the quenching flow path 30 is formed by the pipe line 32 to communicate with the storage area 20 surrounded by the casing 22 and the cooling flow path 10 .
• a damper 34 and a second fan 36 are provided in the rapid cooling flow path 30 . When the damper 34 is opened, the storage area 20 is connected to the cooling flow path 10 , and when the damper 34 is closed, the storage area 20 is not connected to the cooling flow path 10 .
• the damper 34 may also be called an opening and closing part for opening and closing the quenching flow path 30 .
• the gas in the evaporator 14 flows through the rapid cooling channel 30 and flows into the storage area 20 .
• the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 can flow into the storage area 20 at a faster flow rate. In this way, the fresh food G stored in the storage area 20 can be cooled more strongly.
• the gas flowing into the storage area 20 flows out from the outlet opening 26 to the outside of the storage area 20 .
• the outflowed gas flows in the freezing chamber 8 and returns to the cooling flow path 10 again.
• the pipe 32 is connected to the upper surface of the housing 22, but it is not limited to this.
• the pipe 32 may also be mounted to the side or bottom of the housing 22 .
• the damper 34 and the second fan 36 can be disposed, the rear side of the housing 22 may be opened and directly communicate with the cooling flow path 10 .
• the cooling mechanism according to this embodiment uses the existing cooling mechanism in the refrigerator 2 such as the cooling flow path 10, the evaporator 14, the first fan 16, and the compressor 18. Furthermore, the cooling mechanism according to this embodiment includes a rapid cooling flow path 30 (pipeline 32), a damper 34, and a second fan 36 in order to quickly freeze the fresh food G stored in the storage area 20.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system for controlling the cooling mechanism shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B .
• the control system of the refrigerator 2 includes a control unit 50 for controlling the first fan 16 , the compressor 18 , the damper 34 and the second fan 36 .
• the control unit 50 receives a signal from the temperature sensor 40 disposed in the storage area 20 for measuring the surface temperature of the fresh food G stored in the storage area 20 .
• the temperature sensor 40 condenses infrared rays radiated from the fresh food G onto a detection element, converts it into an electrical signal using the detection element, and transmits it to the control unit 50 . Even if the fresh food G is covered with a translucent resin bag or the like, the surface temperature of the fresh food G can be measured because infrared rays radiated from the fresh food G pass through the resin bag and enter the detection element.
• the control unit 50 operates the first fan 16 and opens the freezing chamber damper, so that the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 flows into the freezing chamber 8 through the opening 12A. Under the control of the control unit 50 , the second fan 36 is stopped, and when the damper 34 is closed, the quenching flow path 30 is closed, so that the gas passing through the evaporator 14 does not flow into the storage area 20 .
• the cooling of the fresh food G accommodated in the storage area 20 surrounded by the casing 22 disposed in the freezer compartment 8 is considered as follows.
• the degree of slow freezing is determined by the temperature of the gas around the casing 22 in the freezing chamber 8 and the degree of insulation of the casing 22 according to the control of the compressor 18, the first fan 16, etc.
• slow freezing is performed when the temperature of the gas around the casing 22 is high, it is also conceivable to surround the storage area 20 with the resin casing 22 that is not covered with a heat insulating material.
• the control unit 50 When the first fan 16 is operating and the freezing compartment damper is opened, the control unit 50 also operates the second fan 36.
• the damper 34 changes from a closed state to an open state, the rapid cooling flow path 30 becomes an open state.
• the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 flows into the storage area 20 through the quenching flow path 30 .
• the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 is strongly blown into the storage area 20 by the wind force of the first fan 16 and the wind force of the second fan 36 disposed in the quenching flow path 30 . In this way, the fresh food G stored in the storage area 20 is strongly blown by the cold air and can be quickly frozen.
• the opening and closing device for opening and closing the quenching flow path 30 is not limited to the damper 34, and any other opening and closing mechanism such as a solenoid valve can be used.
• FIG. 3 is a graph showing temporal changes in the surface temperature of the fresh food G stored in the storage area 20 detected by the temperature sensor 40 .
• cooling control in the cooling mechanism according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .
• the vertical axis of the graph shown in FIG. 3 shows the surface temperature (°C) of the fresh food G measured with the temperature sensor 40, and the horizontal axis shows the elapsed cooling time (min).
• the first fan 16 operates.
• the freezing chamber damper is opened, the second fan 36 is stopped.
• the damper 34 is closed and the quenching flow path 30 is closed, the air flowing through the freezing chamber 8 is used.
• the fresh food G in the storage area 20 is slowly frozen by cooling the gas around the inner casing 22 .
• the surface temperature of the fresh food G measured with the temperature sensor 40 gradually decreases at a slow cooling rate of 0.01° C./min.
• slow freezing at a cooling rate slower than 0.01°C/min can also achieve a supercooled state, taking freezing efficiency into consideration, a cooling rate in the range of 0.005°C/min or more and 0.01°C/min or less is preferred. Perform slow freezing.
• the moisture contained in the fresh food G can be reliably brought to a supercooled state. In this way, when the supercooling state is released, small ice crystals can be reliably generated.
• the supercooling state is an unstable state and it is difficult to maintain the supercooling state for a long time. Due to the presence of particles that can act as nuclei and minute vibrations, the supercooled water suddenly begins to solidify. Since coagulation is an endothermic reaction, as shown in the graph of FIG. 3 , at the beginning of coagulation, the surface temperature of the fresh food G, which has been slowly declining, suddenly changes to an increase. Figure 3 shows a situation in which coagulation starts when the surface temperature of fresh food G drops to about -4.5°C and the temperature suddenly rises to about -0.5°C.
• the control unit 50 Based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 40 (the surface temperature of the fresh food G), when the surface temperature of the fresh food G suddenly changes to rise, the control unit 50 maintains the operation of the first fan 16 and keeps the freezer door open.
• the second fan 36 is operated in the normal state, and the damper 34 is changed from closed to open, thereby causing rapid cooling.
• the flow path 30 is in an open state. In this way, the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 directly flows into the storage area 20, and the fresh food G in the storage area 20 can be quickly frozen.
• a specified threshold for example, +0.5°C
• the control unit 50 determines that coagulation has started.
• the moisture contained in the fresh food G becomes a supercooled state by slow freezing, relatively small ice crystals are generated when solidification begins.
• rapid freezing is performed so that the time when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor (surface temperature of the fresh food G) is in the range of -5°C or more and -1°C or less is within 30 minutes.
• the control unit 50 controls so that rapid freezing is performed at a cooling rate of 0.14° C./min or more.
• the compressor 18, the first fan 16, and the second fan 36 are controlled based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 40 (surface temperature of the fresh food G) and the temperature in the freezing chamber 8.
• the freezing chamber damper and the opening of the damper 34 can also be controlled.
• the control unit 50 controls the temperature sensor 40 so that the measured temperature (the surface temperature of the fresh food G) is ) at normal freezing temperatures. For example, control is performed so that the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 40 (surface temperature of the fresh food G) is within a temperature range of -20°C or more and -18°C or less. Specifically, control such as stopping the second fan 36 from the rapid freezing state, narrowing the opening of the damper 34, or opening the damper 34 may be considered. Furthermore, the compressor 18 and the first fan 16 are controlled in connection with the cooling of the freezing chamber 8 so that the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 40 (surface temperature of the fresh food G) is in the temperature range of -20°C or more to 18°C or less. Inside.
• the second fan 36 may not be included, and only the wind force of the first fan 16 may be used to supply the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 to storage area 20.
• the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 is not limited to the case where the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 is supplied to the storage area 20 via the rapid cooling flow path 30 as described above.
• slow cooling and rapid freezing may be performed by supplying gases with different temperatures from the respective cooling mechanisms to the storage area 20 .
• a heating/cooling device such as a Peltier element at the housing 22 .
• a heating/cooling device such as a Peltier element may also be added to the cooling mechanism of the refrigerator 2 as described above.
• the refrigerator 2 includes the storage area 20 for storing fresh food G, the cooling mechanism for cooling the fresh food G stored in the storage area 20, and the cooling mechanism for measuring the fresh food G stored in the storage area.
• a temperature sensor 40 for the surface temperature of the fresh food G of 20, and a control unit 50 for controlling the cooling mechanism based on the measured temperature of the temperature sensor 40; the control unit 50 controls the cooling mechanism so that: the fresh food is first slowly frozen The moisture contained in G becomes a supercooled state.
• the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 40 rises, the system switches from slow freezing to rapid freezing.
• the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 40 reaches the normal freezing temperature, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 40 is stopped. The temperature is maintained at normal freezing temperatures.
• the water contained in the fresh food G is brought into a supercooled state by slow freezing and the surface temperature of the fresh food G is measured with the temperature sensor 40.
• the temperature sensor 40 By immediately switching to rapid freezing, it is possible to prevent small ice crystals generated when the supercooling state is released from becoming large crystals due to the combination of the generated ice crystals.
• the temperature of the fresh food G is maintained at a normal freezing temperature, and the fresh food G can be preserved for a long time while the ice crystals are still small. In this way, in the refrigerator 2 according to this embodiment, fresh food G can be stored for a long period of time without deterioration in quality.
• the storage area 20 is covered by the casing 22 disposed in the freezing compartment 8;
• the cooling mechanism includes an evaporator 14 and a first fan 16. The wind force causes the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 to flow into the cooling channel 10 in the freezing chamber 8 through the opening 12A, the quenching channel 30 connecting the storage area 20 and the cooling channel 10, and the opening of the quenching channel 30.
• the opening and closing part 34 is closed; when the quenching flow path 30 is closed by the opening and closing part 34, the fresh food G in the storage area 20 is slowly frozen by cooling the gas passing around the casing 22; When the quenching flow path 30 is opened, the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 flows into the storage area 20 through the quenching flow path 30 to quickly freeze the fresh food G in the storage area 20 .
• Slow freezing can be performed by indirect cooling by the gas surrounding the casing 22 in the freezing chamber 8 .
• the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 flows directly into the storage area 20 through the rapid cooling flow path 30 to perform rapid freezing.
• the existing cooling mechanism in the refrigerator 2 can be used to efficiently perform slow freezing and rapid freezing.
• a second fan 36 is included; when the quenching flow path 30 is opened by the opening and closing part 34, the wind force of the first fan 16 can be added to the wind force of the second fan 36 disposed in the quenching flow path 30. So that the gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 flows into the storage area 20 at a faster flow rate. In this way, the fresh food G in the storage area 20 can be quickly frozen more efficiently.
• FIG. 4 is a diagram (photograph) showing an Example and a Comparative Example of the present invention.
• the cooling mechanism shown in the aforementioned embodiment was trial-produced, and potatoes were actually slowly frozen and rapidly frozen as examples. Furthermore, only potatoes were quickly frozen as a control example, and only potatoes were normally frozen as a control example. Then, the surface conditions after thawing were observed for Examples and Comparative Examples, and the droplet amount (%) at the time of thawing was measured.
• the fresh food G can be preserved for a long period of time without deterioration in quality by slow freezing and rapid freezing.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
• Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
• Freezing, Cooling And Drying Of Foods (AREA)
• Storage Of Fruits Or Vegetables (AREA)

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Citations (5)

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• 2022
  • 2022-04-15 JP JP2022067828A patent/JP2023157739A/ja active Pending
• 2023
  • 2023-04-14 WO PCT/CN2023/088327 patent/WO2023198178A1/zh not_active Ceased

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