JP2003075050A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a refrigerator that can store food without losing its freshness or taste when storing the food in a weak freezing temperature range. SOLUTION: A weak freezing room 6 is arranged in a refrigerated space 40 through a heat insulating wall, and a damper 37 is arranged on the back of the weak freezing room 6. When the food is weakly frozen in the weak freezing room 6, the damper 37 is used. In the open state, cool air is forcibly flown in to perform rapid refrigeration control to a temperature equal to or lower than the maximum ice crystal formation zone, and thereafter, the heater 43 is heated to maintain the internal temperature in the weak refrigeration temperature zone.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a weak freezer compartment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent refrigerators, a freezing temperature zone (-) in which food can be frozen to a proper hardness without completely freezing and the meat and sashimi can be cut in shape and easily Cooling at 5 ° C to -10 ° C) is drawing attention.

For this reason, in the conventional refrigerator, a dedicated weak freezing chamber is provided, or the switching chamber in which the internal temperature can be freely set is frozen in the weak freezing temperature zone.

[0004]

However, if the switching chamber is set to a weak freezing temperature zone, or if a dedicated weak freezing chamber is provided and food is put into these rooms and frozen, the taste of the food may deteriorate, There are problems such as deterioration of freshness and systematic destruction of food.

The reason for this is that when the food is frozen in the weak freezing temperature range of -5 ° C to -10 ° C, the water content of the food in the maximum ice crystal formation band of -1 ° C to -5 ° C immediately before the freezing. This is because it is the most freezing temperature zone, and if it is cooled slowly in this temperature zone, the taste of the food is deteriorated, the freshness is deteriorated, and the food is systematically destroyed.

Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention provides a refrigerator capable of storing foods in a weak freezing temperature range without losing the freshness or taste of the foods.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a weak freezing chamber is arranged via another heat insulating wall with another storage chamber, and a damper is provided in a cold air inflow path to the weak freezing chamber to control a refrigerator. When the food is weakly frozen in the weak freezer, the means quickly opens the damper to force cold air from the evaporator to flow by a cooling fan so that the temperature is lower than the maximum ice crystal formation zone. The refrigerator is characterized by performing freezing control and then maintaining the internal temperature of the weak freezing compartment in a weak freezing temperature zone between -5 ° C and -10 ° C.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the weak freezing compartment is arranged inside the freezing compartment through a heat insulating wall, a heater is arranged on the heat insulating bottom surface of the weak freezing compartment, and the control means is the quick freezing compartment. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein after the control, the heater is heated to raise the temperature inside the refrigerator to a weak freezing temperature zone.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the control means opens the damper during the quick freezing control, and
3. The heater is stopped, and the cooling fan is rotated at a rotation speed higher than a normal rotation speed.
It is the described refrigerator.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the evaporator and the cooling fan supply cold air to the freezer compartment, and the control means opens the damper during the quick freezing control. At the same time, the temperature of the off-freezer compartment at which the heater is stopped and the supply of cold air from the evaporator to the freezer compartment is stopped is set lower than a normal setting. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the cooling fan, a cooling fan for a weak freezing chamber for supplying cold air from the evaporator to the weak freezing chamber is provided. is there.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the control means performs the quick freezing control for a predetermined time.
It is the described refrigerator.

The invention according to claim 7 is the refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined time is set by a user.

The invention of claim 8 is characterized in that a temperature sensor is arranged in the weak freezing chamber, and the control means terminates the quick freezing control when the temperature sensor reaches a predetermined temperature. The refrigerator according to 1.

The invention according to claim 9 is the refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the temperature sensor is an infrared sensor.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is the refrigerator according to the first aspect, wherein the user sets the internal temperature of the weak freezing temperature zone in the weak freezing chamber.

According to the refrigerator of claim 1, since the temperature in the weak freezing compartment is maintained in the weak freezing compartment after the quick freezing control is performed to a temperature lower than the maximum ice crystal forming zone, the maximum ice crystal forming is performed. It can pass through the belt quickly and does not spoil the taste or freshness of the food.

According to the refrigerator of claim 2, even if the weak freezing compartment is a freezing compartment, the temperature inside the weak freezing compartment can be easily raised to the weak freezing temperature zone by heating the heater. it can.

In the refrigerator of claim 3, the control means comprises:
By opening the damper during the quick freezing control, stopping the heater, and rotating the cooling fan at a higher rotational speed than the normal rotational speed, quick freezing can be performed quickly.

In the refrigerator according to claim 4, the control means comprises:
The damper is opened during quick freezing control, the heater is stopped, and the off-freezer temperature is set lower than the normal setting, so cooling can be performed longer than in the normal state, and quick freezing can be performed quickly and quickly. It can be done reliably.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by providing the cooling fan for the weak freezer compartment, a large amount of cool air can be supplied to the weak freezer compartment.

According to the refrigerator of claims 6 and 7, quick freezing is performed by performing quick freezing control for a predetermined time set by the user, for example.

According to the refrigerator of claims 8 and 9, the quick freezing is terminated when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, for example, an infrared sensor, reaches a predetermined temperature.

According to the refrigerator of the tenth aspect, the user can weakly freeze the food at the temperature of the intended weak freezing temperature zone.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

(1) Structure of Refrigerator FIG. 1 is a front view of the intercooling type refrigerator showing the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an essential part.

The refrigerator 1 is formed of a heat insulating box, and is divided into a refrigerating space 30 and a freezing space 40 by a heat insulating partition wall 2. The cold air in these rooms is completely independent, and the cold air is not mixed with each other. Has become.

The inside of the refrigerating space 30 is divided into a refrigerating compartment 4 and a vegetable compartment 5 by a refrigerating partition plate 3. An ice making chamber 9 surrounded by a heat insulating wall is formed in the lower part of the refrigerating chamber 4.

A first freezing compartment 7 is formed in the upper part of the freezing space 40, and a second freezing compartment 8 is formed in the lower part.
A weak freezing chamber 6 is formed on the right side of the first freezing chamber 7.

On the rear surface of the refrigerating compartment 4, a refrigerating evaporator (hereinafter,
An R evaporator 10 and a refrigerating cooling fan (hereinafter referred to as R fan) 11 are arranged, and the R fan 11 is arbitrarily operated by temperature fluctuations in the refrigerator and opening / closing of a door.

Refrigerating evaporator (hereinafter referred to as F evaporator) 12
A freezing cooling fan (hereinafter referred to as F fan) 13 is arranged on the back walls of the first and second freezing chambers 7 and 8, and the freezing space 40 is cooled by circulating cold air.

A compressor 15 and a condenser 21 are arranged in the machine room 14 below the back wall of the refrigerator 1. Further, it has a fan (hereinafter, referred to as C fan) 25 that radiates heat from the condenser 21.

A control unit 64 including a microcomputer for controlling the refrigerator is provided on the upper rear surface of the refrigerator 1.

On the door of the refrigerating compartment 4, the operating portion 18 of the refrigerator 1
Is provided.

(2) Structure of the ice making chamber 9 The ice making chamber 9 is disposed on the lower left side of the refrigerating chamber 4 and is surrounded by the heat insulating wall as described above, and is independent of the temperature inside the refrigerating chamber 4. The internal temperature can be controlled.

Then, from the rear surface of the ice making chamber 9, the F
2, an ice making chamber duct is provided, and an ice making chamber fan (hereinafter referred to as I fan) 31 is arranged above the ice making chamber duct 29.

An ice making device 32 having an ice making tray is provided inside the ice making chamber 9, and the ice storage box 3 is provided below the ice making device 32.
3 is provided.

When performing ice making, cold air from the F fan 13 flows into the ice making chamber 9 through the ice making chamber duct 29 by the I fan 31 and is blown to the ice making tray of the ice making device 32. As a result, the water in the ice tray is frozen, and when the ice is completed, the ice tray is turned over by the ice making device 32, and the ice is stored in the ice storage box 33.

(3) Structure of the weak freezing chamber 6 The weak freezing chamber 6 is arranged on the right side of the first freezing chamber 7, and the ceiling surface of the weak freezing chamber 6 is formed by the heat insulating partition wall 2 as shown in FIG. The right side wall is formed by the heat insulating wall of the main body of the refrigerator 1, and the left side wall 34 partitioning the first freezer compartment 7 is also heat insulating, and the bottom surface 35 partitioning the second freezer compartment 8 is also heat insulating.
The back surface 36 of the weak freezer compartment 6 is also heat insulating.

A damper 37 is provided above the heat-insulating rear surface 36 to allow cold air to flow into the weak freezer compartment 6. Further, the bottom surface 35 is provided with an outlet 38 through which cold air flows from the weak freezing chamber 6 to the second freezing chamber 8.

A container 39 for accommodating food is arranged in the weak freezer compartment 6 and can be pulled out together with the drawer type door of the weak freezer compartment 6.

On the ceiling surface (insulating partition wall 2) of the weak freezer compartment 6, a temperature sensor for the weak freezer compartment (hereinafter referred to as S sensor) 41 including an infrared temperature sensor for detecting the temperature inside the compartment.
However, it is buried so as not to be affected by the cold air from the damper 37. Behind the back surface 36 of the weak freezing chamber 6, a cooling fan for the weak freezing chamber (hereinafter referred to as S fan) 42 for sending cold air to the damper 37 of the weak freezing chamber 6 is arranged.

On the bottom surface 35 of the weak freezing chamber 6, a heater 43 for raising the internal temperature of the weak freezing chamber 6 is arranged.

(4) Structure of control system FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control system of the refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 64 includes a compressor 15, an R fan 11, an F fan 13, a C fan 25,
I fan 31, S fan 42, damper 37, heater 4
3, the S sensor 41, and the operation unit 18 are connected.

An R sensor 44 for detecting the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 4 and an F sensor 45 for detecting the temperature inside the second freezer compartment 8 are connected.

(5) Structure of refrigeration cycle FIG. 3 shows a refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator 1.

The flammable refrigerant discharged from the compressor 15 is
After passing through the condenser 21, the refrigerant switching mechanism of the three-way valve 22 switches the refrigerant flow path.

The refrigerating capillary tube 23 and the R-eva 10 are sequentially connected to one outlet of the three-way valve 22.
At the other outlet of the one-way valve 22, the frozen capillary tube 2
4, the F-evaluator 12, and the accumulator 16 are sequentially connected. The three-way valve 22 is in a state of sending the refrigerant only to the refrigerating capillary tube 23, a state of sending the refrigerant only to the freezing capillary tube 24, a fully opened state of sending the refrigerant to both, and a fully closed state of not sending the refrigerant to either side. Two states can be realized.

A check valve 17 is connected to the outlet pipe of the accumulator 16 in the machine room 14, and the outlet side of the check valve 17 joins the outlet pipe of the R-eva 10 and is connected to the suction side of the compressor 15. ing.

(6) Alternate Operation First, the normal internal temperature control operation in the refrigerator 1 will be described.

The high-temperature refrigerant compressed and pressurized by the compressor 15 is radiated by the condenser 21, and the refrigerant discharged therefrom is the three-way valve 22.
Then, the R-evaporator 10 or the F-evaporator 12 is cooled, and the alternating operation of alternately performing the refrigerating mode and the freezing mode described below is performed.

(6-1) Refrigerating Mode When the temperature inside the refrigerating space 30 becomes higher than the set temperature, the refrigerating mode is performed.

In the refrigerating mode, the three-way valve 22 is switched,
Refrigerant is flown through the refrigerating capillary tube 23, and the R
To evaporate and cool the refrigerating space 30. The evaporated and gasified refrigerant returns to the compressor 15. Since the temperature of the F-eva 12 is lower than the evaporation temperature in the refrigeration mode, the check valve 17 is installed in the flow path on the F-eva 12 side so that the refrigerant does not flow into the F-eva 12 and re-condense.

Since the R evaporator 10 is a heat exchanger for exchanging heat with air by forced convection, the R fan 11 is operated at the same time as switching of the refrigerant flow paths in the refrigerating mode to cool the inside of the refrigerator.

(6-2) Freezing mode When the internal temperature of the freezing space 40 becomes higher than the set temperature, the freezing mode is performed.

In the freezing mode, the three-way valve 22 is switched,
The refrigerant flow path is switched so that the refrigerant flows through the freezing capillary tube 24, the F evaporator 12 evaporates, and returns to the compressor 15 through the accumulator 16 and the check valve 17.

Further, since the F evaporator 12 is a heat exchanger for exchanging heat with air by forced convection, the F fan 13 is operated at a normal rotation speed at the same time as switching of the refrigerant flow passage in the refrigerating mode to cool the inside of the refrigerator. To do.

(7) Operation state of the weak freezing chamber 6 Next, food is stored in the weak freezing chamber 6 and the weak freezing temperature zone (-
The case of storing at 5 ° C. to −10 ° C.) will be described based on the graph of FIG. 5 and the flowchart of FIG. 6.

In step 1, food at room temperature is stored in the container 39 of the weak freezer compartment 6 and the door is closed.

In step 2, the user uses the operation unit 18 to instruct the storage temperature of the food. This storage temperature is set between −5 ° C. and −10 ° C., which is a weak freezing temperature zone where the food can be easily cut. Here, −
It is assumed that the temperature is set to 8 ° C.

In step 3, the user operates the operation unit 18
Turn on the weak freezing start switch of.

In step 4, the control unit 64 switches the refrigeration cycle to the refrigeration mode, rotates the F fan 13 at a higher rotation speed than the normal rotation speed, and also rotates the S fan 42. Then, open the damper 37 and press F
The cold air of the evaporator 12 is supplied to the weak freezing chamber 6 and lowered to a set temperature lower than the maximum ice crystal production zone (in this case, set to -10 ° C). In this case, the heater 43 is stopped. Such control will be referred to as "quick refrigeration control" below.
Say.

When this quick freezing control is performed, the food contained in the container 39 is cooled, and the maximum ice crystal production zone (-1 ° C to -5 ° C), which is the temperature zone where the water content of the food freezes most.
The temperature of food can be rapidly lowered while keeping the taste and freshness of food confined. This state is the temperature change of the quick freezing control in FIG.

In step 5, the quick freezing control continues, and when the temperature of the food detected by the S sensor 41 becomes -10 ° C or lower, the quick freezing control is stopped. If it is -10 ° C or higher, the quick freezing control in step 4 is continued.

In step 7, the damper 37 is closed,
Further, the S fan 42 is stopped and the heater 43 is heated. The temperature of the weak freezer compartment 6 is set by the user-
Heat until it rises to 8 ° C. As shown in FIG. 5, when the food temperature rises to −8 ° C., the heater 43 is stopped, and thereafter, the damper 37 is opened / closed to maintain the inside temperature at −8 ° C.

Thus, quick freezing control can be performed to quickly pass through the maximum ice crystal formation zone and the taste and freshness of the food are not deteriorated, and thereafter the food can be stored in the weak freezing temperature zone.

Even if the weak freezing chamber 6 is provided in the freezing temperature zone 40, the temperature inside the weak freezing chamber 6 can be easily raised to the weak freezing temperature zone by heating the heater 43. .

(8) Modification (Modification 1) In the above embodiment, the quick freezing control is stopped when the temperature detected by the S sensor 41 reaches a predetermined temperature. Is input from the operation unit 18, quick-freezing control is performed for the set time, the quick-freezing control is stopped when the set time has elapsed, and then the internal cold storage temperature is controlled in the weak freezing temperature zone. Good.

For example, when the user inputs the weight of food (for example, the number of grams) from the operation unit 18, the set time corresponding to that is displayed on the operation unit 18, and even if the user inputs the displayed time. Good. In addition, when the user inputs the type of food (for example, meat or fish) from the operation unit 18,
The set time corresponding to it may be displayed on the operation unit 18, and the displayed time may be input by the user.

If the set time is short and the temperature does not fall below the maximum ice crystal formation zone, the quick freezing control is forcibly continued until the temperature drops below the maximum ice crystal formation zone regardless of the set time.

(Modification 2) In the above-described embodiment, when the quick freezing control is performed, the speed of the F fan 13 is set to high speed to perform the quick freezing control. However, instead of this control method, the F sensor 45 is turned off. Even if the freezing temperature is set low so that the second freezing chamber 8 can be frozen below a predetermined freezing temperature, the freezing time can be held for a longer time, and thereby the internal temperature of the weak freezing chamber 6 can be lowered. Good.

That is, in the normal refrigerating mode, the F sensor 45
The off-freezing temperature is -20 ° C, and the freezing mode is controlled to end at -20 ° C.
When the food is slightly frozen in, the F sensor 45 is -25
The second freezer compartment 8 is lowered to ℃ so that cold air can flow into the weak freezer compartment 6 longer. Thereby, quick freezing of food can be performed more quickly and reliably.

Note that this control method may be performed simultaneously with the control method of rotating the rotation speed of the F fan 13 at high speed.

(Modification 3) In the above embodiment, the S fan 42 is used.
Although the F fan 13 is provided separately from the F fan 13, quick freezing control may be performed only by the F fan 13 without providing the S fan 42.

(Modification 4) In the above embodiment, the weak freezer compartment 6 is used.
Although the S sensor 41 including the infrared temperature sensor is provided on the ceiling surface (the heat insulating partition wall 2) of the above, the S sensor 41 including the thermistor may be provided instead of the S sensor 41. In this case, the weak freezer compartment 6 should not be affected by the cold air from the damper 37.
Is preferably provided on the back surface 36 (for example, on the side of the damper 37).

Further, when the temperature of food is measured using the infrared temperature sensor, the infrared temperature sensor on the ceiling surface of the weak freezer compartment 6 can be measured more accurately if the difference from the reference temperature is known. A temperature sensor composed of a thermistor may be provided in the vicinity of to measure the temperature inside the weak freezer compartment 6, and the temperature of the food may be measured from the difference between the temperature detected by this temperature sensor and the temperature detected by the infrared temperature sensor. . At this time as well, it is preferable to embed the thermistor inside the ceiling surface of the weak freezer compartment 6 so as not to be affected by the cold air from the damper 37.

[0078]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION In the refrigerator of the present invention, since the food is frozen rapidly and then stored in the weak freezing temperature zone, it can be stored in a fresh state without losing its taste.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention with a door opened.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a main part of the refrigerator.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerator.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system of the refrigerator.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a temperature change of food when the food is stored in a weak freezer.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 refrigerator 2 heat insulation partition wall 3 refrigerated dividers 4 Refrigerator 5 vegetable room 6 weak freezer 7 First freezing room 8 Second freezing room 9 ice making room 10 R Eva 11 R fan 12 F Eva 13 F fan 14 Machine room 15 compressor 16 Accumulator 17 Check valve 18 Operation part 30 refrigerated space 34 Side wall 35 Bottom 36 back 37 damper 38 Outlet 39 containers 40 Frozen space 41 S sensor 42 S fan 43 heater 44 R sensor 45 F sensor 64 control unit

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A weak freezing chamber is arranged via another storage chamber via a heat insulating wall, a damper is provided in a cold air inflow path to the weak freezing chamber, and a control means of the refrigerator weakens food in the weak freezing chamber. When performing freezing, the damper is opened and the cold air from the evaporator is forced to flow by a cooling fan to perform quick freezing control so as to be lower than the maximum ice crystal production zone, and thereafter,
A refrigerator characterized in that the internal temperature of the weak freezing compartment is maintained in a weak freezing temperature zone between -5 ° C and -10 ° C. 2. The weak freezing compartment is arranged inside the freezing compartment via a heat insulating wall, and a heater is arranged on the heat insulating bottom surface of the weak freezing compartment, and the control means comprises the heater after the quick freezing control. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator is heated to raise the internal temperature to a weak freezing temperature zone. 3. The control means, during the quick freezing control,
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the damper is opened, the heater is stopped, and the cooling fan is rotated at a rotation speed higher than a normal rotation speed. 4. The evaporator and the cooling fan supply cold air to the freezer compartment, and the control means opens the damper and controls the heater during the quick freezing control. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the temperature of the off-freezer compartment for stopping the supply of cold air from the evaporator to the freezer compartment is set lower than a normal setting. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising, in addition to the cooling fan, a cooling fan for a weak freezing chamber that supplies cold air from the evaporator to the weak freezing chamber. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs the quick freezing control for a predetermined time. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined time is set by a user. 8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a temperature sensor is arranged in the weak freezing compartment, and the control means ends the quick freezing control when the temperature sensor reaches a predetermined temperature. 9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the temperature sensor is an infrared sensor. 10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a user sets the internal temperature of the weak freezing temperature zone in the weak freezing compartment.