Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided with: an oscillation circuit (22) that forms high-frequency electric power; a coaxial cable (56a) to which a matching circuit (23) that matches the load impedance and the output impedance of the oscillation circuit (22) is directly or indirectly connected; and a noise suppression part (3a) for preventing noise from leaking from the coaxial cable (56a).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator with a freezing function, which has a storage room capable of thawing frozen goods. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a prior art cold storage having a storage room capable of thawing frozen products. The cold storage has a freezer body, which has a refrigeration device and a magnetron for high frequency generation. A high frequency heating chamber (storage chamber) capable of thawing frozen products together with the freezer is provided inside the freezer body. The freezer body is configured such that cold air from the refrigeration device is supplied to the high frequency heating chamber via a cold air circulation duct, and high frequency is irradiated from the magnetron, thereby thawing the frozen products.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-147919 Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention provides a refrigerator in which a storage room capable of thawing frozen goods can freeze, store and thaw the stored goods in a desired state, and the storage performance of the stored goods is improved.

[0007] The cold storage in the present invention comprises:

[0008] A storage room having space for storing preserved items;

[0009] an oscillating portion that generates high frequency electric power; and

[0010] A first electrode and a second electrode are arranged opposite to each other and are respectively connected to the oscillating part, and receive the high-frequency electric power from the oscillating part to generate an electric field in the storage space;

[0011] a matching unit that matches a load impedance formed by the first electrode, the second electrode, and the stored object stored in the storage chamber with an output impedance of the oscillating unit;

[0012] A high-frequency wiring line that directly or indirectly connects the oscillating section and the matching section; and

[0013] The noise suppression unit suppresses noise leakage from the high-frequency wiring. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 This is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2This is a front cross-sectional view showing a freezing / thawing compartment of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a side cross-sectional view showing a freezing / thawing compartment of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view when the freezing / thawing chamber in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment is assembled.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a front cross-sectional view showing a modification of the freezing / thawing compartment in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a side cross-sectional view showing a modification of the freezing / thawing compartment in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view when the freezing / thawing chamber in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment is assembled.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an electrode holding area on the back side of the freezing / thawing chamber according to the first embodiment.

[0022] Fig. 9 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a dielectric heating mechanism provided in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

[0023] Fig.10 This is a schematic circuit diagram of an AC / DC converter that drives various circuits.

[0024] Fig.11 This is a plan view of the first electrode and the second electrode on the top surface side of the freezing / thawing chamber in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment, as viewed from above.

[0025] Fig.12 It is a diagram showing the relationship between the electrode distance between the first electrode and the second electrode and the electric field strength between the two electrodes.

[0026] Fig.13A It is a diagram showing the results of electric field simulation on the dielectric heating structure in the comparative example.

[0027] Fig. 13B This is a diagram showing the results of an electric field simulation of the dielectric heating structure of the freezer / thaw chamber in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

[0028] Fig.14 The diagram shows the waveforms of the control signals of the oscillation circuit and the damper in the electric field generation process in the structure of the first embodiment, and also shows the food temperature, the room temperature of the freezing / thawing chamber, and the humidity of the freezing / thawing chamber at that time.

[0029] Fig.15 This is a flowchart showing control after the electric field generation process is completed in the freezing / thawing chamber in the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0030] Fig.16A This is a waveform diagram showing the cooling action during frozen storage in a conventional refrigerator.

[0031] Fig. 16B This is a waveform diagram showing a cooling operation performed in the freezing / thawing compartment of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

[0032] Fig.17 This is a waveform diagram showing the state of each element in the rapid cooling operation in the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0033] Fig.18A This is a diagram showing an example of a high-frequency cutoff circuit when the door of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment is opened.

[0034] Fig.18B This is a diagram showing another example of the high-frequency cutoff circuit when the door of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment is opened.

[0035] Fig.18C This is a diagram showing still another example of the high-frequency cutoff circuit when the door of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment is opened.

[0036] Fig.19A This is a cross-sectional view showing an example of cable wiring to the freezing / thawing compartment in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

[0037] Fig.19B This is a cross-sectional view showing an example of cable wiring to the freezing / thawing compartment in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] (Insights, etc. that form the basis of this disclosure)

[0039] When the inventors conceived of the present invention, the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 was already known.

[0040] The refrigerator is configured to perform high-frequency heating by irradiating high-frequency radiation from a magnetron to the frozen products in the high-frequency heating chamber via an antenna or the like. Therefore, it is difficult to uniformly heat the frozen products and thaw them into a desired state. In addition, the refrigerator is configured to perform high-frequency heating by irradiating high-frequency radiation from a magnetron to the frozen products. Therefore, a relatively large magnetron and its cooling mechanism need to be provided as components, which makes it difficult to achieve miniaturization.

[0041] In addition, since a refrigerator that performs high-frequency heating uses high frequencies, normal mode noise and common mode noise are generated. Therefore, it is necessary to suppress the normal mode noise and the common mode noise.

[0042] The inventors have taken such problems into consideration and have devised the subject matter of the present invention in order to solve these problems.

[0043] The present invention provides a refrigerator capable of freezing, storing and thawing the stored objects in a storage chamber in a desired state, and at the same time, miniaturization of the equipment is achieved.

[0044] Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the cold storage of the present invention, a cold storage with a freezing function will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the cold storage of the present invention is not limited to the structure of the cold storage described in the following embodiments, but can also be applied to a freezer with only a freezing function, including various cold storages and freezers having the technical features described in the following embodiments. Therefore, in the present invention, the cold storage is a structure having at least one of a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber.

[0045] In addition, the numerical values, shapes, structures, steps, and the order of the steps shown in the following embodiments represent an example and do not limit the present invention. Among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements not recorded in the independent claims representing the highest concept are described as arbitrary constituent elements. In addition, in the embodiments, the same elements are also marked with the same figure numerals in the modified examples, and the description is sometimes omitted. In addition, for easy understanding, the drawings are schematically represented with each constituent element as the main body.

[0046] (Implementation Method 1)

[0047] Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the present invention, for easy understanding, the description will be divided into each item.

[0048] [1-1. Overall structure of cold storage]

[0049] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing a longitudinal cross-section of refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1.

[0050] exist Figure 1 In the figure, the left side is the front side of the cold storage 1, and the right side is the back side of the cold storage 1. The cold storage 1 is mainly composed of the following components: an outer box 3 mainly formed of a steel plate; an inner box 4 formed of a resin such as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin; and an insulating box body 2 formed by filling a space between the outer box 3 and the inner box 4 with a foamed insulating material 40 (for example, rigid foamed polyurethane).

[0051] The heat-insulating box body 2 of the cold storage 1 has a plurality of storage rooms, and each storage room is provided with an openable and closable door at the front opening. Each storage room is sealed by closing the door to prevent cold air from leaking. In the cold storage 1 of Embodiment 1, the uppermost storage room is the refrigerating room 5. Two storage rooms, an ice-making room 7 and a freezing / thawing room 6, are arranged side by side on both sides directly below the refrigerating room 5. A freezing room 8 is arranged directly below the ice-making room 7 and the freezing / thawing room 6. A vegetable room 9 is arranged directly below the freezing room 8, i.e., at the bottom. Each storage room in the cold storage 1 of Embodiment 1 has the above-mentioned structure, but this structure is an example, and the configuration structure of each storage room can be appropriately changed during design according to specifications, etc.

[0052] The refrigerator compartment 5 is maintained at a non-freezing temperature in order to refrigerate and store food and other stored items. As a specific temperature example, it is maintained in a temperature range of 1°C to 5°C. The vegetable compartment 9 is maintained in a temperature range that is equal to or slightly higher than that of the refrigerator compartment 5, for example, 2°C to 7°C. The freezer compartment 8 is set to a freezing temperature range for frozen storage. As a specific temperature example, it is set to -22°C to -15°C. The freezer / thaw compartment 6 is usually maintained in the same freezing temperature range as the freezer compartment 8, and performs a thawing process for thawing the stored stored items (frozen products) according to the user's thawing instructions. Details about the structure and thawing process of the freezer / thaw compartment 6 will be described later. In addition, in the present invention, the thawing instruction is equivalent to one of the electric field generating instructions in the device. Therefore, the thawing instruction is sometimes described below as an electric field generating instruction.

[0053] A machine room 10 is provided at the upper part of the cold storage 1. The machine room 10 houses components constituting the refrigeration cycle, such as a compressor 19 and a dryer for removing moisture in the refrigeration cycle. In addition, the location of the machine room 10 is not limited to the upper part of the cold storage 1, but is appropriately determined according to the location of the refrigeration cycle, and may also be arranged in other areas such as the lower part of the cold storage 1.

[0054] A cooling chamber 11 is provided on the back side of the freezer chamber 8 and the vegetable chamber 9 located in the lower area of ​​the cold storage 1. A cooler 13 as a component of a refrigeration cycle for generating cold air and a cooling fan 14 for sending the cold air generated by the cooler 13 to each storage chamber (refrigerator chamber 5, freezer / thaw chamber 6, ice making chamber 7, freezer chamber 8 and vegetable chamber 9) are provided in the cooling chamber 11. The cold air generated by the cooler 13 flows through the air passage 12 connected to each storage chamber through the cooling fan 14 and is supplied to each storage chamber. A damper 12a is provided in the air passage 12 connected to each storage chamber. Each storage chamber is maintained in a specified temperature range by controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 19 and the cooling fan 14 and opening and closing of the damper 12a. A defrost heater 15 for defrosting frost or ice attached to the cooler 13 and its surroundings is provided at the lower part of the cooling chamber 11. A drain pan 16, a drain pipe 17, and an evaporation pan 18 are provided below the defrost heater 15. With these structures, water generated during defrosting or the like can be evaporated.

[0055] The refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment includes an operation unit 47 (see the following description). Fig. 9 ). The user can issue various instructions to the cold storage 1 in the operating unit 47 (for example, temperature setting of each storage room, rapid cooling instruction, thawing instruction, or ice making stop instruction, etc.). In addition, the operating unit 47 has a display unit for notifying the occurrence of abnormalities, etc. In addition, in the cold storage 1, it is also possible to be configured to be connected to a wireless LAN network by having a wireless communication unit, so that various instructions can be input from the user's external terminal. In addition, in the cold storage 1, it is also possible to be configured to have a voice recognition unit so that the user inputs voice-based instructions.

[0056] Figure 2 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing freezing / thawing chamber 6 of refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a freezer / thaw chamber 6 in a cold storage 1 according to Embodiment 1. The freezer / thaw chamber 6 is a freezer chamber for keeping stored items such as food stored in the freezer / thaw chamber 6 in a freezing temperature range. In addition, when a thawing instruction (electric field generation instruction) for the stored items is input in the cold storage 1, the freezer / thaw chamber 6 becomes a thawing chamber for performing a thawing process (electric field generation process) by dielectric heating.

[0057] about Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The respective details will be described again in "1-4. System structure of dielectric heating mechanism" described later.

[0058] In the freezing / thawing chamber 6, the cold air generated in the cooler 13 flows through the air passage 12 provided on the back side and the top side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6, and is introduced into the freezing / thawing chamber 6 from a plurality of cold air introduction holes 20 provided on the top surface of the freezing / thawing chamber 6, so as to be maintained in the same freezing temperature range as the freezing chamber 8. A damper 12a is provided in the air passage 12 leading from the cooling chamber 11 to the freezing / thawing chamber 6. By opening and closing the damper 12a, the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is maintained in a predetermined freezing temperature range, and the stored stored objects are frozen and stored.

[0059] A cold air discharge hole (not shown) is formed on the back of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. The cold air introduced into the freezing / thawing chamber 6 and cooling the inside of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 returns from the cold air discharge hole to the cooling chamber 11 through a return air passage (not shown) and is further cooled by the cooler 13. That is, the cold storage 1 of the first embodiment is configured to circulate the cold air formed by the cooler 13.

[0060] The top surface, back surface, both sides and bottom surface of the inner surface constituting the storage space in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 are constituted by an inner surface member 32 (32a to 32c) of a resin material, and the inner surface member 32 (32a to 32c) is formed by an electrically insulating material. In addition, a door 29 is provided at the front opening of the freezing / thawing chamber 6, and the storage space of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is sealed by closing the door 29. In the freezing / thawing chamber 6 of the first embodiment, a storage box 31 with an open top is provided at the back side of the door 29. And, the storage box 31 is configured to move forward and backward at the same time by the opening and closing action of the door 29 in the forward and backward directions. By making the opening and closing action of the door 29 in the forward and backward directions, it is easy to put in and take out the stored objects such as food relative to the storage box 31.

[0061] [1-2. Dielectric heating mechanism]

[0062] Next, a description will be given of a dielectric heating mechanism that performs dielectric heating by generating an electric field on the storage space of the freezer / thaw chamber 6. By dielectric heating by the dielectric heating mechanism, for example, a thawing process of stored objects placed in the storage space is performed.

[0063] In addition, the dielectric heating mechanism of this embodiment can adjust the heating capacity such as output power. Therefore, when the heating amount of the stored object exceeds the cooling amount of the freezing / thawing chamber 6, the stored object is heated. On the other hand, when the heating amount of the stored object is lower than the cooling amount of the freezing / thawing chamber 6, the stored object is cooled.

[0064] Fig. 91 is a block diagram showing the structure of the dielectric heating mechanism provided in the cold storage 1 according to the first embodiment. The dielectric heating mechanism in the first embodiment includes an oscillating circuit 22, a matching circuit 23, a first electrode 24, a second electrode 25, and a control unit 50. The oscillating circuit 22 receives power from a power supply unit 48 to form a predetermined high-frequency signal. The oscillating circuit 22 is formed using semiconductor elements and is miniaturized. As described later, the oscillating circuit 22 and the matching circuit 23 are formed in the space on the back side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6, namely, the electrode holding area 30 (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 ) is mounted on the electrode holding substrate 52. The oscillation circuit 22 and the matching circuit 23 form a high-frequency electric power generating unit for forming a high-frequency electric field applied between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25.

[0065] The first electrode 24 is an electrode disposed on the top surface side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. The second electrode 25 is an electrode disposed on the bottom surface side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. The first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are disposed opposite to each other across the storage space (thawing space) of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. The electrode holding substrate 52 described in "1-3. Structure of the circuit substrate of the induction heating mechanism" is provided, and the relative spacing between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 is set to a predetermined spacing ( Figure 8 As a result, in the dielectric heating mechanism of Embodiment 1, the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are arranged substantially in parallel. In the present invention, "substantially parallel" means a state of being essentially parallel, but means including errors caused by deviations in processing accuracy, etc.

[0066] The first electrode 24 is provided on one surface of the storage space. The second electrode 25 is provided on the other surface of the storage space opposite to the one surface across the storage space. The matching circuit 23 on the back side, the first electrode 24 on the top side, and the second electrode 25 on the bottom side that constitute the dielectric heating mechanism are covered by the inner surface member 32. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the stored items from being burned (Joule heating of the food) due to contact between the stored items and the matching circuit 23, the first electrode 24, or the second electrode 25.

[0067] In addition, in the structure of the first embodiment, the first electrode 24 is provided on the top surface of the storage space constituting the freezing / thawing chamber 6, and the second electrode 25 is provided on the bottom surface of the storage space of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. As long as the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are opposite to each other across the storage space (thawing space), the same effect can be achieved even if the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are arranged upside down from the present embodiment, or the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are arranged opposite to each other in the left-right direction across the storage space.

[0068] The oscillation circuit 22 outputs a high frequency voltage (40.68 MHz in the first embodiment) of the VHF (Very High Frequency) band. The oscillation circuit 22 outputs the high frequency voltage, and an electric field is formed between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 connected to the oscillation circuit 22. As a result, the stored material as a dielectric in the storage space between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 arranged in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is dielectrically heated, for example, thawed.

[0069] Matching circuit 23 adjusts the load impedance formed by first electrode 24, second electrode 25 and the stored product in freezing / thawing chamber 6 to match the output impedance of oscillation circuit 22. Matching circuit 23 minimizes reflected waves of the output high frequency by matching the impedance.

[0070] In the dielectric heating mechanism in the first embodiment, an incident reflected wave detection unit 51 is provided to detect an incident wave output from the oscillation circuit 22 to the first electrode 24 and a reflected wave returned from the first electrode 24 to the oscillation circuit 22 side. The oscillation circuit 22 is electrically connected to the first electrode 24 via the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 and the matching circuit 23. The control unit 50 calculates the ratio (reflectivity) of the reflected wave output relative to the incident wave output based on the incident wave and the reflected wave detected by the incident reflected wave detection unit 51, and performs various controls as described later based on the calculation result. In addition, the ratio (reflectivity) of the reflected wave output relative to the electromagnetic wave output can also be calculated based on the set value of the high-frequency electric power output from the oscillation circuit 22 by impedance matching in the matching circuit 23 and the reflected wave detected by the incident reflected wave detection unit 51. In addition, the various controls described later can also be performed using only the reflected wave output regardless of the output setting value of the electromagnetic wave or the detection value of the incident wave.

[0071] like Fig. 9As shown in the control block diagram of FIG. 1 , in the dielectric heating mechanism, the control unit 50 drives and controls the oscillation circuit 22 and the matching circuit 23 based on the operation unit 47 set by the user and the signal from the temperature sensor 49 detecting the temperature inside the chamber. The control unit 50 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executes a control program stored in a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) to perform various controls.

[0072] [1-3. Structure of the circuit board of the dielectric heating mechanism]

[0073] In order to improve reliability, the length of the wiring connecting the oscillation circuit 22, the incident reflected wave detection unit 51, the matching circuit 23 and the positive electrode side of the first electrode 24 is preferably short. Therefore, in this embodiment, the electrode holding substrate 52 (see Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 ) and the first electrode 24, and the electrode holding substrate 52 and the second electrode 25 are directly connected without a lead wire or a coaxial cable. In addition, the electrode holding substrate 52 is arranged in the electrode holding area 30 on the back side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. In addition, the electrode holding substrate 52 includes at least a matching circuit 23.

[0074] The matching circuit 23 performs impedance matching by adjusting the values ​​of inductance and capacitance. Therefore, the matching circuit 23 generates heat, especially due to the loss of the inductor on the matching circuit 23. This heat is expressed as waste heat generated by the matching circuit 23. The device including the matching circuit 23, the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 arranged around the matching circuit 23, and the electromagnetic wave shielding member 26 (26a~26d) and other metal parts described later are prone to condensation in a freezing temperature environment. Due to condensation, water droplets and frost are generated on the transmission path of high-frequency electric power or these devices located on the transmission path, which may cause malfunction of the device. However, by adopting a structure in which the waste heat generated by the matching circuit 23 is easily conducted to these devices, malfunction can be prevented. Therefore, it is preferred that the electrode holding substrate 52 at least includes the matching circuit 23.

[0075] In addition, the first electrode 24, the second electrode 25, and the electromagnetic shielding member 26 described later are accompanied by heat generation due to a certain electrical loss. In Embodiment 1, the heat generation in the first electrode 24, the second electrode 25, and the electromagnetic shielding member 26 is very small and almost does not contribute to the prevention of condensation and frost. However, as the first electrode 24, the second electrode 25, and the electromagnetic shielding member 26, it is also possible to prevent condensation and frost by deliberately and appropriately using a material with large loss.

[0076] The operation of preventing condensation or frost using waste heat is performed when the possibility of condensation or frost is detected, regardless of the necessity of generating an electric field in the freezing / thawing chamber 6. That is, when the possibility of condensation or frost is detected, the oscillation circuit 22 is appropriately operated to intentionally generate waste heat.

[0077] In order to accurately determine whether impedance matching can be sufficiently performed by the matching circuit 23, an incident reflected wave detection unit 51 is formed on the electrode holding substrate 52. Preferably, the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 and the matching circuit 23 are combined into one substrate. Thus, it is not necessary to configure a lead wire or a coaxial cable between the matching circuit 23 and the incident reflected wave detection unit 51, and a connector for connecting the lead wire or the coaxial cable. Therefore, the structure of the circuit substrate can also be simplified.

[0078] exist Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 and the matching circuit 23 are arranged on the electrode holding substrate 52. However, the matching circuit 23, the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 and the oscillation circuit 22 may all be formed on one substrate. In this way, the power transmission loss caused by the lead wire or the coaxial cable can be suppressed, and the accuracy of impedance matching can also be improved.

[0079] In addition, the above-mentioned circuits, such as the oscillation circuit 22 and the matching circuit 23, can also be constructed separately and electrically connected by leads or coaxial cables. In such a case, for example, the oscillation circuit 22 is set in the machine room 10 with a large free space, and a reasonable configuration structure that effectively utilizes the free space in the cold storage can also be achieved. In addition, in this case, in order to perform impedance matching including the coaxial cable, it is preferred that the oscillation circuit 22 and the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 are set on one substrate.

[0080] [1-4. System structure of dielectric heating mechanism]

[0081] In the dielectric heating mechanism of the first embodiment configured as described above, the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are arranged to face each other in substantially parallel. Therefore, in the thawing space as the storage space of the freezing / thawing chamber 6, the electric field is made uniform. Figure 8 H) are arranged roughly in parallel, and in the dielectric heating mechanism of embodiment 1, the electrode interval is maintained as described below.

[0082] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing the electrode holding area 30 on the back side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 in the first embodiment, and shows the electrode holding mechanism in the electrode holding area 30 . Figure 8This is a diagram of the electrode holding area 30 viewed from the back side, with the first electrode 24 disposed on the upper side (top side) and the second electrode 25 disposed on the lower side (bottom side). Positive terminals 24a, 24b, and 24c are protrudingly provided at the back side end of the first electrode 24. The positive terminals 24a to 24c are protrudingly provided in a manner of being bent at a right angle upward (top side) or downward (bottom side) from the back side end of the first electrode 24. Similarly, cathode terminals 25a, 25b, and 25c are protrudingly provided at the center of the back side end of the second electrode 25. The cathode terminals 25a to 25c are protrudingly provided in a manner of being bent at a right angle upward (top side) or downward (bottom side) from the back side end of the second electrode 25.

[0083] The first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are fixed to the upper and lower parts of the electrode holding substrate 52, respectively. The matching circuit 23 and the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 are fixed to the electrode holding substrate 52. The first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are reliably held by the electrode holding substrate 52. In this way, the electrode holding substrate 52 substantially holds the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 at a predetermined distance ( Figure 8 In addition, the electrode holding substrate 52 is provided with a matching circuit 23 and the like, so that the rigidity is increased by the copper foil wiring pattern. Therefore, the electrode holding substrate 52 can have a predetermined relative spacing ( Figure 8 In the state of H), the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are respectively held in a cantilever manner. In addition, as described above, an oscillation circuit 22 and the like can also be set on the electrode holding substrate 52.

[0084] The positive terminals 24a to 24c of the first electrode 24 and the cathode terminals 25a to 25c of the second electrode 25 are connected to the specified connection terminals on the positive side and the cathode side of the matching circuit 23, respectively. The connection between the positive terminals 24a to 24c and the cathode terminals 25a to 25c and the corresponding connection terminals of the matching circuit 23 is a surface contact connection with a specified contact area, so that reliability can be ensured even if a large current flows. In embodiment 1, in order to ensure a reliable surface contact connection, the flat terminals are connected to each other by screwing. In addition, as a connection between the terminals, any connection method that can achieve a reliable surface contact connection is sufficient, and it is not limited to a screw-fixed connection. In addition, in order to implement the above-mentioned condensation or frost prevention action using waste heat, a terminal connection with excellent thermal conductivity is also preferred.

[0085] As described above, an electrode holding substrate 52 is provided as an electrode holding mechanism on the back side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. Therefore, the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are substantially parallel to each other. In addition, in Embodiment 1, in order to more reliably make the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 substantially parallel to each other, they are constituted as a high-frequency heating module 53a. The high-frequency heating module 53a includes the first electrode 24, the second electrode 25 and the electrode holding substrate 52, and is integrated so that the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are determined to be substantially parallel to each other, and is assembled in the freezing / thawing chamber 6.

[0086] [1-5. Structure of the freezing / thawing chamber]

[0087] As described above, heat-insulating box body 2 of refrigerator 1 includes outer box 3 formed of a steel plate, inner box 4 formed of a resin, and a space between outer box 3 and inner box 4 filled with foamed heat-insulating material 40 (eg, rigid foamed polyurethane).

[0088] And, if Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the freezer / thaw chamber 6 is constructed with the inner surface component 32a on the inner side of the heat insulating material 40 as an outer frame. The outer side of the freezer / thaw chamber 6 is covered by an electromagnetic wave shielding member 26 (26a to 26d). In order to prevent electromagnetic waves from leaking to the outside of the cold storage 1, the electromagnetic wave shielding member 26 is arranged in a manner surrounding the freezer / thaw chamber 6. In addition, the electrode holding area 30 is separated from the freezer / thaw chamber 6 by the inner surface component 32a. A back side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26b is provided on the back side of the inner surface component 32a. The main purpose of the back side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26b is to prevent the influence of impedance and electric field on each other by dividing the interior of the freezer / thaw chamber 6 and the electrode holding substrate 52 including the matching circuit 23, etc.

[0089] A flat plate-shaped inner surface member 32b is horizontally disposed in the upper portion of the space surrounded by the inner surface member 32a, and the first electrode 24 is mounted on the upper side of the inner surface member 32b. In addition, a flat plate-shaped inner surface member 32c is horizontally disposed in the lower portion of the space surrounded by the inner surface member 32a, and the second electrode 25 is disposed on the lower surface of the inner surface member 32c. The lower surface of the inner surface member 32c is substantially parallel to the inner surface member 32b and is maintained at a predetermined distance ( Figure 8 H). Therefore, the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are kept in a roughly parallel state through the electrode holding substrate 52 and the inner surface parts 32a, 32b, and 32c. Due to the uneven foaming of the foamed heat insulating material 40 filled in the outer box 3, the parallelism between the upper surface and the bottom surface in the storage may become insufficient. However, the above-mentioned structure is not affected by the foaming, and the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 can be made roughly parallel with high precision and reliability.

[0090] The high frequency heating module 53a is pre-assembled during the manufacturing process of the refrigerator 1. Figure 4 As shown, the high-frequency heating module 53a is assembled by being inserted into the outer box 3 of the cold storage 1. And the cold storage is completed by inserting the door assembly including the door 29, the door-side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26d, the sealing gasket 36 and the storage box 31 into the high-frequency heating module 53a.

[0091] Alternatively, it can be Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The structure shown. Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the embodiment of the present invention, the outer box 3 of the cold storage 1, the inner box 4 formed of resin, the space between the outer box 3 and the inner box 4 is filled with a foamed heat insulating material 40, the inner surface member 32 (32a to 32c) on the inner side of the heat insulating material 40 constituting the outer frame of the freezing / thawing chamber 6, and the electromagnetic wave shielding member 26 on the outer side of the inner surface member 32 are configured as follows: Figure 2 and Figure 3 same.

[0092] A flat plate-shaped inner surface component 32b is arranged in the horizontal direction at the upper part of the space surrounded by the inner surface component 32a. The first electrode 24 is mounted on the upper side of the inner surface component 32b. In addition, a flat plate-shaped inner surface component 32c is arranged in the horizontal direction at the lower part of the space surrounded by the inner surface component 32a. The second electrode 25 is arranged on the lower surface of the inner surface component 32c. The front sides of the inner surface component 32b and the inner surface component 32c are fixed by the support 54 respectively. The back sides of the inner surface component 32b and the inner surface component 32c are fixed by the electrode holding substrate 52 and the inner surface component 32a, and the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are maintained in a substantially parallel state.

[0093] The inner surface member 32b is substantially parallel to the inner surface member 32c and is kept at a predetermined distance ( Figure 8 H), so the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 can be kept roughly parallel by the electrode holding substrate 52, the support 54 and the inner surface parts 32b, 32c. The outer box 3 of the cold storage 1 is not uniformly foamed due to the foaming of the foamed insulation material 40, and sometimes the parallelism between the upper surface and the bottom surface in the cold storage becomes insufficient. However, the above-mentioned structure will not be affected by the foaming, and the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 can be made roughly parallel with high precision and reliably.

[0094] In the above structure, as the high-frequency heating module 53a, the first electrode 24, the second electrode 25, the inner surface parts 32a, 32b, 32c, the support 54, the back side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26b that divides the electrode holding area 30 and the freezing / thawing chamber 6, and the electrode holding substrate 52 including the matching circuit 23, etc. are integrated. The high-frequency heating module 53a is pre-assembled, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, in the manufacturing process, the high-frequency heating module 53a is assembled by inserting it into the outer box 3 of the cold storage 1. In addition, the door assembly including the door 29, the door-side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26d, the sealing gasket 36 and the storage box 31 is inserted into the high-frequency heating module 53a to complete the cold storage 1.

[0095] In addition, the inner surface parts 32a to 32c are preferably made of a general industrial ceramic material with a thermal conductivity of 10W / (m·k) or less, which is difficult to condense even in the environment of a freezer. In the present embodiment, the inner surface parts 32a to 32c are made of a resin material such as polypropylene, ABS resin, and polycarbonate. The electromagnetic wave shielding member 26 (26a to 26d) is thinner than the inner surface part 32 (32a to 32c), and the heat capacity is suppressed. Thus, condensation can be prevented on the electromagnetic wave shielding member 26 and the inner surface part 32 (32a to 32c) in contact with the electromagnetic wave shielding member 26.

[0096] Thus, in the cold storage 1 of the first embodiment, the electrode holding mechanism is provided on the back side and the front side or the side side of the dielectric heating mechanism of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. Therefore, the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 can be arranged with a relative spacing with high precision. Therefore, the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 can have a predetermined spacing ( Figure 8 As a result, the dielectric heating mechanism of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 can prevent the deviation of the high-frequency electric field on the electrode surface and realize the uniformity of the high-frequency electric field, so that the stored objects (frozen products) can be thawed uniformly.

[0097] In addition, the cold storage is completed by inserting the components pre-assembled as the high-frequency heating module, so there is no need to perform manufacturing work in a narrow cold storage, and the manufacturing process becomes simple.

[0098] [1-6. Electromagnetic wave shielding mechanism]

[0099] As described above, in the freezing / thawing chamber 6, a dielectric as a stored object is arranged in the atmosphere of the high-frequency electric field between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25, and dielectric heating is performed. Therefore, electromagnetic waves are radiated in the freezing / thawing chamber 6. In order to prevent the electromagnetic waves from leaking to the outside of the cold storage 1, an electromagnetic wave shielding mechanism is provided in the cold storage 1 of the first embodiment so as to surround the freezing / thawing chamber 6.

[0100] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a top surface side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26a is disposed in the air passage 12 portion on the top surface side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. The top surface side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26a is disposed in the refrigerator chamber 5 (see FIG. 1 ) which is located just above the freezing / thawing chamber 6. Figure 1 ) is disposed on the bottom side of the heat insulating material 40 so as to cover the top side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. The top side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26a has a plurality of openings and is configured so that the substantial relative area to the first electrode 24 becomes smaller.

[0101] In this embodiment, the shape of the opening is a slit shape with a long side direction from the back side to the front side. Through electromagnetic wave simulation analysis, it is found that the magnetic field (current) generated from the positive terminal 24a to 24c in the front direction through the opening of the top electromagnetic wave shielding member 26a smoothly passes through the top electromagnetic wave shielding member 26a, thereby suppressing the leakage magnetic field that spreads to the surroundings.

[0102] By the top surface side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26a configured in this way, it is possible to suppress the generation of an unnecessary electric field between the top surface side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26a and the first electrode 24. In addition, the top surface side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26a may also be a mesh structure having a plurality of openings. In addition, the top surface side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26a may also be arranged inside the refrigerator compartment 5 located just above the freezing / thawing chamber 6. The refrigerator compartment 5 is often provided with a micro-freezing chamber or an ice temperature preservation chamber, and the top surface of the micro-freezing chamber or the ice temperature preservation chamber may also be used as an electromagnetic wave shielding member.

[0103] The back electromagnetic wave shielding member 26b is provided in a manner covering the electrode holding area 30 provided on the back side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. The matching circuit 23 and the like are provided in the electrode holding area 30. By providing the back electromagnetic wave shielding member 26b in this way, the electric field generated between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 and the high-frequency noise generated from the matching circuit 23 are prevented from affecting the operation (control) of the electrical installation components of the cooling fan 14 and the damper 12a. In addition, an electromagnetic wave shielding member (not shown) is also provided on the side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6.

[0104] Next, the door-side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26d of the door 29 provided at the front opening of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 will be described. The door 29 is a structure that is opened and closed relative to the main body of the cold storage 1. Therefore, in the case of a structure in which the electromagnetic wave shielding member provided at the door 29 is connected to the grounded portion of the main body of the cold storage 1 through a wired circuit, the circuit is repeatedly expanded and contracted due to the opening and closing of the door 29, and metal fatigue accumulates in the circuit. In a structure connected like this, there is a possibility that the wire is disconnected in the wired circuit. Therefore, a structure in which the door-side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26d provided at the door 29 is connected to the grounded portion of the main body of the cold storage 1 through a wired circuit is not preferred.

[0105] Generally, in order to prevent electromagnetic wave leakage, it is necessary to make the door-side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26d when the door 29 is closed and the cross rail 21 (connected to the outer box 3, such as Figure 1 The interval between the door side electromagnetic wave shielding component 26d and the cross rail 21 is shorter than 1 / 4 of the wavelength λ of the electromagnetic wave. In embodiment 1, by further reducing the interval between the door side electromagnetic wave shielding component 26d and the cross rail 21, the grounding effect of the electromagnetic wave shielding component can be obtained without providing a wired circuit between the door side electromagnetic wave shielding component 26d and the cross rail 21. For example, the interval between the door side electromagnetic wave shielding component 26d and the cross rail 21 when the door 29 is closed is set to within 30 mm. Since the cross rail 21 connected to the outer box 3 is grounded, the door side electromagnetic wave shielding component 26d is close to the cross rail 21 when the door 29 is closed, thereby obtaining the same effect as grounding based on a wired circuit. In addition, by making the end of the door side electromagnetic wave shielding component 26d be bent toward the main body side of the cold storage 1, the door side electromagnetic wave shielding component 26d can be easily close to the cross rail 21.

[0106] Alternatively, the door-side electromagnetic wave shield 26 d may be arranged close to other electromagnetic wave shields 26 ( 26 a , 26 c ) other than the horizontal rail 21 .

[0107] Next, the connection between the electromagnetic wave shielding material and other circuits and the ground will be described.

[0108] Fig.10 This is a schematic circuit diagram of an AC (alternating current: alternating current circuit) / DC (direct current: direct current circuit) converter that drives various circuits. In this circuit, a flyback switching power supply circuit is used as a DC / DC converter that is arranged after the bridge diode BD1 and the rectifying capacitor C0 that rectify the AC power supply ACV. However, the DC / DC converter is not limited to this, and any switching power supply using a transformer such as a forward type, a push-pull type, or a half-bridge type can be used. In addition, Fig.10 The circuit only records the main circuit components, omitting the noise filter, power supply control circuit and protection circuit.

[0109] The AC power source ACV is converted into DC by the bridge diode BD1 and the rectifying capacitor C0, and is referred to as the primary DC power source DCV0 (first power source). The zero volt reference potential of the primary DC power source DCV0 is the primary ground GND0 (first ground).

[0110] The primary side DC power supply DCV0 is applied to the primary side winding P1 of the switching transformer T1, and is switched at a frequency of several tens of kHz by the FET (Field effect transistor) Q1. The power accumulated in the primary side winding P1 is transmitted to the electrically insulated secondary side winding S1 by electromagnetic induction, and is rectified by the secondary side rectifying diode D1 and the secondary side rectifying capacitor C1, and the secondary side DC power supply DCV1 is output. In addition, the secondary side winding S2 is provided with an output section between the two ends of the winding, and is rectified by the secondary side rectifying diode D2 and the secondary side rectifying capacitor C2, and the secondary side DC power supply DCV2 with a lower voltage than the secondary side DC power supply DCV1 is output. The zero volt reference potential of the secondary side DC power supplies DCV1 and DCV2 (second power supply section) is used as the secondary side ground GND1 (second ground section).

[0111] In addition, the primary side DC power supply DCV0 is applied to the primary side winding P2 of the switching transformer T2 in addition to being applied to the switching transformer T1, and is switched at a frequency of several tens of kHz by the FET Q2. The power accumulated in the primary side winding P2 is transmitted to the electrically insulated secondary side winding S3 by electromagnetic induction, and is rectified by the secondary side rectifying diode D3 and the secondary side rectifying capacitor C3, and the secondary side DC power supply DCV3 (third power supply unit) is output. The zero volt reference potential of the secondary side DC power supply DCV3 is used as the secondary side ground GND2 (third ground unit).

[0112] The insulation between the primary winding P1 and the secondary winding S1 in the switching transformer T1 and the insulation between the primary winding P2 and the secondary winding S3 in the switching transformer T2 are formed to have insulation performance higher than the basic insulation determined by the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law of Japan or the IEC (International Electrotechnical Comission) standard.

[0113] like Fig. 9As shown, in the oscillation circuit 22, the oscillation source 22a using a crystal or the like outputs a micro power of 40.68 MHz allocated to the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band, is slightly amplified by the first amplifier circuit 22b, further amplified by the second amplifier circuit 22c, and output in the direction of the matching circuit 23. In addition, the output frequency of the oscillation source 22a is not limited to 40.68 MHz.

[0114] In this embodiment, the secondary side DC power supply DCV1 is supplied to the second amplifier circuit 22c in the oscillation circuit 22, the secondary side DC power supply DCV2 is supplied to the oscillation source 22a and the first amplifier circuit 22b in the oscillation circuit 22, and the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 and the matching circuit 23, and the secondary side DC power supply DCV3 is supplied to the control unit 50.

[0115] Thus, the circuit system that sets the secondary side ground GND1 to zero volt reference potential is the oscillation circuit 22, the incident reflected wave detection unit 51, the matching circuit 23, and the second electrode 25. The circuit system that sets the secondary side ground GND2 to zero volt reference potential is the control unit 50.

[0116] The electromagnetic wave shielding member 26 (the top surface side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26a, the back surface side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26b, the bottom surface side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26c, and the door side electromagnetic wave shielding member 26d) is preferably insulated from the second electrode 25 (the same potential as the secondary side ground GND1), or connected to the second electrode 25 at a position more than a certain distance away when not insulated. As a result, the electric field and magnetic field applied to each electromagnetic wave shielding member are reduced, and leakage to the outside is also suppressed. That is, the electromagnetic wave shielding effect is improved.

[0117] There are several means for improving the electromagnetic wave shielding effect, and they are described below.

[0118] One is a method of not connecting each electromagnetic wave shielding member to any of the primary side ground GND0, the secondary side ground GND1, and the secondary side ground GND2. This method is particularly effective when the total area or total volume of the electromagnetic wave shielding member is above a certain level, and can suppress the high frequency from leaking to the outside through the grounding line and causing adverse effects as noise.

[0119] Another is to connect each electromagnetic wave shielding member to the primary side ground GND0. The primary side ground GND0 is usually connected to the outer box 3 made of metal material, and the grounding area is large. Therefore, since the zero volt reference potential of the primary side ground GND0 is the most stable, by connecting each electromagnetic wave shielding member to the primary side ground GND0, not only can the effect of each electromagnetic wave shielding member be improved, but also malfunction caused by noise can be suppressed.

[0120] Another method is to connect each electromagnetic shield to the secondary ground GND2. Since the second electrode 25 and each electromagnetic shield are insulated at two stages of the switching transformers T1 and T2, high-frequency noise is difficult to leak from the first electrode 24 to each electromagnetic shield, and the electric field between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 is stable.

[0121] Another method is to connect each electromagnetic wave shielding member to the secondary side ground GND1, and on the other hand, to connect at least on the outside of each electromagnetic wave shielding member at a position more than a certain distance away from the second electrode 25. A certain shielding effect can be obtained, and high-frequency noise is difficult to leak from the first electrode 24 to each electromagnetic wave shielding member, and the electric field between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 is stable.

[0122] The above-mentioned means for improving the shielding effect may have different effects depending on the system structure and wiring, so it is necessary to select the optimal means in consideration of the electric field generation efficiency from the first electrode 24 to the second electrode 25 and the electromagnetic wave shielding effect.

[0123] In refrigerator 1 of Embodiment 1, outer box 3 is made of a steel plate, so the steel plate itself functions as an electromagnetic wave shield. Therefore, electromagnetic waves inside refrigerator 1 are reliably prevented from leaking to the outside of refrigerator 1.

[0124] In the above structure of the electromagnetic wave shield, malfunction and radio wave leakage caused by normal mode noise generated in the system or common mode noise transmitted to the secondary side ground GND1 or the secondary side ground GND2 sometimes become problems. In particular, the common mode noise overlaps with the cable that transmits the high-frequency output generated by the oscillation circuit 22, and there are many cases where noise is radiated from the surface of the cable. Therefore, a coaxial cable is usually used as a cable that transmits the high-frequency output. However, the common mode noise is sometimes transmitted to the outside of the external conductor that originally plays a shielding role in the coaxial cable.

[0125] Fig.19A and Fig.19B This indicates a structure that prevents malfunction and radio wave leakage caused by common mode noise. Fig.19AIn the embodiment, an oscillating circuit 22 and an incident reflected wave detecting unit 51 are arranged at a position away from an electrode holding substrate 52 including a matching circuit 23, etc. The coaxial cable 56a electrically connects the electrode holding substrate 52 to the incident reflected wave detecting unit 51. The outer shell of the outer box 3a of the cold storage is made of a metal material. By wiring the coaxial cable 56a on the inner side of the outer box 3a, it is possible to suppress the leakage electric wave radiated by the common mode noise conducted to the coaxial cable 56a from spreading to the outside of the cold storage. Here, at least half of the coaxial cable 56a, preferably most of the coaxial cable 56a, is arranged on the inner side of the outer box 3a through a holding component. That is, the outer box 3a holding the metal material and the holding portion of the coaxial cable 56a function as a noise suppression unit.

[0126] exist Fig.19A In the embodiment, at least a portion of the coaxial cable 56a is wired in such a way as to be connected to the inner side of the outer box 3a. Fig.10 Therefore, by holding the coaxial cable 56a in such a manner that at least a portion of the coaxial cable 56a contacts the inner side of the outer box 3a, the common mode noise conducted to the coaxial cable 56a can be dissipated toward the GND0 side.

[0127] In addition, Fig.19B In the embodiment, the coaxial cable 56b is wired inside the outer box 3a, but is wired by being attached to the inner box 4 or the wall surface of the air passage 12 so as not to be in contact with the inner side of the outer box 3a.

[0128] about Fig.19A structure or Fig.19B The structure can select an arbitrary structure as a noise suppression structure in a manner that can suppress malfunction and radio wave leakage according to the path along which common mode noise is conducted in the coaxial cable 56a or the coaxial cable 56b and the outer box 3a.

[0129] In addition, the arrangement relationship between the coaxial cable 56a or the coaxial cable 56b and the outer box 3a is preferably formed so as to be reliably formed by the holding member. Fig.19A or Fig.19B Due to the deviation in mass production, it can be formed into Fig.19A or Fig.19B The design of any wiring state is not ideal.

[0130] Furthermore, the noise suppression unit is preferably held so that the coaxial cable 56 does not come into contact with the inner surface of the outer box 3 a in a path within 50 cm from the matching circuit 23 .

[0131] [1-7. Structure of the first electrode and the second electrode and thawing performance based on the structure]

[0132] Fig.11This is a plan view of the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 on the top surface side of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 as viewed from above.

[0133] like Fig.11 As shown, the size of the first electrode 24 is configured to be slightly smaller than the area of ​​the second electrode 25. In addition, a plurality of electrode holes 41 and 42 are formed in the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25, respectively. The plurality of electrode holes 41 and 42 are in the shape of a longitudinal slit extending from the back side of the storage chamber where the positive terminals 24a to 24c and the cathode terminals 25a to 25c of the second electrode 25 are provided to the front side. By setting such a shape, the high-frequency current input from the positive terminals 24a to 24c side easily flows from the back side of the storage chamber to the front side, and the electric field strength generated between the two electrodes is slightly enhanced.

[0134] In this embodiment, if Fig.11 As shown in FIG. 1 , the electrode holes 41 and 42 provided in the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are not arranged at vertically symmetrical positions, but are arranged at positions that are offset from each other by about half of the short diameter of the electrode hole 41. Since a plurality of electrode holes 41 are formed on the electrode surface of the first electrode 24, the region where the electric field is strongly formed is uniformly dispersed in the electrode surface of the first electrode 24. Therefore, dielectric heating of the stored object can be uniformly performed. That is, the edge of the opening portion in the electrode hole 41 becomes an electric field concentration region.

[0135] in addition, Fig.11 The shapes and configurations of the electrode holes 41 and 42 shown are for illustration only. The shapes and configurations of the electrode holes 41 and 42 are appropriately designed based on the specifications and structure of the cold storage, taking into account efficiency and manufacturing costs. For example, the shapes of the electrode holes 41 and 42 may also be perfect circles. In addition, the electrode holes 41 of the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 are preferably not symmetrically positioned vertically, but are arranged so as to be staggered by about half of the aperture.

[0136] In addition, in the structure of Embodiment 1, the shape and configuration of the electrode hole 41 as the first electrode 24 are described as a structure in which a plurality of electrode holes 41 are configured, but the present invention is not limited to such a structure. For example, the first electrode 24 may also be a shape in which at least one opening portion is formed. In this case, on the electrode surface of the first electrode 24, the edge of the opening portion becomes an electric field concentration region where the electric field is concentrated. As for the present invention, it is sufficient as long as the structure is such that the electric field concentration region is dispersed in the electrode surface of the first electrode 24. In addition, in Embodiment 1, a structure in which a plurality of electrode holes 42 are provided on the electrode surface of the second electrode 25 is described, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. That is, it is sufficient as long as an opening is formed in the second electrode 25 in such a way as to form a desired electric field between the electrodes of the first electrode 24.

[0137] The electrode holding substrate 52 is formed so that the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 have a predetermined distance ( Figure 8 In this embodiment, the electrode interval H is larger than the long side dimension ( Fig.11 In addition, it is preferable to form a structure in which the electrode interval H is shorter than the diameter of the first electrode in the case of a circular shape or the major axis of the first electrode in the case of an elliptical shape.

[0138] Fig.12 The electrode distance H between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 (see Figure 8 ) and the electric field strength between the two electrodes. Fig.12 As shown, there is a tendency that the wider the electrode interval H is, the weaker the electric field strength is. In particular, if the electrode interval H1 (100 mm) is exceeded, the electric field strength is significantly reduced, and if the electrode interval H2 (125 mm) is exceeded, the electric field strength is reduced to a level where the heating capability based on high frequency cannot be obtained. Based on the above, the electrode interval H is preferably 100 mm or less, and needs to be at least 125 mm or less.

[0139] The inventors simulated the generation of an electric field between electrodes using a freezing / thawing chamber 6 having the electrode structure of Embodiment 1 and a freezing / thawing chamber 6 having an electrode structure provided with a second electrode 25 having no electrode hole as a comparative example.

[0140] Fig.13A It is a diagram showing simulation results in an electrode configuration based on the first electrode 24 or the second electrode 25 having no electrode hole. Fig. 13B 2 is a diagram showing simulation results in an electrode configuration based on the first electrode 24 or the second electrode 25 having an electrode hole. Fig.13A and Fig. 13B In the figure, the darker part is the area where the electric field is concentrated. Fig.13A Compared with the electric field simulation diagram of Fig. 13B In the electric field simulation diagram of the induction heating structure, the electric field concentration is alleviated in the entire electrode, and the electric field is uniformed.

[0141] like Fig.11 As shown, the electrode hole 41 of the first electrode 24 and the electrode hole 42 of the second electrode 25 are arranged in a manner that the central axes of the respective electrode holes extending in the up-down direction (relative direction) are not consistent, thereby alleviating the electric field concentration in the entire electrode. In addition, in the electrode structure in which the electrode hole 41 of the first electrode 24 and the electrode hole 42 of the second electrode 25 are arranged in a manner that the central axes of the respective electrode holes extending in the up-down direction (relative direction) are consistent, the concentration of the electric field is alleviated, especially the concentration of the electric field in the corner portion is alleviated, compared with the structure using the second electrode 25 without an electrode hole.

[0142] In the freezing / thawing chamber 6 of the cold storage 1 of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a storage box 31 is fixed on the back side of the door 29, and the storage box 31 moves back and forth inside the freezer / thaw chamber 6 as the door 29 is opened and closed. In the structure of Embodiment 1, in order to enable the storage box 31 to move smoothly inside the freezer / thaw chamber 6, guide rails are provided on the inner sides of both side surfaces of the freezer / thaw chamber 6. In addition, sliding parts that slide on the rails are provided on both side surfaces of the outer side of the storage box 31. These guide rails and the sliding parts of the frame (storage shell 31) are provided at a position that deviates from the opposing area of ​​the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 of the freezer / thaw chamber 6, that is, the dielectric heating area, so as to avoid dielectric heating.

[0143] [1-8. Heating treatment operation]

[0144] In the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, when an electric field generating instruction such as a thawing instruction is input, an electric field generating process is performed on the space between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. By the electric field generating process, the storage (frozen product) arranged between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 is thawed, etc. In the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 has any two or more modes of a freezing mode for freezing the storage arranged between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25, a storage mode for maintaining the frozen state of the storage, and a thawing mode for thawing the frozen storage as the operation mode in the freezing / thawing chamber 6. In the electric field generating process in the first embodiment, as described later, the control unit 50 controls the dielectric heating mechanism having the oscillation circuit 22, the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 and the matching circuit 23, and controls the cooling mechanism including the refrigeration cycle such as the compressor 19 and the cooler 13, and the cold air introduction mechanism including the cooling fan 14 and the damper 12a. The high-frequency electric power formed by the oscillation circuit 22 has output powers or output frequencies that are different from each other among the freeze mode, the preservation mode, and the thawing mode.

[0145] In the thawing process in Embodiment 1, a predetermined high-frequency voltage is applied between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25, and the high-frequency electric field generated between the electrodes performs dielectric heating on the frozen product as a dielectric. During the dielectric heating, the control unit 50 controls the opening and closing of the damper 12a to continuously or intermittently introduce cold air. Fig.14 The waveforms of the control signals of the dielectric heating mechanism (oscillation circuit 22) and the cold air introduction mechanism (damper 23) during the thawing process are shown, and the food temperature, the room temperature of the freezing / thawing chamber 6, and the humidity of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 at that time are shown.

[0146] In the case of a structure using VHF waves for electric field generation processing, as a frequency characteristic, "local cooking" is less likely to occur than in the case of a structure using microwaves. In the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, in order to make thawing uniformity better, an electrode holding substrate 52 is provided, and a first electrode 24 and a second electrode 25, which are substantially flat plate-shaped members, are arranged with a predetermined interval ( Figure 8 H) is reliably maintained in approximately parallel relation.

[0147] like Fig.14 As shown, for example, in the thawing process, when the thawing command is input (the thawing starts), the oscillation circuit 22 becomes conductive, and a high-frequency voltage of, for example, 40.68 MHz is applied between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25. At this time, since the damper 12a is in an open state, the room temperature of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is maintained at the freezing temperature t1 (for example, -20°C). After a predetermined period has passed since the start of thawing, the damper 12a is closed. When the damper 12a is closed, the room temperature of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 starts to rise. In the thawing process in the first embodiment, the opening and closing control of the damper 12a is performed while performing dielectric heating, so that the rise in the surface temperature of the frozen product is suppressed, and thawing is performed without causing so-called "partial cooking".

[0148] The opening and closing control of the damper 12a is performed by the control unit 50 based on the ratio (reflectivity) of the reflected wave detected by the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 to the incident wave. Here, the incident wave refers to the electromagnetic wave matched by the matching circuit 23 and supplied between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25. When the reflectivity increases and reaches a preset threshold, the control unit 50 opens the damper 12a to lower the temperature inside the freezer / thaw chamber 6. In this way, by controlling the opening and closing of the damper 12a, cold air is intermittently introduced into the freezer / thaw chamber 6, so that the stored items in the storage space (electric field generating space) of the freezer / thaw chamber 6 are dielectrically heated while maintaining the desired frozen state, and are in the desired thawed state.

[0149] The thawing process is completed when the stored object reaches the desired thawing state. In order to detect the desired thawing state at which the thawing process is completed, the reflectivity is used in the thawing process of the first embodiment. When the stored object is thawed by dielectric heating, the melted water molecules increase in the stored object. As the melted water molecules increase in the stored object, the dielectric constant changes and the impedance matching state deviates. As a result, the ratio of the reflected wave to the output electromagnetic wave, that is, the reflectivity, increases. In the thawing process, when the reflectivity increases and reaches a preset threshold, the matching circuit 23 performs impedance matching to reduce the reflectivity.

[0150] The detection of thawing completion in the thawing process of the first embodiment is set when the reflectivity after the impedance matching by the matching circuit 23 exceeds the threshold value of thawing completion. The threshold value of thawing completion is set as the reflectivity when the stored object is thawed and reaches the desired thawing state. Here, the desired thawing state of the stored object means a state in which a woman can cut the stored object with one hand and the amount of dripping from the stored object is extremely small. The threshold value of thawing completion is a value obtained in advance by experiments.

[0151] In addition, if Fig.14 As shown, by opening and closing the damper 12a, relatively low humidity cold air passing through the air path 12 is supplied from the cold air introduction hole 20 to the freezing / thawing chamber 6, so that the humidity of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 does not become 100%. Therefore, condensation in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is prevented.

[0152] The method of calculating the reflectivity is not limited to the ratio (reflectivity) of the reflected wave to the incident wave detected by the incident reflected wave detection unit 51. For example, the detection unit may detect the reflected wave and the reflectivity may be calculated as the ratio of the reflected wave to the output preset in the oscillation circuit 22.

[0153] In addition, the thawing process may be controlled without using the reflectivity. For example, the thawing process may be controlled using only the reflected wave detected by the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 regardless of the output. In addition, the control using the reflectivity described in the following description may also be performed using these methods.

[0154] [1-9. Save action]

[0155] Fig.15 2 is a flowchart showing the control after the thawing process in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is completed. Fig.15 In the control shown, cooling and electric field generation processing are performed to bring the food into an arbitrary state. Fig.15 Each step shown in the flowchart is performed by the CPU (Central Processing Unit: Central Processing Unit) of the control unit 50 executing a control program stored in a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory: Read Only Memory). As described above, when the reflectivity after the impedance matching based on the matching circuit 23 exceeds the threshold value of the completion of the thawing process, the thawing process is performed. Fig.15 Shown is the control after the thawing process is completed.

[0156] For example, after the thawing process is completed, the stored product is maintained in a desired thawed state. One of the means is to set the room temperature of the freezer / thaw chamber 6 to the so-called slightly freezing temperature range, for example, about -1°C to -3°C. In addition, as another means, the room temperature of the freezer / thaw chamber 6 is set to a freezing temperature range, for example, -18°C to -20°C, and a high-frequency electric field with a reduced output is applied, or a high-frequency electric field is applied intermittently, thereby cooling and heating, and maintaining the stored product in a desired temperature range. In addition, the room temperature of the freezer / thaw chamber 6 can also be changed periodically by the electric field generation process. For example, by periodically changing the room temperature of the freezer / thaw chamber 6 at a temperature of -12°C to -5°C, the composition of the food can be affected. In the present embodiment, the stored product is maintained in a desired temperature range by applying a high-frequency electric field with a reduced output or applying high frequency intermittently, cooling and heating.

[0157] like Fig.15 As shown in step 101, after the storage processing operation starts, the presence of the stored object in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is always (always) detected (step 101). The detection of the presence of the stored object in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 uses the reflectivity that is always detected. Therefore, the matching circuit 23 is always running, and the low-output electromagnetic wave is intermittently output from the first electrode 24. The control unit 50 compares the reflectivity with a preset threshold value regarding the presence of the stored object to determine the presence of the stored object in the freezing / thawing chamber 6.

[0158] In step 101, when it is detected that there is no stored object in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 (No in step 101), the room temperature of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is set to a freezing temperature range, for example, -18°C to -20°C (step 105).

[0159] In step 101, when it is detected that there are stored objects in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 (Yes in step 101), it is determined whether the stored objects include thawed non-frozen items based on the change in reflectivity.

[0160] In addition, even if the thawing process of the stored items is completed, the user may not immediately take the stored items out of the freezing / thawing chamber 6. In such a case, the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment is configured to maintain the slightly frozen temperature range that can maintain the desired thawed state of the stored items in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 for only a specified time. In the case where the stored items are stored in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 for more than the specified time, in order to maintain the freshness of the stored items, the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment performs control to transfer the room temperature of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 to the freezing temperature range. That is, in step 102, when it is determined that the time after the thawing of the stored items in the thawed state is completed while being stored in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 exceeds the specified time, the process also transfers to step 105, and performs freezing processing to set the room temperature of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 to the freezing temperature range.

[0161] When it is determined that there is no thawed non-frozen product stored in the freezer / thaw chamber 6 (No in step 102), in step 103, for example, when the food temperature (temperature of the stored item) exceeds the target temperature, a freezing action is performed (step 105). If it does not exceed the target temperature, an electric field is generated to increase the temperature of the food.

[0162] A specific example of the present control is described below. The cold storage 1 of Embodiment 1 is configured to perform dielectric heating in a freezing process in which the room temperature of the freezer / thaw chamber 6 is maintained in the freezing temperature range so as to freeze and store the food as the stored object in a desired state. Usually, in the case of frozen food, frost forms on the inner surface of the food coating material due to the moisture in the freezer / thaw chamber 6 and the moisture inside the food. When such frost forms on the surface of the food, the food becomes dry and the taste becomes astringent, and the food is no longer delicious and fresh ("frostbite"). In order to prevent such a state, in the cold storage 1 of Embodiment 1, a dielectric heating action is performed simultaneously with the cooling action.

[0163] Fig.16A and Fig. 16B It is a waveform diagram showing the state of each element in the cooling operation. Fig.16A This is a waveform diagram showing the cooling action during freezing storage in a conventional cold storage. Fig. 16B This is a waveform diagram showing a cooling operation performed in freezing / thawing chamber 6 of refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0164] exist Fig.16A In FIG. 1 , (1) is a waveform diagram showing the ON / OFF of the cooling action. The ON / OFF of the cooling action is equivalent to the opening and closing of the damper, or the ON (opening) and OFF (closing) of the compressor, etc. Fig.16A In the display, ON means that the cold air is introduced into the freezer compartment, and OFF means that the damper is closed and the introduction of cold air into the freezer compartment is cut off. Fig.16A As shown in the waveform diagram of (2), the temperature of the food in the freezer fluctuates greatly up and down around the preset freezing temperature T1 (e.g., -20°C). As a result, the surface of the food in the freezer repeatedly evaporates and frost forms, resulting in a frozen state of the food that is not optimal.

[0165] On the other hand, in the cooling operation of the first embodiment, Fig. 16B In the process, unlike the conventional cooling action, the food is cooled and dielectrically heated. Fig. 16B(1) is a waveform diagram showing the opening and closing action of the damper 12a. ON (open) indicates the open state of the damper 12a, and cold air is introduced into the freezing / thawing chamber 6 from the cold air introduction hole 20 through the air path 12. OFF (closed) indicates the closed state of the damper 12a, and the introduction of cold air into the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is cut off. The introduction of cold air in the cooling action of Embodiment 1 is performed simultaneously with dielectric heating, so the introduction time of cold air is set longer than that of the conventional example. That is, the cooling capacity in the cooling action is increased.

[0166] Fig. 16B (2) is a waveform diagram showing the operating state of dielectric heating based on the drive control of the oscillation circuit 22. When the damper 12a is in the open state, dielectric heating is performed at the same time.

[0167] In the cooling operation of Embodiment 1, dielectric heating is performed with a smaller output than that in the thawing operation. The output power is adjusted by supplying power to the oscillation circuit 22 or by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control of the oscillation circuit 22 .

[0168] The results, such as Fig. 16B As shown in (3), the temperature of the food in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is maintained at a preset freezing temperature T1 (eg, -20°C), and the fluctuation of the food temperature is suppressed.

[0169] According to experiments, if the change in food temperature is about 0.1K or less, the formation of frost can be eliminated. At least, the less the change in food temperature is, the more the formation of frost can be suppressed. In addition, by performing dielectric heating at the same frequency as during thawing and with a smaller output power than during thawing, the elongation of ice crystals inside the food is suppressed. When dielectric heating is performed, the electric field tends to concentrate on the front end of the ice crystals generated in the food, so even if the temperature in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is below the maximum ice crystal generation zone, the ice crystals only slowly elongate.

[0170] As described above, in refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1, dielectric heating operation is also performed during cooling operation during frozen storage. Therefore, frozen products as stored items can be frozen and stored in a desired state.

[0171] [1-10. Freeze Action]

[0172] In refrigerator 1 of Embodiment 1, it is possible to Fig. 9 )'s instructions to freeze the non-frozen food newly put into the freezer / thaw chamber 6. Fig.17 It is a waveform diagram showing the state of each element in the rapid cooling operation as a freezing process. Fig.17In FIG. 1 , (a) is a graph showing whether there is a stored object (food) in the freezing / thawing chamber 6. The judgment of whether there is a stored object in the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is made in the control unit 50 based on the ratio (reflectivity) of the reflected wave detected in the incident reflected wave detection unit 51 to the output electromagnetic wave. Fig.17 (b) shows that the control unit 50 intermittently obtains information from the matching circuit 23 and the incident reflected wave detection unit 51. Fig.17 (c) is a graph showing an example of the transition of the reflectivity. The control unit 50 determines that the food as the stored object is put into the freezing / thawing chamber 6 when the reflectivity is equal to or less than the first threshold value R1.

[0173] In the rapid cooling operation of the food stored in the freezing / thawing chamber 6, the rotation speed of the compressor 19 and the cooling fan 14 of the cooling mechanism is increased to improve the cooling capacity and to perform forced continuous operation. In addition, the cold air introduction mechanism is driven and controlled so that the damper 12a of the air path 12 connected to the freezing / thawing chamber 6 is forced to be driven in a continuously open state, and cold air is introduced into the freezing / thawing chamber 6 (refer to Fig.17 (d) Waveform diagram).

[0174] During the rapid cooling operation, dielectric heating is performed to suppress the elongation of ice crystals when the food temperature is in the maximum ice crystal formation zone (about -1°C to about -5°C). The dielectric heating operation at this time is performed intermittently with an output of less than tens of W and lower than that during thawing ( Fig.17 In order to start the dielectric heating operation, it is detected that the food temperature enters the maximum ice crystal formation zone. This detection is performed based on the increase in the change in reflectivity when the food passes through the latent heat area. In the first embodiment, the dielectric heating operation is started when the detected reflectivity reaches the preset second threshold value R2 (refer to Fig.17 (e)). In addition, the area where the reflectivity ranges from the second threshold value R2 to the third threshold value R3 which is lower than the second threshold value R2 is used as the maximum ice crystal formation zone of the food, and the dielectric heating operation is continued. When a predetermined time (t2) has passed since the reflectivity reaches the third threshold value R3, the control unit 50 determines that the food has passed the maximum ice crystal formation zone and stops the dielectric heating operation.

[0175] As described above, when it is determined that the food has passed the maximum ice crystal formation zone, the dielectric heating operation is stopped, and the rapid cooling operation is ended and transferred to the normal cooling operation. In this way, when the rapid cooling operation is performed, the food can also be placed in a preferred frozen state by performing the dielectric heating operation during a desired period.

[0176] [1-11. Safety control based on door switch]

[0177] In the present embodiment, as described above, in order to prevent electromagnetic waves from leaking to the outside of the cold storage 1, an electromagnetic wave shielding member 26 is provided so as to surround the freezing / thawing chamber 6. Furthermore, the outer box 3 is made of a steel plate, which itself has a function as an electromagnetic wave shielding member, so as long as the door 29 is closed, electromagnetic waves can be prevented from leaking to the outside.

[0178] However, when the door 29 is opened, electromagnetic waves may leak from the opening. In addition, since the user puts his hand into the storage through the opening, there is a concern that the high frequency may affect the human body, so countermeasures are required.

[0179] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the door opening and closing detection unit 55a (see Fig. 9 ) detects that the door 29 is opened, stops the oscillation circuit 22 and stops the power supply to the first electrode 24. In addition, a plurality of doors are generally provided in the cold storage. Here, when the electromagnetic wave shielding member 26 fully functions, even if the door opening and closing detection unit 55b of the refrigerator room 5, the door opening and closing detection unit 55c of the ice making room 7, the door opening and closing detection unit 55d of the freezer room 8, or the door opening and closing detection unit 55e of the vegetable room 9 detects that the door of the storage room other than the freezing / thawing room 6 is opened, the electromagnetic waves above the prescribed level will not leak to the outside. Therefore, the oscillation circuit 22 does not stop but continues to operate.

[0180] However, when the freezing / thawing chamber 6 cannot be sufficiently surrounded by the electromagnetic wave shielding material 26 due to design problems, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0181] For example, when the top surface of the freezing / thawing chamber 6 cannot form the electromagnetic wave shielding member 26, the storage room located above the freezing / thawing chamber 6 (in the Figure 1 When the door of the refrigerator compartment 5 (in the layout of the refrigerator compartment 5) is opened, the oscillation circuit 22 is stopped. In addition, when the bottom surface of the freezer / thaw compartment 6 cannot form an electromagnetic wave shielding member 26, the storage compartment (in the storage compartment 5) located below the freezer / thaw compartment 6 Figure 1 When the door of the freezer compartment 8 or the vegetable compartment 9 is opened, the oscillation circuit 22 is stopped. In addition, when the side portion of the freezer / thaw compartment 6 cannot form the electromagnetic wave shielding member 26, the storage compartment (in the storage compartment 8 or the vegetable compartment 9) located on the side of the freezer / thaw compartment 6 is opened. Figure 1 In the layout of the ice making room 7), when the door is opened, the oscillation circuit 22 is stopped. In this way, by stopping the oscillation circuit 22 when the door of the storage room arranged in the direction in which the electromagnetic wave shielding member 26 is not formed is opened, the leakage of electromagnetic waves can be prevented.

[0182] As a means for stopping the oscillation circuit 22, there are the following means.

[0183] Fig.18AThe door opening / closing detection unit 55a shows a means for cutting off the power supply from the power supply unit 48 to the oscillation circuit 22. The door opening / closing detection unit 55a is a switch mechanism that is turned on when the door 29 is closed and cut off when the door 29 is opened. By cutting off the switch, the power supply to the oscillation circuit 22 is cut off, thereby reliably stopping the operation of the oscillation circuit 22.

[0184] Fig.18B The door opening / closing detection unit 55a is used to stop the operation of the power control unit 48a of the control power supply unit 48. Fig.18A When the door 29 is opened, the power supply to the power control unit 48a is stopped, thereby the power supply from the power supply unit 48 to the oscillation circuit 22 is also cut off, thereby stopping the operation of the oscillation circuit 22. Fig.18B In the example shown, the operation of the oscillation circuit 22 is stopped by cutting off the power supply to the circuit in the power control unit 48a, but a means may be used to make the overcurrent protection circuit in the power control unit 48a recognize an overcurrent state and stop it, or a means may be used to recognize that the power supply unit 48 is in an overload state and stop it.

[0185] Fig.18C The structure is to judge the opening and closing state of the door 29 not only by the door opening and closing detection unit 55a but also by the magnetic sensor 55f. The magnetic sensor 55f outputs the opening and closing signal of the door 29 to the control unit 50. The control unit 50 receives the signal of the magnetic sensor 55f and outputs the action permission signal to the power supply control unit 48a. The door opening and closing detection unit 55a is also inserted between the magnetic sensor 55f and the control unit 50, which is turned on when the door 29 is closed and cut off when the door 29 is opened. Therefore, when the door 29 is opened, no signal is output from the magnetic sensor 55f, and as a result, the action of the power supply unit 48 stops.

[0186] The above-described configuration for turning on / off the power supply or the control signal is implemented by hardware, and therefore has high resistance to high-frequency noise or noise from the outside, and is therefore less likely to cause malfunction.

[0187] In addition, Fig.18B and Fig.18C In the embodiment, the door opening / closing detection unit 55a is a switch mechanism that is turned on when the door 29 is closed and is turned off when the door 29 is opened. However, a mechanism that is turned off when the door 29 is closed and is turned on when the door 29 is opened may be used. In this case, the logic of H (High: High) / L (Low: Low) for stopping the power supply control unit 48a needs to be inverted.

[0188] In addition, in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1, the configuration in which the freezing / thawing chamber 6 has the freezing function and the thawing function has been described, but the configuration may be a thawing chamber having only the thawing function.

[0189] As described above, in the cold storage of the present invention, a high-frequency electric field is generated between the first electrode and the second electrode to thaw the stored objects stored in the storage chamber. The high-frequency electric field is uniformized in the thawing space of the freezing / thawing chamber, and the desired dielectric heating can be performed in the thawing process and freezing process of the stored objects kept in the thawing space. Therefore, according to the present invention, the stored objects stored in the storage chamber can be frozen, stored, and thawed in a desired state. Therefore, a cold storage with high reliability of cooling, storage, and thawing functions can be provided. That is, the excellent effect of being able to freeze the stored objects in a desired state and being able to thaw the frozen stored objects in a desired state to a desired state in a short time is achieved. In addition, by using a dielectric heating mechanism composed of semiconductor elements, miniaturization can be achieved as a cold storage with a thawing function.

[0190] [2-1. Effects, etc.]

[0191] As described above, the cold storage in the embodiment of the present invention includes: a storage room having a space capable of storing stored items; an oscillating unit that generates high-frequency electric power; and a first electrode and a second electrode that are arranged opposite to each other and are respectively connected to the oscillating unit, receiving the high-frequency electric power formed from the oscillating unit to generate an electric field in the storage room. The cold storage also includes: a matching unit that matches the load impedance formed by the first electrode, the second electrode and the stored items stored in the storage room with the output impedance of the oscillating unit; a high-frequency wiring that directly or indirectly connects the oscillating unit to the matching unit; and a noise suppression unit that prevents noise from leaking from the high-frequency wiring. According to such a structure, the stored items stored in the storage room can be frozen, stored or thawed in a desired state by the high-frequency electric field formed between the first electrode and the second electrode. In addition, it is possible to suppress malfunctions and radio waves from leaking to the outside caused by high-frequency noise.

[0192] The present invention has been described above in an embodiment with a certain degree of detail, but the disclosure of the embodiment varies in structural details, and substitution, combination, and order changes of elements in the embodiment can be achieved without departing from the scope and concept of the claimed invention.

[0193] Possibility of industrial application

[0194] In the cold storage of the present invention, freezing, storage and thawing of stored items can be processed separately to form a desired state, thereby improving the added value, reliability and safety of the cold storage, having a high market value, and therefore can be appropriately applied to various cold storages.

[0195] Description of Reference Numerals

[0196] 1 Cold Storage

[0197] 2 Insulated box

[0198] 3. 3a outer box

[0199] 4 Inner box

[0200] 5. Cold room

[0201] 6 Freezer / thaw room (storage room)

[0202] 7 Ice Room

[0203] 8 Freezer

[0204] 9 Vegetable Room

[0205] 10 Mechanical Room

[0206] 11 Cooling Chamber

[0207] 12 Wind Road

[0208] 12a Air door

[0209] 13 Cooler

[0210] 14 Cooling fan

[0211] 15 Defrost heater

[0212] 16 Drain pan

[0213] 17 Drain

[0214] 18 Evaporation plate

[0215] 19 Compressor

[0216] 20 Cooling air inlet hole

[0217] 21 horizontal rail

[0218] 22 Oscillation circuit (oscillation part)

[0219] 22a Oscillation source

[0220] 22b First amplifier circuit

[0221] 22c Second amplifier circuit

[0222] 23 matching circuit (matching section)

[0223] 24 first electrode

[0224] 24a, 24b, 24c positive terminals

[0225] 25 second electrode

[0226] 25a, 25b, 25c cathode terminals

[0227] 26Electromagnetic wave shielding parts (shielding parts)

[0228] 26a Top side electromagnetic wave shielding member

[0229] 26b Back side electromagnetic wave shielding member

[0230] 26c Bottom side electromagnetic wave shielding member

[0231] 26d Door side electromagnetic wave shielding parts

[0232] 29 doors

[0233] 30 Electrode holding area

[0234] 31 Storage Box

[0235] 32, 32a, 32b, 32c Inner surface parts

[0236] 36 Gasket

[0237] 40 Insulation Materials

[0238] 41 electrode hole (first electrode hole)

[0239] 42 electrode hole (second electrode hole)

[0240] 47 Operation Department

[0241] 48 Power Supply

[0242] 48a Power supply control unit

[0243] 49 Temperature Sensor

[0244] 50 Control Department

[0245] 51 Incident reflected wave detection unit

[0246] 52 Electrode holding substrate

[0247] 53a High frequency heating module

[0248] 54 Pillar

[0249] 55a, 55b, 55c, 55d, 55e door opening and closing detection unit

[0250] 55f magnetic sensor

[0251] 56a, 56b coaxial cable

[0252] D The long side dimension of the first electrode

[0253] H, H1, H2 set the interval (electrode interval).

Claims

1. A cold storage, characterized in that: include: A storage room having space for storing preserved items; An oscillating part that generates high-frequency electric power; and A first electrode and a second electrode are arranged opposite to each other and are respectively connected to the oscillating part, and receive the high-frequency electric power from the oscillating part to generate an electric field in the storage chamber; a matching unit that matches a load impedance formed by the first electrode, the second electrode, and the stored object stored in the storage chamber with an output impedance of the oscillating unit; a high-frequency wiring line that directly or indirectly connects the oscillating section and the matching section; and The noise suppression unit suppresses noise leakage from the high-frequency wiring.

2. The cold storage as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a metal shell arranged in a manner surrounding the outer side of the storage chamber, The noise suppression unit holds the high-frequency wiring such that at least half of the high-frequency wiring is arranged inside the metal casing.

3. The cold storage as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The noise suppression unit holds the high-frequency wiring so that at least a portion of the high-frequency wiring is in contact with the inner surface of the metal casing.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The noise suppression unit holds the high-frequency wiring so that the high-frequency wiring does not contact the inner surface of the metal casing in a path within 50 cm from the matching unit.

Images