Refrigerator

Abstract

To perform suitable freezing processing in a refrigerator that has no damper in a cold air passage.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes: a casing 10 having a refrigeration compartment 11 and a freezing compartment 12; a fan 50 that includes a compressor 21 and an evaporator 22 and sends cold air in a cold air generation section to a refrigeration side cold air flow passage and a freezing side cold air flow passage; and a control section that controls output of the compressor and rotational frequency of the fan. The control section executes a normal mode of controlling the compressor and the fan so that a ratio of the output of the compressor to the rotational frequency of the fan ((output of the compressor) / (rotational frequency of the fan)) falls within a first range and a rapid cooling mode in which the ratio ((output of the compressor) / (rotational frequency of the fan)) falls within a second range higher than the first range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to refrigerators. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator that is provided with one compressor and does not have a damper in the cold air passage. Such a refrigerator may be called a "one-control refrigerator." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-169376 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a demand for optimal freezing in a single-control refrigerator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The refrigerator of the present disclosure includes a housing having a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, a refrigerant circuit including a compressor and an evaporator for cooling air in the evaporator, a base-side cold air flow path connected to a cold air generating unit in which the evaporator is provided and which generates cold air, a cold air flow path connecting the base-side cold air flow path and the refrigerator compartment, a freezer-side cold air path connecting the base-side cold air flow path and the freezer, a fan for sending cold air from the cold air generating unit to the cold air flow path and the freezer-side cold air flow path, and a control unit for controlling the output of the compressor and the rotation speed of the fan. The control unit executes a normal mode in which the compressor and the fan are controlled so that the ratio of the compressor output to the rotation speed of the fan ((compressor output) / (fan rotation speed)) falls within a first range, and a rapid cooling mode in which the ratio ((compressor output) / (fan rotation speed)) falls within a second range higher than the first range. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to perform a suitable freezing process in a single-controlled refrigerator. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a refrigerator. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control of a refrigerator. [Diagram 3] 13 is a flow chart of a quench mode. [Figure 4] 13 is a flow chart of a quench mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 1. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the control of the refrigerator 1.

[0009] 1, the refrigerator 1 includes a housing 10. The housing 10 includes a refrigeration compartment 11 and a freezer compartment 12.

[0010] The refrigerator compartment refers to a compartment that is cooled to a temperature lower than room temperature in a temperature range higher than 0°C, and the set temperature of the refrigerator compartment is usually 1°C or higher and 5°C or lower. The freezer compartment refers to a compartment that is cooled to a temperature lower than room temperature in a temperature range lower than 0°C, and the set temperature of the freezer compartment is usually -10°C or lower, preferably -15°C or lower, and is usually set to, for example, -18°C.

[0011] The refrigerator 1 further includes a refrigerant circuit 20. The refrigerant circuit 20 includes a compressor 21, an evaporator 22, and a refrigerant pipe 23 that connects the compressor 21 and the evaporator 22 to form the refrigerant circuit 20. In the refrigerant circuit 20, air is cooled in the evaporator 22 to generate cold air. In the refrigerator 1, a portion where the evaporator 22 is arranged and where cold air is generated is referred to as a cold air generating unit 30.

[0012] The temperature of the cold air generated in the cold air generating unit 30 can be controlled by the output of the compressor 21. The higher the output of the compressor 21, the lower the temperature of the cold air generated. In this embodiment, the compressor 21 is inverter controlled, so the output of the compressor 21 can be controlled by the operation rate of the compressor 21 (the ratio of the period during which the compressor is on per unit period).

[0013] The cold air generated in the cold air generating unit 30 is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 11 and the freezer compartment 12, respectively.

[0014] Specifically, a base-end side cold air flow path 41 is connected to the cold air generating unit 30. A refrigeration-side cold air flow path 42 is connected to the cold air flow path 41. The cold air flow path 41 and the refrigeration chamber 11 are connected by the cold air flow path 42. Cold air from the cold air generating unit 30 is supplied to the refrigeration chamber 11 via the cold air flow paths 41 and 42.

[0015] A freezing side cold air flow path 43 is further connected to the cold air flow path 41. The cold air flow path 42 and the cold air flow path 43 are connected in parallel to the cold air flow path 41. The cold air flow path 41 and the freezing chamber 12 are connected by the cold air flow path 43. Cold air from the cold air generating unit 30 is supplied to the freezing chamber 12 via the cold air flow paths 41 and 43.

[0016] The refrigerator 1 is provided with a fan 50 that sends the cold air from the cold air generating unit 30 to the cold air flow paths 41, 42, and 43. The higher the rotation speed of the fan 50, the higher the flow rate of the cold air sent to the cold air flow paths 41, 42, and 43.

[0017] The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is a so-called one-control refrigerator in which no dampers are provided in the cold air flow paths 41, 42, 43. In this refrigerator 1, a temperature sensor 11a is provided in the refrigerator compartment 11, and the compressor 21 and the fan 50 are controlled based on the temperature (refrigerating temperature) of the refrigerator compartment 11 detected by the temperature sensor 11a. From the viewpoint of preventing freezing in the refrigerator compartment 11, the set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 is set to a temperature higher than 0°C (for example, 1°C to 8°C). In the refrigerator 1, the compressor 21 and the fan 50 are controlled so that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 is within a range higher than the set temperature. The temperature of the freezer compartment 12 changes in accordance with the control of the compressors 21 and 50.

[0018] 2, the refrigerator 1 includes a control unit 60. The control unit 60 controls each mechanism of the refrigerator 1. Specifically, the control unit 60 controls the output (operation rate and rotation speed) of the compressor 21 and the rotation speed of the fan 50.

[0019] The refrigerator 1 has a normal mode and a rapid cooling mode. The rapid cooling mode is a mode that can perform freezing at a higher cooling speed than the normal mode. The refrigerator 1 may be provided with an operation unit 70 that can select one of a plurality of modes including the normal mode and the rapid cooling mode.

[0020] In the normal mode, the refrigerator 1 controls the compressor 21 and the fan 50 so that the ratio ((output of the compressor 21) / (revolutions of the fan 50)) of the output (operation rate) of the compressor 21 to the rotations of the fan 50 falls within a first range. On the other hand, in the rapid cooling mode, the refrigerator 1 controls the compressor 21 and the fan 50 so that the ratio ((output of the compressor 21) / (revolutions of the fan 50)) falls within a second range higher than the first range. That is, in the rapid cooling mode, the rotations of the fan 50 are not increased as much as in the normal mode, and the operation rate of the compressor 21 is increased. For this reason, low-temperature cold air is less likely to flow into the refrigerator compartment 11, and therefore the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 is less likely to fall below a predetermined set temperature. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the operation rate of the compressor 21 caused by the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 falling below the predetermined set temperature, and makes it easier to maintain the operation rate of the compressor 21 high. Therefore, rapid cooling can be preferably performed.

[0021] In the rapid cooling mode, from the viewpoint of suppressing a drop in temperature in the refrigerator compartment 11 while allowing the temperature in the freezer compartment 12 to be lowered further, it is preferable to make the rotation speed of the fan 50 as low as possible, and there may be a period during which the rotation speed of the fan 50 is, for example, 0 rpm during at least a part of the period during which the rapid cooling mode is being implemented.

[0022] From the viewpoint of allowing the temperature of the freezing compartment 12 to be lower in the rapid cooling mode, it is preferable that the control unit 60 controls the compressor 21 so that the operation rate of the compressor 21 is 100% for a predetermined period (for example, about 10 minutes to 2 hours) after the rapid cooling mode is started. Furthermore, when the control unit 60 starts the control to set the operation rate of the compressor 21 to 100%, more preferably, during the predetermined period during which the operation rate is 100%, it is preferable to control the rotation speed of the fan 50 so as to allow the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 to drop to a second set temperature (higher than 0°C, for example, about 1°C) that is lower than the set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 in the normal mode (first set temperature: for example, about 3°C). Since the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 can drop when the operation rate of the compressor 21 is increased even when the rotation speed of the fan 50 is low, the drop in the operation rate of the compressor 21 can be effectively suppressed by lowering the allowable set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11. Therefore, more suitable freezing is possible.

[0023] From the viewpoint of maintaining a high operation rate of the compressor 21, the allowable set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 may be maintained at the second set temperature until the rapid cooling mode ends, that is, while the rapid cooling mode continues. However, for example, when the second set temperature is close to 0°C, such as 1°C, if the period during which the second set temperature is the allowable set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 is set too long, there is a high risk of freezing occurring in the refrigerator compartment 11. From this viewpoint, when the rapid cooling mode continues for longer than the predetermined period during which the operation rate of the compressor 21 is maintained at 100%, it is preferable that the control unit 60 controls the fan 50 by returning the allowable cooling temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 from the second set temperature to the first set temperature, which is higher than the second set temperature, at an earlier stage than the end of the rapid cooling mode after the end of the predetermined period. By doing so, it is possible to achieve both suitable rapid cooling and suppression of freezing in the refrigerator compartment 11. For example, regardless of the duration of the rapid cooling mode, the allowable set temperature of refrigerator compartment 11 may be returned to the first set temperature after a predetermined period of about 30 minutes to 2 hours has elapsed since the rapid cooling mode was executed.

[0024] In the refrigerator 1, the method of determining the end timing of the rapid cooling mode is not particularly limited, but for example, it can be determined as follows.

[0025] The refrigerator 1 includes a temperature sensor that measures a temperature related to the temperature of the freezer compartment 12. For example, this temperature sensor may be a temperature sensor that is disposed in the freezer compartment 12 and directly detects the temperature in the freezer compartment 12. Alternatively, this temperature sensor may be a temperature sensor (defuser thermistor) that is provided in the refrigerator 1 and detects the temperature of an area where a heater 22a for heating the evaporator 22 for defrosting is provided. Even if the deuser thermistor is used, the temperature related to the temperature of the freezer compartment 12 can be measured because the temperature of the area where the deuser thermistor is provided correlates with the temperature of the freezer compartment 12 except during defrosting. Using this temperature sensor, the control unit 60 may be configured to turn off the compressor 21 and the fan 50 when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 falls below the set temperature (first set temperature or second set temperature) of the refrigerator compartment 11, and to determine whether the temperature related to the freezer compartment 12, which is output from the temperature sensor during a predetermined period after turning off, exceeds the predetermined temperature, and if it does not exceed the predetermined temperature, to end the rapid cooling mode and transition from the rapid cooling mode to the normal mode.

[0026] If there is no significant temperature increase within a specified period with both the compressor 21 and the fan 50 turned off, it can be determined that freezing is complete. Therefore, by terminating the rapid cooling mode through the above control, the rapid cooling mode can be terminated appropriately after freezing is completed.

[0027] The refrigerator 1 may further include a notification unit 80 such as an indicator that notifies a user of the refrigerator 1 that the rapid cooling mode is continuing while the rapid cooling mode is being implemented.

[0028] The refrigerator 1 may further include a heater 22a for heating the evaporator 22 to perform defrosting, and the control unit 60 may be configured to perform a defrosting process for defrosting the evaporator 22 by driving the heater 22a to heat the evaporator 22. In this case, the control unit may determine whether or not the rapid cooling mode is being performed when the defrosting start condition is met, and if it is determined that the rapid cooling mode is being performed, may not start the defrosting process, but may start the defrosting process at an appropriate timing after the rapid cooling mode ends.

[0029] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the compressor 21 and the fan 50 are controlled based only on the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the temperature of the freezer compartment is, for example, 5° C. or more higher than the set temperature of the freezer compartment, the control unit 60 may increase the output of the compressor 21 regardless of the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11. This makes it possible to prevent the temperature of the freezer compartment 12 from becoming extremely high.

[0030] Furthermore, the control unit 60 may be configured to increase the rotation speed of the compressor 21 when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 is higher than the set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 for a long period of time (for example, a period of time that is at least twice the length of the on-period of the compressor 21 when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor that detects the temperature related to the temperature of the freezer compartment 12 is equal to or lower than the temperature at the end of the rapid cooling mode). In this case, the control unit 60 may increase the rotation speed of the compressor 21 and the fan 50, but it is preferable to maintain the rotation speed of the fan 50 without increasing it. In particular, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 is higher than the set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 for a long period of time, it is preferable to maintain the rotation speed of the fan 50 without increasing it.

[0031] The refrigerator 1 may further include an outside air temperature sensor 90 for detecting the outside air temperature, and the control unit 60 may be configured not to execute the rapid cooling mode even if the user selects it when the temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor is too low, for example, below 15°C.

[0032] When the operation rate of compressor 21 is lower than a predetermined operation rate, the output of compressor 21 may be reduced. For example, in a refrigerator provided with an inverter-controlled compressor, it is possible to control the operation rate of the inverter to be about 75%^80%. For example, when the operation rate of compressor 21 is lower than 75%, the output of compressor 21 may be reduced. Specifically, the rotation speed of compressor 21 may be reduced.

[0033] Also, for example, the operation rate of the compressor 21 when the rotation speed of the compressor 21 is set to the above-mentioned low rotation speed may be predicted from the ratio between the current rotation speed of the compressor 21 and the highest rotation speed that is lower than the current rotation speed and is selectable as the rotation speed of the compressor 21, from the current operation rate of the compressor 21, and if the predicted operation rate is 100% or less, the rotation speed of the compressor 21 may be reduced to the above-mentioned low rotation speed. For example, if the current rotation speed of the compressor 21 is 1200 rpm and the highest rotation speed that is lower than 1200 rpm and is selectable is 1000 rpm, if the current operation rate of the compressor 21 is 75%, since 75%×1200 / 1000=90%<100%, the rotation speed of the compressor 21 may be changed from 1200 rpm to 1000 rpm. On the other hand, when the current operation rate of the compressor 21 is 85%, 85%×1200 / 1000=102%>100%, so the rotation speed of the compressor 21 may be maintained without being reduced.

[0034] The control of the control unit 60 in the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

[0035] 3 and 4 are flow charts of the rapid cooling mode. As shown in Fig. 3, for example, when the user operates the operation unit 70 shown in Fig. 2 to start the rapid cooling mode, first, in step S11, a timer is started.

[0036] Next, in step S12, the control unit 60 sets the operation rate of the compressor 21 to 100%.

[0037] Next, in step S13, the set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 is set to the second set temperature by the control unit 60. As a result, the lower limit of the allowable cooling temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 becomes the second set temperature. Note that the order of steps S11 to S13 is not limited to the above order and can be changed as appropriate.

[0038] Next, in step S14, the control unit 60 resets the rotation speed of the fan 50 to a rotation speed suitable for the rapid cooling mode. This reset rotation speed is within a range of rotation speeds in which the ratio ((output of the compressor 21) / (rotation speed of the fan 50)) falls within a second range higher than the first range. Therefore, in the rapid cooling mode, the control unit 60 controls the compressor 21 and the fan 50 so that the ratio ((output of the compressor 21) / (rotation speed of the fan 50)) falls within the second range higher than the first range.

[0039] Next, in step S15, the control unit 60 determines whether or not a first predetermined time has elapsed since the timer was started in step S11. If it is determined in step S15 that the first predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S15.

[0040] When it is determined in step S15 that the first predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 60 cancels the state in which the operation rate of the compressor 21 was maintained at 100% in step S16. Therefore, in and after step S16, the operation rate of the compressor 21 is operated at an appropriate operation rate equal to or lower than 100%.

[0041] Next, in step S17, it is determined whether or not the second predetermined period has elapsed. If it is determined in step S17 that the second predetermined period has not elapsed, the process returns to step S17.

[0042] If it is determined in step S17 that the second predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 60 ends the timer started in step S11, and in step S18, the control unit 60 sets the set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 to the first set temperature. As a result, the lower limit of the allowable cooling temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 returns to the first set temperature, which is the same set temperature as before step S13 was performed.

[0043] 4, in step S19 following step S18, control unit 60 determines whether or not the temperature of refrigerator compartment 11 is below the set temperature. If it is determined that the temperature of refrigerator compartment 11 is equal to or higher than the set temperature, control returns to step S19.

[0044] If it is determined in step S19 that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 is lower than the set temperature, in step S20, the control unit 60 turns off both the compressor 21 and the fan 50. Then, in step S21, the control unit 60 starts a timer.

[0045] Next, in step S22, the control unit 60 judges whether or not the temperature detected by the temperature sensor that measures the temperature related to the temperature of the freezer compartment 12 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. If it is judged that the temperature is not equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, the process returns to step S19.

[0046] If it is determined in step S22 that the temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, then in step S23, the control unit 60 determines whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the timer started in step S21. If it is determined that the predetermined period of time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S22.

[0047] If it is determined in step S23 that the predetermined period has elapsed, in step S24, the control unit 60 ends the timer, returns the rapid cooling mode to the normal mode, and controls the compressor 21 and the fan 50 in the normal mode.

[0048] It should be noted that the control example shown here is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1. Refrigerator 10. Chassis 11 Refrigerator 11a Temperature Sensor 12 Freezer 20 Refrigerant circuit 21 Compressor 22 Evaporator 22a Heater 23 Refrigerant pipe 30 Cold air generating unit 41 Proximal cold air flow path 42 Refrigerator side cold air flow path 43 Refrigeration side cold air flow path 50 Fans 60 Control section

Claims

1. a housing having a refrigeration compartment and a freezer compartment; a refrigerant circuit including a compressor and an evaporator for cooling air in the evaporator; a base end side cold air flow path connected to a cold air generating unit in which the evaporator is provided and cold air is generated; a refrigeration-side cold air flow path connecting the base-end-side cold air flow path and the refrigeration chamber; a freezing side cold air flow path connecting the base end side cold air flow path and the freezing chamber; a fan that delivers the cold air from the cold air generating unit to the refrigeration side cold air flow path and the freezing side cold air flow path; A control unit that controls the output of the compressor and the rotation speed of the fan; Equipped with The control unit is a normal mode in which the compressor and the fan are controlled so that a ratio of the output of the compressor to the rotation speed of the fan ((output of the compressor) / (rotation speed of the fan)) falls within a first range; a rapid cooling mode in which the ratio ((compressor output) / (fan rotation speed)) falls within a second range higher than the first range; Run the refrigerator.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the compressor so that an operation rate of the compressor is 100% for a predetermined period after the start of the rapid cooling mode.

3. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls a rotation speed of the fan so as to allow a temperature of the refrigerator compartment to drop to a second set temperature that is lower than a first set temperature that is a set temperature of the refrigerator compartment in the normal mode when control to set the operation rate of the compressor to 100% is started.

4. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the rotation speed of the fan so as to allow the temperature of the refrigerator compartment to drop to the second set temperature during the predetermined period in which the operation rate of the compressor is controlled to be 100%.

5. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein, when the rapid cooling mode continues for longer than the predetermined period, after the end of the predetermined period, the control unit returns the permissible cooling temperature of the refrigerator compartment from the second set temperature to the first set temperature and controls the fan at an earlier stage than when the rapid cooling mode ends.

6. Further comprising a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature related to the temperature of the freezer compartment, 4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the control unit transitions from the rapid cooling mode to the normal mode when the temperature output from the temperature sensor does not exceed a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period after turning off the compressor and the fan when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment falls below a set temperature of the refrigerator compartment.

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