Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator capable of performing freezing while maintaining freshness by concentratedly blowing air to a stored object such as food.SOLUTION: In a refrigerator 10, a storage chamber 12 has a refrigerating chamber 121, a freezing chamber 122, a quick freezing chamber 123, and a supply air passage 14. The supply air passage 14 has: a refrigerating chamber supply air passage 141 in which air is blown to the refrigerating chamber 121; and a quick freezing air passage 143 in which air is blown to the quick freezing chamber 123. A refrigerating chamber damper 25 for adjusting a flow quantity of air is interposed in the refrigerating chamber supply air passage 141. An arithmetic control section 70 stops blowing air to the freezing chamber 122 by closing a shield device 50 when a stored object stored in the quick freezing chamber 123 is quickly frozen, and puts the refrigerating chamber damper 25 in a closed state, and blows air to the quick freezing chamber 123.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator having a quick freezing function. [Background technology]

[0002] Some refrigerators have a quick-freezing function. The quick-freezing function is a function that increases the cooling capacity when freezing foods such as meat and fish compared to normal cooling. By freezing food using the quick-freezing function, the amount of dripping that occurs when the frozen food is thawed can be reduced, and the freshness of the thawed food can be increased.

[0003] An example of a refrigerator equipped with a quick freezing function is described in Patent Document 1. In the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, when it is determined that food or the like has been placed in the small freezer compartment based on a change in temperature in the small freezer compartment, an automatic quick freezing function is executed to increase the cooling capacity of the small freezer compartment. This allows the refrigerator to properly detect that an item to be frozen has been stored in the small freezer compartment, and further allows the item to be effectively frozen. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-034789 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the refrigerator described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in terms of maintaining the freshness of food when the food to be stored is frozen by quick freezing.

[0006] Specifically, the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 executes an automatic quick freezing function by lowering the OFF point and then cooling the small freezer compartment. Therefore, the air cooled in the cooling compartment is sent not only to the small freezer compartment but also to the entire freezer compartment. For this reason, it is not possible to send air intensively to the small freezer compartment, and it takes a long time to freeze food. Therefore, it is difficult for the temperature of the food to quickly escape the maximum ice crystal temperature zone, and it remains a difficult problem to freeze food while maintaining its freshness.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can freeze stored items such as food while maintaining their freshness by blowing air intensively onto the stored items. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a storage compartment, a cooling compartment, a cooler that cools air inside the cooling compartment, a blower that blows the air from the cooling compartment toward the storage compartment, a shielding device that shields the blower, a supply air duct through which the air blown from the blower toward the storage compartment passes, and an arithmetic and control unit, the storage compartment has a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment, and a quick freezing compartment, the supply air duct has a refrigerator compartment supply air duct through which the air is blown toward the refrigerator compartment and a quick freezing air duct through which the air is blown toward the quick freezing compartment, a refrigerator compartment damper that adjusts a flow rate of the air is interposed in the refrigerator compartment supply air duct, and the arithmetic and control unit, when quick freezing an item stored in the quick freezing compartment, closes the shielding device to stop blowing air to the freezer compartment and closes the refrigerator compartment damper to blow air to the quick freezing compartment. According to the refrigerator of the embodiment of the present invention, when performing quick freezing, the flow of air to the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment is stopped and air is directed toward the quick freezing compartment, thereby increasing the flow rate of air blown into the quick freezing compartment.

[0009] (2) In the refrigerator according to the embodiment, the quick-freezing air duct is formed so as to branch off from the supply air duct and extend toward the quick-freezing chamber, a quick-freezing opening is formed by opening a lower surface portion of the quick-freezing air duct, a straightening unit is disposed in the quick-freezing opening, and the straightening unit has a plate-shaped straightening plate portion disposed so as to straighten the air blown from the quick-freezing air duct to the quick-freezing chamber. According to the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, the air that passes through the quick-freezing air duct and is straightened downward by the straightening unit can be blown onto the stored items, thereby allowing the stored items to be frozen early.

[0010] (3) In addition, in the refrigerator according to the embodiment, when the air straightening plate portion is viewed in the up-down direction, a honeycomb-shaped air tunnel is formed by the air straightening plate portion. According to the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, the honeycomb-shaped air tunnel is formed by the air straightening plate portion, and thus air can be effectively blown downward through the air tunnel, and the stored items can be frozen early.

[0011] (4) In the refrigerator according to the embodiment, the shielding device has a shielding cover, the shielding cover has a main surface portion, a side surface portion erected from a peripheral portion of the main surface portion toward the blower side, and a cover opening portion which is a portion of the peripheral portion of the main surface portion where the side surface portion is not provided, and the shielding cover covers the blower, thereby stopping the supply of the air to the freezing chamber, and blowing the air only to the quick freezing chamber through the cover opening portion. According to the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, by covering the blower with the shielding cover, it is possible to blow air only to the quick freezing chamber while reliably stopping blowing air to other portions of the freezing chamber.

[0012] (5) The refrigerator according to the embodiment further includes a quick-freezing chamber damper disposed in the quick-freezing air passage, and the quick-freezing chamber damper is opened when the quick-freezing is performed. According to the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, by having the quick-freezing chamber damper, when quick-freezing is performed, the quick-freezing chamber damper is opened to take in a large amount of air for cooling the quick-freezing chamber. On the other hand, in a defrosting process or the like, the quick-freezing chamber damper is closed to prevent warm air from the cooling chamber from entering the quick-freezing chamber via the quick-freezing air passage. Therefore, the freshness of the stored items frozen in the quick-freezing chamber can be prevented from decreasing.

[0013] (6) In addition, the refrigerator according to the embodiment further includes a heat-insulating partition wall that separates the refrigerator compartment from the freezer compartment, and the quick-freezing air duct is formed inside the heat-insulating partition wall. According to the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, the quick-freezing air duct is disposed in the thickness portion of the heat-insulating partition wall, so that the effective internal volume of the freezer compartment is not reduced by forming the quick-freezing air duct.

[0014] (7) In addition, in the refrigerator according to the embodiment, the insulating partition wall has an insulating material therein, and the insulating material existing between the quick-freezing air duct and the refrigerator compartment is thicker than the insulating material existing between the quick-freezing air duct and the freezer compartment. According to the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, the low-temperature air circulating inside the quick-freezing air duct and the refrigerator compartment can be insulated by the insulating material of the insulating partition wall. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of condensation on the bottom surface of the refrigerator compartment. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the air circulating inside the quick-freezing air duct from being unnecessarily heated by the refrigerator compartment. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the refrigerator of the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can freeze stored items such as food while maintaining their freshness by blowing air intensively onto the stored items. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an entire refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a side cross-sectional view partially showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a shielding device for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4A] 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing a shielding device in an open state in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing a shielding device in a closed state in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view showing a quick-freezing air duct and its vicinity in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] 1 is a front perspective view of a quick-freezing air duct and the like in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6B] 1 is a rear perspective view of a quick-freezing air duct and the like in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a quick-freezing air duct and the like in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a block diagram showing a connection configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 5 is a flowchart showing a method for performing quick freezing in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a normal cooling operation in which only the refrigerator compartment is cooled in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a normal cooling operation for cooling only a freezer compartment in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a normal cooling operation for cooling a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a defrosting process in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a quick freezing operation in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 1A to 1C are diagrams showing the effects of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and illustrating an overview of each example. [Figure 16] 1 is a table showing effects of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17A] 10 is a graph showing the effect of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the PQ characteristics of a fan. [Figure 17B] 1 is a table showing the effects of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the situation in each case. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] A refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are generally given the same reference numerals, and repeated description will be omitted. Furthermore, in the following description, the directions of up, down, front, back, left and right are appropriately used, and left and right refer to the left and right when the refrigerator 10 is viewed from the front.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a refrigerator 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 10 includes an insulated box 11 as a main body, and a storage chamber 12 for storing food and the like is formed inside the insulated box 11. The storage chamber 12 includes a refrigeration chamber 121 and a freezer chamber 122 from above. A quick freezing chamber 123 is partitioned inside the freezer chamber 122. The refrigerator 10 mainly includes the storage chamber 12, a blower 35 for blowing air from the cooling chamber 13 toward the storage chamber 12, a shielding device 50 for shielding the blower 35, and a calculation control unit 70, which will be described later. The refrigerator 10 has a quick freezing function for quick freezing the stored object 17 stored in the quick freezing chamber 123. Here, the refrigeration chamber 121 is formed on the upper side, and the freezer chamber 122 is formed on the lower side, but this order can be reversed. That is, the freezing compartment 122 can be formed on the upper level, and the refrigerating compartment 121 can be formed on the lower level.

[0019] The front of the insulated box 11 is open, and this opening is closed by an insulated door 16. Specifically, the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 121 is closed by an insulated door 161, and the front opening of the freezer compartment 122 is closed by an insulated door 162. The insulated doors 161 and 162 may be of a type that rotates about a fulcrum at an end in the left-right direction, or may be of a sliding type that slides along the front-rear direction.

[0020] The insulated box 11, which is the main body of the refrigerator 10, is composed of an outer box 111 made of a steel plate with an open front, and an inner box 112 made of synthetic resin with an open front, which is arranged with a gap inside the outer box 111. The gap between the outer box 111 and the inner box 112 is filled with a polyurethane foam insulation material 113. Note that, like the insulated box 11, the insulated door 16 and the insulated partition wall 28 also adopt an insulated structure having a polyurethane foam insulation material therein.

[0021] The refrigerator compartment 121 and the freezer compartment 122 located below it are separated by a heat-insulating partition wall 28. As described later, in the refrigerator 10 according to this embodiment, a quick-freezing air duct 143 and the like are disposed in the heat-insulating partition wall 28.

[0022] The cooling compartment 13 is a space formed behind the freezing compartment 122. Inside the cooling compartment 13, a cooler 32, which is an evaporator that cools the air inside the cooling compartment 13, is arranged.

[0023] The cooler 32 is connected to the compressor 31, a radiator (not shown), and a capillary tube (not shown) serving as expansion means via refrigerant piping, and constitutes a vapor compression refrigeration cycle circuit.

[0024] Refrigerator 10 has supply air duct 14 through which air blown from blower 35 toward each storage compartment 12 passes. Supply air duct 14 has a refrigerator compartment supply air duct 141, a freezer compartment supply air duct 142, a quick freezing air duct 143, and a connection supply air duct 144.

[0025] The refrigerator compartment supply air passage 141 is an air passage through which air from the cooling compartment 13 is blown toward the refrigerator compartment 121. The refrigerator compartment supply air passage 141 is formed on the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 121, partitioned by a synthetic resin partition 45, and is an air passage through which air is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 121. The refrigerator compartment supply air passage 141 is formed with an air outlet 22 through which air flows into the refrigerator compartment 121. The refrigerator compartment supply air passage 141 is also provided with a refrigerator compartment damper 25. The refrigerator compartment damper 25 is a device that adjusts the flow rate of air flowing through the refrigerator compartment supply air passage 141. The refrigerator compartment damper 25 is a damper that can be opened and closed freely and is driven by a motor or the like, and is for controlling the flow rate of air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 121 to appropriately maintain the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 121.

[0026] Freezer compartment supply air passage 142 is formed on the rear side of freezer compartment 122, and is an air passage through which air cooled by cooler 32 flows into freezer compartment 122. Freezer compartment supply air passage 142 is formed as a gap between partition body 46 and front cover 47 described later.

[0027] The quick-freezing air passage 143 is an air passage through which air from the cooling chamber 13 is blown towards the quick-freezing chamber 123. The quick-freezing air passage 143 is formed to extend forward towards the quick-freezing chamber 123. As will be described later, a quick-freezing opening 61 is formed by opening the bottom portion of the quick-freezing air passage 143, and a straightening section 62 is provided in the quick-freezing opening 61. The configuration of the quick-freezing air passage 143 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 etc.

[0028] The connection supply air duct 144 is an air duct formed between the air blowing port 131 and the refrigerator compartment damper 25. The quick freezing air duct 143 branches off toward the front from the middle of the connection supply air duct 144. In other words, the connection supply air duct 144 is an air duct that acts as a relay, with its lower end connected to the air blowing port 131, the shielding device 50, and the blower 35, its middle part branching off into the quick freezing air duct 143, and its upper end connected to the refrigerator compartment supply air duct 141 and the refrigerator compartment damper 25.

[0029] The machine room 19 is a space formed at the rear lower end of the insulating box 11. A compressor 31 is housed in the machine room 19. As described later, the compressor 31 compresses a refrigerant used in a vapor compression refrigeration cycle.

[0030] 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the structure of the cooling compartment 13 and the quick freezing compartment 123 of the refrigerator 10. The cooling compartment 13 is provided inside the heat-insulating box 11, at the rear side of the freezing compartment supply air passage 142. The cooling compartment 13 and the freezing compartment 122 are separated by a partition 46 made of synthetic resin.

[0031] The freezer compartment supply air passage 142 formed in front of the cooling compartment 13 is a space formed between the partition body 46 and a synthetic resin front cover 47 attached to the front of the partition body 46, and serves as an air passage for the air cooled by the cooler 32. The front cover 47 is formed with an air outlet 18 which is an opening for blowing air into the freezer compartment 122.

[0032] A return port 132 for returning air from the freezing chamber 122 to the cooling chamber 13 is formed at the lower end of the partition body 46 .

[0033] A defrosting heater 33 is provided below the cooler 32 as a defrosting means for melting and removing frost adhering to the cooler 32. Furthermore, the defrosting heater 33 is covered from above with a cover.

[0034] An air outlet 131, which is an opening connected to each storage chamber 12, is formed in the upper part of the partition body 46. The air outlet 131 is an opening through which air cooled by the cooler 32 flows, and connects the cooling chamber 13 to the supply air passage 14. A blower 35 that sends air toward the freezer chamber 122 and the like is disposed in the air outlet 131. In addition, a shielding device 50, which will be described later, closes the air outlet 131 to suppress ventilation from the cooling chamber 13 to the freezer chamber 122.

[0035] The blower 35 is an axial flow blower including a rotary fan 353 and a casing 351 in which an air channel 352, which is a substantially cylindrical opening, is formed. The casing 351 is attached to the air outlet 131 of the cooling chamber 13.

[0036] A shielding device 50 having a shielding cover 51 for covering the air outlet 131 and the blower 35 is provided on the outside of the air outlet 131 of the cooling chamber 13. The shielding device 50 has a frame portion 531 (described later) that closely contacts the casing 351 of the blower 35. The frame portion 531 (described later) may be attached so as to closely contact the partition body 46 around the air outlet 131.

[0037] An induction duct 54 that communicates between the upper end opening of the shielding cover 51 and the refrigerator compartment supply air passage 141 is arranged. The forward and backward movement for opening and closing the shielding cover 51 is controlled by a drive shaft 535 shown by a dotted line here, and this matter will be described later.

[0038] The surface of the shielding cover 51 facing the cooling chamber 13 is formed in a concave shape. This prevents the shielding cover 51 from coming into contact with the fan 353 that protrudes further toward the discharge side than the casing 351. The shielding cover 51 abuts against a support base 53 or a partition 46 (described later) outside the air tunnel 352, and can block the air outlet 131. In addition, the shielding device 50 is covered from the front with a front cover 47. A gap is formed between the shielding device 50 and the front cover 47 to allow the shielding cover 51 to move in the front-rear direction.

[0039] As described above, the quick freezing chamber 123 is a small freezing chamber formed inside the quick freezing chamber container 15 inside the freezing chamber 122. The quick freezing chamber container 15 is made of a synthetic resin plate and has a generally dish-like shape, and is installed inside the freezing chamber 122 in a state in which it can be pulled out in the front-to-rear direction. The quick freezing chamber container 15 is disposed at the upper end of the freezing chamber 122. In other words, the quick freezing chamber container 15 is disposed directly below the ceiling surface of the freezing chamber 122. In this manner, the air blown downward via the quick freezing chamber damper 24 can be directly introduced into the inside of the quick freezing chamber container 15, i.e., into the quick freezing chamber 123.

[0040] A heat conductive plate 20 is placed on the bottom surface of the quick-freezing chamber 123. The heat conductive plate 20 is made of a good heat conductor, such as an aluminum plate. The stored object 17 to be quick-frozen is placed on the top surface of the quick-freezing chamber container 15. The stored object 17 is, for example, fresh food such as meat or fish. By placing the stored object 17 on the top surface of the heat conductive plate 20, the stored object 17 can be cooled from the bottom end via the heat conductive plate 20, and the stored object 17 can be frozen quickly. In addition, the stored object 17 is placed directly under the quick-freezing opening 61. In this way, the air blown downward from the quick-freezing opening 61 can be blown directly and in large quantities to the stored object 17, and the stored object 17 can be frozen quickly.

[0041] The quick freezing air duct 143 is an air duct whose rear end is connected to the connection supply air duct 144 and whose front end is connected to the quick freezing chamber 123. The quick freezing air duct 143 is formed inside the heat insulating partition wall 28 in the vertical direction. Therefore, since the quick freezing air duct 143 does not protrude into the inside of the freezing chamber 122, a reduction in the effective volume of the freezing chamber 122 can be suppressed.

[0042] In addition, inside the heat-insulating partition wall 28, the quick-freezing air passage 143 is disposed on the lower side, which is the side of the freezer compartment 122. In this way, the thickness L10 of the heat insulating material 21 existing between the refrigerator compartment 121 and the quick-freezing air passage 143 is longer than the thickness L11 of the heat insulating material 21 existing between the freezer compartment 122 and the quick-freezing air passage 143. Therefore, the low-temperature air flowing inside the quick-freezing air passage 143 can be insulated from the refrigerator compartment 121, so that condensation can be suppressed from occurring on the bottom surface of the refrigerator compartment 121. In addition, the low-temperature air flowing inside the quick-freezing air passage 143 is suppressed from being inadvertently heated by the refrigerator compartment 121. Therefore, when performing quick freezing, the lower temperature air can be blown onto the stored object 17. Here, the lower surface of the duct of the quick-freezing air passage 143 can also be brought into close contact with the ceiling surface of the freezer compartment 122. In this way, there is no heat insulating material 21 between the quick freezing air duct 143 and the freezing chamber 122.

[0043] The front end of the quick-freezing air passage 143 communicates with the quick-freezing chamber 123 via the quick-freezing opening 61. The quick-freezing opening 61 is an opening formed in the ceiling surface of the freezing chamber 122. A straightening unit 62 is installed in the quick-freezing opening 61. The straightening unit 62 straightens the air blown out from the quick-freezing opening 61 downward. This matter will be described later with reference to FIG. 5 and subsequent figures. The straightening unit 62 protrudes downward from the ceiling surface of the freezing chamber 122. However, the lower surface of the straightening unit 62 and the ceiling surface of the freezing chamber 122 can also be arranged on the same plane.

[0044] A configuration of the shading device 50 employed in the above-described refrigerator 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the members constituting the shading device 50 disassembled in the front-rear direction.

[0045] The shielding device 50 is a device for appropriately closing the above-mentioned air outlet 131 according to the operating condition of the refrigerator 10. Specifically, the shielding device 50 has a shielding cover 51 that covers the above-mentioned fan 353, a support base 53 that attaches the shielding cover 51 to the main body of the refrigerator 10, and an induction duct 54 that connects the shielding cover 51 to an air passage on the refrigerator main body side.

[0046] The main function of the shielding device 50 is to supply air blown by the rotation of the fan 353 to a desired storage compartment 12 by appropriately closing or opening the fan 353 and the air outlet 131. In addition, by closing the shielding device 50, warm air generated in the defrosting process of the cooler 32 is prevented from flowing into the freezer compartment 122, etc. Here, the warm air refers to the air heated by the defrost heater 33 described above.

[0047] As described later, by operating the blower 35 with the shielding device 50 in the closed state and the refrigerator compartment damper 25 described above in the closed state, quick freezing can be performed by blowing air only into the quick freezing compartment 123.

[0048] The shielding cover 51 is a member formed by injection molding a synthetic resin material into a roughly lid shape. The shielding cover 51 mainly has a main surface portion 511, a side surface portion 512, and a cover opening portion 513. The main surface portion 511 is a plate-like portion having a roughly rectangular shape in a front view. The side surface portion 512 is a wall-like portion erected from the periphery of the main surface portion 511 toward the rear, which is the side of the blower 35. The cover opening portion 513 is a portion of the periphery of the main surface portion 511 where the side surface portion 512 is not provided. Here, the cover opening portion 513 is formed on the upper side of the main surface portion 511. In a closed state in which the shielding cover 51 covers the blower 35, the cover opening portion 513 is connected to a duct opening portion 543 of the induction duct 54 described later. Screw hole 514 is formed in a circular shape penetrating near the center of main surface portion 511, and a screw groove is formed by spirally recessing the inner side surface of screw hole 514. Support holes 515 are formed near the lower left corner and the upper right corner of shielding cover 51, for inserting guide pins 536 described later.

[0049] As described above, the role of the shielding cover 51 is to substantially block the fan 353 arranged at the air outlet 131 of the cooling compartment 13. In addition, since the cover opening 513 is formed at the top of the shielding cover 51, even in a situation where the shielding cover 51 blocks the fan 353, it is possible to supply the air blown by the fan 353 to the refrigerator compartment 121 and the quick-freezing compartment 123 via the cover opening 513.

[0050] The drive shaft 535 has a generally cylindrical shape, and a screw thread (not shown) is provided on a part of its side surface, which is continuously protruded in a spiral shape. Here, the screw thread formed on the side surface of the drive shaft 535 and the screw groove formed on the side surface of the screw hole 514 of the shielding cover 51 are screwed together under use conditions. A stepping motor (not shown) is built in the inside of the drive shaft 535, and the drive shaft 535 rotates by a predetermined angle by the driving force of the motor. When the drive shaft 535 rotates, for example, clockwise as viewed from the front, the shielding cover 51 moves in a direction away from the support base 53, and a gap is formed between the shielding cover 51 and the support base 53, resulting in an open state. Therefore, the air blown by the fan 353 (not shown) is supplied to the freezer chamber 122, etc. through this gap. On the other hand, when the drive shaft 535 rotates, for example, counterclockwise as viewed from the front, the shielding cover 51 moves toward the supporting base 53, and the side portion 512 of the shielding cover 51 comes into close contact with the frame portion 531 of the supporting base 53, resulting in a closed state without the above-mentioned gap being formed. Therefore, while the air blown by the above-mentioned fan 353 is not supplied to the freezing chamber 122, it is possible to supply it to the refrigeration chamber 121 or the quick-freezing chamber 123 via the above-mentioned cover opening portion 513 and induction duct 54.

[0051] The support base 53 is a member that supports the shielding cover 51 so that it can move in the front-rear direction. The support base 53 mainly includes a frame portion 531, an opening 532, a support frame 533, and a shaft support portion 534. The frame portion 531 is a portion that has a rectangular frame shape in a plan view. The opening portion 532 is a portion that opens in a substantially circular shape at the center of the frame portion 531. The size and shape of the opening portion 532 are equal to or slightly larger than those of the fan 353 described above. The support frame 533 is a member that connects the shaft support portion 534 and the corner portion of the frame portion 531 and extends from the corner portion of the frame portion 531 toward the center in a substantially rod-like shape. The shaft support portion 534 is a portion that has a substantially circular shape disposed in the center, and supports the drive shaft 535 described above. A hole portion 537 is formed at the corner portion of the frame portion 531. The holes 537 penetrate the support base 53 in the thickness direction. The shielding device 50 including the frame 531 is fixed to the partition 46 described above via fixing means such as screws penetrating the holes 537. Guide pins 536 are erected forward at the lower left and upper right corners of the frame 531. The guide pins 536 are cylindrical members erected at positions corresponding to the support holes 515 of the shielding cover 51. The guide pins 536 are inserted into the support holes 515 and slide, thereby stably guiding the movement of the shielding cover 51 in the front-rear direction.

[0052] The induction duct 54 is a member that communicates the cover opening 513 of the shielding cover 51 with the connection supply air passage 144 when the shielding cover 51 is in a closed state in which the air outlet 131 shown in FIG. 2 is blocked by the shielding cover 51. The induction duct 54 is made of injection-molded synthetic resin and is composed of a duct main surface portion 542 facing forward and duct side portions 541 facing both left and right directions. The duct opening 543 formed at the lower end of the induction duct 54 is disposed at a position that coincides with the cover opening 513 of the shielding cover 51 in the closed state. The duct opening 543 of the induction duct 54 that opens downward and the cover opening 513 of the shielding cover 51 that opens upward have approximately the same shape and size. The rear opening of the induction duct 54, not shown here, is continuous with the connection supply air passage 144 shown in FIG. 2.

[0053] As described above, in this embodiment, the screw groove formed on the inner surface of the screw hole 514 of the shielding cover 51 and the screw thread formed on the outer surface of the drive shaft 535 form a screw mechanism that moves the shielding cover 51 back and forth.

[0054] The configuration of the above-mentioned shading device 50 will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 4A and 4B. Figure 4A is a perspective view showing the shading device 50 in an open state, with a perspective view on the left side and a cross-sectional view along the line AA on the right side. Figure 4B is a perspective view showing the shading device 50 in a closed state, with a perspective view on the left side and a cross-sectional view along the line BB on the right side.

[0055] 4A, in the above-mentioned open state, the shielding cover 51 is moved forward by the driving force of the drive shaft 535. Therefore, the rear end of the side portion 512 of the shielding cover 51 is separated from the support base 53, and a gap is formed between the shielding cover 51 and the support base 53. In this state, the cover opening 513 formed in the upper part of the shielding cover 51 does not communicate with the duct opening 543 formed in the lower part of the induction duct 54. In this open state, when the fan 353 shown in FIG. 2 is rotated to blow air, the blown air is supplied to the freezer compartment 122 through the above-mentioned gap. In addition, a part of the blown air is blown to the above-mentioned refrigerator compartment 121 through the duct opening 543, the refrigerator compartment supply air duct 141, etc.

[0056] When the shielding cover 51 is shifted from the open state to the closed state, the drive shaft 535 is rotated, for example, counterclockwise as viewed from the front. As a result, the shielding cover 51 moves rearward by the screw mechanism described above, and the rear end of the side surface portion 512 of the shielding cover 51 abuts against the front surface of the support base 53, which is the abutment surface.

[0057] 4B, when the shielding cover 51 is moved toward the supporting base 53 by rotating the drive shaft 535, the rear end of the side portion 512 of the shielding cover 51 comes into surface contact with the front surface of the supporting base 53. This brings the shielding device 50 into a closed state. That is, the lower side portion, the left side portion and the right side portion of the side portion 512 come into contact with the frame portion 531. Therefore, referring to FIG. 2, the air outlet 131 is blocked by the shielding cover 51, and therefore the air blown by the fan 353 is not supplied to the freezer compartment 122.

[0058] On the other hand, as shown in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 4B, in the closed state, the upper side edge portion of the shielding cover 51 does not abut against the frame portion 531. Therefore, the duct opening portion 543 of the induction duct 54 and the cover opening portion 513 of the shielding cover 51 communicate with each other. In addition, since the upper end portion of the shielding cover 51 and the lower end portion of the induction duct 54 overlap each other, air leakage to the outside from between the shielding cover 51 and the induction duct 54 is also suppressed. The air blown by the fan 353 is blown to the refrigerator compartment 121 or the quick-freezing compartment 123 through the shielding cover 51 and the induction duct 54.

[0059] The configuration of quick freezing air duct 143, quick freezing chamber 123, etc. will be described with reference to Figures 5, 6A, 6B, and 7. Figure 5 is a cutaway perspective view showing the quick freezing air duct 143 and the quick freezing chamber 123 and their vicinity. Figure 6A is a perspective view showing quick freezing chamber 123 and quick freezing air duct 143 from the front. Figure 6B is a perspective view showing quick freezing chamber 123 and quick freezing air duct 143 from the rear. Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view showing quick freezing air duct 143 and rectifier 62 in an exploded state.

[0060] 5, quick freezing air duct 143 extends forward from the middle of connection supply air duct 144. Quick freezing air duct 143 is formed by a duct made of synthetic resin, like other supply air ducts 14. The rear end of quick freezing air duct 143 is quick freezing introduction section 65, which connects to the middle of connection supply air duct 144.

[0061] A quick-freezing chamber damper 24 is disposed inside the quick-freezing air passage 143. The quick-freezing chamber damper 24 rotates around its lower end as a rotation center to open and close an intermediate opening 36 formed in the middle of the quick-freezing air passage 143. The quick-freezing chamber damper 24 is opened and closed by a motor (not shown). The quick-freezing chamber damper 24 rotates so as to fall forward, so that the intermediate opening 36 is opened, and air from the connection supply air passage 144 can be blown into the quick-freezing chamber 123 via the quick-freezing air passage 143. The quick-freezing chamber damper 24 rotates so as to stand backward, so that the intermediate opening 36 is closed, and the quick-freezing chamber damper 24 blocks the air from the connection supply air passage 144, so that the air does not enter the quick-freezing chamber 123.

[0062] As described above, the quick-freezing opening 61 is formed at the lower front end of the quick-freezing air duct 143, and the rectifier 62 is provided at the quick-freezing opening 61. The rectifier 62 rectifies, toward a downward direction, the air flowing toward the front inside the quick-freezing air duct 143. The rectifier 62 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0063] 6A and 6B, the quick-freezing air passage 143 is disposed in the left rear portion above the quick-freezing container 55. Therefore, when performing quick freezing, the user places the above-mentioned stored object 17 below the quick-freezing opening 61 shown in FIG. 6A. In this way, the above-mentioned stored object 17 can be effectively frozen. In addition, a grip part 56 is provided at the front end of the quick-freezing container 55. The grip part 56 is an elongated member that extends from the left end to the right end at the front end of the quick-freezing container 55. The cross section of the grip part 56 is formed in a concave shape that allows the user to insert his / her fingers from below.

[0064] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the quick freezing air duct 143 and the airflow rectifier 62 as viewed from below.

[0065] As described above, the quick-freezing opening 61 is formed by opening the lower surface of the quick-freezing air passage 143. When viewed from below, the quick-freezing opening 61 is an opening having a substantially rectangular shape.

[0066] A straightening section 62 is disposed in the quick-freezing opening 61. The straightening section 62 is a member that straightens the air flowing forward inside the quick-freezing air passage 143 downward. The straightening section 62 has a straightening plate section 621, an air channel 622, and a frame section 623.

[0067] The straightening plate portion 621 is a plate-like member arranged so as to straighten the air sent from the quick-freezing air passage 143 to the quick-freezing chamber 123. The straightening plate portion 621 is arranged inside the frame portion 623 so as to form a plurality of through spaces of a predetermined shape.

[0068] The air tunnel 622 is a space formed by the straightening plate portion 621, and its upper end opens toward the quick-freezing air passage 143, and its lower end opens toward the quick-freezing chamber 123 described above. When the straightening plate portion 621 is viewed in the vertical direction, the straightening plate portion 621 forms a honeycomb-shaped air tunnel 622. Here, a large number of honeycomb-shaped air tunnels 622 are formed in a matrix shape inside the frame portion 623. Since the air tunnels 622 are honeycomb-shaped, a large number of air tunnels 622 of approximately the same shape can be formed inside the frame portion 623. Therefore, a large amount of air is blown directly downward through the air tunnels 622 and blown onto the upper surface of the stored object 17 described above, so that the stored object 17 is frozen early.

[0069] The frame 623 is a member having a rectangular frame shape when viewed from above, and the above-mentioned straightening plate 621 is disposed inside the frame 623. The shape and size of the frame 623 are approximately the same as those of the quick-freezing opening 61. The frame 623 is fitted into the quick-freezing opening 61 without any gaps.

[0070] The connection structure of the refrigerator 10 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

[0071] The refrigerator 10 includes an arithmetic control unit 70, a temperature sensor 71 and the like connected to an input terminal of the arithmetic control unit 70, and a compressor 31 and the like connected to an output terminal of the arithmetic control unit 70.

[0072] The arithmetic control unit 70 is composed of a semiconductor element such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The arithmetic control unit 70 may include a semiconductor storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory) as a storage unit. Such a storage unit stores programs, parameters, and the like. The arithmetic control unit 70 executes functions and methods described below based on the programs, parameters, and the like read from the storage unit. In this embodiment, as described below, when the arithmetic control unit 70 quickly freezes the stored object 17 stored in the quick-freezing chamber 123, it closes the shielding device 50 to stop blowing air to the freezing chamber 122, closes the refrigerator damper 25, and blows air to the quick-freezing chamber 123. This allows air to be blown intensively to the stored object 17 stored in the quick-freezing chamber 123, thereby achieving high-quality freezing.

[0073] A temperature sensor 71, a timer 72, and an operation unit 73 are connected to the input terminal of the calculation control unit 70. The temperature sensor 71 is attached to any one or more of the above-mentioned refrigerator compartment 121, freezer compartment 122, quick freezing compartment 123, and cooling compartment 13, and measures the temperatures inside these compartments. The timer 72 measures the cooling time for cooling the refrigerator compartment 121, freezer compartment 122, quick freezing compartment 123, and cooling compartment 13, the operation time of the defrost heater 33, and the like. The operation unit 73 is, for example, a panel-type operation unit arranged on the front surface of the refrigerator 10, and is a device that the user touches and operates when instructing quick freezing.

[0074] The compressor 31, the blower 35, the shielding device 50, the refrigerator compartment damper 25, the quick freezing compartment damper 24, and the defrost heater 33 are connected to the output terminal of the calculation control unit 70. The compressor 31 and other devices operate based on the output signals output from the calculation control unit 70.

[0075] A method of performing a quick freezing operation in refrigerator 10 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 14. Fig. 9 is a flow chart showing the operation of refrigerator 10. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation in which only refrigerator compartment 121 is cooled in normal cooling operation. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation in which only freezer compartment 122 is cooled in normal cooling operation. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation in which refrigerator compartment 121 and freezer compartment 122 are cooled in normal cooling operation. Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a defrosting operation in normal cooling operation. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a quick freezing operation in which only quick freezing compartment 123 is cooled.

[0076] First, in step S10, the calculation control unit 70 executes a normal cooling operation of the refrigerator 10. That is, referring to Fig. 1, the calculation control unit 70 controls the operation of the compressor 31, the blower 35, the shielding device 50, the refrigerator compartment damper 25, the quick freezing compartment damper 24, etc. of the refrigeration cycle so that the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 121 is in a predetermined refrigerator temperature band, and further, the temperature inside the freezer compartment 122 is in a predetermined freezing temperature band. Here, the normal cooling operation includes a cooling operation for cooling only the refrigerator compartment 121, a cooling operation for cooling only the freezer compartment 122, a cooling operation for cooling both the refrigerator compartment 121 and the freezer compartment 122, and a defrosting operation.

[0077] With reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 10, the cooling operation for cooling only the refrigerator compartment 121 will be described. When cooling only the refrigerator compartment 121, the calculation control unit 70 opens the refrigerator compartment damper 25, closes the quick freezing compartment damper 24, and closes the shielding device 50. In this state, the calculation control unit 70 operates the compressor 31 of the refrigeration cycle and rotates the blower 35. Then, the air is cooled by the cooler 32 inside the cooling compartment 13. The blower 35 blows the cooled air so as to suck it out of the cooling compartment 13. The air blown by the blower 35 is blown to the refrigerator compartment 121 via the cover opening 513 of the shielding cover 51, the induction duct 54, the connection supply air passage 144, the refrigerator compartment damper 25, and the refrigerator compartment supply air passage 141. The air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment 121 returns to the cooling compartment 13 via a return duct not shown here. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, when side surface portion 512 of shielding cover 51 abuts against supporting base 53, the air blown by blower 35 is not blown toward freezing compartment 122.

[0078] With reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 11, the cooling operation for cooling only the freezing chamber 122 will be described. When cooling only the freezing chamber 122, the calculation control unit 70 closes the refrigerator chamber damper 25 and opens the shielding device 50. Here, the quick freezing chamber damper 24 may be closed or open. Here, the quick freezing chamber damper 24 in the closed state is shown. In this state, the compressor 31 of the refrigeration cycle is operated and the blower 35 is rotated. Then, the cooler 32 cools the air inside the cooling chamber 13. In addition, the blower 35 blows the cooled air so as to suck it out of the cooling chamber 13. The air blown by the blower 35 passes through the gap between the shielding cover 51 and the support base 53, enters the freezing chamber supply air passage 142, and is blown out from the blowing port 18 to the freezing chamber 122. The air that has cooled the freezing chamber 122 returns to the cooling chamber 13 from the return port 132. Furthermore, when the quick-freezing compartment damper 24 is open, part of the air blown by the blower 35 is blown through the cover opening 513, the connection supply air duct 144, the quick-freezing air duct 143 and the quick-freezing opening 61 into the quick-freezing compartment 123, and then reaches the freezing compartment 122. On the other hand, since the refrigerator compartment damper 25 is closed, the air blown by the blower 35 is blocked by the refrigerator compartment damper 25 and is not blown towards the refrigerator compartment 121.

[0079] With reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 12, a cooling operation for cooling both the refrigerator compartment 121 and the freezer compartment 122 will be described. When cooling the refrigerator compartment 121 and the freezer compartment 122, the calculation control unit 70 opens the refrigerator compartment damper 25 and opens the shielding device 50. The quick freezing compartment damper 24 may be closed or open. Here, the quick freezing compartment damper 24 in the closed state is shown. In this state, the compressor 31 of the refrigeration cycle is operated and the blower 35 is rotated. Then, the cooler 32 cools the air inside the cooling compartment 13. The blower 35 blows the cooled air so as to suck it out of the cooling compartment 13. The air blown by the blower 35 passes through the gap between the shielding cover 51 and the support base 53, enters the freezer compartment supply air passage 142, and is blown out from the blower 18 to the freezer compartment 122. In addition, a portion of the air blown by blower 35 is blown into refrigerator compartment 121 via cover opening 513, connection supply air passage 144, refrigerator compartment damper 25 and refrigerator compartment supply air passage 141.

[0080] The defrosting operation will be described with reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 13. When the defrosting operation is performed, the calculation control unit 70 closes the refrigerator compartment damper 25, closes the shielding device 50, and closes the quick freezing compartment damper 24. The calculation control unit 70 also stops the compressor 31 of the refrigeration cycle and stops the blower 35. In this state, the calculation control unit 70 energizes the defrost heater 33. Then, the defrost heater 33 generates heat to warm the air inside the cooling chamber 13, and the frost on the cooler 32 melts. The melted water generated by the melting is guided to an evaporating dish (not shown) and evaporates in the evaporating dish using the operating heat of the compressor 31, etc. In the defrosting process, the shielding cover 51 abuts against the support base 53, so that the warm air heated by the defrost heater 33 does not enter the freezing chamber 122. Furthermore, since the quick freezing compartment damper 24 is closed, warm air does not enter the quick freezing compartment 123. Furthermore, since the refrigerator compartment damper 25 is closed, warm air does not enter the refrigerator compartment 121. The calculation control unit 70 ends the defrosting process when the defrosting time measured by the timer 72 reaches a certain value.

[0081] In step S11, the calculation control unit 70 judges whether or not a quick-freezing instruction has been issued. The judgment as to whether or not a quick-freezing instruction has been issued is based on the operation of the operation unit 73 or the judgment of the calculation control unit 70. For example, if the user operates the operation unit 73 to start quick-freezing, the calculation control unit 70 judges that a quick-freezing instruction has been issued. In addition, if it is judged that the stored item 17 has been stored in the quick-freezing compartment 123 based on the temperature change results of the temperature sensor 71 etc. arranged in the quick-freezing compartment 123, the calculation control unit 70 can also judge that a quick-freezing instruction has been issued.

[0082] If the answer is YES in step S11, that is, if a quick-freezing instruction is given, the calculation and control unit 70 proceeds to step S12.

[0083] If NO in step S11, that is, if there is no quick freezing command, the calculation and control unit 70 returns to step S10 and continues the normal cooling operation.

[0084] In step S12, referring to Fig. 14, the calculation control unit 70 closes the shielding cover 51 etc. to perform quick freezing. Specifically, the calculation control unit 70 drives the motor of the shielding device 50 to close the shielding cover 51, thereby preventing the air blown by the blower 35 from leaking to the freezing chamber 122. The calculation control unit 70 also closes the refrigerator chamber damper 25 to prevent the air from being blown to the refrigerator chamber supply air duct 141. Furthermore, the calculation control unit 70 opens the quick freezing chamber damper 24 to allow the air blown from the blower 35 to be concentrated only into the quick freezing chamber 123.

[0085] In step S13, the calculation control unit 70 operates the compressor 31. That is, referring to Fig. 14, the compressor 31 of the refrigeration cycle is operated to cool the air inside the cooling chamber 13. At this time, in order to improve the cooling efficiency, the rotation speed of the compressor 31 can be made faster than that of the normal cooling operation.

[0086] In step S14, the calculation control unit 70 rotates the blower 35 to perform the quick freezing operation. Specifically, referring to FIG. 14, the calculation control unit 70 rotates the blower 35 to blow air from inside the cooling chamber 13. Here, since the shielding device 50 is in the closed state, the side portion 512 of the shielding device 50 abuts against the frame portion 531 as shown in FIG. 4B. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, in the quick freezing operation, the air blown by the blower 35 is not blown to the freezing chamber 122 side. Furthermore, since the refrigerator damper 25 is in the closed state, the air blown by the blower 35 is not blown to the refrigerator chamber 121 via the refrigerator chamber supply air duct 141. On the other hand, the quick freezing chamber damper 24 interposed in the quick freezing air duct 143 is in the open state. In this way, all of the air blown by the blower 35 is blown only into the quick-freezing compartment 123, and the volume of air blown onto the stored items 17 can be increased.

[0087] In step S15, the air blown by the blower 35 is blown into the inside of the quick-freezing chamber 123 through the induction duct 54, the connection supply air passage 144, the quick-freezing chamber damper 24, the quick-freezing air passage 143, and the rectifying unit 62 of the quick-freezing opening 61. As described above, the rectifying unit 62 rectifies the forward air flow so that it flows downward. In addition, the stored object 17 is disposed directly below the rectifying unit 62. Therefore, in the quick-freezing operation, a large amount of air can be blown at high speed against the stored object 17. As a result, the temperature of the stored object 17 can pass through the maximum ice crystal formation zone (-1°C to -5°C) early in the cooling process. Therefore, the amount of drips generated when the stored object 17 is thawed can be reduced, and the freshness of the stored object 17 can be maintained in a good condition.

[0088] In step S16, the calculation control unit 70 judges whether the stored item 17 has been sufficiently cooled. This judgment may be made by determining whether the continuous operation time of the quick-freezing operation measured by the timer 72 has reached a certain level. Furthermore, this judgment may be made by determining whether the surface temperature of the stored item 17 or the internal temperature of the quick-freezing chamber 123 measured by the temperature sensor 71 has fallen below a certain level.

[0089] If the answer is YES in step S16, that is, if the stored items 17 have been sufficiently cooled, the calculation and control unit 70 ends the quick freezing operation and returns to the normal cooling operation in step S10.

[0090] If the answer is NO in step S16, that is, if the stored items 17 are not sufficiently cooled, the calculation and control unit 70 returns to step S12 and continues the quick-freezing operation.

[0091] The above is the description of the quick freezing operation of the refrigerator 10.

[0092] Next, the effect of the rectifier 62 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15 and Fig. 16. Here, first to fifth examples were prepared, and the effect of the rectifier 62 was verified by cooling the stored object 17 using each of the examples. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the first to fifth examples, and Fig. 16 is a table showing the verification results.

[0093] Referring to FIG. 15, the first embodiment is an embodiment in which the quick-freezing opening 61 is not provided with a flow straightening section 62.

[0094] The second embodiment is an example in which the quick freezing opening 61 is provided with an additional fan 37 for blowing air downward, instead of the airflow straightening section 62.

[0095] The third example is the present embodiment, and a honeycomb-shaped air channel 622 is formed inside a frame portion 623 by a straightening plate portion 621.

[0096] In the fourth embodiment, a substantially circular air channel 622 is formed inside a frame portion 623 by a straightening plate portion 621 .

[0097] In the fifth embodiment, a wave-shaped air channel 622 is formed inside a frame portion 623 by a straightening plate portion 621 .

[0098] The table in Figure 16 shows the experimental results of the first to fifth embodiments. As shown in this table, in all the embodiments, the quick-freezing chamber 123 is equipped with a heat conductive plate 20, and the stored item 17 is placed on the upper surface of the heat conductive plate 20. In all the embodiments, the operating frequency of the compressor 31 is 54Hz, and the rotation speed of the blower 35 is 1400rpm. Under these conditions, an object weighing 125g was prepared as the test stored item 17, and the time it took for the central temperature to pass through the maximum ice crystal formation zone of -1°C to -5°C was measured.

[0099] According to the experimental results, the passing time was 51 minutes for the first embodiment, 38 minutes for the second embodiment, 35 minutes for the third embodiment which is the present embodiment, 39 minutes for the fourth embodiment, and 36 minutes for the fifth embodiment.

[0100] From this, it was found that the third embodiment of the present invention has the shortest time to pass through the maximum ice crystal formation zone, and can freeze the stored items 17 while best maintaining their freshness. This is believed to be because the honeycomb shape of the air channel 622 can effectively straighten the blown air downward, and can also ensure a large air flow rate.

[0101] Furthermore, in the fourth and fifth embodiments described above, the time it takes to pass through the maximum ice crystal formation zone can be made shorter than in the first embodiment in which the flow straightening section 62 is not provided at the quick-freezing opening 61. Furthermore, the cylindrical flow straightening section 62 shown in the fourth embodiment and the wave-shaped flow straightening section 62 shown in the fifth embodiment can also achieve the effect of straightening the air. Furthermore, as shown in the experimental results of Figure 16, the flow straightening effect achieved by the flow straightening section 62 allows the previously described stored items 17 to be frozen while maintaining their freshness in a good state.

[0102] Further advantages of the refrigerator 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17A and Fig. 17B. Fig. 17A is a graph showing the PQ characteristics of the fan 353. Fig. 17B is a table showing the situation in each case.

[0103] 17A, the horizontal axis indicates the total flow rate by fan 353 described above, and the vertical axis indicates the static pressure which is the pressure difference before and after fan 353. In addition, in Fig. 17A, the characteristics of fan 353 are indicated by a solid line, the characteristics of case 1 are indicated by a dashed line, the characteristics of case 2 are indicated by a dashed line, and the characteristics of case 3 are indicated by a dashed double-dashed line.

[0104] Referring to the table of FIG. 17B, case 1 shows the state during quick-freezing operation, in which the shielding device 50 is in the closed state, the refrigerating compartment damper 25 is in the closed state, and the quick-freezing compartment damper 24 is in the open state.

[0105] Case 2 shows a state in which only the freezing compartment 122 is cooled, with the shielding device 50 in the open state, the refrigerating compartment damper 25 in the closed state, and the quick-freezing compartment damper 24 in the closed state.

[0106] Case 3 shows a state in which the refrigerator compartment 121 and the freezer compartment 122 are cooled, with the shielding device 50 in the open state, the refrigerator compartment damper 25 in the open state, and the quick-freezing compartment damper 24 in the closed state.

[0107] Referring again to FIG. 17A, when comparing these three cases, the air volume in case 1 is the smallest. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, when performing the quick-freezing operation, if the shielding device 50 is closed, the refrigerator compartment damper 25 is closed, and the quick-freezing compartment damper 24 is open, the total amount of air blown by the fan 353 is small. As a result, the heat exchange efficiency of the cooler 32 decreases, and the temperature of the cooler 32 decreases, so that the air temperature on the outlet side of the cooler 32 (the intake side of the fan 353) is cooled to a low temperature. Therefore, the air cooled to an extremely low temperature can be blown onto the stored object 17 via the connection supply air duct 144, the quick-freezing air duct 143, and the quick-freezing opening 61. Therefore, the stored object 17 can be frozen even earlier.

[0108] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0109] 10. Refrigerator 11 Insulated box 111 Outer box 112 Inner box 113 Insulation 12 Storage Room 121 Refrigerator 122 Freezer 123 Quick Freezer 13 Cooling room 131 Ventilation vent 132 Return Entrance 14 Supply air path 141 Refrigerator compartment supply air duct 142 Freezer room supply air path 143 Rapid freezing air passage 144 Connection supply air duct 15 Quick freezing container 16 Insulated Door 161 Insulated Door 162 Insulated Door 17 Storage items 18 Air outlet 19 Machine room 20 Heat Conduction Plate 21 Insulation 22 Air outlet 24 Quick freezing chamber damper 25 Refrigerator damper 28 Insulated Partition Wall 31 Compressor 32 Cooler 33 Defrost heater 35 Blower 351 Casing 352 Wind tunnel 353 Fans 36 Middle opening 37 additional fans 45 Partition 46 Partition 47 Front cover 50 Shielding device 51 Shielding cover 511 Main surface section 512 Side part 513 Cover opening 514 Screw hole 515 Support hole 53 Support base 531 Frame 532 Opening 533 Support Frame 534 Shaft support part 535 Drive shaft 536 Guide pin 537 Hole 54 Induction Duct 541 Duct side section 542 Duct main surface 543 Duct opening 55 Quick freezing container 56 Gripping part 61 Quick Freeze Opening 62 Rectifier 621 Rectifier plate section 622 Wind tunnel 623 Frame 65 Quick freezing introduction section 70 Calculation control unit 71 Temperature Sensor 72 Timer 73 Operation section

Claims

1. The cooling system includes a storage chamber, a cooling chamber, a cooler that cools air inside the cooling chamber, a blower that blows the air from the cooling chamber toward the storage chamber, a shielding device that shields the blower, a supply air passage through which the air blown from the blower toward the storage chamber passes, and an arithmetic and control unit; The storage compartment includes a refrigeration compartment, a freezing compartment, and a quick freezing compartment, The supply air duct includes a refrigerator compartment supply air duct through which the air is blown toward the refrigerator compartment, and a quick-freezing air duct through which the air is blown toward the quick-freezing compartment, A refrigerator compartment damper for adjusting the flow rate of the air is provided in the refrigerator compartment supply air duct, The refrigerator is characterized in that, when quickly freezing items stored in the quick-freezing chamber, the calculation control unit closes the shielding device to stop blowing air into the freezing chamber, closes the refrigerator chamber damper, and blows air into the quick-freezing chamber.

2. The quick-freezing air duct is formed so as to branch off from the supply air duct and extend toward the quick-freezing chamber, A quick-freezing opening is formed by opening a lower surface portion of the quick-freezing air passage, A flow straightening section is provided at the quick-freezing opening, 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the airflow straightening section has a plate-shaped airflow straightening plate section arranged to straighten the air blown from the quick-freezing air duct to the quick-freezing compartment.

3. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein when the airflow straightening plate portion is viewed in a vertical direction, a honeycomb-shaped air channel is formed by the airflow straightening plate portion.

4. The shielding device has a shielding cover, the shielding cover has a main surface portion, a side surface portion extending from a peripheral portion of the main surface portion toward the blower, and a cover opening portion which is a portion of the peripheral portion of the main surface portion where the side surface portion is not provided, 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the supply of air to the freezing compartment is stopped by covering the blower with the shielding cover, and the air is blown only into the quick-freezing compartment through the cover opening.

5. The apparatus further includes a quick-freezing chamber damper disposed in the quick-freezing air passage, 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the quick-freezing compartment damper is in an open state when the quick-freezing is performed.

6. The refrigerator further includes a heat-insulating partition wall that separates the refrigerator compartment from the freezer compartment.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the quick freezing air passage is formed inside the heat insulating partition wall.

7. The heat insulating partition wall has a heat insulating material therein, 7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the insulating material existing between the quick-freezing air duct and the refrigerating chamber is thicker than the insulating material existing between the quick-freezing air duct and the freezing chamber.

Images