Cooler

Abstract

To provide a new technology for detecting an opening / closing state of a door of a cooler.SOLUTION: A cooler comprises a door for opening and closing a cooling chamber, a cooling mechanism for generating cold air, a fan for sending the cold air to the cooling chamber, and a control unit for determining an opening / closing state of the door based on information related to a load of the fan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooling device.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 describe technologies related to detecting the opening and closing of a refrigerator door.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a new technology for detecting the open / closed state of a door of a cooling device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a cooling device having a cooling chamber is provided. The cooling device includes a door for opening and closing the cooling chamber, a cooling mechanism for generating cold air, a fan for sending the cold air to the cooling chamber, and a control unit for determining the open / closed state of the door based on information regarding the load of the fan.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a new technology for detecting the open / closed state of a door of a cooling device is provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 7

Figure 8

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Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. <Overall Configuration of the Refrigerator>

[0009] First, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the overall configuration of a refrigerator 100 having a refrigerating chamber 111 and a freezing chamber 112 as an example of a cooling device will be described.

[0010] The refrigerator 100 mainly consists of a heat-insulating box body 110. The storage space of the refrigerator 100 is formed by this heat-insulating box body 110. The storage space formed by the heat-insulating box body 110 is provided with a refrigerating chamber 111 at the upper part and a freezing chamber 112 at the lower part, for example, by a heat-insulating partition extending in the horizontal direction.

[0011] A refrigerating chamber door 111X is provided for the refrigerating chamber 111. A freezing chamber door 112X is also provided for the freezing chamber 112.

[0012] Regarding the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, a cooling mechanism 129 such as an evaporator 124, a cooling fan 125, and a cooling damper 126 is arranged behind the freezing chamber 112 provided at the lower stage. In addition, a compressor 121 and a condenser (not shown) are arranged outside the heat-insulating box body 110 such as in a machine room 120, and the evaporator 124, the cooling fan 125, etc. are arranged in a cooling area 128 located inside the rear of the heat-insulating box body 110.

[0013] Also, a control unit is provided inside the refrigerator 100 as described later. This control unit controls each unit of the refrigerator 100 such as the cooling mechanism 129. That is, by driving the compressor 121 by the control unit 130, the operation of the refrigeration cycle is started, and the refrigerant circulates inside the cycle. The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 121 is condensed while releasing heat in the condenser. Subsequently, the high-temperature refrigerant expands in the expander to become low-temperature and is sent to the evaporator 124. The refrigerant flowing into the evaporator 124 exchanges heat with the air flowing in the cooling area 128, evaporates while absorbing heat, becomes a gaseous refrigerant, and is sent to the compressor 121.

[0014] In this way, by circulating the refrigerant and operating the refrigeration cycle, cold air exchanged with the evaporator 124 is generated.

[0015] As described above, the evaporator 124 is disposed in a cooling area 128 provided on the rear side of the refrigerator 100. The cooling area 128 is disposed behind the freezer compartment 112. In addition to the evaporator 124, a cooling fan 125 is provided in the cooling area 128. The cooling fan 125 is provided to circulate air between the cooling area 128 and each storage space. That is, the cooling fan 125 sends the cold air generated by the evaporator 124 during the operation of the refrigeration cycle or the like to each storage space, that is, each cooling chamber, via a cold air circuit 127 such as a cooling damper 126 and air outlets 111Y, 112Y, and returns the cold air supplied to each storage chamber to the cooling area 128 through inlets 111Z, 112Z.

[0016] In the present embodiment, a cooling damper 126 is provided in a cold air circuit (refrigerator compartment cold air circuit) between the cooling fan 125 and the air outlet 111Y to the refrigerator compartment 111, and the cooling damper 126 is opened when cold air is to be sent to the refrigerator compartment 111 according to an instruction from the control unit 130. When cold air is not sent to the refrigerator compartment 111, that is, when cold air is sent only to the freezer compartment 112, the cooling damper 126 is closed according to an instruction from the control unit 130. <Functional Configuration of Refrigerator 100>

[0017] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, an aspect of the configuration of the refrigerator 100 will be described. The refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment includes, as main components, a control unit 130, an operation unit 140, a cooling mechanism 129, a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 181, and a freezer compartment temperature sensor 182.

[0018] The control unit 130 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 131, a memory 132, a timer 133, various interfaces, and various circuits.

[0019] The CPU 131 executes various processes described later by executing programs stored in the memory 132.

[0020] The memory 132 is realized by various types of RAM, various types of ROM, etc., and stores programs executed by the CPU 131, data generated by the execution of programs by the CPU 131, data input via the operation unit 140, data received from a server via a router or the Internet, and various types of data for keeping the refrigerator compartment 111 and the freezer compartment 112 at a predetermined temperature. In the present embodiment, the memory 132 stores a standard duty ratio corresponding to the rotation speed of the cooling fan 125. Note that the standard duty ratio is the duty ratio for maintaining the target rotation speed when the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112 is closed.

[0021] The timer 133 measures the current date and time and inputs it to the CPU 131, or measures the elapsed time from a predetermined timing and inputs it to the CPU 131.

[0022] The operation unit 140 receives operations from the user and inputs them to the control unit 130.

[0023] The cooling mechanism 129 mainly includes a compressor 121, a condenser 122, a capillary tube 123, an evaporator 124, a cooling fan 125, a cooling damper 126, etc. The compressor 121 and the cooling fan 125 change their ON / OFF states or rotation speeds according to instructions from the control unit 130. The cooling damper 126 performs an opening / closing operation according to instructions from the control unit 130.

[0024] The refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 181 measures the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 111 and inputs the measurement result to the control unit 130.

[0025] The freezer compartment temperature sensor 182 is arranged inside the freezer compartment 112 or near the evaporator 124, etc., measures the temperature of the freezer compartment 112, and inputs the measurement result to the control unit 130. <Control of the cooling fan 125>

[0026] Next, the control of the cooling fan 125 by the control unit 130 according to this embodiment will be described. Based on the measured values of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 181 and the freezer compartment temperature sensor 182 and the target temperature, the control unit 130 turns the cooling fan 125 on / off, opens / closes the cooling damper 126, and turns the compressor 121 on / off.

[0027] For example, when the temperature of the freezer compartment 112 is higher than the target temperature, the control unit 130 turns on the compressor 121 and drives the cooling fan 125. Then, the control unit 130 increases the rotation speed of the compressor 121 and the rotation speed of the cooling fan 125 as the temperature of the freezer compartment 112 deviates from the target temperature. Conversely, when the temperature of the freezer compartment 112 is close to the target temperature, the control unit 130 decreases or stops the rotation speed of the compressor 121 and decreases or stops the rotation speed of the cooling fan 125.

[0028] When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 111 is higher than the target temperature, the control unit 130 opens the cooling damper 126, turns on the compressor 121, and drives the cooling fan 125. Then, the control unit 130 increases the rotation speed of the compressor 121 and the rotation speed of the cooling fan 125 with the cooling damper 126 open as the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 111 deviates from the target temperature. Conversely, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 111 is lower than the target temperature, the control unit 130 closes the cooling damper 126, stops the compressor 121, and stops the cooling fan 125.

[0029] More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the control unit 130 controls the rotational speed of the cooling fan 125 by inputting a PWM signal to the cooling fan 125 while checking the rotational speed of the cooling fan 125 based on the pulse signal from the cooling fan 125. That is, when the rotational speed based on the pulse signal from the cooling fan 125 is lower than the target, the control unit 130 increases the duty ratio of the PWM signal to the cooling fan 125. Conversely, when the rotational speed based on the pulse signal from the cooling fan 125 is higher than the target, the control unit 130 decreases the duty ratio of the PWM signal to the cooling fan 125 to maintain the cooling fan 125 at the target rotational speed.

[0030] Here, the cooling fan 125 reaches the target rotational speed even with a low duty ratio in an environment where air flows easily, that is, in a situation where the air resistance is small. However, in an environment where air does not flow easily, that is, in a situation where the air resistance is large, the cooling fan 125 cannot reach the target rotational speed without a high duty ratio.

[0031] Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112 is open, air can freely enter and exit, so the air flows easily, and the cooling fan 125 reaches the target rotational speed even with a low duty ratio. Conversely, when the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112 is closed, air cannot freely enter and exit, so the air does not flow easily, and the duty ratio required for the cooling fan 125 to reach the target rotational speed increases.

[0032] Utilizing this point, the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment acquires the current duty ratio and compares it with a reference value for the target rotational speed. When the measured value is significantly lower than the reference value, the control unit 130 determines that the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112 is open or outputs error information. <Temperature control of freezer compartment>

[0033] More specifically, in the present embodiment, the control unit 130 executes the following control to detect that the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112 is open.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 8, first, the control unit 130 determines whether or not the cooling fan 102 is driven (step S102). When the cooling fan 102 is not driven (NO in step S102), the control unit 130 resets the timer 133 (step S104).

[0035] When the cooling fan 102 is driven (YES in step S102), the control unit 130 starts measuring the elapsed time of the first period by the timer 133 (step S106). If the timer 133 has already started measuring the first period, the measurement continues.

[0036] When the timer 133 reaches a predetermined time, for example, one minute (YES in step S108), the control unit 130 reads out a reference Duty ratio corresponding to the rotation speed of the cooling fan (step S110).

[0037] The control unit 130 acquires the current actual Duty ratio (step S112).

[0038] The control unit 130 determines whether or not the current actual Duty ratio is significantly smaller than the reference Duty ratio (step S116). For example, it is determined whether it is smaller than the reference value by 5% or more.

[0039] When the current actual Duty ratio is not significantly smaller than the reference Duty ratio (NO in step S116), the control unit 130 determines that the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112 is closed and ends the current process.

[0040] When the current actual Duty ratio is significantly smaller than the reference Duty ratio (YES in step S116), the control unit 130 starts measuring the elapsed time of the second period by the timer 133 (step S118). If the measurement of the second period by the timer 133 has already started, the measurement continues as it is.

[0041] When the second elapsed time reaches a predetermined time, for example, 30 seconds (when YES in step S120), the control unit 130 resets the timer 133 (step S122), and outputs from a speaker, a display unit, etc. that the door 112X is open (step S124). [Second Embodiment]

[0042] In addition to the above embodiment, different criteria may be prepared according to whether the cooling damper 126 is open or closed. This is because the air resistance and the duty ratio may vary depending on the open / closed state of the cooling damper 126.

[0043] In the present embodiment, the memory 132 stores the standard duty ratio corresponding to the open / closed state of the damper and the rotation speed of the cooling fan, that is, the duty ratio when the door 112X is closed.

[0044] For example, referring to FIG. 9, when the timer 133 reaches a predetermined time, for example, 1 minute (when YES in step S108), the control unit 130 acquires the open / closed state of the cooling damper 126 (step S209).

[0045] Then, the reference duty ratio corresponding to the open / closed state of the cooling damper 126 and the rotation speed of the cooling fan 125 is read out (step S210).

[0046] The control unit 130 acquires the current actual duty ratio (step S112).

[0047] The control unit 130 determines whether the current actual duty ratio is significantly smaller than the reference duty ratio (step S116). [Third Embodiment]

[0048] In addition to the above-described embodiments, when the temperature change in the freezer compartment 112 is large, it is also possible to determine whether the door 112X is opened or closed. For example, the control unit 130 uses the freezer compartment temperature sensor 182 to accumulate the measurement results of the temperature in the freezer compartment 112 in the memory 132. Then, when the temperature change is larger than a predetermined level, the processes shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are executed. [Fourth Embodiment]

[0049] In the above-described embodiments, the refrigerator 100 without the door opening / closing sensor for the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 10, a magnet sensor 184 may be provided on the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112. Then, when the magnet sensor 184 detects that the door 112X is closed, the control unit 130 executes the processes shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. That is, when for some reason the magnet sensor 184 cannot detect the opening of the door 112X, the opening of the door 112X is detected based on the duty ratio as described above. In other words, when the freezer compartment opening / closing sensor 184 detects an opening or when an opening is detected based on the duty ratio, the control unit 130 determines that the door 112X is open, and when the freezer compartment opening / closing sensor 184 detects that the door is closed and when it is detected based on the duty ratio that the door is closed, the control unit 130 determines that the door 112X is closed.

[0050] Alternatively, when the control unit 130 detects that the door 112X is closed after being opened using the freezer compartment opening / closing sensor 184, the control unit 130 may execute the processes shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Also in this case, when for some reason the freezer compartment opening / closing sensor 184 cannot detect that the door 112X is open, the opening of the door 112X can be detected based on the duty ratio as described above. [Fifth Embodiment]

[0051] In the above-described embodiments, the opening and closing of the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112 are detected based on the duty ratio of the cooling fan 125. However, it may be possible to detect the opening and closing of the door 111X of the refrigerator compartment 111 based on the duty ratio of the cooling fan 125.

[0052] In other words, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the opening and closing of the door of the room in front of the evaporator 124, here the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112, was detected based on the duty ratio of the cooling fan 125. However, based on the duty ratio of the cooling fan 125, the opening and closing of the door of a room at a position higher than the evaporator 124 or the door 111X of a room at a position lower than the evaporator 124 may be detected. [Sixth Embodiment]

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 130 of the refrigerator 100 determines the opening and closing of the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112 and the door 111X of the refrigerator compartment 111. However, as shown in FIG. 11, a server 300 that can be connected to the refrigerator 100 via the Internet or a router 400 may execute those processes. The entire system including the server 300 and the refrigerator 100 connected via the Internet is also referred to as a network system 1.

[0054] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the server 300 includes, as main components, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 310, a memory 320, an operation unit 340, a communication interface 360, and a timer 370.

[0055] The CPU 310 controls each part of the server 300 by executing a program stored in the memory 320. For example, the CPU 310 executes a program stored in the memory 320 and refers to various data to execute various processes described later.

[0056] The memory 320 is implemented by various types of RAM, various types of ROM, etc., and may be included in the server 300, may be detachable from various interfaces of the server 300, or may be a recording medium of another device accessible from the server 300. The memory 320 stores programs executed by the CPU 310 and data generated by the execution of programs by the CPU 310. In particular, in the present embodiment, the memory 320 stores, for each refrigerator 100, a standard duty ratio corresponding to the rotation speed of the cooling fan 125, opening / closing history data of the door 205, operation history data, and the like.

[0057] The operation unit 340 receives commands from, for example, a service administrator and inputs the commands to the CPU 310.

[0058] The communication interface 360 transmits data from the CPU 310 to other devices such as the refrigerator 100 via the Internet, a carrier network, a router, etc. Conversely, the communication interface 360 receives data from other devices such as the refrigerator 100 and a communication terminal via the Internet, a carrier network, a router, etc. and delivers it to the CPU 310.

[0059] The timer 370 inputs the current date and time to the CPU 310 or inputs the elapsed time from a predetermined timing to the CPU 310.

[0060] Then, the CPU 310 receives data regarding the duty ratio of the cooling fan 125 from the refrigerator 100 via the communication interface 360 and compares it with the reference value in the memory 320, that is, by executing the same processing as the control unit 130 in the above embodiment, it determines whether the door 112X of the freezer compartment 112 or the door 111X of the refrigerator compartment 111 is open.

[0061] The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims be included. Also, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of different embodiments described in this specification with each other are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

Explanation of Signs

[0062] 100: Refrigerator 102: Cooling fan 111: Refrigerating compartment 112: Freezing compartment 112X: Door 125: Cooling fan 126: Cooling damper 130: Control unit 184: Freezing compartment opening / closing sensor

Claims

1. A cooling device having a cooling chamber, comprising: a door for opening and closing the cooling chamber; a cooling mechanism for generating cold air; a fan for sending the cold air to the cooling chamber; a control unit configured to determine an open / closed state of the door based on information regarding a load of the fan.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that the door is in an open state when a load of the fan is lower than a reference value.

3. The cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the reference value is set according to a rotation speed of the fan.

4. The cooling device according to claim 2, further comprising a damper disposed in a passage through which the cold air from the cooling mechanism passes, wherein the reference value is set for each open / closed state of the damper.

5. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for measuring a temperature of the cooling chamber, wherein the control unit makes the determination when a change in the temperature of the cooling chamber is large.

6. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit makes the determination after a predetermined time has elapsed since the fan started to be driven.

7. A server comprising: a communication interface for communicating with a cooling device having a cooling chamber; and a control unit configured to obtain information regarding a load of a fan of the cooling device from the cooling device and determine an open / closed state of a door of the cooling device based on the information.

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