Cooling device

Abstract

To provide a novel technology for detecting that an amount of frosting to a chiller is large.SOLUTION: A refrigerator including a cooling room is disclosed. The refrigerator includes: a chiller for generating cool air; a fan for sending the cool air into the cooling room; and a control unit for determining that an amount of frosting to the chiller is large on the basis of information relating to the load on the fan. The control unit determines that an amount of frosting to the chiller is large when the load on the fan is larger than a reference value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe techniques relating to determining the timing of defrosting and estimating the amount of frost. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-225158 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-100647 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a new technique for detecting a large amount of frost on a cooler. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator having a cooling compartment is provided, the refrigerator including a cooler that generates cool air, a fan that sends the cool air to the cooling compartment, and a control unit that determines whether the amount of frost on the cooler is large based on information related to a load of the fan. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a new technique for detecting a high amount of frost on a cooler is provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a control configuration for controlling the rotation speed of a cooling fan by a control unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a PWM signal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is an image diagram showing pulses of rotation of a fan according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of frost formed on the cooler and the duty ratio according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 5 is a flowchart showing information processing by a control unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing information processing by a control unit according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing information processing by a control unit according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of a network system 1 according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server according to a sixth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and 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 compartment 111 and a freezing compartment 112 will be described as an example of a cooling device.

[0010] Refrigerator 100 is mainly composed of an insulated box 110. This insulated box 110 forms a storage space of refrigerator 100. The storage space formed by insulated box 110 has refrigeration compartment 111 provided at the top and freezer compartment 112 provided at the bottom, for example, by a horizontally extending insulated partition.

[0011] The refrigerator compartment 111 is provided with a refrigerator compartment door 111X. The freezer compartment 112 is also provided with a freezer compartment door 112X.

[0012] In refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment, a cooling mechanism 129 including cooler 124, cooling fan 125, and cooling damper 126 is arranged behind freezer compartment 112 provided on the lower level. Compressor 121, a condenser (not shown), and the like are arranged outside heat-insulating box 110, such as in machine compartment 120, and cooler 124, cooling fan 125, defrost heater 119, and the like are arranged in cooling area 128 located inside and behind heat-insulating box 110.

[0013] A control unit is also provided inside refrigerator 100, as will be described later. This control unit controls each unit of refrigerator 100, such as cooling mechanism 129. That is, when control unit 130 drives compressor 121, operation of the refrigeration cycle begins, and refrigerant circulates within the cycle. The high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant compressed by compressor 121 is condensed in the condenser while releasing heat. Next, the high-temperature refrigerant expands in the expander to a low temperature, and is sent to cooler 124. The refrigerant that flows into cooler 124 exchanges heat with the air circulating within cooling area 128, evaporates while absorbing heat, and becomes a gas refrigerant that is sent to compressor 121.

[0014] In this way, the refrigerant circulates and the refrigeration cycle operates, whereby cold air is generated through heat exchange with the cooler 124 .

[0015] As described above, the cooler 124 is disposed in the 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 cooler 124, the cooling area 128 is provided with a cooling fan 125. 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 out the cold air generated by the cooler 124 during operation of the refrigeration cycle, for example, to each storage space, i.e., each cooling compartment, via the cooling damper 126 and the cold air circuit 127, including the outlets 111Y and 112Y, and also returns the cold air supplied to each storage compartment to the cooling area 128 via the inlets 111Z and 112Z.

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

[0017] Next, one embodiment of the configuration of refrigerator 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment includes, as main components, control unit 130, operation unit 140, cooling mechanism 129, refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 181, and 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 programs stored in the memory 132 to perform various processes, which will be described later.

[0020] Memory 132 is realized by various types of RAM, various types of ROM, etc., and stores programs executed by CPU 131, data generated by execution of the programs by CPU 131, data input via operation unit 140, data received from a server via a router or the Internet, various types of data for maintaining refrigerator compartment 111 and freezer compartment 112 at predetermined temperatures, etc. In this embodiment, memory 132 stores a standard duty ratio when cooler 124 is not frosted, in other words, an ideal duty ratio.

[0021] The timer 133 measures the current date and time and inputs the result to the CPU 131 , and measures the time that has elapsed since a predetermined timing and inputs the result 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, a cooler 124, a cooling fan 125, a cooling damper 126, and a defrost heater 119. The compressor 121 and the cooling fan 125 are turned on / off and their rotation speeds are changed according to instructions from the control unit 130. The cooling damper 126 performs opening and closing operations according to instructions from the control unit 130. The defrost heater 119 is turned on / off 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] Freezer compartment temperature sensor 182 is disposed inside freezer compartment 112 or near cooler 124 , measures the temperature of freezer compartment 112 , and inputs the measurement result to control unit 130 . <Control of cooling fan 125>

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

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

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

[0029] 4 to 6, the control unit 130 controls the rotation speed of the cooling fan 125 by inputting a PWM signal to the cooling fan 125 while checking the rotation speed of the cooling fan 125 based on the pulse signal from the cooling fan 125. That is, if the rotation 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, if the rotation 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, thereby maintaining the cooling fan 125 at the target rotation speed.

[0030] Here, cooling fan 125 can reach the target rotation speed even with a low duty ratio in an environment where air flows easily, i.e., where air resistance is low, but in an environment where air flows poorly, i.e., where air resistance is high, a high duty ratio is required to reach the target rotation speed.

[0031] 7, for example, when there is little frost on cooler 124, air flows more easily, i.e., air resistance is reduced, and cooling fan 125 reaches the target rotation speed even with a low duty ratio. Conversely, when there is a lot of frost on cooler 124, air flows more slowly, i.e., air resistance is increased, and the duty ratio for cooling fan 125 to reach the target rotation speed is increased.

[0032] Taking advantage of this, the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment acquires the current duty ratio and compares it with a reference value. If the measured value is significantly higher than the reference value, the control unit 130 determines that there is a lot of frost on the cooler 124 and starts a defrosting operation. <Freezer temperature control>

[0033] More specifically, in this embodiment, the control unit 130 executes the following control to detect that the amount of frost on the cooler 124 is large.

[0034] 8, first, the control unit 130 determines whether the cooling fan 102 is operating (step S102). If the cooling fan 102 is not operating (NO in step S102), the control unit 130 resets the timer 133 (step S104).

[0035] If the cooling fan 102 is being 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 timer 133 continues measuring.

[0036] When the timer 133 reaches a predetermined time, for example, one minute (YES in step S108), the control unit 130 acquires the current actual duty ratio (step S112).

[0037] The control unit 130 determines whether the current actual duty ratio is significantly larger than the reference duty ratio (step S116), for example, whether it is 10% or more larger than the reference value.

[0038] If the current actual duty ratio is not significantly greater than the reference duty ratio (NO in step S116), control unit 130 determines that the amount of frost formed on cooler 124 is small, and ends the current process.

[0039] If the current actual duty ratio is significantly greater than the reference duty ratio (YES in step S116), control unit 130 determines that a large amount of frost has adhered to cooler 124, and executes a defrosting operation (step S120). For example, control unit 130 stops compressor 121 and turns on defrost heater 119 to melt and remove the frost adhered to cooler 124. [Second embodiment]

[0040] In addition to the above embodiment, in this embodiment, different criteria for determining the amount of frost formation may be prepared depending on the rotation speed of the cooling fan 125. This is because the air resistance and duty ratio may differ depending on the rotation speed of the cooling fan 125.

[0041] In this embodiment, the memory 132 stores, for each rotation speed of the cooling fan 125, a corresponding standard duty ratio, that is, a duty ratio when the cooling fan 125 is not attached to the cooler 124.

[0042] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, when the timer 133 reaches a predetermined time, for example, one minute (YES in step S108), the control unit 130 reads out a standard duty ratio corresponding to the rotation speed of the cooling fan (step S110).

[0043] The control unit 130 acquires the current actual duty ratio (step S112), and then determines whether the current actual duty ratio is significantly greater than the reference duty ratio (step S116). [Third embodiment]

[0044] In addition to the above embodiment, different criteria may be prepared depending on whether the cooling damper 126 is open or closed. This is because the air resistance and duty ratio may differ depending on whether the cooling damper 126 is open or closed.

[0045] In this 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 cooler 124 is not attached.

[0046] For example, referring to FIG. 10, when timer 133 reaches a predetermined time, for example, one minute (YES in step S108), control unit 130 acquires the open / closed state of cooling damper 126 (step S209).

[0047] Then, the standard 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).

[0048] The control unit 130 acquires the current actual duty ratio (step S112), and then determines whether the current actual duty ratio is significantly greater than the reference duty ratio (step S116). [Fourth embodiment]

[0049] In addition to the above embodiment, if there is a large change in temperature in freezer compartment 112, it may be determined whether there is a large amount of frost on cooler 124. For example, control unit 130 uses freezer compartment temperature sensor 182 to store the measurement results of the temperature inside freezer compartment 112 in memory 132. Then, if the change in temperature is larger than a predetermined level, the process shown in Fig. 8, Fig. 9, or Fig. 10 is executed.

[0050] Alternatively, when the temperature drop in freezer compartment 112 or refrigerator compartment 111 is smaller than a predetermined level even after compressor 121 and cooling fan 125 are driven, control unit 130 may execute the processing shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 9, or FIG. [Fifth embodiment]

[0051] In the above embodiment, the refrigerator 100 is described as having no open / close sensors for the doors 111X, 112X of the refrigerator compartment 111 and the freezer compartment 112. However, as shown in Fig. 11 , the doors 111X, 112X of the refrigerator compartment 111 and the freezer compartment 112 may be provided with open / close sensors 183, 184. When the open / close sensors 183, 184 are used to detect that the doors 111X, 112X are closed, the control unit 130 executes the processes shown in Fig. 8, 9, and 10. By comparing the standard duty ratio when the doors 111X, 112X are closed with the duty ratio measured when the doors 111X, 112X are closed, the degree of frost formation can be estimated more accurately. [Sixth embodiment]

[0052] In the above embodiment, control unit 130 of refrigerator 100 determines whether there is a lot of frost on cooler 124. However, as shown in Fig. 12, server 300 connectable to refrigerator 100 via the Internet or router 400 may execute this process. The entire set of server 300, refrigerator 100, and the like connected via the Internet is also referred to as network system 1.

[0053] For example, as shown in FIG. 13, 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.

[0054] CPU 310 controls each unit of server 300 by executing a program stored in memory 320. For example, CPU 310 executes a program stored in memory 320 and performs various processes, which will be described later, by referring to various data.

[0055] Memory 320 is realized by various types of RAM, various types of ROM, etc., and may be included in server 300, may be detachable from various interfaces of server 300, or may be a recording medium of another device accessible from server 300. Memory 320 stores programs executed by CPU 310 and data generated by the execution of programs by CPU 310. Particularly in the present embodiment, memory 320 stores, for each refrigerator 100, a standard duty ratio corresponding to the rotation speed of cooling fan 125, operation history data, etc.

[0056] The operation unit 340 receives commands from the service administrator or the like, and inputs the commands to the CPU 310 .

[0057] Communication interface 360 transmits data from CPU 310 to other devices such as refrigerator 100 via the Internet, a carrier network, a router, etc. Conversely, communication interface 360 receives data from other devices such as refrigerator 100 or a communication terminal via the Internet, a carrier network, a router, etc., and passes the data to CPU 310.

[0058] Timer 370 inputs the current date and time to CPU 310, and inputs the elapsed time from a predetermined timing to CPU 310.

[0059] Then, CPU 310 receives data on the duty ratio of cooling fan 125 from refrigerator 100 via communication interface 360, and compares the data with the reference value in memory 320, i.e., executes the same process as control unit 130 in the above embodiment, thereby determining whether or not there is a lot of frost on cooler 124.

[0060] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. Furthermore, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in this specification are also included in the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 100: Refrigerator 102: Cooling fan 111: Refrigerator 112: Freezer 119: Defrost heater 121: Compressor 124:Cooler 125: Cooling fan 126: Cooling damper 127: Cooling circuit 130: Control unit

Claims

1. A refrigerator having a cooling compartment, A cooler that generates cold air; a fan for sending the cool air into the cooling chamber; a control unit that determines that the amount of frost on the cooler is large based on information about the load of the fan.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines that the amount of frost formed on the cooler is large when the load on the fan is larger than a reference value.

3. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the reference value is set in accordance with the rotational speed of the fan.

4. Further, a damper is provided in a passage through which the cold air from the cooler passes. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the reference value is set for each opening and closing of the damper.

5. a sensor for measuring the temperature of the cooling chamber; The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit makes the determination when there is a large change in the temperature of the cooling compartment.

6. The refrigerator 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 communication interface for communicating with a refrigerator having a cooling compartment; a control unit that acquires information regarding a load on a fan of the refrigerator from the refrigerator, and determines that an amount of frost formed on a cooler of the refrigerator is large based on the information.

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