Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator capable of suppressing deterioration of cooling capacity of a cooler even if a door is kept open.SOLUTION: In a refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment, a heating device 19 that heats a cooling device 15 is provided on an upstream side of the cooling device 15 in an air flow direction, a blower 16 that blows the air cooled by the cooling device 15 to storage compartments 5, 6 is provided on the downstream side of the cooling device 15 in the air flow direction, and when the door opening / closing detection units 5b, 6b that detect the opening / closing of doors 5a, 6a detect an open state of the doors 5a, 6a, a control unit 27 executes first control of rotating the blower 16 at a lower rotation speed than the rotation speed of the blower 16 in refrigerating operation while supplying the refrigerant to the cooling device 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional refrigerators, when the cooler that constitutes the refrigeration cycle device becomes cold, frost forms on the outer surface of the cooler. It is known that the cooling capacity of the cooler decreases when frost forms on the cooler. Therefore, preventing frost from forming on the cooler and removing frost that has formed on the cooler (defrosting) are necessary to improve the performance of the refrigerator. For this reason, defrosting is performed by heating the cooler with a heating device such as a heater while the cooling operation of the storage compartment is stopped.

[0003] In a refrigerator, if the door is left half-open with a relatively small gap between it and the main body of the refrigerator, air from outside the refrigerator will flow into the refrigerator, causing the temperature inside the refrigerator to rise, and there is also the risk that frost will build up on the cooler, preventing the interior from cooling smoothly after the door is closed.

[0004] Patent Document 1 listed below proposes a refrigerator that, when the door for the refrigerator compartment is opened, forces the blower fan to circulate cool air for a preset period of time, thereby circulating cool air from the cooler inside the refrigerator compartment when the door is open, thereby suppressing a rise in temperature inside the refrigerator compartment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2000-146394 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the refrigerator of Patent Document 1, if the door is left open for a long period of time, frost is likely to form on the entire cooler, and frost may also form in locations where heat from the defrosting heating device is difficult to transfer, which may cause a decrease in the cooling capacity of the cooler.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can prevent a decrease in the cooling capacity of the cooler even if the door is kept open for a long period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The refrigerator of this embodiment includes a refrigerator main body having a storage compartment, a door provided in the refrigerator main body, a door open / close detection unit that detects whether the door is open or closed, a cooling device having a compressor and a cooler to which refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied, a blower that blows air cooled by the cooler into the storage compartment, a heating device that heats the cooler, and a control unit that controls the cooling device, the blower, the door open / close detection unit, and the heating device, wherein the control unit performs a cooling operation in which, with the door closed, the refrigerator drives the compressor to supply refrigerant to the cooler while rotating the blower to cool the storage compartment, and the heating device is configured to heat more an upstream side of the cooler in an air flow direction than a downstream side, and when the door open / close detection unit detects that the door is open, the control unit performs a first control to rotate the blower at a rotation speed lower than the rotation speed of the blower in the cooling operation while supplying refrigerant to the cooler. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Schematic diagram showing a cooling device in the refrigerator of FIG. [Figure 3] Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the refrigerator in Figure 1 [Figure 4] Flow diagram showing control during frost suppression operation [Figure 5]A timing chart showing the operation of the compressor, the switching valve, the refrigeration fan, and the freezer fan in the refrigerator of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A refrigerator 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (1) Configuration of Refrigerator 1 As shown in Fig. 1, refrigerator 1 has refrigerator body 2, which is an insulated box with an opening at the front. Refrigerator body 2 is a vertically long insulated box with an opening at the front and an interior storage space, with insulation material 2c such as a vacuum insulation panel or urethane foam placed in the gap between outer box 2a made of steel plate and inner box 2b made of synthetic resin formed by vacuum forming. The storage space formed inside refrigerator body 2 is insulated and partitioned by an insulated partition wall into an upper refrigeration space and a lower freezer space.

[0012] The refrigerated space formed by a single inner box 2b is divided into upper and lower sections, adjacent to each other, and includes a refrigerated compartment 3 with multiple shelves and a vegetable compartment 4 with a lower case and an upper case that serve as storage containers.

[0013] The refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 are storage compartments that are cooled to a refrigeration temperature (for example, 0 to 4°C). The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 3 is closed by a pair of heat-insulating refrigerator compartment doors 3a on the left and right that open like double doors and divide the opening in the width direction.

[0014] The refrigerator compartment door 3a is pivotally supported by hinges on both the left and right sides of the refrigerator body. An operation display unit 7 is provided on the front of the refrigerator compartment door 3a to receive settings for the refrigerator 1 from the user and to display the setting status of the refrigerator 1.

[0015] The interior of the refrigerator compartment 3 is divided into multiple levels by multiple shelves 3c. A chilled compartment 3d for storing drawer containers is provided in the space below the lowest shelf 3c, and forms a small storage compartment provided within the refrigerator compartment 3. A refrigerator temperature detector 25 for measuring the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 3 is provided on the back of the refrigerator compartment 3.

[0016] The front opening of the vegetable compartment 4 is closed by a drawer-type vegetable compartment door 4a. A pair of left and right support frames that hold storage containers are fixed to the inside of the vegetable compartment door 4a, and the storage containers are configured to be pulled out of the compartment when the door is opened.

[0017] The freezer space below the heat-insulating partition wall is a space that is kept cooled to a freezing temperature (for example, -18°C to -20°C) and includes an ice-making compartment, a first freezer compartment 5, and a second freezer compartment 6. The ice-making compartment and first freezer compartment 5 are arranged side by side below the vegetable compartment 4, with the heat-insulating wall in between. Below the ice-making compartment and first freezer compartment 5, second freezer compartment 6, which includes a lower case and an upper case, is located.

[0018] The front openings of the ice making compartment, first freezer compartment 5 and second freezer compartment 6 are closed by pull-out doors 5a, 6a, similar to the vegetable compartment 4, and are configured so that the storage containers stored in the ice making compartment, first freezer compartment 5 and second freezer compartment 6 are pulled out of the compartment when the doors are opened.

[0019] Door opening / closing detection units 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b such as push button switches or reed switches are provided around the front openings of the refrigerator compartment 3, vegetable compartment 4, ice making compartment, first freezer compartment 5, and second freezer compartment 6 to detect the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment door 3a, vegetable compartment door 4a, ice making compartment door, first freezer compartment door 5a, and second freezer compartment door 6a (see Figure 3).

[0020] Further, on the rear surface of the second freezing compartment 6, a freezing temperature detector 26 for measuring the temperature inside the second freezing compartment 6 is provided.

[0021] A refrigerator cooler compartment 14 is provided at the rear of the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4, and is separated into front and rear compartments by a cold air duct 12 and an evaporative cover 13. The refrigerator cooler compartment 14 houses a refrigerator cooler 10, a refrigerator blower 11, etc.

[0022] The refrigeration blower 11 cools the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 by supplying the air in the refrigerator cooler compartment 14 cooled by the refrigerator cooler 10 to the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 via the cold air duct 12.

[0023] At the back of the freezing temperature storage compartments (ice-making compartment, first freezing compartment 5, second freezing compartment 6), there is a freezing cooler compartment 18 separated from the freezing temperature storage compartments by a cover body 17 that forms a cold air duct.

[0024] A freezer cooler 15, which is cooled to a lower temperature than the refrigerated cooler 10, is provided inside freezer cooler chamber 18, and a freezer blower 16 is provided above freezer cooler 15. Freezer blower 16 is provided downstream of freezer cooler 15 in the air flow direction in freezer cooler chamber 18, and draws in air from freezer cooler 15 inside freezer cooler chamber 18 through intake port 16a and blows it out through outlet port 16b into the duct. In this way, the air cooled by freezer cooler 15 is supplied to the ice making compartment, first freezer compartment 5, and second freezer compartment 6 via the duct, cooling the ice making compartment, first freezer compartment 5, and second freezer compartment 6.

[0025] Further, in the freeze cooler chamber 18, there are disposed a heating device 19 that heats the freeze cooler 15 to defrost it, and a drain gutter 20 that receives defrost water generated from the freeze cooler 15. In this embodiment, the heating device 19 is disposed below the freeze cooler 15, and defrosts the freeze cooler 15 by heating the upstream side of the freeze cooler 15 in the air flow direction using radiant heat. At this time, the melted defrost water is received in the drain gutter 20 and discharged into a drain gutter (not shown) disposed in the machine room 21.

[0026] The arrangement of the heating device 19 is not limited to the above-described arrangement only on the upstream side of the air flow direction of the cryocooler 15. The heating device 19 may be provided on both the upwind side and the downwind side of the cryocooler 15, or may be provided along the entire cryocooler 15, as long as the heating device 19 is arranged to heat the upstream side of the air flow direction of the cryocooler 15 (the upwind side of the cryocooler 15) more than the downstream side of the air flow direction of the cryocooler 15 (the downwind side of the cryocooler 15) by, for example, arranging heat sources more densely on the upstream side of the air flow direction of the cryocooler 15 than on the downstream side, or by setting the thermal output of a heating device arranged upstream of the heating device arranged downstream of the air flow direction of the cryocooler 15 to be higher.

[0027] An inwardly recessed machine room 21 is formed on the outside of the lower rear surface of the refrigerator body 2. In this machine room 21, a compressor 22 and a condenser 23 that form part of the cooling device, a cooling fan (not shown), and an evaporation tray (not shown) that evaporates defrosted water are arranged.

[0028] Further, on the outside of the refrigerator main body 2, for example, on the rear upper surface of the ceiling wall of the refrigerator main body 2, a control unit 27 consisting of a control board on which a microcomputer for controlling the refrigerator 1 is mounted is provided.

[0029] (2) Cooling device Next, the cooling device of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The cooling device of the refrigerator 1 is a refrigeration cycle device that includes a compressor 22, a condenser 23, a switching valve 29, a refrigerating cooler 10, a freezing cooler 15, etc., and is configured by connecting these components with piping.

[0030] In detail, compressor 22 is a variable capacity compressor that can change the amount of refrigerant discharged per unit time by changing the operating frequency (number of rotations per second) through inverter control, and discharges high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant.

[0031] A condenser 23, a heat radiation pipe 24, and the inlet side of a switching valve 29 are connected in series to the discharge side of the compressor 22. The condenser 23 receives the refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor 22, liquefies it by radiating heat, and then supplies the liquefied refrigerant to the switching valve 29 via the heat radiation pipe 24 connected to the outlet side of the condenser 23.

[0032] One refrigerant outlet of the switching valve 29 is connected to a refrigeration refrigerant flow path that connects in series a refrigeration pressure reducing device 30, a refrigeration cooler 10, a refrigeration accumulator 32, and a refrigeration suction pipe 33. The other refrigerant outlet of the switching valve 29 is connected in parallel to a refrigeration refrigerant flow path that connects in series a refrigeration pressure reducing device 31, a refrigeration cooler 15, a refrigeration accumulator 34, and a refrigeration suction pipe 35.

[0033] The switching valve 29 opens either the refrigerating refrigerant flow path or the freezing refrigerant flow path and closes the other, supplying refrigerant to the open flow path, or closes both flow paths to cut off the supply of refrigerant to both flow paths.

[0034] The freezing suction pipe 35 is connected to the refrigerating suction pipe 33 via a check valve 36 and merges into one, and then connected to the inlet side (suction side) of the compressor 22 via a refrigerant piping to form a refrigerant circuit.

[0035] The refrigerated cooler 10 is provided with a refrigerated cooler temperature detector 37 that detects the temperature of the refrigerated cooler 10, and the freezer cooler 15 is provided with a freezer cooler temperature detector 38 that detects the temperature of the freezer cooler 15 (see Figure 2).

[0036] In such a cooling device, the refrigerant sealed in the refrigerant circuit is compressed by the compressor 22 and transformed into a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, which flows through the condenser 23 and the heat radiation pipe 24 while radiating heat.

[0037] Based on instructions from the control unit 27, the switching valve 29 switches the refrigerant outlet to be opened, thereby switching the liquid refrigerant that has flowed into the switching valve 29 to be supplied to the refrigeration pressure reduction device 30 and the freezing pressure reduction device 31, or by closing all of the refrigerant outlets of the switching valve 29, the supply of refrigerant to the refrigeration cooler 10 and the freezing cooler 15 is cut off.

[0038] The liquid refrigerant supplied from the switching valve 29 to the refrigeration pressure reducing device 30 or the freezing pressure reducing device 31 is decompressed to facilitate evaporation, and vaporizes in the refrigeration cooler 10 or the freezing cooler 15, absorbing heat from the surroundings to lower the temperature of the refrigeration cooler 10 or the freezing cooler 15. As a result, the refrigeration cooler 10 or the freezing cooler 15 cools the air in the refrigeration cooler compartment 14 or the freezing cooler compartment 18 to generate cold air, which cools each storage compartment.

[0039] The gas refrigerant that has passed through the refrigeration cooler 10 passes through the refrigeration accumulator 32 and the refrigeration suction pipe 33 and is sucked into the compressor 22, and the gas refrigerant that has passed through the freezing cooler 15 passes through the freezing accumulator 34 and the freezing suction pipe 35 and is sucked into the compressor 22, and a series of refrigeration cycles are repeated.

[0040] (3) Electrical configuration of refrigerator 1 As shown in FIG. 3 , control unit 27 provided on the top of refrigerator main body 2 is electrically connected to electrical components provided inside or outside refrigerator main body 2, such as door opening / closing detection units 3b, 4b, 5b, and 6b, operation display unit 7, refrigeration blower 11, freezing blower 16, heating device 19, compressor 22, refrigeration temperature detection unit 25, freezing temperature detection unit 26, switching valve 29, refrigeration cooler temperature detection unit 37, and freezing cooler temperature detection unit 38.

[0041] When control unit 27 receives signals from various detection units and signals input from operation display unit 7 by user operation, it controls the overall operation of refrigerator 1, such as operating compressor 22, refrigeration blower 11, and freezer blower 16, turning on and off the power to heating device 19, switching the refrigerant outlet of switching valve 29 between open and closed, and displaying on operation display unit 7, based on the control program stored in memory unit 28.

[0042] (4) Cooling operation of refrigerator 1 In the refrigerator 1, based on the internal temperatures of the refrigerated space and the freezer space detected by the refrigeration temperature detection unit 25 and the freezer temperature detection unit 26, a refrigeration cooling operation is performed to cool the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 in the refrigeration temperature range, and a freezing cooling operation is performed to cool the ice compartment, the first freezer compartment 5, and the second freezer compartment 6 in the freezer temperature range.

[0043] (4-1) Refrigeration cooling operation When the refrigeration cooling start conditions are satisfied, the control unit 27 drives the compressor 22 at a predetermined frequency, opens the outlet on the refrigeration refrigerant flow path side of the switching valve 29 to allow the refrigerant to flow into the refrigeration cooler 10, and further rotates the refrigeration blower 11 to start the refrigeration cooling operation. An example of the refrigeration cooling start condition is when the temperature detected by the refrigeration temperature detection unit 25 becomes equal to or higher than the ON temperature (for example, 5°C) set for the refrigerated space.

[0044] In refrigeration cooling operation, the low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant flowing into refrigeration cooler 10 vaporizes to generate cold air in refrigeration cooler compartment 14. The generated cold air circulates through refrigeration compartment 3 and vegetable compartment 4 by the blowing action of refrigeration blower 11, cooling refrigeration compartment 3 and vegetable compartment 4 to a predetermined refrigeration temperature range.

[0045] The cold air that has circulated within the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 returns to the refrigerator cooler compartment 14 through the intake ports provided on the back of the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4, is cooled by the refrigerator cooler 10, and then is blown back into the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4.

[0046] Then, when a refrigeration cooling termination condition is satisfied during the execution of the refrigeration cooling operation, the control unit 27 terminates the refrigeration cooling operation. Examples of the refrigeration cooling termination condition include (1) when the temperature detected by the refrigeration temperature detection unit 25 reaches the OFF temperature (e.g., 2°C) set for the refrigerated space, (2) when the longest cooling time (e.g., 40 minutes) or more has elapsed since the start of the refrigeration cooling operation, or (3) when the temperature detected by the freezing temperature detection unit 26 reaches the ON temperature (e.g., −18°C) or more set for the freezing space.

[0047] Then, when the refrigeration cooling operation is completed, the control unit 27 drives the compressor 22 at a predetermined frequency while opening the outlet of the switching valve 29 on the refrigeration refrigerant flow path side to allow the refrigerant to flow into the refrigeration cooler 15, and further rotates the refrigeration blower 16 to start the refrigeration cooling operation.

[0048] (4-2) Refrigeration and cooling operation When the freeze-cooling start condition is satisfied, control unit 27 drives compressor 22 at a predetermined first operating frequency F1 (e.g., F1=30 Hz) while opening the outlet on the freeze-coolant flow path side of switching valve 29 to allow refrigerant to flow into freeze-cooler 15, and further rotates freeze-cooling blower 16 at a first rotation speed R1 (e.g., R1=1200 rpm) to start freeze-cooling operation. An example of the freeze-cooling start condition is when the temperature detected by freeze-temperature detection unit 26 becomes equal to or higher than the ON temperature (e.g., −18° C.) set for the freeze-cooling space.

[0049] In the freezing and cooling operation, the low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant flowing into freezing cooler 15 vaporizes to generate cold air in freezing cooler chamber 18. The generated cold air circulates through the ice making compartment, first freezing compartment 5, and second freezing compartment 6 by the blowing action of freezing blower 16, and cools the ice making compartment, first freezing compartment 5, and second freezing compartment 6 to a predetermined freezing temperature range.

[0050] The cold air that has circulated through the ice-making compartment, the first freezer compartment 5, and the second freezer compartment 6 returns to the freezer cooler compartment 18 through an intake port provided on the back of the second freezer compartment 6, is cooled by the freezer cooler 15, and is then blown back into the ice-making compartment, the first freezer compartment 5, and the second freezer compartment 6.

[0051] Then, when a freeze cooling termination condition is satisfied during the freeze cooling operation, control unit 27 terminates the freeze cooling operation. Examples of the freeze cooling termination condition include (1) when the temperature detected by freeze temperature detection unit 26 reaches the OFF temperature (e.g., −21° C.) set for the freezing space, (2) when the longest cooling time (e.g., 90 minutes) or more has elapsed since the start of the freeze operation, or (3) when the temperature detected by refrigeration temperature detection unit 25 reaches or exceeds the ON temperature (e.g., 5° C.) set for the refrigerated space.

[0052] (5) Defrosting operation In the refrigerator 1, while switching between the refrigeration / cooling operation and the freezing / cooling operation, if a predetermined defrosting start condition is satisfied, the refrigerator 1 performs the refrigeration / defrosting operation or the freezing / defrosting operation.

[0053] In addition, when a predetermined defrost start condition is satisfied during the execution of refrigeration cooling operation or freezing cooling operation, the timing for starting refrigeration defrost operation or freezing defrost operation may be such that the refrigeration defrost operation or freezing defrost operation is executed after the currently executing cooling operation is completed and before switching to the next operation, or alternatively, when the defrost start condition is satisfied, the currently executing operation may be stopped and the refrigeration defrost operation or freezing defrost operation may be executed immediately.

[0054] (5-1) Refrigerator defrosting operation The control unit 27 starts the refrigeration defrosting operation when the start conditions for the refrigeration defrosting operation are satisfied. One example of the start conditions for the refrigeration defrosting operation is when the freezing and cooling operation is being performed and the accumulated time during which the temperature detected by the refrigeration cooler temperature detection unit 37 is at or below a predetermined temperature (for example, -10°C) reaches or exceeds a predetermined time (for example, 180 minutes).

[0055] The refrigeration defrosting operation is an operation in which frost adhering to the refrigeration cooler 10 is melted to remove it, and the moisture of the melted frost is supplied to the refrigeration space to humidify the refrigeration space. Specifically, the control unit 27 closes the outlet of the switching valve 29 on the refrigeration refrigerant flow path side, or stops or reduces the operating frequency of the compressor 22, thereby driving the refrigeration blower 11 while stopping or reducing the supply of refrigerant to the refrigeration cooler 10.

[0056] As a result of these controls, the air in the refrigerated space introduced into the refrigerator cooler compartment 14 exchanges heat with the frosted refrigerator cooler 10, and then is returned to the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4. This raises the temperature of the refrigerator cooler 10, melting the frost that has adhered to the refrigerator cooler 10, and the moisture in the melted frost is vaporized and sent to the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 together with the air in the refrigerator cooler compartment 14, thereby humidifying the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4.

[0057] When the termination condition for the refrigeration defrosting operation is satisfied, the control unit 27 stops the rotation of the refrigeration blower 11 and terminates the refrigeration defrosting operation. An example of the termination condition for the refrigeration defrosting operation is when the temperature of the refrigeration cooler 10 detected by the refrigeration cooler temperature detection unit 37 reaches a predetermined temperature (for example, 3°C).

[0058] (5-2) Freezing and defrosting operation The control unit 27 starts the freeze / defrost operation when the start condition of the freeze / defrost operation is satisfied. One example of the start condition of the freeze / defrost operation is when the cumulative operation time of the compressor 22 since the end of the previous freeze / defrost operation reaches a predetermined time t2 (for example, 30 hours).

[0059] The freeze defrosting operation is an operation for melting and removing frost adhering to freeze cooler 15. Specifically, control unit 27 closes the outlet on the refrigeration refrigerant flow path side of switching valve 29 and stops compressor 22, thereby stopping the supply of refrigerant to freeze cooler 15, stopping freeze blower 16, and energizing heating device 19. Through these controls, freeze cooler 15 is heated by radiant heat from heating device 19 from the upstream side of the air flow direction of freeze cooler 15 (i.e., the below side of freeze cooler 15), and frost adhering to freeze cooler 15 is melted from the below side.

[0060] When the termination condition for the freeze defrost operation is satisfied, the control unit 27 stops the supply of electricity to the heating device 19 and terminates the freeze defrost operation. Examples of the termination condition for the freeze defrost operation include when the temperature of the freeze cooler 15 detected by the freeze cooler temperature detection unit 38 reaches a predetermined temperature (e.g., 10°C), or when the freeze defrost operation has been performed for a predetermined time (e.g., 20 minutes).

[0061] (6) Frost suppression operation Next, the frost suppression operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0062] In the refrigerator 1, when the door opening / closing detection units 5b, 6b detect the opening of at least one of the ice-making compartment door, the first freezer compartment door 5a, and the second freezer compartment door 6a (hereinafter, these doors may be collectively referred to as the freezer space doors) that blocks the front opening of the freezer space while the above-mentioned freezing / cooling operation is being performed, the frost suppression operation is performed, and if the freezer space doors 5a, 6a remain half-open, frost is preferentially formed in positions in the freezer cooler 15 that are easy to defrost, thereby preventing frost from forming on the entire freezer cooler 15.

[0063] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the freezing and cooling operation is being performed. If the freezing and cooling operation is being performed, the process proceeds to step S2, and if the freezing and cooling operation is not being performed, the frost suppression operation is terminated.

[0064] In step S2, it is determined whether the door open / close detection units 5b, 6b have detected the opening of the freezing space doors 5a, 6a. If the door open / close detection units 5b, 6b do not detect the opening of the freezing space doors 5a, 6a and the freezing space doors 5a, 6a are closed, steps S1 and S2 are repeated, and while the freezing / cooling operation is being performed, it continues to detect whether the freezing space doors 5a, 6a have been opened. If the door open / close detection units 5b, 6b detect the opening of the freezing space doors 5a, 6a, the process proceeds to step S3 (see P1 in FIG. 5).

[0065] In step S3, control is performed to reduce the rotation speed of the refrigeration blower 16 to a second rotation speed R2 (e.g., R2 = 600 rpm) that is lower than the first rotation speed R1 of the refrigeration blower 16 during refrigeration cooling operation, thereby rotating the refrigeration blower 16 (hereinafter, this control may also be referred to as the first control), and then proceed to step S4.

[0066] When adjusting the rotation speed of the refrigeration blower 16 in accordance with the temperature inside the refrigerator during refrigeration cooling operation, it is preferable in the first control to set the rotation speed of the refrigeration blower 16 to a rotation speed lower than the minimum rotation speed of the refrigeration blower 16 set during refrigeration cooling operation, and it is preferable to set the rotation speed within a range from the lower limit value of the rated rotation speed of the refrigeration blower 16 to 1.1 times the lower limit value.

[0067] In addition to reducing the rotation speed of the refrigeration blower 16 in the first control, the operating frequency of the compressor 22 may be reduced to a second operating frequency F2 (e.g., F2 = 10 Hz) lower than the first operating frequency F1 (see P1 in Figure 5).

[0068] In step S4, it is determined whether the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a remain open, that is, whether the door open / close detection units 5b, 6b have continued to detect the open state of the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a since detecting their opening in step S2.

[0069] If the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a are closed and in the closed door state (No in step S4), the process proceeds to step S5, where the rotation speed of the refrigeration blower is increased to the first rotation speed R1, the first control is terminated, and normal refrigeration and cooling operation is performed. Also, if the operation frequency of the compressor 22 is reduced to the second operation frequency F2 in step S3, the operation frequency of the compressor 22 is increased to the first operation frequency F1 in step S5 (see P8 in FIG. 5). Then, the process returns to step S1.

[0070] On the other hand, if the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a remain open even after the first control is executed (Yes in step S4), the process proceeds to step S6.

[0071] In step S6, it is determined whether the time during which the freezing space doors 5a, 6a have been continuously open (hereinafter, this time may be referred to as the open time) since the door open / close detection units 5b, 6b detected the opening of the freezing space doors 5a, 6a in step S2 has elapsed a first predetermined time T1 (for example, T1 = 15 minutes). If the open time of the freezing space doors 5a, 6a has not elapsed the first predetermined time T1, the process proceeds to step S7, and if the first predetermined time T1 has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S8 (see P2 in Figure 5).

[0072] In step S7, it is determined whether the refrigerator 1 is performing the freezing and cooling operation. If the refrigerator 1 is performing the freezing and cooling operation (Yes in step S7), the process returns to step S4. If the refrigerator 1 is not performing the freezing and cooling operation (No in step S7), the process ends (see P3 and P5 in FIG. 5).

[0073] In other words, if the freezing space doors 5a, 6a remain open during the execution of the freezing and cooling operation, the first control is performed from the detection of the opening of the freezing space doors 5a, 6a until the first predetermined time T1 has elapsed (see P1 and P2 in Fig. 5), and if the freezing space doors 5a, 6a are closed before the first predetermined time T1 has elapsed, the first control is terminated and the freezing and cooling operation is performed. Also, if the freezing and cooling operation is terminated and the refrigeration and cooling operation or the freezing and defrosting operation is started during the execution of the first control, the freezing and cooling blower 16 is stopped and the first control is terminated (see P3 and P5 in Fig. 5).

[0074] In step S8, control is performed (hereinafter, this control may be referred to as second control) to reduce the amount of refrigerant supplied to the cryocooler 15 compared to the first control, while substantially continuing the rotation of the cryocooler blower 16 at a rotation speed (for example, second rotation speed R2) lower than the minimum rotation speed of the cryocooler blower 16 set during the cryocooler cooling operation (see P2 in FIG. 5). Here, substantially continuing the rotation of the cryocooler blower 16 means rotating the cryocooler blower 16 continuously or intermittently so that the cryocooler blower 16 does not stop continuously for a predetermined time (for example, 3 minutes) or more, causing the air in the cryocooler chamber 18 to stagnate for a predetermined time or more.

[0075] Methods for reducing the amount of refrigerant supplied to the refrigeration cooler 15 compared to the first control include, for example, stopping the compressor 22, reducing the operating frequency of the compressor 22, or reducing the opening of the outlet on the refrigeration refrigerant flow path side of the switching valve 29.

[0076] In addition, when stopping the compressor 22 to reduce the amount of refrigerant supplied to the refrigeration cooler 15, it is preferable to close (fully close) both the outlets on the refrigeration refrigerant flow path side and the refrigeration refrigerant flow path side of the switching valve 29, cut off the refrigerant supply to the refrigeration cooler 10 and the refrigeration cooler 15, drive the compressor 22 for a predetermined time (e.g., 1 minute) to perform an operation to recover the refrigerant from the refrigeration cooler 15 to the compressor 22 (hereinafter, this operation may also be referred to as a refrigerant recovery operation), and then stop the compressor 22.

[0077] In step S9, it is determined whether the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a remain open, that is, whether the door open / close detection units 5b, 6b have continued to detect the open state of the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a since detecting their opening in step S2.

[0078] If the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a are closed and in the closed door state (No in step S9), the process proceeds to step S5, where the rotation speed of the refrigeration blower is increased to the first rotation speed R1 and the operation frequency of the compressor 22 is increased to the first operation frequency F1, the second control is terminated, and the normal refrigeration and cooling operation is performed (see P8 in FIG. 5), and then the process returns to step S1.

[0079] On the other hand, if the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a remain open even after the second control is executed (Yes in step S9), the process proceeds to step S10.

[0080] In step S10, it is determined whether the opening time of the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a has passed a second predetermined time T2 (for example, T2 = 24 hours). If the opening time of the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a has not passed the second predetermined time T2, the process proceeds to step S11, and if the opening time has passed the second predetermined time T2, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0081] The open time of the freezer space doors 5a, 6a is counted from the time the door open / close detection units 5b, 6b detect the opening of the freezer space doors 5a, 6a to the time they detect the closing of the freezer space doors 5a, 6a. Even if the frost suppression operation ends together with the freezer cooling operation due to the start of a refrigeration cooling operation or a freezer defrosting operation while the frost suppression operation is being performed, the open time will be counted as long as the freezer space doors 5a, 6a remain open.

[0082] In step S11, it is determined whether the refrigerator 1 is performing a freezing / cooling operation. If the refrigerator 1 is performing a freezing / cooling operation (Yes in step S11), the process returns to step S9 (see P4 and P6 in FIG. 5). If the refrigerator 1 is not performing a freezing / cooling operation (No in step S11), the process ends (see P3 and P5 in FIG. 5).

[0083] In other words, if the freezing space doors 5a, 6a remain open even after the first predetermined time T1 has elapsed since the opening of the freezing space doors 5a, 6a was detected, the second control is performed from the first predetermined time T1 until the second predetermined time T2 has elapsed, and if the freezing space doors 5a, 6a are closed before the second predetermined time T2 has elapsed, the second control is terminated and freezing / cooling operation is performed. Also, if the freezing / cooling operation is terminated and the refrigeration / cooling operation or the freezing / defrosting operation is started during the execution of the second control, the freezing / cooling operation is stopped and the second control is terminated.

[0084] In step S12, the freezer blower 16 is stopped, and if refrigerant is being supplied to the freezer cooler 15 in the second control, the compressor 22 is stopped to stop the supply of refrigerant to the freezer cooler 15 (hereinafter, this control may be referred to as the third control) (see P7 in FIG. 5), and then the process proceeds to step S13. When the compressor 22 is stopped in step S12, it is preferable to stop the compressor 22 after the above-mentioned refrigerant recovery operation has been performed.

[0085] In step S13, it is determined whether the freezer space doors 5a, 6a remain open, that is, whether the door open / close detection units 5b, 6b have continued to detect the freezer space doors 5a, 6a as open since detecting their opening in step S2.

[0086] If the refrigeration space doors 5a, 6a are closed and in the closed door state (No in step S13), the process proceeds to step S5, where the rotation speed of the refrigeration blower is increased to the first rotation speed R1 and the operating frequency of the compressor 22 is increased to the first operating frequency F1 to perform a normal refrigeration and cooling operation (see P8 in FIG. 5), and then the process returns to step S1.

[0087] On the other hand, if the freezer space doors 5a, 6a remain open even after the freezer blower 16 and the compressor 22 are stopped in step S12 (Yes in step S13), the process proceeds to step S14.

[0088] In step S14, it is determined whether the refrigerator 1 is performing the freezing and cooling operation. If the refrigerator 1 is performing the freezing and cooling operation (Yes in step S14), the process returns to step S13. If the refrigerator 1 is not performing the freezing and cooling operation (No in step S14), this control ends.

[0089] In other words, if the freezing space doors 5a, 6a remain open even after the second predetermined time T2 has elapsed since the opening of the freezing space doors 5a, 6a was detected, the third control is performed until the freezing space doors 5a, 6a are closed, and when the freezing space doors 5a, 6a are closed, the third control is terminated and normal freezing and cooling operation is performed. Also, if the freezing and cooling operation is terminated and refrigeration and cooling operation or freezing and defrosting operation is started during the execution of the third control, the third control is terminated.

[0090] (7) Effects In the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment described above, when the freezer space doors 5a, 6a are open, refrigerant is supplied to the freezer cooler 15, and the freezer blower 16 is rotated at a rotation speed R2 that is lower than the rotation speed of the freezer blower 16 in the freezer cooling operation. As a result, the air in the freezer cooler chamber 18 flows slowly from the heating device 19 side to the freezer blower 16 side without stagnating for a long time, so that even if air from outside the refrigerator continuously flows into the refrigerator, frost preferentially forms on the upstream side of the freezer cooler 15 in the direction of cold air flow that is close to the heating device 19, and frost is less likely to form on the entire freezer cooler 15. Frost that forms on the upstream side of the freezer cooler 15 in the direction of cold air flow is easily affected by heat generated by the heating device 19 and is quickly defrosted, thereby significantly shortening the defrosting operation time.

[0091] In this embodiment, when the freezer space doors 5a, 6a are continuously open for the first predetermined time T1 or more, the freezer blower 16 is substantially allowed to continue rotating at a rotation speed lower than the minimum rotation speed of the freezer blower 16 set during freezing and cooling operation, while the amount of refrigerant supplied to the freezer cooler 15 is suppressed compared to the first control. As a result, even if the freezer space doors 5a, 6a are kept open for a long time, for example, the first predetermined time T1 or more, excessive frost formation on the upstream side of the freezer cooler 15 in the direction of cool air flow can be prevented, and frost formation over the entire freezer cooler 15 can be prevented.

[0092] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the freezing space doors 5a, 6a are continuously open for the first predetermined time T1 or more, a refrigerant recovery operation is performed to recover refrigerant from the freezing cooler 15, and the freezing cooler 15 is made to be in a state where it is difficult to form frost before the second control is executed, so that it is possible to prevent excessive frost from forming on the freezing cooler 15 while the second control is being executed. Furthermore, when the freezing space doors 5a, 6a are continuously open for the second predetermined time T2 or more, the compressor is stopped, so it is more difficult to maintain the temperature of the freezing cooler 15 at a low temperature compared to a state where refrigerant is supplied to the freezing cooler 15, and the freezing cooler 15 is in a state where it is difficult to form frost, so that it is possible to save power by executing the third control to stop the rotation of the freezing blower 16.

[0093] (8) Example of change Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are intended to be included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

[0094] Any one of the multiple modified examples described below may be applied to the above embodiment, or any two or more of the modified examples described below may be applied in combination. In addition to the modified examples described below, various other modifications are possible.

[0095] (8-1) Change example 1 In the above embodiment, when the control unit 27 executes the second control during frost suppression operation, the control unit 27 may change the start conditions of the freeze defrost operation so that the start of defrosting in the next freeze defrost operation to be executed is advanced, or may change the start conditions of the freeze defrost operation so that the start of defrosting is advanced as the opening time of the freezer space doors 5a, 6a becomes longer.

[0096] For example, if the start condition for the freeze defrost operation is set to be that the cumulative operating time of the compressor 22 since the end of the previous freeze defrost operation reaches a predetermined time t2 (e.g., 30 hours), then if the open time of the freezing space doors 5a, 6a is 15 minutes or more and less than 60 minutes, the predetermined time t2 can be changed to 29 hours, if the open time is 60 minutes or more and less than 120 minutes, the predetermined time t2 can be changed to 28 hours, if the open time is 120 minutes or more and less than 180 minutes, the predetermined time t2 can be changed to 27 hours, if the open time is 180 minutes or more and less than 360 minutes, the predetermined time t2 can be changed to 26 hours, if the open time is 360 minutes or more and less than 1440 minutes, the predetermined time t2 can be changed to 25 hours, and if the open time is 1440 minutes or more, the predetermined time t2 can be changed to 24 hours.

[0097] In such a modified example, frost adhering to the cryocooler 15 can be removed early, and normal cooling operation can be resumed promptly.

[0098] (8-2) Change example 2 In the above embodiment, when the control unit 27 executes the third control during the frost suppression operation, the control unit 27 may thereafter not execute the freeze defrost operation even if the start condition for the freeze defrost operation is satisfied until a predetermined condition is satisfied, or may change the end condition for the freeze defrost operation so that the execution time of the freeze defrost operation is shortened. In such a modified example, it is possible to suppress the execution of unnecessary freeze defrost operation.

[0099] (8-3) Change example 3 In the above embodiment, the cooling device is described as having two coolers 10 and 15, but the present invention may also be applied to a refrigerator having a cooling device consisting of one cooler.

[0100] (8-4) Change example 4 In the above embodiment, frost suppression operation is performed when the freezer space doors 5a, 6a are open, but a heating device for defrosting the refrigerated cooler 10 may be provided upstream of the refrigerated cooler 10 in the air flow direction, and a refrigerated blower 11 may be provided downstream of the refrigerated cooler 10 in the air flow direction, and when at least one of the refrigerated compartment door 3a and the vegetable compartment door 4a that close the front opening of the refrigerated space is open, refrigerant may be supplied to the refrigerated cooler 10 while the refrigerated blower 11 is rotated at a speed lower than the speed of the refrigerated blower 11 in refrigerated cooling operation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 1...refrigerator, 2...refrigerator body, 3...refrigerator compartment, 3a...refrigerator compartment door, 3b...door opening / closing detector, 4...vegetable compartment, 4a...vegetable compartment door, 4b...door opening / closing detector, 5...first freezer compartment, 5b...door opening / closing detector, 6...second freezer compartment, 6b...door opening / closing detector, 10...refrigerator cooler, 11...refrigerator blower, 12...cold air duct, 13...evaporative cover, 14...refrigerator cooler compartment, 15...freezer cooler, 16...freezer blower, 18...freezer cooler compartment, 19...heating device, 20...drainage gutter, 21...machine compartment, 22...compressor, 23...condenser, 25...refrigerator temperature detector, 26...freezer temperature detector, 27...controller, 28...memory unit, 29...switching valve

Claims

1. a refrigerator body having a storage compartment; a door provided in the refrigerator body; a door opening / closing detection unit that detects opening / closing of the door; a cooling device having a compressor and a cooler to which a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied; a blower that blows air cooled by the cooler into the storage compartment; a heating device that heats the cooler; and a control unit that controls the cooling device, the blower, the door opening / closing detection unit, and the heating device; In the refrigerator, the control unit drives the compressor with the door closed to supply the refrigerant to the cooler while rotating the blower to perform a cooling operation to cool the storage compartment, the heating device is provided so as to heat the upstream side of the cooler more than the downstream side in the air flow direction, When the door open / close detection unit detects that the door is open, the control unit executes a first control to supply refrigerant to the cooler and rotate the fan at a rotation speed lower than the rotation speed of the fan in the cooling operation.

2. the storage compartment is a freezing compartment cooled to a freezing temperature range, 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein, when the door open / close detection unit detects that the door has been continuously open for a first predetermined time or more, the control unit executes second control to suppress the supply of refrigerant to the cooler while substantially continuing rotation of the blower.

3. When the door open / close detection unit detects that the door has been continuously opened for the first predetermined time or more, the control unit recovers the refrigerant from the cooler and then stops the compressor, thereby executing the second control; 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein, when the door open / close detection unit detects that the door has been continuously open for a second predetermined time period or more that is longer than the first predetermined time period, a third control is executed to stop rotation of the blower.

4. the control unit executes a defrosting operation to remove frost adhering to the cooler by causing the heating device to generate heat when a defrosting start condition is satisfied, The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the control unit changes the defrost start condition so as to advance the start timing of the defrosting operation when the second control is executed, and suppresses the defrosting operation when the third control is executed.

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