Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator which is improved in a comfort by suppressing noise caused by a blower.SOLUTION: A refrigerator comprises a storage chamber, a door for opening and closing the storage chamber, a detection part for detecting an opening / closing state of the door, a circulation air path which is formed while including the storage chamber, and in which air circulates, a blower arranged in the circulation air path, and constituted so as to be variable in a rotation number, and a control device for controlling the drive of the blower and the rotation number. The control device is driven at a first rotation number when driving the blower from a stop state. The control device drives the blower at a second rotation number which is set within a prescribed range lower than the first rotation number in a door-closed state, and performs a cooling operation for cooling the storage chamber. When a door-opened state is detected by the detection part, the control device performs a low-speed operation for driving the blower at a third rotation number which is set within a prescribed range lower than the first rotation number and the second rotation number.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a refrigerator equipped with a blower that sends cold air generated by a refrigeration cycle into the interior of the refrigerator, when the door is opened, the blower fan motor is stopped to prevent intake of outside air that is warmer than the interior of the refrigerator and to suppress frosting on the cooler. Such a refrigerator is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Once the blower fan motor is stopped, since the interior of the refrigerator is in a relatively low temperature environment, a large force is required to restart the rotation of the fan motor. Therefore, when restarting the drive, it is required to flow a large current and drive by increasing the rotational speed.

[0005] In this case, if the rotational speed is increased and the fan motor is driven, for example, at the maximum rotational speed, the rotational noise becomes large and is likely to be perceived by the user as annoying noise. Further, since there is a high possibility that the user is near the refrigerator during the period after the door is opened and closed, there is an increased risk that the user will find the rotational noise annoying.

[0006] Therefore, there is provided a refrigerator that suppresses noise caused by the blower and improves comfort.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The refrigerator includes a storage chamber, a door for opening and closing the storage chamber, a detection unit for detecting the open / closed state of the door, a circulation air duct formed to include the storage chamber and through which air circulates inside, a blower provided in the circulation air duct and configured to have a variable rotation speed, and a control device for controlling the driving and rotation speed of the blower. When driving the blower from a stopped state, the control device drives it at a first rotation speed. When the door is in a closed state, the control device drives the blower at a second rotation speed set within a predetermined range lower than the first rotation speed and performs a cooling operation for cooling the storage chamber. When it is detected by the detection unit that the door is in an open state, the control device drives the blower at a third rotation speed set within a predetermined range lower than the first rotation speed and the second rotation speed and performs a low-speed operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, refrigerators according to a plurality of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, substantially the same constituent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0010] (First Embodiment) First, the refrigerator according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. The refrigerator 10 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to have a plurality of storage chambers in a heat-insulating box body 11 as a vertically long rectangular box-shaped refrigerator body with an open front surface. In the following description, the opening side of the heat-insulating box body 11 is taken as the front side of the refrigerator 10, the side opposite to the opening is taken as the back side of the refrigerator 10, and when the refrigerator 10 is installed on the floor surface in the posture shown in FIG. 1, the vertical direction with respect to the gravitational direction is taken as the vertical direction of the refrigerator 10. Also, the left-right direction when the refrigerator 10 in FIG. 1 is viewed from the front side is taken as the left-right direction of the refrigerator 10.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 10 is mainly composed of a heat-insulating box body 11. The heat-insulating box body 11 is composed of a box body with an open front surface and has a plurality of storage chambers inside. Although not shown in detail, the heat-insulating box body 11 is configured by providing a heat-insulating member, which is a member with high heat insulation, between, for example, an inner box made of resin and an outer box made of metal.

[0012] The heat insulation box 11 includes, as a plurality of storage chambers for storing stored items, for example, a refrigerating chamber 12, a vegetable chamber 13, an ice making chamber 14, a small freezing chamber 15, and a freezing chamber 16. The refrigerating chamber 12 and the vegetable chamber 13 are storage chambers in the refrigerating temperature range. The ice making chamber 14, the small freezing chamber 15, and the freezing chamber 16 are storage chambers in the freezing temperature range. The refrigerating temperature range can be set, for example, within the range of 1°C to 5°C, preferably 2°C to 4°C. The freezing temperature range can be set within the range of -15°C or lower, preferably -20°C to -18°C. Note that part or all of each of the storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 may be configured to be able to change the temperature range. For example, a section that can be changed to a temperature range higher or lower than the refrigerating temperature range, for example, a chilled temperature range around 0°C or a partial freezing temperature range around -3°C, may be provided in a part of the refrigerating chamber 12. Also, for example, the small freezing chamber 15 may be configured to be able to be changed to a temperature range higher or lower than the freezing temperature range.

[0013] In the present embodiment, the refrigerating chamber 12 is provided at the uppermost part of the heat insulation box 11. The vegetable chamber 13 is provided below the refrigerating chamber 12. The ice making chamber 14 and the small freezing chamber 15 are located below the vegetable chamber 13 and are provided side by side left and right. The freezing chamber 16 is provided below the ice making chamber 14 and the small freezing chamber 15, that is, at the lowermost part of the heat insulation box 11.

[0014] The refrigerator 10 includes, as doors for opening and closing each of the storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, a refrigerating chamber door 121, 122, a vegetable chamber door 131, an ice making chamber door 141, a small freezing chamber door 151, and a freezing chamber door 161. The refrigerating chamber doors 121, 122 are, for example, double-opening hinge-opening type doors that open and close the opening on the front side of the refrigerating chamber 12. The vegetable chamber door 131, the ice making chamber door 141, the small freezing chamber door 151, and the freezing chamber door 161 are all drawer type and open and close the openings on the front sides of the vegetable chamber 13, the ice making chamber 14, the small freezing chamber 15, and the freezing chamber 16, respectively.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, the heat-insulating box body 11 has an internal heat-insulating partition wall 17 and a non-heat-insulating partition wall 18. The heat-insulating partition wall 17 vertically partitions the storage chambers 12, 13 in the refrigerating temperature zone and the storage chambers 14, 15, 16 in the freezing temperature zone in a heat-insulated state. The non-heat-insulating partition wall 18 vertically partitions the refrigerating chamber 12 and the vegetable chamber 13 in the storage chambers 12, 13 in the refrigerating temperature zone without heat insulation.

[0016] The refrigerator 10 includes a machine room 19. The machine room 19 is provided outside the heat-insulating box body 11. In the present embodiment, the machine room 19 is provided at the lower part of the refrigerator 10, behind the freezing chamber 16 in this case. In other embodiments, the machine room 19 may be provided, for example, at the upper part of the refrigerator 10, that is, at the upper rear part of the refrigerating chamber 12.

[0017] The refrigerator 10 includes a refrigeration cycle 20 shown in Fig. 3. The refrigeration cycle 20 includes a refrigerating cooler 21, a freezing cooler 22, a compressor 23, a condenser 24, a switching valve 25, a refrigerating throttling device 26, a freezing throttling device 27, and a refrigerant flow path 28. The refrigerating cooler 21 and the freezing cooler 22 vaporize the liquid refrigerant to generate cold air for cooling the storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. The compressor 23 is configured to have a variable operating frequency by inverter control and discharges a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. The condenser 24 receives the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 23 and dissipates heat to liquefy it. The switching valve 25 is connected to the outlet side of the condenser 24 and has a function of switching the refrigerant flow path. The refrigerating throttling device 26 and the freezing throttling device 27 are respectively connected to the outlets 251, 252 of the switching valve 25, decompress and expand the liquid refrigerant, and send it to the refrigerating cooler 21 or the freezing cooler 22. The refrigerant flow path 28 connects between the compressor 23, the switching valve 25, the refrigerating throttling device 26, the freezing throttling device 27, the refrigerating cooler 21, the freezing cooler 22, and the condenser 24, and constitutes a path for flowing the refrigerant inside.

[0018] The condenser 24, the compressor 23, and the switching valve 25 are connected in series by the refrigerant flow path 28. The refrigeration throttle device 26 and the refrigeration cooler 21, and the refrigeration throttle device 27 and the refrigeration cooler 22 are each connected in series, and are connected in parallel via the switching valve 25. The compressor 23 and the condenser 24 are arranged inside the machine room 19.

[0019] The switching valve 25 is, for example, a three-way valve and has an outlet 251 on the refrigeration cooler side and an outlet 252 on the refrigeration cooler side. The outlet 251 on the refrigeration cooler side is an outlet connected to the upstream side of the refrigeration cooler 21. The outlet 252 on the refrigeration cooler side is an outlet connected to the upstream side of the refrigeration cooler 22. By switching the switching valve 25 to the refrigeration cooler 21 side and opening the outlet 251, refrigerant is supplied to the refrigeration cooler 21, and the refrigeration cooler 21 generates cold air for cooling the storage rooms 12 and 13 in the refrigeration temperature zone. By switching the switching valve 25 to the refrigeration cooler 22 side and opening the outlet 252, refrigerant is supplied to the refrigeration cooler 22, and the refrigeration cooler 22 generates cold air for cooling the storage rooms 14, 15, and 16 in the refrigeration temperature zone.

[0020] The downstream side of the refrigeration cooler 21 in the refrigerant flow path 28 is connected to the compressor 23. A check valve (not shown) is provided on the downstream side of the refrigeration cooler 22 in the refrigerant flow path 28 and on the upstream side of the compressor 23. In this embodiment, the refrigeration cycle 20 is configured such that two coolers 21 and 22 are connected to the compressor 23, but the present invention is not limited to this. In another embodiment, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which one cooler generates cold air for cooling the storage rooms 12 and 13 in the refrigeration temperature zone and the storage rooms 14, 15, and 16 in the refrigeration temperature zone.

[0021] The refrigerator 10 includes a refrigerating circulation air duct 30 and a freezing circulation air duct 40. The circulation air ducts 30 and 40 are configured to include the storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. By circulating air inside, cold air generated by the coolers 21 and 22 is supplied to each of the storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, and air can be recovered from each of the storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. In this case, the refrigerating circulation air duct 30 is configured to include the storage compartments 12 and 13 in the refrigerating temperature zone inside. The freezing circulation air duct 40 is configured to include the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 in the freezing temperature zone inside.

[0022] The refrigerating circulation air duct 30 is configured to include the storage compartments 12 and 13 in the refrigerating temperature zone, a refrigerating cooler chamber 31, and a duct 32, and has a refrigerating blower 33 inside. The refrigerating cooler chamber 31 is provided behind the storage compartments 12 and 13 in the refrigerating temperature zone and houses the refrigerating cooler 21 inside. The duct 32 is located downstream of the refrigerating cooler chamber 31 and upstream of the storage compartments 12 and 13 in the refrigerating temperature zone with respect to the air flow, and supplies cold air to the storage compartments 12 and 13 in the refrigerating temperature zone. The duct 32 is provided behind the refrigerating compartment 12. The refrigerating blower 33 is provided in the cooler chamber 31 or the duct 32 and blows the cold air generated by the cooler 21 toward each of the storage compartments 12 and 13. In this embodiment, the refrigerating blower 33 is provided downstream of the refrigerating cooler 21 in the cooler chamber 31.

[0023] The duct 32 has a plurality of outlets 321. The plurality of outlets 321 communicate the duct 32 with the refrigerating compartment 12. The refrigerating cooler chamber 31 has a plurality of return ports 311 and 312. The return port 311 on the refrigerating compartment side is provided to open from the cooler chamber 31 toward the back side of the lower part of the refrigerating compartment 12. In this case, the return port 311 on the refrigerating compartment side opens and communicates with, for example, the back of the chilled compartment 123 provided at the lowermost part of the refrigerating compartment 12. The return port 312 on the vegetable compartment side is provided to open from the refrigerating cooler chamber 31 toward the back side of the vegetable compartment 13. A communication port (not shown) is provided in the non-insulated partition wall 18 between the refrigerating compartment 12 and the vegetable compartment 13 to communicate the refrigerating compartment 12 and the vegetable compartment 13.

[0024] The refrigeration blower 33 sucks in the air in the refrigerating compartment 12 and / or the vegetable compartment 13 into the refrigerating cooler chamber 31, passes the sucked-in air through the refrigerating cooler 21, and then sends it to the storage compartments 12 and 13 through the duct 32. The cold air supplied from the air outlet 321 to the refrigerating compartment 12 circulates within the refrigerating compartment 12, and a part of it flows into the vegetable compartment 13 from the communication port of the non-insulated partition wall 18. The air that has cooled the refrigerating compartment 12 and the vegetable compartment 13 is taken into the refrigerating cooler chamber 31 again from the return ports 311 and 312, and is cooled again by the refrigerating cooler 21.

[0025] The refrigeration circulation air duct 40 is configured to include the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 in the refrigeration temperature zone and the refrigerating cooler chamber 41, and has a refrigeration blower 42 inside. The refrigerating cooler chamber 41 is provided behind the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 in the refrigeration temperature zone, and houses the refrigerating cooler 22 inside. The refrigerating cooler chamber 41 has a plurality of air outlets 411 that open toward the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 in the refrigeration temperature zone. The refrigeration blower 42 is provided inside the cooler chamber 41, and blows the cold air generated by the cooler 22 toward each of the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 through the plurality of air outlets 411. The refrigerating cooler chamber 41 has a return port 412 that opens toward the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 in the refrigeration temperature zone, and in this case, opens toward the freezer compartment 16.

[0026] The refrigeration blower 42 sucks in the air in the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 into the refrigerating cooler chamber 41, passes the sucked-in air through the refrigerating cooler 22, and then sends it to the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16. The cold air supplied from the air outlets 411 to the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 circulates within the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16. The air that has cooled the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 is taken into the refrigerating cooler chamber 41 again from the return port 412, and is cooled again by the refrigerating cooler 22.

[0027] The refrigerating blower 33 and the freezing blower 42 are each configured to include a fan and a fan motor. The rotational speed of the fan motor is configured to be variable. The variable range of the rotational speed of the fan motor includes a low rotational speed range, an intermediate rotational speed range, and a high rotational speed range in order from the lower side. The low rotational speed range includes the lowest rotational speed of the fan motor. The high rotational speed range includes the highest rotational speed of the fan motor. For example, the low rotational speed range includes rotational speeds within a range of 1.0 to 1.2 times the lowest rotational speed, the intermediate rotational speed range includes rotational speeds within a range of 0.28 to 0.78 times the highest rotational speed, and the high rotational speed range can be set to include a range within 0.8 to 1.0 times the highest rotational speed. In the present embodiment, the low rotational speed range is set within a range of 650 rpm to 750 rpm, the intermediate rotational speed range is set within a range of 800 rpm to 2200 rpm, and the high rotational speed range is set within a range of 2300 rpm to 2850 rpm, but is not limited thereto. In this specification, the rotational speed of the fan motor may be referred to as the rotational speed of the blowers 33 and 42.

[0028] In order to be used in a low temperature environment inside the refrigerator, the refrigerating blower 33 and the freezing blower 42 may need to be driven at a rotational speed within the high rotational speed range at the start of driving or when restarting driving. In the present embodiment, the refrigerating blower 33 and the freezing blower 42 are driven at, for example, the highest rotational speed at the start of driving or when restarting driving. Also, during normal operation, the refrigerating blower 33 and the freezing blower 42 are driven in the intermediate rotational speed range. Here, normal operation is a concept that includes both the cooling operation of each storage chamber 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and the defrosting operation for melting the frost adhering to each cooler 21, 22. Note that when there is no need for cooling or defrosting, the blowers 33 and 42 may stop during normal operation.

[0029] The refrigerator 10 is provided with a defrosting heater 43. The defrosting heater 43 is disposed to face the freezing cooler 22 in the freezing cooler chamber 41. The defrosting heater 43 has a heating portion and has a function of melting the frost adhering to the freezing cooler 22. Note that a defrosting heater for melting the frost adhering to the refrigerating cooler 21 may be provided inside the refrigerating cooler chamber 31.

[0030] The refrigerator 10 further includes a control device 50, a plurality of detection units 51, one or more interior lights 52, and a voice output unit 53. The control device 50 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU 501 and a recording area 502 such as a ROM, a RAM, and a non-volatile memory. The control device 50 controls the operation of the entire refrigerator 10. The compressor 23, the switching valve 25, the refrigerating blower 33, the freezing blower 42, the defrosting heater 43, the detection unit 51, the interior light 52, and the voice output unit 53 are electrically connected to the control device 50 and are driven and controlled by the control device 50.

[0031] The plurality of detection units 51 are provided in the respective storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 corresponding to the respective doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161. Each detection unit 51 detects the open / closed state of each door 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161. That is, each detection unit 51 can detect whether the front opening of each storage chamber 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 is in a closed state closed by each door 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 or an open state not closed. Each detection unit 51 may be provided near the front opening of each storage chamber 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.

[0032] In this case, a known open / closed detection mechanism can be used as the detection unit 51. The detection method of each detection unit 51 may be a contact type, for example, a physical detection method using a push pin, or a non-contact type, for example, an electromagnetic detection method using a hall sensor. Also, the detection methods do not have to be the same for all the detection units 51, and different detection methods may be adopted by each detection unit 51. In the present embodiment, the detection units 51 for detecting the open / closed states of the refrigerator doors 121, 122 are of a non-contact detection method. Also, the detection units 51 for detecting the opening and closing of the vegetable compartment door 131, the ice making compartment door 141, the small freezing compartment door 151, and the freezing compartment door 161 are all of a contact type detection method.

[0033] The in - store lamp 52 is provided in at least one of the plurality of storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. In this embodiment, the in - store lamp 52 is provided in at least the refrigerating chamber 12 and the vegetable chamber 13. The in - store lamp 52 provided in the refrigerating chamber 12 is arranged on the ceiling of the refrigerating chamber 12. The in - store lamp 52 provided in the vegetable chamber 13 is arranged on the ceiling of the vegetable chamber 13. In another embodiment, the in - store lamp 52 may be provided in any one or more or all of the ice - making chamber 14, the small freezing chamber 15, and the freezing chamber 16.

[0034] The in - store lamp 52 is configured to include, for example, an LED (light emitting diode). The in - store lamp 52 is configured to be able to change the light - emitting mode under the control of the control device 50. For example, the light - emitting mode of the in - store lamp 52 may include a lighting state of continuously emitting light, a blinking state of intermittently emitting light, and a turning - off state of not emitting light. Also, the light - emitting color and light - emitting intensity of the in - store lamp 52 may be changeable.

[0035] The voice output unit 53 is configured to include a speaker and output voice. The voice output by the voice output unit 53 may include, for example, a message in a language for conveying information to the user, a warning sound, etc. The voice output unit 53 is configured to be able to change the output mode under the control of the control device 50. For example, the change in the output mode of the voice output unit 53 may include a change in the content of the message, a change in the warning sound, or a change in the volume.

[0036] Next, the control content by the control device 50 when the detection unit 51 detects the open state of at least any one of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 will be described. When the detection unit 51 detects the open state of at least any one of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161, the control device 50 executes low-speed operation for the blowers 33, 42 arranged in the circulation air passages 30, 40 including the corresponding storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. The low-speed operation means driving the blowers 33, 42 at a rotational speed in the low rotation speed range. In other words, when the detection unit 51 detects the open state of at least any one of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161, the control device 50 executes low-speed operation for the blowers 33, 42 that blow cold air into the corresponding storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. That is, when the control device 50 detects the open state of at least any one of the doors 121, 122, 131 by the detection unit 51, it operates the refrigeration blower 33 at low speed. Also, when the control device 50 detects the open state of at least any one of the doors 141, 151, 161 by the detection unit 51, it operates the freezing blower 42 at low speed. Thereby, it is suppressed that outside air having a higher temperature than inside the storage is excessively taken into the cooler chambers 31, 41, which may cause a decrease in the cooling efficiency inside the storage and frosting on the coolers 21, 22. In the present embodiment, in this case, the control device 50 drives the blowers 33, 42 at the lowest rotation speed.

[0037] When the detection unit 51 detects the open state of at least one of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 and the open state is maintained for a predetermined period Ts or longer, the control device 50 executes a stop process to stop the driving of the blowers 33, 42 during low-speed operation, that is, the blowers 33, 42 whose rotation speed was previously changed to the low rotation speed range. Thereby, it is suppressed that the outside air is introduced into the circulation air passages 30, 40 over a long period of time, which may cause a further decrease in the cooling efficiency in the storage chamber and frosting on the coolers 21, 22. The predetermined period Ts can be set, for example, within the range of 60 seconds to 120 seconds. In the present embodiment, the predetermined period Ts is set to 70 seconds. Note that if the predetermined period Ts is too short, the blowers 33, 42 may stop and be redriven every time the user opens and closes the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161, and the opportunity to drive the blowers 33, 42 in the high rotation speed range increases. If the predetermined period Ts is too long, there is a risk of an excessive decrease in the cooling efficiency in the storage chamber and excessive frosting on the coolers 21, 22.

[0038] Note that for the refrigeration blower 42, since the defrosting heater 43 is provided, the predetermined period Ts may be set slightly longer than that for the refrigeration blower 33. For example, for the refrigeration blower 42, the predetermined period Ts may be set within the range of 60 seconds to 180 seconds. In yet another embodiment, for the refrigeration blower 42, the predetermined period Ts may be set within the range of 120 seconds to 180 seconds.

[0039] When the control device 50 stops the driving of the blowers 33, 42 as described above and the detection unit 51 detects the closed state of the door 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 that was previously detected in the open state, the control device 50 drives the blowers 33, 42 again. In this case, when restarting the driving, the control device 50 sets the rotation speed of the blowers 33, 42 to the high rotation speed range. Further, after a predetermined period Tp has elapsed since the restart of the driving, the control device 50 changes the rotation speed to the intermediate rotation speed. Thereby, normal operation is executed again. The predetermined period Tp can be set, for example, within the range of 0.5 seconds to 10 seconds. In the present embodiment, the predetermined period Tp is set to 10 seconds.

[0040] Further, when the detection unit 51 detects the closed states of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 that were previously detected in the open state by the control device 50, the control device 50 drives the blowers 33 and 42 arranged in the circulation air paths 30 and 40 included in the corresponding storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 in the intermediate rotation speed range. As a result, when each door 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 is closed and the normal operation is executed again, a decrease in the cooling efficiency of each storage chamber 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 is suppressed.

[0041] Furthermore, when the detection unit 51 detects the open state of at least any one of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 and the open state is maintained for a predetermined period or more, the control device 50 executes notification by the notification unit. The notification unit is configured to be able to notify the user of information and includes, for example, the in - store light 52 and / or the voice output unit 53. The notification of information to the user by the notification unit includes, but is not limited to, a mode that can be recognized by the user visually or auditorily. In other embodiments, the notification of information to the user by the notification unit may include, for example, displaying a message, an icon, etc. on an operation panel (not shown), or transmitting information to a mobile terminal held by the user that can communicate with the refrigerator 10 and displaying it.

[0042] Also, the control device 50 may execute the notification repeatedly a predetermined number of times. Further, the control device 50 may change the mode of notification during the period after the stop process of the blowers 33 and 42 is executed. That is, when the open state is still maintained during the period after the elapse of the predetermined period Ts, the control device 50 may change the mode of notification by the notification unit. The notification executed at least during the period before the stop process of the blowers 33 and 42 is referred to as the first notification process. The notification in a mode different from the first notification process executed during the period after the stop process of the blowers 33 and 42 is referred to as the second notification process.

[0043] In this embodiment, the control device 50 generates a warning sound from the voice output unit 53 as the first notification process. When the detection unit 51 detects an open state of at least one of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161, and the open state of the door 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 is maintained for a predetermined period Ta, for example, 60 seconds or more, the control device 50 generates a warning sound from the voice output unit 53. Further, when the open state is maintained for a predetermined period Tb, for example, 120 seconds or more, the control device 50 generates a warning sound from the voice output unit 53 again.

[0044] In this embodiment, the warning sound by the voice output unit 53 is output intermittently. The warning sound by the voice output unit 53 is output by repeating on and off, for example, with 0.5 seconds on and 0.3 seconds off as one cycle. In this case, the warning sound is generated when it is on, and the warning sound stops when it is off.

[0045] Further, in this embodiment, as the second notification process, the control device 50 generates a warning sound from the voice output unit 53 and blinks the interior light 52. When the open state is maintained for a predetermined period Tc, for example, 180 seconds, the control device 50 generates a warning sound from the voice output unit 53 and blinks the interior light 52.

[0046] When a plurality of interior lights 52 are provided in the storage rooms 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 where the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 in the open state open and close, the control device 50 may blink all of the plurality of interior lights 52, or may blink any one or more of them. When no interior light 52 is provided in the storage rooms 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 where the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 in the open state open and close, the control device 50 may notify the user only by generating the warning sound by the voice output unit 53, or may execute the notification by other configurations.

[0047] The on / off of the warning sound by the voice output unit 53 and the on / off of the blinking of the in-store light 52, that is, lighting and extinguishing, may or may not be synchronized in either or both of the start timing and the period of on. In the present embodiment, the on / off of the warning sound by the voice output unit 53 and the on / off of the blinking of the in-store light 52 are not synchronized in both the start timing and the period of on.

[0048] In the first notification and the second notification, the control device 50 may, for example, cause the voice output unit 53 to generate an intermittent warning sound for a predetermined period or a predetermined number of times. In the present embodiment, the intermittent warning sound is generated by repeating the on / off 7 times. In this case, the period from the start of the first on, that is, the start of the generation of the warning sound, to the end of the seventh on, that is, the end of the generation of the warning sound, among the intermittent warning sounds is 5.3 seconds.

[0049] Furthermore, in the third notification during the period after the elapse of the predetermined period Ti, the control device 50 continues the second notification for a predetermined period. In the present embodiment, the control device 50 continuously generates an intermittent warning sound and blinks the in-store light 52 until the detection unit 51 detects the closed state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 that were previously detected in the open state or until a predetermined period Ts elapses after the detection unit 51 detects the open state. The period Ts can be set, for example, within the range of 420 seconds to 720 seconds. In the present embodiment, the period Ts is set to 600 seconds. That is, in the present embodiment, when at least one of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 maintains the open state, the control device 50 repeatedly executes the on / off of the warning sound from the voice output unit 53 and blinks the in-store light 52 during the period from 180 seconds to 600 seconds after the detection unit 51 detects the open state of any one of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161.

[0050] In addition, in this embodiment, the change in the notification mode by the notification unit is accompanied by the change in the output mode of the voice output unit 53 and the change in the lighting mode of the in-warehouse lamp 52, that is, the change from the lighting state to the blinking state, but it is not limited to this. For example, in other embodiments, the change in the notification mode may be one or a combination of two or more of changing the warning sound of the voice output unit 53, particularly increasing the volume of the warning sound, adding or changing the message output from the voice output unit 53, and changing the emission color or emission intensity of the in-warehouse lamp 52.

[0051] Hereinafter, an example in which the detection unit 51 detects the open state of either one or both of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122, in this case the open state of the refrigerator door 121, will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6 to 9. In this case, it is assumed that the control device 50 is performing normal operation and the refrigeration blower 33 is driven in the intermediate rotation speed range during the period before the detection unit 51 detects the open state of the refrigerator door 121. In the description of FIGS. 6 to 9, the in-warehouse lamp 52 means the in-warehouse lamp 52 provided in the refrigerator compartment 12.

[0052] When the detection unit 51 detects the open state of the refrigerator door 121 (start), in step S11, the control device 50 turns on the in-warehouse lamp 52. Subsequently, in step S12, the control device 50 drives the refrigeration blower 33 at a rotation speed in the low rotation speed range, for example, the minimum rotation speed. Thereby, the amount of outside air entering the circulation air passage 30 including the refrigerator compartment 12 and the vegetable compartment 13 is suppressed. In addition, the occurrence of frosting on the refrigeration cooler 21 is suppressed.

[0053] In step S13, the control device 50 determines whether the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in an open state. If the detection unit 51 does not detect the open state of either of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122, that is, if it detects the closed state of both of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 (No in step S13), the control device 50 proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the control device 50 turns off the in-warehouse lamp 52. Then, the control device 50 proceeds to step S30 in FIG. 7.

[0054] Returning to FIG. 6, when the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in the closed state (Yes in step S13), the control device 50 advances the process to step S15. In step S15, the control device 50 determines whether or not a predetermined period Ta (for example, 60 seconds in this case) has elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected that the refrigerator door 121 is in the open state. If the predetermined period Ta has not elapsed (No in step S15), the control device 50 returns the process to step S13. If the predetermined period Ta has elapsed (Yes in step S15), the control device 50 advances the process to step S16.

[0055] In step S16, the control device 50 executes the first notification process. The content of the first notification process is shown in FIG. 8. When the first notification process starts, the control device 50 causes the voice output unit 53 to generate a warning sound in step S41. Subsequently, in step S42, it is determined whether or not the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in the open state. If the detection unit 51 does not detect the open state of either of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122, that is, if it detects the closed state of both of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 (No in step S42), the control device 50 advances the process to step S44.

[0056] If the detection unit 51 detects the open state of either of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 (Yes in step S42), the control device 50 advances the process to step S43. In step S43, the control device 50 determines whether or not a period Ti (for example, 5.3 seconds in this case) has elapsed since the start of the generation of the warning sound. If the period Ti has not elapsed since the start of the generation of the warning sound (No in step S43), the control device 50 returns the process to step S42. If the period Ti has elapsed since the start of the generation of the warning sound (Yes in step S43), the control device 50 advances the process to step S44. In step S44, the control device 50 stops the generation of the warning sound by the voice output unit 53. Then, the control device 50 ends the first notification process (returns) and advances the process to step S17 shown in FIG. 6.

[0057] In step S17, the control device 50 determines whether the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in an open state. If the detection unit 51 does not detect the open state of either of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122, that is, if it detects the closed state of both of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 (No in step S17), the control device 50 advances the process to step S14.

[0058] If the detection unit 51 detects the open state of at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 (Yes in step S17), the control device 50 advances the process to step S18. In step S18, the control device 50 determines whether a predetermined period Ts, for example 70 seconds in this case, has elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected the open state of the refrigerator door 121. If the predetermined period Ts has not elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected the open state of the refrigerator door 121 (No in step S18), the control device 50 returns the process to step S17. If the predetermined period Ts has elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected the open state of the refrigerator door 121 (Yes in step S18), the control device 50 advances the process to step S19. In step S19, the control device 50 executes a stop process to stop the drive of the refrigeration blower 33. Thereby, the amount of outside air entering the circulation air path 30 including the refrigerator compartment 12 and the vegetable compartment 13 due to the long-term opening of the refrigerator door 121 is further suppressed. Also, the occurrence of frosting on the refrigeration cooler 21 is further suppressed.

[0059] In step S20, the control device 50 determines whether the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in an open state. If the detection unit 51 does not detect the open state of either of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122, that is, if it detects the closed state of both of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 (No in step S20), the control device 50 advances the process to step S27 in FIG. 7.

[0060] When the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in the open state (Yes in step S20), the control device 50 advances the process to step S21. In step S21, the control device 50 determines whether a predetermined period Tb (for example, 120 seconds in this case) has elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected that the refrigerator door 121 is in the open state. If the predetermined period Tb has not elapsed (No in step S21), the control device 50 returns the process to step S20. If the predetermined period Tb has elapsed (Yes in step S21), the control device 50 advances the process to step S22. The control device 50 executes the first notification process in step S22. After the first notification process ends, the control device 50 advances the process to step S23 in FIG. 7.

[0061] In step S23, the control device 50 determines whether the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in the open state. If the detection unit 51 does not detect the open state of either of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122, that is, if it detects that both of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 are in the closed state (No in step S23), the control device 50 advances the process to step S27.

[0062] When the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in the open state (Yes in step S23), the control device 50 advances the process to step S24. In step S24, the control device 50 determines whether a predetermined period Tc (for example, 180 seconds in this case) has elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected that the refrigerator door 121 is in the open state. If the predetermined period Tc has not elapsed (No in step S24), the control device 50 returns the process to step S23. If the predetermined period Tc has elapsed (Yes in step S24), the control device 50 advances the process to step S25. The control device 50 executes the second notification process in step S25.

[0063] The content of the second notification process is shown in FIG. 9. When the second notification process starts, the control device 50 generates a warning sound by the voice output unit 53 in step S51. In step S52, the control device 50 blinks the in-warehouse lamp 52. In step S53, the control device 50 determines whether the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in an open state. If the detection unit 51 does not detect the open state of either of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122, that is, if it detects the closed state of both of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 (No in step S53), the control device 50 advances the process to step S54. In step S54, the control device 50 stops the generation of the warning sound by the voice output unit 53.

[0064] If the detection unit 51 detects the open state of at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 (Yes in step S53), the control device 50 advances the process to step S55. In step S55, the control device 50 determines whether a predetermined period Tj (in this case, for example, 600 seconds) has elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected the open state of the refrigerator door 121. If the predetermined period Tj has not elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected the open state of the refrigerator door 121 (No in step S55), the control device 50 returns the process to step S53. If the predetermined period Tj has elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected the open state of the refrigerator door 121 (Yes in step S55), the control device 50 advances the process to step S56.

[0065] In step S56, the control device 50 stops the generation of the warning sound by the voice output unit 53. In step S57, the control device 50 stops the blinking of the in-warehouse lamp 52 and turns it on. Then, the control device 50 ends the second notification process (returns) and advances the process to step S26 in FIG. 7.

[0066] In step S26, the control device 50 determines whether the detection unit 51 has detected that both of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 are in the closed state. When the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in the open state (No in step S53), the control device 50 repeats the process of step S26. When the detection unit 51 detects that both of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 are in the closed state, that is, when it does not detect that either of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 is in the open state (Yes in step S26), the control device 50 proceeds to step S27 with the process.

[0067] In step S27, the control device 50 turns off the interior light 52. In step S28, the control device 50 resumes driving the refrigerator blower 33 at a high rotation speed range. In step S29, the control device 50 determines whether a predetermined period Tp, in this case for example 10 seconds, has elapsed since the driving of the refrigerator blower 33 was resumed. When the predetermined period Tp has not elapsed (No in step S27), the control device 50 repeats the process of step S29. When the predetermined period Tp has elapsed (Yes in step S27), the control device 50 proceeds to step S30 with the process. In step S30, the control device 50 changes the rotation speed of the refrigerator blower 33 to the intermediate rotation speed range. Thereby, the process of the control device 50 when the open state of the refrigerator door 121 is detected ends (ends), and thereafter, the normal operation of the refrigerator 10 is executed.

[0068] Note that the above has described the case when the open state of the refrigerator door 121 is detected. The process by the control device 50 when the open state of the vegetable compartment door 131, which is the door of the storage compartment in the same refrigeration temperature zone, is detected is the same. When the open state of each of the doors 121, 122, and 131 of the storage compartments 12 and 13 in these refrigeration temperature zones is detected, the control device 50 changes the rotation speed of the refrigerator blower 33 or stops the driving, but for the freezer blower 42, it executes the normal operation.

[0069] Further, when the open states of the doors 141, 151, and 161 of the storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 in the freezing temperature zone are detected, the control device 50 changes the rotational speed of the freezing blower 42 or stops its operation instead of the refrigerating blower 33. When the open states of the doors 141, 151, and 161 of these storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 in the freezing temperature zone are detected, the control device 50 executes normal operation for the refrigerating blower 33.

[0070] Here, if the blowers 33 and 42 are continuously driven with the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 open, there is a risk of frost forming on the coolers 21 and 22. Also, by circulating air in the circulation air passages 30 and 40 with the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 open, there is a risk that outside air, which is warmer than the inside of the compartment, will be introduced inside and the cold air inside the compartment will escape to the outside. Therefore, it is conceivable to stop the blowers 33 and 42 when the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 are open. However, in this case, it is necessary to drive the blowers 33 and 42 again when the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 are closed. Generally, blowers provided in refrigerators need to set a large current to increase the rotational speed when restarting the drive in order to ensure stable output because they are used in a low-temperature environment. In this case, there is a risk that the rotational noise of the fan and the fan motor rotating at high speed will be perceived by the user as relatively loud noise when the operation is restarted.

[0071] In contrast, according to the present embodiment described above, the refrigerator 10 includes storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161, circulation air passages 30, 40, a detection unit 51, air blowers 33, 42, and a control device 50. The doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 open and close the storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. The detection unit 51 detects the open / closed state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161. The circulation air passages 30, 40 are formed to include the storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and air circulates inside. The air blowers 33, 42 are provided in the circulation air passages 30, 40 and are configured to have variable rotation speeds. The control device 50 controls the driving and rotation speed of the air blowers 33, 42. When driving the air blowers 33, 42 from a stopped state, the control device 50 drives them at a rotation speed in a high rotation speed range as a first rotation speed. Further, in a closed state where the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 are closed, the control device 50 drives the air blowers 33, 42 at a rotation speed in an intermediate rotation speed range, which is set within a predetermined range lower than the first rotation speed, to perform a cooling operation for cooling the storage chambers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. When the detection unit 51 detects that the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 are in an open state, the control device 50 performs a low-speed operation of driving the air blowers 33, 42 at a rotation speed in a low rotation speed range, which is set within a predetermined range lower than the first rotation speed and the second rotation speed.

[0072] According to this, even when the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 are in an open state and the driving of the air blowers 33, 42 continues, when shifting to a closed state and restarting the cooling operation inside the cabinet, it is not necessary to increase the rotation speed of the air blowers 33, 42 to the high rotation speed range. That is, it is sufficient to increase the rotation speed of the air blowers 33, 42 to a rotation speed sufficient for the cooling operation, that is, to the intermediate rotation speed range. Therefore, when restarting the cooling, that is, when the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 are closed again, the generation of noise due to the high-speed rotation sound of the fan and the fan motor, which is troublesome for the user, is suppressed. Therefore, the comfort of the refrigerator 10 can be improved.

[0073] The first rotational speed is set to the maximum rotational speed within the variable range of the rotational speeds of the blowers 33 and 42. Therefore, there is a possibility that a relatively large noise may occur when the blowers 33 and 42 are restarted. However, according to the present embodiment, even when shifting to the closed state and restarting the cooling operation in the storage compartment, it is not necessary to increase the rotational speed of the blowers 33 and 42 to the maximum rotational speed. Therefore, the generation of noise is suppressed, and the comfort of the refrigerator 10 can be improved.

[0074] The storage compartments include at least a refrigerated temperature zone storage compartments 12 and 13 whose interiors are maintained at a refrigerated temperature zone, and a frozen temperature zone storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 whose interiors are maintained at a frozen temperature zone. The blowers include at least a refrigerated blower 33 that circulates air within the refrigerated temperature zone storage compartments 12 and 13, and a frozen blower 42 that circulates air within the frozen temperature zone storage compartments 14, 15, and 16. When the detection unit 51 detects that the doors 121, 122, and 131 of the refrigerated temperature zone storage compartments 12 and 13 are in an open state, the control device 50 executes a low-speed operation for the refrigerated blower 33 and does not execute a low-speed operation for the frozen blower 42. When the detection unit 51 detects that the doors 141, 151, and 161 of the frozen temperature zone storage compartments 14, 15, and 16 are in an open state, the control device 50 executes a low-speed operation for the frozen blower 42 and does not execute a low-speed operation for the refrigerated blower 33.

[0075] According to this, the rotational speeds of the blowers 33 and 42 provided in the circulation air paths 30 and 40 including the storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 where the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 are open and outside air flows in are reduced to prevent the intake of high-temperature outside air and suppress the formation of frost. For the blowers 33 and 42 that allow air to flow into the circulation air paths 30 and 40 including the storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 where the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 are not open, that is, there is no risk of outside air inflow, the normal control is continued to maintain the cooling efficiency.

[0076] In this case, in the control of the cooling operation, the control device 50 may stop the blowers 33 and 42. Therefore, when the detection unit 51 detects the open state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161, the blowers 33 and 42 that are the targets of the low-speed operation may be stopped. In this case, the stop of the drive of the blowers 33 and 42 that are the targets of the low-speed operation is maintained until the detection unit 51 detects the closed state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161. Also, the blowers 33 and 42 that are not the targets of the low-speed operation may be stopped. For the blowers 33 and 42 that are the targets of the low-speed operation, when the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 are in the closed state, the operation shifts to the normal operation, and the blowers 33 and 42 are driven again according to the necessity such as cooling. For the blowers 33 and 42 that are not the targets of the low-speed operation, the blowers 33 and 42 are driven again according to the necessity such as cooling regardless of the open / closed state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161.

[0077] When the open state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 is maintained for a relatively long period, the risk of frosting increases. Also, in that case, there is a risk that the high-temperature outside air is introduced into the cooler chambers 31 and 41, and the cooling efficiency by the coolers 21 and 22 may be excessively reduced.

[0078] On the other hand, when the open state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 is detected by the detection unit 51 and the closed state is not detected and a predetermined first period (in this case, the period Ts) has elapsed, the control device 50 stops the drive of the blowers 33 and 42 that were operating at low speed.

[0079] According to this, when the open state is maintained for a relatively long period, by stopping the blowers 33 and 42 once, the risk of frosting can be suppressed, and an excessive decrease in the cooling efficiency can be suppressed. Note that the predetermined period Ts is set to be longer than the period required for one opening and closing (for example, 30 seconds) in the usually assumed usage situation of the user. If the open state is not maintained for a long time, the blowers 33 and 42 are not stopped, so the generation of noise when driving the blowers 33 and 42 again becomes rare.

[0080] Furthermore, the refrigerator 10 includes a voice output unit 53 and an interior light 52 as notification units for notifying the user of abnormalities. When the control device 50 does not detect the closed state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 after detecting the open state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 by the detection unit 51 and a predetermined second period (in this case, the predetermined period Ta) has elapsed, the voice output unit 53 executes a first notification process. When the control device 50 does not detect the closed state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 after detecting the open state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 by the detection unit 51 and a third period (in this case, the period Tc) longer than the second period has elapsed, the voice output unit 53 and the interior light 52 execute a second notification process that is different in mode from the first notification process.

[0081] When the open state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 is maintained for a relatively long period, there is a possibility that the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 are in an open state unintentionally by the user, such as in a half-door state. Therefore, by changing the mode of notification to the user, it becomes easier for the user to recognize the notification and easier to eliminate the unintentional open state. Thereby, the convenience of the refrigerator 10 can be improved.

[0082] The predetermined period Ta as the second period is set shorter than the predetermined period Ti as the first period. The predetermined period Tc as the third period is set longer than the predetermined period Ti as the first period.

[0083] In the period after the blowers 33, 42 stop, if the open state continues, by changing the mode of notification to the user, it becomes easier for the user to recognize the notification and easier to eliminate the unintentional open state. Also, this promotes the user to notice a half-door or the like and close the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of so-called liquid back, in which the refrigerant returns to the compressor 23 in a liquid state due to insufficient heat exchange in the coolers 21, 22 caused by the blowers 33, 42 being stopped and maintained in a stopped state for a long time.

[0084] Note that in this embodiment, not only before the blowers 33 and 42 stop, but also after they stop, that is, after a predetermined period Ts has elapsed since the detection unit 51 detects the open states of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161, the first notification process is executed again. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, after the blowers 33 and 42 stop, the control device 50 may perform control not to execute the first notification process.

[0085] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a predetermined period Tj has elapsed after the detection unit 51 detects the open states of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161, the blinking of the interior light 52 is stopped, and then the interior light 52 is returned to the normal lighting state in the open state where it continues to be lit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the predetermined period Tj has elapsed, the interior light 52 may be turned off, thereby suppressing the temperature around the interior light 52 from rising more than expected in the storage rooms 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. In this case, regarding the warning sound by the voice output unit 53, after the predetermined period Tj has elapsed, the generation of the warning sound may be continued to continuously prompt the user to close the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161.

[0086] (Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, different from the first embodiment, the control device 50 controls the rotation speeds of the refrigerating blower 33 and the freezing blower 42 in conjunction with each other. That is, when at least one of the doors 121, 122, and 131 of the storage rooms 12 and 13 in the refrigerating temperature zone is detected to be in an open state, the control device 50 changes the rotation speeds of both the refrigerating blower 33 and the freezing blower 42 to the low rotation speed range. Also, when at least one of the doors 141, 151, and 161 of the storage rooms 14, 15, and 16 in the freezing temperature zone is detected to be in an open state, the control device 50 changes the rotation speeds of both the refrigerating blower 33 and the freezing blower 42 to the low rotation speed range.

[0087] According to the present embodiment, the storage chamber includes at least a refrigerated temperature zone storage chamber 12, 13 whose interior is maintained at a refrigerated temperature zone, and a frozen temperature zone storage chamber 14, 15, 16 whose interior is maintained at a frozen temperature zone. The blowers 33, 42 include at least a refrigerated blower 33 that circulates air in the refrigerated temperature zone storage chambers 12, 13, and a freezing blower that circulates air in the frozen temperature zone storage chambers 14, 15, 16. When the control device 50 detects by the detection unit 51 that the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 are in an open state, the control device 50 executes low-speed operation for the refrigerated blower 33 and the freezing blower 42.

[0088] According to this, the control device 50 does not need to separately control the rotation speeds of the refrigerated blower 33 and the freezing blower 42, so the control becomes easy. Further, when any of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 is in an open state, it is assumed that the user is in the vicinity of the refrigerator 10. Therefore, by reducing the rotation speed of either the refrigerated blower 33 or the freezing blower 42, the rotation noise perceived by the user can be further suppressed. As a result, the comfort of the refrigerator 10 is further improved.

[0089] (Third Embodiment) The third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10. In this embodiment, when the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 change from the open state to the closed state while the blowers 33, 42 are stopped, the control device 50 provides a waiting period until the driving of the blowers 33, 42 is restarted. For example, after the blowers 33, 42 are stopped because the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 have been in the open state for a long time, when the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 become closed, the control device 50 does not immediately start driving the blowers 33, 42 as in the above embodiments. Instead, after detecting the closed state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161, the driving of the blowers 33, 42 is restarted after a predetermined period Tq has elapsed. Immediately after the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 are closed, there is a high possibility that the user is present in the vicinity of the refrigerator 10. Therefore, by providing a waiting period until the driving of the blowers 33, 42 is restarted, the possibility that the user perceives the noise at the time of restarting the driving of the blowers 33, 42 can be suppressed.

[0090] The predetermined period Tq can be set, for example, within the range of 3 seconds to 60 seconds, preferably 5 seconds to 30 seconds, and more preferably 10 seconds to 20 seconds. In this case, the shorter the predetermined period Tq, the higher the possibility that the user is present in the vicinity of the refrigerator 10, and the longer the predetermined period Tq, the higher the possibility that the user is away from the refrigerator 10. On the other hand, the shorter the predetermined period Tq, the more quickly the supply of cold air to the circulation air paths 30, 40 can be restarted, so the cooling efficiency is improved.

[0091] Similar to the first embodiment described above, an example of the processing of the control device 50 when the detection unit 51 detects the open state of either one or both of the refrigerator doors 121 and 122 (in this case, the refrigerator door 121) will be described with reference to FIG. 10. Instead of the flowchart of FIG. 7, the control device 50 executes the flowchart shown in FIG. 10. In this case, between step S27 and step S28, the control device 50 executes step S61. In step S61, the control device 50 determines whether or not a predetermined period Tq has elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected the closed state of the doors 121 and 122. If the predetermined period Tq has not elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected the closed state of the doors 121 and 122 (No in step S61), the control device 50 repeats the process of step S61. If the predetermined period Tq has elapsed since the detection unit 51 detected the closed state of the doors 121 and 122 (Yes in step S61), the control device 50 proceeds with the process to step S28.

[0092] According to the present embodiment, the refrigerator 10 includes storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161, circulation air passages 30, 40, a detection unit 51, air blowers 33, 42, and a control device 50. The doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 open and close the storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. The detection unit 51 detects the open / closed states of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161. The circulation air passages 30, 40 are formed to include the storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and air circulates inside. The air blowers 33, 42 are provided in the circulation air passages 30, 40 and are configured to have variable rotation speeds. The control device 50 controls the driving and rotation speeds of the air blowers 33, 42. When driving the air blowers 33, 42 from a stopped state, the control device 50 drives them at a rotation speed in a high rotation speed range as the first rotation speed. When the air blowers 33, 42 are in a stopped state and the detection unit 51 detects that the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 have shifted from an open state where the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 are open to a closed state where the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 are closed, the control device 50 starts driving the air blowers 33, 42 after a predetermined fourth period (in this case, after the period Tq) has elapsed since the closed state was detected.

[0093] According to this, while the user is near the refrigerator 10, the start of driving of the blowers 33 and 42 is postponed, and it becomes highly possible to start driving the blowers 33 and 42 after the user leaves the refrigerator 10. Therefore, the comfort of the refrigerator 10 can be improved.

[0094] (Fourth Embodiment) The fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In this embodiment, the control device 50 controls the rotation speed of an external blower provided outside the heat insulation box body 11, that is, outside the circulation air paths 30 and 40, in conjunction with the control of the refrigerating blower 33 and / or the freezing blower 42 of each of the above embodiments. As shown in FIG. 11, the refrigerator 10 further includes a compressor blower 61 and an evaporation blower 62 as external blowers. In this embodiment, the control device 50 controls either one or both of the compressor blower 61 and the evaporation blower 62 in conjunction with the control of the refrigerating blower 33 and / or the freezing blower 42 of each of the above embodiments.

[0095] The compressor blower 61 is provided inside the machine room 19 or at the outer edge of the machine room 19 and has a function of blowing air toward the compressor 23 for cooling. The evaporation blower 62 is provided near an evaporation tray (not shown) provided inside the machine room 19. The frost adhering to the coolers 21 and 22 melts into water and is guided to the evaporation tray in the machine room 19. Also, in the refrigerant flow path 28 extending from the coolers 21 and 22, the water generated by condensation due to the difference between the refrigerant temperature and the temperature in the machine room 19 is also stored in the evaporation tray. The evaporation blower 62 has a function of blowing air toward the evaporation tray to promote the evaporation of the water inside the evaporation tray. The compressor blower 61 and the evaporation blower 62 are configured to have variable rotation speeds and are electrically connected to the control device 50 to be driven under the control of the control device 50.

[0096] In this embodiment, when the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the doors 121, 122, 131 of the storage chambers 12, 13 in the refrigerated temperature zone is in an open state, the control device 50, in addition to the refrigerated air blower 33, executes a low-speed operation in which the rotation speeds of the compressor air blower 61 and the evaporation air blower 62 are driven in a low rotation speed range, for example, at the minimum rotation speed. Further, when the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the doors 141, 151, 161 of the storage chambers 14, 15, 16 in the frozen temperature zone is in an open state, the control device 50, in addition to the frozen air blower 42, executes a low-speed operation in which the rotation speeds of the compressor air blower 61 and the evaporation air blower 62 are driven in a low rotation speed range, for example, at the minimum rotation speed.

[0097] The stop and restart of the driving of the air blowers 33 and 42 and the stop and restart of the driving of the compressor air blower 61 and the evaporation air blower 62 may or may not be interlocked. In this embodiment, when the detection unit 51 detects that at least one of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 is in an open state and a predetermined period Ts has elapsed without detecting the closed state of the door 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161, the control device 50 stops the driving of the compressor air blower 61 and the evaporation air blower 62 together with the refrigerated air blower 33 or the frozen air blower 42.

[0098] Further, when the control device 50 detects the closed state of the door 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 that the detection unit 51 previously detected to be in an open state, the control device 50 restarts the driving of the compressor air blower 61 and the evaporation air blower 62 together with the refrigerated air blower 33 or the frozen air blower 42. In this case, the control device 50 drives the compressor air blower 61 and the evaporation air blower 62 at a high rotation speed range, for example, at the maximum rotation speed. Note that, as in the third embodiment, the control device 50 may be configured to restart the driving of the compressor air blower 61 and the evaporation air blower 62 together with the refrigerated air blower 33 or the frozen air blower 42 after a predetermined period Tq has elapsed since the detection of the closed state when the control device 50 detects the closed state of the door 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, 161 that the detection unit 51 previously detected to be in an open state.

[0099] According to this embodiment, the refrigerator 10 further includes a compressor blower 61 and an evaporator blower 62 as external blowers provided outside the circulation air passages 30 and 40. When the control device 50 detects by the detection unit 51 that the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 are in the open state, the control device 50 executes low-speed operation for the compressor blower 61 and the evaporator blower 62.

[0100] Since the compressor blower 61 and the evaporator blower 62 are installed outside the heat insulation box 11, the rotation noise is more easily perceived by the user. Therefore, in the open state of the doors 121, 122, 131, 141, 151, and 161 where it is estimated that the user is present near the refrigerator 10, noise is suppressed by reducing the rotation speeds of the compressor blower 61 and the evaporator blower 62. Thereby, the comfort of the user can be further improved. Also, by interlocking the control of the rotation speeds of the refrigerator blower 33 and / or the freezer blower 42 with the compressor blower 61 and the evaporator blower 62, the processing by the control device 50 becomes simple, and thus the processing load is reduced.

[0101] Note that the refrigerator 10 may also include a blower other than the above. For example, in an area where the temperature zone provided in the refrigerating chamber 12 or the small freezing chamber 15 can be changed, a defrosting blower for promoting the defrosting of food may be provided. In this case, the control device 50 may control the rotation speed of the defrosting blower in conjunction with the rotation speed of the refrigerator blower 33 or the freezer blower 42 according to the installed area.

[0102] As described above, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0103] 10… Refrigerator, 12… Refrigerating compartment (storage compartment, refrigerating temperature zone storage compartment), 121, 122… Refrigerating compartment door (door), 13… Vegetable compartment (storage compartment, refrigerating temperature zone storage compartment), 131… Vegetable compartment door (door), 14… Ice making compartment (storage compartment, freezing temperature zone storage compartment), 141… Ice making compartment door (door), 15… Small freezing compartment (storage compartment, freezing temperature zone storage compartment), 151… Small freezing compartment door (door), 16… Freezing compartment (storage compartment, freezing temperature zone storage compartment), 161… Freezing compartment door (door), 30… Refrigerating circulation air duct (circulation air duct), 33… Refrigerating air blower (air blower), 40… Freezing circulation air duct (circulation air duct), 42… Freezing air blower (air blower), 50… Control device, 51… Detection unit, 52… Interior lamp (notification unit), 53… Voice output unit (notification unit), 61… Compressor air blower (external air blower), 62… Evaporation air blower (external air blower)

Claims

1. A storage room, a door for opening and closing the storage room, a detection unit for detecting the open / closed state of the door, a circulation air duct formed to include the storage room and through which air circulates inside, a blower provided in the circulation air duct and configured to have a variable rotation speed, and a control device for controlling the driving and rotation speed of the blower, wherein the control device drives the blower at a first rotation speed when driving the blower from a stopped state, performs a cooling operation of driving the blower at a second rotation speed set within a predetermined range lower than the first rotation speed to cool the storage room in a closed state where the door is closed, performs a low-speed operation of driving the blower at a third rotation speed set within a predetermined range lower than the first rotation speed and the second rotation speed when it is detected by the detection unit that the door is in an open state, and the control device stops the driving of the blower that has been operating at low speed when a predetermined first period has elapsed without detecting the closed state since the open state of the door is detected by the detection unit, a refrigerator.

2. The first rotation speed is set to the maximum rotation speed in the variable range of the rotation speed of the blower. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

3. The storage room includes at least a refrigerated temperature zone storage room whose interior is maintained at a refrigerated temperature zone and a frozen temperature zone storage room whose interior is maintained at a frozen temperature zone, the blower includes at least a refrigerated blower for circulating air in the refrigerated temperature zone storage room and a frozen blower for circulating air in the frozen temperature zone storage room, and when it is detected by the detection unit that the door of the refrigerated temperature zone storage room is in an open state, the control device performs the low-speed operation for the refrigerated blower and does not perform the low-speed operation for the frozen blower, and when it is detected by the detection unit that the door of the frozen temperature zone storage room is in an open state, the control device performs the low-speed operation for the frozen blower and does not perform the low-speed operation for the refrigerated blower. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

4. The storage room includes at least a refrigerated temperature zone storage room whose interior is maintained at a refrigerated temperature zone and a frozen temperature zone storage room whose interior is maintained at a frozen temperature zone, the blower includes at least a refrigerated blower for circulating air in the refrigerated temperature zone storage room and a frozen blower for circulating air in the frozen temperature zone storage room, When the control device detects that the door is in the open state by the detection unit, it executes the low-speed operation for the refrigeration blower and the freezing blower. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

5. It further includes an external blower provided outside the circulation air duct. When the control device detects that the door is in the open state by the detection unit, it executes the low-speed operation for the external blower. The refrigerator according to claim 3 or 4.

6. It includes a notification unit for notifying the user of an abnormality. When a predetermined second period has elapsed without the closed state being detected after the open state of the door is detected by the detection unit, the control device executes a first notification process by the notification unit. When a third period longer than the second period has elapsed without the closed state being detected after the open state of the door is detected by the detection unit, the control device executes a second notification process with a different mode from the first notification process by the notification unit. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The second period is set shorter than the first period, and the third period is set longer than the first period. The refrigerator according to claim 6.

8. When it is detected by the detection unit that the door has shifted from the open state to the closed state while the blower is stopped, the drive of the blower is started after a predetermined fourth period has elapsed since the closed state was detected. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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