Refrigerator

Abstract

This refrigerator includes: a box body having a storage chamber; a double opening door for opening / closing an opening part of the box body; a partition plate for preventing intrusion of outside air into the storage chamber while the double opening door is closed; a storage chamber temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the storage chamber as a storage chamber temperature; a door opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of the double opening door; a heater for heating the partition plate; and a heater control means for changing an amount of energization to the heater in accordance with a change amount of the storage chamber temperature from a time point when the door opening / closing sensor detects that the double opening door is closed to when a predetermined time elapses. Thus, it is possible to control energization to the heater for suppressing dew condensation of the partition plate in accordance with a storage amount of a stored object stored in the storage chamber, suppress the surface temperature of the partition plate from becoming unnecessarily large when the storage amount of the stored object is large, and reduce the power consumption of the refrigerator.

Description

refrigerator

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator with a double door.

[0002] Conventionally, refrigerators with double-door doors for opening and closing a storage compartment have been known. Some such refrigerators have a partition plate positioned between the double-door doors when the storage compartment is closed. The partition plate prevents outside air from entering the storage compartment through the gap between the double-door doors.

[0003] In such refrigerators, when the storage compartment is closed by the double-door, the partition plate is in tight contact with the front surface of the refrigerator body and a gasket attached to the back surface of the door, isolating the storage compartment from the outside. When the storage compartment is cooled with the double-door closed, the partition plate is cooled from the side facing the storage compartment, and the cooling is transferred to the side facing the outside space by thermal conduction, causing a temperature drop. When a temperature difference occurs between the outside space and the side of the partition plate facing the outside space, condensation may occur on the partition plate. To solve this problem, the refrigerator is equipped with a heater inside the partition plate, which uses heat from the heater to raise the temperature of the side of the partition plate facing the outside space, thereby suppressing condensation.

[0004] In such refrigerators, if the heater heats the partition plate and the amount of power supplied to the heater is increased solely to prevent condensation, the refrigerator's power consumption increases. Also, in such refrigerators, when the heater heats the partition plate, the amount of heat transferred from the partition plate to the storage compartment also increases, which may hinder cooling of the refrigerating compartment.

[0005] As an example of controlling the energization of a heater provided on a partition plate, a refrigerator has been proposed that calculates a temperature difference ΔT between an outside air temperature and a set temperature of the refrigerator compartment and calculates power P to be input to the heater using the formula P = α × ΔT to control energization to the heater (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Another example of a refrigerator that performs a different heater energization control is disclosed in Patent Document 2. The refrigerator-freezer of Patent Document 2 calculates a reference energization rate at which condensation does not occur on the partition plate at a target refrigerator compartment temperature from the outside air temperature and outside air humidity, and, while the refrigerator compartment is not cooled to the target temperature, calculates an energization coefficient from the outside air temperature, the refrigerator compartment temperature, and the target refrigerator compartment temperature, and controls the heater using a corrected energization rate obtained by multiplying the calculated energization coefficient by the reference energization rate. Another example of a refrigerator that performs a different heater energization control is disclosed in Patent Document 3. The refrigerator in Patent Document 3 has a camera attached to the refrigerator compartment that captures images of the interior as a storage capacity sensor, uses the camera to detect the amount of stored items, and controls the heat generation amount of the anti-condensation heater based on the detected storage capacity.

[0006] JP 2004-353972 A International Publication No. 2019 / 193626 JP 2015-68510 A

[0007] The refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1 controls the energization of the heater provided on the partition plate on the assumption that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment is stable at a set temperature. Therefore, the heater is energized even when the temperature difference between the refrigerator compartment and the outside space is small, and the temperature difference between the outside space and the side of the partition plate facing the outside space is small, making it difficult for condensation to form on the partition plate. In this respect, the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1 energizes the heater more than necessary. Examples of situations where the temperature difference between the refrigerator compartment and the outside space is small include when the double-door is open for a long period of time, immediately after the refrigerator is turned on, and when power is restored to the refrigerator after a long power outage.

[0008] Furthermore, the refrigerator-freezer disclosed in Patent Document 2 energizes the heater by correcting the power supply rate to be lower than when the refrigerator compartment temperature is at the set temperature while the refrigerator compartment temperature is not at the set temperature. However, when a large number of items are stored in the refrigerator compartment and the stored items block some of the cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment, the partition plate at the front of the storage compartment is less cooled and condensation is less likely to form on the partition plate than when there are few items stored in the refrigerator compartment. If the refrigerator compartment temperature measuring device is located near the outlet through which cold air is supplied, the refrigerator-freezer disclosed in Patent Document 2 cannot detect that the supply of cold air is blocked in the space in front of the storage compartment and controls the heater power supply in the same way as when there are few items stored. Therefore, the refrigerator-freezer disclosed in Patent Document 2 energizes the heater more than necessary when the stored items prevent cold air from flowing forward.

[0009] Furthermore, the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 3 uses a storage volume sensor such as a camera to detect items stored in the refrigerator compartment and controls the power supply to the anti-condensation heater based on the detected storage volume. However, this type of refrigerator has technical issues, such as a reduction in the internal volume of the storage compartment or an increase in the external dimensions due to the installation of the camera, and the inability to accurately detect items behind the camera if the items are placed directly in front of the camera. Furthermore, adding a storage volume sensor increases costs.

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a refrigerator that can reduce power consumption by suppressing the supply of electricity to an anti-condensation heater provided on a partition plate according to the amount of stored items stored in a storage compartment, without installing a storage amount sensor such as a camera in the refrigerator.

[0011] The refrigerator according to the present disclosure comprises a box body having a storage compartment, double doors that open and close the opening of the box body, a partition plate that prevents outside air from entering the storage compartment when the double doors are closed, a storage compartment temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the storage compartment as the storage compartment temperature, a door opening / closing sensor that detects the opening and closing of the double doors, a heater that heats the partition plate, and heater control means that changes the amount of power supplied to the heater in accordance with the amount of change in the storage compartment temperature from the time the door opening / closing sensor detects that the double doors have been closed until a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0012] According to the refrigerator of the present disclosure, a storage capacity energization coefficient is calculated based on the amount of change in the storage compartment temperature from when the double doors are closed until a predetermined time has elapsed, and the storage capacity corrected energization rate corrected by the storage capacity energization coefficient is used to control the heater that suppresses condensation on the partition plate. Thus, energization of the heater that suppresses condensation on the partition plate can be suppressed according to the amount of stored items stored in the storage compartment, and the surface temperature of the partition plate is prevented from becoming higher than necessary when the amount of stored items is large, thereby reducing the amount of power consumed by the refrigerator.

[0013] 1 is a front view illustrating a configuration example of a refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a control unit included in the refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating a calculation formula for determining a reference power duty rate from an outside air temperature and a relative humidity in the refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating a calculation formula for determining a reference power duty rate from an outside air temperature and a relative humidity in the refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a model diagram illustrating heat transfer from outside air to the refrigerator compartment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a flow of cold air within the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for heater energization control executed by the heater control means shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for heater energization control executed by the heater control means shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a time progression of a heater energization rate in the refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a time progression of a heater energization rate in the refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a model diagram of heat transfer in a partition plate in a refrigerator according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a learning device in a refrigerator according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a three-layer neural network in a refrigerator according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an inference device in a refrigerator according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Components with the same reference numerals are identical throughout the entire specification. The shapes of the components shown throughout the specification are merely illustrative and are not limited to the shapes described in the specification. In particular, the shapes of the components are not limited to the shapes shown in the embodiments. The drawings may show simplified representations of the actual structure. Furthermore, the size of each component and the relative positions of the components in the drawings may differ from the actual size. Furthermore, the embodiments may be combined with each other. In the following description, directional terms (e.g., "top," "upper side," "bottom," "lower side," "left," "left side," "right," "right side," "front," "front side," "near side," "rear," "rear side," "depth," "width," "inside," "outside," etc.) are used as appropriate to facilitate understanding. However, these terms are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the content of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the terms indicating the directions described above generally indicate the positions of the components when the refrigerator body is viewed from the front, with the surface on which the opening of the storage compartment is formed being the front (front face) when the refrigerator is installed in a usable state.

[0015] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an overall view of a refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the refrigerator 100 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 100 according to embodiment 1 includes a box 1 having a storage space 7 therein. The box 1 is the refrigerator body and is composed of a metal outer box 2, a resin inner box 3, and insulation material 4 filled between the outer box 2 and the inner box 3. The insulation material 4 is made of a material such as foam insulation or vacuum insulation that has a lower thermal conductivity than the outer box 2 and the inner box 3. The box 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped structure having an opening 6 in a front portion 5 and a storage space 7 formed therein.

[0016] The storage space 7 of the box 1 is a space for storing food or other items to be cooled. The storage space 7 is divided into multiple storage compartments by one or more partition members. The refrigerator 100 of this embodiment has the following storage compartments: a refrigerator compartment 8, an ice-making compartment 9, a switchable compartment 10, a freezer compartment 11, and a vegetable compartment 12. As shown in FIG. 1 , the refrigerator compartment 8 is located at the top of the box 1, and the ice-making compartment 9 and the switchable compartment 10 are located in parallel below the refrigerator compartment 8. The freezer compartment 11 is located below the ice-making compartment 9 and the switchable compartment 10, and the vegetable compartment 12 is located below the freezer compartment 11. The refrigerator compartment 8 is divided from the ice-making compartment 9 and the switchable compartment 10 by a first partition 13. The freezer compartment 11 is divided from the ice-making compartment 9 and the switchable compartment 10 by a second partition 14. The freezer compartment 4 is divided from the vegetable compartment 12 by a third partition 15.

[0017] The refrigerator compartment 8 is a storage compartment for storing food and other stored items. The refrigerator compartment 8 is maintained at a refrigeration temperature range of +3°C to +10°C. The refrigerator 100 has multiple shelves 21 within the refrigerator compartment 8. The space within the refrigerator compartment 8 is divided by the multiple shelves 21, improving the storage capacity of the refrigerator compartment 8. The refrigerator 100 has a refrigerator compartment opening 16, which is an opening to the refrigerator compartment 8, on the front portion 5 of the case 1. The refrigerator 100 has a pair of left and right double-hinged doors forward of the opening 16 that open and close the refrigerator compartment opening 16. The double-hinged doors consist of a right refrigerator compartment door 22 and a left refrigerator compartment door 23. The right refrigerator compartment door 22 and the left refrigerator compartment door 23 are rotatably supported by upper hinges 39 provided on both the left and right sides of the ceiling surface of the refrigerator body. The refrigerator compartment 8 is opened or closed by opening or closing the refrigerator compartment opening 16 using the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23. The refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23, together with the partition plate 65, prevent heat from the air outside the refrigerator compartment from entering the refrigerator compartment 8. In order to show the partition plate 65, the right rib 69 (shown in FIG. 4) protruding toward the refrigerator compartment 8 side is omitted from FIG. 2.

[0018] The ice-making compartment 9 is a storage compartment for storing ice. The ice-making compartment 9 is formed below the refrigerator compartment 8 and is adjacent to the switchable compartment 10 on the left and right. The ice-making compartment 9 is provided with a first storage case (not shown), which is a container with an open top and in which ice is stored. The ice-making compartment 9 is maintained at a freezing temperature range of, for example, -17°C or below. The refrigerator 100 has an ice-making compartment opening 17, which is an opening for the ice-making compartment 9, on the front portion 5 of the housing 1. The ice-making compartment 9 is opened or closed by opening or closing the ice-making compartment opening 17 using a drawer-type ice-making compartment door 24. The ice-making compartment door 24 prevents heat from the outside air from entering the ice-making compartment 9.

[0019] The switchable compartment 10 is a storage compartment whose temperature can be switched between multiple temperature zones. The switchable compartment 10 is formed below the refrigerator compartment 8 and is adjacent to the ice-making compartment 9 on the left and right. The switchable compartment 10 is provided with a second storage case 27, which is a container with an open top and in which food is stored. The switchable compartment 10 can be switched to multiple temperature zones, all of which are lower than the temperatures inside the refrigerator compartment 8 and the vegetable compartment 12. The refrigerator 100 has a switchable compartment opening 18, which is an opening for the switchable compartment 10, on the front portion 5 of the case 1. The switchable compartment 10 is opened or closed by opening and closing the switchable compartment opening 18 with a switchable compartment door 25, which is a drawer door. The switchable compartment door 25 prevents heat from outside the refrigerator from entering the switchable compartment 10.

[0020] The freezer compartment 11 is a storage compartment where the temperature is maintained within the freezing temperature range. The freezer compartment 11 is formed below the ice-making compartment 9 and the switchable compartment 10. The freezer compartment 11 is provided with a third storage case 28, which is a container with an open top and in which food is stored. The refrigerator 100 has a freezer compartment opening 19, which is an opening to the freezer compartment 11, on the front portion 5 of the case body 1. The freezer compartment 11 is opened or closed by opening and closing the freezer compartment opening 19 with a freezer compartment door 26, which is a drawer door. The freezer compartment door 26 prevents heat from the air outside the freezer compartment from entering the freezer compartment 11.

[0021] The vegetable compartment 12 is a storage compartment for storing vegetables. The vegetable compartment 12 is formed below the freezer compartment 11. The vegetable compartment 12 is maintained at a refrigerated temperature range of, for example, +3°C to +10°C. The vegetable compartment 12 is provided with a fourth storage case 30, which is a container with an open top and in which food is stored. The refrigerator 100 has a vegetable compartment opening 20, which is an opening for the vegetable compartment 12, on the front portion 5 of the box body 1. The vegetable compartment 12 is opened or closed by opening or closing the vegetable compartment opening 20 using a vegetable compartment door 27, which is a drawer door. The vegetable compartment door 27 prevents heat from the air outside the refrigerator from entering the vegetable compartment 12.

[0022] The refrigerator 100 has a machine room 31 and a cooler room 32 at the rear inside the box body 1. A compressor 33 is disposed in the machine room 31. In the cooler room 32, a blower 34, a cooler 35, and a heater 36 are disposed in this order from top to bottom. The refrigerator 100 has a control unit 40 housed in the upper rear inside the box body 1. The control unit 40 is, for example, a microcomputer.

[0023] The refrigerator 100 is provided with a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 on the rear surface 8A of the refrigerator compartment 8. The refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 measures the temperature of the air in the refrigerator compartment 8 (hereinafter referred to as the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr) and transmits the measurement result to the control unit 40. The refrigerator compartment temperature Tr acquired by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 is used not only for temperature control of the refrigerator compartment 8 but also for calculating the power supply rate for optimally energizing the heater 36. The refrigerator 100 is provided with an ice-making compartment temperature sensor (not shown) on the rear surface of the ice-making compartment 9. The ice-making compartment temperature sensor measures the temperature of the air in the ice-making compartment 9 and transmits the measurement result to the control unit 40. The refrigerator 100 is provided with a switchable compartment temperature sensor 46 on the rear surface of the switchable compartment 10. The switchable compartment temperature sensor 46 measures the temperature of the air in the switchable compartment 10 and transmits the measurement result to the control unit 40. The refrigerator 100 is provided with a freezer compartment temperature sensor 47 on the rear surface of the freezer compartment 11. Freezer compartment temperature sensor 47 measures the temperature of the air in freezer compartment 11 and transmits the measurement result to control unit 40. Refrigerator 100 is provided with a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 48 on the back of vegetable compartment 12. Vegetable compartment temperature sensor 48 measures the temperature of the air in vegetable compartment 12 and transmits the measurement result to control unit 40. A cooler temperature sensor 49 is provided on the surface of cooler 35. Cooler temperature sensor 49 measures the temperature of cooler 35 and transmits the measurement result to control unit 40. Refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45, ice maker compartment temperature sensor, switchable compartment temperature sensor 46, freezer compartment temperature sensor 47, and vegetable compartment temperature sensor 48 are collectively referred to as storage compartment temperature sensors.

[0024] Refrigerator 100 is provided with an outside air temperature sensor 37 on the outer surface of case 1. Outside air temperature sensor 37 measures outside air temperature To as the ambient environment of refrigerator 100. Refrigerator 100 is provided with an outside air humidity sensor 38 on the outer surface of case 1. Outside air humidity sensor 38 measures outside air humidity Mo as the ambient environment of refrigerator 100. Outside air temperature sensor 37 and outside air humidity sensor 38 are provided on upper hinge 39, for example.

[0025] The installation location of refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 is not limited as long as it can measure the air temperature inside refrigerator compartment 8. The installation location of outdoor air temperature sensor 37 is not limited as long as it can measure the outdoor air temperature To as the ambient environment. The installation location of outdoor air humidity sensor 58 is not limited as long as it can measure the outdoor air humidity Mo as the ambient environment. However, it is desirable that outdoor air temperature sensor 37 and outdoor air humidity sensor 38 be installed in locations that are not affected by the operation of refrigerator 100. For example, since the temperature of a condensation pipe (not shown) fixed to the side of housing 1 becomes high during operation of refrigerator 100, it is desirable that outdoor air temperature sensor 37 and outdoor air humidity sensor 38 be installed in locations that are not affected by heat radiation from the condensation pipe. For example, if outdoor air temperature sensor 37 and outdoor air humidity sensor 38 are installed on upper hinge 39, they are desirably installed in such a location because they are less affected by heat from the condensation pipe.

[0026] The refrigerator 100 also has multiple door opening / closing detection devices 60, which are door opening / closing sensors, for detecting the opening / closing of doors 22 to 27. When the right refrigerator compartment door 22 is closed, a first opening / closing detection device 60A is provided at a position overlapping with the right refrigerator compartment door 22 in front of the first partition 13, as viewed from the front of the refrigerator 100. Similarly, when the left refrigerator compartment door 23 is closed, a second opening / closing detection device 60B is provided at a position overlapping with the left refrigerator compartment door 23 in front of the first partition 13, as viewed from the front of the refrigerator 100. The first opening / closing detection device 60A detects the opening / closing of the right refrigerator compartment door 22 of the refrigerator compartment 8. The second opening / closing detection device 60B detects the opening / closing of the left refrigerator compartment door 23 of the refrigerator compartment 8. Similar to the first and second open / close detection devices 60A and 60B, the third and fourth open / close detection devices 60C and 60D are provided on the first partition 13, and the fifth and sixth open / close detection devices 60E and 60F are provided on the second and third partitions 14 and 15, respectively. The third open / close detection device 60C detects the opening and closing of the ice making compartment door 24 of the ice making compartment 9. The fourth open / close detection device 60D detects the opening and closing of the switching compartment door 25 of the switching compartment 10. The fifth open / close detection device 60E detects the opening and closing of the freezer compartment door 26 of the freezer compartment 11. The sixth open / close detection device 60F detects the opening and closing of the vegetable compartment door 27 of the vegetable compartment 12. The first to sixth open / close detection devices 60A to 60F are each connected to the control unit 40 via lead wires or the like (not shown).

[0027] The first to sixth open / close detection devices 60A to 60F are, for example, magnetic sensors such as reed switches or low-current Hall ICs that operate at 48 V or less, or push-button switches. If the first to sixth open / close detection devices 60A to 60F are magnetic sensors, magnets (not shown) are provided on the back surfaces of the doors 22 to 26 in positions facing the magnetic sensors when the doors 22 to 26 are closed, to cause the magnetic sensors to react. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, open / close detection devices are provided in all storage compartments, but this is not limited thereto, and open / close detection devices may be provided only in storage compartments that require detection of the door opening and closing.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of refrigerator 100 shown in FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 3 , refrigerator 100 includes heater 36, compressor 33, condenser 50, pressure reducing device 51 serving as an expansion unit, cooler 35 serving as an evaporator, blower 34, damper device 52, and control unit 40. Compressor 33, condenser 50, expansion unit (not shown), and cooler 35 are connected in a ring shape by piping 53, and refrigerant circulates through piping 53 to form a refrigeration cycle 54. Control unit 40 is, for example, a microcomputer. As shown in FIG. 3 , control unit 40 includes memory 41 that stores a program and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 42 that executes processing in accordance with the program.

[0029] The compressor 33 compresses and discharges the refrigerant, circulating it through the refrigeration cycle 54. The compressor 33 is, for example, an inverter-type compressor with a variable capacity. The condenser 50 exchanges heat between the high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant sent from the compressor 33 and air. The condenser 50 condenses the refrigerant to a low-temperature two-phase gas-liquid or liquid refrigerant. The condenser 50 is, for example, a condensation pipe that removes heat from the refrigerant and releases it outside the refrigerator 100. The condensation pipes are provided on the inside of the side and inside the top of the box body 1 of the refrigerator 100. The pressure reducing device 51, which serves as an expansion section, reduces the pressure and expands the low-temperature two-phase gas-liquid or liquid refrigerant to a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid state. The pressure reducing device 51 is, for example, an electronic expansion valve or a capillary tube. The cooler 35, which serves as an evaporator, is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air inside the refrigerator. The cooler 35 exchanges heat between the low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant and the surrounding air. The cooler 35 evaporates the refrigerant to convert it into a low-temperature, low-pressure gas refrigerant. During this process, heat is absorbed from the surroundings of the cooler 35, and the air in the cooler chamber 31 is cooled.

[0030] The blower 34 exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the cooler 35 to cool the air, and supplies the cooled air to each storage compartment. The damper device 52 adjusts the amount of cool air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 8 by changing the opening / closing duty ratio. The heater 36 is provided inside the partition plate 65 (shown in FIG. 4 , which will be described later) and prevents condensation from forming on the surface of the partition plate 65.

[0031] Returning to the description of FIG. 2 , refrigerator 100 has a refrigerator compartment outlet duct 57 on the rear surface 8A side of refrigerator compartment 8 for supplying the cold air generated by cooler 35 and shaped by blower 34 into refrigerator compartment 8. Refrigerator compartment outlet duct 51 has multiple cold air outlets 58 and, together with inner box 3, forms refrigerator compartment outlet air duct 57A. A portion of the cold air flows from cooler compartment 31 into refrigerator compartment outlet air duct 57A and is supplied to refrigerator compartment 8 through cold air outlets 58. The cold air blown out from cold air outlets 58 circulates within refrigerator compartment 8 and flows to a cold air return port (not shown) formed in first partition 13 that separates refrigerator compartment 8 from ice-making compartment 9 and switchable compartment 10. The cold air that flows to the cold air return port passes through the cold air return port and the refrigerator compartment return air duct (not shown) and returns to cooler compartment 31.

[0032] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of refrigerator 100 shown in FIG. 1, and is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing partition plate 65 and its surroundings. In FIG. 4, the upper side is refrigeration compartment 8 (rear side of refrigerator 100), and the lower side is external space 90 (front side of refrigerator 100). External space 90 is a space separated from storage space 7 by each door of refrigerator 100 when the doors are closed, and is the space around refrigerator 100.

[0033] The refrigerator 100 has a partition plate 65 that prevents outside air from entering the refrigerator compartment 8 through the gap between the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 when the refrigerator compartment 8 is closed. The vertical length of the partition plate 65 is approximately equal to the vertical length of the opening 16 of the refrigerator compartment 8, and the partition plate 65 has a shape that fits within the refrigerator compartment 8 when the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are closed. The partition plate 65 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and as shown in FIG. 4 , the horizontal cross section has a rectangular shape with long sides extending in the left-right direction. The right refrigerator compartment door 22 has a right door inner panel 67 facing the refrigerator compartment 8. The left refrigerator compartment door 23 has a left door inner panel 68 facing the refrigerator compartment 8. The right door inner panel 67 has a right rib 69 that extends in the vertical direction and protrudes toward the refrigerator compartment 8. The left door inner plate 68 is provided with a left rib 70 that extends in the vertical direction and protrudes toward the refrigerator compartment 8 side.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, when the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22, 23 of the refrigerator compartment 8 are both closed, the partition plate 65 overlaps with the gap 66 between the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22, 23 when viewed from the front of the refrigerator 100, and is located between the left rib 69 and the right rib 70. The partition plate 65 is rotatably attached to the left refrigerator compartment door 23 by a hinge mechanism (not shown). The partition plate 65 is configured to be rotatable about the axis of the hinge mechanism.

[0035] The partition plate 65 includes a housing 71, a sheet metal member 72, a heater 36, and a heat insulating material 73. As shown in FIG. 4 , the sheet metal member 72 forms a surface 72A exposed to the external space 90 of the partition plate 65, and both left and right ends are bent toward the interior (rearward). The heater 36 is disposed on the refrigeration compartment 8 side of the sheet metal member 72. Aluminum foil 74 covers the heater 36 and is attached to the sheet metal member 72 with glue or double-sided tape, thereby fixing the heater 36 to the sheet metal member 72. Furthermore, a heat insulating material 73 is disposed on the partition plate 65, closer to the interior side than the sheet metal member 72 and the heater 36. The heat insulating material 73 prevents heat from the heater 36 from being transferred to the refrigeration compartment 8. The back and side surfaces of the heat insulating material 73 are covered with an interior resin member 75. A side resin member 76, fitted between the sheet metal member 72 and the heat insulating material 73, covers a portion of the side surface of the interior resin member 75.

[0036] A right door groove 80A and a left door groove 80B are provided along the entire periphery of the rear surface of the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23, respectively. A right door gasket 81A is fitted into the right door groove 80A of the right door inner plate 67. Furthermore, a left door gasket 81B is fitted into the left door groove 80B of the left door inner plate 68. In this way, the right door gasket 81A and the left door gasket 81B are attached along the entire periphery of the rear surface of the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23, respectively. The right door gasket 81A and the left door gasket 81B abut against the front surface 5 of the box body 1 and the partition plate 65 to seal the inside of the refrigerator compartment 8. 4, when the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23 are both closed, each of the right door gasket 81A and the left door gasket 81B is provided with a magnet 82 in a position facing the sheet metal member 72 of the partition plate 65. When the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23 are closed, the sheet metal member 72 is attracted to the magnet 82 by magnetic force, causing the right door gasket 81A and the left door gasket 81B to come into close contact with the sheet metal member 72 of the partition plate 65, thereby blocking outside air from entering the refrigerator compartment 8 from the external space 90.

[0037] Furthermore, a packing 83 is provided on the left door inner plate 68 between the partition plate 65 and the left rib 69. On the right door inner plate 67, between the partition plate 65 and the right rib 70, a part of the right door gasket 81A protrudes toward the refrigerator compartment 8 so as to fit along the right rib 70. The packing 83 and the protruding part 84 of the right door gasket 81A suppress heat leakage from the heater 36 to the periphery of the partition plate 65.

[0038] When a user opens the left refrigerator compartment door 23, a groove formed at the upper end of the partition plate 65 catches a protrusion of a guide component (not shown) attached to the top surface 8B of the refrigerator compartment 8. As a result, the partition plate 65 rotates counterclockwise in a top view around the axis of the hinge mechanism (not shown) of the left refrigerator compartment door 23, and moves along the left rib 69 to become one with the left rib 69. On the other hand, when a user closes the left refrigerator compartment door 23, a groove formed at the upper end of the partition plate 65 catches a protrusion of a guide component (not shown) attached to the top surface 8B of the refrigerator compartment 8. As a result, the partition plate 65 rotates clockwise in a top view around the axis of the hinge mechanism (not shown) of the left refrigerator compartment door 23, so as to be pulled away from the left rib 69. As a result, the partition plate 65, the right door inner plate 67, and the left door inner plate 68 are in the state shown in Fig. 4, the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23 are closed, and the partition plate 65 closes the refrigerator compartment opening 16 between the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23. In this way, the partition plate 65 serves to prevent outside air from entering the refrigerator compartment 8 from between the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23 when the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23 are closed.

[0039] Next, the configuration of the control unit 40 will be described. Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 40 shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 5, the control unit 40 has a refrigeration cycle control means 55 and a heater control means 56. When the CPU 42 executes a program, the refrigeration cycle control means 55 and the heater control means 56 are configured in the refrigerator 100.

[0040] The refrigeration cycle control means 55 controls the refrigeration cycle 54 of the refrigerant circuit based on the freezer compartment temperature Tf, the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr, the outside air temperature To of the external space 90, the target freezer compartment temperature Tfs, and the target refrigerator compartment temperature Ts. Specifically, the refrigeration cycle control means 55 controls the rotation speed of the compressor 33, the rotation speed of the blower 34, and the duty ratio of the opening and closing times of the damper device 52 in accordance with the outside air temperature To detected by the outside air temperature sensor 37 so that the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr detected by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 coincides with the target refrigerator compartment temperature Ts and so that the freezer compartment temperature Tf detected by the freezer compartment temperature sensor 45 coincides with the target freezer compartment temperature Tfs. The target freezer compartment temperature Tfs and the target refrigerator compartment temperature Ts are stored in the memory 41.

[0041] The heater control means 56 controls the power supply rate of the heater 36 based on a reference power supply rate DRref calculated from the outside air temperature To and the outside air humidity Mo. The power supply rate is the proportion of time that the heater 36 is energized at the rated current. For example, if the heater 36 is energized for 5 seconds out of 10 seconds, the power supply rate is (5 [s] / 10 [s]) × 100% = 50%. The reference power supply rate DRref is a power supply rate that prevents dew from forming on the surface of the partition plate 65. The reference power supply rate DRref is calculated from the outside air temperature To and the outside air relative humidity Mrh using a calculation formula described below. The relative humidity Mrh is determined from the outside air temperature To and the outside air humidity Mo based on a predetermined psychrometric chart. The formula for calculating the relative humidity Mrh from the outside air temperature To and the outside air humidity Mo is registered in a program stored in the memory 41.

[0042] The heater control means 56 controls the power supply rate to the heater 36 based on a reference power supply rate DRref calculated from the outside air temperature To and the outside air humidity Mo. The reference power supply rate DRref is a power supply rate at which dew does not form on the surface of the partition plate 65. The reference power supply rate DRref is calculated from the outside air temperature To and the outside air relative humidity Mrh using a calculation formula described below. The relative humidity Mrh is determined from the outside air temperature To and the outside air humidity Mo based on a predetermined psychrometric chart. The formula for calculating the relative humidity Mrh from the outside air temperature To and the outside air humidity Mo is registered in a program stored in the memory 41.

[0043] The reference duty ratio DRref will now be described. FIGS. 6 and 7 are graphs showing calculation formulas for calculating the reference duty ratio DRref from the outside air temperature To and the relative humidity Mrh. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, calculation formulas PF1 to PF3 are set for calculating the reference duty ratio DRref using the outside air temperature To as a parameter. The example shown in FIG. 6 shows three temperature ranges: outside air temperature To≦20°C, 20°C<outside air temperature To≦30°C, and 30°C<outside air temperature To. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the reference duty ratio DRref increases linearly as the relative humidity Mrh increases, according to the calculation formulas PF1 to PF3.

[0044] 7 is a graph showing another calculation formula for the reference duty ratio DRref. As shown in FIG. 7, calculation formulas LF1 to LF3 are set for calculating the reference duty ratio DRref using the outside air temperature To as a parameter. FIG. 7 also shows the same three temperature ranges as FIG. 6. According to each of the calculation formulas LF1 to LF3, the reference duty ratio DRref increases logarithmically as the relative humidity Mrh increases.

[0045] Calculation formulas PF1 to PF3 shown in Figure 6 and LF1 to LF3 shown in Figure 7 are examples, and the calculation formula for the reference current duty ratio DRref is determined by the thermal conductivity of the material of partition plate 65, the structure of partition plate 65 such as its thickness, the rated wattage of heater 36, and the set temperature of refrigerator compartment 8. The reference current duty ratio DRref is calculated by substituting the relative humidity Mrh calculated from the outside air temperature To and the outside air humidity Mo into a calculation formula that is determined depending on the temperature zone to which the detected outside air temperature To belongs. Which calculation formula is optimal for which conditions is determined in advance for each model through development tests or the like, and the procedure for determining the calculation formula is registered in a program stored in memory 41.

[0046] For example, the calculation formulas PF1 to PF3 shown in Fig. 6 express the reference energization rate DRref in the form of the following formula 1. In this formula, coefficients A and B are set for each temperature range of the outside air temperature To.

[0047]

[0048] 7, when the natural logarithm is represented by the symbol ln, the reference energization rate DRref is expressed in the form of the following equation 2. The coefficients C and D are set for each temperature range of the outside air temperature To.

[0049] The coefficients A, B, C, and D are determined in advance through development tests or the like, and are registered in the program stored in the memory 41 .

[0050] 6 and 7, the first embodiment has been described with reference to the case where there are three temperature zones for determining the formula for calculating the reference duty ratio DRref, but the number of temperature zones is not limited to three. Also, the first embodiment has been described with reference to the case where the width of the temperature zone is 10° C. or more, but the width of the temperature zone is not limited to 10° C. and may be further subdivided by setting the width of the temperature zone to a value smaller than 10° C., such as 5° C.

[0051] After calculating the reference power duty rate DRref as described above, the heater control means 56 calculates the refrigeration temperature corrected power duty rate DRa for correcting the amount of current output to the heater 36 during normal operation of the refrigerator 100. As shown in Equation 3, the heater control means 56 multiplies the reference power duty rate DRref by a refrigeration power duty coefficient kt to calculate the refrigeration temperature corrected power duty rate DRa.

[0052]

[0053] In order to explain the refrigeration current coefficient kt in Equation 3, the heat input from the external space 90 to the refrigeration compartment 8 through the partition plate 65 will be explained. FIG. 8 is a model diagram showing the heat transfer from the external space 90 to the refrigeration compartment 8 shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 8, K1 is the overall heat transfer coefficient [W / (m ２ ·K)], and K2 is the heat transfer coefficient [W / (m ２ λ is the thermal conductivity of the partition plate 65 [W / (m·K)], and d is the thickness of the partition plate 65 [m].

[0054] The amount of heat transfer (heat flux) q [W / m２ 8, is calculated by Equation 4. In Equation 4, the units of the outside air temperature To and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr are Kelvin [K].

[0055] The variable on the right side of Equation 4 related to To-Tr is called the overall heat transfer coefficient. The thermal conductivity of the partition plate 65 is originally calculated from the thermal conductivity of the sheet metal member 72, the thermal conductivity of the heat insulating material 73, and the thermal conductivity of the interior resin member 75 shown in Figure 4, but in this embodiment, for simplicity, the partition plate 65 is treated as a single member, and the thermal conductivity of the partition plate 65 is set to λ.

[0056] Furthermore, when considering the heat input model strictly three-dimensionally, the influence of heat bridges, which transfer heat from the left and right side surfaces of partition plate 65 to refrigerator compartment 8, must also be considered. In this embodiment, because the side surfaces of partition plate 65 facing refrigerator compartment 8 are made of resin, the amount of heat transfer due to the heat bridges, which transfer heat from the left and right side surfaces of partition plate 65 to refrigerator compartment 8, is considered to be small compared to the heat transfer amount q. Therefore, here, the heat input model is considered to be simply a two-dimensional heat transfer. Furthermore, thermal conductivity λ is a physical property determined by the materials of each component, such as sheet metal member 72, insulating material 73, and interior resin component 75. Therefore, thermal conductivity λ does not change due to the influence of the operation of refrigerator 100, such as the thermal influence of the condensation pipe and the thermal influence when heater 36 is energized.

[0057] The overall heat transfer coefficient K1 from the external space 90 to the partition plate 65 depends on the air flow velocity near the partition plate 65, but it is assumed that the air flow velocity is small in the environment in which the refrigerator 100 is installed. Furthermore, although a portion 72A of the surface of the partition plate 65 is exposed to the external space 90, the partition plate 65 is located deep in the narrow gap 66 between the right refrigerator compartment door 22 and the left refrigerator compartment door 23, and is therefore less affected by the wind velocity around the refrigerator 100. On the other hand, when the air near the surface of the partition plate 65 is heated due to the heat generated by the heater 36, a temperature difference occurs in the external space 90 between the air near the surface 72A of the partition plate 65 and the air away from the surface 72A, and it is assumed that an air flow occurs due to natural convection caused by the temperature difference. However, even taking into account the air flow caused by the heater 36 being energized, the overall heat transfer coefficient K1 is 3 to 4 W / (m ２ Since the overall heat transfer coefficient K1 is small, approximately K, and the change in the overall heat transfer coefficient K1 is small even when the refrigerator 100 is in operation, the overall heat transfer coefficient K1 can be considered to be a fixed value.

[0058] Furthermore, since the wind speed of the cold air in the refrigerator compartment 8 changes depending on the rotation speed of the blower 34, the overall heat transfer coefficient K1 from the partition plate 65 to the refrigerator compartment 8 is also expected to change depending on the rotation speed of the blower 34. However, the wind speed of the cold air blown out from the cold air outlet 58 of the refrigerator compartment 8 is usually at most about 3 m / s, although it depends on the shapes of the refrigerator compartment outlet duct 57 and the cold air outlet 58. Furthermore, when the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23 are closed, the left rib 70 and the right rib 69 are disposed on the left and right side surfaces of the partition plate 65 inside the refrigerator compartment 8. Therefore, it is expected that the left rib 70 and the right rib 69 act as obstacles to the cold air blown out from the cold air outlet 58, weakening the wind impact on the partition plate 65. Furthermore, if stored items are placed on shelves 21 of refrigerator compartment 8, the stored items will act as obstacles to the cold air blown out from cold air outlet 52, and it is assumed that the wind hitting partition plate 65 will be even weaker. Therefore, the wind speed to partition plate 65 inside the refrigerator will be close to 0 m / s. Therefore, when the amount of stored items in refrigerator compartment 8 is not large, in equation 4, the heat transfer coefficient K2 from partition plate 65 to refrigerator compartment 8 will also be 3 to 4 W / (m), similar to the heat transfer coefficient K1 from external space 90 to partition plate 65. ２It is considered that the coefficient of overall heat transfer K2 from partition plate 65 to refrigerating compartment 8 changes little even if the operating state of refrigerator 100, for example, the rotation speed of blower 34, changes.

[0059] From the above, if the ambient environment including the outside air temperature To and the outside air humidity Mo is stable and the power conduction rate of heater 36 does not change, the overall heat transfer coefficient in Equation 4 is regarded as a fixed value or a value that hardly changes during operation of refrigerator 100. As a result, heat flux q passing through partition plate 65 is proportional to the temperature difference between the outside air temperature To in external space 90 and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr in refrigerator compartment 8.

[0060] To prevent dew from forming on the surface 72A of the partition plate 65 exposed to the external space 90, the temperature of the surface 72A exposed to the external space 90 should be set to a temperature equal to or higher than the dew point temperature. Since the heat flux q passing through the partition plate 65 is proportional to the temperature difference between the outside air temperature To and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr, it can be seen in principle that the surface temperature of the partition plate 65 will be maintained at a temperature at which condensation will not occur if the power supply to the heater 36 is controlled in proportion to the temperature difference between the outside air temperature To and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr. In other words, the power supply coefficient kt in Equation 3 should be set to a value proportional to the temperature difference ΔT between the outside air temperature To and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr. In this embodiment, the refrigerator power supply coefficient kt is expressed in the form of Equation 5 using the outside air temperature To, the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr, and the target refrigerator compartment temperature Ts.

[0061] In Equation 5, the numerator on the right side is the temperature difference between the outside air temperature To and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr, and the denominator is the temperature difference between the outside air temperature To and the refrigerator compartment target temperature Ts. The refrigerator compartment target temperature Ts is a target temperature when the refrigeration cycle control means 55 adjusts the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 8, and is a fixed value set to, for example, 3°C. The heater control means 56 sets the refrigerator current coefficient kt according to Equation 5 during normal operation of the refrigerator 100.

[0062] When the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr is high, for example, immediately after the refrigerator 100 is installed and power is turned on, the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr is the same as the outside air temperature To. For example, if the outside air temperature To is detected as 30°C and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr is also detected as 30°C, there is no need for the heater 36 to heat the partition plate 65. In this case, the temperature difference between the outside air temperature To and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr becomes 0 in Equation 5, and the heater control means 56 calculates the refrigerator power conduction coefficient kt as 0. As a result, the heater control means 56 calculates the refrigerator temperature corrected power conduction rate DRa as 0%.

[0063] After the refrigerator 100 is powered on, the refrigerator 100 operates, causing the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr to gradually decrease. When the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr reaches the refrigerator compartment target temperature Ts, the numerator and denominator on the right side of Equation 5 become equal, and the heater control means 56 calculates the refrigerator power coefficient kt to be 1. Thereafter, the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr may become lower than the refrigerator compartment target temperature Ts. In this case, the refrigerator power coefficient kt becomes greater than 1, and the refrigerator temperature corrected power rate DRa becomes greater than the reference power rate DRref. To prevent this, the reference power rate DRref is set as the upper limit of the refrigerator temperature corrected power rate DRa. This makes it possible to prevent the heater 36 from being energized more than necessary.

[0064] As shown in Equation 5, the refrigeration power factor kt is a function of the temperature difference between the outside air temperature To and the refrigeration compartment temperature Tr. Therefore, by having the heater control means 56 periodically calculate and update the temperature difference between the outside air temperature To and the refrigeration compartment temperature Tr, when the ambient environment of the refrigerator 100 is stable and the refrigeration compartment temperature Tr decreases linearly after power-on, the refrigeration temperature-corrected power factor DRa changes linearly. Therefore, the power factor of the heater 36 can be optimally controlled in response to changes in the refrigeration compartment temperature Tr. Even when the ambient environment of the refrigerator 100 is unstable, the refrigeration power factor kt also changes in accordance with the ambient environment as shown in Equation 5, and therefore the refrigeration temperature-corrected power factor DRa also changes in response to changes in the refrigeration power factor kt. Therefore, the power factor of the heater 36 can be optimally controlled in response to changes in the ambient environment.

[0065] 9 and 10 are diagrams showing the flow of cold air in the refrigerator compartment 8 when an item 95 is stored in the refrigerator compartment 8. In Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, the flow of cold air in the refrigerator compartment 8 is indicated by arrows.

[0066] FIG. 9 shows the flow of cold air within the refrigerator compartment 8 when there are only a few stored items. In FIG. 9 , the cold air blown out from the cold air outlet 58 flows forward through the space between the shelves 21 because there are only a few stored items 95. After reaching the space around the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 at the front of the refrigerator compartment 8, it flows downward toward the cold air return vent 61. The cold air that reaches the cold air return vent 61 passes through the cold air return duct 62 (shown by the dashed line in FIG. 9 ) and returns to the cooler compartment 32. When the cold air reaches the space around the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23, the temperature of the surface 75A of the partition plate 65 exposed to the refrigerator compartment 8 also drops. Furthermore, the temperature of the surface 72A of the partition plate 65 exposed to the external space 90 also drops due to heat conduction through the partition plate 65.

[0067] Figure 10 shows the flow of cold air when the amount of stored items is large. In Figure 10, the cold air blown out from cold air outlet 58 is prevented from circulating toward right refrigerator compartment door 22 or left refrigerator compartment door 23 by stored items 95. Instead, as shown by the arrows, the cold air flows within refrigerator compartment 8 along rear surface 8A of refrigerator compartment 8 and the wall surface on the refrigerator compartment 8 side of refrigerator compartment outlet duct 57, passes through a vent (not shown) located behind shelf 21, and reaches refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 located on rear surface 8A of refrigerator compartment 8. Thus, when the amount of stored items is large, some of the cold air blown out from cold air outlet 52 is blocked by stored items 95 and takes a shortcut to reach refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 without circulating within refrigerator compartment 8. The cold air that reaches the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 travels along the rear of the refrigerator compartment to the cold air return port 61, and then returns to the cooler compartment 32 through the cold air return air duct 62 (shown by the dashed line in Figure 10). In this case, the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 is cooled by the cold air, which does not cool the entire storage compartment and remains at a low temperature. Therefore, when a large amount of stored items is stored, the temperature change to the negative side of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 is greater than when a small amount of stored items is stored. Furthermore, when a large amount of stored items is stored, the flow of cold air is blocked by the stored items, making it difficult for the partition plate 65 at the front of the refrigerator compartment 8 to be cooled, and the surface temperature of the partition plate 65 is difficult to decrease.

[0068] While the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are open, the surface of the partition plate 65 is exposed to the air in the external space 90 of the refrigerator 100, and the temperature of the partition plate 65 rises. During this time, the door open / close sensor 54 detects the opening of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23. When the open / close detection device 60 detects the opening of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 and then detects the closing of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23, the refrigeration cycle control means 55 rotates the blower 34 to supply cold air to the refrigerator compartment 8. When the cold air is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 8, the air temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 8 starts to drop. If the time when the opening / closing detection device 60 detects the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 is t, the time that has elapsed since the opening / closing detection device 60 detected the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 is t, and the temperature of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 after t seconds is Tr(t), the temperature of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 at the time when the opening / closing detection device 60 detects the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 and the amount of change in the temperature of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 after t seconds from the time when the opening / closing detection device 60 detects the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are expressed as Tr(t0) and Tr(t) - Tr(t0), respectively. The absolute value of Tr(t) - Tr(t0) is the amount of change in the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr from the time when the door opening / closing sensor detects the closure of the double doors until a predetermined time has elapsed. When the absolute value of the temperature change Tr(t)-Tr(t0) of refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 is large, it is assumed that the above-mentioned cold air shortcut is occurring, and it is estimated that a large amount of items is stored in refrigerator compartment 8. In addition, in such a situation, it is estimated that the temperature of partition plate 65 is unlikely to decrease.

[0069] Based on the above background, heater control means 56 calculates the temperature change Tr(t1)-Tr(t0) from the temperature Tr(t0) of refrigerator temperature sensor 55 at time t0 and the temperature Tr(t1) of refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 at a predetermined time Δt seconds after time t0 (time t1), and uses this change to determine the storage capacity of refrigerator compartment 8. For example, the time Δt from when opening / closing detection device 60 detects the closure of refrigerator compartment right door 22 and refrigerator compartment left door 23 until heater control means 56 determines the storage capacity of stored items is 300 seconds, and the reference temperature change ΔTc of refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 at which heater control means 56 determines that the storage capacity of stored items is high is 0.6°C or greater. The time Δt and the reference temperature change ΔTc for determining storage capacity vary depending on the model, are determined in advance through development testing, etc., and are registered in the program stored in memory 41. The time Δt from when the open / close detection device 60 detects the closure of the refrigerator right door 22 and the refrigerator left door 23 until the heater control means 56 determines the amount of stored items is not limited to 300 seconds.

[0070] If it is determined that the amount of stored items is large, the heater control means 56 calculates the refrigeration temperature corrected power rate DRa based on equation 3, and multiplies the refrigeration corrected power rate DRa by the storage amount power coefficient kc as shown in equation 6 to calculate the storage amount corrected power rate DRb to be output to the heater 36.

[0071]

[0072] In this embodiment, the heater control means 56 acquires the temperature Tr(t0) of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 at time t0, when the open / close detection device 60 detects the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23. The heater control means 56 acquires the temperature Tr(t1) of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 at time t1, when the time Δt required to determine the storage capacity has elapsed since the open / close detection device 60 detected the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23. The heater control means 56 calculates the absolute value of the temperature change |Tr(t1)-Tr(t0)| and calculates the storage capacity conduction coefficient kc according to Equation 7. The coefficient E is a value smaller than the absolute value of the temperature change of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45. It is determined in advance through development testing or the like and is registered in the program stored in the memory 41.

[0073] The storage capacity current conduction coefficient kc decreases as the absolute value of the temperature change of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 increases. This is because the larger the absolute value of the temperature change of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45, the greater the storage capacity is estimated to be, and the more difficult it is to reduce the surface temperature of the partition plate 65. Furthermore, the shorter the time that has passed since the opening / closing detection device 60 detected the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23, the smaller the storage capacity current conduction coefficient kc. This is because the temperature of the partition plate 65 is difficult to reduce in the short time since the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 was detected, and as time passes, the surface temperature of the partition plate 65 decreases regardless of the storage capacity, requiring the heater 36 to be energized. In Equation 7, t on the right side is the elapsed time from the time the opening / closing detection device 60 detected the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23. As the time t increases, the storage capacity current conduction coefficient kc decreases. Ｃ becomes greater than 1, and the storage capacity corrected energization rate DRb becomes greater than the refrigeration temperature corrected energization rate DRa. Therefore, the refrigeration corrected energization rate DRa is set as the upper limit of the storage capacity corrected energization rate DRb. This prevents the heater 36 from being energized more than necessary.

[0074] Next, a procedure for controlling the energization of the heater 36 performed by the heater control means 56 will be described. Figures 11 and 12 are flowcharts showing an example of the procedure for controlling the energization of the heater 36 performed by the heater control means 56. Figure 11 shows the procedure for controlling the energization of the heater 36 when the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are not opened or closed, and Figure 12 shows the procedure for controlling the energization of the heater 36 when the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are opened or closed.

[0075] Using FIG. 11 , the procedure for controlling the energization of the heater 36 when the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are not open or closed will be described. When the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are not open or closed, the heater control means 56 acquires the outside air temperature To from the outside air temperature sensor 37 (step S1). After acquiring the outside air temperature To from the outside air temperature sensor 37 in step S1, the heater control means 56 determines a calculation formula for calculating the reference energization rate DRref based on the outside air temperature To (step S2). While FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a calculation formula selection from among the calculation formulas PF1 to PF3 shown in FIG. 6, the options are not limited to PF1 to PF3 and may include the calculation formulas LF1 to LF3 shown in FIG. 7. After determining the calculation formula in step S3, the heater control means 56 acquires the outside air humidity Mo from the outside air humidity sensor 38 (step S3). Then, the heater control means 56 calculates the reference power conduction rate DRref using the calculation formula determined in step S3 and the relative humidity Mrh calculated from the outdoor air temperature To and the outdoor air humidity Mo (step S4). After the reference power conduction rate DRref is calculated in step S5, the heater control means 56 subsequently acquires the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr measured by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 45 (step S5). After the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr is acquired in step S6, the heater control means 56 calculates a refrigerator power conduction coefficient kt using Equation 5 from the outdoor air temperature To, the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr, and the refrigerator compartment target temperature Ts (step S6). After the refrigerator power conduction coefficient kt is calculated in step S7, the heater control means 56 multiplies the reference power conduction rate DRref by the refrigerator power conduction coefficient kt in accordance with Equation 3 to calculate a refrigerator correction power conduction rate DRa (step S7). When the refrigeration correction energization rate DRa is calculated in step S8, the heater control means 56 energizes the heater 36 in accordance with the calculated refrigeration correction energization rate DRa (step S8). The energization control procedure from step S1 to step S8 is collectively referred to as flow F1.

[0076] 12 , the procedure for controlling the power supply to the heater 36 when the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are opened or closed will be described. When the open / close detection device 60 detects that the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are closed (step S9), the heater control means 56 acquires the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t0) at the time the open / close detection device 60 detects that the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are closed (step S10). After acquiring the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t0) in step S10, the heater control means 56 measures the time t that has elapsed since the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 were closed (step S11). Thereafter, the heater control means 56 determines whether the open / close detection device 60 has detected that the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23 are open (step S12). In step S12, if the opening / closing detection device 60 detects that at least one of the right refrigerator compartment door 22 and the left refrigerator compartment door 23 has been opened (Yes in step S12), the heater control means 56 returns to step S9 and performs control. In step S12, if the opening / closing detection device 60 does not detect that at least one of the right refrigerator compartment door 22 and the left refrigerator compartment door 23 has been opened (No in step S12), the heater control means 56 determines whether time t has elapsed (step S13). In step S13, if time t is less than t1 (No in step S13), the heater control means 56 calculates the refrigeration correction power rate DRa according to flow F1 (step S14). Once the refrigeration correction power rate DRa is calculated in step S14, the heater control means 56 energizes the heater 36 in accordance with the calculated refrigeration correction power rate DRa (step S15). In step S13, if the time t is equal to or greater than t1 (Yes in step S13), the heater control means 56 acquires the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t1) and calculates the absolute value |Tr(t1)-Tr(t0)| of the difference between the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t1) and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t0) (step S16). The heater control means 56 determines whether the absolute value |Tr(t1)-Tr(t0)| is greater than the temperature change threshold ΔTc (step S17).If the absolute value |Tr(t1)-Tr(t0)| is less than or equal to the temperature change threshold ΔTc (No in step S17), the heater control means 56 calculates the refrigeration correction energization rate DRa according to flow F1 (step S14) and energizes the heater 36 based on the calculated refrigeration correction energization rate DRa (step S15). If the absolute value |Tr(t1)-Tr(t0)| is greater than the temperature change threshold ΔTc (Yes in step S17), the heater control means 56 calculates the refrigeration correction energization rate DRa according to flow F1 (step S18). Next, the heater control means 56 calculates the storage capacity energization coefficient kc according to Equation 7 (step S19). Next, the heater control means 56 calculates the storage capacity corrected energization rate DRb by multiplying the refrigeration correction energization rate DRa by the storage capacity energization coefficient kc according to Equation 6 (step S20). The heater control means 56 energizes the heater 36 based on the calculated storage amount corrected energization rate DRb (step S21).

[0077] 13 and 14 are diagrams showing the change over time in the power conduction rate of the heater 36 in the refrigerator 100. Fig. 13 shows the change over time in the power conduction rate of the heater 36 when the amount of stored items stored in the refrigerator compartment 8 is small, and Fig. 14 shows the change over time in the power conduction rate of the heater 36 when the amount of stored items stored in the refrigerator compartment 8 is large.

[0078] The horizontal axis of the graphs shown in Figures 13 and 14 represents the time t that has elapsed since the opening / closing detection device 60 detected the closure of the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23, and the vertical axis of the graph represents the energization rate of the heater 36. The energization rates represent the reference energization rate DRref, the refrigerator temperature corrected energization rate DRa, and the storage capacity corrected energization rate DRb (only in Figure 14). As mentioned above, time t0 is the time when the opening / closing detection device 60 detected the closure of the refrigerator compartment right door 22 and the refrigerator compartment left door 23, and time t1 is the time when the time Δt required to determine the storage capacity of stored items has elapsed. t2 is the time when the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr reaches the refrigerator compartment target temperature Ts. t3 is the time when the storage capacity energization coefficient kc becomes 1.

[0079] In Figure 13, since the amount of stored items is small, the storage amount corrected energization rate DRb is not calculated. In Figure 13, after time t2 when the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr reaches the refrigerator compartment target temperature Ts, the refrigerator energization coefficient kr becomes constant (kr = 1), and the refrigerator temperature corrected energization rate DRa becomes the reference energization rate DRref.

[0080] 14 shows the change over time in the power conduction rate of the heater 36 when the amount of stored goods is large. When the amount of stored goods is large, the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor cools faster than when the amount of stored goods is small, so the time t2 required for the refrigerator temperature corrected power conduction rate DRa to reach the reference power conduction rate DRref is shorter than when the amount of stored goods is small.

[0081] In Figure 14, when time t is from time t0 to time t1, the heater 36 has a power supply rate of refrigeration temperature corrected power supply rate DRa, as when the amount of stored items is small. When time t passes time t1, the heater control means 56 determines whether to calculate the storage capacity corrected power supply rate DRb. If the absolute value of the temperature difference between the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr at time t0 and time t1 is greater than the temperature change threshold ΔTc, the heater control means 56 calculates the storage capacity corrected power supply rate DRb and energizes the heater 36 based on the storage capacity corrected power supply rate DRb. When the heater control means 56 energizes the heater 36 based on the storage capacity corrected power supply rate DRb, the storage capacity corrected power supply rate DRb is less than the refrigeration temperature corrected power supply rate DRa while time t is less than time t2. After time t reaches time t2, the refrigerator temperature corrected energization rate DRa becomes constant (reference energization rate DRref), so the energization rate DRb is proportional to time t. After time t3, when the storage capacity energization coefficient kc becomes 1, the storage capacity corrected energization rate DRb matches the refrigerator temperature corrected energization rate DRa. Note that while time t2 appears to occur before time t3 in Figure 14, this is not necessarily the case depending on the coefficient E. Time t3 may occur before time t2, in which case DRb continues to increase even after the storage capacity corrected energization rate DRb matches the refrigerator temperature corrected energization rate DRa at time t3 until the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr reaches the refrigerator compartment target temperature Ts.

[0082] In the first embodiment, the heater control means 56 included in the refrigerator 100 acquires the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t0) immediately (t=t0) after the opening / closing detection device 60 detects the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23, and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t1) a predetermined time after t=t0. The heater control means 56 then calculates the temperature difference between the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t0) and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t1). If the absolute value of the temperature difference is greater than a predetermined threshold, the heater control means 56 calculates the storage capacity energization coefficient kc according to Equation 8. The heater control means 56 then multiplies the refrigeration correction energization rate DRa by the storage capacity energization coefficient kc to calculate the storage capacity corrected energization rate DRb, and energizes the heater 36 based on the calculated storage capacity corrected energization rate DRb. Furthermore, Equation 8 uses a coefficient E smaller than the absolute value of the temperature difference, so that the storage capacity energization coefficient kc remains equal to or less than 1 even as time t increases. As described above, even when the amount of storage items stored in refrigerator compartment 8 is large and the temperature difference between partition plate 65 and external space 90 is small, refrigerator 100 can prevent the power supply rate to heater 36, which suppresses condensation on partition plate 65, from becoming higher than necessary. As a result, refrigerator 100 can reduce power consumption compared to conventional refrigerators.

[0083] Second Embodiment. Next, a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the first embodiment, the heater control means 56 acquires the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t0) at time t0 when the opening / closing detection device 60 detects the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23, and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t1) at time t1 when the time Δt required to determine the amount of stored items has elapsed since the opening / closing detection device 60 detected the closure of the right and left refrigerator compartment doors 22 and 23. The heater control means 56 calculates the absolute value of the temperature change |Tr(t1)-Tr(t0)| from Tr(t0) and Tr(t1), and determines the storage capacity conduction coefficient kc according to Equation 7. In the second embodiment, the heater control means 56 differs from the first embodiment in that, when it is determined that the amount of stored items stored in the refrigerator compartment 8 is large, the heater control means 56 calculates the partition plate surface temperature Td and compares whether the calculated partition plate surface temperature Td is greater than the dew point temperature. In the following description, components that are common to the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0084] In embodiment 2, when it is determined that the amount of stored items stored in the refrigerator compartment 8 is large, the heater control means 56 calculates the partition surface temperature Td and calculates the storage amount current coefficient kc from the calculated partition surface temperature Td, the outside air temperature To, and the relative humidity Mrh.

[0085] FIG. 15 is a heat transfer model diagram for predicting the partition plate surface temperature Td, which is the temperature of the surface 72A exposed to the external space 90. The component configuration of the partition plate 65 is the same as in FIG. 8, and the diagram focuses on the temperature of the surface 72A. Temperature changes of the partition plate 65 occur due to three factors: heat absorption from the external space 90, heat radiation to the refrigerator compartment 8, and heat generation by the heater 36. The amount of heat absorption per unit area and unit time of the partition plate 65 from the external space 90 is expressed as K1 × (To - Td). The amount of heat radiation per unit area and unit time from the partition plate 65 to the refrigerator compartment 8 is expressed as 1 / (1 / K2 + d / λ) × (Tr - Td). If the heat generation efficiency of the heater 36 is ε, the amount of heat generated per unit area and time of the heater 36 is εq. Ｈ The heat generation efficiency of the heater 36 is the proportion of the heat generated by the heater 36 that is used to increase the temperature of the partition plate 65 .

[0086] The heat transfer coefficient K1 between the surface 72A of the partition plate 65 exposed to the external space 90 and the external space 90 is 3 to 4 W / (m ２ On the other hand, when the storage capacity is large, the heat transfer coefficient K2 between the surface 75A of the partition plate 65 exposed to the refrigerator compartment 8 and the refrigerator compartment 8 becomes smaller than when the storage capacity is small because the stored items obstruct the flow of cold air as described above, making it difficult for the cold air blown out from the cold air outlet 58 to be transmitted. When the storage capacity is large, the heat transfer coefficient K2 on the refrigerator compartment 8 side becomes 0.5 to 1 W / (m ２ In the following calculations, the overall heat transfer coefficient K2 when the storage capacity is large is used. Since part of the heat generated by the heater 36 is dissipated to the external space 90, the heat generation efficiency ε becomes a value smaller than 1. Furthermore, the density of the partition plate 65 is set to ρ [kg / m ３], and the specific heat of partition plate 65 is C [W / kg·K], the temperature rise of partition plate 65 per unit area after Δt seconds from time t is expressed as ρCΔTd(Td(t+Δt)−Td(t)). Since the temperature change of partition plate 65 is balanced with the amount of heat absorbed from external space 90, the amount of heat radiated to refrigerating compartment 8, and the amount of heat generated by heater 36, equation 8 is obtained by rearranging Td(t+Δt). Heater control means 56 calculates partition plate surface temperature Td every Δt seconds using equation 8. Note that Td(0) is the temperature of surface 72A of partition plate 65 at the time when refrigerator 100 is powered on and starts cooling refrigerating compartment 8, and is also the temperature of external space 90 measured by outside air humidity sensor 38.

[0087]

[0088] If the heater control means 56 determines that the storage capacity of the refrigerator compartment 8 is high, it calculates the storage capacity conduction coefficient kc at time t1 based on Equation 7, as in the first embodiment. Then, it calculates the storage capacity corrected conduction rate DRb to be output to the heater 36 based on Equation 6. The heater control means 56 then calculates the partition surface temperature Td at each time Δt, calculates the dew point temperature from the outdoor air temperature To and the outdoor air humidity Mrh, and determines whether the partition surface temperature Td exceeds the dew point temperature. If the partition surface temperature Td exceeds the dew point temperature, the heater control means 56 reduces the storage capacity conduction coefficient kc either as is or in proportion to the difference between the partition surface temperature Td and the dew point temperature. If the resulting partition surface temperature Td is below the dew point temperature, the heater control means 56 increases the storage capacity conduction coefficient kc in proportion to the difference between the dew point temperature and the partition surface temperature Td. Δt is, for example, one minute. Storage capacity current coefficient k Ｃ When kc becomes 1, the calculation of the storage capacity conduction coefficient kc is stopped, and the conduction rate of the partition plate 65 is determined based on Equation 4.

[0089] In the second embodiment, the partition plate surface temperature Td is predicted to determine the power supply rate of the heater 36. Therefore, the power supply rate to the heater 36 is prevented from becoming higher than necessary. As a result, the amount of power consumed by the refrigerator 100 can be reduced.

[0090] Third Embodiment Next, a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the third embodiment, an example will be described in which the control unit 40 estimates the coefficient E of the storage capacity energization coefficient kc using AI (Artificial Intelligence) learning. In the following description, components and the like that are common to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0091] 16 is a configuration diagram of the learning device 101 related to the control unit 40. The learning device 101 includes a data acquisition unit 102, a model generation unit 103, and a trained model storage unit 104.

[0092] The data acquiring unit 102 acquires, as learning data from the learning data storage unit 105, a combination of information on the absolute value of the amount of change in temperature |Tr(t1)-Tr(t0)|, which is calculated from the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t0) at time t0 when the open / close detection device 60 detects the closure of the right refrigerator compartment door 22 and the left refrigerator compartment door 23, and the refrigerator compartment temperature Tr(t1) at time t1 when a time Δt has elapsed since the open / close detection device 60 detected the closure of the right refrigerator compartment door 22 and the left refrigerator compartment door 23, and data on the coefficient E. The learning data storage unit 105 may be an external storage device different from the memory 41, or may be the memory 41.

[0093] The model generation unit 103 learns the coefficient E based on learning data created based on a combination of the temperature change information, which is the absolute value of the temperature change |Tr(t1)-Tr(t0)| output from the data acquisition unit 102, and the data on the actual coefficient E for that temperature change.

[0094] The above description is of the case where the learning device 101 is used to learn the coefficient E in the control unit 40, but the learning device 101 may be a device separate from the control unit 40. For example, the learning device 101 may be connected to the control unit 40 via a network. Alternatively, the learning device 101 may be built into the control unit 40. Furthermore, the learning device 101 and the inference device 106 may reside on a cloud server.

[0095] The learning algorithm used by the model generation unit 103 may be a known algorithm such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, etc. As an example, a case where a neural network is applied will be described.

[0096] The model generation unit 103 learns the coefficient E by so-called supervised learning, for example, in accordance with a neural network model. Here, supervised learning refers to a technique in which pairs of input and result (label) data are provided to the learning device 101, and the learning device 101 learns the features of the learning data and infers the result from the input.

[0097] A neural network is composed of an input layer consisting of multiple neurons, an intermediate layer (hidden layer) consisting of multiple neurons, and an output layer consisting of multiple neurons. The intermediate layer may be one layer, or two or more layers.

[0098] Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a three-layer neural network. For example, in a three-layer neural network such as that shown in Fig. 12, when multiple inputs are input to the input layer (X1 to X3), the values ​​are multiplied by weights W1 (w11 to w16) and input to the intermediate layer (Y1 to Y2), and the results are further multiplied by weights W2 (w21 to w26) and output from the output layer (Z1 to Z3). This output result varies depending on the values ​​of weights W1 and W2.

[0099] In the present application, the neural network learns by so-called supervised learning in accordance with learning data created based on a combination of temperature change amount information acquired by the data acquisition unit 103 and data on a coefficient E corresponding to the temperature change amount information, so that the coefficient E output when temperature change amount information is input approaches a correct numerical value.

[0100] That is, the neural network learns by inputting temperature change amount information to the input layer and adjusting the weights W1 and W2 so that the result output from the output layer approaches the coefficient E corresponding to the temperature change amount information.

[0101] The model generation unit 103 generates and outputs a trained model by performing the above-described learning.

[0102] The trained model storage unit 104 stores the trained model output from the model generation unit 103.

[0103] 18 is a configuration diagram of the inference device 106 related to the control unit 40. The inference device 106 includes a data acquisition unit 107 and an inference unit 108.

[0104] The data acquisition unit 107 acquires the temperature change amount information from the memory 41 .

[0105] The inference unit 108 infers the coefficient E using the learned model stored in the learned model storage unit 104. That is, by inputting the temperature change amount information acquired in the memory 41 into this learned model, the coefficient E inferred from the temperature change amount information can be output to the storage unit 109. The storage unit 109 may be the memory 41 or an external storage device.

[0106] In this embodiment, the inference unit 108 has been described as inferring the coefficient E using a trained model trained by the model generation unit 103, but it is also possible to obtain a trained model from an external source such as the control unit 40 and infer the coefficient E based on this trained model.

[0107] In this embodiment, a case where supervised learning is applied to the learning algorithm used by the model generation unit 103 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. As for the learning algorithm, reinforcement learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or the like can also be applied in addition to supervised learning.

[0108] Furthermore, the learning algorithm used in the model generation unit 103 may be deep learning, which learns to extract the features themselves, or machine learning may be performed according to other known methods, such as genetic programming, inductive logic programming, or support vector machines.

[0109] In the above-described embodiments, the refrigerator compartment 8, among the multiple storage compartments, is configured to be opened and closed by a double door, that is, a right refrigerator compartment door 22 and a left refrigerator compartment door 23. However, the above-described embodiments are not limited to this, and can also be applied to a case where a storage compartment other than the refrigerator compartment 8 is opened and closed by a double door.

[0110] 1...box body, 2...outer box, 3...inner box, 4...insulating material, 5...front portion, 6...opening, 7...storage space, 8...refrigerator compartment, 9...ice making compartment, 10...switchable compartment, 11...freezer compartment, 12...vegetable compartment, 13...first partition, 14...second partition, 15...third partition, 16...refrigerator compartment opening, 17...ice making compartment opening, 18...switchable compartment opening, 19...freezer compartment opening, 20...vegetable compartment opening, 21...shelf, 22...right refrigerator compartment door, 23...left refrigerator compartment door, 24... Ice-making compartment door, 25...switching compartment door, 26...freezer compartment door, 27...vegetable compartment door, 28...second storage case, 29...third storage case, 30...fourth storage case, 31...machine compartment, 32...cooler compartment, 33...compressor, 34...blower, 35...cooler, 36...heater, 37...outside air temperature sensor, 38...outside air humidity sensor, 39...upper hinge, 40...control unit, 41...memory, 42...CPU, 45...refrigerator compartment temperature sensor, 4 6...switchable compartment temperature sensor, 47...freezer compartment temperature sensor, 48...vegetable compartment temperature sensor, 49...cooler temperature sensor, 50...condenser, 51...pressure reducing device, 52...damper device, 53...piping, 54...refrigeration cycle, 55...refrigeration cycle control means, 56...heater control means, 57...refrigerator compartment outlet duct, 58...cold air outlet, 60A...first opening / closing detection device, 60B...second opening / closing detection device, 61...cold air return Vent, 62...cold air return air duct, 65...partition plate, 66...gap, 67...right door inner plate, 68...left door inner plate, 69...right rib, 70...left rib, 71...casing, 72...sheet metal member, 73...heat insulating material, 74...aluminum foil, 75...interior resin member, 76...side resin member, 80A...right door groove, 80B...left door groove, 81A...right door gasket, 81B...left door gasket, 82...magnet, 83...packing, 90...external space

Claims

1. A box-shaped structure having a storage room, The box body has double doors that open and close the opening, A partition plate that prevents outside air from entering the storage room when the double doors are closed, A storage room temperature sensor detects the temperature inside the storage room as the storage room temperature, A door opening / closing sensor for detecting the opening and closing of the aforementioned double doors, A heater for heating the partition plate, The system includes a heater control means that changes the amount of power supplied to the heater according to the amount of change in the storage room temperature from the time the door opening / closing sensor detects that the double doors have been closed until a predetermined time has elapsed. refrigerator.

2. The amount of current supplied is, The larger the change in the storage room temperature, the smaller the size. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

3. The amount of current supplied is a function of the change in the storage room temperature and the elapsed time since the double doors were closed, and increases with the elapsed time since the double doors were closed. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

4. The heater control means is The heat transfer coefficient between the surface of the partition plate exposed to the external space and the external space, the heat transfer coefficient between the surface of the partition plate exposed to the storage chamber and the storage chamber, the temperature of the storage chamber and the outside air temperature are used to calculate the temperature of the surface of the partition plate exposed to the external space. The dew point temperature is calculated from the above-mentioned outside air temperature and outside air humidity. If the calculated temperature is higher than the dew point temperature, and the door opening / closing sensor detects that the double doors have been closed, the amount of current supplied is reduced. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

5. If the calculated temperature is higher than the dew point temperature, the heater control means reduces the amount of current supplied in proportion to the difference between the calculated temperature and the dew point temperature. The refrigerator according to claim 4.

6. The heater control means calculates the temperature of the surface of the partition plate exposed to the external space from the heat transfer coefficient between the surface of the partition plate exposed to the external space and the external space, the heat transfer coefficient between the surface of the partition plate exposed to the storage chamber and the storage chamber, the storage chamber temperature and the outside air temperature, The dew point temperature is calculated from the above-mentioned outside air temperature and outside air humidity. If the calculated temperature is lower than the dew point temperature, and the door opening / closing sensor detects that the double doors have been closed, the amount of current supplied is increased. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

7. If the calculated temperature is lower than the dew point temperature, the heater control means increases the amount of current supplied in proportion to the difference between the calculated temperature and the dew point temperature. The refrigerator according to claim 6.

8. The heater control means is The temperature of the surface of the partition plate exposed to the external space is calculated based on the time elapsed since the door opening / closing sensor detected that the double doors were closed, the heat transfer coefficient between the surface of the partition plate exposed to the external space and the external space, the heat transfer coefficient between the surface of the partition plate exposed to the storage compartment and the refrigerator compartment, the thermal conductivity of the partition plate, the density of the partition plate, the specific heat of the partition plate, the outside air temperature, the storage compartment temperature, the amount of heat generated per unit area of ​​the heater, and the heating efficiency of the heater. The refrigerator according to claim 4 or 6.

9. comprising a data acquisition unit and a model generation unit, The data acquisition unit acquires the combination of the change amount and the coefficient E corresponding to the change amount as training data in a formula that corrects the amount of power supplied based on the amount of stored goods stored in the storage chamber, which is represented by the change amount of the storage chamber temperature, a coefficient E corresponding to the change amount, and the elapsed time from the time point. The model generation unit generates a trained model based on the training data output from the data acquisition unit. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

10. comprising an inference unit, When the amount of change is input, the inference unit uses the trained model generated by the model generation unit to infer the coefficient E. The refrigerator according to claim 9.