JP6097922B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with a means for detecting the amount stored in a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator capable of controlling the temperature in the refrigerator according to the amount stored.

  In recent years, household refrigerators generally use an indirect cooling method in which cold air is circulated in the refrigerator with a fan. In a conventional refrigerator, the temperature in the refrigerator is kept at an appropriate temperature by controlling the temperature according to the detection result of the temperature in the refrigerator.

  For example, there is a refrigerator provided with a movable cold air discharge device as a refrigerator that keeps the inside temperature uniform (see Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 12 shows a front sectional view of a refrigerator compartment of a conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a movable cold air discharge device 102 provided in the refrigerator compartment 101 supplies cold air to the left and right to make the internal temperature uniform.

JP-A-8-247608

  However, even if the inside temperature is made uniform, the stored items are not always stored at the optimum temperature. This is because the refrigerator detects and controls the ambient temperature in the cabinet by the thermistor, and there is no means for directly detecting the temperature of the stored item. Therefore, a difference occurs between the ambient temperature in the storage and the actual temperature of the stored items.

  For example, in a transition period from immediately after the stored item to temperature stabilization, a temperature difference depending on the amount of stored item occurs between the detection temperature of the temperature detecting means arranged in the warehouse and the temperature of the stored item. The time required to reach the storage temperature varies depending on the amount of storage. Specifically, the cooling time is short when the storage amount is small, and the cooling time is long when the storage amount is large. In particular, when the storage amount is small, the cooling operation may be performed excessively, resulting in “too cold” storage.

  In addition, after a sufficient time has passed, the stored item keeps its temperature by its own heat capacity, so the larger the stored amount, the lower the temperature of the inside atmosphere. For this reason, the stored item becomes “too cold”, and the stored item cannot be cooled at an optimum temperature. Furthermore, during this time, the refrigerator performs cooling operation using excess power consumption.

The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and includes a storage chamber that is partitioned by a heat insulating wall and a heat insulating door to store storage items, a cooling system that cools the storage chamber, covers the storage chamber, and is pulled out in the front-rear direction. Pull-out door, door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door, actuator for automatically opening / closing the door, drive source for the actuator, and storage amount estimation means for estimating the storage amount in the storage chamber And control means for calculating and controlling the cooling system and actuator drive control and the detection result of the storage amount estimation means, the control means driving the cooling system based on the detection result of the storage amount estimation means The purpose is to control.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a storage chamber that is partitioned by a heat insulating wall to store storage items, a cooling system that cools the storage chamber, covers the storage chamber, and is pulled out in the front-rear direction. Pull-out type door, door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door, an actuator for automatically opening / closing the door, a drive source for the actuator, and a storage amount estimation means for estimating a storage amount in the storage chamber Control means for calculating and processing the cooling system and drive control of the actuator and the detection result of the storage amount estimation means, and the control means controls the cooling system based on the detection result of the storage amount estimation means. intended to drive control, the storage amount estimating means, storage amount of door opening force required to the actuator to open and close the drawer-type door is at zero And estimates the amount of storage from the correlation data of a predetermined amount of storage for the standard value.

  This makes it possible to estimate the amount of storage in the drawer storage chamber, and to perform cooling control according to the state in the storage.

  The refrigerator of the present invention detects the storage amount in advance and controls the operation state of the refrigerator based on the information, thereby enabling cooling suitable for the storage amount in the warehouse and realizing high freshness of stored items. In addition, power consumption can be suppressed by preventing the stored items from being “too cold”.

Side surface sectional drawing of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention (A) Top sectional view at the time of closing the freezer compartment in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, (b) Top sectional view at the time of opening the freezer compartment in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Control block diagram according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Storage capacity estimation characteristic diagram in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Control flow chart in embodiment 1 of the present invention Control block diagram in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Storage capacity estimation characteristic diagram in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Control flowchart in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Control block diagram in Embodiment 3 of the present invention Storage capacity estimation characteristic diagram in Embodiment 3 of the present invention Control flowchart in Embodiment 3 of the present invention Front sectional view of the refrigerator compartment of a conventional refrigerator

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage chamber that is partitioned by a heat insulating wall and stores storage items, a cooling system that cools the storage chamber, a drawer-type door that covers the storage chamber and can be pulled out in the front-rear direction, Door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening and closing, an actuator for automatically opening and closing the door, a drive source for the actuator, a storage amount estimation means for estimating a storage amount in the storage chamber, drive control of the cooling system and the actuator And control means for computing the detection result of the storage amount estimation means, and the control means drives and controls the cooling system based on the detection result of the storage amount estimation means.

  This makes it possible to estimate the amount of storage in the drawer storage room, and by controlling the driving of the cooling system based on that information, the temperature of the stored items is always kept at an optimum state, and high freshness is realized. In addition, power consumption can be suppressed by preventing the stored items from being “too cold”.

In addition , it is possible to estimate the weight of food in the storage room from the load applied to the actuator.

In a second aspect based on the first aspect , the storage amount estimation means estimates a storage amount from an input current value of the drive source when the actuator opens and closes the door.

  Accordingly, the storage amount can be estimated with a simple configuration such as a current sensor or a shunt method.

In a third aspect based on the first aspect , the storage amount estimation means estimates the storage amount from the time until the door operates a fixed amount by the actuator.

  As a result, the moving speed of the door, which changes depending on the amount of storage, is calculated based on the time from the start of actuator operation until the door opening / closing sensor detects the opening of the door. The amount of storage can be estimated by a simple device.

In a fourth aspect based on the first aspect , the storage amount estimation means estimates the storage amount based on an opening dimension in which the door is pulled out by the actuator.

  As a result, the amount of movement of the door that changes depending on the amount of storage can be detected by the distance measuring sensor, the amount of storage can be estimated with a simple configuration, and this sensor also serves as a door open / close detection means. You can also.

According to a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, a temperature detection unit is provided around the actuator, and the control unit includes a storage amount estimation unit according to a temperature detected by the temperature detection unit. The detection result is corrected.

  As a result, the output of the actuator or the temperature effect of the surrounding structure is corrected, so that the estimation accuracy of the storage amount can be increased.

In a sixth aspect based on any one of the first to fifth aspects, the control means stores the difference from the difference between the storage amount estimation result obtained by the storage amount estimation means and the previous storage amount estimation result. It is characterized by estimating a change in quantity.

  Accordingly, since the amount of change in a short period is detected, the influence of the output of the actuator that changes over time or the change in characteristics of the peripheral structure portion can be minimized.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

  In addition, you may apply the matter regarding the principal part of the invention described below in this Embodiment to the refrigerator of the type which arrange | positions a compressor in the lower storage chamber back area | region.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2A is a top sectional view when the freezer compartment is closed in Embodiment 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a top cross-sectional view of the freezer compartment when the door is opened, a control block diagram according to the embodiment, FIG. 3 is a control block diagram according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a storage amount according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an estimation characteristic diagram, and FIG. 5 is a control flowchart in the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a heat insulating box body of a refrigerator body, and a heat insulating material is mainly provided in an outer box using a steel plate, an inner box formed of a resin such as ABS, and the space between the outer box and the inner box. With the provided structure, it is insulated from the surroundings.

  The refrigerator 1 is thermally partitioned into a plurality of storage rooms, a refrigeration room 2 at the top, a switching room 3 at the bottom of the refrigeration room 2, a freezing room 4 at the bottom of the switching room 3, and the bottom The vegetable compartment 5 is arranged on the wall and is partitioned by partition walls 6a to 6c. Furthermore, doors 7a to 7d are respectively formed in the front opening of the refrigerator body in order to partition the front of each storage room from the outside air.

  In order to determine the open / closed state of these doors 7a to 7d, door open / close detecting means 13a to 13d are provided, respectively, and a switch type or a magnetic sensor type is generally used. In addition, in order to detect the opening / closing state of a door more correctly, you may provide the door opening amount detection means 14. FIG. This door opening amount detection means 14 is disposed on the inner side of the inside of the cabinet, and determines the door opening dimension by a distance measuring sensor or the like that measures the distance from the storage case 15 in the freezer compartment 4.

  Further, temperature detection means such as a thermistor is provided in each storage chamber. For example, the temperature detection means 21 is disposed in the freezer compartment 4 on the inner side of the interior.

  The storage case 15 of the freezer compartment 4 is supported and attached by the frame 19 of the door 7c. In addition, a gasket 22 made of a resin material is provided to prevent cold air leakage from the gap between the door 7 c and the refrigerator 1. Since the gap between the housing and the door 7c is not constant for each refrigerator due to dimensional variations and assembly variations of components, the gasket 22 is made elastic and is larger than the gap. Thereby, the gasket 22 is in a slightly compressed state when the door is closed. In this state, a large opening force is required because of a latch mechanism that pulls the door 7c to the back side in order to reduce the pressure in the freezer compartment 4 and improve the sealing performance, and there is a possibility that elderly people and children cannot open the door. Therefore, the actuator 23 applies a force in the door opening direction so that the door can be automatically opened by a simple switch operation or the like.

  The actuator 23 is composed of a motor, a gear mechanism, and the like, transmits the power to the rotating shaft 24, and rotates the arm 25. Other drive sources such as a solenoid may be used instead of the motor.

  The frame 19 is provided with an action shaft 26, which is in a position where the arm 25 contacts when the arm 25 rotates. That is, the operation of the arm 25 can be transmitted to the door 7 c via the action shaft 26.

In consideration of the possibility that the door 7c is left in a half-door state and cold air leakage in the freezer compartment 4 affects the storage of food in the refrigerator, the actuator 23 is not only automatically opened, but also from the half-door state. It also serves as a reliable closing mechanism. This operation is performed by operating the actuator 23 in the reverse direction when opening the door.

  With this system, the door 7c can be opened and closed automatically.

  A plurality of storage shelves 27 are provided in the refrigerating chamber 2 and are configured to be partially movable up and down.

  The high pressure side components of the refrigeration cycle such as the compressor 8 and a dryer for removing moisture are housed in a machine room formed in the uppermost rear region in the refrigerator compartment 2.

  A cooling chamber for generating cold air is provided on the back surface of the freezer compartment 4, and in the cooling chamber, the cooler 9 and cold air that is cooling means cooled by the cooler are stored in the refrigerator compartment 2, the switching chamber 3, and the freezer compartment 4. A cooling fan 10 for blowing air to the vegetable compartment 5 is disposed. In addition, a defrost heater 11, a drain pan, a drain tube evaporating dish, and the like are configured to defrost frost and ice adhering to the cooler 9 and its surroundings.

  In the present embodiment, the matter relating to the main part of the invention described below is a type in which a compressor room is disposed by providing a machine room in the rear region of the lowermost storage room of a heat insulation box that has been generally used conventionally. It may be applied to other refrigerators.

  The refrigerator compartment 2 is normally set to 1 ° C. to 5 ° C. at the lower limit for freezing for refrigerated storage, and the lowermost vegetable compartment 5 is set to 2 ° C. to 7 ° C. which is equal to or slightly higher than the refrigerator compartment 2. In addition, the freezer compartment 4 is set in a freezing temperature zone and is usually set at −22 ° C. to −15 ° C. for frozen storage. For example, in order to improve the frozen storage state, −30 ° C. or − It may be set at a low temperature of 25 ° C.

  The switching chamber 3 is refrigerated in addition to refrigerated storage set at 1 ° C to 5 ° C, vegetable storage set at 2 ° C to 7 ° C, and frozen storage usually set at -22 ° C to -15 ° C. The temperature can be switched to a preset temperature range between the temperature range and the freezing temperature range.

  The temperature of each room is controlled by controlling the cooling system, that is, adjusting the motor rotation speed of the compressor 8, adjusting the rotation speed of the cooling fan 10, and adjusting the air volume distribution to each room by opening and closing the dampers 12a and 12b. The dampers 12a and 12b have a rotary opening / closing part that is driven by a motor to shield / open the air passage. The opening / closing part is opened halfway to share a breeze in the storage room. It is possible to Normally, if the opening is reduced, the air path resistance increases, and the air volume by the cooling fan 10 decreases.

  The control means 30 includes a microcomputer, a motor driver and the like mounted on a printed circuit board. In addition to driving the electric parts described above, the current detection means 31 of the actuator 23, the storage amount estimation means 32, the storage amount storage means 33, A timer 34 and correction means 35 are provided.

  The current detection means 31 is a current sensor that uses a current transformer, a shunt resistor, or the like as an input part of the actuator 23. This is because the load torque applied to the actuator 23 increases when the door opens and closes as the storage amount in the freezer compartment 4 increases, as shown in the graph of FIG. Perform an operation to convert to.

  The storage amount storage means 33 records the estimated storage amount value as needed, and is used for comparison with previous detection results. The correction means 35 corrects the relationship between the storage amount that changes due to the influence of the ambient temperature and the input current value of the actuator 23, and mainly calculates from the detection result of the temperature detection means 21 and the driving status of the cooling system.

  In the present embodiment, the switching chamber 3 is a storage room including the temperature range of refrigeration and freezing. However, the refrigeration is performed in the refrigerator room 2 and the vegetable room 5, and the freezing is performed in the freezer room 4 for refrigeration. A storage room specialized for switching only the temperature zone in the middle of freezing may be used. Moreover, the storage room fixed to refrigeration may be sufficient as the demand for frozen foods has increased in recent years, for example, frozen food.

  Moreover, although not shown in figure, the structure which adjoins the switching room and the ice-making room which produces | generates and preserve | saves ice may be sufficient.

  About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement * effect | action is demonstrated below using the flowchart of FIG.

  In the initial state, the door 7c of the freezer compartment 4 is closed.

  First, it is determined that the user has performed the opening operation of the door 7c of the freezer compartment 4 (step 101). The opening operation is determined by the opening operation means 20 provided on the door 7c, and a touch sensor or the like is used for this.

  If there is a door opening operation, the actuator 23 is driven to automatically open the door 7c (step 102).

  At this time, the current detection means 31 measures the value of the current flowing through the motor (step 103). As the storage amount increases, the weight in the freezer compartment 4 increases, and a high motor load torque is required, and the motor current increases. Therefore, the storage amount can be estimated from the motor current. However, since the motor current varies depending on the ambient temperature, the variation is corrected for each temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 21 (step 104).

  Based on the motor current thus obtained, the stored amount estimating means 32 performs an operation for converting the measured current into the stored amount (step 105). For example, when the motor current is A as shown in the graph of FIG. The estimated storage amount C is recorded in the storage amount storage means 33 (step 106).

  Since the actions of Steps 101 to 106 are performed when the door is opened, the storage amount before the user stores the food is estimated.

  When the door opening operation by the actuator 23 is completed, for example, the user stores food in the freezer compartment 4 (step 107). However, there are cases where the user uses the food in the warehouse and the storage amount decreases, or there is a case where the storage amount does not change just by checking the contents.

  Next, if there is a closing operation by the user (step 108), the actuator 23 is driven to automatically close the door 7c (step 109).

  At this time, the current detection means 31 measures the value of the current flowing through the motor (step 110). As the storage amount increases, the weight in the freezer compartment 4 increases, and a high motor load torque is required, and the motor current increases. Therefore, the storage amount can be estimated from the motor current. However, since the motor current varies depending on the ambient temperature, the variation is corrected for each temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 21 (step 111).

From the motor current thus obtained, the stored amount estimating means 32 performs a calculation for converting the measured current into the stored amount (step 112). For example, when the motor current is B as shown in the graph of FIG. The estimated storage amount D is recorded in the storage amount storage means 33 (step 113).

  Since the actions in steps 108 to 113 are performed when the door is closed, the amount of storage after the user has stored the food is estimated.

  Finally, the storage amount C when the door is opened recorded in step 106 is compared with the storage amount D when the door is closed (step 114). If the user newly stores food, D is a value greater than C, and if the user is using food in the warehouse, D is a value smaller than C. Further, if the user only confirms the contents in the cabinet, C and D have the same value.

  In addition, although the above-mentioned actuator 23 can be opened and closed, for example, when the actuator 23 is dedicated to opening the door, the storage amount is estimated only by the action of Step 101 to Step 106. At this time, the calculation of the storage amount change in step 114 is obtained from estimation results in different opening operations, such as comparing the storage amount estimated at the previous door opening with the storage amount estimated at the current door opening. The same idea applies when the actuator 23 is dedicated to closing.

  Further, as in the estimation of the storage amount so far, the method of calculating from the absolute value of the motor current is the variation of the motor, the variation of the power transmission parts of the actuator, the variation of the weight of the constituent material of the freezer compartment 4, the friction of the drawer rail. There is a possibility that sufficient accuracy may not be obtained due to many initial variation factors of each refrigerator such as coefficient variation. As a countermeasure, as shown in FIG. 4, the motor current when the storage amount in the freezer compartment 4 is zero is set as a reference value, which is referred to as “storage amount C / reference value” or “storage amount D / reference value”. In this way, a method using the relative value can be considered. This eliminates the need to consider the initial variation of each refrigerator and greatly improves the accuracy.

  Subsequent cooling control is determined from the storage amount estimated as described above or the storage amount change.

  First, when the amount of storage added is extremely small, when no food is added, or when the amount of storage decreases due to the use of food, energy-saving operation is performed by controlling the cooling system, or storage added When the amount is large, optimal cooling control is performed according to the change in the storage amount, such as a rapid cooling operation by controlling the cooling system. An example of such cooling control will be described below.

  For example, a determination is made with respect to a predetermined threshold value for the detected change value of the storage amount. When it is determined that the change in the storage amount is greater than the threshold value, the control unit 30 selects the rapid operation. For example, increasing the number of rotations of the compressor 8 increases the amount of refrigerant circulation and increases the amount of cooling, increases the number of rotations of the cooling fan 10 and increases the amount of air, or increases the opening of the damper 12b. Perform the action. On the other hand, when the change in the storage amount is smaller than a preset threshold value, the power saving operation is performed. That is, by reducing the rotation speed of the compressor 8, the refrigerant circulation amount is reduced, the cooling amount is reduced, the rotation speed of the cooling fan 10 is reduced, the air volume is reduced, or the opening degree of the damper 12 b is reduced. Perform the operation.

  With the above operation, automatic rapid cooling and automatic power saving cooling operation corresponding to the amount of food stored can be realized.

  In addition, when the storage amount is extremely small, energy saving operation is performed by controlling the cooling system, or when the storage amount is large, rapid cooling operation is performed by controlling the cooling system. Even optimal cooling control according to the absolute amount of food. An example of such cooling control will be described below.

  For example, a threshold value is determined in advance for the detected storage amount, and a three-stage determination of “large, normal, and low” is performed. When it is determined that the storage amount is “large”, the control unit 30 selects the rapid operation. For example, increasing the number of rotations of the compressor 8 increases the amount of refrigerant circulation and increases the amount of cooling, increases the number of rotations of the cooling fan 10 and increases the amount of air, or increases the opening of the damper 12b. Perform the action. On the other hand, when it is determined that the storage amount is “small”, the power saving operation is performed. That is, by reducing the rotation speed of the compressor 8, the refrigerant circulation amount is reduced, the cooling amount is reduced, the rotation speed of the cooling fan 10 is reduced, the air volume is reduced, or the opening degree of the damper 12 b is reduced. Perform the operation.

  With the above operation, automatic rapid cooling according to the absolute amount of food and automatic power saving cooling operation can be realized.

  Further, one is to estimate an increase / decrease pattern of the storage amount from the storage amount data stored in the storage amount storage means 33 for a certain period (for example, for three weeks) and reflect it in the cooling operation. For example, the amount of storage often decreases during breakfast hours, so energy saving operation is performed, or in the evening, the amount of storage increases due to shopping food, so the pre-cooling operation is expected in anticipation of an increase in the internal temperature. For example, perform appropriate cooling operations by predicting usage patterns.

  As in the above operation, the day when the storage amount increases is extracted as the estimated shopping date, and this estimated shopping date, the change in the stored food amount at the time of shopping, and the storage status of each household are patterned and learned, for example, 7 days Automatic day-cooling and automatic power-saving cooling operations can be realized by detecting the day of the week by dividing the data every time and estimating the shopping day of a specific day of the week.

(Embodiment 2)
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Note that description of the contents described in Embodiment 1 is omitted.

  6 is a control block diagram according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a storage capacity estimation characteristic diagram according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a control flowchart according to the second embodiment.

  About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement * effect | action is demonstrated below.

  In the initial state, the door 7c of the freezer compartment 4 is closed.

  First, it is determined that the user has performed the opening operation of the door 7c of the freezer compartment 4 (step 201). The opening operation is determined by the opening operation means 20 provided on the door 7c, and a touch sensor or the like is used for this.

  If there is a door opening operation, the actuator 23 is driven to automatically open the door 7c (step 202).

  Next, the time from the start of the door opening until the door opening / closing detection means 13 detects the opening is counted by the door opening time measuring means 36 (step 203). However, since the opening time varies depending on the ambient temperature, the variation is corrected for each temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 21 (step 204).

  As the storage amount increases, the weight in the freezer compartment 4 increases, and the opening time increases as the opening speed becomes slower. Therefore, the storage amount can be estimated from the opening time. Although the change in the opening time with the storage amount is as small as about 1 second or less, it is a level that can be sufficiently measured by the timer 34 in the microcomputer.

  Based on the opening time thus obtained, the stored amount estimating means 32 performs a calculation for converting the measured current into the stored amount (step 205). For example, as shown in the graph of FIG. The estimated storage amount G is recorded in the storage amount storage means 33 (step 206).

  Since the above-described actuator 23 is an actuator dedicated to opening the door, the storage amount change calculation in step 207 compares the storage amount estimated at the previous opening with the storage amount estimated at the current opening, etc. Obtained from estimation results for different door opening actions. For example, assume that the opening time in the previous detection result is E and the storage amount is estimated as G, and the opening time in the current detection result is F and the storage amount is estimated as H. At this time, if the user newly stores food at the previous detection, H is larger than G, and if the user uses food in the warehouse, H is greater than G. Also, if the user only checks the contents in the cabinet, G and H are the same value.

  The same idea applies when the actuator 23 is dedicated to closing.

  When the actuator 23 can be opened and closed, the storage amount change may be calculated from the difference in the estimated storage amount when the door is closed, as in the first embodiment.

  Note that the calculation method based on the absolute value of the opening time as in the case of the storage amount estimation so far includes variations in the motor, variations in the power transmission parts of the actuator, variations in the weight of the freezer compartment 4, variations in the friction coefficient of the drawer rail, etc. There is a possibility that sufficient accuracy may not be obtained due to many initial variation factors of each refrigerator. As a countermeasure, as shown in FIG. 7, the opening time when the storage amount in the freezer compartment 4 is zero is set as a reference value, and “storage amount G / reference value” or “storage amount H / reference value” is set. Thus, a method of handling with relative values can be considered. This eliminates the need to consider the initial variation of each refrigerator and greatly improves the accuracy.

  The cooling control determined from the storage amount estimated as described above or the change in the storage amount is the same as the content described in the first embodiment, and is therefore omitted.

  As described above, since the storage amount is estimated by the door opening / closing detection unit that has already been provided, the system can be realized with a simple configuration without any additional components.

(Embodiment 3)
The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Note that the description of the contents described in Embodiments 1 and 2 is omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a control block diagram according to the third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a storage capacity estimation characteristic diagram according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a control flowchart according to the third embodiment.

  About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement * effect | action is demonstrated below.

  In the initial state, the door 7c of the freezer compartment 4 is closed.

  First, it is determined that the user has performed the opening operation of the door 7c of the freezer compartment 4 (step 301). The opening operation is determined by the opening operation means 20 provided on the door 7c, and a touch sensor or the like is used for this.

  If there is a door opening operation, the actuator 23 is driven to automatically open the door 7c (step 302).

  Next, after the opening of the door is completed, the size of the opening of the door is measured by the opening amount detecting means 14 (step 303). As the storage amount increases, the weight in the freezer compartment 4 increases, and the size automatically pulled out when the door is opened decreases, so the storage amount can be estimated from the opening size. However, since the opening dimension varies depending on the ambient temperature, the variation is corrected for each temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 21 (step 304). The door opening amount detection means 14 is provided in the back of the freezer compartment 4 and uses a distance measuring sensor or the like that can measure the distance from the storage case 15. A distance measuring sensor is generally of a type obtained by trigonometry using infrared reflection or an ultrasonic type.

  Based on the opening dimension thus obtained, the storage amount estimating means 32 performs an operation for converting the measured current into the storage amount (step 305). For example, as shown in the graph of FIG. 10, when the door opening time is J, the storage amount can be estimated as L. The estimated storage amount L is recorded in the storage amount storage means 33 (step 306).

  Since the above-described actuator 23 is a door-dedicated actuator, the storage amount change calculation in step 307 compares the storage amount estimated at the previous door opening with the storage amount estimated at the current door opening. Obtained from estimation results in different door opening operations. For example, assume that the opening size in the previous detection result is J and the storage amount is estimated as L, and the opening time in the current detection result is K and the storage amount is estimated as M. At this time, if the user newly stores food, M is a value greater than L, and if the user is using food in the cabinet, M is a value smaller than L. In addition, if the user only confirms the contents in the warehouse, L and M have the same value.

  The same idea applies when the actuator 23 is dedicated to closing.

  When the actuator 23 can be opened and closed, the storage amount change may be calculated from the difference in the estimated storage amount when the door is closed, as in the first embodiment.

  Note that the calculation method based on the absolute value of the opening time as in the case of the storage amount estimation so far includes variations in the motor, actuator power transmission components, freezer compartment weight variation, drawer rail friction coefficient variation, and the like. There is a possibility that sufficient accuracy may not be obtained due to many initial variation factors of each refrigerator. As a countermeasure, as shown in FIG. 10, the opening time when the storage amount in the freezer compartment 4 is zero is set as a reference value, and “storage amount L / reference value” or “storage amount M / reference value”. Thus, a method of handling with relative values can be considered. This eliminates the need to consider the initial variation of each refrigerator and greatly improves the accuracy.

  The cooling control determined from the storage amount estimated as described above or the change in the storage amount is the same as the content described in the first embodiment, and is therefore omitted.

  As described above, since the storage amount is estimated by adding only the door opening amount detection means, the system can be realized with a simple configuration.

  The refrigerator according to the present invention can be implemented and applied to control for switching the operation mode to a power saving operation or the like by providing a storage amount estimation function in a home or business refrigerator.

1 Refrigerator (insulated box)
2 Refrigerating room 3 Switching room 4 Freezing room 5 Vegetable room 6a, 6b, 6c Partition wall 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d Door 8 Compressor 9 Cooler 10 Cooling fan 11 Defrost heater 12a, 12b Damper 13a, 13b, 13c 13d Door opening / closing detection means 14 Door opening amount detection means 15 Storage case 16 Storage amount estimation means 17 Storage amount storage means 18 Timer 19 Frame 20 Door opening operation means 21 Temperature detection means 23 Actuator 24 Rotating shaft 25 Arm 26 Working shaft 27 Storage shelf 30 Control means 31 Current detection means 32 Storage amount estimation means 33 Storage amount storage means 34 Timer 35 Correction means 36 Door opening time measurement means

Claims (6)

A storage room partitioned by a heat insulating wall to store storage items, a cooling system for cooling the storage room, a pull-out door that covers the storage room and can be pulled out in the front-rear direction, and a door opening / closing that detects opening and closing of the door Detection means, an actuator for automatically opening and closing the door, a drive source of the actuator, a storage amount estimation means for estimating a storage amount in the storage chamber, drive control of the cooling system and the actuator, and storage amount estimation Control means for computing the detection result of the means, wherein the control means drives and controls the cooling system based on the detection result of the storage amount estimation means, and the storage amount estimation means includes the actuator The storage amount is estimated from the correlation data of the predetermined storage amount with respect to the reference value when the storage amount of the opening force required to open and close the pull-out door is zero. Refrigerator that was characterized in that. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the storage amount estimation means estimates the storage amount from an input current value of the drive source when the actuator opens and closes the door. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the storage amount estimation means estimates the storage amount from a time until the door is operated by a certain amount by the actuator. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the storage amount estimation unit estimates the storage amount from an opening door dimension in which the door is pulled out by the actuator. Comprising a temperature detecting means on the periphery of the actuator, the control unit the temperature detection means detects any one of a temperature claims 1 characterized in that to correct the detection result of the storage amount estimating means according to 4 The refrigerator according to item. Serial and the control means includes a storage amount estimation results by the receiving amount estimating means, any one of claims 1 to 5 which is characterized by estimating the change in the storage amount from the difference between the storage amount estimation results of earlier The refrigerator according to one item.