JP7032026B2 - Cool storage - Google Patents

Description

The techniques disclosed herein relate to cold storage.

Conventionally, in a cooling storage equipped with an internal fan that circulates cold air cooled by a freezing circuit into the storage, when the door of the cooling storage is opened, the internal fan is stopped in order to prevent the outside air from being taken into the storage and diffused. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a heat ray sensor provided in the refrigerator toward the door side, and stops the cold air stirring fan when the heat ray sensor detects that the door has opened. Is.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-266582

However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the problem when the door is opened and closed at short intervals has not been examined.
The present specification discloses a technique for suppressing liquid backing caused by opening and closing the door at short intervals.

The cooling storage disclosed in the present specification includes a storage main body having an opening, a door for opening and closing the opening, a refrigerating circuit, an internal fan for circulating cold air cooled by the refrigerating circuit, and the door. The control unit includes a detection unit for detecting that the door is opened and a control unit, and when the detection unit detects that the door is opened, the control unit per unit time of the internal fan. The rotation speed is lowered to a second rotation speed or less, which is lower than the first rotation speed, which is the rotation speed of the internal fan when the door is closed, and then when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the internal fan Is executed at the first rotation speed, and before the first time elapses from the time when the rotation speed of the internal fan is lowered to the second rotation speed or less by the fan control processing. When the detection unit detects that the door has been opened, the fan control process is not executed, and the internal fan is rotated at a rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed.

The effect of the above-mentioned cooling storage will be described with reference to the control of the cooling storage according to the comparative example.
FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing the control of the cooling storage according to the comparative example. The cooling storage according to the comparative example is equipped with an interior light with a motion sensor function, and when a user (person) opens the door, a person is detected by the motion sensor. When a person is detected by the motion sensor (that is, when the door is opened), the interior light with a motion sensor function turns on the interior light for a time T3 (for example, 30 seconds).
In the cooling storage according to the comparative example, the on / off of the internal light is linked to the door open / close signal, and when the internal light is turned on, the door open / close signal is output to the control unit of the cooling storage. When the door open / close signal is output, the control unit stops the fan inside the refrigerator for a time T2 (for example, 20 seconds) so as not to take in the outside air into the refrigerator and diffuse it.
However, according to the cooling storage according to the comparative example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the door is opened and closed at intervals close to the time T3 (for example, 40 seconds), the internal fan is frequently stopped. Frequent shutdown of the internal fan results in insufficient heat exchange in the evaporator of the refrigeration circuit. Normally, the refrigerant sent out from the compressor of the refrigeration circuit returns to the compressor in a gaseous state, but when the heat exchange in the evaporator becomes insufficient, it does not become a gas but returns to the compressor in a liquid state, so-called liquid bag. May occur. When liquid back occurs, the load on the compressor increases. When the load on the compressor increases, the power consumption increases and the compressor may fail.
According to the above-mentioned cooling storage, if the door is opened before the first time elapses from the time when the rotation speed of the fan in the storage is lowered to the second rotation speed or less by the fan control processing, the fan control processing is performed. Do not execute, and rotate the internal fan at a rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed. Therefore, even if the door is opened and closed at short intervals, it is possible to prevent the rotation speed of the internal fan from frequently decreasing (including stopping) to the second rotation speed or less. As a result, liquid back is suppressed and the load on the compressor is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in power consumption and reduce the possibility that the compressor will break down.

The predetermined condition may be that a second time shorter than the first time has elapsed since the rotation speed of the internal fan was lowered to the second rotation speed or less.

According to the above-mentioned cooling storage, compared to the case where the internal fan is rotated at the second rotation speed or less even after the second time has passed since the rotation speed of the internal fan was lowered to the second rotation speed or less. , It is possible to suppress a decrease in the number of revolutions per unit time of the internal fan.

The detection unit may detect the opening and closing of the door, and the predetermined condition may be that the detection unit detects that the door is closed.

According to the above-mentioned cooling storage, since the rotation of the internal fan is restarted at the timing when the door is closed, it is possible to suppress the outside air from being taken into the internal storage by rotating the internal fan before the door is closed.

When the detection unit detects that the door has been opened in the fan control process, the control unit may stop the rotation of the internal fan.

According to the above-mentioned cooling storage, when the door is opened, the fan inside the storage is completely stopped, so that it is possible to more reliably suppress the outside air from being taken into the storage.

The rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed may be the first rotation speed.

According to the above-mentioned cooling storage, the rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed is the first rotation speed which is the rotation speed when the door is closed, so that the liquid is compared with the case where the rotation speed is lower than the first rotation speed. The back can be suppressed more reliably.

The rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed may be a rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed.

According to the above-mentioned cooling storage, the rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed is the rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed, so that the outside air is taken into the storage as compared with the case of rotating at the first rotation speed. Can be suppressed.

Front view of the cooling storage according to the first embodiment Cross section of cooling storage Perspective view of the cooling storage Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the cooling storage Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the interior light with motion sensor function and the control board Timing chart showing control of cooling storage Timing chart showing control of the cooling storage according to the second embodiment Timing chart showing control of the cooling storage according to the comparative example

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. In the following description, the X direction shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as a left-right direction, the Z direction is referred to as a vertical direction, and the Y direction shown in FIG. 3 is referred to as a front-back direction. Further, in the following description, the rotation speed means the rotation speed per unit time.

(1) Configuration of Refrigerator As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 as a cooling storage according to the first embodiment is a two-door type horizontal (table type) refrigerator. The refrigerator 1 is arranged on the left side of a storage main body 11 composed of a horizontally long heat insulating box body opened on the front side, a pair of left and right double-door type heat insulating doors 12 (an example of a door) for opening and closing the opening of the storage main body 11, and a storage main body 11. The machine room 13 is provided.

The opening of the storage body 11 is provided with a prismatic center pillar 14 extending in the vertical direction at the center in the horizontal direction. The opening of the storage body 11 is partitioned to the left and right by the center pillar 14.
An operation panel 15 is provided on the front surface of the machine room 13. The operation panel 15 is provided with a display unit for displaying various information such as the temperature inside the refrigerator, operation buttons for the user to make various settings, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper part on the left side of the storage main body 11 projects toward the machine room 13, and the portion projecting toward the machine room 13 constitutes the cooling room 16. A duct 17 is provided on the right side of the cooling chamber 16, and the inside of the storage main body 11 is divided into a cooling chamber 16 and a storage chamber 18 by the duct 17. A suction port 52 for sucking the air in the refrigerator into the cooling chamber 16 is provided on the lower side of the duct 17. An outlet 53 for blowing out the air cooled in the cooling chamber 16 into the refrigerator is provided on the upper side of the duct 17.

A cooling unit 19 (an example of a refrigerating circuit) is housed in the machine room 13. As shown in FIG. 4, the cooling unit 19 has an inverter compressor 20, a condenser 21, a dryer 22, a depressurizing mechanism 23 (capillary tube, etc.), and an evaporator 24, which are circulated and connected by a refrigerant pipe 25. ing. The cooling unit 19 also has a condenser fan 26.

As shown in FIG. 2, an inverter compressor 20 and a condenser 21 are arranged inside the machine room 13 and outside the cooling room 16 (that is, outside the refrigerator). The dryer 22, the depressurizing mechanism 23, and the condenser fan 26 are also arranged inside the machine room 13 and outside the cooling room 16.
An evaporator 24, an internal fan 27, and an internal thermistor 29 are arranged in the cooling chamber 16. The internal fan 27 is for circulating the air cooled by the evaporator 24 in the storage chamber 18 (hereinafter, simply referred to as the internal chamber). When the fan 27 in the refrigerator rotates, the air in the refrigerator is sucked into the cooling chamber 16 from the suction port 52, cooled by the evaporator 24, and blown out into the refrigerator from the outlet 53. The thermistor 29 in the refrigerator is for detecting the temperature inside the refrigerator, and is arranged between the suction port 52 and the evaporator 24.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ceiling surface 18A of the storage chamber 18 is provided with an interior light 30 with a motion sensor function. As will be described in detail later, the interior light 30 with a motion sensor function includes a motion sensor 32 (see FIG. 5, an example of a detection unit) for detecting a person and an LED 33 (see FIG. 5) for illuminating the interior. There is. The motion sensor 32 is arranged so as to face the heat insulating door 12 from the inside of the storage chamber 18, and when a person in front of the refrigerator 1 opens the heat insulating door 12, the motion sensor 32 detects a person. When the interior light 30 with a motion sensor function detects a person by the motion sensor 32, the LED 33 is turned on for a time T3 (30 seconds in this embodiment).

(2) Electrical Configuration of Refrigerator The electrical configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigerator 1 includes a control board 31. The control board 31 is mounted with a microcomputer 31A (see FIG. 5, an example of a control unit, hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer 31A) in which a CPU, RAM, and the like are integrated into a single chip, and a memory (not shown). Further, an inverter compressor 20, a condenser fan 26, an internal fan 27, an internal thermistor 29, an internal light 30 with a motion sensor function, an operation panel 15, and the like are electrically connected to the control board 31.

With reference to FIG. 5, the electrical configuration of the interior light 30 with a motion sensor function will be described. The interior light 30 with a motion sensor function includes a substrate 34, a sensor unit 35, an amplifier circuit 36, a comparison circuit 37, a timer circuit 38, a transistor Q1, a transistor Q2, and a plurality of LEDs 33.

The sensor unit 35 is a pyroelectric type infrared sensor that receives infrared rays, and includes a pyroelectric element and a hemispherical lens that covers the pyroelectric element from the front. When the heat insulating door 12 changes from the closed state to the open state, the temperature (infrared amount) in the detectable region of the infrared sensor changes. Therefore, a person is detected by detecting this temperature change with the infrared sensor.

The sensor unit 35 outputs a voltage corresponding to the amount of detected infrared rays to the amplifier circuit 36. The voltage output to the amplifier circuit 36 is amplified by the amplifier circuit 36 and output to the comparison circuit 37. When the voltage output from the amplifier circuit 36 is larger than the reference voltage, the comparison circuit 37 outputs a signal to the timer circuit 38 assuming that a person has been detected.

The timer circuit 38 turns on the transistors Q1 and Q2 when a signal is output from the comparison circuit 37. When the transistor Q1 is turned on, the LED 33 is turned on by the electric power supplied from the control board 31. Further, when the transistor Q2 is turned on, a door open / close signal is output to the microcomputer 31A. The timer circuit 38 turns off the transistors Q1 and Q2 when the time T3 (30 seconds) elapses from the time when the transistors Q1 and Q2 are turned on. As a result, the LED 33 is turned off and the output of the door open / close signal is stopped.

(3) Fan control processing The microcomputer 31A executes various control processing. Here, the fan control process among the control processes executed by the microcomputer 31A will be described. The fan control process is a process for controlling the rotation of the internal fan 27.

First, the outline of the fan control process will be described. When the heat insulating door 12 is closed, the microcomputer 31A rotates the internal fan 27 at a predetermined rotation speed (an example of the first rotation speed). Then, when the door open / close signal (first door open / close signal) is output from the internal light 30 with a motion sensor function, the microcomputer 31A stops the internal fan 27 in order to suppress the outside air from being taken into the internal. (An example of the second rotation speed), and then when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the internal fan 27 is rotated again at a predetermined rotation speed (fan control process).

The predetermined condition according to the first embodiment is a time T2 shorter than the time T3 (30 seconds) for turning on the LED 33 from the time when the internal fan 27 is stopped (20 seconds in this embodiment, an example of the second time). Has passed.

After the time T2 elapses and the internal fan 27 is rotated again at a predetermined rotation speed, the microcomputer 31A outputs a door open / close signal (second door open / close signal) from the internal light 30 with a human sensor function. Then, since the last time the internal fan 27 was stopped (here, when the first door open / close signal was output and the internal fan 27 was stopped), the time that is the lighting time of the LED 33 is sufficiently longer than T3. It is determined whether or not T1 (an example of the first time such as 1 minute or 2 minutes) has elapsed, and if the time T1 has elapsed, the fan control process is executed (that is, 20 in the refrigerator fan 27). Stop for a second). On the other hand, when the time T1 has not elapsed, the microcomputer 31A does not execute the fan control process even if the door opening / closing signal (the second door opening / closing signal) is output, and the internal fan 27 is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed. Continue to rotate at (rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed).

A more specific description will be given with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the time point P1 indicates the time point when the user of the refrigerator 1 opens the heat insulating door 12 (the time point when the heat insulating door 12 is opened for the first time). As described above, when the heat insulating door 12 is opened, the LED 33 lights up for a time T3 (30 seconds) and the door open / close signal is turned on.
When the door open / close signal is turned on at the time point P1, the microcomputer 31A stops the internal fan 27 for a time T2 (20 seconds), and when the time T2 elapses, the internal fan 27 is rotated again at a predetermined rotation speed (time point P2).

The time point P3 is a time point when the time T3 has elapsed from the time point P1. As described above, the timer circuit 38 turns off the transistors Q1 and Q2 when the time T3 elapses from the time point P1. Therefore, at the time point P3, the LED 33 is turned off and the door open / close signal is turned off.
The time point P4 is the time when the heat insulating door 12 is next opened by the user (the time when the heat insulating door 12 is opened for the second time). In this case as well, the LED 33 lights up and the door open / close signal turns on. However, the time point P4 does not elapse more than the time T1 (1 minute, 2 minutes, etc.) from the time point P1 when the fan 27 in the refrigerator was stopped last time. If the time T1 or more has not elapsed, the microcomputer 31A continues to rotate at a predetermined rotation speed (an example of a rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed) without stopping the internal fan 27.

The time point P5 is the time when the heat insulating door 12 is next opened by the user (the time when the heat insulating door 12 is opened for the third time). At the time point P5, time T1 or more has elapsed from the time point P1 when the fan 27 in the refrigerator was stopped last time. Therefore, in this case, the microcomputer 31A stops the internal fan 27. The same applies hereinafter.

(4) Effect of Embodiment According to the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment, if the heat insulating door 12 is opened before the time T1 elapses from the time when the internal fan 27 is stopped by the fan control process, the fan control is performed. Without executing the process, the refrigerator fan 27 is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed (rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed). Therefore, even if the heat insulating door 12 is opened and closed at short intervals, it is possible to prevent the rotation speed of the internal fan 27 from decreasing per unit time. As a result, liquid back is suppressed and the load on the compressor is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in power consumption and reduce the possibility of compressor failure.

According to the refrigerator 1, the predetermined condition is that the time T2 has elapsed since the fan 27 in the refrigerator was stopped (when the number of revolutions was lowered to the second or lower). That is, according to the refrigerator 1, since the internal fan 27 is rotated when the time T2 elapses from the time when the internal fan 27 is stopped, the internal fan 27 is compared with the case where the internal fan 27 is left stopped. It is possible to suppress a decrease in the number of revolutions per unit time.
Further, if the internal fan 27 is stopped for a long time, the internal temperature may rise, which may affect the foodstuffs stored in the storage chamber 18. Even if the heat insulating door 12 is left open, when the time T2 elapses, the influence on the food can be reduced by rotating the internal fan 27.

According to the refrigerator 1, the second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed is 0 rotation (that is, stop), so that when the heat insulating door 12 is opened, the internal fan 27 is completely stopped. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress the outside air from being taken into the refrigerator.

According to the refrigerator 1, the rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed (stop) is a predetermined rotation speed (first rotation speed) which is the rotation speed when the heat insulating door 12 is closed. Liquid back can be suppressed more reliably than when the number is lower than the number.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment described above, the internal fan 27 is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed while the heat insulating door 12 is closed, and when the heat insulating door 12 is opened at the time point P1, the internal fan 27 is stopped. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the microcomputer 31A according to the second embodiment rotates the internal fan 27 at a high speed (an example of the first rotation speed) while the heat insulating door 12 is closed. When the heat insulating door 12 is opened at P1, the internal fan 27 is not completely stopped, but is rotated at a low speed (second rotation speed).

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, in the microcomputer 31A, when the heat insulating door 12 is opened before the time T1 elapses from the time when the internal fan 27 is rotated at a low speed (time point P1) (time point P4). Instead of rotating the internal fan 27 at high speed (the same rotation speed as when the heat insulating door 12 is closed), the rotation speed is higher than the second rotation speed and lower than the first rotation speed. ) To rotate.

According to the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment, even if the heat insulating door 12 is opened at the time point P1, the fan 27 in the refrigerator is not completely stopped but is rotated at a low speed, so that the outside air is stored as compared with the case where the fan 27 is completely stopped. Although the effect of suppressing the uptake into the inside is reduced, the liquid back can be suppressed more reliably.

According to the refrigerator 1, a rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed is a medium speed (a rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed), so that the outside air is stored at a high speed (first rotation speed) as compared with the case of rotating at a high speed (first rotation speed). It can be suppressed from being taken in.

<Embodiment 3>
In the first embodiment described above, the opening of the heat insulating door 12 is detected by the interior light 30 with a motion sensor function. On the other hand, the refrigerator 1 according to the third embodiment includes a door opening / closing sensor (an example of a detection unit) that directly detects the opening / closing of the heat insulating door 12. The door open / close sensor has, for example, a magnet provided on the heat insulating door 12 side and a reed switch provided on the storage body 11 side. When the heat insulating door 12 is opened, the magnet moves away from the reed switch to operate the reed switch, and it is detected that the heat insulating door 12 is opened. On the contrary, when the heat insulating door 12 is closed, the magnet approaches the reed switch to detect that the heat insulating door 12 is closed.

The predetermined condition according to the third embodiment is that the door open / close sensor detects that the heat insulating door 12 is closed. Specifically, the microcomputer 31A according to the third embodiment stops the internal fan 27 when the door open / close sensor detects that the heat insulating door 12 has been opened, and the door open / close sensor indicates that the heat insulating door 12 has been closed. When it is detected, the rotation of the internal fan 27 is restarted.

According to the refrigerator 1 according to the third embodiment, since the rotation of the internal fan 27 is restarted at the timing when the heat insulating door 12 is closed, the outside air is restarted by restarting the rotation of the internal fan 27 before the heat insulating door 12 is closed. Can be suppressed from being taken into the refrigerator.

<Other embodiments>
The techniques disclosed herein are not limited to the embodiments described above and in the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope disclosed herein.

(1) In the above embodiment, the infrared sensor has been described as an example of the motion sensor 32, but the motion sensor 32 is not limited to this, and any sensor capable of detecting a person can be used.

(2) In the first embodiment, when the heat insulating door 12 is opened, the internal fan 27 is stopped to reduce the rotation speed of the internal fan 27 per unit time to a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed. The case of lowering was explained as an example. Further, in the second embodiment, when the heat insulating door 12 is opened, the internal fan 27 is rotated at a low speed to reduce the rotation speed of the internal fan per unit time to a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed. The case of lowering was explained as an example.

On the other hand, when the heat insulating door 12 is opened, the rotation speed per unit time may be lowered to the second rotation speed or less by intermittently rotating the internal fan 27. For example, the internal fan 27 may be rotated at high speed intermittently from the time when the heat insulating door 12 is opened until the time T2 elapses. In that case, the rotation time and stop time of the internal fan 27 so that the value obtained by dividing the total rotation speed of the internal fan 27 by the time T2 (that is, the rotation speed per unit time) is equal to or less than the second rotation speed. Should be set.

(3) In the above embodiment, the motion sensor 32 and the door open / close sensor have been described as an example of the detection unit for detecting that the heat insulating door 12 has been opened, but the detection unit is not limited to these. For example, the detection unit may be the thermistor 29 in the refrigerator. Specifically, when the heat insulating door 12 is opened, the temperature inside the refrigerator rises. Therefore, for example, it may be determined that the heat insulating door 12 is opened when the minimum temperature detected by the thermistor 29 in the refrigerator is stored and the temperature rises from the minimum temperature by a predetermined temperature or more. Alternatively, it may be determined that the heat insulating door 12 is opened when a temperature higher than the set temperature by a predetermined temperature or higher is detected. Alternatively, if the temperature rise range per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it may be determined that the heat insulating door 12 has been opened.

(4) Although the refrigerator has been described as an example of the cooling storage in the above embodiment, the cooling storage may be a freezer.

1 ... Refrigerator (an example of a storage body), 12 ... Insulated door (an example of a door), 27 ... A fan inside the refrigerator, 19 ... A cooling unit (an example of a refrigerating circuit), 31A ... A microcomputer (an example of a control unit), 32 ... Motion sensor (example of detector)

Claims (6)

The storage body with an opening and
A door that opens and closes the opening,
Refrigeration circuit and
A fan inside the refrigerator that circulates the cold air cooled by the refrigeration circuit inside the refrigerator,
A detector that detects that the door has been opened, and
Control unit and
Equipped with
The control unit
When the detection unit detects that the door has been opened, the rotation speed of the internal fan per unit time is the rotation speed of the internal fan when the door is closed. The rotation speed is lowered to the second rotation speed or less, which is lower than the rotation speed of, and when a predetermined condition is satisfied thereafter, a fan control process for rotating the internal fan at the first rotation speed is executed.
When the detection unit detects that the door is opened before the first time elapses from the time when the rotation speed of the internal fan is lowered to the second rotation speed or less by the fan control process. Is a cooling storage that does not execute the fan control process and rotates the internal fan at a rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed. The storage according to claim 1, wherein the storage is
The predetermined condition is that a second time shorter than the first time has elapsed since the rotation speed of the internal fan was lowered to the second rotation speed or less. The storage according to claim 1, wherein the storage is
The detection unit detects the opening and closing of the door and detects the opening and closing of the door.
The predetermined condition is a cooling storage in which the detection unit detects that the door is closed. The storage according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The control unit is a cooling storage that stops the rotation of the fan in the refrigerator when the detection unit detects that the door is opened in the fan control process. The storage according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed is the first rotation speed, that is, the cooling storage. The storage according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
A cooling storage where a rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed is a rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed.

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