JP7108380B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to refrigerators.

2. Description of the Related Art A refrigerator has a box-structured refrigerator body surrounded by heat-insulating walls, in which a storage compartment cooled by a cooler is formed. The cooler constitutes a refrigeration cycle together with a compressor, a condenser, and a decompression device provided outside the refrigerator body, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is cooled by being supplied through the condenser and the decompression device, Cool the air around the cooler. The air cooled by the cooler is sent to the storage compartment by a circulation fan to cool the storage compartment. Then, when the storage chamber reaches a predetermined temperature, the compressor is stopped to finish cooling the storage chamber. reference).

In addition to the compressor of the refrigerating cycle and the circulation fan, the refrigerator is equipped with devices having drive mechanisms such as a heat radiation fan for cooling the compressor and the condenser and an ice-making device.

JP-A-11-201608

However, since the operation of equipment having a drive mechanism provided in the refrigerator is controlled according to predetermined conditions, the equipment may unexpectedly operate when the user is near the refrigerator. , the operating sound generated at that time may startle the user or make him/her feel uncomfortable.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to suppress the operation noise of a refrigerator that surprises or gives discomfort to the user.

The refrigerator of this embodiment includes a detection unit that detects the approach of a person, a device that generates an operation sound, and when the detection unit detects the approach of a person, the operation of the device is stopped or weakened and the device generates a sound. a control unit that performs silent control for muting or reducing operation sound, and ends the silent control when the detection unit stops detecting the approach of a person, the control unit configured to: Even when the approach is detected, the silent control is terminated when the user's operation to open the refrigerator door is detected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Sectional drawing of the refrigerator which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1;

A plurality of embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the substantially common site|part in several embodiment, and the detailed description is abbreviate|omitted.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 of the embodiment includes a refrigerator main body 2 made of a heat-insulating box body, which includes, in order from the top, refrigerator compartments 3 and vegetable compartments 4, which are storage compartments for storing foodstuffs. , and an ice making compartment 5 and a freezer compartment 6 for a freezing temperature zone are provided. The vegetable compartment 4 and the ice making compartment 5 are separated by a heat insulating partition wall. Although not shown, the refrigerator 1 has an upper freezer compartment adjacent to the ice making compartment 5 . The configuration of these storages is an example, and the arrangement order of each storage may be different.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator compartment 3 is opened and closed by a door 3a, and the vegetable compartment 4, ice-making compartment 5 and freezer compartment 6 are opened and closed by drawer-type doors 4a, 5a and 6a, respectively. Each door 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a is provided with a door open sensor 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b for detecting opening of the door.

Further, on the front side of the door 3a of the refrigerator 1, there are provided an operation panel 26 for operating the refrigerator 1, a motion sensor 27, and a speaker 28 for audibly notifying the user by outputting voice or the like. there is The human sensor 27 is composed of, for example, an infrared sensor or the like, and detects a person existing around the refrigerator 1 .

An ice making unit 41 and an ice storage box 7 are installed in the ice making chamber 5 , and the ice made by the ice making unit 41 is stored in the ice storage box 7 . The ice making unit 41 constitutes an automatic ice making device together with a water supply unit 42 provided in the refrigerator compartment 3 .

The water supply unit 42 includes a water supply tank 43 and a water supply pump 44 . The water supply tank 43 is a container detachably mounted in the refrigerator compartment 3, and stores water therein. The water stored in the water supply tank 43 is supplied by the water supply pump 44 through the water supply pipe 45 to the ice making section 41 provided in the ice making chamber 5 as ice making water.

The ice making unit 41 includes an ice tray 46 and an ice release motor 47 . The ice tray 46 is a deformable thin rectangular container made of plastic, and is supplied with ice-making water from the water supply tank 43 . The ice tray 46 is arranged above the ice storage box 7 and is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft extending forward of the refrigerator 1 . The ice detachment motor 47 rotates the ice tray 46 around the rotation shaft to apply a torsional stress to the ice tray 46, thereby detaching the ice blocks from the ice tray 46 and dropping them into the ice storage box 7 arranged below. to store ice.

A refrigerating cooler chamber 10 and a rear duct 11 are provided at the rear of the refrigerating temperature zone storage chambers (the refrigerating chamber 3 and the vegetable chamber 4). A refrigerator cooler 12 and a refrigerator fan 13 are provided in the refrigerator cooler chamber 10 . The rear duct 11 extends upward along the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber 3 from the refrigerating cooler chamber 10, and is provided with a plurality of outlets 11a opening into the refrigerating chamber 3 at intervals in the vertical direction. there is

A ceiling duct 18 extending forward from the rear portion of the refrigerator compartment 3 and a blower fan 19 are provided on the ceiling of the refrigerator compartment 3 . A rear end portion of the ceiling duct 18 is connected to an upper end portion of the rear duct 11 . A front end portion of the ceiling duct 18 is located forward of the mounting shelf provided in the refrigerator compartment 3 and spreads in the width direction of the refrigerator. is provided.

A freezing cooler chamber 14 and a duct 15 are provided in the rear portion of the freezing temperature zone storage chamber (the ice making chamber 5, the freezing chamber 6, and the upper freezing chamber). A freeze cooler 16 and a freeze fan 17 are provided in the freeze cooler chamber 14 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , a machine room 20 is provided outside the refrigerator body 2 , in this example, at the lower end of the back surface of the refrigerator body 2 . In this machine room 20, a compressor 21 and a condenser 22 are arranged which together with the refrigerator cooler 12 and the freezer cooler 16 constitute a refrigerating cycle. In addition, a radiation fan 23 for cooling the compressor 21 and the condenser 22 is arranged in the machine room 20 . The refrigerator cooler 12 and the freezer cooler 16 are each cooled to a predetermined temperature by alternately supplying refrigerant discharged from the compressor 21 through a switching valve 29 (see FIG. 2).

This refrigerator 1 is controlled by a control section 50 provided inside the refrigerator body 2 . As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 50 includes door open sensors 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b, refrigerating fan 13, freezing fan 17, blower fan 19, compressor 21, heat radiation fan 23, operation panel 26, and motion sensor. 27, a speaker 28, a switching valve 29, a refrigerator temperature sensor 30 that detects the internal temperature of the refrigerator compartment 3, a freezer temperature sensor 31 that detects the internal temperature of the freezer compartment 6, a water supply pump 44, and an ice breaker motor 47. properly connected. Based on detection signals input from various sensors 27, 30, and 31 and a control program stored in memory in advance, the control unit 50 controls the cooling fan 13, the freezing fan 17, the heat radiation fan 23, the compressor 21, the operation panel 26, It controls the operation of the speaker 28 , water supply pump 44 and ice breaking motor 47 .

Specifically, when cooling the refrigerator compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 in the refrigerator temperature range, the control unit 50 switches the switching valve 29 provided in the refrigeration cycle so that the refrigerant flows to the refrigerator cooler 12. , the compressor 21, the refrigerating fan 13, and the heat radiation fan 23 are operated to execute the refrigerating mode.

In the refrigeration mode, the refrigeration cooler 12 cools the air in the refrigeration cooler compartment 10 to produce cold air, eg, at -10 to -20°C. The generated cool air is blown to the rear duct 11 by the rotation of the refrigerating fan 13 and is supplied to the refrigerating compartment 3 from the air outlet 11a to cool the refrigerating compartment 3 . A part of the cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 3 flows into the return duct 24 and returns to the refrigerator cooler compartment 10, and the remaining air flows into the vegetable compartment 4, cools the vegetable compartment 4, and then returns from the back of the vegetable compartment 4. It flows into the duct 24 and returns to the refrigerator cooler compartment 10 . Such cold air circulation cools the refrigerating compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 so that the temperature detected by the refrigerating temperature sensor 30 falls within a predetermined temperature range.

When cooling the ice making chamber 5, the freezing chamber 6, and the upper freezing chamber, the control unit 50 switches the switching valve 29 provided in the refrigerating cycle so that the refrigerant flows to the freezing cooler 16, and the compressor 21, The freezing fan 17 and the heat dissipation fan 23 are operated to execute the freezing mode.

In the freeze mode, the freezer-cooler 16 cools the air in the freezer-cooler chamber 14 to produce cold air, eg, at -20 to -30°C. The generated cool air is supplied to the ice making compartment 5, the freezer compartment 6, and the upper freezer compartment through the duct 15 by the rotation of the freezing fan 17. FIG. The cold air supplied to the ice making chamber 5, the freezing chamber 6, and the upper freezing chamber flows while cooling these storage chambers, flows into the return duct 25 from the back surface of the freezing chamber 6, returns to the freezer cooler chamber 14, and is cooled. . Such cold air circulation cools the ice making compartment 5, the freezing compartment 6 and the upper freezing compartment so that the temperature detected by the freezing temperature sensor 31 falls within a predetermined temperature range.

Further, when the open door sensor 3b detects that the door 3a of the refrigerator compartment 3 is open, the controller 50 operates the blower fan 19 to supply cold air to the refrigerator compartment 3 from the outlet 18a provided in the ceiling duct 18. do. The cool air blown out from the blowout port 18a is blown downward from the front end of the ceiling of the refrigerator compartment 3 and flows down the front side of the mounting shelf, thereby forming an air curtain that isolates the refrigerator compartment 3 from the outside air.

In the refrigerator 1, when the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person such as a user, the control unit 50 performs silent control to mute or reduce the operation sound generated by the equipment that generates the operation sound.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when a person approaches the front side of the refrigerator 1, the human sensor 27 detects the approach of the person in step S1, and sends the detection signal to the control unit 50. The controller 50 is notified of the approach, and the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the control unit 50 determines that a person is approaching the refrigerator 1, stops or decelerates the rotation of the refrigerator fan 13 when the refrigerator fan 13 is operating, and stops the refrigerator fan 13. If so, the refrigerating fan 13 is prohibited from being activated, and silent control is executed to mute or reduce the operating noise generated from the refrigerating fan 13 .

The control unit 50 continues silent control while the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person (Yes in step S3), and when the human sensor 27 stops detecting the approach of a person (No in step S3). ), the process advances to step S4 to return the rotation of the refrigerating fan 13 to the state before the silent control is executed, and the silent control ends.

In the refrigerator 1 configured as described above, when the motion sensor 27 detects the approach of a person, the rotation of the refrigerator fan 13 is stopped or decelerated if the refrigerator fan 13 is operating, and the operation sound of the refrigerator fan 13 is suppressed. Execute silent control to mute or reduce sound. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a person who approaches the refrigerator 1 at night from being surprised or uncomfortable by the operating noise emitted from the refrigerator 1, for example.

(Modification 1)
In the above embodiment, a case has been described where silent control is started immediately when the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person. is detected, it may be detected that a person has approached the refrigerator 1 and the above-described silent control may be executed. By detecting the approach of a person in this way, false detection can be suppressed.

(Modification 2)
In the above-described embodiment, a case was described in which the rotation of the refrigeration fan 13 is stopped, decelerated, or inhibited from being activated as silent control. One or more of the devices that generate operating noise, such as the compressor 21, the water supply pump 44 of the automatic ice maker, and the ice removing motor 47, may be stopped, weakened, or prohibited from starting.

Even in such a case, as in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to prevent a person who approaches the refrigerator 1 from being surprised or uncomfortable by the operating sound emitted from the refrigerator 1 .

(Modification 3)
In the above embodiment, while the human sensor 27 is detecting the approach of a person, the case where the above-described silent control is continuously executed has been described. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the silent control is terminated, the door opening sensors 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b detect opening of the doors 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, the user operates the operation panel 26, etc. When a predetermined condition is satisfied, the silent control may be terminated even when the human sensor 27 continues to detect the approach of a person. When the user is no longer startled by the operating sound of the refrigerator 1 as in the case where the user is operating the refrigerator, the silent control can be terminated and the normal operation can be quickly resumed.

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment will be described with a focus on portions different from the first embodiment.

In the above-described first embodiment, when the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person, a case has been described in which silent control is executed to mute or reduce the operating sound of a device that generates an operating sound. Then, among the devices that generate operating sounds during the execution of silent control, there are devices that start operating.

When the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person, the control unit 50 stops or decelerates the rotation of the refrigerating fan 13 and performs silent control to mute or reduce the operating sound of the refrigerating fan 13 . Further, when the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person, the control unit 50 operates the blower fan 19 along with silent control to supply cool air to the refrigerator compartment 3 from the outlet 18 a provided in the ceiling duct 18 .

At this time, the control unit 50 controls devices that generate operation sounds so that the total amount of operation sounds emitted from the refrigerator 1 before and after the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person becomes small. That is, in the present embodiment, the control unit 50 controls the operation of the blower fan 19 so that the volume of the operation sound of the blower fan 19 is smaller than the volume of the operation sound of the refrigerator fan 13 that has been reduced by the silent control.

In the case where the motion sensor 27 decelerates the rotation of the refrigerating fan 13 when detecting the approach of a person, when the door opening sensor 3b detects that the door 3a of the refrigerator 3 is opened, the control unit 50 controls the refrigerating fan 13. is preferably stopped. Thereby, it is possible to prevent cold air in the refrigerator compartment 3 from being discharged to the outside.

When the door sensor 3b detects the opening of the door 3a of the refrigerator 3 and then the closing of the door 3a, the refrigerator fan 13 is rotated and the rotation of the blower fan 19 is stopped.

In this embodiment, when the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person, the control unit 50 operates the blower fan 19, so that the air curtain is placed in the refrigerator compartment 3 before the user opens the door 3a. can be formed, and the refrigerator 1 can be operated in advance in preparation for the operation of the refrigerator 1 by the user. In addition, the control unit 50 controls the operation of the refrigerator fan 13 and the blower fan 19 so that the operating sound emitted from the refrigerator 1 is reduced before and after the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person. It is possible to prevent a person approaching from being surprised or uncomfortable by the operating sound emitted from the refrigerator 1.例文帳に追加

Other configurations and effects are the same as those of the above-described first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Modification 4)
In the second embodiment, when the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person, the controller 50 stops or decelerates the rotation of the refrigerator fan 13 and operates the blower fan 19. After detecting the approach of a person, the rotation of the blower fan 19 may be accelerated when the door opening sensor 3b detects the opening of the door 3a.

For example, when the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person, the controller 50 stops the rotation of the refrigerator fan 13 and operates the blower fan 19 at the first rotation speed. After that, when the open door sensor 3b detects that the door 3a is opened, the controller 50 may operate the blower fan 19 at a second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed.

In addition, when changing the rotation speed of the blower fan 19 before and after detecting the opening of the door 3a, when the blower fan 19 is operated at the first rotation speed, the operation sound of the refrigerator 1 is detected before the approach of a person is detected. When the blower fan 19 is operated at the second rotation speed, the user is not surprised by the operation sound of the refrigerator 1 because the door 3a is being opened. The operating sound may be louder than before the sensor 27 detects the approach of a person.

(Modification 5)
In the second embodiment, when the door opening sensor 3b detects that the door 3a is closed, the refrigeration fan 13 is rotated and the rotation of the blower fan 19 is stopped. is detected, and while the human sensor 27 is detecting the approach of a person, the blower fan 19 is operated at the first rotation speed without stopping the rotation of the blower fan 19, and the human sensor The rotation of the blower fan 19 may be stopped when 27 no longer detects the approach of a person.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment will be described with a focus on portions different from the first embodiment.

In the above-described first embodiment, when the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person, a case has been described in which silent control is executed to mute or reduce the operation sound generated by the device that generates the operation sound. In the embodiment, the speaker 28 emits sound during execution of silent control.

When the human sensor 27 detects the approach of a person, the control unit 50 performs the above-described silent control, and outputs a sound or the like from the speaker 28 to notify the user audibly. Although there is no limitation to the content to be notified, for example, voice information such as pre-recorded messages and advertisements, music, abnormality of the refrigerator, etc. may be notified from the speaker 28 .

In the present embodiment, when a person approaches the refrigerator 1, the speaker 28 emits a sound along with silent control. Therefore, it is possible to output a voice or the like from the speaker 28 in a state in which the operation noise of the refrigerator 1, which causes noise, is reduced. auditory notification can be accurately performed.

Other configurations and effects are the same as those of the above-described first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Other embodiments)
Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Refrigerator, 2... Refrigerator main body, 10... Refrigerating cooler chamber, 12... Refrigerating cooler, 13... Refrigerating fan, 14... Freezing cooler chamber, 15... Duct, 16... Freezing cooler, 17... Freezing fan, 18 ...Ceiling duct 19...Blower fan 20...Machine room 21...Compressor 22...Condenser 23...Radiation fan 26...Operation panel 27...Human sensor 28...Speaker 29...Switching valve 41 ... Ice making section 42 ... Water supply section 44 ... Water supply pump 47 ... Ice release motor

Claims (8)

a detection unit that detects the proximity of a person;
a device that generates an operating sound;
When the detection unit detects the approach of a person, the detection unit stops or weakens the operation of the device and executes silent control to mute or reduce the operating sound generated by the device, so that the detection unit stops detecting the approach of the person. and a control unit that terminates the silent control ,
The refrigerator in which the control unit terminates the silent control upon detection of a user's opening operation to the refrigerator even when the detection unit detects the approach of a person . 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said control unit executes said silent control when said detection unit continuously detects an approach of a person for a predetermined time. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said control unit terminates said silent control when said detecting unit stops detecting approaching of a person after detecting approaching of a person. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said device is a fan. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said equipment is a compressor. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the device is an ice-making device. the device comprises a plurality of fans;
5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the control unit stops or weakens the operation of the one or more fans when executing the silent control. Equipped with a speaker that emits sound,
8. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control section emits a sound from the speaker when the detection section detects an approach of a person.

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