JP7628093B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

As background art in this technical field, for example, a refrigerator described in JP 2017-110823 A (Patent Document 1) is known. The refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 includes a wine chamber and a wine chamber supply air duct for cooling the wine chamber. The front of the wine chamber supply air duct is partitioned by a partition body, and no air outlet is formed in the partition body, and the wine chamber supply air duct and the wine chamber are completely separated without communication (see paragraph 0077 and Figures 6 and 7). As a result, the air flowing through the wine chamber supply air duct does not flow into the wine chamber, and the wine chamber is cooled by heat transfer via the partition body (see paragraph 0079). In this configuration, drying of the wine chamber can be suppressed by cooling the wine chamber without circulating the air cooled by the cooler through the wine chamber (see paragraph 0080).

JP 2017-110823 A

In the refrigerator of Patent Document 1, the wine compartment is cooled by heat transfer through a partition. The temperature of the wine compartment is set higher than that of the refrigerator compartment. If the target to be cooled by heat transfer through the partition is the refrigerator compartment, which has a lower temperature range than the wine compartment, there is a risk that the cooling capacity will be insufficient and the temperature range of the refrigerator compartment cannot be maintained, making it impossible to provide suitable cooling. Furthermore, if priority is given to cooling the refrigerator compartment, there is a risk that storage compartments other than the refrigerator compartment will be cooled too much.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a refrigerator that effectively cools the refrigerator compartment by heat transfer through the partition, while preventing storage compartments other than the refrigerator compartment from becoming overcooled.

In order to solve the above problem, for example, the configuration described in the claims is adopted. This specification includes a plurality of means for solving the above problem, but an example thereof includes a cooling device, a first storage chamber in a refrigeration temperature range, a second storage chamber in a freezing temperature range, a first air passage through which cold air for cooling the first storage chamber flows, a cooling body disposed between the first storage chamber and the first air passage, a blower that blows the cold air of the cooling device toward the first air passage and the second storage chamber, and an air flow rate adjustment device that reduces the ratio of the air flow rate to the second storage chamber to the total air flow rate of the blower and increases the air flow rate from the blower to the first air passage, and includes an air flow rate adjustment device that adjusts the air flow rate resistance to the second storage chamber as the air flow rate adjustment device .
Alternatively, the system may include a cooler, a first storage chamber in a refrigeration temperature range, a second storage chamber in a freezing temperature range, a first air duct through which cold air for cooling the first storage chamber is circulated, a cooling body arranged between the first storage chamber and the first air duct, a blower that blows the cold air from the cooler toward the first air duct and the second storage chamber, and an air volume adjustment device that reduces the ratio of the air volume to the second storage chamber to the total air volume of the blower and increases the air volume from the blower to the first air duct, and the air volume adjustment device may include a first air duct damper that adjusts the air duct resistance to the first air duct, and a second storage chamber damper that adjusts the air duct resistance to the second storage chamber.
Alternatively, the system includes a cooler, a first storage chamber in a refrigeration temperature range, a second storage chamber in a freezing temperature range, a first air duct through which cold air for cooling the first storage chamber circulates, a cooling body disposed between the first storage chamber and the first air duct, a blower that blows the cold air from the cooler toward the first air duct and the second storage chamber, and an airflow adjustment device that reduces the ratio of the airflow to the second storage chamber to the total airflow of the blower and increases the airflow from the blower to the first air duct, and a booster device is provided in the first air duct as the airflow adjustment device.

The present invention provides a refrigerator that can adequately cool the refrigerator compartment by heat transfer through the partition, while preventing storage compartments other than the refrigerator compartment from becoming overcooled.

Problems, configurations, and advantages other than those described above will become clear from the description of the embodiments below.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment (cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1). FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the interior of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an air passage configuration of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a refrigerator compartment air duct of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a freezer compartment damper of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. 1 is a table showing a relationship between an airflow mode and an air volume of the refrigerator according to Example 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device for a refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a front view showing the configuration of the interior of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an air passage configuration of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device for a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a refrigerator compartment air duct of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. 13 is a table showing the relationship between the airflow mode and the air volume of the refrigerator according to Example 2.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention.

[Example 1]
A refrigerator according to a first embodiment (Example 1) of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 9.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the insulated box 10 of the refrigerator 1 has a plurality of storage compartments (five in this embodiment) arranged in this order from the top: a refrigerator compartment 2 in the refrigeration temperature range, an ice-making compartment 3 on either side in the freezing temperature range, an upper freezer compartment 4, a lower freezer compartment 5, and a vegetable compartment 6 in the refrigeration temperature range.

The refrigerator 1 is equipped with doors that open and close the openings of each storage compartment. These doors are composed of refrigerator compartment doors 2a, 2b, ice compartment door 3a, upper freezer compartment door 4a, lower freezer compartment door 5a, and vegetable compartment door 6a, which open and close the openings of the refrigerator compartment 2, ice compartment 3, upper freezer compartment 4, lower freezer compartment 5, and vegetable compartment 6, respectively. The refrigerator compartment doors 2a, 2b are rotating doors divided into left and right, and the other doors 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a are pull-out doors. The internal material of these multiple doors 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a is mainly composed of urethane foam. In addition, each door 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a is equipped with a sealing member (not shown) on the inner peripheral portion. In addition, in implementing the present invention, the configurations related to the storage compartments and their doors are not limited to the above configurations.

An operation unit 26 for operating the temperature setting inside the cabinet is provided on the exterior surface of the door 2a. By providing the operation unit on the exterior of the door, the user can operate the temperature setting and the like without opening the door.

The refrigerator compartment 2 is separated from the ice-making compartment 3 and the upper freezer compartment 4 by a heat-insulating partition wall 27, and the lower freezer compartment 5 is separated from the vegetable compartment 6 by a heat-insulating partition wall 28. In addition, a partition 29 is provided at the front edge between the ice-making compartment 3 and the upper freezer compartment 4 at a position that abuts against the seal member on the right end inner surface of the ice-making compartment door 3a and the seal member on the left end inner surface of the upper freezer compartment door 4a when the ice-making compartment door 3a and the upper freezer compartment door 4a are closed. A partition 30 is provided at the front edge between the ice-making compartment 3 and the upper freezer compartment 4 and the lower freezer at a position that abuts against the seal member on the lower end inner surface of the ice-making compartment door 3a and the upper freezer compartment door 4a and the seal member on the upper end inner surface of the lower freezer compartment door 5a when the ice-making compartment door 3a, the upper freezer compartment door 4a, and the lower freezer compartment door 5a are closed.

Door hinges (not shown) for fixing the refrigerator 1 to the doors 2a and 2b are provided at the front of the outer top compartment of the insulated box body 10 and at the front edge of the insulated partition wall 27, and the upper door hinges are covered with door hinge covers 16.

The ice-making compartment 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, and the lower freezer compartment 5 are basically storage compartments whose interiors are kept at a freezing temperature (below 0°C), for example, at an average of about -18°C. The refrigerator compartment 2 is a storage compartment whose interiors are kept at a refrigeration temperature (above 0°C), for example, at an average of about 4°C. The vegetable compartment 6 is a storage compartment whose interiors are kept at a refrigeration temperature (above 0°C), for example, at an average of about 7°C. Hereinafter, in this specification, the ice-making compartment 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, and the lower freezer compartment 5, which are storage compartments kept at freezing temperatures, may be referred to as the freezer compartment 60, which is a collective term for the ice-making compartment 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, and the lower freezer compartment 5. In other words, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment has, as storage compartments, a first storage compartment 2 in the refrigeration temperature zone and a second storage compartment 60 in the freezing temperature zone.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment (cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1), and Figure 3 is a front view showing the configuration of the interior of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. Note that Figure 3 shows the refrigerator 1 with the door and containers in Figure 1 removed. The configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 1 is configured such that the outside and inside are separated by an insulated box 10 formed by filling a foam insulation material (urethane foam in the refrigerator of this embodiment) between an outer box 10a made of steel plate and an inner box 10b made of synthetic resin (e.g. ABS resin). In addition to the foam insulation material, vacuum insulation material 25, which has a lower thermal conductivity than the foam insulation material, is installed between the outer box 10a and the inner box 10b of the insulated box 10, thereby suppressing a decrease in internal volume and improving insulation performance. In this embodiment, vacuum insulation material 25 is installed on the back, bottom, ceiling, both sides, and lower freezer door 5a of the insulated box 10 to improve the insulation performance of the refrigerator 1.

The insulating material inside the insulating partition wall 27 is expanded polystyrene, and the inside of the insulating partition wall 28 is filled with urethane foam. The urethane foam inside the insulating partition wall 28 is filled together with the urethane foam of the insulating box body 10 in the process of foaming and filling the space between the outer box 10a and the inner box 10b of the insulating box body 10 with urethane.

The refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b are provided with multiple door pockets 33a, 33b, and 33c on the inside of the compartment. The refrigerator compartment 2 is also divided into multiple storage spaces by shelves 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d. The ice-making compartment door 3a, the upper freezer compartment door 4a, the lower freezer compartment door 5a, and the vegetable compartment door 6a are each provided with an ice-making compartment container 3b, an upper freezer compartment container 4b, a lower freezer compartment container 5b, and a vegetable compartment container 6b, which are pulled out as a unit.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the refrigerator 1 has a cooler chamber 8 in which a cooler 14 is housed at the back of the lower freezer chamber 5, and a freezer chamber fan 9a (first blower) at the top of the cooler chamber 8. A partition wall 180 is provided between the fan discharge air duct 195 downstream of the freezer chamber fan 9a and the freezer chamber air duct 100 through which the cold air blown out to the freezer chamber 60 flows, and the partition wall 180 has a first opening 180a. The first opening 180a is provided with a freezer chamber damper 170, which is a device (air duct resistance adjustment device or air duct resistance adjustment unit) that adjusts the air volume (air volume adjustment device or air volume adjustment unit) and is a device that varies the air duct resistance to the freezer chamber 60.

The partition wall 180 also has a second opening 180b on the left side, which has a smaller opening area than the first opening 180a. The second opening 180b is connected to the vegetable compartment air duct 132, which extends vertically at the left end of the freezer compartment 60, and the vegetable compartment air duct 132 is provided at its lower part with a vegetable compartment damper 160, which is a device for adjusting the air volume (air volume adjustment device or air volume adjustment section) and a device for varying the air duct resistance (air duct resistance adjustment device or air duct resistance adjustment section).

The freezer compartment air passage 100 is provided with an ice-making compartment outlet 101, an upper freezer compartment outlet 102, and a lower freezer compartment outlet 103. In addition, a freezer compartment return air passage 105 through which the return cold air from the freezer compartment 60 flows is provided at the lower front of the cooler compartment 8. The freezer compartment return air passage 105 is formed with a width approximately equal to the width of the cooler 14, so that the return cold air from the freezer compartment 60 flows efficiently into the cooler 14. In addition, a vegetable compartment outlet 133 is provided at the outlet of the vegetable compartment air passage 132. A vegetable compartment return port 136 opens on the underside of the heat-insulating partition wall 28 between the lower freezer compartment 5 and the vegetable compartment 6, and a vegetable compartment return air passage 135 is provided within the heat-insulating partition wall 28, running from the vegetable compartment return port 136 to the lower front of the cooler compartment 8.

The refrigerator 1 is provided with a second refrigerator compartment air duct 110 on the back of the refrigerator compartment 2. The second refrigerator compartment air duct 110 is provided with a refrigerator compartment outlet 111a above the top shelf 34a, and a refrigerator compartment outlet 111b between the top shelf 34a and the second shelf from the top 34b. The refrigerator compartment outlets 111a and 111b blow air into the refrigerator compartment 2.

The refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 is provided adjacent to the rear of the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110, separated by a partition wall. The partition wall between the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110 and the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 is formed by a heat transfer member 200, and the air in the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110 and the air in the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 exchange heat through the heat transfer member 200. The heat transfer member (partition wall) 200 transfers the cold heat of the air in the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 to the air in the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110, forming a cooling body (cooling member) that cools the refrigerator compartment 2.

That is, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment includes a cooler 14, a first storage compartment (refrigerator compartment) 2 in the refrigeration temperature range, a second storage compartment (freezer compartment) 60 in the freezing temperature range, a first air duct (refrigerator compartment first air duct) 120 through which cold air for cooling the first storage compartment 2 flows, a cooling body (heat transfer member) 200 arranged between the first storage compartment 2 and the first air duct 120, and a blower 9a that blows the cold air from the cooler 14 toward the first air duct 120 and the second storage compartment 60.

In this case, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment has a second air duct (refrigerator compartment second air duct) 110 having air outlets 111a, 111b to the first storage compartment 2 and a return port (refrigerator compartment second air duct return port) 115 from the first storage compartment, and the first air duct 120 and the second air duct 110 are configured so that the air flowing through the second air duct 110 and the air flowing through the first air duct 120 exchange heat with each other via a cooling body (heat transfer member) 200.

The opening area of refrigerator compartment outlet 111a is 1000 ^mm2 , and the opening area of refrigerator compartment outlet 111b is 300 ^mm2 , with the opening area of outlet 111a directed toward the top storage space (storage space formed above the top shelf 34a) being larger than the opening area of outlet 111b directed toward the storage spaces two levels below from the top (storage spaces formed below the top shelf 34a). This allows more cold air to be supplied to the upper storage space of refrigerator compartment 2 where relatively high temperature air tends to collect due to natural convection in addition to heat intrusion from outside, so that cooling with reduced temperature unevenness can be achieved, and cooling with reduced humidity (relative humidity) unevenness that is easily formed due to temperature unevenness can also be achieved. In addition, when refrigerator compartment outlet 111a and refrigerator compartment outlet 111b are formed by dividing them into multiple parts, the total opening area of the outlets facing the top storage space can be made larger than the total opening area of the outlets facing the storage spaces two levels from the top or lower.

Furthermore, refrigerator 1 does not have an air outlet facing the storage space between shelves 34c and 34d. By providing an air outlet facing the top storage space in this way, and by making at least one of the storage spaces below the second highest level a storage space without an air outlet, it is possible to form a highly moisturizing space that can minimize the drying of food caused by the action of the airflow from the air outlet while suppressing unevenness in temperature and humidity throughout refrigerator compartment 2.

The refrigerator 1 also has a refrigerator compartment second air duct return port 115 on the inside of the lower center of the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110. The refrigerator compartment second air duct return port 115 is located above the shelf 34d that divides the chilled compartment 36. The refrigerator 1 also has a refrigerator compartment return port 131 on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 2, on the right side below the shelf 34d. Furthermore, a refrigerator compartment return air duct 130 is located at the rear right end of the upper freezer compartment 4 and the lower freezer compartment 5, and the refrigerator compartment return air duct 130 is connected to the lower right part of the cooler compartment 8.

The refrigerator 1 is provided with a refrigerator compartment fan 9b (second blower) at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110. In addition, at the back of the chilled compartment 36, a communication passage 140 that connects the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110 and the fan discharge air duct 195 is provided. Furthermore, at the inlet portion (lower portion) of the communication passage 140, a refrigerator compartment second damper 151, which is a device (air volume adjustment device or air volume adjustment unit) that adjusts the air volume of cold air flowing from the freezer compartment air duct 100 into the communication passage 140 and the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110, is provided. On the other hand, at the inlet (lower part) of the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120, a first refrigerator compartment damper 152 is provided as a device (air duct resistance adjustment device or air duct resistance adjustment unit) that varies the air duct resistance to the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 as a means for adjusting the amount of cold air flowing from the freezer compartment air duct 100 into the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120. The second refrigerator compartment damper 151 and the first refrigerator compartment damper 152 are dampers driven by a single motor. Hereinafter, a component that combines the functions of the second refrigerator compartment damper 151 and the first refrigerator compartment damper 152 will be referred to as the refrigerator compartment damper 150.

The refrigerator 1 is equipped with a defrost heater 21 below the cooler 14 in the cooler chamber 8, and a gutter 23 on the underside of the cooler chamber 8. In addition, a drain pipe 22 is provided that runs from the lower end of the gutter 23 to the machine chamber 39. The machine chamber 39 is equipped with a compressor 24 and an evaporator dish 32 that is arranged above the compressor 24.

The defrost heater 21 may be, for example, a 50W to 200W electric heater, and in this embodiment, a 120W radiant heater is used. The defrost water generated when defrosting the cooler 14 is discharged from the gutter 23 through the drain pipe 22 into the evaporation dish 32 above the compressor 24, where it evaporates due to the heat radiation from the compressor 24 and the ventilation of the machine room fan (not shown).

The refrigerator 1 has a chilled compartment 36, the inside of which is maintained at about -1°C, inside the refrigerator compartment 2 above the insulating partition wall 27, and the front of the chilled compartment 36 can be opened and closed by a lid 36a. The lid 36a has a packing (not shown) on its outer periphery, and when the lid 36a is closed, the packing brings the lid 36a and the outer shell 36b of the chilled compartment 36 into contact with no gaps, creating a sealed structure. In addition, a pump (not shown) is provided at the back of the chilled compartment 36 to suck air from the chilled compartment 36, and by driving the pump with the lid 36a closed, the air pressure in the chilled compartment 36 is reduced to about 0.8 atmospheres. As a result, the lid 36a prevents cold air from being blown directly into the chilled compartment 36, and the reduced pressure creates an environment with a reduced oxygen concentration, making it a storage space that suppresses the drying and oxidation of food. The chilled compartment 36 is cooled mainly by the cold energy transferred from the ice-making compartment 3 and upper freezer compartment 4 located below it.

The refrigerator 1 is provided with a refrigerator temperature sensor 41, a freezer temperature sensor 43, and a vegetable temperature sensor 44 on the rear side of the interior of the refrigerator compartment 2, the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6, respectively, and a cooler temperature sensor 40 on the top of the cooler 14. These sensors detect the temperatures of the refrigerator compartment 2, the ice making compartment 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, the vegetable compartment 6, the cooler compartment 8, and the cooler 14. Since the interior of the ice making compartment 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, and the lower freezer compartment 5 are integrated into a single cooling space, the temperature is detected by a single freezer compartment temperature sensor 43. The refrigerator 1 is also provided with an outside air temperature sensor 37 and an outside air humidity sensor 38 inside the door hinge cover 16 on the ceiling, which detect the temperature and humidity of the outside air (air outside the refrigerator). In addition, the refrigerator 1 is provided with a door sensor (not shown) that detects the open/closed state of the doors 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a, respectively.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the air passage configuration of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. Note that Figure 4 shows an outline of the air passage structure through which cool air flows.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the refrigerator 1, when the freezer damper 170 is open, the cold air that has exchanged heat with the cooler 14 in the cooler chamber 8 is pressurized by the freezer chamber fan 9a and sent from the fan discharge air duct 195 to the freezer chamber air duct 100. The cold air sent to the freezer chamber air duct 100 is blown out from the ice-making chamber outlet 101, the upper freezer chamber outlet 102, and the lower freezer chamber outlet 103 to the ice-making chamber 3, the upper freezer chamber 4, and the lower freezer chamber 5, respectively. The cold air that has cooled the ice-making chamber 3, the upper freezer chamber 4, and the lower freezer chamber 5 flows from the lower freezer chamber 5 through the freezer chamber return air duct 105 and returns to the cooler chamber 8.

When the second refrigerator damper 151 is open, the cold air pressurized by the freezer fan 9a flows from the communication passage 140 to the second refrigerator air duct 110 and is sent to the refrigerator chamber 2 from the refrigerator air outlet 111. The refrigerator air outlet 111 in FIG. 4 is the refrigerator air outlets 111a and 111b in FIG. 2. The cold air that has cooled the refrigerator chamber 2 flows through the refrigerator chamber return air duct 130 via the refrigerator chamber return air outlet 131 and returns to the cooler chamber 8. In this way, by opening the second refrigerator damper 151 and allowing the low-temperature cold air that has exchanged heat with the cooler 14 to flow directly from the second refrigerator air duct 110 into the refrigerator chamber 2, a rapid cooling operation is performed to accelerate the cooling of the refrigerator chamber 2.

When the vegetable compartment damper 160 is open, the cold air pressurized by the freezer compartment fan 9a flows through the vegetable compartment air duct 132 and is blown out from the vegetable compartment outlet 133 into the vegetable compartment 6. In the vegetable compartment 6, the air is directed out of the vegetable compartment container 6b to prevent the vegetables and other foods stored in the vegetable compartment container 6b from drying out or becoming too cold. The cold air that has cooled the vegetable compartment 6 flows through the vegetable compartment return air duct 135 (see FIG. 2) provided in the thermal insulation partition wall 28 via the vegetable compartment return port 136 (see FIG. 2) provided on the underside of the thermal insulation partition wall 28, and returns to the cooler chamber 8.

With the second refrigerator damper 151 closed and the first refrigerator damper 152 open, the refrigerator fan 9b is driven, and the air in the refrigerator chamber 2 enters the second refrigerator chamber air duct 110 from the second refrigerator chamber air duct return port 115, flows through the second refrigerator chamber air duct 110, and re-enters the refrigerator chamber 2 from the refrigerator chamber outlet port 111, forming an air flow that circulates within the refrigerator chamber 2. On the other hand, since the first refrigerator damper 152 is open, the cold air pressurized by the freezer chamber fan 9a flows through the first refrigerator chamber air duct 120, exchanges heat with the air in the second refrigerator chamber air duct 110 at the heat transfer member 200, flows through the return refrigerator chamber air duct 130, returns to the cooler chamber 8, and exchanges heat with the cooler 14. In this way, the air is circulated from the second refrigerator compartment air duct 110 through the refrigerator compartment 2 and back to the second refrigerator compartment air duct 110 without passing through the cooler 14, while the air that has exchanged heat with the cooler 14 is guided to the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120, thereby performing a cooling operation to cool the refrigerator compartment 2.

In addition, by driving the refrigerator compartment fan 9b while the refrigerator compartment second damper 151 is closed and the refrigerator compartment first damper 152 is closed or the freezer compartment fan 9a is stopped, the air in the refrigerator compartment 2 enters the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110 from the refrigerator compartment second air duct return port 115, flows through the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110, and re-enters the refrigerator compartment 2 from the refrigerator compartment outlet 111, forming an air flow that circulates within the refrigerator compartment 2. On the other hand, since the refrigerator compartment first damper 152 is closed or the freezer compartment fan 9a is stopped, the low-temperature cold air that has exchanged heat with the cooler 14 does not flow into the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120, and the air in the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110 is not cooled via the heat transfer member 200. In this manner, by driving the refrigerator compartment fan 9b in a state where the air supply to the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 is stopped (the refrigerator compartment first damper 152 is closed or the freezer compartment fan 9a is stopped), a heat transfer member defrosting operation is performed to melt the frost that has grown on the heat transfer member 200. The heat transfer member defrosting operation is performed until the heat transfer member reaches a temperature higher than 0° C., and as the frost melts, moisture transfer (mass transfer) occurs between the frost on the heat transfer member 200 and the air ventilated in the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120, thereby increasing the humidity inside the refrigerator compartment 2. Note that a moisturizing operation may be performed in a similar control state to the heat transfer member defrosting operation, in which the operation is terminated when the temperature of the heat transfer member 200 is 0° C. or lower, without completing the melting of the frost, to increase the humidity by moisture transfer (mass transfer) between the frost and the air ventilated in the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120. The moisturizing operation ends with the heat transfer member temperature lower than the heat transfer member defrosting operation, so the humidity in the refrigerator compartment 2 can be increased without increasing the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 2, making it easier to perform cooling with reduced temperature fluctuations. To perform the moisturizing operation, it is more effective to shorten the drive time of the refrigerator compartment fan 9b than in the heat transfer member defrosting operation, or to reduce the rotation speed of the refrigerator compartment fan 9b than in the heat transfer member defrosting operation.

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the refrigerator compartment air duct of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. Note that Figure 5 shows the configuration of the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110 and the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120.

As shown in FIG. 5, the second air passage 110 and the first air passage 120 formed at the rear of the refrigerator compartment 2 are composed of a second air passage member 210, a first air passage member 220, and a heat transfer member 200 installed between the second air passage member 210 and the first air passage member 220. The second air passage member 210 has refrigerator compartment outlets 111a, 111b on the front side, and an opening 210a on the back side to which the heat transfer member 200 is attached. The front side of the first air passage member 220 has an opening 220a, and by combining it integrally with the second air passage member 210 to which the heat transfer member 200 is attached, the second air passage 110 and the first air passage 120 are separated from each other via the heat transfer member 200. The first air passage member 220 includes a partition member 121 that forms an outward flow path 120a and a return flow path 120b inside the refrigerator compartment first air passage 120. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment first damper 152 (see Figs. 2, 3, and 4) is in an open state, the cold air that flows upward through the outward flow path 120a formed on the left side of the refrigerator compartment first air passage 120 is reversed at the top of the refrigerator compartment first air passage 120 and flows downward through the return flow path 120b on the right side of the refrigerator compartment first air passage 120, as shown by the arrow inside the first air passage member 220. As a result, heat is efficiently exchanged between the air in the refrigerator compartment second air passage 110 and the air in the refrigerator compartment first air passage 120 in a wide area at the back of the refrigerator compartment 2. In the case of a refrigerator with a layout in which the refrigerator compartment return port 131 is formed on the left side, the outward flow path 120a may be disposed on the right side, and the return flow path 120b may be disposed on the left side. In any case, by forming the outflow path 120a and the return path 120b so that they are aligned in the left-right direction, not only is a large area secured facing the rear of the second refrigerator compartment air duct 110, promoting heat exchange, but it also makes it possible to save space in the front-to-back direction.

In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the second air passage member 210 and the first air passage member 220 are formed of synthetic resin (e.g., ABS resin), and the heat transfer member 200 is formed of aluminum, which is a metal. By adopting a metal member with high thermal conductivity as the heat transfer member 200 in this way, the cold heat on the first air passage 120 side of the refrigerator compartment is easily transferred to the air in the second air passage 110 of the refrigerator compartment, so that cooling can be performed efficiently via the heat transfer member 200. In addition, as another embodiment, the heat transfer member 200 can be formed of resin (e.g., ABS resin). In this case, it is possible to form the heat transfer member 200 at a lower cost. In other words, the heat transfer member 200 may be any member that performs the function of transferring the cold heat on the first air passage 120 side of the refrigerator compartment to the air in the second air passage 110 of the refrigerator compartment, and the material and shape are not limited. In addition, the second air passage member 210 and the first air passage member 220 are not limited in material, shape, or assembly method as long as they can form the second air passage 110 and the first air passage 120 separated by the heat transfer member 200.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment.
The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment includes a compressor 24, an external radiator 50a (heat dissipation means) that dissipates heat from the refrigerant, wall surface heat dissipation piping 50b (heat dissipation means arranged on the inner surface of the outer box 10a in the region between the outer box 10a and the inner box 10b) arranged on the left and right sides of the heat-insulating box body 10, dew condensation prevention piping 50c (heat dissipation means arranged on the inner surfaces of the heat-insulating partition walls 27, 28 and the partition parts 29, 30) arranged on the front parts of the heat-insulating partition walls 27, 28 and the partition parts 29, 30 to suppress dew condensation, a capillary tube 53 that is a pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant, and a cooler 14 that absorbs heat inside the refrigerator by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the air inside the refrigerator. The inner diameter of the wall surface heat dissipation piping 50b and the dew condensation prevention piping 50c is 3.2 mm, and the inner diameter of the capillary tube 53 is 0.7 mm, which is one-third or less of the inner diameter of the wall surface heat dissipation piping 50b and the dew condensation prevention piping 50c. The refrigeration cycle is also configured by connecting a dryer 51 that removes moisture in the refrigeration cycle and a gas-liquid separator 54 that suppresses the inflow of liquid refrigerant into the compressor 24. The capillary tube 53 and the refrigerant piping that connects the cooler 14 and the compressor 24 are provided with a heat exchanger 57 that exchanges heat of the refrigerant.

Next, the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment will be described. In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, when the compressor 24 is driven, the refrigerant is compressed and becomes a high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant, which enters the external radiator 50a. The external radiator 50a is a fin tube type heat exchanger. In the external radiator 50a, heat is taken from the refrigerant by ventilation by an external fan (not shown), the enthalpy is reduced, and the refrigerant flows into the wall surface heat dissipation pipe 50b in a two-phase state. In the wall surface heat dissipation pipe 50b arranged on both sides of the thermal insulation box 10, heat is dissipated from the refrigerant mainly to the air outside the refrigerator through the outer wall of the thermal insulation box 10. Next, the refrigerant enters the condensation prevention pipe 50c arranged on the front parts of the thermal insulation partition walls 27, 28 and the partition parts 29, 30. Because there are thermally insulated doors in front of the insulating partition walls 27, 28 and the partitions 29, 30, the refrigerant dissipates heat mainly to the air inside the cabinet in the condensation prevention pipe 50c, becomes liquid refrigerant, flows through the dryer 51 to remove moisture, and then reaches the capillary tube 53.

In the capillary tube 53, the refrigerant is decompressed to a low-temperature, low-pressure two-phase refrigerant, which reaches the inlet of the cooler 14. When the freezer fan 9a is driven, the air returning from each storage compartment in the refrigerator passes through the cooler 14, where it is cooled to a low temperature, and the cooling of each storage compartment is resumed. At this time, for the refrigerator compartment 2 of the refrigerator of this embodiment, the cold heat of the cold air flowing through the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 is indirectly transferred to the second refrigerator compartment air duct 110 via the heat transfer member 200 for cooling, so that it is more difficult to supply cold heat than when cold air is sent directly, and the cooling capacity is more likely to be insufficient. Therefore, in the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the inner diameter of the capillary tube 53 is set to one-third or less of the inner diameters of the wall surface heat dissipation pipe 50b and the condensation prevention pipe 50c, and the pressure is reduced by sufficient resistance to lower the temperature of the cooler 14, and the temperature of the cold air supplied to the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 is sufficiently low to cool the refrigerator compartment 2.

The refrigerant exchanges heat with the air inside the cooler 14, increasing its enthalpy and dryness, and becomes a nearly saturated gas refrigerant before reaching the outlet of the cooler 14. A portion of the piping returning from the outlet of the cooler 14 to the compressor 24 is provided in close proximity to the capillary tube 53 so as to exchange heat with the capillary tube 53. The refrigerant is heated by the refrigerant in the capillary tube 53, increasing its enthalpy, and is sucked back into the compressor 24. By providing the heat exchange section 57, the temperature of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 24 increases, preventing condensation and frost on the refrigerant piping, and the enthalpy of the refrigerant flowing into the cooler 14 decreases due to heat exchange, improving the cooling capacity of the cooler 14. The refrigerant sealed in the refrigeration cycle is isobutane, a flammable refrigerant.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the freezer compartment damper 170 of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment.
The freezer damper 170 includes a motor housing 170a and an opening 170b. The opening 170b is opened and closed by an opening plate 170c. Specifically, the opening plate 170c can be controlled by a stepping motor (not shown) installed in the motor housing 170a in a range from a closed state with an opening angle of 0 degrees to a fully open state with an opening angle of 90 degrees, and the opening plate 170c can also be set to a half-open state with an opening accuracy of 45 degrees. A seal member (not shown) is disposed on the surface of the opening plate 170c facing the opening 170b, which prevents a gap from being formed between the opening 170b and the opening plate 170c in the closed state.

FIG. 8 is a table showing the relationship between the airflow rate and the airflow mode of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment.
In each air blowing mode shown in Fig. 8, the freezer compartment fan 9a is driven at 1600 min ^-1 , the compressor is driven at 1500 min ^-1 , the refrigerator compartment second damper 151 is closed, and the vegetable compartment damper 160 is closed. In air blowing mode A, the refrigerator compartment first damper 152 is closed and the freezer compartment damper 170 is open (fully open), and an air volume of 0.55 ^m3 /min is supplied to the freezer compartment 60. In air blowing mode B, the refrigerator compartment first damper 152 is open (fully open), and the freezer compartment damper 170 is open (fully open), and an air volume of 0.10 ^m3 /min is supplied to the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 and 0.50 ^m3 /min is supplied to the freezer compartment 60. In air blowing mode C, refrigerator compartment first damper 152 is opened (fully open), and freezer compartment damper 170 is half-open (opening angle 45 degrees), and an air volume of 0.15 ^m3 /min is supplied to refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 and 0.25 ^m3 /min to freezer compartment 60. In air blowing mode D, refrigerator compartment first damper 152 is opened (fully open), and freezer compartment damper 170 is closed, and an air volume of 0.15 ^m3 /min is supplied to refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 and 0.25 ^m3 /min to freezer compartment 60. As shown in air blowing modes B, C, and D, the opening degree of freezer compartment damper 170, which is an air duct resistance adjustment device for freezer compartment 60, is lowered to reduce the proportion of the air volume supplied to freezer compartment 60 and increase the air volume supplied to refrigerator compartment first air duct 120.

The time-average temperature of the cooler 14 during the cooling operation in each airflow mode is -25°C in airflow mode A, -22°C in airflow mode B, -20°C in airflow mode C, and -16°C in airflow mode D. In addition to these airflow modes, when the refrigerator compartment 2 is in an overload state, an airflow mode in which the refrigerator compartment second damper 151 is opened, and an airflow mode in which the vegetable compartment damper 160, which is used when the temperature of the vegetable compartment 6 rises and cooling is required, is opened, are also used appropriately based on the cooling state inside the refrigerator compartment. The opening areas of the refrigerator compartment second damper 151, the refrigerator compartment first damper 152, the freezer compartment damper 170, and the vegetable compartment damper 160 are 950 mm ² , 1800 mm ² , 6300 mm ² , and 560 mm ² , respectively. Furthermore, the closed state of each damper is not limited to a state in which the flow path is completely blocked, but also includes a state in which there is a small gap (for example, a state in which the air volume is 10% or less compared to the fully open state).

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 70 of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment.
A control device 70A (see FIG. 2) is disposed in the machine room 39 at the bottom of the rear of the refrigerator 1. The control device 70A has a control board on which a CPU 71, a memory 72 such as a ROM or a RAM, a timer 73, and an interface circuit including an input interface 74 and an output interface 75 are mounted. The control board of the control device 70A is connected to the outside air temperature sensor 37, the outside air humidity sensor 38, the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 41, the freezer compartment temperature sensor 43, the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 44, the cooler temperature sensor 40, and the like, by electrical wiring 76. The control device 70A controls ON/OFF and rotation speed of the compressor 24 and the freezer compartment fans 9a and 9b based on the output values of each sensor, the settings of the operation unit 26, and programs pre-recorded in the ROM of the memory 72, and also controls the opening and closing of the second refrigerator compartment damper 151, the first refrigerator compartment damper 152, the vegetable compartment damper 160, and the freezer compartment damper 170, and controls the defrost heater 21. For this purpose, the defrost heater 21, the compressor 24, the freezer compartment fans 9a, 9b, the freezer compartment damper 170, the vegetable compartment damper 160, the refrigerator compartment second damper 151 and the refrigerator compartment first damper 152 are connected to the control device 70A by electrical wiring 77.

The control of the flow of cold air described in FIG. 4 is performed by controlling the freezer compartment fans 9a, 9b, the second refrigerator compartment damper 151, the first refrigerator compartment damper 152, and the freezer compartment damper 170 with the control device 70A. In addition, when controlling the drive time of the above-mentioned refrigerator compartment fan 9b, the control device 70 refers to the timer 73. Note that the means for measuring the drive time is not limited to the timer 73.

The configuration of the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment has been explained above. Next, we will explain the effects of the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment.

The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment includes a cooler 14, a first storage compartment (refrigerator compartment) 2 in the refrigeration temperature range, a second storage compartment (freezer compartment) 60 in the freezing temperature range, a first air duct (refrigerator compartment first air duct) 120 through which cold air that cools the first storage compartment (refrigerator compartment) 2 flows, a cooling body (heat transfer member) 200 that is arranged between the first storage compartment (refrigerator compartment) 2 and the first air duct 120, specifically between the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 and the refrigerator compartment second air duct 110, and a cooling body (heat transfer member) 200 that distributes the cold air of the cooler 14 through the first air duct 120, the first storage compartment (refrigerator compartment) 2, and a second storage compartment (freezer compartment) 60 in the freezing temperature range. The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a blower (first blower: freezer fan) 9a that blows air toward the storage compartment (refrigerator) 2 and the second storage compartment (freezer) 60, and an airflow adjustment device 152, 170 that is provided separately from the first blower (freezer fan) 9a and that reduces the proportion of the airflow from the first blower (freezer fan) 9a toward the second storage compartment (freezer) 60 and increases the airflow from the first blower (freezer fan) 9a toward the first air duct (refrigerator first air duct) 120. That is, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is equipped with an airflow adjustment device 152, 170 that reduces the proportion of the airflow toward the second storage compartment 60 relative to the total airflow of the blower (first blower) 9a and increases the airflow from the blower (first blower) 9a to the first air duct (refrigerator first air duct) 120.

This makes it possible to provide a refrigerator 1 that can adequately cool the refrigerator compartment 2 by heat transfer via the heat transfer member 200 while preventing storage compartments other than the refrigerator compartment 2 from becoming overcooled. The reason for this is explained below.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator that appropriately cools the wine compartment by heat transfer through a partition (heat transfer member), but the wine compartment has a smaller cooling load than the refrigerator compartment because the temperature maintained therein is higher. This is also clear from the fact that JIS C9801-3:2015 specifies that the target temperatures for power consumption measurement, which are set assuming standard usage, are 12°C for the wine compartment (wine storage compartment) and 4°C for the refrigerator compartment. Therefore, even if a configuration that can appropriately cool the wine compartment by heat transfer through a heat transfer member is used to cool the refrigerator compartment, it is necessary to cool it to a lower temperature, and the cooling capacity may be insufficient. In particular, when the temperature outside the refrigerator is relatively high or the load inside the refrigerator increases due to frequent door opening and closing, the lack of cooling capacity becomes significant, and the refrigerator compartment cannot be maintained at an appropriate temperature. Therefore, as a general means of improving cooling capacity, it is possible to increase the rotation speed of the fan that circulates the air that has exchanged heat with the cooler inside the refrigerator, or to increase the rotation speed of the compressor. However, when the cooling capacity of the refrigerator compartment is increased by these means, the cooling capacity supplied to other storage compartments is also increased, resulting in overcooling of the other storage compartments.

Therefore, in the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, by adopting the above-mentioned configuration, the proportion of the air volume going to the freezer compartment 60 can be reduced and the air volume going to the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 can be increased. This makes it possible to suppress the air being sent to the freezer compartment 60 while improving the heat transfer via the heat transfer member 200. Even when the temperature outside the refrigerator compartment 2 is relatively high or the load inside the refrigerator compartment 2 increases due to frequent door opening and closing, it is possible to cool the refrigerator compartment 2 appropriately while preventing the storage compartment other than the refrigerator compartment 2 (the freezer compartment 60) from being overcooled.

The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is provided with a freezer damper 170, which is an airflow resistance variable means, in the path from the freezer fan 9a to the freezer 60 as an airflow adjustment means. That is, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is provided with an airflow resistance adjustment device that adjusts the airflow resistance to the second storage chamber (freezer) 60 as an airflow adjustment device, and this airflow resistance adjustment device can be composed of the freezer damper 170. The freezer damper 170 is a means for varying the airflow resistance of the path to the second storage chamber (freezer) 60, and may be described as the second storage chamber damper.

The freezer damper 170 can adjust the airflow resistance by changing the opening degree, and by lowering the opening degree, the proportion of airflow going to the freezer compartment 60 can be reduced and the amount of airflow going to the first refrigerator compartment airflow 120 can be increased. This makes it possible to provide a refrigerator 1 that can optimally cool the refrigerator compartment 2 by heat transfer via the heat transfer member 200 without providing a complex mechanism, while preventing storage compartments other than the refrigerator compartment 2 from becoming overcooled.

The means for decreasing the proportion of airflow toward the freezer compartment 60 and increasing the airflow toward the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 can also be constituted by the first refrigerator compartment damper 152. For this reason, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is preferably provided with the first refrigerator compartment damper 152, which is an air duct resistance variable means for the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120, and the freezer compartment damper 170, which has a larger opening area than the first refrigerator compartment damper 152. The first refrigerator compartment damper 152 is a means for varying the air duct resistance of the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120, which is the cooling air duct for the first storage compartment (refrigerator compartment) 2, or the path leading to this first refrigerator compartment air duct 120, and may be referred to as the first air duct damper.

In view of the above, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a first air passage damper 152 that adjusts the air passage resistance to the first air passage 120, and a second storage chamber damper 170 that adjusts the air passage resistance to the second storage chamber 60, as air volume adjustment devices. In this case, it is preferable to make the opening area of the second storage chamber damper 170 larger than the opening area of the first air passage damper 152.

By providing the first refrigerator damper 152, when the load inside the refrigerator chamber 2 is relatively small, the opening of the first refrigerator damper 152 can be lowered to adjust the temperature so that the refrigerator chamber 2 is not cooled excessively. Also, by making the opening area of the freezer chamber damper 170, which is the air duct resistance variable means for the freezer chamber 60 that is cooled to a lower temperature, larger than the opening area of the first refrigerator damper 152, when the load on the freezer chamber 60 is large, it becomes easier to supply more cold air to the freezer chamber 60 than the amount of air flowing through the first refrigerator chamber air duct 120, and both the refrigerator chamber 2 and the freezer chamber 60 can be cooled appropriately.

The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a second refrigerator damper 151, a first refrigerator damper 152, a freezer damper 60, and a vegetable damper 160. By closing the second refrigerator damper 151, the freezer damper 60, and the vegetable damper 160 and opening the first refrigerator damper 152, the cold air from the cooler 14 can be concentrated into the cooler first refrigerator air duct 120. As a result, even if the load on the refrigerator chamber 2 is greater, the refrigerator chamber 2 can be appropriately cooled by heat transfer via the heat transfer member 200.

In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, when the freezer compartment fan 9a is driven at a predetermined speed with the first refrigerator compartment damper 152 open and the freezer compartment damper 170 closed, the amount of air supplied to the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 is Q1, and when the freezer compartment fan 9a is driven at the predetermined speed with the first refrigerator compartment damper 152 closed and the freezer compartment damper 170 open, the amount of air supplied to the freezer compartment 60 is Q2, and the relationship Q1 < Q2 is satisfied (Figure 8).

In other words, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment performs a cooling operation that satisfies Q1 < Q2 when the amount of air supplied to the first air duct (first air duct in the refrigerator) 120 is Q1 when the first air duct damper (first damper in the refrigerator) 152 is open, the second storage chamber damper (freezer damper) 170 is closed, and the blower (freezer fan) 9a is driven at a predetermined speed, and the amount of air supplied to the second storage chamber (freezer) 60 is Q2 when the first air duct damper 152 is closed, the second storage chamber damper 170 is open, and the blower 9a is driven at a predetermined speed.

When the load on the refrigerator compartment 2 is large, the amount of air supplied to the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 is increased, so that the refrigerator compartment 2 can be cooled appropriately. The cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 exchanges heat with the air in the refrigerator compartment 2 via the heat transfer member 200 and returns to the cooler compartment 18 at the back of the freezer compartment 60. At this time, if the amount of air returning from the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 is large, the temperature of the cooler compartment 8 rises, raising the temperature of the freezer compartment 60 in the front. On the other hand, even if there is a large amount of cold air supplied to the freezer compartment 60, the temperature of the cooler compartment 8 does not rise, and the temperature of the freezer compartment 60 is not raised. Therefore, by making Q1 < Q2, it becomes difficult to raise the temperature of the freezer compartment 60 due to the action of the air returning from the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120, and both the refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment 60 can be cooled appropriately.

In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the air volume supplied to the first air duct 120 of the refrigerator when the first damper 152 of the refrigerator is open and the freezer damper 170 is closed and the freezer fan 9a is driven at a predetermined speed is Q1, the air volume supplied to the freezer 60 when the first damper 152 of the refrigerator is closed and the freezer damper 170 is open and the freezer fan 9a is driven at the predetermined speed is Q2, the air volume supplied to the first air duct 120 when the first damper 152 of the refrigerator is open and the freezer damper 170 is open and the freezer fan 9a is driven at the predetermined speed is Q3, and the air volume supplied to the freezer 60 is Q4 are satisfied (FIG. 8).

In other words, in the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, when the first air duct damper (refrigerator compartment first damper) 152 is open, the second storage compartment damper (freezer compartment damper) 170 is open, and the blower (freezer compartment fan) 9a is driven at the above-mentioned predetermined speed, if the air volume supplied to the first air duct (refrigerator compartment first air duct) 120 is Q3 and the air volume supplied to the second storage compartment (freezer compartment) 60 is Q4, the refrigerator 1 performs cooling operation that satisfies Q3 < Q1 < Q4 < Q2.

When both the refrigerator first damper 152 and the freezer damper 170 are open, the air returning from the refrigerator first air passage 120 is heat exchanged with the cooler 14, and then a portion of the air is directly supplied to the freezer 60 through the open freezer damper 170. For this reason, if the air volume Q3 of the refrigerator first air passage 120 is large, it becomes easier to raise the temperature of the freezer 60. Therefore, it is effective to make the air volume Q3 of the refrigerator first air passage 120 when both the refrigerator first damper 152 and the freezer damper 170 are open smaller than the air volume Q1 supplied to the refrigerator first air passage 120 when the refrigerator first damper 152 is open and the freezer damper 170 is closed and the freezer fan 9a is driven at a predetermined speed, so that the temperature of the cooler chamber 8 is raised and the temperature of the freezer 60 is not raised. On the other hand, the amount of air supplied to the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 can be reduced by lowering the opening of the freezer compartment damper 170 from an open state to a closed state, thereby reducing the amount of air supplied to the freezer compartment 60 and increasing the amount of air supplied to the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120. This is effective when the load on the refrigerator compartment 2 is large, so by setting Q1 to Q4 to satisfy Q3 < Q1 < Q4 < Q2, both the refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment 60 can be cooled appropriately.

[Example 2]
Next, a second embodiment (embodiment 2) of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 10 to Fig. 15. Note that the same components as those in embodiment 1 are designated by the same reference numerals as in embodiment 1, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a front view showing the configuration of the interior of the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment.
10 and 11 , refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment also includes second refrigerator compartment air duct 110 provided at the rear of refrigerator compartment 2, and first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 provided behind second refrigerator compartment air duct 110 and adjacent to refrigerator compartment 2 with a partition wall therebetween, and the partition wall between second refrigerator compartment air duct 110 and first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 is formed of heat transfer member 200. Air in second refrigerator compartment air duct 110 and air in first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 exchange heat through heat transfer member 200. Unlike embodiment 1, refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment includes boost fan 9c, which is a boosting means, at an upper portion of first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 as a means (air volume adjusting means) for adjusting the volume of air flowing through first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 and the volume of air supplied to freezer compartment 60. That is, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is provided with a booster fan 9c as a booster device in the first air duct (first refrigerator compartment air duct) 120 as an air volume adjustment device.

The refrigerator 1 has a cooler chamber 8 in which a cooler 14 is housed at the back of the lower freezer chamber 5, and a freezer chamber fan 9a at the top of the cooler chamber 8. Unlike the first embodiment, the freezer chamber air duct 100 is provided in the blowing area of the freezer chamber fan 9a, and the freezer chamber air duct 100 has an ice chamber air outlet 100a, an upper freezer chamber air outlet 100b, and a lower freezer chamber air outlet 100c that blow cold air to the ice chamber 3 in the front, the upper freezer chamber 4, and the lower freezer chamber 5, respectively. In addition, due to the difference in the configuration of the freezer chamber air duct 100, the freezer chamber damper 170 of the first embodiment is not provided in this embodiment.

Furthermore, unlike Example 1, refrigerator 1 is provided with a vegetable compartment air duct 132 extending downward from the lower left of freezer compartment air duct 100 at the rear of freezer compartment 60 (ice-making compartment 3, upper freezer compartment 4, and lower freezer compartment 5), and a vegetable compartment outlet 133 is provided at the outlet of vegetable compartment air duct 132.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an air passage configuration of the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment.
12, in refrigerator 1, the cold air that has exchanged heat with cooler 14 in cooler chamber 8 is pressurized by freezer chamber fan 9a and sent to freezer chamber air duct 100. The cold air sent to freezer chamber air duct 100 is blown out from ice-making chamber outlet 100a, upper freezer chamber outlet 100b, and lower freezer chamber outlet 100c to ice-making chamber 3, upper freezer chamber 4, and lower freezer chamber 5, respectively, regardless of the open/close states of refrigerator chamber second damper 151, refrigerator chamber first damper 152, and vegetable chamber damper 160. The cold air that has cooled ice-making chamber 3, upper freezer chamber 4, and lower freezer chamber 5 cools the respective storage chambers and returns to cooler chamber 8 from lower freezer chamber 5 via freezer chamber return air duct 105.

Next, the flow of cold air will be explained. When the compressor 24 is driven and refrigerant is supplied to the cooler 14, the second refrigerator damper 151 is closed, the first refrigerator damper 152 is open, the freezer fan 9a is driven, and the refrigerator fan 9b is driven, the cold air pressurized by the freezer fan 9a is sent to the freezer chamber 60 (ice-making chamber 3, upper freezer chamber 4, and lower freezer chamber 5), flows through the first refrigerator chamber air duct 120, exchanges heat with the air in the second refrigerator chamber air duct 110 via the heat transfer member 200, flows through the return refrigerator chamber air duct 130, and returns to the cooler chamber 8. Meanwhile, the air in the second refrigerator compartment air duct 110, which has been heat exchanged with the cold air in the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 via the heat transfer member 200 and has become cold, is blown out from the refrigerator compartment outlets 111a and 111b by driving the refrigerator compartment fan 9b, and cools the refrigerator compartment 2. The cold air that has cooled the refrigerator compartment 2 returns to the second refrigerator compartment air duct 110 from the second refrigerator compartment air duct return port 115. This operation allows the refrigerator compartment 2 to be cooled by indirect cooling via the heat transfer member 200 without sending the low-temperature, low-humidity cold air that has exchanged heat with the cooler 14 into the interior of the refrigerator compartment 2, so that the humidity inside the refrigerator compartment 2 can be kept high.

Furthermore, when the boost fan 9c in the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 is driven in the operating state in which the refrigerator compartment 2 is cooled, the air in the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 is boosted, so that of the cold air boosted by the freezer compartment fan 9a, the amount of air flowing through the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 increases and the amount of air flowing through the freezer compartment 60 decreases, promoting heat transfer via the heat transfer member 200 and supplying a cooling capacity corresponding to a high load on the refrigerator compartment 2.

In this way, by using the boost fan 9c as an airflow adjustment means for increasing the airflow from the freezer compartment fan 9a toward the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 and decreasing the airflow from the freezer compartment fan 9a toward the freezer compartment 60, it is possible to provide a refrigerator 1 that is able to respond to high load conditions in the refrigerator compartment 2 by appropriately cooling the refrigerator compartment 2 through heat transfer via the heat transfer member 200, while preventing storage compartments other than the refrigerator compartment 2 from becoming overcooled.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device 70B of a refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment.
A control device 70B of the present embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in that the freezer compartment damper 170 is not provided and a boost fan 9c is newly provided.

Figure 14 is an exploded perspective view showing the refrigerator compartment air duct of the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 14, the refrigerator compartment second air passage 110 and the refrigerator compartment first air passage 120 formed at the rear of the refrigerator compartment 2 include a second air passage member 210, a first air passage member 220, a heat transfer member 200 installed between the second air passage member 210 and the first air passage member 220, and a fan holding member 230 to which the boost fan 9c is attached. The second air passage member 210 has refrigerator compartment outlets 111a, 111b on the front side, and an opening 210a on the back side to which the heat transfer member 200 is attached. The first air passage member 220 has an opening 220a on its front side, and is combined integrally with the second air passage member 210 to which the heat transfer member 200 is attached, so that the refrigerator compartment second air passage 110 and the refrigerator compartment first air passage 120 are separated from each other via the heat transfer member 200.

A fan holding member 230 holding the boost fan 9c is removably attached to the upper left side of the first air passage member 220. The heat transfer member 200 is made of resin (e.g., ABS resin), and the part at the height position where the fan holding member 230 is installed protrudes forward. At the corresponding height position, the upper part of the second air passage member 210 also protrudes forward.

The first air passage member 220 is provided with a partition member 121 that forms an outward flow path 120a and a return flow path 120b inside the refrigerator compartment first air passage 120. As a result, when the refrigerator compartment first damper 152 (see Figures 10, 11, and 12) is in an open state, as shown by the arrows on the first air passage member 220 and the fan holding member 230, the cold air that flows upward through the outward flow path 120a formed on the left side of the refrigerator compartment first air passage 120 enters the boost fan 9c, and the flow that exits the boost fan 9c flows to the right, enters the return flow path 120b on the right side of the refrigerator compartment first air passage 120, and flows downward. In this way, the portion of the heat transfer member 200 (partition) at the height where the boost fan 9c is installed protrudes forward, and below that, the depth dimension of the air passage is reduced. This limits the reduction in space that accompanies the installation of the boost fan 9c to the hard-to-reach area behind the top shelf 34a in the refrigerator compartment 2, resulting in a refrigerator with reduced loss of usability.

FIG. 15 is a table showing the relationship between the airflow mode and the air volume of the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment.
15, the freezer compartment fan 9a drives at 1600 min ^-1 , the compressor drives at 1500 min ^-1 , the refrigerator compartment second damper 151 is closed, and the vegetable compartment damper 160 is closed. In air blowing mode A, the refrigerator compartment first damper 152 is closed and the boost fan 9c is stopped, and an air volume of 0.55 ^m3 /min is supplied to the freezer compartment 60. In air blowing mode B, the refrigerator compartment first damper 152 is open (fully open), and the boost fan 9c is driven (1400 min ^-1 ), and an air volume of 0.10 ^m3 /min is supplied to the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 and 0.50 ^m3 /min is supplied to the freezer compartment 60. In air blowing mode C, refrigerator compartment first damper 152 is opened (fully open), and boost fan 9c is driven (1400 min ^-1 ), supplying an air volume of 0.25 m ³ /min to refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 and 0.45 m ³ /min to freezer compartment 60. As shown in air blowing modes B and C, boost fan 9c, which is the boosting means, is driven from a stopped state to a driven state, thereby reducing the proportion of the air volume supplied to freezer compartment 60 and increasing the air volume supplied to refrigerator compartment first air duct 120. This makes it possible to provide a refrigerator which is less likely to overcool storage compartments other than refrigerator compartment 2 while suitably cooling refrigerator compartment 2 through heat transfer via heat transfer member 200.

The time-average temperature of the cooler 14 during cooling operation in each airflow mode is -25°C in airflow mode A, -22°C in airflow mode B, and -18°C in airflow mode C. In addition to these airflow modes, when the refrigerator compartment 2 is in an overloaded state, an airflow mode that opens the second refrigerator compartment damper 151, and an airflow mode that opens the vegetable compartment damper 160, which is used when the temperature in the vegetable compartment 6 rises and cooling is required, are also used appropriately based on the cooling state inside the refrigerator.

In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, when the first refrigerator damper 152 is open, the freezer fan 9a is driven at a first predetermined speed, and the boost fan 9c is driven at a second predetermined speed, the air volume supplied to the first refrigerator air duct 120 is Q21 and the air volume supplied to the freezer 60 is Q22. This is set to satisfy Q21 < Q22 (C in Figure 15).

In other words, in the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, when the blower (freezer compartment fan) 9a and the booster device (booster fan) 9c are driven, if the air volume supplied to the first air duct (refrigerator compartment first air duct) 120 is Q21 and the air volume supplied to the second storage compartment (freezer compartment) 60 is Q22, the refrigerator 1 performs cooling operation that satisfies Q21 < Q22.

When the load on the refrigerator compartment 2 is large, the amount of air supplied to the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 can be increased to cool the refrigerator compartment 2 appropriately. The cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 exchanges heat with the air in the refrigerator compartment 2 via the heat transfer member 200 and returns to the cooler compartment 8 at the back of the freezer compartment 60. At this time, if the amount of air returning from the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 is large, the temperature of the cooler compartment 8 rises, raising the temperature of the freezer compartment 60 in front. On the other hand, even if the amount of cold air supplied to the freezer compartment 60 is large, the temperature of the cooler compartment 8 rises, and the temperature of the freezer compartment 60 does not increase. Therefore, by making Q21<Q22, it becomes difficult for the air returning from the refrigerator compartment first air duct 120 to raise the temperature of the freezer compartment 60, and both the refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment 60 can be cooled appropriately.

In the refrigerator of this embodiment, when the first refrigerator damper 152 is open, the freezer fan 9a is driven at a first predetermined speed, and the boost fan 9c is driven at a second predetermined speed, the air volume supplied to the first refrigerator air duct 120 is Q21 and the air volume supplied to the freezer 60 is Q22 (C in FIG. 15). When the first refrigerator damper 152 is open, the freezer fan 9a is driven at the first predetermined speed, and the boost fan 9c is stopped, the air volume supplied to the first refrigerator air duct 120 is Q23 and the air volume supplied to the freezer 60 is Q24 (B in FIG. 15), Q23<Q21<Q22<Q24 is satisfied (B and C in FIG. 15).

In other words, in the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, when the blower (freezer compartment fan) 9a is driven at a predetermined speed and the booster device (booster fan) 9c is not driven, if the air volume supplied to the first air duct (refrigerator compartment first air duct) 120 is Q23 and the air volume supplied to the second storage compartment (freezer compartment) 60 is Q24, the refrigerator 1 performs cooling operation that satisfies Q23 < Q21 < Q22 < Q24.

When the first refrigerator damper 152 is open and the freezer fan 9a is driven, the air returning from the first refrigerator air passage 120 is heat exchanged with the cooler 14, and then a portion of the air is directly supplied to the freezer 60 through the open freezer damper 170. For this reason, if the air volume Q23 of the first refrigerator air passage 120 is large, it becomes easier to raise the temperature of the freezer 60. Therefore, it is effective to make the air volume Q23 of the first refrigerator air passage 120 when the first refrigerator damper 152 is open and the boost fan 9c is stopped smaller than the air volume Q21 when the first refrigerator damper 152 is open and the boost fan 9c is driven at the second predetermined speed, so that the temperature of the cooler chamber 8 does not rise and the temperature of the freezer 60 does not rise, and to make it smaller than the air volume Q22 to the freezer 60. On the other hand, the amount of air supplied to the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 is effectively reduced by driving the boost fan 9c to reduce the amount of air sent to the freezer compartment 60 and increase the amount of air sent to the first refrigerator compartment air duct 120 when the load on the refrigerator compartment 2 is large. Therefore, by making Q21 to Q24 satisfy Q23<Q21<Q22<Q24, both the refrigerator compartment 2 and the freezer compartment 60 can be optimally cooled.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the configurations. It is also possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. It is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

1...refrigerator, 2...refrigeration compartment, 3...ice-making compartment, 4...upper freezer compartment, 5...lower freezer compartment, 6...vegetable compartment, 8...cooler compartment, 9a...freezer compartment fan, 9b...refrigerator compartment fan, 9c...booster fan (airflow regulator, booster), 10...insulating box, 10a...outer box, 10b...inner box, 14...cooler, 24...compressor, 25...vacuum insulation material, 27, 28...insulating partition wall, 29, 30...partition, 70...control device, 39...machine compartment, 110...refrigerator compartment second air duct, 111...refrigerator compartment outlet, 115 ...refrigerator compartment second air duct return port, 120...refrigerator compartment first air duct, 130...refrigerator compartment return air duct, 131...refrigerator compartment return port, 150...refrigerator compartment damper (air volume regulator, air duct resistance regulator), 151...refrigerator compartment second damper (air volume regulator, air duct resistance regulator), 152...refrigerator compartment first damper (air volume regulator, air duct resistance regulator), 160...vegetable compartment damper (air volume regulator, air duct resistance regulator), 170...freezer compartment damper (air volume regulator, air duct resistance regulator), 200...heat transfer member.

Claims (9)

the cooling device includes a cooling unit, a first storage chamber in a refrigeration temperature range, a second storage chamber in a freezing temperature range, a first air passage through which cold air for cooling the first storage chamber flows, a cooling body disposed between the first storage chamber and the first air passage, a blower that blows the cold air of the cooling unit toward the first air passage and the second storage chamber, and an air volume adjustment device that reduces a ratio of an air volume to the second storage chamber relative to a total air volume of the blower and increases an air volume from the blower to the first air passage ,
The refrigerator includes, as the airflow adjustment device, an airflow resistance adjustment device that adjusts airflow resistance to the second storage chamber . the cooling device includes a cooling unit, a first storage chamber in a refrigeration temperature range, a second storage chamber in a freezing temperature range, a first air passage through which cold air for cooling the first storage chamber flows, a cooling body disposed between the first storage chamber and the first air passage, a blower that blows the cold air of the cooling unit toward the first air passage and the second storage chamber, and an air volume adjustment device that reduces a ratio of an air volume to the second storage chamber relative to a total air volume of the blower and increases an air volume from the blower to the first air passage,
The refrigerator includes, as the air volume adjustment device, a first air passage damper that adjusts air passage resistance to the first air passage, and a second storage chamber damper that adjusts air passage resistance to the second storage chamber. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein an opening area of the second storage chamber damper is larger than an opening area of the first air passage damper. a second air passage having an outlet to the first storage chamber and a return port from the first storage chamber;
3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first air passage and the second air passage are configured so that air flowing through the second air passage and air flowing through the first air passage exchange heat with each other via the cooling body. the refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a cooling operation is performed such that Q1<Q2 is satisfied, where Q1 is an air volume supplied to the first air duct when the first air duct damper is in an open state, the second storage chamber damper is in a closed state, and the blower is driven at a predetermined speed, and Q2 is an air volume supplied to the second storage chamber when the first air duct damper is in a closed state, the second storage chamber damper is in an open state , and the blower is driven at the predetermined speed. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein when the first air passage damper is in an open state, the second storage chamber damper is in an open state, and the blower is driven at the predetermined speed, the refrigerator performs a cooling operation such that Q3<Q1<Q4<Q2 is satisfied, where Q3 is an air volume supplied to the first air passage and Q4 is an air volume supplied to the second storage chamber. the cooling device includes a cooling unit, a first storage chamber in a refrigeration temperature range, a second storage chamber in a freezing temperature range, a first air passage through which cold air for cooling the first storage chamber flows, a cooling body disposed between the first storage chamber and the first air passage, a blower that blows the cold air of the cooling unit toward the first air passage and the second storage chamber, and an air volume adjustment device that reduces a ratio of an air volume to the second storage chamber relative to a total air volume of the blower and increases an air volume from the blower to the first air passage,
The refrigerator includes a booster device in the first air passage as the air volume adjustment device. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein, when the blower and the boosting device are driven, a cooling operation is performed such that , when an air volume supplied to the first air passage is Q21 and an air volume supplied to the second storage chamber is Q22, Q21<Q22 is satisfied. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein, when the blower is driven at a predetermined speed and the boosting device is not driven, a cooling operation is performed such that Q23<Q21<Q22<Q24 is satisfied, where Q23 is an air volume supplied to the first air passage and Q24 is an air volume supplied to the second storage chamber.

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