JP7643979B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a refrigerator.

For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a refrigerator is being considered that is equipped with a quick-freezing function that cools the inside of a freezer compartment, which is an example of a storage compartment, more quickly than standard.

JP 2010-19482 A

Now, in a refrigerator, multiple drawer-type containers are provided inside the freezer. Furthermore, each of these multiple containers has a different size. Here, when it is desired to quickly freeze a relatively small container among the multiple containers, it is possible to perform rapid cooling because the internal volume of that container is relatively small. However, when it is desired to quickly freeze a relatively large container among the multiple containers, there is a concern that it may be difficult to perform rapid cooling because the internal volume of that container is relatively large.

Therefore, this embodiment provides a refrigerator that can quickly cool the inside of a container to be quenched, even if the container to be quenched is a relatively large one among multiple containers arranged in a storage compartment.

The refrigerator according to this embodiment includes a storage compartment having multiple containers arranged therein, a container to be quenched that is larger than the smallest container among the multiple containers, a quenching temperature detection unit disposed above the container to be quenched in a state capable of detecting the temperature inside the container to be quenched, and a quenching control unit that increases the cooling strength of the container to be quenched above the standard cooling strength when the temperature detected by the quenching temperature detection unit satisfies a predetermined condition.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration example of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a schematic configuration example of a large freezer compartment and its surrounding parts according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of a cool air duct according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration example of an upper container equipped with a cooling plate according to a second embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration example of an upper container according to a third embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration example of an upper container equipped with a cooling plate according to a fourth embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration example of an upper container equipped with a cooling plate according to a modification of the fourth embodiment; FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration example of an upper container according to a modified example of the fourth embodiment; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of a cool air duct according to a fifth embodiment; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of a cool air duct according to a sixth embodiment; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of a cold air duct according to a modified embodiment;

Several embodiments of the refrigerator will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that elements that are substantially the same in the various embodiments will be given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

First Embodiment
A refrigerator 10 shown in Fig. 1 includes a plurality of storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 inside a rectangular insulated box body 11 that constitutes the outer shell of the refrigerator. Various items such as food can be stored inside the storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. Although not shown in detail, the insulated box body 11 includes a heat insulating material between an inner box and an outer box. As the heat insulating material that constitutes the insulated box body 11, various heat insulating materials can be used, such as a vacuum heat insulating panel, urethane foam, and a heat insulating molded body formed from a heat insulating material.

In this case, storage chamber 12 is a refrigerator chamber that is maintained in the refrigerator temperature range. Hereinafter, storage chamber 12 may be referred to as "refrigerator chamber 12". In this case, storage chamber 13 is a vegetable chamber that is maintained in the refrigerator temperature range. Hereinafter, storage chamber 13 may be referred to as "vegetable chamber 13". In this case, storage chamber 14 is an ice-making chamber that is maintained in the freezing temperature range. Hereinafter, storage chamber 14 may be referred to as "ice-making chamber 14". In this case, storage chamber 15 is a small freezing chamber that is maintained in the freezing temperature range. Hereinafter, storage chamber 15 may be referred to as "small freezing chamber 15". In this case, storage chamber 16 is a large freezing chamber that is maintained in the freezing temperature range. Hereinafter, storage chamber 16 may be referred to as "large freezing chamber 16".

The refrigerator compartment 12 is the uppermost storage compartment among the multiple storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 that the refrigerator 10 has. The vegetable compartment 13 is provided below the refrigerator compartment 12 and is located in the center of the insulated box 11 in the vertical direction. The ice making compartment 14 and the small freezing compartment 15 are provided below the vegetable compartment 13 and are lined up along the horizontal direction of the refrigerator 10 within the insulated box 11. The large freezing compartment 16 is provided below the ice making compartment 14 and the small freezing compartment 15 within the insulated box 11. The large freezing compartment 16 is the lowermost storage compartment among the multiple storage compartments 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 that the refrigerator 10 has. In this embodiment, the large freezing compartment 16 is provided directly below the ice making compartment 14 and the small freezing compartment 15 without any other storage compartments between them.

The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 is opened and closed by two refrigerator compartment doors 12D[L], 12D[R] that can rotate left and right and are so-called double doors. The front opening of the vegetable compartment 13 is opened and closed by a drawer type vegetable compartment door 13D that can move in the front-rear direction. The front opening of the ice making compartment 14 is opened and closed by a drawer type ice making compartment door 14D that can move in the front-rear direction. The front opening of the small freezer compartment 15 is opened and closed by a drawer type small freezer compartment door 15D that can move in the front-rear direction. The front opening of the large freezer compartment 16 is opened and closed by a drawer type large freezer compartment door 16D that can move in the front-rear direction.

The refrigerator 10 also includes upper and lower partition members 21 inside the insulated box 11. The upper and lower partition members 21 separate the ice making chamber 14 and the small freezing chamber 15 in the vertical direction of the insulated box 11, in other words, along the vertical or height direction of the insulated box 11. The refrigerator 10 also includes a horizontal partition member 22 inside the insulated box 11. The horizontal partition member 22 separates the ice making chamber 14 and the small freezing chamber 15 from the large freezing chamber 16 in the horizontal direction of the insulated box 11, in other words, along the width or left-right direction of the insulated box 11. The horizontal partition member 22 thus arranged forms the lower wall portion of the ice making chamber 14 and the small freezing chamber 15, and also forms the upper wall portion of the large freezing chamber 16.

Next, an example of the configuration of the large freezer compartment 16 and its surrounding area of the refrigerator 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the large freezer compartment 16 is a roughly rectangular storage compartment with an open front. A large container 100 is provided inside the large freezer compartment 16. The large container 100 is roughly rectangular box-shaped with an open top. The large container 100 is attached to the back side of the large freezer compartment door 16D, and is configured to be able to be pulled out in the front-rear direction together with the large freezer compartment door 16D.

In addition, inside the large freezer compartment 16, there are provided multiple levels, in this case three levels, of small containers 101, 102, 103. The small containers 101, 102, 103 are stacked vertically above the large container 100. Hereinafter, the bottommost small container 101 may be referred to as the "lower container 101", the middle small container 102 as the "middle container 102", and the topmost small container 103 as the "upper container 103".

The lower container 101 is simply placed on top of the large container 100, the middle container 102 is simply placed on top of the lower container 101, and the upper container 103 is simply placed on top of the middle container 102. Therefore, the lower container 101 is configured to be able to be pulled out in the front-rear direction by the force of the large container 100 being pulled out in the front-rear direction together with the large freezer door 16D, or manually by the user. The middle container 102 is configured to be able to be pulled out in the front-rear direction by the force of the lower container 101 being pulled out in the front-rear direction, or manually by the user. The upper container 103 is configured to be able to be pulled out in the front-rear direction by the force of the middle container 102 being pulled out in the front-rear direction, or manually by the user.

In addition, when comparing the lengths L1, L2, and L3 of the bottom surfaces in the front-to-back direction of the multiple tiered small containers 101, 102, and 103, the bottom surface length L1 in the front-to-back direction of the lower container 101 is the smallest among the multiple tiered small containers 101, 102, and 103. Therefore, the lower container 101 can be defined as an example of the smallest container.

The upper container 103 is the container with the longest bottom length L3 in the front-to-rear direction among the multiple tiers of small containers 101, 102, and 103. Therefore, the upper container 103 can be defined as an example of the largest container.

The length L2 of the bottom surface of the middle container 102 in the front-to-rear direction among the multiple tiers of small containers 101, 102, and 103 is intermediate between the length L1 of the lower container 101 and the length L3 of the upper container 103. Therefore, the middle container 102 can be defined as an example of an intermediate container.

The upper container 103 is provided as an example of a container to be quenched. The upper container 103, which is provided as an example of a container to be quenched, is a container whose length L3 of its bottom surface in the front-to-rear direction is greater than the length L1 of the bottom surface of the lower container 101, which is the smallest container among the multiple tiers of small containers 101, 102, and 103.

As described above, the multiple tiers of small containers 101, 102, 103 are configured so that the length of the bottom surface in the front-to-rear direction is greater for the upper tier small containers. In other words, the refrigerator 10 is configured so that the machine room 128 is located at the rear lower part of the large freezer compartment 16. Therefore, in the large freezer compartment 16, the lower tier small containers are more susceptible to the influence of the machine room 128, and therefore it is difficult to increase the length of their bottom surface in the front-to-rear direction. On the other hand, in the large freezer compartment 16, the upper tier small containers are less susceptible to the influence of the machine room 128, and therefore it is easier to increase the length of their bottom surface in the front-to-rear direction.

Comparing the vertical lengths M1, M2, and M3 of the multi-tiered small containers 101, 102, and 103, the lower container 101 has the longest vertical length M1 among the multi-tiered small containers 101, 102, and 103. The middle container 102 has the shortest vertical length M2 among the multi-tiered small containers 101, 102, and 103. The upper container 103 has a vertical length M3 that is intermediate between the length M1 of the lower container 101 and the length M3 of the upper container 103 among the multi-tiered small containers 101, 102, and 103. The lengths of the bottoms of the multi-tiered small containers 101, 102, and 103 in the left-right direction are almost or completely equal. The multi-tiered small containers 101, 102, and 103 may have bottoms with different lengths in the left-right direction.

The large freezer 16 is also provided with a quenching temperature sensor 110. The quenching temperature sensor 110 is an example of a quenching temperature detection unit, and is disposed above the upper container 103, which is an example of a container to be quenched, without the lower container 101 or the middle container 102, which are containers other than the container to be quenched, being interposed therebetween, and in a state in which the temperature inside the upper container 103 can be detected. In other words, the quenching temperature sensor 110 directly faces the upper container 103 without any other physical components interposed therebetween that are provided for purposes other than detecting the temperature inside the upper container 103. Therefore, the quenching temperature sensor 110 can directly detect the temperature of the air inside the upper container 103 without being hindered by other physical components.

The rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 may be configured to directly face the upper container 103 without any other physical components provided for purposes other than temperature detection within the upper container 103. Therefore, components provided for the purpose of temperature detection or components related to temperature detection, such as a cover member for covering the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 and a sensor mounting portion for mounting the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110, may be interposed between the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 and the upper container 103. In addition, for example, when the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 is provided inside the horizontal partition member 22 that constitutes the upper wall of the large freezer 16, it is permissible for at least a part of the horizontal partition member 22 to be interposed between the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 and the upper container 103.

As described above, "without intervening" in this disclosure does not only mean a configuration in which there are absolutely no other components between the quenching temperature sensor 110 and the upper container 103, but also means that there are as few other components intervening between the quenching temperature sensor 110 and the upper container 103 as possible. By eliminating or minimizing the number of other components intervening between the quenching temperature sensor 110 and the upper container 103, the quenching temperature sensor 110 can directly detect the temperature inside the upper container 103 without being affected by the other components at all or as little as possible. This allows the quenching temperature sensor 110 to accurately detect the temperature inside the upper container 103.

In addition, in the present disclosure, the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 is provided on the underside of the horizontal partition member 22 that constitutes the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16. The rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 is also arranged so as to be located above the center in the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions of the upper container 103 that is housed in a specified storage position within the large freezer compartment 16.

The horizontal partition member 22 is provided with a heat insulating material 22a inside. As the heat insulating material 22a, various heat insulating materials can be used, such as vacuum insulation panels, urethane foam, and heat insulating molded bodies molded from heat insulating materials. In this case, the heat insulating material 22a is provided at least inside the portion of the horizontal partition member 22 that constitutes the bottom wall of the small freezer chamber 15. The heat insulating material 22a may be provided not only inside the portion of the horizontal partition member 22 that constitutes the bottom wall of the small freezer chamber 15, but also inside portions of the horizontal partition member 22 other than the portion that constitutes the bottom wall of the small freezer chamber 15.

A cold air duct 120 is provided at the rear of the large freezer compartment 16. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the cold air duct 120 is provided with cold air outlets 121, 122, 123 and cold air return ports 124, 125. The cold air outlets 121, 122, 123 are provided at approximately the center of the cold air duct 120 in the vertical direction. The cold air outlets 121, 122, 123 are provided at a position higher than the upper end of the upper container 103 provided in the large freezer compartment 16. In other words, the cold air outlets 121, 122, 123 are provided at a position higher than all of the containers provided in the large freezer compartment 16, in this case the large container 100, the lower container 101, the middle container 102, and the upper container 103.

The cold air outlet 121 forms a long rectangular opening that is long in the left-right direction, approximately at the center of the left-right direction of the cold air duct 120. The cold air outlet 121 also opens toward approximately the center in the left-right direction of the upper container 103 provided in the large freezer compartment 16.

The cold air outlet 122 is provided at one end of the cold air duct 120 in the left-right direction, in this case, on the right side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 10. The cold air outlet 122 forms a long rectangular opening that is long in the left-right direction. The cold air outlet 122 also opens toward one end of the upper container 103 provided in the large freezer compartment 16 in the left-right direction, in this case, toward the right side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 10.

The cold air outlet 123 is provided at one end of the cold air duct 120 in the left-right direction, in this case, on the left side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 10. The cold air outlet 123 forms a long rectangular opening that is long in the left-right direction. The cold air outlet 123 also opens toward the other end of the upper container 103 provided in the large freezer compartment 16 in the left-right direction, in this case, toward the left side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 10.

The sizes and shapes of the multiple cold air outlets 121, 122, 123 may all be the same or different. The height positions at which the multiple cold air outlets 121, 122, 123 are provided may all be the same or different. At least one of the multiple cold air outlets 121, 122, 123 is provided at a position higher than the upper container 103 provided in the large freezer 16.

The cold air return ports 124, 125 are provided at both ends of the cold air duct 120 in the left-right direction. The cold air return ports 124, 125 are provided entirely at a lower position than the multiple cold air outlets 121, 122, 123. The cold air return ports 124, 125 are also inclined so as to gradually rise from the lower front to the upper rear.

As shown in FIG. 2, a cooling space 126 is provided on the rear side of the cold air duct 120. The cold air outlets 121, 122, and 123 are all connected to the cooling space 126. The cold air return ports 124 and 125 are also all connected to the cooling space 126.

As shown in FIG. 2, a cooler 127 is provided inside the cooling space 126. The cooler 127, together with a compressor 129 provided in the machine room 128, and a condenser and throttle (not shown), constitute a well-known refrigeration cycle.

As shown in FIG. 4, the compressor 129 is connected to a control device 140 provided in the refrigerator 10. The control device 140 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, for example, and is configured to be able to control the overall operation of the refrigerator 10 based on a control program and various setting information. The above-mentioned rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 is connected to the control device 140. The control device 140 is also connected to a blower fan 130. The blower fan 130 is provided inside the cooling space 126 and blows the cold air generated by the cooler 127.

When the control device 140 drives the compressor 129, the refrigerant circulates in a refrigeration cycle (not shown), and cold air is generated in the cooler 127. When the control device 140 drives the blower fan 130, the cold air generated by the cooler 127 is blown by the blower fan 130 and flows into the large freezer chamber 16 from the cold air outlets 121, 122, and 123. The cold air that flows into the large freezer chamber 16 returns to the cooling space 126 from the cold air return ports 124 and 125. This circulation of cold air cools the inside of the large freezer chamber 16 to a temperature in a predetermined freezing temperature range, for example, a temperature of about minus 20 degrees to minus 23 degrees. The small freezer chamber 15, which is provided directly above the large freezer chamber 16, is set to be cooled to a higher temperature than the cooling temperature of the large freezer chamber 16, for example, about minus 7 degrees.

The cold air outlets 121, 122, and 123 that blow cold air into the large freezing chamber 16 are located at a higher position than the upper container 103, which is located at the top of the large freezing chamber 16. Therefore, the cold air blown out from the cold air outlets 121, 122, and 123 is supplied directly into the upper container 103. Therefore, the upper container 103 is an ideal container when it is desired to quickly freeze stored items.

The control device 140 is configured to be capable of executing quick-freezing control that increases the cooling intensity for the upper container 103 above the standard cooling intensity when the temperature detected by the quick-cooling temperature sensor 110 satisfies a predetermined quick-cooling start condition. Specifically, when a storage item, for example an unfrozen storage item or a warm storage item, is placed in the upper container 103, the temperature detected by the quick-cooling temperature sensor 110 rises. The control device 140 is configured to automatically start quick-freezing control when the temperature detected by the quick-cooling temperature sensor 110 rises to a predetermined upper limit temperature.

The predetermined upper limit temperature can be changed and set as appropriate. The control device 140 may be configured to automatically start quick freezing control when the temperature detected by the quick-cooling temperature sensor 110 rises rapidly, that is, when it rises to or exceeds a predetermined reference temperature in a predetermined short period of time. The predetermined short period of time can be changed and set as appropriate, but it is preferable to set a relatively short period of time, such as several seconds to several tens of seconds. The predetermined reference temperature can be changed and set as appropriate. In this way, the control device 140 may be configured to automatically start quick freezing control based on the amount of rise in temperature detected by the quick-cooling temperature sensor 110 per predetermined period of time.

The predetermined rapid cooling start conditions are not limited to the above conditions, and can be changed and set as appropriate. For example, the control device 140 may be configured to automatically start rapid freezing control when the temperature range detected by the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 within a predetermined time period falls within a predetermined temperature range or partially overlaps with a predetermined reference temperature range. The predetermined reference temperature range can be changed and set as appropriate.

The control device 140 may be configured to automatically start quick freezing control when the temperature detected by the quick-cooling temperature sensor 110 satisfies a predetermined temperature condition and a predetermined event occurs. The predetermined temperature condition can be changed and set as appropriate. The predetermined event can be set as an appropriate event, for example, when the large freezer door 16D is opened or closed. The opening and closing of the large freezer door 16D can be detected, for example, by a well-known door opening sensor (not shown) provided on the front of the large freezer 16.

Quick freezing control is a control that increases the cooling strength of the stored items in the large freezing chamber 16, in this case especially the stored items in the upper container 103, above the cooling strength during standard times, i.e., when quick freezing control is not being executed. Specifically, when the control device 140 starts quick freezing control, it increases the cooling strength by, for example, increasing the drive frequency of the compressor 129 above the drive frequency during standard times, i.e., when quick freezing control is not being executed, increasing the rotation speed of the blower fan 130 above the rotation speed during standard times, i.e., when quick freezing control is not being executed, and lengthening the drive time for driving the compressor 129 and the blower fan 130 above the drive time during standard times, i.e., when quick freezing control is not being executed.

By executing this type of quick-freezing control, it becomes possible to freeze the stored items in the upper container 103 even more quickly. Furthermore, the control device 140 configured to be able to execute this type of quick-freezing control can be defined as an example of a quick-cooling control unit. Note that the timing for terminating the quick-freezing control can be changed as appropriate; for example, the quick-freezing control may be ended when the temperature detected by the quick-cooling temperature sensor 110 drops to a predetermined lower limit temperature, or the quick-freezing control may be ended when a predetermined time has elapsed since the quick-freezing control was started. Note that the predetermined lower limit temperature and the predetermined time can be changed as appropriate.

According to the refrigerator 10 exemplified above, when the temperature detected by the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110, i.e., the temperature inside the upper container 103, satisfies a predetermined rapid cooling start condition, in this case, when it rises to a predetermined upper limit temperature, the control device 140 automatically executes rapid freezing control to increase the cooling strength for the upper container 103 above the cooling strength in standard times. According to this configuration example, even when the upper container 103, which is a relatively large container among the multiple containers 101, 102, 103 provided in the large freezer 16, is the container to be rapidly cooled, the inside of the container to be rapidly cooled can be rapidly cooled.

The refrigerator 10 also includes a heat insulating material 22a inside the horizontal partition member 22 that constitutes the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16. This configuration example improves the heat insulating performance between the large freezer compartment 16 and the storage compartment above the large freezer compartment 16, in this case, particularly the small freezer compartment 15. As a result, even if the cooling strength for the upper container 103 is increased by quick freezing control, the cold heat can be prevented from being transferred to the small freezer compartment 15, and excessive cooling of the small freezer compartment 15 and the formation of frost within the small freezer compartment 15 can be avoided.

Furthermore, according to the refrigerator 10, the upper container 103, which is the top container among the multiple tiers of small containers 101, 102, 103, is the container to be quenched. The quenching temperature sensor 110 is provided on the underside of the horizontal partition member 22 that constitutes the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16. According to this configuration example, the temperature inside the upper container 103, which is the container to be quenched, can be directly detected by the quenching temperature sensor 110, and the temperature inside the upper container 103 can be detected with even greater accuracy.

In addition, according to the refrigerator 10, the upper container 103, which is the container to be rapidly cooled, is located at the top of the large freezer compartment 16, so that the user can easily place the stored items to be rapidly frozen in the upper container 103 and can easily remove the rapidly frozen stored items from the upper container 103.

In addition, according to the refrigerator 10, the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 is arranged so as to be located above the center in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions of the upper container 103 when it is stored. According to this configuration example, the overall temperature inside the upper container 103 can be detected without bias.

Note that the "center" in this disclosure is not a concept limited to the exact center, but may be slightly shifted from the exact center, or may be a concept having a certain range including the exact center. In other words, there is a possibility that the temperature of each part of the entire upper container 103 may vary. In other words, the temperature inside the upper container 103 is not necessarily uniform throughout. Therefore, the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 only needs to be positioned so as to be able to detect the temperature at or near the center, which is likely to reflect the temperature inside the upper container 103 as a whole, and therefore the "center" in this disclosure is a concept that is allowed to have a certain range.

Therefore, specifically, the central portion may be a range having a length of, for example, about 1/3 of the total length in the front-rear or left-right direction of the upper container 103, more preferably, a range having a length of, for example, about 1/5 of the total length in the front-rear or left-right direction of the upper container 103, and even more preferably, a range having a length of, for example, about 1/10 of the total length in the front-rear or left-right direction of the upper container 103. In other words, although the "central portion" in this disclosure is a concept that is permitted to have a certain degree of range, it is preferable to set that range as small as possible.

Second Embodiment
As illustrated in Fig. 5, the refrigerator 10 includes a cooling plate 150 inside the upper container 103, which is a container to be rapidly cooled. The cooling plate 150 is an example of a cooling promotion member, and is made of a material having a relatively high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. In this case, the cooling plate 150 has a higher thermal conductivity than other components different from the cooling plate 150, such as the large container 100, the small containers 101, 102, and 103, the cold air duct 120, and the inner wall surface of the large freezer compartment 16. The cooling plate 150 is formed in a rectangular thin plate shape that covers almost the entire bottom surface of the upper container 103.

According to this configuration example, the heat of the stored items contained in the upper container 103 can be removed by the cooling plate 150, and the cooling of the stored items can be further accelerated. This allows the stored items in the upper container 103 to be cooled more quickly.

Third Embodiment
6, in the third embodiment, the entire interior of the upper container 103 is not set as the quenching target region, but a part of it, in this case, the central part in the left-right direction and the part to the right of the central part, is set as the quenching target region R1. According to this configuration example, by supplying cold air intensively to the quenching target region R1, which is a part of the upper container 103, rather than the entire interior, it is possible to more quickly cool the stored items in the quenching target region R1.

Fourth Embodiment
As illustrated in Fig. 7, the refrigerator 10 includes a cooling plate 160 inside the upper container 103, which is a container to be rapidly cooled. The cooling plate 160 is an example of a cooling promotion member, and is made of a material having a relatively high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. In this case, the cooling plate 160 has a higher thermal conductivity than other components different from the cooling plate 160, such as the large container 100, the small containers 101, 102, and 103, the cold air duct 120, and the inner wall surface of the large freezer compartment 16. The cooling plate 160 is formed in a rectangular thin plate shape that covers the central part in the left-right direction of the bottom surface of the upper container 103 and the part to the right of the central part.

In other words, in the fourth embodiment, the entire interior of the upper container 103 is not set as the region to be quenched, but rather a portion of it, in this case the central portion in the left-right direction and the area to the right of the central portion, is set as the region to be quenched R1. Therefore, the cooling plate 160 is configured to cover a portion of the bottom surface of the upper container 103, in this case the portion set as the region to be quenched R1.

According to this configuration example, in the area of the bottom surface of the upper container 103 that is set as the rapid cooling target area R1, the heat of the stored items contained in that area can be removed by the cooling plate 160, further accelerating the cooling of the stored items. This allows the stored items contained in the rapid cooling target area R1 in the upper container 103 to be cooled more quickly.

In addition, compared to a configuration in which the entire bottom surface inside the upper vessel 103 is covered with a cooling plate, the size of the cooling plate 160 can be minimized. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of material with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, used.

8, the upper vessel 103 may be configured to include a structure P1, such as a rib or a protrusion, that separates the quench target region R1 from the non-quench target region R2 that is not the quench target region. According to this configuration example, for example, when the cooling plate 160 is shifted from the quench target region R1 or is placed on the non-quench target region R2 side, the cooling plate 160 interferes with the structure P1 and floats or tilts from the bottom surface of the upper vessel 103. This makes it easier for the user to recognize that the cooling plate 160 is not placed in the appropriate position, that is, in the quench target region R1. Also, when the cooling plate 160 floats or tilts from the bottom surface of the upper vessel 103, the user can reposition the cooling plate 160 to the appropriate position, that is, in the quench target region R1.

In addition, at least one such structure P1, such as a rib or protrusion, may be provided at the boundary between the region R1 to be quenched and the region R2 not to be quenched.

8 shows a configuration example in which the quenching target area R1 is larger than the non-quenching target area R2, but as shown in FIG. 9, when the quenching target area R1 is smaller than the non-quenching target area R2, a structure P1 is provided between the quenching target area R1 and the non-quenching target area R2, or instead of providing the structure P1, a structure P2 such as a rib or protrusion is provided in the non-quenching target area R2. According to this configuration example, if the cooling plate 160 is placed in the non-quenching target area R2, the cooling plate 160 will be in a floating or inclined state from the bottom surface of the upper vessel 103 due to interference with the structure P2. This makes it easier for the user to recognize that the cooling plate 160 is not placed in the appropriate position, that is, in the quenching target area R1. This configuration example is particularly effective when the quench target region R1 is smaller than the non-quench target region R2, that is, when the cooling plate 160 that should be placed in the quench target region R1 can also be placed in the non-quench target region R2, and the user mistakenly places the cooling plate 160 in the non-quench target region R2 instead of in the quench target region R1. Note that such a structure P2 may be provided in the center of the bottom surface of the non-quench target region R2, or may be provided in a position offset from the center of the bottom surface of the non-quench target region R2.

In addition, within the upper container 103, the quench target area R1 and the non-quench target area R2 may be provided separately on the left and right, or on the front and back. When the quench target area R1 and the non-quench target area R2 are provided separately on the left and right, a user located at the front of the refrigerator 10 can easily store items in both the quench target area R1 and the non-quench target area R2. Furthermore, when the quench target area R1 is provided at the rear and the non-quench target area R2 is provided at the front, the quench target area R1 can be brought closer to the cold air outlets 121, 122, and 123, so that the stored items in the quench target area R1 can be cooled even more quickly.

In addition, if the quench target area R1 is located at the front and the non-quench target area R2 is located at the rear, a user at the front of the refrigerator 10 can easily place stored items in the quench target area R1. In this case, the quench target area R1 is far from the cold air outlets 121, 122, and 123, but the cold air blown out from the cold air outlets 121, 122, and 123 can reach the front of the upper container 103 sufficiently, so that the stored items in the quench target area R1 can be cooled sufficiently quickly.

In addition, when the quench target area R1 is provided at the front and the non-quench target area R2 is provided at the rear, for example, a duct may be provided to guide the cold air generated in the cooling space 126 to the front of the large freezer 16. According to this configuration example, sufficient cold air can be supplied to the front quench target area R1 through the duct, and the stored items in the quench target area R1 can be cooled sufficiently quickly. In addition, such a duct can be provided, for example, along the top wall and left and right side walls of the large freezer 16 to avoid interference with the large container 100 and small containers 101, 102, 103 in the large freezer 16.

In addition, when a portion of the upper vessel 103 is the region R1 to be rapidly cooled, the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 should be positioned above the center of the region R1 to be rapidly cooled in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. This configuration example allows the temperature in the region R1 to be detected without bias. Note that, in this case, the "center" is not a concept that is limited to the exact center, but rather a concept that allows for some deviation from the exact center or a certain range.

Fifth Embodiment
As illustrated in Fig. 10, the refrigerator 10 includes a cold air guide member 170. The cold air guide member 170 is an example of a cold air guide portion, and in this case, is attached to the front of the cold air outlet 121 and the cold air outlet 122. In the fifth embodiment, a part of the area in the upper container 103, in this case, the central area in the left-right direction and the area extending to the right side of the central area, is set as the rapid cooling target area, as in the fourth embodiment. The cold air outlets 121 and 122 open toward the rapid cooling target area. That is, the cold air guide member 170 is provided corresponding to the cold air outlets 121 and 122 that open toward the rapid cooling target area.

The cold air guide member 170 is integrally configured with an upper plate portion 171 that is long in the left-right direction and runs along the upper ends of the cold air outlets 121 and 122, and side plate portions 172 that extend downward from both left and right ends of the upper plate portion 171 and run along the left end of the cold air outlet 121 and the right end of the cold air outlet 122. The cold air guide member 170 may also be configured with the upper plate portion 171 and the side plate portion 172 as separate parts.

According to the above-mentioned configuration example, the cold air blown out from the cold air outlets 121, 122 can be guided by the cold air guide member 170 toward the area to be rapidly cooled set inside the upper container 103. This allows cold air to be efficiently and intensively supplied to the area to be rapidly cooled inside the upper container 103, and the stored items in the area to be rapidly cooled can be cooled more quickly. The forward protruding length of the cold air guide member 170 can be appropriately changed and set within a range that does not contact the upper container 103 and the other containers 100, 101, 102 stored in a predetermined storage position in the large freezer 16.

Sixth Embodiment
11, the refrigerator 10 is provided with an entire-area temperature detection sensor 180. The entire-area temperature detection sensor 180 is an example of an entire-area temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the entire interior of the large freezer compartment 16, and is provided as a separate temperature sensor different from the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110. In this case, the entire-area temperature detection sensor 180 is provided at the inlet of the cold air return port 124, that is, the cold air return port 124 provided on the right side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 10, out of the multiple cold air return ports 124, 125.

The overall temperature sensor 180 is connected to the control device 140. The control device 140 can determine the temperature of the entire interior of the large freezer compartment 16 based on the detection signal obtained from the overall temperature sensor 180.

According to the configuration example exemplified above, for example, it is possible to monitor whether the entire large freezer compartment 16 is being cooled excessively as a result of the execution of the quick freezing control, based on the temperature detected by the entire temperature detection sensor 180. As a result, if the entire large freezer compartment 16 is being cooled excessively as a result of the execution of the quick freezing control, the quick freezing control can be terminated, and it is possible to prevent the entire large freezer compartment 16 from being cooled more than necessary.

The overall temperature sensor 180 may be provided at the inlet of the cold air return port 125, that is, the cold air return port 125 that is provided on the left side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 10 among the multiple cold air return ports 124, 125. The overall temperature sensor 180 may also be provided at both cold air return ports 124, 125. The overall temperature sensor 180 may also be provided at a location other than the cold air return ports 124, 125, as long as it is a position where the temperature inside the large freezer compartment 16 can be detected.

Other Embodiments
Although a number of embodiments of the refrigerator 10 have been described above, the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described number of embodiments, and various modifications and extensions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the refrigerator 10 may be configured by appropriately selecting and combining the above-described number of embodiments. Furthermore, the present embodiment can be applied to a storage chamber other than the large freezer chamber 16 as long as the storage chamber has multiple stages of containers inside. Furthermore, the number of small containers, in other words, the number of stages, can be appropriately changed and implemented, and may be, for example, two stages or multiple stages of four or more stages. At least one container larger than the smallest container among them can be set as a container to be rapidly cooled.

The refrigerator 10 may also be configured to have an extension member that extends above the upper container 103 from, for example, the left and right side surfaces or rear surface of the large freezer compartment 16, or from the back surface of the large freezer compartment door 16, and a rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 is provided at the tip of this extension member.

In addition, the refrigerator 10 may use a container other than the upper container 103, such as the middle container 102, as the container to be quenched, instead of the topmost upper container 103. For example, when the middle container 102 is used as the container to be quenched, the quenching temperature sensor 110 may be provided on the underside of the upper container 103 located directly above it. Note that the upper container 103 is a movable component. Therefore, when the quenching temperature sensor 110 is provided on such a movable component, a configuration for protecting the connection line connecting the quenching temperature sensor 110 to the control device 140, such as a protective cover or protective rail for protecting the connection line, may be provided. The quenching temperature sensor 110 may also be connected to the control device 140 wirelessly.

The refrigerator 10 may also be a small container that is relatively long in the vertical direction, in which case the lower container 101 may be the container to be rapidly cooled. This configuration example is suitable for cases where it is desired to rapidly freeze stored items that are long in the vertical direction.

The container to be rapidly cooled may be any container larger than the smallest container among the multiple tiers of containers provided in the storage chamber, and in this case, the size relationship may be determined, for example, by comparing the length of the bottom surface of the container in the front-to-back direction, the length of the bottom surface of the container in the left-to-right direction, the area of the bottom surface of the container, the length of the diagonal at the bottom surface of the container, the length of the entire container in the front-to-back direction, the length of the entire container in the left-to-right direction, the length of the entire container in the up-to-down direction, the capacity of the container, or the length of the diagonal at the entire container.

The refrigerator 10 may also be configured so that the cooling plate is provided in the upper container 103 on the left or right side of the center in the left-right direction, or in the left or right side of the center in the left-right direction. The refrigerator 10 may also be configured so that the cooling plate is provided in the upper container 103 on the front or rear side of the center in the front-to-back direction, or in the front or rear side of the center in the front-to-back direction.

Furthermore, the refrigerator 10 may be configured such that the upper container 103, which is a container to be quenched, is made of a material with a relatively high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and the lower container 101 and middle container 102, which are not containers to be quenched, are made of a material with a relatively low thermal conductivity, such as a resin material. According to this configuration example, the difference in the materials that make up the small containers 101, 102, and 103, in other words, the difference in visual or tactile properties, makes it easier for the user to recognize whether or not a container is a container to be quenched.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the refrigerator 10 is provided with cooling plates 150 and 160 for small containers that are containers to be rapidly cooled, and that cooling plates 150 and 160 are not provided for small containers that are not containers to be rapidly cooled. This allows the user to visually and easily determine which small containers are containers to be rapidly cooled, based on the presence or absence of cooling plates 150 and 160.

Furthermore, the refrigerator 10 may be configured to mark small containers that are to be rapidly cooled with letters or marks indicating that they are containers to be rapidly cooled. With this configuration example, the user can easily visually determine which small containers are containers to be rapidly cooled.

The rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 may be partially or entirely protruding downward from the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16. The rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 may be entirely positioned higher than the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16, that is, it may not protrude downward from the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16.

The rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 may also be configured to be provided on a flat portion of the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16. According to this configuration example, the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 can be caused to protrude downward from the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16. This allows the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 to be brought closer to the upper container 103, making it possible to detect the temperature inside the upper container 103 with even greater accuracy.

The rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 may also be configured to be provided in a recess formed in the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16 so as to be recessed upward. According to this configuration example, the amount by which the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 protrudes from the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16 can be reduced. This makes it possible to prevent the space in the large freezer compartment 16 from being reduced by the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110.

The rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 may also be provided on a sensor mounting portion integrally formed on the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer 16. The sensor mounting portion is, for example, a frame-shaped component formed to surround the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 or a component formed to sandwich the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110. According to this configuration example, the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 can be stably held on the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer 16 via the sensor mounting portion. The rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 can also be protected by the sensor mounting portion. By integrally forming such a sensor mounting portion on the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer 16, an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed, and an increase in manufacturing costs and an increase in assembly man-hours can be avoided.

The rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 may be provided in a sensor mounting part attached as a separate part to the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer 16. The sensor mounting part is, for example, a frame-shaped component formed to surround the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 or a component formed to sandwich the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110. According to this configuration example, the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 can be stably held on the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer 16 via the sensor mounting part. The rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 can also be protected by the sensor mounting part. By providing such a sensor mounting part as a separate part, it is possible to easily design the shape of the sensor mounting part, and an optimal sensor mounting part according to the shape and size of the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 can be realized. In addition, the part that constitutes the upper wall of the large freezer 16, in this case, the mold for manufacturing the horizontal partition member 22, can be shared between models that are provided with the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 and models that are not provided with the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110.

The refrigerator 10 also has a small freezer compartment 15 directly above the large freezer compartment 16, which is cooled to a temperature range different from that of the large freezer compartment 16. Therefore, according to a configuration example in which the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 is provided on a sensor mounting portion attached as a separate part to the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16, it is not necessary to deform the insulating material 22a provided in the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16, for example by scraping or recessing it. This makes it possible to avoid the insulating performance of the insulating material 22a being impaired by the installation of the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110. By preventing the insulating performance of the insulating material 22a from being reduced, it is possible to avoid the small freezer compartment 15 directly above the large freezer compartment 16 being excessively cooled when rapid freezing control is executed.

The storage compartment provided directly above the large freezer compartment 16 is not limited to a storage compartment cooled to the freezing temperature range, but may be a storage compartment cooled to the refrigerating temperature range. In this case, the difference in temperature between the large freezer compartment 16 cooled to the freezing temperature range and the storage compartment provided directly above the large freezer compartment 16 cooled to the refrigerating temperature range is larger than when the storage compartment provided directly above the large freezer compartment 16 is cooled to the freezing temperature range. Therefore, by providing the rapid cooling temperature sensor 110 to a sensor mounting portion attached as a separate part to the underside of the upper wall of the large freezer compartment 16, the insulation performance of the insulation material 22a is not reduced, and it is possible to prevent the storage compartment in the refrigerating temperature range directly above the large freezer compartment 16 from being excessively cooled when rapid freezing control is executed.

The position and size of the insulating material 22a can be changed as appropriate. In this case, the insulating material 22a is sized to correspond to the area to be rapidly cooled set in the large freezer chamber 16 at a position facing the area to be rapidly cooled, i.e., approximately the same size, thereby minimizing the amount of insulating material 22a used while sufficiently preventing the cold heat in the large freezer chamber 16 from being transferred to other storage chambers when rapid freezing control is being performed. Furthermore, the insulating material 22a is sized to cover the entire upper wall of the large freezer chamber 16, thereby more reliably preventing the cold heat in the large freezer chamber 16 from being transferred to other storage chambers when rapid freezing control is being performed.

The cold air outlet should be provided at a position where cold air can be supplied at least to the center of the container to be quenched. This allows cold air to be supplied efficiently to the center of the container to be quenched, and also makes it easier to supply cold air to the surrounding areas of the center without bias. The cold air outlet should also be provided at a position where cold air can be supplied to areas other than the container to be quenched. This allows cold air to be supplied efficiently over a wide area within the large freezer chamber 16 even when quick-freezing control is not being performed.

When a quenching target area is set in a portion of the quenching target container, the cold air outlet should be located at a position that can supply cold air to at least the center of the quenching target area. This allows cold air to be efficiently supplied to the center of the quenching target area, and also makes it easier to supply cold air evenly to the surrounding areas of the center. It also allows the quenching target area to be cooled in a concentrated manner.

As shown in FIG. 12, the refrigerator 10 may be configured to include dampers 121D, 122D, and 123D that open and close the cold air outlets 121, 122, and 123. The dampers 121D, 122D, and 123D are examples of an airflow adjustment unit. According to this configuration example, the cold air outlets 121, 122, and 123 can be opened and closed as appropriate to adjust the area to which cold air is supplied. That is, when a quenching target area is set in a part of the quenching target container, the damper of the cold air outlet corresponding to the quenching target area, that is, the cold air outlet facing the quenching target area, is opened wide or fully opened, and the dampers of the other cold air outlets are opened narrow or fully closed, so that cold air can be supplied intensively to the quenching target area.

When the cooling strength for the area to be rapidly cooled is to be made higher than the standard cooling strength, that is, when rapid freezing control is to be performed, the control device 140 may be configured to control the opening and closing of the dampers 121D, 122D, and 123D so as to maintain the amount of cold air blown out from the cold air outlets directed at the area to be rapidly cooled, while suppressing the amount of cold air blown out from the cold air outlets directed at areas other than the area to be rapidly cooled. This allows cold air to be supplied intensively to the area to be rapidly cooled, and allows stored items in the area to be cooled more quickly.

The refrigerator 10 may also be configured to include a cooler 127 as a freezing cooler, and a refrigeration cooler separate from the cooler 127. When performing quick freezing control, the control device 140 may control the amount of refrigerant supplied to the freezing cooler 127 to be greater than the amount of refrigerant supplied to the refrigeration cooler. This control example also allows the cooling strength to be sufficiently increased. The amount of refrigerant supplied to the freezing cooler 127 and the amount of refrigerant supplied to the refrigeration cooler can be adjusted, for example, by controlling the switching of a flow path switching valve provided in a refrigeration cycle (not shown).

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented merely as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, etc. can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

In the drawings, 10 indicates the refrigerator, 16 indicates a large freezer (storage compartment), 22a indicates heat insulating material, 101, 102, and 103 indicate small containers (containers), 103 indicates an upper container (container to be quenched), 110 indicates a quenching temperature sensor (quenching temperature detection unit), 121D, 122D, and 123D indicate dampers (blowout amount adjustment unit), 140 indicates a control device (quenching control unit), 150 and 160 indicate cooling plates (cooling promotion members), 170 indicates a cold air guide member (cold air guide unit), and 180 indicates an overall temperature detection sensor (overall temperature detection unit).

Claims (11)

A storage chamber having a plurality of stages of containers provided therein;
A vessel to be quenched is a vessel larger than the smallest vessel among the vessels in the plurality of stages;
A quenching temperature detection unit is disposed above the quenching target container in a state capable of detecting the temperature inside the quenching target container;
A rapid cooling control unit that increases the cooling intensity of the rapid cooling target container to a level higher than the standard cooling intensity when the temperature detected by the rapid cooling temperature detection unit satisfies a predetermined condition;
Equipped with
A part of the quenching target container is set as a quenching target region, and a region of the quenching target container different from the quenching target region is set as a non-quenching target region ,
The quenching target region is provided with a cooling promotion member having high thermal conductivity, and is a region in which cooling is promoted more than in the non-quenching target region,
Storage items can be accommodated in both the quenching target area and the non-quenching target area,
The cooling promotion member is sized to cover a portion of the bottom surface of the quenching target container that is set as the quenching target area,
The quenching target container is provided with a structure that prevents the cooling promotion member from being disposed in the non-quenching target area of the bottom surface of the quenching target container ,
The quench target area is larger than the non-quench target area;
A refrigerator , wherein the structure is provided between the quenching target area and the non-quenching target area . A storage chamber having a plurality of stages of containers provided therein;
A vessel to be quenched is a vessel larger than the smallest vessel among the vessels in the plurality of stages;
A quenching temperature detection unit is disposed above the quenching target container in a state capable of detecting the temperature inside the quenching target container;
A rapid cooling control unit that increases the cooling intensity of the rapid cooling target container to a level higher than the standard cooling intensity when the temperature detected by the rapid cooling temperature detection unit satisfies a predetermined condition;
Equipped with
A part of the quenching target container is set as a quenching target region, and a region of the quenching target container different from the quenching target region is set as a non-quenching target region ,
The quenching target region is provided with a cooling promotion member having high thermal conductivity, and is a region in which cooling is promoted more than in the non-quenching target region,
Storage items can be accommodated in both the quenching target area and the non-quenching target area,
The cooling promotion member is sized to cover a portion of the bottom surface of the quenching target container that is set as the quenching target area,
The quenching target container is provided with a structure that prevents the cooling promotion member from being disposed in the non-quenching target area of the bottom surface of the quenching target container ,
the quench target area is smaller than the non-quench target area;
The structure includes:
A first structure provided between the quenching target area and the non-quenching target area;
A second structure provided in the non-quench target area;
A refrigerator equipped with 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a heat insulating material on an upper wall of the storage compartment. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rapid cooling control unit increases the cooling intensity for the rapid cooling target area to a level higher than the standard cooling intensity when the temperature detected by the rapid cooling temperature detection unit satisfies a predetermined condition. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , further comprising a cold air guide portion for guiding cold air to the region to be rapidly cooled. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the container to be rapidly cooled is an uppermost container among a plurality of containers. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the rapid cooling temperature detector is provided on a lower surface of an upper wall of the storage compartment. The refrigerator according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein the rapid-cooling temperature detection unit is disposed above a central portion of the container to be rapidly cooled in the front-rear and left-right directions. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the rapid cooling temperature detection unit is disposed above a central portion of the rapid cooling target area in the front-rear and left-right directions. A first cold air outlet directed toward the area to be rapidly cooled;
A second cold air outlet directed to an area other than the rapidly cooling target area;
an airflow rate adjusting unit that adjusts an amount of cool air blown out from the first cool air outlet and an amount of cool air blown out from the second cool air outlet;
Equipped with
The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein when the rapid cooling control unit increases the cooling strength for the rapid cooling target area to a level higher than the standard cooling strength, the air outlet volume adjustment unit reduces the amount of cold air blown out from the second cold air outlet while maintaining the amount of cold air blown out from the first cold air outlet. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , further comprising an entire temperature detection section which is different from the rapid cooling temperature detection section and detects a temperature of the entire interior of the storage compartment.

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