JPH0331986B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a refrigerator in which air cooled by a main cooler provided in a cooling chamber is circulated by a blower to a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, respectively.

(b) Conventional technology A conventional refrigerator of this type is, for example, Utility Model 52-26358.
It is shown in the publication No. The configuration shown here is
An indirect cooling type cooler that cools the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment, and a so-called direct cooling type cooler are installed on the inner wall of the freezing compartment, and the compressor and blower are controlled by the temperature of the freezing compartment, and the operation of the blower is Furthermore, it is operated only when cooling the refrigerator compartment is required, and when the blower is stopped, only the direct cooling type cooler cools the freezer compartment to promote freezing of the freezer compartment.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention According to this configuration, there is a problem in that it is not possible to accelerate freezing (quick freezing) at the discretion of the user. Therefore, it is conceivable to install an auxiliary cooler in the freezing room and, based on the user's operation, flow refrigerant through this auxiliary cooler and force the compressor to operate, thereby rapidly freezing the items on the auxiliary cooler. . In this case, if the blower is stopped, the temperature of the auxiliary cooler will drop. However, if the blower is stopped for the entire period of quick freezing, if a large load is placed in the freezer compartment other than on the auxiliary cooler during this quick freezing operation, cooling failure of these loads will occur. However, since the temperature of the freezer compartment also rises, there is a problem in that the quick freezing effect of the food on the auxiliary cooler is hindered as a result.

The present invention has been made to solve this problem.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The present invention relates to a refrigerator in which air cooled by a main cooler installed in the cooling chamber is circulated to the freezing chamber by a blower, and an auxiliary cooler installed in the freezing chamber. A flow path control device that controls whether the refrigerant flows to both the main cooler and the auxiliary cooler or to one of the main coolers according to a predetermined control signal based on the operation of a person; A temperature control device that detects the temperature of cold air and the temperature of one of the main coolers and controls the operation of the blower and the compressor included in the refrigeration cycle is prepared, and the flow path control device detects the temperature of the cold air and the temperature of either the main cooler and controls the operation of the blower and the compressor included in the refrigeration cycle. When the refrigerant is controlled to flow to both sides of the compressor, the compressor is forced to operate independently of the temperature control device.

(E) Effect According to the present invention, a temperature control device that operates by detecting the temperature in the freezer compartment without forcing the blower to operate even during a quick freezing operation in which refrigerant flows through both the auxiliary cooler and the main cooler. The blower will stop if the temperature inside the freezer compartment drops due to cooling from the auxiliary cooler. Therefore, the amount of air discharged into the freezer compartment is reduced, the temperature drop of the auxiliary cooler is promoted, and rapid freezing by the auxiliary cooler is promoted.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the freezer compartment rises due to a large load being applied to the freezer compartment during this quick freezing operation, the temperature control device will start the blower and supply cold air from the main cooler into the freezer compartment. This allows the load to be cooled.

(F) Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail based on the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a refrigerator main body, and the interior thereof is divided by a partition wall 2 into a freezing compartment 3 kept at a freezing temperature and a refrigerator compartment 4 kept at a temperature higher than the freezing point. Reference numeral 5 denotes a bottom wall of a freezing chamber 3 provided above with a distance from the partition wall 2, and a main cooler 7 is installed in a cooling chamber 6 formed between the partition wall 2 and the bottom wall 5. . 8 is an electric blower that circulates the air cooled by the main cooler 7 between the freezer compartment 3 and the refrigerator compartment 4;
Cool air is sent directly from the front of the blower 8 to the refrigerator compartment 4, and cool air that has descended through the duct 9 is sent to the refrigerator compartment 4, where it circulates as shown by the arrow. 10 is refrigerator compartment 4
This is a thermal damper device that opens and closes the cold air discharge port portion of the duct 9 to the refrigerator compartment 4 according to the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 4. 1
1 is an electric compressor, 12 is a condenser, 13 is a freezer compartment 3
14 is a refrigerant flow path control device shown as a three-way valve, and 15 and 16 are capillary tubes. Yes, these constitute a refrigeration cycle in which refrigerant circulates. The refrigerant flow control device 14 may be a three-way solenoid valve having one inlet and two outlets, and is configured to pass refrigerant flowing from one input port to one of two output ports. A known pure fluid element that is switched by a control input of a control port may also be used. 17 is a temperature detection device equipped with a temperature sensing section 18 that detects the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 13;
3 is lower than a predetermined temperature, the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 12 flows into the capillary tube 1.
5 and 16 to the main cooler 7, and when the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 13 is higher than a predetermined temperature, the condensed refrigerant flows through the capillary tube 15 and the auxiliary cooler 13. The flow path control device 14 is operated so that the water flows to the main cooler 7 in this order.

FIG. 3 is a schematic electrical circuit diagram showing the operation of the blower motor 8M for driving the blower 8 and the compressor motor 11M. Reference numeral 19 is a thermostat that controls the operation of the refrigeration system. In normal operating conditions, the blower motor 8
Controls the operation of the compressor motor 11M and the compressor motor 11M. 14
A is a coil that operates the flow path control device, and when it is not energized, it operates so as to substantially pass the refrigerant only to the main cooler 7, and when it is energized, it transfers the refrigerant to the auxiliary cooler 13.
It operates so that the water flows from the main cooler 7 to the main cooler 7. 17a, 17
b is a switch included in the temperature detection device 17 and controlled; when the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 13 is lower than a predetermined temperature, the switch 17a closes the contact a, and the normally open contact 17a is open, and the auxiliary cooling When the temperature of the container 13 is higher than a predetermined temperature, the switch 17a switches to contact b, and the normally closed contact 17b closes.

In the above configuration, if you want to freeze water in an ice cube tray filled with fresh water in a short time, or if you want to freeze bought or cooked food in a short time, you can freeze these foods or ice cube trays in a short time. When placed on the auxiliary cooler 13, the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 13, which had been cooled at the temperature of the freezer compartment 3 without any refrigerant flowing until now, rises to a predetermined upper limit temperature or higher based on the user's equipment. As the temperature rises, the temperature sensing part 1
8 responds, the switch 17a, which had been closed to the a contact, switches to the b contact, and the normally open contact 17b closes. As a result, the compressor motor 11M is continuously energized irrespective of the thermostat 19, and the flow path control device 14 is operated to supply refrigerant to the electric compressor 1.
1. The flow passes through the condenser 12, the capillary tube 15, the refrigerant flow path control device 14, the auxiliary cooler 13, and the main cooler 7 in this order, and the auxiliary cooler 13 is cooled to quickly cool the water or food in the ice tray. Freeze it. Here, the blower motor 8M is switched to switch 17a.
Thermostat 1 is not forced into operation due to
9.

That is, when the temperature inside the freezer compartment 3 decreases due to the cooling effect from the auxiliary cooler 13, the thermostat 1
Since the period during which the contact point 9 is open becomes longer, the operating rate of the blower motor 8M decreases. As a result, the amount of cold air discharged into the freezer compartment 3 is reduced compared to during continuous operation, and the amount of heat exchange is reduced, so the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 13 is further cooled, and the articles on the auxiliary cooler 13 are quickly frozen. promote. Furthermore, cold air is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 4 in substantially the same manner as in normal operation.

On the other hand, due to reasons such as a large amount of heat load being put into the freezer compartment 3 during this quick freezing operation, the freezer compartment 3
When the temperature inside rises, the thermostat 19 closes the contacts and operates the blower motor 8M, so that cold air from the main cooler 7 is supplied to the freezer compartment 3. This prevents an abnormal temperature rise in the freezer compartment 3, and the quick freezing effect of the auxiliary cooler 13 is not inhibited.

After that, when the rapid freezing progresses and the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 13 becomes lower than a predetermined temperature, the temperature detection device 17 is activated and the switch 17a closes to the a contact and the normally open contact 17b opens, so the compressor motor 11M starts normal operation. , the refrigerant is switched to flow only to the main cooler 7, and the normal cooling operation state is returned.

Here, in this embodiment, the quick freezing operation is controlled by the temperature detection device 17, but in addition, for example, after placing the article on the auxiliary cooler 13, a timer device is set to perform the quick freezing operation for a predetermined period of time. There is no problem even if the switch 17a and 17b
may be configured to be operated by a timer device. Furthermore, the refrigerant circuit and electric circuit of this embodiment are not limited to these, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present application.

(G) Effects of the Invention Since the present invention is constructed as described above, the refrigerant can be continuously flowed into the main cooler and the auxiliary cooler provided in the freezer compartment by the user's operation, and the auxiliary cooling Quick ice making or quick freezing can be performed by placing an ice tray or frozen food on the container.

In addition, since the cold air from the main cooler is controlled in the same way as normal cooling operation without forcing the blower, the amount of cold air discharged to the freezer compartment is reduced, and the temperature drop in the auxiliary cooler is promoted. The above items can be frozen even more rapidly, and even when the temperature of the freezer compartment rises during this quick freezing operation, the blower is operated, so abnormal temperature rises in the freezer compartment are prevented. Does not cause quality deterioration of stored goods, and
It also does not inhibit the quick freezing effect of the auxiliary cooler.

Furthermore, the frost that adheres to the auxiliary cooler during rapid freezing operation is sublimated and removed by the cold air from the main cooler during normal cooling operation, so it can always be maintained in good condition without special defrosting. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Each figure shows an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a side sectional view of a refrigerator, Figure 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram, and Figure 3 is a refrigerant circuit diagram.
The figure is a schematic electrical circuit diagram of the present invention. 3...Freezing room, 7...Main cooler, 8...Blower, 11...Compressor, 13...Auxiliary cooler.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 In a refrigerator in which air cooled by a main cooler installed in the cooling chamber is circulated to the freezer compartment by a blower, the refrigerant is supplied to the auxiliary cooler installed in the freezer compartment and by a predetermined control signal based on the user's operation. a flow path control device that controls whether air flows to both the main cooler and the auxiliary cooler or to one of the main coolers; a temperature control device that detects the temperature of one of the coolers and controls the operation of the blower and a compressor included in the refrigeration cycle, and the flow path control device supplies refrigerant to both the main cooler and the auxiliary cooler. The refrigerator is characterized in that when the compressor is controlled to flow, the compressor is forcedly operated independently of the temperature control device.