阅读说明：本技术 冰箱 (Refrigerator with a door ) 是由 森胁实 于 2020-09-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明要解决的问题是提供一种能够进行更适当的冷却控制的冰箱。实施方式的冰箱具有箱体、冷却部和控制部。上述箱体包括贮藏部。上述冷却部对上述贮藏部进行冷却。上述控制部能够通过交替地反复进行对上述贮藏部进行冷却的第1冷却控制、和在比上述第1冷却控制高的温度带下或在比上述第1冷却控制高的气压带下对上述贮藏部进行冷却的第2冷却控制的控制模式控制上述冷却部,在正在执行上述控制模式的过程中满足了规定条件的情况下,在上述第1冷却控制或上述第2冷却控制中,调整关于上述贮藏部内的温度、上述贮藏部内的气压或实施时间的调整要素。(The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of more appropriate cooling control. The refrigerator of the embodiment has a cabinet, a cooling part, and a control part. The box body comprises a storage part. The cooling unit cools the storage unit. The control unit may control the cooling unit in a control mode in which a1 st cooling control for cooling the storage unit and a 2 nd cooling control for cooling the storage unit in a temperature band higher than the 1 st cooling control or in an air pressure band higher than the 1 st cooling control are alternately repeated, and when a predetermined condition is satisfied while the control mode is being executed, the control unit may adjust an adjustment element regarding a temperature in the storage unit, an air pressure in the storage unit, or an execution time in the 1 st cooling control or the 2 nd cooling control.)

1. A refrigerator is characterized in that a refrigerator body is provided with a refrigerator door,

the disclosed device is provided with:

a case including a storage part;

a cooling unit for cooling the storage unit; and

the control unit controls the cooling unit in a control mode in which a1 st cooling control for cooling the storage unit and a 2 nd cooling control for cooling the storage unit in a temperature band higher than the 1 st cooling control or in an air pressure band higher than the 1 st cooling control are alternately repeated, and when a predetermined condition is satisfied while the control mode is being executed, the control unit adjusts an adjustment element regarding a temperature in the storage unit, an air pressure in the storage unit, or an execution time in the 1 st cooling control or the 2 nd cooling control.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1,

the control unit adjusts the adjustment element of the 2 nd cooling control in both a case where the predetermined condition is satisfied in the implementation of the 1 st cooling control and a case where the predetermined condition is satisfied in the implementation of the 2 nd cooling control.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2,

when the predetermined condition is satisfied while the 1 st cooling control is being performed, the control unit does not adjust the adjustment element of the 1 st cooling control or adjusts the adjustment element of the 1 st cooling control by an amount including a1 st adjustment amount, and adjusts the adjustment element of the 2 nd cooling control by an amount including a 2 nd adjustment amount;

in the case where the 1 st adjustment amount is used, the 1 st adjustment amount is smaller than the 2 nd adjustment amount.

4. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the 1 st cooling control cools the storage part in a1 st temperature band with the central temperature lower than the freezing point;

the 2 nd cooling control cools the storage part in the 2 nd temperature band with the central temperature higher than the freezing point;

the control unit adjusts the 2 nd temperature zone in the 2 nd cooling control in a range in which the center temperature is higher than the freezing point when the predetermined condition is satisfied while the control mode is being executed.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4,

the control unit cools the storage unit in a 3 rd temperature zone instead of the 2 nd temperature zone in at least a part of the 2 nd cooling control when the predetermined condition is satisfied while the control mode is being executed,

the center temperature of the 3 rd temperature zone is higher than the freezing point and lower than the center temperature of the 2 nd temperature zone.

6. The refrigerator of claim 4,

the control unit cools the storage unit in a 3 rd temperature zone instead of the 2 nd temperature zone in at least a part of the 2 nd cooling control when the predetermined condition is satisfied while the control mode is being executed,

the center temperature of the 3 rd temperature zone is higher than the center temperature of the 2 nd temperature zone.

7. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

further provided with:

a door for closing the space in the box body or the storage part in an openable and closable manner; and

a1 st detection unit for detecting the open/close state of the door;

the predetermined condition is that the 1 st detecting unit detects the open state of the door.

8. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

a 2 nd detection part for detecting the food put into the storage part;

the predetermined condition is that the 2 nd detection part detects that the food is put into the storage part.

9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the control unit adjusts the adjustment element in the 1 st cooling control or the 2 nd cooling control for a predetermined fixed time.

10. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

an outside air temperature detection unit for detecting outside air temperature;

the control unit changes the adjustment amount of the adjustment element based on the detection result of the outside air temperature detection unit.

11. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 10,

a temperature detection unit that detects, as a temperature in the storage unit, an air temperature in the storage unit, a temperature of food in the storage unit, or a temperature of a container on which the food is placed, the container being disposed in the storage unit;

the control unit changes the adjustment amount of the adjustment element based on the detection result of the temperature detection unit.

12. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 11,

further provided with:

a1 st door for openably closing an inner space of the case; and

a 2 nd door that openably and closably closes the storage section as a part of the internal space in the internal space;

the control unit increases an adjustment amount of the adjustment element when the 1 st door is opened and the 2 nd door is also opened, as compared with a case where the 1 st door is opened and the 2 nd door is not opened.

13. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 12,

the box body is provided with an inner space comprising the storage part;

the control unit increases the adjustment amount of the adjustment element when the food is placed in the storage unit, as compared with a case where the food is placed in a different area of the internal space from the storage unit.

14. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 13,

the box body is provided with an inner space comprising the storage part;

the internal space includes a1 st region different from the storage portion and a 2 nd region different from the storage portion and closer to the storage portion than the 1 st region;

the control unit increases the adjustment amount of the adjustment element when food is placed in the 2 nd area as compared with when food is placed in the 1 st area.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

Background

A refrigerator having a freezer compartment cooled to a temperature lower than that of a refrigerator compartment is known. The micro-freezing chamber stores food such as fermented food or fresh food at a low temperature without freezing.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2015-102320

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In addition, it is assumed that a special control mode is performed in which low-temperature cooling control for cooling a storage unit such as a freezer in a low-temperature range and high-temperature cooling control for cooling the storage unit in a high-temperature range are alternately repeated in the future, thereby further improving freshness of food. In this case, when food items at a temperature different from the air temperature of the storage portion are newly placed in the storage portion, the air temperature in the storage portion may fluctuate, and the freshness of the food items previously stored in the storage portion may be reduced.

The invention provides a refrigerator capable of more appropriately controlling cooling.

Means for solving the problems

The refrigerator of the embodiment has a cabinet, a cooling part, and a control part. The box body comprises a storage part. The cooling unit cools the storage unit. The control unit may control the cooling unit in a control mode in which a1 st cooling control for cooling the storage unit and a 2 nd cooling control for cooling the storage unit in a temperature band higher than the 1 st cooling control or in an air pressure band higher than the 1 st cooling control are alternately repeated, and when a predetermined condition is satisfied while the control mode is being executed, the control unit may adjust an adjustment element regarding a temperature in the storage unit, an air pressure in the storage unit, or an execution time in the 1 st cooling control or the 2 nd cooling control.

Effects of the invention

According to the refrigerator, more appropriate cooling control can be performed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator showing an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the refrigerator shown in fig. 1 taken along the line F2-F2.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a part of a functional structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining a control mode of "special freezing" in the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining example 1 of the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a process for executing the convergence control mode of the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining example 2 of the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of the processing for changing the execution time of the convergence control pattern in step S30 in fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the correction time in the embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of the correction time in the embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining another example of the correction time in the embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the control mode of the "special freeze" according to the embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, structures having the same or similar functions are given the same reference numerals. Moreover, a repetitive description of these configurations may be omitted. In the present specification, the term "based on XX" means "based on at least XX", and includes cases where the reference is made to another element in addition to XX. The term "based on XX" is not limited to the case of using XX directly, and includes the case of using an element obtained by calculating and processing XX. "XX" is an arbitrary element (e.g., arbitrary information). The "center temperature" in the present specification may be an "average temperature" or a median value between an upper limit value and a lower limit value of a target temperature zone.

(embodiment mode)

[1. integral Structure of refrigerator ]

A refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 13. Fig. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator 1. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the refrigerator 1 shown in fig. 1 taken along the line F2-F2. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 includes, for example, a cabinet 10, a plurality of doors 11, a plurality of shelves 12, a plurality of containers 13, a flow path forming member 14, a cooling unit 15, and a control board 16.

As shown in fig. 2, the box 10 includes, for example, an inner box 10a, an outer box 10b, and a heat insulating portion 10 c. The inner case 10a is a member forming the inner surface of the case 10. The outer case 10b is a member forming an outer surface of the casing 10. The outer box 10b is formed to be one step larger than the inner box 10a, and is disposed outside the inner box 10 a. Between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b, a heat insulating portion 10c made of a foamed heat insulating material such as foamed polyurethane is provided.

A plurality of storage chambers 27 are provided inside the casing 10. The plurality of storage compartments 27 include, for example, a refrigerating compartment 27A, a micro freezing compartment 27AA, a vegetable compartment 27B, an ice making compartment 27C, a small freezing compartment 27D, and a main freezing compartment 27E. In the present embodiment, refrigerating room 27A is disposed at the uppermost portion, vegetable room 27B is disposed below refrigerating room 27A, ice making room 27C and small freezing room 27D are disposed below vegetable room 27B, and main freezing room 27E is disposed below ice making room 27C and small freezing room 27D. However, the arrangement of storage compartment 27 is not limited to the above example, and for example, ice making compartment 27C and small freezing compartment 27D may be arranged below refrigerating compartment 27A, main freezing compartment 27E may be arranged below ice making compartment 27C and small freezing compartment 27D, and vegetable compartment 27B may be arranged below main freezing compartment 27E. The box 10 has openings on the front side of the storage chambers 27, through which the food can be taken into and out of the storage chambers 27.

The freezing chamber 27AA is provided below a part of the refrigerating chamber 27A, for example. The freezer compartment 27AA is at least partially partitioned from the refrigerator compartment 27A by a shelf, a wall (3 rd partition 30), and the like, for example. Freezer compartment 27AA is located below refrigerating compartment 27A so that relatively cold air easily flows in, or is located closer to a cooler 41 for refrigerating than refrigerating compartment 27A, which will be described later, and is cooled to a temperature lower than refrigerating compartment 27A. The freezing chamber 27AA is an example of a "storage unit". In the present embodiment, the refrigerating chamber 27A and the micro freezing chamber 27AA form an internal space S.

The case 10 has a1 st partition 28, a 2 nd partition 29, and a 3 rd partition 30. First partition 28 partitions refrigerating compartment 27A and vegetable compartment 27B. The 2 nd partition 29 partitions the vegetable compartment 27B from the ice making compartment 27C and the small freezing compartment 27D. Partition 3 is located between freezing chamber 27AA and refrigerating chamber 27A other than freezing chamber 27AA, and is a partition wall for partitioning the area of freezing chamber 27AA in refrigerating chamber 27A. The 2 nd partition 29 is made of, for example, a foamed heat insulating material and has heat insulation properties. The 1 st partition 28 and the 3 rd partition 30 are formed of, for example, synthetic resin or the like, and have lower thermal insulation than the 2 nd partition 29.

The openings of the storage chambers 27 are openably and closably closed by the doors 11. The plurality of doors 11 include, for example, right and left refrigerating chamber doors 11Aa and 11Ab that close the opening of refrigerating chamber 27A, a freezing chamber door 11Aa that closes the opening of freezing chamber 27Aa in internal space S, a vegetable chamber door 11B that closes the opening of vegetable chamber 27B, an ice making chamber door 11C that closes the opening of ice making chamber 27C, a small freezing chamber door 11D that closes the opening of small freezing chamber 27D, and a main freezing chamber door 11E that closes the opening of main freezing chamber 27E. At least one of the refrigerating chamber doors 11Aa and 11Ab is an example of the "1 st door". The freezer door 11AA is provided inside the refrigerating chamber 27A of the refrigerating chamber doors 11AA and 11 Ab. The whole or a part of the freezing chamber door 11AA may be provided integrally with a freezing chamber container 13A described later. The freezer door 11AA is an example of the "2 nd door". Hereinafter, the refrigerating chamber doors 11Aa and 11Ab will be collectively referred to as "refrigerating chamber door 11A".

A plurality of shelves 12 are provided in the refrigerating chamber 27A.

The plurality of containers 13 include a freezing chamber container 13A provided in the freezing chamber 27AA, the 1 st and 2 nd vegetable chamber containers 13Ba and 13Bb provided in the vegetable chamber 27B, an ice making chamber container (not shown) provided in the ice making chamber 27C, a small freezing chamber container 13D provided in the small freezing chamber 27D, and the 1 st and 2 nd main freezing chamber containers 13Ea and 13Eb provided in the main freezing chamber 27E. The term "container" as used herein includes a container having a shallow bottom such as a tray.

The flow path forming member 14 is disposed in the case 10. The flow path forming member 14 includes a1 st duct member 31 and a 2 nd duct member 32.

The 1 st duct member 31 is disposed along the rear wall of the cabinet 10. The 1 st duct member 31 forms a1 st duct space D1 as a passage through which cold air (air) flows. Duct member 1 has a plurality of cold air outlets 31a in the refrigerating compartment, cold air outlets 31b in the freezer compartment, and cold air return openings 31 c. Cold air outlets 31a in refrigerating room are provided above freezer compartment 27AA at a plurality of positions separated by different heights, and open in refrigerating room 27A. The freezer cold air outlet 31b opens into the freezer compartment 27 AA. The cold air return port 31c opens in the vegetable compartment 27B. The cold air having passed through the vegetable compartment 27B is returned from the cold air return port 31c to the 1 st duct space D1.

The 2 nd duct part 32 is provided along the rear wall of the cabinet 10. The 2 nd duct member 32 forms a 2 nd duct space D2 as a passage through which cold air (air) flows. The 2 nd duct member 32 has a cold air outlet 32a and a cold air return opening 32 b.

The cooling unit (cooling means) 15 cools the plurality of storage chambers 27. The cooling unit 15 includes, for example, a1 st cooling module 40, a 2 nd cooling module 45, a compressor 49, and a refrigeration cycle device 50 (fig. 3).

The 1 st cooling module 40 includes, for example, a cooler 41 for cold storage and a fan 43 for cold storage. The refrigerating cooler 41 is disposed in the 1 st duct space D1. The cooler 41 for cold storage is supplied with a refrigerant compressed by a compressor 49 described later, and cools the cold air flowing in the 1 st duct space D1. The cooler 41 for cold storage is disposed at a height corresponding to the freezer 27AA, for example.

The cooling fan 43 is provided at the cold air return port 31c of the 1 st duct member 31, for example. When the cooling fan 43 is driven, the air in the vegetable compartment 27B flows into the 1 st duct space D1 from the cold air return port 31 c. The air flowing into the 1 st duct space D1 is cooled by the cooler 41 for cold storage. The cold air cooled by cooler 41 for cold storage is blown out from a plurality of cold air outlets 31a for cold storage room to cold storage room 27A, and is blown out from cold air outlet 31b for freezer room to freezer room 27 AA. As a result, the cold air flowing through refrigerating room 27A, freezer room 27AA, and vegetable room 27B is circulated in refrigerator 1, and refrigerating room 27A, freezer room 27AA, and vegetable room 27B are cooled.

On the other hand, the 2 nd cooling module 45 includes, for example, a cooling cooler 46 and a cooling fan 48. The refrigerating cooler 46 is disposed in the 2 nd duct space D2. The refrigerating cooler 46 is supplied with a refrigerant compressed by a compressor 49 described later, and cools the cold air flowing through the 2 nd duct space D2.

Freezing fan 48 is provided, for example, at cold air return port 32b of duct member 2, and circulates cold air flowing through ice making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E to cool ice making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E.

The compressor 49 is provided in, for example, a machine room at the bottom of the refrigerator 1, and compresses refrigerant gas used for cooling the storage chamber 27.

In the present specification, "cooling" refers to a state in which a refrigerant is supplied from the compressor 49 to the cooler (the refrigerating cooler 41 or the freezing cooler 46) corresponding to each storage room 27. However, the "cooling" in the present specification is not limited to the case where the refrigerating fan 43 and the freezing fan 48 are driven. For example, the term "cooling" includes a case where the refrigerant is supplied from the compressor 49 to the refrigerating cooler 41 in a state where the driving of the refrigerating fan 43 is stopped, and the temperature of the freezing chamber 27AA is lowered by heat transfer between the refrigerating cooler 41 and the freezing chamber 27 AA.

The control board 16 is provided on the upper wall of the casing 10. The control board 18 realizes a control unit 100 described later. The control unit 100 will be described in detail later.

[2. refrigerating cycle device ]

The refrigerator 1 configured as described above is cooled by the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 controlled by the control unit 100 described later.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 is configured by annularly connecting a compressor 49, a condenser 51, a dryer 52, a three-way valve 53, capillary tubes (capillary tubes) 54 and 55, a cooler 41 for cold storage, and a cooler 46 for freezing in order of flow of a refrigerant. The cooler 41 for cooling is connected to the compressor 49 via a cooling-side suction pipe 57 as a connection pipe. The refrigeration chiller 46 is connected to the compressor 49 via a refrigeration-side suction pipe 58 as a connection pipe. Further, a check valve 59 for preventing the refrigerant from the refrigerating cooler 41 from flowing backward toward the refrigerating cooler 46 is provided between the refrigerating cooler 46 and the compressor 49.

Next, the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 will be described. First, the refrigerant circulating through the refrigeration cycle apparatus 50 is compressed by the compressor 49, becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant, and flows through the flow path a. The three-way valve 53 is controlled by the control unit 100 (see fig. 4) to select, for example, one of a flow path B for supplying the refrigerant to the refrigerating cooler 41 and a flow path C for supplying the refrigerant to the freezing cooler 46. The two flow paths B, C merge at a merging point D. The refrigerant flows from the merging point D in the direction of the arrow E and returns to the compressor 49.

[3. control ]

[3.1 functional Structure for control ]

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a part of the functional structure of the refrigerator 1. The control board 16 includes a control unit 100 formed of a computer having a microcontroller, a timer, and the like. The control unit 100 controls the entire refrigerator 1. In the following description, a case where the temperature of the freezing chamber 27AA is mainly controlled in the temperature management of the special freezing operation described later will be described. The control unit 100 is connected to a refrigerating fan 43, a compressor 49, a three-way valve 53, a refrigerating room temperature sensor 110, a freezer temperature sensor 111, an outside air temperature sensor 112, refrigerating room door switches 113a and 113b, a freezer door switch 114, a camera 115, a storage unit 116, and an operation panel unit 150.

Refrigerating room temperature sensor 110 is provided in refrigerating room 27A, and detects the temperature of air in refrigerating room 27A. The micro-freezing chamber temperature sensor 111 is a non-contact type temperature sensor provided in the micro-freezing chamber 27 AA. The micro-freezer temperature sensor 111 detects the air temperature in the micro-freezer 27AA, the temperature of the food in the micro-freezer 27AA (for example, the surface temperature of the food), or the temperature of a container placed in the micro-freezer 27AA and on which the food is placed. The micro-freezing chamber temperature sensor 111 may be a direct contact type temperature sensor that is in direct contact with the container. The freezer temperature sensor 111 is an example of a "temperature detection unit". Hereinafter, the air temperature in refrigerating room 27A may be referred to as "refrigerating room temperature" and the air temperature in freezer room 27AA may be referred to as "freezer room temperature". The control unit 100 may estimate the freezer temperature based on the detection result of the freezer temperature sensor 110 and a correlation between the freezer temperature and the freezer temperature, which is obtained in advance. In this case, the refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 110 is an example of a "temperature detecting unit that detects the air temperature of the freezer compartment 27 AA". The micro freezer temperature sensor 111 may be omitted when the temperature of the food is detected by the camera 115 described later.

The outside air temperature sensor 112 is provided on the surface of the refrigerator 1 and detects the outside air temperature of the refrigerator 1. In the present specification, the "outside air temperature" refers to the temperature outside the refrigerator 1, and is, for example, the air temperature in the room in which the refrigerator 1 is installed. The ambient temperature sensor 112 is an example of the "ambient temperature detection unit".

The refrigerating compartment door switches 113a and 113b are provided between the refrigerating compartment doors 11Aa and 11Ab and the casing 10, and detect the open/closed states of the refrigerating compartment doors 11Aa and 11Ab, respectively. The micro-freezing chamber door switch 114 is provided in the micro-freezing chamber 27AA, and detects the open/close state of the micro-freezing chamber door 11 AA. The refrigerating compartment door switches 113a and 113b and the freezer door switch 114 are examples of the "1 st detecting unit".

Camera 115 is an imaging device provided on, for example, a ceiling surface, a side surface, or the like of refrigerating room 27A, and detects loading and unloading of food into and from refrigerating room 27A and micro-freezing room 27 AA. The camera 115 detects whether food is put in or taken out, for example, by detecting the moving direction of the food. The camera 115 is an example of the "2 nd detection unit". The camera 115 may be provided in the freezing chamber 27AA to detect only the insertion and removal of the food into and from the freezing chamber 27 AA.

The "detection value detected by the camera 115 (the 2 nd detection unit)" includes, for example, a detection result that differs between the food put into the refrigerating compartment 27A and the food put into and taken out of the micro freezing compartment 27 AA. The "detection value detected by the camera 115 (2 nd detection unit)" may include a detection result that differs depending on the temperature, surface area, and the like of the food. The camera 115 may be a general camera having sensitivity characteristics in a visible light region, or may be an infrared camera having sensitivity characteristics in an infrared light region. The infrared camera is capable of detecting the temperature (e.g., surface temperature) of the food product. The "detection unit for detecting loading and unloading of food" is not limited to the camera, and may be an ultrasonic sensor or the like. In addition, when the temperature of the food is detected by the micro-freezing chamber temperature sensor 111, the camera 115 may be omitted.

The storage unit 116 stores programs and various information required for the operation of the refrigerator 1. The storage unit 116 stores, for example, a transform coefficient used in a control mode described later. The conversion coefficient is, for example, a coefficient for converting a detection result detected by various sensors into a variable used for temperature control, and is registered in the storage unit 116 in advance.

The operation panel unit 150 receives user operations for instructing switching of the set temperature zones and switching of the control modes (starting of another control mode) of the storage chambers 27, and displays the setting contents and the current operating conditions thereof. The operation panel unit 150 is, for example, a so-called touch type operation panel unit including a touch sensor including a capacitance type switch.

[3.2 basic operation ]

Next, a basic operation of the refrigerator 1 will be described. The control unit 100 performs a "refrigerating operation" and a "freezing operation" as basic operations of the refrigerator 1.

For example, by alternately performing the refrigerating operation and the freezing operation, controller 100 controls cooling unit 15 so as to maintain storage compartments 27 (refrigerating compartment 27A, micro-freezing compartment 27AA, and vegetable compartment 27B) in the refrigerating temperature range and storage compartments 27 (ice-making compartment 27C, small freezing compartment 27D, and main freezing compartment 27E) in the freezing temperature range in the respective set temperature ranges. For example, the control unit 100 alternately repeats cooling the storage chamber 27 in the cold storage temperature zone for a1 st predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes) and cooling the storage chamber 27 in the freezing temperature zone for a 2 nd predetermined time (for example, 40 minutes). The Control unit 100 performs feedback Control such as PID Control (Proportional Integral derivative Control) based on the refrigerating room temperature (or the freezing room temperature) and the freezing room temperature, for example, so that the air temperature of the storage room 27, which is the main target of temperature management, is included between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the set temperature zone.

Here, during the cooling operation, the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the cooling temperature range decreases, and the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the freezing temperature range increases. On the other hand, during the freezing operation, the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the freezing temperature zone decreases, and the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the refrigerating temperature zone increases. Therefore, the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the refrigerating temperature zone and the air temperature of the storage chamber 27 in the freezing temperature zone repeatedly fluctuate in a zigzag manner (see fig. 5).

[4. control modes ]

Next, several control modes that can be executed by the control unit 100 will be described.

< general micro-freezing >

The control mode of "normal partial freezing" is, for example, a control mode in which the cooling of the partial freezing chamber 27AA is performed in response to the cooling of the refrigerating chamber 27A in the basic operation. That is, in the "normal partial freezing" control mode, cooling unit 15 is controlled based on the refrigerating room temperature detected by refrigerating room temperature sensor 110 and the set temperature zone of refrigerating room 27A, and refrigerating room 27A and partial freezing room 27AA are cooled. In the "normal partial freezing" control mode, the partial freezing chamber temperature is controlled so as to be included in a certain temperature band having an average temperature of, for example, 0 to 1 ℃.

< Special slight freezing >

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining a control mode of "special freezing". In the upper section of fig. 5, the air temperature of the freezing chamber 27AA in the case where the control mode of "special freezing" is performed is shown. In the lower part of fig. 5, the center temperature of the set temperature zone of the freezing chamber 27AA in the case where the "special freezing" control mode is executed is shown.

In the control mode of "special freezing", the control unit 100 alternately repeats low-temperature cooling control (1 st cooling control) for cooling the freezing chamber 27AA in the 1 st temperature zone Ta and high-temperature cooling control (2 nd cooling control) for cooling the freezing chamber 27AA in the 2 nd temperature zone Tb higher than the 1 st temperature zone Ta. For example, the period during which the high-temperature cooling control is performed (high-temperature cooling control period Sb) is from the first time to the time t11, from the time t12 to the time t21, and from the time t22 to the last time shown in fig. 5 on the time axis of fig. 5. On the other hand, the period during which the low-temperature cooling control is performed (low-temperature cooling control period Sa) is from time t11 to time t12 and from time t21 to the 22 nd time t 22.

The 1 st temperature zone Ta is a set temperature zone of the freezing chamber 27AA during the low-temperature cooling control. The core temperature of the 1 st temperature zone Ta is, for example, -5 ℃. The center temperature of the 1 st temperature zone Ta is a temperature less than the freezing point. In the present embodiment, the upper limit value of the 1 st temperature zone Ta is a temperature lower than the freezing point (for example, 0 ℃). The 1 st temperature zone Ta is a temperature at which the surface of the food in the micro freezing chamber 27AA is micro-frozen. The 1 st temperature zone Ta is a temperature zone lower than the "normal partial freezing" temperature zone. The 1 st temperature zone Ta is a temperature zone in which the middle of the food in the micro freezing chamber 27AA is not frozen and a frozen layer is formed only on the surface of the food in the micro freezing chamber 27 AA. The low-temperature cooling control is performed for the low-temperature cooling control period Sa (for example, 2 hours).

The 2 nd temperature zone Tb is a set temperature zone of the freezing chamber 27AA during the high-temperature cooling control. The core temperature of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb is, for example, +1 ℃. The center temperature of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb is a temperature higher than the freezing point. In the present embodiment, the 2 nd temperature zone Tb is a temperature zone higher than the "normal partial freezing" temperature zone. The 2 nd temperature zone Tb is a temperature at which the micro-frozen layer formed on the surface of the food in the micro-freezing chamber 27AA can be melted. The high-temperature cooling control is performed for a high-temperature cooling control period Sb (for example, 5 hours) longer than the low-temperature cooling control period Sa.

According to the control mode of "special partial freezing", the low-temperature cooling control with the temperature of, for example, minus 5 ℃ as the center during the low-temperature cooling control period Sa and the high-temperature cooling control with the temperature of, for example, plus 1 ℃ as the center during the high-temperature cooling control period Sb are alternately repeated, whereby only the surface of the food in the partial freezing chamber 27AA is partially frozen, and drying and oxidation of the food can be suppressed. Thereby, the freshness of the food in the micro freezing chamber 27AA can be maintained longer than in the normal micro freezing.

In the present specification, the phrase "a certain temperature zone is higher than another temperature zone" means that "the center temperature of the certain temperature zone is higher than the center temperature of another temperature zone", and includes a case where a part of the "another temperature zone" overlaps a part of the "certain temperature zone". Similarly, the phrase "a certain temperature zone is lower than another temperature zone" means that "the center temperature of the certain temperature zone is lower than the center temperature of another temperature zone", and includes a case where a part of the "another temperature zone" overlaps a part of the "certain temperature zone". In the example shown in the present embodiment, for the sake of easy understanding, the 1 st temperature zone Ta and the 2 nd temperature zone Tb do not overlap each other in the control mode of "special freezing", but a part of the 1 st temperature zone Ta and a part of the 2 nd temperature zone Ta may overlap each other.

<5. adjustment control >

In the present embodiment, when a predetermined condition is satisfied during execution of the "special freeze" control mode, the control unit 100 performs adjustment control for adjusting at least one of the low-temperature cooling control (1 st cooling control) and the high-temperature cooling control (2 nd cooling control) as an adjustment element of at least 1 of the temperature, the air pressure, and the execution time. Several examples are described below. However, the content of the adjustment control is not limited to the example described below. In addition, the embodiments described below can be implemented in combination with each other in 1 refrigerator 1.

<5.1 temperature control in case that fresh food is put into the micro freezing chamber 27AA >

The 1 st and 2 nd embodiments are examples of adjusting the temperature of the high temperature cooling control (2 nd cooling control) in the case where it is detected that food items having a temperature different from the temperature of the micro freezing chamber (for example, food items of 10 ℃) are put into the micro freezing chamber 27AA during the execution of the "special micro freezing" control mode.

(embodiment 1)

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining example 1 of the embodiment. The upper and lower diagrams of fig. 6 are the same as those of fig. 5. Embodiment 1 is an example of a case where the refrigerating chamber door 11A and the micro-freezing chamber door 11AA are opened at time t1 during execution of the "special micro-freezing" control mode, and food items having a temperature higher than the micro-freezing chamber temperature (for example, food items at 10 ℃) are newly put into the micro-freezing chamber 27 AA. In this case, the control unit 100 adjusts the adjustment element (for example, temperature) of the high-temperature cooling control without adjusting the adjustment element of the low-temperature cooling control. In embodiment 1, the "predetermined condition" is, for example, at least 1 of the opened state of the refrigerating chamber door 11A detected by the refrigerating chamber door switch 113a (or the refrigerating chamber door switch 113b), the opened state of the freezer door 11AA detected by the freezer door switch 114, or the freezer temperature sensor 111 (or the camera 115) detected that food items higher than the freezer temperature are put in the freezer 27 AA.

If a warm food item is newly put into the micro freezing chamber 27AA during the execution of the "special micro freezing" control mode, the micro freezing chamber temperature rises under the influence of the temperature of the newly put food item (referred to as a new food item). This event can have an effect on the freshness retention of the food product by excessively promoting the melting of the micro-frozen layer on the surface of the food product (referred to as a stored food product) previously placed and stored in the micro-freezing chamber 27 AA. In this case, cooling control for rapidly lowering the temperature of the fresh food to a temperature zone in which the fresh food is particularly slightly frozen can be considered. However, in this case, the existing food may freeze inside, and the quality of the food may be impaired. Therefore, the control unit 100 of the present embodiment temporarily changes the set temperature zone of the micro-freezer temperature to suppress the influence of the above-described event. Such adjustment control is hereinafter referred to as "convergence control mode".

A case will be described in which a new food at a time t1 shown in fig. 6 before reaching the time t11, at a temperature (e.g., 10 ℃) indicated by a black circle, is put into the micro freezing chamber 27 AA. In this case, the temperature around the new food in the micro freezing chamber 27AA rises. In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 does not execute the convergence control mode during the low-temperature cooling control period, and executes the convergence control mode during at least a part of the high-temperature cooling control period, in either of the case where the predetermined condition is satisfied during the execution of the low-temperature cooling control and the case where the predetermined condition is satisfied during the execution of the high-temperature cooling control. For example, as a part of the high-temperature cooling control period from time t12 to time t21 shown in fig. 6, the controller 100 performs the convergence control mode during a period from time t12 to time t13 (predetermined execution time Sbc), and ends the convergence control mode at time t 13. The execution time Sbc is, for example, a predetermined fixed time. The controller 100 performs normal high-temperature cooling control during a period from time t13 to time t21 (predetermined implementation time Sbd).

The control unit 100 adjusts the 2 nd temperature zone Tb in the high-temperature cooling control in the range in which the center temperature is higher than the freezing point in the convergence control mode. Note that "the 2 nd temperature zone Tb is adjusted in the range in which the center temperature is higher than the freezing point" also includes a case where only one of the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb is changed. In embodiment 1, the control unit 100 may lower only the upper limit value of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb, or may lower only the lower limit value of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb.

In the present embodiment, when the convergence control mode is executed, the control unit 100 cools the freezing chamber 27AA with the 3 rd temperature zone Tc instead of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb in at least a part of the high-temperature cooling control. The center temperature of the 3 rd temperature zone Tc is set to be lower than the center temperature (e.g., 1 ℃) of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb and higher than the freezing point (e.g., 0 ℃). The center temperature of the 3 rd temperature zone Tc is, for example, 0.5 ℃. The temperature width between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 3 rd temperature zone Tc is, for example, the same as the temperature width between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb. In other words, the 3 rd temperature zone Tc is, for example, a temperature zone in which the center temperature, the upper limit value, and the lower limit value are lowered by 0.5 ℃ with respect to the 2 nd temperature zone Tb, respectively.

Next, a flow of the process of the refrigerator 1 will be described. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a process for executing the convergence control mode. The control unit 100 repeats the processing shown in the flowchart, for example, in a control loop of a predetermined cycle, using several flags including, for example, a "convergence control flag" and a "control state flag". In fig. 7, the case where the convergence control mode is executed when the refrigerating chamber door 11Aa or the refrigerating chamber door 11Ab is opened is illustrated.

The "convergence control flag" indicates a state from the detection of the opened state of the refrigerating chamber door 11Aa or 11Ab until the convergence control mode is executed as a "set" state, and indicates a state from the end of the convergence control mode until the detection of the next opened state of the refrigerating chamber door 11Aa or 11Ab as a "reset" state. In the "control state flag" in the "special freeze" control mode, the state in which the low-temperature cooling control is being performed is represented by the "set" state, and the state in which the high-temperature cooling control is being performed is represented by the "reset" state.

First, the control section 100 detects whether the refrigerating compartment door 11Aa or the refrigerating compartment door 11Ab is in an open state based on the detection result of the refrigerating compartment door switches 113a, 113b (step S10). If the open state of the refrigerating chamber door 11Aa or 11Ab is not detected, the control section 100 advances the process to step S14. When detecting that the refrigerating chamber door 11Aa or the refrigerating chamber door 11Ab is open, the control section 100 sets the "convergence control flag" (step S12).

If the determination result in step S10 is negative, or if the processing in step S12 is finished, control unit 100 determines whether or not the control mode of "special freeze" is the low-temperature cooling control period based on the "control state flag" (step S14).

If the time period is the low-temperature cooling control period, control unit 100 determines whether or not the low-temperature cooling control period is ended based on the result of counting by a timer (not shown) (step S16). If the low-temperature cooling control period has not ended, control unit 100 advances the process to step S50. When the low-temperature cooling control period has ended, control unit 100 changes the "control state flag" to the "reset" state, and changes the state to the high-temperature cooling control (step S18).

When the control unit 100 is not the low-temperature cooling control period, that is, when the control unit is the high-temperature cooling control period, the control unit detects whether or not the convergence control flag is newly set only when there is a change (state transition) from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control in the previous control cycle (step S20). If the convergence control flag is not set, the control unit 100 advances the process to step S26. When the convergence control flag is newly set, the control unit 100 determines the adjustment amount of the convergence control mode (step S30). The adjustment amount of the convergence control mode may be set in advance, or may be changed based on the state of the refrigerator 1. The detailed process for determining the adjustment amount of the convergence control mode will be described later.

After the determination result of step S20 is timed out or the processing of step S30 is ended, controller 100 determines whether the high-temperature cooling control period is ended based on the result of the timing of the timer (step S26). If the high-temperature cooling control period has not ended, the controller 100 proceeds to step S50. When the high-temperature cooling control period ends, control unit 100 changes the "control state flag" to the "set" state and changes the state to the execution of the low-temperature cooling control (step S28).

After the decision of step S16 or step S26 is made to be negative or not, or the processing of step S18 or step S28 is ended, controller 100 performs temperature control in the "special freeze" control mode based on the "control state flag" and the "convergence control flag" (step S50). For example, when the "control state flag" is set, the control unit 100 performs the low-temperature cooling control regardless of the state of the "convergence control flag". When the "control state flag" is reset and the "convergence control flag" is set, the control section 100 executes the convergence control mode. When the "control state flag" is reset and the "convergence control flag" is reset, the control unit 100 performs high-temperature cooling control that is not dependent on the convergence control mode.

Based on the result of the counting by the timer, if a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the convergence control mode, the control unit 100 resets the "convergence control flag" (step S60), cancels the convergence control mode, and ends the series of processing shown in fig. 7. The predetermined time is determined based on the adjustment amount.

When the predetermined condition is satisfied during the execution of the high-temperature cooling control, the control unit 100 may execute the convergence control mode during the high-temperature cooling control being executed. In addition, as a case where the predetermined condition is satisfied during the execution of the high-temperature cooling control, when the execution time of the convergence control mode is short during the high-temperature cooling control during the execution, the control unit 100 may execute the convergence control mode during the next high-temperature cooling control as shown in fig. 6.

On the other hand, when the predetermined condition is satisfied during the execution of the low-temperature cooling control, the control unit 100 does not execute the converging control mode during the execution of the low-temperature cooling control, and executes the converging control mode during the next high-temperature cooling control. This is because if the convergence control mode is executed in the low-temperature cooling control (that is, the temperature of the low-temperature cooling control is further lowered), freezing progresses toward the inside of the food, and the freshness of the food may be decreased as compared with the case where the convergence control mode is executed in the high-temperature cooling control.

Alternatively, for example, when the predetermined condition is satisfied during execution of the low-temperature cooling control, control unit 100 may decrease the temperature of the low-temperature cooling control by the 1 st adjustment amount and decrease the temperature of the high-temperature cooling control by the 2 nd adjustment amount. In this case, if the 1 st adjustment amount is smaller than the 2 nd adjustment amount, the freshness of the food is less likely to be decreased.

(embodiment 2)

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining example 2 of the embodiment. The upper and lower diagrams of fig. 8 are the same as those of fig. 5. The example 2 shows an example in which the refrigerating chamber door 11A and the micro-freezing chamber door 11AA are opened at time t1 during execution of the "special micro-freezing" control mode, and food items having a temperature lower than the micro-freezing chamber temperature (for example, food items at-3 ℃) are newly put into the micro-freezing chamber 27 AA. In this case, the control unit 100 adjusts the adjustment element (for example, temperature) of the high-temperature cooling control without adjusting the adjustment element of the low-temperature cooling control. The configuration other than the following description is the same as that of embodiment 1.

If a new cold food is newly put in the micro freezing chamber 27AA in the execution of the "special micro freezing" control mode, the micro freezing chamber temperature is lowered by the temperature of the new food. This event sometimes excessively promotes freezing of the stored food, and affects preservation of freshness of the food. In this case, the control unit 100 performs a convergence control mode for temporarily increasing the set temperature zone of the micro-freezer temperature.

A case will be described where a new food at a time t1 before reaching a time t11 shown in fig. 8, at a temperature (for example, -3 c) indicated by a black circle, is put into the micro freezing chamber 27 AA. In this case, the temperature of the surroundings of the new food in the micro freezing chamber 27AA decreases. In the present embodiment, in either case where the predetermined condition is satisfied during the execution of the low-temperature cooling control or in case where the predetermined condition is satisfied during the execution of the high-temperature cooling control, the control unit 100 does not execute the convergence control mode during the low-temperature cooling control period, but executes the convergence control mode during at least a part of the high-temperature cooling control period. For example, as a part of the high-temperature cooling control period from time t12 to time t21 shown in fig. 8, the controller 100 performs the convergence control mode during a period from time t12 to time t13 (predetermined execution time Sbc), and ends the convergence control mode at time t 13. The controller 100 performs normal high-temperature cooling control during a period from time t13 to time t21 (predetermined implementation time Sbd).

In the present embodiment, when the convergence control mode is executed, the control unit 100 cools the freezing chamber 27AA in the 3 rd temperature zone Td instead of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb in at least a part of the high-temperature cooling control. The center temperature of the 3 rd temperature zone Td is set to be higher than the center temperature (e.g., 1 deg.c) of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb. The central temperature of the 3 rd temperature zone Td is, for example, 1.5 ℃. The temperature amplitude between the upper and lower limit values of the 3 rd temperature zone Td is, for example, the same as the temperature amplitude between the upper and lower limit values of the 2 nd temperature zone Tb. In other words, the 3 rd temperature zone Td is a temperature zone in which the center temperature, the upper limit value, and the lower limit value are increased by 0.5 degrees celsius, respectively, with respect to the 2 nd temperature zone Tb, for example.

When the predetermined condition is satisfied during the execution of the high-temperature cooling control, the control unit 100 may execute the convergence control mode during the high-temperature cooling control being executed. In addition, as shown in fig. 8, when the predetermined condition is satisfied during the execution of the high-temperature cooling control and when the execution time of the convergence control mode is short during the high-temperature cooling control during the execution, the control unit 100 may execute the convergence control mode during the next high-temperature cooling control.

On the other hand, when the predetermined condition is satisfied during the execution of the low-temperature cooling control, the control unit 100 does not execute the converging control mode during the execution of the low-temperature cooling control, and executes the converging control mode during the next high-temperature cooling control. This is because, if the convergence control mode is executed in the low-temperature cooling control (i.e., the temperature of the low-temperature cooling control is raised), the freezing of the surface of the food product does not progress sufficiently, and the possibility of the freshness of the food product being decreased is higher than in the case where the convergence control mode is executed in the high-temperature cooling control.

Alternatively, for example, when the predetermined condition is satisfied during execution of the low-temperature cooling control, control unit 100 may increase the temperature of the low-temperature cooling control by the 1 st adjustment amount and increase the temperature of the high-temperature cooling control by the 2 nd adjustment amount. In this case, if the 1 st adjustment amount is smaller than the 2 nd adjustment amount, the freshness of the food is less likely to be decreased.

Although the above description has been given of the case where new food is put into the freezer compartment 27AA, the convergence control mode may be executed when new food is put into the freezer compartment 27A or when the freezer compartment door 11A and/or the freezer compartment door 11AA are simply opened. For example, the control unit 100 may perform control in the same manner as in embodiment 1 when the outside air temperature is higher than the freezer compartment temperature, and may perform control in the same manner as in embodiment 2 when the outside air temperature is lower than the freezer compartment temperature.

When the convergence control mode is executed, the control unit 100 may adjust at least one of the time for performing the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control and the air pressure in the freezing chamber 27A instead of or in addition to the adjustment of the temperature of the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control. For example, when a warm food (for example, a food at 10 ℃) is newly put into the freezing chamber 27AA during execution of the "special freezing" control mode, the control unit 100 may shorten the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control by a predetermined time (for example, 1 hour) or lengthen the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control by a predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes) as the convergence control mode. On the other hand, when cold food (for example, food at-3 ℃) is put into the micro-freezing chamber 27AA during execution of the "special micro-freezing" control mode, the control unit 100 may extend the execution time of the high-temperature cooling control by a predetermined time (for example, 1 hour) or shorten the execution time of the low-temperature cooling control by a predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes) as the convergence control mode. Therefore, the "temperature" in the description of the present embodiment may be replaced with the "execution time" of the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control. The length of the execution time may be determined based on 1 or more of the 1 st to 4 th factors described later, as in the case of the "control corresponding to the state" described later.

In the case where warm food (for example, food at 10 ℃) is newly put into the freezing chamber 27AA during execution of the "special freezing" control mode, the control unit 100 may set the air pressure in the freezing chamber 27AA during the high-temperature cooling control to be low by a predetermined amount or set the air pressure in the freezing chamber 27AA during the low-temperature cooling control to be high by a predetermined amount as the convergence control mode. On the other hand, when cold food (for example, food at-3 ℃) is newly put into the freezing chamber 27AA during execution of the "special freezing" control mode, the control unit 100 may increase the air pressure in the freezing chamber 27AA during the high-temperature cooling control by a predetermined amount or decrease the air pressure in the freezing chamber 27AA during the low-temperature cooling control by a predetermined amount as the convergence control mode. The adjustment of the air pressure in the freezing chamber 27AA can be performed by using, for example, a vacuum pump 47a or a relief valve 27b provided adjacent to the freezing chamber 27 AA. Since the freezing point of the food material is changed by adjusting the air pressure, the progress of freezing of the food material can be adjusted even at the same temperature. Therefore, the "temperature" in the description of the present embodiment may be replaced with "the air pressure in the micro freezing chamber 27 AA".

<5.2 control depending on State >

In the embodiments 1 and 2, the adjustment in the case where a new food is put into the micro freezing chamber 27AA, and the adjustment of the temperature at the time of the high temperature cooling control will be described. In the refrigerator 1 actually used, there is a possibility that factors affecting the stability of the micro-freezer temperature may be added in addition to the above-described introduction of new foods. Hereinafter, control according to the state will be described.

Representing 4 factors that may have an effect on the stability of the micro-freezing chamber temperature.

As the 1 st factor, there is an example in which refrigerating chamber door 11A is opened, and air outside refrigerator 1 enters refrigerating chamber 27A (or cold air inside refrigerating chamber 27A leaks to the outside). The condition for detecting that the 1 st factor occurs is, for example, that the open state of the refrigerating compartment door 11A is detected by the refrigerating compartment door switch 113a (or the refrigerator door switch 113 b). The control unit 100 determines the adjustment amount of the adjustment elements (for example, 1 or more of the temperature in the refrigerating compartment 27A (or the freezer compartment AA), the air pressure in the refrigerating compartment 27A (or the freezer compartment AA), and the execution time) of the convergence control mode based on, for example, the length of time during which the refrigerating compartment door 11A is in the open state and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 112.

The 2 nd factor includes that the refrigerating chamber door 11A and the freezing chamber door 11AA are opened, and air outside the refrigerator 1 enters the freezing chamber 27AA (or cold air inside the freezing chamber AA leaks to the outside). The 2 nd condition for detecting that the 2 nd factor occurs is, for example, the open state of the micro-freezer door 11AA detected by the micro-freezer door switch 114. The control unit 100 determines the adjustment amount of the adjustment element of the convergence control mode based on, for example, the length of time the freezer door 11AA is in the open state and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 112.

As the 3 rd factor, there is a case where the temperature of the fresh food put into refrigerating room 27A is different from the temperature of the freezer room (or refrigerating room temperature). The 3 rd condition for detecting the occurrence of the 3 rd factor is, for example, the detection of the temperature of the new food put into the refrigerating compartment 27A by the camera 115. The control unit 100 determines the adjustment amount of the adjustment element of the convergence control pattern based on 1 or more of the temperature (for example, surface temperature) of the new food, the surface area of the new food, and the distance between the micro-freezing chamber 27AA and the new food.

The 4 th factor includes that the temperature of the fresh food put into the micro freezing chamber 27AA is different from the micro freezing chamber temperature. The 4 th condition for detecting the occurrence of the 4 th factor is, for example, the temperature of the new food put into the micro freezing chamber 27AA detected by the micro freezing chamber temperature sensor 111 or the camera 115. The control unit 100 determines the adjustment amount of the adjustment element of the convergence control pattern based on 1 or more of the temperature (for example, surface temperature) of the new food and the surface area of the new food.

An example of control for reducing the influence of these factors will be described with reference to fig. 9 to 12. The processing described below is an example of changing the execution time of the convergence control mode (see embodiments 1 and 2) for adjusting the temperature as the change of the adjustment amount of the adjustment element.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a process of changing the execution time of the convergence control mode in step S30 in fig. 7. First, if it is detected by the refrigerating compartment door switch 113a (or the refrigerating compartment switch 113b) that the refrigerating compartment door 11A is opened, the control part 100 detects that the 1 st condition is satisfied, and performs the following process.

The control unit 100 calculates a reference time of the convergence control mode (step S312). For example, the control unit 100 may set the reference time of the convergence control mode to a preset fixed value, or may calculate the reference time based on the outside air temperature when the 1 st condition is satisfied.

The control part 100 detects whether the micro-freezer door 11AA is opened (satisfaction of the 2 nd condition) (step S314). When it is detected that the micro-freezer door 11AA is opened, the control unit 100 calculates a micro-freezer opening correction time (1 st correction amount) which is a correction amount when the micro-freezer door 11AA is opened (step S316). For example, the control unit 100 may set the freezing chamber opening correction time to a predetermined fixed value, or may calculate the freezing chamber opening correction time based on the outside air temperature when the above-described 1 st condition or 2 nd condition is satisfied.

When the opening of the freezer door 11AA is not detected, the control unit 100 sets the freezer opening correction time to 0 (zero) (step S318). In this case, the execution time of the convergence control mode is adjusted without using the freezing chamber opening correction time.

Control unit 100 determines whether or not a new food item is placed in either refrigerating compartment 27A or micro-freezing compartment 27AA (step S320). For example, control unit 100 determines whether or not new food is placed in either refrigerating room 27A or freezing room 27AA based on either a detection value detected by camera 115 (for example, an imaging result obtained by camera 115) or a change in the freezing room temperature detected by freezing room temperature sensor 111. When new food is placed in refrigerating compartment 27A, condition 3 is satisfied.

When it is determined that no new food is put into either of refrigerating room 27A and micro-freezing room 27AA, control unit 100 adds the micro-freezing room opening correction time to the reference time of the convergence control mode (step S322), and advances the process to step S340.

When determining that a new food is put into the freezer compartment 27AA (when the 4 th condition is satisfied), the control unit 100 determines whether or not the continuity of the temperature of the new food can be detected (step S324). When the continuous detection of the temperature of the new food can be performed by the freezer temperature sensor 111 or the camera 115, the control unit 100 determines the timing to end the convergence control mode at the adjusted timing based on the timing to end the convergence control mode for the temperature adjustment of the new food (step S326), and advances the process to step S340. In this case, the control unit 100 may end the convergence control mode when it is detected that the deviation between the detected temperature of the new food and the temperature band of the freezer is within the threshold range, for example.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the new food cannot be continuously detected, the control unit 100 determines the execution time of the convergence control mode based on the temperature of the new food detected at the time of loading or the temperature of the refrigerating room at the time of loading the new food (step S328).

On the other hand, if it is determined that new food is placed in refrigerating room 27A, control unit 100 calculates an adjustment amount in the case where new food is placed in refrigerating room 27A (step S330). This will be described later. After finishing any one of the processes of steps S322, S326, S328, and S330, the control unit 100 determines the execution time of the convergence control mode (step S340).

<5.3 specific example of method for calculating correction time >

<5.3.1 correction based on the type of door opened and the opening time >

Next, a method of calculating a correction time as a correction amount of the execution time of the convergence control mode will be described.

Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining the correction time based on the type of door opened and the opening time. The graph shown in fig. 10 represents the relationship between the outside air temperature (horizontal axis) and the correction time (vertical axis). A straight line LTr in the graph shown in fig. 10 indicates the 1 st correction amount (Tr) of the execution time of the convergence control mode when the refrigerating compartment door 11A of the refrigerating compartment 27A is opened for a unit time at a certain outside air temperature. Fig. 10 shows a case where the unit time is set to 10 seconds, for example. The control unit 100 may determine the correction time for the time when the refrigerating chamber door 11A is opened based on the length of the time when the refrigerating chamber door 11A is actually opened and the 1 st correction amount (Tr) per unit time indicated by the straight line LTr.

A straight line LTc in the graph shown in fig. 10 indicates the 2 nd correction amount (Tc) for the outside air temperature when the freezer door 11AA is opened per unit time at a certain outside air temperature. The control part 100 may determine a correction time (freezing chamber opening correction time) with respect to the time when the freezing chamber door 11AA is opened, based on the length of the time when the freezing chamber door 11AA is actually opened and the 2 nd correction amount (Tc) per unit time indicated by the straight line LTc.

For example, in the case where the refrigerating chamber door 11A and the micro-freezing chamber door 11AA are opened, the micro-freezing chamber temperature is more affected by the temperature difference between the micro-freezing chamber temperature and the outside air temperature than in the case where only the refrigerating chamber door 11A is opened without opening the micro-freezing chamber door 11 AA. Therefore, in the above case, the control unit 100 adds the 1 st correction amount and the 2 nd correction amount to adjust so that the execution time of the convergence control mode becomes longer.

In other words, the control unit 100 calculates the 1 st correction amount Tr _ door _ open and the 2 nd correction amount Tc _ door _ open using the following equations (1) and (2).

The 1 st correction amount Tr _ door _ open ═ f1 (ambient temperature, refrigerator compartment open time, 1 st coefficient with respect to ambient temperature, 2 nd coefficient with respect to refrigerator compartment open time) … (1)

The 2 nd correction amount Tc _ door _ open f2 (outside air temperature, freezer open time, coefficient 3 with respect to outside air temperature, coefficient 4 with respect to freezer open time) … (2)

The "f 1" in the above equation (1) includes the outside air temperature, the refrigerating room opening time, the 1 st coefficient and the 2 nd coefficient as variables, and is a predetermined function. "f 2" in the above equation (2) includes the outside air temperature, the freezing chamber opening time, the 3 rd coefficient and the 4 th coefficient as variables, and is a predetermined function. In addition, if the refrigerating chamber open time is 0, the result of the above equation (1) is 0. If the opening time of the micro-freezing chamber is 0, the result of the above equation (2) is 0. For example, the 4 th coefficient is set to be larger than the 2 nd coefficient. That is, the 2 nd and 4 th coefficients may be set so that the degree of influence per unit time of the opening time of the freezing chamber is larger than the degree of influence per unit time of the opening time of the refrigerating chamber. The 3 rd coefficient may be the same as the 1 st coefficient or may be larger than the 1 st coefficient.

More specifically, the straight line in the graph of fig. 10 and the functions f1 and f2 described above can be defined as follows. In the case where the outside air temperature is in the range from-10 ℃ to +30 ℃ and only the refrigerating chamber door 11A is opened, the control part 100 adjusts the implementation time of the convergence control mode such that the opening time per unit is shortened by 10 minutes at the maximum if the outside air temperature is lower than the micro-freezer temperature and is lengthened by 10 minutes at the maximum if the outside air temperature is higher than the micro-freezer temperature. In this case, the higher the outside air temperature is, the longer the execution time of the convergence control mode by the control unit 100 is, and the lower the outside air temperature is, the shorter the execution time of the convergence control mode by the control unit 100 is. Further, the control unit 100 sets the execution time of the convergence control mode to be longer as the opening time of the refrigerating chamber door 11A is longer. As shown in fig. 10, the degree of influence of the outside air temperature on the 1 st correction amount per 1 ℃ may be set so that the influence is larger in the case where the outside air temperature is in the negative temperature range than in the case where the outside air temperature is in the positive temperature range.

Further, in the case where the outside air temperature is in the range of-10 ℃ to +30 ℃, and the refrigerating chamber door 11A and the micro freezing chamber door 11AA are opened, the control part 100 adjusts the implementation time of the convergence control mode such that the maximum opening time per unit is shortened by 30 minutes if the outside air temperature is lower than the micro freezing chamber temperature, and the maximum opening time is lengthened by 30 minutes if the outside air temperature is higher than the micro freezing chamber temperature. In this case, the higher the outside air temperature is, the longer the control unit 100 makes the execution time of the convergence control mode longer, and the lower the outside air temperature is, the shorter the control unit 100 makes the execution time of the convergence control mode shorter. Further, the control unit 100 sets the execution time of the convergence control mode to be longer as the opening time of the freezing chamber door 11AA is longer. As shown in fig. 10, the degree of influence of the ambient temperature on the 2 nd correction amount per 1 ℃.

<5.3.2 correction based on the placement position and temperature of food >

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining the correction time based on the placement position and temperature of the food. For example, the control unit 100 determines the position where the food is placed based on the imaging result of the camera 115. When food is put into the freezing chamber 27AA, the control unit 100 increases the adjustment amount of the execution time (adjustment element) of the convergence control mode as compared with the case where food is put into a region different from the freezing chamber 27AA in the refrigerating chamber 27A.

Further, in the region different from the micro-freezing chamber 27AA in the refrigerating chamber 27A, the control unit 100 increases the adjustment amount of the execution time (adjustment element) of the convergence control mode in the case where the food is put in the 2 nd region closer to the micro-freezing chamber 27AA than in the case where the food is put in the 1 st region farther from the micro-freezing chamber 27 AA. The number of divisions of the region is not limited to two, and may be 3 or more. The range of the predetermined region is not limited to the range where the shelf 12 is provided, and the region of the magazine provided inside the refrigerating chamber door 11A may be included in the range. An example of the 2 nd area is an area immediately above the freezing chamber 27AA (for example, an area on the upper surface of the 3 rd partition 30). An example of the 1 st region is a region on the upper surface of the shelf 12 above the 3 rd partition 30.

This is illustrated by way of more specific example. The graph shown in fig. 11 represents the relationship between the separation distance (horizontal axis) and the correction time (vertical axis). The distance is, for example, a distance from the position of the food put into the refrigerating chamber 27A to the micro-freezing chamber 27 AA. The graph shown in fig. 11 includes 3 straight lines, i.e., a straight line LNormalCAM indicated by a solid line, a straight line licam _ min indicated by a broken line, and a straight line licam _ max.

The straight line LNormalCAM indicates the relationship of the 3 rd correction amount (Tp) with respect to the distance between the food and the micro freezing chamber 27AA detected by the optical camera 115. Since the closer the position where the food is put into refrigerating compartment 27A is to freezing compartment 27AA, the more susceptible freezing compartment 27AA is to the temperature of the food put therein, straight line LNormalCAM is defined such that the smaller the distance between the food and freezing compartment 27AA, the more the 3 rd correction amount (Tp) (the longer the predetermined execution time Sbc) is made, and the larger the distance is, the less the 3 rd correction amount (Tp) (the shorter the predetermined execution time Sbc) is made). The characteristic indicated by straight line LNormalCAM is a characteristic that generalizes the case where food items having a temperature higher than the temperature in refrigerator compartment 27A are placed in refrigerator compartment 27A.

In addition, when the actual temperature of the food is equal to the temperature of the refrigerating chamber, the temperature of the food does not affect the temperature. The actual temperature of the food is different from the temperature of the refrigerating chamber, and the influence of the temperature of the food is larger as the difference is larger. Therefore, the 3 rd correction amount (Tp) can be determined based on the position where the food is placed and the temperature of the food using the camera 1151R capable of detecting the temperature of the food.

For example, the characteristic indicated by the straight line LIRCAM _ min indicates that the actual temperature of the food is equal to the temperature of the refrigerating compartment. The straight line LIRCAM _ min overlaps the horizontal axis of the graph. The 3 rd adjustment amount in this case is 0 regardless of the position to be set.

The characteristic indicated by the line LIRCAM _ max indicates that the actual temperature of the food is higher than the refrigerating compartment temperature and higher than the standard temperature of the food when the line LNorma1CAM is defined. The 3 rd correction amount (Tp) indicated by the straight line LIRCAM _ max is larger than the 3 rd correction amount (Tp) indicated by the straight line LNorma1 CAM. The straight line LIRCAM _ max is defined such that the 3 rd adjustment amount is smaller as the distance is larger, as in the case of the straight line LNorma1 CAM. The straight line liccam _ max and the straight line LNormalCAM are straight lines in the graph of fig. 11, but are not limited thereto. Alternatively, for example, it is also possible to provide each with a stepped profile, so that the result obtained exhibits discrete values.

In other words, the control unit 100 calculates the 3 rd adjustment amount Tr _ input _ NormalCAM and the 3 rd adjustment amount Tr _ input _ IRCAM using the following equations (3) and (4). The 3 rd adjustment amount Tr _ input _ NormalCAM shown in equation (3) is calculated using a function "f 3" including the detection result (the above-described separation distance) of the optical camera 115 and the 5 th coefficient in its variables. The 3 rd adjustment amount Tr _ input _ IRCAM shown in equation (4) is calculated using a function "f 4" including, as variables, the detection result of the infrared camera 115 (the surface temperature of the food based on the infrared intensity, the surface area of the food, the distance (separation distance)) and the 6 th coefficient.

Third correction variable Tr _ input _ NormalCAM f3 (clearance, 5 th coefficient) … (3)

3 rd correction quantity Tr _ input _ IRCAM f4 (surface temperature, surface area, separation distance, 6 th coefficient) … (4)

For example, when the insertion of the food is detected by using the general camera 115, the 3 rd correction amount Tr _ input _ NormalCAM is calculated based on the detected separation distance and the function "f 3". For example, the control unit 100 may determine the 3 rd correction amount Tr _ input _ NormalCAM based on a range from +90 to +20 minutes, which is defined such that the 3 rd correction amount Tr _ input _ NormalCAM is smaller as the pitch becomes larger.

In the case of detecting the insertion of the food items using the infrared camera 115, the 3 rd correction amount Tr _ input _ IRCAM is calculated based on the detected insertion position of the food items, the temperature of the food items, the separation distance, and the function "f 4". The control unit 100 may determine the 3 rd correction amount Tr _ input _ IRCAM based on a range from +120 of the upper limit value to 0 of the lower limit value, which is defined such that the larger the distance, the closer the temperature of the food is to the refrigerating chamber temperature (or the freezing chamber temperature), or the smaller the surface area of the food is, the smaller the 3 rd correction amount Tr _ input _ IRCAM is.

<5.3.3 correction based on temperature of food put >

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining the correction time based on the temperature of the food put in. The graph shown in fig. 12 represents the relationship between the food surface temperature (horizontal axis) and the correction time (vertical axis). A straight line LTt indicates the 4 th correction amount (Tt) with respect to the surface temperature of the food. The food surface temperature is the temperature of the new food put into the micro freezing chamber 27AA detected by the micro freezing chamber temperature sensor 111 or the camera 115. The straight line LTt is defined such that the 4 th correction amount (Tt) is increased as the surface temperature of the food is higher than the temperature of the freezer compartment. For example, the control unit 100 detects the temperature of the new food placed in the micro freezing chamber 27AA using the micro freezing chamber temperature sensor 111 or the camera 115, and determines the correction time for the execution time of the convergence control mode using the detection result (the food surface temperature).

In other words, the control unit 100 calculates the 4 th adjustment amount Tr _ input _ indirctttemperature using the following expression (5).

The 4 th adjustment Tr _ input _ IndirctTemperature f5 (food surface temperature, 7 th coefficient) … (5)

"f 5" in the above formula (5) is a predetermined function including the surface temperature of the food and the 7 th coefficient as variables. If the surface temperature of the food is in the temperature band of the temperature of the freezer, the result of the above equation (5) becomes 0. The control unit 100 may monitor the temperature of the new food and start the convergence control mode when it is detected that the temperature band of the new food is different from the temperature band of the freezer compartment, or may end the convergence control mode when it is detected that the temperature of the new food is included in the temperature band of the freezer compartment. The control unit 100 may prioritize the above-described convergence control mode over control based on other factors.

The control unit 100 may implement the above-described controls individually or in combination with each other. For example, the control unit 100 calculates the total adjustment amount T by the following equation (6).

The integrated adjustment amount T ═ Tr _ door _ open + Tc _ door _ open + (adjustment amount based on temperature) … (6)

The "adjustment amount based on temperature" in equation (6) may be determined based on any or all of the outside air temperature, the place where new food is put into refrigerating room 27A, and the temperature of the new food put therein. For example, the "adjustment amount based on temperature" may be any of the adjustment amount Tr _ input _ IRCAM, the adjustment amount Tr _ input _ NormalCAM, and the adjustment amount Tr _ input _ indirctcomperaction.

The control unit 100 executes the convergence control mode by adjusting the duration of the 3 rd temperature zone Tc shown in fig. 6 based on the above-described total adjustment amount T. Depending on the conditions, the total adjustment amount T may be a negative value. In such a case, for example, the control unit 100 may select the convergence control mode of fig. 8 instead of fig. 6, and adjust the duration of the 3 rd temperature zone Td shown in fig. 8 using the absolute value of the integrated adjustment amount T to execute the convergence control mode of fig. 8.

The above description has been given of an example in which the execution time of the convergence control mode is changed based on the type of the opened door 11, the outside air temperature, the placement position of new food, the temperature of new food, and the like. Alternatively or additionally, the control unit 100 may change at least one of the temperature and the air pressure in the convergence control mode based on the type of the opened door 11, the outside air temperature, the placement position of the new food, the temperature of the new food, and the like.

(modification example)

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a modification of the control mode of "special freezing". In the present modification, instead of alternately repeating the low-temperature cooling control and the high-temperature cooling control, the control unit 100 alternately repeats the 1 st cooling control for cooling the freezing chamber 27AA at the 1 st atmospheric pressure zone and the 2 nd cooling control for cooling the freezing chamber 27AA at the 2 nd atmospheric pressure zone higher than the 1 st atmospheric pressure zone. The air pressure in the freezing chamber 27AA can be adjusted by driving a vacuum pump 47a or a relief valve 47b (see fig. 4) provided in the freezing chamber 27AA, for example.

The 1 st cooling control is a cooling control for micro-freezing the surface of the food material in the micro-freezing chamber 27AA, similarly to the low-temperature cooling control of the above embodiment. That is, the 1 st cooling control is not a cooling control in which the food material is frozen to the middle of the micro freezing chamber 27AA, but a layer frozen only on the surface can be formed. On the other hand, the 2 nd cooling control is a cooling control for melting a micro-frozen layer formed on the surface of the food material in the micro-freezing chamber 27 AA. The temperature zone in the 1 st cooling control and the temperature zone in the 2 nd cooling control may be the same as each other, or may be different as in the above-described embodiment. Even when the temperature zone in the 1 st cooling control is the same as the temperature zone in the 2 nd cooling control, the freezing point of the food material is changed by changing the air pressure, and therefore the same effect as in the "special freezing" control mode of the above embodiment can be obtained. The above-described convergence control mode can be implemented in the present modification. In the above description of the convergence control mode, the details of this case may be changed to "low-temperature cooling control" for "cooling control 1 st" and "high-temperature cooling control" for "cooling control 2 nd".

Although the embodiments have been described above, the embodiments are not limited to the above examples. The concepts described in the embodiments may be implemented by appropriately combining the respective concepts.

Further, although an example has been described in which the timing to start the convergence control mode is made to coincide with a state transition from the low-temperature cooling control to the high-temperature cooling control (from the low-pressure cooling control to the high-pressure cooling control) after a predetermined condition is satisfied, the present invention is not limited to this, and the control unit 100 may start execution of the convergence control mode at a timing when a predetermined condition is satisfied. At this time, there may occur a case where the high-temperature cooling control period ends before the execution period of the convergence control mode ends. In the above case, the control unit 100 may extend the high-temperature cooling control period to the end of the execution period of the convergence control mode, or may temporarily interrupt the convergence control mode and switch to the low-temperature cooling control, and restart the interrupted convergence control mode when returning to the next high-temperature cooling control. The extended execution period of the convergence control mode executed by the interruption can be made to coincide with the execution period determined at first.

For example, although the example in which the adjustment element of the low-temperature cooling control (1 st cooling control) is not adjusted when the predetermined condition such as the condition a is satisfied while the low-temperature cooling control (1 st cooling control) is being performed has been described, the control unit 100 may instead adjust the adjustment element of the low-temperature cooling control (1 st cooling control) to an amount including the 1 st cooling control adjustment amount and adjust the adjustment element of the high-temperature cooling control (2 nd cooling control) to an amount including the 2 nd cooling control adjustment amount. In this case, the 1 st cooling control adjustment amount may be made smaller than the 2 nd cooling control adjustment amount. The term "amount including the 1 st cooling control adjustment amount" means an amount equal to or larger than the 1 st cooling control adjustment amount or the 1 st cooling control adjustment amount. The "amount including the 2 nd cooling control adjustment amount" is an amount equal to or larger than the 2 nd cooling control adjustment amount or the 2 nd cooling control adjustment amount.

Although the example of detecting the insertion of a new food by using the camera 115 has been described, the adjustment amount in the convergence control mode may be determined comprehensively by adding the food taken out, no food taken in or out, or the like to the condition (variable).

According to at least one embodiment described above, the refrigerator can provide a refrigerator capable of more appropriate cooling control by adjusting the temperature in refrigerating room 27A (or freezing room AA), the air pressure in refrigerating room 27A (or freezing room AA), or the adjustment factor for the execution time in the above-described 1 st cooling control or 2 nd cooling control. The "in the 1 st cooling control or the 2 nd cooling control" may be either one or both of the "1 st cooling control" and the "2 nd cooling control". The "adjustment element for the temperature in the refrigerating compartment 27A (or the micro-freezing compartment AA), the air pressure in the refrigerating compartment 27A (or the micro-freezing compartment AA), or the execution time" is an "adjustment element" including one or more of "the temperature in the refrigerating compartment 27A (or the micro-freezing compartment AA)", "the air pressure in the refrigerating compartment 27A (or the micro-freezing compartment AA)", and "the execution time".

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments may be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Description of the reference symbols

1 … refrigerator; 10 … a box body; 15 … cooling part; 27A … refrigerator compartment; 27AA … micro-freezing chamber (storage part); 41 … cooler for cold storage; 43 … fan for cold storage; 49 … compressor; 100 … control unit.